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.

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!

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.

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 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.

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.

Nature-Inspired Optimization Algorithms provides a systematic 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 well-chosen 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, as well as multi-objective optimization. This book can serve as an introductory book for graduates, doctoral students and lecturers in computer science, engineering and natural sciences. It can also serve a source of inspiration for new applications. Researchers and engineers as well as experienced experts will also find it a handy reference.

Bio-inspired computation, especially those based on swarm intelligence, has become increasingly popular in the last decade. Bio-Inspired Computation in Telecommunications reviews the latest developments in bio-inspired computation from both theory and application as they relate to telecommunications and image processing, providing a complete resource that analyzes and discusses the latest and future trends in research directions. Written by recognized experts, this is a must-have guide for researchers, telecommunication engineers, computer scientists and PhD students.

Swarm Intelligence and bio-inspired computation have become increasing popular in the last two decades. Bio-inspired algorithms such as ant colony algorithms, bat algorithms, bee algorithms, firefly algorithms, cuckoo search and particle swarm optimization have been applied in almost every area of science and engineering with a dramatic increase of number of relevant publications. This book reviews the latest developments in swarm intelligence and bio-inspired computation from both the theory and application side, providing a complete resource that analyzes and discusses the latest and future trends in research directions. It can help new researchers to carry out timely research and inspire readers to develop new algorithms. With its impressive breadth and depth, this book will be useful for advanced undergraduate students, PhD students and lecturers in computer science, engineering and science as well as researchers and engineers.
Focuses on the introduction and analysis of key algorithms Includes case studies for real-world applicationsContains a balance of theory and applications, so readers who are interested in either algorithm or applications will all benefit from this timely book.

Due to an ever-decreasing supply in raw materials and stringent constraints on conventional energy sources, demand for lightweight, efficient and low cost structures has become crucially important in modern engineering design. This requires engineers to search for optimal and robust design options to address design problems that are often large in scale and highly nonlinear, making finding solutions challenging. In the past two decades, metaheuristic algorithms have shown promising power, efficiency and versatility in solving these difficult optimization problems. This book examines the latest developments of metaheuristics and their applications in water, geotechnical and transport engineering offering practical case studies as examples to demonstrate real world applications. Topics cover a range of areas within engineering, including reviews of optimization algorithms, artificial intelligence, cuckoo search, genetic programming, neural networks, multivariate adaptive regression, swarm intelligence, genetic algorithms, ant colony optimization, evolutionary multiobjective optimization with diverse applications in engineering such as behavior of materials, geotechnical design, flood control, water distribution and signal networks. This book can serve as a supplementary text for design courses and computation in engineering as well as a reference for researchers and engineers in metaheursitics, optimization in civil engineering and computational intelligence.

A deliciously funny and moving comedy-of-manners about a Chinese father and son's experiences at the height of London's Jazz Age 'He was in London - why be bothered looking at it? Wasn't it bad enough just being there?' Newly arrived from China, Mr Ma and his son Ma Wei run an antiques shop nestled by St Paul's Cathedral, where they try to make a living amid the smog and bustle of 1920s London. As they struggle with money, misunderstandings and the ways of the English - from the overbearing patronage of missionary Reverend Ely to their well-meaning landlady Mrs Weddeburn and her carefree daughter - can understanding, even love, blossom? Both a moving story of the Chinese immigrant experience and a bitingly funny satire on the English, Mr Ma and Son delicately portrays the dreams and disappointments of those seeking a new life in a distant land. Translated by William Dolby, with an introduction by Julia Lovell

Your longing for meaningful connection is a good and holy desire. God made us to love one another, and we love because He first loved us. In Loving God, Loving Others, the ladies of the Catholic community Blessed is She pour their hearts onto the page to invite you into a deeper relationship with the One who loves you in order that you may pour out His love into every relationship in your life and create connections that last. Over the course of 52 weeks, you're invited to reflect on six rungs of relationships in your life: your relationship with God, yourself, your family of origin, your family or loved ones today, your friendships, and your workplace. In each section, you'll uncover: God's relentless pursuit of your heart Evidence of His promise to heal our hurts How to deepen your relationship with God through prayer and the sacraments The value of healthy boundaries The joy of vulnerability in Christian relationships God's plan to use community to edify our hearts The importance of prioritizing different kinds of relationships Six different women in the Blessed is She community share more about their personal stories to inspire you to find health and healing in your own relationships. Each devotional entry includes: A Scripture reference A devotion written by one of six Blessed is She authors Prompts for reflection Designed full-color pages with original art By the end of the 52 weeks, you will come away with greater clarity and self-knowledge of the One who loves you and how His love fills you with the compassion, self-control, and kindness you need for every other relationship in your life. In these pages, may the lonely find comfort. May the tired find rest. May the betrayed find healing. And may the healed ones heal others. We were made to do this life with God and with one another, so come with the hopefulness of forming connections that matter, connections that last.

"Embraces death as a concept with due complexity." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Starred Review "A very powerful collection that aims right for the heart, and is strongly recommended." - CEMETERY DANCE, Death - the one aspect of life we all have in common - is waiting for everyone, yet our practices, beliefs, myths, and stories about it are as diverse as we are. YOU DIED celebrates these vibrant cultural expressions of the great equalizer in a thrilling, life-affirming whirlwind of a book, an inspirational volume to be treasured through times of both loss and abundance (and every day in between). At turns both brazen and insightful, morose and optimistic, YOU DIED asks a wide array of cartoonist newbloods and all-stars to relate their most unforgettable tales of death and what comes next. Filled with beautifully illustrated accounts of grief and mourning, ancient myths, memorial rites around the globe, afterlife in the far reaches of space, and the simple and touching ways both the living and the dead carry on, this lively collection starts a comforting and much-needed dialogue about death as a natural part of life. Featuring an introduction by death positivity movement pioneer and activist mortician CAITLIN DOUGHTY and a murderer's row of comics talent including RAINA TELGEMEIER, SHAE BEAGLE, and LISA STERLE.

This first of the three-volume tuberculosis book series provides a comprehensive overview of molecular biological and biochemical 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.