Economic Stress, Human Capital and Families in Asia

Economic Stress, Human Capital and Families in Asia

This book presents recent findings about the consequences and policy implications of economic stress for human capital development and family well-being in Asia. The scope of the chapters goes beyond the impact of current financial crisis to include the effect of economic deprivation families in Asia experience as a result of job loss, low-wage employment, and catastrophic natural calamities. The studies show how macro-level economic stress can filter down through households to affect individuals economic and socio-psychological well-being. The chapters reveal a wide spectrum of economic stresses experienced by families in Asia that is linked to poor human capital development, emotional distress, health problems, changing fertility patterns, more frequent geographic movement, and less supportive parenting behavior. The elderly, women, children, low-skilled workers are particularly vulnerable. The economic shocks in the past several decades have exposed the vulnerability of the family institution and the weaknesses in this regions social protection system that can lead to detrimental long-term effects on human capital development. This book is relevant for researchers and students in fields such as Family Studies, Globalization, Development, Social Problems, Social Stratification, Social Inequalities, Poverty and Welfare, Education, and Social Policies.

Economic Stress, Human Capital and Families in Asia

Male Homosexual Behavior and the Effects of AIDS Education

Male Homosexual Behavior and the Effects of AIDS Education

Since the AIDS epidemic was recognized, information on safer sex has been assumed to be the most crucial means of preventing further spread of the disease. But how well has AIDS education worked? What kinds of education work best and for whom? This study is the first to provide an in-depth analysis of the results of AIDS education programs and to explore the psychosocial factors that affect behavioral responses to education.

Male Homosexual Behavior and the Effects of AIDS Education

The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism

The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism

Renowned political economist Samir Amin, engaged in a unique lifelong effort both to narrate and affect the human condition on a global scale, brings his analysis up to the present-the world of 2013. The key events of our times-financial crisis, the emerging nations, globalization, financialization, political Islam, Euro-zone implosion-are related in a coherent, historically based, account. Changes in contemporary capitalism require an updating of definitions and analysis of social classes, class struggles, political parties, social movements and the ideological forms in which they express their modes of action in the transformation of societies. Amin meets this challenge and lays bare the reality of monopoly capitalism in its general, global form. Ultimately, Amin demonstrates that this system is not viable and that the implosion in progress is unavoidable. Whether humanity will rise to the challenge of building a more humane global order free of the contradictions of capital, however, is yet to be seen.

The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism

Multi-Component Acoustic Characterization of Porous Media

Multi-Component Acoustic Characterization of Porous Media

The feasibility to extract porous medium parameters from acoustic recordings is investigated. The thesis gives an excellent discussion of our basic understanding of different wave modes, using a full-waveform and multi-component approach. Focus lies on the dependency on porosity and permeability where especially the latter is difficult to estimate. In this thesis, this sensitivity is shown for interface-wave and reflected-wave modes. For each of the pseudo-Rayleigh and pseudo-Stoneley interface waves unique estimates for permeability and porosity can be obtained when impedance and attenuation are combined. The pseudo-Stoneley wave is most sensitive to permeability: both the impedance and the attenuation are controlled by the fluid flow. Also from reflected-wave modes unique estimates for permeability and porosity can be obtained when the reflection coefficients of different reflected modes are combined. In this case the sensitivity to permeability is caused by subsurface heterogeneities generating mesoscopic fluid flow at seismic frequencies. The results of this thesis suggest that estimation of in-situ permeability is feasible, provided detection is carried out with multi-component measurements. The results of this thesis argely affect geotechnical and reservoir engineering practices.

Multi-Component Acoustic Characterization of Porous Media

Mesoscale-Convective Processes in the Atmosphere

Mesoscale-Convective Processes in the Atmosphere

‘This is the first modern textbook devoted solely to mesoscale-convective processes in the atmosphere. Such processes are realized in the form of thunderstorms and associated phenomena. Thunderstorms are dynamic and fast evolving, and can have high societal impact. For this reason it is becoming increasingly important that current and future generations of atmospheric scientists have a deep understanding of the dynamics, observations, and prediction of these phenomena. The book presents in-depth descriptions of the formation, dynamics, and qualitative characteristics of convective phenomena such as supercell thunderstorms and mesoscale convective systems. Although the descriptions pertain largely to the extratropical atmosphere, examples of related tropical phenomena are given for comparison and contrast. To provide a further holistic perspective, separate chapters are also included on mesoscale observations and data analysis, numerical modelling, and the theoretical predictability and actual numerical prediction of mesoscale weather. An additional chapter on interactions and feedbacks addresses ways in which convective storms affect and are affected by external processes, particularly on the synoptic and planetary scale. This textbook provides advanced students, researchers and weather professionals with a modern, accessible treatment of the convective processes that lie within the range of the atmospheric mesoscale’

