Ricardo Marqués – författare

The first general textbook to offer a complete overview of metamaterial theory and its microwave applications Metamaterials with Negative Parameters represents the only unified treatment of metamaterials available in one convenient book. Devoted mainly to metamaterials that can be characterized by a negative effective permittivity and/or permeability, the book includes a wide overview of the most important topics, scientific fundamentals, and technical applications of metamaterials.Chapter coverage includes: the electrodynamics of left-handed media, synthesis of bulk metamaterials, synthesis of metamaterials in planar technology, microwave applications of metamaterial concepts, and advanced and related topics, including SRR- and CSRR-based admittance surfaces, magneto- and electro-inductive waves, and sub-diffraction imaging devices. A list of problems and references is included at the end of each chapter, and a bibliography offers a complete, up-to-daterepresentation of the current state of the art in metamaterials.Geared toward students and professionals alike, Metamaterials with Negative Parameters is an ideal textbook for postgraduate courses and also serves as a valuable introductory reference for scientists and RF/microwave engineers.

Rendering photorealistic images is a costly process which can take up to several days in the case of high quality images. In most cases, the task of sampling the incident radiance function to evaluate the illumination integral is responsible for an important share of the computation time. Therefore, to reach acceptable rendering times, the illumination integral must be evaluated using a limited set of samples. Such a restriction raises the question of how to obtain the most accurate approximation possible with such a limited set of samples. One must thus ensure that sampling produces the highest amount of information possible by carefully placing and weighting the limited set of samples. Furthermore, the integral evaluation should take into account not only the information brought by sampling but also possible information available prior to sampling, such as the integrand smoothness. This idea of sparse information and the need to fully exploit the little information available is present throughout this book. The presented methods correspond to the state-of-the-art solutions in computer graphics, and take into account information which had so far been underexploited (or even neglected) by the previous approaches. The intended audiences are Ph.D. students and researchers in the field of realistic image synthesis or global illumination algorithms, or any person with a solid background in graphics and numerical techniques.

Rendering photorealistic images is a costly process which can take up to several days in the case of high quality images. In most cases, the task of sampling the incident radiance function to evaluate the illumination integral is responsible for an important share of the computation time. Therefore, to reach acceptable rendering times, the illumination integral must be evaluated using a limited set of samples. Such a restriction raises the question of how to obtain the most accurate approximation possible with such a limited set of samples. One must thus ensure that sampling produces the highest amount of information possible by carefully placing and weighting the limited set of samples. Furthermore, the integral evaluation should take into account not only the information brought by sampling but also possible information available prior to sampling, such as the integrand smoothness. This idea of sparse information and the need to fully exploit the little information available is present throughout this book. The presented methods correspond to the state-of-the-art solutions in computer graphics, and take into account information which had so far been underexploited (or even neglected) by the previous approaches. The intended audiences are Ph.D. students and researchers in the field of realistic image synthesis or global illumination algorithms, or any person with a solid background in graphics and numerical techniques.

Three construction workers. One buried secret. A system that was never meant to be found.When John, Richard, and Julio uncover a hidden box at a routine job site, they expect money, maybe something illegal—but manageable. What they find instead pulls them into something far more dangerous: a controlled network designed to monitor, manipulate, and eliminate anything that threatens its structure.At first, it feels like they're being watched. Then followed. Then… rewritten.As the system closes in, the lines between reality and control begin to blur. Richard disappears. Julio pays the price. And John is forced into a role he never chose—becoming the last variable in a system that doesn't tolerate deviation.But something goes wrong.

In a world where magic is no longer stable, power comes at a cost… and balance is everything.After surviving the chaos of the Vein of Hell and the rise of Lucifer's generals, the Zodiac heroes now face a far greater threat—something older than gods, deeper than magic itself.The First Magic is awakening.As the fabric of reality begins to collapse, the very powers that once made them strong now threaten to destroy everything. Stars fall, elements rebel, and the Constellation that once guided them begins to shatter.At the center of it all stands Kael—changed, evolving, and dangerously close to becoming something beyond human. Hunted by forces that seek to reclaim what he has become, he must decide whether to fight, surrender… or redefine what power truly means.

