MBR: The Science Shelf

The Science Shelf

Introduction to Antenna Analysis Using EM Simulators
Hiroaki Kogure, Yoshie Kogure, James C. Rautio
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton St., Norwood MA 02062
160807157X, $109.00, www.artechhouse.com

Introduction to Antenna Analysis Using EM Simulators is a college-
level reference written for engineers and engineering students new to
antennas, and provides an introduction to antenna analysis using EM
simulators. It discusses how to use EM software to troubleshoot and
tune wireless antennas, discusses specs and terminology, and provides
a basic understanding of how antennas work. The review of different
kinds of antennas and EM tools accompanied by a DVD of analysis
software makes this a pick for any technical engineering collection.

Spatial Statistical Analysis for GIS Users
Konstantin Krivoruchko
ESRI Press
380 New York St.
Redlands CA 92373-8100
9781589481619, $39.99, www.esri.com

Published in DVD-ROM format is an outstanding reference book providing
a guide to spatial statistics for researchers, statisticians and
college students involved in GIS technology who want to understand
more technical aspects of GIS analysis. Over 1,000 color illustrations
accompany lessons and sample data devoted to applying the three basic
tasks of geostatistical modeling, offering students and teachers an in-
depth review of such analysis and how it applies to data. From
solutions to common problems to exercises for practicing spatial data
analysis, this packs in keys to learning and is especially recommended
for college courses.

After We Die
Norman L. Cantor
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
9781589016958, $26.95, www.press.georgetown.edu

AFTER WE DIE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE HUMAN CADAVER provides a fine
survey of what happens to bodies during and after various forms of
cadaver disposal. From who controls human remains to legal and moral
considerations, this college-level survey comes from a legal scholar
who explores these questions and more. Legal and health collections
alike will find this argues that a corpse retains certain protected
rights, legal and moral, one of which is to have its disposal choices
upheld. Unconventional methods of disposal accompany this survey of
social issues and corpse rights.

Feathers
Thor Hanson
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780465020133, $25.99, www.basicbooks.com

FEATHERS: THE EVOLUTION OF A NATURAL MIRACLE considers different
aspects of feathers and how they evolved, considering their diversity
and display. From the ongoing debate on how feathers evolved to
feather values and usage, the changing feather trade around the world,
and how new studies are unlocking insights into feather qualities
makes for an intriguing study especially recommended for science
collections and any strong in birding observations.

The Handy Science Answer Book, fourth edition
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Visible Ink Press
43311 Joy Rd #414, Canton, MI 48187-2075
9781578593217, $21.95, www.visibleinkpress.com

The Handy Science Answer Book explains the scientific concepts in
plain English for a very general audience, and deserves ongoing
recommendation as a top pick for any general lending library. This is
the first update to appear in over eight years, answering nearly 2,000
science questions and providing original science facts in a lively
format that lends as much to leisure browsing as to at-a-glance
reference. Any general library should welcome this!

Breakthrough Power, second edition
Jeane Manning & Joel Garbon
Breakthrough Power
PO Box 315
Salmon Arm, BC, Canada V1E 4N5
9780981054308, $19.95, www.breakthroughpower.net

Technology brings many new changes, and how we find our energy for
them may be the next major breakthrough. "Breakthrough Power: How
Quantum-Leap New Energy Inventions Can Transform Our World" is the
second edition of discussion surrounding major breakthroughs in how we
power our machines and technology will change our world. From using
water as fuel, making current systems more efficient, and ideas that
come from out of left field, "Breakthrough Power" is a fascinating
breakdown of fuel and how sustainability may be a reality we are
finally reaching.

Radio Wave Propagation Fundamentals
Artem Saakian
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608071371, $135.00, www.amazon.com

"Radio Wave Propagation Fundamentals" is a succinctly written and
superbly organized 380-page technical compendium for students and
professional engineers specializing in antenna, communication, and
radar systems reliant on the electromagnetic wave propagation of radio
frequencies operation under 'real world' conditions. Arthur Artem
Saakian draws from his years of experience and expertise as an antenna
engineer in the Antennas and Radar Systems Division of the Naval Air
Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, to provide a
comprehensive instructional study and reference work on the
classification of radio waves, as well as electromagnetic wave theory,
antennas for RF radio links, atmospheric affects in radio wave
propagation. Of special note are the more than one thousand specific
and time-saving equations and key discussions enhanced with more than
190 illustrations. Of special note are the probelm sets testing the
reader's mastery of the material in each individual chapter. Featuring
a list of symbols, acronyms, and a comprehensive index, "Radio Wave
Propagation Fundamentals" is informed and informative, and a highly
recommended text book as well as a continuing instructional reference
work for personal, professional, and academic library collections.

Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone Country
Marc S. Hendrix
Mountain Press Publishing Company
1301 South Third Street West
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
9780878425761, $24.00, www.mountain-press.com

Yellowstone has much in the way of natural history. "Geology Underfoot
in Yellowstone Country" is a guide to many geological sites throughout
Yellowstone. Each site gets an entry outlining the details of it, many
with full color photographs spread throughout. Covering millions of
years throughout history, "Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone Country"
proves to be a guide that can be enjoyed from the home or for one
preparing to take in the environment themselves. "Geology Underfoot in
Yellowstone Country" is a fine read and very much recommended.

