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Linear Algebraic Monoids

The theory of linear algebraic monoids culminates in a coherent blend of algebraic groups, convex geometry, and semigroup theory. The book discusses all the key topics in detail, including classification, orbit structure, representations, universal constructions, and abstract analogues. An explicit cell decomposition is constructed for the wonderful compactification, as is a universal deformation for any semisimple group. A final chapter summarizes important connections with other areas of algebra and geometry. The book will serve as a solid basis for further research. Open problems are discussed as they arise and many useful exercises are included.

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Limits to the European Union’s Normative Power in a Post-conflict Society : EULEX and Peacebuilding in Kosovo

Investigates the EU’s peacebuilding activities in that country, in the light of the normative power theory in the post-conflict setting and peacebuilding theory. Ten years after the massive engagement of the EU in the country torn by war, the authors critically assess the effects of the EU projecting its normative power – the enforcement of its standards, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – through the EULEX mission, taking into consideration also the local aspects, so far neglected in this field of research. Inspecting thoroughly the EULEX activities in the police, customs and judiciary sector.This open access book offers a comprehensive assessment of the EULEX mission, based on two Horizon2020 research projects: IECEU - Improving the Effectiveness of Capabilities in EU Conflict Prevention, and KOSNORTH – The European Union and its Normative Power in a Post-conflict Society: A Case Study of Northern Kosovo (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship).

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Light-Associated Reactions of Synthetic Polymers

This book presents a range of reactions and materials with some of the most exciting current and future applications. It includes a brief introduction to photochemistry; in-depth discussion of photosensitizers, photoinititiators, and the processes of light curing and crosslinking; listing of light responsive polymers and their uses; and a discussion of polymeric materials for use in non-linear optics.

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Light Scattering from Polymer Solutions and Nanoparticle Dispersions

Light scattering is a very powerful method to characterize the structure of polymers and nanoparticles in solution. Recent technical developments have strongly enhanced the possible applications of this technique, overcoming previous limitations like sample turbidity or insufficient experimental time scales. However, despite their importance, these new developments have not yet been presented in a comprehensive form. In addition, and maybe even more important to the broad audience, there lacks a simple-to-read textbook for students and non-experts interested in the basic principles and fundamental techniques of light scattering. As part of the Springer Laboratory series, this book tries not only to provide such a simple-to-read and illustrative textbook about the seemingly very complicated topic of light scattering from polymers and nanoparticles in dilute solution, but also intends to cover some of the newest technical developments in experimental light scattering.

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Life in the Universe : Expectations and Constraints

Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats -- the basic elements of living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This class-tested text examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as basic chemical element, solar energy as a main energy source, or water as primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from Earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

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Life - As a Matter of Fat : The Emerging Science of Lipidomics

Lipids are as important for life as proteins, sugars, and genes. The present book gives a multi-disciplinary perspective on the physics of life and the particular role played by lipids and the lipid-bilayer component of cell membranes. The book is aimed at undergraduate students and young research workers within physics, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, nutrition, as well as pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences. The emphasis is on the physical properties of lipid membranes seen as soft and molecularly structured interfaces. By combining and synthesizing insights obtained from a variety of recent studies, an attempt is made to clarify what membrane structure is and how it can be quantitatively described. Furthermore, it is shown how biological function mediated by membranes is controlled by lipid membrane structure and organization on length scales ranging from the size of the individual molecule, across molecular assemblies of proteins and lipid domains in the range of nanometers, to the size of whole cells. Applications of lipids in nano-technology and biomedicine are also described.

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Lie Theory Vol.229 : Unitary Representations and Compactifications of Symmetric Spaces

It focuses on two fundamental questions in the theory of semisimple Lie groups: the geometry of Riemannian symmetric spaces and their compactifications; and branching laws for unitary representations, i.e., restricting unitary representations to (typically, but not exclusively, symmetric) subgroups and decomposing the ensuing representations into irreducibles.Ji's introductory chapter motivates the subject of symmetric spaces and their compactifications with carefully selected examples. A discussion of Satake and Furstenberg boundaries and a survey of the geometry of Riemannian symmetric spaces in general provide a good background for the second chapter, namely, the Borel–Ji authoritative treatment of various types of compactifications useful for studying symmetric and locally symmetric spaces. Borel–Ji further examine constructions of Oshima, De Concini, Procesi, and Melrose, which demonstrate the wide applicability of compactification techniques. Kobayashi examines the important subject of branching laws. Important concepts from modern representation theory, such as Harish–Chandra modules, associated varieties, microlocal analysis, derived functor modules, and geometric quantization are introduced. Concrete examples and relevant exercises engage the reader.

