Science & Nature - Books

The Tree of the Sephiroth

Science & Nature

«The Tree of the Sephiroth” is a work by Manly Palmer Hall in which he describes and gives full descriptions of classic term for the central mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism, also known as the 10 Sephirot. This doctrine and kabbalists believe the Tree of Life to be a diagrammatic representation of the process by which the Universe came into being.

Dependable IoT for Human and Industry

Science & Nature

There are numerous publications which introduce and discuss the Internet of Things (IoT). In the midst of these, this work has several unique characteristics which should change the reader’s perspective, and in particular, provide a more profound understanding of the impact of the IoT on society. Dependable IoT for Human and Industry covers the main aspects of Internet of Things and IoT based systems such as global issues of applications, modeling, development and implementation of dependable IoT for different human and industry domains. Technical topics discussed in the book include:  Introduction in Internet of vital and trust Things Modelling and assessment techniques for dependable and secure IoT systems Architecting and development of IoT systems Implementation of IoT for smart cities and drone fleets; business and blockchain, transport and industry Training courses and education experience on Internet and Web of ThingThe book contains chapters which have their roots in the International Conference IDAACS 2017, and Workshop on Cyber Physical Systems and IoT Dependability CyberIoT-DESSERT 2017.

Face au changement climatique

Science & Nature

Informer, sensibiliser, agir : une scientifique face au changement climatique.De la calotte du Groenland au cycle de l'eau dans l'Antarctique : un parcours exemplaire.Quantifier les variations passées du climat et du cycle de l'eau atmosphérique à partir d'archives naturelles, utiliser ces informations pour évaluer les modèles de climat, mieux anticiper les changements à venir et prendre la mesure de l'influence humaine : telles sont les grandes lignes des travaux de recherche de Valérie Masson-Delmotte. Revenant sur sa participation à de grands projets menés notamment au Groenland, elle restitue également son expérience au sein du GIEC, en tant que co-présidente d'un des groupes de travail, de 2015 à 2023.Tout au long de son parcours professionnel, elle a pris conscience de la nécessité de s'engager pour la démocratisation et l'appropriation des connaissances scientifiques vis-à-vis du changement climatique, et des leviers d'action permettant d'en limiter les risques. Elle multiplie les prises de parole publiques, œuvre à la formation des décideurs, et mène des actions au quotidien. Avec ce livre, elle nous fait mesurer l'importance des sciences du climat pour être acteurs et actrices de ces transformations.

Crescita

Science & Nature

La crescita è da sempre un obiettivo, dichiarato o implicito, degli sforzi individuali e collettivi. In questo libro Vaclav Smil offre un’indagine sistematica della crescita nella natura e nella società, dai microrganismi agli imperi e alle civiltà. Smil accompagna i lettori a partire dalle invasioni batteriche, passando per il metabolismo animale e arrivando alle megalopoli e all'economia globale. Inizia con organismi di dimensioni microscopiche, fino all’evoluzione di esseri viventi sempre più grandi e alla crescita umana dall’infanzia all’età adulta. Dalla biologia alla tecnologia, il libro percorre la storia della vita sulla Terra, dedicando ampio spazio all'evoluzione della capacità di produrre energia e manufatti che favoriscono attività economiche, segnando progressi essenziali per la civiltà. Infine, guarda alla crescita nei sistemi complessi, dalle popolazioni umane fino alle città. La dinamica della civiltà moderna, guidata dagli imperativi opposti della crescita materiale e dei limiti della biosfera, resta incerta e difficile da governare: verso quale futuro si avvia il mondo? Una crescita senza fine non è sostenibile per una realtà fatta da risorse finite.

