Bøker utgitt av Nova Science Publishers Inc

The racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. population is rapidly evolving. This is of substantial importance to traffic safety specialists because there is extensive evidence that the risk of involvement in traffic crashes varies significantly across racial and ethnic groups. Protective and risk factors affecting some groups may not be relevant to others. To be effective, safety programs and educational messages to curb such risks need to be sensitive to the nation''s growing cultural diversity. This book reviews the state of knowledge of alcohol-impaired driving among major racial and ethnic groups living in the United States. Although it focuses primarily on impaired driving, it also covers the precursor issue of the differences in ethnic drinking practices. Finally, this book explores the meaning of key concepts that define the problem of the meaning of race, ethnicity, and acculturation; how these concepts are associated with health-related disparities; and how they relate to impaired driving.

This book described the current status and possible future changes of the thermokarst (thaw) lakes of western Siberia as dominant forms of landscape and regulators of greenhouse gas exchange within the atmosphere. Thawing permafrost and resulting microbial decomposition of previously frozen organic carbon is one of the most significant terrestrial ecosystem positive feedbacks to a warming climate. Ongoing processes of the permafrost thawing in Western Siberia are likely to increase the surface of water bodies via forming so-called thermokarst lakes, mobilising the organic carbon (OC) from the soil pool to the rivers and, finally, to the ocean, and thus modifying the fluxes of methane (CH4) and CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite their tremendous importance for green house gazes regulation and hydrological regime control, very little is known about hydrochemistry of western Siberia thaw lakes. This book assesses the variation of major and trace elements (TE) and organic carbon (OC) concentration along the chronosequence of lake development and the latitude profile of variable permafrost abundance; characterises the colloidal status of TE and distinguishes between the relative proportion of organic and organo-mineral colloids; describes the particularity of microbiological composition of thermokarst lake waters and production/mineralisation processes in the water column; and presents the perspective of water chemical composition evolution under the climate change scenario. Each of these aforementioned objectives present a scientific challenge given mainly the paucity of existing information on these important but still very poorly studied ecosystems. Taken together, understanding of these issues and identification and quantification of controlling environmental parameters should produce conceptually new knowledge of biogeochemical processes operating within the Western Siberia Plain with the possibility of extrapolation of generated knowledge to much larger territories of arctic and subarctic permafrost-affected areas.

In 2012, the federal government provided over $850 million to 185 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools that serve about 41,000 Indian students living on or near reservations. BIE is a part of the Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior, and BIE''s director is responsible for managing education functions at all BIE schools. BIE''s mission is to provide quality education opportunities to Indian students. This book studies the extent to which BIE is achieving its mission. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined (1) how student performance at BIE schools compares to that of public school students; (2) what challenges, if any, BIE schools face assessing student performance; and (3) what management challenges, if any, affect BIE and its mission.

The Order of Saint Lazarus is a lesser known Crusader Order that saw its development in the wake of the First Crusade in the 12th century together with the more popularly known Crusader Orders -- the Order of Saint John [Hospitallers] and the Order of the Temple [Templars]. Its original brief in the Kingdom of Jerusalem was to succour the victims of leprosy but eventually assumed a military role. Supported by various European Royal houses, the Order expanded its range of influence to Europe. Following political machinations, it saw itself divided into two main branches: 1. A Savoyan branch -- the Order of Sts. Lazarus and Maurice; and 2. A French branch the Order of Saint Lazarus and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Both Orders are still active today. The book reviews in detail the history of the Order of Saint Lazarus from its conception to the modern period using whenever possible access to original documentation and contemporary texts. Unfortunately, much of what has been written about the Order in the past has been based on biased secondary sources which have had a specific agenda either to denigrate or to support the Order. By reviewing the history using primary sources, whenever possible, one would hope that the reader would be able to identify fact from fiction throughout the historical timeline. The Order''s raison d''etre has changed over the centuries from a specific hospitaller Order caring for victims of leprosy adding on a military role in later years, to a Chivalric Order enjoying Papal and French Royal protection, to a philanthropic Order enjoying the fons honorum of the Melkite Patriarch and eventually becoming increasing secular in an organisation with a primary philanthropic role on an international scale. The book targets a varied audience ranging from individuals interested in Medieval, Crusader and Military history, and is suitable for the non-academic readers such as current members of the present Orders of Saint Lazarus to undergraduate and postgraduate academic researchers.

The federal government has funded work to address global climate change for more than four decades. An initial focus on science has expanded to encompass both mitigation and adaptation, involving at least 18 agencies plus the Executive Office of the President. The work supported is conducted by universities, national laboratories, private contractors, non-governmental organisations, and some federal agencies. Most of the funding has supported scientific and, since the 1990s, technological research and development. Given uncertainties regarding the risks of future climate change, the federal climate strategy has aimed at improving the information available for decision-making and reducing the costs of technologies that could help abate the risks. A growing component has been federal planning and efforts to adapt to climate change. Complementing the science and technology initiatives have been regulatory actions; programs to build capacity in private, state, local, and international entities to address climate change; and tax incentives to stimulate deployment of low greenhouse gas-emitting technologies. This book summarises direct federal funding identified as climate change-related from FY2008 enacted funding through FY2013 and the FY2014 request. It reports the Administration''s estimates of tax revenues not received due to energy tax provisions that may reduce GHG emissions and identifies the programs and funding levels, as well as some qualifications and observations on reporting of federal funding, and offers some issues that members of Congress may wish to consider in deliberating U.S. climate change strategies.

