Flight Of The Kroughs

Each volume of the Dictionary of World Biography contains 250 entries on the lives of the individuals who shaped their times and left their mark on world history. This is not a who's who. Instead, each entry provides an in-depth essay on the life and career of the individual concerned. Essays commence with a quick reference section that provides basic facts on the individual's life and achievements. The extended biography places the life and works of the individual within an historical context, and the summary at the end of each essay provides a synopsis of the individual's place in history. All entries conclude with a fully annotated bibliography.

August Krogh, the son of a brewer, studied zoology in Copenhagen and earned his doctoral degree under the physiologist Christian Bohr, the father of the world-renowned nuclear physicist Niels Bohr. Krogh's unusual ability to construct instruments and complex apparatuses and his intuitive understanding of physical principles made it possible for him to improve on Bohr's methods. His findings led him to challenge Christian Bohr's ideas about oxygen secretion, and when Bohr refused to accept his findings, Krogh unwillingly came into a painful conflict with his own mentor. Krogh's continued studies of how oxygen is supplied to the tissues led to his realization that the blood flow in the finest blood vessels, the capillaries, has to be regulated through a mechanism that opens and closes the capillaries according to the tissue's need for oxygen. This idea and his scientific proof were at the time so new and revolutionary that he was promptly (in 1920) awarded the Nobel Prize. His fame in Denmark and all over the world continued to grow until his death in 1949. His scientific discoveries extended from respiration, exercise physiology and capillary physiology into comparative osmoregulation, isotope studies, active transport of ions in plants and animals, and finally insect flight. Another dramatic story of Krogh's life began when he introduced insulin production in Denmark in 1922. This move saved his own wife's life as well as numerous other lives and helped make Denmark's Novo-Nordisk the largest producer of insulin in the world today. Krogh's wife, Marie, became a physician and a renowned scientist in her own right. Throughout their harmonious marriage and partnership, Marie played an important role in her husband's life both scientifically and personally. Written by the proud daughter of August and Marie Krogh, this biography is based on numerous letters, scientific papers, interviews, symposia, and other sources as well as the author's own knowledge of her parents. The intertwining of the scientific work and personal lives of these two remarkable people is beautifully illustrated in a well-rounded picture of their struggles and triumphs. It is a unique book, full of human warmth and scientific understanding.

Charlie Muffin comes face-to-face with his KGB nemesis in this thriller filled with “intricate plotting, gripping intrigue, and a memorable romance” (Kirkus Reviews). Charlie Muffin is too good an agent to be working a desk, but after a bust-up with his new director, he has been relegated to clerk work. Among the heaps of papers, though, Charlie stumbles upon the clues to a last-gasp plot from the collapsing Soviet Union. The signs point to a new Soviet Star Wars system—and to the involvement of a British traitor. Or do they? After all, the KGB wants one more chance to eliminate their old adversary Charlie. When the agency discovers his involvement, it sets a nasty trap. As the Soviet regime crumbles, it could take Charlie down with it. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

