This thesis focuses on understanding the growth and formation mechanism of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), an issue it addresses by investigating the dense interstellar medium that is assumed to be a crucial component of the fuel for SMBHs. The thesis also offers unique guidance on using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) research. The author presents the three major findings regarding SMBH formation and growth: (1) The development of a new diagnostic method for the energy sources in galaxies based on submillimeter spectroscopy, which allows identification of accreting SMBHs even in obscured environments, (2) the discovery that the circumnuclear dense gas disk (CND), with a typical size of a few tens of parsecs, which plays a crucial role in governing the growth of SMBHs, and (3) the discovery that the mass transfer budget from the CND to the central SMBHs can be quantitatively understood with a theoretical model incorporating the circumnuclear starburst as a driver of mass transfer. The thesis skillfully reviews these three findings, which have greatly improved our understanding of the growth mechanism of SMBHs.

This open access book covers recent advances in experiments using the ultra-cold, very weakly perturbing superfluid environment provided by helium nanodroplets for high resolution spectroscopic, structural and dynamic studies of molecules and synthetic clusters. The recent infra-red, UV-Vis studies of radicals, molecules, clusters, ions and biomolecules, as well as laser dynamical and laser orientational studies, are reviewed. The Coulomb explosion studies of the uniquely quantum structures of small helium clusters, X-ray imaging of large droplets and electron diffraction of embedded molecules are also described. Particular emphasis is given to the synthesis and detection of new species by mass spectrometry and deposition electron microscopy.

Recent years have seen an explosion in the volume of work carried out using supersonic jets of molecules following the discovery that the technique could provide information on structure and dynamics of a very high quality otherwise impossible to obtain. Written and edited by a first class team of authors, acknowledged world leaders in their subjects, this book describes applications in detail along with analysis of data recorded and background theory. Physical chemists and chemical physicists will find this unique book an essential concentrated source of information and reference.

This biography gives an insider view of 20th century German science in the making. The discovery by Max von Laue in 1912 of interference effects demonstrated the wave-like nature of X-rays and the atomic lattice structure of crystals. This major advance for research on solids earned him the Nobel Prize two years later, the ultimate acclaim as an exceptional theoretician. As an early supporter of Einstein's relativity theory, he published fundamental papers on light scattering as well as on matter waves and superconductivity. Laue may be counted among the few persons of influence in Germany who - as Einstein put it - managed to "stay morally upright" under Nazism. It is thus surprising that this is the first extensive biography of this famous scientist. Jost Lemmerich could hardly have been better equipped to describe German physics and physicists in the 1920s. His copiously illustrated historical account is based as much on scientific material as on private correspondence, creating a fascinating and convincingly detailed portrait.

Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy of Biological Materials facilitates a comprehensive and through understanding of the latest developments in vibrational spectroscopy. It contains explains key breakthroughs in the methodologies and techniques for infrared, near-infrared, and Raman spectroscopy. Topics include qualitative and quantitative analysis, biomedical applications, vibrational studies of enzymatic catalysis, and chemometrics.

The last few years have seen an unprecedented drive toward the application of proteomics to resolving challenging biomedical and biochemical tasks. Separation techniques combined with modern mass spectrometry are playing a central role in this drive. This book discusses the increasingly important role of mass spectrometry in proteomic research, and emphasizes recent advances in the existing technology and describes the advantages and pitfalls as well.
* Provides a scientifically valid method for analyzing the approximatey 500,000 proteins that are encoded in the human genome
* Explains the hows and whys of using mass spectrometry in proteomic analysis
* Brings together the latest approaches combining separation techniques and mass spectrometry and their application in proteome analysis
* Comments on future challenges and how they may be addressed
* Includes sections on troubleshooting

"Volume 40 presents an authoritative selection of the best and most up-to-date research findings in separation science. Surveys recent developments in high performance-liquid (HPLC), reversed-phase liquid (RPLC), countercurrent (CCC), and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC)."

