Peter Chan directs this Hong Kong martial arts drama that sees an incredibly scrupulous detective on the trail of a former criminal who has attempted to start a new life. Set in 1917, the film finds Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen) and his wife Ayu (Wei Tang) living quietly in a small village. Their sense of tranquillity is disrupted when a pair of robbers descend on the local store and Liu's intervention results in their death. Detective Xu Baijiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a man so faithfully attached to the law he values it above human life, arrives in the village to investigate and is immediately suspicious of Liu. How could an ordinary villager possess the skills to overcome two hardened criminals? The assiduous detective begins an investigation into Liu's past, threatening to uncover his identity as a retired martial arts expert and lead his many enemies to his door...

Extremal Optimization: Fundamentals, Algorithms, and Applications introduces state-of-the-art extremal optimization (EO) and modified EO (MEO) solutions from fundamentals, methodologies, and algorithms to applications based on numerous classic publications and the authors' recent original research results. It promotes the movement of EO from academic study to practical applications. The book covers four aspects, beginning with a general review of real-world optimization problems and popular solutions with a focus on computational complexity, such as "NP-hard" and the "phase transitions" occurring on the search landscape. Next, it introduces computational extremal dynamics and its applications in EO from principles, mechanisms, and algorithms to the experiments on some benchmark problems such as TSP, spin glass, Max-SAT (maximum satisfiability), and graph partition. It then presents studies on the fundamental features of search dynamics and mechanisms in EO with a focus on self-organized optimization, evolutionary probability distribution, and structure features (e.g., backbones), which are based on the authors' recent research results. Finally, it discusses applications of EO and MEO in multiobjective optimization, systems modeling, intelligent control, and production scheduling. The authors present the advanced features of EO in solving NP-hard problems through problem formulation, algorithms, and simulation studies on popular benchmarks and industrial applications. They also focus on the development of MEO and its applications. This book can be used as a reference for graduate students, research developers, and practical engineers who work on developing optimization solutions for those complex systems with hardness that cannot be solved with mathematical optimization or other computational intelligence, such as evolutionary computations.

With HIV becoming the leading cause of infectious-disease mortality in Mainland China, this book focuses on tackling HIV/AIDS in the face of rapid political and economic change in China. Featuring contributions by over a dozen leading figures in the field, this book is the go-to text for any student or reader interested in how national and international organizations' are attempting to control this epidemic. The book includes chapters on the epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of HIV, as well as several chapters that discuss in detail specific provincial- and national-level programs to control and treat HIV. It chronicles the Chinese government's amazing about-face, as it replaced underfunded, non-evidence based policy decisions with successful, science-based approaches to disease control and prevention, including the adoption of once controversial needle-exchange programs and the establishment of a national HIV/AIDS data registry. It measures the success of national policy decisions, the implementation of treatment policies, and discusses the difficulty of accessing high-risk communities, including people who inject drugs, sex workers, and men who have sex with men - groups not easy to reach, study, engage in prevention programs, or treatment, for fear of stigmatization and loss of social status. Further, it documents the spread of HIV to other provinces, and the tragedy that befell repeat plasma donors in Henan and other poor provinces, where reused or improperly sterilized lab equipment caused some villages to have epidemic-level incidence rates. This book represents a positive contribution to the field of AIDS research, making vital, new information available to an interested readership.

Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV contains the contributions presented at the 4th International Symposium on Geotechnical Safety and Risk (4th ISGSR, Hong Kong, 4-6 December 2013), which was organised under the auspices of the Geotechnical Safety Network (GEOSNet), TC304 on Engineering Practice of Risk Assessment and Management and TC205 on Safety and Serviceability in Geotechnical Design of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV covers six themes: (1) Geotechnical uncertainty and variability (2) Geohazards such as landslides, earthquakes and climate changes (3) Reliability and risk analysis (4) Reliability-based design and limit-state design in geotechnical engineering (5) Risk assessment and management in geotechnical engineering and infrastructural projects, and (6) Practical applications. Geotechnical Safety and Risk IV is an excellent source of reference on the latest developments and practices of geotechnical risk and safety, and will proof to be invaluable for civil engineers (particularly geotechnical engineers), geologists, and natural hazards reduction agencies. ISGSR IV is a continuation of a series of symposiums and workshops on geotechnical risk and reliability, starting with LSD2000 (Melbourne, Australia), IWS2002 (Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan), LSD2003 (Cambridge, USA), Georisk2004 (Bangalore, India), Taipei2006 (Taipei, Taiwan), 1st ISGSR (Shanghai, China, 2007), 2nd ISGSR (Gifu, Japan, 2009) and 3rd ISGSR (Munich, Germany, 2011).

