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Spatial Filtering for the Control of Smart Structures
by James E. HubbardThis book develops and details rigorous design methodologies and performance measures for the control of modern Smart Structures. The spatially distributed/continuum or distributed parameter nature of such structures makes it difficult to apply modern lumped parameter control philosophy and techniques to such designs. While there exist a substantial amount of technical literature on the Control of Distributed Parameter Systems (DPS), there are still relatively few applications or practical implementations of the theory. The work presented in this textbook address the issue of the design and implementation of distributed parameter control schemes, for Smart Structures, which exploit both spatially distributed sensing and actuation through the use of modern smart material technology. The merging of DPS with distributed parameter transducers leads to simple, physically realizable control system designs. This text provides a significant reference for practicing professionals, students and researchers in the area of transducer design using smart materials for high performance smart structures.
Boundary Management: Developing Business Architectures for Innovation
by Mitsuru KodamaThis book presents the concept of business architecture and optimizing processes as a corporate system based on multiple corporate case studies, including Sony, NTT-DATA, NTT-DoCoMo, Toyota, Honda, Omron, Takara, Recruit, First Retailing, Panasonic and Canon.
Data Analysis and Classification: Proceedings of the 6th Conference of the Classification and Data Analysis Group of the Società Italiana di Statistica (Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization)
by Carlo Natale Lauro Michael Greenacre Francesco PalumboThe volume provides results from the latest methodological developments in data analysis and classification and highlights new emerging subjects within the field. It contains articles about statistical models, classification, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, multivariate analysis, latent variables, knowledge extraction from temporal data, financial and economic applications, and missing values. Papers cover both theoretical and empirical aspects.
Morphological and Cellular Aspects of Tail and Limb Regeneration in Lizards
by Lorenzo AlibardiThe present review deals with the analysis of the cytological processess occurring during tissue regeneration in the tail and limb of lizards. These reptiles are considered as a model to understand the process of tissue regeneration in all amniotes. The review begins with some evolutive considerations on the origin of tail regeneration in comparison to the failure of limb regeneration, a unique case among amniotes. The formation of the tail in the embryo and the possible accumulation of stem cells in autotomous planes of the tail are discussed. The histological and ultrastructural processess occuring during blastema formation and tail regeneration and during limb cicatrization are presented. The comparison stresses the scarse to absent inflammatory reaction present in the tail vs the massive inflammatory response in the limb leading to scarring. In fact the experimental induction of a strong inflammation in the tail also leads to scarring. The importance of the nervous system in stimulating tail regeneration in lizards is emphasized. The presence of growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins during wound healing of the tail and limb is introduced. The review concludes stressing the importance of the lizard model of tissue regeneration for medical studies and applications.
Radiation Hormesis and the Linear-No-Threshold Assumption
by Charles L. SandersCurrent radiation protection standards are based upon the application of the linear no-threshold (LNT) assumption, which considers that even very low doses of ionizing radiation can cause cancer. The radiation hormesis hypothesis, by contrast, proposes that low-dose ionizing radiation is beneficial. In this book, the author examines all facets of radiation hormesis in detail, including the history of the concept and mechanisms, and presents comprehensive, up-to-date reviews for major cancer types. It is explained how low-dose radiation can in fact decrease all-cause and all-cancer mortality and help to control metastatic cancer. Attention is also drawn to biases in epidemiological research when using the LNT assumption. The author shows how proponents of the LNT assumption consistently reject, manipulate, and deliberately ignore an overwhelming abundance of published data and falsely claim that no reliable data are available at doses of less than 100 mSv.
Internal Medicine
by Jarrah Ali Al-TubaikhThis book explains how radiology can be a powerful tool for establishing the diagnosis of many internal medicine diseases. It is organized in the classic fashion for internal medicine books, with eleven chapters covering the different internal medicine specialties. Within these chapters, more than 450 diseases are considered. For each disease, radiological and clinical features are displayed in images and high-quality digital medical illustrations, and those differential diagnoses are identified that can be ruled out by imaging alone. In addition, the pathophysiology underlying the radiological features is described, explaining why a particular sign is seen on MR images, CT scans, or plain radiographs. The book will serve as an excellent radiological atlas for internal medicine practitioners and family physicians, showing disease presentations that may be hard to find in standard medical textbooks and explaining which imaging modalities are likely to be most informative in particular patients.
Fertility of Immigrants
by Nadja MilewskiThis book examines fertility patterns of post-war labor migrants and their descendants in Germany. It includes an introduction to the post-war migration history of Germany and a thorough review of the international literature on fertility of migrants and cultural sub-groups. The author uses data from the German Socio-economic Panel Study and applies event-history techniques to test a set of competing hypotheses derived from the literature. The analysis finds evidence for the effects of adaptation, socialization and composition, as well as for an interrelation of events. It does not however find evidence for a disruptive influence of migration on childbearing behavior. The book shows the advantages of a longitudinal research design over the conventional cross-sectional approach and sets a new standard for research on the fertility of international migrants and their descendants in western European receiving societies.
