The XX Edge


Book Description

In The XX Edge, Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber envision a new paradigm of gender-focused investing where more women are placed in decision-making roles and able to optimize their skills across all capital markets—leading to higher returns for individual investors and greater economic growth. There’s a simple but often overlooked investment strategy to earning higher returns—include women as financial decision-makers within your organization or team. That’s The XX Edge. Seasoned executives and investors Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber demonstrate the new paradigm where women are at the center of investing as agents and actors—not just as beneficiaries. If you manage investments—either your own or others'—you’ll want to understand the data and discover the financial power of The XX Edge: Gender-inclusive teams are 21% more likely to see outperformance in profitability relative to peers Female CFOs deliver a 6% increase in profits and an 8% stock performance bump compared to overall performance under male predecessors New companies with a female founder performed 63% better than those with all-male teams over an observed ten-year period Women-run hedge funds outperformed the average of larger hedge funds by a margin of 6% over a six-and-a-half-year period You’ll discover the inherent gender differences between women and men and why these differences make women excellent financial decision makers and investment collaborators. Patience and Ruth unpack the evidence that proves this point across all asset classes. The XX Edge shows that when women make financial decisions and apply their skills across all capital markets, it leads to higher returns for individual investors and greater economic growth—a true win-win for all.




Algorithmic Aspects in Information and Management


Book Description

This volume constitutes the proceedings of the International Conference on Algorithmic Aspects in Information and Management, AAIM 2014, held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in July 2014. The 30 revised full papers presented together with 2 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 45 submissions. The topics cover most areas in discrete algorithms and their applications.




Stochastic Thermodynamics


Book Description

The first comprehensive graduate-level introduction to stochastic thermodynamics Stochastic thermodynamics is a well-defined subfield of statistical physics that aims to interpret thermodynamic concepts for systems ranging in size from a few to hundreds of nanometers, the behavior of which is inherently random due to thermal fluctuations. This growing field therefore describes the nonequilibrium dynamics of small systems, such as artificial nanodevices and biological molecular machines, which are of increasing scientific and technological relevance. This textbook provides an up-to-date pedagogical introduction to stochastic thermodynamics, guiding readers from basic concepts in statistical physics, probability theory, and thermodynamics to the most recent developments in the field. Gradually building up to more advanced material, the authors consistently prioritize simplicity and clarity over exhaustiveness and focus on the development of readers’ physical insight over mathematical formalism. This approach allows the reader to grow as the book proceeds, helping interested young scientists to enter the field with less effort and to contribute to its ongoing vibrant development. Chapters provide exercises to complement and reinforce learning. Appropriate for graduate students in physics and biophysics, as well as researchers, Stochastic Thermodynamics serves as an excellent initiation to this rapidly evolving field. Emphasizes a pedagogical approach to the subject Highlights connections with the thermodynamics of information Pays special attention to molecular biophysics applications Privileges physical intuition over mathematical formalism Solutions manual available on request for instructors adopting the book in a course




Edge of Eternity


Book Description

Ken Follett's extraordinary historical epic, the Century Trilogy, reaches its sweeping, passionate conclusion. In Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, Ken Follett followed the fortunes of five international families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh—as they made their way through the twentieth century. Now they come to one of the most tumultuous eras of all: the 1960s through the 1980s, from civil rights, assassinations, mass political movements, and Vietnam to the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidential impeachment, revolution—and rock and roll. East German teacher Rebecca Hoffmann discovers she’s been spied on by the Stasi for years and commits an impulsive act that will affect her family for the rest of their lives. . . . George Jakes, the child of a mixed-race couple, bypasses a corporate law career to join Robert F. Kennedy's Justice Department and finds himself in the middle of not only the seminal events of the civil rights battle but a much more personal battle of his own. . . . Cameron Dewar, the grandson of a senator, jumps at the chance to do some official and unofficial espionage for a cause he believes in, only to discover that the world is a much more dangerous place than he'd imagined. . . . Dimka Dvorkin, a young aide to Nikita Khrushchev, becomes an agent both for good and for ill as the United States and the Soviet Union race to the brink of nuclear war, while his twin sister, Tanya, carves out a role that will take her from Moscow to Cuba to Prague to Warsaw—and into history.




