Search results for ""World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd""

In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. The Prize in Economic Sciences is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, according to the same principles as for the Nobel Prizes that have been awarded since 1901. This volume is a collection of the Nobel lectures delivered by the Nobel laureates, together with their biographies and the presentation speeches, for the period 2011-2015.List of laureates and their award citations:(2011) 'for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare'.

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Pediatric Nephrology On-The-Go aims to be a hands-on and practical reference for pediatricians, pediatric nephrologists, dialysis nurses and physicians in training. This book is a compilation of the protocols and guidelines that are used in daily practice at the Shaw-NKF-NUH Children's Kidney Centre at the Khoo Teck Puat - National University Children's Medical Institute, Singapore. This book focuses mainly on the diagnostic approach and management of conditions seen in children with kidney disease.This 4th Edition contain extensive updates and revision to all chapters. There are 7 new chapters in the edition, encompassing key topics such as glomerulonephritis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive vasculitis, membranous nephropathy, neurogenic bladder, immunosuppressive medications, Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy, recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis post kidney transplantation and prolonged intermittent kidney replacement therapy (PIKRT).

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Taking classic stories from Asia and the West, Pop! Lit for Kids reimagines them into easy-to-read stories that provide the perfect introduction to classic tales. The most well-loved stories from around the world have been adapted into a form that will excite and entertain children everywhere.In his quest to protect the poor and oppressed, Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men go head to head with the cruel Prince John and the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham. From their hideout in Sherwood Forest, these fun-loving thieves outwit the authorities at every turn by taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Filled with action and danger, the adventures of Robin Hood will delight young readers.

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This volume is a review on coherent states and some of their applications. The usefulness of the concept of coherent states is illustrated by considering specific examples from the fields of physics and mathematical physics. Particular emphasis is given to a general historical introduction, general continuous representations, generalized coherent states, classical and quantum correspondence, path integrals and canonical formalism. Applications are considered in quantum mechanics, optics, quantum chemistry, atomic physics, statistical physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. A selection of original papers is reprinted.

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The book consists of two parts: Part 1 is a standard text of dislocation theory. Mathematics is avoided as much as possible. Part 2 describes application of dislocation theory, which includes mechanical properties (including the inverse temperature dependence of strength) and dislocations in functional materials such as Si, GaN and SiC and dislocations in a thin crystal such as an epitaxial layer. This is what has been long anticipated among researchers in industry.The book contains about 330 illustrations (mostly originals by the author) and the pictures obtained by the author by means of in-situ experiment in a transmission electron microscope over the past 50 years.This book includes many exercises, which the author found useful when he was teaching in Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Nagoya University to stimulate their interests in dislocation theory.

