ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Three centuries (1670–1970) of appreciating physical landscapes / Thomas A. Hose / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 1-23, 11 September 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.15 --- Appreciating geology and the physical landscape in Scotland: from tourism of awe to experiential re-engagement / John E. Gordon and Matt Baker / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 25-40, 12 January 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.1 --- Waterfalls and the Romantic traveller / Brian J. Hudson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 41-57, 12 January 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.9 --- The artist as geotourist: Eugene von Guérard and the seminal sites of early volcanic research in Europe and Australia / Ruth Pullin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 59-69, 15 December 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.4 --- Landscape and geotourism on the Dutch coast in the seventeenth century as depicted by landscape artists / J. A. M. (Hanneke) van den Ancker and Pieter Dirk Jungerius / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 71-82, 14 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.14 --- Visitors to ‘the northern playgrounds’: tourists and exploratory science in north Norway / W. Brian Whalley and Anne F. Parkinson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 83-93, 17 September 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.12 --- The role of local societies in early modern geotourism: a case study of the Chester Society of Natural Science and the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club / Cynthia V. Burek and Thomas A. Hose / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 95-116, 6 February 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.6 --- Geotourism: an early photographic insight through the lens of the Geologists’ Association / Jonathan G. Larwood / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 117-129, 18 December 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.7 --- The contribution of maps to appreciating physical landscape: examples from Derbyshire's Peak District / C. John Henry and Thomas A. Hose / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 131-155, 7 September 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.13 --- Three centuries of open access to the caves in Stoney Middleton Dale Site of Special Scientific Interest, Derbyshire / Mark A. Cope / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 157-169, 30 October 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.3 --- Geology and landscape in SW England in the late eighteenth century, as recorded in the travel journals of William George Maton (1774–1840) / John D. Mather / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 171-185, 13 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.8 --- The role of Carclaze tin mine in eighteenth and nineteenth century geotourism / Colin Bristow / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 187-197, 11 February 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.11 --- From tourism to geotourism: a few historical cases from the French Alpine foreland / Nathalie Cayla, Christophe Gauchon and Fabien Hobléa / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 199-213, 11 February 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.10 --- Rediscovering geoheritage, reinventing geotourism: 200 years of experience from the Sudetes, Central Europe / Piotr Migoń / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 215-228, 13 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.2 --- Appreciating loess landscapes through history: the basis of modern loess geotourism in the Vojvodina region of North Serbia / Djordjije A. Vasiljević, Slobodan B. Marković and Miroslav D. Vujičić / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 417, 229-239, 3 November 2014, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP417.5

Description / Table of Contents: A major rifting episode began in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia in September 2005. Over a ten-day period, c. 2.5 km3 of magma were intruded along a 60 km-long dyke separating the Arabian and Nubian plates. Over the next five years, a further 13 dyke intrusions caused continued extension, eruptions and seismicity. This activity led to a renewed international focus on the role of magmatism in rifting, with major international collaborative projects working in Afar and Ethiopia to study the ongoing activity and to place it in a broader context. This book brings together articles that explore the role of magmatism in rifting, from the initiation of continental break-up through to full seafloor spreading. We also explore the hazards related to rifting and the associated volcanism. This work has implications for our understanding of how continents break-up and the associated distribution of resources in rift basins and continental margins.

Description / Table of Contents: Geomaterials derived from the Earth's crust and used in construction after appropriate processing are among the earliest raw materials exploited, processed and used by humans. Their numerous functional properties include accessibility, workability and serviceability, and these are explored within this volume. In modern society, sustainable use of raw materials, specifically those exploited in large volumes such as geomaterials for construction, raises questions of reducing extraction of primary resources and thus minimizing impacts on natural systems, and also employment of materials and technologies to lower emissions of deleterious substances into the atmosphere. This will be possible only if we fully understand the properties, processing and mode of use of traditional geomaterials. Although most of the papers within this volume were written by geologists, the contributions will also be of interest to those working in cultural heritage, monument conservation, civil engineering and architecture.

Description / Table of Contents: The geological and palaeontological records of climate change and evolutionary events reflect Earth's widely fluctuating climate systems. Past climates hold the clues to understanding future developments. In this context, research on linked climate, biodiversity and sea-level fluctuations of the Devonian contributes to the general knowledge of deep-time climate dynamics. A fruitful co-operation between the International Geoscience Programme IGCP 596 and the International Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) addressed the complex succession of climate-linked Devonian global events of varying magnitude. The primary goal of IGCP 596 was to assess mid-Palaeozoic climate changes and their impact on marine and terrestrial biodiversity using an interdisciplinary approach. The focus of SDS includes a revision of the eustatic sea-level curve and the integration of refined chrono- and biostratigraphy with modern chemo-, magneto-, cyclo-, event- and sequence stratigraphy. This enabled the much improved dating and correlation of abiotic perturbations, evolutionary changes, organism and ecosystem ranges. Results by 37 authors are presented in 14 chapters, which cover the entire Devonian.

Description / Table of Contents: Field studies over a range of scales have been important in the upstream oil and gas industry for decades. Advances in digital outcrop characterization and data capture, coupled with increased computational capabilities, have resulted in a resurgence in fieldwork; these field studies are required to develop depositional, stratigraphic and structural concepts and provide the data which underpin the current generation of complex, computer generated, 3D subsurface models. These models provide an informed means of benchmarking the subsurface along with a more considered view of subsurface uncertainty and management of the risks identified. The papers in this volume cover safety in the field, frontier basin petroleum system assessment, field appraisal and development including unconventional resources, applications of techniques such as LiDAR and 3D photogrammetry, and uncertainty characterization. The studies were undertaken in diverse locations such as the Faroe Islands, Italy, Algeria, India, the USA and Trinidad; they represent a range of tectonic settings and a wide geological time frame. The spectrum of papers is testament to the value and integral position that fieldwork occupies within the modern hydrocarbon industry.

Description / Table of Contents: This special issue emerged following the 2013 8th International Statistical Seismology (StatSei8) workshop in Beijing. The articles within have been collected to report on exciting new research in statistical seismology methods and applications; it contains a collection of the newest methods, techniques and results related to statistical analysis of earthquake occurrence and earthquake probability forecasting. The articles within ultimately help to define future research directions in the field. Especially, the rapid development of observation technologies has brought geophysical research into the big-data era. This includes not only non-seismicity geophysical data, such as GPS observation on surface displacement, InSAR observation of the co-seismic deformation, ionospheric observations, etc., but also extended seismological data including slow earthquakes, tremor, and VLF earthquakes. The subject of statistical seismology bridges the gap between physical and statistical models. Many significant achievements have been accomplished during the last several decades, including formulation of conditional intensity models for quantifying seismicity rates, earthquake probability forecasts, and theories related to rigorous testing of forecast models.

Description / Table of Contents: This is the second volume of the topical issue “Mathematics and Geosciences: Global and Local Perspectives” which embraces 21 papers on different topics relating to Mathematics and Geosciences. They address different topics under both global and local perspectives, such as a method for calculating probabilities for large events in systems such as earthquakes, typhoons, etc.; the use of the Laplace–Fourier-domain full waveform inversion technique to deep-sea seismic data; discrete element modeling; step-edge detection filters, study of a transition zone of the Narmada-Son lineament; integral formulae for recovering the sub-crustal stress from terrestrial gravimetric data; numerical simulations of earthquake fault systems and their use to estimate gravity changes; application of Gaussian clustering to joint interpretation of seismic and magnetotelluric data; on the reliability and fidelity of archaeomagnetic and volcanic records to recover the past evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field; the study, for the first time, of variations in absolute surface geostrophic currents (SGC) using satellite data only; discussion of the inconsistency of IAU2000 non-rigid earth nutation model; the study of nonlinear anisotropic diffusive filtering applied to the ocean´s MDT; the numerical solution of a nonhydrostatic ocean model; Hydrological-Hydraulic models; Steiner rearrangement of a function to study the effectiveness of chemical reactors for the treatment of wastewaters; GNSS software; the study of the fractal dimensions for the identification of bedrock lithology; the study of the Uruk archaeological site (southern Iraq) by integrated geophysical methods; mathematical model for patchy landscapes; study of pore space soil structure; and the results of comparison between transverse electric-type fields and between transverse magnetic and transverse electromagnetic fields. As the previous one, volume II addresses the interest of scientists of many of the branches in Earth Sciences as well as postgraduate students, covering both approaches, applied and theoretical ones, to solve many different problems in Geosciences with the help of mathematical models and methods.

Description / Table of Contents: Chaotic dynamic systems and non-linear processes, together with the resulting fractals and multifractals, are fundamental for analyzing data and understanding processes in the Earth and Environmental Sciences. Many processes and phenomena, poorly recognized only a few years ago, now can be studied and understood with the help of conceptual models from the fields of fractals and dynamics systems. This represents a bold step towards understanding how planet Earth works. The twenty-one papers presented in this volume reflect the state of fundamental and applied research on fractals and dynamic systems in Geoscience, from magma dynamics to geomorphology, from seismology to space science. The volume is of interest to scientists using fractals, multifractals, non-linear dynamics and chaos theory for analyzing complex datasets, as those arising from geological and geophysical processes. Postgraduate students and students in various fields of geoscience as well as physics and applied mathematics will also find the book to be a valuable resource for a clear view of the leading-edge research on fractals and dynamic systems in Geoscience.

Description / Table of Contents: This issue contains 16 papers, presenting work on tsunami hazards, earthquakes, and related computational infrastructure. The integration of multihazard simulations and remotely sensed observations is providing enormous benefits to earthquake and tsunami research. Earthquakes cause damage, but also generate tsunamis, which create additional damage. Remotely sensed observations coupled with geologic field measurements and simulations contribute to our understanding of earthquake processes, which is necessary for mitigating loss of life and property from these damaging events. This book focuses on assimilation of remotely sensed observations to advance multihazards simulation. This capability provides a powerful virtual laboratory to probe earthquake behavior and the earthquake cycle. Hence, it offers a new opportunity to gain understanding of the earthquake nucleation process, precursory phenomena, and space-time seismicity patterns needed for breakthrough advances in earthquake forecasting and hazard quantification.

Description / Table of Contents: This book presents the state-of-the-art results of characterization of clays, clay minerals and ceramic materials based on clay minerals. The main goal of this work is to contribute to the rationalization of some important results obtained in the open area of clays and clay materials characterization. Moreover, this book also provides a comprehensive account on polymer and biopolymer-clay nanocomposites, use of clay as adsorption materials for industrial pollutants, ceramic materials in cultural heritage and physical-chemistry aspects of clay and clay minerals aqueous dispersions. This book will be beneficial for students, teachers and researchers of many areas who are interested to expand their knowledge about clays and its derivates in the fields of Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Industrial Remediation, Cultural Heritage, etc.

Description / Table of Contents: Geodynamic and natural hazards processes produce among other effects deformation and gravity changes which can be measured, using space and ground-based techniques. It is widely recognized that obtaining high temporal rate and high spatial resolution data over wide areas could enhance our mapping capability of such hazardous processes. However, it is also necessary to develop new mathematical (analytical and/or numerical) models and methods for a correct interpretation and, eventually forecast. This book is dedicated to the description of theoretical models, inversion techniques and their application to observational geodetic and geophysical data sets in active geodynamic areas and affected by natural hazards. This book compiles part of the papers presented at the 15th Annual conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences held in Madrid, Spain during September 2-6, 2013. This conference had the special topic of “Mathematics of the Planet Earth” emphasizing the recent importance of modelling in our understanding of Geoscience problems. In this regard, the session XIII “Deformation modelling, Geodynamics and Natural Hazards” served to discuss modelling and observational works of structural and deformation processes (e.g., geodesy, seismology) relevant to the study of Geodynamics and Natural Hazards.

Description / Table of Contents: The book is a collection of studies dedicated to different perspectives of three dimensions or pillars of the sustainability of supply chain and supply chain management - economic, environmental, and social - and other aspects related to performance evaluation, optimization, and modelling of and for sustainable supply chain management, and thus presents another valuable contribution to sustainable development and sustainable way of life.

Description / Table of Contents: Foreword --- Preface --- Cooperators --- Part 1 Radioactivity in the Terrestrial Environment --- Part 2 Decontamination and Radioactive Waste --- Part 3 Environmental Radiation and External Exposure --- Part 4 Radioactivity in Foods and Internal Exposure

Description / Table of Contents: The structural properties of materials play a fundamental role in the determination of their suitability for a specific application. This book is intended as a contribution to the efforts to increase the knowledge of the influence exerted on the properties of materials by their crystalline or amorphous structure. To this aim, some of the materials that are most promising for their use in different technological fields have been studied, namely graphene, titanium oxide, several types of functional metal oxides, porphyrinic crystalline solids, plasma deposited polymers, amorphous silicon, as well as hydrogenated amorphous carbon. These materials have been presented by the authors for their use in different applications, including microelectronics, photonics, and biomedicine.

