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An Epistemic Foundation for Scientific Realism: Defending Realism Without Inference To The Best Explanation (Synthese Library #402)
by John WrightThis monograph develops a new way of justifying the claims made by science about phenomenon not directly observable by humans, such as atoms and black holes. It details a way of making inferences to the existence and properties of unobservable entities and states of affairs that can be given a probabilistic justification. The inferences used to establish realist claims are not a form of, and neither do they rely on, inference to the best explanation. Scientific Realism maintains that scientific theories and hypotheses refer to real entities, forces, and relations, even if one cannot examine them. But, there are those who doubt these claims. The author develops a novel way of defending Scientific Realism against a range of influential attacks. He argues that in some cases, at least, we can make probabilistically justifiable inferences from observed data to claims about unobservable, theoretical entities. He shows how this enables us to place some scientific realist claims on a firmer epistemological footing than has previously been the case. This also makes it possible to give a unified set of replies to the most common objections to Scientific Realism. The final chapters apply the developed conceptual apparatus to key cases from the history of science and from recent science. One example concerns realism with respect to atoms. Another looks at inferences from recent astronomical data to conclusions about the size and shape of those parts of the universe lying beyond that which we can observe.
An Epistemology of the Concrete: Twentieth-Century Histories of Life
by Hans-Jörg RheinbergerAn Epistemology of the Concrete brings together case studies and theoretical reflections on the history and epistemology of the life sciences by Hans-Jrg Rheinberger, one of the world's foremost philosophers of science. In these essays, he examines the history of experiments, concepts, model organisms, instruments, and the gamut of epistemological, institutional, political, and social factors that determine the actual course of the development of knowledge. Building on ideas from his influential book Toward a History of Epistemic Things, Rheinberger first considers ways of historicizing scientific knowledge, and then explores different configurations of genetic experimentation in the first half of the twentieth century and the interaction between apparatuses, experiments, and concept formation in molecular biology in the second half of the twentieth century. He delves into fundamental epistemological issues bearing on the relationship between instruments and objects of knowledge, laboratory preparations as a special class of epistemic objects, and the note-taking and write-up techniques used in research labs. He takes up topics ranging from the French "historical epistemologists" Gaston Bachelard and Georges Canguilhem to the liquid scintillation counter, a radioactivity measuring device that became a crucial tool for molecular biology and biomedicine in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout An Epistemology of the Concrete, Rheinberger shows how assemblages--historical conjunctures--set the conditions for the emergence of epistemic novelty, and he conveys the fascination of scientific things: those organisms, spaces, apparatuses, and techniques that are transformed by research and that transform research in turn.
An Essential Guide to Electronic Material Surfaces and Interfaces
by Leonard J. BrillsonAn Essential Guide to Electronic Material Surfaces and Interfaces is a streamlined yet comprehensive introduction that covers the basic physical properties of electronic materials, the experimental techniques used to measure them, and the theoretical methods used to understand, predict, and design them. Starting with the fundamental electronic properties of semiconductors and electrical measurements of semiconductor interfaces, this text introduces students to the importance of characterizing and controlling macroscopic electrical properties by atomic-scale techniques. The chapters that follow present the full range of surface and interface techniques now being used to characterize electronic, optical, chemical, and structural properties of electronic materials, including semiconductors, insulators, nanostructures, and organics. The essential physics and chemistry underlying each technique is described in sufficient depth for students to master the fundamental principles, with numerous examples to illustrate the strengths and limitations for specific applications. As well as references to the most authoritative sources for broader discussions, the text includes internet links to additional examples, mathematical derivations, tables, and literature references for the advanced student, as well as professionals in these fields. This textbook fills a gap in the existing literature for an entry-level course that provides the physical properties, experimental techniques, and theoretical methods essential for students and professionals to understand and participate in solid-state electronics, physics, and materials science research. An Essential Guide to Electronic Material Surfaces and Interfaces is an introductory-to-intermediate level textbook suitable for students of physics, electrical engineering, materials science, and other disciplines. It is essential reading for any student or professional engaged in surface and interface research, semiconductor processing, or electronic device design.
