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Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials? In this second, significantly revised and expanded edition of his widely popular book, Webb discusses in detail the (for now!) 75 most cogent and intriguing solutions to Fermi's famous paradox: If the numbers strongly point to the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, why have we found no evidence of them?Reviews from the first edition:"Amidst the plethora of books that treat the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, this one by Webb … is outstanding. … Each solution is presented in a very logical, interesting, thorough manner with accompanying explanations and notes that the intelligent layperson can understand. Webb digs into the issues … by considering a very broad set of in-depth solutions that he addresses through an interesting and challenging mode of presentation that stretches the mind. … An excellent book for anyone who has ever asked ‘Are we alone?’." (W. E. Howard III, Choice, March, 2003)"Fifty ideas are presented … that reveal a clearly reasoned examination of what is known as ‘The Fermi Paradox’. … For anyone who enjoys a good detective story, or using their thinking faculties and stretching the imagination to the limits … ‘Where is everybody’ will be enormously informative and entertaining. … Read this book, and whatever your views are about life elsewhere in the Universe, your appreciation for how special life is here on Earth will be enhanced! A worthy addition to any personal library." (Philip Bridle, BBC Radio, March, 2003)Since gaining a BSc in physics from the University of Bristol and a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester, Stephen Webb has worked in a variety of universities in the UK. He is a regular contributor to the Yearbook of Astronomy series and has published an undergraduate textbook on distance determination in astronomy and cosmology as well as several popular science books. His interest in the Fermi paradox combines lifelong interests in both science and science fiction.

Now available in Open Access, this best-selling textbook for a second course in linear algebra is aimed at undergraduate math majors and graduate students. The fourth edition gives an expanded treatment of the singular value decomposition and its consequences. It includes a new chapter on multilinear algebra, treating bilinear forms, quadratic forms, tensor products, and an approach to determinants via alternating multilinear forms. This new edition also increases the use of the minimal polynomial to provide cleaner proofs of multiple results. Also, over 250 new exercises have been added.The novel approach taken here banishes determinants to the end of the book. The text focuses on the central goal of linear algebra: understanding the structure of linear operators on finite-dimensional vector spaces. The author has taken unusual care to motivate concepts and simplify proofs. A variety of interesting exercises in each chapter helps students understand and manipulate the objects of linear algebra. Beautiful formatting creates pages with an unusually student-friendly appearance in both print and electronic versions. No prerequisites are assumed other than the usual demand for suitable mathematical maturity. The text starts by discussing vector spaces, linear independence, span, basis, and dimension. The book then deals with linear maps, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. Inner-product spaces are introduced, leading to the finite-dimensional spectral theorem and its consequences. Generalized eigenvectors are then used to provide insight into the structure of a linear operator.From the reviews of previous editions:Altogether, the text is a didactic masterpiece. — zbMATHThe determinant-free proofs are elegant and intuitive. — American Mathematical MonthlyThe most original linear algebra book to appear in years, it certainly belongs in every undergraduate library — CHOICE

In the Eighth Edition of this classic text on the financial history of bubbles and crashes, Robert McCauley joins with Robert Aliber in building on Charles Kindleberger's renowned work. McCauley draws on  his central banking experience to introduce new chapters on cryptocurrency and the United States as the 21st Century global lender of last resort. He also updates the book's coverage of the recent property bubble in China, as well as providing new perspectives  on the US housing bubble of 2003-2006, and the Japanese bubble of the late 1980s. And he gives new attention to the social psychology that leads people to take the risk of investing in Ponzi schemes and asset price bubbles. For the first time in this revised and updated edition, figures highlight key points to ensure that today’s generation of finance and economic researchers, students, practitioners and policy-makers—as well as investors looking to avoid crashes—have access to this panoramic history of financial crisis.

