Skip to main content

Elsevier Science

  • Growth Hormone Secretagogues

    Basic Findings and Clinical Implications
    • 1st Edition
    • E. Ghigo + 3 more
    • English
    Growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) administered alone or in combination with growth hormone releasing hexapeptides, are effective probes for the diagnosis of GH deficiency in both children and adults. Current research has developed and tested different GHS compounds that are active by the oral route, and have improved potency and bioavailability, giving rise to exciting therapeutic possibilities.There was an enthusiastic response from experts in this area to the idea of distilling the huge amount of available data into one multi-authored volume. Each contributor has advanced the field of knowledge, and has here emphasized the practical aspects of their work, reviewing the subject in the light of their own experience. Therefore, the theme of the book is a practical one.The volume deals with all aspects of GHS that are relevant to the field, from the chemical structure to the different analogues, to the cloning and expression of the GHS-receptor and the role of these compounds in the physiological control of GH secretion. Also discussed are the most recent advances in relation to the possible role of these compounds in the diagnostic therapeutic settings in different clinical situations, either in children, adults or the elderly.The book meets the requirement of covering most, if not all of the advances in the field. It will enable scientists and clinicians to keep abreast of the rapidly evolving knowledge of the most recent years, and will also prove useful as a review for all interested in this topic.
  • Multiaxial Fatigue and Fracture

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 25
    • E. Macha + 2 more
    • English
    This volume contains 18 papers selected from 90 presented at the Fifth International Conference on Biaxial/Multiaxial Fatigue and Fracture held in Cracow, Poland 8-12 September 1997. The papers in this book deal with theoretical, computational and experimental aspects of the multiaxial fatigue and fracture of engineering materials and structures. The papers are divided into the following four categories:1. Proportional cyclic loading2. Non-proportional cyclic loading3. Variable amplitude and random loading4. Crack growthMost papers in this publication talk about the behaviour of constructional materials and elements of machines under non-proportional loading and under variable amplitude and random loading, which are more realistic load histories met in industrial practice. Variable amplitude loading under cyclic load with basic frequency and random loading under load with a continuous band of frequency is classified here. This book gives a review of the latest world success and directions of investigations on multiaxial fatigue and fracture. More and more often publications are results of the co-operation of researchers from different laboratories and countries. Seven out of eighteen papers included here were worked out by international authors teams. This is a symptom of the times, when science and investigations know no borders.
  • Nucleotides and their Receptors in the Nervous System

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 120
    • P. Illes + 1 more
    • English
    The study of purinergic mechanisms has for long been focused on the actions of the nucleoside adenosine, whereby the contribution of nucleotides to the signaling systems has been underestimated.Based on the proceedings of a IUPHAR Satellite Conference held in Leipzig, Germany, this book offers a comprehensive update and overview of nucleotide release, the structure and function of nucleotide receptors, nucleotide-metaboliz... ecto-enzymes as well as the physiological functions of nucleotides in the nervous system. The physiology and molecular biology of receptors for ATP and other nucleotides are examined, as are the physiology and molecular biology of enzymes that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides.At present, a pharmacology of the nucleotide signaling system is being developed. Of particular interest is the production of receptor subtype-specific antagonists and of drugs that selectively affect the extracellular lifetime of the nucleotide.An excellent source of reference for institutes of pharmacology, biochemistry, neurology, zoology, and physiology, and for the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Advanced Video Coding: Principles and Techniques

    The Content-based Approach
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 7
    • K.N. Ngan + 2 more
    • English
    In recent years, the paradigm of video coding has shifted from that of a frame-based approach to a content-based approach, particularly with the finalization of the ISO multimedia coding standard, MPEG-4. MPEG-4 is the emerging standard for the coding of multimedia content. It defines a syntax for a set of content-based functionalities, namely, content-based interactivity, compression and universal access. However, it does not specify how the video content is to be generated. To generate the video content, video has to be segmented into video objects and tracked as they transverse across the video frames. This book addresses the difficult problem of video segmentation, and the extraction and tracking of video object planes as defined in MPEG-4. It then focuses on the specific issue of face segmentation and coding as applied to videoconferencing in order to improve the quality of videoconferencing images especially in the facial region. Modal-based coding is a content-based coding technique used to code synthetic objects that have become an important part of video content. It results in extremely low bit rates because only the parameters needed to represent the modal are transmitted. Model-based coding is included to provide background information for the synthetic object coding in MPEG-4. Lastly, MPEG-4, the first coding standard for multimedia content is described in detail. The topics covered include the coding of audio objects, the coding of natural and synthetic video objects, and error resilience. Advanced Video Coding is one of the first books on content-based coding and MPEG-4 coding standard. It serves as an excellent information source and reference for both researchers and practicing engineers.
  • The Science and Technology of Carbon Nanotubes

