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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Applied physics & special topics
This second edition of Medical Biochemistry is supported by more
than 45 years of teaching experience, providing coverage of basic
biochemical topics, including the structural, physical, and
chemical properties of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and
nucleic acids. In addition, the general aspects of thermodynamics,
enzymes, bioenergetics, and metabolism are presented in
straightforward and easy-to-comprehend language. This book ties
these concepts into more complex aspects of biochemistry using a
systems approach, dedicating chapters to the integral study of
biological phenomena, including cell membrane structure and
function, gene expression and regulation, protein synthesis and
post-translational modifications, metabolism in specific organs and
tissues, autophagy, cell receptors, signal transduction pathways,
biochemical bases of endocrinology, immunity, vitamins and
minerals, and hemostasis. The field of biochemistry is continuing
to grow at a fast pace. This edition has been revised and expanded
with all-new sections on the cell plasma membrane, the human
microbiome, autophagy, noncoding, small and long RNAs, epigenetics,
genetic diseases, virology and vaccines, cell signaling, and
different modes of programmed cell death. The book has also been
updated with full-color figures, new tables, chapter summaries, and
further medical examples to improve learning and better illustrate
the concepts described and their clinical significance.
Today, air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radars, or more generally
airborne maritime surveillance radars, are installed on maritime
reconnaissance aircraft for long-range detection, tracking and
classification of surface ships (ASuW--anti-surface warfare) and
for hunting submarines (ASW--anti-submarine warfare). Such radars
were first developed in the UK during WWII as part of the response
to the threat to shipping from German U boats. This book describes
the ASV radars developed in the UK and used by RAF Coastal Command
during WWII for long-range maritime surveillance.
Renewable energy (RE) is a subject of great interest today. It is
one of the two main means for implementing climate change
mitigation programmes, and presently the only perceived means for
replacing the declining global fossil fuel reserves. It also helps
fight poverty and assists in the global quest for gender equity by
taking clean energy where it is needed most for development. It is
perhaps not surprising therefore that there is so much coverage of
RE in both the conventional media and the internet by media and
tech writers, economists and bloggers, many of who only have a
partial understanding of the technology itself. The end result is
mostly promotional rhetoric that says little about the true value
of the technology, and leads to a confused picture for the serious
individual or decision-maker who wants to know what the technology
is really capable of doing. This book provides a clear and factual
picture of the status of RE and its capabilities today. The need
for such a book was first realized by the author when he was
engaged in a renewable energy capacity-building project
encompassing countries from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, and the
Pacific. The book is largely non-technical in nature; it does
however contain enough mention of the science and technology to
enable readers to go further with their own investigations should
they wish to. The book covers all areas of renewable energy (RE),
starting from biomass energy and hydropower and proceeding to wind,
solar and geothermal energy before ending with an overview of ocean
energy. It begins with a simple introduction to the physical
principles of the RE technologies, followed by an enumeration of
the requirements for their successful implementation. The last two
chapters consider how the technologies are actually being
implemented today and their roles in climate change mitigation and
poverty alleviation.
All living matter is comprised of cells, small compartments
isolated from the environment by a cell membrane and filled with
concentrated solutions of various organic and inorganic compounds.
Some organisms are single-cell, where all life functions are
performed by that cell. Others have groups of cells, or organs,
specializing in one particular function. The survival of the entire
organism depends on all of its cells and organs fulfilling their
roles. While the cells are studied by different sciences, they are
seen differently by biologists, chemists, or physicists. Biologists
concentrate their attention on cell structure and function. What
the cells consists of? Where are its organelles? What function each
organelle fulfils? From a chemists' point of view, a cell is a
complex chemical reaction chamber where various molecules are
synthesized or degraded. The main question is how these, sometimes
very complicated chains of reactions are controlled. Finally, from
a physics standpoint, some of the fundamental questions are about
the physical movement of all these molecules between organelles
within the cell, their exchange with the extracellular medium, as
well as electrical phenomena resulting from such transport. The aim
of this book is to look into the basic physical phenomena occurring
in cells. These physical transport processes facilitate chemical
reactions in the cell and various electrical effects, and that in
turn leads to biological functions necessary for the cell to
satisfy its role in the mother organism. Ultimately, the goals of
every cell are to stay alive and to fulfill its function as a part
of a larger organ or organism. The first volume of this book is an
inventory of physical transport processes occurring in cells while
this second volume provides a closer look at how complex biological
and physiological cell phenomena result from these very basic
physical processes.
Cosmology is the study of the origin, size, and evolution of the
entire universe. Every culture has developed a cosmology, whether
it be based on religious, philosophical, or scientific principles.
In this book, the evolution of the scientific understanding of the
Universe in Western tradition is traced from the early Greek
philosophers to the most modern 21st century view. After a brief
introduction to the concept of the scientific method, the first
part of the book describes the way in which detailed observations
of the Universe, first with the naked eye and later with
increasingly complex modern instruments, ultimately led to the
development of the "Big Bang" theory. The second part of the book
traces the evolution of the Big Bang including the very recent
observation that the expansion of the Universe is itself
accelerating with time.
