Böcker utgivna av Springer Nature Switzerland

This book explains the variation and determinants of residential quality and housing preferences in urban private housing markets. It describes the residential characteristics and housing preference dynamics of Lagos urban residents who are majorly sheltered in the city¿s private housing markets. Lagos Metropolitan Area (LMA) is a wide region with differentiated informal housing markets. The city private housing markets vary in quantity, quality, and prices which conjointly influence residents housing preferences and choices. Based on positivist philosophical stance, this book addresses the peculiarities of each residential market in Low Residential Density (LRD), Medium Residential Density (MRD), and High Residential Density (HRD) areas in terms of residential quality and housing preferences. With heuristic methods including predictive model and conjoint choice experimentation, this book unravels the level and variability of residential quality (neighborhood and structural) and housing preference (revealed and stated) decisions in Metropolitan Lagos. In addition, the residential quality and housing preferences are mapped to give their spatial patterns across Lagos megacity neighborhoods as segmented residential submarkets. Applying the positivist philosophical stance, the book provides evidence to support residential quality and housing preference variability across the city private housing submarkets. The book is both a guide and reference for students in the built environment, urban planners, urban policy decision makers, housing researchers, property managers, and real estate professionals who are interested in understanding the residential quality and preference dynamics within polarized cities.

This book proposes and develops the equilibrium compound nucleus post-fission theory, a powerful tool for studying the fission process and making numerical calculations of post-fission nuclear data. It begins with a detailed historical background on fission theory and covers fundamental concepts, such as the Bohr-Wheeler formula and time dependent nuclear density functional theory.The authors explain the kinematics of heavy-ion collisions and develop a heavy-ion spherical optical model. They also present the theoretical methods for calculating the yield, kinetic energy distribution, and angular distribution of fission fragments in the initial state of fission. In addition, readers are provided with the method for calculating the prompt neutron and prompt gamma-ray data as well as the proportion of the isomeric state nucleus and independent yield from the initial yield of the fission fragments. Using the nuclear decay data of the fission products, a method for calculating thecumulative yield and decay heat of the fission fragments is also given. A fission delayed neutron simplification model is proposed and the theoretical method for calculating the total contribution of three fission channels to post-fission nuclear data is provided.This book concludes with a step-by-step guide on numerical calculations for post-fission nuclear data and a Fortran program for optimizing the best theoretical model parameters. It is ideal for both junior and senior researchers in nuclear physics, as well as graduate students who are interested learning about the subject. Given the current interest in post-fission and the tremendous experimental and theoretical efforts in studying it, this book serves as a timely and comprehensive resource for the nuclear physics community.

This book offers a comprehensive collection of typical tasks from technical thermodynamics. It is ideal for preparing written and oral examinations at university. It contains 180 tasks that are solved in detail. Alternative solution strategies are often shown and discussed. The book is interesting for all engineering students who have to take an exam in thermodynamics. A problem-orientated approach is followed and a systematic method for solving the tasks is developed. Theoretical correlations and thermodynamic fundamentals are solved by means of concrete tasks. In addition to comprehension questions, the book contains numerous typical calculation problems. Here, too, the basics are summarised and solutions respectively solution strategies are discussed. These are conceived to provide students with strategies and tools to solve complex tasks. All these exercises should help to deepen the physical knowledge. The greater the technical competence, the more confidently one can face the exam! At best, the tasks will help you to have fun and enjoy thermodynamics! This book is a perfect complement to my textbook "Technical Thermodynamics for Engineers".

This book describes the most recent strategies for the digitalization of railway sector that bring new challenges for the construction, operation, and maintenance of railway infrastructures. These strategies involve the development and application of new technologies and methodologies to enhance the sustainability and resilience of railway infrastructures particularly under extreme climate and operational events. In particular, the digital transformation involves the use of digital twins, augmented and virtual reality, forecast capabilities, risk and life-cycle analysis, cybersecurity, unmanned technologies for monitoring and inspection, computer vision, AI, risk and disaster management, among others. Presently, the literature is lacking a contribution that provides general and foundational knowledge across these and other topics. Therefore, this book provides valuable information for researchers, students, and professionals in railway engineering that want to developtheir knowledge and skills in this field.