Explore the captivating world of plankton with this hands-on guide, perfect for students, educators, hobbyists, and citizen scientists alike. Designed to take you through every step of the process, from collecting samples in local waters to observing them under a microscope and conducting basic experiments, this guide will equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to study plankton at home. You will gain an understanding of the different groups of plankton, their ecological significance, and the environmental challenges they face. With practical advice on gathering and preserving samples, using essential equipment, and identifying common groups, the book also introduces simple experimental techniques to investigate plankton behavior and ecology. For those looking for further knowledge, it briefly covers advanced methods like DNA barcoding and environmental DNA analysis. An image guide, at the end of the book, for easy identification makes this a comprehensive resource. By the end of the reading, you will be ready to deepen your exploration of these vital organisms and perhaps even contribute to their study.

This textbook is designed for a one year course covering the fundamentals of partial differential equations, geared towards advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in mathematics, science, engineering, and elsewhere. The exposition carefully balances solution techniques, mathematical rigor, and significant applications, all illustrated by numerous examples. Extensive exercise sets appear at the end of almost every subsection, and include straightforward computational problems to develop and reinforce new techniques and results, details on theoretical developments and proofs, challenging projects both computational and conceptual, and supplementary material that motivates the student to delve further into the subject. No previous experience with the subject of partial differential equations or Fourier theory is assumed, the main prerequisites being undergraduate calculus, both one- and multi-variable, ordinary differential equations, and basic linear algebra. While the classical topics of separation of variables, Fourier analysis, boundary value problems, Green's functions, and special functions continue to form the core of an introductory course, the inclusion of nonlinear equations, shock wave dynamics, symmetry and similarity, the Maximum Principle, financial models, dispersion and solutions, Huygens' Principle, quantum mechanical systems, and more make this text well attuned to recent developments and trends in this active field of contemporary research. Numerical approximation schemes are an important component of any introductory course, and the text covers the two most basic approaches: finite differences and finite elements.

Oculoplastic, Lacrimal and Orbital Surgery: The ESOPRS Textbook informs the reader of recent insights and new developments in the fields of ophthalmic plastic, lacrimal and orbital surgery. This textbook is relevant to readers preparing for the EBO-ESOPRS examination, but will also be of interest to residents and fellows in ophthalmology, plastic surgery, dermatology and all specialists with an interest in oculoplastic, lacrimal and orbital surgery.Volume 2 is divided into three sections: the first section includes chapters on socket surgery, the second section examines diseases of the orbit and the third is on thyroid associated orbitopathy.For further reading, please see Volume 1 of the textbook, which explores functional eyelid disorders, rejuvenation of periorbital region and lacrimal disorders.

An Introduction to Statistical Learning provides an accessible overview of the field of statistical learning, an essential toolset for making sense of the vast and complex data sets that have emerged in fields ranging from biology to finance, marketing, and  astrophysics in the past twenty years. This book presents some of the most important modeling and prediction techniques, along with relevant applications. Topics include linear regression, classification, resampling methods, shrinkage approaches, tree-based methods, support vector machines, clustering, deep learning, survival analysis, multiple testing, and more. Color graphics and real-world examples are used to illustrate the methods presented. This book is targeted at statisticians and non-statisticians alike, who wish to use cutting-edge statistical learning techniques to analyze their data. Four of the authors co-wrote An Introduction to Statistical Learning, With Applications in R(ISLR), which has become a mainstay of undergraduate and graduate classrooms worldwide, as well as an important reference book for data scientists. One of the keys to its success was that each chapter contains a tutorial on implementing the analyses and methods presented in the R scientific computing environment. However, in recent years Python has become a popular language for data science, and there has been increasing demand for a Python-based alternative to ISLR. Hence, this book (ISLP) covers the same materials as ISLR but with labs implemented in Python. These labs will be useful both for Python novices, as well as experienced users.

This carefully written textbook offers a thorough introduction to abstract algebra, covering the fundamentals of groups, rings and fields.  The first two chapters present preliminary topics such as properties of the integers and equivalence relations. The author then explores the first major algebraic structure, the group, progressing as far as the Sylow theorems and the classification of finite abelian groups. An introduction to ring theory follows, leading to a discussion of fields and polynomials that includes sections on splitting fields and the construction of finite fields. The final part contains applications to public key cryptography as well as classical straightedge and compass constructions.Explaining key topics at a gentle pace, this book is aimed at undergraduate students. It assumes no prior knowledge of the subject and contains over 500 exercises, half of which have detailed solutions provided.

