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Microbes at Work
by Marta Goberna Heribert Insam Ingrid Franke-WhittleAmong the goals of environmentally sound waste treatment is the recycling of organic wastes. The most practiced options are composting and anaerobic digestion, both processes being carried out by microorganisms. This book provides an overview of the various ways microbes are doing their job and gives the reader an impression of their potential. The sixteen chapters of this book summarize the advantages and disadvantages of treatment processes, whether they are aerobic like composting or work without oxygen like anaerobic digestion for biogas (methane) production. These chapters show the potential of microorganisms to create valuable resources from otherwise wasted materials. These resources include profitable organic, humus-like soil conditioners or fertilizer components which are often suppressive to plant diseases. Composts may thus improve soil carbon sequestration, or support sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for mineral fertilizers or pesticides. If anaerobic digestion is used, the biogas produced may replace fossil fuels. Thus, proper biological waste treatment with the help of microorganisms should contribute to a reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas production.
Körperpsychotherapie
by Ulfried GeuterEin einführendes Buch für die psychotherapeutische Praxis: Körperpsychotherapie als Therapie mit Hilfe des Körpers. Geschrieben für Psychologische und Ärztliche Psychotherapeuten, explizite Körpertherapeuten (Atem, Feldenkrais etc. ), aber auch viele andere Berufsgruppen, die in diesem Feld tätig sind.
Water Scarcity in the Mediterranean
by Sergi Sabater Damià BarcelóWater scarcity affects hydrologic resources, systems connectivity, biodiversity, water quality, and river ecosystem functioning. It has direct impacts on economic sectors that use and depend on water, such as agriculture, tourism, industry, energy and transport. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the regions in the world most vulnerable to climate changes, as well as one of the most impacted by human water demand. This volume provides an in-depth view of the water quality and quantity implications of water scarcity. It highlights its possible causes and describes the effects in regions under Mediterranean climate. The topics covered include climate effects, water resources (use, storage and new sources), water quality (chemical and microbiological), and the effects on ecosystems suffering from water scarcity. This book is addressed to scientists and students, but also to managers involved in the necessary decision making process to face future periods of drought.
Electrochemistry of Metal Chalcogenides
by Mirtat BouroushianThe author provides a unified account of the electrochemical material science of metal chalcogenide (MCh) compounds and alloys with regard to their synthesis, processing and applications. Starting with the chemical fundamentals of the chalcogens and their major compounds, the initial part of the book includes a systematic description of the MCh solids on the basis of the Periodic Table in terms of their structures and key properties. This is followed by a general discussion on the electrochemistry of chalcogen species, and the principles underlying the electrochemical formation of inorganic compounds/alloys. The core of the book offers an insight into available experimental results and inferences regarding the electrochemical preparation and microstructural control of conventional and novel MCh structures. It also aims to survey their photoelectrochemistry, both from a material-oriented point of view and as connected to specific processes such as photocatalysis and solar energy conversion. Finally, the book illustrates the relevance of MCh materials to various applications of electrochemical interest such as (electro)catalysis in fuel cells, energy storage with intercalation electrodes, and ion sensing.
Engineering Heat Transfer
by Donatello AnnaratoneThis book is a generalist textbook; it is designed for anybody interested in heat transmission, including scholars, designers and students. Two criteria constitute the foundation of Annaratone's books, including the present one. The first one consists of indispensable scientific rigor without theoretical exasperation. The inclusion in the book of some theoretical studies, even if admirable for their scientific rigor, would have strengthened the scientific foundation of this publication, yet without providing the reader with further applicable know-how. The second criterion is to deliver practical solution to operational problems. This criterion is fulfilled through equations based on scientific rigor, as well as a series of approximated equations, leading to convenient and practically acceptable solutions, and through diagrams and tables. When a practical case is close to a well defined theoretical solution, corrective factors are shown to offer simple and correct solutions to the problem.
BilderRecht: Die Macht der Bilder und die Ohnmacht des Rechts Wie die Dominanz der Bilder im Alltag das Recht verändert
by Volker Boehme-NeßlerWir leben in einer Bilderwelt. Die Folgen sind - im wahrsten Sinn des Worts - unübersehbar. Was bedeutet die Dominanz der Bilder für das Recht? Bisher ist das Recht sehr bilderskeptisch. Das wird kaum so bleiben können, denn wenn sich ein Recht zu weit vom Leben entfernt, wird es über kurz oder lang an Bedeutung verlieren. Welche Chancen und Risiken ergeben sich, wenn Parlamente, Verwaltungen, Gerichte und Anwälte visuell kommunizieren? Der Autor diskutiert die Frage, wie ein BilderRecht aussehen könnte.
