You are in the know after all. “Why do you endow those who are more stupid with greater wealth?!” BMW is a short story that probes into the psyche of a desperate teenager. In a non-linear, one-sided conversation with whom the narrator suspects to be the "gatekeepers of hell," true despair is palpably shown.
In A World In Favor Of The Cunning, A Young, Astute Art Student Navigates The Complexities Of Adulthood While Striving To Maintain His Integrity. Number 103 explores the life of a young man caught in the throes of societal expectations and his relentless pursuit of personal identity. A deeply concerned art student who finds himself doing anything but art; and now, financial reasons have forced him to work for his father's friend, driving a taxi to settle his debts. Yet again, even in this job, he is anything but a banal taxi driver. With a disdain for conventionality and bursts of defiance, he embarks on adventures that blur the lines between tragedy and comedy, as well as profundity and absurdity. From helping working children achieve their dreams to delivering unconventional vigilante justice against those who exploit the innocent, he wanders the streets to encounter the mundane, the philosophical, and sometimes, the dangerous, only to imbue each with his subtle humor and raw honesty. This is no mere depiction of a taxi driver’s routine but a vivid portrayal of urban life in Iran, seen through the eyes of an everyday hero who encounters other heroes—and occasionally, villains—along the way. Number 103 dives deep into the essence of what it means to be human, to err, and to seek redemption in the aftermath. It invites readers into a world where every word counts, where the struggle for self-expression and recognition poignantly unfolds in the warmth of genuine connections. The Ordinary Is Just A Facade For The Extraordinary.
A city of stories – short, fragmented, amorphous, and at times contradictory – Tehran is an impossible tale to tell. For the capital city of one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East, its literary output is rarely acknowledged in the West. This unique celebration of its writing brings together ten stories exploring the tensions and pressures that make the city what it is: tensions between the public and the private, pressures from without – judgemental neighbours, the expectations of religion and society – and from within – family feuds, thwarted ambitions, destructive relationships. The psychological impact of these pressures manifests in different ways: a man wakes up to find a stranger relaxing in his living room and starts to wonder if this is his house at all; a struggling writer decides only when his girlfriend breaks his heart will his work have depth... In all cases, coping with these pressures leads us, the readers, into an unexpected trove of cultural treasures – like the burglar, in one story, descending into the basement of a mysterious antique collector’s house – treasures of which we, in the West, are almost wholly ignorant. Translated by: Sara Khalili, Sholeh Wolpé, Alireza Abiz, Caroline Croskery, Farzaneh Doosti, Shahab Vaezzadeh, Niloufar Talebi, Lida Nosrati, Susan Niazi and Poupeh Missaghi. Foreword by Orkideh Behrouzan. Developed in partnership with Visiting Arts. 'The aesthetic sensibility of Iranian culture appears, to the West, as mainly pre-modern, if not actually anti-modern... The fiction showcased in The Book of Tehran is a welcome corrective to this tendency... These stories feel decidedly contemporary in style and subject matter alike, with their protagonists' inner lives and interpersonal relationships at the fore.' - The Times Literary Supplement 'Fiction exploring the interior life of contemporary Iranians is not well represented in translations readily available in the West. The Book of Tehran aims to begin to redress the shortage...' - Asian Review of Books
Confounding all conventional wisdom, the fertility rate in the Islamic Republic of Iran fell from around 7.0 births per woman in the early 1980s to 1.9 births per woman in 2006. That this, the largest and fastest fall in fertility ever recorded, should have occurred in one of the world’s few Islamic Republics demands explanation. This book, based upon a decade of research is the first to attempt such an explanation. The book documents the progress of the fertility decline and displays its association with social and economic characteristics. It addresses an explanation of the phenomenal fall of fertility in this Islamic context by considering the relevance of standard theories of fertility transition. The book is rich in data as well as the application of different demographic methods to interpret the data. All the available national demographic data are used in addition to two major surveys conducted by the authors. Demographic description is preceded by a socio-political history of Iran in recent decades, providing a context for the demographic changes. The authors conclude with their views on the importance of specific socio-economic and political changes to the demographic transition. Their concluding arguments suggest continued low fertility in Iran. The book is recommended to not only demographers, social scientists, and gender specialists, but also to policy makers and those who are interested in social and demographic changes in Iran and other Islamic countries in the Middle East. It is also a useful reference for demography students and researchers who are interested in applying fertility theories in designing surveys and analysing data.
