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Singapore/Malaya, 1892: When a dead American is found floating in Rochor Canal, Chief Detective Inspector David Hawksworth begins an investigation that quickly leads into a labyrinth of deceit and violence in the polyglot steamcooker of turnofthecentury Singapore. As Chinese gangs verge on open turf war and powerful commercial enterprises vie for control of the economy, a stolen statue that houses an ancient Hindu goddess becomes the object of a pursuit with a mounting body count, and its seems that everyone is suffering from maniacal erotic nightmares. Will Hawksworth be able to restore order before the colony is tipped into a bloodbath? Explore the dark underbelly of nineteenthcentury Singapore’s Chinatown and colonial district in this hardboiled historical thriller trilogy, comprising Singapore Black, Singapore Yellow and Singapore Red. Autorid: William L. Gibson

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges at hand, tools for transition, and methods to ensure lasting significant changes. Many corporations involved in the fossil fuel industry hold the belief that sustainability is beyond their grasp. However, this book provides an insightful approach toward achieving sustainability in these industries, alongside various examples of successful implementation. The timing couldnt be more ideal as the momentum towards sustainable business practices increase, with an aim to tackle global warming and other pressing environmental and societal concerns. It outlines a clear pathway towards sustainability for any energy firm, through the adherence to the structured processes. This book outlines the current state of the earth and proposes how the energy and process industries CAN transition to being sustainable. This book includes numerous examples showing that change is achievable. It gives guidance in achieving the UNs sustainable goals and climate change targets and proposes a rapid mass action to shift to a more sustainable future. Autorid: Robert Bruce Hey

This open access book explores the dynamic interface of urban practice, transformation, and cities and climate change science. Beginning with the landmark 2018 Cities and Climate Change Science Conference, moving through the Innovate4Cities Conferences in 2021 and 2024, it shows how the evolution of the Global Research and Action Agenda for Cities and Climate Change Science (GRAA) has facilitated collaboration across disciplines and sectors and supported the exchange of knowledge and innovation between cities globally. Through a detailed record of how cities and climate change science have evolved, the book highlights actionable solutions and scalable interventions, while synthesizing lessons learned into effective strategies. This book offers evidence-based pathways for practitioners and researchers working toward resilient, and equitable urban development. Autorid: Cathy Oke, Benjamin Jance IV, Gian Carlo Delgado-Ramos, Debra C. Roberts, Nicola Tollin, Andrew Irvin, Marita Doak

This book highlights the electronic governance in a smart city through case studies of cities located in many countries. ¿E-Government¿ refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry, citizen empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management. The resulting benefits are less corruption, increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue growth, and/or cost reductions. The book is divided into three parts. ¿ E-Governance State of the Art Studies of many cities ¿ E-Governance Domains Studies ¿ E-Governance Tools and Issues

This book is primarily intended to serve as a textbook and reference work for graduate and professional training coursework on solar desalination of water. The book begins with an introduction to the increasing demand for potable water, various types of water pollution and its impacts on human health, and goes on to cover basics of desalination technologies. It covers all aspects of solar-energy based distillation and desalination for producing potable water resources, including radiation and heat transfer concepts, a history of solar distillation systems, and background on solar collectors. The contents include thermal modeling and parametric study of solar distillation. Energy and exergy aspects are analyzed in detail, including energy matrices of solar distillation. A special chapter on exeroeconomics introduces fundamental equations which include the general balance equation, thermodynamic balance equations, and economic balance equations. A chapter on Economic Analysis of Solar Distillation completes the coverage. The book includes solved examples and end-of-chapter exercises in the form of both problems and objective-type questions. The contents of this book are useful to students, researchers, professionals, and policymakers looking for a comprehensive resource on solar desalination.

This book explains the fundamental concepts of information theory, so as to help students better understand modern communication technologies. It was especially written for electrical and communication engineers working on communication subjects. The book especially focuses on the understandability of the topics, and accordingly uses simple and detailed mathematics, together with a wealth of solved examples. The book consists of four chapters, the first of which explains the entropy and mutual information concept for discrete random variables. Chapter 2 introduces the concepts of entropy and mutual information for continuous random variables, along with the channel capacity. In turn, Chapter 3 is devoted to the typical sequences and data compression. One of Shannon¿s most important discoveries is the channel coding theorem, and it is critical for electrical and communication engineers to fully comprehend the theorem. As such, Chapter 4 solely focuses on it. To gain the most from the book, readers should have a fundamental grasp of probability and random variables; otherwise, they will find it nearly impossible to understand the topics discussed.

