In 1992, Australia's Commonwealth and State governments announced the introduction of a National Drought Policy adopting an innovative risk management approach, which received broad support from Australia's major political parties and the policy community.

This trail-blazing attempt and the experiences with the development and implementation of this policy over the past decade have intrigued the international scientific and policy communities. The present book comprises an academically focused collection of papers, which the Editors hope will provide others moving in a similar direction with the benefit of experience. The work highlights the successes and challenges of a move from disaster to risk management in responding to drought.

As such it will be a valuable and useful addition to the international literature on drought preparedness and response.

Concrete folded plate roofs used to cover large open expanses of space can pose complex design problems soluble only through detailed mathematical analysis. This book introduces the engineer to practical schemes and practicalities, and goes on to provide multitudes of useful design tables, which allow linear interpolation, for a large range of various schemes of folded plate roofs to help the engineer with his designs. Design examples using both SI and USA (British Imperial) units are provided using these tables.

This book combines the results of current research with essential background material to provide complete, in-depth coverage of every aspect of in situ and ex situ bioremediation, as well as an extensive overview of the physical and chemical processes currently available for treating petroleum-contaminated soils. Critical information has been collected and assembled under one cover to provide a convenient reference for anyone who must contend with this worldwide problem.
Remediation of Petroleum Contaminated Soils: Biological, Physical, and Chemical Processes describes how to optimize the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil-water systems. It reports on the susceptibility of various petroleum components to biodegradation by microorganisms, and considers all groups of microorganisms for their potential contributions. The book also deals with problem areas such as the transport of organisms, oxygen, or nutrients throughout the subsurface, as well as biodegradation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). In addition, the book presents a variety of methods for monitoring bioremediation.
This reference discusses current soil remediation processes and includes many innovative approaches. It also investigates means of controlling volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and leachate, and addresses methods for collecting and treating these secondary waste streams. The expansive coverage of this book will furnish readers with a wide range of options for developing treatment strategies and for customizing procedures for specific requirements.

Schrumpfen oder wachsen? Ein zeitgenoessisches Marchen - Einleitung. ZEITEN (RHYTHMEN): Gegenwartsschrumpfung und zivilisatorische Selbsthistorisierung - Geschwindigkeit als kritischer Faktor in der OEkologie - Zeit des Rhythmus, Temporalitat der Operation - Zeit, Kunst, Musik. RAEUME (BEWEGUNGEN): UEber die Alterung von Kontinenten oder die Geschichte von der Landschaft her denken - Neue Entwicklungstypen von Grossstadten - Wer spart, braucht Ziele-eine ungehaltene Rede - Zukunftschance Schrumpfung-Stadtentwicklung in Ostdeutschland-eine Skizze. KOERPER (GESCHLECHT): Der alternde Mann - Anschwellen, Abschwellen, Schrumpfen. Zur Kulturgeschichte der Austrocknung. DENKEN (VERANTWORTUNG): Wachstum und Schrumpfung in Biologie, Medizin und Biophysik - Schrumpfen heisst Ausatmen. Analogien zum Wandel in Welt und Wirtschaft - Paradiesische Grenzerinnerungen jenseits von Eden. HANDELN (ORIENTIERUNG): Energie bleibt Energie? Es gibt mehr als ein Gesetz - Von schrumpfenden Mullmengen zu reduzierten Stoffstroemen - MacDonaldisierung, Schrumpfung, Aussterben. ZUKUNFT (ENTSCHEIDUNG): Strukturwandel der Wirtschaft, Entlastung der Umwelt? - Regionalisierung der Markte - Macht-Ohnmacht-Vermachtnis. Eine neue Perspektive - Paradiese. Von einem zu vielen.

In aquatic ecosystems, the oligochaetes are often a major component of the community. Their relevance in sediment quality assessment is largely related to their benthic and detritivorous life habit. In this book, we aim to present the state of the art of Pollution Biology using oligochaete worms in laboratory and field studies. Future research will require the combination of a variety of methodological approaches and the integration of the resulting information, avoiding fragmented and often conflicting visions of the relationships of the species with their environment. Current approaches to ecotoxicology and bioaccumulation using ecological risk assessment provide the opportunity to relate community studies with probability of effects. This book addresses three main themes: Ecological and Field Studies using the composition and structure of oligochaete communities, Toxicology and Laboratory Studies, and Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer Studies. Two appendices list values of toxicological parameters (LC50, EC50) and several bioaccumulation variables (bioaccumulation factors, biological half-life, toxicokinetic coefficients, and critical body residues) for different oligochaete species. Additional information is provided on Methodological Issues and on the Taxonomy of several oligochaete families, with information on the most recent taxonomic debates. Each chapter includes a critical view, based on the authors experience, of a number of current issues which have been raised in the literature.