This book explains how Taylor's University implemented a curriculum in their engineering program that prepares students to address challenges facing the world. Aim is to enable Engineers put their knowledge into application to meet the 14 challenges of the century as outlined by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) of the United States. The research groups are organized around the 14 grand challenges for engineering The structure of their syllabi is organized in a way that they address the 5 core competencies: Research Experience, Entrepreneurship, Service Learning, Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Global Dimension. It uses the CDIO educational framework, a project-based learning approach that provides students with the big picture of engineering. Through this method, students are able to: Master a deeper working knowledge of the fundamentals of engineering Lead in the creation and operation of new products and systems Understand the importance and strategic value of research work As the only programe of its kind outside North America, it offers the brightest minds the opportunity to face real-world issues and places them on the cutting edge of the engineering world.
Eighteen months after Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, hundreds of thousands of the country’s women participated in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) in a variety of capacities. Iran was divided into women of conservative religious backgrounds who supported the revolution and accepted some of the theocratic regime’s depictions of gender roles, and liberal women more active in civil society before the revolution who challenged the state’s male-dominated gender bias. However, both groups were integral to the war effort, serving as journalists, paramedics, combatants, intelligence officers, medical instructors, and propagandists. Behind the frontlines, women were drivers, surgeons, fundraisers, and community organizers. The war provided women of all social classes the opportunity to assert their role in society, and in doing so, they refused to be marginalized. Despite their significant contributions, women are largely absent from studies on the war. Drawing upon primary sources such as memoirs, wills, interviews, print media coverage, and oral histories, Farzaneh chronicles in copious detail women’s participation on the battlefield, in the household, and everywhere in between.
This book highlights the most efficient and latest ways to deal with cancer, focusing on IONPs. The book describes some well-designed surface modifications performed through several functional materials over the surface of IONPs, which results in the development of multifunctional IONPs-based delivery nanoplatforms by enhancing solubility, stability, and avoiding side effects on healthy cells. Several types of stimuli-responsive IONPs-based strategies are also discussed. Owing to magnetic, structural, and thermal properties, IONPs themselves can be utilized for magnetic targeting, magnetic hyperthermia, and phototherapy. Significant advancements are presented in IONPs-based immunotherapy, radiotherapy, and sonodynamic therapy for the efficient treatment of cancer. Finally, the book presents RIONs which serve as the parent platform for the development of powerful DMCAs utilized in SPECT/MRI and PET/MRI applications.
Principles and Fundamentals of Islamic Management examines the concept of business and public management from the viewpoint of Islam. Providing a much-needed insight into the practicalities of management operations in an Islamic context, this book is essential reading for researchers, managers, and students.
Lanthanides Series Determination by Various Analytical Methods describes the different spectroscopic and electrochemical methods used for the determination and measurement of lanthanides. Numerous examples of determination methods used in real sample analysis are gathered and explained, and the importance of lanthanides as applied in chemical industry, agriculture, clinical and pharmaceutical industry, and biology is discussed, with many applications and recent advantages given. Written by world-leading experts in research on lanthanide determination Discusses determination methods that range from very advanced and expensive techniques to simple and inexpensive methods A single source of information for a broad collection of lanthanide detection techniques and applications Includes a complete list of reports and patents on lanthanide determination Discusses both advantages and disadvantages of each determination method, giving a well-balanced overview
Power-to-Gas: Bridging the Electricity and Gas Networks introduces the concept of Power-to-Gas (P2G) technologies in the Whole Energy System framework and related Vector-Coupling Technologies (VCTs). The boo provides a comprehensive approach to the economic, technical and environmental evaluation of P2G technology to make more effective use of the surplus power of renewable units. It covers converting electricity to hydrogen or methane, and the challenges, analytical solutions and future trends of P2G applications. Moreover, the reference features technology overviews and literature reviews in each chapter, along with concepts, appropriate definitions, fundamentals and contexts in the energy systems. Finally, modeling issues and requirements for analysis Gas and Power Vector-Coupling Technologies are presented and supported by real-world case studies and experimental examples. By uniquely analyzing issues from the whole energy system perspective, this book plays a pivotal role in supporting researchers and academicians in electrical, mechanical and energy engineering in their long-term decarbonization strategies. Includes a reliability assessment of cyber-physical power applications Presents practical methods, along with evidence from applications to real-world and simulated coupled energy systems Provides sample computer codes/pseudocodes and analytical examples for the presented methods
Aquatic Environmental Bioengineering Discover the importance of remediation efforts for aquatic ecosystems Most contamination of water bodies stem from human activity, and the pollution in our water is one of the most important environmental concerns facing future generations. The most significant of these pollutants are halogenated organic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons, radionuclides, metal and metalloids, pharmaceutical drugs, microbial toxins, and flame retardants. With such a vast array of potential contaminants and dangerously cumulating contamination levels in fragile marine environments, reparative action is more essential than ever. Aquatic Environmental Bioengineering: Monitoring and Remediation of Contamination provides the reader with a map towards environmentally safe and economically feasible technologies to intervene in polluted aquatic ecosystems. The authors suggest a phased approach consisting of site classification and risk assessment, followed by remediation technology selection and implementation. Effective methods for surveying bodies of water are particularly emphasized, and advancements in the development of novel transgenic plants and microbial fuel cells are put forward as effective tools against environmental contamination and industrial wastewater pollution. Readers will also find: A focus on the most recent and cutting-edge research on the topic: photocatalysis, the use of genetically modified organisms, and the use of nanomaterials A simple compendium of fundamental concepts in environmental engineering of aquatic ecosystems A detailed discussion of the advancement in remote sensing and geographic information (GIS), methodologies that make it possible to conduct large-scale water remediation studies at reasonable cost The ideal resource for researchers and students of environmental science, plant biotechnology, agricultural science, environmental engineering, and plant sciences, Aquatic Environmental Bioengineering will be a crucial resource for the remediation of contaminants in our aquatic ecosystems.
