Books published by Springer

This book proposes a novel connectionist approach to a challenging topic of language modeling within the context of kernel memory and artificial mind system, both proposed previously by the author in the very first volume of the series, Artificial Mind System--Kernel Memory Approach: Studies in Computational Intelligence, Vol. 1. The present volume focuses on how syntactic structures of language are modeled in terms of the respective composite connectionist architectures, each embracing both the nonsymbolic and symbolic parts. These two parts are developed via inter-module processes within the artificial mind system and eventually integrated under a unified framework of kernel memory. The data representation by the networks embodied within the kernel memory principle is essentially local, unlike conventional artificial neural network models such as the pervasive multilayer perceptron-based neural networks. With this locality principle, kernel memory inherently bears many attractive features, such as topologically unconstrained network formation, straightforward network growing, shrinking, and reconfiguration, no requirement of arduous iterative parameter tuning, construction of transparent and hierarchical data structures, and multimodal and temporal data processing via the network representation. Exploiting these multifacet properties of kernel memory with interweaving the notion of inter-module processing within the artificial mind system provides coherent accounts for concept formation and how various linguistic phenomena, viz. word compoundings, morphologies, and multiword constructions, are modeled. The description is then extended to more intricate network models of context-dependent lexical network and syntactic-oriented processing, the latter being the central theme of the present study, and further to those representing a hybrid of nonverbal and verbal thinking, and semantic and pragmatic aspects of sentential meaning. The book is intended for general readers engaging in various areas of study in cognitive science, computer science, engineering, linguistics, philosophy, psycholinguistics, and psychology.

This book thoroughly examines the design of full-duplex medium access control (MAC) protocols in wireless networks. It is organized into three main sections: (a) Fundamentals and preliminaries of full-duplex communications, (b) A comprehensive review of the existing full-duplex MAC protocols, and (c) Designs of full-duplex MAC protocols in three typical wireless networks, i.e., wireless local access networks (WLANs), multi-hop networks and millimeter-wave networks. Also, the authors extensively address key challenges in these three wireless full-duplex networks, such as the hidden-node problem, accumulative interference, and deafness and blockage problems. Solutions to these challenges are meticulously devised to enhance the overall network performance.The wireless full-duplex communication technique, facilitating simultaneous transmission and reception within the same frequency band, holds immense potential for enhancing spectrum efficiency and network capacity. It emerges as a pivotal technology in the sixth-generation (6G) networks. This book provides a comprehensive review and in-depth exploration of full-duplex MAC design across various networks, encompassing WLANs, multi-hop networks, and millimeter-wave networks. Acknowledging the challenges faced by full-duplex WLANs, particularly the hidden-node problem, it also introduces a pioneering hidden-node-free design and a MAC protocol design, which features a full-duplex enhanced carrier-sensing mechanism. Addressing the need to augment end-to-end throughput in multi-hop networks employing full-duplex relaying, the authors present an analytical model for end-to-end throughput and propose a multi-hop full-duplex MAC protocol designed to optimize network performance. Furthermore, the exploration extends to full-duplex millimeter-wave networks, delving into issues of deafness and blockage. A directional full-duplex MAC protocol is introduced to enhance network capacity and mitigate blockage problems. This book concludes by outlining prospective research directions within the related fields of study and offers valuable insights for future exploration.This book targets researchers and advanced level students in computer science and electrical engineering. It also caters to professionals engaged in the fields of wireless networks, full-duplex system, protocol design, and network optimization will also buy this book.

The book tries to answer the most fundamental question of whether there is a link between abundant food supply and economic growth with respect to a higher degree of human development. In order to have flourishing economic growth within a country the need for a food security system is a must. The world as we know is faced with shortages of food supply which has been a major factor in the country's economic development. The book is an attempt to understand the problems and current situation of food systems in the developing world. It focuses on the pathways to understand the challenges that it faces and predict future scenarios. The motive is to create academic literature to understand the basis of sustainable food security. The social, economic, and political factors become the main theme of the book. It focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of food security. Many a time we only understand the idea of food security through the lens of scientific nature but in the meantime, it forgets the other important factors that are governing the issue of food security. The inclusion of the cases section in the book helps to outline the current scenarios of the developing world. It helps to formulate a pathway or a way forward to understand the causes of food security. Food has now become a political context in the international system. The need for analyzing the political angle is necessary. The context of innovations and technological developments forms an important part of food security. The critique of existing policy systems across the developing world is a must need discussion as it is the policies that will make the food systems sustainable. Last but not least is to look at how the global food systems work and how far it has been able to fix the problems of food insecurity in the developing world. Overall, the book is an excellent interdisciplinary food security literature.

