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New Approaches to Circle Packing in a Square : With Program Codes
This book summarizes results achieved in solving the circle packing problem over the past few years, providing the reader with a comprehensive view of both theoretical and computational achievements. Typically illustrations of problem solutions are shown, elegantly displaying the results obtained.Beyond the theoretically challenging character of the problem, the solution methods developed in the book also have many practical applications. Direct applications include cutting out congruent two-dimensional objects from an expensive material, or locating points within a square in such a way that the shortest distance between them is maximal.
Neurotransmitter Interactions and Cognitive Function
Cognitive function involves the participation of many different neurotransmitter systems in a variety of brain areas. The centerpiece of investigation regarding cognitive function has classically been the cholinergic system, but it has become increasingly clear that other transmitter systems interact with cholinergic systems to provide the neural basis for cognitive function. This book brings together cutting edge research to determine how the transmitter interactions form the mechanistic bases for attention, learning and memory. This research on transmitter interactions not only provides a more accurate, though complex, picture of how the brain works to provide cognitive function, it also provides important new levels of understanding about the mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction and novel avenues for therapeutic treatment. The researchers who contributed to this volume both reviewed the latest findings but also point to the directions of advancement of the field of neurotransmitter interactions and cognitive function.
Networking and Mobile Computing ; 3rd International Conference, ICCNMC 2005, Zhangjiajie, China, August 2-4, 2005, Proceedings
The objective of this conference was to address and capture highly innovative and stateof-the-art research and work in the networks and mobile computing industries. ICCNMC 2005 allowed sharing of the underlying theories and applications, and the establishment of new and long-term collaborative channels aimed at developing innovative concepts and solutions geared to future markets. The highly positive response to ICCNMC 2001 and ICCNMC 2003, held in Beijing and Shanghai, respectively, encouraged us to continue this international event. In its third year, ICCNMC 2005 continued to provide a forum for researchers, professionals, and industrial practitioners from around the world to report on new advances in computer network and mobile computing, as well as to identify issues and directions for research and development in the new era of evolving technologies.
Network Analysis : Methodological Foundations
‘Network’ is a heavily overloaded term, so that ‘network analysis’ means different things to different people. Specific forms of network analysis are used in the study of diverse structures such as the Internet, interlocking directorates, transportation systems, epidemic spreading, metabolic pathways, the Web graph, electrical circuits, project plans, and so on. There is, however, a broad methodological foundation which is quickly becoming a prerequisite for researchers and practitioners working with network models. From a computer science perspective, network analysis is applied graph theory. Unlike standard graph theory books, the content of this book is organized according to methods for specific levels of analysis (element, group, network) rather than abstract concepts like paths, matchings, or spanning subgraphs. Its topics therefore range from vertex centrality to graph clustering and the evolution of scale-free networks. In 15 coherent chapters, this monograph-like tutorial book introduces and surveys the concepts and methods that drive network analysis, and is thus the first book to do so from a methodological perspective independent of specific application areas.
Natural Skincare Cosmetics
Aging skin is suffering of decrease pigment-containing cells and overproduction of melanin in the skin, also changes in the connective tissue reduce the skin's strength and elasticity. Over the last 20 years, clinical and laboratory studies have identified the benefits of an array of natural ingredients for skin care. A variety of skin care products exist in today’s marketplace. They fulfill a variety of functions by either acting directly on the skin (e.g., moisturizers) or being a cosmetically elegant vehicle for the delivery of specific active ingredients (e.g., sunscreens or antipruritic or antiacne medicaments). Certain ingredients used in cosmeceuticals may be claimed to be therapeutic for common skin diseases. These ingredients are regulated as over the counter (OTC) drug monographs for acne, dermatitis/psoriasis, skin protectant, topical analgesia and sunscreens, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
National Tax Policy in Europe : To Be or Not to Be?
The book is dedicated to the question of how much room for national tax policy Member States of the European Union will find necessary and possible to maintain in the future. It focuses on the possibilities Member States have and the constraints they face, such as the need to enhance competitiveness and attractiveness to inward foreign direct investment, to finance social programmes and the limitations imposed by European and International Law. The research question is looked at from economic as well as from legal points of view. This comprehensive approach and the answers given will be of interest to scholars and policy makers alike and may guide the path for future tax developments in Europe.
National Constitutions in European and Global Governance : Democracy, Rights, the Rule of Law: National Reports
It offers important insights into three areas. First, it explores how constitutions reflect the transfer of powers from domestic to European and global institutions. Secondly, it revisits substantive constitutional values, such as the protection of constitutional rights, the rule of law, democratic participation and constitutional review, along with constitutional court judgments that tackle the protection of these rights and values in the transnational context, e.g. with regard to the Data Retention Directive, the European Arrest Warrant, the ESM Treaty, and EU and IMF austerity measures. The responsiveness of the ECJ regarding the above rights and values, along with the standard of protection, is also assessed. Thirdly, challenges in the context of global governance in relation to judicial review, democratic control and accountability are examined. On a broader level, the contributors were also invited to reflect on what has increasingly been described as the erosion or ‘twilight’ of constitutionalism, or a shift to a thin version of the rule of law, democracy and judicial review in the context of Europeanisation and globalisation processes.