This book explores the evolution of intelligence research over the past two decades, emphasizing the development and implementation of intelligence functions in private and public organizations. A comprehensive framework for conducting intelligence analysis is presented, establishing and operating intelligence teams, and addressing the adjacent ethical questions raised by the nature of this field of study.The key themes addressed include the methodology of intelligence analysis, the establishment of effective intelligence teams, and the concept of "disruptive intelligence," an emerging term referring to the identification of innovations with the potential to transform industries, making products more accessible and affordable. The book argues that recognizing these disruptions early allows incumbents to protect their businesses and new entrants to capitalize on emerging opportunities. This book stands out by blending theoretical insights with practical applications, making it an essential read for those involved in intelligence, strategic planning, and innovation management.

"Plankton in a Changing World: The Impact of Global Change on Marine Ecosystems" invites readers to explore the microscopic hidden world beneath the waves. This book unravels the fundamental concepts of plankton ecology and their relevance, while exploring the profound impacts of global environmental changes on these vital organisms. Written in a clear and engaging way for the general public, it begins with a foundational overview of plankton, allowing it to stand alone. However, reading "The Wonders of Marine Plankton," from the same author, is encouraged for a deeper understanding of plankton ecology and peculiarities.Plankton form the very foundation of marine ecosystems. As climate change, pollution, and human activities continue to reshape our world, understanding the intricate dynamics of plankton becomes increasingly crucial. This book offers a comprehensive exploration of how these changes influence plankton populations, with far-reaching consequences for marine life and global ecosystems.Addressing issues such as rising temperatures, ocean acidification, pollution, and overfishing, the book highlights the complex challenges plankton face. Regional perspectives and case studies illustrate varied responses across different climates, showcasing the diverse impacts and adaptive strategies. Through engaging prose and rich scientific insight, "Plankton in a Changing World: The Impact of Global Change on Marine Ecosystems" invites readers to appreciate the delicate balance of our ocean and the pivotal role plankton play in maintaining it.Concluding with future research directions, it underscores the need for innovative approaches and public awareness to safeguard these essential organisms. "Plankton in a Changing World: The Impact of Global Change on Marine Ecosystems" is an essential read for those interested in marine life and environmental science. Discover how tiny organisms can have a colossal impact and why their survival is intertwined with the future of our world.

Intended as a text for upper-division undergraduates, graduate students and as a potential reference, this broad-scoped resource is extensive in its educational appeal by providing a new concept-based organization with end-of-chapter literature references, self-quizzes, and illustration interpretation.  The concept-based, pedagogical approach, in contrast to the classic discipline-based approach, was specifically chosen to make the teaching and learning of plant anatomy more accessible for students. In addition, for instructors whose backgrounds may not primarily be plant anatomy, the features noted above are designed to provide sufficient reference material for organization and class presentation. This text is unique in the extensive use of over 1150 high-resolution color micrographs, color diagrams and scanning electron micrographs.  Another feature is frequent side-boxes that highlight the relationship of plant anatomy to specialized investigations in plant molecular biology, classical investigations, functional activities, and research in forestry, environmental studies and genetics, as well as other fields. Each of the 19 richly-illustrated chapters has an abstract, a list of keywords, an introduction, a text body consisting of 10 to 20 concept-based sections, and a list of references and additional readings. At the end of each chapter, the instructor and student will find a section-by-section concept review, concept connections, concept assessment (10 multiple-choice questions), and concept applications. Answers to the assessment material are found in an appendix. An index and a glossary with over 700 defined terms complete the volume.

