When last we checked in with Harley Quinn, she ate, she banged, and she killed but now it s time for something a little different. Fresh out of the events of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series season 3, Harley has found herself a part of a highly unlikely team the Bat-Family! Meanwhile, Poison Ivy has found herself prepping for her new job leader of the Legion of Doom! But while Harley and Ivy adjust to their respective new roles, a ghost from Ivy s past enters the fray and threatens the relationship between everyone s favorite clown/plant couple! This contains tales from Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! #1-6 and Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special!

A beautiful new translation of beloved Chinese author Lao She's masterpiece of social realism, about the misadventures of a poor Beijing rickshaw driver

First published in China in 1937, "Rickshaw Boy" is the story of Xiangzi, an honest and serious country boy who works as a rickshaw puller in Beijing. A man of simple needs whose greatest ambition is to one day own his own rickshaw, Xiangzi is nonetheless thwarted, time and again, in his attempts to improve his lot in life.

One of the most important and popular works of twentieth-century Chinese literature, "Rickshaw Boy" is an unflinchingly honest, darkly comic look at a life on the margins of society and a searing indictment of the philosophy of individualism.

Lidar is a remote sensing technique that employs laser beams to produce a high-resolution, four-dimensional probe, with important applications in atmospheric science. Suitable as a detailed reference or an advanced textbook for interdisciplinary courses, this book discusses the underlying principles of light-scattering theory and describes widely used lidar systems in current research, exploring how they can be employed effectively for atmospheric profiling. This self-contained text provides a solid grounding in the essential physics of light-matter interactions and the fundamentals of atmospheric lidars through a discussion of the principles that govern light-matter interactions and an exploration of both historical and recent scientific developments in lidar technology. This is an essential resource for physicists, optical engineers and other researchers in atmospheric science and remote sensing.

How would your life change if you were certain of your identity? If you could know that Someone loves you, sees you, and wants to be close to you-just as you are? In this beautifully designed weekly devotional for women, you're invited to soak in God's Word to embrace your identity as a beloved woman made in God's image. Authored by Blessed Is She, a popular online community for Catholic women, Made New walks you through rich reflections of the Gospels, substantive Scripture for prayer through Lectio Divina, and prompts for spiritual growth. Over the course of 52 weeks, you'll uncover: how deeply God knows who you are and loves who you're becoming. why you belong to God's family. what it means that your true identity is as God's beloved. how your belief in God's love affects your identity. how to follow God's plan for your life. Made New is a thoughtful gift for the holidays, new year, birthdays, or for any woman who wants a stronger sense of self-worth, deeper peace in her identity, and a richer relationship with the God who loves her. Each devotional entry includes: a Scripture reference a devotion written by a Blessed Is She writer prompts for reflection beautiful, colorful pages with original art You'll be made new as you journey through a year of thought-provoking devotions, inspiring personal stories, and heartfelt prayers. Experience life change as you're drawn into relationship with a loving God who is committed to your flourishing, advocates for you, and delights when you come to Him.

This second of the three-volume tuberculosis book series provides a comprehensive overview of immunological and cell biological aspects of tuberculosis. Edited by the undisputed world leader in the field, this is the most comprehensive book on the topic available, and the first in recent years to focus on both basic research and clinical aspects of TB.

The immune deficiency AIDS leads to a drastic increase in susceptibility to Tuberculosis. Accordingly, co-infections of tuberculosis (TB) and AIDS have increased dramatically over the last decades and have already killed more than 5 million people worldwide. Currently, no vaccines are available for either of these diseases leaving doctors with limited options for prevention. This perfect storm of pandemics is analysed and explained for the first time in this groundbreaking title, edited by two of the most accomplished experts in this area, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Kaufmann at the Max-Planck Institute for infectious diseases in Berlin, Germany, and Prof. Dr. Bruce Walker, director of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard in Boston, USA. Co-infection of AIDS and TB occur frequently in the most impoverished regions of the world and the AIDS pandemic which has spread rapidly across Africa over the past two decades is now being met by a TB pandemic. While TB can be cured and AIDS can be treated, co-infection in a single patient presents unique challenges and the rapid expansion of these two pandemics has resulted in a critical need to better understand the interactions between the two pathogens and to integrate research efforts. This title brings together scientists from the forefront of research to explore and combine state-of-the-art studies in drug interactions and disease therapies, providing the latest information about prevention, therapy and diagnosis of both tuberculosis and AIDS. This is the only book to place a clear emphasis on the increasing number of patients suffering from both tuberculosis and AIDS and is unique in combining expertise from both fields. Using a multi-disciplinary approach the authors bring together the issues surrounding treatment of co-infection by highlighting the problems of treatment overlap and providing new data demonstrating exactly how this deadly liaison plays out. Early chapters focus on immunology and the problems facing vaccination strategies for both diseases. Currently no vaccines exist for either disease and the coexistence of both pathogens in a single patient complicates the research for new preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic approaches. Later chapters deal with some of the most threatening consequences of this co-infection, such as the emergence of drug resistant TB. These chapters also deal with the need to simultaneously treat both infections, highlighting the major problem of drug interaction if two treatments which have been researched in isolation are given to one individual. Together the contributing authors offer a refreshingly new and engaging analysis of this most challenging of topics and offer new therapeutic approaches by providing comprehensive understanding of both diseases. This title is of strong interest to a broad range of research communities, from microbiologists and virologists to immunologists and medical doctors specializing in TB and AIDS treatment as well as to the pharmaceutical and biotechnological Industries. Aids and Tuberculosis: A Deadly Liaison is the first title in Wiley-Blackwell's 'Infection Biology Handbook Series'. The second title in the series is Bacterial Virulence: Basic Principles, Models and Global Approaches , edited by Philippe Sansonetti from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France.

