This book engages with contemporary, and often polarizing, debates surrounding the risks of adolescent use of digital media and internet technologies. By drawing on multiple research studies, the text synthesizes current understandings of the impacts of social network use, online gaming, pornography, and phenomena, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and internet addiction, to develop recommendations for the effective identification of at-risk youth, as well as strategies for informed communication about online risks and opportunities. It shows how media discussion of risks to children and teenagers from new technology is highly emotive and often exaggerated, rooted in the “moral panic� surrounding new cultural practices that young people engage in, but which adults do not understand. Online risks are thus conceptualized as centering on three areas, specific to adolescence, which have undergone radical changes due to new internet technology. These include young people’s identity, the types of content that are accessed, and social relationships. The author shows how these matters stem from the potential of new technology to establish new interpersonal connections, emphasizing how it brings opportunities, as much as risks. As such, he provides a uniquely balanced discussion of potential dangers, while also emphasizing the opportunities for social, academic, and personal growth which new technologies afford young people. It will be indispensable for researchers and clinicians interested in assessing levels of online risk, as well as scholars and educators with interests in cyberpsychology, social psychology, cyber culture, social aspects of computing and media, and adolescent development.

This book discusses the role of digital technologies in the growth and development of cultural organizations and the creative sector. It includes contributions by authoritative scholars who address this topic through different perspectives, methodologies and approaches. The first part of the volume focusses on theoretical contributions that identify the main transformations caused by the digital revolution, the use of data, outlining new possible analytic frameworks and future lines of research. The second part of the volume presents empirical contributions applied to different fields in the study of the cultural and creative sectors. These range from analyses of traditional cultural organizations such as museums, the evolution of trajectories in the fashion industry, techno-creative communities, digital services for tourism, to cultural and creative industries and wealth and creative work. This edited volume will be of great value to scholars in the fields of Economics and Management including Economic Geography and Economic Development. Students and researchers interested in learning more about new technologies and their impact on cultural and creative sectors will also benefit from this book. This book was originally published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.

• Introduces the principles of system dynamics, and demonstrates them with respect to problems in pavement engineering. • Provides useful models for readers to download and further modify and improve for their own use. • Serves as a practical guide for both students and practitioners to explore systems concepts, and develop insights for sustainable and resilient pavements.

This book argues that the world order is no longer unipolar, and the war in Ukraine proves this fact. As this study describes and theorizes, it has been transformed into a Multipolar World Order 2.0 stage. This title critically examines Chinese, US, Russian, EU, Indian, and a number of other powers’ cooperation and competition over security, diplomatic, economic and cyberspace issues. Accomplished scholars from various regions of the Eurasian continent consider the impact of the Russo–Ukrainian war, the Sino–Russian strategic partnership, China’s relations with the United States and the European Union, the influence of the Belt and Road Initiative, the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Eurasian Economic Union, China’s policies in the Middle East, Central Asia, Indo-Asia Pacific, the South Caucasus, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as focus on details of growing contradictions and collaboration in the Eurasian continent over markets, technologies, digital leadership, vaccine distribution, and financial institutions in the Era of Multipolar World Order 2.0. Showing that the US-centred unipolar world order is replaced by Multipolar World Order 2.0 where conflicting powers fight to keep or extend their spheres of influence, this volume is of great interest to decision makers, diplomats, scholars and students of international relations, politics, global governance, Eurasian studies, Chinese studies, cybersecurity, and economics, and for those studying human security, international organizations, and geopolitics.

This book offers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to relationship marketing in franchising and retailing, especially in areas such as business and marketing management as well as strategic marketing. The topics this book covers include (but is not limited to): (1) relationships in the context of e-commerce within the franchising sector; (2) franchisees with multiple stakeholder roles: perceptions and conflict in franchise networks; (3) why franchisors recruit franchisees from the ranks of their employees; (4) franchisee advisory councils and justice; and (5) determinants of overall franchisee satisfaction. This book is ideal for students, practitioners and professionals interested in Relationship Marketing, Customer Services, and Marketing Communications. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Strategic Marketing.

