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Archive for December, 2006

Light Pollution Handbook

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Light Pollution Handbook
Kohei Narisada
Norwell, MA : Springer, 2004.
Call# QB51.3 .L53 N37 2004

From Springer.com:

Constituting the first holistic overview including practical remedies, this handbook provides the background needed by anyone grappling with the complex issue of outdoor lighting and its effects. It describes not only the problems that astronomers and other night sky observers face in reducing the problems of information loss due to light pollution, as well as the problems lighting technologists face in optimising outdoor lighting installations that cause little or no light pollution. The first part is directed to decision makers and managers of outdoor space and covers the areas of general interest, culminating in recommendations to reduce the impact of light pollution. The second part is directed primarily to scientists and engineers, as a support to the design and maintenance of outdoor lighting installations, with special reference to astronomical observations. Elaborating issues from the first part, these contributions include examples that refer to specific outdoor lighting projects and to more general policy and educational measures.

Written for designers of lighting equipment and managers of astronomical observatories, but also aimed at the authorities and decision makers responsible for the organization and maintenance of the public space, it will serve a good purpose in graduate or postgraduate curricula for scientists, engineers, economists and law students. This handbook fills the gap that exists between astronomical textbooks, engineering texts and popular brochures about light pollution.”

Light scattering by optically soft particles : theory and applications

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Light scattering by optically soft particles : theory and applications
Subodh K. Sharma
New York : Springer, 2006
Call# QC427.4 .S485 2006

From Praxis Publishing:

“Eikonal, or soft-particle approximations, have been studied extensively in potential scattering and subsequent optical scattering problems. The study of these approximations is very important, because soft particles are found abundantly in nature, for example – ocean optics, biomedial optics, atmospheric optics – as well as in many industrial applications.

Light Scattering by Optically Soft Particles

* is the only book devoted solely to soft particle light scattering approximations
* offers a complete and comprehensive treatment of all the important soft particle approximations
* discusses the role of soft particle scattering approximations in various scientific disciplines
* covers the theory as well as the practice of the approximations

The book also contains a brief review of the eikonal approximation in potential scattering, giving a clearer understanding of its role in light scattering problems.”

Biological safety : principles and practices

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Biological safety : principles and practices
Diane O. Fleming
Washington, D.C. : ASM Press, 2006.
Call# QR64.7 .L33 2006

From ASM Press:

The fourth edition of Biological Safety: Principles and Practices continues the format of the previous edition, focusing closely on infectious and toxic biological agents and their identification and control. Several major events have had an impact on the fields of biosafety and biosecurity since the publication of the third edition, notably the anthrax mailings of 2001 and the promulgation regulations for select agents. This newest edition examines significant developments throughout the field and discusses current regulations including those handed down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Written by authorities with decades of experience in the field, the book is divided into five main sections that comprehensively cover the identification, assessment, and management of biological hazards. Chapters outline the human, animal, and agricultural considerations of a wide range of specific biohazards, from pathogenic organisms, viruses, prions, and cell cultures, to toxins and allergens. Numerous chapters detail practical systems for biohazard control. A brand-new chapter details critical safety considerations in a maximum containment (BSL 4) laboratory. Appropriate updates have been made to chapters carried over from the third edition, and a host of new contributors offer fresh perspectives on topic such as packaging and shipping of biological materials.

This book presents the essentials for a comprehensive biological safety program in venues ranging from the basic research laboratory to agricultural, pharmaceutical, educational, and commercial laboratories. Biological safety: Principles and Practices, 4th Edition, is an indispensable resource for those involved in biological safety, including program managers, biological safety professionals, members of biohazard review committees, principles investigators, administrators, and students.

Key Features

  • Presents the essentials for a complete biological safety program, with specific advice on management and implementation issues
  • Covers the identification, assessment, and management of hazardous biological agents and toxins
  • Updates information on laboratory-acquired infections and examines epidemiology and routes of exposure
  • Refers extensively to current NIH, CDC, and other regulations and guidelines
  • Addresses special considerations, from teaching and industrial labs to biosecurity programs”

Chemical and Biochemical Physics: New Frontiers

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Chemical and Biochemical Physics: New Frontiers
Gennadii Efremovich Zaikov
New York : Nova Science Publishers, 2006.
Call # QD453.3 .C44 2006

From: Nova Science Publishers:

“This book presents recent research in Chemical and Biochemical physics. Chemical physics addresses a large range of problems. An effective chemical physicist is a “jack-of-all-trades,” able to apply the principles and techniques of the field to everything from high-tech materials to biology. Just as the fields of chemistry and physics have expanded, so have chemical physics subject areas, which include polymers, materials, surfaces/interfaces, and biological macromolecules, along with the traditional small molecule and condensed phase systems. Biochemical Physics is a science that joins the three natural sciences biology, chemistry and physics into one comprehensive study. N.M. Emanuel pioneered this science over fifty years ago. This book presents papers, written by Emanuel’s students, that reveal recent developments in this interesting field.”

Arctic Animals and Their Adadptations to Life on the Edge

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Arctic Animals and Their Adaptations to Life on the Edge
Arnoldus Blix
Trondheim: Tapir Academic Press, 2005
Call# QL105 .B55 2005

From Amazon.co.uk:

“Where and what is the Arctic? What animals live there, and how are they distributed? How do they cope with cold in their austere environment, and how can Arctic mammals survive birth when it is 40 degrees below freezing. How can seals dive to a depth of 1000 metres and stay submerged for more than an hour, and how does complete darkness in winter affect the inhabitants of the high Arctic? This book answers these questions and also gives an introduction to the Arctic. It is based on the author’s 40 years of experience in the Arctic, its environment and animal life. As this book contains almost 200 illustrations and deals with the entire Arctic animal kingdom, it will be suitable as a textbook for courses in Arctic biology, and also serve specialists in the field. It is a reference book and a source of information about published original literature.”