Traditionally, Lorentzian geometry has been used as a necessary tool to understand general relativity, as well as to explore new genuine geometric behaviors, far from classical Riemannian techniques.Recent progress has attracted a renewed interest in this theoryfor many researchers: long-standing global open problems have been solved, outstanding Lorentzian spaces and groups have been classified, new applications to mathematical relativity and high energy physics have been found, and further connections with other geometries have been developed.

Samplesof these fresh trends are presented in this volume, based on contributions from the VI International Meeting on Lorentzian Geometry, held at the University of Granada, Spain, in September, 2011. Topics such as geodesics, maximal, trapped and constant mean curvature submanifolds, classifications of manifolds with relevant symmetries, relations between Lorentzian and Finslerian geometries, and applications to mathematical physics are included.

This book will be suitable for a broad audience of differential geometers, mathematical physicists and relativists, and researchers in the field."

This book examines the performance of oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converters. It discusses the influence of humid air inside the chamber and changes in the seabed, and also investigates the role of wave energy converters in coastal protection. The authors use a real gas model to describe the thermodynamics of the air-water vapour mixture inside the chamber, and the compression and expansion process during the wave cycle. Further, they present an alternative formulation with new perspectives on the adiabatic process of the gaseous phase, including a modified adiabatic index, and subsequent modified thermodynamic state variables such as enthalpy, entropy and specific heat. The book also develops a numerical model using computational fluid dynamics to simulate OWC characteristics in open sea, and studies the performance of a linear turbine using an actuator disk model. It then compares the results from both cases to find an agreement between the analytical and numerical models when humidity is inserted in the gaseous phase. Introducing new concepts to studies of wave energy to provide fresh perspectives on energy extraction and efficiency problems, the book is a valuable resource for researchers and industrial companies involved in thermal energy and coastal engineering. It is also of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students, as it broadens their view of wave energy.

Traditionally, Lorentzian geometry has been used as a necessary tool to understand general relativity, as well as to explore new genuine geometric behaviors, far from classical Riemannian techniques. Recent progress has attracted a renewed interest in this theory for many researchers: long-standing global open problems have been solved, outstanding Lorentzian spaces and groups have been classified, new applications to mathematical relativity and high energy physics have been found, and further connections with other geometries have been developed. Samples of these fresh trends are presented in this volume, based on contributions from the VI International Meeting on Lorentzian Geometry, held at the University of Granada, Spain, in September, 2011. Topics such as geodesics, maximal, trapped and constant mean curvature submanifolds, classifications of manifolds with relevant symmetries, relations between Lorentzian and Finslerian geometries, and applications to mathematical physics are included. This book will be suitable for a broad audience of differential geometers, mathematical physicists and relativists, and researchers in the field.

This volume contains the notes from five lecture courses devoted to nonautonomous differential systems, in which appropriate topological and dynamical techniques were described and applied to a variety of problems. The courses took place during the C.I.M.E. Session "Stability and Bifurcation Problems for Non-Autonomous Differential Equations," held in Cetraro, Italy, June 19-25 2011. Anna Capietto and Jean Mawhin lectured on nonlinear boundary value problems; they applied the Maslov index and degree-theoretic methods in this context. Rafael Ortega discussed the theory of twist maps with nonperiodic phase and presented applications. Peter Kloeden and Sylvia Novo showed how dynamical methods can be used to study the stability/bifurcation properties of bounded solutions and of attracting sets for nonautonomous differential and functional-differential equations. The volume will be of interest to all researchers working in these and related fields.

This book present current research in the study of the nutrition, consumption and health effects of peppers. Topics discussed include the beneficial effects and mechanism of action of pepper capsaicinoids; the effect of different factors on parameters of pepper fruit quality; extraction of bioactive compounds from capsicum oleoresin; the effects of pre-treatment, drying method, and temperature on drying kinetics and quality of peppers; and the consumption of peppers in Brazil and its implications on nutrition and health in humans and animals.