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Books in Physical sciences and engineering

  • The Omega-Theory

    A New Physics of Earthquakes
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • Jure Žalohar
    • English
    The Omega-Theory: A New Physics of Earthquakes, Second Edition offers a unifying, mathematical framework to describe and answer the most pressing and unexamined dilemmas of earthquake sequences. Those in the fields of seismology and geology are currently faced with a vast and complex mathematical structure, involving many new, natural laws and theorems. This book interprets this structure as a new physical theory and paradigm, helping users understand the tectonic and seismic processes within the Earth. As such, it is an essential resource for future researchers in the fields of structural geology, physics of the Earth, and seismology. In the last decades, generations of seismologists, geophysicists, and geologists have accumulated enough knowledge and information to allow for the reformulation and solution of this essential problem. Hence, this book provides a great resource for researchers and professionals.
  • Nanomaterials for Food Packaging

    Materials, Processing Technologies, and Safety Issues
    • 1st Edition
    • Miguel Angelo Parente Ribei Cerqueira + 3 more
    • English
    Nanotechnology for Food Packaging: Materials, Processing Technologies, and Safety Issues showcases the latest research in the use of nanotechnology in food packaging, providing an in-depth and interdisciplinary overview of the field. Nanoscale advances in materials science, processing technology and analytical techniques have led to the introduction of new, cheaper and safer packaging techniques. Simultaneously, the increasing use of renewable nanomaterials has made food packaging more sustainable. Chapters provide a comprehensive review on materials used, their structure–function relationship, and new processing technologies for the application and production of nanotechnology-based packaging materials. In addition, the book discusses the use of functional materials for the development of active, smart and intelligent packaging, possible migration and toxicity of nanomaterials for foods and regulatory aspects, and commercial applications.
  • Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems

    Understanding Magma Transport, Storage, and Evolution in the Earth's Crust
    • 1st Edition
    • Steffi Burchardt
    • English
    Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems: Understanding Magma Transport, Storage, and Evolution in the Earth's Crust synthesizes research from various geoscience disciplines to examine volcanic and igneous plumbing systems (VIPS) in-depth. VIPS comprise a network of magma transport and storage features in the Earth’s crust. These features include dykes, sills and larger magma bodies that form the pathway and supply system of magma beneath active volcanoes. Combining basic principles with world-class research and informative illustrations, this unique reference presents a holistic view of each topic covered, including magma transport, magma chambers, tectonics and volcanism. Addressing a variety of approaches to these topics, this book offers researchers and academics in the Earth Science fields, such as geophysics, volcanology and igneous petrology the information they need to apply the information to their own disciplines.
  • Resilience

    The Science of Adaptation to Climate Change
    • 1st Edition
    • Zinta Zommers + 1 more
    • English
    In Resilience: The Science of Adaptation to Climate Change leading experts analyze and question ongoing adaptation interventions. Contributions span different disciplinary perspectives, from law to engineering, and cover different regions from Africa to the Pacific. Chapters assess the need for adaptation, highlighting climate change impacts such as sea level rise, increases in temperature, changing hydrological variability, and threats to food security. The book then discusses the state of global legislation and means of tracking progress. It reviews ways to build resilience in a range of contexts— from the Arctic, to small island states, to urban areas, across food and energy systems. Critical tools for adaptation planning are highlighted - from social capital and ethics, to decision support systems, to innovative finance and risk transfer mechanisms. Controversies related to geoengineering and migration are also discussed. This book is an indispensable resource for scientists, practitioners, and policy makers working in climate change adaptation, sustainable development, ecosystem management, and urban planning.
  • Titanium in Medical and Dental Applications

    • 1st Edition
    • Francis Froes + 1 more
    • English
    Titanium in Medical and Dental Applications is an essential reference book for those involved in biomedical materials and advanced metals. Written by well-known experts in the field, it covers a broad array of titanium uses, including implants, instruments, devices, the manufacturing processes used to create them, their properties, corrosion resistance and various fabrication approaches. Biomedical titanium materials are a critically important part of biomaterials, especially in cases where non-metallic biomedical materials are not suited to applications, such as the case of load-bearing implants. The book also covers the use of titanium for implants in the medical and dental fields and reviews the use of titanium for medical instruments and devices.
  • Made in Africa

