Embedded and Real-Time Java Systems

Higher-order networks describe the many-body interactions of a large variety of complex systems, ranging from the the brain to collaboration networks. Simplicial complexes are generalized network structures which allow us to capture the combinatorial properties, the topology and the geometry of higher-order networks. Having been used extensively in quantum gravity to describe discrete or discretized space-time, simplicial complexes have only recently started becoming the representation of choice for capturing the underlying network topology and geometry of complex systems. This Element provides an in-depth introduction to the very hot topic of network theory, covering a wide range of subjects ranging from emergent hyperbolic geometry and topological data analysis to higher-order dynamics. This Elements aims to demonstrate that simplicial complexes provide a very general mathematical framework to reveal how higher-order dynamics depends on simplicial network topology and geometry.

We live in an era of human-dominated ecosystems in which the demand for environmental governance is rising rapidly. At the same time, confidence in the capacity of governments to meet this demand is waning. How can we address the resultant governance deficit and achieve sustainable development? This book brings together perspectives from economics, management, and political science in order to identify innovative approaches to governance and bring them to bear on environmental issues. The authors' analysis of important cases demonstrates how governance systems need to fit their specific setting and how effective policies can be developed without relying exclusively on government. They argue that the future of environmental policies lies in coordinated systems that simultaneously engage actors located in the public sector, the private sector, and civil society. Governance for the Environment draws attention to cutting-edge questions for practitioners and analysts interested in environme

The chemostat is a basic piece of laboratory apparatus, yet it has occupied an increasingly central role in ecological studies. The ecological environment created by a chemostat is one of the few completely controlled experimental systems for testing microbial growth and competition. As a tool in biotechnology, the chemostat plays an important role in bioprocessing. This book presents the theory of the chemostat as a model for larger ecological problems such as food chains, competition along a gradient, competition in the presence of an inhibitor, and the effects of time varying inputs. Models which take account of size structure, variable yields, and diffusion are also considered. The basic phenomena are modelled and analysed using the dynamical systems approach. Directions for research and open problems are discussed. Six appendices provide an elementary description of the necessary mathematical tools. Teachers, researchers, and students in applied mathematics, chemical engineering a

The complex real-world interactions between the economy and the environment form both the focus of and main barrier to applied research within the field of environmental economics. However, geographical information systems (GIS) allow economists to tackle such complexity head on by directly incorporating diverse datasets into applied research rather than resorting to simplifying and often unrealistic assumptions. This innovative book applies GIS techniques to spatial cost-benefit analysis of a complex and topical land use change problem - the conversion of agricultural land to multipurpose woodland - looking in detail at issues such as opportunity costs, timber yield, recreation, carbon storage, etc., and embracing cost-cutting themes such as the evaluation of environmental preferences and the spatial transfer of benefit functions.

A funny, insightful, and self-contained guide to Einstein's relativity theory and classical field theories--including electromagnetismPhysicist Leonard Susskind and data engineer Art Friedman are back. This time, they introduce readers to Einstein's special relativity and Maxwell's classical field theory. Using their typical brand of real math, enlightening drawings, and humor, Susskind and Friedman walk us through the complexities of waves, forces, and particles by exploring special relativity and electromagnetism. It's a must-read for both devotees of the series and any armchair physicist who wants to improve their knowledge of physics' deepest truths.

From the bestselling author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses, an eye-opening road trip through 5,500 years of humans on the go, revealing how transportation shapes civilization.Tom Standage’s fleet-footed global histories have delighted readers and cemented his reputation as one of our leading interpreters of technologies past and present. Now, he returns with a provocative account of a sometimes-overlooked form of technology―personal transportation―and explores how it has shaped societies and cultures over millennia.Beginning around 3,500 BCE with the wheel―a device that didn’t catch on until a couple thousand years after its invention―Standage zips through the eras of horsepower, trains, and bicycles, revealing how each mode of transit embedded itself in the world we live in, from the geography of our cities, to our experience of time, to our notions of gender. Then, delving into the history of the automobile’s development, Standage explores the social resistance to cars and th

