This collection of selected review papers focuses on topics such as digital radiation sensors and nanosensory systems for nanotechnology applications and integrated X-ray/PET/CT detectors; nanophosphors and nanocrystal quantum dots as X-ray radiation sensors; the luminescence efficiency of CdSe/ZnS QD and UV-induced luminescence efficiency distribution; investigations devoted to the quantum and multi-parametrical nature of disasters and the modeling thereof using quantum search and quantum query algorithms; sum-frequency-generation, IR fourier and raman spectroscopy methods; as well as investigations into the vibrational modes of viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms aimed at creating optical biosensory systems. This is followed by a review of radiation resistant semiconductor sensors and magnetic measurement instrumentation for magnetic diagnostics of high-tech fission and fusion set-ups and accelerators; the evaluation of the use of neutron-radiation, 10B-enriched semiconducting materials as thin-film, highly reliable, highly sensitive and fast-acting robust solid-state electronic neutron-detectors; and the irradiation of n-Si crystals with protons, which converts the “metallic” inclusions to “dielectric” ones in isochronous annealing, therefore leading to opto/micro/nanoelectronic devices, including nuclear radiation nanosensors. The book concludes with a comparative study of the nitride and sulfide chemisorbed layers; a chemical model that describes the formation of such layers in hydrazine-sulfide and water sodium sulfide solution; and recent developments in the microwave-enhanced processing and microwave-assisted synthesis of nanoparticles and nanomaterials using Mn(OH)2.

Action sports have undergone dramatic growth, commercialization, and institutionalization over recent decades. This book uncovers the social, political, economic and organizational dynamics of their professionalization. After sketching some of the main transformations at stake in the field, the contributors provide novel insights into the changing structures in the action sports industry and the effects on athletes, coaches, agents and the cultures more broadly. Such trends came to the fore in the inclusion of surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing and BMX freestyle into the Tokyo Olympic Games. The book explores the working lives of action sports athletes, more specifically when it comes to their social media practices and the commercial pressure emerging from sponsors, and it also provides key insights into the institutionalization and professionalization of action sports amid ongoing processes of globalization, commodification and incorporation. Overall, the book reveals how different action sports (i.e., snowboarding, surfing, kiteboarding, parkour, climbing, skateboarding), and across countries, are at various stages in the professionalization process, with local, national and international responses and reactions to such trends differing considerably. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

The urban waterfront is widely regarded as a frontier of contemporary urban development, attracting both investment and publicity. City, Capital and Water provides a detailed account of the redevelopment of urban waterfronts in nine cities around the world: London, Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, Hong Kong, Sydney, Toronto, Dublin and Amsterdam. The case studies cover different frameworks for development in terms of the role of planning, approaches to financing, partnership agreements, state sponsorship and development profits. The analysis also demonstrates the effects of economic globalization, deregulation, the marginalization of planning and the manipulation of development processes by property and political interests.

The International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India, particularly at GIFT City, are designed to cater to the needs of international financial institutions and businesses. This article analyses the following points: ‣ What is an IFSC? ‣ Permitted Business Activities in IFSCs ‣ Setting up an IFSC Banking Unit ‣ Business Activities Carried Out by the IFSC Banking Unit ‣ Licensing Requirements for Indian and Foreign Banks in India's IFSCs ‣ Capital and Compliance Requirements ‣ Norms for Establishing Representative or Administrative Offices ‣ Prudential Regulatory Requirements for Banking Units Operating as IBUs or IBCs ‣ Exposure Ceiling Norms and Guidelines for Banking Units ‣ Currency Regulations for Conducting Business by Banking Units ‣ Transactions Through Foreign Currency Accounts ‣ Permitted Activities for Banking Units ‣ Maintenance of Books of Accounts, Records and Documents ‣ Exchange of Margins for Non-centrally Cleared Over-the-counter Derivative Contracts