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Responding to the Climate Threat: Essays on Humanity’s Greatest Challenge
by Gary Yohe Henry Jacoby Richard Richels Benjamin SanterThis book demonstrates how robust and evolving science can be relevant to public discourse about climate policy. Fighting climate change is the ultimate societal challenge, and the difficulty is not just in the wrenching adjustments required to cut greenhouse emissions and to respond to change already under way. A second and equally important difficulty is ensuring widespread public understanding of the natural and social science. This understanding is essential for an effective risk management strategy at a planetary scale. The scientific, economic, and policy aspects of climate change are already a challenge to communicate, without factoring in the distractions and deflections from organized programs of misinformation and denial. Here, four scholars, each with decades of research on the climate threat, take on the task of explaining our current understanding of the climate threat and what can be done about it, in lay language—importantly, without losing critical aspects of the natural and social science. In a series of essays, published during the 2020 presidential election, the COVID pandemic, and through the fall of 2021, they explain the essential components of the challenge, countering the forces of distrust of the science and opposition to a vigorous national response. Each of the essays provides an opportunity to learn about a particular aspect of climate science and policy within the complex context of current events. The overall volume is more than the sum of its individual articles. Proceeding each essay is an explanation of the context in which it was written, followed by observation of what has happened since its first publication. In addition to its discussion of topical issues in modern climate science, the book also explores science communication to a broad audience. Its authors are not only scientists – they are also teachers, using current events to teach when people are listening. For preserving Earth’s planetary life support system, science and teaching are essential. Advancing both is an unending task.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (Disaster and Risk Research: GADRI Book Series)
by Muneta Yokomatsu Stefan Hochrainer-StiglerThis book provides insight on how disaster risk management can increase the resilience of society to various natural hazards. The multi-dimensionality of resilience and the various different perspectives in regards to disaster risk reduction are taken explicitly into account by providing studies and approaches on different scales and ranging from natural science based methods to social science frameworks. For all chapters, special emphasis is placed on implementation aspects and specifically in regards to the targets and priorities for action laid out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The chapters provide also a starting point for interested readers on specific issues of resilience and therefore include extensive reference material and important future directions for research.
Non-Bloch Band Theory of Non-Hermitian Systems (Springer Theses)
by Kazuki YokomizoThis book constructs a non-Bloch band theory and studies physics described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonian in terms of the theory proposed here.In non-Hermitian crystals, the author introduces the non-Bloch band theory which produces an energy spectrum in the limit of a large system size. The energy spectrum is then calculated from a generalized Brillouin zone for a complex Bloch wave number. While a generalized Brillouin zone becomes a unit circle on a complex plane in Hermitian systems, it becomes a circle with cusps in non-Hermitian systems. Such unique features of the generalized Brillouin zone realize remarkable phenomena peculiar in non-Hermitian systems. Further the author reveals rich aspects of non-Hermitian physics in terms of the non-Bloch band theory. First, a topological invariant defined by a generalized Brillouin zone implies the appearance of topological edge states. Second, a topological semimetal phase with exceptional points appears, The topological semimetal phase is unique to non-Hermitian systems because it is caused by the deformation of the generalized Brillouin zone by changes of system parameters. Third, the author reveals a certain relationship between the non-Bloch waves and non-Hermitian topology.
Magneto-transport Properties of Skyrmions and Chiral Spin Structures in MnSi (Springer Theses)
by Tomoyuki YokouchiThis book provides extensive and novel insights into transport phenomena in MnSi, paving the way for applying the topology and chirality of spin textures to the development of spintronics devices. In particular, it describes in detail the key measurements, e.g. magnetoresistance and nonlinear electronic transport, and multiple material-fabrication techniques based on molecular beam epitaxy, ion-beam microfabrication and micromagnetic simulation. The book also reviews key aspects of B20-type MnSi chiral magnets, which host magnetic skyrmions, nanoscale objects formed by helical spatial spin structures. Readers are then introduced to cutting-edge findings on the material. Furthermore, by reviewing the author’s successful experiments, the book provides readers with a valuable update on the latest achievements in the measurement and fabrication of magnetic materials in spintronics.