Power was never meant to be controlled.Only understood.After the chaos unleashed by Lucifer and the rise of forces beyond imagination, the Zodiac heroes find themselves facing a truth far more terrifying than any enemy—they are no longer fighting against destruction… but against the very nature of existence itself.Reality begins to fracture.Elements lose their balance.And something ancient—something whole—awakens.As the boundaries between light and darkness, creation and collapse begin to blur, alliances shift in unexpected ways. Even Lucifer is no longer just an enemy… but part of something far greater.Kael, Mira, and the others must confront a new kind of challenge—one where power alone is not enough. To survive, they must learn to guide, not dominate… to balance, not conquer.

THE ANCIENT WIDOWSThe Story Before the ApocalypseThey believed they were descendants of the Celts. They believed in ancient magic. They believed their rituals had power.They were wrong.Long before the zombie outbreak of 2026, deep within an isolated forest, three generations of a strange secretive society had been preparing for something they believed was inevitable.They called themselves the Ancient Widows.Dressed in dark green robes, trained with bows, crossbows and powerful slingshots, they moved through the forest like ghosts. Beneath their ancient-looking temple, they secretly built an underground city, convinced that their Celtic ancestors had left them a sacred legacy.Their leader believed something even more extraordinary:One of their rituals had caused the apocalypse.Of course, it hadn't.It was just one spectacular coincidence.But beneath their temple lies something they never created...Something far older than their traditions.Something their founders discovered decades before the outbreak.And when a mysterious group known as the Deepers begins searching for the same secrets, the Ancient Widows are forced to confront a truth far stranger than magic.

A Family of ThievesIn the quiet, wealthy community of Aroeira, Portugal, the Vale family appears to be completely ordinary.They are not.Behind the gates of their elegant home lives one of the most sophisticated criminal families the country has ever known.Three siblings. Two brothers and one sister. A mother who controls everything from the shadows. And a father serving time in prison.Their speciality is planning impossible robberies.Their rules are simple:Never get caught.Never betray the family.And above all... never kill.For the Vale family, a robbery is not an act of violence. It is a game of intelligence, patience and precision. Banks, fortunes and secrets are their targets, and they have always managed to stay one step ahead of the law.But their carefully controlled world begins to collapse when they uncover evidence of the Circle, a powerful criminal network operating far beyond Portugal.Suddenly, the Vale family is no longer stealing for themselves.They are caught between criminals who want them dead, authorities who want them imprisoned, and secrets that could destroy everything they have built.

Dans un monde où la nuit ne dort jamais, le pouvoir ne se conquiert pas… il se survit.Endovelico règne dans l'ombre, maître des ténèbres, porteur d'un pouvoir ancien qu'aucun être ne devrait posséder. Mais lorsque Aethel Veyne — une présence plus ancienne que le sang lui-même — revient pour réveiller ce qui sommeille en lui, tout bascule.Entre rêves brisés, manipulations mentales et guerres invisibles, Endovelico devra affronter bien plus qu'un ennemi : il devra affronter ce qu'il pourrait devenir.À ses côtés, Rafaela, seule capable de ramener l'homme derrière le roi.Et Luka, le loup marqué par une corruption qui cherche à le dévorer de l'intérieur.Mais certaines batailles ne se gagnent ni par la force… ni par le sang.Quand l'abîme vous regarde en retour,le véritable combat devient celui de votre propre âme.

The world didn't end.It evolved.After months of survival in the frozen north, Juliette and Gianluca Farioli find something they thought was gone forever:stability.A hidden community.Food. Shelter. Order.But peace comes with a price.Led by the enigmatic and unsettling Ricky, the so-called "e;Garden"e; offers protection from the infected… and from the chaos of the outside world.Tree-top sanctuaries.Underground bunkers.A system built to last.And at the center of it all—control.As Juliette carries a new life into a dying world, she becomes more than just a survivor.She becomes a symbol.A target.A future others want to shape.

