The Political Economy of Fiscal Policy : Public Deficits, Volatility, and Growth
One of the most striking macroeconomic developments during the last three decades is the rise and persistence of large fiscal deficits in a number of countries. Despite recent major fiscal reforms around the world, many countries suffer from recurrent large fiscal imbalances that often reflect lack of fiscal discipline. Why do some countries have recurrent fiscal deficit or volatility problems, while others do not? What factors are most important in explaining cross-country variation in fiscal outcomes? How are they related to growth or inflation? This book presents new, rigorous, theoretical and empirical studies on these fiscal issues, and highlights social polarization as an essential organizing principle in a political economy approach. Also, it discusses how institutional constraints may favourably affect fiscal dynamics in the presence of social polarization.
The political economy of central Asian law
Provides fresh and much-needed insights into the interconnections between law, society and governance in Central Asia. By taking the interdisciplinary perspective of law and society, the book explores the social life of law and legal institutions in Central Asia in broader terms, encompassing not only the state legal system and institutions but also various informal (non-legal) forms of normative ordering.
The Plaston Concept : Plastic Deformation in Structural Materials
This book presents the novel concept of plaston, which accounts for the high ductility or large plastic deformation of emerging high-performance structural materials, including bulk nanostructured metals, hetero-nanostructured materials, metallic glasses, intermetallics, and ceramics.
The Plant Stem : A Microscopic Aspect
Combines the beauty of macroscopic pictures of plant stems with the corresponding colorfully stained images of anatomical micro-structures. In contrast to most botanical textbooks, it presents all the stem characteristics as photographs and shows the microscopic reality. It includes a chapter devoted to simple anatomical preparation techniques, and further chapters showing the cell content, cell walls, meristematic tissues and stem structures of all major taxonomic units and morphological growth forms in various ecological and climatic regions from subarctic to equatorial latitudes, as well as structures of fossil, subfossil and technically altered wood.
The Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), called "the mother of all membranes," is spotlighted in this timely new book. The work presented here is especially exciting since GFP-technology has provided new ways of looking at the dynamics of the ER and its relationship to other organelles, particularly the Golgi apparatus and peroxisomes. This book provides in-depth knowledge of the ER and the diverse roles it plays—for instance, in protein trafficking, homeostasis of cellular calcium, plant hormone and lipid synthesis. These manifold activities are reflected in the great plasticity of the ER as a structure, with more than a dozen specialized domains recognized for this organelle.
The Places Where Community Is Practiced : How Store Owners and Their Businesses Build Neighborhood Social Life
In this book the social cohesion of urban neighborhoods and their residents is examined, which is often viewed as vulnerable since increased mobility, individualization, wider socio-economic and demographic changes have fundamentally altered the basis for everyday social interaction in urban neighborhoods. Anna Steigemann gives scholarly attention to the concrete places where neighborly interactions still take place and to how these interactions affect local community building. She illuminates and explores the ordinary everyday interactions and social practices in and around shops and gastronomic facilities on a shopping street in Berlin-Neukölln, revealing how these businesses are important places where community is practiced, but also why they are increasingly threatened by commercial and residential gentrification.
The Physics of Thin Film Optical Spectra : An Introduction
The book is intended to bridge the gap between fundamental physics courses (such as optics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics and solid state physics) and highly specialized literature on the spectroscopy, design, and application of optical thin film coatings. Basic knowledge from the above-mentioned courses is therefore presumed. Starting from fundamental physics, the book enables the reader derive the theory of optical coatings and to apply it to practically important spectroscopic problems. Both classical and semiclassical approaches are included. Examples describe the full range of classical optical coatings in various spectral regions as well as highly specialized new topics such as rugate filters and resonant grating waveguide structures.
The Physics of the Early Universe
The Physics of the Early Universe is an edited and expanded version of the lectures given at a recent summer school of the same name. Its aim is to present an advanced multi-authored textbook that meets the needs of both postgraduate students and young researchers interested in, or already working on, problems in cosmology and general relativity, with emphasis on the early universe. A particular strong feature of the present work is the constructive-critical approach to the present mainstream theories, the careful assessment of some alternative approaches, and the overall balance between theoretical and observational considerations. As such, this book will also benefit experienced scientists and nonspecialists from related areas of research.
The Physics of Structural Phase Transitions
This book is divided into two parts. The first part includes such topics as the Landau theory of phase transitions, statistics, correlations, and the mean-field approximation, pseudospins and their collective motion, soft lattice modes, condensates and their nonlinear growth, and lattice imperfections and their role in phase transitions of real crystals. The second part discusses experimental studies of modulated crystals using X-ray diffraction, neutron inelastic scattering, light scattering, dielectric measurements, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. While the presence of modulated structures in the critical region is not particularly suggested in the published results of these studies, it is notable that most observed anomalies indicate evidence for pinned pseudospin condensates.
The Physics of Semiconductors : An Introduction Including Devices and Nanophysics
The Physics of Semiconductors provides material for a comprehensive upper-level-undergrauate and graduate course on the subject, guiding readers to the point where they can choose a special topic and begin supervised research. The textbook provides a balance between essential aspects of solid-state and semiconductor physics, on the one hand, and the principles of various semiconductor devices and their applications in electronic and photonic devices, on the other. It highlights many practical aspects of semiconductors such as alloys, strain, heterostructures, nanostructures, that are necessary in modern semiconductor research but typically omitted in textbooks. For the interested reader some additional advanced topics are included, such as Bragg mirrors, resonators, polarized and magnetic semiconductors are included. Also supplied are explicit formulas for many results, to support better understanding. The Physics of Semiconductors requires little or no prior knowledge of solid-state physics and evolved from a highy regarded two-semester course at the University of Leipzig.
