The ongoing thread in this volume of Physics of Lakes is the presentation of different methods of investigation for processes taking place in real lakes with a view to understanding lakes as components of the geophysical environment. It is divided into three parts. Part I is devoted to numerical modeling techniques and demonstrates that (i) wind-induced currents in depth-integrated models can only adequately predict current fields for extremely shallow lakes, and (ii) that classical multi-layered simulation models can only adequately reproduce current and temperature distributions when the lake is directly subjected to wind, but not the post-wind oscillating response. This makes shock capturing discretization techniques and Mellor-Yamada turbulence closure schemes necessary, as well as extremely high grid resolution to reduce the excessive numerical diffusion. Part II is devoted to the presentation of principles of observation and laboratory experimental procedures. It details the principles of operation for current, temperature, conductivity and other sensors applied in the field. It also discusses the advantages and limitations of common measuring methods like registration from stationary or drifting buoys, sounding and profiling from a boat, etc. Questions of data accuracy, quality, and reliability are also addressed. The use of laboratory experiments on a rotating platform is based on an exposition of dimensional analysis and model theory and illustrated using Lake Constance as an example. Part III gives an account of the dynamics of lake water as a particle-laden fluid, which, coupled with the transport of the bottom sediments, leads to morphodynamic changes of the bathymetry in estuarine and possibly whole lake regions. An elegant spatially one-dimensional theory makes it possible to derive analytic solutions of deltaic formations which are corroborated by laboratory experiments. A full three-dimensional description of the evolution of the alluvial bathymetry under prescribed tributary sediment input indicates a potential subject for future research.

Special relativity is the basis of many fields in modern physics: particle physics, quantum field theory, high-energy astrophysics, etc. This theory is presented here by adopting a four-dimensional point of view from the start. An outstanding feature of the book is that it doesn't restrict itself to inertial frames but considers accelerated and rotating observers. It is thus possible to treat physical effects such as the Thomas precession or the Sagnac effect in a simple yet precise manner. In the final chapters, more advanced topics like tensorial fields in spacetime, exterior calculus and relativistic hydrodynamics are addressed. In the last, brief chapter the author gives a preview of gravity and shows where it becomes incompatible with Minkowsky spacetime. Well illustrated and enriched by many historical notes, this book also presents many applications of special relativity, ranging from particle physics (accelerators, particle collisions, quark-gluon plasma) to astrophysics (relativistic jets, active galactic nuclei), and including practical applications (Sagnac gyrometers, synchrotron radiation, GPS). In addition, the book provides some mathematical developments, such as the detailed analysis of the Lorentz group and its Lie algebra. The book is suitable for students in the third year of a physics degree or on a masters course, as well as researchers and any reader interested in relativity. Thanks to the geometric approach adopted, this book should also be beneficial for the study of general relativity. "A modern presentation of special relativity must put forward its essential structures, before illustrating them using concrete applications to specific dynamical problems. Such is the challenge (so successfully met!) of the beautiful book by Eric Gourgoulhon." (excerpt from the Foreword by Thibault Damour)

Most stars appear to show some degree of magnetic activity. Varying magnetic fields show up in the familiar sun-spot cycle and in similar activity in other cool stars. Many hot stars carry steady magnetic fields stronger than the average solar field and are well described as oblique rotators. A similar model is applicable to the rapidly rotating, enormously dense neutron stars with their far stronger fields, observed as radio and X-ray pulsars. Galactic magnetic fields may play a crucial role in star formation, and in the spectacular behaviour in galactic nuclei. Cosmical magnetism in general is a rapidly developing field, and this book has grown out of the lifelong work of an outstanding researcher in the area. An authoritative account with broad astronomical scope, its thorough, careful and well-argued approach makes it a fine addition to the professional literature. Most of the important topics are treated in mathematical depth with references to other relevant literature. Some of the studies, especially those on accretion discs, dynamos, and winds, are applicable to galaxies and galactic nuclei. This book is sure to become an invaluable professional reference and guide to current thinking in the field. It will be of particular interest to graduate students, for whom it shows how the area has developed and indicates the many challenging research problems, some of which may soon yield their secrets to the emerging supercomputers.

