One of the most intriguing questions facing modern science is the inner workings of the human brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a powerful tool used to study the human brain in action. The data produced from mapping the active processes within the brain present many challenges to statisticians, computer scientists, engineers and other data analysts, due to their complex structure and the ever-increasing sophistication of the scientific questions being posed by researchers. This book represents the first in-depth discussion of statistical methodology, which it couples with an introduction to the scientific background needed to understand the data.

This set of lectures, which had its origin in a mini course delivered at the Summer Program of IMPA (Rio de Janeiro), is an introduction to intrinsic scaling, a powerful method in the analysis of degenerate and singular PDEs.
In the first part, the theory is presented from scratch for the model case of the degenerate p-Laplace equation. This approach brings to light what is really essential in the method, leaving aside technical refinements needed to deal with more general equations, and is entirely self-contained.
The second part deals with three applications of the theory to relevant models arising from flows in porous media and phase transitions. The aim is to convince the reader of the strength of the method as a systematic approach to regularity for this important class of equations.

A detailed look at one of today's most secure ways to invest and protect assets
Swiss Annuities and Life Insurance covers all the important investment and legal aspects of the field. Readers will learn about the key characteristics of Swiss annuities and life insurance; become familiar with frequently used terminology; and discover how investors can capitalize on these attractive products. The book also discusses issues related to asset protection and estate planning, and answers numerous tax and reporting requirement questions for U.S. investors.

This book presents very recent results involving an extensive use of analytical tools in the study of geometrical and topological properties of complete Riemannian manifolds. It analyzes in detail an extension of the Bochner technique to the non compact setting, yielding conditions which ensure that solutions of geometrically significant differential equations either are trivial (vanishing results) or give rise to finite dimensional vector spaces (finiteness results). The book develops a range of methods from spectral theory and qualitative properties of solutions of PDEs to comparison theorems in Riemannian geometry and potential theory.

This volume provides an overview of the current state of the discipline and looks to the future of research. It contains fourteen thematic chapters complemented by a chronology of key events and publications, and a select guide to further reading.

Palgrave Advances in Oscar Wilde Studies is a comprehensive guide to recent critical approaches. Topics covered include Gay Studies, Feminist Criticism, Material Culture, Religion, Philosophy, Performance Studies, Aestheticism, Biography, Textual Studies and Postcolonial Theory. The book is designed to acquaint readers of all levels with the history of scholarship in a range of fields and suggest ways that Wilde's work offer new areas for research. The collection also provides a chronology and detailed bibliography.

Byron is at the forefront of debate on politics, gender, sexuality, reception studies and popular culture in the Romantic period. This collection presents twelve outstanding new essays on Byron by leading critics from the US, Canada, and the UK including Steven Bruhm, Peter Cochran, Paul Curtis, Caroline Franklin, Peter Kitson, Ghislaine McDayter, Tim Morton, David Punter and Pamela Kao, Michael Simpson, Philip Shaw, Nanora Sweet and Susan Wolfson.

In this highly absorbing work, Balaguer demonstrates that no good arguments exist either for or against mathematical platonism-for example, the view that abstract mathematical objects do exist and that mathematical theories are descriptions of such objects. Balaguer does this by establishing that both platonism and anti-platonism are justifiable views. Introducing a form of platonism, called "full-blooded platonism," that solves all problems traditionally associated with the view, he proceeds to defend anti-platonism (in particular, mathematical fictionalism) against various attacks-most notably the Quine-Putnam indispensability attack. He concludes by arguing that it is not simply that we do not currently have any good arguments for or against platonism but that we could never have such an argument. This lucid and accessible book breaks new ground in its area of
engagement and makes vital reading for both specialists and all those intrigued by the philosophy of mathematics, or metaphysics in general.

Detailing the history, techniques, and mathematics of sudoku—a logic puzzle that has become a worldwide phenomenon—this resource answers such questions as Where did sudoku originate? How do the puzzles work? and What is the science behind sudoku? Ideal for curious minds and logic lovers alike, this companion includes a full discussion on constraint programming—a newly developed branch of computer science used to solve sudoku puzzles—and applies these problem-solving principles to other fields. Numerous sudoku grids, ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert, are also included.