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The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments: Using Locally Sourced Materials to Make Mineral and Biological Extracts and Ferments
by Nigel PalmerRevitalize your garden—and go beyond compost—by making your own biologically diverse inoculants and mineral-rich amendments using leaf mold, weeds, eggshells, bones, and other materials available for little or no cost!In The Regenerative Grower&’s Guide to Garden Amendments, experimental gardener and author Nigel Palmer provides practical, detailed instructions that are accessible to every grower who wants to achieve a truly sustainable garden ecosystem—all while enjoying better results at a fraction of the cost of commercial fertilizer products. These recipes go beyond fertilizer replacement, resulting in greater soil biological activity and mineral availability. They also increase pest and disease resistance, yields, and nutrient density.Recipes include:Extracting nutrients from plant residues using simple rainwater techniquesExtracting minerals from bones and shells using vinegarFermenting plant juices and fishCulturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO)Inspired by the work of many innovative traditional agricultural pioneers, especially Cho Ju-Young (founder of the Korean Natural Farming method), The Regenerative Grower&’s Guide to Garden Amendments also includes a primer on plant-soil interaction, instructions for conducting a soil test, and guidance on compost, cover cropping, mulching, measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables using a refractometer, and other aspects of sustainable gardening—making it a must-have resource for any serious grower.
The Regionalization of Warfare: The Falkland/Malvinas Islands, Lebanon, and the Iran-Iraq Conflict
by James Brown William P. SnyderThree wars have dominated world events in recent years: The conflict which erupted between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands; the multinational conflict in Lebanon involving Irsaeli, Syrian, and FLO forces in Lebanon; and the savage struggles between ground and air units of the Iranian and Iraqi forces. The scale and intensity of these wars, their potential for global conflict, make them crucial for an understanding among citizens in general, and defense and political analysts in particular.The authors and contributors to this most unusual volume come to several common conclusions: professionalism is a crucial factor in military effectiveness, but not necessarily dependent on modes of recruitment; high technology is crucial, but only in relation to the quality and training of the personnel; public support is necessary to sustain military morale in democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. These are only some of the incisive findings registered and explored in The Regionalization of Warfare.The volume a'ssembles experts not only on these three major regional and interregional conflicts, but on current U.S. defense policies; Soviet strategic interests in Middle East and Persian Gulf conflicts; and a series of papers on lessons learned and unlearned as a result of these "small wars" of the early 1980s. For those interested in military history, global strategy, and regional rivalries, this -collection of finely written, sophisticated papers will prove to be of intense concern.
The Regulation of Animal Health and Welfare: Science, Law and Policy (Law, Science and Society)
by Wyn Grant John McEldowney Graham MedleyThe Regulation of Animal Health and Welfare draws on the research of scientists, lawyers, economists and political scientists to address the current and future regulatory problems posed by the issues of animal health and disease. Recent events such as the outbreak of mad cow disease, epidemics of foot and mouth disease, concerns about bluetongue in sheep, and the entry into the food chain of the offspring of cloned cattle, have heightened awareness of the issues of regulation in animal disease and welfare. This book critically appraises the existing regulatory institutions and guiding principles of how best to maintain animal health in the context of social change and a developing global economy. Addressing considerations of sound science, the role of risk management, and the allocation of responsibilities, it also takes up the theoretical and practical challenges which here – and elsewhere – attend the co-operation of scientists, social scientists, lawyers and policy makers. Indeed, the collaboration of scientists and social scientists in determined and regulatory contexts such as that of animal disease is an issue of ever-increasing importance. This book will be of considerable value to those with interests in this issue, as well as those concerned with the law and policy relating to animal health and welfare.
