ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: During the last decades, the monitoring and modelling of various geodynamic processes have gained ever increasing importance. In particular, temporal variations of the deformation and gravity fields recorded by new types of geodetic measuring techniques and reflecting isostatic, tectonic or volcanic processes in the earth's interior as well as climatologically induced changes on its surface have opened new avenues. The present volume succeeds a similar topical volume published in 2007 and reflects the most recent developments in these fields of research. Part of the papers in this book were presented at the second workshop on 'Deformation and Gravity Change: Indicators of Isostasy, Tectonics, Volcanism and Climate Change' that took place at the Casa de los Volcanes on Lanzarote, Spain, during March 27-30, 2007. It was jointly organized and supported by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, the Spanish Council for Scientific Research and the Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote. The workshop also served as the second meeting of the members of the IAG Working Group ICCT2 on 'Dynamic Theories of Deformation and Gravity Fields'.

Description / Table of Contents: Stress re-distribution as a result of exploitation of mineral, hydrocarbon, geothermal, and water resources cannot be eliminated. The effort must be directed to a better understanding of the underlying processes for the management of the hazard and risk associated with these operations. The study of induced seismicity has continually evolved over the past couple of decades, as underlined by both the number and complexity of applied studies required to satisfy the increased economic demands, assure the safety of the workforce and equipment, and protect the environment. A considerable effort has been put into the development of passive monitoring technology, specialized products and services being available for a wide range of applications. The recording of substantial high quality seismic data has stimulated the work on theoretical and practical aspects related to these applications, involving not only seismological knowledge, but also elements of rock mechanics, and an understanding of mining, geotechnical, and petroleum engineering. Pure and Applied Geophysics has largely contributed to raising the profile of induced seismicity research and its credibility. The range of specific analyses included in the present collection of studies expresses how powerful and resourceful passive seismic monitoring has become to so many applications. Seismic data are routinely evaluated for a series of development activities specific to each application. Engineering practice is continually improved based on trials and analyses of the ground response and stress levels, confirmed through the monitoring of seismicity. We are better equipped than ever to provide management decisions based on formalized, quantitative, and thus objective assessment.

Description / Table of Contents: This topical volume focuses on the most recent advances that have been achieved in relevant fields of research of nuclear test ban monitoring, including seismology, infrasound- and hydro-acoustics, as well as nuclear physics and atmospheric backtracking. This research has been presented during the special sessions on "Research and Development in Nuclear Explosion Monitoring" convened during the 2007 and 2008 General Assemblies of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The special sessions were introduced after the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Prepcom) had convened a scientific symposium in 2006 on "CTBT: Synergies with Science 1996-2006 and beyond" marking the tenth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the CTBT Treaty. With regard to the seismo-acoustic fields several papers provide important updates on advances made in these fields since publication of ‘Monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’ (see PAGEOPH topical volumes 158-159, 2001-2002). Moreover, this topical volume expands on these publications by including radionuclide and noble gas monitoring, as well as atmospheric transport modeling. In these two areas, significant progress has been made in recent years. Two papers studying the 2006 North Korean nuclear test elucidate how progress made in the relevant fields has allowed for a good understanding on the characteristics of this underground nuclear test.

Description / Table of Contents: Energy is intrinsic to urban settlements, embedded in the built environment, and directly used to power socio-economic activity, transport and communications, and enable the provision of municipal services. In response to the crucial role of urban energy efficiency for environmentally sustainable and inclusive development processes, ESMAP’s Energy Efficient Cities Initiative (EECI) was launched in October 2008 to facilitate the implementation of practical energy solutions that meet the development priorities of cities, and simultaneously build their climate resilience. Chapter 1 begins with a contextual background on the inter-related associations between energy, socio-economic progress and urbanization. This edited volume compiles seven topical papers presented at the two EECI sponsored sessions during the World Bank’s fifth Urban Research Symposium, held at Marseille, France, June 28-30, 2009. Chapters 2–8 comprise the papers presented at these sessions: i) tools and assessment approaches on energy efficient urban development, and ii) good practices that promote low carbon sectoral interventions. The analytical tools and policy insights offered in this volume extend from integrated assessments of new cities to the impacts of socio-economic, climate and demographic changes on existing cities. Sector-specific interventions are discussed in the context of tools to ‘green’ buildings in Australia, the transformation to efficient lighting systems in the Philippines, and Demand Responsive Transport Systems in France. In addition, the documentation and benchmarking of a variety of low-carbon and carbon neutral good practices provides a range of practical insights on plausible energy efficient interventions in urban sectors. Thus the chapters in this publication comprise significant contributions to the ESMAP objective of mainstreaming and leveraging knowledge and initiatives on urban energy efficiency. Following from them, the last chapter 9 provides a contextual overview of ESMAP’s programmatic priorities to support energy efficient urban growth, to be effected through EECI.

Description / Table of Contents: The Mesozoic Era begins with the approximately 50-million-year-long Triassic Period, a major juncture in Earth history when the vast Pangaean supercontinent completed its assembly and began its fragmentation, and the global biota diversified and modernized after the end-Permian mass extinction, the most extensive biotic decimation of the Phanerozoic. The temporal ordering of geological and biotic events during Triassic time thus is critical to the interpretation of some unique and pivotal events in Earth history. This temporal ordering is mostly based on the Triassic timescale, which has been developed and refined for nearly two centuries. This book reviews the state of the art of the Triassic timescale and includes comprehensive analyses of Triassic radio-isotopic ages, magnetostratigraphy, isotope-based and cyclostratigraphic correlations and timescale -relevant marine and non-marine biostratigraphy.

Description / Table of Contents: Natural stone is considered to be a versatile, durable and aesthetically pleasing building material. From the beginning of civilization, important structures and monuments have been built from, or based on, natural stone. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the use of local stone resources was mostly in balance with the local environment. Strict environmental legislation has resulted in the closing of many long-standing quarries in industrialized countries, which has led to a shortage of traditional stone varieties. This has caused problems for restoration practice. Cheap, imported stone from less industrialized countries has become more widely available in recent years. Some of the issues related to built stone conservation and restoration covered by this volume are: the establishment of inventories of possible replacement stones; understanding the decay mechanism and use of preventive conservation methods for slowing down decay processes; evaluation of the properties of natural stone; and assessing the risks of using replacement stones of different qualities.

Description / Table of Contents: Limestone is a highly successful and widely used building material, found in many important historic buildings and new monuments around the world. Whilst its success reflects its durability under a wide range of environmental conditions, there are still important questions surrounding the selection, use and conservation of building limestones. In order to make best use of new limestone today, and to conserve old limestone most effectively, we need to bring modern research methods to bear on understanding the characteristics of different limestones, what mortars to use, and how key limestones have responded to polluted atmospheres. This volume brings together recent inter-disciplinary research on these issues, illustrating the diversity of innovative techniques that are now being applied to furthering our understanding of building limestones.

Description / Table of Contents: The Zagros fold-thrust belt (ZFTB) extends from Turkey to the Hormuz Strait, resulting from the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates during Cenozoic times, and separates the Arabian platform from the large plateaux of central Iran. To the east a pronounced syntaxis marks the transition between the Zagros collision belt and the Makran accretionary wedge. In the ZFTB, the Proterozoic to Recent stratigraphic succession pile is involved in huge folds, and offers the opportunity to study the stratigraphic and tectonic evolution of the Palaeo-Tethyan margin. Few recent data were widely available on the southern Tethys margin preserved in the Zagros Mountains. The Middle East Basins Evolution (MEBE) program was an excellent opportunity to go back to the field and to collect new data to better constrain the evolution of this margin. In this volume the structure of the Zagros Mountains is explored through different scales and using different methodologies.

Description / Table of Contents: Several different databases and models have been developed over many years of petrological study carried out by several European and non-European groups on mantle xenoliths, peridotite massifs, ophiolites and mafic magmas spanning in age from Archaean to Recent times. This volume aims to bring together these different approaches and to integrate the geochemical perceptions of the European upper mantle. The papers include regional petrological studies of the European lithospheric mantle, from Spain to the Pannonian Basin, from Corsica and Serbia as far north as Svalbard. Six contributions are based on studies of mantle xenoliths, while the remaining three deal with ophiolitic and peridotitic complexes. A further article provides an update on the textural classification of mantle rocks using a computer-aided approach and there is an introductory overview.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume contains a collection of stratigraphic and diagenetic case studies of Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonate sequences from the Tethyan realm. High levels of industry and academic interest in the region have generated numerous multi-disciplinary studies of these sequences, a selection of which are presented in this volume. The studies presented are based on both comprehensive subsurface datasets from important hydrocarbon-bearing strata of the Middle East and the excellent surface exposures in the region of interest. The studies presented in this volume may serve as suitable starting points in the development of age and architecture specific carbonate reference models. Such models can form the basis of internally consistent models for carbonate deposition, sequence development and reservoir performance. Ideally such models, suitably scaled, will be equally applicable to academic studies, the exploration and development phases of the field life cycle and in the prediction of future reservoir performance.

Description / Table of Contents: During the last three decades geosciences and geo-engineering were influenced by two essential scenarios: First, the technological progress has changed completely the observational and measurement techniques. Modern high speed computers and satellite based techniques are entering more and more all geodisciplines. Second, there is a growing public concern about the future of our planet, its climate, its environment, and about an expected shortage of natural resources. Mathematics concerned with geoscientific problems, i.e., Geomathematics, is becoming increasingly important. The "Handbook of Geomathematics" as a central reference work in this area comprises the following scientific fields: (I) observational and measurement key technologies; (II) modelling of the system Earth (geosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere); (III) analytic, algebraic, and operator-theoretic methods; (IV) statistical and stochastic methods; (V) computational and numerical analysis methods; (VI) historical background and future perspectives.

Description / Table of Contents: As the hubs of economic activity, cities drive the vast majority of the world’s energy use and are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Because they are home to major infrastructure and highly concentrated populations, cities are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, warmer temperatures and fiercer storms. At the same time, better urban planning and policies can reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of urban infrastructure to climate change, thus shaping future trends. This book shows how city and metropolitan regional governments working in tandem with national governments can change the way we think about responding to climate change. The chapters analyse: trends in urbanisation, economic growth, energy use and climate change; the economic benefits of climate action; the role of urban policies in reducing energy demand, improving resilience to climate change and complementing global climate policies; frameworks for multilevel governance of climate change including engagement with relevant stakeholders; and the contribution of cities to “green growth”, including the “greening” of fiscal policies, innovation and jobs. The book also explores policy tools and best practices from both OECD and some non-member countries. Cities and Climate Change reveals the importance of addressing climate change across all levels of government. Local involvement through “climate-conscious” urban planning and management can help achieve national climate goals and minimise tradeoffs between environmental and economic priorities at local levels. The book will be relevant to policy makers, researchers, and others with an interest in learning more about urbanisation and climate change policy.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is intended to introduce the reader to examples of the range of practical problems posed by "Global Warming". It includes 11 chapters split into 5 sections. Section 1 outlines the recent changes in the Indian Monsoon, the importance of greenhouse gases to life, and the relative importance of changes in solar radiation in causing the changes. Section 2 discusses the changes to natural hazards such as floods, retreating glaciers and potential sea level changes. Section 3 examines planning cities and transportation systems in the light of the changes, while section 4 looks at alternative energy sources. Section 5 estimates the changes to the carbon pool in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The 11 authors come from 9 different countries, so the examples are taken from a truly international set of problems.

Description / Table of Contents: Air pollution is about five decades or so old field and continues to be a global concern. Therefore, the governments around the world are involved in managing air quality in their countries for the welfare of their citizens. The management of air pollution involves understanding air pollution sources, monitoring of contaminants, modeling air quality, performing laboratory experiments, the use of satellite images for quantifying air quality levels, indoor air pollution, and elimination of contaminants through control. Research activities are being performed on every aspect of air pollution throughout the world, in order to respond to public concerns. The book is grouped in five different sections. Some topics are more detailed than others. The readers should be aware that multi-authored books have difficulty maintaining consistency. A reader will find, however, that each chapter is intellectually stimulating. Our goal was to provide current information and present a reasonable analysis of air quality data compiled by knowledgeable professionals in the field of air pollution.

Description / Table of Contents: This special issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics is one of two volumes containing an augmented collection of papers originating from the Evison Symposium on Seismogenesis and Earthquake Forecasting held in Wellington, New Zealand, in February 2008. The volumes honor Frank Evison's interest in earthquake generation and forecasting. A biography of Frank Evison and a list of his publications is included, as well as review papers and new research papers in the field. The volume includes papers related to Frank's most abiding interest of precursory earthquake swarms. The research contributions cover a range of current forecasting methods such as the Epidemic-Type Aftershock model, the Every Earthquake a precursor According to Scale model, Pattern Informatics, Reverse Tracing of Precursors, stochastic models of elastic rebound, and methods for handling multiple precursors. The methods considered employ a variety of statistical approaches to using previous seismicity to forecast future earthquakes, including regional and global earthquake likelihood models and alarm-type forecasts. The forecast time-frames of interest range from the short time-frame associated with clustering of aftershocks to the long time-frame associated with recurrence of major earthquakes. A recurring theme is the assessment of forecasting performance, whether by likelihood scores, skill scores, error diagrams, or relative operating characteristic tests. The volume will be useful to students and professional researchers who are interested in the earthquake preparation process and in converting that understanding into forecasts of earthquake occurrence.

Description / Table of Contents: A wave is one of the basic physics phenomena observed by mankind since ancient time. The wave is also one of the most-studied physics phenomena that can be well described by mathematics. The study may be the best illustration of what is “science”, which approximates the laws of nature by using human defined symbols, operators, and languages. Having a good understanding of waves and wave propagation can help us to improve the quality of life and provide a pathway for future explorations of the nature and universe. This book introduces some exciting applications and theories to those who have general interests in waves and wave propagations, and provides insights and references to those who are specialized in the areas presented in the book.

Description / Table of Contents: The Earth is the only planet in our solar system that supports life. The complex process of evolution occurred on Earth only because of some unique environmental conditions that were present: water, an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and a suitable surface temperature. Climate change refers to a statistically significant variation in either the mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer). Thus, it requires field of attention towards reduction in the rise in atmospheric temperature, by controlling emitted greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in order to preserve natural resources and by introducing new technologies on alternative fuels. This book presents the fundamental effect on the origin of climate change, impacts over ice cap, melting of Arctic ice, rise in sea level and related technologies that can be implemented to cultivate our land for agriculture, growing forestation to reduce the impact of temperature rise and disaster on human being as well as on other livelihood. This also need to strive for novel policies that world leader should adopt.

Description / Table of Contents: Sediment Transport Processes and their Modelling Applications is a book which covers a wide range of topics. The effective management of many aquatic environments, requires a detailed understanding of sediment dynamics. This has both environmental and economic implications, especially where there is any anthropogenic involvement. Numerical models are often the tool used for predicting the transport and fate of sediment movement in these situations, as they can estimate the various spatial and temporal fluxes. However, the physical sedimentary processes can vary quite considerably depending upon whether the local sediments are fully cohesive, non-cohesive, or a mixture of both types. For this reason for more than half a century, scientists, engineers, hydrologists and mathematicians have all been continuing to conduct research into the many aspects which influence sediment transport. These issues range from processes such as scour, erosion and deposition, to how sediment process observations can be applied in sediment transport modelling frameworks. This book reports the findings from recent research in applied sediment transport which has been conducted in a wide range of aquatic environments. The research was carried out by researchers who specialise in the transport of sediments and related issues.

