xxx Acknowledgment Editing a book, especially with the characteristics of this one, is quite a hard but compensating and enriching task, as it involves an array of different activities like contacts with authors and reviewers, exchange of ideas and experiences, process management, organization and integration of content, and many others, with the permanent objective of creating a book that meets public expectations. And this task cannot be accomplished without a great deal of help and support from many sources. The authors would like to acknowledge the help, support, and belief of all who made possible this creative project. First of all, this book would not have been possible without the ongoing professional support of the team of professionals of IGI Global. We are most grateful to Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, senior academic editor, and Jan Travers, managing director, for the opportunity. A special word of gratitude is due to Kristin Roth, development editor, and Michelle Potter, acquisition editor, for their guidance and friendly words of advice, encouragement, and prompt help. We are grateful to all the authors of the articles herein included, most of them who simultaneously served as referees for articles written by other authors, as well as to all other reviewers, for their insights, valuable contributions, prompt collaboration, and constructive comments. The communication and exchange of views within this truly global group of recognized individualities from the scientific domain and from industry was an enriching and exciting experience for us,