This book is an attempt to compile and integrate the information documented by many botanists, both Egyptians and others, about the vegetation of Egypt. The ? rst treatise on the ? ora of Egypt, by Petrus Forsskal, was published in 1775. Records of the Egyptian ? ora made during the Napoleonic expedition to Egypt (1778-1801) were provided by A. R. Delile from 1809 to 1812 (Kassas, 1981). The early beginning of ecological studies of the vegetation of Egypt extended to the mid-nineteenth century. Two traditions may be recognized. The ? rst was general exploration and survey, for which one name is symbolic: Georges-Auguste Schweinfurth (1836-1925), a German scientist and explorer who lived in Egypt from 1863 to 1914. The second tradition was ecophysiological to explain the plant life in the dry desert. The work of G. Volkens (1887) remains a classic on xeroph- ism. These two traditions were maintained and expanded in further phases of e- logical development associated with the establishment of the Egyptian University in 1925 (now the University of Cairo). The ? rst professor of botany was the Swedish Gunnar Tackholm (1925-1929). He died young, and his wife Vivi Tackholm devoted her life to studying the ? ora of Egypt and gave leadership and inspiration to plant taxonomists and plant ecologists in Egypt for some 50 years. She died in 1978. The second professor of botany in Egypt was F. W.

The reader has been introduced to a number of topics, taken from Toka- mak research, in order to trace the the development of applications of spec- troscopy in controlled fusion research over the last 35 years, from the early toroidal devices like ZETA to present-day Tokamaks. The subject of plasma spectroscopy has grown in sophistication in terms of the expansion of the atomic processes which have to be considered and their associated data base, the complexity of the experimental techniques and the wide range of diag- nostic applications. Plasma spectroscopy has increased our appreciation of the subtle role of impurities in determining much of the plasma behaviour. Control of impurities, by techniques such as wall conditioning, magnetic divertors, pellet or atomic beam injection and radiation mantles, offers a wealth of future investigations. Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the help and inspiration he has derived from his students past and present in writing this article. In particular he is indebted toM O'Mullane for his technical help in preparing the manuscript and whose research work is featured in the sections on MARFEs and ion transport. References Abbey, A. F., Barnsley, R., Dunn, J., Lea, S. N. and Peacock, N.J.: 1993, UVand X-ray Spectroscopy of Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas. (editors, E Silver and S. Khan) Cambridge University Press, 493. Afrosimov, V. V., Gordeev, Y.S. et al.: 1979, J.E. T.P. Lett. 28, 501. Alper, B.: 1995, p.r.ivate communication, JET.

Life in coastal sand dunes, salt marshes and shingle banks presents a variety of challenges to their inhabitants. By describing the interactions of coastal organisms with the physical processes shaping the granular deposits within and on which they live, the authors illuminate many aspects of adaptation, population dynamics, community ecology, zonation and ecophysiology. A wide range of biological principles and geomorphological features are illustrated and there is lively discussion of the relevant aspects of applied biology, environmental threat and conservation management. Well-chosen examples and case studies have been drawn from coastal systems around the world, particularly those of the British Isles, continental Europe and North America.

Proceedings of the 116th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held at Porto Heli, Greece, May 26-31, 1985

The reader has been introduced to a number of topics, taken from Toka- mak research, in order to trace the the development of applications of spec- troscopy in controlled fusion research over the last 35 years, from the early toroidal devices like ZETA to present-day Tokamaks. The subject of plasma spectroscopy has grown in sophistication in terms of the expansion of the atomic processes which have to be considered and their associated data base, the complexity of the experimental techniques and the wide range of diag- nostic applications. Plasma spectroscopy has increased our appreciation of the subtle role of impurities in determining much of the plasma behaviour. Control of impurities, by techniques such as wall conditioning, magnetic divertors, pellet or atomic beam injection and radiation mantles, offers a wealth of future investigations. Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the help and inspiration he has derived from his students past and present in writing this article. In particular he is indebted toM O'Mullane for his technical help in preparing the manuscript and whose research work is featured in the sections on MARFEs and ion transport. References Abbey, A. F., Barnsley, R., Dunn, J., Lea, S. N. and Peacock, N.J.: 1993, UVand X-ray Spectroscopy of Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas. (editors, E Silver and S. Khan) Cambridge University Press, 493. Afrosimov, V. V., Gordeev, Y.S. et al.: 1979, J.E. T.P. Lett. 28, 501. Alper, B.: 1995, p.r.ivate communication, JET.

Proceedings of the 116th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held at Porto Heli, Greece, May 26-31, 1985

The formative ideas for this symposium originated in 1978 at the IAU Symposium No. 83 on "Mass Loss and Evolution of O-type Stars" held at Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada - WR stars generally figure prominently in O-star meetings and vice versa Following general appro val by the IAU Executive Committee the initial ideas were cemented at a subsequent meeting, IAU Colloquium No. 59 on "The Effects of Mass Loss on Stellar Evolution," held at Miramare, Trieste, Italy in 1980, which was attended by the ma, jority of the present Scientific Organising Committee and at which meeting the outline programme for this symposium was formulated. 1981 was considered an appropriate year in which to hold a meeting on WR stars, since the last IAU Symposium devoted to this stellar class had been held a decade earlier, in Buenos Aires (IAU Sym posium No. 49), and during this intervening period a wealth of new observational material had been obtained for WR stars together with significant advances on the theoretical front. The venue for this sym posium was chosen from the requirement, which can be inferred from the above, that a meeting on 'hot' stars take place in an appropriate, sunny climate and followed upon the excellent suggestion of Dr. C. Firmani to hold the symposium in Mexico."