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Nonparametric Bayesian Inference in Biostatistics
by Peter Müller Riten MitraAs chapters in this book demonstrate, BNP has important uses in clinical sciences and inference for issues like unknown partitions in genomics. Nonparametric Bayesian approaches (BNP) play an ever expanding role in biostatistical inference from use in proteomics to clinical trials. Many research problems involve an abundance of data and require flexible and complex probability models beyond the traditional parametric approaches. As this book's expert contributors show, BNP approaches can be the answer. Survival Analysis, in particular survival regression, has traditionally used BNP, but BNP's potential is now very broad. This applies to important tasks like arrangement of patients into clinically meaningful subpopulations and segmenting the genome into functionally distinct regions. This book is designed to both review and introduce application areas for BNP. While existing books provide theoretical foundations, this book connects theory to practice through engaging examples and research questions. Chapters cover: clinical trials, spatial inference, proteomics, genomics, clustering, survival analysis and ROC curve.
Nonperturbative Topological Phenomena in QCD and Related Theories (Lecture Notes in Physics #977)
by Edward ShuryakThis book introduces a variety of aspects in nonperturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), focusing on the topological objects present in gauge theories. These objects, like magnetic monopoles, instantons, instanto-dysons, sphalerons, QCD flux tubes, etc, are first introduced individually and, later, treated collectively. As ensembles, they produce various phenomena that can be modeled numerically in lattice gauge theories and such collective effects, produced on the lattice, are extensively discussed in some chapters. In turn, the notion of duality, which is crucial in modern field/string theories, is elucidated by taking into consideration the electric-magnetic duality, the Poisson duality, and the AdS/CFT duality. This monograph is based on various lectures given by Edward Shuryak at Stony Brook during the last three decades and it is meant for advanced graduate students and young researchers in theoretical and mathematical physics who are willing to consolidate their knowledge in the topological phenomena encountered in fundamental QCD research.
Nonplussed!: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas
by Julian HavilMath—the application of reasonable logic to reasonable assumptions—usually produces reasonable results. But sometimes math generates astonishing paradoxes—conclusions that seem completely unreasonable or just plain impossible but that are nevertheless demonstrably true. Did you know that a losing sports team can become a winning one by adding worse players than its opponents? Or that the thirteenth of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day? Or that cones can roll unaided uphill? In Nonplussed!—a delightfully eclectic collection of paradoxes from many different areas of math—popular-math writer Julian Havil reveals the math that shows the truth of these and many other unbelievable ideas.Nonplussed! pays special attention to problems from probability and statistics, areas where intuition can easily be wrong. These problems include the vagaries of tennis scoring, what can be deduced from tossing a needle, and disadvantageous games that form winning combinations. Other chapters address everything from the historically important Torricelli's Trumpet to the mind-warping implications of objects that live on high dimensions. Readers learn about the colorful history and people associated with many of these problems in addition to their mathematical proofs.Nonplussed! will appeal to anyone with a calculus background who enjoys popular math books or puzzles.
Nonrelativistic Quantum X-Ray Physics
by Stefan P. Hau-RiegeProviding a solid theoretical background in photon-matter interaction, Nonrelativistic Quantum X-Ray Physics enables readers to understand experiments performed at XFEL-facilities and x-ray synchrotrons. As a result, after reading this book, scientists and students will be able to outline and perform calculations of some important x-ray-matter interaction processes. Key features of the contents are that the scope reaches beyond the dipole approximation when necessary and that it includes short-pulse interactions. To aid the reader in this transition, some relevant examples are discussed in detail, while non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics help readers to obtain an in-depth understanding of the formalisms and processes. The text presupposes a basic (undergraduate-level) understanding of mechanics, electrodynamics, and quantum mechanics. However, more specialized concepts in these fields are introduced and the reader is directed to appropriate references. While primarily benefiting users of x-ray light-sources, the material is equally of relevance to researchers in various disciplines, such as life sciences, biology, materials science, physics, and chemistry that plan on applying these new facilities in their respective fields.