This book is based on the well-established book Biology of Spiders but is completely updated. It focuses on the biology and natural history of spiders in general - it does not deal with the identification of spiders.Virtually all aspects of spider biology are covered, from anatomy and physiology to neurobiology and behavior, or from spider venom to prey capture, and from silk production to complex web construction.The book will appeal not only to spider enthusiasts, professional arachnologists and zoologists, but to anyone with an interest in biology. It is written in a clear and straightforward style, making it easy to read for the general reader.

The main objective of this new edition is to facilitate the learning of radiology through a handbook that includes all disciplines of radiology. It is aimed to guide young trainees from the beginning of their radiology training and help them in the preparation of the European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR). The 2nd edition features new cases in all the subspecialities, now including also Hybrid Imaging, Informatics (with some information regarding Artificial Intelligence) and Physics. The book is intended to be a reference in the field of radiology providing a standardised study opportunity of the specialty following the outline of EDiR. The content has been selected and supervised by the members of the different committees responsible for the examination.Each chapter is structured in three sections similar to the European exam: a first section with Multiple Response Questions (MRQs), a second section with Short Cases (SCs) and, finally, cases of clinicalreasoning (CORE). For a deeper understanding, this new edition features 30 exclusive videos that complement the text. These engaging visuals enhance the learning experience, making complex concepts easier to grasp.The reader is exposed to questions and problems as they arise in the European examination. It covers technical, security and management aspects, all of which are included in the European curriculum and which form part of the content of the exam.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have emerged as a cornerstone technology, transforming how we interact with information and redefining the boundaries of artificial intelligence. LLMs offer an unprecedented ability to understand, generate, and interact with human language in an intuitive and insightful manner, leading to transformative applications across domains like content creation, chatbots, search engines, and research tools. While fascinating, the complex workings of LLMs—their intricate architecture, underlying algorithms, and ethical considerations—require thorough exploration, creating a need for a comprehensive book on this subject.This book provides an authoritative exploration of the design, training, evolution, and application of LLMs. It begins with an overview of pre-trained language models and Transformer architectures, laying the groundwork for understanding prompt-based learning techniques. Next, it dives into methods for fine-tuning LLMs, integrating reinforcement learning for value alignment, and the convergence of LLMs with computer vision, robotics, and speech processing. The book strongly emphasizes practical applications, detailing real-world use cases such as conversational chatbots, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and code generation. These examples are carefully chosen to illustrate the diverse and impactful ways LLMs are being applied in various industries and scenarios.Readers will gain insights into operationalizing and deploying LLMs, from implementing modern tools and libraries to addressing challenges like bias and ethical implications. The book also introduces the cutting-edge realm of multimodal LLMs that can process audio, images, video, and robotic inputs. With hands-on tutorials for applying LLMs to natural language tasks, this thorough guide equips readers with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills for leveraging the full potential of large language models.This comprehensive resource is appropriate for a wide audience: students, researchers and academics in AI or NLP, practicing data scientists, and anyone looking to grasp the essence and intricacies of LLMs.Key Features:Over 100 techniques and state-of-the-art methods, including pre-training, prompt-based tuning, instruction tuning, parameter-efficient and compute-efficient fine-tuning, end-user prompt engineering, and building and optimizing Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems, along with strategies for aligning LLMs with human values using reinforcement learningOver 200 datasets compiled in one place, covering everything from pre- training to multimodal tuning, providing a robust foundation for diverse LLM applicationsOver 50 strategies to address key ethical issues such as hallucination, toxicity, bias, fairness, and privacy. Gain comprehensive methods for measuring, evaluating, and mitigating these challenges to ensure responsible LLM deploymentOver 200 benchmarks covering LLM performance across various tasks, ethical considerations, multimodal applications, and more than 50 evaluation metrics for the LLM lifecycleNine detailed tutorials that guide readers through pre-training, fine- tuning, alignment tuning, bias mitigation, multimodal training, and deploying large language models using tools and libraries compatible with Google Colab, ensuring practical application of theoretical conceptsOver 100 practical tips for data scientists and practitioners, offering implementation details, tricks, and tools to successfully navigate the LLM life- cycle and accomplish tasks efficiently

