- Table View
- List View
Habits: Their Definition, Neurobiology, and Role in Addiction
by Youna VandaeleThis book explores the multiple facets of habit from diverse and complementary theoretical frameworks. It provides a complete overview of the cognitive, computational, and neural processes underlying the formation of distinct forms of habit. The objective of the book is to cover (1) the multiple definitions of the habit construct and the relation between different habit-related concepts, (2) the underlying brain circuits of habits, and (3) the possible involvement of habits in psychiatric disorders such as alcohol and substance use disorder. This book will be of interest to all researchers in behavioral and computational neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry who are interested in associative learning and decision making, under normal and pathological conditions.
Facility Location Under Uncertainty: Models, Algorithms and Applications (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science #356)
by Shuming Wang Francisco Saldanha-da-GamaThis textbook provides researchers, post-graduate students, and practitioners with a systematic framework for coping with uncertainty when making facility location decisions. In addition to in-depth coverage of models and solution techniques, application areas are discussed. The book guides readers through the field, showing how to successfully analyze new problems and handle new applications. Initially, the focus is on base models and concepts. Then, gradually, more comprehensive models and more involved solution algorithms are discussed. Throughout the book, two perspectives are intertwined: the paradigm for capturing uncertainty, and the facility location problem at hand. The former includes stochastic programming, robust optimization, chance-constrained programming, and distributional robust optimization; the latter includes classical facility location problems and those arising in many real-world applications such as hub location, location routing, andlocation inventory.
The Future of Entrepreneurship in Southern Africa: Technological and Managerial Perspectives (Palgrave Studies in Technology and Innovation in Africa)
by Robert Ebo Hinson Patient RambeThis edited collection examines the impact of new technologies and new managerial and policy perspectives on entrepreneurial development in Southern Africa, paying particular attention to small and medium sized enterprises, which contribute significantly to GDP and employment, but often find it difficult to survive beyond the first five years. Chapters are divided in two parts, the first covering technological perspectives and the second managerial perspectives. Africa’s cultural and geographic diversity is taken into account, with authors from Ghana, Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe providing regional case studies and the editors synthesising these discussions in a concluding chapter that touches on sustainability and development to working lives and livelihoods across the region. Exploring critical issues of entrepreneurial human capital development, innovation, technology, legislative frameworks and marketing strategies, this book will be of great interest to researchers, students and policymakers.
Safety Culture and Leading Indicators for Safety in the Maritime and Offshore Environment (Springer Series on Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Shipbuilding and Shipping #20)
by Alexander OlsenThis book provides guidance and insight into the development process for safety indicators to comply with general classification rule requirements. The utilisation of this guidance will provide tangible benefits as the marine and offshore industry is able to realise the positive results of tangible safety indicators that are developed correctly and managed appropriately throughout the lifecycle of the vessel or platform. In the marine and offshore industry, design and equipment configurations vary from one system to the next, and systems are in many cases increasingly complex. There are gaps in codes and standards which may lag technological innovations and there are issues related to interfaces between systems. Safety indictors such as risk analyses, FMEA, job safety analyses, management of change procedures, HSQE, technical manuals and reliability-based maintenance provide a formalised approach to identify hazardous situations, address the gaps and interconnection variances, and improve safety, environmental performance and operational downtime. The majority of Classification Societies (‘Class’) require their clients to develop and submit safety indicators as part of the classification requirements for certain systems and to obtain certain special notations.
Analyzing Education, Sustainability, and Innovation: Multidisciplinary Research Perspectives (SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology)
by Andreas Öchsner Azman Ismail Mohd Amran Mohd Daril Fatin Nur Zulkipli Rahimah MahatThis book describes a diverse array of studies unravelling the intricate interplay of education, sustainability, and organizational dynamics. From innovative teaching methodologies to sustainability trends and the pandemic's impact, this compendium offers a rich tapestry of insights. This book traverses through a compendium of studies that intricately dissect the synergy between education, sustainability, and organizational dynamics. This book is ideal for academics, practitioners, and curious minds seeking a deeper understanding of these vital contemporary forces.
Futures Thinking and Organizational Policy, Volume 2: Case Studies for Managing Rapid Change in Social Media, Shift in Wealth and Government Instability
by Zane L. Berge Deborah A. SchreiberThe case studies in this Volume 2 book support the premise that organizational policies are what ensure institutionalization and sustainability of futures thinking in corporations, non-profits, and educational institutions. Futures thinking here reflects a systems approach utilized by organizational leaders to observe and interpret signals of change or disruption, identify trigger points of impact, employ foresight methodologies to build scenarios of the future and plan action, and then ultimately translate/actualize the most viable scenarios into successful business outcomes. What is new in the field of futures thinking today is not the general source of change (i.e., technology, globalization, and workforce well-being), but the tumultuous level of disruption occurring due to three phenomena—explosive use of social media, shift in great wealth, and government instability. Scholars and practitioners alike will find the case studies in this book provide nuanced insights into such disruptions, as well as discussion of best practices to ensure successful business solutions.