Nonribosomal Peptide and Polyketide Biosynthesis
by Bradley S. EvansThis volume presents an overview of nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) structure and function. It then continues with methods for the analysis of these pathways including conventional enzymological assays, contemporary mass spectrometric analysis techniques, specialized molecular biological approaches applicable to NRPSs and PKSs, and small molecule analysis tools tailored to this very special class of natural products, and concludes by examining bioinformatics tools for the analysis of these enzymes, pathways, and molecules. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Nonribosomal Peptide and Polyketide Biosynthesis: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable reference for those experienced in studying NRPS and PKS enzymes, pathways, and natural products as well as a gateway for those just entering the field.
Nonsense on Stilts: How To Tell Science From Bunk
by Massimo PigliucciRecent polls suggest that fewer than 40 percent of Americans believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution, despite it being one of science’s best-established findings. Parents still refuse to vaccinate their children for fear it causes autism, though this link has been consistently disproved. And about 40 percent of Americans believe that the threat of global warming is exaggerated, including many political leaders. In this era of fake news and alternative facts, there is more bunk than ever. But why do people believe in it? And what causes them to embrace such pseudoscientific beliefs and practices? In this fully revised second edition, noted skeptic Massimo Pigliucci sets out to separate the fact from the fantasy in an entertaining exploration of the nature of science, the borderlands of fringe science, and—borrowing a famous phrase from philosopher Jeremy Bentham—the nonsense on stilts. Presenting case studies on a number of controversial topics, Pigliucci cuts through the ambiguity surrounding science to look more closely at how science is conducted, how it is disseminated, how it is interpreted, and what it means to our society. The result is in many ways a “taxonomy of bunk” that explores the intersection of science and culture at large. No one—neither the public intellectuals in the culture wars between defenders and detractors of science nor the believers of pseudoscience themselves—is spared Pigliucci’s incisive analysis in this timely reminder of the need to maintain a line between expertise and assumption. Broad in scope and implication, Nonsense on Stilts is a captivating guide for the intelligent citizen who wishes to make up her own mind while navigating the perilous debates that will shape the future of our planet.
Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk
by Massimo PigliucciNonsense on Stilts is a timely reminder of the need to maintain a line between expertise and assumption. Broad in scope and implication, it is also ultimately a captivating guide for the intelligent citizen who wishes to make up her own mind while navigating the perilous debates that will affect the future of our planet.
Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay
by Lynne E. MaquatNonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay is the first book devoted to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). The rationale for such a book is the enormous information that studies of NMD have provided on the intricacies of post-transcriptional gene expression. The first five sections of the book are divided according to organism and begin with chapters on S. cere
Nonsmooth Lyapunov Analysis in Finite and Infinite Dimensions (Communications and Control Engineering)
by Yury OrlovNonsmooth Lyapunov Analysis in Finite and Infinite Dimensions provides helpful tools for the treatment of a broad class of dynamical systems that are governed, not only by ordinary differential equations but also by partial and functional differential equations. Existing Lyapunov constructions are extended to discontinuous systems—those with variable structure and impact—by the involvement of nonsmooth Lyapunov functions. The general theoretical presentation is illustrated by control-related applications; the nonsmooth Lyapunov construction is particularly applied to the tuning of sliding-mode controllers in the presence of mismatched disturbances and to orbital stabilization of the bipedal gate. The nonsmooth construction is readily extendible to the control and identification of distributed-parameter and time-delay systems.The first part of the book outlines the relevant fundamentals of benchmark models and mathematical basics. The second concentrates on the construction of nonsmooth Lyapunov functions. Part III covers design and applications material.This book will benefit the academic research and graduate student interested in the mathematics of Lyapunov equations and variable-structure control, stability analysis and robust feedback design for discontinuous systems. It will also serve the practitioner working with applications of such systems. The reader should have some knowledge of dynamical systems theory, but no background in discontinuous systems is required—they are thoroughly introduced in both finite- and infinite-dimensional settings.
