The book discusses the policies and strategies for Science and Technology (S&T) and Innovation capability building put up by Maghreb states (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco) in the last three decades. The application of structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) in recent years, the opening up of their economies and liberalisation of trade have confronted firms with largely innovation-based competition and the attempt to reduce this impact are far from effective, particularly in the face of the era of knowledge economy and sustainability requirements. The work is articulated around three major themes: the difficult path to S&T capacity building, the attempts to put up National Systems of Innovation (NSI) and the prospects for a more innovation driven growth at the territorial level, notably through intermediate institutions and science and technology poles. While pointing out the difficulties of building NSI, the book examines how the context of an innovation- driven competition put local firms, especially SMEs, in a difficult position. It notes that universities, which are prone to internal politics and rent-seeking, are not producing the necessary human capital. The knowledge economy era challenges raise some hopes for better access to innovation and knowledge assets in the world while at the territorial level, new innovation dynamics are taking place. Based on extensive research and consultancy work done on the analysis of policies in the Maghreb, the book also raises the issue of the neighborhood of the European Union, and argues that unless Europe integrates the Maghreb in a real neighborhood Innovation System, the prospects for innovation take -off in the region are limited.

Even a subsistence agricultural economy such as Rwanda needs to develop science, technology and innovation (STI) capacity if it hopes to solve such everyday, practical problems as providing energy and clean drinking water to rural villages, and competing in the global economy by producing and selling higher value goods and services. This book provides new insights into the capacity building process and shows that STI capacity building is not a luxury activity suitable primarily for wealthy countries but an absolute necessity for poor countries that hope to become richer.

Cryo-electron microscopy, in combination with tomography, has emerged as a new technology for visualizing molecular structures at a resolution beyond even 1 Å. Using this technology has revealed the native molecular details of viruses, membranes, enzymes, ribosomes, and cells. This comprehensive volume brings together authoritative overviews of these methods from structural and biological perspectives. It is a must-have for researchers and graduate students, as well as those working in industry, primarily in the areas of biophysics, structural biology, crystallography, and genomics. Key Features • Focuses on the applications of cryo-EM to structural biology • Documents the importance of cryo-EM/ET approaches in studying the structural determinants of cellular organelle and membrane protein biochemistry • Reviews the applications of high-resolution structures of viruses • Emphasizes structural insights of nuclear and gene machineries • Includes a section focused entirely on the applications of cryo-EM/ET in drug discovery and therapeutic development

By making use of the principles of systems science, the scientific community can explain many complicated matters of the world and shed new light on unsettled problems. Each real science has its own particular methodology for not only qualitative but also quantitative analyses, so it is important to understand the organic whole of systems research with operable mathematical methods. Systems Science: Methodological Approaches presents a mathematical explanation of systems science, giving readers a complete technical formulation of different systemic laws. It enables them to use a unified methodology to attack different problems that are hard, if not impossible, for modern science to handle. Following a brief history of systems science, the book explores: Basic concepts, characteristics, properties, and classifications of general systems Nonlinear systems dynamics and the theory of catastrophe Dissipative structures and synergistics Studies of chaos, including logistic mapping, phase space reconstruction, Lyapunov exponents, and chaos of general single relation systems Different aspects and concepts of fractals, including a presentation of L systems analysis and design Complex systems and complexity, with a discussion of how the phenomena of "three" and complexity are related, and how various cellular automata can be constructed to generate useful simulations and figurative patterns Complex adaptive systems and open complex giant systems, with introduction of the yoyo model and practical applications Complex networks and related concepts and methods The book concludes with several case studies that demonstrate how various concepts and the logic of systems can be practically applied to resolve real-life problems, such as the prediction of natural disasters. The book will be useful in directing future research and applications of systems science on a commonly accepted platform and playground.

Buildings influence people. They account for one third of energy consumption across the globe and represent an annual capital expenditure of 7%-10% of GNP in industrialized countries. Their lifetime operation costs can exceed capital investment. Building Engineering aims to make buildings more efficient, safe and economical. One branch of this discipline, Building Physics/Science, has gained prominence, with a heightened awareness of such phenomena as sick buildings, the energy crisis and sustainability, and considering the performance of buildings in terms of climatic loads and indoor conditions. The book reflects the advanced level and high quality of research which Building Engineering, and Building Physics/Science in particular, have reached at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It will be a valuable resource to: engineers, architects, building scientists, consultants on the building envelope, researchers and graduate students.

First Published in 2004. This special issue of Cognition and Instruction features three manuscripts investigating particular aspects of classroom participant structures, specifically in the context of science instruction. Participant structures is a term introduced four decades ago to describe the roles, rights, and responsibilities regarding who can say what, to whom, and when in the course of classroom activity.