A novel theoretical framework that describes a possible rationale for the regularity in how we move, how we learn, and how our brain predicts events. In Biological Learning and Control, Reza Shadmehr and Sandro Mussa-Ivaldi present a theoretical framework for understanding the regularity of the brain's perceptions, its reactions to sensory stimuli, and its control of movements. They offer an account of perception as the combination of prediction and observation: the brain builds internal models that describe what should happen and then combines this prediction with reports from the sensory system to form a belief. Considering the brain's control of movements, and variations despite biomechanical similarities among old and young, healthy and unhealthy, and humans and other animals, Shadmehr and Mussa-Ivaldi review evidence suggesting that motor commands reflect an economic decision made by our brain weighing reward and effort. This evidence also suggests that the brain prefers to receive a reward sooner than later, devaluing or discounting reward with the passage of time; then as the value of the expected reward changes in the brain with the passing of time (because of development, disease, or evolution), the shape of our movements will also change. The internal models formed by the brain provide the brain with an essential survival skill: the ability to predict based on past observations. The formal concepts presented by Shadmehr and Mussa-Ivaldi offer a way to describe how representations are formed, what structure they have, and how the theoretical concepts can be tested.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 28th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization, GD 2021, which was held in Tübingen, Germany, during September 14-17, 2021. The 23 full papers and 5 short papers presented in these proceedings were carefully reviewed and selected from 74 submissions. The abstracts of 13 posters presented at the conference can be found in the back matter of the volume. The contributions were organized in topical sections as follows: Best Paper (Track 1: Combinatorial and Algorithmic Aspects); Best Paper (Track 2: Experimental, Applied, and Network Visualization Aspects); Crossing Minimization and Beyond-Planarity; Morphing and Graph Abstraction; Geometric Constraints; Topological and Upward Drawings; Linear Layouts; Contact and Visibility Representations; Geometric Aspects in Graph Drawing; AI applications; and Graph Drawing Contest Report.

A leading psychologist examines how our popularity affects our success, our relationships, and our happiness—and why we don’t always want to be the most popular. Popular examines why popularity plays such a key role in our development and, ultimately, how it still influences our happiness and success today. In many ways—some even beyond our conscious awareness—those old dynamics of our youth continue to play out in every business meeting, every social gathering, in our personal relationships, and even how we raise our children. Our popularity even affects our DNA, our health, and our mortality in fascinating ways we never previously realized. More than childhood intelligence, family background, or prior psychological issues, research indicates that it’s how popular we were in our early years that predicts how successful and how happy we grow up to be. But it’s not always the conventionally popular people who fare the best, for the simple reason that there is more than one type of popularity—and many of us still long for the wrong one. As children, we strive to be likable, which can offer real benefits not only on the playground but throughout our lives. In adolescence, though, a new form of popularity emerges, and we suddenly begin to care about status, power, influence, and notoriety—research indicates that this type of popularity hurts us more than we realize. Popular addresses a topic more relevant today than ever before. In a world that pushes us to pursue power, and click our way to online status, it has become too easy to be lured towards a type of popularity that can harm us, and our children. Popular relies on the latest research in psychology and neuroscience to help us make the wisest choices for ourselves and for our children. With specific tips for parents, business leaders, and all adults who can remember their high school experiences, as well as a letter to teens to help this generation navigate a world in which popularity has become more complex than ever before, Popular can teach us all how to achieve more meaningful, successful, and rewarding relationships.

A shocking expose of the CIA's role as drug baron, "White-Out" surveys the violent storm provoked by a series of articles written by Gary Webb for the "San Jose Mercury News" which charged the agency with smuggling cocaine into the U.S. for the purpose of undermining the youth in black urban neighborhoods.

Craft is an exciting new craft book crammed with more than 50 stunning contemporary projects for crafters of all levels of ability. It covers a vast number of disciplines, explaining the essential tools and materials you need, and demonstrates techniques with clear, close-up photography, simple text, and guiding annotations. Packed with key techniques across a large range of disciplines, Craft is the "homemade" bible for every crafter's bookshelf.

The book's objectives are to expose students to analyzing and formulating various patterns such as linear, quadratic, geometric, piecewise, alternating, summation-type, product-type, recursive and periodic patterns. The book will present various patterns graphically and analytically and show the connections between them. Graphical presentations include patterns at same scale, patterns at diminishing scale and alternating patterns.The book's goals are to train and expand students' analytical skills by presenting numerous repetitive-type problems that will lead to formulating results inductively and to the proof by induction method. These will start with formulating basic sequences and piecewise functions and transition to properties of Pascal's Triangle that are horizontally and diagonally oriented and formulating solutions to recursive sequences. The book will start with relatively straight forward problems and gradually transition to more challenging problems and open-ended research questions. The book's aims are to prepare students to establish a base of recognition and formulation of patterns that will navigate to study further mathematics such as Calculus, Discrete Mathematics, Matrix Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Difference Equations, and to potential research projects. The primary aims out of all are to make mathematics accessible and multidisciplinary for students with different backgrounds and from various disciplines.