Nonsmooth Mechanics
by Bernard BrogliatoNow in its third edition, this standard reference is a comprehensive treatment of nonsmooth mechanical systems refocused to give more prominence to issues connected with control and modelling. It covers Lagrangian and Newton-Euler systems, detailing mathematical tools such as convex analysis and complementarity theory. The ways in which nonsmooth mechanics influence and are influenced by well-posedness analysis, numerical analysis and simulation, modelling and control are explained. Contact/impact laws, stability theory and trajectory-tracking control are given detailed exposition connected by a mathematical framework formed from complementarity systems and measure-differential inclusions. Links are established with electrical circuits with set-valued nonsmooth elements as well as with other nonsmooth dynamical systems like impulsive and piecewise linear systems. Nonsmooth Mechanics (third edition) retains the topical structure familiar from its predecessors but has been substantially rewritten, edited and updated to account for the significant body of results that have emerged in the twenty-first century--including developments in: the existence and uniqueness of solutions; impact models; extension of the Lagrange-Dirichlet theorem and trajectory tracking; and well-posedness of contact complementarity problems with and without friction. Many figures (both new and redrawn to improve the clarity of the presentation) and examples are used to illustrate the theoretical developments. Material introducing the mathematics of nonsmooth mechanics has been improved to reflect the broad range of applications interest that has developed since publication of the second edition. The detail of some mathematical essentials is provided in four appendices. With its improved bibliography of over 1,300 references and wide-ranging coverage, Nonsmooth Mechanics (third edition) is sure to be an invaluable resource for researchers and postgraduates studying the control of mechanical systems, robotics, granular matter and relevant fields of applied mathematics. "The book's two best features, in my view are its detailed survey of the literature. . . and its detailed presentation of many examples illustrating both the techniques and their limitations. . . For readers interested in the field, this book will serve as an excellent introductory survey. " Andrew Lewis in Automatica "It is written with clarity, contains the latest research results in the area of impact problems for rigid bodies and is recommended for both applied mathematicians and engineers. " Panagiotis D. Panagiotopoulos in Mathematical Reviews "The presentation is excellent in combining rigorous mathematics with a great number of examples. . . allowing the reader to understand the basic concepts. " Hans Troger in Mathematical Abstracts
Nonsmooth Mechanics and Convex Optimization
by Yoshihiro Kanno"This book concerns matter that is intrinsically difficult: convex optimization, complementarity and duality, nonsmooth analysis, linear and nonlinear programming, etc. The author has skillfully introduced these and many more concepts, and woven them into a seamless whole by retaining an easy and consistent style throughout. The book is not all the
Nonstationary Resonant Dynamics of Oscillatory Chains and Nanostructures
by Leonid I. Manevitch Agnessa Kovaleva Valeri Smirnov Yuli StarosvetskyThis book suggests a new common approach to the study of resonance energy transport based on the recently developed concept of Limiting Phase Trajectories (LPTs), presenting applications of the approach to significant nonlinear problems from different fields of physics and mechanics. In order to highlight the novelty and perspectives of the developed approach, it places the LPT concept in the context of dynamical phenomena related to the energy transfer problems and applies the theory to numerous problems of practical importance. This approach leads to the conclusion that strongly nonstationary resonance processes in nonlinear oscillator arrays and nanostructures are characterized either by maximum possible energy exchange between the clusters of oscillators (coherence domains) or by maximum energy transfer from an external source of energy to the chain. The trajectories corresponding to these processes are referred to as LPTs. The development and the use of the LPTs concept are motivated by the fact that non-stationary processes in a broad variety of finite-dimensional physical models are beyond the well-known paradigm of nonlinear normal modes (NNMs), which is fully justified either for stationary processes or for nonstationary non-resonance processes described exactly or approximately by the combinations of the non-resonant normal modes. Thus, the role of LPTs in understanding and analyzing of intense resonance energy transfer is similar to the role of NNMs for the stationary processes. The book is a valuable resource for engineers needing to deal effectively with the problems arising in the fields of mechanical and physical applications, when the natural physical model is quite complicated. At the same time, the mathematical analysis means that it is of interest to researchers working on the theory and numerical investigation of nonlinear oscillations.