This book engages with contemporary, and often polarizing, debates surrounding the risks of adolescent use of digital media and internet technologies. By drawing on multiple research studies, the text synthesizes current understandings of the impacts of social network use, online gaming, pornography, and phenomena, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and internet addiction, to develop recommendations for the effective identification of at-risk youth, as well as strategies for informed communication about online risks and opportunities. It shows how media discussion of risks to children and teenagers from new technology is highly emotive and often exaggerated, rooted in the “moral panic� surrounding new cultural practices that young people engage in, but which adults do not understand. Online risks are thus conceptualized as centering on three areas, specific to adolescence, which have undergone radical changes due to new internet technology. These include young people’s identity, the types of content that are accessed, and social relationships. The author shows how these matters stem from the potential of new technology to establish new interpersonal connections, emphasizing how it brings opportunities, as much as risks. As such, he provides a uniquely balanced discussion of potential dangers, while also emphasizing the opportunities for social, academic, and personal growth which new technologies afford young people. It will be indispensable for researchers and clinicians interested in assessing levels of online risk, as well as scholars and educators with interests in cyberpsychology, social psychology, cyber culture, social aspects of computing and media, and adolescent development.

Covers basic and advanced concepts of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing Introduces spaceborne SAR sensors Discusses applications of SAR remote sensing in earth observation Explores utilization of SAR data for solid earth, ecosystem, and cryosphere including imaging of extra-terrestrial bodies Includes PolSAR and PolInSAR for forest aboveground biomass retrieval, and InSAR and PolSAR for snow parameters retrieval

Gives a holistic approach to machine learning and data science applications, from design to deployment and quality assurance, as an overarching cyclical process; Bridges machine learning and software engineering to build a shared set of best practices useful to both academia and the industry; Discusses deployment options for different types of models and data to help practitioners reason and make informed choices. Emphasizes the role of coding standards and software architecture alongside statistical rigor to implement reproducible and scalable machine learning models Key Features: A complete guide to software engineering for machine learning and data science applications, from choosing the right hardware to analysing algorithms and designing scalable architectures. Surveys the state of the art of the software and frameworks used to build and run machine learning applications, comparing and contrasting their trade-offs. Comes with a complete case study in natural language understanding which illustrates the principles and the tools covered in the book. Code available from GitHub. Provides a multi-disciplinary view of how traditional software learning practices can be integrated with the workflows of domain experts and the unique characteristics of software in which data play a central role.

The book Advances in Distance Learning in Times of Pandemic is devoted to the issues and challenges faced by universities in the field of distance learning in COVID-19 times. It covers both the theoretical and practical aspects connected to distance education. It elaborates on issues regarding distance learning, its challenges, assessment by students and their expectations, the use of tools to improve distance learning, and the functioning of e-learning in the industry 4.0 and society 5.0 eras. The book also devotes a lot of space to the issues of Web 3.0 in university e-learning, quality assurance, and knowledge management. The aim and scope of this book is to draw a holistic picture of ongoing online teaching-activities before and during the lockdown period and present the meaning and future of e-learning from students’ points of view, taking into consideration their attitudes and expectations as well as industry 4.0 and society 5.0 aspects. The book presents the approach to distance learning and how it has changed, especially during a pandemic that revolutionized education. It highlights • the function of online education and how that has changed before and during the pandemic. • how e-learning is beneficial in promoting digital citizenship. • distance learning characteristic in the era of industry 4.0 and society 5.0. • how the era of industry 4.0 treats distance learning as a desirable form of education. The book covers both scientific and educational aspects and can be useful for university-level undergraduate, postgraduate and research-grade courses and can be referred to by anyone interested in exploring the diverse aspects of distance learning.

Cloud-based Intelligent Informative Engineering for Society 5.0 is a model for the dissemination of cutting-edge technological innovation and assistive devices for people with physical impairments. This book showcases Cloud-based, high-performance Information systems and Informatics-based solutions for the verification of the information support requirements of the modern engineering, healthcare, modern business, organization, and academic communities. Features: Includes broad variety of methodologies and technical developments to improve research in informative engineering Explore the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain technology, deep learning, data analytics, and cloud Highlight Cloud-based high-performance Information systems and Informatics-based solutions This book is beneficial for graduate students and researchers in computer sciences, cloud computing and related subject areas.

While most discoverability evaluation studies in the Library and Information Science field discuss the intersection of discovery layers and library systems, this book looks specifically at digital repositories, examining discoverability from the lenses of system structure, user searches, and external discovery avenues. Discoverability, the ease with which information can be found by a user, is the cornerstone of all successful digital information platforms. Yet, most digital repository practitioners and researchers lack a holistic and comprehensive understanding of how and where discoverability happens. This book brings together current understandings of user needs and behaviors and poses them alongside a deeper examination of digital repositories around the theme of discoverability. It examines discoverability in digital repositories from both user and system perspectives by exploring how users access content (including their search patterns and habits, need for digital content, effects of outreach, or integration with Wikipedia and other web-based tools) and how systems support or prevent discoverability through the structure or quality of metadata, system interfaces, exposure to search engines or lack thereof, and integration with library discovery tools. Discoverability in Digital Repositories will be particularly useful to digital repository managers, practitioners, and researchers, metadata librarians, systems librarians, and user studies, usability and user experience librarians. Additionally, and perhaps most prominently, this book is composed with the emerging practitioner in mind. Instructors and students in Library and Information Science and Information Management programs will benefit from this book that specifically addresses discoverability in digital repository systems and services.

