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The six-volume set LNCS 14608, 14609, 14609, 14610, 14611, 14612 and 14613 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 46th European Conference on IR Research, ECIR 2024, held in Glasgow, UK, during March 24–28, 2024.The 57 full papers, 18 finding papers, 36 short papers, 26 IR4Good papers, 18 demonstration papers, 9 reproducibility papers, 8 doctoral consortium papers, and 15 invited CLEF papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 578 submissions. The accepted papers cover the state of the art in information retrieval focusing on user aspects, system and foundational aspects, machine learning, applications, evaluation, new social and technical challenges, and other topics of direct or indirect relevance to search.

Health and wellness foods, snacks and beverages are of increasing importance to manufacturers as consumer interest in healthy lifestyles and the demand for healthier products and services continue to escalate. Transparency of the supply chain, traceability of the ingredients and processing methods and sustainability are the major concerns for modern consumers. Incorporating new ingredients with traditional products is an important strategy for the food industry to reformulate healthier and value-added foods, with the heart of health and wellness food products being flavoring ingredients, which deliver food and drink formats tasting just like the beloved original food products. To meet the growth of health and wellness food products in the market, new opportunities for flavor suppliers will include flavor raw materials and their applications in food products. Flavor-Associated Applications in Health and Wellness Food Products focuseson flavor and its application in health and wellness food products. The first section comprehensively covers the role of flavor in health and wellness products, while the second focuses on flavoring labels, ingredient suitability and safety with specific case studies. Further sections focus on sugar, fat, salt and alcohol reduction, flavor solutions for plant-based protein, flavor perception and direct health benefits. With no book on the current market focusing on health and wellness foods from a flavor perspective, this work is a valuable single source for product developers, manufacturers and researchers in need of a comprehensive summary of key recent developments regarding flavor-associated applications in health and wellness food products.

This book is a comprehensive, up-to-date reference on general and subspecialty gynecology. Covering all aspects of gynecology commonly encountered in day-to-day practice, this exhaustive and fully updated new edition provides a practical, one-stop reference work for clinicians working in the field.This carefully-designed volume includes ten sections, beginning with comprehensive coverage of office-based gynecology, and continuing on to present disease processes and management information by patient age group. Each chapter includes background information, current recommendations for screening, diagnostic criteria, common and uncommon associated problems, approach to diagnosis, summary of treatment options, and an overview of ICD-10 codes for specific diagnoses. Importantly, many areas that are covered in the handbook as subspecialty problems are pertinent and important information to many of the general practitioners who handle and develop some expertise in these areas. These include ovulation induction, medical management of incontinence, management of abnormal Pap smears, and work-up of abnormal bleeding. The handbook concludes with an easy-to-navigate presentation of minimally-invasive operations, surgical procedures, neoplasms, and pathology. Advantages and risks associated with management of particular diseases are covered, along with multiple tips for avoiding complications.This second edition is fully updated. With extensive updates on cervical cancer screening, pelvic organ prolapse, and more, many chapters will be completely rewritten to reflect the latest guidelines, procedures, and methods of care in women's health. The text additionally includes two new chapters, covering the impact of COVID on gynecology care, and the work-up and surgical management of chronic pelvic pain.This is an ideal guide for practicing gynecologists, family and internal medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, fellows, residents, medical students, and all women's health care providers.

This encyclopedia, edited by the past editors and founder of the Journal of Business Ethics, is the only reference work dedicated entirely to business and professional ethics. Containing over 2000 entries, this multi-volume, major research reference work provides a broad-based disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to all of the key topics in the field. The encyclopedia draws on three interdisciplinary and over-lapping fields: business ethics, professional ethics and applied ethics although the main focus is on business ethics. The breadth of scope of this work draws upon the expertise of human and social scientists, as well as that of professionals and scientists in varying fields. This work has come to fruition by making use of the expert academic input from the extraordinarily rich population of current and past editorial board members and section editors of and contributors to the Journal of Business Ethics.

Superfoods have come to the forefront of the public imagination due to a combination of presumed health benefits and cultural mystique. Much of the literature on these foods, however, is based upon rostrums and diet plans that accept the health claims of superfoods without subjecting them to rigorous scrutiny. Superfoods: Cultural and Scientific Perspectives examines these food products from a blended science and cultural viewpoint, presenting a balanced, evidence-based view of each food item. Following a discussion of “superfoods” as a category, the book's chapters examine individual superfoods, including but not limited to: avocados, chocolate, wine, berries, and fish oil. Presented in a systemic manner, each chapter provides a cultural history of the superfood; a survey of the current state of nutritional research on the food and its health claims; an exploration of related science topics to enhance understanding of the superfood, (i.e., a survey of the botany, biology, or chemistry studies); social issues associated with the superfood, such as sustainability, environmental health concerns, agricultural issues, fair trade and marketing issues; and one to three recipes featuring the superfood. This combination of scientific and cultural perspectives makes Superfoods an invaluable reference for academics, industry professionals, and lay-readers alike.

