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Teaching and Researching English Accents in Native and Non-native Speakers
by Ewa Waniek-Klimczak Linda R. ShockeySecond language phonology is approached in this book from the perspective of data-based studies into the English sound system as used by native and non-native speakers of the language. The book offers a unique combination of psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic and pedagogical approaches, with individual contributions investigating the effect of selected conditioning factors on the pronunciation of English. With all the richness of approaches, it is a strong phonetic background that unifies individual contributions to the volume. Thus, the book contains a large body of original, primary research which will be of interest to experienced scientist, practitioners and lecturers as well as graduate students planning to embark on empirical methods of investigating the nature of the sound system
Modeling Dose-Response Microarray Data in Early Drug Development Experiments Using R
by Dhammika Amaratunga Ziv Shkedy Dan Lin Daniel Yekutieli Luc BijnensThis book focuses on the analysis of dose-response microarray data in pharmaceutical settings, the goal being to cover this important topic for early drug development experiments and to provide user-friendly R packages that can be used to analyze this data. It is intended for biostatisticians and bioinformaticians in the pharmaceutical industry, biologists, and biostatistics/bioinformatics graduate students. Part I of the book is an introduction, in which we discuss the dose-response setting and the problem of estimating normal means under order restrictions. In particular, we discuss the pooled-adjacent-violator (PAV) algorithm and isotonic regression, as well as inference under order restrictions and non-linear parametric models, which are used in the second part of the book. Part II is the core of the book, in which we focus on the analysis of dose-response microarray data. Methodological topics discussed include: * Multiplicity adjustment * Test statistics and procedures for the analysis of dose-response microarray data * Resampling-based inference and use of the SAM method for small-variance genes in the data * Identification and classification of dose-response curve shapes * Clustering of order-restricted (but not necessarily monotone) dose-response profiles * Gene set analysis to facilitate the interpretation of microarray results * Hierarchical Bayesian models and Bayesian variable selection * Non-linear models for dose-response microarray data * Multiple contrast tests * Multiple confidence intervals for selected parameters adjusted for the false coverage-statement rate All methodological issues in the book are illustrated using real-world examples of dose-response microarray datasets from early drug development experiments.
Social Self-Organization
by Dirk HelbingWhat are the principles that keep our society together? This question is even more difficult to answer than the long-standing question, what are the forces that keep our world together. However, the social challenges of humanity in the 21st century ranging from the financial crises to the impacts of globalization, require us to make fast progress in our understanding of how society works, and how our future can be managed in a resilient and sustainable way. This book can present only a few very first steps towards this ambitious goal. However, based on simple models of social interactions, one can already gain some surprising insights into the social, ``macro-level'' outcomes and dynamics that is implied by individual, ``micro-level'' interactions. Depending on the nature of these interactions, they may imply the spontaneous formation of social conventions or the birth of social cooperation, but also their sudden breakdown. This can end in deadly crowd disasters or tragedies of the commons (such as financial crises or environmental destruction). Furthermore, we demonstrate that classical modeling approaches (such as representative agent models) do not provide a sufficient understanding of the self-organization in social systems resulting from individual interactions. The consideration of randomness, spatial or network interdependencies, and nonlinear feedback effects turns out to be crucial to get fundamental insights into how social patterns and dynamics emerge. Given the explanation of sometimes counter-intuitive phenomena resulting from these features and their combination, our evolutionary modeling approach appears to be powerful and insightful. The chapters of this book range from a discussion of the modeling strategy for socio-economic systems over experimental issues up the right way of doing agent-based modeling. We furthermore discuss applications ranging from pedestrian and crowd dynamics over opinion formation, coordination, and cooperation up to conflict, and also address the response to information, issues of systemic risks in society and economics, and new approaches to manage complexity in socio-economic systems. Selected parts of this book had been previously published in peer reviewed journals.
