Böcker utgivna av Springer Nature Switzerland

This book examines the characteristics and evolution of interest groups in Portugal. Drawing from a wide array of sources - including surveys, parliamentary activities, media coverage and interviews with MPs and lobbyists ¿ it systematically assesses interest group politics. The book analyses the main features of group population, the strategies utilised by organised interests, their interactions with key decision-makers, and citizens¿ opinions regarding their role in the political system. The original data provided in this book frames the Portuguese case in a broader European context, and will be extremely useful for international comparisons. It will appeal to scholars and students of European politics, interest groups, democratic theories, and public policy.

This book is devoted to the study of engineering and control technologies for the cyber-physical systems development. This book defines the approaches in the engineering leverage the exploitation of artificial intelligence and most urgent computing methods. The authors study the activities allows for the developing new and perspective concepts of robotics systems combining various machine learning methods, uncertainty explanation approaches, computer vision and unmanned aerial systems control technologies including artificial neural networks and simulation modeling by addressing a large scale of applications. The book also describes new materials engineering as well as implementation of these technologies in the different domains such as polymeric film production, polymer composition, and roller squeezing of leather, in order to realize the novel cyber-physical systems, their functionalities, and features. The authors describe the development of method for increasing the software efficiency, considering the increasing complexity of the computing systems and the importance of ensuring accuracy and velocity of modelling. The book also analyses algorithms for fuzzy models and systems, including the cyber-physical real-time systems, and non-stationary object with discrete time. The authors highlight the problem of ensuring the quality on engineering technologies for cyber-physical systems as the most important and consider different approaches to its solution.

This book provides a compact but comprehensive treatment that guides readers through the C programming language with Microsoft® Visual Studio®. The author uses his extensive classroom experience to guide readers toward deeper understanding of key concepts of the C language. Each concept and feature of the language is presented as a short lesson, illustrated by practical worked examples to aid student self study. The book will appeal to a broad range of students who are required to study the C programming language.

Innovation is a widely applied yet poorly understood term in the context of public policies and practices among Western nations. Technological innovations specifically have and will continue to advance civilization, shape modern society, and drive the economic health and geo-political standing of nations.This book offers a unique interpretation of science, technology & innovation (STI) policies in Western nations, particularly in regard to government-sponsored programs. The author challenges established thinking, directly addressing numerous myths that cloud our understanding of innovation and proposes a fresh perspective grounded in fundamental logic and analysis. Written in short chapters and presented in an alphabetically organized framework, this book addresses what is working and what isn¿t working in current STI policies and suggests that the most efficient and effective way to generate technological innovations that yield the desired socio-economic benefits, is for national governments to sponsor directed scientific research and directed engineering development, and align both with the requirements of carefully managed commercial production. The book also features examples drawn from government data, scholarly literature, practitioner anecdotes and the author¿s personal experience.

This book provides an overview of biosurfactants as biobased compounds, and highlights novel applications in several industries, including biotech, food processing, cosmetic, oil recovery/petroleum, pharmaceutical, detergent and textile. In the past few decades, biosurfactants have emerged as promising alternative surface-active agents to chemical surfactants due to their high biodegradability, low toxicity, multi-functionality under extreme pH and temperature conditions, long-term physicochemical stability, and their production from renewable sources. This book presents the fundamental aspects (classification, structure, genetics, and properties) of biosurfactants and how their features contribute to the global bioeconomy.Chapters from expert contributors discuss the latest screening, purification and characterization methods of new biosurfactants and biosurfactant-producing fungi and bacteria, including extremophiles. Particular attention is given to the role of biosurfactants in the formulation of sustainable agrochemicals, and their application as eco-friendly mosquitocidal agents, and biopesticides. Readers will discover a perspective on the antiviral activity of biosurfactants, in which the latest in vitro and in silico studies are discussed. Readers will also find more about the foremost therapeutic attributes of biosurfactant-mediated nanoparticles as next-generation drug delivery systems.Given its breadth, this book appeals to a wide readership, from students and academic researchers to scientists and professionals from industry, interested in the study and application of microbial surfactants.