Description / Table of Contents: Assessing and improving nuclear material performance is a crucial subject for the sustainability of the nuclear energy and radioactive isotope supplies. This book aims to present research efforts used to identify nuclear materials performances in different areas. The contributions of esteemed international experts have covered important research aspects in fission and fusion technologies and naturally occurring radioactive materials management. The authors introduced current and anticipated trends toward better performances and mitigating challenges for commercial application of innovative technologies, biological remediation of mine effluents, nuclear fuel performance in power and research fission reactors, gamma ray spectrometer calibration, and recent advances in understanding the performance of tungsten composite in fusion reactor environment.

Description / Table of Contents: This book has been written to present major and efficient applications in landscape ecology, as well as to propose a solid action for this category of topics. The book aims to illustrate various treatment methods of the land-use models impact on landscape ecology creation. The book is divided into three parts: Part I: Ecological interpretation of land-use act - in this part, ecosystem and land use turn out to be a significant factor in the process of creating an ecological landscape. Part II: Landscape district in applied ecological analysis - this part attempts to illustrate the best possible model of analysis integrated with landscape in practical case studies. Part III: The anthropogenic impacts on landscape creation - this part discusses the human impact on landscape creation.

Description / Table of Contents: Renewable energies constitute excellent solutions to both the increase of energy consumption and environment problems. Among these energies, wind energy is very interesting. Wind energy is the subject of advanced research. In the development of wind turbine, the design of its different structures is very important. It will ensure: the robustness of the system, the energy efficiency, the optimal cost and the high reliability. The use of advanced control technology and new technology products allows bringing the wind energy conversion system in its optimal operating mode. Different strategies of control can be applied on generators, systems relating to blades, etc. in order to extract maximal power from the wind. The goal of this book is to present recent works on design, control and applications in wind energy conversion systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Water inside the earth, the groundwater and the invisible resource is the most important source of survival of mankind on this globe. Part of the hydrological cycle between entry (percolation and recharge) and exit (natural or forced extraction and discharge), the groundwater fascinates all: engineers, hydrogeologists, agriculturists, environmentalists, scientists, academia, resource managers and domestic and industrial users. This book is the outcome of efforts of those eminent authors who despite their fascination were able to write upon some important facet of groundwater flow and the transport of pollutants with it. The dimensions covered range from simple descriptive narratives; to expose of analytical methods; to complex mathematical treatment; to numerical simulations and computer modeling. All areas have been touched upon for the sake of general readers, students, professional engineers and scientists.

Description / Table of Contents: The study of radiation effects has developed as a major field of materials science from the beginning, approximately 70 years ago. Its rapid development has been driven by two strong influences. The properties of the crystal defects and the materials containing them may then be studied. The types of radiation that can alter structural materials consist of neutrons, ions, electrons, gamma rays or other electromagnetic waves with different wavelengths. All of these forms of radiation have the capability to displace atoms/molecules from their lattice sites, which is the fundamental process that drives the changes in all materials. The effect of irradiation on materials is fixed in the initial event in which an energetic projectile strikes a target. The book is distributed in four sections: Ionic Materials; Biomaterials; Polymeric Materials and Metallic Materials.

Description / Table of Contents: Empirical modeling has been a useful approach for the analysis of different problems across numerous areas/fields of knowledge. As it is known, this type of modeling is particularly helpful when parametric models, due to various reasons, cannot be constructed. Based on different methodologies and approaches, empirical modeling allows the analyst to obtain an initial understanding of the relationships that exist among the different variables that belong to a particular system or process. In some cases, the results from empirical models can be used in order to make decisions about those variables, with the intent of resolving a given problem in the real-life applications. This book entitled Empirical Modeling and Its Applications consists of six (6) chapters.

Description / Table of Contents: This Book of Abstracts covers the abstracts presented at the 6th International Maar Conference (6IMC) in Changchun (China). The 6IMC conference sessions are focused on Maar and Environment Change, covering a wide spectrum of topics including: characteristics, mechanism, modeling and geological background of Monogenetic volcanic activities; volcanic evolution and spatial distribution regulation, resources, disaster, detecting, monitoring and societal responses of volcanic activity.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Bioinformatics: Basics, Development, and Future by Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov --- Chapter 2: A Bioinformatics Method for the Production of Antibody-Drug Conjugates Through Site-Specific Cysteine Conjugation by Arianna Filntisi, Dimitrios Vlachakis and George K. Matsopoulos --- Chapter 3: Databases and Algorithms in Allergen Informatics by Kiran Kadam, Sangeeta Sawant, V.K. Jayaraman and Urmila Kulkarni-Kale --- Chapter 4: Bioinformatics for Membrane Lipid Simulations: Models, Computational Methods, and Web Server Tools by S. W. Leong, T. S. Lim and Y. S. Choong --- Chapter 5: Bioinformatics Approaches for Predicting Kinase–Substrate Relationships by Daniel A. Bórquez and Christian González-Billault --- Chapter 6: Bioinformatics for RNA‐Seq Data Analysis by Shanrong Zhao, Baohong Zhang, Ying Zhang, William Gordon, Sarah Du, Theresa Paradis, Michael Vincent and David von Schack --- Chapter 7: Application of Bioinformatics Methodologies in the Fields of Skin Biology and Dermatology by Sidra Younis, Valeriia Shnayder and Miroslav Blumenberg --- Chapter 8: The Study of Hepatitis B Virus Using Bioinformatics by Trevor Graham Bell and Anna Kramvis --- Chapter 9: Bioinformatics: A Way Forward to Explore “Plant Omics” by Mehboob-ur- Rahman, Tayyaba Shaheen, Mahmood-ur- Rahman, Muhammad Atif Iqbal and Yusuf Zafar --- Chapter 10: Bioinformatics Tools and Genomic Resources Available in Understanding the Structure and Function of Gossypium by Venkateswara R. Sripathi, Ramesh Buyyarapu, Siva P. Kumpatla, Abreeotta J. Williams, Seloame T. Nyaku, Yonathan Tilahun, Venu Kalavacharla and Govind C. Sharma

Description / Table of Contents: The book contains 10 chapters, and it is divided into four sections. The first section includes three chapters, providing an overview of Energy Management of Distributed Systems. It outlines typical concepts, such as Demand-Side Management, Demand Response, Distributed, and Hierarchical Control for Smart Micro-Grids. The second section contains three chapters and presents different control algorithms, software architectures, and simulation tools dedicated to Energy Management Systems. In the third section, the importance and the role of energy storage technology in a Distribution System, describing and comparing different types of energy storage systems, is shown. The fourth section shows how to identify and address potential threats for a Home Energy Management System. Finally, the fifth section discusses about Economical Optimization of Operational Cost for Micro-Grids, pointing out the effect of renewable energy sources, active loads, and energy storage systems on economic operation.

Description / Table of Contents: Water is not only an interesting object to be studied on its own, it also is an important component driving almost all ecological processes occurring in our landscapes. Plant growth depends on soil water content, as well is nutrient turnover by microbes. Water shapes the environment by erosion and sedimentation. Species occur or are lost depending on hydrological conditions, and many infectious diseases are water-borne. Modeling the complex interactions of water and ecosystem processes requires the prediction of hydrological fluxes and stages on the one side and the coupling of the ecosystem process model on the other. While much effort has been given to the development of the hydrological model theory in recent decades, we have just begun to explore the difficulties that occur when coupled model applications are being set up.

Description / Table of Contents: In recent years, typhoons have struck the Philippines and Vanuatu; earthquakes have rocked Haiti, Pakistan, and Nepal; floods have swept through Pakistan and Mozambique; droughts have hit Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia; and more. All led to loss of life and loss of livelihoods, and recovery will take years. One of the likely effects of climate change is to increase the likelihood of the type of extreme weather events that seems to cause these disasters. But do extreme events have to turn into disasters with huge loss of life and suffering? Dull Disasters? harnesses lessons from finance, political science, economics, psychology, and the natural sciences to show how countries and their partners can be far better prepared to deal with disasters. The insights can lead to practical ways in which governments, civil society, private firms, and international organizations can work together to reduce the risks to people and economies when a disaster looms. Responses to disasters then become less emotional, less political, less headline-grabbing, and more business as usual and effective. The book takes the reader through a range of solutions that have been implemented around the world to respond to disasters. It gives an overview of the evidence on what works and what doesn't and it examines the crucial issue of disaster risk financing. Building on the latest evidence, it presents a set of lessons and principles to guide future thinking, research, and practice in this area.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is a new history of an ancient geography. It reassesses the evidence for why Europeans believed a massive southern continent existed, and why they advocated for its discovery. When ships were equal to ambitions, explorers set out to find and claim Terra Australis. Antipodes charts these voyages—voyages both through the imagination and across the High Seas—in pursuit of the mythical Terra Australis. In doing so, the question is asked: how could so many fail to see the realities they encountered? And how is it a mythical land held the gaze of an era famed for breaking free the shackles of superstition? That Terra Australis did not exist didn’t stop explorers pursuing the continent, unwilling to abandon the promise of such a rich and magnificent land till it was stripped of every ounce of value it had ever promised. In the process, the southern continent—an imaginary land—became one of the shaping forces of early modern history. Includes 48 pages of b&w and colour images.

Description / Table of Contents: Discrete conformal maps: Boundary value problems, circle domains, Fuchsian and Schottky uniformization: Alexander I. Bobenko, Stefan Sechelmann, Boris Springborn --- Discrete complex analysis on planar quad-graphs: Alexander I. Bobenko and Felix Günther --- Approximation of conformal mappings using conformally equivalent triangular lattices: Ulrike Bücking --- Numerical Methods for the Discrete Map Za: Folkmar Bornemann, Alexander Its, Sheehan Olver, and Georg Wechslberger --- A variational principle for cyclic polygons with prescribed edge lengths: Hana Kourimská, Lara Skuppin, Boris Springborn --- Complex Line Bundles over Simplicial Complexes and their Applications: Felix Knöppel and Ulrich Pinkall --- Holomorphic vector fields and quadratic differentials on planar triangular meshes: Wai Yeung Lam, Ulrich Pinkall --- Vertex normals and face curvatures of triangle meshes: Xiang Sun, Caigui Jiang, Johannes Wallner, and Helmut Pottmann --- S-conical cmc surfaces. Towards a unified theory of discrete surfaces with constant mean curvature: Alexander I. Bobenko and Tim Hoffmann --- Constructing solutions to the Björling problem for isothermic surfaces by structure preserving discretization: Ulrike Bücking and Daniel Matthes --- On the Lagrangian Structure of Integrable Hierarchies: Yuri B. Suris, Mats Vermeeren --- On the variational interpretation of the discrete KP equation: Raphael Boll, Matteo Petrera, and Yuri B. Suris --- Six topics on inscribable polytopes: Arnau Padrol and Günter M. Ziegler --- DGD Gallery: Storage, sharing, and publication of digital research data: Michael Joswig, Milan Mehner, Stefan Sechelmann, Jan Techter, and Alexander I. Bobenko

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1 Introduction to the SAMPLES Approach --- Chapter 2 Targeting Landscapes to Identify Mitigation Options --- Chapter 3 Determining Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals Associated with Land Use and Land Cover Change --- Chapter 4 Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Managed and Natural Soils --- Chapter 5 A Comparison of Methodologies for Measuring Methane Emissions from Ruminants --- Chapter 6 Quantifying Tree Biomass Carbon Stocks and Fluxes in Agricultural Landscapes --- Chapter 7 Methods for Smallholder Quantification of Soil Carbon Stocks and Stock Changes --- Chapter 8 Yield Estimation of Food and Non-Food Crops in Smallholder Production Systems --- Chapter 9 Scaling Point and Plot Measurements of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes, Balances and Intensities to Whole Farms and Landscapes --- Chapter 10 Methods for Environment-Productivity Trade-off Analysis in Agricultural Systems

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction to the Assessment --- Past and Current Climate Change --- Past and Current Changes in the North Sea (and interface regions) --- Climate Change Projections --- Impacts of Current and Future Climate Change in Ecosystems --- Climate Impacts on Socio-economy

