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Providing an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of city
logistics and urban freight research, this Handbook offers
multidisciplinary insights on the key theories, themes and pressing
issues common to urban and metropolitan landscapes. Top scholars
from a broad range of disciplines, including economics,
engineering, business and management, political science and urban
planning, analyse the five most significant areas characterizing
urban freight transport: modelling, operations, planning,
stakeholder engagement, and innovation. Chapters examine key topics
including integrated transportation and land-use processes,
sustainability in urban freight transportation, and the
relationship between e-commerce and urban logistics. Fully
cross-referenced throughout, the Handbook offers a forward-looking
perspective on the topic, discussing the ways to improve urban
freight and city logistics, particularly in line with the drive
towards sustainable practices. An essential read for urban studies,
planning and transport geography students and scholars, this
stimulating Handbook showcases a participatory approach to
understanding city logistics operations and transport planning.
Detailing practical solutions, it will also be beneficial to
operations management, economics and transport practitioners and
policymakers looking for a deeper understanding of how to improve
urban freight and city logistics operations in our modern world.
Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given
area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject
in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of
travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Providing a
comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the gig economy from
both a labour and employment perspective, this Research Agenda goes
beyond the question of the employment status of platform workers.
It investigates how the gig economy is changing the way people
work, how the platforms' business models are spreading in our
economies, and what labour and social institutions are needed to
respond to the challenges that platform work raises. Covering key
issues such as algorithmic management, discrimination, occupational
health and safety, casual work and collective labour rights, the
authors challenge the narrative that the gig economy is a set of
work arrangements that cannot be regulated through existing labour
legislation and governance forms. The impact of the gig economy in
developing countries and the regulation of global supply changes in
platform work are also addressed. With contributions from
world-leading authors, this Research Agenda will be crucial reading
for scholars of labour and employment law, sociologists, economists
and industrial relations specialists.
The ubiquitous presence of imaginative work points at its
importance among the higher mental functions. This collective
volume discusses both the social relevance of imagination, that
cannot be reduced to an inter-individual feature, and the
cultural-historical conditions of imagining. The authors develop
different theoretical and empirical works in which imagining,
planning, anticipating, remembering and acting are put in relation
with crucial moments of human existence, as early as birth and even
after death. The proposal of this volume emerged during a "kitchen
seminar" session at the III International Seminar of Cultural
Psychology in Salvador da Bahia (Brazil, 2017). The debate revolved
around the imaginative capability of human beings and the
possibilities to investigate this phenomenon in a new key. The
awareness that an innovative theoretical and empirical contribution
was needed to the understanding of imaginative phenomena in
everyday life led to the proposal of the book From Dream to Action:
Imagination and (Im)Possible Futures. The book aims to talk to
different audiences: psychologists, sociologists, artists, teachers
and healthcare professionals, addressing a variety of life
experiences - such as imagining alternative futures when facing a
terminal illness, an adoption, a transplant waiting list, or the
choice to give up your musical instrument - mobilize multiple
dimensions of human psyche, from the basic emotions to the more
sophisticated higher mental functions. The constant effort is to
understand the psychological and sociocultural dynamics of each
event, and to contribute to the understanding of human imagining in
the area of semiotic-cultural psychology, dialoguing with
contributions from all the human and social sciences.
This book discusses analogies between relativistic cosmology and
various physical systems or phenomena, mostly in the earth
sciences, that are described formally by the same equations. Of the
two independent equations describing the universe as a whole, one
(the Friedmann equation) has the form of an energy conservation
equation for one-dimensional motion. The second equation is fairly
easy to satisfy (although not automatic): as a result, cosmology
lends itself to analogies with several systems. Given that a
variety of universes are mathematically possible, several analogies
exist. Analogies discussed in this book include equilibrium beach
profiles, glacial valleys, the shapes of glaciers, heating/cooling
models, freezing bodies of water, capillary fluids, Omori's law for
earthquake aftershocks, lava flows, and a few mathematical
analogies (Fibonacci's sequence, logistic equation, geodesics of
various spaces, and classic variational problems). A century of
research in cosmology can solve problems on the other side of an
analogy, which in turn can suggest ideas in gravity. Finding a
cosmic analogy solves the inverse variational problem of finding a
Lagrangian and a Hamiltonian for that system, when nobody thought
one exists. Often, the symmetries of the cosmological equations
translate in new symmetries of the analogous system. The book
surprises the reader with analogies between natural systems and
exotic systems such as possible universes.
Volcanoes have terrified and, at the same time, fascinated
civilizations for thousands of years. Many aspects of volcanoes,
most notably the eruptive processes and the compositional
variations of magma, have been widely investigated for several
decades and today constitute the core of any volcanology textbook.