An Ethics for an Ecological Age: Thinking with Spinoza
by Brian FayThis book presents a comprehensive vision of human life, ecology, and theology inspired by Spinoza. According to this vision, human beings and all other natural entities are not independent substances but are rather “modes” of nature, meaning that they are fleeting manifestations of nature’s conatus. By intuitively (and not just intellectually) recognizing ourselves to be modes of nature, we can more fully realize ourselves. To achieve this requires a radical rethinking of our world, of ourselves, and of God, and a far richer understanding of ecology, and an ethics grounded in ecology, than those in current usage. Brian Fay explores this rethinking, and the result is a new, far-reaching vision of our world and how to be responsible, thriving agents in it.
An Ethology of Religion and Art: Belief as Behavior (Routledge Studies in Religion)
by Bryan RennieDrawing from sources including the ethology of art and the cognitive science of religion this book proposes an improved understanding of both art and religion as behaviors developed in the process of human evolution. Looking at both art and religion as closely related, but not identical, behaviors a more coherent definition of religion can be formed that avoids pitfalls such as the Eurocentric characterization of religion as belief or the dismissal of the category as nothing more than false belief or the product of scholarly invention. The book integrates highly relevant insights from the ethology and anthropology of art, particularly the identification of "the special" by Ellen Dissanayake and art as agency by Alfred Gell, with insights from, among others, Ann Taves, who similarly identified "specialness" as characteristic of religion. It integrates these insights into a useful and accurate understanding and explanation of the relationship of art and religion and of religion as a human behavior. This in turn is used to suggest how art can contribute to the development and maintenance of religions. The innovative combination of art, science, and religion in this book makes it a vital resource for scholars of Religion and the Arts, Aesthetics, Religious Studies, Religion and Science and Religious Anthropology.
An Executive Perspective on Workforce Planning
by John Arquilla Cheryl Y. Marcum David R. Frelinger Albert A. Robbert Donna Fossum Robert M. EmmerichsWorkforce planning is an activity intended to ensure that investment in human capital results in the timely capability to effectively carry out an organization's strategic intent. This report examines how corporate executives can provide guidance from the top of the organization to the business units that actually carry out the organization's activities so that the strategic is successfully realized.
An Expedition to Continuum Theory (Solid Mechanics and Its Applications #210)
by Wolfgang H. MüllerThis book introduces field theory as required in solid and fluid mechanics as well as in electromagnetism. It includes the necessary applied mathematical framework of tensor algebra and tensor calculus, using an inductive approach particularly suited to beginners. It is geared toward undergraduate classes in continuum theory for engineers in general, and more specifically to courses in continuum mechanics. Students will gain a sound basic understanding of the subject as well as the ability to solve engineering problems by applying the general laws of nature in terms of the balances for mass, momentum, and energy in combination with material-specific relations in terms of constitutive equations, thus learning how to use the theory in practice for themselves. This is facilitated by numerous examples and problems provided throughout the text.
An Ice Age Mystery: Unearthing the Secrets of the Old Vero Site
by Rody L. Johnson“This lively and fascinating book is an intelligent examination of how scientific endeavor operates over time and how community life can be focused and energized. It’s also filled with portraits of colorful personalities.”—Florida Weekly "A fascinating recounting of the early discovery of a Paleolithic human and the issues that were engendered by various opposing scientific views of the validity of the discovery and its analysis."--Dennis Stanford, coauthor of Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture "Since the site's discovery long ago, the complete story of the Old Vero Site has never been told. This is an informative and entertaining account of this remarkable site and its history in American archaeology."--Thomas D. Dillehay, author of The Settlement of the Americas: A New Prehistory "Johnson has thoroughly investigated, and transformed into a very readable narrative, an entire century of accumulated knowledge about the research, controversy, and curiosity surrounding the Old Vero archaeological site."--Barbara A. Purdy, author of Florida's People During the Last Ice Age "An engaging account of the first Paleoindian site discovered in eastern North America."--Robert S. Carr, author of Digging Miami "Johnson skillfully weaves a tale of prehistoric life in Florida with the 100-year search to understand that long lost world at the Vero Site."--Andy Hemmings, Florida Atlantic University In 1916, to the shock of the scientific community and the world at large, a Florida geologist discovered human remains mixed with the bones of prehistoric animals in a Vero Beach canal and proclaimed that humans had lived in North America since the Ice Age. These new findings by Elias Sellards flew in the face of prevailing wisdom, which held that humans first came to the continent only 6,000 years ago. His claim was snubbed by the top scientists of his day, he was laughed out of the state, Vero's fame declined, and the skull Sellards found--famously known as "Vero Man "--was lost. An Ice Age Mystery tells the story of Sellards's exciting find and the controversy it sparked. In the years that followed, other archaeological discoveries and the rise of radiocarbon dating established that humans did arrive in North America earlier than previously thought. The skull, however, was never recovered, and many people began to wonder: What exactly had Sellards found at Vero? And what else might be buried there? One hundred years after the first Vero discovery, construction plans threatened to cover up the legendary dig site, and a band of citizens and archaeologists protested. Excavations were reopened. Archaeologists uncovered 14,000-year-old burnt mammal bones and charcoal, signs of a human presence, and found further evidence to indicate a continuous human occupation of the site for several thousand years. Prior to the latest excavations an etching on a bone possibly 13,000 years old was discovered that could be the oldest piece of art in America. Sellards had been right all along. Many questions still remain. Who were these people? Where did they come from? And how did they get here? This book draws readers into the past, present, and future of one of the most historic discoveries in American archaeology.