Description / Table of Contents: Natural processes and human activities alter the properties and quality of soils over time. Nowadays, the growing interest in soil protection prompts abundant research to estimate soil quality in wide-ranging environmental scenarios. The assessment of soil quality entails the evaluation of the capability of a soil to perform its functions in present scenarios but also how those functions can be preserved for future land use. Currently, soil processes, physical, chemical, and biological properties are recognized as indicators to estimate soil quality. Soil processes and current trends in quality assessment provides a wide depiction of current research conducted in soil quality assessment, encompassing general studies on soil processes, evaluation of significant indicators of soil quality such as soil organic matter dynamic and soil-plant interaction, while presenting diverse strategies for soil fitness amelioration.

Description / Table of Contents: Anatolia and the easternmost Mediterranean region, especially Turkey, Cyprus and northern Syria, represent an excellent natural laboratory for the study of fundamental geological processes (e.g. rifting, seafloor spreading, ophiolite genesis and emplacement, subduction, exhumation and collision). Their interaction has created an intriguing array of deep-sea basins, microcontinents and suture zones. The volume's 22 papers include a large amount of new field-based information (much of it multidisciplinary and the product of teamwork). After an overview, the volume is divided into four sections: Late Palaeozoic–Early Cenozoic of the Pontides (northern Turkey); Late Palaeozoic–Early Cenozoic of the Taurides–Anatolides (central and southern Turkey); Late Cretaceous–Pliocene sedimentary basins and structural development (central Anatolia to the Mediterranean); Late Miocene–Recent Neotectonics (southern Turkey, Cyprus and northern Syria). The volume will interest numerous academic researchers, those concerned with resources (e.g. hydrocarbons; mineral deposits) and also hazards (e.g. earthquakes), as well as advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- Antarctic Palaeoenvironments and Earth-Surface Processes in context / Michael J. Hambrey and Bethan J. Davies / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 1-5, 24 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.27 --- A. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic evolution of the Antarctic Continent --- The geological and tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains: a review / David H. Elliot / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 7-35, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.14 --- Differential Movement across Byrd Glacier, Antarctica, as indicated by Apatite (U–Th)/He thermochronology and geomorphological analysis / D. J. Foley, E. Stump, M. van Soest, K. X. Whipple and K. V. Hodges / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 37-43, 6 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.25 --- Mesozoic to recent evolution of intraplate stress fields under multiple remote stresses: The case of Signy Island (South Orkney Microcontinent, Antarctica) / A. Maestro, J. López-Martínez and F. Bohoyo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 45-65, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.4 --- The Taylor Group (Beacon Supergroup): the Devonian sediments of Antarctica / Margaret A. Bradshaw / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 67-97, 6 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.23 --- Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the James Ross Basin, West Antarctica / Marcelo A. Reguero, Claudia P. Tambussi, Rodolfo A. Coria and Sergio A. Marenssi / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 99-116, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.20 --- Palaeobiogeography of Austral echinoid faunas: a first quantitative approach / Thomas Saucede, Benjamin Pierrat, Arnaud Brayard and Bruno David / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 117-127, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.6 --- B. Cenozoic glaciation and impacts --- Taxonomic diversity of Eocene Antarctic penguins: a changing picture / Piotr Jadwiszczak / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 129-138, 24 June 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.7 --- Heat-flow determinations of basement age in small oceanic basins of the southern central Scotia Sea / P. F. Barker, L. A. Lawver and R. D. Larter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 139-150, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.3 --- Cenozoic landscape and ice drainage evolution in the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system / Duanne A. White / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 151-165, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.15 --- History of the grounded ice sheet in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica during the Last Glacial Maximum and the last termination / Brenda L. Hall, George H. Denton, John O. Stone and Howard Conway / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 167-181, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.5 --- Late Eocene Glaciofluvial to Glaciomarine transition in the Lambert Graben: constraints from lithofacies and mineralogy of ODP Site 1166 sediments, Prydz Bay, Antarctica / K. Strand, J. Köykkä and J. Lamminen / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 183-197, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.24 --- The Offshore New Harbour Project: deciphering the Middle Miocene through Late Eocene seismic stratigraphy of Offshore New Harbour, western Ross Sea, Antarctica / Stephen F. Pekar, Marvin A. Speece, Gary S. Wilson, David S. Sunwall and Kirsty J. Tinto / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 199-213, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.2 --- Constraints on Antarctic Ice Sheet configuration during and following the Last Glacial Maximum and its episodic contribution to sea-level rise / John B. Anderson, Alexandra E. Kirshner and Alexander R. Simms / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 215-232, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.13 --- Glaciomarine sedimentation dynamics of the Abbot glacial trough of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf, West Antarctica / Katharina Hochmuth and Karsten Gohl / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 233-244, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.21 --- Southern Ocean bioproductivity during the last glacial cycle – new detection method and decadal-scale insight from the Scotia Sea / D. Sprenk, M. E. Weber, G. Kuhn, P. Rosén, M. Frank, M. Molina-Kescher, V. Liebetrau and H.-G. Röhling / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 245-261, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.17 --- Palaeoenvironmental records from the West Antarctic Peninsula drift sediments over the last 75 ka / Maryline J. Vautravers, David A. Hodell, James E. T. Channell, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Mike Hall, James Smith and Robert D. Larter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 263-276, 5 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.12 --- Provenance of Pleistocene sediments from Site U1359 of the Wilkes Land IODP Leg 318 – evidence for multiple sourcing from the East Antarctic Craton and Ross Orogen / N. C. Pant, P. Biswas, Prakash K. Shrivastava, S. Bhattacharya, Kamlesh Verma, Mayuri Pandey and Iodp Expedition 318 Scientific Party / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 277-297, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.11 --- C. Glacial and periglacial processes --- Geomorphological evidence of cold-based glacier activity in South Victoria Land, Antarctica / C. B. Atkins / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 299-318, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.18 --- A review of geomorphic processes and landforms in the Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land: implications for evaluating climate change and ice-sheet stability / D. R. Marchant, S. L. Mackay, J. L. Lamp, A. T. Hayden and J. W. Head / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 319-352, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.10 --- Landscape evolution and ice-sheet behaviour in a semi-arid polar environment: James Ross Island, NE Antarctic Peninsula / Bethan J. Davies, Neil F. Glasser, Jonathan L. Carrivick, Michael J. Hambrey, John L. Smellie and Daniel Nývlt / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 353-395, 19 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.1 --- Windows on Antarctic soil–landscape relationships: comparison across selected regions of Antarctica / Megan R. Balks, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Sergey V. Goryachkin, Nikita S. Mergelov, Carlos E. G. R. Schaefer, Felipe N. B. Simas, Peter C. Almond, Graeme G. C. Claridge, Malcolm Mcleod and Joshua Scarrow / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 397-410, 16 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.9 --- Sedimentary processes in two different polar periglacial environments: Examples from Schirmacher Oasis and Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica / Rajesh Asthana, Prakash K. Shrivastava, M. Javed Beg, Ashit K. Swain, Amit Dharwadkar, Sandip K. Roy and Hari B. Srivastava / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 411-427, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.22 --- Periglacial processes and landforms of the Antarctic: a review of recent studies and directions / Kevin Hall / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 429-453, 1 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.16 --- Palaeoshoreline records of glacial isostatic adjustment in the Dry Valleys region, Antarctica / Stephanie A. Konfal, T. J. Wilson and B. L. Hall / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 455-467, 30 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.26 --- Characteristic atmosphere–ocean–solid earth interactions in the Antarctic coastal and marine environment inferred from seismic and infrasound recording at Syowa Station, East Antarctica / Masaki Kanao, Alessia Maggi, Yoshiaki Ishihara, Eleonore Stutzmann, Masa-Yuki Yamamoto and Genti Toyokuni / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 469-480, 16 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.8 --- Evaluation of Envisat ASAR IMP imagery for snow mapping at varying spatial resolution (Deception Island, South Shetlands – Antarctica) / Carla Mora, Gonçalo Vieira and Miguel Ramos / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 381, 481-493, 24 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.19

Description / Table of Contents: Geology as medicine and medics as geologists / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 1-6, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.29 --- Lithotherapeutical research sources from antiquity to the mid-eighteenth century / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 7-43, 4 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.25 --- Cryptopalaeontology / Eladio Liñán, María Liñán and Joaquín Carrasco / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 45-64, 10 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.14 --- The stomatological use of stones cited in the Kitab al-tasrif treatise (Abulcasis, 1000 CE) / Joaquín Carrasco and María Liñán / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 65-80, 11 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.7 --- The gem electuary / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 81-111, 17 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.9 --- Medicinal terra sigillata: a historical, geographical and typological review / Arthur Macgregor / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 113-136, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.1 --- Materia medica in the seventeenth-century Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo / W. D. Ian Rolfe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 137-156, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.3 --- History of the pharmaceutical use of pumice / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 157-169, 17 December 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.8 --- Pharmaceutical use of gold from antiquity to the seventeenth century / Renzo Console / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 171-191, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.12 --- Bezoar stones, magic, science and art / Maria Do Sameiro Barroso / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 193-207, 26 February 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.11 --- Some early eighteenth century geological Materia Medica / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 209-233, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.13 --- Religiosity and magic in some lithoiatric practices of European folk medicine / Massimo Aliverti / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 235-242, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.27 --- Britain’s spa heritage: a hydrogeological appraisal / John D. Mather / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 243-260, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.16 --- Groundwater – Medicine by the Glassful? / N. S. Robins and P. L. Smedley / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 261-267, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.17 --- Sunday Stone: an enduring metaphor of mining diseases and underground mining conditions / John H. Pearn and Christopher Gardner-Thorpe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 269-278, 11 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.22 --- The influence of geology in the development of public health / Beverly P. Bergman / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 279-287, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.6 --- From flesh to fossils – Nicolaus Steno’s anatomy of the Earth / Jakob Bek-Thomsen / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 289-305, 2 April 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.15 --- Diagnosing fossilization in the Nordic Renaissance: an investigation into the correspondence of Ole Worm (1588–1654) / Ella Hoch / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 307-327, 17 September 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.26 --- Education forms the tender mind / Christopher Gardner-Thorpe / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 329-337, 23 August 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.28 --- James Parkinson’s ‘system of successive creations’ / Cherry Lewis / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 339-348, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.18 --- From obstetrics to oryctology: inside the mind of William Hunter (1718–1783) / J. J. Liston / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 349-373, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.21 --- John Jeremiah Bigsby, MD: British Army physician and pioneer North American geologist / Leonard G. Wilson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 375-394, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.20 --- Five eighteenth-century medical polymaths / Gillian C. Hull / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 395-407, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.5 --- John Whitaker Hulke, surgeon and palaeontologist / Simon Wills / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 409-427, 22 February 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.10 --- Dr Arthur Conan Doyle’s contribution to the popularity of pterodactyls / David M. Martill and Tony Pointon / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 429-443, 15 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.19 --- Physicians and their contribution to the early history of earth sciences in Austria / Daniela Claudia Angetter, Bernhard Hubmann and Johannes Seidl / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 445-454, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.4 --- Medical geologists during the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration / Henry Guly / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 455-462, 15 November 2012, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.2 --- Vomiting stones: mental illness and forensic medicine in 18th century Italy / Alessandro Porro, Carlo Cristini, Bruno Falconi, Antonia Francesca Franchini and Lorenzo Lorusso / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 463-468, 4 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.23 --- Geology, conservation and dissolution of corpses by Paolo Gorini (1813–1881) / Lorenzo Lorusso, Bruno Falconi, Francesca Antonia Franchini and Alessandro Porro / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 375, 469-474, 9 July 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP375.24

Description / Table of Contents: Antarctica and supercontinent evolution: historical perspectives, recent advances and unresolved issues / Simon L. Harley, Ian C. W. Fitzsimons and Yue Zhao / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 1-34, 9 October 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.9 --- The Mesoproterozoic Rayner Province in the Lambert Glacier area: its age, origin, isotopic structure and implications for Australia–Antarctica correlations / E. V. Mikhalsky, J. W. Sheraton, I. V. Kudriavtsev, S. A. Sergeev, V. P. Kovach, I. A. Kamenev and A. A. Laiba / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 35-57, 20 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.1 --- Pb isotopic domains from the Indian Ocean sector of Antarctica: implications for past Antarctica–India connections / M. J. Flowerdew, S. Tyrrell, S. D. Boger, I. C. W. Fitzsimons, S. L. Harley, E. V. Mikhalsky and A. P. M. Vaughan / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 59-72, 20 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.3 --- Boron- and phosphate-rich rocks in the Larsemann Hills, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica: tectonic implications / Edward S. Grew, Christopher J. Carson, Andrew G. Christy and Steven D. Boger / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 73-94, 20 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.8 --- The c. 1000–900 Ma and c. 550–500 Ma tectonothermal events in the Prince Charles Mountains–Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica, and their relations to supercontinent evolution / Xiaochun Liu, Yue Zhao and Jianmin Hu / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 95-112, 20 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.6 --- Contrasting metamorphic records and their implications for tectonic process in the central Sør Rondane Mountains, eastern Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica / Tatsuro Adachi, Tomokazu Hokada, Yasuhito Osanai, Nobuhiko Nakano, Sotaro Baba and Tsuyoshi Toyoshima / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 113-133, 13 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.4 --- Possible armalcolite pseudomorph-bearing garnet–sillimanite gneiss from Skallevikshalsen, Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica: Implications for ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism / Toshisuke Kawasaki, Tatsuro Adachi, Nobuhiko Nakano and Yasuhito Osanai / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 135-167, 20 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.2 --- Anatectic reworking and differentiation of continental crust along the active margin of Gondwana: a zircon Hf–O perspective from West Antarctica / Chris Yakymchuk, Christine S. Siddoway, C. Mark Fanning, Rory Mcfadden, Fawna J. Korhonen and Michael Brown / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 169-210, 18 June 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.7 --- Reconstruction of the early Mesozoic plate margin of Gondwana by U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from northern Victoria Land, Antarctica / Martin Elsner, Robert Schöner, Axel Gerdes and Reinhard Gaupp / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 383, 211-232, 16 May 2013, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP383.5

Description / Table of Contents: Oceanography is the par excellence interdisciplinary science thanks to its peculiar setting within a fluid environment that makes connections extremely efficient. The oceans connections are well mirrored in the chapters of this book that share a quite explicit multidisciplinary and multi-environmental character. The book provides chapters on very different topics under very different settings, some with a focused angle, others with a broader approach, yet all sharing the idea that we need to understand the small pieces in order to put together the big picture for a much larger mechanism, the functioning of the ocean as a whole.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is a research publication that covers original research on developments within the Hydraulic Conductivity field of study. The book is a collection of reviewed scholarly contributions written by different authors. Each scholarly contribution represents a chapter and each chapter is complete in itself but related to the major topics and objectives.

Description / Table of Contents: Today, satellite navigation offers convenient alternative to terrestrial and stellar navigation methods that is not only ubiquitous and easy to operate but also available day and night. The radio navigation technology, first appeared in the 1930s and matured in the 1940s, did not take off until the late 1960s and 1970s with the launch of the first navigation satellites by the US Naval and Air Forces, resulting from the NAVSTAR GPS program. The end user navigation equipment, bulky and expensive at the beginning, did not emerge until the microprocessor became viable during the late 1970s. Now-a-day three other global navigation satellite systems are fully or partially operational: the Russian GLONASS, the European Union Galileo, and the Chinese BeiDou. Where does the future lie? Probably in a network of global satellite navigation systems, with increase in satellite coverage and improved accuracy, integrity, and reliability, as these systems further mature. End user equipment will continue to be smaller, more accurate and cheaper. Yet in many respects, satellite navigation systems owe most to the old-time stellar navigation, by keeping man look up to the sky for help.

