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Alginates: Biology And Applications (Microbiology Monographs #13)
by Bernd H. Rehm"Alginates: Biology and Applications" provides an overview of the state of art of alginate material properties, genetics and the molecular mechanisms underlying alginate biosynthesis as well as applications of tailor-made alginates in medicine, food and biotechnology. Topics treated are: material properties of alginates, alginate production: precursor biosynthesis, polymerization and secretion, bacterial system for alginate uptake and degradation, enzymatic alginate modification, alginate gene regulation, role of alginate in bacterial biofilms, microbial production of alginates: physiology and process aspects, alginate-based blends and nano/microbeads, applications of alginates in food, alginate and its comonomer mannuronic acid: medical relevance as drugs.
Alginates and Their Biomedical Applications (Springer Series in Biomaterials Science and Engineering #11)
by Bernd H.A. Rehm M. Fata MoradaliThis book presents a comprehensive review of the latest advances in developing alginate-based biomaterials and derivatives as well as their biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. It covers the physiochemical properties of alginates, production and formulation methods, derivatizations and characterization methods, the fundamental work on optimizing alginate polymers for defined biomedical purposes as well as the scope and effectiveness of their applications in medicine and therapeutic approaches. The book brings together new concepts and advances in harnessing alginate-based biomaterials in combination with applied technological advances to tailor their applications to medical needs. The contributions by leading academics, clinicians and researchers not only cover the fundamentals, but also open new avenues for meeting future challenges in research and clinical applications.
Algonquin Wildlife: Lessons in Survival
by Norm Quinn Cassandra Ward Dan StricklandAlgonquin Wildlife: Lessons in Survival is a celebration of the vast array of wildlife studies ongoing in Ontario’s very first provincial park. Probably more research has been done in Algonquin than in any other protected landscape in the world. Norm Quinn, long-time Park Management Biologist in Algonquin, has been fortunate to know and to work with many of those dedicated and unique wildlife researchers who roam and probe the forests and lakes in search of Nature’s secrets. His knowledge, experience and sense of humour combine to transform technical biological studies, on moose, wolves, fish and other creatures of the wild, into entertaining and inviting stories without losing the significance of the research. This is also a book about Algonquin, Ontario’s flagship Park and one of the foremost canoe-tripping wilderness sites in the world. Through Algonquin Wildlife, you are invited to explore this relatively unknown but vital part of the Park’s heritage – a must for both seasoned and budding naturalists.
The Algorithmic Society: Technology, Power, and Knowledge (Routledge Studies in Crime, Security and Justice)
by Marc Schuilenburg Rik PeetersWe live in an algorithmic society. Algorithms have become the main mediator through which power is enacted in our society. This book brings together three academic fields – Public Administration, Criminal Justice and Urban Governance – into a single conceptual framework, and offers a broad cultural-political analysis, addressing critical and ethical issues of algorithms. Governments are increasingly turning towards algorithms to predict criminality, deliver public services, allocate resources, and calculate recidivism rates. Mind-boggling amounts of data regarding our daily actions are analysed to make decisions that manage, control, and nudge our behaviour in everyday life. The contributions in this book offer a broad analysis of the mechanisms and social implications of algorithmic governance. Reporting from the cutting edge of scientific research, the result is illuminating and useful for understanding the relations between algorithms and power.Topics covered include: Algorithmic governmentality Transparency and accountability Fairness in criminal justice and predictive policing Principles of good digital administration Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the smart city This book is essential reading for students and scholars of Sociology, Criminology, Public Administration, Political Sciences, and Cultural Theory interested in the integration of algorithms into the governance of society.
Algorithms and Architectures for Parallel Processing: 18th International Conference, ICA3PP 2018, Guangzhou, China, November 15-17, 2018, Proceedings, Part IV (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11337)
by Jaideep Vaidya Jin LiThe four-volume set LNCS 11334-11337 constitutes the proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Algorithms and Architectures for Parallel Processing, ICA3PP 2018, held in Guangzhou, China, in November 2018. The 141 full and 50 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on Distributed and Parallel Computing; High Performance Computing; Big Data and Information Processing; Internet of Things and Cloud Computing; and Security and Privacy in Computing.
