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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been produced commercially since be- fore 1930. They proved to be highly versatile mixtures and their uses continued to expand during the early 1970's even after the unanticipated world-wide en- vironmental contamination had been discovered (Jensen et aI. , 1969; Koeman et aI. , 1969). Over 600,000 metric-tons were produced and/or used in the U. S. during this time and it is estimated that worldwide production totaled about 1,200,000 metric-tons (Table 1). With low acute toxicities (Fishbein, 1974), these mixtures were considered gen- erally biologically inactive even though industrial exposure had demonstrated he- patic and dermatological effects (Fishbein, 1974; Hansen, 1987). Thus, use and disposal were not carefully monitored and it is estimated that one-third of the world-wide production of PCBs has been released into the global environment (Table 1). Table 1. Estimated production and disposition of PCBs b U. s. a Worldwide 6 6 Production/...

Elastomers are found in many applications ranging from technology to daily life applications for example in tires, drive systems, sealings and print rollers. Dynamical operation conditions put extremely high demands on the performance and stability of these materials and their elastic and flow properties can be easily adjusted by simple manipulations on their elastic and viscous properties. However, the required service life suffers often from material damage as a result of wear processes such as abrasion and wear fatigue, mostly caused by crack formation and propagation. This book covers interdisciplinary research between physics, physical chemistry, material sciences and engineering of elastomers within the range from nanometres to millimetres and connects these aspects with the constitutive material properties. The different chapters describe reliable lifetime and durability predictions based on new fracture mechanical testing concepts and advanced material-theoretical methods which...

This book presents a representative selection of all publications published between 01/2009 and 06/2010 in various books, journals and conference proceedings by the researchers of the institute cluster: IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Institute for Management Cybernetics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University. The contributions address the cluster's five core research fields: suitable processes for knowledge- and technology-intensive organizations; next-generation teaching and learning concepts for universities and the economy; cognitive IT-supported processes for heterogeneous and cooperative systems; target group-adapted user models for innovation and technology development processes; and, semantic networks and ontologies for complex value chains and virtual environments. Innovative fields of application such as cognitive systems, autonomous truck convoys, telemedicine...

The book presents a representative selection of all publications published between 01/2009 and 06/2010 in various books, journals and conference proceedings by the researchers of the institute cluster: IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Institute for Management Cybernetics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University The contributions address the cluster's five core research fields: suitable processes for knowledge- and technology-intensive organizations, next-generation teaching and learning concepts for universities and the economy, cognitive IT-supported processes for heterogeneous and cooperative systems, target group-adapted user models for innovation and technology development processes, semantic networks and ontologies for complex value chains and virtual environments Innovative fields of application such as cognitive systems, autonomous truck convoys, telemedicine, ontolo...

The Ultrastructure of Human Tumours: Applications in Diagnosis and Research describes the core features as seen by transmission electron microscopy, defining the different types of cellular differentiation in tumours; this is relevant for tumour nomenclature and diagnosis, which, in turn, are important for tumour pathologists in their collaboration with oncologists for the treatment of cancer patients. The book is divided into 8 chapters. Following an introduction on technique and procedure, there are chapters on epithelial tumours, melanocytic lesions, soft-tissue and related tumours, lymphoma and leukaemia, CNS neoplasms and neuroendocrine and neuronal tumours. Each chapter includes an introductory text that puts the ultrastructural features in the context of classical pathology. The book includes many new findings and interpretations from well-known tumours, as well as ultrastructural information on several newly described tumour entities not dealt with in existing tumour ultrastruc...

The present volume continues the series on "Organotin Compounds" which first appeared in 1975 and now comprises a collection of fifteen volumes. The overallplan of the series has been given in the preface of Volume 1. The present Volume 15 continues the description of the mononuclear organotin compounds with tin-oxygen bonds (Chapter 1.4.1 ). Treatment of organotin compounds with tin-sulfur, -selenium, and -tellurium bonds appeared earlier in 9, 1982, and 10, 1983. Chapters 1.4.2 to 1.4.4 of Volumes Volume 15 contains RSn-oxygen compounds with R = butyl, iso-butyl, sec-butyl, and 2 tert-butyl, covering the Literature completely to the end of 1985. Additional volumes describing tin-oxygen compounds with other RSn and RSn groups will follow in the near future. 2 Abbreviations and symbols are explained on pp. X/XI along with other remarks. We thank Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ekkehard Fluck and his coworkers at the Gmelin Institute for their excellent cooperation. ln particular, we than...

Chemical structure and bonding. The scope of the series spans the entire Periodic Table and addresses structure and bonding issues associated with all of the elements. It also focuses attention on new and developing areas of modern structural and theoretical chemistry such as nanostructures, molecular electronics, designed molecular solids, surfaces, metal clusters and supramolecular structures. Physical and spectroscopic techniques used to determine, examine and model structures fall within the purview of Structure and Bonding to the extent that the focus is on the scientific results obtained and not on specialist information concerning the techniques themselves. Issues associated with the development of bonding models and generalizations that illuminate the reactivity pathways and rates of chemical processes are also relevant. The individual volumes in the series are thematic. The goal of each volume is to give the reader, whether at a university or in industry, a comprehensive overv...

