Current debates in life course studies increasingly reference theories of individualization, standardization, and differentiation in the structure of the life course. This volume brings together leading scholars from a variety of fields to assess the theoretical underpinnings, the empirical evidence, and the implications of existing arguments. The contributions include comparative-historical work, demographic analysis, and detailed survey research. The topics covered include historical, cross-cultural, and racioethnic variation in the transition to adulthood, the school-to-work transition, educational careers, retirement, activity characteristics over the life span and the life course context of psychological well-being. The various contributions expand our understanding of the contemporary life course and its implications. The authors offer innovative theoretical and methodological approaches that demonstrate the utility of holistic approaches to conceptualizing the life course and understanding its implications for modern society.

In this book, Pascal Costantini gives a lively and wonderfully readable account of ten years of efforts by a small group of investment analysts to find a reliable, practical and implementable method for valuing and selecting shares. The result of their effort is an original investment methodology called CROCI (Cash Return on Capital Invested), best described as a variation of the economic profit model. For over a decade now, Costantinis group at Deutsche Bank has been using this valuation tool every time it has had to take a view on the pricing of an equity asset, be it a market, a sector or an individual sharein other words, every single working day, since it is this groups job to advise institutional investors on equity valuation. Costantini describes in detail, accompanied by concrete examples in the form of charts and graphs, the precise investment results of the actual implementation of the CROCI approach in the global equity markets since 1996. Readers will enjoy taking this journey with Costantini to see how and why the model was developed, assess the results of ten years of actual implementation and measure the successes of using this model in stock picking and portfolio construction. This book will also make it easy for them to see how the CROCI approach can be used successfully by others now and in the future.
The book is divided into four parts. The first part is a review and discussion of the fundamentals of investment analysis. The second part is dedicated to the construction of economic data, with the sole objective of calculating an economically meaningful asset multiple and relative return, the combination of which gives an economic PE ratio, the authors main stock selection tool. While the economic profit model is not exactly new, it is still largely ignored by the investment community. In essence, it does three things: it calculates the real amount of cash, or value created by a business; it compares the market value of an asset to an approximation of its replacement value; and it assumes that the former will converge to the latter through the arbitrage of investors and capital providers. The third part is dedicated to the analysis of economic data, and the last part deals with the actual implementation of the CROCI economic profit model, including real life examples. This final part also discusses how to use the output of the CROCI model with individual stocks, and then with investment portfolios.
*Techniques are based on the authors performance record at Deutsche Bank since 1996
*Based on almost ten years of proprietary knowledge and implementation of these techniques
*Factual illustrations of the results of the valuation techniques are provided at each step
*Techniques are based on the author's performance record at Deutsche Bank since 1996
*Based on almost ten years of proprietary knowledge and implementation of these techniques
*Factual illustrations of the results of the valuation techniques are provided at each step

Constitutive modelling is the mathematical description of how materials respond to various loadings. This is the most intensely researched field within solid mechanics because of its complexity and the importance of accurate constitutive models for practical engineering problems.
Topics covered include:
Elasticity - Plasticity theory - Creep theory - The nonlinear finite element method - Solution of nonlinear equilibrium equations - Integration of elastoplastic constitutive equations - The thermodynamic framework for constitutive modelling Thermoplasticity - Uniqueness and discontinuous bifurcations
More comprehensive in scope than competitive titles, with detailed discussion of thermodynamics and numerical methods.
Offers appropriate strategies for numerical solution, illustrated by discussion of specific models.
Demonstrates each topic in a complete and self-contained framework, with extensive referencing.

Introduction to Fiber Optics is well established as an introductory text for engineers, managers and students. It meets the needs of systems designers, installation engineers, electronic engineers and anyone else looking to gain a working knowledge of fiber optics with a minimum of maths. Review questions are included in the text to enable the reader to check their understanding as they work through the book.
The new edition of this successful book is now fully up to date with the new standards, latest technological developments and includes a new chapter on specifying optical components.
Whether you are looking for a complete self-study course in fiber optics, a concise reference text to dip into, or a readable introduction to this fast moving technology, this book has the solution.
* A practical, no-nonsense guide to fiber optics
* Up-to-date coverage that minimises mathematics
* New material on specifying optical components