Embedded Technologies
by Joachim WietzkeDer Weg von der Inbetriebnahme eines Prozessorsystems bis zur Implementierung einer Human Machine Interface (HMI) bildet den Schwerpunkt dieses Werks. Der Autor erläutert, wie Treiber und Betriebssystem (QNX, Linux) konfiguriert, gebaut und geladen werden. Alle notwendigen Kenntnisse werden systematisch und fundiert vermittelt, auch Fragen der Virtualisierung und der Einsatz von MultiCore-Systemen. Der Band enthält praktische Beispiele sowie Anleitungen für die Fehlersuche und die Performance-Optimierung, Code-Snippets werden zur Verfügung gestellt.
Formation and Cooperative Behaviour of Protein Complexes on the Cell Membrane
by Ksenia GusevaWith the aim of providing a deeper insight into possible mechanisms of biological self-organization, this thesis presents new approaches to describe the process of self-assembly and the impact of spatial organization on the function of membrane proteins, from a statistical physics point of view. It focuses on three important scenarios: the assembly of membrane proteins, the collective response of mechanosensitive channels and the function of the twin arginine translocation (Tat) system. Using methods from equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, general conclusions were drawn that demonstrate the importance of the protein-protein interactions. Namely, in the first part a general aggregation dynamics model is formulated, and used to show that fragmentation crucially affects the efficiency of the self-assembly process of proteins. In the second part, by mapping the membrane-mediated forces into a simplified many-body system, the dynamic and equilibrium behaviour of interacting mechanosensitive channels is derived, showing that protein agglomeration strongly impacts its desired function. The final part develops a model that incorporates both the agglomeration and transport function of the Tat system, thereby providing a comprehensive description of this self-organizing process.
Komplexität
by Frank-Michael DittesAnhand von Alltagsbeispielen untersucht der Autor in dem Buch typische Eigenschaften komplexer Systeme. Behandelt wird insbesondere ein Verhaltensmuster, nämlich die Tendenz dieser Systeme, ihre Komplexität zu erhöhen und einen Zustand am Rande zum Chaos einzunehmen. Die Eigenschaften dieses Zustands werden beschrieben und die Reduktion von Komplexität als Weg zur Stabilisierung abgeleitet. Alle Aussagen werden durch mathematische Modelle physikalischer, biologischer und technischer Systeme illustriert, wobei auf Formeln weitgehend verzichtet wird.
Pathology of the Human Placenta
by Graham J. Burton Rebecca N Baergen Kurt BenirschkePathology of the Human Placenta remains the most comprehensive and authoritative text in the field. It provides extensive information on the normal placenta, encompassing physiology, metabolism, and endocrinology, and covers the full range of placental diseases in great detail. Further chapters are devoted to abortions, molar pregnancies, multiple pregnancies, and legal considerations. This sixth edition of the book has been extensively revised and expanded to reflect the most recent progress in the field, and a brand new chapter has been added on artificial reproductive technology. Some 800 illustrations are included, many of them in color. The detailed index has been further improved and tables updated. Pathology of the Human Placenta will be of enormous value to pathologists and obstetrician-gynecologists alike.
Earth System Modelling - Volume 5
by Reinhard Budich René Redler Graham Riley Rupert FordCollected articles in this series are dedicated to the development and use of software for earth system modelling and aims at bridging the gap between IT solutions and climate science. The particular topic covered in this volume addresses the process of configuring, building, and running earth system models. Earth system models are typically a collection of interacting computer codes (often called components) which together simulate the earth system. Each code component is written to model some physical process which forms part of the earth system (such as the Ocean). This book is concerned with the source code version control of these code components, the configuration of these components into earth system models, the creation of executable(s) from the component source code and related libraries and the running and monitoring of the resultant executables on the available hardware.
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.