Spine Trauma
by Courtney W. Brown Evalina Burger Vikas V. PatelSpinal surgeons treat spinal trauma patients on a regular basis in their hospital emergency rooms. This well-illustrated, hands-on guide to the many surgical techniques required in these situations provides a solid basis for the management of spinal trauma.
Molecular Biology of the SARS-Coronavirus
by Sunil K. LalThe SARS outbreak in 2002 caused unprecedented devastation and exhibited unusually high rates of morbidity and mortality. For the SARS coronavirus, the transmission vehicle was man. What added to the spread was man's convenient, rapid and affordable ways of travel that caused the virus to spread globally in a short span of time. The SARS coronavirus jumped the species barrier, similar to many recent zoonotic diseases - avian flu, swine flu, Nipah and encephalitis virus. It is extremely important for us to understand the enemy before it strikes again in order to be able to combat such outbreaks as and when they occur. Molecular mechanisms that the virus exploits within its host and that result in infection and pathogenesis are the key to being able to block its transmission cycle. In this book, leading scientists from around the globe have discussed molecular aspects of viral entry, replication, viral gene expression, pathogenesis and host immune response against the SARS coronavirus.
Soil Engineering
by Athanasios P. Dedousis Thomas BartzanasThe agricultural world has changed significantly during the last years. The excessive use of heavy machinery, waste disposal, the use of agrochemicals and new soil cultivation means led to severe problems, which agricultural engineers have to cope with in order to prevent soil from permanent irreversible damage. This Soil Biology volume will update readers on several cutting-edge aspects of sustainable soil engineering including topics such as: soil compaction, soil density increases, soil disturbance and soil fragmentation; soil tillage machineries and optimization of tillage tools; soil traffic and traction, effects of heavy agricultural machines, the use of robotics in agriculture and controlled traffic farming; mechanical weed control, the characterization of soil variability and the recycling of compost and biosolids in agricultural soils.
Postnatal Development of the Human Hippocampal Formation
by Ricardo Insausti Sandra Cebada-Sánchez Pilar MarcosThis monograph intends to introduce the postnatal development of morphological features relevant to the reader interested in the neurobiology and pathology of the hippocampal formation in the complex phenomena underlying the progressive anatomical and functional maturation of this brain region. This review is focused in the morphological aspects, while more detailed basic phenomena of neuronal maturation, no doubt, of great interest, will be only marginally referred to, although a selection of behavioral and clinical aspects will be briefly addressed too as an attempt to illustrate real situations in different clinical specialties.
Malassezia and the Skin
by Peter Mayser Aristea Velegraki Teun Boekhout Eveline Guého-KellermannThis book, written by a group of acknowledged experts, is the first comprehensive overview on the very unusual yeasts of the genus Malassezia. All relevant aspects of the genus and its 13 species are covered in detail within 11 chapters. The first chapter reviews the long and controversial history of the genus, while the second describes all mycological characteristics of the different species, including media and techniques adapted to their isolation, description, and maintenance. Subsequent chapters methodically address issues such as the effect of Malassezia yeasts on human and animal health, and the current therapeutic approaches for Malassezia-induced or -exacerbated diseases. The last chapter provides a summary of data to be presented on a website that will be regularly updated, thus incorporating latest findings. Microbiologists, mycologists, dermatologists, and veterinarians will find this book a useful and up-to-date source of information.
Professionelle Beziehungen
by Heide OttenBei der Arbeitsmethode nach Balint steht die Arzt/Psychotherapeut-Patient-Beziehung im Fokus. Störungen dieser Beziehung wirken sich auf Diagnose und Therapie aus. Ärzten und Psychotherapeuten bietet die Balintgruppe eine strukturierte Möglichkeit des Austauschs. Die Autorin stellt die Methode u. a. anhand folgender Fragen vor: Wie werden Begegnungen mit Patienten dargestellt und wie gibt die Gruppe ihren Eindruck hierzu wieder? Wie entsteht ein Bild der Beziehung und wie ist es nutzbar? Wie erlangt man Sicherheit bei der Leitung von Balintgruppen?