Cultivated Meat: Technologies, Commercialization and Challenges
by Carlos Ricardo Soccol Carla Forte Maiolino Molento Germano Glufke Reis Susan Grace KarpCultivated meat is an emerging substitute for conventional meat that is not associated with animal farming and slaughtering. Instead, animal cells are cultivated in bioreactors and post-processed into “artificial” meat products. Although this new technology solves several ethical and environmental problems, there are techno-economic challenges that need to be addressed to make the commercial-scale production of cultivated meat a real perspective. This book addresses fundamental aspects of new food systems, animal cell culture and cultivated meat production, including cell lines, culture media, microcarriers and scaffolds, bioreactors, downstream processes, formulation, packaging, quality control, scale-up, and waste management. Also, aspects related to commercialization, market, patents, legislation, global and regional policies, and sustainability metrics such as life-cycle assessment, together with a bioeconomy perspective analysis, are reviewed. Finally, case studies are presented and the challenges and future prospects for cultivated meat production are proposed. This book is a collection of 21 chapters written by specialists in the field.
Ocean - The Secret of Planet Earth
by Carlos M. DuarteThe ocean characterises planet Earth and differentiates it from the more than 5000 known planets. It is also the habitat where life emerged as a singularity in the universe. However, we know less about the oceans than we do about some remote planets such as Mars.This book provides basic facts for understanding the oceans, their properties and their importance to mankind through the ages. The long relationship between the ocean and humanity, which permeates all areas of our culture, is at a crossroads where human activity is profoundly affecting its functioning and the integrity of marine ecosystems. However, the intelligent and rational use of the ocean holds, in large part, the key to providing the resources needed to sustain our quality of life in the future. Unlocking, through scientific research, the secrets that the ocean still holds is an essential challenge for humanity. This book informs the reader about all these aspects of the ocean through a text that combines scientific rigour with personal reflections based on the author's own experiences, dedicated to exploring and learning more about the ocean.
The 6th International Symposium on Water Resource and Environmental Management: Water-Energy-Environment-Governance from Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Environmental Science and Engineering)
by Haoqing XuThis book is designed to be the introductory work in the Water-Energy-Environment-Governance from Interdisciplinary Perspectives Series and provides an in-depth look at sustainable development and management in the water sector across. The water-energy-environment nexus (WEEN) represents important interstate connections of water, energy, and the environment. Present day water and energy systems are interdependent. Water is used in all phases of energy production and electricity generation. Energy is required to extract, convey, and deliver water of appropriate quality for diverse human uses and then again to treat waste waters prior to their return to the environment. Security in water, energy, and the environment is associated with human, economic, and environmental sustainability. This interweaving is strengthening under aggregating natural resource scarcity and climate change. This book includes selected papers from the 6th International Symposium on Water Resource and EnvironmentalManagement (WREM 2023) and consists of themes pertaining to water resource and environmental management. It provides readers with comprehensive information, and formulation of solutions leading to a set of Water-Energy-Environment-Governance from Interdisciplinary Perspectives through our forum and the publication of your research. As a reference, it is of interest to students, scientists, engineers, government officials, and water resource managers.
Modern Manuscripts and the Pre-History of Digital Humanities: Paper Processors (Material Modernisms)
by Alex ChristieWhile text processing is often associated with the digital humanities, it is still seen as worlds apart from literary modernism and its aesthetic preoccupations. This book upsets that narrative. Examining literary manuscripts from some of the twentieth century's best-known and lesser-known novelists, from Marcel Proust to Mina Loy, Alex Christie reveals where authors experimented with proto-digital writing methods by hand. Instead of looking to computers as sources of inspiration, the authors discussed turned to twentieth-century media for their ability to reveal new layers of the material world. From analog fantasies of contacting the dead to digital anxieties of invisible information, the aesthetic ambitions of these novels can be traced back to their author's interest in emerging media devices and their technical operation. To capture the magic of such devices through writing, these authors devised radical methods for generating literary text, anticipating today's digital humanities.