This book considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international diplomacy, and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the future of multilateralism. Global cooperation and solidarity are central to responding to and mitigating the health and socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet, to many, this was slow to mobilize and lacking in political leadership. This book takes a practical look at the lessons learned from the period spanning the World Health Organization's first declaration of a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, to the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in October 2020. This timespan covers a critical period in which to consider key areas of diplomacy, covering a range of tools of global cooperation: multilateral diplomacy, the rule of law, sustainable development, economics and financing, digital governance, and peace and security. Each chapter in this book introduces readers to the current situation in their respective areas, followed by a constructive consideration of lessons learned from the pandemic's impact on that field, and key recommendations for the future. The practical focus and future orientation is particularly important as the book injects pragmatism and guidance that will facilitate 'building back better' in COVID response plans, while creating space for continued focus on global commitments around sustainable development and the future of the UN. Written by a team of authors who have worked directly in International Public Policy and the establishment of global agendas at the United Nations, this book will be essential reading for professionals and policymakers involved in diplomatic roles, as well as students and scholars interested in the future of international relations, global governance and sustainable development.

Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) Theory and Practice Comprehensive resource presenting important recent advances in wireless communications for URLLC services, including device-to-device communication, multi-connectivity, and more Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) Theory and Practice discusses the typical scenarios, possible solutions, and state-of-the-art techniques that enable URLLC in different perspectives from the physical layer to higher-level approaches, aiming to tackle URLLC’s challenges with both theoretical and practical approaches, which bridges the lacuna between theory and practice. With long-term contributions to the development of future wireless networks, the text systematically presents a thorough study of the novel and innovative paradigm of URLLC; basic requirements are covered, along with essential definitions, state-of-the-art technologies, and promising research directions of URLLC. To aid in reader comprehension, tables, figures, design schematics, and examples are provided to illustrate abstract engineering concepts and make the text more accessible to a broader readership, and corresponding case studies are included in the last part of the book. Fundamental problems in URLLC, including designing building blocks for URLLC, radio resource management in URLLC, resource optimization, network availability guarantee, and coexisting with other future mobile networks, are also discussed. In Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) Theory and Practice, readers can expect to find detailed information on: BCH and analog codes, stable matching, OFDM demodulation and turbo coding, and semi-blind receivers for URLLC MIMO-NOMA with URLLC, PHY and MAC layer technologies for URLLC, and Network slicing or SDN for URLLC and eMBB Integrating theoretical knowledge into deep learning for URLLC, Energy-Latency tradeoff in URLLC, and Downlink transmission for URLLC under physical layer aspects Resource allocation for multi-user downlink URLLC, HARQ optimization for 5G URLLC, and Multi-Access edge computing with URLLC A unique resource with comprehensive yet accessible coverage of a complicated subject, Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) Theory and Practice is an ideal resource for a large and diverse population of researchers and practitioners in engineering, computer scientists, and senior undergraduate and graduate students in related programs of study.

As scholars and policymakers around the world seek a systematic approach to the question of 'gig work,' one of its regulatory dimensions - the intersection of labor and competition law - points toward a deeper reconceptualization of the conventional legal and economic categories typically brought to bear upon it. A comparative approach to the question of gig work further reveals the variety and contingency of background assumptions that are often overlooked in the context of domestic policy debates. By combining a detailed comparative doctrinal survey of the regulation of non-employee workers in domestic competition law systems with a set of essays reframing the underlying questions raised - in terms of international legal frameworks, freedom of association norms, alternative approaches to law and economics, and more - The Cambridge Handbook of Labor in Competition Law moves the debates over the fissured workplace and the labor - competition law intersection forward in novel ways.

