Lean thinking involves more than just eliminating waste; through its five guiding principles-value, value chain, continuous flow, pull production, and perfection-its successful applications are commonly found in the manufacturing sector. Although its application and benefits to companies is no longer contested, it is rare to find works that consolidate applications of lean thinking in sectors that are unconventional, such as healthcare and government. Cases on Lean Thinking Applications in Unconventional Systems allows readers to broaden their view on lean thinking applications and visualize insights for research. It presents case studies and applications of lean thinking within several different industries. Covering topics such as emergency care units, standardized work, and national humanization policy, this case book is an essential resource for engineers, hospital administrators, healthcare professionals, IT managers, government officials, students and faculty of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

Bio-Based Flame Retardants for Polymeric Materials provides a comprehensive overview of flame retardants derived directly and indirectly from plant sources, drawing on cutting-edge research and covering preparation methods, testing and evaluation techniques, enhanced properties, and end applications. Chapters introduce bio-based materials in the context of additives for flame retardancy, explaining fundamentals and testing methods and analyzing synthetic approaches and the potential advantages of pursuing a bio-based approach. This is followed by detailed coverage of bio-based retardants, with each chapter covering a specific source and guiding the reader systematically through preparation techniques, evaluation methods, properties and applications. Throughout the book, the latest progress in the field is critically reviewed, and there is a continual emphasis on novel approaches to achieve enhanced properties and performant materials. This is an essential guide for all those with an interest in innovative, sustainable flame retardant additives for polymeric materials, including researchers, scientists, advanced students, and more.

European Glacial Landscapes: Maximum Extent of Glaciations brings together relevant experts on the history of glaciers and their impact on the landscape of the main regions of Europe. In some regions the largest recorded glaciations occurred before the Last Glacial Cycle, in one of the major glacial cycles of the Middle Pleistocene. However, the best-preserved evidence of glaciation in the landscape is from the Last Glacial Cycle (Late Pleistocene). The book also analyses these older glacial landforms that can sometimes still be seen in the landscape today. This analysis provides a better understanding of the succession of Pleistocene glaciations and the intervening interglacial periods, examining their possible continental synchrony or asynchrony of past glacier behaviour. The result of this analysis gives important new insights and information on the origin and effects of climatic and geomorphological variability across Europe. European Glacial Landscapes: Maximum Extent of Glaciations examines the landscapes produced by glaciers throughout Europe, the geomorphological effects of glaciations, as well as the chronology and evolution of the past glaciers, with the aim of understanding the interrelationship between glacial expansion and climate changes on this continent. This book is a valuable tool for geographers, geologist, environmental scientists, researchers in physics and earth sciences.

Reservoir Characterization of Tight Gas Sandstones: Exploration and Development is essential reading for those working in oil and gas exploration (both in industry and academia) as it contains chapters that help them further understand all aspects of tight gas reservoirs. In this book, experts in industry and academia update readers on new methods of tight gas reservoir modeling and evaluation. As there are very limited published books in the field of tight sandstones, this book will benefit readers by making them familiar with state-of-art methods of tight gas sandstones characterization and evaluation.

Value-Chain of Biofuels: Fundamentals, Technology, and Standardization presents the fundamental aspects of biofuel production, from biomass conversion technologies and biofuels' end products to related policy regulation and standardization. Sections explore the current biofuels industry, addressing pretreatment, feedstocks, and conversion processes, review different pathways to produce biofuels, including bioethanol, biochar, biogas/bio-hydrogen, bio-oil, biodiesel, and many others, and finally, present policy regulation and standardization on biofuel production, with a focus on applications. Case studies are provided alongside reviews from academic and industry perspectives, discussing economics and lifecycle assessments (LCA) of biofuel production, as well as analyses of supply chains. Offering a comprehensive and timely overview, this book provides an ideal reference for researchers and practitioners working in bioenergy and renewable energy, but it will also be of interest to chemists, bioengineers, chemical engineers, and the agricultural and petrochemical industries.

Uranium Geology of the Middle East and North Africa demonstrates mining potential in the MENA region, with a special interest given to Uranium. The formation and origin of uranium deposits is of interest for uranium exploration and is necessary for the long-term sustainability of nuclear energy production. The book proposes a new classification system built on earlier classification with detailed new maps, explanatory diagrams, cross sections, helpful satellite images, etc. In addition, it explains why the occurrences, depositional and geological environments of uranium in the Middle East and North Africa vary from one country to another. Using various related recognition criteria, the book reports the potential uranium provinces in the Middle East and North Africa countries. The definition of these provinces is based on the existing geologic and tectonic settings, along with geochronological sequences and geochemical characteristics.

Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents presents the most up-to-date advances in nanotechnology to improve the agriculture and food industry with novel nanotools for the controlling of rapid disease diagnostic and enhancement of the capacity of plants to absorb nutrients and resist environmental challenges. Highlighting the emerging nanofertilizers, nanopesticides and nanoherbicides that are being widely explored in order to overcome the limitations of conventional agricultural supplements, the book provides important insights to enable smart, knowledge-driven selection of nanoscale agricultural biomaterials, coupled with suitable delivery approaches and formulations will lead to promising agricultural innovation using nanotechnology. Agricultural Nanobiotechnology: Biogenic Nanoparticles, Nanofertilizers and Nanoscale Biocontrol Agents explores emerging innovations in nanobiotechnology for agriculture, food, and natural resources to address the challenges of food security, sustainability, susceptibility, human health, and healthy life. The book is ideal for the multidisciplinary scientists whose goal is to see the use of nanomaterials in agriculture to reduce the amount of spread chemicals, minimize nutrient losses in fertilization and to generate increased yield through pest and nutrient management.

