BRILL

Computer science; proceedings: [with] Additional papers from ICNAAM 2006 and ICCMSE 2006.

This work presents papers from the International e-Conference on Computer Science and from a 2006 symposium on computer and network applications in agriculture, plus three papers from a symposium on information security. Papers from the conference describe work in areas such as a wavelet support vector machine for machine faults classification, integrated PDA-based portable diagnosis for elevators, and design of a secure execution environment for mobile agents. Some of the symposium paper topics include development of a crop growth monitor based on optical principles, predicting grain protein content by in situ reflected spectrum in winter wheat, virtual instrumentation for thermal measurement systems, greenhouse temperature adaptive fuzzy control, an artificial neural network model for setting target cotton yields, and a partial unrolling technique for SHA-256 hash function. There is no subject index. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Early modern zoology; the construction of animals in science, literature and the visual arts; 2v.

The sixteenth century saw the invention of the new science of zoology. This went hand in hand with the (re)discovery of anatomy, physiology, and, in the 17th century, the invention of the microscope. The discovery of the New World confronted intellectuals with new species, and artistic progress in painting and drawing brought about a new precision in animal illustrations. In this handsome two-volume set, Enenkel (neo-Latin literature, Leiden University) and Smith (French literature, Leiden University) present work by specialists from various disciplines, including art history and the history of science, who explore early modern discourses on animals in science, literature, and the visual arts. They examine the construction of an early modern science, the construction of the animal in zoological illustrations, the construction of the animal in its early modern use and abuse, and the construction of the animal in literature and in the visual arts. There is one chapter in the first volume in German, and one chapter in the second volume in French. High-quality color plates and b&w illustrations give examples of art from the period. The publication is of interest to students of the history of science, literature, and art history in the early modern period. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Low-temperature behaviour of elastomers.

The use of elastomers in aerospace vehicles and aircraft have been the greatest spur to understanding how rubber and similar materials behave at low temperatures, but possible temperature extremes encountered as the global climate continues to change also pose a potential problem. Russia turns out to be a favorable location for such research, and Bukhina (Institute of Elastomeric Materials and Articles, Moscow) and Kurlyand (Institute of Synthetic Rubbers, St. Petersburg) review findings of scientists there that have not been widely disseminated in the West. The Russian edition was published in 1989. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Soundings in Tibetan medicine; anthropological and historical perspectives; proceedings.

Tibetans have long held medicine to be a main pillar of their sciences, but non-Tibetan scholars of Tibet have not shared the perspective. The seminar was called to begin the process of aligning Western scholarship more closely with the object of its study. The 19 papers cover Tibetan medicine and modernity; transmission, professionalization, and issues of identity; bodies, spirits, and illnesses; and the history of Tibetan medicine. As readers have come to expect with Brill publications, the volume represents a considerable investment not only in valuable scholarship, but also in a quality and durable vehicle with the potential to carry that knowledge many decades into the future. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)