For nearly as long as there have been electoral districts in America, politicians have gerrymandered those districts. Though the practice has changed over time, the public reaction to it has remained the same: gerrymandering is reviled. There is, of course, good reason for that sentiment. Gerrymandering is intended to maximize the number of legislative seats for one party. As such, it is an attempt to gain what appears to be an unfair advantage in elections. Nevertheless, gerrymandering is not well understood by most people and this lack of understanding leads to a false sense that there are easy solutions to this complex problem. Gerrymandering: The Politics of Redistricting in the United States unpacks the complicated process of gerrymandering, reflecting upon the normative issues to which it gives rise. Tracing the history of partisan gerrymandering from its nineteenth-century roots to the present day, the book explains its legal status and implementation, its consequences, and possible options for reform. The result is a balanced analysis of gerrymandering that acknowledges its troubling aspects while recognizing that, as long as district boundaries have to be drawn, there is no perfect way to do so.
The definitive playbook for driving impact as a middle manager Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization delivers an insightful and practical guide for the backbone of an organization: those who have a boss and are a boss and must lead from the messy middle. Accomplished author and former P&G executive Scott Mautz walks readers through the unique challenges facing these managers, and the mindset and skillset necessary for managing up and down and influencing what happens across the organization. You’ll learn the winning mindset of the best middle managers, how to develop the most important skills necessary for managing from the middle, how to create your personal Middle Action Plan (MAP), and effectively influence: Up the chain of command, to your boss and those above them Down, to your direct reports and teams who report to you Laterally, to peers and teams you have no formal authority over Anyone in an organization who reports to someone and has someone reporting to them must lead from the middle. They are the most important group in an organization and have a unique opportunity to drive impact. Leading from the Middle explains how.
Social life is in a constant process of change, and sociology can never stand still. As a result, contemporary sociology is a theoretically diverse enterprise, covering a huge range of subjects and drawing on a broad array of research methods. Central to this endeavour is the use of core concepts and ideas which allow sociologists to make sense of societies, though our understanding of these concepts necessarily evolves and changes. This clear and jargon-free book introduces a careful selection of essential concepts that have helped to shape sociology and continue to do so. Going beyond brief, dictionary-style definitions, Anthony Giddens and Philip W. Sutton provide an extended discussion of each concept which sets it in historical and theoretical context, explores its main meanings in use, introduces relevant criticisms, and points readers to its ongoing development in contemporary research and theorizing. Organized in ten thematic sections, the book offers a portrait of sociology through its essential concepts, ranging from capitalism, identity and deviance to the digital revolution, environment, postcolonialism and intersectionality. It will be essential reading for all those new to sociology as well as anyone seeking a reliable route map for a rapidly changing world.
Ron Dimon’s thought-leading second edition of the book originally entitled Enterprise Performance Management Done Right , published in 2012, is a practical roadmap for using Connected Planning to develop an agile organization and to navigate the complex Enterprise Performance Management landscape. According to esteemed author, researcher, and Management professor Dr. Christopher Neck, “In the same way that one needs to be self-leading to finish a grueling marathon, an organization must be self-leading in order to execute on its plans in an efficient and effective manner. What drives self-leadership at all levels in an organization? The people within the organization of course—and those people must be involved in the planning occurring in an organization. Without a plan, an organization has no direction.” Since 2012, much has changed in the world of connecting strategy with improved performance: new, cloud-based, in-memory technologies have been adopted by the largest organizations in the world. This book is for CFOs, CIOs, their direct reports, and any organizational visionary or aspiring leader who wants to ‘‘bring it all together’’ and create an actionable vision and plan for improving readiness, resilience, and performance.
SPECTRUMS OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS Discover state-of-the-art research findings on ALS from leading authors and editors in the field In Spectrums of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Heterogeneity, Pathogenesis & Therapeutic Directions , distinguished researchers and editors Dr. Christopher A. Shaw and Jessica R. Morrice deliver a practical and powerful perspective on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) as a heterogeneous spectrum of disorders. This increasingly accepted point-of-view allows researchers and medical professionals to develop better targeted interventions and more precise therapies.In the book, readers will find chapters on a wide variety of critical issues facing ALS researchers and healthcare practitioners treating ALS sufferers, including animal models of ALS, neuronal support cells known to have a pivotal role in ALS, and current challenges in ALS clinical trials, among others. The authors describe pathologic features common to all cases of ALS and why animal models, though crucial, should be interpreted with caution. Finally, multiple genetic and environmental etiologies of the disease are discussed.Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of:A thorough introduction to ALS as a spectrum disease and the implications for models, therapeutic development and clinical trial designExplorations of the genetic basis of ALS, prospective sALS etiologies, and the involvement of microbiome in ALSDiscussions of ALS-PDC and environmental risk factors, protein aggregation in ALS, defects in RNA metabolism in ALS, and the non-cell autonomous nature of ALS and the involvement of glial cellsExaminations of animal models of ALS and perspectives on previously failed ALS therapeutics and current therapeutic strategiesPerfect for clinical neurologists, healthcare providers and caretakers, clinicians, and researchers studying motor neuron disease, Spectrums of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Heterogeneity, Pathogenesis & Therapeutic Directions is also an indispensable resource for the neurodegenerative research community, neurology residents, and graduate-level neuroscience students.
