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The Social Side of Mergers and Acquisitions : Cooperation relationships after mergers and acquisitions
Florian Frensch investigates which individual characteristics of employees and which dyadic factors of relationship partners affect the cooperation between employees of previously separated firms. The author develops an innovative approach for gathering network data with the help of a dynamic computer-based questionnaire which allows him to conduct a full network analysis of a group of approximately 400 employees on the lower operative level of the firms. He shows that structural cooperation requirements and integration measures are powerful means to make employees cooperate after M&A and provides answers to the questions how integration after M&A can be measured, explained and improved.
The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome : Current Concepts on Pathogenesis and Clinical Care
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the single most common endocrinologic abnormality of women, affecting approximately 1 in 10-to 15 women of reproductive age. It is also the most frequent cause of oligo-ovulatory infertility. PCOS patients demonstrate androgenic symptoms including hirsutism, alopecia, and acne. Furthermore, patients with PCOS are at significant risk for developing diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and possibly cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that the healthcare cost exceeds four billion dollars annually in the United States alone, not even accounting for the significant negative effect this disorder has on quality of life.
The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions
This book is divided into two parts. The first part includes such topics as the Landau theory of phase transitions, statistics, correlations, and the mean-field approximation, pseudospins and their collective motion, soft lattice modes, condensates and their nonlinear growth, and lattice imperfections and their role in phase transitions of real crystals. The second part discusses experimental studies of modulated crystals using X-ray diffraction, neutron inelastic scattering, light scattering, dielectric measurements, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. While the presence of modulated structures in the critical region is not particularly suggested in the published results of these studies, it is notable that most observed anomalies indicate evidence for pinned pseudospin condensates.
The Physics of Birdsong
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
The p53 Tumor Suppressor Pathway and Cancer
The current year (2004) marks the Silver Anniversary of the discovery of the p53 tumor suppressor. The emerging ?eld ?rst considered p53 as a viral antigen and then as an oncogene that cooperates with activated ras in transforming primary cells in culture. Fueling the concept of p53 acting as a transforming factor, p53 expression was markedly elevated in various transformed and tumorigenic cell lines when compared to normal cells. In a simple twist of fate, most of the studies conducted in those early years inadvertently relied on a point mutant of p53 that had been cloned from a normal mouse genomic library. A bona ?de wild-type p53 cDNA was subsequently isolated, ironically, from a mouse teratocarcinoma cell line. A decade after its discovery, p53 was shown to be a tumor suppressor that protects against cancer. It is now recognized that approximately half of all human tumors arise due to mutations within the p53 gene. As remarkable as this number may seem, it signil cantly underrepresents how often the p53 pathway is targeted during tumorigenesis. It is my personal view, as well as many in the p53 ?eld, that the p53-signaling pathway is corrupted in nearly 100% of tumors. If you are interested in understanding cancer and how it develops, you must begin by studying p53 and its pathway. After demonstrating that p53 functions as a tumor suppressor the ?eld exploded and p53 became a major focus of scientists around the world.
The new in peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer can be defined as mucosal lesions that penetrate the muscularis mucosae layer and form a cavity surrounded by acute and chronic inflammation. It continues to be a source of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Approximately two-thirds of patients found to have peptic ulcer disease are asymptomatic. In symptomatic patients, the most common presenting symptom of peptic ulcer disease is epigastric pain, which may be associated with dyspepsia, bloating, abdominal fullness, nausea, or early satiety.
The Method of Approximate Inverse : Theory and Applications
Inverse problems arise whenever one tries to calculate a required quantity from given measurements of a second quantity that is associated to the first one. Besides medical imaging and non-destructive testing, inverse problems also play an increasing role in other disciplines such as industrial and financial mathematics. Hence, there is a need for stable and efficient solvers. The book is concerned with the method of approximate inverse which is a regularization technique for stably solving inverse problems in various settings such as L2-spaces, Hilbert spaces or spaces of distributions.
