- Table View
- List View
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 98 number 3 (September 2023)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 98 issue 3 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 98 number 4 (December 2023)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 98 issue 4 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 99 number 1 (March 2024)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 99 issue 1 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 99 number 2 (June 2024)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 99 issue 2 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 99 number 3 (September 2024)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 99 issue 3 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, volume 99 number 4 (December 2024)
by The Quarterly Review of BiologyThis is volume 99 issue 4 of The Quarterly Review of Biology. The Quarterly Review of Biology (QRB) has presented insightful historical, philosophical, and technical treatments of important biological topics since 1926. As the premier review journal in biology, the QRB publishes outstanding review articles of generous length that are guided by an expansive, inclusive, and often humanistic understanding of biology. Beyond the core biological sciences, the QRB is also an important review journal for scholars in related areas, including policy studies and the history and philosophy of science. A comprehensive section of reviews on new biological books provides educators and researchers with information on the latest publications in the life sciences.
The Quartz Crystal Microbalance in Soft Matter Research
by Diethelm JohannsmannThis book describes the physics of the second-generation quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), a fundamental method of analysis for soft matter at interfaces. From a device for measuring film thickness in vacuum, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has in the past two decades evolved into a versatile instrument for analyzing soft matter at solid/liquid and solid/gas interfaces that found applications in diverse fields including the life sciences, material science, polymer research and electrochemistry. As a consequence of this success, the QCM is now being used by scientists with a wide variety of backgrounds to study an impressive diversity of samples, with intricate data analysis methods being elaborated along the way. It is for these practitioners of the QCM that the book is written. It brings across basic principles behind the technique and the data analysis methods in sufficient detail to be educational and in a format that is accessible to anyone with an undergraduate level knowledge of any of the physical or natural sciences. These principles concern the analysis of acoustic shear waves and build on a number of fundamental physical concepts which many users of the technique do not usually come across. They have counterparts in optical spectroscopy, electrical engineering, quantum mechanics, rheology and mechanics, making this book a useful educational resource beyond the QCM itself. The main focus is the physics of QCM, but as the book describes the behavior of the QCM when exposed to films, droplets, polymer brushes, particles, vesicles, nanobubbles and stick-slip, it also offers insight into the behavior of soft matter at interfaces in a more general sense.
Quasi-Dimensional Simulation of Spark Ignition Engines: From Thermodynamic Optimization to Cyclic Variability
by Antonio Calvo Hernández Lev Guzmán-Vargas Asok K Sen Fernando Angulo-Brown Pedro Luis Curto-Risso Alejandro MedinaBased on the simulations developed in research groups over the past years, Introduction to Quasi-dimensional Simulation of Spark Ignition Engines provides a compilation of the main ingredients necessary to build up a quasi-dimensional computer simulation scheme. Quasi-dimensional computer simulation of spark ignition engines is a powerful but affordable tool which obtains realistic estimations of a wide variety of variables for a simulated engine keeping insight the basic physical and chemical processes involved in the real evolution of an automotive engine. With low computational costs, it can optimize the design and operation of spark ignition engines as well as it allows to analyze cycle-to-cycle fluctuations. Including details about the structure of a complete simulation scheme, information about what kind of information can be obtained, and comparisons of the simulation results with experiments, Introduction to Quasi-dimensional Simulation of Spark Ignition Engines offers a thorough guide of this technique. Advanced undergraduates and postgraduates as well as researchers in government and industry in all areas related to applied physics and mechanical and automotive engineering can apply these tools to simulate cyclic variability, potentially leading to new design and control alternatives for lowering emissions and expanding the actual operation limits of spark ignition engines
Quasi-Exactly Solvable Models in Quantum Mechanics
by A.G UshveridzeExactly solvable models, that is, models with explicitly and completely diagonalizable Hamiltonians are too few in number and insufficiently diverse to meet the requirements of modern quantum physics. Quasi-exactly solvable (QES) models (whose Hamiltonians admit an explicit diagonalization only for some limited segments of the spectrum) provide a practical way forward.Although QES models are a recent discovery, the results are already numerous. Collecting the results of QES models in a unified and accessible form, Quasi-Exactly Solvable Models in Quantum Mechanics provides an invaluable resource for physicists using quantum mechanics and applied mathematicians dealing with linear differential equations. By generalizing from one-dimensional QES models, the expert author constructs the general theory of QES problems in quantum mechanics. He describes the connections between QES models and completely integrable theories of magnetic chains, determines the spectra of QES Schrödinger equations using the Bethe-Iansatz solution of the Gaudin model, discusses hidden symmetry properties of QES Hamiltonians, and explains various Lie algebraic and analytic approaches to the problem of quasi-exact solubility in quantum mechanics.Because the applications of QES models are very wide, such as, for investigating non-perturbative phenomena or as a good approximation to exactly non-solvable problems, researchers in quantum mechanics-related fields cannot afford to be unaware of the possibilities of QES models.