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie. If the bear cubs gather enough nuts, seeds and blueberries, Mama Bear has agreed to make her special, lip-smacking-good pie.Each time they fill their baskets, the cubs count berries, seeds and nuts by putting them in groups of tens and ones to see if they have enough for pie.Everyday activities such as sharing a meal, sorting socks and getting ready for school can be part of learning math. In the MathStart Series,? everyday life is the basis for each entertaining story. Simple math concepts are embedded in each story so that young children can intuitively understand them. Adults can use the creative suggestions for activities in the back of each book to extend learning opportunities with children.Developmentally appropriate and correlated to school grade levels and the curriculum standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, MathStart? can give children a head start!Blue Ribbon Blueberry Pie is the best?but do these bear cubs have enough ingre

How people make decisions, size up situations, spot anomalies, and anticipate problems in real-world settings.Gary Klein, author of the bestselling Sources of Power, is the cognitive psychologist who discovered how people actually make decisions, particularly under time pressure and uncertainty. In Snapshots of the Mind, he offers a set of short essays―“snapshots” of different aspects of cognitive functioning in real-world settings that will help us learn to recognize the cognitive processes that underlie and drive performance. In these essays Klein provides practical tools for escaping fixation on initial hunches and learning to detect the ways that people make decisions, size up situations, spot anomalies, and anticipate problems. Snapshots of the Mind grows out of the Naturalistic Decision Making movement, which studies how decision makers handle uncertainty and complexity in high-stakes situations. In the essays, Klein examines how people make tough choices and assessments in the

Real-life stories with real heart!The much-acclaimed toddler book series by Camilla Reid and The Gruffalo illustrator, Axel Scheffler.Simple, engaging and funny stories which reflect the ups - and downs - of toddler life.Major new animation series launching on Milkshake and Sky in 2021Pip and Posy are best friends - they love to play, and make things, and have fun. But just occasionally they get cross or sad, and sometimes things go wrong that are beyond their control. And that's when kindness, sympathy - and resourcefulness - make everything better.In The Birthday Party, It's Posy's big day and she's delighted with Pip's present of a beautiful toy bus. The friends have fun with the bus, then play some energetic party games and, before long, it's time for the birthday tea. But just as Pip is carrying the magnificent birthday cake to the table, he trips over the bus and flies into the air - along with Posy's cake! All small children will enjoy finding out what happens next - and seeing

The six monarchies on the Arabian Peninsula have devoted enormous sums to defense in past decades. Nevertheless, the gap between their expensive armaments and their capacity to deter aggression and/or project military strength has narrowed but little in that time. This Element takes a political economy approach and argues that structural factors inherent in the Gulf states' political systems prohibit civilian oversight of the defense sector and are responsible for this outcome. Lax restraints on military outlays, in turn, enable widespread corruption, lead to large-scale waste, and account for the purchasing of unneeded, unsuitable, and incompatible weapons systems. The Element explores the challenges caused by plummeting oil prices and the resulting budget cuts and considers the development of domestic defense industries in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, intended as a part of their economic diversification program. The setbacks of the Saudi-led coalition's on-going war in Yemen starkly ill

Ship-shaped offshore units are some of the more economical systems for the development of offshore oil and gas, and are often preferred in marginal fields. These systems are especially attractive to develop oil and gas fields in deep and ultra-deep water areas and remote locations away from existing pipeline infrastructures. Recently, the ship-shaped offshore units have been applied to near shore oil and gas terminals. This 2007 text is an ideal reference on the technologies for design, building and operation of ship-shaped offshore units, within inevitable space requirements. The book includes a range of topics, from the initial contracting strategy to decommissioning and the removal of the units concerned. Coverage includes both fundamental theory and principles of the individual technologies. This book will be useful to students who will be approaching the subject for the first time as well as designers working on the engineering for ship-shaped offshore installations.

