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A Computer Scientist's Guide to Cell Biology
by William W. Cohen Charles K. CohenUnlike the structured world of computer science, biology is complex, evolving, and often lacks clean abstract models. This book aims to serve as a guide for computer scientists who need to understand cell biology, breaking the field into three parts: biological mechanics, experimental methods, and language/nomenclature. While biological mechanics, which investigates cellular-level details, is covered by many texts, this book also focuses on experimental methods – how biologists conduct experiments and gather data - and on helping the reader understand the language and terminology of biology, which is rich but challenging for non-biologists. A Computer Scientist's Guide to Cell Biology uses a metaphor of biology as a strange land with an unfamiliar language and customs. The goal of the book is to provide a high-level introduction to cell biology, simplifying concepts and relating them to familiar ideas from computer science, so that working computer scientists can more effectively understand read recent research papers and results.This Second Edition contains a number of updates, including discussions of CRISPR, advances in DNA Sequencing, and mRNA vaccines. It serves as an easy-to-read travel guide for computer scientists navigating the intricate and sometimes perplexing terrain of cell biology, offering insights into experimental methods and helping bridge the gap between the structured world of computer science and the complexities of biological systems.
A Conceptual Guide to Thermodynamics
by Bill PoirierThermodynamics is the science that describes the behavior of matter at the macroscopic scale, and how this arises from individual molecules. As such, it is a subject of profound practical and fundamental importance to many science and engineering fields. Despite extremely varied applications ranging from nanomotors to cosmology, the core concepts of thermodynamics such as equilibrium and entropy are the same across all disciplines. A Conceptual Guide to Thermodynamics serves as a concise, conceptual and practical supplement to the major thermodynamics textbooks used in various fields. Presenting clear explanations of the core concepts, the book aims to improve fundamental understanding of the material, as well as homework and exam performance. Distinctive features include:Terminology and Notation Key: A universal translator that addresses the myriad of conventions, terminologies, and notations found across the major thermodynamics texts.Content Maps: Specific references to each major thermodynamic text by section and page number for each new concept that is introduced.Helpful Hints and Don't Try Its: Numerous useful tips for solving problems, as well as warnings of common student pitfalls.Unique Explanations: Conceptually clear, mathematically fairly simple, yet also sufficiently precise and rigorous. A more extensive set of reference materials, including older and newer editions of the major textbooks, as well as a number of less commonly used titles, is available online at http://www.conceptualthermo.com. Undergraduate and graduate students of chemistry, physics, engineering, geosciences and biological sciences will benefit from this book, as will students preparing for graduate school entrance exams and MCATs.
A Conceptual History of Psychophysics: Ernst Weber’s Law of Desire
by Nicola BrunoThis book explores the concept of psychophysics and details the development of the ideas which made the mathematisation of desire possible. The experience of desire accompanies us all throughout life, but dealing with it as psychologists and scientists is far from easy. Psychophysics was conceived to help map, mathematically, these unknowable feelings of desire. As such, this book will help to provide an accessible account of psychophysics while telling the story of its creation, which was, in essence, the birth of scientific psychology and contemporary cognitive neuroscience, alongside many of the technologies which characterize the contemporary world. It is a strange and intriguing story, which begins with the German physiologist Ernst Heinrich Weber in the first half of the nineteenth century, and its story will help the reader gain fresh insight into how scientists came to be able to map and quantify complex and private emotional states.
