Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
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Electricity Capital and Energy Poverty
No full textThis open access book explores the rise of new forms of electricity capitalism, examining how evolving energy systems shape energy consumption and access in five different case studies from the global South. Structured in seven chapters, it begins with a clear theoretical and conceptual foundation and is followed by five compelling case studies, grounded in research insights from Zimbabwe, Mexico, Uganda, Indonesia, and Vanuatu. The book concludes with a synthesis of these findings, paving the way for future discussions on energy poverty in the context of electricity capitalism in the Global South
Advancements in Prosthodontics
No full textThis Special Issue compiles a distinguished collection of peer-reviewed contributions advancing the field of prosthodontics, with a particular focus on translational innovations in oral and maxillofacial rehabilitation. Encompassing original research, clinical protocols, and comprehensive reviews, the articles investigate the mechanical, biological, and digital dimensions of modern prosthetic dentistry. Topics include finite element analyses, novel biomaterials such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and titanium frameworks, AI applications, as well as digital workflows in implant and removable prosthodontics. The assembled works offer a rigorous examination of both in vitro performance and clinical implementation, providing a forward-looking perspective on minimally invasive, functional, and esthetic rehabilitation. This reprint serves as a reference point for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers dedicated to elevating the standards of prosthetic care through scientific excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration
Towards the Olympian Gods
No full textThis book draws on extensive research into Baroque ceiling painting in Bohemia and Moravia. Three case studies of residential decoration present different representational strategies used by 17th century noblemen. Emphasis is placed on the way that social changes brought about by the Thirty Year’s War and the Battle of White Mountain altered the historical circumstances of artistic patronage in Central Europe. The formal models inspiring 17th century artistic production are explored in detail – the influence and appropriation of sources from Italy, France, the Low Countries and Central Europe – and it is shown that appropriation was never mere imitation, but was mediated by the representational strategies of the nobility in specific historical circumstances
Beyond Health Capacity
No full textBeyond Health Capacity: Spatial Practices in Inclusive Design sheds light on the systemic challenges communities with limited access to medical support and health maintenance have endured. It emphasizes how approaching medical interventions through non-traditional health facilities can positively impact health's social and environmental impact. Health capacity is an emerging consideration for optimizing a building design to meet health criteria based on physical, virtual, historical, or social space. These emerging practices can be focused on by interrogating the role of planning, construction, and urban design in addressing public health needs, alongside considering access and social justice as an agency in design. This book reflects on past and present efforts interrogating the practical application of inclusive design practices in resolving the spatial challenges of health reform. By focusing on examples experienced during the pandemic and after, each chapter offers an overview documenting these experiences as approaches to these new competencies, reimagining urbanism around health, and proposing new criteria for the future of healthcare. This book is essential for students and practitioners working in architecture, community planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and public health. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license
Fuzzy Logic Applications in Traffic and Transportation Engineering
No full textTraffic and transportation engineering involves the application of scientific principles to the planning, design, and operation of facilities for any mode of transportation and to human resource management in industry, which are required to enable the safe, efficient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods. Given the complexity of transportation engineering processes, fuzzy logic is a convenient tool for modeling these processes. Fuzzy logic, based on approximate human-like reasoning, offers diverse applications in transportation, a field marked by constant changes, uncertainty, and imprecision. A particular advantage of fuzzy systems is the ability to include multiple goals in calculations and, using adequate optimization algorithms, to achieve high similarity to real-world phenomena. This Special Issue of Mathematics, titled “Fuzzy Logic Applications in Traffic and Transportation Engineering”, is devoted to examples of implementing fuzzy logic to solve various traffic and transportation engineering problems for all modes, including road, rail, air, waterborne transport, postal, and logistics industries, as well as telecommunications. The Guest Editors were inspired by the current gap in the literature regarding this topic and the significant potential of fuzzy logic for applications within the field of transportation. Their previous research involved modeling driver behavior using fuzzy inference systems, optimizing them with metaheuristic algorithms, and incorporating fuzzy sets into decision-making theory
