This monograph presents a clear account of when and how attentional processes can shape perceptual experience. This argument is based on the prediction-error minimization model of the mind. The author believes that the topic of attention should take a more central role in the debate about the influence of cognition on perception. Inside, he shows how this can be possible. The hypothesis that cognition may shape perceptual experience has been traditionally labeled as the cognitive penetrability of perceptual experience. Cognitive penetrability is relevant for several debates in philosophy and cognitive science. It tackles the possibility of gathering genuine knowledge on the basis of perceptual information about the world delivered by sensory channels. The problem, the author notes, is that if our previously acquired belief can shape current perceptual experiences, such experiences cannot serve as an adequate source of justification in retaining those beliefs or even forming new ones. He argues that cognitive penetration may sometimes happen through attentional processes, but that its occurrence need not undermine perceptual justification. The book provides an overview of the cognitive penetrability debate. The author discusses evidence that supports the occurrence of this phenomenon. Overall, this investigation offers readers a philosophical discussion of attention based on the biased-competition theory. It argues that attention is a property of mental representations that emerges from a metacognitive competition process.
Regulation of electronic communications in the EU Member States is increasingly driven by European legislation. This title collects the key European legislation and other instruments pertinent to the electronic communications sector and in some cases is annotated by Francesco Liberatore and his colleagues at global law firm, Squire Patton Boggs. The timing of this title is particularly opportune as it includes: - The new EU Electronic Communications Code Directive - The Commission's Guidelines on market analysis and its recommendation on relevant markets - Significant measures (other Directives, Commission decisions and recommendations) integral to the regulatory framework - The BEREC Common Position on Remedies and other BEREC texts
European armed forces have undergone deep changes in the past two decades. Given the breadth of the debate and the size of transformations that took place, it is somewhat surprising that relatively few academic studies have directly dealt with changes in force structure of European militaries, and the Italian armed forces in particular. The focus of this book is the organizational dimension of the restructuring of armed forces through 3 different lenses: doctrine and strategic framework, budget and resource allocation, and force structure and deployment. The key issues addressed relate to how these factors interact in shaping transformation. Of particular interest is the theme of learning, which is how armed forces endogenize change in the short and long run. This study provides valuable insights into the extent to which armed forces manage to adapt to the emerging strategic and operational challenges they have to face and to illustrate the weight of institutional legacies, resource constraints and inter-organizational learning in shaping transformation. Focusing on the Italian case in comparative perspective and based on a large variety of military operations from airstrikes to peacekeeping and counterinsurgency, the book provides an innovative viewpoint on military transformation and significantly contributes to our understanding of contemporary security that is deeply shaped by the lessons learnt in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya.
This book provides a profound geographical description and analysis of Central Asia. The authors take a synthetic approach in a period of critical transformation in the post-soviet time. The monograph analyzes comprehensively the physical and human geography as well as human-nature interactions of Central Asia with focus on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Natural processes are described at a systemic scale, focusing on ecological impacts and consequences and contemporary human adaptations and organization. It also discusses in which ways the human organizations try to apply solutions for their needs such as security, territorial management and resources renewability, material and functional needs, identity elaborations, culture and communication. The Geography of Central Asia appeals to scientists and students of regional geography and interested academics from other areas such as social, political, economic and environmental studies within the context of Central Asia. The book is also a very useful resource for field trips into this area.
This is the first full-scale study of the artist, his career and his key contribution to the 17th century Bolognese school of painting. Beginning with an account of Albani's life and artistic development, Puglisi focuses attention on his entirely personal landscapes, then assesses his crucial role as teacher and transmitter of the Carracci reform.
