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Centralized: Notes on Hydraulic and Digital Infrastructure
by Roman ShemakovAn estimated 75% of the infrastructure that societies will depend on in 2050 does not yet exist, reflecting $139 trillion of investment over the next quarter century. Conventional wisdom regards these forthcoming water networks, roads, energy grids, and data centers as passive backbones of economic life. Centralized challenges this assumption, demonstrating how these systems actively shapes governance by regulating the flow of materials, managing access, and controlling storage. Centralized examines the oldest and the most contemporary forms of large-scale infrastructure: water and the internet. Drawing on archival documents, engineering blueprints, financial records, and interviews, the book analyzes eight transformative projects over two millennia across the United States, China, Turkey, and Russia. From the Dujiangyan irrigation canals to the creation of TCP/IP protocols, the case studies demonstrate how engineering networks produce predictable bureaucratic structures. Despite their technological differences, hydraulic and digital networks share a unifying logic of design, finance, and administration—one that ultimately consolidates authority. Built on the work of Keller Easterling, Norbert Wiener, Taisu Zhang, and Paul Edwards, Centralized offers a critical historical perspective on the relationship between technical and social systems. Preface by Benjamin Bratton. Illustrations by Flora Weil.
Two-Tier Stochastic Frontier Analysis for the Social Sciences
by Christopher F. Parmeter Alecos PapadopoulosThis textbook provides an up-to-date treatment of the two-tier stochastic frontier model and its applications across the social sciences. It is a cohesive treatise on both the classical methods of estimation and inference and various machinations of the two-tier stochastic frontier model, as well as more recently developed tools that can shed new insight into why these opposing latent forces which affect economic, sociopolitical, and even psychological outcomes, exist, and to what extent. The text is intended to be a self-contained reference for practitioners to rely on when using these methods in their research, regardless of field. It includes sixteen empirical applications on diverse topics (labor market, housing market, consumer goods, production economics, sociology, international relations, psychology, public education, healthcare management, environmental policy). The book is accompanied by a dedicated website where 2TSF software code in the R and gretl open-source platforms is provided.
Identity Unknown (Kay Scarpetta)
by Patricia CornwellFrom a bestselling author, a "hauntingly original, impossibly clever and devilishly daring" thriller in which Scarpetta receives a message from beyond the grave…(Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark)&“Identity Unknown is hauntingly original, impossibly clever and devilishly daring.&” – Chris WhitakerAutopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead. And this victim is sending Scarpetta a message... Summoned to an abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once had an intense love affair with. The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano&’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta&’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead&’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue. As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil...
Make It Plant-Based! Mexican: 50+ Recipes for Vegan Soups, Tacos, Tortas, and Sweets (Make It Plant-Based! Cookbooks)
by Andrea AlisedaDiscover the deliciousness of vegan versions of favorite Mexican foods—part of Workman&’s new series of passionate plant-based cookbooks. Whether new to the world of plant-based cooking or already acquainted and looking for easy vegan versions of beloved dishes, Make It Plant-Based! Mexican shows how easy it is to make plants the star of the plate. Using store-bought pantry staples, fresh vegetables and fruit, and meat-free and dairy-free alternatives, it&’s simple to make richly flavored dishes such as: *Cabbage and Poblano Flautas *Squash Blossom Tempura *Zucchini Baja Fried &“Fish&” Tacos *Plant-Based Buttercream Tres Leches And much more! The book includes starters, mains, masa-based meals, tacos, desserts, and salsas to suit every taste and occasion from Tortilla Soup to Umami Guacamole. Part of an exciting series including Make It Plant-Based! Indian, Make It Plant-Based! Southern, and Make It Plant-Based! Filipino, these colorfully packaged volumes highlight the wide possibilities available to home cooks to let them know it&’s easier than ever to Make It Plant-Based!