Management and Resilience of African Organizations in Times of Crisis: Current Business Issues in African Countries (CBIAC) Conference, Agadir, Morocco, April 27-28, 2023 (Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics)
by Shani D. Carter Sara BensalBusinesses in African countries continued to face crises due to COVID-19, supply chain, and climate change. Governments can take steps to increase businesses’ resilience by supporting and promoting sustainable development. In turn, businesses can increase their resilience by promoting the resilience of their employees. This book explores the current state of management and resilience in African nations and discusses issues that revolve around its reciprocal impact on global business, government, and society. Featuring select papers from the 4th Annual Current Business Issue in African Countries (CBIAC) Conference held in Agadir, Morocco in 2023, this book focuses on the synergies between climate change, supply chain and sustainable development, particularly post pandemic featuring content from business and NGO leaders, faculty, and students. The impetus of the CBIAC conference was the discussions held at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in Nairobi, Keyna in July 2016 and in Bridgetown, Barbados, and Geneva in October. The goal of the conference is to create long-term collaborative relationships between business leaders, faculty, researchers, students, and community members from different African nations.
Plant Quarantine Challenges under Climate Change Anxiety
by Kamel A. Abd-Elsalam Salah M. Abdel-MomenThe effects of climate change on food safety and plant health represent a relatively new area of study. However, evidence from recent studies is clear: climate change contributes to increased and new food safety & plant health risks as one of several global change factors. This volume analyzes the scientific understanding of the relationship between climate change, food safety, plant pests, plant diseases, and trade. It identifies and discusses four key areas for future policy consideration: risk assessment, SPS capacity in developing countries, climate change resilience, and basic research challenges. We must effectively communicate the impacts of climate change on plant health and build the capacity of national plant protection organizations. More importantly, we need to mobilize resources that will help build stronger national phytosanitary systems that can prevent the spread of plant pests, thereby protecting our food sources and environment, and facilitating safe trade.The present volume is an asset for plant quarantine personnel working in the field, agricultural university students, plant health workers, farmers doing agriculture, plant & seed traders, and all those who use agricultural produce and products. The book is a useful resource for students and professional plant pathologists, entomologists, and plant breeders because it summarizes current knowledge and suggests new research directions. It is also suitable for ecologists & researchers working on crop protection, climate change, and pest control.
Dissenting Church: Exploring the Theological Power of Conflict and Disagreement (Pathways for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue)
by Michael Schüßler Judith Gruber Ryszard BobrowiczThis book challenges the prevailing notion of stability, cohesiveness, and uniformity within Christian communities, inviting readers to view contestation and disagreement as integral to theological reflection and church identity. While the volume focuses predominantly on the Roman Catholic Church as a case study, various chapters broaden the exploration across other Christian and non-Christian traditions. Beginning with the philosophical and theological foundations of conflict, contestation, and community, the book subsequently focuses on four main conflict fields: liturgy, canon law, gender, and sexuality, as well as race and postcolonial critical theory. The book finishes with a constructive proposal on how to think theologically about identity and antagonisms, as well as how to construct an ecclesiology of dissent. Contributors employ diverse methodological perspectives to offer constructive theological reflections, enhancing both understanding and practice of theology in the context of polarised public debates.This is an open access book.
Bodies, Ontology, and Bioarchaeology: Articulating 14th Century Life at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo (Bioarchaeology and Social Theory)
by Ann M. PalkovichThis volume introduces the place of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo in our understanding of Southwestern Archaeology in the Northern Rio Grande. The author discusses the reanalysis of the skeletal and mortuary remains that draws on a half century of research since the original excavations were conducted by the School of American Research from 1970-1974 under the direction of Douglas W. Schwartz. The volume offers a close read of the mortuary evidence at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo and integrates ideas about corn as a central feature of Tewa cosmology with this crop as the paramount dietary staple. The author discusses the health consequences of dry-farming subsistence and present evidence for malnutrition and other dietary issues and finally describes the impact of malnutrition and other maladies on the everyday lives of Arroyo Hondo’s villagers. This volume is for readers interested in bioarchaeology, paleopathology, and Southwestern Archaeology.
Same-Sex Desire and the Environment in Norwegian Literature, 1908–1979
by Per Esben SvelstadThis book explores how ideas of nature and the nonhuman play an important part in literary depictions of same-sex desire in twentieth-century Norwegian literature. Critically probing dichotomies such as pastoral/urban and human/animal, the chapters show how literary fiction constructs, represents, and interprets experiences of same-sex love and attraction, traditionally conceived as “unnatural.” Providing in-depth studies of a variety of texts, this book demonstrates the merits of bridging the gap between the “de-naturalizing” project of gender and queer theory on the one hand, and, on the other, the ecocritical centering of material, nonhuman environments.
