This book covers recent developments in the non-standard asymptotics of the mathematical narrow escape problem in stochastic theory, as well as applications of the narrow escape problem in cell biology. The first part of the book concentrates on mathematical methods, including advanced asymptotic methods in partial equations, and is aimed primarily at applied mathematicians and theoretical physicists who are interested in biological applications. The second part of the book is intended for computational biologists, theoretical chemists, biochemists, biophysicists, and physiologists. It includes a summary of output formulas from the mathematical portion of the book and concentrates on their applications in modeling specific problems in theoretical molecular and cellular biology. Critical biological processes, such as synaptic plasticity and transmission, activation of genes by transcription factors, or double-strained DNA break repair, are controlled by diffusion in structures that have both large and small spatial scales. These may be small binding sites inside or on the surface of the cell, or narrow passages between subcellular compartments. The great disparity in spatial scales is the key to controlling cell function by structure. This volume reports recent progress on resolving analytical and numerical difficulties in extracting properties from experimental data, biophysical models, and from Brownian dynamics simulations of diffusion in multi-scale structures.

Discrete Mathematics and theoretical computer science are closely linked research areas with strong impacts on applications and various other scientific disciplines. Both fields deeply cross fertilize each other. One of the persons who particularly contributed to building bridges between these and many other areas is László Lovász, whose outstanding scientific work has defined and shaped many research directions in the past 40 years. A number of friends and colleagues, all top authorities in their fields of expertise gathered at the two conferences in August 2008 in Hungary, celebrating Lovász' 60th birthday. It was a real fete of combinatorics and computer science. Some of these plenary speakers submitted their research or survey papers prior to the conferences. These are included in the volume "Building Bridges". The other speakers were able to finish their contribution only later, these are collected in the present volume.

Nuclear Receptors focuses on the structural analysis of nuclear receptors from the initial work using isolated protein domains to the more recent exciting developments investigating the conformational shape of full-length receptor complexes. The book also reviews the structure of key nuclear receptor co-regulatory proteins. It brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive review of nuclear receptor structure and the importance of receptor conformation underpinning allosteric regulation by different ligands (hormone, drugs, DNA response elements, protein-protein interactions) and receptor activity. The nuclear receptor superfamily, including receptors for steroid hormones and non-steroid ligands, are pivotal to normal physiology, regulating processes as diverse as reproduction, metabolism, the immune system and brain development. The first members of the family were cloned over 25 years ago, which heralded in the idea of a superfamily of intracellular receptor proteins that bound small molecule ligands: classical steroid hormones, vitamins, fatty acids and other products of metabolism. These signals are then transmitted through multiprotein receptor-DNA complexes, leading to the regulation of target genes, often in a cell-selective manner. The cloning of the receptor cDNAs also ushered in an era of unparalleled analysis of the mechanisms of action of these ligand-activated transcription factors.

This doctoral thesis explains the synthesis and characterization of novel, smart hybrid nanomaterials. Bastian Ebeling combines in this work synthetic polymers with inorganic nanoparticles from silica or gold. The first chapters offer a comprehensive introduction to basics of polymer science and the applied methodologies. In following chapters, the author describes in detail how he systematically tailored the polymers using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) for combination with inorganic nanoparticles. This work also unravels mechanistic, thermodynamic, and structural aspects of all building blocks and reaction steps. The method described here is simple to perform and opens up pathways to new sets of nanohybrid materials with potential applications as sensors, in energy conversion, or catalysis. Readers will find a unique picture of the step-by step formation of new complex nanomaterials. It offers polymer scientists a systematic guide to the formation and synthesis of a new class of responsive nanomaterials.

