الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis
In multiple sclerosis (MS), conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) has proved to be a valuable tool to increase diagnostic reliability and to monitor the efficacy of experimental treatment. However, cMRI has limited specificity and accuracy as to the most disabling aspects of the MS pathology, known to occur in and outside macroscopic lesions. Modern quantitative MR techniques have the potential to overcome the limitations of cMRI, and their application is dramatically changing our understanding of how MS causes irreversible disability.
Multiscale Problems in the Life Sciences : From Microscopic to Macroscopic
The aim of this volume that presents Lectures given at a joint CIME and Banach Center Summer School, is to offer a broad presentation of a class of updated methods providing a mathematical framework for the development of a hierarchy of models of complex systems in the natural sciences, with a special attention to Biology and Medicine. Mastering complexity implies sharing different tools requiring much higher level of communication between different mathematical and scientific schools, for solving classes of problems of the same nature. Today more than ever, one of the most important challenges derives from the need to bridge parts of a system evolving at different time and space scales, especially with respect to computational affordability. As a result the content has a rather general character; the main role is played by stochastic processes, positive semigroups, asymptotic analysis, kinetic theory, continuum theory and game theory.
Multiscale Modeling in Epitaxial Growth
Epitaxy is a very active area of theoretical research since several years. It is experimentally well-explored and technologically relevant for thin film growth. Recently powerful numerical techniques in combination with a deep understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena during the growth process offer the possibility to link atomistic effects at the surface to the macroscopic morphology of the film. The goal of this book is to summarize recent developments in this field, with emphasis on multiscale approaches and numerical methods. It covers atomistic, step-flow, and continuum models and provides a compact overview of these approaches. It also serves as an introduction into this highly active interdisciplinary field of research for applied mathematicians, theoretical physicists and computational materials scientists.
Molecular Wires : From Design to Properties
In the emerging field of nanoscience the desire to construct objects which in the molecular scale can resemble and act as macroscopic devices is a constant trend. Amongst the simplest but also most attractive functional component molecular wires are surely the most investigated. The reason for such interest is quite obvious since wires, in today world, are used all around us and are the most indispensable unit to assemble any type of electronic devices.In this issue the synthesis and characterization of molecular wires based on organic or metal complexes components, their properties and some theoretical background will be illustrated.
Molecular Materials with Specific Interactions - Modeling and Design
One of the first requirements to initiate the molecular modeling of molecular materials is an accurate and realistic description of the electronic structure, intermolecular interactions and chemical reactions at microscopic and macroscopic scale. Therefore the first four chapters contain an extensive introduction into the latest theories of intermolecular interactions, functional density techniques, microscopic and mezoscopic modeling techniques as well as first-principle molecular dynamics.In the following chapters, techniques bridging microscopic and mezoscopic modeling scales are presented. The authors then illustrate various successful applications of molecular design of new materials, drugs, biocatalysts, etc. before presenting challenging topics in molecular materials design.
Model Reduction and Coarse-Graining Approaches for Multiscale Phenomena
Model reduction and coarse-graining are important in many areas of science and engineering. How does a system with many degrees of freedom become one with fewer? How can a reversible micro-description be adapted to the dissipative macroscopic model? These crucial questions, as well as many other related problems, are discussed in this book. Specific areas of study include dynamical systems, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, kinetic theory, hydrodynamics and mechanics of continuous media, (bio)chemical kinetics, nonlinear dynamics, nonlinear control, nonlinear estimation, and particulate systems from various branches of engineering. The generic nature and the power of the pertinent conceptual, analytical and computational frameworks helps eliminate some of the traditional language barriers, which often unnecessarily impede scientific progress and the interaction of researchers between disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, applied mathematics and engineering. All contributions are authored by experts, whose specialities span a wide range of fields within science and engineering.
Micromechanics of Contact and Interphase Layers
Micromechanics provides a link between the structure and the properties at different scales of observation. This book deals with micromechanical analysis of interfaces and interface layers and presents several modelling tools, ranging from the rigorous method of asymptotic expansions to practical finite element simulations, suitable for this class of problems. Two application areas are discussed. Boundary layers associated with contact of rough bodies are modelled by applying a scale transition approach in which a macroscopic interface of zero thickness is seen at the micro-scale as a layer with some finite thickness. Secondly, evolution of laminated microstructures accompanying stress-induced martensitic transformations in shape memory alloys (SMA) is analyzed as an illustration of the case when the local interfacial phenomena – here the propagation of phase transformation fronts – govern the macroscopic behaviour of a heterogeneous material.
Micro and Nano Mechanical Testing of Materials and Devices
Nanoscale and nanostructured materials have exhibited different physical properties from the corresponding macroscopic coarse-grained materials due to the size confinement. As a result, there is a need for new techniques to probe the mechanical behavior of advanced materials on the small scales. Micro and Nano Mechanical Testing of Materials and Devices presents the latest advances in the techniques of mechanical testing on the micro- and nanoscales, which are necessary for characterizing the mechanical properties of low-dimensional materials and structures.