This book offers an interdisciplinary theoretical approach based on non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics and control theory for mathematically modeling shock-induced out-of-equilibrium processes in condensed matter. The book comprises two parts. The first half of the book establishes the theoretical approach, reviewing fundamentals of non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics and control theory of adaptive systems. The latter half applies the presented approach to a problem on shock-induced plane wave propagation in condensed matter. The result successfully reproduces the observed feature of waveform propagation in experiments, which conventional continuous mechanics cannot access. Further, the consequent stress¿strain relationships derived with relaxation and inertia effect in elastic¿plastic transition determines material properties in transient regimes.

This book presents fundamental theory of shock and detonation waves as well as selected studies in detonation research in Japan, contributed by selected experts in safety research on explosives, development of industrial explosives, and application of explosives. It also reports detonation research in Japan featuring industrial explosives that include ammonium nitrate-based explosives and liquid explosives. Intended as a monographic-style book, it consistently uses technical terms and symbols and creates organic links between various detonation phenomena in application of explosives, fundamental theory of detonation waves, measurement methods, and individual studies. Among other features, the book presents a historical perspective of shock wave and detonation research in Japan, pedagogical materials for young researchers in detonation physics, and an introduction to works in Japan, including equations of state, which are worthy of attention but about which very little is knowninternationally. Further, the concise pedagogical chapters also characterize this book as a primer of detonation of condensed explosives and help readers start their own research.

The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 has been hailed a scientific breakthrough and one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the 21st century. Gravitational-wave physics and astronomy are emerging as a new frontier in understanding the universe.Advanced Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Detectors brings together many of the world's top experts to deliver an authoritative and in-depth treatment on current and future detectors. Volume I is devoted to the essentials of gravitational-wave detectors, presenting the physical principles behind large-scale precision interferometry, the physics of the underlying noise sources that limit interferometer sensitivity, and an explanation of the key enabling technologies that are used in the detectors. Volume II provides an in-depth look at the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo interferometers, as well as examining future interferometric detector concepts. This two-volume set will provide students and researchers the comprehensive background needed to understand gravitational-wave detectors.

This book begins with the history and background of the subject and then describes key experimental methods. Subsequent chapters are devoted to individual topics of chemistry and materials, namely, synthesis of hard materials, ceramics at high pressure, shock-induced chemical operations, biomolecules, meteorites, and metals and molecules under extreme conditions. Lastly, it offers applications to earth and planetary science and ends with future perspectives.Shock waves dynamically produce high pressure and temperature conditions and offer interesting areas for studies on unique chemical reactions. This book introduces readers to modern shock-induced chemistry and its applications and provides an update of topics in that discipline.Readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of current shock-induced chemistry and its versatile applications.

This book explores how organizations can lead responsibly, govern ethically, and operate sustainably in the face of unprecedented environmental threats by bringing together diverse perspectives from scholars, practitioners, and industry experts, to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.Structured in three thematic sections, the book begins with ‘Leadership, Governance, and Ethical Practices in Sustainability’, offering insights into innovative leadership approaches, governance mechanisms, and ethical frameworks that counter environmental degradation and integrate ESG principles into strategic decision-making. The second section, ‘Understanding Responsible Corporate Behaviour & Sensitivity towards Environmental Issues’, explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, the role of businesses in fostering inclusive and equitable practices, the dynamics of sustainable start-ups, ethical stewardship, corporate transparency, and global environmental policy frameworks. It also addresses challenges such as greenwashing and proposes alternative pathways for green energy transition. The final section, ‘Integrating Sustainability into Business and Institutional Practices’, presents a synthesis of empirical research, case studies, and conceptual analyses and examines the operationalization of sustainability within corporate and institutional settings. Topics include the implications of global trade mechanisms like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education, corporate governance in the blue economy, environmental disclosures, sustainable manufacturing, ESG–financial performance linkages, and social impact investing.The volume offers a holistic understanding of how sustainable management and responsible leadership can be effectively embedded into corporate behaviour, making it an essential resource for academics, policymakers, sustainability professionals, and corporate leaders committed to shaping a resilient and environmentally responsible future.