Introduction to Space, fourth edition
Thomas D. Damon
Krieger Publishing Company
1725 Krieger Drive
Malabar, FL 32950
9780894640681, $68.25, www.krieger-publishing.com

How much of a reality are our views of exploring the deepness of
space? "Introduction to Space: The Science of Spaceflight" is the
fourth edition of Krieger Publishing's discussion of Space and
humanity's future in it. Speaking on many topics including the
principle of science that fuel much of NASA and other organization's
study of our potential to soar into the stars. From physics to
technology to what awaits us in other worlds, Thomas D. Damon attempts
to ease readers into the harder science behind it all. "Introductions
to Space" is a core addition to any community library science
collection, especially those lacking in study of astronomy.

Thinking About GIS, fourth edition
Roger Tomlinson
ESRI Press
380 New York St.
Redlands CA 92373-8100
9781589482739, $54.95, www.esri.com

The fourth updated edition of Thinking About GIS: Geographic
Information System Planning for Managers results from literally
decades of the author's consulting practice and worldwide GIS seminars
and discusses successful GIS implementation plans. It offers a
practical, tested formula for planning a GIS application and blends in
the latest advances in software, hardware and mobile environments
alike, and is a 'must' for any college-level collection strong in GIS
planning.

Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us
Joe Palca & Flora Lichtman
Wiley & Sons
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470638699, $25.95, www.wiley.com

Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us comes from an NPR Science
Correspondent and Science Friday writer who search the scientific
world for explanations of annoyance. From researchers who have forged
new paths in understanding annoyances to everyday encounters that
irritate, this covers annoyances, how they develop, and how they are
handled and provides a step-by-step set of insights for both creating
and diffusing such annoyances. Science and psychology collections
alike will relish this lively discourse.

The Mathematics of Life
Ian Stewart
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780465022380, $27.99, www.basicbooks.com

The Mathematics of Life explains how math can illuminate difficult
issues concerning evolution, can explain phenomena like population
explosions, and how it can apply across disciplines to illuminate many
mysteries. The author believes math is the sixth revolution in biology
and here it applies to the life sciences in a survey that tackles some
of the major issues surrounding nature and the origins of life.

The Book of Universes
John D. Barrow
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393081213, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com

THE BOOK OF UNIVERSES: EXPLORING THE LIMITS OF THE COSMOS comes from a
math professor who tours the evolution and science of cosmology and
provides a basic introduction of its concepts to non-scientist
readers. It provides a history of the ideas that led to Einstein's
theories, covering ancient philosophers and scientists and the
movement from spiritual to scientific perceptions of the universe. Any
general lending library will find this a revealing, accessible
account.

How the Hippies Saved Physics
David Kaiser
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393076363, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com

How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture and the Quantum
Revival documents how a group of eccentric, underemployed physicists
in Berkeley California offered a speculative new LSD-fueled set of
ideas on quantum theory - and in doing so changed not just the
concepts but the approaches of scientific inquiry and physical
research. Their discoveries forced mainstream physicists to re-examine
quantum theory after it'd fallen out of fashion as a pursuit, helping
to change the nature and purposes of science and to foster in a new
era of discovery. General and science collections alike will find this
a winner!

Born in Africa
Martin Meredith
Public Affairs
250 West 57tyh St., Suite 1321, New York NY 10107
9781586486631, $26.99, www.publicaffairsbooks.com

BORN IN AFRICA: THE QUEST FOR THE ORIGINS OF HUMAN LIFE recounts the
works of anthropologists, biologists, and scientists working to
discover the origins of humankind, and is a top pick narrating a
century of changing theory and discovery, starting with Darwin's first
theories and working to modern times. The people, teams, and theories
that have affected human origins thought over the decades are here
chronicled in a fine scientific history especially recommended for
college-level science collections.

Artech House Publishers
685 Canton St., Norwood MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com

Victor C. Chen's THE MICRO-DOPPLER EFFECT IN RADAR (1608070573,
$139.00) provides a technical resource with a working knowledge of the
micro-Doppler effect in radar, from its basic principles to
implementation with MATLAB codes. Any interested in learning code for
simulating radar backscattering and generating micro-Doppler
signatures will find this important, offering the math and physics
needed to understand the effect and its applications. Examples range
from an oscillating pendulum to helicopter blades and more, in a
volume that includes a DVD of source codes for simulation. Tim Maguir
and Eric Novik edit ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO ANIMAL TESTING
(1608070115, $139.00) a pick for any college-level collection strong
in biomedical research techniques. It surveys various technologies
used in animal testing, focusing on alternatives and widely accepted
techniques and scientific advancements that result in methods
applicable to academic and industrial communities alike. Chapters
offer a blend of methods, technical analysis, charts, graphs, and
discussions of the pros and cons of alternative testing methods. The
second edition of Richard A. Poisel's MODERN COMMUNICATIONS JAMMING
PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES (1608071650, $159.00) provides a revised,
greatly expanded edition that provides an in-depth treatment of the
techniques available to build communications jamming devices. From
different kinds of jams and new material on urban warfare to designing
and building jammers targeted at a wide range of targets, this
provides college-level engineering collections with a fine survey of
the best systems successful in jamming environments. A 'must' for any
engineering or communications collection, Hiroaki Kogure, Yoshie
Kogure and James C. Rautio's INTRODUCTION TO RF DESIGN USING EM
SIMULATORS (1608071553, $109.00) provides a fine new book that will
serve college-level engineering collections as a basic introduction.
Readers learn how to use EM software to design microwave circuits in a
guide that teaches how microwave and high-speed digital circuits work.
Black and white screenshots, charts, and illustrations accompany a
discussion which also holds a DVD containing RF electromagnetic
analysis software and example files illustrated in the book.

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