Böcker utgivna av Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book explore how exergy analysis can be an important tool for assessing the sustainability of buildings.Building''s account or around 40 percent of total energy conditions depending on local climatic conditions. Due to its nature, exergy analysis should become a valuable tool for the assessment of building sustainability, first of all considering their scope and the dependence of their energy demands on the local environmental and climatic conditions.Nonetheless, methodological bottlenecks do exist and a solution to some of them is proposed in this monograph. First and foremost, there is the still-missing thermodynamically viable method to apply the variable reference environment temperature in exergy analysis. The monograph demonstrates that a correct approach to the directions of heat exergy flows, when the reference temperature is considered variable, allows reflecting the specifics of energy transformation processes in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in a thermodynamically viable way. The outcome of the case analysis, which involved coordinated application of methodologies based on the Carnot factor and coenthalpies, was exergy analysis indicators ΓÇô exergy efficiency and exergy destroyed ΓÇô obtained for air handling units and their components. These methods can be used for the purposes of analysing and improving building technical systems that, as a rule, operate at a variable environment temperature. Exergy analysis becomes more reliable in designing dynamic models of such systems and their exergy-based control algorithms. This would improve the possibility to deploy them in building information modelling (BIM) technologies and the application of life cycle analysis (LCA) principles in designing buildings, thus improving the quality of the decision-making process. Furthermore, this would benefit other systems where variable reference environment plays a key role.This book is relevant to academics, students and researchers in the field of thermodynamic analysis considering HVAC equipment, building energy systems, energy efficiency, sustainable development of technical systems of energy, mechanics, and construction, as well as preservation of natural resources. Planners, designers, engineers of HVAC equipment, building energy systems, and developers of appropriate simulation tools (e.g., BIM) will also find it of use.

This book offers a comprehensive review of collision avoidance techniques and safe trajectory planning for manned and unmanned ships, together with extensive information on how to develop and implement algorithms for applications in real-world settings.

This book traces, assesses and compares the history of conscientious objection ΓÇô in the cultural context of six common law nations ΓÇô from refusal of military service and a range of similar moral dilemmas, to objecting to abortion, to the current social polarisation surrounding vaccination hesitancy in the COVID-19 pandemic.It considers the impact of this form of dissent in relation to social movements like Black Lives Matter, social activists such as Gandhi, and whistle blowers like Daniel Ellsberg. It reflects on the relationships between the sacred and the secular, the state and the citizen, in order to better understand the responsibilities of citizenship in our increasingly secular societies. It analyses what defines the conscientiousness of an objection from both legal and ethical standpoints. It examines what constitutes a matter of conscience, why this should justify exemption from civic duties and why this form of dissent has such a time-honoured status. It explores the increased reliance on ΓÇ£grounds of religion, belief or conscienceΓÇ¥ as providing justification for excusing some citizens from complying with certain responsibilities ΓÇô mandated by equality and non-discrimination legislation ΓÇô that are binding for all others.By conducting a comparative evaluation of national law and judicial rulings on a fixed agenda of issues, this book identifies key jurisdictional differences concerning conscientious objection. In so doing, it highlights the importance of cultural context and constructs a jurisdiction-specific overview of legislation, policies and case law. By tracking policy developments and highlighting crucial judicial rulings ΓÇô particularly in the US ΓÇô it provides insights into the probable future direction of developments in national law relating to conscientious objection.Lastly, the book draws attention to some of the potential consequences of manifesting dissent by opting out of performing public services ΓÇô e.g. the possible local breakdown of specific service availability (e.g. abortion, officiating at same-sex marriages, and immunisation); prompting population movements as established democratic civil rights are locally negated (reproductive rights, LGBT rights, right to health protection); fragmenting society into a geographic patchwork of regions in which some citizens are branded as conservative/reactionary and others as progressive; and fuelling the culture wars ΓÇô with profound implications for a coherent democratic society.

Students will gain a broad overview of the whole exocrine system, it's structural features and learn to understand it's integral parts in almost all bodily functions.Taking a systemic approach, the author guides readers through the different organ sites, shapes, methods of secretion and their secretory products.

Science Communication Through Poetry aims to explore how we might communicate science effectively both to and with non-scientific audiences across the spectrum of science communication, from dissemination to dialogue, via the medium of poetry.

This book bridges principles and real-world applications, while also providing thorough theory and technology for the development of artificial intelligence and robots. A lack of cross-pollination between AI and robotics research has led to a lack of progress in both fields. Now that both technologies have made significant strides, there is increased interest in combining the two domains in order to create a new integrated AI and robotics trend. In order to achieve wiser urbanization and more sustainable development, AI in smart cities will play a significant part in equipping the cities with advanced features that will allow residents to safely move about, stroll, shop, and enjoy a more comfortable way of life.If you are a student, researcher, engineer, or professional working in this field, or if you are just curious in the newest advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence for cybersecurity, this book is for you!