Der Wille zur Freiheit
by Manfred Stern Egon BalasDer berühmter Mathematiker Egon Balas nimmt seine Leser mit auf eine erstaunliche Lebensreise: Sie erfahren von großem Mut, grenzenlosem Optimismus und von dem Leid, das Balas auf seinem Weg von Transsilvanien nach Pennsylvania begleitete. Egon Balas wurde 1922 als Sohn ungarisch-jüdischer Eltern geboren, ein Großteil seiner Familie wurde zwischen 1942-1944 ermordet. Nach dem 2. Weltkrieg geriet er in Opposition zum stalinistischen Regime in Rumänien und emigrierte 1966 in die USA. Balas gilt als einer der Pioniere der mathematischen Optimierung.
See Right Through Me
by Savvas AndronikouThis atlas demonstrates all components of the body through imaging, in much the same way that a geographical atlas demonstrates components of the world. Each body system and organ is imaged in every plane using all relevant modalities, allowing the reader to gain knowledge of density and signal intensity. Areas and methods not usually featured in imaging atlases are addressed, including the cranial nerve pathways, white matter tractography, and pediatric imaging. As the emphasis is very much on high-quality images with detailed labeling, there is no significant written component; however, 'pearl boxes' are scattered throughout the book to provide the reader with greater insight. This atlas will be an invaluable aid to students and clinicians with a radiological image in hand, as it will enable them to look up an exact replica and identify the anatomical components. The message to the reader is: Choose an organ, read the 'map,' and enjoy the journey!
Behavioral Neurobiology of Aging (Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences #10)
by Marie-Christine Pardon Mark W. BondiThis volume discusses the current state of research findings related to healthy brain aging by integrating human clinical studies and translational research in animal models. Several chapters offer a unique overview of successful aging, age-related cognitive decline and its associated structural and functional brain changes, as well as how these changes are influenced by reproductive aging. Insights provided by preclinical studies in mouse models and advanced neuroimaging techniques in humans are also presented.
Computergrafik für Ingenieure: Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung
by Hans-Günter SchieleZugeschnitten auf die Bedürfnisse von Ingenieuren, vermittelt der Autor in zwölf Kapiteln die Grundlagen der dreidimensionalen Computergrafik. Alle gängigen Projektionsarten, das Farbmanagement sowie diverse Verfahren zur Visualisierung werden behandelt. Die Kapitel bieten viele durchgerechnete Beispiele, inklusive der Ergebnisdarstellung. Die erforderlichen Mathematik-Kenntnisse gehen über Grundlagen der Matrizen-Rechnung und der Analytischen Geometrie nicht hinaus und sind in einem separaten Kapitel zusammengefasst.
Environmental Issues in Automotive Industry
by Paulina GolinskaThe automotive industry is one of the most environmental aware manufacturing sectors. Product take-back regulations influence design of the vehicles, production technologies but also the configuration of automotive reverse supply chains. The business practice comes every year closer to the closed loop supply chain concept which completely reuses, remanufactures and recycles all materials. The book covers the emerging environmental issues in automotive industry through the whole product life cycle. Its focus is placed on a multidisciplinary approach. It presents viewpoints of academic and industry personnel on the challenges for implementation of sustainable police in the automotive sector
Earth System Modelling - Volume 2
by Reinhard Budich René Redler Luca BonaventuraCollected articles in this series are dedicated to the development and use of software for earth system modelling and aims at bridging the gap between IT solutions and climate science. The particular topic covered in this volume addresses the historical development, state of the art and future perspectives of the mathematical techniques employed for numerical approximation of the equations describing atmospheric and oceanic motion. Furthermore, it describes the main computer science and software engineering strategies employed to turn these mathematical methods into effective tools for understanding earth's climate and forecasting its evolution. These methods and the resulting computer algorithms lie at the core of earth system models and are essential for their effectiveness and predictive skill.
