Advanced Theory of Constraint and Motion Analysis for Robot Mechanisms provides a complete analytical approach to the invention of new robot mechanisms and the analysis of existing designs based on a unified mathematical description of the kinematic and geometric constraints of mechanisms.
For seafood production to meet expected demand from a growing global population, many more millions of tons of seafood will need to be produced. The expectations for increased product from capture fisheries is limited, so this rise in production will have to come from aquaculture, one of the fastest growing food producing sectors in the world. A primary constraint to the continuing growth of aquaculture is the supply of juveniles from hatcheries.
Economic Growth and the Environment explores the debate on how to reconcile economic growth with protection of the natural environment, and the closely related discussion on whether an increasing scarcity of natural resources will eventually force economic growth to cease. The debate focuses on whether environmental policies will benefit the economy or not, and is divided into growth optimists and growth pessimists. In general, economists have been optimistic and have pointed to the possibilities of technological progress and substitution, yet they also acknowledge that natural resources and environmental concern do restrict economic growth. The difficulty lies in quantifying the constraint to economic growth. Modern growth economists have constructed models to examine to what extent ‘growth pessimism’ is theoretically warranted. This book provides an introduction to some of these models, brings together the discussion between growth optimists and pessimists, and presents the theory behind their arguments. It aims to present models where both sides can meet and where both are able to derive expected results with the parameter values that they deem appropriate. From there, the discussions can turn to the empirical observations about these parameters.
Ions are ubiquitous in chemical, technological, ecological and biological processes. Characterizing their role in these processes in the first place requires the evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters associated with the solvation of a given ion. However, due to the constraint of electroneutrality, the involvement of surface effects and the ambiguous connection between microscopic and macroscopic descriptions, the determination of single-ion solvation properties via both experimental and theoretical approaches has turned out to be a very difficult and highly controversial problem. This unique book provides an up-to-date, compact and consistent account of the research field of single-ion solvation thermodynamics that has over one hundred years of history and still remains largely unsolved. By reviewing the various approaches employed to date, establishing the relevant connections between single-ion thermodynamics and electrochemistry, resolving conceptual ambiguities, and giving an exhaustive data compilation (in the context of alkali and halide hydration), this book provides a consistent synthesis, in depth understanding and clarification of a large and sometimes very confusing research field. The book is primarily aimed at researchers (professors, postgraduates, graduates, and industrial researchers) concerned with processes involving ionic solvation properties (these are ubiquitous, eg. in physical/organic/analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, geology, and ecology). Because of the concept definitions and data compilations it contains, it is also a useful reference book to have in a university library. Finally, it may be of general interest to anyone wanting to learn more about ions and solvation. Key features: – discusses both experimental and theoretical approaches, and establishes the connection between them – provides both an account of the past research (covering over one hundred years) and a discussion of current directions (in particular on the theoretical side) – involves a comprehensive reference list of over 2000 citations – employs a very consistent notation (including table of symbols and unambiguous definitions of all introduced quantities) – provides a discussion and clarification of ambiguous concepts (ie. concepts that have not been defined clearly, or have been defined differently by different authors, leading to confusion in past literature) – encompasses an exhaustive data compilation (in the restricted context of alkali and halide hydration), along with recommended values (after critical analysis of this literature data) – is illustrated by a number of synoptic colour figures, that will help the reader to grasp the connections between different concepts in one single picture
