Books published by Springer Nature Singapore

This book comprises select proceedings of the 5th National Conference on Reliability and Safety (NCRS 2022). It provides comprehensive state-of-the-art research and development in diverse areas like reliability prediction, precursor event analysis, fuzzy reliability, structural reliability, passive system reliability, digital system reliability, risk informed approach to decision making, dynamic PSA, uncertainty and sensitivity modeling, among others. The book is a valuable resource for researchers and professionals working in both academia and industry in the areas of complex systems, safety critical systems and risk-based engineering.

This book provides a comprehensive insight into the growth of nanotechnology in the agri-food industry. Currently, nanotechnology serves as the most promising means to resolve the issues encountered in the food sector, as it enables the production of high-quality food with exceptional characteristics such as extended shelf life, flavor, freshness, and high nutritional content. This book focuses on the applications of nanotechnology in various fields such as smart packaging, processing, and preservation of food. It also emphasizes the role of nanomaterials in strategic design of nutraceuticals and functional foods. Along with providing an overview of the innovations and application, this book also describes future perspectives, and offers insights to ensure consumer confidence in terms of safe use. In this context the application of nanomaterials as nanosensors is additional covered. The book provides readers with a deep knowledge regarding nanomaterials-based biosensors (colorimetric,electrochemical, fiber-based) for detection of pathogens in contaminated food. Factors affecting risk assessment regulations and safety concerns regarding the use of nanomaterials in food industry have also been discussed in detail. Given its scope, this book appeals to a wider readership, especially for researchers and students who work in food agronomy and nanomaterials and nanotechnology related fields.

This book contributes to growing literature on the role of business groups in the development of corporate sector and contains perspectives from the Indian economy. It brings together an array of well-researched papers that provide a comprehensive understanding of evolution and nature of the Indian business groups, as well as various aspects of their functioning. All chapters are primarily empirical, use appropriate quantitative techniques and are strongly grounded in relevant theories. This fine combination of data, techniques and theories is expected to provide the reader with in-depth understanding of the complex structures and behaviour of firms affiliated to business groups. Readers interested in the Indian corporate sector, especially Indian business groups, will find the book useful.

This book represents a significant step toward a new contribution in the process of developing the seismic vulnerability index. This is accomplished by releasing or reducing the role of the rapid visual screening that is created by the opinions and decisions of experts, which depend on observations made while investigating the vulnerability damages caused by earthquakes. Alternatively, the computational analytical technique is preferable since it can be effective in determining the seismic vulnerability index before the occurrence of an earthquake by modeling the most affected influencing parameters that regulate the building performance. In addition, the seismic vulnerability index is supported by the vulnerability curves, which describe the probability of damages and are used to estimate the economic damage grade for each building which is the topic of inquiry. In the end, this helps to establish a clear vision and sort of recommendations for engineers and specialists to follow inorder to take into consideration certain indices and factors before designing any specific structure. Because of this, the simplified work is utilized to manage and put into action measures that will protect against the effects of seismic events before an earthquake really occurs. In addition to this benefit, the work that has been done is of significant assistance to the authorities that are accountable for the restoration of the preexisting buildings and the cultural heritages.