Addressing the need for an up-to-date reference on silicon devices and heterostructures, Beyond the Desert 99 reviews the technology used to grow and characterize Goup IV alloy films. It covers the theory, device design, and simulation of heterojunction transistors, emphasizing their relevance in developing the technologies involving strained layers; device design and simulation of conventional silicon bipolar transistors and SiGe HBTs at room and low temperatures; and device design and simulation for MOSFETs, including SiGe and strained-Si channel MOSFETs. The book concludes with simulations and examples of different applications. It provides a unified reference for scientists and engineers investigating the use of SiGe and strained silicon in a new generation of high-speed circuit applications.

Synchrotron radiation is today extensively used for fundamental and applied research in many different fields of science. Its exceptional characteristics in terms of intensity, brilliance, spectral range, time structure and now also coherence pushed many experimental techniques to previously un-reachable limits, enabling the performance of experiments unbelievable only few years ago.

The book gives an up-to-date overview of synchrotron radiation research today with a view to the future, starting from its generation and sources, its interaction with matter, illustrating the main experimental technique employed and provides an overview of the main fields of research in which new and innovative results are obtained.

The book is addressed to PhD students and young researchers to provide both an introductory and a rather deep knowledge of the field. It will also be helpful to experienced researcher who want to approach the field in a professional way.

This book features selected papers presented at the 20th International Conference on Near Infrared Spectroscopy. It discusses the latest progress in the field of near infrared spectroscopy from around the globe, including the advances in instrumentation, spectral interpretation and Chemometrics. In addition, it presents potential trends for near infrared spectroscopy in the next decade and highlights developments in process analytical technology, chemical imaging and deep learning. It can be used as a reference book for researchers and application personnel engaged in spectroscopy technology, Chemometrics, analytical instruments, on-site rapid or on-line analysis, process control and other fields. It will also be useful for undergraduates and postgraduates studying these topics.

Infrared Vibration—Rotation Spectroscopy: From Free Radicals to the Infrared Sky contains new experimental and theoretical methods on the high resolution infrared spectroscopy of small molecules. The book is divided into three parts. Features covered in the first part include:

• Calculations of the vibration-rotation energy levels of rigid and non-rigid molecules
• Calculations of the intensities of vibration-rotation transitions
• Introduction to linear and non-linear molecular spectroscopy
• Use of interferemetric and laser spectrometers for measuring infrared spectra.

• Electric and magnetic resonance spectroscopy
• Spectroscopy of transient species, free radicals and ions, and Van der Waals clusters
• Atmospheric and astrophysical spectroscopy, including the spectroscopy of the atmosphere of the Earth and nearby planets, cool stars and molecules in the interstellar medium

Application of NMR and Molecular Docking in Structure-Based Drug Discovery, by Jaime L. Stark and Robert Powers NMR as a Unique Tool in Assessment and Complex Determination of Weak Protein-Protein Interactions, by Olga Vinogradova and Jun Qin The Use of Residual Dipolar Coupling in Studying Proteins by NMR, by Kang Chen und Nico Tjandra NMR Studies of Metalloproteins, by Hongyan Li and Hongzhe Sun Recent Developments in 15N NMR Relaxation Studies that Probe Protein Backbone Dynamics, by Rieko Ishima Contemporary Methods in Structure Determination of Membrane Proteins by Solution NMR, by Tabussom Qureshi and Natalie K. Goto Protein Structure Determination by Solid-State NMR, by Xin Zhao Dynamic Nuclear Polarization: New Methodology and Applications, by Kong Hung Sze, Qinglin Wu, Ho Sum Tse and Guang Zhu

Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Hyperfine Interactions and 17th International Symposium on Nuclear Quadrupole Interactions, HFI/NQI 2004, held in Bonn, Germany, 22-27 August, 2004.

Researchers and graduate students interested in hyperfine interaction detected by nuclear radiation as well as nuclear quadrupole interactions detected by resonance methods in the areas of materials, biological and medical science will find this volume indispensable. New and original scientific results along with recent developments in instrumentation and methods will be communicated in invited and contributed papers.