Description / Table of Contents: Phylogenetics and conservation biology: drawing a path into the diversity of life --- The value of phylogenetic diversity --- The PD phylogenetic diversity framework: linking evolutionary history to feature diversity for biodiversity conservation --- Reconsidering the loss of evolutionary history: how does non-random extinction prune the tree-of-life?- Phylogenetics and conservation in New Zealand: the long and the short of it --- What is the meaning of extreme phylogenetic diversity? The case of phylogenetic relict species --- Using phylogenetic dissimilarities among sites for biodiversity assessments and conservation --- Phylogenetic diversity measures and their decomposition: a framework based on hill numbers --- Split diversity: measuring and optimizing biodiversity using phylogenetic split networks --- The rarefaction of phylogenetic diversity: formulation, extension and application --- Support in area prioritization using phylogenetic information --- Assessing hotspots of evolutionary history with data from multiple phylogenies: an analysis of endemic clades from New Caledonia --- Representing hotspots of evolutionary history in systematic conservation planning for European mammals --- Priorities for conservation of the evolutionary history of amphibians in the cerrado --- Global spatial analyses of phylogenetic conservation priorities for aquatic mammals --- Metapopulation capacity meets evolutionary distinctness: spatial fragmentation complements phylogenetic rarity in prioritization. - Patterns of species, phylogenetic and mimicry diversity of clearwing butterflies in the Neotropics --- Conservation of phylogenetic diversity in Madagascar’s largest endemic plant family, Sarcolaenaceae --- The future of phylogenetic systematics in conservation biology: linking biodiversity and society

Description / Table of Contents: Some recent developments in ambit stochastics --- Functional and Banach space stochastic calculi. Path-dependent Kolmogorov equations associated with the frame of a Brownian motion --- Nonlinear Young integrals via fractional calculus --- A weak limit theorem for numerical approximation of Brownian semi-stationary processes --- Non-elliptic SPDEs and ambit fields: existence of densities --- Dynamic risk measures and path-dependent second order PDEs --- Pricing CoCos with a market trigger --- Quantification of model risk in quadratic hedging in finance --- Risk-sensitive mean-field type control under partial observation --- Risk aversion in modeling of cap-and-trade mechanism and optimal design of emission markets --- Exponential ergodicity of the jump-diffusion CIR process --- Optimal control of predictive mean-field equations and applications to finance --- Modelling the impact of wind power production on electricity prices by regime-switching Levy semistationary processes --- Pricing options on EU ETS certificates with a time-varying market price of risk model

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- The Jordan Valley --- Projections And Objectives --- Meeting The Strategic Planning Objectives --- The Year 2050 --- Final Conclusions And Recommendations --- Colophon.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I: Introduction --- 1. Balanced Urban Development: Is it a myth or reality? - Part II: Peri-Urbansation --- 2. Re-Ruralising the Urban Edge: Lessons from Europe, USA & the Global South --- 3. Nimbyism and Nature – Whose Backyard is it Anyway? - 4. Connecting Urban and Rural Futures Through Rural Design --- 5. Archaeology and Contemporary Dynamics for More Sustainable, Resilient Cities in the Peri-Urban Interface --- 6. Decontamination of Urban Run-off: Importance and Methods --- Part III: Peri-Urban Culture and Socio-Economy --- 7. Socio-economy of Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area --- 8. Changing Economic Scenario of the Peri-Urban Area of Udaipur City, India --- 9. Community Stakeholder Viewpoints on Issues of Urbanisation along the River Ma Oya, Sri Lanka --- Part IV: Peri-Urban Landuse Planning --- 10. The role of peri-urban land use planning in resilient urban agriculture: a case study of Melbourne, Australia --- 11. Engaging Peri-Urban Landholders in Natural Resources Management.-12. Urban Farming Master Plan in Western Sydney - From Planning to Reality --- Part V: Urban Water Security --- 13. Study of urban water bodies in view of potential for micro-climatic cooling and natural purification of waste water --- 14. Groundwater Crisis in a Mega City – A Case Study of New Delhi, India --- 15. Safe Water Supply Determinants in Peri-Urban Communities of South-East Nigeria --- 16. Risks of Coal Seam and Shale Gas Extraction on Groundwater and Aquifers in Eastern Australia --- Part VI: Wastewater and Irrigation --- 17. Use of recycled water for irrigation of open spaces: Benefits and Risks --- 18. Global Experiences on Wastewater Irrigation: Challenges and Prospects --- 19. Impacts of Wastewater Reuse on Peri-Urban Agriculture: Case Study in Udaipur City, India --- Part VII: Urban Agriculture and Food Security --- 20. Urban Agriculture in Cuba: Alternative Legal Structures, Crisis and Change --- 21. High quality agricultural land in Western Australia – A new decision tool for planning --- 22. Food Efficient Planning and Design for Peri-urban Neighbourhoods --- 23. Role of Peri-urban Areas in the Food System of Kampala, Uganda --- Part VIII: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations --- 24. Climate Change Adaptation Planning with Peri-Urban Local Government in Victoria, Australia --- 25. Awareness of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at Local Level in Punjab, Pakistan --- 26. Urbanisation, Nutrition and Food Security: A Climatological Perspective --- 27. Coastal Urban and Peri-Urban Indigenous People’s Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change --- Part IX: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges --- 28. Effect of Social and Institutional Fragmentation on Collective Action in Peri-urban Settings --- 29. Gentrification versus Territorialisation: The Peri-Urban Agriculture Area in Beirut --- 30. Reimagining the “Peri-Urban” in the Mega-Urban Regions of Southeast Asia --- Part X: Integrated Urban Development --- 31. Sustainability of Water Resources in Peri-urban Landscapes: Learning from the Journey of Engagement --- 32. Development of Future Management Options for the Hawkesbury River --- 33. Planning Development to Reduce Mosquito Hazard in Coastal Peri-Urban Areas: Case Studies in NSW, Australia --- 34. An Integrated Simulation and Visualisation Platform for the Design of Sustainable Urban Developments in a Peri-Urban Context --- 35. Options and Strategies for Balanced Development for Liveable Cities: An Epilogue

Description / Table of Contents: Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is known to have far-ranging impacts, from human health to climate forcing. The characterization of emission sources and the quantification of specific source impacts to PM concentrations significantly enhance our understanding of and our ability to eventually predict the fate and transport of atmospheric PM and its associated impacts on humans and the environment. The source apportionment of PM has been realized through combinations of chemical analysis (of elemental tracers, particle size, isotopic composition, and organic composition via unique tracers and molecular fingerprints) and numerical modeling (e.g., diagnostic source ratios, chemical mass balance modeling, positive matrix factorization, and Monte Carlo simulations). Recent advances in source apportionment applications have contributed unique combinations of chemical and numerical techniques for determining the contributions of specific sources, including diesel exhaust and biomass burning. These advances also identify and help characterize the contributions of previously uncharacterized sources. Numerical modeling has also enabled estimations of contributions of emission sources to atmospherically processed PM in urban and rural regions.

Description / Table of Contents: China’s change to a new model of growth, now called the ‘new normal’, was always going to be hard. Events over the past year show how hard it is. The attempts to moderate the extremes of high investment and low consumption, the correction of overcapacity in the heavy industries that were the mainstays of the old model of growth, the hauling in of the immense debt hangover from the fiscal and monetary expansion that pulled China out of the Great Crash of 2008 would all have been hard at any time. They are harder when changes in economic policy and structure coincide with stagnation in global trade and rising protectionist sentiment in developed countries, extraordinarily rapid demographic change and recognition of the urgency of easing the environmental damage from the old model. China’s economy has slowed and there are worries that the authorities will not be able to contain the slowdown within preferred limits. This year’s Update explores the challenge of the slowdown in growth and the change in economic structure. Leading experts on China’s economy and environment review change within China’s new model of growth, and its interaction with ageing, environmental pressure, new patterns of urbanisation, and debt problems at different levels of government. It illuminates some new developments in China’s economy, including the transformational potential of internet banking, and the dynamics of financial market instability. China’s economic development since 1978 is full of exciting change, and this year’s China Update is again the way to know it as it is happening.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I --- The Tsunami: What happened and why? --- Chapter 1: Introduction / Arne Olav Øyhus / p. 18 --- Chapter 2: The Indian Ocean Tsunami and its direct aftermath / Arne Olav Øyhus / p. 21 --- Chapter 3: Interpreting the natural disasters and their impacts: Some theoretical considerations / Arne Olav Øyhus / p. 31 --- Part II --- Hambantota Case Studies --- Chapter 4: Introducing the case studies / Arne Olav Øyhus / p. 54 --- Chapter 5: The Disaster – an Act of God? / Kerenina Dansholm Kezarides, Susann Midling, Kitty Monostory, and Wopara Goodness Ruhuoma, in association with Thuwan Zulfikar Ali (HDCC co-ordinator) / p. 58 --- Chapter 6: The Golden Wave? / Sanaa Talha, Schola Busingye, Sehrish Noor, and Anne Lie Nordberg, in association with Rimzana Shazin (HDCC coordinator) / p. 72 --- Chapter 7: Bonds or Bridges? / Sandra Baldvinsson Sotkajærvi, Maria Sjuve, Pia Cecilie Wedø, Rebecca Plath, Edwin Wuadom WardenWoode and Hilary A. Enyiekere in association with Damith Priyantha (HDCC coordinator) / p. 92 --- Chapter 8: Back to business? / Brennan Purtzer, Didier Nduwayo, Harald Bang-Braaten Thoresen, Suman Nepal, and Thorbjørn Waal Lundsgaard in association with Kumara Kaldera (HDCC coordinator) / p. 112 --- Part III --- Lessons learnt and what’s next --- Chapter 9: Comparing Findings / Arne Olav Øyhus / p. 130 --- Chapter 10: The next chapter / Arne Olav Øyhus and Kim Øvland / p. 147

Description / Table of Contents: Sea-level change has influenced human population globally since prehistoric times. Even in early phases of cultural development human populations were faced with marine regression and transgression as a result of changing climate and corresponding glacio-isostatic adjustment. Global marine regression during the last glaciation changed the palaeogeography of the continental shelf, converting former marine environments to attractive terrestrial habitats for prehistoric humans. These areas of the shelf were used as hunting and gathering areas, as migration routes between continents, and most probably witnessed the earliest developments in seafaring and marine exploitation, until the postglacial transgression re-submerged these palaeo-landscapes. Based on modern marine research technologies and the integration of large databases, proxy data are increasingly available for the reconstruction of Quaternary submerged landscapes. Also, prehistoric archaeological remains from the recent sea bottom are shedding new light on human prehistoric development driven by rapidly changing climate and environment. This publication contributes to the exchange of ideas and new results in this young and challenging field of underwater palaeoenvironmental investigation.

Description / Table of Contents: The supercontinent-cycle hypothesis attributes planetary-scale episodic tectonic events to an intrinsic self-organizing mode of mantle convection, governed by the buoyancy of continental lithosphere that resists subduction during the closure of old ocean basins, and the consequent reorganization of mantle convection cells leading to the opening of new ocean basins. Characteristic timescales of the cycle are typically 500 to 700 million years. Proposed spatial patterns of cyclicity range from hemispheric (introversion) to antipodal (extroversion), to precisely between those end members (orthoversion). Advances in our understanding can arise from theoretical or numerical modelling, primary data acquisition relevant to continental reconstructions, and spatiotemporal correlations between plate kinematics, geodynamic events and palaeoenvironmental history. The palaeogeographic record of supercontinental tectonics on Earth is still under development. The contributions in this Special Publication provide snapshots in time of these investigations and indicate that Earth's palaeogeographic record incorporates elements of all three end-member spatial patterns.