Mesoscale-Convective Processes in the Atmosphere

What Works and Doesnt in Reducing Recidivism

What Works and Doesnt in Reducing Recidivism

This book offers criminologists and students an evidence-based discussion of the latest trends in corrections. Over the last several decades, research has clearly shown that rehabilitation efforts can be effective at reducing recidivism among criminal offenders. However, researchers also recognize that treatment is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Offenders vary by gender, age, crime type, and/or addictions, to name but a few, and these individual needs must be addressed by providers. Finally, issues such as leadership, quality of staff, and evaluation efforts affect the quality and delivery of treatment services. This book synthesizes the vast research for the student interested in correctional rehabilitation as well as for the practitioner working with offenders. While other texts have addressed issues regarding treatment in corrections, this text is unique in that it not only discusses the research on ‘what works’ but also addresses implementation issues as practitioners move from theory to practice, as well as the importance of staff, leadership and evaluation efforts.

What Works and Doesnt in Reducing Recidivism

Capital Flows and Crises

Capital Flows and Crises

The implications of capital mobility for growth and stability are some of the most contentious and least understood contemporary issues in economics. In this book, Barry Eichengreen discusses historical, theoretical, empirical, and policy aspects of the effects, both positive and negative, of capital flows. He focuses on the connections between capital flows and crises as well as on those between capital flows and growth.Eichengreen argues that international financial liberalization, like other forms of economic liberalization, can positively affect the efficiency of resource allocation and the rate of economic growth. But analyses of both recent and historical experience also show an undeniable association between capital mobility and crises, especially when domestic institutions are weak and the harmonization of capital account liberalization and other policy reforms is inadequate. In his conclusion, Eichengreen makes suggestions for policy design to maximize the benefits of international financial liberalization while minimizing the risks of financial instability.

Capital Flows and Crises

Cloud Optics

Cloud Optics

Clouds affect the climate of the Earth, and they are an important factor in the weather. Therefore, their radiative properties must be understood in great detail. This book summarizes current knowledge on cloud optical properties, for example their ability to absorb, transmit, and reflect light, which depends on the clouds geometrical and microphysical characteristics such as sizes of droplets and crystals, their shapes, and structures. In addition, problems related to the image transfer through clouds and cloud remote sensing are addressed in this book in great detail.

Cloud Optics

Personality as an Affect-Processing System

Personality as an Affect-Processing System

At least since Hippocrates, human beings have been trying to describe and analyze the behavioral and cognitive consistencies now referred to as personality. And in recent decades, no less than in the preceding centuries, they have generated a bewildering variety of construals and constructs.

Personality as an Affect-Processing System

Decoding the New Mortgage Market

Decoding the New Mortgage Market

The housing market is in turmoil, but if theres a silver lining, its the fact that purchase prices are at historic lows. Sure, there are still plenty of predatory lenders waiting to exploit the nave potential buyer, but those who do their homework will be rewarded with a fair price and manageable mortgage terms. Decoding the New Mortgage Market is a map to finding the best and most realistic mortgage deals while navigating past potential obstacles and traps. Filled with money-saving advice, this practical guide will help prospective buyers understand: How new lending and underwriting rules affect todays homebuyer Different loan types and lending institutions Credit issues and other qualifying factors Creative down-payment solutions How to reduce closing costs and other fees Because lenders and buyers alike have gotten burned in the mortgage crisis, finding and qualifying for a manageable loan may now be more difficult. Readers will find that Decoding the New Mortgage Market makes the search both easier and more fruitful, and that their dreams of home ownership are still within their reach.

Decoding the New Mortgage Market

Interactive Probiotics

Interactive Probiotics

This book underlines the importance of reciprocal interactions between probiotics and humans in terms of stress induction, epigenetic control of cellular responses, oxidative status, bio-active molecules biosynthesis, moonlighting proteins secretion, endogenous toxins neutralization, and several other biological functions. It explores how these responses can affect metabolism and metabolic-related disorders, gutbrain axis balance, mood, inflammatory, allergic and anti-infective reactions, cancer, and ageing. The book explores how probiotics create a dynamic and ‘fluid’ network of signals able to control the balance between healthy and altered human status.

