springer netherlands springer netherlands mär 2007 (38 Ergebnisse)

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -South Asia is home to a diverse range of prehistoric and contemporary cultures that include foragers, pastoralists, and farmers. In this book, archaeologists, biological anthropologists, geneticists and linguists are brought together in order to provide a comprehensive account of the history and evolution of human populations residing in the subcontinent. A wide range of topics and issues are addressed in this book, including hominin adaptations, behaviours, and dispersals; the origin and spread of food producing economies; and the cultural, biological and genetic relationship of foragers and settled communities. New theories, methodologies and interpretations presented in this book are bound to have a profound effect on the way in which the cultural record of South Asia is perceived and how this evolutionary history relates to events in the wider world.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 480 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -By the end of the 1960s, it became acutely apparent that major problems existed with the quality of both surface and subsurface waters on a world-wide scale. In response to these discoveries numerous legislative initiatives were enacted in most developed countries to limit the introduction of contaminants to the environment. It quickly became apparent, however, that not only was there a need to reduce the quantity of contaminants introduced to surface and subsurface waters, but previously contaminated resources had to be remediated to reduce the potential risks on human and ecosystem health. Effective remediation proved to be a difficult task that required an improved understanding of the transport and fate of contaminants in aquatic environments. This fact resulted in a wide range of analyses regarding contaminant transport and cycling in riverine environments during the past several decades. Nonetheless, in comparison to the enormous efforts which have been made to characterize, assess, and remediate contaminated soils and groundwater, contaminated rivers have received relatively little attention. This is in spite of the fact that polluted reaches may cover tens of kilometers of stream channel and the adjacent valley floor. Progress, however, in the soils and groundwater arena has recently produced a shift in emphasis from the subsurface to the surface environment, particularly with regards to cleaning up contaminated rivers. Rivers and their associated drainage basins tend to be geological, hydrological, and geochemically more variable than either soil or groundwater systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 436 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Higher education and research institutions are confronted with changing and sometimes contradictory claims from state, industry and society, today. They have to face growing volatility and an acceleration and internationalization of the knowledge process. This book undertakes to develop a sector specific theory of governance of the public research sector and applies it to the German research system. The book is the outcome of a large interdisciplinary project. It analyzes the reforms in the German research system from an integrated perspective of law, economics and social sciences. The case of Germany is compared to reforms in other European countries such as Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The study emphasizes an integrated approach considering the research function of universities as well as the non-university research sector. The focus is on the integration of external and internal governance. First, we pose the question how external competition and control mechanisms do influence internal governance of research institutions and universities and vice versa. Second, we discuss the consequences of these impacts on research.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 264 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents important concepts in metal fatigue in a straightforward manner, for the benefit of readers who must understand more advanced documents on a wide range of metal fatigue topics. The text shows how metal fatigue problems are solved in engineering practice. The book assumes no prior knowledge of metal fatigue, requiring only a basic understanding of stress analysis and mathematics covered in engineering undergraduate courses.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 292 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -For centuries people have been puzzled by the inevitability of human aging. For most of the second half of the twentieth century aging remained a mystery, or an unsolved biological problem. At the end of the 20th century a remarkable scientific discovery emerged. It was not a single discovery in the usual sense, because it was based on a series of important interconnected insights over quite a long period of time. These insights made it possible for the very first time to understand the biological reasons for aging in animals and man. It can already be said, however, that the many observations and insights that explain aging will not be accepted as established knowledge for a long time. The field is still full of scientists, and non-scientists, who are just happy to go on speculating about the 'mystery' of aging. The aim of this book is to dispel ignorance by explaining in non-technical language what are the reasons for aging and the myth of excessive prolongation of life.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 148 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Medicine has been a very fruitful source of significant issues for philosophy over the last 30 years. The vast majority of the issues discussed have been normative ¿ they have been problems in morality and political philosophy that now make up the field called bioethics. However, biomedical science presents many other philosophical questions that have gotten relatively little attention, particularly topics in metaphysics, epistemology and philosophy of science. This volume focuses on problems in these areas as they surface in biomedical science. Important changes in philosophy make biomedical science an especially int- esting area of inquiry. Contemporary philosophy is largely naturalistic in approach ¿ it takes philosophy to be constrained by the results of the natural sciences and able to contribute to the natural sciences as well. Exactly what those constraints and contributions should be is a matter of controversy. What is not controversial is that important questions in philosophy of science and metaphysics are raised by the practice of science. Physics, biology, and economics have all drawn extensive phi- sophical analysis, so much so that philosophical study of these areas have become specialized subdisciplines within philosophy of science. Philosophy of medicine approached from the perspective of philosophy of science ¿ with important exc- tions (Schaffner, 1993; Thagard, 2000) ¿ has been relatively undeveloped. Nonetheless, medicine should have a central place in epistemological and metaphysical debates over science.