DSGE Models for Real Business Cycle and New Keynesian Macroeconomics: Theoretical Methods and Numerical Solutions with DYNARE (Springer Texts in Business and Economics)
by Giuseppe ChirichielloThis textbook introduces graduate and upper undergraduate students to Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models. As DSGE models become integral in advanced coursework, this book serves as an invaluable guide, explaining the complexities with a methodological red thread across its five chapters. Starting with the stochastic dynamic models of the Real Business Cycle (RBC) and progressing through the field of New Keynesian Macroeconomics (NKE), it employs DSGE models to shed light on the dynamic nature of economic systems.The book presents the Blanchard-Kahn methodology for theoretical solutions, discussing its usefulness and limitations as models evolve in complexity. The book goes on to explain the shift from analytical to numerical solutions, showcasing the DYNARE software and providing coding insights. Unique to this volume is a chapter on difference equations, equipping students with essential mathematical tools, and a concluding exploration of a medium-sized NewKeynesian Economics model.This book will equip students to navigate the theoretical complexities of the topic and to independently replicate and comprehend the presented results. It bridges the gap between classical and Keynesian paradigms, reviving the debate in today's "RBC vs NKE" landscape. It will enable students to master the essence of macroeconomic theories and methodologies, paving the way for their scholarly pursuits.
Keeping Peace in Troubled Times: Perspectives from Different Disciplines on War and Peace (Contributions to International Relations)
by Nina KäsehageThis interdisciplinary anthology offers both theoretical reflections and empirical data on past, present and possible future war and crisis situations. In addition, against the background of the authors' academic and practical experience in the field of international political observation and consultancy, proposals are formulated for peacekeeping in crisis regions and with regard to extreme environments. Furthermore it addresses sensory and aesthetic perceptions of war and peace. Unlike other books on the subject, this contributed volume seeks solutions for lasting peace from various fields that could help improve quality of life for people around the world – especially in heterogeneous societies, which are often shaken by religious, ethnic or political crises.
E-Governance in the European Union: Strategies, Tools, and Implementation (Contributions to Political Science)
by David Ramiro TroitiñoThis book sheds new light on the future of e-governance in the European Union (EU). Drawing on the first-hand professional experience of practitioners, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders, combined with a sound academic foundation, it offers insights into successful implementation strategies and new tools necessary for efficient e-governance in the European Union. The authors present key topics, e.g. the development of e-services such as e-identity, e-health, e-democracy, as well as e-governance tools for the correct implementation of the Digital Single Market. Furthermore, they discuss the legal framework needed for the implementation of these services, such as data protection, digital competition law, as well as EU contracts in digital environments. Finally, the authors highlight efforts to include ethical standards and European values in the decision-making, while developing a vision for the future use of e-governance in the European Union.Understanding the tools and strategies for a successful implementation of e-governance services, as well as the necessary legal framework, will allow professionals such as policymakers and institutional stakeholders, to improve their performance and achieve better results when working on the development of future e-governance services in the European Union.
Smart Mobile Communication & Artificial Intelligence: Proceedings of the 15th IMCL Conference – Volume 2 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #937)
by Michael E. Auer Thrasyvoulos TsiatsosInteractive mobile technologies are today the core of many—if not all—fields of society. Not only the younger generation of students expects a mobile working and learning environment. And nearly daily new ideas, technologies, and solutions boost this trend. To discuss and assess the trends in the interactive mobile field are the aims connected with the 15th International Conference on Interactive Mobile Communication, Technologies, and Learning (IMCL2023), which was held 9–10 November 2023. Since its beginning in 2006, this conference is devoted to new approaches in interactive mobile technologies with a focus on learning. Nowadays, the IMCL conferences are a forum of the exchange of new research results and relevant trends as well as the exchange of experiences and examples of good practice. Interested readership includes policy makers, academics, educators, researchers in pedagogy and learning theory, schoolteachers, learning Industry, further education lecturers, etc.
Advances in Hydraulic Research: 40th International School of Hydraulics (GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences)
by Paweł M. Rowiński Monika B. Kalinowska Magdalena M. MrokowskaThis book provides an overview of advances in experimental, numerical modelling, and theoretical aspects of environmental hydraulics. By highlighting the latest findings on processes in natural aquatic systems, solutions for civil engineering and water resources management, with a special focus on interdisciplinary cooperation between Earth scientists, ecologists, biologists and hydraulic engineers that have helped to mitigate the impacts of anthropopressure on river habitats, it provides both researchers and practitioners with first-hand information about the latest trends in hydraulic research. The book combines peer-reviewed versions of invited lectures and regular presentations at the 40th International School of Hydraulics, held May 23–26, 2023, in Kąty Rybackie, Poland. With contributions from world-leading experts and young researchers, many areas of environmental hydraulics are addressed here, including recent findings in numerical modelling and laboratory and field studies related to sediment and pollutant transport processes in rivers, fluvial morphodynamics, flow in vegetated channels, hydraulic structures in rivers and estuaries, and freshwater fish protection.
