This book is an introduction to the works of a collective of academics on social innovation and socio-political transformation. It offers a critique of the dominance of market-based logics and extractivism in the age of neoliberalism. Calling for systemic change, the authors invite the reader to engage in the analysis and practice of socially innovative initiatives and, by doing so, contribute to the co-construction of a sustainable, solidarity-based and regenerative society. This book will not only be an inspiration for many academics and researchers broadly interested in social innovation, but also for social movements and their protagonists challenging the dominance of the status quo. In addition, it will appeal to policymakers and politicians who want to appreciate contemporary ways of thinking and gain inspiration on how to better meet the needs of the communities they serve. Contributors: L. Albrechts, I. Andre, I. Calvo Mendieta, S. Cameron, L. Cavola, D. Coimbra de Souza, G. Cotella, A. Da Rosa Pires, S. De Blust, P.M. Delladetsimas, M. Edwards, B. Galvan-Lopez, M. Garcia, H. Gulinck, P. Healey, J. Hillier, F. Hillmann, B. Jessop, M. Kaethler, G. Karametou, C. Kesteloot, A.Z. Khan, J.-L. Klein, A. Kuhk, M. Loopmans, D. MacCallum, M. Macharia, A. Martens, F. Martinelli, A. Mehmood, K. Miciukiewicz, E. Midheme, K. Morgan, E. Morlicchio, F. Moulaert, A. Novy, S. Oosterlynck, A. Paidakaki, C. Parra, M. Pradel, J. Pratschke, P. Rego, A. Rehman Cheema, C. Rodrigues, J. Schreurs, R. Segers, L. Servillo, N.-L. Sum, E. Swyngedouw, C. Tornaghi, P. Van den Broeck, B. Van Dyck, H. Verschure, T. Werquin, P. Widyatmi Putri

The anaerobic process is considered to be a sustainable technology for organic waste treatment mainly due to its lower energy consumption and production of residual solids coupled with the prospect of energy recovery from the biogas generated. However, the anaerobic process cannot be seen as providing the 'complete' solution as its treated effluents would typically not meet the desired discharge limits in terms of residual carbon, nutrients and pathogens. This has given impetus to subsequent post treatment in order to meet the environmental legislations and protect the receiving water bodies and environment. This book discusses anaerobic treatment from the perspective of organic wastes and wastewaters (municipal and industrial) followed by various post-treatment options for anaerobic effluent polishing and resource recovery. Coverage will also be from the perspective of future trends and thoughts on anaerobic technologies being able to support meeting the increasingly stringent disposal standards. The resource recovery angle is particularly interesting as this can arguably help achieve the circular economy. It is intended the information can be used to identify appropriate solutions for anaerobic effluent treatment and possible alternative approaches to the commonly applied post-treatment techniques. The succeeding discussion is intended to lead on to identification of opportunities for further research and development. This book can be used as a standard reference book and textbook in universities for Master and Doctoral students. The academic community relevant to the subject, namely faculty, researchers, scientists, and practicing engineers, will find the book both informative and as a useful source of successful case studies.

The accumulation of large amounts of contaminants occurs in the environment due to industrialization and various other anthropogenic activities. Contaminants ultimately affect human health worldwide. Organic, inorganic, and radioactive substances are the prevalent forms of environmental contaminants and their complete remediation in soils and sediments is rather a difficult task. Concerns of their toxicities led to the emphasis on development of effective techniques to assess the presence and mobility of contaminants in air, water, and soil. Furthermore, the ever-increasing concentration of toxic pollutants in the environment is considered a serious threat to plant, animal, human, and environmental health. Many technologies are in use to clean and eliminate hazardous contaminants from the environment; however, these technologies can be costly, labor intensive, and often distressing to the general public. Phytoremediation is a simple, cost effective, environmentally friendly and fast-emerging new technology for eliminating toxic contaminants from different environments. Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants and their associated microbiome (including hyper-accumulators or bio-accumulators) to remove, degrade, or render contaminants harmless. Through this technique, certain species of plants flourish by accumulating contaminants present in the environment. The unique and selective uptake capabilities of plant root and shoot systems, effective translocation, bioaccumulation, and contaminant degradation capabilities of the accumulator plants are utilized in phytoremediation techniques. Phytotechnologies involving the use of plants for contaminant removal gained importance during the last two decades and phytoremediation technology became an effective tool for environmental detoxification because of plants ability to accumulate the contaminants at very high concentrations. Phytoremediation strategies can remove, degrade, or stabilize inorganic and organic contaminants entering a multitude of ecosystems using green plants and their associated microbial communities. The development and use of phytotechnologies continues to move forward at a steady pace. Researchers recognize the potential of phytoremediation to offer a green, cost effective, eco-friendly and feasible application to address some of the world's many environmental challenges. This book provides significant information to add to the previous volumes published on the topic and can serve as the foundation for the development of new applications that feature the integration of modern research discoveries into new methods to remediate contaminated ecosystems. Moreover, this volume brings recent and established knowledge on different aspects of phytoremediation and nano-phytoremediation, providing this information in a single source that offers a cutting-edge synthesis of scientific and experiential knowledge on polluted environments that is useful for policy makers, practitioners and scientists, and engineers. Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants, Volume 7 highlights the various prospects that are involved in current global phytoremediation research. This book delivers a content-rich source to the reader and can act as a platform for further research studies. It should meet the needs of all researchers working in, or have an interest in this particular field.

