Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer Nature Switzerland

This book presents 60 selected peer-reviewed contributions from the international conference Physics and Mechanics of New Materials and Their Applications, PHENMA 2023 (3-8 October, 2023, Surabaya, Indonesia), focusing on processing techniques, physics, mechanics, and applications of advanced materials. The book describes a broad spectrum of promising nanostructures, crystal structures, materials, and composites with unique properties. It presents nanotechnological design approaches, environmental-friendly processing techniques, and physicochemical as well as mechanical studies of advanced materials. The selected contributions describe recent progress in energy harvesting and piezoelectric materials optimization, electromagnetoelastic actuators for nanotechnology research, impedance spectroscopy and study of ceramic materials, catalyst synthesis and control of morphological characteristics, synthesis and study of electrocatalysts for fuel cells. The presented results are important forongoing efforts concerning the theory, modelling, and testing of advanced materials. Other results are devoted to the analysis of technogenic raw materials and different material applications in science, technique and industry.

This book presents the fundamentals of exception handling with examples written in C++ and Python. Starting with its history and evolution, it explores the many facets of exception handling, such as its syntax, semantics, challenges, best practices, and implementation patterns.The book is composed of five chapters: Chapter 1 provides an introduction, covering the history, various definitions, and challenges of exception handling. Chapter 2 then delves into the basics, offering insights into the foundational concepts and techniques. Subsequently, chapter 3 touches upon the best practices for exception handling, including the differences between errors and exceptions, the use of assertions, and how to provide meaningful error messages. Chapter 4 takes a deep dive into advanced exception-handling techniques, exploring e.g. patterns, guard clauses, and hierarchical exception handling. Eventually, chapter 5 focuses on the complexities of exception handling in real-time and embedded systems.This book is mainly written for both students and professionals. Its readers will understand the nuances between syntax and semantic errors, learn how to employ try-catch blocks effectively, grasp the importance of logging exceptions, and delve into advanced exception-handling techniques. This way, they will be enabled to handle exceptions effectively and thus write more robust, reliable, and resilient code.

Climate change, COVID-19, Ukraine: it seems that crises are here to stay, which poses major challenges for the financial management of companies. This book addresses these issues, and present concrete approaches to resolving them.Until recently, the past was considered a reliable basis for predicting the future. As this is no longer the case, financial calculation and management models must take uncertainty into account. This affects the entire discipline of financial management, whether it is the valuation of goodwill in accounting, the estimation of capital costs in company valuation, or the strategic controlling of an international group of companies. There are three main challenges to be overcome: first, uncertainty must be integrated into traditional models, then uncertainty must be quantified, and lastly, potential developments must be modelled. This requires not only a deep understanding of the respective field, but also the ability to suitably adapt traditional modelsand techniques. This volume discusses these issues and offers new insights into how financial management will evolve in light of the current developments.

Climate change has put the survival andviability of wine-growing regions at risk. Whereas the implementation of sustainableapproaches was once seen as a source of competitive advantage, it is now criticalto the survival of the industry. Winetourism should therefore aim to minimize possible cultural and environmentaldamage while improving the economic and social well-being of the wine-growingregion. Contributing to the targets of SDG 8, specifically target 8.9: ¿By 2030,devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobsand promotes local culture and products,¿ this book argues that wine tourism canbe considered as a catalyst for the environmental sustainability of wineries. Chaptershighlight the economic, socioeconomic, environmental, socio-cultural impact ofwine tourism around the world, before concluding with a look to the future trendsand challenges. Itfeatures best practices from around the world that wineriesand wine tourism companies can incorporate into their core business functionsto make their operations more sustainable and also showcases how wineries have designedtheir tourism offerings to meet sustainable tourism development objectives

This book provides researchers and policy-makers with legal avenues to enable a just transition to decarbonisation. The focus is on the United Nations themes of loss and damage, transport, nature and youth - across Australia and other economies - to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2030 and beyond. The four themes scaffold discussions about a just transition beyond the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai with the specific issues addressed in this book serving as a starting point for future discussions.

