Parallel and distributed computation has been gaining a great lot of attention in the last decades. During this period, the advances attained in computing and communication technologies, and the reduction in the costs of those technolo gies, played a central role in the rapid growth of the interest in the use of parallel and distributed computation in a number of areas of engineering and sciences. Many actual applications have been successfully implemented in various plat forms varying from pure shared-memory to totally distributed models, passing through hybrid approaches such as distributed-shared memory architectures. Parallel and distributed computation differs from dassical sequential compu tation in some of the following major aspects: the number of processing units, independent local dock for each unit, the number of memory units, and the programming model. For representing this diversity, and depending on what level we are looking at the problem, researchers have proposed some models to abstract the main characteristics or parameters (physical components or logical mechanisms) of parallel computers. The problem of establishing a suitable model is to find a reasonable trade-off among simplicity, power of expression and universality. Then, be able to study and analyze more precisely the behavior of parallel applications."

This book presents a unique analysis of the sustainability performance of various renewable energy sources, based on Brazilian case studies. The evaluation also covers the potential held by regions with diverse socioeconomic and environmental characteristics and how they affect the development of each source. Considering that energy is essential to sustaining and improving modern society, the answer to the current energy dilemma lies in the development of a system that comprises multiple renewable, reliable, and sustainable energy sources. Brazil, which has a predominantly renewable electricity grid, has the privilege of being home to a range of different sustainable sources, although most of its electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. With that in mind, this book has the primary objective of developing a performance evaluation system for important renewable sources in Brazil (solar, wind, and hydro), taking into account different scenarios and investor profiles. The analysis is based on the study of sustainability indicators related to the technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the evaluated energy systems. As the availability of renewable sources is very location-specific, the scope of this book covers two Brazilian States with distinct characteristics. It makes it possible to determine which renewable energy source is most adequate from a sustainability perspective, and in light of the analyzed scope and investor profile.

This book is written in honor of Prof. Francisco Rodriguez-Reinoso, who has made significant contributions in the area of porous materials such as active carbons and graphenes. It details the preparation of porous materials, including carbonaceous, zeolitic, and siliceous materials, MOFs, aerogels, and xerogels, describing the characterization techniques and the interpretation of the results, and highlighting common errors that can occur during the process. This book subsequently presents the use of modeling based on thermodynamics to describe the materials. Lastly, it illustrates a number of current environmental protection applications in the context of both water and air.

It covers the synthesis, characterizations, and properties of natural polymeric systems, including their morphology, structure, and dynamics. It introduces the most recent innovations and applications of natural polymers and their composites in the food, construction, electronics, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and engineering industries.

Biopolymers are attracting immense attention of late because of their diverse applications that can address growing environmental concerns and energy demands. The development of various biomaterials creates significant advancements in the medical field as well, and many biopolymers are used for the fabrication of biomaterials. Together, biopolymers and biomaterials create great potential for new materials, applications, and uses. This new volume, Biopolymers and Biomaterials, covers the science and application of biopolymers and biomaterials. It presents an array of different studies on biopolymers and biomaterials, along with their results, interpretation, and the conclusions arrived at through investigations. It includes biopolymer synthesis, their characterizations, and their potential applications. The book begins with an explanation of the different biopolymers used in the textile industry, their advantages and disadvantages, and their applications.

This book addresses the broad multi-disciplinary topic of robotics, and presents the basic techniques for motion and operation planning in robotics systems. Gathering contributions from experts in diverse and wide ranging fields, it offers an overview of the most recent and cutting-edge practical applications of these methodologies. It covers both theoretical and practical approaches, and elucidates the transition from theory to implementation. An extensive analysis is provided, including humanoids, manipulators, aerial robots and ground mobile robots. 'Motion and Operation Planning of Robotic Systems' addresses the following topics: *The theoretical background of robotics. *Application of motion planning techniques to manipulators, such as serial and parallel manipulators. *Mobile robots planning, including robotic applications related to aerial robots, large scale robots and traditional wheeled robots. *Motion planning for humanoid robots. An invaluable reference text for graduate students and researchers in robotics, this book is also intended for researchers studying robotics control design, user interfaces, modelling, simulation, sensors, humanoid robotics.