The un-Bond-like British spy is back—from a multimillion-selling author who “hauls you aboard and won’t let you off until the roller coaster stops” (Los Angeles Times). “If Brian Freemantle isn’t the best writer of spy novels around, he’s certainly, along with John le Carré, in the top two.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer In his long-running Charlie Muffin series, Freemantle gives us an atypical British spy. Charlie is neither high cultured nor well mannered. He’s working-class, scruffy, and fond of a drink. But he gets the job done . . . The Run Around: It could be the most sensational defection of all time. The head of the KGB’s cipher section comes with every code, every plot, and every secret. But his most startling disclosure of all is that the Russians are planning a shocking assassination. But the defector doesn’t know who, where, when, or how. All Charlie knows is that he must stop the murder from happening—without being marked for death himself. “Freemantle surpasses his earlier acclaimed thrillers.” —Publishers Weekly Comrade Charlie: Charlie uncovers a last-gasp plot from the collapsing Soviet Union. The signs point to a new Soviet Star Wars system—and to the involvement of a British traitor. But can he trust the intel? Or does the KGB want one more chance to set up their old adversary? His nemesis, Berenkov, sets a nasty trap using Natalia Fedova as bait, and as the Soviet regime crumbles, it could take Charlie down with it . . . “Intricate, funny and highly satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly Charlie’s Apprentice: Following the end of the Cold War, Charlie is tasked with training new recruits. When one of his trainees is arrested within days of arriving in Beijing to extract a blown British agent, Charlie must go to China and get both of them out. Meanwhile, his former lover Natalia Fedova is searching for him—with a daughter she says is his. “Superior work from a master of the form.” —Publishers Weekly Bomb Grade: It has been more than five years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Britain’s cagiest spy is beginning to feel obsolete—until he’s assigned to Russia one more time. The British government needs him to go undercover as an arms dealer to retrieve 250 kilograms of uranium stolen from their nuclear silos. To complicate the explosive situation, heading the anti-smuggling unit is none other than his old flame, Natalia Fedova. “Once again, Freemantle confirms his place as one of the masters of the genre. Thumbs-up for his latest—it’s everything an espionage thriller should be.” —Booklist

From the rain forests of Borneo to the tenements of Manhattan, winged insects are a conspicuous and abundant feature of life on earth. Here, Robert Dudley presents the first comprehensive explanation of how insects fly. The author relates the biomechanics of flight to insect ecology and evolution in a major new work of synthesis. The book begins with an overview of insect flight biomechanics. Dudley explains insect morphology, wing motions, aerodynamics, flight energetics, and flight metabolism within a modern phylogenetic setting. Drawing on biomechanical principles, he describes and evaluates flight behavior and the limits to flight performance. The author then takes the next step by developing evolutionary explanations of insect flight. He analyzes the origins of flight in insects, the roles of natural and sexual selection in determining how insects fly, and the relationship between flight and insect size, pollination, predation, dispersal, and migration. Dudley ranges widely--from basic aerodynamics to muscle physiology and swarming behavior--but his focus is the explanation of functional design from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. The importance of flight in the lives of insects has long been recognized but never systematically evaluated. This book addresses that shortcoming. Robert Dudley provides an introduction to insect flight that will be welcomed by students and researchers in biomechanics, entomology, evolution, ecology, and behavior.

Of all the zoological classes the insects are the most numerous in species and the most varied in structure. Estimates of the number 18 of species vary from 1 to 10 million, and 10 individuals are es timated to be alive at any given moment. In their evolution, in sects are relatively ancient and, therefore, they have proved to be a phenomenally successful biological design which has survived unchanged in its basic winged form during the last 300 m. y. In sects were the first small animals to colonize the land with full suc cess. Their small size opened many more ecological niches to them and permitted a greater diversification than the vertebrates. What is it about this design that has made insects so successful in habitats stretching from arid deserts to the Arctic and Antarctic and from freshwater brooks to hot springs and salines? Is it due to the adapta bility of their behavior, physiology, and biochemistry to changing environmental conditions? Three features of insects are of particular importance in determin ing their physiological relationship with the environment: their small size, as mentioned above, the impermeability and rigidity of their exoskeleton, and their poikilothermy. Of course, as with any other animals, the insects' success in its environment depends on its ability to maintain its internal state within certain tolerable limits of temperature, osmotic pressure, pH or oxygen concentra tion (homoeostasis).

Including more than 200 true, thoughtprovoking stories, this inspirational collection provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of unexplained phenomena and survival against overwhelming odds. A wide range of topics and circumstances is covered, including angelic interventions, surviving airplane crashes and cataclysmic natural disasters, medical miracles, amazing sea rescues, miracles on the highway, and neardeath experiences. Remarkable stories include how a sky diver plummeted more than 4,000 feet and walked away with only a cut, how a mother and her children ride out a tornado atop an airborne mattress and survive, and how a group of dolphins rescued a swimmer from a shark attack.