Plastic is ubiquitous. It is in the Arctic, in the depths of the Mariana Trench, and in the high mountaintops of the Pyrenees. It is in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Nanoplastics penetrate our cell walls. Plastic is not just any material-it is emblematic of life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In Plastic Matter Heather Davis traces plastic's relations to geology, media, biology, and race to show how matter itself has come to be understood as pliable, disposable, and consumable. The invention and widespread use of plastic, Davis contends, reveals the dominance of the Western orientation to matter and its assumption that matter exists to be endlessly manipulated and controlled by humans. Plastic's materiality and pliability reinforces these expectations of what matter should be and do. Davis charts these relations to matter by mapping the queer multispecies relationships between humans and plastic-eating bacteria and analyzing photography that documents the racialized environmental violence of plastic production. In so doing, Davis provokes readers to reexamine their relationships to matter and life in light of plastic's saturation.

This book presents a scientific view of fighting climate change in the economy of the future, the foundations of which are being set around the world. The authors substantiate the potential of Industry 4.0 in stimulating sustainable development in environmental protection and preservation of natural resources. This book considers the modern experience of fighting climate change based on possibilities of Industry 4.0 at the national scale in view of developed and developing countries with a special focus on Russia and at the corporate scale by the example of transnational corporations. It determines the future contribution of Industry 4.0 into development of responsible production and consumption, and compiles the "outlines" of "green" economy in Industry 4.0. It offers recommendations for control of climate change in Industry 4.0, and presents the authors' vision of ecological responsibility in Industry 4.0 for implementing the sustainable development goals. This book will be of interest to academics and practitioners interested in climate change and development of Industry 4.0, as well contributing to a national economic policy for fighting climate change and corporate strategies of sustainable development in Industry 4.0.

This volume includes several perspectives on how to connect the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the 12 principles of green chemistry, and green chemistry education.

This book highlights various evolutionary algorithm techniques for various medical conditions and introduces medical applications of evolutionary computation for real-time diagnosis. Evolutionary Intelligence for Healthcare Applications presents how evolutionary intelligence can be used in smart healthcare systems involving big data analytics, mobile health, personalized medicine, and clinical trial data management. It focuses on emerging concepts and approaches and highlights various evolutionary algorithm techniques used for early disease diagnosis, prediction, and prognosis for medical conditions. The book also presents ethical issues and challenges that can occur within the healthcare system. Researchers, healthcare professionals, data scientists, systems engineers, students, programmers, clinicians, and policymakers will find this book of interest.

This textbook provides an introduction to energy analysis for those students who want to specialise in this challenging field. In comparison to other textbooks, this book provides a balanced treatment of complete energy systems, covering the demand side, the supply side, and the energy markets that connect these. The emphasis is very much on presenting a range of tools and methodologies that will help students find their way in analysing real world problems in energy systems. This new edition has been updated throughout and contains additional content on energy transitions and improvements in the treatment of several energy systems analysis approaches. Featuring learning objectives, further readings and practical exercises in each chapter, Introduction to Energy Analysis will be essential reading for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students with a background in the natural sciences and engineering. This book may also be useful for professionals dealing with energy issues, as a first introduction into the field.

The Lean Approach to Digital Transformation: From Customer to Code and From Code to Customer is organized into three parts that expose and develop the three capabilities that are essential for a successful digital transformation: 1. Understanding how to co-create digital services with users, whether they are customers or future customers. This ability combines observation, dialogue, and iterative experimentation. The approach proposed in this book is based on the Lean Startup approach, according to an extended vision that combines Design Thinking and Growth Hacking. Companies must become truly "customer-centric", from observation and listening to co-development. The revolution of the digital age of the 21st century is that customer orientation is more imperative -- the era of abundance, usages rate of change, complexity of experiences, and shift of power towards communities -- are easier, using digital tools and digital communities. 2. Developing an information system (IS) that is the backbone of the digital transformation - called "exponential information system" to designate an open IS (in particular on its borders), capable of interfacing and combining with external services, positioned as a player in software ecosystems and built for processing scalable and dynamic data flows. The exponential information system is constantly changing and it continuously absorbs the best of information processing technology, such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. 3. Building software "micro-factories" that produce service platforms, which are called "Lean software factories." This "software factory" concept covers the integration of agile methods, tooling and continuous integration and deployment practices, a customer-oriented product approach, and a platform approach based on modularity, as well as API-based architecture and openness to external stakeholders. This software micro-factory is the foundation that continuously produces and provides constantly evolving services. These three capabilities are not unique or specific to this book, they are linked to other concepts such as agile methods, product development according to lean principles, software production approaches such as CICD (continuous integration and deployment) or DevOps. This book weaves a common frame of reference for all these approaches to derive more value from the digital transformation and to facilitate its implementation. The title of the book refers to the "lean approach to digital transformation" because the two underlying frameworks, Lean Startup and Lean Software Factory, are directly inspired by Lean, in the sense of the Toyota Way. The Lean approach is present from the beginning to the end of this book -- it provides the framework for customer orientation and the love of a job well done, which are the conditions for the success of a digital transformation.

