Complex Systems occur in an infinite variety of problems, not only in the realm of physical sciences and engineering, but encompassing fields as diverse as economy, the environment, humanities, social and political sciences. The high level of dynamics of such systems, which is usually expressed through the frequent occurrence of unpredictable disruptive events, makes conventional optimizers, batch schedulers and resource planning systems unworkable. Composed of selected research papers, this book brings together new developments and processes for managing complexity. The included works originate from renowned complexity thinkers, well established practitioners and new researchers in the field and detail issues of common interest. This title will particularly appeal to researchers, developers and users of complex systems from a variety of disciplines, alongside specialists in modelling complex issues.

Securing Delay-Tolerant Networks with BPSec One-stop reference on how to secure a Delay-Tolerant Network (DTN), written by experienced industry insiders Securing Delay-Tolerant Networks with BPSec answers the question, "How can delay-tolerant networks be secured when operating in environments that would otherwise break many of the common security approaches used on the terrestrial Internet today?" The text is composed of three sections: (1) security considerations for delay-tolerant networks, (2) the design, implementation, and customization of the BPSec protocol, and (3) how this protocol can be applied, combined with other security protocols, and deployed in emerging network environments. The text includes pragmatic considerations for deploying BPSec in both regular and delay-tolerant networks. It also features a tutorial on how to achieve several important security outcomes with a combination of security protocols, BPSec included. Overall, it covers best practices for common security functions, clearly showing designers how to prevent network architecture from being over-constrained by traditional security approaches. Written by the lead author and originator of the BPSec protocol specification, Securing Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) with BPSec includes information on: The gap between cryptography and network security, how security requirements constrain network architectures, and why we need something different DTN stressing conditions, covering intermittent connectivity, congested paths, partitioned topologies, limited link state, and multiple administrative controls Securing the terrestrial internet, involving a layered approach to security, the impact of protocol design on security services, and securing the internetworking and transport layers A delay-tolerant security architecture, including desirable properties of a DTN secure protocol, fine-grained security services, and protocol augmentation Securing Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) with BPSec is a one-stop reference on the subject for any professional operationally deploying BP who must use BPSec for its security, including software technical leads, software developers, space flight mission leaders, network operators, and technology and product development leaders in general.

More individuals than ever are utilizing internet technologies to work from home, teach and learn, shop, interact with peers, review medical records, and more. While it is certainly convenient to conduct such tasks via the internet, this increased internet presence has also led to a rise in the search and availability of personal information, which in turn is resulting in more cyber-attacks, privacy breaches, and information leaks. Cyber criminals are using such opportunities to attack governments, organizations, and individuals, making it necessary to anticipate, assess, and mitigate privacy and security threats during this infodemic. The Handbook of Research on Technical, Privacy, and Security Challenges in a Modern World discusses the design and development of different machine learning systems, including next generation applications, in order to mitigate cyber-attacks and address security challenges in everyday technologies. It further explores select methods and algorithms of learning for implementing better security methods in fields such as business and healthcare. It recognizes the future of privacy and the importance of preserving data through recommended practice, feedback loops, and smart agents. Covering topics such as face mask detection, gesture recognition, and botnet attacks and detection, this major reference work is a dynamic resource for medical professionals, healthcare administrators, government officials, business executives and managers, IT managers, students and faculty of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

With new technologies, such as computer vision, internet of things, mobile computing, e-governance and e-commerce, and wide applications of social media, organizations generate a huge volume of data and at a much faster rate than several years ago. Big data in large-/small-scale systems, characterized by high volume, diversity, and velocity, increasingly drives decision making and is changing the landscape of business intelligence. From governments to private organizations, from communities to individuals, all areas are being affected by this shift. There is a high demand for big data analytics that offer insights for computing efficiency, knowledge discovery, problem solving, and event prediction. To handle this demand and this increase in big data, there needs to be research on innovative and optimized machine learning algorithms in both large- and small-scale systems. Applications of Big Data in Large- and Small-Scale Systems includes state-of-the-art research findings on the latest development, up-to-date issues, and challenges in the field of big data and presents the latest innovative and intelligent applications related to big data. This book encompasses big data in various multidisciplinary fields from the medical field to agriculture, business research, and smart cities. While highlighting topics including machine learning, cloud computing, data visualization, and more, this book is a valuable reference tool for computer scientists, data scientists and analysts, engineers, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the versatile and innovative use of big data in both large-scale and small-scale systems.

