"Ma is Scared is the long-overdue debut of Anjali Kajal in English, representing the best of her short fiction, written and published over the last twenty years. From the anxious mother waiting for her daughter to return home safely, to the young student accused of stealing because of her caste, the stories gathered here explore the experience of women in small towns and urban centres across North India. Kajal writes about desire, abuse, silence, love and oppression in nuanced ways; how they are negotiated in the world; through relationships, family, motherhood, school, university, jobs. Her language, imagery and concerns are thoroughly contemporary, capturing the yearnings, restrictions and possibilities of modern life from a feminist and anti-caste perspective. "

Blockchain is emerging as a powerful technology, which has attracted the wider attention of all businesses across the globe. In addition to financial businesses, IT companies and business organizations are keenly analyzing and adapting this technology for improving business processes. Security is the primary enterprise application. There are other crucial applications that include creating decentralized applications and smart contracts, which are being touted as the key differentiator of this pioneering technology. The power of any technology lies in its ecosystem. Product and tool vendors are building and releasing a variety of versatile and robust toolsets and platforms in order to speed up and simplify blockchain application development, deployment and management. There are other infrastructure-related advancements in order to streamline blockchain adoption. Cloud computing, big data analytics, machine and deep learning algorithm, and connected and embedded devices all are driving blockchain application development and deployment. Blockchain Technology and Applications illustrates how blockchain is being sustained through a host of platforms, programming languages, and enabling tools. It examines: Data confidential, integrity, and authentication Distributed consensus protocols and algorithms Blockchain systems design criteria and systems interoperability and scalability Integration with other technologies including cloud and big data It also details how blockchain is being blended with cloud computing, big data analytics and IoT across all industry verticals. The book gives readers insight into how this path-breaking technology can be a value addition in several business domains ranging from healthcare, financial services, government, supply chain and retail.

Blockchain is a technology that has attracted the attention of all types of businesses. Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin has gained the most attention, but now companies are applying Blockchain technology to develop solutions improving traditional applications and securing all types of transactions. Robust and innovative, this technology is being combined with other well-known technologies including Cloud Computing, Big Data, and IoT to revolutionize outcomes in all verticals. Unlike books focused on financial applications, Essential Enterprise Blockchain Concepts and Applications is for researchers and practitioners who are looking for secure, viable, low-cost, and workable applications to solve a broad range of business problems. The book presents research that rethinks how to incorporate Blockchain with existing technology. Chapters cover various applications based on Blockchain technology including: Digital voting Smart contracts Supply chain management Internet security Logistics management Identity management Securing medical devices Asset management Blockchain plays a significant role in providing security for data operations. It defines how trusted transactions can be carried out and addresses Internet vulnerability problems. Blockchain solves the security fault line between AI and IoT in smart systems as well as in other systems using devices connected to each other through public networks. Linear and permanent indexed records are maintained by Blockchain to face the vulnerability issues in a wide variety applications. In addition to applications, the book also covers consensus algorithms and protocols and performance of Blockchain algorithms.

The subdiscipline of economic geography has a long and varied history, and recent work has pushed the field to diversify even further. This collection takes this agenda forward by showcasing inspiring, critical and plural perspectives for contemporary economic geographies. Highlighting the contributions of global scholars, the thirty chapters highlight fresh ways of approaching economic geography in research, teaching and praxis. With sections on thought leaders, contemporary critical debates and future research agendas, this collection calls for greater openness and inclusivity.

This handbook is a guide to ultrasound and its applications in anaesthesia for clinicians. Divided into eight sections, the book begins with an overview of the basics of ultrasound including equipment, terminology and how to perform an ultrasound scan. The following chapters describe techniques for various anaesthetic procedures under ultrasound guidance including central and peripheral venous access, regional block, upper and lower extremity nerve blocks, and transversus abdominis plane block. The comprehensive text is further enhanced by more than 300 ultrasound images, clinical photographs and tables. Key points Guide to ultrasound and its applications for anaesthesiologists Provides understanding of basics of ultrasound Describes techniques for various anaesthetic procedures under ultrasound Highly illustrated with more than 300 ultrasound images, photographs and tables

This book provides a fundamental understanding of global illumination algorithms. It discusses a broad class of algorithms for realistic image synthesis and introduces a theoretical basis for the algorithms presented. Topics include: physics of light transport, Monte Carlo methods, general strategies for solving the rendering equation, stochastic path-tracing algorithms such as ray tracing and light tracing, stochastic radiosity including photon density estimation and hierarchical Monte Carlo radiosity, hybrid algorithms, metropolis light transport, irradiance caching, photon mapping and instant radiosity, beyond the rendering equation, image display and human perception. If you want to design and implement a global illumination rendering system or need to use and modify an existing system for your specific purpose, this book will give you the tools and the understanding to do so.

