This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 10th International RuleML Symposium, RuleML 2016, held in New York, NY, USA during July 2016. The 19 full papers, 1 short paper, 2 keynote abstracts, 2 invited tutorial papers, 1 invited standard paper, presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 36 submissions. RuleML is a leading conference aiming to build bridges between academia and industry in the field of rules and its applications, especially as part of the semantic technology stack. It is devoted to rule-based programming and rule-based systems including production rule systems, logic programming rule engines, and business rule engines and business rule management systems, Semantic Web rule languages and rule standards and technologies, and research on inference rules, transformation rules, decision rules, and ECA rules.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International RuleML Symposium, RuleML 2015, held in Berlin, Germany, in August 2015. The 25 full papers, 4 short papers, 2 full keynote papers, 2 invited research track overview papers, 1 invited paper, 1 invited abstracts presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 63 submissions. The papers cover the following topics: general RuleML track; complex event processing track, existential rules and datalog+/- track; legal rules and reasoning track; rule learning track; industry track.

In the realm of Islamic finance, a pivotal challenge looms—the escalating complexity of investment decisions, macroeconomic analyses, and credit evaluations. In response, we present a groundbreaking solution that resonates with the rapidly evolving fintech era. Fintech Applications in Islamic Finance: AI, Machine Learning, and Blockchain Techniques offers a compelling repository of knowledge, meticulously curated by renowned editors Mohammad Irfan, Seifedine Kadry, Muhammad Sharif, and Habib Ullah Khan. Fintech Applications in Islamic Finance: AI, Machine Learning, and Blockchain Techniques is a call to action, an exploration of innovation, and a guide for both academia and industry. In an era where AI, ML, and blockchain reshape finance, this book stands as a beacon of knowledge, ushering Islamic finance into a realm of unprecedented efficiency and insight. As we invite readers to embark on this transformative journey, we illuminate the path to a future where technology and tradition converge harmoniously.

This book presents the proceedings of the third Vehicle and Automotive Engineering conference, reflecting the outcomes of theoretical and practical studies and outlining future development trends in a broad field of automotive research. The conference’s main themes included design, manufacturing, economic and educational topics.

The Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law provides reviews and articles on developments in the areas of international trade, business, & economy.

Blockchain was first conceptualized as a method of building trust in machines and has grown into a vital aspect of many different sectors of the economy. Recently, attention has shifted to the field of autonomous vehicles, and the added value blockchain can provide for the future of this sector by building next generation secure decentralized, distributed, and trusted automated environments and enhancing the productivity of several autonomous applications. Opportunities and Challenges for Blockchain Technology in Autonomous Vehicles is a critical reference source that explores the applications of blockchain in automated industries. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including privacy, risk assessment, and performance optimization, this book is ideally designed for design engineers, industry professionals, cryptographers, service designers, entrepreneurs, government officials, consultants, researchers, academicians, and students.

This book addresses what software architects and developers need to know in order to build applications based on blockchain technology, by offering an architectural view of software systems that make beneficial use of blockchains. It provides guidance on assessing the suitability of blockchain, on the roles blockchain can play in an architecture, on designing blockchain applications, and on assessing different architecture designs and tradeoffs. It also serves as a reference on blockchain design patterns and design analysis, and refers to practical examples of blockchain-based applications. The book is divided into four parts: Part I provides a general introduction to the topic and to existing blockchain platforms including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Hyperledger Fabric, and offers examples of blockchain-based applications. Part II focuses on the functional aspects of software architecture, describing the main roles blockchain can play in an architecture, as well as its potential suitability and design process. It includes a catalogue of 15 design patterns and details how to use model-driven engineering to build blockchain-based applications. Part III covers the non-functional aspects of blockchain applications, which are cross-cutting concerns including cost, performance, security, and availability. Part IV then presents three detailed real-world use cases, offering additional insights from a practical perspective. An epilogue summarizes the book and speculates on the role blockchain and its applications can play in the future. This book focusses on the bigger picture for blockchain, covering the concepts and technical considerations in the design of blockchain-based applications. The use of mathematical formulas is limited to where they are critical. This book is primarily intended for developers, software architects and chief information officers who need to understand the basic technology, tools and methodologies to build blockchain applications. It also provides students and researchers new to this field an introduction to this hot topic.

The book analyzes the most relevant developments in the relation between contracts and technology, from automatically concluded contracts to today's revolutionary "smart contracts" developed through blockchain, which are beginning to and will increasingly disrupt many economic and social relations. First of all, the author offers a broad analysis of the peculiarities and evolution of the relation between contracts and technology. The main features and elements of electronic contracts are then examined in depth to highlight the specific rules applicable to them in the international comparative legal framework. In turn, the book provides a detailed explanation of the technology, economic and social dynamics, and legal issues concerning blockchain and smart contracts. The analysis focuses on the question of the legal nature of smart contracts, the issues posed by their development and the first legal solutions adopted in some countries. The comparative approach pursued makes it possible to focus attention on the first solutions adopted until now in various systems, with particular regard to the circulation of models and ideas and to the specificities of their local variations, in terms of e.g. applicable law and jurisdiction. In reviewing the characteristics of distributed ledger technologies, and in particular of the blockchain technology on which smart contracts are based, above all the peculiarities of the latter are taken into consideration, especially automatic execution and resistance to tampering, which simultaneously present significant opportunities and complex legal issues. A comprehensive framework is then provided to reconcile smart contracts with comparative contract law, in order to define the scope and specificities of their binding force, legal effectiveness and regulation in various legal systems. Lastly, with specific reference to the elements, pathologies and contractual remedies for smart contracts, the book examines the peculiarities of their application and the main issues that emerge in comparative contract law in order to promote their harmonized use, in keeping with the transnational nature of such a revolutionary tool.

Financial institutions are tasked with keeping businesses of all sizes financially sounds while also providing accessible banking options to everyday individuals. Fintech, or financial technology, is an emerging disruptive technology in financial transaction that will change banking behavior for stakeholders and enable better traceability of funds against specific assets. FinTech as a Disruptive Technology for Financial Institutions is an essential reference source that discusses applications of FinTech in financial institutions in small, medium, and large businesses and through cultural and religious filters. Featuring research on topics such as machine learning, market development, crypto-currency, financial security, blockchain, and financial technology, this book is ideally designed for bankers, business managers, economists, computer scientists, academicians, researchers, financial professionals, and students.