Liam, The Brave is a beautifully illustrated story about a boy who overcomes his greatest fear: butterflies. Liam desperately wants to become The Bravest Boy in the World, and he goes through an extraordinary journey of self-discovery to face and overcome his fear. Beyond simply being a story about a boy with an irrational fear, it is also a story about perseverance and more importantly, how accolades don’t matter. What is more important is being true to oneself.
From a rising literary star, an epic historical novel, set against the tense backdrop of the Long March and Mao’s rise to power, that tells a powerful and moving story of two ordinary people China, 1934: A naive orphan and shy gunsmith, Ping, has fallen in love with Yong, who is a sophisticated veteran, a skilled marksman, and a true believer in Marxist ideology. Winning her affections will take an ideological battle—something he does not understand. To make matters worse, Yong has shown interest in Ping’s best friend, Luo. On the eve of a great Communist defeat, Ping sabotages Luo’s rifle, causing the bullet to backfire into his friend’s head. The army begins its year-long retreat, known as The Long March, and Yong turns to Ping for comfort and companionship. Ping deeply regrets killing his friend, and as his relationship with Yong blossoms, he is saddened that it will always be colored by guilt. Yong soon becomes pregnant. She hates the way the baby inside is changing her, both physically and emotionally. The Red Army can’t retreat with a crying infant, so they need to find someone close to take the baby in. Ping and Yong leave their son with a woman, promising to return once the war is won. When World War II breaks out and Japanese soldiers arrive, their 12-year-old son decides to enlist in the Japanese army to find his parents, though he quickly begins to fear for his life . . . Deeply moving and brilliantly written, Michael X. Wang's Lost in the Long March is an exploration of how the history of a country is always its people, though their stories are often the first to be lost.
This book provides an original analysis of the problems of ensuring that oil ports are sustainable in the broadest sense of the concept including environmental, social, technical and resource aspects. Taking China as its frame for analysis, chosen because of the authors’ expertise and because it is the largest oil import country in the world, much of it by ship, it presents a detailed investigation of the issues that make up a sustainable port profile, using a variety of established statistical and operational techniques These are examined before an holistic model is derived. Recommendations are provided for future application both in China and elsewhere and also a range of ways suggested for how the framework could be adapted to other types of ports and locations.
Image and Video Matting: A Survey provides a comprehensive review of existing image and video matting algorithms and systems, with an emphasis on the advanced techniques that have been recently proposed. Various methods are described and contrasted and finally tested against a uniform set of examples.
Natural gas is playing an increasing role in meeting world energy demands because of its abundance, versatility, and its clean burning nature. As a result, lots of new gas exploration, field development and production activities are under way, especially in places where natural gas until recently was labeled as “stranded . Because a significant portion of natural gas reserves worldwide are located across bodies of water, gas transportation in the form of LNG or CNG becomes an issue as well. Finally natural gas is viewed in comparison to the recently touted alternatives. Therefore, there is a need to have a book covering all the unique aspects and challenges related to natural gas from the upstream to midstream and downstream. All these new issues have not been addressed in depth in any existing book. To bridge the gap, Xiuli Wang and Michael Economides have written a new book called Advanced Natural Gas Engineering. This book will serve as a reference for all engineers and professionals in the energy business. It can also be a textbook for students in petroleum and chemical engineering curricula and in training departments for a large group of companies.
