Flow Analysis with Atomic Spectrometric Detectors (Analytical Spectroscopy Library)

Book Description

Flow Analysis (FA) offers a very convenient and fast approach to enhance and automate 'preliminary steps' of analysis (sample dissolution, pretreatments, preconcentrations, etc.) for atomic spectrometric detectors (ASD). Moreover, flow manifolds can ease the well-known problem of sample introduction/presentation to atomisers or even expand the classical scope of atomic/elemental information, characterizing atomic spectrometry, into the realm of molecules and metal-compounds analysis (e.g. by resorting to coupled separation techniques). All these facts could explain both the extraordinary interest for research and the great importance for practical problem-solving achieved nowadays by FA-ASD.

On the threshold of the new millennium when plasma emission and mass spectrometry are so important and popular, the editor considered it timely to produce a book which covers all present atomic detectors and techniques where FA has been or can be advantageously employed. The book has been conceived in three separate parts:
Part I gives the fundamental, instrumentation and potential of FIA as a most versatile sample presentation/introduction system for atomic spectrometry.
Part II provides a modern account of fundamentals, possibilities and applications offered by flow analysis to atomic spectrometry for on-line sample pretreatments, separations and preconcentrations.
Part III deals with applications of FA-ASD combinations to analytical problem-solving in most varied fields and situations.

This monograph integrates the most popular aspects of FIA, its new developments for sample on-line treatments and on-line non-chromatographic and chromatographic separations (all typical 'flow analysis') in connection with all branches of analytical atomic spectrometry. Thus, academics, researchers and routine users of analytical atomic spectrometry will find this book invaluable.

Book Description

To the question, how far the development of Ligia is repeated in the other Isopoda, I can only give an unsatisfactory answer. The curvature of the embryo upwards instead of downwards was met with by me as well as by Rathke in Idothea, and likewise in Cassidina, Philoscia, Tanais, and the Bopyridae,--indeed, I failed to find it in none of the Isopoda examined for this purpose. In Cassidina also the first larval skin without appendages is easily detected; it is destitute of the long tail, but is strongly bent in the egg, as in Ligia, and consequently cannot be mistaken for an "inner egg-membrane."

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Facts and Arguments for Darwin
Fritz Muller
Manufacturer: IndyPublish
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1435331451

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Facts and arguments for Darwin,
Fritz Muller
Manufacturer: Gregg
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006E043I

Amazon.com

An enchanting series of stories about the evolution of the universe. Calvino makes characters out of mathematical formulae and simple cellular structures. They disport themselves amongst galaxies, experience the solidification of planets, move from aquatic to terrestrial existence, play games with hydrogen atoms -- and have time for a love life.

Book Description

Enchanting stories about the evolution of the universe, with characters that are fashioned from mathematical formulae and cellular structures. “Naturally, we were all there, - old Qfwfq said, - where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time either: what use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?” Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Customer Reviews:

The Infinite Narrator turns out to be . . .Groucho.......2007-08-13

Twelve stories of varying quality told-not by
a whale or a woodworm-but by a character who is as
old as creation. Now an infinite narrator could have
a lot of different voices. He/she/it could even be
voiceless, or speak by vibrating the molecules of
the universe.
Sorry, I got carried away there. Anyway, the voice thatCalvino chooses is the voice of in ironically-inclined
grandpa telling an unprecedented set of Just So stories.
Distance of the Moon is the easiest of these to like and
the one most sure to make it to anthologies. The Aquatic
Uncle-a story about creatures leaving the ocean and living,
joyfully, rebelliously on land-is the most socially apt.

But all of them, even in the hands of a playful narrator who
himself/herself/itself has no shape until the very last story, are
remarkably about love.