This book is the second part of Applications and Trends in Fintech, which serves as a comprehensive guide to the advanced topics in fintech, including the deep learning and natural language processing algorithms, blockchain design thinking, token economics, cybersecurity, cloud computing and quantum computing, compliance and risk management, and global fintech trends. Readers will gain knowledge about the applications of fintech in finance and its latest developments as well as trends.This fifth volume covers global fintech trends and emerging technologies such as cloud computing and quantum computing, as well as the compliance and risk management frameworks for fintech companies. Together with the first part in applications and trends (fourth volume), these two books will deepen readers' understanding of the fintech fundamentals covered in previous volumes through various applications and analysis of impacts and trends.Bundle set: Global Fintech Institute-Chartered Fintech Professional Set I

This book describes algorithmic methods and parallelization techniques to design a parallel sparse direct solver which is specifically targeted at integrated circuit simulation problems. The authors describe a complete flow and detailed parallel algorithms of the sparse direct solver. They also show how to improve the performance by simple but effective numerical techniques. The sparse direct solver techniques described can be applied to any SPICE-like integrated circuit simulator and have been proven to be high-performance in actual circuit simulation. Readers will benefit from the state-of-the-art parallel integrated circuit simulation techniques described in this book, especially the latest parallel sparse matrix solution techniques.

This is the first book to revisit geotechnical site characterization from a probabilistic point of view and provide rational tools to probabilistically characterize geotechnical properties and underground stratigraphy using limited information obtained from a specific site. This book not only provides new probabilistic approaches for geotechnical site characterization and slope stability analysis, but also tackles the difficulties in practical implementation of these approaches. In addition, this book also develops efficient Monte Carlo simulation approaches for slope stability analysis and implements these approaches in a commonly available spreadsheet environment. These approaches and the software package are readily available to geotechnical practitioners and alleviate them from reliability computational algorithms. The readers will find useful information for a non-specialist to determine project-specific statistics of geotechnical properties and to perform probabilistic analysis of slope stability.

This book examines paintings using a computational and quantitative approach. Specifically, it compares paintings to photographs, addressing the strengths and limitations of both. Particular aesthetic practices are examined such as the vista, foreground to background organisation and the depth planes. These are analysed using a range of computational approaches and clear observations are made. New generations of image-capture devices such as Google goggles and the light field camera, promise a future in which the formal attributes of a photograph are made available for editing to a degree that has hitherto been the exclusive territory of painting. In this sense paintings and photographs are converging, and it therefore seems an opportune time to study the comparisons between them. In this context, the book includes cutting-edge work examining how some of the aesthetic attributes of a painting can be transferred to a photograph using the latest computational approaches.

This book examines paintings using a computational and quantitative approach. Specifically, it compares paintings to photographs, addressing the strengths and limitations of both. Particular aesthetic practices are examined such as the vista, foreground to background organisation and the depth planes. These are analysed using a range of computational approaches and clear observations are made. New generations of image-capture devices such as Google goggles and the light field camera, promise a future in which the formal attributes of a photograph are made available for editing to a degree that has hitherto been the exclusive territory of painting. In this sense paintings and photographs are converging, and it therefore seems an opportune time to study the comparisons between them. In this context, the book includes cutting-edge work examining how some of the aesthetic attributes of a painting can be transferred to a photograph using the latest computational approaches.

This book describes algorithmic methods and parallelization techniques to design a parallel sparse direct solver which is specifically targeted at integrated circuit simulation problems. The authors describe a complete flow and detailed parallel algorithms of the sparse direct solver. They also show how to improve the performance by simple but effective numerical techniques. The sparse direct solver techniques described can be applied to any SPICE-like integrated circuit simulator and have been proven to be high-performance in actual circuit simulation. Readers will benefit from the state-of-the-art parallel integrated circuit simulation techniques described in this book, especially the latest parallel sparse matrix solution techniques.

