Neo-Liberalism, State Power and Global Governance
Part One explores the pattern of national differences in the exercise of state power in a variety of industrialized and developing economies, despite the pressure to converge towards the dominant neo-liberal paradigm. Part Two analyses a variety of trans-national policy prescriptions for neo-liberalism and state power. Part Three explores whether the governance of labour markets is a special case in the global economy. Part Four sets out the need for institutional reform of the neo-liberal order in trade and finance. The volume concludes that there is the prospect of a more plural approach to state power and global governance, and one that recognizes the importance of the public domain of citizenship for delivering the global public goods of security, prosperity and environmental sustainability in the twenty-first century.
Neighbourhoods in Transition : Brownfield Regeneration in European Metropolitan Areas
This book is focused on the intersection between urban brownfields and the sustainability transitions of metreopolitan areas, cities and neighbourhoods. It provides both a theoretical and practical approach to the topic, offering a thorough introduction to urban brownfields and regeneration projects as well as an operational monitoring tool.
Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas : Linkages between Science, Policy and Practice
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book brings together research findings and experiences from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation in urban areas. Emphasis is given to the potential of nature-based approaches to create multiple-benefits for society
Nanotechnology for Smart Concrete
Nanomaterials can markedly improve the mechanical properties of concrete, as well as reduce the porosity and enhance the durability of concrete. The application of nanotechnology in concrete is still in its infancy. However, an ever-growing demand for ultra-high-performance concrete and recurring environmental pollution caused by ordinary Portland cement has encouraged engineers to exploit nanotechnology in the construction industry. Nanotechnology for Smart Concrete discusses the advantages and applications of nanomaterials in the concrete industry, including high-strength performance, microstructural improvement, self-healing, energy storage, and coatings. The book: Analyses the linkage of concrete materials with nanomaterials and nanostructures / Discusses the applications of nanomaterials in the concrete industry, including energy storage in green buildings, anti-corrosive coatings, and inhibiting pathogens and viruses / Covers self-healing concrete / Explores safety considerations, sustainability, and environmental impact of nanoconcrete / Includes an appendix of solved questions
Nanotechnologies, Hazards and Resource Efficiency : A Three-Tiered Approach to Assessing the Implications of Nanotechnology and Influencing its Development
Nanotechnology is frequently described as an enabling technology and 1 fundamental innovation, i.e. it is expected to lead to numerous innovative developments in the most diverse fields of technology and areas of app- cation in society and the marketplace. The technology, it is believed, has the potential for far-reaching changes that will eventually affect all areas of life. Such changes will doubtlessly have strong repercussions for society and the environment and bring with them not only the desired and intended effects such as innovations in the form of improvements to products, pr- esses and materials; economic growth; new jobs for skilled workers; relief for the environment; and further steps toward sustainable business, but also unexpected and undesirable side effects and consequences.
Nanoscaled Semiconductor-on-Insulator Structures and Devices
This proceedings volume constitutes an archive of the contributions of the key-speakers who attended the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on “Nanoscaled Semiconductor-On-Insulator Structures and devices” held in the Tourist and Recreation Centre “Sudak” (Crimea, Ukraine) from 15 to 19 October 2006. The semiconductor industry has sustained a very rapid growth during the last three decades through impressive technological developments which have resulted in products with higher performance and lower cost per function. After many years of development it is now confidently predicted that semiconductor-on-insulator materials will enter and increasingly be used by manufacturing industry. The wider use of semiconductor (es- cially silicon) on insulator materials will not only enable the benefits of these materials to be demonstrated but, also, will drive down the cost of substrates which, in turn, will stimulate the development of other novel devices and applications.
Nanomaterials in dental medicine
Presents varied clinical applications of nanomaterials in dentistry ranging from diagnostics to therapeutics. it discusses role of nanomaterials in clinical applications and future needs. Contributors are international luminaries in their respective research area. The topics covered in this book are role of nanomaterials in oral and dental diagnosis, dental disease prevention, pain free dentistry, dental implantology. It also discusses the therapeutic applications of nanoparticles in oral cancer therapy. This book will be a valuable reference for researchers, clinicians, students and professionals working in the areas of nanotechnology and health sciences. It will also be of interest to the students and researchers primarily working in the field of materials science, applied chemistry, applied physics, and biotechnology.
