This book presents a series of lectures on applied environmental economics and policy covering the following issues: environmental cost-benefit analysis; ecosystem services; ecosystems biodiversity and the economy; and sustainability.The first part introduces basic concepts in environmental cost-benefit analysis and explains in detail the choice of the discount rate. Distributional issues and assessment of risk involved in decision-making criteria, using tools such as sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulations, are discussed.The second part of the lectures deals with ecosystem services and analyzes the concepts of total economic value and quasi-option value. It presents the two landmark global initiatives on ecosystem services: the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity. The various methods and approaches for valuing ecosystem services, using revealed and stated preference valuation methods along with their advantages and disadvantages, are explored.In the third part, the links between ecological and economic systems are explored along with the economics of biodiversity where biodiversity-related issues such as metrics, valuation, conservation, and policy design are discussed.The fourth and final part of the lectures deals with sustainability. It covers issues related to measuring sustainable development at the macro level, along with corporate sustainability, and takes a brief look at environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.
The Wolfram language is the programming language of Mathematica, used increasingly by scientists due to its ease of learning and user-friendliness. This book focuses on applications of the Wolfram language to applied mathematics, physics and chemistry. Topics discussed are broad and comprehensive, from differential equations and special functions to fractals and chess, from electromagnetism and optics to relativity and black holes. There is also extensive coverage of quantum theory and quantum chemistry, and the book is peppered with more than 200 color graphics to aid visualization of these concepts. The program codes are provided online as Mathematica notebooks, allowing readers to modify them and manipulate the graphics in real time. This book should be a valuable resource for researchers, educators and students in science and computing who can profit from a more interactive form of instruction.
The concepts of dark matter and the cosmic web are some of the most significant developments in cosmology in the past century. They have decisively changed the classical cosmological paradigm, which was first elaborated upon during the first half of the 20th century but ran into serious problems in the second half. Today, they are integral parts of modern cosmology, which explains everything from the Big Bang to inflation to the large-scale structure of the Universe.Dark Matter and Cosmic Web Story describes the contributions that led to a paradigm shift from the Eastern point of view. It describes the problems with the classical view, the attempts to solve them, the difficulties encountered by those solutions, and the conferences where the merits of the new concepts were debated. Amidst the science, the story of scientific work in a small country occupied by the Soviet Union and the tumultuous events that led to its breakup are detailed as well.The development of cosmology has often treated as a West-East conflict between the American school led by Jim Peebles in Princeton and the Soviet team led by Yakov Zeldovich in Moscow. Actually, the development of ideas was broader, and a certain role played the Tartu team. The Tartu cosmology school was founded by Ernst Ãpik and has its own traditions and attitude to science. In the new edition of the book the interplay between three cosmology schools is written in more detail. The recent development of dark matter and cosmic web studies is described, as well as the evolution of global properties of the cosmic web.This book is accompanied by a website which contains additional material: copies of the originals of some crucial papers, astronomical movies, and movies which showcase the private life of the author. The link is given below: www.aai.ee/ einasto/DarkMatter/In this second edition, two chapters on the statistical description of the cosmic web and its development were added, as well as chapter on the sociology of science. To keep the length of this book reasonable, a lot of reorganisation of the text has been done as well.
Immortal Glory is the most prestigious tournament in the rivers and lakes. Martial immortals from around the world gather in Shengang to battle for the position of leader of the jianghu-and with it, fame, fortune, and the patronage of the Ten Corporations. Li Ming doesn't care. Not until he learns that the Wanjianhui seeks to subvert the tournament and win over the rulers of the world. Joining forces with allies old and new, he participates in a counter-conspiracy to infiltrate Immortal Glory. They don't have to win. They just have to make sure the Wanjianhui loses. But the specter of commercialism casts a long shadow over Immortal Glory. Billions of yuan are at stake. Hard-won reputations are on the line. Even the support of the authorities won't be enough to overcome dirty tricks, foul play, and naked greed. As he battles renowned fighters and secret societies, Li Ming comes face-to-face with the dark heart of the rivers and lakes. And under the bright lights of the leitai, the legend of the King of Breaking Swords will be born.