Mercury Pollution in Minamata (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science)
by Hisashi YokoyamaThis book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. It overviews the poisoning which occurred in the 1950s and 1960s among the residents in Minamata who ate seafood contaminated with methylmercury discharged from the chemical factory, Chisso Corporation. It describes the history, symptoms pathogenesis and research on the causal agent, and discusses the responses of Chisso and the national and local governments to the outbreak, the victims, the compensation and environmental restructuring as well as the court ruling on claims. Based on lecture notes from a university course, it includes students’ suggestions for avoiding a repeat of the tragedy. The issue has not been settled yet, and this analysis of the incident provides useful insights into solutions to the current global mercury pollution problem.
Nature, Culture, and Food in Monsoon Asia (International Perspectives in Geography #10)
by Satoshi Yokoyama Jun Matsumoto Hitoshi ArakiThe giant Asian monsoon has formed a diverse climate and natural environment. The Asian monsoon climate manifests itself in manifold ways depending not just on the latitude or altitude of an area but also on physical conditions such as topography and vegetation and even the size of its human population. Likewise, the livelihoods of people in the affected area are diverse. This book focuses on nature and agriculture, food, and climate and culture as an excellent framework for understanding the relationship between humans and the environment in complex Monsoon Asia. Through the discussions in this book, what the authors have sought to demonstrate is that the livelihoods in Monsoon Asia demonstrate unique forms in a limited environment, while the Asian monsoon climate has one of the largest movements of any natural phenomenon on a macroscopic scale. These manifest forms are diverse both on a time scale and on a spatial scale and are extremely diversified in limited regions. Such diversity is not only due just to the effects of the natural environment but also results from social and cultural forces. In this area of Monsoon Asia, traditional and religious social norms are becoming entangled with “new” economic and political norms brought in from the outside world by globalization.
Regional Innovation and Networks in Japan (International Perspectives in Geography #16)
by Yutaka YokuraThis book provides a novel perspective on networks and innovation in the field of economic geography and presents new findings through theoretical foundations and empirical analyses. The book focuses on various temporary systems in industrial agglomerations such as joint R&D, trade fairs, business workshops, and international conferences. Following the introduction, Chapter 2 considers the mechanism of the innovation process in which networks function as institutions. Chapter 3 and succeeding chapters conduct empirical research centered on statistical data analysis such as social network analysis and covariance structure analysis, and they determine the real-world situations through interview surveys of related stakeholders. Chapter 3 considers the structure and spatial patterns of R&D networks in Japan by making the structure visible and calculating network indices. Chapter 4 concentrates on local trade fairs held in industrial agglomerations and examines the development of various relationships between related participants. Chapters 5 and 6 shed light on institutional thickness in industrial agglomerations. Chapter 7 spotlights quantitative and metrical examinations of inter-organizational relationships in terms of knowledge flows based on company-level data regarding technological alliances and ownership relationships between global corporations. The studies featured in Chapters 6 and 7 serve to evaluate how Japan’s firms have adapted to radical changes under global competition.
Sustainable Architecture and Building Environment: Proceedings of ICSDEMS 2020 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #161)
by Lin Yola Utaberta Nangkula Olutobi Gbenga Ayegbusi Mokhtar AwangThis book presents articles from the International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering, Management, and Sciences (ICSDEMS 2020), held in Bali, Indonesia. It highlights recent advances in civil engineering and sustainability, bringing together researchers and professionals to address the latest, most relevant issues in these areas.
Explorers of the Coldest Places on Earth (Extreme Explorers)
by Nel YomtovFor many decades, courageous men and women have ventured to our planet's foreboding icy regions. These brave explorers risk life and limb in the name of science or for the thrill of adventure. Who are these thrill seekers and why do they do it? Turn the pages to find out!
Explorers of the Remotest Places on Earth (Extreme Explorers)
by Nel YomtovOf all the places to explore on Earth, remote places are often said to be the most challenging. Yet brave explorers travel to the most remote corners of the world, pushing through vast forests, icy polar regions, and other landscapes. Who are these adventurers and why do they do it? Turn the pages to find out!