Nevertheless, in the last two decades, boosted by the availability
of volcano monitoring data, there has been an increasing interest
in the pre-eruptive processes related to the shallow accumulation
and to the transfer of magma approaching the surface, as well as in
the resulting structure of volcanoes. These are innovative and
essential aspects of modern volcanology and, as driving volcanic
unrest, their understanding also improves hazard assessment and
eruption forecasting. So far, the significant progress made in
unravelling these volcano-tectonic processes has not been supported
by a comprehensive overview. This monograph aims at filling this
gap, describing the pre-eruptive processes related to the
structure, deformation and tectonics of volcanoes, at the local and
regional scale, in any tectonic setting. The monograph is organized
into three sections ("Fundamentals", "Magma migration towards the
surface" and "The regional perspective"), consisting of thirteen
chapters that are lavishly illustrated. The reader is accompanied
in a journey within the volcano factory, discovering the processes
associated with the shallow accumulation of magma and its transfer
towards the surface, how these control the structure of volcanoes
and their activity and, ultimately, improve our ability to estimate
hazard and forecast eruption. The potential readership includes any
academic, researcher and upper undergraduate student interested in
volcanology, magma intrusions, structural geology, tectonics,
geodesy, as well as geology and geophysics in general.
This volume is a self-contained companion piece to Studying
Vibrational Communication, published in 2014 within the same
series. The field has expanded considerably since then, and has
even acquired a name of its own: biotremology. In this context, the
book reports on new concepts in this fascinating discipline, and
features chapters on state-of-the art methods for studying behavior
tied to substrate-borne vibrations, as well as an entire section on
applied biotremology. Also included are a historical contribution
by pioneers in the field and several chapters reviewing the
advances that have been made regarding specific animal taxa. Other
new topics covered are vibrational communication in vertebrates,
multimodal communication, and biotremology in the classroom, as
well as in art and music. Given its scope, the book will appeal to
all those interested in communication and vibrational behavior, but
also to those seeking to learn about an ancient mode of
communication.
Jam-packed with interesting facts, Christian theology and practical tips, Planet Protectors is an informative and empowering guide for children on helping the environment by living sustainably. In a lively, entertaining style Ruth Valerio and Paul Kerensa offer 52 fantastic ideas for looking after the world - from cycling more and choosing fair-trade, to taking shorter showers and recycling.
Children will love taking up a different challenge each week and be inspired to join the fight for the planet's future as they learn about why it is so important to care for the environment and God's creation. With quirky illustrations perfect for colouring in throughout, Planet Protectors is an ideal book for 7- to 9-year-old children beginning to read independently. It is also a brilliant resource for parents and guardians to open up conversations with children about environmental sustainability, and for primary schools, Sunday schools and youth workers teaching about the environment.
Encourage and empower your children to see how they can make a difference and look after the world by becoming Planet Protectors.
This book develops a methodology for the real-time coupled quantum
dynamics of electrons and phonons in nanostructures, both isolated
structures and those open to an environment. It then applies this
technique to both fundamental and practical problems that are
relevant, in particular, to nanodevice physics, laser-matter
interaction, and radiation damage in living tissue. The interaction
between electrons and atomic vibrations (phonons) is an example of
how a process at the heart of quantum dynamics can impact our
everyday lives. This is e.g. how electrical current generates heat,
making your toaster work. It is also a key process behind many
crucial problems down to the atomic and molecular scale, such as
the functionality of nanoscale electronic devices, the relaxation
of photo-excited systems, the energetics of systems under
irradiation, and thermoelectric effects. Electron-phonon
interactions represent a difficult many-body problem. Fairly
standard techniques are available for tackling cases in which one
of the two subsystems can be treated as a steady-state bath for the
other, but determining the simultaneous coupled dynamics of the two
poses a real challenge. This book tackles precisely this problem.
East Naples' contemporary history is not special, or unique: its
processes shaped a mostly grey suburb nestled in the immediate
vicinity of the great southern city, sharing its limits and feeding
its needs. An imaginary tourist would search in vain for the
ancient natural landscape, formerly a splendid threshold between
coastal and marshy ecosystems, now humiliated by the sedimentary
accumulation of bricks, fumes, oil and poisons generated by the
main actors of the area's contemporary history - manufacturing and
housing. Across the globe, peripheral areas have experienced the
same deep environmental changes under the processes of energy
transitions, economic development and urbanisation. The historian
must interrogate the human choices, the material context and the
different perceptions of nature, health or production that led to
these changes as part of an environmentally-focused perspective on
two of modernity's distinctive global processes: industrialisation
and deindustrialisation. The resultant narrative of relations
between human choices and East Naples' environmental limits is
marked by the transition from an actual swamp to a metaphorical
one, an ambiguous space characterised by chaos and disorder,
hostility and risks, but also resistance, dignity and hope. This
book reconstructs the discursive and physical factors that created
the East Naples 'swamp', from the late eighteenth century to the
present, analysing hygienist thought and urbanisation,
industrialisation and deindustrialisation, ecological risks and
urban requalification attempts.
This book approaches the analysis of forensic contact traces from a
polymer science perspective. The development of characterization
methods of new or unusual traces and the improvement of existing
protocols is described. The book starts with a general introduction
to polymers and the issues related to transfer, persistence and
recovery of polymeric traces. The chapters present a distinctive
feature of polymers, discussing how it can be measured, what the
practical difficulties which can be encountered in the analysis,
and how useful that information is for comparison or identification
purposes. Practical tips for the realization of the forensic
analyses are included.
