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North Holland

Imagery, Creativity, and Discovery
A Cognitive Perspective
1st Edition
Volume 98
B. Roskos-Ewoldsen + 2 more
English
What factors affect creativity and the generation of creative images? What factors affect the ability to reinterpret those images? Research described in this book indicates that expectations constrain both of these attributes of creativity. Characteristics of the imagined pattern, such as cohesiveness or its psychological goodness, also affect image generation and reinterpretation. Other evidence indicates that images can be combined mentally to yield new, manipulable composites. Cognitive models encompass the research and extend it to fields as diverse as architecture, music, and problem solving.
Logistics of Production and Inventory
1st Edition
Volume 4
English
The essays collected in this volume present a broad survey of the state of the art in logistics systems research as viewed by a distinguished group of scholars. The book shows that logistics remains an active, vibrant subject of inquiry. There are several reasons for this continued development. Firstly, logistic systems are extremely complex with many inherent technical problems and fundamentally new approaches to the subject are frequently arising. Secondly, the practical world of logistics has changed markedly over the past few decades, posing significant new challenges to researchers. This volume focuses mainly on the key developments in the last decade, which has witnessed an astonishing leap in our understanding of what logistics is all about.
Progress in Optics
1st Edition
Volume 31
English
A collection of comprehensive reviews in the field of optics. The first article presents a review of recent investifations concerning multiphoton ionization of atoms in intense radiation fields and includes discussions on above threshold ionization, generation of higher-order harmonics of an intense field interacting with a gaseous medium and the role of chaotic dynamics in the interaction of atoms with monochromatic radiation. A tutorial section on chaotic behaviour is also included. The second article presents a review of modern developments regarding properties of light diffracted by gratings. Both a phemonenological treatment and a macroscopic analysis are presented. The following article reviews developments relating to optical amplifiers, especially those which use semiconductors and optical fibres. The article covers the operating principles, fabrication and performance characteristics. The next article reviews recent research on a promising new class of neural networks, the so-called adaptive multilayer optical networks. Although still in the early states of developments, these devices offer the possibility of implementing optical interconnections in three dimensions and they can be functionally equivalent to several thousand chips. The fifth article deals with idealized but rather useful models of some atomic systems, namely two-level and four-level atoms. The analogy between a quantum two-level atom and a classical model consisting of two coupled optical modes is discussed. Extension of these considerations to optical band structure and to four-level systems is also treated. The concluding article deals thoroughly with free electron lasers in a physical way, while minimum attention is paid to organic generalities and mathematical rigour.
High T<INF>c</INF> Superconductors
1st Edition
Volume 38
J. Dumas + 4 more
English
A wide range of progress in materials development [single crystals, ceramics, thin films, wire and tapes] is reported in the 169 papers in this volume. The main focus of the papers is in attaining a better understanding of the relationship between microstructure and electrical properties. Invited papers cover topics such as the effects of substitution and doping; multilayers; nanostructure characterisation; electric field effects in High Tc Superconductors [HTS]; surface stability; critical currents; flux pinning and magnetooptic imaging of flux patterns; effects of irradiation induced defects; properties and preparation of materials; microwave properties and electronic devices. A clearly broadened basis for understanding processes and mechanisms in [HTS] is portrayed. Appreciable progress has been achieved in the reproducible manufacturing of high quality materials supported by very efficient methods in microstructural analysis. This essential improvement is reflected in the increased number of practical devices encouraging the use of HTS in applications for electronics and power engineering, all of which are reviewed in depth in this work.
Synthetic Materials for Non-Linear Optics and Electronics
1st Edition
Volume 35
C. Taliani + 2 more
English
Recent progress in organic and LED structures, in photorefractive response in molecular ferromagnetism, as well as the ultrafast and large non-linear optical response in conjugated systems are attracting great interest from the scientific community. The discovery of fullerenes has added further impetus to this field. Two areas bear particular promise for the development of a new electronics based on SEM materials: the integration of organic materials into the planar silicon technology such as, for instance, the advances in "all organic" field-effect transistors (FET) and the new organic light emitting diodes (LED); and secondly the appearance of a totally new electronics in which photons, rather than electrons, carry the information and SEM materials act as switching devices. Both aspects and more are covered in this volume. The quality of the 52 contributions attests to the fact that this subject area has progressed from the level of a scientific curiosity to a mature field of materials science introducing important technological perspectives for electronic applications.