This book examines both the need for sustainable economics and the financial practices that will underpin it. The link between rising inequality and the threat to social sustainability is highlighted to create the Economic Scale of Global Boundaries model, which realigns GDP to include quantifiable environmental and social economic gains and losses. The model is applied at both the national and company level to show its practical application for policy and everyday business practice. The impacts of inequality, declining economic growth and the impending deadlines of the Sustainable Development Goals are also discussed in detail.This book aims to highlight how principles of the circular economy and ESG can be utilized to help meet net zero targets. It will be relevant to students, researchers, organizations, and policymakers interested in environmental economics and sustainability and is written to provoke predictive thinking on the global changes ahead.

This book contains selected papers from the conference CASICAM'22, presenting the latest advancements and discoveries in Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology. The chapters cover a wide range of topics related to AM, including design for additive manufacturing, functionally graded additive manufacturing (FGAM), new and innovative materials for AM, AM parts/processes modeling and simulation, AM process optimization, monitoring, and qualification, 4D printing, AM post-processing operations, AM product metrology and quality control, AM standards and certification, health, safety, and environment challenges, education, training, and research strategy, and AM applications and challenges.

This book explores the previously overlooked negative environmental impact of the sports industry, with a particular emphasis on the carbon footprint of sports facilities and organizations. The authors provide a comprehensive assessment of sustainable development goals, economic, social, and environmental sustainability concepts. They reveal the significant negative effects that the sports sector has on the environment and examine the policies implemented by stakeholders in the industry.The book also explores a case study of the legal policies implemented by the Lithuanian government to reduce the environmental impact of sports. The authors present practical suggestions for environmentally-friendly sports management, supported by examples presented with figures, pictures, and tables.This book fills a gap in the literature, offering suggestions and comments to enrich the practices of stakeholders in the sports industry. It provides an opportunity to make a positive difference for the environment while advancing the field of sports management.

This book gives an update on recent developments in different engineering disciplines such as mechanical, materials, computer and process engineering, focusing on modern engineering design applications. These disciplines provide the foundation for the design and development of improved structures, materials and processes. The modern design cycle is characterized by an interaction of different disciplines and a strong shift to computer-based approaches where only a few experiments are performed for verification purposes. A major driver for this development is the increased demand for cost reduction, which is also connected to environmental demands. In the transportation industry (e.g., automotive), this is connected to the demand for higher fuel efficiency, which is related to the operational costs and the lower harm for the environment. One way to fulfill such requirements is lighter structures and/or improved processes for energy conversion. Another emerging area is the interactionof classical engineering with the health, medical and environmental sector.The chapters are selected contributions of the Advanced Computational Engineering and Experimenting conference, held in July 2022 in Florence, Italy.

This book presents an interdisciplinary approach to the study of affectivity and human learning by bridging the gap between neuroscience, cultural and cognitive psychology. It brings together studies that go beyond the focus on cognitive-intellectual variables involved in learning processes and incorporate the study of the role played by affectivity and emotions in learning not only at educational settings but in all processes of transformation and human development, thus presenting affectivity as a catalyst and mediator of all daily learning processes.Chapters brought together in this contributed volume present both theoretical contributions and results of empirical research from different disciplines, such as neuroscience, cognitive psychology, cultural psychology, educational psychology, developmental psychology and philosophy, and are grouped into five thematic sections. The first part of the book brings together chapters discussing different aspects of the role played byaffectivity in learning processes from the perspectives of cultural, educational and developmental psychology. The second part is dedicated to the role of affectivity for teachers during their training as educators and during their pedagogical practice in diverse contexts. The third part focuses on the relationship between affectivity and learning from a neuroscientific point of view. The fourth part discusses affectivity and learning in therapeutic and clinical contexts. Finally, the fifth part brings together chapters about affectivity and learning in everyday life.By bringing together this rich interdisciplinary collection of studies, Affectivity and Learning: Bridging the Gap Between Neurosciences, Cultural and Cognitive Psychology will be a valuable resource for researchers in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and education, as well as for educators and teachers interested in knowing more about the relationship between affectivity and human learning.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 18th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures, WADS 2023, held during July 31-August 2, 2023. The 47 regular papers, presented in this book, were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 92 submissions. They present original research on the theory, design and application of algorithms and data structures.