The Regulation of Medical Products: Dope, Drugs and Devices (Law, Science and Society)
by Penny GleesonThis book develops a theoretical framework for examining and assessing the regulatory arrangements for medical products.Since the first half of the 20th century, the regulation of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and, more recently, biologicals have been controlled in many jurisdictions by specific regulatory regimes and agencies. Their regulatory mandates are similar – to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of medical products. This book provides a timely and relevant assessment of the complexities of medical regulatory regimes, by drawing on a particular theory of political legitimacy. In this respect, the book adopts a ‘dialogic’ approach – according to which a shared set of normative beliefs and values are formulated – as a theoretical ‘tool’ to identify deficiencies in the regulatory arrangements for medical products. Drawing on several Australian cases studies, characterised by divergent normative perspectives, the book develops its dialogic approach in order to challenge the usual legitimation of regulatory regimes from the perspective of science alone. Specifically, it maintains that such regimes need to embrace a normative pluralism that admits a diversity of types and sources of knowledge.This evaluation of the increasingly influential domain of medical regulation will appeal to a range of scholars and practitioners working in law, public health, politics and science and technology studies.
The Regulation of Sex Robots: Gender and Sexuality in the Era of Artificial Intelligence
by Carlotta RigottiThis book proposes a framework for regulating sex robots – human-like machines designed to engage emotionally and sexually with users through customisable, often AI-powered features.Although they occupy a niche in the adult entertainment and technology industries, sex robots raise complex issues that extend beyond current debates. To date, sex robots are frequently portrayed either as tools for societal liberalisation and remedies for sexual inequalities or as mediums for sexual commodification and personal degradation. These conflicting perspectives echo longstanding feminist debates, which often lead to polarisation and normative deadlock, overlooking the lived experiences of individuals beyond binary and heteronormative frameworks. The evolving legal landscape further complicates these issues. Regulatory bodies, such as the European Union, struggle to keep pace with emerging technologies and human-machine interactions. Their tendency to evaluate innovations as products with hypothetical risks – through a detached, top-down approach – fails to address the intersectional dynamics of privilege and oppression. This book enriches the conversation by moving beyond binary narratives of emancipation and oppression. It challenges the socio-legal construction of gender and sexuality, critiques regulatory inertia and morality policing, and advocates for nuanced, context-aware regulation of sex robots.It will appeal to researchers in socio-legal studies, law and technology, gender and law, as well as those in sociology and gender studies, offering critical insights into the regulation of gendered and sexualised technologies and their broader societal implications.
The Regulatory Approach to Air Quality Management: A Case Study of New Mexico (Routledge Revivals)
by Winston HarringtonIn the wake of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 in the United States, sources of emissions could be held accountable for the degradation of air quality in the local environment. This case study of air quality management in New Mexico was produced to shed some light on the procedures and activities used by agencies in order to control air quality. Originally published in 1981, Winston Harrington uses New Mexico as a case study for its largely centralised control system in Santa Fe to explore the behaviour of air quality agencies and pollution sources and comments on policy implications from this study’s conclusions. This title will be of interest to students of environmental studies and policy makers.
