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Online Child Sexual Abuse: An Indian Perspective (Springer Series on Asian Criminology and Criminal Justice Research)
by Balsing Rajput Dhrumi Gada Amit KThis book discusses the phenomenon of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in the context of the Indian law enforcement and criminal justice system. It helps readers understand the complexities involved in these types of online crimes, and the perspectives of various stakeholders involved in the investigation and justice process. This volume analyzes the unique challenges faced by law enforcement when dealing with cybercrime, and specifically when the victims are minors. Representing a unique analysis of the surge of child sexual abuse material on the internet during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, this book discusses cybercrime and societal behavior patterns. With practical remedial steps to control and preclude online child sexual abuse, this volume will be of interest to law enforcement, researchers, and child protection advocates in India and other developing digital economies.
Online Education During COVID-19 and Beyond: Opportunities, Challenges and Outlook (CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance)
by Silvia Puiu Samuel O. IdowuThis book aims to provide sustainable solutions for better understanding and management of online education in different parts of the world. In this context, it explores the attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders, such as students, faculty, and other actors on issues related to online education. In particular, it examines the challenges they have faced over the years when online courses were introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A model is proposed that includes five variables: specific communication issues in online education, the ability of professors to offer online courses, the quality of online education, students' perceived stress during online education, and the technical requirements of online education.The book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the new and future ways of teaching and learning.Chapter “When a Phenomenon-Based University Course Went Online: Students’ Experiences and Reflections After Sauna Bathing” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Only a Few Blocks to Cuba: Cold War Refugee Policy, the Cuban Diaspora, and the Transformations of Miami (Politics and Culture in Modern America)
by Mauricio Fernando CastroIn Only a Few Blocks to Cuba, Mauricio Castro shows how the U.S. government came to view Cuban migration to Miami as a strategic asset during the Cold War, in the process investing heavily in the city’s development and shaping its future as a global metropolis.When Cuban refugees fleeing Communist revolution began to arrive in Miami in 1959, the city was faced with a humanitarian crisis it was ill-equipped to handle and sought to have the federal government solve what local politicians clearly viewed as a Cold War geopolitical problem. In response, the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, and their successors, provided an unprecedented level of federal largesse and freedom of transit to these refugees. The changes to the city this investment wrought were as impactful and permanent as they were unintended. What was meant to be a short-term geopolitical stratagem instead became a new reality in South Florida. A growing and increasingly powerful Cuban community contested their place in Miami and navigated challenges like bilingualism, internal political disputes, socioeconomic polarization, and ongoing struggles and negotiations with Washington and Havana in the decades that followed. This contested process, argues Mauricio Castro, not only transformed South Florida, but American foreign policy and the calculus of national politics.Castro uses extensive archival research in local and national sources to demonstrate that the Cuban diaspora and Cold War refugee policy made South Florida a key space to understanding the shifting landscape of the late twentieth century. In this way, Miami serves as an example of both the lived effects of defense spending in urban spaces and of how local communities can shape national politics and international relations. American politics, foreign relations, immigration policy, and urban development all intersected on the streets of Miami.
The Only Black Girl in the Room: A Novel
by Alex TravisAn ambitious reporter stuck doing diversity checks for her white colleagues gets her big break in this compelling debut novel perfect for fans of Jayne Allen, Jasmine Guillory, and Zakiya Dalila Harris.Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she&’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she&’s relegated to doing copyedits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO&’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first-ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she&’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line. Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you.