Description / Table of Contents: For effusive volcanoes in resource-poor regions, there is a pressing need for a crisis response-chain bridging the global scientific community to allow provision of standard products for timely humanitarian response. As a first step in attaining this need, this Special Publication provides a complete directory of current operational capabilities for monitoring effusive eruptions. This volume also reviews the state-of-the-art in terms of satellite-based volcano hot-spot tracking and lava-flow simulation. These capabilities are demonstrated using case studies taken from well-known effusive events that have occurred worldwide over the last two decades at volcanoes such as Piton de la Fournaise, Etna, Stromboli and Kilauea. We also provide case-type response models implemented at the same volcanoes, as well as the results of a community-wide drill used to test a fully-integrated response focused on an operational hazard-GIS. Finally, the objectives and recommendations of the ‘Risk Evaluation, Detection and Simulation during Effusive Eruption Disasters’ working group are laid out in a statement of community needs by its members.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction and bibliography / Mike Smith, Zerina Johanson, Paul M. Barrett and M. Richter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 1-29, 25 November 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.19 --- Smith Woodward's life and work: historical background --- ‘A Splendid Position’: The life, achievements and contradictions of Sir Arthur Smith Woodward 1864–1944 / Karolyn Shindler and Mike Smith / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 31-62, 20 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.10 --- The Natural History Museum Fossil Fish Collection: Smith Woodward’s role in the development and use of this priceless resource / Mike Smith / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 63-85, 27 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.17 --- Arthur Smith Woodward's fossil fish type specimens / Emma Louise Bernard and Mike Smith / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 87-88, 21 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.14 --- Lady Smith Woodward's tablecloth / Angela C. Milner / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 89-111, 22 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.5 --- Lady Smith Woodward's memories: introduction / Mike Smith and Karolyn Shindler / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 113-114, 20 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.11 --- Smith Woodward's scientific legacy --- Smith Woodward's ideas on fish classification / Peter L. Forey / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 115-127, 19 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.1 --- Sclerorhynchus atavus and the convergent evolution of rostrum-bearing chondrichthyans / Charlie Underwood, Moya Meredith Smith and Zerina Johanson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 129-136, 14 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.7 --- Cochliodonts and chimaeroids: Arthur Smith Woodward and the holocephalians / Christopher J. Duffin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 137-154, 14 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.9 --- Development of understanding of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic chondrichthyan fossil record / Charlie Underwood, David Ward and Guillaume Guinot / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 155-164, 14 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.4 --- The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagerstätten / Matt Friedman, Hermione T. Beckett, Roger A. Close and Zerina Johanson / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 165-200, 23 November 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.18 --- The contribution of Sir Arthur Smith Woodward to the palaeoichthyology of Brazil – Smith Woodward's types from Brazil / Paulo M. Brito and Martha Richter / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 201-217, 14 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.12 --- Mr Mawson's fossils / John G. Maisey / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 219-233, 15 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.2 --- Leedsichthys problematicus: Arthur Smith Woodward's ‘most embarrassing enigma' / J. J. Liston / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 235-259, 15 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.8 --- The Woodward factor: Arthur Smith Woodward's legacy to geology in Australia and Antarctica / Susan Turner and John Long / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 261-288, 28 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.15 --- Smith Woodward's contributions on fossil tetrapods / Angela C. Milner and Paul M. Barrett / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 289-309, 27 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.13 --- Arthur Smith Woodward, Florentino Ameghino and the first Jurassic ‘Sea Crocodile’ from South America / Lorna Steel and Eric Buffetaut / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 311-319, 20 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.6 --- Arthur Smith Woodward and his involvement in the study of human evolution / Christopher Dean, Isabelle De Groote and Chris Stringer / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 321-335, 20 October 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.3 --- The one that got away from Smith Woodward: cranial anatomy of Micrornatus (Acanthomorpha: Scombridae) revealed using computed microtomography / Hermione T. Beckett and Matt Friedman / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 337-353, 5 November 2015, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP430.16

Description / Table of Contents: Part I Reminiscences: Rolf Hagedorn and Relativistic Heavy Ion Research.-- Part II The Hagedorn Temperature --- Part III Melting Hadrons, Boiling Quarks Heavy Ion Path to Quark-Gluon Plasma --- Acronyms

Description / Table of Contents: A geographer with extensive research experience in the Canadian North, Jack D. Ives has written a lively and informative account of several expeditions to Baffin Island during the "golden age" of federal research. In the 1960s, scientists from the Geographical Branch of Canada's Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources travelled to Baffin to study glacial geomorphology and glaciology. Their fieldwork resulted in vastly increased knowledge of the Far North-from its ice caps and glaciers to its lichens and microfossils. Drawing from the recollections of his Baffin colleagues as well as from his own memories, Ives takes readers on a remarkable adventure, describing the day-to-day experiences of the field teams in the context of both contemporary Arctic research and bureaucratic decision making. Along the way, his narrative illustrates the role played by the Cold War-era Distant Early Warning Line and other northern infrastructure, the crucial importance of his pioneering aerial photography, the unpredictable nature of planes, helicopters, and radios in Arctic regions, and of course, the vast and breathtaking scenery of the North. Baffin Island encompasses both field research and High Arctic adventure. The research trips to Baffin between 1961 and 1967 also served as a vital training ground in polar studies for university students; further, they represented a breakthrough in gender equality in government-sponsored science, thanks to the author's persistence in having women permitted on the teams. The book contains a special section detailing the subsequent professional achievements of the many researchers involved (in addition to the later career moves of Ives himself) and a chapter that delves deeper into the science behind their fieldwork in the North. Readers need not be versed in glaciology, however. Ives has produced a highly readable book that seamlessly combines research and adventure.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I: Context and Objective --- Introduction: A Critical Appraisal of Major Water Engineering Projects and the Need for Interdisciplinary Approaches --- Water Ethics – Orientation for Water Conflicts as Part of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Deliberation --- Part II: Major Water Engineering Projects – Challenges, Problems, Opportunities.- Major Water Engineering Projects: Definitions, Framework Conditions, Systemic Effects --- A Global View on Future Major Water Engineering Projects --- Neglected Values of Major Water Engineering Projects: Ecosystem Services, Social Impacts and Economic Valuation --- Water Governance: A Systemic Approach --- Research in two Case Studies: Irrigation and Land Use in the Fergana Valley and Water Management in the Lower Jordan Valley --- Part III: The Fergana Valley – Uzbekistan’s Hydro-Agricultural System between Inertia and Change --- Between Multiple Transformations and Systemic Path Dependencies --- From Upscaling to Rescaling – Transforming the Fergana from Tsarist Irrigation to Water Management for an Independent Uzbekistan --- Irrigation Infrastructure in Fergana Today: Ecological Implications –Economic Necessities --- Where Water Meets Agriculture: The Ambivalent Role of the Water Users Associations --- Theory, the Market and the State: Agricultural Reforms in Post Socialist Uzbekistan between Economic Incentives and Institutional Obstacles --- Part IV: The Lower Jordan Valley – The Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance Project and its Complex History --- Water Resources, Cooperation and Power Asymmetries in the Water Management of the Lower Jordan Valley – The Situation Today and the Path that has led there --- Reclaiming the Dead Sea: Alternatives for Action --- Jordan’s Shadow State and Water Management: Prospects for Water Security will depend on Politics and Regional Cooperation --- Technologies, Incentives and Cost Recovery: Is there an Israeli Role Model? --- Part V: Outlook and Options for Action --- Lessons Learnt, Open Research Questions and Recommendations

Description / Table of Contents: Advances in next generation sequencing technologies, omics, and bioinformatics are revealing a tremendous and unsuspected diversity of microbes, both at a compositional and functional level. Moreover, the expansion of ecological concepts into microbial ecology has greatly advanced our comprehension of the role microbes play in the functioning of ecosystems across a wide range of biomes. Super-imposed on this new information about microbes, their functions and how they are organized, environmental gradients are changing rapidly, largely driven by direct and indirect human activities. In the context of global change, understanding the mechanisms that shape microbial communities is pivotal to predict microbial responses to novel selective forces and their implications at the local as well as global scale. One of the main features of microbial communities is their ability to react to changes in the environment. Thus, many studies have reported changes in the performance and composition of communities along environmental gradients. However, the mechanisms underlying these responses remain unclear. It is assumed that the response of microbes to changes in the environment is mediated by a complex combination of shifts in the physiological properties, single-cell activities, or composition of communities: it may occur by means of physiological adjustments of the taxa present in a community or selecting towards more tolerant/better adapted phylotypes. Knowing whether certain factors trigger one, many, or all mechanisms would greatly increase confidence in predictions of future microbial composition and processes. This Research Topic brings together studies that applied the latest molecular techniques for studying microbial composition and functioning and integrated ecological, biogeochemical and/or modeling approaches to provide a comprehensive and mechanistic perspective of the responses of micro-organisms to environmental changes. This Research Topic presents new findings on environmental parameters influencing microbial communities, the type and magnitude of response and differences in the response among microbial groups, and which collectively deepen our current understanding and knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of microbial structural and functional responses to environmental changes and gradients in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The body of work has, furthermore, identified many challenges and questions that yet remain to be addressed and new perspectives to follow up on.

Description / Table of Contents: Climate change affects all components of marine ecosystems. For endothermic top predators, i.e. seabirds and marine mammals, these impacts are often complex and mediated through trophic relationships. In this Research Topic, leading researchers attempt to identify patterns of change among seabirds and marine mammals, and the mechanisms through which climate change drives these changes.

Description / Table of Contents: "Risk Criticism: Reading in an Age of Manufactured Uncertainties" is a study of literary and cultural responses to global environmental risk that offers an environmental humanities approach to understanding risk in an age of unfolding ecological catastrophe. In 2015, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists re-set its iconic Doomsday Clock to three minutes to midnight, as close to the apocalypse as it has been since 1953. What pushed its hands was, however, not just the threat of nuclear weapons, but also other global environmental risks that the Bulletin judged to have risen to the scale of the nuclear, including climate change and innovations in the life sciences. If we may once have believed that the end of days would come in a blaze of nuclear firestorm (or the chill of the subsequent nuclear winter), we now suspect that the apocalypse may be much slower, creeping in as chemical toxin, climate change, or bio- or nano- technologies run amok. Taking inspiration from the questions raised by the Bulletin’s synecdochical “nuclear”, "Risk Criticism" aims to generate a hybrid form of critical practice that brings “nuclear criticism”—a subfield of literary studies that has been, since the Cold War, largely neglected—into conversation with ecocriticism, the more recent approach to environmental texts in literary studies. Through readings of novels, films, theater, poetry, visual art, websites, news reports, and essays, "Risk Criticism" tracks the diverse ways in which environmental risks are understood and represented today.

Description / Table of Contents: Water covers approximately 71% of the planet’s surface and human activities have been relying on it since remote times. Many traces of these exist under the “zero level” and will continue to exist in the future. Measuring, positioning, and mapping objects under water have experienced very significant modifications, brought about by advances in technology and also by changed requirements, demands for new products, introduction of new tools, and the modification of existing equipment. The exploration, documentation, and recording of underwater environments remains a difficult task, and is sometimes still unsolved. The research, design, and development of techniques and procedures for correctly validating underwater environments are more than ever important. This Special Issue originates from the ISPRS/CIPA Workshop "UNDERWATER 3D RECORDING & MODELING—Experiences in Data Acquisition, Calibration, Orientation, Modelling & Accuracy Assessment” (http://3dom.fbk.eu/files/underwater/index.html).

Description / Table of Contents: In recent years, the topic of 3D reconstruction and modeling of complex architectures from remotely acquired multiple data sources has been of growing interest. This “democratization” of 3D modeling processes and the large availability of data is, however, not always followed by reliable, affordable and powerful tools for realizing photo-realistic, metric, re-usable and semantic-aware 3D products. This should be a motivation to research, design, develop and validate novel easy-to-use, ease-to-learn and a low-cost framework for 3D modeling and further understanding of virtual environments using multiple data sources, so that the whole 3D modeling community has access to an affordable, transferable, functional and usable framework of methods and tools. This challenge causes several problems that should be addressed: from improving and testing the technical capabilities of new capturing devices, to the solution of problems resultant from large image blocks, from delivering Building Information Modeling (BIM) standards in order to provide new management approaches to replacing existing visualization tools with new working experiences such as Virtual and Augmented Reality or game-engine technology.

Description / Table of Contents: The aim of this book has been to explore the variety of phenomena associated with the major forms of the material, while laying the foundation for a clear and detailed working and understanding of the materials. We tried to present new types of advanced materials, which are currently a hot topic, and provide readers with a selective review of important improvements in the field. I believe that every chapter in this book presents the progress in the subject and describes the latest advances in microporous and mesoporous materials.

Description / Table of Contents: Nowadays mathematical modeling and numerical simulations play an important role in life and natural science. Numerous researchers are working in developing different methods and techniques to help understand the behavior of very complex systems, from the brain activity with real importance in medicine to the turbulent flows with important applications in physics and engineering. This book presents an overview of some models, methods, and numerical computations that are useful for the applied research scientists and mathematicians, fluid tech engineers, and postgraduate students.

Description / Table of Contents: Many of the challenges facing farmers and human communities from hydrographical basins are not new. But, due to the fact that the nature and extents of the problems vary from one region to another and from one basin to another, the responses are highly diversified. There is no generally valid solution for all the problems. However, in addressing issues on ensuring the prevention or mitigation of the destructive consequences of flood damage or prolonged drought as for the optimal use of water by consumers, sustainable basin land use, biodiversity conservation, and environment protection as well, fourteen specialists and their colleagues present the state of the art in these important matters and new possible solutions to solve, identified from the scientific investigations undertaken.

