Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer Nature Singapore

This volume spotlights some of the most important economic issues confronting today's emerging developing countries. The topics studied in the book include the importance of productivity to economic growth, international trade and its relationship to productivity; immigration and brain drain; pollution havens, climate change, and the carbon tax; the effectiveness of foreign aid, the efficiency of education, and governance. Written by some of the most respected scholars in their respective fields, the individual chapters apply both economic theory and the most current empirical tools in rigorous but accessible exposition. Researchers can find value in the modeling and empirical techniques that can be applied to other countries and datasets. Policy makers can benefit from the intellectual foundation on which decisions on important issues can be based; and students of international trade, economic development, and environmental economics can gain knowledge of different country settings that give context to their fields of study.

This book provides the latest information on fish lectins from the perspective of inflammation and presents new ideas on the complicated mechanisms of lectin biochemistry and associated interactions. Key features include discussion of mechanisms recently identified to be involving lectin family types, presentation of the latest evidence regarding the molecular approaches in fish lectins, and thorough explanation of the concept of antimicrobial and immunological roles and current understanding of the significance of its disease resistance related studies. Gene expression studies is another important element of the book, and it is proposed that gene editing technology provides gaining attention in the biological role of fish lectin research. Examples of the many lastest molecular approaches, applications and future perspectives in fish lectin specific topics covered in this book include the information right from the basics to the advancements in this area. The book will be a valuable update and resource for both experienced and younger researchers working in the field of lectins and immunology.

This book explores the nature of marine conservation based on the case study of Hinase, a fishing village in Okayama, Japan. It focuses on the fishers' self-motivated eelgrass restoration activity which has been continued for more than 30 years. This activity in Hinase recently attracted international attention as a case under the name "e;Satoumi"e; and "e;Marine Protected Areas"e; in several governmental reports, but detailed information, such as the historical background and social structure of Hinase, has not yet been analyzed. This book, therefore, fulfills this gap by providing its ethnographic information. In addition, this book offers some points for critical thinking by concluding that marine conservation activities cannot always be evaluated or arranged under the standardized approach with limited time and space. This viewpoint reaffirms the importance of local initiative and highlights the value of qualitative research to seek the way forward for promising marine conservation. This book is suitable for an academic audience in the field of social sciences, such as applied anthropology, as well as ecologists, government officials, environmentalists, and citizens who are interested or engaged in environmental issues or natural resource management.

This book provides an up-to-date review of the fundamentals of sphingolipid metabolism and its role in metabolic diseases. Focusing on the sphingolipid de novo synthesis pathway, the effect of sphingomyelin, ceramide, and sphingosine-1-phosphate, and linkage between sphingolipids and other lipids, such as cholesterol, it covers serine palmitoyltransferase, ceramide synthases, ceramidases, sphingosine kinases, and sphingomyelin synthases, and more. While highlighting how rare diseases related to abnormal glycosphingolipid metabolism, this publication introduces sphingolipid metabolism-related diseases, such as lung diseases and cancers, as well as sphingolipid circadian regulation. The book demonstrates advances and limitations of research on sphingolipid metabolism and its roles in metabolic diseases and other diseases. It offers graduate students and researchers a coherent overview of sphingolipids, as well as the limitations of current research in the field, and promotes further studies on metabolic diseases, as well as pharmaceutical research on drug discovery based on sphingolipid de novo synthase.

This book presents the best-selected research papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Activity and Behavior Computing (ABC 2021), during 20-22 October 2021. The book includes works related to the field of vision- and sensor-based human action or activity and behavior analysis and recognition. It covers human activity recognition (HAR), action understanding, gait analysis, gesture recognition, behavior analysis, emotion, and affective computing, and related areas. The book addresses various challenges and aspects of human activity recognition-both in sensor-based and vision-based domains. It can be considered as an excellent treasury related to the human activity and behavior computing. 

