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Assessment of Failed Federalism in Iraq: Federal in Name Only
by Hemin R.A. AkreyiAkreyi investigates the development of federal relations in Iraq from the adoption of the new Federal Constitution in 2005 to the Kurdistan independence referendum in 2017.The book highlights the dysfunctionality of the Iraqi federal system even after the independence referendum and shows the true picture of the key issues between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi government in Baghdad. This informative content is presented in an easy-to-grasp manner, originating primarily from face-to-face interviews with relevant elites and decision-makers in Iraq as well as foreign diplomats.A valuable source for academics, researchers, journalists, and students of politics and international relations at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in all universities, especially in the West and Middle East.
Supply Chain Agility and Innovation: Evidence from the Service Industry
by Eias Al Humdan Yangyan Shi Masud BehniaThis book critically examines the concept of 'supply chain agility' (SCA) in a novel context, shedding light on its implications for executives and professionals. While much literature has explored SCA in manufacturing, this book pioneers a comprehensive exploration of its application in the service sector, an often-overlooked domain in operations management, supply chain management, and innovation literature. The analysis, based on data from 245 service firms in Australia, employs a unique approach, revealing a positive relationship between firm innovativeness and SCA, with SCA in turn positively impacting firm performance. By bridging gaps in previous research, this book offers conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions, emphasizing the critical role of innovation in achieving SCA, particularly in uncertain contexts. It provides valuable insights for firms navigating the service economy, offering a holistic examination of the benefits of SCA and empirically validating its role in managing market changes cost-effectively for a competitive advantage. The findings encourage a re-evaluation of firm performance, urging business professionals and managers to adopt a comprehensive perspective. The insights presented serve as a valuable tool for measurement, estimation, assessment, and benchmarking—key drivers for improving and predicting performance in dynamic supply chain environments. Overall, this book is a timely and essential resource for those seeking to understand and enhance supply chain agility in the evolving landscape of the service industry.
Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, And The Material Self
by Stacy AlaimoHow do we understand the agency and significance of material forces and their interface with human bodies? What does it mean to be human in these times, with bodies that are inextricably interconnected with our physical world? Bodily Natures considers these questions by grappling with powerful and pervasive material forces and their increasingly harmful effects on the human body. Drawing on feminist theory, environmental studies, and the sciences, Stacy Alaimo focuses on trans-corporeality, or movement across bodies and nature, which has profoundly altered our sense of self. By looking at a broad range of creative and philosophical writings, Alaimo illuminates how science, politics, and culture collide, while considering the closeness of the human body to the environment.
A Child in Palestine: The Cartoons of Naji al-Ali
by Naji Al-AliNaji al-Ali grew up in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in the south Lebanese city of Sidon, where his gift for drawing was discovered by the Palestinian poet Ghassan Kanafani in the late 1950s. Early the following decade he left for Kuwait, embarking on a thirty-year career that would see his cartoons published daily in newspapers from Cairo to Beirut, London to Paris. Resolutely independent and unaligned to any political party, Naji al-Ali strove to speak to and for the ordinary Arab people; the pointed satire of his stark, symbolic cartoons brought him widespread renown. Through his most celebrated creation, the witness-child Handala, al-Ali criticized the brutality of Israeli occupation, the venality and corruption of the regimes in the region, and the suffering of the Palestinian people, earning him many powerful enemies and the soubriquet &“the Palestinian Malcolm X.