Biofuels and Rural Poverty makes an original contribution to the current controversial global debate on biofuels, in particular the consequences that large-scale production of transport fuel substitutes can have on rural areas, principally in developing countries but also in some poor rural areas of developed countries.

Three key concerns are examined from a North-South perspective: ecological issues (related to land use and biodiversity), pro-poor policies (related to food and land security, gender and income generation) and equity of benefits within the global value chain. Can biofuels be pro-poor? Can smallholder farmers be equitably integrated in the biofuels global supply chain? Is the biofuels production chain detrimental to biodiversity?

Most other books available on biofuels take a technical approach and are aimed at addressing energy security or climate change issues. This title focuses on the socio-economic impacts on rural people's livelihoods, offering a unique perspective on the potential role of biofuels in reducing rural poverty.

The book Computer Applications in Engineering and Management is about computer applications in management, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and civil engineering. It covers the software tools for office automation, introduces the basic concepts of database management, and provides an overview about the concepts of data communication, internet, and e-commerce. Additionally, the book explains the principles of computing management used in construction of buildings in civil engineering and the role of computers in power grid automation in electronics engineering. Features Provides an insight to prospective research and application areas related to industry and technology Includes industry-based inputs Provides a hands-on approach for readers of the book to practice and assimilate learning This book is primarily aimed at undergraduates and graduates in computer science, information technology, civil engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, management, academicians, and research scholars.

Resilience and Urban Risk Management presents the latest progress made in designing resilient towns, and identifies leads to be explored for attaining the objective of systematically integrating risks into urban environments The aim of the book is to provide guidance in designing and planning future cities, and to create a new form of risk management that does not ignore what already exists, but integrates it in the same way as if it were new. Resilience and Urban Risk Management is of interest to academics, architects, town planners and engineers concerned with the relationship between urban projects and the various aspects of the urban resilience concept via concrete applications and methodological or historical reflections. Damien SERRE, HDR, Professor Assistant at the Paris-Est University, EIVP, in charge of the "urban resilience" research section. The final objective of his research is to formalize knowledge useful for decision-making and helping in designing towns that are resilient when facing risks. His research is trans-disciplinary and in service of the city. Bruno BARROCA, Architect and Professor Assistant in Urban Engineering at the Paris-Est University, a member of the urban engineering team of the LEESU laboratory (Water, Environment and Urban Systems Laboratory). His research establishes links between geography, town planning and regional development. Applications cover assessment of urban vulnerability and integration of resilience objectives in urban projects located on territories subject to natural and technological risks. Richard LAGANIER, Professor in Geography at the Universite Paris 7 Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, the PRODIG laboratory (Centre of Research for Organization and Distribution of Geographical Information). His research activities cover the study of relationships between risks linked with water and territories and analysis of the conditions needed for developing resilience. He is the author/co-author of a large number of works on hydrological extremes and their management.

Fatigue is a recognized problem in many facets of the human enterprise. It is not confined to any one area of activity but enters all situations in which humans have to perform for extended intervals of time. Most problematic are the circumstances in which obligatory action is continuous and the results of failure are evidently serious or even catastrophic. Therefore, the modern media especially highlights fatigue-related failures in industries such as transportation, materials processing and healthcare. It can be, and indeed is, no coincidence that most of the spectacular failures in process control that have resulted in the world's largest industrial accidents have occurred in the small hours of the morning when the circadian rhythm is lowest and operator fatigue itself peaks. While there have been legislative efforts made at state, federal and international levels to regulate working hours of employees, the appropriate implementation of such legislation is still a long way off. The Handbook of Operator Fatigue provides a comprehensive account of the subject to serve as the definitive reference work for researchers, students and practitioners alike. The volume features 30 chapters written by experts from around the world to address each important facet of fatigue, including: the scale of the fatigue problem (Section I), the nature of fatigue (Section II), how to assess fatigue (Section III), the impact of fatigue on health (Section IV), fatigue in the workplace (Section V), the neurological basis of fatigue (VI), sleep disorders (VII), and the design of countermeasures to fatigue (VIII).

