The concept of digital risk, which has become ubiquitous in the media, sustains a number of myths and beliefs about the digital world. This book explores the opposite view of these ideologies by focusing on digital risks as perceived by actors in their respective contexts. Perceptions and Analysis of Digital Risks identifies the different types of risks that concern actors and actually impact their daily lives, within education or various socio-professional environments. It provides an analysis of the strategies used by the latter to deal with these risks as they conduct their activities; thus making it possible to characterize the digital cultures and, more broadly, the informational cultures at work. This book offers many avenues for action in terms of educating the younger generations, training teachers and leaders, and mediating risks.

CHECK DAM CONSTRUCTION FOR SUSTAINABLE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING Authoritative and comprehensive reference on the potential for watershed development through the use of check dams Check Dam Construction for Sustainable Watershed Management and Planning summarizes current knowledge of check dams as key soil and water conservation structures in some of the most sensitive and vulnerable ecosystems in the world, as exemplified by the Mediterranean area and the Chinese Loess Plateau, providing detailed information on check dam design and watershed planning, the use of advanced modeling techniques, challenges in dam construction and how to overcome them. The work integrates decades of research in the field of soil and water conservation and gully management, including advanced studies in check dam construction and watershed management. It also covers important new techniques and methods, such as hydrological modeling, isotope tracing, and more. To aid in reader comprehension, the five highly qualified editors have divided the work into three distinct sections. Sections I and II focus on the experience gained from the erosion hotspots in the Chinese Loess Plateau, whereas Section III expands the scope to other regions with different functions for check dams, including headwater ecosystems and alpine environments. Sample topics covered in Check Dam Construction for Sustainable Watershed Management and Planning include: The regulating effect of check dam systems on sediment redistribution and the formation and development of dam systems in small watersheds Water and soil conservation made possible by check dam construction and sediment source analysis of water-sediment retarding effects of check dams The regulation of check dam systems on the erosion dynamic process and the mechanism of erosion reduction by check dams Flood control risk assessment on warping dam systems and the development and utilization model of check dam systems With its systematic coverage of all aspects of dam construction and maintenance, Check Dam Construction for Sustainable Watershed Management and Planning supports decision making by local authorities and can also be used as a professional guide for ecologists, hydrologists, and water resource managers.

Provides better understanding of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and how they affect humans and ecosystems. Includes genesis, categories, environmental fate and behaviour, and associated hazards. Reviews analytical techniques involved in detection, human exposure and management. Discusses environmental dynamics of POPs. Focus is on the comprehensive account of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAH; other organochlorine POPs such as DDT, lindane, and dieldrin.

Energy Global energy demand has more than doubled since 1970. The use of energy is strongly related to almost every conceivable aspect of development: wealth, health, nutrition, water, infrastructure, education and even life expectancy itself are strongly and significantly related to the consumption of energy per capita. Many development indicators are strongly related to per-capita energy consumption. Fossil fuel is the most conventional source of energy but also increases greenhouse gas emissions. The economic development of many countries has come at the cost of the environment. However, it should not be presumed that a reconciliation of the two is not possible. The nexus concept is the interconnection between the resource energy, water, food, land, and climate. Such interconnections enable us to address trade-offs and seek synergies among them. Energy, water, food, land, and climate are essential resources of our natural environment and support our quality of life. Competition between these resources is increasing globally and is exacerbated by climate change. Improving resilience and securing resource availability would require improving resource efficiency. Many policies and programs are announced nationally and internationally for replacing the conventional mode and also emphasizing on conservation of fossil fuels and reuse of exhausted energy, so a gap in implications and outcomes can be broadly traced by comparing the data. This book aims to highlight problems and solutions related to conventional energy utilization, formation, and multitudes of ecological impacts and tools for the conservation of fossil fuels. The book also discusses modern energy services as one of the sustainable development goals and how the pressure on resource energy disturbs the natural flows. The recent advances in alternative energy sources and their possible future growth are discussed and on how conventional energy leads to greenhouse gas formation, which reduces energy use efficiency. The different policies and models operating is also addressed, and the gaps that remained between them. Climate change poses a challenge for renewable energy, and thus it is essential to identify the factors that would reduce the possibility of relying on sustainable energy sources. This book will be of interest to researchers and stakeholders, students, industries, NGOs, and governmental agencies directly or indirectly associated with energy research.

