Global inequality has been a burning issue for years now. As the economies progress, it is expected that the benefits of growth will percolate to the lower sections of society. However, this percolation takes place in a discriminating manner. Inequality can be observed in terms of health, income, education, wealth, gender, availability of opportunities, and other socio-economic parameters. The governing authorities and international agencies have been taking various corrective measures to reduce the widening levels of inequality. However, certain external factors like the pandemic can wash away the efforts taken and deteriorate the progress made on the inequality levels in economies. Emerging Trends and Insights on Economic Inequality in the Wake of Global Crises discusses the impact of global disasters and crises on economic inequality. It provides an overview of the evolution of global inequality over the years, increasing different forms of inequalities amidst crises, the corrective measures taken by the national and international agencies, and the way forward for economies with worsening inequalities. Covering topics such as crisis management, digital agriculture, and economic welfare, this premier reference source is an essential resource for economists, business leaders and executives, government officials, students and educators of higher education, sociologists, researchers, and academicians.

Predictive Modeling for Energy Management and Power Systems Engineering introduces readers to the cutting-edge use of big data and large computational infrastructures in energy demand estimation and power management systems. The book supports engineers and scientists who seek to become familiar with advanced optimization techniques for power systems designs, optimization techniques and algorithms for consumer power management, and potential applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in this field. The book provides modeling theory in an easy-to-read format, verified with on-site models and case studies for specific geographic regions and complex consumer markets.

The disciplines of science and engineering rely heavily on the forecasting of prospective constraints for concepts that have not yet been proven to exist, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence. Obtaining quality solutions to the problems presented becomes increasingly difficult due to the number of steps required to sift through the possible solutions, and the ability to solve such problems relies on the recognition of patterns and the categorization of data into specific sets. Predictive modeling and optimization methods allow unknown events to be categorized based on statistics and classifiers input by researchers. The Handbook of Research on Predictive Modeling and Optimization Methods in Science and Engineering is a critical reference source that provides comprehensive information on the use of optimization techniques and predictive models to solve real-life engineering and science problems. Through discussions on techniques such as robust design optimization, water level prediction, and the prediction of human actions, this publication identifies solutions to developing problems and new solutions for existing problems, making this publication a valuable resource for engineers, researchers, graduate students, and other professionals.

This book gives a general introduction to theoretically understand thermodynamic properties and response to applied fields of mesoscopic systems that closely relate to experiments. The book clarifies many conceptual and practical problems associated with the Larmor clock and thus makes it a viable approach to study these properties. The book is written pedagogically so that a graduate or undergraduate student can follow it. This book also opens up new research areas related to the unification of classical and quantum theories and the meaning of time. It provides a scientific mechanism for time travel which is of immense fascination to science as well as society. It is known that developments in mesoscopic physics can lead to downscaling of device sizes. So, new or experienced researchers can have a quick introduction to various areas in which they might contribute in the future. This book is expected to be a valuable addition to the subject of mesoscopic physics.

This book highlights cutting-edge applications of machine learning techniques for disaster management by monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting hydro-meteorological variables. Predictive modelling is a consolidated discipline used to forewarn the possibility of natural hazards. In this book, experts from numerical weather forecast, meteorology, hydrology, engineering, agriculture, economics, and disaster policy-making contribute towards an interdisciplinary framework to construct potent models for hazard risk mitigation. The book will help advance the state of knowledge of artificial intelligence in decision systems to aid disaster management and policy-making. This book can be a useful reference for graduate student, academics, practicing scientists and professionals of disaster management, artificial intelligence, and environmental sciences.

This book presents the current trends, technologies, and challenges in Big Data in the diversified field of engineering and sciences. It covers the applications of Big Data ranging from conventional fields of mechanical engineering, civil engineering to electronics, electrical, and computer science to areas in pharmaceutical and biological sciences. This book consists of contributions from various authors from all sectors of academia and industries, demonstrating the imperative application of Big Data for the decision-making process in sectors where the volume, variety, and velocity of information keep increasing. The book is a useful reference for graduate students, researchers and scientists interested in exploring the potential of Big Data in the application of engineering areas.

