- Email: [email protected]
Non-waste technology and production
on producing a book commendably free ffom translation idiosyncrasies and typographical errors. A worthwhile addition to the literature, especially for non-clinical laboratories. J. P. Leppard The Potato Crop, the Scientific Basis for Improvement editor: P. M. Harris. Pp. xvc730. Chapman end Hell, Andover. 1978. f25.00. The objective of this treatise is to present and review information on the potato plant that could provide a basis for improvements in yield and quality of the crop. Aspects of the plant, or crop, considered by twenty-one specialists include: history and biosystematics; structure, development and physiology; mineral nutrition; water rquirements; plant density; ‘seed’ tuber production and management: mechanisation; effects of weeds, pests, and diseases; tuber quality; physics and physiology of storage; breeding; economics of potato production and the application of physiological and agronomic principles. All stages of the crop, from ‘seed’ production to utilisation, and associated areas of pure and applied research are covered, with special emphasis on crop physiology and agronomy. The treatment is authoritative, as would be anticipated from the eminence of the contributors, and comprehensive, though sometimes less international than indicated on the cover. Multiple authorship has led to some repetition and cross-referencing between chapters is minimal but an extensive index is provided. The book is in general well produced, though the quality of some illustrations is poor, and it will undoubtedly prove very useful to all concerned with the potato crop as a source of up-to-date information and a guide to areas where further study is required. R. K. McKee
Moon. Their ‘scientific’ knowledge, now readable from the stones, was matched by their engineering skill in constructing such sites as Stonehenge and Silbury. Tbe only point still unproved is the prevalence of good weather between 2500 and I500 BC: upland settlements offer evidence in favour. but more is needed. Still, the case is already strong enough to provide a permanent coffin in which to bury, now and for ever, the outmoded idea that the verbally-oriented civilisations of the Middle East were ‘superior’ to the astronomically-oriented ancient Britons. D. G. King-Hele Progress in Surfaca Science, Vols. 6 and 7 editor: Sydney G. Davison. Pp. Vol. 6, 244pp, Vol. 7, 19Opp. Pergsmon Press, Oxford. 1978. f39.00 ($77.001. This book consists of two volumes bound into a single volume. Although the reviews are limited to solid surfaces the coverage of material is an indication of the enormous range of themes subsumed under the title of Surface Science. The subjects include adsorption of gases, of polar liquids, of electrolytes, the role of photons in adsorption on semiconductors, low energy electron diffraction, sputtering, photoemission and photoelectron spectroscopy as a tool in the study of adsorption. The reviewers have on the whole succeeded to a remarkable extent in presenting their material in a form that will communicate effectively to physicists, chemists, experimentalists, and theoreticians. In addition the choice of authors is a striking and encouraging example of the universalism of science: the writers come from USSR, Japan, Bulgaria, Switzerland, USA, Yugoslavia, and Canada. The book is well organised and the standard of production is high. The price works out at about 8p a page which may restrict its sales to individuals. On the other hand, every serious Surface Science laboratory should have
Sun, Moon and Standing Stones by John Edwin Wood. Pp. 2 17. Oxford University Press. 1978. f6.95.
a COPY.
The astronomical significance of ancient standing stones in Britain has generated much controversy in recent years, and the time was ripe for a critical review of all the specialised work. Dr Wood has performed this sevice admirably. His book is carefully argued and well written, and provides an authoritative and readable assessment of the subject, which owes so much to Professor Thorn’s painstaking surveys. Dr Wood is well aware of the niceties, such as the diurnal variation of atmospheric refraction and the minor perturbations of the lunar orbit, but the detail never diverts him from his main quest. The style is smooth, apart from one irritating trick-the continual use of ‘men’ when he means people’. ‘Men speculated that . . . ‘, he says: were women not capable of speculating? The publishers should have corrected this subconscious male chauvinism. Dr Wood’s conclusions are quite clear, and to me quite convincing. Between 3000 BC and I500 BC there existed in Britain a society that became capable of devising sophisticated geometrical arrangements of stones, recording in great detail the movements of the Sun and
Non-Waste Technology and Production U.N.E.C.E. Pp. 68 1. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 19 78. f38.00.