School Strike for Climate (Movements and Resistance)
by Nel YomtovIn August 2018, a teenager named Greta Thunberg missed school to sit outside the Swedish parliament with a sign that read School Strike for Climate. She was demanding that government leaders take stronger action against climate change due to global warming. At first, Greta sat alone. But her message spread. Other students joined her in the movement that became known as Fridays for Future. By September 2019, millions of activists from around the world marched in protests to protect the future of the planet.
Mass Term Effect on Fractional Quantum Hall States of Dirac Particles (Springer Theses)
by Kouki YonagaThis book presents the high-precision analysis of ground states and low-energy excitations in fractional quantum Hall states formed by Dirac electrons, which have attracted a great deal of attention. In particular the author focuses on the physics of fractional quantum Hall states in graphene on a hexagonal boron nitride substrate, which was recently implemented in experiments. The numerical approach employed in the book, which uses an exact numerical diagonalization of an effective model Hamiltonian on a Haldane’s sphere based on pseudopotential representation of electron interaction, provides a better understanding of the recent experiments. The book reviews various aspects of quantum Hall effect: a brief history, recent experiments with graphene, and fundamental theories on integer and fractional Hall effects. It allows readers to quickly grasp the physics of quantum Hall states of Dirac fermions, and to catch up on latest research on the quantum Hall effect in graphene.
Natural and Enhanced Attenuation of Contaminants in Soils, Second Edition
by Raymond N. Yong Catherine N. MulliganNatural attenuation has become an effective and low-cost alternative to more expensive engineered remediation. This new edition updates the principles and fundamentals of natural attenuation of contaminants with a broader view of the field. It includes new methods for evaluating natural attenuation mechanisms and microbial activity at the lab and field scales. Case studies, actual treatments and protocols, theoretical processes, case studies, numerical models, and legal aspects in the natural attenuation of organic and inorganic contaminants are examined. Challenges and future directions for the implementation of natural attenuation and enhanced remediation techniques are also considered.
Soil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies: A Practical Guide
by Yong Sik Ok; Jörg Rinklebe; Deyi Hou; Daniel C.W. Tsang; Filip M.G. TackThis book offers various soil and water treatment technologies due to increasing global soil and water pollution. In many countries, the management of contaminated land has matured, and it is developing in many others. Topics covered include chemical and ecological risk assessment of contaminated sites; phytomanagement of contaminants; arsenic removal; selection and technology diffusion; technologies and socio-environmental management; post-remediation long-term management; soil and groundwater laws and regulations; and trace element regulation limits in soil. Future prospects of soil and groundwater remediation are critically discussed in this book. Hence, readers will learn to understand the future prospects of soil and groundwater contaminants and remediation measures.Key Features: Discusses conventional and novel aspects of soil and groundwater remediation technologies Includes new monitoring/sensing technologies for soil and groundwater pollution Features a case study of remediation of contaminated sites in the old, industrial, Ruhr area in Germany Highlights soil washing, soil flushing, and stabilization/solidification Presents information on emerging contaminants that exhibit new challenges This book is designed for undergraduate and graduate courses and can be used as a handbook for researchers, policy makers, and local governmental institutes. Soil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies: A Practical Guide is written by a team of leading global experts in the field.
Lectures on Kinetic Processes in Materials
by Han-Ill YooThis book provides beginning graduate or senior-level undergraduate students in materials disciplines with a primer of the fundamental and quantitative ideas on kinetic processes in solid materials. Kinetics is concerned with the rate of change of the state of existence of a material system under thermodynamic driving forces. Kinetic processes in materials typically involve chemical reactions and solid state diffusion in parallel or in tandem. Thus, mathematics of diffusion in continuum is first dealt with in some depth, followed by the atomic theory of diffusion and a brief review of chemical reaction kinetics. Chemical diffusion in metals and ionic solids, diffusion-controlled kinetics of phase transformations, and kinetics of gas-solid reactions are examined. Through this course of learning, a student will become able to predict quantitatively how fast a kinetic process takes place, to understand the inner workings of the process, and to design the optimal process of material state change.Provides students with the tools to predict quantitatively how fast a kinetic process takes place and solve other diffusion related problems;Learns fundamental and quantitative ideas on kinetic processes in solid materials;Examines chemical diffusion in metals and ionic solids, diffusion-controlled kinetics of phase transformations, and kinetics of gas-solid reactions, among others;Contains end-of chapter exercise problems to help reinforce students' grasp of the concepts presented within each chapter.
