This edited volume makes a valuable contribution to the burgeoning research field of English as a lingua franca. In a pioneering step, the collection is exclusively devoted to the English email discourse of Chinese speakers. The studies address innovative topics related to various contexts and relationships, using several different approaches and theories, which taken together shed light on how English serves as a lingua franca in multiple types of global written communication. The research topics presented are organized into four thematic sections, including emails from students to professors, emails from students to the international academic community, emails from peer to peer, and emails at the workplace. This collection of empirical research invites readers to consider the special features of apologies, requests, terms of address, politeness, and discourse organization, and how cultural differences may affect the use or interpretation of each. Throughout the book, readers will also discover how Chinese speakers use special features and strategies to construct their identity, establish relationships, and achieve successful communication in English. This highly informative, thought-provoking book also provides insights on methods for teaching email discourse using English as a lingua franca and suggests directions for future research.

This edited volume makes a valuable contribution to the burgeoning research field of English as a lingua franca. In a pioneering step, the collection is exclusively devoted to the English email discourse of Chinese speakers. The studies address innovative topics related to various contexts and relationships, using several different approaches and theories, which taken together shed light on how English serves as a lingua franca in multiple types of global written communication. The research topics presented are organized into four thematic sections, including emails from students to professors, emails from students to the international academic community, emails from peer to peer, and emails at the workplace. This collection of empirical research invites readers to consider the special features of apologies, requests, terms of address, politeness, and discourse organization, and how cultural differences may affect the use or interpretation of each. Throughout the book, readers will also discover how Chinese speakers use special features and strategies to construct their identity, establish relationships, and achieve successful communication in English. This highly informative, thought-provoking book also provides insights on methods for teaching email discourse using English as a lingua franca and suggests directions for future research.

Writing for Engineering and Science Students is a clear and practical guide for anyone undertaking either academic or technical writing. Drawing on the author's extensive experience of teaching students from different fields and cultures, and designed to be accessible to both international students and native speakers of English, this book: Employs analyses of hundreds of articles from engineering and science journals to explore all the distinctive characteristics of a research paper, including organization, length and naming of sections, and location and purpose of citations and graphics; Guides the student through university-level writing and beyond, covering lab reports, research proposals, dissertations, poster presentations, industry reports, emails, and job applications; Explains what to consider before and after undertaking academic or technical writing, including focusing on differences between genres in goal, audience, and criteria for acceptance and rewriting; Features tasks, hints, and tips for teachers and students at the end of each chapter, as well as accompanying eResources offering additional exercises and answer keys. With metaphors and anecdotes from the author's personal experience, as well as quotes from famous writers to make the text engaging and accessible, this book is essential reading for all students of science and engineering who are taking a course in writing or seeking a resource to aid their writing assignments.

Writing for Engineering and Science Students is a clear and practical guide for anyone undertaking either academic or technical writing. Drawing on the author's extensive experience of teaching students from different fields and cultures, and designed to be accessible to both international students and native speakers of English, this book: Employs analyses of hundreds of articles from engineering and science journals to explore all the distinctive characteristics of a research paper, including organization, length and naming of sections, and location and purpose of citations and graphics; Guides the student through university-level writing and beyond, covering lab reports, research proposals, dissertations, poster presentations, industry reports, emails, and job applications; Explains what to consider before and after undertaking academic or technical writing, including focusing on differences between genres in goal, audience, and criteria for acceptance and rewriting; Features tasks, hints, and tips for teachers and students at the end of each chapter, as well as accompanying eResources offering additional exercises and answer keys. With metaphors and anecdotes from the author's personal experience, as well as quotes from famous writers to make the text engaging and accessible, this book is essential reading for all students of science and engineering who are taking a course in writing or seeking a resource to aid their writing assignments.

