Law Books

Book SynopsisPrivacy and Copyright protection is a very important issue in our digital society, where a very large amount of multimedia data are generated and distributed daily using different kinds of consumer electronic devices and very popular communication channels, such as the Web and social networks. This book introduces state-of-the-art technology on data hiding and copyright protection of digital images, and offers a solid basis for future study and research. Steganographic technique overcomes the traditional cryptographic approach, providing new solutions for secure data transmission without raising users'' malicious intention. In steganography, some secret information can be inserted into the original data in imperceptible and efficient ways to avoid distortion of the image, and enhance the embedding capacity, respectively. Digital watermarking also adopts data hiding techniques for copyright protection and tampering verification of multimedia data. In watermarking, an illegitimate copy can be recognised by testing the presence of a valid watermark and a dispute on the ownership of the image resolved. Different kinds of steganographic and watermarking techniques, providing different features and diverse characteristics, have been presented in this book. This book provides a reference for theoretical problems as well as practical solutions and applications for steganography and watermarking techniques. In particular, both the academic community (graduate student, post-doc and faculty) in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Applied Mathematics; and the industrial community (engineers, engineering managers, programmers, research lab staff and managers, security managers) will find this book interesting.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an overview of the National Export Strategy and U.S. government agencies that are involved in export promotion. The National Export Initiative (NEI)lays out ambitious new plans of the Federal Government, including partnering with metropolitan areas and improving outreach and service delivery to small businesses. It also examines the targeting of infrastructure projects and global markets in such regions as Asia and Africa, and the support for the work of SelectUSA to attract and retain more investment and the new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to identify and address unfair trade practices. Thanks to America''s strong reputation for innovation, quality, and safety, U.S. goods and services remain the gold standard. For its part, the Federal Government is committed to helping U.S. businesses build things here and sell them everywhere, with the NEI complementing other Administration initiatives on advanced manufacturing, innovation, and protection of intellectual property.

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Book SynopsisResearch findings showed that secondary school students in Hong Kong face many challenges. In particular, morbid emphasis on academic excellence has created much competition and stress in high school students. It was estimated that around one-fifth of secondary school students in Hong Kong had different forms of mental disorders. In a three-year longitudinal study, it was found that the prevalence rates of Internet addiction in Secondary 1, Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 students were 26.4%, 26.6% and 22.5%, respectively. In the same study, suicidal ideation in junior secondary school students was found in more than one-tenth of the students. At the same time, there were more than two-tenths of students showing signs of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in junior secondary years. The number of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased while family solidarity has dropped in recent years. In spite of these adolescent developmental issues, the lack of life education and life skills training in secondary school students has made the situation worse. Although moral and civic education is one of the pillars in the new 6-year secondary school curriculum, there are several problems involved. First, the coverage on social and emotional learning in the curriculum guide is very thin. Second, although there are curricula materials on life skills training in the field, validated curricula are almost non-existent. In fact, in a review of adolescent prevention and positive youth development programs in Asia, Shek and Yu pointed out that there were very few validated evidence-based programs in Hong Kong. Third, training in social-emotional learning and adolescent prevention programs is grossly inadequate in Hong Kong. Finally, while nobody would dispute the importance of life skills and psychosocial competence, such topics are seldom taught in depth in the school contexts.

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Book SynopsisIn the nearly 25 years since the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 authorised federal officials to implement a national asset forfeiture program, asset forfeiture has become one of the most powerful tools for targeting criminals, including drug dealers and white collar criminals, who prey on the vulnerable for financial gain. Forfeiture statutes are now prevalent throughout the federal legal code and their use, along with other important anti-crime measures, has had a significant impact on crime. One of the most important provisions of asset forfeiture is the authorisation to share federal forfeiture proceeds with co-operating state and local law enforcement agencies. The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program serves not only to deter crime but also to provide valuable additional resources to state and local law enforcement agencies. This book examines the U.S. Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Policy Manual and Guide to Equitable Sharing Manual, with a focus on assisting state and local law enforcement agencies participating in the program by clarifying the directives they must follow to obtain and use equitably shared funds.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides background information and identifies issues for Congress regarding Department of Defense (DOD) alternative fuel initiatives, an issue of considerable attention during hearings in 2012 on DOD''s FY2013 budget. Ongoing alternative fuel efforts of the DOD and the military services include purchases of alternative fuels for testing and evaluation, as well as the certification of alternative fuels for use in service fleets. In addition, the Navy, in co-ordination with the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, intends to spur domestic advanced biofuel production at a commercial scale using the authority of the Defense Production Act. The services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) have spent approximately $48 million on alternative fuels, and the Navy has proposed a $170 million investment in biofuel production capacity. An overview of the DOD''s alternative fuels policy and data on DOD''s alternative fuels purchase to date, as well as the status of testing platforms on alternative fuel blends and the certification of those blends for fleet-wide use within the services is also discussed.

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Book SynopsisThe body of pre-1972 sound recordings is vast. Commercially released "popular" recordings come most readily to mind -- from Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But pre-1972 commercial recordings encompass a wide range of genres: ragtime and jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, country and folk music, classical recordings, spoken word recordings and many others. Some remain popular; others have long since faded from memory and are of interest only to scholars. There are, in addition, many unpublished recordings such as journalists'' tape, oral histories, and ethnographic and folklore recordings. There are also recordings of old radio broadcasts, which were publicly disseminated by virtue of the broadcast, but in many cases are technically unpublished under the standards of the U.S. Copyright Act. These recordings are a rich aspect of this country''s cultural heritage, and it is important to ensure that they will be preserved and accessible for researchers and scholars, as well as to future generations. This book provides an overview of the Copyright Office''s research and public outreach concerning the legal treatment of pre-1972 sound recordings. It explains the process by which the Office undertook its research; describes the comments received as well as the views expressed at the public meetings; and explains the Office''s recommendations and the reasons for them.