Only the Brave
by Danielle SteelSophia Alexander, the beautiful daughter of a famous surgeon in Berlin, has had to grow up faster than most young women. When her mother falls ill, Sophia must take charge of her younger sister, Theresa, and look after her father and the household, while also volunteering at his hospital after school. Meanwhile, Hitler’s rise to power and the violence in her very own town have Sophia concerned, but only her mother is willing to share her fears openly. <P><P> After tragedy strikes and her mother dies, Sophia becomes increasingly involved in the resistance, attending meetings of dissidents and helping however she can. Circumstances become increasingly dangerous and personal when Sophia assists her sister’s daring escape from Germany, as Theresa flees with her young husband and his family. Her father also begins to resist the regime, secretly healing those hiding from persecution, only to have his hospital burned to the ground. When he is arrested and sent to a concentration camp, Sophia is truly on her own, but more determined than ever to help. <P><P> While working as a nurse with the convent nuns, the Sisters of Mercy, Sophia continues her harrowing efforts to transport Jewish children to safety and finds herself under surveillance. As the political tensions rise and the brutal oppression continues, Sophia is undeterred, risking it all, even her own freedom, as she rises to the challenge of helping those in need—no matter the cost. <P><P> In Only the Brave, Danielle Steel vividly captures the devastating effects of war alongside beautiful moments of compassion and courage. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Onyeka and the Heroes of the Dawn (Onyeka)
by Tolá OkogwuOnyeka and her superpowered friends set off to England on a rescue mission in this third installment in the Onyeka middle grade series, perfect for fans of Rick Riordan, The Marvellers, and X-Men.Solari—children with superpowers—have always been native to Nigeria, but Onyeka and her friends have been alerted to one hidden in England. Tasked with retrieving the young Solari, they successfully complete their mission, arriving safe and sound back at the Academy of the Sun with Tobi in tow. Tobi&’s identity and superpower remain a mystery, until a breadcrumb trail leads Onyeka to the truth. But someone else has uncovered the secret, and unlike Onyeka, they don&’t have Tobi&’s best interests at heart. Can our superhero save the day once again?
Oogchirurgie (Operatieve zorg en technieken)
by Elly Kiesenberg-de Vries Mirthe DoppenbergDit leerboek biedt inzicht in de theoretische en praktische aspecten van de oogchirurgie. Daarnaast wordt er in dit boek aandacht besteed aan de anatomie van het oog en de oogkas.Het boek is opgebouwd uit drie delen. Het eerste deel beschrijft de algemene principes en richtlijnen van de oogchirurgie. Deel II gaat over orbitachirurgie, de chirurgie die zich bezighoudt met de structuren rond het oog, te weten de oogleden, de conjunctiva, de oogbol, de oogspieren, de oogkas en traanwegen. Deel III behandelt de oogchirurgie wat is opgesplitst in voor- en achtersegment. Daarnaast bevat het boek een apart hoofdstuk met het specifiek oogheelkundig instrumentarium, een bijlage waarin de randapparatuur bij oogheelkundige operaties wordt besproken en een bijlage met oogmedicijnen. Voor een overzichtelijke beschrijving van de operatietechnieken worden deze, net als de andere boeken uit de reeks Operatieve zorg en technieken, opgedeeld in een preoperatieve, een peroperatieve en een postoperatieve fase.In deze editie van oogchirurgie zijn aanpassingen gedaan bij de diverse operaties die de laatste ontwikkelingen en inzichten volgen. Online is het complete boek, inclusief toetsen per hoofdstuk, beschikbaar.De reeks ‘Operatieve Zorg en Technieken’ is zowel bestemd voor de student in opleiding tot operatieassistent en voor de gediplomeerde operatieassistent. Naast het basisboek bestaat de reeks uit een aantal vervolgdelen, waarin de verschillende chirurgische specialismen worden behandeld. Deze reeks benadert de beroepsuitoefening van de operatieassistent zo dicht mogelijk, waarbij de gebruikte illustraties en afbeeldingen deze benadering ondersteunen.
Open Banking: Global Development and Regulation (Routledge International Studies in Money and Banking)
by Francesco De Pascalis Alan BrenerOpen banking ends the proprietary control of customer information by banks and allows customers to share their banking financial data with third parties as a matter of right. It can also permit customers to allow others to remove funds directly from their bank accounts in return for goods and services. All of this is done securely with standardised ‘application programming interfaces’ (APIs). Open banking has developed in different ways and with different objectives across the globe. Open Banking: Global Development and Regulation examines the empowering and enabling regulations that facilitate all of this.This book compares a number of different open banking national strategies. These range from the focus of the UK and EU on enhanced competition to the more collaborative approaches in many East Asian jurisdictions. It also looks at the use of open banking for socio-economic purpose in Brazil and India. Here open banking forms part of a wider government programme to increase financial inclusion coupled with encouraging economic growth.This text will be valuable for fintech companies, policymakers and financial services regulators Its overarching aim is to demonstrate the possibilities and challenges of open banking and how it is changing lives across the world.