Originally published in 1992, this book is about political culture. It examines developments in the social sciences and integrates them into a theoretical explanation of historical changes in political values. The starting point is the premise that political culture is rooted in the interaction between individual thinking and social norms. Through discourse, individual conceptions of social life are transformed and, interactively, social norms and cultural orientations as well. The first two parts of the book explore these issues theoretically. The second two examine them empirically by showing the ways that political cultures have changed over time. In the modern period the differences in the political cultures of capitalist and communist systems are contrasted; although both coneptualize social life in terms of property accumulation, they utilize different cultural orientations to reduce institutional transaction costs. The way the tensions between these two systems can be resolved i

This glorious new picture book from two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall is as lavish and moving a tribute to a storied, beloved place as Hello Lighthouse.Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse.Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish in the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artifacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy. Join the award-winning, best-selling Sophie Blackall as she takes readers on an enchanting visit to a farmhouse across time, to a place that echoes with stories.

What REALLY happened in ancient Rome? Brought to life in this graphic novel, the animals of the past are here to tell you the REAL deal . . .So you think you know about ancient Rome - the colosseum, gladiators and toga-wearers. Well, we''re the animals of ancient Rome and we think it''s time we told you the REAL history. Did you know that you could find polar bears, and even tigers, in the ancient city of Rome? Or that at the height of the Roman Empire, their power (and pets) spread from Scotland all the way through Europe, to North Africa and the Middle East?Us pets are going to tell you about ALL the really good stuff, like elephant soldiers, lion gladiators, celebrity horses and sacred chickens.This true comic book will keep every reader glued to the page as they discover life in ancient Rome.

Underpinning the axiomatic formulation of quantum theory presented in this undergraduate textbook is a review of early experiments, a comparison of classical and quantal terminology, a Schroedinger-equation treatment of the one-dimensional quantum box, and a survey of relevant mathematics. Among the many concepts comprehensively discussed are: operators; state vectors and wave functions; experimental observables; classical/quantal connections; and symmetry properties. The theory is applied to a wide variety of systems including the non-relativistic H-atom, external electromagnetic fields, and spin1/2. Collisions are described using wave packets. Various time-dependent and time-independent approximations are discussed; applications include electromagnetic transition rates and corrections to the H-atom energies. The final chapter deals with identical-particle symmetries and their application to the He atom, the Periodic Table and diatomic molecules. There are also brief treatments of adv

Our world and the people within it are increasingly interpreted and classified by automated systems. At the same time, automated classifications influence what happens in the physical world. These entanglements change what it means to interact with governance, and shift what elements of our identity are knowable and meaningful. In this cyber-physical world, or 'world state', what is the role for law? Specifically, how should law address the claim that computational systems know us better than we know ourselves? Monitoring Laws traces the history of government profiling from the invention of photography through to emerging applications of computer vision for personality and behavioral analysis. It asks what dimensions of profiling have provoked legal intervention in the past, and what is different about contemporary profiling that requires updating our legal tools. This work should be read by anyone interested in how computation is changing society and governance, and what it is about p

In this explosive third installment of New York Times bestselling author Dan Gutman’s action-packed series, four thrill-seeking friends travel back in time to document one of the most devastating natural disasters the world has ever seen.Eccentric billionaire Miss Z is sending Luke, Julia, David, and Isabel on another mission back in time to capture one of history’s most important events.This time, the Flashback Four are headed to AD 79 to photograph the eruption of Mount Vesuvius! Can the Flashback Four get their photo and get back home before they become ancient history?With real photographs from Pompeii to help put young readers right in the action, plus back matter that separates fact from fiction, The Pompeii Disaster tells the story of one of the world’s most devastating natural disasters like you’ve never seen it before.

