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Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements in Arid Environments
Global warming has worsened the water resource crisis in many arid zones worldwide, from Africa to Asia, affecting millions of people and putting them at risk of hunger. Effective management of arid zone resources, including understanding the risks of toxic trace and heavy elements to humans, coupled with the need to produce more food to feed the world’s growing population, has thus become increasingly important. This very timely book, the only one of its kind on the market, fills the gap of our knowledge of trace elements in these regions. This book begins by introducing the nature and properties of arid zone soil, followed by an updated overview and comprehensive coverage of the major aspects of the trace elements and heavy metals of most concern in the world’s arid and semi-arid soils. These aspects include: - content and distribution - solution chemistry - solid-phase chemistry - selective sequential dissolution techniques - transfer fluxes - bioavailability - pollution and remediation In order to illustrate the themes, a comprehensive and focused case study on transfer fluxes of trace elements in Israeli arid soils is presented. Finally it closes with the global perspectives on anthropogenic interferences in the natural trace elements’ distribution.
Biofuels, Solar and Wind as Renewable Energy Systems : Benefits and Risks
With shortages of fossil energy, especially oil and natural gas, and heavy biomass energy use occurring in both developed and developing countries, a major focus has developed worldwide on renewable energy systems. Renewable energy systems include wind power, biomass, photovoltaics, hydropower, solar thermal, thermal ponds, and biogas. Currently, a heavy focus is on biofuels made from crops, such as corn, sugarcane, and soybeans, for use as renewable energy sources. Wood and crop residues also are being used as fuel. Though it may seem beneficial to use renewable plant materials for biofuel, the use of crop residues and other biomass for biofuels raises many concerns about major environmental problems, including food shortages and serious destruction of vital soil resources.
Binomial models in finance
This book deals with many topics in modern financial mathematics in a way that does not use advanced mathematical tools and shows how these models can be numerically implemented in a practical way. The book is aimed at undergraduate students, MBA students, and executives who wish to understand and apply financial models in the spreadsheet computing environment.The basic building block is the one-step binomial model where a known price today can take one of two possible values at the next time. In this simple situation, risk neutral pricing can be defined and the model can be applied to price forward contracts, exchange rate contracts, and interest rate derivatives.
Big data and artificial intelligence in digital finance : Increasing personalization and trust in digital finance using big data and AI
This book presents how cutting-edge digital technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain are set to disrupt the financial sector. The book illustrates how recent advances in these technologies facilitate banks, FinTechs, and financial institutions to collect, process, analyze, and fully leverage the very large amounts of data that are nowadays produced and exchanged in the sector. To this end, the book also introduces some of the most popular Big Data, AI and Blockchain applications in the sector, including novel applications in the areas of Know Your Customer (KYC), Personalized Wealth Management and Asset Management, Portfolio Risk Assessment, as well as variety of novel Usage-based Insurance applications based on Internet-of-Things data.
Bayesian reliability
Bayesian Reliability presents modern methods and techniques for analyzing reliability data from a Bayesian perspective. The adoption and application of Bayesian methods in virtually all branches of science and engineering have significantly increased over the past few decades. This increase is largely due to advances in simulation-based computational tools for implementing Bayesian methods. The authors extensively use such tools throughout this book, focusing on assessing the reliability of components and systems with particular attention to hierarchical models and models incorporating explanatory variables. Such models include failure time regression models, accelerated testing models, and degradation models. The authors pay special attention to Bayesian goodness-of-fit testing, model validation, reliability test design, and assurance test planning. Throughout the book, the authors use Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms for implementing Bayesian analyses--algorithms that make the Bayesian approach to reliability computationally feasible and conceptually straightforward.
