The Paradox in Partnership: The Role of Conflict in Partnership Building elucidates on alliances that are - on one hand, designed to promote collaboration between individuals, groups and organizations - but on the other hand, the processes of their formation and maintenance entail continuous engagement with competitive orientation, power struggles and conflict. Theoretical frameworks with praxis are integrated as reflected in a variety of organizational, community and national contexts. In the theoretical domain, it expands knowledge on partnerships in general and their paradoxical nature in particular. On the practical level, the dual partnership phenomenon is explained along with considerable advantages it may offer to all partners when it is developed systematically and is accompanied by reflection and learning, especially while facing the reality of dwindling resources.

The general themes of this analysis of the commercial space tourism industry include three main topics; 1) Benefits of commercial space tourism to numerous stakeholders, 2) The viability of commercial space tourism 3) existing public relations solutions for virtually all impediments to commercial space tourism. Initially, development of a viable commercial space tourism industry would provide substantial economic benefits. A second factor is that the primary impediments to commercial space tourism industrial development are amenable to public relations solutions. For space industrial development to be successful, it will take a delicate balance of satisfying state, local and federal policy makers. Many federal regulatory agencies are involved that have jurisdiction over commercial space. Economic policy is also a factor as the public and politicians deal with resource allocation issues. The public will expect commercial space and tourism to create economic growth and jobs as well. A book addressing these issues and offering solutions to these topics in space tourism and policy will be unique to the industry. This e-book is a useful guide for readers who are personally and/or professionally interested in commercial space tourism and related commercial space ventures, and those interested in astronautics, space development and similar public policy issues in general. Readers also interested in aeronautics, as well as regulatory agencies and legislatures will also benefit from this e-book.

This volume summarizes the history and findings of the First Mariners Project, which the author, Robert G. Bednarik, commenced in 1996 in order to explore the Ice Age origins of seafaring. This is the largest archaeological replication project ever undertaken with several hundred people involved in the construction of eight primitive vessels with stone tools under scientifically controlled conditions, six of them sailing. Four bamboo rafts have succeeded in accomplishing the historically documented crossings they sought to replicate. One of the successful experiments, a 1000 kilometer journey to Australia in 1998, attempted to recreate the first human arrival in Australia, probably around 60,000 years ago. Other voyages attempted to address the much earlier sea crossings documented to have taken place in the islands of Indonesia, the earliest of which may have occurred nearly a million years ago. These experiments have also featured in BBC and National Geographic documentaries. The First Mariners comprehensively describes the archaeological background and relevant issues of the project and features an extensive pictorial record, of both the experiments and the archaeological basis of this research – giving a unique experience to readers interested in understanding the earliest marine adventurers from a historical and technical perspective.

Molecular methodologies are crucial to our understanding of human population diversity, as well as our evolutionary relationships with nonhuman primates. The completion of the Human Genome Project has given researchers a complete human reference sequence of genes. Combined with very important advances in sequencing and bioinformatics technologies, genetic research projects are now of a multidisciplinary nature. Anthropologists have the tools to seek information related to questions concerning the origin of the human species. Genomics in Biological Anthropology: New Challenges, New Opportunities explores the impact of new advances in molecular methods, such as DNA sequencing, amplification and analysis on our knowledge about the genetics of prehistoric and existing humans. Topics covered in this volume include an overview of genomic projects, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, ancient DNA, mutation rates in chromosome Y, genomics of isolated populations, complex phenotypes and forensic anthropology. This volume is a concise primer for students and general readers learning the basics about human genetics, human evolution and biological anthropology

Animal disease models are a vital tool to study diseases and associated conditions. Studies on animal models can, in some cases, be used as a basis for modeling and understanding human diseases. Biomedical scientists face a challenge to choose the correct animal model to study disease pathology, and neurological diseases are no exception to this rule. <p> Animal Models for Neurological Disorders covers different animal models which have been used for studying neurological disorders. 13 topical chapters have been contributed by a group of experts on the subject with an aim to cover emerging experimental models of a range of neurological diseases encountered in the clinic including Alzheimer’s disease, psychosis, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, vascular dementia, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors, among others. The chapters also inform readers about relevant clinical correlations in each disease model where appropriate. <p> Animal Models for Neurological Disorders is intended for all scholarly researchers and students of biomedical sciences, pharmacology, medicine (oncology, neurology, psychiatry), pharmacy, biochemistry, and biotechnology. The organized contents of the book also serve as a quick reference point for scientists working in applied areas of neuroscience including the study of neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive dysfunction in living organisms.

This text describes important considerations for conceptualizing, designing and carrying out qualitative research in community settings. The book covers various research aspects with respect to teaching, learning, practicing and assessing. Readers will gain insights into qualitative methodology as a vital stand-alone approach and find it to be an illuminating supplement to quantitative methodology and a core component of mixed methods studies. Some key questions answered by the book are: What&rsquo;s in it for us? What are collaborations and partnerships? How can knowledge and skills to achieve meaningful outcomes be acquired and applied? How can scientific rigor be achieved? What are the challenges and how can they be resolved? What is ethical? Whose voices and narratives should be portrayed? What is culturally competent qualitative research? Who and what determine assessments? Can qualitative research help sustain community? What happens when the project ends? How can research shape public policy? The e-book should serve as a useful guide for social science and community research students and teachers alike.

