Search results for ""Author Francis"

To cope with the abiotic stress-induced osmotic problems, plants adapt by either increasing uptake of inorganic ions from the external solution, or by de novo synthesis of organic compatible solutes acting as osmolytes. Of the osmoregulants and protectants discussed in this volume, trehalose, fructans, ectoine and citrulline, which are generated in different species, in osmotically ineffective amounts, mitigate the stress effects on cells/plants and improve productivity. There are several pieces of encouraging research discussed in this volume showing significant improvement in stress tolerance and in turn productivity by involving genetic engineering techniques.

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Since the first groundbreaking edition of Developments in Pressure-Sensitive Products was introduced in 1998, heavy research has resulted in substantial progress in the field. Fully updated and expanded to reflect this activity, Developments in Pressure-Sensitive Products, Second Edition provides a detailed overview of the entire range of pressure-sensitive products, both with and without adhesives. It explores the principles behind their design and manufacture along with a variety of applications in medicine, electronics, packaging, and protection.The book establishes the link between underlying theory and practical applications, exploring the physical, molecular, and chemical bases of PSPs while describing the manufacturing processes, end uses, and economic issues involved. This edition includes three new chapters: the first of these explains the new theory of pressure sensitivity considered as a process, illustrating the principles of polymer science governing PSP technology; the second discusses the crosslinking of acrylics, the most important domain in specialized products; and the third presents the latest developments in products based on plastomers, such as hydrogels. Additional coverage includes biological applications of PSPs, engineering problems of coating equipment, web finishing for plastic films, and confectioning.Offering cutting-edge information from the frontiers of research and industry, Developments in Pressure-Sensitive Products, Second Edition is an ideal reference to all aspects of pressure-sensitive technologies and materials.

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Polyphenol phytoestrogens – bioactives found in specific foods and beverages – impart antioxidant, phytoestrogenic, antiproliferative, and enzyme modulating activities within the human metabolic system. It is believed that these compounds protect against several forms of cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms. While there has been a rise in polyphenol research over the past few years resulting from this discovery, there has not been a thorough, single source guide that synthesizes and explains the attained information – until now. Phytoestrogens in Functional Foods comprehensively details the scientific, technical, and practical aspects involved in the production, consumption, and safety of phytoestrogens in foods.The book is divided into five parts for easy reference. Section I, Production, introduces the topic of phytoestrogens and addresses the biosynthesis of polyphenol phytoestrogens in plants, and the chemistry and mechanism of action of phytoestrogens. Section II, Consumption, explains pharmacokinetics, body composition, and cell signaling. Section III, Risk and Benefit Analysis, examines reproductive hormones in females, hormone replacement therapy, and the benefits and risks associated with phytoestrogens. Section IV, Optimization and Utilization, discusses soy isoflavones and health, while Section V, Applications, explains wine antioxidants and phytoestrogens. While extensive investigation of these topics has led to many conflicting reports about their risks and benefits, this text provides answers and insight on the major questions regarding the core areas of polyphenol research.

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The final volume of this series presents a synopsis of the curriculum that a typical Six Sigma program should follow. It differs from the preceding six volumes in that it is an implementation volume, therefore the information is geared towards helping readers formalize their own training. The book establishes the minimum requirements for the Six Sigma methodology and provides the body of knowledge needed for a successful and rewarding implementation of the Six Sigma processes.

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FROM THE PREFACEThe approach of this book is "how-to-do and hands-on." Its purpose is to provide clear, step-by-step instruction in many of the fundamental methods of hydrogeologic investigation. These methods include both 1) the traditional techniques of data analysis, such as mathematical computation by electronic calculator and construction of graphs by hand-plotting, and 2) microcomputer techniques employing electronic spreadsheets, graphing and gridding and contouring software. The microcomputer methods employ commercial software such as Lotus 1-2-3. Microsoft Excel, Quattro-Pro, Golden Software's Grapher and Surfer, and Geraghty and Miller's AQTESOLV. Although familiarity with any of the applications is helpful, the instructions in this manual assume no prior experience with them. Basic Hydrogeologic Methods is divided into three sections: Groundwater Occurrence and Movement, Groundwater Investigations, and Well and Aquifer Hydraulics. Each section begins with a brief summary of relevant terminology and principles. This introductory chapter is followed by a case study, which may be employed to provide a practical context for the hydrogeological methods that are described in subsequent chapters. Most of the methodological exercises culminate in an analytical product, such as data table, graph, contour map, etc., which readily serve as a focus for problem-solving activities, classroom discussions, and investigative reports. Many of the exercises present at least two investigative methods for accomplishing a particular hydrogeologic task. For example, time-drawdown graphs may be produced by a hand-plotting method or by a microcomputer method. For the professional scientist, the choice of a particular method might depend on such factors as the time available to carry out the task, the degree of accuracy required, or the availability of assessory equipment and materials. The introductory student can work through a more fundamental method (e.g., hand-plottin

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Exploring one of the most dynamic and contested regions of the world, this series includes works on political, economic, cultural, and social changes in modern and contemporary Asia and the Pacific.The leading specialist on China's twentieth century peasant resistance reexamines, in bold and original ways, the question: Was the Chinese peasantry a revolutionary force? Where most scholarly attention has focused on Communist-led peasant movements, Bianco's story is one of peasant thought and action largely unmediated by modern political parties. This volume pays particular attention to the first half of the twentieth century when peasant-based conflict, ranging from tax and food protests to secret society conflicts, opium struggles, inter-communal conflicts, and tenant protests over rent, was central to nationwide revolutionary processes.