Description / Table of Contents: The pervasive relevance of geospatial information and the development of emerging geospatial technologies offer new opportunity for bridging the gap between remote sensing scientific know-how and end users of products and services. Geospatial technology comprises tools and techniques dealing with the use of spatially referenced information, for the description and modeling of spatial and dynamic phenomena related to the Earth's environment. This book addresses environmental and social applications of geospatial technologies, thus also providing a multidisciplinary perspective on emerging geospatial techniques and tools. It consists of ten chapters offering insight into geospatial technology progress and trends. Authors present several application-oriented studies from various parts of the world, including applications in collaborative geomatics, geospatial statistics, GIS, agriculture, and natural hazard monitoring.

Description / Table of Contents: 1 An Overview of Our Research --- 2 Monitoring Inspection for Radioactive Substances in Agricultural, Livestock, Forest, and Fishery Products in Fukushima Prefecture --- 3 Rice Inspections in Fukushima Prefecture --- 4 Cesium accumulation in paddy field rice grown in Fukushima from 2011 to 2013: cultivars and fertilization --- 5 Physiological verification of the effect of potassium supply on the reduction of radiocesium content in rice grain --- 6 Consecutive Field Trials of Rice Cultivation in Partially Decontaminated Paddy Fields to Reduce Radiocesium Absorption in the Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture --- 7 Effects of “clean feeding” management on livestock products contaminated with radioactive cesium due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident --- 8 Adverse effects of radiocesium on the promotion of sustainable circular agriculture including livestock due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident --- 9 Wild boars in Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident: Distribution of radiocesium --- 10 Contamination of Wild Animals: Microhabitat Heterogeneity and Ecological Factors of Radioactive Cesium Exposure in Fukushima --- 11 Translocation of radiocesium in fruit trees --- 12 The effects of radioactive contamination on the forestry industry and commercial mushroom-log production in Fukushima, Japan --- 13 Radiocesium in timber of Japanese cedar, and Japanese red pine, in the forests of Minamisoma, Fukushima --- 14 Ecosystem monitoring of radiocesium redistribution dynamics in a forested catchment in Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident in March 2011 --- 15 Reduction of air radiation dose by ponding paddy fields --- 16 Collaboration Structure for the Resurrection of Iitate Village, Fukushima: A Case Study of a Nonprofitable Organization --- 17 Impacts of the nuclear power plant accident and the start of trial operations in Fukushima fisheries --- 18 Consumer evaluation of foods from the disaster affected area: Change in 3 years --- 19 Imaging Techniques for Radiocesium in Soil and Plants

Description / Table of Contents: Foreword --- Preface --- Cooperators --- Part 1 Active Faults --- Part 2 Seismic Source Modeling and Seismic Motion --- Part 3 Probabilistic Risk Assessment with External Hazards --- Part 4 Nuclear Risk Governance in Society

Description / Table of Contents: Foreword --- 1. Innovation for Marginalized Smallholder Farmers and Development: an Overview and Implications for Policy and Research --- Part 1 Innovation for the Rural Poor: Theory, Trends and Impacts --- 2. Institutional and technological innovations in polycentric systems –pathways for escaping marginality --- 3. Innovations for Food and Nutrition Security: Impacts and Trends --- 4. Psychology of Innovation: Innovating human psychology? --- 5. An optimization model for technology adoption of marginalized smallholders --- Part 2 Diversification of Agricultural Production and Income --- 6. The BRAC Approach to Small Farmers' Innovations --- 7. Agricultural Research and Extension Linkages in Amhara Region, Ethiopia --- 8. Transaction costs on the Ethiopian formal seed market and innovations for encouraging private sector investments --- 9. Agricultural Service Delivery Through Mobile Phone: Local innovations and Technological Opportunities in Kenya --- 10. Identification and Acceleration of Farmer Innovativeness in Upper East Ghana --- 11. Gender, social equity and innovations in smallholder farming systems: pitfalls and pathways --- 12. Assessing the Sustainability of Agricultural Technology Options for Poor Rural Farmers --- 13. Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management Innovations in Central Asia --- 14. Biomass-based value web. A Novel Perspective for Emergng Bioeconomies in Sub-Saharan Africa --- Part 3 Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture --- 15. Adoption of Stress-tolerant Rice Varieties in Bangladesh --- 16. More than cereal based cropping innovations for improving food and livelihood security of poor small holders in marginal areas of Bangladesh --- 17. Integrated Rice-fish Farming System in Bangladesh: An Ex-Ante Value Chain Evaluation Framework --- 18. Technologies for Maize, Wheat, Rice and Pulses in Marginal Districts of Odisha and Bihar --- 19. Technological Innovations for Smallholder Farmers in Ghana --- 20. Potential impacts of yield increasing crop technologies on poverty reduction in two districts of Ethiopia

Description / Table of Contents: The book presents a collection of MATLAB-based chapters of various engineering background. Instead of giving exhausting amount of technical details, authors were rather advised to explain relations of their problems to actual MATLAB concepts. So, whenever possible, download links to functioning MATLAB codes were added and a potential reader can do own testing. Authors are typically scientists with interests in modeling in MATLAB. Chapters include image and signal processing, mechanics and dynamics, models and data identification in biology, fuzzy logic, discrete event systems and data acquisition systems.

Description / Table of Contents: The present text book contains a collection of six high-quality articles. In particular, this book is devoted to Linear Mathematics by presenting problems in Applied Linear Algebra of general or special interest.

Description / Table of Contents: Recent earthquake-tsunamis including the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, with over 230,000 casualties, and the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami in Japan, with over 18,500 people missing or dead, serve as tragic reminders that such waves pose a major natural hazard to human beings. Landslide-tsunamis, including the 1958 Lituya Bay case, may exceed 150 m in height and if similar waves are generated in lakes or reservoirs (so-called impulse waves), then they may overtop dams and cause significant devastation downstream, such as in the 1963 Vaiont case with around 2,000 casualties. The after-effects due to such catastrophes are not limited to the region immediately impacted by the wave; for example, the 1963 Vaiont case affected hydropower plant planning and management globally and the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami initiated changes to nuclear power plant policies worldwide. Active prevention of the wave generation is extremely unlikely and limited to rare cases where creeping slides could be stabilized. Scientists and engineers thus work mainly on passive methods to face this hazard. In many cases, the propagation time between generation and shoreline is sufficiently long, allowing early warning systems for evacuation to be an effective passive method. For impulse waves in smaller water bodies, however, the propagation time is too short for an adequate evacuation so further passive methods are critical. Such methods include sea walls, reinforced infrastructure and the provision of adequate freeboards of dam reservoirs. These methods require detailed knowledge of (i) the wave features as a function of the generation mechanism, (ii) the shoreline run-up and (iii) the interaction with structures. Despite a significant increase in research activities after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, there certainly can be — and needs to be — more research with the aim to reduce the destruction caused by tsunamis to us and our environment. This special issue “Tsunami Science and Engineering” is launched to reflect our current understanding of tsunamis and tsunami mitigation, irrespective of the mechanism by which they are generated: earthquakes, landslides, underwater slumps, asteroids etc.

Description / Table of Contents: How do we talk about the environment? Does this communication reveal and construct meaning? Is the environment expressed and foregrounded in the new landscape of digital media? The Environment in the Age of the Internet is an interdisciplinary collection that draws together research and answers from media and communication studies, social sciences, modern history, and folklore studies. Edited by Heike Graf, its focus is on the communicative approaches taken by different groups to ecological issues, shedding light on how these groups tell their distinctive stories of "the environment". This book draws on case studies from around the world and focuses on activists of radically different kinds: protestors against pulp mills in South America, resistance to mining in the Sámi region of Sweden, the struggles of indigenous peoples from the Arctic to the Amazon, gardening bloggers in northern Europe, and neo-Nazi environmentalists in Germany. Each case is examined in relation to its multifaceted media coverage, mainstream and digital, professional and amateur. Stories are told within a context; examining the "what" and "how" of these environmental stories demonstrates how contexts determine communication, and how communication raises and shapes awareness. These issues have never been more urgent, this work never more timely. The Environment in the Age of the Internet is essential reading for everyone interested in how humans relate to their environment in the digital age.

Description / Table of Contents: Natural and environmental hazards research comprises a diverse set of subjects and methodologies and this book is no exception - offering the reader only a small glimpse into the physical and social processes that threaten human interests. Atmospheric Hazards-Case Studies in Modeling, Communication, and Societal Impacts explores atmospheric-based hazards through focused investigations ranging from a local to global perspective. Within this short compendium, the major scales of atmospheric motion are well represented with topics on microscale turbulent transport of pollutants, mesoscale events stemming from thunderstorm complexes, and synoptic scale extreme precipitation episodes. Chapters include discussions on modeling aspects for investigating hazards (pollution, regional climate models) and the forecasting and structure of high wind events (derechos), whereas others delve into hazard communication, preparedness, and social vulnerability issues (tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning). Although the chapters are quite disparate upon first inspection, the topics are united through their interweaving of both the physical and societal mechanisms that create the atmospheric hazard and eventual disaster.

Description / Table of Contents: Accurate and timely information of crop growth and conditions is critical for precision farming, crop management, crop yield estimation, crop disaster early warning and mitigation, agricultural production planning, crop commodity trading, and food security decision support. Recent advances in imaging and non-imaging sensor technologies, remote sensing platforms, and satellite data availability have provided new opportunities and challenges, and have resulted in many new investigations and much progress in crop growth monitoring. Ground-based millimeter-level very high spatial resolution hyperspectral imaging, which is acquired from sensors, such as ImSpectorV10E (SpecIm, Spectral Imaging Ltd., Finland) and HySpec VNIR-1600 (Norsk Elektro Optikk, Norway), enables us to discern the within-canopy and within-leaf variation in crop conditions in target fields. Affordable low-weight multispectral/hyperspectral sensors on unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and/or regular aircrafts have significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness in monitoring within- and between-field variations in crop growth. The recent very-high-resolution satellite imagery, acquired typically in sub-meter to 5 meter resolution, such as WorldView-2, Pleiades-1, IKONOS, and RapidEye, has brought us into a new phase of remote sensing for precision crop management over large farming areas. The freely available satellite data from sensors, such as MODIS, NPP VIIRS, and Landsat, have greatly facilitated large scale (i.e., regional or even global level) crop growth monitoring.

Description / Table of Contents: This book collects recent results about research activities on zeolites, from synthesis to application. It is composed of two sections. The first is devoted to articles and brief review articles on the synthesis of zeolite from fly ash and final application of these newly formed minerals to solve environmental problems. The second part of the book provides useful information on different applications both of natural and synthetic zeolites ranging from environmental pollution to industrial and commercial applications. The performance of zeolite molecular sieves, hollow titanium zeolites and luminescent zeolites is interesting considering the new frontiers reached by the research on zeolites. This book is a useful instrument for researchers, teachers and students who are interested in investigating innovative aspects of the studies on zeolite.

Description / Table of Contents: This Encyclopedia comprises the current knowledge in marine geosciences whereby not only basic but also applied and technical sciences are covered. Through this concept a broad scale of users in the field of marine sciences and techniques is addressed, from students and scholars in academia to engineers and decision makers in industry and politics. Globally growing demand of energy and mineral resources, reliable future projection of climate processes and the protection of coasts to mitigate the threats of disasters and hazards require a comprehensive understanding of the structure, ongoing processes and genesis of the marine geosphere. Beyond the “classical” research fields in marine geology in current time more general concepts have been evolved integrating marine geophysics, hydrography, marine biology, climatology and ecology. As an umbrella the term “marine geosciences” has been broadly accepted for this new complex field of research and the solutions of practical tasks in the marine realm.

Description / Table of Contents: When citizens take collaborative action to meet the needs of their community, they are participating in the social economy. Co-operatives, community-based social services, local non-profit organizations, and charitable foundations are all examples of social economies that emphasize mutual benefit rather than the accumulation of profit. While such groups often participate in market-based activities to achieve their goals, they also pose an alternative to the capitalist market economy. Contributors to Scaling Up investigated innovative social economies in British Columbia and Alberta and discovered that achieving a social good through collective, grassroots enterprise resulted in a sustainable way of satisfying human needs that was also, by extension, environmentally responsible. As these case studies illustrate, organizations that are capable of harnessing the power of a social economy generally demonstrate a commitment to three outcomes: greater social justice, financial self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability. Within the matrix of these three allied principles lie new strategic directions for the politics of sustainability.Whether they were examining attainable and affordable housing initiatives, co-operative approaches to the provision of social services, local credit unions, farmers’ markets, or community-owned power companies, the contributors found social economies providing solutions based on reciprocity and an understanding of how parts function within the whole—an understanding that is essential to sustainability. In these locally defined and controlled, democratically operated organizations we see possibilities for a more human economy that is capable of transforming the very social and technical systems that make our current way of life unsustainable.

