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Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States: A Field Guide
by John C. Abbott Kendra AbbottA comprehensive field guide to Texas&’s insects, featuring 1,300 species and over 2,700 photographs. Thanks to its size and geographic position, Texas is home to nearly 30,000 species of insects, likely making its insect population the most diverse in the nation. Ranging from eastern and western to temperate and tropical species, this vast array of insects can be difficult to identify. In Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States, John and Kendra Abbott have created the state&’s most comprehensive field guide to help readers recognize and understand these fascinating creatures. Containing 1,300 species and more than 2,700 photographs, this guide offers a wealth of information about the characteristics and behaviors of Texas&’s insects. Each chapter introduces an order with a discussion of general natural history and a description of other qualities helpful in distinguishing its various species, while every species&’ entry provides a state map showing where it is most likely to be found, a key displaying its seasonal distribution, information about its habitat, and corresponding photos. Featuring colored tabs for quick reference, a glossary, and information about other arthropods, this guide is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to identify and learn more about the many insects of Texas.&“Expertly written and beautifully illustrated, this exceptional book will be of interest to both professional and beginning naturalists.&” —Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States: A Field Guide
by John C. Abbott Kendra AbbottA comprehensive field guide to Texas&’s insects, featuring 1,300 species and over 2,700 photographs. Thanks to its size and geographic position, Texas is home to nearly 30,000 species of insects, likely making its insect population the most diverse in the nation. Ranging from eastern and western to temperate and tropical species, this vast array of insects can be difficult to identify. In Common Insects of Texas and Surrounding States, John and Kendra Abbott have created the state&’s most comprehensive field guide to help readers recognize and understand these fascinating creatures. Containing 1,300 species and more than 2,700 photographs, this guide offers a wealth of information about the characteristics and behaviors of Texas&’s insects. Each chapter introduces an order with a discussion of general natural history and a description of other qualities helpful in distinguishing its various species, while every species&’ entry provides a state map showing where it is most likely to be found, a key displaying its seasonal distribution, information about its habitat, and corresponding photos. Featuring colored tabs for quick reference, a glossary, and information about other arthropods, this guide is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to identify and learn more about the many insects of Texas.&“Expertly written and beautifully illustrated, this exceptional book will be of interest to both professional and beginning naturalists.&” —Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
Damselflies of Texas
by John C. AbbottOn any warm summer day, you can easily observe damselflies around a vegetated pond or the rocks along the banks of a stream. Like the more familiar dragonfly, damselflies are among the most remarkably distinctive insects in their appearance and biology, and they have become one of the most popular creatures sought by avocational naturalists. Damselflies of Texas is the first field guide dedicated specifically to the species found in Texas. It covers 77 of the 138 species of damselflies known in North America, making it a very useful guide for the entire United States. Each species account includes:- illustrations of as many forms (male, female, juvenile, mature, and color morphs) as possible- common and scientific names, with pronunciation- distribution map- key features- identifying characteristics- discussion of similar species- status in Texas- habitat, seasonality, and general commentsIn addition to photographing damselflies in the wild, the author and illustrator have developed a new process for illustrating each species by scanning preserved specimens and digitally painting them. The resulting illustrations show detail that is not visible in photographs. The book also contains chapters on damselfly anatomy, life history, conservation, names, and photography, as well as a list of species that may eventually be discovered in Texas, state and global conservation rankings, seasonality of all species in chronological order, and additional resources and publications on the identification of damselflies.
Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology #2657)
by D. Wade Abbott Wesley F. ZandbergThis second edition provides new and updated tools for studying protein-carbohydrate interactions ranging from traditional biochemical methods to state-of-the-art techniques. This book focuses on four different research themes detailing methods for screening and quantifying CAZyme activity, investigating the interactions between proteins, carbohydrate ligands, methods for the visualization of carbohydrates, protein-carbohydrate complexes, structural and “omic” approaches for studying systems of CAZymes. Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and methods, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Carbohydrate- Protein Interactions: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to be comprehensive guide for researchers in the field.
Beyond Terror: The Truth About the Real Threats to Our World
by Chris Abbott John Sloboda Paul RogersIs international terrorism really the single greatest threat to world security?Since the 9/11 attacks, many Western governments assume terrorism to be the greatest threat we face. In response, their dangerous policies attempt to maintain control and keep the status quo by using overwhelming military force. This important book shows why this approach has been such a failure, and how it distracts us from other, much greater, threats of climate change, competition over resources, marginalisation of the majority of the world and global militarisation.Unless urgent, coordinated action is taken in the next 5-10 years on all these issues it will be almost imossible to avoid the earth becoming a highly unstable place by the middle years of this century. Beyond Terror offers an alternative path for politicians, journalists and concerned citizens alike.
