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The Unusual Histories of a Curious Dog
by Scott McLeanBiscuit is a precocious pup with an insatiable curiosity that often leads her to poke her nose where it doesn’t belong. When exploring the gardens of her new home, she stumbles upon what appears to be a rabbit hole and finds herself transported to the past. Thus begins a thrilling journey across the ages. With each trip down the rabbit hole into history, Biscuit must rely on her resourcefulness and befriend unlikely allies to overcome daunting obstacles and return to her family. But she soon discovers her time-traveling escapades have dredged up dark secrets that hang over her home, and her adventures have only just begun.
Unveiling the Informal Economy: An Augmented Factor Model Approach
by YaoA report from the International Monetary Fund.
The Unwedding: The addictive new destination thriller: fast paced, unputdownable and unsettling
by Ally CondieTHE JUNE 2024 REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK!Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?But now she's traveling solo.To add insult to injury, there's a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn't certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it's clear something horrible is brewing.Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.
The Unwedding: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel)
by Ally CondieREESE&’S BOOK CLUB PICK &“Our June Reese&’s Book Club pick is the perfect summer read!!! The Unwedding by Ally Condie opens with a wedding at a gorgeous resort in Big Sur... but everything begins to fall apart when the main character Ellery discovers a dead body the morning of the ceremony.&”– Reese Witherspoon The White Lotus meets Agatha Christie in this bold novel from a #1 New York Times bestselling author, &“a knife&’s-edge whodunit that&’s as much a thriller as it is an exquisite meditation on grief and loss.&” (Nicola Yoon) Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world. She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth? But now she&’s traveling solo. To add insult to injury, there&’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn&’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling. When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it&’s clear something horrible is brewing. Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.
Unyielding: Marathons Against Illegal Mandates
by Thomas L. RempferUnyielding tackles a recurring topic of national importance as a history lesson for future generations. Controversial illegal medical mandates impacted military populations for many decades, but it was not until the COVID-era that the American people witnessed similar overreach. Colonel Tom &“Buzz&” Rempfer&’s memoir retraces the anthrax vaccine history since it marked the first time the military was served with court rulings condemning premeditated illegal experimentation on our nation&’s troops. The advent of COVID mandates, imposed on the population in 2021, gave the American people a taste of the mistreatment previously reserved for our nation&’s warriors. Legal protections enacted by the Congress to guard against medical experimentation, meant to ensure safe, effective, and FDA-approved products, were instead adulterated to foist mandates on American society. According to the FBI, the motive for the anthrax letter lab leaks in 2001 was to &“rejuvenate&” the &“failing&” anthrax vaccine. Similarly, the suspected Wuhan lab leak two decades later resulted in a push for COVID injections. The pattern of fear-based bioincidents resulting from reckless biodefense enterprises, and lessons not learned with illegal mandates, paralyzed government and military leaders while wreaking havoc on the trust and health of our troops and the American people. Buzz&’s decades-long analysis of the breakdowns stands as a unique treatise on the failures of leaders to learn lessons from these enduring clashes and to correct the damage. Future generations will sort out the aftermath, but in the meantime, Colonel Rempfer&’s Unyielding effort attempts to ensure that the lessons are not lost.
The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion
by Cory LeadbeaterAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon-and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.
The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion: A Memoir
by Cory LeadbeaterA brilliant debut memoir about a young writer—struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction—and his life-changing decade working for Joan DidionAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan’s rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon—and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.
The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion
by Cory LeadbeaterAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan's rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon-and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.
Urban Inequalities from Space: Earth Observation Applications in the Majority World (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing #26)
by Monika Kuffer Stefanos GeorganosRapid transformation processes occur in the Majority World, where most of the global population is living (estimated around ¾ of the global population), often deprived of access to infrastructure, services, exposed to hazards and degrading environmental conditions. The continuous urbanization in many African, Asian and Latin American cities is coupled with rapid socio-economic and demographic changes in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. These changes often increase socio-economic fragmentation and existing disparities. According to the United Nations, of the 36 fastest growing cities (with an average annual growth rate of more than 6%), seven are located in Africa, while 28 are found in Asia. On top of the socio-economic transformations, the increasing impact of climate change is expected to increase local vulnerabilities. However, data to understand these transformation processes and relationships are either unavailable, scarce or come with high degrees of uncertainty. Earth Observation information and methods have a great potential to fill data gaps, but they are not exploited to their full potential. Most urban remote sensing studies in the Majority World focus on the primary cities, while not much is known about secondary cities, urbanizing zones or peri-urban areas. Attempting to measure and map environmental and socio-economic phenomena through remote sensing is fundamentally different from extracting bio-physical parameters. In general, studies done by researchers of the Minority World do not sufficiently understand the information needs and capacity demands of the Majority World, especially related to user requirements and ethical perspectives. In this book, we aim to provide an outlook on how Remote Sensing can provide tailored solutions to information needs in urban and urbanizing areas of the Majority World, e.g., in terms socio-economic, environmental and demographic transformation processes. We will provide methodological and application pathways insupport of local and national information needs as well as in support of sustainable development, and specifically, supporting the monitoring of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book combines an overview of innovations in applications, methodologies and data use, showing the capacity of Earth Observation to fill global knowledge gaps.
