Books published by Springer

Strategic decision-making with a focus on economics is the fundamental requirement to generate efficiency and improve productivity in any manufacturing environment. In the 21st century, the science of drug development is an established field that requires a dedicated and synergistic partnership between various subject matter experts. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical research is complicated, time-consuming, attritive, and costly, with development costs ranging from $4 billion to $11 billion per commercialized drug. There are nearly 500 biotech and big pharma companies in the US that are developing new drug products for a vast number of therapeutic indications. Due to the high attrition rate in clinical trials, a small percentage of these drugs get commercialized. Still, a very high amount of resources are being spent on drug development from a societal perspective. Despite being an economically intense activity, the current state of drug product development makes a limited effort to integrate economics into product design and development. For example, pharmaceutical scientists are excellent at a data-driven decision-making process that requires technical elements and a few strategic elements. However, there is minimal integration of financial valuation elements (commonly employed in other high tech industries such as fine chemicals, automotive, aerospace, etc.) into pharmaceutical drug development. Unfortunately, this hurts the sustainability of the health system of which these products will be a part in the future.A desirable future state is the one that integrates fundamentals of economics in product design and development so that the decision-making is parameterized, the cost of goods could be lowered, wastage can be reduced, patient-centricity is built into the design, and manufacturing/distribution efficiencies can be gained. The financial benefits of such an approach could allow for these savings to be passed on to the stakeholders and improve the value proposition of pharmaceuticals, which is critical to maintaining the innovation potential. This book hopes to introduce the reader to this desired future state of pharmaceutical drug development.

This textbook introduces readers to digital business from a management standpoint. It provides an overview of the foundations of digital business with basics, activities and success factors, and an analytical view on user behavior. Dedicated chapters on mobile and social media present fundamental aspects, discuss applications and address key success factors. The Internet of Things (IoT) is subsequently introduced in the context of big data, cloud computing and connecting technologies, with a focus on industry 4.0 and the industrial metaverse. In addition, areas such as smart business services, smart homes and digital consumer applications as well as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and automation based on artificial intelligence will be analysed. The book then turns to digital business models in the B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) sectors.Building on the business model concepts, the book addresses digital business strategy, discussingthe strategic digital business environment and digital business value activity systems (dVASs), as well as strategy development in the context of digital business. Special chapters explore the implications of strategy for digital marketing and digital procurement. Lastly, the book discusses the fundamentals of digital business technologies and security, and provides an outline of digital business implementation. A comprehensive case study on Google/Alphabet, explaining Google's organizational history, its integrated business model and its market environment, rounds out the book.

This monograph explores key principles in the modern theory of dynamic optimization, incorporating important advances in the field to provide a comprehensive, mathematically rigorous reference. Emphasis is placed on nonsmooth analytic techniques, and an in-depth treatment of necessary conditions, minimizer regularity, and global optimality conditions related to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is given. New, streamlined proofs of fundamental theorems are incorporated throughout the text that eliminate earlier, cumbersome reductions and constructions. The first chapter offers an extended overview of dynamic optimization and its history that details the shortcomings of the elementary theory and demonstrates how a deeper analysis aims to overcome them. Aspects of dynamic programming well-matched to analytical techniques are considered in the final chapter, including characterization of extended-value functions associated with problems having endpoint and state constraints, inverse verification theorems, sensitivity relationships, and links to the maximum principle.This text will be a valuable resource for those seeking an understanding of dynamic optimization. The lucid exposition, insights into the field, and comprehensive coverage will benefit postgraduates, researchers, and professionals in system science, control engineering, optimization, and applied mathematics.