The Longleaf Pine Ecosystem : Ecology, Silviculture, and Restoration
The longleaf pine ecosystem, once one of the most extensive ecosystems in North America, is now among the most threatened. Over the past few centuries, land clearing, logging, fire suppression, and the encroachment of more aggressive plants have led to an overwhelming decrease in the ecosystem’s size, to approximately 2.2% of its original coverage. Despite this devastation, the range of the longleaf still extends from Virginia to Texas. Through the combined efforts of organizations such as the USDA Forest Service, the Longleaf Alliance, and the Nature Conservancy, extensive programs to conserve, restore, and manage the ecosystem are currently underway.
The History of Approximation Theory : From Euler to Bernstein
The problem of approximating a given quantity is one of the oldest challenges faced by mathematicians. Its increasing importance in contemporary mathematics has created an entirely new area known as Approximation Theory. The modern theory was initially developed along two divergent schools of thought: the Eastern or Russian group, employing almost exclusively algebraic methods, was headed by Chebyshev together with his coterie at the Saint Petersburg Mathematical School, while the Western mathematicians, adopting a more analytical approach, included Weierstrass, Hilbert, Klein, and others.The final chapter emphasizes the important work of the Russian Jewish mathematician Sergei Bernstein, whose constructive proof of the Weierstrass theorem and extension of Chebyshev's work serve to unify East and West in their approaches to approximation theory.
The Functional Calculus for Sectorial Operators
The present monograph deals with the functional calculus for unbounded operators in general and for sectorial operators in particular. Sectorial operators abound in the theory of evolution equations, especially those of parabolic type. They satisfy a certain resolvent condition that leads to a holomorphic functional calculus based on Cauchy-type integrals. Via an abstract extension procedure, this elementary functional calculus is then extended to a large class of (even meromorphic) functions. With this functional calculus at hand, the book elegantly covers holomorphic semigroups, fractional powers, and logarithms. Special attention is given to perturbation results and the connection with the theory of interpolation spaces. A chapter is devoted to the exciting interplay between numerical range conditions, similarity problems and functional calculus on Hilbert spaces. Two chapters describe applications, for example to elliptic operators, to numerical approximations of parabolic equations, and to the maximal regularity problem. This book is the first systematic account of a subject matter which lies in the intersection of operator theory, evolution equations, and harmonic analysis.
The Finite Element Method and Applications in Engineering Using ANSYS®
Provides the reader with theoretical and practical knowledge of the finite element method and with the skills required to analyze engineering problems with ANSYS®, a commercially available FEA program.
The Fast Solution of Boundary Integral Equations
The use of surface potentials to describe solutions of partial differential equations goes back to the middle of the 19th century. Numerical approximation procedures, known today as Boundary Element Methods (BEM), have been developed in the physics and engineering community since the 1950s. These methods turn out to be powerful tools for numerical studies of various physical phenomena which can be described mathematically by partial differential equations. The Fast Solution of Boundary Integral Equations provides a detailed description of fast boundary element methods which are based on rigorous mathematical analysis. In particular, a symmetric formulation of boundary integral equations is used, Galerkin discretisation is discussed, and the necessary related stability and error estimates are derived. For the practical use of boundary integral methods, efficient algorithms together with their implementation are needed.
The Ciliated Protozoa : Characterization, Classification, and Guide to the Literature
Includes new data on the ultrastructure of the somatic cortex of each class, molecular phylogenetics, ecology, and on other important aspects of ciliate biology. These new data are used, along with a novel conceptual approach, to rationalize a new system of classification for the phylum, presented in a major chapter on The Ciliate Taxa. The book includes an up-to-date bibliography of approximately 3,000 citations to both the ‘classical’ and recent literature, and both a Subject Index and a Systematic Index.
