The study of nature is a complex science involving many different fields from geology and meteorology to biology, zoology, and botany. This complexity indicates nature's broad scope of impact. It is at once beautiful and dangerous, displaying power beyond human control. An understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the study of nature is therefore both enriching and practical. In The Handbook of Nature, authors Frank R. Spellman and Joni Price-Bayer provide a comprehensive guide to the study of nature in terms the layperson can grasp easily. This accessible reference work is for the non-specialist looking for quick, accurate information on all aspects of the study of nature. The handbook is arranged thematically for a logical and user-friendly progression through the material. It includes chapters on the earth's structure and landforms, the atmosphere and weather, water and water sources, and the many different forms of life from single-celled organisms to complex vertebrates. Along with basic natural scientific principles, the authors look closely at the consequences of human interactions with the environment we inhabit. This reference concludes with a glossary and index, and each chapter provides further resources and recommended reading. It is an essential tool for students and professionals alike.

Updated to integrated modular avionics, and cabin and aircraft information systems Ideal for students gaining EASA Part 66 licences, particularly the B1 or B2 licence One of Routledge's core aircraft maintenance titles.

This book provides excellent techniques for detecting and evaluating biofilms: sticky films on materials that are formed by bacterial activity and produce a range of industrial and medical problems such as corrosion, sanitary problems, and infections. Accordingly, it is essential to control biofilms and to establish appropriate countermeasures, from both industrial and medical viewpoints. This book offers valuable, detailed information on these countermeasures. It also discusses the fundamentals of biofilms, relates various substrates to biofilms, and presents a variety of biofilm reactors. However, the most important feature of this book (unlike others on the market) is its clear focus on addressing the practical aspects from an engineering viewpoint. Therefore, it offers an excellent practical guide for engineers and researchers in various fields, and can also be used as a great academic textbook.

This book is devoted to alkaliphiles, their microbiology, biotechnological applications and adaptive mechanisms. Alkaliphiles are extremophilic organisms that are adapted to thrive in alkaline environments. Over the years, a wide variety of alkaliphiles belonging to domain Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya have been isolated and studied. These organisms use various adaptive mechanisms to thrive in 'extreme' alkaline environments, and some of these adaptive mechanisms are of immense importance to a range of biotechnological applications. In this book, readers will learn about the adaptive strategies of alkaliphiles in colonizing alkaline habitats, with a main focus on: (1) the production of enzymes that are active and stable in the high pH environment, and (2) the production of acids that decrease the pH of their immediate surrounding environment. Enzymes that are operationally stable at high pH (also known as alkaline active enzymes) are desirable in several applications such as detergent formulating and leather tanning processes, and they are among the major selling enzymes and the most important industrial enzymes. The growing demand in many existing and emerging biotechnological applications led to the discovery, characterization, engineering and evaluation of diverse types of alkaline active enzymes. In addition to the use of these fascinating enzymes in biotechnological applications, readers will discover the mechanisms of action and stability of these enzymes at extreme pH. Studies have shown that some alkaliphiles decrease the severity of the high pH of their media by producing substantial amount of organic acids, which could be of great interest in various applications presented in this book. In addition to enzymes and organic acids, other products of biotechnological importance such as carotenoids, bioactive substances, and chelators have also attracted researchers' attention. Whole-cells of alkaliphiles have been used as food and feed, and are also useful in environmental applications such as in waste treatment and construction.

Climate change is prompting an unprecedented questioning of the fundamental bases upon which society is founded. Businesses claim that technology can save the environment, while politicians champion the role of international environmental agreements to secure global action. Economists suggest that we should pay developing countries not to destroy their forests, while environmentalists question whether we can solve ecological problems with the same thinking that created them. As the process of steering society, governance has a critical role to play in coordinating these disparate voices and securing collective action to achieve a more sustainable future. Environmental Governance is the only book to discuss the first principles of governance, while also providing a critical overview of the wide ranging theories and approaches that underpin policy and practice today. It places governance within its wider political context to explore how the environment is controlled, manipulated, regulated, and contested by a range of actors and institutions. This book shows how network and market governance have shaped current approaches to environmental issues, while also introducing emerging approaches such as transition management and adaptive governance. In so doing, it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches currently in play, and considers their political implications. This text provides a groundbreaking overview of dominant and emerging approaches of environmental governance, drawing on cutting edge debates and forging critical links between them. Each chapter is complemented by case studies, key debates, questions for discussion and further reading. It is essential reading for students of the environment, politics and sociology, and, indeed, anyone concerned with changing society to secure a more sustainable future.