Electrodeposition from Ionic Liquids
by Andrew Abbott Douglas Macfarlane Frank EndresEdited by distinguished experts in this expanding field and with specialist contributions, this overview is the first of its kind to focus on electrodeposition from ionic liquids. This second edition has been completely revised and updated with approximately 20% new content and has been expanded by five chapters to cover the following topics: -Bulk and Interface Theory -Nanoscale Imaging including AFM, In situ STM and UHV-STM -Impedance Spectroscopy -Process Scale-up including Brighteners -Speciation and Redox Properties. The result is essential reading for electrochemists, materials scientists, chemists in industry, physical chemists, chemical engineers, inorganic and organic chemists.
Why We Eat, How We Eat: Contemporary Encounters between Foods and Bodies (Critical Food Studies)
by Emma-Jayne Abbots Anna LavisWhy We Eat, How We Eat maps new terrains in thinking about relations between bodies and foods. With the central premise that food is both symbolic and material, the volume explores the intersections of current critical debates regarding how individuals eat and why they eat. Through a wide-ranging series of case studies it examines how foods and bodies both haphazardly encounter, and actively engage with, one another in ways that are simultaneously material, social, and political. The aim and uniqueness of this volume is therefore the creation of a multidisciplinary dialogue through which to produce new understandings of these encounters that may be invisible to more established paradigms. In so doing, Why We Eat, How We Eat concomitantly employs eating as a tool - a novel way of looking - while also drawing attention to the term 'eating' itself, and to the multiple ways in which it can be constituted. The volume asks what eating is - what it performs and silences, what it produces and destroys, and what it makes present and absent. It thereby traces the webs of relations and multiple scales in which eating bodies are entangled; in diverse and innovative ways, contributors demonstrate that eating draws into relationships people, places and objects that may never tangibly meet, and show how these relations are made and unmade with every mouthful. By illuminating these contemporary encounters, Why We Eat, How We Eat offers an empirically grounded richness that extends previous approaches to foods and bodies.
Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution
by Michiel Roscam AbbingPlastics have transformed every aspect of our lives. Yet the very properties that make them attractive—they are cheap to make, light, and durable—spell disaster when trash makes its way into the environment. Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution is a beautifully-illustrated survey of the plastics clogging our seas, their impacts on wildlife and people around the world, and inspirational initiatives designed to tackle the problem. In Plastic Soup, Michiel Roscam Abbing of the Plastic Soup Foundation reveals the scope of the issue: plastic trash now lurks on every corner of the planet. With striking photography and graphics, Plastic Soup brings this challenge to brilliant life for readers. Yet it also sends a message of hope; although the scale of the problem is massive, so is the dedication of activists working to check it. Plastic Soup highlights a diverse array of projects to curb plastic waste and raise awareness, from plastic-free grocery stores to innovative laws and art installations. According to some estimates, if we continue on our current path, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050. Created to inform and inspire readers, Plastic Soup is a critical tool in the fight to reverse this trend.
Renewable Gas: The Transition to Low Carbon Energy Fuels (Energy, Climate and the Environment)
by Jo AbbessThe author looks at the prospects for a transition from natural gas to low carbon gas, which could take several decades, and at how this will depend on the evolution of the fossil fuel industry. She investigates the technologies and energy systems for making the best use of renewable gas resources.
Advances in Acoustics and Vibration: Proceedings of the International Conference on Acoustics and Vibration (ICAV2016), March 21-23, Hammamet, Tunisia (Applied Condition Monitoring #5)
by Mohamed Slim Abbes Fakher Chaari Mohamed Haddar Tahar Fakhfakh Lasaad Walha Moez AbdennadherThe book provides readers with a snapshot of recent research and industrial trends in field of industrial acoustics and vibration. Each chapter, accepted after a rigorous peer-review process, reports on a selected, original piece of work presented and discussed at International Conference on Acoustics and Vibration (ICAV2016), which was organized by the Tunisian Association of Industrial Acoustics and Vibration (ATAVI) and held March 21-23, in Hammamet, Tunisia. The contributions, mainly written by north African authors, covers advances in both theory and practice in a variety of subfields, such as: smart materials and structures; fluid-structure interaction; structural acoustics as well as computational vibro-acoustics and numerical methods. Further topics include: engines control, noise identification, robust design, flow-induced vibration and many others. This book provides a valuable resource for both academics and professionals dealing with diverse issues in applied mechanics. By combining advanced theories with industrial issues, it is expected to facilitate communication and collaboration between different groups of researchers and technology users.
