الصفحة 9
الصفحة 9
The Value Chain of Foreign Aid : Development, Poverty Reduction, and Regional Conditions
Despite an improved analytical knowledge of poverty, a complex multilateral transfer system of official development assistance (ODA), and a list of clearly defined objectives (Millennium Development Goals), poverty reduction in low-income countries remains a great challenge for researchers and practitioners alike. After an era of pessimism, recent empirical studies indicate that foreign aid leads to economic growth under certain conditions, for example a sound policy environment. However, whether or not aid also alleviates poverty is a highly debated issue.Against this background, the book assesses the prospects of ODA for poverty reduction. The author analyzes the entire value chain of ODA, including the provision, allocation and utilization. Within each of these components, scope and limits of aid are critically examined.
The Universal Generating Function in Reliability Analysis and Optimization
The Universal Generating Function in Reliability Analysis and Optimization is the first book that gives a comprehensive description of the universal generating function technique and its applications in both binary and multi-state system reliability analysis.an introduction to the basic tools used in multi-state system reliability and optimization; applications of the universal generating function in the most widely used multi-state systems , several examples of how the universal generating function can be adapted to different systems in mechanical, industrial and software engineering.
The unity of science in the Arabic tradition : Science, logic, epistemology and their interactions
Reflects the multi-dimensional nature of the interplay between logic, science, philosophy and language in the Arabic tradition. It presents contributions from the worlda (TM)s leading scholars and historians under the headings a Epistemology and Philosophy of Sciencea (TM) and a Logic, Philosophy and Grammara (TM). The contents exemplify the liveliness of modern perspectives on the Arabic tradition. It describes new paths for research and understanding not normally raised in the approaches to this subject. It challenges the rigid distinction between Western and Eastern
The testing network : An integral approach to test activities in large software projects
"The Testing Network" presents an integrated approach to testing based on cutting-edge methodologies, processes and tools in today's IT context. It means complex network-centric applications to be tested in heterogeneous IT infrastructures and in multiple test environments (also geographically distributed). The added-value of this book is the in-depth explanation of all processes and relevant methodologies and tools to address this complexity. It is the reason why main aspects of testing are explained using TD/QC - the world-leader ITP (Integrated Test Platform) - TD/QC is used by more than 75% of 500 Fortune companies.
The sustainability of agro-food and natural resource systems in the Mediterranean Basin
This book is focused on the challenges to implement sustainability in diverse contexts such as agribusiness, natural resource systems and new technologies. The experiences made by the researchers of the School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Science (SAFE) of the University of Basilicata offer a wide and multidisciplinary approach to the identification and testing of different solutions tailored to the economic, social and environmental characteristics of the region and the surrounding areas.
The Successful Use of Information in Multinational Companies : An exploratory study of individual outcomes and the influence of national culture
The recent past shows a growing interest in cultural specificities. This new-found focus has its origin in reports about corporate practices indicating that globally standardized information systems are not effective in every culture. One explanation for this observation is that information use practices vary among cultures.Based on data collected in three national subsidiaries of a multinational company, Sebastian-Dominik Jais examines the use of information in the United States, South Korea and Germany. The results indicate that differences in information use practices only exist if the type of information use is not determined externally, e.g. by technical necessity or task necessity.
The Subthalamic Nucleus ; Part II : Modelling and Simulation of Activity
Part II starts with a systemic model of the basal ganglia to evaluate the position of the STN in the direct, indirect and hyperdirect pathways. STN cell models: single and multi compartment, and system level models are discussed in relation to subthalamic function and dysfunction.
The Structure and Function of Plastids
Provides a comprehensive look at the biology of plastids, the multifunctional biosynthetic factories that are unique to plants and algae. The book is divided into five sections: (I): Plastid Origin and Development; (II): The Plastid Genome and Its Interaction with the Nuclear Genome; (III): Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids; (IV): Non-Photosynthetic Metabolism in Plastids; (V): Plastid Differentiation and Response to Environmental Factors. Each chapter includes an integrated view of plant biology from the standpoint of the plastid.
The Spina Bifida : Management and Outcome
The evolution of technology has made new surgical techniques available for the treatment of diseases associated with the spina bifida malformation, and this is especially true in hydrocephalus and fetal surgery. The progress in this last field and in prenatal diagnosis have raised the significant problem of the effectiveness and usefulness of in utero surgical treatment of the malformation, that are extensively discussed in this volume. Also the clinical situations that can be seen in adolescents or young adults with spina bifida, including sexuality and pregnancy, are highlighted. Aim of this book is to promote a multidisciplinary approach to spina bifida, providing the three main specialists’ categories involved - neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, and urologists - with an updated overview of surgical approaches and with a concise reference that explains the main clinical problems to be faced in everyday clinical practice.