Quasi-Geostrophic Theory of Oceans and Atmosphere
by Fabio Cavallini Fulvio CriscianiLarge-scale winds and currents tend to balance Coriolis and pressure gradient forces. The time evolution of these winds and currents is the subject of the quasi-geostrophic theory. Chapter 1 presents concepts and equations of classical inertial fluid mechanics. Chapter 2 deals with the equations of thermodynamics that close the governing equations of the fluids. Then, the motion is reformulated in a uniformly rotating reference frame. Chapter 3 deals with the shallow-water model and the homogeneous model of wind-driven circulation. The chapter also describes a classical application of the Ekman layer to the atmosphere. Chapter 4 considers the two-layer model, as an introduction to baroclinic flows, together with the concept of available potential energy. Chapter 5 takes into account continuously stratified flows in the ocean and in the atmosphere.
Quasi-unsteady CHP Operation of Power Plants
by Zbigniew BurynThis book analyzes the continuous operation of a power plant with condensing power units in combined heat and power mode (CHP-mode) over a period of one year. Focusing on the operation of one and two power-unit systems with differing heat exchanger configurations, this book uses mathematical modeling of the steam-water cycle of a 370 MW power unit to calculate the operating characteristics and mass-energy balance of the system. Featuring comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of the quasi-unsteady operation of power units in cogeneration for electrical power generation, as determined by the Polish Power System, this work also includes an economic analysis of the power plant, presenting the costs and economic effectiveness of such a system.
Quasicrystals: Fundamentals and Applications
by Enrique Maciá-Barberpromoting the very notion of quasiperiodic order, and to spur its physical implications and technological capabilities. It, therefore, explores the fundamental aspects of intermetallic, photonic, and phononic quasicrystals, as well as soft-matter quasicrystals, including their intrinsic physical and structural properties. In addition, it thoroughly discusses experimental data and related theoretical approaches to explain them, extending the standard treatment given in most current solid state physics literature. It also explores exciting applications in new technological devices of quasiperiodically ordered systems, including multilayered quasiperiodic systems, along with 2D and 3D designs, whilst outlining new frontiers in quasicrystals research. This book can be used as a reader-friendly introductory text for graduate students, in addition to senior scientists and researchers coming from the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. Key features: • Provides an updated and detailed introduction to the interdisciplinary field of quasicrystals in a tutorial style, considering both fundamental aspects and additional freedom degrees provided by designs based on quasiperiodically ordered materials. • Includes 50 fully worked out exercises with detailed solutions, motivating, and illustrating the different concepts and notions to provide readers with further learning opportunities. • Presents a complete compendium of the current state of the art knowledge of quasicrystalline matter, and outlines future next generation materials based on quasiperiodically ordered designs for their potential use in useful technological devices. Dr. Enrique Maciá-Barber is Professor of condensed matter physics at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His research interests include the thermoelectric properties of quasicrystals and DNA biophysics. In 2010 he received the RSEF- BBVA Foundation Excellence Physics Teaching Award. His book Aperiodic Structures in Condensed Matter: Fundamentals and Applications (CRC Press, Boca-Raton, 2009) is one of the Top Selling Physics Books according to YBP Library Services.