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Over the last three decades, wine economics has emerged as a growing field within agricultural economics, but also in other fields such as finance, trade, growth, environmental economics and industrial organization. Wine has a few characteristics that differentiate it from other agricultural commodities, rendering it an interesting topic for economists in general. Fine wine can regularly fetch bottle prices that exceed several thousand dollars. It can be stored a long time and may increase in value with age. Fine wine quality and prices are extraordinarily sensitive to fluctuations in the weather of the year in which the grapes were grown. And wine is an experience good, i.e., its quality cannot be ascertained before consumption. As a result, consumers often rely on 'expert opinion' regarding quality and maturation prospects.This handbook takes a broad approach and familiarizes the reader with the main research strands in wine economics.After a general introduction to wine economics by Karl Storchmann, Volume 1 focuses on the core areas of wine economics. The first papers shed light on the relevance of the vineyard's natural environment for wine quality and prices. 'Predicting the Quality and Prices of Bordeaux Wine' by Orley Ashenfelter is a classic paper and may be the first wine economics publication ever. Ashenfelter shows how weather influences the quality and the price of Bordeaux Grands Crus wine. Since the weather condition of the year when the grapes were grown is known, an econometric analysis may be constructed. It turns out this model outperforms expert opinion, i.e., critical vintage scores. At best, expert opinion reflects public information. The subsequent papers, by Ashenfelter and Storchmann, Gergaud and Ginsburgh, and Cross, Plantinga and Stavins, tackle the terroir question. That is, they examine the relevance of a vineyard's physical characteristics for wine quality and prices, but from various dimensions and with different results. Next, Alston et al. analyze a question of great concern in the California wine industry: the causes and consequences of the rising alcohol content in California wine. Is climate change the culprit?The next chapter presents three papers that apply hedonic price analyses to fine wine. Combris, Lecocq and Visser show that Bordeaux wine market prices are essentially determined by the wines' objective characteristics. Costanigro, McCluskey and Mittelhammer differentiate their hedonic analysis for various market segments. Ali and Nauges incorporate reputational variables into their pricing model and distinguish between short- and long-run price effects.The next section of this volume deals with one of the unique characteristics of wine — its long storage life, which makes it potentially an investment asset. Studying wine's increasing role as an alternative asset class, Sanning et al., Burton and Jacobsen, Masset and Weisskopf, Masset and Henderson, and Fogarty all examine the rate of return to holding wine as well as the related risks. Since these papers analyze different wines and different time periods there is no 'one message.' However, all point out that, while wine may diversify an investor's portfolio, wine's returns do not beat common stock in the long run.The last two chapters examine the role of wine experts. First, Ashenfelter and Quandt revisit the 1976 'Judgment of Paris' and show that aggregating the assessments of several judges should go beyond 'adding points.' Depending on the method employed, the results may vary, and some measure of statistical precision is essential for interpreting the reliability of the results. In two different papers, Cicchetti and Quandt respond to the necessity to provide statistical tools for the assessment of wine tastings.In a seminal paper, Hodgson reports a remarkable field experiment in which similar wines were placed before judges at a major competition. The results have the shocking implication that how medals are awarded at a major California wine fair is not far from being random. Ashton analyzes the performance of professional wine judges and finds little support for the idea that experienced wine judges should be regarded as experts.Do experts scores influence the price of wine? The answer to this question is less obvious then commonly thought since expert opinion oftentimes only repeats public information such as wine quality that results from the weather that produced the wine grapes. Hadj Ali, Lecocq, and Visser as well as Dubois and Nauges find that high critical scores exert only small effects on wine prices. However, Roberts and Reagans show that a high critical exposure reduces the price-quality dispersion of wineries.Lecocq and Visser analyze wine prices and find that 'characteristics that are directly revealed to the consumer upon inspection of the bottle and its label explain the major part of price differences.' Expert opinion and sensory variables appear to play only a minor role. In an experimental setting using two Vickrey auctions, Combris, Lange and Issanchou confirm the leading role of public information, i.e., the label remains a key determinant for champagne prices. In a provocative and widely discussed study drawing on blind tasting results of some 5,000 wines, Goldstein and collaborators find that most consumers prefer less expensive over expensive wine.Finally, Weil examines the value of expert wine descriptions and lets several hundred subjects match the wines and their descriptors. His results suggest that the ability to assign a certain description to the matching wine is more or less random.Volume 2 covers the topics reputation, regulation, auctions, and market organizational. Landon and Smith, Anderson and Schamel, and Schamel analyze the impact of current quality and reputation (i.e., past quality) on wine prices from different regions. Their results suggest that prices are more influenced by reputation than by current quality. Costanigro, McCluskey and Goemans develop a nested framework for jointly examining the effects of product, firm and collective reputation on market prices.The following four papers deal with regulatory issues in the US as well as in Europe. While Riekoff and Sykuta shed light on the politics and economics of the three-tier system of alcohol distribution and the prohibition of direct wine shipments in the US, Deconinck and Swinnen analyze the European planting rights system. The political economy of European wine regulation is then covered by Melonie and Swinnen, before Anderson and Jensen shed light on Europe's complex system of wine industry subsidies.The next chapter is devoted to wine auctions. In three different papers, Fevrier, Roos and Visser, Ashenfelter, and Ginsburgh analyze the effects of specific auction designs on the resulting hammer prices. The papers focus on multi-unit ascending auctions, absentee bidders, and declining price anomalies.The last chapter, supply and organization, is devoted to a wide range of issues. First, Heien illuminates the price formation process in the California winegrape industry. Then, Frick analyzes if and how the separation of ownership and control affects the performance of German wineries.Vink, Kleynhans and Willem Hoffmann introduce us to various models of wine barrel financing, particularly to the Vincorp model employed in South Africa. Galbreath analyzes the role of women in the wine industry. He finds that (1) women are underrepresented and (2) that the presence of a female CEO increases the likelihood of women in winemaker, viticulturist, and marketing roles in that firm. Gokcekus, Hewstone, and Cakal draw on crowdsourced wine evaluations, i.e., Wine Tracker data, and show that private wine assessments are largely influenced by peer scores lending support to the assumption of the presence of a strong herding effect.Mahenc refers to the classic model of information asymmetries and develops a theoretical model highlighting the role of informed buyers in markets that are susceptible to the lemons problem. Lastly, in their paper 'Love or Money?' Scott, Morton and Podolny analyze how the presence of hobby winemakers may distort market outcomes. Hobby winemakers produce higher quality wines, charge higher prices, and enjoy lower financial returns than professional for-profit winemakers. As a result, profit-oriented winemakers are discouraged from locating at the high-quality end of the market.

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Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974) (hereafter referred to as BSM) introduced the contingent claim approach (CCA) to the valuation of corporate debt and equity. The BSM modeling framework is also named the 'structural' approach to risky debt valuation. The CCA considers all stakeholders of the corporation as holding contingent claims on the assets of the corporation. Each claim holder has different priorities, maturities and conditions for payouts. It is based on the principle that all the assets belong to all the liability holders.The BSM modeling framework gives the basic fundamental version of the structural model where default is assumed to occur when the net asset value of the firm at the maturity of the pure-discount debt becomes negative, i.e., market value of the assets of the firm falls below the face value of the firm's liabilities. In a regime of limited liability, the shareholders of the firm have the option to default on the firm's debt. Equity can be viewed as a European call option on the firm's assets with a strike price equal to the face value of the firm's debt. Actually, CCA can be used to value all the components of the firm's liabilities, equity, warrants, debt, contingent convertible debt, guarantees, etc.In the four volumes we present the major academic research on CCA in corporate finance starting from 1973, with seminal papers of Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974). Volume I covers the foundation of CCA and contributions on equity valuation. Volume II focuses on corporate debt valuation and the capital structure of the firm. Volume III presents empirical evidence on the valuation of debt instruments as well as applications of the CCA to various financial arrangements. The papers in Volume IV show how to apply the CCA to analyze sovereign credit risk, contingent convertible bonds (CoCos), deposit insurance and loan guarantees. Volume 1: Foundations of CCA and Equity ValuationVolume 1 presents the seminal papers of Black and Scholes (1973) and Merton (1973, 1974). This volume also includes papers that specifically price equity as a call option on the corporation. It introduces warrants, convertible bonds and taxation as contingent claims on the corporation. It highlights the strong relationship between the CCA and the Modigliani-Miller (M&M) Theorems, and the relation to the Capital Assets Pricing Model (CAPM). Volume 2: Corporate Debt Valuation with CCAVolume 2 concentrates on corporate bond valuation by introducing various types of bonds with different covenants as well as introducing various conditions that trigger default. While empirical evidence indicates that the simple Merton's model underestimates the credit spreads, additional risk factors like jumps can be used to resolve it. Volume 3: Empirical Testing and Applications of CCAVolume 3 includes papers that look at issues in corporate finance that can be explained with the CCA approach. These issues include the effect of dividend policy on the valuation of debt and equity, the pricing of employee stock options and many other issues of corporate governance. Volume 4: Contingent Claims Approach for Banks and Sovereign DebtVolume 4 focuses on the application of the contingent claim approach to banks and other financial intermediaries. Regulation of the banking industry led to the creation of new financial securities (e.g., CoCos) and new types of stakeholders (e.g., deposit insurers).

