A summary of state-of-the-art research on how the river environment impacts biodiversity, species invasions, population dynamics, and the spread of waterborne disease. Blending laboratory, field and theoretical studies, it is the go-to reference for graduate students and researchers in river ecology, hydrology, and epidemiology.
The techniques described in this monograph form the basis of running an optimally efficient modern day power system. It is a must-read for all students and researchers working on the cutting edge of electric power systems.
Data mining is the art and science of intelligent data analysis. By building knowledge from information, data mining adds considerable value to the ever increasing stores of electronic data that abound today. In performing data mining many decisions need to be made regarding the choice of methodology, the choice of data, the choice of tools, and the choice of algorithms. Throughout this book the reader is introduced to the basic concepts and some of the more popular algorithms of data mining. With a focus on the hands-on end-to-end process for data mining, Williams guides the reader through various capabilities of the easy to use, free, and open source Rattle Data Mining Software built on the sophisticated R Statistical Software. The focus on doing data mining rather than just reading about data mining is refreshing. The book covers data understanding, data preparation, data refinement, model building, model evaluation, and practical deployment. The reader will learn to rapidly deliver a data mining project using software easily installed for free from the Internet. Coupling Rattle with R delivers a very sophisticated data mining environment with all the power, and more, of the many commercial offerings.
Measurements of variable chlorophyll fluorescence have revolutionised global research of photosynthetic bacteria, algae and plants and in turn assessment of the status of aquatic ecosystems, a success that has partly been facilitated by the widespread commercialisation of a suite of chlorophyll fluorometers designed for almost every application in lakes, rivers and oceans. Numerous publications have been produced as researchers and assessors have simultaneously sought to optimise protocols and practices for key organisms or water bodies; however, such parallel efforts have led to difficulties in reconciling processes and patterns across the aquatic sciences. This book follows on from the first international conference on “chlorophyll fluorescence in the aquatic sciences” (AQUAFLUO 2007): to bridge the gaps between the concept, measurement and application of chlorophyll fluorescence through the synthesis and integration of current knowledge from leading researchers and assessors as well as instrument manufacturers.
Persistence theory emerged in the early 2000s as a new theory in the area of applied and computational topology. This book provides a broad and modern view of the subject, including its algebraic, topological, and algorithmic aspects. It also elaborates on applications in data analysis. The level of detail of the exposition has been set so as to keep a survey style, while providing sufficient insights into the proofs so the reader can understand the mechanisms at work. The book is organized into three parts. The first part is dedicated to the foundations of persistence and emphasizes its connection to quiver representation theory. The second part focuses on its connection to applications through a few selected topics. The third part provides perspectives for both the theory and its applications. The book can be used as a text for a course on applied topology or data analysis.
A Rigorous Mathematical Approach To Identifying A Set Of Design Alternatives And Selecting The Best Candidate From Within That Set, Engineering Optimization Was Developed As A Means Of Helping Engineers To Design Systems That Are Both More Efficient And Less Expensive And To Develop New Ways Of Improving The Performance Of Existing Systems.Thanks To The Breathtaking Growth In Computer Technology That Has Occurred Over The Past Decade, Optimization Techniques Can Now Be Used To Find Creative Solutions To Larger, More Complex Problems Than Ever Before. As A Consequence, Optimization Is Now Viewed As An Indispensable Tool Of The Trade For Engineers Working In Many Different Industries, Especially The Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Electrical, And Manufacturing Industries.In Engineering Optimization, Professor Singiresu S. Rao Provides An Application-Oriented Presentation Of The Full Array Of Classical And Newly Developed Optimization Techniques Now Being Used By Engineers In A Wide Range Of Industries. Essential Proofs And Explanations Of The Various Techniques Are Given In A Straightforward, User-Friendly Manner, And Each Method Is Copiously Illustrated With Real-World Examples That Demonstrate How To Maximize Desired Benefits While Minimizing Negative Aspects Of Project Design.Comprehensive, Authoritative, Up-To-Date, Engineering Optimization Provides In-Depth Coverage Of Linear And Nonlinear Programming, Dynamic Programming, Integer Programming, And Stochastic Programming Techniques As Well As Several Breakthrough Methods, Including Genetic Algorithms, Simulated Annealing, And Neural Network-Based And Fuzzy Optimization Techniques.Designed To Function Equally Well As Either A Professional Reference Or A Graduate-Level Text, Engineering Optimization Features Many Solved Problems Taken From Several Engineering Fields, As Well As Review Questions, Important Figures, And Helpful References.Engineering Optimization Is A Valuable Working Resource For Engineers Employed In Practically All Technological Industries. It Is Also A Superior Didactic Tool For Graduate Students Of Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Chemical And Aerospace Engineering.
Research centering on blood flow in the heart continues to hold an important position, especially since a better understanding of the subject may help reduce the incidence of coronary arterial disease and heart attacks. This book summarizes recent advances in the field; it is the product of fruitful cooperation among international scientists who met in Japan in May, 1990 to discuss the regulation of coronary blood flow.
Metal recycling is a complex business that is becoming increasingly difficult! Recycling started long ago, when people realized that it was more resource- and cost-efficient than just throwing away the resources and starting all over again. In this report, we discuss how to increase metal-recycling rates - and thus resource efficiency - from both quantity and quality viewpoints. The discussion is based on data about recycling input, and the technological infrastructure and worldwide economic realities of recycling. Decision-makers set increasingly ambitious targets for recycling, but far too much valuable metal today is lost because of the imperfect collection of end-of-life (EoL) products, improper practices, or structural deficiencies within the recycling chain, which hinder achieving our goals of high resource efficiency and resource security, and of better recycling rates.
For centuries, scientists have been fascinated by the role of the Sun in the Earth's climate system. Recent discoveries, outlined in this book, have gradually unveiled a complex picture, in which our variable Sun affects the climate variability via a number of subtle pathways, the implications of which are only now becoming clear. This handbook provides the scientifically curious, from undergraduate students to policy makers with a complete and accessible panorama of our present understanding of the Sun-climate connection. 61 experts from different communities have contributed to it, which reflects the highly multidisciplinary nature of this topic. The handbook is organised as a mosaic of short chapters, each of which addresses a specific aspect, and can be read independently. The reader will learn about the assumptions, the data, the models, and the unknowns behind each mechanism by which solar variability may impact climate variability. None of these mechanisms can adequately explain global warming observed since the 1950s. However, several of them do impact climate variability, in particular on a regional level. This handbook aims at addressing these issues in a factual way, and thereby challenge the reader to sharpen his/her critical thinking in a debate that is frequently distorted by unfounded claims.
This thorough volume explores predicting one-dimensional functional properties, functional sites in particular, from protein sequences, an area which is getting more and more attention. Beginning with secondary structure prediction based on sequence only, the book continues by exploring secondary structure prediction based on evolution information, prediction of solvent accessible surface areas and backbone torsion angles, model building, global structural properties, functional properties, as well as visualizing interior and protruding regions in proteins. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, the chapters include the kind of detail and implementation advice to ensure success in the laboratory. Practical and authoritative, Prediction of Protein Secondary Structure serves as a vital guide to numerous state-of-the-art techniques that are useful for computational and experimental biologists.