This book is the first to be entirely devoted to the challenging art of handling membrane proteins out of their natural environment, a key process in biological and pharmaceutical research, but one plagued with difficulties and pitfalls. Written by one of the foremost experts in the field, Membrane Proteins in Aqueous Solutions is accessible to any member of a membrane biology laboratory. After presenting the structure, functions, dynamics, synthesis, natural environment and lipid interactions of membrane proteins, the author discusses the principles of extracting them with detergents, the mechanisms of detergent-induced destabilization, countermeasures, and recent progress in developing detergents with weaker denaturing properties. Non-conventional alternatives to detergents, including bicelles, nanodiscs, amphipathic peptides, fluorinated surfactants and amphipols, are described, and their relative advantages and drawbacks are compared. The synthesis and solution properties of the various types of amphipols are presented, as well as the formation and properties of membrane protein/amphipol complexes and the transfer of amphipol-trapped proteins to detergents, nanodiscs, lipidic mesophases, or living cells. The final chapters of the book deal with applications: membrane protein in vitro folding and cell-free expression, solution studies, NMR, crystallography, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, amphipol-mediated immobilization of membrane proteins, and biomedical applications. Important features of the book include introductory sections describing foundations as well as the state-of-the-art for each of the biophysical techniques discussed, and topical tables which organize a widely dispersed literature. Boxes and annexes throughout the book explain technical aspects, and twelve detailed experimental protocols, ranging from in vitro folding of membrane proteins to single-particle electron cryomicroscopy, have been contributed by and commented on by experienced users. Membrane Proteins in Aqueous Solutions offers a concise, accessible introduction to membrane protein biochemistry and biophysics, as well as comprehensive coverage of the properties and uses of conventional and non-conventional surfactants. It will be useful both in basic and applied research laboratories and as a teaching aid for students, instructors, researchers, and professionals within the field.