Medical imaging is fundamental to modern healthcare, and its widespread use has resulted in creation of image databases. These repositories contain images from a diverse range of modalities, multidimensional as well as co-aligned multimodality images. These image collections offer opportunity for evidence-based diagnosis, teaching, and research. Advances in medical image analysis over last two decades shows there are now many algorithms and ideas available that allow to address medical image analysis tasks in commercial solutions with sufficient performance in terms of accuracy, reliability and speed. Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is an image search technique that complements the conventional text-based retrieval of images by using visual features, such as color, texture, and shape, as search criteria. This book emphasizes the design of wavelet filter-banks as efficient and effective feature descriptors for medical image retrieval.Firstly, a generalized novel design of a family of multiplier-free orthogonal wavelet filter-banks is presented. In this, the dyadic filter coefficients are obtained based on double-shifting orthogonality property with allowable deviation from original filter coefficients. Next, a low complex symmetric Daub-4 orthogonal wavelet filter-bank is presented. This is achieved by slightly altering the perfect reconstruction condition to make designed filter-bank symmetric and to obtain dyadic filter coefficients. In third contribution, the first dyadic Gabor wavelet filter-bank is presented based on slight alteration in orientation parameter without disturbing remaining Gabor wavelet parameters. In addition, a novel feature descriptor based on the design of adaptive Gabor wavelet filter-bank is presented. The use of Maximum likelihood estimation is suggested to measure the similarity between the feature vectors of heterogeneous medical images. The performance of the suggested methods is evaluated on three different publicly available databases namely NEMA, OASIS and EXACT09. The performance in terms of average retrieval precision, average retrieval recall and computational time are compared with well-known existing methods.

This volume highlights cutting-edge research on Zero waste management and the associated effects of waste on the environment. Predominantly, it focuses on the challenges of dealing with the amassed production of waste and the cumulative impact of increasing waste on the biosphere. Different sections of this book focus on the comprehensive overview of the technological advancements driving the Zero Waste movement. Furthermore, it explores innovations in waste reduction, recycling, and repurposing, from a global perspective, examining the diverse cultural, social, and economic factors influencing the adoption of zero waste strategies worldwide. In addition, it discusses the challenges, and opportunities inherent in promoting a unified global effort toward sustainable resource management. Discover the latest breakthroughs in waste reduction, recycling, and resource optimization. This essential guide empowers you to implement practical, innovative solutions for a greener future. Whether a business owner, environmental enthusiast, or simply curious about sustainable living, this book is a roadmap to a cleaner and healthier planet.

This book explores and discusses how businesses transit from big data and business analytics to artificial intelligence (AI), by examining advanced technologies and embracing challenges such as ethical issues, governance, security, privacy, and interoperability of capabilities. This book covers a range of topics including the application of cyber accounting and strategic objectives, financial inclusion, big data analytics in telecommunication sector, digital marketing strategies and sports brand loyalty, robotic processes automation in banks, and the applications of AI for decision-making in human resources, healthcare, banking, and many more. The book provides a comprehensive reference for scholars, students, managers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers by examining frameworks and business practice implications through its discussions which embrace a wide variety of unique topics on business analytics, AI, and how it can be applied together to address the challenges of the digital era.

This open access book investigates from a life-course perspective the individualization process and the challenges faced by young adults in post-collectivist China, where people are enjoined to "liberate" (jiefang) their individual capacities, to "rely on themselves" (kao ziji) and to no longer "depend on the state" (kao guojia). Based on unique quantitative and qualitative data, this book provides a solid empirical portrait of Chinese youths and transformation of social policies in post-collectivist ChinaThis book will be a great resource to students, academics as well as social scientists and policy-makers who wish not only to understand how, in such a short period of time, young adults and their families have managed to navigate from a relatively egalitarian society to one of the most unequal, but also how the articulation between socialist and neoliberal ideologies is reconfiguring social and economic relations as well as women's and men's life-course.The basis of the English translation of this book from its French original manuscript was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision and rewriting of the content was done by the author.