This volume gathers the latest advances and innovations in the triple helix of university-industry-government relations, as presented by leading international researchers at the II International Triple Helix Summit 2018, held in Dubai, UAE on November 10-13, 2018, which brought together experts, practitioners and academics across disciplines that address the dynamics of government, industry and academia. It covers analysis, theory, measurements and empirical enquiry in all aspects of university-industry-government interactions, as well as the international bases and dimensions of triple helix relations, their impacts, and social, economic, political, cultural, health and environmental implications. It also examines the role of government/academia/industry in building innovation-based cities and nations, and in transforming nations into knowledge-based sustainable economies. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

The science of simulation and modeling (SM) is multifaceted and complex due to the numerous applications involved, particularly since SM applications range from nuclear reaction to supermarket queuing. Simulation and Modeling: Current Technologies and Applications offers insight into the computer science aspect of simulation and modeling while integrating the business practices of SM.Simulation and Modeling: Current Technologies and Applications includes current issues related to simulation, such as: Web-based simulation, virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. This book depicts different methods, views, theories, and applications of simulations in one volume.

This book provides applications of wireless sensor networks (WSN) in environmental monitoring, with an emphasis on livestock disease detection and agricultural management in Africa to aid farmers. This proposed system entails current and innovative monitoring technologies intended to improve agricultural conditions in Africa, with a focus on Botswana, and addresses the Internet of Things (IoT) as a set of remote monitoring protocols using WSNs to improve and ensure proper environmental maintenance. In this book, the author introduces WSNs, and how the IoT can be applied to develop a system of "smart agriculture" in Africa, taking into account livestock health, climate change impacts on crops and wildlife, and technological innovations in response to climate change such as windmills and solar panels. The book will be interesting to students and researchers in engineering and life sciences, as well as practitioners working with sensing technologies for agricultural monitoring and improvement.

'The challenges of poverty and social exclusion cannot be fully resolved through conventional public sector policies and market-led innovation. The case studies in this Handbook capture some of the key success factors of socially innovative action in different socio-economic contexts. This Handbook will inspire readers as it highlights the creativity and commitment of diverse enterprises and movements working for social innovation.' - Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, United Republic of Tanzania, and retired UN Under Secretary General, immediate former Executive Director of UN-HABITAT 'Social innovation may not be a new idea but it is clearly an idea whose time has come, not least because the traditional models of innovation - narrowly framed technical models - have run their course and no longer resonate in a world of societal challenges. This Handbook has two great merits - it brings conceptual rigour to the debate and it provides compelling narratives of social innovation in practice.' - Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University, UK This enriching Handbook covers many aspects of the scientific and socio-political debates on social innovation today. The contributors provide an overview of theoretical perspectives, methodologies and instructive experiences from all continents, as well as implications for collective action and policy. They argue strongly for social innovation as a key to human development. The Handbook defines social innovation as innovation in social relations within both micro and macro spheres, with the purpose of satisfying unmet or new human needs across different layers of society. It connects social innovation to empowerment dynamics, thus giving a political character to social movements and bottom-up governance initiatives. Together these should lay the foundations for a fairer, more democratic society for all. This interdisciplinary work, written by scholars collaborating to develop a joint methodological perspective toward social innovation agency and processes, will be invaluable for students and researchers in social science and humanities. It will also appeal to policy makers, policy analysts, lobbyists and activists seeking to give inspiration and leadership from a social innovation perspective. Contributors: A. Abreu, J. Andersen, I. Andre, L. Arthur, A. Ashta, A. Bilfeldt, I. Calzada, S. Cameron, A. Carmo, K. Dayson, P. Debruyne, J. Defourny, K. Delica, A. Dubeux, S. Eizaguirre Anglada, V. Espinoza, A.C. Fernandes, J.-M. Fontan, L. Fraisse, M.S. Frandsen, M. Garcia Cabeza, R. Gera, J.K. Gibson-Graham, S. Habersack, A. Hamdouch, D. Harrisson, S. Hettihewa, J. Hillier, L. Hulgard, B. Jessop, J.-L. Klein, H. Konstantatos, N.V. Krishna, N. Kunnen, B. Levesque, D. MacCallum, F. Martinelli, A. Mehmood, A. Membretti, E. Midheme, F. Moulaert, A. Novy, M. Nyssens, S. Oosterlynck, C. Parra, T. Pilati, M. Pradel Miquel, G. Roelvink, B. Schaller, P.K. Shajahan, D. Siatitsa, P. Singer, C. Tornaghi, D.-G. Tremblay, D. Vaiou, P. Van den Broeck, B. Van Dyck, S. Vicari Haddock, T. Vitale, C. Wright, S. Young

