This study presents authentic data compiled from field experiments and investigations, and provides a point of reference for any future changes associated with anthropogenic activity in semiarid ecosystems. Three years of continuous and rigorous empirical research on biodiversity (from phytoplankton to higher plants and from zooplankton to higher animals - all flora and fauna) in India's semiarid region have culminated in this work. Though there are many studies available on issues related to biodiversity, the majority cover either specific groups of plants or groups of animals; with the exception of this book, studies that include all flora and fauna including the phyto- and zooplanktons in a given ecosystem are not readily available. Further, the book focuses on an extremely important topic, firstly because semiarid landscapes are highly vulnerable to climate change, and secondly because other developmental activities will be undertaken in the region in an effort to meet its energy requirements. As such, the results of the current study will provide a standard protocol for subsequent monitoring and mapping of biodiversity for conservation and management. The book explores, quantifies and surveys plant and animal species from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, assessing and quantitatively analyzing the diversity indices of different vegetation strata. Further, it investigates the conservation status of each species (flora and fauna) in keeping with IUCN categories. The study also examines landscape dynamics using RS and GIS for vegetation analysis, and discusses traditional ecological knowledge related to the use, conservation and management of biodiversity. As such, it offers a unique and valuable resource not only for researchers from the environmental/ecological sciences but also for conservationists and policymakers.

This book shares experiences and knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation, risk reduction strategies, communities’ responses, and best practices from different landscapes of India. It provides insights into climate change risk reduction in trans-disciplinary frameworks. The findings and discussions put forward in the chapters, largely based on micro-level case studies, provide an in-depth understanding of interactions among ecology, society, and economy under different conditions of changing climate. It contains critical discussion on both existing and required actions as adjustments to climate change impacts by different actors at diverse scales and contexts. The recommendations will be beneficial in climate change adaptation planning for India and other developing countries, where a large portion of the population directly depends on climate-sensitive sectors. The content of the book is interdisciplinary and it will be beneficial for scholars and practitioners from natural science, social science, policy, and governance across the continents.

This book highlights the various types of nanomaterials currently available and their applications in three major sectors: energy, health, and the environment. It addresses a range of aspects based on the fact that these materials' structure can be tailored at extremely small scales to achieve specific properties, thus greatly expanding the materials science toolkit. Further, the book pursues a holistic approach to nanomaterial applications by taking into consideration the various stakeholders who use them. It explores several applications that could potentially be used to improve the environment and to more efficiently and cost-effectively produce energy, e.g. by reducing pollutant production during the manufacture of materials, producing solar cells that generate electricity at a competitive cost, cleaning up organic chemicals that pollute groundwater, removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, and so on. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for a broad readership, including professionals, students, and researchers from materials science/engineering, polymer science, composite technology, nanotechnology, and biotechnology whose work involves nanomaterials and nanocomposites.

Hybrid Composite Perovskite Materials: Design to Applications discusses the manufacturing, design and characterization of organic-inorganic perovskite composite materials. The book goes beyond the basics of characterization and discusses physical properties, surface morphology and environmental stability. Users will find extensive examples of real-world products that are suitable for the needs of the market. Following a logical order, the book begins with mathematical background and then covers innovative approaches to physical modeling, analysis and design techniques. Numerous examples illustrate the proposed methods and results, making this book a sound resource on the modern research application of perovskite composites with real commercial value.

Renewable Electricity and Sustainability: Prospects in Developing Economies is the first book of its kind to be dedicated entirely to the needs of emerging economies. It provides readers with a comprehensive review of current renewable energy technologies, their status in emerging economies, and the potential for sustainable renewable electricity generation in those countries. A multidisciplinary approach is used to assess the needs and challenges of each region, which is supported by quantitative analyses of the current and future potential for renewable electricity generation. Real-world examples are also provided from the respective electricity sectors of each region. This resource is a unique reference for graduates and researchers on the social, technical and economic landscape of renewable energy in emerging economies and would also be useful to NGO's and policymakers in developing countries or those working in sustainable development.

This book constitutes the refereed post-conference proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Body Area Networks, BodyNets 2020, held in Tallinn, Estonia, in October 2020. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The 15 papers presented were selected from 30 submissions and issue new technologies to provide trustable measuring and communications mechanisms from the data source to medical health databases. Wireless body area networks (WBAN) are one major element in this process. Not only on-body devices but also technologies providing information from inside a body are in the focus of this conference. Dependable communications combined with accurate localization and behavior analysis will benefit WBAN technology and make the healthcare processes more effective.

This book highlights the various types of nanomaterials currently available and their applications in three major sectors: energy, health, and the environment. It addresses a range of aspects based on the fact that these materials' structure can be tailored at extremely small scales to achieve specific properties, thus greatly expanding the materials science toolkit. Further, the book pursues a holistic approach to nanomaterial applications by taking into consideration the various stakeholders who use them. It explores several applications that could potentially be used to improve the environment and to more efficiently and cost-effectively produce energy, e.g. by reducing pollutant production during the manufacture of materials, producing solar cells that generate electricity at a competitive cost, cleaning up organic chemicals that pollute groundwater, removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, and so on. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for a broad readership, including professionals, students, and researchers from materials science/engineering, polymer science, composite technology, nanotechnology, and biotechnology whose work involves nanomaterials and nanocomposites.