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the development and status of fintech in China. Occupying core position in fintech development, big data takes on stronger superiority and application value. Meanwhile, blockchain and other technological innovations, which are used to serve data, greatly promote the growth of fintech industry. Furthermore, not only the benefits are illustrated by the authors, but also the financial risks and noise caused by fintech and big data are discussed. By using both academic knowledge and newest real cases in China, this timely book will appeal to practitioners, academics, and policy makers.

This book discusses the emergence of diverse functional organizations in the visual pathway which could be spontaneously and solely initiated by the random feedforward wiring of neural circuits. It demonstrates that the structure of ON and OFF retinal ganglion cell (RGC) mosaics is projected onto V1 by retino-cortical feedforward mapping to induce higher cognitive functions. This book will be beneficial for both theoretical and experimental neuroscientists, as well as for researchers using brain-inspired neural network models.

This book is in honor of Yasuhiko Takahara, a first-class researcher who has been active for some 50 years at the global level in systems research. Researchers and practitioners from Japan and other countries who have been influenced by Takahara have come together from far and wide to contribute their major research masterpieces in the field of systems research in the broadest sense.While the roots of Takahara's systems research are in general systems theory and systems control theory, he developed his research and teaching in diverse directions such as management information science, engineering, social simulation, and systems thinking. As a result, many of the researchers and practitioners he supervised or influenced have established their own positions and are now active around the world in a wide range of systems research.Volume I is a collection of their masterpieces or representative works in the field of systems theory and modeling.

This book presents tools and techniques for the development of miniature biosensors and their applications. The initial chapters discuss the advancements in the development of the transduction techniques, including optical, electrochemical, and piezoelectric, which are used for miniaturized biosensors. The book also reviews several technologies, such as nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, immune-technology, DNA-technology, micro-manufacturing technology, electronic-circuit technology to increase the miniaturization and sensitivity of the biosensor platform. Subsequently, the chapters illustrate the applications of miniaturized biosensing systems in point-of-care monitoring of treatment and disease progression, environmental monitoring, food control, drug discovery, forensics, and biomedical research. Towards the end, the book discusses the advanced applications of biosensors in water quality monitoring, especially on-line detection systems and on-site detection of pesticides, heavy metals and bacteria in water. This book is an invaluable source for scientists working in biochemical engineering, bioengineering, and biomedical engineering in academia and industry.

This informative monograph focuses on the city of Toyota, located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Aside from the fact that most Toyota passenger vehicles are produced there, generally little is known about its reality.Since the 1960s, the city has continuously attracted numerous jobseekers from distant rural areas. Owing to years of stable employment and settlement within local communities, once-new workers gradually build strong ties with their neighbours and actively participate in residential activities. This pattern of settlement provides a unique example of long-prosperous industrial cities, which deserves discussion against a backdrop of the present "e;de-industrializing"e; urban economies.Unfortunately, this favourable situation is now changing, despite the regional economy's steady recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. Addressing this paradox is the main focus of the present book. The upgrading of the Toyota Production System and concomitant widening class disparity are damaging local ties under severe pressure from global competition. Other suppressing factors are driven by sociological conditions, such as aging, declining marriage rates and birth rates. By comparing two sets of survey data, from 2009 and 2015, and performing fieldwork research in two communities that once were "e;new towns"e;, the book seeks to provide an understanding of the present situation of this unusual industrial city. At the same time, a unique theoretical perspective is revealed that does not fit the mould of either the Chicago School or the new urban sociology.

This book covers all aspects and dimensions of tuberculosis affecting the spine, starting from its historical perspective to modern trends in early diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation. This book is a treatise fulfilling all the existing wide lacunae in suspicion, clinical examination, diagnosis, and management of this disease which still dwells as a mystery in modern medicine. It presents very easy to follow management plan algorithms and keynotes for easy and ready reference in each chapter. It describes the recent advances in diagnostic modalities and the treatment regimes, along with controversies, that have been elucidated and concluded with firm and sound references from evidence-based literature. This book also showcases the varied presentations of the disease as per varied socio-economic strata and in different geographic regions along with the different, principle-based approach to the disease spectrum shall be discussed at length. It also includes different clinical settings and scenarios in the concerned chapters. This book is a ready reference guide for postgraduate trainees, post-doctoral trainees, and faculty and consultants of orthopedics and neurosurgery.

