This book is testimony to the emergent nature of human security as an idea, as a useful construct and as an operational strategy. The aim is to showcase new directions that may enrich the human security agenda. Some human security discourse is still rooted in the traditional language of the aid-agency/UN development/economic growth models, often hostile to the corporate and business sector, and sometimes negligent of sustainability and climate change issues. Another limited and outmoded approach is an exaggerated focus on Western interventions, especially military ones, as a "solution" to problems in poor or conflict-prone areas. "Human Security" was introduced as a construct by the UNDP in 1994. The inherent combination of law-enforcement and people-centred humanitarianism has strived to provide an umbrella to both protect people from threats while empowering them to control their destinies. But with accelerating economic globalization and information flows there is a need to revisit the concept. A new paradigm of Sustainable Human Security is required. This book argues that proponents of a human security approach should welcome efforts to remove the barriers between enterprise, corporations, aid and development agencies, government agencies, citizen groups and the UN; and work towards multi-stakeholder approaches and solutions for vulnerable populations. Such an approach is clearly vital in responding to the imperatives of concerted action on issues such as climate change, HIV, terrorism, organised crime and poverty. The agenda may have changed, but it remains true that almost all human tragedies are avoidable. This book examines a number of global problems through the lens of human security and the needs of the individual: global governance; health; the environment and the exploitation of natural resources; peace and reconciliation; the responsibility to protect; and economic development and prosperity. In the latter case, the role of business in the human security pantheon is promulgated. There are many reasons why businesses may want to engage with the needs of vulnerable populations - not least the fact that companies cannot function without secure trading environments. In addition, there are growing demands for corporate responsibility and citizenship from markets, customers, shareholders, employees and, critically, communities. This book throws new light on the human security agenda. It will be essential reading for anyone involved in the debates on human security as well as for practitioners and scholars in international affairs, global governance, peace studies, climate change and the environment, healthcare, responsibility to protect and corporate responsibility.

When NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott first saw the Earth from space, she was filled with awe. Our shared home was a brilliant blue marble, with a razor thin atmosphere protecting billions of people, including everyone she loved. She realized that we are all bound together on this fragile planet. When she came back to earth, she knew she had to share this vision to help protect it. Stott knows the scale of the daunting task at hand-and yet, she believes we can set aside our differences and work together to tackle the most challenging planetary problems humanity has ever faced. She knows this, because she's seen it happen, on the International Space Station. Throughout her book, Stott imparts hard-won lessons in high-stakes problem solving, survival, and responding to crisis in space. On a space station, astronauts can't wait for someone else to handle a rescue; and when it comes to our earthbound problems, Stott learned that everyone should live like a crewmember, not like a passenger. In space, where everyone survives in a closed system, everything is local-and Stott discovered that in a profound way, the same is true back at home. Back to Earth distills these lessons and more into seven principles that can be practiced by each and every one of us to make much-needed change. In addition to sharing stories from her own spaceflight, Stott offers eye-opening insights from scientists and changemakers already sparking meaningful change in their communities and around the globe. She explores the complexities and splendor of the earth's biodiversity, and what it takes to preserve it, with both pioneering scientists on earth and engineers working to enable life in space. She meets with activists who use their time in space to advocate for clean water, and with executives who quit their corporate positions and use their global reach to become environmental leaders. Through her stirring call to action, Nicole Stott reveals how we each have the power to respect the Earth and one another-and to change our own lives in the process. And, while we're at it, we might just save humanity.

Understanding finance and accounting principles is important in interfacing and conducting business with accountants, financial analysts, and members of upper management. In a relatively simple and easy-to-understand manner, this book familiarizes professionals with decision making skills founded on financial calculations and quantitative analysis. It covers finance and accounting ratios and other metrics; income statements, balance sheets, cash flow, and working capital concepts; inventory concepts; life cycle, period, direct, and indirect costs; and energy performance contracting. Each chapter concludes with a list of questions or problems for self-assessment and knowledge affirmation purposes. Answers to the questions are at the back of the book.

A NATO workshop was held in September 2007 under the Security through Science framework to consider the current challenges in regulation of the nuclear legacy. The overall objective was to share East-West competence and experience in radiation protection and nuclear safety supervision of installations built during the cold war, particularly in relation to regulatory strategies for safe decommissioning of unique or unusual nuclear facilities and remediation activities.