The H.E.R.O. series continues with its fourth novel. Aliens come to the Sol system to research the umbra - or dark energy behind the powers of supers both on Earth and elsewhere. Finding Earth unexpectedly populated, and after being attacked by another alien vessel, their starship is forced to land near Metrocity. The scientists decide to investigate some of the superhuman activity in the city while repairs are made upon their starship. Separately, researcher Cam Huntsbury leads a team in ongoing research on the meteorite involved in the mutation of humans into supers. An experiment goes awry, ending in a disaster for the research firm Fargene. A large number of supers in Metrocity become involved as the events occur, including Spartan, Psystar, Black Tiger, Diva, Gatecrasher, Razorwing and Rayna, among others. Please visit the author's website for more information on characters and character images. (http: //www.kevinrau.com)

Following immediately after the events in H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis, Lance, Stephanie and Rael continue learning and developing their powers. A kidnapping leads them to become involved in the discovery of a new black market involving the capture and sale of supers. Other heroes become involved as some are kidnapped, others attempt to find and free them, and yet others stop crimes and a fire that occur along the way. A failed attempt to rescue some of the victims leads the group to bring in more established heroes in the form of Gatecrasher and Hellshock, and new hero Firebane joins the team in a final bid to save the victims before they can be auctioned off. H.E.R.O. - New Markets is a novel set in the H.E.R.O. universe. It explores the powers, life and interpersonal relationships in a way rarely seen in comic books or movies. It is a full-length novel of approximately 125,800 words.

The H.E.R.O. series continues after the events of H.E.R.O. - New Markets. This short novel follows the lives of three newly empowered Supers: Diva: A former model, she is struggling to learn the ropes as a new member of the H.E.R.O. organization. Chrome: As her life shatters from the devastating change into one of the most powerful brick superhumans in Metrocity, she must learn how to cope with the terrifying realities of no longer being human. Gravitix: His story unfolds as he makes a decision for or against the use of power for easy gain and evil. Through their trials, a strange mutant uses her charm and wiles in an attempt to corrupt the new supers and aid her in freeing the bloodthirsty mutant followers she lost in H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis. The story brings back many familiar faces from the first two novels in the series as we again interact with Psystar, Spartan, Black Tiger, Gatecrasher, Psycom and Silverlash. The H.E.R.O. Universe is a new world of heroes and villains. As a novel-based story forum, it allows for deeper character development than that of a comic book or graphic novel based story. Each novel in the series follows the perspective of several heroes - or villains - in their lives and schemes. The common super types include Psychics, Blasters, Bricks and Mutants, although some crossover occurs in unusual individuals. Psychics generally gain mental powers, such as telepathy, telekinesis, or emotional powers. Blasters have the ability to generate or control an element or waveform, such as light, electricity, or heat. Bricks are the strongmen of the world, having massive strength and bodies that can sustain immense damage. Mutants appear less human in appearance due to the addition of blades, tentacles, fins, wings, tails, and more to their bodies, and are between a brick and the others in physical strength. The other novels in the series include H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis (Book 1), H.E.R.O. - New Markets (Book 2), and H.E.R.O. - Dark Research (Book 4, coming soon). As an ongoing series, each novel stands alone. However, many of the characters in Metrocity do make recurring appearances and the history of the world does build with each novel. H.E.R.O. - Rise and Fall is a short novel of approximately 53,000 words. Please visit the author's website for more information on characters and character images. (http: //www.kevinrau.com)

Red-skinned orc-like creatures appear in Metrocity and assault the mutant-run Goth clubs in the city. Greg Paffen, a new super mutated in the last meteor shower, is murdered by the creatures - but finds his mind transferred into a robot. He seeks revenge as more attacks of the Hordes occur, and the Goth mutants as well as the heroes of Metrocity seek to find the cause behind the red brutes. The prison system finds a place for Chrome, Diva meets her agent, a bridge is nearly destroyed and the Gahranii aliens continue their involvement in the city throughout the story. The ongoing H.E.R.O. series continues in its fifth novel with H.E.R.O. - Horde. Heroes from the previous novels continue making appearances, including Psystar, Spartan, Black Tiger, Diva, Razorwing, Rayna and others.

After a modeling shoot, Diva is called in to aid some researchers in an old mine. After the mine collapses, she is trapped deep underground. Psystar goes to her aid, along with the Gahranii scientists and a powerful 'Builder' super from out East. The opposing Gahranii pirates appear in a bid to capture the Selestor, causing potentially fatal wounds to Psystar and a scientist. Borgz, still bitter from his death at the hands of the Hordemaker, breaks the villain out of prison along with several other powerful criminals. Atomizer, an ultra-powerful new super works with the city to help its landfill issues, and is taken over by one of the villains as they seek out their own revenge against their former boss. The Goth mutants become involved with Borgz as he captures several heroes, Lance's mother rushes to the city in an emergency, and an older hero is murdered. A skyscraper is split in half - can the heroes stop an evil super group as they execute a plan for revenge?