This book tells the story of the polution-related activities of companies from the pulp and paper and electric utility industries. The authors trace the development of air and water pollution regulations, analyze pollution data obtained from the EPA offices filed by the companies, and examine the impact of companies' pollution performance on their economic performance. Specifically, the book conducts a comparative analysis of pollution performance of the companies over an eight-year period to evaluate whether the companies have been successful in reducing pollution emissions over this period and how far the pollution emission requirements of the environmental laws are being met, and whether the industries' fear that pollution abatement expenditures would negatively impact their economic performance has any validity.

After discussing the provisions and accomplishments of U.S. federal air and water pollution laws, the authors present a plant by plant analysis of air pollution performance for 1979 and 1987 for 109 plants from fifteen electric utility companies, and plant by plant water pollution analysis of fifteen pulp and paper companies. In addition, comparative analyses are presented for the electric utility companies by each air pollutant and by the total air pollution, and for pulp and paper companies for each water pollutant and for the total water pollution. On the basis of an overall pollution index, the authors rank the electric utilities and pulp and paper companies for air and water pollution respectively. The comparative analyses of different time periods demonstrate which companies improved their pollution-abatement performance. The impact of pollution performance on economic performance is addressed by the authors over the short as well as long term. On the basis of earlier research findings and economic theory, the authors hypothesize that there would be a negative economic impact in the short run, but in the long run, this negative impact would disappear. The real life data from companies support this general hypothesis. Finally, the authors relate their research findings to public policy issues and make recommendations for public policy on environmental pollution.

This major new text provides an introduction to the interaction of culture and society with the landscape and environment. It offers a broad-based view of this theme by drawing upon the varied traditions of landscape interpretation, from the traditional cultural geography of scholars such as Carl Sauer to the 'new' cultural geography which has emerged in the 1990s. The book comprises three major, interwoven strands. First, fundamental factors such as environmental change and population pressure are addressed in order to sketch the contextual variables of landscapes production. Second, the evolution of the humanised landscape is discussed in terms of processes such as clearing wood, the impact of agriculture, the creation of urban-industrial complexes, and is also treated in historical periods such as the pre-industrial, the modern and the post-modern. From this we can see the cultural and economic signatures of human societies at different times and places. Finally, examples of landscape types are selected in order to illustrate the ways in which landscape both represents and participates in social change. The authors use a wide range of source material, ranging from place-names and pollen diagrams to literature and heritage monuments. Superbly illustrated throughout, it is essential reading for first-year undergraduates studying historical geography, human geography, cultural geography or landscape history.

The contributions to this volume examine: geotechnical hazard acknowledging the deversity of local ground conditions and environmental factors which play a decisive role in designing engineering structures in Danubian countries.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Medicinal Agroecology: Reviews, Case Studies and Research Methodologies presents information on applications of 'green therapies' in restoration towards global sustainability. These practices connect the world of medicinal plants with ecologic farming practice creating a compassionate socio-political worldview and heartfelt scientific research towards food sovereignty and a healthier future on planet Earth. The book communicates benefits of using plant-based solutions to manage the challenges of unsustainable practices in human healthcare, veterinary medicine, agriculture, forestry, and water management. The contributions introduce advances around plants and their active components to potentially treat disease, regulate dysfunction, and balance ecosystems. These practices are explored in further depth through three sections - I. POLICIES & FRAMEWORKS, II. INSIGHTS & OVERVIEWS, III. CASE STUDIES & RESEARCH METHODS. Edited by Immo Fiebrig, Medicinal Agroecology: Reviews, Case Studies and Research Methodologies appeals to those in various disciplines including agriculture and agroecology, healthcare, environmental sciences, and veterinary medicine.

