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Pyrometamorphism

by Rodney Grapes

1000 °C) and low pressures (< 2 kb) and typically results in the formation of "burnt" and fused rocks termed buchites, paralavas, clinkers and fulgarites. It is typically associated with shallow basaltic intrusions (contact aureoles, xenoliths,) combustion of carbonaceous matter, lightning strikes, and is also found in meteorites. During pyrometamorphism, the sequence of heating and cooling is greatly condensed favouring the preservation of a variety of stranded reaction microstructures that reflect disequilibrium reaction kinetics with metastable and mineral crystallisation. This second edition includes the latest developments in the study of pyrometamorphism derived from over 60 new references and accompanied with over 20 new illustrations.

The Pythagorean World

by Jane Mcdonnell

This book explores precisely how mathematics allows us to model and predict the behaviour of physical systems, to an amazing degree of accuracy. One of the oldest explanations for this is that, in some profound way, the structure of the world is mathematical. The ancient Pythagoreans stated that "everything is number". However, while exploring the Pythagorean method, this book chooses to add a second principle of the universe: the mind. This work defends the proposition that mind and mathematical structure are the grounds of reality.

Python for Water and Environment (Innovations in Sustainable Technologies and Computing)

by Anil Kumar Manabendra Saharia

This textbook delves into the practical applications of surface and groundwater hydrology, as well as the environment. The Part I, "Practical Python for a Water and Environment Professional," guides readers through setting up a scientific computing environment and conducting exploratory data analysis and visualization using reproducible workflows. The Part II, "Statistical Modeling in Hydrology," covers regression models, time series analysis, and common hypothesis testing. The Part III, "Surface and Subsurface Water," illustrates the use of Python in understanding key concepts related to seepage, groundwater, and surface water flows. Lastly, the Part IV, "Environmental Applications," demonstrates the application of Python in the study of various contaminant transport phenomena.

Python Recipes for Earth Sciences (Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment)

by Martin H. Trauth

Python is used in a wide range of geoscientific applications, such as in processing images for remote sensing, in generating and processing digital elevation models, and in analyzing time series. This book introduces methods of data analysis in the geosciences using Python that include basic statistics for univariate, bivariate, and multivariate data sets, time series analysis, and signal processing; the analysis of spatial and directional data; and image analysis. The text includes numerous examples that demonstrate how Python can be used on data sets from the earth sciences. The supplementary electronic material (available online through Springer Link) contains the example data as well as recipes that include all the Python commands featured in the book.

Python Recipes for Earth Sciences (Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment)

by Martin H. Trauth

Python is used in a wide range of geoscientific applications, such as in processing images for remote sensing, in generating and processing digital elevation models, and in analyzing time series. This book introduces methods of data analysis in the geosciences using Python that include basic statistics for univariate, bivariate, and multivariate data sets, time series analysis, and signal processing; the analysis of spatial and directional data; and image analysis. The text includes numerous examples that demonstrate how Python can be used on data sets from the earth sciences. Codes are available online through GitHub.

Python-Rezepte für die Geowissenschaften

by Martin H. Trauth

Python wird in einer Vielzahl geowissenschaftlicher Anwendungen eingesetzt, z. B. bei der Verarbeitung von Bildern für die Fernerkundung, bei der Erstellung und Verarbeitung digitaler Höhenmodelle und bei der Analyse von Zeitreihen. Dieses Buch führt in Methoden der Datenanalyse in den Geowissenschaften mit Python ein, darunter grundlegende Statistiken für univariate, bivariate und multivariate Datensätze, Zeitreihenanalyse und Signalverarbeitung, die Analyse räumlicher und gerichteter Daten sowie die Bildanalyse. Der Text enthält zahlreiche Beispiele, die zeigen, wie Python auf Datensätze aus den Geowissenschaften angewendet werden kann. Das ergänzende elektronische Material (online verfügbar über Springer Link) enthält neben den Beispieldaten auch Rezepte, die alle im Buch vorgestellten Python-Befehle enthalten.