At present, both Industry 4.0 and industrial engineering management developments are reshaping the industrial sector worldwide. Industry 4.0 and sustainability are considered as the crucial emerging trends in industrial production systems. The resulting transformations are changing production modes from traditional to digital, intelligent, and decentralized. It is expected that Industry 4.0 will help drive sustainability in industries thanks to the implementation of advanced technology and a move towards social sustainability. This book reflects on the consequences of the transition to Industry 4.0 for climate change. The book presents a systemic overview of the current negative impacts of digitization on the environment and showcases a new outline of the energy domain and expected changes in environmental pollution levels under Industry 4.0. It also analyzes the ecological consequences of the growth and development of Industry 4.0 and considers Industry 4.0 as an alternative to fighting climate change, in the sense of shifting the global community's attention from environmental protection to consolidation of the digital economy. This book will be of interest to academicians and practitioners in the fields of climate change and development of Industry 4.0, and it will contribute to national economic policies for fighting climate change and corporate strategies of sustainable development under Industry 4.0.

AI's impact on human societies is and will be drastic in so many ways. AI is being adopted and implemented around the world, and government and universities are investing in AI studies, research, and development. However, very little research exists about the impact of AI on our lives. This book will address this gap; it will gather reflections from around the world to assess the impact of AI on different aspects of society as well as propose ways in which we can address this impact and the research agendas needed.

The problems facing society today are complex, multifaceted, and require crossing multiple disciplinary boundaries. As such, these problems call for interdisciplinary collaboration, including new and different combinations of skills and knowledge. Currently, tertiary education providers are not well-positioned to develop these interdisciplinary capabilities at a rate commensurate with the speed of contemporary change. This book places design thinking as the catalyst to create change in the tertiary education sector and to build interdisciplinary skill sets that are required for the graduate of the future. By presenting a series of case studies and drawing on global experts in the field, this book investigates pedagogical approaches, disciplinary facilitation practice, curriculum integration, and a framework for understanding design thinking pedagogy within tertiary education. Focusing on how educational institutions can produce innovative graduates with the ability to traverse disciplinary constraints, this book will be essential reading for research students, academics, and industry practitioners.

Wind energy systems are central contributors to renewable energy generation, and their technology is continuously improved and updated. Without losing sight of theory, Control of Large Wind Energy Systems demonstrates how to implement concrete control systems for modern wind turbines, explaining the reasons behind choices and decisions. This book provides an extended treatment of different control topics divided into three thematic parts including modelling, control and implementation. Solutions for real-life difficulties such as multi-parameter tuning of several controllers, curve fitting of nonlinear power curves, and filter design for concrete signals are also undertaken. Examples and a case study are included to illustrate the parametrization of models, the control systems design with problems and possible solutions. Advice for the selection of control laws, calculation of specific parameters, which are necessary for the control laws, as the sensitivity functions, is given, as well as an evaluation of control performance based on indices and load calculation. Control of Large Wind Energy Systems covers methodologies which are not usually found in literature on this topic, including fractional order PID and nonlinear PID for pitch control, peak shaving control and extremum seeking control for the generator control, yaw control and shutdown control. This makes it an ideal book for postgraduate students, researchers and industrial engineers in the field of wind turbine control. Advances in Industrial Control reports and encourages the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides 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. It covers all aspects of environmental contamination and associated toxicological consequences as well as facilitates the task of accessing and interpreting cogent scientific data.

* Updated vision on tunnelling design, tools, materials and construction * Balanced mix of theory, technology and applied experience * Different and harmonized points of view from academics, professionals and contractors * Easy consultation in the form of a handbook * Risk-oriented approach to tunnelling problems

This book highlights current advanced developments in bioepoxy and bioepoxy/clay nanocomposites and an optimisation of material formulation and processing parameters on fabrication of bioepoxy/clay nanocomposites in order to achieve the highest mechanical properties in relation to their morphological structures, thermal properties, as well as biodegradability and water absorption, which is based on the use of Taguchi design of experiments with the consideration of technical and economical point of view. It also elaborates holistic theoretical modelling of tensile properties of such bionanocomposites with respect to the effect of contents of nanoclay fillers and epoxydised soybean oil (ESO).

This book focuses on market/regulatory issues concerning smart grid applications, business cases and use cases. It covers the most relevant aspects of the smart grid-design considerations, economics, legal aspects and system management-and includes exercises at the end of each chapter. Since renewable energy generation is weather-dependent, it is more volatile, which affects market prices and the need for flexibility options including demand side management. In order to balance supply and demand in a sustainable manner also with high shares of renewables, energy systems need to be enhanced by smart grid technologies. This co-evolutionary transformation of the energy system, economic, societal, political and regulatory domains is challenging and calls for an integrated and interdisciplinary approach. This book provides an essential basis to prepare lecturers and students for engaging in the new energy world.