This book focuses on the role of immigrants in building economic, social and political relationships between countries. In this era of growing global interconnectedness, international migration and immigrant issues have become a significant source of disunity between countries. In some receiving countries, immigrants are now workforce replacements for an ageing population, while in sending countries immigrants use the experience gained in their country of residence for investment and entrepreneurial activity in their country of origin. This has led to the suggestion that immigrant activities are no longer a process of bridging the economic imbalance between nations, but rather the bridging of economic, social and political relationships.Transnational diaspora entrepreneurial activity relies on the relationship between immigrants and their home country, their understanding of the economic, political, and social systems in both their home and host countries, and the demand for their home country's cultural goods. As the demand for home cultural goods grows, there is a need to establish businesses that can operate across multiple environments. This book posits that transnational diaspora entrepreneurship can be seen as the internationalization process of immigrant entrepreneurship. It explains the role of enclaves in supporting this activity and offers valuable insights into how immigrant enclave activity and informal networking influence transnational diaspora entrepreneurship.
The primary focus of the book is to explore the asymptotic behavior of problems formulated within cylindrical structures. Various physical applications are discussed, with certain topics such as fluid flows in channels being particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the book delves into the relevance of elasticity in the context of cylindrical bodies.In specific scenarios where the size of the cylinder becomes exceptionally large, the material's behavior is determined solely by its cross-section. The investigation centers around understanding these particular properties.Since the publication of the first edition, several significant advancements have been made, adding depth and interest to the content. Consequently, new sections have been incorporated into the existing edition, complemented by a comprehensive list of references.
This book serves as an introductory volume to Yair Aharoni's remarkable impact on international business (IB) research. Most IB researchers will be familiar with at least one aspect of his work, but relatively few will be familiar with his broader body of work, as it spans so many of the issues addressed today in IB and strategy. This book aims to introduce readers to the depth and breadth of his impact.Unquestionably a founder of the IB field, over the course of his long career, Aharoni influenced its earliest development and, driven by a deep connection to policy and managerial practice, continually challenged conventional thinking on IB and strategy. He generated seminal insights into many aspects of why and how firms internationalize, including managerial decision-making processes, the strategies employed by state-owned enterprises, the interaction between firms and governments, and the foreign expansion of firms - including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and those operating in the service sector - based in small and open economies. His research contributed to several salient research directions, including the behavioral theory of the firm, emerging-market multinationals, international entrepreneurship, the service economy, and non-market strategies.Aharoni was also an influential educator, having served as the founding dean of two top business schools in Israel. He was deeply engaged with the Israeli business environment - particularly senior executives of start-up companies - and a highly-valued advisor to the Israeli government. In honor of these contributions, Aharoni was the first management scholar in Israel, to be awarded the prestigious Israel Prize in 2010. Few scholars have had such meaningful impact on research, practice, and policy.
Over the past few decades, the field of machine learning has made remarkable strides, surpassing human performance in tasks like voice and object recognition, as well as mastering various complex games. Despite these accomplishments, a critical challenge remains: the absence of general intelligence. Achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) requires the development of learning agents that can continually adapt and learn throughout their existence, a concept known as lifelong learning.In contrast to machines, humans possess an extraordinary capacity for continuous learning throughout their lives. Drawing inspiration from human learning, there is immense potential to enable artificial learning agents to learn and adapt continuously. Recent advancements in continual learning research have opened up new avenues to pursue this objective.This book is a comprehensive compilation of diverse methods for continual learning, crafted by leading researchers in the field, along with their practical applications. These methods encompass various approaches, such as adapting existing paradigms like zero-shot learning and Bayesian learning, leveraging the flexibility of network architectures, and employing replay mechanisms to enable learning from streaming data without catastrophic forgetting of previously acquired knowledge.This book is tailored for researchers, practitioners, and PhD scholars working in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It particularly targets those envisioning the implementation of AI solutions in dynamic environments where data continually shifts, leading to challenges in maintaining model performance for streaming data.