This book is a comprehensive and easy-to-read guide to obstetrics and gynecology in developing countries. Although significant progress has been made towards the reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity globally, they are still unacceptably high in developing countries. This can be directly or indirectly tied to poor quality maternal health care and lack of access to cost-effective, comprehensive healthcare. Health practitioners in developing countries also contend with trying to keep abreast of recent developments in obstetrics and gynecology while dealing with lack of time, resources, and access to relevant information. This textbook was thus created by experts in obstetrics and gynecology with extensive experience in African clinical settings and consultants in developed countries to teach proper and accurate diagnosis, treatment and management of gynecologic and obstetric health issues within the context of developing countries.This second edition has been fully updated throughout with an added 25+ chapters that cover topics such as reproductive health, gynecological cancers and research methods. The book is divided into six sections: Women's Reproductive Health; Obstetrics; Medical and Surgical Disorders in Pregnancy; General Gynecology; Gynecological Malignancies; Health Systems Organization, Research Methodology and Biostatistics. These section topics have been carefully covered by expert authors with the use of valid scientific data, policy instruments, and adapted to the cultural and social context of developing countries, with particular in depth coverage of conditions that have greater prevalence and incidence in developing countries. Each chapter also focuses on filling gaps in knowledge with a distinct pedagogical approach, starting with a set of learning objectives and ending with key takeaways for the chapter.This is an ideal guide for residents, medical students, practitioners of obstetrics and gynecology, midwives, general practitioners, and pediatricians, particularly those working in developing companies.

This textbook provides students with comprehensive insights on the classical and contemporary marketing theories and their practical implications. A fourth, revised edition of Marketing Management, the text features new classical and contemporary cases, new interdisciplinary and cross-functional implications of business management theories, contemporary marketing management principles and. futuristic application of marketing management theories and concepts. The core and complex issues are presented in a simplified manner providing students with a stimulating learning experience that enables critical thinking, understanding and future application. Each chapter features a chapter summary, key terms, review and discussion questions and a practice quiz. Throughout the text there are also specific teaching features to provide students and instructors with an enhanced pedagogical experience. These features include: The Manager's Corner: These sections provide real-world examples that instructors may highlight to exemplify theory or as mini-cases for discussion. Marketing in Action: These sections ask students to apply concepts and theories to actual business situations. Web Exercises: These mini sections provide students with real world issues and suggest websites for more information. In addition, the authors provide ancillary lecture notes and Solution/Instructors manual online to aid instructors in their teaching activities.

Eating, including the provision of food and the consumption of food, is the biggest industry in the world, and a major contributor to our health, and to our enjoyment. This book on “Eating” is a unique and novel multi-disciplinary presentation of the whole breadth of research and discussion of the factors that impact eating, and reciprocally the factors that eating impacts. The purpose of this book is to familiarize readers with the areas of eating research and discussion with which they might not be familiar. The multi-disciplinary approach includes the basic and applied sciences (including biology, ecology, nutrition, and food science, as well as important behavioral and social sciences (including history, development, culinary arts, food service, business and marketing). The book ends with a review of current trends and predictions of the future for multiple aspects of eating.

Sucking pests are most notorious group of pests for agricultural crops. Unlike most pests with chewing mouth parts, sucking pests cause more severe damage to the crops and are complex to get identified until advanced stages of infection. Not only is this late detection detrimental to their effective control, sucking pests also often cause fungal growth and virus transmission. The book emphasizes on sucking pests of most major crops of India. It aims to reflect Indian scenario before the international readership. This book complies comprehensive information on sucking pests of crops and brings the attention of the readers to this multiple damage causing insect complex. The chapters are contributed by highly experienced Indigenous experts from Universities & ICAR institutes, and book collates useful content for students and young researchers in plant pathology, entomology and agriculture.

