springer netherlands feb 2010 (18 results)

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Stress Field of the Earth's Crust is based on lecture notes prepared for a course offered to graduate students in the Earth sciences and engineering at University of Potsdam. In my opinion, it will undoubtedly also become a standard reference book on the desk of most scientists working with rocks, such as geophysicists, structural geologists, rock mechanics experts, as well as geotechnical and petroleum en- neers. That is because this book is concerned with what is probably the most pe- liar characteristic of rock - its initial stress condition. Rock is always under a natural state of stress, primarily a result of the gravitational and tectonic forces to which it is subjected. Crustal stresses can vary regionally and locally and can reach in places considerable magnitudes, leading to natural or man-made mechanical failure. P- existing stress distinguishes rock from most other materials and is at the core of the discipline of 'Rock Mechanics', which has been developed over the last century. Knowledge of rock stress is fundamental to understanding faulting mechanisms and earthquake triggering, to designing stable underground caverns and prod- tive oil fields, and to improving mining methods and geothermal energy extraction, among others. Several books have been written on the subject, but none has atte- ted to be as all-encompassing as the one by Zang and Stephansson. 344 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Vietnam is a dynamic member of the community of Southeast Asian nations. Consistent with aspirations across the region, it is seeking to develop its higher education system as rapidly as possible. Vietnam's approach stands out, however, as being extremely ambitious. Indeed, it may be at risk of attempting to do too much too quickly. By 2020, for example, Vietnam expects its higher education system to be advanced by modern standards and highly competitive in international terms. This vision faces many challenges. The economy, though growing rapidly, remains reliant on the availability of unskilled labour and the exploitation of natural resources, and decision making in many areas of public life continues to be hamstrung by a legacy of over-regulation and centralised control. A large number of goals and objectives have been set for reform of the higher education system by 2020. The success of these reforms will have a major bearing on the future quality of the system. This sober assessment Vietnam's global competitiveness forms a backdrop to the subject matter of this book, that is, the state of Vietnam's higher education system. The book provides a comprehensive and scholarly review of various dimensions of the higher education system in Vietnam, including its recent history, its structure and governance, its teaching and learning culture, its research and research commercialisation environment, its socio-economic impact, its strategic planning processes, its progress with quality accreditation, and its experience of internationalisation and privatisation. 248 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book is the first in a series of planned volumes focused on preserving the character of the development of bioethics in particular cultural contexts. As the first of these volumes, Leo Pessini, Christian de Paul de Barchifontaine, and Fernando Lolas Stepke's work has succeeded well. It has brought together accounts by sch- ars who were crucial to the emergence of bioethics in the Ibero-American cultural domain. This trail-blazing work in the history of bioethics will be of enduring s- nificance. I am deeply in their debt for having shouldered this far from easy task. Bioethics is the product of very particular socio-historical developments. Most prominent among them have been (1) the secularization of the dominant culture of North America, Western Europe, and now Central and South America as well, (2) a deflation of the status and authority of physicians as moral authorities able to guide their own profession, and (3) the salience of a post-traditional animus that gives c- tral place to persons as isolated atomic sources of moral authority. Bioethics initially took shape in North America as a post-Christian, post-professional, post-traditional social movement. This bioethics sought to establish a moral discourse for the public forum, a moral practice able to give practical guidance in hospitals and other insti- tions, and a body of undergirding and justifying theoretical reflections. 420 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is an extraembryonic membrane which serves as a gas exchange surface and its function is supported by a dense capillary network. Because of its extensive vascularization and easy accessibility, the CAM has been broadly used to study the morpho-functional aspects of the angiogenesis process in vivo and to investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of action of pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic natural and synthetic molecules. The CAM is a suitable site for transplanting tissues, which can survive and develop in the CAM by peripheral anastomoses between graft and original CAM vasculature or by new angiogenic vessels grown from the CAM that invade the graft. While the formation of peripheral anastomoses between host and pre-existing donor vessels is the main, and the most common, mechanism involved in the revascularization of embryonic grafts, the growth of CAM-derived vessels into the graft is only stimulated in tumor grafts. The CAM has long been a favored system for the study of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis, because at this stage the chick immunocompetence system is not fully developed and the conditions for rejection have not been established. Tumors remain avascular for 72 h, after which they are penetrated by new blood vessels and begin a phase of rapid growth. Also, delivery of tumor cells onto the CAM allows the fine study of the effects of tumor derived angiogenic growth factors on blood vessel structure and functionality. The CAM may also used to verify the ability to inhibit the growth of capillaries by implanting tumors onto the CAM and by comparing tumor growth and vascularization with or without the administration of an anti-angiogenic molecule. Other studies using the tumor cells/CAM model have focused on the invasion of the chorionic epithelium and the blood vessels by tumor cells. The cells invade the epithelium and the mesenchymal connective tissue below, where they are found in the form of a dense bed of blood vessels, which is a target for intravasation. 