An Illustrated Electron Microscopic Study of Crabapple Pollen
by Wangxiang Zhang Junjun Fan Yinfeng Xie Ye Peng Ting Zhou Mingming ZhaoThis book focuses on the morphology, exine ornamentation and the associated evolutionary trends of crabapple pollen and anatomical developmental patterns. To examine the genetic evolutionary patterns of crabapple pollen traits, we constructed an interval distribution function based on characteristic pollen parameters and used a binary trivariate data matrix (Xi Yi Zi) to reflect the exine ornamentation regularity of the pollen. Our findings should inform the taxonomic status of the genus Malus.Pollen electron micrographs from a total of 26 species and 81 cultivars of Malus were recorded in this book. All 107 figures and 642 scanned pollen images constitute primary data obtained by the authors. The images in this book are clear, three-dimensional, and aesthetically pleasing. They are accompanied with text descriptions and provided a method for the indication of the different types of information that can be expected.This book can provide a reference for scientific researchers, students, and teachers in tertiary institutions that are engaged in research concerning crabapple production.
An Illustrated Guide to Congenital Heart Disease: From Diagnosis to Treatment – From Fetus to Adult
by In Sook ParkThis book combines an exceptional wealth of precise, exquisite schematic drawings and high-quality images with clear explanatory text in order to provide readers with a crisp and clear understanding of all aspects of congenital heart disease, from diagnosis to treatment and from the fetus to the adult. In format the book appears similar to a large collection of case reports covering all types of congenital heart disease, including complex lesions such as single ventricle and atrial isomerism. For each lesion, the illustrations are placed before the text so that the reader can gain a quick and general overview before going into more detail. The contents are as practical and concise as possible. The intention is that, despite its size, the book will serve as a handy reference for cardiologists, surgeons, intensivists, obstetricians specializing in fetal sonography, nurses, trainees, students, researchers, and even patients and their families. This is a “must-have” bedside reference in the cardiac ward, the ICU, and the fetal sonography room and will even be valuable in outpatient clinics.
An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology
by David B. Weishampel Ali NabavizadehThis beautifully illustrated exploration of the diversity, anatomy, and evolution of dinosaur feeding adaptations is the first and only in-depth look at this crucial aspect of paleoecology.In An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology, experts Ali Nabavizadeh and David B. Weishampel bring dinosaurs to life on the page by exploring and illustrating their feeding adaptations. Whether dinosaurs were carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous, their evolution produced a multitude of specialized adaptations that helped shape their ecologies. Dinosaur skulls show a variety of bone and joint specializations ideal for withstanding stresses and strains induced by high bite forces with strong jaw musculature. The bladed, steak-knife dentition of many carnivorous dinosaurs was well-suited for slicing meat and crushing bones, while the leaf-shaped, sometimes tightly packed dentition of many herbivorous dinosaurs was ideal for grinding up a variety of plant material.The first book of its kind, An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology is a synthesis of over a century of dinosaur feeding biology research, from the earliest hypotheses in the 1800s to today's studies using advanced techniques. Intended for both researchers and dinosaur enthusiasts alike, this book discusses functional morphological studies highlighting comparative anatomy, tooth wear, muscle reconstruction, and biomechanical analysis using modeling techniques like finite element analysis and multibody dynamics analysis. In addition to the feeding apparatus, Nabavizadeh and Weishampel explore postcranial adaptations and discuss the evolution of dinosaurs and their paleoecology more broadly. Integrating these various factors improves our understanding of dinosaurs as the living beings they were in their ecosystems millions of years ago and ultimately expands our knowledge and perspective of today's ecosystems by framing them in a broader evolutionary context.
