Edited by a leading expert and with contributions from pioneers, the three-volume Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings is a resource as dynamic and flexible as the field itself. The first two volumes cover the latest research and application of the mechanical and functional properties of thin films and coatings, while the third volume explores the cutting-edge organic nanostructured devices used to produce clean energy.

The first volume, Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings: Mechanical Properties, covers the mechanical properties (i.e., hardness, toughness, and adhesion), including processing, properties, and performance. It also offers a detailed analysis of theories and size effect, in addition to other key topics. Volume Two, Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings: Functional Properties, focuses on functional properties (i.e., optical, electronic, and electrical) and related devices and applications. The third volume, Organic Nanostructured Thin Film Devices and Coatings for Clean Energy, addresses various aspects of the processing and properties of organic thin films, devices, and coatings for clean energy applications.

A complete resource, this handbook provides detailed explanations for newcomers and the latest research and data for experts. Covering a wide range of mechanical and functional technologies, including those used in clean energy, these books feature figures, tables, and images that aid researchers and help professionals acquire and maintain a solid grasp of this burgeoning field.

This book is an introductory text on building measurement and estimating for simple buildings in Hong Kong, based on the Hong Kong Standard Method of Measurement of Building Works 4th Edition Revised 2018 (HKSMM4 Rev 2018). It provides a toolkit for students and surveying technicians who are new to the subject. This second edition updates the contents in line with the HKSMM4 Rev 2018 and incorporates the latest industry developments such as BIM. The main text is divided into five parts following the development of a typical project. Part 1, Building the project team, introduces the team setup for a typical project. Part 2, Deciding the procurement strategy, explains the various procurement decisions to be made by an employer before any cost estimating and measurement work takes place. Part 3, Preparing for tender, covers the tendering methods, tender documentation and approximate estimating techniques used by Quantity Surveyors. Part 4, Measuring quantities, introduces measurement principles and HKSMM4 Rev 2018, followed by a detailed review of the measurement methods for each major trade, with worked examples. Part 5, Estimating unit rates, explores the basic techniques for unit rate preparation. The book contains worked examples from real Hong Kong building projects, self-assessment questions, reminders and points of note. It is essential reading for Hong Kong construction and surveying students, international Quantity Surveyors working in the local area and those wanting international examples of Quantity Surveryors practice.

From the global to the cellular level, oxidants have provided the chemical dynamic for reactions both harmful and benign. As varied in type as in effect, oxidants include the oxides of nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon - implicated in the generation of smog - as well as oxidants useful in hypoxic cell-specific anticancer drugs and the treatment of contaminated waters. The complex nature of oxidants as well as their pervasiveness in the environment have made them keenly interesting to scientists monitoring environmental hazards and human health. Environmental Oxidants is a broad-based, multidisciplinary study of the environmental chemistry and toxicology of oxidants as well as their widening role in pollution control. Featuring up-to-date research from internationally renowned scientists, the book sheds light on such critical topics as the evolution, production, distribution, and fate of oxidants in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere; the influence of human activities on oxidative processes in the atmosphere; oxidative stress at the cellular, systemic, and ecosystem levels; and the use of oxidants to remediate polluted sites. Specific studies include photosynthetic oxygen evolution, oxidants in the unpolluted marine atmosphere, ozone formation in urban plumes, the impact of dynamics and transport on stratospheric ozone and other constituents, health effects and toxicology of ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and some hematological effects of oxidants. Reflecting current health concerns, the book also addresses such timely issues as oxidative stress and asbestos, the role of oxygen in lung toxicity induced by mineral fibers and particulates, as well as an alternative attainment criteria fora secondary federal standard for ozone. A selective and incisive look at the current state of research on oxidants, Environmental Oxidants provides environmental scientists and engineers with an informative, detailed discussion of just how and why oxidants have emerged as a key issue in human health and environmental integrity.

Now and in the future, the ever-growing demand for drinking water will lead many cities to implement indirect water reuse programs, where wastewater effluent becomes part of the drinking water sources. Pollution of those sources with emerging contaminants (micropollutants) such as endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceutically active compounds, pesticides and personal care products is a fact known worldwide. In this thesis, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) are demonstrated to be appropriate technologies for removing a large number of micropollutants; however, the performance of NF and RO can be questioned because there are limited tools that optimise quantification of the removal of contaminants. Therefore, in this thesis, by means of the use of multivariate data analysis techniques, removal quantification is effectively determined and more understanding of the separation of micropollutants by membranes is achieved.