There are many theories on why managers do not (as a behavior) or should not (as a value) supplement profit orientation with people-centrism and planet sensitivity. In practice, managers do not supplement profit orientation with considerations for people and the planet unless they have the tools and know how to make that possible. This book seeks to address that by focusing on the normative dimension of organizational development. There are two competing norms for developing an organization: first, as a profit-oriented business enterprise; and second, as a people-centric, planet-sensitive, profit-oriented business or social enterprise.The performance of a business is a concern for all stakeholders. With the growing realization of the importance of indirect stakeholders like the society and the planet, it is increasingly important to raise awareness about the social and environmental responsibilities of businesses and organizations. This book is a must-read for academics, researchers, practitioners and policymakers who are concerned about the triple bottom-line (Planet-People-Profit) performance of businesses, which is critical for their long-term sustainability. It covers topics pertaining to the relationship between business and society, including social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, among others, and draws from real-life case studies on social initiatives.
"State continuous dynamic models can be reformulated into discrete state processes. This process generates numerical schemes that lead theoretical iterative schemes. This type of method of stochastic modelling generates three basic problems. First, the fundamental properties of solution, namely, existence, uniqueness, measurability, continuous dependence on system parameters depend mode of convergence. Second, the basic probabilistic and statistical properties mean, variance, moments of qualitative/quantitative behaviour of solutions are directly described as concept of solution process or via probability distribution or density functions either. Finally, deterministic versus stochastic modelling of dynamic processes is to what extent the stochastic mathematical model differs from the corresponding deterministic model in the absence of random disturbances or fluctuations and uncertainties. Most literature in this subject was developed in the 1950s, and focussed on the theory of systems of continuous and discrete-time deterministic; however, continuous-time and its approximation schemes of stochastic differential equations faced the problems outlined above and made slow progress in developing problems as a result. This monograph addresses these problems by presenting an account of stochastic versus deterministic issues in discrete state dynamic systems in a systematic and unified way"--
This is a collection of lecture notes from the minicourses in the December 2018 Langlands Workshop: Endoscopy and Beyond. The volume combines seven introductory chapters on trace formulas, local Arthur packets, and beyond endoscopy. It aims to introduce the endoscopy classification via a basic example of the trace formula for SL(2), explore the more refined questions on the structure of Arthur packets, and look beyond endoscopy following the suggestions of Langlands, Braverman-Kazhdan, Ngo, and Altü. The book is a helpful reference for undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers.
A DNA computer is a collection of specially selected DNA strands, which when encoded into specific combinations are then subjected to bio-molecular manipulation in order to solve computational problems. Rather than storing information in the 1s and 0s of the binary number system, it is now stored in the form of the bases adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). These bases can be arranged into short sequences of DNA that are then artificially synthesised for use as algorithmic inputs. The remarkable advantages of DNA computing, including dense data storage, massively parallel computation, and extraordinary energy efficiency, underscore its potential to revolutionize conventional computing. This innovative approach aligns with a broader trend of harnessing natural processes as computational models.DNA Logic Design: Computing with DNA not only unravels the theoretical intricacies but also navigates the practical challenges, offering a comprehensive exploration of a groundbreaking field at the intersection of biology and computer science. The book starts with the basics of DNA computing, and then describes the fundamental operations of DNA computing. Various kinds of logical designs are then translated into the DNA computing context: arithmetic circuits, combinational circuits, sequential circuits, memory devices, programmable logic devices, and nano processors. Heat and speed calculation techniques round off the book.
Probabilistic models are widely used for description and an analysis of various processes in system reliability, risk, queuing, data communication, logistic and storage systems. The book contains various applications of the theory of continuous-time Markov-modulated processes in operation research. All analytical results are illustrated by numerical computations. Used algorithms allow overcoming computation difficulties successfully. For example, a calculation of transient probabilities of states for a continuous-time finite Markov chain uses eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the corresponding matrix (generator). In a more complex case of differential or integral equations, such a simple explicit form of a solution is missing. The explicit form of solution is presented by means of infinity sums of functions. For example, often we have to deal with the so-called renewal equation. Its solution is presented as an infinite sum of the renewal function. In this case, an approximation of functions of interest and iterative computation procedures are used.