136 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -'Polymeric and Nanostructured Macromolecules' presents the recent advances made in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of polymeric macromolecules.This book provides an excellent overview of the recent breakthroughs in the science of macromolecules, with an emphasis on nanostructured macromolecules and the perspectives that these versatile materials offer to different fields such as optoelectronics and biotechnology. Advanced undergraduate, graduate students and researchers alike will find the topics concerning physical and chemical properties of advanced macromolecular materials of great interest. 292 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Once again, our nation has a powerful need for a revolution devoted to creating scientists. As we face the challenges of climate change, global competitiveness, biodiversity loss, energy needs, and dwindling food supplies, we nd ourselves in a period where both scienti c literacy and the pool of next-generation scientists are dwindling. To solve these complex issues and maintain our own national security, we have to rebuild a national ethos based on sound science education for all, from which a new generation of scientists will emerge. The challenge is how to create this transformation. Those shaping national policy today, in 2009, need look no further than what worked a half-century ago. In1957,SputnikcircledandsentaclarioncallforAmericatobecometheworld's most technologically advanced nation. In 1958, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which focused the national will and called for scholars and teachers to successfully educate our youth in science, math, and engineering. It was during this time period that Paul F. Brandwein emerged as a national science e- cation leader to lay the foundation for the changes needed in American education to create the future scientists essential to the nation's well-being. 340 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Cancer is a chronic disease. There are increasing cancer survivors after curative cancer treatment and this makes supportive cancer care an important area that more attention is needed. Chinese medicine has a long history of practice; it has aroused much interest from both Oriental and Western countries. A number of laboratory evidences and clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness and ef cacies of Chinese medicine for supportive cancer care. This book attempts to take a comprehensive approach to overview the different areas of Chinese medicine for supportive cancer care. This book not only serves as an introduction to novices to the area and a useful reference for those already involved, but also serves as a stimulus to these and others to employ alternative approaches to current cancer care. Hong Kong William C. S. Cho December 2009 v Contents 1 Supportive Cancer Care Using Chinese Medicine . . . . . . . . . . 1 Raimond Wong and Stephen M. Sagar 2 Supportive Cancer Care with Acupuncture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Jaung-Geng Lin and Yi-Hung Chen 3 Chinese Medicinal Herbs Use in Managing Cancer . . . . . . . . . 55 Peter Dorsher and Zengfu Peng 4 Supportive Cancer Care with Qigong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Myeong Soo Lee, Kevin W. Chen and Edzard Ernst 5 Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Reduction of Discomfort and Side-Effects of Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Kok-Yang Tan, Xiaoxiu Wu and Francis Seow-Choen 6 Increasing Therapeutic Gain and Controlling Radiation-Induced Injuries with Asian Botanicals and Acupuncture 109 Stephen M. Sagar and Raimond K. Wong 7 Controlling Chemotherapy-Related Side Effects with Chinese Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cancer provides all the latest information on the possible benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) against a wide series of cancers. Several influential scientists in this field have contributed to make this bookunique amongst the others published so far in this field. The chapters give detailed information about the results obtained in this field through experimental studies conducted on both animals and cultured cells, as well as through human intervention trials and epidemiological observational studies. This book represents an important tool for researchers working in nutrition and oncology, since it collects all the knowledge about omega-3 PUFAs and cancer, even the most recent, in a single publication. For the first time controversies among the different studies are also covered with great detail in this book. The book enables physicians to clearly understand on a scientific basis if their oncologic patients or patients at risk of cancer could actually benefit from a diet enriched in omega-3 PUFAs or from a dietary supplementation with these fatty acids. The book represents also a good resource for ordinary individuals as well as cancer patients to learn more about omega-3 PUFAs and understand how these dietary components may affect cancer growth. 