1. Paradigmatische Konstruktionen.- Unser heutiges Wirklichkeits-Verstandnis.- Wirklichkeits-Pluralismus.- Entstehen von Wirklichkeiten.- Lebendiger Vollzug von Wirklichkeiten.- Fruchtbare Vielfalt.- Simultane und sequenzielle Wirklichkeiten in der Lebenswelt.- Okkulte Wirklichkeiten und andere Geheimlehren.- Gefahrliche Verabsolutierungen.- 2. Farbe als Wirklichkeit.- Goethes Farbenlehre.- Physiologische Farben.- Farblose Bilder.- Farbige Bilder.- Farbige Schatten.- Schwach wirkende Lichter, subjektive Hoefe, pathologische Farben.- Physische Farben.- Dioptrische Farben der 1. Klasse.- Dioptrische Farben der 2. Klasse.- Das Phanomen der Refraktion.- Refraktion ohne Farberscheinung.- Farberscheinungen bei Linsen.- Grundzuge refraktionsbedingter Farberscheinungen.- Farberscheinungen bei Prismen.- Farberscheinungen an gro?en und kleinen wei?en Bildern.- Farberscheinungen an gro en und kleinen schwarzen Bildern.- Farberscheinungen sind nie statisch.- Zum Wesen von Licht und Farbe aus Goetheseher Sieht.- Wichtige, ganz allgemeine Begriffe.- Die Polaritat.- Die Steigerung.- Phanomen und Urphanomen.- Farbenkreis und Spektrogramm.- Newtons Farben des Liehts.- Newtons Experimente.- 1. Experiment.- 2. Experiment.- 3. Experiment.- 4. Experiment.- 5. Experiment.- Das We sen der Farbe.- Einfache Farbmetrik.- Das Auge.- Der Spektralfarbenzug.- Zwei Wirklichkeiten.- 3. Heilkundliche Wirkliehkeiten.- Chinesische Lebenswirkliehkeit.- Das Schafgarbenorakel.- Das Yin-Yang-Prinzip.- Shen und Kuei. Qi und Jing.- Die funf Elemente.- Chinesische Medizin.- Yin-Yang-Theorie.- Lebenssubstanzen.- Qi.- Blut und Safte.- Jing.- Shen.- Die Funktion der inneren Organe.- Die Leitbahnen oder die Meridiane.- Wie kommt es zur Disharmonie?.- Die Sechs UEbel.- Die sieben Emotionen.- Die Lebensweise.- Das Dishannoniemuster.- Ein Beispiel.- Ein simultanes Massenphanomen.- 4. Mikro-Wirklichkeiten.- Spiele als Mikro-Wirklichkeiten.- Definition des Spielbegriffes.- Die Vielfalt der Spiele.- Mikro-Wirklichkeiten im weiteren Sinn.- 5. Wirklichkeit eines Verbrechens.- Ein Beispiel aus der japanischen Literatur.- Eine neue Erzlihlung des Rashomon-Textes.- Die Aussage eines Holzfallers.- Die Aussage eines Wandergeistlichen.- Die Aussage eines Gerichtsdieners.- Die Aussage einer alten Frau.- Das Gestandnis des Raubers.- Die Aussage eines Gefahrten des Raubers.- Bericht eines Waldbewohners.- Die Beichte der Ehefrau in einem Kloster.- Der Geist des Toten spricht durch den Mund einer Wahrsagerin.- Vergewaltigung und Tod.- 6. Verwandlung von Wirklichkeiten.- Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung.- Die Brahmana-Welt.- Die Samana-Welt.- Die Buddha-Welt.- Die Menschenkinder-Welt.- Am Flu?.- 7. Magie und Damonie.- Weissagung.- Wirksarnkeit von Weissagungen.- Kassandra.- Die delphische Seherin.- Andere Fonnen der Weissagung.- Zauber und Damonen.- Magische Praktikep in der Volkskunst.- Magische Praktiken' der Antike.- Kirke verzaubert Manner.- Hexen morden Knaben.- Fluche verandern das Leben.- Fluchtafeln.- Ovids Ibis.- Schamanen.- Spuren des Schamanismus in der Neuzeit.- Antike Schamanen.- Orpheus.- Pythagoras.- Empedokles.- Vespasian.- Nekromantie.- Die Macht des Okkulten.- Magie und Damonie als Wirklichkeit?.- 8. Totalitare Wirklichkeiten.- Wahnsinn als totalitare Wirklichkeit.- Das Entstehen eines Wahnes.- Der logische Zusammenhang von Wahnideen.- Die weitgehende Unkorrigierbarkeit.- Gro?en und Verfolgungswahn.- Groe?enwahn.- Verfolgungswahn.- Paranoia erotica.- Eifersuchtsparanoia.- Religioeser Wahn mit erotischer Komponente.- Kraftentfaltung in totalitaren Wirklichkeiten.- Der Kriegstanz der Maori.- Atomare Bedrohung.- Extremsituationen in totalitaren Wirklichkeiten.- Der Tag des Blutes.- Der spontane Volkszorn.- Entgleisung einer Hochtechnologie.- Die Eigendynamik und die Hilflosigkeit.- 9. Chance und Bedrangnis.- Wirklichkeit ist eine Konstruktion. Der Urgrund ist ohne Eigenschaften.- Wirklichkeiten als Gewordenes.- Die Lebenswirklichkeit als Ausgangsbasi

