Tens of thousands of different animal species live on this planet, having survived for millions of years through adaptation and evolution, which has given them a vast variety of structures and functions. Biomechanical studies of animals swimming and flying can aid understanding of the mechanisms that enable them to move effectively and efficiently in fluids . Based on such understandings and analyses, we can aim to develop environmentally friendly machines that emulate these natu ral movements. The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 agreed major treaties on biological diversity, addressing the comb ined issues of environmental protection and fair and equitable economic development. With regard to coastal environments, increasing biological diversity has begun to play an important role in reestablishing stable and sustainable ecosystems. This approach has begun to influence research into the behavior of aquatic species, as an understanding of the history of an individual aquatic species is indispensable in constructing an environmental assessment mod el that includes the physical, chemical, and biological effects of that species . From an engineering viewpoint, studying nature's biological diversity is an opportunity to reconsider mechanical systems that were systematically constructed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. We have been accumulating knowledge of the sys tems inherent in biological creatures and using that knowledge to create new, envi ronmentally friendly technologies.

Associates the application of coating technology for improving machining characteristics of difficult-to-cut materials Elaborates on the effect of coating architecture on the output machining parameters Explores the performance of coated cutting tools Discusses advanced coating systems and their application Includes industrial case studies and practical implementations where coatings were applied for the machining of difficult-to-cut materials

Medicinal Plant Responses to Stressful Conditions discusses the effects of multiple biotic and abiotic stressors on medicinal plants. It features information on biochemical, molecular, and physiological strategies used to mitigate or alleviate detrimental effects of biotic and abiotic stressors. The book contains chapters featuring medicinal plants of importance covering subjects including genomics, functional genomics, metabolomics, phenomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics under biotic and abiotic stress of medicinal plants and their molecular responses. It suggests exogenous application of different types of stimulants to enhance medicinal plant production in such conditions. Features: * Details all aspects of biotic and abiotic stressors in various important medicinal plant species. * Chapters cover evidence-based approaches in the diagnosis and management of medicinal plants under stressful conditions. * Includes information on ways to mitigate effects from high salinity, drought, temperature extremes, waterlogging, wind, high light intensity, UV radiation, heavy metals, or mineral deficiencies. A volume in the Exploring Medicinal Plants series, this book is an essential resource for plant scientists, botanists, environmental scientists, and anyone with an interest in herbal medicine

This book offers essential, systematic information on the assessment of the spatial association between two processes from a statistical standpoint. Divided into eight chapters, the book begins with preliminary concepts, mainly concerning spatial statistics. The following seven chapters focus on the methodologies needed to assess the correlation between two or more processes; from theory introduced 35 years ago, to techniques that have only recently been published. Furthermore, each chapter contains a section on R computations to explore how the methodology works with real data. References and a list of exercises are included at the end of each chapter. The assessment of the correlation between two spatial processes has been tackled from several different perspectives in a variety of applications fields. In particular, the problem of testing for the existence of spatial association between two georeferenced variables is relevant for posterior modeling and inference. One evident application in this context is the quantification of the spatial correlation between two images (processes defined on a rectangular grid in a two-dimensional space). From a statistical perspective, this problem can be handled via hypothesis testing, or by using extensions of the correlation coefficient. In an image-processing framework, these extensions can also be used to define similarity indices between images.

This detailed book builds on the foundation of lymphatic protocols with tools to aid in the interpretation of large datasets created by angiogenesis research. For example, this includes protocols to explore how transcriptional phenotyping can be achieved, both in terms of exploring tissue-specific heterogeneity to the use of database mining of existing datasets. Similarly, bioinformatic techniques run alongside protocols for transcript analysis, cell biology, pathology, as well as physiological and developmental angiogenesis models. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Angiogenesis: Methods and Protocols provides a meaningful compendium of practical approaches to angiogenesis and endothelial cell biology research.

Describes how nanomaterial functionalization is being used to create more effective sensors. Discusses various synthesis procedures, characterization techniques, and which nanomaterials should be used for sensing applications. Provides an in-depth look into oxide nanostructures, carbon nanostructures, and 2D material fabrication. Explores the challenges of using nanoscale sensors for large-scale industrial applications.

