This volume comprises contributions from several fields of study in the social sciences. The different disciplinary angles intersect at the level of the research subjects: families, households and consumers. Together they reflect a broad field of study that always had its particular niche in Wageningen as 'household and consumer studies'. The five separate parts: the formation and dissolution of families; stratification and inequality; consumer and household behaviour; leisure time; and hygiene, health and society, nicely reflect the broadness of this field.The eighteen contributions in this...

The articles in this volume provide a panoramic view of the role of geometry in integrable systems, firmly rooted in surface theory but currently branching out in all directions. The longer articles by Bobenko (the Bonnet problem), Dorfmeister (the generalized Weierstrass representation), Joyce (special Lagrangian 3-folds) and Terng (geometry of soliton equations) are substantial surveys of several aspects of the subject. The shorter ones indicate more briefly how the classical ideas have spread throughout differential geometry, symplectic geometry, algebraic geometry, and theoretical...

"Research in Action" engages with the challenges a researcher faces when wanting to live up to meet the challenges of contemporary science and contribute to innovation and social change. This ambition to contribute to change raises many questions. How to define the main target group of the research? What role does this group play in the research? Which methods of data collection are most appropriate? Who are the commissioners of the research and do their interests match with those of the prime target group? How to deal with power relationships in research situations? What do these issues mean...

This book presents advancements in aluminum for the marketplace, covering all aspects of the physical and mechanical metallurgy of alloys. It addresses fundamental and applied research as well as product development, testing and implementation of aluminum foil, sheet, plate, extrusions, forgings and composites for end applications including automotive, aerospace and marine transportation and packaging. Specific sections include development and applications; processing and properties; modeling; alloy characterization; corrosion and protection; and composites and foams.

This volume is dedicated to Shigeyuki Morita on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It consists of selected papers on recent trends and results in the study of various groups of diffeomorphisms, including mapping class groups, from the point of view of algebraic and differential topology, as well as dynamical ones involving foliations and simplistic or contact diffeomorphisms. Most of the authors were invited speakers or participants of the International Symposium on Groups of Diffeomorphisms 2006, which was held at the University of Tokyo (Komaba) in September 2006. The editors believe that...

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

The MRS Symposium Proceeding series is an internationally recognised reference suitable for researchers and practitioners.

Put on your Santa hat and saddle up for this collection of creepy Christmas stories from the Western Fictioneers, the world's only organization of professional authors devoted solely to Western fiction. 'Tis the season for ghosts, vampires, monsters, aliens, and other bizarre creatures to make these Old West holiday tales truly special. Legendary Western author Robert J. Randisi spins the spectral yarn of "Sheriff Santa and the Ghost of Two Gun Jim." Peacemaker and Spur Award winning author Troy D. Smith takes the reader on a murderous Christmas journey to "Bitter Mountain." New York Times...

Increasing awareness and concern for energy resources and the environment have stimulated significant advances in materials and technology for energy conversion in recent years. This volume, the ninth in a popular series, focuses on novel materials, materials processing and device technologies for direct thermal-to-electric energy conversion, and emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of research needed to advance the field. The volume begins with an overview of the state of the art in high-temperature thermoelectric materials by Harald Bottner. The section on nanocomposite materials...