Overcoming Reductionism And Crafting A New Synthesis

A study of how public service has changed in this new era of interconnectedness.

Introduces basic principles and mechanisms, covers new developments, and provides a different view of the main facets of bioelectrosynthesis Bioelectrosynthesis represents a promising approach for storing renewable energy or producing target chemicals in an energy-sustainable and low-cost way. This timely and important book systemically introduces the hot issues surrounding bioelectrosynthesis, including potential value-added products via bioelectrochemical system, reactor development of bioelectrosynthesis, and microbial biology on biofilm communities and metabolism pathways. It presents readers with unique viewpoints on basic principles and mechanisms along with new developments on reactor and microbial ecology. Beginning with a principle and products overview of bioelectrosynthesis, Bioelectrosynthesis: Principles and Technologies for Value-Added Products goes on to offer in-depth sections on: biogas production and upgrading technology via bioelectrolysis; organic synthesis on cathodes; chemical products and nitrogen recovery; external electron transfer and electrode material promotion; and the microbiology of bioelectrosynthesis. Topics covered include: hydrogen production from waste stream with microbial electrolysis cell; microbial electrolysis cell; inorganic compound synthesis in bioelectrochemical system; microbial growth, ecological, and metabolic characteristics in bioelectrosynthesis systems; microbial metabolism kinetics and interactions in bioelectrosynthesis system; and more. * Comprehensively covers all of the key issues of biolelectrosynthesis * Features contributions from top experts in the field * Examines the conversion of organic wastes to methane via electromethanogenesis; methane production at biocathodes; extracellular electron transport of electroactive biofilm; and more Bioelectrosynthesis: Principles and Technologies for Value-Added Products will appeal to chemists, electrochemists, environmental chemists, water chemists, microbiologists, biochemists, and graduate students involved in the field.

Structure and Function of Oxidation–Reduction Enzymes is a collection of papers presented at the Wenner-Gren Symposium held at the Wenner-Gren Center, Stockholm on August 23-27, 1970. It provides important understanding of the structure and function of oxidation-reduction enzymes: iron, flavin, and nicotinamide enzymes. This book discusses the functional differences among varying structures such cytochrome c, haemoglobins, dehydrogenases, flavins, oestrogens, and peroxidases. It concludes by presenting future expectations, including some questions that need to be addressed. This volume will be of great value to those interested in the present-day research on oxidation-reduction enzymes.

Keeping up with the literature in a fast moving science discipline can be difficult so finding a distilled view of the latest progress in an area is invaluable. In this celebratory volume, the editors have approached leading researchers to review the area of organometallic chemistry spanning the years. This interdisciplinary field has the potential to provide answers to problems and challenges faced in catalysis, synthetic organic chemistry and unusal reactivity and the development of new materials. Providing a timely addition to the literature, this volume will reflect current interests as well as look at how these have developed over the years and even explore future applications.

The world is witnessing the paradox of simultaneous increase in income and insecurity. According to available data, global average per capita income has increased in recent decades, while at the same time actual and perceived insecurity has also increased. This paradox is true for both developed and developing countries. However, the concrete form and causes of insecurity differs across these two groups of countries. To the extent that income levels in many developing countries are very low, economic insecurity in these countries takes a starker and chronic form. In Financing for Overcoming Economic Insecurity, leading experts examine the causes and consequences of rising economic insecurity and policy measures that can be adopted to overcome insecurity. The volume contains papers addressing issues of economic insecurity pertaining to both developed and developing countries and caused by both economic factors and natural hazards. It also discusses the issues at both macro and micro levels. The volume's focus on policy measures, such as redistribution and reinvestment of profit income in developed countries and imposition of capital control and promotion of micro insurance in developing countries, should be of much help to policymakers as well as researchers.