&” For the first time in book form, A Child in Palestine presents the work of one of the Arab world&’s greatest cartoonists, revered throughout the region for his outspokenness, honesty and humanity. &“That was when the character Handala was born. The young, barefoot Handala was a symbol of my childhood. He was the age I was when I had left Palestine and, in a sense, I am still that age today and I feel that I can recall and sense every bush, every stone, every house and every tree I passed when I was a child in Palestine. The character of Handala was a sort of icon that protected my soul from falling whenever I felt sluggish or I was ignoring my duty. That child was like a splash of fresh water on my forehead, bringing me to attention and keeping me from error and loss. He was the arrow of the compass, pointing steadily towards Palestine. Not just Palestine in geographical terms, but Palestine in its humanitarian sense—the symbol of a just cause, whether it is located in Egypt, Vietnam or South Africa.&”—Naji al-Ali, in conversation with Radwa Ashour
Disaster Risk, Resilient Agriculture and Livelihood: Methods and Applications
by Asraful AlamThis volume discusses important issues associated with agricultural disaster risk, resilient agriculture, and livelihood. It highlights the role of sustainable development goals in reducing the impact of climate change on agriculture. The contributions found in this volume discuss methodological and innovative resilience approaches to various natural hazards including flood, landslide, environmental challenges, strategies of disaster risk management, livelihood, ecosystem services, and agricultural sustainability. It explores the relationship between climatic change and agricultural transformation. While throwing light on the role of ecosystem services in disaster risk reduction, the book explores the impact of land degradation and change on growth of agricultural production and food production. The book will be useful for students and researchers of geography, environmental sciences, disaster management, and environmental geology. It will also be useful for geographers, environmentalists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, planners, and professionals working on related ideas.
Entitlement: A Novel
by Rumaan Alam"A brilliant exploration of extreme wealth and how it bends the lives of those close to it... Alam keeps things crystal clear and speedway fast." —The Boston Globe&“Should come with an undertow warning.&”—Louise Erdrich"Like having a vise slowly tightened around my heart." —Charles YuA novel of money and morality from the New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World BehindBrooke wants. She isn&’t in need, but there are things she wants. A sense of purpose, for instance. She wants to make a difference in the world, to impress her mother along the way, to spend time with friends and secure her independence. Her job assisting an octogenarian billionaire in his quest to give away a vast fortune could help her achieve many of these goals. It may inspire new desires as well: proximity to wealth turns out to be nothing less than transformative. What is money, really, but a kind of belief?Taut, unsettling, and alive to the seductive distortions of money, Entitlement is a riveting tale for our new gilded age, a story that confidently considers questions about need and worth, race and privilege, philanthropy and generosity, passion and obsession. It is a provocative, propulsive novel about the American imagination.
Hands-On Large Language Models
by Jay Alammar Maarten GrootendorstAI has acquired startling new language capabilities in just the past few years. Driven by the rapid advances in deep learning, language AI systems are able to write and understand text better than ever before. This trend enables the rise of new features, products, and entire industries. With this book, Python developers will learn the practical tools and concepts they need to use these capabilities today.You'll learn how to use the power of pre-trained large language models for use cases like copywriting and summarization; create semantic search systems that go beyond keyword matching; build systems that classify and cluster text to enable scalable understanding of large amounts of text documents; and use existing libraries and pre-trained models for text classification, search, and clusterings.This book also shows you how to:Build advanced LLM pipelines to cluster text documents and explore the topics they belong toBuild semantic search engines that go beyond keyword search with methods like dense retrieval and rerankersLearn various use cases where these models can provide valueUnderstand the architecture of underlying Transformer models like BERT and GPTGet a deeper understanding of how LLMs are trainedUnderstanding how different methods of fine-tuning optimize LLMs for specific applications (generative model fine-tuning, contrastive fine-tuning, in-context learning, etc.)
