This collection of authoritative essays by leading national specialists examine the nobility of a particular country or region, on a systematic basis: they analyze the structure of the particular elite, and survey its political and economic activities, as well as the social and ideological basis of its own position and power.

Scholarly interest in Europe's nobilities has gathered pace over the past two decades, as the elites who exercised political and social dominance over an extended period have begun to receive adequate scholarly attention. This has been particularly evident for the early modern period of European history, when the importance and power of individual aristocrats and of the nobility as a whole were at their apogee. This collection of authoritative essays, leading national specialists examine the nobility of a particular country or region, on a systematic basis: they analyse the structure of the particular elite, and survey its political and economic activities, as well as the social and ideological basis of its own position and power.

This is the first book entirely on the topic of Migration of Fine Particles in Porous Media. There are two purposes for the use of this book. First, the book is intended to serve as a comprehensive monograph for scientists and engineers concerned with problems of erosion, pollution and plugging due to migration of fines in porous media. Second, the book is recommended to be used as a reference book for courses offered at senior or graduate level on the topics of flow through porous media, soil erosion and pollution, or formation damage. The migration of fine particles in porous media is an engineering concern in oil production, soil erosion, ground water pollution and in the operation of filter beds. As a result, the topic has been studied by researchers working in a number of disciplines. These studies in different disciplines are conducted, by and large, independently and hence there is some repetition and perhaps more importantly there is a lack of uniformity and coherence. These studies, nevertheless, complement each other. To illustrate the point, consider for example the migration of fine particles induced by hydrodynamic forces.

In response to the increasing interest in developing photonic switching fabrics, this book gives an overview of the many technologies from a systems designer's perspective. Optically transparent devices, optical logic devices, and optical hardware are all discussed in detail and set into a systems context. Comprehensive, up-to-date, and profusely illustrated, the work will provide a foundation for the field, especially as broadband services are more fully developed.

A happy and successful marriage doesn t just happen. It requires communication and a plan. In "I Love You I Love You More , " author Robert H. Scott Jr. presents ten insights that will help couples enjoy a happy and successful marriage and satisfying life.

Based on his experiences during his nearly forty-five-year marriage to his wife, Sandra, who died after a battle with cancer, Scott communicates the qualities of a sound marriage. In "I Love You I Love You More , " he discusses ten important insights against the backdrop of the issues every marriage faces during the cycle of life, including: Living life day by day Addressing the joys and challenges of children and marriage Understanding how careers affect marriage Growing old Dealing with illness and death Tackling legal issues

As Scott reflects on his marriage to the love of his life, he imparts valuable insights to all couples seeking meaningful and satisfying relationships.

Scheduling and multicriteria optimisation theory have been subject, separately, to numerous studies. Since the last twenty years, multicriteria scheduling problems have been subject to a growing interest. However, a gap between multicriteria scheduling approaches and multicriteria optimisation field exits. This book is an attempt to collect the elementary of multicriteria optimisation theory and the basic models and algorithms of multicriteria scheduling. It is composed of numerous illustrations, algorithms and examples which may help the reader in understanding the presented concepts. This book covers general concepts such as Pareto optimality, complexity theory, and general method for multicriteria optimisation, as well as dedicated scheduling problems and algorithms: just-in-time scheduling, flexibility and robustness, single machine problems, parallel machine problems, shop problems, etc. The second edition contains revisions and new material.

In Toward a Directionalist Theory of Space: On Going Nowhere, H. Scott Hestevold formulates a new relationalist theory of space by appealing to the view that the universe is directioned in the sense that there exist directional relations-a class of spatial relations that Leibniz overlooked. Extending the directionalist/relationalist theory of space to the problem of when it is that discrete objects compose a whole, Hestevold revisits his answer to the Special Composition Question. He also uses the directionalist/relationalist theory to formulate reductivist theories of boundaries and holes-theories that may allow one to resist the view that boundaries and holes are ontologically parasitic entities. Finally, he explores directionalism/relationalism vis-a-vis spacetime. After noting findings of modern physics that favor substantivalist spacetime and then developing metaphysical concerns that favor instead directionalist/relationalist spacetime, Hestevold notes the ontological benefit of endorsing spatiotemporal directional relations even if spacetime substantivalism is the winning theory.