Das Standardlehrbuch für neue und erfahrene Pflegekräfte sowie für Operationstechnische Assistenten (OTA) bietet aktuelles und umfangreiches Wissen für die tägliche Arbeit im OP. Aufgrund ihrer Vielfältigkeit erfordert die Tätigkeit im OP ein hohes Maß an Flexibilität, vielseitige Kompetenzen und kontinuierliche Lernbereitschaft. Meistern Sie diese Herausforderungen und lernen Sie von den erfahrenen Autoren alle wesentlichen Grundlagen für ihre pflegerische Weiterbildung und die Praxis: Anatomie, Instrumentarium, Nahtmaterial, medizinische Geräte, Vor- und Nachbereitung der Operation und Lagerung. Auch die Themen Risikomanagement und Dokumentation werden fachspezifisch dargestellt.Die 7. Auflage wurde komplett bearbeitet, aktualisiert und um das Kapitel Transplantation und Explantation erweitert; das Kapitel zur'Kinderchirurgie'wurde neu geschrieben.

Sustainable increase in agricultural production while keeping the environmental quality, agro-ecosystem function and biodiversity is a real challenge in current agricultural practices. Application of PGPR can help in meeting the expected demand for increasing agricultural productivity to feed the world's booming population. Global concern over the demerits of chemicals in agriculture has diverted the attention of researchers towards sustainable agriculture by utilizing the potential of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Use of PGPR as biofertilizers, biopesticides, soil, and plant health managers has gained considerable agricultural and commercial significance. The book Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR): Prospects for Sustainable Agriculture has contributions in the form of book chapter from 25 eminent global researchers, that discusses about the PGPRs and their role in growth promotion of various crop plants, suppression of wide range of phytopathogens, their formulation, effect of various factors on growth and performance of PGPR, assessment of diversity of PGPR through microsatellites and role of PGPR in mitigating biotic and abiotic stress.This book will be helpful for students, teachers, researchers, and entrepreneurs involved in PGPR and allied fields. The book will be highly useful to researchers, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.

Since the publication of the 1/e in 1977, Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract has consolidated its position as the leading textbook of gynecological pathology. An essential reference for all pathologists and residents, this thoroughly updated Seventh Edition includes more than 1400 illustrations in color, informative tables and 22 revised chapters written by internationally recognized experts.Discussion of each specific entity is organized to include general information, etiology, and epidemiology followed by clinical features, pathologic findings, differential diagnosis, clinical behavior, and treatment. This clear organization is applied throughout the book and allows the reader to quickly access key information in every chapter.Blaustein's Pathology of the Female Genital Tract remains the gold-standard reference for practicing pathologists and trainees, as well as for obstetric/gynecology practitioners and residents. Please find the index under “Back Matter” freely available on SpringerLink https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007%2F978-3-319-46334-6.

This book highlights minimum standards relating to the management of different conditions in the practice of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The editors explore clinical governance issues, common causes of as well as ways to avoid litigation. The UK is experiencing a dramatic increase in medico-legal claims. The 4 main reasons for litigation are: accountability, the need for an explanation, concern with standards of care and compensation. However the decision to take legal action is determined not only by the original injury, but failure to provide information, an explanation and an apology. Insensitive handling of an injury and poor communication after the original incident increases the risk of litigation and erodes the patient-doctor relationship. Doctors almost never deliberately cause harm to patients, however increasingly claims are being defended successfully. This book is invaluable to clinicians and lawyers alike and raises awareness ofhow to avoid facing clinical negligence claims in our day to day practice.

This book, written by an international team of prominent authors, gathers the latest developments in mobile technologies for the acquisition, management, analysis and sharing of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in the context of Earth observation. It is divided into three parts, the first of which presents case studies on the implementation of VGI for Earth observation, discusses the characteristics of volunteers'engagement in relation with their expertise and motivation, analyzes the tasks they are called upon to perform, and examines the available tools for developing VGI. In turn, the second part introduces readers to essential methods, techniques and algorithms used to develop mobile information systems based on VGI for distinct Earth observation tasks, while the last part focuses on the drawbacks and limitations of VGI with regard to the above-mentioned tasks and proposes innovative methods and techniques to help overcome them. Given its breadth of coverage, the bookoffers a comprehensive, practice-oriented reference guide for researchers and practitioners in the field of geo-information management.

This book initiates the descriptions of the practical performance of different hysterectomies with conventional and robotically assisted laparoscopy, laparotomy and vaginal surgery. Laparoscopic hysterectomy has been out as an additional technique for hysterectomies for the last couple of decades. As the necessary light, augmentation and advanced skill has only been introduced into this already 200 year old surgical procedure within the last few decades by laparoscopy, the editors aim to look at the laparoscopic procedures followed by the traditional techniques of hysterectomy with laparotomy and vaginal surgery.

