springer netherlands springer netherlands jan 2009 (22 Ergebnisse)

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In the present age of migration, the influx of immigrants from distant lands leads inevitably to the spatial and social restructuring of cities and regions. It is often accompanied by fears of and hostility towards the newcomers. Nevertheless, in Europe, North America and Japan this influx of immigrants is essential to economic growth. How can immigrants become accepted members of the society of their adopted country How can strangers become neighbours What alchemies of political and social imagination are required to achieve peaceful coexistence in the mongrel cities of the 21st century What philosophies and policies have made integration successful in Canada and how can it be translated into European context The book tackles an important contemporary issue ¿ the social integration of immigrants in a large metropolis ¿ by way of the detailed case study of one Canadian city. The book provides a large political and legal context which makes this case study comprehensible and inspiring to readers outside Canada.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 320 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -technique and its applications are presented. In ad- tion, the limitations of the axis-translation technique ThesuccessfulimplementationofTerzaghi¿seffective and the methods that can be used to alleviate some of stress principle for saturated soils in the engineering these limitations are highlighted. Various parameters practice has led many researchers to attempt to extend thatin uence theaxis-translationtechniquesuchasair a stress stable variable framework to unsaturated diffusion, water volume change, long term testing and soils. For example Bishop (1959) modi ed Terzaghi evaporation are brie y described. effective stress equation with the introduction of a soil parameter, v (which is a function of degree of saturation) to interpret the mechanical behaviour of 3 Hanging Water Column unsaturated soils. Several researchers during the last threedecades haveproposedframeworksforinterpret- Buckingham (1907) was one of the pioneering sci- ing the engineering behavior of unsaturated soils in tists who measured the relationship between capillary termsoftwoormoreindependentstressstatevariables potentialandwatercontent(i.e.,SWRC)andexpressed over a large suction range (Fredlund and Morgenstern itasacontinuousfunctionusinghangingwatercolumn 1977; Toll 1990; Wheeler and Sivakumar 1995). (i.e., negative water column) technique. This relation- The research direction in recent years has been ship has been considered as an important milestone towards understanding the comprehensive behaviour in the history of soil physics and the mechanics of of unsaturated soils by extending the critical state soil unsaturated soils (Barbour 1998; Narasimhan 2005).Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 224 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -When did life first appear on Earth and what form did it take The answer to this intriguing and fundamentally important question lies somewhere within the early Archean rock record. The young Earth was, however, a very different place to that we know today and numerous pitfalls await our interpretation of these most ancient rocks.The first half of this practical guide equips the reader with the background knowledge to successfully evaluate new potentially biological finds from the Archean rock record. Successive steps are covered, from locating promising samples in the field, through standard petrography and evaluation of antiquity and biogenicity criteria, to the latest state of the art geochemical techniques. The second half of the guide uniquely brings together all the materials that have been claimed to comprise the earliest fossil record into an easily accessible, fully illustrated format.This will be a handbook that every Archean geologist, palaeobiologist and astrobiologist will wish to have in their backpack or on their lab-bench.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 288 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -It is gratifying to launch the third edition of our book. Its coming to life testi es about the task it has ful lled in the service of the com- nity of chemical research and learning. As we noted in the Prefaces to the rst and second editions, our book surveys chemistry from the point of view of symmetry. We present many examples from ch- istry as well as from other elds to emphasize the unifying nature of the symmetry concept. Our aim has been to provide aesthetic pl- sure in addition to learning experience. In our rst Preface we paid tribute to two books in particular from which we learned a great deal; they have in uenced signi cantly our approach to the subject matter of our book. They are Weyl¿s classic, Symmetry, and Shubnikov and Koptsik¿s Symmetry in Science and Art. The structure of our book has not changed. Following the Int- duction (Chapter 1), Chapter 2 presents the simplest symmetries using chemical and non-chemical examples. Molecular geometry is discussed in Chapter3. The next four chapters present gro- theoretical methods (Chapter 4) and, based on them, discussions of molecular vibrations (Chapter 5), electronic structures (Chapter 6), and chemical reactions (Chapter 7). For the last two chapters we return to a qualitative treatment and introduce space-group sym- tries (Chapter 8), concluding with crystal structures (Chapter 9). For the third edition we have further revised and streamlined our text and renewed the illustrative material.