Presenting an optimal energy distribution strategy for microgrids in a smart grid environment, and featuring a detailed analysis of the mathematical techniques of convex optimization and online algorithms, this book provides readers with essential content on how to achieve multi-objective optimization that takes into consideration power subscribers, energy providers and grid smoothing in microgrids. Featuring detailed theoretical proofs and simulation results that demonstrate and evaluate the correctness and effectiveness of the algorithm, this text explains step-by-step how the problem can be reformulated and solved, and how to achieve the distributed online algorithm on the basis of a centralized offline algorithm. Special attention is paid to how to apply this algorithm in practical cases and the possible future trends of the microgrid and smart grid research and applications. Offering a valuable guide to help researchers and students better understand the new smart grid, this book will also familiarize readers with the concept of the microgrid and its relationship with renewable energy.

Worldwide, acreage under grassland is estimated to be twice that of cropland. Two closely related genera, Festuca L. (fescues) and Lolium L. (ryegrasses) are of significant value in temperate grasslands. These genera (tribe Poeae, subfamily Pooideae) contain well-adapted, very productive grasses widely distributed in temperate and cool climates in Europe, North and South America, North, East and South Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where they are used for agricultural and recreational purposes (Jauhar 1993). They are important for grazing, stabilizing soil for agriculture, and enhancing the environment through multiple uses, such as forage, conservation and turf (Barnes 1990). Therefore, in the family Poaceae, the Festuca-Lolium group of grasses is among the most extensively studied by agronomists, plant breeders, animal scientists, taxonomists and cytogeneticists. The potential of biotechno- logical approaches has been recognized for the development of improved fescue and rye grass cultivars (Barnes 1990; Kau11990; Jauhar 1993). 1. 1 Agronomic Importance of the Festuca-Lolium Complex The Festuca-Lolium complex involves some well-adapted, highly productive persistent species which are widely used for soil stabilization, for agricultural purposes and as amenity grasses. For temperate grasslands, tall fescue, meadow fescue, Italian ryegrass and perennial ryegrass are particularly impor- tant species which show complementary desirable traits, such as palatability and fast initial growth of the ryegrasses, and winter hardiness, persistency combined with continued high production after the second harvest year of the fescues.

Forage and turf are the backbone of sustainable agriculture and contribute extensively to the world economy. The fast-paced advancement of cellular and molecular biology provides novel methods to accelerate or complement conventional breeding efforts. This book contains the most comprehensive reviews on the latest development in applications of molecular techniques for the improvement of forage grasses, forage legumes and turf grasses. Detailed accounts and future opportunities in molecular breeding of forage and turf, from gene discovery to development of improved cultivars, are described in the book. Almost all relevant areas are explored in detail, including tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses; flowering control; plant-symbiont relations; breeding for animal, human and environmental welfare; molecular markers; transgenics; bioinformatics; population genetics; genomics of the model legume M. truncatula; field testing and risk assessment as well as intellectual property rights. This book will be of interest to researchers in both academia and industry who are involved in forage and turf improvement. It will be especially important to breeders, molecular biologists, geneticists, physiologists and agronomists.

During the past 20 years, endometrial carcinoma has continued to increase in frequency and it is quite possible that this carcinoma will become the major gynecologic malignancy in the future. For many years, endometrial carcinoma was considered less malignant than other gynecologic malignancies, simple hysterectomy and bil ateral salpingo-oophorectomy or surgery combined with radiation being effective in certain circumstances. It is unfortunate to note that the global 5-year survival rate for patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma has improved only slightly. Therefore any complacency regarding this 'benign malignancy' should be reconsidered. There is a growing awareness of the nature of end ometrial carcinoma, with advances in our knowledge ranging from its etiology through its epidemiology to its clinical findings. This volume has been designed to fill a hiatus in the literature in China. To achieve this aim, we have attempted to review the world-wide advances on endometrial carcinoma and summarize systematically and comprehensively this common gynecologic malig nancy, including the clinical experiences gathered at the Cancer Institute (Hospital) of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences since 1958 as well as a brief description of the psychological problems in patients with gyneco logic cancers."