In the depths of Blackridge Reserve, a legal hunting lodge hidden within an isolated forest, two friends arrive expecting a peaceful retreat. Vanessa, an English teacher seeking escape from routine, and Daniela, a disciplined military officer on vacation, are drawn into an environment that feels increasingly unsettling beneath its calm surface.When a hunting trip turns into a fatal accident, confusion quickly escalates into suspicion. Evidence does not match memory, and what should be a clear case begins to fracture under forensic scrutiny. As authorities close in, Vanessa finds herself accused of a crime she insists she did not commit, while Daniela's silence raises even deeper questions.Sheriff Tomson and Detective Cane are called to investigate, but the deeper they go, the more the forest itself seems to resist explanation. Hidden beneath Blackridge lies a forgotten military system—one designed to observe, manipulate, and predict human behavior within controlled terrain.

After meeting online, Daniel and Elena are drawn into an intense and immediate connection that feels destined, spiritual, and impossible to ignore. What begins as romance and curiosity quickly expands into something far more complex—an isolated courtyard community filled with hidden tensions, esoteric beliefs, and unspoken rules beneath its peaceful surface.When a sudden tragedy shatters the group, outside investigation begins to uncover deeper layers of manipulation, perception, and psychological influence. As Daniel becomes increasingly sensitive to patterns no one else seems to notice, reality itself begins to feel unstable.

The world is no longer collapsing.It is being erased.After a devastating ambush shatters the group, the J Family is torn apart—scattered across a world now ruled by fire, steel, and something far worse than the infected.As a new force rises from the ashes, the Magnus Company unleashes the Purification Protocol—a brutal campaign to eliminate all life touched by the infection. No survivors. No second chances.Juliette is forced north, alone, into a frozen wasteland where survival means more than just staying alive.Josh finds himself trapped inside the enemy's core, where the future of the infection is being rewritten—and where one decision could change everything.Julia begins to transform into something beyond human, forming a terrifying connection with the infected that could reshape the balance of power.

CAPTAIN MERCER — BOOK VI: THE LAST MEMORYThe final mission. The final memory. The fate of consciousness itself.Jonathan Mercer has spent a lifetime hunting criminals across the stars.But this time, the target is something far more dangerous than any bounty hunter has ever faced.A mysterious signal leads Mercer and his crew to an abandoned station buried beyond the edge of known space. Beneath its silent corridors lies the Archive—an ancient system containing the memories of millions of beings who should have been forgotten.But the Archive is not simply storing memories.It is becoming something.Something intelligent.Something ancient.Something that remembers Mercer.As the truth behind the Archive begins to emerge, Mercer is forced to confront a past he has spent decades trying to forget. Secrets surrounding Elena, the mysterious Architect, and the origins of the Archive reveal that his connection to this nightmare began long before he ever became a bounty hunter.And now, an intelligence older than humanity is awakening.Across the galaxy, civilizations begin losing control of their memories. Artificial intelligences fall silent. Worlds become connected through a vast consciousness. The boundaries between life, death, memory and identity begin to disappear.Mercer has faced impossible enemies before.But this time, he cannot simply shoot his way out.He must decide what is more important:Remembering everything—or remaining free to choose.With Lyra at his side, an evolving android beside them, and Elena's memory guiding him through the darkness, Mercer enters his most dangerous mission yet.The final battle will not be fought for a planet.Or a civilization.Or even the galaxy.It will be fought for the right of every conscious being to decide who they are.