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 536 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -One of the main causes of failure in the treatment of breast cancer is the intrinsic presence of, or development of, drug resistance by the cancer cells. Recent studies on the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance have yielded important information highlighting both how tumour cells may escape these therapeutic constraints and that drug resistance may further impinge on tumour cell functions that may ultimately promote an adverse cell phenotype. New targets have been identified with potential therapeutic applications in resistant breast cancer leading to the subsequent evaluation of inhibitors of these targets in preclinical studies. Importantly, there is increasing evidence from such studies demonstrating the benefit of novel combination strategies as potential avenues for future drug regimens.Written by experts in the subject area, this book covers the molecular details and functional consequences of endocrine resistance in breast cancer with particular emphasis on the future applications of novel drug combinations that may be utilized to circumvent resistance and improve anti-tumour effects. This book represents a timely publication in the field of breast cancer research, providing current knowledge in the area of drug resistance and will be important reading material for clinicians and researchers alike.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -During the last two decades silicon-containing dendritic polymers have become one of the fastest growing areas of development in polymer science. The eruption of interest in these new polymers stems from their unprecedented molecular architecture, unique resulting properties and the realization that they represent ideal building blocks for chemical nanotechnology.This is the first book to solely focus on silicon-containing dendritic polymers. The contributions of those experts who originally introduced each field or played a major role in its progress are reported. The developments in all major areas of this field are presented from their origins to the present. It is anticipated that this text will become an invaluable guide and vanguard of reference for experienced scientists interested in the fields of polymer and material science, synthetic chemistry, and nanotechnology. It will also serve advanced graduate students either as a source of creative inspiration or as a textbook for appropriate courses.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 448 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿The career structure and funding of the universities [. . . ] currently strongly d- courages academics and faculties from putting any investment into teaching ¿ there are no career or nancial rewards in it. This is a great pity, because [. . . ] it is the need toengage indialogue,and to makethings logicaland clear,that istheprimary defence against obscurantism and abstraction. ¿ B. Ward-Perkins, The fall of Rome, Oxford (2005) This is the rst volume of a planned two-volume treatise on non-equilibrium phase transitions. While such a topic might sound rather special and a- demic, non-equilibrium critical phenomena occur in much wider contexts than their equilibrium counterparts, and without having to ne-tune th- modynamic variables to their ¿critical¿ values in each case. As a matter of fact, most systems in Nature are out of equilibrium. Given that the theme of non-equilibrium phase transitions of second order is wide enough to amount essentially to a treatment of almost all theoretical aspects of non-equilibrium many-body physics, a selection of topics is required to keep such a project within a manageable length. Therefore, Vol. 1 discusses a particular kind of non-equilibrium phase transitions, namely those between an active, - tuating state and absorbing states. Volume 2 (to be written by one of us (MH) with M. Pleimling) will be devoted to ageing phenomena.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 404 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -It was twenty ve years ago this year that for the rst time a protein under- ing a form of human cerebral amyloidosis, the Icelandic-type hereditary cerebral haemorrhage was identi ed. This, together with the recognition that an amino acid substitution can transform the wild type cystatin C into a disease-associated amyloid-forming protein in this condition, was only a prelude to a series of imp- tant discoveries that followed. As a result, pathologically altered proteins have been brought into the centre stage of research into the pathomechanism of a n- ber of neurodegenerative diseases, which include epidemiologically such important conditions as Alzheimer¿s disease or Parkinson¿s disease and, among others, also the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, Huntington¿s chorea, spinocereb- lar ataxias, frontotemporal lobar degenerations and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Despite the diversity in the amino acid sequence of the different proteins involved in these neurological diseases, one of the common themes underlying the patho- chanisms of all these conditions is protein misfolding, aggregation ¿ hence the term protein folding disorders ¿, which can trigger cascades of events ultimately resulting in synapse loss and neuron death with devastating clinical consequences in many of the most precious spheres of human existence including personality, cognition, memory, skilled movements and affection. It is always a challenging task to unite the different topics of the individual ch- ters into a common theme in a multi-author volume, but the current book edited by Judit Ovadi and Ferenc Orosz ts this task admirably.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿There is hardly a reason to circumcise a little boy for medical reasons because those medical reasons don¿t exist¿, said Dr. Michael Wilks, Head of Ethics at the British Medical Association, who admitted that doctors have circumcised boys for ¿no good reason¿.In the United States, parts of Africa, the Middle East, and in the Muslim world, 13.3 million infant boys and 2 million girls have part or all of their external sex organs cut off for reasons that defy logic and violate basic human rights. Doctors, parents, and politicians have been misled into thinking that circumcision is beneficial, necessary, and harmless.In Circumcision and human rights, internationally respected experts in the fields of medicine, science, politics, law, ethics, sociology, anthropology, history, and religion present the latest research on this tragedy, as a part of the worldwide campaign to end sexual mutilation. They outline steps for eradicating this abusive practice to enable males and females the dignity of living out their lives with all the body parts with which they were born.