In 1991, my newly formed researchgroupat Berkeley was working intensely in the area of continuum-level constitutive relationships that could be obtained in a deductive mannerfrom microstructuralinformationthroughthemethods of homogenization theory. Of particular interest was the application of such methods to structural problems in the blossoming field of micromechanical devices. In this context it was becoming evident that we needed to learn to navigate through the continuum/discrete interface. Such were the circumstances when Vladimir Granik came to visit us at Berkeley for the first time. It is probably not surprising that we received with great enthusiasm his offer to join forces and develop a mechanics .of solid structures that would be based on a discrete representation of matter. Vladimir had established the foundations for such an endeavor with his work at Moscow University in the late 1970s. Since that first meeting, and with ever-increasing enthusiasm, it has been a great privilege for me to collaborate with Vladimir. We first applied the formalism of what has become known as "doublet mechanics" to the microstructure-based theory of failure of solids and worked on the paral- lels and differences between the doublet approach and homogenization, to- gether with Kevin Mon and Derek Hansford. Plane elastodynamics followed after Francesco Maddalena had proposed doublet viscoelesticity. The consti- tutive relationships in doublet mechanics were laid on a firm thermodynami- cal foundation through the work of Kevin Mon, while Miqin Zhang analyzed free boundary effects on multi-scale plane elastic waves in discrete domains.

The subject of the book, the ubiquitous circumstellar disks around very young stars and the corresponding jets of outflowing matter, has recently become one of the hottest areas in astrophysics. The disks are thought to be precursors to planetary systems, and the outflows are thought to be a necessary phase in the formation of a young star, helping the star to get rid of angular momentum and energy as it makes its way onto the main sequence. The possible connections to planetary systems and stellar astrophysics makes these topics especially broad, appealing to generalists and specialists alike. The CD not only contains papers that could not be printed in the book but allows the authors to include a fair amount of data, often displayed as color images.

Large-scale structures in the universe are becoming ever more important in modern astrophysics. This volume is dedicated to the memory of the late astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky and presents 34 lectures dealing with observational and theoretical aspects of the morphology of the universe. Reports on the distribution, properties and evolution of groups, clusters and superclusters of galaxies, as well as theoretical attempts to explain these findings using such ideas as biased galaxy formation and cold dark matter, are presented here for researchers and students of astronomy and astrophysics.

This volume gives a comprehensible survey of BL Lac objects: contributors summarize observations on these interesting astrophysical objects and present theoretical models to explain them. Understanding these objects should help to give a better insight into the physics of black holes and relativistic plasmas. Topics addressed cover radio jets expanding at superluminal velocities, possible effects of relativistic jets on interstellar matter, the continuum emission over the whole electromagnetic system and its variability, and the impact of these observations on gravitational lensing and cosmological evolution. The book should be immensely useful for graduate students.

Based on Cretaceous-Tertiary accretionary sequences of the Shimanto Belt in Japan, the complex history of these exceptionally exposed rocks is summarized through a series of outcrop- to microscopic scale photographs, sketches, and geological maps, most of which are in full colour. This atlas broadens the base of general knowledge of the growth of continental margins, and provides both a general introduction to research in accretionary prisms as well as an education aid for students in sedimentology, structural geology and tectonics.

Precambrian Crustal Evolution of China integrates the theory of plate tectonics, structural geology and petrology to identify the tectonic and metamorphic environment in different stages of development of the Archaean and Proterozoic crust. Further, the evolution of the Precambrian atmosphere and hydrosphere is approached by using geochemical data and traces of life. For the first time, the results of the study of the Precambrian geology of China are made available in English to scientists and students not having access to the huge amount of Chinese literature.

This series of reference books describes the sciences of different fields in and around geodesy. Each chapter, is written by experts in the respective fields and covers an individual field and describes the history, theory, the objective, the technology, and the development, the highlight of the research, the applications, the problems, as well as future directions. Contents of Volume II include: Geodetic LEO Satellite Missions, Satellite Altimetry, Airborne Lidar, GNSS Software Receiver, Geodetic Boundary Problem, GPS and INS, VLBI, Geodetic Reference Systems, Spectral Analysis, Earth Tide and Ocean Loading Tide, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, Occultation, Geopotential Determination, Geoid Determination, Local Gravity Field, Geopotential Determination, Magnet Field, Mobile Mapping, General Relativity, Wide-area Precise Positioning etc.