This book is an in-depth exploration of blockchain and smart contracts technologies, systematically addressing their theoretical foundations while highlighting concrete applications in several key sectors. It begins by defining the fundamentals of blockchain and smart contracts, then ventures into the legal domain, analyzing the implications of automated contracts from both backend and frontend perspectives. A particular focus is placed on a sustainable design for cryptocurrencies, anticipating the principles and expectations of the future. The book then provides a detailed taxonomy of blockchain's financial applications, while also examining its role in managing scientific workflows. The fascinating world of NFTs is also explored, from the tokenization of fine arts to innovative event ticketing systems. The convergence between ontologies and blockchain technology is then highlighted, followed by an in-depth assessment of the implications of this technology in the telecommunicationssector, including a SWOT analysis of next-generation cellular networks. Written by academic researchers and industry experts, this book offers a complete and nuanced perspective on the transformational potential of blockchain.

This advanced textbook explores representations of signals in electric energy systems (EES) and their applications in tasks such as protection, monitoring, estimation, and control. EES plays a crucial role in energy conversion at levels ranging from personal devices and vehicles, such as cars, airplanes, and ships, to regions and even whole continents. The text provides a unified modeling framework for consistent EES analysis, design, and integration with physical and cyber environments. It includes tools that enable frequency-selective modeling, simulation, and control. In modern EES, the switching mode of operation introduces multiple frequency components in signals, and the book's modeling concepts help quantify the dynamics of harmonics in power networks. Coverage includes power electronic converters, electric machines and drives, and other power system components. One of the book's main focuses is characterizing EES transients, which is of significant engineering interest, especially for emerging control and protection strategies that utilize signal processing and microcontrollers. Dynamics Phasors in Energy Processing Systems is appropriate for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in electric energy engineering and is a valuable professional resource for researchers and practitioners in industry, academia, and national laboratories.

This book features a collection of high-quality and peer-reviewed papers from the 2023 7th International Conference on Applied Economics and Business, which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, during August 24-26, 2023. ICAEB is held annually as a platform for the presentation of new advances and research results in the fields of applied economics and business. Applied economics is a way of dealing with esoteric economic concepts in a practical and analytical way. It allows for decisions to be made that are underlined by theoretical economic principles but utilized in such a way that they transform into real work applications.The contributors cover topics such as environment, development, finance, forensics, information, institutions, international, labor, management, mathematics, currency, tourism and many more. Applied Economics affects all aspects of life and science and it is brought to the forefront in this collection of papers. The conference, with its aim to bring together economists from different fields, lends itself to a natural and rich collection of scientific papers all focused on the practical application of economic principles. The scope of this collection of papers will be useful to academics and practitioners who look to economics to help solve problems.

This book provides a state-of-the-art review of Pilot Wave Theory at the beginning of the XXI century. It contains the best contributions of the first International Conference on Advances in Pilot Wave Theory, held in Lisbon in 2021. The event brought together physicists from the new emerging field of Hydrodynamic Quantum Analogs (HQA) and philosophers of science. Three main themes were discussed: 1. Hydrodynamic quantum analogs, 2. Theoretical advances in pilot wave physics and, 3. Philosophical foundations of pilot wave theory. Recent experimental work in HQA has provided impetus to develop the pilot-wave approach into a realistic basis of quantum mechanics, specifically a dynamical completion of the existing theory of quantum statistics. To that end, the meeting featured theoretical work that advanced Louis de Broglie original pilot wave theory. This collection shows how several aspects of quantum systems have been reproduced in the hydrodynamic environment, and how the power of analogy suggests the possibility of a relatively intelligible quantum realm. Most notably, the notion of memory, as engendered in the pilot-wave-hydrodynamic system, suggests a profitable direction to explore in developing a more complete description of quantum phenomena. This book is expected to be of great interest to physicists, computer scientists and philosophers of science interested in the foundations of Quantum Mechanics.

This edited volume bridges the gap between theoretical underpinnings of South Asian public administration and practices on the ground to understand the future path of public administration in the region. The ten chapters highlight the post-covid contemporary trajectories of public administration and the civil society in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In addition, each case study is tied to a relevant UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), using the SDG framework to provide useful insights for transfer of knowledge and learning within the South Asian region and highlight the ¿South- South¿ and ¿South-North¿ exchange. Illustrating the unique challenges and opportunities faced by South Asian countries post-pandemic, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students of public administration, governance, South Asian politics, and the SDGs.