Focusing on reducing emissions and improving fuel economy, automotive manufacturers are developing electric vehicles (EV) to replace fuel and diesel vehicles starting in 2030 onwards. The EVs, with their green power supplies maximize environmental benefits with zero emissions thereby lowering air pollution levels. There is now an increased demand for stable electric storage systems (ESS) that are part of the design of new electric vehicles. This timely reference gives an overview of modern electrical power systems applied in the current generation of electric vehicles which require an ESS, and how these can be utilized for simultaneous power and data communication. The book starts with an introduction to the topic, before giving a summary of the green power trend for the electric vehicle market. The book then delves into the theoretical and analytical framework required to understand adaptive compensation of the magnetic inductive system (ACMIS), based on zero voltage switch (ZVS). The chapters demonstrate how these systems are used for transmitting electric power from a single-end inverter combined with a compensated network of parallel to parallel (P-P) type and an auto-tuning impedance of LC tank. The book also covers the experimental method for a multifunctional contactless power flow of the G2V mode and bidirectional outer communication and inner communication with giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect for car parking guidance. The experiment shows how to analyze data transferring performance including the current trimming method and how to evaluate data transmission quality according to the relevant parameters. Overall the book serves to familiarize automotive engineers and industry professionals involved in the electric vehicle market with the issues that surround wireless power charging and data transfer systems for electric vehicles, and introduces them to more coherent designs.

This e-book details state-of-the-art drive by wire technology. Readers are made aware about the challenges ahead that need be addressed in order for this technology to gain a foothold in the automotive industry. The eBook presents a systematic analysis of these issues and points out the fundamental reasons for the limited applications of these systems to date. It also discusses how recent technological advances in fault tolerant control can address these current challenges facing drive by wire application in automobiles. Non-technological issues such as consumer perception of drive by wire systems, trade-off analysis of drive by wire system from Automotive OEMs and suppliers’ perspective are also reviewed in this volume. This book will enhance current understanding of this technology amongst practicing automotive engineers and researchers alike.

Mechatronics Series I: Intelligent Transportation Vehicles brings the latest advances and developments in intelligent vehicles to readers on the basis of their significance and quality. Wider dissemination of research developments will stimulate more exchanges and collaborations among the research community and contribute to further advancement of this rapidly growing field. This Ebook series includes key contributions presented by different researchers. These contributions represent a wide coverage of the state-of-the-art and the emerging research directions in intelligent transportation vehicles.

Railway is a form of public transport which serves the society, and its aim is to transport passengers and freight safely, rapidly, reliably, accurately and economically. With an implementation of railway great-leap-forward development, the realization of new-generation rail transport system- Railway Intelligent Transportation System (RITS), whose purpose is to ensure security, improve transport efficiency, elevate service quality and achieve the international standards, has become the inevitable development trend. Aiming to provide high security, high efficiency, and high quality service to the rail transport, for the first time the authors put forward the concept of &amp;amp;quot; RITS &amp;amp;quot;, and systematically discussed its connotation and substantive characteristics, structural model, development framework and core technology, developmental pattern etc; they deeply analyze the service framework, logical framework and physical framework of typical subsystem of RITS --- Intelligent Emergency Rescue and Safety System, and execute optimization design. The purpose of optimization design for RITS is to coordinate system target-oriented designs and realizations among various subsystems, making the entire work better, to achieve a system with best overall performance, the construction of RITS system in China. Combining years&amp;amp;rsquo; research and practical experience in RITS, we proposed the &amp;amp;quot;The Theory and Method of Design and Optimization for Railway Intelligent Transportation Systems (RITS) &amp;amp;quot;, presenting it in the form of a book to meet the urgent needs of theory and methods of intelligent transport systems for railway transport. We hope that this book can play the role of throwing a brick to allure a gem, and accelerate further expansion research and application of RITS. The authors of the book engaged in research work of RITS and related fields for many years, successively undertaking and completing the key project of National Natural Science Foundation of &amp;amp;quot;Research on Integrated Information System and Key technologies of High-speed Railway Intelligent Transportation&amp;amp;quot;, Ministry of Science and Technology research project &amp;amp;quot;Railway Geographic Information System&amp;amp;quot;, &amp;amp;quot;Research on Railway Intelligent Transportation System Standard System&amp;amp;quot;, &amp;amp;quot;National Railway GIS Application Service Platform&amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;quot;Research on Development Strategy of Railway Intelligent Transportation System&amp;amp;quot;, Ministry of Railways research project&amp;amp;quot; Railway Geographic Information System Design and Development&amp;amp;quot;, &amp;amp;quot;Research and Development on Qinghai-Tibet Railway Emergency Rescue System and Emergency Rescue Command &amp;amp;amp; Management Information System&amp;amp;quot;, &amp;amp;quot;Research on the Railway Emergency Preplan Management&amp;amp;quot; and &amp;amp;quot;Research on Railway Intelligent Transportation System (RITS) Framework&amp;amp;quot;, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation-funded project&amp;amp;quot; Research on RITS Framework Design and Optimization Method&amp;amp;quot;, faulitating the development of application systems, granting achievements in these projects . We sincerely express our gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China, The Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and The Ministry of Railway of China for their financial support. We would also like to thank Dr. Li ping, Dr. Meng yan, Dr. Qinyong, Master Jia Tianli and Master Shao Yikun etc, for their valuable advice, selfless support and assistance for completion of the book. In the process of writing the book, we reviewed a large number of references, to seek clear concepts, using familiar examples to illustrate various theories and methods, which may enable various types of readers to have a clear understanding and knowledge of the optimized design of RITS. With the limitation of the authors&amp;amp;rsquo; knowledge level and the depth as well as the breadth of research, there must be some irregularities of views, methods and theories in the book, which the readers may duly criticize. This book combines theories and applications closely, and is convenient for readers&amp;amp;rsquo; self-study. The book is also adequate for colleagues engaged in work and research in the rail transportation field, as well as colleges and universities, graduate students and scientific researchers in interrelated fields.