A Concise Course in Elasticity: Nonlinear and Linear Theories with Statics and Dynamics (Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics #54)
by Jiashi YangThis textbook presents a concise and comprehensive treatment of the theory of elasticity. It covers both the linear and nonlinear aspects of the theory, including both statics and dynamics. Written to be accessible to the graduate student reader, this text promotes approachability by minimizing the use of complex mathematical tools, and instead emphasizing the formulation of the initial boundary value problems. This approach makes it an ideal resource for students as well as instructors seeking a textbook designed for a one-semester graduate course in elasticity. Divided into ten chapters, the book begins with a brief review of the mechanics of materials. The theory of Cartesian tensors is then introduced, which serves as a mathematical preparation for the concise treatment of the nonlinear theory of elasticity that follows. The theory of linear elasticity is covered next with the remainder of the book then focusing on problem solving in linear elasticity. These chapters cover topics such as antiplane problems, plane-stress and plane-strain problems, and elastodynamics. Five appendices appear at the end, which include basic equations of elasticity in cylindrical, polar, and spherical coordinates, as well as a collection of vector identities that appear throughout the book. A Concise Course in Elasticity is an ideal textbook for a one-semester graduate course on elasticity. Graduate students interested in this topic will appreciate the author’s accessible approach. Instructors will find the comprehensive coverage uniquely suited to providing an overview of the area. Readers are assumed to have some experience at the undergraduate level of the mechanics of materials.
A Concise Course on the Theory of Classical Liquids: Basics and Selected Topics (Lecture Notes in Physics #923)
by Andrés SantosThis short primer offers non-specialist readers a concise, yetcomprehensive introduction to the field of classical fluids - providing bothfundamental information and a number of selected topics to bridge the gapbetween the basics and ongoing research. In particular, hard-sphere systems represent a favorite playground instatistical mechanics, both in and out of equilibrium, as they represent thesimplest models of many-body systems of interacting particles, and at highertemperature and densities they have proven to be very useful as referencesystems for real fluids. Moreover, their usefulness in the realm of softcondensed matter has become increasingly recognized - for instance, theeffective interaction among (sterically stabilized) colloidal particles can betuned to almost perfectly match the hard-sphere model. These lecture notes present a brief, self-contained overview ofequilibrium statistical mechanics of classical fluids, with specialapplications to both the structural and thermodynamic properties of systemsmade of particles interacting via the hard-sphere potential or closely relatedmodel potentials. In particular it addresses the exact statistical-mechanicalproperties of one-dimensional systems, the issue of thermodynamic(in)consistency among different routes in the context of several approximatetheories, and the construction of analytical or semi-analytical approximationsfor the structural properties. Written pedagogically at the graduate level, with many figures, tables,photographs, and guided end-of-chapter exercises, this introductory textbenefits students and newcomers to the field alike.
A Concise Dictionary of Paleontology
by Robert L. CarltonThis authored dictionary presents a unique glossary of paleontological terms, taxa, localities, and concepts, with focus on the most significant orders, genera, and species in terms of historical turning points such as mass extinctions. The book is an accurate and up-to-date collection of the most important paleontological terms and taxa, and may be used as a resource by students, researchers, libraries, and museums.Though useful to many in professional and academic settings, the book is also aimed at general readers of scientific literature who may enjoy the material without a background in paleontology. While there are many current resources on the subject, few fully encapsulate an accurate representation of the paleontological lexicon. This book attempts to compile such a representation in a moderately comprehensive manner, and includes a list of the most important monographs and articles that have been consulted to put together this essential work.
A Concise Dictionary of Paleontology: Second Edition
by Robert L. CarltonThis new and significantly updated authored dictionary is a unique glossary of paleontological terms, taxa, localities, and concepts. It focuses primarily on identifying the most significant groups of fossil animals and plants in relation to their evolution and phylogeny. It also focuses on mass extinctions, on taxa that are problematic in some significant way, on the principal fossil-Lagerstätten of the world, and on historical turning points marked by index fossils. Although there are many current resources on the subject, none contains an accurate representation of the paleontological lexicon. Although well aware that the fast-changing field of paleontology will always defy any attempt at complete description, the author has attempted to provide an accurate and comprehensive set of about 4,000 entries that will be useful to professionals as well as to general readers of scientific literature without a background in paleontology.