This book looks at the ecological stress on cities and engages with challenges of reducing vulnerabilities and risks of pollution on the health, well-being and livelihoods of people living in developing countries. Cities are the world’s highest energy consumers and the biggest producers of toxic wastes and pollutants. With an emphasis on the environmental issues facing the city of Delhi, the volume focuses on steps to preserve and manage the city’s urban green spaces. It explores the concept of urban green spaces and their economic, social, health, and psychological significance in cities. Drawing from their fieldwork and research in Delhi, the authors identify the sources of pollution in the city and access the role of urban green spaces in countering adverse effects. They further examine the relationship between green spaces and social and economic development, urban health, and urban governance. They highlight the good practices followed by other global cities. The volume also offers suggestions and policy recommendations to reverse and recover ecological balance in cities. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of environment and ecology, public health, urban planning and governance, development studies, urban geography, urban sociology, resource management and health economics. It will also be useful for policy makers, and NGOs working in the areas of sustainability, urban planning and management and environmental preservation.

Nearly one half of the world's urban population lives in poverty and about 800 million people occupy substandard housing. This "housing crisis" has continued unabated despite over 20 years of research and policy. At the forefront of new policy initiatives, confirmed by recent conferences such as Habitat II in Istanbul, is an inititiative to afford greater priority to finance, yet, with the expediation that the provision of small quantities of finance to low-income households will bring real improvements to the quality and quantity of housing provision. This book explores the linkages between formal and informal housing finance drawing upon the lessons of NGO and micro-finance practices. Both public and private formal finance institutions have experienced great difficulty in lending below a middle-income client group, and are often reluctant to lend for the purpose of housing at all. This failure of formal finance to filter down to low-income households, and in particular to women, has led various NGOs and community groups to create and adopt innovative finance programmes, such as informal savings banks and credit rotating schemes. The authors critically assesses the impact of these

This comprehensive and timely book, New Age Analytics: Transforming the Internet through Machine Learning, IoT, and Trust Modeling, explores the importance of tools and techniques used in machine learning, big data mining, and more. The book explains how advancements in the world of the web have been achieved and how the experiences of users can be analyzed. It looks at data gathering by the various electronic means and explores techniques for analysis and management, how to manage voluminous data, user responses, and more. This volume provides an abundance of valuable information for professionals and researchers working in the field of business analytics, big data, social network data, computer science, analytical engineering, and forensic analysis. Moreover, the book provides insights and support from both practitioners and academia in order to highlight the most debated aspects in the field.

This book studies the use of digital marketing across the economic, social, and political sectors of India. It looks at diverse areas of business and non-business activities involving the use of digital platforms to augment marketing initiatives and improve reach, sales, and social media engagement. The volume analyses various themes including viral marketing, influencer marketing, webrooming behaviour, online impulse buying, telemedicine, social media advertising, and app-based cab services. It examines the role of digital marketing in creating a positive and favourable brand image for organizations by advertising their social responsiveness on social media and studies the influence of political brand value on social media activities. The authors also provide insight into changing trends within consumer behaviour, reflect on future challenges within the field, and highlight areas of growth. An important contribution to the study of new and emerging marketing practices, the book will be indispensable for students, researchers, and teachers of communication, marketing, brand management, social media marketing, advertising, e-business, digital humanities, and consumer behaviour.

Covers the challenges and obstacles involved in using nano-materials for actual applications. Discusses the latest advancements in the synthesis of various carbon based nano-materials. Self-contained source dedicated to understanding of Carbon nano-materials. Explores the area that satisfy needs of a diverse group of researchers, industrialists, educators and students. Interdisciplinary nature of book content makes it effective to connect the gap between disciplines.