Mycorrhiza in agroecosystem restoration is a groundbreaking book that sheds light on the critical role of mycorrhiza in restoring agroecosystems. This book comprehensively overviews the latest research findings, methodologies, and techniques for mycorrhizal management in agricultural systems. It serves as an essential guide for researchers, professionals, and students interested in understanding the importance of mycorrhizae in agroecosystem restoration.The book covers a broad range of topics related to mycorrhizae, including the ecological and economic significance of mycorrhiza in agricultural systems, the diversity of mycorrhizal associations, the role of mycorrhizae in plant nutrition, and the application of mycorrhizae in agroecosystem restoration. The book critically analyzes the current state of mycorrhizal research, highlighting the gaps and challenges in our understanding of mycorrhizae and their role in agroecosystem restoration.The authors ofthis book are leading experts in the field of mycorrhizal research, with extensive experience in studying mycorrhizae in agricultural systems. They bring their expertise and knowledge to this book, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the importance of mycorrhizae in agroecosystem restoration.Mycorrhiza in agroecosystem restoration is a timely contribution to the field of mycorrhizal research. With the growing recognition of the importance of mycorrhizae in sustainable agriculture, this book is a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, and students interested in understanding the potential of mycorrhizae in agroecosystem restoration.This book provides readers with a deep understanding of the mechanisms of mycorrhizal symbiosis and their impact on plant growth and development. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the impact of mycorrhizae on soil structure and fertility, the use of mycorrhizal inoculants in crop production, and the role of mycorrhizae in the restoration of degraded agroecosystems.¿Mycorrhiza in Agroecosystem Restoration¿ is a must-read for anyone interested in the potential of mycorrhizae in sustainable agriculture. With its comprehensive coverage of the latest research findings and methodologies, this book is an essential guide for researchers, professionals, and students alike. The authors¿ expertise and knowledge make this book valuable for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of mycorrhizae and their role in agroecosystem restoration.

This contributed volume focuses on the latest innovations in the field of marine microbiology. Marine ecosystems are dynamic natural resources and home to very primitive life forms. They include open sea, deep sea, coastal marine ecosystem mudflats, seagrass meadows, mangroves, and rocky intertidal systems. This book deals with the various aspects of marine microbiology including diverse habitats, associated microorganisms, their adaptations, ecological interactions, biogeochemical cycling, and industrial applications. It also discusses the issue of pollution in oceans and put forward available strategies for its eco-friendly solution. In recent years, extensive research, advanced methodologies, and high-throughput instrumentation have resulted in voluminous data and information that require proper compilation and worldwide sharing. From this perspective, the book is a perfect documentation of primary and secondary data-based information on the latest research findings, case studies, experiences, and innovations in the field of marine microbiology. The book is of great use to students, researchers and professionals studying marine sciences.

This book delves deeply into the substrate integrated suspended line antenna technologies and evaluates its potential to replace conventional three-dimensional (3D) metal-based antennas. Over the years, studies on substrate integrated suspended line antennas have captivated engineers and scientists from the antennas and related engineering fields, all aiming to achieve low-cost and low-loss characteristics. The book establishes a fundamental framework for this topic, while emphasizing the importance of substrate integrated suspended line antennas in the wireless communication and radar systems. It is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in antenna technology, researchers investigating substrate integrated technology, and antenna engineers working on low-cost and low-loss antennas and arrays.

This book discusses human reliability programs (HRPs) and their various elements, including safety and security case studies. The topics covered include significance and vulnerability aspects of human reliability and sustainable HRP, including case studies and lessons learned, methodologies used for human reliability analysis, and good practices of HRPs from various industries. Human reliability is widely used in fields requiring high standards of safety, such as the aviation, petroleum and chemical process, and nuclear industries. The book showcases contributions on the topic from experts in the field of technology, design, aviation, and nuclear industries. The book can be a valuable reference for researchers and professionals interested in HRP to ensure safety and security in industries.

This dictionary contains nearly 1500 entries and constitutes a core of essential knowledge on Chinese culture in a systematized and modernized form. It offers a professional yet highly readable introduction to Chinese culture for a global academic audience. Organized by subject and keyword, the book is divided into six sections: philosophy and ideology, social governance, literature and history, art and aesthetics, humanities and geography, and artefacts and technology. It contains both core knowledge and diversified information, while covering both historical and contemporary aspects.The target audience chiefly includes sinologists and translators of Chinese books. The dictionary provides the latest information on the full range of Chinese knowledge, an accurate interpretation of Chinese culture, a logically arranged and accessible reference framework and a panoramic experience across the breadth of the subject. It enables readers to grasp the patterns of Chinese culture and its knowledge systems, while also gaining a deeper understanding of contemporary Chinese life.