This study presents an systematic approach to water quality assessment, hybrid modelling and decision support for eutrophication management in deep reservoirs. It is found that during the summer monsoon the catchment runoff into the Yongdam reservoir induces a trandsfer of pollutants from a middle stratified layer to the surface layer. Although the transport mechanism limits nutrient accumulation on the bottom of the reservoir, it also offers an opportunity for on-going algae production in the surface water. Physically based modelling is used to understand the process of micro-scale turbulent mixing and its impact on the nutrient uptake by algae. Further, a data-driven model using clustering and partial least squares regression which uses results from a physically based model of the reservoir successfully predicts Chlorophyll-a concentrations.

Water scarcity is increasing all over the world because of growing population and increasing demands. Countries with limited water resources are urgently in need for a new approach towards water management by shifting from the "use and dispose" approach to the "use, treat and reuse" approach. This book proposes a framework for the sustainable management of scarce water resources. The approach is based on the application of Cleaner Production thinking to water management.
This book focuses on the West Bank in Palestine. The West bank suffers from extreme water scarcity, has (for political reasons) less water than is naturally available, and anticipates an increase in demand for water for reasons of population and economic growth. Therefore, the West Bank needs to shift away from the present approach to water. The book proposes a set of alternatives for sustainable water management in the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors in the West Bank. Implementing a combination of water management alternatives as proposed in this book will put the water management in the West Bank in Palestine on the sustainable track.

• Concepts, ideas, and processes explained in an easy to digest format, making this the perfect introduction to key ideas in Environmental Psychology • Engages with both historical and contemporary research, with contributions from highly qualified contributors in the field • The ideal resource for those studying Environmental Psychology for the first time, as well as those studying Sustainability Studies, Architecture and Built Environment Studies, and related fields

Showcases the excellent data science environment in Python. Provides examples for readers to replicate, adapt, extend, and improve. Covers the crucial knowledge needed by geographic data scientist.

Significant reduction of local, regional, national and international greenhouse gas emissions in homes, businesses, industries and communities has become an international priority. This book describes in clear, concise, and understandable terms the nature and scope of the climate change problem. The authors combine their considerable expertise to offer guidelines for defining and applying effective carbon reduction policies, strategies, and technologies. They propose a well-defined road map which can be implemented to help control and abate the alarming increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Estuaries exist along the edge of the oceans and seas, and are char acterized by the dilution of sea water by inflowing fresher waters. The motion and interaction of these two types of water (fresh and salt water) determine the salinity distribution within the estuary and that, in turn, affects the organisms residing there. The purpose of this vol ume is to review the status of our understanding of estuarine circu lation and how the circulation patterns affect living and nonliving resources in estuaries. For many years, the primary paradigm for estuarine circulation was the two-layered net or nontidal gravitational circulation pattern first proposed by Dr. Donald Pritchard in his studies of the James River estuary. During the last decade or so, research has focused on the many variations about this theme and the factors that control the transport processes. Many of these aspects are covered in the initial papers in this volume. Water movement, of course, is of interest be cause it transports marine organisms, sediments, and pollutants. Es tuarine circulation has a significant effect on estuarine food chains, and on the distribution and abundance of organisms, such as the American oyster, that are freely transported by the currents during larval stages. The intent is to bring together many of these topics in a single volume. This volume is dedicated to Dr. Donald W."

Most applications generate large datasets, like social networking and social influence programs, smart cities applications, smart house environments, Cloud applications, public web sites, scientific experiments and simulations, data warehouse, monitoring platforms, and e-government services. Data grows rapidly, since applications produce continuously increasing volumes of both unstructured and structured data. Large-scale interconnected systems aim to aggregate and efficiently exploit the power of widely distributed resources. In this context, major solutions for scalability, mobility, reliability, fault tolerance and security are required to achieve high performance and to create a smart environment. The impact on data processing, transfer and storage is the need to re-evaluate the approaches and solutions to better answer the user needs. A variety of solutions for specific applications and platforms exist so a thorough and systematic analysis of existing solutions for data science, data analytics, methods and algorithms used in Big Data processing and storage environments is significant in designing and implementing a smart environment. Fundamental issues pertaining to smart environments (smart cities, ambient assisted leaving, smart houses, green houses, cyber physical systems, etc.) are reviewed. Most of the current efforts still do not adequately address the heterogeneity of different distributed systems, the interoperability between them, and the systems resilience. This book will primarily encompass practical approaches that promote research in all aspects of data processing, data analytics, data processing in different type of systems: Cluster Computing, Grid Computing, Peer-to-Peer, Cloud/Edge/Fog Computing, all involving elements of heterogeneity, having a large variety of tools and software to manage them. The main role of resource management techniques in this domain is to create the suitable frameworks for development of applications and deployment in smart environments, with respect to high performance. The book focuses on topics covering algorithms, architectures, management models, high performance computing techniques and large-scale distributed systems.