1. One of the first books to bring a comparative study of contemporary borders between South Asia and Latin America. 2. Chapters are written by well-known scholars from South Asia and Latin America. 3. Immigration and cross-border migrations being the debates of the day, this book will be of interest to departments of South Asian and Latin American studies along with cultural studies, literary studies, border studies, arts and aesthetics, visual studies, sociology, comparative politics, international relations, and peace and conflict resolution studies.

This handbook provides a computational perspective on green computing and blockchain technologies. It presents not only how to identify challenges using a practical approach but also how to develop strategies for addressing industry challenges. Handbook of Green Computing and Blockchain Technologies takes a practical-oriented approach, including solved examples and highlights standardization, industry bodies, and initiatives. Case studies provide a deeper understanding of blockchain and are related to real-time scenarios. The handbook analyzes current research and development in green computing and blockchain analytics, studies existing related standards and technologies, and provides results on implementation, challenges, and issues in today's society. FEATURES Analyzes current research developments in green computing and blockchain analytics Provides an analysis of implementation challenges and solutions Offers innovations in the decentralization process for the application of blockchain in areas such as healthcare, government services, agriculture, supply chain, financial, ecommerce, and more Discusses the impact of this technology on people's lives, the way they work and learn, and highlights standardization, industry bodies, and initiatives This handbook will benefit researchers, software developers, and undergraduate and postgraduate students in industrial systems, manufacturing, information technology, computer science, manufacturing, communications, and electrical engineering.

Offering practical, comprehensive coverage of the many nuanced technical and clinical aspects of this growing field, Palliative Radiation Oncology provides up-to-date clinical guidance in a thorough yet concise manner. In an easy-access format, it integrates basic science, pathologies, and research with clinical applications, covering different ways to approach problems, tumor assessment, precise target definition, and dosing-specific guidelines to minimize side effects/toxicities while balancing with desired outcomes. Discusses optimal communication skills for pediatric, adult, and elderly patients. Contains decision-making algorithms to guide individualized palliative radiation oncology treatment plans. Reviews all the latest modalities with technical tips and pitfalls. Covers key procedures such as external beam radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiosurgery. Features step-by-step body site-specific guidelines with integrated symptom and toxicity management. Covers symptom and symptom-cluster management, including pain and psychosocial or spiritual distress. Ideal for radiation oncology residents, fellows, and practitioners, as well as medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, oncology nurses, and radiation technicians-all clinicians who work in this highly collaborative, team-based specialty. An eBook version is included with purchase. The eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures and references, with the ability to search, customize your content, make notes and highlights, and have content read aloud.

Provides comprehensive coverage of fundamental concepts related to nanotube transistors and interconnects. Discusses properties and performance of practical nanotube devices and related applications. Covers physical and electrical phenomena of carbon nanotubes, as well as applications enabled by this nanotechnology. Discusses the structure, properties, and characteristics of graphene-based on-chip interconnect. Examines interconnect power and interconnect delay issues arising due to downscaling of device size.

This book examines the state of the Open and Distance Learning (ODL)-based secondary education in India. ODL-based education has been a key resource for children in India who can neither cope with nor avail of regular schooling opportunities due to economic, health and disability, or other constraints. The volume uses large-scale empirical data collected from various Indian states and a sensitive theoretical framework to study the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and the State Open School (SOS). Highlighting the roadblocks and barriers in terms of its reach, inclusion, and delivery, particularly to the marginalised, this book explores whether ODL has a potential of being a sustainable and effective option at the secondary and senior secondary level in India. Thus, it seeks to generate policy discourse around delivery mechanisms and effectiveness of ODL in developing countries. First of its kind, this comprehensive volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of education, education policy, public policy, and political studies.

As technology continues to advance and the interconnection of various devices makes our lives easier, it also puts us at further risk of privacy and security threats. Phones can connect to household devices to help set alarms, turn on or off the lights, and even preheat ovens. The Internet of Things (IoT) is this symbiotic interplay of smart devices that collect data and make intelligent decisions. However, the lack of an intrinsic security measure within IoT makes it especially vulnerable to privacy and security threats. Blockchain and IoT Integration highlights how Blockchain, an encrypted, distributed computer filing system, can be used to help protect IoT against such privacy and security breaches. The merger of IoT and blockchain technology is a step towards creating a verifiable, secure, and permanent method of recording data processed by "smart" machines. The text explores the platforms and applications of blockchain-enabled IoT as well as helps clarify how to strengthen the IoT security found in healthcare systems as well as private homes. Other highlights of the book include: Overview of the blockchain architecture Blockchain to secure IoT data Blockchain to secure drug supply chain and combat counterfeits Blockchain IoT concepts for smart grids, smart cities, and smart homes A biometric-based blockchain enabled payment system IoT for smart healthcare monitoring systems

