Now in its second edition, this continues to serve as an ideal textbook for introductory courses on materials characterization, based on the author's experience in teaching advanced undergraduate and postgraduate university students.The new edition retains the successful didactical concept of introductions at the beginning of chapters, exercise questions and an online solution manual. In addition, all the sections have been thoroughly revised, updated and expanded, with two major n...

This book describes the distribution of bamboo forest and bamboo species for construction, the types and characteristics of both engineered and natural full-culm bamboo materials for construction, the development history and research status of different forms of bamboo architecture. We go on to describe standards, relevant international organizations, research institutions and production and processing enterprises and typical cases. Starting from six aspects, this book systematically descr...

This classic text deals with the elementary aspects of heat transfer, with special emphasis on the fundamental laws so that the subject is perceived by the student as both a science and an art. The text is supported by a large number of solved examples. Each chapter contains many problems with answers provided at the end of the book. The fourth edition is an expanded version of the earlier editions. It is written as a stand-alone text which can be read and understood by the student on his ...

This book argues that the floods following extreme precipitation result not only from very heavy rainfall but also from the significant impact of human activities on natural water systems. While most literature emphasises that the increasing magnitude of storm rainfall extends beyond the original protection standards of hydrologic facilities in highly populated delta cities. Based on the knowledge of urban morphology, this study analyses how human systems have affected the transformation o...

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the physics of the photovoltaic cell. It is suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers new to the field. It covers: basic physics of semiconductors in photovoltaic devices; physical models of solar cell operation; characteristics and design of common types of solar cell; and approaches to increasing solar cell efficiency. The text explains the terms and concepts of solar cell device physics and shows the reader how to ...

Eco-Resorts is a design guide for low impact, environmentally friendly tourist resorts in the tropics. The book is the first to offer architects practical, detailed guidance in developing resort buildings that work with a tropical climate andmeet the needs and expectations of the client and building inhabitants.The book includes both architectural design and material solutions, supported by theoretical principles, to present asustainable approach to resort design. It ...

Everyone is familiar with the amazing performance of a modern smartphone, powered by a billion-plus nanotransistors, each having an active region that is barely a few hundred atoms in length.These lecture notes are about a less appreciated by-product of the microelectronics revolution, namely the deeper understanding of current flow, and device operation that it has enabled, which forms the basis for a new approach to transport problems.The book assumes very little background beyond linear...

Compact living is sustainable living. High-density cities can support closer amenities, encourage reduced trip lengths and the use of public transport and therefore reduce transport energy costs and carbon emissions. High-density planning also helps to control the spread of urban suburbs into open lands, improves efficiency in urban infrastructure and services, and results in environmental improvements that support higher quality of life in cities. Encouraging, even requiring, higher densi...

These lectures are designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of carrier transport in nano-devices using a novel, “bottom up approach” that agrees with traditional methods when devices are large, but which also works for nano-devices. The goal is to help students learn how to think about carrier transport at the nanoscale and also how the bottom up approach provides a new perspective to traditional concepts like mobility and drift-diffusion equations. The lectures are designed for ...

This book is an attempt to understand the impact of Climate Change on the Arctic human societies from the indigenous perspectives, by focusing on the peoples living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) of the Russian Federation. Historically, and also today, the livelihood of the Sakha people is closely related to permafrost. Scientific evidence shows that the thawing of the permafrost through climate change is causing severe problems on a global scale, which is alarming both international o...

This open access book contains a collection of rare geologic maps and figures made by Chinese geologists in the last century. Preserved in National Geological Archives of China, these artworks demonstrate the development and innovation of geological mapping technology in China in the past 100 years. The collections are highly scientific and artistic, with most of the hand-drawn maps featured with traditional Chinese painting techniques, while the newer ones being more accurate and embedded...

Archaeology of East Asia constitutes an introduction to social and political development from the Palaeolithic to 8th-century early historic times. It takes a regional view across China, Korea, Japan and their peripheries that is unbounded by modern state lines. This viewpoint emphasizes how the region drew on indigenous developments and exterior stimuli to produce agricultural technologies, craft production, political systems, religious outlooks and philosophies that characterize the civi...