Description / Table of Contents: Greenhouse Gases - Selected Case Studies, is a book which covers a range of topics. The long term effective management of the natural environment, requires a detailed understanding of greenhouse gases. This has both environmental and economic implications, especially where there is any anthropogenic involvement. Numerical models are often the tool and framework used for predicting the effects, both in the long-term and short-term, of greenhouse gases. However, the relevant atmospheric processes can vary quite considerably depending upon the spatial and temporal scales under consideration. For this reason for the past few decades, scientists, engineers, meteorologists and mathematicians have all been continuing to conduct research into the many aspects which influence greenhouse gases. These issues range from: industrial science, agricultural research, carbon dioxide and other emissions. This book reports the findings from recent research in greenhouse gases, primarily in the the form of case studies, particularly from an interdisciplinary perspective. The research was carried out by researchers who specialise in areas such as: energy production, emissions from livestock, chemical industry, and metallurgical process technology.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- Part 1: Asia is a key for sustainable low carbon society --- 1. GHG reduction potential in Asia --- 2. Transition to a low carbon future in China towards 2°C Global target --- 3. India’s GHG Emission Reduction and Sustainable Development --- 4. 80% reduction scenario in Japan --- 5. Potential of low carbon development in Vietnam, from practices to legal framework --- Part 2: Brigding the gap between modeling and real policy development --- 6. Designing a National Policy Framework for NAMAs -Lesson learnt from Thailand- --- 7. ‘Science-to-Action’ of the Sustainable Low Carbon City-region --- Part 3:Best parctices and recommendations in each sector to make it happen --- 8. Low Carbon Transport in India - Assessment of Best Practice Case Studies - --- 9. Potential of Reducing GHG Emission from REDD+ Activities in Indonesia --- 10. Fostering capacity development for ASIA leapfrog --- 11. Capacity development on GHG inventories in Asia -WGIA Workshop on Greenhouse gas Inventory in Asia- --- 12. Japan’s Comprehensive and Continual Support Package for the Creation of Scientific Climate Policies in Asia

Description / Table of Contents: The book on complex systems, sustainability, and innovation explores a broad set of ideas and presents some of the state-of-the-art research in this field concisely in six chapters. In a complex system, it is difficult to know exactly how the individual components contribute to an observed behavior and the extent of each component's contributions. It is the interactions of the individual components that determine the emergent functionalities. This makes it difficult to understand and predict the behavior of complex systems and hence the effects of any innovations in this field. This necessitates for the emergence of a new age of innovations with the main focus on user orientation and sustainability. This book explores some of the complex systems and their dependence on the environment to provide a long-term perspective, aiding innovations and supporting a sustainable society. The intended audience of this book will mainly consist of researchers, research students, and practitioners in the field of complex systems and sustainability.

Description / Table of Contents: This edited book, Soil Contamination - Current Consequences and Further Solutions, is intended to provide an overview on the different environmental consequences of our anthropogenic activities, which has introduced a large number of xenobiotics that the soil cannot, or can only slower, decompose or degrade. We hope that this book will continue to meet the expectations and needs of all interested in diverse fields with expertise in soil science, health, toxicology, and other disciplines who contribute and share their findings to take this area forward for future investigations.

Description / Table of Contents: The sustainable energy sources are potentially employed to substitute petrol fuels in transport engines such as buses and small vehicles. Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas engines are forthcoming energy carriers for the internal combustion engine, with higher thermal efficiency and less pollutant emissions. The different availability of renewables has allowed various countries to adopt the most appropriate type of renewable energy technology according to their energy source adequacy/abundance. In Taiwan, ocean energy is considered as an abundant source of renewables due to its geographical location as an island. The Taiwanese government has approved the investment to construct an MW-scale demonstration electricity plant. In this book, the Taiwanese ocean energy experience is comprehensively presented. The technical and legal analyses of ocean energy implementation are provided. The challenges that they had to overcome to optimize the utilization of the most available ocean energy potential are discussed. The sustainable transition in South Africa would be a good example for implementing rooftop solar, especially in low-income communities. Apart from the environmental benefits, sustainable energy technologies can boost the socioeconomic level of developing countries. Other advantages may be the continuous supply of energy and creation of new job opportunities. Moreover, sustainable renewable energy sources such as the wind could be employed for generating electricity to operate water purification systems in remote areas. This, in turn, would overcome the health problems associated with drinking water scarcity issues. This book is an attempt to cover the sustainable energy issues from a technical perspective. Furthermore, the sustainable energy applications and existing case studies are helpful illustrations for the broad understanding of the importance of sustainable energy.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is a collection of 13 chapters divided into seven sections: Section I: "General Foundations of the Stress Field and Toughness" with one chapter, Section II: "Fractography and Impact Analysis" with two chapters, Section III: "Toughness Fracture" with three chapters, Section IV: "Fracture Behavior" with two chapters, Section V: "Natural and Hydraulic Fractures" with two chapters, section VI: "Fatigue" with one chapter and Section VII: "Fracture Biomaterials and compatible" with two chapters. This book covers a wide range of application of fracture mechanics in materials science, engineering, rock prospecting, dentistry and medicine. The book is aimed towards materials scientists, metallurgists, mechanical and civil engineers, doctors and dentists and can also be well used in education, research and industry.

Description / Table of Contents: Deep Crustal Seismic Reflection Profiling: Australia 1978–2015 presents the full suite of reflection profiles penetrating the whole crust carried in Australia by Geoscience Australia and various partners. The set of reflection data comprises over 16,000 km of coverage across the whole continent, and provides an insight into the variations in crustal architecture in the varied geological domains. Each reflection profile is presented at approximately true scale with up to 220 km of profile per page and overlap between pages. Each reflection section is accompanied by a geological strip map showing the configuration of the line superimposed on 1:1M geology. The compilation includes a suite of large-scale reflection transects groups of 1,000 km or more that link across major geological provinces, and an extensive bibliography of reports and relevant publications.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I Wind Turbine Blades --- Part II Enabling Technologies for Drivetrain and Gearbox Analysis --- Part III Tower and Support Structure --- Part IV Reliability and Preventive Maintenance of Offshore Wind Turbines --- Part V CFD Analysis of a Complete Offshore Wind Turbine --- Part VI Offshore Wind Farm Design --- Part VII Offshore Wind Decommissioning

Description / Table of Contents: I The Cellular Automaton Interpretation as a general doctrine: Motivation for this work --- Deterministic models in quantum notation --- Interpreting quantum mechanics --- Deterministic quantum mechanics --- Concise description of the CA Interpretation --- Quantum gravity --- Information loss --- More problems --- Alleys to be further investigated and open questions --- Conclusions --- II Calculation Techniques: Introduction to part II --- More on cogwheels --- The continuum limit of cogwheels, harmonic rotators and oscillators --- Locality --- Fermions --- PQ theory --- Models in two space-time dimensions without interactions --- Symmetries --- The discretised Hamiltonian formalism in PQ theory --- Quantum Field Theory --- The cellular automaton --- The problem of quantum locality --- Conclusions of part II --- Some remarks on gravity in 2+1 dimensions --- A summary of our views on Conformal Gravity --- Abbreviations.

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction.-Components of the Climate System --- Climate Change and Global Warming --- Essence of a Climate Model --- Simulating the Atmosphere --- Simulating the Ocean and Sea Ice --- Simulating Terrestrial Systems --- Bringing the System Together: Coupling and Complexity --- Model Evaluation --- Predictability --- Results of Current Models --- Usability of Climate Model Projections by Practitioners --- Summary and Final Thoughts

Description / Table of Contents: Table of contents: --- David Ambrosetti, Jean-Renaud Boisserie et Thomas Guindeuil: Introduction --- David Ambrosetti: African States, Climate Change and the COP21. Interview with Dr. Wilfran Moufouma-Okia --- Jean-Renaud Boisserie: Environmental Changes and Their Impacts on Life: A Paleontological Approach --- Pierre Sepulchre: Links between Solid Earth, Climate Changes, and Biodiversity through Time: Insights from the Cenozoic --- Deresse Ayenachew: Environmental Descriptions of European Travelers in Ethiopia (16th-19th c.) --- Julia Blocher: Water always Flows Downhill: A Case for Participatory Forest Management (PFM) and Decentralization of Forest Governance in REDD+ Implementation --- Mehdi Labzaé: Investment in the National Park? Encounters between Land Investment and Wildlife Conservation in Gambella Regional State --- Thomas Guindeuil: University Museums and the Promotion of Conservation Policies on the Pre-Revolutionary Campus of Addis Ababa (1950-1974) --- Maxi Domke, Jürgen Pretzsch: Knowledge Management on Climate Change Adaptation. Analysis of Information Exchange Processes and Collaboration Networks in Rural Ethiopia --- Margaux Herman: Women and Climatic Changes in Ethiopia: A Gendered Assessment --- Joachim Gregor Persoon: Indigenous Cosmological Paradigms for Popularizing Ecological Ethics in the Ethiopian Context

Description / Table of Contents: A brief overview of techniques for modulating neuroendocrine and other neural systems --- Basics of stem cell biology as applied to the brain --- Human pluripotent-derived lineages for repairing hypopituitarism --- Recapitulating hypothalamus and pituitary development using ES/iPS cells --- Regulation of body weight and metabolism by tanycyte-derived neurogenesis in young adult mice --- Genetic dissection of the neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stressful challenges --- Pituitary stem cells: quest for hidden functions --- Pituitary stem cells during normal physiology and disease --- Epigenetic mechanisms of pituitary cell fate specification --- Advances in stem cells biology: new approaches to understand depression --- Perspective on stem cells in developmental biology, with special reference to neuroendocrine systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Palaeomagnetism is a technique used to understand complex deformation patterns in fold-and-thrust belts; it can be used to characterize the distribution, magnitude and timing of vertical axis rotations, an elusive variable using other methods. A combination of palaeomagnetic and structural geology analyses has helped to unravel the geometry and kinematics of fold-and-thrust belts around the world and of different geological ages for more than 50 years. This volume comprises three sections: the first shows thorough overviews of western Mediterranean arcs and the western Carpathians; the second depicts several examples from the Andes, the Alps, Anatolia, Pyrenees, Iberian Ranges and the Atlas; and the third shows the latest research on the use of palaeomagnetism to understand fold-and-thrust belts in 3D and 4D in a more quantitative way and it also includes some methodological proposals to avoid common errors. In the papers of the first two sections, the combination of palaeomagnetic analyses with structural data, AMS or magnetostratigraphic analyses demonstrate the usefulness of palaeomagnetism in deciphering complex deformation patterns in fold-and-thrust belts.

Description / Table of Contents: The rivers of East Asia are some of the largest and most important to human society and the global economy. They drain a variety of terrains from the Tibetan plateau, the hill country of southern China and the steep mountains of Taiwan. The sediment they carry potentially records the long-term evolution of continental environments within the marine stratigraphic record. Sediments reaching the ocean have to traverse the wide continental shelves where they may be reworked and transported by longshore currents, typhoon storm waves, as well as large ocean currents such as the Kuroshio. Deciphering any marine record requires us to understand the dynamics of sediment transport on the continental shelves, and this region acts as a global type example of such processes. Studies in this volume span a wide range of subdisciplines in the marine sciences and provide new insights into how sediment is distributed offshore after leaving the river mouths.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume covers the linkage between new transform margin research and increasing transform margin exploration. It offers a critical set of predictive tools via an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development of play concept elements at transform margins. It ties petroleum systems knowledge to the input coming from research focused on dynamic development, kinematic development, structural architecture and thermal regimes, together with their controlling factors. The volume does this by drawing from geophysical data (bathymetry, seismic, gravity and magnetic studies), structural geology, sedimentology, geochemistry, plate reconstruction and thermo-mechanical numerical modelling. It combines case studies (covering the Andaman Sea, Arctic, Coromandal, Guyana, Romanche, St. Paul and Suriname transform margins, the French Guyana hyper-oblique margin, the transtensional margin between the Caribbean and North American plates, and the Davie transform margin and its neighbour transform margins) with theoretical studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Scandinavia and its Arctic territories of Svalbard and Greenland represent geographical regions with a long history of Mesozoic palaeontology. However, the last few decades have witnessed a surge of new discoveries. Especially famous are the Triassic and Late Jurassic Lagerstätten of East Greenland and Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago, together with the Late Cretaceous strata of southern Sweden and the UNESCO World Heritage locality at Stevns Klint in Denmark. The latter records one of the most complete terminal Mesozoic rock successions known globally. Collectively, these deposits encompass the spectrum of Mesozoic biotic evolution, including the explosive radiation of marine faunas after the Permian–Triassic extinction, seminal specialization of amniotes for life in the sea, Late Triassic–Jurassic domination of the land by dinosaurs and the Cretaceous development of modern terrestrial floras and marine ecosystems. This volume, authored by leading experts in the field, encapsulates key aspects of the latest research and will provide a benchmark for future investigations into the Scandinavian Mesozoic world.