This book provides the first history of the British and American Intelligence Divisions (IDs) in occupied Germany and the liaison between them. It reveals that after the fall of Adolf Hitler¿s Third Reich, much of Germany was controlled by an Anglo-American secret system of rule which was the real backbone of the occupation and largely explains its successful outcomes. Based in Heidelberg, the American ID was the senior American military intelligence organisation in occupied Germany, responsible for the security of American forces in Europe. The British ID, based in Herford, was a purpose-built intelligence organisation designed to ensure the security of the British Zone of Germany and to help achieve the Allied occupation objectives. The IDs undertook military, scientific, security, political, and state-building intelligence tasks which each form the focus of a chapter in this book.

This book constitutes the refereed post-proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Mobile, Secure, and Programmable Networking, MSPN 2023, held in Paris, France, during October 26¿27, 2023.The 15 full papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows vertical tools on machine leaning and artificial intelligence, network programming and Cloud computing, Industrial Internet of things, Digital Twins and Security.

Exposure of patients to a high oxygen environment is a standard treatment in a select group of patients. The development of oxygen toxicity must be avoided in those patients. This book describes the effects of normobaric and hyperbaric oxygen treatment of animal models on brain biochemical and physiological responses. This book provides a summary of our knowledge on the effects of hyperbaric oxygenation on mitochondrial activity in vivo, and other functions of the brain. A chapter covering the use of hyperbaric hyperoxia in patients¿ brain pathology and care is also included. This is an ideal book for students, research groups, and clinicians studying hyperbaric oxygen and its connection to mitochondrial activity and brain physiological functions.

The book examines the intersections of online learning theories and models in the current research literature for teaching in digital environments in postsecondary education. It describes the connection between eLearning theory and practice to develop a pragmatic and adaptable model for the design, development, and implementation of interactive, personalized, and inclusive online learning experiences. The book discusses a model with three themes ¿ personalization, inclusiveness, engagement (the P-I-E model) ¿ that describe facilitation techniques, instructional design methods and evaluation tools to customize eLearning for higher education students. It offers theoretical underpinnings, implementation tips, a design checklist and evaluation questions for each of the model¿s sections. In addition, the book presents an implementation plan for the elements of the model based on principles of change management and program planning. The volume can be used as either a comprehensive systemto design an entire online course or as a reference guide to improve selected components of an existing program.Key areas of coverage include:Review of eLearning theories.Examination of the characteristics of individual learners, professors, and class communities in online environments.Recommendations for instructional design, assessment, and evaluation for online students.Best practices for learner engagement including scheduling, communication, and user interface design.Program implementation strategies and evaluation questions for all sections of the P-I-E model.Personalized and Inclusive Engagement for the Design, Delivery, and Evaluation of University eLearning is an essential resource for instructional designers, college instructors, and university professors to create, implement, evaluate, and improve personalized and inclusive learning for postsecondary students.

This book gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of computational engineering, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 29th International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES), held in Shenzhen, China on May 26-29, 2023. ICCES covers all aspects of applied sciences and engineering: theoretical, analytical, computational, and experimental studies and solutions of problems in the physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical, and mathematical sciences. As such, the book discusses highly diverse topics, including composites; bioengineering & biomechanics; geotechnical engineering; offshore & arctic engineering; multi-scale & multi-physics fluid engineering; structural integrity & longevity; materials design & simulation; and computer modeling methods in engineering. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book offers a comprehensive collection of the latest research presented at the 8th International XR-Metaverse Conference, held in Las Vegas, USA in 2023. Its goal is to bridge the gap between academia and industry by advancing the state of the art in metaverse, XR, AI-based AR and VR technologies, and by exploring their applications in various fields such as business, marketing, education, health care, tourism, events, fashion, entertainment, retail, and the gaming industry. Including contributions by prominent XR scholars from around the globe, the book addresses a wide range of significant topics concerning XR and the metaverse. Showcasing cutting-edge research outputs, it will be of interest to both academics and practitioners eager to catch up on the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field.

