Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere.

At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.

A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today.

Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere.

At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.

A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

Marion and Shiva Stone, born in a mission hospital in Ethiopia in the 1950s, are twin sons of an illicit union between an Indian nun and British doctor. Bound by birth but with widely different temperaments they grow up together, in a country on the brink of revolution, until a betrayal splits them apart.

But fate has not finished with them - they will be brought together once more, in the sterile surroundings of a hospital theatre.

From the 1940s to the present, from a convent in India to a cargo ship bound for the Yemen, from a tiny operating theatre in Ethiopia to a hospital in the Bronx, this is both a richly visceral epic and a riveting family story.

For upper-level undergraduate courses in deterministic and stochastic signals and system engineering An Integrative Approach to Signals, Systems and Inference Signals, Systems and Inference is a comprehensive text that builds on introductory courses in time- and frequency-domain analysis of signals and systems, and in probability. Directed primarily to upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students in engineering and applied science branches, this new textbook pioneers a novel course of study. Instead of the usual leap from broad introductory subjects to highly specialised advanced subjects, this engaging and inclusive text creates a study track for a transitional course. Properties and representations of deterministic signals and systems are reviewed and elaborated on, including group delay and the structure and behavior of state-space models. The text also introduces and interprets correlation functions and power spectral densities for describing and processing random signals. Application contexts include pulse amplitude modulation, observer-based feedback control, optimum linear filters for minimum mean-square-error estimation, and matched filtering for signal detection. Model-based approaches to inference are emphasised, in particular for state estimation, signal estimation, and signal detection.

A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel--an enthralling family saga of Africa and America, doctors and patients, exile and home.
Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth and their father's disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics--their passion for the same woman--that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him--nearly destroying him--Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.
An unforgettable journey into one man's remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others.

"From the Hardcover edition."

The goal of putting systems on a chip' has been a difficult challenge that is only recently being met. Since the world is analog', putting systems on a chip requires putting analog interfaces on the same chip as digital processing functions. Since some processing functions are accomplished more efficiently in analog circuitry, chips with a large amount of analog and digital circuitry are being designed. Whether a small amount of analog circuitry is combined with varying amounts of digital circuitry or the other way around, the problem encountered in marrying analog and digital circuitry are the same but with different scope. Some of the most prevalent problems are chip/package capacitive and inductive coupling, ringing on the RLC tuned circuits that form the chip/package power supply rails and off-chip drivers and receivers, coupling between circuits through the chip substrate bulk, and radiated emissions from the chip/package interconnects. To aggravate the problems of designers who have to deal with the complexity of mixed-signal coupling there is a lack of verification techniques to simulate the problem. In addition to considering RLC models for the various chip/package/board level parasitics, mixed-signal circuit designers must also model coupling through the common substrate when simulating ICs to obtain an accurate estimate of coupled noise in their designs. Unfortunately, accurate simulation of substrate coupling has only recently begun to receive attention, and techniques for the same are not widely known. Simulation Techniques and Solutions for Mixed-Signal Coupling in Integrated Circuits addresses two major issues of the mixed-signal coupling problem -- how to simulate it and how to overcome it. It identifies some of the problems that will be encountered, gives examples of actual hardware experiences, offers simulation techniques, and suggests possible solutions. Readers of this book should come away with a clear directive to simulate their design for interactions prior to building the design, versus a build it and see' mentality.

