Martin Alexander – författare

Biodegradation has been the subject of active concern for the past 40 years. Recently, the field has expanded to encompass a wide variety of chemicals, a broad array of issues, and the development of the new bioremediation industry. This book presents the basic principles of biodegradation and shows how these principles relate to bioremediation. Authored by a world-renowned environmental microbiologist, Biodegradation and Bioremediation presents microbiological, chemical, toxicological, environmental, engineering, and technological aspects of the subject.

Just six or seven generations separate the France of Napoleon from that of today's Fifth Republic. Yet the closeness of the past explored in this book, and the resonances that reverberate down through the years, are matched by transformations so profound that they can at times obscure the powerful continuities. The contributors to this major new history of modern France are alive to these contrasting elements and the tensions they induce. Within a clear chronological framework, they aim to present diversity but in a way that is comprehensible: to keep the colours and textures of the period but within a recognizable political context. Proper place is given to social and cultural history but always with a strong sense of the national and international events swirling around an 'histoire de tous les jours', a 'history of the everyday'.

The events of 9/11 and subsequent acts of jihadist terrorism, together with the failures of intelligence agencies over Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction, have arguably heralded a new age of intelligence. For some this takes the form of a crisis of legitimacy. For others the threat of cataclysmic terrorism involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack gives added poignancy to the academic contention that intelligence failure is inevitable. Many of the challenges facing intelligence appear to be both new and deeply worrying. In response, intelligence has clearly taken on new forms and new agendas. How these various developments are viewed depends upon the historical, normative and political frameworks in which they are analysed. This book addresses fundamental questions arising in this new age.The central aim of the collection is to identify key issues and questions and subject them to interrogation from different methodological perspectives using internationally acclaimed experts in the field. A key focus in the collection is on British and North American perspectives. Recent trends and debates about the organisation and conduct of intelligence provide key themes for exploration. Underpinning several contributions is the recognition that intelligence faces a conflict of ideas as much as practices and threats.This book was published as a special issue of Intelligence and National Security.

The events of 9/11 and subsequent acts of jihadist terrorism, together with the failures of intelligence agencies over Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction, have arguably heralded a new age of intelligence. For some this takes the form of a crisis of legitimacy. For others the threat of cataclysmic terrorism involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack gives added poignancy to the academic contention that intelligence failure is inevitable. Many of the challenges facing intelligence appear to be both new and deeply worrying. In response, intelligence has clearly taken on new forms and new agendas. How these various developments are viewed depends upon the historical, normative and political frameworks in which they are analysed. This book addresses fundamental questions arising in this new age.The central aim of the collection is to identify key issues and questions and subject them to interrogation from different methodological perspectives using internationally acclaimed experts in the field. A key focus in the collection is on British and North American perspectives. Recent trends and debates about the organisation and conduct of intelligence provide key themes for exploration. Underpinning several contributions is the recognition that intelligence faces a conflict of ideas as much as practices and threats.This book was published as a special issue of Intelligence and National Security.

The Instituto Internacional de Estudios Avanzados, founded by decree of the President of the Republic of Venezuela, Dr. Luis Herrera Campins, on November 15, 1979 and constituted on July 8, 1980, sponsors, within the Educational Program for the Third World Coun- tries, a series of courses on Scientific Basis for Agricultural Pro- ductivity, the first of which "BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION AND ITS ECOLOGICAL BASIS," was held in Caracas on January 18-29, 1982. We are pleased to present, in this volume, the proceedings of this course. It is a pleasure to thank each and everyone of the persons who collaborated in the realization of this event, espe- cially: Dr. Martin Alexander (Cornell University, U.S.A.); Dr. Luis Bascones (FUSAGRI, Venzuela) and Dr. Ivan Casas (Universirlad del Zulia, Venezuela), who assisted me during the preparation and exe- cution of this activity; the teaching staff, whose presentations are the chapters of this volume; and the participants from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ghans, Guatemala, India, In- donesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Syria, and Venezuela who shared this course with us.Special recognition is given to UNESCO and FUSAGRI for their valuable contribution. I sincerely hope this publication will be the first of a series on the same level that will originate from the courses in this same program.