Astronomy, astrophysics and space research have witnessed an explosive development over the last few decades. The new observational potential offered by space stations and the availability of powerful and highly specialized computers have revealed novel aspects of the fascinating realm of galaxies, quasars, stars and planets. The present completely revised 5th edition of The New Cosmos provides ample evidence of these dramatic developments. In a concise presentation, which assumes only a modest prior knowledge of mathematics and physics, the book gives a coherent introduction to the entire field of astronomy and astrophysics. At the same time it takes into account the art of observation and the fundamental ideas behind their interpretation. Like its predecessors, this edition of The New Cosmos will provide new insight and enjoyment not only to students and researchers in the fields of astronomy, physics and earth sciences, but also to a wide range of interested amateurs. ...

Switched delay systems appear in a wide field of applications including networked control systems, power systems, memristive systems. Though the large amount of ideas with respect to such systems have generated, until now, it still lacks a framework to focus on filter design and fault detection issues which are relevant to life safety and property loss. Beginning with the comprehensive coverage of the new developments in the analysis and control synthesis for switched delay systems, the monograph not only provides a systematic approach to designing the filter and detecting the fault of switched delay systems, but it also covers the model reduction issues. Specific topics covered include: (1) Arbitrary switching signal where delay-independent and delay-dependent conditions are presented by proposing a linearization technique. (2) Average dwell time where a weighted Lyapunov function is come up with dealing with filter design and fault detection issues beside taking model reduction probl...

This book presents essential research on a class of environmentally friendly alkylphosphonate herbicides. This class of herbicides acted as a competitive inhibitor of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) to control weeds. The bioreasoning and systematic approach, from basic research to field tests of candidate compounds, are introduced. The basic research covers the molecular design, chemical synthesis, biological activities evaluation, structure-activity relationship analysis and structural optimization. Subsequently, the book reviews the biochemistry of PDHc inhibitors, the selectivity between mammals and plants, and the mechanism of herbicidal activity of novel alkylphosphonates as selective PDHc inhibitors. Field trials for selected alkylphosphonate candidates as herbicides are also included. This book provides a sound basis for the rational design and development of novel herbicides as effective PDHc inhibitors with good enzyme-selective inhibition of plant PDHc between mamma...

There are both a remote and a proximate history in the development of this book. We would like to acknowledge first the perceptiveness of the technical administrators at RCA Laboratories, Inc. during the 1970s, and in particular Dr. P. N. Yocom. Buoyed up by the financial importance of yttrium oxysulfide: europium as the red phosphor of color television tubes, they allowed us almost a decade of close cooperation aimed at understanding the performance of this phosphor. It is significant that we shared an approach to research in an industrial laboratory which allowed us to avoid the lure of "first-principles" approaches (which would have been severely premature) and freed us to formulate and to study the important issues directly. We searched for a semiquantitative understanding of the properties observed in luminescence, i. e. , where energy absorption occurs, where emission occurs, and with what efficiency this conversion process takes place. We were aware that the nonradi- a...

It was our great pleasure to host the 4th International Conference on Image and Video Retrieval (CIVR) at the National University of Singapore on 20-22 July 2005. CIVR aims to provide an international forum for the discussion of research challenges and exchange of ideas among researchers and practitioners in image/video retrieval technologies. It addresses innovative research in the broad ?eld of image and video retrieval. A unique feature of this conference is the high level of participation by researchers from both academia and industry. Another unique feature of CIVR this year was in its format - it o?ered both the traditional oral presentation sessions, as well as the short presentation cum poster sessions. The latter provided an informal alternative forum for animated discussions and exchanges of ideas among the participants. We are pleased to note that interest in CIVR has grown over the years. The number of submissions has steadily increased from 82 in 2002, to 119 in 2003, and ...

This book deals with novel machine vision architecture ideas that make real-time projection-based algorithms a reality. The design is founded on raster-mode processing, which is exploited in a powerful and flexible pipeline. We concern ourselves with several image analysis algorithms for computing: projections of gray-level images along linear patterns (i. e. , the Radon transform) and other curved contours; convex hull approximations; the Hough transform for line and curve detection; diameters; moments and principal components, etc. Addition- ally, we deal with an extensive list of key image processing tasks, which involve generating: discrete approximations of the inverse Radon transform operator; computer tomography reconstructions; two-dimensional convolutions; rotations and translations; multi-color digital masks; the discrete Fourier transform in polar coordinates; autocorrelations, etc. Both the image analysis and image processing algorithms are supported by a similar architectu...