Does any of this make sense? Well, probably not. But it
makes something: a playful, avuncular poem maybe,or maybe
just a great read.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

Of fairy dust and cosmic equations.......2006-11-02

Amazing, and though it's hard to write a cliche like this after reading something so incredibly original, it truly is unlike anything else you'll ever read. Calvino uses higher math elements as his characters and the construction of the universe and probably the destruction of time as his story line. Like the best of carnival rides, who knows what the heck's going on? But the ride is fantastic and just exists in its own space. Have fun with this-- but be careful: you might get lost at the outer/inner rim of creation.

kid lit.......2006-04-23

I really liked this book, not because it only took 2 days to read such a short collection of pages, but because it was like reading a child's book about the creation of the universe. Calvino is so very creative, I can't help but wonder if he was stoned when he thought of this idea...Non, non, ce n'est pas possible. Read it if you yourself are creative and looking for something fun to read. If you are overly serious and melancholic, then do not bother.

Scientific Musings, Delightful Comedy, and Pure Fantasy - Imaginative Tales by a Master.......2006-02-09

How does one describe Italo Calvino? A superb, imaginative story teller? A startlingly creative writer? Author of provocative, compelling, fantastical fiction?

Cosmicomics is a superb introduction to a uniquely remarkable author, a storyteller in a class by himself. These twelve tales begin with cosmological observations such as "At one time, according to Sir George H. Darwin, the moon was very close to the earth". What follows is a first person (or perhaps, first entity would be more precise), imaginative account, loosely tied to the introductory scientific premise.

The protagonists are decidedly strange, perhaps atomic scale particles, mathematical expressions, cellular structures, simple biological forms, or extinct creatures. Calvino never quite describes the story teller, leaving us to exercise our imagination. What is clear, however, is that these entities, rather remarkably, exhibit behaviors like jealousy, arrogance, self-delusions, rivalries, and ambition. Similarly, relationships between particles, or force fields, cells, or whatever, are described not by complicated equations, but are cast in familiar terms: we find uncles, spouses, lovers, and enemies.

The plots defy easy categorization. One involves a blind mollusk (no visual organ) contemplating the invisible beauty of his/her (gender is somewhat non-specific) colorful, spiral, carbonate shell. Another is a poignant account of two lovers separated by evolutionary divergence. A third involves two rivals falling endlessly along some gravitationally curved path. I was especially intrigued with a rather sensitive (and long-lived) character, becoming the subject of observations from distant galaxies, is deeply disturbed by his inability to alter his past actions, now forever fixed in light waves propagating across the universe.

Some reviewers have argued that not all stories are entirely successful. I agree. Some accounts are less structured and wandered around, becoming lost in Calvino's fantasy world. Nonetheless, I find myself returning to these stories for a second and third reading. I am compelled to award five stars to Cosmicomics: one star for superb story telling, one for exotic characters, one for scientific muddling, one for provocative observations, and one for delightful comedy.

ingenuous creativity, but bland at times.......2006-01-24

This is a collection of science-fiction short stories about the infinity of our universe, through the experience of Qfwfq, the main character. The infinity of space in our universe is also transposed into the infinity of time, and consequently Qfwfq is immortal and often shapeless. The beauty of the book emanates from the radical originality of Calvino's creative thought process. In these stories, he applies a scientific process to his humor, describing the vagaries of his characters, situations and the space of the universe in general, with scientific reasoning.

The first story, "Distance to the Moon", is my personal favorite. It starts with an era when the moon is so close to the earth that it is reachable with a ladder! The earth inhabitants harness this condition by raking in the cheese that is a natural resource on moon! The core of the story describes how this era comes to pass and blends into our current cosmo-geographic co-ordinates. The ending is most satisfying as it ties together many of our earthy myths, for example, cheese on the moon, and a maiden playing the harp on the moon, into this story, thus describing how these legends came into existence.

However, I cannot say the same of all the other stories. Calvino often dwells too much in his pseudo-scientific humor, which becomes a drag to even a scientist like me. The greater part of many of the stories are dedicated just to the concepts, characters and situations that are the creative genius of Calvino. As a consequence, the story itself goes nowhere, and is essentially a scientific meditation on these zany concepts. This is my opinion on stories like "A Sign in Space", "All at One Point" and "Game without end". Having said that there is still a lot of life and dynamism in many other stories like "The Dinosaurs", and "The Aquatic Uncle". All in all, a refreshingly original creation, although some stories are just that and not too much more.

