Synthesis and Operability Strategies for Computer-Aided Modular Process intensification presents state-of-the-art methodological developments and real-world applications for computer-aided process modeling, optimization and control, with a particular interest on process intensification systems. Each chapter consists of basic principles, model formulation, solution algorithm, and step-by-step implementation guidance on key procedures. Sections cover an overview on the current status of process intensification technologies, including challenges and opportunities, detail process synthesis, design and optimization, the operation of intensified processes under uncertainty, and the integration of design, operability and control. Advanced operability analysis, inherent safety analysis, and model-based control strategies developed in the community of process systems engineering are also introduced to assess process operational performance at the early design stage.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY IN CORPORATE GOVERANCE This book investigates the recent applications of blockchain technology in financial services, energy sector, and summarizes regulatory responses, to set the scene for future work on corporate governance. This edited book highlights the current governance framework for the blockchain and its development as a self-governing framework. It discusses blockchain technology's effectiveness in developing solutions for supply chains, trade finance, and banking. Moreover, it shows how banking and financial institutions are the major beneficiaries of this decentralized technology. Furthermore, the book outlines the link between company governance theories, regulatory, ethical, and social controls, and blockchain adoption. It also investigates the recent applications of blockchain technology in financial services, the health sector, and the energy sector. Audience The book is specially designed for researchers, industrialists, engineers, graduate students, and policymakers, who aspire to learn, discuss, and carry out further research into the opportunities offered by blockchain and the possible ways of regulating it.

Since the advent of the internet, online communities have emerged as a way for users to share their common interests and connect with others with ease. As the possibilities of the online world grew and the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world, many organizations recognized the utility in not only providing further services online, but also in transitioning operations typically fulfilled in-person to an online space. As society approaches a reality in which most community practices have moved to online spaces, it is essential that community leaders remain knowledgeable on the best practices in cultivating engagement. Community Engagement in the Online Space evaluates key issues and practices pertaining to community engagement in remote settings. It analyzes various community engagement efforts within remote education, online groups, and remote work. This book further reviews the best practices for community engagement and considerations for the optimization of these practices for effective virtual delivery to support emergency environmental challenges, such as pandemic conditions. Covering topics such as community belonging, global health virtual practicum, and social media engagement, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for program directors, faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, business leaders and executives, IT professionals, online community moderators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Plasmon Coupling Physics, Wave Effects and their Study by Electron Spectroscopies, Volume 222 in the Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics serial, merges two long-running serials, Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. The series features articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science, digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy and the computing methods used in all these domains. Specific chapters in this release cover Phase retrieval methods applied to coherent imaging, X-ray phase-contrast imaging: a broad overview of some fundamentals, Graphene and borophene as nanoscopic materials for electronics - with review of the physics, and more.

The Designer's Guide to the Cortex-M Microcontrollers, Third Edition provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the concepts required to develop programs in C with a Cortex-M based microcontroller. Sections cover architectural descriptions that are supported with practical examples, enabling readers to easily develop basic C programs to run on the Cortex-M0/M0+/M3 and M4 and M7 and examine advanced features of the Cortex architecture, such as memory protection, operating modes and dual stack operation. Final sections examine techniques for software testing and code reuse specific to Cortex-M microcontrollers. Users will learn the key differences between the Cortex-M0/M0+/M3 and M4 and M7; how to write C programs to run on Cortex-M based processors; how to make the best use of the CoreSight debug system; the Cortex-M operating modes and memory protection; advanced software techniques that can be used on Cortex-M microcontrollers, and much more.

With the growing maturity and stability of digitization and edge technologies, vast numbers of digital entities, connected devices, and microservices interact purposefully to create huge sets of poly-structured digital data. Corporations are continuously seeking fresh ways to use their data to drive business innovations and disruptions to bring in real digital transformation. Data science (DS) is proving to be the one-stop solution for simplifying the process of knowledge discovery and dissemination out of massive amounts of multi-structured data. Supported by query languages, databases, algorithms, platforms, analytics methods and machine and deep learning (ML and DL) algorithms, graphs are now emerging as a new data structure for optimally representing a variety of data and their intimate relationships. Compared to traditional analytics methods, the connectedness of data points in graph analytics facilitates the identification of clusters of related data points based on levels of influence, association, interaction frequency and probability. Graph analytics is being empowered through a host of path-breaking analytics techniques to explore and pinpoint beneficial relationships between different entities such as organizations, people and transactions. This edited book aims to explain the various aspects and importance of graph data science. The authors from both academia and industry cover algorithms, analytics methods, platforms and databases that are intrinsically capable of creating business value by intelligently leveraging connected data. This book will be a valuable reference for ICTs industry and academic researchers, scientists and engineers, and lecturers and advanced students in the fields of data analytics, data science, cloud/fog/edge architecture, internet of things, artificial intelligence/machine and deep learning, and related fields of applications. It will also be of interest to analytics professionals in industry and IT operations teams.

