This book constitutes revised selected papers from International Workshops on AI Agent for Information Retrieval: Generating and Ranking, Agent4IR, taking place on October 25, 2024, in Boise, USA, and on March 4, 2025, in Pennsylvania, USA, and on August 3, 2025, in Toronto, Canada.The 12 full papers included in the book were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 38 submissions. They focus on the latest theoretical advancements and practical implementations of AI agents i...

This book presents a systematic and comprehensive overview of the authors' recent innovative research on the folding mechanics of deployable composite structures. It begins by introducing foundational concepts, including the energy method, variational principles, and the core theory of composite mechanics. The discussion then advances to detailed theoretical models addressing large deformations across various folding modes—such as the compression and bending of tape-springs, the behavior o...

An introduction to how life has colonized and shaped the Earth, turning it into the habitable planet of todayExploring the geological basis for life on Earth, Introduction to Geobiology systematically examines the interaction between the geosphere and the biosphere, including its evolutionary history.In this didactically written text, readers will learn about the various modes of interaction between living and inorganic environments, emphasizing th...

This book introduces the fundamentals of materials science and is intended to be used by undergraduate students in materials-related majors mainly in China. The book focusses on the basic theories of the three primary types of solid state materials (metals, ceramics and polymers) and composites and emphasizes the relationships between the structures and properties of materials. In addition, it presents the crystal structure, imperfections, microstructure, material processing and performanc...

Australian Banking and Finance Law and Regulation provides a comprehensive, up-to-date and accessible introduction to the complexities of contemporary law and regulation of banking and financial sectors in one volume. The book provides a detailed analysis of Australia's financial market regulatory framework and the theoretical underpinnings of government intervention in the field. It delves into the legal changes implemented in response to the Global Financial Crisis and recent local scand...

This book delves into the transformations and challenges faced by modern Chinese universities during periods of social and political upheaval. It examines the choices made by universities in modern Chinese civil society and the reincarnation of university spirit in times of tribulation. A special focus is given to the spiritual formation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong as a modern example. The volume concludes by reflecting on the lessons from the history of modern Chinese universit...

This book explores the origins and evolution of the university spirit in early modern China. It begins with the integration of Chinese and Western cultures, leading to the birth of university ideals. The book examines the spiritual ecosystem of missionary universities and their role in shaping early modern higher education. It also traces the dawn of modern Chinese universities and the subsequent formation of their unique spirit. This volume provides a detailed historical and cultural anal...

This book first analyzes the institutional changes and historical value orientations brought about by China's economic reforms and then explores the justice and progressiveness of changes in social production relations, as well as the uniqueness of economic growth and macro control in China's institutional changes. It further delves into the effectiveness and qualitative improvement during the growth process, including the evolution of structural height, the formation of structural benefit...

This book shows that the stock market returns of hundreds of anomaly portfolios discovered by researchers in finance over the past three decades can be explained by a recent asset pricing model dubbed the ZCAPM. Anomaly portfolios are long/short portfolio returns on stocks that cannot be explained by asset pricing models, and their number has been steadily increasing into the hundreds. Since asset pricing models cannot explain them, behavioral theories have become popular to account for an...

Grounded in autoethnographic observations and informed by critical, postmodern, ethnographic, and narrative approaches, this work presents a new framework for intercultural communication education that aims to deconstruct normative intercultural paradigms.Critical scholars in intercultural communication education have advocated a shift from the essentialist approach, which focuses on the Western Centre, to a non-essentialist approach that treats all national cultures as equally com...

"Handbook of Thoracic Malignancies and Esophageal Related Cancer" is a practical guide to management of lung cancer and other cancers of the thoracic cavity. The book focuses on evidence-based conventional and novel treatment strategies that have been transforming the landscape of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and related tumors. It includes guidance on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, combined-modality therapy, and site- directed treatment of ...

This book elucidates the murky realities of China's taxation system today, and advocates bold plans for change. Theorizing finance and taxation in relation to a national political system, the authors explain the current tangled-up realities of China's creaky, inherited and uneven tax system- and put forward a plan for radical change. This book will be of interest to finance professionals, economists, and scholars of the Chinese economy. The focus is to properly handle the three basic econo...