The invention of the semiconductor laser along with silica glass fiber has enabled an incredible revolution in global communication infrastructure of direct benefit to all. Development of devices and system concepts that exploit the same fundamental light-matter interaction continues. Researchers and technologists are pursuing a broad range of emerging applications, everything from automobile collision avoidance to secure quantum key distribution. This book sets out to summarize key aspects of semiconductor laser device physics and principles of laser operation.

This book provides a unified treatment of the characteristics of telescopes of all types, both those whose performance is set by geometrical aberrations and the effect of the atmosphere, and those diffraction-limited telescopes designed for observations from above the atmosphere. The emphasis throughout is on basic principles, such as Fermat's principle, and their application to optical systems specifically designed to image distant celestial sources.
The book also contains thorough discussions of the principles underlying all spectroscopic instrumentation, with special emphasis on grating instruments used with telescopes. An introduction to adaptive optics provides the needed background for further inquiry into this rapidly developing area.

* Geometrical aberration theory based on Fermat's principle
* Diffraction theory and transfer function approach to near-perfect telescopes
* Thorough discussion of 2-mirror telescopes, including misalignments
* Basic principles of spectrometry; grating and echelle instruments
* Schmidt and other catadioptric telescopes
* Principles of adaptive optics
* Over 220 figures and nearly 90 summary tables

This 1957 Stamford Electronics Laboratory research report on "theoretical and experimental radio studies of meteor ionization trails, with application to radio propagation by meteor reflections" was sponsored by the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Air Research and Development Command.

Our Universe is amazing. This is its story, told in simple language. The story tells how the Universe came to be what it is today. It starts with the Big Bang and describes how stars, black holes, and our solar system developed. It explores the evolution of life on Earth and investigates the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. It peers into the future and wonders about the Universe's likely old age and death, or whatever else may be its end. The challenge the book takes up is to explain all of this, including some of the astonishing concepts we have in science, such as Einstein's theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, using virtually no mathematics and without dumbing-down. All are described narratively and explained using examples and anecdotes. The book is written for young people with a thirst for learning about the science of space, as well as for 'grown-ups' who want a better understanding of this fascinating subject.

This monograph presents recent advances in neural network (NN) approaches and applications to chemical reaction dynamics. Topics covered include: (i) the development of ab initio potential-energy surfaces (PES) for complex multichannel systems using modified novelty sampling and feedforward NNs; (ii) methods for sampling the configuration space of critical importance, such as trajectory and novelty sampling methods and gradient fitting methods; (iii) parametrization of interatomic potential functions using a genetic algorithm accelerated with a NN; (iv) parametrization of analytic interatomic potential functions using NNs; (v) self-starting methods for obtaining analytic PES from ab inito electronic structure calculations using direct dynamics; (vi) development of a novel method, namely, combined function derivative approximation (CFDA) for simultaneous fitting of a PES and its corresponding force fields using feedforward neural networks; (vii) development of generalized PES using many-body expansions, NNs, and moiety energy approximations; (viii) NN methods for data analysis, reaction probabilities, and statistical error reduction in chemical reaction dynamics; (ix) accurate prediction of higher-level electronic structure energies (e.g. MP4 or higher) for large databases using NNs, lower-level (Hartree-Fock) energies, and small subsets of the higher-energy database; and finally (x) illustrative examples of NN applications to chemical reaction dynamics of increasing complexity starting from simple near equilibrium structures (vibrational state studies) to more complex non-adiabatic reactions.
The monograph is prepared by an interdisciplinary group of researchers working as a team for nearly two decades at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK with expertise in gas phase reaction dynamics; neural networks; various aspects of MD and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of nanometric cutting, tribology, and material properties at nanoscale; scaling laws from atomistic to continuum; and neural networks applications to chemical reaction dynamics. It is anticipated that this emerging field of NN in chemical reaction dynamics will play an increasingly important role in MD, MC, and quantum mechanical studies in the years to come.

Marine enzymes and specialized metabolism - Part B, Volume 605 in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights experimental methods on diverse marine enzymes involved in the construction of bioactive natural product molecules. Unique sections in this new release include discussions on polysaccharide-degrading enzymes from marine gastropods, radical SAM epimerases from sponge microbes, DMS/P demethylase in bacteria, reconstitution of particulate methane monooxygenase into membrane mimetics, the structure and function of cyanobactin enzymes, marine cyanobacterial polyketide beta-branching enzymology, marine cyanobacterial PKS-NRPS enzymology and structural biology, biochemical profiling of DMSP lyases, and more.