Proteomics is a well-established area of Science; yet with a strong area in constant evolution, namely sample treatment. There few books that currently cover the field of emerging sample treatments in proteomics, this new volume will be the first to cover all emerging and existing studies. This unique book presents the latest advances in the field focusing on emerging trends linked to high-resolution mass spectrometry, technology addressed to treat samples faster and to attempts to simplify the proteome for the reader.

This book provides a reference for people working in the design, development, and manufacturing of medical devices. ​While there are no statistical methods specifically intended for medical devices, there are methods that are commonly applied to various problems in the design, manufacturing, and quality control of medical devices. The aim of this book is not to turn everyone working in the medical device industries into mathematical statisticians; rather, the goal is to provide some help in thinking statistically, and knowing where to go to answer some fundamental questions, such as justifying a method used to qualify/validate equipment, or what information is necessary to support the choice of sample sizes. While, there are no statistical methods specifically designed for analysis of medical device data, there are some methods that seem to appear regularly in relation to medical devices. For example, the assessment of receiver operating characteristic curves is fundamental to development of diagnostic tests, and accelerated life testing is often critical for assessing the shelf life of medical device products. Another example is sensitivity/specificity computations are necessary for in-vitro diagnostics, and Taguchi methods can be very useful for designing devices. Even notions of equivalence and noninferiority have different interpretations in the medical device field compared to pharmacokinetics. It contains topics such as dynamic modeling, machine learning methods, equivalence testing, and experimental design, for example. This book is for those with no statistical experience, as well as those with statistical knowledgeable—with the hope to provide some insight into what methods are likely to help provide rationale for choices relating to data gathering and analysis activities for medical devices.

When reconstructing the past, the archaeologist needs to take into account all kinds of relevant information. Where no written evidence is available, the natural sciences play an indispensable role. Troia is a remarkable site in this respect. The present Troia project, under the directorship of Manfred Korfmann, integrates various disciplines including geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, anthropology, geophysical prospection as well as chemical and technological studies of metal, stone and pottery. Hardly any other archaeological project is supported so intensely and on such a broad scale by archaeometric investigations as the international research group in Troia. In April 2001 an International Symposium was held in Heidelberg, Germany, with the aim of promoting scientific interaction and providing synopses of the various disciplines engaged in Troia. This volume contains most of the contributions presented at the symposium.

Features • Presents an accessible introduction to the topic in addition to more advanced material for specialists in the field. • Covers a broad spectrum of topics this new field. • Contains exciting case studies and examples, such as quantum dots, bionanomaterials, and future perspectives.

This book reviews recent advances in the emerging field of computational network biology with special emphasis on comparative network analysis and network module detection. The chapters in this volume are contributed by leading international researchers in computational network biology and offer in-depth insight on the latest techniques in network alignment, network clustering, and network module detection. Chapters discuss the advantages of the respective techniques and present the current challenges and open problems in the field. Recent Advances in Biological Network Analysis: Comparative Network Analysis and Network Module Detection will serve as a great resource for graduate students, academics, and researchers who are currently working in areas relevant to computational network biology or wish to learn more about the field. Data scientists whose work involves the analysis of graphs, networks, and other types of data with topological structure or relations can also benefit from the book's insights.

There are many advantages to stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) for isolating and concentrating flavor-active chemicals from foods, including its simplicity and wide application appeal. Written from a practical, problem-solving perspective, the second edition of Flavor, Fragrance, and Odor Analysis highlights this powerful technique and emphasizes the range of applications available. Topics discussed include Sequential SBSE, a novel extraction procedure A simplified method for switching from one-dimensional to two-dimensional GC-MS How analytical sensitivity and recovery of phenolic compounds can be improved using aqueous acylation prior to SBSE GC-MS Analyzing and combating off-flavors caused by metabolites from microorganisms A technique for measuring synergy effects between odorants The identification of the characterizing aroma-active compounds of tropical fruits with high economic potential The parameters utilized during the production of aqueous formulations rich in pyrazines How spectral deconvolution can be used to speciate the subtle differences in essential oil content and track key ingredients through the manufacturing process The final chapter summarizes chemical identities of characterizing aroma chemicals in fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices, and savory and dairy flavors. It also provides a brief compendium of the characterization of off-flavors and taints that are reported in foods. With contributions from a distinguished panel of international experts, this volume provides chemists and researchers with the latest techniques for analyzing and enhancing food flavor and fragrance.

