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E-Governance in the European Union: Strategies, Tools, and Implementation (Contributions to Political Science)
by David Ramiro TroitiñoThis book sheds new light on the future of e-governance in the European Union (EU). Drawing on the first-hand professional experience of practitioners, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders, combined with a sound academic foundation, it offers insights into successful implementation strategies and new tools necessary for efficient e-governance in the European Union. The authors present key topics, e.g. the development of e-services such as e-identity, e-health, e-democracy, as well as e-governance tools for the correct implementation of the Digital Single Market. Furthermore, they discuss the legal framework needed for the implementation of these services, such as data protection, digital competition law, as well as EU contracts in digital environments. Finally, the authors highlight efforts to include ethical standards and European values in the decision-making, while developing a vision for the future use of e-governance in the European Union.Understanding the tools and strategies for a successful implementation of e-governance services, as well as the necessary legal framework, will allow professionals such as policymakers and institutional stakeholders, to improve their performance and achieve better results when working on the development of future e-governance services in the European Union.
Advances in Hydraulic Research: 40th International School of Hydraulics (GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences)
by Paweł M. Rowiński Monika B. Kalinowska Magdalena M. MrokowskaThis book provides an overview of advances in experimental, numerical modelling, and theoretical aspects of environmental hydraulics. By highlighting the latest findings on processes in natural aquatic systems, solutions for civil engineering and water resources management, with a special focus on interdisciplinary cooperation between Earth scientists, ecologists, biologists and hydraulic engineers that have helped to mitigate the impacts of anthropopressure on river habitats, it provides both researchers and practitioners with first-hand information about the latest trends in hydraulic research. The book combines peer-reviewed versions of invited lectures and regular presentations at the 40th International School of Hydraulics, held May 23–26, 2023, in Kąty Rybackie, Poland. With contributions from world-leading experts and young researchers, many areas of environmental hydraulics are addressed here, including recent findings in numerical modelling and laboratory and field studies related to sediment and pollutant transport processes in rivers, fluvial morphodynamics, flow in vegetated channels, hydraulic structures in rivers and estuaries, and freshwater fish protection.
Assessing Policy Effectiveness using AI and Language Models: Applications for Economic and Social Sustainability (International Series in Operations Research & Management Science #354)
by Chandrasekar VuppalapatiThis volume uses advanced machine learning techniques to analyze government communication to evaluate policy effectiveness. The book develops policy effectiveness foundation models by cohorting historical budget policies with statistical models which are built on well reputed data sources including economic events, macroeconomic trends, and ratings and commerce terms from international institutions. By signal mining policies to the economic outcome patterns, the book aims to create a rich source of successful policy insights in terms of their effectiveness in bringing development to the poor and underserved communities to ensure the spread of wealth, social wellbeing, and standard of living to the common denomination of society rather than a selected quotient. Enabling academics and practitioners across disciplines to develop applications for effective policy interventions, this volume will be of interest to a wide audience including software engineers, data scientists, social scientists, economists, and agriculture practitioners.
Returning The Benin Bronzes: A Case Study of the Horniman’s restitution
by Nick MerrimanThis book offers a detailed case study of the transfer of ownership to Nigeria in November 2022 of the 72 artworks in the Horniman’s collections looted by the British from Benin City in 1897, as an occasion to explore the current state of the issue of restitution of cultural objects. It argues that we are at a tipping point, where decades of debate but little action about restitution is now changing to a period when at least the most egregious examples of colonial looting are being addressed. It summarises the key issues involved in these returns, outlines the processes and procedures undertaken by the Horniman, and offers recommendations and reflections for the future.
