The works of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. With breathtaking imagination and extraordinary storytelling, they have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre. 'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson The State of the Art is the only collection of Iain M. Banks's short fiction and includes the acclaimed Culture novella of the same name. From science fiction to horror, dark fantasy to twisted comedy, all eight stories bear the indefinable stamp of Banks's staggering talent. Praise for the novels of Iain M. Banks: 'Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution' Independent on Sunday 'Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future' Guardian 'Jam-packed with extraordinary invention' Scotsman 'Compulsive reading' Sunday Telegraph The novels of Iain M. Banks: The Culture series Consider Phlebas The Player of Games Use of Weapons Excession Inversions Look to Windward Matter Surface Detail The Hydrogen Sonata The State of the Art Other books by Iain M. Banks Against a Dark Background Feersum Endjinn The Algebraist Also now available: The Culture: The Drawings - an extraordinary collection of original illustrations faithfully reproduced from sketchbooks Banks kept in the 1970s and 80s, depicting the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.

This report is an output of the fourth research track (Track 4) of WERF’s strategic asset management research program ‘Asset Management Communication and Implementation’ (SAM1R06). Track 4 addressed ‘remaining asset life’, and had the overall objective of contributing to the development of techniques, tools and methods for estimating residual life of wastewater assets. Track 4 research was planned to be undertaken in a staged manner, so as to provide a stepwise development of concepts and protocols. To this end, the research team has produced a synthesis of knowledge in relation to “end of life” and “remaining asset life”, which is the subject of this report. Drawing on the literature and the knowledge-base of the research team and industry partners, information is presented on the range of factors that influence the life of the different asset classes involved in the provision of wastewater services. A taxonomy of asset life is also given, along with a critical review of the conceptual linkages between risk, asset management and remaining asset life. A review of techniques used to assess remaining asset life is also included, as well as a detailed ‘state of the art’ review of modeling tools and approaches. One of the key questions to be addressed in this initial stage of the research was the state of knowledge with respect to the estimation and prediction of remaining asset life, and if there is the capacity to translate between condition and performance data (e.g. the presence of significant defects) and the residual life of an asset. In this regard, this report builds on previous work undertaken by the research team into protocols for condition and performance assessments, as detailed in WERF (2007).

Over the past two decades, there has been a major increase in research into the effects of the arts on health and well-being, alongside developments in practice and policy activities in different countries across the WHO European Region and further afield. This report synthesizes the global evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being, with a specific focus on the WHO European Region. Results from over 3000 studies identified a major role for the arts in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. The reviewed evidence included study designs such as uncontrolled pilot studies, case studies, small-scale cross-sectional surveys, nationally representative longitudinal cohort studies, community-wide ethnographies and randomized controlled trials from diverse disciplines. The beneficial impact of the arts could be furthered through acknowledging and acting on the growing evidence base; promoting arts engagement at the individual, local and national levels; and supporting cross-sectoral collaboration.

Modern medical imaging and radiation therapy technologies are so complex and computer driven that it is difficult for physicians and technologists to know exactly what is happening at the point-of-care. Medical physicists responsible for filling this gap in knowledge must stay abreast of the latest advances at the intersection of medical imaging an

The Labyrinth is a unique vision of a dystopian future from one of the most sought-after visual storytellers in the world. A world covered by ruins and ash, the remnants of an otherworldly phenomenon that has ravaged the earth’s atmosphere and forced the few survivors deep underground. Matt, Sigrid and Charlie leave the safe harbour of the enclave for an expedition onto the wastelands of the surface world. During their journey they are forced to confront dark secrets from the time before civilization’s fall. Simon Stålenhagis the internationally acclaimed author and artist behind Tales From the Loop, Things From the Flood and The Electric State. He is world-renowned for his highly imaginative images and stories depicting illusive sci-fi phenomena in mundane, hyper-realistic Scandinavian landscapes. Perfect for fans of everything from Stranger Things to Jurassic Park to Westworld. PRAISE for SIMON STALENHAG 'Tales has the magic. It's got the robots, the weirdness, the dinosaurs. But most of all, it has the wonder. No one who picks this book up will be the same person when they put it down again' NPR on Tales from the Loop 'No words to describe this novel in pictures. Stahlenhag defined a whole new aesthetic for scifi in the 21st century' Damien Walter on The Electric State 'A chilling, unforgettable visual and narrative experience' Locus on The Electric State Stalenhag's 'stories crawl into my brain and mess with my memory of history, time and place' NPR on The Electric State

“One of the most profound and illuminating studies of this century to have been published in recent decades.”—John Gray, New York Times Book Review Hailed as “a magisterial critique of top-down social planning” by the New York Times, this essential work analyzes disasters from Russia to Tanzania to uncover why states so often fail—sometimes catastrophically—in grand efforts to engineer their society or their environment, and uncovers the conditions common to all such planning disasters. “Beautifully written, this book calls into sharp relief the nature of the world we now inhabit.”—New Yorker “A tour de force.”— Charles Tilly, Columbia University

A comprehensive instructional guide to the world's most popular martial art. 16-pp. photo insert. 350 illustrations. Media attention.