Financing for Development: Towards a New, Green Bretton Woods (Routledge Focus on Economics and Finance)
by Stefan BrunnhuberThis book provides a robust argument for an upgrade of the financial system to enable a more sustainable approach. It explores the upcoming debate on a newly modified international financial architecture, facing serial ecological crisis and the advent of new technologies, and which operates in a multipolar world.Instead of business as usual (BAU) scenarios, it explores new, innovative, out of the box approaches in the following arenas: taxonomy and regulation, including capital flow management measures and taxations schemas; financial engineering such as hedging instruments private public partnerships; and polity frameworks e.g. IMF, World Bank, Multilateral development banks, voting quota. It addresses the new role of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), the current and upcoming campaign on debt restructuring, as well as the role of new technologies - AI and Blockchain - to tackle illicit financial transactions and fraud, including predictive coding and big DATA correlations. The book focuses on the new role of monetary regulators and central bankers in providing conditioned, additional liquidity to finance, hedge and manage our global commons and to mobilize private capital at the same time, meaning that monetary policy will oversteer fiscal and credit policy in a Bretton Woods II process. The author argues that a new green Bretton Woods 2.0 will provide the agenda to transform our economy and our society, and a Green Transition plan is included in the book.This will serve as a comprehensive reader for students, scholars and activists in the fields of macroeconomics, international development policy, finance and sustainability. It will also appeal to policy makers and executives in the financial sector as well as informed monetary experts.
Innovation and Structural Transformation in Asia
by Jesus Felipe Neil Foster-McGregor Bart Verspagen Önder NomalerThis book explores recent drivers of Asia’s growth and economic development. The analysis is based on a database created by the authors. It covers a large number of economies, including 39 from Asia for the period 1990–2020.The database and the analysis in the book use novel indicators of development. It is structured along four areas: productivity and structural change, global value chains (GVCs), economic complexity, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The book offers insights into current economic performance and future prospects. It shows great heterogeneity across the region, highlighting a range of development experiences. Each chapter contains an accessible methodological section of the concepts used, explaining the construction of indicators and how they should be interpreted.The book will interest scholars of Asian economics, structural transformation, productivity, GVCs, complexity, and 4IR studies. The publicly available database will also appeal to policymakers and researchers interested in data analysis.
Building Decisions: How Choosing by Advantages Drives Project Success
by Paz Arroyo Annett Schöttle Randi ChristensenDecision-making is critical. Leaders make decisions daily, often hyper-focusing on cost at the expense of value for society and with negative impacts on the environment and the climate. Project teams are poorly equipped to make decisions and prefer to avoid conflicts instead of having a healthy discussion based on different perspectives. We need to learn ways of making decisions that give better outcomes.Building Decisions presents a framework and practical guidelines for everyday decision-making. The authors introduce the reader to a specific decision-making system, Choosing By Advantages (CBA), and explain the CBA Tabular decision-making method. Providing detailed explanations using relatable examples such as choosing a phone and renovating a kitchen, the book also uses case studies of large construction projects from the authors’ professional careers, including a museum in San Francisco, a tunnel in England, and the main railway station in Munich, to explain the CBA method. These varied examples will help the reader to improve their own decision-making process through critical reflection.Written by three curious experts who founded a research lab focusing on decision-making and want the world to make better decisions. Paz, Annett, and Randi have published dozens of peer-reviewed papers and trained multiple practitioners and engineers on how to make collaborative decisions using CBA. They have designed this book to help professionals, leaders, anyone, and everyone make better and more inclusive decisions and achieve better outcomes.
Managing International Trade Risk: Customs, Revenue and VAT Compliance (Contemporary Commercial Law)
by Mark RowbothamThis book provides readers with an authoritative guide to measure, quantify and address customs, VAT and international trade risk, especially with a view to maximising the efficiency of both trade practice and the governance and collection of national revenue associated with the regulation and control of cross-border trade.Delivering expert insight into the rationale behind customs investigations, Managing International Trade Risk defines trader risk in terms of international trade and customs and VAT compliance, and highlights the pitfalls in conducting international trade and customs management, practices and procedures. Offering a guide to dealing with customs issues that ensures correct and accurate compliance is the priority when it comes to dealing with imports and exports, it offers solutions in terms of trader knowledge of customs procedures coupled with the knowledge to avoid problems concerning customs and VAT compliance issues and regulations.This text is written for customs and VAT practitioners, lawyers, policy-makers, industry and financial professionals (international trade, tax and finance), scholars, lecturers, quasi-government organisations and Government departments (Treasury, Tax), as well as Chambers of Commerce. It will be of interest to all involved in the process of international trade, customs and VAT.