Climate Disaster Preparedness: Reimagining Extreme Events through Art and Technology (Arts, Research, Innovation and Society)
by Michael J. Ostwald Ursula Frohne Dennis Del Favero Susanne ThurowAs a result of global warming, extreme events, such as firestorms and flash floods, pose increasingly unpredictable and uncertain existential threats, taking lives, destroying communities, and wreaking havoc on habitats. Current aesthetic, technological and scientific frameworks struggle to imagine, visualise and rehearse human interactions with these events, hampering the development of proactive foresight, readiness and response.This open access book demonstrates how the latest advances in creative arts, intelligent systems and climate science can be integrated and leveraged to transform the visualisation of extreme event scenarios. It reframes current practice from passive perception of pre-scripted illustrations to active immersion in evolving life-like interactive scenarios that are geo-located. Drawing on the multidisciplinary expertise of leaders in the creative arts, climate sciences, environmental engineering, and intelligent systems, this book examines the waysin which climate disaster preparedness can be reformulated through practices that address dynamic and unforeseen interactions between climate and human life worlds. Grouped into four sections (picturing, narrating, rehearsing, and communicating), this book maps this approach by exploring the emerging strengths and current limitations of each discipline in addressing the challenge of envisioning the unpredictable interaction of extreme events with human populations and environments. This book provides a timely intervention into the global discourse on how art, culture and technology can address climate disaster resilience. It appeals to readers from multiple fields, offering academic, industry and community audiences novel insights into a profound gap in the current knowledge, policy and action landscape.
New Achievements in Mechanics: A Tribute to Klaus Peter Herrmann (Advanced Structured Materials #205)
by Wolfgang H. Müller Alfons Noe Ferdinand FerberThis book presents various solutions modeling in the performance and behavior of advanced materials and engineering structures. In this book, famous scientists in the field of materials mechanics share their knowledge in honor of the late Professor of Mechanics Klaus-Peter Herrmann from the University of Paderborn. This book discusses in particular topics like fracture and damage mechanics, numerical mathematics and computational simulations, and mechanics and thermodynamics of advanced materials.
From Complexity to Systems
by Hrvoj VančikThis book sheds new light on the interactions between the science of complexity and the science of systems. Though both of these fields have been independently studied extensively, their interrelations have not been satisfactorily analyzed. By a superficial view, both the sciences are based on the same principles of the holistic behavior of the ensembles consisting of components. The author providing an expert analysis on the theory of complexity and bridges the gap to generalize it, by elaborating on all the observable manifestations of complex forms and behaviors and explaining how it is related to general theory of systems.Particular attention is given to the use of chemical concepts throughout the text to demonstrate the theories as well as the interactions between the two. The central point of this book is the new rational representation of systems that origins from some chemical concepts about the structure of molecules and graph theoretical chemical theory. Thisnovel text appeals to experienced researchers, students, and all those curious about theories of systems, complexities, and theoretical chemistry.
Game Design for Free-to-Play Live Service (Synthesis Lectures on Image, Video, and Multimedia Processing)
by Stanislav Stanković"Game Design for Free to Play Live Service" is the ultimate guide to designing successful free-to-play mobile games. Based on a decade of experience at companies like Rovio, EA, and Supercell, the author provides practical advice on gameplay mechanics, monetization strategies, and player engagement. With case studies and expert insights, this book is essential reading for any game developer looking to create a hit mobile game.
Fake News in Contemporary Science and Politics: A Requiem for the Real?
by Keith MoserThis transdisciplinary book investigates the profound repercussions of living in a post-truth world in which 'alternative facts' and post-truth knowledge claims, often bordering on the absurd, have replaced the real in the collective imagination of millions of people around the planet. Through discussions on climate change denial, the anti-vaccination movement, the January 6th Insurrection and the Russia-Ukraine War, this study explores the gravity of the current 'infodemic,' or the increasing inability of a large segment of the population to distinguish between reality and misrepresentation, and the destabilizing impact this infodemic has on democratic models of governance around the globe, coinciding with the rise of autocratic forms of populism.
Essentials in Health and Mental Health: Unlocking the Keys to Wellness (Advances in Mental Health and Addiction)
by Masood ZangenehIn a world increasingly characterized by rapid change and constant challenges, maintaining good physical and mental health is more important than ever. "Essentials in Health & Mental Health" is a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted landscape of health and well-being, delving into key aspects that affect individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Through the lens of 20 meticulously crafted chapters, this book takes you on a journey to understand the essential elements that contribute to our overall health, from the invisible struggles of loneliness and mental health problems to the impact of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The book begins with an eye-opening chapter that sheds light on the pervasive nature of loneliness and its profound impact on the functioning of individuals. The authors delve into the various costs of loneliness and uncover the under-recognized association between loneliness and mental health problems. In a world interconnected like never before, these insights are essential for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of human well-being.