How have Japanese companies become world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries, among others? What is the secret of their success? Two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi, are the first to tie the success of Japanese companies to their ability to create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. In The Knowledge-Creating Company, Nonaka and Takeuchi provide an inside look at how Japanese companies go about creating this new knowledge organizationally. The authors point out that there are two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in manuals and procedures, and tacit knowledge, learned only by experience, and communicated only indirectly, through metaphor and analogy. U.S. managers focus on explicit knowledge. The Japanese, on the other hand, focus on tacit knowledge. And this, the authors argue, is the key to their success--the Japanese have learned how to transform tacit into explicit knowledge. To explain how this is done--and illuminate Japanese business practices as they do so--the authors range from Greek philosophy to Zen Buddhism, from classical economists to modern management gurus, illustrating the theory of organizational knowledge creation with case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, Nissan, 3M, GE, and even the U.S. Marines. For instance, using Matsushita's development of the Home Bakery (the world's first fully automated bread-baking machine for home use), they show how tacit knowledge can be converted to explicit knowledge: when the designers couldn't perfect the dough kneading mechanism, a software programmer apprenticed herself with the master baker at Osaka International Hotel, gained a tacit understanding of kneading, and then conveyed this information to the engineers. In addition, the authors show that, to create knowledge, the best management style is neither top-down nor bottom-up, but rather what they call "middle-up-down," in which the middle managers form a bridge between the ideals of top management and the chaotic realities of the frontline. As we make the turn into the 21st century, a new society is emerging. Peter Drucker calls it the "knowledge society," one that is drastically different from the "industrial society," and one in which acquiring and applying knowledge will become key competitive factors. Nonaka and Takeuchi go a step further, arguing that creating knowledge will become the key to sustaining a competitive advantage in the future. Because the competitive environment and customer preferences changes constantly, knowledge perishes quickly. With The Knowledge-Creating Company, managers have at their fingertips years of insight from Japanese firms that reveal how to create knowledge continuously, and how to exploit it to make successful new products, services, and systems.

Ammonia holds great promise as a carbon-neutral liquid fuel for storing intermittent renewable energy sources and power generation due to its high energy density and hydrogen content. Photo-Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis: Nanocatalyst Discovery, Reactor Design, and Advanced Spectroscopy covers the synthesis of novel hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials and their application in photo-electrochemical systems to convert low energy molecules to high value-added molecules and looks specifically at photo-electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) for ammonia synthesis as an attractive alternative to the long-lasting thermochemical process. Provides an integrated scientific framework, combining materials chemistry, photo-electrochemistry, and spectroscopy to overcome the challenges associated with renewable energy storage and transport Reviews materials chemistry for the synthesis of a range of heterogeneous (photo) electrocatalysts including plasmonic and hybrid plasmonic-semiconductor nanostructures for selective and efficient conversion of N2 to NH3 Covers novel reactor design to study the redox processes in the photo-electrochemical energy conversion system and to benchmark nanocatalysts’ selectivity and activity toward NRR Discusses the use of advanced spectroscopic techniques to probe the reaction mechanism for ammonia synthesis Offers techno-economic analysis and presents performance targets for the scale-up and commercialization of electrochemical ammonia synthesis This book is of value to researchers, advanced students, and industry professionals working in sustainable energy storage and conversion across the disciplines of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and related areas.

With escalating concerns over the current state of our planet, the realization to work toward reducing our environmental footprint is gaining momentum. Scientists have realized that green chemistry is the key to reduce waste, rendering healthy environment, and improving human health. The 12 principles of green chemistry are the basic tenets that require understanding at the most fundamental level and implementation to promoting sustainable synthesis. This book discusses innovations in the form of greener technologies (superior green catalysts, alternate reaction media, and green energy sources) and elaborates their tremendous potential in combating the critical global challenges on the horizon. It intends to empower and educate students to grasp the key concepts of green chemistry, think out of the box and come up with new ideas, and apply the basic concepts in greening the world. It extensively covers the goals of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development, which can be successfully achieved with the aid of green chemistry. It also highlights cutting-edge greener technologies such as biomimicry, miniaturization, and continuous flow. Edited by two active green chemists, the book presents in-depth knowledge of this field and is extremely helpful for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate readers, as well as academic and industrial researchers.