There were over 60 participants from 8 countries as well as representatives from the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the International Atomic Energy Agency and NATO. The organisations involved included regulatory authorities, operators and technical support organizations.

The new Russian Federation Unified State Programme for Handling Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste was introduced and the steps necessary to set this up as a comprehensive programme of activities were described. Some waste management sites are in a poor state. Legacy management experience was provided from the UK, France and the USA. Information was provided on methods for site characterisation and separation of wastes into exempt, low-level and intermediate level waste, and the complication of dealing at the same time with chemical hazards, such as beryllium. Strategies for contaminated site management were also explained and the associated risk assessment methods outlined.

The Russian Federation has responsibility to manage its own nuclear legacy. But it is also one of several countries in the global network of nuclear activities. Harmonisation of approaches is valuable in building future cooperation, but local conditions may influence the best local solution. Accordingly, future exchanges, such as those provided for by this workshop, should be encouraged.

There are many complex issues to be addressed and they cannot all be solved at once. Clear recognition of the major threats, as well as weakness in regulatory processes, can be useful in directing future resources. However, at this stage it is clear that there are specific regulatory issues to address as well as a need to maintain development of an enhanced overall safety culture.

Such guidance needs to be thoroughly based on the best use of scientific and technical information. At the same time, part of the solution relates to policy issues and value judgements, and so broader interaction among regulators, operators and other stakeholders is to be encouraged.

Features * Offers a hands-on tutorial on interactive dynamic-system modeling and simulation * Includes examples from physics, aerospace engineering, population dynamics, and physiology * Contains hints for selecting integration rules and step size * Provides a complete, industrial-strength simulation program package on an accompanying CD-ROM New to This Edition * Introduces a new vectorizing compiler for fast vector operations and parameter-influence studies * Incorporates a new treatment of the difference equation programs for modeling sampled-data control systems with digital controllers * Presents improved versions of several classical simulation programs to illustrate useful programming tricks Summary Showing you how to use personal computers for modeling and simulation, Interactive Dynamic-System Simulation, Second Edition provides a practical tutorial on interactive dynamic-system modeling and simulation. It discusses how to effectively simulate dynamical systems, such as aerospace vehicles, power plants, chemical processes, control systems, and physiological systems. Written by a pioneer in simulation, the book introduces dynamic-system models and explains how software for solving differential equations works. After demonstrating real simulation programs with simple examples, the author integrates a new treatment of the difference equation programs needed to model sampled-data control systems with digital controllers. Subsequent chapters provide detailed programming know-how. These chapters cover library, table-lookup, user-definable, limiter, switching, and noise functions; an experiment-protocol scripting language; powerful vector and matrix operations; and classical simulation programs that illustrate a number of useful programming tricks. The final chapter shows how experiment-protocol scripts and compiled DYNAMIC program segments can quickly solve mathematical problems, including fast graph plotting, Fourier transforms

This three-volume set of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms: Parenteral Medications is an authoritative, comprehensive reference work on the formulation and manufacture of parenteral dosage forms, effectively balancing theoretical considerations with the practical aspects of their development. As such, it is recommended for scientists and engineers in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, and will also serve as an excellent reference and training tool for regulatory scientists and quality assurance professionals.

First published in 1984 (as two volumes) and then last revised in 1993 (when it grew to three volumes), this latest revision will address the plethora of changes in the science and considerable advances in the technology associated with these products and routes of administration. The third edition of this book maintains the features that made the last edition so popular but comprises several brand new chapters, revisions to all other chapters, as well as high quality illustrations.

Volume one presents:

A historical perspective of injectable drug therapy, common routes of administration, and biopharmaceutics of NCEs and NBEs.

An in-depth discussion on the preformulation and formulation of small and large molecules, including ophthalmic dosage forms.

A presentation of parenteral primary packaging options - glass and plastic containers, as well as elastomeric closures.

A definitive chapter on container-closure integrity.

New chapters on solubility and solubilization, formulation of depot delivery systems and biophysical/biochemical characterization of proteins.

Volume two presents:

Chapters on aseptic facility design, environmental monitoring, and cleanroom operations.

A comprehensive chapter on pharmaceutical water systems.

A discussion of quality attributes of sterile dosage forms, including particulate matter, endotoxin, and sterility testing.

