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Elsevier

Elsevier Science

  • Fractals in Soil Science

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 27
    • Y. Pachepsky + 2 more
    • English
    This book presents the state-of-the-art after fifteen years of exponentially growing applications of fractal geometry in soil science. It demonstrates the wide-ranging applicability of fractal models in soil science and indicates new opportunities to integrate processes in soils within or across scales using fractals. Contributed by some of the pioneers in the field, chapters represent a broad spectrum of applications from geochemistry to microbiology and from scales of micrometers to the landscape, and serve as an introduction to the subject.Topics include fractal aspects of soil structure, porosity and texture, scaling in preferential and hydraulic conductivity, anoxic volumes and adsorption in fractal models of soil, characterization of the pore surface irregularity, fractal properties of soil organic matter, fractal concepts in studies of soil fauna and mycelium in soils, and fractal analysis of spatial and temporal variability in soil properties and crop yields. A wide spectrum of methods for identifying and measuring fractal properties is introduced and critically discussed. Although the book focussed on solving problems in soil science, the applications and the fractal approach used share much in common with many other fields within and outside of the earth sciences. A unique bibliography on fractals in soils science is included.

  • Food Biotechnology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 17
    • S. Bielecki + 2 more
    • English
    Food biotechnologists are expected to satisfy many requirements related to health benefits, sensory properties and possible long term effects associated with the consumption of food produced via modern biotechnology. The broad selection of papers contained in this book are grouped into the following four chapters; GMO in Food Biotechnology, Food Process and Food Products, Measurements and Quality Control, Legal and Social Aspects of Food Biotechnology. Special attention has focused on plant biotechnology during the last decade because transgenic plants can offer an increase in crop yield and are very economical sources of proteins and other products for industrial, pharmaceutical, veterinary and agricultural use. The content of this book covers many aspects of food biotechnology and presents the main trends and interdisciplinary information in this area.

  • Elsevier's Dictionary of Plant Names and their Origin

    In English (with definitions)
    • 1st Edition
    • D.C. Watts
    • English
    The dictionary contains about 30,000 vernacular and literary English names of plants (plus a few American), both wild and cultivated, with their botanical name and a brief account of the names' meaning if known. It was conceived as part of the author's wider interest in plant and tree lore, and ethnobotanical studies. Knowledge of plant names can give insight into largely forgotten beliefs. Why for example is, or was, the common red poppy known as "Blind Man"? An old superstition has it that if the poppy were put to the eyes it would cause blindness. Such names were probably the result of some taboo against picking the plant. Similarly, other names were likely to have been applied as a result of a country mother's warning to her children against eating poisonous berries. For the warning carries more weight when the name given to the berry reinforces the warning. Many such plants or fruits may be ascribed to the devil, Devil's Berries for Deadly Nightshade is an example.Names may also be purely descriptive, and can also serve to explain the meaning of the botanical name. Beauty-Berry is an example: it is the name given to the American shrub that belongs to the genus Callicarpa, which is made up of two Greek words that mean beauty and berry.Literary, or "book" names, have also been included in this dictionary, as being a very important part of the whole. Many of them provide links in the transmission of words through the ages. Thor's Beard, for example, is a book name for "houseleek", and has never been used in the dialect. But it highlights the legend that houseleek is a lightning plant, and by reverse logic is a preserver from fire.

  • Shear Deformable Beams and Plates

    Relationships with Classical Solutions
    • 1st Edition
    • C.M. Wang + 2 more
    • English
    Most books on the theory and analysis of beams and plates deal with the classical (Euler-Bernoulli/Kir... theories but few include shear deformation theories in detail. The classical beam/plate theory is not adequate in providing accurate bending, buckling, and vibration results when the thickness-to-length ratio of the beam/plate is relatively large. This is because the effect of transverse shear strains, neglected in the classical theory, becomes significant in deep beams and thick plates. This book illustrates how shear deformation theories provide accurate solutions compared to the classical theory. Equations governing shear deformation theories are typically more complicated than those of the classical theory. Hence it is desirable to have exact relationships between solutions of the classical theory and shear deformation theories so that whenever classical theory solutions are available, the corresponding solutions of shear deformation theories can be readily obtained. Such relationships not only furnish benchmark solutions of shear deformation theories but also provide insight into the significance of shear deformation on the response. The relationships for beams and plates have been developed by many authors over the last several years. The goal of this monograph is to bring together these relationships for beams and plates in a single volume. The book is divided into two parts. Following the introduction, Part 1 consists of Chapters 2 to 5 dealing with beams, and Part 2 consists of Chapters 6 to 13 covering plates. Problems are included at the end of each chapter to use, extend, and develop new relationships.

  • Proceedings of the XXI International Mineral Processing Congress, July 23-27, 2000, Rome, Italy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 13
    • P. Massacci
    • English
    These three volumes (Golden Nuggets) present the latest knowledge in the science and technology of mineral processing and new industry applications, related to the following topics: mineral and material characterization and liberation, comminution, classification and agglomeration, hydro and biohydrometallurgy, physical separation processing, flotation, and process simulation and control. Due to the increasing application of mineral processing techniques in waste treatment, recycling and soil remediation have received special attention.The three volumes present a selected collection of peer-reviewed papers devoted both to the theory of mineral processing (Volumes A and B) and to process design and plant application (Volume C).