Plant-parasitic nematodes are recognized as one of the greatest threats to crop production throughout the world. Estimated annual crop losses of $8 billion in the United States and $78 billion worldwide are attributed to plant parasitic nematodes. Plant parasitic nematodes not only cause damage individually but form disease-complexes with other microorganisms thereby increasing crop loss. Nematode diseases of crops are difficult to control because of their insidious nature and lack of specific diagnostic symptoms which closely resemble those caused by other plant pathogens and abiotic diseases. Future developments of sustainable management systems for preventing major economical agricultural losses due to nematodes is focused on strategies that limit production costs, enhance crop yields, and protect the environment. This book presents a first compendium and overview for nematode problems and their management across North America. Each chapter provides essential information on the occurrence and distribution of plant parasitic nematodes, their major crop hosts, impact on crop production and sustainable management strategies for each region of the continent including, Canada, Mexico and all states of the USA. For each region, a thematic overview of changes in crop production affected by plant parasitic nematodes and their management strategies over time will provide invaluable information on the important role of plant parasitic nematodes in sustainable agriculture.

OP-Wissen auf höchstem Niveau!Dieses Fachbuch bietet neuen und erfahrenen Pflegekräften sowie Operationstechnischen Assistenten (OTA) aktuelles und umfangreiches Wissen für die tägliche Arbeit im OP. Der Operationsdienst mit den unterschiedlichen chirurgischen Disziplinen erfordert ein hohes Maß an Flexibilität, vielseitige Kompetenzen und kontinuierliche Lernbereitschaft. Meistern Sie diese Herausforderungen und lernen Sie von den erfahrenen Autoren alle wesentlichen und maßgeblichen Aspekte für die Praxis. Die übersichtliche inhaltliche Gestaltung ermöglicht Ihnen einen schnellen Zugang zu den Informationen. So bleiben Sie auf dem aktuellen Stand und sind bereit für neue Einsätze im operativen Bereich.

This book details the histologic clues in diagnosing the inflammatory dermatoses and neoplastic process of the vulva. The inflammatory dermatoses are divided into histologic patterns to aid recognition. Expert authors provide updates on ancillary techniques such as special stains, immunohistochemistry and chromogenic in situ hybridization when applicable. New advances in classifying squamous lesions as well as staging melanocytic lesions are outlined. They include the recent CAP/ASCCP (College of American Pathologists and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology) lower anogenital squamous terminology for HPV-associated lesions and the 2009 AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) staging system for melanoma. New advances in molecular findings and potential targeted therapy are discussed for the squamous, melanocytic, adnexal and soft tissue tumors whenever it is pertinent. Vulvar Pathology will be a useful diagnostic guide for general pathologists, pathology trainees, dermatopathologists, dermatologists, and gynecologic pathologists in rendering diagnoses in vulvar inflammatory dermatoses as well as melanocytic, squamous, adnexal, and soft tissue neoplasms of the vulva.​

Minimally invasive surgery has become the standard treatment for many diseases and conditions. In the last decade, numerous studies have demonstrated that laparoscopic approaches have improved patients'quality of life if compared with standard open procedures. Atlas of Single-Port, Laparoscopic, and Robotic Surgery serves as a guide in single-port, standard laparoscopy, and robotic surgery and shows how novel techniques, such as single-port laparoscopy and robotics, have recently evolved. The atlas illustrates the unique challenges that the new single-port surgery modality presents, including instruments crowding and articulation, and the advanced laparoscopic skills required to perform these procedures, such as the ability to move and control a flexible camera. It also illustrates how to efficiently and safely utilize the robot to perform most gynecologic procedures. This exceptional resource provides students, residents, fellows, operating room personnel, and practicing gynecologic surgeons with invaluable information about instrumentation, surgical technique, port systems, and the current research and development in robotics.

I intend to fill, with this book, a need that has long been felt by students and professionals in many areas of agricultural, biological, natural, and environmental sciences-the need for a comprehensive reference book on many important aspects of trace elements in the'land'environment. This book is different from other books on trace elements (also commonly referred to as heavy metals) in that each chapter focuses on a particular element, which in tum is discussed in terms of its importance in our economy, its natural occurrence, its fate and behavior in the soil-plant system, its requirement by and detriment to plants, its health limits in drinking water and food, and its origin in the environment. Because of long­ distance transport to pristine areas of cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc in relatively large quantities, these elements have an extra section on natural ecosystems. A blend of pictorial and tabular data are provided to enhance understanding of the relevant information being conveyed. Since individual chapters are independent of one another, they are arranged alphabetically. However, readers with weak backgrounds in soil science are advised to start with the chapter on zinc, since soil terminology is discussed in more detail here. Sections on sorption, forms and speciation, complexation, and transformations become more technical as soil physical-(bio)chemical phenomena are discussed. The less important'environmental'trace elements are discussed together in the'Other Trace Elements'chapter.

