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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this ambitious, rich vampire novel of vision and power, the indomitable vampire hero, Lestat de Lioncourt, returns ...…
caught up in an urgent and fundamental quest to understand the origins of the Undead and the deeper meanings of existence for both mortals and immortals.&“In my dreams, I saw a city fall into the sea . . . And all the world was shaken . . .&”Now Lestat, Prince of the vast tribe of the undead, finds himself at war with a strange, ancient, otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of his immortal body and spirit, and it is through this perilous and profound struggle that we come to be told the hypnotic tale of a great sea power of ancient times: a mysterious heaven on earth situated on a boundless continent in the Atlantic Ocean.As we learn of the mighty, resonant powers and perfections of this lost kingdom of Atalantaya, the lost realms of Atlantis, we come to understand how and why the vampire Lestat, indeed all the vampires, must reckon so many millennia later with the terrifying force of this ageless, all-powerful Atalantaya spirit. An exhilarating novel that deepens Rice&’s vampire mythology as it brings together the ancient worlds and beings of the Vampire Chronicles and opens up to us a whole new universe of characters, history, storytelling, and legend.
#1 BESTSELLER • NOW A PARAMOUNT+ LIMITED SERIES • Stephen King&’s apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and tangled in an…
elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting—and eerily plausible—as when it was first published. One of The Atlantic&’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years! This edition includes all of the new and restored material first published in The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition.A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world&’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious &“Dark Man,&” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity."A master storyteller."—Los Angeles Times
This book consists of chapters that present the state-of-the-art research and applications of Virtual & Augmented Reality Technology-enhanced Learning (VARTeL).…
The chapters of the book present a multi-facet view on different approaches to deal with challenges that surround the uptake of educational applications of mixed reality, simulations, and serious games in various practices. The different approaches highlight challenges and potential solutions and provide future directions for mixed reality, simulation, and serious games research, for the design of learning material and for implementation. By doing so, the book is a useful resource for both students and scholars interested in research in this field, for designers of learning material, and for practitioners that want to embrace mixed reality, simulation, and/or serious games in their education.
Der vorliegende Band enthält drei sich einander ergänzende Studien zur Praxis der Kapitalmarktkommunikation (Investor Relations). Neben einem knapp gefassten Überblick…
über das Berufsfeld selbst wird die Qualität der finanziellen Berichterstattung dargestellt und danach auf das bisher noch in der Entwicklung steckende Feld der Ermittlung und Messung nichtfinanzieller Leistungsindikatoren eingegangen; im Weiteren, wie Unternehmen ihre Position am Kapitalmarkt darstellen sowie welche Ziele sich die Kapitalmarktkommunikation selbst setzt. Die von den Autoren über die Jahre hinweg zusammengetragenen Zitate aus den jährlichen Geschäfts- und Nachhaltigkeitsberichten spiegelt die Sicht der jeweiligen Unternehmen wider. Sie haben teilweise auffällige Gemeinsamkeiten, differieren jedoch abhängig von Branche, Markstellung und Aktionärsstruktur.
The evolving landscape of technology has presented numerous opportunities for addressing some of the most critical challenges in high-stakes domains…
such as medicine, law, and finance. These fields, where the stakes are exceptionally high, have increasingly turned to Natural Language Processing (NLP) to manage, interpret, and utilize vast amounts of unstructured linguistic data. The complexities and subtleties inherent in human language pose significant challenges in these sectors, where precision and clarity are paramount. Misinterpretation or ambiguity can lead to far-reaching consequences, making the need for advanced NLP techniques crucial. This book aims to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art NLP technologies and their practical applications in medicine, law, and finance. By focusing on the specific challenges and advancements within these sectors, the publication intends to highlight innovative approaches, methodologies, and technologies that are shaping the future of NLP. It discusses the integration of NLP with other technological advancements, the development of new tools and techniques, and the ethical considerations involved in deploying NLP solutions in high-stakes domains. Moreover, the book provides a platform for researchers, practitioners, and industry experts to share their experiences, insights, and research findings. Through comprehensive reviews, case studies, and empirical research, it covers a range of topics including but not limited to handling uncertainty in clinical notes, approaches for dealing with ambiguity in legal documents, sentiment analysis in financial markets, and ethical considerations in the use of NLP for sensitive data.