Network Science Network Science offers comprehensive insight on network analysis and network optimization algorithms, with simple step-by-step guides and examples throughout, and a thorough introduction and history of network science, explaining the key concepts and the type of data needed for network analysis, ensuring a smooth learning experience for readers. It also includes a detailed introduction to multiple network optimization algorithms, including linear assignment, network flow and routing problems. The text is comprised of five chapters, focusing on subgraphs, network analysis, network optimization, and includes a list of case studies, those of which include influence factors in telecommunications, fraud detection in taxpayers, identifying the viral effect in purchasing, finding optimal routes considering public transportation systems, among many others. This insightful book shows how to apply algorithms to solve complex problems in real-life scenarios and shows the math behind these algorithms, enabling readers to learn how to develop them and scrutinize the results. Written by a highly qualified author with significant experience in the field, Network Science also includes information on: Sub-networks, covering connected components, bi-connected components, community detection, k-core decomposition, reach network, projection, nodes similarity and pattern matching Network centrality measures, covering degree, influence, clustering coefficient, closeness, betweenness, eigenvector, PageRank, hub and authority Network optimization, covering clique, cycle, linear assignment, minimum-cost network flow, maximum network flow problem, minimum cut, minimum spanning tree, path, shortest path, transitive closure, traveling salesman problem, vehicle routing problem and topological sort With in-depth and authoritative coverage of the subject and many case studies to convey concepts clearly, Network Science is a helpful training resource for professional and industry workers in, telecommunications, insurance, retail, banking, healthcare, public sector, among others, plus as a supplementary reading for an introductory Network Science course for undergraduate students.

The Handbook on Socially Interactive Agents provides a comprehensive overview of the research fields of Embodied Conversational Agents Intelligent Virtual Agents and Social Robotics. Socially Interactive Agents (SIAs) whether virtually or physically embodied are autonomous agents that are able to perceive an environment including people or other agents reason decide how to interact and express attitudes such as emotions engagement or empathy. They are capable of interacting with people and one another in a socially intelligent manner using multimodal communicative behaviors with the goal to support humans in various domains.Written by international experts in their respective fields the book summarizes research in the many important research communities pertinent for SIAs while discussing current challenges and future directions. The handbook provides easy access to modeling and studying SIAs for researchers and students and aims at further bridging the gap between the research communities involved. In two volumes the book clearly structures the vast body of research. The first volume starts by introducing what is involved in SIAs research in particular research methodologies and ethical implications of developing SIAs. It further examines research on appearance and behavior focusing on multimodality. Finally social cognition for SIAs is investigated using different theoretical models and phenomena such as theory of mind or pro-sociality. The second volume starts with perspectives on interaction examined from different angles such as interaction in social space group interaction or long-term interaction. It also includes an extensive overview summarizing research and systems of human-agent platforms and of some of the major application areas of SIAs such as education aging support autism and games.

Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Research and Applications presents current theories, fundamentals, techniques and diverse applications of human-centered AI. Sections address the question, "are AI models explainable, interpretable and understandable?, introduce readers to the design and development process, including mind perception and human interfaces, explore various applications of human-centered AI, including human-robot interaction, healthcare and decision-making, and more. As human-centered AI aims to push the boundaries of previously limited AI solutions to bridge the gap between machine and human, this book is an ideal update on the latest advances.

Intelligent Nanotechnology: Merging Nanoscience and Artificial Intelligence provides an overview of advances in science and technology made possible by the convergence of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI). Sections focus on AI-enhanced design, characterization and manufacturing and the use of AI to improve important material properties, with an emphasis on mechanical, photonic, electronic and magnetic properties. Designing benign nanomaterials through the prediction of their impact on biology and the environment is also discussed. Other sections cover the use of AI in the acquisition and analysis of data in experiments and AI technologies that have been enhanced through nanotechnology platforms. Final sections review advances in applications enabled by the merging of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, including examples from biomedicine, chemistry and automated research.