Chapter four reviews the current knowledge on small molecule compounds that have been evaluated as rhodopsin modulators to be considered as leads for the development of novel therapies for retinitis pigmentosa.

This book presents techniques for process discovery, conformance checking and enhancement.

This thesis investigates passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers by numerical methods. Based on the successful numerical reproduction of the experimental findings, the emission dynamics of both lasers can be understood in terms of the cavity geometry and the active medium dynamics.

This book contains a selection of the latest research in the field of Computational Social Science (CSS) methods, uses, and results, as presented at the 2021 annual conference of the Computational Social Science Society of the Americas (CSSSA).

This book discusses incentives for information management, usage of information for existing practices to become more efficient, the acceleration of executive learning, and an evaluation of the information management impact on an organization.

The contributions are gathered under the following main topics: Consumer behavior and decisions, labeling strategy, brand market trends, branding of local brands, territorial impact on brand/label/product, theoretical and managerial research methods.

This book explains how to improve the validity, reliability, and repeatability of slip resistance assessments amongst a range of shoes, floors, and environments from an engineering metrology viewpointΓÇöcovering theoretical and experimental aspects of slip resistance mechanics and mechanisms.Pedestrian falls resulting from slips or falls are one of the foremost causes of fatal and non-fatal injuries that limit peopleΓÇÖs functionality. There have been prolonged efforts globally to identify and understand their main causes and reduce their frequency and severity.This book deals with large volumes of information on tribological characteristics such as friction and wear behaviours of the shoes and floors and their interactive impacts on slip resistance performances. Readers are introduced to theoretical concepts and models and collected evidence on slip resistance properties amongst a range of shoe and floor types and materials under various ambulatory settings. These approaches can be used to develop secure design strategies against fall incidents and provide a great step forward to build safer shoes, floors, and walking/working environments for industries and communities around the world.The book includes many case studies.

This book introduces to blockchain and deep learning and explores and illustrates the current and new trends that integrate them. Blockchain and deep learning are twin technologies that are integral to integrity and relevance of network contents. Blockchain and deep learning are sentinel contemporary research technologies.

This volume addresses the situation of water and wastewater management from a global angle, underpinned by selected case studies. Without doubt, water and wastewater management are among the greatest challenges of our century, and there is also no doubt that the challenges posed by climate change will become even greater. However, most efforts, especially in developing countries but also in the so-called developed countries, have been less than optimal or not optimal at all. In particular, there are still too many people who have to live without clean water and decent sanitation. Today, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water and wastewater, and 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services. The question, why this is so and why in many cases in developing countries, is discussed in this book among other urgent water and wastewater management issues.The publication of this book is the start of a book series that in more detail critically reviews, discusses, and analyzes the water and wastewater situation and management in different regions and countries worldwide.

This book deals with the interdisciplinary areas of nuclear physics, supernovae and neutron star physics. It addresses the physics and astrophysics of the spectacular supernova explosions, starting with the collapse of massive stars and ending with the birth of neutron stars or black holes.

The book contains five-section covering the following topics: cyber-physical systems modelling, IoT and signal processing, cyber-physical systems intelligent control, cyber-physical systems industrial implementation and the production of the new material for cyber-physical systems.

This book is devoted to intelligent models and algorithms as the core components of cyber-physical systems. Presents results in the field of modelling technologies that leverage the exploitation of artificial intelligence, including artificial general intelligence (AGI) and weak artificial intelligence.

This book studies journalism in Cyprus to understand how journalists negotiate their roles and responsibilities in conflict-affected societies. Finally, it explores the impact of digital media on journalism and the public debate on the Cyprus problem.

Featuring case studies and examples of specific interventions and their impact in many countries, a number of them in Latin America, this book is useful to scholars, academics, practitioners and policy makers interested in the reduction of logistics costs and poverty reduction in the global economy.

This book presents an in-depth study of the discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation (DNLSE), with particular emphasis on spatially small systems that permit analytic solutions. Specific examples analyzed in the book include the nondegenerate nonlinear dimer, nonlinear trapping, rotational polarons, and the nonadiabatic nonlinear dimer.