A detailed chapter on processing of parenteral drug products (SVPs and LVPs).

Presentations on widely used sterilization technologies steam, gas / chemical, radiation, filtration and dry heat.

An in-depth chapter on lyophilization.

Volume three presents:

An in-depth discussion of regulatory requirements, quality assurance, risk assessment and mitigation, and extractables/leachables.

Specific chapters on parenteral administrations devices, injection site pain assessment, and parenteral product specifications and stability testing.

Forward-thinking discussions on the future of parenteral product manufacturing, and siRNA delivery systems.

New chapters covering recent developments in the areas of visual inspection, quality by design (QbD), process analytical technology (PAT) and rapid microbiological methods (RMM ), and validation of drug product manufacturing process.

With businesses becoming ever more competitive, marketing strategies need to be more precise and performance oriented. Companies are investing considerably in analytical infrastructure for marketing. This new volume, Marketing Analytics: A Machine Learning Approach, enlightens readers on the application of analytics in marketing and the process of analytics, providing a foundation on the concepts and algorithms of machine learning and statistics. The book simplifies analytics for businesses and explains its uses in different aspects of marketing in a way that even marketers with no prior analytics experience will find it easy to follow, giving them to tools to make better business decisions. This volume gives a comprehensive overview of marketing analytics, incorporating machine learning methods of data analysis that automates analytical model building. The volume covers the important aspects of marketing analytics, including segmentation and targeting analysis, statistics for marketing, marketing metrics, consumer buying behavior, neuromarketing techniques for consumer analytics, new product development, forecasting sales and price, web and social media analytics, and much more. This well-organized and straight-forward volume will be valuable for marketers, managers, decision makers, and research scholars, and faculty in business marketing and information technology and would also be suitable for classroom use.

Ecotoxiclogical risk from multiple stressors covers any situation where org- isms are exposed to a combination of environmental stressors. These include physical and chemical pollutants as well as other stressors such as parasites and environmental impact (e. g. , climate change or habitat loss). The combi- tion of stressors can result in increased risk to organisms (either additive or synergistic effects) or decreased effects (protective or antagonistic effects). The multiple stressor challenge is an international, multi-disciplinary problem requiring an international, multi-disciplinary approach. The c- rent approach to multiple stressors is to examine one stressor at a time and assume additivity. Little work has been done on combinations of stressors such that potential interactions can be determined. The problem is very complex. Multiple stressors pose a whole spectrum of challenges that range from basic science to regulation, policy and gove- ance. The challenges raise fundamental questions about our understanding of the basic biological response to stressors, as well as the implications of those uncertainties in environmental risk assessment and management. In addition to the great breadth, there is also great depth in the research ch- lenges, largely due to the complexity of the issues. From a basic science point of view, many of the mechanisms and processes under investigation are at the cutting edge of science - involving new paradigms such as genomic ins- bility and bystander effects.

Edited by a leading expert and with contributions from pioneers, the three-volume Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings is a resource as dynamic and flexible as the field itself. The first two volumes cover the latest research and application of the mechanical and functional properties of thin films and coatings, while the third volume explores the cutting-edge organic nanostructured devices used to produce clean energy.

The first volume, Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings: Mechanical Properties, covers the mechanical properties (i.e., hardness, toughness, and adhesion), including processing, properties, and performance. It also offers a detailed analysis of theories and size effect, in addition to other key topics. Volume Two, Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings: Functional Properties, focuses on functional properties (i.e., optical, electronic, and electrical) and related devices and applications. The third volume, Organic Nanostructured Thin Film Devices and Coatings for Clean Energy, addresses various aspects of the processing and properties of organic thin films, devices, and coatings for clean energy applications.

A complete resource, this handbook provides detailed explanations for newcomers and the latest research and data for experts. Covering a wide range of mechanical and functional technologies, including those used in clean energy, these books feature figures, tables, and images that aid researchers and help professionals acquire and maintain a solid grasp of this burgeoning field.