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Lie Groups : An Approach through Invariants and Representations

Lie groups has been an increasing area of focus and rich research since the middle of the 20th century. Procesi's masterful approach to Lie groups through invariants and representations gives the reader a comprehensive treatment of the classical groups along with an extensive introduction to a wide range of topics associated with Lie groups: symmetric functions, theory of algebraic forms, Lie algebras, tensor algebra and symmetry, semisimple Lie algebras, algebraic groups, group representations, invariants, Hilbert theory, and binary forms with fields ranging from pure algebra to functional analysis.

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Leibniz and the natural world : Activity, passivity and corporeal substances in Leibniz's Philosophy

In the present book, Pauline Phemister argues against traditional Anglo-American interpretations of Leibniz as an idealist who conceives ultimate reality as a plurality of mind-like immaterial beings and for whom physical bodies are ultimately unreal and our perceptions of them illusory. Re-reading the texts without the prior assumption of idealism allows the more material aspects of Leibniz's metaphysics to emerge. Leibniz is found to advance a synthesis of idealism and materialism. His ontology posits indivisible, living, animal-like corporeal substances as the real metaphysical constituents of the universe; his epistemology combines sense-experience and reason; and his ethics fuses confused perceptions and insensible appetites with distinct perceptions and rational choice. In the light of his sustained commitment to the reality of bodies, Phemister re-examines his dynamics, the doctrine of pre-established harmony and his views on freedom.

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Leibniz and the English-Speaking World

These essays comprise a first attempt to assess overall the attention awarded to Leibniz’s philosophy in the English-speaking world in his own time and up to the present day. In addition to an introductory overview there are fourteen original and previously unpublished essays considering Leibniz’s connections with his English-speaking contemporaries and near contemporaries as well as the later reception of his thought in Anglo-American philosophy.

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Le choix bayésien: Principes et pratique

Covers the so-called Bayesian approach to statistical inference and in particular its decision-making aspects. The bases of this axiomatics (choice of the a priori, optimal decisions, tests and regions of confidence) are discussed in detail, as well as more recent openings of Bayesian analysis such as the choice of models, the use of numerical methods. Stochastic approximation (MCMC), the theory of noninformative laws (Berger-Bernardo axioms) and the relation to the classical theory of admissibility. Each chapter is completed by an extensive series of exercises of increasing difficulty and by bibliographical notes on the themes addressed. This book can be used in a Master's program in Applied Mathematics, Biometrics, Econometrics or any other program that uses quantitative information processing techniques. It only requires a basic course in probability theory and mathematical statistics as a preliminary.

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Layered Double Hydroxides

Both experimental and theoretical studies of nearly every aspect of the LDH structure are discussed, including the range of metal cations and interlayer anions, M 3+ /M 2+ ratios, LDH polytypes, arrangement of the "interlayer" anions and water molecules, molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, and the long- and short-range order in both the layers and interlayer galleries. Of especial value is the treatment of the more detailed aspects of the LDH structure that are still unresolved.

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Lateral Alignment of Epitaxial Quantum Dots

Accurate positioning of self-organized nanostructures on a substrate surface can be regarded as the Achilles’ heel of nanotechnology. This perception also applies to self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots. This book describes the full range of possible strategies to laterally align self-assembled quantum dots on a substrate surface, starting from pure self-ordering mechanisms and culminating with forced alignment by lithographic positioning. The text addresses both short- and long-range ordering phenomena and paves the way for the future high integration of single quantum dot devices on a single chip. Contributions by the best-known experts in this field ensure that all relevant quantum-dot heterostructures are elucidated from diverse relevant perspectives.

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Laser Spectroscopy : Vol.1 Basic Principles

Keeping abreast of the latest techniques and applications, this new edition of the standard reference and graduate text on laser spectroscopy has been completely revised and expanded. While the general concept is unchanged, the new edition features a broad array of new material, e.g., frequency doubling in external cavities, reliable cw-parametric oscillators, tunable narrow-band UV sources, more sensitive detection techniques, tunable femtosecond and sub-femtosecond lasers (X-ray region and the attosecond range), control of atomic and molecular excitations, frequency combs able to synchronize independent femtosecond lasers, coherent matter waves, and still more applications in chemical analysis, medical diagnostics, and engineering.