Written for professionals looking to build data science and analytics capabilities within their organizations as well as those who wish to expand their knowledge and advance their careers in the data space Shows how to build a fit-for-purpose data science capability in a manner that avoids the most common pitfalls Most data strategy works 'top-down' by providing technical solutions to perceived organizational needs. This book uses emergent design, an evolutionary approach that increases the chances of successful outcomes while minimising upfront investment

It is useful to highlight how we rely on historical research on the potential of technology in order to problematize and make sense of the prominent role of technology in the UN's framework for sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The book follows an interdisciplinary approach wherein the contributors come from the disciplines of computer science, law, philosophy, political science, economy, sociology, amongst others.

A very concise guide to a popular programming language, so there is a healthy demand for content which teaches who to utilize JavaScript. The book's broad coverage (paired with being compact) makes it more appealing than competitor's books currently on the market. Compared to online material, it has the benefit of material being presented in one coherent sequence. Author utilizes many years of teaching experience to communicate an effective way for teaching JavaScript quickly.

This new volume introduces various VLSI (very-large-scale integration) architecture for DSP filters, speech filters, and image filters, detailing their key applications and discussing different aspects and technologies used in VLSI design, models and architectures, and more. The volume explores the major challenges with the aim to develop real-time hardware architecture designs that are compact and accurate. Knowledge of VLSI is necessary for understanding today’s contemporary hardware prospects of engineering. It is the process of creating an integrated circuit by combining millions of MOS transistors onto a single chip that is needed for handheld portable battery-operated devices that require efficient, errorless, and low-power arithmetic operation. VLSI plays a most important role in the performance of digital systems, digital signal processing (DSP), image processing applications, hardware security, quantum computing, etc. Especially in DSP systems, the algorithms of VLSI have a number of interesting characteristics that can be exploited in the design of the arithmetic circuits so that they can be implemented more efï¬ciently in terms of computation time, chip area, and power consumption. This volume, VLSI Architecture for Signal, Speech, and Image Processing, provides useful research in the field of computer arithmetic and can be applied for various arithmetic circuits, for their digital implementation schemes, and for performance considerations. It covers how computer arithmetic contributes to the era of quantum computing, hardware security, image processing, biomedical engineering, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and stochastic computing. Prepared by leading researchers in the field of computer arithmetic architecture, the state-of-the-art information presented here helps to provide a comprehensive understanding of VLSI for students, faculty, and researchers in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical and electronics engineering. It may be used as a textbook for courses on VLSI as well as a reference book.

The focus of this book is an application of Digital Twin as a concept and an approach, based on the most accurate view on a physical production system and its digital representation of complex engineering products and systems. It describes a methodology to create and use Digital Twin in a built environment for the improvement and optimization of factory processes such as factory planning, investment planning, bottleneck analysis, and in-house material transport. The book provides a practical response based on achievements of engineering informatics in solving challenges related to the optimization of factory layout and corresponding processes. This book introduces the topic, providing a foundation of knowledge on process planning, before discussing the acquisition of objects in a factory and the methods for object recognition. It presents process simulation techniques, explores challenges in process planning, and concludes by looking at future areas of progression. By providing a holistic, trans-disciplinary perspective, this book will showcase Digital Twin technology as state-of-the-art both in research and practice.

Harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT) for Hyper-Connected Smart World explores a multitude of diverse IoT applications that provide advanced solutions for real-world problems. IoT offers tremendous potential to incorporate data-driven decision-making into every aspect of human activity, and this volume explores its use in agriculture, education, worker safety, health care, energy harvesting, and more. In addition, several chapters explore ways to improve and maintain higher performance in IoT. The diverse selection of topics addressed in the book include network on chip (NoC) as the new paradigm for system on chip (SoC) integration for maintaining high performance for IoT applications; new router designs to increase speed; the challenges of wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs), which have a wide range of applications in military, underground sensing, testing soil traits and moisture content, pollution control and location detection, security, and detection of natural calamities. Various state-of-the-art techniques such as optimization schemes, blockchain, machine learning (ML), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), etc., are also discussed in the context of cognitive IoT. The volume elucidates on the uses of IoT in agriculture, discussing challenges along with solutions with the help of the latest technical smart tools to uplift the farming community, specifically IoT applications for information gathering to improve yield productivity, food and crop quality and sustainability, monitoring toxic substances and soil properties, etc. The book also covers a broad spectrum of IoT applications in the educational industry along with the challenges associated with them and how to facilitate the use of smart classroom technology. A chapter on IoT in the health care industry presents an IoT-based GPS-enabled smart jacket design comprised of smart sensors to monitor heart rate, sugar level, blood pressure, fever, and stress level. The authors also present an IoT-based Peltier air conditioner design that overcomes the limitations existing HVAC framework, a comprehensive review of various energy harvesting techniques to generate electrical power from nonconventional power sources with their merits and demerits, and much more. The book showcases the many ways that IoT can be employed for improvement in many areas of contemporary life. It will appeal to advanced students, practitioners, and researchers working in the field of IoT to integrate IoT with other technologies to develop comprehensive solutions to real-life problems.

Achieve awesome user experiences and performance with simple, maintainable code! Embrace the full stack of web development, from styling with Bootstrap, building an interactive user interface with Angular 4, to storing data quickly and reliably in PostgreSQL. With this fully revised new edition, take a holistic view of full-stack development to create usable, high-performing applications with Rails 5.1. Rails is a great tool for building web applications, but it's not the best at everything. Embrace the features built into your database. Learn how to use front-end frameworks. Seize the power of the application stack through Angular 4, Bootstrap, and PostgreSQL. When used together, these powerful and easy-to-use tools will open you to a new world of possibilities. This second edition is updated to cover Angular - a completely reworked front-end framework - and dives into new Postgres 9.6 features such as UPSERT. Also new is Webpack coverage, to develop the front-end code for your Rails application. Create a usable and attractive login form using Bootstrap's styles, while ensuring the database table backing it is secure using Postgres' check constraints. See how creating an advanced Postgres index for a case-insensitive search speeds up your back end - enabling you to create a dynamic user experience using Angular 4. Create reusable components that bring Bootstrap and Angular together and effectively use materialized views for caching within Postgres. Get your front end working with Webpack, use Postgres' features from migrations, and write unit tests for all of it. All of this within Rails 5.1. You'll gain the confidence to work at every level of the application stack, bringing the right solution to every problem. What You Need: This book covers Postgres 9.5, Rails 5, and Ruby 2.3. You should have some experience with basic Rails concepts and a cursory understanding of JavaScript, CSS, and SQL, but by no means need to be an expert. You'll learn how to install Postgres on your computer or use a free version of it in the cloud.

The decolonization of education necessarily involves a critique of dominant ideologies, pedagogies, and the current organization of education, to be replaced by what, in 1970, Paulo Freire called "the pedagogy of the oppressed." Critical Theory and Pedagogy presents a theory for decolonizing, democratizing, and reconstructing education in order to meet the challenges of a global and technological society. A democratic and intersectional reconstruction of education must build on and synthesize perspectives of classical philosophy of education, Deweyean radical pragmatism, Freirean critical pedagogy, poststructuralism, and critical theories of gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, indigeneity, and more, while criticizing obsolete idealist, elitist, and antidemocratic aspects of traditional concepts of education. Articulating a metatheory for the philosophy of education, while providing a historical genealogy and grounding of key themes, Critical Theory and Pedagogy argues for a democratic reconstruction of education that overcomes traditional, limiting, and oppressive aspects—what Marx and Engels saw as "the ruling ideas of the ruling class" and bell hooks reminds us includes the colonization of subjects into White, Patriarchal Capitalism—and embraces alternative pedagogies and principles suitable for the present age. This project includes developing multiple critical literacies as a response to digital technologies and developing critical pedagogies to meet the challenges of globalization, multiculturalism, and institutionalized racism, classism, and sexism, while promoting radical democratization to counter the trend toward the imposition of a neo-liberal business model of education.

