Earth's Oldest Rocks, Second Edition, is the only single reference source for geological research of early Earth. This new edition is an up-to-date collection of scientific articles on all aspects of the early history of the Earth, from planetary accretion at 4.567 billion years ago (Ga), to the onset of modern-style plate tectonics at 3.2 Ga. Since the first edition was published, significant new advances have been made in our understanding of events and processes on early Earth that correspond with new advances in technology. The book includes contributions from over 100 authors, all of whom are experts in their respective fields. The research in this reference concentrates on what is directly gleaned from the existing rock record to understand how our planet formed and evolved during the planetary accretion phase, formation of the first crust, the changing dynamics of the mantle and style of tectonics, life's foothold and early development, and mineral deposits. It is an ideal resource for academics, students and the general public alike.

This volume presents state-of-the-art information on several important material systems and device structures employed in modern semiconductor lasers. The first two chapters discuss several III-V, II-VI, and VI-VI compound semiconductor material systems employed in diode lasers whose emission spectra cover the range from the blue to the mid-infrared. Subsequent chapters describe the elaboration of special laser structures designed for achieving narrow spectral linewidths and wavelength tunability, as well as high power emission devices. The last chapter covers the development of surface emitting diode lasers, particularly vertical cavity structures.
In all five chapters, the underlying device physics as well as the state-of-the-art and future trends are discussed. This book introduces the non-expert to the design and fabrication issues involved in the development of these important laser devices. In addition, it reviews the current status of the different material systems and cavity configurations for the benefit of readers engaged in research in this field. Useful background material related to the fundamentals of lasing in semiconductors can be found in the companion volume, Semiconductor Lasers I: Fundamentals.
Key Features
* Covers important recent advances in materials, design, fabrication, and device structure of semiconductor lasers--aspects not covered in previously existing literature
* Introduces the non-expert to the subject
* Useful for professionals engaged in research and development
* Numerous schematic and data-containing illustrations
* Written by leading experts in the field

Sanchez and Sanchez have selected, edited, translated, and introduced some of the most influential texts in Mexican philosophy, which constitute a unique and robust tradition that will challenge and complicate traditional conceptions of philosophy. The texts collected here are organized chronologically and represent a period of Mexican thought and culture that emerged from the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and which culminated in la filosofia de lo mexicano (the philosophy of Mexicanness). Though the selections reflect on a variety of philosophical questions, collectively they represent a growing tendency to take seriously the question of Mexican national identity as a philosophical question-especially given the complexities of Mexico's indigenous and European ancestries, a history of colonialism, and a growing dependency on foreign money and culture. More than an attempt to describe the national character, however, the texts gathered here represent an optimistic period in Mexican philosophy that aimed to affirm Mexican culture and philosophy as a valuable, if not urgent, contribution to universal culture.

Chris Rock writes, directs and stars in this contemporary comedy as Andre Allen, a struggling comic and film star who is desperate to breathe some new life into his career. Andre finds himself disenchanted by the prospect of his reality TV star fiancée (Gabrielle Union)'s plans to broadcast their wedding on her show. However, he is forced to spend some time with Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a journalist reporting on his latest movie, and the more Andre realises he is disappointed with where his career and personal life are headed, the more he tries to change things...

Noah Baumbach writes and directs this comedy starring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a childless married couple living in New York who befriend a younger and more exciting couple. Fed up of their friends who pressure them into beginning a family of their own, documentary film-maker Josh (Stiller) and wife Cornelia (Watts) meet hipster couple Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried) and start to enjoy the new and refreshing experiences that come with the territory. However, are Jamie and Darby's motivations for spending time with the older couple as harmless as they seem?

Douglas Schulze directs this unconventional genre movie in which a group of horror fans get more than they bargained for when they find themselves immersed in their own nightmare. Russell (Taylor John Piedmonte) and Duane (Allen Maldonado) attend a horror convention where they listen to Alfonso Betz (Sid Haig) rail against the media presenting horror movies as an influence on real life murders. After the lecture, Russell and Duane meet Judith (Lauren Mae Shafer), an attractive fellow convention attendee who invites them to a party that night at an isolated farmhouse. Something bizarre happens at the party and Russell and Duane awake to find themselves under attack from hordes of zombies. As horror devotees, the pair are only too aware that their predicament eerily echoes the classic Romero movie 'Night of the Living Dead'. Will they be able to elude a traditional horror ending?

At 7:30 a.m. on June 16, 1944, George Junius Stinney Jr. was escorted by four guards to the death chamber. Wearing socks but no shoes, the 14-year-old Black boy walked with his Bible tucked under his arm. The guards strapped his slight, five-foot-one-inch frame into the electric chair. His small size made it difficult to affix the electrode to his right leg and the face mask, which was clearly too large, fell to the floor when the executioner flipped the switch. That day, George Stinney became, and today remains, the youngest person executed in the United States during the twentieth century.How was it possible, even in Jim Crow South Carolina, for a child to be convicted, sentenced to death, and executed based on circumstantial evidence in a trial that lasted only a few hours? Through extensive archival research and interviews with Stinney's contemporaries-men and women alive today who still carry distinctive memories of the events that rocked the small town of Alcolu and the entire state-Eli Faber pieces together the chain of events that led to this tragic injustice. The first book to fully explore the events leading to Stinney's death, The Child in the Electric Chair offers a compelling narrative with a meticulously researched analysis of the world in which Stinney lived-the era of lynching, segregation, and racist assumptions about Black Americans. Faber explains how a systemically racist system, paired with the personal ambitions of powerful individuals, turned a blind eye to human decency and one of the basic tenets of the American legal system that individuals are innocent until proven guilty. As society continues to grapple with the legacies of racial injustice, the story of George Stinney remains one that can teach us lessons about our collective past and present. By ably placing the Stinney case into a larger context, Faber reveals how this case is not just a travesty of justice locked in the era of the Jim Crow South but rather one that continues to resonate in our own time. A foreword is provided by Carol Berkin, Presidential Professor of History Emerita at Baruch College at the City University of New York and author of several books including Civil War Wives: The Lives and Times of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, and Julia Dent Grant.