This volume details current and new computational methodologies to study peptides. Chapters guide readers through antimicrobial peptides, foldability, amyloid sheet formation, membrane-active peptides, organized peptide assemblies, protein-peptide interfaces, prediction of peptide-MHC complexes, advanced free energy simulations for peptide binding, and methods for high throughput peptide or miniprotein design. Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials, software, and reagents, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Computational Peptides Science: Methods and Protocols aims to provide concepts, methods, and guidelines to help both novices and experienced workers benefit from today's new opportunities and challenges.

This book cover wireless communication, security issues, advanced wireless sensor networks, routing protocols of WSNs with cross-layer solutions, emerging trends in the advanced WSNs, power management, distributed sensing and data gathering techniques for WSNs, WSNs Security, applications, research of advanced WSNs with simulation results, and simulation tools for WSNs. Features: Covers technologies supporting advanced wireless communication system, sensor networks and the conceptual development of the subject. Discusses advanced data gathering and sharing/ distributed sensing techniques with its business applicability. Includes numerous worked-out mathematical equations/formulas, and essential principles including figures, illustrations, algorithms, and flow charts are included in the book. Provides pervasive background knowledge including both wireless communications and wireless sensor networks Covers wireless networks as well as sensor network models in detailed. This is aimed at graduate students, researchers and academicians working in the field of computer science, wireless communication technology, and advanced wireless sensor networks.

Owing to their high-power density, long life and environmental compatibility, supercapacitors are emerging as one of the promising storage technologies but with challenges around energy and power requirements for specific applications. This book focusses on supercapacitors including details on classification, charge storage mechanisms, related kinetics, and thermodynamics. Materials used as electrodes, electrolytes and separators, and procedures followed, characterization methods and modeling are covered along with emphasis on related applications. Features: Provides an in-depth look at supercapacitors, including their working concepts, and design. Reviews detailed explanation of various characterization and modeling techniques. Give special focus to the application of supercapacitors in major areas of environmental as well as social importance. Covers Cyclic Voltammetry, Charging-Discharging Curves, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as characterization techniques. Includes a detailed chapter on historical perspectives on evolution of supercapacitors. This book aims at researchers, and graduate students in materials science and engineering, nanotechnology, chemistry in batteries, and physics.

The papers in this volume comprise the refereed proceedings of the Second IFIP International Conference on Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture (CCTA2008), in Beijing, China, 2008. The conference on the Second IFIP International Conference on Computer and Computing Technologies in Agriculture (CCTA 2008) is cooperatively sponsored and organized by the China Agricultural University (CAU), the National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture (NERCITA), the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering (CSAE) , International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Beijing Society for Information Technology in Agriculture, China and Beijing Research Center for Agro-products Test and Farmland Inspection, China. The related departments of China's central government bodies like: Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Education and the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, etc. have greatly contributed and supported to this event. The conference is as good platform to bring together scientists and researchers, agronomists and information engineers, extension servers and entrepreneurs from a range of disciplines concerned with impact of Information technology for sustainable agriculture and rural development. The representatives of all the supporting organizations, a group of invited speakers, experts and researchers from more than 15 countries, such as: the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Germany, Greece, Australia, Estonia, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Nigeria, Brazil, China, etc.