One of the central highlights of this work is the exploration of the Yoneda lemma and its profound implications, during which intuitive explanations are provided, as well as detailed proofs, and specific examples. This book covers aspects of category theory often considered advanced in a clear and intuitive way, with rigorous mathematical proofs. It investigates universal properties, coherence, the relationship between categories and graphs, and treats monads and comonads on an equal footing, providing theorems, interpretations and concrete examples. Finally, this text contains an introduction to monoidal categories and to strong and commutative monads, which are essential tools in current research but seldom found in other textbooks.Starting Category Theory serves as an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of category theory. Originally crafted as lecture notes for an undergraduate course, it has been developed to be equally well-suited for individuals pursuing self-study. Most crucially, it deliberately caters to those who are new to category theory, not requiring readers to have a background in pure mathematics, but only a basic understanding of linear algebra.
Due to its capability of handling very complex problems and its high flexibility in adapting to different algorithms, the kernel machine plays a crucial role in machine learning.Bio-Kernel Machines and Applications will introduce a new type of kernel machine for the exploration and modeling between the genotypic inherent structures of short protein sequences or nucleic sequences and the phenotypic biological properties or functions of proteins or nucleotides.The book seeks to establish the fundamentals of the bio-kernel machines by presenting the basic principle and theory of the kernel machine and the various formats of kernel machines, such as string kernel machines adapted for biological applications. The book will also introduce several biological applications of the mutation matrices, demonstrating how mutation matrices can enhance the efficiency and biological relevance of machine learning models applied in specific biological problems.Through analyzing current applications of bio-kernel machines, readers will delve into the advantages of the bio-kernel machines and explore how bio-kernel machines can be further enhanced to tackle a wide spectrum of biological challenges and pave the way for future advancements.
Many cities across the world continue to grapple with long-standing urban challenges even as new ones emerge. With each crisis, cities address these perennial (e.g. decentralization of urban cores and revitalising the city centre), nascent, and emergent (work-life balance, digitization of social-economy) urban challenges with a greater sense of urgency. The book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to signpost future pathways of cities, drawing on the experiences of the city-state of Singapore.
Organic Solar Thermal Fuels: Mechanisms, Design, and Applications offers a significant introductory overview of the key properties, mechanisms, applications, and research directions in this emerging field of photothermal conversion materials.This book explores the types, characteristics, preparation, testing, applications, and future trends of small organic molecules, polymers, and nanocomposites for solar heat storage. Through the functionalization, composite and ordered structure design, and function-oriented assembly of organic molecules, new micro-nano-superstructure composites with multi-level pore structure, multi-scale network structure, and multi-group interface structure can be constructed, which can greatly improve the energy storage and controllable release performance of existing photothermal fuels. All the basic aspects and technology-oriented developments in this emerging discipline will be covered within this comprehensive and timely book.This first-of-its-kind professional book on organic solar thermal fuels serves as a key major reference work for materials scientists, polymer scientists, and chemists in academia, student and research and development. It may also be of interest to nanoscientists, environmental scientists, and engineers.