Conventional topographic databases, obtained by capture on aerial or spatial images provide a simplified 3D modeling of our urban environment, answering the needs of numerous applications (development, risk prevention, mobility management, etc.). However, when we have to represent and analyze more complex sites (monuments, civil engineering works, archeological sites, etc.), these models no longer suffice and other acquisition and processing means have to be implemented. This book focuses on the study of adapted lifting means for notable buildings . The methods tackled in this book cover lasergrammetry and the current techniques of dense correlation based on images using conventional photogrammetry.

The contamination of environment and water resources by Selenium (Se) and its oxyanions from various sources are emerging contaminants of significant health and environmental concern. The primary sources include agricultural drainage water, mine drainage, residues from fossil fuels, thermoelectric power plants, oil refineries, and metal ores. Various methods and technologies have been developed which focus on the treatment of selenium-containing waters and wastewater. High concentrations of selenium in water cause various adverse impact to human health, such as carcinogenic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic effects. But in the lower concentrations, it is a useful constituent of the biological system. The range between toxicity and deficiency of selenium is minimal (40 to 400 g per day), due to its dual nature. Selenium Contamination in Water contains the latest status and information on selenium's origin, its chemistry and its toxicity to humans. The book represents a comprehensive and advanced reference book for students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in working in the field of metalloids, in particular selenium. A special emphasis is given on its geological distribution, monitoring techniques, and remedial technologies. As such, the authors critically analyze the various techniques used for the monitoring and removal of selenium from water. Featuring chapters arranged according to the major themes of the latest research, with specific case-studies from industrial experiences of selenium detection and removal, Selenium Contamination in Water will be particularly valued by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in working in the field of metalloids including selenium.

The Price of Climate Change: Sustainable Financial Mechanisms presents a summary of the effects of global warming with specific emphasis on what these phenomena will cost and the price we must pay for trying to mitigate these processes. Some of these mitigation strategies include reducing our use of carbon by converting to non-carbon energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear, or lower-carbon sources such as natural gas. The book examines the financial implications of society adapting to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and desertification. Further, it addresses the costs to make buildings more resilient to climate change, such as flood considerations, improving durability against severe weather, bolstering insulation, and more. Sources of funding for any type of environmental projects, including those for climate change mitigation, are also examined. These include governmental budgets at the federal, state, and local levels, international development banks, international capital markets, and private funds. Features: Addresses global climate change issues from the standpoints of mitigation, adaptation, and resilience and the funding mechanisms for each. Describes different types of energy sources as well as their respective costs, including nuclear, solar, natural gas, and more. Examines the effects of agriculture on climate change as well as the potential ways it can be used to help mitigate the issue. The book's straightforward approach will serve as a useful guide and reference for practicing professionals and can also be appreciated by the general public interested in climate change issues and mitigation strategies.

A new edition of the most comprehensive overview of statistical methods for environmental monitoring applications Thoroughly updated to provide current research findings, Statistical Methods for Groundwater Monitoring, Second Edition continues to provide a comprehensive overview and accessible treatment of the statistical methods that are useful in the analysis of environmental data. This new edition expands focus on statistical comparison to regulatory standards that are a vital part of assessment, compliance, and corrective action monitoring in the environmental sciences.

The book explores quantitative concepts useful for surface water monitoring as well as soil and air monitoring applications while also maintaining a focus on the analysis of groundwater monitoring data in order to detect environmental impacts from a variety of sources, such as industrial activity and waste disposal. The authors introduce the statistical properties of alternative approaches, such as false positive and false negative rates, that are associated with each test and the factors related to these error rates. The Second Edition also features:

An introduction to Intra-laboratory Calibration Curves and random-effects regression models for non-constant measurement variability

Coverage of statistical prediction limits for a gamma-distributed random variable, with a focus on estimation and testing of parameters in environmental monitoring applications

A unified treatment of censored data with the computation of statistical prediction, tolerance, and control limits

Expanded coverage of statistical issues related to laboratory practice, such as detection and quantitation limits

An updated chapter on regulatory issues that outlines common mistakes to avoid in groundwater monitoring applications as well as an introduction to the newest regulations for both hazardous and municipal solid waste facilities

Each chapter provides a general overview of a problem, followed by statistical derivation of the solution and a relevant example complete with computational details that allow readers to perform routine application of the statistical results. Relevant issues are highlighted throughout, and recommendations are also provided for specific problems based on characteristics such as number of monitoring wells, number of constituents, distributional form of measurements, and detection frequency.

Statistical Methods for Groundwater Monitoring, Second Edition is an excellent supplement to courses on environmental statistics at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of biostatistics, engineering, and the environmental sciences who work with statistical methods in their everyday work.

