The functional analysis of plant-microbe interactions has re-emerged in the past 10 years due to spectacular advances in integrative study models. This book summarizes basic and technical information related to the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) belonging to the genus Azospirillum, considered to be one of the most representative PGPR last 40 years. We include exhaustive information…
This book starts with a short recapitulation on basic concepts, common to any types of robots (serial, tree structure, parallel, etc.), that are also necessary for computation of the dynamic models of parallel robots. Then, as dynamics requires the use of geometry and kinematics, the general equations of geometric and kinematic models of parallel robots are given. After, it is explained that pa…
This volume is a comprehensive and rigorous exploration of intertwined issues surrounding the EU's democracy and legitimacy, written in the turbulent context of the financial crisis. The chapters are woven together under four interconnected thematic sections that examine: rapidly growing national euroscepticism; the Economic Monetary Union and its legitimacy; the future of EU integration; and d…
This book deals with a number of fundamental issues related to the practical implementation of ultrasonic NDT techniques in an industrial environment. The book discusses advanced academic research results and their application to industrial procedures. The text covers the choice and generation of the signals energizing the system to probe position optimization, from quality assessment evaluati…
This textbook mainly addresses beginners and readers with a basic knowledge of object-oriented programming languages like Java or C#, but with little or no modeling or software engineering experience – thus reflecting the majority of students in introductory courses at universities. Using UML, it introduces basic modeling concepts in a highly precise manner, while refraining from the interpre…
This book describes the state-of-the-art in trusted computing for embedded systems. It shows how a variety of security and trusted computing problems are addressed currently and what solutions are expected to emerge in the coming years. The discussion focuses on attacks aimed at hardware and software for embedded systems, and the authors describe specific solutions to create security features. …
Model Validation and Uncertainty Quantifi cation, Volume 3. Proceedings of the 34th IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Dynamics of Multiphysical Systems: From Active Materials to Vibroacoustics, 2016, the third volume of ten from the Conference brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. Th e collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamen…
Model Validation and Uncertainty Quantification, Volume 3. Proceedings of the 33rd IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Balancing Simulation and Testing, 2015, the third volume of ten from the Conference brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Structural Dyna…
This textbook presents an exposition of stochastic dynamics and irreversibility. It comprises the principles of probability theory and the stochastic dynamics in continuous spaces, described by Langevin and Fokker-Planck equations, and in discrete spaces, described by Markov chains and master equations. Special concern is given to the study of irreversibility, both in systems that evolve to equ…
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the conversational interface, which is becoming the main mode of interaction with virtual personal assistants, smart devices, various types of wearable, and social robots. The book consists of four parts. Part I presents the background to conversational interfaces, examining past and present work on spoken language interaction with computers. …