This book discusses compressive sensing in the presence of side information. Compressive sensing is an emerging technique for efficiently acquiring and reconstructing a signal. Interesting instances of Compressive Sensing (CS) can occur when, apart from sparsity, side information is available about the source signals. The side information can be about the source structure, distribution, etc. Such cases can be viewed as extensions of the classical CS. In these cases we are interested in incorporating the side information to either improve the quality of the source reconstruction or decrease the number of samples required for accurate reconstruction. In this book we assume availability of side information about the feasible region. The main applications investigated are image deblurring for optical imaging, 3D surface reconstruction, and reconstructing spatiotemporally correlated sources. The author shows that the side information can be used to improve the quality of the reconstruction compared to the classic compressive sensing. The book will be of interest to all researchers working on compressive sensing, inverse problems, and image processing.
This book begins by briefly explaining learning automata (LA) models and a recently developed cellular learning automaton (CLA) named wavefront CLA. Analyzing social networks is increasingly important, so as to identify behavioral patterns in interactions among individuals and in the networks’ evolution, and to develop the algorithms required for meaningful analysis. As an emerging artificial intelligence research area, learning automata (LA) has already had a significant impact in many areas of social networks. Here, the research areas related to learning and social networks are addressed from bibliometric and network analysis perspectives. In turn, the second part of the book highlights a range of LA-based applications addressing social network problems, from network sampling, community detection, link prediction, and trust management, to recommender systems and finally influence maximization. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable guide for all researchers whose work involves reinforcement learning, social networks and/or artificial intelligence.
Spanning over a period of more than five decades since its inception, Iran’s nuclear programme is the most protracted civilian nuclear program in the world and one of the most politicized projects in Iran’s history. 'Iran and the Nuclear Question' offers a historiographical portrait of Iran’s early nuclear program under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Using declassified archival material, the book thematically chronicles the program’s genesis, evolutionary trajectory, and devolution from the 1950s through to the 1970s. It also catalogues the Revolutionary Iran’s early socialization into the atom and the Islamic Republic’s gradual change of heart about nuclear energy that culminated in the incremental resuscitation of the Shah’s nuclear enterprise in the 1980s. As the first archive-based account of one of the most long-lasting and capital-intensive nuclear enterprises during the Cold War, ‘Iran and the Nuclear Question’ is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Iranian, Middle East and Security Studies. Written in a clear and accessible format, it will also appeal to those with a more general interest in Iran and its nuclear journey.