The major emphasis of this book is on physical mechanisms and sources of the ULF/ELF natural electromagnetic fields noises. In the course of this text, some of these mechanisms of magnetospheric origin will be treated in detail and others in a more sketchy fashion, while the global electromagnetic resonances excited by lightning activity and other sources are the priority. The interested reader is referred to the books cited in the text for details about the ULF/ELF fields of magnetospheric origin. Much emphasis is put on studies of electromagnetic phenomena caused by rock deformation/fracture including the ULF/ELF effects possibly associated with tectonic activity, earthquakes and other natural disasters. One of the challenges of this research is to fully understand electromagnetic effects and physical processes in the rocks deep in the Earth s crust."

Over the last six decades, the field of geophysics has experienced rapid development. Seismic methods, magnetic studies, hydrology and atmospheric sciences have expanded thanks to a boom in the computer sciences and measurement techniques. The frontiers of geophysics have also expanded, now including research on the polar areas, both Arctic and Antarctic. All these events are clearly reflected in the 60-year-long history of the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences. This volume describes the most prominent achievements, the history of research and also the future potential of the Institute of Geophysics PAS. It describes measurements in various projects, methods of interpreting scientific data, and last but not least the people who have driven this research in many scientific projects.

The subject of this book is the methodology and results of integrated geophysical investigations in the Caucasian region, mainly interpretation of magnetic and gravity anomalies with utilization of a huge petrophysical database for the evaluation of geological structure and mineral resources. Relative voluminous geophysical data are useful for the Earth Sciences researchers interested in the Caucasian region (and adjacent and similar regions) characterized by complicated geological structure, inclined magnetization (polarization), uneven topography and mountain/sea transition. Examination of geophysical fields verified by super-deep wells drilling indicates that magmatic rocks of the Lesser Caucasus are extended northward under thick sedimentary cover of the Kura Depression up to the Greater Caucasus. These rocks form hidden petroleum-bearing traps of a newly identified type. On the basis of geophysical studies (mainly inexpensive magnetic and electric methods), a new copper-polymetallic province in the Greater Caucasus has been revealed. a newly developed integrated approach and special information-statistical techniques for processing and interpretation of geophysical data facilitate detection of important geological features, e.g. hidden intersections of linear structures that control location of large commercial ore and oil-and-gas deposits, as well as focuses of dangerous geodynamic events at a depth. Numerous illustrations (including colour) elucidate different problems and solutions on various scales and in diverse geological-geophysical environments. Many aspects of this book have been presented at the teaching courses for bachelors, masters and doctors at the Tel-Aviv University (Tel Aviv, Israel) and Ben-Gurion University (Be'er-Sheva, Israel). Benefits to readers are predetermined by the combination of the authors many-years personal experience in the geophysical studies of Azerbaijan and other regions of the Caucasus with the authors' knowledge of the modern level of geophysics in the world.

The importance to preserve soil and water have is increasingly recognized. Agricultural practices and ecological trends both affect and are affected by soil physical properties. The more frequency of natural disasters, as landslides and thunderstorms addresses the importance to integrate soil characteristics in predictive models. Soil physics research has grown considerably specially in the use of innovative sensors, soil databases, and modeling techniques have been introduced into soil water relationship and environmental monitoring. Those advances are thoroughly dispersed in articles and conference proceedings In this volume, the authors will bring together the effectiveness of many new field and lab sensors and examine the current state-of-the-art in modeling and data analysis. It also includes innovative approaches and case studies in tropical soils. Future directions in soil physics research are given by key researchers in this discipline.

SYNER-G, a multidisciplinary effort funded by the European Union, allowed the development of an innovative methodological framework for the assessment of physical as well as socio-economic seismic vulnerability and risk at urban and regional level. The results of SYNER-G are presented in two books both published by Springer, the present and a second one, entitled SYNER-G: Typology Definition and Fragility Functions for Physical Elements at Seismic Risk: Buildings, Lifelines, Transportation Networks and Critical Facilities (*), which provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of the fragility curves, an alternative way to express physical vulnerability of elements at risk.

