2006-10-01,Peter Baofu,Beyond Nature And Nurture: Conceiving a Better Way to Understand Genes and Memes,Hardback,9781847180483,34.99,"Why are some individuals relatively more successful than others in achievement? And why are some countries (or regions), for that matter, relatively more successful than others in development?   

Contrary to the conventional wisdom held by many, Dr. Baofu argues that the nature-nurture debate is misleading and faulty, since his “transcendent approach” is to show how and why the two are closely intertwined in producing the behavioral differences as often seen in individual human endeavors on the micro scale, and for that matter, in country (or regional) endeavors on the macro one—without, however, committing “the compromise fallacy” as often seen in an in-between alternative.

The debate also obscures something more tremendous in the long run, in relation to the emergence of what Dr. Baofu originally proposed as the “post-human” world that humans have never known, when human genes will no longer exist. Human genes have their days numbered.


",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2007-05-01,Alessandro De Maddalena,Great White Sharks Preserved in European Museums,Hardback,9781847181893,29.99,"The Author has condensed virtually everything that is known about the great white sharks that are preserved in European museums in this book. Available data of 105 great white sharks from 45 institutions is presented herein. 
Most material consists of taxidermied specimens and jaws. Most specimens with known capture locations come from the Mediterranean Sea. The majority of specimens are very old. The jaws belonging to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, dated from at least 1640-1660, are the oldest white shark material preserved in Europe. The largest specimens of which parts are preserved in any European museum may be those of which skeletal parts are preserved in the Museo di Anatomia Comparata of Rome, Italy, and the Museo Zoologico ""La Specola"" of Florence, Italy. The cast of a 5.65 m female great white shark preserved in the Musée cantonal de Zoologie of Lausanne, is the world’s largest that has been reconstructed directly from a whole specimen. The largest skin-mounted specimen is a 5.22 m female preserved in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Trieste. The 1.50 m female preserved in the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum of Frankfurt is the smallest taxidermied white shark preserved in Europe.
The publication also includes a concise general account of white shark evolution, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, feeding, attacks on humans and fishery. Up-to-date literature references are included. Extensively researched, this encyclopedic account is enhanced by many photographs and drawings, that bring to life the extraordinary world of the great white shark. The ease of reading of the book and its thoroughness will make it a welcomed addition to any naturalist's library.",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2008-01-01,Pedro Ruiz-Castell,Astronomy and Astrophysics in Spain (1850-1914),Hardback,9781847184399,39.99,"This book explores the progress of astronomy and astrophysics in Spain during the second half of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. In fact, it covers a period in which astronomy passed from a position of weakness to one of strength, as manifested by the size and diversity of the community of practitioners. This progress of Spanish astronomy has to be understood in the broader context of the modernizing ideals that took root in the country during the late nineteenth century. But it was essentially the fortuitous convergence of the eclipses of 1900 and 1905 what opened up a new period for the development of astronomy and astrophysics in Spain. These astronomical events brought astronomers from across the world to this country and thereby gave Spanish astronomers an opportunity for international contacts, which led to the inclusion of Spanish scholars into an international astronomical community in the process of becoming institutionalised. This work, which makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the emergence and progress of astronomy and astrophysics in Spain from the second half of the nineteenth century, is impressively documented with printed sources and manuscripts. The result is a ""punchy"" text, sustained by a rich body of evidence and ideas.


",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2008-04-01,"Josep Simon and Néstor Herran with Tayra Lanuza-Navarro, Pedro Ruiz-Castell and Ximo Guillem-Llobat",Beyond Borders: Fresh Perspectives in History of Science,Hardback,9781847184832,39.99,"How does scientific knowledge circulate? Does scientific communication shape the making of science? Is the making of science a national endeavour or does it have an international or transnational dimension? Are teaching and research equally relevant in this endeavour? How can history of science react to the challenges posed by the changing practices of science in historical context? Beyond Borders is a book generated at the heart of these fundamental questions.

In the last decades, the history of science has attained a high degree of disciplinary maturity and sophistication. However, perception of disciplinary crisis is apparent behind calls for the search of new “big pictures” and their implementation in teaching and communicating the history of science to wider audiences. Temporal and narrative fragmentation are seen as major drawbacks hindering the development of the discipline. In addition, national, linguistic and methodological division is increasingly afflicting its practice. Like other areas in the humanities, and in contrast to the sciences, the history of science has nowadays a pronounced local character which clearly constrains its intellectual output.