Urban Informality: An Introduction
by Philipp Horn Melanie LombardThis book is the first to provide an introductory overview to the concept of ‘urban informality’, taking an international perspective across the global North and South. It explores theoretical understandings of the term, and looks at how it affects ways of living, such as land use, housing and basic services, working lives and politics. Using a broad range of material to bring the topic to life, including non-conventional sources – such as fiction, poetry, photography, interviews and other media – the book helps students, practitioners and scholars develop learning and research on this topic. The book also includes interjections from diverse voices of practitioners, community activists and regional experts.
The Urban Soil Guide: A Field and Lab Manual
by Anna PaltsevaDelve into the fascinating world of soil science with "The Urban Soil Guide," a comprehensive manual designed for everyone from science beginners to seasoned horticulturists. Whether you're an introductory science student, a passionate gardener, a landscape designer, or a professional horticulturist, this guide is tailored for you. Packed with a variety of hands-on activities, this guide makes learning soil science both accessible and enjoyable. From simple experiments that can be performed in your kitchen to more advanced techniques, it offers a practical approach to understanding soil. Written by a soil scientist, this guide bridges the gap between professional knowledge and amateur enthusiasm. The Urban Soil Guide is versatile enough to serve as a textbook in botanical gardens and university classes, while also being an invaluable resource for amateurs. Choose activities that match your interest and level of expertise. Embark on your journey to becoming a soil expert with The Urban Soil Guide – your hands-on companion in the world of soil science.
Urban Vice Regulation Compared: How the Progressive Era’s Undercover Tactics Underwrote American Challenges to French Regulation (SpringerBriefs in Law)
by Jacqueline E. RossThis book uses the early twentieth century surveillance reports of urban vice reformers in New York, Chicago, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as well as the US vice report for the League of Nations’ Special Body on Trafficking in Women and Children (from 1927) and French police memoirs, treatises, and histories of vice enforcement in late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Paris to highlight the way in which American reliance on undercover tactics drove American vice enforcement policy, leading to a clash with French vice enforcement policy before the League of Nations. Both the failure of that early effort to exert international influence on vice enforcement and the American embrace of undercover tactics would set the stage for the later American efforts to promote a global war on drugs. Before the League of Nations, in particular, the American delegation’s notable lack of success in mobilizing European crackdowns on prostitution created a blueprint for how not to project American influence overseas, once American advocates of narcotics interdiction sought to promote a global war on drugs. Yet private reformers’ reliance on undercover tactics to investigate prostitution modeled the investigative tactics on which American law enforcement would come to depend, and which it would later seek to export, as a primary weapon in the war on drugs.
Urban Village Redevelopment in Beijing, China: New Housing Opportunities for Migrant Workers
by Ran LiuThe book provides a multi-stage assessment of the changing housing opportunities of migrant workers in the three stages of Beijing’s urban village development (emergence, erasure and preservation). The volume re-theorizes Henry Lefebvre’s notion of the “right to the city” as a largely property-based concept that falls within the city’s hybrid tenure matrix of varying degrees of tenure security and formality that is undergoing entrepreneurialization or gentrification. This is another highly valuable contribution to China studies from the geographical perspective of the “territorial politics” at play in the process of urban village redevelopment, which has fostered a new propertied landowning class as winners, while moving low-wage migrants. The book takes the reader on a fascinating journey from peri-urban villages to IT worker villages to artists’ villages, revealing a restless landscape of urbanism and state-centered governance, as well as bottom-up counterplots. The fieldwork explores the contradictions of urban village redevelopment in Beijing. On the one hand, it is state-dominated and yet creates new housing opportunities for migrants; on the other, it disrupts old orders but also encourages new forms of grassroots alliances. The empirical studies of Beijing’s urban villages enrich Henry Lefebvre’s discourse on “planetary urbanisation,” Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s notion of the “rhizome,” and Elinor Ostrom’s ideas on the wise management of the “commons.”