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -On June 19th 1999, the European Ministers of Education signed the Bologna Dec laration, with which they agreed that the European university education should be uniformized throughout Europe and based on the two cycle bachelor master¿s sys tem. The Institute for Theoretical Physics at Utrecht University quickly responded to this new challenge and created an international master¿s programme in Theoret ical Physics which started running in the summer of 2000. At present, the master¿s programme is a so called prestige master at Utrecht University, and it aims at train ing motivated students to become sophisticated researchers in theoretical physics. The programme is built on the philosophy that modern theoretical physics is guided by universal principles that can be applied to any sub eld of physics. As a result, the basis of the master¿s programme consists of the obligatory courses Statistical Field Theory and Quantum Field Theory. These focus in particular on the general concepts of quantum eld theory, rather than on the wide variety of possible applica tions. These applications are left to optional courses that build upon the rm concep tual basis given in the obligatory courses. The subjects of these optional courses in clude, for instance, Strongly Correlated Electrons, Spintronics, Bose Einstein Con densation, The Standard Model, Cosmology, and String Theory.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 500 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Nuclear and radioactive agents are considerable concerns especially after the early 1990s and more attention has been focused on the radiation detection technologies. This book comprises the selected presentations of NATO Advanced Training Course held 26-30 May 2008 in Mugla, Turkey. The contributions represent a wide range of documents related to control, monitoring and measurement methods of nuclear / radioactive isotopes and agents for both fundamental and applied works dealing with their use for different purposes. This book presents environmental data from many locations of different countries and also contains the contributions in the detection/monitoring programs of some authors from CIS countries.The basic goal of this book is to deal with recent developments and applications of environmental monitoring and measurement techniques of environmental radionuclides and nuclear agents as well as the auxiliary techniques. The many recent examples contributed by authors will be useful in monitoring/ measurement studies of radioactive/nuclear agents in the present environment, and can help, not only in carrying out outdoor and laboratory experiments, but also in protection of possible sources of radionuclides and nuclear agents. Especially the contributions of experts and specialists involved in this book assured the highest level of knowledge in the field of techniques for the detection of radioactive and nuclear agents.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 368 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The chapters in this volume were presented at the July¿August 2008 NATO Advanced Study Institute on Unexploded Ordnance Detection and Mitigation. The conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco resort near Lucca, in the glorious Tuscany region of northern Italy. For the ninth time we gathered at this idyllic spot to explore and extend the reciprocity between mathematics and engineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists from the usually disparate communities of pure mathematicians and applied scientists which occurred at our eight previous ASI¿s continued at this meeting. The detection and neutralization of unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been of major concern for very many decades; at least since the First World war. UXO continues to be the subject of intensive research in many elds of science, incl- ing mathematics, signal processing (mainly radar and sonar) and chemistry. While today¿s headlines emphasize the mayhem resulting from the placement of imp- vised explosive devices (IEDs), humanitarian landmine clearing continues to draw signi cant global attention as well. In many countries of the world, landmines threaten the population and hinder reconstruction and fast, ef cient utilization of large areas of the mined land in the aftermath of military con icts.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Jellyfish form spectacular population blooms and there is compelling evidence that jellyfish blooms are becoming more frequent and widespread. Blooms have enormous ecological, economic, and social impacts. For example, they have been implicated in the decline of commercial fisheries, they block the cooling water intakes of coastal industries and ships, and reduce the amenity of coastal waters for tourists. Blooms may be caused by overfishing, climate change, and coastal pollution, which all affect coastal waters around the world.Jellyfish Blooms: Causes, Consequences and Recent Advances presents reviews and original research articles written by the world¿s leading experts on jellyfish. Topics covered include the evolution of jellyfish blooms, the impacts of climate change on jellyfish populations, advances in acoustic and molecular methods used to study jellyfish, the role of jellyfish in food webs and nutrient cycles, and the ecology of the benthic stages of the jellyfish life history. This is a valuable resource for students and professional marine biologists, fisheries scientists, oceanographers, and researchers of climate change.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Phagocytosis has been at the forefront of cell biology for more than a century. Initially, phagocytosis, which comes from Greek words meaning ¿devouring cells,¿ was discovered in the late 19th century by Ilya Metchnikoff, who was awarded, together with Paul Ehrlich, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1908 ¿in recognition of their work on immunity.