Science and Technology
NOVA publishes a wide array of books from authors around the globe. We invite you to browse our site for subjects of particular interest.
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Quick ViewIs the nature of the atmosphere really so predictable that, as James Mahoney confidently said, “we know that humans are influencing the climate. There’s no question about that”? (TE 2013) This view on the atmosphere can be contrasted with an opposing view by James Glassman, who warned us that “the real world is more unpredictable…
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Quick ViewIs the nature of the atmosphere really so predictable that, as James Mahoney confidently said, “we know that humans are influencing the climate. There’s no question about that”? (TE 2013) This view on the atmosphere can be contrasted with an opposing view by James Glassman, who warned us that “the real world is more unpredictable…
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Quick ViewIncreasing dependence on foreign sources of crude oil, concerns over global climate change, and the desire to promote domestic rural economies have raised interest in renewable biofuels as an alternative to petroleum in the U.S. transportation sector. However, energy from renewable sources has historically been more expensive to produce and use than fossil-fuel-based energy. This…
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Quick ViewHow fatigued are safety-critical railroad employees such as Train and Engine (T&E) workers, passenger T&E workers, signalmen, Maintenance of Way (MOW) workers and dispatchers, and how does their level of fatigue affect the safety of railroad operations? Are statutory or regulatory limitations on hours of work sufficient to prevent worker fatigue? Fatigue is largely a…
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Quick ViewWater and energy are resources that are reciprocally and mutually linked, because meeting energy needs requires water, often in large quantities, for mining, fuel production, hydropower, and power plant cooling, and energy is needed for pumping, treatment, and distribution of water and for collection, treatment, and discharge of wastewater. This interrelationship is often referred to…
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Quick ViewThe objective of this book is to examine the efficacy of the new restart rule promulgated as part of the Hours of Service of Drivers Final Rule. Under the new restart rule, if commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers choose to use a provision allowing “restart” of the 60- or 70-hour duty-cycle limit, they are required…
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Quick ViewLarge-scale electricity production using wind generators began attracting attention in the United States in the 1970s due to the energy crises initiated by oil embargoes. The first wind plants began to be installed in 1980, stimulated by aggressive policy provisions. Although some of these first installations were under-designed and did not survive the early years…
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Quick ViewNowadays much attention is being given to the development of cancer tumours’ nanotechnologies, production of novel materials and nano-scale structures. The importance of the simultaneous improvement of corrosion and wear resistance is emphasized by the fact that the cost of damage caused by corrosion is very high. The use of electroless plating promotes overcoming many…
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Quick ViewThe goal of the book is to present the high-power high-frequency pulse periodic laser systems, which in the near future, will find a lot of applications in the field of ecology, machinery, space engineering, nuclear technologies and many others. A laser-plasma generator of multiply charged ions produces a large number of heavy ions in the…
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Quick ViewThis book explores the developments, issues and research outlook of global agriculture. Topics discussed in this compilation include cotton and hydropower in Central Asia; rising grain exports by the former Soviet Union region; and resources, policies, and agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. (Imprint: Nova)
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Quick ViewResearch into ionic liquids (ILs) has been a very rapidly growing discipline in recent years. ILs have attracted very considerable attention because of their unique properties, which may be useful in new processes and technologies. They have already been studied for a variety of applications such as alternative solvents in organic synthesis and catalysis, reaction…
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Quick ViewCarbon capture and sequestration (or storage)—known as CCS—has attracted congressional interest as a measure for mitigating global climate change because large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from fossil fuel use in the United States are potentially available to be captured and stored underground and prevented from reaching the atmosphere. Large, industrial sources of CO2,…
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Quick ViewCongress enacted the Wilderness Act in 1964. This act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, reserved to Congress the authority to designate wilderness areas, and directed the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior to review certain lands for their wilderness potential. The Wilderness Act defined wilderness as an area of undeveloped federal land, but,…
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Quick ViewThis book focuses on climate change and forest ecosystems (impacts, mitigation, vulnerability and adaptation), and includes work from various international institutions that consider forests as part of the solution to address climate change. This book aims to increase the understanding of forest ecosystems dynamics in response to a changing climate; to address deforestation and maximize…
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Quick ViewRadio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging wireless communication technology that has stimulated numerous innovative applications in multiple industry sectors. This book focuses on the recent progress in RFID systems, with emphasis on their applications in transportation, construction, healthcare as well as the associated security and privacy issues. In addition, the book covers the state-of-the-art methodologies…
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Quick ViewFederal funding for wildfire management (WFM) is provided in the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. It funds wildfire management at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, which are the two principal entities tasked with federal wildfire management. Federal wildfire response activities involve preparedness, suppression, fuel reduction, site rehabilitation, and…
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Quick ViewApproximately 70% of the surface of Earth is the bottom of the seafloor and about 80% of the seafloor is the deep seafloor (at deeper than 200 m below the sea-surface). This book discusses the deep sea. It provides topics on the biodiversity, human dimension and ecological significance of the deep sea, including the metagenomic…
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Quick ViewThe pomegranate is a beloved plant and fruit that has been used in ancient times. The raw fruit, juice, peels and flowers were used as medicines. The botany, genetics, cultivation and postharvest treatment of pomegranates are discussed, along with the production of juices and extracts. Previously published reports on the biochemical composition of each part…
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Quick ViewRuthenium is exceedingly rare, as it is only the 74th most abundant metal on Earth. The element is generally found in ores with the other platinum group metals in the Ural Mountains and in North and South America. Ruthenium containing-complexes are well suited for biological application owning to the unique properties of ruthenium. For example,…
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Quick ViewThis book examines the funding of roads and highways in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England and Wales, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, and Sweden. It provides a description of the infrastructure in the jurisdiction, information on the ownership and responsibility of the roads, and taxes or other ways of collecting money…
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Quick ViewIn the past two decades, a rapid escalation of extreme wildfire behavior, accompanied by significant increases in risk to responders and citizens, home and property losses, costs, and threats to communities and landscapes have been observed. In the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act of 2009 (FLAME Act), Congress mandated the development of a…
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Quick ViewThe Robert T. Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster Assistance Act authorizes the President to issue declarations for incidents ranging from destructive, large-scale disasters to more routine, less damaging events. Declarations trigger federal assistance in the forms of various response and recovery programs under the Stafford Act to state, local, and tribal governments. The Federal Emergency…
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Quick ViewThe Arctic is changing. Diminishing sea ice and expanded natural resource extraction are happening now. From drilling in the Chukchi Sea, dredging for gold in Nome, to ore and gas concentrate tankers coming over the top from Europe, Alaska is experiencing more and more traffic past its shores. Alaska’s western and northern coastline is mostly…
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Quick ViewThe federal government has encouraged the development and use of alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with aviation and to enhance economic development and energy security for the United States. To help achieve these goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the aviation industry is actively supporting alternative jet fuels. This book examines the…