Description / Table of Contents: ‌Cities drive economic growth but can also drive sustainable change. As the share of the world’s population living in cities rises, ambitious action in urban areas can be instrumental in achieving long‑term sustainability of the global energy system – including the carbon emission reductions required to meet the climate goals reached at COP21 in Paris. Support from national governments is a strategic prerequisite for leveraging the potential for sustainable energy technology and policy in cities that too often lies untapped. With global energy demand set to become even greater over the coming decades, Energy Technology Perspectives 2016 (ETP 2016) looks at the technology and policy opportunities available for accelerating the transition to sustainable urban energy systems. Such potential could be the key to successfully driving an energy transition that many still think impossible, provided that local and national actions can be aligned to meet the sustainability objectives at both levels. Indeed, policies still have a long way to go in this regard: ETP 2016 presents the annual IEA Tracking Clean Energy Progress report, which finds once again that despite some notable progress, the rate of needed improvements is far slower than required to meet energy sector sustainability goals. By setting out sustainable energy transition pathways that incorporate detailed and transparent quantitative analysis alongside well-rounded commentary, ETP 2016 and its series of related publications have become required reading not only for experts in the energy field, policy makers and heads of governments, but also for business leaders and investors.

Description / Table of Contents: Over the last decades, the study of extremophiles has providing ground breaking discoveries that challenge the paradigms of modern biology and make us rethink intriguing questions such as “what is life?”, “what are the limits of life?”, and “what are the fundamental features of life?”. The mechanisms by which different microorganisms adapt to extreme environments provide a unique perspective on the fundamental characteristics of biological processes present in most species. Extremophiles are also critical for evolutionary studies related to the origins of life, since they form a cluster on the base of the tree of life. Furthermore, the application of extremophiles in industrial processes has opened a new era in biotechnology. The study of extreme environments has become a key area of research for astrobiology. Extremophiles may help us understand what form life takes on other planetary bodies in our own solar system and beyond. These findings and possibilities have made the study of life in extreme environments one of the most exciting areas of research in recent decades. However, despite the latest advances we are just in the beginning of exploring and characterizing the world of extremophiles. This special issue covers all aspects of life in extreme environments.

Description / Table of Contents: Nowadays, the innovation in space technologies creates a new trend for the Earth observation and monitoring from space. This book contains high quality and compressive work on both microwave and optical remote sensing applications. This book is divided into five sections: (i) remote sensing for biomass estimation, (ii) remote sensing-based glacier studies, (iii) remote sensing for coastal and ocean applications, (iv) sewage leaks and environment disasters, and (v) remote sensing image processing. Each chapter offers an opportunity to expand the knowledge about various remote sensing techniques and persuade researchers to deliver new research novelty for environment studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Ten years ago, on December 26, 2004, one of the world’s most destructive natural disasters occurred. A magnitude Mw 9.1 earthquake (third strongest ever instrumentally recorded) generated a global tsunami that killed about 230,000 people along the coasts of 14 countries in the Indian Ocean and propagated as far as the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans. Since then, various countries from around the globe contributed major funding to tsunami research and mitigation, enabling the installation of hundreds of new high-precision instruments, the development of new technology and the establishment of more modern communication systems. As a result, incredible progress has been achieved in tsunami research and operation during the ten years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The papers presented in this second of two special volumes of Pure and Applied Geophysics reflect the state of tsunami science during this time, including two papers devoted to global observations. Five papers provide new findings specifically in the Indian Ocean. Eight papers cover Pacific Ocean studies, focusing mainly on the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Remaining papers in the volume describe studies in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and general tsunami source studies. The volume is of interest to scientists and practitioners involved in all aspects of tsunamis from earthquake source processes to transoceanic wave propagation and coastal impacts. Postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering – as well as students in the broader geosciences, civil and environmental engineering – will also find the book to be a valuable resource, as it combines recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.

Description / Table of Contents: The present topical volume presents a collection of contributions from a workshop that took place in Madrid in February 2014. Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS) are a rather recent development in seismology that allows issue warnings to a site with a short lead-time about the impending arrival of the largest strong ground motion from an earthquake, after the first wave arrivals have been detected nearer to the source by adequate sensors. The Ibero-Mahgrebian region, containing Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, is subject to the occurrence of large earthquakes that may be followed by large tsunamis, as was the case of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

Description / Table of Contents: Geothermal energy means the natural heat energy from the Earth. The geothermal resources of the Earth are huge and unlike other conventional and renewable energy sources, geothermal energy has unique features; namely, it is available, stable at all times throughout the year, independent of weather conditions, and has an inherent storage capability. Geothermal energy is also considered to be an environmentally friendly clean energy source that could significantly contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions. The utilization of geothermal energy is usually divided into the part used for electricity generation and the part used for heating applications. Due to its important utilization and future prospects, various interesting topics of research related to geothermal energy are covered in this book. This book is the result of contributions from several researchers and experts worldwide. It is hoped that the book will become a useful source of information and basis for extended research for researchers, academics, policy makers, and practitioners in the area of geothermal energy.

Description / Table of Contents: Sustainability should be a key component of every process, safeguarding resources and reserves for future generations. This book shows how a responsible use of resources is possible, offering valid technological alternatives to fight climate change. We offer current technologies and valid methods for a wide range of activities: teaching, investigation, work, business and even daily life. We encourage all our readers to join us and become part of the solution to climate change, rather than the problem. After reading this book, we are certain that you will find justified reasons to start your own personal and social awareness campaign in favour of these effective technologies against climate change.

Description / Table of Contents: At a time when the Digital Republic Bill is proposing to insert provisions relating to open access in the French Research Code, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), alongside its partners in the ISTEX project, as well as a large number of researchers and actors in the field of public research, are offering via this White Paper the results of their deliberations and analyses.For several years now, the scientific community involved in public research has been arguing for the need to create a legal and organisational framework for access to scientific and technical data and information in the digital world, in particular data from its own research activities.This White Paper gives an account of these reflections on the practices of researchers with regard to the use of scientific and technical information and digital tools. The package of proposals for the creation of Open Science is the result of combined efforts and powerful testimonies from the world of research.

Description / Table of Contents: Updates in Volcanology - From Volcano Modeling to Volcano Geology is a new book that is based on book chapters offered by various authors to provide a snapshot of current trends in volcanological researches. Following a short Introduction, the book consists of three sections, namely, "Understanding the Volcano System from Petrology, Geophysics to Large Scale Experiments", "Volcanic Eruptions and Their Impact to the Environment", and "Volcanism in the Geological Record". These sections collect a total of 13 book chapters demonstrating clearly the research activity in volcanology from geophysical aspects of volcanic systems to their geological framework. Each chapter provides a comprehensive summary of their subject’s current research directions. This book hence can equally be useful for students and researchers.

Description / Table of Contents: The topics of climate change, weather prediction, atmospheric sciences and other related fields are gaining increased attention due to the possible impacts of changes in climate and weather upon the planet. Concurrently, the increasing ability to computationally model the governing partial differential equations that describe these various topics of climate has gained a great deal of attention as well. In the current book, several aspects of these topics are examined to provide another stepping stone in recent advances in the fields of study and also focal points of endeavor in the evolving technology.

Description / Table of Contents: The use of agent-based models (ABMs) and modelling for understanding landscape change and dynamics continues to grow. One reason for the popularity of ABMs is that they provide a framework to represent multiple, discrete, multi-faceted, heterogeneous actors (human or otherwise) and their relationships and interactions between one another and their environment, through time and across space. This special issue seeks to showcase innovative uses of ABMs for investigating and explaining landscape change and dynamics and to explore and identify how researchers in different disciplines can learn from one another to further innovate. Thus, this special issue will emphasise multidisciplinary dialogue between researchers using ABM in physical geography, hydrology, ecology, land change science, economics, alternative histories, archaeology, sociology, psychology and others. Innovation may come in the form of computational, conceptual, analytical, participatory or epistemological advances in the use of ABM for a range of aims and motivations associated with landscape change and dynamics. Modelling advances may include new ways of representing agent decisions and/or interactions, establishing and evaluating model structures and rules, presenting and visualising change, multi-scale analysis, comparative techniques, narrative methods, and more. The presentation of innovative agent-based modelling from diverse research backgrounds and perspectives will demonstrate opportunities for learning and enable dialogue to enhance future use of ABMs for understanding landscape change.

Description / Table of Contents: This book is a collection of contribution from experts involved in tsunami study for the purpose of covering its different aspects from generation to warning system to be applied in tsunami risk reduction. The presented chapters have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. The content of the book consists of information on tsunami propagation from the open sea to the coast and coastal tsunami warning using deployed HF radar systems in different parts of North America and Japan. In this book, tsunami propagation, preliminary methods for evaluating the suitability of radar sites for tsunami detection using simulated tsunami velocities and factors affecting tsunami detectability are discussed and methods for reducing the false alarms are described. It further covers multi-scale meteorological systems resulted in meteo-tsunami and tsunami generation due to a landslide or a submarine volcanic eruption, where few case studies have been presented. The occurrence and characteristics of tsunami in Sweden, using paleo-tsunami events from different parts of the Scandinavia and finally challenges and opportunities for reducing losses to fast-arriving tsunamis in remote villages along Pakistan coast, with few examples are also discussed.

