In a fast-moving world, the necessity of making decisions, and preferably good ones, has become even more difficult. One reason is the variety and number of choices perhaps available which often are not presented or understood. Alternatives are often unclear and complex paths to them confusing and misleading. Thus the process of decision making itself requires analysis on an ongoing basis. Decision making is often made based on cultural factors whereas the best alternative might be quite different. The subject touches ethical aspects as well as psychological considerations. This book presents important research on the psychology of decision making related to law and law enforcement, health care and science.

Reputed to have performed miraculous feats in New England-restoring the hair and teeth to an aged lady, bringing a withered peach tree to fruit-Eirenaeus Philalethes was also rumored to be an adept possessor of the alchemical philosophers' stone. That the man was merely a mythical creation didn't diminish his reputation a whit-his writings were spectacularly successful, read by Leibniz, esteemed by Newton and Boyle, voraciously consumed by countless readers. Gehennical Fire is the story of the man behind the myth, George Starkey. Though virtually unknown today and little noted in history, Starkey was America's most widely read and celebrated scientist before Benjamin Franklin. Born in Bermuda, he received his A.B. from Harvard in 1646 and four years later emigrated to London, where he quickly gained prominence as a "chymist." Thanks in large part to the scholarly detective work of William Newman, we now know that this is only a small part of an extraordinary story, that in fact George Starkey led two lives. Not content simply to publish his alchemical works under the name Eirenaeus Philalethes, "A Peaceful Lover of Truth," Starkey spread elaborate tales about his alter ego, in effect giving him a life of his own.

Provided here is a simple introduction to writing scientific programs using the OS/2 presentation manager. This book shows you how to write programs in the C language and is the first to illustrate how to plot data on hard copy devices such as dot matrix printers and pen plotters. Since the C language may be somewhat hard to read for some beginners, a chapter has been included which introduces the C language and includes simple definitions to make C more readable. Discussions comprehensively cover all important areas, including: how to display images such as those obtained from scanning microscopy techniques, frame grabbers, and image capture devices; how multiple thread of execution can be used within your program so that several tasks can run at the same time; the methods of communicating between these threads; how to acquire data from acquisition cards; an introduction to the Intel 80286 assembly language; and how to make calls to OS/2's serial device driver showing how to send and receive characters simply. In addition, all program examples are complete working programs which are fully discussed so that novices can easily understand their purpose.

In this timely work, Russell, philosopher, agnostic, mathematician, and renowned peace advocate, offers a brief yet insightful study of the conflicts between science and traditional religion during the last four centuries. Examining accounts in which scientific advances clashed with Christian doctrine or biblical interpretations of the day, from Galileo and the Copernican Revolution, to the medical breakthroughs of anesthesia and inoculation, Russell points to the constant upheaval and reevaluation of our systems of belief throughout history. In turn, he identifies where similar debates between modern science and the Church still exist today. Michael Ruse's new introduction brings these conflicts between science and theology up to date, focusing on issues arising after World War II.

This classic is sure to interest all readers of philosophy and religion, as well as those interested in Russell's thought and writings.

