This book shows how the systems approach is employed by scientists in various countries to solve specific problems concerning railway transport. In particular, the book describes the experiences of scientists from Romania, Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. For many of these countries there is a problem with the historical differences between the railways. In particular, there are railways with different rail gauges, with different signaling and communication systems, with different energy supplies and, finally, with different political systems, which are reflected in the different approaches to the management of railway economies. The book’s content is divided into two main parts, the first of which provides a systematic analysis of individual means of providing and maintaining rail transport. In turn, the second part addresses infrastructure and management development, with particular attention to security issues. Though primarily written for professionals involved in various problems concerning railway transport, the book will also benefit manufacturers, railway technical staff, managers, and students with transport specialties, as well as a wide range of readers interested in learning more about the current state of transport in different countries.

In this finely wrought memoir of life in postcolonial Pakistan, Suleri intertwines the violent history of Pakistan's independence with her own most intimate memories—of her Welsh mother; of her Pakistani father, prominent political journalist Z.A. Suleri; of her tenacious grandmother Dadi and five siblings; and of her own passage to the West. "Nine autobiographical tales that move easily back and forth among Pakistan, Britain, and the United States. . . . She forays lightly into Pakistani history, and deeply into the history of her family and friends. . . . The Suleri women at home in Pakistan make this book sing."—Daniel Wolfe, New York Times Book Review "A jewel of insight and beauty. . . . Suleri's voice has the same authority when she speaks about Pakistani politics as it does in her literary interludes."—Rone Tempest, Los Angeles Times Book Review "The author has a gift for rendering her family with a few, deft strokes, turning them out as whole and complete as eggs."—Anita Desai, Washington Post Book World "Meatless Days takes the reader through a Third World that will surprise and confound him even as it records the author's similar perplexities while coming to terms with the West. Those voyages Suleri narrates in great strings of words and images so rich that they left this reader . . . hungering for more."—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune "Dazzling. . . . Suleri is a postcolonial Proust to Rushdie's phantasmagorical Pynchon."—Henry Louise Gates, Jr., Voice Literary Supplement

Extreme Programming Installed explains the core principles of Extreme Programming and details each step in the XP development cycle. This book conveys the essence of the XP approach--techniques for implementation, obstacles likely to be encountered, and experience-based advice for successful execution.

The acclaimed author of Sweetness in the Belly journeys to Vietnam in this rich and tantalizing new novel. Raised in the United States but Vietnamese by birth, Maggie has come to Hanoi seeking clues to the fate of her father, a dissident artist who disappeared during the war. Her search brings her to Old Man Hu'ng's pho stall. The old man once had a shop frequented by revolutionary artists, but now Tu', a hustling young entrepreneur, is his most faithful customer. Maggie, Hu'ng, and Tu' come together during a highly charged season that will mark them forever. Exploring the indelible legacies of war and art, as well as love's power to renew, The Beauty of Humanity Movement is a stellar achievement by a globally renowned literary light.

Without careful ongoing planning, the software development process can fall apart. Extreme Programming (XP) is a new programming discipline, or methodology, that is geared toward the way that the vast majority of software development projects are handled -- in small teams. In this new book, noted software engineers Kent Beck and Martin Fowler show the reader how to properly plan a software development project with XP in mind. The authors lay out a proven strategy that forces the reader to plan as their software project unfolds, and therefore avoid many of the nasty problems that can potentially spring up along the way.

Connect with adolescent students-and help them connect with good literature- with this engaging, balanced look at the world of young adult literature. By combining a foundation of knowledge with the pathways leading to the literature itself, this book opens the door to exploring young adult literature. Brief enough to give readers the opportunity to read the books themselves, yet comprehensive enough to ensure that teachers truly understand adolescents, their literature, and how to connect the two, this book provides what's needed to ensure a rich educational experience for adolescents, while nourishing their love of reading. What will engage today's adolescents? What will help them connect with high quality and valued titles in every genre, including the literature of graphic novels and comic books, as well as the horror and humor titles that especially captivate today's young readers? These are the issues this text explores as it provides teachers with a number of practical suggestions and strategies, looks at diversity and multicultural literature, approaches the sensitivities of censorship, explores the Internet and film adaptations of young literature, demonstrates how to collaborate with other professionals, and much more.