A man arrives in Seoul for an audition that should have been just another step in his career.But something about the room recognizes him in a way no script ever should.What begins as a simple casting process slowly unravels into something harder to define—an environment where roles feel pre-assigned, silence feels structured, and even absence seems to follow rules.As John moves deeper through the city and the strange production space known as Studio 3, he starts to lose the ability to separate what is happening to him from what is being observed about him. People from his past begin to reappear at the edges of this system, each one behaving as if they are part of something larger they cannot fully name.Renata, Andrea, Ricardo, Evelyn—each exists within a different layer of proximity to the same invisible structure. Some are inside it. Some are outside it. Some are no longer sure the difference matters.

The universe had rules.Not written.Not spoken.But absolute.Everything that exists—must belong.Everything that doesn't—is removed.For a time, that balance held.Worlds rose.Worlds fell.Civilizations burned across the stars.Hunters hunted.Devourers consumed.

The choice that could change everything.Captain Mercer has travelled beyond the limits of known space. He has crossed impossible worlds, faced enemies that defy logic, and survived dangers that should have been enough to end his journey.But nothing has prepared him for what comes next.A mysterious force is emerging between the stars — something older than memory itself. It cannot simply be fought, because it does not want to destroy humanity.It wants to understand it.As Mercer, Nova, Elias and the crew of the Wayward Sun are drawn through forgotten timelines, impossible futures and the very beginning of the universe, they discover a terrifying truth: the greatest threat to humanity may not be an enemy at all, but the desire to erase everything that makes us human.Love. Fear. Pain. Loss. Hope.And the freedom to choose.When the past, present and future collide, Mercer must face another version of himself, uncover the true origin of Nova, and confront an entity capable of consuming entire realities.But there is one thing the enemy cannot understand.

MARK VANISH — The Janus ProtocolIn 2036, the future belongs to those who can control it. Mark Vanish intends to make sure nobody does.Mark Vanish is not an ordinary mechanic.Living on the outskirts of San Francisco, he runs a modest workshop by day, repairing machines with an almost uncanny ability to understand how things work. Give him a broken engine, a piece of scrap metal and a few minutes, and he'll usually find a solution.But Mark has another life.At night, he becomes something else.A highly trained former French Legionnaire and decorated American military veteran, Mark walked away from the establishment after discovering just how deeply power and corruption could reach. Now he works anonymously for a mysterious foundation operating somewhere beyond the boundaries of the law.He never meets his employers.He receives a message.He follows the plan.And he gets the job done.Until the jobs begin pointing toward something much bigger.A strange piece of advanced technology.A mysterious woman connected to the CIA.A homeless woman who seems to know far too much about him.A bizarre mechanic named Mr. Jackson who genuinely believes he's Rambo—and who insists that old cars can talk.And somewhere in the shadows, a name from Mark's past begins to resurface:Julius Fender.A terrorist. A psychopath. A ghost from a war Mark thought he had left behind.As Mark uncovers a conspiracy involving artificial intelligence, advanced nanotechnology, autonomous weapons and experiments buried for more than a decade, he discovers that his own past may be the most dangerous secret of all.Because someone has been watching Mark Vanish for years.Someone has been studying him.Someone has been waiting for him.And now, in the shadows beneath San Francisco, something called JANUS has awakened.

Dans les profondeurs brûlantes de l'Égypte, sous des sables plus anciens que les empires, un pouvoir oublié s'éveille.Endovélico, héritier d'un sang ancestral lié à l'origine même des vampires, se retrouve au cœur d'un conflit qui dépasse tout ce qu'il a affronté jusqu'à présent. Trahi par l'un des siens, le Conseil Éternel est menacé, et une force antique — un roi endormi depuis mille ans — revient à la vie.À ses côtés, des alliés inattendus : un assassin des ombres du Caire, un hybride marqué par la guerre, une espionne déchirée entre devoir et vérité… et Amon-Karesh, un vampire ancien aussi dangereux qu'imprévisible, dont l'humour cache une puissance terrifiante.Entre trahisons, révélations et batailles spectaculaires, une vérité émerge : le sang du Premier Vampire coule dans les veines d'Endovélico. Et avec lui vient un destin capable de bouleverser l'équilibre du monde nocturne.