Challenging this state of affairs is a major aim of this book, which argues for a resolute call for intellectual and methodological pluralism and internationalism. Through a broad diversity of subjects, periods, and geographies, covering from studies of sixteenth-century astrological texts to contextual analysis of twentieth-century X-ray spectroscopy, this collection of papers and historiographical essays offers a fresh overview of the field and its major questions. Beyond Borders revisits five major topics in history of science, namely the early modern map of knowledge, pedagogy and science, science popularization, science and the nation and the geography of scientific centres and peripheries. Engaging with a broad diversity of historiographical and methodological approaches in an international perspective, Beyond Borders is a rich and plural manifesto contributing to the reflective appraisal of history of science as a discipline.






","“This important collection of essays is a historiographical milestone in our discipline. The work of young scholars working in or in association with the STEP (Science and Technology in the European Periphery) project, it breaks resolutely with the predominantly Anglophone character of the sources and subjects favoured by British and North American historians. It is a refreshingly European production that deserves the serious attention of all of us in the English-speaking world of the history of science. 

Between them, the eighteen essays in Beyond Borders make a powerful case for methodological plurality. They demonstrate time and again the virtues of a broad palate of reading and the dangers of exclusive allegiance to any one approach to writing the history of science. The result is a volume that invites us to cross the geographical, linguistic, and methodological boundaries that all too often constrain our work as historians.”
–– Robert Fox, University of Oxford.


“Beyond Borders brings fresh air to the mainstream historiography of our discipline. It shows the intellectual dynamism of the young generation of historians of science, and nicely combines new case studies from the periphery together with the latest debates in academic centres at international level.”
–– Agustí Nieto-Galan, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

The writing is clear and vigorous. The contributors...have delivered a credo and a programme for going beyond postmodernist dogma.

Lewis Pyenson, Western Michigan University, Cambridge Journals BJHS, Volume 42/2 - June 2009

""Having had as its starting point a postgraduate conference held in Valencia in 2006, the book is much more than a proceedings volume. The inspiration behind it is reflected in the diversity of topics - from astrology and mixed mathematics to mathematics, physics, astronomy , genetics and medicine; in the variety of historical periods covered - from the sixteenth to the twentieth century; in the multiplicity of national contexts addressed - Spain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom; and in the diversity of historical sources used, encompassing both a panoply of geographical provenances and different typologies, including textbooks and translations, newspapers and women's guidebooks.

But this volume goes well beyond these originating points. It is the succssful outcome of a consistent historiographical project of indentification and discussion of 'critical topics and historiographical challenges to our discipline'...By inviting new questions and new comparisons, by pleading for the generalized use of a diversity of sources and approaches, Beyond Borders is a refreshing contribution to our discipline.""

Ana Simoes in ISIS, 100:4 (2009)

""This book presents a diversity of subjects, and periods, as well as a wide range of approaches. The editor's goal of transgressing boundaries and connect with topical issues in the discipline have led the contributors to the use of comparitive methodology, trying to integrate local, national and international issues, and giving us some fresh perspectives in the history of science.""

Fernando Egridio Reis, NUNCIUS Journal of the History of Science, vol. XXV, 2-2010
",Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2008-06-01,Alice R. Bell. Sarah R. Davies and Felicity Mellor,Science and its Publics,Hardback,9781847185884,34.99,"The relationship between science and its publics has concerned commentators since science itself began. Yet in recent years, questions of how—and how should—science and society interact have come to particular prominence. A field of practice, initially dubbed ‘public understanding of science’ and later rebranded as ‘public engagement with science and technology’, has blossomed. But although academic studies have informed the development of this practical field, to date there has been little opportunity to take stock of the full breadth and variety of academic analyses of science communication. 

In an attempt to reveal the richness of the nascent field of science communication studies, this volume presents critical interdisciplinary analyses of some of the many ways in which science intersects with its publics. From children’s science books to computer advertising, news media to lab talk, public engagement to science fiction—the sites, modes and meanings of public science are explored. Contributions draw on historical, cultural, science and media studies. All, however, follow science through popular culture, taking critical science studies out of the lab and into society.