With the rapid changes in the social, political, economic and technological landscape around the world, today's learners face a more globally competitive job market after leaving school. The 21st century, which is characterized by the emergence of knowledge-based societies, expects learners to be comfortable in dealing with ambiguities and complexities in the real world and to be able to use knowledge as a tool at their workplace. This book will help readers develop an in-depth understanding of authentic problem solving and learning, and how it can be used to make a difference in their school or learning communities for the development of 21st century competencies. Comprising 20 chapters written by Singapore-based and international authors, the book is organized into three themes: authentic problems, authentic practices, and authentic participation. It details innovative school practices (e.g. productive failure) concerning the design of problems, learning activities, learning environments, and ICT tools for authentic problem solving and learning. Along with theoretical explanations of authentic learning processes and outcomes, the book also elucidates how students learn by generating and exploring solutions to complex problems and which cognitive functions are needed at different stages of problem-based learning. Presenting coherent descriptions of instructional design principles, successful cases and challenges encountered in K-12 schools and learning communities, the book provides useful information, new insights, and practical guidance for school directors, parents, teachers and researchers seeking to develop authentic learning environments for 21st century learners.

This book represents an updated review of the physiology of the carotid body chemoreceptors. It contains results in the topics at the frontiers of future developments in O2-sensing in chemoreceptor cells. Additionally, this volume provides data from studies carried out in other O2-sensing tissues including pulmonary vasculature and erythropoietin producing cells. It is a prime source of information and a guideline for arterial chemoreception researchers.

Disgorgement of profits is not exactly a household word in private law. Particularly in civil law jurisdictions - as opposed to those of the common law - the notion is not well known. What does it stand for? It is best illustrated by examples. One of the best known being the British case of Blake v Attorney General, [2001] 1 AC 268. In which a double spy had been imprisoned by the UK government before escaping and settling in the former Soviet Union. While there wrote a book on his experiences, upon which the UK government claimed the proceeds of the book. The House of Lords, as it then was, allowed the claim on the basis of Blake's breach of his employment contract. Other examples are the infringement of intellectual property rights, where the damages of the owner are limited, but the profits of the wrongdoer immense. In such cases, the question arises whether the infringing party should be disgorged of his profits. This volume aims at establishing the notion of disgorgement of profits as a keyword in the discourse of private law. It does not purport to answer the question whether or not such damages should or should not be awarded. It does however aim to contribute to the discussion, the arguments in favour and against, and the organisation of the various actions.

This book provides detailed and comprehensive information on oxidative damage caused by stresses in plants with especial reference to the metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In plants, as in all aerobic organisms, ROS are common by-products formed by the inevitable leakage of electrons onto O2 from the electron transport activities located in chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes and in plasma membranes or as a consequence of various metabolic pathways confined in different cellular loci. Environmental stresses such as heat, cold, drought, salinity, heavy-metal toxicity, ozone and ultraviolet radiation as well as pathogens/contagion attack lead to enhanced generation of ROS in plants due to disruption of cellular homeostasis. ROS play a dual role in plants; at low concentrations they act as signaling molecules that facilitate several responses in plant cells, including those promoted by biotic and abiotic agents. In divergence, at high levels they cause damage to cellular constituents triggering oxidative stress. In either case, small antioxidant molecules and enzymes modulate the action of these ambivalent species.

This book provides ample coverage of theoretical and experimental state-of-the-art work as well as new trends and directions in the biometrics field. It offers students and software engineers a thorough understanding of how some core low-level building blocks of a multi-biometric system are implemented. While this book covers a range of biometric traits, its main emphasis is placed on multi-sensory and multi-modal face biometrics algorithms and systems.

The present work focuses on the development of intensified small-scale extraction units for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing using advanced process engineering with combined experimental and modelling methodologies. It discusses a number of novel elements, such as the intensification of spent fuel reprocessing and the use of ionic liquids as green alternatives to organic solvents. The use of ionic liquids in two-phase liquid-liquid separation is new to the Multiphase Flow community, and has proved to be challenging, especially in small channels, because of the surface and interfacial properties involved, which are very different to those of common organic solvents. Numerical studies have been also performed to couple the hydrodynamics at small scale with the mass transfer. The numerical results, taken together with scale-up studies, are used to evaluate the applicability of the small-scale units in reprocessing large volumes of nuclear waste.