Description / Table of Contents: Ensuring energy security and addressing climate change cost-effectively are key global challenges. Tackling these issues will require efforts from stakeholders worldwide. To find solutions, the public and private sectors must work together, sharing burdens and resources, while at the same time multiplying results and outcomes. Through its broad range of multilateral technology initiatives (Implementing Agreements), the IEA enables member and non-member countries, businesses, industries, international organisations and non-governmental organisations to share research on breakthrough technologies, to fill existing research gaps, to build pilot plants and to carry out deployment or demonstration programmes across the energy sector. This publication highlights the most significant recent achievements of the IEA Implementing Agreements. At the core of the IEA energy technology network, these initiatives are a fundamental building block for facilitating the entry of new and improved energy technologies into the marketplace.

Description / Table of Contents: The Medium-Term Coal Market Report 2013 provides IEA forecasts on coal markets for the coming five years as well as an in-depth analysis of recent developments in global coal demand, supply and trade. This third annual report shows that while coal continues to be a growing source of primary energy worldwide, its future is increasingly tied to developments in non-OECD countries, led by China. Coal is both the leading fuel source behind the growth of OECD non-members and the leading source of power generation in OECD countries. Yet the current low prices for coal add a new challenge to the sector, which is facing uncertainty due to increasing environmental legislation and competition from other fuels, like US shale gas or European renewables. This report examines, among other things, how coal producers will be affected by such low prices; whether those depressed prices will boost the fuel’s consumption; if other developing countries will follow in China’s footsteps by increasingly relying on coal to fuel economic growth; and, above all, whether the strong growth of coal in China will continue between now and 2018.

Description / Table of Contents: Modelling the Earth's static and time-varying gravity field using a combination of GRACE and GOCE data The main focus of the thesis is modelling the static and time-varying parts of the Earth's gravity field at the global scale based on data acquired by the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE). In addition, a new methodology is proposed to validate global static gravity field models. Furthermore, the added value of GOCE data to the static and time-varying gravity field retrieval is assessed. Finally, low-frequency noise in GRACE observables derived from its K-band ranging (KBR) data is studied and a new way to cope with it is proposed. GRACE/GOCE global static gravity field modelling: DGM-1S A new global static gravity field model entitled DGM-1S (Delft Gravity Model, release 1, Satellite-only) is computed by a statistically optimal combination of GRACE and GOCE data. The model is based on seven years of GRACE KBR data, four years of GRACE satellites' kinematic orbits, 14 months of GOCE kinematic orbits, and 10 months of GOCE Satellite Gravity Gradiometry (SGG) data. Kinematic orbit and KBR data are processed with a variant of the acceleration approach, in which these data are respectively transformed into "three-dimensional (3-D) average acceleration vectors" and "range combinations" (≈ inter-satellite accelerations) with a three-point differentiation. Gravity gradients are processed in the instrument frame. Stochastic models of data noise are built with an auto-regressive moving-average (ARMA) process. The usage of ARMA models ensures that (i) coloured noise in data is appropriately dealt with; and (ii) data are combined in a statistically optimal manner. DGM-1S is compiled up to spherical harmonic degree 250 with a Kaula regularization applied above degree 179. It is found that (a) the usage of GOCE kinematic orbits may not lead to an improvement of a static gravity field model if GRACE data and GOCE gravity gradients are already incorporated; and (b) GOCE gravity gradients manifest their contribution in a combined GRACE/GOCE model above degree 150. For the purpose of an assessment, the DGM-1S, GOCO01S, EIGEN-6S (only its static part), and GOCO02S geoid models are used to compute the corresponding oceanic mean dynamic topography models by subtracting the DNSC08 mean sea surface model. The results are confronted with the state-of-the-art CNES-CLS09 mean dynamic topography model, which shows the best agreement for DGM-1S. Furthermore, the test suggests that the GRACE/GOCE satellite-only models are addition, the test indicates that problems still seem to exist in satellite-only GRACE/GOCE models over the Pacific ocean, where considerable deviations of these models from EGM2008 are detected. Validating global static gravity field models: quantifying GOCE mission's added value and inspecting data combination optimality in models produced with surface data The ability of satellite gravimetry data to validate global static gravity field models is studied. Two types of control data are considered: GRACE KBR data and GOCE gravity gradients. The validation is based on an analysis of misfits computed as differences between data observed and those computed with a force model that includes, in particular, a static gravity field model to be assessed. Only "independent" data are used in the model validation, i.e., those that were not used in the production of models under assessment. The methodology is applied to eight models: EGM2008 (truncated at degree 250), EIGEN-6C (only its static part and truncated at degree 250), two GRACE-only models (ITGGrace03 and ITG-Grace2010s), and four GRACE/GOCE models: GOCO01S, EIGEN-6S (only its static part), GOCO02S, and DGM-1S. The validation shows that independent data of both types allow a difference in performance of the models to be observed, despite the fact that the duration of these data is much shorter than that of data used to produce those models. The KBR and SGG control data demonstrate relatively high inaccuracies of EGM2008 in 5 – 22 mHz (27 – 120 cycles-per-revolution, cpr) and 10 – 28 mHz (54 – 150 cpr) frequency ranges, respectively. The latter data also reveal inaccuracies of ITG-Grace2010s in 25 – 37 mHz (135 – 200 cpr) frequency range. The validation in the spatial domain shows that EGM2008 performs weaker than the GRACE/GOCE models. Considering root mean square (RMS) misfits related to the zz gravity gradient component (with z being the nadir axis of the instrument frame), the performance difference in the continental areas poorly covered by terrestrial gravimetry data (Himalayas, South America, and Equatorial Africa) is 76 – 83 %. This difference is explained mostly by a loss of information content of ITG-Grace03 when it was combined with terrestrial gravimetry/satellite altimetry data to produce EGM2008. Furthermore, the revealed performance differences are 4 – 16 % in the continental areas well covered by those data (Australia, North Eurasia, and North America) and 11 % in the world's oceans. These differences are related to the GOCE mission's added value to the static gravity field retrieval. It is shown that EIGEN-6C also suffers from a loss of information during data combination, but in a much less pronounced manner. In South America, for instance, this model is found to perform poorer than its satellite-only counterpart, i.e., EIGEN-6S, by only 12 %. The GRACE/GOCE models show in the poorly surveyed continental areas a higher accuracy than ITG-Grace2010s: by 23 – 36 %, which is attributed to the GOCE mission's added value. The quantified added value is shown to be almost entirely related to the coefficients below degree 200. DGM-1S and GOCO02S show an almost similar performance against GOCE control gravity gradients. Nevertheless, the former model shows a slightly better agreement with KBR control data. Both models agree with control data of both types better than EIGEN-6S. Assessing GOCE mission's added value to time-varying gravity field modelling Temporal gravity field variations recovered from KBR data suffer, among others, from a limited spatial resolution and a relatively low accuracy of the East-West changes. I investigate whether a retrieval of these variations can be improved by incorporating GOCE data. To that end, I compare monthly solutions up to degree 120 computed (i) from KBR data alone and (ii) using a statistically optimal combination of KBR data with GOCE kinematic orbit and gravity gradients. The impact of GOCE data is analysed in the context of unconstrained solutions and after an optimal anisotropic filtering. This impact in these two cases is found to be radically different. In the case of unconstrained solutions, a usage of GOCE data allows the noise in these solutions to be reduced by 1 – 2 orders of magnitude. I demonstrate, however, that this reduction is a stabilization effect and is not driven by the information content in GOCE data. In the case of the filtered solutions, the impact stays, in average, at sub-millimeter level in terms of equivalent water heights. This is below the GRACE noise level. The peak impacts reach about 1 cm. This holds true for the combined impact of GOCE kinematic orbit data and gravity gradients as well as for the impact of these data types individually. Relatively, the peak impacts do not exceed 5 – 7 % of the signal amplitude, because they always occur at locations where the time-varying gravity field signal is strong. Nevertheless, I refrain from concluding that added value of GOCE data to the retrieval of temporal gravity changes is always negligible. A number of scenarios are discussed, in which the impact of GOCE data may exceed the level quantified in the study presented. GRACE global time-varying gravity field modelling: DMT-2 The Delft Mass Transport model, release 2 (DMT-2), similar to its predecessor, i.e., DMT-1, is produced from KBR data. The model consists of a time series of 94 monthly solutions (February 2003 – December 2010). Each solution consists of spherical harmonic coefficients up to degree 120 with respect to DGM-1S. Both unconstrained and optimally filtered solutions are produced. The improvements applied in the production of this new model as compared to its predecessor are usage of: (i) an improved estimation and elimination of the low-frequency noise in residual range combinations, so that strong mass transport signals are not damped; (ii) an improved frequency-dependent data weighting, which allows statistically optimal solutions to be compiled; (iii) release 2 of GRACE level-1B data; (iv) a recent a priori static gravity field model, i.e., DGM-1S; (v) release 5 of the AOD1B model of non-tidal mass re-distribution in the atmosphere and ocean; (vi) the recent ocean tide model EOT11a; and (vii) an improved calibration scheme of the satellites' accelerometers. It is shown that DMT-2 substantially outperforms its predecessor in terms of spatial resolution, which is proven to be mainly associated with the usage of a more advanced frequency-dependent data weighting. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the usage of release 2 of GRACE level-1B data leads to an elimination of the East-West artifacts. Finally, it is shown that choosing the maximum spherical harmonic degree lower than 120 in the context of monthly gravity field modelling could lead to an underestimation of the signal amplitude and the presence of the so-called "Gibbs" phenomenon in the vicinity of areas with strong mass variations. However, the higher spatial resolution of models produced up to degree 120 is almost entirely attributed to the optimal filtering and is not driven by the information content in unconstrained spherical harmonic coefficients. The contributions of the thesis The primary contributions of this thesis are as follows: 1 Computing new global static gravity models of a competitive quality. 2 Development of a new methodology to validate global static gravity field models. 3 Quantification of the GOCE mission's added value to the static and time-varying gravity field modelling. 4 Inspection of data combination optimality in models produced with satellite gravimetry and surface data. This paves the way to developing better strategies to combine satellite and surface gravimetry data in the production of future models. 5 Computing a new GRACE time-varying gravity field model, DMT-2. 6 Demonstrating the importance of an accurate computation and a proper exploitation of stochastic models of noise in satellite gravimetry data in the context of global gravity field modelling. 7 Identifying the origin of low-frequency noise in GRACE KBR-based observables and proposing a new way to cope with it.

Description / Table of Contents: Space geodetic techniques, e.g., global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), satellite gravimetry and altimetry, and GNSS Reflectometry & Radio Occultation, are capable of measuring small changes of the Earth's shape, rotation, and gravity field, as well as mass changes in the Earth system with an unprecedented accuracy. This book is devoted to presenting recent results and development in space geodetic techniques and sciences, including GNSS, VLBI, gravimetry, geoid, geodetic atmosphere, geodetic geophysics and geodetic mass transport associated with the ocean, hydrology, cryosphere and solid-Earth. This book provides a good reference for geodetic techniques, engineers, scientists as well as user community.

Description / Table of Contents: As societies transition to evidence-based adaptation and management there is increasing recognition of the need for understanding climate change and variability dynamics and impacts at regional levels and for various activities. This book is a contribution toward that goal. Readers interested in climate change management will find detailed discussions of climatic variability dynamics in selected regions as well as new innovative ways of monitoring climate change, assessing climate risks, and predicting impacts. Those interested in refreshing the fundamentals of climate change and climate variability will find a very accessible review of the status of knowledge on the subject, including a balanced interrogation of available evidence. In an attempt to keep the book accessible, every effort was made to minimize technical jargon without compromising scientific accuracy. The result should be useful to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

Description / Table of Contents: Acoustics is a mature field which enjoys a never ending youth. New developments are induced by either the search for a better understanding, or by technological innovations. Micro-fabrication techniques introduced a whole new class of microdevices, which exploit acoustic waves for various tasks, and in particular for information processing and for sensing purposes. Performance improvements are achievable by better modelling tools, able to deal with more complex configurations, and by more refined techniques of fabrication and of integration in technological systems, like wireless communications. Several chapters of this book deal with modelling and fabrication techniques for microdevices, including unconventional phenomena and configurations. But this is far from exhausting the research lines in acoustics. Theoretical analyses and modelling techniques are presented, for phenomena ranging from the detection of cracks to the acoustics of the oceans. Measurement methods are also discussed, which probe by acoustic waves the properties of widely different systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Natural Computing --- Ethological response to periodic stimulation in Chara and Brepharisma --- Adaptive path-finding and transport network formation by the amoeba-like organism Physarum --- Aggregate "Calculation" in Economic Phenomena: Distributions and Fluctuations --- Towards Co-evolution of Information, Life and Artifcial Life --- Harness the Nature for Computation --- Things Theory of Art Should Learn From Natural Computing --- Study on the use of Evolutionary Techniques for inference in Gene Regulatory Networks --- Reconstruction of Gene Regulatory Networks from Gene Expression Data using Decoupled Recurrent Neural Network Model --- Design and control of synthetic biological systems --- Satellite Symposium on Computational Aesthetics --- Preface–Natural Computing and Computational Aesthetics --- The Significance of Natural Computing for Considering Computational Aesthetics of Nature --- Perceiving the Gap: asynchronous coordination of plural algorithms and disconnected logical types in ambient space --- Aesthetic Aspects of Technology-mediated Self-awareness Experiences

Description / Table of Contents: Key Messages --- Executive Summary --- 1.Introduction --- 2.Multilingual Europe: Facts, Challenges, Opportunities --- 3.Major Trends in Information and Communication Technologies --- 4.Language Technology 2012: Current State and Opportunities --- 5.Language Technology 2020: The META-NET Technology Vision --- 6.Language Technology 2020: Priority Research Themes --- 7.Towards a Shared European Programme for Multilingual Europe 2020: Next Steps --- A.References --- B.List of Key Contributors --- C.Milestones and History of the Strategic Research Agenda --- D.About META-NET --- E.Members of META-NET --- F.Abbreviations and Acroynms

Description / Table of Contents: The discipline of Integrated Environmental Modelling (IEM) has developed in order to solve complex environmental problems, for example understanding the impacts of climate change on the physical environment. IEM provides methods to fuse or link models together, this in turn requires facilities to make models discoverable and also to make the outputs of modelling easily visualized. The vision and challenges for IEM going forward are summarized by leading proponents. Several case studies describe the application of model fusion to a range of real-world problems including integrating groundwater and recharge models within the UK Environment Agency, and the development of ‘catastrophe’ models to predict better the impact of natural hazards. Communicating modelling results to end users who are often not specialist modellers is also an emerging area of research addressed within the volume. Also included are papers that highlight current developments of the technology platforms underpinning model fusion.

Description / Table of Contents: The building envelope – also known as the building shell, fabric or enclosure – is the boundary between the conditioned interior of a building and the outdoors. The energy performance of building envelope components, including external walls, floors, roofs, ceilings, windows and doors, is critical in determining how much energy is required for heating and cooling. The building envelope’s impact on energy consumption should not be underestimated: globally, space heating and cooling account for over one-third of all energy consumed in buildings, rising to as much as 50% in cold climates and over 60% in the residential sub-sector in cold climate countries. Overall, buildings are responsible for more than one-third of global energy consumption. While whole-building approaches are ideal, every day building envelope components are upgraded or replaced using technologies that are less efficient than the best options available. These advanced options, which are the primary focus of this roadmap, are needed not only to support whole-building approaches but also to improve the energy efficiency of individual components.

Description / Table of Contents: Unlike many other low-carbon energy sources, nuclear energy is a mature technology that has been in use for more than 50 years. The latest designs for nuclear power plants build on this experience to offer enhanced safety and performance, and are ready for wider deployment. Nuclear power will be an important contributor to a low carbon power mix and can play a significant role in achieving both enhanced energy security and combating climate change. The IEA/NEA Nuclear Energy Technology Roadmap (2010) identified major barriers, opportunities, and policy measures for policy makers and industry and financial partners to accelerate RDD&D efforts for various nuclear technologies on both a national and international level.