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 252 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Previous volumes in this ¿Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research¿ (DPER) series have focussed on providing in-depth descriptions of palaeoenvironmental techniques or have described the applications of these approaches on various regional bases. The former of these now provide an invaluable series of standard text books for scientists and students, while the latter show how the application of palaeo-techniques can be used across broad geographical scales. In this current volume, we have attempted something a little different. Not only are a variety of palaeo-techniques applied to a single, small lake, but we have tried to show how these methods, and the data derived from them, can be integrated synergistically with contemporary monitoring and predictive modelling. The acidification and metals research provide two good examples of this. Along with other upland lakes across the UK, the early research work at Lochnagar was based on assessing the competing hypotheses for the causes of surface water acidification. As a result, palaeolimnological techniques were used to assess the timing and extent of pH changes over hundreds of years. The subsequent establishment of the UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network (UK AWMN) then allowed a range of biological and chemical parameters to be assessed routinely in order to determine the rate at which the lakes and streams, including Lochnagar, were recovering following emissions reductions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 536 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -We will be concerned mainly with systems with in nite degrees of freedom which can however, be described by a few variables. These variables must necessarily be elds i. e. functions of space and time. A typical example would be to try to describethe owofairaroundus. Thevariablesthatwouldbenecessarytodescribe the state of air would certainly be its density, its temperature and its velocity. All these variables (density, temperature and velocity) are, in general, functions of space and time. They are mesoscopic variables. They do not re ect the variations occurring at the molecular level. To de ne a density, it should be recalled, we take a small volume (small compared to the total system size, yet large compared to atomic dimensions) and consider the mass of this small volume. The ratio of mass tovolumeremainsconstantforareasonablylargevariationinthesizeofthevolume chosen and de nes the density of the system. It fails to be a constant if the volume becomessosmallthatitcontainsonlyafewmolecules. Inthatcaseourdescription in terms of a density fails. All the systems that we will talk about can be described in terms of a coarse grained eld like the density. Because of the smallness (at the macroscopic level) of the volume used in de ning density it can be considered a local variable. This is what makes it a eld. Similarly we can talk about the local temperature and local velocity. The local velocity is not the velocity of an individual molecule but the velocity associated with a macroscopically small, yet microscopicallylargevolumeofair.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 320 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics II is a collection of the best papers presented at the 2nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics (ICINCO). The purpose of ICINCO was to bring together researchers, engineers and practitioners interested in the application of informatics to Control, Automation and Robotics. The research papers focused on real world applications, covering three main themes: Intelligent Control Systems, Optimization, Robotics and Automation and Signal Processing, Systems Modeling and Control.Informatics applications are pervasive in many areas of Control, Automation and Robotics. This book will be of interest to professionals working on the control and robotics area, especially those who need to maintain knowledge about current trends in development methods and applications.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 260 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Combining an ecosystems approach with new insights at the molecular and biochemical level, this book presents the latest findings on how plants respond, physiologically, to sulfur in their environment. It explores key areas ¿ such as biotic and abiotic interactions, adaptations to fluctuating supply, and sulfur¿s role in plant metabolic networks ¿ to assess the functions and implications of this essential plant nutrient in a range of natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic environments.Leaders in the field, Hawkesford and de Kok, draw together an international group of experts in plant sulfur nutrition, to collate and integrate new information from molecular biology, ecology and physiology. The result is an important new reference on the relationships between plants and sulfur at all levels ¿ including contributions arising from recent ¿omic¿ approaches. With implications for issues such as agriculture, forestry, water management and ecosystem restoration, this book is relevant to a wide audience, from graduate level students and researchers, to policy makers and practitioners.