272 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The complex impact that man has on aquatic ecosystems creates a need for assessment systems that are able to adequately appraise and integrate the effects of various pressures. Chemical analysis alone can easily overlook some factors vital for life. With the adoption of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the year 2000 which defined the ecological status of surface water as ''. an expression of the quality of the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems associated with surface waters', biological indicators were brought to the forefront for the first time and became drivers to the water management practices.Assessment of ecological status and quantification of its relationships with anthropogenic pressures critically depend on knowledge of relevant biotic and abiotic settings and processes. Needs raised by the implementation of WFD have urged scientific research in many fields in order to find more stable and robust biological metrics and to diminish the uncertainty of assessment results. The number of WFD related scientific publications has increased linearly and exceeded 1500 in the year 2008. This book comprises a small set of this large flow of publications and is mainly focused on the development of biological assessment methods and intercalibration of the assessment results. 220 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The study of medical history is interesting in itself and may help to modify the view sometimes expressed that medical students and doctors are lacking in culture of any sort. Moreover, some historical perspective is often advantageous when one is considering the multitude of advances that are now taking place in the theory and practice of medicine.This book, containing a series of collected papers concerning immunology and pathology and vascular biology and angiogenesis, drives us through scientific milestones in the history of medicine in the course of the past two centuries and highlights the contribution of pioneering scientists whose discoveries have paved the way to many researchers working in the fields of cell biology, developmental biology, immunology, pathology, and oncology.This book will serve as a resource for scientists, historians of medicine and philosophers of science and medicine. 164 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The author of this book has been working in different types of karren landscapes for more than fifteen years. The book summarizes the scientific results of syst- atic observations made during field trips as well as the interpretation of the data collected in the sample localities of the high mountain karren area, and specifically in the European Alps, using modern analytical methods. This book is written for graduate students and university professors of a variety of disciplines such as Physical Geography, Karst Geomorphology, Carbonate Mineralogy, Geology, Environmental Engineering, Forestry, and Soil Science. The introductory chapter of this book underlines the importance of high mo- tain karren formation, in addition to charting the history of karren research at high altitude, and describes the major characteristics of high mountain karstification. Chapter 2 provides information regarding the research sites and methods. In Chapter 3, the general characteristics of the karren formation in different vegetation zones are discussed. In Chapter 4, the specific environment, morphology, formation and the development of the different high mountain karren forms are covered. 244 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -determined by an inability to move in response to touch. C. elegans develop through four larval stages following hatching and prior to adulthood. Adult C. elegans are reproductive for about the rst week of adulthood followed by approximately two weeks of post-reproductive adulthood prior to death. Life span is most commonly measured in the laboratory by maintaining the worms on the surface of a nutrie- agar medium (Nematode Growth Medium, NGM) with E. coli OP50 as the bacterial food source (REF). Alternative culture conditions have been described in liquid media; however, these are not widely used for longevity studies. Longevity of the commonly used wild type C. elegans hermaphrodite (N2) varies from 16 to 23 days under standard laboratory conditions (20 C, NGM agar, E. coli OP50 food source). Life span can be increased by maintaining animals at lower ambient temperatures and shortened by raising the ambient temperature. Use of a killed bacterial food source, rather than live E. coli, increases lifespan by 2-4 days, and growth of adult animals in the absence of bacteria (axenic growth or bac- rial deprivation) increases median life span to 32-38 days [3, 23, 24]. Under both standard laboratory conditions and bacterial deprivation conditions, wild-derived C. elegans hermaphrodites exhibit longevity comparable to N2 animals [25]. 404 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Drawing from a decade-long collaboration between Japan and Russia, this important volume presents the first major synthesis of current knowledge on the ecophysiology of the coniferous forests growing on permafrost at high latitudes. It presents ecological data for a region long inaccessible to most scientists, and raises important questions about the global carbon balance as these systems are affected by the changing climate.Making up around 20% of the entire boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, these 'permafrost forest ecosystems' are subject to particular constraints in terms of temperature, nutrient availability, and root space, creating exceptional ecosystem characteristics not known elsewhere. This authoritative text explores their diversity, structure, dynamics and physiology. It provides a comparison of these forests in relation to boreal forests elsewhere, and concludes with an assessment of the potential responses of this unique biome to climate change.The book will be invaluable to advanced students and researchers interested in boreal vegetation, forest ecology, silviculture and forest soils, as well as to researchers into climate change and the global carbon balance. 