Us, After: A Memoir of Love and Suicide
by Rachel Zimmerman"This poignant, soul-baring memoir is truly one of the most moving accounts of grief, loss and resilience that I've read." — Tara Parker-Pope, The Washington Post "Masterfully written and compelling... Zimmerman's book is a marvelous feat; I stayed up all night reading it." — Deesha Philyaw, author, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies "Us, After is one of the best memoirs I have read in a very long time. It is poetic and lyrical, unflinching, and a testament to the strength of the human soul...We bleed for Zimmerman and her two daughters. We laugh and cry with them. And ultimately we marvel at their strength and resilience." — Buzz Bissinger, author, Friday Night Lights When a state trooper appeared at Rachel Zimmerman's door to report that her husband had jumped to his death off a nearby bridge, she fell to her knees, unable to fully absorb the news. How could the man she married, a devoted father and robotics professor at MIT, have committed such a violent act? How would she explain this to her young daughters? And could she have stopped him? A longtime journalist, she probed obsessively, believing answers would help her survive. She interviewed doctors, suicide researchers and a man who jumped off the same bridge and lived. Us, After examines domestic devastation and resurgence, digging into the struggle between public and private selves, life's shifting perspectives, the work of motherhood, and the secrets we keep. In this memoir, Zimmerman confronts the unimaginable and discovers the good in what remains.
The US Housing Crisis: Home and Trust in the Real Estate Economy (The Urban Book Series)
by Judith KellerThis book aims to draw careful distinctions between the various forms of housing insecurity and personal circumstances research participants experience. While the urgency of the housing crisis in the US has produced a lot of scholarly work on housing, it often fails to recount the real life struggles that the housing crisis is causing. This is where the book provides a distinct contribution to housing studies and urban geography. The author use of trust as an analytical lens, her qualitative approach, and her work with people on the ground aim to move away from a quantitative understanding of the crisis by giving it a human face. The author seeks to bring to light the human costs of the destruction of home as well as the political reactions and day-to-day strategies that residents apply to make ends meet in times of the US housing crisis.
Us in the Before and After
by Jenny ValentineA tear-jerking, heart-breakingly beautiful novel from the award-winning Jenny Valentine, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera, Kathleen Glasgow and Laura Nowlin.There is one side of that moment, and the other Before After I have dreamed about it ever since At the start of a long, hot summer best friends Elk and Mab face the fallout of a sudden death, and the lifelong consequences of a single tragic act.An intensely emotional story that raises questions about love, ghosts, and the unshakeable bonds of friendship. Praise for Us in the Before and After: &‘A masterpiece. A beautiful and breathtaking story of friendship, love and loss, that will shatter your heart into a thousand tiny pieces and then slowly put it back together again.&’ – Danielle Jawando, author of When Our Worlds Collided &‘An ode to life and love and loss and friendship – and the devastating beauty of it all. This is the kind of book that grips you by the heart and doesn&’t let go.&’ – Katherine Webber, author of Twin Crowns &‘A gorgeous, heartbreaking and lyrical new YA novel from the wonderful Jenny Valentine about grief, friendship and love.&’ – Laura Bates, author of Sisters of Sword and Shadow &‘An absolute page-turner from one of our most vital YA voices. Nobody writes like Jenny Valentine – she is a true original.&’ – Phil Earle, author of When the Sky Falls &‘A gorgeous journey on friendship, love and death. Jenny Valentine has written a book that you will want to read over and over again.&’ – Abiola Bello, author of Only for the Holidays
Usagi Yojimbo: 40th Anniversary Reader (Usagi Yojimbo)
by Stan SakaiA collection of fan-favorite short stories from the world of Usagi Yojimbo—a perfect introduction and celebration of the rabbit hero!Celebrating Usagi Yojimbo&’s 40th anniversary, this value-priced collection includes eight fan-favorite and Stan Sakai-picked short stories in color starring the beloved rabbit ronin! Perfect for longtime fans and newcomers to the series, the Usagi Yojimbo: 40th Anniversary Reader collection includes the popular short story &“Chanoyu&” in color for the first time!Featuring Stan Sakai&’s award-winning art and storytelling and expert hand lettering, with colors by Emi Fujii, Tom Luth, and Ronda Pattison.Collects &“A Mother&’s Love,&” &“Blade of the Gods,&” &“The Way of the Samurai,&” &“Chanoyu,&” &“Cut the Plum,&” &“The Artist,&” &“Buntori,&” and &“Adachi&”.