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The evolution of China's intellectual landscape, especially the battles among different influential social and political ideas, sheds light on its history. Leading Schools of Thought in Contemporary China offers a close-up look of eight major schools of thought that swept across China between 1978 and 2008, ranging from Deng Xiaoping's thoughts to Neo-Confucianism. Subject to unrelenting debates among both scholars and the general public, the popularity of these ideas waxed and waned throughout those turbulent decades. They have two things in common. First, they are all problem-oriented insofar as they carry their advocates' hopes of finding in them solutions to both new and old problems the country has faced. Second, while richly informed by such traditions as authoritarianism and Confucianism that have long held sway in much of Asia, including China, these ideas also reveal the deep influence of, and even affinity with, some of the most influential social and political theories in the Western tradition, including liberalism, socialism and conservatism. Readers will find in the continuing contestation among these theories in the marketplace of ideas not only much of what is exciting about the intellectual scene in China today, but also clues about China's future.

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China's Elite Politics provides a new theoretical perspective on elite politics in China and uses this theoretical perspective to explain power transfer from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao and political dynamics between different factional groups since the Sixteenth Party Congress of November 2002. It explains the transition in structural terms, presents characteristics of China's political elites, and analyzes the balance of power among formal institutions as well as among factional groups. It also examines political interactions between Jiang Zemin and his cronies on the one side and Hu Jintao and his allies on the other over a number of issues: the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS); ideological institutionalization; the politics over economic overheating; Jiang Zemin's complete retirement; and Hu Jintao's power consolidation in both ideological and personnel terms.

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For the millions of citizens in the Arab World who came together in 2010-2011 to discover their common yearning for dignity and liberty, the real revolutions only began after the wave of protests. Understanding the Political Economy of the Arab Uprisings reassess the interests, potential and constraints of various socio-political players and their importance in the building of a constructive environment for democratic progress in the Middle East. Initiated by the Cairo-based Economic Research Forum and edited by Ishac Diwan, this invaluable volume features contributions by Middle East academics across the world. They examine the reasons behind the uprisings, how democratic transitions transpire, the role of Arab capitalism in the crises, and how the experiences of other countries such as Indonesia, Turkey and Iran, can forecast where these uprisings may lead the Middle East in the years to come.

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This book originates as an essential underlying component of a modern, imaginative three-semester honors program (six undergraduate courses) in Mathematical Studies. In its entirety, it covers Algebra, Geometry and Analysis in One Variable.The book is intended to provide a comprehensive and rigorous account of the concepts of set, mapping, family, order, number (both natural and real), as well as such distinct procedures as proof by induction and recursive definition, and the interaction between these ideas; with attempts at including insightful notes on historic and cultural settings and information on alternative presentations. The work ends with an excursion on infinite sets, principally a discussion of the mathematics of Axiom of Choice and often very useful equivalent statements.

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This book discusses many key topics in investment and risk management, the global economic situation and the shift in global investment strategies. It was largely written during the period of 2007-12, one of the most tumultuous times in global financial markets which called into question not only tenets of economic forecasting and also asset allocation and return strategies. It contains studies of how investors lose money in derivative markets, examples of those who did not and how these disasters could have been prevented. The authors draw some conclusions on the impact of the structural shifts currently underway in the global economy as well as how cyclical trends will affect these industries, the globe and key sectors. The authors zoom in on key growth areas, including emerging markets, their interlinkages and financial trends.The book also covers risk arbitrage and mean reversion strategies in financial and sports betting markets, plus incentives, volatility aspects, risk taking and investments strategies used by hedge funds and university endowments. Topics such as stock market crash predictions, asset liability planning models, various players in financial markets and the evaluation of the greatest investors are also discussed.The book presents tools and case studies of real applications for analyzing a wide variety of investment returns and better assessing the risks which many investors have preferred to ignore in the search of returns. Many security market regularities or anomalies are discussed including political party and January effects as is the process of building scenarios and using Kelly and fractional Kelly strategies to optimize returns.

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This book provides visualizations of many topics in general physics. The aim is to have an interactive MATLAB script wherein the user can vary parameters in a specific problem and then immediately see the outcome by way of dynamic “movies” of the response of the system in question. MATLAB tools are used throughout and the software scripts accompany the text in Symbolic Mathematics, Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Waves and Optics, Gases and Fluid Flow, Quantum Mechanics, Special and General Relativity, and Astrophysics and Cosmology. The emphasis is on building up an intuition by running many different parametric choices chosen actively by the user and watching the subsequent behavior of the system.Physics books using MATLAB do not have the range — or the intent — of this text. They are rather steeped in technical detail. Symbolic math is used extensively and is integral to the aim of using MATLAB tools to accomplish the technical aspects of problem solving.

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This book discusses many key topics in investment and risk management, the global economic situation and the shift in global investment strategies. It was largely written during the period of 2007-12, one of the most tumultuous times in global financial markets which called into question not only tenets of economic forecasting and also asset allocation and return strategies. It contains studies of how investors lose money in derivative markets, examples of those who did not and how these disasters could have been prevented. The authors draw some conclusions on the impact of the structural shifts currently underway in the global economy as well as how cyclical trends will affect these industries, the globe and key sectors. The authors zoom in on key growth areas, including emerging markets, their interlinkages and financial trends.The book also covers risk arbitrage and mean reversion strategies in financial and sports betting markets, plus incentives, volatility aspects, risk taking and investments strategies used by hedge funds and university endowments. Topics such as stock market crash predictions, asset liability planning models, various players in financial markets and the evaluation of the greatest investors are also discussed.The book presents tools and case studies of real applications for analyzing a wide variety of investment returns and better assessing the risks which many investors have preferred to ignore in the search of returns. Many security market regularities or anomalies are discussed including political party and January effects as is the process of building scenarios and using Kelly and fractional Kelly strategies to optimize returns.