This book covers various subtopics of catalyst research. It provides essential background material on key concepts in catalyst technologies, along with recent developments in synthesis methods. The book delves into diverse areas such as photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, biocatalysis, and heterogeneous catalysis, offering a detailed exploration of their respective advancements, advantages, disadvantages, and applications in different catalytic reactions. It also presents fundamental ideas and overviews of noble-metal-free bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting in alkaline medium, catalytic nitrite reduction, and the utilization of catalysts supported on various materials like CeO2, Nb2O5, ZrO2, TiO2, ¿-Al2O3, SiO2, and ZSM-5 for the removal of high concentrations of nitrite in water. Moreover, the book provides insights into topics such as polyphenol oxidase mimics as catalysts, ferrites nanoparticles/graphene oxide nanoparticles and their composites as enzyme mimics and photocatalysts, electrochemical approaches with basic concepts and materials for hydrogen technologies, as well as recent advances and applications of modified-semiconductor photocatalysts in pollutant degradation. For scientists and researchers, the book offers a wealth of recent experimental and computational results, along with in-depth discussions. Some of the specific areas covered include sphalerite ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized via solvothermal method, incorporating various ruthenium (Ru) concentrations. Additionally, the book explores the modification of TiO2 as SO4/TiO2 acid and CaO/TiO2 base catalysts, and their applications in converting waste frying oil into biodiesel.

Set against the backdrop of a rising population in Africa and the lowering opportunities for white collar jobs, as well as the continent¿s limited access to resources, this edited collection demystifies the interconnectedness between the factors and actors involved with innovation and entrepreneurship development in sub-Saharan Africäs (SSA) informal economy for more effective, result-oriented outcomes.Exposing the underlying motivations that define uniqueness in Africäs innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, particularly in the informal sector, the editors argue that there is a significant knowledge gap that this book seeks to fill, concerning institutionalization, motivational factors and the harnessing of the innovative potentials of Africäs informal sector entrepreneurs and their supporting role in achieving a more sustainable African regionBy identifying patterns of domesticating entrepreneurship theories and showcasing the latest research, the book covers awide array of topics that discuss a multidisciplinary and multicultural perspective to entrepreneurship theory and practices in Africa. In this way the book contributes to the goals of SDG 9 ('Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation') in Africa.

This book assesses the EU legal framework applicable to dairy products obtained through precision fermentation. It maps the authorisation and labelling requirements for these products to be placed on the EU market. It compares these provisions to those governing the food markets in the USA and Singapore, which are considered to be more innovation-friendly. At the time of writing, the precision-fermented dairy sector is still in the developmental phase, with only a few precision-fermented dairy alternatives available on the market, none of which are present in the EU. Regulatory uncertainty has been cited as significant obstacle for food business operators seeking to introduce alternative protein products in the EU. The book confirms these reports, as the current EU regulatory framework presents several legal uncertainties that are challenging for food business operators to overcome. Broadly speaking, there are two authorisation frameworks applicable to dairy products obtained through precision fermentation in the EU. The choice between these frameworks depends on the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or residues thereof in the final product. If such GMOs or residues are present, the pre-market authorisation procedure is governed by the Genetically Modified Food and Feed Regulation (GMFR). If the final product does not contain any GMOs or residues, it falls under the scope of the Novel Food Regulation (NFR), and the pre-market authorisation procedure is governed accordingly. Both of these authorisation pathways entail high regulatory requirements, which can pose challenges for the development of the precision fermentation sector. Despite the difficulty in accurately classifying products, it is crucial for food business operators to comprehend the applicable legal framework early in the product development process, given that the authorisation paths differ in their standards. In addition to pre-market authorisation requirements, companies must address labelling issues. Food labelling shall provide a basis for consumers to make informed choices in relation to the foods they consume. The primary objective of EU food labelling law is to prevent consumer deception , making it crucial for dairy products and their animal-free alternatives, to adhere to a stringent naming law as stipulated in the Common Market Organisation and specific accompanying legislation. Moreover, it is imperative to consider regulations regarding the use of health and nutrition claims, as well as labels such as ¿vegan¿ or ¿organic¿, etc. Furthermore, the labelling of novel foods and genetically modified foods may necessitate mandatory information specified in the authorisation process. The book serves as a comprehensive guideline for food business operators involved in the production of precision-fermented dairy alternatives, aiding them in navigating the intricate European regulatory landscape.