As a step-by-step guide from circuit design to finished product, this practical electronics book actually explains how to select the right tools and components for the job, use a soldering iron, etch a printed circuit board and mount the finished product in a case - and puts skills into practice through simple self-build projects.
Whilst most electronics texts focus on theoretical knowledge, Keith Brindley presents a genuinely 'practical' bench guide and reference for electronics experimenters. The straightforward, interactive style of this book makes it ideal for home electronics work and particularly suitable as an introduction to university lab courses for students who are not familiar with hands-on electronics construction. The book also lends itself as a self-contained resource for secondary school and vocational course classroom projects.
* Master the practical techniques of electronics construction, from using a soldering iron to etching a printed circuit board, and mounting the finished product in a case
* Apply practical electronics skills through a series of simple self-build projects
* A bench reference guide to selecting and using the right tools, techniques and components, whatever your project

This unique books looks at a cost-efficient, fast and accurate means of facial reconstruction--from segmented, decomposed, or skeletal remains--using computer-graphic and computational means.
Computer-Graphic Facial Reconstruction is designed as a valuable resource for those scientists designing new research projects and protocols, as well as a practical handbook of methods and techniques for medico-legal practitioners who actually identify the faceless victims of crime. It looks at a variety of approaches: artificial intelligence using neural networks, case-based reasoning, Baysian belief systems, along with a variety of imaging methods: radiological, CT, MRI and the use of imaging devices.
The methods described in this book complement, or may even replace, the less-reliable, more traditional means of securing identification by presumptive means, i.e., recognition of clothing, personal effects and clay reconstruction.
- Covers cutting-edge technologies in the context of historical forensic reconstruction methods
- Features stellar authors from around the globe
- Bridges the areas of computer graphics, animation, and forensic anthropology

The latest title in the Real World Nursing Survival Guide series, this fun and engaging book makes it easy to review must-know concepts associated with hemodynamic monitoring. Its lighthearted, cartoon-filled approach guides readers through challenging concepts and procedures. The book begins with an overview of five main concepts: cardiac output, stroke volume, preload, afterload, and contractility. It discusses equipment used for specific procedures, followed by discussions of specific aspects of hemodynamic monitoring including cardiac output, intra-arterial, central venous, pulmonary artery, and mixed venous oxygenation. The final chapter focuses on clinical applications with case studies, clinical interventions, and exercises. The unique presentation of content narrows the gap between the knowledge a student learns during nursing school and the wisdom they need to survive in the real world. Material is presented using adult learning principles and various active-learning strategies to engage readers of all ages, backgrounds, and learning styles. A consistent chapter format - using the headings What it is, What you need to know, What you do, and Do you understand? - breaks down information into small segments and facilitates understanding. Special icons for Lifespan Considerations, Cultural Implications, Web Links, Cautions, Monitoring and Initial Treatment help readers quickly identify special content in the chapter. A variety of memory-reinforcing activities such as mnemonic devices, fill-in the blank, matching, word jumbles, true/false, and crossword puzzles promote learning and understanding. Clinical terms and shorthand expressions are highlighted in colored text within parentheses after the explanation, to expose readers to terminology used in the practice setting. Boxed Take Home Points distill years of nursing experience into practical, "real world" advice from the experts. More than 100 NCLEX-style questions, divided by chapter, are included in a section at the end of the book so readers can test their knowledge and review challenging concepts. Full-color illustrations demonstrate key concepts and principles of hemodynamic monitoring, including various complications. Original cartoon-character illustrations and a cartoon camel walk readers through subjects that nursing students have identified as difficult, using a lighthearted approach. Waveforms at the end of each chapter allow readers to practice their interpretation.

Sintering is the process of forming materials and components from a powder under the action of thermal energy. It is a key materials science subject: most ceramic materials and many specialist metal powder products for use in key industries such as electronics, automotive and aerospace are formed this way. Written by one of the leading experts in the field, this book offers an unrivalled introduction to sintering and sintering processes for students of materials science and engineering, and practicing engineers in industry.
The book is unique in providing a complete grounding in the principles of sintering and equal coverage of the three key sintering processes: densification, grain growth and microstructure. Students and professional engineers alike will be attracted by the emphasis on developing a detailed understanding of the theory and practical processes of sintering, the balanced coverage of ceramic and metal sintering, and the accompanying examination questions with selected solutions.
-Delivering unrivalled depth of coverage on the basis of sintering, science, including thermodynamics and polycrystalline microstructure.
-Unique in its balanced coverage of the three key sintering elements - densification, grain growth and microstructure.
-A key reference for students and engineers in materials science and engineering, accompanied by examination questions and selected solutions.