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This multi-volume set focuses on a key region of the world which contains four of the biggest emerging economies, a large number of highly dynamic small- and medium-sized emerging economies, and one of the leading advanced industrial countries. It is a region which contains some of the biggest hydrocarbon and mineral deposits in the world, and some of the most energy- and metal-hungry economies in the world. With half the world's population, it is one of the most dynamic regions of the globe in terms of population movement, providing a key focus of foreign investment, both inwards and outwards, with a high degree of technological dynamism. The region plays a central role in the industrial supply networks of the globe.In four volumes, focusing on, respectively, foreign investment, innovation, energy and migration, the set focuses on each of the main elements in the production system in turn — capital, innovation, raw materials and labour. Volume 1 studies patterns of interchange of financial and direct investment within the region, focusing on governance, the development of supply chains, and technology transfer. In Volume 2, the technology theme becomes dominant, with a special focus on digital technology. It includes technical issues like mobile communications standardisation, developmental dimensions, including the role of clusters and science parks, and political economy issues like the rise of techno-nationalism. Volume 3 turns to energy issues — not just issues of supply and demand, but also key problems of climate change, security and sustainability across the Eurasian and Asian landmass. Volume 4 presents the human dimension, looking at people in movement, as workers, citizens, men, women, or colonisers. Among the key issues discussed are the migration from country to town in China, the ‘greying’ of countries like Japan, the effect of war on migration, marriage migration, human trafficking and the depopulation of the Russian Far East.The set is a must-have for anyone keen to understand the region whose manufacturing core can be described, without exaggeration, as the ‘workshop of the world’ of the twenty-first century.

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This book is novel in that it is a single volume offering useful practical tips in the performance of the broad range of procedures used by gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists and surgeons in the current management of complicated abdominal emergencies and traumatic injuries. Emphasis is placed on practical tips which could be life-saving.The contributors are experienced staff members from the National University Hospital, Singapore. Through a step-by-step narrative and an abundance of medical illustrations, the contributors impart to the reader how best to perform and overcome difficulties encountered in the management of complicated abdominal emergencies. Learning is enhanced by video clips of procedures recorded live, in the DVD-ROM that accompanies the book.

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A hands on reference guide for scientists working in the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, polymer science, solid-state physics, devices, nanotechnology or supramolecular science of carbon nanomaterials. In-depth and comprehensive coverage of topics combined with the perspectives for future research by the contributing authors. An invaluable reference source essential for both beginning and advanced researchers in the field.

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This conference is the seventh in a series of topical meetings dealing with the nuclear fission process, mainly at low excitation energy. During these meetings, actual topics are discussed by a group of experts. These proceedings give an overview of the topics treated, and permit a rapid overview of the current activities in the field.

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This book presents a complete theory of ordinary differential equations, with many illustrative examples and interesting exercises. A rigorous treatment is offered with clear proofs for the theoretical results and with detailed solutions for the examples and problems.This book is intended for undergraduate students who major in mathematics and have acquired a prerequisite knowledge of calculus and partly the knowledge of a complex variable, and are now reading advanced calculus and linear algebra. Additionally, the comprehensive coverage of the theory with a wide array of examples and detailed solutions, would appeal to mathematics graduate students and researchers as well as graduate students in majors of other disciplines.As a handy reference, advanced knowledge is provided as well with details developed beyond the basics; optional sections, where main results are extended, offer an understanding of further applications of ordinary differential equations.

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The Nobel Banquets is not about Alfred Nobel's personal dining habits; it is about his “gift to mankind” — the five original Nobel Prizes and the festivities that are arranged every year to celebrate them.There is hardly any other banquet in the world that is as famous as the Nobel Banquet which many would give a fortune to attend. It is held on December 10 in Stockholm every year. Countless articles and books have been written describing what the guests eat and drink, the table decorations and the serving ceremonies, the placing lists and of course the Nobel laureates themselves.This comprehensive book presents not only all the known facts about the Nobel banquet menus but also many unknown details, both about the Nobel banquets themselves and about the traditional banquets held at the Royal Court by the King and Queen of Sweden on December 11 in honour of the laureates.The main focus is on the food and drink that have been served annually for more than a century. The gastronomic man is at the centre. The composition and contents of each banquet are listed and analysed. Today, the guiding principle is that the menus should have a touch of Scandinavia. The reader is given interesting insights into the work in the kitchens, the decanting of the wines and the special challenges that the waiters and waitresses face.The Nobel Banquets contains many photographs. It is a goldmine for gourmets and for anyone interested in knowing more about all the effort that goes into these fabulous festivities.

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This is a comprehensive book which describes the three essential parts of what is known as "Inertial Confinement Fusion": the way thermonuclear burn takes place in non-magnetized, magnetized and fusion-fission hybrid assemblies; the pulse power ignition technology (nuclear, electrical, optical and chemical); and the applications of inertial confinement fusion technology for peaceful nuclear energy on Earth and in space.An integrated single text of such extensive technical width is a rare find, and younger generations of nuclear engineers any physicists will appreciate this book as a companion to their traditional textbooks.