The Sociology of Community Connections
Intervention to bring about beneficial social change is the theme of this second edition of Sociological Practice. Written for upper division and graduate students interested in careers in sociological practice or applied sociology, the authors show how sociological theories and methods can be used in intervening to solve or prevent current social problems.The books include Applications, Tables, and Figures to expand upon and illustrate the narrative text. Changes to this edition include up to date coverage of all topics including a new chapter on multifactor multilevel problem solving.
The Social Metabolism of Spanish Agriculture, 1900–2008 : The Mediterranean Way Towards Industrialization
Provides a panoramic view of the evolution of Spanish agriculture from 1900 to the present, offering a more diverse picture to the complex and multidimensional reality of agrarian production.
The Sense of Touch and its Rendering : Progress in Haptics Research
"Sense of Touch and its Rendering" presents a unique and interdisciplinary approach highlighting the field of haptic research from a neuropsychological as well as a technological point of view. and provides an important contribution towards a new generation of high-fidelity haptic display technologies. The book is structured in two parts: A. Fundamental Psychophysical and Neuropsychological Research and B. Technology and Applications. The eleven chapters discuss the recent advances in the study of human haptic (kinaesthetic, tactile, temperature) and multimodal (visual, auditory, haptic) perception mechanisms. Besides the theoretical advancement, the contributions survey the state-of-the-art in the field, report a number of practical applications to real systems, and discuss possible future developments.
The Semantic Web ; 3rd Asian Semantic Web Conference, ASWC 2008, Bangkok, Thailand, December 8-11, 2008. Proceedings.
Address the latest results in the research and applications of Semantic Web technologies and cover topics including: scalable reasoning and logic, ontology mapping, ontology modelling and management, ontologies and tags, human language technologies and machine learning, querying, semantic Web services and semantic Web applications.
The semantic web : Real-world applications from industry
It offers a glimpse into the opening door of semantic technologies by means of concentrated examples of semantic applications in real business environments. For quite a while, there has been evidence from academic research and early industrial prototypes that semantic technology can help humans and machines substantially in accessing and using the unprecedented, and exponentially growing, amount of information that the World Wide Web provides. Now semantic technology is moving from academic and industrial research into real products and applications. This book provides a series of case studies which demonstrate how real benefits can be derived from the adoption of semantic technology in popular business domains, such as telecommunication, B2B integration, healthcare, education, and others.
The Semantic Web - ISWC 2008 ; 7th International Semantic Web Conference, ISWC 2008, Karlsruhe, Germany, October 26-30, 2008. Proceedings
This book covered in the research track are ontology engineering; data management; software and service engineering; non-standard reasoning with ontologies; semantic retrieval; OWL; ontology alignment; description logics; user interfaces; Web data and knowledge; semantic Web services; semantic social networks; and rules and relatedness. The semantic Web in-use track covers knowledge management; business applications; applications from home to space; and services and infrastructure.
The Scientific Article in the Age of Digitization
This book outlines the consequences of digitization for peer-reviewed research articles published in electronic journals. electronic peer review procedures have not replaced traditional ones, and users have not embraced new forms of interaction offered by some electronic journals.
The Science of Citizen Science
This book discusses how the involvement of citizens into scientific endeavors is expected to contribute to solve the big challenges of our time, such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity, growing inequalities within and between societies, and the sustainability turn. The field of citizen science has been growing in recent decades.
The Salton Sea Centennial Symposium ; Proceedings of a Symposium Celebrating a Century of Symbiosis Among Agriculture, Wildlife and People, 1905–2005, held in San Diego, California, USA, March 2005
This volume deals with many aspects of the physical and chemical limnology of the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake and a lake that may soon to be the object of a multi-billion dollar restoration project. Formed in 1905 by an accidental breaching of outtake structures on the Colorado River, and maintained since then by large and steady inflows of agricultural wastewaters, it has long served as an important habitat for fish and waterbirds and as a major recreational area for people. Highlly eutrophic and with a salinity that is steadily rising and now nearly 50 g/L, it is a lake in great trouble. Most fish species have disappeared, and large fish and bird dieoffs have been common in recent decades. Many of the papers in this volume represent studies undertaken with the aim of informing the re-engineering of this ecosystem so that its value to wildlife and man can be restored or enhanced.
The Rosetta Stone of the Human Mind : Three languages to integrate neurobiology and psychology
The Rosetta Stone to the Human Mind: Three Languages to Integrate Neurobiology and Psychology illustrates how the simultaneous use of these two approaches enriches the understanding of the neural and mental realms, and adds new dimensions to our perception of neuropsychological events.
The roles of variants in human multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene on drug response
MDR-1 belongs to a large family of ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins. These pumps bind their substrate and export it through the membrane using energy derived from ATP hydrolysis. In vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that MDR-1 plays a very significant role in the ADME processes (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) and drug-drug interaction (DDI) of drugs in humans. Moreover, this efflux transporter is not only expressed in tumor cells, but also in normal tissues (Brain, intestine, liver and kidney) with excretory function that limits oral absorption and central nervous system entry of many drugs.