- The book discusses the recent techniques in NGS data analysis which is the most needed material by biologists (students and researchers) in the wake of numerous genomic projects and the trend toward genomic research. - The book includes both theory and practice for the NGS data analysis. So, readers will understand the concept and learn how to do the analysis using the most recent programs. - The steps of application workflows are written in a manner that can be followed for related projects. - Each chapter includes worked examples with real data available on the NCBI databases. Programming codes and outputs are accompanied with explanation. - The book content is suitable as teaching material for biology and bioinformatics students. Meets the requirements of a complete semester course on Sequencing Data Analysis Covers the latest applications for Next Generation Sequencing Covers data reprocessing, genome assembly, variant discovery, gene profiling, epigenetics, and metagenomics

Reflecting current techniques and practical experience of continued deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, this revised and updated edition brings together the fundamental aspects of this worldwide problem, and offers advice on how investigations, diagnosis and consequent remedial work should be carried out. It covers reinforced concrete buildings, water-retaining and water-excluding structures, marine structures and bridges. The nine chapters also cover deterioration and renovation of concrete floors, repair and waterproofing of concrete roofs. The deterioration of concrete liquid retaining structures, including sewers, caused by chemical attack is also discussed and suggestions made for remedial work. The author discusses the newer methods of cathodic protection, realkalization and desalination to inhibit corrosion of reinforcement in existing structures.

Discusses the current Human Factors issues in aviation and its future directions. Covers the importance of user-centered design on the flight deck, and a process for conducting this effectively is provided. Real-world case study examples are given of new avionic technologies. Provides the process for applying Human Factors across the design lifecycle of new avionic technologies with illustrated examples.

Provides a comprehensive guide to measurements with lasers Examines the design of optical and laser-based instruments Reviews the development of measurement strategies Includes two new chapters on self-mixing interferometry and quantum sensing Includes end of chapter problems

Environmental Change presents an introductory exploration of past, present and future change in the environment. Combining the ecological and evolutionary approaches suggested in his related title, Geoecology, Huggett introduces the interdependent parts of the natural environment - ecological, geological and cosmic - and the dynamic nature of the environmental system. The book examines human-environment interaction, and biological and physical evidence and causes of environmental change over a range of timescales. Exploring rates and directions of change, Huggett postulates an unending adaption of the ecosphere and its parts to ever-changing circumstances, including those triggered by human actions, and looks towards the likely environmental changes in the future.

The most recent advances in research on coastal saline soil rehabilitation and utilization based on forestry approach are discussed. The forestry approach is emphasized rather than physical or engineering measures to ameliorate saline soils, which is significant for coastal environmental improvement and land resources expansion. The monograph is a useful reference for researchers using techniques of ecology, forestry and agronomy. Prof. Jianfeng Zhang works at the Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry. He has been working on afforestation in saline soils for over 20 years.

The popular first edition of this book contained approximately 600 ana lyte/method summaries. This new edition contains twice as many new EPA -approved methods for testing and analyzing industrial chemicals, pest icides, herbicides, dioxins, and PCBs and is a printed version of the EPA's Sampling and Analysis Methods Database. Each analyte/method sum mary contains all of the information required to stand alone as a refe rence. Thus, in addition to a brief summary of each method, descriptio ns include required instrumentation, interferences, sampling container s, preservation techniques, maximum holding times, detection levels, a ccuracy, precision, quality control requirements, EPA reference, and, when available, EPA contacts with phone numbers. Each summarized repor t is a "stand-alone" document.

• Provides a comprehensive overview of luxury brand management from a sustainability perspective, using cases and examples to demonstrate how sustainability practices can be embedded into the product and applied to existing luxury brands. • Each chapter includes real life case studies from both well-known international brands and boutique luxury start-ups. • Designed as a core or recommended text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate Luxury Fashion Management and Luxury Brand Management courses.