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The first part of a comprehensive overview of fundamental optical properties of III-nitride semiconductors. All optoelectronic applications based on III-nitrides are due to their unique optical properties and characterizations of III-nitrides. Much information, which is critical to the design and improvement of optoelectronic devices based on III-nitrides has been obtained in the last several years. This is the first of a two part Volume in the series Optoelectronic Properties of Semiconductors and Superlattices.

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Up-to-date, accurate information on recent developments in crop protection! Fungal Disease Resistance in Plants: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetic Engineering presents the latest developments in crop protection from fungal infection. Leading experts in botany, plant breeding, and plant pathology contribute their knowledge to help reduce and possibly prevent new outbreaks of devastating crop epidemics caused by fungi. With exciting new advances in molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetic engineering, this informative book will help researchers, professors, and students further their understanding of plant defenses. Fungal Disease Resistance in Plants is your guide to understanding the various barriers that plants have developed through evolution and adaptation to protect themselves from invading fungal pathogens. Defenses include physical barriers such as thick cell walls and chemical compounds expressed by the plant when attacked. Still other plants have acquired proteins that play an important role in defense. This book discusses these evolutionary traits and introduces new scientific techniques to engineer resistance in plants that have no built-in protection. Fungal Disease Resistance in Plants explores: cellular expression of resistance to fungal pathogens the hypersensitive response and its role in disease resistance induced plant resistance to fungal pathogensmechanisms and practical applications pathogenesis-related proteins and their roles in resistance to fungal pathogens signal transductionplant networks, delivery, and response to fungal infection fungus genes as they relate to disease susceptibility and resistance Without intense research and scientific study, catastrophic harvest failures due to fungal diseases could cause food shortages, human and animal poisonings, and economic loss throughout the world. Augmented with tables, figures, and extensive references, this state-of-the-art source of research material is valuable for scientists and researchers in universities, private organizations, government institutions, and agricultural organizations interested in plant defenses and future crop preservation.

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Find vital facts and information on a wide range of fruit cropswithout having to read the entire chapter!Introduction to Fruit Crops combines an easy-to-use format with a complete review of essential facts about the world’s top fruit crops, making this both the premiere introductory textbook for students AND a superior reference book for avid gardeners, country agents, and horticulture educators. Each fruit is studied and clearly explained through its taxonomy, origin, history of cultivation, production, botanical description, optimum soil and climate, harvesting, and post-harvest handling. The book provides a comprehensive introductory section on fruit culture and, in following chapters, a standard outline for each crop to allow readers to find facts rapidly without having to read the entire chapter. This invaluable text includes detailed references and reading lists, making this a perfect addition for reference in university libraries.Pomology, the branch of botany that studies the cultivation of fruits, has unique facts and features not found in the studies of other cultivated crops. Introduction to Fruit Crops takes these unique pomological concepts and important facts about the most popular cultivated fruits of the world and presents them in a consistent reader-friendly format that is readily understandable to beginning students. Professionals in the plant or agriculture sciences will find this text to be a powerful reference tool to answer their questions and find facts quickly and easily. Other issues explored include preventative measures from pests and diseases and practical cultivation strategies to best encourage maximum yield for each crop. Tables, graphs, and a multitude of color photographs assist readers to completely understand crucial information and the various stages of fruit growth for each crop. A detailed appendix explains common names, scientific names, and families of fruit crops. Another appendix presents conversion factors used in the text. A glossary helps beginners by clearly explaining common terms used in fruit crop study. Introduction to Fruit Crops includes information on: scientific names folklore medicinal properties non-food usage production botanical description plant morphology pollination soils climate propagation rootstocks planting design, training, and pruning pest problemsincluding weeds, insects, mites, and diseases harvest and postharvest handling food usesSome of the crops described include: African oil palm banana orange grape apple coconut coffee strawberry nuts olives and many, many others! This one text provides an extensive, easily understandable overview of the processes for growing healthy fruit in today’s world for beginners and is a valuable desk reference for plant science professionals of all types.

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Roscoe Pound believed that unless the criminal justice system maintains stability while adapting to change, it will either fossilize or be subject to the whims of public opinion. In Criminal Justice in America, Pound recognizes the dangers law faces when it does not keep pace with societal change. When the home, neighborhood, and religion are no longer capable of social control, increased conflicts arise, laws proliferate, and new menaces wrought by technology, drugs, and juvenile delinquency flourish. Where Pound saw the influence of the motion pictures as part of the "multiplication of the agencies of menace," today we might cite television and the Internet. His point still holds true: The "old machinery" cannot meet the evolving needs of society. In Criminal Justice in America,Pound points out that one aspect of the criminal justice problem is a rigid mechanical approach that resists change. The other dimension of the problem is that change, when it comes, will result from the pressure of public opinion. Justice suffers when the public is moved by the oldest of public feelings, vengeance. This can result in citizens taking the law into their own hands--from tax evasion to mob lynchings--as well as in altering the judicial system--from sensationalizing trials to producing wrongful convictions. Ron Christenson, in his new introduction, discusses the evolution of Roscoe Pound's career and thought. Pound's theories on jurisprudence were remarkably prescient. They continue to gain resonance as crimes become more and more sensationalized by the media.Criminal Justice in America is a fascinating study that should be read by legal scholars and professionals, sociologists, political theorists, and philosophers.