Complex Networks & Their Applications IX

Science & Nature

This book highlights cutting-edge research in the field of network science, offering scientists, researchers, students and practitioners a unique update on the latest advances in theory and a multitude of applications. It presents the peer-reviewed proceedings of the IX International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications (COMPLEX NETWORKS 2020). The carefully selected papers cover a wide range of theoretical topics such as network models and measures; community structure, network dynamics; diffusion, epidemics and spreading processes; resilience and control as well as all the main network applications, including social and political networks; networks in finance and economics; biological and neuroscience networks and technological networks.

Wie man Männer in Schweine verwandelt und wie man sich vor solch üblen Tricks schützt

Science & Nature

Erst mit dem rasanten Aufschwung der phytochemischen und pharmakologischen Forschung in den letzten Jahrzehnten begann man sich zu fragen, ob hinter dem einen oder anderen Abenteuer fabulierender Abenteuer wie die des Odysseus nicht mehr stecken könnte, als es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Und man wurde fündig: Eine ganze Reihe wunderbarer Geschehnisse lassen sich inzwischen mit unserem zunehmendem Wissen über Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe und ihre Wirkung auf Körper und Geist - aber auch durch Fossilfunde und zoologische Erkenntnisse - naturwissenschaftlich erklären. Es werden einige dieser naturwissenschaftlichen Erklärungen für die Einäugigkeit der Zyklopen und Kirkes Zaubereien vorgestellt, dabei aber nicht auf die Antike beschränkt, sondern auch gelegentlich Abstecher in jüngere Zeiten unternommen: zu den seit dem Spätmittelalter gängigen Drogenexzessen, für die Hexen auf den Scheiterhaufen geschickt wurden, oder in die Neuzeit, zu den Hippies und in die Welt des Comics, und uns mit der Zusammensetzung von Miraculix'' Zaubertrank beschäftigen.Dr. Monika Niehaus, Biologin, arbeitet freiberuflich als Autorin, Journalistin und naturwissenschaftliche Übersetzerin. Neben mehreren Sachbüchern in Zusammenarbeit mit Kollegen veröffentlichte sie belletristische Bücher und Kurzgeschichten.

Plant Biotechnology, Volume 2

Science & Nature

This volume is the second of the new two-volume Plant Biotechnology set. This volume covers many recent advances in the development of transgenic plants that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alternative energy strategies, microbial biofertilizers and biopesticides, and disease diagnostics through plant biotechnology. With the advancements in plant biotechnology, many of the customary approaches are out of date, and an understanding of new updated approaches is needed. This volume presents information related to recent methods of genetic transformation, gene silencing, development of transgenic crops, biosafety issues, microbial biotechnology, oxidative stress, and plant disease diagnostics and management. Key features: Provides an in-depth knowledge of various techniques of genetic transformation of plants, chloroplast, and fungus Describes advances in gene silencing in plants Discusses transgenic plants for various traits and their application in crop improvement Looks at genetically modified foods and biodiesel production Describes biotechnological approaches in horticultural and ornamental plants Explores the biosafety aspect associated with transgenic crops Considers the role of microbes in sustainable agriculture

Space Science & Technology in China: A Roadmap to 2050

Science & Nature

As one of the eighteen field-specific reports comprising the comprehensive scope of the strategic general report of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this sub-report addresses long-range planning for developing science and technology in the field of space science. They each craft a roadmap for their sphere of development to 2050. In their entirety, the general and sub-group reports analyze the evolution and laws governing the development of science and technology, describe the decisive impact of science and technology on the modernization process, predict that the world is on the eve of an impending S&T revolution, and call for China to be fully prepared for this new round of S&T advancement. Based on the detailed study of the demands on S&T innovation in China's modernization, the reports draw a framework for eight basic and strategic systems of socio-economic development with the support of science and technology, work out China's S&T roadmaps for the relevant eight basic and strategic systems in line with China's reality, further detail S&T initiatives of strategic importance to China's modernization, and provide S&T decision-makers with comprehensive consultations for the development of S&T innovation consistent with China's reality. Supported by illustrations and tables of data, the reports provide researchers, government officials and entrepreneurs with guidance concerning research directions, the planning process, and investment. Founded in 1949, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the nation's highest academic institution in natural sciences. Its major responsibilities are to conduct research in basic and technological sciences, to undertake nationwide integrated surveys on natural resources and ecological environment, to provide the country with scientific data and consultations for government's decision-making, to undertake government-assigned projects with regard to key S&T problems in the process of socio-economic development, to initiate personnel training, and to promote China's high-tech enterprises through its active engagement in these areas.