Petri nets model concurrent and distributed systems where active components communicate through the production and absorption of various kinds of resources. Although the dynamic properties of such systems may be very complex, they may sometimes be connected to the static structure of a Petri net. Many properties are decidable, but their complexity may be huge. It is often opportune to restrict oneself to classes of systems, to partial algorithms, and to similar but simpler properties. Instead of analysing a given system, it is also possible to search for a system satisfying some desired properties by construction. This comprehensive textbook/reference presents and discusses these issues in-depth in the context of one of the most fundamental Petri net models, called place/transition nets. The presentation is fortified by means of many examples and worked exercises. Among topics addressed: ¿ In which order may actions may be generated and scheduled? ¿ What states and configurations may be reached in a concurrent system? ¿ Which interesting classes of systems can be analysed relatively efficiently? ¿ Is it possible to synthesise a system of some class from its behaviour? ¿ How can systems be represented algebraically, compositionally, and concisely? This unique text, based on introductory as well as on advanced courses on distributed systems, will serve as an invaluable guide for students and (future) researchers interested in theoretical¿as well as in practical¿aspects of Petri nets and related system models. Eike Best has been a full professor (now retired) affiliated to Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany. Raymond Devillers has been a full professor (now retired) affiliated to Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. The authors have a long record as collaborators in the fields of Petri nets and the semantics of concurrency.

Natural dyes offer a time-tested and generally more sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes in the textile industry. The issues surrounding synthetic dyes are well-known, and in the literature it is generally accepted that natural dyes have a smaller environmental impact. However, even natural dyes have issues that must be dealt with in order to ensure sustainability in the industry. For example, the mordants needed to improve the dyeing process may release hazardous heavy metal pollutants when used. This book is dedicated to exploring cases such as this that illustrate the benefits and drawbacks to natural dyes and steps that must be taken for their sustainable use in the textile industry.

The Circular Economy (CE) and CE-related approaches are increasingly prominent in corporate strategy, with potential environmental, social, and economic benefits to the organization. However, a comprehensive framework that incorporates CE with governance and reporting practices, providing accurate assessments of CE¿s success in achieving sustainability targets and other goals, is not yet in place. This book addresses that gap, analyzing the relationship between CE and sustainable development practices, company performance, and to what extent organizations have disclosed this information in annual reporting practices. It proposes different frameworks to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impact of CE and how CE might be promoted, disclosed, and accurately assessed in reporting practices. It will be of great interest to researchers and students of sustainable development, governance, accounting, and business economics, as well as practitioners seeking a research-based framework for integrating CE into their business reporting.

This textbook introduces quantitative methods in operations management, based on operational research. Written for undergraduate and graduate students as well as practitioners, this book serves as a valuable compendium of essential tools for project planning, control, and strategic decision-making.Drawing from the expertise of both experienced scientists and seasoned practical managers, the descriptions of each tool are a harmonious blend of theoretical insights and real-world applicability. With a focus on accessibility, the authors have thoughtfully combined abstract concepts with easy-to-follow examples and detailed case studies.Readers will benefit from the abundance of well-explained recommendations and practical problem-solving approaches, where the book offers guidance on how to solve presented issues by using commercial software. Whether one seeks to refine project management, optimize operations, or make strategic choices, this book equips readers with theknowledge and proficiency required to excel in the dynamic field of operations management.

This book offers an extensive guide to the most engaging computer and laboratory sessions for teaching manufacturing engineering topics. It serves as a valuable resource for educators in planning their practical coursework. The book comprises 14 chapters covering a wide range of subjects, including design and simulations, various manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing, injection molding, forming, machining, casting, and non-conventional machining, as well as process monitoring, metrology, and inspection using computed tomography. It also explores the application of methodologies like the design of experiments and machine learning. These contributions enable both lecturers and students to apply manufacturing engineering theory in real-world scenarios, drawing from the best practices developed in engineering institutions worldwide.

