Network North

Network North
Author: Steve Murdoch
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004146644

Discussing a series of economic, confessional, political and espionage networks, this volume provides an illuminating study of network history in Northern Europe in the early modern period. The empirically researched chapters advance existing 'social network theory' into accessible historical discussion.

Saving the Wild South

Saving the Wild South
Author: Georgann Eubanks
Publisher: UNC Press Books
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1469664917

The American South is famous for its astonishingly rich biodiversity. In this book, Georgann Eubanks takes a wondrous trek from Alabama to North Carolina to search out native plants that are endangered and wavering on the edge of erasure. Even as she reveals the intricate beauty and biology of the South's plant life, she also shows how local development and global climate change are threatening many species, some of which have been graduated to the federal list of endangered species. Why should we care, Eubanks asks, about North Carolina's Yadkin River goldenrod, found only in one place on earth? Or the Alabama canebrake pitcher plant, a carnivorous marvel being decimated by criminal poaching and a booming black market? These plants, she argues, are important not only to the natural environment but also to southern identity, and she finds her inspiration in talking with the heroes the botanists, advocates, and conservationists young and old on a quest to save these green gifts of the South for future generations. These passionate plant lovers caution all of us not to take for granted the sensitive ecosystems that contribute to the region's long-standing appeal, beauty, and character.

Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Health Care and Translational Science

Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Health Care and Translational Science
Author: Francesco Chiappelli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2014-03-18
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3642418570

Comparative effectiveness research – the conduct and synthesis of systematic research in order to compare the benefits and harms of alternative treatment options – is of critical importance in enabling informed health care decisions to be made. This user-friendly, practical handbook examines in depth how best to perform such comparative effectiveness research. A wide range of topics and methods are discussed, including research synthesis, sampling analysis, assessment of evidence design, systematic evaluation of statistical analysis, and meta-analysis. The discussion extends well beyond the fundamentals by encompassing “complex” systematic reviews, “cumulative” meta-analyses, and logic-based versus utility-based decision making. Health care providers, researchers, instructors, and students will all find this to be an invaluable reference on the compelling current issues and important analytical tools in comparative effectiveness research.

Trading with Pariahs

Trading with Pariahs
Author: Keith A. Preble
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2024-08-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1666903744

The past few decades have witnessed a proliferation of economic sanctions, yet there seem to be few examples of sanctions meeting sender states’ goals. Under what conditions do sanctions fail to change the behavior of so-called international “pariah states,” countries who violate various international norms? This book examines the impact of economic sanctions on target states’ trading relationships through social network analysis, a method that has rarely been applied to the study of sanctions. Drawing on UN Comtrade data, Trading with Pariahs: Trade Networks and the Failure of Economic Sanctions shows that the imposition of sanctions can drastically change some states’ trading networks, as states either find new trading partners (in the case of North Korea) or feel the sting of the sanctions from key trading partners (like Iran). Trading networks (such as Myanmar’s) remain relatively stable over time as key trading partners refuse to impose sanctions. Through the theory of weaponized interdependence, Keith A. Preble and Charmaine N. Willis argue that the success or failure of sanctions to change target states’ behavior depends on who imposes the sanctions. Sanctions imposed by the “right” sender states can be successful but also cannot rely solely on policies of isolation to achieve the goals of the sanctions.

Systems of Systems Engineering

Systems of Systems Engineering
Author: Mo Jamshidi
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 574
Release: 2017-12-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1351834835

As technology presses forward, scientific projects are becoming increasingly complex. The international space station, for example, includes over 100 major components, carried aloft during 88 spaces flights which were organized by over 16 nations. The need for improved system integration between the elements of an overall larger technological system has sparked further development of systems of systems (SoS) as a solution for achieving interoperability and superior coordination between heterogeneous systems. Systems of Systems Engineering: Principles and Applications provides engineers with a definitive reference on this newly emerging technology, which is being embraced by such engineering giants as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. The book covers the complete range of fundamental SoS topics, including modeling, simulation, architecture, control, communication, optimization, and applications. Containing the contributions of pioneers at the forefront of SoS development, the book also offers insight into applications in national security, transportation, energy, and defense as well as healthcare, the service industry, and information technology. System of systems (SoS) is still a relatively new concept, and in time numerous problems and open-ended issues must be addressed to realize its great potential. THis book offers a first look at this rapidly developing technology so that engineers are better equipped to face such challenges.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research
Author: Eric E. Bouhassira
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 3370
Release: 2015-06-15
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1506331890

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research, Second Edition is filled with new procedures and exciting medical breakthroughs, including executive orders from the Obama administration reversing barriers to research imposed under the Bush administration, court rulings impacting NIH funding of research based on human embryonic stem cells, edicts by the Papacy and other religious leaders, and the first success in cloning human stem cells. Stem cell biology is clearly fueling excitement and potential in traditional areas of developmental biology and in the field of regenerative medicine, where they are believed to hold much promise in addressing any number of intractable medical conditions. This updated second edition encyclopedia will expand on information that was given in the first edition and present more than 270 new and updated articles that explore major topics in ways accessible to nonscientists, thus bringing readers up-to-date with where stem cell biology stands today, including new and evolving ethical, religious, legal, social, and political perspectives. This second edition reference work will serve as a universal resource for all public and academic libraries. It is an excellent foundation for anyone who is interested in the subject area of stem cell biology. Key Features: Reader’s Guide, Further Readings, Cross References, Chronology, Resource Guide, Index A Glossary will elucidate stem cell terminology for the nonscientist Statistics and selected reprints of major journal articles that pertain to milestones achieved in stem cell research Documents from Congressional Hearings on stem cells and cloning Reports to the President’s Council on Bioethics, and more