This thesis presents the implementation of fully three-dimensional sediment transport and morphological updating formulations within a proven three-dimensional hydrodynamic flow solver. The thesis briefly discusses the formulations used to model both suspended and bed-load transport of non-cohesive sediment, and describes the implementation of a morphological updating scheme which incorporates novel approaches to morphological acceleration and dry bank erosion. Approaches used to model the three-dimensional effects of waves on coastal hydrodynamics and of three-dimensional currents on waves are also discussed. Results of several validation studies are presented and the model is shown to perform well in a series of simplified theoretical, laboratory, and full scale test cases. Application of the model and acceleration techniques to the complex and dynamic entrance to Willapa Bay, WA, USA is also discussed. Model processes are validated against the results of an extensive field measurement campaign, and diagnostic morphological model simulations are performed for two historical periods of contrasting morphological development. Input reduction and morphological acceleration techniques used to perform 5-year simulations of Willapa Bay are critically analysed and a new generic method to select a representative morphological tide for coastal environments containing significant diurnal tidal energy is presented.

International concern in scientific, industrial, and governmental communi ties over traces of xenobiotics in foods and in both abiotic and biotic envi ronments has justified the present triumvirate of specialized publications in this field: comprehensive reviews, rapidly published research papers and progress reports, and archival documentations. These three international publications are integrated and scheduled to provide the coherency essential for nonduplicative and current progress in a field as dynamic and complex as environmental contamination and toxicology. This series is reserved ex clusively for the diversified literature on "toxic" chemicals in our food, our feeds, our homes, recreational and working surroundings, our domestic animals, our wildlife and ourselves. Tremendous efforts worldwide have been mobilized to evaluate the nature, presence, magnitude, fate, and toxi cology of the chemicals loosed upon the earth. Among the sequelae of this broad new emphasis is an undeniable need for an articulated set of authoritative publications, where one can find the latest important world literature produced by these emerging areas of science together with docu mentation of pertinent ancillary legislation. Research directors and legislative or administrative advisers do not have the time to scan the escalating number of technical publications that may contain articles important to current responsibility. Rather, these individu als need the background provided by detailed reviews and the assurance that the latest information is made available to them, all with minimal literature searching."

In this work, several modelling approaches are explored to represent spatial pattern dynamics of aquatic populations in aquatic ecosystems by the combination of models, knowledge and data in different scales.

It is shown that including spatially distributed inputs retrieved from Remote Sensing images, a conventional physically-based Harmful Algal Bloom model can be enhanced. Also, Cellular Automata based models using high resolution photographs prove to be good in representing aquatic plant growth. Multi-Agent Systems can capture well the spatial patterns exhibited in GIS density maps. A synthesis modelling framework was developed to include biological/ecological growth and diffusive processes, and local effects in conventional modelling framework. The results of the complementary modelling paradigms investigated in this research can be of help in achieving a sustainable environmental management strategy.

Business is coming under increasing pressure from government, customers and campaigning groups to improve its environmental performance. Soaring utility and compliance costs are hitting companies where it hurts - on their bottom line. But there is another way of looking at the green agenda - as an opportunity rather than a threat. Written by renowned green business expert Gareth Kane, this practical 'how-to' guide contains everything you need to know about making your business green and increasing profits. Key features include: ' The Three Secrets of Green Business Success. ' Preparing To Go Green - change management, indicators, communication and marketing. ' Small Steps - the easy actions that will cut waste of materials, water and energy and save you money. ' Huge Leaps - the really big changes that will make your business truly green by changing your processes, products and business models. ' Hundreds of handy hints and tips. ' Checklists and a brainstorming tool Packed with examples, this book provides a highly accessible, practical guide to those who want to introduce sustainability into their business or organization quickly and effectively.