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Laser Ablation and its Applications

Laser Ablation and its Applications emphasizes the wide range of these topics rather than focusing on one specialty or discipline. It is intended for a graduate course in laser interactions with plasmas and materials, but it should be accessible to anyone with a graduate degree in physics or engineering.

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Land-Change Science in the Tropics : Changing Agricultural Landscapes

Land use and land-cover change research over the past decade has focused mainly on contemporary primary land-cover conversions in the tropics and sub-tropics, with considerable resources dedicated to the explanation and prediction of tropical deforestation and often ignoring the dynamism in the world’s agro-pastoral landscapes. This collection integrates cutting-edge research in the social, biogeophysical, and geographical information sciences to understand the human and environmental dynamics that change the type, magnitude and location of land uses and land covers in the changing countryside.This book describes the monitoring of land-cover changes, explains the processes through which land is altered, and describes the development of spatially-explicit models to predict land change. This book illustrates how practitioners have integrated knowledge from the three scientific realms - social, biophysical, and GIScience - that underpin land-change science.

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LabVIEW based Advanced Instrumentation Systems

Information is a valuable resource to an organization. User-friendly, computer-controlled instrumentation and data analysis techniques are revolutionizing the way measurements are being made, allowing nearly instantaneous comparison between theoretical predictions, simulations, and actual experimental results. This book provides comprehensive coverage of fundamentals of advanced instrumentation systems based on LabVIEW concepts. This book is for those who wish a better understanding of virtual instrumentation concepts, its purpose, its nature, and the applications developed using the National Instrument’s LabVIEW software.

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La mente medica : Che significa "umanizzazione" della medicina? = The Medical Mind : What does "humanization" of medicine mean?

Il presente testo intende chiarire misconoscimenti e riduzionismi che paralizzano il pur auspicato mutamento della medicina e le sue articolazioni in differenti professionalità. La Psicologia Clinica si pone come chiave per leggere la mentalità collettiva che sottende l’attuale cultura sanitaria medicalizzante, che si scontra con le esigenze della persona umana, negando, oltretutto, quanto la psicosomatica oggi ci dice circa la costante modulazione psichica di tutti i processi organici, nella salute così come in tutte le malattie. L’umanizzazione della medicina non è un surplus eticamente giusto per il malato: è un indispensabile agente terapeutico. La sua mancanza è iatrogena.

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La loi de la gravitation universelle Newton, Euler et Laplace : Le cheminement d’une révolution scientifique vers une science normale = The law of universal gravitation Newton, Euler and Laplace : The progress of a scientific revolution towards a normal science

An analysis of Newton's ideas dismisses this hypothesis by the simple fact that the Principia sought to demonstrate the fallacy of earlier approaches. However, Newton suffered a failure in the application of his theory of gravitation to the explanation of the movement of the Moon, failure which marked the development of celestial mechanics throughout the 18th century. Clairaut, d'Alembert and Euler doubted the validity of Newtonian law almost at the same time and their ideas advanced celestial mechanics which reached the state of "normal science" with Laplace's treatise on celestial mechanics, a century after Newton.

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La correspondance entre Henri Poincaré et les physiciens, chimistes et ingénieurs = The correspondence between Henri Poincaré and physicists, chemists and engineers

Cosmic microwave background radiation is the residue of the great heat following the Big Bang. A tenuous sign, over 13 billion years old, in which the answers to many of the questions about the nature of our Universe are hidden. Discovered by chance in 1964, in the last forty years this fossil trace of the origins of the Cosmos has been explored with every available means. Two Nobel Prizes in physics have already been awarded for research involving it, the last in 2006 for the results of the COBE satellite. Much of the information encoded in the cosmic background radiation was impressed by the superimposition of acoustic waves present in the early Universe: a "music" of the Big Bang, which cosmologists have tried for years to reconstruct, using techniques similar to those that allow to distinguish the sound of different musical instruments. Only recently have the first notes of this extraordinary cosmic symphony finally been revealed, but the investigation is not over yet. This book illustrates, with a language suitable even for non-specialists, the theories, observations and discoveries that have brought cosmology into a new era.

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