","

",Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2009-06-01,Peter Baofu,"The Future of Post-Human Urban Planning: A Preface to a New Theory of Density, Void, and Sustainability",Hardback,978-1-4438-0591-9,49.99,"Why should urban planning in our time be obsessed with the issue of sustainability? Or differently put, is sustainability really as desirable and possible as its proponents in urban planning (and other related fields like economics, political science, environmental studies, architecture, and so on) would like us to believe? 

Contrary to the conventional wisdom held by many since the modern era, the concern with sustainability has been much exaggerated and distorted, to the point that it is fast becoming a new intellectual fad, so that its dark sides have been unwarrantedly ignored or downgraded.  

This is not to say, however, that the literature on sustainability in urban planning (and other related fields) hitherto existing in history has been full of nonsense. Indeed, on the contrary, much can be learned from different theoretical approaches in the literature.

The important point to remember here, however, is that this book provides an alternative (better) way to understand the nature of sustainability in urban planning (and other related fields), which learns from different sides of the debate but in the end transcends them all. 

The urgency of this inquiry should not be underestimated, as it concerns not only urban planning (as a case study here) but also other highly related yet very serious challenges in our time (e.g., ecological, economic, demographic, technological, moral, spiritual, political, and the like).

Therefore, if true, this seminal view will fundamentally change the way that we think about the issue of sustainability, with its enormous implications not only for understanding the future of urban planning, in a small sense—but also for predicting the relevance of sustainability in relation to the entire domain of human knowledge for the human future and what I originally called its “post-human” fate, in a broad sense.


",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2009-06-01,Dóra Bobory,The Sword and the Crucible. Count Boldizsár Batthyány and Natural Philosophy in Sixteenth-Century Hungary,Hardback,978-1-4438-0606-0,39.99,"In the sixteenth century a new type of practitioner emerges in Europe: the aristocrat who not only supports creative activities, but is personally involved in the projects he finances. The courts of noblemen and other wealthy individuals are transformed into new sites of knowledge production where medicinal waters are distilled, exotic plants cultivated, and alchemical experiments pursued. This new fascination with nature, and the wish to explore and exploit its explicit and hidden mechanisms, was an intellectual trend that spread all over Europe, reaching even the easternmost parts of the Habsburg Monarchy. The Hungarian Count Boldizsár Batthyány (c.1542–1590), a powerful aristocrat and formidable warrior, was also a passionate devotee of natural philosophy. His Western Hungarian court was the focal point of an intellectual network which comprised scholars—such as the renowned botanist Carolus Clusius—physicians, book dealers, and fellow aristocrats from Central Europe and used his connections to exchange objects and information. Batthyány’s biography, his extensive correspondence and up-to-date book collection on natural philosophy—especially alchemy, Paracelsian medicine, and botany—reveals that wealth, mobility and intellectual curiosity allowed him to share the enthusiasms of his Western European counterparts, and make the Muses speak even among arms. 





","""The depth of the study can be judged from the inclusion of 683 notes and a thirty-three page bibliography. The book is, however, a very readable account of the life and times of one who used his wealth to build up a personal intellectual network that included physicians, humanists, book dealers and a botanist. The author gives us a vivid picture of the unique character of Boldizsar, who is shown to be, inmany ways, characteristic of European landed gentry of the period.

This volume is a significant contribution to the understanding of the role that alchemy and natural sciences played in the Renaissance and in the life of Boldizsar; in addition, it allows ready comparison with accounts of his contemporaries acros Europe.""

D. Thorburn Burns, The Queens University of Belfast in AMBIX Vol. 57, No. 2, July 2010
",Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2009-10-01,Ting Ting Huang,Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Common Factors in a Term Structure Model,Paperback,978-1-4438-1311-2,29.99,"This paper is the first that completely studies dynamical and cross-sectional structures of bonds, typically used as risk-free assets in mathematical finance, on the independence of the common factors with the empirical copula. During the last decade, financial models based empirically on common factors have acquired increasing popularity in risk management and asset pricing. Much has been published on the subject, but the technical nature of most papers makes them difficult for non-specialists to understand, and the mathematical tools required for applications can be intimidating. Although many of the copula models used in finance are theoretical, the nature of financial data suggests the empirical copula is more appropriate for forecasting and accurately describing returns, volatility and interdependence. 