As of recent years, biportal endoscopic spine surgery has gained significant attention and adoption in the field of spine surgery due to its minimally invasive nature and the advantages it offers. This technique is increasingly popular among spine surgeons for treating various spinal disorders, such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis. Its minimally invasive approach allows for smaller incisions, less muscle disruption, reduced postoperative pain, and quicker recovery times compared to traditional open surgery. Numerous studies have reported favorable outcomes with biportal endoscopic spine surgery, including reduced operation times, lower complication rates, and improved patient satisfaction. These outcomes contribute to its rising adoption. Continuous innovation is likely to further establish biportal endoscopic surgery as a standard practice for suitable spinal conditions. It would introduce the fundamental concepts of endoscopic anatomy, and the basics of endoscopic equipment and techniques. Detailed descriptions of biportal endoscopic procedures would be included, showcasing step-by-step surgical methods, including setup, entry points, and the use of instruments. The book will explain the indications, contraindications, clinical applications of biportal endoscopic spine surgery, and potential complications. Updates on the latest advancements in technology, techniques, and clinical research findings will be covered to keep practitioners up-to-date. In summary, biportal endoscopic spine surgery is becoming a significant part of modern spine surgery practices due to its minimally invasive nature, positive clinical outcomes, and the ongoing development of surgical techniques and equipment.

This book guides practitioners in the assessment of patients with a liver problem. The emphasis is on the role of macro- and microscopic pathology in elucidating pathogenesis as well as identifying confounding features of image findings that may lead to a more elaborate differential diagnosis. If appropriate, the role of light and electron microscopic examination, along with the role of specific stains and molecular techniques, is illustrated. In addition, the concept of each liver disease is summarized briefly and its up-to-data is provided, and unresolved problems in diagnosis, treatment, and pathogenesis are clearly described. The approach in this book is a practical one with a focus on the evaluation of illustrative cases, simultaneously demonstrating cross-sectional images (ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography), pathological findings, and peritoneoscopic images. The diagnosis and therapy are summed up in helpful tables, and association of clinical manifestations with image analysis and pathological findings is shown to be important in differential diagnosis and treatment. With the authors comprising internationally renowned experts, this book will serve as a useful source of information for medical students, physicians, internists, hepatologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists, and pathologists worldwide.

This open access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities and rationales of key leaders in their own words since it organized into a unique community in 1992. Sandwiched by editorial chapters that include critical analysis, the book contains 19 chapters by 21 authors about the forming of the autistic community and neurodiversity movement, progress in their influence on the broader autism community and field, and their possible threshold of the advocacy establishment. The actions covered are legendary in the autistic community, including manifestos such as ¿Don¿t Mourn for Us¿, mailing lists, websites or webpages, conferences, issue campaigns, academic project and journal, a book, and advisory roles. These actions have shifted the landscape toward viewing autism in social terms of human rights and identity to accept, rather than as a medical collection of deficits and symptoms to cure.

The issue and finding the green solution of Solid Waste Management are important challenges throughout the world. This book explores cutting edge developments in Circular Economy and Sustainability on Solid Waste Management, current research perspectives, existing problems on solid waste management system, industrial development and the latest green methodology for in Solid Waste conversion and regenerate products and materials, environmental solutions, social awareness and development on solid waste management and the future perspectives of Circular Economy for industrial revolution 4.0 with the mission of green chemistry and engineering on solid waste management. It focuses on chapters from different researchers, faculty members, scientists and engineers, industrialist and experts from different countries working on the Circular Economy on Solid Waste Management. It also features the importance of integration of multi-disciplinary research fields on Circular Economy for Sustainable Development. It provides latest development in and current research perspectives, technology development, and critical thinking and societal requirements and development on Circular Economy of Solid Waste Management to researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, policy makers, and Experts of Energy Division of Government and Private Organization and Industries.^

This book provides a practical guide in neuro-ophthalmology. It contains more than 80 carefully selected neuro-ophthalmic cases. It covers visual afferent (Part 1) and efferent disorders (Part 2): the various optic neuropathies, diplopia from ocular and neurologic pathogen, pupil and lid abnormality. Each case presents with neuro-ophthalmology examination format, followed by ancillary test, finial diagnose, treatment and prognosis. A short review or comment highlights the important points of these disorders, up to date progress and literature are addressed in part of them. The novel optical coherence tomography imaging technique is also introduced to interpretation some visual pathway disorders and for follow-up. The massive photographs and neuro-imaging will help the reader for easy following. As a case-based practical manual, this book is a clinical reference for general ophthalmologist, neurologist, senior ophthalmology resident, specialist and fellow, and physician who are interested in neuro-ophthalmology field.