Description / Table of Contents: In high-temperature geochemistry and cosmochemistry, highly siderophile and strongly chalophile elements can be defined as strongly preferring metal or sulfide, respectively, relative to silicate or oxide phases. The highly siderophile elements (HSE) comprise Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Rh, Pd, and Au and are defined by their extreme partitioning (〉104) into the metallic phase, but will also strongly partition into sulfide phases, in the absence of metal. The HSE are highly refractory, as indicated by their high melting and condensation temperatures and were therefore concentrated in early accreted nebular materials. Within the HSE are the platinum-group elements (PGE), which include the six elements lying in the d-block of the periodic table (groups 8, 9, and 10, periods 5 and 6), i.e., Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Rh and Pd. These six elements tend to exist in the metallic state, or bond with chalcogens (S, Se, Te) or pnictogens (P, As, Sb, Bi). Rhenium and Au do not necessarily behave as coherently as the PGE, due to their differing electronegativity and oxidation states. For these reasons, a clear definition between the discussion of the PGE and the HSE (PGE, Re and Au) exists in the literature, especially in economic geology, industrial, or bio-medical studies. The strongly chalcophile elements can be considered to include S, Se, and Te. These three elements are distinguished from other chalcophile elements, such as Cd or Pb, because, like the HSE, they are all in very low abundances in the bulk silicate Earth. By contrast with the HSE, S, Se, and Te all have far lower melting and condensation temperatures, classifying them as highly volatile elements. Moreover, these elements are not equally distributed within chondrite meteorite groups. Since their initial distribution in the Solar nebula, planetary formation and differentiation process have led to large fractionations of the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements, producing a range of absolute and relative inter-element fractionations. The chemical properties of the HSE, that set them apart from any other elements in the periodic table, have made them geochemical tracers par excellence. As tracers of key processes, the HSE have found application in virtually all areas of the physical Earth sciences. These elements have been used to inform on the nucleosynthetic sources and formation of the Solar System, planetary differentiation, late accretion addition of elements to planets, core-formation and possible core-mantle interaction, crust-mantle partitioning, volcanic processes and outgassing, formation of magmatic, hydrothermal and epithermal ore deposits, ocean circulation, climate-related events, weathering, and biogeochemical cycling. More recently, studies of strongly chalcophile elements are finding a similar range of applications. Their utility lies in the fact that these elements will behave as siderophile or strongly chalcophile elements under reducing conditions, but will also behave as lithophile or atmophile elements under oxidizing conditions, as experienced at the present day Earth’s surface. A key aspect of the HSE is that three long-lived, geologically useful decay systems exist with the HSE as parent (107Pd–107Ag), or parent–daughter isotopes (187Re–187Os and 190Pt–186Os). This volume is dedicated to some of the processes that can be investigated at high-temperatures in planets using the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements. While this volume is not dedicated to the practical applications of the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements, it would be remiss not to briefly discuss the importance of these elements in society. All of these elements have found important societal use, from the application of Au as a valued commodity in early societies, through to the present-day; the importance of S and Se in biological processes; the discovery and implementation of Pt, Pd, and subsequently other PGE to catalytic oxidation, and the importance of the anti-cancer drug cisplatin (cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2]) to anti-tumour treatments. The use of the PGE, most especially Pt, Pd and Rh, in the automotive industry to generate harmless gases has caused some potential collateral effects; the possible environmental impact and human health-risks from available PGE in the environment. An entire volume can (and should!) equally be written on the utility of the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements during low-temperature geochemistry. In this volume, a number of key areas are reviewed in the use of the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements to investigate fundamental processes in high-temperature geochemistry and cosmochemistry. It is divided into five parts. The first part of the volume concerns measurements and experiments. Chapter 1, by Brenan et al. (2016), provides an comprehensive overview of experimental constraints applied to understanding HSE partitioning under a range of conditions, including: liquid metal–solid metal; metal– silicate; silicate–melt; monosulfide solid solution (MSS)–sulfide melt; sulfide melt–silicate melt; silicate melt–aqueous fluid–vapor. Chapter 2, by Meisel and Horan (2016) provides a summary of analytical methods, issues specifically associated with measurement of the HSE, and a review of important reference materials. The second part of the volume concerns the cosmochemical importance of the HSE and strongly chalcophile elements. In their assessment of nucleosynthetic isotopic variations of siderophile and chalcophile elements in Solar System materials, Yokoyama and Walker (2016, Chapter 3) discuss some of the fundamentals of stellar nucleosynthesis, the evidence for nucleosynthetic anomalies in pre-Solar grains, bulk meteorites and individual components of chondrites, ultimately providing a synthesis on the different information afforded by nucleosynthetic anomalies of Ru, Mo, Os, and other siderophile and chalcophile elements. Chapter 4 concerns the HSE in terrestrial bodies, including the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroidal bodies for which we have materials as meteorites. Day et al. (2016) provide a summary of HSE abundance and 187Os/188Os variations in the range of materials available and a synthesis of initial Solar System composition, evidence for late accretion, and estimates of current planetary mantle composition. The third part of the volume concerns our understanding of the Earth’s mantle from direct study of mantle materials. In Chapter 5, Aulbach et al. (2016) discuss the importance and challenges associated with understanding HSE in the cratonic mantle, providing new HSE alloy solubility modelling for melt extraction at pressures, temperatures, fO2 and fS2 pertaining to conditions of cratonic mantle lithosphere formation. Luguet and Reisberg (2016) provide similar constraints on non-cratonic mantle in Chapter 6, emphasizing the importance of combined geochemical and petrological approaches to fully understand the histories of mantle peridotites. The information derived from studies of Alpine peridotites, obducted ophiolites and oceanic abyssal peridotites are reviewed in Chapter 7 by Becker and Dale (2016). The fourth part of the volume focusses on important minerals present in the mantle and crust. Chapter 8 provides a broad overview of mantle chalcophiles. In this chapter, Lorand et al. (2016) emphasise that chalcophile and siderophile elements are important tracers that can be strongly affected by host minerals as a function of sulfur-saturation, redox conditions, pressure, temperature, fugacity of sulfur, and silicate melt compositions. Along a similar theme in Chapter 9, O’Driscoll and Gonzalez-Jimenez (2016) provide an overview of platinum-group minerals (PGM), pointing out that, where present PGM dominate the HSE budget of silicate rocks. Finally in this section, Harvey et al. (2016) examine the importance of Re–Os–Pb isotope dating methods of sulfides for improving our understanding of mantle processes (Chapter 10). The fifth and final part of the volume considers the important of the HSE for studying volcanic and magmatic processes. In Chapter 11, Gannoun et al. (2016) provide a synthesis of the most abundant forms of volcanism currently operating on Earth, including mid-ocean ridge basalts, volcanism unassociated with plate boundaries, and subduction zone magmatism. The volume is completed in Chapter 12 by Barnes and Ripley (2016), by an appraisal of the obvious importance of magmatic HSE ore formation in Earth’s crust.

Description / Table of Contents: Reliable access to water, managing the spatial and temporal variability of water availability, ensuring the quality of freshwater and responding to climatological changes in the hydrological cycle are prerequisites for the development of countries in Africa. Water being an essential input for biomass growth and for renewable energy production (e.g. biofuels and hydropower schemes) plays an integral part in ensuring food and energy security for any nation. Water, as a source of safe drinking water, is furthermore the basis for ensuring the health of citizens and plays an important role in urban sanitation. The concept of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is seen as an opportunity to help manage water variability and the wide spread water scarcity in Africa. One key component missing from IWRM in Africa is the limited knowledge of the available extent and quality of water resources at basin level. Earth Observation (EO) technology can help fill this information gap by assessing and monitoring water resources at adequate temporal and spatial scales. The goal of this Special Issue is to understand and demonstrate the contribution which satellite observations, consistent over space and time, can bring to improve water resource management in Africa. Possible EO products and applications range from catchment characterization, water quality monitoring, soil moisture assessment, water extent and level monitoring, irrigation services, urban and agricultural water demand modeling, evapotranspiration estimation, ground water management, to hydrological modeling and flood mapping/forecasting. Some of these EO applications have already been developed by African scientists within the 10 year lifetime of the TIGER initiative: Looking after Water in Africa (http://www.tiger.esa.int), whose contributions are intended to be the starting point of this Special Issue and is only one example of the wide range of activities in the field. Contributions from the entire African and international scientific community dealing with the challenges of water resource management in Africa are the target of the special issue. In the years to come, an ever increasing number of international EO missions, such as the Landsat, ALOS, CBERS and RESOURCESAT mission suites, the family of Sentinel missions and the SMAP mission, will provide an unprecedented capacity to observe and monitor the different components of the water cycle. This Special Issue aims also at reviewing the latest developments in terms of new missions as well as related EO products and techniques that will be available in the near future to face some of the major challenges for IWRM in Africa.

Description / Table of Contents: Polar microbiology is a promising field of research that can tell us much about the fundamental features of life. The microorganisms that inhabit Arctic and Antarctic environments are important not only because of the unique species they represent, but also because of their diverse and unusual physiological and biochemical properties. Furthermore, microorganisms living in Polar Regions provide useful models for general questions in ecology and evolutionary biology given the reduced complexity of their ecosystems, the relative absence of confounding effects associated with higher plants or animals, and the severe biological constraints imposed by the polar environment. In terms of applied science, the unique cold-adapted enzymes and other molecules of polar microorganisms provide numerous opportunities for biotechnological development. Another compelling reason to study polar microbial ecosystems is the fact that they are likely to be among the ecosystems most strongly affected by global change. For these reasons, polar microbiology is a thriving branch of science with the potential to provide new insights into a wide range of basic and applied issues in biological science. In this context, it is timely to review and highlight the progress so far and discuss exciting future perspectives. In this special issue, some of the leaders in the field describe their work, ideas and findings.

Description / Table of Contents: The development of renewable energy technologies (such as wind, solar, and biomass) has accelerated the establishment of a low-carbon society. This book provides a glimpse of some recent advancements in modelling, control, electrical generators and power converters, and social and political aspects of utilising these renewable sources of energy. It is aimed to provide some latest references for the readers who are interested in research work, energy policies, and social dimensions of renewable energy.

Description / Table of Contents: All living organisms are composed of major, minor, and trace elements, given by nature and supplied by geology. Medical geology is a rapidly growing discipline dealing with the influence of natural geological and environmental risk factors on the distribution of health problems in humans and animals. As a multi-disciplinary scientific field, medical geology has the potential of helping medical and public health communities all over the world in the pursuit of solutions to a wide range of environmental and naturally induced health issues. The natural environment can impact health in a variety of ways. The composition of rocks and minerals are imprinted on the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the food that we eat. For many people this transference of minerals and the trace elements they contain is beneficial as it is the primary source of nutrients (such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and about a dozen other elements) that are essential for a healthy life. However, sometimes the local geology can cause significant health problems because there is an insufficient amount of an essential element or an excess of a potentially toxic element (such as arsenic, mercury, lead, fluorine, etc.), or a harmful substance such as methane gas, dust-sized particles of asbestos, quartz or pyrite, or certain naturally occurring organic compounds. Current and future medical geology concerns include: dangerous levels of arsenic in drinking water in dozens of countries including the USA; mercury emissions from coal combustion and its bioaccumulation in the environment; the impacts of mercury and lead mobilizations in regions were artisanal gold mining is conducted; the residual health impacts of geologic processes such as volcanic emissions, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and geogenic dust; exposure to fibrous minerals such as asbestos and erionite; and the health impacts of global climate change. Billions of people, most in developing countries, are afflicted by these and other environmental health issues that can be avoided, prevented, mitigated or minimized through research and educational outreach. This Special Issue of Geosciences discusses recent advances in medical geology, providing examples from research conducted all over the world. Among the topics to be discussed are: - Health effects from trace elements, metals and metalloids - Regional and global impacts of natural dust (including the study of nanoparticles) - Chemical and environmental pathology of diseases associated with natural environment - Novel analytical approaches to the study of natural geochemical and environmental agents - Research on beneficial health aspects of natural geological materials - Risk management, risk communication and risk mitigation on medical geology - Remote sensing and GIS applications on medical geology - Epidemiology and public health studies on medical geology - Climate change and medical geology - Clinical and toxicological research on biomarkers of exposure - Veterinary medical geology - Biosurveillance and biomonitoring studies on medical geology

Description / Table of Contents: This special issue contains selected papers from the 13th International Conference on Estuarine and Coastal Modeling (ECM13), held Nov 4-6, 2013. The conference brings modelers from academic institutions, government and private industry together to present and discuss the latest developments in the field of marine environmental modeling. Begun in 1989 by Dr. Malcolm Spaulding, the conference is held every other year in a retreat-like setting with a maximum of about 125 people to encourage interaction and help strengthen ties between modeling communities. A wide range of modeling issues are encouraged, including advances in physical understanding, numerical algorithm development, model applications, and better tools. A wide range of modeling topics are encouraged as well, including storm surge, eutrophication, larval transport, search and rescue, oil spills, fisheries issues, coastal erosion and contaminated sediment transport. Many conferences also have special themes. The special theme of ECM13 was modeling related to Hurricane Sandy which in late October 2012 devastated the Caribbean and the US East Coast, including record flooding in New York City. The 22 papers presented here cover a broad spectrum of topics, including simulations of cohesive sediment, inundation, effluent mixing, shoaling waves, and water quality and with modeling applications from Alaska to New Zealand.

Description / Table of Contents: Terraforming is the process of making other worlds habitable for human life. Its counterpart on Earth – geoengineering – is receiving serious consideration as a way to address climate change. Contemporary environmental awareness and our understanding of climate change is influenced by science fiction, and terraforming in particular has offered scientists, philosophers, and others a motif for thinking in complex ways about our impact on planetary environments. This book asks how science fiction has imagined how we shape both our world and other planets and how stories of terraforming reflect on science, society and environmentalism. It traces the growth of the motif of terraforming in science fiction from H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds (1898) to James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar (2009), in stories by such writers as Olaf Stapledon, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ernest Callenbach, Pamela Sargent, Frederick Turner and Kim Stanley Robinson. It argues for terraforming as a nexus for environmental philosophy, the pastoral, ecology, the Gaia hypothesis, and the politics of colonisation and habitation. Amidst contemporary anxieties about climate change, terraforming offers an important vantage from which to consider the ways humankind shapes and is shaped by their world.

Description / Table of Contents: The copper-cobalt outcrops of Upper Katanga and north-western Zambia host a particular flora which comprises an estimated 750 species of which more than 400 are treated in this copper-cobalt field guide. The aim of this book, resulting from several years of intensive field work and study, is to bring together the basic knowledges permitting an easy approach to the identification of a great number of the species to be encountered. More than 400 species are illustrated with color photographs and/or drawings together with comments concerning synonyms, habit, description, ecology and distribution. Plant species are listed and colour-coded according to classification: Cyanoprocaryota, lichenized Fungi, Anthocerophyta, Marchantiophyta and Bryophyta (red edge), Lycophyta and Monilophyta (green edge), Magnoliopsida (blue edge) and Liliopsida (yellow edge). An index allows easy location either according to genus and species. An account of the research on copper-cobalt ecosystems carried out during the last ten years in southeastern D.R. Congo is also presented. The editors have spent more than twenty years in the area concerned and have collected more than 8,500 voucher specimens, including eleven species new to science (holotypes).