Open RAN Explained: The New Era of Radio Networks
by Jyrki T. Penttinen Michele Zarri Dongwook KimOpen RAN EXPLAINED A pioneering outline of the concepts that enhance 5G capabilities to revolutionize the telecommunications industry. Open radio-access network, or Open RAN, is a type of network architecture in which baseband and radio unit components from different suppliers can operate seamlessly in concert. Advances in network communication were, until recently, hampered by the proprietary network operations of each mobile operator; the advent of 5G, however, with its service-based architecture model, has finally opened the door to the expansion of connectivity on the Open RAN model. This transformation promises to define the future of mobile network architecture. Open RAN Explained is among the first books dedicated to this groundbreaking technology. Its comprehensive but accessible summary of current and future developments in Open RAN promises to facilitate network deployment and device design, as well as to provide a handy reference for network professionals in a range of different fields. The result is a must-read volume for anyone looking to understand the future of wireless communication. Open RAN Explained readers will also find: In-depth description of the challenges and opportunities of network modularizationAnalysis conversant with the latest release specifications of the O-RAN Allliance, GSMA OP/TIP, and other key emerging technologiesAuthors working at the leading edge of 5G network communications Open RAN Explained is ideal for network operators, network element and device manufacturers, telecommunications researchers, and advanced students, as well as industry-adjacent figures such as regulators, consultants, and marketing professionals.
Open Season
by Cassie Werber"A breathtaking novel that gets under the skin of the complexities of love, sex and human nature"-Katie Bishop, author of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER"A perceptive book about intimacy and desire that feels zingy, original, fresh"-Chloë Ashby, author of SECOND SELF"Tender, shimmering, elegant, and true... thoughtful and sensual, sexy and cerebral"-Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF USEvery relationship has rules. What if they all changed?Hura and Cillian have a happy, secure marriage and are on the brink of planning a family. But when Hura's teaching career gets derailed, they decide it's time to explore a fantasy: opening up their relationship.Roses has never been monogamous. Her connection with elusive James-who works all hours as a junior doctor-is electric, and they're falling for each other. But both have secrets that make intimacy feel dangerous, and in a bid to reassert her independence, Roses suggests they sleep with other people.When these two couples collide, life shifts on its axis and starts to spin out of control. As Roses and James fight to keep the past from overwhelming them, and Cillian and Hura test the limits of trust, they must all decide which lines to draw-and which to cross.A passionate deconstruction of the complexities of sex, love, honesty and betrayal, OPEN SEASON marks Cassie Werber out as a major new talent.
Open Season
by Cassie Werber"A breathtaking novel that gets under the skin of the complexities of love, sex and human nature"-Katie Bishop, author of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER"A perceptive book about intimacy and desire that feels zingy, original, fresh"-Chloë Ashby, author of SECOND SELF"Tender, shimmering, elegant, and true... thoughtful and sensual, sexy and cerebral"-Laura Barnett, author of THE VERSIONS OF USEvery relationship has rules. What if they all changed?Hura and Cillian have a happy, secure marriage and are on the brink of planning a family. But when Hura's teaching career gets derailed, they decide it's time to explore a fantasy: opening up their relationship.Roses has never been monogamous. Her connection with elusive James-who works all hours as a junior doctor-is electric, and they're falling for each other. But both have secrets that make intimacy feel dangerous, and in a bid to reassert her independence, Roses suggests they sleep with other people.When these two couples collide, life shifts on its axis and starts to spin out of control. As Roses and James fight to keep the past from overwhelming them, and Cillian and Hura test the limits of trust, they must all decide which lines to draw-and which to cross.A passionate deconstruction of the complexities of sex, love, honesty and betrayal, OPEN SEASON marks Cassie Werber out as a major new talent.
