This book offers a detailed investigation of breakdowns in traffic and transportation networks. It shows empirically that transitions from free flow to so-called synchronized flow, initiated by local disturbances at network bottlenecks, display a nucleation-type behavior: while small disturbances in free flow decay, larger ones grow further and lead to breakdowns at the bottlenecks. Further, it discusses in detail the significance of this nucleation effect for traffic and transportation theories, and the consequences this has for future automatic driving, traffic control, dynamic traffic assignment, and optimization in traffic and transportation networks. Starting from a large volume of field traffic data collected from various sources obtained solely through measurements in real world traffic, the author develops his insights, with an emphasis less on reviewing existing methodologies, models and theories, and more on providing a detailed analysis of empirical traffic data and drawing consequences regarding the minimum requirements for any traffic and transportation theories to be valid. The book - proves the empirical nucleation nature of traffic breakdown in networks - discusses the origin of the failure of classical traffic and transportation theories - shows that the three-phase theory is incommensurable with the classical traffic theories, and - explains why current state-of-the art dynamic traffic assignments tend to provoke heavy traffic congestion, making it a valuable reference resource for a wide audience of scientists and postgraduate students interested in the fundamental understanding of empirical traffic phenomena and related data-driven phenomenology, as well as for practitioners working in the fields of traffic and transportation engineering.

This book offers comparative studies of the production, content, distribution and reception of film and television drama in Europe. The collection brings together scholars from the humanities and social sciences to focus on how new developments are shaped by national and European policies and practices, and on the role of film and television in our everyday lives. The chapters explore key trends in transnational European film and television fiction, addressing issues of co-production and collaboration, and of how cultural products circulate across national borders. The chapters investigate how watching film and television from neighbouring countries can be regarded as a special kind of cultural encounter with the possibility of facilitating reflections on national differences within Europe and negotiations of what characterizes a national or a European identity respectively.

This book provides new theoretical approaches to the subject of virtuality. All chapters reflect the importance of extending the analysis of the concept of "the virtual" to areas of knowledge that, until today, have not been fully included in its philosophical foundations. The respective chapters share new insights on art, media, psychic systems and technology, while also presenting new ways of articulating the concept of the virtual with regard to the main premises of Western thought. Given its thematic scope, this book is intended not only for a philosophical audience, but also for all scientists who have turned to the humanities in search of answers to their questions.

Best known for "The Piano," Jane Campion is a author/director whose films explore the relationship between literature and cinema. This book mixes cultural and textual analysis of Campion's films alongside consideration of concepts such as context, pastiche and genre. All those interested in Campion or adaptation studies must read this text.

This book presents up-to-date research developments and novel methodologies to solve various stability and control problems of dynamic systems with time delays. First, it provides the new introduction of integral and summation inequalities for stability analysis of nominal time-delay systems in continuous and discrete time domain, and presents corresponding stability conditions for the nominal system and an applicable nonlinear system. Next, it investigates several control problems for dynamic systems with delays including H(infinity) control problem Event-triggered control problems; Dynamic output feedback control problems; Reliable sampled-data control problems. Finally, some application topics covering filtering, state estimation, and synchronization are considered. The book will be a valuable resource and guide for graduate students, scientists, and engineers in the system sciences and control communities.

In this monograph the author presents explicit conditions for the exponential, absolute and input-to-state stabilities including solution estimates of certain types of functional differential equations. The main methodology used is based on a combination of recent norm estimates for matrix-valued functions, comprising the generalized Bohl-Perron principle, together with its integral version and the positivity of fundamental solutions. A significant part of the book is especially devoted to the solution of the generalized Aizerman problem.