From both theoretical and practical perspectives, this book systematically expounds the important theories, key measures and major achievements in the field of poverty alleviation in China, and sums up the important experience of poverty alleviation, it answers the significant question why China has been able to lift itself out of poverty and build a moderately prosperous society in an all round way. China has accumulated experience for achieving the two centenary goals, and contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the global cause of poverty reduction.

This book addresses different methods and techniques of integration for enhancing the overall goal of data mining. The book is a collection of high-quality peer-reviewed research papers presented in the Sixth International Conference on Computational Intelligence in Data Mining (ICCIDM 2021) held at Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh, India, during December 11-12, 2021. The book addresses the difficulties and challenges for the seamless integration of two core disciplines of computer science, i.e., computational intelligence and data mining. The book helps to disseminate the knowledge about some innovative, active research directions in the field of data mining, machine and computational intelligence, along with some current issues and applications of related topics.

This book is a collection of the leading scientific studies, which elaborate on the unique specifics of Central Asia and Russia and dwell on the potential and current contribution of digital higher education to the preservation of these specifics and adaptation of universities to them. In the four parts of this book, the authors determine the contribution of digital education to cultural inclusivity and the development of international education in Central Asia and Russia. The role of digital higher education in the sustainable development of regions in Central Asia and Russia is described. The advantages of digital higher education for the optimization of the labor market and employment of youth in Central Asia and Russia are determined. The current directions of digitalization (EdTech) and their contribution to the increase of quality and effectiveness of higher education in Central Asia and Russia are established.This multidisciplinary book is aimed at scholars from various spheres of science (pedagogics, cultural sciences, law, management, economics, and ICT), for whom the book offers the leading scientific and methodological inventions and developments on the digitalization of higher education in Central Asia and Russia.

This book offers insights into how higher educational institutions and educators have responded to the immense challenges of managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Written by global experts in the field of higher education, it offers a multidimensional overview of the digital transformation, governance, and social justice issues within higher education institutions during the pandemic. It provides theoretical insights and conceptual analysis of the emerging trends in global higher education, the challenges, and possible ways to address them to shape more sustainable, qualitative, and socially equitable higher education for future generations. The book appeals to academics and students engaged in the education community.

In the big data era, increasing information can be extracted from the same source object or scene. For instance, a person can be verified based on their fingerprint, palm print, or iris information, and a given image can be represented by various types of features, including its texture, color, shape, etc. These multiple types of data extracted from a single object are called multi-view, multi-modal or multi-feature data. Many works have demonstrated that the utilization of all available information at multiple abstraction levels (measurements, features, decisions) helps to obtain more complex, reliable and accurate information and to maximize performance in a range of applications.This book provides an overview of information fusion technologies, state-of-the-art techniques and their applications. It covers a variety of essential information fusion methods based on different techniques, including sparse/collaborative representation, kernel strategy, Bayesian models, metric learning, weight/classifier methods, and deep learning. The typical applications of these proposed fusion approaches are also presented, including image classification, domain adaptation, disease detection, image restoration, etc. This book will benefit all researchers, professionals and graduate students in the fields of computer vision, pattern recognition, biometrics applications, etc. Furthermore, it offers a valuable resource for interdisciplinary research.

This book examines the alignment of residential educational aims and university educational aims in order to provide guidance for implementing university-specific residential educational aims. Grounded in a new theoretical model of residential education, Residential Education in university probes into how university students adopt transformative learning through residential halls in different universities. By reviewing case studies, experience sharing, and residential hall models in renowned universities in Asia, U.K., and USA respectively, this book offers a wide perspective to assess different residential education models in practice and useful programs to promote students learning outcomes. The detailed discussion on how to create learning environments and align educational aims of residence and university to maximize learning outcomes in different cultural contexts provides readers with insight into how the residential experience in university can be improved.

