Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products--from animated movies and computer games to cars, semiconductors, and management techniques--are consumed around the world. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an en…
Looks at the history of astronomy, identifies important astronomers, and summarizes what is known about the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars.
The opening statement of the preface to this guide identifies its purpose as one of helping to create “better” and “more effective” jails. Because such terms can mean different things to different people, they should be defined. The findings of the original small jails research indicated that better, more effective jails are fundamentally those that satisfy the basic needs of their occu…
Marine mammals are found in several lineages among the more than 6000 species of mam-mals (all belonging to the class Mammalia). Not all marine mammals are closely related. Together they form a habitat-based group of animals associated with water. Mammals evolved on land some 250 million years ago. At least seven separate clades of mammals have…
The present volume does not generally focus on the question of whether thoughts (cognition) or feelings (emotion) are more functional. Rather, this introductory material is sufficient to make the case that, typically, thoughts and feelings are seen to be distinct entities with distinct effects (e.g., Epstein, 1994). Yet, it has become increasingly apparent that cognition and emotion often inter…
This open access book explains how leading business organizations attempt to achieve the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced information technologies. These technologies can produce tremendous insights and benefits. But they can also invade privacy, perpetuate bias, and otherwise injure people and society. To use these technologies successfully, organi…
In the United States, the choice of an herb or phytomedicine for therapeutic or preventive purposes is usually carried out by the patient. To state it differently, the herb is self-selected because physicians here are not ordinarily educated in the use of such medicinals. However, in many other countries, herbs and phytomedicinals are prescribed by doctors with considerable frequency. It cannot…
Wood modification represents an assortment of innovative processes currently being adopted in the wood protection sector. Though many aspects of these treatments are known, the fundamental influence of the process on product performance, the environment, and end of life scenarios remain relatively unknown. It is essential to integrate interactive assessment of process parameters, developed prod…