Reports on waste valorization in the winemaking industry and converting the waste into more useful products including oils, antioxidants and other valuable materials. Explores research which contributes to environmental sustainability and circular economy in the winemaking industry. Describes other ways to reduce the ecological footprint of the wine industry such as using less fertilizer, more benign pesticides and reduction of water footprint. Proposes options for a potential wine waste biorefining. Reviews alternative uses of agro-industrial wine wastes as sources of additives for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

This book is a collection of principles and current practices in omics research, applied to skeletal muscle physiology and disorders. The various sections are categorized according to the level of biological organization, namely, genomics (DNA), transcriptomics (RNA), proteomics (protein), and metabolomics (metabolite). With skeletal muscle as the unifying theme, and featuring contributions from leading experts in this traditional field of research, it highlights the importance of skeletal muscle tissue in human development, health and successful ageing. It also discusses other fascinating topics like developmental biology, muscular dystrophies, exercise, insulin resistance and atrophy due to disuse, ageing or other muscle diseases, conveying the vast opportunities for generating new hypotheses as well as testing existing hypotheses by combining high-throughput techniques with proper experiment designs, bioinformatics and statistical analyses. Presenting the latest research techniques, this book is a valuable resource for the physiology community, particularly researchers and grad students who want to explore the new opportunities for omics technologies in basic physiology research.

A new volume in the Emerging Issues in Analytical Chemistry series, Exercise, Sport, and Bioanalytical Chemistry: Principles and Practice focuses on the basic and applied aspects of energy metabolism in humans. Concise and scientific, yet intelligible to the nonscientist, the book consists of two parts. Part I, Introduction: Basics and Background, provides the biochemistry necessary to understand the rest of the book and describes analytical processes and results as an aid to grasping the science. Part II, Applications: Knowledge into Practice, explores measurement techniques for metabolism, energy expenditure of various activities, techniques that enhance expenditure, metabolic adaptation, foods and drugs that enhance expenditure, and the role of bioanalytical chemistry in future research in exercise and sport. Discussion of the benefits of exercise and practices for improving the capacity to perform exercise is illustrated by many useful and entertaining examples. This volume allows readers to come away with a grasp of the scientific concepts, how they are manifested in research techniques, and how the results of research can be applied in the real world of public health and personal development. The Emerging Issues in Analytical Chemistry series is published in partnership with RTI International and edited by Brian F. Thomas. Please be sure to check out our other featured volumes: Thomas, Brian F. and ElSohly, Mahmoud. The Analytical Chemistry of Cannabis: Quality Assessment, Assurance, and Regulation of Medicinal Marijuana and Cannabinoid Preparations, 9780128046463, December 2015. Tanna, Sangeeta and Lawson, Graham. Analytical Chemistry for Assessing Medication Adherence, 9780128054635, April 2016. Rao, Vikram, Knight, Rob, and Stoner, Brian. Sustainable Shale Oil and Gas: Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Geochemistry Methods, 9780128103890, forthcoming September 2016. Farsalinos, Konstantinos, et al. Analytical Assessment of e-Cigarettes: From Contents to Chemical and Particle Exposure Profiles, 9780128112410, forthcoming November 2016.

In the past decade, the field of physics has witnessed renewed advances in physical systems without mirror (parity) symmetry. Experimentally, chiral magnetic skyrmions discovered in real materials have stirred a great deal of interest in future spintronic applications due to their nanoscale size, topological protection, and energy efficiency. Theoretically, the Hall viscosity, a new universal transport coefficient, through the progress in hydrodynamics has triggered extensive theoretical investigation in quantum Hall systems. This book provides an extensive account of skyrmion dynamics, using various analytical tools, especially the field theory Ward identity that is a first principle method using symmetries and the associated conservation equations. The identity revealed that Hall viscosity is a universal part of skyrmion motion. This book leads readers to frontline research in searching for the role of the mysterious Hall viscosity in skyrmion physics, using the interdisciplinary point of view that encompasses high-energy physics, condensed matter, and materials science. It also provides the necessary backgrounds and physical clarity for advanced undergraduates to meaningfully explore its contents through mathematical expressions conveyed in both vector and index notations.