Visual Sensing and its Applications


Book Description

“Visual Sensing and its Applications: Integration of Laser Sensors to Industrial Robots” provides comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of research and development on this robotic vision system. A laser-structured light is the main concern in discussions of visual sensing. Also addressed in this book are all components of the robotic vision system and an emphasis on how to increase the accuracy of the system using three levels of calibration. This includes calibration of the vision system (eye calibration), calibration of eye-to-hand configuration and calibration of robot kinematics (hand calibration). With the integration of the laser sensors to industrial robots numerous applications in the field of robotic welding, grinding, machining, inspection, and palletizing are illustrated based on practical engineering projects in order to demonstrate how the visual sensing is performed. The book will serve as a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the areas of robotics and machine vision. Dr. Zhongxue Gan is a vice chairman and chief scientist of the ENN Group, China. He serves as a member of the National Energy Expert Consultation Committee of China and member of the National Coal Council of the USA. He is also a co-founder of Intersmart Robotic Systems Co. Ltd., China. He was a research fellow in flexible automation systems at ABB and a founding director of ABB Corporate Research Robot Laboratories, both in the USA and in China. Dr. Qing Tang is a co-founder and CEO of Intersmart Robotic Systems Co. Ltd., China and an adjunct professor in Physics at Sichuan University, China. He was a principle consulting engineer and project manager at the ABB Corporate Research Robot Laboratory in the USA.




Graphene and Its Fascinating Attributes


Book Description

Graphene, a single sheet of graphite, has an unconventional electronic structure that can be described in terms of massless Dirac Fermions. This book presents the frontiers of graphene research ranging from important issues in condensed matter physics and chemistry to advanced device applications.




Raman Spectroscopy of Two-Dimensional Materials


Book Description

This book shows the electronic, optical and lattice-vibration properties of the two-dimensional materials which are revealed by the Raman spectroscopy. It consists of eleven chapters covering various Raman spectroscopy techniques (ultralow-frequency, resonant Raman spectroscopy, Raman imaging), different kinds of two-dimensional materials (in-plane isotropy and anisotropy materials, van der Waals heterostructures) and their physical properties (double-resonant theory, surface and interface effect). The topics include the theory origin, experimental phenomenon and advanced techniques in this area. This book is interesting and useful to a wide readership in various fields of condensed matter physics, materials science and engineering.







Phosphorene: Physical Properties, Synthesis, and Fabrication


Book Description

This book is the first attempt to systematically present the knowledge and research progress of phosphorene, another elemental 2D material that can be exfoliated by mechanical or liquid methods as the intensively studied graphene. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis, growth, characterization, and applications of phosphorene. It also compiles cutting-edge research in the related field with respect to thermal conduction, transistors, and electrochemical applications and encompasses the intrinsic properties (structural, electronic, defective, and phononic) of phosphorene. This book provides detailed mechanisms of phenomena observed for phosphorene. It will benefit graduate students of physics, chemistry, electrical and electronics engineering, and materials science and engineering; researchers in nanoscience working on phosphorene and similar 2D materials; and engineers and anyone involved in nanotechnology, nanoelectronics, materials preparation, and device fabrication based on layered materials.




The XX Factor


Book Description

Noted British academic and journalist Alison Wolf offers a surprising and thoughtful study of the professional elite, and examines the causes—and limits—of women’s rise and the consequences of their difficult choices. The gender gap is closing. Today, for the first time in history, tens of millions of women are spending more time at the boardroom table than the kitchen table. These professional women are highly ambitious and highly educated, enjoying the same lifestyle prerogatives as their male counterparts. They are working longer and marrying later—if they marry at all. They are heading Fortune 500 companies and appearing on the covers of Forbes and Businessweek. They represent a special type of working woman—the kind who doesn’t just punch a clock for a paycheck, but derives self-worth and pleasure from wielding professional power. At the same time that the gender gap is narrowing, the gulf is widening among women themselves. While blockbuster books such as Lean In focus only on women in high pressure jobs, in reality there are four women in traditionally female roles for every Sheryl Sandberg. In this revealing and deeply intelligent book, Alison Wolf examines why more educated women work longer hours, why having children early is a good idea, and how feminism created a less equal world. Her ideas are sure to provoke and surprise, as she challenges much of what the liberal and conservative media consider to be women’s best interests.