Laser Manipulation of Atoms and Ions
1st Edition
Volume 118
Ennio Arimondo + 2 more
English
The recent fascinating progress on laser cooling is the result of the close connection between theoretical work and the rapid technological advances in laser sources, particularly in the field of powerful semiconductor and solid-state lasers operating over a wide range of optical and near-infrared frequencies. The very close international and personal collaboration amongst the researchers resulting in a direct link between experimental data and theoretical calculations which characterize work in this field, have been important factors in the rapid comprehension of the subtle and beautiful phenomena involved in laser manipulation.This Enrico Fermi school is the first formal school fully devoted to this topic. The theoretical part of the book includes contributions on the framework for the study of the photon momentum exchanges in the absence of relaxation, recent mechanisms of laser cooling, an analysis of the cooling forces, analysis of atomic and molecular beams, cooling through coherent population trapping and the relation between laser cooling and quantum nondemolition measurements. The experimental section deals with topics such as, an analysis of atomic and molecular beams, methods and applications of laser cooling, advances in laser cooling and the new exciting field of atomic interferometry.All students and researchers working in this field will welcome this excellent review of research and progress in laser cooling, so strongly linked to the fundamental understanding of physics.
Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy
1st Edition
Volume 3
English
The Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics examines the current theory and sample current application methods for natural resource and energy economics. This third volume deals primarily with non-renewable resources. It analyzes the economics of energy and minerals, and includes chapters on the economics of environmental policy. The Handbook provides a source, reference and teaching supplement for use by professional researchers and advanced graduate students. The surveys summarize not only received results but also newer developments from recent journal articles and discussion papers.
Crystal-Quasicrystal Transitions
1st Edition
M.J. Yacamán + 1 more
English
The discovery of five-fold diffraction symmetry by D. Schechtman in 1985 shocked crystallography to its roots. Incommensurable modulation of a crystal changes former identical unit cells into different ones. This radical revolution has given rise to the study of an entirely new class of matter, the quasicrystalline materials. The study of these quasi-periodic crystals brings a unique elucidation of the fundaments of crystallography and the relationship between lattice structure and macroscopic properties.This book covers the transitions between the crystalline and the quasicrystalline state. A thorough understanding of the transition from quasiperiodic to periodic lattices is essential in order to investigate the uniqueness of quasicrystals.In this well-written volume, an overview is given of the most important problems in quasicrystallography today. Leading experts provide insight into recent experimental advances achieved by studying the phase transitions between crystalline and quasicrystalline states. In the theoretical chapters one is introduced to the depth of insight into the nature of crystallography which has arisen through a rigorous understanding of the quasicrystal structure.This book is an essential source of reference for crystallographers, crystal growers and solid state physicists working in the field.
Quo Vadis, Graph Theory?
A Source Book for Challenges and Directions
1st Edition
Volume 55
J. Gimbel + 2 more
English
Graph Theory (as a recognized discipline) is a relative newcomer to Mathematics. The first formal paper is found in the work of Leonhard Euler in 1736. In recent years the subject has grown so rapidly that in today's literature, graph theory papers abound with new mathematical developments and significant applications.As with any academic field, it is good to step back occasionally and ask Where is all this activity taking us?, What are the outstanding fundamental problems?, What are the next important steps to take?. In short, Quo Vadis, Graph Theory?. The contributors to this volume have together provided a comprehensive reference source for future directions and open questions in the field.
The Development of Coordination in Infancy
1st Edition
Volume 97
G.J.P. Savelsbergh
English
This volume attempts to bring together a collection of current approaches to, and related empirical investigations on, the development of coordination in the first two years of life. It will be of interest to scientists and students in, for example, biology, human movement sciences, kinesiology, psychology, pediatrics, physiology, physical education, physical therapy and robotics.Contributor... include those with established reputations in the field, as well as young authors, who are beginning to make their mark. Their efforts resulted in twenty chapters, of which seventeen were invited. The chapters have been divided into four sections. The first chapter is intended to outline the structure of the book.

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