Dynamical Systems: Discontinuous, Stochasticity and Time-Delay provides an overview of the most recent developments in nonlinear dynamics, vibration and control. This book focuses on the most recent advances in all three areas, with particular emphasis on recent analytical, numerical and experimental research and its results. Real dynamical system problems, such as the behavior of suspension systems of railways, nonlinear vibration and applied control in coal manufacturing, along with the multifractal spectrum of LAN traffic, are discussed at length, giving the reader a sense of real-world instances where these theories are applied. Dynamical Systems: Discontinuous, Stochasticity and Time-Delay also contains material on time-delay systems as they relate to linear switching, dynamics of complex networks, and machine tools with multiple boundaries. It is the ideal book for engineers and academic researchers working in areas like mechanical and control engineering, as well as applied mathematics.

Cyber environments have become a fundamental part of educational institutions, causing a need for understanding the impact and general principles of ethical computer use in academia. With the rapid increase in the use of digital technologies in classrooms and workplaces worldwide, it is important that part of the training that takes place for students is how to be good cyber citizens, who are ethical in the decisions that they make and in their interactions with others across digital platforms. Emerging Trends in Cyber Ethics and Education is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the application of ethics and education within online environments. While highlighting topics such as computer simulation, corporate e-learning, and plagiarism detection, this publication explores effective ways of utilizing digital landscapes for online education, as well as the methods of improving cyber security frameworks. This book is ideally designed for educators, IT developers, education professionals, education administrators, researchers, and upper-level graduate students seeking current research on secure and educational interactions in digital landscapes.

Industrial Process Identification brings together the latest advances in perturbation signal design. It describes the approaches to the design process that are relevant to industries. The authors' discussion of several software packages (Frequency Domain System Identification Toolbox, prs, GALOIS, multilev_new, and Input-Signal-Creator) will allow readers to understand the different designs in industries and begin designing common classes of signals. The authors include two case studies that provide a balance between the theory and practice of these designs: the identification of a direction-dependent electronic nose system; and the identification of a multivariable cooling system with time-varying delay. Major aspects of signal design such as the formulation of suitable specifications in the face of practical constraints, the classes of designs available, the various objectives necessitating separate treatments when dealing with nonlinear systems, and extension to multi-input scenarios, are discussed. Codes, including some that will produce simulated data, are included to help readers replicate the results described. Industrial Process Identification is a powerful source of information for control engineers working in the process and communications industries seeking guidance on choosing identification software tools for use in practical experiments and case studies. The book will also be of interest to academic researchers and students working in electrical, mechanical and communications engineering and the application of perturbation signal design. Advances in Industrial Control reports and encourages the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.

This book introduces a new set of orthogonal hybrid functions (HF) which approximates time functions in a piecewise linear manner which is very suitable for practical applications. The book presents an analysis of different systems namely, time-invariant system, time-varying system, multi-delay systems---both homogeneous and non-homogeneous type- and the solutions are obtained in the form of discrete samples. The book also investigates system identification problems for many of the above systems. The book is spread over 15 chapters and contains 180 black and white figures, 18 colour figures, 85 tables and 56 illustrative examples. MATLAB codes for many such examples are included at the end of the book.

Franco Ferrarotti here offers a provocative look at the future of a world dominated by mass media--particularly television. He argues eloquently that the art of story-telling, the traditions of oral history, the simple pleasures of individual conversation are being lost, precisely because they embody qualities antithetical to the technological imperatives of mass society--qualities such as time to develop a thought, a thirst for details, patience, and a delight in the unexpected. He asserts that the mental habits prevailing in an age that places undue value on instantaneous images are incompatible with extended face-to-face dialogue.

This comprehensive handbook provides a unique overview of the theory, methodologies and best practices in climate change communication from around the world. It fosters the exchange of information, ideas and experience gained in the execution of successful projects and initiatives, and discusses novel methodological approaches aimed at promoting a better understanding of climate change adaptation. Addressing a gap in the literature on climate change communication and pursuing an integrated approach, the handbook documents and disseminates the wealth of experience currently available in this field. Volume 2 of the handbook provides a unique description of the theoretical basis and of some of the key facts and phenomena which help in achieving a better understanding of the basis of climate change communication, providing an essential basis for successful initiatives in this complex field.