Mechanics and Physics of Fracture : Multiscale Modeling of the Failure Behavior of Solids
Provides a comprehensive understanding of the macroscopic failure behavior of solids from the description of the microscopic failure processes and their coupling with the microstructure. Several fundamental questions were addressed: the relation between the microstructural features of materials and their fracture properties and crack trajectories; the role of damage mechanisms and non-linear deformations near the crack tip on the failure behavior of solids; and finally the role of dynamic inertial effects during fast fracture was more briefly evoked.
Invariant Manifolds for Physical and Chemical Kinetics
By bringing together various ideas and methods for extracting the slow manifolds the authors show that it is possible to establish a more macroscopic description in nonequilibrium systems. The book treats slowness as stability. A unifying geometrical viewpoint of the thermodynamics of slow and fast motion enables the development of reduction techniques, both analytical and numerical. Examples considered in the book range from the Boltzmann kinetic equation and hydrodynamics to the Fokker-Planck equations of polymer dynamics and models of chemical kinetics describing oxidation reactions. Special chapters are devoted to model reduction in classical statistical dynamics, natural selection, and exact solutions for slow hydrodynamic manifolds. The book will be a major reference source for both theoretical and applied model reduction. Intended primarily as a postgraduate-level text in nonequilibrium kinetics and model reduction, it will also be valuable to PhD students and researchers in applied mathematics, physics and various fields of engineering.
Interphases and Mesophases in Polymer Crystallization III
In polymer crystallization the challenge is to identify and clarify the transformations by which chain molecules pass from a disordered, molten state to the ordered supra-molecular organization known as the semi-crystalline state. The subject is highly relevant in terms of both basic science and technology; it is indeed clear that many modern applications require complete control of the structure and the morphology of polymers from macroscopic dimensions down to below the nanoscale. As a simple example, making the crystallites in a polymer fiber equally oriented and reducing the number of chain folds (or hairpins) therein, usually turn out to be very favorable requisites for mechanical performance . .This series presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in polymer and biopolymer science including chemistry, physical chemistry, physics and material science. It is adressed to ali scientists at universities and in industry who wish to keep abreast of advances in the topics covered
Information and self-organization : A macroscopic approach to complex systems
This book presents the concepts needed to deal with self-organizing complex systems from a unifying point of view that uses macroscopic data. The various meanings of the concept "information" are discussed and a general formulation of the maximum information (entropy) principle is used. With the aid of results from synergetics, adequate objective constraints for a large class of self-organizing systems are formulated and examples are given from physics, life and computer science. The relationship to chaos theory is examined and it is further shown that, based on possibly scarce and noisy data, unbiased guesses about processes of complex systems can be made and the underlying deterministic and random forces determined. This allows for probabilistic predictions of processes, with applications to numerous fields in science, technology, medicine and economics. The extensions of the third edition are essentially devoted to an introduction to the meaning of information in the quantum context. Indeed, quantum information science and technology is presently one of the most active fields of research at the interface of physics, technology and information sciences and has already established itself as one of the major future technologies for processing and communicating information on any scale.
Human semen analysis : From the WHO manual to the clinical management of infertile men
Intended to bridge the gap between the laboratory manual and the clinician by explaining in detail the test indication, its clinical utility, interpretation of results, and presenting a decision algorithm based on the test results. Thebook has 19 chapters grouped under seven sections that follow the chapters of the sixth edition of the WHO manual. Each chapter is written and reviewed by a team of senior clinicians, thus bringing a perspective that is truly clinically relevant. This book will be of great value to all clinicians involved in the management of male infertility and will also be of interest to laboratory scientists involved in semen testing by providing them with clinical perspectives of the test they perform. Human Semen Analysis: From the WHO Manual to the Clinical Management of Infertile Men is a useful guide for utilizing the WHO manual, interpreting test results, and deciding what subsequent clinical actions to take.
Homogenization of Partial Differential Equations
Homogenization is a method for modeling processes in microinhomogeneous media, which are encountered in radiophysics, filtration theory, rheology, elasticity theory, and other domains of mechanics, physics, and technology. These processes are described by PDEs with rapidly oscillating coefficients or boundary value problems in domains with complex microstructure. From the technical point of view, given the complexity of these processes, the best techniques to solve a wide variety of problems involve constructing appropriate macroscopic (homogenized) models. The present monograph is a comprehensive study of homogenized problems, based on the asymptotic analysis of boundary value problems as the characteristic scales of the microstructure decrease to zero. The work focuses on the construction of nonstandard models: non-local models, multicomponent models, and models with memory.