Electroplating: Basic Principles, Processes and Practice offers an understanding of the theoretical background to electroplating, which is essential if the practical results are to be as required. This book is different in that it explains HOW the electrodeposition processes work, covering such topics as the elctrodeposition of composites, multilayers, whisker formation and giant magnetoresistive effects. The section on R & D approaches will be especially useful for organisations in the field. This is the first English language version of a well-known German language book from a prestigious author of international repute. Electroplating is an invaluable resource for manufacturers of coatings, electrochemists, metal finishers and their customers and academics in surface engineering.
.Offers an understanding of the theoretical background to electroplating
.Explains how the electrodeposition processes work
.Prestigious author of international repute

Best Practices of South African Public School Leaders aims to contribute to the field of education management, law and policy by sharing critical and inspiring experiences of principals and other educational leaders regarding their best practices in public schools.

It provides various models of excellence that are recommended by authors so that schools can use them to change their schools into ‘schools of excellence’.

It also provides readers with knowledge, skills, values and inspiration:

• that are based on the access and availability of education, fundraising, academic excellence, staff and learner motivation, co-operative governance, clean audit reports, schools as learning organisations for staff, safe and disciplined school environment, excellence in principalship and stakeholder involvement;
• about the roles of principals’ associations, professional associations for teachers, school governing body associations and teacher unions in changing schools to be centres of excellence; and
• from the principals and educational leaders who practically implemented the strategies and became successful.

Environmental Law and Local Government in South Africa is the only work of its kind to
extensively analyse South African environmental law and policy for local government.
This second edition offers a novel collection of theoretical scholarship and real-life examples that
present different features of the interface between local governance, local government law,
environmental law and urban development. Each chapter is detailed yet accessible.
The 40 contributing authors hail from academia, local government practice and the
environmental management sector. Together they bring a vast amount of experience and
knowledge to help improve the state of the environment in and around South African cities and
towns.
The new edition of Environmental Law and Local Government in South Africa has been updated to reflect recent changes in international urban policy development, the adoption and relevance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and legislative reform in several sectors including waste, water, biodiversity, spatial planning, climate change and heritage resources management.
This volume offers a wealth of information for those involved in local government, environmental governance, sustainability and urban development. It will be useful for researchers, students and practitioners alike.

In the United States and Europe, an increasing emphasis on equality has pitted rights claims against each other, raising profound philosophical, moral, legal, and political questions about the meaning and reach of religious liberty. Nowhere has this conflict been more salient than in the debate between claims of religious freedom, on one hand, and equal rights claims made on the behalf of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, on the other. As new rights for LGBT individuals have expanded in liberal democracies across the West, longstanding rights of religious freedom - such as the rights of religious communities to adhere to their fundamental teachings, including protecting the rights of conscience; the rights of parents to impart their religious beliefs to their children; and the liberty to advance religiously-based moral arguments as a rationale for laws - have suffered a corresponding decline. Timothy Samuel Shah, Thomas F. Farr, and Jack Friedman's volume, Religious Freedom and Gay Rights brings together some of the world's leading thinkers on religion, morality, politics, and law to analyze the emerging tensions between religious freedom and gay rights in three key geographic regions: the United States, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. What implications will expanding regimes of equality rights for LGBT individuals have on religious freedom in these regions? What are the legal and moral frameworks that govern tensions between gay rights and religious freedom? How are these tensions illustrated in particular legal, political, and policy controversies? And what is the proper way to balance new claims of equality against existing claims for freedom of religious groups and individuals? Religious Freedom and Gay Rights offers several explorations of these questions.

