The progressive dwindling of fossil resources, coupled with the drastic increase in oil prices, have sparked a feverish activity in search of alternatives based on renewable resources for the production of energy.
Given the predominance of petroleum- and carbon-based chemistry for the manufacture of organic chemical commodities, a similar preoccupation has recently generated numerous initiatives aimed at replacing these fossil sources with renewable counterparts. In particular, major efforts are being conducted in the field of polymer science and technology to prepare macromolecular materials based on renewable resources. The concept of the bio-refinery, viz. the rational exploitation of the vegetable biomass in terms of the separation of its components and their utilisation as such, or after suitable chemical modifications, is thus gaining momentum and considerable financial backing from both the public and private sectors.
This collection of chapters, each one written by internationally recognised experts in the corresponding field, covers in a comprehensive fashion all the major aspects related to the synthesis, characterization and properties of macromolecular materials prepared using renewable resources as such, or after appropriate modifications. Thus, monomers such as terpenes and furans, oligomers like rosin and tannins, and polymers ranging from cellulose to proteins and including macromolecules synthesized by microbes, are discussed with the purpose of showing the extraordinary variety of materials that can be prepared from their intelligent exploitation.
Particular emphasis has been placed on recent advances and imminent perspectives, given the incessantly growing interest that this area is experiencing in both the scientific and technological realms.
- Discusses bio-refining with explicit application to materials
- Replete with examples of applications of the concept of sustainable development
- Presents an impressive variety of novel macromolecular materials

Exploring the new professional scenes in digital and freelance knowledge, this innovative book provides an account of the subjects and cultures that pertain to knowledge work in the aftermath of the creative class frenzy. Including a broad spectrum of empirical projects, The Reputation Economy documents the rise of freelancing and digital professions and argues about the central role held by reputation within this context, offering a comprehensive interpretation of the digital transformation of knowledge work. The book shows how digital technologies are not simply intermediating productive and organizational processes, allowing new ways for supply and demand to meet, but actually enable the diffusion of cultural conceptions of work and value that promise to become the new standard of the industry.

We live an age of nostalgia, incarnated by populist fantasies of "taking back control" and making nations "great again". In the long aftermath of the 2007-08 economic crisis, nostalgia has been established as the cultural zeitgeist of Western society. Populist fantasies of nostalgia represent a cry for help against the demise of the societal model of the postwar era, based on stable employment and mass consumption. The promise of an impossible return to the 'good life' of the 20th century, Gandini contends, particularly appeals to the older generations, who are incapable of making sense of the evolution of Western societies after decades of globalization and neoliberal policies. The younger generations, in the meantime, are instead trying to build a new 'good life' based on another form of return, this time to old practices of craft production and consumption.

This book offers a toolkit of methods and technologies to undertake qualitative research on digital spaces. Unlike commonly used traditional methodological strategies, which are 'retrofitted' to digital spaces, Qualitative Research in Digital Environments offers researchers a set of 'digitally native' tools that are designed for online social environments. Thanks to a broad range of cases including Louis Vuitton, YouTube and the concept of 'hipsterism', this text illustrates the practical applications of techniques and tools over the most popular social media environments. This book will be a valuable guide to qualitative research for marketing students, researchers and practitioners, as well as a central reference point for tutors in the growing field of Digital Sociology.

Understand furan polymers and their roles in industrial production Furans are platform chemicals from biomass which have a range of functions in the production of solvents, biofuels, and monomers for industrial polymer synthesis. As the search for sustainable industrial processes makes biomass resources ever more vital, a more detailed understanding of these compounds and their industrial uses has never been more critical. Furan Polymers and their Reactions surveys these crucial compounds and their contributions to polymer synthesis. It discusses the biorefinery of furans, identifies furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural as the key furan monomer precursors for different polymer synthetic processes, and analyzes all the major reactions furans undergo during these processes and the structures, properties and applications of the ensuing materials. The results are a vital contribution to the growing field of renewable industry. Furan Polymers and their Reactions readers will also find: Detailed analysis of key polymerization reactions such as the Diels-Adler reaction, chain-growth and step-growth polymerizations, as well as the chemical modifications of some of these polymers. An authorial team with decades of combined experience in furan chemistry and polymer synthesis Furan Polymers and their Reactions is an essential resource for researchers and professionals in industrial engineering, polymer science, and biotechnology, as well as for any industry professionals working with platform chemicals or polymer synthesis.

This book offers a toolkit of methods and technologies to undertake qualitative research on digital spaces. Unlike commonly used traditional methodological strategies, which are 'retrofitted' to digital spaces, Qualitative Research in Digital Environments offers researchers a set of 'digitally native' tools that are designed for online social environments. Thanks to a broad range of cases including Louis Vuitton, YouTube and the concept of 'hipsterism', this text illustrates the practical applications of techniques and tools over the most popular social media environments. This book will be a valuable guide to qualitative research for marketing students, researchers and practitioners, as well as a central reference point for tutors in the growing field of Digital Sociology.

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCRd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.