While indeterminacy is a recurrent theme in philosophy, less progress has been made in clarifying its significance for various philosophical and interdisciplinary contexts. This collection brings together early-career and well-known philosophers-including Graham Priest, Trish Glazebrook, Steven Crowell, Robert Neville, Todd May, and William Desmond-to explore indeterminacy in greater detail. The volume is unique in that its essays demonstrate the positive significance of indeterminacy, insofar as indeterminacy opens up new fields of discourse and illuminates neglected aspects of various concepts and phenomena. The essays are organized thematically around indeterminacy's impact on various areas of philosophy, including post-Kantian idealism, phenomenology, ethics, hermeneutics, aesthetics, and East Asian philosophy. They also take an interdisciplinary approach by elaborating the conceptual connections between indeterminacy and literature, music, religion, and science.

Wax Deposition: Experimental Characterizations, Theoretical Modeling, and Field Practices covers the entire spectrum of knowledge on wax deposition. The book delivers a detailed description of the thermodynamic and transport theories for wax deposition modeling as well as a comprehensive review of laboratory testing for the establishment of appropriate field control strategies. Offering valuable insight from academic research and the flow assurance industry, this balanced text: Discusses the background of wax deposition, including the cause of the phenomenon, the magnitude of the problem, and its impact on petroleum production Introduces laboratory techniques and theoretical models to measure and predict key parameters of wax precipitation, such as the wax appearance temperature and the wax precipitation curve Explains how to conduct and interpret laboratory experiments to benchmark different wax deposition models, to better understand wax deposition behaviors, and to predict wax deposit growth for the field Presents various models for wax deposition, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each and evaluating the differences between the assumptions used Provides numerous examples of how field management strategies for wax deposition can be established based on laboratory testing and modeling work Wax Deposition: Experimental Characterizations, Theoretical Modeling, and Field aids flow assurance engineers in identifying the severity and controlling the problem of wax deposition. The book also shows students and researchers how fundamental principles of thermodynamics, heat, and mass transfer can be applied to solve a problem common to the petroleum industry.

This is the first comprehensive guide to green design using economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) models. It is a must-have for companies trying to improve the environmental profile of their products and processes, for regulators attempting to quantify life cycle implications of products and services, and for students and scholars of green design.

Environmental life cycle assessment is often thought of as "cradle to grave" and therefore as the most complete accounting of the environmental costs and benefits of a product or service. However, as anyone who has done an environmental life cycle assessment knows, existing tools have many problems: data is difficult to assemble and life cycle studies take months of effort. A truly comprehensive analysis is prohibitive, so analysts are often forced to simply ignore many facets of life cycle impacts. But the focus on one aspect of a product or service can result in misleading indications if that aspect is benign while other aspects pollute or are otherwise unsustainable.

This book summarizes the EIO-LCA method, explains its use in relation to other life cycle assessment models, and provides sample applications and extensions of the model into novel areas. A final chapter explains the free, easy-to-use software tool available on a companion website. The software tool provides a wealth of data, summarizing the current U.S. economy in 500 sectors with information on energy and materials use, pollution and greenhouse gas discharges, and other attributes like associated occupational deaths and injuries.

