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"This popular-level book offers an insider's account of NASA's Kepler Mission - a space telescope found nearly 1300 planets outside our solar system during its years of operation (2009-18) - including how it was conceived, operated, what it found, and how it forever changed what we know about planets in our galaxy"-- "An insider's account of the NASA mission that changed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbitAre we alone in the universe? It's a fundamental question for Earth-dwelling humankind. Are there other worlds like ours, out there somewhere? In Hidden in the Heavens, Jason Steffen, a former scientist on NASA's Kepler mission, describes how that mission searched for planets orbiting Sun-like stars-especially Earth-like planets circulating in Earth-like orbits. What the Kepler space telescope found, Steffen reports, contradicted centuries of theoretical and observational work and transformed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbit. Kepler discovered thousands of planets orbiting distant stars-abewildering variety of celestial bodies, including rocky planets being vaporized by the intense heat of their host star; super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, with properties simultaneously similar to and different from both Earth and Neptune; gas giants several times the size and mass of Jupiter; and planets orbiting in stellar systems that had only been imagined in science fiction.It was, Steffen says, the opportunity of a lifetime to work in the most exciting scientific field on the most awe-inspiring mission. He offers a unique, inside account of the work of the Kepler science team (and the sometimes chaotic interactions among team members), mapping the progress of the mission from the launch of the rocket that carried Kepler into space to the revelations of the data that began to flow to the supercomputer back at NASA-evidence of strange new worlds unlike anything found in our own solar system"-- An insider’s account of the NASA mission that changed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbitAre we alone in the universe? It’s a fundamental question for Earth-dwelling humankind. Are there other worlds like ours, out there somewhere? In Hidden in the Heavens, Jason Steffen, a former scientist on NASA’s Kepler mission, describes how that mission searched for planets orbiting Sun-like stars—especially Earth-like planets circulating in Earth-like orbits. What the Kepler space telescope found, Steffen reports, contradicted centuries of theoretical and observational work and transformed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbit. Kepler discovered thousands of planets orbiting distant stars—a bewildering variety of celestial bodies, including rocky planets being vaporized by the intense heat of their host star; super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, with properties simultaneously similar to and different from both Earth and Neptune; gas giants several times the size and mass of Jupiter; and planets orbiting in stellar systems that had only been imagined in science fiction.It was, Steffen says, the opportunity of a lifetime to work in the most exciting scientific field on the most awe-inspiring mission. He offers a unique, inside account of the work of the Kepler science team (and the sometimes chaotic interactions among team members), mapping the progress of the mission from the launch of the rocket that carried Kepler into space to the revelations of the data that began to flow to the supercomputer back at NASA—evidence of strange new worlds unlike anything found in our own solar system. Autorid: Jason Steffen

An introduction to gradient-based stochastic optimization that integrates theory and implementationThis book explains gradient-based stochastic optimization, exploiting the methodologies of stochastic approximation and gradient estimation. Although the approach is theoretical, the book emphasizes developing algorithms that implement the methods. The underlying philosophy of this book is that when solving real problems, mathematical theory, the art of modeling, and numerical algorithms complement each other, with no one outlook dominating the others.The book first covers the theory of stochastic approximation including advanced models and state-of-the-art analysis methodology, treating applications that do not require the use of gradient estimation. It then presents gradient estimation, developing a modern approach that incorporates cutting-edge numerical algorithms. Finally, the book culminates in a rich set of case studies that integrate the concepts previously discussed into fully worked models. The use of stochastic approximation in statistics and machine learning is discussed, and in-depth theoretical treatments for selected gradient estimation approaches are included.Numerous examples show how the methods are applied concretely, and end-of-chapter exercises enable readers to consolidate their knowledge. Many chapters end with a section on “Practical Considerations” that addresses typical tradeoffs encountered in implementation. The book provides the first unified treatment of the topic, written for a wide audience that includes researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics, engineering, computer science, physics, and economics. Autorid: Felisa Vázquez-Abad, Bernd Heidergott