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 280 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The present volume, compiled in honor of an outstanding historian of science, physicist and exceptional human being, Sam Schweber, is unique in assembling a broad spectrum of positions on the history of science by some of its leading representatives. Readers will find it illuminating to learn how prominent authors judge the current status and the future perspectives of their field. Students will find this volume helpful as a guide in a fragmented field that continues to be dominated by idiosyncratic expertise and that still lacks a methodical canon. The essays were written in response to our invitation to explicate the views of the authors concerning the state of the history of science today and the issues we felt are related to its future. Although not all the scholars invited to write have contributed an essay, this volume can nevertheless be considered as a rather comprehensive survey of the present state of the history of science. All the papers collected here reflect in one wayor another the strong influence Sam Schweber exerted during the past decades in his gentle way, on the history of science as well as on the lives of many of its protagonists worldwide. All who have had the opportunity of encountering him have benefited from his advice, benevolence, and friendship. Sam Schweber¿s intellectual taste, his passion for knowledge, and his erudition are all encompassing. It, therefore, seemed fitting to honor him with a collection of essays of comparable breadth; nothing less would suffice.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Number is a major research domain in semantics, syntax and morphology. However, no current theory of number is applicable to all three fields. In this work, the author argues that a unified theory is not only possible, but necessary for the study of Universal Grammar. Through insightful analysis of unfamiliar data, the author shows that one and the same feature set is implicated in semantic and morphological number phenomena alike, with syntax acting as the conduit between the two. At the heart of the study is an original treatment of Kiowa, a North American language with a remarkable constellation of characteristics, including semantically based noun classification and complex agreement morphology.This volume presents: (1) the foundations of a unified morphosemantic theory of number; (2) insight into the flow of information from the lexicon, via syntax, into the morphology; (3) wide-ranging topics: nominal semantics, noun classes, DP syntax, agreement, suppletion, complex morphology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 236 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -¿Visualization in Science Education¿ draws on the insights from cognitive psychology, science, and education, by experts from Australia, Israel, Slovenia, UK, and USA. It unites these with the practice of science education, particularly the ever-increasing use of computer-managed modelling packages, especially in chemistry. The first section explores the significance and intellectual standing of visualization. The second section shows how the skills of visualization have been developed practically in science education. This is followed by accounts of how the educational value of visualization has been integrated into university courses in physics, genomics, and geology. The fourth section documents experimental work on the classroom assessment of visualization. An endpiece summarises some of the research and development needed if the contribution of this set of universal skills is to be fully exploited at all levels and in all science subjects.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 364 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In recent year, efforts to understand learning for and throughout working life have moved away from a focus on workplace training to concerns about learning as a component and outcome of engaging in work and work-related activities and interactions. This shift acknowledges a broader set of workplace factors that shape workers¿ learning and development. Yet equally, it acknowledges that this learning through engagement is also necessarily shaped by the diverse ways that individuals elect to engage or participate in workplace activities. Central here is the issue of individuals¿ subjectivity and how this is shaped by but shapes engagement in work and, therefore, what learning flows from their participation. It is in considering the relations among subjectivity, learning and work that it is possible to advance both the conceptual and procedural bases for understanding learning through and for working life. Moreover, the focus on relations among subjectivity, work and learning represents a point of convergence for diverse disciplinary traditions and practices that are provided by the book¿s contributors. In this way, the contributions represent something of the emerging perspectives that are elaborating the complex relations among subjectivity, work and learning, and circumstances in which they are played out.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -'Thermotropic Liquid Crystals: Recent Advances' covers developments in the field of thermotropic liquid crystals and their functional importance. In addition it presents advances related to different sub-areas pertinent to this interdisciplinary area of research. This text brings together research from synthetic scientists and spectroscopists and attempts to bridge the gaps between these two areas.Recent studies have reported a plethora of novel mesogenic molecules which triggered new interest in this area of research. Use of design concepts such as microphase segregation, non-covalent interactions, dipole-dipole interactions and shape anisotropy enabled the incorporation of any chemical structure into a liquid crystal. As a result, a range of exciting molecules such as columnar liquid crystals that lack side chains, liquid crystalline dendrimers, and unusually shaped amphiphilic molecules have been made. Characterization of these surprising molecules poses a tremendous challenge to existing physical techniques.This comprehensive text has chapters covering the applications of high-resolution methods, such as solid-state NMR, that have been used to understand the high-resolution structure, dynamics, orientation, and orientational order of these molecules in various phases.This book will prove to be an invaluable resource to students, researchers, and academics active in Chemistry, Material Science, and Nano-science programs. It will also be of interest to Scientists from industries that focus on this research.