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Academic Press

  • Soil and Water

    Physical Principles and Processes
    • 1st Edition
    • Daniel Hillel
    • English
    Soil and Water: Physical Principles and Processes describes the physical principles governing the soil-water system and particularly the sequence of processes constituting the cycle of water in the field. Organized into two parts, with a total of 11 chapters, this book first discusses the basic physical properties of both soil and water. Some chapters deal with the state of water in soil and flow of water in saturated and unsaturated soil. The second part focuses on the aspects of field water cycle, starting from the entry of water into soil to the redistribution of soil moisture. It also describes the groundwater drainage, evaporation from bare-surface soils, uptake of soil water by plants, and the water and energy balance in the field. This work is meant for students and professional workers in soil physics and other related disciplines who need or might be interested in a fundamental and up-to-date exposition of soil physics.
  • Rheology V1

    Theory and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Frederick Eirich
    • English
    Rheology: Theory and Applications, Volume 1 is a compilation of papers contributed by experts in the field of rheology - the science of deformation and flow. The collection provides the general concepts and laws of rheology. This volume contains chapters that discuss the concepts of rheology from the standpoint of physics and engineering; phases of the deformation of solids; mechanism of liquid flow, large elastic deformations, viscoelasticity, and melt flow; the rheology of disperse systems; and acoustic responses of liquids. Materials scientists, geophysicists, physiologists, biologists, and pharmacists will find the book very informative.
  • Plant Pathology

    • 3rd Edition
    • George N. Agrios
    • English
    Plant Pathology, Third Edition, provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of plant pathology, incorporating important new developments in the field. The present volume also follows closely the organization and format of the Second Edition. It includes two new chapters, ""Plant Disease Epidemiology"" and ""Applications of Biotechnology in Plant Pathology."" Extensively updated new information has been added about the history of plant pathology, the stages in the development of disease, the chemical weapons of attack by pathogens, and the genetics of plant disease. The book is organized into three parts. Part I discusses basic concepts such as classification of plant diseases; parasitism and disease development; how pathogens attack plants; effects of pathogens on plant physiology; plant defenses against pathogens; and genetics, epidemiology, and control of plant diseases. Part II on specific plant diseases covers diseases caused by fungi, prokaryotes, parasitic higher plants, viruses, nematodes, and flagellate protozoa. Part III deals with applications of biotechnology in plant pathology.
  • Human Intestinal Microflora in Health and Disease

    • 1st Edition
    • David J. Hentges
    • English
    Human Intestinal Microflora in Health and Disease deals with human indigenous intestinal flora, the vast assemblage of microorganisms that reside in the intestinal tract. It contains information on the composition of the flora, its development, metabolic activities, importance to the host, and the consequences of upsetting its ecology. The book is organized into four parts. Part I examines the composition and development of intestinal flora. Part II deals with the metabolic activities of intestinal microflora. These include studies on carbohydrate metabolism in the human colon; the compounds used as nitrogen sources by gastrointestinal tract bacteria; and metabolic transformations of xenobiotic compounds carried out by intestinal flora. Part III examines the importance of intestinal microflora, including its role in intestinal structure and function and in suppressing the growth of pathogens. Part IV discusses the factors that can disrupt the ecology of intestinal microflora, such as antimicrobial agents, pseudomembranous colitis, and dietary and environmental stress. The research presented in this book will be of interest to both basic scientists and physicians concerned with the effects of the intestinal flora on human life.
  • Seed Biology

    Importance, Development, and Germination
    • 1st Edition
    • T.T. Kozlowski
    • English
    Seed Biology, Volume I: Importance, Development, and Germination is a part of a three-volume treatise, which aims to bring together a large body of important information on seed biology. Organized into six chapters, this book begins with a discussion on the importance and characteristics of seeds. Separate chapters follow that discuss the development of gymnosperm and angiosperm seeds, as well as the anatomical mechanisms of seed dispersal. Other chapters focus on the morphogenetic events involved in the germination and the scientific basis for the concept of physiological predetermination or seedling vigor, including the potential application of this concept in agriculture, forestry, and management of natural resources. This work will be useful to various groups of research biologists and teachers, including plant anatomists, pathologists, and physiologists as well as agronomists, biochemists, ecologists, entomologists, foresters, and horticulturists.
  • Momentum Transfer in Fluids

    • 1st Edition
    • Wm.H. Corcoran
    • English
    Momentum Transfer in Fluids provides information pertinent to fluid mechanics. This book discusses several topics related to the movement of fluids, including boundary-layer analysis, statistical treatment of turbulence, as well as laminar and turbulent shear-flow. Comprised of seven chapters, this book starts with an overview of the physical nature of momentum and describes the application of this concept to systems of variable weight, which are useful in the prediction of the physical behavior of fluids in motion. This text then explores the fundamental properties and the macroscopic aspects of turbulent flow. Other chapters present the significance and utility of mixing length and other macroscopic turbulence parameters. This book discusses as well the prediction of the velocity and friction as functions of position in the flowing stream. The final chapter deals with the qualitative aspects of boundary flows for compressible and incompressible fluids. This book is a valuable resource for scientists and chemical engineers.
  • Ethylenimine and Other Aziridines