Lipid Signaling in Plants
by Teun MunnikThis book highlights the current status of plant lipid signaling. Written by leading researchers in the field, the chapters include detailed information on the measurement, regulation and function of phospholipases, lipid kinases, lipid phosphatases, inositolpolyphosphates, polyphosphoinositides, phosphatidic acid, and additional lipid signals, e.g. oxylipins, NAPE and sphingolipids. Together, it represents a timely and comprehensive update of the rapidly expanding field of lipid signaling in plant stress and development.
Immunological Synapse
by Takashi Saito Facundo D. BatistaWhile the importance of the immune synapse as a dynamic cell junction that regulates intercellular communication and viral transmission is universally recognized, many of quantitative and qualitative details remain unsettled. The plasticity of this cell junction has to accommodate many very different binding partners and control the fate of interacting cells. It is likely that developmental changes in the state of the T cells or the APCs can impact the structure of the synapse. It is hoped that uncovering the ordered molecular rearrangement at the membrane will provide the long sought after clues for the remarkable functional sensitivity of T lymphocytes. These dynamic molecular interactions may eventually explain how engagement of the same TCR can generate different outcomes that resolve the immune challenges. The reviews in this issue present a broad slice of the many diverse topics that are currently intensely debated.
Contact Dermatitis: The Molecular Basis
by Jeanne Duus Johansen Peter J. Frosch Jean-Pierre LepoittevinThe fifth edition delivers up-to-date coverage of every conceivable aspect in modern-day management of contact dermatitis. Leading experts have thoroughly updated the previous edition, while adding new chapters on genetics, the skin barrier, respiratory symptoms to chemicals and an extensive section on prevention. Both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis are covered with special emphasis on immunological mechanisms, molecular aspects of sensitizers, atypical clinical forms, reactions to medicaments, occupational and environmental aspects. The comprehensive yet approachable text is supplemented by numerous color illustrations and tables. Core messages and case reports highlight the most important information and help in gaining better understanding of the topic and greater competence in daily practice. An extensive dictionary of allergens gives quick access to specific information.
Beyond Right and Wrong: The Power of Effective Decision Making for Attorneys and Clients
by Randall KiserThis book guides attorneys and clients through legal decision making. It analyzes 11,306 attorney-client decisions in actual cases and summarizes decades of research regarding judge, jury, litigant and attorney decision making. To explain why many litigation outcomes are suboptimal, the book describes the psychological and institutional factors that impede sound decision making. The roles of attorneys and clients in legal decision making and the legal malpractice and disciplinary consequences of ineffective legal representation also are discussed. To rapidly promote better financial outcomes in civil litigation and to assist attorneys and clients in becoming expert decision makers, the book presents more than 65 ideas, methods and systems for improving personal and group decision making.
Spatial Filtering for the Control of Smart Structures
by James E. HubbardThis book develops and details rigorous design methodologies and performance measures for the control of modern Smart Structures. The spatially distributed/continuum or distributed parameter nature of such structures makes it difficult to apply modern lumped parameter control philosophy and techniques to such designs. While there exist a substantial amount of technical literature on the Control of Distributed Parameter Systems (DPS), there are still relatively few applications or practical implementations of the theory. The work presented in this textbook address the issue of the design and implementation of distributed parameter control schemes, for Smart Structures, which exploit both spatially distributed sensing and actuation through the use of modern smart material technology. The merging of DPS with distributed parameter transducers leads to simple, physically realizable control system designs. This text provides a significant reference for practicing professionals, students and researchers in the area of transducer design using smart materials for high performance smart structures.
Boundary Management: Developing Business Architectures for Innovation
by Mitsuru KodamaThis book presents the concept of business architecture and optimizing processes as a corporate system based on multiple corporate case studies, including Sony, NTT-DATA, NTT-DoCoMo, Toyota, Honda, Omron, Takara, Recruit, First Retailing, Panasonic and Canon.
Data Analysis and Classification: Proceedings of the 6th Conference of the Classification and Data Analysis Group of the Società Italiana di Statistica (Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization)
by Carlo Natale Lauro Michael Greenacre Francesco PalumboThe volume provides results from the latest methodological developments in data analysis and classification and highlights new emerging subjects within the field. It contains articles about statistical models, classification, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, multivariate analysis, latent variables, knowledge extraction from temporal data, financial and economic applications, and missing values. Papers cover both theoretical and empirical aspects.