When in 1989 Chinese astrophysicist Fang Lizhi sought asylum for months in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, later escaping to the West, worldwide attention focused on the plight of liberal intellectuals in China. In Science and Dissent in Post-Mao China H. Lyman Miller examines the scientific community in China and prominent members such as Fang and physicist and historian of science Xu Liangying. Drawing on Chinese academic journals, newspapers, interviews, and correspondence with Chinese scientists, he considers the evolution of China's science policy and its impact on China's scientific community. He illuminates the professional and humanistic values that impelled scientific intellectuals on their course toward open, liberal political dissent. It is ironic that scientific dissidence in China arose in opposition to a regime supportive of and initially supported by scientists. In the late 1970s scientists were called upon to help implement reforms orchestrated by Deng Xiaoping's regime, which attached a high priority to science and technology. The regime worked to rebuild China's civilian science community and sought to enhance the standing of scientists while at the same time it continued to oppose political pluralism and suppress dissidence. The political philosophy of revolutionary China has taught generations of scientists that explanation of the entire natural world, from subatomic particles to galaxies, falls under the jurisdiction of "natural dialectics," a branch of Marxism-Leninism. Escalating debates in the 1980s questioned the relationship of Marxism to science and led some to positions of open political dissent. At issue were the autonomy of China's scientific community and the conduct of science, as well as the validity and jurisdiction of Marxist-Leninist philosophy-and hence the fundamental legitimacy of the political system itself. Miller concludes that the emergence of a renewed liberal voice in China in the 1980s was in significant part an extension into politics of what some scientists believed to be the norms of healthy science; scientific dissidence was an unintended but natural consequence of the Deng regime's reforms. This thoughtful study of science as a powerful belief system and as a source of political and social values in contemporary China will appeal to a diverse audience, including readers interested in Chinese politics and society, comparative politics, communist regimes, the political sociology of science, and the history of ideas.

Since the publication in 1896 of Andrew Dickson White's classic "History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom", no comprehensive history of the subject has appeared in the English language. Although many twentieth-century historians have written on the relationship between Christianity and science, and in the process have called into question many of White's conclusions, the image of warfare lingers in the public mind. To provide an up-to-date alternative, based on the best available scholarship and written in nontechnical language, the editors of this volume have assembled an international group of distinguished historians. In eighteen essays prepared especially for this book, these authors cover the period from the early Christian church to the twentieth century, offering fresh appraisals of such encounters as the trial of Galileo, the formulation of the Newtonian worldview, the coming of Darwinism, and the ongoing controversies over 'scientific creationism'. They explore not only the impact of religion on science, but also the influence of science and religion. This landmark volume promises not only to silence the persistent rumors of war between Christianity and science, but also serve as the point of departure for new explorations of their relationship. Scholars and general readers alike will find it provocative and readable.

The works from Daniel Bernoulli's youth contained in this first volume of his Collected Works bear witness above all of his versatility; they deal with subjects as different as physiology, formal logic, mathematical analysis, hydrodynamics and positional astronomy. Daniel Bernoulli's contacts with Italian scientists gave rise to several controversies. The present volume documents both sides in each of these debates, which culminated with the publication of Bernoulli's first book Exercitationes mathe- maticae in 1724. The discussions with the renowned mathematician Jacopo Riccati on second-order differential equations and on the Newtonian theory of the out-flow of fluids from vessels deserve particular interest. A third group of texts goes back to the time Bernoulli spent at the newly- founded Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, where he had been appointed in 1725. There he worked out two more contributions to physiological research - on muscle movement and on the blind spot in the human eye - as well as his only paper in positional astronomy. This last work - suggested by a prize question of the Paris Academie des Sciences - became the occasion for a vehement conflict; the present volume documents these "Zankereien" (squabbles) and also reproduces three competing treatises. To complete the documentation of Daniel Bernoulli's work on physiology, the volume also includes his academic ceremonial speech De Vita of 1737, where he sketches for the first time the circulation of the work done by the human heart, and its elaboration by Bernoulli's student Daniel Passavant.

Taiwan's Politics in Action: Struggling to Win at the Ballot Box is about the most interesting and exciting aspects of Taiwan's politics: political competition in the form of electioneering, campaigns and voting. The author first analyzes the theories, constructs or simply ideas about elections, especially who wins them and why.The most discussed by the pundits and the scholars are the watermelon and the pendulum theory: voting as before or not. The economic, or pocketbook, theory is also popular - although whether this means economic growth or greater equity has changed. Which party or candidate has the most money is also predictive. Other constructs or simply ideas are also commonplace. Divide and conquer is another approach. Another is the best campaign agenda; so too picking the most attractive candidates. Professionalism in campaigning and the use of social media are also favorite ideas. So is the appeal to voters' ethnicity, espousing liberal or conservative ideas, using protest, focusing on constant concerns such as peace and corruption and finally, the appeals of populism and progressivism.The author then examines Taiwan's two most recent elections, the 2018 mid-term (or collection of local elections) and the 2020 national presidential and legislative election to apply the theories. The Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) won the former; the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the latter, giving the observer a choice of evidence about how to win.The author concludes that Taiwan's democracy is being challenged, but is still popular in spite of strong external forces and other worries.