Uma ecologia decolonial

Science & Nature

É para cuidar da ferida aberta pelas inúmeras crises engendradas pelo sistema capitalista que o martinicano Malcom Ferdinand propõe uma ecologia decolonial, uma abordagem interseccional extremamente sagaz que reúne o ecológico com o pensamento decolonial, antirracista, em uma crítica contundente ao "habitar colonial da Terra". Nesta análise urgente, Ferdinand critica o que chama de "dupla fratura colonial e ambiental da modernidade", de que resultam, por um lado, as teorias ecologistas que desconsideram o legado do colonialismo e da escravidão; por outro, os movimentos sociais e antirracistas que negligenciam a questão animal e ambiental. Como mostra o autor, tal fratura só enfraquece as demandas desses movimentos, uma vez que a exploração do ser humano e da natureza caminham lado a lado. Para tanto, escolhe como centro de seu pensamento as regiões caribenhas, com seus modos de vida crioulos e suas formas de resistência – entre elas a marronagem, uma estratégia de aquilombamento para fora do mundo colonial. Com um prefácio de Angela Davis que situa historicamente o conceito de justiça ambiental, esta obra oferece uma aproximação para pensar um naviomundo que não mais atire algumas pessoas no porão, condenandoas a uma sobrevida precária sujeita a doenças, fome e morte, enquanto oferece a outras a perspectiva de uma viagem segura e lucrativa no convés, possibilitada justamente pelo assujeitamento daqueles no porão. O livro recebeu o prêmio da fundação de ecologia política de 2019

Splitting The Atom

Science & Nature

Learn about the process of Splitting The Atom with iMinds insightful knowledge series.The possibility of the existence of the atom has fascinated scientists for centuries. To begin with, it was more of a logical belief than scientific fact. But the belief in its existence is what motivated a number of people to develop the knowledge we now have about the atom. Ernest Rutherford, with the help of Ernest Walton and John Cockroft, first managed to split the atom in 1932. But they could not have done so without the wealth of information others had passed down to them.In the early 19th century, English scientist John Dalton first changed atomic theory from a vague idea into a more concise mathematical framework. He argued that all atoms of a given element must be identical to each other and that all chemical compounds are formed as a result of a combination of two or more different kinds of atoms. But one of the major hurdles was that nobody could actually see the atom. iMinds brings targeted knowledge to your eReading device with short information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

Homeopathic First Aid for Domestic Fowl: Accidents, Emergencies and Common Ailments

Science & Nature

NEW! Probably the most comprehensive guide to the homeopathic treatment of birds that is currently available, this eBook is a first-aid guide to the treatment of accidents, emergencies and common ailments in domestic fowl (poultry). All species respond well to homeopathy and birds are no exception. However, little has hitherto been written about their homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy sits well with organic enterprises, in which the residues of conventional drugs are discouraged where compatible with animal welfare. All species are covered, including chickens (cockerels and hens), geese, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, pheasants, partridge, quail, bantams, peafowl, budgerigars, canaries, birds of prey (raptors), doves, racing pigeons and carrier pigeons.