This book is divided into 12 chapters, including introduction, multi-aperture transmit/receive technology in turbulent atmosphere, channel model and channel capacity,…
orthogonal space-time block coding, layered space-time coding, hybrid space-time coding, space-time trellis coding, differential space-time coding, unitary space-time coding, adaptive layered space-time coding, performance analysis of indoor MIMO-VLC system, and detection algorithm of MIMO technology. The key technologies of wireless optical MIMO systems are introduced, and the basic framework of space-time coding of wireless optical MIMO systems is proposed.
This book includes peer reviews articles from the First International Conference on Engineering Structures (ICES2024), held at Guangzhou, China, on…
8-11 November 2024. The conference is an international multi-disciplinary forum for scientists and engineers to disseminate the latest innovations and achievements, discuss current trends and emerging issues in structural engineering and structural mechanics communities, and promote information exchange within multidisciplinary field. The book focuses on new developments and innovative applications of structural and mechanics principles and digital technologies for the analysis and design of engineering structures.
This book is about the Arduino microcontroller and the Arduino concept. The visionary Arduino represented a new innovation in microcontroller…
hardware in 2005, the concept of open source hardware, making a broad range of computing accessible for all. This book, &“Arduino VIII: Portenta Machine Control,&” is an accessible primer on industrial control and programmable logic controller concepts for those without a deep instrumentation background. An understanding of basic circuit theory is an appropriate prerequisite for the book. The three main goals for the book are: explore accessible Arduino Portenta Machine Control industrial control products; learn the fundamentals of programming using ladder logic; and explore related sensors and interface concepts. We use multiple examples throughout the book and conclude with an instrumented greenhouse project.
Der vorliegende Band befasst sich mit der Definition, Geschichte und Bedeutung alternativer Medien für die Gesellschaft. Dabei wird insbesondere den…
folgenden Fragen nachgegangen: Wie gelingt eine Abgrenzung zu etablierten Medien? Welche Rolle spielen alternative Medien beim Aufstieg des Rechtspopulismus? Und sind sie Ausdruck einer pluralistischen Medienlandschaft oder gefährden sie womöglich die Demokratie?
Dieses Lehrbuch verbindet wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse über Tennis mit praktischen Empfehlungen für Training und Wettkampf. Es richtet sich vor allem an…
Sport-Studierende mit Praxisfokus sowie an Trainer*innen und Übungsleiter*innen, die sich für Trainingswissenschaft im Breiten- und Freizeitsport interessieren. Die Inhalte des Buches ermöglichen es Ihnen, die technischen und taktischen Aspekte des Tennissports zu erlernen und Ihre Spielfähigkeit unter verschiedenen Wettkampfbedingungen, wie Einzel- und Doppelspielen, weiterzuentwickeln. Als Trainer*in erhalten Sie praxisnahe didaktisch-methodische Ansätze, um gezielte Schwerpunkte zu setzen und ein maßgeschneidertes Tennistraining für verschiedene Zielgruppen zu planen und durchzuführen. Zusätzlich bieten über 50 abrufbare Videos, beispielsweise zu den Grundschlägen, anschauliche Erklärungen der Trainingsinhalte und erleichtern den Praxistransfer. Das Buch gibt Ihnen zudem einen vertieften Einblick in die Besonderheiten, Alleinstellungsmerkmale und aktuellen Entwicklungen im Tennis. Insgesamt eignet sich dieses Lehrbuch als hervorragende Grundlage sowohl für Ihre persönliche Weiterentwicklung im Tennis als auch für die Ausbildung zukünftiger Trainer*innen dieser Sportart.
In diesem Fachbuch erfährst Du, wie Du als Führungskraft Deine Führung an wechselnde Situationen anpasst. Thomas Maran präsentiert ein vollständiges…
Modell situativer Führung mit Werkzeugen und Techniken, mit denen Du Deine Führungskompetenz stärken und Dein Team zur Zielerreichung führen kannst. Dazu beschreibt der Autor anschaulich verschiedene Situationen, die durch Merkmale der Mitarbeitenden, Merkmale der Aufgabe, Krisen, Distanz und virtuelle Kommunikation, Merkmale der Organisation sowie die Unternehmensstrategie und die Umwelt eines Unternehmens geprägt sind. Führung bewegt sich dabei in einem Kontinuum zwischen Kontrolle ausüben (direktive und konsultative Führung) und Kontrolle abgeben (partizipative und empowernde Führung). Praxisnahe Handlungsanweisungen und Reflexionsübungen sowie Beispiele aus der Führungspraxis unterstützen Dich dabei, situative Führung in Deinem Alltag erfolgreich umzusetzen. Zusätzlich enthält das Buch Kurzfragebögen, die es Dir ermöglichen, eine Standortbestimmung Deines Führungsstils vorzunehmen. Nach der Lektüre dieses Buches gelingt es Dir, flexibel die richtigen Führungstechniken in spezifischen Kontexten anzuwenden und Dein Team erfolgreich zur Zielerreichung zu führen.
