This book provides an introduction to the significant role of physics in evolution, based on the ideas of matter and energy resource flow, organism self-copying, and ecological change. The text employs these ideas to create quantitative models for important evolutionary processes. Many fields of science and engineering have come up against the problem of complex design-when details become so numerous that computer power alone cannot make progress. Nature solved the complex-design problem using evolution, yet how it did so has been a mystery. Both laboratory experiments and computer-simulation attempts eventually stopped evolving. Something more than Darwin's ideas of heredity, variation, and selection was needed. The solution is that there is a fourth element to evolution: ecological change. When a new variation is selected, this can change the ecology, and the new ecology can create new opportunities for even more new variations to be selected. Through this endless cycle, complexity can grow automatically. This book uses the physics of resource flow to describe this process in detail, developing quantitative models for many evolutionary processes, including selection, multicellularity, coevolution, sexual reproduction, and the Serengeti Rules. The text demonstrates that these models are in conceptual agreement with numerous examples of biological phenomena, and reveals, through physics, how complex design can arise naturally. This will serve as a key text on the part physics plays in evolution, and will be of great interest to students at the university level and above studying biophysics, physics, systems biology, and related fields.

This book provides an introduction to the significant role of physics in evolution, based on the ideas of matter and energy resource flow, organism self-copying, and ecological change. The text employs these ideas to create quantitative models for important evolutionary processes. Many fields of science and engineering have come up against the problem of complex design-when details become so numerous that computer power alone cannot make progress. Nature solved the complex-design problem using evolution, yet how it did so has been a mystery. Both laboratory experiments and computer-simulation attempts eventually stopped evolving. Something more than Darwin's ideas of heredity, variation, and selection was needed. The solution is that there is a fourth element to evolution: ecological change. When a new variation is selected, this can change the ecology, and the new ecology can create new opportunities for even more new variations to be selected. Through this endless cycle, complexity can grow automatically. This book uses the physics of resource flow to describe this process in detail, developing quantitative models for many evolutionary processes, including selection, multicellularity, coevolution, sexual reproduction, and the Serengeti Rules. The text demonstrates that these models are in conceptual agreement with numerous examples of biological phenomena, and reveals, through physics, how complex design can arise naturally. This will serve as a key text on the part physics plays in evolution, and will be of great interest to students at the university level and above studying biophysics, physics, systems biology, and related fields.

This book entails the developments in the field of e-waste management with particular focus on urban mining, sustainability, and circular economy aspects. It further explains e-waste recycling technologies, supply chain aspects, e-waste disposal in IT industries including health and environmental effects of E-waste recycling processes and associated issues, challenges, and solutions. Further, it describes economic potential of resource recovery from e-waste. Features: Covers recent developments in e-waste management. Explores technological advancements such as nanotech from e-waste, MREW, fungal biotech and so forth. Reviews electronic component recycling aspects. Discusses implementation of circular economy in e-waste sector. Includes urban mining and sustainability aspects of e-waste. This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in environmental engineering, waste management, urban mining, circular economy, waste processing, electronics, and telecommunication engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, and chemical engineering.

Compiles current research on nanomaterials as well as their versatile applications in plant biotic stress management Describes role of nanomaterials as enzyme-mimicking nanoparticles, nano-pesticides, nano-fertilizers, and nanomaterials Reviews day-to-day problems related to crop plants, their diagnostics and stress management Explores trends in nanomaterials utility towards diagnostics, enzyme-mimicking, crop protection and their possible role in plant disease management Includes pertinent nanomaterials including synthetic strategies, properties, chemistry, and applications

Gene delivery is a transport of genes of therapeutic values into the chromosomes of the cells or tissues which can be targeted to replace the faulty genes. In last two decades lot of research efforts are dedicated to gene delivery for therapeutic applications. Today gene therapy is promising approach in treatment of genetic diseases including mitochondrial related diseases like blindness, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and some cancers. Gene Delivery Systems: Nano Delivery Technologies observes the exploration of nanotechnology for gene therapy and gene delivery. Written by prominent authors in the field, this book covers various aspects of gene delivery including challenges in delivering gene therapy, advances in genome editing, RNA-based gene therapy, Green nanoparticles for oligonucleotide delivery. Additional features include" Provides the most up to date information on the development of gene therapy, from the technology involved to gene correction and genome editing. Includes knowledge of the current application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique; an approach that has recently been given the Noble Prize. Examines the development of mRNA vaccines for Covid -19 in challenging pandemic scenario Discusses siRNA, mRNA, and DNA plasmids.