I Remember Fallujah: A Novel
by Feurat AlaniIn this poignant first novel of memory, identity, and generational trauma, a child of political refugees tries to uncover the past his dying father kept secret, painting a powerful, layered portrait of Iraq from the 1950s to the 2000s.As a young man in the early 1970s, Rami fled his home to escape Saddam Hussein&’s dictatorship. In France, he built a new life and had a family, working hard to become a successful immigrant. He barely speaks of his time over there, and his son, Euphrates, feels it like a wall between them. When the now elderly Rami is hospitalized with a fatal cancer, Euphrates sees his last chance to learn more about this enigmatic man, and himself.Shifting between past and present, I Remember Fallujah brings to vivid life Rami&’s coming-of-age in a land devastated by violent conflict. His memories of the city, which became a stronghold for Hussein&’s Ba&’ath Party, reveal the courageous acts of resistance, as well as complex loyalties, of left-wing Iraqis fighting against a brutal Arab nationalist movement. And where Rami&’s amnesia has erased his exile, Euphrates seeks to fill in the gaps, with memories of his childhood in Paris, and visits to a changed Iraq that will unearth key facts.Inspired by Feurat Alani&’s own history, this unforgettable first novel is a moving tribute to the love between father and son that explores the nuances of the immigrant dream, and how we live with the family and country into which we were born.
From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems: Del ombligo de la luna y otros poemas de verano (Cycle of Seasons)
by Francisco X. AlarcónPura Belpré Author Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)Bilingual English/Spanish. From the Bellybutton of the Moon is renowned poet Francisco X. Alarcón's collection of 22 poems inspired by his touching recollections of childhood summers in Mexico.With a poet's magical vision, Alarcón takes us back to his childhood when he traveled with his family to Mexico to visit his grandma and other relatives. We travel with him in the family station wagon, across the misty mountain range to the little town of Atoyac. There, in the beloved town of his ancestors, we hear his grandma's stories, sample Auntie Reginalda's tasty breakfasts, learn about the keys to the universe, and take playful dips in the warm sea. The lighthearted illustrations of Maya Christina Gonzalez perfectly capture the spirit of summer in Alarcón's Mexico where "colors are more colorful, tastes are tastier, and even time seems to slow down."
Le Avventure Del Granchio Pinchy E Della Lumaca Ramon
by Dan Alatorre“Le Avventure del Granchio Pinchy e Della Lumaca Ramon” racconta la storia di un piccolo granchio che trova una lumaca perduta di nome Ramon.Loro fanno amicizia con una bambina ed un gabbiano, e i quattro lavorano insieme per far tornare a casa Ramon sano e salvo, ma quando non funziona, diventano creativi.Il lavoro di squadra e’ importante, come essere pieni di risorse, aiutare gli altri, farsi nuovi amici diversi da noi, e trarre il meglio da situazioni che per un bambino possono essere difficili, come trasferirsi in una nuova casa.
A Noite Da Colonoscopia - Uma História De Terror (Mais Ou Menos)
by Dan Alatorre“Colonoscopia? De repente fazes 50 anos e do nada eles querem enfiar uma câmara de TV pela tua extremidade traseira acima. Fantástico.”Estas são as reflexões humorísticas de um gajo a começar a ficar um pouco mais velho e a ser realista sobre o assunto, tentando divertir-se na vida, dando um bom exemplo à sua filha de 3 anos de idade, e viver de acordo com as expectativas de si próprio e ao mesmo tempo manter uma visão bem-humorada sobre a vida.A bata do hospital que não fecha na parte de trás? A enfermeira que não lhe contou tudo o que ele precisava de saber sobre laxantes?Um dentista que usa os pés como alavanca para fazer uma extração de dente? Apenas mais um dia!Acompanha e ri connosco conforme avançamos nesta estrada de interação familiar e lições de vida à medida que aprendemos sobre a Noite da Colonoscopia!
It’s Raining Rabbits
by Arwa Hamed AlaujanThis thrilling adventure takes you to meet Maryah, a ten-year-old girl who lost her pampered cat, and during her many attempts to overcome the pain of losing him, she owned a cute little doe. Her adventures with her doe intertwine with the adventures of Queen Sylvia and her Prime Minister Mimi in exciting events until she finally overcomes the fear of losing her beloved ones.
