Fungi range from being microscopic, single-celled yeasts to multicellular and heterotrophic in nature. Fungal communities have been found in vast ranges of environmental conditions. They can be associated with plants epiphytically, endophytically, or rhizospherically. Extreme environments represent unique ecosystems that harbor novel biodiversity of fungal communities. Interest in the exploration of fungal diversity has been spurred by the fact that fungi perform numerous functions integral in sustaining the biosphere, ranging from nutrient cycling to environmental detoxification, which involves processes like augmentation, supplementation, and recycling of plant nutrients--a particularly important process in sustainable agriculture. Fungal communities from natural and extreme habitats help promote plant growth, enhance crop yield, and soil fertility via direct or indirect plant growth promoting (PGP) mechanisms of solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanides, phytohormones, Fe-chelating compounds, extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, and bioactive secondary metabolites. These PGP fungi could be used as biofertilizers, bioinoculants, and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in eco-friendly manners for sustainable agriculture and environments. Along with agricultural applications, medically important fungi play significant role for human health. Fungal communities are useful for sustainable environments as they are used for bioremediation which is the use of microorganisms' metabolism to degrading waste contaminants (sewage, domestic, and industrial effluents) into non-toxic or less toxic materials by natural biological processes. Fungi could be used as mycoremediation for the future of environmental sustainability. Fungi and fungal products have the biochemical and ecological capability to degrade environmental organic chemicals and to decrease the risk associated with metals, semi-metals, and noble metals either by chemical modification or by manipulating chemical bioavailability. The two volumes of "Recent Trends in Mycological Research" aim to provide an understanding of fungal communities from diverse environmental habitats and their potential applications in agriculture, medical, environments and industry. The books are useful to scientists, researchers, and students involved in microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

This book presents the proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Materials and Sustainable Development ISMSD2019 (CIMDD2019), will include a 3-day Conference (12 - 14 November). Organized by the Research Unit: Materials, Processes and Environment and M'hamed Bougara University of Boumerdes (Algeria) in partnership with University of Reims - Champagne-Ardenne (France), this symposium follows the success of CIMDD 2013-2015-2017 and continues the traditions of the highly successful series of International Conferences on the materials, processes and Environment. The Symposium will provide a unique topical forum to share the latest results of the materials and sustainable development research in Algeria and worldwide.

Environmental and energy dependency problems derived from high fossil fuels consumption have made necessary the development of new energy models to be renewable and sustainable, efficient, practical and economical, and cost effective, to meet the demand for a sustainable energy supply.Among renewable resources, biomass is destined to play an important role in these new energy models since agricultural and forestry residues are an energy resource that is produced in relatively large amounts throughout the world and regarded as a renewable and environmentally safe way of providing energy.Compiling information on the conversion of energy from biomass, the book focuses on the use of pellets as homogeneous solid biofuels. It describes all the changes that forestry and agricultural biomass undergo to be converted into thermal energy and analyses the inputs and outputs of the process.It has to be noted that the standards used as guidelines and references in all the chapters of the book are there in order to not to forget the thresholds and guidelines established and thus to ensure a proper use.This book guides the reader through the entire biomass-to-energy process, emphasising important aspects and how the quality of the biofuel can be identified. It acts as a starting point for professionals and researchers interested in working with biomass and a guide for those people interested in the implementation of the technologies described.

This book addresses "phyto-microbiome mediated stress regulation". Fundamentally speaking, the microbial community's importance for the survival of plants under stress conditions has already been confirmed. This book focuses on the roles of those rhizospheric microbiomes that are advantageous to plant developmental pathways. Gathering contributions by authors with specialized expertise in plant growth and health under stress conditions, as well as opportunistic pathogenic bacteria, the book reviews the functional aspects of rhizospheric microorganisms and how they impact plant health and disease. It offers a compendium of plant and microbial interactions at the level of multitrophic interactions, and identifies gaps between future demand and present research on plant stress. In closing, the authors highlight several directions for reshaping rhizosphere microbiomes in favor of microorganisms that are beneficial to plant growth and health.

The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning is part of a series of biennial conferences on the topic of sustainable regional development which began in Greece in 2003. The papers included in these proceedings report on the latest advances from scientists specialising in the range of subjects included within sustainable development and planning.Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without comprising the ability of future generations.The use of modern technologies in planning gives us new potential to monitor and prevent environmental degradation. Problems related to development and planning, which affect both rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world and accelerated urbanisation has resulted in both the deterioration of the environment and quality of life. Urban development can also intensify problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, which urgently require solutions in order to avoid irreversible damage. The papers in the book cover the following topics: City Planning; Urban Strategies; Sustainability and the Built Environment; Regional Planning; Environmental Planning and Management; Costal Regions; Sustainable Solutions in Emerging Countries; Policies and Planning; Socio Economic Issues; Community Planning; Culture and Heritage; Energy Resources; Transportation; Mobility and Urban Space; Air Quality; Water Management; Waste Water.