Contemporary cities face phenomenal risks, and they face particularly high levels of mounting social and environmental risks, including social polarization, urban conflicts, riots, terror, and climate change threats. This book suggests that climate change and its resulting uncertainties challenge the concepts, procedures, and scope of conventional approaches to planning, creating a need to rethink and revise current planning methods. Therefore, this book suggests a paradigm shift in our thinking, interrogation, and planning of our cities. Based on the contemporary conditions of risk at cities, this book conceptualizes the risk city as a construct of three interlinked concepts of risk, trust, and practice. It is a construct of risk and its new evolving conditions and knowledge of uncertainties stem from climate change and other risks and uncertainties. As a construct of practices, the risk city produces social and political institutional framework and promotes practices accordingly in order to reduce risk and risk possibilities and to increase trust. In light of the complex challenges and risks to the human habitat that have emerged in recent years, many cities have prepared various types of plans aimed at addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Nonetheless, despite the importance of these plans and the major public resources invested in their formulation, we still know little about them and have yet to begin studying them and assessing their contributions . From the innovative perspective of the risk city, this book asks critical questions about the nature, vision, practices, and potential impact of the recent climate change-oriented plans. What kinds of risks do they attempt to address, what types of practices do they institute, and what types of approaches do they apply? Do they adequately address the risks and uncertainties posed? How do they contribute to the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? This book uses the methodologically innovative Risk City framework to examine the nature, vision, outcomes, practices, and impact of these crucial plans, as well as their contribution to the resilience of our cities and to global efforts toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This edited book provides a conceptual framework of managing flexibility in the areas of people, process, technology and business supported by researches/case applications in various types of flexibilities in business. The book is organized into following five parts: (i) Managing Flexibility; (ii) People Flexibility; (iii) Process Flexibility; (iv) Flexibility in Technology and Innovation Management; and (v) Business Flexibility. Managing flexibility at the level of people, process, technology and business encompasses the requirements of both choice and speed. The need for managing flexibility is growing to cope with the developments and challenges in the global business environment. This can be seen from reactive as well as proactive perspectives. Flexibility is a major dimension of business excellence and deals with a paradoxical view point such as stability and dynamism, continuity and change, centralization and decentralization, and so on. It needs to be managed at the levels of people, process, technology and various business functions and it is important to create flexibility at the level of people to create and manage flexibility in processes and technologies in order to support flexible business requirements.

This book explores, through eight chapters, how design thinking vocabulary can be interpreted and employed in educational contexts. The theoretical foundations of design thinking and design in education are first examined by means of a literature review. This is then followed by chapters that characterize design thinking among children, pre-service teachers and in-service teachers using research data collected from the authors' design-driven coursework and projects. The book also examines issues associated with methods for fostering and assessing design thinking. In the final chapter, it discusses future directions for the incorporation of design thinking into educational settings. Intended for teachers, teacher educators and university instructors, this book aims to provide them with the theoretical foundations needed to grasp design thinking, and to provide examples of how design thinking can be interpreted and evaluated. The materials covered will help these groups of professionals to consider how design thinking can be integrated into their own teaching and learning contexts. The book will also promote a discourse between educational researchers on the theoretical development of design thinking in educational settings.

This volume showcases the best of recent research in the philosophy of science. A compilation of papers presented at the EPSA 13, it explores a broad distribution of topics such as causation, truthlikeness, scientific representation, gender-specific medicine, laws of nature, science funding and the wisdom of crowds. Papers are organised into headings which form the structure of the book. Readers will find that it covers several major fields within the philosophy of science, from general philosophy of science to the more specific philosophy of physics, philosophy of chemistry, philosophy of the life sciences, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of the social sciences and humanities, amongst others. This volume provides an excellent overview of the state of the art in the philosophy of science, as practiced in different European countries and beyond. It will appeal to researchers with an interest in the philosophical underpinnings of their own discipline, and to philosophers who wish to explore the latest work on the themes explored.