Nonthermal Plasma Chemistry and Physics
by Ralf Schneider Martin Schmidt Jürgen Meichsner Hans-Erich WagnerIn addition to introducing the basics of plasma physics, Nonthermal Plasma Chemistry and Physics is a comprehensive presentation of recent developments in the rapidly growing field of nonthermal plasma chemistry. The book offers a detailed discussion of the fundamentals of plasma chemical reactions and modeling, nonthermal plasma sources, relevant
Nonthermal Plasma Surface Modification of Materials
by Masaaki OkuboThis book describes the fundamentals and applicability of the atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasma surface modification of materials. Non-thermal plasma modification is an effective procedure for chemical activation. In this book, the principles of non-thermal plasma surface modification and its application to various machine parts are described. By reading this book, technologists from a variety of fields can learn about plasma generation and surface treatment technology, which will assist them in performing advanced procedures.This book also explains the basics of atmospheric-pressure plasma and the principle of plasma treatment in an easy-to-understand manner and also provides examples of the application of atmospheric-pressure plasma surface modification technologies to plastics, glass, polymers, and metals. After reading this book, readers can get the knowledge that researchers need to apply the methodology to meet their own research goals.The book is self-contained in the sense that it spans the divide between the fundamentals and more advanced content regarding applications. Many engineers and graduate students working in this field get many helps.
Nonthermal Plasmas for Materials Processing
by Jörg Florian Friedrich Jürgen MeichsnerNONTHERMAL PLASMAS FOR MATERIALS PROCESSING This unique book covers the physical and chemical aspects of plasma chemistry with polymers and gives new insights into the interaction of physics and chemistry of nonthermal plasmas and their applications in materials science for physicists and chemists. The properties and characteristics of plasmas, elementary (collision) processes in the gas phase, plasma surface interactions, gas discharge plasmas and technical plasma sources, atmospheric plasmas, plasma diagnostics, polymers and plasmas, plasma polymerization, post-plasma processes, plasma, and wet-chemical processing, plasma-induced generation of functional groups, and the chemical reactions on these groups along with a few exemplary applications are discussed in this comprehensive but condensed state-of-the-art book on plasma chemistry and its dependence on plasma physics. While plasma physics, plasma chemistry, and polymer science are often handled separately, the aim of the authors is to harmoniously join the physics and chemistry of low-pressure and atmospheric-pressure plasmas with polymer surface chemistry and polymerization and to compare such chemistry with classic chemistry. Readers will find in these chapters Interaction of plasma physics and chemistry in plasmas and at the surface of polymers; Explanation and interpretation of physical and chemical mechanisms on plasma polymerization and polymer surface modification; Introduction of modern techniques in plasma diagnostics, surface analysis of solids, and special behavior of polymers on exposure to plasmas; Discussion of the conflict of energy-rich plasma species with permanent energy supply and the much lower binding energies in polymers and alternatives to avoid random polymer decomposition Technical applications such as adhesion, cleaning, wettability, textile modification, coatings, films, etc. New perspectives are explained about how to use selective and mild processes to allow post-plasma chemistry on non-degraded polymer surfaces. Audience Physicists, polymer chemists, materials scientists, industrial engineers in biomedicine, coatings, printing, etc.
Nonthermal Processing in Agri-Food-Bio Sciences: Sustainability and Future Goals (Food Engineering Series)
by Anet Režek JambrakThis book addresses important questions on the legislation, regulations, sustainability, technology transfer, safety of biomaterials and mechanism of action of nonthermal processing on the molecular level of biomaterials and its impact on health. The chapters take an interdisciplinary approach that is of interest to specialists from engineering, physics, chemistry, agriculture, life sciences and beyond, with a focus on further development of existing and new applications of nonthermal processing and their combination with other methods in the processing of biomaterials, agriculture, biotechnology and the re-use of waste and by-products. Nonthermal Processing in Agri-Food-Bio Sciences: Sustainability and Future Goals aims to boost further developments and applications of nonthermal technologies to develop healthier products, to ensure consumer approval for these innovative technologies and to improve the sustainability of biomaterials production.The industrial application of nonthermal processing has led to an increase in innovative value products and the overall improvement of production capacity. Nonthermal processes use less energy and chemicals, reduce processing times, have less environmental impact, produce less waste, and have the potential for industrial scale-up and a return-on-investment in under 5 years. According to The United Nations and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 17 goals should be incorporated within development projects, and researchers are starting to use novel techniques to meet them. In covering the fundamental engineering theories underlying nonthermal processing, this book will aid in this mission.The book overviews the advantages and disadvantages of novel technologies, over to sustainability goals to correct steps for the scale-up and return on investment. The book includes the chemistry and physics of nonthermal processing technologies, dedicated to specialists and researchers from a wide range of subject areas. Interdisciplinary scientists and engineers, sustainability experts can use this text to aid in their work in green technologies.