This open access book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in research and applications of Foundation Models and is intended for readers familiar with basic Natural Language Processing (NLP) concepts.  Over the recent years, a revolutionary new paradigm has been developed for training models for NLP. These models are first pre-trained on large collections of text documents to acquire general syntactic knowledge and semantic information. Then, they are fine-tuned for specific tasks, which they can often solve with superhuman accuracy. When the models are large enough, they can be instructed by prompts to solve new tasks without any fine-tuning. Moreover, they can be applied to a wide range of different media and problem domains, ranging from image and video processing to robot control learning. Because they provide a blueprint for solving many tasks in artificial intelligence, they have been called Foundation Models.  After a brief introduction to basic NLP models the main pre-trained language models BERT, GPT and sequence-to-sequence transformer are described, as well as the concepts of self-attention and context-sensitive embedding. Then, different approaches to improving these models are discussed, such as expanding the pre-training criteria, increasing the length of input texts, or including extra knowledge. An overview of the best-performing models for about twenty application areas is then presented, e.g., question answering, translation, story generation, dialog systems, generating images from text, etc. For each application area, the strengths and weaknesses of current models are discussed, and an outlook on further developments is given. In addition, links are provided to freely available program code. A concluding chapter summarizes the economic opportunities, mitigation of risks, and potential developments of AI.

Capturing, recording and broadcasting the voice is often difficult. Many factors must be taken into account and achieving a true representation is much more complex than one might think. The capture devices such as the position of the singer(s) or narrator(s), the acoustics, atmosphere and equipment are just some of the physical aspects that need to be mastered. Then there is the passage through the analog or digital channel, which disrupts the audio signal, as well as the processes that are often required to enrich, improve or even transform the vocal timbre and tessitura. While in the past these processes were purely material, today digital technologies and software produce surprising results that every professional in recording and broadcasting should know how to master. Recording and Voice Processing 1 addresses some general theoretical concepts. A history of recording and the physiology of the vocal apparatus are detailed in order to give the reader an understanding of the fundamental aspects of the subject. This volume also includes an advanced study of microphones, addressing their characteristics and typologies. The acoustic environment and its treatment are also considered in terms of the location of the sound capture - whether in a home studio, recording studio, live or natural environment - in order to achieve a satisfactory sound recording.

Advances in Nonvolatile Memory and Storage Technology, Second Edition, addresses recent developments in the non-volatile memory spectrum, from fundamental understanding, to technological aspects. The book provides up-to-date information on the current memory technologies as related by leading experts in both academia and industry. To reflect the rapidly changing field, many new chapters have been included to feature the latest in RRAM technology, STT-RAM, memristors and more. The new edition describes the emerging technologies including oxide-based ferroelectric memories, MRAM technologies, and 3D memory. Finally, to further widen the discussion on the applications space, neuromorphic computing aspects have been included. This book is a key resource for postgraduate students and academic researchers in physics, materials science and electrical engineering. In addition, it will be a valuable tool for research and development managers concerned with electronics, semiconductors, nanotechnology, solid-state memories, magnetic materials, organic materials and portable electronic devices.