This book explores in depth the phenomenon of user innovation in healthcare. In particular, the book sheds light on patient innovation, whereby patients and/or caregivers proactively develop and diffuse new products and services that provide health and quality of life benefits by addressing gaps in existing market offerings. The aim is to clarify the key characteristics of these innovative processes and to offer practitioners and policymakers tangible bottom-up evidence, solutions, and ideas that will assist in improving health systems, organizations, and practices. A number of important and interesting research questions are addressed, casting light on the types of products and services that tend to be developed by patient innovators, the typical profile of these innovators, the role played by firms, institutions, and health professionals, and the ways in which digital technologies support the dissemination of innovations among patient communities and within the industry. Beyond academic scholars and policymakers, the book will be of high value for students on master’s programs in both medical sciences and business and economics.
The consideration of ethics in social research has gained increasing prominence in the past few years, particularly research which seeks to inform public policy. This important and unique book provides a thorough examination of the issues relating to research ethics in planning for an international audience. The authors examine alternative frameworks within which ethical action can be discussed and critically describe the key institutional arrangements surrounding the management of ethical behaviour in research. Also included are highly relevant accounts of ethical challenges faced in planning research.
The experimental approach in economics is a driving force behind some of the most exciting developments in the field. The 'experimental revolution' was based on a series of bold philosophical premises which have remained until now mostly unexplored. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis and critical discussion of the methodology of experimental economics, written by a philosopher of science with expertise in the field. It outlines the fundamental principles of experimental inference in order to investigate their power, scope and limitations. The author demonstrates that experimental economists have a lot to gain by discussing openly the philosophical principles that guide their work, and that philosophers of science have a lot to learn from their ingenious techniques devised by experimenters in order to tackle difficult scientific problems.
This book contains Proceedings of the International Conference and Summer School NUMTA-2013 “Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms”. The Conference is organized jointly by the University of Calabria, Italy, and by the N.I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russia in cooperation with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), USA. The goal of the Conference is to create a multidisciplinary round table for an open discussion on numerical modeling nature by using traditional and emerging computational paradigms. The Conference discusses all aspects of numerical computations and modeling from foundations and philosophy to advanced numerical techniques. New technological challenges and fundamental ideas from theoretical computer science, linguistic, logic, set theory, and philosophy meet requirements and new fresh applications from physics, chemistry, biology, and economy.
Based on previously unexplored archival documentation, this book offers the first general overview of the history of Italian eugenics, not limited to the decades of Fascist regime, but instead ranging from the beginning of the 1900s to the first half of the 1970s. The Author discusses several fundamental themes of the comparative history of eugenics: the importance of the Latin eugenic model; the relationship between eugenics and fascism; the influence of Catholicism on the eugenic discourse and the complex links between genetics and eugenics. It examines the Liberal pre-fascist period and the post-WW2 transition from fascist and racial eugenics to medical and human genetics. As far as fascist eugenics is concerned, the book provides a refreshing analysis, considering Italian eugenics as the most important case-study in order to define Latin eugenics as an alternative model to its Anglo-American, German and Scandinavian counterparts. Analyses in detail the nature-nurture debate during the State racist campaign in fascist Italy (1938–1943) as a boundary tool in the contraposition between the different institutional, political and ideological currents of fascist racism.
Presents all-new laboratory-tested theory for calculating more accurate ionized electric fields to aid in designing high-voltage devices and its components Understanding and accurately calculating corona originated electric fields are important issues for scientists who are involved in electromagnetic and electrostatic studies. High-voltage dc lines and equipment, in particular, can generate ion flows that can give rise to environmental inconveniences. Filamentary Ion Flow: Theory and Experiments provides interdisciplinary theoretical arguments to attain a final model for computational electrostatics in the presence of flowing space charge. Based on years of extensive lab tests pertaining to the physical performance of unipolar corona ion flows, the book covers the enlarging of conventional electrostatic applications, which allows for some emerging and uncharted interests to be explored. Filamentary Ion Flow: Examines the theoretical discussions for creating a model of computational electrostatics involved with flowing space charges Presents new theory and experimental data based on extensive testing Offers potential design applications utilizing the theory Helps scientists who are involved in electromagnetic and electrostatic studies understand and accurately calculate corona originated ion flow fields Filamentary Ion Flow: Theory and Experiments is ideal for electrical engineers and research scientists interested in high-voltage technology, computational electrostatics, and electromagnetic theory.