A Concise Guide To Intraoperative Monitoring
by George Zouridakis Andrew PapanicolaouCovering both the applications and the related theory, A Concise Guide to Intraoperative Monitoring provides a general but comprehensive introduction to IOM. Unlike existing texts that typically report the results of specific studies, this book presents comprehensive coverage of the entire procedure, as well as the specific protocols used in hospital practice, examples of typical recordings, possible problems, and recommended solutions. At the end of each chapter the author poses several questions for review. These questions help technologists and medical residents in their preparation for the board exams. Taken together, these features make the book an ideal reference or training manual. <p><p> A Concise Guide to Intraoperative Monitoring begins by discussing the basic principles underlying the generation of bioelectrical signals. It then describes the electronic equipment and the various electrophysiological procedures involved in IOM. From this foundation, the book gradually advances to more specific topics, such as surgical procedures, neuronal structures at risk, the optimum combinations of tests to administer, and the proper interpretation of test results. The material also provides you with a background on general anesthesia and analyzes the effects of various drugs on electrophysiological recordings. A Concise Guide to Intraoperative Monitoring also discusses the proper placement of stimulation and recording electrodes, as well as intervention strategies and equipment troubleshooting.
A Concise Guide to Chaotic Electronic Circuits (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)
by Luigi Fortuna Arturo Buscarino Mattia Frasca Gregorio SciutoThis brief provides a source of instruction from which students can be taught about the practicalities of designing and using chaotic circuits. The text provides information on suitable materials, circuit design and schemes for design realization. Readers are then shown how to reproduce experiments on chaos and to design new ones. The text guides the reader easily from the basic idea of chaos to the laboratory test providing an experimental basis that can be developed for such applications as secure communications. This brief provides introductory information on sample chaotic circuits, includes coverage of their development, and the "gallery" section provides information on a wide range of circuits. Concise Guide to Chaotic Electronic Circuits will be useful to anyone running a laboratory class involving chaotic circuits and to students wishing to learn about them.
A Concise Guide to Intraoperative Monitoring
by George Zouridakis Andrew C. PapanicolaouCovering both the applications and the related theory, A Concise Guide to Intraoperative Monitoring provides a general but comprehensive introduction to IOM. Unlike existing texts that typically report the results of specific studies, this book presents comprehensive coverage of the entire procedure, as well as the specific protocols used in hospit
A Concise Guide to Nuclear Medicine
by Abdelhamid H. ElgazzarNuclear medicine is an important component of modern medicine. This easy-to-use book is designed to acquaint readers with the basic principles of nuclear medicine, the instrumentation used, the gamut of procedures available, and the basis for selecting specific diagnostic or therapeutic procedures and interpreting results. After an introductory chapter on the history, technical basis, and scope of nuclear medicine, a series of chapters are devoted to the application of nuclear medicine techniques in the different body systems. In addition, the use of nuclear medicine methods within oncology is carefully examined, covering diagnosis, staging, assessment of treatment response, radiotherapy planning, and the sentinel node technique. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to nuclear medicine therapy. This practical and up-to-date guide to nuclear medicine is ideal for beginners and will also help professionals who need to retrieve useful information rapidly.
A Concise Guide to the Mental Capacity Act: Basic Principles in Practice
by Dr Tracey Ryan-MorganThis book provides a clear introduction to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA, 2005), offering an easy reference guide to the complex issues enshrined within the Act to inform the everyday practice of those who need to perform within its parameters as part of their day-to-day work. Bringing together clinical neuropsychology expertise with legal commentary, the book introduces the main principles and presumptions of the MCA (2005) and describes the processes involved in the comprehensive assessment of what can, in practice, be complex issues. It provides learning summaries, flowcharts, checklists and web references for easy to access resources. The chapters also contain a broad range of illustrative case examples with considerable emphasis given to those areas of complexity that are not addressed in current guidance and which often prove contentious in everyday practice, such as how particular forms of brain injury can lead to hidden difficulties with decision-making which can be challenging to assess and evidence in practice. The book is essential reading for trainee nurses, doctors, paramedics, social workers, lawyers, psychologists and health and social care support workers, as well as experienced health and social care professionals such as ward managers and care and nursing home managers who face mental capacity issues in their day to day working role.