The present book addresses various power system planning issues for professionals as well as senior level and postgraduate students. Its emphasis is on long-term issues, although much of the ideas may be used for short and mid-term cases, with some modifications. Back-up materials are provided in twelve appendices of the book. The readers can use the numerous examples presented within the chapters and problems at the end of the chapters, to make sure that the materials are adequately followed up. Based on what Matlab provides as a powerful package for students and professional, some of the examples and the problems are solved in using M-files especially developed and attached for this purpose. This adds a unique feature to the book for in-depth understanding of the materials, sometimes, difficult to apprehend mathematically. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to Power System Planning (PSP) issues and basic principles. As most of PSP problems are modeled as optimization problems, optimization techniques are covered in some details in Chapter 2. Moreover, PSP decision makings are based on both technical and economic considerations, so economic principles are briefly reviewed in Chapter 3. As a basic requirement of PSP studies, the load has to be known. Therefore, load forecasting is presented in Chapter 4. Single bus Generation Expansion Planning (GEP) problem is described in Chapter 5. This study is performed using WASP-IV, developed by International Atomic Energy Agency. The study ignores the grid structure. A Multi-bus GEP problem is discussed in Chapter 6 in which the transmission effects are, somehow, accounted for. The results of single bus GEP is used as an input to this problem. SEP problem is fully presented in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 devotes to Network Expansion Planning (NEP) problem, in which the network is planned. The results of NEP, somehow, fixes the network structure. Some practical considerations and improvements such as multi-voltage cases are discussed in Chapter 9. As NEP study is typically based on some simplifying assumptions and Direct Current Load Flow (DCLF) analysis, detailed Reactive Power Planning (RPP) study is finally presented in Chapter 10, to guarantee acceptable ACLF performance during normal as well as contingency conditions. This, somehow, concludes the basic PSP problem. The changing environments due to power system restructuring dictate some uncertainties on PSP issues. It is shown in Chapter 11 that how these uncertainties can be accounted for. Although is intended to be a text book, PSP is a research oriented topic, too. That is why Chapter 12 is devoted to research trends in PSP. The chapters conclude with a comprehensive example in Chapter 13, showing the step-by-step solution of a practical case.
This book argues that Political Islam in the Iranian context evolved into three main schools of thought during the 1960s and 1970s: Jurisprudential Islam led by Ayatollah Khomeini, Leftist Islam led by Shariati, and Liberal Islam led by Bazargan. Despite the fact that all schools seek an Islamic state, their chosen methods and philosophical approaches diverge considerably. The synthesis of these three contrasting socio-political views is structured here to provide a coherent interpretation by means of ongoing comparison. This method has so far not been presented in academic studies within the field of Political Islam. Furthermore, this book provides a critical analysis of the aforementioned ‘Political Islam’ schools in Iran, their similarities and differences, relative success or failure, their contribution to the revolution of 1979 and how they have evolved from the pre-revolution era to the present.
NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) have emerged in both a development and aid capacity in Bangladesh, providing wide-reaching public services to the country’s population living in extreme poverty. However, resistance to and limitations of NGO-led development - which in conjunction with Bangladesh’s social transformation - led to a new religious-based NGO development practice. Looking at the role of Islamic NGOs in Bangladesh, the book investigates new forms of neoliberal governmentality supported by international donors. It discusses how this form of social regulation produces and reproduces subjectivities, particularly Muslim women subjectivity, and has combined religious and economic rationality, further complicating the boundaries and the relationship between Islam, modernity, and development. The book argues that both secular and Islamic NGOs target women in the name of empowerment but more importantly as the most reliable partners to meet their debt obligations of micro-financing schemes, including shari’a-based financing. The targeted women, in turn, experience Islamic NGOs as less coercive and more sensitive to their religious environment in the rural village community than are secular NGOs. Providing a comparative study of the role of religious and secular NGOs in the implementation of neoliberal policies and development strategies, this book will be a significant addition to research on South Asian Politics, Development Studies, Gender Studies, and Religion.
This Brief offers a comprehensive study covering the different aspects of gas allocation optimization in petroleum engineering. It contains different methods of defining the fitness function, dealing with constraints and selecting the optimizer; in each chapter a detailed literature review is included which covers older and important studies as well as recent publications. This book will be of use for production engineers and students interested in gas lift optimization.
A detailed review of a wide range of meta-heuristic and evolutionary algorithms in a systematic manner and how they relate to engineering optimization problems This book introduces the main metaheuristic algorithms and their applications in optimization. It describes 20 leading meta-heuristic and evolutionary algorithms and presents discussions and assessments of their performance in solving optimization problems from several fields of engineering. The book features clear and concise principles and presents detailed descriptions of leading methods such as the pattern search (PS) algorithm, the genetic algorithm (GA), the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm, the Tabu search (TS) algorithm, the ant colony optimization (ACO), and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. Chapter 1 of Meta-heuristic and Evolutionary Algorithms for Engineering Optimization provides an overview of optimization and defines it by presenting examples of optimization problems in different engineering domains. Chapter 2 presents an introduction to meta-heuristic and evolutionary algorithms and links them to engineering problems. Chapters 3 to 22 are each devoted to a separate algorithm— and they each start with a brief literature review of the development of the algorithm, and its applications to engineering problems. The principles, steps, and execution of the algorithms are described in detail, and a pseudo code of the algorithm is presented, which serves as a guideline for coding the algorithm to solve specific applications. This book: Introduces state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms and their applications to engineering optimization; Fills a gap in the current literature by compiling and explaining the various meta-heuristic and evolutionary algorithms in a clear and systematic manner; Provides a step-by-step presentation of each algorithm and guidelines for practical implementation and coding of algorithms; Discusses and assesses the performance of metaheuristic algorithms in multiple problems from many fields of engineering; Relates optimization algorithms to engineering problems employing a unifying approach. Meta-heuristic and Evolutionary Algorithms for Engineering Optimization is a reference intended for students, engineers, researchers, and instructors in the fields of industrial engineering, operations research, optimization/mathematics, engineering optimization, and computer science. OMID BOZORG-HADDAD, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering at the University of Tehran, Iran. MOHAMMAD SOLGI, M.Sc., is Teacher Assistant for M.Sc. courses at the University of Tehran, Iran. HUGO A. LOÁICIGA, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, United States of America.
