4 books found
An Introduction to the Amphibians of Ecuador is the first of four volumes, which are comprehensive, well-illustrated, and authoritative works, making them invaluable to biologists, conservationists, and others. This initial volume delves into the cultural history of amphibians, encompassing ethnobatrachology and folklore, while summarizing the amphibian iconography found in Ecuadorian archaeology. Moreover, it covers topics such as bioprospecting, sustainable management, and biotrade activities. The history and present state of amphibian biology research are also addressed. Furthermore, it explores in comprehensive detail the rich amphibian diversity of Ecuador, providing a thorough review of biogeography, amphibian declines, and conservation. Subsequent volumes list the characteristics of each species, define each taxon, and compare them to similar other species. Natural history and reproductive behavior, where known, are described, as are data on vocalizations, larvae, and ontogenetic changes. Amphibian distributions are illustrated with physiographic maps with dots. Each volume addresses the declines, extinctions, and conservation status of each species and provides notations of their occurrence in reserves. KEY FEATURES Summarizes the ethnozoological aspects of amphibians Provides a thorough history of research Introduction to three volumes providing accounts for each of the 3 orders, 19 families, 78 genera, and over 650 species from Ecuador
The Sublime South: Andalusia, Orientalism, and the Making of Modern Spain is the first systematic study on cultural images of Andalusia as Spain’s “Orient” and the impact they have had on nation-building and modernization since the late nineteenth century. While a wealth of studies have examined how northern Europeans from the Romantic period viewed Spain and Andalusia as Europe’s Orient, little attention has been paid to how contemporary Spanish artists and intellectuals assimilated Romantic legacies to engage in an internal form of orientalism. José Luis Venegas deftly explores Spain’s shifting engagements with oriental identity and otherness by looking, not just beyond national, ethnic, and racial borders, but at a territory that is institutionally embedded in the nation-state while symbolically placed between inclusion and abjection. The Sublime South shifts the focus and scale of Edward Said’s notion of orientalism by examining how it evolves and manifests transnationally, as the result of European colonialism in Africa and Asia, and intra-nationally, in a European yet orientalized country. Finally, Venegas challenges ethnocentric notions of Iberian cultures and fosters an understanding of the encounters between Western and Muslim cultures beyond opposing, and often mutually negating, essentialisms.
Offering deep insight to the lives of human rights activists in a conflict zone, against the backdrop of major historical changes that shaped Latin America in the twentieth century, this book illuminates the critical role of human rights organizations in bringing violence to public attention and analyzing its causes and consequences.
by Gexiang Zhang, Sergey Verlan, Tingfang Wu, Francis George C. Cabarle, Jie Xue, David Orellana-Martín, Jianping Dong, Luis Valencia-Cabrera, Mario J. Pérez-Jiménez
2024 · Springer Nature
Spiking neural P systems represent a significant advancement in the field of membrane computing, drawing inspiration from the communication patterns observed in neurons. Since their inception in 2006, these distributed and parallel neural-like computing models have gained popularity and emerged as important tools within the membrane computing area. As a key branch of the third generation of artificial neural networks, a fascinating research area of artificial intelligence, spiking neural P systems offer a captivating blend of theoretical elegance and practical utility. Their efficiency, Turing completeness, and real-life application characteristics, including interpretability and suitability for large-scale problems, have positioned them at the forefront of contemporary research in membrane computing and artificial intelligence. This state-of-the-art reference work is organized into three parts comprising twelve chapters. It thoroughly investigates the theoretical foundations, real-life applications, and implementations of spiking neural P systems. From fundamental principles to computational power and complexity, the theoretical aspects are explored, laying the groundwork for understanding their practical applications. Real-life applications span a diverse range of domains, including complex optimization, classification, fault diagnosis, medical image processing, information fusion, cryptography, and robot control. Additionally, the book discusses several software and hardware implementations that provide valuable insights into the practical deployment of spiking neural P systems. As the rapid development of spiking neural P systems continues to unfold, there is an increasing demand for a systematic and comprehensive summary of their capabilities and applications. This work serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, scholars, and practitioners interested in the theoretical underpinnings, algorithms, and practical implementation of artificial intelligence and membrane computing.