Description / Table of Contents: The ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – along with China and India – are shifting the centre of gravity of the global energy system towards Asia. Energy demand in Southeast Asia has expanded by two-and- a-half times since 1990, its rate of growth among the fastest in the world. Economic and demographic trends point to further growth, lifting the region’s energy use per capita from just half of the global average today. But how will Southeast Asia’s fuel mix evolve? And what will the region’s supply and demand balance mean for oil, gas and coal trade? The International Energy Agency, in co-operation with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, has studied these issues in consultation with ASEAN member governments and leading commentators, industry representatives and international experts. This special report, in the World Energy Outlook series, presents the findings.

Description / Table of Contents: Energy efficiency has been referred to as a "hidden fuel", one that extends energy supplies, increases energy security, lowers carbon emissions and generally supports sustainable economic growth. Yet it is hiding in plain sight: in 2011, investments in the energy efficiency market globally were at a similar scale to those in renewable energy or fossil-fuel power generation. The Energy Efficiency Market Report provides a practical basis for understanding energy efficiency market activities, a review of the methodological and practical challenges associated with measuring the market and its components, and statistical analysis of energy efficiency and its impact on energy demand. It also highlights a specific technology sector in which there is significant energy efficiency market activity, in this instance appliances and ICT. The report presents a selection of country case studies that illustrate current energy efficiency markets in specific sectors, and how they may evolve in the medium term. The energy efficiency market is diffuse, varied and involves all energy-consuming sectors of the economy. A comprehensive overview of market activity is complicated by the challenges associated with quantifying the components of the market and the paucity of comparable reported data. This report underscores how vital high-quality and timely energy efficiency data is to understanding this market. This first Energy Efficiency Market Report sits alongside IEA market reports for oil, gas, coal and renewable energy, highlighting its place as a major energy resource. It summarises in one place the trends and prospects for investment and energy cost savings in the medium term, up to 2020.

Description / Table of Contents: The global oil market will undergo sweeping changes over the next five years. The 2013 Medium-Term Oil Market Report evaluates the impact of these changes on the global oil system by 2018 based on all that we know today – current expectations of economic growth, existing or announced policies and regulations, commercially proven technologies, field decline rates, investment programmes (upstream, midstream and downstream), etc. The five-year forecast period corresponds to the length of the typical investment cycle and as such is critical to policymakers and market participants. This Report shows, in detailed but concise terms, why the ongoing North American hydrocarbon revolution is a “game changer”. The region’s expected contribution to supply growth, however impressive, is only part of the story: Crude quality, infrastructure requirements, current regulations, and the potential for replication elsewhere are bound to spark a chain reaction that will leave few links in the global oil supply chain unaffected. While North America is expected to lead medium-term supply growth, the East-of- Suez region is in the lead on the demand side. Non-OECD oil demand, led by Asia and the Middle East, looks set to overtake the OECD for the first time as early as 2Q13 and will widen its lead afterwards. Non-OECD economies are already home to over half global refining capacity. With that share only expected to grow by 2018, the non-OECD region will be firmly entrenched as the world’s largest crude importer. These and other changes are carefully laid out in this Report, which also examines recent and future changes in global oil storage, shifts in OPEC production capacity and crude and product trade, and the consequences of the ongoing refinery construction boom in emerging markets and developing economies. It is required reading for anyone engaged in policy or investment decision-making in the energy sphere, and those more broadly interested in the oil market and the global economy.

Description / Table of Contents: The purpose of this report is to help EE practitioners, government officials and stakeholders to establish the most effective EE governance structures, given their specific country context. It also aims to provide readers with relevant and accessible information to support the development of comprehensive and effective governance mechanisms. The International Energy Agency (IEA) conducted a global review of many elements of EE governance,including legal frameworks, institutional frameworks, funding mechanisms, co-ordination mechanisms and accountability arrangements, such as evaluation and oversight. The research tools included a survey of over 500 EE experts in 110 countries, follow-up interviews of over 120 experts in 27 countries and extensive desk study and literature searches on good EE governance.

Description / Table of Contents: The IEA estimates that, if implemented globally without delay, the 25 IEA Energy Efficiency recommendations could save 8.2 Gt CO2 per year by 2030. Yet many governments struggle with their implementation and thus miss a great part of the energy efficiency potential. The new IEA series Policy Pathways: Showing the way to energy efficiency implementation now aims to assist countries with improving energy efficiency policies. It features practical ‘how-to’ guides for designing, implementing and evaluating energy efficiency policies and achieving greater improvement.

Description / Table of Contents: The Indian cement industry is one of the most efficient in the world. Its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by adopting the best available technologies and environmental practices are reflected in the achievement of reducing total CO2 emissions to an industrial average of 0.719 tCO2/t cement in 2010 from a substantially higher level of 1.12 tCO2/t cement in 1996. However, because the manufacturing process relies on the burning of limestone, it still produced 137 MtCO2 in 2010 – approximately 7% of India’s total man-made CO2 emissions. Yet opportunity for improvement exists, particularly in relation to five key levers that can contribute to emissions reductions: alternative fuel and raw materials; energy efficiency; clinker substitution; waste heat recovery and newer technologies. This roadmap sets out one pathway by which the Indian cement industry can reach its targets to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, thereby laying the foundation for low-carbon growth in the years beyond. The Technology Roadmap: Low-Carbon Technology for the Indian Cement Industry builds on the global IEA technology roadmap for the cement sector developed by the IEA and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative. It outlines a possible transition path for the Indian cement industry to reduce its direct CO2 emissions intensity to 0.35 tCO2/t cement and support the global goal of halving CO2 emissions by 2050

Description / Table of Contents: The five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have announced ambitious goals towards decarbonising their energy systems by 2050. Based on the scenarios and analysis of Energy Technology Perspectives 2012, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and leading Nordic research institutions jointly assess how the Nordic region can achieve a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050. To achieve ambitious 2050 goal, Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives, the first regional edition of the series, details how countries can decarbonise power sector and electrify transport. The report lists best ways to reduce emissions and offers important lessons for other countries by expanding on the Energy Technology Perspectives 2012 global scenarios for energy policies that would limit average global temperature increase to 2°C. Without doubt, the Nordic countries are front-runners in taking decisive action toward clear, long-term energy targets. In examining their approach, the Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives aims to provide objective analysis that will increase the Nordic region’s chances of success. A secondary – but ultimately more important – aim is to prompt other countries and regions to follow their lead.

Description / Table of Contents: This study is motivated by the need to give the reader a broad view of the developments, key concepts, and technologies related to information society evolution, with a focus on the wireless communications and geoinformation technologies and their role in the environment. Giving perspective, it aims at assisting people active in the industry, the public sector, and Earth science fields as well, by providing a base for their continued work and thinking.

Description / Table of Contents: The first ever SOIL ATLAS OF AFRICA uses striking maps, informative texts and stunning photographs to answer and explain these and other questions. Leading soil scientists from Europe and Africa have collaborated to produce this unique document. Using state-of-the-art computer mapping techniques, the Soil Atlas of Africa shows the changing nature of soil across the continent. It explains the origin and functions of soil, describes the different soil types that can be found in Africa and their relevance to both local and global issues. The atlas also discusses the principal threats to soil and the steps being taken to protect soil resources. The Soil Atlas of Africa is more than just a normal atlas. It presents a new and comprehensive interpretation of an often neglected natural resource. The Soil Atlas of Africa is an essential reference to a non-renewable resource that is fundamental for life on this planet.

Description / Table of Contents: The research presented here is primarily concerned with human-environment interactions on the tropical coast of northern Australia during the late Holocene. Based on the suggestion that significant change can occur within short time-frames as a direct result of interactive processes, the archaeological evidence from the Point Blane Peninsula, Blue Mud Bay, is used to address the issue of how much change and variability occurred in hunter-gatherer economic and social structures during the late Holocene in coastal northeastern Arnhem Land. The suggestion proposed here is that processes of environmental and climatic change resulted in changes in resource distribution and abundance, which in turn affected patterns of settlement and resource exploitation strategies, levels of mobility and, potentially, the size of foraging groups on the coast. The question of human behavioural variability over the last 3000 years in Blue Mud Bay has been addressed by examining issues of scale and resolution in archaeological interpretation, specifically the differential chronological and spatial patterning of shell midden and mound sites on the peninsula in conjunction with variability in molluscan resource exploitation. To this end, the biological and ecological characteristics of the dominant molluscan species is considered in detail, in combination with assessing the potential for human impact through predation. Investigating pre-contact coastal foraging behaviour via the archaeological record provides an opportunity for change to recognised in a number of ways. For example, a differential focus on resources, variations in group size and levels of mobility can all be identified. It has also been shown that human-environment interactions are non-linear or progressive, and that human behaviour during the late Holocene was both flexible and dynamic.

Description / Table of Contents: The world's reliance on existing sources of energy and their associated detrimental impacts on the environment- whether related to poor air or water quality or scarcity, impacts on sensitive ecosystems and forests and land use - have been well documented and articulated over the last three decades. What is needed by the world is a set of credible energy solutions that would lead us to a balance between economic growth and a sustainable environment. This book provides an open platform to establish and share knowledge developed by scholars, scientists and engineers from all over the world about various viable paths to a future of sustainable energy. It has collected a number of intellectually stimulating articles that address issues ranging from public policy formulation to technological innovations for enhancing the development of sustainable energy systems. It will appeal to stakeholders seeking guidance to pursue the paths to sustainable energy.

Description / Table of Contents: The mountains of the Mediterranean world are now largely ice free, but many were repeatedly glaciated during the Quaternary ice age. This created spectacular glaciated landscapes with a rich array of glacial deposits and landforms. The glacial and glacio-fluvial records are often very well preserved and our understanding of the timing of Quaternary glaciation has very recently been transformed through the application of dating methods utilizing uranium-series and cosmogenic isotopes. Glacial records from the Mediterranean now boast some of the most robust chronologies for mountain glaciation anywhere in the world – they represent a unique archive of Quaternary environmental change of global significance. The southerly latitude and relatively small size of Mediterranean glaciers rendered them especially sensitive to Pleistocene and Holocene climate changes. This volume brings together the leading researchers and the latest research on Mediterranean glaciation. Several papers also explore glacier behaviour in the Holocene – including those glaciers of southernmost Europe at risk of disappearing this century.

Description / Table of Contents: WOR 1 provided a panoptic overview. The following report (WOR 2), the second in the series, focuses on the future of fish and their exploitation. Fish have always been a vital source of life for mankind – not only as a food. Fish continue to be essential to the daily diet of people in most regions of the world. At the same time fisheries provide a livelihood to entire coastal regions and still have great economic clout. All this, however, is in jeopardy and is coming under close scrutiny. Fish stocks are declining worldwide, entire marine regions are overfished and some species are already red-listed.

Description / Table of Contents: As long as fossil fuels and carbon-intensive industries play dominant roles in our economies, carbon capture and storage (CCS) will remain a critical greenhouse gas reduction solution. This CCS roadmap aims at assisting governments and industry in integrating CCS in their emissions reduction strategies and in creating the conditions for scaled-up deployment of all three components of the CCS chain: CO2 capture, transport and storage. To get us onto the right pathway, this roadmap highlights seven key actions needed in the next seven years to create a solid foundation for deployment of CCS starting by 2020. IEA analysis shows that CCS is an integral part of any lowest-cost mitigation scenario where long-term global average temperature increases are limited to significantly less than 4 °C, particularly for 2 °C scenarios (2DS). In the 2DS, CCS is widely deployed in both power generation and industrial applications. The total CO2 capture and storage rate must grow from the tens of megatonnes of CO2 captured in 2013 to thousands of megatonnes of CO2 in 2050 in order to address the emissions reduction challenge. A total cumulative mass of approximately 120 GtCO2 would need to be captured and stored between 2015 and 2050, across all regions of the globe.

Description / Table of Contents: The International Energy Agency (IEA) considers carbon capture and storage (CCS) a crucial part of worldwide efforts to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The IEA has estimated that the broad deployment of low-carbon energy technologies could reduce projected 2050 emissions to half 2005 levels – and that CCS could contribute about one-fifth of those reductions. Reaching that goal, however, would require around 100 CCS projects to be implemented by 2020 and over 3 000 by 2050.

Description / Table of Contents: Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to double by 2050 unless decisive action is taken. International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis demonstrates, however, that it is possible – in the same timeframe to 2050 – to reduce projected greenhouse-gas emissions to half 2005 levels, but this will require an energy technology revolution, involving the aggressive deployment of a portfolio of low-carbon energy technologies.

Description / Table of Contents: In the April 2010 Oil Market Report (OMR), the IEA included a supplementary report on the prospects to 2015 for the supply of natural gas liquids (NGLs), especially in light of new developments in natural gas production. At a time when economic, regulatory and geopolitical uncertainties are stretching lead times for expanding global crude oil supply, rising NGL and condensate availability can act as a pressure valve for the global oil market. Frequently overlooked as a component of production growth, nonetheless IEA estimates see up to 60% of expected oil supply increases through mid-decade deriving from NGLs. This timely report tries to present a clear view of the component parts of the NGL value chain, highlights optimal gas and NGL development strategies and presents detailed country and region specific forecasts for NGL supply through 2015.

Description / Table of Contents: The transport sector is currently responsible for 23% of energy-related CO2 emissions, and transport associated CO2 emissions will more than double by 2050. This working paper evaluates the potential costs and benefits of using natural gas as a vehicle fuel for road transportation, as well as the policy related to its market development.

Description / Table of Contents: For the first time, the IEA has merged its medium-term market reports for oil and gas, thereby giving readers a broader perspective on global trends. Critical questions persist for both markets, including whether economic and energy demand outlooks are clearer than in mid-2009. For the first time, the IEA has merged its medium-term market reports for oil and gas, thereby giving readers a broader perspective on global trends. Critical questions persist for both markets, including whether economic and energy demand outlooks are clearer than in mid-2009. Do oil markets show a genuine structural shift in demand patterns? Will they sustain a nascent recovery in upstream spending evident in 2010? And how long will current levels of OPEC spare capacity persist? For the gas market, will demand recover from its collapse in 2009? How long will the gas glut last? Will unconventional gas revolutionise gas markets outside North America? And how is consumption changing in China, Russia and the Middle East? Medium-Term Oil and Gas Markets 2010 presents a comprehensive outlook for oil and gas market fundamentals over the next three to five years. The oil market analysis develops two demand scenarios that reflect uncertainties about the path of economic recovery after the global slow-down in 2008/09. Market balances are generated from detailed analysis of upstream investment projects, oil field decline rates, product-by-product demand trends, and refinery investment and operations. The gas market analysis assesses prices, unconventional gas, future demand developments and LNG markets, as well as investment across the gas value chain. With a focus on key producers (including Russia, the Caspian region and the Middle East) and rising LNG exporters (such as Australia), it examines implications for global gas markets.

