In this book, Chen Gang examines the real-world effectiveness of China's approach to the promotion of green technologies and practices, and discusses the political landscape in which it is situated.Politics of Renewable Energy in China questions the wisdom of hailing China as a model for authoritarian environmental governance with an up-to-date examination of the subject. It provides readers with a thorough and timely account of recent developments in China's low-carbon en...

This book focuses on the evolution of technocracy in contemporary Chinese politics and its implications in China’s elite politics and policymaking. The rise of technocracy in contemporary Chinese politics is not only attributed to the meritocratic tradition based on civil service exams in ancient China but also tied to the current authoritarian political system that relies on the top-down cadre promotion approach instead of public elections. Leaders with technocratic backgrounds have broug...

This book provides an in-depth explanation of public pension plan management and the decision-making processes surrounding pension policies within state and local governments in the United States. It addresses the intricate balance between securing retirement benefits for public employees and ensuring the fiscal sustainability of pension systems and their sponsoring governments. The book begins with an introduction to the purpose and significance of public pension systems, establishing a f...

In China’s 4,000-year-long history and modern development, natural disaster management has been about not only human combat against devastating natural forces, but also institutional building, political struggle, and economic interest redistribution among different institutional players. A significant payoff for social scientists studying disasters is that they can reveal much of the hidden nature of political and economic processes and structures, particularly those in non-democracies, wh...

Life in twentieth-century Communist China is not easy for its people who must navigate through hardships, oppression, and many other complex challenges. Within five original screenplays, Greg Gang CHEN shares insights into the lives of diverse characters demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit, despite the obstacles standing in the way: After intellectuals settle in a village in the late sixties, a school is established in a Buddhist temple. As locals and new arrivals recite Chair...

This book gives readers a working knowledge of vehicle vibration, noise, and sound quality. The knowledge it imparts can be applied to analyze real-world problems and devise solutions that reduce vibration, control noise, and improve sound quality in all vehicles—ground, aerospace, rail, and marine.Also described and illustrated are fundamental principles, analytical formulations, design approaches, and testing techniques. Whole vehicle systems are discussed, as are individual comp...

Friction-vibration interactions are common but important phenomena in science and engineering. Handbook of Friction-Vibration Interactions introduces the principles and provides the resources to understand and work with them. A unified theoretical framework includes some of the most important engineering applications. The first three chapters in the book introduce basic concepts and analytical methods of friction and vibration. The fourth chapter presents the general principles on friction...

Advances in 3D Textiles presents the most recent advances in the production of three-dimensional fibrous structures and how their use has resulted in the creation of novel fabrics and applications. The text covers a wide range of fabric types, including their structures, properties, and uses in the textiles industry. Beginning with the various types of woven three-dimensional fabrics, the text then examines 3-D knitted, braided, and non-woven textiles, and the main applications and uses of...

This book consists of overall brain stem anatomical briefs and dozens of interesting cases. Each case is demonstrated with baseline information on the disease, CT/MR, surgical planning, postoperative complication, follow-up and discussion. The work contains up-to-date surgical procedures such as hematoma evacuation assisted by navigation, stereotaxic techniques in the brain stem hematoma drainage, hematoma evacuation via infratemporal approach and occipital median approach. The work illust...

Advanced Fibrous Composite Materials for Ballistic Protection provides the latest information on ballistic protection, a topic that remains an important issue in modern times due to ever increasing threats coming from regional conflicts, terrorism, and anti-social behavior. The basic requirements for ballistic protection equipment are first and foremost, the prevention of a projectile from perforating, the reduction of blunt trauma to the human body caused by ballistic impact, the necessit...

This book explores and analyzes influential predictors and the underlying mechanisms of individual content sharing/retweeting behavior on social networking sites (SNS) from an empirical perspective. Since Individual content sharing/ retweeting behavior expedites information dissemination, it is a critical mechanism of information diffusion on Twitter.Individual sharing/retweeting behavior does not appear to happen randomly. So, what factors lead to individual information disseminat...

This book contains the keynote presentations, invited speeches, and general session papers presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Asia Urban GeoEngineering, which will be held from 24 November to 27 November 2017 in Changsha, China. The contents will cover the topics of (i) Fundamental behavior and constitutive model of geomaterials, (ii) Excavation and slope engineering, (iii) Tunnel and underground engineering, (iv) Foundation and foundation treatment, (v) Environmental geotechn...