Best Selling Books by Petr

The book explores the issue of non-humans and their role and position within contemporary social sciences. Inspired by current trends of bridging the dichotomy of nature and culture, the authors use the “non-human“ as a prism that offers a different perspective of the world, society, culture, and last but not least, being(s). To start paying attention to non-humans has the potential to hybridize social sciences and in turn enrich them as well as to offer social scientists novel perspectives and tools to approach social phenomena. Such an attitude might in turn lead to a reassessment of understanding of the relationship between the world and being, and of the categories of being and subject. Hence the potential of non-humans to stimulate an ontological shift within social sciences. The view of the “human” and “non-human” as oppositional categories is a remnant of essentially modernist thinking. This book represents a response in terms of an attempt to think about humans and non-humans outside of the binary division. The authors thus want to contribute to the hybridization of social sciences and throughout the book they deal with ontological, epistemological and thematical shifts stemming from the hybridization. If the non-human does not exist as a negation, the boundary between the two becomes unclear and overlapping. It is with this hybridization, the blurring of the boundaries, that we are able to come closer to those who inhabit the world: non-humans and humans alike.

List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: East-central European media as digital peripheries -- 1. Post-socialist producer: The production culture of a small and peripheral media industry -- 2. Managing the Ida effect : An art-house producer breaking out of the periphery -- 3. The service producer and the globalization of media production -- 4. Breaking through the East European ceiling: Minority co-production and the new symbolic economy of small-market cinemas -- 5. Public service television as a producer -- 6. HBO Europe's original programming in the era of streaming wars -- 7. Digital producers: Short-form web television positions itself between clickbait and public service -- Conclusion: High circumscription in the era of global streamers, and more questions to be asked -- Bibliography -- Index.

The history, origins and development of the government and state as an institution is an essential question concerning not only the history of Mesopotamia but the development of the human community and society in general. Petr Charvát's work concentrates on the period 3500-2500 B. C. in Susa (southwestern Iran) and south Mesopotamia and is based on the interpretation of symbols on painted pottery and seal impressions. The publication is accompanied by a catalogue of 134 documentary black and white drawings and a list of locations of the findings.

Drawing on current debates at the frontiers of economics, psychology, and political philosophy, this book explores the challenges that arise for liberal democracies from a confrontation between modern technologies and the bounds of human rationality. With the ongoing transition of democracy’s underlying information economy into the digital space, threats of disinformation and runaway political polarization have been gaining prominence. Employing the economic approach informed by behavioral sciences’ findings, the book’s chief concern is how these challenges can be addressed while preserving a commitment to democratic values and maximizing the epistemic benefits of democratic decision-making. The book has two key strands: it provides a systematic argument for building a behaviorally informed theory of democracy; and it examines how scientific knowledge on quirks and bounds of human rationality can inform the design of resilient democratic institutions. Drawing these together, the book explores the centrality of the rationality assumption in the methodological debates surrounding behavioral sciences as exemplified by the dispute between neoclassical and behavioral economics; the role of (ir)rationality in democratic social choice; behaviorally informed paternalism as a response to the challenge of irrationality; and non-paternalistic avenues to increase the resilience of the democratic institutions toward political irrationality. This book is invaluable reading for anyone interested in behavioral economics and sciences, political philosophy, and the future of democracy.

Tired of her usual diet of herbs and grass, Goat decides to try something new, with humorous results.

Surviving pieces of armor are among the greatest treasures preserved from the past. Protective armor of various types was worn by warriors of many centuries. Soldiers of the ancient city-states wore simple helmets and breastplates and carried shields. By the end of the Middle Ages, mounted warriors had come to be entirely encased in armor of very sophisticated construction. The armor that has survived to the present is not only interesting for the skill and artistry with which it was made, but reveals a great deal about the methods of warfare and even the social structure of past eras.

In this provocative text, a noted neuroscientist reexamines Freud's posthumously published Project of Scientific Psychology in the light of modern neuroscience. This expanded "thermodynamics of the mind" model includes robust conceptions of the cellular and neural processes that accompany creation of consciousness and memory, their contributions to such conditions as depression, dissociative disorders, and schizophrenia, and implications for practice, from imaging to talk-based therapies to pharmacotherapy. Central to this construct is Freud's proposal of specific "omega" neurons as the most volatile carriers of consciousness between mind and brain, which is applied to current issues regarding complexity and executive functioning. In addition, the book is extensively referenced, allowing readers to investigate these and related phenomena in greater detail. Among the topics covered: Neural reductionism in Freud's "Project" and neuropsychoanalysis. Thermodynamics and brain self-organization. Conflicting information and the dissociated mind. The Cartesian model of the mind and the binding problem. Neuroendocrine and immune response to stress. The concept of omega neurons and modern chaos theory. Rigorous, challenging, and occasionally startling, The Brain and Conscious Unity is a milestone in the neuroscience and mind/brain literature to be read and discussed by psychiatrists, psychologists, and neuropsychologists.