This book analyzes the components of the startup ecosystem, including the characteristics that can favor or disadvantage the development of new innovative ventures. The author believes it is essential to identify crucial variables of start-up ecosystems that have a context-specific influence on the well-being and development of startups. In this regard, the book analyzes the concept of the start-up ecosystem both from the point of view of scholars and professionals. The author then deals with the diverse approaches to studying startup ecosystems, which have over the years become increasingly complex, and less linear, making systematization indispensable. The author provides therefore a classification with a transversal logic with respect to this diversity of contributions in the literature. The main theoretical contributions to start-up ecosystems are grouped according to the attention they place on three different variables: territorial contexts, resources, and actors. The author alsopresents qualitative, interview-based, research using narrative analysis mode to understand the three variables.The work provides, on the one hand, the proposal of a framework as a theoretical interpretative model useful both for the description of the fundamental components of the start-up ecosystem, and also useful for giving a boost to future research. On the other hand, the book also presents evidence of a practical nature useful to support and guide the choices of startup founders and of managers of companies and institutions that orbit within start-up ecosystems.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th Conference on Information Technology and its Applications, CITA 2023, taking place on July 28-29, 2023 in Da Nang City, the most beautiful and livable city in Vietnam. CITA is an annual scientific conference on information technology and its applications in all fields. The main objective of the conference is to create a forum to gather and connect Vietnamese and international researchers, scientists in the fields of information technology and its applications. The book includes 33 papers, selected from 144 papers submitted to CITA 2023 whose authors come from over 20 countries around the world, which were carefully reviewed by at least two members of the Program Committee, with professional advice from reputable scientists in the field of information technology and technology, digital economy such as Prof. Dr.Sc. Ngoc-Thanh Nguyen (Poland), Prof. Dr. Dosam Hwang (Korea), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Minh Hoa (UK), and Prof.Dr. Nguyen Thanh Thuy (Vietnam). The acceptance rate of CITA 2023 is about 24%. The papers in the book are organized in the following topical sections: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; Image and Natural Language Processing; Software Engineering and Information Systems; Network and Communications; and Digital Economy. The accepted and presented papers focus on new trends and challenges facing the information and communication technology as well as digital economy community. If you are scientists, lecturers, doctoral students, we hope that you will find many useful and good quality results from the book for your future research.

Sustainability sheds a whole new light on economic value creation. Sustainable value creation means looking critically at both revenues and costs. Not everything that makes money is of value. Not everything for which no bill is sent is 'free'. This book explains how this is the case and what it means to incorporate sustainability into a company¿s strategy and manage activities based on sustainable principles. At the same time, it keeps an eye on the broader societal context in which companies operate, such climate change policies, the SDGs and ESG finance. Since the launch of the concept of sustainable development, many policies at various institutional levels have focused on reducing environmental damage and social ills. This book reflects this broader context. However, despite many serious efforts, it cannot be denied that these policies do not stand up against continued economic growth and a growing global population. This is why this book also stresses that more radical approaches are needed for a successful transformation towards a sustainable society. Businesses should not be content to wait and see what lies ahead. They need to proactively take ownership of the change process that is needed.The book has eight chapters that discuss the various aspects of sustainable value creation from different points of view, including sustainable management and chain management as well as sustainable accounting and reporting. It gives a concise but well-underpinned picture of what sustainable business means today.