Nowadays, there are increasing demands for the control and specification of all aspects of industrial manufacturing. There is also a growing need to understand various biological processes and conditions for agricultural production, and concern for protection of the environment and human health. These factors have made it imperative to develop adequate methods for the analysis of gaseous substances or substances that can be converted to the gaseous state. It is not only necessary to apply known and developed methods correctly, but novel analytical procedures must also be found. Instrumentation should be improved and the applications of these methods will have to be extended.

The present volume provides a comprehensive description of the state-of-the-art and of future possibilities in the analysis of gaseous substances. In the individual chapters the following themes have been discussed; the theoretical basis for the methods, a description of the instrumentation and the steps necessary in actual analyses and an outline of the principal areas in which each method can be employed. Both classical methods that are still useful for the solution of analytical problems using simple instrumentation, and the newest methods in the field are described. Special attention is paid to modern electrochemical and spectroscopic methods, and to methods based on a number of physical principles. Gas chromatography is discussed in the greatest detail because of its specially important position in modern analytical chemistry.

The book should be well received by the analytical public and should be extremely useful to students and workers in scientific research laboratories and in fields dealing with environmental protection.

An explanation of proven methods of chemical analysis, focusing on the myriad applications of solid phase microextraction (SPME) to laboratories performing high-sample throughput, quick sample turnaround time, low detection levels, and dirty sample matrices. It supplies commentary on developments in SPME technology from its inventor, Janusz Pawliszyn.

SELDI is distinct from other TOF-MS technologies in that it couples features of chromatography and mass spectrometry, facilitating analyte enrichment and sample cleanup on an array surface. In the growing field of proteomics, SELDI technology has been widely used for biomarker discovery and characterization in diverse applications including diagnostics, drug development, and basic research. SELDI-based biomarker studies can typically be divided into four phases: discovery, validation, purification and identification, and assay development. SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Methods and Protocols provides an overview of the current applications of SELDI-TOF MS (surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry), with an emphasis on study and experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, and assay development. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, SELDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Methods and Protocols will provide information on optimizing study design, experimental protocols, and data analysis and interpretation to yield robust biomarkers and biomarker assays, using examples from different disease areas.

This thesis makes significant advances towards an understanding of superconductivity in the cuprate family of unconventional, high-temperature superconductors. Even though the high-temperature superconductors were discovered over 35 years ago, there is not yet a general consensus on an acceptable theory of superconductivity in these materials. One of the early proposals suggested that collective magnetic excitations of the conduction electrons could lead them to form pairs, which in turn condense to form the superconducting state at a critical temperature Tc. Quantitative calculations of Tc using experimental data were, however, not available to verify the applicability of this magnetic mechanism. In this thesis, the author constructed an angle-resolved photoemission apparatus that could provide sufficiently accurate data of the electronic excitation spectra of samples in the normal state, data which was furthermore unusually devoid of any surface contamination. The author also applied the Bethe-Salpeter method to his uncommonly pristine and precise normal state data, and was able to predict the approximate superconducting transition temperatures of different samples. This rare combination of experiment with sophisticated theoretical calculations leads to the conclusion that antiferromagnetic correlations are a viable candidate for the pairing interaction in the cuprate superconductors.

This book explores the fundamental and practical aspects of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and extraction. It discusses packed columns in SFC; detection in SFC; supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectroscopy; and evaporative light scattering detection in SFC.

This textbook presents the principles and methods for the measurement of radioactivity in the environment. In this regard, specific low-level radiation counting and spectrometry or mass spectrometry techniques are discussed, including sources, distribution, levels and dynamics of radioactivity in nature. The author gives an accurate description of the fundamental concepts and laws of radioactivity as well as the different types of detectors and mass spectrometers needed for detection. Special attention is paid to scintillators, semiconductor detectors, and gas ionization detectors. In order to explain radiochemistry, some concepts about chemical separations are introduced as well. The book is meant for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics, chemistry or engineering oriented to environmental sciences, and to other disciplines where monitoring of the environment and its management is of great interest.