This book features a selection of the best papers presented at two SIEV seminars held in Venice, Italy, in September 2017 and 2018, in the context of the Urbanpromo Green events. Bringing together experts from a diverse range of fields - economics, appraisal, architecture, energy, urban planning, sociology, and the decision sciences - and government representatives, the seminars encouraged reflections on the role of future cites in terms of sustainable development, with a particular focus on improving collective and individual well-being. The book provides a multidisciplinary approach to contemporary green urban agendas and urban sustainability, and addresses the demand for policies and strategies to strengthen resilience through concrete measures to reduce energy consumption, mitigate pollution, promote social inclusion and create urban identity.

This book discusses the current trends in luxury and jewelry and presents how to make these sustainable for a better future. In the age of sustainability, we increasingly see how designers and consumers begin to think beyond a product's look&feel and operation, and are especially concerned about what has happened during its manufacturing process and what will happen once its useful life comes to an end. Today, consumers value that every industrial product and process should be sustainable, beneficial for the people, the economy and the planet, and so is the case for jewelry.

This book gathers contributions on modern irrigation environments in Egypt from an environmental and agricultural perspective. Written by leading experts in the field, it discusses a wide variety of modern irrigation problems. In the context of water resources management in Egypt, one fundamental problem is the gap between growing water demand and limited supply. As such, improving irrigation systems and providing farmers with better control over water are crucial to increasing productivity. The book presents state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that can be effectively used to address a range of problems in modern irrigation, as well as the latest research advances. Focusing on water sensing and information technologies, automated irrigation technologies, and improved irrigation efficiency. It brings together a team of experts who share their personal experiences, describe the various applications, present recent advances, and discuss possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and implementing the techniques covered

Microbes are ubiquitous in nature. Among microbes, fungal communities play an important role in agriculture, the environment, and medicine. Vast fungal diversity has been associated with plant systems, namely epiphytic fungi, endophytic fungi, and rhizospheric fungi. These fungi associated with plant systems play an important role in plant growth, crop yield, and soil health. Rhizospheric fungi, present in rhizospheric zones, get their nutrients from root exudates released by plant root systems, which help with their growth, development, and microbe activity. Endophytic fungi typically enter plant hosts through naturally occurring wounds that are the result of plant growth, through root hairs, or at epidermal conjunctions. Phyllospheric fungi may survive or proliferate on leaves depending on material influences in leaf diffuseness or exudates. The diverse nature of these fungal communities is a key component of soil-plant systems, where they are engaged in a network of interactions endophytically, phyllospherically, as well as in the rhizosphere, and thus have emerged as a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. These fungal communities promote plant growth directly and indirectly by using plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes. These PGP fungi can be used as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for a more eco-friendly method of promoting sustainable agriculture and environments. This first volume of a two-volume set covers the biodiversity of plant-associated fungal communities and their role in plant growth promotion, the mitigation of abiotic stress, and soil fertility for sustainable agriculture. This book should be useful to those working in the biological sciences, especially for microbiologists, microbial biotechnologists, biochemists, and researchers and scientists of fungal biotechnology.

This book presents selected papers from the 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction - Expanding the Platform for Bridging Science and Policy Making, which was held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Uji Campus from 19 to 21 March 2017. It was organised by the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI), which was established soon after the second Global Summit and the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015, and is intended to support the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The conference not only provided a platform for discussion and exchange of information on key current and future research projects on disaster risk reduction and management, but also promoted active dialogues through group discussion sessions that addressed various disaster research disciplines. In this book, authors from various disciplines working at governmental and international organisations provide guidance to the science and technical community, discuss the current challenges, and evaluate the research needs and gaps in the context of climate change, sustainable development goals and other interlinked global disaster situations. Expert opinions from practitioners and researchers provide valuable insights into how to connect and engage in collaborative research with the international science and technical communities and other stakeholders to achieve the goals set out in the agenda of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. In addition, case studies and other evidence-based research papers highlight ongoing research projects and reflect the challenges encountered in information sharing by various stakeholders in the context of disaster risk reduction and management. Chapter "Science and technology commitment to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book gathers the best papers presented at the 11th Tourism Outlook Conference, held in Eskisehir, Turkey, from 3 to 5 October 2018. Covering various aspects of heritage and its effects on tourism issues, the contributions provide a multidisciplinary perspective on emerging issues and challenges in the area. The book also analyzes both the tangible and intangible properties of natural, cultural, and historical heritage and how these relate to and influence tourism, and evaluates the importance and role of heritage in tourism destinations and products. By providing a platform for cross-disciplinary dialogues that integrate research and insights from diverse geographical, sectoral and institutional perspectives, the book allows readers to gain a better understanding of heritage tourism.