An understanding of the dynamics of populations is critically important to ecologists, evolutionary biologists, wildlife managers, foresters, and many other biologists. This edited treatise will bring together the latest research on how populations fluctuate in size, the factors that drive these changes, and the theories that explain how populations are regulated. Specific chapters dealing with insects of special economic importance are included.

This book examines the logic of 'faster, higher, stronger', and the techno-scientific revolution that has driven tremendous growth in the sports economy and in sport performance over the last 100 years. It asks whether this logic needs revisiting in the light of the climate crisis and sport's environmental responsibilities. Drawing on multi-disciplinary work in sport history, sport pedagogy, sport philosophy, sport science and environmental history, the book considers how sportification may have contributed to the growing environmental impact of sport, but also whether it might be used as a tool of positive social change. It reflects on the ways that sport sets performance limits for other ethical reasons, such as doping controls, and asks whether sport could or should set limits for environmental reasons too. Sport, Performance and Sustainability touches on key themes in sport studies including digitisation, activism, social media, empowerment, youth sport and physical education. This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, the environment, development, sociology or culture.

This book includes the full research papers accepted by the scientific programme committee for the 22nd AGILE Conference on Geographic Information Science, held in June 2019 at Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus. It is intended primarily for professionals and researchers in geographic information science, as well as those in related fields in which geoinformation application plays a significant role.

Forestland investment has surged in the past few decades as a result of land ownership change in the forestry industry. Timberland investment and management organizations and real estate investment trusts have bought up land and resources that were divested by vertically integrated forest products companies. This book provides a seminal coverage of this seismic shift in the industry, exploring the philosophy, driving factors, valuation, theory, research, implementation, practice, and effects of forestland investment. Across 15 chapters the book reviews the history of forestland investment; discusses the optimal forest rotation; explains timberland appraisal; examines the return drivers of forestland; analyzes timberland index construction methods and results; prices timberland assets; reviews financial and real options; investigates real option values in forestland management; evaluates timber harvest contracts; examines new opportunities in the emerging woody bioenergy market; and eventually offers prospects on forestland investment in the future. It also discusses how forest carbon can be used as a nature-based climate solution. This book is essential reading for forestry business students and scholars, as well as practitioners and policymakers in the industry.

Microbial degradation, Phytoremediation, Remediation, Explosive residues, Biotransformation, Mineralization, Degradative Enzymes, Degradation Pathways, Energetics, Soil contamination, Water contamination.

Technology has long been an essential consideration in public discussions of the environment, with the focus overwhelmingly on creating new tools and techniques. In more recent years, however, activists, researchers, and policymakers have increasingly turned to mobilizing older technologies in their pursuit of sustainability. In fascinating case studies ranging from the Early Modern secondhand trade to utopian visions of human-powered vehicles, the contributions gathered here explore the historical fortunes of two such technologies-bicycling and waste recycling-tracing their development over time and providing valuable context for the policy successes and failures of today.

This book brings together a collection of writings over the past half century from Professor Paul Rogers. As a leading peace researcher he has gained an international reputation for the critical, independent and rigorous analysis of international security and the underlying causes of global conflict. His work on the responses to 9/11 and the continuing failure of the war on terror, in particular, has shown prescience that has attracted widespread attention. Moreover, he has coupled his academic analysis with a determination to communicate widely beyond the university environment. With many thousands of radio and television interviews, hundreds of public lectures and a world-wide following for his web publishing, this extramural engagement consistently seeks to raise the level of public debate on international security issues. - Provides a radically different perspective on global security, based on 50 years of analysis- Uniquely integrates economic, environmental and security analysis into a single overview - Cogently demonstrates the urgent need to rethink our entire approach to global security

