Robert E. White - Böcker

In recent years, viticulture has seen phenomenal growth, particularly in such countries as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Chile, and South Africa. The surge in production of quality wines in these countries has been built largely on the practice of good enology and investment in high technology in the winery, enabling vintners to produce consistently good, even fine wines. Yet less attention has been paid to the influence of vineyard conditions on wines and their distinctiveness-an influence that is embodied in the French concept of terroir. An essential component of terroir is soil and the interaction between it, local climate, vineyard practices, and grape variety on the quality of grapes and distinctiveness of their flavor. This book considers that component, providing basic information on soil properties and behavior in the context of site selection for new vineyards and on the demands placed on soils for grape growth and production of wines. Soils for Fine Wines will be of interest to professors and upper-level students in enology, viticulture, soils and agronomy as well as wine enthusiasts and professionals in the wine industry.

The first edition of Understanding Vineyard Soils, published in 2009, has been praised for its comprehensive coverage of soil topics relevant to viticulture, and is a major resource for professionals in the industry. However, the subject is not static--new developments are occurring in the field all the time. For example, the 'organic movement' in viticulture continues to grow in importance and the emphasis on wine quality relevant to quantity is changing in an increasingly competitive world market. The promotion of organic and biodynamic practices has raised a general awareness about 'soil health' and methods to assess it, which is often associated primarily with the biological status of the soil. Many commercial laboratories offer an extensive range of tests for soil (biological) health, the relevance of which is not clear to many growers. However, the development of new tools for characterizing soil microorganisms and identifying the specific functions of taxonomic groups is an exciting area of research that may offer answers to some of these questions in the future. This second edition of White's influential book presents the latest updates and developments in vineyard and soil management practices. Just like the first edition, Understanding Vineyard Soils introduces readers from all backgrounds to the principles of viticulture.

Principles and Practice of Soil Science, Fourth Editionprovides a current and comprehensive introduction to soil science for students in the fields of environmental and agricultural science, ecology, soil and land management, natural resource management and environmental engineering. Covers all aspects of soil science including soil habitat, processes in the soil environment and soil management.Emphasizes the applications of soil science to the solution of practical problems in soil and land management.Highlights real world examples drawn from the author’s international experience in the field.Includes an expanded colour section of soil profiles and other features, and greater coverage of international soil classificationFeatures new problem sets and questions at the end of each chapter, designed to reinforce important principles. An answer key is provided at the end of the text.

Courses on linear algebra and numerical analysis need each other. Often NA courses have some linear algebra topics, and LA courses mention some topics from numerical analysis/scientific computing. This text merges these two areas into one introductory undergraduate course. It assumes students have had multivariable calculus. A second goal of this text is to demonstrate the intimate relationship of linear algebra to applications/computations.A rigorous presentation has been maintained. A third reason for writing this text is to present, in the first half of the course, the very important topic on singular value decomposition, SVD. This is done by first restricting consideration to real matrices and vector spaces. The general inner product vector spaces are considered starting in the middle of the text.The text has a number of applications. These are to motivate the student to study the linear algebra topics. Also, the text has a number of computations. MATLAB® is used, but one could modify these codes to other programming languages. These are either to simplify some linear algebra computation, or to model a particular application.

Computational Mathematics: Models, Methods, and Analysis with MATLAB® and MPI is a unique book covering the concepts and techniques at the core of computational science. The author delivers a hands-on introduction to nonlinear, 2D, and 3D models; nonrectangular domains; systems of partial differential equations; and large algebraic problems requiring high-performance computing. The book shows how to apply a model, select a numerical method, implement computer simulations, and assess the ensuing results.Providing a wealth of MATLAB, Fortran, and C++ code online for download, the Second Edition of this very popular text:Includes a new chapter with two sections on the finite element method, two sections on shallow water waves, and two sections on the driven cavity problemIntroduces multiprocessor/multicore computers, parallel MATLAB, and message passing interface (MPI) in the chapter on high-performance computingUpdates and adds code and documentationComputational Mathematics: Models, Methods, and Analysis with MATLAB® and MPI, Second Edition is an ideal textbook for an undergraduate course taught to mathematics, computer science, and engineering students. By using code in practical ways, students take their first steps toward more sophisticated numerical modeling.