194
David
Tabor
Can technology solve the environmental problems which technology has helped to cause? Many believe that this question can be answered positively. But to give a meaningful answer, technological evaluation has to be expanded and effort devoted to determining that technology is needed to solve such problems. The book brings together the sociopolitico economic aspects of the subject and interesting detail of approaches to non-waste technology in a great number of industries. There is fairly detailed treatment of numerous topics ranging from liquid potato wastes to protein recovery to low-waste technologies in the metal container industry. Many of these papers are well illustrated by line diagrams and flow-sheets. The section on cost-benefit aspects underlines the great importance of economics for policy decisions and makes a practical contribution to the use ofcost-benefit analysis. There is a good case for putting this book on
library shelves in both higher education establishments and industry. It provides a wealth of analytical methods and case studies for teachers attempting to satisfy the very great interests that students have in the topics discussed. For the industrialist, the detailed case studies and the socio-economic background discussion comprise a very valuable launching-pad for imaginative flights of thought on technological futures which may be open to the individual firm in coming decades. F. R. Bradbuy Eighth Lunar Science Conference, Vols. 1, 2 and 3 Meneging ediror: R. 8. Merrill. Pp. 3965. Pergamon Press, New York. 1978. flOO.OO. This eighth annual three vdume compilation weighs in at six kilograms, about par for the course, with articles from 465 authors. The preliminary versions of these papers were presented at the Houston conference in March 1971. Volume I, entitled ‘The Moon and the Inner Solar System’, contams hypotheses of the early history of the solar system, meteorites. asteroids and the moon. Three noteable papers are by Kaula; Smith; and Ringwood and Kesson. An interesting re-evaluation of an earlier model is presented by Taylor and Jakes. Volume 2 is entitled ‘Petrogenetic Studies of Mare and Highland Rocks’ and contains data on lunar rock and mineral analyses for major and trace elements, isotopic ratios, and results of age-dating. Of special interest are papers dealing with the laboratory simulation of textures in lunar igneous rocks by Lofgren and by Schael and H&z. The origin of KREEPrich material continues to fascinate the lunar geochemist with three further contributions by Shih, Crawford and Hollister, and Irving. Several problems of long-standing are still unresolved and controversy rages. politely. over such topics as the degree of melting of the early Moon and the variation in composition with depth. Amongst the relatively novel techniques described is the laser probe AG9/Ar’0 age-dating of individual mineral grams in situ by Miiller el al. Volume 3, titled ‘Planetary and Lunar Surfaces’, has two papers by Soviet scientists giving the results of the Venera 9 and 10 missions which set up automatic landing stations on the surface of Venus. Data returned include panoramic photographs and the composition of the atmosphere and surface rocks. Most of the volume, however. is concerned with the lunar regolith. its composition. erosion, transport and evolution. The editors and publishers are to be congratulated on maintaining the high standard of presentation of this series. There are rare typographical errors, though some unfortunately occur in data tables. The statistical techniques exemplified by Pratt er ai. (pp. 183H8) could be used to discover these errors. The price, though alarming, is only 2f pence per page, half the rate of many modern texts. This work is essential for the specialist lunar and extra-terresrial scientist and should be
Moon. Their ‘scientific’ knowledge, now readable from the stones, was matched by their engineering skill in constructing such sites as Stonehenge and Silbury. Tbe only point still unproved is the prevalence of good weather between 2500 and I500 BC: upland settlements offer evidence in favour. but more is needed. Still, the case is already strong enough to provide a permanent coffin in which to bury, now and for ever, the outmoded idea that the verbally-oriented civilisations of the Middle East were ‘superior’ to the astronomically-oriented ancient Britons. D. G. King-Hele Progress in Surfaca Science, Vols. 6 and 7 editor: Sydney G. Davison. Pp. Vol. 6, 244pp, Vol. 7, 19Opp. Pergsmon Press, Oxford. 1978. f39.00 ($77.001. This book consists of two volumes bound into a single volume. Although the reviews are limited to solid surfaces the coverage of material is an indication of the enormous range of themes subsumed under the title of Surface Science. The subjects include adsorption of gases, of polar liquids, of electrolytes, the role of photons in adsorption on semiconductors, low energy electron diffraction, sputtering, photoemission and photoelectron spectroscopy as a tool in the study of adsorption. The reviewers have on the whole succeeded to a remarkable extent in presenting their material in a form that will communicate effectively to physicists, chemists, experimentalists, and theoreticians. In addition the choice of authors is a striking and encouraging example of the universalism of science: the writers come from USSR, Japan, Bulgaria, Switzerland, USA, Yugoslavia, and Canada. The book is well organised and the standard of production is high. The price works out at about 8p a page which may restrict its sales to individuals. On the other hand, every serious Surface Science laboratory should have
Sun, Moon and Standing Stones by John Edwin Wood. Pp. 2 17. Oxford University Press. 1978. f6.95.
a COPY.