Algorithms and Automation: Governance over Rituals, Machines, and Prototypes, from Sundial to Blockchain
by Denisa Reshef KeraTo enact the book’s central theme of automation and human agency, the author designed a Bot trained on her book to support dialogue with the content and facilitate discussions. If you like to compare what the author says and Bot ‘interprets’ or generates, go here https://www.anonette.net/denisaBot/ Algorithms and Automation: Governance over Rituals, Machines, and Prototypes, from Sundial to Blockchain is a critical examination of the history and impact of automation on society. It provides thought-provoking perspectives on the history of automation and its relationship with power, emphasizing the importance of considering the social context in which automation is developed and used. The book argues that automation has always been a political and social force that shapes our lives and futures, rather than a neutral tool. The author provides a genealogy of automation, tracing its development from ancient rituals to modern-day prototypes, and highlights the challenges posed by new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. The volume argues that we need more democratic and accountable governance over technological innovation to ensure that it respects human rights, political pluralism, legitimacy, and other values we hold dear in our institutions and political processes. An engaging read on a fascinating topic, this book will be indispensable for scholars, students, and researchers of science and technology studies, digital humanities, politics and governance, public policy, social policy, system design and automation, and history and philosophy of science and technology. It will also be of interest to readers interested in the interactions of the sciences and the social sciences and humanities.
Algorithms and Methods in Structural Bioinformatics (Computational Biology)
by Nurit Haspel Filip Jagodzinski Kevin MolloyThe three-dimensional structure and function of molecules present many challenges and opportunities for developing an understanding of biological systems. With the increasing availability of molecular structures and the advancing accuracy of structure predictions and molecular simulations, the space for algorithmic advancement on many analytical and predictive problems is both broad and deep. To support this field, a rich set of methods and algorithms are available, addressing a variety of important problems such as protein-protein interactions, the effect of mutations on protein structure and function, and protein structure determination. Despite recent advancements in the field, in particular in protein folding with the development of AlphaFold, many problems still remain unsolved.In this book we focus on a number of topics in Structural Bioinformatics: Cryo-EM structural detection, protein conformational exploration, elucidation of molecular binding surface using geometry, the effect of mutations, insertions and deletions on protein structural stability, and protein-ligand binding.
Algorithms and Programs of Dynamic Mixture Estimation: Unified Approach to Different Types of Components (SpringerBriefs in Statistics)
by Ivan Nagy Evgenia SuzdalevaThis book provides a general theoretical background for constructing the recursive Bayesian estimation algorithms for mixture models. It collects the recursive algorithms for estimating dynamic mixtures of various distributions and brings them in the unified form, providing a scheme for constructing the estimation algorithm for a mixture of components modeled by distributions with reproducible statistics. It offers the recursive estimation of dynamic mixtures, which are free of iterative processes and close to analytical solutions as much as possible. In addition, these methods can be used online and simultaneously perform learning, which improves their efficiency during estimation. The book includes detailed program codes for solving the presented theoretical tasks. Codes are implemented in the open source platform for engineering computations. The program codes given serve to illustrate the theory and demonstrate the work of the included algorithms.
Algorithms Are Not Enough: Creating General Artificial Intelligence
by Herbert L. RoitblatWhy a new approach is needed in the quest for general artificial intelligence.Since the inception of artificial intelligence, we have been warned about the imminent arrival of computational systems that can replicate human thought processes. Before we know it, computers will become so intelligent that humans will be lucky to kept as pets. And yet, although artificial intelligence has become increasingly sophisticated--with such achievements as driverless cars and humanless chess-playing--computer science has not yet created general artificial intelligence. In Algorithms Are Not Enough, Herbert Roitblat explains how artificial general intelligence may be possible and why a robopocalypse is neither imminent, nor likely.
Algorithms for Next-Generation Sequencing (Chapman & Hall/CRC Computational Biology Series)
by Wing-Kin SungAdvances in sequencing technology have allowed scientists to study the human genome in greater depth and on a larger scale than ever before – as many as hundreds of millions of short reads in the course of a few days. But what are the best ways to deal with this flood of data? Algorithms for Next-Generation Sequencing is an invaluable tool for students and researchers in bioinformatics and computational biology, biologists seeking to process and manage the data generated by next-generation sequencing, and as a textbook or a self-study resource. In addition to offering an in-depth description of the algorithms for processing sequencing data, it also presents useful case studies describing the applications of this technology.
