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In time one shall be hailed a king, another as Betrayer. Their third shall do an evil thing when freedom is denied her. Now Four and Five shall not survive; misfortune Six to gain by Seven’s will at least until reunion on the Plain. Though seven heroes journey forth; prepare their final stand, not all; I fear, shall chance to peer upon their journey’s end. Three children will seal the fate of nations: Lorelei the rebel vixen princess of Eludoran; measured against the yardstick of her heroic brother. Malachi her sidekick and cousin; resigned to mull over a love he can never have. And exotic Pendarynn; son of a jealous sorceress driven mad by revenge. Their paths cross in Eludoran, where they find solace with each other. Little do their feuding parents suspect what’s been going under their noses; a friendship the like of which has never been heard of before: One which might shatter old grudges and usher in a new age of tolerance and reason... --or bring everything crashing down around them.

When Lorelei; the younger daughter of a rebel chieftain, encounters Pendarynn she has little idea that her illicit relationship with the older boy will threaten their current way of life. With their respective parents at violent odds with each other over injustices perpetuated years in the past, it seems unlikely that permission is forthcoming—forcing Lorelei to take matters into her own hands and initiate a relationship with Pendarynn on the sly. This innocent act has far-reaching repercussions culminating in jealousy, betrayal and a re-evaluation of everything she has ever known.

This is a childrens nursery / lullaby rhyme about childhood and growing up and loss of innocence being a repeating cycle.

Automated vehicles can access a much wider range of maneuvers - and therefore, avoid accidents in a larger number of scenarios - by operating safely beyond the stability limits. This thesis presents a series of contributions towards this goal, supported throughout by fully autonomous experiments on MARTY, a heavily-modified 1981 DMC DeLorean. First, we develop a physically insightful controller structure for automated drifting along a general path. In stark contrast with conventional driving scenarios, the speed of the vehicle is not explicitly tracked. Instead, we show that the coupling between lateral and longitudinal dynamics, often regarded as a formidable challenge for human drivers, allows velocity to be regarded as a stable zero dynamic under the imposed control law. This approach is experimentally demonstrated on a slowly-changing trajectory. The thesis then builds upon this result to present the fully autonomous execution of highly dynamic drifting maneuvers. The planning of a 'Figure 8' trajectory is formulated as a nonlinear optimization problem. We show that the key challenge is the loss of independent control over the velocity vector and vehicle body rotation rates that occurs when operating at the limits of the achievable state derivatives. Experiments confirm the effectiveness of modifications to the controller that account for this effect. To confidently venture past the well-known stability limits and utilize these transient maneuvers, however, it is critical to know the bounds on what is achievable. This thesis proposes a novel and intuitive approach for defining such an envelope, namely that the relevant criteria is avoiding the loss of steering authority over the rotational dynamics. The utility of this approach is demonstrated through a pair of experiments with and without a 'supervisor' that modifies the underlying controller. While the vehicle successfully completes the maneuver with the supervisor active, it spins out otherwise. Finally, the effectiveness of this combined approach is showcased though a series of tests on a long sustained drifting course of almost 1 kilometer in length, that includes several highly dynamic transitions, and reaches 40 degrees of sideslip, 2.5 rad/s of yaw rate, and speeds of 50km/h.

Teaching English to Second Language Learners in Academic Contexts: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking provides the fundamental knowledge that ESL and EFL teachers need to teach the four language skills. This foundational text, written by internationally renowned experts in the field, explains why skills-based teaching is at the heart of effective instruction in English for academic purposes (EAP) contexts. Each of the four main sections of the book helps readers understand how each skill—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—works and explains what research has to say about successful skill performance. Pedagogically focused chapters apply this information to principles for EAP curriculum design and to instructional activities and tasks adaptable in a wide range of language-learning contexts. Options for assessment and the role of digital technologies are considered for each skill, and essential information on integrated-skill instruction is provided. Moving from theory to practice, this teacher-friendly text is an essential resource for courses in TESOL programs, for in-service teacher-training seminars, and for practicing EAP teachers who want to upgrade their teaching abilities and knowledge bases.

Abstract: Modifications to vaccine delivery that increase serum antibody longevity are of great interest for maximizing efficacy. We have previously shown that a delayed fractional (DFx) dosing schedule (0-1-6 month) -- using AS01B-adjuvanted RH5.1 malaria antigen -- substantially improves serum IgG durability as compared with monthly dosing (0-1-2 month; NCT02927145). However, the underlying mechanism and whether there are wider immunological changes with DFx dosing were unclear. Here, PfRH5-specific Ig and B cell responses were analyzed in depth through standardized ELISAs, flow cytometry, systems serology, and single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq). Data indicate that DFx dosing increases the magnitude and durability of circulating PfRH5-specific B cells and serum IgG1. At the peak antibody magnitude, DFx dosing was distinguished by a systems serology feature set comprising increased FcRn binding, IgG avidity, and proportion of G2B and G2S2F IgG Fc glycans, alongside decreased IgG3, antibody-dependent complement deposition, and proportion of G1S1F IgG Fc glycan. Concomitantly, scRNA-Seq data show a higher CDR3 percentage of mutation from germline and decreased plasma cell gene expression in circulating PfRH5-specific B cells. Our data, therefore, reveal a profound impact of DFx dosing on the humoral response and suggest plausible mechanisms that could enhance antibody longevity, including improved FcRn binding by serum Ig and a potential shift in the underlying cellular response from circulating short-lived plasma cells to nonperipheral long-lived plasma cells

Over the past couple of decades Singapore has successfully established itself as one of the major centres for international dispute resolution. The Singapore International Arbitration Act (SIAA), originally enacted in 1994 to give effect to the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, has been revised and amended four times over its lifetime, further strengthening Singapore's position as a hub for international arbitration. Following the latest amendments in 2020, this book presents the first in-depth, section-by-section commentary of the SIAA, written by Singapore-qualified arbitration practitioners and with a strong coverage of the significant corpus of Singapore arbitration jurisprudence that has been developed by the Singapore Courts over the last decade or so. It provides up-to-date analysis of each section of the Act and relevant provisions of the UNCITRAL Model Law. While Singapore case law and the approach taken by the Singapore Courts is the main focus, the authors also adopt a comparative and international lens on critical issues where the law remains in a state of progressive development. This commentary will be an indispensable resource for practitioners, students, and academics on the law and practice of arbitration in Singapore and other Model Law jurisdictions.