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Cosmic and comic

Cosmicomics
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Customer Reviews:

Cosmic and comic.......2007-02-01

In the beginning, there was... Qfwfq? Italo Calvino apparently thought so -- his magical-realist fantasy "Cosmicomics" is one of the two best novels he ever wrote. Enchanting, surreal and whimsical, this is a look at the history of the cosmos that you will never find in any astronomy books.

Qfwfq is an ancient being -- he was a child playing with his family when the matterless void began to produce.... "things." Along with others of his kind, he has lived an immeasurably long lifetime, watching the Big Bang itself -- uniquely described in this case -- and the galaxy form, the earth cool and start to produce life.

And so Qfwfq goes through the ages, with all the rivalries, crushes, lost loves and exciting discoveries that a person experiences in their life (even though his life is uncounted millions long). And behind each of his experiences is a great cosmic event -- the Big Bang itself is caused by a loving aunt-like friend, an adolescent crush follows the moon away from the Earth, a rivalry forms between himself and the nasty Kwgwk, and his first love is doomed by his love of color on Earth's forming surface.

It takes a truly unique imagination to create something like this -- Calvino takes forming planets, whirling galaxies and ultraviolet rays, and gives them a whimsical spin. One moment he is taking your breath away with his descriptions of the Milky Way, the next he's getting smiles for the image of Qfwfq and his pals playing marbles with hydrogen atoms.

It's that mixture of grandeur and innocent whimsy that makes "Cosmicomics" so good. Not to mention, of course, Calvino's talent for poetic prose. In less than a paragraph, he can convey the vastness of the universe; in less than a chapter, he can describe the beauty of primeval Earth. In detail. Now that's really something.

Most striking of all may be the story of a motherly she-particle, whose love for him and the other beings caused "the concept of space and, properly speaking, space itself, and time, and universal gravitation, and the gravitation universe, making possible billions and billions of suns, and of planets, and fields of wheat." It takes a few minutes to sink in that Calvino wrote that the universe was first sparked by love.

Calvino never really explains what Qfwfq is -- I suppose he's an atom or something of the sort, although how atoms have "long silvery arms" or build bamboo bridges. Yet he shows us the lovable, fallible being trying out different forms through the epochs, sometimes lonely and sometimes not. And he gives Qfwfq such life, sweetness and enthusiasm that it's hard not to like him, even if we don't know exactly what he is.

Then again, getting into specifics might wreck the funny, poignant "Cosmicomics" -- it's about love and the universe, and not even the lead character can distract from that.

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COSMICOMICS
ITALO CALVINO
Manufacturer: Collier Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OUXYP4

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Cosmicomics
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OK284C

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Cosmicomics
Italo Calvino , and Jean Thibaudeau
Manufacturer: Seuil
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

French | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2020413892

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Cosmicomics

Manufacturer: Harcourt Brace & World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E43FG8

Product Description

Originally published in Italy as "Le Cosmicomiche" in 1965.

Auf den Spuren der Galaxien. Cosmicomics.

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Auf den Spuren der Galaxien. Cosmicomics.
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Dtv
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 3423115742

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COSMICOMICS
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Collier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000GRJQD4

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Cosmicomics
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Abacus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Italian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000RTGQGG

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Cosmicomics

Manufacturer: Abacus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GLY720

Book Description

The inspiring story of the unlikely friendship between a famous, reclusive novelist and an amazingly gifted teen who secretly yearns to be a writer.

Set in Manhattan and the South Bronx, William Forrester, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who has not been heard from for four decades, accidentally discovers that Jamal, a brash 16-year-old African American who plays basketball on the court below his window, keeps a secret journal that shows a real gift for writing. Forrester takes Jamal on as a protégé, and the friendship challenges and changes the two of them forever.

Customer Reviews:

Finding Forrester Book Review.......2006-06-07

If ever you feel uninspired and need a boost in self-esteem, Finding Forrester by James Ellison is the novel for you. This novel is chalk full of inspiration, from a young African-American boy (Jamal Walker) struggling to fit into a predominantly Caucasian school to aiding an isolated retired writer (William Forrester) find confidentiality in another human being. Overall, Finding Forrester is a novel that encompasses aspects easily relatable to today's society while still keeping the interest of the reader.