Targeting advanced students of astronomy and physics, as well as astronomers and physicists contemplating research on supernovae or related fields, David Branch and J. Craig Wheeler offer a modern account of the nature, causes and consequences of supernovae, as well as of issues that remain to be resolved. Owing especially to (1) the appearance of supernova 1987A in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, (2) the spectacularly successful use of supernovae as distance indicators for cosmology, (3) the association of some supernovae with the enigmatic cosmic gamma-ray bursts, and (4) the discovery of a class of superluminous supernovae, the pace of supernova research has been increasing sharply. This monograph serves as a broad survey of modern supernova research and a guide to the current literature. The book's emphasis is on the explosive phases of supernovae. Part 1 is devoted to a survey of the kinds of observations that inform us about supernovae, some basic interpretations of such data, and an overview of the evolution of stars that brings them to an explosive endpoint. Part 2 goes into more detail on core-collapse and superluminous events: which kinds of stars produce them, and how do they do it? Part 3 is concerned with the stellar progenitors and explosion mechanisms of thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernovae. Part 4 is about consequences of supernovae and some applications to astrophysics and cosmology. References are provided in sufficient number to help the reader enter the literature.

Over the course of nearly half a century, Sam Edwards has led the field of condensed matter physics into new directions, ranging from the electronic and statistical properties of disordered materials to the mechanical properties of granular materials. Along the way, he has provided seminal contributions to fluid mechanics, polymer science, surface science and statistical mechanics. This volume celebrates the immense scope of his influence by presenting a collection of original articles by recognized leaders in theoretical physics, including two Nobel Laureates and a Fields Medalist, which describe the genesis, evolution and future prospects of the various sub-fields of condensed matter theory, along with reprints of a selection of Edwards' seminal papers that helped give birth to the subject. 'Stealing the Gold', Edwards' favourite caricature of the relationship between theoretical physicists and Nature, will be of singular interest to graduate students looking for an overview of some of the most exciting areas of theoretical physics, as well as to researchers in condensed matter physics looking for a comprehensive, broad and uniquely incisive snapshot of their subject at the dawn of the 21st century.

This book addresses the possibilities and challenges in mimicking biological membranes and creating membrane-based sensor and separation devices. Recent advances in developing biomimetic membranes for technological applications will be presented with focus on the use of integral membrane protein mediated transport for sensing and separation. It describes the fundamentals of biosensing as well as separation and shows how the two processes are working in a cooperative manner in biological systems. Biomimetics is a truly cross-disciplinary approach and this is exemplified using the process of forward osmosis will be presented as an illustration of how advances in membrane technology may be directly stimulated by an increased understanding of biological membrane transport. In the development of a biomimetic sensor/separation technology, both channels (ion and water channels) and carriers (transporters) are important. An ideal sensor/separation device requires the supporting biomimetic matrix to be virtually impermeable to anything but the solute in question. In practice, however, a biomimetic support matrix will generally have finite permeabilities to water, electrolytes, and non-electrolytes. These non-protein mediated membrane transport contributions will be presented and the implications for biomimetic device construction will be discussed. New developments in our understanding of the reciprocal coupling between the material properties of the biomimetic matrix and the embedded proteins will be presented and strategies for inducing biomimetic matrix stability will be discussed. Once reconstituted in its final host biomimetic matrix the protein stability also needs to be maintained and controlled. Beta-barrel proteins exemplified by the E. Coli outer membrane channels or small peptides are inherently more stable than alpha-helical bundle proteins which may require additional stabilizing modifications. The challenges associated with insertion and stabilization of alpha-helical bundle proteins including many carriers and ligand and voltage gated ion (and water) channels will be discussed and exemplified using the aquaporin protein. Many biomimetic membrane applications require that the final device can be used in the macroscopic realm. Thus a biomimetic separation device must have the ability to process hundred of liters of permeate in hours - effectively demanding square-meter size membranes. Scalability is a general issue for all nano-inspired technology developments and will be addressed here in the context biomimetic membrane array fabrication. Finally a robust working biomimetic device based on membrane transport must be encapsulated and protected yet allowing massive transport though the encapsulation material. This challenge will be discussed using microfluidic design strategies as examples of how to use microfluidic systems to create and encapsulate biomimetic membranes. The book provides an overview of what is known in the field, where additional research is needed, and where the field is heading.