Knowledge in Translation

Science & Nature

In the second millennium CE, long before English became the language of science, the act of translation was crucial for understanding and disseminating knowledge and information across linguistic and geographic boundaries. This volume considers the complexities of knowledge exchange through the practice of translation over the course of a millennium, across fields of knowledge—cartography, health and medicine, material construction, astronomy—and a wide geographical range, from Eurasia to Africa and the Americas. Contributors literate in Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Minnan, Ottoman, and Persian explore the history of science in the context of world and global history, investigating global patterns and implications in a multilingual and increasingly interconnected world. Chapters reveal cosmopolitan networks of shared practice and knowledge about the natural world from 1000 to 1800 CE, emphasizing both evolving scientific exchange and the emergence of innovative science. By unraveling the role of translation in cross-cultural communication, Knowledge in Translation highlights key moments of transmission, insight, and critical interpretation across linguistic and faith communities.

Éloge du conflit

Science & Nature

Dans les sociétés occidentales hyperformatées, l'idée même du conflit n'a plus de place. Les conceptions de la vie commune tendent vers l'intolérance à toute opposition. Le minoritaire doit se soumettre à la majorité et, de plus en plus, contestataires et dissidents semblent relever de l'" anormal ". Dans cet essai iconoclaste, Miguel Benasayag et Angélique del Rey explorent les racines et les effets délétères de cette idéologie. En refoulant les conflits, nos contemporains se laissent envahir par l'idéal de la transparence : toute opacité dans leurs relations devrait être éradiquée, car elle impliquerait l'altérité et, donc, l'ennemi potentiel. Une illusion dangereuse, à laquelle peuvent aussi succomber certains contestataires qui critiquent le système avec ses propres catégories : au lieu de s'affirmer comme des " autres ", sujets d'une multiplicité subversive, ils s'en tiennent à revendiquer des droits, confortant l'idée que les " valeurs " de l'idéologie dominante sont nécessairement désirables par tous. Analysant les différentes dimensions du conflit – entre nations, dans la société ou au sein même de l'individu –, les auteurs mettent à jour les ressorts profonds de la dérive conservatrice des sociétés postmodernes. Ils démontent aussi bien les illusions de la " tolérance zéro " que celles de la " paix universelle " : nier les conflits nés de la multiplicité, ceux dont la reconnaissance fait société, c'est mettre en danger la vie. Le refoulement du conflit ne peut conduire qu'à la violence généralisée, et l'enjeu auquel nous sommes tous confrontés est bien celui de l'assomption du conflit, " père de toutes choses " selon Héraclite.

La Singularité du vivant

Science & Nature

Depuis les domaines du digital et de la biologie moléculaire, on nous annonce que les différences entre le vivant et la machine, entre l’intelligence artificielle et l’intelligence animale, entre la vie artificielle et la vie tout court, seraient sur le point de s’effacer : tous les mécanismes biologiques pourraient enfin être révélés, modélisés, dépassés. De nouveaux démiurges nous font miroiter des existences libérées de toute limite, même de la mort. Le temps serait venu de se passer du monde réel et du vivant lui-même, désormais réductible à ses composants, à une mécanique. Derrière ces promesses de vie augmentée se cache en réalité toujours le même projet réactionnaire : celui de se débarrasser des corps pour accéder enfin à la "vraie" vie qui serait du côté des données et des algorithmes. Or, en assénant que « tout est information », le monde digital non seulement ignore mais écrase les singularités propres au monde du vivant et de la culture. Dans ce vaste processus d’artefactualisation du monde et de la vie, la carte prend possession du territoire. Et c'est nos possibilités mêmes d’agir, de penser, de désirer et d’aimer qui sont mises à mal. Contre cette menace, Miguel Benasayag invite à penser la singularité radicale du vivant, à envisager un mode d’hybridation entre la technique et les organismes qui ne soit pas une brutale assimilation. Cela passe par la production d’un nouvel imaginaire, d’un nouveau paradigme capable de nous aider à étudier rationnellement ce qui, dans la complexité propre au vivant et à la culture, n’est pas réductible au modèle informatique dominant.