Of Rocks, Mountains and Jasper: A Visitor's Guide To The Geology Of Jasper National Park
by Chris Yorath Ben GaddA resource for understanding the regions geology and seeing the evidence of important processes typical of the unique geological system in Jasper National Park.
Yang–Baxter Deformation of 2D Non-Linear Sigma Models: Towards Applications to AdS/CFT (SpringerBriefs in Mathematical Physics #40)
by Kentaroh YoshidaIn mathematical physics, one of the fascinating issues is the study of integrable systems. In particular, non-perturbative techniques that have been developed have triggered significant insight for real physics. There are basically two notions of integrability: classical integrability and quantum integrability. In this book, the focus is on the former, classical integrability. When the system has a finite number of degrees of freedom, it has been well captured by the Arnold–Liouville theorem. However, when the number of degrees of freedom is infinite, as in classical field theories, the integrable structure is enriched profoundly. In fact, the study of classically integrable field theories has a long history and various kinds of techniques, including the classical inverse scattering method, which have been developed so far. In previously published books, these techniques have been collected and well described and are easy to find in traditional, standard textbooks. One of the intriguing subjects in classically integrable systems is the investigation of deformations preserving integrability. Usually, it is not considered systematic to perform such a deformation, and one must study systems case by case and show the integrability of the deformed systems by constructing the associated Lax pair or action-angle variables. Recently, a new, systematic method to perform integrable deformations of 2D non-linear sigma models was developed. It was invented by C. Klimcik in 2002, and the integrability of the deformed sigma models was shown in 2008. The original work was done for 2D principal chiral models, but it has been generalized in various directions nowadays. In this book, the recent progress on this Yang–Baxter deformation is described in a pedagogical manner, including some simple examples. Applications of Yang–Baxter deformation to string theory are also described briefly.
Seismic Ground Response Analysis
by Nozomu YoshidaThis book presents state-of-the-art information on seismic ground response analysis, and is not only very valuable and useful for practitioners but also for researchers. The topics covered are related to the stages of analysis: 1. Input parameter selection, by reviewing the in-situ and laboratory tests used to determine dynamic soil properties as well as the methods to compile and model the dynamic soil properties from literature;2. Input ground motion; 3. Theoretical background on the equations of motion and methods for solving them; 4. The mechanism of damping and how this is modeled in the equations of motions; 5. Detailed analysis and discussion of results of selected case studies which provide valuable information on the problem of seismic ground response analysis from both a theoretical and practical point of view.
Reconstruction of Macroeconomics: Methods Of Statistical Physics, And Keynes Principle Of Effective Demand (Advances in Japanese Business and Economics #3)
by Hiroshi YoshikawaThis book explains how standard micro-founded macroeconomics is misguided and proposes an alternative method based on statistical physics. The Great Recession following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2015 amply demonstrated that mainstream micro-founded macroeconomics was in trouble. The new approach advanced in this book reasonably explains important macro-problems such as employment, business cycles, growth, and inflation/deflation. The key concept is demand failures, which modern micro-founded macroeconomics has ignored. “It (Chapter 3) captures analytically a good part of the intuition that underlies the Keynesian economics of people like Tobin and me.” Robert Solow, Emeritus Institute Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1987“Professor Hiroshi Yoshikawa provides a unique synthesis of statistical physics and macro-economic theory in order to confront the dismal failure in economics and in finance to understand how an economy or a financial market works, given the heterogeneous decision making of many different individual interacting actors. Economics has failed in this regard with the naive and often misleading concept of “representative agents.” The author presents many insights on the historical development, concepts, and errors made by the most illustrious economists in the past. This book should be essential readings for any economics students as well as academic researchers and policy makers, who should learn to bring back good-sense thinking in their impactful decisions.”Didier Sornette, Professor on the Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)
High-Performance Computing for Structural Mechanics and Earthquake/Tsunami Engineering
by Shinobu Yoshimura Muneo Hori Makoto OhsakiHuge earthquakes and tsunamis have caused serious damage to important structures such as civil infrastructure elements, buildings and power plants around the globe. To quantitatively evaluate such damage processes and to design effective prevention and mitigation measures, the latest high-performance computational mechanics technologies, which include telascale to petascale computers, can offer powerful tools. The phenomena covered in this book include seismic wave propagation in the crust and soil, seismic response of infrastructure elements such as tunnels considering soil-structure interactions, seismic response of high-rise buildings, seismic response of nuclear power plants, tsunami run-up over coastal towns and tsunami inundation considering fluid-structure interactions. The book provides all necessary information for addressing these phenomena, ranging from the fundamentals of high-performance computing for finite element methods, key algorithms of accurate dynamic structural analysis, fluid flows with free surfaces, and fluid-structure interactions, to practical applications with detailed simulation results. The book will offer essential insights for researchers and engineers working in the field of computational seismic/tsunami engineering.