528 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The birth and the development of molecular biology and, subsequently, of genetic engineering and biotechnology cannot be separated from the advancements in our knowledge of the genetics, biochemistry and physiology of bacteria and bacter- phages. Also most of the tools employed nowadays by biotechnologists are of bacterial (or bacteriophage) origin and the playground for most of the DNA manipulations still remains within bacteria. The relative simplicity of the bacterial cell, the short gene- tion times, the well defined and inexpensive culturing conditions which characterize bacteria and the auto-catalytic process whereby a wealth of in-depth information has been accumulated throughout the years have significantly contributed to generate a large number of knowledge-based, reliable and exploitable biological systems. The subtle relationships between phages and their hosts have produced a large amount of information and allowed the identification and characterization of a number of components which play essential roles in fundamental biological p- cesses such as DNA duplication, recombination, transcription and translation. For instance, to remain within the topic of this book, two important players in the or- nization of the nucleoid, FIS and IHF, have been discovered in this way. Indeed, it is difficult to find a single fundamental biological process whose structural and functional aspects are better known than in bacteria. 460 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Environmental insults such as extremes of temperature, extremes of water status as well as deteriorating soil conditions pose major threats to agriculture and food security. Employing contemporary tools and techniques from all branches of science, attempts are being made worldwide to understand how plants respond to abiotic stresses with the aim to help manipulate plant performance that will be better suited to withstand these stresses. This book on abiotic stress attempts to search for possible answers to several basic questions related to plant responses towards abiotic stresses. Presented in this book is a holistic view of the general principles of stress perception, signal transduction and regulation of gene expression. Further, chapters analyze not only model systems but extrapolate interpretations obtained from models to crops. Lastly, discusses how stress-tolerant crop or model plants have been or are being raised through plant breeding and genetic engineering approaches. Twenty three chapters, written by international authorities, integrate molecular details with overall plant structure and physiology, in a text-book style, including key references. 568 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Forensic Entomology deals with the use of insects and other arthropods in medico legal investigations. We are sure that many people know this or a similar definition, maybe even already read a scientific or popular book dealing with this topic. So, do we really need another book on Forensic Entomology The answer is 13, 29, 31, 38, and 61. These are not some golden bingo numbers, but an excerpt of the increasing amount of annual publications in the current decade dealing with Forensic Entomology. Comparing them with 89 articles which were published d- ing the 1990s it illustrates the growing interest in this very special intersection of Forensic Science and Entomology and clearly underlines the statement: Yes, we need this book because Forensic Entomology is on the move with so many new things happening every year. One of the most attractive features of Forensic Entomology is that it is multid- ciplinary. There is almost no branch in natural science which cannot find its field of activity here. The chapters included in this book highlight this variety of researches and would like to give the impetus for future work, improving the dev- opment of Forensic Entomology, which is clearly needed by the scientific com- nity. On its way to the courtrooms of the world this discipline needs a sound and serious scientific background to receive the acceptance it deserves. 384 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This unique richly-illustrated account of the landforms and geology of the world's coasts, presented in a country-by-country (state-by-state) sequence, assembles a vast amount of data and images of an endangered and increasingly populated and developed landform. An international panel of 138 coastal experts provides information on 'what is where' on each sector of coast, together with explanations of the landforms, their evolution and the changes taking place on them. As well as providing details on the coastal features of each country (state or county) the compendium can be used to determine the extent of particular features along the world's coasts and to investigate comparisons and contrasts between various world regions. With more than 1440 color illustrations and photos, it is particularly useful as a source of information prior to researching or just visiting a sector of coast. References are provided to the current literature on coastal evolution and coastline changes. 1588 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condition: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Numbers imitate space, which is of such a di erent nature -Blaise Pascal It is fair to date the study of the foundation of mathematics back to the ancient Greeks. The urge to understand and systematize the mathematics of the time led Euclid to postulate axioms in an early attempt to put geometry on a rm footing. With roots in the Elements, the distinctive methodology of mathematics has become proof. Inevitably two questions arise: What are proofs and What assumptions are proofs based on The rst question, traditionally an internal question of the eld of logic, was also wrestled with in antiquity. Aristotle gave his famous syllogistic s- tems, and the Stoics had a nascent propositional logic. This study continued with ts and starts, through Boethius, the Arabs and the medieval logicians in Paris and London. The early germs of logic emerged in the context of philosophy and theology. The development of analytic geometry, as exempli ed by Descartes, ill- tratedoneofthedi cultiesinherentinfoundingmathematics. Itisclassically phrased as the question ofhow one reconciles the arithmetic with the geom- ric. Arenumbers onetypeofthingand geometricobjectsanother Whatare the relationships between these two types of objects How can they interact Discovery of new types of mathematical objects, such as imaginary numbers and, much later, formal objects such as free groups and formal power series make the problem of nding a common playing eld for all of mathematics importunate. Several pressures made foundational issues urgent in the 19th century. 2244 pp. Englisch.