Black holes entered the world of science fiction and films in the 1960s, and their popularity in our culture remains today. The buzz surrounding black holes was and is due, in large part, to their speculative nature. It is still difficult for the general public to determine fact versus fiction as it pertains to this terrifying idea: something big enough to swallow anything and everything in close proximity, with a gravitational force so strong that nothing, including light, can escape. In the fall of 2015, scientists at the Laser Interferometry Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the first sounds from black holes, brought to earth by the gravitational waves that emitted from the merging of two black holes 1.4 billion light years away in space. This confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, which Albert Einstein predicted in 1916. In the spring of 2017, physicists and astronomers who were working on the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project captured the first image of a black hole. This was the supermassive black hole hosted by the galaxy M87 in the constellation Virgo, 53 million light years away, and the image shows the shadow the black hole casts upon the bright light surrounding it. In this book, John Moffat shares the history of black holes and presents the latest research into these mysterious celestial objects, including the astounding results from gravitational wave detection and the shadow of the black hole.

This book provides a general introduction to nanogels, and designs of various stimuli-sensitive nanogels that are able to control drug release in response to specific stimuli. Nanogels are three-dimensional nanosized networks that formed by physically or chemically crosslinking polymers. They have highly interesting properties such as biocompatibility, high stability, particle size adjustment, drug loading capability and modification of the surface for active targeting. They can respond to stimuli which results in the controlled release of drug and targeting of the site.

This book presents the fundamentals and the state of the art of the photophysics of molecular oxygen. The author examines optical transitions between the lowest-lying electronic states in molecular oxygen and how these transitions respond to perturbation, either from an organic molecule or from the plasmon field of a metal nanoparticle. We live on a planet filled with light and oxygen. The interaction between these two components forms the basis of excited state chemistry spanning the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, materials chemistry, molecular biology, and photodynamic treatment of cancer. Still, the fundamental ways in which oxygen is affected by light is an active subject of research and is continually being developed and rationalized. In this book, readers will learn that singlet oxygen, the excited state of oxygen that exhibits unique chemical reactivity, can be selectively made via direct optical excitation of oxygen in a sensitizer-free system. Readers will also discover that this approach can perturb living cells differently depending on the singlet oxygen "dose".

Biophysical Basis of Physiology and Calcium Signaling Mechanism in Cardiac and Smooth Muscle acts as a bridge between physiology and physics by discussing the physiology and calcium signaling mechanism in cardiac and smooth muscle. By exploring the mechanism of the cyclic release of stored Ca^(2+) in the SR or ER, this book covers the cell communication system, including excitable cells, recognizing the most relevant mechanisms of cell communication. Serving as a bridge between physiology and physics, coverage spans the physiology and calcium signaling mechanism in cardiac and smooth muscle, offering insight to physiological scientists, pharmaceutical scientists, medical doctors, biologists and physicists.

At the heart of this book is the generalized theoretical approach that is applied to investigate the geoelectrical structure of the Earth's mantle. It also analyzes the results of regional and global induction sounding of the Earth's mantle and compares them with the results obtained by other geophysical methods. The generalized theoretical approach employs the Induction Law as a basis for identifying extended relations between magnetic field components, including their plane divergence, impedances and spatial derivatives. The estimations of impedance values and spatial derivatives are performed using the theory of stochastic processes. The book also considers the external sources of magnetic fields used for sounding the Earths mantle from the modern theory perspective, as well as the problem of coincidence of magneto-variation and magnetotelluric methods. Further, it discusses secular variations in the Earth's resistance caused by non-induction sources, factors that are correlated with the number of earthquakes in the region and shifted in time with global indexes. It is a valuable resource for scientists applying deep induction soundings or interested in the structures of and processes in the Earth's interior.

This book focuses on the microscopic understanding of the function of organic semiconductors. By tracing the link between their morphological structure and electronic properties across multiple scales, it represents an important advance in this direction. Organic semiconductors are materials at the interface between hard and soft matter: they combine structural variability, processibility and mechanical flexibility with the ability to efficiently transport charge and energy. This unique set of properties makes them a promising class of materials for electronic devices, including organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Understanding their function at the microscopic scale - the goal of this work - is a prerequisite for the rational design and optimization of the underlying materials. Based on new multiscale simulation protocols, the book studies the complex interplay between molecular architecture, supramolecular organization and electronic structure in order to reveal why some materials perform well - and why others do not. In particular, by examining the long-range effects that interrelate microscopic states and mesoscopic structure in these materials, the book provides qualitative and quantitative insights into e.g. the charge-generation process, which also serve as a basis for new optimization strategies.

This thesis focuses on theoretical analysis of the sophisticated ultrafast optical experiments that probe the crucial first few picoseconds of quantum light harvesting, making an important contribution to quantum biology, an exciting new field at the intersection of condensed matter, physical chemistry and biology. It provides new insights into the role of vibrational dynamics during singlet fission of organic pentacene thin films, and targeting the importance of vibrational dynamics in the design of nanoscale organic light harvesting devices, it also develops a new wavelet analysis technique to probe vibronic dynamics in time-resolved nonlinear optical experiments. Lastly, the thesis explores the theory of how non-linear "breather" vibrations are excited and propagate in the disordered nanostructures of photosynthetic proteins.