This book explores toric topology, polyhedral products and related mathematics from a wide range of perspectives, collectively giving an overview of the potential of the areas while contributing original research to drive the subject forward in interesting new directions. Contributions to this volume were written in connection to the thematic program Toric Topology and Polyhedral Products held at the Fields Institute from January-June 2020. 16 original conributions were inspired or influenced by the program.Toric Topology arose as a subject in its own right about twenty-five years ago. It sits at the intersection of commutative algebra, topology, combinatorics, algebraic geometry, and symplectic and convex geometry. Polyhedral products are a functorial generalization of a construction that is at the centre of Toric Topology. They are of independent interest and unify several constructions that arise in a diverse range of areas, such as geometric group theory, homotopy theory, algebraic combinatorics and subspace arrangements.

This book concentrates on the famous Grothendieck inequality and the continued search for the still unknown best possible value of the real and complex Grothendieck constant (an open problem since 1953). It describes in detail the state of the art in research on this fundamental inequality, including Krivine's recent contributions, and sheds light on related questions in mathematics, physics and computer science, particularly with respect to the foundations of quantum theory and quantum information theory. Unifying the real and complex cases as much as possible, the monograph introduces the reader to a rich collection of results in functional analysis and probability. In particular, it includes a detailed, self-contained analysis of the multivariate distribution of complex Gaussian random vectors. The notion of Completely Correlation Preserving (CCP) functions plays a particularly important role in the exposition.The prerequisites are a basic knowledge of standard functional analysis, complex analysis, probability, optimisation and some number theory and combinatorics. However, readers missing some background will be able to consult the generous bibliography, which contains numerous references to useful textbooks. The book will be of interest to PhD students and researchers in functional analysis, complex analysis, probability, optimisation, number theory and combinatorics, in physics (particularly in relation to the foundations of quantum mechanics) and in computer science (quantum information and complexity theory).

This book offers guidance on capturing the creative forces of the faculty, staff and students at universities. Given their unique and central role in America and the world, it examines how university research, learning and service can be integrated to address the needs of society as it is both enabled and changed by technology. In turn, the book assesses the challenges and opportunities for universities to be more successful and impactful through innovation, viewing universities as integrated systems. It demonstrates how change can occur both within the "knowledge economy" and because of innovations within it. In doing so, the book provides insights into how universities can prosper and lead in a world that is constantly changed by the innovations that universities and industry jointly create. The book serves as a guide for higher education policymakers, funders, donors, board members, stakeholders and leaders (chairs, deans, provosts, presidents) through its systematic vision for university innovation and service to society. It will also benefit researchers studying innovation in organizations, illustrating how systematic approaches arising from management science and operations research can be used toward positive change. Lastly, strategic partners in industry, government and foundations seeking opportunities for partnerships and collaboration with universities will also find it useful.

Nowadays, sustainability is one of the main pillars for organizations' revamp and growth. Sustainability can be summarized as the set of actions based on the mutual respect of economic, environmental, and social interests. No action should be taken unless it simultaneously respects the interests of these three spheres.The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the United Nations for the 2030 Agenda are moving in this direction. Among them, reducing diversity and strengthening women's empowerment are the main targets of Goal 5 "Gender Equality."This edited volume discusses three main topics: Diversity Management for Sustainable Governance of Organisation, Innovation and New Technologies for Sustainable Development of Enterprises Led by Women and Agri-food, Fashion, Luxury and Made in Italy in Sustainable Female Firms.

Since the emergence of 2022's monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak, it has been the heading of news and research articles that MPXV is being involving non-endemic areas after about its 80-year presence in endemic areas. Efforts are concentrated on understanding how MPXV has evolved to cause an epidemic. The book provides a comprehensive compendium of chapters on poxviruses in different domains. It concludes that the main problem we should deal with is not to address how MPXV has overcome the distance between non-endemic and endemic areas, but it is the non-cooperativity of logistics, research, and science in managing poxviruses' outbreaks.

This open access book directs attention to the safety implications of disruptive, sustainability-driven changes in sociotechnical systems resulting from climate-change considerations in high-risk industries. It addresses not only the dismantling of currently prevalent systems and structures and the achievement of a stable future state but also the management of processes for establishing new practices in a safe and reliable manner without undue interruption of important functions and services.Leading scholars from various fields of research have contributed to this brief by analyzing case studies as well as through conceptual and methodological work. They propose strategies for coping with new kinds of risk at local and organizational levels. The oil and gas and nuclear industries are two cases investigated here. They present a challenging mixture of continuity and disruption and require strategies for coping with safety and sustainability issues at the same time. Innovativemethods such as real-world experimentation and computer-based simulation are discussed as means of investigating the issues at stake. Climate Change and Safety in High-Risk Industries brings together critical appraisals of the challenges that will be faced by industry, regulatory bodies and decision-makers in coming decades. It analyzes whether safety and sustainability are accurately thought of as competing imperatives or, rather, offer possibilities for a more cooperative approach to the necessary adaptations in our modes of production and consumption.