An Illustrated Guide to Linear Programming
by Dr Saul I. Gass"I would not hesitate to recommend the book." -- Industrial Engineering. Entertaining, nontechnical introduction covers basic concepts of linear programming and its relationship to operations research; geometric interpretation and problem solving, solution techniques, network problems, much more. Appendix offers precise statements of definitions, theorems, and techniques, additional computational procedures. Only high-school algebra needed. Bibliography.
An Illustrated Guide to Relativity
by Tatsu TakeuchiAimed at both physics students and non-science majors, this unique book explains Einstein's special theory of relativity pictorially, using diagrams rather than equations. The diagrams guide the reader, step-by-step, from the basics of relativity to advanced topics including the addition of velocities, Lorentz contraction, time dilation, the twin paradox, Doppler shift, and Einstein's famous equation E=mc2. The distinctive figures throughout the book enable the reader to visualize the theory in a way that cannot be fully conveyed through equations alone. The illustrative explanations in this book maintain the logic and rigour necessary for physics students, yet are simple enough to be understood by non-scientists. The book also contains entertaining problems which challenge the reader's understanding of the materials covered.
An Immense World (Young Readers Edition): How Animals Sense Earth's Amazing Secrets
by Ed YongThe New York Times bestseller now available with beautiful full-color illustrations for young readers! Explore the amazing ways animals see, hear, and feel the world, with Pulitzer Prize winner Ed Yong.Did you know that there are turtles who can track the Earth's magnetic fields? That some fish use electricity to talk to each other? Or that giant squids evolved their enormous eyeballs to look out for whales?The world is so much BIGGER and more "immense" than we humans experience it. We can only see so many colors, we can only feel so many sensations, and there are some senses we can't access at all.Exploring the amazing ways animals perceive the world is an excellent way to help understand the world itself. And this young readers adaptation of the mega-bestseller An Immense World is perfect for curious kids and their families. Sure to capture young readers' interest it is filled amazing animal facts and stunning full-color illustrations. Along the way are tons of amazing animals facts: Did you know that leopard pee smells like popcorn? That there is a special kind of shrimp whose punches are faster than a bullet? That it's important to take your dog for dedicated "smell walks?" Want to know the real reason zebras have stripes? (hint: it's not for camouflage)? Pick up this enthralling and enormously entertaining book to find out!A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
by Ed YongEnter a new dimension—the world as it is truly perceived by other animals—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes.&“A stunning achievement, steeped in science but suffused with magic.&”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The GeneThe Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world. In An Immense World, author and Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth&’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile&’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover&’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved. Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called &“the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.&”
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
by Ed YongEnter a new dimension—the world as it is truly perceived by other animals—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling author of I Contain Multitudes. <p><p> The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world. <p><p>In An Immense World, author and Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. <p><p>We discover that a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. <p><p>We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved. <p><p>Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called “the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes.” <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet
by Francis F. ChenRecent books have raised the public consciousness about the dangers of global warming and climate change. This book is intended to convey the message that there is a solution. The solution is the rapid development of hydrogen fusion energy. This energy source is inexhaustible and, although achieving fusion energy is difficult, the progress made in the past two decades has been remarkable. The physics issues are now understood well enough that serious engineering can begin.The book starts with a summary of climate change and energy sources, trying to give a concise, clear, impartial picture of the facts, separate from conjecture and sensationalism. Controlled fusion -- the difficult problems and ingenious solutions -- is then explained using many new concepts.The bottom line -- what has yet to be done, how long it will take, and how much it will cost -- may surprise you. Francis F. Chen's career in plasma has extended over five decades. His textbook Introduction to Plasma Physics has been used worldwide continuously since 1974. He is the only physicist who has published significantly in both experiment and theory and on both magnetic fusion and laser fusion. As an outdoorsman and runner, he is deeply concerned about the environment. Currently he enjoys bird photography and is a member of the Audubon Society.