Making decisions about the management and conservation of nature is necessarily complex, with many competing pressures on natural systems, opportunities and benefits for different groups of people and a varying, uncertain social and ecological environment. An approach which is narrowly focused on either human development or environmental protection cannot deliver sustainable solutions. This volume provides frameworks for improving the integration of natural resource management with conservation and supporting stronger collaboration between researchers and practitioners in developed and developing countries. Novel approaches are required when ecological and social dynamics are highly interdependent. A structured, participatory, model-based approach to decision-making for biodiversity conservation has been proven to produce real-world change. There are surprisingly few successful case studies, however; some of the best are presented here, from fisheries, pest management and conservation.

Electronic composites, whose properties can be controlled by thermal or electromagnetic means, play an important role in micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) such as sensors, actuators, filters and switches. This 2005 book describes the processing, simulation, and applications of electronic composites. The book begins with a review of the mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic and coupling behaviour of electronic composites. Their major applications are then discussed. Key simulation models are described in detail and illustrated by reference to real examples. The book closes with a discussion of electronic composite processing, including MEMS design and packaging. The book contains a comprehensive list of references and is aimed at graduate students of electrical engineering and materials science. It will also be a useful reference for researchers and engineers in the MEMS industry.

Impossible Jones is a fast-paced, superhero adventure series written by Karl Kesel, with art by David Hahn, Karl Kesel and Tony Avia, published by Scout Comics. Isabelle Castillo is a thief who gets amazing powers is mistaken for a superhero and runs with it! With no intent of giving up her criminal ways, of course, since her powers make robbery easier than ever! Even better: the police gladly tell her what they're doing, and store owners are happy to show her their security systems! All she has to do is make sure no one suspects the truth especially New Hope City's real superheroes and villains! It's a high-stakes, high-wire balancing act, but it's not impossible It's Impossible Jones!

Used particularly when there has been a suspicious death, insect-related evidence is one of the most powerful, but least understood examples of modern forensic science. Entomology and the Law provides a detailed roadmap that can be followed from crime scene to courtroom by entomologists, law enforcement personnel and lawyers preparing for trial. Part I focuses on carrion flies as forensic indicators, exploring relevant biology clearly and concisely illustrated by real-life cases. Flies are usually first on the scene of a death, and knowledge of their habits and lifestyles can help to reveal time of death, weeks or even years later. Part II provides a thorough examination of the law of scientific evidence worldwide, complete with caselaw and applicable code provisions, and legal issues relevant to the admissibility and use of forensic entomology in litigation. It will prepare both scientists and lawyers for real-world forays into the world of forensic entomology.

This reference book provides the main definitions, theorems and techniques in the theory of Birkhoff interpolation by polynomials. The book begins with an article by G. G. Lorentz that discusses some of the important developments in approximation and interpolation in the last twenty years. It presents all the basic material known at the present time in a unified manner. Topics discussed include; applications of Birkhoff interpolation to approximation theory, quadrature formulas and Chebyshev systems; lacunary interpolation at special knots and an introduction to the theory of Birkhoff interpolation by splines.

A writer who craves a real-life happily ever after and a gruff fisherman who doesn’t believe in them find out they’re part of the greatest love story of all time.“Cleverly imagines the epilogue Romeo and Juliet didn’t get to have, and how curses can be blessings in disguise.”—JODI PICOULTA POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEARAfter a bad breakup, Helene Janssen runs away to Alaska to find some peace and quiet. She’s been dreaming up bits and pieces of a novel for years and hopes to finally have time to write it.On her first night there, Helene meets Sebastien Montague, a crab fisherman who looks exactly like the hero in the book she’s working on. But how is that even possible?Sebastien seems to recognize Helene, too, but he lies about it and brushes her off, even though their chemistry is immediate and undeniable.This is because their love story defies the ages: She is Juliet, reincarnated, and he is Romeo, lost in time. And if Helene can convince Sebastien to give her a chance, maybe this ti