A Pocket Guide to Scientific Writing in Aquaculture Research
by Rodrigue YossaWriting for a high-quality scientific aquaculture publication is challenging, and many students and early career aquaculture scientists find the task daunting. Expanding on his popular workshop on Improving Scientific Writing at the 2017 World Aquaculture conference, Rodrigue Yossa provides new researchers with all the tools they need to write abstracts and a variety of articles (original, research reports, magazines, working papers, conference proceedings and more). He also takes the reader step-by-step through the process of reviewing submitted manuscripts and replying to reviewers, as well as understanding research ethics. Each section is accompanied by examples, and attention is focused on providing advice on grammar, how to focus your paper and possible loopholes when writing. A Pocket Guide to Scientific Writing in Aquaculture Research offers a lifeline to aquaculture students and early career researchers getting a grasp on the basics of science communication through writing.
Global Environmental Change: Challenges to Science and Society in Southeastern Europe
by Antoaneta Yotova C. Gregory Knight Martin Felix Gajdusek Vesselin AlexandrovSelected papers from the International Conference "Global Environmental Change: Challenges for Science and Society in South-Eastern Europe" held 19-21 May 2008 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Covers changes in climate, land use, carbon and water cycles, air quality, etc.
Geochemical Behavior of Levoglucosan in Tibetan Plateau Glacier Snow and Ice (Springer Theses)
by Chao YouThis book focuses on geochemical behavior and ancient records of the specific biomarker levoglucosan in Tibetan glaciers, Based on samples from the Zangsegangri (ZSGR) ice cores obtained from the central Tibetan Plateau, it presents annually resolved levoglucosan records and fire changes over the past 430 years. It also discusses the interaction between fire, climate change, and human activities. This is the first effort to reconstruct annual resolution fire records in Tibetan ice, providing crucial information and substantially improved analytical methods toward a better understanding of past fire changes.
Introduction to Japanese Architecture
by David Young Michiko Young Tan Hong YewIntroduction to Japanese Architecture provides an overview of Japanese architecture in its historical and cultural context. It begins with a discussion of prehistoric dwellings and concludes with a description of contemporary trends in areas as diverse as country inns, underground malls, and love hotels. The intervening 12,000 years are analyzed in reference to major changes in architecture caused by Buddhist and indigenous influences, feudalism, and finally the influence of Western culture in the 19th century.
Socialist and Post-Socialist Urbanisms: Critical Reflections from a Global Perspective (G - Reference,information And Interdisciplinary Subjects Ser.)
by Douglas Young Lisa B DrummondSocialist cities have special qualities which endure in particular, subtle, and often under-theorized ways. This book engages with socialism on a global scale, as well as the variety of socialist urbanisms and post-socialist urbanisms, and the range of ways in which globalization intersects with changes in socialist and post-socialist cities. Offering a unique international comparative focus, the book’s fourteen case studies from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa are grouped under three main themes: housing experiences and life trajectories, planning and architecture, and governance and social order. Featuring contributors from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and research foci, Socialist and Post-Socialist Urbanisms brings together a collection of essays on cities that are often overlooked in mainstream urban studies.