This book is devoted to the most important and urgent problems arising during the operation of underground gas storage facilities (UGS) and associated with the destruction of the reservoir and sand production into the wells. UGS facilities play a special role in ensuring high reliability of stable and guaranteed gas supplies to consumers. However, despite many years of experience in UGS well operation, there is still no sufficiently substantiated geomechanical model of reservoir failure and a mathematical description of the processes occurring in the reservoir-well system, taking into account the peculiarities of the mechanical behavior of reservoir rocks during cyclic injection and extraction of gas. As a result, there are no reliable criteria for establishing a rational regime for the operation of an UGS wells in conditions of a possible destruction of reservoir rocks. Further development of underground gas storage direction requires the introduction of innovative technologies that can be used both in the design of new UGS facilities and to extend the safe and efficient operation of existing underground gas storage facilities. To solve these problems, the most promising technologies, taking into account their efficiency, relatively low cost and environmental safety, are those based on the geomechanical approach.The book is addressed to specialists in the development and operation of underground gas storage facilities, as well as specialists in geomechanics of oil and gas fields. It can be useful for students and graduate students studying in the speciality "Development of oil and gas fields".

This book critically analyzes the criminalization of incitement to terrorism under the fundamental principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality with the aim of striking a fair balance between security and liberty on this complicated issue. The criminalization of incitement to terrorism has gained momentum, but no exact or generally accepted definition of this offense exists at the international level. What¿s more, given that the criminalization of incitement to terrorism results in restrictions on the exercise of citizens¿ freedom of expression, there should be certain limitations on those criminal measures to avoid unnecessary or disproportionate infringement of this fundamental human right. Nevertheless, there has not been a precise standard by which to determine how to draw the line between anti-terrorism and the protection of freedom of expression. Hence, it could be concluded that the criminalization of incitement to terrorism concerns how to balance security and liberty, and the safeguarding principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality should be fully observed in considering this issue.This book studies definitions of ¿incitement¿, ¿terrorism¿, and ¿incitement to terrorism¿ under the relevant international and national legislation, and points out the existing absence, ambiguousness, or substantive divergence in defining actus reus and mens rea regarding incitement to terrorism. It carefully considers the current need for and essential limitations on criminal measures against incitement to terrorism in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality, and particularly focuses on how to balance the protection of freedom of expression with the criminalization of incitement to terrorism. In considering how to draw a line between the two, the book formulates precise requirements for objective and subjective elements of this offense in accordance with the principle of legality.Given its scope, it will be of interest not only to academics, human rights lawyers and practitioners, but also to policymakers, as it offers an extensive evaluation of the effects and counter-effects of existing criminal measures.

This volume describes risk management practices in the construction industry in selected countries, with an emphasis on developing countries and how these countries can learn from the practices in more developed ones. Risk management in the construction industry can be difficult to understand due to the various complex procedures that are involved and to the unique concerns and contexts associated with each project. The industry has been a key contributor to the economic and social development of many countries of the world and is increasingly incorporating sustainability into its practices. However it is plagued by various risks that can affect the quality, cost, time and overall sustainability of projects. Therefore, there is need to effectively manage risk in order to ensure timely completion of construction projects in good quality and within budget, which in turn results in more efficient and often more sustainable practices. The book is divided into four parts. The first section features a primer on risk management practices as they pertain to the construction industry. The second part dives in to describe risk management in selected developing countries, including Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi-Arabia, South Africa, Sri-Lanka and Tanzania, as well as the city of Hong Kong. The third section describes the construction risk management practices of a selection of more developed countries with known risk management institutes and established practices of risk management. These countries include Australia, Canada, Sweden and United States of America. The fourth part offers a general overview of the definition, concepts and process of risk management based on reviewed literature. It also discusses the benefits of effective risk management to clients and to project teams, especially from the perspective of ensuring sustainability. This last section also summarizes the risk management practices in both developing and developed countries for the purpose of improving the practices in the former by learning from the latter.