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Thinking Politically brings together a series of remarkable interviews with Raymond Aron that form a political history of our time. Ranging over an entire lifetime, from his youthful experience with the rise of Nazi totalitarianism in Berlin to the denouement of the cold war, Aron meditates on the threats to liberty and reason in the bloody twentieth century. Originally published as The Commuted Observer, this volume provides one of the fullest accounts available of the dramatic events of the "short century," which began with the pistol shot in Sarajevo in 1914 and ended with the collapse of the Ideological monsters whose deadly nature Aron had ruthlessly exposed for a half-century.In addition to the interviews published in the original edition. Thinking Politically incorporates three interviews never before published in book form. This supplemental material clarifies Aron's role as a voice of prudential reason in an unreasonable age and allows unparalleled access to the principal influences on Aron's thought. The volume concludes with "Democratic States and Totalitarian States," an address by Aron to the French Philosophical Society as well as the accompanying debate with Jacques Maritaln, Victor Basch, and other intellectuals. Thinking Politically serves as an ideal gateway into Aron's reflections, and offers a superb single-volume introduction to the major events and conflicts of the twentieth century. It will be a welcome addition to the libraries of political theorists, historians, sociologists, philosophers, and citizens wishing to understand the political and intellectual currents of the age.

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The Generality of Deviance advances the idea that all forms of deviant, criminal, reckless, and sinful behavior have one thing in common: the tendency to pursue immediate benefits without concern for long-term costs. The editors argue, and the contributors confirm, that such disparate behaviors as smoking, auto accidents, burglary, and rape are similar in that they all involve disregard for their inevitable consequences: poor health, injury, loss of freedom, shame, or disrepute. The chapters here show how various forms of deviance relate to one another and can be explained by a common theory involving self-management.The editors illustrate how the idea of self-control challenges the psychological concept of aggression and provides a more useful alternative for understanding deviant behavior. They also apply the theory to the family, showing how this institution is central to crime control. Other contributors bring fresh perspectives to a variety of topics: the uncanny similarities between victims of car accidents and perpetrators of crime; the connection between drugs and crime; feminist explanations of rape; gender differences in crime rates; drunk drivers among high school students; and the progression of a delinquent's life from adolescence to adulthood.In short, this book makes a convincing case that it is a waste of intellectual effort and public funds to treat different forms of crime and deviant behavior as distinct problems. Studied collectively, various crimes may be seen to have the same causes and, hence, one cure. The Generality of Deviance will be a significant and provocative addition to the libraries of criminolegists, psychologists, and sociologists, those attempting to solve as well as to identify problems.

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The University of California at Berkeley is today best known as a great research center and popularly remembered as a locus of campus unrest in the 1960s. This memoir by the eminent sociologist and historian of ideas Robert Nisbet views Berkeley from a different perspective. Teachers and Scholars is a fascinating picture of Berkeley as it was a half a century ago in its move to become the most important center of learning west of the Mississippi. Nisbet recounts his years there as student and teacher, and offers vivid portraits of Berkeley's professors and personalities.Between the Great Depression and entry into World War II, Berkeley was a unique window on a Western world in turmoil. All the ideologies of the time—liberalism, socialism, populism, and fascism—impinged on the life of the campus. In Nisbet's view, the thirties was the last decade of "the old Berkeley"—a school that conceived its primary mission as that of teaching. Although research was expected of every faculty member, its chief importance was widely held to be in its elevating effect on undergraduate instruction.In the shift from teaching to research, some have argued that Berkeley has lost community and consensus while others claim that the university has only enriched itself. Nisbet finds much to respect and criticize in both views. His vision permits him to compare and contrast the Berkley experience with other schools such as Harvard, Chicago, and Stanford. Rich in intellectual and social history, Teachers and Scholars is vitally pertinent to the educational questions and controversies of our own time.

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The latest edition features a new chapter on implementation and operation of an integrated smart grid with updates to multiple chapters throughout the text. New sections on Internet of things, and how they relate to smart grids and smart cities, have also been added to the book. It describes the impetus for change in the electric utility industry and discusses the business drivers, benefits, and market outlook of the smart grid initiative. The book identifies the technical framework of enabling technologies and smart solutions and describes the role of technology developments and coordinated standards in smart grid, including various initiatives and organizations helping to drive the smart grid effort. With chapters written by leading experts in the field, the text explains how to plan, integrate, implement, and operate a smart grid.

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This is not a book about Maya software with a few animation pointers thrown in here and there. This is a guide to Maya software written by professional animators. This book provides you with complete, set-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques that increase your speed and efficiency while using Maya 2017 for character animation. From curves to constraints, this book covers all of the methods available in the latest version of Maya. Featuring gold-mine coverage this book teaches you new techniques for working with characters in animation tests and short films. Accompanied by a companion site, this is the one and only guide to get you up to speed.Key FeaturesComplete step-by-step, walkthroughs of essential techniques every animator needs to know.Features interviews with leading experts and experienced animation leads.Companion web site including all exercise/example scene files and extras such as video tutorials and animation files.Interlude articles covering everything from Reference Video to Resumes.

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Instrumentation, Measurements, and Experiments in Fluids, Second Edition is primarily focused on essentials required for experimentation in fluids, explaining basic principles, and addressing the tools and methods needed for advanced experimentation. It also provides insight into the vital topics and issues associated with the devices and instruments used for fluid mechanics and gas dynamics experiments. The second edition adds exercise problems with answers, along with PIV systems of flow visualization, water flow channel for flow visualization, and pictures with Schlieren and shadowgraph—from which possible quantitative information can be extracted. Ancillary materials include detailed solutions manual and lecture slides for the instructors.

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This book will address key organizational issues that must be considered and addressed when implementing Lean business practices. The book offers solutions for many of the challenges, provides a resource that leaders can use in addressing cultural and regulatory issues, provides means to address the associated people issues and the challenging task of knowledge retention and succession planning. Vignettes are used to illustrate and provide examples of potential issues and solutions that can be considered for resolving issues and a case study demonstrating ways to address the technical and people aspects of implementing Lean to ensure project success.

