"Written by some of the world's foremost experts, the articles in this book show how plasma science can be applied to environmental problems, including atmospheric sensing and modification, energy conservation, reduction of air pollution, and processing of ordinary and radioactive wastes. Atmospheric CFC's might be zapped with big lasers. Urban air pollution could be removed by large convection towers built in or near cities. And weapons-grade plutonium can be destroyed with specially designed particle accelerators. Some of the technologies described here are in use already, while others are in the prototype stage, or are speculative approaches deserving of further study." "Contents" Written by some of the world's foremost experts, the articles in this book show how plasma science can be applied to environmental problems, including atmospheric sensing and modification, energy conservation, reduction of air pollution, and processing of ordinary and radioactive wastes. Atmospheric CFC's might be zapped with big lasers. Urban air pollution could be removed by large convection towers built in or near cities. And weapons-grade plutonium can be destroyed with specially designed particle accelerators. Some of the technologies described here are in use already, while others are in the prototype stage, or are speculative approaches deserving of further study.

"Blurb & Contents" "The reader is treated to constantly refreshing and engaging commentary and opinion that always informs....As she depicts them, the problems of the universe are always fascinating and, most of all, they are alive and compelling." David DeVorkin, Sky & Telescope Virginia Trimble offers readers a fascinating and accessible tour of the stars. An astronomer with shared appointments in California and Maryland, the author ranges over a large portion of the universe as she discusses the search for life on other planets, how galaxies form, why stars explode and die, and the nature of the elusive dark matter in the universe. She also explains the astronomical significance of Cheeps' pyramid and leads the reader through scientific speculation about what and when the Star of Bethlehem might have been. Throughout, Trimble points to the exciting unanswered questions that still perplex the field and considers the formidable tasks to be faced by the next generation of young astronomers.

A wealth of new experimental and theoretical results has been obtained in solar physics since the first edition of this textbook appeared in 1989. Thus all nine chapters have been thoroughly revised, and about 100 pages and many new illustrations have been added to the text. The additions include element diffusion in the solar interior, the recent neutrino experiments, methods of image restoration, observational devices used for spectroscopy and polarimetry, and new developments in helioseismology and numerical simulation. The book takes particular advantage of the results of several recent space missions, which lead to substantial progress in our understanding of the Sun, from the deep interior to the corona and solar wind.

-Each book offers field-tested, student- and teacher-approved strategies for engaging with issues and events across a particular historical period -Features games, activities, role-playing scenarios, and assessment rubrics to guide students through each unit -Written by a leading expert with also four decades of on-the-ground experience Market: In-service, middle-school level social studies teachers.

-Each book offers field-tested, student- and teacher-approved strategies for engaging with issues and events across a particular historical period -Features games, activities, role-playing scenarios, and assessment rubrics to guide students through each unit -Written by a leading expert with also four decades of on-the-ground experience Market: In-service, middle-school level social studies teachers.

In the more than 100 years since the fundamental group was first introduced by Henri Poincare it has evolved to play an important role in different areas of mathematics. Originally conceived as part of algebraic topology, this essential concept and its analogies have found numerous applications in mathematics that are still being investigated today, and which are explored in this volume, the result of a meeting at Heidelberg University that brought together mathematicians who use or study fundamental groups in their work with an eye towards applications in arithmetic. The book acknowledges the varied incarnations of the fundamental group: pro-finite, -adic, p-adic, pro-algebraic and motivic. It explores a wealth of topics that range from anabelian geometry (in particular the section conjecture), the -adic polylogarithm, gonality questions of modular curves, vector bundles in connection with monodromy, and relative pro-algebraic completions, to a motivic version of Minhyong Kim's non-abelian Chabauty method and p-adic integration after Coleman. The editor has also included the abstracts of all the talks given at the Heidelberg meeting, as well as the notes on Coleman integration and on Grothendieck's fundamental group with a view towards anabelian geometry taken from a series of introductory lectures given by Amnon Besser and Tamas Szamuely, respectively."