    Hominin Explorations and the Australian Skeletal Evidence
    • 1st Edition
    • Steve Webb
    • English
    Made in Africa: Hominin Explorations and the Australian Skeletal Evidence describes and documents the largest collection of modern human remains in the world from its time period. These Australian fossils, which represent modern humans at the end of their great 20,000 km journey from Africa, may be reburied in the next two years at the request of the Aboriginal community. Part one of the book provides an overview of modern humans, their ancestors, and their journeys, explores the construct of human evolution over the last two and half million years, and defines the background to the first hominins and later modern humans to leave Africa, cross the world and meet other archaic peoples who had also travelled and undergone similar evolutionary pathways. Part two focuses on Australia and the evidence for its earliest people. The Willandra Lakes fossils represent the earliest arrivals and are the largest and most diverse late Pleistocene collection from this part of the world. Although twenty to twenty-five thousand years younger than the oldest archaeological site in Australia, they exemplify the migrating end-point of the human story that reflect a diversity and culture not recorded elsewhere in the world. Part three records the Willandra Lake Collection itself from a photographic and descriptive perspective. Evolutionary biologists and geneticists will find this book to be a valuable documentation of the 20,000 km hominid migration from Africa to the most distant parts of the world, and of the challenges and findings of the Willandra Lake Collection.
  • Integrating Disaster Science and Management

    Global Case Studies in Mitigation and Recovery
    • 1st Edition
    • Pijush Samui + 2 more
    • English
    Integrated Disaster Science and Management: Global Case Studies in Mitigation and Recovery bridges the gap between scientific research on natural disasters and the practice of disaster management. It examines natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis, and uses integrated disaster management techniques, quantitative methods and big data analytics to create early warning models to mitigate impacts of these hazards and reduce the risk of disaster. It also looks at mitigation as part of the recovery process after a disaster, as in the case of the Nepal earthquake. Edited by global experts in disaster management and engineering, the book offers case studies that focus on the critical phases of disaster management.
  • Practical Design and Application of Model Predictive Control

    MPC for MATLAB® and Simulink® Users
    • 1st Edition
    • Nassim Khaled + 1 more
    • English
    Practical Design and Application of Model Predictive Control is a self-learning resource on how to design, tune and deploy an MPC using MATLAB® and Simulink®. This reference is one of the most detailed publications on how to design and tune MPC controllers. Examples presented range from double-Mass spring system, ship heading and speed control, robustness analysis through Monte-Carlo simulations, photovoltaic optimal control, and energy management of power-split and air-handling control. Readers will also learn how to embed the designed MPC controller in a real-time platform such as Arduino®. The selected problems are nonlinear and challenging, and thus serve as an excellent experimental, dynamic system to show the reader the capability of MPC. The step-by-step solutions of the problems are thoroughly documented to allow the reader to easily replicate the results. Furthermore, the MATLAB® and Simulink® codes for the solutions are available for free download. Readers can connect with the authors through the dedicated website which includes additional free resources at www.practicalmpc.com...
  • Vibrational Spectroscopy for Plant Varieties and Cultivars Characterization

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 80
    • English
    Vibrational Spectroscopy for Plant Varieties and Cultivars Characterization, Volume 80, provides an overview on the application of vibrational spectroscopy to characterize plant cultivars and varieties. It covers a variety of aspects, including the potential of this technique for taxonomic purposes (species and cultivars/varieties identification), how to discriminate plants according to their ages and geographic regions, how to depict soil properties through plant characteristics, etc. Currently, most of these studies are performed through somewhat laborious techniques. This book presents reliable alternatives to such techniques, while also systematizing information concerning the application of vibration spectroscopy in this context.
  • Computational Phytochemistry

    • 1st Edition
    • Satyajit Dey Sarker + 1 more
    • English
    Computational Phytochemistry explores how recent advances in computational techniques and methods have been embraced by phytochemical researchers to enhance many of their operations, thus refocusing and expanding the possibilities of phytochemical studies. By applying computational aids and mathematical models to extraction, isolation, structure determination and bioactivity testing, researchers can extract highly detailed information about phytochemicals and optimize working approaches. This book aims to support and encourage researchers currently working with, or looking to incorporate, computational methods into their phytochemical work. Topics in this book include computational methods for predicting medicinal properties, optimizing extraction, isolating plant secondary metabolites and building dereplicated phytochemical libraries. The role of high-throughput screening, spectral data for structural prediction, plant metabolomics and biosynthesis are all reviewed, before the application of computational aids for assessing bioactivities and virtual screening are discussed. Illustrated with detailed figures and supported by practical examples, this book is an indispensable guide for all those involved with the identification, extraction and application of active agents from natural products.