Ion Beam Analysis: Fundamentals and Applications explains the basic characteristics of ion beams as applied to the analysis of materials, as well as ion beam analysis (IBA) of art/archaeological objects. It focuses on the fundamentals and applications of ion beam methods of materials characterization.The book explains how ions interact with solids
The Easy, Visual Way to Master IBM® DB2 for Linux®, UNIX®, and Windows®—Fully Updated for Version 9.5 IBM DB2 9 and DB2 9.5 provide breakthrough capabilities for providing Information on Demand, implementing Web services and Service Oriented Architecture, and streamlining information management. Understanding DB2: Learning Visually with Examples, Second Edition, is the easiest way to master the latest versions of DB2 and apply their full power to your business challenges. Written by four IBM DB2 experts, this book introduces key concepts with dozens of examples drawn from the authors' experience working with DB2 in enterprise environments. Thoroughly updated for DB2 9.5, it covers new innovations ranging from manageability to performance and XML support to API integration. Each concept is presented with easy-to-understand screenshots, diagrams, charts, and tables. This book is for everyone who works with DB2: database administrators, system administrators, developers, and consultants. With hundreds of well-designed review questions and answers, it will also help professionals prepare for the IBM DB2 Certification Exams 730, 731, or 736. Coverage includes Choosing the right version of DB2 for your needs Installing and configuring DB2 Understanding the DB2 environment, instances, and databases Establishing client and server connectivity Working with database objects Utilizing breakthrough pureXMLTM technology, which provides for nativeXML support Mastering administration, maintenance, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and recovery Understanding improvements in the DB2 process, memory, and storage models Implementing effective database security Leveraging the power of SQL and XQuery
For more than a century scholars both inside and outside of China have undertaken the project of modernizing Confucianism, but few have been as successful or influential as Li Zehou (b. 1930). Since the 1950s, Li’s extensive efforts in this regard have in turn exerted a profound influence on Chinese modernization and resulted in his becoming one of China’s most prominent social critics. To transform Confucianism into a contemporary resource for positive change in China and elsewhere, Li has reinterpreted major ideas and concepts of classical Confucianism, including a rereading of the entire Analects, replete with his own philosophical speculations derived from other Chinese and Western traditions (most notably, the ideas of Kant and Marx), and developed an aesthetical theory that has proved especially far-reaching. Although the authors of this volume hail from East Asia, North America, and Europe and a wide variety of academic backgrounds and fields of study, they are unanimous in their appreciation of Li’s contributions to not only an evolving Confucian philosophy, but also world philosophy. They view Li first and foremost as a sui generis thinker with broad global interests and not one who fits neatly into any one philosophical category, Chinese or Western. This is clearly reflected in the chapters included here, which are organized into three parts: Li Zehou and the Modernization of Confucianism, Li Zehou’s Reconception of Confucian Philosophy, and Li Zehou’s Aesthetical Theory and Confucianism. Together they form a coherent narrative that reveals how Li has, for more than half a century, creatively studied, absorbed, and reconceptualized the Confucian ideational tradition to integrate it with Western philosophical elements and develop his own philosophical insights and original theories. At the same time, he has transformed and modernized Confucianism for the purpose of both coalescing with and reconstructing a new world cultural order.
This open access book explores the interactions between water and earthquakes, including recent concerns about induced seismicity. It further highlights that a better understanding of the response of the water system to disturbances such as earthquakes is needed to safeguard water resources, to shield underground waste repositories, and to mitigate groundwater contamination. Although the effects of earthquakes on streams and groundwater have been reported for thousands of years, this field has only blossomed into an active area of research in the last twenty years after quantitative and continuous documentation of field data became available. This volume gathers the important advances that have been made in the field over the past decade, which to date have been scattered in the form of research articles in various scientific journals.
This book introduces the concept of machine-type communication (MTC) for maritime Internet of Things. The first part of the book portrays a maritime MTC system from an architectural perspective and describes an MTC framework and the fundamental components, laying out a foundation that leads to an ultimate solution to the maritime IoT requirements and challenges. The second part ties together all discussed in the first part and demonstrates how to apply it to a practical system through a realistic design example based on an international maritime mobile spectrum. The book serves as a comprehensive tutorial of the maritime MTC from the top (the network architecture) to the bottom (the air/radio interface and regulatory radio spectrum constraints), guiding readers to an easier understanding of the maritime MTC-related issues and the rationale behind the design. The primary readers of this book include maritime communication engineers, maritime IoT professionals, maritime academia, and the general MTC and IoT communities. Presents the concept of machine-type communication (MTC) for maritime Internet of Things (IoT) and its services, requirements, and challenges; Explains space-earth-integrated maritime machine-type communication system architecture with a comparison with its land counterpart; Sets out a comprehensive framework and details the ways to implement it on a practical radio spectrum; Includes maritime MTC radio spectrum and regulations, network design, protocol design, and air interface design.
Founded by four Swiss surgeons in 1958, AO Spine is a premier knowledge provider in spine surgery and at the forefront of education and research. Endorsed by AO Spine, this book is a comprehensive guide to the management of spinal disorders. Beginning with a general overview of the spine and its physiology and biomechanics, the next section extensively covers the paediatric spine and associated disorders. The following sections discuss conditions found in the different anatomical sections of the spine – cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral – and their history, physical examination, diagnosis and surgical and non-operative management techniques. The final part of the book explores future trends in spine surgery. Authored by leading US-based neuro and orthopaedic surgeons, this textbook is highly illustrated with more than 650 surgical images, diagrams and tables. Key points Comprehensive guide to surgical and non-operative management of spinal disorders Endorsed by AO Spine committee Covers diagnosis and treatment of numerous conditions in each section of the spine Highly experienced and renowned, US-based author team
Cementitious materials are being widely used as solidification/stabilisation and barrier materials for a variety of chemical and radioactive wastes, primarily due to their favourable retention properties for metals, radionuclides and other contaminants. The retention properties result from various mineral phases in hydrated cement that possess a high density and diversity of reactive sites for the fixation of contaminants through a variety of sorption and incorporation reactions. This book presents a state of the art review and critical evaluation of the type and magnitude of the various sorption and incorporation processes in hydrated cement systems for twenty-five elements relevant for a broad range of radioactive and industrial wastes. Effects of cement evolution or ageing on sorption/incorporation processes are explicitly evaluated and quantified. While the immobilisation of contaminants by mixing-in during hydration is not explicitly addressed, the underlying chemical processes are similar. A quantitative database on the solid/liquid distribution behaviour of radionuclides and other elements in hydrated cement systems is established on the basis of a consistent review and re-evaluation of literature data. In addition to recommended values, all underlying original experimental data and key experimental info rmation are provided, which allows users to trace the given recommendations or to develop their own set of key values. This database is closely tied to the safety analysis of near surface disposal of radioactive waste in Belgium. It focuses on radioelements, toxic stable elements and heavy metals, which makes it relevant for investigations involving the interaction of radioactive and conventional contaminants with cement-based barriers.
