Category: Engineering & Transportation

Book Summary :

From acclaimed journalist Bill Gifford comes a roaring journey into the world of anti-aging science in search of answers to a universal obsession: what can be done about getting old? SPRING CHICKEN: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying) SPRING CHICKEN is a full-throttle, high-energy ride through the latest research, popular mythology, and ancient wisdom on mankind's oldest obsession: How can we live longer? And better? In his funny, self-deprecating voice, veteran reporter Bill Gifford takes readers on a fascinating journey through the science of aging, from the obvious signs like wrinkles and baldness right down into the innermost workings of cells. We visit cutting-edge labs where scientists are working to "hack" the aging process, like purging "senescent" cells from mice to reverse the effects of aging. He'll reveal why some people live past 100 without even trying, what has happened with resveratrol, the "red wine pill" that made headlines a few years ago, how your fat tissue is trying to kill you, and how it's possible to unlock longevity-promoting pathways that are programmed into our very genes. Gifford separates the wheat from the chaff as he exposes hoaxes and scams foisted upon an aging society, and arms readers with the best possible advice on what to do, what not to do, and what life-changing treatments may be right around the corner. An intoxicating mixture of deep reporting, fascinating science, and prescriptive takeaway, SPRING CHICKEN will reveal the extraordinary breakthroughs that may yet bring us eternal youth, while exposing dangerous deceptions that prey on the innocent and ignorant.

Book Summary :

Presents a revolutionary new theory that bridges the divide between science and spirituality • Discloses the ramifications of non-localized consciousness and how the physical world and spiritual experience are two aspects of the same reality • Includes contributions from Jane Goodall, Ed Mitchell, Stanislav Grof, Ralph Abraham, and Christian de Quincy, among others What scientists are now finding at the outermost frontiers of every field is overturning all the basic premises concerning the nature of matter and reality. The universe is not a world of separate things and events but is a cosmos that is connected, coherent, and bears a profound resemblance to the visions held in the earliest spiritual traditions in which the physical world and spiritual experience were both aspects of the same reality and man and the universe were one. The findings that justify this new vision of the underlying logic of the universe come from almost all of the empirical sciences: physics, cosmology, the life sciences, and consciousness research. They explain how interactions lead to interconnections that produce instantaneous and multifaceted coherence--what happens to one part also happens to the other parts, and hence to the system as a whole. The sense of sacred oneness experienced by our ancestors that was displaced by the unyielding material presumptions of modern science can be restored, and humanity can once again feel at home in the universe.

Book Summary :

Today, evolutionary biology is much more than an explanatory concept. It is indispensable to the world we live in. This book provides the first truly accessible and balanced account of how evolution has become a tool with applications that are thoroughly integrated, and deeply useful, in our everyday lives and our societies, often in ways that we do not realize. The Evolving World convinces us as never before that evolutionary biology has become absolutely necessary for human existence.

Book Summary :

Blending ethnography with a fascinating personal story, A Future for Amazonia is an account of a political movement that arose in the early 1990s in response to decades of attacks on the lands and peoples of eastern Ecuador, one of the world's most culturally and biologically diverse places. After generations of ruin at the hands of colonizing farmers, transnational oil companies, and Colombian armed factions, the indigenous Cofán people and their rain forest territory faced imminent jeopardy. In a surprising turn of events, the Cofán chose Randy Borman, a man of Euro-American descent, to lead their efforts to overcome the crisis that confronted them. Drawing on three years of ethnographic research, A Future for Amazonia begins by tracing the contours of Cofán society and Borman's place within it. Borman, a blue-eyed, white-skinned child of North American missionary-linguists, was raised in a Cofán community and gradually came to share the identity of his adoptive nation. He became a global media phenomenon and forged creative partnerships between Cofán communities, conservationist organizations, Western scientists, and the Ecuadorian state. The result was a collective mobilization that transformed the Cofán nation in unprecedented ways, providing them with political power, scientific expertise, and a new role as ambitious caretakers of more than one million acres of forest. Challenging simplistic notions of identity, indigeneity, and inevitable ecological destruction, A Future for Amazonia charts an inspiring course for environmental politics in the twenty-first century.

Book Summary :

This volume presents the proceedings of the eighth Colloquium Crustacea Decapoda Mediterranea. It reflects recent advances in decapod crustacean research. The book covers up-to-date issues in decapod crustacean research including genetics, morphology, reproduction, ecology, behavior and fisheries. It is primarily aimed at scientists interested in decapod crustacean research, but other scientists and decision-makers working on marine ecology and fisheries will also find up-to-date information on relevant issues.

Book Summary :

The Eighth International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy (EICOLS '87) was held at the Sunwing Hotel in A.re, Sweden, June 22-26; 1987. Fol lowing the traditions ef its predecessors at Vail, Megeve, Jackson Lake, Rottach-Egern, Jasper Park, Interlaken and Maui the intent of EICOLS '87 was to provide a forum for active scientists to meet in an informal at mosphere to discuss recent developments in laser spectroscopy. The scenic and remote location of the conference venue greatly stimulated a lively and relaxed exchange of information and ideas. The conference was attended by 227 scientists from 20 countries includ ing Australia, Austria, Canada, the People's Republic of China, Denmark, Finland, France, the Federal Repulic of Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Soviet Union, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The scientific program included 14 topical sessions with 50 invited talks, ranging in length from 20 to 40 minutes. About 70 additional in vited contributions were presented in two evening poster sessions. A third evening session included 4 oral and 18 poster post-deadline presentations.