This book examines democratizing media reforms in Latin America. The author explains why some countries have recently passed such reforms in the broadcasting sector, while others have not. By offering a civil society perspective, the author moves beyond conventional accounts that perceive media reforms primarily as a form of government repression to punish oppositional media. Instead, he highlights the pioneering role of civil society coalitions, which have managed to revitalize the debate on communication rights and translated them into specific regulatory outcomes such as the promotion of community radio stations. The book provides an in-depth, comparative analysis of media reform debates in Argentina and Brazil (analyzing Chile and Uruguay as complementary cases), supported by original qualitative research. As such, it advances our understanding of how shifting power relations and social forces are affecting policymaking in Latin America and beyond.

This thesis addresses two fundamental areas in contemporary organic chemistry: synthesis of natural products and catalytic asymmetric synthesis. Firstly, a new methodology, developed by our research group, which allows the asymmetric synthesis of lactones, a structural unit ubiquitous in natural products, was utilised in the synthesis of a number of natural product analogues that showed significant biological activity. Secondly, the development of a catalytic asymmetric synthesis of a key structural motif present in a number of natural products and pharmaceuticals was accomplished. During the course of this work we discovered dual stereo control, which is significant because it allows the configuration of a new stereo centre to be controlled by a simple change of proton source.

This book presents interdisciplinary research that pursues the mutual enrichment of neuroscience and robotics. Building on experimental work, and on the wealth of literature regarding the two cortical pathways of visual processing - the dorsal and ventral streams - we define and implement, computationally and on a real robot, a functional model of the brain areas involved in vision-based grasping actions. Grasping in robotics is largely an unsolved problem, and we show how the bio-inspired approach is successful in dealing with some fundamental issues of the task. Our robotic system can safely perform grasping actions on different unmodeled objects, denoting especially reliable visual and visuomotor skills. The computational model and the robotic experiments help in validating theories on the mechanisms employed by the brain areas more directly involved in grasping actions. This book offers new insights and research hypotheses regarding such mechanisms, especially for what concerns the interaction between the dorsal and ventral streams. Moreover, it helps in establishing a common research framework for neuroscientists and roboticists regarding research on brain functions.

This book provides an introduction to investment appraisal and presents a range of methods and models, some of which are not widely known, or at least not well covered by other textbooks. Each approach is thoroughly described, evaluated and illustrated using examples, with its assumptions and limitations analyzed in terms of their implications for investment decision-making practice. Investment decisions are of vital importance to all companies. Getting these decisions right is crucial but, due to a complex and dynamic business environment, this remains a challenging management task. Effective appraisal methods are valuable tools in supporting investment decision-making. As organisations continue to seek a competitive edge, it is increasingly important that management accountants and strategic decision-makers have a sound knowledge of these tools.

This timely text presents a comprehensive overview of fault tolerance techniques for high-performance computing (HPC). The text opens with a detailed introduction to the concepts of checkpoint protocols and scheduling algorithms, prediction, replication, silent error detection and correction, together with some application-specific techniques such as ABFT. Emphasis is placed on analytical performance models. This is then followed by a review of general-purpose techniques, including several checkpoint and rollback recovery protocols. Relevant execution scenarios are also evaluated and compared through quantitative models. Features: provides a survey of resilience methods and performance models; examines the various sources for errors and faults in large-scale systems; reviews the spectrum of techniques that can be applied to design a fault-tolerant MPI; investigates different approaches to replication; discusses the challenge of energy consumption of fault-tolerance methods in extreme-scale systems.

Comprehensive overview of different aspects of autophagy as it relates to neurodegenerative diseases. The pathogenesis of the main neurodegenerative disorders includes either the accumulation of altered or misfolded proteins or exposure to several toxics. Autophagy constitute one of the two principal cellular pathways implicate in the clearance of these material and can serve as a neuroprotective mechanism. Topics include: the role of autophagy in the brain, the role of autophagy in the principal neurodegenerative disorders, and the mechanism by which different molecules cause neurotoxicity and the role autophagy plays.