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A follow-up to the experimental and instrumental aspects described in Basic Principles of Analytical Ultracentrifugation, the volume Sedimentation Velocity Analytical Ultracentrifugation: Discrete Species and Size-Distributions of Macromolecules and Particles describes the theory and practice of data analysis. Mathematical models for the sedimentation process and the evolution of detected signals are developed in a comprehensive framework, jointly with the description of current and historical strategies for how to extract from noisy experimental data the physical parameters of interest, such as size, mass, and shape, composition, and polydispersity of sedimenting particles. The methods are extensively illustrated, and supported with practical applications, as well as cross-references where to find the methods in the public domain software SEDFIT and SEDPHAT. The systems covered are discrete or polydisperse mixtures of sedimenting molecules or particles in dilute solution, such as proteins and other biomolecules and their stable complexes, man-made polymers, and nanoparticles, observed in different optical systems. A useful reference for researchers and graduate students of macromolecular disciplines, these methods form the essential foundation for the analysis of dynamic interacting systems, which are covered in the volume Sedimentation Velocity Analytical Ultracentrifugation: Interacting Systems. Software referenced in the book is available for download at: https://sedfitsedphat.nibib.nih.gov/default.aspx

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Visual Tracking in Conventional Minimally Invasive Surgery introduces the various tools and methodologies that can be used to enhance a conventional surgical setup with some degree of automation. The main focus of this book is on methods for tracking surgical tools and how they can be used to assist the surgeon during the surgical operation. Various notions associated with surgeon–computer interfaces and image-guided navigation are explored, with a range of experimental results.The book starts with some basic motivations for minimally invasive surgery and states the various distinctions between robotic and non-robotic (conventional) versions of this procedure. Common components of this type of operation are presented with a review of the literature addressing the automation aspects of such a setup. Examples of tracking results are shown for both motion and gesture recognition of surgical tools, which can be used as part of the surgeon–computer interface. In the case of marker-less tracking, where no special visual markers can be added to the surgical tools, the tracking results are divided into two types of methodology, depending on the nature and the estimate of the visual noise. Details of the tracking methods are presented using standard Kalman filters and particle filters.The last part of the book provides approaches for tracking a region on the surgical scene defined by the surgeon. Examples of how these tracking approaches can be used as part of image-guided navigation are demonstrated. This book is designed for control engineers interested in visual tracking, computer vision researchers and system designers involved with surgical automation, as well as surgeons, biomedical engineers, and robotic researchers.

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Recently, many books on multiobjective programming have been published. However, only a few books have been published, in which multiobjective programming under the randomness and the fuzziness are investigated. On the other hand, several books on multilevel programming have been published, in which multiple decision makers are involved in hierarchical decision situations. In this book, we introduce the latest advances in the field of multiobjective programming and multilevel programming under uncertainty. The reader can immediately use proposed methods to solve multiobjective programming and multilevel programming, which are based on linear programming or convex programming technique. Organization of each capter is summarized as follows. In Chapter 2, multiobjective programming problems with random variables are formulated, and the corresponding interactive algorithms are developed to obtain a satisfactory solution, in which the fuzziness of human's subjective judgment for permission levels are considered. In Chapter 3, multiobjective programming problems with fuzzy random variables are formulated, and the corresponding interactive algorithms are developed to obtain a satisfactory solution, in which not only the uncertainty of fuzzy random variables but also the fuzziness of human's subjective judgment for permission levels are considered. In Chapter 4, multiobjective multilevel programming is discussed, and the interactive algorithms are developed to obtain a satisfactory solution, in which the hierarchical decision structure of multiple decision makers is reflected. In Chapter 5, two kinds of farm planning problems are solved by applying the proposed method, in which cost coefficients of crops are expressed by random variables.

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This book presents a unified algebraic approach to stabilization problems of linear boundary control systems with no assumption on finite-dimensional approximations to the original systems, such as the existence of the associated Riesz basis. A new proof of the stabilization result for linear systems of finite dimension is also presented, leading to an explicit design of the feedback scheme. The problem of output stabilization is discussed, and some interesting results are developed when the observability or the controllability conditions are not satisfied.

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Regulatory affairs and pharmacological drug safety issues of Ayurvedic medicine has been overlooked by practitioners for many years. Research in Ayurveda is now a world-wide phenomenon, and several large pharmaceutical corporations are investing money for novel drug discovery from Ayurvedic sources. This book examines the regulatory and pharmacological aspects and includes extensive data on scientific evaluation carried out on Ayurvedic formulations. It will also serve as a reference book on standardization, pre-clinical studies, and clinical and toxicological studies on Ayurvedic formulations.

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DNA Nanoscience: From Prebiotic Origins to Emerging Nanotechnology melds two tales of DNA. One is a look at the first 35 years of DNA nanotechnology to better appreciate what lies ahead in this emerging field. The other story looks back 4 billion years to the possible origins of DNA which are shrouded in mystery. The book is divided into three parts comprised of 15 chapters and two Brief Interludes.Part I includes subjects underpinning the book such as a primer on DNA, the broader discipline of nanoscience, and experimental tools used by the principals in the narrative. Part II examines the field of structural DNA nanotechnology, founded by biochemist/crystallographer Nadrian Seeman, that uses DNA as a construction material for nanoscale structures and devices, rather than as a genetic material. Part III looks at the work of physicists Noel Clark and Tommaso Bellini who found that short DNA (nanoDNA) forms liquid crystals that act as a structural gatekeeper, orchestrating a series of self-assembly processes using nanoDNA. This led to an explanation of the polymeric structure of DNA and of how life may have emerged from the prebiotic clutter.