Description / Table of Contents: Transport currently accounts for half of global oil consumption and nearly 20% of world energy use, of which approximately 40% is used in urban transport alone. The IEA expects urban transport energy consumption to double by 2050, despite ongoing vehicle technology and fuel-economy improvements. While increased mobility brings many benefits, the staggering rate of this increase creates new challenges. Urgent energy-efficiency policy attention will be needed to mitigate associated negative noise, air pollution, congestion, climate and economic impacts, all of which can cost countries billions of dollars per year. This report highlights lessons learned and examples of good practice from countries with experience implementing a wide range of measures to improve energy efficiency in urban transport systems. Part of the IEA Policy Pathway series, A Tale of Renewed Cities sets out key steps in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to achieve improved energy efficiency in urban transport systems. The Policy Pathway series aims to help policy makers implement the IEA 25 Energy Efficiency Policy Recommendations.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction to the sedimentology of paralic reservoirs: recent advances / Gary J. Hampson, Antony D. Reynolds, Boris Kostic and Martin R. Wells / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 1-6, 9 May 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.14 --- Subsurface characterization of paralic reservoirs --- Paralic reservoirs / Antony D. Reynolds / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 7-34, 20 July 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.10 --- Stratigraphic architecture of the Knarr Field, Norwegian North Sea: sedimentology and biostratigraphy of an evolving tide- to wave-dominated shoreline system / James M. Churchill, Matthew T. Poole, Silje S. Skarpeid and Matthew I. Wakefield / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 35-58, 12 August 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.4 --- Challenges in characterizing subsurface paralic reservoir geometries: a detailed case study of the Mungaroo Formation, North West Shelf, Australia / G. Heldreich, J. Redfern, B. Legler, K. Gerdes and B. P. J. Williams / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 59-108, 8 May 2017, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.13 --- Analysis of floodplain sedimentation, avulsion style and channelized fluvial sandbody distribution in an upper coastal plain reservoir: Middle Jurassic Ness Formation, Brent Field, UK North Sea / Yvette S. Flood and Gary J. Hampson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 109-140, 29 June 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.3 --- Tidal heterogeneity in paralic systems --- Deflection of the progradational axis and asymmetry in tidal seaway and strait deltas: insights from two outcrop case studies / Sergio G. Longhitano and Ron J. Steel / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 141-172, 13 July 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.8 --- Tidally influenced shoal water delta and estuary in the Middle Jurassic of the Søgne Basin, Norwegian North Sea: sedimentary response to rift initiation and salt tectonics / Donatella Mellere, Aruna Mannie, Sergio Longhitano, Mike Mazur, Hyelni Kulausa, Samme Brough and James Cotton / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 173-213, 21 September 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.11 --- Sedimentology and stratigraphic architecture of a Miocene retrogradational, tide-dominated delta system: Balingian Province, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia / Meor H. Amir Hassan, Howard D. Johnson, Peter A. Allison and Wan H. Abdullah / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 215-250, 30 August 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.12 --- Stratigraphic evolution of an estuarine fill succession and the reservoir characterization of inclined heterolithic strata, Cretaceous of southern Utah, USA / Cari L. Johnson, L. Stright, R. Purcell and P. Durkin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 251-286, 29 June 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.1 --- Recognizing seasonal fluvial influence in ancient tidal deposits / Annalize Q. McLean and Brent Wilson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 287-303, 13 July 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.6 --- Analogue studies --- Evolution and architectural styles of a forced-regressive Holocene delta and megafan, Mitchell River, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia / T. I. Lane, R. A. Nanson, B. K. Vakarelov, R. B. Ainsworth and S. E. Dashtgard / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 305-334, 7 July 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.9 --- Transgressive successions of the Mahakam Delta Province, Indonesia / Joseph J. Lambiase, Ridha S. Riadi, Nadia Nirsal and Salahuddin Husein / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 335-348, 29 June 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.2 --- Time–space variability of paralic strata deposited in a high accommodation, high sediment supply setting: example from the Cretaceous of Utah / Julia S. Mulhern and Cari L. Johnson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 349-392, 29 June 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.7 --- Anatomy of a mixed-influence shelf edge delta, Karoo Basin, South Africa / Luz E. Gomis-Cartesio, Miquel Poyatos-Moré, Stephen S. Flint, David M. Hodgson, Rufus L. Brunt and Henry DeV. Wickens / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 444, 393-418, 14 July 2016, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP444.5

Description / Table of Contents: Simon Norris: Radioactive waste confinement: clays in natural and engineered barriers – introduction / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:1-8, first published on March 1, 2017, doi:10.1144/SP443.26 --- Large-scale geological characterization --- K. Vandersteen, B. Leterme, and M. Gedeon: Regional aquifer hydrogeochemistry in the confined aquifer system below the Boom Clay (NE Belgium): data analysis and modelling / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:9-28, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.7 --- Peter Gravesen, Stig A. Schack Pedersen, Bertel Nilsson, and Merete Binderup: An assessment of Palaeogene and Neogene clay deposits in Denmark as possible host rocks for final disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:29-38, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.3 --- General strategy for clay-based disposal systems --- S. Doudou, E. J. Harvey, P. J. Richardson, S. M. Wickham, P. Van Marcke, D. Raymaekers, and W. Wacquier: Approaches to evaluate and underpin the technical feasibility of the Belgian disposal concept / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:39-48, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.11 --- S. Doudou, M. J. White, M. Johnson, J.-M. Bosgiraud, and Pär Grahm: DOPAS full-scale experiments: approaches to compliance assessment / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:49-58, first published on August 26, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.16 --- Jiří Svoboda, Jaroslav Pacovský, Markéta Dvořáková, Irena Hanusová, Petr Večerník, and Dagmar Trpkošová: DOPAS EPSP experiment / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:59-72, first published on August 26, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.17 --- Dagmar Trpkošová, Petr Večerník, Jenny Gondolli, Václava Havlová, Jiří Svoboda, and Irena Hanusová: Laboratory experiments on bentonite pellet saturation / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:73-83, first published on November 3, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.22 --- Geomechanics --- Hua Shao, Sebastian Göthling, Wenting Liu, Jürgen Hesser, Jacques Morel, and Jürgen Sönnke: Quantitative characterization of the excavation damaged zone fracture network in the Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory: in situ experiment and numerical interpretation of helium injection test / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:85-96, first published on October 13, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.21 --- Xueqing Su, Son Nguyen, Ehsan Haghighat, Stanislaw Pietruszczak, Denis Labrie, Jean-Dominique Barnichon, and Hadj Abdi: Characterizing the mechanical behaviour of the Tournemire argillite / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:97-113, first published on October 12, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.20 --- L.-M. Guayacán-Carrillo, J. Sulem, D. M. Seyedi, S. Ghabezloo, A. Noiret, and G. Armand: Convergence analysis of an unsupported micro-tunnel at the Meuse/Haute-Marne Underground Research Laboratory / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:115-125, first published on December 20, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.24 --- Andrés Alcolea, Uli Kuhlmann, Paul Marschall, Andrea Lisjak, Giovanni Grasselli, Omid Mahabadi, Rémi de La Vaissière, Helen Leung, and Hua Shao: A pragmatic approach to abstract the excavation damaged zone around tunnels of a geological radioactive waste repository: application to the HG-A experiment in Mont Terri / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:127-147, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.8 --- Hua Shao, Benjamin Paul, Xuerui Wang, Jürgen Hesser, Jens Becker, Benoit Garitte, and Herwig Müller: The influence of different supports on the properties of the excavation damaged zone along the FE tunnel in the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:149-157, first published on September 26, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.18 --- Mass transfer --- S. M'Jahad, C. A. Davy, F. Skoczylas, and J. Talandier: Characterization of transport and water retention properties of damaged Callovo-Oxfordian claystone / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:159-177, first published on December 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.23 --- P. Jean-Baptiste, B. Lavielle, E. Fourre, T. Smith, and M. Pagel: Vertical distribution of helium and 40Ar/36Ar in porewaters of the Eastern Paris Basin (Bure/Haute-Marne): constraints on transport processes through the sedimentary sequence / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:179-192, first published on December 21, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.25 --- Kateřina Kolomá and Radek Červinka: Study of 85Sr transport through a column filled with crushed granite in the presence of bentonite colloids / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:193-203, first published on July 8, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.14 --- M. Aertsens, L. Van Laer, N. Maes, and J. Govaerts: An improved model for through-diffusion experiments: application to strontium and tritiated water (HTO) diffusion in Boom Clay and compacted illite / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:205-210, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.9 --- Shuo Meng and Wilfried Pfingsten: Multispecies random walk simulations in radial symmetry: model concept, benchmark, and application to HTO, 22Na and 36Cl diffusion in clay / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:211-224, first published on August 18, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.15 --- Philipp Schaedle, Thomas Kaempfer, Guillaume Pépin, Jacques Wendling, and Juergen Brommundt: Combining high-resolution two-phase with simplified single-phase simulations in order to optimize the performance of PA/SA simulations for a deep geological repository for radioactive waste / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:225-234, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.4 --- Erdem Toprak, Sebastia Olivella, and Xavier Pintado: Coupled THM modelling of engineered barriers for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel isolation / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:235-251, first published on September 26, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.19 --- Olivier Bildstein, Jean-Éric Lartigue, Michel L. Schlegel, Christian Bataillon, Benoît Cochepin, Isabelle Munier, and Nicolas Michau: Gaining insight into corrosion processes from numerical simulations of an integrated iron-claystone experiment / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:253-267, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.2 --- Bentonite evolution --- Klaus-Peter Kröhn: Bentonite re-saturation: different conceptual models – similar mathematical descriptions / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:269-279, first published on July 6, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.12 --- F. Dolder, U. Mäder, A. Jenni, and B. Münch: Alteration of MX-80 bentonite backfill material by high-pH cementitious fluids under lithostatic conditions – an experimental approach using core infiltration techniques / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:281-305, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.10 --- Heini M. Reijonen and Nuria Marcos: Chemical erosion of the bentonite buffer: do we observe it in nature? / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:307-317, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.13 --- Gas transfer --- Luc-Vincent Bénet, Étienne Blaud, and Jacques Wendling: Modelling of water and gas flow through an excavation damaged zone in the Callovo-Oxfordian argillites in the framework of a single porosity model / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:319-332, first published on June 24, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.6 --- Jan Smutek, Lucie Hausmannova, and Jiri Svoboda: The gas permeability, breakthrough behaviour and re-sealing ability of Czech Ca–Mg bentonite / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:333-348, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.5 --- E. Jacops, N. Maes, C. Bruggeman, and A. Grade: Measuring diffusion coefficients of dissolved He and Ar in three potential clay host formations: Boom Clay, Callovo-Oxfordian Clay and Opalinus Clay / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 443:349-360, first published on June 22, 2016, doi:10.1144/SP443.1

Description / Table of Contents: The contributions in this book present an overview of cutting edge research on natural gas which is a vital component of world's supply of energy. Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases, primarily methane but also heavier gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane and butane. Unlike other fossil fuels, natural gas is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful by-products into the air. Therefore, it is considered as one of the cleanest, safest, and most useful of all energy sources applied in variety of residential, commercial and industrial fields. The book is organized in 25 chapters that cover various aspects of natural gas research: technology, applications, forecasting, numerical simulations, transport and risk assessment.

Description / Table of Contents: Air quality in Europe: today and tomorrow --- A framework for Integrated Assessment Modelling --- Current European AQ planning at regional and local scale --- Strengths and weaknesses of the current EU situation --- Two illustrative examples: Brussels and Porto --- Conclusions: A way forward

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1. Earth's Climate System --- Chapter 2. Forecasting Global Warming --- Chapter 3. Paris INDCs --- Chapter 4. Implementation.

Description / Table of Contents: X-ray scattering techniques are a family of nondestructive analytical techniques. Using these techniques, scientists obtain information about the crystal structure and chemical and physical properties of materials. Nowadays, different techniques are based on observing the scattered intensity of an X-ray beam hitting a sample as a function of incident and scattered angle, polarization, and wavelength. This book is intended to give overviews of the relevant X-ray scattering techniques, particularly about inelastic X-ray scattering, elastic scattering, grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, and high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and, finally, applications of X-ray spectroscopy to study different biological systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Optical methods of measurements are the most sensitive techniques of noncontact investigations, and at the same time, they are fast as well as accurate which increases reproducibility of observed results. In recent years, the importance of optical interferometry methods for research has dramatically increased, and applications range from precise surface testing to finding extrasolar planets. This book covers various aspects of optical interferometry including descriptions of novel apparatuses and methods, application interferometry for studying biological objects, surface qualities, materials characterization, and optical testing. The book includes a series of chapters in which experts share recent progress in interferometry through original research and literature reviews.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Chitosan as Source for Pesticide Formulations by Sebastián D. Ippólito, Julieta R. Mendieta, María C. Terrile, Claudia V. Tonón, Andrea Y. Mansilla, Silvana Colman, Liliana Albertengo, María S. Rodríguez and Claudia A. Casalongué --- Chapter 2: Chitosan in Agriculture: A New Challenge for Managing Plant Disease by Laura Orzali, Beatrice Corsi, Cinzia Forni and Luca Riccioni --- Chapter 3: Chitosan from Marine Crustaceans: Production, Characterization and Applications by Jimena Bernadette Dima, Cynthia Sequeiros and Noemi Zaritzky --- Chapter 4: Alginate and Sericin: Environmental and Pharmaceutical Applications by Thiago Lopes da Silva, Jacyara Moreira Martins Vidart, Meuris Gurgel Carlos da Silva, Marcelino Luiz Gimenes and Melissa Gurgel Adeodato Vieira --- Chapter 5: Chitosan, Chitosan Derivatives and their Biomedical Applications by Gustavo Adolfo Muñoz Ruiz and Hector Fabio Zuluaga Corrales --- Chapter 6: Chitosan: Strategies to Increase and Modulate Drug Release Rate by David Lucio and María Cristina Martínez-Ohárriz --- Chapter 7: Marine Polysaccharides as Multifunctional Pharmaceutical Excipients by G. Thirumurugan and M.D. Dhanaraju --- Chapter 8: Speculations on the Use of Marine Polysaccharides as Scaffolds for Artificial Nerve ‘Side-’Grafts by Sherif M. Amr and Basma Ekram --- Chapter 9: Marine Polysaccharides in Medicine by Rajendra S. Dongre --- Chapter 10: Applications of Chitosan in Wastewater Treatment by Petronela Nechita --- Chapter 11: Flow Properties of Lambda Carrageenan in Aqueous Systems by Andrea Rivera del Rio, Mariana Ramírez-Gilly and Alberto Tecante --- Chapter 12: Chitosan-Based Sustainable Textile Technology: Process, Mechanism, Innovation, and Safety by Jagadish Roy, Fabien Salaün, Stéphane Giraud, Ada Ferri and Jinping Guan --- Chapter 13: Chitosan-Based Thermosensitive Materials by Waldo Argüelles-Monal, Maricarmen Recillas-Mota and Daniel Fernández-Quiroz --- Chapter 14: Chitosan and Phthaloylated Chitosan in Electrochemical Devices by Zurina Osman and Abdul Kariem Arof

Description / Table of Contents: 1. The Biodiversity Data Impediment to a Sustainable World (Working in a Networked World) --- 2. Essential Biodiversity Variables --- 3. Stratification and Terrestrial Ecosystem Observations --- 4. Ecosystem Services --- 5. Species Observations --- 6. Monitoring Changes in Genetic Diversity --- 7. Marine and Coastal Systems --- 8. Biodiversity Observations for Freshwater Ecosystems --- 9. Remote Sensing for Biodiversity --- 10. Involving Citizen Scientists in Biodiversity Observation --- 11. Biodiversity Modelling --- 12. Cyber-Architecture --- 13. Using Data for Decision-Making: From Observations To Indicators and Other Policy Tools --- 14. Capacity Building in Biodiversity Monitoring – Case Studies

Description / Table of Contents: It is well known that several climatic, environmental and socio-demographic changes that have occurred in the last years are some of the most important causes for the emergence/resurgence of vector-borne diseases worldwide. Global change can be defined as the impact of human activity on the fundamental mechanisms of biosphere functioning. Therefore, global change includes not only climate change, but also habitat transformation, water cycle modification, biodiversity loss, synanthropic incursion of alien species into new territories, or introduction of new chemicals in nature. On this respect, some of the effects of global change on vector-borne diseases can be currently evaluated. Globalization has enabled the movement of parasites, viruses and vectors among different countries, or even at intercontinental level. On this regard, it is important to note that the increase of imported malaria cases in different Southern European countries has led to the re-appearance of autochthonous cases of disease transmission. Moreover, the used tire trade, together with global warming, have facilitated the introduction, spread and establishment of potential Dengue tropical vectors, such as Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus in temperate areas. Consequently, recently the first Dengue indigenous cases in the last decades have been reported in different Southern areas of North America and Europe. Furthermore, habitat modification, mainly deforestation and transformation of aquatic environments, together with the changes in thermal and rainfall patterns, are two of the key factors to explain the increasing incidence of Leishmaniasis and several tick-borne diseases. The aim of this Research Topic is to cover all related fields with the binomial vector-borne diseases / global change, including basic and applied research, approaches to control measures, explanations of new theories, opinion articles, reviews, etc. To discuss these issues, a holistic and integrative point of view is necessary, which only would be achieved by the close and active participation of specialists on entomology, parasitology, virology and epidemiology. Our objective is to use a systems approach to the problem of global change and vector-borne diseases. To achieve this ambitious goal and to comply with a demand of first-rate scientific and medical interest, we are very keen on asking for the participation of multiple contributors.