Nanofillers : Fabrication, characterization and applications of organic nanofillers
Explores the modifying effects of various nanofillers on mechanical and physical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Looking at the four basic aspects of processing, characterization, properties, and applications, it analyzes how their features can allow for innovative multifunction within industry. Covering design, production, and manufacture, this book focuses on meeting end-use requirements and the fabrication of materials. The importance of mindful design and the use of an appropriate synthesis method is the primary lens through which theory and practice are discussed. This volume looks at the various synthesis methods available for organic nanofillers and what characterizes them. Properties including mechanical, thermal, electrical, and tribological are thoroughly examined, along with the various computational techniques used to determine them. With important sustainable properties, nanofillers are essential to meeting the increasing demand for biodegradable and environmentally friendly materials. This book details the role nanofillers have to play in sustainability, alongside economic factors such as efficient manufacturing processes.
Mycorrhizae : Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry
This book discusses and goes into detail on a number of topics: the molecular basis of nutrient exchange between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and host plants; the role of AM fungi in disease protection, alleviation of soil stresses and increasing grain production; interactions of AM fungi and beneficial saprophytic mycoflora in terms of plant growth promotion; the role of AM fungi in the restoration of native ecosystems; indirect contributions of AM fungi and soil aggregation to plant growth and mycorrhizosphere effect of multitrophic interaction; the mechanisms by which mycorrhizas change a disturbed ecosystem into productive land; the importance of reinstallation of mycorrhizal systems in the rhizosphere is emphasized and their impact on landscape regeneration, and in bioremediation of contaminated soils; Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) and their importance in forest ecosystems and associations of ECM in tropical rain forests function to maintain tropical monodominance; in vitro mycorrhization of micro-propagated plants, and visualizing and quantifying endorhizal fungi; the use of mycorrhizae, mainly AM and ECM, for sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Mycorrhiza : State of the Art, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Eco-Function, Biotechnology, Eco-Physiology, Structure and Systematics
This third updated and revised edition emphasises strongly on genetics and molecular biology. It contains new chapters, which are written by the leading experts in their respective field of knowledge and expertise.Mycorrhizas are symbioses between fungi and the roots of higher plants. As more than 90% of all known species of plants have the potential to form mycorrhizal associations, the productivity and species composition and the diversity of natural ecosystems are frequently dependent upon the presence and activity of mycorrhizas. The biotechnological application of mycorrhizas is expected to promote the production of food while maintaining ecologically and economically sustainable production systems.
Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Composite Materials and Structures
Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Composite Materials and Structures presents the state of the art in multiscale modeling and simulation techniques for composite materials and structures. The text focuses on the structural and functional properties of engineering composites and the sustainable high performance of components and structures. With contributions from leading experts in the field, Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Composite Materials and Structures proves to be an invaluable resource for researchers, graduate students and engineers in the field of Composite Materials.
Multinational Enterprises, Foreign Direct Investment and Growth in Africa : South African Perspectives
How can Africa, the world’s most lagging region, benefit from globalisation and achieve sustained economic growth? Africa needs greater investment by Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) to improve competitiveness and generate more growth through positive spill-over effects. Despite the fact that Africa’s returns on investment averaged 29% since 1990, Africa has gained merely 1% of global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows. The challenge for African countries is how to be a more desirable destination for FDI. The study integrates three currents of economic research, namely from the literature on (endogenous) economic growth, convergence and regional integration, the explanations for Africa’s poor growth and the growing understanding of the role of MNEs in a global economy. The empirical side of the book is based on an econometric study of the determinants of FDI in Africa as well as a detailed firm-level survey conducted in 2000.
Multifunctional Land Use : Meeting Future Demands for Landscape Goods and Services
The book contributes to the scientific basis for future land development strategies and helps supporting land use decision making on the political, planning and management level. In this publication they (i) analyse general principles of land use multifunctionality, (ii) highlight the specific requirements and approaches of implementing multifunctional land use from different disciplinary viewpoints, (iii) report on success stories of multifunctional land use from different geographic and political settings, and (iv) discuss modelling and monitoring approaches to scientifically assess the impact of mutlifunctional land use implementation.
Moving Millions : Transport Strategies for Sustainable Development in Megacities
The Alliance for Global Sustainability is an international partnership among four of the leading scienti?c and technological universities worldwide: • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-AGS); • The University of Tokyo (UT); • The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH); and • The Chalmers University of Technology. Created in 1997, the AGS today brings together hundreds of university scientists, engineers, and social scientists to address complex issues that lie at the intersection of environmental, economic, and social policy goals. Since its inception, the AGS has promoted and supported multidisciplinary research teams drawn from its partner institutions. Working on critical issues in sustainability across several ?elds encompassing energy and climate, mobility, urban systems, water and agriculture, cleaner technologies, public policy, and communications, these teams have developed a signi?cant body of new knowledge.