An Inductive Approach to Engineering Thermodynamics (Mechanical Engineering Series)
by George SidebothamThis textbook provides an alternative, inductive treatment of traditional Engineering Thermodynamics, e.g. energy and its transformations in engineering systems, and introduces the notion of eXergy. The book begins with energy methods developed in mechanics and transitions to thermodynamics by introducing both 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics immediately, incorporating more-advanced concepts using practical applications. This methodology continues throughout the text, wherein consideration of a specific example leads to general conclusions. At the same time, the author introduces eXergy, also called “Availability,” a measure of the potential of a substance to produce useful mechanical work in being brought from its current state to the conditions of the local environment.The book facilitates students’ understanding with workshop problem statements and guided spreadsheet.It is appropriate for a sophomore- or junior-level first course in thermodynamics and is restricted to “simple compressible substances” with no formal chemical reaction development. Mechanical engineering applications are the primary target, where several follow-up courses would follow (fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and a 2nd thermos course). Civil or electrical engineering students could benefit from just this course, and chemical engineering programs could develop chemically reacting and non-ideal applications in follow-up courses.
An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe
by Will KinneyWhat happened before the primordial fire of the Big Bang: a theory about the ultimate origin of the universe.In the beginning was the Big Bang: an unimaginably hot fire almost fourteen billion years ago in which the first elements were forged. The physical theory of the hot nascent universe—the Big Bang—was one of the most consequential developments in twentieth-century science. And yet it leaves many questions unanswered: Why is the universe so big? Why is it so old? What is the origin of structure in the cosmos? In An Infinity of Worlds, physicist Will Kinney explains a more recent theory that may hold the answers to these questions and even explain the ultimate origins of the universe: cosmic inflation, before the primordial fire of the Big Bang. Kinney argues that cosmic inflation is a transformational idea in cosmology, changing our picture of the basic structure of the cosmos and raising unavoidable questions about what we mean by a scientific theory. He explains that inflation is a remarkable unification of inner space and outer space, in which the physics of the very large (the cosmos) meets the physics of the very small (elementary particles and fields), closing in a full circle at the first moment of time. With quantum uncertainty its fundamental feature, this new picture of cosmic origins introduces the possibility that the origin of the universe was of a quantum nature. Kinney considers the consequences of eternal cosmic inflation. Can we come to terms with the possibility that our entire observable universe is one of infinitely many, forever hidden from our view?
An Inquiry-Based Introduction to Engineering
by Michelle BlumThe text introduces engineering to first-year undergraduate students using Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). It draws on several different inquiry-based instruction types such as confirmation inquiry, structured inquiry, guided inquiry, and open inquiry, and all of their common elements. Professor Blum’s approach emphasizes the student’s role in the learning process, empowering them in the classroom to explore the material, ask questions, and share ideas, instead of the instructor lecturing to passive learners about what they need to know. Beginning with a preface to IBL, the book is organized into three parts, each consisting of four to ten chapters. Each chapter has a dedicated topic where an initial few paragraphs of introductory or fundamental material are provided. This is followed by a series of focused questions that guide the students’ learning about the concept(s) being taught. Featuring multiple inquiry-based strategies, each most appropriate to the topic, An Inquiry-Based Approach to Introduction to Engineering stands as an easy to use textbook that quickly allows students to actively engage with the content during every class period.
An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Character of Science (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Robert T. PennockAn exploration of the scientific mindset—such character virtues as curiosity, veracity, attentiveness, and humility to evidence—and its importance for science, democracy, and human flourishing.Exemplary scientists have a characteristic way of viewing the world and their work: their mindset and methods all aim at discovering truths about nature. In An Instinct for Truth, Robert Pennock explores this scientific mindset and argues that what Charles Darwin called “an instinct for truth, knowledge, and discovery” has a tacit moral structure—that it is important not only for scientific excellence and integrity but also for democracy and human flourishing. In an era of “post-truth,” the scientific drive to discover empirical truths has a special value.Taking a virtue-theoretic perspective, Pennock explores curiosity, veracity, skepticism, humility to evidence, and other scientific virtues and vices. He explains that curiosity is the most distinctive element of the scientific character, by which other norms are shaped; discusses the passionate nature of scientific attentiveness; and calls for science education not only to teach scientific findings and methods but also to nurture the scientific mindset and its core values.Drawing on historical sources as well as a sociological study of more than a thousand scientists, Pennock's philosophical account is grounded in values that scientists themselves recognize they should aspire to. Pennock argues that epistemic and ethical values are normatively interconnected, and that for science and society to flourish, we need not just a philosophy of science, but a philosophy of the scientist.