This book is the first part of Applications and Trends in Fintech, which serves as a comprehensive guide to the advanced topics in fintech, including the deep learning and natural language processing algorithms, blockchain design thinking, token economics, cybersecurity, cloud computing and quantum computing, compliance and risk management, and global fintech trends. Readers will gain knowledge about the applications of fintech in finance and its latest developments as well as trends.This fourth volume covers the foundation of fintech, which is ethics and governance, and advanced topics in two of the most important technologies, artificial intelligence and blockchain. Together with the second part in applications and trends (fifth volume), these two books will deepen readers' understanding of the fintech fundamentals covered in previous volumes through various applications and analysis of impacts and trends.Bundle set: Global Fintech Institute-Chartered Fintech Professional Set I

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Applied Reconfigurable Computing, ARC 2022, held as a virtual event, in September 2022. The 13 full papers presented in this volume were reviewed and selected from 16 submissions. The papers cover a broad spectrum of applications of reconfigurable computing, from driving assistance, data and graph processing acceleration, computer security to the societal relevant topic of supporting early diagnosis of Covid infectious conditions.

This book aims to establish a wind energy evaluation system, to provide scientific reference for site selection, daily operation and long-term planning of wind power generation, thus to make contribution to breaking the shackles of power shortage. Firstly, it presents the advantages and disadvantages of offshore wind power, then further discusses about the status quo and challenges for wind power programs along the Maritime Silk Road and offer suggestions. A wind energy evaluation system was proposed with the Maritime Silk Road as a case study, including climatic features of wind power (temporal-spatial distribution), long-term climatic trend and mechanism, short-term forecast of wind energy, mid- and long-term projection of wind energy, technology of wind energy evaluation on key point or vital region and offshore wind energy dataset construction, to provide systematic and scientific reference for wind power evaluation and utilization. This book is one of the series of publications on 21st century Maritime Silk Road (shortened as "Maritime Silk Road"). It covers the characteristics of the marine environment and marine renewable energy, remote islands and reefs construction, climate change, early warning of wave disasters, legal escort, marine environment and energy big data construction, etc., contributing to the safe and efficient construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It aims to improve our knowledge of the ocean, thus, to improve the capacity for marine construction, enhance the viability of remote islands and reefs, ease the energy crisis and protect the ecological environment, improve the quality of life of residents along the Maritime Silk Road, and protect the rights, interests of the countries and regions participating in the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It is a valuable reference for decision-makers, researchers, and marine engineers working in the related fields.

Learn how to analyse and manage evolutionary and sequential user behaviours in modern networks, and how to optimize network performance by using indirect reciprocity, evolutionary games, and sequential decision making. Understand the latest theory without the need to go through the details of traditional game theory. With practical management tools to regulate user behaviour, and simulations and experiments with real data sets, this is an ideal tool for graduate students and researchers working in networking, communications, and signal processing.

This book aims to establish a wind energy evaluation system, to provide scientific reference for site selection, daily operation and long-term planning of wind power generation, thus to make contribution to breaking the shackles of power shortage. Firstly, it presents the advantages and disadvantages of offshore wind power, then further discusses about the status quo and challenges for wind power programs along the Maritime Silk Road and offer suggestions. A wind energy evaluation system was proposed with the Maritime Silk Road as a case study, including climatic features of wind power (temporal-spatial distribution), long-term climatic trend and mechanism, short-term forecast of wind energy, mid- and long-term projection of wind energy, technology of wind energy evaluation on key point or vital region and offshore wind energy dataset construction, to provide systematic and scientific reference for wind power evaluation and utilization. This book is one of the series of publications on 21st century Maritime Silk Road (shortened as "Maritime Silk Road"). It covers the characteristics of the marine environment and marine renewable energy, remote islands and reefs construction, climate change, early warning of wave disasters, legal escort, marine environment and energy big data construction, etc., contributing to the safe and efficient construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It aims to improve our knowledge of the ocean, thus, to improve the capacity for marine construction, enhance the viability of remote islands and reefs, ease the energy crisis and protect the ecological environment, improve the quality of life of residents along the Maritime Silk Road, and protect the rights, interests of the countries and regions participating in the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. It is a valuable reference for decision-makers, researchers, and marine engineers working in the related fields.