The book reviews photosynthetic water oxidation and proton-coupled electron transfer in photosystem, focusing on the molecular vibrations of amino acid residues and water molecules. Photosynthetic water oxidation performed by plants and cyanobacteria is essential for the sustenance of life on Earth, not only as an electron source for synthesizing sugars from CO2, but also as an O2 source in the atmosphere. Water oxidation takes place at the Mn4CaO5 cluster in photosystem II, where a series of electron transfer reactions coupled with proton transfer occur using light energy. The author addresses the unresolved mechanisms of photosynthetic water oxidation and relevant proton-coupled electron transfer reactions using a combined approach of experimental and computational methods such as Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The results show that protonation and hydrogen-bond structures of water molecules and amino acid residues in the protein play important roles in regulation of the electron and proton transfer reactions. These findings and the methodology make a significant contribution to our understanding the molecular mechanism of photosynthetic water oxidation.

The book sets out to inform a broad range of professionals working in medicine and healthcare about how creative thinking and design concepts can be used to innovate in providing an enhanced patient experience. It outlines these concepts as a primary means to identify, clarify and resolve some of the process improvement and enhancement challenges in healthcare delivery. It demonstrates by example how such challenges can be addressed, drawing on case examples from healthcare and other industries, and from the authors’ own experiences as innovators and educators. It emphasizes the value of learning in action. For the reader who already has a leaning towards novel approaches to addressing healthcare delivery challenges, it provides guidance on harnessing team inputs and engaging with a network of contributors. It is an ideal resource for all working in medicine and healthcare, from managers, nurses, doctors, administrators, executives, and allied health professionals to medical engineers, medical physicists, medical scientists and medical product developers. Features Provides a unique framework to conceptualise innovation in healthcare and medicine. Authored by an award-winning medical scientist and an established business school Professor who have proven track-records with innovation, in education settings and as entrepreneurs. Presents a clear interdisciplinary approach, complemented with practical case studies set in the context of the challenges facing healthcare delivery in the 21st century. Dr. Barry McMahon has a national and international reputation as an Academic Medical Physicist in the fields of novel physiological measurement and medical device innovation and design. He is the co- inventor of the Functional Lumen Imaging Probe (FLIP) technique later commercialised as EndoFLIP™. He was the Director of the Innovation Academy at Trinity College Dublin from 2012 to 2017. Since 2020 he is advising Children’s Health Ireland on innovation practice. In 2021, he retired as Chief Physicist/Clinical Engineer at Tallaght Hospital, Ireland and currently runs his own innovation-consulting group Electric Mindset Ltd. Dr. Paul Coughlan is Professor in Operations Management and Co-Director of Faculty at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. His research explores collaborative strategic improvement of operations through network action learning. He was the Director of the Innovation Academy at Trinity College Dublin from 2010 to 2012. He is a founding director of a research-based spin-out venture, Easy Hydro Ltd.

Clearly presents the state of the art and future trends in the research of the biodegradable polymers in the context of circular economy Covers entire value chain and life cycle of biopolymers, considering different types of polymers Clarifies the life safety of (bio)degradable polymeric materials Presents novel opportunities and ideas for developing or improving technologies Determines the course of degradation during prediction study

This is the first textbook solely dedicated to the study of exocrine glands and cells throughout the human body. Students will gain a broad overview of the whole exocrine system, it's structural features and learn to understand it's integral parts in almost all bodily functions. Taking a systemic approach, the author guides readers through the different organ sites, shapes, methods of secretion and their secretory products. Starting with the glands of the integument, which is covering the outside of the body, the chapters proceed to also discuss the urinary tract, respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems. Various levels of complexity, from single goblet cells to the major organs, are thoroughly explained. A basic knowledge in histology is advantageous, for the numerous and rich illustrations. With its inviting writing style, this textbook is a perfect learning tool for students in Physiology and Medicine - particularly considering Dentistry, Dermatology, Gastroenterology and Pulmonology.

1) Provides analytical solutions based on a three-phase model for composites of various structures 2) Identifies computational models to solve problems within all applications of composite materials 3) Constructs higher approximations of the Maxwell formula 4) Proposes efficient analytical algorithms ensuring reliable computational analysis