Benvenuto Olivieri was a Florentine banker active in Rome during the first half of the sixteenth century. A self made man without any great family patrimony, he rose to prominence during the pontificate of Pope Paul III, becoming involved with a variety of papal enterprises which allowed him to get to the heart of the mechanisms governing the papal finances. Amassing a considerable fortune along the way, Olivieri soon built himself a role as co-ordinator of the appalti (revenue farms) and became one of the most powerful players in the complex network that connected bankers and the papal revenue. This book explores the indissoluble link that had developed between the papacy and bankers, illuminating how the Apostolic Chamber, increasingly in need of money, could not meet its debts, without farming out the rights to future income. Utilising documents from a rich corpus of unpublished sources in Florence and Rome, Guidi Bruscoli unravels the web of financial connections that bound together Florentine and Genoese bankers with the papacy, and looks at how money was raised and the appalti managed.
In the year that we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the ARETHUSE association, the second issue of 2014 includes a selection of research papers on topics of study and research that have always been focused on by the international university research groups that are members of the ARETHUSE association. These main research fields are Economics & Statistics (Economic Development, Resources and Territory, Services and Labor Markets), Strategic Management (R & D Management, Governance and Public Administration, Strategy and Control), Public Finance (Finance Policies, National versus European Finance, and European Finance Institutions). In the first paper, Consiglio, Cicellin, and Scuotto discuss the possibility of creating new models of healthcare. They affirm that the changing welfare system involves processes that are linked to the low cost approach and new initiatives are designed to meet the social need for community health and draw on the complex world of ‘bottom- up approach’. This article analyses the modern paradigm of social innovation by examining the issue of healthcare. Through the cases that currently exist in Italy, the Authors demonstrate that low cost healthcare is a specific model of social innovation which does not just consist of “low prices for mass consumption” as a competitive incentive. This research paper has the advantage of analysing the Italian healthcare system as an “extended enterprise” where the boundaries between internal and external resources appear to be less rigidly defined. Moreover, social innovation is not solely designed in order to increase the quality of the standard of living but also to play an important role in terms of increased competitiveness, efficiency of resources employed, and sustainability. In the second research contribution, González Laxe, Martín Palmero and Pateiro Rodriguez present the results of an important piece of research regarding a sample of 142 countries, in which they have verified that when income per capita (RGPD) in a country is high, the ecological footprint (EF) per capita is also at a high level. Following this experience carried out in different economic spaces, this paper assesses the evolution of incomes per capita in the Spanish economy, together with its ecological footprint, on the basis of the period 1955-2000. To carry out this research, the Authors defined two theoretical concepts identified as Autonomous Ecological Footprint, and Marginal Tendency. This research work highlights how the Spanish economy underwent a significant structural change after the second third of 20th Century. More precisely, the subsequent analysis of the most significant features in the different stages of the Spanish development, as well as the structural changes, will permit the establishment of a series of recommendations for the implementation of sustainability plans and programs. Calederón Patier and Campuzano analyse the regulation of corporate restructuring in Spain as a response to a dynamic, changing and internationalized economic reality, that requires business operators, i.e. companies, to conduct operations to reorganize or alter their financial or personnel structure (transformation, merger, division, exchange of securities, change of registered office etc.) within an appropriate legal, tax and accounting framework to ensure their viability and effectiveness. They highlight how the commercial and tax regulations applicable to corporate restructuring operations urgently requires harmonization, not only to rationalise the rules, in their development and implementation, but also to facilitate and encourage these types of operations, which are often a very important means of maintaining many corporate structures. This paper presents an interesting evaluative analysis of the differences between commercial and tax legislation that is applicable to the split-off, and conducts a critical and evaluative analysis of existing normative discrepancies on this issue. The research paper of Rivero Ceballos and Serafin Corral discuss the idea that natural resources’ economic evaluation