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Optical Interactions in Solids presents an extensive and unified treatment of the basic principles of the optical properties of solids. It provides a theoretical background to workers in the field of laser physics and absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of solid state materials. The book is a comprehensive coverage of the subject and is systematically and didactically organized. The level of presentation is such that it will benefit and interest both advanced students and research workers. Group theory — which is useful throughout — is introduced early in the book advocating the scientific community to overcome the reluctance to employ this powerful method. Consistent emphasis is given throughout the book to the relevance of symmetry and to detailed calculations. Different subjects as various as quantum theory of radiation field, thermal vibrations of molecules and crystals and covalent bonding are brought together in a unified treatment which requires knowledge of all these topics and this points to the interpretation of the spectral properties of solids. The content of this work could be used as a two term graduate course in solid state spectroscopy.br>

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This is the fifth, expanded edition of the comprehensive textbook published in 1990 on the theory and applications of path integrals. It is the first book to explicitly solve path integrals of a wide variety of nontrivial quantum-mechanical systems, in particular the hydrogen atom. The solutions have been made possible by two major advances. The first is a new euclidean path integral formula which increases the restricted range of applicability of Feynman's time-sliced formula to include singular attractive 1/r- and 1/r2-potentials. The second is a new nonholonomic mapping principle carrying physical laws in flat spacetime to spacetimes with curvature and torsion, which leads to time-sliced path integrals that are manifestly invariant under coordinate transformations.In addition to the time-sliced definition, the author gives a perturbative, coordinate-independent definition of path integrals, which makes them invariant under coordinate transformations. A consistent implementation of this property leads to an extension of the theory of generalized functions by defining uniquely products of distributions.The powerful Feynman-Kleinert variational approach is explained and developed systematically into a variational perturbation theory which, in contrast to ordinary perturbation theory, produces convergent results. The convergence is uniform from weak to strong couplings, opening a way to precise evaluations of analytically unsolvable path integrals in the strong-coupling regime where they describe critical phenomena.Tunneling processes are treated in detail, with applications to the lifetimes of supercurrents, the stability of metastable thermodynamic phases, and the large-order behavior of perturbation expansions. A variational treatment extends the range of validity to small barriers. A corresponding extension of the large-order perturbation theory now also applies to small orders.Special attention is devoted to path integrals with topological restrictions needed to understand the statistical properties of elementary particles and the entanglement phenomena in polymer physics and biophysics. The Chern-Simons theory of particles with fractional statistics (anyons) is introduced and applied to explain the fractional quantum Hall effect.The relevance of path integrals to financial markets is discussed, and improvements of the famous Black-Scholes formula for option prices are developed which account for the fact, recently experienced in the world markets, that large fluctuations occur much more frequently than in Gaussian distributions.

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Frontiers in Electronics contains the selected best papers presented at the Workshop on Frontiers in Electronics (WOFE-07). This meeting was the fifth in the series of WOFE workshops, and strongly reinforced the tradition of scientific quality and visionary research. The issues addressed ranged from THz and infrared electronics to nanoelectronics and photonics. The papers focused on the fabrication, characterization and applications of nanodevices; wide band gap structures; and state-of-the-art FETs. The participants also discussed the device physics and processing issues including aspects related to SOI and germanium-on-insulator technologies, TFTs, and advanced CMOS and MOSFETs. It is this cross-pollination between different but related fields that made this conference very special.This book, which goes beyond the publication of the WOFE Proceedings, includes full-length invited papers selected at the conference and reviewed by international leaders. The book is divided into four distinct sections, with the common denominator throughout being the “nano-device”, present under various metamorphoses in the wide CMOS and optoelectronics arena.

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This book lays a new foundation toward achieving artificial self-intelligence by future machines such as intelligent vehicles. Its chapters provide a broad coverage to the three key modules behind the design and development of intelligent vehicles for the ultimate purpose of actively ensuring driving safety as well as preventing accidents from all possible causes. Self-contained and unified in presentation, the book explains in details the fundamental solutions of vehicle's perception, vehicle's decision-making, and vehicle's action-taking in a pedagogic order.Besides the fundamental knowledge and concepts of intelligent vehicle's perception, decision and action, this book includes a comprehensive set of real-life application scenarios in which intelligent vehicles will play a major role or contribution. These case studies of real-life applications will help motivate students to learn this exciting subject. With concise and simple explanations, and boasting a rich set of graphical illustrations, the book is an invaluable source for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, on artificial intelligence, intelligent vehicle, and robotics, which are offered in automotive engineering, computer engineering, electronic engineering, and mechanical engineering. In addition, the book will help strengthen the knowledge and skills of young researchers who want to venture into the research and development of artificial self-intelligence for intelligent vehicles of the future.Related Link(s)

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A General History of the Chinese in Singapore documents over 700 years of Chinese history in Singapore, from Chinese presence in the region through the millennium-old Hokkien trading world to the waves of mass migration that came after the establishment of a British settlement, and through to the development and birth of the nation. Across 38 chapters and parts, readers are taken through the complex historical mosaic of Overseas Chinese social, economic and political activity in Singapore and the region, such as the development of maritime junk trade, plantation industries, and coolie labour, the role of different bangs, clan associations and secret societies as well as Chinese leaders, the diverging political allegiances including Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities and the National Salvation Movement leading up to the Second World War, the transplanting of traditional Chinese religions, the changing identity of the Overseas Chinese, and the developments in language and education policies, publishing, arts, and more.With 'Pride in our Past, Legacy for our Future' as its key objective, this volume aims to preserve the Singapore Chinese story, history and heritage for future generations, as well as keep our cultures and traditions alive. Therefore, the book aims to serve as a comprehensive guide for Singaporeans, new immigrants and foreigners to have an epitome of the Singapore society. This publication is supported by the National Heritage Board's Heritage Project Grant.Related Link(s)