Changing Cultures in Higher Education: Moving Ahead to Future Learning
by Ulf-Daniel Ehlers Dirk SchneckenbergMore and more educational scenarios and learning landscapes are developed using blogs, wikis, podcasts and e-portfolios. Web 2.0 tools give learners more control, by allowing them to easily create, share or reuse their own learning materials, and these tools also enable social learning networks that bridge the border between formal and informal learning. However, practices of strategic innovation of universities, faculty development, assessment, evaluation and quality assurance have not fully accommodated these changes in technology and teaching. Ehlers and Schneckenberg present strategic approaches for innovation in universities. The contributions explore new models for developing and engaging faculty in technology-enhanced education, and they detail underlying reasons for why quality assessment and evaluation in new - and often informal - learning scenarios have to change. Their book is a practical guide for educators, aimed at answering these questions. It describes what E-learning 2.0 is, which basic elements of Web 2.0 it builds on, and how E-learning 2.0 differs from Learning 1.0. The book also details a number of quality methods and examples, such as self-assessment, peer-review, social recommendation, and peer-learning, using illustrative cases and giving practical recommendations. Overall, it offers a step-by-step guide for educators so that they can choose their own quality assurance or assessment methods, or develop their own evaluation methodology for specific learning scenarios. The book addresses everyone involved in higher education - university leaders, chief information officers, change and quality assurance managers, and faculty developers. Pedagogical advisers and consultants will find new insights and practices for the integration and management of novel learning technologies in higher education. The volume fosters in lecturers and teachers a sound understanding of the need and strategy for change, and it provides them with practical recommendations on competence and quality methodologies.
Botulinum Toxin in Urology
by Christopher P. Smith Michael B. ChancellorBladder injection of onabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to neurogenic detrusor overactivity has recently been approved by regulatory agencies in several EU countries and by the FDA in the United States. This is the first book to focus on the practical application of botulinum toxin (BoNT) in the genitourinary tract. It covers in detail applications of BoNT in the bladder and the prostate and pelvic floor, with reviews of the latest clinical series and techniques in both adults and children. Appendices containing easy-to-read instructions for patients undergoing bladder and prostate BoNT injections are included, in addition to procedural guidelines for nursing staff. The book is written in a concise, clinically relevant style by two leading pioneers in the field, who were the first to undertake comprehensive basic research into the mechanisms underlying the efficacy and potential uses of BoNT within the lower urinary tract.
Integrated G Proteins Signaling in Plants
by Alan Jones František Baluška Shaul YalovskyThis volume focuses on the structure, function and regulation of plant signaling G proteins and their function in hormonal pathways, polarity, differentiation, morphogenesis and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants are sessile organisms that need to continuously coordinate between external and internal cues. This coordination requires the existence of hubs to allow cross-talk between different signaling pathways. A single family of Rho GTPases, termed either ROPS or RACs, and heterotrimeric G proteins have emerged as the major molecular switches in a multitude of signal transduction pathway in plants.
Sepsis Management
by Jordi Rello Thiago Lisboa Jeffrey LipmanThis book is unique in approaching multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) from the perspective of its pathophysiological mechanism, and addressing aspects that are overlooked in most of the available literature. Eminent experts in the field from Europe and beyond offer new insights into risk stratification, severity assessment, and management of critically ill patients with sepsis. The principal focus is on recently developed concepts in infection management and in antibiotic use, bearing in mind that in these patients the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics are altered, affecting renal clearance and requiring dosage adjustments. The significance of the PIRO (predisposing factors, infection, response, organ dysfunction) model in the development of effective treatment strategies is emphasized. This book will be of interest and value to all who are involved in the treatment of, or research into, sepsis and MODS.
Semantic Technologies for E-Government
by Tomas Vitvar Konstantinos Tarabanis Vassilios PeristerasE-government faces huge challenges in achieving interoperability and integration, taking into account differences in laws, regulations, services, administrative processes and languages across regions and countries. On the other hand, issues like service, data and process integration have been researched by the Semantic Web community for several years now, and in the last two to three years we have witnessed the first applications of semantic technologies in real, operational e-government systems in both Europe and the US which address exactly these challenges. With this book, the editors present the latest research results on how to use semantic technologies in order to improve or even revolutionize the use of ICT in public administration systems. The contributions are organized into three parts: architectures and process integration, ontologies and interoperability, and portals and user interactions. They give a broad overview of how semantic technologies have been applied in different e-government projects funded from the European program for ICT Research and Development, and they cover a wide spectrum of semantic technologies such as development of domain and service ontologies, semantic enhancements of business process models, semantic Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs) based on Semantic Web Services (SWS) frameworks, and ontology-based knowledge management. In this volume, researchers of Semantic Web technologies will find a wealth of challenging real-world scenarios to stimulate new fields of research, while developers of e-government systems as well as other stakeholders in public administration will appreciate the detailed presentations and discussions of numerous applications in areas such as e-government portals, personalization of Web-based public services, or integration and orchestration of public administration processes.