The astronomical significance of ancient standing stones in Britain has generated much controversy in recent years, and the time was ripe for a critical review of all the specialised work. Dr Wood has performed this sevice admirably. His book is carefully argued and well written, and provides an authoritative and readable assessment of the subject, which owes so much to Professor Thorn’s painstaking surveys. Dr Wood is well aware of the niceties, such as the diurnal variation of atmospheric refraction and the minor perturbations of the lunar orbit, but the detail never diverts him from his main quest. The style is smooth, apart from one irritating trick-the continual use of ‘men’ when he means people’. ‘Men speculated that . . . ‘, he says: were women not capable of speculating? The publishers should have corrected this subconscious male chauvinism. Dr Wood’s conclusions are quite clear, and to me quite convincing. Between 3000 BC and I500 BC there existed in Britain a society that became capable of devising sophisticated geometrical arrangements of stones, recording in great detail the movements of the Sun and
Non-Waste Technology and Production U.N.E.C.E. Pp. 68 1. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 19 78. f38.00.
194
David
Tabor
Can technology solve the environmental problems which technology has helped to cause? Many believe that this question can be answered positively. But to give a meaningful answer, technological evaluation has to be expanded and effort devoted to determining that technology is needed to solve such problems. The book brings together the sociopolitico economic aspects of the subject and interesting detail of approaches to non-waste technology in a great number of industries. There is fairly detailed treatment of numerous topics ranging from liquid potato wastes to protein recovery to low-waste technologies in the metal container industry. Many of these papers are well illustrated by line diagrams and flow-sheets. The section on cost-benefit aspects underlines the great importance of economics for policy decisions and makes a practical contribution to the use ofcost-benefit analysis. There is a good case for putting this book on
library shelves in both higher education establishments and industry. It provides a wealth of analytical methods and case studies for teachers attempting to satisfy the very great interests that students have in the topics discussed. For the industrialist, the detailed case studies and the socio-economic background discussion comprise a very valuable launching-pad for imaginative flights of thought on technological futures which may be open to the individual firm in coming decades. F. R. Bradbuy Eighth Lunar Science Conference, Vols. 1, 2 and 3 Meneging ediror: R. 8. Merrill. Pp. 3965. Pergamon Press, New York. 1978. flOO.OO. This eighth annual three vdume compilation weighs in at six kilograms, about par for the course, with articles from 465 authors. The preliminary versions of these papers were presented at the Houston conference in March 1971. Volume I, entitled ‘The Moon and the Inner Solar System’, contams hypotheses of the early history of the solar system, meteorites. asteroids and the moon. Three noteable papers are by Kaula; Smith; and Ringwood and Kesson. An interesting re-evaluation of an earlier model is presented by Taylor and Jakes. Volume 2 is entitled ‘Petrogenetic Studies of Mare and Highland Rocks’ and contains data on lunar rock and mineral analyses for major and trace elements, isotopic ratios, and results of age-dating. Of special interest are papers dealing with the laboratory simulation of textures in lunar igneous rocks by Lofgren and by Schael and H&z. The origin of KREEPrich material continues to fascinate the lunar geochemist with three further contributions by Shih, Crawford and Hollister, and Irving. Several problems of long-standing are still unresolved and controversy rages. politely. over such topics as the degree of melting of the early Moon and the variation in composition with depth. Amongst the relatively novel techniques described is the laser probe AG9/Ar’0 age-dating of individual mineral grams in situ by Miiller el al. Volume 3, titled ‘Planetary and Lunar Surfaces’, has two papers by Soviet scientists giving the results of the Venera 9 and 10 missions which set up automatic landing stations on the surface of Venus. Data returned include panoramic photographs and the composition of the atmosphere and surface rocks. Most of the volume, however. is concerned with the lunar regolith. its composition. erosion, transport and evolution. The editors and publishers are to be congratulated on maintaining the high standard of presentation of this series. There are rare typographical errors, though some unfortunately occur in data tables. The statistical techniques exemplified by Pratt er ai. (pp. 183H8) could be used to discover these errors. The price, though alarming, is only 2f pence per page, half the rate of many modern texts. This work is essential for the specialist lunar and extra-terresrial scientist and should be