This book challenges the common perception or assumption that greater state intervention and re-centralization will result in convergence towards a more equitable and inclusive growth model in China. Instead of asking whether local agency matters, this project examines the conditions and latitude of local agency under initial decentralization followed by increasing top-down re-centralization. The central argument is that in response to common policy directives and pressures from above, disparities in local growth strategies have interacted with political institutions in generating "embedded" sub-national welfare mix models, with varying articulations of state, market, community, and family in Chinese welfare production. The bottom-up feedback effects from these embedded models have somewhat offset growing top-down pressure for re-centralization, contributing to persistent sub-national variations. This author contributes to a growing literature of comparative political economy that seeks to examine the political and economic logics of social policy in non-western and authoritarian political systems.

Tuberculosis (TB), a deadly airborne disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, takes the lives of almost 2 million people each year and is considered to be the most common infectious disease in the world. However, thanks to the efforts of researchers such as the volumes' lead editor, Dr. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, there have been several recent advances in fighting the disease. Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, the Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Charite at the Humboldt University, Berlin, has published more than 600 scientific articles and currently serves as President of the European Federation of Immunological Societies and Chair of the Immunology Division of the American Society of Microbiology. Dr. Kaufmann is considered the world's leading expert in the field of tuberculosis. The Handbook of Tuberculosis, which explores the causes and available treatments of the widespread infection as well as current research into vaccination, is divided into three separate volumes covering different areas of study. Each volume provides an essential resource to molecular and cell biologists, bacteriologists, immunologists, pathologists and pathophysiologists, clinicians and those working in the pharmaceutical industry and interested in world health. Volume 1: Molecular Biology and Biochemistry highlights the molecular mechanisms of tuberculosis. Volume 2: Immunology and Cell Biology presents the pre-eminent resource for all aspects of cell biology and immunology of tuberculosis, including vaccine development. Volume 3: Clinics, Diagnostics, Therapy and Epidemiology introduces a comprehensive overview of clinical aspects of tuberculosis, including drug resistance, epidemiological aspects and clinical trials. It is co-edited by Dr. Paul van Helden, Professor of Medical Biochemistry at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, Director of Laboratory Research for the Desmond Tutu Tuberculosis Centre and former President of the South African Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

This book gravitates on the prominent theories and recent developments of swarm intelligence methods, and their application in both synthetic and real-world optimization problems. The special interest will be placed in those algorithmic variants where biological processes observed in nature have underpinned the core operators underlying their search mechanisms. In other words, the book centers its attention on swarm intelligence and nature-inspired methods for efficient optimization and problem solving. The content of this book unleashes a great opportunity for researchers, lecturers and practitioners interested in swarm intelligence, optimization problems and artificial intelligence.

This book challenges the common perception or assumption that greater state intervention and re-centralization will result in convergence towards a more equitable and inclusive growth model in China. Instead of asking whether local agency matters, this project examines the conditions and latitude of local agency under initial decentralization followed by increasing top-down re-centralization. The central argument is that in response to common policy directives and pressures from above, disparities in local growth strategies have interacted with political institutions in generating "embedded" sub-national welfare mix models, with varying articulations of state, market, community, and family in Chinese welfare production. The bottom-up feedback effects from these embedded models have somewhat offset growing top-down pressure for re-centralization, contributing to persistent sub-national variations. This author contributes to a growing literature of comparative political economy that seeks to examine the political and economic logics of social policy in non-western and authoritarian political systems.

This book gravitates on the prominent theories and recent developments of swarm intelligence methods, and their application in both synthetic and real-world optimization problems. The special interest will be placed in those algorithmic variants where biological processes observed in nature have underpinned the core operators underlying their search mechanisms. In other words, the book centers its attention on swarm intelligence and nature-inspired methods for efficient optimization and problem solving. The content of this book unleashes a great opportunity for researchers, lecturers and practitioners interested in swarm intelligence, optimization problems and artificial intelligence.