Description / Table of Contents: Approaches to Disaster Management regards critical disaster management issues. Ten original research reports by international scholars centered on disaster management are organized into three general areas of hazards and disaster management. The first section includes discussions of perspectives on vulnerability and on evolving approaches to mitigation. The second section highlights approaches to improve data use and information management in several distinct applications intended to promote prediction and communication of hazard. The third section regards the management of crises and post-event recovery in the private sector, in the design of urban space and among the victims of disaster. This volume contributes both conceptual and practical commentary to the disaster management literature.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Gamma-Ray Spectrometry and the Investigation of Environmental and Food Samples by Markus R. Zehringer --- Chapter 2: Dead Time in the Gamma-Ray Spectrometry by Salih Mustafa Karabıdak --- Chapter 3: Pseudo-gamma Spectrometry in Plastic Scintillators by Matthieu Hamel and Frédérick Carrel --- Chapter 4: Gamma Rays from Space by Carlos Navia and Marcel Nogueira de Oliveira --- Chapter 5: Extragalactic Gamma-Ray Background by Houdun Zeng and Li Zhang --- Chapter 6: Applications of Ionizing Radiation in Mutation Breeding by Özge Çelik and Çimen Atak --- Chapter 7: Neutron-Stimulated Gamma Ray Analysis of Soil by Aleksandr Kavetskiy, Galina Yakubova, Stephen A. Prior and Henry Allen Torbert --- Chapter 8: Effects of Gamma Radiation on Essential Oils: A Review by Clináscia Rodrigues Rocha Araújo, Geone Maia Corrêa, Viviane Gomes da Costa Abreu, Thiago de Melo Silva, Aura María Blandón Osorio, Patrícia Machado de Oliveira and Antônio Flávio de Carvalho Alcântara --- Chapter 9: Gamma Rays’ Effect on Food Allergen Protein by Marcia Nalesso Costa Harder and Valter Arthur

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Foreword --- 2. Preface --- 3. Human Marine Resource Use --- 4 Species, Techniques and System Design, Environmental Impact --- 5. Aquaculture Governance --- 6. Aquaculture Economics --- 7. Case Studies --- 8. Synthesis – Pathways Towards Sustainable Ocean Food Production

Description / Table of Contents: ISDR-ICL Sendai Partnerships 2015-2025 --- The ISDR-ICL Sendai Partnerships 2015-2025: Background and Content --- Forum lectures --- Rupestrian world heritage sites: Instability investigation and sustainable mitigation --- Subaerial landslide-generated waves: Numerical and laboratory simulations --- Rockfall occurrence and fragmentation --- Contribution from signatory organizations of the Sendai Partnerships --- International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) --- International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) - The proposing organization of the ISDR-ICL Sendai partnerships 2015-2025 --- United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) --- UNISDR‘s Contribution to Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Role of the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) --- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) --- UNESCO’s Contribution to the Implementation of UNISDR’s Global Initiative and ICL --- United Nations University (UNU) --- The United Nations University: Research and Policy Support for Environmental Risk Reduction --- World Meteorological Organization (WMO) --- Concerted International Efforts for Advancing Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems --- International Council for Science (ICSU) --- On Future Challenges for the Integration of Science into International Policy Development for Landslide Disaster Risk Reduction --- World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) --- World Federation of Engineering Organizations Activities in Disaster Risk Reduction --- Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University --- National Civil Protection Department, Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Government of Italy --- Understanding and Reducing Landslide Disaster Risk: Challenges and Opportunities for Italian Civil Protection --- Landslide Dynamics: ISDR-ICL Landslide Interactive Teaching Tools (LITT) --- Progress of the World Report on Landslides --- International Programme on Landslides (IPL): Objectives, History and List of World Centres of Excellence and IPL Projects --- UNESCO-KU-ICL UNITWIN Cooperation Programme for Landslides and Water-Related Disaster Risk Management. Landslides: Journal of the International Consortium on Landslides --- IPL Activities --- Advanced Technologies for Landslides (WCoE 2014-2017, IPL-196, IPL-198) --- Mechanisms of Landslides and Creep in Over-Consolidated Clays and Flysch (WCoE 2014-2017 --- Research on Heavy-Rainfall-Induced and Hydraulic-Driven Geological Hazards in China (WCoE 2014-2017). Landslide Risk Reduction in Croatia: Scientific research in the framework of the WCoE 2014-2017, IPL-173, IPL-184, ICL ABN --- Shapes and Mechanisms of Large-scale Landslides in Japan: Forecasting Analysis from an Inventory (WCoE 2014–2017 --- Retrospective and Prospects for Cold Regions Landslide Research (2012-2016) (WCoE 2014-2017, IPL-132, IPL-167, IPL-203, CRLN --- Large-scale Rockslide Inventories: from the Kokomeren River Basin to the Entire Central Asia Region (WCoE 2014-2017, IPL-106-2) --- Interventions for Promoting Knowledge, Innovations and Landslide Risk Management Practices within South and Southeast Asia (WCoE 2014-2017) --- Promoting a Global Standard for Community-based Landslide Early Warning Systems (WCoE 2014-2017, IPL-158, IPL-165) --- Model Policy Frameworks, Standards and Guidelines on Landslide Disaster Reduction (WCoE 2014-2017) --- Landslide Hazard and Risk Management (WCoE 2014-2017) --- Mitigation of Landslide Hazards in Ukraine under the Guidance of ICL: 2009–2016 (IPL-153, IPL-191) --- Development of a Hazard Evaluation Technique for Earthquake-Induced Landslides Based on an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) (IPL-154) --- The Croatian-Japanese SATREPS Joint Research Project on Landslides (IPL-161)

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: The SF6 Decomposition Mechanism: Background and Significance by Xiaoxing Zhang, Ju Tang, Song Xiao and Fuping Zeng --- Chapter 2: Application of CNTs Gas Sensor in Online Monitoring of SF6 Insulated Equipment by Xiaoxing Zhang, Song Xiao, Ju Tang and Cheng Pan --- Chapter 3: Application of TiO2 Nanotubes Gas Sensors in Online Monitoring of SF6 Insulated Equipment by Ju Tang, Xiaoxing Zhang, Song Xiao and Fuping Zeng --- Chapter 4: Application of Graphene Gas Sensors in Online Monitoring of SF6 Insulated Equipment by Xiaoxing Zhang, Ju Tang, Song Xiao and Cheng Pan --- Chapter 5: Comparative Study of Materials to SF6 Decomposition Components by Xiaoxing Zhang, Ju Tang, Song Xiao, Fuping Zeng, Cheng Pan and Yingang Gui

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Applications of Chemometrics-Assisted Voltammetric Analysis by Ali R. Jalalvand --- Chapter 2: Study of Metrological Properties of Voltammetric Electrodes in the Time Domain by Krzysztof Suchocki --- Chapter 3: Direct Electron Transfer of Human Hemoglobin Molecules on Glass/Tin-Doped Indium Oxide by Flavio Dolores Martínez-Mancera and José Luis Hernández-López --- Chapter 4: Advances and Trends in Voltammetric Analysis of Dyes by Felipe Fantinato Hudari, Michelle Fernanda Brugnera and Maria Valnice Boldrin Zanoni --- Chapter 5: Applications of Voltammetric Analysis to Wine Products by Dolores Hernanz-Vila, M. José Jara-Palacios, M. Luisa Escudero- Gilete and Francisco J. Heredia --- Chapter 6: Modified Electrodes for Determining Trace Metal Ions by Pipat Chooto

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Graphene and Active Metamaterials: Theoretical Methods and Physical Properties by Marios Mattheakis, Giorgos P. Tsironis and Efthimios Kaxiras --- Chapter 2: Magneto-Plasmonics and Optical Activity in Graphene-Based Nanowires by Dmitry A. Kuzmin, Igor V. Bychkov, Vladimir G. Shavrov and Vasily V. Temnov --- Chapter 3: Nanoplasmonics in Metallic Nanostructures and Dirac Systems by Hari P. Paudel, Alireza Safaei and Michael N. Leuenberger --- Chapter 4: Ultrafast Nonlinear Optical Effects of Metal Nanoparticles Composites by Kwang-Hyon Kim, Anton Husakou and Joachim Herrmann --- Chapter 5: Understanding the Physical Behavior of Plasmonic Antennas Through Computational Electromagnetics by Xuezhi Zheng, Guy A.E. Vandenbosch and Victor V. Moshchalkov --- Chapter 6: Plasmonic Field Distribution of Homo- and Hetero Dimeric Ag and Au Nanoparticles by Nasrin Hooshmand --- Chapter 7: Optical Absorption and Thermal Effects of Plasmonic Nanostructures by Jingzhi Wu and Yanhong Wang --- Chapter 8: Infrared Solar Thermal-Shielding Applications Based on Oxide Semiconductor Plasmonics by Hiroaki Matsui and Hitoshi Tabata --- Chapter 9: Surface Plasmonics and Its Applications in Infrared Sensing by Guiru Gu, Xuejun Lu, Thitikorn Kemsri and Yingjie Zhang --- Chapter 10: Equivalent Nanocircuit Theory and Its Applications by Qing Zhang, Jun You and Chengpu Liu --- Chapter 11: Nanoplasmonic Waveguides Filled with Electro-Optical Materials by Montasir Qasymeh --- Chapter 12: Impedance Matching Analysis of Cylindrical Plasmonic Nanoantennas Fed by Optical Transmission Lines by Karlo Queiroz da Costa, Janilson Leão Souza and Victor Dmitriev --- Chapter 13: Tapered Plasmonic Nanoantennas for Energy Harvesting Applications by Youssef Mamdouh El-Toukhy, Mohamed Farhat Othman Hameed, Mohamed Hussein and Salah Sabry Ahmed Obayya --- Chapter 14: Plasmonics Devoted to Photocatalytic Applications in Liquid, Gas, and Biological Environments by Carlos J. Bueno-Alejo, Adriana Arca-Ramos and Jose L. Hueso --- Chapter 15: Plasmonic Nanostructures as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Substrate for Protein Biomarker Sensing by Dan Li and Yuling Wang --- Chapter 16: SERS Application for Analysis of Live Single Cell by Waleed Ahmed El-Said, Hyeon-Yeol Cho and Jeong-Woo Choi --- Chapter 17: Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Optical Fiber-Sensing Applications by Pedro J. Rivero, Javier Goicoechea and Francisco J. Arregui --- Chapter 18: Laser Annealing as a Platform for Plasmonic Nanostructuring by Nikolaos Kalfagiannis, Demosthenes C. Koutsogeorgis, Elefterios Lidorikis and Panos Patsalas --- Chapter 19: Fabrication of Plasmonic Crystalline Thin Film of Titanium Nitride (TiN) by Pulsed Laser Deposition with Third Harmonic of Nd:YAG Laser and Its Spectroscopic Analyses by Yasushi Oshikane

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Applications of Radial Basis Function Schemes to Fractional Partial Differential Equations by Carlos Alberto Torres Martínez and Carlos Fuentes --- Chapter 2: Application of Fractional Calculus to Oil Industry by Benito F. Martínez-Salgado, Rolando Rosas-Sampayo, Anthony Torres-Hernández and Carlos Fuentes --- Chapter 3: Fractals in Antennas and Metamaterials Applications by Wojciech Jan Krzysztofik --- Chapter 4: ASCCC Fractal and Its Application in Antenna Miniaturization by Zeinab Eskandari, Asghar Keshtkar, Javad Ahmadi-Shokouh and Leila Ghanbari --- Chapter 5: Application of Fractal Analysis While Designing of Family of Spacecraft for Needs of Space Industry by Andrew V. Sedelnokov and Ksenia I. Potienko --- Chapter 6: Specific Emitter Identification Based on Fractal Features by Janusz Dudczyk --- Chapter 7: Application of Fractal Dimension in Industry Practice by Vlastimil Hotař --- Chapter 8: Factors Affecting Accuracy and Precision in Measuring Material Surfaces by Jason A. Griggs --- Chapter 9: On the Indicatrixes of Waves Scattering from the Random Fractal Anisotropic Surface by Alexander A. Potapov --- Chapter 10: Fractal Geometry and Porosity by Oluranti Agboola, Maurice Steven Onyango, Patricia Popoola and Opeyemi Alice Oyewo --- Chapter 11: Analysis and Application of Decaying Turbulence with Initial Fractal Geometry by Hiroki Suzuki, Shinsuke Mochizuki, Yasuhiko Sakai and Koji Nagata

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter by Tõnu Trump --- Chapter 2: Reliable Broadcast over Cognitive Radio Networks: A Bipartite Graph-Based Algorithm by Yasir Ahmed Al-Mathehaji, Said Boussakta and Martin Johnston --- Chapter 3: Outage Performance Analysis of Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks with Decode-and-Forward Relaying by Mustafa Namdar and Arif Basgumus --- Chapter 4: Analog-to-Digital Conversion for Cognitive Radio: Subsampling, Interleaving, and Compressive Sensing by José Ramón García Oya, Fernando Muñoz Chavero and Rubén Martín Clemente --- Chapter 5: Reconfigurable Antennas for UWB Cognitive Radio Communication Applications by Yingsong Li and Yanyan Wang

Description / Table of Contents: The reversible elimination of hydrogen from metal hydrides serves as the basis for unique methods of energy transformation. This technology has found widespread practical utilization in applications such as hydrogen compressors, storage, and sensors, as well as batteries. Moreover, it is plausible that metal hydride technology could be utilized to provide practically viable solutions to the challenges of energy storage. For nearly two decades, an extensive, worldwide research effort has been devoted to complex metal hydrides possessing high volumetric and/or gravimetric hydrogen densities with the goal of their practical utilization as onboard hydrogen storage materials. Additionally, a significant and growing number of efforts have been devoted to developing metal hydrides as advanced sensors and ionic conductors, and for electrochemical and stationary energy storage. This Special Issue will provide a sampling of on-going, state-of-art research on metal hydrides, ranging from fundamental investigations to practical applications with a concentration on topics which are currently of high interest.

Description / Table of Contents: According to the 2014 revision of the World Urbanization Prospects by UN DESA, urbanization could add another 2.5 billion people to the urban population by 2050, with close to 90 percent of the increase concentrated in Asia and Africa. The largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria. This unprecedented increase in urban population not only poses challenges to providing urban jobs, housing, and infrastructure, but also exerts an increased pressure on urban land and sustainability. As land is a vital yet limited resource, sustainable management of urban land to cater to the needs of this growing urban population is seen as one of the key challenges for achieving an economically efficient, socially equitable, and environmentally safe society. A key tenet for sustainable economic development and smart growth is promoting sustainable urban land development and mitigating land use conflicts. While a large body of literature has dealt with both land use and sustainable development, the study of the interactive effects of these two remains limited. We also need more sophisticated empirical studies examining processes, mechanisms, institutions, equity, and sustainability of urban land use. We also encourage efforts to develop new theories, new concepts and new methods to understand the myriad ways in which urban land and sustainable development correlate each other. This special issue examines patterns, structure, and dynamics of urban land development and sustainability from multiple perspectives, in various contexts and at multiple dimensions (economic, social, political, developmental, environmental, etc.).