From the global to the cellular level, oxidants have provided the chemical dynamic for reactions both harmful and benign. As varied in type as in effect, oxidants include the oxides of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon - implicated in the generation of smog - as well as oxidants useful in hypoxic cell-specific anticancer drugs and the treatment of contaminated waters. The complex nature of oxidants as well as their pervasiveness in the environment have made them keenly interesting to scientists monitoring environmental hazards and human health. Environmental Oxidants is a broad-based, multidisciplinary study of the environmental chemistry and toxicology of oxidants as well as their widening role in pollution control. Featuring up-to-date research from internationally renowned scientists, the book sheds light on such critical topics as the evolution, production, distribution, and fate of oxidants in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere; the influence of human activities on oxidative processes in the atmosphere; oxidative stress at the cellular, systemic, and ecosystem levels; and the use of oxidants to remediate polluted sites. Specific studies include photosynthetic oxygen evolution, oxidants in the unpolluted marine atmosphere, ozone formation in urban plumes, the impact of dynamics and transport on stratospheric ozone and other constituents, health effects and toxicology of ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and some hematological effects of oxidants. Reflecting current health concerns, the book also addresses such timely issues as oxidative stress and asbestos, the role of oxygen in lung toxicity induced by mineral fibers and particulates, as well as an alternative attainment criteria fora secondary federal standard for ozone. A selective and incisive look at the current state of research on oxidants, Environmental Oxidants provides environmental scientists and engineers with an informative, detailed discussion of just how and why oxidants have emerged as a key issue in human health and environmental integrity.

Water scarcity is increasing all over the world because of growing population and increasing demands. Countries with limited water resources are urgently in need for a new approach towards water management by shifting from the "use and dispose" approach to the "use, treat and reuse" approach. This book proposes a framework for the sustainable management of scarce water resources. The approach is based on the application of Cleaner Production thinking to water management.
This book focuses on the West Bank in Palestine. The West bank suffers from extreme water scarcity, has (for political reasons) less water than is naturally available, and anticipates an increase in demand for water for reasons of population and economic growth. Therefore, the West Bank needs to shift away from the present approach to water. The book proposes a set of alternatives for sustainable water management in the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors in the West Bank. Implementing a combination of water management alternatives as proposed in this book will put the water management in the West Bank in Palestine on the sustainable track.

This book provides information essential to students taking courses/modules in biotechnology as part of environmental sciences, environmental management, and environmental biology programs. It is also suitable for those studying water, waste management, and pollution abatement. Topics discussed include biodiversity, renewable energy, bioremediation technology, recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering, solid waste management, composting, vermicomposting, biofertilizer, chemical pesticides, biological control of pests, and genetically modified organisms. The book also discusses bioethics and risk assessment, intellectual property rights, environmental cleanup technologies, and environmental nanotechnology.

Although Architecture and Structural Engineering have both had their own historical development, their interaction has led to many fascinating and delightful structures over time. To bring this interaction to a higher level, there is the need to stimulate the inventive and creative design of architectural structures and to persuade architects and structural engineers to work together in this process, exploiting constructive principles and aesthetic and static values. Structures and architecture presents over 250 selected contributions and addresses all major aspects of structures and architecture, including comprehension of complex forms, computer and experimental methods, concrete and masonry structures, emerging technologies, glass structures, innovative architectural and structural design, lightweight and membrane structures, special structures, steel and composite structures, the borderline between architecture and structural engineering, the tectonic of new solutions, the use of new materials, timber structures, the history of the relationship between architects and structural engineers, among others. This book of abstracts and the searchable CD-ROM with full papers contain the contributions presented at the 1st International Conference on Structures and Architecture (ICSA2010). This event was organized by the School of Architecture of the University of Minho, Guimaraes, Portugal (July 2010), to promote the synergy between both disciplines. The contributions on creative and scientific aspects in the conception and construction of structures, on advanced technologies and on complex architectural and structural applications represent a fine blend of scientific, technical and practical novelties in both fields. This set is intended for both researchers and practitioners, including architects, structural and construction engineers, builders and building consultants, constructors, material suppliers, product manufacturers and other experts and professionals involved in the design and realization of architectural, structural and infrastructural projects.

This study presents an systematic approach to water quality assessment, hybrid modelling and decision support for eutrophication management in deep reservoirs. It is found that during the summer monsoon the catchment runoff into the Yongdam reservoir induces a trandsfer of pollutants from a middle stratified layer to the surface layer. Although the transport mechanism limits nutrient accumulation on the bottom of the reservoir, it also offers an opportunity for on-going algae production in the surface water. Physically based modelling is used to understand the process of micro-scale turbulent mixing and its impact on the nutrient uptake by algae. Further, a data-driven model using clustering and partial least squares regression which uses results from a physically based model of the reservoir successfully predicts Chlorophyll-a concentrations.