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Interventional cardiology refers to the catheter-based treatment of cardiovascular diseases and is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine. This updated text addresses recent advances in structural heart interventions, in particular aortic and mitral valve procedures. The advent of newer technologies presents both opportunities and challenges for the cardiologist to treat patients optimally. Interventional cardiologists are now at the forefront of peripheral and structural heart interventions.This new edition focuses on tailoring treatment to individual patients, taking into account specific risk factors and comorbidities, and appropriate use of devices. This second edition also provides useful tools, such as treatment algorithms, evidence tables, charts, tables, and illustrations to enhance the value of this volume as a practical reference tool. The online edition also includes several "how-to" videos.

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Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are chronic diseases of long duration and generally slow progression, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Morbidity and mortality due to non-communicable disease has risen tremendously over the years globally. Healthful Eating As Lifestyle (HEAL): Integrative Prevention for Non-Communicable Diseases highlights the importance of HEAL as an intervention for the prevention and cure of NCDs, as well as the prevention and treatment of its risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, increased alcohol intake, and insufficient physical activity. It provides motivational strategies for users of all ages, gender, and strata for healthful eating, both in developed and developing countries.The book is composed of evidence-based information and illustrations by 32 experts, including renowned researchers from academia, government, and non-governmental organizations in the field of NCDs and nutrition from 11 countries across five continents. Furthermore, the book discusses the dose-response relationship of healthful food with NCDs and its risk factor. It also includes nutritional home remedies for prevention and control of NCDs along with safety concerns and case studies at the end of all chapters for translating theory into practice.

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This book focuses on the role of modeling in the design of alloys and intermetallic compounds. It includes an introduction to the most important and most used modeling techniques, such as CALPHAD and ab-initio methods, as well as a section devoted to the latest developments in applications of alloys. The book emphasizes the correlation between modeling and technological developments while discussing topics such as wettability of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics by metals, active brazing of diamonds to metals in cutting tools, surface issues in medicine, novel Fe-based superconductors, metallic glasses, high entropy alloys, and thermoelectric materials.

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The book provides comprehensive information on a wide range of topics from biology, physiology, genetics to the use of genomic tools in weed science. The book covers information at a more advanced level than the previously published books in weed science. It covers not only weed genetics and genomics research, but also weed management from an ecological perspective. Furthermore, the book also gives a broad coverage of novel mechanisms of weed resistance to herbicides. More importantly, it includes next generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatics of herbicide resistant genes in weeds.

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This book covers Munchausen and Munchausen by Proxy (MBP) though the terms have recently changed. The 2013 DSM-V—the update to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) diagnostic and classification tool—has classified both Munchausen and MBP as "Factitious Systematic Abuse." While thought to have occurred primarily with children and their caregivers, recent research shows a more widespread problem: such medical abuse to spouses, the disabled, the elderly—even pets. Many involve repeat and long-term instances of hospital and medical fraud. This book covers the syndrome itself, interviewing and investigative aspects, victimology, as well indicators in the event of homicide and death.

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Because they meet the needs of today’s consumers, fresh-cut plant products are currently one of the hottest commodities in the food market of industrialized countries. However, fresh-cut produce deteriorates faster than the correspondent intact produce. The main purpose of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables: Technology, Physiology, and Safety is to provide helpful guidelines to the industry for minimizing deterioration, keeping the overall quality, and lengthening the shelf life. It provides an integrated and interdisciplinary approach for accomplishing the challenges, where raw materials, handling, minimal processing, packaging, commercial distribution, and retail sale must be well managed. It covers technology, physiology, quality, and safety of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. In this book, the chapters follow a logical sequence analyzing most of the important factors affecting the main characteristics of fresh-cut horticultural products. The most relevant technologies to prevent deterioration and improve final overall quality of fresh-cut commodities are described in detail. This book covers the basics of the subject from quality preservation, nutritional losses, physiology, and safety to industry-oriented advancements in sanitization, coatings, and packaging. It examines such novel preservation technologies as edible coatings, antimicrobial coatings, natural antimicrobials, gum arabic coatings, and pulsed light treatments. Minimal processing design and industrial equipment are also reviewed. With its international team of contributors, this book will be an essential reference work both for professionals involved in the postharvest handling of fresh-cut and minimally processed fruits and vegetables and for academic and researchers working in the area.

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Since the potential toxicity of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has raised serious concerns in the biomaterials and biomedical engineering community, Silver Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Devices: Biocompatibility and Toxicity brings together the synthesis, the physicochemical properties and the biological actions of Ag NPs, as well as the clinical demands for fabricating antibacterial medical devices, discussing how to suppress the side effects of nanomaterials and how to impart to them the selective toxicity. This book presents the two primary paradigms that have emerged in probing the antibacterial applications of Ag NPs, i.e. the active attacking releasing way and the conservative defending approach by taking advantage of various short-range actions; it shows readers how the ways in which Ag NPs have behaved can be engineered purposively. With contributions from leading international experts and extensive references listed in each chapter, this volume provides the general principles on controlling the physicochemical behaviors of nanomaterials and managing their toxicity risks.