One part of Finding Forrester that I particularly enjoyed was reading about the basketball aspect of the story. As a big fan and fellow basketball player, I can relate to Jamal's basketball life. The story has great imagery that allows the reader to picture clearly what is taking place on the court. I myself can even get up and mimic physically word for word the movements exhibited by Jamal and other players.

Finding friendship is also something that Ellison incorporates in his novel that is very touching. Forrester and Jamal start as complete strangers but eventually become mentor and student. Forrester houses Jamal's academic excellence and helps Jamal expand his abilities. The dialogue used between Forrester and Walker sets the tone for an unusual friendship because often times Forrester will say things that aren't common knowledge yet insightful and Walker will try to interpret it. The novel shows that the best friendships can arise from nothing at all.

I recommend this book to anyone because it's surprisingly relevant to modern society and an easy read so anyone can understand it. It can appeal to everyone from sports fans to those who adore friendship stories. I do not recommend this book for those who believe in extreme detail and a very time consuming read because it is not a complicated novel.

A great read! Perfect for travel or beach reading........2005-01-26

I loved the movie, "Finding Forester" so much that I hoped to enjoy the story from another perspective by reading the novel. It seems so right to read the book upon which a movie is based, especially when the story revolves around two main characters who share a passion for the written word.

I read the book while traveling. It certainly made the time pass and easily fits in a carry-on bag, purse, or briefcase. You know that feeling that comes over you when you realize the book you are enjoying is in its last chapter? Well, that is why part of me wishes that Ellison could have drawn the story out a bit more. Other than that, it was a sublime read and ideal for travel entertainment.

Good storyline... bad everything else.......2002-06-06

I did not see the movie Finding Forrester as I have always enjoyed the written word more than the the big screen. But... in this case, I should have seen the movie.

The novel by James Ellison was based on the screenplay so I did not go into this book expecting literary genius. I did, however, expect correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. For a novel about a young boy who possesses the gift of writing to be replete with so many obvious errors, leaves a strange feeling of irony that draws away from the story. This is a shame because the story is not half bad.

The concept is entertaining and the characters - likeable. But the errors combined with the overly simplistic writing style create a disappointing read. Certainly, more could have been done to flesh out the characters and to bring the scenes to life. The paragraphs with Jamal and William in William's apartment, alone, could really be used to create a mood and feel for the relationship between these two central characters. As they stand, the passages are flat and two-dimensional with very little flair to draw the reader into the work.

Really, the storyline is the only thing that makes this short, easy-to-read novel entertaining and that can't be attributed to Ellison since it is really Mike Rich's creation.

It appears that Ellison could take a few lessons from the protagonist in this novel about quality writing. It just goes to show you that a good storyline does not necessarily a good read make!

GREAT STORY however, the book is sparse in places........2001-12-21

Like many reviewers, I saw the movie "Finding Forrester" well prior to buying and reading the book. I have viewed this movie a number of times now and still find it as inspirational and moving as the first viewing. Now, after reading the book, this story has to be one of the most meaningful and inspirational stories I've ever read.

Jamal Wallace is a 16-year-old South Bronx African-American kid introduced to the reader as a "regular" teenager, loving basketball and loathing school. As incredibly talented as Jamal is with a basketball, his literary gifts approach genius. However, not wanting to be seen as a freak, Jamal hides his intellectual side from his friends and teachers.

Close to the neighborhood courts, Jamal and his friends observe regular visits by a well-dressed man driving a BMW to the man in the upstairs apartment who has not been seen by the public in years. This (the well-dressed man and a BMW) are rarities in the South Bronx. Jamal's friends indicate that this mystery man is a "murderer" or a some sort of ghost. On a dare from his friends, Jamal climbs in the mystery man's window only to be scared out of the apartment when surprised by the mystery man. In his haste to make his escape, Jamal drops his backpack which contains his writing notebooks along with his school work. Two days later, his backpack is tossed out the apartment window at Jamal's feet. When Jamal opens the backpack, he finds his writing notebooks are still there but have edited by the man in the apartment. After confronting and apologizing to the old man, Jamal soon learns he is the reclusive legendary novelist William Forrester, a man who only wrote one novel but which received the Pulitzer Prize.