Written by an experienced operations research practitioner with a strong applied mathematics background, this book offers practical insights into how to approach optimization problems, how to develop intelligent and efficient mathematical models and algorithms, and how to implement and deliver software products to customers. With a focus on revealing the similarities and differences between academia and industry in mathematical modeling, the book provides useful tips and advice based on the author's extensive experience as a principal developer working to solve real-world optimization problems for several major high-tech companies.The book offers valuable food for thought for researchers and practical guidance for graduate students preparing for their future projects in the industry. It is also an essential resource for practitioners working in the industrial, business, and service sectors.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

This textbook offers a comprehensive approach to Political Economy in order to account for the empirical diversity of politics and economy. It combines comparative, international and historical perspectives into a holistic framework of analysis. Covering multiple levels of analysis from the individual firm, worker or consumer up to financial systems, the book demonstrates how abstract forms of capitalism manifest in concrete experiences and everyday activities. By applying a theory of capitalist phases, it offers a simple yet compelling perspective to account for the diverse changes and dynamics of political economies. Empirically rich, it offers a concise account of capitalist economies around the globe.

The green transition is the way to a sustainable and fair planet, and necessary to secure supply chains, deliver predictable prices, and ensure access to raw materials despite resource scarcity through sustainable production and consumption.This book provides broad, essential insights into the main elements of the green transition, circular economy, and sustainability. Sustainability and the green transition will mean new market conditions for businesses. Companies will be subject to new legislation at the corporate and product level alike. They will need to meet new requirements, e.g., having to provide a tremendous amount of new non-financial ESG data to deliver transparency and traceability in the value chains of products and businesses. The book aims to close the gaps between science, society, and business. To do so, it describes the complexity of sustainability and the need for a holistic approach. In addition, it provides solutions, tools and methods to transform today's linear economy, make businesses ready for the future, and create a society that no longer pushes the planet beyond its limits.

This book contributes to a worldwide history of textual criticism and critical editions of ancient scientific texts. It first looks at ancient editorial practices, and at their impact on modern editions. Contributions analyze how, through time, the perception of what a text was may have changed, and influenced how scholarly texts were made accessible. The second section looks at the historical, political and social contexts within which editions and translations of ancient scientific texts were produced. Finally, the last two parts examine the specificities of editions and translations that bore on scholarly documents. Not only is there a focus on how the elements specific to scientific texts--such as diagrams and numbers--were treated, but case studies analyzing the specific work carried out to edit mathematical and astronomical texts of the past are also offered to the reader. The scholarship displayed in this work lays the foundation for further studies on the history of critical editions and raises questions to those who make scholarly translations and critical editions today.

This open access book addresses relationships that develop from the complex set of legislative, regulatory, and institutional arrangements that arise in the governance of high-hazard industries, especially those connected with safety. It analyses the difference in practices between high-hazard sectors such as nuclear power, chemical processing, and transport with those in the finance and healthcare sectors. The relationship between regulating and regulated entities is important in ensuring that safety is not subordinated to other concerns and in maintaining public confidence. As a result, the brief addresses various pressures and trade-offs inherent in that relationship, trade-offs between such considerations as: cost of the oversight activity and its effectiveness; regulator independence and its level of competency and understanding of the risks involved; ability to provide advice on meeting regulatory goals and being able to criticize decisions made; and effectiveness and intrusion in operational activities. The contributors show how, over time, a more horizontal or "decentred" approach to regulatory oversight has appeared, with a larger degree of delegation of certain decisions to industry and a greater role for a range of third parties such as certification bodies, auditors, insurers, industry associations and NGOs. This book is of interest to academics working in the fields of safety science or organizational management and to practitioners, regulators and policy-makers concerned with health and safety and critical infrastructure.

