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Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture
Par Professor Lytton John Musselman, Dr Jonne Rodenburg. 2023
Parasitic Plants in African Agriculture brings together for the first time in a single volume, the ecology, biology, damage, and…
control of all groups of African parasitic plants including both the relatively few parasites introduced to the continent as well as those native parasites that have spread from within Africa. The book covers the well-known witchweeds and broomrapes but also groups and species that have received less attention including mistletoes, dodders, rice vampire weed, and other species posing threats. The book distinguishes between stem and root parasitic weeds and between holoparasites and (facultative or obligate) hemiparasites. Based on their research and experience collectively spanning six decades, the authors provide an authoritative and state-of-the-art overview of the distribution, biology and impact of these highly specialized weeds and include recommendations for their management. Since parasitic plants in African agriculture primarily affect smallholder farmers, these weeds are explicitly discussed within a context of resource limitations and global changes. Readers are informed on all parasitic plant species relevant to African agriculture and the impact these plants have on crop production and livelihoods of smallholders in a changing world. Current and future management strategies are outlined in terms of their principles and effectiveness as well as their feasibility and affordability for farmers, all of which determine farmer adoption. The final chapter synthesises some of the relevant findings and statistics regarding parasitic weed distribution and their host crops and discusses implications in terms of future crop protection concerns in African agricultural systems. Key features: · Authoritative text based on extensive field and laboratory work. · First comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of parasitic plants and their management in Africa. · Highly illustrated with photos, graphs and species distribution maps. · Reviews previous basic and applied work, with relevance to smallholder farming systems. This book will be a valuable reference for students, researchers, extension workers, development officers, national agriculture researchers, plant pathologists, food security specialists, weed scientists, agronomists and botanists.The Uses of Science in the Age of Newton (Clark Library Professorship, UCLA #8)
Par John G. Burke. 2023
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out…
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1983.Introduction to Stochastic Level Crossing Techniques
Par Percy H. Brill. 2023
Introduction to Stochastic Level Crossing Techniques describes stochastic models and their analysis using the System Point Level Crossing method (abbreviated…
SPLC or LC). This involves deriving probability density functions (pdfs) or cumulative probability distribution functions (cdfs) of key random variables, applying simple level-crossing limit theorems developed by the author. The pdfs and/or cdfs are used to specify operational characteristics about the stochastic model of interest. The chapters describe distinct stochastic models and associated key random variables in the models. For each model, a figure of a typical sample path (realization, i.e., tracing over time) of the key random variable is displayed. For each model, an analytic (Volterra) integral equation for the stationary pdf of the key random variable is created−by inspection of the sample path, using the simple LC limit theorems. This LC method bypasses a great deal of algebra, usually required by other methods of analysis. The integral equations will be solved directly, or computationally. This book is meant for students of mathematics, management science, engineering, natural sciences, and researchers who use applied probability. It will also be useful to technical workers in a range of professions. Key Features: A description of one representative stochastic model (e.g., a single-server M/G/1 queue; a multiple server M/M/c queue; an inventory system; etc.) Construction of a typical sample path of the key random variable of interest (e.g., the virtual waiting time or workload in queues; the net on-hand inventory in inventory systems; etc.) Statements of the simple LC theorems, which connect the sample-path upcrossing and downcrossing rates across state-space levels, to simple mathematical functions of the stationary pdf of the key random variable, at those state-space levels Creation of (usually Volterra) integral equations for the stationary pdf of the key random variable, by inspection of the sample path Direct analytic solution of the integral equations, where feasible; or, computational solutions of the integral equations Use of the derived stationary pdfs for obtaining operational characteristics of the modelClimate Change Adaptation and Green Finance: The Arctic and Non-Arctic World (Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research)
Par Gisele Arruda, Lara Johannsdottir. 2024
This book presents specific case studies of climate finance in the Arctic and examines how the green revolution could be…
a game changer in this sensitive region. Bringing together contributions from a range of experts in the field, Climate Change Adaptation and Green Finance assesses the costs of inaction versus the costs of action based on case study examples of climate finance and sustainable investment in the Arctic region. The authors draw on data from the Sixth Assessment Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and respond with a solutions-based framework. This is developed around the notion of a new, carbon-neutral economy in the Arctic and presents methods for unlocking carbon finance and long-term climate investment in the region, such as finance for Arctic entrepreneurs and resilient sustainable investment structures. This volume also looks at the role of finance in meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the ways in which innovation in investment will help shape the future of the Arctic. Climate Change Adaptation and Green Finance will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, sustainable finance and sustainable businessParasites of North American Freshwater Fishes
