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Author: Sathyakumar P M Sharma

The Handbook of Astrophotography is the first book dedicated to Astronomical Imaging through modest equipment, and the first to be published in India. It is a chronicle of the techniques learnt and employed by the author and is by no means proprietary. It is assumed that the reader is equipped with the basic knowledge to use a digital camera. After showing the many methods to capture the Cosmos, the book shows how to process these images. It is designed to be a handbook and not a user manual. The author hopes that the reader will be confident in astronomical imaging and develop his/her own techniques after reading the book. Sathyakumar started Astrophotography in January 2006 with a homemade wooden star-tracking mount and a camera borrowed from a friend. He later used his homemade Newtonian reflector telescope and an inexpensive digital camera to capture photos of the Moon. With an MSc in Aerospace engineering from the University of Salford, Manchester, he joined Opticstar Ltd, as a design engineer. There he was trained on the latest of astronomical instruments available for the amateur astrophotographer and eventually purchased the Celestron C8 Schmidt cassegrain telescope and the CG-5 Equatorial mount. Currently, he uses a GSO 6 inch RC telescope and an HEQ5-PRO computerized mount as well as an Orion 80ED Apochromatic telescope for astrophotography. He also owns an Astrotrac to take wide field vistas of the Cosmos. He is now employed as a Scientific Officer at Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of Karnataka.

Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.

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Author: M D Nalapat

Intended to be a Practioner’s Guide to Geopolitics, the book provides a look into the thought processes that generate correct and timely analysis of global events. Geopolitics needs to weave within its analytical grasp economics, society, strategy and even culture, as the science deals with overall national capabilities as well as the mutal synergy and frictions between nations. Although a broad range of subjects has been covered in the book, each is anchored in the ground reality of events having a profound impact on the lives of citizens and on world events. The growing interconnectedness of the globe has resulted in a need to do away with the popular west centric models of international relations and to view events not through that single prism but from a holistic viewpoint that accepts the relevance and maturity of different histories and geographies. What the book provides is an alternative Weltanschauung to the dominant models of geopolitical analysis, so that the science is enabled to cross beyond the narrow boundaries which have confined. The scope and applicability of its analysis. The rise of Asia needs a geopolitical vision unique to the continent, and this is what has been provided by Professor Nalapat.

Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.

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Path to Ideal Motherhood is a complete guide on pre-conceptual counselling, pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is to nurture a life within, where a would-be mother experiences physical, psychological, emotional and societal changes. A complete knowledge of pregnancy, and a sincere and positive effort by the would-be mother is what is required to make this journey an enriching experience, filled with fond memories. The book discusses and provides a detailed information on important facts of childbirth and pregnancy, lifestyle changes during pregnancy, along with the importance of breathing, nutrition, exercises, sleep, etc. The book also discusses the concept of Garbha Sanskar for a healthy baby. As a young mother nurtures a young life, the book seeks to nurture the young mother towards an ideal path to motherhood.