This book is aimed at everyone preparing for the ISTQB® Certified Tester – Foundation Level exam based on the Foundation Level syllabus (version 4.0) published in 2023. It provides candidates with reliable knowledge based on this document and thus distinguishes itself from all the information about ISTQB® syllabi and exams on the Internet, which is often of rather poor quality and may even contain serious errors. The book expands and details many issues that are described in the new 2023 version of the syllabus in a perfunctory or general way only. According to the ISTQB® guidelines for syllabus-based training, an exercise must be provided for each learning objective at the K3 level, and a practical example must be provided for each objective at the K2 or K3 level. In order to satisfy these requirements, the authors prepared numerous exercises and examples for all learning objectives at these levels. In addition, for each learning objective, one or more sample exam questions are presented which are similar to those that the candidate will see in the exam. This makes the book an excellent aid for studying and preparing for the exam and verifying acquired knowledge.

This book gives a comprehensive introduction to those parts of the theory of elliptic integrals and elliptic functions which provide illuminating examples in complex analysis, but which are not often covered in regular university courses. These examples form prototypes of major ideas in modern mathematics and were a driving force of the subject in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In addition to giving an account of the main topics of the theory, the book also describes many applications, both in mathematics and in physics. For the reader’s convenience, all necessary preliminaries on basic notions such as Riemann surfaces are explained to a level sufficient to read the book.For each notion a clear motivation is given for its study, answering the question ‘Why do we consider such objects?’, and the theory is developed in a natural way that mirrors its historical development (e.g., ‘If there is such and such an object, then you would surely expect this one’). This feature sets this text apart from other books on the same theme, which are usually presented in a different order. Throughout, the concepts are augmented and clarified by numerous illustrations. Suitable for undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics, the book will also be of interest to researchers who are not familiar with elliptic functions and integrals, as well as math enthusiasts.

This book provides aspiring screenwriters with a practical and informed way to learn how to think and write like a “creative”. It stands apart from, yet complements, other screenwriting “how to” books by connecting the transdisciplinary academic fields of screenwriting, film studies and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Using a stepped approach, it shows the writer how to understand that how we think, shapes what we write, so that we may write better.

The book comprises biographical notes, of about 1000 words each, with a portrait photo, of 90 influential figures of the famous prewar Viennese school of neuropsychiatry, appearing together for the first time in a single volume. The entries focus on the academic lives and scientific contributions of pioneers in the neurological sciences viewed from a modern perspective. These updated profiles are based on substantial new research. The book includes a wide range of people, some famous Nobel laureates, and others less well known, from the era when Vienna was the epicenter of brain research. Despite the tragic circumstances of two World Wars, these pioneers remained resilient, willing to help others with an admirable dignity against adversity that leaves an indelible lesson to the later generations. Some fell victim of the Holocaust. Others overcame the constraints of National Socialism and ultimately settled overseas to nurture their ambitions and pursue their intellectual goals as physicians, researchers, and teachers. The monograph is a useful source for scholars interested in the evolution of ideas in basic neuroscience, clinical neurology, and neuropsychiatry, and the investigators who effected them.

This book provides an introduction to modern topics in scientific computing and machine learning, using JULIA to illustrate the efficient implementation of algorithms. In addition to covering fundamental topics, such as optimization and solving systems of equations, it adds to the usual canon of computational science by including more advanced topics of practical importance. In particular, there is a focus on partial differential equations and systems thereof, which form the basis of many engineering applications. Several chapters also include material on machine learning (artificial neural networks and Bayesian estimation).JULIA is a relatively new programming language which has been developed with scientific and technical computing in mind. Its syntax is similar to other languages in this area, but it has been designed to embrace modern programming concepts. It is open source, and it comes with a compiler and an easy-to-use package system. Aimed at students ofapplied mathematics, computer science, engineering and bioinformatics, the book assumes only a basic knowledge of linear algebra and programming.