Nanostructured Materials by High-Pressure Severe Plastic Deformation
Recently, it was reported that nanostructured materials processed under high pressure by HPT and ECAP have an extraordinary combination of both high strength and high ductility, which are two desirable, but rarely co-existing properties. These findings indicate that high-pressure is a critical factor that can be employed to process nanostructured materials with superior mechanical, and possibly also physical, properties. It is the objective of this workshop to review our current knowledge, identify issues for future research, and discuss future directions on the processing and properties of nanostructured materials via SPD techniques, with a special emphasis on high-pressure effects.
Nanomechanics of Materials and Structures
This book is derived from the proceedings of the International Workshop on Nanomechanics held at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California on July 14-17, 2004. The main objective was to convene leading researchers in the nanotechnology community to assess the current state-of-the-art and disseminate recent progress, critical issues, barriers to applications, and directions for future research in nanomechanics.
Nanoformulations in Human Health: Challenges and Approaches
This book is an amalgamation of knowledge, experience, and expertise in various aspects of nanotechnology, by experts who are proficient in designing novel nanoformulations that are used in the treatment of various challenging and prevalent diseases. It is an exhaustive compilation of the multi-faceted arena of nanoformulations and the healthcare system that caters to the needs of academicians, scholars, researchers, etc. The most important aspect of the book covers various types of nanoformulations and their applications in the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Each chapter focuses on a particular nanoformulation as well as a disease including the pathophysiology of the disease, the current treatment modalities of diseases, the role of nanoformulation in treatment and other future aspects and directions for further work. Coverage includes neuropathic pain, colon targeting, nose-to-brain drug delivery, cancer, arthritis and tuberculosis.
Mycorrhizae : Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry
This book discusses and goes into detail on a number of topics: the molecular basis of nutrient exchange between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and host plants; the role of AM fungi in disease protection, alleviation of soil stresses and increasing grain production; interactions of AM fungi and beneficial saprophytic mycoflora in terms of plant growth promotion; the role of AM fungi in the restoration of native ecosystems; indirect contributions of AM fungi and soil aggregation to plant growth and mycorrhizosphere effect of multitrophic interaction; the mechanisms by which mycorrhizas change a disturbed ecosystem into productive land; the importance of reinstallation of mycorrhizal systems in the rhizosphere is emphasized and their impact on landscape regeneration, and in bioremediation of contaminated soils; Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) and their importance in forest ecosystems and associations of ECM in tropical rain forests function to maintain tropical monodominance; in vitro mycorrhization of micro-propagated plants, and visualizing and quantifying endorhizal fungi; the use of mycorrhizae, mainly AM and ECM, for sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Multinational Enterprises, Foreign Direct Investment and Growth in Africa : South African Perspectives
How can Africa, the world’s most lagging region, benefit from globalisation and achieve sustained economic growth? Africa needs greater investment by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to improve competitiveness and generate more growth through positive spill-over effects. Despite the fact that Africa’s returns on investment averaged 29% since 1990, Africa has gained merely 1% of global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The challenge for African countries is how to be a more desirable destination for FDI. The study integrates three currents of economic research, namely from the literature on (endogenous) economic growth, convergence and regional integration, the explanations for Africa’s poor growth and the growing understanding of the role of MNEs in a global economy. The empirical side of the book is based on an econometric study of the determinants of FDI in Africa as well as a detailed firm-level survey conducted in 2000.
Multidimensional Screening
The book brings into a focus all necessary mathematical knowledge necessary to understand the economics of multidimensional results screening and applies them straightaway to economic models. The first part of this book contains a review of vector calculus, the theory of partial differential equations, and the theory of generalized convexity. These techniques are extensively used in multidimensional screening models. Part II is devoted to the economics of sceening models. It starts with a detailed discussion of economics and mathematics of unidimensional screening problems and three approaches to their solution: direct, dual, and Hamiltonian. It uses the Hamiltonian approach to unify all known results, which were previously obtained using different arguments. Then the major difficulties with direct and dual approach in the multidimensional context are discussed and the Hamiltonian approach is used to provide the most complete characterization of the solution known in the literature.
Multi-Carrier Spread Spectrum 2007 ; Proceedings from the 6th International Workshop on Multi-Carrier Spread Spectrum, May 2007,Herrsching, Germany
This combination known as multi-carrier spread spectrum (MC-SS) benefits from the advantages of both systems and offers high flexibility, high spectral efficiency, simple detection strategies, narrow-band interference rejection capabilities, etc. The basic principle of this combination is straightforward: The spreading is performed as direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) but instead of transmitting the chips over a single carrier, several sub-carriers are employed. The MC modulation and demodulation can easily be realized in the digital domain by performing IFFT and FFT operations. The separation of the users’ signals can be performed in the code domain. MC-SS systems can perform the spreading in frequency direction, which allows for simple signal detection strategies. Since 1993, MC-SS has been deeply studied and new alternative solutions have been proposed.