In light of the climate crisis, businesses are expected to embrace sustainability to reduce their negative impacts on the environment and society, while at the same time strengthening their organisations¿ positive impacts. Managing this alongside the traditional requirements of business requires careful handling, and it is small wonder that some are heralding the advantages posed by artificial intelligence (AI) as the missing piece of the puzzle. This edited book aims to present a balanced discussion of the benefits and costs of using AI for the natural environment and society, including an analysis of its potential to help meet the UN¿s Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Researchers, practitioners, regulators, and entrepreneurs at the forefront of sustainable AI solutions share insights into the different sustainable applications of AI and highlight how these new developments may affect and contribute to our fight against climate change and address further environmental and social challenges. This volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of digital business and new technologies, sustainability, and strategy.

This book focuses on advanced optical properties and applications of tellurite glasses and tellurite glasses doped with rare-earth nanoparticles. The initial chapter presents the current state of the art in tellurite glass development, focusing on those compositions doped with nanoparticles based on rare-earth elements such as neodymium and erbium. The book then discusses various linear and nonlinear optical properties (e.g., refractive index, absorption, optical susceptibility) of these glasses in the visible and ultraviolet spectral regions. Finally, it looks at a selection of recent technological applications of doped tellurite glasses, such as highly efficient laser glass, novel temperature sensors, and advanced optical fiber material. Featuring comprehensive and up-to-date data sets, along with a topical discussion of promising new areas of application, this book is particularly suitable for researchers and industry professionals working in the field of glass manufacturing foroptics and laser applications.

These are the proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Domain Decomposition Methods in Science and Engineering, which was held in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 2022.Domain decomposition methods are iterative methods for solving the often very large systems of equations that arise when engineering problems are discretized, frequently using finite elements or other modern techniques. These methods are specifically designed to make effective use of massively parallel, high-performance computing systems.The book presents both theoretical and computational advances in this domain, reflecting the state of art in 2022.

This book focuses on threats to the continued viability of Western institutions and practices for which it is not easy to conceive remedies consistent with the Western tradition. Higley argues that structural difficulties in postindustrial societies, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and elsewhere, threatened troubles that political manipulation by elites might not be sufficient to contain or resolve. Struggling against lethal climate change, politically explosive waves of migrants and refugees, the likelihood of further pandemics, populist nationalism, and destabilizing effects of social media, elites must consider new demographic, economic, social, political, and international policies. Higley offers a powerful and provocative analysis of the elite¿s ability to sustain Western societies in their current social and political forms.

This volume explains knitting technology in an easily-comprehensible and user-friendly manner. The manufacturing of a cost-effective quality product requires careful planning and thorough knowledge of the product as well as production technology. To achieve the desired functional properties in fabric, the relationship between the raw materials, process and finished product is very important. Knitting has been and remains an important textile technique due to the properties of knitted fabric such as elasticity, stretchability, and comfort. Despite the prominence of knitwear, there has been limited data regarding mechanics of weft knitted fabric and effect of structures on physical, mechanical and comfort properties. This book is an attempt to fill that gap. The book provides knowledge about fabric manufacturing techniques, weft knitting structure, and methods of evaluating knitted fabrics and their applications in technical textiles. It also discusses different types of yarn and their manufacturing processes. Testing and quality control in industrial practice as well as management of a fabric dyeing house are also covered.

This conference LNAI 14502 volume constitutes the workshop proceedings of 22nd Mexican International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, held in November 2023 in Mérida, Yucatán, México. The total of 34 papers presented in this volume was carefully reviewed and selected from 54 submissions.The proceedings of MICAI 2023 workshops are structured into three sections:¿ WILE 2023: 16th Workshop on Intelligent Learning Environments¿ HIS 2023: 16th Workshop of Hybrid Intelligent Systems¿ CIAPP 2023: 5th Workshop on New Trends in Computational Intelligence and Applications

This edited book draws on an international cohort of authors, all working towards sustainable, decolonizing human development for more just futures in a variety of learning spaces. Integrating sustainable human development with ¿reparative futures¿, the chapters present diverse examples of how transformative learning spaces can be created through different participatory methodologies and with different stakeholders. The book will be of interest to researchers, graduate students, practitioners and policymakers in the areas of higher education, development studies and transformative innovation.

