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On Communication : An interdisciplinary and mathematical approach
This book offers a radical new approach for the understanding of communication. By using the theoretical framework of complex systems theory communication is defined as the interplay of social and cognitive dynamics: communicators are modelled as complex cognitive systems who interact according to social rules and generate communicative systems. Messages generate meaning, which is understood as an attractor in the cognitive system of the receiver. Information is measured via the difference between a factual message and the message expected by the receiver.
Old Buildings New Designs
Increasingly, architects are hired to design new work for existing structures. Whether for reasons of preservation, sustainability, or cost-effectiveness, the movement to reuse buildings presents a variety of design challenges and opportunities. Old Buildings, New Designs is an Architecture Brief devoted to working within a given architectural fabric from the technical issues that arise from aging construction to the controversy generated by the various project stakeholders to the unique aesthetic possibilities created through the juxtaposition of old and new.
Non-negative Matrices and Markov Chains
This book is a photographic reproduction of the book of the same title published in 1981, for which there has been continuing demand on account of its accessible technical level. Its appearance also helped generate considerable subsequent work on inhomogeneous products of matrices. This printing adds an additional bibliography on coefficients of ergodicity and a list of corrigenda.
Nonlinear Optical Crystals : A Complete Survey
Nonlinear optical crystals are widely used in modern optical science and technology for frequency conversion of laser light, i.e. to generate laser radiation at any specific wavelength in visible, UV or IR spectral regions. This unrivalled reference book contains the most complete and up-to-date information on properties of nonlinear optical crystals. It includes: * Database of 63 common and novel nonlinear optical crystals * Periodically-poled and self-frequency-doubling materials * Full description of linear and nonlinear optical properties * Significant amount of crystallophysical, thermophysical, spectroscopic, electro-optic and magneto-optic information * 7 mini-reviews on novel applications, such as deep-UV light generation, terahertz-wave generation, ultrashort laser pulse compression, photonic band-gap crystals, x3 nonlinearity, etc. * More than 1500 different references with full titles It is a vital source of information for scientists and engineers dealing with modern applications of nonlinear optical crystals in quantum electronics, photonics, optoelectronics and laser physics.
Non-Covalent Multi-Porphyrin Assemblies : Synthesis and Properties
This book presents an overview of the synthesis, structure, and properties of molecules obtained by connecting several porphyrins or metalloporphyrins through a variety of chemical linkages. This handsomely produced book gives the reader a broad introduction to this popular and important field. Much of the work encompassed in this area is inspired by the desire to obtain photochemically responsive molecules capable of mimicking various aspects of photosynthesis… As with many edited volumes of this type, there is a certain amount of duplicate coverage of some topics. Also the focus is largely on the methods used to generate the multiporphyrin arrays, and in some cases less attention is given to the properties, other than the structural properties of these arrays.
New Frontiers in Environmental and Social Labeling
The attractiveness of product labeling stems from their voluntary nature to achieve environmental and social goals. It is argued that through product price premia which reflect the willingness of consumers to pay more for green and socially conscious products, labels have the potential to generate changes in production techniques. In addition, labeling of products has become the preferred instrument for solving high profile trade disputes amongst members of the World Trade Organization. The contributions in this volume provide an indepth look at labeling and its relation to the governance of global trade. The book aims at bridging the research gaps related to the link between consumers’ perception of a label with their willingness to pay, the impact and the limitations of labeling in the event of food safety hazards, and the trade and development dimensions of labeling.
Neurotransmitter Transporters
The present volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology gives a representative survey of the current status of the structure, function, regulation and molecular pharmacology of Neurotransmitter Transporters and aims at providing an overview of insights that were generated in the past 5 years. If the volume serves as both, a useful compendium of current concepts and an inspiring starting point, it will have fulfilled its mission and will be a source for students interested in this emerging field as well as for experienced scientists looking for an update. This volume is the brainchild of the editor-in-chief of the HEP series, Klaus Starke, awe-inspiring to all pharmacologists of younger generations.