Presenting the best papers of the 3rd EPFL-UNESCO Chair Conference on Technologies for Development, this publication offers a valuable collection of innovative case studies exploring access to energy and renewable energy technologies in the Global South. It investigates the key determinants for successfully providing energy to resource-poor communities and examines a wide range of technologies for energy production, distribution, storage and efficient use. Taken together, these case studies deal with the entire life cycle of products and solutions, as well as the complete value chain including all relevant stake holders. The collection also draws upon empirical research conducted in Africa and South America to present critical perspectives on women’s access to technologies in the renewable sector. This publication serves as a bridge between engineers, economists and other scientists involved in research on the interface between technology and human, social and economic development. It also provides a valuable resource to academics and researchers of the natural sciences, computer science, information management, quantitative social sciences and business studies. 

The overall structure of this new edition is three-tier: Part I presents the basics, Part II is concerned with methodological issues, and Part III discusses advanced topics. In the second edition the authors have reorganized the material to focus on problems, how to represent them, and then how to choose and design algorithms for different representations. They also added a chapter on problems, reflecting the overall book focus on problem-solvers, a chapter on parameter tuning, which they combined with the parameter control and "how-to" chapters into a methodological part, and finally a chapter on evolutionary robotics with an outlook on possible exciting developments in this field. The book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in artificial intelligence and computational intelligence, and for self-study by practitioners and researchers engaged with all aspects of bioinspired design and optimization.

This comprehensive edited volume synthesizes the current state of research and practice in psychological, medical, and motor disorders as they affect individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). It examines how these disorders exist across this population, sometimes confound diagnosis, and often affect individuals’ quality of life. In addition, this book explores which treatments are effective for patients and points to future challenges. Comorbid conditions featured include: Challenging behaviors. ADHD, autism, and other conditions present during early childhood. Anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Balance and gait problems. Cerebral palsy. Medical conditions common to persons with ID, such as epilepsy, obesity, and chronic pain. Comorbid Conditions in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in clinical child, school, and developmental psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and social work as well as rehabilitation medicine/therapy, behavioral therapy, pediatrics, and educational psychology.

This important book proposes revising the current informed consent protocol for predictive genetic testing to reflect the trend toward patient-centered medicine. Emphasizing the predictive aspect of testing, the author analyzes the state of informed consent procedure in terms of three components: comprehension of risk assessment, disclosure to select appropriate treatment, and voluntariness. The book's revised model revisits these cornerstones, restructuring the consent process to allow for expanded comprehension time, enhanced patient safety, greater patient involvement and autonomy, and reduced chance of coercion by family or others. A comparison of the current and revised versions and case studies showing the new model in real-world applications add extra usefulness to this resource. Included in the coverage: The science behind PGT. Understanding genetic risks and probability. The history of informed consent. Revised model of informed consent: comprehension, disclosure, voluntariness, patient safety. Applications of the model in DTC and pleiotropic genetic testing. Implementation of the revised model, and assessing its effectiveness. A milestone in the bioethics literature, Informed Consent in Predictive Genetic Testing will be of considerable interest to genetic counselors, medical and bioethicists, and public health professionals.

This book explores research on processes that influence family-school partnerships in support of student learning and education. It highlights research related to culture, contexts, and development as families and schools work together to promote smooth transitions and academic achievement. The volume discusses research related to family and community engagement with schools, and describes the various mechanisms by which partnerships may support students’ long-term developmental outcomes and success beyond school. Each chapter sets forth a forward-thinking research agenda aimed at further understanding and implementing the processes by which family-school partnerships promote children’s healthy adjustment. In addition to examining critical and emerging issues, this unique book also provides robust strategies, data, and rationales across the following areas: Cultural processes and the connections among home, school, and community. Family-school relationships during adolescence. Achievement mediators of family engagement in children’s education. Continuities and consistencies across home and school systems. Uncovering processes and pathways in family-school research. Strengthening networks and attachments to promote child development. Processes and Pathways of Family-School Partnerships Across Development is a must-have resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in child and school psychology, educational policy and politics, family studies, developmental psychology, sociology of education, and other interrelated disciplines.