Scholarly Pursuits


Book Description

“Something is rotten in the state of Berkeley” --1881 Blue and Gold Yearbook, University of California: Berkeley In Scholarly Pursuits, the sixth full-length novel in the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco mystery series, Locke explores life on the University of California: Berkeley campus in 1881, where Laura and her friends face the remarkably modern problems of fraternity hazings, fraught romantic relationships, and fractious faculty politics. While Annie and Nate Dawson and friends and family in the O’Farrell Street boardinghouse await a blessed event, Laura Dawson finds herself investigating why a young Berkeley student dropped out of school in the fall of 1880. No one, including her friend Seth Timmons, thinks this is a good idea, since she is juggling a full course load with a part-time job, but she can’t let the question of what happened to her friend go unanswered. Not when it means that other young women might be in danger. This cozy historical mystery of romantic suspense is set in the period immediately after the fifth book in the series, Pilfered Promises, and two novellas, Kathleen Catches a Killer and Dandy Delivers. However, it can be read as a stand-alone.




Academic Pursuits


Book Description

Gary had the perfect job, the perfect wife, the perfect dog, indeed, it was the perfect life, and yet, somehow, he was making a perfect mess of it all. Being a high-ranking professor of journalism at his university put him in the awkward position of not only needing to know the truth but also to share it. He was getting a reputation for having a big mouth. Teaching that kind of idealism to his students was getting harder when his superiors were watching his every move and hoping he wouldn't notice their shenanigans. They were ready to go to any lengths to keep him quiet, and he was ready to fight back with the almighty powerful pen, and a bunch of scrappy students.A hilarious romp through the ivory towers of a state university, inspired by not so true events, fantastically unrealistic characters, and completely fabricated names and places-"wink, wink". Sprinkled with Merge-Matics like "Night of the Living Dead Poets Society: A mid-career professor in the humanities continuously re-lives the same poor performance in the classroom, as much to his own chagrin as that of his students." This is the first work of fiction by the legendary Dr. McXtinction, a.k.a., Guy McPherson. Written over two decades ago, this second edition is sure to entertain and maybe even inspire.




Excellence


Book Description

We are called to excellence in all aspects of our lives and activities, and not least in our character. Andreas Köstenberger summons all Christians, and especially aspiring pastors, scholars, and teachers, to a life of virtue lived out in excellence. Köstenberger moves through Christian virtues chapter by chapter, outlining the Bible's teaching and showing how Christ-dependent excellence in each area will have a profound impact on one's ministry and scholarship. Virtues covered include grace, courage, integrity, creativity, eloquence, humility, diligence, and service. This unique book is an important character check for all Christians engaged in teaching and ministry, and especially for those in training. Köstenberger's thoughtful volume will be a valuable touchstone for readers, for one's character is a critical matter in both scholarship and ministry.




Educational Philosophy of Dr S Radhakrishnan


Book Description

‘The spiritual homelessness of modern man cannot last long,’ thus believed Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), a prominent philosopher, educationalist, and one of the makers of modern India. His solution to the problems of humanity is a return to the religion of spirit, to be achieved through the right kind of education. Radhakrishnan advocated a sound educational philosophy aimed at harmonious development of the human personality, with utmost emphasis on moral and spiritual education. This book effectively presents Radhakrishnan’s thoughts, highlighting their relevance to the present day. The author has at length discussed Indian philosophy in comparison with the Western thought and successfully established that the East-West synthesis as propagated by Radhakrishnan is the need of the hour to arrest the self-destructive tendency of the world and ensure development and peace. Readers will also get an account of Radhakrishnan’s life story in the backdrop of the political history of pre and post-Independent India.




Applications of Nature-Inspired Computing and Optimization Techniques


Book Description

Advances in Computers, Volume 135 highlights advances in the field, with this new volume, Applications of Nature-inspired Computing and Optimization Techniques presenting interesting chapters on a variety of timely topics, including A Brief Introduction to Nature-inspired Computing, Optimization and Applications, Overview of Non-linear Interval Optimization Problems, Solving the Aircraft Landing Problem using the Bee Colony Optimization (BCO) Algorithm, Situation-based Genetic Network Programming to Solve Agent Control Problems, Small Signal Stability Enhancement of Large Interconnected Power System using Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm Tuned Power System Stabilizer, Air Quality Modelling for Smart Cities of India by Nature Inspired AI – A Sustainable Approach, and much more.Other sections cover Genetic Algorithm for the Optimization of Infectiological Parameter Values under Different Nutritional Status, A Novel Influencer Mutation Strategy for Nature-inspired Optimization Algorithms to Solve Electricity Price Forecasting Problem, Recent Trends in Human and Bio Inspired Computing: Use Case Study from Retail Perspective, Domain Knowledge Enriched Summarization of Legal Judgment Documents via Grey Wolf Optimization, and a host of other topics. - Includes algorithm specific studies that cover basic introduction and analysis of key components of algorithms, such as convergence, solution accuracy, computational costs, tuning, and control of parameters - Comprises some of the major applications of different domains - Presents application specific studies, incorporating ways of designing objective functions, solution representation, and constraint handling