This book is about a famous Hungarian mathematics competition that was founded in 1894, and thus, the oldest mathematics competition for secondary school students organized on a national scale. This book is based on Volumes III and IV of the Hungarian work by János Surányi, covering the years from 1964 to 1997.Hungary, along with Russia, has a well-deserved reputation for proposing important, instructive, and interesting problems. Here, the reader will find a treasure trove of over 100 of them. The solutions are written carefully, giving all the details, and keeping in mind at all times the overall logical structures of the arguments.An outstanding feature of this book is Part II: Discussion. Here, the problems are divided by topics into six groups. It contains a discussion of the topic in general, followed by the basic results, that precedes the discussions of the individual problems. When a student encounters some difficulty in a problem, this part of the book can be consulted without revealing the complete solution. As an alternative, a student can also start with this part to familiarize with the general topic before attempting any problems. Finally, almost 400 additional problems from the legendary KöMaL (Secondary School Mathematics and Physics Journal) takes the student to mathematical topics beyond competitions.

After discussing the fundamental problems of current science and other philosophic concepts, beginning with controversies between Heraclitus and Parmenides, this book launches into a message of great hope: the future has not been determined. Contrary to globalization and the apparent contemporary mass culture society, individual behaviour is beginning to increasingly become the key factor which governs the evolution of both the world and society as a whole. It is a message that challenges existing widespread views, implicitly or explicitly, through mass communication; moreover the importance of the individual's actions implies a reflection of each person on the responsibilities that each one assumes when taking or acting upon a decision. This responsibility is associated with the freedom of thought as well as a critical analysis of fashions, customs, preconceived ideas, and ideologies, externally imposed: exactly contrary to the ideas of those who wish us to be "perfect consumers" in a world dominated only by monetary wealth.Challenging this drive towards the elimination of freedom of thought in the individual is now imperative if we are to save man and his planet from catastrophe, which seems to be ever imminent and (unfortunately) irreversible.

Rather than presenting Python as Java or C, this textbook focuses on the essential Python programming skills for data scientists and advanced methods for big data analysts.Unlike conventional textbooks, it is based on Markdown and uses full-color printing and a code-centric approach to highlight the 3C principles in data science: creative design of data solutions, curiosity about the data lifecycle, and critical thinking regarding data insights. Q&A-based knowledge maps, tips and suggestions, notes, as well as warnings and cautions are employed to explain the key points, difficulties, and common mistakes in Python programming for data science. In addition, it includes suggestions for further reading. This textbook provides an open-source community via GitHub, and the course materials are licensed for free use under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

The book covers all aspects of immune-mediated diseases of the muscle and nerve, which are a group of complex diseases, whose diagnosis needs a team of specialists in the field of neuropathology, immunopathology, neurology, and rheumatology. Nerve and muscle biopsy evaluation is invaluable in distinguishing immune-mediated from etiologies and therefore, despite being invasive, pathological evaluation of nerve and muscle has stood the test of time. Chapters cover all the essential aspects of each disease entity viz. the pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic armamentarium, and guidelines for diagnosis and management. It is supplemented with full-colorful illustrations and photomicrographs for better comprehension. It includes a chapter highlighting the current progress in the field of immune-mediated myopathies and neuropathies as it is a rapidly evolving field with the addition of many new entities.This clinically oriented book serves as a primer for general histopathologists as well as a practice guide for neuropathologists. It is also relevant for neurologists and rheumatologists and encourages young medical students, residents, and research scholars in the field of neuropathology, neurology, and rheumatology to get involved in active research.

This book describes in full detail the surgical principles and technology of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), providing evidence-based data on the biomechanics of the knee joint and biomaterials in arthroplasty. Starting the chapters with the history and anatomy, the book expands its focus on important issues such as implant designs of articular geometry and ligament substitution. It describes the thorough procedures of surgery from planning, operation, discussion on how to improve the range of motion, postoperative rehabilitation and also patient satisfaction. In chapters describing the surgical procedures, and approaches, step-by-step surgical techniques are shown to manage various severe deformities. Also, the clinical relevance of surgical techniques including soft tissue balancing and alignment of the components and computer-simulated studies are of importance to highlight. Advances in Total Knee Arthroplasty invite authors who are surgeons who have extensive experience in severely deformed joints. This book is collaborated with the Japanese Replacement Arthroplasty Society (JSRA), and it is an informative material for collecting academic insights for arthroplasty surgeons and orthopaedic residents. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. Subsequently, human revisions were made, mainly in terms of content. Subsequently, stylistic revisions were made by a specialized copy editor.

