This book, drawing on the author’s extensive scientific research in different parts of the world and reports from other scientists, explores the intricate interdependence between water and ions. Water is well-known as the best diluent for supporting life, which allows the flow of molecules, which are made up of ions, from one particular point to another, but in many cases, despite the presence of water, life and biological entities are not found. This book allows the reader to pursue an answer to this mystery through scientific knowledge, as has never been presented before, showing how metal ions complement water for sustaining life. It considers the effects of cosmic dust and solar energy on the progression of biological systems, and the presence of metal ions such as sulfur as part of our proteins, calcium in animal and human skeletons, iron in our blood, fluoride in our teeth, sodium and potassium in our physiological activity, along with magnesium and zinc in plants. Furthermore, it explains the presence of the carbon element, which is ubiquitous in all biomolecules on earth. This book also provides techniques such as biomarkers, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence to identify undetectable biological entities.

Evolution is nature's most fascinating process, the possibility given sufficient time to combine simple inorganic compounds to more and more complex biochemical compounds, which make up more and more complex organisms. It is therefore crucial in our effort to understand the evolution to see it from as many different angles as possible. This books draw an image of evolution from the thermodynamic viewpoint, which gives new and surprising insights into the processes and mechanisms that have driven evolution. This new thermodynamic interpretation has made it possible to quantify the various steps of evolution and to show that evolution has followed an exponential growth curve. - The first comprehensive thermodynamic interpretation and explanation of evolution - This thermodynamic interpretation makes it possible to quantify the various steps of evolution - This interpretation explains the wide spectrum of different mechanisms on which the evolution has been based

Each year brings to light new scientific discoveries that have the power to either test our faith or strengthen it--most recently the news that scientists have created artificial life forms in the laboratory. If humans can create life, what does that mean for the creation story found in Scripture? Biochemist and Christian apologist Fazale Rana, for one, isn't worried. In Creating Life in the Lab, he details the fascinating quest for synthetic life and argues convincingly that when scientists succeed in creating life in the lab, they will unwittingly undermine the evolutionary explanation for the origin of life, demonstrating instead that undirected chemical processes cannot produce a living entity.

Maintenance, Safety, Risk, Management and Life-Cycle Performance of Bridges contains lectures and papers presented at the Ninth International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management (IABMAS 2018), held in Melbourne, Australia, 9-13 July 2018. This volume consists of a book of extended abstracts and a USB card containing the full papers of 393 contributions presented at IABMAS 2018, including the T.Y. Lin Lecture, 10 Keynote Lectures, and 382 technical papers from 40 countries. The contributions presented at IABMAS 2018 deal with the state of the art as well as emerging concepts and innovative applications related to the main aspects of bridge maintenance, safety, risk, management and life-cycle performance. Major topics include: new design methods, bridge codes, heavy vehicle and load models, bridge management systems, prediction of future traffic models, service life prediction, residual service life, sustainability and life-cycle assessments, maintenance strategies, bridge diagnostics, health monitoring, non-destructive testing, field testing, safety and serviceability, assessment and evaluation, damage identification, deterioration modelling, repair and retrofitting strategies, bridge reliability, fatigue and corrosion, extreme loads, advanced experimental simulations, and advanced computer simulations, among others. This volume provides both an up-to-date overview of the field of bridge engineering and significant contributions to the process of more rational decision-making on bridge maintenance, safety, risk, management and life-cycle performance of bridges for the purpose of enhancing the welfare of society. The Editors hope that these Proceedings will serve as a valuable reference to all concerned with bridge structure and infrastructure systems, including students, researchers and engineers from all areas of bridge engineering.

Failure Modes, Effects and Causes of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Advanced Perspectives and Analysis presents academic research about microbial corrosion (MIC), integrating it into engineering applications that result in a more thorough understanding of MIC and how it is recognized and treated. In addition, new concepts that will be useful in understanding integrity and corrosion management practices are explored. This book will be useful for industry professionals, particularly maintenance and operation engineers, corrosion and material engineers, and R&D personnel working in the field of corrosion protection. Focuses on the skills and knowledge necessary to understand how (Failure modes) and why (Effects and Causes) materials fail Explains why corrosion control measures, such as the use of coatings, cathodic protection and inhibitors are useful Discusses the practical side of MIC treatment in terms of fundamental concepts of time and cost of operation

A unique interdisciplinary study of the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society from 20,000 years ago to the present day within the Jordan Valley. It describes how state-of-the-art models can simulate the past, present and future climates of the Near East, reviews and provides new evidence for environmental change from geological deposits, builds hydrological models for the River Jordan and associated wadis and explains how present day urban and rural communities manage their water supply. The volume provides a new approach and new methods that can be applied for exploring the relationships between climate, hydrology and human society in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world. It is an invaluable reference for researchers and advanced students concerned with the impacts of climate change and hydrology on human society, especially in the Near East.