A Concise History of Mathematics for Philosophers (Elements in the Philosophy of Mathematics)
by John StillwellThis Element aims to present an outline of mathematics and its history, with particular emphasis on events that shook up its philosophy. It ranges from the discovery of irrational numbers in ancient Greece to the nineteenth- and twentieth-century discoveries on the nature of infinity and proof. Recurring themes are intuition and logic, meaning and existence, and the discrete and the continuous. These themes have evolved under the influence of new mathematical discoveries and the story of their evolution is, to a large extent, the story of philosophy of mathematics.
A Concise History of Mathematics: Fourth Revised Edition (Dover Books on Mathematics)
by Dirk J. StruikThis compact, well-written history -- first published in 1948, and now in its fourth revised edition -- describes the main trends in the development of all fields of mathematics from the first available records to the middle of the 20th century. Students, researchers, historians, specialists -- in short, everyone with an interest in mathematics -- will find it engrossing and stimulating.Beginning with the ancient Near East, the author traces the ideas and techniques developed in Egypt, Babylonia, China, and Arabia, looking into such manuscripts as the Egyptian Papyrus Rhind, the Ten Classics of China, and the Siddhantas of India. He considers Greek and Roman developments from their beginnings in Ionian rationalism to the fall of Constantinople; covers medieval European ideas and Renaissance trends; analyzes 17th- and 18th-century contributions; and offers an illuminating exposition of 19th century concepts. Every important figure in mathematical history is dealt with -- Euclid, Archimedes, Diophantus, Omar Khayyam, Boethius, Fermat, Pascal, Newton, Leibniz, Fourier, Gauss, Riemann, Cantor, and many others. For this latest edition, Dr. Struik has both revised and updated the existing text, and also added a new chapter on the mathematics of the first half of the 20th century. Concise coverage is given to set theory, the influence of relativity and quantum theory, tensor calculus, the Lebesgue integral, the calculus of variations, and other important ideas and concepts. The book concludes with the beginnings of the computer era and the seminal work of von Neumann, Turing, Wiener, and others."The author's ability as a first-class historian as well as an able mathematician has enabled him to produce a work which is unquestionably one of the best." -- Nature Magazine.
A Concise History of Solar and Stellar Physics
by Monique Tassoul Jean-Louis TassoulThis book provides a comprehensive overview of the history of ideas about the sun and the stars, from antiquity to modern times. Two theoretical astrophysicists who have been active in the field since the early 1960s tell the story in fluent prose. About half of the book covers most of the theoretical research done from 1940 to the close of the twentieth century, a large body of work that has to date been little explored by historians. The first chapter, which outlines the period from about 3000 B.C. to 1700 A.D., shows that at every stage in history human beings have had a particular understanding of the sun and stars, and that this has continually evolved over the centuries. Next the authors systematically address the immense mass of observations astronomy accumulated from the early seventeenth century to the early twentieth. The remaining four chapters examine the history of the field from the physicists perspective, the emphasis being on theoretical work from the mid-1840s to the late 1990s--from thermodynamics to quantum mechanics, from nuclear physics and magnetohydrodynamics to the remarkable advances through to the late 1960s, and finally, to more recent theoretical work. Intended mainly for students and teachers of astronomy, this book will also be a useful reference for practicing astronomers and scientifically curious general readers.
A Concise Introduction to Elastic Solids: An Overview of the Mechanics of Elastic Materials and Structures
by Carl T. HerakovichThis book provides an introduction to fundamental concepts of solid mechanics for the uninitiated. It also includes a concise review of fundamentals for those who have been away from the field for a time or are studying for a final exam or engineering license exam. The coverage ranges from fundamental definitions through constitutive equations, axial loading, torsion, bending, thermal effects, stability, pressure vessels, plates and shells, computational mechanics, and fibrous composite materials.
A Concise Introduction to Machine Learning
by A.C. FaulThe emphasis of the book is on the question of Why – only if why an algorithm is successful is understood, can it be properly applied, and the results trusted. Algorithms are often taught side by side without showing the similarities and differences between them. This book addresses the commonalities, and aims to give a thorough and in-depth treatment and develop intuition, while remaining concise. This useful reference should be an essential on the bookshelves of anyone employing machine learning techniques. The author's webpage for the book can be accessed here.