In this second volume of SYNER-G, the focus has been on presenting a unified holistic methodology for assessing vulnerability at systems level considering interactions between elements at risk (physical and non-physical) and between different systems. The proposed methodology and tool encompasses in an integrated fashion all aspects in the chain, from hazard to the vulnerability assessment of components and systems and to the socio-economic impacts of an earthquake, accounting for most relevant uncertainties within an efficient quantitative simulation scheme. It systematically integrates the most advanced fragility functions to assess the vulnerability of physical assets for buildings, utility systems, transportation networks and complex infrastructures such as harbours and hospitals. The increasing impact due to interactionsbetween different components and systems is treated in a comprehensive way, providing specifications for each network and infrastructure. The proposed socio-economic model integrates social vulnerability into the physical systems modelling approaches providing to decision makers with a dynamic platform to capture post disaster emergency issues like shelter demand and health impact decisions.Application examples at city and regional scale have provided the necessary validation of the methodology and are also included in the book.

The present volume, with its companion volume on fragility functions, represent a significant step forward in the seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of complex interacting urban and regional systems and infrastructures. These volumes are not only of interest to scientists and engineers but also to the insurance industry, decision makers and practitioners in the sector of civil protection and seismic risk management.

(*) Pitilakis K, Crowley E, Kaynia A (eds) (2014) SYNER-G: Typology definition and fragility functions for physical elements at seismic risk, Series: Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake Engineering 27, ISBN 978-94-007-7872-6, Springer Science+Business Media, Dordrecht.

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Relativistic celestial mechanics - investigating the motion celestial bodies under the influence of general relativity - is a major tool of modern experimental gravitational physics. With a wide range of prominent authors from the field, this two-volume series consists of reviews on a multitude of advanced topics in the area of relativistic celestial mechanics - starting from more classical topics such as the regime of asymptotically-flat spacetime, light propagation and celestial ephemerides, but also including its role in cosmology and alternative theories of gravity as well as modern experiments in this area. This second volume of a two-volume series covers applications of the theory as well as experimental verifications. From tools to determine light travel times in curved space-time to laser ranging between earth and moon and between satellites, and impacts on the definition of time scales and clock comparison techniques, a variety of effects is discussed. On the occasion of his 80-th birthday, these two volumes honor V. A. Brumberg - one of the pioneers in modern relativistic celestial mechanics. Contributions include: J. Simon, A. Fienga: Victor Brumberg and the French school of analytical celestial mechanics T. Fukushima: Elliptic functions and elliptic integrals for celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy P. Teyssandier: New tools for determining the light travel time in static, spherically symmetric spacetimes beyond the order G2 J. Muller, L. Biskupek, F. Hofmann and E. Mai: Lunar laser ranging and relativity N. Wex: Testing relativistic celestial mechanics with radio pulsars I. Ciufolini et al.: Dragging of inertial frames, fundamental physics, and satellite laser ranging G. Petit, P. Wolf, P. Delva: Atomic time, clocks, and clock comparisons in relativistic spacetime: a review

This book gives a comprehensive overview of our present understanding of the Earth's cryosphere, its changes and their consequences for mean sea level changes. Since the middle of the 19th century there has been an increase of sea level height by 20-25 cm. Some 8-10 cm of this is due to net losses from glaciers, the remainder being due to mass losses from land ice and thermal expansion of the oceans. The mean sea level rise is slowly accelerating; at present it is some 3 mm/year. Recent space observations made by the GRACE satellite combined with ocean temperature and volume measurements have enabled the separate contributions to sea level rise from melting ice and from thermal expansion to be better estimated. The estimation of mean sea level change is complicated by changes in land level due to tectonic effects and to ongoing changes following the latest major glaciation. The book gives an up-to-date survey of our present knowledge of this crucial subject.