processes cannot be isolated from scientific uncertainties and the influence of stakeholders’ strong concerns. They affirm that environmental decision-making processes are far from ideal processes where knowledge is available and experts and decision-makers are unaffected by the pressure of stakeholders’ interests. Based on the empirical analysis of the most representative business cases currently involving the gas and oil drill exploration occurring in the waters adjacent to the Canary Islands, the study analyses the expected economic benefits. Integrated qualitative assessment tools are implemented, in particular a multi- criteria assessment is carried out and two scenarios are built. It is interesting how this analysis integrated formal and informal aspects which may be used later for the resolution of the problem or for ways of exploring policy compromises. Mingorance Arnaíz and Barrusao Castillo’s interesting contribution analyses why some European countries have unemployment rates that are higher than others. By utilising a panel data model for the period 1985-2011 in order to know which variables are better to resolve unemployment, they study the role of macroeconomic and institutional variables (labor and product markets regulations) on the unemployment rate in 14 countries of the EU. The empirical results that they find and the conclusions with motived proposals to reduce the unemployment rate are interesting. This is very important given that the unemployment rate is one of the macroeconomic variables that is most affected by business cycles, and its fluctuations, a problem in all countries. In the end they highlight how employment protection legislation, the minimum wage, coordination of wage bargaining, a high employers contribution to social security, and entry barriers, may explain in part the high unemployment rates in some countries. Díaz Pérez and González Morales offer empirical evidence of the profile of the working population in Spain according to gender, quantify the extent to which self- employment or salaried employment is associated with certain characteristics or status (employment status, education level, activity sector, age, marital status) and analyse the situation in 2009. Their research work is particular important in analysing the effect of the economic crisis on the decline suffered by Spain’s working population between 2005 and 2009 and on the significant gender differences in employment status. Finally we would like to remind readers that this issue is the fruit of scientific research work that has been undertaken by numerous researchers of European universities. The articles presented in this issue are the result of a process of rigorous selection, in a scientific sense, carried out both by the Scientific Committee, and by the Editorial Board.
The globalization of financial markets worldwide has progressively pushed toward simultaneous globalization of accounting information. Thus, during the last 50 years, categories of preparers, users, and regulators have devoted their efforts to support the global comparability of financial reporting aiming at favoring the comparison of corporates’ financial performances at a cross-country level. In the same vein, IASB, national standard setters, and jurisdictions have participated in and given momentum to this process. At the same time, academic research has followed this process and tried to build a theoretical framework to address the related issues, to assess the impact on preparers, users, and regulators, while defining hindrances and obstacles to the comparability of financial reporting especially in an IFRS environment. In this context, this book reviews research studies on the comparability of financial reporting at a global level as well as highlights empirical analyses that demonstrate the extent to which global comparability has been achieved, and how it enhances value relevance of earnings across countries. It also looks at the cross-country investors’ perspectives by shaping the empirical analysis to provide further insights on the role of the "Big Four" auditing services in enhancing the comparability of earnings. The book provides an original contribution to the current debate about the comparability of financial reporting under IFRS and will be useful for researchers in the field.
An up-to-date and two volume overview of recent developments in the field of chemocatalytic and enzymatic processes for the transformation of renewable material into essential chemicals and fuels. Experts from both academia and industry discuss catalytic processes currently under development as well as those already in commercial use for the production of bio-fuels and bio-based commodity chemicals. As such, they cover drop-in commodity chemicals and fuels, as well as bio-based monomers and polymers, such as acrylic acid, glycols, polyesters and polyolefins. In addition, they also describe reactions applied to waste and biomass valorization and integrated biorefining strategies. With its comprehensive coverage of the topic, this is an indispensable reference for chemists working in the field of catalysis, industrial chemistry, sustainable chemistry, and polymer synthesis.