A Concise Introduction to Mechanics of Rigid Bodies: Multidisciplinary Engineering
by L. HuangThis updated second edition broadens the explanation of rotational kinematics and dynamics -- the most important aspect of rigid body motion in three-dimensional space and a topic of much greater complexity than linear motion. It expands treatment of vector and matrix, and includes quaternion operations to describe and analyze rigid body motion which are found in robot control, trajectory planning, 3D vision system calibration, and hand-eye coordination of robots in assembly work, etc. It features updated treatments of concepts in all chapters and case studies. The textbook retains its comprehensiveness in coverage and compactness in size, which make it easily accessible to the readers from multidisciplinary areas who want to grasp the key concepts of rigid body mechanics which are usually scattered in multiple volumes of traditional textbooks. Theoretical concepts are explained through examples taken from across engineering disciplines and links to applications and more advanced courses (e. g. industrial robotics) are provided. Ideal for students and practitioners, this book provides readers with a clear path to understanding rigid body mechanics and its significance in numerous sub-fields of mechanical engineering and related areas.
A Concise Introduction to Polymer Physics: Theoretical Concepts and Applications (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)
by Reinhard HentschkeThis textbook provides a concise and transparently structured one-semester course in polymer physics - the science, in addition to polymer chemistry, behind a class of ubiquitous materials. It covers all major theoretical concepts and their applications in six chapters, including the conformations of chains, the thermodynamics of mixtures, solutions and networks, and the dynamics of polymers. Selected topics highlight aspects of polymer mechanics, the role of particulate fillers, stable and labile liquid crystal polymers, and polyelectrolytes. Solved problems deepen and extend important points that are explained in the main chapters. The emphasis is on the derivation of the results and not on their mere presentation. If a result can be obtained using different theoretical methods or viewed from a different angle, an attempt is made to explain the relationships between the methods as clearly as possible. In addition, the validation of theoretical results through suitable experiments is always included. All this assumes a certain familiarity with statistical thermodynamics and its mathematics, which means that the text is best suited for upper undergraduate level.
A Concise Introduction to Thermodynamics for Physicists
by Patricia FaiscaThis introductory textbook provides a synthetic overview of the laws and formal aspects of thermodynamics and was designed for undergraduate students in physics, and in the physical sciences. Language and notation have been kept as simple as possible throughout the text. While this is a self-contained text on thermodynamics (i.e. focused on macroscopic physics), emphasis is placed on the microscopic underlying model to facilitate the understanding of key concepts such as entropy, and motivate a future course on statistical physics. This book will equip the reader with an understanding of the scope of this discipline and of its applications to a variety of physical systems Throughout the text readers are continuously challenged with conceptual questions that prompt reflection and facilitate the understanding of subtle issues. Each chapter ends by presenting worked problems to support and motivate self-study, in addition to a series of proposed exercises whose solutions are available as supplementary material. Features Pedagogically designed, including illustrations, keyword definitions, highlights, summaries of key ideas and concepts, and boxes with additional topics that complement the materials presented in the main text. Presents active reading strategies, such as conceptual problems, discussion questions, worked examples with comments, end of chapter problems, and further reading to stimulate engagement with the text. Guides the reader with ease through a difficult subject by providing extra help whenever needed to overcome the more demanding technical and conceptual aspects. Solutions Manual available upon qualifying course adoption.
A Concise Introduction to the Statistical Physics of Complex Systems (SpringerBriefs in Complexity)
by Eric BertinThis concise primer (based on lectures given at summer schools on complex systems and on a masters degree course in complex systems modeling) will provide graduate students and newcomers to the field with the basic knowledge of the concepts and methods of statistical physics and its potential for application to interdisciplinary topics. Indeed, in recent years, statistical physics has begun to attract the interest of a broad community of researchers in the field of complex system sciences, ranging from biology to the social sciences, economics and computer science. More generally, a growing number of graduate students and researchers feel the need to learn some basic concepts and questions originating in other disciplines without necessarily having to master all of the corresponding technicalities and jargon. Generally speaking, the goals of statistical physics may be summarized as follows: on the one hand to study systems composed of a large number of interacting 'entities', and on the other to predict the macroscopic (or collective) behavior of the system considered from the microscopic laws ruling the dynamics of the individual 'entities'. These two goals are, to some extent, also shared by what is nowadays called 'complex systems science' and for these reasons, systems studied in the framework of statistical physics may be considered as among the simplest examples of complex systems--allowing in addition a rather well developed mathematical treatment.
