Amazonian Dark Earths are not only a testament to the vanished civilizations of the Amazon Basin, but may provide the answer to how the large, sophisticated societies were able to sustain intensive agriculture in an environment with mostly infertile soils. Locally known as Terra Preta de Indio or Indian black earth, these anomalous soils are even today fertile and highly productive. Though clearly associated with pre-European settlements questions remain whether the Dark Earths were intentionally produced or merely a by-product of habitation activities. This publication provides a comprehensive review of our current understanding of these fascinating soils: their origin, properties, and management through time. These new and multidisciplinary perspectives by leading experts on Amazonian Dark Earths may pave the way for the next revolution of soil management in the humid tropics.

Amazonian soils are almost universally thought of as extremely forbidding. However, it is now clear that complex societies with large, sedentary populations were present for over a millennium before European contact. Associated with these are tracts of anomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta or dark earths. These soils are presently an important agricultural resource within Amazonia and provide a model for developing long-term future sustainability of food production in tropical environments. The late Dutch soil scientist Wim Sombroek (1934-2003) was instrumental in bringing the significance of these soils to the attention of the world over four decades ago.

Wim saw not only the possibilities of improving the lives of small holders throughout the world with simple carbon based soil technologies, but was an early proponent of the positive synergies also achieved in regards to carbon sequestration and global climatic change abatement. Wim s vision was to form a multidisciplinary group whose members maintained the ideal of open collaboration toward the attainment of shared goals. Always encouraged and often shaped by Wim, this free association of international scholars termed the Terra Preta Nova Group came together in 2001 and has flourished. This effort has been defined by enormous productivity. Wim who is never far from any of our minds and hearts, would have loved to share the great experience of seeing the fruits of his vision as demonstrated in this volume."

Effectively Calculate the Pressures of Soil When it comes to designing and constructing retaining structures that are safe and durable, understanding the interaction between soil and structure is at the foundation of it all. Laying down the groundwork for the non-specialists looking to gain an understanding of the background and issues surrounding geotechnical engineering, Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition introduces the mechanisms of earth pressure, and explains the design requirements for retaining structures. This text makes clear the uncertainty of parameter and partial factor issues that underpin recent codes. It then goes on to explain the principles of the geotechnical design of gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite structures. What's New in the Third Edition: The first half of the book brings together and describes possible interactions between the ground and a retaining wall. It also includes materials that factor in available software packages dealing with seepage and slope instability, therefore providing a greater understanding of design issues and allowing readers to readily check computer output. The second part of the book begins by describing the background of Eurocode 7, and ends with detailed information about gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite walls. It also includes recent material on propped and braced excavations as well as work on soil nailing, anchored walls, and cofferdams. Previous chapters on the development of earth pressure theory and on graphical techniques have been moved to an appendix. Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition is written for practicing geotechnical, civil, and structural engineers and forms a reference for engineering geologists, geotechnical researchers, and undergraduate civil engineering students.

The idea for the volume first came about through a conversation the editors had at the Sustainable Management of Soil Organic Matter Conference in Edinburgh in September 1999. It developed with two symposia on Amazonian dark earths that were held in 2001 in conjunction with the Conference ofLatin Americanist Geographers in Benicassim, Spain, and the Congress of the Brazi- lian Archaeological Society in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, respectively, and culmi- nated at the First International Workshop on Terra Preta Soils held in Manaus and Santarem, Brazil, in July 2002. As a comprehensive treatment of these dis- tinctive anthropogenic soils has never been published, we decided to select papers from these symposia and develop an edited volume. The result con- tains the efforts of an international group of distinguished scholars from the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, biology, geography, and soil science. The 15 chapters of this volume provide an array of interesting and comple- mentary interpretative stances developed from a diverse body of investigative methodologies. The readerwill note that there are some inconsistencies inter- minology and differences in interpretation among the chapter presentations. However, the editors purposely allowed these to remain and retained as much as possible of the authors' own words, since we feit that it was important to maintain the flavor of the symposium atmosphere in this volume and conse- quently did not intentionally force standardization upon the authors.