This book addresses the fundamental changes that the Italian public utilities sector has undergone in the last two decades. Since the late 1990s, liberalisation and privatisation have replaced state-owned monopolies at both the national and local level, new technologies have created a broad range of new opportunities for power generation and distribution, and a redesigned public policy agenda has brought to the fore a whole set of new priorities. In this fast-changing environment, firms have redrawn their strategies, redesigned their business architectures and models, invested in infrastructure and R&D, taken advantage of growth opportunities at home and abroad, opened up their ownership structure, revised their offerings, and developed a new approach to customers. As a result, a radically altered market structure has emerged. As the sector tackles the overriding challenge of sustainability and energy transition, the book takes stock of such past and ongoing developments through the direct testimonies of various stakeholders: the companies in the energy, water, and waste management sectors that are at the forefront of this sweeping transformation; regulators; financial partners; and management consulting firms. The diversity of perspectives and wealth of information presented make this book a valuable resource for anyone wanting to grasp the direction, intensity and causes of change, as well as the nature of the challenges that lie ahead. This work has been prepared as part of the research activities of the Observatory on Alliances and Strategies in the Pan-European Utility Market, one of Agici's Research and Advisory units.

Under ongoing climate changes, natural and cultivated habitats of major crops are being continuously disturbed. Such conditions impose and exacerbate abiotic and biotic stressors. Drought, salinity, flood, cold, heat, heavy metals, metalloids, oxidants, irradiation, etc. are important abiotic stressors, while diseases and infections caused by plant pathogens, such as fungal agents, bacteria and viruses, are major biotic stresses. In many instances, stresses have become the major limiting factor for agricultural productivity and exert detrimental role on growth and yield of the crops. To help feed an ever increasing world population and to ensure global food security, concerted efforts from scientists and researchers have identified strategies to manage and mitigate the impacts of climate-induced stresses. This book, summarizing their findings, is aimed at crop improvement beyond such kind of barriers, by agronomic practices (genetics, breeding, phenotyping, etc.) and biotechnological applications, including molecular markers, QTL mapping, genetic engineering, transgenesis, tissue culture, various 'omics' technologies and gene editing. It will cover a wide range of topics under environmental challenges, agronomy and agriculture processes, and biotechnological approaches. Additionally, fundamental mechanisms and applied information on stress responses and tolerance will be discussed. This book highlights problems and offers proper solutions for crop stress management with recent information and up-to-date citations. We believe this book is suitable for scientists, researchers and students working in the fields of agriculture, plant science, environmental biology and biotechnology.

This book explores the interactions of local inhabitants and environmental systems in the Protected Natural Areas of Mexico. Its goal is to help understand how social groups contextualize ecological knowledge, how human activities contribute to modifying the environmental matrix, how cultural and economic aspects influence the use, management and conservation of their ecological environment, and how social phenomena are to be viewed against the backdrop of ecological knowledge. The book reviews the epistemological and historical bases of the socio-ecological relationship, and addresses the evolution of human-natural systems. From a methodological standpoint, it assesses the tools required for the integration of "human" and "natural" dimensions in the management of the environmental matrix. Further, in the case studies section, it reviews valuable recent experiences concerning the retro-interactions of local inhabitants with their environmental matrix. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers and professionals all over the world, especially those working in Latin American countries.

This book suggests how the internationalisation of teaching and learning for sustainability can be a vehicle for a two-way flow of knowledge across national, cultural and theoretical boundaries. Establishing links between the internationalisation of education and the ideal of global sustainability, the author presents innovative alternative solutions to address the pressing social, environmental and ethical problems of our age, a global priority demanding an educational response. By engaging with the Hindi concept of tri-vid, the three-in-one unification of knowledge, the author reassesses the very nature of knowledge through the intellectual agency of both students and educators. Once opportunities for alternatives not available in dominant Western knowledge traditions are recognised, the development of an innovative alternative perspective becomes possible. This pioneering book will be of interest to students and scholars of international education, sustainability education and globalisation.

This book examines a range of current issues in Islamic development management. The first part of the book explores practical issues in governance and the application of Islamic governance in new areas such as quality management systems and the tourism industry, while the second delves into questions of sustainability. The book proposes a new Islamic sustainability and offers new perspectives on CSR in connection with waqf (Islamic endowments) and microfinance. The third part of the book addresses Islamic values and how they are applied in entrepreneurship, inheritance, consumer behavior and marketing. The fourth part examines the issues of waqf and takaful (a form of insurance in line with the Islamic laws), while the fifth discusses the fiqh (the study of Islamic legal codes) and legal framework from the perspectives of entrepreneurship, higher education, reporting and inheritance (wills). The final chapter is dedicated to the application of Islamic principles in various other issues. Written in an accessible style, the book will appeal to newcomers to the field, as well as researchers and academics with an interest in Islamic development management.