This book provides a detailed introduction to the ergodic theory of equilibrium states giving equal weight to two of its most important applications, namely to equilibrium statistical mechanics on lattices and to (time discrete) dynamical systems. It starts with a chapter on equilibrium states on finite probability spaces which introduces the main examples for the theory on an elementary level. After two chapters on abstract ergodic theory and entropy, equilibrium states and variational principles on compact metric spaces are introduced emphasizing their convex geometric interpretation. Stationary Gibbs measures, large deviations, the Ising model with external field, Markov measures, Sinai-Bowen-Ruelle measures for interval maps and dimension maximal measures for iterated function systems are the topics to which the general theory is applied in the last part of the book. The text is self contained except for some measure theoretic prerequisites which are listed (with references to the

Many students find quantum mechanics conceptually difficult when they first encounter the subject. In this book, the postulates and key applications of quantum mechanics are well illustrated by means of a carefully chosen set of problems, complete with detailed, step-by-step solutions. Beginning with a chapter on orders of magnitude, a variety of topics are then covered, including the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics, Schrödinger's equation, angular momentum, the hydrogen atom, the harmonic oscillator, spin, time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory, the variational method, multielectron atoms, transitions and scattering. Throughout, the physical interpretation or application of certain results is highlighted, thereby providing useful insights into a wide range of systems and phenomena. This approach will make the book invaluable to anyone taking an undergraduate course in quantum mechanics.

A concise introduction to geophysical data processing - many of the techniques associated with the general field of time series analysis - for advanced students, researchers, and professionals. The textbook begins with calculus before transitioning to discrete time series via the sampling theorem, aliasing, use of complex sinusoids, development of the discrete Fourier transform from the Fourier series, and an overview of linear digital filter types and descriptions. Aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students in geophysics, environmental science, and engineering with no previous background in linear algebra, probability, or statistics, this textbook draws scenarios and datasets from across the world of geophysics, and shows how data processing techniques can be applied to real-world problems using detailed examples, illustrations, and exercises (using MATLAB or similar computing environment). Online supplementary resources include datasets for students, and a solutions manual a

This book was first published in 1989. Inference and prediction in human affairs are characterised by a cognitive and reactive sample space, the elements of which are aware both of the statistician and of each other. It is therefore not surprising that methodologies borrowed from classical statistics and the physical sciences have yielded disappointingly few lasting empirical insights and have sometimes failed in predictive mode. This book puts the underlying methodology of socioeconomic statistics on a firmer footing by placing it within the ambit of inferential and predictive games. It covers such problems as learning, publication, non-response, strategic response, the nature and possibility of rational expectations, time inconsistency, intrinsic nonstationarity, and the existence of probabilities. Ideas are introduced such as real-time survey schemes, argument instability and reaction-proof forecasting based on stochastic approximation. Applications are canvassed to such topics as a

The final installment in three-time Booker Prize nominated Deborah Levy’s Living Autobiography―a boldly intimate meditation on home and the specters that haunt it.“Three bicycles. Seven ghosts. A crumbling apartment block on the hill. Fame. Tenderness. The statue of Peter Pan. Silk. Melancholy. The banana tree. A love story.”Virginia Woolf wrote that in order to be a writer, a woman needs a room of one’s own. Now, in Real Estate, acclaimed author Deborah Levy concludes her ground-breaking trilogy of living autobiographies with an exhilarating, boldly intimate meditation on home and the specters that haunt it.In this vibrant memoir, Levy employs her characteristic indelible writing, sharp wit, and acute insights to craft a searing examination of the poetics and politics of ownership. Her inventory of possessions, real and imagined, pushes readers to question our cultural understanding of belonging and belongings and to consider the value of a woman’s intellectual and personal life.Blend

A frank, hands-on guide to using AI at work, unpacking for the curious and skeptical alike the “24 Laws” of AI and revealing strategies that businesses of every size can use to free up time, innovate, and add to the bottom line—from aWall Street Journaltech columnist“The antidote to AI panic. Read it. You’ll breathe easier.”—Scott Galloway, NYU Stern School of Business professor and co-host ofPivotwith Kara Swisher“A clear, practical, and hype-free guide to the AI revolution that will resonate with anyone trying to figure out the how to make AI deliver real value.”—Ethan Mollick, Wharton professor andNew York Timesbestselling author ofCo-IntelligenceAI is nothing to be afraid of. After all, AI is merely software. It’s great at some things and (at least right now) terrible at others. But for workers who take time to experiment with AI and develop expertise, AI will make them more productive and more creative, saving them time, giving them job security, and boosting their income.InHow to

