Water And Ions As The Conditions Necessary For The Presence Of Life

This book, drawing on the author's extensive scientific research in different parts of the world and reports from other scientists, explores the intricate interdependence between water and ions. Water is well-known as the best diluent for supporting life, which allows the flow of molecules, which are made up of ions, from one particular point to another, but in many cases, despite the presence of water, life and biological entities are not found. This book allows the reader to pursue an answer to this mystery through scientific knowledge, as has never been presented before, showing how metal ions complement water for sustaining life. It considers the effects of cosmic dust and solar energy on the progression of biological systems, and the presence of metal ions such as sulfur as part of our proteins, calcium in animal and human skeletons, iron in our blood, fluoride in our teeth, sodium and potassium in our physiological activity, along with magnesium and zinc in plants. Furthermore, it explains the presence of the carbon element, which is ubiquitous in all biomolecules on earth. This book also provides techniques such as biomarkers, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence to identify undetectable biological entities.

Thermodynamics is used increasingly in ecology to understand the system properties of ecosystems because it is a basic science that describes energy transformation from a holistic view. In the last decade, many contributions to ecosystem theory based on thermodynamics have been published, therefore an important step toward integrating these theories and encouraging a more wide spread use of them is to present them in one volume. An ecosystem consists of interdependent living organisms that are also interdependent with their environment, all of which are involved in a constant transfer of energy and mass within a general state of equilibrium or dis-equilibrium. Thermodynamics can quantify exactly how "organized" or "disorganized" a system is - an extremely useful to know when trying to understand how a dynamic ecosystem is behaving. A part of the Environmental and Ecological (Math) Modeling series, Thermodynamics and Ecology is a book-length study - the first of its kind - of the current thinking on how an ecosystem can be explained and predicted in terms of its thermodynamical behavior. After the introductory chapters on the fundamentals of thermodynamics, the book explains how thermodynamic theory can be specifically applied to the "measurement" of an ecosystem, including the assessment of its state of entropy and enthalpy. Additionally, it will show economists how to put these theories to use when trying to quantify the movement of goods and services through another type of complex living system - a human society.

The book presents a consistent and complete ecosystem theory based on thermodynamic concepts. The first chapters are devoted to an interpretation of the first and second law of thermodynamics in ecosystem context. Then Prigogine's use of far from equilibrium thermodynamic is used on ecosystems to explain their reactions to perturbations. The introduction of the concept exergy makes it possible to give a more profound and comprehensive explanation of the ecosystem's reactions and growth-patterns. A tentative fourth law of thermodynamic is formulated and applied to facilitate these explanations. The trophic chain, the global energy and radiation balance and pattern and the reactions of ecological networks are all explained by the use of exergy. Finally, it is discussed how the presented theory can be applied more widely to explain ecological observations and rules, to assess ecosystem health and to develop ecological models.

The existence of God raises many questions. Geis' work addresses queries that arise from the gratuitous claims of empiricism in Hume, unfounded assumptions in Kant, presumptions of science, and the improbabilities it identifies in Darwinism. By focusing on number and proportion as intrinsic to material and atomic constituency, any argument from chance as instrumental to the cosmos' emergence and sustainability becomes invalidated. The arguments from contingency and the nature of intellection provide more clarity than the ratio Anselmi for acknowledging a transcendent causality, taking the reader to the problem of evil and present-day nihilism. These concepts present great, but not insuperable, difficulty for theism. Geis argues that evil, when one uses it as a means to the betterment of oneself and the world, takes on the rTle commensurate with the doctrine of an omnibenevolent deity. Accordingly, one can use evil as a means to a greater understanding of God, Providence, and eternal destiny.

Evolution is nature’s most fascinating process, the possibility given sufficient time to combine simple inorganic compounds to more and more complex biochemical compounds, which make up more and more complex organisms. It is therefore crucial in our effort to understand the evolution to see it from as many different angles as possible. This books draw an image of evolution from the thermodynamic viewpoint, which gives new and surprising insights into the processes and mechanisms that have driven evolution. This new thermodynamic interpretation has made it possible to quantify the various steps of evolution and to show that evolution has followed an exponential growth curve. The first comprehensive thermodynamic interpretation and explanation of evolution This thermodynamic interpretation makes it possible to quantify the various steps of evolution This interpretation explains the wide spectrum of different mechanisms on which the evolution has been based

Choice Recommended Title, August 2019 Read an exclusive interview with Professor Vera Kolb here. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth. This exciting and significant field of research also investigates the potential existence and search for extra-terrestrial life in the Solar System and beyond. This is the first handbook in this burgeoning and interdisciplinary field. Edited by Vera Kolb, a highly respected astrobiologist, this comprehensive resource captures the history and current state of the field. Rich in information and easy to use, it assumes basic knowledge and provides answers to questions from practitioners and specialists in the field, as well as providing key references for further study. Features: Fills an important gap in the market, providing a comprehensive overview of the field Edited by an authority in the subject, with chapters written by experts in the many diverse areas that comprise astrobiology Contains in-depth and broad coverage of an exciting field that will only grow in importance in the decades ahead

Concepts of Biology is designed for the single-semester introduction to biology course for non-science majors, which for many students is their only college-level science course. As such, this course represents an important opportunity for students to develop the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to make informed decisions as they continue with their lives. Rather than being mired down with facts and vocabulary, the typical non-science major student needs information presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. Even more importantly, the content should be meaningful. Students do much better when they understand why biology is relevant to their everyday lives. For these reasons, Concepts of Biology is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand.We also strive to show the interconnectedness of topics within this extremely broad discipline. In order to meet the needs of today's instructors and students, we maintain the overall organization and coverage found in most syllabi for this course. A strength of Concepts of Biology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Concepts of Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand--and apply--key concepts.

Sustainability of Life Cycle Management for Nuclear Cementation-Based Technologies, edited by Dr. Rahman and Dr. Ojovan, presents the latest knowledge and research on the management of cementitious systems within nuclear power plants. The book covers aging, development and updates on regulatory frameworks on a global scale, the development of cementitious systems for the immobilization of problematic wastes, and the decommissioning and decontamination of complex cementitious systems. The book's editors and their team of experts combine their practical knowledge to provide the reader with a thorough understanding on the sustainability of lifecycle management of cementitious systems within the nuclear industry. Sections provide a comparative tool that presents national regulations concerning cementitious systems within nuclear power plants, check international and national evaluation results of the sustainability of different systems, help in the development of performance test procedures, and provide a guide on aging nuclear power plants and the long-term behavior of these systems in active and passive safety environments. Presents the latest information on the behavior of different cementitious systems used in the nuclear industry in one comprehensive resource Includes scientific justifications of system behavior during the design, operation, maintenance and decommissioning phases Aids the reader in the development of evaluation tests for problematic wastes