This book is a comprehensive guide to understanding the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in improving business functions, as well as the limitations and challenges that come with its implementation. In this book, readers will learn about the various opportunities that AI presents in business, including how it can automate routine tasks, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. The book covers a range of topics, including how AI can be used in financial reporting, auditing, fraud detection, and tax preparation. However, the book also explores the limitations of AI in business, such as the need for skilled professionals, data quality, and the potential for bias. It examines the challenges that companies face when implementing AI in business functions, including the need for ethical considerations, transparency, and accountability. The book is written for business professionals, business leaders, and anyone interested in the potential of AI in business functions. It offers practical advice on how to implement AI effectively and provides insights into the latest developments in AI technology. Through case studies and real-world examples, readers will gain a deeper understanding of how AI can be used to enhance business functions, as well as the potential pitfalls and limitations to be aware of. Overall, this book is an essential guide for anyone looking to harness the power of AI to improve their business functions and to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive business environment.

This book constitutes revised selected papers from the workshops held at the 29th International Conference on Parallel and Distributed Computing, Euro-Par 2023, which took place in Limassol, Cyprus, during August 28-September 1, 2023. The 42 full papers presented in this book together with 11 symposium papers and 14 demo/poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 55 submissions. The papers cover covering all aspects of parallel and distributed processing, ranging from theory to practice, from small to the largest parallel and distributed systems and infrastructures, from fundamental computational problems to applications, from architecture, compiler, language and interface design and implementation, to tools, support infrastructures, and application performance aspects. LNCS 14351: First International Workshop on Scalable Compute Continuum (WSCC 2023). First International Workshop on Tools for Data Locality, Power and Performance (TDLPP 2023). First International Workshop on Urgent Analytics for Distributed Computing (QuickPar 2023). 21st International Workshop on Algorithms, Models and Tools for Parallel Computing on Heterogeneous Platforms (HETEROPAR 2023). LNCS 14352: Second International Workshop on Resource AWareness of Systems and Society (RAW 2023). Third International Workshop on Asynchronous Many-Task systems for Exascale (AMTE 2023). Third International Workshop on Performance and Energy-efficiency in Concurrent and Distributed Systems (PECS 2023) First Minisymposium on Applications and Benefits of UPMEM commercial Massively Parallel Processing-In-Memory Platform (ABUMPIMP 2023). First Minsymposium on Adaptive High Performance Input / Output Systems (ADAPIO 2023).

Unlocking the Future of Infectious Disease Research ResponseIn a world where emerging infectious diseases constantly threaten humanity, advances in science and technology promise defense against future pathogens before they cause pandemics. The field of emergency research response and preparedness remains in its infancy, however. Not until the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak was accelerated research broadly recognized as a crucial component of emergency response. Many outbreaks and one global pandemic later, it is clear the world must be prepared to launch accelerated research responses to prevent or mitigate infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Yet this nascent field is rife with critical scientific, ethical, and policy questions. How can local, national, and global systems collaborate across disciplines and political boundaries to protect health security? How can we conduct rigorous research in fragile or failed nation-states? What is needed for equitable distribution of vaccines and therapeutic medicines in short supply? How can we accelerate trials of vaccines and therapeutics during an emergency without compromising scientific rigor or ethical standards? How do we integrate communities and stakeholders into research preparedness and response? The editors bring decades of experience to their collaboration with renowned research scientists and health policy experts. Together they have crafted a compendium that proposes normative standards and offers practical guidance for preparedness and rapid research response. This pioneering, open access textbook presents principles and practices forged from experience in health emergencies - insights that illuminate a path forward for research response and preparedness. The goal is to stop outbreaks from becoming avoidable pandemics, and to mitigate illness, death, and social disruption if they cannot be stopped. Principles and Practice of Emergency Research Response merges historical understanding with insights into possible futures. It will serve as an indispensable compass for curtailing infectious disease threats through research, global health policy changes, and research capacity improvements where they are most needed. The editors hope that this book will be an ongoing reference for governments, health organizations, development agencies, researchers, policy experts, ethicists, and social scientists. To facilitate focused and enhanced learning, it incorporates pedagogical tools such as abstracts, learning objectives, discussion questions, real-life examples, and learning tracks. Robust global health security requires effective preparation for and response to emerging and re-emerging pathogens. This volume should help guide us towards a more resilient future.