This is the first and only book on one of the most important scientists of the Twentieth Century.It offers a unique perspective on the origins of bacterial genetics and genetic engineering, and ethical issues to arise from bioengineering. Lederberg was the first, and the most important voice in warning of pandemics to come beginning in the late 1960s, and the need to prepare for them. Lederberg not only helped shape the biowarfare treaty of 1972, he also worked to enforce it through international cooperation with scientists.Lederberg was the first to successfully develop artificial intelligence in relation to science and medicine beginning in the early 1960s. He was one of the earliest proponents of the importance of symbiosis and lateral gene transfer in evolution which after five decades has come to the forefront of evolutionary theory today.Lederberg coined the term "microbiome" (as well as exobiology, plasmids, transduction, euphenics, etc.) and developed the concept of individuals as multigenomic superorganisms. The research on microbiomes is one of the most important and fasting growing fields in biomedical research today. Lederberg's development of clonal selection theory is a pillar of immunology.

This volume consists of the proofs of 391 problems in Real Analysis: Theory of Measure and Integration (3rd Edition). Most of the problems in Real Analysis are not mere applications of theorems proved in the book but rather extensions of the proven theorems or related theorems. Proving these problems tests the depth of understanding of the theorems in the main text. This volume will be especially helpful to those who read Real Analysis in self-study and have no easy access to an instructor or an advisor.

An energy revolution is going on today that will benefit all of us, as it makes our basic needs in electricity more affordable and the world a cleaner place. PV and wind power are witnessing worldwide growth, be it gigawatt-level central power stations or building-integrated plants installed by millions of individuals. Wind energy has rapidly become a leader of new developments, and PV has achieved dominance in the global energy marketsfinancial benefits being the main drivers. The current decade has seen wind power and PV eventually reaching the top of the energy markets, with nuclear powers decline accelerating. The intermittency of PV and wind power is being rapidly overcome through massive integration of battery energy storage systems in various sizes. This book is not about wishful thinking and speculations, but hard facts and figures. It has been written by international experts who have made this energy revolution possible. It provides an overview of the global development of renewable energy from its beginnings in the mid-1950s all the way to its leadership today. The objective views of experts presented with the global well-being in mind are of general interest, highlight the benefits of renewable energy, and give evidence of the lies and biased and distorted views of the defenders of the old conventional energy, which had its day. The book explains how, thanks to renewable energy, the low-income populations in the developing nations can at last get access to affordable energy. It demonstrates how the world has now understood the benefits provided by our friendly and inexhaustible sun power. Autorid: Wolfgang Palz

This book provides an undergraduate-level introduction to discrete and continuous-time Markov chains and their applications, with a particular focus on the first step analysis technique and its applications to the computation of average hitting times and ruin probabilities. It also discusses classical topics such as recurrence and transience, stationary and limiting distributions, as well as branching processes. It starts by examining in detail two important examples (gambling processes and random walks) before presenting the general theory in the subsequent chapters. It also provides an introduction to discrete-time martingales and their relation to ruin probabilities and mean exit times, together with a chapter on spatial Poisson processes. The concepts presented are illustrated by examples, 150 exercises and 22 problems with their solutions.This book is a revised and expanded version of the previous edition, and includes additional exercises and problems with complete solutions. As in the previous book, all exercises and problems are solved in detail, with many graphs and explanatory figures. Autorid: Nicolas Privault

This book focuses on deep learning-based methods for hyperspectral image (HSI) analysis. Unsupervised spectral-spatial adaptive band-noise factor-based formulation is devised for HSI noise detection and band categorization. The method to characterize the bands along with the noise estimation of HSIs will benefit subsequent remote sensing techniques significantly. This book develops on two fronts: On the one hand, it is aimed at domain professionals who want to have an updated overview of how hyperspectral acquisition techniques can combine with deep learning architectures to solve specific tasks in different application fields. On the other hand, the authors want to target the machine learning and computer vision experts by giving them a picture of how deep learning technologies are applied to hyperspectral data from a multidisciplinary perspective. The presence of these two viewpoints and the inclusion of application fields of remote sensing by deep learning are theoriginal contributions of this review, which also highlights some potentialities and critical issues related to the observed development trends.

This book, a bestseller in China with over a million copies sold, depicts the role played by the Chinese government in Chinäs economic development. It explains how the Chinese government has gradually established and improved market mechanisms while promoting economic growth. The book particularly points out that the Chinese government not only governs the economy through policy guidance but also directly participates in the process of urbanization and industrialization as part of the market. It also introduces the specific mechanisms of government involvement in economic activities, which forms a bridge between economic theory and the reality of China. This book, a winner of the Wenjin Book Award by the National Library of China, will be an invaluable reference for scholars seeking to understand Chinäs economic policy and government system reform in the years to come.

