The prominence of the Bupleurum species cannot be overstated. Across China and Japan, it serves as a main or supplementary ingredient in over two thirds of traditional medications. For over 2000 years, it has been used to treat fevers, intestinal maladies, malaria, and countless other afflictions. Modern research indicates that it may possess...

While one may not find ancient studies that substantiate the pomegranate's curative and preventive qualities, the exalted status of this fruit goes back as far as the history of agriculture itself. Allusions to the pomegranate are readily found in the oldest cultures of the Indus Valley, ancient China, and classical Greece, as well as in...

Where do our things really come from? China is the most common answer, but Thomas Thwaites decided he wanted to know more. In The Toaster Project, Thwaites asks what lies behind the smooth buttons on a mobile phone or the cushioned soles of running sneakers. What is involved in extracting and processing materials? To answer these...

Fundamentals of Air Cleaning Technology and Its Application in Cleanrooms sets up the theoretical framework for cleanrooms. New ideas and methods are presented, which include the characteristic index of cleanrooms, uniform and non-uniform distribution characteristics, the minimum sampling volume, a new concept of outdoor air...

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 9th International ICST Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Systems: Computing, Networking, and Services, MobiQuitous 2012, held in Beijing, China, Denmark, in December 2012. The revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous...

Amorphous Silicon/Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells deals with some typical properties of heterojunction solar cells, such as their history, the properties and the challenges of the cells, some important measurement tools, some simulation programs and a brief survey of the state of the art, aiming to provide an initial framework in this...

The Proceedings of The Second International Conference on Communications, Signal Processing, and Systems provides the state-of-art developments of Communications, Signal Processing, and Systems. The conference covered such topics as wireless communications, networks, systems, signal processing for communications. This book is a collection of...

This collection contains 81 papers describing innovations in the development of sustainable transportation systems. In the face of ongoing challenges such as traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and rising energy costs, transportation professionals look for new strategies, methods, and technologies to address issues of funding,...

Can the euro area survive without a more centralized economic policy? What lessons can be drawn from Economic and Monetary Union about new modes of policy-making in the European Union? Have euro area members spoken with one voice on the international stage and what does this mean for the European Union's ambitions to be a global actor in...

Industrial Problem Solving Simplified provides a roadmap for solving manufacturing problems. Containing numerous examples of actual problems and their solutions in various industrial environments, it is for novice as well as experienced manufacturing owners, managers, quality representatives, consultants, trainers, and procurement...