Geriatrics Models of Care: Bringing 'Best Practice' to an Aging America
by Heidi White Marie Boltz Michael L. Malone Jonny Macias TejadaFollowing the success of the previous edition, the second edition of Geriatrics Models of Care is the definitive resource for systems-based practice improvement for the care of older adults. Several new models of care have been published in the last eight years, new outcomes have emerged to better understand the impact of existing models, and with the rise of the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, promoting organized efforts to prepare our health care settings for older individuals is of more importance than ever. The second edition is organized based on the practice setting along a continuum of care: hospital, transitions from hospital to home, outpatient settings, and the emergency department. This book also highlights long-term care models, which is an important part of the continuum of care for older Americans. Further, this edition features models that address the needs of vulnerable populations. This new section will describe a spectrum of programs for older adults who have Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. Other models describe best practices for older adults undergoing surgery or those who want to remain functioning independently in their home. A defining feature of this book is that each chapter follows a standard template: 1) the challenge which led to the model; 2) the patient population served; 3) core components of the intervention; 4) the role of interdisciplinary health professionals; 5) evidence to support the intervention; 6) lessons learned in the implementation and dissemination of the model; 7) implications for family caregivers, and communities (particularly underserved and diverse communities); and 8) how each model will provide care across the continuum during an entire episode of care. In addition, each chapter features a “call out” box with practical tips for implementing the model.
Ethical Dilemma in Psychiatry: Real Cases Scenario
by Perihan Elif EkmekciPsychiatry is a field that differs from other fields of medical practice in terms of its ethical problems and ethical dilemmas it encounters. The physicians who specialize in the field of psychiatry or health professionals who work in mental health services should be equipped to recognize these ethical problems, to deal with them in the right ethical frameworks and to offer practical and appropriate solutions in their clinical practice. The work compiles extensive experiences from Medical Faculty of Ankara University, Turkey. The book aims to give a comprehensive understanding about the particular ethical problems and dilemmas in psychiatry and provide tools and methods to approach them in an ethically appropriate way.
Mathematical Logic: On Numbers, Sets, Structures, and Symmetry (Springer Graduate Texts in Philosophy #4)
by Roman KossakThis textbook is a second edition of the successful, Mathematical Logic: On Numbers, Sets, Structures, and Symmetry. It retains the original two parts found in the first edition, while presenting new material in the form of an added third part to the textbook. The textbook offers a slow introduction to mathematical logic, and several basic concepts of model theory, such as first-order definability, types, symmetries, and elementary extensions. Part I, Logic Sets, and Numbers, shows how mathematical logic is used to develop the number structures of classical mathematics. All necessary concepts are introduced exactly as they would be in a course in mathematical logic; but are accompanied by more extensive introductory remarks and examples to motivate formal developments. The second part, Relations, Structures, Geometry, introduces several basic concepts of model theory, such as first-order definability, types, symmetries, and elementary extensions, and shows how they are usedto study and classify mathematical structures. The added Part III to the book is closer to what one finds in standard introductory mathematical textbooks. Definitions, theorems, and proofs that are introduced are still preceded by remarks that motivate the material, but the exposition is more formal, and includes more advanced topics. The focus is on the notion of countable categoricity, which analyzed in detail using examples from the first two parts of the book. This textbook is suitable for graduate students in mathematical logic and set theory and will also be of interest to mathematicians who know the technical aspects of the subject, but are not familiar with its history and philosophical background.