International Perspectives on Theorizing Aspirations offers new insights and guidance for those looking to use Bourdieu's tools in an educational context, with a focus on how the tools can be applied to issues of aspiration. Written by contributors from the UK, USA, Australia, Nigeria, Jamaica and Spain, the book explores how Bourdieu's tools have been applied in recent cutting-edge educational research on a range of topics, including widening participation, migration, ethnicity, and class. The contributors consider how aspirations are theorized in sociology, as well as exploring the structure/agency debates, before recapitulating Bourdieu's tools and their applicability in educational contexts. A key question running through the chapters is: how does social theory shape research? Including recommended readings, this is essential reading for anyone looking to use Bourdieu in their research and for those studying aspiration in an educational research setting.

Everyday consumers buy into the concept of brands and their associated meanings--the perception of quality, a symbolic relationship, a vicarious experience, or even a sense of identity. Marketing Semiotics suggests that the extent to which consumers recognize, internalize, and relate to brand meanings is not only an academic question. These meanings contribute to "brand equity," the financial value of intangible brand benefits that exceed the use value of goods, and impacts upon a firm's financial performance. Therefore, the management of brand equity demands first and foremost the management of brand meanings, or semiotics.
The book uses structural semiotics, a discipline that extends the laws of structural linguistics to the analysis of verbal, visual, and spatial sign systems, to shed light on the cultural codes and discourse of brands. It proposes that semiotic research should form the cornerstone of brand equity management, since brands rely so heavily on sign systems that contribute to profitability by distinguishing brands from simple commodities, from competitors, and engaging consumers in the brand world.
The book includes dozens of global business cases where semiotics has been used to refocus, reposition, or extend the brand to new products, customers, and markets. Drawing upon twenty years of academic and consulting experience, the book provides actionable direction for steering brands through technological and cultural change, differentiating brands in the competitive environment, and counteracting the natural depletion of brand meaning over time.

"Understanding Complex Urban Systems" takes as its point of departure the insight that the challenges of global urbanization and the complexity of urban systems cannot be understood let alone managed by sectoral and disciplinary approaches alone. But while there has recently been significant progress in broadening and refining the methodologies for the quantitative modeling of complex urban systems, in deepening the theoretical understanding of cities as complex systems, or in illuminating the implications for urban planning, there is still a lack of well-founded conceptual thinking on the methodological foundations and the strategies of modeling urban complexity across the disciplines.

Bringing together experts from the fields of urban and spatial planning, ecology, urban geography, real estate analysis, organizational cybernetics, stochastic optimization, and literary studies, as well as specialists in various systems approaches and in transdisciplinary methodologies of urban analysis, the volume seeks to advance the discussion on multidisciplinary approaches to urban modeling. While engaging with the state of the art in their respective fields, the contributions are specifically written for both experts from a broad range of disciplines as well as for urban practitioners who feel the need for new approaches given the uncertainty of current developments.

Intellectuals today cringe when a politician speaks of the Second Coming, the millennium, or the Antichrist. Certain questions naturally arise about those who literally expect the end of the world in our day: Why do they think this? Why do some people believe them? How do their exhortations work to persuade an audience and to move that audience to actions and commitments? These are the motivating questions of Contemporary Apocalyptic Rhetoric, which describes "apocalyptic" as a rhetorical genre of discourse. Barry Brummett first recasts insights drawn from past scholarly and theological studies to demonstrate their relevance to contemporary apocalyptic, then examines a variety of "real" apocalyptic to illustrate the ways in which these rhetorical discourses actually work. The discussion focuses on those strategies, arguments, and stylistic features that are peculiar to apocalyptic and that support its social and political claims. Following an introductory first chapter, Chapter Two describes how apocalyptic rhetoric links a psychological context to an esoteric "grand order" underlying all of time and the cosmos. Chapter Three compares premillennial and postmillennial apocalyptic on three dimensions to show the different approaches they take to reach their audiences. Chapter Four describes specific rhetorical techniques designed to maintain a mystic persona and urge social and political commitments on audiences. The final two chapters apply the author's theories to secular and religious apocalyptic, both premillennial (Hal Lindsey and Ravi Batra) and postmillennial (Francis Fukuyama). Contemporary Apocalyptic Rhetoric will appeal to readers across many disciplines, includingcommunications, religion, sociology, and psychology.