This book constitutes the refereed post-conference proceedings of the 6th EAI International Conference on Innovations and Interdisciplinary Solutions for Underserved Areas, InterSol 2023, held in Flic en Flac, Mauritius, in September 16-17, 2023. The 25 papers presented were selected from 73 submissions and issue different problems in underserved and unserved areas. They face problems in almost all sectors such as energy, water, communication, climate change, food, education, transportation, social development, and economic growth. The papers are clustered in tracks as follows: Intelligent Systems and Security; Blockchain and Machine Learning Algorithms; Sustainable Technologies and Environmental Impact; Digital Learning and Social Adoption; Networking Technology for Social Impact.

¿This book constitutes the proceedings of the 14th International Workshop on Statistical Atlases and Computational Models of the Heart, STACOM 2023, as well as the Cardiac MRI Reconstruction Challenge, CMRxRecon Challenge. There was a total of 53 submissions to the workshop. The 24 regular workshop papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 29 paper submissions. They deal with cardiac segmentation, modelling, strain quantification, registration, statistical shape analysis, and quality control. In addition, 21 papers from the CMRxRecon challenge are included in this volume. They focus on fast CMR image reconstruction and provide a benchmark dataset that enables the broader research community to promote advances in this area of research.

This is the first volume in the CIRP Novel Topics in Production Engineering (CNTPE), a collection of essays addressing novel research areas in production engineering, published regularly in book volumes. Each essay provides a systematization and explanation of a technology, an approach, a process, etc., and covers a novel research area once it has been published in the scientific literature for few years. The essays provide focused and structured knowledge of a defined and limited subject in terms of detailed implementation, a systematic description of theoretical hypotheses and results, constructive and design characteristics for a product/process or experiment, and exemplary applications to real cases. These constitute the background knowledge for scientists/professionals to approach a novel scientific and technological area - addressing background concepts, relevant tools and methodologies, language, and theory.

This is the first book to focus on robotic reproductive cell manipulation. It provides readers with the fundamental principles underpinning robotic manipulation of reproductive cells, including sperm, oocytes, and embryos, state-of-the-art technical advances in actuation, sensing and control for cell manipulation, and emerging automated systems for reproductive cell manipulation. The methods presented in the book are generic and can be translated to manipulating other types of cells, such as cancer cells and cardiomyocytes. Robotic Manipulation of Reproductive Cells will be an essential reference for graduate students and researchers working on small-scale robotic systems for cell manipulation and characterization, healthcare professionals interested in nanoscale, microscale, milli-scale robotic techniques for clinical cell surgeries and assisted reproduction, and engineers developing small-scale robotic systems for biomedical engineering, biology,and medicine.

This book presents the cutting-edge research showcased at the XXXII International Congress INGEGRAF, held in Cádiz, Spain from 21-23 June 2023. It highlights the latest advances in product design and manufacturing, including industrial methods for integrated product and process design, innovative design, and computer-aided design. The book covers a broad spectrum of topics, including virtual simulation and reverse engineering, additive manufacturing, product manufacturing, engineering methods in medicine and education, representation techniques, and nautical, engineering and construction, aeronautics and aerospace design, and modeling.The book is organized into main sections that reflect the focus and primary themes of the conference. The contributions in this book provide extensive information and insights to support the daily work of researchers, engineers, and experts in various industrial engineering subfields. Additionally, the book intends to inspire new research directions, promote advanced applications of the discussed methods, and foster future interdisciplinary collaborations.