Modern society too often views water as a convenient vehicle for disposing of waste and the results are becoming increasingly apparent. Analysis of freshwater supplies frequently reveals disturbing levels of pollution, including human waste, heavy metals and synthetic chemicals, to the detriment of our health, and the health of entire ecosystems. The Water Crisis examines the roots of freshwater pollution urbanization, industrialization and intensive farming supported by case studies from the Rhine and the Great Lakes. It explores the impact of major pollutants and discusses methods of prevention. The final section provides a detailed overview of possible solutions, including soil-based treatment systems and constructed wetlands. A separate chapter is devoted to the important issue of groundwater pollution. Practical concise and accessible, this is ideal for students in environmental studies and environmental science, biology and geography, and general readers. Originally published in 1998

Biomaterials are advanced materials that garner interdisciplinary research. Wastewater pollution causes many adverse effects on human health and the environment. In order to rectify this, biomaterials and other nanomaterials have been utilized as photocatalysts against environmental waste. In this book, biomaterials are highlighted as a promising material for waste management, as biomaterials are cost-effective, eco-friendly and closer to nature.

Covers the State of the Art in Superfluidity and Superconductivity Superfluid States of Matter addresses the phenomenon of superfluidity/superconductivity through an emergent, topologically protected constant of motion and covers topics developed over the past 20 years. The approach is based on the idea of separating universal classical-field superfluid properties of matter from the underlying system's "quanta." The text begins by deriving the general physical principles behind superfluidity/superconductivity within the classical-field framework and provides a deep understanding of all key aspects in terms of the dynamics and statistics of a classical-field system. It proceeds by explaining how this framework emerges in realistic quantum systems, with examples that include liquid helium, high-temperature superconductors, ultra-cold atomic bosons and fermions, and nuclear matter. The book also offers several powerful modern approaches to the subject, such as functional and path integrals. Comprised of 15 chapters, this text: Establishes the fundamental macroscopic properties of superfluids and superconductors within the paradigm of the classical matter field Deals with a single-component neutral matter field Considers fundamentals and properties of superconductors Describes new physics of superfluidity and superconductivity that arises in multicomponent systems Presents the quantum-field perspective on the conditions under which classical-field description is relevant in bosonic and fermionic systems Introduces the path integral formalism Shows how Feynman path integrals can be efficiently simulated with the worm algorithm Explains why nonsuperfluid (insulating) ground states of regular and disordered bosons occur under appropriate conditions Explores superfluid solids (supersolids) Discusses the rich dynamics of vortices and various aspects of superfluid turbulence at T 0 Provides account of BCS theory for the weakly interacting Fermi gas Highlights and analyzes the most crucial developments that has led to the current understanding of superfluidity and superconductivity Reviews the variety of superfluid and superconducting systems available today in nature and the laboratory, as well as the states that experimental realization is currently actively pursuing

Covers biological and health effects including oxidative stress, DNA damage, reproductive effects of mobile phones/antennas (2G, 3G, 4G), cordless phones and Wi-Fi Describes effects induced by real-life exposures by commercially available devices and antennas Illustrates biophysical and biochemical mechanisms aiming to fill the gap between recorded experimental and epidemiological findings, and their explanations Explore experimental and epidemiological facts, mechanisms of action, explanations and protection tips

This book is written in a clear and thorough way to cover both the traditional and modern uses of Artificial Intelligence and soft computing. It gives an in-depth look at mathematical models, algorithms, and real-world problems that are hard to solve in MATLAB. The book is intended to provide a broad and in-depth understanding of fuzzy logic controllers, genetic algorithms, neural networks, and hybrid techniques such as ANFIS and the GA-ANN model. Key Features: A detailed description of basic intelligent techniques(Fuzzy logic, Genetic algorithm & neural network using MATLAB) A detailed description of the hybrid intelligent technique: Adaptive fuzzy inference technique(ANFIS) Formulation of the nonlinear model like Analysis of ANOVA & Response Surface Methodology Variety of solved problem on ANOVA & RSM Case studies of above mentioned intelligent techniques on the different process control system This book can be used as a handbook and a guide for students of all engineering disciplines, operational research areas, computer applications, and for various professionals who work in the optimization area.

Borehole geophysics is frequently applied in hydrogeological environmental investigations where, for example, sites must be evaluated to determine the distribution of contaminants. It is a cost-effective method for obtaining information during several phases of such investigations.
Written by one of world's leading experts in the field, A Practical Guide to Borehole Geophysics in Environmental Investigations explains the basic principles of the many tools and techniques used in borehole logging projects. Applications are presented in terms of broad project objectives, providing a hands-on guide to geophysical logging programs, including specific examples of how to obtain and interpret data that meet particular hydrogeologic objectives.