This book addresses the broad multi-disciplinary topic of robotics, and presents the basic techniques for motion and operation planning in robotics systems. Gathering contributions from experts in diverse and wide ranging fields, it offers an overview of the most recent and cutting-edge practical applications of these methodologies. It covers both theoretical and practical approaches, and elucidates the transition from theory to implementation. An extensive analysis is provided, including humanoids, manipulators, aerial robots and ground mobile robots. ‘Motion and Operation Planning of Robotic Systems’ addresses the following topics: *The theoretical background of robotics. *Application of motion planning techniques to manipulators, such as serial and parallel manipulators. *Mobile robots planning, including robotic applications related to aerial robots, large scale robots and traditional wheeled robots. *Motion planning for humanoid robots. An invaluable reference text for graduate students and researchers in robotics, this book is also intended for researchers studying robotics control design, user interfaces, modelling, simulation, sensors, humanoid robotics.

Parallel and distributed computation has been gaining a great lot of attention in the last decades. During this period, the advances attained in computing and communication technologies, and the reduction in the costs of those technolo gies, played a central role in the rapid growth of the interest in the use of parallel and distributed computation in a number of areas of engineering and sciences. Many actual applications have been successfully implemented in various plat forms varying from pure shared-memory to totally distributed models, passing through hybrid approaches such as distributed-shared memory architectures. Parallel and distributed computation differs from dassical sequential compu tation in some of the following major aspects: the number of processing units, independent local dock for each unit, the number of memory units, and the programming model. For representing this diversity, and depending on what level we are looking at the problem, researchers have proposed some models to abstract the main characteristics or parameters (physical components or logical mechanisms) of parallel computers. The problem of establishing a suitable model is to find a reasonable trade-off among simplicity, power of expression and universality. Then, be able to study and analyze more precisely the behavior of parallel applications."

Este libro reune las ultimas investigaciones de los maximos especialistas en este importante autor del siglo XV castellano que cultivo todos los generos literarios. Contains the latest research by the most important scholars of the Castilian author Mosen Diego de Valera. Esta obra colectiva reune las ultimas investigaciones de los maximos especialistas en este importante autor del siglo XV castellano que cultivo todos los generos literarios. En este volumen monografico Guido Cappelli escribe sobre Valera y el Humanismo; Federica Accorsi analiza la relacion de Valera con los judios conversos; Florence Serrano estudia la presencia de Diego de Valera en Borgona y en su literatura; Gonzalo Ponton se centra en las cartas escritas por Diego de Valera; Jesus Rodriguez Velasco analiza a Diego de Valera como artista microliterario; Cristina Moya analiza la influencia de la cronica Valeriana entre 1482 y 1567; Fernando Gomez Redondo explica las palabras que Juan de Valdes dedica a Valera en su Dialogo de la lengua; Jose Julio Martin Romero analiza la influencia de Diego de Valera en el Nobiliario Vero de Hernan Mexia y, finalmente, Juan Luis Carriazo Rubio prueba que mosen Diego de Valera no escribio el Origen de la Casa de Guzman. Cristina Moya Garcia es profesora en la Universidad de Cordoba. This collection contains the latest research by the most important scholars of this fifteenth century Castilian author who cultivated all literary genres. Guido Cappelli writes about Valera and Humanism; Federica Accorsi analyzes the relationship between Valera and the converted Jews; Florence Serrano studies the presence of Diego de Valera in Burgundy and in its literature; Gonzalo Ponton focuses on the letters written by Diego de Valera; Jesus Rodriguez-Velasco studies Diego de Valera as micro-literary artist; Cristina Moya examines the influence of the Valeriana between 1482 and 1567; Fernando Gomez Redondo explains the words dedicated to Diego de Valera by Juan de Valdes (Dialogo de la lengua); Jose Julio Martin Romero discusses the influence of Diego de Valera in Nobiliario Vero of Hernan Mexia; and, finally Juan Luis Carriazo Rubio proves that Mosen Diego de Valera did not write the Origen de la Casa de Guzman. Cristina Moya Garcia is a profesora at the Universidad de Cordoba. Contributors: Federica Accorsi, Guido Cappeli, Juan Luis Carriazo Rubio, Fernando Gomez Redondo, Jose Julio Martin Romero, Cristina Moya Garcia, Gonzalo Ponton, Jesus Rodriguez Velasco, Florence Serrano