This volume discusses the role and characteristics of Islamic finance and how it can contribute to a sustainable financial system. Islamic finance is not only for the 1.5 billion Muslims. Several countries are interested in it because it has interesting characteristics in terms of transparency and banking regulation. Although the origins of Islamic finance date back several centuries, its resurgence is relatively recent. From its modern beginnings in Egypt and Malaysia, Islamic finance is now a growing sector and its recent performance contrasts with that of conventional banks. Rapid growth and innovation are transforming the sector, driving economic development in an increasing number of jurisdictions, while also increasing the number of new opportunities and challenges. Today, with the problem of climate change and its adverse effects on the whole world, the flexibility of Islamic finance concerning the operations available to those who wish to finance the development of infrastructure, makes this area crucial for sustainable finance.

Among the main stumbling blocks of European Union-Western Balkan integration are the differences in perceptions on both sides. Today, the gap between what the Western Balkan politicians and citizens think about the European Union and what the politicians and citizens in the EU member states think about the Western Balkans is probably wider than ever. This volume offers fresh insights about these misperceptions and how to possibly bridge the gap. It examines perceptions about the region¿s ¿European perspectives¿ both on the side of the six Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia ¿ and the key European Union member states (Italy, Germany, Croatia), international donors, USA. An analysis of the diverse views regarding the prospects of EU ¿ Western Balkan integration is today highly relevant, in view of the current uncertainties regarding European Union¿s enlargement policy, particularly after the attack of Russia on Ukraine and candidate status granted to Ukraine and Moldova.

This book teaches the fundamentals and mathematical formulas of reversible transformations (or transforms) that are used in many source coding and signal processing systems. These mathematical transforms are often necessary or crucial toward reduction of data storage and transmission rate requirements. The author emphasizes the wavelet transform as it is the preferred transform for practical application in many coding and signal processing systems. The book also covers the tap (coefficient) values for some of those filters that satisfy the perfect reconstruction property. Examples of the use of filter-based and matrix-based transforms are also provided. This self-contained work contains insight gained through research and practice, which makes it a valuable reference and tutorial for readers interested in the subject of mathematical transforms.This book:Teaches the fundamentals and mathematical formulas of reversible transformations, as well as theirapplicationsHighlights the wavelet transformation, which is the preferred transform for many practical applicationsContains insight gained through research and practice, making it a valuable resource those interested in the topic

This volume discusses innovative advancements in soil and crop microbiome technology and methods to support agricultural sustainability and reduce soil degradation. As climate change impacts agricultural productivity and soil health in impacted regions throughout the world, potential alternatives to find balance between soil health and crop yield are increasingly needed. Therefore, this book provides a timely, global perspective with a collection of expert authors to address how microbiomes can be used to achieve agricultural sustainability in threatened and degraded areas, while also covering related matters including soil health, pest management, waste disposal, environmental contamination, biofertilizer production, composting, and microbial engineering. The book is meant to serve as a reference for agriculturalists, environmentalists, graduate and post-graduate students, researchers, and professors of sustainability and agricultural management.

This book deals with theoretical mechanics. Newton published the "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687. In it, he sets out the basic principles of physics that are required to understand the motion of the planets, their moons, and the comets in the solar system. It includes the gravitational (inverse square) law, the inertial principle, and the basic elements of mechanics. Since its publication, a large number of refinements and reformulations have been introduced, thereby adding enormous insight into the structure of mechanics, which is commonly known as ¿classical mechanics¿. All these have in common that by taking a suitable limit, Newton's original principles re-appear. Thus, physicists and mathematicians who work on the subject always have a notion that if their theories do not return to Newton's foundations, then there is something wrong. Newton himself acknowledged that 'if I have seen further (than others), it is by standing on the shoulders of giants'. One of these giants was undoubtedly Galileo who died in the year Newton was born. So, Newton himself adhered to the 'classical limit'.