Join the new category of leaders who are taking a stand for a better way of working, by becoming an AI-driven leader.The difference between growing your business and going out of business is your ability to think strategically.The problem is, most leaders are stuck in the operational weeds, struggling to find the time to make better strategic decisions. This challenge is only heightened by the rise of AI. While you know AI is the future, current demands leave you with no time to explore its benefits. Meanwhile, your competition is gaining an edge by integrating AI. The time to act is now.In The AI-Driven Leader, you'll learn how to:· Escape operational overwhelm and lead with strategic clarity· Collapse the time it takes to turn data into decisions· Transform your decision-making with AI for strategic advantage· 10x the impact of every employee· Apply real-world examples and prompts to get immediate resultsYou know AI matters, but you're not using it to transform how you think, make de

Classical solutions play an important role in quantum field theory, high-energy physics and cosmology. Real-time soliton solutions give rise to particles, such as magnetic monopoles, and extended structures, such as domain walls and cosmic strings, that have implications for early universe cosmology. Imaginary-time Euclidean instantons are responsible for important nonperturbative effects, while Euclidean bounce solutions govern transitions between metastable states. Written for advanced graduate students and researchers in elementary particle physics, cosmology and related fields, this book brings the reader up to the level of current research in the field. The first half of the book discusses the most important classes of solitons: kinks, vortices and magnetic monopoles. The cosmological and observational constraints on these are covered, as are more formal aspects, including BPS solitons and their connection with supersymmetry. The second half is devoted to Euclidean solutions, with

Modernism emerged alongside radical challenges to traditional belief systems, the reorganization of public and private spheres, new modes of visual display, and innovations in recreation and entertainment. This interdisciplinary collection focuses on the diverse inventions, products, pastimes, and creative forms that responded to and inspired American and European literature. This volume explores such wide-ranging subjects as religion, dance, and publishing, thus introducing readers to the diversity of modernist culture. The Companion serves as a valuable resource for both those undertaking the study of modernism for the first time and those seeking to expand their knowledge of modernism's cultural moment.

Weaving together literary and archaeological evidence, Emily Hauser illuminates the rich, intriguing lives of the real women behind Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Achilles. Agamemnon. Odysseus. Hector. The lives of these and many other men in the greatest epics of ancient Greece have been pored over endlessly in the past three millennia. But these are not just tales about heroic men. There are scores of women as well--complex, fascinating women whose stories have gone unexplored for far too long. In Penelope's Bones, award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser pieces together compelling evidence from archaeological excavations and scientific discoveries to unearth the richly textured lives of women in Bronze Age Greece--the era of Homer's heroes. Here, for the first time, we come to understand the everyday lives and experiences of the real women who stand behind the legends of Helen, Briseis, Cassandra, Aphrodite, Circe, Athena, Hera, Calypso, Penelope, and more. In this captivatin

The award-winning author team of Libby, Libby, and Hodge continue Financial Accounting’s best-selling tradition of engaging students from the first day of class, focusing on four key attributes: 1) A trademark focus company approach that integrates content around a familiar company, helping students understand financial statements and the implications of financial accounting for future managers. 2) A Building-Block Approach to teaching transaction analysis that spreads coverage over two chapters giving students time to practice and gain mastery with greater student success. 3) A balance of transaction analysis and financial statement analysis based on real companies to prepare students, regardless of their career aspirations. 4) Powerful technology to give students with different learning styles and conflicting time commitments what is needed to help them study more efficiently and effectively including videos, Integrated Excel, and General Ledger problems.