Discovering Mars

Science & Nature

For millenia humans have considered Mars the most fascinating planet in our solar system. We’ve watched this Earth-like world first with the naked eye, then using telescopes, and, most recently, through robotic orbiters and landers and rovers on the surface.Historian William Sheehan and astronomer and planetary scientist Jim Bell combine their talents to tell a unique story of what we’ve learned by studying Mars through evolving technologies. What the eye sees as a mysterious red dot wandering through the sky becomes a blurry mirage of apparent seas, continents, and canals as viewed through Earth-based telescopes. Beginning with the Mariner and Viking missions of the 1960s and 1970s, space-based instruments and monitoring systems have flooded scientists with data on Mars’s meteorology and geology, and have even sought evidence of possible existence of life-forms on or beneath the surface. This knowledge has transformed our perception of the Red Planet and has provided clues for better understanding our own blue world.Discovering Mars vividly conveys the way our understanding of this other planet has grown from earliest times to the present. The story is epic in scope—an Iliad or Odyssey for our time, at least so far largely without the folly, greed, lust, and tragedy of those ancient stories. Instead, the narrative of our quest for the Red Planet has showcased some of our species’ most hopeful attributes: curiosity, cooperation, exploration, and the restless drive to understand our place in the larger universe. Sheehan and Bell have written an ambitious first draft of that narrative even as the latest chapters continue to be added both by researchers on Earth and our robotic emissaries on and around Mars, including the latest: the Perseverance rover and its Ingenuity helicopter drone, which set down in Mars’s Jezero Crater in February 2021.

The End of Eden

Science & Nature

New Yorker Best Book of the Year "Exquisite."-DAVID WALLACE-WELLS "At once an elegy and an exhortation."-ELIZABETH KOLBERT "A book that goes deeper than any before into the meaning of the climate breakdown for all the rest of creation."-BILL McKIBBEN "Celebratory and heartbreaking."-DAVID GEORGE HASKELL A revelatory exploration of climate change from the perspective of wild species and natural ecosystems--an homage to the miraculous, vibrant entity that is life on Earth. The stories we usually tell ourselves about climate change tend to focus on the damage inflicted on human societies by big storms, severe droughts, and rising sea levels. But the most powerful impacts are being and will be felt by the natural world and its myriad species, which are already in the midst of the sixth great extinction. Rising temperatures are fracturing ecosystems that took millions of years to evolve, disrupting the life forms they sustain--and in many cases driving them towards extinction. The natural Eden that humanity inherited is quickly slipping away. Although we can never really know what a creature thinks or feels, The End of Eden invites the reader to meet wild species on their own terms in a range of ecosystems that span the globe. Combining classic natural history, firsthand reportage, and insights from cutting-edge research, Adam Welz brings us close to creatures like moose in northern Maine, parrots in Puerto Rico, cheetahs in Namibia, and rare fish in Australia as they struggle to survive. The stories are intimate yet expansive and always dramatic. An exquisitely written and deeply researched exploration of wild species reacting to climate breakdown, The End of Eden offers a radical new kind of environmental journalism that connects humans to nature in a more empathetic way than ever before and galvanizes us to act in defense of the natural world before it's too late.

Madagascar dans la tourmente

Science & Nature

Début 2009, Madagascar est entré dans une crise politique profonde. Les effets de cette crise sur les populations et les filières de production sont très peu documentés. Cet ouvrage présente les analyses et résultats d'une des rares études à avoir évalué ces effets dans les zones rurales du pays. Les filières du riz, du lait, de la vanille ont été particulièrement affectés par les décisions politiques durant cette période.