This book is a guide to domesticating and cultivating freshwater and marine fishes in Indonesia, offering a concise and comprehensive approach. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping readers with practical techniques for success in the aquaculture industry. The book covers key topics such as breeding programs, nutrition management, disease prevention and sustainable aquaculture practices. It explores the diverse species found in Indonesian waters, providing valuable guidance on their unique requirements. Readers will find detailed case studies, step-by-step guides, and expert tips that enhance understanding and application. The book provides deep understanding of the principles and techniques involved, ultimately enhancing productivity and sustainability in the Indonesian aquaculture industry.This book is intended for researchers, academics, fish farmers and aquaculture enthusiasts, and caters to both beginners and experienced professionals.

This book provides detailed insights into menopause, covering its pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and screening. Divided into 25 chapters, it addresses key topics such as endocrine changes, vasomotor symptoms, genitourinary syndrome, and osteopenia. The book also presents advanced management options, including hormonal and non-hormonal therapies, and discusses emerging areas like artificial intelligence in menopause care. Further chapters cover sleep disorders, cardiovascular risks, mental health, and sexual health. Practical advice on setting up menopause clinics, cancer screening, nutrition, and lifestyle management are also discussed.The book is relevant for postgraduates preparing for their MD examination and private practitioners to gain practical, essential information on the topic.

This book, based on extensive first-hand research conducted between 2020 and 2024, places “Russian antiquity” in the center of analysis, and addresses memory-making in the regions. The author seeks to examine how public history is managed in Old Russian cities, who the mnemonic actors are, which narratives are institutionalized, how cultural heritage is reinterpreted, and how federal and regional historical narratives interact. How did existing approaches to the past contributed to legitimization of aggressive wars and the federal government's assumed right to arbitrarily initiate conflicts and compel citizens to participate in them? The book focuses on the period from 2012 to 2022, which saw the strengthening of personalist authoritarianism in Russia accompanied by a “conservative turn” whose roots lie in nineteenth-century nationalism. The book includes case studies of 12 regional capitals founded before 1584 (the year of Ivan the Terrible’s death, his rule marked the emergence of the centralized Russian state).

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the classical formulae of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), some of which trace back centuries or even 1000 to 2000 years. The preservation of numerous traditional texts has endowed TCM doctors with the invaluable ability to tap into the extensive knowledge passed down through the generations. This practice has culminated in the development of Chinese phytotherapy, encompassing a variety of formulae tailored to treat specific syndromes.Expanding the horizons of this holistic treatment approach, typically applied in TCM, holds immense potential when implemented for Western medicinal herbs. This methodology stands poised to be just as effective for Western therapists as it has been for TCM doctors.This book incorporates both the traditional formulae of TCM as well as formulae consisting of Western herbs. Exploring 50 important formulae of TCM, the author delves into the adaptations using Western herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, burdock root, buckthorn bark, etc. Some formulae also include herbs that are commonly found in most households like cardamom, caraway, fennel and aniseed.

This book presents the first book-length study of ambient sound as a key issue in sound studies and sonic philosophy. Taking a broad, media-philosophical approach, it explores ambient sound as a basic dimension of the sonic environment, sonic technologies, sonic arts and the material staging of listening.Through analyses of key concepts such as surroundability, mediatization, immanence, synthetization and continuous variation, the book elucidates how ambient aspects of sound influence our conceptions of what sound is and how it affects us by exposing sound's relation to basic categories such as space, time, environment, medium and materiality. It also illuminates how the strategic production of ambient sound constitutes a leading aesthetic paradigm that has been a decisive factor in the shaping of the modern sonic environment - from key developments in experimental and popular music, sound art and cinematic sound design to the architectural-technological construction of listening spaces in concert halls and theaters and in current streaming infrastructures, digital surround sound and the everyday aesthetics of headphone listening.