This book discusses computational methods related to biological models using mathematical tools and techniques. The book chapters concentrate on numerical and analytical techniques that provide a global solution for biological models while keeping long-term benefits in mind. The solutions are useful in closely understanding biological models, and the results will be very useful for mathematicians, engineers, doctors, scientists and researchers working on real-life biological models. This book provides significant and current knowledge of biological models related to real-life applications. The book covers both methods and applications.

This book provides detailed insights on the training and development for Pacific Island school leaders. It draws extensively on original empirical research that explores school leaders¿ perceptions of how leadership and management training impacted their professional practices, and how these practices in turn impacted the dynamics of school operations. This book addresses a critical need to understand how to support leadership development for all Pacific schools, but especially in schools that are faced with the increasing challenges of learning and teaching conditions. In small island developing states in the Pacific region, school leaders face a myriad of challenges due to limited human and material resources, and a fragile economic base. Written by Pacific Islander authors, this book provides insights from different countries in the Pacific Islands. It shows how contextual challenges can exert enormous pressure on school leaders who are leading and managing schools without any leadership preparation.Given the importance of effective leadership practices and its impact on student learning outcomes, this book aims to be a source of reference for practitioners and educational authorities who have a vested interest in the provision of quality education in the Pacific region and beyond.

According to the neoclassical growth theory and the endogenous growth theory, changes in the stock of capital and labor affect economic growth rates in the short run, and differences in human capital stocks are likely to affect total factor productivity directly and long-term economic growth rates indirectly. Therefore, human capital is a factor in the secular trends of regional economic gaps. In this study, the author examines the relationship between regional economic disparities and the country¿s human capital stocks and structure in China between 1990 and 2015, a period of economic transformation in the country. Available empirical evidence supports the argument that boosting investment toward and optimizing the spatial distribution of human capital can help mitigate regional economic disparity and facilitate balanced and coordinated economic development across the country.

This book provides a focused and comprehensive overview of gradual development and reforms in teacher education in India. It discusses historical development, policy perspectives, quality concerns, current practices, and trends of teacher education in India. It highlights the prevailing social image of teachers and the teaching profession, as well as the emerging problems and issues faced in teacher development programs, indicating the need to focus upon the transformative changes. Each chapter provides an in-depth research-based analysis and reflects on a specific theme: education policies and commissions, curricular reforms, ICT integration, and the digital revolution. It offers alternative practices by drawing a comparison with developed nations. It is an indispensable resource for teacher educators, school administrators, curriculum designers, policymakers, and researchers in teacher education.

Health Without Bodies invites readers on an ethnographic exploration of the boundary between food and medicine. Food-related health claims are governed in the EU as voluntary statements on food labels to help consumers make ¿informed choices¿. This poses an interesting problem: when claims refer to health, one can no longer ignore that consumers have bodies. Asking how these claims have become possible as a new kind of truth-statement on the market, this book reveals the contours of a fundamental tension between what is expected from consumers in a liberal market economy, and how food and the body come to trouble those expectations. In doing so, it illuminates why the difference between food and medicine is such a sensitive issue, and why seemingly trivial health claims have been subject to so much debate and political control.Afterword by Isabelle Stengers.

This edited book summarizes the efforts made to develop sustainable bioenergy production through different generations. The topics included in the book cover information about different bioenergy crops, their classification and use as biofuel, agronomic practices to improve biomass yield, classic breeding techniques, genetic diversity, current status and future perspective of bioenergy crops in the omics era. It also discusses application of modern biotechnological and molecular biotechnological techniques for the improvement of bioenergy crops this having enhanced biomass and plant based products. The book explores growing biofuel crops and their impact on environment, bioethics and biosafety issues related to the modern approaches. Another important aspect is the incorporation of nanotechnology for bioenergy crops and biofuel production. All book chapters are contributed renowned researchers in their respective field. This is a unique book covering the bioeneragy crops in the modern omics era. The book is useful for the researchers and post-graduate students to guide them in the field of bioenergy crops.