Digital Dilemmas is a groundbreaking ethnographic, mixed method approach to understanding dynamics of power and resistance as they are played out around the future of the internet. M. I. Franklin looks at the way that publics, governments, and multilateral institutions are being redefined and reinvented in digital settings that are ubiquitous and yet controlled by a relative few. Franklin does this through three original and wide-ranging case studies that get at the way that computer-mediated power relations play out "on the ground" through a mixture of overlapping online and offline activity, at personal, community, and transnational levels. Case studies include online activities around homelessness and street papers in the U.S. and around the world, digital and human rights activism carried out though the United Nations, and the ongoing battle between proprietary and free and open source software proponents. The result is a thought-provoking and seminal work on the way that the new paradigms of power and resistance forged online reshape localized and traditional power structures offline.

The role of the textile finisher has become increasingly demanding, and now requires a careful balance between the compatibility of different finishing products and treatments and the application processes used to provide textiles with desirable properties. In one comprehensive book, Chemical finishing of textiles details the fundamentals of final chemical finishing, covering the range of effects that result from the interplay between chemical structures and finishing products.
After an introductory chapter covering the importance of chemical finishing, the following chapters focus on particular finishing techniques, from softening, easy-care and permanent press, non-slip and soil-release, to flame-retardant, antistatic and antimicrobial. Within each chapter, sections include an introduction, mechanisms, chemistries, applications, evaluations and troubleshooting. The book concludes with a chapter on the future trends in chemical finishing.
Chemical finishing of textiles is an essential reference for all academic and industrial textile chemists and for those studying textile education programmes.
Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of every important type of chemical finishCombines technical understanding and practical experience conciselyEssential tool to assist in the demanding challenge of chemical finishing for textiles

Credit Risk Management will enable general bankers, staff, and credit analyst trainees to understand the basic information and principles underlying credit risk evaluation, and to use those underlying principles to undertake an analysis of non financial and financial risks when preparing a credit proposal. Since the best loans are the ones that do not present problems during the repayment phase, the authors also focus on elements relating to the proactive management of those loans during their inception.

This book introduces:
*Credit analysis, approval and management processes
*Concepts of financial and non-financial risk
*Financial statement analysis, including the use of ratio anaylsis
*Cash flow analysis and forecasting
*Security enhancement & management procedures designed to legally & financially manage credit risk
*Inspired by the basic entry level training courses that have been developed by major international banks worldwide.
*Will enable students and those already in the finance profession to gain an understanding of the basic information and principles of credit risk
*Questions with answers, study topics, practical "real world" examples and text with an extensive bibliography

A surprisingly understudied topic in international relations is that of gender-based asylum, even though the tactic has been adopted in an increasing number of countries in the global north and west. Those adjudicating gender-based asylum cases must investicate the specific category of gender violence committed against the asylum-seeker, as well as the role of the asylum-seeker's home state in being complicit with such violence. As Nayak argues, it matters not just that but how we respond to gender violence and persecution. Feminist advocates, U.S. governmental officials, and asylum adjudicators have articulated different "frames" for different types of gender violence, promoting ideas about how to categorize violence, its causes, and who counts as its victims. These frames, in turn, may be used successfully to grant asylum to persecuted migrants; however, the frames are also very narrow and limited. This is because the U.S. must negotiate the tension between immigration restriction and human rights obligations to protect refugees from persecution. The effects of the asylum frames are two-fold. First, they leave out or distort the stories and experiences of asylum-seekers who do not "fit" the frames. Second, the frames reflect but also serve as an entry point to deepen, strengthen, and shape the U.S. position of power relative to other countries, international organizations, and immigrant communities. This book explores the politics of gender-based asylum through a comparative examination of asylum policy and cases regarding domestic violence, female circumcision, rape, trafficking, coercive sterilization/abortion, and persecution based on sexual and gender identity.

NGOs headquartered in the North have been, for some time, the most visible in attempts to address the poverty, lack of political representation, and labor exploitation that disproportionally affect women from the global South. Feminist NGOs and NGOs focusing on women's rights have been successful in attracting funding for their causes, but critics argue that the highly educated elites from the global North and South who run them fail to question or understand the power hierarchies in which they operate. In order to give depth to these criticisms, Sara de Jong interviewed women NGO workers in seven different European countries about their experiences and perspectives on working on gendered issues affecting women in the global South. Complicit Sisters untangles and analyzes the complex tensions women NGO workers face and explores the ways in which they negotiate potential complicities in their work. Weighing the women NGO workers' first-hand accounts against critiques arising from feminist theory, postcolonial theory, global civil society theory and critical development literature, de Jong brings to life the dilemmas of "doing good." She considers these workers' ideas about "sisterhood," privilege, gender stereotypes, feminism, and the private/public divide, and she suggests avenues for productive engagement between these and the inevitable tensions and complexities in NGO work.