Inventing the Internet (Inside Technology)
by Janet AbbateJanet Abbate recounts the key players and technologies that allowed the Internet to develop; but her main focus is always on the social and cultural factors that influenced the Internet's design and use.Since the late 1960s the Internet has grown from a single experimental network serving a dozen sites in the United States to a network of networks linking millions of computers worldwide. In Inventing the Internet, Janet Abbate recounts the key players and technologies that allowed the Internet to develop; but her main focus is always on the social and cultural factors that influenced the Internets design and use. The story she unfolds is an often twisting tale of collaboration and conflict among a remarkable variety of players, including government and military agencies, computer scientists in academia and industry, graduate students, telecommunications companies, standards organizations, and network users.The story starts with the early networking breakthroughs formulated in Cold War think tanks and realized in the Defense Department's creation of the ARPANET. It ends with the emergence of the Internet and its rapid and seemingly chaotic growth. Abbate looks at how academic and military influences and attitudes shaped both networks; how the usual lines between producer and user of a technology were crossed with interesting and unique results; and how later users invented their own very successful applications, such as electronic mail and the World Wide Web. She concludes that such applications continue the trend of decentralized, user-driven development that has characterized the Internet's entire history and that the key to the Internet's success has been a commitment to flexibility and diversity, both in technical design and in organizational culture.
Ecosystem Services in Azerbaijan: Value and Losses
by Rovshan Abbasov Rovshan Karimov Natavan JafarovaThis book aims to draw readers' attention to the benefits once present nature in Azerbaijan. Over the past hundred years, much of this has been lost because of the neglect of the intrinsic values of nature by both managers and local authorities, and the overuse of natural resources. For example, oil pollution and overfishing in the Caspian Sea have almost destroyed its fish and caviar resources. In this volume, the authors distinguish between the concepts of "gain" and "income" and show readers that short-term benefits based solely on monetary income deprive people and nature itself of long-term, lasting value. The book provides readers with real historical information, discusses the interactions between humans and nature, and shows, with real data and trends, the consequences of anthropogenic activity on natural resources in Azerbaijan. The authors cover fish, water, forest, mountain, and pasture ecosystems, draw attention to the impacts that pollution and other forms of environmental degradation have had on these resources, and the show the impact that resource depletion on people’s livelihoods. The book is intended primarily for managers, policymakers, students, and academics, and will be of interest to natural scientists, historians, and students of culture.
Community-Based Disaster Risk Management in Azerbaijan (SpringerBriefs in Geography)
by Rovshan AbbasovThis book illustrates the main factors of vulnerability and gives a clear picture about the possible interventions to reduce disaster risks both in schools and communities in Azerbaijan. A new methodology for child centered vulnerability assessments both on school and community levels has been developed. This methodology can be used to assess the level of vulnerability of schools and communities. The book is a newly prepared training manual which will help practitioners conduct trainings for government and community organizations. While the book is focused on a specific region, the suggested approach is generic and can be used elsewhere.
Biogas Energy (SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science #2)
by Tasneem Abbasi S. M. Tauseef S. A. AbbasiIn recent years, the importance of biogas energy has risen manifold and has become universal. This is due to the realization that biogas capture and utilization has great potential in controlling global warming. By capturing biogas wherever it is formed, we not only tap a source of clean energy, but we also prevent the escape of methane to the atmosphere. Given that methane has 25 times greater global warming potential than CO2, methane capture through biogas energy in this manner can contribute substantially towards global warming control.