In the more than 100 years since the fundamental group was first introduced by Henri Poincare it has evolved to play an important role in different areas of mathematics. Originally conceived as part of algebraic topology, this essential concept and its analogies have found numerous applications in mathematics that are still being investigated today, and which are explored in this volume, the result of a meeting at Heidelberg University that brought together mathematicians who use or study fundamental groups in their work with an eye towards applications in arithmetic. The book acknowledges the varied incarnations of the fundamental group: pro-finite, -adic, p-adic, pro-algebraic and motivic. It explores a wealth of topics that range from anabelian geometry (in particular the section conjecture), the -adic polylogarithm, gonality questions of modular curves, vector bundles in connection with monodromy, and relative pro-algebraic completions, to a motivic version of Minhyong Kim's non-abelian Chabauty method and p-adic integration after Coleman. The editor has also included the abstracts of all the talks given at the Heidelberg meeting, as well as the notes on Coleman integration and on Grothendieck's fundamental group with a view towards anabelian geometry taken from a series of introductory lectures given by Amnon Besser and Tamas Szamuely, respectively."

Many students and programmers familiar with Pascal are now looking to upgrade their skills to a well-structured object-oriented programming language such as C++. This textbook provides such an "upgrade path" by presenting a course on C++ in the spirit of structured programming. Both authors teach this material to a wide variety of students and include numerous programming exercises to test a reader's understanding and to increase their confidence in programming in C++.

A wealth of new experimental and theoretical results has been obtained in solar physics since the first edition of this textbook appeared in 1989. Thus all nine chapters have been thoroughly revised, and about 100 pages and many new illustrations have been added to the text. The additions include element diffusion in the solar interior, the recent neutrino experiments, methods of image restoration, observational devices used for spectroscopy and polarimetry, and new developments in helioseismology and numerical simulation. The book takes particular advantage of the results of several recent space missions, which lead to substantial progress in our understanding of the Sun, from the deep interior to the corona and solar wind.

The section conjecture in anabelian geometry, announced by Grothendieck in 1983, is concerned with a description of the set of rational points of a hyperbolic algebraic curve over a number field in terms of the arithmetic of its fundamental group. While the conjecture is still open today in 2012, its study has revealed interesting arithmetic for curves and opened connections, for example, to the question whether the Brauer-Manin obstruction is the only one against rational points on curves. This monograph begins by laying the foundations for the space of sections of the fundamental group extension of an algebraic variety. Then, arithmetic assumptions on the base field are imposed and the local-to-global approach is studied in detail. The monograph concludes by discussing analogues of the section conjecture created by varying the base field or the type of variety, or by using a characteristic quotient or its birational analogue in lieu of the fundamental group extension.

The anticipation of Christmas and the excitement of Advent bring out the cook in everyone, whether you're making nibbles to serve with drinks for friends, planning your holiday season menu or baking heartfelt gifts for loved ones. From panettone and jam cookies, to nourishing salmon and potatoes, pumpkin wellington and a warming ginger punch, here are 24 seasonal recipes to add festive deliciousness to your celebrations and personal touch to your gift-giving.

As in all other fields of astronomy, progress in instrumentation and observational techniques has in recent years brought a wealth of new information about the sun. This introduction presents a complete overview of solar physics, of what we know and would like to know. The increasing number of observations of solar pheno- mena on neighbouring stars makes this book valuable not only for students specializing in solar physics but also for researchers interested in stellar structure and the solar-stellar connection.

Computer scientists are currently working to develop DNA computing. The three-quarters of a pound of DNA in each person's body has the storage capacity of all the computer memory ever built.

A fiber optic communications system has been developed that allows a single fiber to carry as much information as the entire worldwide data traffic on the Internet.

Researchers are developing a growing selection of artificial body parts, a wide range of which are already available.

"Smart materials" that can sense changes in heat, pressure, and light are being used in a range of everyday devices such as exercise equipment, barbeque grills, and downhill skis.

Laser scalpels are being used in a growing range of new surgery, including the "sculpting" of the cornea in the eye in order to correct near- and farsightedness.

Which new technologies will change our lives the most in the years ahead? Introducing today's brave new world of gene therapy, quantum computation, designer drugs, and recyclable cars, Who Gives a Gigabyte? surveys the exciting range of technological wonders reshaping our world—as well as those soon to come—and offers simple, engaging explanations of what they are and how they work.

Scientific American senior editor Gary Stix and journalist Miriam Lacob combine their skills to take readers on a wonderfully lucid and fast-paced tour of the most important recent developments in genetics, medicine, cybernetics, telecommunications, robotics, micromachines, environmental cleanup, and more.