As society has become increasingly concerned with the protection and preservation of the environment, many industries have been pushed to comply with new policies and social demands for more environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices and products. However, the textile dyeing industry remains a significant source of complex environmental issues with legislative requirements that often vary in detail and severity concerning the exposure and hazards of potentially harmful chemicals and other associated materials. It is vital that the industry sector involved in the application of dyes continues to be sensitive to potential adverse effects on the environment in its widest sense and respond accordingly. Impact of Textile Dyes on Public Health and the Environment is an essential reference source that focuses on the environmental impact and social responsibility of the dyeing industry. While highlighting topics such as toxicology, bleaching, and greenhouse gases, this publication is ideally designed for chemists, industrialists, non-governmental organization members, environmentalists, fashion designers, clothes manufacturers, scientists, academicians, researchers, students, and practitioners seeking current research on dyeing's potentially adverse effects on the environment and strategic, effective responses.

Over five decades of economic and technical assistance to the countries of Africa and the Middle East have failed to improve the life prospects for over 1.4 billion people who remain vulnerable. Billions of dollars have been spent on such assistance and yet little progress has been made. Persistent hunger and hopelessness threaten more than individuals and families. These conditions foster political alienation that can easily metastasize into hostility and aggression. Recent uprisings in the Middle East are emblematic of this problem. Vulnerable people give rise to vulnerable states. This book challenges the dominant catechism of development assistance by arguing that the focus on economic growth (and fighting poverty) has failed to bring about the promised "convergence." Poor people and poor countries have clearly not closed the gap on the rich industrialized world. Pursuing convergence has been a failure. Here we argue that development assistance must be reconstituted to focus on creating economic coherence. People are vulnerable because the economies in which they are embedded do not cohere. The absence of economic coherence means that economic processes do not work as they must if individual initiative is to result in improved livelihoods. Weak and vulnerable states must be strengthened so that they can become partners in the process of creating economic coherence. When economies do not cohere, countries become breeding grounds for localized civil conflicts that often spill across national borders.

On June 28 through July 1 of 2006, a NATO Advanced Research Workshop was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. This workshop brought the top researchers in Fuzzy GIS together, both from NATO countries as well as partner countries. The workshop focused on how uncertainty and fuzziness can be better modelled and implemented in Geographic Information Science to help decision makers make more informed choices, especially as they pertain to environmental security and protection.

Since the inception of the United Nations Global Compact-sponsored initiative Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2007, there has been increased debate over how to adapt management education to best meet the demands of the 21st-century business environment. While consensus has been reached by the majority of globally focused management education institutions that sustainability must be incorporated into management education curricula, the relevant question is no longer why management education should change, but how.

Reviews different machine learning and deep learning techniques with a biomedical perspective Provides the relevant case studies that demonstrate applicability of different AI techniques Explain different kinds of inputs like various image modalities, biomedical signals types, etc. Covers the latest trends of AI-based biomedical domains including IoT, drug discovery, biomechanics, robotics, electronic health records, etc. Discusses the research challenges and opportunities in AI and biomedical domain

International maritime transport is the backbone of the world globalized economy. It is a significant contributor to global CO2 emissions but also likely to be affected by wide-ranging and potentially devastating climate change impacts associated with rising sea levels and increased frequency/intensity of extreme weather events.
This book offers key information and analysis to anyone interested in learning more about the climate change challenge from the perspective of maritime transport and trade. It covers:
- the scientific background
- greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping
- potential approaches to mitigation in maritime transport
- the state of play in terms of the relevant regulatory and institutional framework
- potential climate change impacts and approaches to adaptation in maritime transport
- relevant cross-cutting issues such as financing and investment, technology and energy.
Including contributions from 25 experts from academia, international organizations such as the IMO, the UNFCCC secretariat, OECD, IEA and the World Bank, as well as the shipping and port industries, this is essential reading for professionals in the transport industry, governments and policymakers, trade bodies, investors, as well as researchers and students in the field of climate change and international transport.

This fact-filled resource helps readers understand the issues surrounding wilderness, preservation, and conservation. Here, in a single, unbiased volume, can be found the views and opinions that will shape America's landscape for future generations. Government management of the public domain is detailed, as is federal legislation pertaining to the environment and wilderness areas. Biographical sketches of individuals who have influenced modern attitudes toward preservation and a detailed chronology of the events that have brought us to the present are also provided. In addition, annotated listings of organizations and resources are included to assist readers in further study. Wilderness Preservation delivers solid, useful information that will serve as a foundation for decision-making, research, or simply enhanced understanding of this critical subject. Includes biographical sketches of individuals who have influenced modern attitudes toward preservation Contains a detailed chronology of the events that have brought us the present

When NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott first saw the Earth from space, she was filled with awe. Our shared home was a brilliant blue marble, with a razor thin atmosphere protecting billions of people, including everyone she loved. She realized that we are all bound together on this fragile planet. When she came back to earth, she knew she had to share this vision to help protect it. Stott knows the scale of the daunting task at hand-and yet, she believes we can set aside our differences and work together to tackle the most challenging planetary problems humanity has ever faced. She knows this, because she's seen it happen, on the International Space Station. Throughout her book, Stott imparts hard-won lessons in high-stakes problem solving, survival, and responding to crisis in space. On a space station, astronauts can't wait for someone else to handle a rescue; and when it comes to our earthbound problems, Stott learned that everyone should live like a crewmember, not like a passenger. In space, where everyone survives in a closed system, everything is local-and Stott discovered that in a profound way, the same is true back at home. Back to Earth distills these lessons and more into seven principles that can be practiced by each and every one of us to make much-needed change. In addition to sharing stories from her own spaceflight, Stott offers eye-opening insights from scientists and changemakers already sparking meaningful change in their communities and around the globe. She explores the complexities and splendor of the earth's biodiversity, and what it takes to preserve it, with both pioneering scientists on earth and engineers working to enable life in space. She meets with activists who use their time in space to advocate for clean water, and with executives who quit their corporate positions and use their global reach to become environmental leaders. Through her stirring call to action, Nicole Stott reveals how we each have the power to respect the Earth and one another-and to change our own lives in the process. And, while we're at it, we might just save humanity.

This book is the first to combine the much talked about topics of leadership and sustainability, and provides readers with a comprehensive overview and pragmatic approach to leading sustainable organizations.

Chapters include discussions, case examples, steps, and useful tools centred on the components of the Leading the Sustainable Organization model. This model provides managers with a pragmatic, end-to-end framework for creating (in the case of new entities) or shifting (in the case of existing firms) their organizations workforces to a sustainability focus.

Leading the Sustainable Organization is the perfect tool for executives and managers in small, medium, and large companies, and in all industries, to assist with the difficult and confusing topic of leading sustainability efforts. This book will be of great interest to students and academics who want to learn more about corporate sustainability.

Writer and Antarctic explorer Neider tells of his third trip to the frozen continent, describing the international stations there and the goals they are working toward. Neider also tours the Antarctic landscape, observing the geography and wildlife and evoking it in detail. Devoting scrutiny to the international treaties that protect the continent politically and environmentally, Neider reveals how important those treaties are. Also included in this work are interviews with Antarctic pioneers Sir Charles Wright, Sir Vivian Fuchs, and Laurence Gould.

Microbes and Microbial Biotechnology for Green Remediation provides a comprehensive account of sustainable microbial treatment technologies. The research presented highlights the significantly important microbial species involved in remediation, the mechanisms of remediation by various microbes, and suggestions for future improvement of bioremediation technology. The introduction of contaminants, due to rapid urbanization and anthropogenic activities, into the environment causes unsteadiness and distress to the physicochemical systems, including living organisms. Hence, there is an immediate global demand for the diminution of such contaminants and xenobiotics which can otherwise adversely affect the living organisms. Over time, microbial remediation processes have been accelerated to produce better, eco-friendlier, and more biodegradable products for complete dissemination of these xenobiotic compounds. The advancements in microbiology and biotechnology lead to the launch of microbial biotechnology as a separate area of research and contributed dramatically to the development of the areas such as agriculture, environment, biopharmaceutics, and fermented foods. Microbes stand as an imperative, efficient, green, and economical alternative to conventional treatment technologies. The proposed book provides cost-effective and sustainable alternatives. This book serves as a reference for graduate and postgraduate students in environmental biotechnology and microbiology as well as researchers and scientists working in the laboratories and industries involved in research related to microbiology, environmental biotechnology, and allied research.

The accumulation of large amounts of ash from fossil fuel combustion for electric power plant generation is becoming a major environmental concern in the United States. Furthermore, stringent environmental regulations mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as well as state and local environmental regulations may result in even more ash production with subsequent contact with the environment. The concentrations of trace elements in coal residues are extremely variable and depend on the composition of the original coal, conditions during combustion, the efficiency of emission control devices, storage and handling ofbyproducts, and climate. The research papers in this book were presented as a part of the Sixth International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements held at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, from July 29-August 2, 2001. The purpose of this corit'erence was to present current knowledge on the source, pathways, behavior and effects of trace elements in soils, waters, plants and animals. In addition, the book also includes invited research papers from scientists who have done significant research in the area of coal and coal combustion byproducts. All the research papers presented herein have been subjected to peer review.

Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems is the first comprehensive review to deal with fundamental concepts and models, speciation measurements and field applications in metal speciation and bioavailability in aquatic environments. This volume provides a thorough review of current developments concerning the interactions between trace metals and aquatic organisms. Metal Speciation and Bioavailability in Aquatic Systems provides:

• The first comprehensive approach to the subject covering all aspects of trace metal ecotoxicology in the environment.
• Essential reading for researchers and graduate students who will appreciate critical reviews of classical and modern methods of metal speciation.
• Contributions from leading scientists from many disciplines assessing both analytical and physical methods applied to this growing field of environmental analysis.
• An introduction to the use of laboratory bioassays as predictive tools for understanding trace metalorganism interactions.
• An examination of the use and limitations of bioassays in management decisions.

Regions with Mediterranean-type climates include parts of California, South America, Australia, and of course, Europe. The effect of global climate change on these heavily populated areas will have major social and political ramifications.
This volume addresses issues in these areas, from processes at the leaf level to the individual, ecosystem, and landscape levels. This book will serve to raise awareness on the significance of these types of ecosystems, and on their sensitivity to the threat that global change represents.

Case Studies of Material Corrosion Prevention for Oil and Gas Valves delivers a critical reference for engineers and corrosion researchers. Packed with nearly 30 real-world case studies, this reference gives engineers standardized knowledge on how to maintain, select and prevent typical corrosion problems in a variety of oil and gas settings. Subsea, offshore, refineries and processing plants are all included, covering a variety of challenges such as chloride stress cracking, how to use Teflon powder to prevent cross contamination, and carbon dioxide corrosion. Organized for quick discovery, this book gives engineers a much-needed tool to safely protect their assets and the environment. Engineers working in oil and gas operations understand that corrosion is a costly expense that increases emissions and damages the environment, but many standards do not provide practical examples with solutions, leaving engineers to learn through experience. This resource provides comprehensive information on topics of interest.

Hormones and Pharmaceuticals Generated by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Transport in Water and Soil examines how hormones, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture are transported in water and soil. Little is known of the environmental fate of the tons of physiologically active steroid hormones released each year. In their own regard, in the last 20 years considerable attention has been given to a wide variety of natural and anthropomorphic agents known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Until the contribution of steroid hormones to the environment are better defined, it will be difficult to quantify the exact impact of EDCs. While some advances in the understanding of the fate of these compounds in water has been made, little is known about the processes that govern their transport in soil or how they eventually reach groundwater. As this book discusses extensively, it is somewhat of a mystery how steroids, with their lipophilic nature, strong binding to humic acids and extensive metabolism by soil bacteria, can be transported through even a few centimeters of soil, let alone 20 to 40 meters to the groundwater. With respect to antibiotics, the emphasis is on their fate and transport in the environment and on the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impacts on soil ecology, including the impact of antibiotics on the metabolism of other active agents, is also discussed. Similarly, the acaricides and insecticides used in animal husbandry are widely used and their environmental pathways have been studied and have significant impacts on soil and dung ecology. Active compounds with potential environmental impacts, such as growth promoters generated from CAFOs, are described. However, because little is known of their environmental fate, emphasis is placed on defining the gaps in our knowledge and defining their possible effects.

This text provides an overview of important theory, principles, and concepts in the field of thermodynamics, making this abstract and complex subject easy to comprehend while building practical skills in the process. It enhances understanding of heat transfer, steam tables, energy concepts, power generation, psychrometry, refrigeration cycles, and more. Practical, easily accessible case studies illustrate various thermodynamics principles. Each chapter concludes with a list of questions or problems, with answers at the back of the book.

The key to the survival of museum collections is a stable indoor environment and vital to this is a well-maintained building with effective environmental services. Environmental Management sets out clearly the theory and practice of achieving an appropriate museum environment for both collections and people. The book emphasises the need for planning and places the environmental needs of museum collections at the forefront of the responsibilities of museum managers. May Cassar stresses the role of the building as the first line of defence against environmental instability, recognising the importance of regular environmental monitoring and control, and the division of museum spaces into critical areas housing collections and non-critical areas accommodating offices, cafes and communal spaces. Environmental Management presents a strategic approach to environmental management, in contrast to the piecemeal approach to environmental monitoring and control still practised by many museums. However, rather than providing ready solutions and rigid rules, the book introduces principles and ideas on which to base decisions about creating the appropriate environment.