This book presents the latest perspectives and challenges within the interrelated fields of econophysics and sociophysics, which have emerged from the application of statistical physics to economics and sociology. Economic and financial markets appear to be in a permanent state of flux. Billions of agents interact with each other, giving rise to complex dynamics of economic quantities at the micro and macro levels. With the availability of huge data sets, researchers can address questions at a much more granular level than was previously possible. Fundamental questions regarding the aggregation of actions and information and the coordination, complexity, and evolution of economic and financial networks are currently receiving much attention in the econophysics research agenda. In parallel, the sociophysics literature has focused on large-scale social data and their interrelations. In this book, leading researchers from different communities - economists, sociologists, financial analysts, mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and others - report on their recent work and their analyses of economic and social behavior.

This book is intended to support the forestry institutions in the tropical countries in the planning, assessment and systematic observation of forests required to fulfill their obligations as laid in international conventions such as the CBD and UNFCCC. Following the Rio Conference, a number of countries, donors and international organizations have implemented capacity-building projects with varying degrees of success. One main reason for the varying success rates seems to lie in the design of technical assistance programs, which have been formulated on the traditional lines of mainly generating forest resources information or transferring technology; whereas Agenda 21 requires fundamental changes in countries' institutions and approaches to planning and implementing the conservation and sustainable development of forests through a process of continuing research and analysis. The book is intended to serve the basic needs of national planning strategies and international and donor support.

Scheduling in Distributed Computing Systems: Analysis, Design and Models intends to inculcate the innovative ideas for the scheduling aspect. Although the models in this book are designed for distributed systems, the same information is applicable for any type of system (i.e., where distributed processing is required). Scheduling in Distributed Computing Systems: Analysis, Design and Models will dramatically improve the design and management of the processes for industry professionals. This book deals exclusively with the scheduling aspect, which finds little space in other distributed operating system books. Scheduling in Distributed Computing Systems: Analysis, Design and Models is structured for a professional audience composed of researchers and practitioners in industry. This book is also suitable as a reference for graduate-level students in management sciences, and computer science for distributed computing system classes.

Is the behaviour of a crowd in an emergency situation predictable? Are the different patterns occurring in pedestrian flow based on common rules? How does panic change human reactions? These and other questions have been the scope of the international conference on Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics. This book contains elaborate manuscripts written by scientists as well as practitioners from various disciplines: architecture, civil, naval and fire safety engineering, physics, computer science and mathematics. There has been considerable progress over the last decade and the central topic of human motion and behaviour has come more and more into the centre of interest, mainly due to increasing computer power and the development of new simulation models. This is the first conference dealing with modelling and simulation of pedestrian and crowd movement as well as the dynamical aspects of evacuation processes.

This book focuses on the transition towards net-zero carbon built environments to deliver on the climate emergency. It provides an evidence-based roadmap and proposes guidelines to achieving targets covering emerging technologies, materials, innovative design, regulations and policies.

For marketers, the internet is increasing in importance. One important marketing issue is how to initiate, develop, and manage relationships with customers through the internet. This holds true for marketing of goods and services, in domestic as well as international markets. This book aims to improve our knowledge on utilization of the internet in marketing. The book will supply theoretical as well empirical knowledge on managing customer relationships on the Internet. This book also contributes to the development of theory to explain the internationalization process of internet firms by proposing that models that emphasize knowledge and network are suitable for this purpose. In doing so, the book answers questions such as:

What types of business relationships are possible to establish and develop on the Internet?
How much face-to-face contact do we need in business relationships?
What are the key driving mechanisms in Internet-based relationship development?