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 340 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Based on a variety of empirical materials the study reveals dramatic differences between the way that the German and Israeli societies address the question of a life (un)worthy of living: while in Germany, social, cultural, religious and legal conditions restrict the selection of embryos based on prenatal diagnosis, in Israel they strongly encourage it.A close comparative analysis of the ways that these two societies handle the delicate balance between the quality and sanctity of life illuminates the controversy around reproductive genetics in an original and provocative way. The study is also innovative in its use of contemporary social theory concerning the politics of life in comprehending the differences between two societies positioned at opposite extremes in their adoption of reproductive genetics. It thus offers an original cross-cultural discussion concerning present-day techno-medical manipulations of life itself.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 220 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Landscape Research has been established as an interdisciplinary field dealing with complex environmental processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. During the course of its history, various societal, technological and philosophical stimuli have shaped Landscape Research, e.g. the declaration of Landscape Ecology in the 1930s and contemporary global technological and societal developments.Modern landscape research presently uses mathematics, statistics and advanced simulation techniques to combine empirical observations with known theories from ecology, physics, geography, social science and so on. Knowledge is thus updated and quantified via models that are used for estimation, hypothesis testing, prediction and assessment of scenarios. Advances in the computational sciences (e.g. fast computers and vast array of software), space science (e.g. remote sensing) and biological sciences (e.g. genetics) as well as new perspectives in the social sciences play important roles. Research findings are implemented in conservation management, urban planning and global change mitigation strategies.This book identifies emerging fields and new challenges that are discussed within the framework of the ¿driving forces¿ of Landscape Development. Rather than offering a comprehensive overview of all fields of Landscape Research, the book addresses ¿hot topics¿ emphasizing major contemporary trends in these fields.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 308 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The chapters in this volume were presented at the July¿August 2006 NATO Advanced Study Institute on Imaging for Detection and Identi cation. The conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco resort near Lucca, in the glo- ous Tuscany region of northern Italy. For the eighth time we gathered at this idyllicspottoexploreandextendthereciprocitybetweenmathematicsand- gineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists from the usually disparate communities of pure mathematicians and applied sci- tists which occurred at our seven previous ASI¿s continued at this meeting. The fusion of basic ideas in mathematics, radar, sonar, biology, and ch- istry with ongoing improvements in hardware and computation offers the promise of much more sophisticated and accurate detection and identi cation capabilities than currently exist. Coupled with the dramatic rise in the need for surveillance in innumerable aspects of our daily lives, brought about by hostile acts deemed unimaginable only a few short years ago, the time is ripe for image processing scientists in these usually diverse elds to join together in a concerted effort to combat the new brands of terrorism. This ASI was one important initial step.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 276 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The chapters in this volume were presented at the July¿August 2006 NATO Advanced Study Institute on Imaging for Detection and Identi cation. The conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco resort near Lucca, in the glo- ous Tuscany region of northern Italy. For the eighth time we gathered at this idyllicspottoexploreandextendthereciprocitybetweenmathematicsand- gineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists from the usually disparate communities of pure mathematicians and applied sci- tists which occurred at our seven previous ASI¿s continued at this meeting. The fusion of basic ideas in mathematics, radar, sonar, biology, and ch- istry with ongoing improvements in hardware and computation offers the promise of much more sophisticated and accurate detection and identi cation capabilities than currently exist. Coupled with the dramatic rise in the need for surveillance in innumerable aspects of our daily lives, brought about by hostile acts deemed unimaginable only a few short years ago, the time is ripe for image processing scientists in these usually diverse elds to join together in a concerted effort to combat the new brands of terrorism. This ASI was one important initial step.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 276 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -We have come to know that our ability to survive and grow as a nation to a very large degree depends upon our sci- tific progress. Moreover, it is not enough simply to keep abreast of the rest of the world in scientific matters. We 1 must maintain our leadership. President Harry Truman spoke those words in 1950, in the aftermath of World War II and in the midst of the Cold War. Indeed, the scientific and engineering leadership of the United States and its allies in the twentieth century played key roles in the successful outcomes of both World War II and the Cold War, sparing the world the twin horrors of fascism and tota- tarian communism, and fueling the economic prosperity that followed. - day, as the United States and its allies once again find themselves at war, President Truman¿s words ring as true as they did a half-century ago. The goal set out in the Truman Administration of maintaining leadership in s- ence has remained the policy of the U. S. government to this day. Dr. John Marburger, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President, made remarks to that effect during 2 his confirmation hearings in October 2001. The United States needs metrics for measuring its success in meeting this goal of maintaining leadership in science and technology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 