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Book SynopsisDespite a dark history marked by the eugenics movement, increasing numbers of people with disabilities are choosing to become parents. Recent research reveals that more than 4 million parents (six percent of American mothers and fathers) are disabled. This number will unquestionably increase as more people with disabilities exercise a broader range of lifestyle options as a result of social integration, civil rights, and new adaptive technologies. Likewise, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of veterans who are returning from war with service-connected disabilities, some of whom may already be parents and others who will enter parenthood after acquiring their disability. The right to parent without interference is protected by the U.S. Constitution and balanced by the judicially recognized power of the state to interfere to protect the well-being of its children. This book provides a comprehensive review of the barriers and facilitators people with diverse disabilities (including intellectual and developmental disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, sensory disabilities, and physical disabilities) experience when they are exercising their fundamental right to create and maintain families, with a focus on the persistent, systemic, and pervasive discrimination against parents with disabilities.

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Book SynopsisInternational trade is a critical component of the U.S. economy, with U.S. merchandise imports and exports amounting to $2.2 trillion and $1.5 trillion in 2011, respectively. The efficient flow of legally traded goods in and out of the United States is thus a vital element of the country''s economic security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the primary agency charged with ensuring the smooth flow of trade through U.S. ports of entry. CBP''s policies with regard to U.S. imports are designed to: facilitate the smooth flow of imported cargo through U.S. ports of entry; enforce trade and customs laws designed to protect U.S. consumers and business and to collect customs revenue; and enforce import security laws designed to prevent weapons of mass destruction, illegal drugs, and other contraband from entering the U.S. - a complex and difficult mission. This book describes and analyses import policy and CBP''s role in the U.S. import process, with a focus on the legislative history of customs laws; "trusted trader" programs to improve enforcement of intellectual property and trade remedy laws, to strengthen cargo scanning practices, and/or to promote modernisation of customs data systems.

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Book SynopsisTrade liberalisation can enhance the economic welfare of all trade partners, but in adjusting to greater competition, many import- competing firms and workers face difficult problems. Since 1962, Congress has responded to these adjustment costs by authorising trade adjustment assistance (TAA) programs for workers, firms, and farmers, and continues to monitor their performance and amend the governing legislation. This book discusses the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) program, which provides technical assistance to trade- affected firms to help them develop strategies to remain competitive in a dynamic international economy. Legislation has been introduced in the 113th Congress that would reauthorise TAA programs, which are set to expire on December 31, 2013. President Obama also has supported TAA reauthorisation, linking it to renewal of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA).

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Book SynopsisThe origin of the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program can be traced back to a 2000 Department of Labor report recommending that a separate program be enacted "to assist agricultural producers and workers affected adversely by imports" if the objective is to assist them to remain in their current occupations. The report described the existing trade adjustment assistance (TAA) programs that provided (1) limited technical assistance to help business firms (including some that produced agricultural and food products) regain economic competitiveness or to shift into producing other goods, and (2) training assistance to workers (including those employed by some agricultural firms) to facilitate their transition into other occupations. It noted that the provision of direct financial assistance (such as income supplements) to farmers, or efforts to financially enable them to continue producing the commodity adversely affected by imports rather than help them adjust to employment in other sectors, would be inconsistent with the objectives of the then-existing TAA programs. Observers stated that farmers and ranchers typically did not qualify for the TAA workers program because they were self-employed (and thus rarely were eligible for unemployment benefits) and were less likely to want to be retrained for a new occupation (particularly if earning income from producing other crops or from non-farm sources). This book examines the TAA programs elements and effectiveness.

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Book SynopsisUnder the Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate and appoint principal officers of the United States, but only with the advice and consent of the Senate. In addition to this general appointment authority, the Recess Appointments Clause permits the President to make temporary appointments, without Senate approval, during periods in which the Senate is not in session. This book begins with a general legal overview of the Recess Appointments Clause and a discussion of applicable case law that existed prior to the D.C. Circuit''s decision in Noel Canning. In Noel Canning v. National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) ruled that President Obama''s appointments of three Members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were constitutionally invalid. This book focuses on the ramifications that the Noel Canning decision might have on the President''s authority to make recess appointment by providing a legal analysis of Noel Canning and the applicable case law that existed prior to that decision. The U.S. Constitution explicitly provides the President with two methods of appointing officers of the United States. This book also provides an overview of the Recess Appointments Clause, exploring its historical application and legal interpretation by the executive branch, the courts, and the Comptroller General. It also reflects on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit''s decision in Noel Canning v. Nat''l Labor Relations Board, which held that the President''s three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were invalid.

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Book SynopsisThe United States cannot be confident that our critical Information Technology (IT) systems will work under attack from a sophisticated and well-resourced opponent utilising cyber capabilities in combination with all of their military and intelligence capabilities. While the Department of Defense takes great care to secure the use and operation of the "hardware" of its weapon systems, these security practices have not kept up with the cyber adversary tactics and capabilities. Further, the same level of resource and attention is not spent on the complex network of information technology (IT) systems that are used to support and operate those weapons or critical cyber capabilities embedded within them. This book provides recommendations for a workable framework; details about how the Department could prepare to operate in a cyber-contested environment; and the task force describes the specific aspects of the cloud computing configuration that are relevant to avoid the simple choice of public or private clouds.

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