The Physics of Polymers : Concepts for Understanding Their Structures and Behavior
Polymer physics is a key part of macromolecular science. This textbook presents the elements of this important branch of materials science in the style of a series of lecture. The main focus lays on the concepts, rather than on experimental techniques and theoretical methods. Written for graduate students of physics, materials science and chemical engineering, as well as for researchers in academia and industry entering this field, the book introduces and discusses the basic phenomena that lead to the peculiar physical properties of polymeric systems.
The Physics of Phase Transitions : Concepts and applications
The physics of phase transitions is an important area at the crossroads of several fields that play central roles in materials sciences. In this second edition, new developments had been included which came up in the states of matter physics, in particular in the domain of nanomaterials and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates where progress is accelerating. The presentation of several chapters had been improved by bringing better information on some phase transition mechanisms and by illustrating them with new application examples. This work deals with all classes of phase transitions in fluids and solids. It contains chapters on evaporation, melting, solidification, magnetic transitions, critical phenomena, superconductivity, etc., and is intended for graduate students in physics and engineering; for scientists it will serve both as an introduction and an overview. End-of-chapter problems and complete answers are included.
The Physics of Organic Superconductors and Conductors
This book contains general (tutorial) and topical reviews, written by leading researches in the area of organic superconductors and conductors from USA, Japan, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, Korea, and Australia. It covers contemporary topics such as unconventional superconductivity, non- Fermi-liquid properties, the quantum Hall effect, strongly correlated electrons, novel types of quantum macroscopic phenomena in a magnetic field, magnetic field induced spin(charge)-density waves, and magnetic field induced exotic superconducting phases are described both from theoretical and experimental points of views.
The Physics of Coronary Blood Flow
This book is devoted specifically to the dynamics and physics of coronary blood flow. While relevance to the clinical and pathophysiological issues is clearly maintained, the book approaches the subject from a biomedical engineering point of view. With this perspective, the Physics of Coronary Blood Flow complements other treatments of the subject that focus largely on the clinical and pathophysiological issues.
The Physics of Birdsong
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
The Physics of Atoms and Quanta : Introduction to Experiments and Theory
The Physics of Atoms and Quanta is a thorough introduction to experiments and theory in this field. Every classical and modern aspect is included and discussed in detail. The new edition is completely revised, new sections on atoms in strong electric fields and high magnetic fields complete the comprehensive coverage of all topics related to atoms and quanta. All new developments, such as new experiments on quantum entanglement, the quantum computer, quantum information, the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradoxon, Bell's inequality, Schrödinger's cat, decoherence, Bose-Einstein-Condensation and the atom laser are discussed. Over 170 problems and their solutions help deepen the insight in this subject area and make this book a real study text. The second and more advanced book by the same authors entitled "Molecular Physics and Elements of Quantum Chemistry" is the completion of this unique textbook.
The Physicians Guide to Investing : A Practical Approach to Building Wealth
Giving simple, practical advice on how health professionals can manage and invest their money, the book covers all general aspects of investing and financial planning, with the ultimate long-term goal of attaining financial security. Here, physicians will quickly discover what is a reasonable rate of return on an investment, when the return on an investment should immediately cause alarm, and how to recognize when a real opportunity does arise. They will also find profitable suggestions about paying off their mortgage early, the power of thrift, when to buy and when to sell an asset, and whether to invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, collectibles, or art. In addition, the author offers sound advice on setting financial goals, drawing up appropriate documents, saving for retirement and a child's education, purchasing insurance, and minimizing fees.
The Physical Basis of The Direction of Time
This thoroughly revised 5th edition of Zeh's classic text investigates irreversible phenomena and their foundation in classical, quantum and cosmological settings. It includes new sections on the meaning of probabilities in a cosmological context, irreversible aspects of quantum computers, and various consequences of the expansion of the Universe.
The Philosophy of Mathematics Education
This survey provides a brief and selective overview of research in the philosophy of mathematics education. It asks what makes up the philosophy of mathematics education, what it means, what questions it asks and answers, and what is its overall importance and use? It provides overviews of critical mathematics education, and the most relevant modern movements in the philosophy of mathematics. A case study is provided of an emerging research tradition in one country. This is the Hermeneutic strand of research in the philosophy of mathematics education in Brazil. This illustrates one orientation towards research inquiry in the philosophy of mathematics education. It is part of a broader practice of ‘philosophical archaeology’: the uncovering of hidden assumptions and buried ideologies within the concepts and methods of research and practice in mathematics education. An extensive bibliography is also included.
The Pharmacology of Taste
The Pharmacology of Taste is comprised of contributions by leading scientists from the field of chemosensory research, presented all together in the context of pharmacological principles of receptor function. The chapters cover all levels of scientific inquiry, from molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying taste signaling to its manifestation in overt behavior. The overarching objective of this volume is to inspire the application of concepts and methods of pharmacology to the study of the chemosenses



