Mountains : Sources of Water, Sources of Knowledge
This book addresses the major challenges in assuring globally sustainable water use. Paradoxically, water resources have been identified both as too plentiful, producing major disasters, and increasingly vulnerable to shortages. Addressing both of these aspects requires attention to physical hydrological processes as well as human activities that affect water supply and demand.
Motivational Aspects of Prejudice and Racism
Motivational Aspects of Prejudice and Racism examines the cognitive processes as well as the motivational forces that create and sustain social hierarchies based on racial categories. A panel of top scholars analyzes the subtle and explicit manifestations of bias within and across racial groups, while refuting the idea that race has lost its power as a social concept. Chapter authors review the evolution of the psychological understanding of racism and its effects, pinpoint emerging trends in racism research, and illuminate the experience of prejudice from minority group members’ perspectives. Well-known psychosocial phenomena as the cross-race identification effect, social identity, and majority culture members' conflicting attitudes regarding race, are explored, with the underlying ideologies that nurture them. The volume concludes with a realistic assessment of the future, and possible elimination, of racism. Readers are challenged to re-think self and social identities and self-concepts—particularly relevant ideas as America grows more diverse, and potentially more divided.
Monetary Policy and Macroeconomic Stabilization in Latin America
Latin America is a very important region of the globe, which has been buffeted by successive waves of economic instability within the last decades. These waves have caused several episodes of hyperinflation or near hyperinflation, and several currency and financial crises, which, in certain moments, have even spilled over and affected other emerging markets. This has resulted in huge costs in terms of lost potential growth, and, as is inevitable, the markets most affected by this have been the least capable of defending themselves. In a region plagued by still considerable rates of social exclusion, with some of the highest rates of income concentration in the whole globe, the human costs of these crises have been very substantial. Starting in the early 1990s, the slow implementation of reforms, plus the resumption of more sustained growth—to a substantial degree linked to the increase in commodity prices, especially since the early 2000s—seems to have resulted in a more stable situation. Initially, in early reformers like Chile, later in the larger economies of the region, like Brazil and Mexico, a consensus— embraced by both sides of the political spectrum—towards integration in global markets, both in their trade and financial components, floating exchange rates, independent monetary authorities, and sustainable fiscal policies has emerged.
Molecular Mechanisms of Plant and Microbe Coexistence
Molecular Mechanisms of Plant and Microbe Coexistence presents studies on the complex and manifold interactions of plants and microbes at the population, genomics and proteomics level. The role of soil microbial diversity in enhancing plant health and plant microbe beneficial symbioses is discussed. Microbial communities are shown in the light of evolution. Main topics include genome coexistence and the functional genomics and proteomics of plant-associated microbes, which could form the basis for new environmentally benign strategies to combat infectious plant diseases and regulate plant growth. Further chapters focus on the role of signaling during the different stages of plant microbe coexistence, in symbiotic or pathogenic relationships, in quorum sensing and plant viral infections. Methods for studying the interactions in the root zone complement the book, which will certainly be of relevance in the practical application to agriculture, food security and for maintaining the balance of our ecosystems.
Modernizing the academic teaching and research environment : Methodologies and cases in business research
Constitutes a valuable manual for young and seasoned business researchers alike, and provides a comprehensive summary for the whole research journey. It is a must-read for all researchers who need to understand the basics of business research, from identifying research topics, to planning and organizing the research process, and selecting the most appropriate methodology for the topic at hand. This book also provides insights on how to avoid common pitfalls in business research and outlines the research skills needed to write a fine piece of research. In order to capture the innovative element of research, the book also highlights methods for thinking outside the box. It also stresses the importance of respecting ethics while conducting business research. Lastly, it presents important cases and provides hands-on training for preparing survey tools. Readers looking to master business research won’t want to miss out on this unique and insightful book.
Modern Theatres 1950–2020
Explores in detail 30 of the most significant theatres, concert halls, opera houses and dance spaces that opened between 1950 and 2010. Each theatre is reviewed and assessed by experts in theatre buildings, such as architects, acousticians, consultants and theatre practitioners, and illustrated with full-colour photographs and comparative plans and sections. A further 20 theatres that opened from 2009 to 2020 are concisely reviewed and illustrated. An excellent resource for students of theatre planning, theatre architecture and architectural design, Modern Theatres 1950 – 2020 discusses the role of performing arts buildings in cities, explores their public and performances spaces and examines the acoustics and technologies needed in a great building. This beautifully illustrated book is also a must-read for architects, theater designers, theatre historians, and theatre practitioners.



