Nontraditional Applications of Ultra-High-Pressure Technology in Agricultural Products Processing (Advanced Topics in Science and Technology in China #69)
by Yong YuUltra-high-pressure technology has been taking the sterilization and inactivation of agricultural products and food as core research and application fields since its birth. This book first outlines the basic principles of ultra-high pressure and then introduces non-traditional applications of the ultra-high-pressure technology in agricultural products such as Baijiu (the Chinese liquor), brown rice, and wood. These applications were discovered by the author, as well as the representative quality improvements of treatment objects brought by these applications. Finally, the author puts forward his own ideas on the non-traditional application trend of ultra-high-pressure technology in the future. This book aims to broaden the thinking for the application and research of ultra-high-pressure technology in agricultural product processing and propose specific ideas for future research and application in this field on the basis of the author’s current research.
Nonviral Vectors for Gene Therapy
by Mark A. FindeisMark A. Findeis and a panel of active researchers present their best methods not only for preparing, handling, and characterizing gene delivery agents, but also for gene delivery. To help those preparing and characterizing gene transfer agents, the contributors examine a broad range of compounds that bind with DNA to form the compact condensed phases that facilitate cellular delivery-among them peptide conjugates, synthetic polymers, and lipids. They also outline specific approaches to gene transfer in vivo, including direct delivery by intratumoral injection and indirect delivery by cell-specific targeting of DNA complexes, and discuss in detail many spectroscopic techniques for characterizing nonviral gene delivery agents.
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny
by Robert WrightIn his bestselling The Moral Animal, Robert Wright applied the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of the human mind. Now Wright attempts something even more ambitious: explaining the direction of evolution and human history-and discerning where history will lead us next. In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Wright asserts that, ever since the primordial ooze, life has followed a basic pattern. Organisms and human societies alike have grown more complex by mastering the challenges of internal cooperation. Wright's narrative ranges from fossilized bacteria to vampire bats, from stone-age villages to the World Trade Organization, uncovering such surprises as the benefits of barbarian hordes and the useful stability of feudalism. Here is history endowed with moral significance-a way of looking at our biological and cultural evolution that suggests, refreshingly, that human morality has improved over time, and that our instinct to discover meaning may itself serve a higher purpose. Insightful, witty, profound, Nonzero offers breathtaking implications for what we believe and how we adapt to technology's ongoing transformation of the world. From the Trade Paperback edition.
NorFor -
by Harald VoldenNorFor is a semi-mechanistic feed evaluation system for cattle, which is used by advisors in Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. This book describes in detail the system and it covers five main sections. The first is concerned with information on feed characteristics, feed analysis and feed digestion methods. The second section describes the digestion and metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract and the supply and requirement of energy and metabolizable amino acids. The third section considers the prediction of feed intake and physical structure of the diet. The fourth section focuses on model evaluation and the final section provides information on the IT solutions and feed ration formulation by a non-linear economical optimization procedure. This book will be of significant interest to researchers, students and advisors of cattle nutrition and feed evaluation.