We are at a defining point in the history of news. Following a surge of fake news, clickbait and conspiracy theories, the 2020s have ushered in a welter of existential threats for public service broadcasting. So, where do we go from here? Former Today editor and head of BBC television news Roger Mosey thinks public service broadcasters must buck the trends and in this incisive book he offers twenty core ways in which the news can save itself by getting smarter, sharper, more diverse, more nuanced and less exposed to pummelling by politicians. Mosey sees two possible futures: one in which the incitements of populist demagogues and the passions of social media are ever dominant - or one where we fight hard to retain media that has an interest in the public good and preserves truth, fairness and evidence-based judgements. From one of British broadcasting's most experienced voices comes the definitive exploration of Britain's news output and what must change if we are to avoid a future of uninspiring news, uninformed decision-making and accountability-dodging politicians.

Fundamental Issues Critical to the Success of Nuclear Projects presents a complete analysis of the core considerations for those deploying nuclear power plants, managing existing plants, and also for those developing and building new plants. It includes critical considerations, such as cost-estimation, safety procedures, and regulatory compliance, manpower optimization and development, and the application of innovative technologies, such as the use of robotics. Those important issues have been addressed in a systematic way, and explanations have been provided on how the nuclear industry has continuously found solutions to mitigate and eventually solve them properly.

In a globalized world full of noise, brands are constantly launching messages through different channels. For the last two decades, brands, marketers, and creatives have faced the difficult task of reaching those individuals who do not want to watch or listen to what they are trying to tell them. By producing fewer ads or making them louder or more striking, more brands and communications professionals are not going to get those people to pay more attention to their messages; they will only want to avoid advertising in all media. Examining the Future of Advertising and Brands in the New Entertainment Landscape provides a theoretical, reflective, and empirical perspective on branded content and branded entertainment in relation to audience engagement. It reviews different cases about branded content to address the dramatic change that brands and conventional advertising are facing short term. Covering topics such as branded content measurement tools, digital entertainment culture, and government storytelling, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for marketers, advertising agencies, brand managers, business leaders and managers, communications professionals, government officials, non-profit organizations, students and educators of higher education, academic libraries, researchers, and academicians.

IN "THE ANTIDOTE," Barry Werth draws upon unprecedented inside reporting spanning more than two decades to provide a groundbreaking closeup of the upstart pharmaceutical company Vertex and the ferocious but indispensable world of Big Pharma that it inhabits.
In 1989, the charismatic Joshua Boger left Merck, then America's most admired business, to found a drug company that would challenge industry giants and transform health care. Werth described the company's tumultuous early days during the AIDS crisis in "The Billion-Dollar Molecule," a celebrated classic of science and business journalism. Now he returns to tell a riveting story of Vertex's bold endurance and eventual success.
The $325 billion-a-year pharmaceutical business is America's toughest and one of its most profitable. It's riskier and more rigorous at just about every stage than any other business, from the towering biological uncertainties inherent in its mission to treat disease; to the 30-to-1 failure rate in bringing out a successful medicine even after a molecule clears all the hurdles to get to human testing; to the multibillion-dollar cost of ramping up a successful product; to operating in the world's most regulated industry, matched only by nuclear power.
Werth captures the full scope of Vertex's twentyfive- year drive to deliver breakthrough medicines. At a time when America struggles to maintain its innovative edge, "The Antidote" is a powerful inside look at one of the most intriguing and important business stories of recent decades.

Nano-Enabled Agrochemicals in Agriculture presents a targeted overview of the safe implementation of nanotechnologies within agricultural and horticultural settings, with the purpose of achieving enhanced production while maintaining ecological integrity. The growing global request for agricultural crops and products requires high standards of quality and safety, which has stimulated the search for new technologies that preserve their quality and delay their decomposition. Nanotechnology may boost plant production by improving nutrient uptake/use efficiency with nanoformulations of fertilizers and agrochemicals for plant enhancement, detection and treatment of diseases, and host-parasite interactions at the molecular level using nanosensors. It also may improve plant disease diagnostics, removal of contaminants from soil and water, postharvest management of vegetables and flowers, and reclamation of salt-affected soils. Although the markets for nanoproducts and nanoformulations continue to increase, there are also growing concerns regarding the fate and behavior of nanomaterials in environmental systems. Exploring important topics related to nanotechnology and nanomaterials, the book includes the use of nanochemicals in insect pest management, as nanofungicides, nanoherbicides, micronutrient supply, and nanosensors to monitor crop and soil health conditions, from detection of agrochemicals to their slow release of agrochemicals, and their impact on related environs. This book will serve as an excellent resource for a wide range of plant scientists who have concerns about nanomaterial interactions with terrestrial and aquatic plants.

Stimuli-Responsive Nanocarriers: Recent Advances in Tailor-Made Therapeutics compiles dispersed knowledge into a complete and comprehensive source to help researchers understand and progress stimuli-responsive nanocarriers. The book contains recent advancements made in the field of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers with their application in controlled drug delivery against various diseases. It focuses on the design, mechanism, construction, therapeutic application and future challenges of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers which will help new researchers in designing next generation tailor-made advanced therapeutics. Finally, the book covers future aspects and challenges present in the route of development of stimuli responsive nanocarriers for disease therapeutics. Various recent advances and biomedical applications assembled in this book will guide scientists on how to design and develop novel controlled drug release systems.