Despite the development of advanced methods, models, and algorithms, optimization within structural engineering remains a primary method for overcoming potential structural failures. With the overarching goal to improve capacity, limit structural damage, and assess the structural dynamic response, further improvements to these methods must be entertained. Optimization of Design for Better Structural Capacity is an essential reference source that discusses the advancement and augmentation of optimization designs for better behavior of structure under different types of loads, as well as the use of these advanced designs in combination with other methods in civil engineering. Featuring research on topics such as industrial software, geotechnical engineering, and systems optimization, this book is ideally designed for architects, professionals, researchers, engineers, and academicians seeking coverage on advanced designs for use in civil engineering environments.

Recently, a new digital twin consortium has been established that aims to deploy digital twin technology in new markets as well as in the development of smart cities. Designing smart cities, smart communities, and smart ecosystems powered by optimal digital twin deployments is a vision that currently only futurists can entertain and requires some time to reach large-scale adoption. However, it is incumbent upon us as a society to educate and train future generations on how to leverage digital twin technologies in order to optimize our daily lives as well as increase our efficiency, productivity, and safety. Impact of Digital Twins in Smart Cities Development provides insights regarding the global landscape for current digital twin research and deployments and highlights some of the challenges and opportunities faced during large-scale adoptions. Critical domains such as ethics, data governance, cybersecurity, inclusion, diversity, and sustainability are also addressed and considered. Covering topics such as digital identity and digital economics, this reference work is ideal for urban planners, engineers, policymakers, industry leaders, scientists, economists, academicians, practitioners, researchers, instructors, and students.

Capturing, recording and broadcasting the voice is often difficult. Many factors must be taken into account and achieving a true representation is much more complex than one might think. The capture devices such as the position of the singer(s) or narrator(s), the acoustics, atmosphere and equipment are just some of the physical aspects that need to be mastered. Then there is the passage through the analog or digital channel, which disrupts the audio signal, as well as the processes that are often required to enrich, improve or even transform the vocal timbre and tessitura. While in the past these processes were purely material, today digital technologies and software produce surprising results that every professional in recording and broadcasting should know how to master. Recording and Voice Processing 2 focuses on live and studio voice recordings. It presents the various pieces of hardware and software necessary for voice recording, and details possible sound channel configurations based on recording location. An actual recording, and its various constraints, is then considered, addressing the pitfalls to avoid and the strategies to use in order to achieve a satisfactory result. Different special effects (vocoder, auto-tune, Melodyne, etc.) that can be used on the voice, whether spoken or sung, are also presented.

The extensive safety restrictions imposed globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic have brought significant changes to almost all environmental parameters. The largest pandemic of the century has left an indelible mark on all aspects of human life and the environment. This book revolves around COVID-19 and its influence on all biotic and abiotic components on earth, with a focus on the regulatory role of air quality during the pandemic, environmental toxicity and susceptibility to COVID-19, and the impact of the lockdown on different ecosystems. The book fundamentally explains the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and the pathophysiology and epidemiology of COVID-19. Dedicated chapters highlight the ongoing global cutting-edge research on COVID-19, control and safety measures, and public health concerns. COVID-19 and Emerging Environmental Trends: A Way Forward is aimed at graduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers in environmental and medical science, health and safety, and ecology. This book offers a multiperspective and multidisciplinary approach to the discussion of the pandemic as well as emerging environmental issues, current trends, and a way forward. As humanity stands face-to-face with the largest global crisis in recent times, this book helps readers to easily understand its various aspects from a beginner's perspective, without going into the intricate technicalities of medical science or environmental science, and beautifully juxtaposes critical issues with lucid language and flexible scientific explanations.

The book describes the theory and current practices for design of earth lateral support for deep excavations in soil. It addresses basic principles of soil mechanics and explains how these principles are embodied in design methods including hand calculations. It then introduces the use of numerical methods including the fundamental "beam on springs" models, and then more sophisticated computer programmes which can model soil as a continuum in two or three dimensions. Constitutive relationships are introduced that are in use for representing the behaviour of soil including a strain hardening model, and a Cam Clay model including groundwater flow and coupled consolidation. These methods are illustrated by reference to practical applications and case histories from the author's direct experience, and some of the pitfalls that can occur are discussed. Theory and design are strongly tied to construction practice, with emphasis on monitoring the retaining structures and movement of surrounding ground and structures, in the context of safety and the Observational Method. Examples are presented for conventional "Bottom-up" and "Top-down" sequences, along with hybrid sequences giving tips on how to optimise the design and effect economies of cost and time for construction. It is written for practising geotechnical, civil and structural engineers, and especially for senior and MSc students.