Nanoparticles have a smaller size as compared to their micro, macro or bulk counterparts. Reduction in size of these particles provides them with some unique characteristics, such as surface-to-volume ratio, quantum confinement effect, surface plasmon response, widening of band gap, etc. These nanoparticles have attracted attention of scientists all over the globe in last few decades. Nanomaterials are a requirement of the day as their use is pushing a number of bulk materials out of use. These have numerous applications in varied fields like solar cells, food industries, targeted gene and drug delivery, medical imaging, polymeric materials, sensors, treatment of water, soil and air pollution, etc. Written in a convenient and easy-to-read style, this book covers the important aspects of nanomaterials by focusing on the many issues related to food and textile industries, treatment of polluted water, health, energy crises, targeted drug delivery, etc. The editors take an interdisciplinary approach to discussing how the scenario will change on a global level in the future and explore when these nanomaterials will replace almost all micro- and macromaterials. The Science of Nanomaterials is a ready-at-hand guide to the many issues related to the use of nanomaterials in drug and gene delivery, sensors, photosplitting of water, wastewater treatment, microbial diagnosis, textile industries, nanocomposites, food industries (safety, security, packaging and preservation), etc. that will be valuable to students at all levels as well as a refresher for scientists, researchers, policymakers, and others.

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

Application as well as detection of different chemicals plays an important role in the progress of modern science and technology. The beauty of various characteristics of materials and the inherent logic behind their working mechanisms can be wisely utilized for sensing different chemicals. The mechanisms as well as performances of different materials viz. carbon nanotube, graphene, metal oxides, biomaterials, luminescent metal-organic frameworks, hydrogels, textiles, quantum dots, ligands, crown ethers etc. for identification of different chemicals has been discussed here. This book would be a valuable reference to select suitable materials for possible use in chemical sensors.

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

The last lecture course that Nobel Prize winner Richard P. Feynman gave at Caltech from 1983 to 1986 was not on physics but on computer science. The first edition of the Feynman Lectures on Computation published in 1996 and provided an overview of standard and not-so-standard topics in computer science given in Feynman's inimitable style. Although now over 20 years old, most of the material is still relevant and interesting, and Feynman's unique philosophy of learning and discovery shines through. For this new edition, Tony Hey has updated the lectures with an invited chapter from Professor John Preskill on "Quantum Computing 40 Years Later." This contribution captures the progress made towards building a quantum computer since Feynman's original suggestions in 1981. The last 25 years have also seen the "Moore's Law" roadmap for the IT industry coming to an end. To reflect this transition, John Shalf, Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has contributed a chapter on "The Future of Computing Beyond Moore's Law." The final update for this edition capturea Feynman's interest in Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Neural Networks. Eric Mjolsness, now a professor of Computer Science at the University of California Irvine, was a Teaching Assistant for Feynman's original lecture course and his research interests are now in the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for multi-scale science. He has contributed a chapter on "Feynman on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning" that captures the early discussions with Feynman and also looks towards future developments. This exciting and important work provides key reading for students and scholars in the fields of computer science and computational physics.

The past three decades have witnessed the great success of lithium-ion batteries, especially in the areas of 3C products, electrical vehicles, and smart grid applications. However, further optimization of the energy/power density, coulombic efficiency, cycle life, charge speed, and environmental adaptability are still needed. To address these issues, a thorough understanding of the reaction inside a battery or dynamic evolution of each component is required. Microscopy and Microanalysis for Lithium-Ion Batteries discusses advanced analytical techniques that offer the capability of resolving the structure and chemistry at an atomic resolution to further drive lithium-ion battery research and development. * Provides comprehensive techniques that probe the fundamentals of Li-ion batteries. * Covers the basic principles of the techniques involved as well as its application in battery research. * Describes details of experimental set-ups and procedure for successful experiments. This reference is aimed at researchers, engineers, and scientists studying lithium-ion batteries including chemical, materials, and electrical engineers, as well as chemists and physicists.

Key features: Organised and centred around analysis techniques, not traditional Mechanics and E&M. Presents a unified approach, in a different order, meaning that the same laboratories, equipment, and demonstrations can be used when teaching the course. Demonstrates to students that the analysis and concepts they are learning are critical to the understanding of biological systems.

This book describes current understandings and recent progress in four areas: in the first one, the cytochalasans, a group of fungal derived natural products characterized by a perhydro-isoindolone core fused with a macrocyclic ring are shown to exhibit high structural diversity and a broad spectrum of bioactivities. The second one is dedicated to a description of bioactive compounds from the medicinal plants of Myanmar, the third one is dedicated to new structure elucidation techniques in the field of sesquiterpenes. The last one discusses the endogenous natural products that are produced by human cells including endogenous amines, steroids, and fatty acid derived natural products. The co-metabolism and natural product production of the human microbiome is also described including tryptophan, bile acids, choline, and cysteine.

Revised, updated and expanded to continue to provide the most accurate, compact and practical source on fluoropolymers. Explores breakthroughs in understanding property-structure relationships, new polymerization techniques and the chemistry underlying polymers. Fluoropolymers are high up on the specialty polymers group and due to their unique properties, are naturally part of the solution to industrial sustainability challenges. Describes the technology of fluoropolymers, including thermoplastic and elastomeric products. Expands upon critical environmental aspects of fluoropolymers and recycling of these special polymers

• Explores novel membrane materials and systems from preparation methods, materials selection, and their application in monitoring, fouling control, and performance enhancement. • Examines the mechanism of fouling prevention and cleaning in various electrically conductive materials. • Evaluates the scalability of antifouling materials and coatings, as well as electrically enhanced processes for monitoring and control in membrane separation technology • Assesses advantages and limitations of applying electrically conductive membrane systems to fouling control for specific water treatment applications. • Provides a critical review of scientific literature in the specialized area of electrical conductive materials and systems for membrane technology.