Ethnobiology of Mountain Communities in Asia (Ethnobiology)
by Arshad Mehmood Abbasi Rainer W. BussmannNatural resources and associated biological diversity provide the basis of livelihood for human population, particularly in the rural areas and mountain regions across the globe. Asia is home to the world's highest mountain regions including the Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindukush. These regions are renowned around the globe because of their unique beauty, climate, and biocultural diversity. Because of geoclimatic conditions, the mountains of Asia are medicinal and food plant diversity hot spots. The indigenous communities residing in the valleys of these mountains have their own culture and traditions, and have a long history of interaction with the surrounding plant diversity. Local inhabitants of these mountains areas possess significant traditional knowledge of plant species used as food, medicine, and for cultural purposes. So far, many workers have reported traditional uses of plant species from different regions of Asia including some mountain areas; however, there is not one inclusive document on the ethnobotany of mountains in Asia. This book provides a comprehensive overview on ethno-ecological knowledge and cross cultural variation in the application of plant species among various communities residing in the mountains of Asia; cross cultural variation in traditional uses of plant species by the mountain communities; high value medicinal and food plant species; and threats and conservation status of plant species and traditional knowledge. This book should be useful to researchers of biodiversity and conservation, ethnobiologists, ethnoecologists, naturalists, phytochemists, pharmacists, policy makers, and all who have a devotion to nature.
Ambient Literature: Towards a New Poetics of Situated Writing and Reading Practices
by Tom Abba Jonathan Dovey Kate PullingerThis book considers how a combination of place-based writing and location responsive technologies produce new kinds of literary experiences. Building on the work done in the Ambient Literature Project (2016–2018), this books argues that these encounters constitute new literary forms, in which the authored text lies at the heart of an embodied and mediated experience. The visual, sonic, social and historic resources of place become the elements of a live and emergent mise-en-scène. Specific techniques of narration, including hallucination, memory, history, place based writing, and drama, as well as reworking of traditional storytelling forms combine with the work of app and user experience design, interaction, software authoring, and GIS (geographical information systems) to produce ambient experiences where the user reads a textual and sonic literary space. These experiences are temporary, ambiguous, and unpredictable in their meaning but unlike the theatre, the gallery, or the cinema they take place in the everyday shared world. The book explores the potentiality of a new literary form produced by the exchange between location-aware cultural objects, writers and readers. This book, and the work it explores, lays the ground for a new poetics of situated writing and reading practices.
The Behavior, Ecology and Evolution of Cichlid Fishes (Fish & Fisheries Series #40)
by Maria E. Abate David L. G. NoakesThis volume constitutes the most recent and most comprehensive consideration of the largest family of bony fishes, the Cichlidae. This book offers an integrated perspective of cichlid fishes ranging from conservation of threatened species to management of cichlids as invasive species themselves. Long-standing models of taxonomy and systematics are subjected to the most recent applications and interpretations of molecular evidence and multivariate analyses; and cichlid adaptive radiations at different scales are elucidated. The incredible diversity of endemic cichlid species in African lakes is revisited as possible examples of sympatric speciation and as serious cases for management in complex anthropogenic environments. Extreme hydrology and bathymetry as driver of micro-allopatric speciation is explored in the African riverine hotspot of diversity of the lower Congo River. Dramatic new molecular evidence draws attention to the complex taxonomy and systematics of Neotropical cichlids including the crater lakes of Central America. Molecular genetics, genomics, imaging tools and field study techniques assess the roles of natural, sexual and kin selection in shaping cichlid traits and beyond. The complex behavioral adaptations of cichlids are considered from a number of sub-disciplines including sensory biology, neurobiology, development, and evolutionary ecology. Most importantly, this volume puts forth a wealth of new interpretations, explanatory hypotheses and proposals for practical management and applications that will shape the future for these remarkable fishes in nature as well as their use as models for the study of biology.
Predicting the Future
by Henry AbarbanelThrough the development of an exact path integral for use in transferring information from observations to a model of the observed system, the author provides a general framework for the discussion of model building and evaluation across disciplines. Through many illustrative examples drawn from models in neuroscience, geosciences, and nonlinear electrical circuits, the concepts are exemplified in detail. Practical numerical methods for approximate evaluations of the path integral are explored, and their use in designing experiments and determining a model's consistency with observations is explored.
Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry (Lippincott Illustrated Reviews Series)
by Emine E Abali Susan D Cline David S Franklin Susan M ViselliPraised by faculty and students for more than two decades, Lippincott® Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry is the long-established go-to resource for mastering the essentials of biochemistry. This best-selling text helps students quickly review, assimilate, and integrate large amounts of critical and complex information, with unparalleled illustrations that bring concepts to life. Like other titles in the popular Lippincott® Illustrated Review Series, this text follows an intuitive outline organization and boasts a wealth of study aids that clarify challenging information and strengthen retention and understanding. This updated and revised edition emphasizes clinical application and features new exercises, questions, and accompanying digital resources to ready students for success on exams and beyond.
