Nonlinear and Optimal Control Theory : Lectures given at the C.I.M.E. Summer School held in Cetraro, Italy June 19–29, 2004
The lectures gathered in this volume present some of the different aspects of Mathematical Control Theory. Adopting the point of view of Geometric Control Theory and of Nonlinear Control Theory, the lectures focus on some aspects of the Optimization and Control of nonlinear, not necessarily smooth, dynamical systems. Specifically, three of the five lectures discuss respectively: logic-based switching control, sliding mode control and the input to the state stability paradigm for the control and stability of nonlinear systems. The remaining two lectures are devoted to Optimal Control: one investigates the connections between Optimal Control Theory, Dynamical Systems and Differential Geometry, while the second presents a very general version, in a non-smooth context, of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle.
Nonlinear Analysis and Synthesis Techniques for Aircraft Control
Given the continuous increase in the complexity of aircraft control laws, and the corresponding - crease in the demands on their performance and reliability, industrial control law designers are highly motivated to explore the applicability of new and more powerful methods for design and analysis. The successful application of fully nonlinear control techniques to aircraft control problems o?ers the prospect of improvements in several di?erent areas. Firstly, there is the possibility of - proving design and analysis criteria to more fully re?ect the nonlinear nature of the dynamics of the aircraft. Secondly, the time and e?ort required on the part of designers to meet demanding speci?cations on aircraft performance and h- dling could be reduced. Thirdly, nonlinear analysis techniques could potentially reduce the time and resources required to clear ?ight control laws, and help to bridge the gap between design, analysis and ?nal ?ight clearance.
Nonlinear Analyses and Algorithms for Speech Processing ; International Conference on Non-Linear Speech Processing, NOLISP 2005, Barcelona, Spain, April 19-22, 2005, Revised Selected Papers
We present in this volume the collection of ?nally accepted papers of NOLISP 2005 conference. It has been the third event in a series of events related to N- linear speech processing, in the framework of the European COST action 277 “Nonlinear speech processing”. Many speci?cs of the speech signal are not well addressed by conv- tional models currently used in the ?eld of speech processing. The purpose of NOLISP is to present and discuss novel ideas, work and results related to alternative techniques for speech processing, which depart from mainstream approaches. With this intention in mind, we provide an open forum for discussion. Alt- nate approaches are appreciated, although the results achieved at present may not clearly surpass results based on state-of-the-art methods. The call for papers was launched at the beginning of 2005, addressing the following domains: 1. Non-Linear Approximation and Estimation 2. Non-Linear Oscillators and Predictors 3. Higher-Order Statistics 4. Independent Component Analysis 5. Nearest Neighbors 6. Neural Networks 7. Decision Trees 8. Non-Parametric Models 9. Dynamics of Non-Linear Systems 10. Fractal Methods 11. Chaos Modeling 12. Non-Linear Di?erential Equations 13. Others All the main ?elds of speech processing are targeted by the workshop, namely: 1. Speech Coding:Thebit rateavailablefor speechsignalsmustbe strictly l- ited in order to accommodate the constraints of the channel resource.
Noninvasive Imaging of Myocardial Ischemia
Non-invasive imaging plays a very important role in the assessment of patients investigated for coronary artery disease, providing valuable information for diagnosis and aiding management decisions. It covers a broad spectrum of investigations including radionuclide imaging, echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Progress towards the most efficacious means of assessing a patient is relentless, with recent years seeing an important shift in emphasis from invasive to noninvasive techniques. This informative book compares the various modalities in a practical diagnostic environment. It thus provides a forum for fertile discussion, bringing the discussion of these various methodologies together in one reference for the first time. The narrative flow is unique and will ensure that all levels of medical practitioners with an interest in cardiac imaging will find this an unparalleled resource for use in guiding their practice.
Non-Formal Education : Flexible Schooling or Participatory Education?
This is the first full study of non-formal education on an international scale since the 1980s. The book describes the emergence of the concept in the context of development and educational reform. It traces the debate about non-formal education from its origins in 1968 to the mid 1980s, and looks at the issues that this debate raised. It then describes a number of programmes in different parts of the world which call themselves ‘non-formal’, pointing out the wide range of different views about what is and what is not non-formal. Rogers asks whether we should drop the term altogether or try to reconceptualise it in terms of flexible schooling or participatory education.
