Introductory Ecology
Автор: Peter Cotgreave
Год издания: 0000
In this age of increasing human domination of the Earth's biological and physical resources, a basic understanding of ecology is more important than ever. Students need a textbook that introduces them to the basic principles of ecological science, one that is relevant to today's world, and one that does not overwhelm them with detail and jargon. Peter Cotgreave and Irwin Forseth have designed this book to meet the needs of these students, by providing a basic synthesis of how individual organisms interact with their physical environment, and with each other, to generate the complex ecosystems we see around us. The unifying theme of the book is biodiversity-its patterns, causes, and the growing worldwide threats to it. Basic ecological principles are illustrated using clearly described examples from the current ecological literature. This approach makes the book valuable to all students studying ecology. Examples have been chosen carefully to represent as wide a range of ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic, northern and southern hemisphere) and life forms (animal, plant and microbe) as possible. Particular attention is paid to consequences of global change on organisms, populations, ecological communities and ecosystems. The end result is a text that presents a readable and persuasive picture of how the Earth's natural systems function, and how that functioning may change over the coming century. Features include: · strong coverage of applied and evolutionary ecology · applications of ecology to the real world · a question-orientated approach · the only comprehensive treatment of ecology written for the introductory student · an emphasis on definitions of key words and phrases · an integration of experimental, observational and theoretical material · examples drawn from all over the world and a wide variety of organisms · a logical structure, building from the response of individual organisms to physical factors, through population growth and population interactions, to community structure and ecosystem function · suggested further reading lists for each chapter · boxes to explain key concepts in more depth · dedicated textsite featuring additional information and teaching aids www.blackwellpublishing.com/cotgreave Peter Cotgreave is an animal ecologist who has worked for the University of Oxford and the Zoological Society of London. His research interests centre on abundance and rarity within animal communities. Irwin Forseth is a plant physiological ecologist who has taught introductory ecology and plant ecology at the University of Maryland since 1982. His research focuses on plant responses to the environment. The authors have studied organisms as diverse as green plants, insects and mammals in habitats from deserts to tropical rainforests. They have worked in ecological research and education in Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe and the Caribbean.
Буква-1. Вводный лексико-фонетический курс с элементами грамматики / Letter-1. Introductory lexical and phonetic course with elements of grammar
Автор: Валентина Ермаченкова
Год издания:
Пособие «Буква-1» предназначено для студентов и стажеров, начинающих изучать русский язык, и рассчитано на 40–60 часов (2–3 недели) аудиторной работы. В пособии представлены все виды речевой деятельности: чтение, письмо, аудирование, грамматика и говорение. Учащиеся осваивают нужное количество лексических единиц (780), получают возможность удовлетворять первоначальные потребности в общении и переходить к дальнейшему изучению русского языка. Рекомендуется для курсового обучения под руководством преподавателя, а также для самостоятельного изучения русского языка; снабжено комментариями на английском языке.
Introductory Mathematics and Statistics for Islamic Finance
Автор: Abbas Mirakhor
Год издания:
A unique primer on quantitative methods as applied to Islamic finance Introductory Mathematics and Statistics for Islamic Finance + Website is a comprehensive guide to quantitative methods, specifically as applied within the realm of Islamic finance. With applications based on research, the book provides readers with the working knowledge of math and statistics required to understand Islamic finance theory and practice. The numerous worked examples give students with various backgrounds a uniform set of common tools for studying Islamic finance. The in-depth study of finance requires a strong foundation in quantitative methods. Without a good grasp of math, probability, and statistics, published theoretical and applied works in Islamic finance remain out of reach. Unlike a typical math text, this book guides students through only the methods that directly apply to Islamic finance, without wasting time on irrelevant techniques. Each chapter contains a detailed explanation of the topic at hand, followed by an example based on real situations encountered in Islamic finance. Topics include: Algebra and matrices Calculus and differential equations Probability theory Statistics Written by leading experts on the subject, the book serves as a useful primer on the analysis methods and techniques students will encounter in published research, as well as day-to-day operations in finance. Anyone aspiring to be successful in Islamic finance needs these skills, and Introductory Mathematics and Statistics for Islamic Finance + Website is a clear, concise, and highly relevant guide.
