الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Olfactory knows the truth
Olfaction, the sense of smell detects and discriminate odors as well as social cues which influence our innate responses. The olfactory system in human beings is found to be weak as compared to other animals; however, it seems to be very precise. It can detect and discriminate millions of chemical moieties (odorants) even in minuscule quantities. The sense of smell is greatly underappreciated, despite the fact that it monitors the intake of airborne agents into the human respiratory system and determine to a large degree the flavor and palatability of foods and beverage. In addition to enhancing quality of life, this primary sensory system warns of spoiled foods, leaking natural gas, polluted air and smoke, and mediates basic elements of communication (e.g., mother-infant interaction). It is now apparent that smell dysfunction is among the first clinical signs of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s disease and sporadic Parkinson’s disease.
Numerical Methods for Controlled Stochastic Delay Systems
The Markov chain approximation methods are widely used for the numerical solution of nonlinear stochastic control problems in continuous time. This book extends the methods to stochastic systems with delays. Because such problems are infinite-dimensional, many new issues arise in getting good numerical approximations and in the convergence proofs. Useful forms of numerical algorithms and system approximations are developed in this work, and the convergence proofs are given. All of the usual cost functions are treated as well as singular and impulsive controls. A major concern is on representations and approximations that use minimal memory.
Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations with Applications
This book primarily concerns quasilinear and semilinear elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations, inequalities, and systems. It balances the abstract functional-analysis approach based on nonlinear monotone, pseudomonotone, weakly continuous, or accretive mappings with concrete partial differential equations in their weak (or more general) formulation. Methods of Galerkin or of Rothe are exposed in a large generality. Other methods include various direct methods, regularization, or fixed points. The exposition leads general theory as fast as possible towards the analysis of concrete equations, which have specific applications in continuum (thermo-) mechanics of solids and fluids, electrically (semi-) conductive media, modelling of biological systems, or in mechanical engineering. Selected parts are rather an introduction into the subject while some others form an advanced textbook. The intended audience is graduate and PhD students and researchers in the theory of partial differential equations or in mathematical modelling of distributed parameter systems.
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.
New Frontiers for design of interior lighting products
Explores the single components that commonly constitute luminaires for interiors, describing their operating principles, families, strengths and weaknesses. It opens with the product classification and main standard requirements. The following chapters describe the different components: light sources, power supplies, thermal dissipation techniques, control technologies, optical systems. The description focuses on the most recent technologies to allow the reader to consider a product design capable of confronting future lighting scenarios. The book provides a simple path addressed to all those who want to try their hand at designing luminaires for interiors, even without a specific engineering background.
Neuromuscular Disease : Evidence and Analysis in Clinical Neurology
Through a series of questions and answers concerning specific neuromuscular disorders, each chapter critiques the best available evidence to illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the data and make the reader aware of the quality of clinical research studies in general. Introductory chapters facilitate this learning process by elucidating the epidemiological and biostatistical issues pertinent to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A broad range of disorders of the anterior horn cell, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction, and muscle are critically appraised and discussed.
Nature, Value, Duty : Life on Earth with Holmes Rolston, III
"Nature Value and Duty: Life on Earth with Holmes Rolston, III" is a collection of contemporary writings on the work of Holmes Rolston, III. The authors contributing to this volume are a mixture of senior scholars in environmental ethics and new voices in philosophy and in literature. Together they provide an in depth evaluation of many of the topics discussed by Rolston. They probe the strengths and weaknesses of his work and suggest valuable correctives. Rolston himself, in a detailed reply to each of his critics at the end of the volume, reveals where some of these criticisms sting him the most and in the process provides one of the most detailed and articulate defenses of his position ever offered."
MRI in Clinical Practice
The book covers the basic Physics behind MRI, quality assurance, up-to-date safety guidelines and a useful gallery of image artefacts. Part of the book focuses on the specific areas of the body in which MRI is currently exploited, describing how MRI is performed in practice. In each of these sections, a common theme is followed with illustrations of MR images acquired with clinically relevant settings and typical imaging protocols are also explicitly stated. Additional information is provided which includes a subjective view of the strengths and weaknesses of MRI in comparison to other imaging modalities. As well as covering routine clinical techniques, the latest advanced methods (e.g. spectroscopy, fMRI, diffusion, high field MRI) are discussed and placed into the context of clinical application.