This book publishes contributions of the 1st Olympiad in Engineering Science (OES 2023), an international congress and contest aiming to disseminate and evaluate the recent advances in Engineering Science. The book is divided in several parts. In 'Materials Science,' readers delve into nanostructural correlations in thermochromic VO2 thin films for smart windows, as well as microstructural observations of super duplex stainless steel. The 'Marine Technology' part explores riverbed scour, wave reflection, and innovative nature-based solutions for coastal protection. 'Additive Manufacturing and Welding Technology' delves into studies on carbon fiber-reinforced polymers and fatigue properties of 3D-printed specimens. 'Structural Integrity and Structural Health Monitoring' offers insights into offshore pipeline fatigue life prediction and risk-informed decision-making for existing structures. The 'Non-destructive Testing and Evaluation' part encompasses stress monitoring, rail profile measurement, and health-monitoring approaches for debonding diagnosis. 'Dynamics and Vibrations' ventures into investigations on combined viscous and Coulomb damped systems and seismic signal analysis for landslides. 'Materials Engineering' delves into strengthening reinforced concrete members and dynamic properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. 'Building Materials and Concrete Structures' cover topics like minibar reinforced concrete, impact response of reinforced columns, and residual strength of cement-based composites. 'Electronic Sensors and Intelligent Systems' showcase simulations under high voltage transmission lines, synthesis of BaxSr(1-x)TiO3, and antenna catheter modeling. 'Asset Integrity' discusses analytical and experimental analyses of buckling in aluminum columns and I-beams, lateral-torsional buckling capacity, and modulation of fluid streams. Finally, 'Climate Change and Circular Economy' addresses climate-adaptive design, circular economy integration, and eco-innovative concrete applications with recycled materials. This book provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge research and advancements in mechanical and civil engineering, offering valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts in the field.

This book presents cutting-edge research and developments in the field of medical and biological engineering, which a special emphasis on activities carried out in the Asian-Pacific region. Gathering the proceedings of the 12th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering (APCMBE 2023), held on May 18¿21, 2023, in Suzhou, China, this first volume of a two-volume set focuses on biomedical imaging and signal processing, biomedical sensing and wearables, and rehabilitation and neural engineering. All in all, this book offers extensive information on the state-of-the-art solutions and challenges in biomedical and clinical engineering, addressing a broad audience of medical scientists, engineers, physicists and other researchers and professionals.

This book leads students to learn electromagnetism and then moves to chapters about electric circuits. It aims to give an understanding of electromagnetism which gives a fast way to master the features of circuit elements such as resistors, capacitors, and coils that compose electric circuits. The author provides chapters on electromagnetism and electric circuits separately and gives a chapter explaining the correlation between them in detail.In the chapters for electric circuit, DC electric circuits, transient and steady response of AC electric circuits are treated. AC circuit theory is introduced for describing the phenomena in circuits. Theoretical treatments such as branch current method, closed current method, and node potential method are also introduced to show the validity of solution methods that have been used in the book. The book can serve as a compact textbook for lectures, as an introduction for hardware system and electric control systems, and mechanical systems. Chapters for electromagnetism or ones for electric circuits are suitable for a lecture over a semester.

This textbook offers a state-of-the-art description of the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although GERD is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, its diagnosis and management are often challenging. Expert physicians provide an evidence- and experience-based analysis in each chapter.Aimed at primary care physicians, internal medicine doctors, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists, surgeons, and medical students, the goal is to have a comprehensive and detailed easy-to-read book.

This book examines the strategies of regional powers in the Middle East regarding their response to cases of state failure in the region, thus connecting the theoretical concepts of statehood, state failure, and revisionist and pro-status quo interventionist behavior. Through a detailed comparative analysis of five case studies of failed states occurring in the region during 1960¿2010s ¿Yemen (1962¿1970), Lebanon (1975¿1989), Iraq (2003¿2020), Yemen (2004¿2020), and Syria (2011¿2020) ¿ the author employs the conceptual theory of balance of power to analyze the behavior of six regional powers in the Middle East: Egypt, Iran, Israel, Syria (pre-2011), Saudi Arabia, and Turkey toward each one of those cases. The book proposes that when states become failed states, regional powers with revisionist strategies expand into them, which in turn induce status quo regional powers to react by imposing balancing action, and that this power struggle turns failed states into battlegrounds for regional power (im)balances. This book offers empirical and theoretical insights into regional politics of the Middle East over the past six decades, contributes to international policy and security studies scholarship from a Middle East regional perspective, and draws attention to the importance of analyzing the destabilizing and historical consequences of state failures for contemporary contexts.

