الصفحة 4
الصفحة 4
Socioeconomic and Environmental Implications of Agricultural Residue Burning : A Case Study of Punjab, India
Discusses the important issue of the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of agricultural residue burning, common in agricultural practices in many parts of the world. In particular, it focuses on the pollution caused by rice residue burning using primary survey data from Punjab, India. It discusses emerging solutions to agricultural waste burning that are cost-effective in terms of both money and time. The burning of agricultural residue causes severe pollution in land, water and air and contributes to increased ozone levels and climate change in the long term. However, appropriate assessments have not been undertaken so far to demonstrate the relevant impact of agriculture-based pollution, especially residue burning. This book addresses this gap in the literature.
Social Choice and Strategic Decisions : Essays in Honor of Jeffrey S. Banks
Social choices, about expenditures on government programs, or about public policy more broadly, or indeed from any conceivable set of alternatives, are determined by politics. This book is a collection of essays that tie together the fields spanned by Jeffrey S. Banks` research on this subject. It examines the strategic aspects of political decision-making, including the choices of voters in committees, the positioning of candidates in electoral campaigns, and the behavior of parties in legislatures. The chapters of this book contribute to the theory of voting with incomplete information, to the literature on Downsian and probabilistic voting models of elections, to the theory of social choice in distributive environments, and to the theory of optimal dynamic decision-making. The essays employ a spectrum of research methods, from game-theoretic analysis, to empirical investigation, to experimental testing. In the manner of Jeffrey S. Banks` research, these pieces focus on fundamental social scientific issues, such as the welfare properties of voting systems, the existence and characterization of electroral equilibria, and the impact of parties on political processes.
Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services : Lessons from Asia
Recent history reveals both that the large-scale reforestation projects of the 20th century have often been less successful than anticipated, and that tree growing by smallholders – as an alternative means to combat deforestation and promote sustainable land use – has received relatively little attention from the scientific and development communities. Taking a first step to addressing that balance, this collection of peer-reviewed papers adopts a comparative approach to explore the potential role that tree growing by farmers can play in sustainable forest management. The goal of this approach is to identify common threads and to start to develop a framework for future research and practice.
Small Town Sustainability : Economic, Social, and Environmental Innovation
Illustrate how small towns can meet the challenge of a fast-paced, globalized world, and based on case studies, movements, programs, and strategies, present the local cultures that effectively and sustainably promote traditions and identities. Small towns often play a critical role in regional economies. When small towns focus on their specific characteristics and exploit their opportunities, they can become stable niches within regional, national, and global economies, and thus contribute significantly to shaping their future. Developing small cities in a sustainable way: the alternative model to booming megacities. International case studies expanded to include examples from China and Korea
Short Implants
Takes the reader through their research and development, explain the clinical indications, evaluate the outcomes achieved with various implants, and explore restorative and laboratory considerations. Short implants have steadily gained greater market share in the last decade as practitioners sought alternatives to traditional length implants in order to avoid grafting procedures. Current manufacturers offer a variety of implant lengths and widths, allowing surgeons and restorative dentists the ability to select the best implant for each clinical circumstance. Cutting edge information is provided on the research and clinical results achieved utilizing a range of implants, specifically those developed by Nobel Biocare, Straumann, Jack Hahn, and Bicon. Readers will also find an extensive description of the role of ultra-short implants involving reconstruction in both cleft patients and cancer patients who have lost portions of their mandible and/or maxilla.
Self Healing Materials : An Alternative Approach to 20 Centuries of Materials Science
This book, the first in this new field of materials science, aims to present a coherent picture of the design principles and resulting properties of self healing materials over all material classes, and to offset them to the current design principles for structural materials with improved mechanical properties. Where appropriate a comparison to natural materials is made. As such it will be a landmark and a reference work in the coming years. The book consists of a number of invited contributions from leading experts in the field. While each chapter describes a separate approach or a different aspect of self healing materials, the common structure of each chapter creates a coherent and consistent picture of this emerging and challenging field. Hence the book is not only a valuable asset for professional materials scientists but it is also suitable as a text book for courses at MSc level.