The continuous evolution and widespread application of communication technology, network technology and computing technology have promoted the intelligent interconnection of all things and ubiquitous sharing of information. The cross-border, cross-system, and cross-ecosystem exchange of user data has become commonplace. At the same time, difficulties in the prevention of private information abuse and lack of protection methods have become global problems. As such, there is an urgent need to intensify basic theoretical research in this field to support the protection of personal information in a ubiquitously interconnected environment.The authors of this book proposed the concept, definition and research scope of privacy computing for the first time in 2015. This book represents their original and innovative scientific research achievement dedicated to privacy computing research, and systematically explains the basic theory and technology involved. It introduces readers to the connection between personal information and privacy protection, defines privacy protection and privacy desensitization, clarifies and summarizes the limitations of existing privacy-preserving technologies in practical information system applications, analyzes the necessity of conducting privacy computing research, and proposes the concept, definition and research scope of privacy computing. It comprehensively expounds the theoretical system of privacy computing and some privacy-preserving algorithms based on the idea of privacy computing. In closing, it outlines future research directions.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction and review of state-of-the-art biotechnological tools in enhancement of bioactive compounds in medicinal and aromatic plants. Plant bioactive compounds are plant-based natural products that display a variety of pharmacological applications. These bioactive compounds are important as medicines, pigments, flavorings and drugs because most of the pharmaceutical industries are highly dependent on medicinal plants and their extraction. The book introduces a systematic overview of state-of-the-art biotechnological techniques such as Omics, Crisper /Cas9 and RNAi to enhance the plant bioactive contents as well as enlists various in vitro techniques, hairy root culture and transgenic technology to enhance plant bioactive contents using plant tissue culture approaches. The book also provides an overview of the role of induced mutation, biotic and abiotic stress to increase the bioactive contents in plants and discusses the significant role of endophytes to enhance the contents of plant bioactive compound. The book also opens discussions related to standard operating procedures using hydroponics system of cultivation for significant enhancement of bioactive compound(s) and much more. This book serves as an excellent reference book for the researchers working in the field of plant secondary metabolites and pharmaceutical industries at global level.

This edited volume brings together contributions on disability studies organized around two themes: literary and sociological aspects. The contributors include academics, disability activists, and researchers from within and outside the Indian periphery. While the book strengthens the disability discourse and contributes to building academic scholarship on this subject, it also promotes disability activism by giving space to both direct practitioners and persons with disabilities. The chapters discuss various analytical and literary aspects of the marginalization experienced by the disabled community and bring forth new and elaborate perspectives. It draws connections across multiple identities and includes personal narratives across nations, cultures and societies. It is an excellent research resource on disability studies in India for scholars and students in the area of humanities, education, law, sociology and social work, while at the same time also addressing the global context.

This book uses real-world examples from the aquaculture industry to demonstrate how deep technology is assisting farmers and vulnerable communities. Works conducted by Poseidon-AI (a deep tech company involved in the aquaculture sector) in different countries are presented as case studies to show the positive impacts of deep tech involvement in the aquaculture sector. Primary industries, such as fisheries and aquaculture, rely heavily on labor. Furthermore, the manual practices of these farming methods increase material waste and reduce yields, resulting in higher costs and lower revenues. Poikilotherms make up the majority of aquatic animals, and environmental changes have a significant impact on them. This means that, due to climate change, farming of these animals cannot continue in the same way that it has for centuries. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, image processing, sensing, and automation are approaches that can assist these farms in dealing with rapid environmental changes while also assisting farmers in growing their businesses sustainably. This book is of interest to climate change scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, civil workers, and policymakers. Furthermore, the book is a great complimentary material for graduate students of fisheries, aquaculture, ecology, soil science, water management and environmental sciences. All national and international policymakers working in implementation of UNSDGs and sustainability, will find this book a useful read.