The phenomenon of volunteered geographic information is part of a profound transformation in how geographic data, information, and knowledge are produced and circulated. By situating volunteered geographic information (VGI) in the context of big-data deluge and the data-intensive inquiry, the 20 chapters in this book explore both the theories and applications of crowdsourcing for geographic knowledge production with three sections focusing on 1). VGI, Public Participation, and Citizen Science; 2). Geographic Knowledge Production and Place Inference; and 3). Emerging Applications and New Challenges. This book argues that future progress in VGI research depends in large part on building strong linkages with diverse geographic scholarship. Contributors of this volume situate VGI research in geography's core concerns with space and place, and offer several ways of addressing persistent challenges of quality assurance in VGI. This book positions VGI as part of a shift toward hybrid epistemologies, and potentially a fourth paradigm of data-intensive inquiry across the sciences. It also considers the implications of VGI and the exaflood for further time-space compression and new forms, degrees of digital inequality, the renewed importance of geography, and the role of crowdsourcing for geographic knowledge production.

Reproduktionsmedizin - das gesamte Spektrum des Fachgebiets umfassend und informativ dargestellt von namhaften Experten.Die Betreuung von Paaren mit Kinderwunsch und vor allem ungewollt kinderloser Paare ist für jeden Gynäkologen und Reproduktionsmediziner eine Herausforderung. Komplexes Wissen und das Verständnis nicht nur der Physiologie der menschlichen Fortpflanzung, sondern auch psychosomatischer, gynäkologischer, andrologischer, juristischer und ethischer Aspekte sind essenziell.Das Buch bietet umfassend Informationen zu allen wichtigen Themenfeldern der modernen Reproduktionsmedizin. Es führt praxisnah und wissenschaftlich fundiert Schritt für Schritt von den physiologischen Grundlagen der Empfängnis und Sterilität, über die Diagnostik hin zu den verschiedenen reproduktionsmedizinischen Techniken. Komplikationen, die während der Therapie auftreten können und der Umgang damit werden erläutert.Die Behandlung besonderer Patientengruppen, z.B. der Patientin mit Endometriose, der Patientin mit uterinen Fehlbildungen sind berücksichtigt.Auch die Gesetzgebung sowie rechtliche und ethische Aspekte gilt es zu beachten. Finden Sie kommentiert die aktuelle europäische Gesetzgebung und rechtliche Regelungen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz sowie ein eigenes Kapitel zur Ethik.Praxisnaher Leitfaden und umfassendes Nachschlagewerk rund um die Reproduktionsmedizin für jeden Gynäkologen, der mit Fortpflanzung und Kinderwunsch zu tun hat

The European Union initially demonstrated its interest in waste in the late 70s with the progamme on Waste Recycling Research and Development. At that time composting was only present as a coordination activity and it was only later that specific research programmes in the area were within Europe which was largely instrumental in setting up a series of European conferences, seminars and work­ shops. Some of these have resulted in publications which have made significant contributions to developments in the understanding of composting and the use of composts. In particular the outputs from meetings in Oxford ( 1984), Udine (1986), Neresheim ( 1988) and Angers ( 1991) are worthy of note. Composting has seen significant changes since the 70s when the major thrust in Europe was using mixed municipal solid waste as a feed material. Many com­ posting plants which were built to use this material were closed due to the poor quality of the compost which made it very difficult to market. As a result the main areas of interest, as far as the municipa1ities are concemed, are now with biowaste and source-separated organics. This interest is apparent from the many new plants which are being constructed across Europe, and the ready market which exists for the products. In parallel with the renewed interest of the municipalities other areas, such as agriculture and the wastewater treatment industries, are also developing their own schemes.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

The world-wide shortage of plant production menacing the survival of many people demands for more and better research, particularly on how to increase food and where it is most needed. Major problems of international concern for the scientific community are the availability in soil media of macro and micro nutrients and the efficiency of nutrient uptake by plant roots, the interactions between nutrients and other factors, the distribution of nutrients in different plant species, biochemical functions of nutrient elements, and their contribution to plant growth, yield and product quality. Feasibility and profit are also permanent concerns about plant nutrition in crop management, to which new require­ ments are now imposed by the need to decrease pollution hazards, a problem of prime importance to preserve the environment of the future. is A deeper insight into basic knowledge further required as well as into practical problems in the domains of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Such has been the concern of the International Association for the Optimization of Plant Nutrition (IAOPN) since 1964, promoting International Colloquia every four years as an opportunity for scientists concerned with plant nutrition to report new findings and to exchange ideas, experiences, and techniques. The Eighth International Colloquium for the Optimization of Plant Nutrition was hosted by Portugal and held in Lisbon from 31 August to 8 September 1992, with 280 delegates from 34 countries.