This book provides a single-source reference for any reader requiring basic and advanced information on wide bandgap semiconductors and related design topics. Focusing on practicability, it explains the principles of GaN and SiC semiconductors, manufacturing, characterization, market and design for key applications.

This collection is focused on industrial energy sustainability and CO2 management, including processes that improve energy efficiency and reduce or eliminate industrial GHG emissions. Topics address technology areas such as clean energy technologies, innovative beneficiation, smelting technologies, process intensification, as well as CO2 capture and conversion for industrial applications. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:· Decarbonizing Materials Processing· Use of low carbon fuels, feedstock, and renewable energy resources for materials processing.· Emerging processes and techniques for industrial CO2 capture, conversion/upgrade· CO2 and other GHG reduction metallurgy in ferrous, non-ferrous and reactive metals processing, including rare-earth metals.· Energy Efficiency & Industrial Electrification· Electrification of industrial process heat and electrified production of energy carriers (e.g., hydrogen, ammonia)· Energy efficiency improvements for materials processing and smart manufacturing for optimized process control· System integration and thermal integration of process heat, waste heat recovery, and other technologies for industrial energy efficiency· Sustainability Analysis· Techno-economic life-cycle, resource efficiency and circular economy modeling of energy-intensive processes and associated material supply chains· The role of energy education and regulation in energy and materials sustainability

This book presents Maingueneaüs notion of paratopia and its application to literary discourse. Unlike most discourse analysts, who pay little attention to literature, the author argues that a discourse analytical perspective allows us to challenge the usual separation between textual and contextual approaches to works. Considered as an impossible belonging, paratopia is a condition of possibility of literature, of the subjects who occupy a writer's position and of the use they make of language. To find their place as creators, writers must elaborate their own paratopia, they must give it shape and meaning. Their works must both construct a certain world and, through paratopic shifters, reflect and legitimise the conditions of their own appearance. Paratopia is an invariant of literature, but it takes different forms throughout history: writers draw on their paratopic potential to appropriate the resources made available tothem by literary discourse in their own time. Today, the development of digital technologies and research on gender prompts us to take a different look at traditional forms of paratopia. The corpus includes canonical and recent texts, mainly from Western literature. It will be of interest to students and scholars in literary studies, discourse studies (discourse theory and discourse analysis), and sociology of culture.

This book analyses gender equality policy implementation in France. Presenting seven detailed case studies through a common comparative framework by leading experts on French gender policy, it sheds light on if, how, and under what conditions gender equality policy in practice leads to success, overall gender transformation, and enhanced gender equality in democratic settings. The book contributes to ongoing comparative research that focuses on the post adoption phases of implementation and evaluation and seeks to develop accurate recipes for gender equality policy success. It will appeal to all those interested in gender studies, comparative politics and public policy, and policy implementation.

Sandy soils cover approximately 900 million ha worldwide, and there are extensive areas of sandy soils under cultivation. Most sandy soils have high water permeability, low water-holding capacity, low ability to retain and exchange nutrients, weakly developed soil structure and they may be prone to erosion by wind. As irrigation is required for obtaining good crop yields, there is a risk of substantial leaching of nutrients and pesticides, and ground water depletion. Due to global pressure on land resources, marginal soils such as sandy soils are taken into production or cultivated more intensely. Sandy soils ¿ as a group of soils with specific characteristics and ecological limitations ¿ have received limited research attention. This books presents the main papers from the Global Conference on Sandy Soils which was held in June 2023 in Madison, USA. This book focuses on novel and exciting aspects of research on sandy soils which is presented into three sections: Distributionand Assessment, Soil Carbon and Soil Health, and Water and the Environment. It presents a global glimpse on what recent progress has been in the study of sandy soil and their properties and management.

This book defines a straightforward way to analyse fictional characters through data. It shows how a data-led approach can produce rich analyses of characters, their surrounding storyworlds, and their authors across time and different types of media. It uses the Marvel Comics¿ character, Doctor Doom as its main case study, and demonstrates the advantages of this approach by comparing the results to those taken from a survey of fan attitudes. It also uses the methodology to analyse the differences between the American and British characters who share the name "Dennis The Menace". Finally, it offers a range of further uses for the tool. All datasets and tools are made available to download, so that other researchers can use the methodology and compare their own results to those generated in the book.