Algorithms for Sample Preparation with Microfluidic Lab-on-Chip
by Sukanta Bhattacharjee Bhargab B. Bhattacharya Krishnendu ChakrabartyRecent microfluidic technologies have brought a complete paradigm shift in automating biochemical processing on a tiny lab-on-chip (a.k.a. biochip) that replaces expensive and bulky instruments traditionally used in implementing bench-top laboratory protocols. Biochips have already made a profound impact on various application domains such as clinical diagnostics, DNA analysis, genetic engineering, and drug discovery, among others. They are capable of precisely manipulating micro-/pico-liter quantities of fluids, and provide integrated support for mixing, storage, transportation, and sensing, on-chip. In almost all bioprotocols, sample preparation plays an important role, which includes dilution and mixing of several fluids satisfying certain volumetric ratios. However, designing algorithms that minimize reactant-cost and sample-preparation time suited for microfluidic chips poses a great challenge from the perspective of protocol mapping, scheduling, and physical design. Algorithms for Sample Preparation with Microfluidic Lab-on-Chip attempts to bridge the widening gap between biologists and engineers by introducing, from the fundamentals, several state-of-the-art computer-aided-design (CAD) algorithms for sample preparation with digital and flow-based microfluidic biochips. Technical topics discussed in the book include: Basics of digital and flow-based microfluidic lab-on-chipComprehensive review of state-of-the-art sample preparation algorithmsSample-preparation algorithms for digital microfluidic lab-on-chipSample-preparation algorithms for flow-based microfluidic lab-on-chip
Algorithms for Satellite Orbital Dynamics (Springer Series in Astrophysics and Cosmology)
by Lin LiuThis book highlights the fundamental physics of orbit theory, dynamical models, methods of orbit determination, design, measurement, adjustment, and complete calculations for the position, tracking, and prediction of satellites and deep spacecraft. It emphasizes specific methods, related mathematical calculations, and worked examples and exercises. Therefore, technicians and engineers in the aerospace industry can directly apply them to their practical work. Dedicated to undergraduate students and graduate students, researchers, and professionals in astronomy, physics, space science, and related aerospace industries, the book is an integrated work based on the accumulated knowledge in satellite orbit dynamics and the author’s more than five decades of personal research and teaching experience in astronomy and aerospace dynamics.
Algorithms for Variable-Size Optimization: Applications in Space Systems and Renewable Energy
by Ossama AbdelkhalikMany systems architecture optimization problems are characterized by a variable number of optimization variables. Many classical optimization algorithms are not suitable for such problems. The book presents recently developed optimization concepts that are designed to solve such problems. These new concepts are implemented using genetic algorithms and differential evolution. The examples and applications presented show the effectiveness of the use of these new algorithms in optimizing systems architectures. The book focuses on systems architecture optimization. It covers new algorithms and its applications, besides reviewing fundamental mathematical concepts and classical optimization methods. It also provides detailed modeling of sample engineering problems. The book is suitable for graduate engineering students and engineers. The second part of the book includes numerical examples on classical optimization algorithms, which are useful for undergraduate engineering students. While focusing on the algorithms and their implementation, the applications in this book cover the space trajectory optimization problem, the optimization of earth orbiting satellites orbits, and the optimization of the wave energy converter dynamic system: architecture and control. These applications are illustrated in the starting of the book, and are used as case studies in later chapters for the optimization methods presented in the book.
Algorithms in Bioinformatics: 16th International Workshop, WABI 2016, Aarhus, Denmark, August 22-24, 2016. Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #9838)
by Martin Frith Christian Nørgaard Storm PedersenThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th International Workshop on Algorithms in Bioinformatics, WABI 2016, held in Aarhus, Denmark. The 25 full papers together with 2 invited talks presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 54 submissions. The selected papers cover a wide range of topics from networks, to phylogenetic studies, sequence and genome analysis, comparative genomics, and mass spectrometry data analysis.
Algorithms in Computational Molecular Biology
by Mourad Elloumi Albert Y. ZomayaThis book represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date collection of information on the topic of computational molecular biology. Bringing the most recent research into the forefront of discussion, Algorithms in Computational Molecular Biology studies the most important and useful algorithms currently being used in the field, and provides related problems. It also succeeds where other titles have failed, in offering a wide range of information from the introductory fundamentals right up to the latest, most advanced levels of study.
Algorithms of Estimation for Nonlinear Systems: A Differential and Algebraic Viewpoint (Understanding Complex Systems)
by Rafael Martínez-Guerra Christopher Diego Cruz-AnconaThis book acquaints readers with recent developments in dynamical systems theory and its applications, with a strong focus on the control and estimation of nonlinear systems. Several algorithms are proposed and worked out for a set of model systems, in particular so-called input-affine or bilinear systems, which can serve to approximate a wide class of nonlinear control systems. These can either take the form of state space models or be represented by an input-output equation. The approach taken here further highlights the role of modern mathematical and conceptual tools, including differential algebraic theory, observer design for nonlinear systems and generalized canonical forms.