  • Poroelastic Structures

    • 1st Edition
    • G. Cederbaum + 2 more
    • English
    Poroelasticity is a continuum theory for the analysis of a porous media consisting of an elastic matrix containing interconnected fluid-saturated pores. In physical terms the theory postulates that when a porous material is subjected to stress, the resulting matrix deformation leads to volumetric changes in the pores. This book is devoted to the analysis of fluid-saturated poroelastic beams, columns and plates made of materials for which diffusion in the longitudinal direction(s) is viable, while in the perpendicular direction(s) the flow can be considered negligible because of the micro-geometry of the solid skeletal material. Many microstructures and fabrication schemes could be imagined, which would produce bulk materials with the postulated behavior. The book provides a methodology and a theoretical basis for investigating the mechanical behaviors of the structural elements made of such materials. It is recognized that the response of the poroelastic structural element to loading is sensitive to the properties of the fluid and to the diffusion boundaries, which can be easily altered in practice. Therefore, such structural elements and thus their features are potentially controllable. In other words, it could be possible to convert such elements into intelligent or smart structures. If this is so, it would be interesting that such structural elements could work as both sensors and actuators, e.g. the fluid can "feel" the change of the temperature by changing its viscosity and this results in a change of the behavior of the structure. The present book is the first of its kind; there does not exist in the professional literature any book which deals with this subject.Chapter 1 is a general introduction and overview. The governing equations for beams are presented in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 then presents analytical solutions for the quasi-static bending problem. Series solutions are found for normal loading with various mechanical and diffusion boundary conditions. The finite element method is developed and employed for the quasi-static beams and columns with small deflections in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5 solutions are found for free and forced vibrations of poroelastic beams. Chapter 6 deals with large deflections of beams. The stability of poroelastic columns is investigated in Chapter 7. Three problems are considered: buckling, post-buckling, and dynamic stability. Formulations are found in Chapter 8 for fluid-saturated poroelastic plates consisting of a material, for which the diffusion is possible in the in-plane directions only, both for bending and for in-plane loading. This book attempts to constitute a reasonably self-contained presentation of a wide spectrum of problems related to the analysis of the type of poroelastic structure considered.

  • Computational Neuroscience

    Trends in Research 2000
    • 1st Edition
    • J.M. Bower
    • English
    This volume includes papers originally presented at the 8th annual Computational Neuroscience meeting (CNS'99) held in July of 1999 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The CNS meetings bring together computational neuroscientists representing many different fields and backgrounds as well as experimental preparations and theoretical approaches. The papers published here range across vast levels of scale from cellular mechanisms to cognitive brain studies. The subjects of the research include many different preparations from invertebrates to humans.In all cases the work described in this volume is focused on understanding how nervous systems compute. The research described includes subjects like neural coding and neuronal dendrites and reflects a trend towards forging links between cognitive research and neurobiology. Accordingly, this volume reflects the breadth and depth of current research in computational neuroscience taking place throughout the world.

  • Improving the Exploration Process by Learning from the Past

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 9
    • K. Ofstad + 2 more
    • English
    Learning by experience is both a part of the daily life and the exploration life. A systematic review of the past is essential to improve the exploration process by better managing risks and uncertainties. Learning through different disciplines has become a favoured technique. With new tools for interpretation and simulation, integration and data and the creation of cross-discipline teams, we can take major step forward in understanding the exploration task and its different elements.Global views and lessons learned on the Norwegian Continental Shelf on risk management and retrospective prospect assessment are presented in this book. Detailed exploration case histories from the Norwegian Continental Shelf documenting both positive and negative experiences and highlighting the benefits of integrated thinking and methods are presented. The impact of the application of various state-of-the art and developing technologies on portfolio management, opportunity evaluation and volumetric and risk assessment of prospects and discoveries are reviewed, and the future technological challenges in exploring the remaining hydrocarbon potential of the Norwegian continental Shelf are summarised.

  • Gallium Nitride and Related Wide Bandgap Materials and Devices

    A Market and Technology Overview 1998-2003
    • 2nd Edition
    • R. Szweda
    • English
    The second edition of Gallium Nitride & Related Wide Bandgap Materials and Devices provides a detailed insight into the global developments in GaN, SiC and other optoelectronic materials. This report also examines the implication for both suppliers and users of GaN technology. For a PDF version of the report please call Tina Enright on +44 (0) 1865 843008 for price details.

  • 12th International Congress on Catalysis

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 130
    • A. Corma + 3 more
    • English
    The twelfth Congress on Catalysis was held in Granada (Spain) under the auspices of the International Association of Catalysis Societies and the Spanish Society of Catalysis. These four-volume Proceedings are the expression of the Scientific Sessions which constituted the main body of the Congress.They include 5 plenary lectures, 1 award lecture, 8 keynote lectures, 124 oral presentations and 495 posters. The oral and poster contributions have been selected on the basis of the reports of at least two international reviewers, according to standards comparable to those used for specialised journals.

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