This book offers a cutting-edge compilation of studies on (re)conceptualized traditions in a wide variety of discourses such as the…
language of emotion, folklore, religion and morality, the natural environment, idioms and proverbs. It also raises complex theoretical and methodological questions regarding the cultural-cognitive linguistic approach to metaphors and figurative language, embodiment, diachronic and corpus linguistics, and pragmatics. The languages under scrutiny range from well-documented to minority varieties, and even to endangered languages and dialects. Building from the assertion that cultural conceptualizations are rendered as manifestations of the interplay between language, culture, and the collective cognition of communities as handed down from generation to generation, this edited book discovers and rebuilds traditional cultural cognition. Employing analytical tools provided by the cultural-cognitive linguistic framework, the authors investigate how the field is being revitalized and renegotiated in present-day cultural contexts, and how it contributes to shaping our contemporary understanding of the world. It is useful for academics and students interested in cultural and cognitive linguistics, ethnosemantics, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, and religious studies. Chapter 7 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
This book extensively covers issues and concerns related to plastics and micro/nano-plastics (MNPs) in the environment, offering a comprehensive exploration…
beyond simple collection and disposal processes. It uniquely integrates core public health and community medicine aspects with environmental and biodiversity-related consequences, supported by case studies of microplastics and associated components. The book emphasizes the impact of microplastics on environmental, animal, and human health, with a special focus on ecosystems and biodiversity, marine and aquatic ecosystems, agricultural and food safety, air, water, and soil degradation, ecological dysbiosis, and associated health hazards. Readers will encounter a balanced distribution of insights from experienced authors, including professionals from academia and industry across various countries. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including the mechanisms of environmental degradation of plastics, methods for identifying and quantifying micro and nano plastics, and their air, water, and soil contamination. Readers will also discover the effects of these pollutants on various ecosystems, such as lentic and lotic systems, floodplain aquifers, and even remote regions like Antarctica. The book further explores the impact on wildlife, biodiversity, and human health, addressing critical issues like cardiovascular complications, gut and immune function, and carcinogenicity. This book is an essential resource for students at all academic levels in science, technology, engineering, and medical fields, as well as a valuable reference for government agencies, research institutes, industry professionals, NGOs, and researchers focused on innovation and sustainability. It presents innovative solutions, including bioplastics and nature-based approaches, and discusses the potential for technological innovation in plastics waste management. It extensively addresses the United Nations&’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 15, highlighting the challenges micro-nano-plastics pose for a sustainable future. This volume is particularly relevant for those working towards achieving the environmental protection and public health SDGs.
This book introduces a groundbreaking approach to urban design, addressing site-specific challenges arising from the impacts of climate change. It…
provides an overview of the most relevant climate change impacts and related adaptation strategies, aligning with sustainable development goals. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are some of the most significant adaptation strategies, yet the book addresses the lack of quantitative approaches for their design. A design approach and related methodology that can be used by designers with different levels of complexity is presented, discussing its applicability and limitations according to selected key performance indicators and related thresholds. Such methodology and the related tools are applied to case studies with a focus on the performance of NBS in improving thermal comfort (microclimate regulation) and reducing flooding risks (stormwater retention). A final workflow for a coupled performance-driven design approach is presented for readers, offering a pathway to define design strategies based on site-specific key performance indicators. The target audience includes practitioners, urban designers and planners, researchers, and anyone interested in urban environment design, nature-based solutions, and computational approaches to sustainable design.