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During the past three decades, health care systems in the East Asian regions of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have undergone major changes. Each system has its unique achievements and challenges. Global health care policymakers are increasingly interested in understanding the changes that have taken place in these four systems. This four-volume reference set is designed to help health care professionals, academics, policymakers, and general readers gain a good grasp of the background and latest developments in the health care systems of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This reference set provides an in-depth comparative health policy analysis and discussion of health care reform strategies in each of these systems. One unique feature of this set is that each volume has been edited by a leading scholar who has been deeply involved in the development of the health care system in that particular region. Each of these editors also has invited both scholars and practitioners to provide a first-hand description and analysis of key health care reform issues in that system. The many examples provided in each volume demonstrate how findings of evidence-based policy research can be implemented into policy practice.Volume 1 describes and discusses China's ambitious and complex journey of health care reform since 2009. The Chinese government has achieved universal health insurance coverage and has embarked on reforms of the service delivery system and provider payment methods that are aimed at controlling health expenditure growth and improving efficiency. This volume includes pilot and social experiments initiated by the government and researchers and their evaluations that have guided the formulation of health reform policies. It provides information on how to make reforms work at the local and provincial levels. The findings detailed in this volume will contribute to a global knowledge base in health care reforms.Volume 2 provides a comprehensive review and evaluation of the Japanese health care system. Japan has a long history of health care system development and provision of universal health coverage, with a mature and well-developed health care system among East Asian countries. However, due to increases in health care costs, economic stagnation and the country's rapidly aging population, Japan has undergone significant health care reform during the last two decades, both in the delivery as well as financing of health services in its hospital sector, medical technology sector and long-term care insurance. Despite these challenges and reforms, health outcomes among the Japanese population have been progressively among the best in the world. This volume shows how policy research can lead to policy analysis, implementation and assessment. It also provides valuable lessons learnt for mutual learning among other health care systems.Volume 3 offers a comprehensive review of the developments in South Korea's national health insurance system since 1989 in terms of financing, delivery systems, and outcomes. The volume analyzes the efficiency of cost and service delivery by public sectors versus private sectors. It points out areas of challenge to future Korean health care reform. Chapter authors in this volume are leading experts involved in Korean health care policy implementation.Volume 4 reviews the development and achievements of Taiwan Health Insurance since 1995. Because of its continuous reform in payment, services delivery, and pharmaceutical technology, Taiwan has been considered a model example of universal health insurance among global health systems. This volume shows the processes used to translate policy research findings into policy changes. While the health care reform in Taiwan is ongoing, the Taiwan example provides a real-world and practical understanding of health care system changes.In summary, this four-volume set makes an outstanding contribution to health care system reform and policy research, based on solid scholarly work. It also introduces policy researchers and academic communities to current debates about health systems, health financing, and universal health coverage. This reference volume is a must for anyone keen on East Asia's health care system reform dynamics and changing scene.

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This volume is a tribute to the career of Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus. It focuses on the optical properties and spectroscopy of single-wall carbon nanotubes. It contains chapters on diverse experimental and theoretical aspects of the field, written by internationally recognized experts. The volume serves as an important resource for researchers and students interested in carbon nanotubes.

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Set IV is a new addition to the previous Sets I, II and III. It contains 23 invited chapters from international specialists on the topics of numerical modeling of pulsating heat pipes and of slug flows with evaporation; lattice Boltzmann modeling of pool boiling; fundamentals of boiling in microchannels and microfin tubes, CO2 and nanofluids; testing and modeling of micro-two-phase cooling systems for electronics; and various special topics (flow separation in microfluidics, two-phase sensors, wetting of anisotropic surfaces, ultra-compact heat exchangers, etc.). The invited authors are leading university researchers and well-known engineers from leading corporate research laboratories (ABB, IBM, Nokia Bell Labs). Numerous 'must read' chapters are also included here for the two-phase community. Set IV constitutes a 'must have' engineering and research reference together with previous Sets I, II and III for thermal engineering researchers and practitioners.

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Handbook of International Food and Agricultural Policies is a three-volume set that aims to provide an accessible reference for those interested in the aims and implementation of food and farm policies throughout the world. The treatment is authoritative, comprehensive and forward looking. The three volumes combine scholarship and pragmatism, relating academic writing to real-world issues faced by policy-makers. A companion volume looking at the future resource and climate challenges for global agriculture will be published in the future.Volume I covers Farm and Rural Development policies of developed and developing countries. The volume contains 20 country chapters together with a concluding comprehensive synthesis of lessons to be drawn from the experiences of the individual countries.Volume II examines the experience of countries with food policies, including those dealing with food safety and quality and the responsibility for food security in developing countries. The chapters address issues such as obesity, nutritional supplements, organic foods, food assistance programs, biotech food acceptance, and the place of private standards.Volume III describes and explains the international trade dimension of farm and food policies — both at the bilateral and regional level — and also the multilateral rules that influence and constrain individual governments. The volume also looks at the steps that countries are together taking to meet the needs of developing and low-income countries.The volumes are of value to students and researchers interested in economic development, agricultural markets and food systems. Policy-makers and professionals involved in monitoring and regulating agricultural and food markets would also find the volumes useful in their practical work. This three-volume set is also a suitable source for the general public interested in how their food system is influenced by government policies.

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Set III of this encyclopedia is a new addition to the previous Sets I and II. It contains 26 invited chapters from international specialists on the topics of numerical modeling of two-phase flows and evaporation, fundamentals of evaporation and condensation in microchannels and macrochannels, development and testing of micro two-phase cooling systems for electronics, and various special topics (surface wetting effects, microfin tubes, two-phase flow vibration across tube bundles). The chapters are written both by renowned university researchers and by well-known engineers from leading corporate research laboratories. Numerous 'must read' chapters cover the fundamentals of research and engineering practice on boiling, condensation and two-phase flows, two-phase heat transfer equipment, electronics cooling systems, case studies and so forth. Set III constitutes a 'must have' reference together with Sets I and II for thermal engineering researchers and practitioners.