This book is intended for students, academics, designers, process engineers and CMM operators, and presents the ISO GPS and the ASME GD&T rules and concepts. The Geometric Product Specification (GPS) and Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) languages are in fact the most powerful tools available to link the perfect geometrical world of models and drawings to the imperfect world of manufactured parts and assemblies. The topics include a complete description of all the ISO GPS terminology, datum systems, MMR and LMR requirements, inspection, and gauging principles. Moreover, the differences between ISO GPS and the American ASME Y14.5 standards are shown as a guide and reference to help in the interpretation of drawings of the most common dimensioning and tolerancing specifications. The book may be used for engineering courses and for professional grade programmes, and it has been designed to cover the fundamental geometric tolerancing applications as well as the more advanced ones. Academics and professionals alike will find it to be an excellent teaching and research tool, as well as an easy-to-use guide. This 2nd, revised edition includes several improved features:-       It highlights the tools provided in the recently published ISO GPS standards, such as ISO 22081-2021 and ISO 2692-2021.-       New concepts and rules in accordance with the latest revision to the GD&T standard, ASME Y14.5.1-2019, Mathematical Definition of         Dimensioning and Tolerancing Principles.-       Most of the drawings have been redrawn and updated even further to the new standards.-       Changes have been made to the text and illustrations to improve readability and clarify the contentAdditional contents and examples have been included.-       The chapters dedicated to profile tolerance and  tolerances (ISO 14405) have been extended and rewritten.

This book addresses the use, operation and maintenance of new renewable energy systems, taking into account their integration in the current electrical markets and in the new emergent uses of energy. The book is based on practical experiences which present different perspectives about what occurs once an energy production plant based on sources of renewable energy is in production. Questions to be addressed include: how the energy produced is integrated into the current system of energy production, what is its consideration in the electrical market, what the impact is on society, how differential the strategies of operation and maintenance are with respect to conventional systems of energy production, etc.

Wind Turbines addresses all those professionally involved in research, development, manufacture and operation of wind turbines. It provides a cross-disciplinary overview of modern wind turbine technology and an orientation in the associated technical, economic and environmental fields. It is based on the author's experience gained over decades designing wind energy converters with a major industrial manufacturer and, more recently, in technical consulting and in the planning of large wind park installations, with special attention to economics. For this 4th edition, new sections on innovative concepts were added, such as flying wind power plants and those connected to large buildings. The recent technological progress in energy storage systems and electrical grid integration, floating foundations and other offshore applications is documented. Moreover, patents and intellectual property protection are discussed in the commercial part.

This book enhances existing knowledge in the field of wind systems. It explores topics such as grid integration, smart grid applications, hybrid renewable energy systems, and advancements in control and optimization approaches. The book primarily aims to provide a quick and comprehensive understanding of wind systems, including models, control techniques, optimization methods, and energy storage systems to students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, particularly those studying electrical engineering.The book is divided into two parts. The first part explores various stand-alone wind applications such as rural electrification and pumping, while the second part focuses on applications in grid-connected systems. Each system is accompanied by mathematical models and an illustrative example using the MATLAB/Simulink package. Moreover, numerous examples are presented for potential implementation using the DSPACE package. The book also introduces different electrical machine control approaches, including vector control, direct torque control, and fuzzy logic controllers for various drive systems. Furthermore, intelligent techniques are developed to optimize wind operations.Aiming to enhance existing knowledge in the field of wind systems, this book covers topics such as grid integration, smart grid applications, hybrid renewable energy systems, and advancements in control and optimization approaches.This second edition is fully updated. New sections on demand-side management and energy storage systems have been included, and each section has a summary and comparative table to further enhance clarity. Additionally, this new edition includes discussions on future trends and emerging technologies in wind energy systems, making it a more comprehensive and up-to-date resource.

