Evolutionary algorithms and allied fields are getting more visibility as well as familiarity due to their numerous flexibilities such as handling high-dimensional non-linear problems and more. This book will help budding researchers to formulate their research problems, and comprises 10 chapters: three on optimization, five on machine learning algorithms, one on Internet of Things, and one on remote sensing. In Focus - a book series that showcases the latest accomplishments in water research. Each book focuses on a specialist area with papers from top experts in the field. It aims to be a vehicle for in-depth understanding and inspire further conversations in the sector.

This book gives an overview of various aspects of climate change by integrating global climate models, downscaling approaches, and hydrological models. It also covers themes that help in understanding climate change in a holistic manner. The book includes worked-out examples, revision questions, exercise problems, and case studies, making it relevant for use as a textbook in graduate courses and professional development programs. The book will serve well researchers, students, as well as professionals working in the area of hydroclimatology.

In this book, Nagesh Kumar and expert contributors examine and explain the emerging patterns in international technology transfers and foreign direct investment flows (FDIs) over the past two decades. They analyse the trends in internationalization of corporate activity in individual source countries, discussing outflows from both major and emerging source countries. This departs from the existing treatments of FDI as homogenous resource and allows for a more detailed prediction of future outflow patterns. Throughout, the research focuses upon the implications of new trends for developing countries. Kumar concludes by outlining the policy implications for the governments of such countries seeking to mobilize technology and FDI for their industrialization and further integration into the international community. Controversially, he cautions against excessive optimism about the potential of FDI inflows as an agent of development. This book draws together much data and information which is not readily available and provides reflections upon international business negotiations from a developing country's perspective.

The technological capacity of nations is increasingly seen as a curcial influence on their international competitiveness and growth prospects. However, very often technology does not receive due attention in development policy in many developing countries. This volume analyzes the factors that contribute to the technological capability in developing countries and examines the implication these have on policy formation. Key areas covered include: globalization and local capability; new technologies and developing countries; market structure and performance; firm size and technological activity; multinational enterprises and technology imports; and patent protection. The authors intend to redress the balance in the current literature by providing a developing country perspective on the economic analysis of technology and considering affecting policies. This volume should be of interest to researchers in developing economics as well as to those involved with the creation of policy in developing countries.

Multinational enterprises play a vital role in the economic activity of most developing countries. In India MNE affiliates dominate whole sectors of industry - such as plastics and pharmaceuticals - characterised by a high degree of product differentiation, complex technology and high skill intensity. Such advantages, combined with intangible assets, centralised decision making and global outlook lead to a divergence of approach between MNEs and their local counterparts in host developing countries.
This book analyses the inter-industry pattern of MNEs in India in the framework of the internationalisation theory, also examining the comparative behaviour of MNE affiliates and LCEs in terms of conduct and performance. The book goes further to explain the different performance of these two strategic groups by assessing profit and export.

This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Trends and Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (TRACE 2020). The volume focuses on latest research works carried out in the area of water resources and transportation engineering. The topics include technological intervention and solution for water security, sustainability in water resources and transportation infrastructure, crop protection, resilience to disaster like flood, hurricane and drought, traffic congestion, transport planning etc. It aims to address broad spectrum of audience by covering inter-disciplinary innovative research and applications in these areas. It will be useful to graduate students, researchers, scientists, and practitioners working in water resources and transportation engineering domain.

This book comprises select proceedings of the International Conference on Trends and Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (TRACE 2020). The volume focuses on latest research works carried out in the area of water resources and transportation engineering. The topics include technological intervention and solution for water security, sustainability in water resources and transportation infrastructure, crop protection, resilience to disaster like flood, hurricane and drought, traffic congestion, transport planning etc. It aims to address broad spectrum of audience by covering inter-disciplinary innovative research and applications in these areas. It will be useful to graduate students, researchers, scientists, and practitioners working in water resources and transportation engineering domain.

This book gives an overview of various aspects of climate change by integrating global climate models, downscaling approaches, and hydrological models. It also covers themes that help in understanding climate change in a holistic manner. The book includes worked-out examples, revision questions, exercise problems, and case studies, making it relevant for use as a textbook in graduate courses and professional development programs. The book will serve well researchers, students, as well as professionals working in the area of hydroclimatology.