Open-Set Text Recognition: Concepts, Framework, and Algorithms (SpringerBriefs in Computer Science)
by Xu-Cheng Yin Chun Yang Chang LiuIn real-world applications, new data, patterns, and categories that were not covered by the training data can frequently emerge, necessitating the capability to detect and adapt to novel characters incrementally. Researchers refer to these challenges as the Open-Set Text Recognition (OSTR) task, which has, in recent years, emerged as one of the prominent issues in the field of text recognition. This book begins by providing an introduction to the background of the OSTR task, covering essential aspects such as open-set identification and recognition, conventional OCR methods, and their applications. Subsequently, the concept and definition of the OSTR task are presented encompassing its objectives, use cases, performance metrics, datasets, and protocols. A general framework for OSTR is then detailed, composed of four key components: The Aligned Represented Space, the Label-to-Representation Mapping, the Sample-to-Representation Mapping, and the Open-set Predictor. In addition,possible implementations of each module within the framework are discussed. Following this, two specific open-set text recognition methods, OSOCR and OpenCCD, are introduced. The book concludes by delving into applications and future directions of Open-set text recognition tasks.This book presents a comprehensive overview of the open-set text recognition task, including concepts, framework, and algorithms. It is suitable for graduated students and young researchers who are majoring in pattern recognition and computer science, especially interdisciplinary research.
Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends
by benny blanco Jess Damuck* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *The debut cookbook from benny blanco—pop music super-producer, artist, actor on FXX’s Dave, and consummate food freak—teaches you everything you need to know about cooking, enjoying life, and throwing the greatest dinner party of all time.Hi, I’m benny blanco. I’m in a television show with my best friend Dave and I probably produced most of the songs you have heard on the radio from 2008 until now. When I was thirteen, my friend got a George Foreman Grill and it changed my life forever. We would invite friends over, get stoned, and make the most elaborate sandwiches our prepubescent minds could fathom. I became obsessed with food and cooking for friends. I know what you are going to say, and I get it. Cooking is scary. But I promise you, once you get into it, it will be your new addiction. Slicing an onion is like taking a Xanax to me. I made this cookbook to teach you everything I know about food, cooking, and throwing the greatest dinner party of all time. There are the basics to get your kitchen ready, a little advice from my expert friends, then all of the dinner party menus I love to make, like: 5 Dishes to Get You Laid and One for the Morning AfterI Wish I Were an Italian GrandmaTake Me to the Cheesy RodeoF*ck Morton’s Steakhouse Which are filled with insane recipes like: Lose Your Mind Lobster Rolls“I Might Go Vegetarian” Veggie SandwichChicken Cutlets with Honey, Peppers, and Parm“I Hope We Didn’t Make a Baby” Breakfast Burrito. I’ve been told some of the finest stories over meals. I’ve laughed so hard I thought I was going to actually die. I’ve fallen in love—sometimes with the food, sometimes with the person across the table. I’ve cried in good ways, and I’ve cried in bad ways. I hope you’ve been lucky enough to have all these same memories and then some. But if you haven’t, I can make you a promise. If you follow these three simple steps, it will all become a reality: Open this book. Open your heart. And open wide, baby.