It is a true international comparative management book, including data from Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Finland. The book contains 14 chapters. The evidences supplied in the book are based on research in industries such as health care, bio-technology, information technology, and the air-lines. The contributors to this book are active researchers in the field of internet and marketing. The material supplied in this book is new and original.
*This series: Provides an international perspective to the study of business, with a special emphasis on management and marketing issues
*Deals with such topics as globalization, international business negotiations, cross-cultural communication, entry strategies, doingbusiness in different regions, and future trends
*Also focuses on the development of international business theory, methodological issues, the results of empirical studies and the findings of practitioners

Part anthropological history and part memoir, this book is a unique study of the polity of the colonial-princely state of Kanker in central India. The author, a scion of the erstwhile ruling family of Kanker, delves into the oral accounts given in the ancestral deity practices of the mixed tribe-caste communities of the region to highlight popular narratives of its historical polity. As he struggles with his own dilemmas as ethnographer-king, what comes into view is a polity where the princely state is drawn out amidst a terrain of gods and spirits as much as that of law courts and magistrates, and political power is divided, contested and shared between the raja/state and the people. This study constitutes not only an intervention in the larger debate on the relationship between state formations and tribal peoples, but also on the very nature of history as a knowledge practice, especially the understandings of power, authority and sovereignty in it. Combining intensive ethnography, complementary archival work and crucial theoretical questions engaging social scientists worldwide, the author charts an unusual explanatory path that can allow us to obtain a meaningful understanding of societies/peoples that have historically been marginalized and seen as different. This book will be of interest to students and researchers of history, anthropology, politics, religion, tribal society and Modern South Asia.

This book presents the proceedings from ECONOPHYS-2015, an international workshop held in New Delhi, India, on the interrelated fields of "econophysics" and "sociophysics", which have emerged from the application of statistical physics to economics and sociology. Leading researchers from varied communities, including economists, sociologists, financial analysts, mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and others, report on their recent work, discuss topical issues, and review the relevant contemporary literature. A society can be described as a group of people who inhabit the same geographical or social territory and are mutually involved through their shared participation in different aspects of life. It is possible to observe and characterize average behaviors of members of a society, an example being voting behavior. Moreover, the dynamic nature of interaction within any economic sector comprising numerous cooperatively interacting agents has many features in common with the interacting systems of statistical physics. It is on these bases that interest has grown in the application within sociology and economics of the tools of statistical mechanics. This book will be of value for all with an interest in this flourishing field.

Water Engineering Modeling and Mathematic Tools provides an informative resource for practitioners who want to learn more about different techniques and models in water engineering and their practical applications and case studies. The book provides modelling theories in an easy-to-read format verified with on-site models for specific regions and scenarios. Users will find this to be a significant contribution to the development of mathematical tools, experimental techniques, and data-driven models that support modern-day water engineering applications. Civil engineers, industrialists, and water management experts should be familiar with advanced techniques that can be used to improve existing systems in water engineering. This book provides key ideas on recently developed machine learning methods and AI modelling. It will serve as a common platform for practitioners who need to become familiar with the latest developments of computational techniques in water engineering.

Handbook of Probabilistic Models carefully examines the application of advanced probabilistic models in conventional engineering fields. In this comprehensive handbook, practitioners, researchers and scientists will find detailed explanations of technical concepts, applications of the proposed methods, and the respective scientific approaches needed to solve the problem. This book provides an interdisciplinary approach that creates advanced probabilistic models for engineering fields, ranging from conventional fields of mechanical engineering and civil engineering, to electronics, electrical, earth sciences, climate, agriculture, water resource, mathematical sciences and computer sciences. Specific topics covered include minimax probability machine regression, stochastic finite element method, relevance vector machine, logistic regression, Monte Carlo simulations, random matrix, Gaussian process regression, Kalman filter, stochastic optimization, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference, Bayesian update, kriging, copula-statistical models, and more.

A literary glimpse into the early decades of independent India. Drawing influences from Indian folktales, French existentialism, and the Bengali Hungryalist movement, Rajkamal Chaudhary’s œuvre is like a secret back alley in an old city—not completely forgotten but existing only for the few. Even though Chaudhary also wrote in Maithili and Bengali, it was his writings in Hindi that established him as the bold new experimentalist of Indian literature. His India of the 1950 and 60s is populated with hopeless literature professors, scattered alcohol bottles, prostitutes, hysteria patients, and sell-out painters. His unconventional life and writing place him outside the mainstream, and so he remains as uncategorizable as the characters and lives he wrote about. Bringing together twelve of his most representative short stories, translated for the first time in English, Traces of Boots on Tongue and Other Stories allows a glimpse into the early decades of independent India and its weariness, which many readers will find in today’s India as well.