This study presents authentic data compiled from field experiments and investigations, and provides a point of reference for any future changes associated with anthropogenic activity in semiarid ecosystems. Three years of continuous and rigorous empirical research on biodiversity (from phytoplankton to higher plants and from zooplankton to higher animals – all flora and fauna) in India’s semiarid region have culminated in this work. Though there are many studies available on issues related to biodiversity, the majority cover either specific groups of plants or groups of animals; with the exception of this book, studies that include all flora and fauna including the phyto- and zooplanktons in a given ecosystem are not readily available. Further, the book focuses on an extremely important topic, firstly because semiarid landscapes are highly vulnerable to climate change, and secondly because other developmental activities will be undertaken in the region in an effort to meet its energy requirements. As such, the results of the current study will provide a standard protocol for subsequent monitoring and mapping of biodiversity for conservation and management. The book explores, quantifies and surveys plant and animal species from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, assessing and quantitatively analyzing the diversity indices of different vegetation strata. Further, it investigates the conservation status of each species (flora and fauna) in keeping with IUCN categories. The study also examines landscape dynamics using RS and GIS for vegetation analysis, and discusses traditional ecological knowledge related to the use, conservation and management of biodiversity. As such, it offers a unique and valuable resource not only for researchers from the environmental/ecological sciences but also for conservationists and policymakers.

Magnetic Nanoparticles and Polymer Nanocomposites: Fundamentals and Biological, Environmental and Energy Applications focuses on the manufacturing and design of innovative magnetic polymeric nanocomposite materials for a broad range of different applications. These materials have truly outstanding and sustainable properties unlike other composites because they are combined with both organic (polymer matrix) and inorganic (semiconductor nanoparticles) materials to form a sustainable composite material. The book's focus is on magnetic semiconductor and polymer nanocomposites made from bioresorbable and biocompatible polymers, modified with magnetic nanoparticles. This book provides detailed knowledge on the modern research application of magnetic semiconductor and polymeric nanocomposites that have tremendous commercial value. In addition, these nanocomposite materials are also a good source for the renewable energy-based industry.

"A must-read for anyone interested in the intrigue of politics in the most dangerous country on earth" (The Sunday Times) Read the unique insider's view of a country unfamiliar to a Western audience, seen through the eyes of the man set to become Pakistan's new Prime Minister. Born only five years after Pakistan was created in 1947, Imran Khan has lived his country's history. Undermined by a ruling elite, and unable to protect its people from the carnage of regular bombings from terrorists and its own ally, America, Pakistan has for years suffered from instability. Now Imran Khan and his own political party, the Tehreek-e-Insaf, offer a real political alternative for the people of Pakistan at a time when tension between Pakistan's government and the powerful military has reached dangerous new levels. How did this flashpoint of volatility and injustice come about? Pakistan: A Personal History provides a unique insider's view of a country unfamiliar to a western audience. Woven into this history we see how Imran Khan's personal life - his happy childhood in Lahore, his Oxford education, his extraordinary cricketing career, his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith, his mother's influence and that of his Islamic faith - inform both the historical narrativeandhis current philanthropic and political activities. It is at once absorbing and insightful, casting fresh light upon a country whose culture he believes is largely misunderstood by the West.

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that interprets brain signals generated by the user, allowing specific commands from the brain to be sent to an external device. Such interface enables severely disabled people to interact with their environment without the need for any activation of their normal pathways involved in motor commands. The combination of rehabilitation paradigms and BCIs, both of which exploit cortical plasticity, could help people become "able" once again. For this reason, BCI systems appear promising rehabilitation tools. The aim of this PhD thesis is to study how a BCI system can be used for stroke rehabilitation when it is based on neuromodulation techniques using Hebbian plasticity and movement related cortical potentials (MRCP) with an optimum number of EEG electrodes. Four studies were conducted to achieve this goal: In STUDY I the novel protocol developed in Mrachacz-Kersting et al. 2012 had showed improvement in some relevant clinical measures used to access functionality of motor tasks in stroke population, when applied three times in a week as a training paradigm. These encouraging results from our first study alongside the Mrachacz-Kersting et al. 2012 study served as the basis for development of a self-paced BCI system for induction of plasticity. In STUDY II (pseudo online) detector for self-paced BCI system, based on movement intention detection from initial negative phase of MRCP, was proposed and tested in healthy volunteers and then in STUDY III real online selfpaced BCI system for induction of plasticity was implemented and tested. In STUDY IV a subject independent detector (based on STUDY II) was developed and compared with individualized detector. The results were promising as difference between performances of two approaches was not significantly different.