Premised on the need for democratic education and positive social change, this book is about being sensitive to, respecting, and honoring differences. It connects the professional lives of educators with critical democratic practices. It also presents the experiences of professionals involved in effecting positive change.

Premised on the need for democratic education and positive social change, this book is about being sensitive to, respecting, and honoring differences. It connects the professional lives of educators with critical democratic practices. It promotes the assertion that every educator can become an agent of change.

Computational Mathematics: Models, Methods, and Analysis with MATLAB® and MPI is a unique book covering the concepts and techniques at the core of computational science. The author delivers a hands-on introduction to nonlinear, 2D, and 3D models; nonrectangular domains; systems of partial differential equations; and large algebraic problems requiring high-performance computing. The book shows how to apply a model, select a numerical method, implement computer simulations, and assess the ensuing results.Providing a wealth of MATLAB, Fortran, and C++ code online for download, the Second Edition of this very popular text: Includes a new chapter with two sections on the finite element method, two sections on shallow water waves, and two sections on the driven cavity problemIntroduces multiprocessor/multicore computers, parallel MATLAB, and message passing interface (MPI) in the chapter on high-performance computingUpdates and adds code and documentationComputational Mathematics: Models, Methods, and Analysis with MATLAB® and MPI, Second Edition is an ideal textbook for an undergraduate course taught to mathematics, computer science, and engineering students. By using code in practical ways, students take their first steps toward more sophisticated numerical modeling.

Here is a book with numerous applications. It is intended to situate self-examination and issues-based learning in reality in a professional context in which teachers and students work to shape practices and identities. In this way, teachers can explore who they are as individuals, their understandings of themselves and their experiences, as well as the impact of these experiences in the classroom, the school, and the community.As a course book on teacher development, both for undergraduates and for teachers embarking on post-graduate work, the focus on real-life experience forges powerful links between the theoretical underpinnings of teaching and classroom practices. Burning Issues may also serve as a foundation book for coursework and workshops exploring research on teachers and teacher development. As a sourcebook for in-service teachers, the authors focus attention on real life experiences, theory, and practices associated with reflection and emancipation. The authors offer a vision for crafting a career-long tradition in critical inquiry. Educators of any stripe will find this text useful and informative.

As discrete models and computing have become more common, there is a need to study matrix computation and numerical linear algebra. Encompassing a diverse mathematical core, Elements of Matrix Modeling and Computing with MATLAB examines a variety of applications and their modeling processes, showing you how to develop matrix models and solve algebraic systems. Emphasizing practical skills, it creates a bridge from problems with two and three variables to more realistic problems that have additional variables.Elements of Matrix Modeling and Computing with MATLAB focuses on seven basic applications: circuits, trusses, mixing tanks, heat conduction, data modeling, motion of a mass, and image filters. These applications are developed from very simple to more complex models. To explain the processes, the book explores numerous topics in linear algebra, including complex numbers and functions, matrices, algebraic systems, curve fitting, elements of linear differential equations, transform methods, and tools of computation. For example, the author uses linearly independent vectors and subspaces to explain over- and under-determined systems, eigenvalues and eigenvectors to solve initial value problems, and discrete Fourier transforms to perform image filtering in the frequency domain. Although the primary focus is to cultivate calculation skills by hand, most chapters also include MATLAB to help with more complicated calculations.

The best leaders lead by example, not by mandate. However, so much leadership has become conscripted by neoliberal values. Educators and politicians, who are increasingly making policy for educators, have come to believe that standardized test scores are the same as knowledge acquired, as if test scores actually measure knowledge as opposed to information. Simply put, educational policy is no longer being developed for educational purposes but education is increasingly being manipulated as an experiment in social engineering. Educational leaders are caught on the horns of a dilemma – to follow and inscribe policies they do not agree with or to “go rogue” and do what they know is needed. Leading under Pressure is aptly titled, as there is significant pressure being placed on school leaders at any stage in their careers. However, in an otherwise increasingly hostile political, commercial and natural environment, there are some rays of hope. For example, teachers still know what it is that their students need and strive to provide that, despite mandates that try to create consumers of us all. This volume is divided into three sections, the first of which seeks to explore social contexts of educational leadership. The second section explores the experiences of a variety of educational leaders in various contexts, while the third section of this volume looks at some of the consequences, unintended and otherwise, of the neoliberal commodification of education.