Since 1965, Advances in Magnetic and Optical Resonance has provided researchers with timely expositions of fundamental new developments in the theory of, experimentation with, and application of magnetic and optical resonance.

The objective of this book is to discuss the current status of research and development of boron-rich solids as sensors, ultra-high temperature ceramics, thermoelectrics, and armor. Novel biological and chemical sensors made of stiff and light-weight boron-rich solids are very exciting and efficient for applications in medical diagnoses, environmental surveillance and the detection of pathogen and biological/chemical terrorism agents. Ultra-high temperature ceramic composites exhibit excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance for hypersonic vehicle applications. Boron-rich solids are also promising candidates for high-temperature thermoelectric conversion. Armor is another very important application of boron-rich solids, since most of them exhibit very high hardness, which makes them perfect candidates with high resistance to ballistic impact. The following topical areas are presented: *Boron-rich solids: science and technology *Synthesis and sintering strategies of boron rich solids *Microcantilever sensors *Screening of the possible boron-based thermoelectric conversion materials; *Ultra-high temperature ZrB2 and HfB2 based composites *Magnetic, transport and high-pressure properties of boron-rich solids *Restrictions of the sensor dimensions for chemical detection *Armor

The 37th Annual Denver Conference on Applications of X-Ray Analysis was held August 1-5, 1988, at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort and Conference Center, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. As usual, alternating with x-ray diffraction, the emphasis this year was x-ray fluorescence, but as has been the pattern for several occasions over the last few years, the Plenary Session did not deal with that subject, specifically. In an attempt to introduce the audience to one of the new developments in x-ray analysis, the title of the session was "High Brilliance Sources/Applications," and dealt exclusively with synchrotron radiation, a topic which has made a very large impact on the x-ray community over the last decade. As the organizer and co-chairman of the Plenary Session (with Paul Predecki), it is my responsibility to report on that session here. The Conference had the privilege of obtaining the services of some of the preeminent practitioners of research using this remarkable x-ray source; they presented the audience with unusually lucid descriptions of the work which has been accomplished in the development and application of the continuous, high intensity, tunable, polarized and collimated x-rays available from no facility other than these specialized storage rings. The opening lecture (and I use that term intentionally) was an enthusiastic description of "What is Synchrotron Radiation?" by Professor Boris Batterman of Cornell University and the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Sourc(! (CHESS).

This book embraces all physiochemical aspects of the structure and molecular dynamics of water, focusing on its role in biological objects, e.g. living cells and tissue, and in the formation of functionally active structures of biological molecules and their ensembles. Water is the single most abundant chemical found in all living things. It offers a detailed look into the latest modern physical methods for studying the molecular structure and dynamics of the water and provides a critical analysis of the existing literature data on the properties of water in biological objects. Water as a chemical reagent and as a medium for the formation of conditions for enzymatic catalysis is a core focus of this book. Although well suited for active researchers, the book as a whole, as well as each chapter on its own, can be used as fundamental reference material for graduate and undergraduate students throughout chemistry, physics, biophysics and biomedicine.

Introducing the most recent advances in crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, molecular modeling techniques, and computational combinatorial chemistry, this unique, interdisciplinary reference explains the application of three-dimensional structural information in the design of pharmaceutical drugs. Furnishing authoritative analyses by world-renowned experts, Structure-Based Drug Design discusses protein structure-based design in optimizing HIV protease inhibitors and details the biochemical, genetic, and clinical data on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase presents recent results on the high-resolution three-dimensional structure of the catalytic core domain of HIV-1 integrase as a foundation for divergent combination therapy focuses on structure-based design strategies for uncovering receptor antagonists to treat inflammatory diseases demonstrates a systematic approach to the design of inhibitory compounds in cancer treatment reviews current knowledge on the Interleukin-1 (IL-1) system and progress in the development of IL-1 modulators describes the influence of structure-based methods in designing capsid-binding inhibitors for relief of the common cold and much more!