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Elsevier Science

  • Hurricane Generated Seas

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • Michel Ochi
    • English
    Hurricanes are one of the most adverse aspects of the ocean environment, with the potential to cause a disastrous event for marine systems in the ocean. Hurricane Generated Seas is an invaluable reference for all involved in the field of naval, ocean and coastal engineering. The work clarifies hurricane generated sea conditions necessary for the design and operation of marine systems in a seaway, and provides information for the protection of near shore / onshore structures and the environment at the time of hurricane landing.
  • Interhemispheric Water Exchange in the Atlantic Ocean

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 68
    • G.J. Goni + 1 more
    • English
    Recent results from modeling and observational studies demonstrate that the tropical Atlantic is a critical region for processes that maintain the meridional overturning circulation, such as cross-equatorial exchanges, and for sea surface temperature variability that impacts on climate variability of the coupled tropical ocean/atmosphere system. The theme of this book is the inter-hemispheric and inter-gyre exchanges of heat, salt and fresh water, while its goal is to improve the knowledge of the tropical Atlantic dynamics and how it affects the global ocean. A clear understanding of the dynamics of processes that affect the flow of mass and heat between the southern and the northern hemispheres in the upper few hundred meters in the tropical Atlantic and of those associated to the ocean circulation or to surface signals, from decadal, inter-annual to mesoscale periods, becomes necessary to better evaluate their contribution to the interhemispheric mass exchange. These processes are believed to be largely responsible in driving the sea surface temperature, which in turn, is a critical parameter to investigate ocean-atmospheric interactions. Output produced by regional models is also used to complement the observations and to provide additional information on their spatial and temporal variability. The subtropical cells, by bringing water masses subducted in the subtropics to the equator, and zonal currents investigated here contribute to the interhemispheric water exchange. Special attention is also given to the warm and salty anticyclonic rings shed by the North Brazil Current, which are now known to have a much broader impact, not only on interhemispheric water mass transfer, but also on the environment of remote regions. Observations from different sources are blended together, are used to validate model outputs and are also assimilated into models to obtain a more complete and accurate picture of the oceanic circulation and of its time evolution.
  • Ice Age Southern Andes

    A Chronicle of Palaeoecological Events
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 3
    • C.J. Heusser
    • English
    The Southern Andes, stretching from the subtropics to the subantarctic, are ideally located for palaeoenvironmental research. Over the broad and continuous latitudinal extent of the cordillera (-24Ëš), vegetation is adjusted to climatic gradients and atmospheric circulation patterns.Opposed to the prevailing Southern Westerlies, the Southern Andes are positioned to receive the brunt of the winds, while biota are set to record the shifting of incoming storm systems over time. Sequential, latitudinally-placed... sedimentary deposits containing microfossils and macroremains, as archives of past vegetation and climate, make possible the detection of equatorward and poleward displacement of plant communities and, as a consequence, changes in climatic controls. No terrestrial setting in the Southern Hemisphere is so unique for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction during and since the last ice age. Twenty radiocarbon-dated fossil pollen and spore records chosen to place emphasis on the last ice age include high-resolution, submillennial data sets that also cover the Holocene, thus providing contrast between present interglacial and past glacial ages. From a refined data base, the records constitute the foundation for interpreting factors responsible for vegetation change over >50,000 14C years, glacial-interglacial migration and refugial patterns for a diversity of taxa, and the extent of intrahemispheric and polar hemispheric synchroneity versus asynchroneity.
  • Non-Linear Theory of Elasticity and Optimal Design

    • 1st Edition
    • L.W. Ratner
    • English
    In order to select an optimal structure among possible similar structures, one needs to compare the elastic behavior of the structures. A new criterion that describes elastic behavior is the rate of change of deformation. Using this criterion, the safe dimensions of a structure that are required by the stress distributed in a structure can be calculated. The new non-linear theory of elasticity allows one to determine the actual individual limit of elasticity/failure of a structure using a simple non-destructive method of measurement of deformation on the model of a structure while presently it can be done only with a destructive test for each structure. For building and explaining the theory, a new logical structure was introduced as the basis of the theory. One of the important physical implications of this logic is that it describes mathematically the universal domain of the possible stable physical relations.
  • Surface Dynamics