The need to produce food without the destructive chemical horrors of much modern farming, for an intelligent use of dwindling natural resources and for humane forms of production is universal, the practice is limited. This book is an account of one, large, instance of success in practice. Twenty-five years ago, Winin Pereira, a nuclear physicist abandoned academia to start a co-operative farm at Alonde in a tribal area north of Bombay. The group experienced, and finally discarded, all the false hopes and promises of Western originated forms of development: ploughs that ploughed too deep, irrigation systems that lowered water tables, fertilizers and pesticides which managed the earth and became so expensive that poorer farmers were dispossessed. Instead they learnt from the adivasai, or tribal people, who have nurtured or been nurtured by foresets for millennia, ways of applying popular knowledge to contemporary problems. This book is a combination of Pereira's record of achievement of sustainable livelihoods and an account of the farm and its effect on the India around it by a leading British journalist. Originally published in 1991

The destruction of the tropical forest is one of the major problems of our time. Vast areas are rapidly becoming wastelands which support only a few tough weeds, perhaps some cattle, and the farms allowed to the poor. This book provides a vision of hope: in Latin America. Africa. And South East Asia, growing numbers of people are developing techniques specifically designed to promote the wise use and preservation of remaining forest lands. However, these grassroots strategies are often ignored in favour of grandiose schemes which inevitably fail. This pattern must be broken now or the tropical forests will be lost forever. Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Preface by Michael Robinson, Director, National Zoological Park. Smithsonian Institution Originally published in 1988

This volume provides an overview of the determinants of the release of and exposure to airborne nanoparticles. Whether intentionally manufactured or unintentionally generated during industrial processes, the release of nanoparticles can result in significant worker exposure, which must be dealt with adequately by means of dedicated risk assessments to ensure workplace health and safety. The book extensively discusses a number of measurement and modelling strategies available for this purpose. It also reviews the health hazardous potential of nano-sized particles and fibres, and follows the flow of engineered nanomaterials from production and use to disposal and the environment. It appeals to a wide readership, from specialists already working in the field to newcomers aiming to gain insights into this topic.

This Lab Manual is a companion to the textbook Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing with R. It covers examples of natural resource data analysis applications including numerous practical, problem-solving exercises, and case studies that use the free and open-source platform R. The intuitive, structural workflow helps students better understand a scientific approach to each case study in the book and learn how to replicate, transplant, and expand the workflow for further exploration with new data, models, and areas of interest. Features 1. Aims to expand theoretical approaches of remote sensing and digital image processing through multidisciplinary applications using R and R packages. 2. Engages students in learning theory through hands-on real-life projects. 3. All chapters are structured with solved exercises and homework and encourages readers to understand the potential and the limitations of the environments. 4. Covers data analysis in free and open-source (FOSS) R platform, which makes remote sensing accessible to anyone with a computer. 5. Explores current trends and developments in remote sensing in homework assignments with data to further explore the use of free multispectral remote sensing data, including very high spatial resolution information. Undergraduate and graduate level students will benefit from the exercises in this lab manual, as they are applicable to a variety of subjects including environmental science, agriculture engineering, as well as natural and social sciences. Students will gain a deeper understanding, and first-hand experience, with remote sensing and digital processing with a learn-by-doing methodology using applicable examples in natural resources.

1) Original book with chapters written by Brazilian researchers and colleagues from Universities in the Global North; 2) New and interdisciplinary interpretations of democracy, development, and sustainability; 3) Word Political Economy theoretical frontier linking class, race, and gender conflicts; 4) Challenges’ diagnoses and proposal of solutions for the future of the World Political Economy after the Covid-19 crisis.