Basic Python for Data Management, Finance, and Marketing : Advance Your Career by Learning the Most Powerful Analytical Tool
Learn how to gather, manipulate, and analyze data with Python. This book is a practical guide to help you get started with Python from ground zero and to the point where you can use coding for everyday tasks. Python is used in all aspects of financial industry, from algo trading, reporting and risk management to building valuations models and predictive machine learning programs. You will: Get started with Python from square one / Extend what's possible on excel with Python / Automate tasks with Python / Analyze data more precisely
Autonomous driving : Technical, legal and social aspects
This book takes a look at fully automated, autonomous vehicles and discusses many open questions: How can autonomous vehicles be integrated into the current transportation system with diverse users and human drivers? Where do automated vehicles fall under current legal frameworks? What risks are associated with automation and how will society respond to these risks? How will the marketplace react to automated vehicles and what changes may be necessary for companies?
Autonomic and Trusted Computing ; 4th International Conference, ATC 2007, Hong Kong, China, July 11-13, 2007, Proceedings
To cope with the growing and ubiquitous complexity, autonomic computing (AC) focuses on se- manageable computing and communication systems that exhibit self-awareness, self-configuration, self-optimization, self-healing, self-protection and other self-x operations to the maximum extenteven without human interventionor guidance. Organiccomputing(OC)additionally emphasizes natural-analogueconceptslike self-organization and controlled emergence. Any autonomic ororganic system must be trus tworthy to avoid the risk of l- ing control and to retain confidence that the system will not fail. Trust and/or distrust relationships on the Internet and in pervasive infrastructures are key factors to enable dynamic interaction and cooperation of various users, systems and services. Trusted/trustworthy computing (TC) aims at making computing and communication systems as well as services available, predictable, traceable, controllable, assessable, sustainable, dependable, persist-able, security/privacy protect-able, etc.
Authoritative communities : The scientific case for nurturing the whole child
Authoritative Communities: The Scientific Case for Nurturing the Whole Child introduces innovative solutions based firmly in the children’s mental health and resilience literature and in the hypothesis that humans are "hardwired to connect." These "authoritative communities" consist of such individuals and institutions as parents, teachers, coaches, elders, and a variety of organizations that are committed to each other’s well-being over the long-term and who instill children with prosocial values such as empathy and compassion. Living within these communities enables children and youth to develop a consistent sense of purpose and meaning, so that they, in turn, are able to grow up to be responsible, productive, and nurturing adults.
Artificial intelligence in the design process : The impact on creativity and team collaboration
Discusses how to include artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the early stages of the design process. Today designers need new tools capable of supporting them in dealing with the increasing project's complexity and empowering their performances and capabilities. AI systems appear to be powerful means to enhance designers' creativity. This assumption was tested in a workshop where sixteen participants collaborated with three AI systems throughout the creative phases of research, sketching, and color selection. Results show that designers can access a broader level of variance and inspiration while reducing the risk of fossilization by triggering lateral thinking through AI-generated data. Therefore, AI could significantly impact the creative phases of the design process if applied consciously. Being AI systems intelligent agents, the book treats the Human-AI collaboration as a collaboration between human agents, proposing a set of guidelines helpful to achieving an efficient partnership with the machine.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning in health care and medical sciences : Best practices and pitfalls
Provides a detailed review of the latest methods and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in medicine. With chapters focusing on enabling the reader to develop a thorough understanding of the key concepts in these subject areas along with a range of methods and resulting models that can be utilized to solve healthcare problems, the use of causal and predictive models are comprehensively discussed. Care is taken to systematically describe the concepts to facilitate the reader in developing a thorough conceptual understanding of how different methods and resulting models function and how these relate to their applicability to various issues in health care and medical sciences. Guidance is also given on how to avoid pitfalls that can be encountered on a day-to-day basis and stratify potential clinical risks.
Argumentation in multi-agent systems ; Third International Workshop, ArgMAS 2006, Hakodate, Japan, May 8, 2006, revised selected and invited papers
Argumentation provides tools for designing, implementing and analyzing sophisticated forms of interaction among rational agents. It has made a solid contribution to the practice of multiagent dialogues. Application domains include: legal disputes, business negotiation, labor disputes, team formation, scientific inquiry, deliberative democracy, ontology reconciliation, risk analysis, scheduling, and logistics.