This is a brilliant examination of the complex processes of the post-1990 transformation in the Czech automotive industry and its selective integration into the West European system. The post-1990 restructuring of the industry is analyzed in the context of its pre-1990 development and in the context of the East European automobile industry as a whole. Specifically, the book examines the development and post-1990 restructuring of the Czech car, components, and truck industries.

The history of pi, says the author, though a small part of the history of mathematics, is nevertheless a mirror of the history of man. Petr Beckmann holds up this mirror, giving the background of the times when pi made progress -- and also when it did not, because science was being stifled by militarism or religious fanaticism.

Kids will delight in this witty story of mistaken identity from acclaimed author-illustrator Petr Horácek. Peter and Paul are puffins and the best of friends. But one day Peter gets lost in a terrible storm, and Paul is nowhere to be found. With the help of a big blue whale, Peter sets out, determined to find his pal. What the pair discovers is that many other birds match the description Peter gives of Paul, but none are quite like his friend. With gorgeous collage artwork and a lighthearted touch, this fun read-aloud tale will both amuse and enlighten.

Learn quick and effective techniques for developing blockchain-based distributed ledgers with ease Key FeaturesDiscover why blockchain is a game changer in the technology landscapeSet up blockchain networks using Hyperledger FabricWrite smart contracts at speed with Hyperledger ComposerBook Description Blockchain and Hyperledger are open source technologies that power the development of decentralized applications. This Learning Path is your helpful reference for exploring and building blockchain networks using Ethereum, Hyperledger Fabric, and Hyperledger Composer. Blockchain Development with Hyperledger will start off by giving you an overview of blockchain and demonstrating how you can set up an Ethereum development environment for developing, packaging, building, and testing campaign-decentralized applications. You'll then explore the de facto language Solidity, which you can use to develop decentralized applications in Ethereum. Following this, you'll be able to configure Hyperledger Fabric and use it to build private blockchain networks and applications that connect to them. Toward the later chapters, you'll learn how to design and launch a network, and even implement smart contracts in chain code. By the end of this Learning Path, you'll be able to build and deploy your own decentralized applications by addressing the key pain points encountered in the blockchain life cycle. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: Blockchain Quick Start Guide by Xun (Brian) Wu and Weimin SunHands-On Blockchain with Hyperledger by Nitin Gaur et al.What you will learnUnderstand why decentralized applications are necessaryDevelop and test a decentralized application with Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger ComposerWrite and test a smart contract using SolidityDesign transaction models and chain code with GolangDeploy the Composer REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Gateway to access Composer transactionsMaintain, monitor, and manage your blockchain solutionsWho this book is for This Learning Path is designed for blockchain developers who want to build decentralized applications and smart contracts from scratch using Hyperledger. Basic familiarity with or exposure to any programming language will be useful to get started with this course.

This is the first monograph that strives to give a complete and detailed description of the collective modes (CMs) in unconventional superfluids and superconductors (UCSF&SC). Using the most powerful method of modern theoretical physics OCo the path (functional) integral technique OCo authors build the three- and two-dimensional models for s -, p - and d -wave pairing in neutral as well as in charged FermiOCosystems, models of superfluid BoseOCosystems and FermiOCoBoseOComixtures. Within these models they study the collective properties of such systems as superfluid 3 He, superfluid 4 He, superfluid 3 He- 4 He mixtures, superfluid 3 He-films, superfluid 3 He and superfluid 3 He- 4 He mixtures in aerogel, high temperature superconductors, heavy-fermion superconductors, superconducting films etc. Authors compare their results with experimental data and predict a lot of new experiments on CMs study. This opens for experimentalists new possibilities for search of new intriguing features of collective behavior of UCSF&SC. The monograph creates the new scientific direction OCo the spectroscopy of collective modes in unconventional superfluids and superconductors. It will be useful for both theorists and experimentalists, studying superfluids and superconductors, low temperature physics, condensed matter physics, solid state physics. It could be used by graduate students specializing in the same areas. Sample Chapter(s). Introduction (162 KB). Chapter 1: Functional Integration Method (369 KB). Contents: Functional Integration Method; Collective Excitations in Superfluid Fermi-Systems with s OCoPairing; Superfluid Phases in 3 He; The Model of 3 He; Collective Excitations in the B OCoPhase of 3 He; Collective Excitations in the A OCoPhase of 3 He; Stability of Goldstone Modes; Influence of Dipole Interaction and Magnetic Field on Collective Excitations; The Influence of the Electric Field on the Collective Excitations in 3 He and 4 He; The Order Parameter Distortion and Collective Modes in 3 HeOCo B; Collective Excitations in the Planar 2 D OCoPhase of Superfluid 3 He; Collective Excitations in the PolarOCoPhase; Superfluidity of TwoOCoDimensional and One-Dimensional Systems; BoseOCoSpectrum of Superfluid Solutions 3 He- 4 He; Novel Sound Phenomena in Impure Superfluids; Collective Modes in the HeavyOCoFermion Superconductors; Other Application of the Theory of Collective Excitations. Readership: Graduate and postgraduate students, researchers (theorists and experimentalists), in low temperature physics, superconductivity and condensed matter physics."

A story of three brothers and their adventures with a humpbacked horse.