Opening Windows: Embracing New Perspectives and Practices in Natural Resource Social Sciences (Society and Natural Resources Book Series)
by Douglas Jackson-Smith Jaye Mejía-Duwan Michaela Hoffelmeyer Angie Carter Gabrielle Roesch-McNally John Schelhas Jasmine K. Brown Michael Dockry Sarah Hitchner Sarah Naiman Grace Wang Evan J. Andrews Christine Knott Solange Nadeau Courtenay Parlee Archi Rastogi Rachel Kelly Maria Andrée Lópex Gómez Madu Galappaththi Ana Carolina Esteves Dias E. Carina H. Keskitalo Richard Dimba Kiaka Paul Hebinck Rodgers Lubilo Prativa Sapkota Rebecca M. Ford Maddison Miller Andrea Rawluk Kathryn J. H. Williams John R. Parkins Christopher Jadallah Eliza Oldach Abraham Miller-Rushing Caitlin Hafferty Ian Babelon Robert Berry Beth Brockett James Hoggett Bryanne Lamoureux Melanie Zurba Yan Chen Durdana Islam Kate Sherren Robert Emmet Jones Tobin N. Walton Simon West Wiebren Johannes Boonstra Sasha Quahe Jessica Cockburn Nosiseko Mtati Vanessa Masterson Gladman Thondhlana Anna Haines Brett Alan Miller Polly Nguyen William Stewart Daniel R. WilliamsThe third decennial review from the International Association for Society and Natural Resources, Opening Windowssimultaneously examines the breadth and societal relevance of Society and Natural Resources (SNR) knowledge, explores emergent issues and new directions in SNR scholarship, and captures the increasing diversity of SNR research. Authors from various backgrounds—career stage, gender and sexuality, race/ethnicity, and global region—provide a fresh, nuanced, and critical look at the field from both researchers’ and practitioners’ perspectives. This reflexive book is organized around four key themes: diversity and justice, governance and power, engagement and elicitation, and relationships and place. This is not a complacent volume—chapters point to gaps in conventional scholarship and to how much work remains to be done. Power is a central focus, including the role of cultural and economic power in “participatory” approaches to natural resource management and the biases encoded into the very concepts that guide scholarly and practical work. The chapters include robust literature syntheses, conceptual models, and case studies that provide examples of best practices and recommend research directions to improve and transform natural resource social sciences. An unmistakable spirit of hope is exemplified by findings suggesting positive roles for research in the progress ahead. Bringing fresh perspectives on the assumptions and interests that underlie and entangle scholarship on natural resource decisionmaking and the justness of its outcomes, Opening Windows is significant for scholars, students, natural resource practitioners, managers and decision makers, and policy makers.
Operative Techniques in Laryngology
by Clark A. Rosen C. Blake SimpsonThis book provides the laryngeal surgeon with essential background information on laryngological disorders, step-by-step surgical information, and key pearls and pitfalls for laryngeal surgery. The field of laryngeal surgery for voice, swallowing, and airway pathologic conditions has dramatically changed over the last 20 years, and the impetus for this book was to reflect these major paradigm shifts and bring together in one place the essential information on the rapidly growing and changing field of laryngeal surgery. Introductory chapters provide a foundation for the diagnosis and preoperative management of laryngeal pathological conditions. These are followed by the procedural chapters, which encompass a wide range of laryngeal procedures. They have been organized around the broad categories of phonomicrosurgery, awake laryngeal surgery, laryngeal framework surgery, and open airway reconstruction. Each procedural chapter is brief, consisting of five to ten pages, and presents progressive instructions for different laryngeal surgical approaches. The individual steps of the procedure are clearly demonstrated through a series of high-quality intraoperative photos and schematic illustrations. In addition, key aspects of certain procedures are accompanied by a short video. All pertinent information regarding equipment, instrumentation, post-operative care, and possible complications associated with the surgical approach is summarized in bullet format at the end of each chapter. Most of the laryngeal procedures feature an expert commentator who has provided unique insights on important steps and different approaches to the described surgical procedure to provide the reader a variety of perspectives. Operative Techniques in Laryngology is aimed at general otolaryngologists, residents, laryngology fellows, and laryngologists. The emergence and growth of laryngology as a sub-specialty of otolaryngology has established this field as an important partof general otolaryngology training.
Operator and Matrix Theory, Function Spaces, and Applications: International Workshop on Operator Theory and its Applications 2022, Kraków, Poland (Operator Theory: Advances and Applications #295)
by Marek Ptak Hugo J. Woerdeman Michał WojtylakThis volume features presentations from the International Workshop on Operator Theory and its Applications that was held in Kraków, Poland, September 6-10, 2022. The volume reflects the wide interests of the participants and contains original research papers in the active areas of Operator Theory. These interests include weighted Hardy spaces, geometry of Banach spaces, dilations of the tetrablock contractions, Toeplitz and Hankel operators, symplectic Dirac operator, pseudodifferential and differential operators, singular integral operators, non-commutative probability, quasi multipliers, Hilbert transform, small rank perturbations, spectral constants, Banach-Lie groupoids, reproducing kernels, and the Kippenhahn curve. The volume includes contributions by a number of the world's leading experts and can therefore be used as an introduction to the currently active research areas in operator theory.