Integrated Building Intelligence
by Hamidreza Alavi Soheila Kookalani Farzad Rahimian Núria ForcadaThis book integrates of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) in the field of building design, construction, and maintenance. The book explores how BIM and DSS technologies can be synergistically utilized to enhance performance, comfort, and maintenance efficiency in buildings. With an emphasis on practical applications, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in BIM and DSS, including real-world case studies and implementation guidelines. The book features illustrations, tables, and examples that aid in understanding complex concepts and demonstrate the practical application of BIM and DSS in building projects. Readers will gain a deep understanding of how BIM and DSS can be integrated to optimize building design, streamline construction processes, and improve facility management and maintenance. The main benefit of reading this book is that it provides a valuable resource for professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries who want to leverage the power of BIM and DSS to enhance their building projects. Additionally, the book explores how BIM and DSS can contribute to energy efficiency.
Noise Pollution and Ergonomic Intervention by Acoustic Material (Synthesis Lectures on Mechanical Engineering)
by Noe Alba-Baena Suchismita Satapathy Meghana Mishra Tushar Kanta MahapatraThis book is based on the understanding as well as the use of information technology extensively, to explore OHS related risk in major risky sectors due to noise and a framework is suggested through the systematic analysis of the barriers and its implementations. Ergonomic analysis is done to investigate problems associated with hearing. Acoustic materials are fabricated and tested. A case study is conducted to reduce noise by placing accoustic material.
You're the Problem, It's You: A Novel (The Mischief & Matchmaking Series #2)
by Emma R. AlbanThe enemies-to-lovers queer Victorian romance follow-up to Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend, in which a young lord and a second son clash, but find themselves thrust together again and again by their meddling cousins.“That man is, without a doubt, the absolute most obnoxious…Bobby Mason is sick of being second best: born the spare, never trusted with family responsibility, never expected to amount to much. He’s hungry to contribute something that matters, while all around him his peers are squandering their political and financial power, coasting through life. Which is exactly why he can’t stand the new Viscount Demeroven.…insufferable…James Demeroven, just come of age and into the Viscountcy, knows that he’s a disappointment. Keeping his head down and never raising anyone’s expectations is how he’s survived life with his stepfather. To quiet, careful James, Bobby Mason is a blazing comet in his endless night, even more alive than he was at Oxford when James crushed on him from afar. But Mason is also brash and recklessly unapologetic, destined to shatter the fragile safety of James’s world. Worst of all, he keeps rubbing James’s failures in his face.…hottest man to ever walk the ton.”They can barely get through a single conversation without tensions boiling over. Neither Bobby nor James has ever met a more intriguing, infuriating, infatuating man.If only they could avoid each other entirely. Bad enough their (wonderful but determined) cousins Beth and Gwen keep conveniently setting up group outings. But when an extortionist starts targeting their families, threatening their reputations, Bobby and James must find a way to work together, without pushing each other’s buttons (or tearing them off) in the process…
The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart's Brush with George Washington
by Sarah AlbeeGeorge Washington hated having his portrait painted, but as president of the United States, he knew his image needed to live on. This nonfiction picture book explores how artist Gilbert Stuart created Washington&’s most lasting and recognized portrait—the one that&’s used on the one-dollar bill.George Washington and artist Gilbert Stuart didn&’t always see eye-to-eye, but both men knew the importance of legacy and the power of art. Though George disliked having his portrait painted—which took days and days to complete—he knew his place in history would require people to know his face. Fortunately, Gilbert Stuart&’s unique way of painting didn&’t compel his subjects to sit for hours on end—in fact, he encouraged them to move around and even bring friends to chat with. Capturing the soul of each subject, his portraits were unlike any other artists&’. And Gilbert Stuart&’s one-of-a-kind portrait of Washington stands the test of time—it&’s the one that&’s used on the one-dollar bill.