MR Imaging in White Matter Diseases of the Brain and Spinal Cord
Comprises a series of comprehensive and up-to-date reviews on the use of MR imaging in these major neurological conditions. The diverse available MR techniques, such as magnetization transfer MRI, diffusion-weighted MRI, MR spectroscopy, functional MRI, cell-specific MRI, perfusion MRI, and microscopic imaging with ultra-high field MRI, offer an extraordinarily powerful means of gaining fundamental in vivo insights into disease processes. The strengths and weaknesses of all these techniques in the study of multiple sclerosis and other relevant diseases are extensively considered. After an introductory section on neuroimaging technology, subsequent sections address disorders of myelination, demyelinating diseases, immune-mediated disorders, and white matter disorders related to aging and other conditions. This book provides a valuable summary of the state of the art in the field, and defines important areas for future research.
Molecules in Superfluid Helium Nanodroplets : Spectroscopy, Structure, and Dynamics
This book covers recent advances in experiments using the ultra-cold, very weakly perturbing superfluid environment provided by helium nanodroplets for high resolution spectroscopic, structural and dynamic studies of molecules and synthetic clusters. The recent infra-red, UV-Vis studies of radicals, molecules, clusters, ions and biomolecules, as well as laser dynamical and laser orientational studies, are reviewed. The Coulomb explosion studies of the uniquely quantum structures of small helium clusters, X-ray imaging of large droplets and electron diffraction of embedded molecules are also described. Particular emphasis is given to the synthesis and detection of new species by mass spectrometry and deposition electron microscopy.
Microfinance, EU structural funds and capacity building for managing authorities : A comparative analysis of European convergence regions
Presents a study of capacity building and structural funds in public managing authorities for the microcredit sector. It presents two surveys to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the managing authorities' capacity building. The first survey investigates the authorities' need for and interests in capacity building activities, assessing the areas in which capacity building support is needed, and explores the different types of support offered. The second survey analyses the results of the microcredit and microfinance programming activity, investigating its target groups and other operational features. It examines the key monitoring and reporting issues involved in this activity, before analysing the regulatory framework of the microcredit and microfinance sector.
Mathematics of Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flows
Large eddy simulation (LES) is a method of scientific computation seeking to predict the dynamics of organized structures in turbulent flows by approximating local, spatial averages of the flow. This book focuses on the mathematical foundations of LES and its models and provides a connection between the powerful tools of applied mathematics, partial differential equations and LES. Thus, it is concerned with fundamental aspects not treated so deeply in the other books in the field, aspects such as well-posedness of the models, their energy balance and the connection to the Leray theory of weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations.
Information Sharing on the Semantic Web
The more information is available, the harder it is to locate any particular piece of it. And even when it has been successfully found, it is even harder still to usefully combine it with other information we may already possess. It is commonly understood that this problem of information sharing can only be solved by giving computers better access to the semantics of the information. While it has been recognized that ontologies play a crucial role in solving the open problems, most approaches rely on the existence of well-established data structures. To overcome these shortcomings, Stuckenschmidt and van Harmelen describe ontology-based approaches for resolving semantic heterogeneity in weakly structured environments, in particular the World Wide Web. Addressing problems like missing conceptual models, unclear system boundaries, and heterogeneous representations, they design a framework for ontology-based information sharing in weakly structured environments like the Semantic Web. For researchers and students in areas related to the Semantic Web, the authors provide not only a comprehensive overview of the State of the art, but also present in detail recent research in areas like ontology design for information integration, metadata generation and management, and representation and management of distributed ontologies. For professionals in areas such as e-commerce and knowledge management, the book provides decision support on the use of novel technologies, information about potential problems, and guidelines for the successful application of existing technologies.
Infections à papillomavirus : État des connaissances, pratiques et prévention vaccinale = Human papillomavirus infections : Current knowledge, practices and vaccination prevention
The impact of papillomavirus (HPV) infection is considerable. More than one in two women has been exposed to HPV in her lifetime and around 10% will develop a chronic infection. Of these, 20% will develop cervical cancer in the absence or failure of screening. In France, high-risk HPV infection causes 80,000 precancerous lesions, 3,400 cervical cancers and the death of 1,000 women every year. Smear screening performed at a regular rate and according to quality standards has resulted in a significant decrease in incidence and mortality over the past 20 years. However, despite this considerable success, the so-called preventable disease has not been eradicated; testing is a complex process that only benefits part of the population while those who benefit endure its weaknesses. Optimization of screening and treatment is now made possible by the use of innovative techniques including the smear in liquid suspension, the HPV test, and soon viral genotyping and molecular markers guaranteeing maximum protection. Because cervical cancer is the result of chronic HPV infection, we already have the extraordinary chance to prevent it with a prophylactic vaccine. This progress will have a major impact on our practices as it happens in a poorly prepared medico-sociological environment. This resolutely practical and educational book provides an overview of knowledge and perspectives on HPV infection and its associated pathologies while deciphering the new challenges and practices in the vaccine era.