Winner of the I.R. Iran World Award for Book of the Year In The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam, leading Islamic law expert Mohammad Hashim Kamali examines the concept of wasatiyyah, or moderation, arguing that scholars, religious communities, and policy circles alike must have access to this governing principle that drives the silent majority of Muslims, rather than focusing on the extremist fringe. Kamali explores wasatiyyah in both historical/conceptual terms and in contemporary/practical terms. Tracing the definition and scope of the concept from the foundational sources of Islam, the Qu'ran and Hadith, he demonstrates that wasatiyyah has a long and well-developed history in Islamic law and applies the concept to contemporary issues of global policy, such as justice, women's rights, environmental and financial balance, and globalization. Framing his work as an open dialogue against a now-decades long formulation of the arguably destructive Huntingtonian "clash of civilizations" thesis as well as the public rhetoric of fear of Muslim extremism since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Kamali connects historical conceptions of wasatiyyah to the themes of state and international law, governance, and cultural maladies in the Muslim world and beyond. Both a descriptive and prescriptive meditation on a key but often neglected principle of Islam, The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam provides insight into an idea that is in the strategic interest of the West both to show and practice for themselves and to recognize in Muslim countries.
Cogeneration and Polygeneration Systems explores the suite of state-of-the-art modeling, design, analysis and optimization procedures for creating and retooling optimally efficient combined heat and power (CHP) and polygeneration energy systems. The book adopts exergetic and thermoeconomic analysis and related modeling and simulation tools to inform performance and systems design in modern cogeneration plants. Chapters provide a methodical approach to the design, operation and troubleshooting of cogeneration systems when they are integrated with industrial processes. Cogeneration targets, environmental impacts, total site integration, and availability and reliability issues are addressed in-depth. Explores exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis for optimization purposes of CHP systems Addresses availability and reliability issues within cogeneration systems Reviews modern polygeneration systems based on renewable energy resources and fuel cells
This book reviews and presents several approaches to advanced decision-making models for safety and risk assessment. Each introduced model provides case studies indicating a high level of efficiency, robustness, and applicability, which allow readers to utilize them in their understudy risk-based assessment applications. The book begins by introducing a novel dynamic DEMATEL for improving safety management systems. It then progresses logically, dedicating a chapter to each approach, including advanced FMEA with probabilistic linguistic preference relations, Bayesian Network approach and interval type-2 fuzzy set, advanced TOPSIS with spherical fuzzy set, and advanced BWM with neutrosophic fuzzy set and evidence theory. This book will be of interest to professionals and researchers working in the field of system safety and reliability and postgraduate and undergraduate students studying applications of decision-making tools and expert systems.
Due to the advancement of emerging technologies — Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain (BC) — numerous aspects of our daily lives have witnessed remarkable progress. Further, with the involvement of these technologies (IoT, AI, and BC), the social life of a human is becoming more intelligent than ever. These technologies play a pivotal role in enhancing sectors such as healthcare, education, cities, households, agriculture, and industrial applications despite encountering certain challenges and complexities. Based on the contributions of these technologies, we provide a comprehensive survey covering various smart applications in different areas of everyday life. Firstly, we undertake an examination of state-of-the-art information, attributes, and prospects, with a specific emphasis on the literature that revolves around the technologies of AI, BC, and IoT. Further, we discuss the contributions of these technologies in the targeted areas and applications. Then, we efficiently introduce the integration of these technologies, including IoT-BC, IoT-AI-BC, and BC-AI, in the desired fields. Lastly, some open issues and future challenges have been analysed.
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