This book is a collection of 20 chapters on chosen topics from cross-section and panel data econometrics. It explores both theoretical and practical aspects of selected cutting-edge techniques which are gaining popularity among applied econometricians, while following the motto of ¿keeping things simple¿. Each chapter gives a basic introduction to one such method, directs readers to supplementary references, and shows an application. The book takes into account that¿A: The field of econometrics is evolving very fast and leading textbooks are trying to cover some of the recent developments in revised editions. This book offers basic introduction to state-of-the-art techniques and recent advances in econometric models with detailed applications from various developing and developed countries. B: An applied researcher or practitioner may prefer reference books with a simple introduction to an advanced econometric method or model with no theorems but with a longer discussion on empirical application. Thus, an applied econometrics textbook covering these cutting-edge methods is highly warranted; a void this book attempts to fills.The book does not aim at providing a comprehensive coverage of econometric methods. The 20 chapters in this book represent only a sample of the important topics in modern econometrics, with special focus on econometrics of cross-section and panel data, while also recognizing that it is not possible to accommodate all types of models and methods even in these two categories. The book is unique as authors have also provided the theoretical background (if any) and brief literature review behind the empirical applications. It is a must-have resource for students and practitioners of modern econometrics.

This book covers all aspects of naturally occurring phenomenon of Plant-Pathogen Interaction (PPI). Recent findings and scientific explanations to understand PPI are provided accompanied by numerous helpful photographs and pictorial presentations. In addition, tabulated data is also included to aid in getting insight into the subject and identifying the missing links. Essential information is provided on physiological, biochemical and pathology consequences of PPI and distinguished sections are devoted to explain molecular and regulatory mechanism underlying PPI. Further topics include different classes of plant pathogen, receptor molecules, signaling system, secondary metabolism and plant defense system etc. This book helps the readers in understanding the state of art and emerging technics to explore PPI and in identifying the missing links which further help in creating the background for future exploration of PPI in terms of experimental and technical advancements.

This book introduces readers to the ethical and goal-oriented functions of touch in professional practice. Touch is both an increasingly visible topic today and a core skill in many professions, especially in health, education and social work. This book combines helpful theoretical discussions and practical information, offering a balanced and culturally-informed introduction to an issue that both students and professionals often find difficult to navigate. Chapters discuss the various functions of touch and its uses, giving readers a deeper understanding of the potential of tactile work practices. The authors offer clear legal and ethical guidance to empower learners. They discuss key issues such as harmful touch and the increasing digitisation of patient work. Activities, case studies and further readings promote learning and help readers reflect on their own relationship to touch.This book is an invaluable resource for students in undergraduate and graduate courses in healthcare, nursing, education and social work, and to practitioners looking for guidance on this topic.

This book updates taxonomy information of orchids in China. China is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity. In China, all five subfamilies of Orchidaceae are represented, about 1600 orchid species in 198 genera. All orchids are rare and endangered plants. They are among the flagships for biological conservation, listed in CITES appendix I or II. This book provided an updated classification system of Orchidaceae with newly recorded and published species in China and new combinations. 1026 species in 157 genera of native species in China are included, about half of which are newly recorded or published species in China in the last two decades. Indexes to genera and species are included. For each species, one to four photos, most of which were taken by the authors, are utilized to illustrate habitats, morphological characters, and phenology. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of them also demonstrated in a map. This book can be used as a reference for researchers working on Orchidaceae, as well as practitioners in the horticulture community.

This book focus on key component required for building predictive maintenance model. The current trend of Maintenance 4.0 leans towards the preventive mechanism enabled by predictive approach and condition-based smart maintenance. The intelligent decision support, earlier detection of spare part failure, fatigue detection is the main slices of intelligent and predictive maintenance system (PMS) leading towards Maintenance 4.0 This book presents prominent use cases of mechanical engineering using PMS along with the benefits. Basic understanding of data preparation is required for development of any AI application; in view of this, the types of the data and data preparation processes, and tools are also presented in this book.

The CCMS Handbook of Port Machinery is an extensive reference guide intended to meet the needs of port handling machinery users and port planning and design institutes with regard to equipment selection, equipment application, and maintenance management. It comprehensively and systematically introduces readers to the characteristics, classification, structure, working principles, main technical performance parameters, corresponding technical standards, and matters requiring special attention in equipment selection for typical port handling machinery.The handbook supplements relevant handbooks on port machinery product design specifications, and provides essential technical guidance to help users fully understand and correctly select port machinery and equipment. At the same time, it offers a valuable resource for technical personnel, university teachers and students who are engaged in port planning and design, handling process design, port machinery product design, portmachinery use and maintenance. A comprehensive guide to port handling machinery, it reflects the current state of development and application status of port machinery in China.