The case for an eco-emancipatory politics to release the Earth from human domination and free us all from lives that are both exploitative and exploitedHuman domination of nature shapes every aspect of our lives today, even as it remains virtually invisible to us. Because human beings are a part of nature, the human domination of nature circles back to confine and exploit people as well—and not only the poor and marginalized but also the privileged and affluent, even in the world’s most prosperous societies. Although modern democracy establishes constraints intended to protect people from domination as the arbitrary exercise of power, it offers few such protections for nonhuman parts of nature. The result is that, wherever we fall in human hierarchies, we inevitably find ourselves both complicit in and entrapped by a system that makes sustainable living all but impossible. It confines and exploits not only nature but people too, albeit in different ways. In Eco-Emancipation, Sharon Krause argues that we can find our way to a better, freer life by constraining the use of human power in relation to nature and promoting nature’s well-being alongside our own, thereby releasing the Earth from human domination and freeing us from a way of life that is both exploitative and exploited, complicit and entrapped. Eco-emancipation calls for new, more-than-human political communities that incorporate nonhuman parts of nature through institutions of representation and regimes of rights, combining these new institutional arrangements with political activism, a public ethos of respect for nature, and a culture of eco-responsibility. Autorid: Sharon R. Krause

Tentsmuir, north east fife, has seen human activity for over 10,000 years. The area provides a natural refuge for a wide range of plants, resident and migrating birds, and an array of animal and insect life. This book investigates how plant and animal communities are constantly reacting to the environmental changes common to the region. Tentsmuir has been a scene of human activity for over 10,000 years. It witnessed one of the earliest known occurrences in Scotland of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and has supported human activities throughout the Neolithic and Iron Age. In medieval times it was a home for the Norman nobility, and then a royal hunting forest with highly-valued fishing rights for Scottish Kings. Tentsmuir is prone to flooding in winter due to the front line of dunes blocking drainage to the sea. It provides a natural refuge for a wide range of plants, as well as resident and migrating birds, and other animals, including outstanding populations of butterflies and moths. Consequently, this led to the creation in 1954 of a National Nature Reserve at the north-eastern end of the Tentsmuir Peninsula. Initially, an active period of coastal accretion more than trebled the size of the reserve. Now, however, Tentsmuir is eroding in places. The probability of rising sea levels and increasing exposure to storms may cause a level of destruction such that the physical existence and biological future of Tentsmuir cannot be guaranteed. This book is an attempt to record how even within a limited geographical area, such as this peninsula on the east coast of Scotland, plant and animal communities are constantly reacting to environmental change. Frequently, it is difficult to decide whether or not these changes should be resisted, encouraged, or ignored. Examples are provided of instances where human intervention to counteract change has resulted in negative as well as positive consequences for biodiversity. Autorid: Robert M. M. Crawford

The second volume in a landmark commentary on an important and influential work of ancient philosophyThis is the second volume of a groundbreaking commentary on one of the most important works of ancient philosophy, the Enneads of Plotinus—a text that formed the basis of Neoplatonism and had a deep influence on early Christian thought and medieval and Renaissance philosophy. This volume covers Enneads IV and V, which focus on two of the principal “hypostases” of Plotinus’s ontological system, namely the soul and the Intellect. Paul Kalligas provides an analytical exegesis of the arguments, along with an account of Plotinus’s principal sources, references to other parts of his work, and a systematic evaluation of his overarching theoretical aspirations. A landmark contribution to Plotinus scholarship, this is the most detailed and extensive commentary ever written for the whole of the Enneads. Autorid: Paul Kalligas, Nickolaos Koutras