Probability in Complex Physical Systems
by Wolfgang König Barbara Gentz Jean-Dominique Deuschel Max Von Renesse Michael Scheutzow Uwe SchmockProbabilistic approaches have played a prominent role in the study of complex physical systems for more than thirty years. This volume collects twenty articles on various topics in this field, including self-interacting random walks and polymer models in random and non-random environments, branching processes, Parisi formulas and metastability in spin glasses, and hydrodynamic limits for gradient Gibbs models. The majority of these articles contain original results at the forefront of contemporary research; some of them include review aspects and summarize the state-of-the-art on topical issues - one focal point is the parabolic Anderson model, which is considered with various novel aspects including moving catalysts, acceleration and deceleration and fron propagation, for both time-dependent and time-independent potentials. The authors are among the world's leading experts. This Festschrift honours two eminent researchers, Erwin Bolthausen and Jürgen Gärtner, whose scientific work has profoundly influenced the field and all of the present contributions.
Chirurgie Basisweiterbildung: In 100 Schritten durch den Common Trunk
by Wolf Mutschler Johannes N. Hoffmann Karl-Georg Kanz Karl-Walter JauchDer Band begleitet die beiden ersten Weiterbildungsjahre mit 99 fundierten und praxisbezogenen Kapiteln - verfasst von erfahrenen Chirurgen: chirurgische Ambulanz und Poliklinik, Notfallaufnahme, Intensivstation, stationäre Patientenversorgung. Die Grundlagen chirurgischen Handelns werden ebenso berücksichtigt wie diagnostische und therapeutische Techniken, wichtige Krankheitsbilder sowie Eingriffe aus allen chirurgischen Fachgebieten. Die 2. Auflage enthält 12 neue Kapitel zu aktuellen Themen wie multiresistente Keime und Patientenverfügung.
Inequalities
by Zdravko CvetkovskiThis work is about inequalities which play an important role in mathematical Olympiads. It contains 175 solved problems in the form of exercises and, in addition, 310 solved problems. The book also covers the theoretical background of the most important theorems and techniques required for solving inequalities. It is written for all middle and high-school students, as well as for graduate and undergraduate students. School teachers and trainers for mathematical competitions will also gain benefit from this book.
Microbial Degradation of Xenobiotics
by Shree Nath SinghOur interest in the microbial biodegradation of xenobiotics has increased many folds in recent years to find out sustainable ways for environmental cleanup. Bioremediation and biotransformation processes harness the naturally occurring ability of microbes to degrade, transform or accumulate a wide range of organic pollutants. Major methodological breakthroughs in recent years through detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganisms have provided us unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The degradation of a wide spectrum of organic pollutants and wastes discharged into the environment by anthropogenic activities is an emerging need today to promote sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. Microbial processes play a major role in the removal of recalcitrant compounds taking advantage of the astonishing catabolic versatility of microorganisms to degrade or transform such compounds. New breakthroughs in sequencing, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and imaging are generating vital information which opens a new era providing new insights of metabolic and regulatory networks, as well as clues to the evolution of degradation pathways and to the molecular adaptation strategies to changing environmental conditions. Functional genomic and metagenomic approaches are increasing our understanding of the relative importance of different pathways and regulatory networks to carbon flux in particular environments and for particular compounds. New approaches will certainly accelerate the development of bioremediation technologies and biotransformation processes in coming years for natural attenuation of contaminated environments
Hand Bone Age
by Vicente Gilsanz Osman RatibIn the past, determination of bone maturity relied on visual evaluation of skeletal development in the hand and wrist, most commonly using the Greulich and Pyle atlas. The Gilsanz and Ratib digital atlas takes advantage of digital imaging and provides a more effective and objective approach to assessment of skeletal maturity. The atlas integrates the key morphological features of ossification in the bones of the hand and wrist and provides idealized, sex- and age-specific images of skeletal development New to this revised second edition is a description and user manual for Bone Age for iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®, which can be purchased and used separately from this book. The App can be easily employed to calculate the deviation of the patient's age from the normal range and to predict a possible growth delay. This easy-to-use atlas and the related App will be invaluable for radiologists, endocrinologists, and pediatricians and also relevant to forensic physicians.