Augustine and Frontiers of Pluralism (Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies)
by Boleslaw Z. Kabala, Thomas P. Harmon, and Ashleen Menchaca-BagnuloThis book focuses on St. Augustine as a worthwhile resource for thinking through the challenges and prospects of pluralism. The contributors speak to several dimensions of this organizing concept, understanding of which is advanced by engagement with Augustine. The volume brings together scholars from different disciplines, faith traditions, and political commitments, all of whom have deemed it worthwhile to return to Augustine to learn about a signature theme of common life in the twenty-first century. The chapters address a variety of topics including civic engagement, feminism, Black religious thought, domination, liberalism, and time. In an age of pluralism, the hope is to access the insights of the thinker who struggled with a plurality of desires, motivations, and political-theological imaginations, and to benefit from his thoughts. The book will be of particular interest to scholars of theology, philosophy, and political science.
Leading Schools with Embedded Assessment Practices (Student Assessment for Educators)
by Mary E. Yakimowski Lisa L. Beckham Chad M. GotchLeading Schools with Embedded Assessment Practices prepares PreK-12 leaders to leverage assessment information toward meaningful changes at school. Principals, coaches, instructional specialists, and other leadership professionals are uniquely responsible for fostering curriculum integrity, a high-achieving climate, support for individual differences, and other aspects of a successful school. This book explores how school leaders can use assessment to foster continuous school improvement by aligning classroom and student performance, professional learning opportunities, teacher evaluation, and ongoing data-based decisions. Across these chapters, various vignettes drawn from elementary and secondary school experiences bring to life leaders’ considerations of school improvement models, the interdependence of student and teacher learning, areas of improvement for teachers, and more.
A Collaborative Approach to Transition Planning for Students With Disabilities (Evidence-Based Instruction in Special Education)
by JoAnn M. RaeThe book’s framework is specially designed to advance students’ involvement and participation in their lives, not only in the presence of the most severe sensory and intellectual disabilities, but also in the case of multiple disabilities. Unique scenarios not typically seen in other textbooks, such as IEP team disagreements, students with terminal illnesses, students with ill or overworked parents, or students living in poverty are also explored.This updated edition also includes: Descriptions of research-based practices to maximize students’ self-determination, autonomy, goal setting, and ability to have successful life experiences Opportunities to integrate knowledge with practice by providing strategies that relate to the real-life difficulties students and transition planning specialists may encounter Easy-to-replicate communication tools, such as letters to students and parents, as examples to enhance collaboration Methods for teachers to effectively promote and increase student involvement and collaboration by using structured and interactive interviews Guidance aligned with the most up-to-date special education law A Collaborative Approach to Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities reflects the universal challenges that teachers, families, and finally, the students themselves face, as they progress through school with a disability. For students with disabilities, the key component to successful transition planning is creating a collaborative atmosphere that allows them to be successful. This book promises to serve as an essential resource to all who are dedicated to that goal.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Pets (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)
by Catherine D. HughesPlayful puppies! Cuddly kittens! Beautiful birds! In the next book in the hit Little Kids First Big Book series, readers learn all about pets with fur, feathers, fins, scales, and shells--and how to find and care for the perfect pet for their family.From cats to dogs to guinea pigs to birds to fish to snakes and more, this adorable reference book introduces kids to a wide variety of family-friendly pets. Readers learn which kinds of animals make good pets and which ones are better off staying in the wild, along with how each type of pet eats, sleeps, and plays. Packed with more than 200 colorful photos, the book also provides information on animal breeds, characteristics, and behavior and includes tips for training pets. Filled with fun facts and designed for interactive learning, this book will quickly become a favorite at storytime, bedtime, and any time.