Assessing Policy Effectiveness using AI and Language Models: Applications for Economic and Social Sustainability (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science #354)
by Chandrasekar VuppalapatiThis volume uses advanced machine learning techniques to analyze government communication to evaluate policy effectiveness. The book develops policy effectiveness foundation models by cohorting historical budget policies with statistical models which are built on well reputed data sources including economic events, macroeconomic trends, and ratings and commerce terms from international institutions. By signal mining policies to the economic outcome patterns, the book aims to create a rich source of successful policy insights in terms of their effectiveness in bringing development to the poor and underserved communities to ensure the spread of wealth, social wellbeing, and standard of living to the common denomination of society rather than a selected quotient. Enabling academics and practitioners across disciplines to develop applications for effective policy interventions, this volume will be of interest to a wide audience including software engineers, data scientists, social scientists, economists, and agriculture practitioners.
Returning The Benin Bronzes: A Case Study of the Horniman’s restitution
by Nick MerrimanThis book offers a detailed case study of the transfer of ownership to Nigeria in November 2022 of the 72 artworks in the Horniman’s collections looted by the British from Benin City in 1897, as an occasion to explore the current state of the issue of restitution of cultural objects. It argues that we are at a tipping point, where decades of debate but little action about restitution is now changing to a period when at least the most egregious examples of colonial looting are being addressed. It summarises the key issues involved in these returns, outlines the processes and procedures undertaken by the Horniman, and offers recommendations and reflections for the future.
Climate Disaster Preparedness: Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology (Arts, Research, Innovation and Society)
by Michael J. Ostwald Ursula Frohne Dennis Del Favero Susanne ThurowAs a result of global warming, extreme events, such as firestorms and flash floods, pose increasingly unpredictable and uncertain existential threats, taking lives, destroying communities, and wreaking havoc on habitats. Current aesthetic, technological and scientific frameworks struggle to imagine, visualise and rehearse human interactions with these events, hampering the development of proactive foresight, readiness and response.This open access book demonstrates how the latest advances in creative arts, intelligent systems and climate science can be integrated and leveraged to transform the visualisation of extreme event scenarios. It reframes current practice from passive perception of pre-scripted illustrations to active immersion in evolving life-like interactive scenarios that are geo-located. Drawing on the multidisciplinary expertise of leaders in the creative arts, climate sciences, environmental engineering, and intelligent systems, this book examines the waysin which climate disaster preparedness can be reformulated through practices that address dynamic and unforeseen interactions between climate and human life worlds. Grouped into four sections (picturing, narrating, rehearsing, and communicating), this book maps this approach by exploring the emerging strengths and current limitations of each discipline in addressing the challenge of envisioning the unpredictable interaction of extreme events with human populations and environments. This book provides a timely intervention into the global discourse on how art, culture and technology can address climate disaster resilience. It appeals to readers from multiple fields, offering academic, industry and community audiences novel insights into a profound gap in the current knowledge, policy and action landscape.
New Achievements in Mechanics: A Tribute to Klaus Peter Herrmann (Advanced Structured Materials #205)
by Wolfgang H. Müller Alfons Noe Ferdinand FerberThis book presents various solutions modeling in the performance and behavior of advanced materials and engineering structures. In this book, famous scientists in the field of materials mechanics share their knowledge in honor of the late Professor of Mechanics Klaus-Peter Herrmann from the University of Paderborn. This book discusses in particular topics like fracture and damage mechanics, numerical mathematics and computational simulations, and mechanics and thermodynamics of advanced materials.
From Complexity to Systems
by Hrvoj VančikThis book sheds new light on the interactions between the science of complexity and the science of systems. Though both of these fields have been independently studied extensively, their interrelations have not been satisfactorily analyzed. By a superficial view, both the sciences are based on the same principles of the holistic behavior of the ensembles consisting of components. The author providing an expert analysis on the theory of complexity and bridges the gap to generalize it, by elaborating on all the observable manifestations of complex forms and behaviors and explaining how it is related to general theory of systems.Particular attention is given to the use of chemical concepts throughout the text to demonstrate the theories as well as the interactions between the two. The central point of this book is the new rational representation of systems that origins from some chemical concepts about the structure of molecules and graph theoretical chemical theory. Thisnovel text appeals to experienced researchers, students, and all those curious about theories of systems, complexities, and theoretical chemistry.