Deciphering the European Investment Bank: History, Politics and Economics examines the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s financial institution and the largest lender and borrower among the International Financial Institutions. Since its establishment in 1958, the EIB has developed without becoming front-page news and has remained highly invisible. By putting together 14 cha…
The nutritional biochemist Alfred E. Harper was a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences for many years, and chair of the Food and Nutrition Board from 1978 to 1982. The scientific bases for many Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) were prevention of deficiency with a margin of safety, often determined from depletion-repletion studi…
In the geophysics of oil exploration and reservoir studies, the surface seismic method is the most commonly used method to obtain a subsurface model in 2 or 3 dimensions. This method plays an increasingly important role in soil investigations for geotechnical, hydrogeological and site characterization studies regarding seismic hazard issues. The goal of this book is to provide a practical guide…
This chapter reflects on the paradox of Eurosceptic populists critical of the European Union mobilizing ideas of European values, heritage, and civilization. We examine the role of the past and especially of a certain understanding of ‘European heritage’ in far-right-wing populist, nationalist discourse in Europe today.
Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have recently captured the interest of academics and those in industry. Cryptocurrencies are essentially digital currencies that use blockchain technology and cryptography to facilitate secure and anonymous transactions. The cryptocurrency market is currently worth over {dollar}500 billion. Many institutions and countries are starting to understand and implement …
Block copolymers with crystallizable blocks have moved into the focus of current research, owing to their unique self-assembly behaviour and properties. New synthetic concepts give, for example, even access to tetrablock copolymers with four crystalline blocks, bio-based thermoplastic elastomers (e.g., based on ABA triblock copolymers with poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) hard segments), and allow new, e…
Nelly Roussel (1878-1922)-the first feminist spokeswoman for birth control in Europe-challenged both the men of early twentieth-century France, who sought to preserve the status quo, and the women who aimed to change it. She delivered her messages through public lectures, journalism, and theater, dazzling audiences with her beauty, intelligence, and disarming wit. She did so within the context …
Before new interventions can be used in disease control programmes, it is essential that they are carefully evaluated in “field trials”, which may be complex and expensive undertakings. Descriptions of the detailed procedures and methods used in trials that have been conducted in the past have generally not been published.
Its starting point is an increasing attention across the social sciences and humanities for objects, and thinking beyond the human. These have often, but not only, emerged from science and technology studies (STS), to which we pay particular attention.
While quantitative approaches seek to make certain contents measurable, for example through word counts or reliable categorization (coding) of longer text sequences, qualitative social researchers put more emphasis on systematic ways to generate a deep understanding of social phenomena from text.