Lion Guard: Can't Wait to be Queen
by Disney Book GroupRead along with Disney! When Simba and Nala have to leave Pride Rock for a few days, Kiara becomes queen! She is in charge of everything in the Pride Lands—including the Lion Guard. Kion has to decide: should he listen to his big sister and queen or lead the Lion Guard the way he thinks is best?
Palace Pets: Blossom: A Happy Panda for Mulan
by Disney Book GroupRead along with Disney! One night, Blossom the land was searching the bamboo forest for a tasty snack. Instead of giving up hope, the cheerful panda followed her nose to town where everyone was celebrating the Moon Festival! But the poor panda ended up frightening the villagers just as she was about to eat a treat from one of the banquet tables. Follow along with the word-for-word narration as Blossom fills her tummy-- and makes a new friend.
World of Reading: Doc McStuffins: Brave Dragon (World of Reading)
by Chris NeeRead along with Disney! While playing with Doc and the other toys, Stuffy takes a spill in the park and gets covered in prickly burs. Doc fixes him up, but something is not right...Stuffy doesn't want to play! Follow along with word-for-word narration to find out of Doc can help Stuffy become a brave dragon once again?
World of Reading X-Men: The Story of the X-Men (World of Reading)
by Thomas MacriRead along with Marvel! Professor X dreams of a world in which humans and mutants live in peace, and he gathers mutants together to fight for his dream. Follow along with word-for-word narration as an exciting new super hero team is formed -- the X-Men!
Big Hero 6 (Disney Storybook with Audio (eBook))
by Disney PressDisney Big Hero 6 tells the story of brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who finds himself in the grips of a criminal plot that threatens to destroy the fast-paced, high-tech city of San Fransokyo. With the help of his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—Hiro joins forces with a reluctant team of first-time crime fighters on a mission to save their city. Children ages 2 to 5 will love this Little Golden Book based on the film.
Disney Fairies: Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse (Disney Fairies)
by Gail HermanNOTHING RATTLES SILVERMIST. She’s the calmest water-talent fairy around, and as cool as a deep mountain lake. But then an “unlucky” white ladybug lands on Silvermist’s head, and her orderly world goes topsy-turvy. She’s never been the type of fairy to lose things or have accidents or make mistakes . . . until now. Silvermist doesn’t believe in bad luck and silly old fairy superstitions. But all her troubles began after she found the white ladybug. Could the other fairies be right? Is Silvermist really under a curse?
World of Reading Star Wars Rebels: Always Bet on Chopper (World of Reading)
by Disney Book GroupRead along with Star Wars! Zeb and Chopper are friends. Well, at least they were until Zeb bet (and lost!) Chopper in a game of cards against their friend Lando. But Lando strikes a deal with Zeb: if Zeb helps him sneak a secret box to Lothal, Zeb can have Chopper back! Follow along with word-for-word narration as Zeb wins back his droid friend!
Cars 2 Read-Along Storybook
by Disney PressRelive the adventure of Disney•Pixar’s box-office smash hit, Cars 2, with this delightful audio-enhanced eBook featuring word-for-word narration that matches the text, sound effects, and dialogue voiced by the original movie actors!
Truth of the Matter: His powerful account of the Dismissal
by Gough WhitlamPassionate, pithy, learned, witty, and vigorously combative, The Truth of the Matter tells the extraordinary political story of the only Prime Minister of Australia ever deposed from office. On Remembrance Day 1975 the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, sacked Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. The Dismissal was the culmination of almost three years of political conflict, as Whitlam's progressive Labor government rammed home legislative reform in the face of implacable and increasingly bitter conservative resistance. The focus of the Opposition's scheming was the Senate, where its leaders blocked supply in order to force a political crisis. Whitlam, famous for his 'crash through or crash' style, refused to compromise with his political enemies. At an election a month after the Dismissal, the conservatives were returned to office. Controversy and recrimination followed. Many Australians, including Whitlam himself, believed he had been the victim of a coup. In 1979 Whitlam published his own account of the events of 1975, The Truth of the Matter, an instant bestseller.