This volume discusses a broad range of vital issues encompassing the production and consumption of food in the current period of climate change. All of these add up to looming, momentous challenges to food security, especially for people in regions where malnutrition and famine have been the norm during numerous decades. Furthermore, threats to food security do not stop at the borders of more affluent countries – governance of food systems and changes in eating patterns will have worldwide consequences. The book is arranged in four broad sections. Part I, Combating Food Insecurity: A Global Responsibility opens with a chapter describing the urgent necessity for new paradigm and policy set to meet the food security challenges of climate change. Also in this section are chapters on meat and the dimensions of animal welfare, climate change and sustainability; on dietary options for mitigating climate change; and the linkage of forest and food production in the context of the REDD+ approach to valuation of forests. Part II, Managing Linkages Between Climate Change and Food Security offers a South Asian perspective on Gender, Climate Change and Household Food Security; a chapter on food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa; and separate chapters on critical issues of food supply and production in Nigeria, far-Western Nepal and the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon. Part III examines Food Security and patterns of production and consumption, with chapters focused on Morocco, Thailand, Bahrain, Kenya and elsewhere. The final section discusses successful, innovative practices, with chapters on Food Security in Knowledge-Based Economy; Biosaline Agriculture in the Gulf States; Rice production in a cotton zone of Benin; palm oil in the production of biofuel; and experiments in raised-bed wheat production. The editors argue that technical prescriptions are insufficient to manage the food security challenge. They propose and explain a holistic approach for adapting food systemsto global environmental change, which demands the engagement of many disciplines – a new, sustainable food security paradigm.

Potato is the fourth major staple food in the world and is still rapidly gaining importance, especially in the tropics. In May, 1994 the second international potato modelling conference was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands, as a summerschool of the C. T. de Wit Graduate School. The conference was sponsored by DLO, SCRI, SSCR, W AU and the LEB-Fund. Over 80 scientists participated, coming from 16 countries. Of each crop physiological and modelling subject, a leading scientist was requested to write a review of the most recent developments in his or her field. The reviews, with highlights from the authors'own work, are such that the physiological work described is of interest to the modeller and the modelling work to the crop physiologist. Applications of the quantitative approach are also reviewed in the concluding chapters that deal with decision support systems, breeding and agro-ecological zoning. An outstanding point of this book is that both the crop ecology and the modelling of a broad range of biotic and abiotic factors are treated by scientists representing groups which are specialized in the subject. The two related disciplines met during the conference and thus wrote the chapters with each other's interest in mind. The book highlights the limitations for potato growth and development from the viewpoints of both the crop physiologist and the crop-systems analyst.

The economic significance of boron (B) in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry has been beyond dispute for several decades. Even in the last two decades, the areas where B deficiency limits plant production has grown with increased reports from China, south Asia and southeast Asia. The present volume is reflective of the growing awareness of the significance of low soil B with reports from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, north, central and southern China, India, Nepal, and the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan contained herein. Boron deficiency also continues to be a problem for crop yield and quality in areas where B deficiency has been known for some time, for example in Germany and the USA. The problem of low soil B is not limited to effects on field crop yield, with papers reporting on depressed wood yield and quality in timber trees (Lambert et al.), and depressed fruit quality (Dong et al. ; Smith et al. : Zude et al.) also appearing in the present volume. Globally, Shorrocks (1997)1 estimates that?? tonnes of B fertiliser is applied annually in agriculture. The economic benefits from the use of B fertiliser have not been quantified but are clearly enormous. Paradoxically, the clear economic imperatives for using B fertiliser on low B soils are not matched by a similar clarity of understanding of the role and functions of B in plants.

This book contains the proceedings of the `8th Nitrogen Workshop'which was held at the University of Ghent, Belgium, from 5 to 8 September 1994. Although nitrogen dynamics in different ecosystems have been studied for several decades, new orientations and other emphases have recently emerged. Previously, nitrogen was considered as an essential element mostly in terms of productivity, but now, more emphasis is attached to environmental consequences. More than 100 contributions in this book tackle recent developments within the fields of nitrogen advice systems, plant response to fertilization, immobilization and mobilization, nitrification, denitrification, leaching, ammonia volatilization and biological nitrogen fixation. A large number of papers is devoted to the formation of gaseous nitrogen compounds, while mineralization-immobilization is another topic of important interest. The book also contains the reports of discussion groups on different aspects of the nitrogen cycle.

