The emergence of China as a great power is perhaps the most consequential development for the world in the 21st century. Yet, what the Western world sees in this development is largely through the prism of misinterpreted ideological dichotomy and misguided geopolitical rivalry. This book offers a deep look at the Chinese Communist Party and the nation it leads at conceptual, historic, and operational levels. If Thomas Kuhn’s concept of paradigm shift can be used in the social sciences, the...

The challenge of standardising social work education remains a much-discussed but under-documented issue, particularly in developing and less-developed countries. Existing literature often emphasises the need for student-centred learning but lacks a comprehensive examination of how students can shape curricula, lesson plans and teaching methods in cooperation with educators.This edited volume brings together leading scholars from across the Global North and South to explore the co-...

Gender and Food in Transnational East Asias illustrates how the production and consumption of food impacts the changing social positions of individuals and their relationships with their families, the state, and their work, as well as shapes their gender, sexual, ethnic, and national identities. The transnational movement of food and people between East Asia and the rest of the world is increasingly visible, forming various forces behind the cultural and political constructions of gender p...

Some years—1789, 1929, 1989—change the world suddenly. Or do they? In 2020, a pandemic converged with an economic collapse, inequalities exploded, and institutions weakened. Yet these crises sprang not from new risks but from known dangers. The world—like many patients—met 2020 with a host of preexisting conditions, which together tilted the odds toward disaster. Perhaps 2020 wasn’t the year the world changed; perhaps it was simply the moment the world finally understood its deadly diagnos...

Drought remains the biggest single threat from climate change to the production of key cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Cereals also respond in complex ways to drought stress, making improved drought tolerance a challenging trait to achieve. With many cereals recognised as staple food crops due to their nutritional value, more research is required into improving drought tolerance as a means of ensuring the future food security of millions.Developing drou...

3D printing is the cutting-edge technology leading the next medical revolution. With advancements in accuracy, the technology is becoming more prevalent in medical research and application. This book provides a basic guide from how to use some commonly available software to perform 3D segmentation on MRI and CT scans, to preparing the 3D models for 3D printing. The tutorial brings you step-by-step through the process, so it is best to work on the examples while reading.

The rise of Asia in global affairs has forced western thinkers to rethink their assumptions, theories, and conclusions about the region. Eric Voegelin’s Asian Political Thought brings together a mixture of established and rising scholars from both Asia and the West to reflect upon the political philosopher’s thought about China, Japan, Korea, Central Asia, and India. From Voegelin’s writings, readers will not only understand how Voegelin’s approach can illuminate the fundamental principles...

The year 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of normalization of Sino-U.S. relations. Over the past 30 years, the bilateral relations have developed by twists and turns. It is not until recent years that some stability and forward-looking exchanges have returned to the central stage, albeit tension, grievances, and mistrust continue to persist. Washington has encouraged China to become a “responsible stakeholder” in the world affairs, while China has urged the U.S. to work with China to build ...

The most comprehensive and up-to-date optics resource availablePrepared under the auspices of the Optical Society of America, the five carefully architected and cross-referenced volumes of the Handbook of Optics, Third Edition, contain everything a student, scientist, or engineer requires to actively work in the field. From the design of complex optical systems to world-class research and development methods, this definitive publication provides unparalleled access to th...

The most comprehensive and up-to-date optics resource availablePrepared under the auspices of the Optical Society of America, the five carefully architected and cross-referenced volumes of the Handbook of Optics, Third Edition, contain everything a student, scientist, or engineer requires to actively work in the field. From the design of complex optical systems to world-class research and development methods, this definitive publication provides unparalleled access to th...

The most comprehensive and up-to-date optics resource availablePrepared under the auspices of the Optical Society of America, the five carefully architected and cross-referenced volumes of the Handbook of Optics, Third Edition, contain everything a student, scientist, or engineer requires to actively work in the field. From the design of complex optical systems to world-class research and development methods, this definitive publication provides unparalleled access to th...

Whilst crop models have made significant progress in recent years, different models still diverge and struggle to predict the complex effects of genetic, environmental and management (G x E x M) variables in optimising crop production in the face of climate change.Current crop models: State-of-the-art and future developments provides a comprehensive overview of the major crop models and the ways they address these challenges. The book explores the development of major crop...