Neuroacanthocytosis Syndromes II
Awareness of neuroacanthocytosis disorders has increased significantly in recent years. There have been a number of important developments in the field since the publication of the first volume, Neuroacanthocytosis Syndromes. This book contains the latest research in this area. Recent advances have identified the range of mutations in the causative genes, shedding light on potential phenotypegenotype correlations. Studies of the proteins affected in these disorders have resulted in increased understanding of their functions and distribution. In vitro studies have identified potential protein interactions, which have important implications for pathophysiology. Work on erythrocyte membranes suggests mechanisms for the generation of acanthocytes. Animal models are being generated which will greatly facilitate understanding the role of gene mutations in humans, and provide the foundation for possible therapeutic interventions. In addition, advances in other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases, have implications for neuroacanthocytosis.
Natural Products : Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Medicine
Although the natural product drug discovery programs of the large drug companies are now equaled by programs for the high throughput screening of synthetic compounds generated through combinatorial chemistry, natural compounds still hold great promise to overcome such problems as antibiotic resistance, the emergence of new diseases, the failure to conquer old diseases, and the toxicity of some contemporary medical products. In Natural Products: Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Medicine, a panel of recognized experts and leaders in the field discuss the past successes of natural products as medicines and review future possibilities arising from both conventional and new technologies. High-performance liquid chromatography profiling, combinatorial synthesis, genomics, proteomics, DNA shuffling, bioinformatics, and genetic manipulation all now make it possible to rapidly evaluate the activities of extracts as well as purified components derived from microbes, plants, and marine organisms. The authors apply these methods to new natural product drug discovery, to accessing microbial diversity, to investigating specific groups of products (Chinese herbal drugs, antitumor drugs from microbes and plants, terpenoids, and arsenic compounds), and to exploiting specific sources (the sea, rainforest, and endophytes). These new opportunities show how research and development trends in the pharmaceutical industry can advance to include both synthetic compounds and natural products, and how this paradigm shift can be more productive and efficacious.
NASAs Scientist-Astronauts
Mounting pressure in the early 1960s from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study ways of expanding the role of astronauts to conduct science on future space missions led to NASA’s conclusion that flying scientifically trained crewmembers would generate greater returns from each mission. NASA and industry studies continued investigating possibilities that could lead to the eventual creation of the first space stations using surplus Apollo hardware, through the Apollo Applications Programme (AAP).
Nanomaterials and nanotechnology in medicine
The use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials more generally is an emerging field that has generated a lot of interest in the last few years. To this point, there have been few books that deal with the recent advances in nanomaterials or nanocomposites in the medical discipline. Intended as a one-stop reference, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Medicine provides the reader with the most-up-to-date and comprehensive exploration of the field of nanomedicine. The scope of the topic is huge, with nano applications in every medical specialization—from diagnostics to pharmaceuticals, from biological therapies to surgical devices, and from regenerative therapies to gene therapy. As such, this volume provides the most comprehensive coverage of this intriguing field of study.
Nanoinformatics
Brings out the state of the art on how informatics-based tools are used and expected to be used in nanomaterials research. There has been great progress in the area in which “big-data” generated by experiments or computations are fully utilized to accelerate discovery of new materials, key factors, and design rules. Data-intensive approaches play indispensable roles in advanced materials characterization. "Materials informatics" is the central paradigm in the new trend. "Nanoinformatics" is its essential subset, which focuses on nanostructures of materials such as surfaces, interfaces, dopants, and point defects, playing a critical role in determining materials properties. There have been significant advances in experimental and computational techniques to characterize individual atoms in nanostructures and to gain quantitative information. The collaboration of researchers in materials science and information science is growing actively and is creating a new trend in materials science and engineering.
Nanobiotechnology of Biomimetic Membranes
Nanobiotechnology of Biomimetic Membranes focuses on biomimetic membranes. The application of nanotechnology principles and methodology to problems in biotechnology provides an exciting new discipline that will generate a revolution of novel applications, across many disciplines. This valuable new title offers an international perspective on the development of biotechnology applications.
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.