Pythons (Animals)

by Martha E. Rustad

Pythons are some of the largest snakes in the world. They squeeze their prey with their bodies, and have flexible jaws so they can swallow big animals. Get all the facts on these powerful snakes.

q-Fractional Calculus and Equations

by Zeinab S. Mansour Mahmoud H. Annaby

This nine-chapter monograph introduces a rigorous investigation of q-difference operators in standard and fractional settings. It starts with elementary calculus of q-differences and integration of Jackson's type before turning to q-difference equations. The existence and uniqueness theorems are derived using successive approximations, leading to systems of equations with retarded arguments. Regular q-Sturm-Liouville theory is also introduced; Green's function is constructed and the eigenfunction expansion theorem is given. The monograph also discusses some integral equations of Volterra and Abel type, as introductory material for the study of fractional q-calculi. Hence fractional q-calculi of the types Riemann-Liouville; Grünwald-Letnikov; Caputo; Erdélyi-Kober and Weyl are defined analytically. Fractional q-Leibniz rules with applications in q-series are also obtained with rigorous proofs of the formal results of Al-Salam-Verma, which remained unproved for decades. In working towards the investigation of q-fractional difference equations; families of q-Mittag-Leffler functions are defined and their properties are investigated, especially the q-Mellin-Barnes integral and Hankel contour integral representation of the q-Mittag-Leffler functions under consideration, the distribution, asymptotic and reality of their zeros, establishing q-counterparts of Wiman's results. Fractional q-difference equations are studied; existence and uniqueness theorems are given and classes of Cauchy-type problems are completely solved in terms of families of q-Mittag-Leffler functions. Among many q-analogs of classical results and concepts, q-Laplace, q-Mellin and q2-Fourier transforms are studied and their applications are investigated.

Qanat Knowledge

by Ali Asghar Semsar Yazdi Majid Labbaf Khaneiki

This book offers a ready solution for those who wish to learn more about this fascinating part of our water history and makes accessible to the wider world the traditional knowledge gained from building and maintaining qanats for more than 2,500 years. There is much more here than a summary of the nature and distribution of qanats, and a more extensive journey through the philosophy, methods, tools, and terminology of qanat design and digging than previously assembled. Where does one begin to dig to ensure that the qanat tunnel will flow with water? How are practical considerations of landscape factored into the design? How are water quality and discharge measured? How does excavation proceed through bedrock and unconsolidated soil and how is this knowledge of geology and pedology acquired? How are vertical wells and tunnels excavated to maintain proper air supply, light, and water flow? How does one deal with special problems like tunnel collapse, the accumulation of gasses and vapors, and the pooling of water during construction? How are tools and gauges designed, maintained, and used? How have qanats been incorporated into other structures like watermills, reservoirs, ice houses, and irrigation networks? And how are qanats cleaned, extended, maintained through the ages, and incorporated into modern water supplies? The great contribution of this work is the story it tells of the ingenuity and practical skills of the qanat masters who for centuries and generations have cut an uncountable number of tunnels through bedrock and alluvium using hand tools and homespun solutions to problems that would vex the most experienced university-trained engineers.

Quake Chasers: 15 Women Rocking Earthquake Science (Women of Power #3)

by Lori Polydoros

Sharing perspectives on their journeys into the physical sciences, these heroes provide readers with advice about overcoming adversity. Quake Chasers: 15 Women Rocking Earthquake Science explores the lives of 15 diverse, contemporary female scientists with a variety of specialties related to earthquake science. Dr. Debbie Weiser travels to communities post-disaster, such as Japan and China, to evaluate earthquake damage in ways that might help save lives during the next Big One. Geologist Edith Carolina Rojas climbs to the top of volcanoes or searches barren deserts for volcanic evidence to measure seismic activity. Geophysicist Lori Dengler works with governments to provide guidance and protection against future tsunamis. With tenacity, intellect, and innovation, these women have crushed obstacles in society, in the lab, and out in the field. Their accomplishments leave aftershocks as they work toward revealing answers to the many riddles that lie behind earthquakes, saving lives by teaching us how to prepare for these terrifying disasters. Young scientists can take away inspiration and advice on following their own dreams like these inspiring women.Women of Power. Bold books to inspire bold moves. Women of Power is a timely, inclusive, international, modern biography series that profiles 15 diverse, modern women who are changing the world in their field while empowering others to follow their dreams.

Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake

by Kathryn Miles

A journey around the United States in search of the truth about the threat of earthquakes leads to spine-tingling discoveries, unnerving experts, and ultimately the kind of preparations that will actually help guide us through disasters. It’s a road trip full of surprises. Earthquakes. You need to worry about them only if you’re in San Francisco, right? Wrong. We have been making enormous changes to subterranean America, and Mother Earth, as always, has been making some of her own. . . . The consequences for our real estate, our civil engineering, and our communities will be huge because they will include earthquakes most of us do not expect and cannot imagine—at least not without reading Quakeland. Kathryn Miles descends into mines in the Northwest, dissects Mississippi levee engineering studies, uncovers the horrific risks of an earthquake in the Northeast, and interviews the seismologists, structual engineers, and emergency managers around the country who are addressing this ground shaking threat. As Miles relates, the era of human-induced earthquakes began in 1962 in Colorado after millions of gallons of chemical-weapon waste was pumped underground in the Rockies. More than 1,500 quakes over the following seven years resulted. The Department of Energy plans to dump spent nuclear rods in the same way. Evidence of fracking’s seismological impact continues to mount. . . . Humans as well as fault lines built our “quakeland”. What will happen when Memphis, home of FedEx's 1.5-million-packages-a-day hub, goes offline as a result of an earthquake along the unstable Reelfoot Fault? FEMA has estimated that a modest 7.0 magnitude quake (twenty of these happen per year around the world) along the Wasatch Fault under Salt Lake City would put a $33 billion dent in our economy. When the Fukushima reactor melted down, tens of thousands were displaced. If New York’s Indian Point nuclear power plant blows, ten million people will be displaced. How would that evacuation even begin? Kathryn Miles’ tour of our land is as fascinating and frightening as it is irresistibly compelling.

Qualitative GIS: A Mixed Methods Approach

by Sarah Elwood Meghan Cope

Geographic Information Systems are an essential tool for analyzing and representing quantitative spatial data. Qualitative GIS explains the recent integration of qualitative research with Geographical Information Systems With a detailed contextualising introduction, the text is organised in three sections: Representation: examines how researchers are using GIS to create new types of representations; working with spatial data, maps, and othervisualizations to incorporate multiple meanings and to provide texture and context. Analysis: discusses the new techniques of analysis that are emerging at the margins between qualitative research and GIS, this in the wider context of a critical review of mixed-methods in geographical research Theory: questions how knowledge is produced, showing how ideas of 'science' and 'truth' inform research, and demonstrates how qualitative GIS can be used to interrogate discussions of power, community, and social action Making reference to representation, analysis, and theory throughout, the text shows how to frame questions, collect data, analyze results, and represent findings in a truly integrated way. An important addition to the mixed methods literature, Qualitative GIS will be the standard reference for upper-level students and researchers using qualitative methods and Geographic Information Systems.

Qualitative Research in Tourism: Ontologies, Epistemologies and Methodologies (Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility)

by Lisa Goodson Jenny Phillimore

The first to focus solely upon qualitative research in tourism, this book combines discussions of the philosophies underpinning qualitative research, with reflexive chapters that demonstrate how these techniques can be used. Incorporating a range of case studies written by leading international scholars, this book makes clear the ways in which these pieces of research have been informed by the authors' epistemological, ontological and methodological standpoint. Based on a range of empirical tourism studies set in the context of theoretical discussion, it demonstrates the benefits of using a range of qualitative approaches to research tourism, exploring the ways in which a number of techniques, including participants observation, memory work, biographical diaries, focus groups and visual exercises, have been adopted by researchers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to undertake empirical research in tourism. An indispensable text for final year undergraduates, Masters and PhD students embarking on research in the field, it also will be a valuable title for academics with an interest in either tourism research or qualitative methodology. Linking theory with research practice, it offers a holistic account of qualitative research in tourism.