Multiagent based Supply Chain Management
The authors takes a close look at what has been done recently in the field of supply chain management using agent technology and more specifically multiagent systems. The book contains sixteen chapters organized in four main parts; Introductory Papers; Multiagent Based Supply Chain Modeling, Collaboration and Coordination Between Agents in a Supply Chain and Multiagent Based Supply Chain Management: Applications. This book is intended as reference material for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners alike who are interested in pursuing research and development in this area, and who need for that, a comprehensive view of the existing literature, and some ideas for future directions.
Morphology, Molecules, Evolution and Phylogeny in Polychaeta and Related Taxa; Proceedings of two ISSI Workshops, 18–22 October 1999 and 15–19 May 2000, Bern, Switzerland
Recently, evidence has been accumulated which shows that some of the groups formerly regarded as independent "phyla" such as Pogonophora (now recognized as Siboglinidae), Echiura, Myzostomida and perhaps Sipuncula, are most probably nothing else than greatly modified Annelida. The extreme morphological diversity found especially in Polychaeta displays the plasticity of a simple segmented organisation that basically is nothing else but a serial repetition of identical units. Thus, annelids are highly important to our understanding of fundamental questions about morphological and adaptive diversity, as well as clarifying evolutionary changes and phylogenetic relationships. The book aims to summarize our knowledge on Polychaetes polychaetes and their allies and gives an overview of recent advances gained by studies that employed conventional and modern methods plus, increasingly and importantly, the use of molecular markers and computer-assisted kinship analyses. It also reflects the state of art in polychaete sciences and presents new questions and controversies. As such it will significantly influence the direction of research on Polychaeta and their related taxa.
Monetary Policy and the German Unemployment Problem in Macroeconomic Models : Theory and Evidence
Having the high unemployment in Germany in mind, this book discusses how macroeconomic theory has evolved over the past forty years. It shows that in recent years a convergence has taken place, with modern models embodying a Keynesian transmission mechanism, monetarist policy implication, and modeling techniques inspired by new classical economics and real business cycle theory. It also probes in which direction models may be extended from here. Empirically, the book uses different econometric techniques to investigate the relevance and implications of different macroeconomic theories for German data. A key question this book investigates is the role of demand and supply side conditions for the increase in the German unemployment rate. On a policy level, the book relates the implications of the different theories to the ongoing debate on the appropriate roles of demand and supply side policies for curing the German unemployment problem.
Molecular recognition in pharmacology
Traces the behavior of the drug substance, starting from the initial pre-contact stage, and ending with the formation of the complex. Molecular recognition lies in the foundation of every life form and includes many mysteries. Currently, studies on this topic in pharmacology are limited to determining the properties of complexes of medicinal substances (drugs) with specific (complementary) biomolecules: receptors, enzymes, ion channels etc. The results present the mechanisms preventing drugs from such non-specific binding. This direction is very fruitful, although the phenomenon of molecular recognition is far wider.
Molecular Pharmacognosy
This book discusses the application of molecular biology in resource science and authentication of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It also reviews the latest developments in pharmacognosy, introduces new perspectives and insights, discusses the hotspots and focuses in the field of molecular pharmacognosy, and predicts new directions of study. In the last five years, the technologies and scope of molecular pharmacognosy have constantly expanded and evolved. As such, this new edition includes extra content, such as the molecular phylogeography of medicinal plants, functional genome of medicinal plants, and synthetic biology of active compounds. Elucidating the concept, theory, and methodology of molecular pharmacognosy, it promotes the full use of the newly developed technologies and methodologies within the framework of molecular pharmacognosy to solve problems in the field.
Molecular Parameters Indicating Adaptation to Mechanical Stress in Fibrous Connective Tissue
The present study pursues the hypothesis that local compressive force and the occurrence of cartilage-specific transformation processes within tendons and ligaments are directly correlated. In selected anatomical samples of human origin the distribution pattern of certain components of the extracellular matrix is assessed. Investigations are carried out at the extensor tendons of toes and fingers, at the transverse ligament of the atlas, at the transverse ligament of the acetabulum, and at the tendon of the superior oblique muscle and its trochlea. The molecular components of the extracellular matrix are detected with standardized immunohistochemical methods. The results show that certain molecules only occur due to compressive stress, others due to tensile stress. The molecular spectrum of the extracellular matrix allows qualifying conclusions to the mechanical situation of a given part of the tissue. The spatial expansion of the fibrocartilaginous adaptation zones in tendons and ligaments roughly corresponds with the zones subjected to compressive force; tensile stress alone does not result in a production of fibrocartilage.