A man finds himself the unwitting companion of a talking cat. . .Lucky Lee has everything— wealth, charm, money, good looks— and does very, very little with it. He’ s content. He’ s happy. He takes for granted that life is good and always will be. But then his sister, the go-getting, successful, famous TV chef Pearl Lee, dies, horribly and suddenly. Lucky is devastated. As he struggles to live without the big sister who’ s always been the dominant, often relentless force in his life, the inconceivable happens— her cat begins to talk to him. It wants to know where Pearl is. It questions his eating habits, his outfit choices, his life. It hogs the TV. It tells him stories. Now grief-stricken Lucky has a major problem: he may very well be mad. Autorid: Yeoh Jo-Ann

Beginning with a gentle introduction to causal discovery and the foundations of probability and statistics, this textbook is written in a highly pedagogical way. By uniting probability theory, statistical inference, and graph theory, the book offers a systematic pathway from foundational principles to cutting-edge algorithms, including independence tests, the PC algorithm, LiNGAM, information criteria, and Bayesian methods. Far more than a theoretical treatment, this volume emphasizes hands-on learning through Python implementations, carefully designed exercises with solutions, and intuitive graphical illustrations. Readers will gain the ability to see, run, and understand causal discovery methods in practice. Key features of this book include: A clear and self-contained introduction, bridging probability, statistics, and modern causal discovery techniques 100 exercises with solutions, supporting self-study and classroom use Reproducible Python code, allowing readers to implement and extend the methods themselves Intuitive figures and visual explanations that clarify abstract concepts Broad coverage of applications within statistics and data science, connecting rigorous theory with modern machine learning and causal inference Autorid: Joe Suzuki

This book is intended to serve as core text or handy reference on two key areas of metallic materials: (i) mechanical behavior and properties evaluated by mechanical testing; and (ii) different types of metal working or forming operations to produce useful shapes. The book consists of 16 chapters which are divided into two parts. The first part contains nine chapters which describe tension (including elastic stress ¿ strain relation, relevant theory of plasticity, and strengthening methods), compression, hardness, bending, torsion ¿ pure shear, impact loading, creep and stress rupture, fatigue, and fracture. The second part is composed of seven chapters and covers fundamentals of mechanical working, forging, rolling, extrusion, drawing of flat strip, round bar, and tube, deep drawing, and high-energy rate forming. The book comprises an exhaustive description of mechanical properties evaluated by testing of metals and metal working in sufficient depth and with reasonably wide coverage.The book is written in an easy-to-understand manner and includes many solved problems. More than 150 numerical problems and many multiple choice questions as exercise along with their answers have also been provided. The mathematical analyses are well elaborated without skipping any intermediate steps. Slab method of analysis or free-body equilibrium approach is used for the analytical treatment of mechanical working processes. For hot working processes, different frictional conditions (sliding, sticking and mixed sticking¿sliding) have been considered to estimate the deformation loads. In addition to the slab method of analysis, this book also contains slip-line field theory, its application to the static system, and the steady state motion, Further, this book includes upper-bound theorem, and upper-bound solutions for indentation, compression, extrusion and strip drawing. The book can be used to teach graduate and undergraduate courses offered to students of mechanical, aerospace, production, manufacturing and metallurgical engineering disciplines. The book can also be used for metallurgists and practicing engineers in industry and development courses in the metallurgy and metallic manufacturing industries.

The book focuses on the design, materials, process, fabrication, failure mechanism, reliability, modeling, and thermal management of chiplets and heterogeneous integration. Both principles and engineering practice have been addressed, with more weight placed on engineering practice. This is achieved by providing in-depth study on a number of major topics such as hybrid bonding, advanced substrates, failure mechanisms, and modeling due to thermal stresses, moisture absorption, impact loading such as drop as well as electric current driven electromigration, and the fundamentals of thermal management. Each topic is treated with in-depth analysis to bridge foundational principles with real-world engineering challenges. This book is an essential resource for researchers, engineers, and students in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, and industrial engineering, equipping them with the knowledge to advance innovation in semiconductor packaging and integration.

This book investigates how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) constructs and deploys a powerful politics of memory--reshaping historical narratives, redefining national identity, and reinforcing its political legitimacy. Through patriotic education, curated exhibitions, school textbooks, operas, and films, the state crafts a selective view of the past to support its vision of national 'rejuvenation' and global resurgence.It traces this dynamic from ancient Confucian historiography to the disruptions of Western imperialism, the Communist revolution, and the post-Tiananmen era. The book examines how memory is produced, taught, and ritualized in contemporary China, drawing on cultural memory theory and a rich array of real-world examples. Special focus is placed on how official narratives are framed in institutions like museums, classrooms, and public commemorations.By offering a clear and accessible exploration of China's evolving relationship with its past, this book provides crucial insight into the ideological foundations of the CCP's domestic and international strategies. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the historical imagination shaping one of the world's most influential powers today.