Drawn from the popular "Narrative Matters" column in the journal Health Affairs, these essays embody a vision for a health care system that centers the humanity of patients and doctors alike. Health care decision making affects patients and families first and foremost, yet their perspectives are not always factored into health policy deliberations and discussions. In this anthology, Jessica Bylander brings together the personal stories of the patients, physicians, caregivers, policy makers, and others whose writings add much-needed human context to health care decision making. Drawn from the popular "Narrative Matters" column in the leading health policy journal Health Affairs, this collection features essays by some of the leading minds in health care today, including Pulitzer Prize-winner Siddhartha Mukherjee, MacArthur fellow Diane Meier, former Planned Parenthood president Leana S. Wen, and former secretary of health and human services Louis W. Sullivan. The collection also presents important stories from lesser-known voices, including a transgender doctor in Oklahoma who calls for better treatment of trans patients and a palliative care physician who reflects on how perspectives on hastening death have changed in recent years. A foreword written by National Humanities Medal recipient Abraham Verghese, MD, further rounds out the book. The collection of thirty-two essays is organized around several themes: * the practice of medicine * medical innovation and research * patient-centered care * the doctor-patient relationship * disparities and discrimination * aging and end-of-life care * maternity and childbirth * opioids and substance abuse Contributors: Louise Aronson, Laura Arrowsmith, Cheryl Bettigole, Cindy Brach, Gary Epstein-Lubow, Jonathan Friedlaender, Patricia Gabow, Katti Gray, Yasmin Sokkar Harker, Timothy Hoff, Carla Keirns, Raya Elfadel Kheirbek, Katy B. Kozhimannil, Pooja Lagisetty, Maria Maldonado, Maureen A. Mavrinac, Diane E. Meier, Dina Keller Moss, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, Travis N. Rieder, Aroonsiri Sangarlangkarn, Elaine Schattner, Janice Lynch Schuster, Myrick C. Shinall, Gayathri Subramanian, Louis W. Sullivan, Gautham K. Suresh, Abraham Verghese, Otis Warren, Leana S. Wen, Charlotte Yeh

The neighboring north Indian districts of Jaipur and Ajmer are identical in language, geography, and religious and caste demography. But when the famous Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed in 1992, Jaipur burned while Ajmer remained peaceful; when the state clashed over low-caste affirmative action quotas in 2008, Ajmer's residents rioted while Jaipur's citizens stayed calm. What explains these divergent patterns of ethnic conflict across multiethnic states? Using archival research and elite interviews in five case studies spanning north, south, and east India, as well as a quantitative analysis of 589 districts, Ajay Verghese shows that the legacies of British colonialism drive contemporary conflict. Because India served as a model for British colonial expansion into parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, this project links Indian ethnic conflict to violent outcomes across an array of multiethnic states, including cases as diverse as Nigeria and Malaysia. The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence in India makes important contributions to the study of Indian politics, ethnicity, conflict, and historical legacies.

Substantially expanded and updated, the new edition of this classic textbook provides unrivalled coverage of the fundamentals of power electronics. Comprehensive coverage of foundational concepts in circuits, magnetics, devices, dynamic models, and control establishes a strong conceptual framework for further study. Extensive discussion of contemporary practical considerations, enhanced by real-world examples, prepares readers for design scenarios ranging from low-power dc/dc converters to multi-megawatt ac machine drives. New topics include SiC and GaN wide-bandgap materials, superjunction MOSFET and IGBT devices, advanced magnetics design, multi-level and switched-capacitor converters, RF converter circuits, and EMI. Over 300 new and revised end-of-chapter problems enhance and expand understanding of the material, with solutions for instructors. Unique in its breadth and depth, and providing a range of flexible teaching pathways at multiple levels, this is the definitive guide to power electronics for graduate and senior undergraduate students in electrical engineering, and practicing electrical engineers.

The packaging industry is under pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders to improve packaging's sustainability by reducing its environmental and societal impacts. This is a considerable challenge because of the complex interactions between products and their packaging, and the many roles that packaging plays in the supply chain. Packaging for Sustainability is a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging. Industry case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios. Packaging for Sustainability draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future.

In January 1994, Abraham Verghese, an Indian doctor in a Texan teaching hospital, was called to the morgue to identify the body of his close friend, student and tennis partner David Smith. David had killed himself because he could not deal with his addiction to intravenously injected cocaine. This book is Verghese's tribute to hisdead friend; it is also an attempt to understand and explain drug addiction. Being both doctor and friend, Verghese offers us a unique insight into addiction, describing with clinical detachment the horrific physical symptons of abuse, revealing how the stress of the medical profession leads to the paradox of doctors as users and movingly evoking the pain of seeing a friend suffer. Written with great clarity and tenderness, this is an extraordinary and important book about male friendship and a moving portrait of a brilliant young man who fought valiantly against a profound sense of inadequacy.

An unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive, from the acclaimed "New York Times" bestselling author of "Cutting for Stone"

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unraveling, relocates to El Paso, Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at the county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security in the sport they love and with each other. This friendship between doctor and intern grows increasingly rich and complex, more intimate than two men usually allow. Just when it seems nothing can go wrong, the dark beast from David's past emerges once again--and almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened as David spirals out of control.

The packaging industry is under pressure from regulators, customers and other stakeholders to improve packaging s sustainability by reducing its environmental and societal impacts. This is a considerable challenge because of the complex interactions between products and their packaging, and the many roles that packaging plays in the supply chain.

"Packaging for Sustainability" is a concise and readable handbook for practitioners who are trying to implement sustainability strategies for packaging. Industry case studies are used throughout the book to illustrate possible applications and scenarios." Packaging for Sustainability" draws on the expertise of researchers and industry practitioners to provide information on business benefits, environmental issues and priorities, environmental evaluation tools, design for environment, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future."

The goal of putting 'systems on a chip' has been a difficult challenge that is only recently being met. Since the world is 'analog', putting systems on a chip requires putting analog interfaces on the same chip as digital processing functions. Since some processing functions are accomplished more efficiently in analog circuitry, chips with a large amount of analog and digital circuitry are being designed. Whether a small amount of analog circuitry is combined with varying amounts of digital circuitry or the other way around, the problem encountered in marrying analog and digital circuitry are the same but with different scope. Some of the most prevalent problems are chip/package capacitive and inductive coupling, ringing on the RLC tuned circuits that form the chip/package power supply rails and off-chip drivers and receivers, coupling between circuits through the chip substrate bulk, and radiated emissions from the chip/package interconnects. To aggravate the problems of designers who have to deal with the complexity of mixed-signal coupling there is a lack of verification techniques to simulate the problem.In addition to considering RLC models for the various chip/package/board level parasitics, mixed-signal circuit designers must also model coupling through the common substrate when simulating ICs to obtain an accurate estimate of coupled noise in their designs. Unfortunately, accurate simulation of substrate coupling has only recently begun to receive attention, and techniques for the same are not widely known. Simulation Techniques and Solutions for Mixed-Signal Coupling in Integrated Circuits addresses two major issues of the mixed-signal coupling problem -- how to simulate it and how to overcome it. It identifies some of the problems that will be encountered, gives examples of actual hardware experiences, offers simulation techniques, and suggests possible solutions. Readers of this book should come away with a clear directive to simulate their design for interactions prior to building the design, versus a 'build it and see' mentality.

The neighboring north Indian districts of Jaipur and Ajmer are identical in language, geography, and religious and caste demography. But when the famous Babri Mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed in 1992, Jaipur burned while Ajmer remained peaceful; when the state clashed over low-caste affirmative action quotas in 2008, Ajmer's residents rioted while Jaipur's citizens stayed calm. What explains these divergent patterns of ethnic conflict across multiethnic states? Using archival research and elite interviews in five case studies spanning north, south, and east India, as well as a quantitative analysis of 589 districts, Ajay Verghese shows that the legacies of British colonialism drive contemporary conflict. Because India served as a model for British colonial expansion into parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, this project links Indian ethnic conflict to violent outcomes across an array of multiethnic states, including cases as diverse as Nigeria and Malaysia. The Colonial Origins of Ethnic Violence in India makes important contributions to the study of Indian politics, ethnicity, conflict, and historical legacies.