Non-Equilibrium Social Science and Policy : Introduction and Essays on New and Changing Paradigms in Socio-Economic Thinking
The overall aim of this book, an outcome of the European FP7 FET Open NESS project, is to contribute to the ongoing effort to put the quantitative social sciences on a proper footing for the 21st century. A key focus is economics, and its implications on policy making, where the still dominant traditional approach increasingly struggles to capture the economic realities we observe in the world today - with vested interests getting too often in the way of real advances.Insights into behavioral economics and modern computing techniques have made possible both the integration of larger information sets and the exploration of disequilibrium behavior
Non-Equilibrium Phase Transitions ; Vol. I : Absorbing Phase Transitions
This book describes two main classes of non-equilibrium phase-transitions: (a) static and dynamics of transitions into an absorbing state, and (b) dynamical scaling in far-from-equilibrium relaxation behaviour and ageing. The first volume begins with an introductory chapter which recalls the main concepts of phase-transitions, set for the convenience of the reader in an equilibrium context. The extension to non-equilibrium systems is made by using directed percolation as the main paradigm of absorbing phase transitions and in view of the richness of the known results an entire chapter is devoted to it, including a discussion of recent experimental results. Scaling theories and a large set of both numerical and analytical methods for the study of non-equilibrium phase transitions are thoroughly discussed.
Nonequilibrium Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors ; Proceedings of the 14th International Conference, July 25-29, 2005, Chicago, USA
International experts gather every two years at this established conference to discuss recent developments in theory and experiment in non-equilibrium transport phenomena. These developments have been the driving force behind the spectacular advances in semiconductor physics and devices over the last few decades. Originally known as "Hot Carriers in Semiconductors," the 14th conference in the series covered a wide spectrum of traditional topics dealing with non-equilibrium phenomena, ranging from quantum transport to optical phenomena in mesoscopic and nano-scale structures. Particular attention was given this time to emerging areas of this rapidly evolving field, with many sessions covering terahertz devices, high field transport in nitride semiconductors, spintronics, molecular electronics, and bioelectronics applications.
Noncommunicable diseases
Focuses on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease and their five shared main risk factors (tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution) as defined by the United Nations, this book provides a synopsis of one of the world’s biggest challenges of the 21st century. NCDs prematurely claim the lives of millions of people across the world every year, with untold suffering to hundreds of millions more, trapping many people in poverty and curtailing economic growth and sustainable development. While resources between and within countries largely differ, the key principles of surveillance, prevention and management apply to all countries, as does the need to focus resources on the most cost-effective and affordable interventions and the need for strong political will, sufficient resources, and sustained and broad partnerships. This compendium consists of 59 short and accessible chapters in six sections: (i) describing and measuring the burden and impact of NCDs / (ii) the burden, epidemiology and priority interventions for individual NCDs / (iii) social determinants and risk factors for NCDs and priority interventions / (iv) global policy / (v) cross-cutting issues / and (vi) stakeholder action.
Noise-Induced Transitions : Theory and Applications in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
This classic text, an often-requested reprint, develops and explains the foundations of noise-induced processes. At its core is a self-contained, textbook-style presentation of the elements of probability theory, of the theory of Markovian diffusion processes and of the theory of stochastic differential equations, on which the modeling of fluctuating natural and artificial environments is based. Following an introduction to the mathematical tools, the occurrence and the properties of noise-induced transitions are then analyzed for rapidly fluctuating environments describable by the white-noise idealization. Subsequently, more realistic and general types of colored noises are considered. Appropriate practical methods for dealing with these situations are developed. The latter part of the book contains applications and experimental studies illustrating the many facets of noise-induced transitions. The following applications are considered in Noise-Induced Transitions: population dynamics, electrical circuits, chemical and photochemical reactions, non-linear optics, and hydrodynamical systems.
Noise-Induced Phenomena in Slow-Fast Dynamical Systems : A Sample-Paths Approach
Stochastic differential equations play an increasingly important role in modeling the dynamics of a large variety of systems in the natural sciences, and in technological applications. This book presents a new constructive approach to the quantitative description of solutions to systems of stochastic differential equations evolving on well-separated timescales. The method, which combines techniques from stochastic analysis and singular perturbation theory, allows the domains of concentration for typical sample paths to be determined, and provides precise estimates on the transition probabilities between these domains. In addition to the detailed presentation of the set-up and mathematical results, applications to problems in physics, biology, and climatology are discussed. The emphasis lies on noise-induced phenomena such as stochastic resonance, hysteresis, excitability, and the reduction of bifurcation delay.
