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Elsevier

North Holland

  • Handbook of Differential Equations: Evolutionary Equations

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • C.M. Dafermos + 1 more
    • English
    The material collected in this volume reflects the active present of this area of mathematics, ranging from the abstract theory of gradient flows to stochastic representations of non-linear parabolic PDE's.Articles will highlight the present as well as expected future directions of development of the field with particular emphasis on applications. The article by Ambrosio and Savaré discussesthe most recent development in the theory of gradient flow of probability measures. After an introduction reviewing the properties of the Wasserstein space and corresponding subdifferential calculus, applications are given to evolutionarypartial differential equations. The contribution of Herrero provides a description of some mathematical approaches developed to account for quantitative as well as qualitative aspects of chemotaxis. Particular attention is paid to the limits of cell'scapability to measure external cues on the one hand, and to provide an overall description of aggregation models for the slim mold Dictyostelium discoideum on the other.The chapter written by Masmoudi deals with a rather different topic - examples of singular limits in hydrodynamics. This is nowadays a well-studied issue given the amount of new results based on the development of the existence theory for rather general systems of equations in hydrodynamics. The paper by DeLellis addreses the most recent results for the transport equations with regard to possible applications in the theory of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. Emphasis is put on the development of the theory in the case when the governing field is only a BV function.The chapter by Rein represents a comprehensive survey of results on the Poisson-Vlasov system in astrophysics. The question of global stability of steady states is addressed in detail. The contribution of Soner is devoted to different representations of non-linear parabolic equations in terms of Markov processes. After a brief introduction on the linear theory, a class ofnon-linear equations is investigated, with applications to stochastic control and differential games.The chapter written by Zuazua presents some of the recent progresses done on the problem of controllabilty of partial differential equations. The applications include the linear wave and heat equations,parabolic equations with coefficients of low regularity, and some fluid-structure interaction models.

  • Philosophy of Psychology and Cognitive Science

    • 1st Edition
    • English
    Psychology is the study of thinking, and cognitive science is the interdisciplinary investigation of mind and intelligence that also includes philosophy, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology. In these investigations, many philosophical issues arise concerning methods and central concepts. The Handbook of Philosophy of Psychology and Cognitive Science contains 16 essays by leading philosophers of science that illuminate the nature of the theories and explanations used in the investigation of minds. Topics discussed include representation, mechanisms, reduction, perception, consciousness, language, emotions, neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology.

  • Philosophy of Physics

    • 1st Edition
    • English
    The ambition of this volume is twofold: to provide a comprehensive overview of the field and to serve as an indispensable reference work for anyone who wants to work in it. For example, any philosopher who hopes to make a contribution to the topic of the classical-quantum correspondence will have to begin by consulting Klaas Landsman’s chapter. The organization of this volume, as well as the choice of topics, is based on the conviction that the important problems in the philosophy of physics arise from studying the foundations of the fundamental theories of physics. It follows that there is no sharp line to be drawn between philosophy of physics and physics itself. Some of the best work in the philosophy of physics is being done by physicists, as witnessed by the fact that several of the contributors to the volume are theoretical physicists: viz., Ellis, Emch, Harvey, Landsman, Rovelli, ‘t Hooft, the last of whom is a Nobel laureate. Key features- Definitive discussions of the philosophical implications of modern physics - Masterly expositions of the fundamental theories of modern physics - Covers all three main pillars of modern physics: relativity theory, quantum theory, and thermal physics - Covers the new sciences grown from these theories: for example, cosmology from relativity theory; and quantum information and quantum computing, from quantum theory- Contains special Chapters that address crucial topics that arise in several different theories, such as symmetry and determinism- Written by very distinguished theoretical physicists, including a Nobel Laureate, as well as by philosophers

  • Philosophy of Logic

    • 1st Edition
    • English
    The papers presented in this volume examine topics of central interest in contemporary philosophy of logic. They include reflections on the nature of logic and its relevance for philosophy today, and explore in depth developments in informal logic and the relation of informal to symbolic logic, mathematical metatheory and the limiting metatheorems, modal logic, many-valued logic, relevance and paraconsistent logic, free logics, extensional v. intensional logics, the logic of fiction, epistemic logic, formal logical and semantic paradoxes, the concept of truth, the formal theory of entailment, objectual and substitutional interpretation of the quantifiers, infinity and domain constraints, the Löwenheim-Skolem theorem and Skolem paradox, vagueness, modal realism v. actualism, counterfactuals and the logic of causation, applications of logic and mathematics to the physical sciences, logically possible worlds and counterpart semantics, and the legacy of Hilbert’s program and logicism. The handbook is meant to be both a compendium of new work in symbolic logic and an authoritative resource for students and researchers, a book to be consulted for specific information about recent developments in logic and to be read with pleasure for its technical acumen and philosophical insights.

  • Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 36
    • English
    This volume of the Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earth begins with a Dedication to late Professor LeRoy Eyring who had been a committed co-editor of the first 32 volumes of this series. This is followed by four chapters, the first two pertaining to solid state physics and materials science, while the last two chapters describe organic (and inorganic) reactions mediated by tetravalent cerium-based oxidants and by divalent samarium-based reductants. Chapter 227 is devoted to the description of the crystal chemistry and physical properties of rare-earth bismuthides, a class of compounds showing large similarities with the rare-earth antimonides previously reviewed in volume 33 of this series. The fascinating optical and electric properties of rare-earth hydride films displaying a switchable mirror effect as a function of hydrogen pressure, i.e. from a shiny metallic state to a transparent insulating film with increasing pressure, are described in Chapter 228, along with their fabrication methods. Many chemical reactions take advantage of the tetravalent/trivalen... Ce(IV)/Ce(III) redox couple and many of its potential applications are presented in Chapter 229, from analytical procedures, to electrosynthesis, and organic and industrial (polymerization) reactions. The last review (Chapter 230) focuses on the synthesis and use of divalent samarium-based reductants in organic and inorganic reactions, mainly on those containing iodide and pentamethylcyclopent... ligands.

  • Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • Victor A. Ginsburgh + 1 more
    • English
    Over the last 30 or 40 years a substantial literature has grown up in which the tools of economic theory and analysis have been applied to problems in the arts and culture. Economists who have surveyed the field generally locate the origins of contemporary cultural economics as being in 1966, the year of publication of the first major work in modern times dedicated specifically to the economics of the arts. It was a book by Baumol and Bowen which showed that economic analysis could illuminate the supply of and demand for artistic services, the contribution of the arts sector to the economy, and the role of public policy. Following the appearance of the Baumol and Bowen work, interest in the economics of the arts grew steadily, embracing areas such as demand for the arts, the economic functions of artists, the role of the nonprofit sector, and other areas. Cultural economics also expanded to include the cultural or entertainment industries (the media, movies, the publishing industry, popular music), as well as heritage and museum management, property right questions (in particular copyright) and the role of new communication technologies such as the internet. The field is therefore located at the crossroads of several disciplines: economics and management, but also art history, art philosophy, sociology and law. The Handbook is placed firmly in economics, but it also builds bridges across these various disciplines and will thus be of interest to researchers in all these different fields, as well as to those who are engaged in cultural policy issues and the role of culture in the development of our societies.

  • Handbooks in Operations Research and Management Science: Simulation

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 13
    • Shane G. Henderson + 1 more
    • English
    This Handbook is a collection of chapters on key issues in the design and analysis of computer simulation experiments on models of stochastic systems. The chapters are tightly focused and written by experts in each area. For the purpose of this volume “simulation” refers to the analysis of stochastic processes through the generation of sample paths (realization) of the processes. Attention focuses on design and analysis issues and the goal of this volume is to survey the concepts, principles, tools and techniques that underlie the theory and practice of stochastic simulation design and analysis. Emphasis is placed on the ideas and methods that are likely to remain an intrinsic part of the foundation of the field for the foreseeable future. The chapters provide up-to-date references for both the simulation researcher and the advanced simulation user, but they do not constitute an introductory level ‘how to’ guide. Computer scientists, financial analysts, industrial engineers, management scientists, operations researchers and many other professionals use stochastic simulation to design, understand and improve communications, financial, manufacturing, logistics, and service systems. A theme that runs throughout these diverse applications is the need to evaluate system performance in the face of uncertainty, including uncertainty in user load, interest rates, demand for product, availability of goods, cost of transportation and equipment failures.

  • Handbook of Differential Equations: Ordinary Differential Equations

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • A. Canada + 2 more
    • English
    This handbook is the third volume in a series of volumes devoted to self contained and up-to-date surveys in the tehory of ordinary differential equations, written by leading researchers in the area. All contributors have made an additional effort to achieve readability for mathematicians and scientists from other related fields so that the chapters have been made accessible to a wide audience. These ideas faithfully reflect the spirit of this multi-volume and hopefully it becomes a very useful tool for reseach, learing and teaching. This volumes consists of seven chapters covering a variety of problems in ordinary differential equations. Both pure mathematical research and real word applications are reflected by the contributions to this volume.

  • Handbook of Differential Equations: Stationary Partial Differential Equations

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • Michel Chipot + 1 more
    • English
    This handbook is volume III in a series devoted to stationary partial differential quations. Similarly as volumes I and II, it is a collection of self contained state-of-the-art surveys written by well known experts in the field. The topics covered by this handbook include singular and higher order equations, problems near critically, problems with anisotropic nonlinearities, dam problem, T-convergence and Schauder-type estimates. These surveys will be useful for both beginners and experts and speed up the progress of corresponding (rapidly developing and fascinating) areas of mathematics.Key features: - Written by well-known experts in the field- Self-contained volume in series covering one of the most rapid developing topics in mathematics

  • Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity

    Foundations
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • Serge-Christophe Kolm + 1 more
    • English
    The Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism provides a comprehensive set of reviews of literature on the economics of nonmarket voluntary transfers. The foundations of the field are reviewed first, with a sequence of chapters that present the hard core of the theoretical and empirical analyses of giving, reciprocity and altruism in economics, examining their relations with the viewpoints of moral philosophy, psychology, sociobiology, sociology and economic anthropology. Secondly, a comprehensive set of applications are considered of all the aspects of society where nonmarket voluntary transfers are significant: family and intergenerational transfers; charity and charitable institutions; the nonprofit economy; interpersonal relations in the workplace; the Welfare State; and international aid.

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