In the panorama of studies related to the ability of lands to support both natural processes and agricultural production activities, this research introduces a still unexplored or under-studied theme which is that of the relationship between urban sprawl in its various forms and land quality.The first part of the book is dedicated to the motivations and the theoretical premises from which the research originates, connected to the concept of land and those of sustainable urban form. The second part concerns the complex path towards a sustainable use of land, both in terms of institutional and regulatory measures, and in terms of knowledge and understanding of soil degradation processes. This research focuses on the Mediterranean area which is discussed in more detail in the third part. In this part of Europe we try to establish relationships between settlement dynamics and land quality: here fragile ecosystems are diffused both from a biological point of view. physical as well as socio-economic, here we find landscapes that are particularly sensitive to land degradation processes (subject to land degradation, considered the antipodes of land quality) and which in recent decades have been particularly affected by anthropic pressure.In the fourth part, an analysis is presented concerning 76 metropolitan areas representative of southern Europe. The methodology used in this analysis is based on the relationship that exists between soil sealing (or soil waterproofing) and land degradation (or land degradation) aimed at an interpretation, at the metropolitan scale, of how in southern Europe the pattern of Urbanization (compact, dispersive, intermediate) affects the land''s ability to support both natural processes and agricultural production activities in a diversified way. In particular, the data on land quality and data on land use were considered together in order to analyze the processes of urban growth and the occupation of productive land for a very large area that includes Greece, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and some parts of the Adriatic coast.There is still a long way to go, in terms of sharing, integration and definition of strategies aimed at achieving certain targets. A necessary and innovative look towards land quality could help to consider the protection of the soil as a whole, even at the planning level.

This book considers climate change from an economic and international policy perspective. It argues that an emissions trading systems (ETS) should first be adopted in all G20 countries with those national ETS then integrated into a global ETS. The topic of global warming is at the forefront of international discussions, especially given recent environmental policy changes in the US under Presidents Trump and Biden and the emergence of the Fridays For Future movement.Combatting climate change does not necessitate a trade-off between economic growth and climate policy provided that the latter is consistently linked to new economic policy. Policymakers should support innovation, effective redistribution policies and modern mobility concepts. Moreover, there are crucial links between financial market dynamics and price dynamics in ETS. If measures discussed here are coordinated effectively in the EU/G20, and at the global level, then climate neutrality could be achieved.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to play a significant role in smart grid planning and operation, especially in solving its real-time problems, as it is fast, adaptive, robust, and less dependent on the system's accurate model and parameters.

The purpose of the book is to elaborate a planning theory which departs from the plethora of theories which reflect the conditions of developed countries of the North-West.

EBES conferences have been intellectual hub for academic discussion in economics, finance, and business fields and provide network opportunities for participants to make long lasting academic cooperation.

This book examines issues relating to postsecondary transition from high school to college or competitive vocational settings for Autistic adolescents and young adults. It details the intervention and consultation services essential to prepare students for postsecondary life. The volume addresses the academic, social, self-regulation, and self-sufficiency skills that adolescents and young adults must develop to ensure a successful transition from high school to college and workplace. It focuses on the role of school psychologists in supporting Autistic students as they enter adulthood but is also relevant across numerous disciplines.Key topics addressed include:Using cognitive and neuropsychological assessment results to inform consultation about college entrance  and vocational activities.Evaluating and strengthening academic skills for older Autistic adolescents who plan to enter college or workforce.Helping Autistic students increase their use of social, coping, and behavioral skills.Strengthening Autistic studentsΓÇÖ use of self-management and self-sufficiency skills needed to independently perform required tasks in college and the workplace.Selecting an appropriate college and accessing available supports that match student needs.Assisting Autistic students and their families in accessing available services and developing skills that improve employment outcomes.Postsecondary Transition for College- or Career-Bound Autistic Students is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians and other professionals in clinical child and school psychology, special education, social work, developmental psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry, and all interrelated disciplines.

This volume provides case studies conducted in Malaysia based on environmental management and the sustainable development of human and ecological systems. The book is intended for environmental managers, wildlife organizations, and students and researchers studying sustainable development, waste management, and corporate impacts on the environment.

The original theory of capital cost and capital structure put forward by Nobel Prize Winners Modigliani and Miller has since been modified by many authors, and this book discusses some of them.

This book covers the latest advances in applying agent-based modelling in social sciences. The Social Simulation Conference is the major global conference devoted to this topic. It is aimed at promoting social simulation and computational social science. This yearΓÇÖs special theme is ΓÇ£Social Simulation geared towards Post-Pandemic timesΓÇ¥, focused not only on questions raised by the current pandemic but also on future challenges related to economic recovery, such as localization, globalization, inequality, sustainable growth and social changes induced by progressive digitalization, data availability and artificial intelligence.The primary audience of this book are scholars and practitioners in computational social sciences including economics, business, sociology, politics, psychology and urban studies.