Research in this book enhances the understanding of small and medium-sized businesses as a result of unprecedented challenges presented to them. It elaborates on how some small and medium-sized businesses not only survive, but also thrive amidst uncertainties, by embracing digital solutions or transformations. To achieve this, the book adopts mixed research methods, with a combination of case studies, secondary data analysis and primary data analysis (survey information and/or interviews). Tables and illustrations are also included to provide the reader with a holistic understanding of small and medium-sized businesses from different cultural contexts.

This book discusses various interactions in the sustainability and development sector. It presents a thematic approach to describe progressive models and cases on disruptions, innovations, regulatory and institutional evolution related to the area of sustainability, through an organizational and boardroom level governance lens. It documents how certain schools of thought, models of engagement and methods-platforms-practices impact society and while doing so, brings together varying theoretical debates, practicing models and instruments of transformation in green governance. Sustainable policy making demands a whole of government approach in decision-making processes. Further, inclusiveness and ¿green¿ consciousness of corporate boardrooms are paramount, without which, effective socially responsible business practices are absurd. Human resource development, shaped on sustainable corporate ethics, requires well-trained sustainability specialists, managers that can think ¿green¿ in their overall decision making which are essential for green governance. In this context, the book creates a functional, interpretive repertoire of stories, commentaries, life experiences, and reflections of corporate leaders, academics, and practicing consultants, on their decision-making processes, and how they interpret sustainability. These stories and thoughts help create a functional academic construct, which will assist academics teach ¿green¿ competencies to business school students better, and entrepreneurs and business executives to better understand the idea of sustainable growth.

This book provides a broad picture of solution concepts that are highly applicable to operations and supply chain settings and to explicate these concepts with some of the relevant problems in operations management in multi-agent settings. It discusses different strategic situations like games in normal form, games in extensive form, games of incomplete information, mechanism design, and cooperative games, to solve operations problems of supply chain coordination, capacity planning, revenue and pricing management, and other complex problems of matching supply with demand.The recognition and adoption of game-theoretic modeling for operations and supply chain management problems in multi-agent settings have been a hallmark of operations and supply chain literature research during the last few years. Despite research in operations and supply chain management having embraced both non-cooperative and cooperative game-theoretic solution concepts, there is still an abundance of underutilized concepts and tools in game theory that could strongly influence operations management problems. Additionally, with the increasing digitization of operations and supply chain management, the narrative of problems in these areas focuses on blockchain and smart contracts, platforms, and shared economy. The book profits from these new issues being predominantly multi-agent settings and lending themselves to game-theoretical solution concepts.The book's intended audience is the advanced undergraduate and graduate student community of operations and supply chain management, economics, mathematics, computer science, and industrial engineering. It is also relevant for the research community and industry practitioners who use multi-agent architecture in business problems.

This book discusses and provides empirical evidence of the importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a number of developing countries. In doing so, the book focuses on the contributions of MSMEs to national efforts, directly or indirectly, to achieve poverty reduction (Goal 1), zero hunger (Goal 2), good health and wellbeing (Goal 3), quality education (Goal 4), gender equality (Goal 5), clean water & sanitation (Goal 6), income distribution (Goal 10), and sustainable cities & communities (Goal 11). The book consists of chapters discussing evidence on these particular topics based on research from various countries including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Malaysia.

This book constitutes the papers presented at the Evaluation Track of the 8th China Conference on Health Information Processing, CHIP 2022, held in Hangzhou, China during October 21¿23, 2022.The 20 full papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 20 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: text mining for gene-disease association semantic; medical causal entity and relation extraction; medical decision tree extraction from unstructured text; OCR of electronic medical document; clinical diagnostic coding.