The federal Pell Grant program is the single largest source of federal grant aid supporting post-secondary education students. The program provided over $33.5 billion to approximately 9.7 million undergraduate students in FY2011. For FY2012, the total maximum Pell Grant was funded at $5,550. The program is funded primarily through annual discretionary appropriations, although in recent years mandatory appropriations have played a smaller yet increasing role in the program. The statutory authority for the Pell Grant program was most recently reauthorised by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Pell Grants are need-based aid that is intended to be the foundation for all federal student aid awarded to undergraduates. There is no absolute income threshold that determines who is eligible or ineligible for Pell Grants. Nevertheless, Pell Grant recipients are primarily low-income. In FY2010, an estimated 74% of all Pell Grant recipients had a total family income at or below $30,000. This book reviews how the program works and provides an analysis of recent program costs and funding, recipients (numbers and characteristics), and the role the program plays in the distribution of federal student aid. In addition, this book highlights some of the current legislative issues pertaining to the program.

Since the 1970s, energy tax policy in the United States has attempted to achieve two broad objectives. First, policymakers have sought to reduce oil import dependence and enhance national security through a variety of domestic energy investment and production tax subsidies. Second, environmental concerns have led to subsidisation of a variety of renewable and energy efficiency technologies via the tax code. While these two broad goals continue to guide policy, enacted policies that solely focus on achieving only one of the goals are often inconsistent with policies solely designed to achieve the other goal. For example, subsidies to oil and gas producers, while enhancing domestic oil and gas production, encourage an activity with negative environmental consequences. By providing a longitudinal perspective on energy tax policy and expenditures, this book examines how current revenue losses resulting from energy tax provisions compare to historical losses and provides a foundation for understanding how current energy tax policy evolved. Further, this book compares the relative value of tax incentives given to fossil fuels, renewables, and energy efficiency. Recent legislation has introduced, reintroduced, expanded, and extended a number of energy tax provisions. While a number of the current energy provisions have a long historical standing in the tax code, a wider variety of tax incentives, to promote a range of energy sources, are presently available than have been available in the past.

During the 1980''s, grade retention increased as school districts instituted policies that linked standardised test scores to student promotion and placement decisions. However, research has found grade retention does not improve student learning. Enforcement of promotional standards at every grade level is expected to ensure the competency of high school graduates and lower student dropout rates. Despite such belief, studies show "flunking" students are traumatic and increases student dropout. Researchers found a relationship between grade retention and high school dropout rates. Dropouts are five times more likely to have repeated a grade than high school graduates. In three studies involving 20,000 to 80,000 students, retained students were 20 to 30 percent more likely to dropout of school. Moreover, African American males with below average achievement had a 45% chance of dropping out of school; while retained African American males with identical achievement scores have a 75% chance of dropping out of school. While retention may serve as a "stick" for students to perform better; usually retained students frustratingly repeat the previous year''s instruction, and ultimately disengage from school. To address student grade retention, more funding is needed to support schools implement alternative programs to address students'' academic needs and decrease the pernicious practice of student retention. Despite such research, student grade retention continues as a common practice within our nation''s schools. However, student grade retention from the perspectives of parents have been hushed; and practical recommendations and programs to decrease student grade retention while increasing student achievement are still needed. In this book, the voices of parents and their children experiences are presented. Hearing their voices provides unique insight on action steps we (all educational stakeholders) can take to better educate all students. Additionally, innovative practical programs that work and could be replicated in schools are discussed. This book is a must read for administrators, educators, parents and related practitioners who seek "out of the box" ideas to better educate our students, particularly those in urban schools.

New effective nano-objects such as the fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, shungites, graphenes and quantum dots have been widely used now in the research of many scientific and technical groups. The main reason to use the fullerenes, shungites, and quantum dots is connected to their unique energy levels and the high value of electron affinity energy. The basic features of carbon nanotubes and graphenes are regarded to their high conductivity, strong hardness of their C-C bonds as well as complicated and unique mechanisms of charge carrier moving. These peculiarities of carbon nano-objects will be under consideration in this paper to explain their influence on balk and surface optical materials properties with good new advantages. As the result of this discussion and investigation, new areas of application of the nanostructured optical materials and elements can be shown in the optoelectronics and laser optics, medicine, telecommunications, display, microscopy technique, etc. Moreover, the nanostructured materials can be used for example, for development of transparent UV and IR window, for gas storage and solar energy accumulation, as well as in airspace and atomic industry.

Innovation continues to drive economic development and business competitiveness. In the past centuries, innovation has been focused around national and international business development. But in the twenty-first century, innovation is occurring in a global context, with the factors of innovation changing for success in global competitiveness. While many innovation theories abound, the real test of validity is an empirical success in using innovation to enter and succeed in global markets. While Japan was the principle success story for innovation and competitiveness in the second half of the twentieth century, Korea now has become the exemplar of global success. What strategies and factors have successful Korean firms implemented to achieve global stature? In 2012, Samsung became the largest electronics company in the world, dominating markets in memory semiconductors and displays and smart phones. Hyundai became the fifth largest automobile manufacturer in global markets. Posco had emerged from a national steel company into a global company. We review modern innovation theory and examine its practices in cases of successful Korean companies which have attained global stature. We will learn from the Korean experience in global competition, six important principles about the interaction between the economy and innovation: (1) a dynamic firm capability in both innovation and capital commitment, (2) an industrial economy-of-scale of innovative production capabilities (3) an industrial economy-of-speed in innovating new products, (4) a strong national research & development capability for advancing technology, (5) a strong national university system for developing educated human resources, and (6) a strong national infrastructure capability for fostering commercialisation of new business. Also, we learn that in the global marketplace for any competitive nation, there is no such thing as a ''post-industrial economy''.