This open access book is about spontaneous symmetry breaking, which is a classic area of theoretical physics that lies at the core of many fascinating phenomena such as ferromagnetism, superfluidity, superconductivity, or the Higgs mechanism. The book brings an up-to-date overview of spontaneous symmetry breaking and of modern effective field theory description thereof. The topics covered include the classification of NambüGoldstone bosons, nonlinear realization of internal and spacetime symmetries and the construction of the corresponding effective actions, and selected applications. With in-depth exposition of conceptual foundations and numerous illustrative examples, the book is accessible to anybody having taken a basic course on quantum field theory. It serves as a self-contained text for graduate students and junior researchers in diverse areas of physics, but also as a useful reference for experts.

This book explores the theoretical contribution of peace ecology to the understanding and practice of environmental and conventional peacebuilding. It integrates environmental questions and factors that drive socio-political violence and climate change-induced violence in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Anthropocene.·   It demonstrates how international peace and global security are no longer solely grounded in conventional peacebuilding that has evolved from liberal to democratic peace theories, but rather in the complex, critical and synergic relations between peace studies and environmental studies.·   It provides a pluridisciplinary body of knowledge that emphasises the need for food security, social climate, social good, social capital and sustainable development at the age of climate change and climate wars.·   It underscores the potential of peace ecology to reduce the Earth systems' vulnerability, to mitigate anthropogenic global warming's consequences on humanity, the ecosystem and biodiversity.·         It yields various models of peacebuilding, conflict-sensitive and climate-sensitive adaptation strategies to enhance the African Region's security and stability.Finally, this volume argues that planetary boundaries framework remains the safer space within which human and sustainable development can be pursued and attained, and future generations to thrive. A comprehensive and international response to socio-political violence and climate-change induced violence should take into account the vulnerability of individual countries, regions and the global world in order to achieve the dreams of a better future; that makes this book a cutting-edge scholarly work.

This 4-volume set, IFIP AICT 689-692, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2023, held in Trondheim, Norway, during September 17-21, 2023. The 213 full papers presented in these volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 224 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Lean Management in the Industry 4.0 Era; Crossroads and Paradoxes in the Digital Lean Manufacturing World; Digital Transformation Approaches in Production Management; Managing Digitalization of Production Systems; Workforce Evolutionary Pathways in Smart Manufacturing Systems; Next Generation Human-Centered Manufacturing and Logistics Systems for the Operator 5.0; and SME 5.0: Exploring Pathways to the Next Level of Intelligent, Sustainable, and Human-Centered SMEs. Part II: Digitally Enabled and Sustainable Service and Operations Management in PSS Lifecycle; Exploring Digital Servitization in Manufacturing; Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry; Digital Twin Concepts in Production and Services; Experiential Learning in Engineering Education; Lean in Healthcare; Additive Manufacturing in Operations and Supply Chain Management; and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing. Part III: Towards Next-Generation Production and SCM in Yard and Construction Industries; Transforming Engineer-to-Order Projects, Supply Chains and Ecosystems; Modelling Supply Chain and Production Systems; Advances in Dynamic Scheduling Technologies for Smart Manufacturing; and Smart Production Planning and Control. Part IV: Circular Manufacturing and Industrial Eco-Efficiency; Smart Manufacturing to Support Circular Economy; Product Information Management and Extended Producer Responsibility; Product and Asset Life Cycle Management for Sustainable and Resilient Manufacturing Systems; Sustainable Mass Customization in the Era of Industry 5.0; Food and Bio-Manufacturing; Battery Production Development and Management; Operations and SCM in Energy-Intensive Production for a Sustainable Future; and Resilience Management in Supply Chains.