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Marine macrophytes (macroalgae, seagrasses, and mangroves) comprise thousands of species distributed in shallow water areas along the world’s coastlines. They play a key role in marine ecosystems regarding biodiversity and energy flow. A large proportion of macrophyte species can be characterised as ecosystem engineers—organisms that directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources to other species by modifying, maintaining, and creating habitats. This book is divided into three main themes:• Marine macroalgae and seagrasses as sources of biodiversity gives an overview of the diversity of the main organisms associated with macrophytes, and their functional role and interactions within their hosts.• Primary and secondary production of Macrophytes synthesizes research on food web structures derived from/or associated with, macrophytes and the transfer of macrophytic primary and secondary production from one ecosystem to another.• Threats to macrophytic ecosystem engineers addresses human-induced effects including eutrophication, physical destruction, invasive species, and global warming. The book is among the first one to concentrate on the value of macrophytes for the well-being of marine habitats. The book is aimed at academics but may be useful for students, policy makers, and laymen alike.

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Accessible to all students with a sound background in high school mathematics, A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics, Fourth Edition presents some of the most fundamental and beautiful ideas in pure mathematics. It covers not only standard material but also many interesting topics not usually encountered at this level, such as the theory of solving cubic equations; Euler’s formula for the numbers of corners, edges, and faces of a solid object and the five Platonic solids; the use of prime numbers to encode and decode secret information; the theory of how to compare the sizes of two infinite sets; and the rigorous theory of limits and continuous functions.New to the Fourth Edition Two new chapters that serve as an introduction to abstract algebra via the theory of groups, covering abstract reasoning as well as many examples and applications New material on inequalities, counting methods, the inclusion-exclusion principle, and Euler’s phi function Numerous new exercises, with solutions to the odd-numbered ones Through careful explanations and examples, this popular textbook illustrates the power and beauty of basic mathematical concepts in number theory, discrete mathematics, analysis, and abstract algebra. Written in a rigorous yet accessible style, it continues to provide a robust bridge between high school and higher-level mathematics, enabling students to study more advanced courses in abstract algebra and analysis.

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For decades, 5S practitioners have struggled with exactly how to implement and sustain a 5S program in their workplaces. While there are many books available on the organization methods suggested by 5S, few provide easy-to-understand, step-by-step guidance on how to set up and sustain successful 5S implementations. 5S Made Easy fills this need.Written by an expert whose focus for the last decade has been nothing but 5S, the book supplies in-depth guidance on how to implement and sustain each of the 5S pillars—sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain.The book uses an easy-to-follow format that was designed for use during 5S events. It provides color images of real-world 5S solutions, including before and after pictures from the field. It also supplies readers with online access to all of the forms and documents needed for an effective 5S program. All the forms and documents are provided in an easily editable format to fit any operation.

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Given its ubiquity, plugin-free deployment, and ease of development, the adoption of WebGL is on the rise. Skilled WebGL developers provide organizations with the ability to develop and implement efficient and robust solutions—creating a growing demand for skilled WebGL developers.WebGL Insights shares experience-backed lessons learned by the WebGL community. It presents proven techniques that will be helpful to both intermediate and advanced WebGL developers.By focusing on current and emerging techniques, the book demonstrates the breadth and depth of WebGL. Readers will gain practical skills to solve problems related to performance, engine design, shader pipelines, rendering, mobile devices, testing, and more.Throughout the book, experienced WebGL engine and application developers, GPU vendors, browser developers, researchers, and educators share their unique expertise based on their real-world experiences. This includes hardware vendors sharing performance and robustness advice for mobile, browser developers providing deep insight into WebGL implementations and testing, and WebGL-engine developers presenting design and performance techniques for many of the most popular WebGL engines.The companion WebGL Insights website contains helpful tips, sample content, code, and other resources. It is also the place to find announcements about future volumes: http://www.webglinsights.com/

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Awareness of the importance of ensuring durability of concrete has been a growing concern of engineers, and there is now considerable understanding of the mechanisms, which cause its deterioration, and means of limiting such damage through the use of appropriate materials and approaches to design.Many of the deterioration mechanisms, which affect concrete, are the result of interaction with the non-living environment – chlorides in seawater, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, cyclic freezing and thawing. However, living organisms can also cause damage – through both chemical and physical processes - which under the right conditions, can be severe.This book looks at all forms of concrete biodeterioration together for the first time. It examines, from a fundamental starting point, biodeterioration mechanisms, as well as the conditions which allow living organisms (bacteria, fungi, plants and a range of marine organisms) to colonise concrete. A detailed evaluation of chemical compounds produced by living organisms with respect to their interaction with the mineral constituents of concrete, and the implications it has for the integrity of structures, is also included. Approaches to avoiding biodeterioration of concrete are also covered, including selection of materials, mix proportioning, design, and use of protective systems.

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Cobalamin (vitamin B12) was discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Vast amount of information on the role of the vitamins in human health and disease became available. Cobalamin science was, however, based on theoretical concepts that have been accepted without further proof of facts and hypotheses. Recently, the breath-taking pace of development in research technologies has changed our understanding for the role of nutrients and the complex interaction between diet, environment and diseases. Conditions like aging, diet and drugs increase the risk of developing cobalamin deficiency, probably because of diminished ability to liberate, absorb or distribute the food-derived vitamin. From a basic science point of view, understanding of the transport and function of the vitamin, may pave the road for using this system for drug delivery. This book represents up-to-date literature on the discoveries and developments in the field of cobalamin. It includes multifaceted aspects of the vitamin in health and disease conditions. The book has been written by leading scientists who have significant contributions in this field and represents therefore, a timely unique encyclopaedia on cobalamin.