The decolonization of education necessarily involves a critique of dominant ideologies, pedagogies, and the current organization of education, to be replaced by what, in 1970, Paulo Freire called "the pedagogy of the oppressed." Critical Theory and Pedagogy presents a theory for decolonizing, democratizing, and reconstructing education in order to meet the challenges of a global and technological society. A democratic and intersectional reconstruction of education must build on and synthesize perspectives of classical philosophy of education, Deweyean radical pragmatism, Freirean critical pedagogy, poststructuralism, and critical theories of gender, race, class, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, indigeneity, and more, while criticizing obsolete idealist, elitist, and antidemocratic aspects of traditional concepts of education. Articulating a metatheory for the philosophy of education, while providing a historical genealogy and grounding of key themes, Critical Theory and Pedagogy argues for a democratic reconstruction of education that overcomes traditional, limiting, and oppressive aspects—what Marx and Engels saw as "the ruling ideas of the ruling class" and bell hooks reminds us includes the colonization of subjects into White, Patriarchal Capitalism—and embraces alternative pedagogies and principles suitable for the present age. This project includes developing multiple critical literacies as a response to digital technologies and developing critical pedagogies to meet the challenges of globalization, multiculturalism, and institutionalized racism, classism, and sexism, while promoting radical democratization to counter the trend toward the imposition of a neo-liberal business model of education.

This book introduces physics students to concepts and methods of finance. Despite being perceived as quite distant from physics, finance shares a number of common methods and ideas, usually related to noise and uncertainties. Juxtaposing the key methods to applications in both physics and finance articulates both differences and common features, this gives students a deeper understanding of the underlying ideas. Moreover, they acquire a number of useful mathematical and computational tools, such as stochastic differential equations, path integrals, Monte-Carlo methods, and basic cryptology. Each chapter ends with a set of carefully designed exercises enabling readers to test their comprehension.

In Citizenship and the Diaspora in the Digital Age: Farooq Kperogi and the Virtual Community, Toyin Falola examines how the members of the Nigerian diaspora create a virtual community and instrumentalize the digital age to speak about the nation and its failures, possibilities, and promises. This book depicts individuals' relationships with society and how the world's progressive shift toward technology and globalization does not disregard the concept of society and its members. As a result of this shift, people have been migrating to new places without giving up their citizenship in their home countries. This book explores how migrants are focused on the idea of a virtual community, examines how citizens' roles have evolved through time, and displays society's essential principles in this light. Furthermore, it evaluates social commentaries enhanced by the dynamics of the digital age, such as societal issues like education in Nigeria, the question of democracy, challenges facing the country, and the development of a national language. Many of these societal challenges are examined in this book from the perspective of Farooq Kperogi, who has conducted extensive studies and published on the above themes. This is balanced against emerging facts, Nigerians' positions, and disregarded realities. Kperogi's relentless writings on Nigeria make him a preeminent figure whose positions are valuable to the understanding of modern Nigeria.

Final Fantasy VII altered the course of video game history when it was released in 1997 on Sony's PlayStation system. It converted the Japanese role-playing game into an international gaming standard with enhanced gameplay, spectacular cutscenes and a vast narrative involving an iconic cast. In the decades after its release, the Final Fantasy VII franchise has grown to encompass a number of video game sequels, prequels, a feature-length film, a novel and a multi-volume remake series. This volume, the first edited collection of essays devoted only to the world of Final Fantasy VII, blends scholarly rigor with fan passion in order to identify the elements that keep Final Fantasy VII current and exciting for players. Some essays specifically address the game's perennially relevant themes and scenarios, ranging from environmental consciousness to economic inequity and posthumanism. Others examine the mechanisms used to immerse the player or to improve the narrative. Finally, there are several essays devoted specifically to the game's legacy, from its influence on later games to its characters' many crossovers and cameos.

A straightforward, practical guide to the newest frontier in investment strategy—crypto—from #1 New York Times bestselling author and personal finance expert Ric Edelman. Blockchain and bitcoin are here to stay—and as the Bank of England stated, this new technology could “transform the global financial system.� No wonder PWC says blockchain technology will add $2 trillion to the world’s $80 trillion economy by 2030. Indeed, blockchain technology and the digital assets it makes possible are revolutionary, the most profound innovation for commerce since the invention of the internet. And yet, the average investor—and the investment advisors who manage two-thirds of all their money—aren’t aware of all this, or of the incredible investment opportunities now available. Fortunately, Ric Edelman, one of the most influential experts in the financial field, shows investors how they can engage and thrive in today’s new investment marketplace. Featuring the prophetic insights you’d expect from one of most acclaimed financial advisors, The Truth About Crypto is fun to read and easy to understand—and most importantly gives readers the sound, practical advice we all need to succeed with this new asset class. Best of all, Edelman shows how blockchain works, the difference between digital currency and digital assets, and a comprehensive look at every aspect of the field. This book is a must-read guide if you want to achieve investment success today.