Covers material characterization techniques and the development of advanced characterization technology Includes multiple length scale characterization approaches for a large variety of materials, from nano- to micron-scale, as well as their constraints Discusses advanced material characterization technology in the microstructural and property characterization fields Reviews both practical and theoretical explanations of approaches for characterizing microstructure and properties Offers fundamentals, basic instrumentation details, experimental approaches, analyses, and applications with case studies

The first accessible text on the topic of animals as environmental predictors, bringing together the literature from as far back as 18th century through to the present day. - Covers wider terrain than other titles in a relatively unexplored subject area. The text discusses climate change (highly topical) and how animals may be able to be used to predict future weather and climatic events. There is international potential as the climate challenge is global, and the examples span worldwide case studies. The sources used include myths, anecdotes, news articles and stories backed up by relevant scientific literature in international peer-reviewed journals. Each chapter starts with a short fictitious story to set the scene and anecdotes from indigenous cultures are especially interesting. The author draws on his vast expertise in biochemistry and cell biology. The science does not impede the less technical reader, due to the engaging mix of stories, anecdotes, personal observations and scientific underpinnings.

The first accessible text on the topic of animals as environmental predictors, bringing together the literature from as far back as 18th century through to the present day. - Covers wider terrain than other titles in a relatively unexplored subject area. The text discusses climate change (highly topical) and how animals may be able to be used to predict future weather and climatic events. There is international potential as the climate challenge is global, and the examples span worldwide case studies. The sources used include myths, anecdotes, news articles and stories backed up by relevant scientific literature in international peer-reviewed journals. Each chapter starts with a short fictitious story to set the scene and anecdotes from indigenous cultures are especially interesting. The author draws on his vast expertise in biochemistry and cell biology. The science does not impede the less technical reader, due to the engaging mix of stories, anecdotes, personal observations and scientific underpinnings.

Features Surveys of the systems approach to analysing and understanding multifaceted, complex problems in astrobiology, written by two scientists who also have engineering backgrounds. Systems applications to areas important to astrobiology, such as chemical evolution, prebiotic chemistry, geochemical/geophysical settings conducive to emergence of life, robotic space exploration, and much more. Wide appeal for all readers interested in the origin and occurrence of life in our Solar System and beyond.

Covers all aspects related with Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF), including characterization, modification, applications, and associated challenges Illustrates designing and synthetic strategies for MOFs Describes MOFs for gas adsorption, separation and purification, and their role in heterogeneous catalysis Covers of sensing of different types of noxious substances in the aqueous environment Includes concepts of molecular magnetism, tunable magnetic properties and future aspects

This book provides a description on medicinal plants of Laos, including their role in maintaining health care among the population, their potential as a source for new medicinal compounds, their preservation, and their importance to the well being of the communities for present and future generations. The focus of this book is to draw on the rich culture, folklore, and environment of medicinal plants in the country. This is an opportunity to describe medicinal plants from a scientifically under-represented area, with the hope of being an important contribution to the knowledge of the region for both academics and scientists. Features Describes terrestrial medicinal plants from a scientifically under-represented region. Includes a wider variety of plants than previously published. Focuses on the rich culture, folklore, and environment of medicinal plants in Laos. Provides an important contribution to the knowledge of the region, and will benefit both academics and scientists in the field.

Features Surveys of the systems approach to analysing and understanding multifaceted, complex problems in astrobiology, written by two scientists who also have engineering backgrounds. Systems applications to areas important to astrobiology, such as chemical evolution, prebiotic chemistry, geochemical/geophysical settings conducive to emergence of life, robotic space exploration, and much more. Wide appeal for all readers interested in the origin and occurrence of life in our Solar System and beyond.

Polyoxometalates are anionic metal-oxo nanoclusters, which constitute a unique class of compounds owing to their rich solution equilibria and their unique compositional, electronic, reactive, and structural diversity. This book reviews metal-oxide cluster chemistry by covering topics ranging from fundamental aspects (i.e., structure, properties, self-assembly processes, derivatization) to functional materials that incorporate these molecular units, as well as their applications in the fields of current socioeconomic interest, such as energy storage systems, catalysis, molecular electronics, and biomedicine. Edited by prominent researchers in the field of polymer and polyoxometalate chemistries, the book compiles contributions from some of the most distinguished and promising scientists worldwide in such a way that it will appeal to a general readership involved in research areas related to chemistry and materials science.

Explores the history and significance of interplanetary space missions. Features detailed explanations and mathematical methods for trajectory optimization. Includes detailed explanations and mathematical methods for mission analysis for interplanetary missions. Covers the introduction, mathematical methods, and applications of the N-body problem (N>2). Discusses navigation and targeting for interplanetary mission.

Features Introduces the physics of accelerators, lasers, and plasma in tandem with the industrial methodology of inventiveness. Outlines a path from idea to practical implementation of scientific and technological innovation. Contains more than 380 illustrations and numerous end-of-chapter exercises.