Political Thinkers of India - I


Book Description

Political thought is a mirror reflecting the intellectual, cultural, and socio-economic fabric of a society. It encapsulates the aspirations, struggles, and visions of individuals who dare to challenge the status quo and envision a better future for their nation. In the diverse tapestry of Indian political thought, there exists a rich tradition of visionary thinkers who have shaped the course of India's history and influenced its trajectory towards progress and social justice. "Political Thinkers of India - I" is a humble attempt to illuminate the lives, ideas, and legacies of some of the most influential political thinkers who have left an indelible mark on the Indian intellectual landscape.




Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy


Book Description

Gives accurate and reliable summaries of the current state of research. It includes entries on philosophers, problems, terms, historical periods, subjects and the cultural context of Renaissance Philosophy. Furthermore, it covers Latin, Arabic, Jewish, Byzantine and vernacular philosophy, and includes entries on the cross-fertilization of these philosophical traditions. A unique feature of this encyclopedia is that it does not aim to define what Renaissance philosophy is, rather simply to cover the philosophy of the period between 1300 and 1650.




My Life's Journey: Reflections Of An Academic


Book Description

Dr Wai-Fah Chen — a Chinese-born American academic and widely recognized structural engineering specialist in the field of mechanics, materials, and computing — has certainly led a fascinating life. A well-respected leader in the field of plasticity, structural stability, and structural steel design over the past half-century, he has made major contributions to introduce the mathematical theory of plasticity to civil engineering practice, especially in the application of limit analysis methods to the geotechnical engineering field. Having headed the engineering departments at the University of Hawaii and Purdue University, Chen is a widely cited author and the recipient of several national engineering awards, including the 1990 Shortridge Hardesty Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction.This book traces the life journey and reflections of Dr Chen. It presents a remarkable opportunity to understand his personal history and cultural passions: his struggle to achieve the American dream, his life as an eyewitness to the rise of China, and his career path to establish a solid engineering reputation. Presenting his scientific achievements spanning the last 40 years of his career, readers will thus be privy to his personal thoughts, experiences, and perspectives on these events.




Contemporary Indian Philosophy


Book Description

Contemporary Indian Philosophy has arisen in awareness of the need to reconcile the forces of tradition with those of modernity. It is not merely repetitive. There is, in it, a definite attempt to construct a system. It develops under the conviction that the basic aim of Philosophy is to cultivate a world-view. This requires an awareness of the existential condition of life as also the con-sciousness of life s ulti-mate ideal, viz., redem-ption, not only of the individual, but of the total human race. It emphasises the ultimacy of spiritual values; yet it demonstrates that the roots of spiritual life lie in conditions that are essentially existential. The present study seeks to highlight these aspects of Contemporary Indian Philosophy. It is an attempt to rethink, in an academic manner, the thoughts of the contemporary thinkers, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo, Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya, S. Radhakrishnan, and Mohammad Iqbal. Different aspects of their thoughts have been systematised, categorised and placed under suitable philosophical heads in this work.




Pilfered Promises: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery


Book Description

It is the winter of 1880, and the future looks promising for Annie and Nate Dawson. Nate’s law practice is taking off. Annie has made the transition from pretend clairvoyant to a successful financial consultant. And they are looking forward to spending their first Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays together. For Robert Livingston, the owner San Francisco’s newest grand emporium, the holidays don’t look so promising. Not if he can’t figure out how to stop whoever is stealing from his department store, the Silver Strike Bazaar. However, when he hires the Dawsons to investigate, they discover that behind the doors of his “Palace of Plenty,” nothing is quite what it seems. Pilfered Promises, a sweet cozy historical mystery, is the fifth novel in the Victorian San Francisco Mystery series featuring Annie and Nate Dawson and their friends and family in the O’Farrell Street boarding house.