Modeling Remaining Useful Life Dynamics in Reliability Engineering applies traditional reliability engineering methods to Prognostics and Health Management (PHM), looking at Remaining Useful Life (RUL) and predictive maintenance to enable engineers to effectively and safely predict machinery lifespan. One of the key tools used in defining and implementing predictive maintenance policies is the RUL indicator. However, it is essential to account for the uncertainty inherent to the RUL, as otherwise predictive maintenance strategies can be incorrect. This can cause high costs, or alternatively, ineffective predictions. Methods used to estimate RUL are very numerous and diverse, and broadly speaking, fall into three categories: model-based, data-driven, or hybrid, which uses both. The book starts by building on established theory, and applying cutting edge research to it, such as artificial intelligence models and deep learning. It looks at traditional reliability engineering methods through their relation to Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) requirements and presents the concept of RUL loss rate. Following on from this, the book presents a general method for defining a nonlinear transformation enabling the MRL to become a linear function. It also touches on topics such as Weibull distribution, gamma distribution and degradation, along with time-to-failure distributions. Features: Provides both practical and theoretical background of RUL Describes how the uncertainty of RUL can be related to RUL loss rate Provides new insights into time-to-failure distributions Offers tools for predictive maintenance_ The book will be of interest to engineers and researchers in reliability engineering, Prognostics and Health Management and industry management.

Don't drain the swamp! Man's traditional response to swamps, marshes and bogs has been to drain them. But wetlands are not wastelands. Coastal marshes are among the world's most productive ecosystems. They make many commercial fisheries possible and protect coasts from floods and storm surges. Wetlands are pollution filters, water reservoirs. They are among the last wild places on earth, offering homes to endangered plants, birds and animals. Attitudes to wetlands are changing, but not fast enough. As scientists are documenting the wealth in wet places, governments and developers are draining them, damming them, logging them and building resort hotels where ', they once were. Destruction is usually a poor trade-off: well-managed wetlands in Louisiana are producing fortunes in seafood and timber. Waterlogged wealth examines the value of swamps and marshes, as well as the threats against them. In doing so it takes the reader to some of the world's most bizarre landscapes: the 'inland delta' of the Niger River in drought-stricken Mali; the wildlife-rich Okavango swamps of Botswana; the waterlogged Sunderban forests of India and Bangladesh, where tigers eat fish and crabs. Civilisation began around wetlands; today's civilisation has good reason to leave them wet and wild. Dr Edward Maltby is a lecturer in geography at the University of Exeter(UK). He has done extensive research on wetlands both in the North (UK, US, Canada) and the South (Fiji, Jamaica, India and the Falklands/Malvinas Islands). He is on the IUCN Wetland Programme Advisory Committee. Originally published in 1986

This richly-illustrated reference guide presents innovative techniques focused on reducing time, cost and risk in the construction and maintenance of underground facilities:

A primary focus of the technological development in underground engineering is to ease the practical execution and to reduce time, cost and risk in the construction and maintenance of underground facilities such as tunnels and caverns. This can be realized by new design tools for designers, by instant data access for engineers, by virtual prototyping and training for manufacturers, and by robotic devices for maintenance and repair for operators and many more advances.

This volume presents the latest technological innovations in underground design, construction, and operation, and comprehensively discusses developments in ground improvement, simulation, process integration, safety, monitoring, environmental impact, equipment, boring and cutting, personnel training, materials, robotics and more. These new features are the result of a big research project on underground engineering, which has involved many players in the discipline.

Written in an accessible style and with a focus on applied engineering, this book is aimed at a readership of engineers, consultants, contractors, operators, researchers, manufacturers, suppliers and clients in the underground engineering business. It may moreover be used as educational material for advanced courses in tunnelling and underground construction.

This volume presents research on current trends in chemical regulations - a fa- growing, complex, and increasingly internationalized field. The book grew out from a multidisciplinary research project entitled 'Regulating Chemical Risks in the Baltic Sea Area: Science, Politics, and the Media', led by Michael Gilek at Soedertoern University, Sweden. This research project involved scholars and experts from natural as well as social sciences, based at Soedertoern University, Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Karolinska Institutet, and Umea University. The project group organized a multidisciplinary research conference on chemical risk regulations, held in Stockholm, August 15-17, 2007. Most of the contributions published in this book were, in draft form, first presented at this conference. The conference, like the ensuing edited volume, expanded the geographical focus beyond the Baltic Sea area to include wider European, and to some extent also global trends. Many thanks to all project colleagues and conference participants! We are very grateful for the generous financial support received from The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies (OEstersjoestiftelsen), The Swedish Research Council Formas, and from Soedertoern University. Without this support the present book would not have been possible. Special thanks to all of our fellow contributors, all of whom have submitted to- cal papers based on high-quality research. Many thanks also to Tobias Evers, who assisted us with technical editing. Finally, we are grateful for the professionalism shown by our editors at Springer.