This textbook is aimed at readers who have little or no knowledge of computer programming but want to learn to program in Python. It starts from the very basics including how to install your Python environment, how to write a very simple program and run it, what a variable is, what an if statement is, how iteration works using for and while loops as well as important key concepts such as functions, classes and modules. Each subject area is prefaced with an introductory chapter, before continuing with how these ideas work in Python.The second edition has been completely updated for the latest versions of Python including Python 3.11 and Python 3.12. New chapters have been added such as those that consider where and how Python is used, the use of Frozensets, how data can be sorted, enumerated types in Python, structural pattern matching and how (and why) Python Virtual Environments are configured. A new chapter ‘The Python Bites back’ is introduced to present the fourteen most common / biggest gotchas for someone new to Python. Other sections have been updated with new features such as Exception Groups, string operations and dictionary operations.A Beginners Guide to Python 3 Programming second Edition provides all you need to know about Python, with numerous examples provided throughout including several larger worked case studies illustrating the ideas presented in the previous chapters.

This open access book investigates how digitalization and service infusion are changing service provision and the customer experience. It highlights the central role of service management and service innovation in making these changes not only appear in theory but also implementing them in business practice. At the beginning of the 21st century, many manufacturing firms struggled to exploit the financial potential of service businesses, a phenomenon described as the service paradox. While many manufacturing firms are still struggling with this paradox, several firms (both service and manufacturing firms) are simultaneously struggling with digitalization. This phenomenon can be viewed as the digitalization paradox, i.e., as a situation in which companies invest in digitalization but struggle to reach the expected revenue growth. By applying the lens of service innovation to digitalization and service infusion, the book showcases how firms can overcome the service and digitalization paradoxes, transform service provision, and improve the customer experience. It offers comprehensive coverage, blending literature reviews, conceptualizations, empirical illustrations, and case studies to offer a multifaceted perspective on corporate strategies, illuminating pathways to address the challenges posed by the service and digitalization paradoxes. Built on the latest research from the CTF – Service Research Center at Karlstad University, Sweden, this book offers a valuable resource for managers seeking practical strategies and approaches to enhance their understanding and implementation of service management and marketing principles. It will also appeal to academics with an interest in service management and marketing.

Since the last edition of this book (2014), progress has been astonishing in all areas of Natural Language Processing, with recent achievements in Text Generation that spurred a media interest going beyond the traditional academic circles. Text Processing has meanwhile become a mainstream industrial tool that is used, to various extents, by countless companies. As such, a revision of this book was deemed necessary to catch up with the recent breakthroughs, and the author discusses models and architectures that have been instrumental in the recent progress of Natural Language Processing.As in the first two editions, the intention is to expose the reader to the theories used in Natural Language Processing, and to programming examples that are essential for a deep understanding of the concepts. Although present in the previous two editions, Machine Learning is now even more pregnant, having replaced many of the earlier techniques to process text. Many new techniques build on the availability of text. Using Python notebooks, the reader will be able to load small corpora, format text, apply the models through executing pieces of code, gradually discover the theoretical parts by possibly modifying the code or the parameters, and traverse theories and concrete problems through a constant interaction between the user and the machine. The data sizes and hardware requirements are kept to a reasonable minimum so that a user can see instantly, or at least quickly, the results of most experiments on most machines.The book does not assume a deep knowledge of Python, and an introduction to this language aimed at Text Processing is given in Ch. 2, which will enable the reader to touch all the programming concepts, including NumPy arrays and PyTorch tensors as fundamental structures to represent and process numerical data in Python, or Keras for training Neural Networks to classify texts. Covering topics like Word Segmentation and Part-of-Speech and Sequence Annotation, the textbook also gives an in-depth overview of Transformers (for instance, BERT), Self-Attention and Sequence-to-Sequence Architectures.

The volume brings together an international group of authors discussing basic concepts and approaches to plural policing as well as aspects and practices of plural policing in specific locations. The context comes from the fact that policing activities are nowadays performed by a growing number and variety of police and non-police stakeholders. This development is internationally discussed as ‘pluralisation of policing’ or plural policing. This book provides insights into plural policing across different countries of the global North. It looks at day-to-day security which is mainly produced at the local level, and where there is considerable diversity in philosophy and practice. Therefore, it allows learnings for possible future developments in the field. This volume contributes to policing studies and is of interest to the wide range of academics dealing with questions of security and order, as well as policy makers and practitioners working on security in their regions.