Morphological and Cellular Aspects of Tail and Limb Regeneration in Lizards
by Lorenzo AlibardiThe present review deals with the analysis of the cytological processess occurring during tissue regeneration in the tail and limb of lizards. These reptiles are considered as a model to understand the process of tissue regeneration in all amniotes. The review begins with some evolutive considerations on the origin of tail regeneration in comparison to the failure of limb regeneration, a unique case among amniotes. The formation of the tail in the embryo and the possible accumulation of stem cells in autotomous planes of the tail are discussed. The histological and ultrastructural processess occuring during blastema formation and tail regeneration and during limb cicatrization are presented. The comparison stresses the scarse to absent inflammatory reaction present in the tail vs the massive inflammatory response in the limb leading to scarring. In fact the experimental induction of a strong inflammation in the tail also leads to scarring. The importance of the nervous system in stimulating tail regeneration in lizards is emphasized. The presence of growth factors and extracellular matrix proteins during wound healing of the tail and limb is introduced. The review concludes stressing the importance of the lizard model of tissue regeneration for medical studies and applications.
Radiation Hormesis and the Linear-No-Threshold Assumption
by Charles L. SandersCurrent radiation protection standards are based upon the application of the linear no-threshold (LNT) assumption, which considers that even very low doses of ionizing radiation can cause cancer. The radiation hormesis hypothesis, by contrast, proposes that low-dose ionizing radiation is beneficial. In this book, the author examines all facets of radiation hormesis in detail, including the history of the concept and mechanisms, and presents comprehensive, up-to-date reviews for major cancer types. It is explained how low-dose radiation can in fact decrease all-cause and all-cancer mortality and help to control metastatic cancer. Attention is also drawn to biases in epidemiological research when using the LNT assumption. The author shows how proponents of the LNT assumption consistently reject, manipulate, and deliberately ignore an overwhelming abundance of published data and falsely claim that no reliable data are available at doses of less than 100 mSv.
Internal Medicine
by Jarrah Ali Al-TubaikhThis book explains how radiology can be a powerful tool for establishing the diagnosis of many internal medicine diseases. It is organized in the classic fashion for internal medicine books, with eleven chapters covering the different internal medicine specialties. Within these chapters, more than 450 diseases are considered. For each disease, radiological and clinical features are displayed in images and high-quality digital medical illustrations, and those differential diagnoses are identified that can be ruled out by imaging alone. In addition, the pathophysiology underlying the radiological features is described, explaining why a particular sign is seen on MR images, CT scans, or plain radiographs. The book will serve as an excellent radiological atlas for internal medicine practitioners and family physicians, showing disease presentations that may be hard to find in standard medical textbooks and explaining which imaging modalities are likely to be most informative in particular patients.
Fertility of Immigrants
by Nadja MilewskiThis book examines fertility patterns of post-war labor migrants and their descendants in Germany. It includes an introduction to the post-war migration history of Germany and a thorough review of the international literature on fertility of migrants and cultural sub-groups. The author uses data from the German Socio-economic Panel Study and applies event-history techniques to test a set of competing hypotheses derived from the literature. The analysis finds evidence for the effects of adaptation, socialization and composition, as well as for an interrelation of events. It does not however find evidence for a disruptive influence of migration on childbearing behavior. The book shows the advantages of a longitudinal research design over the conventional cross-sectional approach and sets a new standard for research on the fertility of international migrants and their descendants in western European receiving societies.
Spine Trauma
by Courtney W. Brown Evalina Burger Vikas V. PatelSpinal surgeons treat spinal trauma patients on a regular basis in their hospital emergency rooms. This well-illustrated, hands-on guide to the many surgical techniques required in these situations provides a solid basis for the management of spinal trauma.
Molecular Biology of the SARS-Coronavirus
by Sunil K. LalThe SARS outbreak in 2002 caused unprecedented devastation and exhibited unusually high rates of morbidity and mortality. For the SARS coronavirus, the transmission vehicle was man. What added to the spread was man's convenient, rapid and affordable ways of travel that caused the virus to spread globally in a short span of time. The SARS coronavirus jumped the species barrier, similar to many recent zoonotic diseases - avian flu, swine flu, Nipah and encephalitis virus. It is extremely important for us to understand the enemy before it strikes again in order to be able to combat such outbreaks as and when they occur. Molecular mechanisms that the virus exploits within its host and that result in infection and pathogenesis are the key to being able to block its transmission cycle. In this book, leading scientists from around the globe have discussed molecular aspects of viral entry, replication, viral gene expression, pathogenesis and host immune response against the SARS coronavirus.
Soil Engineering
by Athanasios P. Dedousis Thomas BartzanasThe agricultural world has changed significantly during the last years. The excessive use of heavy machinery, waste disposal, the use of agrochemicals and new soil cultivation means led to severe problems, which agricultural engineers have to cope with in order to prevent soil from permanent irreversible damage. This Soil Biology volume will update readers on several cutting-edge aspects of sustainable soil engineering including topics such as: soil compaction, soil density increases, soil disturbance and soil fragmentation; soil tillage machineries and optimization of tillage tools; soil traffic and traction, effects of heavy agricultural machines, the use of robotics in agriculture and controlled traffic farming; mechanical weed control, the characterization of soil variability and the recycling of compost and biosolids in agricultural soils.
