You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Since the first English edition of this book appeared three years ago, the authors have received many useful comments from readers. In preparing this amended edition we have carefully examined each chapter, improving and expanding the text where necessary; in the process, we have been greatly helped by their remarks. Further commentary on this edition will be much appreciated. Again, I should like to express the gratitude of all the authors to the staff of Springer-Verlag for expediting the publication of the book. Kiel, Germany, July 1981 ROBERT F. SCHMIDT Preface to the First Edition In the field of sensory physiology we are concerned with what our sense organs and the associated central nervous structures - can do and how that perform ance is achieved. Research here is not limited to description of the physi cochemical reactions taking place in these structures; the conditions under which sensations and perceptions arise and the rules that govern them are also of fundamental interest. Sensory physiology thus demands the attention of everyone who wishes to - or must - delve into the potentialities and limitations of human experience.
Again rapid advances in the brain sciences have made it necessary, after only a few years, to issue a revised edition of this text. All the chapters have been reviewed and brought up to date, and some have been largely rewritten. The major revision has occurred in the chap ters on the autonomic nervous system and the integrative functions of the central nervous system. But in the discussion of the motor systems and other subjects as well, recent insights have necessitated certain conceptual modifications. In the description of the autonomic nervous system, the role of the intestinal innervation has been brought out more clearly than before. In addition, there is a new presentation of the phy...
Since 1978 this textbook, to the gratification of its authors and publisher, has found an undiminished readership. Recent research in sensory physiology has progressed so rapidly that this third edition, like the second, has required thorough revision. The understanding of pain, in particular, has increased to a remarkable degree. This development is reflected here in the appearance, for the first time, of a chapter devoted entirely to the subject "Nociception and Pain". In view of the great clinical significance of pain, it seemed necessary to broaden the scope of the discussion, so that in addition to the aspects directly related to sensory physiology consideration is given to the pathophy...
The present work is a continuation of the authors' acclaimed multi-volume APractical Logic of Cognitive Systems. After having investigated the notion ofrelevance in their previous volume, Gabbay and Woods now turn to abduction. Inthis highly original approach, abduction is construed as ignorance-preservinginference, in which conjecture plays a pivotal role. Abduction is a response to acognitive target that cannot be hit on the basis of what the agent currently knows.The abducer selects a hypothesis which were it true would enable the reasoner to attain his target. He concludes from this fact that the hypothesis may be conjectured. In allowing conjecture to stand in for the knowledge he fails...
Quantum mechanics is said to be the most successful physical theory ever. It is, in fact, unique in its success when applied to concrete physical problems. On the other hand, however, it raises profound conceptual problems that are equally unprecedented. Quantum logic, the topic of this volume, can be described as an attempt to cast light on the puzzle of quantum mechanics from the point of view of logic. Since its inception in the famous 1936 paper by Birkhoff and von Neumann entitled, "The logic of quantum mechanics, quantum logic has undergone an enormous development. Various schools of thought and approaches have emerged, and there are a variety of technical results. The chapters of this volume constitute a comprehensive presentation of the main schools, approaches and results in the field of quantum logic. - Authored by eminent scholars in the field - Material presented is of recent origin representing the frontier of the subject - Provides the most comprehensive and varied discussion of Quantum Mechanics available
The wealth of the natural sciences no longer consists in the abundance of facts, but in the way they are linked together. ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT There is no dearth of books on ecology. Why write yet another? Each person is different, and each views the problems in a different way. Each emphasizes different aspects and describes them in a different style. When I was a student I often found certain books more helpful than others, and I still think it is useful to have a variety of presentations from which to choose. This variety also allows the student to appreciate the diversity within the field of ecology. I have devoted considerable effort to making this book readable. Throughout I have ref...
Applying research findings from studies in visual perception, neurophysiology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and anthropology, Joseph D. Anderson defines the complex interaction of motion pictures with the human mind and organizes the relationship between film and cognitive science. Anderson's primary argument is that motion picture viewers mentally process the projected images and sounds of a movie according to the same perceptual rules used in response to visual and aural stimuli in the world outside the theater. To process everyday events in the world, the human mind is equipped with capacities developed through millions of years of evolution. In this context, Anderson b...
Scientific investigation of the retina began with extensive studies of its anatomical structure. The selective staining of neurons achieved by the Golgi method has led to a comprehensive picture of the architecture of the tissue in terms of its individ ual elements. Cajal, in particular, used this tech nique to reveal the fundamentals of retinal struc ture. In the studies that followed, selective stain ing method continued to be decisive in the analysis of neuroanatomy, and in recent years these techniques have been complemented by electron microscopy. The complexity of retinal structure that has been revealed demands a functional explanation, and elec trophysiology attempts to provide it. But functional analysis, like anatomy, must ultimately be based on the single cell. It is only by using dyes to mark the recording site that one can identify the cells involved. When this succeeds, as it has recently, one can actually fit functional events into the ana tomical framework. With these advances, our strate gies and tactics toward an understanding of the structure and function of the retina have moved in to a new phase.
First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.
In today's world – despite the dramatic anthropogenic environmental changes – a proper understanding of the relationship between humanity and nature requires a certain detachment. The pressing problems in their whole extent will only be fully understood and solved with comprehensive and patient analysis. Accordingly, this book develops new perspectives on fundamental questions of biology, ecology, and the economy, integrated within a framework of a terminology specially devised by the authors. By illuminating the epistemological backgrounds of ecological-economic research, the authors lay foundations for interdisciplinary environmental research and offer guidelines for practical action. ...