This book uses game theory to analyze the strategies developed in negotiation processes. Offering a detailed analysis of competition and cooperation, it explores various bargaining strategies that result from the application of Nash equilibrium and mixed strategies. Employing a blend of game theory and real-world examples, the authors describe typical negotiation scenarios and unveil the art of negotiation strategy ¿ dissecting both competitive and cooperative tactics.This comprehensive analysis explores the multifaceted dimensions of negotiation, highlighting not only formal aspects but also the economic, social, political, and human factors at play. The authors discuss the basic structures of cooperative and non-cooperative games and conduct a comprehensive analysis of the language games that take place in negotiations. They examine how negotiators belonging to different forms of life can trade with each other when their respective language games are different and prone tomisinterpretation. The book also probes arbitration and mediation as conflict-resolution tools within this intricate landscape. Designed for the curious minds seeking insight into negotiation strategies, as well as students and scholars of diverse fields, this book fosters an understanding of negotiation's labyrinthine pathways. "Dynamics of Rational Negotiation" unlocks the door to negotiation's complexities, inviting readers to unravel the layers of human interaction.

This distinctive book deconstructs the foundational elements of Russian foreign policy from a Russian perspective and with references to Russian sources, rather than the typical Western perspective. The author Olga Raluca Chiriac situates her work at the intersection of strategic studies and cognitive psychology, offering an analysis that goes deep into the roots of Russian strategic behavior, especially socio-cultural elements such as attitudes towards the West, language, culture. She highlights Russiäs unique decision-making process, sometimes overt and other times covert. The book aims to present a mechanism for analysis in both strategic choices and foreign policy, but it also points out that countries and nations are complicated entities, all having a particular historical experience, generational trauma, culture and traditions.

This book aims at meeting the challenge of getting along with today¿s unprecedented rate of innovation supported by disruptive digital technologies, which changed the perception of the productivity and effectiveness and opened a gateway to more than ever dynamic advances in solving the important societal challenges."Disruptive Information Technologies for a Smart Society" is the proceedings book of the 13th International conference for information society and technologies that brings together experts from various fields to discuss the latest advancements in software engineering, machine learning, digital water, and ICT for health and sport.The book and the conference serve as a platform for researchers of all career stages in technical sciences, especially Ph.D. students, practitioners, and industry experts in health care, energy, Fintech, AI, and other areas to share and learn on the cutting-edge technologies and stay at the forefront of these rapidly evolving fields.

This book examines the challenges of intercultural management in sub-Saharan Africa. It presents a case study of Vasco Silva, a Portuguese businessman who established a successful business in Luanda, Angola. After four years of growth, Silva encounters a culture shock due to a wild strike by his employees. He embarks on a deep cultural exploration using the Hofstede 6D model and the Toyota-management tool Genchi Genbutsu (go and see for yourself). Gradually, Silva gains an understanding of effective leadership in the Angolan context, unraveling important features of local culture and initiating an organizational change project. This work contributes to the ongoing discourse in African management literature, particularly regarding the integration of modern and contemporary traditional organizational and leadership concepts. It responds to the demand for descriptive accounts of hybrid case studies of confluencing cultures. Scholars of African management philosophy and business leaders can utilize this case study to explore indigenous African notions in a business setting, demonstrating the performative characteristics of local leadership forms and the adaptability required for success in foreign business environments

This collection explores the methods and challenges of containing corrosive and abrasive materials at extreme temperatures, whether they are used across commodities or technology specific. There is much to be learned from cross-commodity and cross-technology perspectives and this collection creates a platform for the exchange of ideas on the challenges, solutions, failures, and successes in furnace containment designs and applications while bringing together perspectives from industry, design houses, and research institutions. Topics include, but are not limited to: · Advances in furnace lining design philosophies· Advances in furnace design configurations and other design considerations· Problems experienced and their solutions implemented during construction and commissioning· Integration of new concepts into old smelters· Back to basics: refractory materials, shells, and cooling systems· Maintaining and monitoring· Process control and slag design· Lessons learned