This book analyses the role of development finance in international development cooperation. The author explains the current transformations in the…
global development finance architecture and discusses new concepts for development finance proposed by multilateral and bilateral donors. The book is divided into three parts. The first part is devoted to the theoretical foundations of development finance and its impact on socio-economic development and aid effectiveness in partner countries. The second part presents insights on the current trends in multilateral and bilateral development finance. In the last section, the book examines the ramifications of development finance in partner countries and evaluates its impact in private and public sectors. The book will appeal not only to academics in the field but also to practitioners working in aid development and finance.
This book reports state-of-the-art results in Computer Information Science and Engineering in both printed and electronic form. Studies in Computation…
Intelligence (SCI) has grown into the most comprehensive computational intelligence research forum available in the world. This book published original papers on both theory and practice that address foundations, state-of-the-art problems and solutions, and crucial challenges.
This book presents peer-reviewed short papers on methodological and applied statistical research presented at the Italian Statistical Society&’s international conference…
on &“Statistics for Innovation&”, SIS 2025, held in Genoa, Italy, June 16-18, 2025. It is the last of four volumes, featuring the third part of the contributions presented in the Contributed Sessions. Providing a comprehensive overview of innovations in modern statistical methods and applications, the volumes address a large number of topics of current interest, contributing to a rapid dissemination of quantitative methods for data analysis across the various fields of scientific research and social life. The volumes underpin the role of statistics and data science in fostering innovation in numerous fields, including business, industry, finance, technology, environment, health and medicine, official statistics, public policy, welfare, social issues and sustainable development. One of the aims of the Italian Statistical Society (SIS) is to promote scientific activities for the development of statistical sciences. Together with the biennial international Scientific Meeting, the intermediate international statistical conferences on a particular topic of interest represent the Society&’s most important events which bring together national and international researchers and professionals to exchange ideas and discuss recent advances and developments in theoretical and applied statistics.
Das essential bietet eine fundierte und kompakte Einführung in den Bildungsbegriff. Es schlägt einen Bogen von seinen philosophischen Wurzeln und…
klassischen Bildungstheorien bis hin zu aktuellen Paradigmen der Bildungsforschung. Bildung erscheint dabei als Selbst- und Weltverhältnis, als Persönlichkeitsentfaltung, Kompetenzentwicklung sowie als ethische Aufgabe.Behandelt werden unter anderem geisteswissenschaftliche, kritische und empirische Perspektiven sowie disziplinäre Konzepte wie kulturelle, ästhetische, inklusive und frühkindliche Bildung. Reflexionsimpulse zu Halbbildung, Bildungsethik und digitalen Herausforderungen runden den Band ab. Ein begleitender Online-Kurs bietet vertiefende Materialien und praxisnahe Anregungen. Den kostenlosen Zugang zum Online-Kurs finden Sie direkt im Buch.
This pioneering volume showcases how generative AI has evolved from a mere tool to a creative partner, transforming the boundaries…
of innovation and collaboration across various disciplines. With contributions from 53 global experts spanning 21 countries, this comprehensive resource explores the transformative impact of AI on education, art, and healthcare. It reveals how AI enhances learning experiences, fosters new artistic expressions, and revolutionises patient care and medical research. Organised into five thematic parts, the book offers a balanced mix of conceptual frameworks, case studies, and practical insights, providing readers with a thorough understanding of how human ingenuity and artificial intelligence intersect to solve problems, inspire creativity, and redefine industries. Whether you are an academic, practitioner, or inquisitive reader, this volume invites you to engage with the cutting-edge possibilities of generative AI and embrace the future of human-computer collaboration.
This collection explores key issues related to infant and toddler wellbeing, offering diverse international perspectives on how wellbeing is culturally…
understood. Scholars from Drawing from Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Brazil, Greece, Norway, Portugal and the UK present local conceptualizations that contribute to a broader, global understanding of wellbeing. The international contributors examine wellbeing as a crucial construct, emphasising the importance of relationships, health, emotions, imagination, and professional practice in infant-toddler education. Their research covers various topics, including transitions, peer relationships, love, interactions with objects and environments, conceptualisations of time, pedagogical weaving, Indigenous knowledge, and intra-connectedness. This book highlights the significance of relationships—between people, places, objects, and time—in shaping wellbeing. It challenges readers to reconsider wellbeing as both central to pedagogy and deeply interconnected with humans, non-humans, and vibrant environments. Drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks and research projects, the collection offers rich, multifaceted insights into wellbeing across varied contexts.