Description / Table of Contents: Scientists deserve public recognition. The ways that they are depicted, however, are severely limited in physical and personal traits, helping to establish and enhance stereotypes under the general title of ‘scientist’. These stereotypes range from the arrogant researcher who wants to rule the world, to the lab coat wearing ‘nerdy’ genius, but all generally fall to an extreme view of an existing perception of what a scientist should look and be like. For example, the popular image of ‘a scientist’ overlooks the presence of women almost entirely unless attributed to specific subjects and/or with narrow character depictions. The implications can be far-reaching. Young people, being heavily swayed by what they see and hear in the media, may avoid scientific careers because of these limited or unflattering portrayals of the scientific community, regardless of whether they reflect real life.Based on findings from the Light’13 project, this book examines such stereotypes and questions whether it is possible to adjust people’s perception of scientists and to increase interest in science and scientific careers through a series of specific actions and events.

Description / Table of Contents: "In Energy without Conscience" David McDermott Hughes investigates why climate change has yet to be seen as a moral issue. He examines the forces that render the use of fossil fuels ordinary and therefore exempt from ethical evaluation. Hughes centers his analysis on Trinidad and Tobago, which is the world's oldest petro-state, having drilled the first continuously producing oil well in 1866. Marrying historical research with interviews with Trinidadian petroleum scientists, policymakers, technicians, and managers, he draws parallels between Trinidad's eighteenth- and nineteenth-century slave labor energy economy and its contemporary oil industry. Hughes shows how both forms of energy rely upon a complicity that absolves producers and consumers from acknowledging the immoral nature of each. He passionately argues that like slavery, producing oil is a moral choice and that oil is at its most dangerous when it is accepted as an ordinary part of everyday life.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: On Nonoscillatory Solutions of Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Dynamical Systems by Elvan Akın and Özkan Öztürk --- Chapter 2: Oscillation Criteria for Second-Order Neutral Damped Differential Equations with Delay Argument by Said R. Grace and Irena Jadlovská --- Chapter 3: Preservation of Synchronization Using a Tracy-Singh Product in the Transformation on Their Linear Matrix by Guillermo Fernadez-Anaya, Luis Alberto Quezada-Téllez, Jorge Antonio López-Rentería, Oscar A. Rosas-Jaimes, Rodrigo Muñoz- Vega, Guillermo Manuel Mallen-Fullerton and José Job Flores- Godoy --- Chapter 4: Generalized Ratio Control of Discrete-Time Systems by Dušan Krokavec and Anna Filasová --- Chapter 5: Predictability in Deterministic Dynamical Systems with Application to Weather Forecasting and Climate Modelling by Sergei Soldatenko and Rafael Yusupov --- Chapter 6: Emergence of Classical Distributions from Quantum Distributions: The Continuous Energy Spectra Case by Gabino Torres-Vega --- Chapter 7: Recent Fixed Point Techniques in Fractional Set-Valued Dynamical Systems by Parin Chaipunya and Poom Kumam --- Chapter 8: Relationship between Interpolation and Differential Equations: A Class of Collocation Methods by Francesco Aldo Costabile, Maria Italia Gualtieri and Anna Napoli --- Chapter 9: Integral-Equation Formulations of Plasmonic Problems in the Visible Spectrum and Beyond by Abdulkerim Çekinmez, Barişcan Karaosmanoğlu and Özgür Ergül --- Chapter 10: Numerical Random Periodic Shadowing Orbits of a Class of Stochastic Differential Equations by Qingyi Zhan and Yuhong Li --- Chapter 11: Solution of Differential Equations with Applications to Engineering Problems by Cheng Yung Ming

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Characterization of Nanomaterials by Mehdi Khodaei and Luca Petaccia --- Chapter 2: Nanocrystallization of Metallic Glasses Followed by in situ Nuclear Forward Scattering of Synchrotron Radiation by Marcel B. Miglierini and Vít Procházka --- Chapter 3: Operando Structural Characterization of the E-ALD Process Ultra-Thin Films Growth by Andrea Giaccherini, Roberto Felici and Massimo Innocenti --- Chapter 4: X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study of Battery Materials by Marco Giorgetti and Lorenzo Stievano --- Chapter 5: Synchrotron Radiation-Based X-Ray Study on Energy Storage Materials by Shoaib Muhammad, Hyunchul Kim and Won-Sub Yoon --- Chapter 6: Studies of Lithium-Oxygen Battery Electrodes by Energy- Dependent Full-Field Transmission Soft X-Ray Microscopy by Dino Tonti, Mara Olivares-Marín, Andrea Sorrentino and Eva Pereiro

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Radon Phenomenon by Feriz Adrović --- Chapter 2: Radon Nuclides and Radon Generators by Ján Kozempel --- Chapter 3: Radon Monitoring in the Environment by Abd Elmoniem Ahmed Elzain --- Chapter 4: Levels of Radon and Granite Building Materials by Akbar Abbasi --- Chapter 5: Levels of Radon Activity Concentration and Gamma Dose Rate in Air of Coal Mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Zejnil Tresnjo, Jasmin Adrovic and Ema Hankic --- Chapter 6: Radon Exposure and Human Health: What Happens in Volcanic Environments? by Diana Linhares, Patrícia Garcia and Armindo Rodrigues --- Chapter 7: Residential Radon Exposure and Lung Cancer Risk in Kazakhstan by Rakhmetkazhy Bersimbaev and Olga Bulgakova --- Chapter 8: Radon Calibration System by Ayman M. Abdalla, Ahmed M. Ismail and Tayseer I. Al-Naggar

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Sustainable Solid Waste Recycling by Ahmad K. Jassim --- Chapter 2: Sustainable Power Technology: A Viable Sustainable Energy Solution by Kikelomo Ijagbemi --- Chapter 3: Sustainable Maintenance Practices and Skills for Competitive Production System by Adeyeri Michael Kanisuru --- Chapter 4: Interventions to Skills Development in the Automotive Manufacturing Sector of South Africa by Opeyeolu Timothy Laseinde and Grace Mukondeleli Kanakana --- Chapter 5: Designing and Developing New VET Curricula to Address Skills Gaps in the Aeronautics Industry by Rosa Maria Arnaldo Valdés, Victor Fernando Gómez Comendador and Alvaro Rodriguez Sanz

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Congruence of Personal and Organizational Values—How to Deal with? by Jolita Vveinhardt --- Chapter 2: Impact of Real and Propagated Values on Organisational Success by Eneken Titov and Ljudmila Umarova --- Chapter 3: Personal-Organizational Value Congruence as a Mediator Between Personality and Employee Attitudes by Doruk Uysal-Irak --- Chapter 4: Strengthening the Congruence of Personal and Organizational Values by Evelina Gulbovaite --- Chapter 5: Grading Intellectual Work Output by Fractional Approach to Excellence: A Score Sheet for Every Activity by Manfred Fehr

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Collaboration: Long-Term Partnerships for Local Development by Elisabeth Schauppenlehner-Kloyber --- Chapter 2: Evolution of Marketing in Smart Cities through the Collaboration Design by Urška Starc-Peceny, Anita Maček and Rasto Ovin --- Chapter 3: Social Media Use and Citizen Engagement in Local Government of Thailand by Sataporn Roengtam --- Chapter 4: Urban Planning in Decentralization and Local Autonomy Era: A Case Study on the Relationship Between Local Government and Civic Group in Development and Budget Planning in Malang City (Indonesia) by Salahudin, Achmad Nurmandi and Jainuri --- Chapter 5: The Key Role of Integral Extension in Socio-Environmental Innovation towards Sustainable Rural Development by Aida Huerta-Barrientos --- Chapter 6: Export, Import, Economic Growth, and Carbon Emissions in Bangladesh: A Granger Causality Test under VAR (Restricted) Environment by Farhana Ferdousi and Md. Qamruzzaman --- Chapter 7: Water Challenges of an Urbanizing World by Sheetal Sharma --- Chapter 8: The Spatial Structure of Ecuador: Analysis Using Market Potentials by Jorge Guido Sotomayor-Pereira, Jesús López-Rodríguez and Laura Varela-Candamio --- Chapter 9: The Economic Geography of Most North-Western Region of Spain: Galicia and the Effect of Market Access on Regional Development Levels by Jesús López-Rodríguez and Guillermo Manso-Fernández --- Chapter 10: Some Perpetually Old and New Development Issues in the EU Regions: Competitiveness, Resilience, and Convergence: Where Do the New Member States Stand? by Marioara Iordan and Mihaela-Nona Chilian --- Chapter 11: Regional Analysis for European Structural and Investment Funds on the Case of Slovenia-Austria Cross-Border Cooperation 2014–2020 by Vito Bobek and Anita Maček

Description / Table of Contents: Nishimura, T. Rust Formation Mechanism on Low Alloy Steels after Exposure Test in High Cl− and High SOx Environmen. Materials 2017, 10(2), 199; doi:10.3390/ma10020199. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/2/199 --- Chang, T.; Odnevall Wallinder, I.; de la Fuente, D.; Chico, B.; Morcillo, M.; Welter, J.; Leygraf, C. Analysis of Historic Copper Patinas. Influence of Inclusions on Patina Uniformity. Materials 2017, 10(3), 298; doi:10.3390/ma10030298. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/3/298 --- Na, O.; Cai, X.; Xi, Y. Corrosion Prediction with Parallel Finite Element Modeling for Coupled Hygro-Chemo Transport into Concrete under Chloride-Rich Environment. Materials 2017, 10(4), 350; doi:10.3390/ma10040350. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/350 --- Kreislova, K.; Knotkova, D. The Results of 45 Years of Atmospheric Corrosion Study in the Czech Republic. Materials 2017, 10(4), 394; doi:10.3390/ma10040394. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/394 --- Alcántara, J.; Fuente, D.; Chico, B.; Simancas, J.; Díaz, I.; Morcillo, M. Marine Atmospheric Corrosion of Carbon Steel: A Review. Materials 2017, 10(4), 406; doi:10.3390/ma10040406. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/406 --- Hosseinpour, S.; Johnson, M. Vibrational Spectroscopy in Studies of Atmospheric Corrosion. Materials 2017, 10(4), 413; doi:10.3390/ma10040413. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/413 --- Panchenko, Y.; Marshakov, A. Prediction of First-Year Corrosion Losses of Carbon Steel and Zinc in Continental Regions. Materials 2017, 10(4), 422; doi:10.3390/ma10040422. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/422 --- Chico, B.; de la Fuente, D.; Díaz, I.; Simancas, J.; Morcillo, M. Annual Atmospheric Corrosion of Carbon Steel Worldwide. An Integration of ISOCORRAG, ICP/UNECE and MICAT Databases. Materials 2017, 10(6), 601; doi:10.3390/ma10060601. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/6/601 --- Bouchar, M.; Dillmann, P.; Neff, D. New Insights in the Long-Term Atmospheric Corrosion Mechanisms of Low Alloy Steel Reinforcements of Cultural Heritage Buildings. Materials 2017, 10(6), 670; doi:10.3390/ma10060670. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/6/670 --- Tidblad, J.; Kreislová, K.; Faller, M.; de la Fuente, D.; Yates, T.; Verney-Carron, A.; Grøntoft, T.; Gordon, A.; Hans, U. ICP Materials Trends in Corrosion, Soiling and Air Pollution (1987–2014). Materials 2017, 10(8), 969; doi:10.3390/ma10080969. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/8/969 --- Cole, I. Recent Progress and Required Developments in Atmospheric Corrosion of Galvanised Steel and Zinc. Materials 2017, 10(11), 1288; doi:10.3390/ma10111288. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/11/1288

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- 1. What Are Rare Earth Elements? --- 2. Placing China in the World History of Discovery, Production, and Use --- 3. "Welcome to the Hometown of Rare Earths" --- 4. Rude Awakenings --- 5. From the Heartland to the Head of the Dog --- 6. Extraglobal Extraction --- Conclusion --- Appendix --- Notes --- References

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Paradigm Shift in Corporate Reporting by Pınar Okan Gökten and Beyhan Marşap --- Chapter 2: Integrated Reporting: A Template for Energy Companies by Gülçin Yıldırım, Tuğçe Uzun Kocamış and Figen Öker Türüdüoğlu --- Chapter 3: Greening Accounting: An Inevitable Link to Help Firms Connect with Sustainability by Somnath Debnath --- Chapter 4: Greening Accounting II: Exploring Feasibility of Environmental Accounting Framework by Somnath Debnath --- Chapter 5: Adaptation of International Accounting Standards: Case of Portugal by Helena Isabel Barroso Saraiva, Maria-Céu F.G. Alves and Vítor M.S. Gabriel --- Chapter 6: M2M-Fair Value Accounting by Yıldız Özerhan and Banu Sultanoğlu --- Chapter 7: Reporting for Carbon Trading and International Accounting Standards by Figen Öker and Hümeyra Adıgüzel --- Chapter 8: Accounting Choices in Corporate Financial Reporting: A Literature Review of Positive Accounting Theory by İdil Kaya --- Chapter 9: Value Relevance of Accounting Data in an Emerging Market: Did Accounting Reforms Make a Difference? by Mine Aksu, Ayse Tansel Cetin and Can Simga Mugan --- Chapter 10: Associativism of Accounting Professionals by Osmar Antonio Bonzanini, Amélia Cristina Ferreira da Silva and Teresa Gabriela Marques Leite --- Chapter 11: Behavioral Accounting and its Interactions by Filiz Angay Kutluk --- Chapter 12: The Future of Accounting Profession in an Era of Start-Ups by Burak Özdoğan --- Chapter 13: Graphical and Textual Presentations in Financial Reports by Seedwell T.M. Sithole --- Chapter 14: Historical Development of Government Accounting by Mihriban Coşkun Arslan --- Chapter 15: Public Accounting Reform from Institutional Theory Perspectives: Case of Turkey by Ceray Aldemir and Tuğba Uçma Uysal --- Chapter 16: The Factors Used to Create Performance-Based Budgeting: A Research on Turkey by Hakan Vahit Erkutlu, Şükran Güngör Tanç and Seyhan Çil Koçyiğit --- Chapter 17: The Managerial Perspective and Systems of Accountability in Judicial Offices by Ubaldo Comite

Description / Table of Contents: Igneous oceanic crust is one of the largest potential habitats for life on earth, and microbial activity supported by rock-water-microbe reactions in this environment can impact global biogeochemical cycles. However, our understanding of the microbiology of this system, especially the subsurface “deep biosphere” component of it, has traditionally been limited by sample availability and quality. Over the past decade, several major international programs (such as the Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations, the current International Ocean Discovery Program and its predecessor Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, and the Deep Carbon Observatory) have focused on advancing our understanding of life in this cryptic, yet globally relevant, biosphere. Additionally, many field and laboratory research programs are examining hydrothermal vent systems –a seafloor expression of seawater that has been thermally and chemically altered in subseafloor crust – and the microbial communities supported by these mineral-rich fluids. The Frontiers in Microbiology 3 September 2017 | Recent Advances in Geomicrobiology of the Ocean Crust papers in this special issue bring together recent discoveries of microbial presence, diversity and activity in these dynamic ocean environments. Cumulatively, the articles in this special issue serve as a tribute to the late Dr. Katrina J. Edwards, who was a pioneer and profound champion of studying microbes that “rust the crust”. This special issue volume serves as a foundation for the continued exploration of the subsurface ocean crust deep biosphere.