Shipbuilding in the United Kingdom provides a systematic historical account of the British Shipbuilders Corporation, first looking at this major industry under private enterprise, then under state control, and finally back in private hands. The chapters trace the evolution of public policy regarding shipbuilding, ship repair, and large marine engine building through the tenures of radically different Labour and Conservative governments, and through the response of the board of the British Shipbuilders Corporation, trade unions, and local management also. The book benefits from comprehensive archival research and interviews from the 1990s with leading players in the industry, as well as politicians, shipbuilders, trade union leaders, and senior civil servants. This authoritative monograph is a valuable resource for advanced students and researchers across the fields of business history, economic history, industrial history, labour history, maritime history, and British history.

This book is a hands-on single-source reference of tools, techniques, and processes integrating both Lean and Six Sigma. This comprehensive handbook provides up-to-date guidance on how to use these tools and processes in different settings, such as start-up companies and stalled projects, as well as establish enterprises where the ongoing drive is to improve processes, profitability, and long-term growth. It contains the "hard" Six Sigma approach as well as the flexible approach of FIT SIGMA, which is adaptable to manufacturing and service industries and also public sector organisations. You will also discover how climate change initiatives can be accelerated to sustainable outcomes by the holistic approach of Green Six Sigma. The book is about what we can do now with leadership, training, and teamwork in every sphere of our businesses. Lean, originally developed by Toyota, is a set of processes and tools aimed at minimising wastes. Six Sigma provides a set of data-driven techniques to minimise defects and improve processes. Integrating these two approaches provides a comprehensive and proven approach that can transform an organisation. To make change happen, we need both digital tools and analog approaches. We know that there has been a continuous push to generate newer approaches to operational excellence, such as Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, and FIT SIGMA. It is vital that we harness all our tools and resources to regenerate the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic and make climate change initiatives successful for the survival of our planet. Six Sigma and its hybrids (e.g., Lean Six Sigma) should also play a significant part. Over the last three decades, operational performance levels of both public sector and private sector organisations improved significantly and Lean Six Sigma has also acted as a powerful change agent. We urgently need an updated version of these tools and approaches. The Green Six Sigma Handbook not only applies appropriate Lean and Six Sigma tools and approaches, fitness for the purpose, but it aims at sustainable changes. This goal of sustainability is a stable bridge between Lean Six Sigma and climate change initiatives. Hence, when the tools and approaches of Lean Six Sigma are focused and adapted primarily to climate change demands, we get Green Six Sigma.

Developed from the Global Foundation's International Conference on Environment and Nuclear Energy, held in October 1997, this volume examines the impact of nuclear energy on regional and global environmental issues under a variety of scenarios. These include competition in deregulated energy environments, constraints levied upon use of fossil energy, and possible expansion of nuclear power into energy sectors beyond the generation of electricity, process heat, and fuels production. It also assesses the overall role of nuclear energy in meeting future energy needs arising from growing world populations and economic development.

This book explains the metabolic processes by which microbes obtain and control the intracellular availability of their required metal and metalloid ions. The book also describes how intracellular concentrations of unwanted metal and metalloid ions successfully are limited. Its authors additionally provide information about the ways that microbes derive metabolic energy by changing the charge states of metal and metalloid ions. Part one of this book provides an introduction to microbes, metals and metalloids. It also helps our readers to understand the chemical constraints for transition metal cation allocation. Part two explains the basic processes which microbes use for metal transport. That section also explains the uses, as well as the challenges, associated with metal-based antimicrobials. Part three gives our readers an understanding that because of microbial capabilities to process metals and metalloids, the microbes have become our best tools for accomplishing many jobs. Their applications in chemical technology include the design of microbial consortia for use in bioleaching processes that recover metal and metalloid ions from industrial wastes. Many biological engineering tasks, including the synthesis of metal nanoparticles and similar metalloid structures, also are ideally suited for the microbes. Part four describes unique attributes associated with the microbiology of these elements, progressing through the alphabet from antimony and arsenic to zinc.

This reference source on water efficiency in buildings provides comprehensive and up-to-date information. Both multi-disciplinary and practical, it signposts current knowledge, innovation, expertise and evidence on an important subject which is high in the resource management debate. Water Efficiency in Buildings: a review of theory and practice is structured into five sections: Policy; People; Building Design and Planning; Alternative Water Technologies; and Practical Examples & Case Studies. This final section of the book presents new and current practice as well as lessons learnt from case examples on the use of water saving technologies and user engagement. Current evidence is vital for effective policy making. The dynamic nature of issues around water resource management creates a higher need for robust and reliable data and research information that can inform policy and regulations. This compendium provides a roadmap for researchers and building professionals on water efficiency as well as for policy makers and regulators. The case studies and research presented fall within the water supply and demand spectrum, especially those that focus on process efficiency, resource management, building performance, customer experiences and user participation, sustainable practises, scientific and technological innovation. The benefit and impact of the research is at the localandnational level, as well as in the global context.