The goal of the Second International Food Legume Research Conference held in Cairo, Egypt was to build on the success of the first conference held nearly 6 years earlier at Spokane, Washington, USA. It was at that first conference where the decision was made to hold the second Conference in Egypt and so near the ancestral home of these food legume crops. It has been a long held view that the cool season food legumes had their origin in the Mediterranean basin and the Near-east arc, and there is little doubt that food legumes were a staple food of the ancient Egyptian civilization. The cool season food legumes have the reputation for producing at least some yield under adverse conditions of poor fertility and limited moisture, i. e., in circumstances where other crops are likely to fail completely. Yields of cool season food legumes are particularly poor in those regions where they are most important to local populations. The influx of more profitable crops such as wheat, maize, and soybeans have gradually relegated the food legumes to marginal areas with poor fertility and limited water which exposes them to even greater degrees of stress. In the past two decades, production of food legumes has declined in most of the developing countries while at the same time it has expanded greatly in Canada, Australia, and most notably in Turkey.

Information analysis centers were developed to help the scientist and practitioner cope with the ever­ increasing mass of published and unpublished information in a specific field. Their establishment resulted from a further extension of those pressures that had brought about the formation of the specialized primary journal and the abstracting services at the turn of the century. The information analysis center concept was greatly advanced by the 1963 report of the President's Science Advisory Committee Panel on Science Information. This report stated:'... scientific interpreters who can collect relevant data, review a field, and distill information in a manner that goes to the heart of a technical situation are more help to the overburdened specialist than is a mere pile of relevant docu­ ments.'Such specialized information centers are operated in closest possible contact with working scientists in the field. These centers not only furnish information about ongoing research and dis­ seminate and retrieve information but also create new information and develop new methods of infor­ mation analysis, synthesis, and dissemination. The continually expanding biomedical literature produced by scientists from the world's laboratories, research centers, and medical centers led the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke in 1964 to initiate a National Neurological Information Network of specialized centers for neurological information. The Centers are designed to bring under control and to promote ready access to important segments of the literature.

Ein Muss für Pflegende im OP - Das OP-Handbuch in 5., erweiterten Neuauflage, von Praktikern für Praktiker. Hier finden OP-Fachkräfte alle grundlegenden Informationen zu Aufgaben des Pflegepersonals im OP: Techniken, Lagerungen, Vor- und Nachbereitung Instrumentenkunde und Instrumentieren, Nahtmaterial und Geräte, die häufigsten Operationen und spezielle Operationsverläufe und alles Wissenswerte zur Pflegedokumentation. Alle Eingriffe sind nachvollziehbar beschrieben und durch mehr als 1000 vierfarbige Abbildungen ergänzt. Die neuen Kapitel in der 5. Auflage: Organexplantation und endoskopische Eingriffe bei KindernEin Handbuch von Praktikern für Praktiker: Das praxisbezogene Lehrbuch für die OTA-Ausbildung, Fachpflegekräfte im OP-Dienst, Medizinstudenten im Praktischen Jahr - bietet den anerkannten Standard für die Fachweiterbildung im Operationsdienst.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Rough Sets is devoted to the entire spectrum of rough sets related issues, from logical and mathematical foundations, through all aspects of rough set theory and its applications, such as data mining, knowledge discovery, and intelligent information processing, to relations between rough sets and other approaches to uncertainty, vagueness, and incompleteness, such as fuzzy sets and theory of evidence. Volume XIV contains 11 revised extended papers from the 12th International Conference on Rough Sets, Fuzzy Sets, Data Mining and Granular Computing, RSFDGrC 2009, held in Delhi, India. The topics include various rough set generalizations in combination with formal concept analysis, lattice theory, fuzzy sets and belief functions, rough and fuzzy clustering techniques, as well as applications to gene selection, web page recommendation systems, facial recognition, and temporal pattern detection. in addition, this volume contains a regular article on rough multiset and its multiset topology.