Optimization in Green Sustainability and Ecological Transition: ODS, Ischia, Italy, September 4–7, 2023 (AIRO Springer Series #12)
by Maurizio Bruglieri Paola Festa Giusy Macrina Ornella PisacaneThis book collects selected contributions of the “Optimization and Decision Science - ODS2023” international conference on the theme of optimization in green sustainability and ecological transition. ODS2023 was held in Ischia, 4–7 September 2023, and was organized by AIRO, the Italian Operations Research Society. The book offers new and original contributions on operations research, optimization, decision science, and prescriptive analytics from both a methodological and applied perspectives with a special focus on SDG related topics.It provides a state-of-the art on problem models and solving methods to address a widely class of real-world problems, arising in different application areas such as logistics, transportation, manufacturing, health, ICT and mobile networks, and emergency/disaster management. In addition, the scientific works collected in this book aim at providing significant contributions in the themes of sustainability, traffic and pollution reductions, and energy management.This book is aimed primarily at researchers and Ph.D. students in the Operations Research community. However, due to its interdisciplinary contents, this book is of high interest also for students and researchers from other disciplines, including artificial intelligence, computer sciences, finance, mathematics, and engineering as well as for practitioners facing complex decision-making problems in logistics, manufacturing production, and services.
Optimization of Chemical Processes: A Sustainable Perspective
by José María Ponce-Ortega Rogelio Ochoa-Barragán César Ramírez-MárquezThis textbook introduces readers to a comprehensive framework for the application of deterministic optimization strategies in the field of chemical processes, with a strong emphasis on sustainability.The book establishes a vital connection between fundamental deterministic optimization principles, optimization tools, and real-world application instances, all within the context of environmentally responsible practices. The approach put forth in this book is exceptionally versatile, allowing for the use of many optimization software and deterministic techniques.Contained in the book are many fundamental optimization concepts, encompassing linear programming, nonlinear programming, integer programming, and multi-objective optimization, all tailored to promote sustainable decision-making. Furthermore, the book provides practical examples illustrating the application of these techniques within sustainable chemical processes as tutorials.The textbook also explores the utilization of popular optimization software platforms such as GAMS, MATLAB, and Python, demonstrating how these tools can be leveraged for eco-friendly process optimization. Through this comprehensive framework, readers can not only acquire the skills needed to optimize a wide range of processes but also learn how to do so with sustainability at the forefront of their considerations. This approach streamlines the optimization process, eliminating unnecessary complications along the way and ensuring that environmental and ethical considerations are integral to the decision-making process.
Optimization Under Uncertainty in Sustainable Agriculture and Agrifood Industry
by Víctor M. Albornoz Alejandro Mac Cawley Lluis M. Plà-AragonésThis book explores optimization under uncertainty and related applications in agriculture, sustainable supply chains and the agrifood industry. Rapid changes in the primary sector are leading to more and more industrialized structures, which require optimization methods in order to cope with today’s challenges. Addressing uncertainty in the agrifood industry may lead to more robust supply chain designs or to diversified risk. Sustainability requires interaction with the environmental or social sciences. This book bridges the gap between optimization theory, uncertainty, sustainability and primary-sector applications (mainly in the agriculture and food industry, but also fisheries, forestry and natural resources in general). Although it has been a major challenge for the operations research community, this urgently needed interdisciplinary collaboration is not adequately covered in most current curricula in applied mathematics, economics or (agronomic/industrial/forest) engineering. This book highlights research that can help fill this gap. The individual chapters cover applications of stochastic integer linear programming and multicriteria decision methods in agriculture. The topics addressed include uncertainty in areas such as the sugar cane industry, pig farming, and cold storage for perishable products. Large-scale sustainable food production is a growing concern; this book offers solutions to help meet global demand in agriculture by using and improving the methods of optimization theory and operations research.
