This true story of the Bai Family in China traces how their devotion to truth placed them on a collision course with the Communist Party. When they became practitioners of Falun Gong, it paved the way for a painful and torturous, yet enlightening, path in life, especially for the two brilliant brothers Xiaojun and Shaohua. After the Chinese Communist regime began its systematic repression of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, Bai Xiaojun was tortured to death in one of the laogai or "re-education through labour" camps. His brother Bai Shaohua also disappeared in another such prison for three years. Through blood and sweat, Shaohua made it alive out of prison but was once again abducted in early February, 2008. The details in this gripping account of how Falun Gong practitioners are being repressed reveal the larger pattern of life, and death, under a totalitarian regime. Authors Long Tu and Yuan Meng, now living in Canada, compiled this account through personal contact with members of the Bai Family. They also write from personal experience. Long Tu is a computer program designer and Yuan Meng an architect and urban designer. Yuan Meng was herself imprisoned for 16 months in a laogai camp before leaving China, where unusual "meals" caused her body to swell and her back bones were broken during the persecution. They now live in Toronto and wrote Pagoda of Light to honour their imprisoned friends, noting that "the experience of the Bai family is but one of thousands of examples.
Ocean covers 70.8% of the Earth’s surface, and it plays an important role in supporting all life on Earth. Nonetheless, more than 80% of the ocean’s volume remains unmapped, unobserved and unexplored. In this regard, Underwater Sensor Networks (USNs), which offer ubiquitous computation, efficient communication and reliable control, are emerging as a promising solution to understand and explore the ocean. In order to support the application of USNs, accurate position information from sensor nodes is required to correctly analyze and interpret the data sampled. However, the openness and weak communication characteristics of USNs make underwater localization much more challenging in comparison to terrestrial sensor networks. In this book, we focus on the localization problem in USNs, taking into account the unique characteristics of the underwater environment. This problem is of considerable importance, since fundamental guidance on the design and analysis of USN localization is very limited at present. To this end, we first introduce the network architecture of USNs and briefly review previous approaches to the localization of USNs. Then, the asynchronous clock, node mobility, stratification effect, privacy preserving and attack detection are considered respectively and corresponding localization schemes are developed. Lastly, the book’s rich implications provide guidance on the design of future USN localization schemes. The results in this book reveal from a system perspective that underwater localization accuracy is closely related to the communication protocol and optimization estimator. Researchers, scientists and engineers in the field of USNs can benefit greatly from this book, which provides a wealth of information, useful methods and practical algorithms to help understand and explore the ocean.
The engineering of nanostructured thermosets with different modifiers has generated significant interest, since improved overall properties are promised by good control over monodispersed microdomains. Incorporation of block copolymers and hyperbranched polymers are acknowledged as two efficient strategies to build up such nano/microcomposites, bearing distinct phase-segregating behaviors owing to respective unique architectures. In this chapter, we aim to illustrate the interplay between matrix and modifier from a perspective of thermodynamics. The two most common mechanisms of thermoset/block copolymer demixing are interpreted; most obtained morphologies of thermoset/hyperbranched polymers are broadly correlated to the width of the phase-separation conversion window. General preparation methods as well as time-temperature-transition diagrams are given to guide practice. Thermal, mechanical, and dynamic properties are covered, with an emphasis on how the formation of various nanostructures actually influences these properties.
This splendid intermediate level textbook for modern Chinese is designed for use in both independent study and the classroom. Available in two volumes, it emphasizes task-based learning as well as greater cultural understanding. An accompanying audio program forms an essential part of the course. The book is available in either traditional or simplified characters. This version uses traditional characters.
This book covers tunnel construction and building construction and design. It has two parts. Part one is for the engineering practice of the subway tunnel through the base of the building in typical geological conditions, to study the mechanism and law of building damage caused by stratum deformation by in-situ monitoring, numerical simulation and theoretical analysis methods. At the same time, the risk management of subway tunnel through the bottom of the building is discussed. Second part, in view of the excavation and unloading of the foundation pit and the main structure loading in the process of high-rise building construction, discusses optimization of the construction scheme, systematic evaluation of the safety of the existing tunnel and control measures combined with the engineering practice. This book provides a valuable contribution to the field of tunnel construction and design and construction of building for both the engineering experts and graduate students as well.
Focusing specifically on the stories of the Han Chinese (the largest ethnic group in China, numbering over a billion people), this collection presents more than 50 tales, both well known and obscure—from Monkeys Fishing the Moon and The Butterfly Lovers to Painted Skin and Dragon Princess. These are stories that will enchant listeners of all ages, while providing a glimpse into Chinese traditions and ways of thought. To further enhance cultural understanding, the tales are supplemented with historical and cultural background, notes on storytelling, crafts and games, recipes, proverbs, color photos, a map, a glossary, and more. In the past decades, the doors between China and the West have been flung open. Explosive economic growth and massive increases in travel and immigration have engendered curiosity and interest in this burgeoning nation. Yet modernization has a dark side too, threatening traditional Chinese culture, including stories and storytelling. This new gathering of stories from a variety of sources, captures the fading storytelling traditions of a vast and diverse country. Focusing specifically on the stories of the Han Chinese (the largest ethnic group in China, numbering over a billion people), the collection presents more than 50 tales, both well known and obscure—from Monkeys Fishing the Moon and The Butterfly Lovers to Dragon Princess and Painted Skin. These are stories that will enchant listeners of all ages, while providing a glimpse into Chinese traditions and ways of thought. Tales are organized into seven sections: Animal Tales; Tales of Magic, Love and Romance; Myths, Legends and Immortals; Moral Stories; How Things Came to Be; and Proverbial Tales. To further enhance cultural understanding, the stories are supplemented with historical and cultural background, notes on storytelling and other folk traditions, recipes, proverbs, color photos, a map, a glossary, and more. All grade levels.
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