    Chemistry and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • O Dermer
    • English
    Ethylenimine and Other Aziridines: Chemistry and Applications deals with the chemistry and applications of ethylenimine and other aziridines. Topics covered include the formation of the aziridine ring as well as the physical and biological properties of aziridines, their polymerization and polymers, and handling and storage. Analytical methods for aziridines and derivatives are also presented. Comprised of eight chapters, this book begins with a discussion on the formation of the aziridine ring through the unimolecular rearrangement of a vicinally substituted amine to an iminium salt; intramolecular displacement by carbanions; elimination-addition reactions; and intramolecular insertion reactions. The next chapter focuses on the thermal, mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties of aziridines, together with properties involving interaction with radiation. The reactions of aziridines, such as ring-preserving and ring-destroying reactions, are also considered. Subsequent chapters explore the polymerization and polymers of aziridines, along with their industrial uses and biological properties. The final chapter is devoted to handling and storage of aziridines in light of their toxicity. This monograph will be of value to students and researchers in the field of chemistry.
  • Relativity Reexamined

    • 1st Edition
    • Mohhamad Reza Kiani
    • English
    Relativity Reexamined examines relativity from a new angle and with an unconventional perspective. Topics covered range from quantum theory and relativity to gravitation and relativity quantized atomic clocks, as well as special relativity Doppler effect and spherical symmetry. A distinction is also made between mathematical coordinates and physical frames of reference. This book is comprised of eight chapters and begins by considering the development of scientific theories in general, citing examples to show how scientists' viewpoints have progressively changed. Some of the problems that have emerged, and which even Albert Einstein was unable to foresee, are highlighted. The first chapter reviews the historical sequence of events that led to quantum theory and relativity, while the second chapter focuses on some problems about restricted relativity, paying particular attention to the meaning of potential energy and the importance of field theory in relativistic theories. The following chapters analyze a variety of experimental evidences that challenge many basic assumptions in theoretical physics, focusing on the fundamental importance of the Mössbauer effect and of atomic clocks; the link between gravitation and relativity; classical problems of theoretical mechanics; and special relativity Doppler effect. A gravistatic problem with spherical symmetry is also described. This monograph will be of interest to physicists and students of physics.
  • Sex Selection of Children

    • 1st Edition
    • Neil G. Bennett
    • English
    Sex Selection of Children explores the strategies used to control the sex of children, the conditions under which a couple would employ a given technique, and the technology to achieve their desired family composition. It also considers the social consequences of sex-selection techniques, the legal factors that might impinge on the use of such a technology, and the ethical considerations associated with its use. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of some of the more humorous past approaches to sex selection. It then discusses the effects of sex selection on fertility, sex selection by means of amniocentesis and selective abortion, and the theorized link between the timing of fertilization and the sex ratio of offspring. A chapter considers a decision-making model that describes the use of sex-selection techniques by couples who wish to have a specific number of children over their entire childbearing period, while another chapter analyzes the economics of sex preference and selection. The remaining chapters address the parental preferences about the sexes of their offspring in different societies, the legal aspects of prenatal sex selection, a moral policy for sex choice, and the ethics and public policy on sex choice. This book is a valuable resource for specialists involved in fields ranging from sociology and economics to biology, public health, law, and ethics.
  • Mathematical methods in Nuclear reactor Dynamics

    • 1st Edition
    • Ziya Akcasuh
    • English
    Mathematical Methods in Nuclear Reactor Dynamics covers the practical and theoretical aspects of point-reactor kinetics and linear and nonlinear reactor dynamics. The book, which is a result of the lectures given at the University of Michigan, is composed of seven chapters. The opening chapter of the book describes various physical phenomena influencing the temporal behavior of neutrons to provide insights into the physics of reactor dynamics and the interrelationships between various diverse phenomena. The text then presents a set of equations, called point kinetic equation, which describes the time behavior of the total power generated in the medium. The book also provides a short discussion on Gyftopoulos modification and Becker’s formulation. The next chapters explore the exact methods for solving the feedback-free point kinetic equations for a number of reactivity insertions and the validity of the various approximate methods of solution. The book also examines the derivation of models for a certain reactor type and briefly discusses the validity of these models in certain cases against experimental data. A chapter focuses on a concise presentation of the stability theory of linear systems with feedback. Lastly, the concepts of stability in nonlinear reactor systems and the criteria for asymptotic stability in the large as well as in a finite domain of initial disturbances are covered in the concluding chapter. The text is an ideal source for nuclear engineers and for those who have adequate background in reactor physics and operational and applied mathematics.