Nuclear pre-mRNA Processing in Plants
In recent years nuclear pre-mRNA processing has taken center stage as an important regulator of gene expression and ultimately growth and development. Large-scale genome and cDNA sequencing projects together with bioinformatic analyses of these sequences have revealed that alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs contributes greatly to transcriptome and proteome complexity in eukaryotes. During the last few years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding various aspects of pre-mRNA processing including alternative splicing and its importance in plant growth and development as well as in plant responses to hormones and stresses. This book, with contributions from leading scientists in this area, summarizes recent advances in nuclear pre-mRNA processing in plants. It provides researchers in the field, as well as those in related areas, with an up-to-date and comprehensive, yet concise, overview of the current status and future potential of this research in understanding plant biology.
Nuclear back-end and transmutation technology for waste disposal : Beyond the Fukushima accident
Covers essential aspects of transmutation technologies, highlighting especially the advances in Japan. The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has caused us to focus attention on a large amount of spent nuclear fuels stored in NPPs. In addition, public anxiety regarding the treatment and disposal of high-level radioactive wastes that require long-term control is growing. The Japanese policy on the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle is still unpredictable in the aftermath of the accident. Therefore, research and development for enhancing the safety of various processes involved in nuclear energy production are being actively pursued worldwide.
Novel Optical Resolution Technologies
After theend ofthe 20th century, the science ofcrystallizationreached a truly exciting stage where new opportunities emerged in both theory and expe- ment. Variousphysical methodsare capable of resolving the surface as wellas the insid estructure of crystalsat the atomiclevel while newhigh-performance computing resourcesafford thecapability of modeling the complexlarge-scale alignments necessary to simulatecrystallizationinrealsystems. Asaresult, the science of crystallization has shifted gradually fromstatic to dynamic science and considerable progress now underlies the complex but beautiful cryst- lization process.The vastpotential ofcrystallizationasan- portant feld ofscience isfar beyondthesimple technologyofpharmaceutical industries during the 20th century.
Novel food grade enzymes : Applications in food processing and preservation industries
Covers all the aspects of food-grade enzymes, including their classification, kinetics, microbial production, biosynthetic pathways, commodity-wise industrial applications, and downstream processing strategies. The broad focus of this book is on the application of various classes of enzymes in dairy, fruits and vegetables, cereals and oilseeds, meat and poultry, and brewing and food packaging industries. Certain recent areas such as nanotechnological perspective in enzyme immobilization, infusion strategies as well as its efficient usage in food packaging and preservation are some of the salient highlights of this book. This book also discusses the aspects related to application of enzymes in functional food development and shelf life extension of various commodities food products.
Novel Developments for Sustainable Hydropower
This book presents (selected) new and innovative developments for sustainable and fish-friendly hydropower. It offers unique insights into the challenges, practices and policies of hydropower developments across 8 European countries, providing examples from on-site studies and European-wide analyses. The case studies throughout the book are practical “real-world” examples, which are intended to serve as inspiration for anyone who would like to know more about how solutions for more sustainable hydropower production can be designed and implemented. Hydropower is an important renewable energy source, which, however, can also impact aquatic ecosystems, fish populations and hydro-morphology. EU and national water, environmental and energy legislation strive for sustainable energy and water resource management as well as the protection of important habitats and species. These have an effect on the requirements and decision making processes for hydropower planning, commissioning and operation. With a high variety of measures existing and site-specific conditions as well as national and EU level legal requirements to consider, it can be difficult to determine, what issues to address and which measures to implement.
Nonsmooth Mechanics and Analysis : Theoretical and Numerical Advances
Nonsmooth mechanics concerns mechanical situations with possible nondifferentiable relationships, eventually discontinuous, as unilateral contact, dry friction, collisions, plasticity, damage, and phase transition. The basis of the approach consists in dealing with such problems without resorting to any regularization process. Indeed, the nonsmoothness is due to simplified mechanical modeling; a more sophisticated model would require too large a number of variables, and sometimes the mechanical information is not available via experimental investigations. Therefore, the mathematical formulation becomes nonsmooth; regularizing would only be a trick of arithmetic without any physical justification. Nonsmooth analysis was developed, especially in Montpellier, to provide specific theoretical and numerical tools to deal with nonsmoothness. It is important not only in mechanics but also in physics, robotics, and economics.
Nonparametric Monte Carlo Tests and Their Applications
A fundamental issue in statistical analysis is testing the fit of a particular probability model to a set of observed data. Monte Carlo approximation to the null distribution of the test provides a convenient and powerful means of testing model fit. Nonparametric Monte Carlo Tests and Their Applications proposes a new Monte Carlo-based methodology to construct this type of approximation Every chapter of the book includes algorithms, simulations, and theoretical deductions. The prerequisites for a full appreciation of the book are a modest knowledge of mathematical statistics and limit theorems in probability,empirical process theory.
Non-metallic biomaterials for tooth repair and replacement
Focuses on the use of biomaterials for a range of applications in tooth repair and, in particular, dental restoration. Part one reviews the structure, modification and repair of dental tissues. The properties of enamel and dentin and their role in adhesive dental restoration are discussed, along with biomineralization and biomimicry of tooth enamel, and enamel matrix proteins (EMPs) for periodontal regeneration. Part two goes on to discuss the processing, bonding and wear properties of dental ceramics, glasses and sol-gel derived bioactive glass ceramics for tooth repair and replacement. Dental composites for tooth repair and replacement are then the focus of part three, including composite adhesive and antibacterial restorative materials for dental applications. T
Nonlinear Speech Modeling and Applications : Advanced Lectures and Revised Selected Papers
Presents the revised tutorial lectures given at the International Summer School on Nonlinear Speech Processing-Algorithms and Analysis held in Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Italy in September 2004. The 14 revised tutorial lectures by leading international researchers are organized in topical sections on dealing with nonlinearities in speech signals, acoustic-to-articulatory modeling of speech phenomena, data driven and speech processing algorithms, and algorithms and models based on speech perception mechanisms. Besides the tutorial lectures, 15 revised reviewed papers are included presenting original research results on task oriented speech applications.