Modern Differential Geometry in Gauge Theories : Maxwell Fields ; Vol. I
Differential geometry, in the classical sense, is developed through the theory of smooth manifolds. Modern differential geometry from the author’s perspective is used in this work to describe physical theories of a geometric character without using any notion of calculus (smoothness). Instead, an axiomatic treatment of differential geometry is presented via sheaf theory (geometry) and sheaf cohomology (analysis). Using vector sheaves, in place of bundles, based on arbitrary topological spaces, this unique approach in general furthers new perspectives and calculations that generate unexpected potential applications .Volume 1, the focus is on Maxwell fields. All the basic concepts of this mathematical approach are formulated and used thereafter to describe elementary particles, electromagnetism, and geometric prequantization. Maxwell fields are fully examined and classified in the language of sheaf theory and sheaf cohomology.
Modelling of Powder Die Compaction
In particular, the book presents a number of case studies that have been developed to test compaction models. Full details of the data required for input to compaction models of these case studies is given, together with a survey of the techniques used to generate the data. Details are also given of methods to produce and assess components for validation of die compaction models. The inclusion of information on case studies then provides a reference for the testing and validation of compaction models.
Modeling Income Distributions and Lorenz Curves
The parameterization of income distributions and Lorenz Curves is a useful approach for representing how income is distributed within a given population. It provides a way of describing how the data are generated, why the level of inequality is what it is, and what happens to the poorer sections of the population. This book brings together classic papers in the field, including Camilo Dagum’s most influential contribution, survey papers outlining the state-of-the-art of the field, and cutting-edge research contributions. While providing a thorough overview of the methodology of income distribution modeling, the book emphasizes its relevance on development economics and its importance for policy makers who design and assess poverty alleviation and income redistribution policies.
Mitochondria and the Heart
The function of the heart is highly dependent on oxidative energy that is generated in mitochondria. Defects in mitochondrial structure and function can be found in association with cardiovascular diseases. Mitochondria and the Heart discusses the role that mitochondria plays in cardiovascular disease, including biogenesis and function of cardiac mitochondria during normal growth, development and aging. In addition, nonbioenergetic, biogenesis and degradation pathways are explored. Understanding these pathways and the effects that mitochondrial defects have in cardiac pathology is extremely important in establishing the diagnosis and treatment of mitochondrial-based cardiac diseases.
Mirror Geometry of Lie Algebras, Lie Groups and Homogeneous Spaces
As K. Nomizu has justly noted [K. Nomizu, 56], Differential Geometry ever will be initiating newer and newer aspects of the theory of Lie groups. This monograph is devoted to just some such aspects of Lie groups and Lie algebras. New differential geometric problems came into being in connection with so called subsymmetric spaces, subsymmetries, and mirrors introduced in our works dating back to 1957 [L.V. Sabinin, 58a,59a,59b]. In addition, the exploration of mirrors and systems of mirrors is of interest in the case of symmetric spaces. Geometrically, the most rich in content there appeared to be the homogeneous Riemannian spaces with systems of mirrors generated by commuting subsymmetries, in particular, so called tri-symmetric spaces introduced in [L.V. Sabinin, 61b]. As to the concrete geometric problem which needs be solved and which is solved in this monograph, we indicate, for example, the problem of the classification of all tri-symmetric spaces with simple compact groups of motions. Passing from groups and subgroups connected with mirrors and subsymmetries to the corresponding Lie algebras and subalgebras leads to an important new concept of the involutive sum of Lie algebras [L.V. Sabinin, 65]. This concept is directly concerned with unitary symmetry of elementary par- cles (see [L.V. Sabinin, 95,85] and Appendix 1). The first examples of involutive (even iso-involutive) sums appeared in the - ploration of homogeneous Riemannian spaces with and axial symmetry. The consideration of spaces with mirrors [L.V. Sabinin, 59b] again led to iso-involutive sums.
Micro-, Meso- and Macro-Dynamics of the Brain
This book brings together leading investigators who represent various aspects of brain dynamics with the goal of presenting state-of-the-art current progress and address future developments. The topics cover the most fascinating facets of neuroscience from elementary computation of neurons, mesoscopic network oscillations, internally generated assembly sequences in the service of cognition, large-scale neuronal interactions within and across systems, the impact of sleep on cognition, memory and mental illness, brain controlled robots, motor-sensory integration, spatial navigation, large-scale computation and consciousness. Overall, this volume offers an integrated view of the challenges and opportunities in deciphering brain circuits in health and disease.