Optimizing Play: Why Theorycrafting Breaks Games and How to Fix It
by Christopher A. PaulAn unexpected take on how games work, what the stakes are for them, and how game designers can avoid the traps of optimization.The process of optimization in games seems like a good thing—who wouldn&’t want to find the most efficient way to play and win? As Christopher Paul argues in Optimizing Play, however, optimization can sometimes risk a tragedy of the commons, where actions that are good for individuals jeopardize the overall state of the game for everyone else. As he explains, players inadvertently limit play as they theorycraft, seeking optimal choices. The process of developing a meta, or the most effective tactic available, structures decision making, causing play to stagnate. A &“stale&” meta then creates a perception that a game is solved and may lead players to turn away from the game.Drawing on insights from game studies, rhetoric, the history of science, ecology, and game theory literature, Paul explores the problem of optimization in a range of video games, including Overwatch, FIFA/EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Clash Royale, World of Warcraft, and League of Legends. He also pulls extensively from data analytics in sports, where the problem has progressed further and is even more intractable than it is in video games, given the money sports teams invest to find an edge. Finally, Paul offers concrete and specific suggestions for how games can be developed to avoid the trap set by optimization run amok.
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) GoldenGate: Real-world Examples
by Y V Ravi Kumar Raghavendra S Ankur GoelThis book focuses on the utilization of GoldenGate Services (GGS) in conjunction with a microservices architecture on the Oracle cloud (OCI), primarily for data migration and integration across various data sources and targets.The book begins with a practical example of utilizing GGS on a Marketplace VM, progressively advancing to in-depth discussions on implementing GoldenGate as a Service on OCI. The book offers illustrative guides for data replication between RDBMSs (such as Oracle, Postgres, and big data targets such as Kafka). Additionally, it explores monitoring techniques using Enterprise Manager and Grafana dashboards. A comparative analysis is presented between traditional VM-based GoldenGate installations and the OCI service model. Special attention is given to Zero Downtime Migration (ZDM) and leveraging GGS for database migration from on-premises to OCI. Some chapters address multi-cloud replication using OCI GGS and include real-life case studies.By the end of this book you will have gained comprehensive insights into the architectural design of GoldenGate Services and will be adept at replicating data using GGS, enabling you to replicate setups in your own environments.What You Will LearnSet up GoldenGate Services for high availability (HA), disaster recovery (DR), migration of data to cloud, and moving data into the data lake or lakehousePerform logical migration of data to the cloud using the ZDM tool (ZDM uses GoldenGate internally).Replicate data to big data targetsMonitor GGS using Enterprise Manager and GrafanaReplicate data in a multi-cloud environment Who This Book Is ForOracle database administrators who want to replicate data or use Oracle GoldenGate Services for migration and setup of high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR); and data engineers who want tobuild the data warehouse, data lake, data lakehouse to push data in near real-time
The Oregon Trail (Go West, Young Man #2)
by William W. Johnstone J.A. JohnstoneJOHNSTONE COUNTRY: TRUST IN THE LORD—SOMETIMES HE&’S ALL YOU GOT.From national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, a pioneering journey into the raw beauty and untamed dangers of the unsettled West, where the legendary American spirit is fired in true grit and bold determination . . .THE OREGON TRAIL Wagon Master Clayton Scofield has led countless families across the dusty, wide-open territories of the West, helping the brave, sometimes reckless pioneers settle into new lives brimming with the promise of good lives. Accompanied by his nephew Clint Buchanan riding as scout and cook Spud Williams, Scofield&’s latest trail finds him guiding a train of thirty wagons from Independence, Missouri, to the distant dream of Oregon. It isn&’t long before the pioneers fall prey to the hazards of the countryside—both natural and man-made. The rough currents of the Kansas River tears a family apart. A fur trapper threatens Scofield in a foolhardy attempt to win the affections of an uninterested lady. Kill crazy Lakota Sioux warriors attack wagon train and slaughter without mercy. Scofield can&’t remember the trail ride ever being this treacherous and unforgiving—and he knows there&’s even worse things awaiting them along the far-reaching miles before they reach their destination . . .