The Reindeer Chronicles: And Other Inspiring Stories of Working with Nature to Heal the Earth
by Judith D. Schwartz&“Compelling, Fascinating, sometimes unexpectedly moving, this vitally important book is, above all, a springboard for hope and transformation.&”—Isabella Tree&“A lucid and compelling look at the global movement of ecological rehabilitation.&”— The Boston GlobeIn a time of uncertainty about our environmental future—an eye-opening global tour of some of the most wounded places on earth, and stories of how a passionate group of eco-restorers is leading the way to their revitalization.Award-winning science journalist Judith D. Schwartz takes us first to China&’s Loess Plateau, where a landmark project has successfully restored a blighted region the size of Belgium, lifting millions of people out of poverty. She journeys on to Norway, where a young indigenous reindeer herder challenges the most powerful orthodoxies of conservation—and his own government. And in the Middle East, she follows the visionary work of an ambitious young American as he attempts to re-engineer the desert ecosystem, using plants as his most sophisticated technology.Schwartz explores regenerative solutions across a range of landscapes: deserts, grasslands, tropics, tundra, Mediterranean. She also highlights various human landscapes, the legacy of colonialism and industrial agriculture, and the endurance of indigenous knowledge.The Reindeer Chronicles demonstrates how solutions to seemingly intractable problems can come from the unlikeliest of places, and how the restoration of local water, carbon, nutrient, and energy cycles can play a dramatic role in stabilizing the global climate. Ultimately, it reveals how much is in our hands if we can find a way to work together and follow nature&’s lead.&“Judith Schwartz proves, once again, that she is one of ecology&’s most indispensable writers. . . The Reindeer Chronicles is at once visionary and pragmatic—clear-eyed about the immense planetary challenges we face, yet unfailingly hopeful about our ability to forge a new relationship with nature. This book shows us what Aldo Leopold&’s land ethic looks like in the twenty-first century.&”—Ben Goldfarb, PEN America Literary Award-winning author of Eager
The Relativity of Theory: Key Positions and Arguments in the Contemporary Scientific Realism/Antirealism Debate (Synthese Library #431)
by Moti MizrahiThis book offers a close and rigorous examination of the arguments for and against scientific realism and introduces key positions in the scientific realism/antirealism debate, which is one of the central debates in contemporary philosophy of science. On the one hand, scientific realists argue that we have good reasons to believe that our best scientific theories are approximately true because, if they were not even approximately true, they would not be able to explain and predict natural phenomena with such impressive accuracy. On the other hand, antirealists argue that the success of science does not warrant belief in the approximate truth of our best scientific theories. This is because the history of science is a graveyard of theories that were once successful but were later discarded. The author eventually settles on a middle-ground position between scientific realism and antirealism called “relative realism”.
The Relevance of René Thom: The Morphological Dimension in Today’s Sciences (Lecture Notes in Morphogenesis)
by Isabel Marcos Clément MorierThe body of work presented in this book comes from research carried out since 2017 as part of the international "Actualité de René Thom" project. This project was initially entitled "Morphology and qualitative dynamics: Knowledge of forms / Forms of knowledge". Subsequently, the name "Relevance of René Thom" was chosen for its clarity and evocative power.The aim of this research project is to promote the scientific relevance of René Thom's thinking on forms, and to demonstrate the importance of his method and discoveries. It is based on discussions of Thom's thinking and the method he proposes - i.e., to seek out dynamic structures in order to understand changes of form in nature and at the human-social level, to explain the transformation of these dynamic forms, to study the morphologies of process in various fields in order to advance scientific knowledge...The relevance of this thinker has manifested itself in the form of monthly sessions of a research seminar, held from 2017 to 2022, as well as in the form of international congresses (2018, 2019), bringing together the greatest friends and continuators, both of the work of René Thom himself, and of reflection on morphogenetic dynamics in the most diverse disciplines. This created a space for dialogue and listening between the exact sciences and the social and human sciences. Indeed, the fields of study are necessarily interdisciplinary, since, as René Thom teaches us, morphological organization, or form, in its exchanges with matter, must be considered as "independent" of its substrate, i.e. the environment in which this morphogenesis unfolds. Finally, this book marks a symbolic moment: it takes shape in the year that marks the centenary of the birth of René Thom, who was born in the French town of Montbéliard in 1923. To mark this centenary (1923-2023), a number of initiatives have been launched to celebrate the discoveries and advances of this mathematician-philosopher, ashe liked to call himself… The publication of the present book is one more, which we hope will shed light that will stimulate the morphological gaze Thom so urged us to adopt.
The Relic War (Daniel Coldstar #1)
by Stel PavlouAn epic and funny outer space adventure from acclaimed science fiction author and screenwriter Stel Pavlou! <P><P>Below the surface on a forgotten planet, Daniel Coldstar searches for relics from a lost civilization. Daniel has no memory of his past. All he knows is to do his job and fear the masters of the mines.Until he unearths a relic more powerful than anything he has ever seen. A relic that might help him escape…What follows is an epic outer space adventure filled with Truth Seekers, anatoms, Leechers, and the evil Sinja who seek to control the universe. <P><P>All that stands in their way is a boy named Daniel Coldstar, whose journey will change the galaxy forever.