This monograph describes metabolic and transport reactions of muscle cells using the laws of chemical thermodynamics. In particular, the thermodynamics of irreversible processes are used to formulate coupled reactions and their outcome on steady state cycling. The effects of ATP cycling on energy metabolism and heat production is described. The results of mathematical simulations of metabolism are used to underline theoretical approaches.

Image processing algorithms based on the mammalian visual cortex are powerful tools for extraction information and manipulating images. This book reviews the neural theory and translates them into digital models. Applications are given in areas of image recognition, foveation, image fusion and information extraction. The third edition reflects renewed international interest in pulse image processing with updated sections presenting several newly developed applications. This edition also introduces a suite of Python scripts that assist readers in replicating results presented in the text and to further develop their own applications.

This book reports the majority of lectures given during the NATO Advanced Study Institute ASI-982996, which was held at the European Scientific Institute of Archamps (ESI, Archamps - France) from November 15 to November 27, 2007. The ASI course was structured in two parts: the first was dedicated to what is often called "teletherapy", i. e. radiotherapy with external beams, while the second focused on internal radiotherapy, also called "brachytherapy" or "curietherapy" in honour of Madame Curie who initiated the technique about a century ago. This ASI took place after the European School of Medical Physics, which devoted a 3 week period to medical imaging, a subject complementary to the topics of this book. Courses devoted to nuclear medicine and digital imaging techniques are collected in two volumes of the NATO Science Series entitled "Physics for Medical Imaging Applications" (ISBN 978-1-4020-5650-5) and "Molecular imaging: computer reconstruction and practice" (ISBN 978-1-4020- 8751-6). Every year in autumn ESI organises the European School of Medical Physics, which covers a large spectrum of topics ranging from Medical Imaging to Radiotherapy, over a period of 5 weeks. Thanks to the Cooperative Science and Technology sub-programme of the NATO Science Division, weeks four and five were replaced this year by the ASI course dedicated to "Physics of Modern Radiotherapy & Brachytherapy". This allowed the participation of experts and students from 20 different countries, with diverse cultural background and p- fessional experience.

With his Ph.D. thesis, presented here in the format of a "Springer Theses", Paul Fulda won the 2012 GWIC thesis prize awarded by the Gravitational Wave International Committee. The impact of thermal noise on future gravitational wave detectors depends on the size and shape of the interrogating laser beam. It had been known since 2006 that, in theory, higher-order Laguerre-Gauss modes could reduce thermal noise. Paul Fulda's research brings Laguerre-Gauss modes an enormous step forward. His work includes analytical, numerical and experimental work on table-top setups as well as experiments at the Glasgow 10m prototype interferometer. Using numerical simulations the LG33 mode was selected as the optical mode to be tested. Further research by Paul and his colleagues since then concentrated on this mode. Paul has developed and demonstrated simple and effective methods to create this mode with diffractive optics and successfully demonstrated its compatibility with the essential building blocks of gravitational wave detectors, namely, optical cavities, Michelson interferometers and opto-electronic sensing and control systems. Through this work, Laguerre-Gauss modes for interferometers have been transformed from an essentially unknown entity to a well understood option with an experimental basis.

This book discusses the state of the art of the basic theoretical and observational topics related to black hole astrophysics. It covers all the main topics in this wide field, from the theory of accretion disks and formation mechanisms of jet and outflows, to their observed electromagnetic spectrum, and attempts to measure the spin of these objects. Black holes are one of the most fascinating predictions of general relativity and are currently a very hot topic in both physics and astrophysics. In the last five years there have been significant advances in our understanding of these systems, and in the next five years it should become possible to use them to test fundamental physics, in particular to predict the general relativity in the strong field regime. The book is both a reference work for researchers and a textbook for graduate students.