Biochemistry Behind the Symptoms
by Emine E. Abali Roy Carman Douglas SpicerBiochemistry Behind the Symptoms takes a problem-based approach to understanding and applying biochemistry for superior clinical outcomes. Organized around the common symptoms encountered by clinicians, this engaging text clarifies the connections between foundational science and clinical manifestations to help users form confident diagnoses throughout their clerkship and beyond. Each chapter explores the biochemical concepts behind underlying causes and demonstrates their ties to presenting symptoms through 5 realistic patient cases. Accompanying questions encourage discussion and guide users in building accurate differential diagnoses. Ideal for peer-to-peer learning environments or independent study, this practical approach strengthens users’ application of fundamental knowledge and ensures the long-term retention essential to clinical success.
Computational Reality: Solving Nonlinear and Coupled Problems in Continuum Mechanics (Advanced Structured Materials #55)
by Bilen Emek AbaliThis book presents the theory of continuum mechanics for mechanical, thermodynamical, and electrodynamical systems. It shows how to obtain governing equations and it applies them by computing the reality. It uses only open-source codes developed under the FEniCS project and includes codes for 20 engineering applications from mechanics, fluid dynamics, applied thermodynamics, and electromagnetism. Moreover, it derives and utilizes the constitutive equations including coupling terms, which allow to compute multiphysics problems by incorporating interactions between primitive variables, namely, motion, temperature, and electromagnetic fields. An engineering system is described by the primitive variables satisfying field equations that are partial differential equations in space and time. The field equations are mostly coupled and nonlinear, in other words, difficult to solve. In order to solve the coupled, nonlinear system of partial differential equations, the book uses a novel collection of open-source packages developed under the FEniCS project. All primitive variables are solved at once in a fully coupled fashion by using finite difference method in time and finite element method in space.
Date Palm (Crop Production Science in Horticulture)
by Dr Larbi Abahmane Dr Mohamed Ait-El-Mokhtar Dr Fatima-Zahra Akensous Dr M. Tahir Akram Dr Salah Mohammed Aleid Dr Melkamu Alemayehu Dr Abda Ali Dr Latifa Al-Kharusi Professor Jameel M Al-Khayri Dr Mohammed Al-Mahish Dr Abdulrasoul Mosa Al-Omran Dr Lyutha Al-Subhi Dr Rashid Al-Yahyai Asunción Amorós Dr Mohamed Anli Dr Mohamed Marouf Aribi Dr Raja Ben-Laoaune Dr Houda Besser Dr Neeru Bhatt Dr Abderrahim Boutasknit Dr Roshini Brizmohun Dr Latifa Dhaouadi Dr Gisela Díaz Dr Raga Elzaki Dr Abdessamad Fakhech Dr Mohamed Abusaa Fennir Dr Ibrahim E. Greiby Dr Ayah R. Hilles Professor Shri Mohan Jain Rhonda Janke Dr Muhammad Jafar Jaskani Professor Dennis V Johnson Dr Imran Ul Khan Dr M Mumtaz Khan Dr Rashad Rasool Khan Dr Robert R Krueger Dr Mithlesh Kumar Dr Abdelilah Meddich Dr C. M. Muralidharan Dr Summar Abbas Naqvi Dr Taseer Abbas Naqvi Dr Concepción Obón Dr Redouane Ouhaddou Dr Ozcan Ozturk Dr Ouissame Raho Dr Diego Rivera Dr Ricardo Salomón-Torres Dr Kapil Mohan Sharma Mostafa I. Waly Dr Muhammad Waseem Dr Glenn C. WrightDate palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a tree belonging to the palm family (Arecaceae) and is cultivated for its sweet edible fruits. Over the past century, it has become a major commercial fruit crop and a key component of agricultural production in the world's subtropical arid and semiarid regions. A crop suited both to the low-input small-farmer and the modern high-input commercial plantation, the date palm provides a livelihood for millions of people living in marginal land areas where farming options are restricted. Date palm is mainly grown for its fruits, but the whole tree is utilized. Research into date palm improvement for fruit production in recent decades has brought about improved elite cultivars, stress and pathogen resistance, and enhanced postharvest technologies. These developments have led to revised recommendations for date palm producers, and increased opportunity to promote novel fruit products. This book provides: · A practical manual on modern date palm cultivation methods. · Best practice guidelines for optimal production levels of high-quality fruit. · Opportunities for more complete utilization of date palm products at both the subsistence and commercial levels of production. With contributions from leading international experts, this is a valuable resource for researchers and students in horticulture, as well as date palm growers and processors.