The book provides the most up-to-date information available on various biotechnological processes useful in the pulp and paper industry. The first edition was published in 2011, covering a specific biotechnological process or technique, discussing the advantages, limitations, and prospects of the most important and popular processes used in the industry. Many new developments have taken place in the last five years, warranting a second edition on this topic. The new edition contains about 35% new material covering topics in Laccase application in fibreboard; biotechnology in forestry; pectinases in papermaking; stickies control with pectinase; products from hemicelluloses; value added products from biorefinery lignin; use of enzymes in mechanical pulping.

This book focuses on ecological wisdom inspired restoration engineering through theories, hypotheses, policies, practical understanding, and case studies. Understanding nature's processes is a prerequisite for the healthy and sustainable functioning of a habitable Earth. As such, the book provides a guide for readers seeking to understand and build sustainable, urban socio-ecological systems using restoration technologies based on wisdom. Motivated by recent rapid advances in restoration engineering, such as the role of green building materials in urban infrastructures, and developing sustainable landscapes to benefit the environment, economy and communities, it is an essential reference on the most promising innovative technologies. It discusses engineering methods and practices in the restoration of soil, water, heritage sites, and other ecosystems, as well as the development and applications of green building materials. It presents a holistic and systematic approach that utilizes natural resources and the concept of ecological wisdom to reap sustainable environmental, economic and social benefits to fulfill the concept of living in harmony with nature. This book is a valuable resource for civil- and environmental engineering researchers as well as organizations engaged in eco-restoration practices.

This book contains precisely referenced chapters, emphasizing environment-friendly polymer nanocomposites with basic fundamentals, practicality and alternatives to traditional nanocomposites through detailed reviews of different environmental friendly materials procured from different resources, their synthesis and applications using alternative green approaches. The book aims at explaining basics of eco-friendly polymer nanocomposites from different natural resources and their chemistry along with practical applications which present a future direction in the biomedical, pharmaceutical and automotive industry. The book attempts to present emerging economic and environmentally friendly polymer nanocomposites that are free from side effects studied in the traditional nanocomposites. This book is the outcome of contributions by many experts in the field from different disciplines, with various backgrounds and expertises. This book will appeal to researchers as well as students from different disciplines. The content includes industrial applications and will fill the gap between the research works in laboratory to practical applications in related industries.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences. C.E. CASTRO: Environmental Dehalogenation-Chemistry and Mechanism M.J. KENNISH: Trace Metal-Sediment Dynamics in Estuaries: Pollution Assessment R.D. VINEBROOKE AND R. CULLIMORE: Natural Organic Matter and the Bound Water Concept in Aquatic Ecosystems

Global climate change will alter the environmental forces of today and increasingly affect weather patterns, rises in temperature, and government policies for decades to come. To provide future generations with the knowledge and resources needed to develop solutions for these ongoing issues, current shortcomings in environmental education need to be addressed. Building Sustainability Through Environmental Education is a collection of innovative research on methods and applications for creating comprehensive environmental education programs that support sustainability practices and instruct students on a variety of topics including water resource management, disaster risks and mitigation, and issues surrounding climate change. Targeting an audience of educators, conservationists, instructional designers, administrators, academicians, researchers, policymakers, and students, this publications provides practical applications and examples of integrating best environmental sustainability practices into education.

- Offers a factual in-depth analysis of the VFH market, without bias, to inform the practitioner and seeks to provoke further discussion amongst the academic community. - Illuminates the current situation surrounding the for-hire industry, and its dominance by a few large players such as Uber, Lyft and Didi Chuxing, and offers insights into the future of this fast-moving sector. - A unique examination conducted by renowned experts, relevant to all global markets.

There may be no more magnificent animal than the tiger. Yet, around the world, their populations are dwindling, and the Indian Bengal tiger is no exception. Wild Bengal tigers dwell in tropical jungles, brush, marsh lands, and tall grasslands in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Burma, hunting prey such as pigs, deer, antelope, and buffalo. Some estimates say there are fewer than 2,000 Bengal tigers and the entire world tiger population may be less than 3,000.

