Giant Molecules


Book Description

?? Giant molecules are important in our everyday life. But, as pointed out by the authors, they are also associated with a culture. What Bach did with the harpsichord, Kuhn and Flory did with polymers. We owe a lot of thanks to those who now make this music accessible ??Pierre-Gilles de GennesNobel Prize laureate in Physics(Foreword for the 1st Edition, March 1996)This book describes the basic facts, concepts and ideas of polymer physics in simple, yet scientifically accurate, terms. In both scientific and historic contexts, the book shows how the subject of polymers is fascinating, as it is behind most of the wonders of living cell machinery as well as most of the newly developed materials. No mathematics is used in the book beyond modest high school algebra and a bit of freshman calculus, yet very sophisticated concepts are introduced and explained, ranging from scaling and reptations to protein folding and evolution. The new edition includes an extended section on polymer preparation methods, discusses knots formed by molecular filaments, and presents new and updated materials on such contemporary topics as single molecule experiments with DNA or polymer properties of proteins and their roles in biological evolution.




Advanced Nonlinear Strategies for Vibration Mitigation and System Identification


Book Description

The papers in this volume address advanced nonlinear topics in the general areas of vibration mitigation and system identification, such as, methods of analysis of strongly nonlinear dyanmical systems; techniques and methodologies for interpreting complex, multi-frequency transitions in damped nonlinear responses; new approaches for passive vibration mitigation based on nonlinear targeted energy transfer (TET) and the associated concept of nonlinear energy sink (NES); and an overview and assessment of current nonlinear system identification techniques.




Molecular Mobility and Order in Polymer Systems


Book Description

Molecular Mobility and Order in Polymer Systems. The 5th International Symposium "Molecular Mobility and Order in Polymer Systems" was held in June 2005 as part of the series of St. Petersburg IUPAC meetings organized by the Institute of Macromolecular Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences. These meetings are the most important international gathering of polymer scientists in Russia. Main attention was paid to problems of structure and dynamics of polymer systems which combine order and pronounced molecular mobility, i.e., systems with so-called "soft" order. The lectures presented in this book demonstrate the growing interest in more and more complex polymer systems and reflect of progress in the understanding of the interconnection between their structure and dynamics. Experimental, theoretical and simulation works are presented.




Processes and Phenomena on the Boundary Between Biogenic and Abiogenic Nature


Book Description

The book represents a collection of papers presented at VI International Symposium "Biogenic - abiogenic interactions in natural and anthropogenic systems" that was held on 24-27 September 2018 in Saint Petersburg (Russia). Papers in this book cover a wide range of topics connecting with interactions between biogenic and abiogenic components in lithosphere, biosphere and technosphere. The main regarding topics are following: methods for studying the interactions between biogenic and abiogenic components; geochemistry of biogenic-abiogenic systems; biomineralization and nature-like materials and technologies; medical geology; biomineralogy and organic mineralogy; biomineral interactions in soil; biodeterioration of natural and artificial materials; biomineral interactions in extreme environment.




Environmental Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident and Their Remediation


Book Description

The explosion on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the consequent reactor fire resulted in an unprecedented release of radioactive material from a nuclear reactor and adverse consequences for the public and the environment. Although the accident occurred nearly two decades ago, controversy still surrounds the real impact of the disaster. Therefore the IAEA, in cooperation with other UN bodies, the World Bank, as well as the competent authorities of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, established the Chernobyl Forum in 2003. The mission of the Forum was to generate 'authoritative consensual statements' on the environmental consequences and health effects attributable to radiation exposure arising from the accident as well as to provide advice on environmental remediation and special health care programmes, and to suggest areas in which further research is required. This report presents the findings and recommendations of the Chernobyl Forum concerning the environmental effects of the Chernobyl accident.




Coatings Technology Handbook


Book Description

Serving as an all-in-one guide to the entire field of coatings technology, this encyclopedic reference covers a diverse range of topics-including basic concepts, coating types, materials, processes, testing and applications-summarizing both the latest developments and standard coatings methods. Take advantage of the insights and experience of over




Mucoadhesive Materials and Drug Delivery Systems


Book Description

Mucoadhesion defined as attachment of synthetic or natural materials to mucosal tissues has been widely exploited in pharmaceutical forms. This multi-author book provides an up-to-date account of current research on mucoadhesive materials and drug delivery systems. The introductory section describes the structure and physiology of various mucosal surfaces (oral, nasal, ocular, gastrointestinal and vaginal mucosa). This is followed by chapters on the various methods used to study mucoadhesion and to characterise mucoadhesive properties of various dosage forms. The final section will summarise information on traditional and novel types of mucoadhesive materials, such as chitosan, thiomers, and liposome-based formulations. This book is unique as there is currently no modern book considering mucoadhesion - all other existing books on the topic are either narrowly focused or more than 10 years old. Furthermore, each contributor offers specialist perspectives from a variety of global locations in both industrial and academic research centres.




Photovoltaic and Photoactive Materials


Book Description

The primary objective of this NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) was to present an up-to-date overview of various current areas of interest in the field of photovoltaic and related photoactive materials. This is a wide-ranging subject area, of significant commercial and environmental interest, and involves major contributions from the disciplines of physics, chemistry, materials, electrical and instrumentation engineering, commercial realisation etc. Therefore, we sought to adopt an inter disciplinary approach, bringing together recognised experts in the various fields while retaining a level of treatment accessible to those active in specific individual areas of research and development. The lecture programme commenced with overviews of the present relevance and historical development of the subject area, plus an introduction to various underlying physical principles of importance to the materials and devices to be addressed in later lectures. Building upon this, the ASI then progressed to more detailed aspects of the subject area. We were also fortunately able to obtain a contribution from Thierry Langlois d'Estaintot of the European Commission Directorate, describing present and future EC support for activities in this field. In addition, poster sessions were held throughout the meeting, to allow participants to present and discuss their current activities. These were supported by what proved to be very effective feedback sessions (special thanks to Martin Stutzmann), prior to which groups of participants enthusiastically met (often in the bar) to identify and agree topics of common interest.