Biodiversity Laws, Policies and Science in Europe, the United States and China
by Tianbao Qin Maria Vittoria Ferroni Giovanni Antonelli Alex ErwinThis book offers an in-depth analysis of and multidisciplinary insights into the latest trends in biodiversity laws, policies and science in Europe, the United States, and China. The loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems continues at an alarming rate, harming people, the economy, and the climate. As biodiversity cannot be meaningfully addressed by any single field, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to attain a better understanding of its complexity and to identify prevention and protection systems. Each chapter addresses a specific aspect of biodiversity. Taken together, they provide an innovative exploration of the various facets of biodiversity from the perspectives of law, the social sciences and natural sciences. As such, the book offers an essential theoretical and practical guide for academics, experts, policymakers, and students alike.
Circular Economy for Buildings and Infrastructure: Principles, Practices and Future Directions (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Liyin Shen Jian Zuo Ruidong ChangThis edited volume covers theoretical and practical aspects of circular economy in building development, offering chapters dealing with topics such as material design, affordability of housing development, waste management and recycling, smart metering, and more. A particular focus is placed on various stakeholders’ points of view. The book's chapters are co-developed and contributed by multidisciplinary teams including both academics and industry practitioners. The case study-oriented approach taken here helps to facilitate the reader's understanding of how building sustainability can be achieved in the context of circular economy. The building industry has significant environmental, social and economic impacts. As one of the biggest energy consumers and carbon emitters, building sustainability has attracted wide attention globally. Building projects and their associated activities consume a large amount of energy, natural resources and water while producing a large proportion of wastes throughout their lifecycles. The traditional linear approach of “make, use and dispose” has been heavily criticized, whilst the circular approach has gained momentum. Indeed, circular economy has emerged as one of key principles to manage sustainability related issues by means of focusing on the circularity of resources as well as the cost implications.
Ballast Water Treatment and Exchange for Ships (Synthesis Lectures on Ocean Systems Engineering)
by Alexander Olsen Pamela Rossi CiampoliniThe inadvertent transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in the ballast water of ships has been determined to have caused a significant adverse impact to many of the world's coastal regions. The international maritime community, under the auspices of the IMO has developed several documents, including the “International Conventions for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004”, (Ballast Water Management Convention), which are aimed at preventing the introduction of unwanted aquatic organisms and pathogens through the discharge of ballast water and sediments. The Ballast Water Management Convention applies to vessels registered in a country which is party to the Convention and to those vessels registered in other countries when operating in the waters of a country which is party to the Convention. As a means to prevent, minimize and ultimately eliminate the risk to the environment, human health, property and resources arising from the transferof harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through the control and management of vessel's ballast water and sediment, as well as to avoid unwanted side-effects from that control, the Convention requires vessels to conduct a ballast water exchange or be fitted with an approved ballast water management system. It is noted that several studies have shown that the effectiveness of ballast water exchange varies and is dependent on the vessel type (design), exchange method (sequential, flow-through and dilution methods), ballasting system configuration, exchange location, weather conditions and vessel's trading pattern. For these reasons (and others), it has been determined that ballast water exchange does not provide adequate protective measures to prevent damage from organisms and pathogens carried in a vessel's ballast, even though exchange was considered to be acceptable as an interim solution.This book includes updates for the clarification of Survey requirements and adds the definition of biological commissioning, testing as well as requirements for Class approved Service Providers to conduct biological commissioning testing. Moreover, this book includes updates due to the adoption of the requirements from IACS UR M74, Rev. 2 and UR F45 and is applicable for existing ships, where an application for approval for the plans of BWMS is made on or after 1 July 2022; or for new ships contracted for construction on or after 1 July 2022.
