Forming Abstraction

Art produced outside hegemonic centers is often seen as a form of derivation or relegated to a provisional status. Forming Abstraction turns this narrative on its head. In the first book-length study of postwar Brazilian art and culture, Adele Nelson highlights the importance of exhibitionary and pedagogical institutions in the development of abstract art in Brazil. By focusing on the formation of the São Paulo Biennial in 1951; the early activities of artists Geraldo de Barros, Lygia Clark, Waldemar Cordeiro, Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Pape, and Ivan Serpa; and the ideas of critics like Mário Pedrosa, Nelson illuminates the complex, strategic processes of citation and adaption of both local and international forms. The book ultimately demonstrates that Brazilian art institutions and abstract artistic groups—and their exhibitions of abstract art in particular—served as crucial loci for the articulation of societal identities in a newly democratic nation at the onset of the Cold War.

This book surveys methods, problems, and tools used in process control engineering. The book is intended both for interested nonspecialists who wish to become acquainted with the discipline of process control engineering and for process control engineers.

Soft computing is a new, emerging discipline rooted in a group of technologies that aim to exploit the tolerance for imprecision and uncertainty in achieving solutions to complex problems. The principal components of soft computing are fuzzy logic, neurocomputing, genetic algorithms and probabilistic reasoning. This volume is a collection of up-to-date articles giving a snapshot of the current state of the field. It covers the whole expanse, from theoretical foundations to applications. The contributors are among the world leaders in the field. Contents:Fuzzy Logic and Genetic AlgorithmsLearningFuzzy and Hybrid SystemsDecision and Aggregation TechniquesFuzzy Logic in DatabasesFoundations of Fuzzy LogicApplications of Fuzzy Sets Readership: Researchers and computer scientists. keywords:

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.