Quality and Legitimacy of Global Governance

by Timothy Cadman

Since the Rio 'Earth' Summit of 1992, sustainable development has become the major policy framework through which the international community deals with pressing environmental issues such as deforestation. Implicit in this approach is the belief that the market provides the best mechanism to bring government, business and society together, and a whole plethora of market-driven schemes have been developed in response. Yet how legitimate are these institutions, and where is their democratic accountability? This book looks at four institutions created to address forest management, namely the Forest Stewardship Council (non-governmental), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (business), the ISO 14000 Series of environmental standards (technocratic), and the United Nations Forum on Forests (governmental). It finds large discrepancies in the approaches taken, and the degree to which the four systems provide for meaningful participation and productive deliberation amongst stakeholders trying to address the global forest crisis.

Quality Function Deployment for Buildable and Sustainable Construction

by Evelyn A. L. Teo Sui Pheng Low Singhaputtangkul Natee

This book focuses on the implementation of Quality FunctionDeployment (QFD) in the construction industry as a tool to help buildingdesigners arrive at optimal decisions for external envelope systems withsustainable and buildable design goals. In particular, the book integratesspecial features into the conventional QFD tool to enhance its performance. These features include a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method, fuzzyconsensus scheme, and Knowledge Management System (KMS). This integrationresults in a more robust decision support tool, known as the Knowledge-basedDecision Support System QFD (KBDSS-QFD) tool. As an example, the KBDSS-QFD toolis used for the assessment of building envelope materials and designs for high-riseresidential buildings in Singapore in the early design stage. The book providesthe reader with a conceptual framework for understanding the development of theKBDSS-QFD tool. The framework is presented in a generalized form in order tobenefit building professionals, decision makers, analysts, academics andresearchers, who can use the findings as guiding principles to achieve optimalsolutions and boost efficiency.

Quality Living Through Chemurgy and Green Chemistry

by Peter C.K. Lau

This book is intended to give readers an appreciation of what the future holds, as cutting-edge technologies in synthetic biology and pathway engineering and advanced bioprocessing development pave the way for providing goods and services to benefit humankind that are based on the synergy of two biomasses - i. e. of what a renewable feedstock could yield and an infinite microbial biomass could provide in terms of enzymes and biocatalysts. This 13-chapter book, with an introductory treatise on the guiding principles of green chemistry and engineering metrics, brings together a broad range of research and innovation agendas and perspectives from industries, academia and government laboratories using renewable feedstocks that include macroalgae and lignins. In addition, social-economic aspects and the pillars of competitiveness in regional cluster development are explored as we transition from fossil-fuel-based economies to a circular bioeconomy, with chemurgy and green chemistry being implicit to the innovation movement. The bulk of the book covers specific applications including the bioproduction of amino sugars, dicarboxylic acids, omega-3 fatty acids, starch and fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic materials, and phenolics as building blocks for polymer synthesis. Enzymatic systems for accessing chiral and special-purpose chemicals, as well as the development of specialized enzymes from macroalgae for biofuel and biochemical production are also addressed. Research gaps, hurdles to overcome in various biological processes, and present achievements in the production of biofuels and biochemicals from lignocellulosic materials are discussed. Going beyond the conventional expectation of discussing the production of drop-in chemicals, the book instead emphasizes how the potential of new chemicals and materials can be harnessed through innovative thinking and research. As such, it provides an invaluable reference source for researchers and graduate students interested in Chemurgy and Green Chemistry, as well as for practitioners in the field of industrial biotechnology and biobased industry. Peter C. K. Lau is a Distinguished Professor at Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor at the Departments of Chemistry and Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Canada.