IT-Governance in der Praxis
by Andreas Rüter Jens Niebuhr Jürgen Schröder Axel GöldnerDie IT befindet sich heute in vielen Unternehmen in einer "Sandwichposition": Auf der einen Seite sollen Governance- oder Compliance-Anforderungen erfüllt, auf der anderen Seite Kosten reduziert werden. Die Autoren erläutern diese Herausforderungen und zeigen anhand von Praxisbeispielen effektive Wege zur Ausgestaltung der IT-Governance auf. Die 2. Auflage wurde um die Themen IT-Compliance und Sicherheit in der IT ergänzt. Der Band richtet sich an Lenker der IT, aber auch an das Management im Bereich Finanzen und Organisationsentwicklung.
Inflammation and Gastrointestinal Cancers
by Janusz A. JankowskiInflammation in gastrointestinal mucosa can remodel the topography of the overlying epithelium. If such inflammation is chronic, it has fundamental clinical consequences, the principal of which is premalignant metaplasia throughout the alimentary tract. Furthermore, mucosal inflammation, even if subtle, is the single most common pathway for GI cancer. This book discusses all aspects of the relation between inflammation and GI cancer, from the basic science through to the translational science which is helping in the optimization of clinical management strategies. Among the topics considered are the impact of inherited syndromes; the roles of acid reflux, H. pylori, inflammatory bowel disease, and primary sclerosing cholangitis; screening strategies; targeted drug therapies; genetics; and the use of endoscopic methods. The authors are the best in their field, and this book is designed for the enthusiastic student as well as the professional in GI science and medicine.
Small Satellite Missions for Earth Observation
by Rainer Sandau Arnoldo Valenzuela Hans-Peter RoeserThis book was compiled from those contributions given at the 7th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation, May 4-8, 2009, Berlin (IAA - International Academy of Astronautics) which are representative for the new developments and trends in the area of small satellites for Earth observation. They reflect the potentials of a diversity of missions and related technologies. They may be based on national projects or international co-operations, single satellites of constellations, pico-, nano-, micro- or mini-satellites, developed by companies, research institutions or agencies. The main focus is on new missions to monitor our Earth's resources (chapter 1), and the environment in which our Earth is embedded (chapter 2). Chapter 3 deals with distributed space systems, the unique feature of small satellites. The university satellites chapter (chapter 4) shows the high quality which is already reached by some of the universities worldwide. Chapter 5 gives insight into new developments in the fields of instruments and technologies. The last two chapters (chapters 6, 7) deal with subjects, necessary to make use of the data coming from the satellite systems: attitude and position
Soils, Plants and Clay Minerals
by Pierre Barré Pierre VeldeThis book considers the inter-relations between plants and minerals in an entirely new way, in that it introduces the notion of eco-engineering: i.e. the manipulation of the mineral world by the living world to the ends of the living world. These inter-relations are the basis for traditional agriculture and should be the basis for new, ecologically oriented land management disciplines, including agriculture itself. These relations also have an impact on surface geochemistry and determine pollution problems. A better understanding of this concept will lead to a renewed consideration of surface environmental problems.
Gruppenpsychotherapie
by Bernhard Strauß Dankwart MattkeGruppenpsychotherapie ist eine anerkannte Methode der Anwendung aller wichtigen Psychotherapieverfahren, das die in einer Gruppe auftretenden speziellen Gruppenphänomene für die Psychotherapie einsetzt. Sie findet Einsatz im ambulanten, teilstationären und stationären Setting und dient auch als Unterstützung bei vielfältigen psychosozialen Konfliktfeldern. Dieses Buch versteht sich als Lehrbuch für die Praxis: Fachleute aus den jeweiligen Anwendungsfeldern stellen die relevanten theoretischen Informationen und Handlungsempfehlungen für die Arbeit in verschiedenen Settings und bei den Störungsbildern dar.
A Young Generation Under Pressure?: The Financial Situation and the "Rush Hour" of the Cohorts 1970 - 1985 in a Generational Comparison
by Joerg TremmelJustice between generations is still not as prominent on any agenda as justice between rich and poor or men and women. For the first time, this three-part book explores the situation of young people of today in comparison to their direct predecessors. The first part, The Financial Situation of the Young Generation in a Generational Comparison, deals with this generation's financial standing; the second part, The Rush Hour of Life, examines their time restrictions. Both are considered from a life-course perspective. The third part, On the Path to Gerontocracy?, addresses the demographic shift in favor of the elderly in aging Western democracies.
Optical Sensor Systems in Biotechnology
by Govind RaoOptical Sensor Systems in Biotechnology covers trends in this modern biotechnology. The book treats all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology, where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from a broad range of disciplines.