Now and in the future, the ever-growing demand for drinking water will lead many cities to implement indirect water reuse programs, where wastewater effluent becomes part of the drinking water sources. Pollution of those sources with emerging contaminants (micropollutants) such as endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceutically active compounds, pesticides and personal care products is a fact known worldwide. In this thesis, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) are demonstrated to be appropriate technologies for removing a large number of micropollutants; however, the performance of NF and RO can be questioned because there are limited tools that optimise quantification of the removal of contaminants. Therefore, in this thesis, by means of the use of multivariate data analysis techniques, removal quantification is effectively determined and more understanding of the separation of micropollutants by membranes is achieved.

Case Studies of Material Corrosion Prevention for Oil and Gas Valves delivers a critical reference for engineers and corrosion researchers. Packed with nearly 30 real-world case studies, this reference gives engineers standardized knowledge on how to maintain, select and prevent typical corrosion problems in a variety of oil and gas settings. Subsea, offshore, refineries and processing plants are all included, covering a variety of challenges such as chloride stress cracking, how to use Teflon powder to prevent cross contamination, and carbon dioxide corrosion. Organized for quick discovery, this book gives engineers a much-needed tool to safely protect their assets and the environment. Engineers working in oil and gas operations understand that corrosion is a costly expense that increases emissions and damages the environment, but many standards do not provide practical examples with solutions, leaving engineers to learn through experience. This resource provides comprehensive information on topics of interest.

Showcases the excellent data science environment in Python. Provides examples for readers to replicate, adapt, extend, and improve. Covers the crucial knowledge needed by geographic data scientist.

1 2 Prof. Dr. Vladimir Mikhailovitsh Kolodkin, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Ruck 1 Institute of Natural and Technogenic Disasters, Udmurt State University, Izhevsk (Russia), 2 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Chemistry, University Luneburg (Germany) During the Cold War a whole arsenal of deadly chemical weapons was allowed to build up on both sides of the ideological divide. Happily, today the problems are reversed. Expertise is now required in the field of safe and environment-friendly disposal of chemical weapons and cleaning up of contaminated sites all around the world, but not least in the ex-Soviet-led countries. The participants and speakers to the NATO-Russia advanced research workshop on the "Ecological Risks Associated with the Destruction of nd th Chemical Weapons," hosted by the University of Luneburg on 22 - 26 October, 2003, therefore, came from many different parts of the world. Of the eight countries represented at the workshop, two were ex-Eastern- Block, and six were Western countries. Yet the West was by no means overrepresented. On the contrary, the Russian expert-speaker contingent, with 33 participants, did justice to the size of their country - and to their chemical-weapons problem - and provided the majority of active participants. In all, there were 57 participants, of which 11 dispatched from the TACIS project "The development of the chemical weapons" facility at the detached plant No 4 of OAO Khimprom, Novocheboksarsk."

This thesis presents the implementation of fully three-dimensional sediment transport and morphological updating formulations within a proven three-dimensional hydrodynamic flow solver. The thesis briefly discusses the formulations used to model both suspended and bed-load transport of non-cohesive sediment, and describes the implementation of a morphological updating scheme which incorporates novel approaches to morphological acceleration and dry bank erosion. Approaches used to model the three-dimensional effects of waves on coastal hydrodynamics and of three-dimensional currents on waves are also discussed. Results of several validation studies are presented and the model is shown to perform well in a series of simplified theoretical, laboratory, and full scale test cases. Application of the model and acceleration techniques to the complex and dynamic entrance to Willapa Bay, WA, USA is also discussed. Model processes are validated against the results of an extensive field measurement campaign, and diagnostic morphological model simulations are performed for two historical periods of contrasting morphological development. Input reduction and morphological acceleration techniques used to perform 5-year simulations of Willapa Bay are critically analysed and a new generic method to select a representative morphological tide for coastal environments containing significant diurnal tidal energy is presented.