Monitoring drought’s slow evolution and identifying the end of a drought is still a big challenge for scientists, natural resource managers, and decision makers. This comprehensive two-volume set with contributions from over 200 experts, and featuring case studies representing numerous countries throughout the world, discusses different aspects of drought from types, indices, and forecasting to monitoring, modeling, and mitigation measures. It also addresses how climate change is impacting drought and decision-making concluding with lessons learned about science, policy, and managing uncertainty. Features: Provides a global perspective on drought prediction and management and a synthesis of the recent state of knowledge. Covers a wide range of topics from essential concepts and advanced techniques for forecasting and modeling drought to societal impacts, consequences, and planning Presents numerous case studies with different management approaches from different regions and countries. Addresses how climate change impacts drought, the increasing challenges associated with managing drought, decision making, and policy implications. Includes contributions from hundreds of experts around the world. Professionals, researchers, academics, and postgraduate students with knowledge in Environmental Sciences, Ecology, Agriculture, Forestry, Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, and Earth Sciences, as well as those interested in how climate change impacts drought management, will gain new insights from the experts featured in this two-volume handbook.

Adapting to Climate Change in Europe: Exploring Sustainable Pathways - From Local Measures to Wider Policies is a scientific synthesis of a four-year project on adaptation activities in Europe. It combines scientific assessments with real-world case descriptions to present specific tools and methods. This book aims at ensuring sustainable solutions in adaptation to climate change. The challenge of adaptation is still at an early stage; this book fills relevant gaps in current knowledge on climate adaptation, providing a crucial set of tools to support effective decision-making. It acts as a guide to practitioners and decision-makers along different steps of on-going adaptation processes. Adapting to Climate Change in Europe contains methods and tools for improving stakeholder's participation and analyzing costs and benefits of different adaptation measures. It is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and experts and policymakers working in climate change and adaptation.

Assuming a background in basic classical physics, multivariable calculus, and differential equations, A Concise Introduction to Quantum Mechanics provides a self-contained presentation of the mathematics and physics of quantum mechanics. The relevant aspects of classical mechanics and electrodynamics are reviewed, and the basic concepts of wave-particle duality are developed as a logical outgrowth of experiments involving blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and electron diffraction. The Copenhagen interpretation of the wave function and its relation to the particle probability density is presented in conjunction with Fourier analysis and its generalization to function spaces. These concepts are combined to analyze the system consisting of a particle confi ned to a box, developing the probabilistic interpretation of observations and their associated expectation values. The Schroedinger equation is then derived by using these results and demanding both Galilean invariance of the probability density and Newtonian energy-momentum relations. The general properties of the Schroedinger equation and its solutions are analyzed, and the theory of observables is developed along with the associated Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Basic applications of wave mechanics are made to free wave packet spreading, barrier penetration, the simple harmonic oscillator, the Hydrogen atom, and an electric charge in a uniform magnetic fi eld. In addition, Dirac notation, elements of Hilbert space theory, operator techniques, and matrix algebra are presented and used to analyze coherent states, the linear potential, two state oscillations, and electron diffraction. Applications are made to photon and electron spin and the addition of angular momentum, and direct product multiparticle states are used to formulate both the Pauli exclusion principle and quantum decoherence. The book concludes with an introduction to the rotation group and the general properties of angular momentum.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of biosensor research and development for specialists and non-specialists. It introduces the fundamentals of the subject with relevant characteristics of transducer elements, as well as biochemical recognition molecules. This book is ideal for researchers of nanotechnology, materials science and biophysics.

This book highlights the latest research presented at the International Conference on Translational Medicine and Imaging (ICTMI) 2017. This event brought together the world's leading scientists, engineers and clinicians from a wide range of disciplines in the field of medical imaging. Bioimaging has continued to evolve across a wide spectrum of applications from diagnostics and personalized therapy to the mechanistic understanding of biological processes, and as a result there is ever-increasing demand for more robust methods and their integration with clinical and molecular data. This book presents a number of these methods.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. More than 285 volumes have been published (all of them still in print) and much of the material is relevant even today-truly an essential publication for researchersin all fields of life sciences.
Key Features
* Prokaryotic ABC Transporters
* Eukaryotic ABC Transporters
* Nonmammalian ABC Transport Systems
* Mammalian P-Glycoproteins
* Multidrug Resistance Associated Protein
* Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator
* Sulfonylurea Receptor
* Intracellular ABC Transporters

In any linear system, the input and the output are connected by means of a linear operator. When the input can be notionally represented by a function that is null valued everywhere except at a specific location in spacetime, the corresponding output is called the Green function in field theories. Dyadic Green functions are commonplace in electromagnetics, because both the input and the output are vector functions of space and time. This book provides a survey of the state-of-the-art knowledge of infinite space dyadic Green functions.