"Geophysics for Petroleum Engineers" focuses on the applications
of geophysics in addressing petroleum engineering problems. It
explores the complementary features of geophysical techniques in
better understanding, characterizing, producing and monitoring
reservoirs.
This book introduces engineers to geophysical methods so that
they can communicate with geophysicist colleagues and appreciate
the benefits of their work. These chapters describe fundamentals of
geophysical techniques, their physical bases, their applications
and limitations, as well as possible pitfalls in their misuse. Case
study examples illustrate the integration of geophysical data with
various other data types for predicting and describing reservoir
rocks and fluid properties. The examples come from all over the
world, with several case histories from the fields in the Middle
East.
Introduces geophysical methods to engineersHelps understanding,
characterizing, producing and monitoring ofgeophysical
techniquesUpdates the changing needs of reservoir engineering"
For the past decade or more, much of cell biology research has been
focused on determining the key molecules involved in different
cellular processes, an analytical problem that has been amenable to
biochemical and genetic approaches. Now, we face an integrative
problem of understanding how all of these molecules work together
to produce living cells, a challenge that requires using
quantitative approaches to model the complex interactions within a
cell, and testing those models with careful quantitative
measurements. This book is an introductory overview of the various
approaches, methods, techniques, and models employed in
quantitative cell biology, which are reviewed in greater detail in
the other volumes in this e-book series. Particular emphasis is
placed on the goals and purpose of quantitative analysis and
modeling, and the special challenges that cell biology holds for
understanding life at the physical level.
Since the earliest days of human existence, the clash of thunder
and trembling of the hills has struck fear into the hearts of
seasoned warriors and tribal villagers alike. Great gods,
demi-gods, and heroes were created to explain the awesome,
mysterious, and incomprehensibly powerful forces of Nature in a
feeble attempt to make sense of the world around them. To our
advanced scientific minds today, these explanations seem childish
and ridiculous; however, the power to flatten thousands of square
miles of ancient forest, create massive holes in the Earth itself,
and cause mountains to tremble to their very roots are more than
enough reason to believe. Indeed, perhaps our scientific
advancement has caused us to not fully or completely appreciate the
awesome scale and power that Nature can wield against us. The study
of shock wave formation and dynamics begins with a study of waves
themselves. Simple harmonic motion is used to analyze the physical
mechanisms of wave generation and propagation, and the principle of
superposition is used to mathematically generate constructive and
destructive interference. Further development leads to the shock
singularity where a single wave of immense magnitude propagates and
decays through various media. Correlations with the fields of
thermodynamics, meteorology, crater formation, and acoustics are
made, as well as a few special applications. Direct correlation is
made to events in Arizona, Siberia, and others. The mathematical
requirement for this text includes trigonometry, differential
equations, and large series summations, which should be accessible
to most beginning and advanced university students. This text
should serve well as supplementary material in a course covering
discrete wave dynamics, applied thermodynamics, or extreme
acoustics.
Biochemistry of Lipids, Lipoproteins and Membranes, Seventh Edition
serves as a comprehensive, general reference book for scientists
and students studying lipids, lipoproteins and membranes. Here,
across 19 chapters, leaders in the field summarize fundamental
concepts, recent research developments, data analysis, and
implications for human disease and intervention. Topics discussed
include lipid biology in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, fatty
acid synthesis, desaturation and elongation, and pathways leading
to synthesis of complex phospholipids, sphingolipids and their
structural variants. Chapters also examine how bioactive lipids are
involved in cell signaling, with an emphasis on disease
implications and pathological consequences. As the field advances,
each chapter in this new edition has been fully revised to address
emerging topics, with all-new coverage of lipid droplets and their
role as regulatory organelles for energy homeostasis, as well as
their relationship to obesity, liver disease and diabetes. Evolving
research in fatty acid handling and storage in eukaryotes is also
discussed in-depth, with new sections addressing fatty acid uptake,
activation and lipolysis.
Visual Astronomy introduces the basics of observational astronomy,
a fundamentally limitless opportunity to learn about the universe
with your unaided eyes or with tools such as binoculars,
telescopes, or cameras.
Structure and Evolution of Single Stars: An introduction is
intended for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduates
with a background in physics. Following a brief overview of the
background observational material, the basic equations describing
the structure and evolution of single stars are derived. The
relevant physical processes, which include the equation of state,
opacity, nuclear reactions and neutrino losses are then reviewed.
Subsequent chapters describe the evolution of low-mass stars from
formation to the final white dwarf phase. The final chapter deals
with the evolution of massive stars.
This is an in-depth look at baryon number violation in the Standard
Model including the necessary background in finite temperature
field theory, plasma dynamics and how to calculate the out of
equilibrium evolution of particle number densities throughout a
phase transition. It is a self-contained pedagogical review of the
theoretical background to electroweak baryogenesis as well as a
summary of the other prevailing mechanisms for producing the
asymmetry between matter and antimatter using the Minimal
Supersymmetric Standard Model as a pedagogical tool whenever
appropriate.
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