International concern in scientific, industrial, and governmental communi ties over traces of xenobiotics in foods and in both abiotic and biotic envi ronments has justified the present triumvirate of specialized publications in this field: comprehensive reviews, rapidly published research papers and progress reports, and archival documentations. These three international publications are integrated and scheduled to provide the coherency essential for nonduplicative and current progress in a field as dynamic and complex as environmental contamination and toxicology. This series is reserved ex clusively for the diversified literature on "toxic" chemicals in our food, our feeds, our homes, recreational and working surroundings, our domestic animals, our wildlife and ourselves. Tremendous efforts worldwide have been mobilized to evaluate the nature, presence, magnitude, fate, and toxi cology of the chemicals loosed upon the earth. Among the sequelae of this broad new emphasis is an undeniable need for an articulated set of authoritative publications, where one can find the latest important world literature produced by these emerging areas of science together with docu mentation of pertinent ancillary legislation. Research directors and legislative or administrative advisers do not have the time to scan the escalating number of technical publications that may contain articles important to current responsibility. Rather, these individu als need the background provided by detailed reviews and the assurance that the latest information is made available to them, all with minimal literature searching."

Significant reduction of local, regional, national and international greenhouse gas emissions in homes, businesses, industries and communities has become an international priority. This book describes in clear, concise, and understandable terms the nature and scope of the climate change problem. The authors combine their considerable expertise to offer guidelines for defining and applying effective carbon reduction policies, strategies, and technologies. They propose a well-defined road map which can be implemented to help control and abate the alarming increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Estuaries exist along the edge of the oceans and seas, and are char acterized by the dilution of sea water by inflowing fresher waters. The motion and interaction of these two types of water (fresh and salt water) determine the salinity distribution within the estuary and that, in turn, affects the organisms residing there. The purpose of this vol ume is to review the status of our understanding of estuarine circu lation and how the circulation patterns affect living and nonliving resources in estuaries. For many years, the primary paradigm for estuarine circulation was the two-layered net or nontidal gravitational circulation pattern first proposed by Dr. Donald Pritchard in his studies of the James River estuary. During the last decade or so, research has focused on the many variations about this theme and the factors that control the transport processes. Many of these aspects are covered in the initial papers in this volume. Water movement, of course, is of interest be cause it transports marine organisms, sediments, and pollutants. Es tuarine circulation has a significant effect on estuarine food chains, and on the distribution and abundance of organisms, such as the American oyster, that are freely transported by the currents during larval stages. The intent is to bring together many of these topics in a single volume. This volume is dedicated to Dr. Donald W."

In this work, several modelling approaches are explored to represent spatial pattern dynamics of aquatic populations in aquatic ecosystems by the combination of models, knowledge and data in different scales.

It is shown that including spatially distributed inputs retrieved from Remote Sensing images, a conventional physically-based Harmful Algal Bloom model can be enhanced. Also, Cellular Automata based models using high resolution photographs prove to be good in representing aquatic plant growth. Multi-Agent Systems can capture well the spatial patterns exhibited in GIS density maps. A synthesis modelling framework was developed to include biological/ecological growth and diffusive processes, and local effects in conventional modelling framework. The results of the complementary modelling paradigms investigated in this research can be of help in achieving a sustainable environmental management strategy.

This volume presents research on current trends in chemical regulations - a fa- growing, complex, and increasingly internationalized field. The book grew out from a multidisciplinary research project entitled 'Regulating Chemical Risks in the Baltic Sea Area: Science, Politics, and the Media', led by Michael Gilek at Soedertoern University, Sweden. This research project involved scholars and experts from natural as well as social sciences, based at Soedertoern University, Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Karolinska Institutet, and Umea University. The project group organized a multidisciplinary research conference on chemical risk regulations, held in Stockholm, August 15-17, 2007. Most of the contributions published in this book were, in draft form, first presented at this conference. The conference, like the ensuing edited volume, expanded the geographical focus beyond the Baltic Sea area to include wider European, and to some extent also global trends. Many thanks to all project colleagues and conference participants! We are very grateful for the generous financial support received from The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies (OEstersjoestiftelsen), The Swedish Research Council Formas, and from Soedertoern University. Without this support the present book would not have been possible. Special thanks to all of our fellow contributors, all of whom have submitted to- cal papers based on high-quality research. Many thanks also to Tobias Evers, who assisted us with technical editing. Finally, we are grateful for the professionalism shown by our editors at Springer.