A Users Guide to Vacuum Technology
by John F. O'Hanlon Timothy A. GessertA USERS GUIDE TO VACUUM TECHNOLOGY Choose and understand the vacuum technology that fits your project’s needs with this indispensable guide Vacuum technology is used to provide process environments for other kinds of engineering technology, making it an unsung cornerstone of hundreds of projects incorporating analysis, research and development, manufacturing, and more. Since it is very often a secondary technology, users primarily interested in processes incorporating it will frequently only encounter vacuum technology when purchasing or troubleshooting. There is an urgent need for a guide to vacuum technology made with these users in mind. For decades, A User’s Guide to Vacuum Technology has met this need, with a user-focused introduction to vacuum technology as it is incorporated into semiconductor, optics, solar sell, and other engineering processes. With an emphasis on otherwise neglected subjects and on accessibility to the secondary user of vacuum technology, it balances treatment of older systems that are still in use with a survey of the latest cutting-edge technologies. The result promises to continue as the essential guide to vacuum systems. Readers of the fourth edition of A User’s Guide to Vacuum Technology will also find: Expanded treatment of gauges, pumps, materials, systems, and best??operating practices Detailed discussion of cutting-edge topics like ultraclean vacuum and contamination control An authorial team with decades of combined research and engineering experience A User’s Guide to Vacuum Technology is essential for those entering emerging STEM programs, engineering professionals and graduate students working with a huge range of engineering technologies.
Using Generative AI Effectively in Higher Education: Sustainable and Ethical Practices for Learning, Teaching and Assessment (SEDA Focus Series)
by Peter Hartley Sue Beckingham Jenny Lawrence Stephen PowellUsing Generative AI Effectively in Higher Education explores how higher education providers can realise their role and responsibility in harnessing the power of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) ethically and sustainably.This rich collection of established and evaluated practices from across global higher education offers a practical guide to leading an agile institutional response to emerging technologies, building critical digital literacy across an entire institution, and embedding the ethical and sustainable use of GenAI in teaching, learning, and assessment. Including reflections from stakeholders testifying to the value of the approaches outlined, the book examines how higher education can equip staff and students with the critical-digital literacy necessary to use GenAI in work, study, and social life responsibly and with integrity. It provides an evidence-based resource for any kind of higher education (HE) provider (modern, college-based, and research-focused) looking for inspiration and approaches which can build GenAI capability and includes chapters on the development of cross-institutional strategy, policies and processes, pedagogic practices, and critical-digital literacy.This resource will be invaluable to educational leaders, educational developers, learning developers, learning technologists, course administrators, quality assurance staff, and HE teachers wishing to embrace and adapt to a GenAI-enabled world.
Using the Internet for Virtual School: Rules and Tips for a Successful Online Learning Experience (Emotional Education for Elementary Schoolers)
by Dagmar GeislerFrom award-winning author Dagmar Geisler, in collaboration with illustrator Nikolai Renger, a new series for elementary school students about social-emotional learning and physical and mental health. In recent years, children of all ages—just like many adults!—from all over the world have had to shift the way they learn and work. They&’ve adapted to sitting in front of their computers or tablets instead of in a physical class with their peers. Some have thrived in this environment, while others struggle to prepare themselves for the virtual learning experience. In Using the Internet for Virtual School, best friends Madison and Luke quickly learn all about what can go wrong if they&’re not prepared for their virtual lessons when Luke&’s older brother, Tim, experiences a stressful online presentation. The laptop dies, his video files won&’t load, and possibly worst of all, he didn&’t realize an embarrassing (babyish!) poster was hanging on the wall behind him the whole time! This sours Tim&’s mood for the foreseeable future, and Madison and Luke decide to make a list of the Do&’s and Don&’ts of virtual school and presentations so they don&’t replicate Tim&’s disaster of a day when it comes time for them to join their class online. In this timely book, award-winning author Dagmar Geisler presents tips and tricks—as well as some golden rules—to help primary school students prepare for their digital lessons and presentations. This is a strong conversation-starter for adults and children and is also a practical guide.
Using Video to Foster Teacher Development: Improving Professional Practice through Adaptation and Reflection
by Marte Blikstad-Balas Inga Staal JensetFeaturing an international team of education researchers and practitioners, this edited volume demonstrates various ways in which the use of video recordings can shed light on and improve teaching processes in the classroom environment.Providing a novel and global approach to this burgeoning area of research, chapters highlight how authentic video clips can be used systematically in both teacher education and professional development programs to ensure lifelong professional reflection and growth for teachers. Through detailed insight into research projects where teachers and teacher educators use video to improve practice, the book provides a research-based response to why and how videos can be used to raise instructional quality and discuss key issues in the field.Exploring findings from empirically based research combined with everyday practices, the volume will ultimately serve as a solid and inspiring introduction to the growing body of research on the use of video in teacher learning for educational researchers and educators interested in teaching and teaching practices, as well as practitioners in the fields of teacher education and teachers’ professional development.
