Extensive studies of high-Tc cuprate superconductors have stimualted investigations into various transition-metal oxides. Mott transitions in particular provide fascinating problems and new concepts in condensed matter physics. This book is a collection of overviews by well-known, active researchers in this field. It deals with the latest developments, with particular emphasis on the theoretical, spectroscopic, and transport aspects.

Recognizing the increased interest in forest management world wide, this book addresses the current knowledge gap by defining sustainable forest management, clarifying methods by which ecological knowledge can be applied and how traditional silvicultural methods can be improved.

Sustainable forest management involves the enhancement of various aspects of forest functions such as conservation of biodiversity, conservation of soil and water resources, contribution to the global carbon cycle as well as wood production. To establish ecological and silvicultural theories to enhance these functions harmoniously, recognizing the relationship between stand structures and their functions is essential.

This volume presents target stand structures for aimed forest functions in relation to stand development stages, as well as ecological and silvicultural methods to lead and maintain them. Ecological and silvicultural strategies are discussed, both on stand and landscape levels, and from local to international levels in temperate and boreal forest zones.

This book is intended for postgraduate students, researchers and engineers engaged in research into oxide conductors. It presents an overview of electronic transport phenomena, including a discussion of high-Tc superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance in two chapters, one of which reviews all the conducting oxides. In another nine chapters representative oxides are discussed in detail. Since electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions greatly influence conducting properties, two chapters are devoted to their explanation. More than 1200 references will serve as a useful guide to those entering into this vast field of research.

Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno understands that today's busy world leaves little time or space for self-reflection, but that a garden--even in the most urban of spaces--can provide some respite. In his words, "The garden is a special spiritual place where the mind dwells." With this in mind, Masuno has designed scores of spectacular Japanese gardens and landscapes with the aim of helping people achieve a balanced life in the 21st century. This book explores Masuno's design process and ideas, which are integral to his daily Zen training and teachings. It features 15 unique gardens and contemplative landscapes completed in six countries over as many years--all thoughtfully described and documented in full-color photos and drawings. Readers will also find insights on Masuno's philosophy of garden design and a conversation between the designer and famed architect Terunobu Fujimori. Zen Garden Design provides an in-depth examination of Masuno's gardens and landscapes--not just as beautiful spaces, but as places for meditation and contemplation.

Extensive studies of high-Tc cuprate superconductors have stimualted investigations into various transition-metal oxides. Mott transitions in particular provide fascinating problems and new concepts in condensed matter physics. This book is a collection of overviews by well-known, active researchers in this field. It deals with the latest developments, with particular emphasis on the theoretical, spectroscopic, and transport aspects.

This text presents an overview of the electronic transport phenomena including high-Tc superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. It concisely reviews all the conducting oxides, discussing in detail nine representative oxides. More than 1200 references serve as a convenient guidepost to proceed into this vast research field.

The field of magnetic ultrathin films continues to be an exciting and rapidly expanding one, as demonstrated by recent advances in giant magnetoresistance (GMR), exchange-coupled structures, and magnetic anisotropies. New GMR materials, such as Mn perovskites, have been developed, and new effects, such as exchange coupling through semiconducting interlayers, non-Heisenberg-type coupling, perpendicular GMR, and hot electron spin-valve effects, have been discovered. This book from MRS offers an international perspective on the expanding activity, and features developments in both fundamental and applied areas. Topics include: novel magnetic nanostructures and applications; growth, structure and interfaces; interlayer coupling; magnetic anisotropy; ultrathin films, magnetic domains; giant magnetoresistance; colossal magnetoresistance; spectroscopies, magneto-optical properties and granular nanostructures.

This volume studies the development of Marxian value theory in a modernised context. The controversy about Marx's value theory is now in its third stage. The first stage was marked by Bohm-Bawerk, and the second by Samuelson soon after the World War II. In this second stage, the basic results in Marx's economics were examined and formulated by Okishio and Morishima-Seton in the Leontief economy case. The third stage was opened by Morishima, who developed the Marxian theory of value on the ba~is of von Neumann's theory. In Chapters I through IV, a concise but comprehensive overview of the pOints in Marx's value theory is presented from the Leontief to von Neumann economy cases. Based on the above, the two subjects, namely, the reduction of skilled labour and heterogeneous labour and the Marxian theory of differential rent, are developed in Chapters V and VI respectively. These topics, especially the reduction problem, seem not to have been duly discussed in other literature. The main concern of our discussion, in Chapters I through V in particular, is the so-called fundamental Marxian theorem and the dual dualities, i.e., the duality of price and quanti~y systems on the basis of the duality of value and price. Th. ~uthor also tried to shed light on superhistorical aspects of Marxian vaiue theory, which ought to give a clue to the insight of the commodity production in general. The author acknowledges thanks to Professors S.Koshimura, A.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.