The International Congress on Energy Efficiency and Energy Related Materials (ENEFM2013) was held on 9-12 October, 2013. This three-day congress focused on the latest developments of sustainable energy technologies, materials for sustainable energy applications and environmental & economic perspectives of energy. These proceedings include 63 peer reviewed technical papers, submitted from leading academic and research institutions from over 23 countries, representing some of the most cutting edge research available. The papers included were presented at the congress in the following sessions: General Issues Wind Energy Solar Energy Nuclear Energy Biofuels and Bioenergy Energy Storage Energy Conservation and Efficiency Energy in Buildings Economical and Environmental Issues Environment Energy Requirements Economic Development Materials for Sustainable Energy Hydrogen Production and Storage Photovoltaic Cells Thermionic Converters Batteries and Superconductors Phase Change Materials Fuel Cells Superconductors

"Remote Sensing Applications in Environmental Research "is the basis for advanced Earth Observation (EO) datasets used in environmental monitoring and research. Now that there are a number of satellites in orbit, EO has become imperative in today s sciences, weather and natural disaster prediction. This highly interdisciplinary reference work brings together diverse studies on remote sensing and GIS, from a theoretical background to its applications, represented through various case studies and the findings of new models. The book offers a comprehensive range of contributions by well-known scientists from around the world and opens a new window for students in presenting interdisciplinary and methodological resources on the latest research. It explores various key aspects and offers state-of-the-art research in a simplified form, describing remote sensing and GIS studies for those who are new to the field, as well as for established researchers."

This book describes origin and characteristics of the Earth's thermal field, thermal flow propagation and some thermal phenomena in the Earth. Description of thermal properties of rocks and methods of thermal field measurements in boreholes, underground, at near-surface conditions enables to understand the principles of temperature field acquisition and geothermal model development. Processing and interpretation of geothermal data are shown on numerous field examples from different regions of the world. The book warps, for instance, such fields as analysis of thermal regime of the Earth's crust, evolution and thermodynamic conditions of the magma-ocean and early Earth atmosphere, thermal properties of permafrost, thermal waters, geysers and mud volcanoes, methods of Curie discontinuity construction, quantitative interpretation of thermal anomalies, examination of some nonlinear effects, and integration of geothermal data with other geophysical methods. This book is intended for students and researchers in the field of Earth Sciences and Environment studying thermal processes in the Earth and in the subsurface. It will be useful for specialists applying thermal field analysis in petroleum, water and ore geophysics, environmental and ecological studies, archaeological prospection and climate of the past.

Terrestrial mass movements (i.e. cliff collapses, soil creeps, mudflows, landslides etc.) are severe forms of natural disasters mostly occurring in mountainous terrain, which is subjected to specific geological, geomorphological and climatological conditions, as well as to human activities. It is a challenging task to accurately define the position, type and activity of mass movements for the purpose of creating inventory records and potential vulnerability maps. Remote sensing techniques, in combination with Geographic Information System tools, allow state-of-the-art investigation of the degree of potential mass movements and modeling surface processes for hazard and risk mapping. Similarly, through statistical prediction models, future mass-movement-prone areas can be identified and damages can to a certain extent be minimized. Issues of scale and selection of morphological attributes for the scientific analysis of mass movements call for new developments in data modeling and spatio-temporal GIS analysis.
The book is a product of a cooperation between the editors and several contributing authors, addressing current issues and recent developments in GI technology and mass movements research. Its fundamental treatment of this technology includes data modeling, topography, geology, geomorphology, remote sensing, artificial neural networks, binomial regression, fuzzy logic, spatial statistics and analysis, and scientific visualization. Both theoretical and practical issues are addressed.

"Proceedings of the 3rd China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC2012)" presents selected research papers from CSNC2012, held on 15-19 May in Guanzhou, China. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou system especially. They are divided into 9 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2012, which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BeiDou system and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications. SUN Jiadong is the Chief Designer of the Compass/BeiDou system, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences; LIU Jingnan is a professor at Wuhan University, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; YANG Yuanxi is a professor at China National Administration of GNSS and Applications, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences; FAN Shiwei is a researcher on satellite navigation.

"Proceedings of the 3rd China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC2012)" presents selected research papers from CSNC2012, held on 15-19 May in Guanzhou, China. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou system especially. They are divided into 9 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2012, which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BeiDou system and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications.

SUN Jiadong is the Chief Designer of the Compass/BeiDou system, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences; LIU Jingnan is a professor at Wuhan University, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; YANG Yuanxi is a professor at China National Administration of GNSS and Applications, and the Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences; FAN Shiwei is a researcher on satellite navigation.