",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2009-11-01,Ravi S. Singh,Indian Geography in the 21st Century: The Young Geographers Agenda,Hardback,978-1-4438-1365-5,49.99,"This book, primarily a collection of statements on action agenda to be pursued in geography in India, consists of nineteen chapters exclusively authored by the young geographers. It is organised into five parts: Part I provides “The Contextual Orientation”, Part II contemplates on “Reshaping Geography Education”, Part III explores “Resurrecting Physical Geography”, Part IV looks at “Retrieving Human Geography”, and Part V: “The Summum Bonum” attempts to garland the emerging thoughts. The book seeks to provide a peep into the future Indian Geography and serve professional geographers, researchers, teachers and students alike.


","“The present book is an important contribution towards … critical questioning ….of the established concepts and practices in terms of theory and methods… the highlight of the book…, is a refreshing break from some of the past writings in the discipline”.
 —Prof. Saraswati Raju, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

 “…. This book presents a radiant path for realisation and action, illustrated with various ways and forms of current practices in contemporary geography”.
—Prof. Rana P.B. Singh, Banaras Hindu University, India

“…. I hope that this book will begin a reflexive engagement with geography, without which we cannot set the agenda for the future of the discipline”. 
—Dr. Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, The Australian National University, Canberra

“…a timely resource on present geographical practices and potential… essential reading for both students and teachers of geography in India”. 
—Dr. R.B. Singh, Vice-Chair: IGU Commission on Biogeography & Biodiversity, Secretary General: NAGI, and Member: IUGG-IGU National Committee, INSA 

“The volume….provides ample scope for a balanced approach towards issues that plague the future existence of geography in India….attempting a critical assessment of the state of Indian geography”.
—Dr. M. Satish Kumar, Queen's University, Belfast



",Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-04-01,Deependra Prashad and Saswati Chetia,New Architecture and Urbanism: Development of Indian Traditions ,Paperback,978-1-4438-1869-8,59.99,"This book on “New Architecture and Urbanism: Development of Indian Traditions” builds on the contributions from various architects, planners, educationists, decision-makers & others from across the world who gathered together to create a forum for the promotion of traditional processes and techniques for the creation of the built environment. This forum was initiated by INTBAU India, The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism in India, and supported by The Nabha Foundation.  

This book presents the arguments, axioms and case studies related to Traditional Architecture and Urbanism in a sequential format. Firstly it examines the “New ways of looking at Heritage” by separating it from pure history into a living and evolving process. The book looks at what defines traditional methods and their relevance to the contemporary context. It also examines the aspects of Continuity and Contextual frameworks in the built environment. The section on “Sustainable Buildings, Places and Communities” explores the many facets of locally driven processes from the viewpoint of tradition and sustainability. These include many community based planning methods and their applications in shaping the built environment, aspects of environmental sustainability and on how appropriateness could be ingrained into current architectural education. Lastly, the book delves into a number of executed examples in architecture seeking to learn from tradition and examples in “place-making urbanism” which in turn promotes humane, walkable and connected neighbourhoods.





",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-04-01,Peter Baofu,The Future of Post-Human Formal Science: A Preface to a New Theory of Abstraction and Application,Hardback,978-1-4438-1946-6,49.99,"What exactly is so appealing in formal science, such that its influence can be seen in numerous disciplines nowadays, for practical purposes like better functionality, performance, and so on—as Pythagoras already famously said in antiquity: “Number is the ruler of forms and ideas and the cause of gods and demons”?

This contemporary addiction to practical convenience in formal science has turned a blind eye to its other side, which has impoverished both our knowledge of reality and the well-being of our lifeworld.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the other side of this appealing addiction has yet to be comprehensively understood, nor has the fact that its practical convenience is neither possible nor desirable to the extent that the proponents of formal science would like us to believe. 

Needless to say, this by no means suggests that formal science should not be used for practical purposes, or that the literature in formal science (and other related fields like computer science, information theory, microeconomics, decision theory, statistics, and linguistics, just to cite a few of them) should be dismissed. Of course, neither of these two extreme views is reasonable either.