Materia tuturor lucrurilor

Science & Nature

„Fiorul descoperirii științifice capătă o semnificație reală." – The TimesUluitoarea poveste a fizicii secolului XX, relatată prin intermediul a 12 experimente revoluționare!Cum a reușit o foiță de aur să schimbe cu totul imaginea noastră despre atomi?Ce rol a jucat balonul cu aer cald în descoperirea radiației cosmice?Cum au contribuit la inventarea World Wide Webului experimentele premergătoare punerii în funcțiune a acceleratorului Large Hadron Collider?În Materia tuturor lucrurilor, dr. Suzie Sheehy ne face cunoștință cu oamenii care, printr-o combinație de geniu, persistență și noroc, au pus în operă experimentele revoluționare din secolul XX care au schimbat cursul istoriei. De la descoperirea întâmplătoare a razelor X într-un mic laborator din Germania la oamenii de știință care au încercat să arate că Einstein s-a înșelat (demonstrând fără voia lor că avusese dreptate), până la cursa pentru scindarea atomului, Sheehy ne arată felul în care cei mai străluciți fizicieni experimentaliști au influențat nenumărate aspecte ale vieții din zilele noastre. Radioul, televiziunea, telefoanele inteligente, instalațiile RMN, echipamentele radar și cuptoarele cu microunde, printre multe altele – toate acestea au devenit posibile ca urmare a hotărârii de a înțelege și a controla lumea microscopică.Cartea de față prilejuiește o relatare fascinantă a experimentelor surprinzătoare și, uneori, accidentale, care neau transformat lumea, precum și o celebrare a creativității și curiozității celor aflați în spatele acestor experimente.

Use of AI, Robotics and Modelling tools to fight Covid-19

Science & Nature

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global at a colossal scale. With worldwide reported cases of 5.34 million it has led to severe impact on humanity. Being a highly contagious disease, it has given global health services their most severe challenge. Various countries are fighting to minimize the losses due to the outbreak, however a common trait is enforcing lockdown, which has become the main defence mechanism. Researchers are working around the clock to find a breakthrough in the diagnostics and treatment of the pandemic.AI technology is useful for fast drug development and treatment. In the starting phase of COVID-19 pandemic, the medical fraternity in China diagnosed the virus using computed tomography (CT) and X-ray images due to the limitation of testing kits. Deep learning neural network model have also been used for COVID-19 diagnosis. AI assisted intelligent humanoid robots can be used to reduce the human contact and spread of COVID-19. In Italy robots have been used for measuring blood pressure, oxygen saturation and temperature of patients. Robots have also found applications in disinfecting and sterilizing of public places, COVID-19 testing, food and medicine delivery as well as entertaining patients in hospitals and quarantine centers, thereby reducing the workload of doctors and nurses.Prediction of the spread of virus and providing the guidelines or prevention measures is another AI application in COVID-19. Kaggle and GitHub are the two websites where the real-time data of COVID-19 is aggregated. This includes confirmed cases, active cases, cured cases and deaths in each country. This data set can be used for predicting the active cases across different regions of the world so that appropriate amount of health infrastructure can be made available to these places.

Agricoltura e cambiamento climatico

Science & Nature

Oggi è sempre più evidente che i grandi problemi della nostra epoca (energia, ambiente, cambiamenti climatici, sicurezza alimentare) non possono essere compresi se considerati singolarmente; si tratta di problemi sistemici interconnessi che richiedono soluzioni sistemiche. I problemi sistemici comportano conseguenze dannose in molti ambiti diversi, tra i quali merita attenzione l'ambito agricolo, intendendo con ciò sia l'agricoltura che gli allevamenti. Il legame tra agricoltura industriale e cambiamenti climatici, ad esempio, è di grande importanza. Il nostro sistema agricolo attuale è allo stesso tempo vittima e carnefice della crisi climatica: essendo basato soprattutto sull'agricoltura di tipo chimico, espone il terreno ad eventi atmosferici estremi, come siccità e alluvioni. Fortunatamente esiste un'alternativa all'agricoltura industriale e cioè l'agroecologia, un insieme di tecniche agricole basate su principi ecologici adottati in tutto il mondo. Grazie a queste tecniche, è possibile coltivare cibi sani in modo sostenibile e decentralizzato, nel rispetto della biodiversità, delle comunità e dell'efficienza energetica.

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