This 4-volume set, IFIP AICT 689-692, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2023, held in Trondheim, Norway, during September 17-21, 2023. The 213 full papers presented in these volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 224 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Lean Management in the Industry 4.0 Era; Crossroads and Paradoxes in the Digital Lean Manufacturing World; Digital Transformation Approaches in Production Management; Managing Digitalization of Production Systems; Workforce Evolutionary Pathways in Smart Manufacturing Systems; Next Generation Human-Centered Manufacturing and Logistics Systems for the Operator 5.0; and SME 5.0: Exploring Pathways to the Next Level of Intelligent, Sustainable, and Human-Centered SMEs. Part II: Digitally Enabled and Sustainable Service and Operations Management in PSS Lifecycle; Exploring Digital Servitization in Manufacturing; Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry; Digital Twin Concepts in Production and Services; Experiential Learning in Engineering Education; Lean in Healthcare; Additive Manufacturing in Operations and Supply Chain Management; and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing. Part III: Towards Next-Generation Production and SCM in Yard and Construction Industries; Transforming Engineer-to-Order Projects, Supply Chains and Ecosystems; Modelling Supply Chain and Production Systems; Advances in Dynamic Scheduling Technologies for Smart Manufacturing; and Smart Production Planning and Control. Part IV: Circular Manufacturing and Industrial Eco-Efficiency; Smart Manufacturing to Support Circular Economy; Product Information Management and Extended Producer Responsibility; Product and Asset Life Cycle Management for Sustainable and Resilient Manufacturing Systems; Sustainable Mass Customization in the Era of Industry 5.0; Food and Bio-Manufacturing; Battery Production Development and Management; Operations and SCM in Energy-Intensive Production for a Sustainable Future; and Resilience Management in Supply Chains.

This open access book examines how families and other social institutions interact to shape outcomes over the life course. It considers how to use research evidence to reduce social disadvantage through translation of evidence to support public policies and programs. The chapters focus on key life course stages such as early child development, adolescence, emerging adulthood, parenting, marriage, relationships and ageing, as well as examining experiences and outcomes for selected social groups such as Indigenous children, migrants and refugees, and gay, lesbian and bisexual groups. The book presents evidence using high-quality and recent data. With a focus on Australia, the volume provides new insights into how context shapes life course pathways and outcomes and a contrast to work that typically focuses on Europe and the United States. It will be of value to anyone interested in understanding how family background and life course pathways influence social disadvantage.

This unique collection of chapters from world experts on person-centered outcome (PCO) measures addresses the following critical questions: Can individual experiences be represented in measurements that do not reduce unique differences to meaningless uniformity? How person-centric are PCO measures? Are PCO measurements capable of delivering the kind of quality assured quantification required for high-stakes decision making? Are PCO measures likely to support improved health care delivery? Have pivotal clinical studies failed to deliver treatments for diseases because of shortcomings in the PCO measures used? Are these shortcomings primarily matters of precision and meaningfulness? Or is the lack of common languages for communicating outcomes also debilitating to quality improvement, research, and the health care economy? Three key issues form an urgent basis for further investigation. First, the numbers generated by PCO measures are increasingly used as the central dependent variables upon which high stakes decisions are made. The rising profile of PCO measures places new demands for higher quality information from scale and test construction, evaluation, selection, and interpretation. Second, PCO measurement science has well-established lessons to be learned from those who have built and established the science over many decades. Finally, the goal in making a PCO measurement is to inform outcome management. As such, it is vitally important that key stakeholders understand that, over the last half century, developments in psychometrics have refocused measurement on illuminating clinically important individual differences in the context of widely reproduced patterns of variation in health and functioning, comparable scale values for quality improvement, and practical explanatory models.This book's audience includes anyone interested in person-centered care, including healthcare researchers and practitioners, policy makers, pharmaceutical industry representatives, clinicians, patient advocates, and metrologists.This is an open access book.

