"The book before you . . . carries the urgent warning that we are rapidly altering and destroying the environments that have fostered the diversity of life forms for more than a billion years." With those words, Edward O. Wilson opened the landmark volume Biodiversity (National Academy Press, 1988). Despite this and other such alarms, species continue to vanish at a rapid rate, taking with them their genetic legacy and potential benefits. Many disappear before they can even be identified. Biodiversity II is a renewed call for urgency. This volume updates readers on how much we already know and how much remains to be identified scientifically. It explores new strategies for quantifying, understanding, and protecting biodiversity, including <ul>
<li>New approaches to the integration of electronic data, including a proposal for a U.S. National Biodiversity Information Center. 
</li> <li>Application of techniques developed in the human genome project to species identification and classification. 
</li> <li>The Gap Analysis Program of the National Biological Survey, which uses layered satellite, climatic, and biological data to assess distribution and better manage biodiversity. 
</li> <li>The significant contribution of museum collections to identifying and categorizing species, which is essential for understanding ecological function and for targeting organisms and regions at risk.</li> </ul>
 The book describes our growing understanding of how megacenters of diversity (e.g., rainforest insects, coral reefs) are formed, maintained, and lost; what can be learned from mounting bird extinctions; and how conservation efforts for neotropical primates have fared. It also explores ecosystem restoration, sustainable development, and agricultural impact. Biodiversity II reinforces the idea that the conservation of our biological resources is within reach as long as we pool resources; better coordinate the efforts of existing institutions--museums, universities, and government agencies--already dedicated to this goal; and enhance support for research, collections, and training. This volume will be important to environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, educators, students, and concerned individuals. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>1 Introduction</li>
<li>Part I The Meaning and Value of Biodiversity: 2 Biodiversity: What Is It?</li>
<li>3 Biodiversity: Why Is It Important?</li>
<li>Part II Patterns of the Biosphere: How Much Biodiversity Is There?: 4 Biodiversity at Its Utmost: Tropical Forest Beetles</li>
<li>5 Measuring Global Biodiversity and Its Decline</li>
<li>6 Butterfly Diversity and a Preliminary Comparison with Bird and Mammal Diversity</li>
<li>7 The Global Biodiversity of Coral Reefs: A Comparison with Rain Forests</li>
<li>8 Common Measures for Studies of Biodiversity: Molecular Phylogeny in the Eukaryotic Microbial World</li>
<li>Part III Threats to Biodiversity: What Have We Lost and What Might We Lose?: 9 The Rich Diversity of Biodiversity Issues</li>
<li>10 Human-Caused Extinction of Birds</li>
<li>11 Global Warming and Plant Species Richness: A Case Study of the Paleocene/Eocene Boundary</li>
<li>12 Plant Response to Multiple Environmental Stresses: Implications for Climatic Change and Biodiversity</li>
<li>Part IV Understanding and Using Biodiversity: 13 Names: The Key to Biodiversity</li>
<li>14 Systematics: A Keystone to Understanding Biodiversity</li>
<li>15 Biodiversity and Systematics: Their Applications to Agriculture</li>
<li>16 Snout Moths: Unraveling the Taxonomic Diversity of a Speciose Group in the Neotropics</li>
<li>17 Phylogeny and Historical Reconstruction: Host-Parasite Systems as Keystones in Biogeography and Ecology</li>
<li>18 Comparative Behavioral and Biochemical Studies of Bowerbirds and the Evolution of Bower-Building</li>
<li>Part V Building Toward a Solution: New Directions and Applications: 19 Microbial Biodiversity and Biotechnology</li>
<li>20 The Impact of Rapid Gene Discovery Technology on Studies of Evolution and Biodiversity</li>
<li>21 Initial Assessment of Character Sets from Five Nuclear Gene Sequences in Animals</li>
<li>22 Gap Analysis for Biodiversity Survey and Maintenance</li>
<li>23 Conservation of Biodiversity in Neotropical Primates</li>
<li>24 Using Marine Invertebrates to Establish Research and Conservation Priorities</li>
<li>25 Ecological Restoration and the Conservation of Biodiversity</li>
<li>26 Tropical Sustainable Development and Biodiversity</li>
<li>27 Wildland Biodiversity Management in the Tropics</li>
<li>Part VI Getting the Job Done: Institutional, Human, and Informational Infrastructure: 28 Taxonomic Preparedness: Are We Ready to Meet the Biodiversity Challenge?</li>
<li>29 Museums, Research Collections and the Biodiversity Challenge</li>
<li>30 Resources for Biodiversity in Living Collections and the Challenges of Assessing Microbial Biodiversity</li>
<li>31 Integration of Data for Biodiversity Initiatives</li>
<li>32 Information Management for Biodiversity: A Proposed U.S. National Biodiversity Information Center</li>
<li>Part VII Conclusions: 33 Santa Rosalia, the Turning of the Century, and a New Age of Exploration</li>
<li>Photo Credits</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Biodiversity II: Understanding and Protecting Our Biological Resources