This book provides a thorough overview of the state-of-the-art field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based robotic computing accelerator designs and summarizes their adopted optimized techniques. This book consists of ten chapters, delving into the details of how FPGAs have been utilized in robotic perception, localization, planning, and multi-robot collaboration tasks. In addition to individual robotic tasks, this book provides detailed descriptions of how FPGAs have been used in robotic products, including commercial autonomous vehicles and space exploration robots.

Development and Application of Classical Capillary Curve Theory shows readers how to improve chemical flooding recovery procedures in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using sophisticated numerical modeling techniques for oil displacement that build on, and enhance, the accepted capillary curve in a novel way. The title presents research and technical data that amends the classical capillary curve, giving new impetus to chemical flooding research. By analyzing the capillary number experiment QL, the book models oil and water distribution in the micro-space of the reservoir core. Finally, the book discusses chemical flooding software, reservoir geological modeling, field tests, and a new technique of digital oil displacement testing being developed.

This book presents the comprehensive results of experimental and numerical investigations of glass facade breakage behavior under fire conditions. First of all, full-scale frame and point-supported glass facades, incorporating single, double and coated glazing, were tested under pool fire conductions. The results determined the effects of different glass frames, types of glass, and thermal shocks on breakage behavior. Small-scale tests, using the Material Testing System (MTS) 810, Netzsch Dilatometer and FE-SEM, were also performed at different temperatures to determine the basic mechanical properties of glazing. In addition, a three-dimensional dynamic model was developed to predict stress distribution, crack initiation and propagation, and has since been employed to identify the breakage mechanisms of different types of glass facade. The numerical results showed very good agreement with the experimental results and verified the model's ability to accurately predict breakage. Lastly, a theoretical model based on incident heat flux was developed to predict the breakage time and heat transfer in glazing, which served to reveal the nature of interactions between fire and glass.

National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China: 70 Years and Beyond, Volume 110 covers the major achievements gained in the research and control of parasitic diseases in China, e.g. schistosomiasis, malaria, lymphatic filariasis, echinococcosis, visceral leishmaniasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, foodborne clonorchiasis, angiostrongyliasis, taeniasis and cysticercosis, etc. The book introduces approaches that can be developed with big data analytic tools, how to use surveillance-response systems at national and regional levels, and tactics to promote the national parasitic resources center to support various research and control activities. Finally, a chapter on the roadmap for parasitic diseases control in China from 2020 to 2030 is presented.

The authors begin this book with a systematic overview of superconductivity, superconducting materials, magnetic levitation, and superconducting magnetic levitation - the prerequisites to understand the latter part of the book - that forms a solid foundation for further study in High Temperature Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (HTS Maglev). This book presents our research progress on HTS Maglev at Applied Superconductivity Laboratory (ASCLab) of Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU), China, with an emphasis on the findings that led to the world's first manned HTS Maglev test vehicle "Century". The book provides a detailed description on our previous work at ASCLab including the designing of the HTS Maglev test and measurement method as well as the apparatus, building "Century", developing the HTS Maglev numerical simulation system, and making new progress on HTS Maglev. The final parts of this book discuss research and prototyping efforts at ASCLab in several adjacent fi elds including HTS Maglev bearing, Flywheel Energy Storage System (FESS) and HTS maglev launch technology. We hope this book becomes a valuable source for researchers and engineers working in the fascinating field of HTS Maglev science and engineering. Contents Fundamentals of superconductivity Superconducting materials Magnetic levitation Superconducting magnetic levitation HTS Maglev experimental methods and set-up First manned HTS Maglev vehicle in the world Numerical simulations of HTS Maglev New progress of HTS Maglev vehicle HTS Maglev bearing and flywheel energy storage system HTS Maglev launch technology

This is the first book to revisit geotechnical site characterization from a probabilistic point of view and provide rational tools to probabilistically characterize geotechnical properties and underground stratigraphy using limited information obtained from a specific site. This book not only provides new probabilistic approaches for geotechnical site characterization and slope stability analysis, but also tackles the difficulties in practical implementation of these approaches. In addition, this book also develops efficient Monte Carlo simulation approaches for slope stability analysis and implements these approaches in a commonly available spreadsheet environment. These approaches and the software package are readily available to geotechnical practitioners and alleviate them from reliability computational algorithms. The readers will find useful information for a non-specialist to determine project-specific statistics of geotechnical properties and to perform probabilistic analysis of slope stability.