Tesla Turbine: A Practical Design Guide for Boundary Layer or Bladeless Turbines
by Alberto Traverso Avinash Renuke Anestis I. KalfasThis book aims at providing the reader with up-to-date knowledge about Tesla turbine features, mechanical design, and performance characteristics. A Tesla machine, in general, is characterised by the absence of rotating blades, therefore it is also called bladeless or boundary layer machine. In this book, suitable numerical approaches for the fluid-dynamic analysis are described, with practical examples related to physical prototypes designed, built and operated by the Authors. Interest in small scale turbines is growing mainly for energy efficiency and power recovery in a variety of applications. Considering small scales, conventional bladed turbines impose manufacturing limitations, lower performance and higher cost, which hinder their implementation. Tesla bladeless turbomachines are being re-discovered due to many advantages such as their simple design and ease of manufacturing with acceptable performance, especially for small-scale power generation and energy harvesting. To contribute to the spread of efficient and viable Tesla turbines (or expanders), this book presents holistic design guidelines to Tesla turbines, encompassing geometrical definition of Tesla rotor, of Tesla stator, of Tesla rotor-stator-casing assembly, providing practical correlations to take into account various loss mechanisms, and discussing the optimal design point definition for such type of century-aged but always young turbines.
Recent Strategies in High Risk Surgery
by Joel Faintuch Salomao FaintuchMajor surgical societies have been publishing perioperative recommendations for over half a century, based on committees conducting reviews of the literature. Surgical books fundamentally target the intraoperative period when anesthesia is going on. Fatalities are often embedded in a larger context of systemic failures, in which initial problems are sidestepped or mishandled till they become overwhelming and irreversible. There must be a guiding principle and a truly integrated approach for each condition and treatment, of course based on the strongest available evidence. This unique book provides the reader standardized instructions and recommendations on the management of all high-risk surgical candidates in different specialties and contexts, encompassing a continuum of care, and not just in selected phases or groups.Written by worldwide experts, it is divided in 11 sections and 41 chapters which discuss: Preoperative evaluation, Lifestyle interventions, Surgical specialties, Protocols of special relevance, Fluids, electrolytes and shock, Perioperative surgical challenges, Bedside and adjunct procedures, Wound care, Innovative Approaches (including artificial intelligence and machine learning), End of life care and other ethical challenges. It also includes an additional section with supplementary material.Residents, fellows, practitioners in training and seasoned professionals seeking society recertification, primarily in surgery, anesthesiology, intensive care medicine, internal medicine, emergency services, trauma, vascular surgery, nursing, and physical therapy will find this book valuable. Professionals in the industry (especially those related to surgery, critical care monitoring devices, imaging diagnosis and interventional radiology), policy makers and government agencies will also benefit from this work.
The Forgotten Financiers of the Louisiana Purchase: European Bankers, the US, and the Rise of International Finance (Palgrave Studies in the History of Finance)
by Larry NealThis book provides a comprehensive account of how the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was financed. Where existing research has focused predominantly on the political and diplomatic significance of the Purchase, this book demonstrates the importance of the Purchase to global financial history. The book provides context and background for the Louisiana Purchase and examines the role of key actors and companies, focusing particularly on the ‘forgotten financiers’ of the Purchase – individuals from the US, France and the UK including Alexander Baring, Albert Gallatin, Pierre Cesar Labouchere and Francois Barbe-Marbois. Based on extensive, original archival research, the chapters will illuminate the role played by these individuals in bringing about financial innovation and facilitating a major transaction that doubled the size of the original United States and helped set the country on a path to global power. The book will be a valuable resource for historians of Europe and America, particularly those with interests in economic and financial history, as well as banking and finance scholars who are interested in the emergence of large-scale international finance in the 19th century.
Hierarchical Archimedean Copulas (SpringerBriefs in Applied Statistics and Econometrics)
by Ostap Okhrin Jan GóreckiThis book offers a thorough understanding of Hierarchical Archimedean Copulas (HACs) and their practical applications. It covers the basics of copulas, explores the Archimedean family, and delves into the specifics of HACs, including their fundamental properties. The text also addresses sampling algorithms, HAC parameter estimation, and structure, and highlights temporal models with applications in finance and economics. The final chapter introduces R, MATLAB, and Octave toolboxes for copula modeling, enabling students, researchers, data scientists, and practitioners to model complex dependence structures and make well-informed decisions across various domains.
