This volume is devoted to presentation of new results of research on systems of non-integer order, called also fractional systems. Their analysis and practical implementation have been the object of spontaneous development for a few last decades. The fractional order models can depict a physical plant better than the classical integer order ones. This covers different research fields such as in…
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Colloquium on Theoretical Aspects of Computing, ICTAC 2015, held in Cali, Colombia, in October 2015. The 25 revised full papers presented together with 7 invited talks, 3 tool papers, and 2 short papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 93 submissions. The papers cover various topics such as algebra and category…
This timely book describes and analyses a neglected area of the history of concern for animal welfare, discussing the ends and means of the capture, transport, housing and training of performing animals, as well as the role of pressure groups, politics, the press and vested interests. It examines primary source material of considerable interdisciplinary interest, and addresses the influence of …
This book pursues a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach in order to analyze the relationship between water and food security. It demonstrates that most of the world’s economies lack sufficient water resources to secure their populations’ food requirements and are thus virtual importers of water. One of the most inspiring cases, which this book is rooted in, is Italy: the third largest…
The book is inspired by the first seminar in a cycle connected to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Politecnico di Milano. "Dealing with the Image Ivory Towers and Virtual Bridges" was the motto of this meeting, aiming to stimulate a discussion among engineers, designers and architects, all of whom are traditionally involved in the use of the Image as a specialized language suppo…
This book examines the links between employee-organisation relationships, work wellness and the impact thereof on the labour market from a South African perspective. By employing this focus, the book explains the role of the employment relationship and the psychological contract in improving work wellness. To do so, it reviews the establishment and management of contracts in the context of labo…
Risk budgeting models set risk diversification as objective in portfolio allocation and are mainly promoted from the asset management industry. Albina Unger examines the portfolios based on different risk measures in several aspects from the academic perspective (Utility, Performance, Risk, Different Market Phases, Robustness, and Factor Exposures) to investigate the use of these models for ass…
This book demonstrates that the much-needed global shift in energy production and use must happen at a territorial level in order to be truly successful and sustainable. This book enables regional implementation efforts by connecting broad EU environmental policies with plans for action at the territorial level, analysing efficient resource allocation and cost effectiveness to achieve national …
Developing future strategies for a company is an important and complex task, and forms the core issue in this book. A company’s strategy defines its future direction, specifying its desired market position and key competitive advantages both at the level of market offers and of resources. This book provides clear, straightforward advice for professionals: after a brief introduction to strateg…
This volume explores the role of territory in the creation, maintenance and extension of a new type of frontier, the electronic frontier, from a social and economic point of view. It departs from the earlier concepts of borders – state, social, economic, ethnic, religious, etc. – to investigate the fluidity of borders and their shift towards an axis-based paradigm within the free-movement …