"Actin, a fundamental building block of intracellular cytoskeletal filaments, holds immense potential as a platform for information processing. In this groundbreaking book, the authors establish a solid theoretical and modelling foundation for the future experimental prototyping of actin-based cytoskeleton computers in laboratory settings. By delving into the mechanisms of signal propagation and perturbations on actin filaments, the authors uncover the underlying principles of information processing at the sub-cellular level. Through their innovative insights, novel principles for information processing emerge, potentially revolutionising the field of future and emergent information technologies and computational biology. The book's theoretical and modelling framework serves as a crucial stepping stone towards the experimental realisation of actin-based cytoskeleton computers. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, researchers and scientists can leverage this knowledge to conduct experiments, validate hypotheses, and explore the practical implications of actin-based computing systems"--
The humanities (and social science) are the disciplines that study human, which are essential in helping us to understand ourselves and others and the world around us. Since science is the study of everything in the universe and human is a material system consisting of the same atoms that make up other nonhuman systems, humanities are part of science. Thus, understanding correctly what science is about will be helpful in making progress in the humanities. To patch up the gap between the "two cultures" derived from these two branches of knowledge, the best way is to recognize their common root in science and work through humanities-science synthesis, as advocated by Scimat, the new multidiscipline proposed by the author in 2007. Furthermore, raising the scientific level of the humanities, which include decision making, will help to make the world better.Humanities, Science, Scimat details these issues, consisting of three parts. Part I is about Scimat and the new humanities (history, philosophy, art). Part II is on the origin and nature of science, new insights on the life and works of selected scientists, some thoughts on science communication/popularization, and case examples of science innovation - all from the Scimat perspective. While Parts I and II are short essays with no references (with rare exceptions), Part III are longer articles with full references that supplement Parts I and II. Each essay/article starts with a color picture. They are all easy to read - nothing technical.In short, this book contains the basic knowledge about the humanities and science that everyone should know. The aimed readership is anyone, from high school students and laypeople to the professors, who are interested in what the humanities and science are about, and how we can work together to achieve a better humanity.
Materials science institutions have always been crucial to the development of materials research. Even before materials science emerged as a discipline in the 20th century, these institutions existed in various forms. They provided specialized facilities for research, educated new generations of researchers, drafted policies and funded programs, enabled valuable connections between research groups, or played any other role which were needed to further the progress of materials science.This volume, the third in a series of volumes covering the development and history of materials science, presents illuminating perspectives on material science institutions. Twenty chapters are organized into six comprehensive parts of which each cover a characteristic aspect or historical feature. True to the topic they write about, the contributors to this volume have varied backgrounds. Some are materials scientists and engineers, but others are historians, philosophers of science, sociologists, or even directors of institutions themselves. This comprehensive, unified collection is a valuable resource for undergraduates, graduate students, academics, policymakers and professionals who are actively interested in materials science and its development from the past to the future.
"Straddling North Africa and Western Asia, the Middle East has been a cradle of civilisation and entrepreneurship - well before the arrival of Islam. In this region, gender roles were traditionally specified by culture, with women often expected to stay within the family environment, while men would trade in society at large. This book contributes to the literature on a highly neglected field of study: women entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Recognising that entrepreneurship does not take place in a vacuum, it focuses on contexts, and the ecosystems of this region with largely patriarchal societies, that are influenced by culture, religion, and colonial experience. This book provides readers with a topical analysis of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East on the context, ecosystems, and future perspectives for the region. Authors have presented the reality of 11 countries from the region based on women entrepreneurs' historical backgrounds, challenges, and achievements, as well as the contribution towards economic development in their local/immediate communities and the Middle East at large. Following the country analysis by the authors of each chapter, the editors provide a general assessment of the future of women entrepreneurs in the region by focusing on the current entrepreneurship policy and strategies of various countries in the region. This volume will be an essential reading for anyone researching or working on projects related to women's entrepreneurship and small businesses in the Middle East"--
This book focuses on molecular shapes, molecular symmetry, application of molecular orbital concepts to the compounds of main-group and transition elements of varied symmetry, metal-metal bonding, organometallic compounds such as ferrocene, fundamentals of redox properties, and spectroscopic term symbols. For compounds of d-block elements, it delves into discussions on structures and bonding theories (valence bond, crystal field, and molecular orbital), properties (magnetic, spectral, and redox), and reactivities. Basics and applications of organometallic compounds of d-block elements in catalysis and selected topics of bioinorganic chemistry have also been included. An attempt has been made to integrate selected focused topics, which is expected to help both the students and instructors, reducing the need to consult other specialized books.For the convenience of the instructors and students, the book highlights in each chapter take home messages. Examples in each subtopic, and at the end of any chapter a list of further reading and exercises to critically think about the concepts are discussed. Almost every chapter lists references to the literature and reviews that has been found to be particularly useful in the advanced Inorganic Chemistry courses. At the end of the book an appendix that gives hints/full answers of the exercises is included.
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