A Concise Manual of Pathogenic Microbiology
by Saroj K. Mishra Dipti AgrawalA quick, concise reference to pathogenic microorganisms and the diseases they cause, this book is divided into specific groups of pathogenic microorganisms including bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses, and prions. It lists important pathogenic taxa in each group, covering their natural habitats, the diseases they cause, microbiological highlights, laboratory diagnosis, and measures of prevention and control, including availability of vaccines and effective therapeutic agents. All healthcare professionals and public health workers will benefit from having this reliable source of information at their fingertips.
A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesIn January 2004, President George W. Bush announced the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), which instructed NASA to "Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations," among other objectives. As acknowledged in the VSE, significant technology development will be necessary to accomplish the goals it articulates. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) is designed to support, develop, and ultimately provide the necessary technologies to meet the goals of the VSE. This book, a review of the ETDP, is broadly supportive of the intent and goals of the VSE, and finds the ETDP is making progress towards the stated goals of technology development. However, the ETDP is operating within significant constraints which limit its ability to successfully accomplish those goals-the still dynamic nature of the Constellation Program requirements, the constraints imposed by a limited budget, the aggressive time scale of early technology deliverables, and the desire to fully employ the NASA workforce.
A Contagious Cause: The American Hunt for Cancer Viruses and the Rise of Molecular Medicine
by Robin Wolfe SchefflerIs cancer a contagious disease? In the late nineteenth century this idea, and attending efforts to identify a cancer “germ,” inspired fear and ignited controversy. Yet speculation that cancer might be contagious also contained a kernel of hope that the strategies used against infectious diseases, especially vaccination, might be able to subdue this dread disease. Today, nearly one in six cancers are thought to have an infectious cause, but the path to that understanding was twisting and turbulent. ?A Contagious Cause is the first book to trace the century-long hunt for a human cancer virus in America, an effort whose scale exceeded that of the Human Genome Project. The government’s campaign merged the worlds of molecular biology, public health, and military planning in the name of translating laboratory discoveries into useful medical therapies. However, its expansion into biomedical research sparked fierce conflict. Many biologists dismissed the suggestion that research should be planned and the idea of curing cancer by a vaccine or any other means as unrealistic, if not dangerous. Although the American hunt was ultimately fruitless, this effort nonetheless profoundly shaped our understanding of life at its most fundamental levels. A Contagious Cause links laboratory and legislature as has rarely been done before, creating a new chapter in the histories of science and American politics.
A Contract with the Earth
by Newt Gingrich Terry L. MapleFocusing the environmental debate on the principle of common commitment, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and eminent conservationist Terry L. Maple present A Contract with the Earth. They declare a need for bipartisan environmentalism—a new era of environmental stewardship with principles that they believe most Americans will share. While acknowledging that liberals and conservatives do not see eye to eye on many issues, Gingrich and Maple argue successfully that environmental stewardship is a mainstream value that transcends partisan politics. Their thoughtful approaches to our environmental challenges are based on three main premises: environmental leadership is integral to America's role in the world, technologically savvy environmental entrepreneurs can and should be the cornerstone of environmental solutions, and cooperation and incentives must be dramatically increased to achieve workable and broadly supported environmental solutions.Gingrich and Maple believe that most people—regardless of how they categorize themselves politically—are weary of the legal and political conflicts that prevent individuals and communities from realizing the benefits of environmental conservation. The foundation of the book—a ten-point Contract with the Earth—promotes ingenuity over rhetoric as the way forward.