1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910778403203321

Autore

Sampson Scott D

Titolo

Dinosaur odyssey [[electronic resource] ] : fossil threads in the web of life / / Scott D. Sampson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2009

ISBN

1-282-70350-1

9786612703508

0-520-94442-9

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (361 p.)

Disciplina

567.9

Soggetti

Dinosaurs

Paleontology

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- FOREWORD -- PREFACE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- 1. TREASURE ISLAND -- 2. STARDUST SAURIANS -- 3. DRAMATIS DINOSAURAE -- 4. DRIFTING CONTINENTS AND GLOBE-TROTTING DINOSAURS -- 5. SOLAR EATING -- 6. THE RIVER OF LIFE -- 7. THE GREEN GRADIENT -- 8. PANOPLY OF PREDATORS -- 9. HIDDEN STRANDS -- 10. OF HORN-HEADS AND DUCK-BILLS -- 11. THE GOLDILOCKS HYPOTHESIS -- 12. CINDERELLASAURUS -- 13. JURASSIC PARK DREAMS -- 14. WEST SIDE STORY -- 15. THE WAY OF ALL CREATURES -- EPILOGUE -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- GLOSSARY -- ART AND PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS -- INDEX

Sommario/riassunto

This captivating book, laced with evocative anecdotes from the field, gives the first holistic, up-to-date overview of dinosaurs and their world for a wide audience of readers. Situating these fascinating animals in a broad ecological and evolutionary context, leading dinosaur expert Scott D. Sampson fills us in on the exhilarating discoveries of the past twenty-five years, the most active period in the history of dinosaur paleontology, during which more "new" species were named than in all prior history. With these discoveries-and the most recent controversies-in mind, Sampson reconstructs the odyssey



of the dinosaurs from their humble origins on the supercontinent Pangaea, to their reign as the largest animals the planet has ever known, and finally to their abrupt demise. Much more than the story of who ate whom way back when, Dinosaur Odyssey places dinosaurs in an expansive web of relationships with other organisms and demonstrates how they provide a powerful lens through which to observe the entire natural world. Addressing topics such as extinction, global warming, and energy flow, Dinosaur Odyssey finds that the dinosaurs' story is, in fact, a major chapter in our own story.

2.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910566476603321

Autore

Bacinello Anna

Titolo

Quantitative Risk Assessment in Life, Health and Pension Insurance

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Basel, : MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2022

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (104 p.)

Soggetti

Research and information: general

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Sommario/riassunto

The high volatility in financial markets, together with the ultra-low interest rate environment and increased life expectancy, constitute serious threats for providers of long-term investment guarantees and lifelong benefits. Even if the COVID-19 pandemic is currently causing a mortality shock, its influence on future mortality is not clear and one possible scenario could be a further increase in the life expectancy of survivors. The risk involved with all of these "exogenous" factors is amplified by the uncertainty characterizing individuals' behavior when making decisions concerning, e.g., surrender, partial withdrawals, annuitization, etc. This special issue aims at contributing to the study of suitable solutions allowing to build resilience against various risks that impact on life, health and pension insurance portfolios. In



particular, it collects five high-quality research papers analysing theoretical or practical aspects related to the following topics: Design of new pension insurance products and risk-management of loan insurance; Assessing capital requirements for demographic risk in a life insurance portfolio - Stochastic models and numerical techniques; Analysis and risk-management of the long-run impact of COVID-19 on the life insurance business.