< p=""> This highly informative and carefully presented book focuses on the fields of ergonomics/human factors and discusses the future of the community vis-a-vis health problems, productivity, aging, etc. Ergonomic intercession must be seen in light of its effect on productivity because ergonomic solutions will improve productivity as the reduction of environmental stressors, awkward postures and efforts lead to a reduction in task execution time. The book provides promising evidence that the field of ergonomics continues to thrive and develop deeper insights into how work environments, products and systems can be developed to meet needs, demands and limitations of humans and how they can support productivity improvements. Some of the themes covered are anthropometry and workplace design, biomechanics and modelling in ergonomics, cognitive and environmental ergonomics, ergonomic intervention and productivity, ergonomics in transport, mining, agriculture and forestry, health systems, work physiology and sports ergonomics, etc. This book is beneficial to academicians, policymakers and the industry alike. ^

This comprehensive volume covers recent studies into agricultural problems caused by soil and water contamination. Considering the importance of agricultural crops to human health, the editors have focused on chapters detailing the negative impact of heavy metals, excessive chemical fertilizer use, nutrients, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, agricultural wastes and toxic pollutants, among others, on agricultural soil and crops. In addition, the chapters offer solutions to these negative impacts through various scientific approaches, including using biotechnology, nanotechnology, nutrient management strategies, biofertilizers, as well as potent PGRs and elicitors. This book serves as a key source of information on scientific and engineered approaches and challenges for the bioremediation of agricultural contamination worldwide. This book should be helpful for research students, teachers, agriculturalists, agronomists, botanists, and plant growers, as well as in the fields of agriculture, agronomy, plant science, plant biology, and biotechnology, among others. It serves as an excellent reference on the current research and future directions of contaminants in agriculture from laboratory research to field application.

This text details the plant-assisted remediation method, "phytoremediation", which involves the interaction of plant roots and associated rhizospheric microorganisms for the remediation of soil contaminated with high levels of metals, pesticides, solvents, radionuclides, explosives, crude oil, organic compounds and various other contaminants. Many chapters highlight and compare the efficiency and economic advantages of phytoremediation to currently practiced soil and water treatment practices. Volume 5 of Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants provides the capstone of the series. Taken together, the five volumes provide a broad-based global synopsis of the current applications of phytoremediation using plants and the microbial communities associated with their roots to decontaminate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

This text details the plant-assisted remediation method, "phytoremediation", which involves the interaction of plant roots and associated rhizospheric microorganisms for the remediation of soil contaminated with high levels of metals, metalloids, fuel and oil hydrocarbons, nano particles, pesticides, solvents, organic compounds and various other contaminants. Many chapters highlight and compare the efficiency and economic advantages of phytoremediation and nano-phytoremediation to currently practiced soil and water treatment practices. Volume 6 of Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants continues the series. Taken together, the six volumes provide a broad-based global synopsis of the current applications of phytoremediation using plants and the microbial communities associated with their roots to decontaminate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

This book describes the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of building design, environmental engineering and sustainability as presented by leading international researchers, engineers, architects and urban planners at the 3rd International Sustainable Buildings Symposium (ISBS), held in Dubai, UAE from 15 to 17 March 2017. It covers highly diverse topics, including smart cities, sustainable building and construction design, sustainable urban planning, infrastructure development, structural resilience under natural hazards, water and waste management, energy efficiency, climate change impacts, life cycle assessment, environmental policies, and strengthening and rehabilitation of structures. The contributions amply demonstrate that sustainable building design is key to protecting and preserving natural resources, economic growth, cultural heritage and public health. The contributions were selected by means of a rigorous peer-review process and highlight many exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.