Security of Water Supply Systems : From Source to Tap
Recent reviews indicate the existence of significant vulnerabilities of all components of the infrastructure in general, among which the water supply systems are considered the most critical because of it’s importance to human life. Indeed, such systems encompas huge number of stuctures, plants and devices that might become a target of sabotage, and they all may be found in major components of each water supply system: the raw water sources (usually a reservoir, a river intake, or groundwater aquifer), water purification plants (encompassing various treatment processes), and water distribution networks bringing potable water to the consumers. Consequently, the reality of the post-September 11 situation forces the operators of water supply systems throught the world to examine the security and safety of their systems, it’s vulnerability to intentional interference and sabotage with respect to quantity and quality of potable water. In assessing the system vulnerability, there is an urgent need to develop emergency response plans providing ways and means for alternative water supply for the moment of system operation disruption, and system remediation and recovery after the attack.
Root resorption : Pathophysiology & Management
Root resorption is a clinical condition whereby the mineralized tissues of the root are lost, mainly as an immunological response due to various factors. Root resorption has been a perplexing clinical condition for dental practitioners as it has a broad range of clinical manifestation with varied severity and also due to the associated diagnostic dilemma. Early detection is essential for successful management and outcome of root resorption. Root resorptions have several local and systemic predisposing factors. Hence, patients with a history of one or more predisposing factors should be monitored closely for initial signs of root resorption.
Role of Apoptosis in Infection
This mechanism of programmed cell death plays an important role in normal development and control of cell numbers in mature animals. Initiation of the apoptotic process can come from external or internal stimuli and is highly regulated both by molecules that facilitate and by molecules that inhibit the process. It can be envisioned that apoptosis as a response to an intracellular pathogen is a useful way for the host to eliminate infected cells, decreasing the likelihood of spread of the infection to neighboring cells and preventing pathogen persistence. Alternatively, the apoptotic response may be a major mechanism by which the host is harmed by a pathogen.
Robust architecture : low tech design
Robust architecture is designed to meet needs; its structures are sufficient, resilient and suited to the location. It embraces the potential of simplicity, traditional building methods and alternative ways of building sustainable architecture, with an emphasis on local building materials, solid craftsmanship, proven construction methods and user participation. Its design strategies, combined with state-of-the-art planning tools and research findings, look ahead to a climate-positive future. The book gives detailed information on the concepts behind Robust Architecture and Low-Tech Design.
Rhinosinusitis : A Guide for Diagnosis and Management
Rhinosinusitis is one of the most common health care complaints, with many millions of cases managed annually by a variety of practitioners, from family care physicians and pediatricians to allergists, pulmonologists, and otolaryngologists. Rhinosinusitis: A Guide for Diagnosis and Management provides a comprehensive, practical guide to treating this widespread condition. Medical, surgical, and pharmacological management of both acute and chronic forms are discussed by experts with a wealth of clinical experience. Pediatric considerations and the role of allergies, asthma, and systemic diseases such as cystic fibrosis are discussed. A special chapter is devoted to alternative medicine in recognition of its increasing role in health care management. Diagnostic imaging techniques such as MRI and CT are discussed in detail.
Rethinking Nordic Courts
This book examines whether a distinctly Nordic procedural or court culture exists and what the hallmarks of that culture are. Do Nordic courts and court proceedings share a distinct set of ideas and values that in combination constitute the core of a regional legal culture? How do Europeanisation, privatisation, diversification and digitisation influence courts and court proceedings in the Nordic countries? The book traces the genesis and formation of Nordic courts and justice systems to provide a richer comprehension of contemporary Nordic legal culture, and an understanding of the relationship between legal cultural stability and change. In answering these questions, the book provides models for conceptualising procedural culture.
Resin-Bonded Fixed Dental Prostheses : Minimally invasive - esthetic - reliable
Nowadays single-retainer metal-ceramic and all-ceramic resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses (RBFDPs) often present a minimally invasive alternative to single-tooth implants or other conventional prosthetic methods. With a growing body of evidence showing that implants placed in the esthetic zone of younger patients present a high risk of esthetic problems in later years, RBFDPs made from zirconia ceramics are experiencing a great renaissance. This book details the protocols necessary to achieve success when replacing incisors with single-retainer RBFDPs. Although the method is technically sensitive, it is simple and extremely reliable when the correct procedures are implemented.
Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society
It is widely assumed that our consumer society can move from using fossil fuels to using renewable energy sources while maintaining the high levels of energy use to which we have become accustomed. This book details the reasons why this almost unquestioned assumption is seriously mistaken. Chapters on wind, photovoltaic and solar thermal sources argue that these are not able to meet present electricity demands, let alone future demands. Even more impossible will be meeting the demand for liquid fuel. The planet’s capacity to produce biomass is far below what would be required. Chapter 6 explains why it is not likely that there will ever be a hydrogen economy, in view of the difficulties in generating sufficient hydrogen and especially considering the losses and inefficiencies in distributing it. Chapter 9 explains why nuclear energy is not the answer.
Reform and Change in Higher Education : Analysing Policy Implementation
Starting from the now classical book by Ladislav Cerych and Paul Sabatier (1986), the editors present a critical appreciation of that initial work and a review and critical appraisal of current empirical policy research in higher education.In the second part, a set of chapters analyses the effective and specific complexities of the implementation of higher education policies in several countries, offering a wide variety of situations both in terms of duration of implementation, legal objectives, adequacy of causal theories underlying the reforms, adequacy of financial resources and degree of commitment of the main actors of the process. Some of these chapters use alternative theoretical frameworks developed since the 1986 Cerych and Sabatier theorization to interpret the empirical results, and some national cases do not fall within the scope of Cerych and Sabatier’s analysis.
Recycled Ceramics in Sustainable Concrete: Properties and Performance
Explores the use of novel waste materials in the construction industry as sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional cement production technologies. It specifically focuses on using waste ceramics as a binder and aggregate replacement for concrete. Includes a lifecycle assessment ; Describes recycling of ceramic tile waste as fine and coarse aggregate replacement ; Discusses microstructure performance of sustainable concrete ; Evaluates performance of sustainable concrete exposed to elevated temperatures and corrosives
Real Estate Investment Trusts and Joint Ventures
Studies the contribution of joint venture (JV) use as means of financing flexibility against the background of diverse financial restrictions in the institutional and regulated environment of the REIT Act. After reviewing JV motives for classical corporations, the real estate and REIT industry as well as the financing and capital behavior of REITs, the author finds JVs to result from REIT managers’ need of financing flexibility to allow timely funding outside regulated markets. Thus, he argues JVs mitigate financing restrictions and stimulate capital markets to regain access to classical financing. Contents : Joint Ventures Motives in Classical Corporations and REITs: Same or different? / Why the REIT Act, REIT Capital Structure, and Diversification Needs call for Joint Venture Use/ REIT Joint Venture formations as means for financial flexibility to capture market timing opportunities / The Role of REIT Joint Ventures to Market Timing and Capital Structure Considerations
Rationale-Based Software Engineering
Many decisions are required throughout the software development process. These decisions, and to some extent the decision-making process itself, can best be documented as the rationale for the system, which will reveal not only what was done during development but the reasons behind the choices made and alternatives considered and rejected. This information becomes increasingly critical as software development becomes more distributed and encompasses the corporate knowledge both used and refined during the development process. The capture of rationale helps to ensure that decisions are well thought out and justified and the use of rationale can help avoid the mistakes of the past during both the development of the current system and when software products (architecture and design, as well as code) are reused in future systems.
Rational phytotherapy : A reference guide for physicians and pharmacists
A practice-oriented introduction to phytotherapy. Methodically classified by organic systems and fields of application, it offers a quick insight into dosage, form of application and effects of the most important herbal remedies. Only those herbal remedies that are of pharmacological and clinical efficiency have been considered. The authors are highly experienced in the field of postgraduate medical education, and, with this work, present an indispensable reference book for the medical practice. All practitioners and pharmacists interested in treatment with herbal remedies should have this book at their disposal.
Rapid ECG Interpretation
The ECG is the oldest cardiologic test, but even 100 years after its inception, it continues as the most commonly used cardiologic test. Despite the advent of expensive and sophisticated alternatives, the ECG remains the most reliable tool for the conÞrmation of acute myocardial infarction (MI). The ECG -- not the CK-MB, troponins, echocardiogram, or SPECT or PET scan -- dictates the timely administration of lifesaving PCI or thrombolytic therapy. There is no test to rival the ECG in the diagnosis of arrhythmias, which is a common and bothersome clinical cardiologic problem. In this new third edition, Rapid ECG Interpretation presents a systematic step-by-step approach that provides protocols consistent with changes in cardiology practice over the past decade.