Surveys are the principal source of data not only for social science, but for consumer research, political polling, and federal statistics. In response to social and technological trends, rates of survey nonresponse have risen markedly in recent years, prompting observers to worry about the continued validity of surveys as a tool for data gathering. Newspaper stories, magazine articles, radio programs, television broadcasts, and Internet blogs are filled with data derived from surveys of one sort or another. Reputable media outlets generally indicate whether a survey is representative, but much of the data routinely bandied about in the media and on the Internet are not based on representative samples and are of dubious use in making accurate statements about the populations they purport to represent. Surveys are social interactions, and like all interactions between people, they are embedded within social structures and guided by shared cultural understandings. This issue of The ANNALS examines the difficulties with finding willing respondents to these surveys and how the changing structure of society, whether it be the changing family structure, mass immigration, rising inequality, or the rise of technology, has presented new issues to conducting surveys. This volume will be of interest to faculty and students who specialize in sociological movements as well as economic and immigration movements and its effect on surveying. "

How do federal statistics strengthen our nation's science as well as its policy? From demographers requiring vital statistics to economists relying on national accounts, from political scientists using voting data to sociologists requiring race/ethnicity statistics, from public health researchers needing epidemiology data to those working on the history of the United States and drawing on statistical records, the need for official statistics is great. And yet it is not widely recognized that federal statistics provide a vital contribution to the nation's scientific infrastructure, as well as serving as an information provider to the policy process. What is the role of the federal statistical system in our scientific knowledge of American society? Would the social knowledge relevant to public policies have reached current levels of maturity in the absence of public statistics? Except by the scientific community that actually uses them, federal statistical programs are typically not thought of in scientific terms but as adjuncts to important government functions. In this latest volume of The ANNALS, leading academics, along with key federal officials, including the president's science advisor, the chief statistician of the U.S., the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the presidents of the National Academies, and the director of the Census Bureau address the argument that the statistics that the federal statistical system produces should be understood as constituting a scientific infrastructure for the empirical social sciences. Further, they see the current federal statistical system as "the best hope for bringing strong science to bear on new data sources" and "the best place to navigate unforeseen challenges in preserving the independence of statistical information from political interference." This unique collection of essays conceptualizes the U.S. Federal Statistical System-its role, reach, achievements, and vulnerabilities. The authors explore challenging issues such as privacy and confidentiality protections, data quality, and maintaining representativeness. Their intriguing discussion also takes up: * the move from a census and survey data system to a system that increasingly incorporates administrative and digital data; * the nation's scientific leadership's role as advocates for statistical programs; * the problems with the scientific methodology-sample surveys-on which these statistics rest; and * strengthening the network of statistical agencies and programs. Recommendations are offered, ranging from how to better organize the system, how to protect statistics from political interference, how to strengthen their role in science and in the policy process, and how to prepare for the challenges of a "new information order." If federal statistics are the knowledge base from which policy problems and solutions emerge, it is imperative that we pay attention to the lessons they offer. Never before has this topic received this level of attention from such an array of contributors. A must read for all social scientists and policy-makers.

