This book presents in a clear, didactic, and straightforward manner, the concepts, tools and technical terminology needed to understand metrological issues in industry and laboratories. Using examples of calibration and detailed critical analysis of the certificates, the book explores metrology and measurement uncertainty, both concepts and applications; mathematical foundations, statistical tools, techniques, practices, and the operational procedures that make up metrology. The text is ba...

The two volume set LNAI 10984 and LNAI 10985 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, ICIRA 2018, held in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, in August 2018.The 81 papers presented in the two volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from 129 submissions. The papers in the first volume of the set are organized in topical sections on multi-agent systems and distributed control; human-machine interaction; rehabilita...

The two volume set LNAI 10984 and LNAI 10985 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications, ICIRA 2018, held in Newcastle, NSW, Australia, in August 2018.The 81 papers presented in the two volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from 129 submissions. The papers in the first volume of the set are organized in topical sections on multi-agent systems and distributed control; human-machine interaction; rehabilita...

This book discusses the impact of cameralism on the practices of governance, early modern state-building and economy in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. It argues that the cameralist conception of state and economy - aform of 'science' of government dedicated to reforming society while promoting economic development, and often associated mainly with Prussia - had significant impact far beyond Germany and Austria. In fact, its influence spread into Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Portug...

The sports world’s attention was focused on Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The years-long buildup to and aftermath of the games occurred in the midst of the global pandemic, which delayed the event until 2021. Given all of this, there is perhaps no better time to delve into an often overlooked but critical facet of sport in Japan: religion.Religion has long been a part of the Japanese sport tradition—from Shugendō practitioners offering sumo bouts to the ...

Although historians usually trace its origins to the Haitian Revolution of the late 18th Century, Latin American political, economic and cultural emancipation is still very much a work in progress. As new national identities were developed, fresh reflection and theorising was needed in order to understand how Latin America related to the wider world. Through a series of case studies on different topics and national experiences, this volume shows how political economy has occupied an import...

Why are Mexicans so successful in individual sports, but deficient in team play? Why do Mexicans dislike living in skyscrapers? Why do Mexicans love to see themselves as victims, but also love victims? And why, though the Mexican people traditionally avoid conflict, is there so much violence in a country where many leaders have died by assassination?In this shrewd and fascinating book, the renowned scholar and former foreign minister Jorge Castañeda sheds much light on the puzzling...

In 1700, Latin America and British North America were roughly equal in economic terms. Yet over the next three centuries, the United States gradually pulled away from Latin America, and today the gap between the two is huge. Why did this happen? Was it culture? Geography? Economic policies? Natural resources? Differences in political development? The question has occupied scholars for decades, and the debate remains a hot one. In Falling Behind, Francis Fukuyama gathers together s...

This thesis seeks to provide an explanation for the contents of three foreign policy decisions implemented under the government of General Ernesto Geisel (1974-1979). It does so by analyzing the decision-making process which led Brazil: 1) to abstain in the Meetings of Consultation of American Foreign Ministers for voting the lifting of sanctions against Cuba; 2) to restore diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China; and 3) to recognize Angola’s MPLA government. The central h...

Combining anthropological methods and theories with political philosophy, Sian Lazar analyzes everyday practices and experiences of citizenship in a satellite city to the Bolivian capital of La Paz: El Alto, where more than three-quarters of the population identify as indigenous Aymara. For several years, El Alto has been at the heart of resistance to neoliberal market reforms, such as the export of natural resources and the privatization of public water systems. In October 2003, protests ...

As a young militant in the 26th of July Movement, Esteban Morales Domínguez participated in the overthrow of the Batista regime and the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. The revolutionaries, he understood, sought to establish a more just and egalitarian society. But Morales Domínguez, an Afro-Cuban, knew that the complicated question of race could not be ignored, or simply willed away in a post-revolutionary context. Today, he is one of Cuba’s most prominent Afro-Cuban intellectuals and its...

Contemporary Latin America presents the epochal political, economic, social, and cultural changes in Latin America over the last 40 years and comprehensively examines their impact on life in the region, and beyond.Provides a fresh approach and a new interpretation of the seismic changes of the last 40 years in Latin AmericaIntroduces major themes from a humanistic and universal perspective, putting each subject in a context that readers can...