LINEAR ALGEBRA EXPLORE A COMPREHENSIVE INTRODUCTORY TEXT IN LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH COMPELLING SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS, INCLUDING A COMPANION WEBSITE AND SOLUTIONS MANUALS Linear Algebra delivers a fulsome exploration of the central concepts in linear algebra, including multidimensional spaces, linear transformations, matrices, matrix algebra, determinants, vector spaces, subspaces, linear independence, basis, inner products, and eigenvectors. While the text provides challenging problems that engage readers in the mathematical theory of linear algebra, it is written in an accessible and simple-to-grasp fashion appropriate for junior undergraduate students.An emphasis on logic, set theory, and functions exists throughout the book, and these topics are introduced early to provide students with a foundation from which to attack the rest of the material in the text. Linear Algebra includes accompanying material in the form of a companion website that features solutions manuals for students and instructors. Finally, the concluding chapter in the book includes discussions of advanced topics like generalized eigenvectors, Schur’s Lemma, Jordan canonical form, and quadratic forms. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of:A thorough introduction to logic and set theory, as well as descriptions of functions and linear transformationsAn exploration of Euclidean spaces and linear transformations between Euclidean spaces, including vectors, vector algebra, orthogonality, the standard matrix, Gauss-Jordan elimination, inverses, and determinantsDiscussions of abstract vector spaces, including subspaces, linear independence, dimension, and change of basisA treatment on defining geometries on vector spaces, including the Gram-Schmidt processPerfect for undergraduate students taking their first course in the subject matter, Linear Algebra will also earn a place in the libraries of researchers in computer science or statistics seeking an accessible and practical foundation in linear algebra.
A good management strategy must be expected to mitigate the dangerous consequences of rapid urbanization that modern society, the economy, and the environment may face. Sustainable smart cities include established structures, infrastructures, communities, institutions, and individuals. On the other hand, this book also deals with energy consumption. Such energy consumption leads to a rapid depletion of energy resources, an increased need for building maintenance, an improvised comfortable lifestyle, and an increase in time spent on building construction. A sustainable building mainly explains the renewable sources used for construction, which helps the structure withstand atmospheric changes. Currently, all countries are looking for ecological materials, that is, renewable plant materials such as straw and clay bricks, wood from forests certified for sustainable management, recycled materials, and other non-toxic, reusable and renewable products. For sustainable and durable construction, energy efficiency is an urgent problem, and researchers are currently actively involved in this area. This book will provide an in-depth analysis of design technologies that lay a solid foundation for sustainable buildings. The book also highlights smart automation technologies that help save energy, as well as various performance indicators needed to make construction easier. The book aims to create a strong research community, to have a deep understanding and the latest knowledge in the field of energy and comfort, to offer solid ideas in the nearby future for sustainable and resilient buildings. These buildings will help the city grow as a smart city. The smart city has also focused on low energy consumption, renewable energy, and small carbon footprints. To find the optimal use of energy resources, researchers must study optimization methods.
POLLUTANTS AND WATER MANAGEMENT Pollutants and Water Management: Resources, Strategies and Scarcity delivers a balanced and comprehensive look at recent trends in the management of polluted water resources. Covering the latest practical and theoretical aspects of polluted water management, the distinguished academics and authors emphasize indigenous practices of water resource management, the scarcity of clean water, and the future of the water system in the context of an increasing urbanization and globalization. The book details the management of contaminated water sites, including heavy metal contaminations in surface and subsurface water sources. It details a variety of industrial activities that typically pollute water, such as those involving crude oils and dyes. In its discussion of recent trends in abatement strategies, Pollutants and Water Management includes an exploration of the application of microorganisms, like bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and cyanobacteria, for the management of environmental contaminants.Readers will also discover a wide variety of other topics on the conservation of water sources including: The role of government and the public in the management of water resource pollutionThe causes of river system pollution and potential future scenarios in the abatement of river pollution Microbial degradation of organic pollutants in various water bodies The advancement in membrane technology used in water treatment processes Lead contamination in groundwater and recent trends in abatement strategies for it Highly polluting industries and their effects on surrounding water resources Perfect for graduate and postgraduate students and researchers whose focus is on recent trends in abatement strategies for pollutants and the application of microorganisms for the management of environmental contaminants, Pollutants and Water Management: Resources, Strategies and Scarcity also has a place in the libraries of environmentalists whose work involves the management and conservation of polluted sites.
It is a simple story. A 37-year-old man belonging to the Traveller community is shot dead by a special unit of the French police on the family farm where he was hiding since he failed to return to prison after temporary release. The officers claim self-defense. The relatives, present at the scene, contest that claim. A case is opened, and it concludes with a dismissal that is upheld on appeal. Dismayed by these decisions, the family continues the struggle for truth and justice. Giving each account of the event the same credit, Didier Fassin conducts a counter-investigation, based on the re-examination of all the available details and on the interviews of its protagonists. A critical reflection on the work of police forces, the functioning of the justice system, and the conditions that make such tragedies possible and seldom punished, Death of a Traveller is also an attempt to restore to these marginalized communities what they are usually denied: respectability.