Implementing Sustainable Cities (Routledge Studies in Sustainable Development)
by Sylvie AlbertThis edited volume brings together international authors to explore how cities around the world are implementing their commitment towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).To achieve sustainability, cities choose their own goals and develop the necessary governance and resourcing mechanisms to achieve their objectives. This book highlights the innovative ways cities can plan their implementation by drawing on comprehensive research and literature reviews. Case studies from around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, describe examples of various cities’ governance mechanisms, resourcing strategies, and implementation strategies. By showcasing these case studies, cities worldwide can emulate, transform, and execute their own vision drawing on the examples and pathways laid out by their peers. The book concludes with a comparative analysis of UN SDG implementation, contrasting the approaches and enabling communities worldwide to learn from one another and choose strategies that meet their local needs.This book will be of great interest to students, researchers, and professionals of urban sustainability, planning, smart cities, and sustainable communities. It will also be useful for city and government stakeholders including policy makers, economic development corporations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The Future
by Naomi AldermanA Most Anticipated Book of Fall at Associated Press, Booklist, Chicago Tribune, Goodreads, Good Housekeeping, Literary Hub, Time, The Week, and W MagazineThe bestselling, award-winning author of The Power delivers a dazzling tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it.When Martha Einkorn fled her father&’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Now, she&’s surrounded by mega-rich companies designing private weather, predictive analytics, and covert weaponry, while spouting technological prophecy. Martha may have left the cult, but if the apocalyptic warnings in her father&’s fox and rabbit sermon—once a parable to her—are starting to come true, how much future is actually left? Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. She&’s cornered, desperate and—worst of all—might die without ever knowing what's going on. Suddenly, a remarkable piece of software appears on her phone telling her exactly how to escape. Who made it? What is it really for? And if those behind it can save her from danger, what do they want from her, and what else do they know about the future? Martha and Zhen&’s worlds are about to collide. An explosive chain of events is set in motion. While a few billionaires assured of their own safety lead the world to destruction, Martha&’s relentless drive and Zhen&’s insatiable curiosity could lead to something beautiful or the cataclysmic end of civilization. By turns thrilling, hilarious, tender, and always piercingly brilliant, The Future unfolds at a breakneck speed, highlighting how power corrupts the few who have it and what it means to stand up to them. The future is coming. The Future is here.
The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People: A Practical Handbook
by Priscilla Alderson Virginia MorrowA practical guide to carrying out ethical research with children and young people, this practical handbook examines the ethical questions that arise at each stage of research, from first plans to dissemination and impact. Illustrated with case studies from international and inter-disciplinary research, it offers advice for addressing each ethical question, issue or uncertainty. Including: • A showcase of the best practice on a range of topics including data protection • Practical guidance for responding to recent global changes in policy and practice in ethics and law • Discussion of the challenges and opportunities of digital research with children The updated second edition continues to provide an excellent resource for those exploring the old, current and new consensuses on the ethics of researching with children.
The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People: A Practical Handbook
by Priscilla Alderson Virginia MorrowA practical guide to carrying out ethical research with children and young people, this practical handbook examines the ethical questions that arise at each stage of research, from first plans to dissemination and impact. Illustrated with case studies from international and inter-disciplinary research, it offers advice for addressing each ethical question, issue or uncertainty. Including: • A showcase of the best practice on a range of topics including data protection • Practical guidance for responding to recent global changes in policy and practice in ethics and law • Discussion of the challenges and opportunities of digital research with children The updated second edition continues to provide an excellent resource for those exploring the old, current and new consensuses on the ethics of researching with children.