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This volume makes explicit use of the synergy between cosmology and high energy physics, for example, supersymmetry and dark matter, or nucleosynthesis and the baryon-to-photon ratio. In particular the exciting possible connection between the recently discovered Higgs scalar and the scalar field responsible for inflation is explored.The recent great advances in the accuracy of the basic cosmological parameters is exploited in that no free scale parameters such as h appear, rather the basic calculations are done numerically using all sources of energy density simultaneously. Scripts are provided that allow the reader to calculate exact results for the basic parameters. Throughout MATLAB tools such as symbolic math, numerical solutions, plots and 'movies' of the dynamical evolution of systems are used. The GUI package is also shown as an example of the real time manipulation of parameters which is available to the reader.All the MATLAB scripts are made available to the reader to explore examples of the uses of the suite of tools which are available. Indeed, readers should be able to engage in a command line 'dialogue' or go on to edit the scripts and write their own versions.

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China and India, the two largest developing countries, are developing rapidly both inside themselves and towards global markets. Are these two economies dual or dueling? This 3-volume set tries to answer this question by providing comprehensive analyses scoping varied economic issues.This volume set covers both China's and India's strategies and objectives in international governance, their bilateral and multilateral trade agreement negotiations, financial liberalization, growth prospects, rural development and agriculture, income distribution, labor market mechanism, manufacturing and competitiveness upgrading, as well as environmental and other social issues.The set collects papers (most unpublished until now) written by Chinese and Indian researchers who have rich experiences and strong backgrounds in policy analyses and are well connected to Chinese and Indian policy makers. Thus, these papers contain valuable first-hand information about China's and India's development strategies. This makes this volume set an essential source of reference for China-India comparisons and studies.

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The Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology is an event held approximately every seven years, and is regarded as the premier conference in the field of advanced clocks and oscillators together with their applications in science and metrology. This series began with the first meeting at Université Laval, Quebec Canada in 1971, and the last one was held in 2001 at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. The 7th Symposium on Frequency Standards and Metrology is scheduled for October 5-11, 2008 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California, USA.The Symposium is intended as a forum for bringing together international scientists and technologists engaged in the development of precise frequency standards and clocks, the study of their underlying physics, and their applications in metrology and tests of fundamental laws. The symposium has been traditionally held in a venue that promotes exchange of information on emerging ideas and latest achievements in the field, with a single-session approach which includes oral presentations by invitation, poster session(s) and keynote talks from internationally-recognized speakers. The program also includes social and other events aimed at promoting the exchange of technical and scientific information.

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Most of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Many aspects of our everyday lives and activities may be affected by water waves in some way. Sometimes, the waves can cause disaster. One of the examples was the tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. This indicates how important it is for us to fully understand water waves, in particular the very large ones. One way to do so is to perform numerical simulation based on the nonlinear theory. Considerable research advances have been made in this area over the past decade by developing various numerical methods and applying them to emerging problems; however, until now there has been no comprehensive book to reflect these advances. This unique volume aims to bridge this gap.This book contains 18 self-contained chapters written by more than 50 authors from 12 different countries, many of whom are world-leading experts in the field. Each chapter is based mainly on the pioneering work of the authors and their research teams over the past decades. The chapters altogether deal with almost all numerical methods that have been employed so far to simulate nonlinear water waves and cover many important and very interesting applications, such as overturning waves, breaking waves, waves generated by landslides, freak waves, solitary waves, tsunamis, sloshing waves, interaction of extreme waves with beaches, interaction with fixed structures, and interaction with free-response floating structures. Therefore, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research and key achievements in numerical modeling of nonlinear water waves, and serves as a unique reference for postgraduates, researchers and senior engineers working in industry.

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This is the international edition of Prof Rao's popular science book, an elementary introduction intended for high school students and others interested in appreciation of chemistry. Ideas and facts are presented, and a few questions raised, in order to interest the reader in the subject and to arouse curiosity. The book covers essential aspects of chemistry, features of the modern periodic table, bonding between atoms in molecules and substances, shapes and structures of molecules, metals and materials, alkalis and acids, carbon compounds, electronic structure of atoms, classification of elements, simple chemical reactions, biopolymers and man-made polymers and aspects of energy. There are also life sketches of chemists and procedures for a few experiments.

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Our genome is littered with scraps of DNA, termed “junk” DNAs, that serve no apparent purpose. Junk DNAs make up as much as 98.5% of our genome. Scientists believe that some junk DNAs came into existence millions of years ago, when viruses inserted their DNA into that of the human host. There is emerging evidence that suggests that these bits of microbial DNAs may alter our functional genes, impacting our body physiology and behavior.We have been invaded by “body snatchers” and they are part of us! We could postulate that we are carrying a large number of DNAs that serve only the DNAs, and we are just a small part of the big picture! There is ample scientific evidence to suggest that, even today, free-living microbes are still manipulating our behaviour and our life at large. They are thriving on our wet skin, in our mouth, and in our intestinal and vaginal tracts. We are perhaps not quite what we think we are.This thought-provoking and inspiring book offers many answers, while at the same time raising many questions for future research.

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This book provides unique perspectives on the state of the art in multispectral/hyperspectral techniques for early-warning monitoring against chemical, biological and radiological (CB&R) contamination of both surface (e.g. land) and air (e.g. atmospheric) environments through the presentation of a comprehensive survey of the novel spectroscopic methodologies and technologies that are emerging to address the CB&R defense and security challenges of the future. The technical content in this book lends itself to the non-traditional requirements for point and stand-off detection that have evolved out of the US joint services programs over many years. In particular, the scientific and technological work presented seeks to enable hyperspectral-based sensing and monitoring that is in real time and in-line; low in cost and labor requirements; and easy to support, maintain and use in military and security-relevant scenarios.