Par Glenn L. Hoffman. 2023
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out…
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.In the spring, California's rolling hills, green valleys, and coastal slopes are colored with wildflowers treasured by both residents and…
visitors to the state. First published more than forty years ago, this popular guidebook has helped thousands of amateur and intermediate wildflower enthusiasts learn the names of the flowers located in some of the state's loveliest and most accessible areas—from below the yellow pine belt in the Sierra Nevada westward to the coast. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, it is now easier to use and more accurate—the perfect guide to take along on outdoor excursions in California and surrounding regions. * Includes 244 new color photographs and 102 detailed drawings * Now describes more than 400 wildflowers emphasizing the species most likely to be encountered in the state today * Plant descriptions now include more detail, helpful identifying tips, and locales where flowers are likely to be seenAmphibians and Reptiles of La Selva, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Slope: A Comprehensive Guide
Par Dr Craig Guyer, Dr Maureen A. Donnelly. 2023
This field guide at last provides an authoritative and handy source for identifying amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica's renowned…
Atlantic lowland tropical forests. Colorful frogs, lizards that can run across water, snapping turtles, spotted geckos, boa constrictors, crocodiles, and many other fascinating yet secretive species of amphibians and reptiles flourish in the region's myriad microhabitats. The La Selva Biological Station, a protected reserve, boasts a rich biota, making it and the surrounding area one of the most visited tropical forest sites in the world. For travelers, ecotourists, and biologists, this comprehensive guide, written by two distinguished experts on the area's amphibians and reptiles, will be an essential resource while visiting La Selva and the surrounding tropical forests of Costa Rica. In addition to providing reliable field identification, it will help visitors to this area better understand the overall role of Central American amphibians and reptiles in the natural world as well as conservation efforts now being undertaken to ensure the survival of these intriguing creatures.* 138 frogs, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles are included in keys based primarily on color patterns for easy identification * Each species is illustrated with a color photograph; the guide also features range maps and black-and-white drawings * Includes an overview of the natural history of each amphibian and reptile and gives helpful tips on where to observe themDead Pool: Lake Powell, Global Warming, and the Future of Water in the West
Par James Lawrence Powell. 2023
Where will the water come from to sustain the great desert cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Phoenix? In…
a provocative exploration of the past, present, and future of water in the West, James Lawrence Powell begins at Lake Powell, the vast reservoir that has become an emblem of this story. At present, Lake Powell is less than half full. Bathtub rings ten stories tall encircle its blue water; boat ramps and marinas lie stranded and useless. To refill it would require surplus water—but there is no surplus: burgeoning populations and thirsty crops consume every drop of the Colorado River. Add to this picture the looming effects of global warming and drought, and the scenario becomes bleaker still. Dead Pool, featuring rarely seen historical photographs, explains why America built the dam that made Lake Powell and others like it and then allowed its citizens to become dependent on their benefits, which were always temporary. Writing for a wide audience, Powell shows us exactly why an urgent threat during the first half of the twenty-first century will come not from the rising of the seas but from the falling of the reservoirs.Carnivorous pitcher plants, pygmy conifers, and the Tiburon jewel flower, restricted to a small patch of serpentine soil on Tiburon…
Peninsula in Marin County, are just a few of California's many amazing endemic plants—species that are unique to particular locales. California boasts an abundance of endemic plants precisely because it also boasts the richest geologic diversity of any place in North America, perhaps in the world. In lively prose, Arthur Kruckeberg gives a geologic travelogue of California's unusual soils and land forms and their associated plants—including serpentines, carbonate rocks, salt marshes, salt flats, and vernal pools—demonstrating along the way how geology shapes plant life. Adding a fascinating chapter to the story of California's remarkable biodiversity, this accessible book also draws our attention to the pressing need for conservation of the state's many rare and fascinating plants and habitats. *148 outstanding, accurate photographs, more than 100 incolor, illustrate California's diverse flora *Covers a wide range of locations including the Channel Islands, the Central Valley, wetlands, bristlecone pine forests, and bogs and fens *Provides selected trip itineraries for viewing the state's geobotanical wonders *Includes information on human influences on the California landscape from the early Spanish explores through the gold rush and to the presentElectricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics
Par J. L. Heilbron. 2023
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out…
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1979.Ardipithecus kadabba: Late Miocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia (The Middle Awash Series)
Par Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Giday Woldegabriel. 2023
The second volume in a series dedicated to fossil discoveries made in the Afar region of Ethiopia, this work contains…