Trillions. Thriving in the Emerging Information Ecology
Автор: Peter Lucas
Год издания:
We are facing a future of unbounded complexity. Whether that complexity is harnessed to build a world that is safe, pleasant, humane and profitable, or whether it causes us to careen off a cliff into an abyss of mind-numbing junk is an open question. The challenges and opportunities–technical, business, and human–that this technological sea change will bring are without precedent. Entire industries will be born and others will be laid to ruin as our society navigates this journey. There are already many more computing devices in the world than there are people. In a few more years, their number will climb into the trillions. We put microprocessors into nearly every significant thing that we manufacture, and the cost of routine computing and storage is rapidly becoming negligible. We have literally permeated our world with computation. But more significant than mere numbers is the fact we are quickly figuring out how to make those processors communicate with each other, and with us. We are about to be faced, not with a trillion isolated devices, but with a trillion-node network: a network whose scale and complexity will dwarf that of today’s Internet. And, unlike the Internet, this will be a network not of computation that we use, but of computation that we live in. Written by the leaders of one of America’s leading pervasive computing design firms, this book gives a no-holds-barred insiders’ account of both the promise and the risks of the age of Trillions. It is also a cautionary tale of the head-in-the-sand attitude with which many of today’s thought-leaders are at present approaching these issues. Trillions is a field guide to the future–designed to help businesses and their customers prepare to prosper, in the information.
Building Ecology. First Principles For A Sustainable Built Environment
Автор: Peter Graham
Год издания:
Buildings consume 40% of our planet’s materials and 30% of its energy. Their construction uses up to three million tonnes of raw materials a year and generates 20% of the soild waste stream. If we want to survive our urban future, there is no option but to build in ways which improve the health of ecosystems. Understanding the concept of ecological sustainability and translating it into practice as sustainable development is a key challenge for today’s built environment professionals. The skill and vision of those who shape our cities and homes is vital to achieving sustainable solutions to the many environmental, economic and social problems we face on a local, national and global scale. Peter Graham offers here a holistic view of ecologically sustainable building by drawing on established areas of knowledge, demonstrating their relevance to the environmentally-conscious building professional and putting the process, product and impact of building into context. Case studies illustrate how sustainable principles have been applied successfully and discussion topics are offered to stimulate thought. Building Ecology will help planners, surveyors, designers and builders to incorporate sustainability into their everyday practice by: · showing which styles of building are ecologically sustainable · providing fundamental knowledge for making decisions using the principles of ecologically sustainable building · explaining a complex subject in a clear, balanced way. Building Ecology sets out the current scientific view of how nature works and how buildings link with and affect nature. It provides fundamental knowledge for building in harmony with nature and keeping Earth’s life-supporting ecosystems healthy.
Theory of Lift. Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave
Автор: G. McBain D.
Год издания:
Starting from a basic knowledge of mathematics and mechanics gained in standard foundation classes, Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave takes the reader conceptually through from the fundamental mechanics of lift to the stage of actually being able to make practical calculations and predictions of the coefficient of lift for realistic wing profile and planform geometries. The classical framework and methods of aerodynamics are covered in detail and the reader is shown how they may be used to develop simple yet powerful MATLAB or Octave programs that accurately predict and visualise the dynamics of real wing shapes, using lumped vortex, panel, and vortex lattice methods. This book contains all the mathematical development and formulae required in standard incompressible aerodynamics as well as dozens of small but complete working programs which can be put to use immediately using either the popular MATLAB or free Octave computional modelling packages. Key features: Synthesizes the classical foundations of aerodynamics with hands-on computation, emphasizing interactivity and visualization. Includes complete source code for all programs, all listings having been tested for compatibility with both MATLAB and Octave. Companion website (www.wiley.com/go/mcbain) hosting codes and solutions. Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave is an introductory text for graduate and senior undergraduate students on aeronautical and aerospace engineering courses and also forms a valuable reference for engineers and designers.