The racism and antisemitism of Fascist Italy have often been described as ‘mild’, ‘cultural’, ‘spiritual’, and essentially non-violent, especially in comparison with the racial ideology of Nazi Germany. This book challenges this simplistic interpretation with a thorough analysis of the texts and images of the magazine La Difesa della razza (Defence of the race), the principal public voice of Fascist biological racism, which appeared fortnightly between 1938 and 1943 under the editorship of Telesio Interlandi, Mussolini’s ‘unofficial mouthpiece’, with governmental financial support. A negative icon of the propaganda of Fascist racism, La Difesa della razza first appeared in August 1938 shortly before the passing of Italy’s Racial Laws, but had a long gestation. It was the expression of a Fascist cultural milieu – journalists, writers, artists, and architects – headed by Interlandi, whose racism and antisemitism dated back to the end of the First World War. By placing the magazine’s emergence in this longer timescale, and exploring the interrelationships of political action, ideological discourse, and imagery, this book also demonstrates how the project of ‘anthropological revolution’ – building the New Man – was a central element of Italian Fascism, from the very beginning to the deportation of Italian Jews. This new English edition has been thoroughly revised and updated.
Consummate painter, draftsman, sculptor, and architect, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was celebrated for his disegno, a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design, which was considered in the Renaissance to be the foundation of all artistic disciplines. To his contemporary Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo was “the divine draftsman and designer” whose work embodied the unity of the arts. Beautifully illustrated with more than 350 drawings, paintings, sculptures, and architectural views, this book establishes the centrality of disegno to Michelangelo’s work. Carmen C. Bambach presents a comprehensive and engaging narrative of the artist’s long career in Florence and Rome, beginning with his training under the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio and the sculptor Bertoldo and ending with his seventeen-year appointment as chief architect of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. The chapters relate Michelangelo’s compositional drawings, sketches, life studies, and full-scale cartoons to his major commissions—such as the ceiling frescoes and the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, the church of San Lorenzo and its New Sacristy (Medici Chapel) in Florence, and Saint Peter’s—offering fresh insights into his creative process. Also explored are Michelangelo’s influential role as a master and teacher of disegno, his literary and spiritual interests, and the virtuoso drawings he made as gifts for intimate friends, such as the nobleman Tommaso de’ Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna, the marchesa of Pescara. Complementing Bambach’s text are thematic essays by leading authorities on the art of Michelangelo. Meticulously researched, compellingly argued, and richly illustrated, this book is a major contribution to our understanding of this timeless artist.
Montana Disasters" is real-life thriller. It will leave you with the breathless sense of how it feels to be caught in mining catastrophes, flash floods, train wrecks, and more. It will expose you to the sorrow and elation of victims' friends and families. Taut with the fury of calamities and the courageous efforts of men and women to save lives, "Montana Disasters" takes you to the scenes where the forces of nature and humans wreaked havoc.
These memories, handwritten by Elmo Cermaria (Nonno Peppe) for his grandson Checco (Francesco Nicolini), tell of when, as a young man of 20, he found himself hurled into the inferno of the First World War. In those days, you could cry your heart out for a bread roll denied, then miraculously regained thanks to the compassion of a German soldier, “the hated enemy”. These recollections are terse, without a trace of rhetoric and devoid of recriminations. Nonno Peppe tells the facts just as he experienced them first hand, without expressing any condemnation of those responsible for them, even though an awareness of the large-scale massacre he witnessed transpires from his account. When Nonno Peppe delivered the manuscript to his grandson on his wedding day, he asked him to make a promise: “Let the President of the Republic know what we did for Italy.” A hundred years ago, whole generations of young Italian men were stripped of human honor and dignity. Only a few of these young men would live on and become our grandfathers; and only a few of us would be fortunate enough to become “grandchildren of the Great War” and bear witness to their ordeal.
Aging of the Autonomic Nervous System is the first book devoted to the aging of the autonomic nervous system. The book presents the most recent findings on topics such as general aspects of the autonomic nervous system, main neurotransmitter systems, age-dependent changes of neuroeffector mechanisms in target organs, and therapeutic perspectives. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of the possible consequences of these findings. Aging of the Autonomic Nervous System will be a useful volume for gerontologists and neuroscientists.
This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Selected Papers from SDEWES 2017: The 12th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems" that was published in Energies
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.