400 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In an era where climate change, natural catastrophes and land degradation are major issues, the conservation of soil and vegetation in mountainous or sloping regions has become an international priority. How to avoid substrate mass movementthroughlandslidesanderosionusingsustainableandecologicallysoundtechniquesisrapidlybecominga scienti c domain where knowledge from many different elds is required. These proceedings bring together papers from geotechnical and civil engineers, biologists, ecologists and foresters, who discuss current problems in slope stabilityresearch,andhowtoaddressthoseproblemsusinggroundbio-andeco-engineeringtechniques.Ase lection of papers were previously published in Special Editions of Plant and Soil (2005), volume 278, 1¿179, and in the Journal of Geotechnical and Geological Engineering (2006), volume 24, 427¿498. Ground bioengineering methods integrate civil engineering techniques with natural materials to obtain fast, effective and economic methods of protecting, restoring and maintaining the environment whereas eco-engineering has been de ned as a long-term ecological strategy to manage a site with regard to natural or man-made hazards. Studies on slope instability, erosion, soil hydrology, mountain ecology, land use and restoration and how to mitigate theseproblemsusingvegetationarepresentedbybothscientistsandpractitioner s.Papersencompassmanyaspectsof this multidisciplinary subject, including the mechanisms and modelling of root reinforcement and the development of decision support systems, areas where signi cant advances have been made in recent years.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 420 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -'Molecular Materials with Specific Interactions: Modeling and Design' has a very interdisciplinary character and is intended to provide basic information as well as the details of theory and examples of its application to experimentalists and theoreticians interested in modeling molecular properties and putting into practice rational design of new materials.One of the first requirements to initiate the molecular modeling of molecular materials is an accurate and realistic description of the electronic structure, intermolecular interactions and chemical reactions at microscopic and macroscopic scale. Therefore the first four chapters contain an extensive introduction into the latest theories of intermolecular interactions, functional density techniques, microscopic and mezoscopic modeling techniques as well as first-principle molecular dynamics.In the following chapters, techniques bridging microscopic and mezoscopic modeling scales are presented. The authors then illustrate various successful applications of molecular design of new materials, drugs, biocatalysts, etc. before presenting challenging topics in molecular materials design.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 608 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This volume contains a representative selection of papers presented at the Tenth European Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics (QSCP-X), held at Beït al-Hikma, seat of the Académie Tunisienne des Sciences, des Arts et des Lettres, in Carthage, Tunisia, September 1-7, 2005. About 90 scientists from 18 countries, half of them from North Africa, attended the meeting, which foc- sed on the evolution of current issues and problems in methods and applications. This workshop continued the series that was established by Roy McWeeny near Pisa (Italy), in April 1996, then continued on a yearly basis: Oxford (1997), Granada (1998), Paris (1999), Uppsala (2000), Sofia (2001), Bratislava (2002), Athens (2003), Grenoble (2004) ¿. The purpose of QSCP workshops is to bring together chemists and physicists with a common field of interest ¿ the quantum mechanical theory of the many-body problem ¿ and foster collaboration at the fundamental level of innovative theory and conceptual development. Quantum mechanics provides a theoretical foundation for our understanding of the str- ture and properties of atoms, molecules and the solid state in terms of their c- ponent particles, electrons and nuclei. The study of ¿Quantum Systems in Ch- istry and Physics¿ therefore underpins many of the emerging fields in science and technology: nanostructures, smart materials, drug design, and so on. The tenth workshop was the first in the series held outside Europe. 312 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Afforestation of former arable land is currently a common change in land use in many European countries. In addition to wood production, the new forests will provide a variety of environmental services, such as carbon sequestration or improved water quality. At the same time there may be negative impacts, such as reduced groundwater recharge. The contents of the book aims at developed techniques to estimate the environmental impacts, and guidelines and decision support systems (DSS) to enable national and international policy makers, but also forest managers, to maximize the benefits and minimize the adverse effects of afforestation. This book will describe afforestation research and shows the application of the developed decision support system. The results should be applicable throughout northwest Europe and could be extended elsewhere. This book considers three of the most important environmental issues - carbon sequestration in soils and biomass, water surplus and nitrate leaching. The book describes the research to quantify these effects in the field and model them into the future. It will explain how the more detailed models were reduced to 'metamodels' suitable for implementation within a real-time management system.