This book is the inaugural volume in the new Springer series on Learning and Analytics in Intelligent Systems. The series aims at providing, in hard-copy and soft-copy form, books on all aspects of learning, analytics, advanced intelligent systems and related technologies. These disciplines are strongly related and mutually complementary; accordingly, the new series encourages an integrated approach to themes and topics in these disciplines, which will result in significant cross-fertilization, research advances and new knowledge creation. To maximize the dissemination of research findings, the series will publish edited books, monographs, handbooks, textbooks and conference proceedings. This book is intended for professors, researchers, scientists, engineers and students. An extensive list of references at the end of each chapter allows readers to probe further into those application areas that interest them most.