Numerical Modeling of Masonry and Historical Structures: From Theory to Application provides detailed information on the theoretical background and practical guidelines for numerical modeling of unreinforced and reinforced (strengthened) masonry and historical structures. The book consists of four main sections, covering seismic vulnerability analysis of masonry and historical structures, numerical modeling of unreinforced masonry, numerical modeling of FRP-strengthened masonry, and numerical modeling of TRM-strengthened masonry. Each section reflects the theoretical background and current state-of-the art, providing practical guidelines for simulations and the use of input parameters.

Many professional fields have been affected by the rapid growth of technology and information. Included in this are the business and management markets as the implementation of e-commerce and cloud computing have caused enterprises to make considerable changes to their practices. With the swift advancement of this technology, professionals need proper research that provides solutions to the various issues that come with data integration and shifting to a technology-driven environment. Cloud Computing Applications and Techniques for E-Commerce is an essential reference source that discusses the implementation of data and cloud technology within the fields of business and information management. Featuring research on topics such as content delivery networks, virtualization, and software resources, this book is ideally designed for managers, educators, administrators, researchers, computer scientists, business practitioners, economists, information analysists, sociologists, and students seeking coverage on the recent advancements of e-commerce using cloud computing techniques.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations and individuals to embrace new practices such as social distancing and remote working. During these unprecedented times, many have increasingly relied on the internet for work, shopping, and healthcare. However, while the world focuses on the health and economic threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber criminals are capitalizing on this crisis as the world has become more digitally dependent and vulnerable than ever. Cybersecurity Crisis Management and Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic provides cutting-edge research on the best guidelines for preventing, detecting, and responding to cyber threats within educational, business, health, and governmental organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It further highlights the importance of focusing on cybersecurity within organizational crisis management. Covering topics such as privacy and healthcare, remote work, and personal health data, this premier reference source is an indispensable resource for startup companies, health and business executives, ICT procurement managers, IT professionals, libraries, students and educators of higher education, entrepreneurs, government officials, social media experts, researchers, and academicians.

Recent advances in information and communication technologies have enhanced the standards of metropolitan planning and development. With the increase in mobile communication, this will help to deliver innovative new services and apps in the field of urban e-planning. New Approaches, Methods, and Tools in Urban E-Planning is a key resource for the latest academic research on recent innovations in urban e-planning, citizen e-participation, the use of social media, and new forms of data collection and idea generation for urban planning. Presenting broad coverage among a variety of pertinent views and themes such as ethnography, e-consultation, and civic engagement, this book is ideally designed for planners, policymakers, researchers, and graduate students interested in how recent technological advancements are enhancing the traditional practices in e-planning.

Feature Extraction for Image Processing and Computer Vision is an essential guide to the implementation of image processing and computer vision techniques, with tutorial introductions and sample code in MATLAB and Python. Algorithms are presented and fully explained to enable complete understanding of the methods and techniques demonstrated. As one reviewer noted, "The main strength of the proposed book is the link between theory and exemplar code of the algorithms." Essential background theory is carefully explained. This text gives students and researchers in image processing and computer vision a complete introduction to classic and state-of-the art methods in feature extraction together with practical guidance on their implementation.

The internet of things (IoT) has had a major impact on academic and industrial fields. Applying these technologies to healthcare systems reduces medical costs while enriching the patient-centric approach to medicine, allowing for better overall healthcare proficiency. However, usage of IoT in healthcare is still suffering from significant challenges with respect to the cost and accuracy of medical sensors, non-standard IoT system architectures, assorted wearable devices, the huge volume of generated data, and interoperability issues. Incorporating the Internet of Things in Healthcare Applications and Wearable Devices is an essential publication that examines existing challenges and provides solutions for building smart healthcare systems with the latest IoT-enabled technology and addresses how IoT improves the proficiency of healthcare with respect to wireless sensor networks. While highlighting topics including mobility management, sensor integration, and data analytics, this book is ideally designed for computer scientists, bioinformatics analysts, doctors, nurses, hospital executives, medical students, IT specialists, software developers, computer engineers, industry professionals, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on how these emerging wireless technologies improve efficiency within the healthcare domain.