Biopolymers are attracting immense attention of late because of their diverse applications that can address growing environmental concerns and energy demands. The development of various biomaterials creates significant advancements in the medical field as well, and many biopolymers are used for the fabrication of biomaterials. Together, biopolymers and biomaterials create great potential for new materials, applications, and uses. This new volume, Biopolymers and Biomaterials, covers the science and application of biopolymers and biomaterials. It presents an array of different studies on biopolymers and biomaterials, along with their results, interpretation, and the conclusions arrived at through investigations. It includes biopolymer synthesis, their characterizations, and their potential applications. The book begins with an explanation of the different biopolymers used in the textile industry, their advantages and disadvantages, and their applications.

Nanofabrication for Smart Nanosensor Applications addresses the design, manufacture and applications of a variety of nanomaterials for sensing applications. In particular, the book explores how nanofabrication techniques are used to create more efficient nanosensors, examines their major applications in biomedicine and environmental science, discusses the fundamentals of how nanosensors work, explores different nanofabrication techniques, and comments on toxicity and safety issues relating to the creation of nanosensors using certain nanomaterial classes. This book is an important resource for materials scientists and engineers who want to make materials selection decisions for the creation of new nansensor devices.

This book is written in honor of Prof. Francisco Rodriguez-Reinoso, who has made significant contributions in the area of porous materials such as active carbons and graphenes. It details the preparation of porous materials, including carbonaceous, zeolitic, and siliceous materials, MOFs, aerogels, and xerogels, describing the characterization techniques and the interpretation of the results, and highlighting common errors that can occur during the process. This book subsequently presents the use of modeling based on thermodynamics to describe the materials. Lastly, it illustrates a number of current environmental protection applications in the context of both water and air.

This book presents a unique analysis of the sustainability performance of various renewable energy sources, based on Brazilian case studies. The evaluation also covers the potential held by regions with diverse socioeconomic and environmental characteristics and how they affect the development of each source. Considering that energy is essential to sustaining and improving modern society, the answer to the current energy dilemma lies in the development of a system that comprises multiple renewable, reliable, and sustainable energy sources. Brazil, which has a predominantly renewable electricity grid, has the privilege of being home to a range of different sustainable sources, although most of its electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. With that in mind, this book has the primary objective of developing a performance evaluation system for important renewable sources in Brazil (solar, wind, and hydro), taking into account different scenarios and investor profiles. The analysis is based on the study of sustainability indicators related to the technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the evaluated energy systems. As the availability of renewable sources is very location-specific, the scope of this book covers two Brazilian States with distinct characteristics. It makes it possible to determine which renewable energy source is most adequate from a sustainability perspective, and in light of the analyzed scope and investor profile.

Ja pensou em como encontrar o caminho do meio a cada decisao tomada? Este livro traz uma adaptacao pratica da teoria dos tipos psicologicos do psiquiatra Carl Gustav Jung, fundador da psicologia analitica, de uma forma simples para uso no dia-a-dia, a cada momento relevante, auxiliando o processo de tomada de decisoes claras e conscientes. Com o Caminho das Oito Perspectivas, voce caminhara rumo ao equilibrio e a harmonia entre voce e o ambiente.