A uniquely practical DSP text, this book gives a thorough understanding of the principles and applications of DSP with a minimum of mathematics, and provides the reader with an introduction to DSP applications in telecoms, control engineering and measurement and data analysis systems.
The new edition contains:
- Expanded coverage of the basic concepts to aid understanding
- New sections on filter sysnthesis, control theory and contemporary topics of speech and image recognition
- Full solutions to all questions and exercises in the book
- A complete on-line resource
The on-line resource offers instructors and students complete lecture notes, lecture videos, PowerPoint slides for presentations, final exams and solutions, project exercises, URLs to DSP applet experiment animations and e-meeting software for direct communication with the authors.
Assuming the reader already has some prior knowledge of signal theory, this textbook will be highly suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students in electrical and electronic engineering taking introductory and advanced courses in DSP, as well as courses in communications and control systems engineering. It will also prove an invaluable introduction to DSP and its applications for the professional engineer.
- Expanded coverage of the basic concepts to aid understanding, along with a wide range of DSP applications
- New textbook features included throughout, including learning objectives, summary
sections, exercises and worked examples to increase accessibility of the text
- Full solutions to all questions and exercises included in the book, with extra resources on-line

This book is a detailed account of the instruments that are used in the corporate bond markets, from conventional "plain vanilla" bonds to hybrid instruments and structured products. There is background information on bond pricing and yield, as well as a detailed look at the yield curve. The book covers the full set of instruments used by companies to raise finance, and which are aimed at a wide range of investors. It also discusses the analysis of these instruments. Topics covered include:
*Bond basics
*The yield curve
*Callable bonds
*Convertible bonds
*Eurobonds
*Warrants
*Commercial paper
*Corporate bonds credit analysis
*Securitisation
*Asset-backed securities
*Mortgage-backed securities
*Collateralised Debt Obligations
*Synthetic CDOs
Written by one of the leading names in the fixed income markets today, this book should prove to be an invaluable reference guide for all those with an interest in corporate bond markets, whether as practitioners, consultants or researchers.
* Covers every major aspect of corporate credit markets
* Features bond instruments as well as aspects of bond analysis
* Covers conventional bonds as well as securitisation and structured financial products

Infinite Words is an important theory in both Mathematics and Computer Sciences. Many new developments have been made in the field, encouraged by its application to problems in computer science. Infinite Words is the first manual devoted to this topic.
Infinite Words explores "all" aspects of the theory, including Automata, Semigroups, Topology, Games, Logic, Bi-infinite Words, Infinite Trees and Finite Words. The book also looks at the early pioneering work of Buchi, McNaughton and Schutzenberger.
Serves as both an introduction to the field and as a reference book.
Contains numerous exercises desgined to aid students and readers.
Self-contained chapters provide helpful guidance for lectures.

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are at the heart of the modern industrial enterprise ranging from mining plants, water and electrical utility installations to oil and gas plants. In a market that is crowded with high-level monographs and reference guides, more practical information for professional engineers is required. This book covers the essentials of SCADA communication systems focussing on DNP3, the IEC 60870.5 standard and other new developments in this area. It commences with a brief review of the fundamentals of SCADA systems' hardware, software and the communications systems (such as RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet and TCP/IP) that connect the SCADA Modules together. A solid review is then done on the DNP3 and IEC 60870.5 protocols where its features, message structure, practical benefits and applications are discussed. This book provides you with the knowledge to design your next SCADA system more effectively with a focus on using the latest communications technologies available.
* Covers the essentials of SCADA communication systems and other new developments in this area
* Covers a wide range of specialist networking topics and other topics ideal for practicing engineers and technicians looking to further and develop their knowledge of the subject
* Extremely timely subject as the industry has made a strong movement towards standard protocols in modern SCADA communications systems