Swarm intelligence is an innovative computational way to solve hard problems. This discipline is inspired by the behaviour of social insect (e.g. ants, termites, bees and wasps) colonies as well as fish schools and bird flocks. The content of this book is divided into two main parts: ant colony optimisation and particle swarm optimisation. The former describes systems that have been engineered using ant colony optimisation and the latter presents systems that were designed based on particle swarm optimisation.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. This classic handbook provides the major formulas, calculations, cost estimating techniques, and safety procedures needed for specific die operations and performance evaluations BETTER PERFORMANCE IN EVERY PHASE OF DIE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURINGThe classic reference on metal-stamping die design and operations just got better. Twenty-year-plus engineering veteran Ivana Suchy's Second Edition of the Handbook of Die Design now adds to its comprehensive coverage new ways to improve processes and reduce costs, from design through manufacturing. Whatever you blank, pierce, punch, bend, form, draw, or otherwise fabricate, this reference gives you the hands-on guidance and use-it-now data you need to do it better, faster, safer. It's loaded with at-a-glance charts, step-by-step guidelines, rules of thumb, and up-to-the-minute techniques for ensuring precision design for every type of sheet metal pressworking. It's the essential on-the-job tool for engineers, designers, and technicians in die design and the pressworking range of operations looking for better evaluations and greater job satisfaction. NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE PROCESSES AND CUT COSTS Useful new hardware and specialized hardware Custom-made automated systems New types of pressroom equipment Illustrations and specifications for rotary bending techniques New coating processes to increase tool durability and prevent galling Additional strip samples and actual die design/manufacturing problems More detail on strain hardening of material and its effect on drawing, forming, and bending operations, and the tooling involved Illustrated explanations of the use of nitrogen cylinders and air springs in die manufacture U.S. symbols added to metric for all dimensions and math applications, including tolerance ranges DIE DESIGN, INSIDE OUT: Basic Die Design and Die-Work Influencing Factors * The Theory of Sheet-Metal Behavior * Metal Stamping Dies and Their Function * Metal Stamping Dies: Their Construction and Assembly * Metalworking Machinery * Blanking and Piercing Operations * Blank Calculation or Flat Layout * Bending and Forming Operations * Drawn Parts * Practical Die Design * Die Process Quality and Automation, and Die Maintenance * Springs: Their Design and Calculations * Spring Washers * Materials and Surface Finish * Die Cost Estimating

Agricultural trade barriers and producer subsidies inflict real costs, both on the countries that use these policies and on their trade partners. Trade barriers lower demand for trade partners' products, domestic subsidies can induce an oversupply of agricultural products which depresses world prices, and export subsidies create increased competition for producers in other countries. Eliminating global agricultural policy distortions would result in an annual world welfare gain of $56 billion. High protection for agricultural commodities in the form of tariffs continues to be the major factor restricting world trade. In 2000, World Trade Organisation (WTO) members continued global negotiations on agricultural policy reform. To help policymakers and others realise what is at stake in the global agricultural negotiations, this book quantifies the costs of global agricultural distortions and the potential benefits of their full elimination. It also analyses the effects on US and world agriculture if only partial reform is achieved in liberalising tariffs, tariff-rate quotas (limits on imported goods), domestic support, and export subsidies.

Richard Feynman once quipped that "Time is what happens when nothing else does." But Julian Barbour disagrees: if nothing happened, if nothing changed, then time would stop. For time is nothing but change. It is change that we perceive occurring all around us, not time. Put simply, time does not exist.

In this highly provocative volume, Barbour presents the basic evidence for a timeless universe, and shows why we still experience the world as intensely temporal. It is a book that strikes at the heart of modern physics. It casts doubt on Einstein's greatest contribution, the spacetime continuum, but also points to the solution of one of the great paradoxes of modern science, the chasm between classical and quantum physics. Indeed, Barbour argues that the holy grail of physicists--the unification of Einstein's general relativity with quantum mechanics--may well spell the end of time.

Barbour writes with remarkable clarity as he ranges from the ancient philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides, through the giants of science Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, to the work of the contemporary physicists John Wheeler, Roger Penrose, and Steven Hawking. Along the way he treats us to enticing glimpses of some of the mysteries of the universe, and presents intriguing ideas about multiple worlds, time travel, immortality, and, above all, the illusion of motion.

The End of Time is a vibrantly written and revolutionary book. It turns our understanding of reality inside-out.