This book describes various crisis situations in transitional China, and by analyzing the unique characteristics and backgrounds of emergencies and crisis, it argues that crisis management has become a major challenge for the Chinese governments. It then discusses the chronology of crisis, organizational behaviors and the decision-making processes to construct a modern crisis management system in detail, to shed light on the creation of a strategic design and institutional framework of crisis management in China. In so doing, it provides not only insights into the dynamics of crisis decision-making and communication, but also solutions for possible problems specific to a transitional political regime in China.

This book gives an overview of applications of Machine Learning (ML) in diverse fields of biological sciences, including healthcare, animal sciences, agriculture, and plant sciences. Machine learning has major applications in process modelling, computer vision, signal processing, speech recognition, and language understanding and processing and life, and health sciences. It is increasingly used in understanding DNA patterns and in precision medicine. This book is divided into eight major sections, each containing chapters that describe the application of ML in a certain field. The book begins by giving an introduction to ML and the various ML methods. It then covers interesting and timely aspects such as applications in genetics, cell biology, the study of plant-pathogen interactions, and animal behavior. The book discusses computational methods for toxicity prediction of environmental chemicals and drugs, which forms a major domain of research in the field of biology.  It is of relevance to post-graduate students and researchers interested in exploring the interdisciplinary areas of use of machine learning and deep learning in life sciences.

This book comprises select papers from the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Engineering (AISE 2020). The volume focuses on the recent advancements in artificial intelligence and addresses how it is useful in achieving truly sustainable solutions. The key strands of this book include artificial intelligence in healthcare, IoT for modern life, security and surveillance, big data analytics, machine learning and computing, communication technologies, gesture technology, virtual intelligence, and audio & speech processing. The book addresses sustainability challenges in various computing techniques and opportunities for sustainable engineering based on AI and supporting tools such as engineering design for sustainable development using IoT/AI, smart cities: waste minimization, remanufacturing, reuse and recycling technologies using IoT/AI, industry 4.0, intelligent and smart grid systems, energy conservation using technology, green engineering/technology, robotic process automation (RPA) and water and air quality management. This book can be a valuable resource for academicians, researchers, and professionals working in AI and its applications.

This book features a collection of articles on comparative literature from a translational perspective, with a special reference to translation of contemporary Chinese literature. Issues of translation, dissemination, and reception of translated literature in the context of world literature are the foci of the book. Given its scope, the book appeals particularly to teachers and students of Chinese literature, translation, and Sinology. 

This edited book highlights the molecular basis of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies employed by plants to avoid the stressful conditions. Special focus is given to gene expression, omics and other latest technologies such as CRISPR-Cas mediated genome editing applications for defense related studies in plants. Environmental stresses such as drought, salinity or floods etc. induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes severe damage to cell membrane integrity by accelerating lipid peroxidation. To counteract the detrimental effect of ROS, plants are inherited with an intricate and vibrant antioxidant defense system, comprised of enzymatic (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, guaiacol peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase etc.), and non-enzymatic (glutathione, ascorbate, a-tocopherol, carotenoids, flavonoids etc.) antioxidants, which scavenge and/or reduce excess ROS and improve plant tolerance to various stresses. Stress tolerance in most crop plants is positively correlated with an efficient antioxidant system. Therefore, studying the efficiency of antioxidant defense systems in plants is necessary for facilitating the plant's nature of adaptation against challenging environments. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers and academic experts. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology and molecular biology of plants.

