"FOBA has reached far beyond the aesthetics of minimalism in vogue with most other young, contemporary Japanese architects. FOBA: Buildings, the first monograph on this Kyoto-based firm, features ten projects of surprising range, with undulating lines, overlapping cubes, interpenetrating forms, and unexpected juxtapositions. Included in the monograph are Aura, whose gently curving planes glow serenely in the heart of chaotic Tokyo: Pleats, composed of interior boxes nested asymmetrically within its shell; Strata, a microcosm of the city created by the accumulation of seemingly disparate elements; and Stack, whose carefully misaligned volumes shape unexpected spaces. This collection of FOBA's buildings reveals a spectrum of architecture that is as subtle and simple as it is inviting, provocative, inspired, and complex." "The book also chronicles the FOB Homes system, an unexpectedly individual and creative response to the generic mass-produced prefabricated housing available in Japan. With five basic prototypes that can be easily adapted to any site or client, FOB Homes redefines the concept of standardized housing as anything but standard. FOBA's simple, neutral white boxes counter the visual, chaos of contemporary Japan and offer the elegance and experience of "architecture" to the general public - the reunion of modernist aesthetics with the modernist ideology of democratic, affordable design."--BOOK JACKET.

Why do only some incipient rebel groups become viable challengers to governments? Only those that control local rumor networks survive.

"The Biometric Computing: Recognition & Registration" presents introduction of biometrics along with detailed analysis for identification and recognition methods. This book forms the required platform for understanding biometric computing and its implementation for securing target system. It also provides the comprehensive analysis on algorithms, architectures and interdisciplinary connection of biometric computing along with detailed case-studies for newborns and resolution spaces. The strength of this book is its unique approach starting with how biometric computing works to research paradigms and gradually moves towards its advancement. This book is divided into three parts that comprises basic fundamentals and definitions, algorithms and methodologies, and futuristic research and case studies. Features: A clear view to the fundamentals of Biometric Computing Identification and recognition approach for different human characteristics Different methodologies and algorithms for human identification using biometrics traits such as face, Iris, fingerprint, palm print, voiceprint etc. Interdisciplinary connection of biometric computing with the fields like deep neural network, artificial intelligence, Internet of Biometric Things, low resolution face recognition etc. This book is an edited volume by prominent invited researchers and practitioners around the globe in the field of biometrics, describes the fundamental and recent advancement in biometric recognition and registration. This book is a perfect research handbook for young practitioners who are intending to carry out their research in the field of Biometric Computing and will be used by industry professionals, graduate and researcher students in the field of computer science and engineering.

Doctor Haydock, the resident GP of St. Mary Mead, hopes to cheer up Miss Marple as she recovers from the flu with a little story. The tale revolves around the return of the prodigal son of Major Laxton, the devilishly handsome Harry Laxton. Harry, after leading a life of childish indiscretions and falling head over heels for the village tobacconist’s daughter, has made good and returned to lay claim to his tumbling childhood home and introduce the village to his beautiful new wife. But, the villagers are prone to gossip about young Harry’s past, and one person in particular cannot forgive him for tearing down the old house. Will Miss Marple’s acumen be up to the task of solving the story?

The three-volume set LNCS 11857, 11858, and 11859 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second Chinese Conference on Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision, PRCV 2019, held in Xi’an, China, in November 2019. The 165 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 412 submissions. The papers have been organized in the following topical sections: Part I: Object Detection, Tracking and Recognition, Part II: Image/Video Processing and Analysis, Part III: Data Analysis and Optimization.