Information from the Human Genome Project is being used to develop a new breed of drugs that will be tailored to an individual's genetic makeup and cause fewer side effects. Based on interviews with today's leading technology developers as well as extensive research of the scientific literature, Who Gives a Gigabyte? explains in plain English what the new technologies are, how they work, how they will most likely evolve in the near future, and how they will affect our lives in the next century. Focusing on areas that are most important to today's consumer, the book explores:

• Computing: venturing beyond the proverbial information superhighway, this $500 billion industry is really just beginning to take flight, as perpetual advancements in object-oriented programming and dataencryption promise to enrich, simplify, and completely transform the whole face of human communication and commerce.
• Telecommunications: using fiber optics, satellites, and wireless networks to boost Third World countries right into the twenty-first century, the global communications network is considered the world's most costly and important technical achievement to date.
• Laser beams: finding unforeseen new uses in digital DVD players, surgical instruments, and military surveying equipment, researchers are also discovering ways of using lasers to produce pharmaceuticals and treat infertility.
• Bioengineering materials: encouraging natural tissue regeneration, supplementing the functions of damaged organs, and replacing worn-out joints, this exciting new area of technology aims to offer remarkable tools against the ravages of aging and disease. Alternative energy sources: responding to the reality of our dwindling natural resources, promising advances for conserving fossil fuels and curtailing pollution include wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, and solar panels.

  Readers will be entertained by vivid descriptions and illustrations, refreshed by the authors' wonderfully jargon-free writing, and intrigued by all of the exciting possibilities revealed. Who Gives a Gigabyte? is indispensable reading for careful consumers, forward-thinking investors, and concerned citizens alike.

Volcanoes are unquestionably one of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring features of the physical world. Our paradoxical fascination with them stems from their majestic beauty and powerful, sometimes deadly, destructiveness. Notwithstanding the tremendous advances in volcanology since ancient times, some of the mystery surrounding volcanic eruptions remains today. The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes summarizes our present knowledge of volcanoes; it provides a comprehensive source of information on the causes of volcanic eruptions and both the destructive and beneficial effects. The early chapters focus on the science of volcanism (melting of source rocks, ascent of magma, eruption processes, extraterrestrial volcanism, etc.). Later chapters discuss human interface with volcanoes, including the history of volcanology, geothermal energy resources, interaction with the oceans and atmosphere, health aspects of volcanism, mitigation of volcanic disasters, post-eruption ecology, and the impact of eruptions on organismal biodiversity.

In 1988 betrug die Anzahl der neu eingeleiteten Mahnverfahren rd. 5,5 Mio und die Anzahl der Zivilverfahren Uber aIle Tn- stanzen rd. 5,7 Mio. Der ZivilprozeB hat damit im wirtschafts- leben eine erhebliche Bedeutung, er sollte daher in der prak- tischen Betriebswirtschaftslehre mehr Beachtung finden. Mit der Monographie "Okonomische Analyse des Zivilprozesses" hat M. Adams 1981 dieses Thema als Entscheidungsproblem in die okonomie eingefUhrt. Diese beachtliche Schrift ist die Grundla- ge fUr diese Arbeit. Die Verfasserin bemUht sich sehr um den Leser, von dem sie im- plizit unterstellt, daB er kein Jurist, sondern okonom oder Praktiker ist. Deshalb gibt sie zunachst eine fundamentale Ein- fUhrung in die Institution der zivilgerichtsbarkeit, ihre Orga- nisation und in das Rechtsprechungsverfahren. So etwas habe ich in dieser KUrze und Pragnanz noch nirgendwo gelesen: Zivilpro- zeB ganz klar! Selbstverstandlich behandelt die Verfasserin auch die Kosten der Rechtsverfolgung, und zwar sowohl die Ge- richts- als auch die Anwaltskosten. Diese Kosten spielen spa- ter bei der optimierung der ProzeBentscheidung eine wesentliche Rolle. sie sind dafUr verantwortlich, daB prinzipiell die Ver- gleichsbereitschaft hoch sein sollte. Bei der praktischen Durchsetzung von RechtsansprUchen spielt das sogenannte Mahnverfahren eine groBe Rolle, das ebenfalls sorgfaltig und kenntnisreich dargestellt wird. In dem ersten Teil der Arbeit vermittelt die Verfasserin Wis- sen, mit dem man sich umfangreiche forensische Erfahrungen er- sparen kann.