Reconstructing Human-Landscape Interactions - Volume 1
by Aileen C. Elliott Nalini Torres Brett T. MclaurinThe Holocene is unique when compared to earlier geological time in that humans begin to alter and manipulate the natural environment to their own needs. Domestication of crops and animals and the resultant intensification of agriculture lead to profound changes in the impact humans have on the environment. Conversely, as human populations began to increase geologic and climatic factors begin to have a greater impact on civilizations. To understand and reconstruct the complex interplay between humans and the environment over the past ten thousand years requires examination of multiple differing but interconnected aspects of the environment and involves geomorphology, paleoecology, geoarchaeology and paleoclimatology. These Springer Briefs volumes examine the dynamic interplay between humans and the natural environment as reconstructed by the many and varied sub-fields of the Earth Sciences.
Design and impact of water treaties
by Matthew ZentnerThis study presents a unique way to utilize the existing literature to explain the success of treaties in managing hydrologic stress. Literature-derived core concepts are summarized as seven treaty mechanisms categories (specificity, uncertainty management, enforcement, communications, flexibility, integrativeness, and scale) and are hypothesized as important for shaping the institutional resiliency of a treaty. Treaty design is shown to have a relevant and important role in shaping basin management so that nations may better achieve their goals in a changing climate.
An Invitation to Quantum Field Theory (Lecture Notes in Physics #839)
by Luis Alvarez-Gaumé Miguel A. Vázquez-MozoThis book provides an introduction to Quantum Field Theory (QFT) at an elementary level--with only special relativity, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics as prerequisites. For this fresh approach to teaching QFT, based on numerous lectures and courses given by the authors, a representative sample of topics has been selected containing some of the more innovative, challenging or subtle concepts. They are presented with a minimum of technical details, the discussion of the main ideas being more important than the presentation of the typically very technical mathematical details necessary to obtain the final results. Special attention is given to the realization of symmetries in particle physics: global and local symmetries, explicit, spontaneously broken, and anomalous continuous symmetries, as well as discrete symmetries. Beyond providing an overview of the standard model of the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions and the current understanding of the origin of mass, the text enumerates the general features of renormalization theory as well as providing a cursory description of effective field theories and the problem of naturalness in physics. Among the more advanced topics the reader will find are an outline of the first principles derivation of the CPT theorem and the spin-statistics connection. As indicated by the title, the main aim of this text is to motivate the reader to study QFT by providing a self-contained and approachable introduction to the most exciting and challenging aspects of this successful theoretical framework.
Dynamic land use/cover change modelling
by Jamal Jokar ArsanjaniThe thesis is an original and novel contribution to land use/land cover change analysis using methods of geosimulation and agent-based modeling. The author implements several traditional methodologies of land use change by means of remote sensing and GIS techniques. An Agent-Based Model was developed in order to simulate land use change in the Tehran metropolitan area, comparing the outcomes of each particular methodology. All methods are compared, and advantages and disadvantages discussed.
Ethical Challenges in Genomics Research
by Paula BoddingtonNew developments in science and technology have resulted in shifting ethical challenges in many areas including in genomics research. This book enables those who are involved in genomics research, whether as researcher, participant or policy maker, to understand the ethical issues currently developing in this field and to participate actively in these important debates. A clear account is given of how science and technology are outstripping the capacity of previous ethical regulations to cope with current issues, together with practical illustrations of possible ways forward. Key ethical ideas are presented, drawing on the history of research regulation and on an account of the particular challenges arising in the field of genomics. The book uses a grounded, practical approach to explaining ethical concepts and issues which is geared to enhancing interdisciplinary dialogue. Its broad approach to ethical issues includes relevant considerations from social psychology and there is a particular emphasis on understanding the problems of ethical regulations and practice in the institutional and social context of research. A glossary and numerous text boxes explaining relevant terms and key ideas help to make the work an invaluable resource for both beginners and experts in the field.