The idea for the volume first came about through a conversation the editors had at the Sustainable Management of Soil Organic Matter Conference in Edinburgh in September 1999. It developed with two symposia on Amazonian dark earths that were held in 2001 in conjunction with the Conference ofLatin Americanist Geographers in Benicassim, Spain, and the Congress of the Brazi- lian Archaeological Society in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, respectively, and culmi- nated at the First International Workshop on Terra Preta Soils held in Manaus and Santarem, Brazil, in July 2002. As a comprehensive treatment of these dis- tinctive anthropogenic soils has never been published, we decided to select papers from these symposia and develop an edited volume. The result con- tains the efforts of an international group of distinguished scholars from the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, biology, geography, and soil science. The 15 chapters of this volume provide an array of interesting and comple- mentary interpretative stances developed from a diverse body of investigative methodologies. The readerwill note that there are some inconsistencies inter- minology and differences in interpretation among the chapter presentations. However, the editors purposely allowed these to remain and retained as much as possible of the authors' own words, since we feit that it was important to maintain the flavor of the symposium atmosphere in this volume and conse- quently did not intentionally force standardization upon the authors.

Amazonian soils are almost universally thought of as extremely forbidding. However, it is now clear that complex societies with large, sedentary populations were present for over a millennium before European contact. Associated with these are tracts of anomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta or dark earths. These soils are presently an important agricultural resource within Amazonia and provide a model for developing long-term future sustainability of food production in tropical environments. The late Dutch soil scientist Wim Sombroek (1934-2003) was instrumental in bringing the significance of these soils to the attention of the world over four decades ago.

Wim saw not only the possibilities of improving the lives of small holders throughout the world with simple carbon based soil technologies, but was an early proponent of the positive synergies also achieved in regards to carbon sequestration and global climatic change abatement. Wim s vision was to form a multidisciplinary group whose members maintained the ideal of open collaboration toward the attainment of shared goals. Always encouraged and often shaped by Wim, this free association of international scholars termed the Terra Preta Nova Group came together in 2001 and has flourished. This effort has been defined by enormous productivity. Wim who is never far from any of our minds and hearts, would have loved to share the great experience of seeing the fruits of his vision as demonstrated in this volume."

Increasing demands on acute hospital resources, together with a reduction in the number of available beds, has placed a greater emphasis on the need for rapid and effective assessment of patients in order to determine their need for hospital adsmission. This has led to the widespread emergence of the specialist Medical Assessment Unit (MAU). This timely book provides an up- to-date guide to the assessment and immediate management of patients with acute medical conditions. It presents a structured approach based on common presenting features and focuses on the first twenty four hours of the patient's stay in hospital. In writing this book, the editors have been able to draw on their own clinical experiences as a charge nurse in Accident and Emergency nursing and a sister in acute cardiology and respectively.

Effectively Calculate the Pressures of Soil

When it comes to designing and constructing retaining structures that are safe and durable, understanding the interaction between soil and structure is at the foundation of it all. Laying down the groundwork for the non-specialists looking to gain an understanding of the background and issues surrounding geotechnical engineering, Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition introduces the mechanisms of earth pressure, and explains the design requirements for retaining structures. This text makes clear the uncertainty of parameter and partial factor issues that underpin recent codes. It then goes on to explain the principles of the geotechnical design of gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite structures.

What s New in the Third Edition:

The first half of the book brings together and describes possible interactions between the ground and a retaining wall. It also includes materials that factor in available software packages dealing with seepage and slope instability, therefore providing a greater understanding of design issues and allowing readers to readily check computer output. The second part of the book begins by describing the background of Eurocode 7, and ends with detailed information about gravity walls, embedded walls, and composite walls. It also includes recent material on propped and braced excavations as well as work on soil nailing, anchored walls, and cofferdams. Previous chapters on the development of earth pressure theory and on graphical techniques have been moved to an appendix.

Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Third Edition is written for practicing geotechnical, civil, and structural engineers and forms a reference for engineering geologists, geotechnical researchers, and undergraduate civil engineering students."