This open access book provides an overview of urban digital platforms such as Airbnb and Deliveroo, which, along with Amazon, Google, Facebook, and other IT companies, constitute by now the infrastructures for other businesses to operate on and for our social life to go on. These platforms serve as standards-based techno-economic systems that simultaneously capture cooperation through remote coordination and organize labor via algorithm management.Based on a three-years research project, this contributed book outlines a general theory of platform capitalism that conceives these platforms not only as technical devices, but as generative engines that operate at the interface of several aspects, such as digitalization of forms of social cooperation; algorithm-based management of labor and participation; and private and vertical appropriation of profits. These elements are somehow iconic of the capitalist evolution of the last decades, and they open up a reflection on new forms of "primitive accumulation" (in particular regarding data), on the mechanisms used to capture and extract social surplus value, and on the logistic-financial dimensions of capital. Finally, in light of the transformations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors examine how platforms can evolve into hegemonic organizational structures.Assuming we are all already living in the age of the platform, this book takes a multifaceted approach--combining sociology with urban studies, and political sciences with economics--to grasp the challenges our societies face in terms of ensuring fair economic growth, adequate social protections, and labor rights. It will appeal to anyone interested in digital platforms and how they are changing the organization of labor, urban spaces, and forms of governance.

In the past fifteen years, the theory of right-angled Artin groups and special cube complexes has emerged as a central topic in geometric group theory. This monograph provides an account of this theory, along with other modern techniques in geometric group theory. Structured around the theme of group actions on contractible polyhedra, this book explores two prominent methods for constructing such actions: utilizing the group of deck transformations of the universal cover of a nonpositively curved polyhedron and leveraging the theory of simple complexes of groups. The book presents various approaches to obtaining cubical examples through CAT(0) cube complexes, including the polyhedral product construction, hyperbolization procedures, and the Sageev construction. Moreover, it offers a unified presentation of important non-cubical examples, such as Coxeter groups, Artin groups, and groups that act on buildings. Designed as a resource for graduate students and researchers specializing in geometric group theory, this book should also be of high interest to mathematicians in related areas, such as 3-manifolds.

This book discusses current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the fields of business, hospitality, and tourism, particularly in Eastern Europe. Featuring selected papers presented at the second annual Modern Trends in Business Hospitality and Tourism International Conference held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2023, the enclosed chapters explore the global marketing environment discussing the latest technological, economic and social-cultural developments. Featuring theoretical and empirical research and real-life case studies, this book explores topics such as global capital markets and investment financing post COVID-19, sustainable business models, financing alternatives for SMEs, corporate governance, human capital leadership, among others. It is appropriate for academics, researchers, scholars and practitioners in the areas of business, hospitality and tourism.

This 4-volume set, IFIP AICT 689-692, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2023, held in Trondheim, Norway, during September 17-21, 2023. The 213 full papers presented in these volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 224 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Lean Management in the Industry 4.0 Era; Crossroads and Paradoxes in the Digital Lean Manufacturing World; Digital Transformation Approaches in Production Management; Managing Digitalization of Production Systems; Workforce Evolutionary Pathways in Smart Manufacturing Systems; Next Generation Human-Centered Manufacturing and Logistics Systems for the Operator 5.0; and SME 5.0: Exploring Pathways to the Next Level of Intelligent, Sustainable, and Human-Centered SMEs. Part II: Digitally Enabled and Sustainable Service and Operations Management in PSS Lifecycle; Exploring Digital Servitization in Manufacturing; Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry; Digital Twin Concepts in Production and Services; Experiential Learning in Engineering Education; Lean in Healthcare; Additive Manufacturing in Operations and Supply Chain Management; and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing. Part III: Towards Next-Generation Production and SCM in Yard and Construction Industries; Transforming Engineer-to-Order Projects, Supply Chains and Ecosystems; Modelling Supply Chain and Production Systems; Advances in Dynamic Scheduling Technologies for Smart Manufacturing; and Smart Production Planning and Control. Part IV: Circular Manufacturing and Industrial Eco-Efficiency; Smart Manufacturing to Support Circular Economy; Product Information Management and Extended Producer Responsibility; Product and Asset Life Cycle Management for Sustainable and Resilient Manufacturing Systems; Sustainable Mass Customization in the Era of Industry 5.0; Food and Bio-Manufacturing; Battery Production Development and Management; Operations and SCM in Energy-Intensive Production for a Sustainable Future; and Resilience Management in Supply Chains.