The Stress Rx: A Neurologist's Ayurvedic Prescription for Happiness and Health
by Dr. Trupti GokaniWhat if good health—body, mind, and spirit—came down to what we think and how we manage stress?According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stress is the number one cause of disease. Yet most people have no idea how stress has thrown their lives off-balance, disconnecting them from who they really are. In The Stress Rx: A Neurologist's Ayurvedic Prescription for Happiness and Health, Dr. Trupti Gokani uses the ancient wisdom of ayurveda and her Three Brain Model(TM) to show you how to find true, holistic health. As a neurologist who has spent over two decades in clinical practice, Dr. Gokani has a powerful message to share. What if, instead of changing your diet, adding supplements, or more exercise, you focused on shifting your brain programs? What if changing how you and your brain perceive stress could take care of 80 to 90 percent of your struggles? If this shift could reduce your risk of disease and improve your longevity far more than any dietary change, pill, or exercise routine, would you be interested in giving it a try? The Stress Rx will show you how.
Global Value Chains and Competitiveness: How Manufacturers Build Resilience Against Global Disruptions
by José Pla- Barber Andrea Pallás- Rocafull Ana Botella- Andreu Cristina VillarThis book offers valuable insights into the reconfiguration of Global Value Chains (GVCs) in manufacturing industries and the diverse managerial responses at the firm level. Focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from developed economies, the authors explore key intersections between firm strategies, competitiveness, and value-chain analysis, presenting new directions for both managerial practice and research. In response to the rapidly evolving global landscape, the book argues that manufacturing industries must reconfigure into shorter, more regionalized GVCs to improve resilience, balance cost efficiency with sustainability, and better withstand external shocks. The authors analyze three major trends: reshoring (bringing production back home), SMEs' upgrading within GVCs with a focus on social and environmental improvements, and the rise of governance structures rooted in trust and relational capital. By offering in-depth studies of the featured SMEs, the book provides guidelines for redesigning strategies and public policies that enhance SMEs' performance in the modern global context.
Circular Economy Business Model for Construction Organisations (Green Energy and Technology)
by Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa Osamudiamen Otasowie Ayodeji Emmanuel OkeThis book takes readers through the process of integrating the circular economy into the business model of construction organizations. It offers not only theory but also a workable implementation plan. This approach guarantees that readers can implement these insights into their construction operations with confidence. It includes in-depth analyses of the circular economy business model and the peculiarities of the construction sector, providing an approach that considers both the opportunities and challenges faced by this sector. In addition, it shows how the circular economy framework can continue to be relevant and adaptable by addressing the current adoption level of the circular economy in construction and preparing readers for new developments. Lastly, the book demonstrates how circular value propositions can be used to implement the circular economy in the construction sector, thus increasing revenue and profits in construction.
Physical Therapy for Gastrointestinal Disorders
by Jaime Ruiz-Tovar Ana Martín-NietoThis book thoroughly examines all treatment options for gastrointestinal disorders based on physical therapy. While numerous publications explore the impact of physical therapy on anorectal disorders such as fecal incontinence, defecation disorders, or proctalgia, there is increasing evidence supporting the therapeutic options of physical therapy for other digestive disorders, including dyspepsia, gastroparesis, chronic vomiting, or cholelithiasis, among others. This book presents updated evidence of physical therapy as a therapeutic option for various gastrointestinal disorders beyond anorectal disturbances. Each of the 15 chapters included in this volume focuses on a specific disorder, providing a clear description of the therapeutic techniques employed as well as the results reported in the literature. Aimed primarily at physical therapists and clinical practitioners, particularly those specializing in gastroenterology and coloproctology, this book offers essential information on the effectiveness of diverse physical therapies for optimal management of functional disorders.