This edited compilation explores role of climate change in plant stresses, their mitigators, their role, mode of action and, application. The book discusses molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in plant stress physiology and the working mechanism of stress mitigators. It collates information from latest research conducted on plant stress mitigators, and highlights new strategies related to beneficial microorganisms that support plants under various stresses.These mitigators have gained attention of both farmers and industry for their application in organic farming. Plant stress mitigators have a huge global market. They follow different action mechanism for enhancing plant growth and stress tolerance capacity including nutrient solubilizing and mobilizing, bicontrol activity against plant pathogens, phytohormone production, soil conditioning and many more unrevealed mechanisms. This book elaborates stress alleviation action of different plant stress mitigators on crops grown under optimal and sub-optimal growing conditions. It addresses mainly three subthemes -- (1) Climate change impacts on plant and soil health (2) Microbe mediated plant stress mitigation and (3) Advances in plant stress mitigation. The book is a relevant reading for Post graduate students, researchers in the field of plant stress physiology, Plant-microbe interaction, biochemistry and plant molecular biology and industries related to seed production, biofertilizer and biopesticides.

This book comprises select papers presented at the conference on Technology Innovation in Mechanical Engineering (TIME-2021). The book discusses the latest innovation and advanced research in the diverse field of Mechanical Engineering such as materials, manufacturing processes, evaluation of materials properties for the application in automotive, aerospace, marine, locomotive and energy sectors. The topics covered include  advanced metal forming, Energy Efficient systems, Material Characterization, Advanced metal forming, bending, welding & casting techniques, Composite and Polymer Manufacturing, Intermetallics, Future generation materials, Laser Based Manufacturing, High-Energy Beam Processing, Nano materials, Smart Material, Super Alloys, Powder Metallurgy and Ceramic Forming, Aerodynamics, Biological Heat & Mass Transfer, Combustion & Propulsion, Cryogenics, Fire Dynamics, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Sensors and Transducers, Turbulent Flows, Reactive Flows, Numerical Heat Transfer, Phase Change Materials, Micro- and Nano-scale Transport, Multi-phase Flows, Nuclear & Space Applications, Flexible Manufacturing Technology & System, Non-Traditional Machining processes, Structural Strength and Robustness, Vibration, Noise Analysis and Control, Tribology. In addition, it discusses industrial applications and cover theoretical and analytical methods, numerical simulations and experimental techniques in the area of Mechanical Engineering. The book will be helpful for academics, including graduate students and researchers, as well as professionals interested in interdisciplinary topics in the areas of materials, manufacturing, and energy sectors.

This book discusses the sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands from the perspectives of Ryukyu and Okinawa. Written in chronological order, the book has 13 chapters featuring 121 documents and maps. The first 12 chapters explain, based on detailed historical facts on the Diaoyu Islands, the rise and decline of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the historical roles of China, Japan, and the United States in the history of the kingdom. The final chapter is an overview of the Sino-Ryukyuan, Japan-Ryukyuan and US-Ryukyuan relations, and further clarifies the issue of ownership of the Diaoyu Islands and their strategic position. The book demonstrates that Ryukyu did not have sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, refutes Japan's claim that these islands were a part of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and reveals the causes and consequences of the Sino-Japanese conflicts created by the United States. The book examines the 500-year friendship between China and Ryukyu, recounting moving stories. Lastly, citing ancient documents and more, the books proves that the Ryukyus never owned the Diaoyu Islands and that these islands belong to China.

This book Food in a Planetary Emergency is a timely overview of the current food systems and the required transformations to respond to the challenges of climate change, population pressures, biodiversity loss and use of natural resources, such as soils, water and phosphorus. This book takes a planetary health perspective which explores the links between natural systems and human wellbeing implying that there is need for united actions to achieve important environmental and population health co-benefits.This book outlines that the foundation of planetary health is sustainability. It addresses environment and climate change emergency as a global agenda, however, emphasises the urgency of the sustainability perspective which integrates a wide spectrum of issues that require integrated solutions to offer better prospects for humanity. This book drives this argument further through the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where food is not just SDG2 but transcends all 17 goals.This book tackles the problems of food production and consumption at a global, industry and individual level linking it to topics related to the natural environment, climate change, waste, marketing, new ways of producing food and providing alternative proteins, mitigating non-communicable diseases, flexitarianism and the role of Generation Z in the emerging dietary choices.This book benefits readers with understanding the importance and intricacy of their dietary choices at a point in time when our planet is facing an emergency triggered by long-term dependence on fossil fuels and artificial fertilisers but also by the ways we have provided food. However, this book also delivers the message that safeguarding and sustaining planetary health is possible.