Nonlinear Smoothing and Multiresolution Analysis
This monograph presents a new theory for analysis, comparison and design of nonlinear smoothers, linking to established practices. Although a part of mathematical morphology, the special properties yield many simple, powerful and illuminating results leading to a novel nonlinear multiresolution analysis with pulses that may be as natural to vision as wavelet analysis is to acoustics. Similar to median transforms, they have the advantages of a supporting theory, computational simplicity, remarkable consistency, full trend preservation, and a Parceval-type identity.
Nonlinear Optimization with Financial Applications
The book introduces the key ideas behind practical nonlinear optimization. Computational finance—an increasingly popular area of mathematics degree programmes—is combined here with the study of an important class of numerical techniques. The essentials of most currently popular algorithms are described and their performance is demonstrated on a range of optimization problems arising in financial mathematics. Theoretical convergence properties of methods are stated and formal proofs are provided in enough cases to be instructive rather than overwhelming. Practical behaviour of methods is illustrated by computational examples and discussions of efficiency, accuracy and computational costs. Supporting software for the examples and exercises is available
Nonlinear Observers and Applications
The problem of state reconstruction in dynamical systems, known as observer problem, is undoubtedly crucial for controlling or just monitoring processes. For linear systems, the corresponding theory has been quite well established for several years now, and the purpose of the present book is to propose an overview on possible tools in that respect for nonlinear systems. Basic observability notions and observer structures are first recalled, together with ingredients for advanced designs on this basis. A special attention is then paid to the well-known high gain techniques with a summary of various corresponding recent results. A focus on the celebrated Extended Kalman filter is also given, in the perspectives of both nonlinear filtering and high gain observers, leading to so-called adaptive-gain observers. The more specific immersion approach for observer design is then emphasized, while optimization-based methods are also presented as an alternative to analytic observers.
Nonlinear kalman filtering for force-controlled robot tasks
This monograph focuses on how to achieve more robot autonomy by means of reliable processing skills. "Nonlinear Kalman Filtering for Force-Controlled Robot Tasks " discusses the latest developments in the areas of contact modeling, nonlinear parameter estimation and task plan optimization for improved estimation accuracy.
Nonlinear H2/H-Infinity Constrained Feedback Control : A Practical Design Approach Using Neural Networks
In this book the authors present algorithms for H2 and H-infinity design for nonlinear systems which, unlike earlier theories, provide solution techniques for the core Hamilton–Jacobi equations that yield control systems which can be implemented in real systems; neural networks are used to solve the nonlinear control design equations.
Nonlinear Fokker-Planck Equations : Fundamentals and Applications
Providing an introduction to the theory of nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations, this book discusses fundamental properties of transient and stationary solutions, emphasizing the stability analysis of stationary solutions by means of self-consistency equations, linear stability analysis, and Lyapunov's direct method. Also treated are Langevin equations and correlation functions. Nonlinear Fokker-Planck Equations addresses various phenomena such as phase transitions, multistability of systems, synchronization, anomalous diffusion, cut-off solutions, travelling-wave solutions and the emergence of power law solutions. A nonlinear Fokker-Planck perspective to quantum statistics, generalized thermodynamics, and linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics is given. Theoretical concepts are illustrated where possible by simple examples. The book also reviews several applications in the fields of condensed matter physics, the physics of porous media and liquid crystals, accelerator physics, neurophysics, social sciences, population dynamics, and computational physics.
Nonlinear dynamics in complex systems via fractals and fractional calculus
Current advances in the knowledge of nonlinear dynamical networks, systems and processes, as well as their unified repercussions, allow us to include some typical complex natural phenomena, from the nanoscale to an extra-galactic scale, in an unitarian comprehensive manner. In other words, the physical, biological and financial data, as well as technological ones (mechanical or electronic devices), of complex systems available today can be managed by the same unique conceptual approach, both analytically and through a computer simulation, using effective nonlinear dynamics procedures. This volume collected some important advances in the fields of fractal curves, fractal analysis and fractional calculus, as well as new solutions of fractal differential equations.
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.
Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and the Production of Entropy: Life, Earth, and Beyond
The present volume studies the application of concepts from non-equilibrium thermodynamics to a variety of research topics. Emphasis is on the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle and applications to Geosphere-Biosphere couplings. Written by leading researchers form a wide range of background, the book proposed to give a first coherent account of an emerging field at the interface of thermodynamics, geophysics and life sciences.
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.
Non-destructive testing and evaluation of civil engineering structures
The non-destructive evaluation of civil engineering structures in reinforced concrete is becoming an increasingly important issue in this field of engineering. This book proposes innovative ways to deal with this problem, through the characterization of concrete durability indicators by the use of non-destructive techniques. It presents the description of the various non-destructive techniques and their combination for the evaluation of indicators. The processing of data issued from the combination of NDE methods is also illustrated through examples of data fusion methods.



