The Quality of Growth in Africa (Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia: Challenges in Development and Globalization)

by Akbar Noman Joseph E. Stiglitz Ravi Kanbur

In recent years, concerns about the outcomes and nature of economic growth have given way to a new emphasis on its quality. This volume brings together prominent international contributors to consider a range of interrelated questions concerning the quality of growth in Africa, with a primary focus on sub-Saharan countries.Contributors discuss the measurement of growth, the transformations necessary to sustain it, and issues around equity and well-being. They consider topics such as the distribution of income gains from growth; the extent to which economic growth has resulted in improvements in employment, poverty, and security; structural transformations of the economy and diversification of the sources of growth; environmental sustainability; and management of urbanization. Offering both diagnoses and prescriptions, The Quality of Growth in Africa helps envision a future that goes beyond increasing GDP to ensuring that growth translates into advancements in well-being. Although the book focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, much of the contributors’ incisive analysis has implications for countries outside the region.

Quality of Life and Public Management: Redefining Development in the Local Environment

by John Whitelegg

Quality of Life and Public Management explores the possibility for a dramatic and significant improvement in quality of life for all population groups and sub-groups in the UK. Strongly evidence-based, the book draws on case study data and comparisons into local and central government structure, funding, policy, cultures and outcomes from a number of EU countries, such as Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. It shows that quality of life on a number of important criteria is superior in these other countries than it is in the UK. The book makes a strong argument that it is possible to replicate this success in the UK and that failure to do so has been the result of failed political institutions, in particular local government. John Whitelegg examines the impact of better central and local governance on the welfare of children and older people. He also looks at the built environment, air quality, resilience and renewable energy in the UK and gives suggestions for practical and implementable policies based on evidence and best practice from other EU cities. The book is rooted in the belief that every locality can and should have the best possible standards of health, quality of life, environment, climate change protection and transport choices that can be found anywhere in the world. This book will be of great value to students and researchers in the fields of public management, politics, social work, planning and public services in general. It also has direct relevance for professionals in central and local government, councillors, community groups and NGOs.

Quality of Life, Environmental Changes and Subjectivity: A Contribution to a New Line of Research on Climate Change

by Sônia Regina da Cal Seixas João Luiz de Moraes Hoefel

In this volume, the authors consider how environmental changes affect our social, cultural and political lives and, in doing so, have a direct influence on individuals’ health. In contrast to previous research in the area, da Cal Seixas and de Moraes Hoefel emphasize both physical health and mental health as measures of human suffering, in an approach informed by the concept of subjectivity. Ultimately, the authors argue that contemporary environmental changes have a significant effect on the mental and physical wellbeing of the world’s population, and that analysis and proposals for action should address both concerns in an effort to improve our quality of life.

Quality of Life in Argentina: Maps, Indexes and Regional Analysis from 2010 (The Latin American Studies Book Series)

by Claudia Andrea Mikkelsen Santiago Linares Guillermo Angel Velázquez

This book studies inequalities in the quality of life of the Argentine population at the regional level. It considers the six regions of the National Statistical System: Northwest, Northeast, Cuyo, Pampa, Metropolitan, and Patagonia. A series of thematic maps is provided and interpreted, which are related to: a. socioeconomic issues (education, health, housing) and b. environmental aspects (environmental problems and recreational resources). These dimensions (socioeconomic and environmental) are integrated into quality of life indexes that allow the comparison of the situation of the population residing in any region of the national territory.

Quality of Life in Cities: Equity, Sustainable Development and Happiness from a Policy Perspective (Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy)

by Alessandra Michelangeli

In the last few decades, urban quality of life has received increasing interest from policy makers who aim to make cities better places to live. In addition to the aim of improving quality of life, sustainable and equitable development is also often included in the policy agendas of decision makers. This book aims to link quality of life to related issues such as sustainability, equity, and subjective well-being. While less than one-third of the world's population lived in cities in 1950, about two thirds of humanity is expected to live in urban areas by 2030. This dramatic increase in the number of people living in urban areas serves as the backdrop for this book’s analysis of cities. This book will be useful to students and researchers in economics, architecture and urban planning, sociology and political sciences, as well as policy makers.