The Religion and Science Debate
by Lawrence M. Krauss Ronald L. Numbers Kenneth R. Miller Robert Wuthnow Harold W. Attridge Keith Stewart Thomson Alvin PlantingaEighty-one years after America witnessed the Scopes trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools, the debate between science and religion continues. In this book scholars from a variety of disciplines--sociology, history, science, and theology--provide new insights into the contemporary dialogue as well as some perspective suggestions for delineating the responsibilities of both the scientific and religious spheres. Why does the tension between science and religion continue? How have those tensions changed during the past one hundred years? How have those tensions impacted the public debate about so-called "intelligent design" as a scientific alternative to evolution? With wit and wisdom the authors address the conflict from its philosophical roots to its manifestations within American culture. In doing so, they take an important step toward creating a society that reconciles scientific inquiry with the human spirit. This book, which marks the one hundredth anniversary of The Terry Lecture Series, offers a unique perspective for anyone interested in the debate between science and religion in America.
The Religious Metaphysics of Vladimir Solovyov
by Alexandre KojèveThe original text of this work was published in the French journal Revue d’Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses. This English translation presents Kojève’s attempt to unify the religious philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov into a metaphysical system that Solovyov strived for but was never able to fully articulate in his lifetime.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution
by David QuammenHe did not found a movement or a religion says Montana-based writer of fiction and natural history Quammen, he never assembled a creed of scientific axioms and ascribed his name to them. He was in fact a reclusive biologist who wrote books on some minor and some major topics, made mistakes, and changed his mind. He admits that most of Darwin's writings relate to the unity of all life as reflected in the processes of evolution, but he had nothing to do with Darwinism and its scientific and religious controversies.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries)
by David Quammen"Quammen brilliantly and powerfully re-creates the 19th century naturalist's intellectual and spiritual journey."--Los Angeles Times Book Review Twenty-one years passed between Charles Darwin's epiphany that "natural selection" formed the basis of evolution and the scientist's publication of On the Origin of Species. Why did Darwin delay, and what happened during the course of those two decades? The human drama and scientific basis of these years constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.
The Remarkable Case of Dr Ward and Other Amazing Gardening Innovations
by Abigail Willis'An amusing and well-illustrated gift book for anyone interested in gadgetry and the progress of garden history' - Gardens IllustratedPacked full of interesting anecdotes, this book will guide the reader through the advances of gardening history and the technology behind it.From secateurs to seed bombs, hybrids to ha-has, lawnmowers to land artists, the gardening world has long attracted innovators. This delightful book outlines the ways that horticulture and the landscape have changed. The fascinating and amusing short entries are accompanied by charming specially created illustrations, giving a special touch to this perfect gift.Topics covered include:Greenhouses and the ability to grow exotic plantsOrganic growing and the use of chemicalsAllotments and their role in food production between the warsTaxonomy and nomenclatureThe resurgence of topiaryClimate change and the challenges and opportunities it bringsPublic parks and the importance of recreational space'Abigail Willis's lively gallop through assorted horticultural topics is full of interesting nuggets' - Daily Mail'Every section of the book is informed and pithy, making this the kind of thoughtful, readable work often found on the bedside table' - The English GardenThis beautifully produced book is the ideal gift for the gardener in your life.