Business & Money

A Joseph Henry Press book

Economics

Joseph Henry Press

It is becoming increasingly clear that a more sustainable agriculture can bring economic, environmental, and social benefits to farmers, communities, and nations. Regenerating Agriculture draws together for the first time new empirical evidence from a diverse range of agroecological and community settings to show the impacts of more sustainable practices. Twenty cases involving widespread success from Brazil, Burkina Faso, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and Sri Lanka are presented, and are supported by field- and community-level data from more than 50 projects and programs in 28 countries. Despite this emerging evidence, many farmers still depend on high levels of external inputs. Regenerating Agriculture, identifies the common elements of successful programs and shows how those still using "modernist" approaches to agriculture can successfully turn to sustainable farming. The first chapter outlines the scale of the challenge and includes analysis of sustainable agriculture's characteristics and underlying philosophies and values. Pretty then presents analyses of the processes of agricultural modernization, focusing on both production- and conservation-oriented programs and policies and the common elements of success. Almost all of these successes have been achieved despite existing, biased policy environments that strongly favor "modern" approaches to agricultural development, and at the same time discriminate against sustainability. Regenerating Agriculture examines policy frameworks and institutional processes, then sets out 25 effective policies that are known to work to support the transition to greater sustainability and self-reliance in agriculture.

Regenerating Agriculture: Policies and Practice for Sustainability and Self-Reliance

Pretty, Jules N.

International Institute for Environment and Development, London

The Power of Boldness: Ten Master Builders of American Industry Tell Their Success Stories

"Whatever you dream, begin it, for boldness has genius, power and magic in it." -Goethe What qualities brought America to its dominance of world industry? How will American technology fare in the new global marketplace? What upbringing, education, and personal traits are required to produce leaders who can succeed in this new world? Scan the bookstore shelves and you'll see dozens of attempts by authors to capture the essence of leadership and entrepreneurial success. In The Power of Boldness, the answers come from original sources: ten of the country's most successful business leaders, who share their experiences and insights in individual essays that are remarkable for their directness and personal detail. Six of the writers are inventors who created the enterprises to commercialize their ideas--four assumed management of their fathers' companies and moved into new industrial and geographic markets. Born between 1897 and 1962, these outstanding figures collectively chronicle America's industrial rise since World War II--and share their perspectives on what lies ahead in the age of technology. In engaging and often humorous terms, these men describe how they managed to make the most of the economic and social ups and downs of the past decades--how boldness, clear thinking, and a willingness to learn saw them through the bad times and paved the way to their success. No other book gathers so distinguished a group of business figures-- <ul>
<li>Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., of Bechtel Group describes the rise, decline, and rise again of the world's largest heavy construction company.</li> <li>William M. Haney, III, of Molten Metal Technology--a strong believer in Goethe's maxim--overviews the opportunities in ecotechnology.</li> <li>Edward C. Johnson 3d, of Fidelity writes on the adventures of a "contrarian" in the financial arena.</li> <li>Gordon E. Moore of Intel explains how his firm became one of the world's largest producers of microprocessor chips and forecasts the future of the electronics industry.</li> <li>John F. Taplin, master inventor and founder of a number of companies, writes on the education of an inventor/entrepreneur. 
</li> </ul>
Thomas D. Cabot of Cabot Corporation, Robert Galvin of Motorola, George N. Hatsopoulos of Thermo Electron Corporation, and Ralph Landau of Halcon International, round out this group of master builders of America's industrial power. In an introduction and summing-up, Alfred Chandler, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning business historian, explores some of the themes that emerge from the personal essays. Capturing the spirit of innovation as well as the practicalities of business decision making, The Power of Boldness will be required reading for business executives, students of business, and anyone interested in the individual success stories behind America's technological leadership. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Introduction</li>
<li>The Education of an Inventor</li>
<li>Entrepreneurs, Managers, and the Importance of Finance</li>
<li>Polaroid: Dreams to Reality</li>
<li>Intel--Memories and the Microprocessor</li>
<li>A Perpetual Idea Machine</li>
<li>The Power of Invention</li>
<li>A Short History of Cabot Corporation</li>
<li>Communication: The Lever of Effectivenss and Productivity</li>
<li>Reflections on Success</li>
<li>Adventures of a Contrarian</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