Applied mathematics and machine learning
The simultaneous availability of large datasets and high-performance computing capability in recent years has enabled the rapid development of powerful machine learning algorithms. On the one hand, state-of-the-art machine learning techniques have transformed many areas of science and engineering; on the other hand, theoretical discoveries in mathematical algorithms, differential equations, and statistical inferences, to name a few, have provided the foundation for the exploration of new multidisciplinary models for solving practical problems. This Special Issue endeavors to continue the journey that started in our previous Special Issue (Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics) by providing a platform for researchers from both academia and industry, as well as government, to present their new computational methods that have engineering and physics applications.
Anti-fragile ICT Systems
Introduces a novel approach to the design and operation of large ICT systems. It views the technical solutions and their stakeholders as complex adaptive systems and argues that traditional risk analyses cannot predict all future incidents with major impacts. To avoid unacceptable events, it is necessary to establish and operate anti-fragile ICT systems that limit the impact of all incidents, and which learn from small-impact incidents how to function increasingly well in changing environments. The book applies four design principles and one operational principle to achieve anti-fragility for different classes of incidents. It discusses how systems can achieve high availability, prevent malware epidemics, and detect anomalies. Analyses of Netflix’s media streaming solution, Norwegian telecom infrastructures, e-government platforms, and Numenta’s anomaly detection software show that cloud computing is essential to achieving anti-fragility for classes of events with negative impacts.
AI in clinical practice : A guide to artificial intelligence and digital medicine
Explains how artificial intelligence is applied to medicine, illustrating not only its enormous potential but also ancillary issues and the limits and risks inherent in its use on a large scale. The book focuses on the intersection between medicine and AI and its implications on the impact of human health care delivery. Topics discussed include wearable devices, health data, Internet of Things, virtual reality, robotic assistance system, and digital intelligence in the health sector. Additionally, sections discuss diagnostics and decision-making systems and machine/deep learning in clinical setting.
AI in banking : Practical applications and case studies
Delves into the application of AI from theory to practice, offering detailed insights into AI project design and code implementation across eleven business scenarios in four major sectors: retail banking, e-banking, bank credit, and tech operations. it provides hands-on examples of various technologies, including automatic machine learning, integrated learning, graph computation, recommendation systems, causal inference, generative adversarial networks, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, computer vision, reinforcement learning, fuzzy control, automatic control, speech recognition, semantic understanding, bayesian networks, edge computing, and more. this book stands as a rare and practical guide to AI projects in the banking industry.
Agile processes in software engineering and extreme programming ; 8th International Conference, XP 2007, Como, Italy, June 18-22, 2007, Proceedings
Oorganized in topical sections on managing agile processes, extending agile methodologies, teaching and introducing agile methodologies, methods and tools, empirical studies, and methodology issue.
Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming ; 23rd International Conference on agile software development, XP 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 13–17, 2022, Proceedings
Constitutes the proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2022, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2022. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a unique forum where agile researchers, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. XP conferences provide an informal environment to learn and trigger discussions and welcome both people new to agile and seasoned agile practitioners.
Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming ; 22nd International Conference on agile software development, XP 2021, Virtual Event, June 14–18, 2021, Proceedings
Constitutes the proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2021, which was held virtually during June 14-18, 2021. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a unique forum where agile researchers, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. XP conferences provide an informal environment to learn and trigger discussions and welcome both people new to agile and seasoned agile practitioners. This year’s conference was held with the theme “Agile Turns Twenty While the World Goes Online”.
Agile processes in software engineering and extreme programming ; 21st International Conference on agile software development, XP 2020, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 8–12, 2020, Proceedings
This book constitutes the proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2020, which was planned to be held during June 8-12, 2020, at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was postponed until an undetermined date.