Robust Statistics Through the Monitoring Approach
No full textThis open access book presents robust statistical methods and procedures through the monitoring approach, with an emphasis on applications to linear regression. Illustrating the theory, it explores both large and small-sample properties. The performance of the forward search and of the monitoring of static robust estimators for regression data are illuminated through numerous data analyses using MATLAB and R. The book describes the results of many years’ work of the authors in the development of powerful methods of robust regression analysis. Robust methods are designed to analyse contaminated data. The well-established static robust methods estimate model features, such as parameter estimates, assuming the amount of contamination in the data is known. These methods are described in detail in Chapter 2 for estimation in a simple sample. The extension to regression is presented in Chapter 3, with an emphasis on S-estimation and related procedures as well as on least trimmed squares. The monitoring methods of Chapter 4, including the forward search, find the appropriate level of robustness for each data set and so avoid biased estimation from the inclusion of outliers and inefficiency due to the deletion of uncontaminated observations. This analysis is followed by examples which illustrate the use of the interactive graphical analyses associated with the authors’ FSDA toolbox. Numerical comparisons of the size and power of outlier tests appear in Chapter 5. Later chapters illustrate applications to response transformation in regression and to non-parametric regression. Extensions of the robust multiple regression model include Bayesian, heteroskedastic, time series and compositional regression, together with the clustering of regression models. Finally, several approaches to model selection are investigated and robust analyses of regression data are presented that illustrate the use of the techniques introduced earlier. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter, with solutions at the end of the book. The MATLAB code can be reproduced using MATLAB Online, without the need for a license, or via the language-agnostic Jupyter notebook environment, after installing the MATLAB kernel. Online computer code is available for all examples and exercises, together with a series of YouTube videos. Aimed at professional statisticians and researchers concerned with insightful data analysis, as well as postgraduate students, the book may also serve as a text for a modern interactive robust regression course
Tod und Trauer – analog:digital
No full textThis volume brings together chapters from linguistics, theology, and other disciplines that deal with the topics of death and grief in analog and digital contexts. The interdisciplinary approaches to this topic offer valuable insights into the possibilities and challenges of communicative practices in relation to existential human experiences in a digitalized world
Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials
No full textThis Special Issue, titled "Innovative Material Design and Nondestructive Testing Applications for Infrastructure Materials", showcases cutting-edge research and technological advancements in the field of infrastructure materials. Featuring ten high-quality research articles developed over the course of nearly a year, this collection spans a diverse range of topics in innovative material design and nondestructive testing techniques. Contributions from more than 40 authors representing various organizations provide comprehensive insights and perspectives in this rapidly evolving and critical area of study
Beijing Garbage
No full textWhy do central and local government initiatives aiming to curb the proliferation of garbage in Beijing and its disposal continue to be unsuccessful? Is the Uberization of waste picking through online-to-offline (O2O) garbage retrieval companies able to decrease waste and improve the lives of waste pickers? Most citizens of Beijing are well aware of the fact that their city is besieged by waste. Yet instead of taking individual action, they sit and wait for the governments at various levels to tell them what to do. And even if/when they adopt a proactive position, this does not last. Official education drives targeting the consumers are organized regularly and with modest success, but real solutions are not forthcoming. Various environmental non-governmental organizations are at work to raise the level of consciousness of the population, to change individual attitudes towards wasteful behavior, but seemingly with little overall effects
Parasites and Infection
No full textParasitism is an ecological relationship in which an organism, a parasite, lives inside or on another organism, the host, with the former depending on the latter to acquire shelter and essential nutrients, and survive. Thus, it is a relationship that benefits the parasite at the expense of the host, but does not necessarily result in the host's death. In humans, parasitic diseases hamper development and still cause high mortality, especially in children in developing countries. Parasitic infections in poultry, cattle, or swine, for example, are responsible for economic losses in livestock. Indeed, the proximity to infected animals puts humans at risk of zoonosis. Herein are thirteen publications covering basic biology, genetics, new diagnostic tools and treatments, control strategies, disease epidemiology, and the pathogenesis of protozoan and helminth parasites of medical importance