Case Studies in Geospatial Applications to Groundwater Resources provides thorough the most up-to-date techniques in GIS and geostatistics as they relate to groundwater, through detailed case studies that prove real-world applications of remote sensing applications to this subject. Groundwater is the primary source of fresh water in many parts of the world, while come regions are becoming overly dependent on it, consuming groundwater faster than it is naturally replenished and causing water tables to decline unremittingly. India is the largest user of groundwater in the world followed by China and the USA, with developing countries using groundwater at an unsustainable rate. Systematic planning of groundwater usage using modern techniques is essential for the proper utilization, management and modeling of this precious but shrinking natural resource. With the advent of powerful and highspeed personal computers, efficient techniques for water management have evolved, of which remote sensing, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and Geostatistical techniques are of great significance. This book advances the scientific understanding, development, and application of geospatial technologies related to water resource management. Case Studies in Geospatial Applications to Groundwater Resources is a valuable reference for researchers and postgraduate students in Earth and Environmental Sciences, especially GIS, agriculture, hydrology, natural resources, and soil science, who need to be able to apply the latest technologies in groundwater research in a practical manner.

The Handbook on Socially Interactive Agents provides a comprehensive overview of the research fields of Embodied Conversational Agents Intelligent Virtual Agents and Social Robotics. Socially Interactive Agents (SIAs) whether virtually or physically embodied are autonomous agents that are able to perceive an environment including people or other agents reason decide how to interact and express attitudes such as emotions engagement or empathy. They are capable of interacting with people and one another in a socially intelligent manner using multimodal communicative behaviors with the goal to support humans in various domains.Written by international experts in their respective fields the book summarizes research in the many important research communities pertinent for SIAs while discussing current challenges and future directions. The handbook provides easy access to modeling and studying SIAs for researchers and students and aims at further bridging the gap between the research communities involved. In two volumes the book clearly structures the vast body of research. The first volume starts by introducing what is involved in SIAs research in particular research methodologies and ethical implications of developing SIAs. It further examines research on appearance and behavior focusing on multimodality. Finally social cognition for SIAs is investigated using different theoretical models and phenomena such as theory of mind or pro-sociality. The second volume starts with perspectives on interaction examined from different angles such as interaction in social space group interaction or long-term interaction. It also includes an extensive overview summarizing research and systems of human-agent platforms and of some of the major application areas of SIAs such as education aging support autism and games.

Artificial Intelligence Methods for Optimization of the Software Testing Process: With Practical Examples and Exercises presents different AI-based solutions for overcoming the uncertainty found in many initial testing problems. The concept of intelligent decision making is presented as a multi-criteria, multi-objective undertaking. The book provides guidelines on how to manage diverse types of uncertainty with intelligent decision-making that can help subject matter experts in many industries improve various processes in a more efficient way. As the number of required test cases for testing a product can be large (in industry more than 10,000 test cases are usually created). Executing all these test cases without any particular order can impact the results of the test execution, hence this book fills the need for a comprehensive resource on the topics on the how's, what's and whys. To learn more about Elsevier's Series, Uncertainty, Computational Techniques and Decision Intelligence, please visit this link: https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals/book-series/uncertainty-computational-techniques-and-decision-intelligence

Originating from papers presented at the 18th International Conference on Railway Engineering Design and Operation, this book provides up-to-date research on the use of advanced systems, promoting their general awareness throughout the management, design, manufacture and operation of railways and other emerging passenger, freight and transit systems. A key emphasis is placed on the use of computer systems in advanced railway engineering. The included works are compiled from a variety of specialists interested in the development of railways, including managers, consultants, railway engineers, designers of advanced train control systems and computer specialists. Topics covered include: Traffic safety, security and monitoring; Train and railways analysis; Operation of rail networks; Advanced train control; Energy-efficient design; Traffic modelling and simulation.

The Beginnings of Electron Microscopy - Part 2, Volume 221 in the Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on Recollections from the Early Years: Canada-USA, My Recollection of the Early History of Our Work on Electron Optics and the Electron Microscope, Walter Hoppe (1917-1986), Reminiscences of the Development of Electron Optics and Electron Microscope Instrumentation in Japan, Early Electron Microscopy in The Netherlands, L. L. Marton, 1901-1979, The Invention of the Electron Fresnel Interference Biprism, The Development of the Scanning Electron Microscope, and much more.