Bøger udgivet af IntechOpen

There are three volumes in this body of work. In Volume 1, we lay the foundation for a general theory of organizing. We propose that organizing is a continuous process of ongoing mutual or reciprocal influence between objects (e.g., human actors) in a field, whereby a field is infinite and connects all the objects in it much like electromagnetic fields influence atomic and molecular charged objects or gravity fields influence inanimate objects with mass such as planets and stars. We use field theory to build what we call the Network Field Model. In this model, human actors are modeled as point-like objects in the field. The influence between and investments in these point-like human objects are explained as energy exchanges (potential and kinetic), which can be described in terms of three different types of capital: financial (assets), human (the individual), and social (two or more humans in a network). This model is predicated on a field theoretical understanding of the world we live in. We use historical and contemporaneous examples of human activity and describe them in terms of the model. In Volume 2, we demonstrate how to apply the model. In Volume 3, we use experimental data to prove the reliability of the model. These three volumes will persistently challenge the reader's understanding of time, position and what it means to be part of an infinite field.

Nanocomposite Materials for Biomedical and Energy Storage Applications presents an overview of various types of advanced nanostructured and nanocomposite materials. It discusses current research trends, problems, and applications of these nanomaterials in various biomedical, energy conversion, and storage applications. The book also gives a brief overview of advances in conducting polymers and their applications in electronic devices. Chapters address such topics as nanocomposite materials and their fabrication, nanocomposite materials for energy conversion and energy storage devices, advanced nanocomposite materials in biomedicine and health care, nanocomposites in organic light-emitting diodes and display devices, and much more.

This volume contains studies of the implications of changing climates in Asia and Africa, two regions containing the majority of Earth¿s population and many less developed countries. People of this region often lack the cushion of advanced technologies or economic safety nets that the West has come to expect. The region has significant resource-development challenges, particularly for food production. The consequences of changing climates for the natural and human environments in this region are different in their social and economic contexts. The challenges are often complicated by a lack of data and lack access to relatively common technological systems that enable monitoring, field work, management, and mitigation. This book contains three parts that focus on the biophysical and social consequences of changing climates and progress toward adaptation and mitigation to change. There are studies on evapotranspiration rates in North Africa, precipitation extremes in Asia, coral bleaching in the Indian Ocean, the patterns of humid-region flood risk and hazards in Asia, the implications of climate change for Zimbabwe¿s horticultural sector, agricultural vulnerability in Uganda, mitigation and adaptation on palm-oil plantations in Indonesia, the value of farmer¿s knowledge for mitigating precipitation variability in eastern and southern Africa, sustainable carbon management in paddy rice-growing regions, adaptation to changing patterns of hazards in India, river flooding and temporary displacement of women and children of Nigerian villages, and management and mitigation of ecological impacts and diversity in Nepal.