Postnatal Development of the Human Hippocampal Formation
by Ricardo Insausti Sandra Cebada-Sánchez Pilar MarcosThis monograph intends to introduce the postnatal development of morphological features relevant to the reader interested in the neurobiology and pathology of the hippocampal formation in the complex phenomena underlying the progressive anatomical and functional maturation of this brain region. This review is focused in the morphological aspects, while more detailed basic phenomena of neuronal maturation, no doubt, of great interest, will be only marginally referred to, although a selection of behavioral and clinical aspects will be briefly addressed too as an attempt to illustrate real situations in different clinical specialties.
Malassezia and the Skin
by Peter Mayser Aristea Velegraki Teun Boekhout Eveline Guého-KellermannThis book, written by a group of acknowledged experts, is the first comprehensive overview on the very unusual yeasts of the genus Malassezia. All relevant aspects of the genus and its 13 species are covered in detail within 11 chapters. The first chapter reviews the long and controversial history of the genus, while the second describes all mycological characteristics of the different species, including media and techniques adapted to their isolation, description, and maintenance. Subsequent chapters methodically address issues such as the effect of Malassezia yeasts on human and animal health, and the current therapeutic approaches for Malassezia-induced or -exacerbated diseases. The last chapter provides a summary of data to be presented on a website that will be regularly updated, thus incorporating latest findings. Microbiologists, mycologists, dermatologists, and veterinarians will find this book a useful and up-to-date source of information.
Professionelle Beziehungen
by Heide OttenBei der Arbeitsmethode nach Balint steht die Arzt/Psychotherapeut-Patient-Beziehung im Fokus. Störungen dieser Beziehung wirken sich auf Diagnose und Therapie aus. Ärzten und Psychotherapeuten bietet die Balintgruppe eine strukturierte Möglichkeit des Austauschs. Die Autorin stellt die Methode u. a. anhand folgender Fragen vor: Wie werden Begegnungen mit Patienten dargestellt und wie gibt die Gruppe ihren Eindruck hierzu wieder? Wie entsteht ein Bild der Beziehung und wie ist es nutzbar? Wie erlangt man Sicherheit bei der Leitung von Balintgruppen?
Changing Cultures in Higher Education: Moving Ahead to Future Learning
by Ulf-Daniel Ehlers Dirk SchneckenbergMore and more educational scenarios and learning landscapes are developed using blogs, wikis, podcasts and e-portfolios. Web 2.0 tools give learners more control, by allowing them to easily create, share or reuse their own learning materials, and these tools also enable social learning networks that bridge the border between formal and informal learning. However, practices of strategic innovation of universities, faculty development, assessment, evaluation and quality assurance have not fully accommodated these changes in technology and teaching. Ehlers and Schneckenberg present strategic approaches for innovation in universities. The contributions explore new models for developing and engaging faculty in technology-enhanced education, and they detail underlying reasons for why quality assessment and evaluation in new - and often informal - learning scenarios have to change. Their book is a practical guide for educators, aimed at answering these questions. It describes what E-learning 2.0 is, which basic elements of Web 2.0 it builds on, and how E-learning 2.0 differs from Learning 1.0. The book also details a number of quality methods and examples, such as self-assessment, peer-review, social recommendation, and peer-learning, using illustrative cases and giving practical recommendations. Overall, it offers a step-by-step guide for educators so that they can choose their own quality assurance or assessment methods, or develop their own evaluation methodology for specific learning scenarios. The book addresses everyone involved in higher education - university leaders, chief information officers, change and quality assurance managers, and faculty developers. Pedagogical advisers and consultants will find new insights and practices for the integration and management of novel learning technologies in higher education. The volume fosters in lecturers and teachers a sound understanding of the need and strategy for change, and it provides them with practical recommendations on competence and quality methodologies.
Botulinum Toxin in Urology
by Christopher P. Smith Michael B. ChancellorBladder injection of onabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to neurogenic detrusor overactivity has recently been approved by regulatory agencies in several EU countries and by the FDA in the United States. This is the first book to focus on the practical application of botulinum toxin (BoNT) in the genitourinary tract. It covers in detail applications of BoNT in the bladder and the prostate and pelvic floor, with reviews of the latest clinical series and techniques in both adults and children. Appendices containing easy-to-read instructions for patients undergoing bladder and prostate BoNT injections are included, in addition to procedural guidelines for nursing staff. The book is written in a concise, clinically relevant style by two leading pioneers in the field, who were the first to undertake comprehensive basic research into the mechanisms underlying the efficacy and potential uses of BoNT within the lower urinary tract.