The book is the follow-up to its predecessor "Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2009/2010" and includes a representative selection of all scientific publications published between 07/2011 and 06/2012 in various books, journals and conference proceedings by the researchers of the following institute cluster: IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Associated Institute for Management Cybernetics Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Innovative fields of application, such as cognitive systems, autonomous truck convoys, telemedicine, ontology engineering, knowledge and information management, learning models and technologies, organizational development and management cybernetics are presented. Product details Format ...

Gaining Insights into the Small Molecule Targeting of the G-Quadruplex in the c-MYC Promoter Using NMR and an Allele-Specific Transcriptional Assay, by Christine E. Kaiser, Vijay Gokhale, Danzhou Yang and Laurence H. Hurley.- Higher-Order Quadruplex Structures, by Luigi Petraccone.- Investigation of Quadruplex Structure Under Physiological Conditions Using In-Cell NMR, by Robert Hansel, Silvie Foldynova-Trantirkova, Volker Doetsch and Lukas Trantirek.- Circular Dichroism of Quadruplex Structures, by Antonio Randazzo, Gian Piero Spada and Mateus Webba da Silva.- Molecular Crowding and Hydration Regulating of G-Quadruplex Formation, by Daisuke Miyoshi, Takeshi Fujimoto and Naoki Sugimoto.- Visualizing the Quadruplex: From Fluorescent Ligands to Light-Up Probes, by Eric Largy, Anton Granzhan, Florian Hamon, Daniela Verga and Marie-Paule Teulade-Fichou.- Calculation of Hydrodynamic Properties for G-Quadruplex Nucleic Acid Structures from in silico Bead Models, by Huy T. Le, Robert Buscagli...

The sub volumes A of volume VIII/6 form a series of data collections and handbooks covering properties of polymer solids and polymer melts. The present volume forms the third part of it and compiles concepts and data concerning thermomechanical, mechanical and fracture-mechanical properties of pure, filled and reinforced thermoplastics, thermo sets and high-performance composites. Product details Format Hardback | 524 pages Dimensions 193 x 270 x 34mm | 13,052....

From the reviews: "Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts has appeared in semi-annual volumes since 1969 and it has already become one of the fundemental publications in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and neighbouring sciences. It is the most important English-language abstracting journal in the mentioned branches...The abstracts are classified under more than a hundred subject categories, thus permitting a quick survey of the whole extended material. The AAA is a valuable and important publication for all students and scientists working in the fields of astronomy and related sciences. As such it represents a necessary ingredient of any astronomical library all over the world." #Space Science Review#1 "Dividing the whole field plus related subjects into 108 categories, each work is numbered and most are accompanied by brief abstracts. Fairly comprehensive cross-referencing links relevant papers to more than one category, and exhaustive author and subject indices are...

When we wrote this book it was, admittedly, flrst of all for the sake of our own enjoyment and enlightenment. We will, however, add our sincerely meant (but rather traditional) hope that it will prove interesting to graduate students, to colleagues and to anyone else, who will bother to read it. The book was written as a joint effort by a theoretically inclined population geneticist and an experimental ecologist who share opinions on what is interesting in the fleld of theoretical ecology. While we believe that qualifled natural history is of indisputable intrinsic value, we think that ecology is a natural science which should have a theoretical framework. On the other hand, theoretical ecology must draw its inspiration from nature and yield results which give insight into the flndings of the naturalist and inspire him to make new observations and experiments. Without this relationship between fleld biology and theory, mathe- matical ecology may become a discipline totally divorced fro...

"Winner of the 2014 Kulp-Wright Book Award Presented by the American Risk and Insurance Association". More information can be found here: http://www.aria.org/awards/bookawards.htm Insurance Economics brings together the economic analysis of decision making under risk, risk management and demand for insurance by individuals and corporations, objectives pursued and management tools used by insurance companies, the regulation of insurance, and the division of labor between private and social insurance. Appropriete both for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of economics, management, and finance, this text provides the background required to understand current research. Predictions derived from theoretical argument are not only stated but confronted with empirical evidence. Throughout the book, conclusions summarize results, helping readers to check their knowledge and understanding. Issues discussed include paradoxa in decision making under risk, selection of favorabl...

The algebraic techniques developed by Kakde will almost certainly lead eventually to major progress in the study of congruences between automorphic forms and the main conjectures of non-commutative Iwasawa theory for many motives. Non-commutative Iwasawa theory has emerged dramatically over the last decade, culminating in the recent proof of the non-commutative main conjecture for the Tate motive over a totally real p-adic Lie extension of a number field, independently by Ritter and Weiss on the one hand, and Kakde on the other. The initial ideas for giving a precise formulation of the non-commutative main conjecture were discovered by Venjakob, and were then systematically developed in the subsequent papers by Coates-Fukaya-Kato-Sujatha-Venjakob and Fukaya-Kato. There was also parallel related work in this direction by Burns and Flach on the equivariant Tamagawa number conjecture. Subsequently, Kato discovered an important idea for studying the K_1 groups of non-abelian Iwasawa algebr...