¿ At that time Metchnikoff had already identified a function for phagocytes not only in host defense but also as scavengers of degenerating host cells during metamorphosis of tadpoles, thus providing one of the first descriptions of apoptotic cell clearance by macrophages (Kaufmann 2008). Since then, much has been learned about phagocytosis, and the previous several decades have witnessed outstanding progress in understanding the functions and the molecular mechanisms of phagocytosis. Two main types of targets are cleared by phagocytosis: microbial pathogens and dying cells. Rapid recognition and clearance of dying cells by phagocytes plays a pivotal role in development, maintenance of tissue homeostasis, control of immune responses, and resolution of inflammation. Clearance of dying cells can be divided into several stages, including sensing, r- ognition, binding and signaling, internalization, and immunological responses. In this book, our contributors address these different stages of dead cell cle- ance and examine how impaired clearance of dying cells may lead to human d- eases. We have attempted to provide sufficient cross-referencing and indexing to enable the reader to easily locate the ideas elaborated in the different chapters.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 460 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Skates have become a concern in recent years due to the preponderance of these elasmobranchs that are caught as bycatch or as a directed fishery. This has raised concern because skates have life history characteristics that may make them vulnerable to over-exploitation. It was due to this concern that prompted Drs. David Ebert and James Sulikowski to organize an international symposium on the ¿Biology of Skates¿. The aims and goals of the symposium were to bring together an international group of researchers to meet, discuss, perhaps develop collaborations, and present their most recent findings.The symposium was held over two days, on 13-14 July, 2006, in conjunction with the 22nd annual meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society in New Orleans, LA. A total of 31 authors from four countries contributed 16 papers that appear in this volume. The papers are broadly arranged into four separate categories: systematics and biogeography, diet and feeding ecology, reproductive biology, and age and growth. This is the first dedicated book on the biology of skates. We hope that readers will find this volume of interest and that it helps encourage and stimulate future research into these fascinating fishes.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This comprehensive reference on the fundamentals of regolith science describes how regolith is developed from parental rocks and emphasises the importance of chemical, physical, water and biological processes in regolith formation. It provides details for mapping regolith landforms, as well as objective information on applications in mineral exploration and natural resource management. Regolith Science also provides a concise history of weathering through time in Australia. It includes previously unpublished information on elemental abundances in regolith materials along with detailed information on soil degradation processes such as in acid sulfate soils.Written by experts in the field, Regolith Science summarises research carried out over a 13 year period within the Cooperative Research Council for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration. This book will be a valuable resource for scientists and graduate/postgraduate students in geology, geography and soil science, and for professionals in the exploration industry and natural resources management.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 476 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The International Symposium on the History of Machines and Mechanisms is the main activity of the Permanent Commission (PC) for the History of Mechanism and Machine Science (HMM) of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM). The first symposium, HMM2000, was initiated by Dr. Marco Ceccarelli and was held at the University of Cassino (Cassino, Italy) on May 11¿13, 2000. The second symposium, HMM2004, was chaired by Dr. Marco Ceccarelli and held at the same venue on May 12¿15, 2004. The third symposium, HMM2008, was chaired by Dr. Hong-Sen Yan and held at the National Cheng Kung University (Tainan, Taiwan) on November 11¿14, 2008. The mission of IFToMM is to promote research and development in the field of machines and mechanisms by theoretical and experimental methods, along with their practical applications. The aim of HMM2008 is to establish an international forum for presenting and discussing historical developments in the field of Mechanism and Machine Science (MMS). The subject area covers all aspects of the development of HMM, such as machine, mechanism, kinematics, design method, etc., that are related to people, events, objects, anything that assisted in the development of the HMM, and presented in the forms of reasoning and ar- ments, demonstration and identification, and description and evaluation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 392 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The current warming trends in the Arctic may shove the Arctic system into a seasonally ice-free state not seen for more than one million years. The melting is accelerating, and researchers were unable to identify natural processes that might slow the deicing of the Arctic. Such substantial additional melting of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers and ice sheets would raise the sea level worldwide, flooding the coastal areas where many of the world's population lives. Studies, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Arizona, show that greenhouse gas increases over the next century could warm the Arctic by 3-5°C in summertime. Thus, Arctic summers by 2100 may be as warm as they were nearly 130,000 years ago, when sea levels eventually rose up to 6 m higher than today.