The Life and Fate of the Indian Tiger offers a unique perspective on these exquisite cats. Author Tobias J. Lanz, who has been studying Indian tigers since 1998, incorporates historical and cultural topics, as well as conservation and social theories into his narrative. He paints a detailed portrait of the tiger's life in the wild, enriching that picture with descriptions of the plant, animal, and human life found in India's diverse tiger habitats. The book also looks at tigers in myth and religion, tiger hunting, and the rise of conservation.

Each engaging chapter is a combination of social and historical narrative, interspersed with the author's personal observations and analyses of places, people, and events. Knowledge gained from his research on Indian history, geography, politics, and religion is matched with the personal experiences he had while travelling across the subcontinent to visit tiger sanctuaries. Personal observations on local cultures, scenery, and wildlife are balanced by discussions with the Indian people, ranging from government officials to villagers.

The Indian tiger continues to survive against great odds. Written in part to engage the reader in conservation efforts, The Life and Fate of the Indian Tiger outlines the main programs and policies enacted to save the tiger in India. Lanz dedicates a final chapter to global efforts at tiger conservation, explaining what can and must be done to safeguard the future of one of the world's rarest and most beautiful creatures.

This book review series presents current trends in modern biotechnology. The aim is to cover all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science. Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

The books deals with the critical issues of climate change and its impact on agriculture and proposes climate smart agriculture as the probable solution to this issue. It discusses the impact of climate change and greenhouse gases emission on agriculture. It covers the strategies and management options of climate smart agriculture by including crop, water, soil, and energy management with examples and case studies. The subject matter has been presented in a very lucid language, containing real-time case studies, questions and few solved problems in specific chapters. The text is further enriched with simple line diagram and figures, chart, flow charts and tables. The book is primarily intended for researchers and professionals in the research areas of environmental science, agriculture, soil science, etc.

In this updated and expanded second edition, new literature has been added on contaminant fate in the soil-subsurface environment. In particular, more data on the behavior of inorganic contaminants and on engineered nanomaterials were included, the latter comprising a group of emerging contaminants that may reach the soil and subsurface zones.

New chapters are devoted to a new perspective of contaminant geochemistry, namely irreversible changes in pristine land and subsurface systems following chemical contamination. Two chapters were added on this topic, focusing attention on the impact of chemical contaminants on the matrix and properties of both liquid and solid phases of soil and subsurface domains. Contaminant impacts on irreversible changes occurring in groundwater are discussed and their irreversible changes on the porous medium solid phase are surveyed. In contrast to the geological time scale controlling natural changes of porous media liquid and solid phases, the time scale associated with chemical pollutant induced changes is far shorter and extends over a human lifetime scale ."

The four year undergraduate course in Engineering is loaded with theoretical contents and the students hardly find enough time and opportunity to adequately grasp the physical and practical aspects of application of various engineering theories that are being taught. Therefore, certain practice-oriented knowledge inputs in these years may help them acquire and enhance proficiency in the industrial working systems and processes. This book attempts to provide certain practice-oriented knowledge inputs which may help young mechanical engineers who aspire to make a successful career in engineering goods manufacturing enterprises. The book seeks to provide a combination of Engineering and Production/Manufacturing Management aspects to enable young mechanical engineers to make a confident start at the workplace and eventually ascend to leading positions in the organization. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)

- examines the five major religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism - and provides a balanced, objective critique of both the beliefs and practices employed which lead to both the protection and exploitation of animals - draws on scripture as well as leading historical and contemporary figures in the religions, from early Christian saints to royal figures like Ashoka - compares the teachings of old with contemporary practice and showcases what the major religions are doing to protect or exploit animals, from moving their investments away from animal-exploiting companies or running animal sanctuaries to participating in or condoning animal sacrifice, cruel sports and factory farming - challenges religious leaders and followers to re-examine their religion's teachings and to raise their official or personal practices in relation to the well-being of animals. - essential reading for those interested in the role of religion in animal welfare, human-animal studies, and animal ethics more broadly.