In this book the editors and authors provide a comprehensive overview on basic research and clinical aspects of hereditary breast and gastric tumors. In particular, this updated editorial work aims to suggest guidelines for the clinical management of patients with hereditary diffuse gastric and lobular breast cancer. Special attention is given to E-cadherin (CDH1 gene) germline mutations, genetic screening approaches, the underlying molecular mechanisms and pathological and microscopic features. In addition, the book aims to define clinical criteria for genetic screening, and highlights current surgical treatment and clinical approaches for asymptomatic mutation carriers. Other inherited predispositions involving gastric and breast carcinoma are discussed as well. Divided into eight sections, the book starts by providing an epidemiological overview of gastric and breast cancers, followed by a section dealing with new descriptions of genetic pathways in hereditary cancer predispositions. The third section focuses on pathological features of the diseases, in an effort to bridge the gap between discovery and cancer therapy development. Subsequent sections of the book are dedicated to endoscopy and breast imaging, as well as risk-reducing surgeries to curb the risk of developing cancer. The sixth section focuses on the generation of ideas for the identification of targets and novel treatment strategies. Finally, in the seventh section the authors share the story of two patients and their experiences with the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary cancer.This multidisciplinary book brings together multiple disciplines in science and technology; specifically, medicine, surgery and biology. The majority of authors are members of the International Gastric Cancer Linkage Consortium (IGCLC) and of the European Cancer Prevention Organization (EJCPO), with relevant experience in this context. Offering in-depth insights into hereditary cancers, this book represents essential reading for students, researchers, and specialists who want to extend their knowledge on hereditary gastric and breast cancers.

How does artificial intelligence (AI) work and are there parallels to the human brain? What do natural and artificial intelligence have in common, and what are the differences? Is the brain nothing more than a biological computer? What are neural networks and how can the term deep learning be explained simply?Since the cognitive revolution in the middle of the last century, AI and brain research have been closely intertwined. There have been several spectacular breakthroughs in the field of AI in recent years, from alphaGo to DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT, which were completely unthinkable until recently. However, researchers are already working on the innovations of tomorrow, such as hybrid machine learning or neuro-symbolic AI. But what does this actually mean?Based on current research findings and exciting practical examples, this non-fiction book provides an understandable introduction to the basics and challenges of these fascinating disciplines. You will learn what neuroscience and psychology know about how the brain works and how artificial intelligence works. You will also learn how AI has revolutionized our understanding of the brain and how findings from brain research are used in computer science to further develop AI algorithms. Discover the fascinating world of these two disciplines. Find out why artificial intelligence and brain research are two sides of the same coin and how they will shape our future.

This book introduces computing and programming with undergraduate engineering students in mind. It uses Python (Version 3) as the programming language, chosen for its simplicity, readability, wide applicability and large collection of libraries. After introducing engineering-related Python libraries, such as NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Sci-kit, Programming with Python for Engineers shows how Python can be used to implement methods common in a wide spectrum of engineering-related problems drawn from (for example): design, control, decision-making, scheduling and planning. Important features of the book include the following: The book contains interactive content for illustration of important concepts, where the user can provide input and by clicking buttons, trace through the steps. Each chapter is also accessible as a Jupyter Notebook page and every code piece is executable. This allows the readers to run code examples in chapters immediately, to make changes and gain a better grasp of the concepts presented. The coverage of topics is complemented by illustrative examples and exercises. For instructors adopting the textbook, a solutions manual is provided.

This monograph explores the participation of women in alchemy, chemical crafts, and the early stages of modern chemistry. By contextualizing their achievements within the broader social, cultural, and scientific landscapes of their time, this book enables readers to seize the challenges these women confronted and the obstacles they triumphed over. Alongside narrating how they shaped the development of chemistry, including their contributions to the body of chemical literature, it also emphasizes pivotal moments and milestones in the history of women's emancipation. The book's comprehensive and integrative approach, complemented by engaging storytelling, renders it an indispensable resource for students, researchers, and general readers alike.

This comprehensive book portrays the long-overdue recognition of women's work in chemistry, which only materialized with their late access to universities. Besides describing their scientific triumphs, it unveils the human side of the characters involved, providing an intimate perspective, often supported by extracts from their correspondence. By delving into their personal stories, struggles, and successes, this book brings these women to life. Written with simplicity and rigor, it aims to inspire and educate readers of all backgrounds about the extraordinary scientific achievements of these trailblazing women.