Patient Engagement in Pharma: A Psychologist Perspective
by Sumira RiazTerms such as “patient engagement”, “centricity”, and “patient first” are often loosely used to describe a company vision, a joint objective in establishing an ethos which incorporates the person who matters the most, the patient. Traditionally, a psychologist is known to work in clinical settings, directly with people experiencing psychological difficulties, within a healthcare structure. This is still the premise; however, the foundational knowledge and understanding of human behaviour has driven psychologists into a new, previously unconsidered professional field: the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. This industry is pivotal in clinical drug development, new discoveries, innovation, and the reach is endless. So, what is a psychologist doing working in this environment? This book offers insights on how to build successful patient engagement strategies based on behaviour science and the real-world experience of a psychologist working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Dark Academe: Capitalism, Theory, and the Death Drive in Higher Education (Palgrave Studies on Global Policy and Critical Futures in Education)
by Jeffrey R. Di LeoThis book argues that a critical understanding of dark academe is vital to the futures of democracy and education. Drawing upon contemporary literary and cultural theory, particularly, affect theory, queer epistemology, and critical race theory as well as critiques of capitalism and accounts of the death drive, it builds a case for identifying dark academe as anything that prohibits the pursuit of democratic education and critical citizenship. It also argues that dark times require a reassessment of the ways theory and knowledge are approached in the humanities. This is necessary if the aim is to truly understand the darkness at the heart of the higher education today. Dark academe works to negate education and learning by continuously telling us that the quest for knowledge is empty, and the pursuit of critique is blind. In this educational darkness, the death drive of neoliberal academe becomes a force that works against intellectual transformation and the deepening of critical sights.
Assessment Analytics in Education: Designs, Methods and Solutions (Advances in Analytics for Learning and Teaching)
by Dirk Ifenthaler Muhittin SahinThis book is about the current state of research in online assessment. The growth of this field is set to accelerate exponentially with emerging opportunities for automatic data collection and analysis. Yet, the future of online assessment faces major challenges including, perhaps most importantly, the extent to which assessments, when enabled by technology, can serve simultaneously the needs of learners, teachers and those of the enterprise of education. This book details, specifically, the multiple ways in which online assessment can be utilized, such as:Providing virtual coaching or tutoringOffering appropriate scaffoldingAllowing analysis of student decision-making Providing the mechanism for students to review and comment on each others digital creationsCreating a space for online discussionProviding expert coaching for modeling and animation workWith the increased availability of vast and highly varied amounts of data from learners, teachers, learning environments, and administrative systems within educational settings, further opportunities arise for advancing pedagogical assessment practice (Ifenthaler et al., 2018). This book fully details these opportunities, as well as privileges and constraints of analytics-enhanced assessment, harnessing formative as well as summative data from learners and their contexts in order to facilitate learning processes in near real-time and help decisionmakers to improve learning environments.
Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing: Volume 17 (Studies in Computational Intelligence #1153)
by Roger LeeThis book reports state-of-the-art results in Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing. This edited book presents original papers on both theory and practice. It addresses foundations, state-of-the-art problems and solutions, and crucial challenges.
The Rise of AI User Applications: Chatbots Integration Foundations and Trends
by Svetlana BialkovaThis monograph introduces readers to core theories and applications in the chatbot AI context. Although AI is attracting significant attention, there is a literature gap and lack of practical guidelines on the key drivers of chatbot efficiency and agency capacity. There is a caveat between algorithmic explanations and actionable understanding, despite the acknowledged importance of inherently human-centric properties. Addressing these gaps, this state-of-the-art book offers a distinctive combination of content, theory, practice evaluation, and a holistic framework encompassing cognitive, emotional and social aspects, focusing on how to enhance AI agency and user experience. The framework aims to drive design, encouraging development of intelligent systems, techniques to evaluate chatbot with purposes, to appropriately meet user needs and market demand for responsible and explainable AI, XAI. Avenues for transforming business and life by implementing new generation AI systems are further discussed, as well as recommendations to overcome consumer resistance and advice for policy measures to reduce risks given the AI boost. While the community is still in an exploratory mode, we hope “The Rise of AI User Applications: Chatbots Integration Foundations and Trends” provides the needed understanding and will inspire researchers across disciplines to combine their efforts and work together on this very intriguing topic.