This text provides a mathematically rigorous introduction to modern methods of machine learning and data analysis at the advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate level. The book is self-contained and requires minimal mathematical prerequisites. There is a strong focus on learning how and why algorithms work, as well as developing facility with their practical applications. Apart from basic calculus, the underlying mathematics — linear algebra, optimization, elementary probability, graph theory, and statistics — is developed from scratch in a form best suited to the overall goals.  In particular, the wide-ranging linear algebra components are unique in their ordering and choice of topics, emphasizing those parts of the theory and techniques that are used in contemporary machine learning and data analysis.  The book will provide a firm foundation to the reader whose goal is to work on applications of machine learning and/or research into the further development of this highly active field of contemporary applied mathematics.To introduce the reader to a broad range of machine learning algorithms and how they are used in real world applications, the programming language Python is employed and offers a platform for many of the computational exercises. Python notebooks complementing various topics in the book are available on a companion GitHub site specified in the Preface, and can be easily accessed by scanning the QR codes or clicking on the links provided within the text. Exercises appear at the end of each section, including basic ones designed to test comprehension and computational skills, while others range over proofs not supplied in the text, practical computations, additional theoretical results, and further developments in the subject.  The Students’ Solutions Manual may be accessed from GitHub. Instructors may apply for access to the Instructors’ Solutions Manual from the link supplied on the text’s Springer website.The book can be used in a junior or senior level course for students majoring in mathematics with a focus on applications as well as students from other disciplines who desire to learn the tools of modern applied linear algebra and optimization. It may also be used as an introduction to fundamental techniques in data science and machine learning for advanced undergraduate and graduate students or researchers from other areas, including statistics, computer science, engineering, biology, economics and finance, and so on.

This text covers topics in algebraic geometry and commutative algebra with careful attention to their practical and computational aspects. The first four chapters form the core of the book. A comprehensive chart in the Preface illustrates a variety of ways to proceed with the material once these chapters are covered. In addition to the fundamentals of algebraic geometry—the elimination theorem, the extension theorem, the closure theorem and the Nullstellensatz—there are chapters on polynomial and rational functions between varieties, robotics and geometric theorem proving, invariant theory of finite groups, projective algebraic geometry, dimension theory, and progress made over the last decades in computing Gröbner bases.The fifth edition builds on the fourth edition in two main ways. First, a number of typographical errors, found by readers and by the authors since 2018, have been corrected. Second, new material on toric varieties, monomial curves, and other topics of current interest in algebraic geometry has been added. This enhances the opportunities for active learning through new examples, new exercises, and new projects in Appendix D, all supplemented by additional references. The book also includes updated computer algebra material in Appendix C.The book may be used for a first or second course in undergraduate abstract algebra and, with some augmentation perhaps, for beginning graduate courses in algebraic geometry or computational commutative algebra. Prerequisites for the reader include linear algebra and a proof-oriented course. It is assumed that the reader has access to a computer algebra system. Appendix C describes features of Maple™, Mathematica® and SageMath, as well as other systems that are most relevant to the text. Pseudocode is used in the text; Appendix B carefully describes the pseudocode used.From the reviews of previous editions:“…The book gives an introduction to Buchberger’s algorithm with applications to syzygies, Hilbert polynomials, primary decompositions. There is an introduction to classical algebraic geometry with applications to the ideal membership problem, solving polynomial equations and elimination theory. …The book is well-written. …The reviewer is sure that it will be an excellent guide to introduce further undergraduates in the algorithmic aspect of commutative algebra and algebraic geometry.”—Peter Schenzel, zbMATH, 2007“I consider the book to be wonderful. … The exposition is very clear, there are many helpful pictures and there are a great many instructive exercises, some quite challenging … offers the heart and soul of modern commutative and algebraic geometry.”—The American Mathematical Monthly