Instead, this book provides an alternative (better) way to understand the nature of formal science, especially in relation to systems theory for practical convenience—while learning from different approaches in the literature but without favoring any one of them (nor integrating them, since they are not necessarily compatible with each other). In the end, this book offers a new theory to transcend the existing approaches in the literature in a new direction not thought of before.
 
This seminal project is to fundamentally alter the way that we think about formal science, from the combined perspectives of the mind, nature, society, and culture, with enormous implications for the human future and what I originally called its “post-human” fate.  




",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-09-01,"Sylvie Nadeau, Yvan Petit, Stéphane Hallé, François Morency and Louis Dufresne",Sustainable Development in Mechanical Engineering: Case Studies in Applied Mechanics,Hardback,978-1-4438-2320-3,34.99,"Owing to their specialized training, engineers play a crucial role in the design and development of new products or infrastructure as well as the creation of wealth. Consequently, engineers recognize that in the performance of these functions they have a specific responsibility to take such measures as are appropriate to safeguard the environment, health, safety and well-being of the public. This book proposes a series of fifteen practical cases, integrating knowledge from different fields of the mechanical engineering discipline, along with basic knowledge in environment, occupational health and safety risk management.  

The cases are descriptions of a real system, it’s functioning and it’s instructions for use. The systems selected represent a broad spectrum of mechanical engineering issues or problems: fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, heating, ventilation and cooling, vibrations, dynamics, statics, failure of materials, automatic and mecatronics, hydraulics, product design, human factors, maintenance, rapid prototyping to name a few. The professional objective of the cases proposed is to design or improve the design of the described system. This book is a must to transfer knowledge to future engineers with respect to hazards resulting from their work.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-11-01,Graham R. Sturdy,Business Process Reengineering: Strategies for Occupational Health and Safety,Hardback,978-1-4438-2509-2,39.99,"This is an important text for all students and practitioners of Business Process Reengineering. It provides a comprehensive resource for understanding and implementing BPR as relating to the needs of each individual business, and it places particular emphasis on the importance of the OH&S function within the commercial environment. This volume provides an in-depth coverage of all the key areas which are essential to the implementation of BPR. It provides unique practical guidance on implementing BPR strategies as formulated by the author and a range of academic practitioners and industry experts. Importantly, it demonstrates how these initiatives can be implemented in a real-world environment and in accordance with stated business objectives, so as to effect positive and productive change. The advantages of a newly-developed business tool known as the “Sturdy BPR Matrix” are carefully considered, as is guidance on the implementation of BPR in any situational context.


","“I thoroughly recommend this comprehensive study of BPR. It is well-researched and explores the wide range of research literature that is available on this subject in a manner that is both practical and comprehensive.”
—Professor Eamonn Murphy, Enterprise Research Centre, University of Limerick

“The approaches and studies presented in this volume are all well-supported by the available evidence and the research draws on real-world examples as based on valuable years spent working in the industrial sector. I applaud this contribution to the study of BPR.”
—Dr Mícheál Ó hAodha, University of Limerick


",Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-12-01,"Miguel López-Pérez, Didier Kahn and Mar Rey-Bueno",Chymia: Science and Nature in Medieval and Early Modern Europe,Hardback,978-1-4438-2553-5,49.99,"In September 2008, an international conference on the history of alchemy was held at El Escorial, close to the ancient location of the distilling houses operating under royal patronage during the second half of the 16th century. The present book consists of a selection of the papers presented then, shedding light on little-studied medieval and early modern texts, important alchemical doctrines such as medieval corpuscularianism, early modern spiritus mundi or the function of salt within chymical principles, and discussing such prominent figures as Paracelsus, Isaac Hollandus, Michael Sendivogius, Fontenelle or G. E. Stahl. Last but not least, the book offers new insights on the most recent history of Spanish alchemy.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2010-12-01,"Catherine Delmas, Christine Vandamme and Donna Spalding Andréolle",Science and Empire in the Nineteenth Century: A Journey of Imperial Conquest and Scientific Progress,Hardback,978-1-4438-2559-7,39.99,"The issue at stake in this volume is the role of science as a way to fulfil a quest for knowledge, a tool in the exploration of foreign lands, a central paradigm in the discourse on and representations of Otherness. The interweaving of scientific and ideological discourses is not limited to the geopolitical frame of the British empire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but extends to the rise of the American empire as well. The fields of research tackled are human and social sciences (anthropology, ethnography, cartography, phrenology), which thrived during the period of imperial expansion, racial theories couched in pseudo-scientific discourse, natural sciences, as they are presented in specialised or popularised works, in the press, in travel narratives—at the crossroads of science and literature—in essays, but also in literary texts.

