Springer nature sep 2004 (38 resultados)

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - The last two and a half decades witnessed China's epoch-making economic growth and great social changes, which indicates the commence of China's national rejuvenation after a near two centuries-long stagnant or backward period. In exploring the causal dynamics of China's rejuvenation, Huang's book examines the internal and external elements from various sides, in both the comprehensive way and the separate way, thus providing a convincible explanation about the driving force of China's marvellous development.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - The Japanese population is aging faster than any other in the world. The per centage of Japan's population aged 65 and above was only 7.1% in 1970,but just 30 years later, in 2000, it reached 17.2%. A declining birth rate and a rising average life expectancy will continue to push this trend further. This situation is causing serious problems for Japanese society.Structural reforms, especially tax and social security reforms, to accommodate this drastic demographic change have become an urgent policy issue. The purpose of this book is to establish guidelines for tax and social security reforms in Japan in terms that are both efficient and equitable. In this study, an extended life-cycle general equilibrium model is employed to rigorously take account of the rapidly aging Japanese population. The simulation approach adopted in our analysis permits us to calculate the effects of alternative policy packages on capital accumulation and economic welfare. This enables us to make proposals for concrete economic policies.…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - by S. GUASCHINO Dean, Trieste University School of Medicine The society we live in is in continual development and has a number of priori ties for improving the standards of communication. The scientific sector in par ticular thrives on the exchange of information, which is the foundation of progress itself. The channels through which this interaction takes place are many and are aimed at optimising teaching methodology. Researchers and scholars, research centres and the places of higher learning themselves are increasingly aware of the growing importance of universities, which, thanks to their intrinsic ability to renew themselves, have taken on a vital central and propulsive role. Communication develops as a result of free exchange, debate of the materials available and the study of the various references and analysis sources. With the advent. of information systems, the teaching methodology has assumed a decisive role, both in terms of the quantity of data available and the quality of the information. Distance learning is a new and important opportu nity for the immediate future. The Anaesthesia and Critical Care School of Trieste has promoted this inter esting and highly relevant initiative by drawing together teaching material from the academic year 2003/2004. Numerous international lecturers have con tributed to this valuable achievement. In addition, a large part of the material is the fruit of a real consortium between the various Italian Schools of Anaesthesia.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - This book had its genesis in a symposium on gas hydrates presented at the 2003 Spring National Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The symposium consisted of twenty papers presented in four sessions over two days. Additional guest authors were invited to provide continuity and cover topics not addressed during the symposium. Gas hydrates are a unique class of chemical compounds where molecules of one compound (the guest material) are enclosed, without bonding chemically, within an open solid lattice composed of another compound (the host material). These types of configurations are known as clathrates. The guest molecules, u- ally gases, are of an appropriate size such that they fit within the cage formed by the host material. Commonexamples of gas hydrates are carbon dioxide/water and methane/water clathrates. At standard pressure and temperature, methane hydrate contains by volume 180 times as much methane as hydrate. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated that there is more organic carbon c- tained as methane hydrate than all other forms of fossil fuels combined. In fact, methane hydrates could provide a clean source of energy for several centuries. Clathrate compounds were first discovered in the early 1800s when Humphrey Davy and Michael Faraday were experimenting with chlorine-water mixtures.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - Industries and particularly the manufacturing sector have been facing difficult challenges in a context of socio-economic turbulence characterized by complexity as well as the speed of change in causal interconnections in the socio-economic environment. In order to respond to these challenges companies are forced to seek new technological and organizational solutions. In this context two main characteristics emerge as key properties of a modern automation system - agility and distribution. Agility because systems need not only to be flexible in order to adjust to a number of a-priori defined scenarios, but rather must cope with unpredictability. Distribution in the sense that automation and business processes are becoming distributed and supported by collaborative networks. Emerging Solutions for Future Manufacturing Systems includes the papers selected for the BASYS'04 conference, which was held in Vienna, Austria in September 2004 and sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - As urban areas keep growing, water infrastructure ages, and the requirements on environmental protection become more rigorous, there is a continual need for upgrading water pollution control facilities and restoring degraded urban waters. Such issues are addressed in this book by focusing on five major topics: (a) Upgrading stormwater management facilities, (b) Retrofitting / upgrading combined sewer overflow (CSO) facilities, (c) Optimising/upgrading sewage treatment plant performance, (d) Urban stream restoration, and (e) Challenges in restoring urban environment. Each chapter contains some overview papers followed by research or case study papers. Besides presentations of new approaches and accomplishments in the field of upgrading and restoration, several papers provide analysis of vast needs in this field in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which either recently joined the European Union (EU) or are preparing for accession, and need to comply with the existing EU directives dealing with environmental protection. As such, this book will be of primary interest to researchers and university lecturers dealing with environmental upgrading and restoration, environmental planners from all levels of government, municipal engineers and politicians, and finally the private industry representatives (consultants, private utilities and environmental technology suppliers) searching for new business opportunities among the new or aspiring members of EU.