This textbook describes the theory underlying each instrumental procedure and applications of all instrumental methods. It comprehensively covers the instrumental methods of chemical analysis, chromatography, thermal methods of chemical analysis, electrochemical methods, and instrumental methods of analysis of inorganic compounds. These include thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, thermometric titrations, and some miscellaneous thermal methods like derivative thermogravimetric analysis, thermobarography, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, and electric thermal analysis, flame photometry, fluorimetry and phosphorimetry, nephelometric and turbidimetric techniques, refractory and interferometry, and X-ray methods. Each chapter consists a set of problems to aid self-learning. This textbook is highly useful for graduate and postgraduate students on chemistry and its allied fields. It can also be used as a quick reference material byprofessionals working in the various fields of chemistry and material science.

This book extends the theory and applications of random evolutions to semi-Markov random media in discrete time, essentially focusing on semi-Markov chains as switching or driving processes. After giving the definitions of discrete-time semi-Markov chains and random evolutions, it presents the asymptotic theory in a functional setting, including weak convergence results in the series scheme, and their extensions in some additional directions, including reduced random media, controlled processes, and optimal stopping. Finally, applications of discrete-time semi-Markov random evolutions in epidemiology and financial mathematics are discussed. This book will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in applied mathematics and statistics, and other disciplines, including engineering, epidemiology, finance and economics, who are concerned with stochastic models of systems.

This book presents a theoretical and empirical investigation of sustainable economic growth in Russia. The ill-planned transition in the 1990s from planned economy to market economy resulted in a sharp decline in national production; however, Russian economic growth was evident in the 2000s and 2010s. Osipian here analyses whether Russia has potential to achieve sustainable economic growth, filling a gap between the continuous presence of volatile economic growth in Russia and the lack of scholarly literature in the field. This book considers Russiäs economic transition within the set of early, modern, classical, exogenous, and endogenous theories of economic growth. At the same time, this book considers the phenomenon of sustainable economic growth in the context of the post-Soviet transition. Such a contextualization allows for finding and highlighting certain features and processes within economic transition that were earlier neglected by the scholars, including primarily the possibility of not only recovering after economic and financial crises, but also initiating sustainable economic growth. It identifies the place and role of human capital in economic growth within the market-type post-transitional Russian economy and concludes that human capital accumulation is key for sustainable economic growth.

This book is about the social protection of lower-skilled migrants from Sri Lanka. It reasons out the importance of protecting Sri Lankan migrant workers considering the significant economic contribution of lower-skilled migrant workers and their higher level of exposure to risks at all stages of international migration: pre-departure, on the job, and after returnee reintegration.The book explores social protection programmes for low-skilled immigrants from three perspectives: legal aspects, national policies, and programmes. The chapter on legal background for protecting migrant workers focuses on declarations and on labour laws on the national and international level. Policies and programmes identify national level labour policies and other related policies that apply to migrant workers, as well as available social protection programmes for Sri Lankan migrant workers. In turn, the solutions for minimizing the related risks faced by Sri Lankan migrant workers. Highlighting the economic contribution of migrant workers and their vulnerability at all stages of migration, this book offers a timely and important contribution for policy makers and practitioners as well as scholars of migration studies, public policy and related fields.

The book in your hands is a collection of papers delivered at the II International Conference "Ecosystems Without Borders: Opportunities and Challenges" held at Kaliningrad State Technical University in February 2023.The materials include studies reflecting the transformation of ecosystems, both in innovative development and in science, technology and business, as well as the spatial aspects of ecosystems and features of the formation of a creative class in ecosystem conditions. In addition, the book includes theoretical articles, which aim to implement the ideas of sustainable development and circular economy. The book is intended for a wide range of readers, including practicing economists, students, graduate students and researchers, as well as government officials and company managers. We are confident that our book serves as an important source of information and knowledge that leads to scientific and innovative progress in the field of sustainable development of society.