This 4-volume set, IFIP AICT 689-692, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2023, held in Trondheim, Norway, during September 17-21, 2023. The 213 full papers presented in these volumes were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 224 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Lean Management in the Industry 4.0 Era; Crossroads and Paradoxes in the Digital Lean Manufacturing World; Digital Transformation Approaches in Production Management; Managing Digitalization of Production Systems; Workforce Evolutionary Pathways in Smart Manufacturing Systems; Next Generation Human-Centered Manufacturing and Logistics Systems for the Operator 5.0; and SME 5.0: Exploring Pathways to the Next Level of Intelligent, Sustainable, and Human-Centered SMEs. Part II: Digitally Enabled and Sustainable Service and Operations Management in PSS Lifecycle; Exploring Digital Servitization in Manufacturing; Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) Business Models in the Manufacturing Industry; Digital Twin Concepts in Production and Services; Experiential Learning in Engineering Education; Lean in Healthcare; Additive Manufacturing in Operations and Supply Chain Management; and Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing. Part III: Towards Next-Generation Production and SCM in Yard and Construction Industries; Transforming Engineer-to-Order Projects, Supply Chains and Ecosystems; Modelling Supply Chain and Production Systems; Advances in Dynamic Scheduling Technologies for Smart Manufacturing; and Smart Production Planning and Control. Part IV: Circular Manufacturing and Industrial Eco-Efficiency; Smart Manufacturing to Support Circular Economy; Product Information Management and Extended Producer Responsibility; Product and Asset Life Cycle Management for Sustainable and Resilient Manufacturing Systems; Sustainable Mass Customization in the Era of Industry 5.0; Food and Bio-Manufacturing; Battery Production Development and Management; Operations and SCM in Energy-Intensive Production for a Sustainable Future; and Resilience Management in Supply Chains.

The General Pathology Student Guide was developed 'by medical students for medical students' for use in preparing for their pathology course, shelf exams and medical licensing exams. In cooperation with American Educators from Brown University, this book was adapted to the American Curriculum for the USMLEs. The book combines high resolution histological images with condensed related clinical information, and is linked to the AMBOSS learning platform (subscription required), giving access to regularly updated online content, helping students reinforce and deepen their knowledge. The book chapters cover the most relevant basics of pathology, such as infectious diseases, immunopathology, cellular adaptation, and pathologic regeneration. Each chapter includes selected histology slides that show classic findings; these are presented uniformly across chapters to emphasize a stepwise approach to tissue findings and classic disease presentations.The histopathology is displayed in different magnifications and with descriptions, to help students recognize classic patterns of common disease processes. Key histopathologic findings are further integrated with pathophysiology and high-yield clinical knowledge, including imaging, treatment, and clinical outcomes, closing the loop from structure to function to patient impact. This system-based approach highlights pathology's interdisciplinary connections and the impact of the histopathologic diagnosis on patients.This concise volume is ideal for learning and understanding high-yield general pathology concepts in a short period of time. It can be also used as a guide for microscopy in histology slides. This makes learning effective!