Meet Detective Beans, the best kitten detective in town, equipped with his tie, brown trench coat, and—GASP. It’s gone! His detective hat is missing! Discover the charming, whimsical, and mysterious world of Detective Beans in this new graphic novel series for middle grade readers.Meet Detective Beans (just Beans for short), a young cat sleuth dedicated to doing whatever it takes to solve the case. After a night of mystery movies with his best friend, Biscuit, Dete...

Leading authorities analyze growing tensions in US-China relations and what this means for the futureThe US-China relationship is now defined by “strategic competition.” In Cold Rivals, a distinguished group of scholars from the United States and China examine the reasons for this deterioration and its implications for world politics.The two countries are now competitors locked in a long-term rivalry, but how volatile this rivalry will become is st...

When an ambitious feline detective gets his paws on a mysterious treasure map, curiosity turns into a full-blown adventure! Li Chen's bestselling, award-winning series continues—for mystery fans and cat-lovers alike.Detective Beans is determined to be the world's greatest detective, but before his mom will let him solve any cases, he has to clean his room first. Then a piece of misdelivered mail and a mysterious treasure map from an old sea captain crack open a who...

The world's cutest cat detective is back on the case in this indie bestselling series. Li Chen's newest Detective Beans adventures are a must-read for anyone who loves mystery stories, cute animals, and hilarious original storytelling.Detective Beans is back on the case! In this series of mysteries and adventures, the world's cutest cat detective comes to the aid of her fellow villagers, searching for a cookie thief (with surprising results!), aiding a dec...

This book presents a study of the history of ancient Chinese books, not only highlighting specific aspects of the ontology of book history, such as printing and publishing, but also analyzing the internal and external causes of the development of book undertakings from a macro-perspective. Placing the development of and changes in the history of books in the context of social development, it investigates its interaction with politics, economy, society, education, and religion, especially w...

This book is about the political economy of China’s industrial reform and the rise of a group of Chinese big businesses under the Communist Party and the central state’s control. It examines the origins, evolution and institutional configuration of this centralized system in governing the ‘commanding heights’ of the Chinese industrial economy. Shaped by persistent industrial policies to develop China’s ‘national champions’ enterprises, the core parts of China’s central industrial ministrie...

Trends often play a dominant role in many empirical time series data, but do we truly understand these trends? What challenges arise when dealing with complex, nonstationary trending time series? How do we model such trends in fields like economics, finance, and climate change?This book provides an overview of recently developed models for trending time series and introduces new nonlinear, nonparametric, and semiparametric methods. Specifically, it offers practical approaches to ad...

Reality merges with illusion in this novel of northwestern China.Winner of the 2024 New York City Big Book Award in the World Literature categoryFinalist for the 2023 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Multicultural Fiction categoryXue Mo's novel Curses of the Kingdom of Xixia presents a rich tapestry of the history, religion, lore, and customs of a regi...

The book focuses on the current research of the relation between protein phosphorylation and meat quality, reviews the influence mechanism of protein phosphorylation on meat quality, and summarizes the improvement of meat quality by regulating protein phosphorylation. It could help to clarify some dilemmas and encourage further research in this field, aiming for effective application of protein phosphorylation in meat quality in the near future. The book is written for researchers and grad...

This book explores the evolving roles of energy stakeholders and geopolitical considerations, leveraging on the dizzying array of planned and actual projects for solar, wind, hydropower, waste-to-energy, and nuclear power in the region. Over the next few decades, favorable economics for low carbon energy sources combined with stagnant oil demand growth will facilitate a shift away from today’s fossil fuel-based energy system. Will the countries of the Middle East and North Africa be losers...

Humans, Robots and Virtual Worlds in the Tactile Internet is a groundbreaking, comprehensive guide to this innovative communication platform that merges the physical and digital worlds, transforming how we experience the Metaverse and interact with robots and other cyber-physical systems. From exploring real-world applications in healthcare, industry, education, and beyond, to delving into the cutting-edge components, sensors, and communication systems that underpin this transformation, th...

Among the most productive ecosystems on earth, wetlands are also some of the most vulnerable. Australian Wetland Cultures argues for the cultural value of wetlands. Through a focus on swamps and their conservation, the volume makes a unique contribution to the growing interdisciplinary field of the environmental humanities.The authors investigate the crucial role of swamps in Australian society through the idea of wetland cultures. The broad historical and cultural range of the boo...