The Remarkable Life and Career of Ellen Swallow Richards
by Pamela Curtis SwallowThis biography highlights the achievements of America's first professional degreed female scientist, Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911). The book takes the reader from Richards's childhood on a Massachusetts farm where she was schooled at home, to her internationally renowned successes in multiple branches of science. Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911) was a member of Vassar College's first graduating class (1870), completing her degree in two years. She was the first woman to enter M. I. T. and was initially considered "an experiment. " Her capabilities quickly became clear, as she pioneered in multiple areas of science. Her research in the field of water studies led to the country's first pure water quality standards and first modern sewage treatment plant. She is also responsible for developing the Normal Chlorine Map, the first map of water pollution in the United States Ellen was the first woman elected into the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical and later established the first women's science laboratory and taught MIT's first biology classes. While teaching marine biology on Cape Cod, she co-founded what was later to become the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory Ellen's food testing resulted in the discovery of countless adulterations and contaminations and led to the first food and drug acts. She opened the first health food restaurants. Following that, she began the first public school lunch program through which all the high school students in Boston were fed. MIT would not allow Ellen to earn a doctoral degree; the common belief is that the school did not want its first doctorate to be awarded to a woman, who would then outrank the majority of the male faculty. Though disappointed, Ellen continued to teach at MIT, and she remained there until her death. With one of her former students, Ellen co-founded The American Association of University Women. Ellen introduced the public to the terms ecology and euthenics, both fields of science stressing the necessity for learning to live in harmony with the environments in which we live and work. Ellen wrote a dozen books and co-authored several others. Although she was the only woman to teach at MIT during her lifetime, she opened doors for many other women. MIT reports that today women make up nearly half its student body and more than 200 faculty members are female.
The Remarkable Life of William Beebe: Explorer And Naturalist
by Carol Grant GouldWhen William Beebe needed to know what was going on in the depths of the ocean, he had himself lowered a half-mile down in a four-foot steel sphere to see-five times deeper than anyone had ever gone in the 1930s. When he wanted to trace the evolution of pheasants in 1910, he trekked on foot through the mountains and jungles of the Far East to locate every species. To decipher the complex ecology of the tropics, he studied the interactions of every creature and plant in a small area from the top down, setting the emerging field of tropical ecology into dynamic motion.William Beebe's curiosity about the natural world was insatiable, and he did nothing by halves. As the first biographer to see the letters and private journals Beebe kept from 1887 until his death in 1962, science writer Carol Grant Gould brings the life and times of this groundbreaking scientist and explorer compellingly to light.From the Galapagos Islands to the jungles of British Guiana, from the Bronx Zoo to the deep seas, Beebe's biography is a riveting adventure. A best-selling author in his own time, Beebe was a fearless explorer and thoughtful scientist who put his life on the line in pursuit of knowledge. The unique glimpses he provided into the complex web of interactions that keeps the earth alive and breathing have inspired generations of conservationists and ecologists. This exciting biography of a great naturalist brings William Beebe at last to the recognition he deserves.
The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ
by Monty LymanThis “seriously entertaining book” explores the skin in its multifaceted physical, psychological, and social aspects (Times, UK).Providing a cover for our delicate bodies, the skin is our largest and fastest-growing organ. We see it, touch it, and live in it every day. It is a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our health and survival. One of the first things people see about us, skin is also crucial to our sense of identity. And yet much about it is largely unknown to us.With rigorous research and lucid prose, Monty Lyman explores our outer surface through the lenses of science, sociology, and history. He covers topics as diverse as the mechanics and magic of touch (how much goes on in the simple act of taking keys out of a pocket and unlocking a door is astounding), the close connection between the skin and the gut, what happens instantly when one gets a paper cut, and how a midnight snack can lead to sunburn. The Remarkable Life of the Skin takes readers on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ. It reveals how our skin is far stranger, more wondrous, and more complex than we have ever imagined.
The Reminder
by Rune MichaelsDaisy, otherwise known as Daze, keeps hearing her dead mother's voice. Sometimes it's because of her dad, who likes to watch old home movies when he can't sleep. Sometimes it's because of her brother, who was too young to remember Mom, and needs to be reminded by looking at photographs and watching videos. Sometimes it might just be her mind trying to work out what her therapist would call "issues." But this time, it is none of those things. It's something much more wonderful and much more terrifying, something Daze never thought possible. And it might allow Daze to do what she couldn't years ago: save her mother's life. Rune Michaels, the visionary author of Genesis Alpha, plunges headfirst into the waters where science, family, and memory meet, and emerges with a powerful and fascinating story about loss and survival that challenges everything we think we know about the people we love.