Book Summary :

Animal Physiologic Surgery presents an integrated approach to the study of surgery for first-year medical students and graduate students in physiology. The primary emphasis is on the interrela tionships between surgical techniques and physiologic phenomena observed before, during, and after surgery. All procedures described in the book are designed so that the student with a limited knowledge of surgery can successfully assume responsibility for pre- and postoperative care, as well as for the operation. Therefore, the attitude reflected in this work shows the student his obligation, and his privilege, to find the best method of treatment for the patient and to work at his highest capacity. The text begins with an introduction to operating-room proce dures, sutures and instruments, wound healing, anesthesia, and water and electrolyte balance. The second part deals with step-by step surgical instructions and clinical consideration in techniques, such as laparotomy, splenectomy, nephrectomy, and laminectomy. This part is followed by a section on laboratory techniques neces sary for following and evaluating the course of the patient and on postmortem techniques. The text strikes a balance between exacting detail and discussion of basic principles; it is easily adaptable to any curriculum. I am grateful to the contributors for their close cooperation, especially Dr. William J. White for sharing much of the responsi bilities. I am also very appreciative to Catherine Jackson and Anne Kupstas for their valuable editorial assistance, and to Joyce Greene vii Preface and Becky Robertson for their assistance in preparing the manu script.

Book Summary :

Pulmonary Immunotoxicology is a comprehensive exploration of the effects of various inhaled materials upon the immune system of the respiratory tract. It will be useful to investigators in the field of pulmonary toxicology and immunotoxicology, and to those involved in administration and regulation of matters related to inhaled materials. It can also serve as a textbook for a course in pulmonary immunotoxicology at graduate or advanced undergraduate level. Pulmonary Immunotoxicology comprises four sections. The first provides basic background concepts essential for understanding pulmonary immunotoxicology, including discussions of the normal structure and function of the respiratory system, its basic immunology, and the manner by which inhaled particles and gases are removed from the air and deposited upon respiratory tract surfaces. The second section provides an overview of the major types of pathological consequences which can arise from immunomodulation within the respiratory tract, including hypersensitivity and asthma, inflammation and fibrosis, as well as immunosuppression and autoimmunity. The third section, which comprises the largest portion of the book, deals specifically with major classes of airborne agents that are known to alter the immune function of the respiratory tract. These are arranged into major classes: organic agents, metals, gases, particles, biologics, and complex mixtures. The fourth and final section of the book explores the area of risk assessment, including discussions of the basic concepts of risk assessment as they apply specifically to immunotoxicologic effects upon the lungs, and the use of biomarkers as indices of potential pulmonary immunotoxic responses to inhaled materials.

Book Summary :

Carbohydrate chemistry has seen a resurgence of interest stimulated by increasing awareness of the roles of these substances in biological recognition regulation. In addition, the increasing power of theoretical, physical and synthetic methods have enabled deeper insights into the properties of carbohydrates and their potential for exploitation. Carbohydrates presents a contemporary picture of our knowledge of the structures and syntheses of monosaccharide, oligosaccharide and glycopeptide units, and the properties of some important examples and derivatives including sulphates and polysaccharides. Written by established experts in the field, the book provides informed perspective of nine key areas at a level between basic texts and special research treatments.

Book Summary :

This book offers a self-contained introduction to the theory of electroweak interactions based on the semi-classical approach to relativistic quantum field theory, with thorough discussion of key aspects of the field. The basic tools for the calculation of cross sections and decay rates in the context of relativistic quantum field theory are reviewed in a short, but complete and rigorous, presentation. Special attention is focused on relativistic scattering theory and on calculation of amplitude in the semi-classical approximation. The central part of the book is devoted to an illustration of the unified field theory of electromagnetic and weak interactions as a quantum field theory with spontaneously broken gauge invariance; particular emphasis is placed on experimental confirmations of the theory. The closing chapters address the most recent developments in electroweak phenomenology and provide an introduction to the theory and phenomenology of neutrino oscillations. In this 2nd edition the discussion of relativistic scattering processes in the semi-classical approximation has been revised and as a result intermediate results are now explicitly proven. Furthermore, the recent discovery of the Higgs boson is now taken into account throughout the book. In particular, the Higgs decay channel into a pair of photons, which has played a crucial role in the discovery, is discussed. As in the first edition, the accent is still on the semi-classical approximation. However, in view of the necessity of a discussion of H !, the authors give several indications about corrections to the semiclassical approximation. Violation of unitarity is discussed in more detail, including the dispersion relations as a tool for computing loop corrections; the above-mentioned Higgs decay channel is illustrated by means of a full one-loop calculation; and finally, loop effects on the production of unstable particles (such as the Z0 boson) are now discussed. Finally, the neutrino mass and oscillation analysis is updated taking into account the major achievements of the last years.

Book Summary :

Gorda Ridge presents a primarily technical summary of recent advances in seafloor research related to mineral exploration of the only seafloor spreading center within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Spreading centers are known to be the locus of hydrothermal activity and to host mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin. The book includes sections on the results of mineral exploration on Gorda Ridge, the newest technologies for mineral exploration and sampling on the seafloor, and the evolving field of hydrothermal vent biology and ecology. What makes the book unique is that it is: 1) a site book, 2) a truly multidisciplinary summation of the state of the art in complementary areas of deep ocean geology and biology, and 3) a marker in the evolution of federal-state relations concerning ocean development.

Book Summary :

There is strong evidence showing the urgent need for scaling-up climate finance to mitigate greenhouse gases in line with the 2°C target, and to support adaptation to safeguard the international community from the consequences of a changing climate. While public actors have a responsibility to deploy climate finance, it is clear that the contribution from the private sector needs to be significant. Consequently, a strong public commitment is needed to engage with the private sector and ensure climate finance is leveraged and deployed effectively. In this context, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a promising avenue to contribute to climate finance delivery. PPPs provide frameworks to ensure public leadership and accountability in tackling climate change, while enabling the ownership of certain components of climate finance to be transferred to private hands.