Quasispecies: From Theory to Experimental Systems
by Esteban Domingo Peter SchusterThis volume brings together recent developments in quasispecies theory extended to variable environments and practical applications in elucidating viral dynamics and treatment designs. In particular, the existence of an error threshold in rugged fitness landscapes has opened the way to a new antiviral strategy termed lethal mutagenesis, which is now under intensive theoretical, experimental and clinical investigation. As such the book explains how an understanding of quasispecies dynamics within infected organisms has increased our knowledge of viral disease events. From a clinical perspective, population dynamics highlights important problems for viral disease control, such as the selection of drug-resistant mutants that often accompanies treatment failures, and suggests means of increasing the effectiveness of antiviral treatments. The book is intended for students and scientists interested in basic and applied aspects of biophysics, chemistry, biology, evolution and medical virology.
Quaternary Alloys Based on III-V Semiconductors
by Vasyl TomashykBoca Raton : CRC Press, 2017. | Includes index
Quaternary Alloys Based on IV-VI and IV-VI2 Semiconductors
by Vasyl TomashykIV–VI and IV–VI2 semiconductors have attracted considerable attention due to their applications in the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices as light-emitting diodes and solar cells. The electrical properties of these semiconductors can also be tuned by adding impurity atoms. Because of their wide application in various devices, the search for new semiconductor materials and the improvement of existing materials is an important field of study. Doping with impurities is a common method of modifying and diversifying the properties of physical and chemical semiconductors. This book covers all known information about phase relations in quaternary systems based on IV–VI and IV–VI2 semiconductors, providing the first systematic account of phase equilibria in quaternary systems based on IV–VI and IV–VI2 semiconductors and making research originally published in Ukrainian and Russian accessible to the wider scientific community. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students studying materials science, solid-state chemistry, and engineering. It will also be relevant for researchers at industrial and national laboratories, in addition to phase diagram researchers, inorganic chemists, and solid-state physicists. Key Features: • Provides up-to-date experimental and theoretical information. • A source of information for synthesizing semiconducting materials with predetermined properties. • Delivers a critical evaluation of many industrially important systems presented in the form of two-dimensional sections for the condensed phases.
Quaternary Foraminifera of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridors: Ponto-Caspian Foraminifera
by Valentina YankoThis handbook in two volumes offers a heretofore unavailable compilation of detailed information on foraminifera of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridors (“CORRIDORS”), including their taxonomy, ecology, and applications in the study of Quaternary stratigraphy, paleogeographic reconstruction, and environmental stress. This subject is significant in light of the ongoing debates regarding the Flood Hypotheses because foraminifera can provide more information about many of the disputed questions. Foraminifera are highly reliable paleoenvironmental indicators, ubiquitous in marine environments, and taxonomically diverse, which gives them the potential for a wide range of biological responses to varied environmental factors. Their tests are readily preserved and can record evidence of environmental change through time, thus providing historical baseline data even in the absence of background studies. This book presents taxonomic descriptions for about 500 species and subspecies from the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Sea of Marmara, and the Eastern Mediterranean. This catalogue is supplemented by ecological remarks, stratigraphic distributions, paleogeography, and environmental/paleoenvironmental applications, including responses to environmental stress, e.g., river discharge, pollution by different contaminants, etc. The book will be useful to specialists in Quaternary history of the “CORRIDORS” as well as those in environmental monitoring and risk assessment. This handbook offers detailed taxonomic descriptions of foraminifera from the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, Aral Sea (in Volume 1) and Eastern Mediterranean and Sea of Marmara (in Volume 2).
The Quaternary in the Tropics: A Reconstruction of the Palaeoclimate (Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment)
by Klaus HeineThe Ice Age (Quaternary) is a period of extreme climate fluctuations that led to the growth and melting of massive ice sheets in the high latitudes. Tropical deserts, savannas, rainforests, and mountainous regions experienced equal dramatic climatic changes of which the traces are preserved in sedimentary deposits. The knowledge of tropical climate history is of paramount importance because in the tropics and marginal tropics, natural and - more recently - human-induced processes significantly control global climate. Yet relatively few palaeoclimate records are known from these regions.This book presents the climate archives of the tropics and critically discusses their palaeoclimatic informative value. Based on decades of research the author demonstrates that a lack of geoecological knowledge leads to misinterpretations in modeling climate futures. The results presented here call for a correction of many widely held views about the role of atmospheric greenhouse gases in global warming over the past 150 years.The book is intended for natural scientists of all disciplines who are looking for a synopsis of the problem area "Our climate in the past, present and future in the tropics".