Hydrogen bonding : New insights
Hydrogen Bonding – New Insights is an extensive text which takes numerous examples from experimental studies and uses these to illustrate theoretical investigations to allow a greater understanding of hydrogen bonding phenomenon. The most important topics in recent studies are considered including: *Intra-molecular H-bonds *Differences between H-bond and van der Waals interactions from one side and covalent bonds from the other *Bader theory to analyze H-bonding *Influence of weak H-bonds upon structure and function of biological molecules *H-bonds in crystal structures
Holomorphic Morse Inequalities and Bergman Kernels
The main analytic tool is the analytic localization technique in local index theory developed by Bismut-Lebeau. The book includes the most recent results in the field and therefore opens perspectives on several active areas of research in complex, Kähler and symplectic geometry. A large number of applications are included, e.g., an analytic proof of the Kodaira embedding theorem, a solution of the Grauert-Riemenschneider and Shiffman conjectures, a compactification of complete Kähler manifolds of pinched negative curvature, the Berezin-Toeplitz quantization, weak Lefschetz theorems, and the asymptotics of the Ray-Singer analytic torsion.
H-infinity control for nonlinear descriptor systems
The authors present a study of the H-infinity control problem and related topics for descriptor systems, described by a set of nonlinear differential-algebraic equations. They derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a controller solving the standard nonlinear H-infinity control problem considering both state and output feedback. One such condition for the output feedback control problem to be solvable is obtained in terms of Hamilton–Jacobi inequalities and a weak coupling condition; a parameterization of output feedback controllers solving the problem is also provided. All of these results are then specialized to the linear case. The derivation of state-space formulae for all controllers solving the standard H-infinity control problem for descriptor systems is proposed. Among other important topics covered are balanced realization, reduced-order controller design and mixed H2/H-infinity control.
Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Europe : Results from Graduates Surveys from Twelve Countries
The book indicates a noteworthy variety among economically advanced countries in the competences fostered by Higher Education and the emphasis placed either on laying a broad basis of knowledge or direct preparation for professional tasks. While universities in some countries are strongly involved in ensuring a rapid transition from study to employment, in other countries a long period after graduation is widespread for the search of a suitable career. Graduates from some countries appreciate their study experiences though they criticize a weak preparation for their subsequent assignments, while others less satisfied with higher education in their retrospective view note a satisfying preparation for the world of work. Study often turns out useful to lead to challenging tasks even though remuneration and status remain below expectations.
Handbook of employment discrimination research : Rights and realities
This volume contains acollection of original papersbyleadinglegal scholars and social scientists that develop new perspectivesonanti-discriminationlaw, with anemphasison employment discrimination. The volume is introduced by three papers that broadly an-alyze anti-discriminationlaw andits relationshiptoexisting socialscience. we write as lawyer-sociologists attemptingto advance a socio-legalunderstanding of employment discrimination law. We examine the debate amongcom-petingconceptions of the anti-discrimination law which argue that the law has becometoo expansive, is too weak, or is too reliant on litigation. After review in gdoctrinal developments in the law and trends in claiming behavior before the EEOC and the federal courts through the 1990s to present, we apply the concept of the pyramid ofdisputes to discrimination claims to assess the ongoingdebate. Although the analysis demonstrates that there are significant gaps in our knowledge of how employment dis-crimination claims arise and are dealt with, it also suggests that the current system isdramatically under-inclusive of potentialclaimants.
Hadron Collider Physics 2005 ; Proceedings of the 1st Hadron Collider Physics Symposium, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, July 4-9, 2005
The Hadron Collider Physics Symposia (HCP) are a new series of conferences that follow the merger of the Hadron Collider Conferences with the LHC Symposia series, with the goal of maximizing the shared experience of the Tevatron and LHC communities. This book gathers the proceedings of the first symposium, HCP2005 and reviews the state-of-the-art in the key physics directions of experimental hadron collider research: - QCD physics - precision electroweak physics - c-, b-, and t-quark physics - physics beyond the Standard Model - heavy ion physics