Handbook of Pathogens and Diseases in Cephalopods
The aim of this book is to facilitate the identification and description of the different organs as well as pathogens and diseases affecting the most representative species of cephalopods focussed on Sepia officinalis, Loligo vulgaris and Octopus vulgaris. These species are valuable ‘morphotype’ models and belong to the taxonomic groups Sepioidea, Myopsida and Octopoda, which include most of the species with a high market value and aquaculture potential. The study is based on photographs at macroscopic and histological level in order to illustrate the role of the most important pathogens and related diseases from the view of a pathological diagnosis. The reader is able to familiarize with functional anatomy, necropsy and general histology of adults and paralarvae, as well as with the identification of different pathogens and pathologies. This work is thus an invaluable guide for the diagnosis of cephalopod diseases. Besides including pathogens for non-European cephalopod species, it also provides a useful contribution encouraging marine pathologists, parasitologists, veterinarians and those involved in fishery sanitary assessments, aquarium maintenance and aquaculture practices aiming to increase their knowledge about the pathology of cephalopods.
Handbook of contact mechanics : Exact solutions of axisymmetric contact problems
This book contains a structured collection of complete solutions of all significant axially symmetric contact problems. It provides solutions for classical profiles such as the sphere, cone or flat cylindrical punch as well as a multitude of other technically relevant shapes, e.g. the truncated cone, the worn sphere, rough profiles, hollow cylinders, etc. Normal, tangential and torsional contacts with and without adhesion are examined. Elastically isotropic, transversally isotropic, viscoelastic and functionally graded media are addressed. The solutions of the contact problems cover the relationships between the macroscopic quantities of force and displacement, the contact configuration as well as the stress and displacement fields at the surface and in some cases within the half-space medium. The solutions are obtained by the simplest available method – usually involving the method of dimensionality reduction or approaches of reduction to the non-adhesive normal contact problem.
Food Materials Science : Principles and Practice
Food manufacture is about producing billions of units of standardized products which must be cheap, nutritious, safe and appealing to the consumer’s taste. Food products are complex multicomponent and structured edible materials that nevertheless must comply with the laws of physics and fundamentals of engineering sciences. In the last 20 years the design of food products with specific functionalities has advanced significantly by the application of scientific knowledge from disciplines such as polymer physics, colloidal and mesoscopic physics, materials science and new imaging and probing techniques borrowed from chemistry, biology and medicine. Our knowledge of the relationship between microstructure, processing, and macroscopic properties continues to increase as the science of food materials advances at a fast pace.
Flowing Matter
This book presents an introduction to selected research topics in the broad field of flowing matter, including the dynamics of fluids with a complex internal structure -from nematic fluids to soft glasses- as well as active matter and turbulent phenomena. Flowing matter is a subject at the crossroads between physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, biology and earth sciences, and relies on a multidisciplinary approach to describe the emergence of the macroscopic behaviours in a system from the coordinated dynamics of its microscopic constituents. Depending on the microscopic interactions, an assembly of molecules or of mesoscopic particles can flow like a simple Newtonian fluid, deform elastically like a solid or behave in a complex manner. When the internal constituents are active, as for biological entities, one generally observes complex large-scale collective motions. Phenomenology is further complicated by the invariable tendency of fluids to display chaos at the large scales or when stirred strongly enough. This volume presents several research topics that address these phenomena encompassing the traditional micro-, meso-, and macro-scales descriptions, and contributes to our understanding of the fundamentals of flowing matter.
Entropy Methods for the Boltzmann Equation : Lectures from a Special Semester at the Centre Émile Borel, Institut H. Poincaré, Paris, 2001
Entropy and entropy production have recently become mathematical tools for kinetic and hydrodynamic limits, when deriving the macroscopic behaviour of systems from the interaction dynamics of their many microscopic elementary constituents at the atomic or molecular level. During a special semester on Hydrodynamic Limits at the Centre Émile Borel in Paris, 2001 two of the research courses were held by C. Villani and F. Rezakhanlou. Both illustrate the major role of entropy and entropy production in a mutual and complementary manner and have been written up and updated for joint publication. Villani describes the mathematical theory of convergence to equilibrium for the Boltzmann equation and its relation to various problems and fields, including information theory, logarithmic Sobolev inequalities and fluid mechanics. Rezakhanlou discusses four conjectures for the kinetic behaviour of the hard sphere models and formulates four stochastic variations of this model, also reviewing known results for these.
Diffusion in Condensed Matter : Methods, Materials, Models
Diffusion as the process of particle transport due to stochastic movement is a phenomenon of crucial relevance for a large variety of processes and materials. This comprehensive, handbook-style survey of diffusion in condensed matter gives detailed insight into diffusion as the process of particle transport due to stochastic movement. Leading experts in the field describe in 23 chapters the different aspects of diffusion, covering microscopic and macroscopic experimental techniques and exemplary results for various classes of solids, liquids and interfaces as well as several theoretical concepts and models. Students and scientists in physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology will benefit from this detailed compilation.
