This open access book provides an essential guide to value sets for anyone working with EQ-5D-5L data. The EQ-5D-5L is one of the most widely used health related quality of life questionnaires around the world, with applications in clinical trials, population health surveys and routine outcomes measurement. In addition to providing a concise, generic way of describing health, the EQ-5D-5L facil…
This text is an introduction to the fields of experimental and theoretical particle physics and cosmology. The book focuses on three principal areas: supersymmetry, string theory, and astrophysics and cosmology. The chapters on supersymmetry introduce the basics of supersymmetry and its phenomenology, and cover dynamics, dynamical supersymmetry breaking, and electric–magnetic duality. The boo…
In recent years, the unprecedented experimental control of the laws of quantum mechanics has led to the so-called quantum technology revolution, a terminology adopted to refer to the applications in which quantum properties play a prominent role. Also the fundamental physics has benefited from these advancements with the development of quantum simulators, controlled quantum platforms engineered…
Phase transitions and critical phenomena have consistently been among the principal subjects of active studies in statistical physics. The simple act of transforming one state of matter or phase into another, for instance by changing the temperature, has always captivated the curious mind. This book provides an introductory account on the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena, a su…
Before Albert Einstein proposed the concept of four-dimensional spacetime, late Victorian scientists, radical philosophers and writers were discussing the possibility of a different kind of fourth dimension. Before Einstein offers the first book-length examination of the impact of pre-Relativity four-dimensional theory on literature and culture at the turn of the twentieth century.
An antidote to mathematical rigor mortis, teaching how to guess answers without needing a proof or an exact calculation.In problem solving, as in street fighting, rules are for fools: do whatever works—don't just stand there! Yet we often fear an unjustified leap even though it may land us on a correct result. Traditional mathematics teaching is largely about solving exactly stated problems e…
The author analyses computer chat as a form of communication. While some forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) deviate only marginally from traditional writing, computer chat is popularly considered to be written conversation and the most “oral” form of written CMC. This book systematically explores the varying degrees of conversationality (“orality”) in CMC, focusing in partic…
The hope and hype about African digital entrepreneurship, contrasted with the reality on the ground in local ecosystems. In recent years, Africa has seen a digital entrepreneurship boom, with hundreds of millions of dollars poured into tech cities, entrepreneurship trainings, coworking spaces, innovation prizes, and investment funds. Politicians and technologists have offered Silicon Valley–i…
This open access book offers an analysis of why preparations for digital disruption should become a stated goal of security policy and policies that aim to safeguard the continuity of critical infrastructure. The increasing use of digital technology implies new and significant vulnerabilities for our society. However, it is striking that almost all cyber-security measures taken by governments, …