Both deductive and inductive methods in scientific research have undergone significant changes since the beginning of the 20th century as sciences advance rapidly. Deductive method reached its pinnacle when Russel's paradox became popular in the field of mathematical logics. The famous barber's paradox illustrates the inevitable logical dilemma: the only barber in an isolated village does the following: (1) he cuts hair for those who do not cut their own and (2) does not cut hair for those...

Leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease worldwide, involving at least 1 million patients annually. Kidney is the preferential colonization site where Leptospira accumulates during systemic infection, primarily in the interstitium and in renal tubule epithelial cells. In acute kidney injury (AKI), the main histological findings are acute tubulo-interstitial nephritis and acute tubular necrosis, characterized by hypokalemia and non-oliguria. The injury caused by leptospira outer me...

This book first presents a tutorial on Federated Learning (FL) and its role in enabling Edge Intelligence over wireless edge networks. This provides readers with a concise introduction to the challenges and state-of-the-art approaches towards implementing FL over the wireless edge network. Then, in consideration of resource heterogeneity at the network edge, the authors provide multifaceted solutions at the intersection of network economics, game theory, and machine learning towards improv...

Written by respected experts, this book presents essential findings on the Wenchuan earthquake. It establishes a series of time–frequency analysis methods, and subsequently applies them to the layered site, slope, and earth-retaining wall. Further, it examines various cases and their solutions, and shares the results of numerous shaking-table tests and numerical simulations. As such, it is a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the fields of geotechnical engineering and anti-...

This book presents the state-of-the-art-knowledge on corrosion of steel, cast iron and ductile iron with a focus on corrosion-induced degradation of their mechanical properties. The information presented in the book is largely derived from the most current research on the effect of corrosion on degradation of mechanical properties. The book covers the basics of steel corrosion, including that of cast iron and ductile iron, that are not well covered in most literature. Models for corrosion-...

In traditional Internet of Things (IoT) systems, sensor nodes are usually powered by batteries, and their limited battery power leads to limited system lifetimes and prevents the large-scale promotion of IoT; this is commonly referred to as the energy bottleneck. The subsequent emergence of Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) technology enables IoT nodes to replenish their energy through wireless charging, giving rise to the novel network paradigm of Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (WR...

This book is a groundbreaking exploration that dares to bridge the seemingly disparate worlds of spirituality and science. It offers a transformative journey, connecting spirituality and science to empower readers in creating abundance, healing, and manifesting miracles. Through profound dialogues with divine consciousness, it unveils the powerful connection between human consciousness and the universe. Readers will explore groundbreaking ideas on the structure of the universe, the layers ...

The boys love (BL) genre was created for girls and women by young female manga (comic) artists in early 1970s Japan to challenge oppressive gender and sexual norms. Over the years, BL has seen almost irrepressible growth in popularity and since the 2000s has become a global media phenomenon, weaving its way into anime, prose fiction, live-action dramas, video games, audio dramas, and fan works. BL’s male–male romantic and sexual relationships have found a particularly receptive home in oth...

CCA countries achieved gains in inclusiveness over the past 20 years as incomes increased and poverty, inequality, and unemployment declined. Most of the progress occurred before the 2008–09 global financial crisis. Since then, poverty rates have barely moved and, for oil importers, remain elevated.

Railway Pantograph–Catenary System unlocks the theoretical and practical complexities of this key element in high-speed railway electrification. This authoritative volume offers a focused exploration of optimization approaches for the electrical contact process, ensuring consistent, reliable, and efficient performance by addressing the system's underlying dynamics, the materials of its components, as well as critical issues such as current-carrying frictional wear, arc phenomena, and envir...

Ecostacking is a new concept and approach which aims to maximize the benefits of ecosystem service providers in cropping systems to help achieve the goal of long-term sustainable agriculture and food production. The term "ecostacking" means combining synergistically the beneficial services of functional biodiversity from all levels and types. It is a comprehensive approach, where the various ecosystem service providers are fully integrated with the rest of the cropping system including agr...

This book provides a comprehensive review of China's experience in reform and opening up from political, social, and economic perspectives. It attempts to engage existing scholarly debates in three areas — first, how the party-state has evolved in the past four decades and whether it remains a Leninist system or has departed from this system; second, how public attitudes, values and behavior have been intertwined with institutional change, and how the state is expanding its welfare coverag...