How Nicolás Maduro reinvented authoritarianism for the twenty-first centurVenezuela, which once enjoyed periods of democratically elected governments in the latter half of the twentieth century, has descended into autocratic rule, coupled with economic collapse. In his new book, Autocracy Rising, veteran scholar of Latin American politics Javier Corrales explores how and why this happened. Corrales focuses on two themes: party systems and institutional capacity. He argues that Venezuela’s democratic backsliding advanced when the ruling party obtained far too much electoral clout while the opposition fragmented. The state then took control of formerly independent agencies of the state. This allowed the ruling party to use and abuse of the law to favor the president—which in turn generated a permanent economic crisis. After succeeding Hugo Chávez in 2013, Nicolás Maduro confronted, unexpectedly, another change in the party system: a rising opposition. This triggered deeper autocratization. To survive, the state was compelled to modernize autocratic practices and seek alliances with sinister partners. In short, Maduro concentrated power, paradoxically, by sharing power. Autocracy Rising compares what occurred in Venezuela to twenty other cases throughout Latin America where presidents were forced out of office. Corrales illuminates the depressing cycle in which semi-authoritarian regimes become increasingly autocratic in response to crisis, only to cause new crises that lead to even greater authoritarianism.

Hospitals in the US and Canada are ill-prepared for the threat of emerging infectious diseases, especially in the area of protecting healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, and first responders from transmissions. Current protocols from guideline agencies and health organizations and health departments that include state pandemic flu plans do not foll

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Shlapentokh asserts that asocial behavior in both medieval France and the contemporary West is not a marginal occurrence but rather a mainstream phenomena, and one that can often be stopped by strong force as the only antidote to social chaos.

This book systematically assesses the risk of 21 major infectious diseases threatening BRI countries. It consists of 14 chapters. Chapter 1 is an overview. Chapter 2 introduces the history of health cooperation between China and other BRI countries. Chapters 3-14 introduce the prevalence of major infectious diseases threatening BRI countries such as cholera, vaccine preventable diseases (polio, measles, meningitis, Japanese encephalitis, diphtheria, hepatitis A), tuberculosis, influenza, and insect-borne diseases (Dengue fever, Zika virus disease, yellow fever, Chikungunya, Rift Valley fever), plague, malaria, Ebola virus disease, MERS, schistosomiasis, COVID-19 and AIDS, and risk factors, principles and cases of their prevention and control. It is a useful reference book in the research of infectious disease control and prevention, and provides historical experience and lessons learned. It also provides decision support for international cooperation among BRI countries in the field of epidemic prevention and control in the future.

This book pursues a multidisciplinary approach in order to evaluate the socio-ecological dimensions of infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. It includes 18 chapters written by respected researchers in the fields of history, sociology, ecology, epidemiology, veterinary sciences, medicine and the environmental sciences on six major topics: (1) Infectious diseases and societies, (2) Health, infectious diseases and socio-ecosystems; (3) Global changes, land use changes and vector-borne diseases; (4) Monitoring and data acquisition; (5) Managing health risks; and (6) Developing strategies. The book offers a valuable guide for students and researchers in the fields of development and environmental studies, animal and human health (veterinarians, physicians), ecology and conservation biology, especially those with a focus on Southeast Asia.

The prevalence of infectious diseases is worldwide increasing. Therefore, detection methods for infectious pathogens change quickly. In the new edition of Kessler ́s Molecular Diagnostics of Infectious Diseases laboratory professionalists get valueable information about the current diagnostic methods, tipps and tricks in terms of sample processing, quality control, and interpretation of the results. For clinicians the book is a valuable aid for decision-making in ordering appropriate tests as well as in assuring the necessary quality of the sample material.