the definitive description of the geological context and paleoenvironment of the early hominid Ardipithecus kadabba. This research by an international team describes Middle Awash late Miocene faunal assemblages recovered from sediments firmly dated to between 5.2 and 5.8 million years ago. Compared to other assemblages of similar age, the Middle Awash record is unparalleled in taxonomic diversity, composed of 2,760 specimens representing at least sixty five mammalian genera. This comprehensive evaluation of the vertebrates from the end of the Miocene in Africa provides detailed morphological and taxonomic descriptions of dozens of taxa, including species new to science. It also incorporates results from analyses of paleoenvironment, paleobiogeography, biochronology, and faunal turnover around the Pliocene-Miocene boundary, opening a new window on the evolution of mammals, African fauna, and its environments.Elephant Seals: Population Ecology, Behavior, and Physiology
Par Burney J. Le Boeuf, Richard M. Laws. 2023
The largest of all seals, elephant seals rank among the most impressive of marine mammals. They are renowned for their…
spectacular recovery from near-extinction at the end of the nineteenth century when seal hunters nearly eliminated the entire northern species. No other vertebrate has come so close to extinction and made such a complete recovery. The physiological extremes that elephant seals can tolerate are also remarkable: females fast for a month while lactating, and the largest breeding males fast for over one hundred days during the breeding seasons, at which times both sexes lose forty percent of their body weight. Elephant seals dive constantly during their long foraging migrations, spending more time under water than most whales and diving deeper and longer than any other marine mammal. This first book-length discussion of elephant seals brings together worldwide expertise from scientists who describe and debate recent research, including the history and status of various populations, their life-history tactics, and other findings obtained with the help of modern microcomputer diving instruments attached to free-ranging seals. Essential for all marine mammalogists for its information and its methodological innovations, Elephant Seals will also illuminate current debates about species extinctions and possible means of preventing them. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1994.Native Shrubs of Southern California (California Natural History Guides #15)
Par Peter H. Raven. 2023
Southern California, with its valleys, high mountains and deserts, is exceptionally rich in native shrubs. Within this richly diversified area…
grow approximately 400 kinds of shrubs, and the great majority of them are mentioned in this book, which includes both color and black and white illustrations.Saving the Prairies: The Life Cycle of the Founding School of American Plant Ecology, 1895-1955
Par Ronald C. Tobey. 2023
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out…
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.Natural Resources: Quality and Quantity
Par James J. Parsons, S. V. Ciriacy-Wantrup. 2023
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out…
and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.Introduction to California Plant Life: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides #69)
Par Phyllis M. Faber, Robert Ornduff, Todd Keeler Wolf. 2023
California’s unique plants range in size from the stately Coast Redwoods to the minute belly plants of the southern deserts…
and in age from the four-thousand year-old Bristlecone Pines to ephemeral annuals whose life span can be counted in weeks. Available at last in a thoroughly updated and revised edition, this popular book is the only concise overview of the state’s remarkable flora, its plant communities, and the environmental factors that shape them. * 188 color photographs illustrate plants and typical plant communities around the state * New chapters give expanded discussions of the evolution of the California landscape, recent changes in California's flora, and more * Introduces basic concepts of plant taxonomy and plant ecology through clear examples and covers topics such as soil, climate, and geographyProcess Plant Design
Par Robin Smith. 2023
Process Plant Design An introductory practical guide to process plant design for students of chemical engineering and practicing chemical engineers.…
Process Plant Design provides an introductory practical guide to the subject for undergraduate and postgraduate students of chemical engineering, and practicing chemical engineers. Process Plant Design starts by presenting general background from the early stages of chemical process projects and moves on to deal with the infrastructure required to support the operation of process plants. The reliability, maintainability and availability issues addressed in the text are important for process safety, and the avoidance of high maintenance costs, adverse environmental impact, and unnecessary process breakdowns that might prevent production targets being achieved. A practical approach is presented for the systematic synthesis of process control schemes, which has traditionally received little attention, especially when considering overall process control systems. The development of preliminary piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) is addressed, which are key documents in process engineering. A guide is presented for the choice of materials of construction, which affects resistance to corrosion, mechanical design and the capital cost of equipment. Whilst the final mechanical design of vessels and equipment is normally carried out by specialist mechanical engineers, it is still necessary for process designers to have an understanding of mechanical design for a variety of reasons. Finally, Process Plant Design considers layout, which has important implications for safety, environmental impact, and capital and operating costs. To aid reader comprehension, Process Plant Design features worked examples throughout the text. Process Plant Design is a valuable resource on the subject for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of chemical engineering, as well as practicing chemical engineers working in process design. The text is also useful for industrial disciplines related to chemical engineering working on the design of chemical processes.Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems (Ieee Press Ser.)