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 332 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This proceedings contains the papers which were presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on Extreme Hydrological Events: New Concepts for Security, which was held in Novosibirsk, Russia, from July 11-15, 2005. The workshop fell within the NATO priority research topic on Environmental Security, Disaster Forecast and Prevention. At the present time, the necessity of considerable deepening of our understanding about the nature of extreme and catastrophic natural and man-induced events, in particular hydrologic ones, becomes very topical, as well as the development of advanced methods for their prediction, including estimating probability of their occurrence and a risk related to them. Another aspect of this hydrological problem is reducing of vulnerability of social, economic, and engineering systems to the extreme hydrologic events (EHE) and decreasing of a degree of their effect on such systems. Dealing with these problems needs further refining existing tools for prediction and forecasting of EHE. It can be done essentially through revealing mechanisms of their generation and with use of new approaches and methodologies in related branches of hydrology. This ARW is targeted to contribute to the critical analysis and assessment of current knowledge on a number of the key issues of hydrology, such as: extreme hydrological phenomena, problems of floods, low flows and droughts. In view of significant economic losses and actually wide geographical occurrence, investigation of these hydrological phenomena is of great scientific and practical importance.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 516 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This edited volume on Identities at Work brings together international theory and empirical research that deals with continuity and change of identity formation processes at work under conditions of modern working processes and labour market flexibility.By bringing together perspectives from sociology, psychology, organisational management and vocational education and training the contributions in this volume connect the debates of skills formation, human resources development and careers with individual¿s work commitment and professional orientations in various ways. With this focus the volume presents a new research perspective based on an interdisciplinary and international approach. We argue that in times of globalisation and rapidly changing work realities such an approach is needed to better understand and analyse what is required to equip and prepare the workforce to meet international labour market demands. In this sense the publication shall serve as a useful resource to researchers and policy makers working in the fields of skills formation, human resources development and organisational management.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 428 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -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. The national case studies are: Australia (2), Austria, Finland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the UK and the USA.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 380 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Models of land-use change incorporate a vast amount of knowledge from a wide range of disciplines. Geography contributes to the understanding of land-use change whilst demography and economics help explain underlying trends. This book offers a cross-sectional overview of current research progress that allows the construction of successful land-use models. The contributions range from methodology and calibration to actual applications in studies of recent policy implementation and evaluation. The contributors originate from academic and applied research institutes around the world and thus offer an interesting mix of theory and practice in different case study contexts. In summary, land-use change simulation modelling is a relatively new and dynamic field of study and this book provides a full overview of the topic, a wide range of applications (both geographically and thematically), a mix of theory and practice, a synthesis of recent research progress, and educational material for students and teachers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 436 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Man's use of enzymes dates back to the earliest times of civilization. Important human activities such as the production of certain types of foods and beverages, and the tanning of hides and skins to produce leather for garments, serendipitously took advantage of enzyme activities. Important advances in our understanding of the nature of enzymes and their action were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, seeding the explosive expansion from the 1950s and 60s onward to the present billion dollar enzyme industry. Recent developments in the fields of genetic engineering and protein chemistry are bringing ever more powerful means of analysis to bear on the study of enzyme structure and function that will undoubtedly lead to the rational modification of enzymes to match specific requirements as well as the design of new enzymes with novel properties.This volume reviews the most important types of industrial enzymes, covering in a balanced manner three interrelated aspects of paramount importance for enzyme performance: three-dimensional protein structure, physicochemical and catalytic properties, and the range of both classical and novel applications.The material covered will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students in biochemistry, biotechnology and applied microbiology in addition to researchers and industrialists.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 656 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) describe in quantitative terms the development over time of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of plants as governed by physiological processes and affected by environmental factors. FSPMs are particularly suited to analyse problems in which the spatial structure of the plant or its canopy is an essential factor to explain, e.g., plant competition (intra-plant, inter-plant, inter-species) and the effects of plant configuration and plant manipulation (e.g., pruning and harvesting) on yield and produce quality.This book describes the philosophy of functional-structural plant modelling and several tools for making FSPMs; it outlines methods for measuring essential parameters, including those pertaining to plant structure. As FSPMs offer new opportunities to model sink¿source interactions, the physiological theory and modelling approaches regarding partitioning of carbon are given specific attention. Examples of application of FSPMs include wheat modelling in the context of remote sensing and the analysis of predator¿prey insect interactions on glasshouse plants.The book will be useful for scientists and advanced students interested in innovative approaches in plant and crop modelling.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.