Norbert Wiener#A Life in Cybernetics: Ex-Prodigy: My Childhood and Youth and I Am a Mathematician: The Later Life of a Prodigy (The\mit Press Ser.)
by Norbert WienerNorbert Wiener's celebrated autobiography, available for the first time in one volume.Norbert Wiener—A Life in Cybernetics combines for the first time the two volumes of Norbert Wiener's celebrated autobiography. Published at the height of public enthusiasm for cybernetics—when it was taken up by scientists, engineers, science fiction writers, artists, and musicians—Ex-Prodigy (1953) and I Am a Mathematician (1956) received attention from both scholarly and mainstream publications, garnering reviews and publicity in outlets that ranged from the New York Times and New York Post to the Virginia Quarterly Review. Norbert Wiener was a mathematician with extraordinarily broad interests. The son of a Harvard professor of Slavic languages, Wiener was reading Dante and Darwin at seven, graduated from Tufts at fourteen, and received a PhD from Harvard at eighteen. He joined MIT's Department of Mathematics in 1919, where he remained until his death in 1964 at sixty-nine. In Ex-Prodigy, Wiener offers an emotionally raw account of being raised as a child prodigy by an overbearing father. In I Am a Mathematician, Wiener describes his research at MIT and how he established the foundations for the multidisciplinary field of cybernetics and the theory of feedback systems. This volume makes available the essence of Wiener's life and thought to a new generation of readers.
Norby the Mixed-Up Robot (The Norby Chronicles)
by Isaac Asimov Janet AsimovA Space Academy student and his time-travelling robot stop an evil villain from taking over the Solar System in this children&’s sci-fi classic. Fourteen-year-old Jeff Wells, a cadet at the Space Academy on Mars, is in danger of being kicked out unless he can improve his grades. With a little help from the academy&’s commandant, Jeff finds a robot named Norby to help him study. But Norby&’s no ordinary robot. He has the only mini-anti-gravity device in existence. Norby&’s special abilities suddenly come in handy when a villain named Ing targets Jeff&’s older brother in his quest to conquer the Solar System. When Ing takes over Manhattan Island, renaming it &“the Kingdom of Ing,&” Norby and Jeff put studying aside to teach Ing a lesson!
Norby's Other Secret & Norby and the Lost Princess (The Norby Chronicles)
by Isaac Asimov Janet AsimovIn the second volume of the complete children&’s sci-fi series, a boy and his robot venture to a dangerous planet and go in search of a missing princess.Norby&’s Other Secret Scheming scientists want to find the secrets behind Norby&’s antigravity abilities, but they have to dismantle him to do it! To evade them, Norby and Jeff flee to the planet Jamya, where Norby was created. But can these friends survive a planet is inhabited by angry robots and intelligent, hungry dragons? Norby and the Lost Princess Jeff and Norby travel unintentionally to the distant planet Izz, where they are forced to join a search for the missing princess. Their journey takes them to the muddy world of the Slithers, strange creatures who imprison the travelers, sting them into submission, and communicate with them only through musical sounds. Then things go from bad to worse when they discover that the missing princess has been turned into a tree!
Nordic Artificial Intelligence Research and Development: 4th Symposium Of The Norwegian Ai Society, Nais 2022, Oslo, Norway, May 31-june 1, 2022, Revised Selected Papers (Communications In Computer And Information Science Series #1650)
by Evi Zouganeli Anis Yazidi Gustavo Mello Pedro Lind<p>This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th Symposium of the Norwegian AI Society, NAIS 2022, held in Oslo, Norway, during May 31–June 1, 2022.<p> <p>The 11 full papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 17 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: robotics and intelligent systems; ai in cyber and digital sphere; ai in biological applications and medicine; and towards new ai methods.<p>
Nordic Case Collection on Sustainability and Transition to a Circular Economy (Springer Business Cases)
by Gitte HaarCompanies play a pivotal role in the green transition. They must transform business models, develop purpose-driven strategies, and innovate products to meet customer and regulatory demands. This book of case studies offers strategic insights and best-practice examples from the Nordic region, showcasing leading companies in sustainability. It evaluates businesses based on the Climate Nexus framework, covering Energy Transition, Sustainable Transport, Sustainable Agriculture, Healthy Diet, and Circular Economy. Featured cases from outside the Nordic region are also included, including cases on the Municipality of Amsterdam and Stanford Sustainability Utilities & Infrastructure. Drawing on a network within the Nordic Circular Hotspot, this collection provides actionable strategies and supports the growing knowledge of the transition to a green and circular economy. Whether you’re an executive seeking to transform your business or a student exploring green transition opportunities, this book is an essential guide to achieving a sustainable future.