Since the late 1970s, China’s move towards neoliberalism has made it not only one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but also one of the most polarised states. This economic, social and political transformation has led to the emergence of a new Chinese middle class, and understanding the development and the role of this new social group is crucial to understanding contemporary Chinese society.Investigating the new politics of the middle class in China, this book addresses th...

This book examines the period leading up to the Hong Kong handover in 1997 - the 'countdown of time', and by using iconic cultural symbols such as the countdown clock, the Hong Kong Museum exhibitions and cultural heritage sites, argues that China has undergone a transition to neoliberal state, in part through its reunification with Hong Kong.The problem of synchronization with the world, a Chinese phrase that epitomizes China's engagement with modern capitalism since the first Opi...

Against the dire consequences of China’s market development, a new intellectual force of the New Left has come on the scene since the mid 1990s. New Left intellectuals debate the issues of social justice, distributive equality, markets, state intervention, the socialist legacy, and sustainable development. Against the neoliberal trends of free markets, liberal democracy, and consumerism, New Left critics launched a critique in hopes of seeking an alternative to global capitalism. This volu...

Drylands, a home for nearly 2.5 billion people, are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change, and dryland area may expand to 50% of the Earth's surface by 2100. Climate change may aggravate the prevalence of undernutrition and malnutrition because of adverse effects on quantity and quality of food production in these regions. This book takes a holistic approach to sustainable management of drylands to make agriculture drought-resilient. Eminent scientists from around the world sha...

Although LMI has emerged as a powerful tool with applications across the major domains of systems and control, there has been a need for a textbook that provides an accessible introduction to LMIs in control systems analysis and design. Filling this need, LMIs in Control Systems: Analysis, Design and Applications focuses on the basic analysis and d

Provides a comprehensive overview of the field of free electron lasers. Each chapter is based on a graduate-level lecture given by an internationally-known expert in the field, and is self-contained, beginning with introductory background material and culminating in an in-depth discussion of the author's current research. Written with both the student physicist and the active researcher in mind, this book is sure to be an invaluable reference for graduate students and professionals alike.

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials are becoming more and more attractive in the context of designing RF/microwave filters because of their lower losses and excellent performance. This book focuses on the superconducting microwave filter and its application in modern communication. It first presents the basic principles, HTS materials and processing and then introduces several types of multi-band HTS bandpass filter (BPF), discussing their properties and analyzing equivalent c...

The aim of this book is to present foundational research on the nano-crystallization, high-temperature modification, micro-structure evolution and plastic deformation induced by laser shock processing. In this regard, the focus is on heat-resistant steel, aluminum alloy, Ti alloys and Ni-based alloys, offering valuable scientific insights into the industrial applications of laser shock processing (LSP) technology. The book addresses various topics, i.e., the formation mechanism and product...

The study of local climate zones (LCZ) links urban morphology, land use and land cover types, human activity, and thermal properties, and provides a standard framework for studying urban climatic issues. In recent years, the LCZ scheme attracts more and more attention from climatologists, urban planners, environmental engineers, as well as architects due to its combination of urban climatic scientific research outputs and urban planning and morphology language. Urbanization and higher-dens...

This thesis first reveals the mechanism of Görtler instabilities and then demonstrates how transitions at hypersonic flows can be effectively controlled (either promoted or suppressed) with Görtler or Klebanoff modes. It focuses on understanding and controlling flow transitions from mild laminar to fully turbulent flows at high speeds—aspects that have become crucial at the dawn of an incredible era, in which hypersonic vehicles are becoming available. Once this occurs, it will be possible...

High-Risk Pollutants in Wastewater presents the basic knowledge regarding the diversity, concentrations, and health and environmental impacts of HRPs in municipal wastewater. The book summarizes information on the types (e.g. heavy metals, toxic organics and pathogens) and toxicities of HRPs in wastewater. In addition, it describes ecological and health hazards arising from the living things' direct/indirect contacts with the HRPs during their full lifecycles (generation, disposal, dischar...

The book offers a comprehensive review of the advances in conservation and the reintroduction of rare and endangered plants in China. It systematically discusses plant diversity, in situ and ex situ protection and plant reintroduction in China, including the reintroduction species list and orchid plant reintroduction up to November 2019. A useful reference resource for students, instructors and scientific researchers in the field of wild plant protection, botany, biodiversity protection, a...