The Remnants of Race Science: UNESCO and Economic Development in the Global South (Race, Inequality, and Health #7)
by Sebastián Gil-RiañoAfter World War II, UNESCO launched an ambitious international campaign against race prejudice. Casting racism as a problem of ignorance, it sought to reduce prejudice by spreading the latest scientific knowledge about human diversity to instill “mutual understanding” between groups of people. This campaign has often been understood as a response led by British and U.S. scientists to the extreme ideas that informed Nazi Germany. Yet many of its key figures were social scientists either raised in or closely involved with South America and the South Pacific.The Remnants of Race Science traces the influence of ideas from the Global South on UNESCO’s race campaign, illuminating its relationship to notions of modernization and economic development. Sebastián Gil-Riaño examines the campaign participants’ involvement in some of the most ambitious development projects of the postwar period. In challenging race prejudice, these experts drew on ideas about race that emphasized plasticity and mutability, in contrast to the fixed categories of scientific racism. Gil-Riaño argues that these same ideas legitimated projects of economic development and social integration aimed at bringing ostensibly “backward” indigenous and non-European peoples into the modern world. He also shows how these experts’ promotion of studies of race relations inadvertently spurred a deeper reckoning with the structural and imperial sources of racism as well as the aftermath of the transatlantic slave trade.Shedding new light on the postwar refashioning of ideas about race, this book reveals how internationalist efforts to dismantle racism paved the way for postcolonial modernization projects.
The Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Composition from Space
by John P. Burrows Peter Borrell Ulrich PlattThe impact of anthropogenic activities on our atmospheric environment is of growing public concern and satellite-based techniques now provide an essential component of observational strategies on regional and global scales. The purpose of this book is to summarise the state of the art in the field in general, while describing both key techniques and findings in particular. It opens with an historical perspective of the field together with the basic principles of remote sensing from space. Three chapters follow on the techniques and on the solutions to the problems associated with the various spectral regions in which observations are made. The particular challenges posed by aerosols and clouds are covered in the next two chapters. Of special importance is the accuracy and reliability of remote sensing data and these issues are covered in a chapter on validation. The final section of the book is concerned with the exploitation of data, with chapters on observational aspects, which includes both individual and synergistic studies, and on the comparison of global and regional observations with chemical transport and climate models and the added value that the interaction brings to both. The book concludes with scientific needs and likely future developments in the field, and the necessary actions to be taken if we are to have the global observation system that the Earth needs in its present, deteriorating state. The appendices provide a comprehensive list of satellite instruments, global representations of some ancillary data such as fire counts and light pollution, a list of abbreviations and acronyms, and a set of colourful timelines indicating the satellite coverage of tropospheric composition in the foreseeable future. Altogether, this book will be a timely reference and overview for anyone working at the interface of environmental, atmospheric and space sciences.
The Renaissance Drama of Knowledge: Giordano Bruno in England (Routledge Library Editions: Alchemy)
by Hilary GattiGiordano Bruno’s visit to Elizabethan England in the 1580s left its imprint on many fields of contemporary culture, ranging from the newly-developing science, the philosophy of knowledge and language, to the extraordinary flowering of Elizabethan poetry and drama. This book explores Bruno's influence on English figures as different as the ninth Earl of Northumberland, Thomas Harriot, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Originally published in 1989, it is of interest to students and teachers of history of ideas, cultural history, European drama and renaissance England. Bruno's work had particular power and emphasis in the modern world due to his response to the cultural crisis which had developed - his impulse towards a new ‘faculty of knowing’ had a disruptive effect on existing orthodoxies – religious, scientific, philosophical, and political.
