This book is devoted to the most used methodologies for performance evaluation: simulation using specialized software and mathematical modeling. An important part is dedicated to the simulation, particularly in its theoretical framework and the precautions to be taken in the implementation of the experimental procedure. These principles are illustrated by concrete examples achieved through operational simulation languages (OMNeT ++, OPNET). Presented under the complementary approach, the m...

A Sense of Regard, says Laura McCullough, “is an effort to collect the voices of living poets and scholars in thoughtful and considered exfoliation of the current confluence of poetry and race, the difficulties, the nuances, the unexamined, the feared, the questions, and the quarrels across aesthetic camps and biases.”The contributors discuss issues as various as their own diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Their essays, which range in style from the personal and lyric...

“Do you recall how much our marriage cost?”Countess Bianca de Arno was infamous throughout the land as a haughty, extravagant woman who spurned her spouse, neglected her duties, and spent her estate’s money with wild abandon—in her first life, that is! After meeting a miserable and lonely end following the tragic death of her heroic husband, Bianca wakes up back in the castle as her nineteen-year-old self. It’s not exactly the second chance she’d prayed for, but she’ll do anything to avoid...

“I must not look away. I have to watch until the end…and make sure the count is unharmed.”Bianca’s concerns regarding the jousting tournament drive a wedge between the married couple, despite their burgeoning feelings for each other—especially when one of the commanders proves that her worries are justified! For Zachary, however, there is more at stake than anybody realizes. With Bianca’s former minstrel lover and Prince Jacob boldly approaching his wife in public, Zachary is determined to...

“Just Bianca. I want to be strong so that my own name is enough.”After experiencing a literal lifetime of misery and hardship, Bianca de Arno is determined to change her fate with her own hands—and for once, Lady Luck seems to be smiling upon her! At her husband Zachary’s invitation, Bianca is set to visit the capital city of Lahoz, where golden opportunities await. From promoting her new lace business to having audiences with the royal family to just spending time getting to know Zachary,...

Having set their misunderstandings aside, Bianca and Zachary enjoy their time together as a proper couple while getting ready for the celebratory banquet—wholly unaware of the scheme Prince Jacob is concocting with Bianca’s former minstrel lover to finally bring her to his side. With the circulating rumors and underhanded plots threatening their honor, Bianca and Zachary are forced to watch as the banquet turns into another battlefield for them to overcome!

Under the recommendation of the Princess, Bianca heads to the Great Church of Lahoz to meet with the archbishop—who she gifts carved candles from Arno, setting the second part of her business into motion. During this conversation, Bianca finally gets some of her questions answered and gains new information regarding her regression! Now with more evidence of her first life, all that’s left is for Bianca to figure out how to tell Zachary…But will she be able to overcome her hesitance and tel...

Bianca and Zachary are closer than ever before—but her husband isn’t the only man who is taken by her! Not only is the future tyrant, Prince Jacob, inexplicably drawn to Bianca, but her former minstrel lover also sets his sights on the lovely countess. Can the married couple’s fragile, new relationship withstand all these unexpected obstacles?

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the challenges the world is facing right now. It has seen an unparalleled spread within a short span of time, and claimed victims in many parts of the world. As the number of confirmed cases skyrockets exponentially, a recent surge of 'bad' behaviours such as xenophobia attacks, propagation of misinformation, and panic-buying of essential items have become increasingly commonplace. Panic and chaos reigned as the world witnessed unprecedente...

Some argue existence is an exercise in futility. They claim there are no winners in life. Ultimately, we are insignificant in the face of vast cosmic intelligences that were old when the Universe began.The best minds gibber at the incomprehensibility of it all. Other minds lose themselves in strange geometries because they can't comprehend any alternative.Whatever. The rest of us have to get up in the morning, feed the cat, and go to work.The Cozy Cosmic contains 3...

The recent and dramatic development of China’s economy and international political muscle is especially pronounced in the country’s video game industry. Now the largest of its kind in the world by gross revenue, the Chinese video game industry impacts every player in the global game market and has begun to directly influence the nature of the video game medium itself. From its conceptualization of the player as a category and commodity, to its approach to the design, development, and marke...