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The Emerging Physics of Consciousness
Consciousness remains one of the major unsolved problems in science. How do the feelings and sensations making up conscious experience arise from the concerted actions of nerve cells and their associated synaptic and molecular processes? Can such feelings be explained by modern science, or is there an entirely different kind of explanation needed? And how can this seemingly intractable problem be approached experimentally? How do the operations of the conscious mind emerge out of the specific interactions involving billions of neurons? This book seeks answers to these questions on the underlying assumption that consciousness can be understood using the intellectual potential of modern physics and other sciences. There are a number of theories of consciousness, some based on classical physics while others require the use of quantum concepts. The latter ones have drawn criticism from the parts of the scientific establishment while simultaneously claiming that classical approaches are doomed to failure. The contributing authors present a spectrum of opinions from both sides of this on-going scientific debate, allowing readers to decide for themselves which of the approaches are most likely to succeed.
The Economics of Online Markets and ICT Networks
The volume examines the economics of platform structure and firm competition within and between online markets, modern theoretical treatments of regulatory intervention in online markets and the consideration of forward-looking experimental analysis of demand for yet to be provided services. The volume is divided into three parts: innovation and competition in online markets; regulation, pricing and evaluation with real options; and empirical approaches to market analysis.
The Diversity of Gastric Carcinoma : Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Therapy
This book encourages further development of gastric cancer research and its clinical application. Topics include all aspects of gastric carcinoma, such as the history of clinical and experimental gastric cancer research; updated issues of molecular and pathological research on gastric carcinogenesis; multidisciplinary methods in diagnosis, treatment, and chemotherapy; and perspectives in minimally invasive surgery.
The Coupled Theory of Mixtures in Geomechanics with Applications
Contains recent advances on theory of mixtures in geo-mechanics. It presents all the necessary material that is published and scattered in different journals. The book presents both basic principles and advanced topics. It includes a chapter on comparison of theoretical and experimental results. The first part of the book deals with the historic reviews, hydro-mechanics of geo-materials, and the fundamental theory of mixtures. The second part of the book deals with the Coupling Theory, Numerical Simulations, and Applications in real structures. The third part of the book deals with advanced topics such as unsaturated soils and theory of mixtures for non geo-materials. The book can be used as a textbook for an advanced course on geo-mechanics and geotechnical engineering.
The Codes of Life : The Rules of Macroevolution
Building on a range of disciplines – from biology and anthropology to philosophy and linguistics – this book draws on the expertise of leading names in the study of organic, mental and cultural codes brought together by the emerging discipline of biosemiotics. The book’s 18 chapters present a range of experimental evidence which suggests that the genetic code was only the first in a long series of organic codes, and that it has been the appearance of new codes – organic, mental and cultural – that paved the way for the major transitions in the history of life.While the existence of many organic codes has been proposed since the 1980s, this volume represents the first multi-authored attempt to deal with the range of codes relevant to life, and to reveal the ubiquitous role of coding mechanisms in both organic and mental evolution. This creates the conditions for a synthesis of biology and linguistics that finally overcomes the old divide between nature and culture.
The Beginnings of Piezoelectricity : A Study in Mundane Physics
Employing exceedingly rich material Katzir gains interesting insights into the nature of scientific development from this history. Among the themes raised here are: the sources of a discovery, the interplay between molecular-atomistic and phenomenological approaches and between scientific practice and protagonists’ philosophy of science, the role of thermodynamic formulation, the interaction of different levels of theories with experiment, the use and design of qualitative versus precise quantitative experiments, the employment of symmetry in physics and the role of national and local experimental and theoretical traditions. Observations regarding these and other issues in this book portray an unexpected picture of turn of the century physics.
The Apoplast of higher plants : Compartment of Storage, Transport and Reactions: The significance of the apoplast for the mineral nutrition of higher plants
The book summarizes the experimental work conducted during a trans-disciplinary research programme funded for six years by the German Research Foundation. In their contributions, the authors representing outstanding German scientists from such different disciplines as Physics, Biochemistry, Plant Nutrition, Botany, and Molecular Biology not only report original research but also review the state of knowledge in their particular research fields: nutrient acquisition, short and long distance (xylem) transport, tolerance of nutrient deficiencies and mineral toxicities, and the role of micro-organisms colonizing the apoplast. Introductory remarks are written to each of the chapters by internationally highly recognized scientists in their research areas.
The Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon
Certainly, the muon’s anomalous magnetic moment is a very special number and today re?ects almost the full spectrum of effects incorporated in today’s Standard Model (SM) of fun- mental interactions, including the electromagnetic, the weak and the strong forces. The muon g? 2, how it is also called, is a truly fascinating theme both from an experimental and from a theoretical point of view and it has played a crucial role in the development of QED which ?nally developed into the SM by successive inclusion of the weak and the strong interactions. The topic has fascinated a large number of particle physicists, last but not least it was always a benchmark for theory as a monitor for e?ects beyond what was known at the time. As an example, nobody could believe that a muon is just a heavy version of an electron; why should nature repeat itself, it hardly can make sense.
Tensile Fracturing in Rocks : Tectonofractographic and Electromagnetic Radiation Methods
The book’s subject matter is divided over six chapters, which are briefly described below. Chapter 1 summarizes current key concepts in fracture physics. It starts with a pr- entation of the elastic theory of fracture, and concentrates on the results of linear el- tic fracture mechanics. The chapter touches also upon other fracture properties, e.g., crack nucleation, dynamic fracturing and slow fracturing processes. Nucleation is - dressed by statistical mechanics methods incorporating modern approaches of th- mal and fiber bundle processes. The analyses of dynamic fracturing and slow fract- ing focus on the differences, as compared to the linear elastic approach. The cont- versy in interpreting experimental dynamic results is highlighted, as are the surface morphology patterns that emerge in fracturing and the non-Griffith crack extension criterion in very slow fracturing processes.
Systems Biology Vol.13): Definitions and Perspectives
For life to be understood and disease to become manageable, the wealth of postgenomic data now needs to be made dynamic. This development requires systems biology, integrating computational models for cells and organisms in health and disease; quantitative experiments (high-throughput, genome-wide, living cell, in silico); and new concepts and principles concerning interactions. This book defines the new field of systems biology and discusses the most efficient experimental and computational strategies. The benefits for industry, such as the new network-based drug-target design validation, and testing, are also presented.
Symmetry and Heterogeneity in High Temperature Superconductors
This book is a collection of the papers presented at the workshop on “Symmetry and Heterogeneity in High Tc Superconductors” The object of the workshop was the quantum mechanism that allows the macroscopic quantum coherence of a superconducting condensate to resist to the attacks of high temperature. Solution to this problem of fundamental physics is needed for the design of room temperature superconductors, for controlling the decoherence effects in the quantum computers and for the understanding of a possible role of quantum coherence in living matter that is debated today in quantum biophysics. The discussions in the informal and friendly atmosphere of Erice was on new experimental data showing that high T in doped cuprate perovskites is c related with the nanoscale phase separation and the two component scenario, the two-band superconductivity in magnesium diboride and the lower symmetry in the superconducting elements at high pressure.
Surface Effects in Magnetic Nanoparticles
The book is aimed to provide an overview of progress in the understanding of surface properties and surface driven effects in magnetic nanoparticles through recent results of different modelling, simulation and experimental investigations. Its intended audience is Ph.D. students and researchers in materials science. Magnetic nanoparticles have been the subject of continuous and growing interest, from both fundamental and technological points of view, in the last 50 years, since the pionering work of Louis Niel. Nanoparticles are unique physical objects with remarkable magnetic properties which differ greatly from their parent massive materials. They are due to finite size effects of the magnetic core, related to the reduced number of spins cooperatively linked within the particle, and to surface and interface effects, related to the lack of coordination for the surface ions, inducing broken exchange bonds which can result in frustration and spin disorder.
Superconductivity ; Vol.1 : Conventional and Unconventional Superconductors ; Vol.2 : Novel Superconductors
Conceived as the definitive reference in a classic and important field of modern physics, this extensive and comprehensive handbook systematically reviews the basic physics, theory and recent advances in the field of superconductivity. Leading researchers, including Nobel laureates, describe the state-of-the-art in conventional and unconventional superconductors at a particularly opportune time, as new experimental techniques and field-theoretical methods have emerged. In addition to full-coverage of novel materials and underlying mechanisms, the handbook reflects continued intense research into electron-phone based superconductivity. Considerable attention is devoted to high-Tc superconductivity, novel superconductivity, including triplet pairing in the ruthenates, novel superconductors, such as heavy-Fermion metals and organic materials, and also granular superconductors.