Endoscopic spine surgery essentials from expert spine surgeons Atlas of Full-Endoscopic Spine Surgery by internationally renowned spine surgeons Christoph Hofstetter, Sebastian Ruetten, Yue Zhou, and Michael Wang provides concise, step-by-step guidance on the latest full endoscopic spine procedures. The book is targeted at practicing spine surgeons, fellows, and residents currently not trained in endoscopic spine surgery who have the desire to learn and incorporate these techniques into clinical practice. It is also an excellent curriculum resource for cadaveric training courses taught at the national and international level. The book lays a solid foundation with opening chapters on anesthesia, OR setup and endoscopic tools, applied anatomy, basic endoscopic surgical tasks, and preoperative diagnostics. Additional sections include step-by-step descriptions of the full spectrum of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar endoscopic approaches. The last section provides invaluable pearls on overcoming challenges, avoiding pitfalls, and optimizing postoperative care. Key Features Transforaminal endoscopic lumbar and thoracic discectomy approaches Trans-SAP endoscopic approach for foraminal and lateral recess decompression Interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy Cervical/thoracic and lumbar unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression Special topics including endoscopic management of challenging cases, endoscopic revision surgery, and management of complications. Neurosurgery residents, fellows, young practicing neurosurgeons, and all healthcare practitioners involved in the care of endoscopic spine surgery patients will gain invaluable insights from this book.
An anatomical, patient-oriented approach to neurologic diagnosis from renowned neurosurgeons Despite strides in advanced neuroimaging techniques, what remains constant in the practice of neurology and neurosurgery is the enduring value of observing and interpreting patient signs and symptoms at bedside. Authored by renowned neurosurgeons Cary D. Alberstone, Edward C. Benzel, Michael P. Steinmetz and distinguished colleagues, Anatomic Basis of Neurologic Diagnosis, Second Edition details neuroanatomy in an organized, thorough manner, tipping its hat to the art and science of neurologic diagnosis. Like the widely acclaimed first edition, the updated volume emphasizes a logical, patient-oriented approach to neurologic diagnosis, conspicuously absent from most standard neuroanatomy texts. New to this second edition are a portfolio of carefully curated MRI images and sections on neuroplasticity, peripheral nerve architecture, peripheral nerve injury and recovery, electrodiagnostic diagnosis of radiculopathy, tremor, deep brain stimulation targets (and side effects), autonomic disorders, altered states of consciousness, and spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Two sophisticated new chapters address our current understanding of Memory and Neural Networks. Key Features: Clinically pertinent anatomy is described succinctly and in plain language The cardinal manifestations of regional nervous system disorders facilitate localization of lesions Logical approaches to system-based complaints aid in differential diagnosis Learning objectives begin each chapter, graced by a variety of easy-to-grasp conceptual drawings MRI images, new to this edition, enrich and amplify the text The authors present a practical, reader-friendly, and patient-centric approach to diagnosing neurological disorders. Residents, fellows, and practitioners in neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology, and those studying for board examinations will enjoy reading this indispensable resource.
How has China approached the global economy? Webber, Wang and Zhu attempt to answer this question through analysis of the concepts of globalization, transition and regionalization. China's approach has been experimental, stressing the liberalization of trade and investment flows and the development of a market economy. By these indexes globalization in China has been gradual and uneven. Integrating Western social science and Chinese research, this book assesses the nature and effect of globalization in China and its implications.
Lithography, the fundamental fabrication process of semiconductor devices, plays a critical role in micro- and nano-fabrications and the revolution in high density integrated circuits. This book is the result of inspirations and contributions from many researchers worldwide. Although the inclusion of the book chapters may not be a complete representation of all lithographic arts, it does represent a good collection of contributions in this field. We hope readers will enjoy reading the book as much as we have enjoyed bringing it together. We would like to thank all contributors and authors of this book.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.