Quality of Life in Urban Landscapes: In Search Of A Decision Support System (The Urban Book Series)

by Roberta Cocci Grifoni Rosalba D'Onofrio Massimo Sargolini

This volume introduces an innovative tool for the development of sustainable cities and the promotion of the quality of life of city inhabitants. It presents a decision-support system to orient public administrations in identifying development scenarios for sustainable urban and territorial transformations. The authors have split the volume into five parts, which respectively describe the theoretical basis of the book, the policies in question and indicators that influence them, the decision-support system that connects indicators to policies, the case study of Ancona, Italy, and potential future directions for this work. This volume is based on transdisciplinary research completed in May 2016 that involved about 40 researchers at The University of Camerino, Italy and other European universities. With purchase of this book, readers will also have access to Electronic Supplementary Material that contains a database with groups of indicators of assessment of urban quality of life and a toolkit containing the data processing system and management information system used in the book's case study.

Quality of Spatial Data in Command and Control System (Studies in Systems, Decision and Control #168)

by Václav Talhofer Šárka Hošková-Mayerová Alois Hofmann

This monograph aims to familiarize readers with the problem of evaluating the quality and reliability of digital geographic information in terms of their use. It identifies the key requirements for the functionality of this information and describes the system of evaluating its quality and reliability. The whole text is supplemented by examples that document the impact of different quality of the information on the entire decision-making process in command and control systems at the rescue and military levels.The monograph is primarily intended for professionals who are responsible for the implementation of digital geographic information in command and control systems, or for those who use them in their work. For this reason, particular attention is paid especially to the user aspects of the digital geographic information used.Václav Talhofer is Full Professor of Cartography and Geoinformatics at the University of Defense in Brno, Czech Republic.Šárka Hošková-Mayerová is Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Defense in Brno, Czech Republic.Alois Hofmann is a teacher and scientist of Cartography and Geoinformatics at the University of Defense in Brno, Czech Republic.All authors contributing to this book have been extensively studying the methods and procedures for the use of digital geographic information, especially in the environment of the Czech Armed Forces.

The Quality of Territorial Policies in Europe’s Periphery: Urban Regeneration and Environmental Protection (Urban and Landscape Perspectives #22)

by Mauro Tebaldi Marco Calaresu

This book focuses on territorial policies as instruments for local development in Europe’s periphery. Using a multiple-case research design in three typical case studies in the context of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Italy), we empirically test the hypothesis that the institutionalisation of the governance system is an independent variable that is capable of influencing the quality of public policy, intended as a dependent variable. According to this hypothesis, the two above-mentioned variables tend to change according to a linear and direct correlation: upward variation of the degree of institutionalisation of the governance system tends to correspond to upward variation in the quality of the policy, and vice versa. In our conclusions, we discuss the descriptive and prescriptive implications of the empirical findings of the research for the local development of peripheral areas. Regarding the descriptive implications, we explain how territorial policy-making can be articulated, based on the degree of institutionalisation of the governance system and the quality of the territorial policies. Regarding the prescriptive implications, we identify the best practices for territorial governance in order to improve the chances of local development in Europe’s periphery.

Quality of the Environment: An Economic Approach to Some Problems in Using Land, Water, and Air (Routledge Revivals)

by Allen V. Kneese Orris C. Herfindahl

Contemporary society is dependent on man’s ability to work fundamental changes in the natural environment. In using resources to produce high and rising levels of income, however, effects are often produced that are incidental to the main purpose. This study, first published in 1965, explores some research approaches to the economic analysis of some of the key environmental problems, including water and air pollution, the introduction of chemical substances into the environment and the development of urban and rural space. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies and economics.

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