A collection of colorful and candid essays and other pieces about Freud and his legacy today, featuring twenty-five leading writers With original contributions by André Aciman Sarah Boxer Jennifer Finney Boylan Susie Boyt Gerald Early Esther Freud Rivka Galchen Adam Gopnik David Gordon Siri Hustvedt Sheila Kohler Peter D. Kramer Phillip Lopate Thomas Lynch Daphne Merkin David Michaelis Rick Moody Susie Orbach Richard Panek Alex Pheby Michael S. Roth Casey Schwartz Mark Solms Colm Tóibín Sherry Turkle W. H. Auden described Sigmund Freud (18561939) as a whole climate of opinion / Under whom we conduct our differing lives. The controversial father of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Freud charted the human unconscious, brought us the talking cure, and wrote books that now rank among the classics of world literature. In On the Couch, the great analyst is analyzed by some of todays great writers and thinkers, who help us understand the man who has helped us understand ourselves as much, if not more, than anyone else, ever. The result is a fresh, multifaceted reassessment of Freuds continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more. Here, Colm Tóibín writes about Freud, World War I, Henry James, and Thomas Mann; Adam Gopnik explores Freuds Civilization and Its Discontents; Susie Orbach considers Freuds ordinary unhappiness and D. W. Winnicotts good enough; Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on penis envy and gender identity; Peter Kramer describes how new science and drugs have revolutionized psychology since Freud; Susie Boyt, one of Freuds great-granddaughters, spends the night at the Freud Museum in London; Siri Hustvedt examines Freuds divided reception today; and theres much more. Filled with insights, provocation, and humor, On the Couch offers an original and nuanced portrait of Freud as a complex figure who, for all his flaws, forever changed how we see ourselves and the world. Autorid: Andrew Blauner

A transformative way of understanding addiction—and an invitation to find connection in the pleasures of life we know are bad for usElizabeth Roberts has experienced the suffering wrought by addiction: her sister’s destructive alcoholism and dependency on prescription drugs, her mother’s hoarding, and her own struggles with binge eating. As for so many of us, addiction brought about self-loathing, reflecting her individual failure to exercise self-control, to keep it together. But during her fieldwork studying chemical exposure in Mexico City, her sense of addiction got turned upside down. She witnessed her neighbors, both young and old, defiantly celebrate their compulsive dependencies on alcohol, drugs, and junk food instead of hiding them in shame. Roberts began to wonder if everything she thought she knew about addiction was wrong.In Praise of Addiction shares the unexpected journey that led Roberts to a new understanding of addiction. Taking lessons from her years in Mexico City as well as from addiction researchers, harm reduction activists, and scholars of religion, philosophy, and anthropology, Roberts pays close attention to the external forces that so often fuel the damage of addiction. As her neighbors in Mexico City suggest, the adverse health effects brought on by their dependencies on Coca-Cola, processed foods, drugs, and alcohol have more to do with the ongoing effects of the drug war and NAFTA than any personal failings. Taking up this ecological framework, Roberts draws a line between vice that isolates and addiction that connects, a distinction she movingly integrates into her own life and family, making a case for sharing in the pleasures—and suffering—of dependency.Provocative and deeply humane, In Praise of Addiction invites readers to cast aside the shame, self-hatred, and judgment associated with addiction and discover how dependency can serve as a binding force worthy of our most profound devotion. Autorid: Elizabeth F. S. Roberts

A steamy one night stand in the bathroom of a bar in Las Vegas after a world championship win? Yes, please.Meeting him again months later, only to learn he's my newest competition? Not so much.The weight of the legacy I carry is a constant tug in my mind, with the ghosts of the generations before me always whispering for me to push harder, train longer, be better.In the eight seconds I have to ride, everything else falls away and my sole focus is on doing what I do best.I am Shooter Graham, consecutive three time world champion bronc rider.No one has ever come close to taking the title since I've had it... until him.Sterling Addams. The new cowboy in town with dark hair, eyes like honey, and a taste for me he likes to pretend he doesn't have.He's green... but he's good. Too good.Suddenly, the already heavy pressure I'm under multiplies tenfold. The need to beat him, the uncontrollable urge to put him in his place, becomes almost an obsession.The question is, how far will I go to prove I'm number one?