Interactive Probiotics

Advances in Silicon Carbide Processing and Applications

Advances in Silicon Carbide Processing and Applications

‘Advances In Silicon Carbide Processing and Applications provides detailed coverage of the latest advances in SiC (silicon carbide) technology from the leading experts in the field. The book serves as the professional’s single source for in-depth information on both SiC device fabrication and system-level applications. This comprehensive reference begins with an examination of how SiC is grown and how defects in SiC growth can affect working devices.’ ‘Key issues in selective doping of SiC via ion implantation are covered with a special focus on implant conditions and electrical activation of implants. SiC applications discussed include chemical sensors, motor-control components, high-temperature gas sensors, and high-temperature electronics. By cutting through the arcane data and jargon surrounding the hype on SiC, this book gives an assessment of today’s SiC technology and explains how SiC can be adopted in developing tomorrow’s applications.’–BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Advances in Silicon Carbide Processing and Applications

The New Masters Of Capital

The New Masters Of Capital

In The New Masters of Capital, Timothy J. Sinclair examines a key aspect of the global economy-the rating agencies. In the global economy, trust is formalized in the daily operations of such firms as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, which continuously monitor the financial health of bond-issuers ranging from private corporations to local and national governments. Their judgments affect unimaginably large sums, approximately $30 trillion in outstanding debt issues, according to a recent Moody’s estimate. The difference between an AA and a BB rating may cost millions of dollars in interest payments or determine if a corporation or government can even issue bondsWithout bond rating agencies, there would be no standard means to compare risks in the global economy, and international investment would be problematic. Most observers assume that the agencies are neutral and scientific, and that they interpret their role in narrowly economic terms. But these agencies, by their nature, wield extraordinary power and exert massive influence over public policy. Sinclair offers a highly accessible account of these institutions, their origins, and the rating processes they use to judge creditworthiness. Illustrated with a wide range of cases, this book offers a fresh assessment of the role of an often-overlooked institution in the dynamics of modern global capitalism.

The New Masters Of Capital

The Leader

The Leader

Behind every leader is an instructive life story. It often promotes a public image that inspires others to live by it. And, sometimes, even to live or to die for it. As leadership qualities and image issues gain significance in the public discourse, the psychological study of leadership is a critical factor in any discussion. With its trenchant insights into leaders past and present, The Leader: Psychological Essays, Second Edition, updates a pioneering text in this field and provides a solid basis for ongoing dialogue on this important subject. Within the context of the ever-evolving disciplines of psychoanalysis and psychodynamics, this thought-provoking volume examines the lives of several prominent leaders from ancient Greece through the start of the 21st century. The authors explore how these leaders imposed their individual missions and mystiques on others, thereby fulfilling and, sometimes, creating distinct needs in their followers. The volume brings into vivid focus issues with the potential for devastating consequences on the global stage. Coverage includes: Biblical times, ancient Greeks and the seeds of leadership.Lincoln during the 1850s, leading a dividing nation.Thomas A. Kohut on Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German national character.George W. Bush, atonement/redemption narratives and the American Dream.Bin Laden, man and myth.A study of paranoid leadership and its implications for future politics and policy. This must-have Second Edition is indispensable reading for researchers, professors, and graduate students across many disciplines, including political psychology, psychoanalysis, history and political science, psychiatry, anthropology, and personality and social psychology. It is important reading for anyone with an interest in the life stories of leaders past and present and how they affect our world even long after they are gone.

The Leader

Realtime Web Apps

Realtime Web Apps

Realtime Web Apps: With HTML5 WebSocket, PHP, and , is a guide for beginner- to intermediate-level web developers looking to take the next leap forward in website and app development: realtime.,

With Realtime Web Apps, you’ll be able to quickly get up to speed on what , , does, how it is going to affect the future of the web as we know it, andthanks to Pusher’s simple API – start developing your first realtime app today.,

Using a practical approach rather than focusing on dry theory, Realtime Web Apps will guide you through building your first app using HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, and Pusher. After your initial introduction to the technologies used in the book, you’ll immediately jump into the process of creating a realtime Q&A app that will work on desktop browsers as well as mobile phones (including iOS and Android).

Realtime Web Apps

Pro SQL Server Internals

Pro SQL Server Internals

Pro SQL Server Internals explains how different , , components work ‘under the hood’ and how they communicate with each other. This is the practical book with a large number of examples that will show you how various , and implementation decisions affect the behavior and performance of your systems.,

Pro SQL Server Internals covers a multiple SQL Server versions starting with SQL Server 2005 all the way up to the recently released SQL Server 2014. You’ll learn about new SQL Server 2014 features including the new Cardinality Estimator, In-Memory OLTP Engine (codename Hekaton), and Clustered Columnstore Indexes. With Pro SQL Server Internals, you have a solid roadmap for understanding the depth and power of the SQL Server database backend, regardless of the version and edition of SQL Server you use.

Pro SQL Server Internals