Structures Under Crash and Impact : Continuum Mechanics, Discretization and Experimental Characterization
Structures Under Crash and Impact: Continuum Mechanics, Discretization and Experimental Characterization examines the testing and modeling of materials and structures under dynamic loading conditions. Readers will find an in-depth analysis of the current mathematical modeling and simulation tools available for a variety of materials, in addition to both the benefits and limitations they pose in industrial design. The models discussed are also available in commercial codes such as LS-DYNA and AUTODYN. Following a logical and well organized structure, this volume uniquely combines experimental procedures with numerical simulation and features examples from issues taken directly from the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries.
Structure-based Drug Discovery
Structure-based drug discovery describes the latest developments in technologies that can be used to obtain the 3-D structures including the high profile structural genomics approaches being used worldwide. The use of 3-D protein structures in new, Fragment-based, approaches to drug discovery are described in some detail. This book includes experimental approaches using X-ray crystallography and NMR for Fragment-based screening as well as other biophysical methods for studying protein/ligand interactions. In addition, developments in computational chemistry methodology are covered together with an assessment of practical applications.
Structure Formation in Solution: Ionic Polymers and Colloidal Particles
Designed to critically review experimental findings on ionic polymers and colloidal particles and to prove a theoretical framework based on the Poisson-Boltzmann approach. Structure formation in ionic polymer solutions has attracted attention since the days of H. Staudinger and J.D. Bernal. An independent study on ionic colloidal dispersions with microscopy provided a compelling evidence of structure formation. Recent technical developments have made it possible to accumulate relevant information for both ionic polymers and colloidal particles in dilute systems. The outstanding phenomenon experimentally found is microscopic inhomogeneity in the solute distribution in macroscopically homogeneous systems. To account for the observation, the present authors have invoked the existence of the counterion-mediated attraction between similarly charged solute species, in addition to the widely accepted electrostatic repulsion.
Structural biology in drug discovery : Methods, techniques, and practices
With the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of structure-based drug discovery covering both experimental and computational approaches, Structural Biology in Drug Discovery: Methods, Techniques, and Practices describes principles, methods, applications, and emerging paradigms of structural biology as a tool for more efficient drug development. Coverage includes successful examples, academic and industry insights, novel concepts, and advances in a rapidly evolving field.
Structural Biology : Practical NMR Applications
A textbook and also a handbook for those who routinely use NMR to study various biological systems. Thus, the book is organized with experimentalists in mind, whether they are instructors or students. For those who have a little or no background in NMR structural biology, it is hoped that this book will provide sufficient perspective and insight. Those who are already experienced in NMR research may find new information or different methods that are useful to their research. Because understanding fundamental principles and concepts of NMR spectroscopy is essential for the application of NMR methods to research projects, the book begins with an introduction to basic NMR principles. While detailed mathematics and quantum mechanics dealing with NMR theory have been addressed in several well-known NMR books, Chapter 1 illustrates some of the fundamental principles and concepts of NMR spectroscopy in a more descriptiveandstraightforwardmanner.
Structural and Functional Relationships in Prokaryotes
Aimed at senior level students pursuing a one-semester course in the biology or microbiology curriculum. The text takes a balanced view of prokaryotic physiology, discussing both bioenergetics and bacterial metabolism in a way that establishes general principles and concepts and emphasizes throughout the information gained from model systems. The book also covers some experimental design issues, giving students an appreciation of the practical aspects and consequences of bacterial metabolism. It also stimulates students’ interests in future developments in the field by including discussions by five world-famous bacterial physiologists about future developments in the field.
Stochastic Ordinary and Stochastic Partial Differential Equations : Transition from Microscopic to Macroscopic Equations
This book provides the first rigorous derivation of mesoscopic and macroscopic equations from a deterministic system of microscopic equations. The microscopic equations are cast in the form of a deterministic (Newtonian) system of coupled nonlinear oscillators for N large particles and infinitely many small particles. The mesoscopic equations are stochastic ordinary differential equations (SODEs) and stochastic partial differential equatuions (SPDEs), and the macroscopic limit is described by a parabolic partial differential equation. A detailed analysis of the SODEs and (quasi-linear) SPDEs is presented. Semi-linear (parabolic) SPDEs are represented as first order stochastic transport equations driven by Stratonovich differentials. The time evolution of correlated Brownian motions is shown to be consistent with the depletion phenomena experimentally observed in colloids.