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - A compendium of proven experimental approaches and strategies for studying the bioactivation, detoxification, tissue distribution, and elimination of xenobiotics in the metabolism and/or transport of various chemicals. The authors address several of the major drug metabolizing systems, including the cytochrome P450 family, flavin-containing monooxygenases, glutathione, S-transferase, glucuronidation, N-acetylation, and sulfotransferases. Additional chapters present novel approaches to the study of: signaling pathways in the regulation of drug metabolism enzymes, how the modulation of thiols and other low molecular-weight cofactors can alter drug metabolism, and how modulation of drug metabolism pathways can influence antiviral therapy.…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - The combination of conductive polymer technology with the ability to produce nanofibres will facilitate major new developments in biotechnology and information technology, benefiting such areas as scaffolds for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems; wires, capacitors, transistors and diodes; sensor technology; biohazard protection; and energy transport, conversion and storage.The work on nanofibrous materials presented here is designed, first of all, to instruct scientists in the most advanced methods for the formation of nanofibres and nanotubes. The second section covers the physics and chemistry of nanofibres, while the third deals with computer simulation and modelling. The applications described in section 4 include biomedical applications, nanotube-based devices, electronic applications of nanotubes and nanofibres, nanofluidics, and composites. Finally, the fifth section discusses recent developments in nanomaterials, nanoparticles and nanostructures. …

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. Neuware.

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - Plant geographical description of the area, syntaxonomy, spatial patterns, floristic richness, structure of plant communities in relation to soil properties and herbivore influence were described for a mountain region that is difficult to access. Seasonal, inter-annual, and long-term dynamics of vegetation are discussed on the base of long-term observations as well as pollen and phytolith analyses. Population biology of alpine plants is studied by combination of field observations and mathematical modelling. Plant population strategies and soil seed banks are described for alpine plants from several communities. Results of long-term ecological experiments (plant reciprocal transplantations, dominant removals, light limitation) showed the significance of competition and facilitation for community organization. Structure of soil algal and fungal communities is represented as well as mycorrhiza of alpine plants. Main animal groups (wild) history and modern nature conservation problems are discussed. …

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - Today a new generation of powerful cancer therapeutics targeted against the molecular pathways that produce malignant phenotypes is rapidly emerging. In Cancer Gene Therapy, leading basic and clinical cancer oncologists provide a complete introduction and guide to the latest developments in cancer gene therapy-from bench to bedside. In their discussions, the authors comprehensively review the anticancer genes and gene delivery methods currently available for cancer gene therapy, including the transfer of genetic material into the cancer cells, stimulation of the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells, and the targeting of the nonmalignant stromal cells that support their growth. They also thoroughly examine the advantages and limitations of the different therapies and detail strategies to overcome obstacles to their clinical implementation. Topics of special interest include vector-targeting techniques, the lessons learned to date from clinical trials of cancer gene therapy, and the regulatory guidelines for future trials. Noninvasive techniques to monitor the extent of gene transfer and disease regression during the course of treatment are also discussed.Authoritative and wide ranging, Cancer Gene Therapy offers a comprehensive survey of the molecular basis of cancer gene therapy and demonstrates its enormous potential to take a place in the clinic alongside the current generation of anticancer therapeutics.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - The 17 chapters of this book grew out of the tutorial lectures given by leading world-class experts at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop 'Effects of Space Weather on Technology Infrastructure' - ESPRIT, which was held in Rhodes on March 25-29, 2004. All manuscripts were refereed and subsequently meticulously edited by the editor to ensure the highest quality for this monograph. I owe particular thanks to the lecturers of the ESPRIT Advanced Research Workshop for producing these excellent tutorial reviews, which convey the essential knowledge and the latest advances in our field. Due to the breadth, extensive literature citations and quality of the reviews we expect this publication to serve extremely well as a reference book. Multimedia material referring to individual chapters of the book is accessible on the accompanying CD. The aim of ESPRIT was to assess existing knowledge and identify future actions regarding monitoring, forecasting and mitigation of space weather induced malfunction and damage of vital technological systems operating in space and on the ground.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. Neuware - Although several books and conference proceedings have already appeared dealing with either the mathematical aspects or applications of homogenization theory, there seems to be no comprehensive volume dealing with both aspects. The present volume is meant to fill this gap, at least partially, and deals with recent developments in nonlinear homogenization emphasizing applications of current interest. It contains thirteen key lectures presented at the NATO Advanced Workshop on Nonlinear Homogenization and Its Applications to Composites, Polycrystals and Smart Materials. The list of thirty one contributed papers is also appended.The key lectures cover both fundamental, mathematical aspects of homogenization, including nonconvex and stochastic problems, as well as several applications in micromechanics, thin films, smart materials, and structural and topology optimization. One lecture deals with a topic important for nanomaterials: the passage from discrete to continuum problems by using nonlinear homogenization methods. Some papers reveal the role of parameterized or Young measures in description of microstructures and in optimal design. Other papers deal with recently developed methods - both analytical and computational - for estimating the effective behavior and field fluctuations in composites and polycrystals with nonlinear constitutive behavior. All in all, the volume offers a cross-section of current activity in nonlinear homogenization including a broad range of physical and engineering applications. The careful reader will be able to identify challenging open problems in this still evolving field. For instance, there is the need to improve bounding techniques for nonconvex problems, as well as for solving geometrically nonlinear optimum shape-design problems, using relaxation and homogenization methods.