Dynamical and vibratory systems are basically an application of mathematics and applied sciences to the solution of real world problems. Before being able to solve real world problems, it is necessary to carefully study dynamical and vibratory systems and solve all available problems in case of linear and nonlinear equations using analytical and numerical methods. It is of great importance to study nonlinearity in dynamics and vibration; because almost all applied processes act nonlinearly, and on the other hand, nonlinear analysis of complex systems is one of the most important and complicated tasks, especially in engineering and applied sciences problems.
There are probably a handful of books on nonlinear dynamics and vibrations analysis. Some of these books are written at a fundamental level that may not meet ambitious engineering program requirements. Others are specialized in certain fields of oscillatory systems, including modeling and simulations. In this book, we attempt to strike a balance between theory and practice, fundamentals and advanced subjects, and generality and specialization. None of the books in this area have completely studied and analyzed nonlinear equation in dynamical and vibratory systems using the latest analytical and numerical methods, so that the user can solve the problems without the need of studying too many different references. Thereby in this book, by the use of the latest analytic, numeric laboratorial methods and using more than 300 references like books, papers and the researches done by the authors and by considering almost all possible processes and situation, new theories has been proposed to encounter applied problems in engineering and applied sciences. In this way, the user (bachelor's, master's and PhD students, university teachers and even in research centers in different fields of mechanical, civil, aerospace, electrical, chemical, applied mathematics, physics, and etc.) can encounter such systems confidently. In the different chapters of the book, not only are the linear and especially nonlinear problems with oscillatory form broadly discussed, but also applied examples are practically solved by the proposed methodology.

The theory of intermolecular forces has advanced very greatly in recent years. It has become possible to carry out accurate calculations of intermolecular forces for molecules of useful size, and to apply the results to important practical applications such as understanding protein structure and function, and predicting the structures of molecular crystals. The Theory of Intermolecular Forces sets out the mathematical techniques that are needed to describe and calculate intermolecular interactions and to handle the more elaborate mathematical models. It describes the methods that are used to calculate them, including recent developments in the use of density functional theory and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory. The use of higher-rank multipole moments to describe electrostatic interactions is explained in both Cartesian and spherical tensor formalism, and methods that avoid the multipole expansion are also discussed. Modern ab initio perturbation theory methods for the calculation of intermolecular interactions are discussed in detail, and methods for calculating properties of molecular clusters and condensed matter for comparison with experiment are surveyed.

Fragility functions constitute an emerging tool for the probabilistic seismic risk assessment of buildings, infrastructures and lifeline systems. The work presented in this book is a partial product of a European Union funded research project SYNER-G (FP7 Theme 6: Environment) where existing knowledge has been reviewed in order to extract the most appropriate fragility functions for the vulnerability analysis and loss estimation of the majority of structures and civil works exposed to earthquake hazard. Results of other relevant European projects and international initiatives are also incorporated in the book. In several cases new fragility and vulnerability functions have been developed in order to better represent the specific characteristics of European elements at risk. Several European and non-European institutes and Universities collaborated efficiently to capitalize upon existing knowledge. State-of-the-art methods are described, existing fragility curves are reviewed and, where necessary, new ones are proposed for buildings, lifelines, transportation infrastructures as well as for utilities and critical facilities. Taxonomy and typology definitions are synthesized and the treatment of related uncertainties is discussed.

A fragility function manager tool and fragility functions in electronic form are provided on extras.springer.com.

Audience

The book aims to be a standard reference on the fragility functions to be used for the seismic vulnerability and probabilistic risk assessment of the most important elements at risk. It is of particular interest to earthquake engineers, scientists and researchers working in the field of earthquake risk assessment, as well as the insurance industry, civil protection and emergency management agencies.