This volume foregrounds the importance of regional cooperation in the context of food security challenges in South Asia. South Asia holds the key to global achievement of SDG targets of ending hunger and malnutrition - it accounts for nearly one-third of food-insecure people on the planet, with every third child suffering from stunting due to malnutrition. Similar food preferences, production systems, and the transboundary nature of agrarian ecosystems call for coordinated action by South Asian countries, complementing national actions dealing with food security challenges. In this volume, leading experts discuss the perspectives of key South Asian countries in leveraging regional cooperation for addressing food security challenges and reflect on the potential of cooperative actions in different areas. The book proposes a ten-point regional policy agenda covering cooperation for combatting climate change, regional trade liberalization, operationalization of regional food reserves, leveraging technology, sharing of good practices, regional institution building, coordinated positions in multilateral trade negotiations, addressing trans-boundary outbreak of livestock diseases, strengthening food safety standards, and the management of shared natural resources. A key volume on accomplishing SDGs in the South Asian context, this book will be of immense interest to policy makers, researchers, and development practitioners. It is also essential reading for scholars and researchers in the areas of development studies, South Asia studies, food security, environment and sustainability.

This volume foregrounds the importance of regional cooperation in the context of food security challenges in South Asia. South Asia holds the key to global achievement of SDG targets of ending hunger and malnutrition - it accounts for nearly one-third of food-insecure people on the planet, with every third child suffering from stunting due to malnutrition. Similar food preferences, production systems, and the transboundary nature of agrarian ecosystems call for coordinated action by South Asian countries, complementing national actions dealing with food security challenges. In this volume, leading experts discuss the perspectives of key South Asian countries in leveraging regional cooperation for addressing food security challenges and reflect on the potential of cooperative actions in different areas. The book proposes a ten-point regional policy agenda covering cooperation for combatting climate change, regional trade liberalization, operationalization of regional food reserves, leveraging technology, sharing of good practices, regional institution building, coordinated positions in multilateral trade negotiations, addressing trans-boundary outbreak of livestock diseases, strengthening food safety standards, and the management of shared natural resources. A key volume on accomplishing SDGs in the South Asian context, this book will be of immense interest to policy makers, researchers, and development practitioners. It is also essential reading for scholars and researchers in the areas of development studies, South Asia studies, food security, environment and sustainability.

Various modeling methodologies are available to aid planning and operational decision making: this book synthesises these, with an emphasis on methodologies applicable in data scarce regions, such as developing countries. Problems included in each chapter, and supported by links to available online data sets and modeling tools, engage the reader with practical applications of the models. Academic researchers in the fields of hydrology, climate change, and environmental science and hazards, and professionals and policy-makers working in hazard mitigation, remote sensing and hydrological engineering will find this an invaluable resource. This volume is the second in a collection of four books on flood disaster management theory and practice within the context of anthropogenic climate change. The others are: Floods in a Changing Climate: Extreme Precipitation by Ramesh Teegavarapu, Floods in a Changing Climate: Inundation Modelling by Giuliano Di Baldassarre and Floods in a Changing Climate: Risk Management by Slodoban P. Simonovic.

Various modeling methodologies are available to aid planning and operational decision making: this book synthesises these, with an emphasis on methodologies applicable in data scarce regions, such as developing countries. Problems included in each chapter, and supported by links to available online data sets and modeling tools, engage the reader with practical applications of the models. Academic researchers in the fields of hydrology, climate change, and environmental science and hazards, and professionals and policy-makers working in hazard mitigation, remote sensing and hydrological engineering will find this an invaluable resource. This volume is the second in a collection of four books on flood disaster management theory and practice within the context of anthropogenic climate change. The others are: Floods in a Changing Climate: Extreme Precipitation by Ramesh Teegavarapu, Floods in a Changing Climate: Inundation Modelling by Giuliano Di Baldassarre and Floods in a Changing Climate: Risk Management by Slodoban P. Simonovic.

Despite the mounting criticism that globalization is encountering, the developed countries continue to lose no opportunity to change the rules of the global economy in their favour, regardless of the impact on developing countries and the poor. This book examines one of the most important instances of this: the rich countries' insistence that the WTO not only launch a new round of world trade negotiations, but that rules which were supposed to be confined to trade issues now be extended by means of new agreements protecting foreign direct investment. What is being proposed would be at the expense of the freedom of developing countries to determine their own policies towards foreign capital in tune with their development policy objectives. The two authors of this book have an intimate knowledge of WTO negotiating processes. They explain in detail the North's relentless determination to give privileged protection to the overseas investments of its transnational corporations. These initiatives have included, inter alia, the OECD's failed MAI initiative, the World Bank-sponsored Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and Agreement on Trade-related Investment Measures (TRIMS). The authors spell out their consequences for developing countries. They examine whether there is any real case for a new multilateral framework on investment within the WTO. And they propose various options for developing countries to resist what amounts to a new form of Western protectionism, including how a development dimension could be incorporated in any new agreement, should the member countries of the WTO decide to proceed with negotiations. This book provides invaluable information and analysis for diplomats and trade negotiators, policy makers and scholars, as well as civil society activists concerned with the impact of TNC investments on development.