This book considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international diplomacy, and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the future of multilateralism. Global cooperation and solidarity are central to responding to and mitigating the health and socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet, to many, this was slow to mobilize and lacking in political leadership. This book takes a practical look at the lessons learned from the period spanning the World Health Organization's first declaration of a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, to the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in October 2020. This timespan covers a critical period in which to consider key areas of diplomacy, covering a range of tools of global cooperation: multilateral diplomacy, the rule of law, sustainable development, economics and financing, digital governance, and peace and security. Each chapter in this book introduces readers to the current situation in their respective areas, followed by a constructive consideration of lessons learned from the pandemic's impact on that field, and key recommendations for the future. The practical focus and future orientation is particularly important as the book injects pragmatism and guidance that will facilitate 'building back better' in COVID response plans, while creating space for continued focus on global commitments around sustainable development and the future of the UN. Written by a team of authors who have worked directly in International Public Policy and the establishment of global agendas at the United Nations, this book will be essential reading for professionals and policymakers involved in diplomatic roles, as well as students and scholars interested in the future of international relations, global governance and sustainable development.

This book discusses all the major nature-inspired algorithms with a focus on their application in the context of solving navigation and routing problems. It also reviews the approximation methods and recent nature-inspired approaches for practical navigation, and compares these methods with traditional algorithms to validate the approach for the case studies discussed. Further, it examines the design of alternative solutions using nature-inspired techniques, and explores the challenges of navigation and routing problems and nature-inspired metaheuristic approaches.

This book discusses the intelligent optimization and control of complex metallurgical processes, including intelligent optimization and control of raw-material proportioning processes, coking process, and reheating furnaces; intelligent control of thermal state parameters in sintering processes; and intelligent decoupling control of gas collection and mixing-and-pressurization processes. The intelligent control and optimization methods presented were originally applied to complex metallurgical processes by the authors, and their effectiveness and their advantages have been theoretically proven and demonstrated practically. This book offers an up-to-date overview of this active research area, and provides readers with state-of-the-art methods for the control of complex metallurgical processes.

This book gathers selected high-quality research papers presented at the Fifth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology, held at Brunel University, London, on February 20-21, 2020. It discusses emerging topics pertaining to information and communication technology (ICT) for managerial applications, e-governance, e-agriculture, e-education and computing technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) and e-mining. Written by respected experts and researchers working on ICT, the book offers a valuable asset for young researchers involved in advanced studies.

Nature-Inspired Optimization Algorithms, Second Edition provides an introduction to all major nature-inspired algorithms for optimization. The book's unified approach, balancing algorithm introduction, theoretical background and practical implementation, complements extensive literature with case studies to illustrate how these algorithms work. Topics include particle swarm optimization, ant and bee algorithms, simulated annealing, cuckoo search, firefly algorithm, bat algorithm, flower algorithm, harmony search, algorithm analysis, constraint handling, hybrid methods, parameter tuning and control, and multi-objective optimization. This book can serve as an introductory book for graduates, for lecturers in computer science, engineering and natural sciences, and as a source of inspiration for new applications.

This book gathers selected high-quality research papers presented at the Fifth International Congress on Information and Communication Technology, held at Brunel University, London, on February 20-21, 2020. It discusses emerging topics pertaining to information and communication technology (ICT) for managerial applications, e-governance, e-agriculture, e-education and computing technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) and e-mining. Written by respected experts and researchers working on ICT, the book offers a valuable asset for young researchers involved in advanced studies.

This book reviews the latest developments in nature-inspired computation, with a focus on the cross-disciplinary applications in data mining and machine learning. Data mining, machine learning and nature-inspired computation are current hot research topics due to their importance in both theory and practical applications. Adopting an application-focused approach, each chapter introduces a specific topic, with detailed descriptions of relevant algorithms, extensive literature reviews and implementation details. Covering topics such as nature-inspired algorithms, swarm intelligence, classification, clustering, feature selection, cybersecurity, learning algorithms over cloud, extreme learning machines, object categorization, particle swarm optimization, flower pollination and firefly algorithms, and neural networks, it also presents case studies and applications, including classifications of crisis-related tweets, extraction of named entities in the Tamil language, performance-based prediction of diseases, and healthcare services. This book is both a valuable a reference resource and a practical guide for students, researchers and professionals in computer science, data and management sciences, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

This book gathers selected high-quality papers presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning and Computational Intelligence (ICMLCI-2019), jointly organized by Kunming University of Science and Technology and the Interscience Research Network, Bhubaneswar, India, from April 6 to 7, 2019. Addressing virtually all aspects of intelligent systems, soft computing and machine learning, the topics covered include: prediction; data mining; information retrieval; game playing; robotics; learning methods; pattern visualization; automated knowledge acquisition; fuzzy, stochastic and probabilistic computing; neural computing; big data; social networks and applications of soft computing in various areas.