This book is a solutions manual and study guide to the 3rd edition of Economic Growth and Development. It includes solutions to all end-of-chapter questions and model-based problems within the text. In addition, each chapter contains a reader's guide for students working through the main text, including objectives, discussion of sticking points, and main takeaways. These should prove useful to students and instructors using this book.

This book provides a comprehensive study of the work of M. David Merrill, a major pioneer in the field of instructional design. This book centers on his research on his second generation instructional design (ID2) theory, Instructional Transaction Theory, and First Principles of Instruction, which has had a substantial impact on the instructional design field. It's appealing to the instructional design research and practitioner-based communities who can draw on specific sections of this book to enhance their own work. It is also intended for those seeking to learn more about the relationship between the instructional design field, learning theory, curriculum studies, and lifelong learning/adult education studies. Through this critical, yet empathetic study of Merrill's 50+ year research agenda, this book provides an illuminating field of entry into a broad range of topics, both those that are central to Merrill's own research agenda, and into areas that extend well beyond his essentially cognitivist epistemological assumptions.

This book argues that Descartes' physics was a milestone on the road to modern mathematical physics. After Newton introduced a completely different approach to mathematical description of motion, Descartes' physics became obsolete and even difficult to comprehend. This text follows the language of Descartes and the means of which motion can be described. It argues that Descartes achieved almost everything that later Newton was able to do--to describe the motion of interacting bodies- by different (i.e. algebraic) means. This volume completely refutes the received view according to which Descartes' physics was merely a kind of discursive natural philosophy. To make this interpretation more plausible the book follows Descartes' ideas from his early work in mathematics, through his invention of the analytic method towards his mature physics. It shows that Descartes followed a similar heuristic pattern.The volume appeals to students and researchers; it invites the reader equippedwith minimal understanding of college mathematics to follow Descartes on his intellectual journey through the Scientific Revolution. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of the role of mathematical language in the creation of modern physics and a glimpse into the fascinating world of Descartes' scientific thought. Several of Descartes' philosophical ideas can be traced back to his scientific interests and thus the book elucidates the motivation behind some of Descartes' key positions in the area of epistemology and method. In the penultimate chapter the book presents four arguments in favor of seeing Descartes as a physicist on par with Galileo and Newton.

This book guides the reader through the process of graphic communication with a particular focus on representing data and processes. It considers a variety of common graphic communication scenarios among those that arise most frequently in practical applications. The book is organized in two parts: representing data (Part I) and representing processes (Part II). The first part deals with the graphical representation of data. It starts with an introductory chapter on the types of variables, then guides the reader through the most common data visualization scenarios - i.e.: representing magnitudes, proportions, one variable as a function of the other, groups, relations, bivariate, trivariate and geospatial data. The second part covers various tools for the visual representation of processes; these include timelines, flow-charts, Gantt charts and PERT diagrams. In addition, the book also features four appendices which cover cross-chapter topics: mathematics and statistics review, Matplotlib primer, color representation and usage, and representation of geospatial data. Aimed at junior and senior undergraduate students in various technical, scientific, and economic fields, this book is also a valuable aid for researchers and practitioners in data science, marketing, entertainment, media and other fields.

This book presents selected peer-reviewed proceedings from the International Conference on Advanced Materials, Sustainable Energy, and Engineering (ICAMSEE2023), held at Ecole Normale Supérieure, University Moulay Ismail Meknes, Morocco, from November 27 to 29, 2023. The conference served as an exceptional platform for international and national scientists, professors, students, and industry professionals to convene and exchange knowledge in the fields of materials science, microscopy, engineering, technology, and energy. The book features contributions from researchers and experts, including keynote speakers, special sessions, posters, and tutorials, showcasing the latest advancements and developments in these areas of research.The topics covered in this book span a wide array of subjects within the realm of advanced materials, sustainable energy, and engineering. The forefront of materials science is explored, including nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, graphene,materials for various applications, environmental protection, advanced optical materials, thermoelectric and magnetic materials, and additive manufacturing. Addressing the energy demands of today, the focus extends to novel materials for solar cells, energy storage, electronic devices, solar and wind energy, advanced thermal management materials, and materials for advanced water treatment and desalination. Sustainable energy and engineering topics encompass energy policy, clean energy production technologies, carbon capture and utilization, biomass energy, building energy efficiency, smart systems for climate change, and energy efficiency in mineral processing. Additionally, the book covers modeling and numerical simulations in material science, encompassing model development, computational techniques, and simulations in both material science and energy fields.