Noetherian Semigroup Algebras
This work presents a comprehensive treatment of the main results and methods of the theory of Noetherian semigroup algebras. These general results are then applied and illustrated in the context of important classes of algebras that arise in a variety of areas and have been recently intensively studied. Several concrete constructions are described in full detail, in particular intriguing classes of quadratic algebras and algebras related to group rings of polycyclic-by-finite groups. These give new classes of Noetherian algebras of small Gelfand-Kirillov dimension. The focus is on the interplay between their combinatorics and the algebraic structure.
Nodal Discontinuous Galerkin Methods : Algorithms, Analysis, and Applications
This book discusses a family of computational methods, known as discontinuous Galerkin methods, for solving partial differential equations. While these methods have been known since the early 1970s, they have experienced an almost explosive growth interest during the last ten to fifteen years, leading both to substantial theoretical developments and the application of these methods to a broad range of problems. These methods are different in nature from standard methods such as finite element or finite difference methods, often presenting a challenge in the transition from theoretical developments to actual implementations and applications.
NMR-MRI, µSR and Mössbauer Spectroscopies in Molecular Magnets and magnetic nanoparticles
In this book an extensive overview on the results obtained during the last decade and on recent achievements in the study of molecular magnets by means of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Muon Spin Rotation, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Mossbauer techniques is presented. The aim is to introduce the reader to these techniques and to give a general background on their application to molecular spin systems.
NMR in Biological Systems : From Molecules to Human
During teaching NMR to students and researchers, we felt the need for a text-book which can cover modern trends in the application of NMR to biological systems. This book caters to the needs of: (i) graduate students who mostly learn such techniques from senior post-docs in the laboratory; (ii) those who are not experts in NMR but wish to understand if a particular problem in animal, plant, medical and pharmaceutical sciences can be answered by NMR; and (iii) those who are experts in chemistry and biochemistry and wish to know how NMR can provide them information on structural or functional aspect of proteins, nucleic acids, cells and tissues, human and plant organs and other biological materials.
Nitrous Oxide in Pediatric Dentistry : A Clinical Handbook
Nitrous oxide offers the easiest and safest form of pharmacological behavior management in this age group and can help greatly in reducing fear and anxiety toward dentists and dental treatment. Importantly, its use in children differs from that in adults, owing in part to the need for appropriate behavior management skills. In considering a range of clinical scenarios in which nitrous oxide is of value, this book will support clinicians in their daily practice.
Nitrogen-fixing Actinorhizal Symbioses
This book is the self-contained sixth volume of a comprehensive series on nitrogen fixation. It presents the state-of-the-art in regards to actinorhizal symbioses. Like legumes, actinorhizal plants form root nodules that host nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. However, because the macrosymbionts are, with one exception, woody plants rather than crop plants, actinorhizal symbioses are less well-known than legume symbioses to which they are phylogenetically related. Actinorhizal plants come from eight different families. This volume includes chapters that deal with all these aspects of the symbiosis and both symbionts plus their ecological role and use. Other chapters tackle the global distribution of different actinorhizal plants and their microsymbionts and how this impacts the question of co-evolution of the micro- and macrosymbionts as well as comparing the actinorhizal and leguminous symbioses.
Nitrogen Fixation in Agriculture, Forestry, Ecology, and the Environment
Sustainability has a major part to play in the global challenge of continued development of regions, countries, and continents all around the World and biological nitrogen fixation has a key role in this process. This volume begins with chapters specifically addressing crops of major global importance, such as soybeans, rice, and sugar cane. It continues with a second important focus, agroforestry, and describes the use and promise of both legume trees with their rhizobial symbionts and other nitrogen-fixing trees with their actinorhizal colonization. An over-arching theme of all chapters is the interaction of the plants and trees with microbes and this theme allows other aspects of soil microbiology, such as interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the impact of soil-stress factors on biological nitrogen fixation, to be addressed. Furthermore, a link to basic science occurs through the inclusion of chapters describing the biogeochemically important nitrogen cycle and its key relationships among nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification. The volume then provides an up-to-date view of the production of microbial inocula, especially those for legume crops.
Nitric Oxide in Plant Growth, Development and Stress Physiology
The first part of the book is devoted to the description of key features related to NO biochemistry, synthesis and metabolism and the modes of action involved. The second part covers the functionality of NO in three central nodes of the plant life cycle: growth, development and stress physiology.
Nishina Memorial Lectures : Creators of Modern Physics
This volume is a collection of Nishina Memorial Lectures delivered by distinguished physicists during the past 50 years at the invitation of the Nishina Memorial Foundation.



