Contributors examine such issues as the plurality of scientific discourses, their historicity, the alienating dangers of reduction, fragmentation and reification of the Other, the interaction between scientific discourse and literary discourse, the way certain texts use scientific discourse to serve their imperialist views or, conversely, deconstruct and question them. Such approaches allow for the analysis of the link between knowledge and power as well as of the paradox of a scientific discourse which claims to seek the truth while at the same time both masking and revealing the political and economic stakes of Anglo-saxon imperialism. The analysis of various types of discourse and/or representation highlights the tension between science and ideology, between scientific “objectivity” and propaganda, and stresses the limits of an imperialist epistemology which has sometimes been questioned in more ambiguous or subversive texts.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-02-01,Laurence Talairach-Vielmas,"Science in the Nursery: The Popularisation of Science in Britain and France, 1761-1901",Hardback,978-1-4438-2680-8,44.99,"This edited collection aims to examine the popularisation of science for children in Britain and France from the middle of the eighteenth century to the end of the Victorian period. It compares and contrasts for the first time popular science works published at the same time in the two countries, focusing both on non-fictional and fictional texts. Starting when children’s literature emerged as a genre to the end of the nineteenth century it addresses the ways in which popular science for children engaged with wider debates and issues, concerning such topics as gender or religion. Each individual essays brings home how children’s literature revealed contemporary tensions which professional scientists confronted. The wide range of scientific topics examined, from physics and astronomy to natural history and anthropology, offers a large spectrum of types of popular science works for children.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-05-01,Victoriya F. Yurchik,"Atmosphere Aerosol, Phytoplankton and its Influence on Climate Forming in the Pacific Ocean: Measurement New Methods",Hardback,978-1-4438-2877-2,34.99,"Atmosphere Aerosol, Phytoplankton and its Influence on Climate Forming in the Pacific Ocean: Measurement New Methods is a collection of new articles by young academics, students and PhD students who participated in the 1st International Sailing Conference of Climate Forcing, held on the board the Sailing Training Ship Nadezhda in the Sea of Japan and the Okhtosk Sea in August 2010. The collection presents a vivid overview of current problems in the research fields of atmosphere aerosol, phytoplankton communities, volcanic activities and hydroacoastics in order to investigate climate change’s influence on phytoplankton communities.

This collection of articles will be of interest to researchers and specialists in the fields of atmosphere and ocean monitoring, and climate forcing.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-07-01,Martin J. Leahy and Marie-Louise O’Connell,14th International Machine Vision and Image Processing Conference: IMVIP 2010,Hardback,978-1-4438-2962-5,44.99,"Established in 1997, the International Machine Vision and Image Processing (IMVIP) conferences bring together theoreticians, practitioners, industrialists and academics, from the numerous related disciplines involved in the processing and analysis of image-based information. These events provide a platform for communication and exchange between participants whereby cutting edge research and advances within the field can be communicated, discussed and information exchanged.

IMVIP events are hosted annually by different universities on the island of Ireland. These proceedings reflect the manuscripts selected for oral presentation at the 14th instalment of the series hosted by the University of Limerick, Ireland in 2010 in association with the Irish Pattern Recognition and Classification Society (IPRCS), a member organisation of the International Association of Patten Recognition (IAPR).
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-07-01,Anghel Chiru,The Automobile and the Environment: International Congress of Automotive and Transport Engineering CONAT 2010,Hardback,978-1-4438-2972-4,64.99,"The Automobile and the Environment gathers a selection of papers presented by researchers and engineers from academic institutions and the automotive industry at the International Congress for Automotive and Transport Engineering CONAT 2010, organized by the Transylvania University of Brașov in Romania, SIAR (The Society of Automotive Engineers from Romania) and SAE International, under the patronage of FISITA (The International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies) and EAEC (European Automobile Engineers Cooperation).