After striking up a strange friendship (inasmuch as strange can be defined as a frienship between a 16 year old African-American and a 70 year old anglo Scot), Forrester agrees to teach and mentor Jamal in his writing aspirations. Concurrent with his new friendship, Jamal is recruited for an academic and basketball scholarship to a snobby, WASP-based Manhattan prepratory school. Encouraged by Forrester and his mother, Jamal decides to leave his friends behind for the potential advantages of the prep school.

Soon after arriving, Jamal meets Claire, the daughter of an extremely powerful businessman who also happens to be the chairman of the board at the prep school. Jamal runs afoul of a writing/literary instructor (a failed writer known to Forrester) who acuses him (Jamal) of plagarism. Jamal is ostracized by Claire and most of his new friends even though he is not guilty. In reality, Jamal is honoring a promise he made to Forrester. This story ignites at this point and is best experienced by the viewer or reader.

This "novel" is a rewrite of the original screenplay by Mike Rich and therefore, is not an original novel. Ellison follows the storyline true to the screenplay albeit with few explanations/expansions providing the reader with some insight not seen on the screen. The most important expansion provided by Ellison is the actual text of the "story" read by Forrester during the writing contest hosted by the prep school. In the movie, the viewer was only provided with bits and pieces of the story. This is actually the prelude to the climax.

The novel is realtively sparse in peripheral prose. This is evidenced by the fact that the novel is less than 200 pages while the movie is 2.5 hours. In other words, although Ellison did provide a few spectacular gems (see above), he did not massage the storyline enough to provide the reader with the necessary visual images typically accorded a story of this stature.

This is an inspirational and motivational story. As an aspiring writer, this story is touching, emotional and caring. While the book lacks a bit of defferential detail, the storyline is brilliant. Watch the movie or read the book...you'll not be disappointed.

Great reading ý no masterpiece.......2001-05-09

The novel "Finding Forrester" is fabulous to read (it took me a little over 4 hours...) and one of the most uplifting books I've ploughed through of late.

But the author has of course based his novel on the screenplay by Mike Rich -- the story, which is really the most outstanding aspect of "Finding Forrester", is not his in original. I will read the screenplay, and it will be seen how much of the book is really 'his'. There are also many editing errors and grammatical imprecisions that haven't been corrected by the publishers. In addition, the prose appears very bare-bone in traits, lacking in elaboration. In some cases, the writing is downright flimsy.

Nonetheless, Ellison fills many of the gaps in the film, in some cases with care and detail. For instance, he follows up on themes the motion picture touches upon without drawing a conclusion (see my review of the film), and most notably gives us the text Forrester reads in the Mailor-Callow auditorium (which in the film is unfortunately mostly covered up by music). In some instances, as in the party at the Spence Estate, Ellison gives significantly greater detail than the film, although he won't let the reader guess whose work his allusions recall: F. Scott Fitzgerald. By giving greater detail, central themes therefore appear much clearer: teenage development, race relations, social integration and deviance, Jamal's relationship with Claire, to name a few. In addition, in certain scences Ellison manages to create a great atmosphere by very simple and straightforward observations. This gives us a feeling of immersion and participation. He very ably characterises Jamal (and Forrester) with the same tactics: simple, recurrent observations. He ably but rather rudimentally combines images with feelings: sweat and heat with the fear and anxiety people dare not show explicitly; laces, sneakers, shoes and feet with fun, apprehension, routine. This give us an insight into the characters that isn't given by the film in the same manner.

The novel "Finding Forrester" is not a masterpiece, but then it is not meant to be. It is great to read, and sheds so much more light onto the film "Finding Forrester", and the story as a whole, that make us even more appreciative.

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