This volume contains the collected works of the eminent chemist and physicist Lars Onsager, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th Century. The volume includes Onsager's previously unpublished PhD thesis, a biography by H C Longuet-Higgins and M E Fisher, an autobiographical commentary, selected photographs, and a list of Onsager discussion remarks in print. Onsager's scientific achievements were characterized by deep insights into the natural sciences. His two best-known accomplishments are his reciprocal relations for irreversible processes, for which he received the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and his explicit solution of the two-dimensional Ising model, a mathematical tour de force that created a sensation when it appeared. In addition, he made significant theoretical contributions to other fields, including electrolytes, colloids, superconductivity, turbulence, ice, electrons in metals, and dielectrics. In this volume, Onsager's contributions are divided into the following fields: irreversible processes; the Ising model; electrolytes; colloids; helium II and vortex quantization; off-diagonal long-range order and flux quantization; electrons in metal; turbulence; ion recombination; fluctuation theory; dielectrics; ice and water; biology; Mathieu functions. The different fields are evaluated by leading experts. The commentators are P W Anderson, R Askey, A Chorin, C Domb, R J Donnelly, W Ebeling, J-C Justice, H N W Lekkerkerker, P Mazur, H P McKean, J F Nagle, T Odijk, A B Pippard, G Stell, G H Weiss, and C N Yang.

The millimeter and sub-millimeter wavebands are unique in astronomy in containing several thousands of spectral lines of molecules as well as the thermal continuum spectrum of cold dust. They are the only bands in the electromagnetic spectrum in which we can detect the molecular gas reservoir for star formation and cold dust far away in high-redshift galaxies, and nearby in low-temperature cocoons of protostars and protoplanets. This book is based on and extensively updated from the lectures given during the Saas-Fee Advanced Course 38 on millimeter astronomy. It presents both the observing techniques and the scientific perspectives of observations at millimeter wavelengths, here in particular the star and planet formation. The chapters by Thomas L. Wilson and Stephane Guilloteau have been edited by Miroslava Dessauges-Zavadsky and Daniel Pfenniger. The book is part of the series of Saas-Fee Advanced Courses published since 1971. The targeted audience are graduate PhD and advanced undergraduate students, but the book also serves as reference for post-doctoral researchers or newcomers to the field.

Have you ever wondered what could happen when we discover another communicating species outside the Earth? This book addresses this question in all its complexity. In addition to the physical barriers for communication, such as the enormous distances where a message can take centuries to reach its recipient, the book also examines the biological problems of communicating between species, the problems of identifying a non-Terrestrial intelligence, and the ethical, religious, legal and other problems of conducting discussions across light years. Most of the book is concerned with issues that could impinge on your life: how do we share experiences with ETI? Can we make shared laws? Could we trade? Would they have religion? The book addresses these and related issues, identifying potential barriers to communication and suggesting ways we can overcome them. The book explores this topic through reference to human experience, through analogy and thought experiment, while relying on what is known to-date about ourselves, our world, and the cosmos we live in.

This text contains a collection of lectures presented at the NATO ASI on "Frontiers of Chemical Dynamics" in Kemer, Turkey. Even though these articles include and sometimes emphasize the latest developments in corresponding research fields, they all share a common denominator, namely, they are intended as lectures for students at various levels as well as scientists entering a new field. It can, therefore, be used as a supplementary textbook for graduate courses on chemical dynamics. The various aspects of dynamical problems are discussed by experimentalists, theoreticians and those who carry out "numerical experiments", although it is not always easy to distinguish between theory and experiment. Most of the topics discussed offer different approaches to the same problem which will give an overall picture.

