Drawing on original research I conducted in the late 1980s, the book argues for a critical approach to the study of children and television. It begins with critical reappraisals of previous empiricist and interpretative studies to set the ground for a different theoretical inquiry which links biography with history. The situated activity of children’s television viewing therefore has to be related to the broader historical and cultural formations in post-Mao China. By way of a methodologic...

This book focuses on the tribology of marine sliding bearings. It extensively investigates the lubrication characteristics of two special forms of marine sliding bearings including journal-thrust coupled bearings for diesel engine crankshafts and double-layer oil film floating bushings for diesel engine fuel supply mechanisms. Building upon conventional theories of lubrication in sliding bearings, the book considers the unique operational conditions and structural features of these bearing...

This book is devoted to the optimum design of the DCT in a hybrid AC/DC microgrid, which takes into account not only the influence of different inductors/capacitors values, but also numerous design goals (i.e., VCG, efficiency, stability and so on). This book examines the DCT's design problem in detail. It begins by reviewing existing DCTs in, the hybrid AC/DC microgrid and their design problems. Following that, this book proposes a family of DCT optimization design approaches to ensure th...

Loess is a product of aeolian deposition during the Quaternary glaciation cycles and covers approximately 6% of the Earth’s land. The Loess Plateau of China, which is home to a population of nearly three hundred million, has the thickest and most complete loess strata, where loess geohazards occur most frequently due to the weak geoenvironment and dense human activities. In recent years, the engineering geological characteristics of loess and geohazards in loess areas have gradually receiv...

Third-variable effect refers to the effect transmitted by third-variables that intervene in the relationship between an exposure and a response variable. Differentiating between the indirect effect of individual factors from multiple third-variables is a constant problem for modern researchers.Statistical Methods for Mediation, Confounding and Moderation Analysis Using R and SAS introduces general definitions of third-variable effects that are adaptable to...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Advances in Brain Inspired Cognitive Systems, BICS 2018, held in Xi’an, China, in July 2018.The 83 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 137 submissions. The papers were organized in topical sections named: neural computation; biologically inspired systems; image recognition: detection, tracking and classification; data analysis and natural language processing; ...

This book studies the stability analysis of continuous time delay-difference equations and their application in the predictor feedback control of input-delayed systems. Stability analysis for delay-difference equations is a central topic and is typically addressed through two methods: frequency-domain methods, which provide nonconservative conditions but are challenging for control synthesis; time-domain LKF methods, which are tractable but often conservative. This book analyzes the stabil...

Presenting new and invaluable Chinese perspectives on international relations in general and Beijing's foreign policy in particular, this work offers the first balanced and thoroughly researched analysis by Chinese scholars. Drawing on original Chinese sources and interviews, In the Eyes of the Dragon explores Chinese views on sovereignty, national interest, security multilateralism, international human rights, nuclear nonproliferation, Taiwan, and the United States. Illuminating ...

One of the most important topics in soil science is understanding the relationship between soil biodiversity and soil ecosystem function. This relies on techniques able to accurately identify different soil organisms and how they interact in the soil microbiome.Measuring and assessing the biological health of soils provides a comprehensive overview of the range of techniques used to assess microbial/faunal diversity and activity in soils and its impact on key ecological pr...

"[A] scholarly but accessible analysis . . . [explores] forces that led to 'The Great Dying'—and the rebound of life in its aftermath." — Gemma Tarlach, Discover magazineTwo hundred sixty million years ago, life on Earth suffered wave after wave of cataclysmic extinctions, with the worst wiping out nearly every species on the planet. The Worst of Times delves into the mystery behind these extin...

This is a book with a difference: it produces a completely new perspective on lifelong learning and the learning society and locates them within humanity itself. Five themes run through this book:Humankind has always been aware of the imperfections of human society: as a consequence, it has looked back to a mythological past and forward to a utopian future that might be religious, political, economic or even educational to find something better.L...

Unconventional Petroleum Geology is the first book of its kind to collectively identify, catalog, and assess the exploration and recovery potential of the Earth's unconventional hydrocarbons. Advances in hydrocarbon technology and petroleum development systems have recently made the exploration of unconventional hydrocarbons—such as shale gas, tight sandstone oil and gas, heavy oil, tar sand, and coalbed methane—the hottest trend in the petroleum industry. Detailed case studies act as real...