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Many potential questions regarding the risks associated with the development and use of wide-ranging technologies enabled through engineered nanomaterials. For example, with over 600 consumer products available globally, what information exists that describes their risk to human health and the environment What en- neering or use controls can be deployed to minimize the potential environmental health and safety impacts of nanomaterials throughout the manufacturing and product lifecycles How can the potential environmental and health benefits of nanotechnology be realized and maximized The idea for this book was conceived at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on ¿Nanomaterials: Environmental Risks and Benefits and Emerging Consumer Products. ¿ This meeting ¿ held in Algarve, Portugal, in April 2008 ¿ started with building a foundation to harmonize risks and benefits associated with nanomaterials to develop risk management approaches and policies. More than 70 experts, from 19 countries, in the fields of risk assessment, decision-analysis, and security discussed the current state-of-knowledge with regard to nanomaterial risk and benefits. The discussion focused on the adequacy of available risk assessment tools to guide nanomaterial applications in industry and risk governance. The workshop had five primary purposes: Describe the potential benefits of nanotechnology enabled commercial products. Identify and describe what is known about environmental and human health risks of nanomaterials and approaches to assess their safety. Assess the suitability of multicriteria decision analysis for reconciling the benefits and risks of nanotechnology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 488 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -As stated many times before the purpose of Orchid Biology, Reviews and Perspectives (OB) is to present reviews on all aspects of orchids. The aim is not to balance every volume, but to make a balanced and wide ranging presentation of orchids in the series as a whole. The chapters in this, the last volume of the series, range over a number of topics which were not covered before. Singapore is justly famed for its orchids. They can be seen on arrival (or dep- ture) in its modern, highly efficient and comfortable Changi Airport and on the way from it to town. Vanda Miss Joaquim, the first hybrid to come from Singapore became its National Flower. This natural hybrid can be seen on its currency, stamps, and public and private decorations. Many excellent breeders, starting with Prof. Eric Holttum who bred the first man made hybrid (Spathoglottis Primrose), produced numerous magnificent hybrids and won countless awards in Singapore and elsewhere. These hybrids served to enrich the country¿s orchid mystique. In the opening chapter of this volume Dr. Teoh Eng Soon (Western style: Eng Soon Teoh), himself a prize winning orchid breeder, grower and author writes about some of the breeders who contributed to the Singapore orchid fame. Prof. Hans Fitting was one of the best known plant physiologists of his time. As a young man he studied the effects of pollen on orchid flowers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 480 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Lightning represents a natural phenomenon of substantial interest. Due to its complex nature, research continues in many countries and reveals amazing results. Lightning is actively observed because of its relevance to Earth climate and air composition in addition to the classical aspects of related human fatalities and damage to forests, buildings, power lines, aircraft, structures and electronic devices.In this volume, the most important contemporary questions on lightning are addressed and analyzed under many experimental and theoretical aspects. Lightning detection techniques using ground-based and space-borne methods are described, along with network engineering and statistical analysis.Contributions detail research on atmospheric electricity, cloud physics, lightning physics, modeling of electrical storms and middle atmospheric events. Special phenomena such as triggered lightning and sprite observations are examined. Lightning-induced nitrogen oxides and their effects on atmospheric chemistry and climate are discussed.Each topic is presented by international experts in the field. Topics include:\* air chemistry\* convective storms\* infrasound from lightning\* lightning and climate change\* lightning and precipitation\* lightning and radiation\* lightning and supercells\* lightning and thunderstorms\* lightning detection\* lightning from space\* lighting protection\* lightning return strokes\* observations and interpretations\* spatial distribution and frequency\* triggered lightning\* weather extremesSpringer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 660 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -On 21 November 2007 the grand and elegant Delegates Hall of the Hungarian Parliament was the scene of the opening of a conference to discuss some of the most pressing issues of the day, those related to our unending thirst for energy, its environmental consequences, and the challenges that these bear on security. Over the next 3 days scientists, parliamentarians and their guests confronted, challenged, teased and cajoled each other in a NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) entitled ¿Energy and Environmental Challenges to Security,¿ affirming that knowledge and public service hold the keys to solving our greatest challenges. The magnitude of the security challenge was confirmed while this volume was being prepared. In mid-2008, the International Energy Agency issued a report concluding that US$45 trillion would be needed over the next half century to prevent energy shortages and greenhouse gas emissions from undermining global economic growth. But lest such large numbers cause us all to shrug, this volume brings attention to some of the more manageable aspects of the environment and energy security challenge ¿ from addressing conflict resources such as illegal timber that contribute to corruption and regional instability, to means and mechanisms to enable the diversification of energy supplies, to environmental risk reduction strategies for particular installations. The participants in the Hungarian Parliament building were atypical for a NATO Advanced Research Workshop.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 480 pp. Englisch.