The contributed volume puts emphasis on a superior role of water in (bio)systems exposed to a mechanical stimulus. It is well known that water plays an extraordinary role in our life. It feeds mammalian or other organism after distributing over its whole volume to support certain physiological and locomotive (friction-adhesion) processes to mention but two of them, both of extreme relevance. Water content, not only in the mammalian organism but also in other biosystems such as whether those of soil which is equipped with microbiome or the ones pertinent to plants, having their own natural network of water vessels, is always subjected to a force field.The decisive force field applied to the biosystems makes them biomechanically agitated irrespective of whether they are subjected to external or internal force-field conditions. It ought to be noted that the decisive mechanical factor shows up in a close relation with the space-and-time scale in which it is causing certain specific phenomena to occur.The scale problem, emphasizing the range of action of gravitational force, thus the millimeter or bigger force vs. distance scale, is supposed to enter the so-called macroscale approach to water transportation through soil or plants' roots system. It is merely related to a percolation problem, which assumes to properly inspect the random network architecture assigned to the biosystems invoked. The capillarity conditions turn out to be of prior importance, and the porous-medium effect has to be treated, and solved in a fairly approximate way.The deeper the scale is penetrated by a force-exerting and hydrated agent the more non-gravitational force fields manifest. This can be envisaged in terms of the corresponding thermodynamic (non-Newtonian) forces, and the phenomena of interest are mostly attributed to suitable changes of the osmotic pressure. In low Reynolds number conditions, thus in the (sub)micrometer distance-scale zone, they are related with the corresponding viscosity changes of the aqueous, e.g. cytoplasmatic solutions, of semi-diluted and concentrated (but also electrolytic) characteristics. For example, they can be observed in articulating systems of mammals, in their skin, and to some extent, in other living beings, such as lizards, geckos or even insects. Through their articulating devices an external mechanical stimulus is transmitted from macro- to nanoscale, wherein the corresponding osmotic-pressure conditions apply. The content of the proposed work can be distributed twofold. First, the biomechanical mammalian-type (or, similar) systems with extraordinary relevance of water for their functioning will be presented, also including a presentation of water itself as a key physicochemical system/medium. Second, the suitably chosen related systems, mainly of soil and plant addressing provenience, will be examined thoroughly. As a common denominator of all of them, it is proposed to look at their hydrophobic and/or (de)hydration effects, and how do they impact on their basic mechanical (and related, such as chemo-mechanical or piezoelectric, etc.) properties. An additional tacit assumption employed throughout the monograph concerns statistical scalability of the presented biosystems which is equivalent to take for granted a certain similarity between local and global system's properties, mostly those of mechanical nature. The presented work's chapters also focus on biodiversity and ecological aspects in the world of animals and plants, and the related systems. The chapters' contents underscore the bioinspiration as the key landmark of the proposed monograph.

Accretionary prisms in convergent margins are natural laboratories for exploring initial orogenic processes and mountain building episodes. They are also an important component of continental growth both vertically and laterally. Accretionary prisms are seismically highly active and their internal deformation via megathrusting and out-of-sequence faulting are a big concern for earthquake and tsunami damage in many coastal cities around the Pacific Rim. The geometries and structures of modern accretionary prisms have been well imaged seismically and through deep drilling projects of the Ocean Drilling Program (and recently IODP) during the last 15 years. Better understanding of the spatial distribution and temporal progression of accretionary prism deformation, structural and hydrologic evolution of the decollement zone (tectonic interface between the subducting slab and the upper plate), chemical gradients and fluid flow paths within accretionary prisms, contrasting stratigraphic and deformational framework along-strike in accretionary prisms, and the distribution and ecosystems of biological communities in accretionary prism settings is most important in interpreting the evolution of ancient complex sedimentary terrains and orogenic belts in terms of subduction-related processes. This book is a collection of interdisciplinary papers documenting the geological, geophysical, geochemical, and paleontological features of modern accretionay prisms and trenches in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, based on many submersible dive cruises, ODP drilling projects, and geophysical surveys during the last 10 years. It also includes several papers presenting the results of systematic integrated studies of recent to ancient on-land accretionary prisms in comparison to modern analogues. The individual chapters are data and image rich, providing a major resource of information and knowledge from these critical components of convergent margins for researchers, faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students. As such, the book will be a major and unique contribution in the broad fields of global tectonics, geodynamics, marine geology and geophysics, and structural geology and sedimentology.