This book describes algorithmic methods and hardware
implementations that aim to help realize the promise of Compressed
Sensing (CS), namely the ability to reconstruct high-dimensional
signals from a properly chosen low-dimensional "portrait". The
authors describe a design flow and some low-resource physical
realizations of sensing systems based on CS. They highlight the
pros and cons of several design choices from a pragmatic point of
view, and show how a lightweight and mild but effective form of
adaptation to the target signals can be the key to consistent
resource saving. The basic principle of the devised design flow can
be applied to almost any CS-based sensing system, including
analog-to-information converters, and has been proven to fit an
extremely diverse set of applications. Many practical aspects
required to put a CS-based sensing system to work are also
addressed, including saturation, quantization, and leakage
phenomena.
This collection of peer-reviewed conference papers provides
comprehensive coverage of cutting-edge research in topological
approaches to data analysis and visualization. It encompasses the
full range of new algorithms and insights, including fast homology
computation, comparative analysis of simplification techniques, and
key applications in materials and medical science. The volume also
features material on core research challenges such as the
representation of large and complex datasets and integrating
numerical methods with robust combinatorial algorithms.
Reflecting the focus of the TopoInVis 2013 conference, the
contributions evince the progress currently being made on finding
experimental solutions to open problems in the sector. They provide
an inclusive snapshot of state-of-the-art research that enables
researchers to keep abreast of the latest developments and provides
a foundation for future progress. With papers by some of the world
s leading experts in topological techniques, this volume is a major
contribution to the literature in a field of growing importance
with applications in disciplines that range from engineering to
medicine."
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Primordial Cosmology (Hardcover)
Giovanni Montani, Marco Valerio Battisti, Riccardo Benini, Giovanni Imponente
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R5,584
Discovery Miles 55 840
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Primordial Cosmology deals with one of the most puzzling and
fascinating topics debated in modern physics - the nature of the
Big Bang singularity. The authors provide a self-consistent and
complete treatment of the very early Universe dynamics, passing
through a concise discussion of the Standard Cosmological Model, a
precise characterization of the role played by the theory of
inflation, up to a detailed analysis of the anisotropic and
inhomogeneous cosmological models. The most peculiar feature of
this book is its uniqueness in treating advanced topics of quantum
cosmology with a well-traced link to more canonical and pedagogical
notions of fundamental cosmology.This book traces clearly the
backward temporal evolution of the Universe, starting with the
Robertson-Walker geometry and ending with the recent results of
loop quantum cosmology in view of the Big Bounce. The reader is
accompanied in this journey by an initial technical presentation
which, thanks to the fundamental tools given earlier in the book,
never seems heavy or obscure.
Based on a detailed ethnography, this book explores the promises
and expectations of tourism in Cuba, drawing attention to the
challenges that tourists and local people face in establishing
meaningful connections with each other. Notions of informal
encounter and relational idiom illuminate ambiguous experiences of
tourism harassment, economic transactions, hospitality, friendship,
and festive and sexual relationships. Comparing these various
connections, the author shows the potential of touristic encounters
to redefine their moral foundations, power dynamics, and
implications, offering new insights into how contemporary
relationships across difference and inequality are imagined and
understood.
In this book, renowned scientists describe the various techniques
used to detect and characterize extrasolar planets, or exoplanets,
with a view to unveiling the "tricks of the trade" of planet
detection to a wider community. The radial velocity method, transit
method, microlensing method, and direct imaging method are all
clearly explained, drawing attention to their advantages and
limitations and highlighting the complementary roles that they can
play in improving the characterization of exoplanets' physical and
orbital properties. By probing the planetary frequency at different
distances and in different conditions, these techniques are helping
astrophysicists to reconstruct the scenarios of planetary formation
and to give robust scientific answers to questions regarding the
frequency of potentially habitable worlds. Twenty years have passed
since the discovery of a Jupiter-mass companion to a main sequence
star other than the Sun, heralding the birth of extrasolar
planetary research; this book fully conveys the exciting progress
that has been achieved during the intervening period.
The book illustrates the theoretical results of fractional
derivatives via applications in signals and systems, covering
continuous and discrete derivatives, and the corresponding linear
systems. Both time and frequency analysis are presented. Some
advanced topics are included like derivatives of stochastic
processes. It is an essential reference for researchers in
mathematics, physics, and engineering.
Based on a detailed ethnography, this book explores the promises
and expectations of tourism in Cuba, drawing attention to the
challenges that tourists and local people face in establishing
meaningful connections with each other. Notions of informal
encounter and relational idiom illuminate ambiguous experiences of
tourism harassment, economic transactions, hospitality, friendship,
and festive and sexual relationships. Comparing these various
connections, the author shows the potential of touristic encounters
to redefine their moral foundations, power dynamics, and
implications, offering new insights into how contemporary
relationships across difference and inequality are imagined and
understood.
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Paperback
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R205
R164
Discovery Miles 1 640
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