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers
The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers is a unique and valuable resource for historians and astronomers alike. The two volumes include approximately 1550 biographical sketches on astronomers from antiquity to modern times. It is the collective work of about 400 authors edited by an editorial board of 9 historians and astronomers, and provides additional details on the nature of an entry and some summary statistics on the content of entries. This new reference provides biographical information on astronomers and cosmologists by utilizing contemporary historical scholarship. Individual entries vary from 100 to 1500 words, including the likes of the superluminaries such as Newton and Einstein, as well as lesser-known astronomers like Galileo's acolyte, Mario Guiducci. A comprehensive contributor index helps researchers to identify the authors of important scientific topics and treatises.
Term Rewriting and Applications ; 18th International Conference, RTA 2007, Paris, France, June 26-28, 2007, Proceedings
This volume contains the papers presented at the 18th International Conference on Rewriting Techniques and Applications (RTA 2007), which was held during June 26–28, 2007, on the campus of the Conservatoire National des Arts et M´etiers (CNAM) in Paris, France.
Techniques of Variational Analysis
Variational arguments are classical techniques whose use can be traced back to the early development of the calculus of variations and further. Rooted in the physical principle of least action they have wide applications in diverse fields. This book provides a concise account of the essential tools of infinite-dimensional first-order variational analysis illustrated by applications in many areas of analysis, optimization and approximation, dynamical systems, mathematical economics and elsewhere.
Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method
Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method presents an introduction as well as recent developments of this accurate, powerful, and versatile method. The formulation possesses the attractive feature of producing a symmetric coefficient matrix. In addition, the Galerkin approximation allows standard continuous elements to be used for evaluation of hypersingular integrals.• Covers applications in two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems of potential theory and elasticity. Additional basic topics involve axisymmetry, multi-zone and interface formulations. More advanced topics include fluid flow (wave breaking over a sloping beach), non-homogeneous media, functionally graded materials (FGMs), anisotropic elasticity, error estimation, adaptivity, and fracture mechanics.• Presents integral equations as a basis for the formulation of general symmetric Galerkin boundary element methods and their corresponding numerical implementation.
Surgery for Sleep-Disordered Breathing
In recent years, the spectrum of therapy for sleep-related breathing disorders has been immensely enriched by numerous innovative surgical procedures and techniques. Deciding which therapy is most appropriate for which patient is often a difficult matter, especially in light of the non-surgical alternatives. This book analyses the efficiency of the recognised surgical procedures; it is rooted in evidence-based medicine. Indications, techniques, complications, and specific follow-up treatments in the realm of sleep medicine have been compiled in the form of a primer. The authors are directors of one of the largest otolaryngological sleep laboratories in the world and perform approximately 1,500 surgical sleep medicine procedures per year. The complete surgical and sleep medicine know-how of the authors, as well as the experience of numerous international courses on sleep surgery, have been incorporated into this volume. It is therefore the fundamental textbook for sleep medicine surgeons.
Structural information and communication complexity ; Vol. 3499 ; 12th International Colloquium, SIROCCO 2005, Mont Saint-Michel, France, May 24-26, 2005, Proceedings
Constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Colloquium on Structural Information and Communication Complexity, SIROCCO 2005, held in Mont Saint-Michel, France in May 2005. The 22 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 submissions. The papers address issues such as topics in distributed and parallel computing, information dissemination, communication complexity, interconnection networks, high speed networks, wireless networking, mobile computing, optical computing, and related areas.
Stochastic Optimization Methods ; 1st ed.
Optimization problems arising in practice involve random parameters. For the computation of robust optimal solutions, i.e., optimal solutions being insensitive with respect to random parameter variations, deterministic substitute problems are needed. Based on the distribution of the random data, and using decision theoretical concepts, optimization problems under stochastic uncertainty are converted into deterministic substitute problems. Due to the occurring probabilities and expectations, approximative solution techniques must be applied. Deterministic and stochastic approximation methods and their analytical properties are provided: Taylor expansion, regression and response surface methods, probability inequalities, First Order Reliability Methods, convex approximation/deterministic descent directions/efficient points, stochastic approximation methods, differentiation of probability and mean value functions. Convergence results of the resulting iterative solution procedures are given.