This book comprises state-of-the-art advances in energy, combustion, power, propulsion, environment, focusing on the production and utilization of fossil fuels, alternative fuels and biofuels. It is written by internationally renowned experts who provide the latest fundamental and applied research innovations on cleaner energy production as well as utilization for a wide range of devices extending from micro scale energy conversion to hypersonic propulsion using hydrocarbon fuels. The tailored technical tracks and contributions are portrayed in the respective field to highlight different but complementary views on fuels, combustion, power and propulsion and air toxins with special focus on current and future R&D needs and activities. This book will serve as a useful reference for practicing engineers, research engineers and managers in industry and research labs, academic institutions, graduate students, and final year undergraduate students in mechanical, chemical, aerospace, energy, and environmental engineering.

The first edition of The Small-Scale Poultry Flock helped thousands of small-scale farmers and smallholders adopt a practical model for working with chickens and other domestic fowl based on natural systems. In this expanded and thoroughly revised edition, readers will find plenty of all-new material. Author Harvey Ussery introduces readers to his new favorite breed of chicken, Icelandics; describes how he manages his breeding flock using a clan mating system; presents detailed information on the use of trapnests and record-keeping spreadsheets for evaluating breeding hen performance; and provides step-by-step instructions for construction of an ingeniously designed mobile poultry shelter. Readers will also find fully updated information and tips on all aspects of flock management, including: growing (and sourcing) feed on a small scale cultivating earthworms and grubs as high-protein poultry feed brooding (and breeding) at home implementing manure management using electric net fencing for ranging flocks using poultry as insect and weed managers in the garden and orchard enlisting your chickens as garden tillers and compost-makers protecting the flock from predators keeping the flock healthy working with mother hens In The Small-Scale Poultry Flock, Revised Edition Ussery presents a sustainable and ecologically friendly model that can be adapted to a variety of scales. His advice and examples throughout the book will prove invaluable for beginner farmers, growers looking to incorporate poultry into their programme and experienced farmers looking to create a truly sustainable system.

The worldwide consumption of resources is causing environmental damage at a rate that cannot be sustained. Apart from the resulting environmental and health problems, this trend could threaten economic growth due to rapidly decreasing natural resources and costly solutions. The public sector has a responsibility to stimulate the marketplace in favor of the provision of more resource-efficient and less polluting goods, services, and works in order to support environmental and wider sustainable development objectives. Developing Eco-Cities Through Policy, Planning, and Innovation: Can It Really Work? examines the economic, political, social, and environmental objectives essential to the planning and support of future communities. Highlighting a range of topics such as environmental sustainability, waste management, and green cities, this publication is an ideal reference source for environmental engineers, environmentalists, city development planners, urban planners, technology developers, policymakers, industrialists, academicians, and researchers interested in solving environmental issues.

This book shows how the change of water paradigm has become urgent, and provides evidence for new policies that expand water balance to green and virtual water. The issue of water security concerns drinking water supply but also food safety, linked to agricultural policy. Both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture play complementary roles in food security, and the water issue implies a holistic view of water resources. This view constitutes the book's backstory. The reader will find original ideas that can be applied everywhere because the example of Tunisia is typically a basis to illustrate a universally prevalent situation. The book deals with other important issues: desalination, wastewater recycling, water quality, groundwater overdraft, water savings, governance, knowledge valuing, education, information: upgrading the whole water systems for the future implies emancipation of the whole society.

All global countries are interdependent and all aspects of the global economy operate synergistically. The COVID-19 pandemic gave a renewed sense of urgency to focus on the synergies between supply chain, climate change, COVID-19, and sustainable development as they affect business in Africa and how what occurs in one part of the world affects the whole world. This book examines this synergy and the reciprocal impact of businesses, government, and society. Featuring contributions presented at the 2022 Current Business Issues in African Countries (CBIAC) Conference held at Wagner College in Staten Island, NY, USA, this book explores topics such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, gender, and capital flows in Africa demonstrating the wealth of business opportunities across the continent.  

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the field of functional finishing of textiles, describing the state-of-the-art research and well-established techniques applied in the textile industry, and covering all areas of textile dyeing and finishing. It is intended for academic researchers and professionals in related scientific and engineering fields, including textile engineering, chemistry, nanotechnology, material science, biotechnology and environmental science. The book also provides reference material for stakeholders looking for innovative technologies and insights into the environmental and sustainability issues in the development of functional textiles and related products.