New Trends in Macromolecular and Supramolecular Chemistry for Biological Applications
by Marc J. M. Abadie Mariana Pinteala Alexandru RotaruThis contributed volume applies the insights of supramolecular chemistry to biomedical applications such as ions/water transport through nano-scale channels, gene therapy, tissue engineering and drug delivery, to cite some of the major investigations.The challenge is to understand the mechanisms of transport through tissues particularly in the therapeutic treatment of a disease where the active drug must be delivered directly to diseased cells without affecting healthy cells. As a result, smaller quantities of active substances can be used to treat the disease. Another interest concerns new ways to administer gene therapy. If genes are often delivered to their target cells by adapted viruses, the supramolecular non-viral ‘vectors’ using dynamic nano-frameworks and nano-structures are presented. In addition, it is important to reconstruct damaged tissues by mimicking natural processes in cells and polymers, such as tissue engineering and self-healing. Different options are here discussed: e.g. hydrogels based on chitosan, a carbohydrate polymer, are proving especially promising for tissue engineering and drug delivery. For controlled delivery of drugs or other biologically active compounds, hydrogels sensitive to the most important stimuli in the human body, such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, glucose and biomolecules released by the organism in pathological conditions have been developed. Finally, to assist and validate the experimental studies, computer modelling and simulations of large-sized molecular structures and systems using different molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical techniques are developed based on the experimental and chemistry synthesis.This book is of great interest for graduate students, researchers and health professionals interested in acquiring a better understanding of the mechanisms of medical treatments. In addition, it provides numerous tools to develop better therapies for human diseases.
Medicinal Plants used in Traditional Persian Medicine
by Mamak Hashemi Abadi Maryam Akabery Seyyed Ahmad Askari Sayyedeh Fatemeh Askari Zahra Ayati Sajad Azad Parmis Badr Hamed Baharara Zahra Boghrati Mina Borhani Fatemeh Etemadpour Seyed Majid Ghazanfari Shakila Hajizadeh Bahia Namavar Jahromi Lida Jarahi Mohammad Reza Kanani Seyedeh Mahnaz Karimi Abdolali Mohagheghzadeh Leila Mohtashami Ghazaleh Mosleh Nayebzadeh Motahare Maryam Nikoosokhan Roja Rahimi Zahra Taghipour Mojgan Tansaz Meysam Zaeri Elaheh Zibaee Roodabeh Bahramsoltani Amir Hossein AbdolghaffariMedicinal plants and the natural products within them, still remain the starting point for breakthroughs in the development of safe, pharmacologically active synthetic molecules for use in a wide variety of clinical situations. Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) is one of the most ancient medical doctrines, and is well-documented in terms of information about diseases, diagnoses and treatments, especially in the application of medicinal plants. TPM has been used for centuries worldwide, and many of these methods are still used in Iran today. The book introduces the basics of TPM, and describes the key medicinal plants used for the treatment of different diseases. It also highlights possible new targets for research activities in drug discovery of natural products. The book is richly illustrated with historic drawings from old Persian pharmacopoeia and photos of plants in their natural habitats. Reference to Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese Medicine and monastic medicine in Europe are also made. While knowledge about medicinal plants used in TPM still exists in Iran there is a risk that the detailed expertise provided by older generations will be lost in the near future. It is therefore very important that this cultural heritage is properly preserved. This book provides a valuable, evidence-based resource on TPM for researchers, practitioners and students in medicinal plants, ethnobotany and herbal medicine.
Energy Level Alignment and Electron Transport Through Metal/Organic Contacts
by Enrique AbadIn recent years, ever more electronic devices have started to exploit the advantages of organic semiconductors. The work reported in this thesis focuses on analyzing theoretically the energy level alignment of different metal/organic interfaces, necessary to tailor devices with good performance. Traditional methods based on density functional theory (DFT), are not appropriate for analyzing them because they underestimate the organic energy gap and fail to correctly describe the van der Waals forces. Since the size of these systems prohibits the use of more accurate methods, corrections to those DFT drawbacks are desirable. In this work a combination of a standard DFT calculation with the inclusion of the charging energy (U) of the molecule, calculated from first principles, is presented. Regarding the dispersion forces, incorrect long range interaction is substituted by a van der Waals potential. With these corrections, the C60, benzene, pentacene, TTF and TCNQ/Au(111) interfaces are analyzed, both for single molecules and for a monolayer. The results validate the induced density of interface states model.