Bøker utgitt av Nova Science Publishers Inc

The federal inmate population has increased more than eight-fold since 1980, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has identified prison crowding as a critical issue since 2006. DOJ''s Bureau of Prisons'' (BOP) rising costs and offender recidivism present incarceration challenges to both DOJ and the nation. DOJ has implemented three key initiatives to address the federal incarceration challenges of overcrowding, rising costs, and offender recidivism, which includes the return of offenders to prison after release. This book discusses DOJ''s initiatives to address federal incarceration challenges; the extent to which DOJ is measuring its efforts; and the extent to which DOJ is coordinating across its components to implement the Smart on Crime Initiative. Moreover, this book examines the 5-year post-release offending patterns of persons released from state prisons in 2005 by offender characteristics, prior criminal history, and commitment offense. It provides estimates on the number and types of crimes former inmates commit both prior to their imprisonment and after release. The book includes different measures of recidivism, including a new arrest, court adjudication, conviction, and incarceration for either a new sentence or a technical violation. It also documents the extent to which the released prisoners committed crimes in states other than the one that released them.

Additive manufacturing has the potential to fundamentally change the production and distribution of goods. Unlike conventional or subtractive manufacturing processes, such as drilling, which create a part by cutting away material, additive manufacturing builds a part using a layer-by-layer process. Additive manufacturing has been used as a design and prototyping tool, but the focus of additive manufacturing is now shifting to the direct production of functional parts -- parts that accomplish one or more functions, such as medical implants or aircraft engine parts -- that are ready for distribution and sale. This book discusses the use of additive manufacturing to directly produce functional parts, including its opportunities, key challenges, and key considerations for any policy actions that could affect its future use. This book explores the development and application of additive manufacturing as well as initiatives in the United States and other countries to advance it. It also examines the technology''s effect on firm and industry production activities, as well as the potential implications for U.S. manufacturing competitiveness focused in three industries.

Organic crop acres in the United States more than doubled between 2002 and 2011 as acreage increased from 1.3 to over 3 million acres. While acreage for some major field crops increased substantially during this period, growth was more modest or had stalled for others. This book examines the profitability of corn, wheat, and soybean production using national survey data and finds that significant economic returns are possible from organic production of these crops. The main reason for higher per-bushel returns to organic production is the price premiums paid for organic crops. Despite potentially higher returns, the adoption of organic field crop production has been slow and is challenging due to such factors as achieving effective weed control and the processes involved with organic certification.

This book examines the national security and preparedness issues, developments and analyses facing the U.S. today. Topics discussed include President Barack Obama''s national security strategy; national security implications of climate-related risks and a changing climate; the department of defense strategy for countering weapons of mass destruction; orbital debris mitigation and removal; maritime critical infrastructure protection; and the Project BioShield Act.

Indian energy resources hold significant potential for development, but remain largely undeveloped. Interior''s Bureau of Indian Affairs'' (BIA) reviews and approves leases and other permits required for development. Other Interior components and federal agencies also have roles in this process. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided the opportunity for interested tribes to pursue tribal energy resource agreements (TERA)agreements between a tribe and Interior that allow the tribe to enter into energy leases and agreements without review and approval by Interior. The act also authorises Interior to provide grants to tribes to develop the capacity needed to enter into a TERA. However, no tribe has entered into a TERA. This book examines factors that have hindered Indian energy development; factors that have deterred tribes from pursuing TERAs; and the effectiveness of Interior''s efforts to build tribes'' capacity to enter into TERAs. Moreover, the book provides results of a final evaluation report on oil and gas leasing in Indian Country; and uses an established geospatial methodology to estimate the technical potential for renewable energy on tribal lands for the purpose of allowing Tribes to prioritise the development of renewable energy resources either for community-scale on-tribal-land use or for revenue-generating electricity sales.