Algorithms on Strings, Trees, and Sequences
by Dan GusfieldString algorithms are a traditional area of study in computer science. In recent years their importance has grown dramatically with the huge increase of electronically stored text and of molecular sequence data (DNA or protein sequences) produced by various genome projects. This 1997 book is a general text on computer algorithms for string processing. In addition to pure computer science, the book contains extensive discussions on biological problems that are cast as string problems, and on methods developed to solve them. It emphasises the fundamental ideas and techniques central to today's applications. New approaches to this complex material simplify methods that up to now have been for the specialist alone. With over 400 exercises to reinforce the material and develop additional topics, the book is suitable as a text for graduate or advanced undergraduate students in computer science, computational biology, or bio-informatics. Its discussion of current algorithms and techniques also makes it a reference for professionals.
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
by Brian Christian Tom GriffithsA fascinating exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mindAll our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favourites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not: computers, too, face the same constraints, so computer scientists have been grappling with their version of such problems for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian (who holds degrees in computer science, philosophy, and poetry, and works at the intersection of all three) and Tom Griffiths (a UC Berkeley professor of cognitive science and psychology) show how the simple, precise algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of human memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.
Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Thomas LinAccessible and essential coverage of today's challenging, speculative, cutting-edge science from Quanta Magazine.If you're a science and data nerd like me, you may be interested in "Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire" and "The Prime Number Conspiracy" from Quanta Magazine and Thomas Lin. - Bill GatesThese stories reveal the latest efforts to untangle the mysteries of the universe. Bringing together the best and most interesting science stories appearing in Quanta Magazine over the past five years, Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire reports on some of the greatest scientific minds as they test the limits of human knowledge. Quanta, under editor-in-chief Thomas Lin, is the only popular publication that offers in-depth coverage of today's challenging, speculative, cutting-edge science. It communicates science by taking it seriously, wrestling with difficult concepts and clearly explaining them in a way that speaks to our innate curiosity about our world and ourselves.In the title story, Alice and Bob—beloved characters of various thought experiments in physics—grapple with gravitational forces, possible spaghettification, and a massive wall of fire as Alice jumps into a black hole. Another story considers whether the universe is impossible, in light of experimental results at the Large Hadron Collider. We learn about quantum reality and the mystery of quantum entanglement; explore the source of time's arrow; and witness a eureka moment when a quantum physicist exclaims: “Finally, we can understand why a cup of coffee equilibrates in a room.” We reflect on humans' enormous skulls and the Brain Boom; consider the evolutionary benefits of loneliness; peel back the layers of the newest artificial-intelligence algorithms; follow the “battle for the heart and soul of physics”; and mourn the disappearance of the “diphoton bump,” revealed to be a statistical fluctuation rather than a revolutionary new particle. These stories from Quanta give us a front-row seat to scientific discovery.ContributorsPhilip Ball, K. C. Cole, Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dan Falk, Courtney Humphries, Ferris Jabr, Katia Moskvitch, George Musser, Michael Nielsen, Jennifer Ouellette, John Pavlus, Emily Singer, Andreas von Bubnoff, Frank Wilczek, Natalie Wolchover, Carl Zimmer
Alice in the Land of Plants: Biology of Plants and Their Importance for Planet Earth
by Yiannis ManetasWhy is it that plants do not need to move? How does a nonmotile organism have sex or defend itself? Why are some plants virtually immortal? What is the mechanism that allows plants to exploit a practically inexhaustible extraterrestrial energy source? How do plants regulate the composition of our planet's atmosphere? Why have there not been mass extinctions among plants as there have been among animals? How do plants communicate with one another? In the end, are plants intelligent organisms? These are some of the questions the author discusses to demonstrate that plants are wrongly considered to be simple organisms lacking specific behaviour and intelligence. This book promises to be as pleasant a surprise as Alice's experience in the white rabbit's warren, in which she encountered a world very different from ours. The author explains the biology of plants following Einstein's maxim that everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
The Alien Communication Handbook: So We Received a Signal—Now What? (Astronomers' Universe)
by Brian S. McConnellScientists have been searching for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations since Frank Drake’s first radio survey in 1960. But what would actually happen if SETI’s search succeeds? Is there any way we could even make sense of the signal we receive? Written by an expert in communication systems and translation technology, this book explores the science of interstellar communication. It explains how this process may unfold, how an ET communication link would work, the types of information it could convey and how professionals, amateurs and ordinary people like you would participate in the effort to understand what another civilization has to say. Along the way, the book introduces readers to many aspects of modern-day communication systems and computing. Featured as well are dozens of illustrations, photos and real-world examples, rounding out this compelling foray into the mechanics of interstellar communication. “Scientists, policy makers, and all interested in the likely future discovery of alien life will want to read this book.” - Steven J. Dick, Former NASA Chief Historian
Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants, Volume 1: Innovations, Methods and Risk Assessment
by Aditya Pratap Jitendra KumarGenetic engineering and biotechnology along with conventional breeding have played an important role in developing superior cultivars by transferring economically important traits from distant, wild and even unrelated species to the cultivated varieties which otherwise could not have been possible with conventional breeding. There is a vast amount of literature pertaining to the genetic improvement of crops over last few decades. However, the wonderful results achieved by crop scientists in food legumes’ research and development over the years are scattered in different journals of the World. <P><P> The two volumes in the series ‘Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants’ address this issue and offer a comprehensive reference on the developments made in major food crops of the world. These volumes aim at bringing the contributions from globally renowned scientists at one platform in a reader-friendly manner.<P><P> The 1st volume entitled, ‘Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants: Innovations, Methods and Risk Assessment” will deal exclusively with the process and methodology. The contents of this volume have been designed to appraise the readers with all the theoretical and practical aspects of wide hybridization and gene transfer like processes and methods of gene transfer, role of biotechnology with special reference to embryo rescue, genetic transformation, protoplast fusion and molecular marker technology, problems such as cross incompatibility and barriers to distant hybridization and solutions to overcome them. Since wild and weedy relatives of crop plants may have negative traits associated with them, there are always possibilities of linkage drag while transferring alien alleles. Therefore, problems and limitations of alien gene transfer from these species will also be discussed in this series. Further, the associated risks with this and assessment of risks will also be given due weightage.
Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants, Volume 2: Achievements and Impacts
by Aditya Pratap Jitendra KumarGenetic engineering and biotechnology along with conventional breeding have played an important role in developing superior cultivars by transferring economically important traits from distant, wild and even unrelated species to the cultivated varieties which otherwise could not have been possible with conventional breeding. There is a vast amount of literature pertaining to the genetic improvement of crops over last few decades. However, the wonderful results achieved by crop scientists in food legumes’ research and development over the years are scattered in different journals of the World. <P><P> The two volumes in the series ‘Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants’ address this issue and offer a comprehensive reference on the developments made in major food crops of the world. These volumes aim at bringing the contributions from globally renowned scientists at one platform in a reader-friendly manner. The second volume entitled, “Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants: Achievements and Impact” will deal more with the practical aspects. This volume will cover achievements of alien gene transfer in major food crops of the world and their impact on development of newer genetic variability and additional avenues for selection; development of superior cultivars for increased yield, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improved nutritional and industrial quality; innovation of new techniques and positive as well as negative environmental implications. This volume has been divided into four groups with an aim to cover all major cereals, pulses, oilseeds and other crops (vegetable and horticultural crops) which are of economic importance.
Alien in My Pocket: Blast Off!
by Nate Ball Macky PamintuanThe adventure begins in this exciting new chapter book series, complete with a do-it-yourself science experiment! When a four-inch-tall alien crash-lands through Zack McGee's bedroom window, Zack is sure he's about to become the first victim in a new War of the Worlds. But when the alien turns out to have weapons that are more ticklish than terrifying, Zack realizes that rather than protect the world from the alien it's up to him to protect the alien in his pocket from the world.With illustrations on every spread, a how-to on launching a rocket, fun scientific facts, and the hilarious adventures of Zack and Amp, this book is the perfect gift for any young reader!Supports the Common Core State Standards
Alien in My Pocket: The Science UnFair
by Nate Ball Macky PamintuanThe must-read second book in the Alien in My Pocket series. Zack and Amp are back and up to even more trouble in this hilarious story, complete with a do-it-yourself science experiment!Ever since Amp crash-landed his spaceship through Zack McGee's bedroom window, Zack's life has gotten crazier and his grades have gone from bad to worse. Who has time for homework when there's an alien invasion to stop? But now Zack's up against his greatest challenge yet--the school science fair. If Zack doesn't get an A on his project, he's going to flunk the class. Luckily, Zack has Amp around to help, but when Zack's experiment turns out to be too good, he winds up in a whole different kind of trouble.Complete with many illustrations, a riveting plot, and fun scientific facts, this book is perfect for young readers!Supports the Common Core State Standards