# SECTION

Statistical studies over the last forty-five years show that, although there are success stories, very many mergers and acquisitions do not result in the increased operating profits that economics textbooks would lead one to expect. As consultancy McKinsey have put it, 'Anyone who has researched merger success rates knows that roughly 70% fail...

This work introduces a new specification and verification approach for dynamic systems. The introduced approach is able to provide type II error free results by definition, i.e. there are no hidden faults in the verification result. The approach is based on Kaucher interval arithmetic to enclose the measurement in a bounded error sense. The develop...

From component choice, to packaging, to marketing, to the million other things that you need to do when you scale up production, we'll help you turn your project into a product - and along the way it'll help you be a better maker. - Build a rocket-powered wing-wing glider out of balsa wood and 3D printed parts (it's like the space...

A broad introduction to algorithms for decision making under uncertainty, introducing the underlying mathematical problem formulations and the algorithms for solving them. Automated decision-making systems or decision-support systems - used in applications that range from aircraft collision avoidance to breast cancer screening - must be designed...

This book is a comprehensive, formal treatment of anonymous point collection. The proposed definition does not only provide a strong notion of security and privacy, but also covers features which are important for practical use. An efficient realization is presented and proven to fulfill the proposed definition. The resulting building block is the ...

This course is organized around algorithmic issues that arise in machine learning. Modern machine learning systems are often built on top of algorithms that do not have provable guarantees, and it is the subject of debate when and why they work. In this class, we focus on designing algorithms whose performance we can rigorously analyze for fundamen...

How To Do Science has been written for students of the life sciences who are actively engaged in the scientific process. This guide introduces you to what it means to be a scientist. You will learn about the scientific method and how to carry out many tasks of a scientist, including: designing experiments, visualising data, accessing scientific lit...

This 2d volume describes the systematic application of Promise Theory to systems, representing a significant step forward in describing functional systems with both dynamics and semantics. By combining quantitative and qualitative descriptions in a single framework, Promise Theory provides the first impartial language for multiscale system phenomen...

This book provides an algorithmic perspective to autonomous robotics to students with a sophomore-level of linear algebra and probability theory. Robotics is an emerging field at the intersection of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. With computers becoming more powerful, making robots smart is getting more and mo...

Existing textbooks on international relations treat history in a cursory fashion and perpetuate a Euro-centric perspective. This textbook pioneers a new approach by historicizing the material traditionally taught in International Relations courses, and by explicitly focusing on non-European cases, debates and issues. The volume is divided into thre...

An introduction to the engineering principles of embedded systems, with a focus on modeling, design, and analysis of cyber-physical systems. The most visible use of computers and software is processing information for human consumption. The vast majority of computers in use, however, are much less visible. They run the engine, brakes, seatbelts,...

We've gathered up the best bits of wearable technology from the first two years of HackSpace magazine for this amazing book. Its 164 pages are packed with step-by-step tutorials and inspirational projects to help you add a unique look to your wardrobe! Ditch the circuit board, step away from the computer: it's time to use your tech skills...

Becoming a Scholar provides a window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time, international students enrolled in a professional doctorate programme, they reflect on the transformation process of becoming scholars, and their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse cross-section o...

The Raspberry Pi Pico: it's tiny, it's fast, it's versatile, and even more impressively these days it's available. And now it's got even better, with the introduction of the new internet-enabled Raspberry Pi Pico W. We'll run through the capabilities of this little board, and get you started on the road to victory with...

As children we were told not to play with our food. As adults, we can do whatever the heck we like. Join us this month to celebrate the joy of messing around with food, whether that's grilling cheese, making coffee, or automating the construction of tacos. - Find things to make and do with polystyrene - Drool over a 3D printed chocolate Je...

Geometry with an Introduction to Cosmic Topology approaches geometry through the lens of questions that have ignited the imagination of stargazers since antiquity. What is the shape of the universe? Does the universe have an edge? Is it infinitely big? This text develops non-Euclidean geometry and geometry on surfaces at a level appropriate for ...

This is an image processing textbook with a difference. Instead of just a picture gallery of before-and-after images, we provide (on the accompanying website) MATLAB programs (.m files) and images (.mat files) for each of the examples. These allow the reader to experiment with various parameters, such as noise strength, and see their effect on the ...