Using Visual Technology in Educational Ethnography: Theory, Method and the Visual (Qualitative and Visual Methodologies in Educational Research)
by Rita Chawla-DugganIntroducing readers to debates underpinning the uses of visual technology in educational ethnography, this book takes actual research projects across different country contexts to discuss how research designs can use visual technology in educational ethnography; to show connections between theory, method and research problems.The book begins by introducing readers to three epistemological positions underpinning the use of visual technology in social science and educational research: the scientific realist, reflexive, and dialectic. It illustrates the uses of visual technology in the form of digital film and photographs, and how as a source of data, it has potential in developing ethnographic knowledge and representation in a range of educational contexts. The ideas are illustrated through three research projects in the context of classrooms, home environments and intervention work with practitioners. With clear practical applications, this resource considers the part theory plays in research designs, which use visual technology to investigate educational problems.Using Visual Technology in Educational Ethnography is ideal reading for anyone seeking to learn more about the benefits and practicalities of using visual technology within their ethnographic practice.
Uyghur Identity and Culture: A Global Diaspora in a Time of Crisis (ISSN)
by Rebecca Clothey Dilmurat MahmutUyghur Identity and Culture brings together the work of scholars, activists, and native Uyghurs to explore the history and growing challenges that the Uyghur diaspora face across the globe in response to shifting government policies forbidding many forms of cultural expression in their homeland.The collection examines how and why the Uyghur diaspora, dispersed from their homeland to communities across Australia, Central Asia, Europe, Japan, Türkiye, and North America, now has the responsibility to preserve their language and cultural traditions so that these can be shared with future generations. The book critically investigates the government censorship of Uyghur literatures and Western media coverage of the Uyghurs, while centralizing real reflections of those who grew up in the Uyghur homeland. It considers the geographical and psychological pressures that the Uyghur diaspora endure and highlights the resilience and creativity of their relentless battle against cultural erosion.Uyghur Identity and Culture is a key contribution to diaspora literature and calls to attention the urgent need for global action on the ongoing human rights violations against the Uyghur people. It is essential reading for those interested in the history and struggles of the Uyghur diaspora as well as anyone studying sociology, race, migration, culture, and human rights studies.
Vaccines in Society
by Tom Douglass Alistair AndersonThis book argues that the social story of vaccination has commonly been told through the lens of vaccine hesitancy and the myriad challenges that this broad issue poses for public health and the mitigation of preventable harms. Consequently, less sustained analytical attention has been given by social scientists to the rich tapestry of other social and political dimensions of vaccines and consequences of vaccination. This book begins from the premise that a broader approach to the technology and intervention of vaccination is required and that further social scientific analysis is needed of how societies produce and preserve high levels of vaccination coverage, as well as the social and political challenges or threats – beyond vaccine hesitancy – that may harm or restrict it. To achieve this, the book assembles and reframes evidence from medical sociology, science and technology studies, public health, health geography, and the medical humanities. In doing so it looks across the ‘immunisation social order’ by analysing dimensions that have thus far been neglected or under-scrutinised, revealing not only the functioning of and central challenges to the immunisation social order, but also bringing into sharp focus the social and political nature of vaccines themselves.
Validity, Reliability, and Significance: Empirical Methods for NLP and Data Science (Synthesis Lectures on Human Language Technologies)
by Stefan Riezler Michael HagmannThis book introduces empirical methods for machine learning with a special focus on applications in natural language processing (NLP) and data science. The authors present problems of validity, reliability, and significance and provide common solutions based on statistical methodology to solve them. The book focuses on model-based empirical methods where data annotations and model predictions are treated as training data for interpretable probabilistic models from the well-understood families of generalized additive models (GAMs) and linear mixed effects models (LMEMs). Based on the interpretable parameters of the trained GAMs or LMEMs, the book presents model-based statistical tests such as a validity test that allows for the detection of circular features that circumvent learning. Furthermore, the book discusses a reliability coefficient using variance decomposition based on random effect parameters of LMEMs. Lastly, a significance test based on the likelihood ratios of nested LMEMs trained on the performance scores of two machine learning models is shown to naturally allow the inclusion of variations in meta-parameter settings into hypothesis testing, and further facilitates a refined system comparison conditional on properties of input data. The book is self-contained with an appendix on the mathematical background of generalized additive models and linear mixed effects models as well as an accompanying webpage with the related R and Python code to replicate the presented experiments. The second edition also features a new hands-on chapter that illustrates how to use the included tools in practical applications.