The book covers financial inclusion in the southern cone (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile) and its impact on public finance. Possible negative consequences of greater financial inclusion are identified, but the book argues potential benefits outweigh costs. Financial inclusion has many definitions, but in this book, we interpret it as bank account ownership and the use of banking services. Financial inclusion in this context proffers advantages in the area of tax collection, perhaps the southern cone's gravest economic obstacle given its future debt servicing commitments and its socioeconomic development challenges. Households with a bank account - or, the bank participation rate - began increasing significantly around 2002, and this increase has coincided with an unexpected rise in tax collection (especially value-added taxes (VAT)) spanning periods of macroeconomic growth (2003-2009) and stagnation (2010-2015). Correlation does not imply causation, yet using empirical methods this book shows financial inclusion contributes to better tax collection by encouraging more formal market transactions via the use of bank-provided credit and debit cards. Consumption represents the largest component of most economies and consumption taxes contribute more to public revenue in the southern cone than other taxes, hence more formal consumption enhances overall tax collection.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0415056829

In Toward a Directionalist Theory of Space: On Going Nowhere, H. Scott Hestevold formulates a new relationalist theory of space by appealing to the view that the universe is directioned and that there thereby exist spatial relations that Leibniz overlooked-directional relations such that specific directional relations would obtain between any two objects. This directionalist/relationalist theory would allow the reduction of space-implying claims to claims about objects and the directional relations they exhibit, and it would also preserve absolutist intuitions that motivate standard arguments for substantivalist space:intuitions involving, for example, absolute motion and the possibility that all objects are moving uniformly. Extending the directionalist/relationalist theory of space to the Special Composition Question, Hestevold addresses the problem of when discrete objects compose a whole. He also uses the directionalist/relationalist theory to formulate reductivist theories of boundaries and holes-theories that may allow one to resist the view that boundaries and holes are ontologically parasitic entities. Finally, he explores directionalism/relationalism vis-a-vis spacetime, addressing questions such as whether the findings of modern physics provide adequate evidence that substantivalist spacetime exists; what problems underlie the dispute between spacetime substantivalists and relationalists; and in light of evidence for substantivalist spacetime, what ontological benefit follows from an endorsement of spacetime directional relations?

Scheduling and multicriteria optimisation theory have been subject, separately, to numerous studies. Since the last twenty years, multicriteria scheduling problems have been subject to a growing interest. However, a gap between multicriteria scheduling approaches and multicriteria optimisation field exits. This book is an attempt to collect the elementary of multicriteria optimisation theory and the basic models and algorithms of multicriteria scheduling. It is composed of numerous illustrations, algorithms and examples which may help the reader in understanding the presented concepts. This book covers general concepts such as Pareto optimality, complexity theory, and general method for multicriteria optimisation, as well as dedicated scheduling problems and algorithms: just-in-time scheduling, flexibility and robustness, single machine problems, parallel machine problems, shop problems, etc. The second edition contains revisions and new material.

Originally published in 1928, this volume provides an account of the key events in the First World War. Created principally for young students, and designed so it would be short enough to read in a single school term, the text consists of an outline narrative which avoids depth in favour of supplying the reader with a fundamental knowledge of the British campaign. Whilst this narrative is necessarily compressed, it is substantiated by numerous illustrations, including battlefield maps and photographs. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in military history, and historiography.

In response to the increasing interest in developing photonic switching fabrics, this book gives an overview of the many technologies from a systems designer's perspective. Optically transparent devices, optical logic devices, and optical hardware are all discussed in detail and set into a systems context. Comprehensive, up-to-date, and profusely illustrated, the work will provide a foundation for the field, especially as broadband services are more fully developed.

The 1990 International Topical Meeting on Photonic Switching was held April 12-14, 1990, in Kobe, Japan, in conjunction with the 1990 International Meet ing on Optical Computing. It was sponsored by the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers in cooperation with the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, the Optical Society of America, and the Japan So ciety of Applied Physics. The attendance was in excess of 340 persons, with 18 countries represented - a testimony to the current international interest in photonic switching. This book contains expanded and more detailed versions of most of the papers presented at the topical meeting. With the success of optical fibers there is an increased demand for a switch ing system that can operate directly on the light present in the fibers. The goal is to reduce the total number of optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical transformations as far as possible, in addition to exploiting the large spec tral and temporal bandwidth offered by such an optically transparent system."