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Medical education — the art and science behind medical teaching and learning — has progressed remarkably. Teaching and learning have become more scientific and rigorous, curricula are based on sound pedagogical principles, and problem-based and other forms of active and self-directed learning have become the mainstream. We have progressed from the role of problem-identifier to that of solution-provider.This book provides a balanced overview of the ';why'; of medical education, emphasizing the need for change and adaptation, and the ';how';, by demonstrating the way concepts and theories of medical education can be of immediate benefit to the medical teacher. In this improved second edition, student assessment, curriculum, outcome-based education, clinical teaching, and problem-based learning receive more emphasis with the addition of new chapters, essential updates, and consolidation. The tone is more pragmatic, with implementable examples and incorporation of newer evidence and better practices. However, one thing has not changed: the book still targets medical teachers without a formal background in education.

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This book consists of survey and research articles expanding on the theme of the “International Conference on Reaction-Diffusion Systems and Viscosity Solutions”, held at Providence University, Taiwan, during January 3-6, 2007. It is a carefully selected collection of articles representing the recent progress of some important areas of nonlinear partial differential equations. The book is aimed for researchers and postgraduate students who want to learn about or follow some of the current research topics in nonlinear partial differential equations. The contributors consist of international experts and some participants of the conference, including Nils Ackermann (Mexico), Chao-Nien Chen (Taiwan), Yihong Du (Australia), Alberto Farina (France), Hitoshi Ishii (Japan), N Ishimura (Japan), Shigeaki Koike (Japan), Chu-Pin Lo (Taiwan), Peter Polacik (USA), Kunimochi Sakamoto (Japan), Richard Tsai (USA), Mingxin Wang (China), Yoshio Yamada (Japan), Eiji Yanagida (Japan), and Xiao-Qiang Zhao (Canada).

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This book contains the general description of the mathematical pendulum subject to constant torque, periodic and random forces. The latter appear in additive and multiplicative form with their possible correlation. For the underdamped pendulum driven by periodic forces, a new phenomenon — deterministic chaos — comes into play, and the common action of this chaos and the influence of noise are taken into account. The inverted position of the pendulum can be stabilized either by periodic or random oscillations of the suspension axis or by inserting a spring into a rigid rod, or by their combination. The pendulum is one of the simplest nonlinear models, which has many applications in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, communications, economics and sociology. A wide group of researchers working in these fields, along with students and teachers, will benefit from this book.

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The second edition of International Political Economy and Globalization is completely revised and updated to include new material on trade, monetary, and environmental issues. It provides a comprehensive treatment of major developments in the global economy and is suitable for adoption as a primer in undergraduate courses in international political economy. The author takes a stand that is supportive of globalization in principle, while acknowledging that there are many areas of inequity that disadvantage developing countries. This is explored in chapters that deal with trade, debt crises, and the environment. Students will find that the material is presented in a readable format that does not presuppose prior familiarity with economics.

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This book describes the effect that hydrocarbon energy (oil, gas and coal) has had on human evolution, how we got to the stage we are at today, what we are doing about it and where it will lead us in the not-too-distant future.The book is not speculation, but rather a collection of provable information based on verifiable facts which readers are encouraged to research for themselves so as to make an informed decision on how these facts will affect the future of mankind. The book covers the future of the human race, not just the decline of non-renewable resources such as oil and gas. It is designed to make people think out of the box rather than merely accept the results as they happen.

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This book brings together the joint work of Drew Fudenberg and David Levine (through 2008) on the closely connected topics of repeated games and reputation effects, along with related papers on more general issues in game theory and dynamic games. The unified presentation highlights the recurring themes of their work.

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This edited book presents recent developments and state-of-the-art review in various areas of mathematical programming and game theory. It is a peer-reviewed research monograph under the ISI Platinum Jubilee Series on Statistical Science and Interdisciplinary Research. This volume provides a panoramic view of theory and the applications of the methods of mathematical programming to problems in statistics, finance, games and electrical networks. It also provides an important as well as timely overview of research trends and focuses on the exciting areas like support vector machines, bilevel programming, interior point method for convex quadratic programming, cooperative games, non-cooperative games and stochastic games. Researchers, professionals and advanced graduates will find the book an essential resource for current work in mathematical programming, game theory and their applications.

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This book provides us with important concepts in coastal engineering, their applications to coastal processes and disaster prevention works. It is designed for graduate students pursuing advanced studies in coastal processes and for engineers and managers of coastal zone management. The first part describes basic concepts of coastal engineering, dealing mainly with wave-induced physical problems in the field of coastal engineering and hydraulics. The second part consists of the author's results of 30 years of scientific research on the progress of coastal sediment transport and coastal disasters. In terms of sediment transport study, the book covers not only coastal zones but also sediment production in river basins and river sediment transport to understand the present reasons for coastal erosion. A number of case studies for various countries around the world are given, and from the descriptions provided, it is possible to understand the different problems and challenges facing each country.

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This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of international trade and trade policy, including coverage of recent areas of research such as heterogeneous firm trade models and trade costs. It then proceeds to analyze the history of trade policies and the evolution of the global trading system, with a primary focus on important policies or controversial issues such as the Doha Round, antidumping duties, regionalism and fair trade.It aims to emphasize the significance of different theories and how they are interconnected. Unlike other technique-driven international economics textbooks, this book focuses on readers understanding how theory and policy are connected. Written in a lecture note format and in a straightforward manner, the presentation is self-contained with no assumed mathematical knowledge.

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This book discusses in detail the workings of financial markets and over-the-counter (OTC) markets, focusing specifically on standard and complex derivatives. The subjects covered range from the fundamental products in OTC markets, standard and exotic options, the concepts of value at risk, credit derivatives and risk management, to the applications of option pricing theory to real assets.To further elucidate these complex concepts and formulas, this book also explains in each chapter how theory and practice go hand-in-hand. This volume, a culmination of the author's 12 years of professional experience in the field of finance, derivative analysis and risk management, is a valuable guide for postgraduate students, academics and practitioners in the field of finance.

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