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Describing state-of-the-art solutions in distributed system architectures, Integration of Services into Workflow Applications presents a concise approach to the integration of loosely coupled services into workflow applications. It discusses key challenges related to the integration of distributed systems and proposes solutions, both in terms of theoretical aspects such as models and workflow scheduling algorithms, and technical solutions such as software tools and APIs.The book provides an in-depth look at workflow scheduling and proposes a way to integrate several different types of services into one single workflow application. It shows how these components can be expressed as services that can subsequently be integrated into workflow applications. The workflow applications are often described as acyclic graphs with dependencies which allow readers to define complex scenarios in terms of basic tasks. Presents state-of-the-art solutions to challenges in multi-domain workflow application definition, optimization, and execution Proposes a uniform concept of a service that can represent executable components in all major distributed software architectures used today Discusses an extended model with determination of data flows among parallel paths of a workflow application Since workflow applications often process big data, the book explores the dynamic management of data with various storage constraints during workflow execution. It addresses several practical problems related to data handling, including data partitioning for parallel processing next to service selection and scheduling, processing data in batches or streams, and constraints on data sizes that can be processed at the same time by service instances. Illustrating several workflow applications that were proposed, implemented, and benchmarked in a real BeesyCluster environment, the book includes templates for

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Our skin changes as we age. It becomes thinner and loses fat, making it less plump and smooth. Clinically, aged skin is characterized by wrinkles, sagging, age spots and dryness. Emphasizing laboratory and clinical research, this book comprehensively describes the molecular mechanisms of human skin-aging and age-related skin diseases. This includes molecular understanding of the development of aging skin and its prevention as well as mechanisms-based clinical rejuvenation. The book also focuses on research to develop mechanisms-based anti-skin-aging products.

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The scope of the book is to highlight the diverse roles of cilia in human development and disease. Almost all cell types form cilia and although they were first detected about 200 years ago, their significance was unclear. In the past ten years, it has become obvious that cilia have got sensory functions, as well as roles in motility and their mis-formation or the deregulation of the signaling pathways they control has been associated with defective development and human disease. Although research has concentrated on the role of the cilium in each organ, no effort has been made so far to bring all this information together and relate it to the various human diseases. This book aims to gather all the expertise that has been acquired on primary cilia and translate it into a medical and research context that will be of interest to postgraduate students, researchers, medics and scientists.

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While there are many scholarly books and papers that cover the technical issues behind the public switched telephone network (PSTN) migration, few books describe exactly how to manage the migration process economically. Filling this need, Managing the PSTN Transformation: A Blueprint for a Successful Migration to IP-Based Networks reflects the latest understanding of the challenges behind migrating customers from the old PSTN network to an IP infrastructure. The IP transformation blueprint described in this book is not a theoretical cookbook that describes how this could work. Instead, the book presents a blueprint that is the product of countless hours of work by hundreds of individuals at Deutsche Telekom (DT) over almost two years. The book presents insights gained as the DT team migrated the entire public switched telephone network in Macedonia to an Internet protocol-based platform. It illustrates the various types of challenges the team faced in integrating complex systems, including flight control at their airports, alarms for fire and police response, and large enterprise customers. Detailing new conceptual approaches and the best practices developed for ensuring knowledge transfer within the DT group, the book presents the information in a step-by-step manner to enable you to easily adapt the blueprint for particular service provider requirements. Since successful migration relies on key aspects beyond the technological side, this work provides you with a product portfolio roadmap, migration plan, IT roadmap, business case framework, and a go-to-market plan.Although the book discusses the experiences of the Deutsche Telekom team as they worked to migrate the telephone network in Macedonia to an Internet protocol-based platform, the IP transformation blueprint and lessons learned presented can easily be scaled up and applied to any market around the world.

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Connecting past, present, and future instrument development and use, Biocalorimetry: Foundations and Contemporary Approaches explores biocalorimetry’s history, fundamentals, methodologies, and applications. Some of the most prominent calorimeter developers and users share invaluable personal accounts of discovery, discussing innovative techniques as well as special and original applications. Wide in scope, the book also covers calorimetry use on membranes, nucleic acids, and proteins and addresses both thermodynamics and kinetics. The book begins with a look at the historical development of calorimeters needed for biological research. It then describes advanced approaches that use high-quality commercial calorimeters to study biochemical and other biological processes. It also shows how novel experimental designs and data analysis procedures are applied to proteins, DNA, membranes, and living matter.

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Electric Field Analysis is both a student-friendly textbook and a valuable tool for engineers and physicists engaged in the design work of high-voltage insulation systems. The text begins by introducing the physical and mathematical fundamentals of electric fields, presenting problems from power and dielectric engineering to show how the theories are put into practice. The book then describes various techniques for electric field analysis and their significance in the validation of numerically computed results, as well as: Discusses finite difference, finite element, charge simulation, and surface charge simulation methods for the numerical computation of electric fields Provides case studies for electric field distribution in a cable termination, around a post insulator, in a condenser bushing, and around a gas-insulated substation (GIS) spacer Explores numerical field calculation for electric field optimization, demonstrating contour correction and examining the application of artificial neural networks Explains how high-voltage field optimization studies are carried out to meet the desired engineering needs Electric Field Analysis is accompanied by an easy-to-use yet comprehensive software for electric field computation. The software, along with a wealth of supporting content, is available for download with qualifying course adoption.

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Although multicore is now a mainstream architecture, there are few textbooks that cover parallel multicore architectures. Filling this gap, Fundamentals of Parallel Multicore Architecture provides all the material for a graduate or senior undergraduate course that focuses on the architecture of multicore processors. The book is also useful as a reference for professionals who deal with programming on multicore or designing multicore chips.The text’s coverage of fundamental topics prepares students to study research papers in the multicore architecture area. The text offers many pedagogical features, including: Sufficiently short chapters that can be comfortably read over a weekend Introducing each concept by first describing the problem and building intuition that leads to the need for the concept "Did you know?" boxes that present mini case studies, alternative points of view, examples, and other interesting facts or discussion items Thought-provoking interviews with experts who share their perspectives on multicore architectures in the past, present, and future Online programming assignments and solutions that enhance students’ understanding The first several chapters address programming issues in shared memory multiprocessors, such as the programming model and techniques to parallelize regular and irregular applications. The core of the book covers the architectures for shared memory multiprocessors. The final chapter contains interviews with experts in parallel multicore architecture.