    • 1st Edition
    • T. Yamabe + 2 more
    • Kazuyoshi Tanaka + 1 more
    • English
    Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) is the material lying between fullerenes and graphite as a new member of carbon allotropes. The study of CNT has gradually become more and more independent from that of fullerenes. As a novel carbon material, CNTs will be far more useful and important than fullerenes from a practical point of view, in that they will be directly related to an ample field of nanotechnology. This book presents a timely, second-generation monograph covering as far as practical, application of CNT as the newest science of these materials. Most updated summaries for preparation, purification and structural characterisation of single walled CNT and multi walled CNT are given. Similarly, the most recent developments in the theoretical treatments of electronic structures and vibrational structures are covered. The newest magnetic, optical and electrical solid-state properties providing a vital base to actual application technologies are described. Explosive research trends towards application of CNTs, including the prospect for large-scale synthesis, are also introduced. It is the most remarkable feature of this monograph that it devotes more than a half of the whole volume to practical aspects and offers readers the newest developments of the science and technological aspects of CNTs.
  • Direct Synthesis of Coordination and Organometallic Compounds

    • 1st Edition
    • A.D. Garnovskii + 1 more
    • English
    This book is devoted to the interaction between elemental metals and (in)organic ligands in different reaction conditions. Metals could be activated for further reactions as cryosynthesis, electrosynthesis and tribosynthesis, some of them with or without ultrasonic and microwave treatment. The kinetics of metal dissolution in various non-aqueous media is discussed in detail.Many methods are used nowadays to synthesize coordination compounds. Metal complexes are obtained mainly by the direct interaction of the components (the ligands and a source of the complex-forming metal), as a result of ligand and metal exchange, and under the conditions of template synthesis, which also include the method of nascent reagents. In these methods the source of the metal is either its salts or carbonyls. At the same time, it has long been known that coordination compounds may be obtained as a result of direct synthesis from zero-valent metals. Methods for the synthesis of complex compounds under the conditions of gas-phase reactions, oxidative dissolution of zero-valent metals in non-aqueous media, and in the solid phase have been developed. These methods have become the basis of a new field in synthetic chemistry - the direct synthesis of coordination and organometallic compounds from zero-valent metals.Particular aspects of the above problem have been described in a series of reviews and monographs. However, on the whole these main parts of the direct synthesis of metal complexes has not been dealt with in the review and monograph publications on coordination chemistry. So, the main objective of this book is to analyze, discuss and generalize the existing information in the area of direct reactions leading to the coordination and organometallic reactions.Some methods of direct synthesis have been developed in the former USSR (in particular, a lot of works on cryosynthesis, pioneered (1972-1973) and recent works on electrosynthesis) but, in spite of their novelty and/or wide applicability, they are practically unknown elsewhere due to the language barrier. Thus, another objective of this book is to acquaint the readers with the mentioned achievements.Every chapter contains the tables which describe all the reported data on direct reaction between metal atoms, metal particles or bulk metals with (in)organic ligans. There are some illustrations also (for example, the scheme of the reactor for gas-phase reaction between metal small particles and &bgr;-diketones)...
  • Materials Aspects in Microsystem Technologies

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 83
    • D. Barbier + 4 more
    • English
  • Experiments in Catalytic Reaction Engineering