The book contains four parts:

1.	Automotive Powertrains
2.	Alternative Fuels
3.	Vehicle Dynamics and Vehicle Systems Design
4.	Transport, Traffic and Safety

By studying this book, engineers will be given the opportunity to evaluate the new visions and concepts being applied in the modern automotive industry, and also the chance to identify themes for future studies in the context of sustainable development, the use of alternative energy, reorganisation of industry strategies, and the increase in competitivity through innovation.


",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-09-01,Brian Kuhn,Hyaenids: Taphonomy and Implications for the Palaeoenvironment,Hardback,978-1-4438-3196-3,39.99,"It has been shown through a variety of independent studies that members of the family Hyaenidae are consummate collectors of bones at their respective dens. This in turn has been inferred upon the fossil record suggesting hyaenids as the source for a number of fossil bearing cave deposits, especially in southern Africa. The question of how to differentiate between collections made by hyaenids, hominids and other bone collecting species has also been a highly published field of study. Here we take an in depth look at the bone collecting behaviours of the three extant bone collecting members of the family Hyaenidae, Crocuta crocuta, Parahyaena brunnea and Hyaena hyaena.

Paying particular attention to distinctive carnivore gnawing and fragmentation patterns left upon the bones collected, we find that not only are there differences between the species of hyaenids but also within the species. It would appear that the environmental conditions at the time of collection have a greater than anticipated impact upon the taphonomic signatures left behind by the various hyaenid species. We conclude that for any study of fossil assemblages, one must take a multi-disciplined approach and examine not only the carnivore damage, but also palaeoenvironmental factors in determining the probable collector.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-09-01,"Ana Mª Roldán Riejos, Joaquín Santiago López and Paloma Úbeda Mansilla",The Language of Architecture and Civil Engineering,Hardback,978-1-4438-3167-3,34.99,"This book not only provides unique and in-depth information to understand the language of architecture and civil engineering, it is also helpful for students and professionals who need to improve their linguistic skills. The Language of Architecture and Civil Engineering includes plenty of examples and practical exercises that engage the reader’s participation. It also contains an updated bibliography that offers a wide perspective on this subject matter. It is written in a rigorous and at the same time accessible style, so readers will surely profit from its content.

The compilation and updating of all technical terms needed by students, architects and engineers is enormously welcome. This book fills a gap long-existing in the market which makes its authors worthy of our recognition. This book gives us wings to fly again on the paths of new technologies and should not be missing from any university library.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-10-01,Alexander Mitjashin,Physics and Metaphysics,Hardback,978-1-4438-3297-7,34.99,"The central thought of this book is that definite predictions of classical physics can be explained by mathematics of special relativity. 

The probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is determined by peculiar mathematics which can only describe the quantum phenomena – this mathematics gives statistical explanations to these phenomena and no other explanations could in principle be given to them; as well, the phenomena of classical physics which are to be described definitely (but not in principle probabilistically) can be described this way only because, in its turn, it is determined by peculiar mathematics and – as it is argued in the book – this simple mathematics can be straightforwardly inferred from the special relativity theory.

It is shown that these important results correspond to the approach accepted in modern physics due, in particular, to Bell’s inequalities and their tests. However, the author concentrates on the philosophical consequences that should be inferred from these physical results. Naturally, metaphysical views which can be congenial to this kind of physical picture of the world must agree with the concept of non-homogeneity. Such metaphysics was firstly exposed by the author in his work devoted to the non-linearity of natural language: The World and Language: The Ontology for Natural Language (Lanham: University Press of America, 2006). But one does not need to be familiar with this book in order to read Physics and Metaphysics; nor is it necessary for the reader to have any mathematical skill or serious knowledge in physics. This book will be of benefit to those interested in the fields of physics, quantum mechanics and mathematics.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2011-11-01,Vladimir N. Strelnikov and Viktor A. Valtsifer,Technical Chemistry: From Theory to Praxis,Hardback,978-1-4438-3341-7,34.99,"The purpose of this book is twofold. Firstly, to introduce researchers from the Institute of Technical Chemistry, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Perm, Russia, who are currently involved in research and development, and represent an impressive diversity of scientific interests. They never confine themselves to one area in their research work, but always devote their time, professional interests, talent and dedication to several fields of organic chemistry, science of materials and nanotechnologies.