This book focuses on the modern development of techniques for analysis of the hierarchical structure of polymers from both the experimental and theoretical points of view. Starting with molecular and crystal symmetry, the author explains fundamental and professional methods, such as wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering, neutron diffraction, electron diffraction, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, NMR, and synchrotron radiation. In addition, the author explains another indispensable method, computer simulation, which includes energy calculation, lattice dynamics, molecular dynamics, and quantum chemistry. These various methods are described in a systematic way so that the reader can utilize them for the purpose of 3D structure analysis of polymers. Not only such analytical knowledge but also the preparation techniques of samples necessary for these measurements and the methods of analyzing the experimental data collected in this way are given in a concrete manner. Examples are offered to help master the principles of how to clarify the static structures and dynamic structural changes in the phase transitions of various kinds of crystalline polymers that are revealed by these novel methods. The examples are quite useful for readers who want to apply these techniques in finding practical solutions to concrete problems that are encountered in their own research. The principal audience for this book is made up of young professional researchers including those working in industry, but it can also be used as an excellent reference for graduate-level students.This book is the first volume of a two-volume set with Structural Science of Crystalline Polymers: A Microscopically Viewed Structure-Property Relationship being the second volume by the same author.

This book deals with teacher training for vocational education and training. In individual chapters next to the positions of relevant international organizations, donors and development banks, it also covers selected countries in their ways of shaping of Technical Vocational Education and Training and teacher training. The structure of the book aims at two objectives: To outline positions of important stakeholders of the international Technical Vocational Education and Training policies and international cooperation in TVET teacher training.To discuss the current status of Technical Vocational Education and Training and teacher training in selected countries, from developing countries, countries with emerging economies to industrialized countries.The book is meant to create a platform that supports a reference concept within international cooperation for the further development of Technical Vocational Education and Training and teacher training up to a higher quality and performance.

This volume explains the recent findings on the mutualistic plant-microbe interactions and how they can be utilized for sustainable agriculture practices including land reclamation. The book covers mainly plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) including both the symbiotic bacteria and fungi and their role in mobilization of nutrients, providing protection to the crops from phytopathogens and abiotic stresses. PGPMs play important roles in survival and health of the plant. These useful microorganisms provide plants with nutrients, protect them from pathogens and help them combat abiotic stresses. It is important that these mutualistic interactions between plant and soil microbes are well understood so as to develop reliable products in the form of biostimulants and biopesticides, as well as managing biotic and abiotic stresses in crops. Apart from enhancing crop productivity plant-microbe interactions can also perform activities such as reclamation of degraded lands, degradation of pollutants and remediation of saline or marginal lands.This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, plant scientists and microbiologists. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, microbiology, biotechnology, ecology, soil science and environmental sciences. 

Ferns are representative of genetic inheritance of great value as they include species of ancient vascular plants, which have direct connection with the evolution of plant life on Earth. This volume brings a selection of chapters covering a range of themes on fern biology, its development and growth, useful protocols for propagation and conservation purposes, genetic diversity, as well as medicinal and environmental applications.The content is organized into four parts:   Biotechnology of Ferns Propagation of Ferns Ferns in Medicines  Environmental Regulation This wide spectrum of the contributions provides quick access to information on the enormous potential of this plant group. This book brings together most recent research work and novel techniques, which is far from the traditional perspective usually followed. It is of interest to teachers, researchers, and botanists.  Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, botany, forestry, and ecology.