The Renaissance of General Relativity in Context (Einstein Studies #16)
by Jürgen Renn Roberto Lalli Alexander S. BlumThis contributed volume explores the renaissance of general relativity after World War II, when it transformed from a marginal theory into a cornerstone of modern physics. Chapters explore key historical processes related to the theory of general relativity, in addition to presenting a thorough treatment of the relevant science behind these episodes. A broad historiographical framework is introduced first, thus providing the broad context in which the given computational approaches and case studies occurred. Written by an international and interdisciplinary group of expert authors, these chapters will bring readers to a more complete understanding of Einstein’s theory. Specific topics include:Social and citation networksThe Fock-Infeld disputeWheeler’s turn to gravitation theoryThe position of general relativity in theories of fundamental interactionsThe pursuit of a quantum theory of gravityThe emergence of dark matter in relation to cosmological modelsInstitutional frameworks for gravitational wave search in EuropeThe Renaissance of General Relativity in Context is ideal for historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science. Students and researchers in physics will also be interested in the topics explored.
The Renaissance of Mechanics: Ancient Science in the Age of Humanism (Archimedes #68)
by Walter Roy LairdThis book gives an account of the origins of theoretical mechanics in antiquity, its limited reception in the Arabic and Latin Middle Ages, and its recovery and subsequent development in Italy to the time of Galileo. From late antiquity to the fifteenth century, the ancient science of mechanics—the theory of machines—was almost completely unknown in the Latin west. Then, from the mid-fifteenth century on, Italian humanists began to recover the ancient texts, and from them through the sixteenth century Italian mathematicians restored the ancient science of mechanics. The Renaissance of Mechanics first examines the principal ancient works on mechanics—the Aristotelian Mechanical Problems, the mechanical geometry of Archimedes, and Hero’s Mechanics—and then describes their limited reception in the Arabic world and their even more limited transmission to the medieval Latin west. It then traces their recovery in the fifthteenth century and their assimilation inthe sixteenth by Niccolò Tartaglia, Francesco Maurolico, and Guidobaldo dal Monte, culminating in Galileo’s rediscovery of Hero’s lost mechanical principles. The book ends with an examination of Galileo’s mechanics and its relation to his new science of motion, and suggests how modern mechanics would emerge from these ancient roots. Detailed analyses of these works offer new insights and interpretations while remaining accessible to general historians. The Renaissance of Mechanics will be of especial interest to those working in the fields of renaissance humanism and the history of ancient, medieval, and renaissance science and mathematics.
The Renin Angiotensin System in Cardiovascular Disease (Advances in Biochemistry in Health and Disease #24)
by Naranjan S. Dhalla Sukhwinder K. Bhullar Anureet K. ShahThis book on “Renin-Angiotensin System in Cardiovascular Disease” includes 25 chapters, which are organized in three sections, namely (i) modulatory aspects, (ii) pathophysiological aspects, and (iii) pharmacotherapeutic aspects. It includes an updated as well as comprehensive knowledge about molecular and cellular aspects for the role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the pathophysiology and therapy of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure. This book emphasizes the molecular and cellular mechanisms, signaling transduction pathways involved in the development of different cardiovascular diseases due to the prolonged activation of RAS. Furthermore, biochemical mechanisms are outlined for the inhibition of this system by the blockade of angiotensin converting enzyme as well as angiotensin II type 1 receptors in patients suffering from cardiovascular abnormalities. Since cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, leading to approximately 17.9 million deaths each year, there is a keen interest in understanding the pathogenesis and improving its therapy. In this regard, we can attest that this book provides ample information about essential components of RAS and their role in the development of cardiovascular disease.From the selection of recognized global experts in their area of investigation, this book can be seen to cover diverse cardiovascular aspects and molecular and cellular mechanisms of angiotensin II action for the development of different cardiovascular abnormalities. It is our contention that this book will be most suitable for promoting knowledge in the field of RAS biology and will be of great interest to health professionals involved in both experimental and clinical cardiology as well as academic investigators and cardiovascular scientists, graduate students, and fellows worldwide.