"Whatever you dream, begin it, for boldness has genius, power and magic in it." -Goethe What qualities brought America to its dominance of world industry? How will American technology fare in the new global marketplace? What upbringing, education, and personal traits are required to produce leaders who can succeed in this new world? Scan the bookstore shelves and you'll see dozens of attempts by authors to capture the essence of leadership and entrepreneurial success. In The Power of Boldness, the answers come from original sources: ten of the country's most successful business leaders, who share their experiences and insights in individual essays that are remarkable for their directness and personal detail. Six of the writers are inventors who created the enterprises to commercialize their ideas--four assumed management of their fathers' companies and moved into new industrial and geographic markets. Born between 1897 and 1962, these outstanding figures collectively chronicle America's industrial rise since World War II--and share their perspectives on what lies ahead in the age of technology. In engaging and often humorous terms, these men describe how they managed to make the most of the economic and social ups and downs of the past decades--how boldness, clear thinking, and a willingness to learn saw them through the bad times and paved the way to their success. No other book gathers so distinguished a group of business figures--  Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., of Bechtel Group describes the rise, decline, and rise again of the world's largest heavy construction company. William M. Haney, III, of Molten Metal Technology--a strong believer in Goethe's maxim--overviews the opportunities in ecotechnology. Edward C. Johnson 3d, of Fidelity writes on the adventures of a "contrarian" in the financial arena. Gordon E. Moore of Intel explains how his firm became one of the world's largest producers of microprocessor chips and forecasts the future of the electronics industry. John F. Taplin, master inventor and founder of a number of companies, writes on the education of an inventor/entrepreneur.  Thomas D. Cabot of Cabot Corporation, Robert Galvin of Motorola, George N. Hatsopoulos of Thermo Electron Corporation, and Ralph Landau of Halcon International, round out this group of master builders of America's industrial power. In an introduction and summing-up, Alfred Chandler, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning business historian, explores some of the themes that emerge from the personal essays. Capturing the spirit of innovation as well as the practicalities of business decision making, The Power of Boldness will be required reading for business executives, students of business, and anyone interested in the individual success stories behind America's technological leadership.  Table of ContentsFront MatterIntroductionThe Education of an InventorEntrepreneurs, Managers, and the Importance of FinancePolaroid: Dreams to RealityIntel--Memories and the MicroprocessorA Perpetual Idea MachineThe Power of InventionA Short History of Cabot CorporationCommunication: The Lever of Effectivenss and ProductivityReflections on SuccessAdventures of a ContrarianIndex

Chaos Theory Tamed

Looks at the principles of chaos science and describes how small changes in initial conditions can contribute to unexpected results

Science & Math

Williams, Garnett P.

History & Philosophy

This volume focuses on the breakdown in sustainability--the capacity of the planet to provide quality of life now and in the future--that is signaled by disaster. The authors bring to light why land use and sustainability have been ignored in devising public policies to deal with natural hazards. They lay out a vision of sustainability, concrete suggestions for policy reform, and procedures for planning. The book chronicles the long evolution of land-use planning and identifies key components of sustainable planning for hazards. Stressing the importance of balance in land use, the authors offer principles and specific reforms for achieving their visions of sustainability. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>1 Natural Hazards and Land Use: An Introduction</li>
<li>Part One: The Choices of the Past 2 Planning and Land Use Adjustments in Historical Perspective</li>
<li>3 Governing Land Use in Hazardous Areas with a Patchwork System</li>
<li>Part Two: The Land Use Planning Alternative 4 Integrating Hazard Mitigation and Local Land Use Planning</li>
<li>5 Hazard Assessment: The Factual Basis for Planning and Mitigation</li>
<li>6 Managing Land Use to Build Resilience</li>
<li>7 The Third Sector: Evolving Partnerships in Hazard Mitigation</li>
<li>Part Three: Looking to the Future 8 The Vision of Sustainable Communities</li>
<li>9 Policies for Sustainable Land Use</li>
<li>Appendix: Annotated Bibliography of Selected Research</li>
<li>Bibliography</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Cooperating with Nature: Confronting Natural Hazards with Land-Use Planning for Sustainable Communities (Natural Hazards and Disasters)

In Empire of Light, Sidney Perkowitz combines the expertise of a physicist with the vision of an art connoisseur and the skill of an accomplished writer to offer a unique view of the most fundamental feature of the universe: light. Empire of Light discusses the nature of light, how the eye sees, and how our understanding of these phenomena have emerged over the ages, including the role of light in the development of quantum physics. The author examines the making of electrical light and its integration into commerce, telecommunications, entertainment, medicine, warfare, and every other aspect of our daily lives. And he presents the role of light in the search for the beginning and the end of the universe, as astronomers with their instruments penetrate ever deeper into the sky. Visible light spans the spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet, but this book reaches across many other spectra as well--from the cave paintings at Lascaux to Mark Rothko's stark blocks of color in today's art museums, from Plato's speculation that the eye sends out rays to Ramon y Cajal's discovery that vision actually works in the opposite way, from Tycho Brahe's elegant antetelescope measurements of planet positions to the Hubble telescope's exquisite sensitivity to light from billions of light years away. What are the biological and neurological processes of perceiving visible light? How does a person typically scan a scene? Do you see red or blue the same way I do? What are our physiological reactions and emotional responses to light? Perkowitz explores these and many other fascinating questions, drawing together the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of a diverse cast of characters, including Galileo, Einstein, Newton, Van Gogh, and Edison. Empire of Light is written so that lay readers will readily grasp the scientific principles and science professionals will readily appreciate the human experience. It will impart new wonder to the daily experience of light in our world. Sidney Perkowitz is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Physics at Emory University. His work has appeared in national publications such as The Sciences, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The American Prospect, and Technology Review. Table of Contents

Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series)

PERKOWITZ, SIDNEY

While researching this book, Glenn Schweitzer met four Moscow physicists who were trying to license Russian technology to western firms for product manufacture. During the worst times, they were reduced to driving taxis to keep things afloat. He asked them, will technological innovation have a discernible impact on the Russian economy in the coming decade? No, was the immediate reply. Are they right? In Swords into Market Shares, Schweitzer examines the roots of such pessimism and the prospects for Russia to prosper from its technology in the post-Soviet world. He explores the different visions of prosperity held by entrepreneurs, technologists, and government officials and goes on to examine the barriers to progress as Russia struggles to build a viable technology industry on its own terms. In accessible language, this book talks about technology's place within Russia's economy and its research and development infrastructure. Schweitzer looks at the impact of the Soviet legacy--central planning, lack of priorities, scant incentives for personal initiative--and the aftermath of the Russian financial meltdown of 1998. He also reviews the experiences of American companies that have invested in Russian technology and examines the results of pressure to reform according to the economic model of the West. Schweitzer goes on to document the problems of economic crime and government corruption, which plague activities designed to generate income in Russia. He discusses the lack of protection for intellectual property and taxation issues that stand in the way of technological innovation. The book looks at the impact of the "brain drain" as Russian experts seek greener pastures--not only the ominous recruitment of Russian biological weapons experts and the acquisition of military technology by "rogue" nations--but also Russia's own program to sell military technology for badly needed funds. Schweitzer's use of case studies and examples puts a human face on these issues. He also discusses Russia's 60 "science cities"--sites of state research centers--with close-ups of three "nuclear cities." Can the technical strengths of the Soviet military complex find a place in civilian Russia? How can this vast country sustain even a minimal standard of living? Swords into Market Shares addresses these and other key questions and explores fundamental policy issues confronting both Russia and the United States as Russia struggles for an economic foothold. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>Dismal Economics Holds Back Technological Innovation</li>
<li>Struggling to Embrace Modern Technologies</li>
<li>Profiting From Investments in Military Technology</li>
<li>The Money Trail: Finders Keepers</li>
<li>Long-Term Patent Protection and Short-Term Tax Relief</li>
<li>Redirection and Erosion of Russian Brainpower</li>
<li>Sixty-Five Science Cities with Three Million People</li>
<li>Three Nuclear Cities with an Abundance of Technologies</li>
<li>U.S. Efforts to Contain Dangerous Technologies While Promoting Foreign Investments</li>
<li>The Revival of Russian Technology</li>
<li>Epilogue</li>
<li>Appendix A: Characterization and Sources of Russian Research and Development</li>
<li>Appendix B: Scientific Organizations with the Status of State Scientific Centers of the Russian Federation</li>
<li>Appendix C: Science Cities of Russia</li>
<li>Appendix D: Commercialized Technologies at Russian Institutions</li>
<li>Appendix E: Technology-Intensive Projects of Priority Interest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs</li>
<li>Appendix F: Next Steps to the Market Program of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Swords into Market Shares: Technology, Security, and Economics in the New Russia

Personal stories of the select few women scientists who have achieved the honor of election to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. An intimate look at a group of elite women. Softcover.

The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science

Elga Wasserman, Ph.D.

History

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by A Joseph Henry Press book. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by A Joseph Henry Press book

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by A Joseph Henry Press book. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Biodiversity II: Understanding and Protecting Our Biological Resources

Regenerating Agriculture: Policies and Practice for Sustainability and Self-Reliance

The Power of Boldness: Ten Master Builders of American Industry Tell Their Success Stories

The Power of Boldness: Ten Master Builders of American Industry Tell Their Success Stories

Biodiversity II: Understanding and Protecting Our Biological Resources

Chaos Theory Tamed

Cooperating with Nature: Confronting Natural Hazards with Land-Use Planning for Sustainable Communities (Natural Hazards and Disasters)

Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series)

Swords into Market Shares: Technology, Security, and Economics in the New Russia

The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science