…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Second World War explores in graphical form, the causes, course, and consequences of this global war. Clear two-colour maps and diagrams are accompanied by a facing page of explanatory text addressing not just battles and campaigns, but also clarifying the key social, economic and political aspects of the war. These tend to get less coverage in conventional military history atlases, but are vital for understanding the totality of the war experience and its enduring legacy. Students and general readers will find it a useful and accessible introduction to the war in all its facets, from its origins to its legacy. 130 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Oral communication is quite different in its spontaneity and communicative power from textual and visual communication. Culturally-bounded expectations of ways of speaking and individual creativity provide the spark that can ignite revolution or calm the soul. This book explores, from a cross-cultural perspective, the centrality of orality in the ideological processes that dominate public discourse, providing a counterbalance to the debates that foreground literacy and the power of written communication. 188 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Women Leading is a fascinating insight into female leadership. After years of male domination in the world's boardrooms, are cracks finally appearing in the glass ceiling As the dynamics of our work culture change it's women who now hold the key skills to ensure future success in business, but can they contend with the old boy network that's still prominent in many workplaces. 186 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The US was a dominant actor in the European integration game in the 1950s, although not normally a formal participant at the negotiation table. The Americans promoted integration based on Franco-German reconciliation and sought to prevent the emergence of nationally controlled nuclear weapons in Germany and France and developments toward an independent European Third Force . Based on material from American, British, French and German archives the book covers the negotiations about the European Defence Community, the Western European Union and Euratom/the Common Market. 331 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This collection of essays provides an imaginative international perspective on ways to incorporate black British writing and culture in the study of English literature, and presents theoretically sophisticated and practical strategies for doing so. It offers a pedagogical, pragmatic and ideological introduction to the field for those without background, and an integrated body of current and stimulating essays for those who are already knowledgeable. Contributors to this volume include scholars and writers from Britain and the U.S. Following on recent developments in African American literature, postcolonial studies and race studies, the contributors invite readers to imagine an enhanced and inclusive British canon through varied essays providing historical information, critical analysis, cultural perspective, and extensive annotated bibliographies for further study. 178 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This study of Lawrence's travel writings is the first book-length study to approach the subject with reference to contemporary post-colonial theory. Focusing on the writings of 1921-25, the period when Lawrence was most intensely engaged in travel, it includes chapters on Sea and Sardinia, Kangaroo, The Plumed Serpent and the essays and stories inspired by Lawrence's experience of the New World. 195 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Global Civil Society is a crucial concept in International Relations today, used as both a description of new mechanisms of non-state actor and NGO engagement in international policy-making and as a normative political project of international change. David Chandler critically investigates the claims made by the advocates of global civil society, analyzing the limits of the concept as a way of describing actual policy processes and the political dynamics behind the search for an international source of collective ethical values and social change. 238 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Calhoun innovatively examines how the ideology of liberal democracy influences one of the most contentious and potentially traumatic and divisive issues facing countries transitioning from authoritarian regimes to democracy: how to confront the past violations of human rights. Competing views of liberal democracy frame debates about how to confront the past and in particular how to deal with the truth of systematic human rights violations. Democratic values may not determine the precise method of dealing with the past - whether through truth commissions, lustration, or tribunals - but the very process of debate inherent in democratic theory and practice has important implications for the perceived fairness of the result. These implications are examined through a comparison of transitional justice in East Germany, Poland and Russia. The result is a provocative integration of democratic theory and comparative politics. 226 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Please note this is a 'Palgrave to Order' title. Stock of this book requires shipment from an overseas. It will be delivered to you within 12 weeks. This innovative volume examines the effects of term limits on electoral competition, campaign contributions, and the activities of the Michigan legislature with in-depth interviews with legislators. 241 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In post-cold War thinking, North Korea was expected to collapse and be absorbed into a single Korean state by the democratic regime in South Korea. Fifteen years later, this has not happened, and June 2000 saw a summit making the warmest inter-Korean relations yet. Over that time period, the two Korean states found instead new mechanisms and methods for interacting with each other on the level of de facto if not yet completely de jure sovereign states and have begun to overcome some of the shadows cast by the partition and violent war that befell the peninsula following World War II. This book examines the origins, dynamics, and impacts of these multi-level relations between North and South Korea, situating them variously as two incomplete nation-states, as a single national entity, and within a larger international environment. The Contributors demonstrate how inter-Korean relations have fostered new forms of conflict management and reconciliation on the peninsula. 