This book will provide a comprehensive overview on the green approach to the research and industrialization of plastic materials. An effort will be made to offer to the reader a critical perspective concerning both oil-based plastics and novel bio-based and waste-derived polymer formulations. A special focus on bio-innovation in the area of organic materials will also be delivered.

This book is devoted to an important branch of the dynamical systems theory: the study of the fine (fractal) structure of Poincare recurrences -instants of time when the system almost repeats its initial state. The authors were able to write an entirely self-contained text including many insights and examples, as well as providing complete details of proofs. The only prerequisites are a basic knowledge of analysis and topology. Thus this book can serve as a graduate text or self-study guide for courses in applied mathematics or nonlinear dynamics (in the natural sciences). Moreover, the book can be used by specialists in applied nonlinear dynamics following the way in the book. The authors applied the mathematical theory developed in the book to two important problems: distribution of Poincare recurrences for nonpurely chaotic Hamiltonian systems and indication of synchronization regimes in coupled chaotic individual systems.

* Portions of the book were published in an article that won the title "month's new hot paper in the field of Mathematics" in May 2004
* Rigorous mathematical theory is combined with important physical applications
* Presents rules for immediate action to study mathematical models of real systems
* Contains standard theorems of dynamical systems theory

A mind-bending excursion to the limits of science and mathematics
Are some scientific problems insoluble? In Beyond Reason, internationally acclaimed math and science author A. K. Dewdney answers this question by examining eight insurmountable mathematical and scientific roadblocks that have stumped thinkers across the centuries, from ancient mathematical conundrums such as "squaring the circle," first attempted by the Pythagoreans, to G?del's vexing theorem, from perpetual motion to the upredictable behavior of chaotic systems such as the weather.
A. K. Dewdney, PhD (Ontario, Canada), was the author of Scientific American's "Computer Recreations" column for eight years. He has written several critically acclaimed popular math and science books, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour (0-471-40734-8); Yes, We Have No Neutrons (0-471-29586-8); and 200% of Nothing (0-471-14574-2).

The book Metaphysics in Contemporary Physics offers various perspectives on the relation and mutual influence between modern physical theories and analytic metaphysics. The authors of the contributions are philosophers of science, physicists and metaphysicians of international renown, and their work represents the cutting edge in modern metaphysics of physical sciences.

This book reports on a study on physics problem solving in real classrooms situations. Problem solving plays a pivotal role in the physics curriculum at all levels. However, physics students' performance in problem solving all too often remains limited to basic routine problems, with evidence of poor performance in solving problems that go beyond equation retrieval and substitution. Adopting an action research methodology, the study bridges the `research-practical divide by explicitly teaching physics problem-solving strategies through collaborative group problem-solving sessions embedded within the curriculum. Data were collected using external assessments and video recordings of individual and collaborative group problem-solving sessions by 16-18 year-olds. The analysis revealed a positive shift in the students' problem-solving patterns, both at group and individual level. Students demonstrated a deliberate, well-planned deployment of the taught strategies. The marked positive shifts in collaborative competences, cognitive competences, metacognitive processing and increased self-efficacy are positively correlated with attainment in problem solving in physics. However, this shift proved to be due to different mechanisms triggered in the different students.

Microencapsulations may be found in a number of fields like medicine, drug delivery, biosensing, agriculture, catalysis, intelligent microstructures and in many consumer goods. This new edition of Microencapsulation revises chapters to address the newest innovations in fields and adds three new chapters on the uses of microencapsulations in medicine, agriculture, and consumer products.

This handbook is an edited version of the final report of the European Commission and IEA Bioenergy sponsored Pyrolysis Network that officially finished in 2004. It provides a companion volume to the first (ISBN 978-1-872691-07-7) and second (ISBN 978-1-872691-47-3) handbooks published in 1999 and 2002 respectively also available from CPL Press (www.cplpress.com). It is again intended that this will provide a useful guide both to newcomers to the subject area as well as those already involved in research, development and implementation. A significant feature of this third volume is the greater attention paid to wider issues concerning pyrolysis including environment, health and safety, norms and standards and marketability.

"Perovskite-Based Solar Cells: From Fundamentals to Tandem Devices" gives fundamental understanding of perovskite solar cells from the chemical composition of each thin layer composing the different stacks to the whole device. Special attention has been given to the development of the materials forming the perovskite solar cell and their effect on the device performance, in addition to the recent progress of this emerging technology. Moreover, light has been shed on the perovskite elaboration techniques, in addition to the several techniques proposed to improve both the efficiency and the stability of perovskite solar cells. Furthermore, special emphasis was given to the three types of tandem solar cells and their recent advances starting from Perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells to Perovskite/ CIGS tandem cells to perovskite/ heterojunction silicon tandem solar cells. The latter constitute a promising solution to improve photovoltaic solar cells performance.

"J R not only focuses on creation itself, but he also addresses the impact of words upon its primal beginning and its controversies."

-Congressman Trent Franks

God spoke the words of creation, but Scripture does not elaborate on the intricacies of this action. In "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with Creation," author JR McElfresh investigates many of the issues and controversies related to creation and considers the lack of answers to key questions.

Designed for pastors, church leaders, and those who desire to learn more about pivotal creation issues and how the universe began, "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with" "Creation "probes into the issues of the relationship between scientific knowledge and the Word of God. This study takes a journey through quarks, quantum mechanics, sound, waveforms, creation's voice, energy, the miracles of Jesus, and a host of discoveries showing the relationship between God himself and the physical laws of the universe.

McElfresh elaborates on the importance of the spoken and written word in Scripture, science, and the arena of linguistics in relation to creation; he also discusses the far-reaching impact of words as sounds and visual images on the human mind and thought. "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with Creation "demonstrates that words have immense power and energy and that it is wise to know how to use them.

Planning is an important function of the management of any business, providing knowledge of future prospects and enabling prudent and appropriate decision-making. Planning is especially critical for power systems, since electricity is a fundamental part of modern societies and many conventional electrical energy resources currently in use are limited. Power System Planning Technologies and Applications: Concepts, Solutions and Management focuses on the technical planning of power systems, taking into account technological evolutions in equipment as well as the economic, financial, and societal factors that drive supply and demand and have implications for technical planning at the micro level. With this book, researchers, practicing engineers, regulators, policy makers, and investors will have a better understanding of the intricacies of power system planning and, therefore, improve their decisions about the future.