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Artists, designers and researchers are increasingly seeking new ways to understand and explore the creative and practical significance of the senses. This ground-breaking book brings art and design into the field of sensory studies providing a clear introduction to the field and outlining important developments and new directions. A compelling exploration of both theory and practice, Sensory Arts and Design brings together a wide variety of examples from contemporary art and design which share a sensory dimension in their development or user experience. Divided into three parts, the book examines the design applications of new technology with sensing capacities; the role of the senses in creating new imaginative environments; and the significance of the senses within different cultural practices. The thirteen chapters cover a highly diverse range of issues – from the urban environment, architecture and soundscapes to gustatory art, multisensory perception in painting, music and drawing, and the relationship between vision and smell. Initiated by Insight, a research group at Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts –widely recognised as a center of research excellence – the project brings together a team of experts from Britain, Europe and North America. This timely book is destined to make a significant contribution to the scholarly development of this emerging field. An important read for students and scholars in sensory studies, design, art, and visual culture.

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In 1859, Dubliners strolling along country roads witnessed something new emerging from the green fields. The Victorian house had arrived: wide red brick structures stood back behind manicured front lawns. Over the next forty years, an estimated 35,000 of these homes were constructed in the fields surrounding the city. The most elaborate were built for Dublin’s upper middle classes, distinguished by their granite staircases and decorative entrances. Today, they are some of the Irish capital’s most highly valued structures, and are protected under strict conservation laws.Dublin’s Bourgeois Homes is the first in-depth analysis of the city’s upper middle-class houses. Focusing on the work of three entrepreneurial developers, Susan Galavan follows in their footsteps as they speculated in house building: signing leases, acquiring plots and sourcing bricks and mortar. She analyses a select range of homes in three different districts: Ballsbridge, Rathgar and Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire), exploring their architectural characteristics: from external form to plan type, and detailing of materials. Using measured surveys, photographs, and contemporary drawings and maps, she shows how house design evolved over time, as bay windows pushed through façades and new lines of coloured brick were introduced. Taking the reader behind the façades into the interiors, she shows how domestic space reflected the lifestyle and aspirations of the Victorian middle classes. This analysis of the planning, design and execution of Dublin’s bourgeois homes is an original contribution to the history of an important city in the British Empire.

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The first book-length study of the fifteen surviving Little Gidding bible concordances, this book examines the visual culture of print in seventeenth-century England through the lens of one extraordinary family and their hand-made biblical manuscripts. The volumes were created by the women of the Ferrar-Collet family of Little Gidding, who selected works from the family's collection of Catholic religious prints, and then cut and pasted prints and print fragments, along with verses excised from the bible, and composed them in artful arrangements on the page in the manner of collage. Gaudio shows that by cutting, recombining, and pasting multi-scaled print fragments, the Ferrar-Collet family put into practice a remarkably flexible pictorial language. The Little Gidding concordances provide an occasion to explore how the manipulation of print could be a means of thinking through some of the most pressing religious and political questions of the pre-civil war period: the coherence of printed scripture, the nature of sovereignty, the relevance of the Mosaic law, and the protestant reform of images. By foregrounding the Ferrar-Collets' engagement with the print fragment, this book extends the scope of early modern print history beyond the printmaker's studio and expands our understanding of the ways an early modern Protestant community could productively engage with the religious image. Contrary to the long-held view that the English Reformation led to a decline in the importance of the religious image, this study demonstrates the ongoing vitality of religious prints in early modern England as instruments for thinking.

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Although the immense importance for the Renaissance of Greek émigrés to fifteenth-century Italy has long been recognized, much basic research on the phenomenon remains to be done. This new volume by John Monfasani gathers together fourteen studies filling in some of the gaps in our knowledge. The philosophers George Gemistus Pletho and George Amiroutzes, the great churchman Cardinal Bessarion, and the famous humanists George of Trebizond and Theodore Gaza are the subjects of some of the articles. Other articles treat the émigrés as a group within the wider frame of contemporary issues, such as humanism, the theological debate between the Orthodox and Roman Catholics, and the process of translating Greek texts into Latin. Furthermore, some notable Latin figures also enter into several of the articles in a detailed way, specifically, Nicholas of Cusa, Niccolò Perotti, and Pietro Balbi.

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The history of collecting is a topic of central importance to many academic disciplines, and shows no sign of abating in popularity. As such, scholars will welcome this collection of essays by internationally recognised experts that gathers together for the first time varied and stimulating perspectives on the nineteenth-century collector and art market for French eighteenth-century art, and ultimately the formation of collections that form part of such august institutions as the Louvre and the National Gallery in London. The book is the culmination of a successful conference organised jointly between the Wallace Collection and the Louvre, on the occasion of the acclaimed exhibition Masterpieces from the Louvre: The Collection of Louis La Caze. Exploring themes relating to collectors, critics, markets and museums from France, England and Germany, the volume will appeal to academics and students alike, and become essential reading on any course that deals with the history of collecting, the history of taste and the nineteenth-century craze for the perceived douceur de vivre of eighteenth-century France. It also provides valuable insight into the history of the art markets and the formation of museums.

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