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 11
    • English
    While much of traditional surface science has been concerned with equilibrium properties and simple kinetics, there is a growing effort in the area of dynamical processes at surfaces. This book draws together a series of chapters written by acknowledged experts in the field, which describe progress in a range of specific topics. The emphasis is on chemical reaction dynamics, including both theoretical and experimental approaches and covering work on low index single crystal surfaces, on stepped surfaces and on supported metal clusters. Other processes, such as surface diffusion are also addressed. Further chapters discuss dynamical processes in electronically-induc... desorption, and in surface diffusion on semiconductors and metals.
  • The Local Chemical Analysis of Materials

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • J. W. Martin
    • English
    * Expert, up-to-date guidance on the appropriate techniques of local chemical analysis* Comprehensive. This volume is an ideal starting point for material research and development, bringing together a number of techniques usually only found in isolation* Recent examples of the applications of techniques are provided in all cases Helping to solve the problems of materials scientists in academia and industry, this book offers guidance on appropriate techniques of chemical analysis of materials at the local level, down to the atomic scale. Comparisons are made between various techniques in terms of the nature of the probe employed. The detection limit and the optimum spatial resolution is also considered, as well as the range of atomic number that may be identified and the precision and methods of calibration, where appropriate. The Local Chemical Analysis of Materials is amply illustrated allowing the reader to easily see typical results. It includes a comparative table of techniques to aid selection for analysis and a table of acronyms, particularly valuable in this jargon-riddled area.
  • The Roots of Visual Awareness

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 144
    • C.A. Heywood + 2 more
    • English
    The present volume was assembled in honor of Professor Alan Cowey FRS, and attempts to embrace his wide range of research interests in visual neuroscience. It is divided into four sections. The first contains a group of papers dealing with different fundamental aspects of the visual system, including the control and monitoring of eye movements. The second is concerned with the functional organization of cortical visual areas and their role in visual perception and visually guided action. The third addresses issues concerning color and motion perception, along with broader questions of visual attention; and the effects of selective brain damage on these different aspects of visual experience. The fourth and final section of the volume deals explicitly with questions relating to visual awareness, with particular emphasis on 'blindsight', a topic on which Alan Cowey has worked extensively in recent years, both in humans and in monkeys.
  • Acetylcholine in the Cerebral Cortex

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 145
    • L. Descarries + 2 more
    • English
    Comprehensive exposé, by leading neuroscientists, of current knowledge on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex. All aspects of the subject are covered, from its most elementary, at the molecular and cellular levels, to its systemic and holistic implications, including its role in cognition and involvement in human diseases and therapeutics. The twenty-two chapters are grouped under four main headings : I. Functional Morphology of the Acetylcholine Innervation in Cerebral Cortex (Including Hippocampus); II. Modes of Action of Acetylcholine in the Cerebral Cortex; III. Cortical Properties and Functions Modulated by Acetylcholine, and IV. Clinical, Pathological and Therapeutic Implications. This broad perspective updates the reader on recent advances and future trends in the study of a major neuromodulatory system in brain.
  • Practical Handbook of Photovoltaics

    Fundamentals and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Augustin McEvoy + 4 more
    • English
    As part of the growing sustainable and renewable energy movement, the design, manufacture and use of photovoltaic devices is increasing in pace and frequency. The Handbook of Photovoltaics will be a 'benchmark' publication for those involved in the design, manufacture and use of these devices.The Handbook covers the principles of solar cell function, the raw materials, photovoltaic systems, standards, calibration, testing, economics and case studies. The editors have assembled a cast of internationally-resp... contributors from industry and academia. The report is essential reading for: Physicists, electronic engineers, designers of systems, installers, architects, policy-makers relating to photovoltaics.