225 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Migration in the New Europe: East-West Revisited responds to demand for a study on migration and policy developments in the light of European Union enlargement. The innovative character of the book is its approach to the emerging European migration space. The editors argue that the concept of a common European migration space will replace the traditional division into East and West because of two simultaneous processes: The ongoing European Union enlargement and the creation of a common European Union immigration policy. 283 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The presidency of George W. Bush has been a curious one: born in contention, challenged by the most dramatic foreign directed attack on American soil, and transformed by a combination of crisis and conflict that has generated considerable support domestically. And yet, while much attention has been focused on the Bush administration's extrernal policies, how it has pursued its goals and had its effects on the domestic scene has been as important. Examining the push and pull of the Bush presidency by looking especially at domestic dynamics, the authors look at the tendency towards centralizing power and its implications for American politics. From the midterm elections of 2002, where the Republicans scored historic victories, to relations with the press, and from executive branch relations with Congress to increased federal involvement in education, the authors examine and shed light on crucial issues. This book examines how words and deeds in a time of crisis will define the Bush presidency place in American politics and history. 216 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Taking issue with the convenient views that the Middle East is an irrational and exceptional region of world politics, and that the long and bloody history of the Palestine conflict is proof, the authors combine theoretical reflection and empirical investigation, marrying International Relations theory and Middle East area studies. Through integrating macro and micro-perspectives, tracing the interaction of global and regional environments with individuals pursuing political goals, this book rejects the cultural stereotype of 'Middle Eastern exceptionalism' and argues that regional patterns of conflict are deeply embedded in international and transnational relations, and that their particular trajectories have to be interpreted in light of global political developments. 244 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In his previous groundbreaking book with John Ivens, Colin Shaw looked at the development of the conceptual framework for the customer experience together with examples of best practice and strategies for implementation. As predicted the customer experience has become the next competitive battleground. The current book will explore the subject in more depth with new research and best practice and show companies and organizations how to identify where they are and how to revolutionize their customer experience. 220 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Traditional humanistic education has been under assault for many years. In this, his final book, Edward Said argues that a more democratic form of humanism - one that aims to incorporate, emancipate, and enlighten - is still possible. Proposing an enhanced dialogue between cultural traditions as a strategy for revitalizing the humanities, Said contends that words are vital agents of historical and political change and that reading teaches people to continually question, upset, and reform. By considering the emerging social responsibilities of writers and intellectuals in an ever more interconnected world and pointing out that the canonized thinkers of today were yesterday's revolutionaries, Said makes a persuasive case for humanistic education and a more democratic form of criticism. 154 pp. Englisch. …

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Increased longevity and better health are changing the nature of family life. In the context of changes in the world of work, increased divorce and a declining welfare state, multi-generation or 'beanpole families' are a potential resource for family support. Focusing on four-generation families and the two central careers of the life course - employment and care - Working and Caring Over the Twentieth Century explores this question. Based upon new research that employed biographical methods, it maps in detail from 1910 to the late 1990s the lives of men and women as great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. The book provides unique insights into processes of change and continuity in family lives and the ways in which different generations of men and women make sense of their lives. 234 pp. Englisch.…

Buch. Condición: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Personal narratives have become one of the most potent vehicles for advancing human rights claims across the world. These two contemporary domains, personal narrative and human rights, literature and international politics, are commonly understood to operate on separate planes. This study however, examines the ways these intersecting realms unfold and are enfolded in one another in ways both productive of and problematic for the achievement of social justice. Human Rights and Narrated Lives explores what happens when autobiographical narratives are produced, received, and circulated in the field of human rights. It asks how personal narratives emerge in local settings; how international rights discourse enables and constrains individual and collective subjectivities in narration; how personal narratives circulate and take on new meanings in new contexts; and how and under what conditions they feed into, affect, and are affected by the reorganizations of politics in the post cold war, postcolonial, globalizing human rights contexts. To explore these intersections, the authors attend the production, circulation, reception, and affective currents of stories in action across local, national, transnational, and global arenas. They do so by looking at five case studies: in the context of the Truth and Reconciliation processes in South Africa; the National Inquiry into the Forced Removal of Indigenous Children from their Families in Australia; activism on behalf of former 'comfort women' from South/East Asia; U.S. prison activism; and democratic reforms in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in China. 304 pp. Englisch.…