Par Gilbert M. Masters, Kevin F. Hsu. 2023
RENEWABLE AND EFFICIENT ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS Join the energy revolution—this comprehensive resource offers quantitative and practical approaches for designing a…
sustainable, 21st-century electricity system, covering renewable generation technologies, conventional power plants, energy efficiency, storage, and microgrids. Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems dives into the fundamentals of modern electricity systems, introducing key technologies, economic and environmental impacts, and practical considerations for energy and climate professionals. The book explains the science and engineering underlying renewable energy—including solar, wind, and hydropower—along with an expanded set of key energy technologies such as fuel cells, batteries, and hydrogen. This updated edition prepares readers to participate in the world’s ongoing efforts to decarbonize the electricity sector and move toward a more sustainable future. The book covers foundational knowledge of electric power, up through current developments and future prospects for renewable energy. The update significantly expands core content to address topics such as energy efficiency, smart grids, energy storage, and microgrids. It reframes energy as an integral factor in urban development and highlights forward-looking strategies to decarbonize the built environment. The text draws on a multi-scalar approach that ranges from utility-scale to building-scale to assess energy systems, and further considers centralized vs. distributed system architecture. The authors integrate perspectives from engineering professionals across different sectors, incorporating relevant insights from applied projects, with an eye toward implementing energy systems in the real world. Given the textbook’s broad reach, this edition situates energy development in an international context and provides examples relevant to a global audience. An essential resource for engineers and other practitioners working in climate and energy, offering cutting-edge frameworks and quantitative approaches to energy system design. Early chapters develop the skills and knowledge necessary for students and professionals entering the clean energy field. Later chapters offer an excellent bridge to prepare advanced students for further study in power engineering, or who intend to pursue policy or economic analysis. Step-by-step explanations of quantitative analysis are supplemented with additional practice problems to encourage self-instruction or complement classroom use. Accessible explanations provide planners and policymakers with fundamental technical understanding of energy systems. Combines pure technical analysis with economic and environmental considerations, and explores the link between energy, carbon, and new digital technologies, to provide a more comprehensive approach to energy education. As the world undergoes a transformation in energy and electricity, Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems is an indispensable text for students of energy, environment, and climate, as well as for practitioners seeking to refresh their understanding of renewable energy systems.An Introduction to Data-Driven Control Systems
Par Ali Khaki-Sedigh. 2024
An Introduction to Data-Driven Control Systems An introduction to the emerging dominant paradigm in control design Model-based approaches to control…
systems design have long dominated the control systems design methodologies. However, most models require substantial prior or assumed information regarding the plant’s structure and internal dynamics. The data-driven paradigm in control systems design, which has proliferated rapidly in recent decades, requires only observed input-output data from plants, making it more flexible and broadly applicable. An Introduction to Data-Driven Control Systems provides a foundational overview of data-driven control systems methodologies. It presents key concepts and theories in an accessible way, without the need for the complex mathematics typically associated with technical publications in the field, and raises the important issues involved in applying these approaches. The result is a highly readable introduction to what promises to become the dominant control systems design paradigm. Readers will also find: An overview of philosophical-historical issues accompanying the emergence of data-driven control systems Design analysis of several conventional data-driven control systems design methodologies Algorithms and simulation results, with numerous examples, to facilitate the implementation of methods An Introduction to Data-Driven Control Systems is ideal for students and researchers in control theory or any other research area related to plant design and production.Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems
Par MengChu Zhou, JunQi Zhang. 2024
Comprehensive guide on learning automata, introducing two variants to accelerate convergence and computational update speed Learning Automata and Their Applications…
to Intelligent Systems provides a comprehensive guide on learning automata from the perspective of principles, algorithms, improvement directions, and applications. The text introduces two variants to accelerate the convergence speed and computational update speed, respectively; these two examples demonstrate how to design new learning automata for a specific field from the aspect of algorithm design to give full play to the advantage of learning automata. As noisy optimization problems exist widely in various intelligent systems, this book elaborates on how to employ learning automata to solve noisy optimization problems from the perspective of algorithm design and application. The existing and most representative applications of learning automata include classification, clustering, game, knapsack, network, optimization, ranking, and scheduling. They are well-discussed. Future research directions to promote an intelligent system are suggested. Written by two highly qualified academics with significant experience in the field, Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems covers such topics as: Mathematical analysis of the behavior of learning automata, along with suitable learning algorithms Two application-oriented learning automata: one to discover and track spatiotemporal event patterns, and the other to solve stochastic searching on a line Demonstrations of two pioneering variants of Optimal Computing Budge Allocation (OCBA) methods and how to combine learning automata with ordinal optimization How to achieve significantly faster convergence and higher accuracy than classical pursuit schemes via lower computational complexity of updating the state probabilityA timely text in a rapidly developing field, Learning Automata and Their Applications to Intelligent Systems is an essential resource for researchers in machine learning, engineering, operation, and management. The book is also highly suitable for graduate level courses on machine learning, soft computing, reinforcement learning and stochastic optimization.