Blockchain is a technology that has attracted the attention of all types of businesses. Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin has gained the most attention, but now companies are applying Blockchain technology to develop solutions improving traditional applications and securing all types of transactions. Robust and innovative, this technology is being combined with other well-known technologies including Cloud Computing, Big Data, and IoT to revolutionize outcomes in all verticals. Unlike books focused on financial applications, Essential Enterprise Blockchain Concepts and Applications is for researchers and practitioners who are looking for secure, viable, low-cost, and workable applications to solve a broad range of business problems. The book presents research that rethinks how to incorporate Blockchain with existing technology. Chapters cover various applications based on Blockchain technology including: Digital voting Smart contracts Supply chain management Internet security Logistics management Identity management Securing medical devices Asset management Blockchain plays a significant role in providing security for data operations. It defines how trusted transactions can be carried out and addresses Internet vulnerability problems. Blockchain solves the security fault line between AI and IoT in smart systems as well as in other systems using devices connected to each other through public networks. Linear and permanent indexed records are maintained by Blockchain to face the vulnerability issues in a wide variety applications. In addition to applications, the book also covers consensus algorithms and protocols and performance of Blockchain algorithms.

Data science is an emerging field and innovations in it need to be explored for the success of society 5.0. This book not only focuses on the practical applications of data science to achieve computational excellence, but also digs deep into the issues and implications of intelligent systems. This book highlights innovations in data science to achieve computational excellence that can optimize performance of smart applications. The book focuses on methodologies, framework, design issues, tools, architectures, and technologies necessary to develop and understand data science and its emerging applications in the present era. Data Science and Innovations for Intelligent Systems: Computational Excellence and Society 5.0 is useful for the research community, start-up entrepreneurs, academicians, data-centered industries, and professeurs who are interested in exploring innovations in varied applications and the areas of data science.

This book explores the field of Comics Studies in South Asia, illuminating an art form in which there has been a much-documented explosion of recent interest. A diverse group of scholars from Asia, Europe, and North America examine aesthetics, politics, and ideology in sequential art about South Asia and South Asian America. The book features contributions which address gender violence; authoritarian politics; caste discrimination; environmentalism; racism; and urban street art, amongst others. The unique interdisciplinary span of the volume considers mass popular comic books as well as the graphic novel. This edited volume would be of interest to those studying the influence of graphic novels, graphic narratives, and comic books in South Asia, as well as researchers interested in what these forms might have to say about important issues in society. This book was originally published as a special issue of the South Asian Review journal.

Global Higher Education and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives, Challenges, and New Opportunities throws light on the lacunas faced by the higher education industry during the disruption of the pandemic and offers solutions with roadmaps for the future of higher education in coming years. This book by distinguished writers is a good blend of understanding how the pandemic struck the education structure around the world and how education is evolving and imbibing new pedagogy and policies to rebuild the lost confidence of young minds with positive healing inroads to rebuild their professional dreams. In an in-depth manner, this edited book examines the impact of COVID-19 on higher education around the world. The challenges faced today by COVID-19 in our education system are determined and examined, and worldwide education opportunities post-COVID-19 are examined as well. The chapters use various methodological approaches that look at how the pandemic fostered the rise of e-learning, blended and virtual learning, and teachers’ changing roles. The book examines the role of teaching-learning practices in the era of COVID-19, the impact of digital learning on students in developing countries, and more. Also addressed is the psychological and emotional impact on students from digital learning and blended learning during the pandemic. The deep insights on the pandemic’s impact on higher education will help educators to navigate and adapt to the new normal with grace and maturity. The book also supports higher education to collaborate with a new outlook amalgamating diverse arenas of new age education, systems opportunities and challenges with right ideation and innovative pedagogies for sailing through COVID-19 pandemic. This book gives students, teachers, scholars of all domains and practitioners an opportunity to take into account and appreciate the work of comparative and international education.