Azure Web Apps is a fully managed platform that you can use to build mission-critical web applications that are highly available, secure, and scalable to global proportions. Combined with first-class tooling from Visual Studio and the Microsoft Azure Tools, the Azure Web Apps service is the fastest way to get your web application to production. Azu...

You might think that the next big leap in 3D printing would come in the form of a pristine white box from a high-end manufacturing facility. You'd be wrong. The hot new thing in 3D printing is an open source machine you can put together yourself in your kitchen. Come with us, and find out why your next printer should be a Voron. - Grow food...

This book is geared towards users who have no Revit background. It starts with Revit basics such as how to create walls, floors, roof, but it also covers more advanced topics such as creating a complex object, preparing construction documents, and modeling mechanical and structural systems. This book is an open education platform for Architectur...

The Internet of Things is playground for makers. From practical projects such as pet feeders and automatic blind, to silly things like a texting pot plant, there are as many ways of connecting ordinary object to the internet as you can imagine. Let's explore! - Meet the mom behind Geek Mom Projects - Build a flatpack rocket - Turn 3D prin...

Microservices architectures introduce several benefits to the application development and delivery process. Microservices-based apps are easier to build, test, maintain, and scale. They also reduce downtime through better fault isolation. While container-based microservices apps have profoundly changed the way DevOps teams deploy applications, t...

With a little bit of coding, you can breathe life into anything. Discover the building blocks of programming that will take your creations to the next level - whether that's motors, servos, sensors or just adding blinkenlights. Coding is a superpower! - How to build an elite-level hot air balloon - Get ready for Christmas with flashy festi...

What does it mean to be a scientist working today; specifically, a scientist whose subject matter is human life? Scientists often overstate their claim to certainty, sorting the world into categorical distinctions that obstruct rather than clarify its complexities. In this book Daniel Nettle urges the reader to unpick such distinctions - biological...

Introduction to Philosophy provides an overview of a common range of philosophical topics for a first- or second-year general education philosophy course. It is organized thematically, following the principal categories of academic philosophy (logic, metaphysics, epistemology, theories of value, and history of philosophy). A recurring theme of Intr...

It's not yet Christmas, but we come bearing glad tidings: the supply of Raspberry Pis available to hobbyists is starting to come back to normal. To celebrate, we're exploring 20 of the best hardware projects you can build with a Raspberry Pi - whether that's large or small, simple or complex, useful or not-so-useful. - Keep your p...

NoSQL is a modern data persistence storage paradigm that provides data persistence for environments where high performance is a primary requirement. Within NoSQL, data is stored in such a way as to make both writing and reading quite fast, even under heavy load. Redis and Redis Enterprise are market-leading, multi-model NoSQL databases that brin...

Erlang is the result of a project at Ericsson's Computer Science Laboratory to improve the programming of telecommunication applications. A critical requirement was supporting the characteristics of such applications, that include: massive concurrency, fault-tolerance, isolation, dynamic code upgrading at runtime, transactions. Throughout t...

Principles of Finance is targeted at the core finance course for undergraduate business majors. The book is designed for conceptual accessibility to students who are relatively early in their business curriculum, yet it is also suitable for more advanced students. Due to the wide range of audiences and course approaches, the book is designed to be ...

Microsoft Azure Maps is part of Microsoft Azure Cloud Services and provides a wide range of powerful geospatial capabilities and a rich set of REST APIs. It has SDKs for both web and mobile applications. In Azure Maps Using Blazor Succinctly, learn how you can create sophisticated applications with Azure Maps and Syncfusion controls in Blazor. Mich...

APIs are such a critical part of software that "API-first" has become a popular approach to development, one where the API is designed before the app itself is written. Without a well-designed API, your app is isolated from the greater app ecosystem. In ASP.NET Core APIs Succinctly, author Dirk Strauss guides you through designing your ow...

Flying machines: humans have always dreamed about flight, but with our puny arms and lack of feathers it's something we've struggled with. No more! Join us as we explore the best, cleverest and most innovative home-made flying machines. Icarus would have been proud! - Behold: the world's first articulated print-in-place chocolate ...