This book investigates how the radical left navigates the terrain of nationalism. Traversing Spain, Italy and Portugal, this in-depth study examines how radical left parties either embrace, rebuff or reshape nationalistic sentiments. From Spain¿s Podemos grappling with Francös legacy, Italy¿s radical left switching from anti-fascist patriotism to cosmopolitanism, to Portugal¿s revolutionary echoes in left-leaning banal nationalism, the book offers comprehensive insight into the often-overlooked relationship between radical left politics and national identity. Through discourse analysis, interviews and participant observation, it delves into the reasons behind certain political positions and how they manifest discursively. A must-read for those eager to decipher the crossroads of national identity and left-wing politics in contemporary Europe.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations and applications in the field of cable dynamics and aerodynamics, as presented by leading researchers and engineers at the 3rd International Symposium on Dynamics and Aerodynamics of Cables (ISDAC), held in Rome, Italy on June 15-17, 2023. The contributions encompass topics such as nonlinear cable dynamics, cable structures and moving cables, cable aging, fatigue, degradation and failure mechanisms, laboratory testing of cable dynamics and aerodynamics, computational models for cable dynamics and fluid-structure interaction, cable vibration control, cable driven parallel manipulators, monitoring of cable performance, environmental and anthropic loads on cable structures. The contributions, which were selected through a rigorous international peer-review process, share exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Information and Knowledge Systems, ICIKS 2023, held in Portsmouth, UK, during June 22¿23, 2023.The 18 full papers and 6 short papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 58 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Decision Making, Recommender Systems, and Information Support Systems; Information Systems and Machine Learning; Knowledge Management, Context and Ontology; Cybersecurity and Intelligent Systems; and Natural Language Processing for Decision Systems.

This book provides insight into the importance of advanced innovative technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and Metaverse as part of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions in education. Key features of this book include the recent and emerging developments in various specializations in education and finding their solutions by incorporating IoT, AI and ICT. This book presents useful applications, interventions, and case studies that cater to their improved requirements. Topics include formal and services based on IoT; AI technology for IoT-based educational delivery; interfacing devices to IoT; smart educational services; ChatGPT; Smartbots; and more. The authors include several practical solutions and applications of IoT and ICT in education. The book applies to researchers, academics, students, educators and practitioners around the world.

This book offers a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the most widely used test methods for characterizing the deformation and failure behavior of materials. It presents a thorough treatise on mechanical testing, providing a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and students seeking to understand the mechanical properties and performance of materials across various applications. The book is organized into ten chapters dedicated to specific test methods including tensile, compression, bending, torsion, multiaxial, indentation, fracture, fatigue, creep, high strain rates, nondestructive evaluation, ensuring a thorough examination of each technique's principles, procedures, and applications. It features two special chapters focusing specifically on the mechanical characterization of concrete and fiber composite materials. These chapters delve into the unique aspects and challenges associated with testing and analyzing these specific materials.

This volume contains 8 papers that have been collected by the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Mathematics. It showcases rigorously reviewed contemporary scholarship on an interesting variety of topics in the history and philosophy of mathematics.Some of the topics explored include:A way to rethink how logic is taught to philosophy students by using a rejuvenated version of the Aristotelian idea of an argument schemaA quantitative approach using data from Wikipedia to study collaboration between nineteenth-century British mathematiciansThe depiction and perception of Émilie Du Châtelet¿s scientific contributions as viewed through the frontispieces designed for books written by or connected to herA study of the Cambridge Women¿s Research Club, a place where British women were able to participate in scholarly scientific discourse in the middle of the twentieth centuryAn examination of the researchand writing process of mathematicians by looking at their drafts and other preparatory notesA global history of al-Khw¿r¿zm¿¿s Kit¿b al-jabr wa-l-muq¿bala as obtained by tracing its reception through numerous translations and commentariesWritten by leading scholars in the field, these papers are accessible not only to mathematicians and students of the history and philosophy of mathematics, but also to anyone with a general interest in mathematics.