Description / Table of Contents: The deep subsurface is, in addition to space, one of the last unknown frontiers to human kind. A significant part of life on Earth resides in the deep subsurface, hiding great potential of microbial life of which we know only little. The conditions in the deep terrestrial subsurface are thought to resemble those of early Earth, which makes this environment an analog for studying early life in addition to possible extraterrestrial life in ultra-extreme conditions. Early microorganisms played a great role in shaping the conditions on the young Earth. Even today deep subsurface microorganisms interact with their geological environment transforming the conditions in the groundwater and on rock surfaces. Essential elements for life are richly present but in difficultly accessible form. The elements driving the microbial deep life is still not completely identified. Most of the microorganisms detected by novel molecular techniques still lack cultured representatives. Nevertheless, using modern sequencing techniques and bioinformatics the functional roles of these microorganisms are being revealed. We are starting to see the differences and similarities between the life in the deep subsurface and surface domains. We may even begin to see the function of evolution by comparing deep life to life closer to the surface of Earth. Deep life consists of organisms from all known domains of life. This Research Topic reveals some of the rich diversity and functional properties of the great biomass residing in the deep dark subsurface.

Description / Table of Contents: The global energy scene is in a state of flux. Understanding the dynamic interplay of energy markets, technology and policy has never been more critical. The World Energy Outlook (WEO), widely regarded as the gold standard of energy analysis, provides strategic insight on what today’s policy and investment decisions mean for long-term trends. The 2017 edition of the WEO, which will be released on 14 November, will contain a full update of energy demand and supply projections through 2040 under different scenarios, and their consequences for energy security, investment, energy industries and the environment. It will also include in-depth analysis of: China’s energy outlook. China’s influence has long been felt in coal, oil and gas, as well as in nuclear power, but the country is also now firmly established as a global leader in renewable energy, efficiency and innovation. The WEO will examine China’s economic and energy transitions in detail, and consider how the country’s policy choices can shape not just national prospects, but also global outcomes. Natural gas. The outlook for gas markets is evolving rapidly under pressure from two revolutions: the shale revolution, led by the United States, and the LNG revolution that is testing traditional gas business and pricing models. It will also investigate the wider opportunities and uncertainties for gas in the transition to a cleaner energy system, including its role in tackling local pollution as well as the risk of methane emissions. In addition, the WEO-2017 series will feature two special analyses, to be released in October. The close links between energy and development, assessing today’s global picture for access to modern energy, the strategies and technologies that can enable countries to achieve energy for all by 2030, and the ways in which reliable energy can move communities from poverty towards prosperity. Prospects for energy in Southeast Asia, where infrastructure and investment have to keep up with rapid, sustained growth in energy demand. The report will cover the particular challenge of providing secure, clean and affordable energy to small island systems and remote settlements.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: An Introduction to the Seismic and Sequence Stratigraphy and to the Integrated Stratigraphy: Concepts and Meanings by Gemma Aiello --- Chapter 2: Sequence Stratigraphy of Fine-Grained “Shale” Deposits: Case Studies of Representative Shales in the USA and China by Shu Jiang, Caineng Zou, Dazhong Dong, Wen Lin, Zhenlin Chen, Lei Chen, Lanyu Wu, Wei Dang and Yajun Li --- Chapter 3: Sequence Stratigraphy of Fluvial Facies: A New Type Representative from Wenliu Area, Bohai Bay Basin, China by Jingzhe Li and Jinliang Zhang --- Chapter 4: Seismic Stratigraphic Features of the Late Miocene-Present Unconformities and Related Seismic Units, Northern Offshore Taiwan by Jih-Hsin Chang, Eason Yi-Cheng Yang, Ho-Han Hsu, Chih-Chieh Su, Char-Shine Liu, Shye-Donq Chiu, Yu-Fang Ma, Yuan-Wei Li, Yen- Chun Lin and Jen-Sen Shen --- Chapter 5: Stratigraphy of Jurassic Sediments of the Southern Siberian Platform (Russia) Studied through Lithologic and Paleobotanical Data by Andrey Olegovich Frolov, Nikolay Ivanovich Akulov and Irina Mikhailovna Mashchuk --- Chapter 6: Stratigraphic Unconformities: Review of the Concept and Examples from the Middle-Upper Paleozoic by Pavel Kabanov --- Chapter 7: Integrated Stratigraphy of the Cenozoic Andean Foreland Basin (Northern Argentina) by Claudia Inés Galli, Ricardo Narciso Alonso and Lidia Beatriz Coira

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Rational Fitting Techniques for the Modeling of Electric Power Components and Systems Using MATLAB Environment by Eduardo Salvador Bañuelos-Cabral, José Alberto Gutiérrez-Robles and Bjørn Gustavsen

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Localization of Buried Objects Using Reflected Wide-Band Underwater Acoustic Signals by Salah Bourennane and Caroline Fossati --- Chapter 2: Routing Protocols for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks: A Survey from an Application Perspective by Qian Lu, Feng Liu, Ying Zhang and Shengming Jiang --- Chapter 3: Nonlinear Unknown-Input Observer-Based Systems for Secure Communication by Robert N.K. Loh and Manohar K. Das --- Chapter 4: Denoising Methods for Underwater Acoustic Signal by Vijaya Baskar Veeraiyan --- Chapter 5: Active and Passive Acoustic Methods for In-situ Monitoring of the Ocean Status by Sara Pensieri and Roberto Bozzano --- Chapter 6: Development of Quantitative Single Beam Echosounder for Measuring Fish Backscattering by Henry M. Manik, Dony Apdillah, Angga Dwinovantyo and Steven Solikin

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Bandwidth Enhancement Techniques by Seyed Ali Razavi Parizi --- Chapter 2: Miniature Planar Antenna Design for Ultra-Wideband Systems by Mohammad Alibakhshikenari, Mohammad Naser-Moghadasi, Ramazan Ali Sadeghzadeh, Bal Singh Virdee and Ernesto Limiti --- Chapter 3: Design and Analysis of Microstrip Patch Antennas Using Artificial Neural Network by Vivek Singh Kushwah and Geetam Singh Tomar --- Chapter 4: Circularly Polarized T-Stub Coupled Microstrip Antenna Structure for WLAN by Milind Thomas Themalil --- Chapter 5: Bio-Inspired Microstrip Antenna by Alexandre Jean René Serres, Georgina Karla de Freitas Serres, Paulo Fernandes da Silva Júnior, Raimundo Carlos Silvério Freire, Josiel do Nascimento Cruz, Tulio Chaves de Albuquerque, Maciel Alves Oliveira and Paulo Henrique da Fonseca Silva --- Chapter 6: Printed Planar Antenna Designs Based on Metamaterial Unit- Cells for Broadband Wireless Communication Systems by Mohammad Alibakhshikenari, Mohammad Naser-Moghadasi, Ramazan Ali Sadeghzadeh, Bal Singh Virdee and Ernesto Limiti --- Chapter 7: Low-SAR Miniaturized Handset Antenna Using EBG by Kamel Salah Sultan, Haythem Hussien Abdullah and Esmat Abdel- Fatah Abdallah

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Dynamics of Transient Plasmas Generated by Laser Ablation in Various Temporal Regimes by Petru-Edward Nica, Stefan Andrei Irimiciuc, Maricel Agop, Silviu Gurlui, Michael Ziskind and Cristian Focsa --- Chapter 2: Nanosecond Laser Ablation: Mathematical Models, Computational Algorithms, Modeling by Vladimir I. Mazhukin --- Chapter 3: Protected Laser Evaporation/Ablation and Deposition of Organic/Biological Materials: Thin Films Deposition for Nano- biomedical Applications by Gianina-Florentina Popescu-Pelin, Carmen-Georgeta Ristoscu, Maria Badiceanu and Ion N. Mihailescu --- Chapter 4: Structural Modifications of KrF Excimer Laser-Ablated Zirconium Correlated to the Surface and Mechanical Properties by Nisar Ali, Umm-i-Kalsoom, Shazia Bashir and Narjis Begum --- Chapter 5: Sequentially Timed All-Optical Mapping Photography for Real- Time Monitoring of Laser Ablation: Breakdown and Filamentation in Picosecond and Femtosecond Regimes by Keiichi Nakagawa, Takakazu Suzuki and Fumihiko Kannari --- Chapter 6: Optical Properties of Complex Oxide Thin Films Obtained by Pulsed Laser Deposition by Valentin Ion, Andreea Andrei, Maria Dinescu and Nicu Doinel Scarisoreanu --- Chapter 7: Nanoparticles, Nanocrystals, and Nanocomposites Produced with Pulsed Laser Ablation and Their Applications by Bülend Ortaç, Elif Uzcengiz Şimşek and Canan Kurşungöz --- Chapter 8: Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation of Organic Thin Films: Applications in Biology and Chemical Sensors by Alexandra Palla Papavlu, Valentina Dinca, Mihaela Filipescu and Maria Dinescu --- Chapter 9: Micro- and Nano-Structuring of Materials via Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Ablation by Chung-Wei Cheng and Jinn-Kuen Chen --- Chapter 10: Multi-Beam Multi-Target Pulsed Laser Deposition of AZO Films with Polymer Nanoparticles for Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters by Abdalla M. Darwish, Sergey S. Sarkisov, Paolo Mele and Shrikant Saini --- Chapter 11: Fabrication of a Cell Electrostimulator Using Pulse Laser Deposition and Laser Selective Thin Film Removal by Angel Luis Aragón Beloso, María del Carmen Bao Varela, Alejandro Fernández Rodríguez, Gerard O’connor, Eliseo Pérez Trigo, Antonio Pazos Álvarez and Daniel Nieto García --- Chapter 12: In Vitro Evaluation of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on New Zirconia/Tantalum Biocermet for Hard-Tissue Replacement by Alberto Jorge-Mora, Naroa Imaz, Nekane Frutos, Ana Alonso, Carlota García Santiago, Rodolfo Gómez-Vaamonde, Jesús Pino- Minguez, Jose Bartolomé, Gerard O’connor and Daniel Nieto --- Chapter 13: Laser Ablation of Energetic Materials by Ruiqi Shen, Lizhi Wu, Wei Zhang and Haonan Zhang

Description / Table of Contents: Belle, J.; Liu, Y. Evaluation of Aqua MODIS Collection 6 AOD Parameters for Air Quality Research over the Continental United States. Remote Sens. 2016, 8(10), 815; doi:10.3390/rs8100815. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/10/815 --- Sun, K.; Chen, X.; Zhu, Z.; Zhang, T. High Resolution Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieval Using Gaofen-1 WFV Camera Data. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(1), 89; doi:10.3390/rs9010089. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/1/89 --- Chen, X.; Yang, D.; Cai, Z.; Liu, Y.; Spurr, R. Aerosol Retrieval Sensitivity and Error Analysis for the Cloud and Aerosol Polarimetric Imager on Board TanSat: The Effect of Multi-Angle Measurement. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(2), 183; doi:10.3390/rs9020183. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/2/183 --- Jiang, M.; Sun, W.; Yang, G.; Zhang, D. Modelling Seasonal GWR of Daily PM2.5 with Proper Auxiliary Variables for the Yangtze River Delta. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(4), 346; doi:10.3390/rs9040346. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/4/346 --- Wang, Y.; Chen, L.; Li, S.; Wang, X.; Yu, C.; Si, Y.; Zhang, Z. Interference of Heavy Aerosol Loading on the VIIRS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Retrieval Algorithm. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(4), 397; doi:10.3390/rs9040397. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/4/397 --- Wang, W.; Mao, F.; Pan, Z.; Du, L.; Gong, W. Validation of VIIRS AOD through a Comparison with a Sun Photometer and MODIS AODs over Wuhan. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 403; doi:10.3390/rs9050403. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/5/403 --- Zhu, J.; Xia, X.; Wang, J.; Che, H.; Chen, H.; Zhang, J.; Xu, X.; Levy, R.; Oo, M.; Holz, R.; Ayoub, M. Evaluation of Aerosol Optical Depth and Aerosol Models from VIIRS Retrieval Algorithms over North China Plain. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 432; doi:10.3390/rs9050432. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/5/432 --- Dolgii, S.; Nevzorov, A.; Nevzorov, A.; Romanovskii, O.; Kharchenko, O. Intercomparison of Ozone Vertical Profile Measurements by Differential Absorption Lidar and IASI/MetOp Satellite in the Upper Troposphere–Lower Stratosphere. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 447; doi:10.3390/rs9050447. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/5/447 --- Liu, L.; Zhang, X.; Xu, W.; Liu, X.; Lu, X.; Wang, S.; Zhang, W.; Zhao, L. Ground Ammonia Concentrations over China Derived from Satellite and Atmospheric Transport Modeling. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 467; doi:10.3390/rs9050467. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/5/467 --- Chen, W.; Fan, A.; Yan, L. Performance of MODIS C6 Aerosol Product during Frequent Haze-Fog Events: A Case Study of Beijing. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 496; doi:10.3390/rs9050496. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/5/496 --- Osorio, M.; Casaballe, N.; Belsterli, G.; Barreto, M.; Gómez, Á.; Ferrari, J.; Frins, E. Plume Segmentation from UV Camera Images for SO2 Emission Rate Quantification on Cloud Days. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(6), 517; doi:10.3390/rs9060517. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/517 --- Gu, J.; Chen, L.; Yu, C.; Li, S.; Tao, J.; Fan, M.; Xiong, X.; Wang, Z.; Shang, H.; Su, L. Ground-Level NO2 Concentrations over China Inferred from the Satellite OMI and CMAQ Model Simulations. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(6), 519; doi:10.3390/rs9060519. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/519 --- Wang, Y.; Wang, J.; Levy, R.; Xu, X.; Reid, J. MODIS Retrieval of Aerosol Optical Depth over Turbid Coastal Water. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(6), 595; doi:10.3390/rs9060595. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/595 --- Kim, D.; Lee, H.; Hong, H.; Choi, W.; Lee, Y.; Park, J. Estimation of Surface NO2 Volume Mixing Ratio in Four Metropolitan Cities in Korea Using Multiple Regression Models with OMI and AIRS Data. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(6), 627; doi:10.3390/rs9060627. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/627 --- Qu, Y.; Han, Y.; Wu, Y.; Gao, P.; Wang, T. Study of PBLH and Its Correlation with Particulate Matter from One-Year Observation over Nanjing, Southeast China. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(7), 668; doi:10.3390/rs9070668. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/7/668 --- Tosca, M.; Campbell, J.; Garay, M.; Lolli, S.; Seidel, F.; Marquis, J.; Kalashnikova, O. Attributing Accelerated Summertime Warming in the Southeast United States to Recent Reductions in Aerosol Burden: Indications from Vertically-Resolved Observations. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(7), 674; doi:10.3390/rs9070674. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/7/674 --- Tao, M.; Wang, Z.; Tao, J.; Chen, L.; Wang, J.; Hou, C.; Wang, L.; Xu, X.; Zhu, H. How Do Aerosol Properties Affect the Temporal Variation of MODIS AOD Bias in Eastern China?. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(8), 800; doi:10.3390/rs9080800. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/8/800 --- Wang, W.; Mao, F.; Du, L.; Pan, Z.; Gong, W.; Fang, S. Deriving Hourly PM2.5 Concentrations from Himawari-8 AODs over Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei in China. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(8), 858; doi:10.3390/rs9080858. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/8/858 --- Yuchechen, A.; Lakkis, S.; Canziani, P. Linear and Non-Linear Trends for Seasonal NO2 and SO2 Concentrations in the Southern Hemisphere (2004−2016). Remote Sens. 2017, 9(9), 891; doi:10.3390/rs9090891. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/9/891 --- Qin, K.; Rao, L.; Xu, J.; Bai, Y.; Zou, J.; Hao, N.; Li, S.; Yu, C. Estimating Ground Level NO2 Concentrations over Central-Eastern China Using a Satellite-Based Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression Model. Remote Sens. 2017, 9(9), 950; doi:10.3390/rs9090950. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/9/950