Simulation of ODE/PDE Models with MATLAB(r), OCTAVE and SCILAB shows the reader how to exploit a fuller array of numerical methods for the analysis of complex scientific and engineering systems than is conventionally employed. The book is dedicated to numerical simulation of distributed parameter systems described by mixed systems of algebraic equations, ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and partial differential equations (PDEs). Special attention is paid to the numerical method of lines (MOL), a popular approach to the solution of time-dependent PDEs, which proceeds in two basic steps: spatial discretization and time integration.

Besides conventional finite-difference and element techniques, more advanced spatial-approximation methods are examined in some detail, including nonoscillatory schemes and adaptive-grid approaches. A MOL toolbox has been developed within MATLAB(r)/OCTAVE/SCILAB. In addition to a set of spatial approximations and time integrators, this toolbox includes a collection of application examples, in specific areas, which can serve as templates for developing new programs.

Simulation of ODE/PDE Models with MATLAB(r), OCTAVE and SCILAB provides a practical introduction to some advanced computational techniques for dynamic system simulation, supported by many worked examples in the text, and a collection of codes available for download from the book s page at www.springer.com. This text is suitable for self-study by practicing scientists and engineers and as a final-year undergraduate course or at the graduate level.

The book reports on advanced theories and methods in two related engineering fields: electrical and electronic engineering, and communications engineering and computing. It highlights areas of global and growing importance, such as renewable energy, power systems, mobile communications, security and the Internet of Things (IoT). The contributions cover a number of current research issues, including smart grids, photovoltaic systems, wireless power transfer, signal processing, 4G and 5G technologies, IoT applications, mobile cloud computing and many more. Based on the proceedings of the first International Conference on Emerging Trends in Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering (ELECOM 2016), held in Voila Bagatelle, Mauritius from November 25 to 27, 2016, the book provides graduate students, researchers and professionals with a snapshot of the state-of-the-art and a source of new ideas for future research and collaborations.

In this book, Fattorello addresses the differences between contingent and non-contingent information. The theory is translated into English for the first time and is contextualized and put into a historical framework by Prof. Ragnetti's additional text.

This edited two-volume collection presents the most interesting and compelling articles pertaining to the formulation of research methods used to study information systems from the 30-year publication history of the Journal of Information Technology .

Although journalism has always been an important vehicle of collective memory, it has been neglected in discussions about how memory works. This fascinating book aims to correct that disjuncture, by tracking the ways in which journalism and shared memory mutually support, undermine, repair and challenge each other. How is journalism's address to memory different from that of other institutions? What would the study of memory look like without journalism? And how would our understanding of journalism fall short without paying attention to memory? Bringing together leading scholars in journalism and memory studies, this collection makes explicit the longstanding and complicated role that journalism has played in keeping the past alive. From anniversary issues and media retrospectives to simple verbal and visual analogies connecting past and present, journalism incorporates an address to earlier times across the wide array of its conventions and practices. How it does so and which triumphs and problems ensue in our understanding of collective memory constitute the charter of this volume.

As with all other forms of popular culture, comics in East Germany were tightly controlled by the state. Comics were employed as extensions of the regime's educational system, delivering official ideology so as to develop the "socialist personality" of young people and generate enthusiasm for state socialism. The East German children who avidly read these comics, however, found their own meanings in and projected their own desires upon them. Four-Color Communism gives a lively account of East German comics from both perspectives, showing how the perceived freedoms they embodied created expectations that ultimately limited the regime's efforts to bring readers into the fold.