Quaternary of South America and Antarctica Peninsula 1998
by JORGE RABASSA; MÓNICA SALEMMEThis text deals with certain geological aspects of the extreme geographical locations of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula. Topics include: Brazil - geology and vertebrate paleontology; pleistocene wave-built terraces of Northern Rio de Janeiro state; and holocene coastal evolution.
Quaternary of the Levant: Environments, Climate Change, and Humans
by Yehouda Enzel Bar-Yosef OferQuaternary of the Levant presents up-to-date research achievements from a region that displays unique interactions between the climate, the environment and human evolution. Focusing on southeast Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, it brings together over eighty contributions from leading researchers to review 2. 5 million years of environmental change and human cultural evolution. Information from prehistoric sites and palaeoanthropological studies contributing to our understanding of 'out of Africa' migrations, Neanderthals, cultures of modern humans, and the origins of agriculture are assessed within the context of glacial-interglacial cycles, marine isotope cycles, plate tectonics, geochronology, geomorphology, palaeoecology and genetics. Complemented by overview summaries that draw together the findings of each chapter, the resulting coverage is wide-ranging and cohesive. The cross-disciplinary nature of the volume makes it an invaluable resource for academics and advanced students of Quaternary science and human prehistory, as well as being an important reference for archaeologists working in the region.
Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics: The African Pollen Database (Palaeoecology of Africa #35)
by Jürgen RungeThis book celebrates the relaunch of the African Pollen Database, presents state-of-the-art of modern and ancient pollen data from sub-Saharan Africa, and promotes Open Access science. Pollen grains are powerful tools for the study of past vegetation dynamics because they preserve well within sedimentary deposits and have a huge diversity in ornamentation that allows different taxa to be determined. The reconstruction of past vegetation from the examination of ancient pollen records thus can be used to characterize the nature of past landscapes (e.g. abundance of forests vs. grasslands), provide insights into changes in biodiversity, and gain empirical evidence of vegetation response to climatic change and human activity. In this, the 35th Volume of "Palaeoecology of Africa", we bring together new data and extensive synthetic reviews to provide novel insights into the relationships between human evolution, human activity, climate change and vegetation dynamics during the Quaternary, the last 2.6 million years. Current and ongoing climate and land-use change is exerting pressure on modern vegetation formations and threatening the livelihoods and wellbeing of many peoples in Africa. In this book the focus is on the Quaternary because it is during this geological period that the modern vegetation formations developed into their current configurations against a backdrop of high magnitude global climate change (glacial-interglacial cycles), human evolution, and a growing human land-use footprint. In this book the latest information is presented and collated from around the African continent to parameterize past vegetation states, identify the drivers of vegetation change, and assess the vegetation resilience to change. To achieve this research from two broad themes are covered: (i) the present is the key to the past (i.e. studies which improve our understanding of modern environments so that we can better interpret evidence from the past), and (ii) the past is the key to the future (i.e. studies which unlock information on how and why vegetation changed in the past so one can better anticipate trajectories of future change). This Open Access book will provide a strong foundation for future research exploring past ecological, environmental and climatic change within Africa and the surrounding islands. The book is organized regionally (covering western, eastern, central, and southern Africa) and it contains specialized articles focused on particular topics (such as modern pollen-vegetation relationships and fire as a driver of vegetation change), as well as regional and pan-African syntheses drawing together decades of research to assess key scientific questions (including the role of climate in driving vegetation change and the role of vegetation change in human evolution). These articles will be useful to students and teachers from high school to the highest level of university who are interested in the origins and dynamics of vegetation in Africa. Furthermore, it is also meant to provide societally relevant information that can act as an inspiration for the development of sustainable management practices for the future.
Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī and the Configuration of the Heavens: A Comparison of Texts and Models
by Kaveh NiaziAs a leading scientist of the 13th century C. E. Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī wrote three substantial works on hay'a (or the configuration of the celestial orbs): Nihāyat al-idrāk fī dirāyat al-aflāk ("The Limits of Attainment in the Understanding of the Heavens"), al-Tuḥfa al-shāhīya fī 'ilm al-hay'a ("The Royal Offering Regarding the Knowledge of the Configuration of the Heavens"), and Ikhtīyārāt-i Muẓaffarī ("The Muẓaffarī Elections"). Completed in less than four years and written in two of the classical languages of the Islamic world, Arabic and Persian, these works provide a fascinating window to the astronomical research carried out in Ilkhanid Persia. Shīrāzī and his colleagues were driven by their desire to rid Ptolemaic astronomy from its perceived shortcomings. An intriguing trail of revisions and emendations in Shīrāzī's hay'a texts serves to highlight both those features of Shīrāzī's astronomy that were inherited from his predecessors, as well as his original contributions to this branch of astronomical research. As a renowned savant, Shīrāzī spent a large portion of his career near centers of political power in Persia and Anatolia. A study of his scientific output and career as a scholar is an opportunity, therefore, for an examination of the patronage of science and of scientific works within the Ilkhanid realms. Not only was this patronage important to the work of scholars such as Shīrāzī but it was critical to the founding and operation of one of the foremost scientific institutions of the medieval Islamic world, the Marāgha observatory. The astronomical tradition in which Shīrāzī carried out his research has many links, as well, to the astronomy of Early Modern Europe, as can be seen in the astronomical models of Copernicus.
¿Qué es un agujero negro?
by Roger PenroseUno de los misterios más fascinante de la física explicado por el flamante Premio Nobel, Sir Roger Penrose. Roger Penrose es probablemente el especialista en la teoría general de la relatividad más prestigioso del mundo y una de las mentes analíticas más originales de la actualidad. En este breve pero magistral texto, Penrose nos embarca en un extraordinario viaje por el espacio y el tiempo que nos permitirá entender las implicaciones de la existencia de uno de los fenómenos más singulares del universo: los agujeros negros. «Cuando Penrose habla, los científicos escuchan.»The New York Times Book Review
¿Qué hay allá arriba? Observar el cielo de noche (¡Arriba la Lectura!, Level L #56)
by Olivia Snow¿Alguna vez has salido a mirar el cielo de noche? Si lees este libro, sabrás qué buscar. NIMAC-sourced textbook
Que la ciencia te acompañe: A luchar por tus derechos
by Agostina MileoDatos científicos de los temas clave en la agenda de género para sostener la crítica feminista. Aunque la humanidad no está formada solo por varones blancos heterosexuales, ellos son el modelo con que el mundo todo se organiza y se piensa. El sexo, la economía, la salud, la tecnología, incluso la ciencia -amparada por una supuesta neutralidad y objetividad-, refuerza estereotipos patriarcales que pasan desapercibidos la mayoría de las veces. Por suerte, Agostina Mileo confronta con sensatez los prejuicios y desarma con lenguaje claro e información accesible, cada uno de los lugares comunes en los que se arraiga el machismo, abriendo la discusión sobre temas como la "utilidad" de los orgasmos, las diferencias entre el cerebro "femenino" o "masculino" (¿y trans?), las falacias sobre el aborto y los mitos de la menstruación. Con irreverencia, demuestra por qué es imperioso construir una mirada crítica y diversa sobre la producción y comunicación del conocimiento, y cuestionar nuestras propias opiniones una y otra vez. En la lucha por una sociedad igualitaria, necesitamos que también ¡la ciencia nos acompañe!
¡Que le den a la ciencia!: Supersticiones, pseudociencias, bulos... desmontados con pensamiento crítico
by Rocío Vidal¡Que le den a la ciencia! -con prólogo de Ramón Nogueras- es el más eficaz antídoto contra los bulos. Un libro de pura y sana divulgación científica. Homeopatía, chamanismo, reiki..., muchas son las terapias alternativas que promocionan algunas personas --entre ellos varios influencers muy populares-- como si fuesen la cura definitiva, y real, de todos los males. Sin embargo, como ha podido demostrar Rocío Vidal en sus videos, ninguna de la información que se transmite sobre éstas tiene estudios serios o científicos de su veracidad. De este modo, esta periodista y divulgadora científica ha comenzado una cruzada para destapar timos, mitos y charlatanerías pseudocientíficas desde su canal de vídeos, La gata de Schrödinger. Y, a la vez, para enseñarnos la importancia que tiene la ciencia en la sociedad.