The Organisation of Crime and Harm in the Construction Industry (Routledge Studies in Organised Crime)
by Jon Davies Hanna MalikDrawing on empirical work and secondary analysis from the UK and Finnish construction industries, this book contributes a deep-rooted analysis of construction industry harms that originate from corporate-industrialstate processes.The UK context arguably represents a classic ‘neoliberal’ system categorised by privatisation of services and minimal regulation, whereas Finland broadly provides a ‘social democratic’ alternative with its relatively strong national regulation and public sector oversight of industry. These concepts interlink strongly with the notion of state-corporate crime, since this perspective shifts attention away from individualistic explanations for crime and harm towards symbiosis between states and corporations. This book argues that existing explanations based on organised crime and individual ‘rogues’ are insufficient to account for the wider range and subtlety of harms that occur in construction, and therefore offers a unique perspective into organisational, industry, and state dynamics in this sector.An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, organized crime, and those interested in harms in the construction industry.
Organisationen sind keine Maschinen: Organisationen sind Lebewesen - Antworten für eine turbulente Welt
by Renate Henning Klaus HenningWachsende Komplexität und Dynamik prägt diese Welt und auch die meisten Organisationen. Die damit verbundene zunehmende Turbulenz besser zu verstehen und zu meistern ist Anliegen dieses Buches. Es zeigt, dass Organisationen keine Maschinen sind, sondern als Lebewesen verstanden und gesteuert werden sollten. Die Autoren beschreiben, wie diese systemische Denkweise seit Mitte der 1940er Jahre in vielen Disziplinen zu finden ist und als kybernetischer Ansatz vernetzt ist mit den biologischen, soziologischen, psychologischen, technischen und chaostheoretischen Ansätzen. Schon das erste Mal, als wir Mitte der 80iger Jahre mit dem OSTO-Ansatz in Berührung kamen, hat es uns gepackt. Von nun an begannen wir Organisationen als Lebewesen, als soziologische Einheit, zu sehen und nicht als statisches, militaristisches Gebilde. Damals war das für uns etwas völlig Neues. Die Organisation als ein Lebewesen, dass sich verändern kann und nicht stehen bleiben muss in vorgegebenen Mustern zu betrachten, das ist eine Chance für Menschen in Organisationen, die in der immer turbulenter werdenden Welt zurecht zu kommen wollen und müssen.Die Auseinandersetzung mit den komplexen Zusammenhängen der jeweiligen Zeit waren für uns immer schon von großem Interesse. Während Klaus Henning Elektrotechnik studierte und Renate Henning Pädagogik besuchten wir in unserer Münchener Studienzeit beide die Hochschule für Politische Wissenschaften in München. Diese Kombination prägt unser Denken und Handeln bis heute.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) in India: Emerging Trends and Future Directions
by Sairaj M. Patki Shobhana C. AbhyankarThis book presents an exploration of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB), a concept with a long-standing history. It offers contemporary studies and discusses possible future directions for workplaces. The diverse range of topics this book covers makes it an engaging resource for anyone interested in OCB. The section on the pandemic covers citizenship acts performed by Indian organizations, OCB among teachers, and its significant work-related correlates in post-pandemic India. The second section covers contemporary correlates of OCB, such as work-life balance, compliance, counter-productive workplace behaviours (CWBs), and employee expectations. The future workplaces section discusses challenges to OCB, the measurement of OCB in evolving work environments, the role of machine learning (ML) in recruitment, and the importance of diversity management in ensuring OCB in inclusive workplaces. The book makes a valuable source of relevant issues on OCB while providing a broader perspective on future possibilities. It serves as reference material for students and researchers in fields like organizational behaviour, human resource management and development, and industrial psychology to study contemporary issues in OCB. The book also serves as a handy guide for managers looking to harness the benefits of citizenship behaviours to give their organizations an edge over competitors in the near future.