This book critically examines the concept of sexualised governmentalities, a framework for understanding the evolving discourse and power dynamics surrounding discrimination on the basis of sexual practices. Central to this exploration is the shift from traditional heteronormative perspectives to a more complex hetero/homonormative context, where the structure and organisation of sexual relationships gain prominence over the gender or sexual orientation of the participants. A key focus of the book is the concept of homosexism within the realm of gay masculinity studies. The author discusses homosexism as a form of discrimination experienced by gay men from other gay men, highlighting the influence of heteronormative patriarchal society on these interactions. It calls for a broader recognition and acceptance of diverse sexual expressions and challenges the reader to re-evaluate the societal norms around masculinity and sexual behaviour. Sexualised Governmentalities is an important contribution to the discourse on sexual identity and practice, offering insights for a more inclusive and empathetic understanding of sexual diversity.

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Computing, Communication and Learning, CoCoLe 2023, held in Warangal, India, in August 29-31, 2023.The 25 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 120 submissions. The CoCoLe conference focuses on Application of Supervised Learning in Computing; Application of Unsupervised Learning in Computing; and Computing in Communication Networks.

This book integrates for readers three areas of knowledge, pertaining to risk-based project decision making: project risk management (PRM), complexity theory, and decision-making under deep uncertainty (DMDU). Readers will appreciate that in practice, too often relevant complexity and uncertainty factors are either ignored or overlooked resulting in epic project failures. The author discusses a variety of methodologies and a decision-tree-type framework to determine why, when and how particular methodologies should be applied to ensure project success. These include nonlinear Monte Carlo techniques, a dynamic adaptive methodology to adapt to external environment changes, game theory for devising robust decision-making criteria, systems dynamics and cost escalation modelling, as well as risk-based & economic-based alternatives selection methodologies. This book will be an eye-opener for many PRM practitioners, helping to increase their chances of project success by properly handling inescapable project-complexity and deep-uncertainty implications in specific contexts.

This book entitled, The Pearl Millet Genome, is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on history, domestication, genetic and genomic resources, traditional breeding, genetic diversity, molecular maps and mapping of important biotic stress as well as nutritional quality traits, whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics, functional genomics, genetic transformation. The economic, nutritional, and health importance of the pearl millet is also discussed. It also presents the input use efficiency and wide adaptation of the crop. Altogether, the book will contain about 200 pages over 10 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book will be useful to the students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in genetics, pathology, molecular genetics and breeding, genetic engineering, structural and functional genomics, and nutritional quality aspects of the crop. This book will also be also useful to seed and pharmaceutical industries.

This LNCS conference volume constitutes the proceedings of the 13th International Symposium, FoIKS 2024, in Sheffield, UK, in April 2024. The 18 full papers together with 3 short papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 42 submissions.The Symposium focuses on fundamental aspect of information and knowledge systems, including submissions that apply ideas, theories, or methods from specific disciplines to information and knowledge systems. Examples of such disciplines are discrete mathematics, logic and algebra, model theory, databases, information theory, complexity theory, algorithmics and computation, statistics, and optimization.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of fuzzy matrix theory from its inception to its current state. It covers various types of fuzzy matrices, such as intuitionistic fuzzy matrices, interval-valued fuzzy matrices, interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy matrices, bipolar fuzzy matrices, picture fuzzy matrices, neutrosophic fuzzy matrices, m-polar fuzzy matrices and similar one. Drawing primarily from the author's research work and collaborations, the book offers a state-of-the-art discussion of these topics. Theoretical concepts are illustrated with examples for clarity, accompanied by figures depicting fuzzy matrices and their variations. Suitable for both beginners and expert researchers, the book offers a wealth of material and includes numerous open problems at the end of almost all chapters to encourage further exploration and investigation.

This book brings to life one of the most fundamental entities in the universe: the electromagnetic waves that we perceive as light. With his gift for narrative, the author explains the nature of light and the long history of its influence on human ideas, technology and culture. From early efforts to understand vision and colours, through relativity and quantum theory, visual art and laser technology to the birth of stars and attempts to photograph their end, readers will come to appreciate the central role of light not only in human history, but also in the history of the cosmos. This grand tour ends in a flourish, with an epilogue written in the first person by the protagonist itself: a true Autobiography of Light.All chapters in the book are relatively self-contained, allowing readers to dip freely in and out. What makes this captivating story so original is the effort made to point out the affinity between the study of light and achievements in the realm of culture.