Technology and Society: A World History explores the creative power of humanity from the age of stone tools to the digital revolution. It introduces technology as a series of systems that allowed us to solve real-world problems and create a global civilization. The history of technology is also the history of the intellectual and cultural place of our tools and devices. With a broad view of technology, we can see that some of the most powerful technologies such as education and government produce no physical object but have allowed us to coordinate our inventive skills and pass knowledge through the ages. Yet although all human communities depend on technology, there are unexpected consequences from the use of technology which, as Ede shows, form a crucial part of this rich story.

However well the anatomy of the gastro-intestinal tracts of a wide range of mammals is described and quantified, there can be no real explanation of observed patterns without consideration of the mechanical and chemical properties of the food consumed, and of the digestive stages involved in its processing. This book aims to integrate findings from the many different types of investigations of mammalian digestive systems into a coherent whole. Using the themes of food, form and function, researchers discuss models of digestive processes, linking this with evolutionary aspects of food utilisation. Macroscopic and ultrastructural studies of the gastro-intestinal tract are also presented, as are physiological, ecological and biochemical aspects of the digestion of different food types. The book ends with an integrative chapter, bringing together the themes running through the earlier sections.

A BRILLIANT BLEND OF MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE-LEVEL SPECULATIVE WONDER BY A WORKING SPACE SCIENTIST!NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENTHumanity has finally made it to the stars. Colony worlds thrive and there is general peace among the settled systems. Until now.Matte black ships of an advanced design appear in colonial systems. Their drives and weapons are not extremely advanced beyond their Terran counterparts―just superior enough to be utterly devastating. Colonies and their populations are obliterated. Once-settled worlds are rendered radioactive wastelands. Earth herself lies defenseless before the marauding enemy.DEFEND THE SKIES OF EARTHStanding against the invasion are two of humanity’s finest starship captains: Winslow Price of the British Space Navy and Anika Ahuja of the Indian Space Forces. Compatriots. Fierce competitors. Former lovers. Now they are on a quest that will plumb the scientific wells of existence, where the primordial knot of spacetime may be unrave

How do Family and Medical Leave Act rights operate in practice in the courts and in the workplace? This empirical study examines how institutions and social practices transform the meaning of these rights to recreate inequality. Workplace rules and norms built around the family wage ideal, the assumption that disability and work are mutually exclusive, and management's historical control over time all constrain opportunities for social change. Yet workers can also mobilize rights as a cultural discourse to change the social meaning of family and medical leave. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from social constructivism and new institutionalism, this study explains how institutions transform rights to recreate systems of power and inequality but at the same time also provide opportunities for law to change social structure. It provides a fresh look at the perennial debate about law and social change by examining how institutions shape the process of rights mobilization.

Thoughtful Foragers is about hunter-gatherer decision making. The author explores the implications of the human mind as a product of biological evolution for the way in which humans solve foraging problems. He draws on studies form ethology, psychology and ethnography prior to turning his attention to prehistoric hunter-gatherers. He attempts to construct explanations for patterns in the archaeological record by an explicit focus on decision making by individuals. Thoughtful Foragers will appeal to specialists in European prehistory as well as to those interested in archaeological theory and method. It makes some very significant advances, which will be of real importance for the field of evolutionary theory in relation to human evolution and the evaluation of human social systems.

Welcome to Trace Italian, a game of strategy and survival! You may now make your first move.Isolated by a disfiguring injury since the age of seventeen, Sean Phillips crafts imaginary worlds for strangers to play in. From his small apartment in southern California, he orchestrates fantastic adventures where possibilities, both dark and bright, open in the boundaries between the real and the imagined. As the creator of Trace Italian—a text-based, role-playing game played through the mail—Sean guides players from around the world through his intricately imagined terrain, which they navigate and explore, turn by turn, seeking sanctuary in a ravaged, savage future America.Lance and Carrie are high school students from Florida, explorers of the Trace. But when they take their play into the real world, disaster strikes, and Sean is called to account for it. In the process, he is pulled back through time, tunneling toward the moment of his own self-inflicted departure from the world in which