This book explores different approaches to defining the concept of region depending on the specific question that needs to be answered. While the typical administrative spatial data division fits certain research questions well, in many cases, defining regions in a different way is fundamental in order to obtain significant empirical evidence. The book is divided into three parts: The first part is dedicated to a methodological discussion of the concept of region and the different potential approaches from different perspectives. The problem of having sufficient information to define different regional units is always present. This justifies the second part of the book, which focuses on the techniques of ecological inference applied to estimating disaggregated data from observable aggregates. Finally, the book closes by presenting several applications that are in line with the functional areas definition in regional analysis.

This book explores different approaches to defining the concept of region depending on the specific question that needs to be answered. While the typical administrative spatial data division fits certain research questions well, in many cases, defining regions in a different way is fundamental in order to obtain significant empirical evidence. The book is divided into three parts: The first part is dedicated to a methodological discussion of the concept of region and the different potential approaches from different perspectives. The problem of having sufficient information to define different regional units is always present. This justifies the second part of the book, which focuses on the techniques of ecological inference applied to estimating disaggregated data from observable aggregates. Finally, the book closes by presenting several applications that are in line with the functional areas definition in regional analysis.

New Trends in Coal Conversion: Combustion, Gasification, Emissions, and Coking covers the latest advancements in coal utilization, including coal conversion processes and mitigation of environmental impacts, providing an up-to-date source of information for a cleaner and more environmentally friendly use of coal, with a particular emphasis on the two biggest users of coal-utilities and the steel industry. Coverage includes recent advances in combustion co-firing, gasification, and on the minimization of trace element and CO2 emissions that is ideal for plant engineers, researchers, and quality control engineers in electric utilities and steelmaking. Other sections cover new advances in clean coal technologies for the steel industry, technological advances in conventional by-products, the heat-recovery/non-recovering cokemaking process, and the increasing use of low-quality coals in coking blends. Readers will learn how to make more effective use of coal resources, deliver higher productivity, save energy and reduce the environmental impact of their coal utilization.