Secondly, the book collects a number of scientific papers, many of which were presented at the international conference “Technical Chemistry: From Theory to Praxis 2010” held in Perm. These papers report new results in said fields of chemistry while focusing on the results of research projects funded by the Russian Academy of Sciences and by the Russian Fund for Basic Research. The book has been designed for those who develop new products and now also have to take into account social driving forces which have already come into play, e.g., safety, health and environmental factors, energy conservation, apart from conventional economic considerations such as development costs, raw material supply, etc.
",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2012-01-01,Dana Petcu and José Luis Vázquez-Poletti,European Research Activities in Cloud Computing,Hardback,978-1-4438-3507-7,44.99,"What’s new in the European research and development area? Cloud computing is a provision model where whatever computing resource that can be thought of (machines, network, software solutions, applications) is provided as a service. This new paradigm has changed the center of gravity of computing in both the academic and industry environments, but despite the considerable efforts and investments, there are critical problems that are not yet solved.

The research and development community involved in distributed computing is searching for viable solutions that will increase the adoption of the cloud. This is the case of the collaborative work done by multi-national teams in the context of the FP7 programme of the European Commission. Students, researchers and developers working in the field of distributed computing will find in this book a snapshot of the on-going activities in research and development of cloud computing undertaken at the European level. These activities are organized by the latest hot topics of cloud computing research, which include services, management, automation and adoption.

Summarizing, this book will help the reader understand and identify the research and development winds that are pushing the clouds to Europe.


",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2012-04-01,"Sara Graça da Silva, Fátima Vieira and Jorge Bastos da Silva",(Dis)Entangling Darwin: Cross-disciplinary Reflections on the Man and His Legacy,Hardback,978-1-4438-3732-3,39.99,"Charles Darwin’s curiosity had a remarkable childlike enthusiasm driven by an almost compulsive appetite for a constant process of discovery, which he never satiated despite his many voyages. He would puzzle about the smallest things, from the wonders of barnacles to the different shapes, colours and textures of the beetles which he obsessively collected, from flowers and stems to birds, music and language, and would dedicate years to understanding the potential significance of everything he saw. 
Darwin’s findings and theories relied heavily on that same curiosity, on seeking and answering questions, however long these would take to clarify. His son Francis Darwin often recalls how “he would ask himself ‘now what do you want to say’ & his answer written down would often disentangle the confusion”. In fact, “disentangling confusions” seems to have been the driving force behind Darwin’s scientific pursuits, as he was struck with bewilderment when contemplating the luxuriousness of life. It was also the impetus for this book. 
The true implications of Darwin’s legacy remain as controversial to the critics of our time as they were to his contemporaries. Darwin’s impact within and beyond the biological sciences is both daunting and exhilarating, and attests to the need for an interdisciplinary approach by remaining a challenge to many scholars in the most diverse fields. The recent revival of his theories has opened a Pandora’s box of different theoretical studies that are particularly receptive to exploring new and exciting angles of research.

",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing
2012-05-01,Andrew Robinson,Darwinism and Natural Theology: Evolving Perspectives,Hardback,978-1-4438-3742-2,39.99,"Can Christian theology be reconciled with Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection? Can the biological sciences tell us anything of interest from a religious perspective? Does Christianity have anything to offer when it comes to formulating scientific hypotheses? 

These questions are among those explored in this collection of essays arising from a meeting of the UK Science and Religion Forum held in Cambridge to mark the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species. The volume brings together contributions from a highly distinguished group of scholars at the forefront of the field of science-and-religion, including R.J. Berry, Celia Deane-Drummond, John Hedley Brooke, David Knight, David Fergusson, Sarah Coakley, Denis Alexander, Christopher Southgate, Kenneth Wilson and Neil Spurway. 

The essays are organized around the theme of ‘natural theology’ and its continuing role (if any) in the light of Darwinian evolutionary biology. They cover the historical background to the debate; philosophical and theological perspectives on the various forms that natural theology has taken in different historical settings; the effect of Darwinism on theological understandings of nature; and possible contemporary approaches to natural theology, or theologies of nature, in the context of Darwinism. 

",,Cambridge Scholars Publishing