Reports of natural disasters fill the media with regularity. Places in the world are affected by natural disaster events every day. Such events include earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, wildfires - the list could go on for considerable length. In the 1990s there was a concentrated focus on natural disaster information and mitigation during the International Decade for Natural Disasters Reduction (IDNDR). The information was technical and provided the basis for major initiatives in building structures designed for seismic safety, slope stability, severe storm warning systems, and global monitoring and reporting. Mitigation, or planning in the event that natural hazards prevalent in a region would suddenly become natural disasters, was a major goal of the decade-long program. During the IDNDR, this book was conceptualized, and planning for its completion began. The editors saw the need for a book that would reach a broad range of readers who were not actively or directly engaged in natural disasters relief or mitigation planning, but who were in decision-making positions that provided an open window for addressing natural disaster issues. Those people were largely elected public officials, teachers, non-governmental organization staff, and staff of faith-based organizations. Those people, for the most part, come to know very well the human and physical characteristics of the place in which they are based. With that local outreach in mind, the editors intended the book to encourage readers to: 1.

The Eleventh International Conference on Basement Tectonics was held at the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam in Germany 25-29 July 1994. It was the first time that a meeting of this series took place in the centre of Europe and the first such meeting in this area after the recent political changes in eastern Europe. Consequently, the main theme of the meeting focussed on the structure and history of the entire European continent. Further themes were grouped around topics of current interest. Keynote lectures on these topics were given by A. Berthelsen, St. Mueller, A. Green, and D. Fountain. The technical sessions were arranged with support of the Scientific Committee on the following topics: 1. Continental scale features of basement rocks of phanerozoic cratons - with emphasis on Europe 2. Extrapolation and correlation of geological and geophysical data from basement rocks: an assessment 3. Mechanisms of basement exhumation in the evolution of orogenic belts 4. Structure and intraplate deformation of the North-American craton Papers submitted to this volume have however all been collected in one part since all of them deal with different aspects of deformation of the continental basement. A second part contains a complete list of all papers and posters presented at the meeting. Field trips to study some of the above mentioned aspects in the Harz mountains, the Granulite Massif, and the Erzgebirge were organized by P. Bankwitz, P. Frischbutter, 1. Rotzler, K. Rotzler, and B. Mingram. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.

The Proterozoic terrains of South Scandinavia and the Grenville Province in North-America have many common features: Regional high grade metamorphism (Granulite-facies), anorthosites, etc. They are separated by the Caledonian orogeny and, above all, by the Atlantic Ocean. During the time of the great continental drift controversy, few people were ready to admit that both sides on the Atlantic were once an unique province. Now everybody agrees on the Post-paleozoic age of the Atlantic and, consequently, on the intrinsic homogeneity of the much older. rocks which occur around it. But a detailed comparison is not easy. The Grenville Province is much larger than South Scandinavia, both regions have been investigated by a great number of different schools, using various methods, approaches and concepts. After several attempts, and long discussion, it was felt by a small group of individuals, that literature study would not be enough and that nothing could re place the direct contact, in the field, of specialists who had a first hand knowledge of all involved regions. The formula of a NATO Advanced Study Institute, which gives a unique opportunity to meet and mix people of various origin and levels, came almost by itself. Much work was needed, much help has been obtained, as detailed in the "Acknowledgements.""

Ocean engineering is generally considered to be concerned with studies on the effects of the ocean on the land and with the design, construction and operation of vehicles, structures and systems for use in the ocean or marine environment. The practice of engineering differs from that of science in both motivations and objectives. Science seeks understanding of the principles of nature in terms of generalizations expressed as laws and classifications. Engineering seeks the application of knowledge of the physical and natural world to produce a benefit expressed as a device, system, material, and/or process. From the standpoint of the financial sponsors of an engineering project, the ideal approach is one of minimal risk in which only proven knowledge, materials and procedures are employed. There is frequent departure from this ideal in anticipation of the increased benefit expected from a large increase in performance of a structure or device. The process of acquiring this new capability is engineering research. Historically, ocean engineering developed with the application of engineering principles and processes to the design of ships and, later, to the machinery that propels them. In most societies, naval architecture and marine engineering are recognised as the origin of ocean engineering. In fact, the design of a ship constitutes the original systems engineering programme involving hydrodynamics/fluid flow, structural design, machinery design, electrical engineering and so on as well as requiring knowledge of the ocean environment (waves, corrosion, etc.).