Constrained budgets and increasing energy efficiency goals have led federal agencies to explore innovative ways to fund energy improvements, including the Department of Energy''s Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC). An expected increase in the use of ESPCs has raised questions about agencies'' ability to ensure that the government''s interests are protected. ESPCs can span up to 25 years and be valued at millions of dollars each. This book examines the extent to which agencies have used ESPCs and plan to use them; projects have achieved their expected cost and energy savings; and agencies have overseen and evaluated such projects.

China''s global rise has prompted numerous discussions and studies of this historically monumental phenomenon and its implications for the world. On the one hand, China''s emergence as a global player has generated a lot of optimism for global development and economic convergence. On the other, it has spurred concerns about possible collisions on the world stage as existing and emerging powers seek to retain and redesign their roles and influences. Related opportunities and fears have been especially pronounced in countries neighbouring China, including in Central Asia where the newly independent and post-Soviet republics face a possibility of yet another imperial expansion due to strategic advances of the "Middle Kingdom." As the strongest power on the planet, the United States has a major stake in China''s and the region''s future because both directly affect the U.S. global standing and the U.S.-led global economic and security order. This book assesses China''s global rise through the prism of geopolitical and geo-economic forces sweeping through Central Asia.

Globalisation is characterised by the increase of MNEs, an increased role for international financial institutions, and/or an explosion of multilateral agreements and arrangements. Vertical integration mirrors the spatial dispersal of supplies, raw materials, crucial inputs and intermediate products. MNEs reach advantages owing to both vertical and horizontal integration. Global network organisations more and more perceive the relocation of HQ activities as the next movement in the optimisation of their global networks. The EU should be transformed into a federation, the United States of Europe (USE), with a common federal economy solving current political, societal and economic problems within EU. The United States of Europe (USE) would be a much more attractive environment for the location of MNEs with all advantages for the whole EU area, such as transfer of technology. ΜΝΕs shift income into low-tax states through transfer pricing and debt financing. There is a swift development and emergence of e-MNEs on such things as line shops and emergence of e-logistics, but there is a long distance towards a real overwhelming spread of e-MNEs. Risk management has become more and more important in the financial industry. The business of global governance is set to become one of the key international policy issues of the twenty-first century.

This book presents theoretical aspects of short-circuit performance of power transformers, transformer testing experiences, short current testing laboratories and high-voltage thyristor valves for electrodynamic testing. The questions of the original application experience of LVI-testing, Frequency Response Analysis (FRA) to check the condition of transformer windings, infra-red control, ultraviolet control, and Partial Discharges (PD) for the insulation monitoring of electrical equipment are examined in this book. The LVI method and short-circuit inductive reactance measurements are sensitive for detecting such faults as radial and axial winding deformations, a twisting of low-voltage or regulating winding, a loss of winding pressing, etc. The most important elements of "intellectual networks" (Smart Grid) are the systems for monitoring the parameters of electrical equipment. Information-measuring systems (IMS), which are described in this paper, were proposed to be used together with rapid digital protection against short-circuit regimes in transformer windings. Short-circuit performance of power transformers, transformer testing experience, short current testing laboratories and high-voltage thyristor valve for electrodynamic test of power transformer are examined in this book. High-voltage electrical equipment with the SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) gas insulation, analysis of accident rate and service experience are represented. Estimation of the technical condition state of substation electrical equipment with the use of software and information tools allows for increasing the effectiveness of technical diagnostics and reliability of electrical equipment in service. The following diagnostic models for evaluating the technical condition state of electrical equipment are examined: model of the electrodynamic stability (mechanical state) of the transformer and reactor windings, multi-frequency diagnostic model of n-layer paper-oil insulation and model of the drift of temperatures of the bus arrangement of transformer. Monitoring, control and analysis of breakdowns of overhead transmission lines (6-500 кV) in the Middle Volga region have been analysed. The book is based on the previous author''s researches. The author has more than 200 scientific and technical publications. The main research interests concentrate on the field of transformer short-circuit testing, transformer winding fault diagnostic, Frequency Response Analysis, mart Grid and information-measuring systems.