The chapters in this volume were presented at the July–August 2008 NATO Advanced Study Institute on Unexploded Ordnance Detection and Mitigation. The conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco resort near Lucca, in the glorious Tuscany region of northern Italy. For the ninth time we gathered at this idyllic spot to explore and extend the reciprocity between mathematics and engineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists from the usually disparate communities of pure mathematicians and applied scientists which occurred at our eight previous ASI’s continued at this meeting. The detection and neutralization of unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been of major concern for very many decades; at least since the First World war. UXO continues to be the subject of intensive research in many ?elds of science, incl- ing mathematics, signal processing (mainly radar and sonar) and chemistry. While today’s headlines emphasize the mayhem resulting from the placement of imp- vised explosive devices (IEDs), humanitarian landmine clearing continues to draw signi?cant global attention as well. In many countries of the world, landmines threaten the population and hinder reconstruction and fast, ef?cient utilization of large areas of the mined land in the aftermath of military con?icts.

Describes the resiliance of African traditional farming practices in resisting the imposition of Western development schemes by powerful elites

This book examines potential technologies for replacing antipersonnel landmines by 2006, the U.S. target date for signing an international treaty banning these weapons. Alternative Technologies to Replace Antipersonnel Landmines emphasizes the role that technology can play to allow certain weapons to be used more selectively, reducing the danger to uninvolved civilians while improving the effectiveness of the U.S. military. Landmines are an important weapon in the U.S. military's arsenal but the persistent variety can cause unintended casualties, to both civilians and friendly forces. New technologies could replace some, but not all, of the U.S. military's antipersonnel landmines by 2006. In the period following 2006, emerging technologies might eliminate the landmine totally, while retaining the necessary functionalities that today's mines provide to the military.

At the rate that government and nongovernmental organizations are clearing existing landmines, it will take 450-500 years to rid the world of them. Concerned about the slow pace of demining, the Office of Science and Technology asked RAND to assess potential innovative technologies being explored and to project what funding would be required to foster the development of the more promising ones. The authors of this report suggest that the federal government undertake a research and development effort to develop a multisensor mine detection system over the next five to eight years.

Soil Magnetism: Applications in Pedology, Environmental Science and Agriculture provides a systematic, comparative, and detailed overview of the magnetic characterization of the major soil units and the observed general relationships, possibilities, and perspectives in application of rock magnetic methods in soil science, agriculture, and beyond. Part I covers detailed magnetic and geochemical characterization of major soil types according to the FAO classification system, with Part II covering the mapping of topsoil magnetic signatures on the basis of soil magnetic characteristics. The book concludes with practical examples on the application of magnetic methods in environmental science, agriculture, soil pollution, and paleoclimate. - Provides an overview of the major findings of uncontaminated soil profiles and proposes a system of magnetic characteristics - Elucidates the relationship between geochemical and magnetic characteristics of different soil types, providing a basis for wider recognition and application of soil magnetism in classical pedagogical characterization of soils - Covers the peculiarities of the main taxonomic soil groups in terms of magnetic mineralogy and depth variations in concentration, grain size, and phase composition of iron oxides

10. The future of Landmines

The most up-to-date and definitive reference guide on Union and Confederate large caliber projectiles, torpedoes, and mines, profusely illustrated with more than 1,000 photographs of 360 specimens.