An Integrated Assessment of China’s Ecological Restoration Programs
by Runsheng YinChina has been undertaking unprecedented ecological restoration efforts to deal with its problems of soil erosion, flooding, dust storms, and habitat loss. While there have been studies of these efforts, questions remain concerning whether they have been effectively implemented, what their induced socioeconomic and ecological impacts are, and how their performance can be improved. Tackling these important questions in an integrated manner, "An Integrated Assessment of China's Ecological Restoration Programs" is extraordinary for its broad coverage and methodological rigor. It provides a substantial improvement over the conventional approach of simply reporting projects undertaken and accepting uncritically the government assessment, and thus fills an important knowledge gap of the restoration efforts being implemented upon a variety of ecosystems in China.
An Integrated Framework for Energy-Economy-Emissions Modeling: A Case Study of India (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Tejal KanitkarThis book combines three different energy-economy-emissions modeling methodologies into one Integrated Modeling Framework (IMF) in an attempt to fill gaps in current modeling research as it applies to developing countries. Through the analysis of existing mathematical models, including large macro-economic models and technology-explicit energy models, the work proposes planning methodologies for developing countries that face challenges on their economy and infrastructure due to climate change. The three modeling methodologies discussed in the chapters are a decomposition analysis of trends in emissions intensity of GDP, linear programming techniques to determine optimum energy supply pathways given various resource and emissions constraints, and an input-output analysis to evaluate the impact of energy policies on income and equity. After a brief introduction to the history of the development of energy studies and the linkages between energy, economic, and environmental systems, the book delves into the component methodologies of the IMF and their intended outcomes. The decomposition analysis is intended to gauge the energy intensity of GDP and the structural composition of the economy to provide a basis on which scenarios are constructed in the following two methodologies. The linear programs are meant to develop a methodology to determine energy options under a variety of scenarios that capture the technical and economic characteristics of the power sector of developing countries. Lastly, the input-output analysis aims to build a methodology through which energy policy decisions can be understood and quantified to ensure the best possible impacts on developing economies and societies. Those who will be interested in this book include policy makers, academics, and students and professionals working on energy studies and energy-economy modeling.
An Integrated Modelling Approach to Design Cost-Effective AES for Agricultural Soil Erosion and Water Pollution: An Application of a Real Watershed in China
by Zhengzheng HaoAgri-environment schemes (AES) is frequently adopted for tricky environmental issues. One key concern for AES design is to optimize the cost-effectiveness. For issues of cost-effective prevention of agricultural soil erosion and non-point source water pollution, although models that assess both environmental effects and economic costs of land use measures have been developed, they typically adopt a planning perspective instead of designing AES with the role of farmers being considered. This book presents a spatially explicit novel integrated modelling approach that addresses the shortcoming by combining several components. The relevance of the modelling approach is demonstrated in this book by applying it to the Baishahe watershed in Shanxi province in China. The results show that the modelling approach is robust to design cost-effective AES, i.e. under given budget the maximum environmental effect in the study region could be attained with a set of designed payments for measures in AES. The developed modelling approach is generic and powerful for application in all kinds of agricultural watersheds with various sizes.
An Integrative Approach to Successional Dynamics
by Meiners, Scott J. and Pickett, Steward T. A. and Cadenasso, Mary L. Scott J. Meiners Pickett, Steward T. A. Mary L. CadenassoMuch of what is considered conventional wisdom about succession is not as clear cut as it is generally believed. Yet, the importance of succession in ecology is undisputed since it offers a real insight into the dynamics and structure of all plant communities. Part monograph and part conceptual treatise, An Integrative Approach to Successional Dynamics presents a unifying conceptual framework for dynamic plant communities and uses a unique long-term data set to explore the utility of that framework. The fourteen chapters, each written in a nontechnical style and accompanied by numerous illustrations and examples, cover diverse aspects of succession, including: community, population and disturbance dynamics, diversity, community assembly, heterogeneity, functional ecology and biological invasion. This unique text will be a great source of reference for researchers and graduate students in ecology and plant biology and others with an interest in the subject.