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 124
    • J.M. Berty
    • English
    The science of catalytic reaction engineering studies the catalyst and the catalytic process in the laboratory in order to predict how they will perform in production-scale reactors. Surprises are to be avoided in the scaleup of industrial processes. The laboratory results must account for flow, heat and mass transfer influences on reaction rate to be useful for scaleup. Calculated performance based on these results must also be useful to maximization of profit and safety and minimization of pollution. To this end, information on products as well as byproducts and heat produced must be generated. If a sufficiently large database of knowledge is produced, optimization studies will be possible later if economic conditions change.The field of reaction engineering required new tools. For kinetic and catalyst testing, the most successful of these tools was the internal recycle reactor. Studies in recycle reactors can be made under well-defined conditions of flow and associated transfer processes, and close to commercial operation. The recycle reactor eliminates or minimizes the effect of transfer process, and allows the remaining ones to be known.Features of this book:• Provides insight into a field that is neither well understood nor properly appreciated.• Gives a deeper understanding of reaction engineering practice.• Helps avoid frustration and disappointment in industrial research. This book is short and clear enough to assist all members of the R&D and Engineering team, whether reaction engineers, or specialists in other fields. This is critical in this new age of computation and communication, when team members must each know at least something of their colleagues' fields. Additionally, many scientists in more exploratory or fundamental fields can use recycle reactors to study basic phenomena free of transfer interactions.
  • Nitrides and Related Wide Band Gap Materials

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 87
    • A. Hangleiter + 3 more
    • English
    The Symposium on 'Nitrides and related wide band gap materials' at the 1998 Spring Meeting of the European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) in Strasbourg, France, was the third Symposium of its kind at an E-MRS meeting. Beginning in 1996, these Symposia enjoyed a steadily increasing popularity among European and international nitride researchers.Contribu... covered the areas of hetero-epitaxy, bulk growth, structural, electrical and optical characterisation and device fabrication. Researchers from about 20 different countries presented their work at this symposium. Naturally, most papers were from within Europe (Germany, France, Russia and the United Kingdom) but there was also a remarkable number of contributions from overseas (USA, Japan and Korea.)For about 5 years now, semiconducting group-III nitrides have attracted an enormous level of research activity all over the world. Essentially this was triggered by the breakthroughs achieved by Shuji Nakamura and his group in Japan, who succeeded in making highly efficient blue, green and yellow light emitting diodes as well as violet laser diodes based on A1GaInN. Since then, intensive research related to material growth, device development, as well as to the fundamental properties of these materials is being carried out.The outstanding contribution of Shuji Nakamura to this field was underlined by his plenary lecture during this E-MRS meeting. He presented his most recent progress towards amber LED's and long-lived violet laser diodes.
  • Molecular Photonics for Optical Telecommunications: Materials, Physics and Device Technology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 88
    • F. Garnier + 1 more
    • English
    Symposium M of the 1998 annual meeting of the European Materials Research Society has been devoted to Molecular Photonics for Optical Communications: Materials, Physics and Device Technology. It was held in Strasbourg from 15-19 June, building on the sizable success of the former symposium Molecular Electronics and Photonics, held during the last 1997 E-MRS meeting. A total of 42 oral and 36 poster presentations were delivered at this symposium. A most remarkable common feature to almost all papers presented concerned a very broad approach which was given to this particular field of Materials Science, starting at the borderlines between chemistry and physics, photonics and electronics, from their most fundamental aspects all the way to technology and device engineering considerations.The manuscripts have been gathered in four main areas. First and foremost, we brought together the papers encompassing the growing area of Device Physics and Technology, to reflect the emphasis given during this symposium to the crucial application aspect of this theme of Materials Science. The second chapter presents the most recent advances achieved in the field of Luminescent Structures, which is one of the most active research areas in the field of (macro)molecular-bas... optoelectronics and lasing materials aiming at the realization of a polymer-based laser diode. The third chapter, demonstrates recent advances in the field of Photonic Structures, whereby the most recent achievements have been brought to the attention of the scientific community, particularly in the realms of photorefractive polymers and nonlinear integrated optics devices. Finally the fourth chapter presents a very basic understanding of Organic Solid State Properties, such as pertain to optically detected magnetic resonance or photo-conductivity studies.Among the foremost conclusions to be drawn from the papers in both oral and poster sessions, the huge progress which has been accomplished towards the fabrication of real devices stands-out as a most noteworthy feature: this clearly signals to the organic community and hopefully much beyond, that molecular materials and associated devices have matured considerably in terms of fabrication technologies, stability and lifetime issues, as well as for the fundamental understanding of their properties.