Software Engineering and Formal Methods. SEFM 2023 Collocated Workshops: CIFMA 2023 and OpenCERT 2023, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, November 6–10, 2023, Revised Selected Papers (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #14568)
by Alessandro AldiniThis volume constitutes the papers of two workshops which were held in conjunction with the 21st International Workshop on Software Engineering and Formal Methods, SEFM 2023 Collocated Workshops, held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on November 6–10, 2023 The 10 full papers presented in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 16 submissions. SEFM 2023 Collocated Workshops presents the following two workshops: 5th International Workshop on Cognition: Interdisciplinary Foundations, Models and Applications (CIFMA 2023) 11th International Workshop on Open Community approaches to Education, Research and Technology (OpenCERT 2023)
France in World Politics (Routledge Revivals)
by Robert Aldrich John ConnellOriginally published in 1989, this book analyses France’s distinctive role in international affairs and examines the characteristics of French foreign policy in the Fifth Republic. The introduction provides an overview of France’s role in international relations, then specific chapters look at topics such as French military strategy and relations with the superpowers of the late 20th Century; France and the European Community; immigrant workers and their impact on France’s international presence and France & Africa, among others. The final chapter discusses the evolution and formulation of French foreign policy in historical perspective. The contributors were historians, geographers and specialists in French civilization, all with experience in France. Each chapter includes notes and references to work in both English and French, making the book an important source, especially for students of politics, international relations, modern history and French studies
Scrimshaw: A Deephaven Mystery (Deephaven Mystery #2)
by Ethan M. AldridgeEthan M. Aldridge, bestselling creator of Estranged, returns to the eerie world of Deephaven Academy, where a creepy new artifact discovered in the depths of the basement could have disastrous effects on the school. A perfect read for fans of J. A. White and Mary Downing Hahn! After a chaotic semester, Guinevere “Nev” Tallow is looking forward to a quiet winter break at Deephaven Academy. But when they discover a strange artifact—a scrimshaw—hidden away deep in the under-basement of the school, they can’t resist the urge to investigate further.This scrimshaw seems to be the skull of the school’s founder, Malachi Haven. Each of the skull’s few remaining teeth is engraved with a tiny image that foretells disaster. Nev quickly becomes obsessed with this mystery—not even their best friend, Danny, can distract them. And after something begins striking down students, Nev and Danny wonder if the images etched into the ancient teeth are actually warnings. Can Nev protect the school from the coming doom foreseen by the scrimshaw, or are they on a collision course with fate?
Improving Children's Critical and Creative Thinking Using Media: Through Traditional and Digital Media
by Mania AlehpourThis book addresses the most common questions raised by parents regarding the impact of media on children. It offers insights on suitable media choices for children, fostering healthy media usage, determining appropriate age for media consumption, and navigating related technologies. Additionally, practical suggestions are provided on integrating media literacy into everyday situations with children.This book explores theories surrounding the effects of media violence, the importance of teaching online ethics, children's fear toward film characters, shielding children from distressing news, promoting advertisement literacy, exploring media's role in sexual education, and cultivating critical thinking skills to discern media clichés. These topics are thoroughly explored and discussed within the book. By engaging with this book, parents will acquire a practical level of media literacy that empowers them to support their children's growth in critical and creative thinking. It equips parents to navigate the challenges that arise when using both traditional and digital media effectively.Audiences of this book include parents, caregivers of children, educators, and anyone involved in working with children.
The Arc of Protection: Reforming the International Refugee Regime
by T. Alexander Aleinikoff Leah ZamoreThe international refugee regime is fundamentally broken. Designed in the wake of World War II to provide protection and assistance, the system is unable to address the record numbers of persons displaced by conflict and violence today. States have put up fences and adopted policies to deny, deter, and detain asylum seekers. People recognized as refugees are routinely denied rights guaranteed by international law. The results are dismal for the millions of refugees around the world who are left with slender prospects to rebuild their lives or contribute to host communities. T. Alexander Aleinikoff and Leah Zamore lay bare the underlying global crisis of responsibility. The Arc of Protection adopts a revisionist and critical perspective that examines the original premises of the international refugee regime. Aleinikoff and Zamore identify compromises at the founding of the system that attempted to balance humanitarian ideals and sovereign control of their borders by states. This book offers a way out of the current international morass through refocusing on responsibility-sharing, seeing the humanitarian-development divide in a new light, and putting refugee rights front and center.