This book studies the important notion of controllability robustness for complex dynamical networks in the linear or linearized settings. Chapter 1 provides an overview of network controllability and controllability robustness, as well as some preliminaries and research problems. Chapter 2 introduces the basic concept and knowledge of network controllability, covering definitions, computational methods, and evaluation metrics. It explores key topological features of the controllability robustness. Chapter 3 analyzes the controllability robustness in complex networks, introducing key metrics, attack strategies, hierarchical attack methods, simulation criteria, and analytical models. Chapter 4 explores techniques for enhancing the controllability robustness, introducing robustness-oriented models, metaheuristic-based optimization, and an empirical necessary condition verified through extensive experiments. Chapter 5 examines data-driven approaches for evaluating the controllability robustness, focusing on input representation, model architecture, and output interpretation, from a machine learning-based approach. Chapter 6 introduces a framework for assessing and visualizing the controllability robustness enhancement potential, leveraging data-driven methods to deliver accurate predictions and interpretability at low computational cost. Finally, Chapter 7 reviews recent advancements, identifies key challenges, and outlines future directions in network controllability robustness studies. Autorid: Yang Lou, Lin Wang, Guanrong Chen

This textbook is a comprehensive, application-driven guide to mastering linear algebra from foundational principles to advanced machine learning applications. Designed for students, researchers, and professionals in AI, data science, and engineering, the book blends mathematical rigor with practical implementation using Python and popular libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and scikit-learn. Starting with vectors and matrices, the text builds toward systems of linear equations, transformations, determinants, eigenvalues, and vector spacesthen extends to orthogonality, matrix factorizations (e.g., SVD, QR, LU), tensors, and optimization. Each concept is introduced with clear geometric intuition, detailed examples, and step-by-step Python code. Chapters include visual illustrations, code outputs, and exercises that reinforce both theoretical understanding and computational skills. Real-world examples show how core concepts underpin algorithms in regression, PCA, image compression, neural networks, and more. This book is suitable for either beginner aiming to grasp key ML concepts or an advanced learner exploring spectral methods and tensor decompositions, this book serves as a flexible resource, grounded in mathematics, empowered by code. Autorid: Md. Jalil Piran

The book focuses on the design, materials, process, fabrication, and reliability of advanced semiconductor packaging components and systems. Both principles and engineering practice have been addressed, with more weight placed on engineering practice. This is achieved by providing in-depth study on a number of major topics such as system-in-package, fan-in wafer/panel-level chip-scale packages, fan-out wafer/panel-level packaging, 2D, 2.1D, 2.3D, 2.5D, and 3D IC integration, chiplets packaging, chip-to-wafer bonding, wafer-to-wafer bonding, hybrid bonding, and dielectric materials for high speed and frequency. The book can benefit researchers, engineers, and graduate students in fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials sciences, and industry engineering, etc.

In this remarkable tetralogy of short novels, Nichols envisions the nature of our communal, yet highly individualized society in which decentralized democracy, ecological sensibility, bioregional principles, and liberatory technologies are integrated into a traditional culture. It is a vision of utopia emerging out of the rich particularity of history and lived experience. First published in five separate volumes in the late 1970s, Daily Lives in Nghsi-Altai has never gained the recognition it deserves. It is an extraordinary contribution to both literary and theoretical utopianism and should be recognized both for its radical ideology and for the fecundity of the imagination that informs it at all moments. It is a beguiling and inventive mixture of hallucinogenic prose and poetry that has demonstrates a fiercely independent mind and talent at its pinnacle. This reissue includes the full series, Red Shift (with illustrations from Peter Schumann), Arrival, Gahr City, The Harditts in Sawna, and Exile."As those lucky enough to have read Daily Lives in Nghsi-Altai know, Robert Nichols is one of our most profoundly original writers, his political passion, and acuteness transfigured by a visionary gleam." -Ursula K. Le Guin

This book looks at how quantum computing, neural networks, and next-generation communication systems can work together in new and exciting ways. The book presents details about cutting edge techniques, such as Tensor Networks and the n-Sci framework, that make 6G and 7G networks faster, safer, and able to grow. It has in-depth discussion on quantum-assisted channel estimates, energy-efficient designs, and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), which makes it an important tool for wireless communication scholars and engineers. Some of the unique features are- in-depth case studies, real-life examples in smart cities and autonomous systems, and the use of graphs and tables to make complicated ideas easy to understand. Readers will learn a lot about how future communication will work and how quantum neural networks can be used to change the development of global wireless standards.