Never have policy initiatives been so important than in today’s society. Neoliberal manifestations, climate change, civil rights movements, and governmental reactions to these issues have created a backdrop where greater education in policy analysis and development is vital. Policy is often created for accruing power, expanding privilege, and further marginalizing oppressed groups. Educating policy developers and consumers is but one means of harnessing the positive power of policy while restraining the tendencies to pervert policy for the betterment of a powerful hegemonic elite.Policy Matters: Perspectives, Procedures, and Processes demystifies policy, exploring how it may truly be transformative in combatting hegemonic and neoliberal incursions into the educational arena. The traditional theory / practice divide is overcome here, uniquely, as educational policy is united with educational reality to empower educators, education stakeholders, and citizens to use policy, policy development, and policy initiatives for the betterment of society as a whole.

In an era where leadership in higher education is increasingly overshadowed by identity politics and institutional inaction, this timely volume offers a critical examination of the leadership vacuum that has quietly become the norm. Universities around the world are grappling with the normalization of ineffectual leadership practices that are normalized and rarely challenged.Inclusive and Innovative Leadership in Higher Education brings together a diverse array of voices and perspectives from across the globe, including Canada, Africa, and other regions, to explore the multifaceted nature of leadership in academic settings. Each chapter delves into a specific leadership dilemma, offering both critique and insight into the challenges faced by institutions today. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative research, the contributors illuminate the complexity of leadership as it manifests in different cultural, institutional, and pedagogical contexts.Offering practical solutions, innovative strategies, and forward-thinking approaches that aim to revitalize leadership in higher education, this volume underscores that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept; rather, it is dynamic, context-dependent, and capable of emerging in unexpected ways. At its core, this book is a call to action. It challenges readers to rethink what leadership means, how it is practiced, and how it can be transformed to foster inclusivity, well-being, and pedagogical excellence.

This volume describes and discusses some of the intricacies associated with qualitative research in this post-modern era. This volume makes use of a contextual approach to research and features interviews with scholars who have assisted in developing such methodologies.

This book presents a discussion of qualitative research in this, our late postmodern era. Interviews with key influential scholars represent the apex of autobiographical research. Gathered here are voices of giants in the field, along with additional critical perspectives. The text discusses qualitative and quantitative research, chronicles the colonial and postcolonial nature of qualitative research and identifies qualitative research within “Five Contexts,” developed by Cooper and White. These contexts offer a major contribution to thinking about research and research paradigms. This volume offers succinct summations of qualitative research with respect to our late postmodern era. Commentary, summary, (auto)biography and video-clips of current and late scholars provide a complete rendition of the current state of qualitative research. This volume will assist understanding, managing and effecting practices and procedures relating to qualitative research.  We seek to know who the researcher is within the research account and how researchers relate to the research at hand. Thus, we can learn from many of the researchers represented in this volume who have helped develop the entire paradigm of qualitative research. Much has changed over the past decade and this volume attests to the relevance of these changes.  Qualitative research has changed dramatically in terms of how research is represented, understood and interpreted. The field has never been more dynamic that it is at this moment. There are deep sea changes in research, as both qualitative and quantitative research are developing vocabularies better suited to research of any kind, and as qualitative research continues to develop a vocabulary distinct from its quantitative counterpart. Some of these changes can be seen in the advancement of post-colonial and non-colonial research. Additionally, there are numerous and frequent tensions within the entire field of research, both qualitative and quantitative, that offer opportunities not previously encountered.

Contributors to this volume examine structures and processes that school boards have in place directly relating to the process of principal or vice-principal succession. As well, they consider the effect that these structures and processes have upon staff and administrators themselves. These contributors investigate policies, procedures and practices that school boards employ in terms of leadership succession, and explore implications of these constructs for the sustainability of school improvement. This volume presents an overview of the process of principal or vice-principal succession, descriptions of school district practices surrounding this process and discussions regarding how succession procedures affect individuals and groups of individuals. This volume also highlights those board policies that incorporate practices used to develop models that support and allow administrators to succeed. It articulates how school leaders and staff members deal with change and improvement efforts in successive schools, as well as how board policies and practices support principals and vice-principals at any stage in the succession process. This volume is useful as a reference guide relating to transfer and rotation procedures in school systems across the nation.

Qualitative Research is changing as a result of postmodern influences which have changed the way research is interpreted and understood. How can the researcher who reads qualitative research relate to and understand the nuances and complexities in qualitative research?