Preface. Section I - Thermodynamics. 1. The arrow of time (I. Prigogine). 2. Emergy and Biogeochemical cycles (H.T. Odum). 3. Physical chemistry of photosynthesis (G. Giacometti and D. Carbonera). 4. "Gestalt" shift in modelling the interaction between biophysical constraints and global environment (E. Tiezzi and N. Marchettini). 5. Cold induced effects on physical biochemistry of life (A. Schiraldi). 6. The role of probability in thermodynamics (B.H. Lavenda). 7. Critical appraisal of two entropy theoretical approaches to resources and environmental problems, and a search for an alternative (K. Mayumi). 8. Thermodynamic considerations on the treatment of highly concentrated solutions of organic wastes (M. Della Monica). 9. Energy analysis models to study the biophysical limits for human exploitation of natural processes (M. Giampietro and D. Pimentel). Section II - Ecological Economics. 10. Ecological economics and sustainable development (H.E. Daly). 11. Energy, uncertainty, and ecological economics (R. Costanza). 12. Environmental pollution and assimilative capacity: biophysical limits in an economic analysis (W. Hediger). 13. The emergence of post-normal science (S.O. Funtowicz and J.R. Ravetz). 14. Evaluating sustainability: a physical chemistry approach to the exploitation of natural resources (N. Marchettini, A. Giolitti, M.P. Picchi and S. Ulgiati). 15. The trade-off between economic and ecological limits of irrigation projects (P.G. Cannata). Section III. Structure and Form. 16. Intentional self organization in nature and the origin of meaning. The role of interpretation (H. Atlan). 17. The logic of protein molecule (A.M. Liquori). 18. Environmental and conservation of cultural heritage (E. Ferroni). 19. Fractals: algorithms to model reality (H.-O. Peitgen and A.R. Giona). 20. Diffusion limited process - a novel approach (M. Giona and A.R. Giona). 21. Classical and fractal description of elastin structure (A.M. Tamburro and V. Guantieri). Section IV. Physical Chemistry Approach to Environmental Problems. 22. A physico-chemical approach to modelling transport process: an application to perturbed waterbodies (C. Dejak and G. Perenik). 23. PCDD and PCDF from the combustion of MSW in a pilot plant (D. Pitea, M. Lasagni, G. Moro, R. Todeschini, G. Cruciani, S. Clementi, and G. Chiesa). 24. Quantum chemical study of triatomic atmospheric molecules (C. Petrongolo). 25. A non-linear 3-D model for atmospheric pollution (M. Boni, C. Cattani, G. Mattioli and M. Scalia). 26. Laser applications to environmental sciences (R. Barbini and A. Giardini Guidoni). 27. Multivariate data analysis as applied to NMR results: a tool to investigate the behavior of complex biological systems (A. Guiliani, G. Capuani, A. Miccheli and F. Conti). 28. NMR studies of cell-environment interactions (E. Gaggelli, A. Lepri, A. maccotta and . Valensin). 29.