After numerous scienti?c papers and books on most aspects of climate change and the design of pro-environmental policies (including some that suit some industrial lobby or another), is there relevance for another book and what is the purported role of this one? Is this yet another academic exercise or “much ado about nothing”? Do we have to bother designing green economic policies and incur transaction costs of this effort? Are there shortcomings of existing policies if we care to live “happily” on this planet? Is it not enough to care for the current generations so that the future generations can take care of themselves (or even be given the incentives for in- vations – for lack of fully provided resources)? What can “we” do about the green economic policies (and what are these anyway)? What trade-offs, if any, are re- vant in foregoing some bene?ts and in incurring some costs (not all of which can be expressed in monetary units)? What are the overarching objectives and priorities in the current context? What economic and other approaches are relevant for atta- ing the objectives? These are some of the questions the author re?ected in writing this book.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Rough Sets, Fuzzy Sets, Data Mining, and Granular Computing, RSFDGrC 2009, held in Delhi, India in December 2009 in conjunction with the Third International Conference on Pattern Recognition and Machine Intelligence, PReMI 2009. RSFDGrC 2009 is the core component of a broader Rough Set Year in India initiative, RSIndia09. The 56 revised full papers presented together with 6 invited papers and a report on the Rough Set Year in India 2009 project were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 130 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on foundations of rough sets and beyond; rought set algorithms and applications; fuzzy set foundations and applications; data mining and knowledge discovery; clustering and current trends in computing; and information retrieval and text mining.

Ethanol as an alternative fuel is receiving a lot of attention because it addresses concerns related to dwindling oil supplies, energy independence, and climate change. The majority of the ethanol in the US is produced from corn starch. With the US Department of Energy's target that 30% of the fuel in the US is produced from renewable resources by 2030, the anticipated demand for corn starch will quickly exceed the current production of corn. This, plus the concern that less grain will become available for food and feed purposes, necessitates the use of other feedstocks for the production of ethanol. For the very same reasons, there is increasing research activity and growing interest in many other biomass crops. Genetic Improvement of Bio-Energy Crops focuses on the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass, which includes corn stover, biomass from dedicated annual and perennial energy crops, and trees as well as a number of important biomass crops. The biomass is typically pretreated through thermochemical processing to make it more amenable to hydrolysis with cellulolytic enzymes. The enzymatic hydrolysis yields monomeric sugars that can be fermented to ethanol by micro-organisms. While much emphasis has been placed on the optimization of thermo-chemical pretreatment processes, production of more efficient hydrolytic enzymes, and the development of robust microbial strains, relatively little effort has been dedicated to the improvement of the biomass itself.

The proposal for this series originated during a short term visit of Professor Mukerji to the Plant Protection Institute of CNR at Bari, Italy, in November 2005. Both editors agreed on the need to produce a volume focusing on recent advances and achievements which changed the practice of crop protection in the last decade. The opera rapidly evolved towards a long term editorial endeavour, yielding a mul- disciplinary series of five volumes. In view of environmental and health concerns, a determined effort is currently made in almost any agroecosystem in the world, to reduce and rationalize the use of chemicals (pesticides, fungicides, nematocides etc.) and to manage pests/pathogens more effectively. This consciousness is not only related to the need of nourishing a still growing world population, but also derives from the impact of side effects of farming, like soil, water and environmental contamination, calling for a responsible conservation of renewable resources. There are increasing expectations at the producers and consumers levels, concerning low inputs agriculture and residues-free food. Disciplines like IPM/IDM (integrated pest management / integrated disease management) are now central to the science and technology of crop protection. In the classical version of IPM/IDM, a pesticide/fungicide is applied only when the pathogen population reaches a level that would lead to economic losses in the crop. In other words, classical IPM/IDM concentrates on reducing the numbers of noxious organisms through the application of agrochemicals.

To create a forum for scientists and clinicians interested in degenerative retinal diseases, we began in 1984 to organize a biennial symposium on Retinal Degeneration as a satellite meeting of the International Congress of Eye Research. The timing and varying location of these meetings provides an important assembly for investigators from throughout the world to convene for presentation of their new findings on the causes and potential therapies for degenerative retinal disorders. The VIII International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration was held from July 28-25, 1998, at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Schluchsee, a small town in the Black Forest of southwestern Germany. Most of the participants in this meeting contributed to this volume, and we are appreciative of the efforts of each author in making this publication possible. The research presented at the meeting, and described in this proceedings volume, reflects a strong emphasis on the molecular genetic approach to understa- ing these disorders. Several of the papers provide important new insights into the mechanism of photoreceptor degeneration and cell death. A number of the studies are targeted at retarding or reversing the degeneration process. Included for the first time are presentations from all the principal laboratories involved in the field of visual prostheses-implant (chip) technology-in which investigations are targeted at restoring vision in eyes that have lost photoreceptor cells. A variety of diagnostic, clinical, histopathological, and physiological assessments of retinal degeneration in patients are also included.