Gourmand World Cookbook Award winner “My copy of The Kerala Kitchen has notes scribbled in it and has turmeric stains on certain pages. Now it’s your turn to enjoy. So line up your spices, ready your grated coconut and go to it. You are in for both a literary and gastronomic treat.� —Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water Now in an expanded edition with new recipes and photographs, this unique cookbook-memoir transports readers to Kerala, a verdant, tropical state on the Malabar Coast of South India. Since ancient times, seafarers and traders have been drawn by the lure of spices to Kerala. Saint Thomas also traveled this spice route, converting several Brahmin families who later intermarried with Syrians who had settled here; thus was born the vibrant Syrian Christian community of Kerala. Today, ayurvedic massage resorts and backwater cruises make this scenic land a top tourist destination, and spices still draw both travelers and gourmands to its rich culinary heritage. It is this legacy that The Kerala Kitchen brings us, through more than 170 recipes and the stories that accompany them. Authentic and easy to prepare, these recipes are adapted for the North American kitchen, and accompanied by a guide to spices, herbs, and equipment, as well as a glossary of food terms. Interwoven between these recipes, in the best tradition of the cookbook memoir, are tales of talking doves, toddy shops, traveling chefs and killer coconuts, evoking the beauty of a bygone era as well as the compelling pull of the present one. Sample recipes: Meen Vevichathu (Fish Curry Cooked in a Clay Pot) Parippu (Lentils with Coconut Milk) Thiyal (Shallots with Tamarind and Roasted Coconut) Pesaha Appam (Steamed Rice Bread) Paalappam (Lace-Rimmed Pancakes) Karikku Pudding (Tender Coconut Pudding)

This book highlights remarkable new endoscopic, laparoscopic, and thoracoscopic approaches to the removal of surgical lesions for different pathologic conditions under general endotracheal anesthesia in infants and children. It details how newer techniques in airway management, monitoring, regional nerve blocks for these innovative minimally invasive approaches have resulted in a decrease in intraoperative and postoperative morbidity and early recovery process after pediatric anesthesia. This unique book contains features that provide the audience with several clinical scenarios where exceptional surgical outcomes are achieved with optimum pre-op preparation via collaborative team efforts. To date there is no other textbook emphasizing the anesthetic and surgical management during the most innovative advances in endoscopic surgery in children. Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the definitive treatment of achalasia in children is probably the most advanced endoscopic surgery done successfully in children. POEM is the best example of endoscopic surgery performed via natural orifices known as the Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). Another new laparoscopic surgical intervention -Median Arcuate Ligament surgical release for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) for patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is described with established perioperative protocols emphasizing the need for early admission, intravenous hydration, and premedication. Novel approaches in the anesthetic management in children with short bowel syndrome for bowel lengthening techniques like the serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) and in teenagers for laparoscopic bariatric surgery with adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) for morbid obesity are new areas that would enlighten the readers. Anesthetic Management in Pediatric General Surgery is an invaluable resource for pediatric anesthesiologists, surgeons, and their trainees specializing in the care of pediatric patients.

This book highlights remarkable new endoscopic, laparoscopic, and thoracoscopic approaches to the removal of surgical lesions for different pathologic conditions under general endotracheal anesthesia in infants and children. It details how newer techniques in airway management, monitoring, regional nerve blocks for these innovative minimally invasive approaches have resulted in a decrease in intraoperative and postoperative morbidity and early recovery process after pediatric anesthesia. This unique book contains features that provide the audience with several clinical scenarios where exceptional surgical outcomes are achieved with optimum pre-op preparation via collaborative team efforts. To date there is no other textbook emphasizing the anesthetic and surgical management during the most innovative advances in endoscopic surgery in children. Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for the definitive treatment of achalasia in children is probably the most advanced endoscopic surgery done successfully in children. POEM is the best example of endoscopic surgery performed via natural orifices known as the Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). Another new laparoscopic surgical intervention -Median Arcuate Ligament surgical release for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) for patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is described with established perioperative protocols emphasizing the need for early admission, intravenous hydration, and premedication. Novel approaches in the anesthetic management in children with short bowel syndrome for bowel lengthening techniques like the serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) and in teenagers for laparoscopic bariatric surgery with adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) for morbid obesity are new areas that would enlighten the readers. Anesthetic Management in Pediatric General Surgery is an invaluable resource for pediatric anesthesiologists, surgeons, and their trainees specializing in the care of pediatric patients.