Outside The Bubble

Much time has been spent over the past decade debating whether social media contribute to democracy. Drawing on an original study of internet users across nine Western democracies, Outside the Bubble offers an unprecedented look at the effects of social media on democratic participation. This book argues that social media do indeed increase political participation in both online and face-to-face activities--and that they expand political equality across Western democracies. In fact, Cristian Vaccari and Augusto Valeriani find that, for the most part, social media do not constitute echo chambers or filter bubbles as most users see a mixture of political content they agree and disagree with. Various political experiences on social media have positive implications for participation and active political involvement: social media allow citizens to encounter clearly identifiable political viewpoints, facilitate accidental exposure to political news, and enable political actors and ordinary citizens to reach voters with electoral messages designed to mobilize them. Moreover, political interactions occurring on social media do not only benefit citizens who are already involved, but boost participation across the board. This is because social media offer both additional participatory incentives to the already engaged and new political opportunities for the less engaged. By adopting a comparative approach, Vaccari and Valeriani also show that political institutions matter since some political experiences on social media are more strongly associated with participation in majoritarian systems and in party-centric systems. While social media may contribute to many societal problems, they can help address at least two important democratic ills: citizens' apathy towards politics, and inequalities between those who choose to exercise their voice and those who remain silent.

Drawing on an original study of internet users across nine Western democracies, Outside the Bubble offers an unprecedented look at the effects of social media on democratic participation. The book reveals that, for most users, social media do not constitute echo chambers where people only hear what they want to hear. Instead, these platforms facilitate accidental encounters with news and exposure to electoral mobilization. While social media may contributeto many societal problems, they can help address at least two important democratic ills: citizens' apathy towards politics, and inequalities between those who choose to exercise their voice and those who remain silent.

We’ve all heard the reports -- the great housing boom that has fueled premium prices and sellers’ dreams is slowing down. The real estate market may experience ups and downs like any other, but it’s not likely to implode spontaneously. With proper planning and a little knowledge, homeowners, investors, and other stakeholders can avoid disaster and in fact profit on their properties regardless of what the market does. Beyond the Bubble takes a balanced look at what drives changes in real estate markets and how these changes affect property owners and investors. Readers will learn: * the history, nature, and dynamics of market ‘bubbles’ * how to anticipate a coming downturn and act accordingly * the regional nature of real estate market conditions * differences and similarities in residential and commercial markets * other profit strategies when selling is difficult or impossible * how to analyze the market using facts, not hype. Thorough and well-reasoned, Beyond the Bubble will help property owners maintain a strong and level foundation for their financial futures.

Based on the smash-hit audio serial, Bubble is a hilarious high-energy graphic novel with a satirical take on the “gig economy.” Built and maintained by corporate benevolence, the city of Fairhaven is a literal bubble of safety and order (and amazing coffee) in the midst of the Brush, a harsh alien wilderness ruled by monstrous Imps and rogue bands of humans. Humans like Morgan, who’s Brush-born and Bubble-raised and fully capable of fending off an Imp attack during her morning jog. She’s got a great routine going—she has a chill day job, she recreationally kills the occasional Imp, then she takes that Imp home for her roommate and BFF, Annie, to transform into drugs as a side hustle. But cracks appear in her tidy life when one of those Imps nearly murders a delivery guy in her apartment, accidentally transforming him into a Brush-powered mutant in the process. And when Morgan’s company launches Huntr, a gig economy app for Imp extermination, she finds herself press-ganged into kicking her stabby side job up to the next level as she battles a parade of monsters and monstrously Brush-turned citizens, from a living hipster beard to a book club hive mind.

Sonochemistry and the Acoustic Bubble provides an introduction to the way ultrasound acts on bubbles in a liquid to cause bubbles to collapse violently, leading to localized 'hot spots' in the liquid with temperatures of 5000° celcius and under pressures of several hundred atmospheres. These extreme conditions produce events such as the emission of light, sonoluminescence, with a lifetime of less than a nanosecond, and free radicals that can initiate a host of varied chemical reactions (sonochemistry) in the liquid, all at room temperature. The physics and chemistry behind the phenomena are simply, but comprehensively presented. In addition, potential industrial and medical applications of acoustic cavitation and its chemical effects are described and reviewed. The book is suitable for graduate students working with ultrasound, and for potential chemists and chemical engineers wanting to understand the basics of how ultrasound acts in a liquid to cause chemical and physical effects. Experimental methods on acoustic cavitation and sonochemistry Helps users understand how to readily begin experiments in the field Provides an understanding of the physics behind the phenomenon Contains examples of (possible) industrial applications in chemical engineering and environmental technologies Presents the possibilities for adopting the action of acoustic cavitation with respect to industrial applications

The Acoustic Bubble describes the interaction of acoustic fields with bubbles in liquid. The book consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 provides a basic introduction to acoustics, including some of the more esoteric phenomena that can be seen when high-frequency high-intensity underwater sound is employed. Chapter 2 discusses the nucleation of cavitation and basic fluid dynamics, while Chapter 3 draws together the acoustics and bubble dynamics to discuss the free oscillation of a bubble and acoustic emissions from such activity. The acoustic probes that are often applied to study the behavior of a bubble when an externally-applied acoustic field drives it into oscillation is deliberated in Chapter 4. The last chapter outlines a variety of effects associated with acoustically-induced bubble activity. The bubble detection, sonoluminescence, sonochemistry, and pulse enhancement are also covered. This publication is a good reference for physics and engineering students and researchers intending to acquire knowledge of the acoustic interactions of acoustic fields with bubbles.

Gas Bubble Dynamics in the Human Body provides a broad range of professionals, from physicians working in a clinic, hospital or hyperbaric facility, to physical scientists trying to understand and predict the dynamics of gas bubble behavior in the body, with an interdisciplinary perspective on gas-bubble disease. Both iatrogenic and decompression-induced gas bubbles are considered. The basic medical and physiological aspects are described first, in plain language, with numerous illustrations that facilitate an intuitive grasp of the basic underlying medicine and physiology. Current issues in the field, particularly microbubbles and microparticles, and their possible role in gas-bubble disease are included. The physical and mathematical material is given at several levels of sophistication, with the "hard-core" math separated out in sections labelled "For the Math Mavens", so that the basic concepts can be grasped at a descriptive level. The field is large and multi-disciplinary, so that some of the discussion that is at a greater depth is given separately in sections labelled "In Greater Detail". Skipping these sections for whatever reason, shouldn’t materially hamper acquiring an overall appreciation of the field. Demonstrates how physical and mathematical tools help to solve underlying problems across physiology and medicine Helps researchers extend their competence and flexibility to the point that they can personally contribute to the field of hyperbaric medicine and physiology, or to other related biological problems that may interest them Provides clinicians with explicit examples of how mathematical modelling can be integrated into clinical treatment and decision-making