Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness globally. Early detection and treatment can prevent its progression to avoid total blindness. This book discusses and reviews current approaches for detection and examines new approaches for diagnosing glaucoma using CAD system. Computer-Aided Glaucoma Diagnosis System, Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction of the disease and current methodology used to diagnose it today. Chapter 2 presents a review of the medical background of the disease, followed by a theoretical and mathematical background used in fundus image processing. Chapter 3 is a literature review about segmentation and feature extraction. Chapter 4 describes the formulation of the proposed methodology. In Chapter 5, the results of optic disc and optic cup segmentation algorithm are presented, the feature extraction and selection method, experimental results and performance evaluations of the classifier are given. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions and discussion of the future potential for the diagnostic system. This book is intended for biomedical engineers, computer science students, ophthalmologists and radiologists looking to develop a reliable automated computer-aided diagnosis system (CAD) for detecting glaucoma and improve diagnosis of the disease. Key Features Discusses a reliable automated computer-aided diagnosis system (CAD) for detecting glaucoma and presents an algorithm that detects optic disc and optic cup Assists ophthalmologists and researchers to test a new diagnostic method that reduces the effort and time of the doctors and cost to the patients Discusses techniques to reduce human error and minimize the miss detection rate and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment Presents algorithms to detect cup and disc color, shape features and RNFL texture features Dr. Arwa Ahmed Gasm Elseid is an assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan. Dr. Alnazier Osman Mohammed Hamza is professor of Medical Imaging, College of Engineering, Sudan University of Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness globally. Early detection and treatment can prevent its progression to avoid total blindness. This book discusses and reviews current approaches for detection and examines new approaches for diagnosing glaucoma using CAD system. Computer-Aided Glaucoma Diagnosis System, Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction of the disease and current methodology used to diagnose it today. Chapter 2 presents a review of the medical background of the disease, followed by a theoretical and mathematical background used in fundus image processing. Chapter 3 is a literature review about segmentation and feature extraction. Chapter 4 describes the formulation of the proposed methodology. In Chapter 5, the results of optic disc and optic cup segmentation algorithm are presented, the feature extraction and selection method, experimental results and performance evaluations of the classifier are given. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions and discussion of the future potential for the diagnostic system. This book is intended for biomedical engineers, computer science students, ophthalmologists and radiologists looking to develop a reliable automated computer-aided diagnosis system (CAD) for detecting glaucoma and improve diagnosis of the disease. Key Features Discusses a reliable automated computer-aided diagnosis system (CAD) for detecting glaucoma and presents an algorithm that detects optic disc and optic cup Assists ophthalmologists and researchers to test a new diagnostic method that reduces the effort and time of the doctors and cost to the patients Discusses techniques to reduce human error and minimize the miss detection rate and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment Presents algorithms to detect cup and disc color, shape features and RNFL texture features Dr. Arwa Ahmed Gasm Elseid is an assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan. Dr. Alnazier Osman Mohammed Hamza is professor of Medical Imaging, College of Engineering, Sudan University of Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.

Organic farming and good agricultural practices (G.A.P) intrigues the concern of both consumers and producers of agricultural commodities. Principally, such practices are based on the concept of rationalizing agrochemical inputs and maximizing biological activities in the plant-soil system. Bio-preparates (Biofertilizers and Bio-pesticides) of various rhizobacteria are potential candidates supporting plant nutrition and health. Their applications are extensively experimented for prospective future marketing and practicing. The book with its 7 chapters is providing strong experimental evidences on the value add of using agro-industrial effluents (Bakers' yeast, starch, sugar and olive oil industries) and plant juices as accessible/economic substrates for biomass production and formulation of bio-preparates of rhizobacteria. The presented results of pot and field trials strongly emphasize the importance of bio-preparates as a potential practice for organic farming of field and vegetable crops under the impoverished conditions of semi-arid deserts. The book is an important resource for experts, researchers and students of agriculture, biotechnology, organic farming and environment.

The rst goal of the livestock production is the delivery of safe foods for human consumption taking into account the welfare of the animal and respect for the environment. The poultry industry has become an important economic activity in many countries. In large-scale rearing facilities, where poultry are exposed to stressful conditions, problems related to diseases and deterioration of environmental conditions often occur and result in serious economic losses. Prevention and control of diseases have led during recent decades to a substantial increase in the use of veterinary medicines. However, the utility of antimicrobial agents as a preventive measure has been questioned, given extensive documentation of the evolution of antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic bacteria. So, the possibility of antibiotics ceasing to be used as growth stimulants for poultry and the concern about the side-effects of their use as therapeutic agents has produced a climate in which both consumer and manufacturer are looking for alternatives. Probiotics are being considered to fill this gap and already some farmers are using them in preference to antibiotics.

No doubt exists concerning the economic impact of mycotoxins. The studies evidenced that economic losses occur at all levels of food and feed production, including crop and animal production, processing, and distribution. Even during favorable climatic periods, millions of dollars are lost as a consequence of crop contamination .For all these reasons, prevention, decontamination, and detoxification of mycotoxins have been considered issues of great importance. Studies have never stopped to evaluate the efficacy of the available detoxification methods and to develop recent innovations in this field to reduce the bioavailability of mycotoxins to poultry and farm animals. The present work is one of these attempts which was designed to investigate;-the effectiveness of using three anti-aflatoxic agents with different mode of actions. When added to AF-contaminated diets singly or in combination. The three agents investigated included; a)-Hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSAS) as an adsorbent which demonstrated a high affinity for aflatoxins, b)-Mannan oligosaccharide (Bio-Mos(r)) as a biological derivative, c)-c)-Radish extract as an antioxidant agent rich in peroxidase enzy

Across the developing world the preceding decade or so has witnessed a profound reconfiguration of the political economy of urban policy. This new policy environment is driven by globalization, the neo-liberal macro-economic package of 'market enablement' and structural adjustment, which now form the dominant development paradigm. The consequences of this approach for urban development agendas and ultimately the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the globe are profound. Market Economy and Urban Change explores and evaluates urban sector and development policies in the context of market enablement, and the associated instruments of structural adjustment, urban management reform and 'good' governance. By articulating the linkages between this neo-liberal development paradigm and the way different actors in the urban sector enact policy responses, the book provides an understanding of both the factors driving market enablement, and its impacts on urban sector policies and programmes. With case studies drawn from countries such as Egypt, Mexico, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia and transitional economies, the book focuses in particular on the implications for land, shelter and related sectoral policies for poverty alleviation. By linking policy to practice, the book seeks to inform policy-makers in governments, donor and implementing agencies of the impact of shifts in the development debate on urban sector strategies.

Across the developing world the preceding decade or so has witnessed a profound reconfiguration of the political economy of urban policy. This new policy environment is driven by globalization, the neo-liberal macro-economic package of 'market enablement' and structural adjustment, which now form the dominant development paradigm. The consequences of this approach for urban development agendas and ultimately the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the globe are profound. Market Economy and Urban Change explores and evaluates urban sector and development policies in the context of market enablement, and the associated instruments of structural adjustment, urban management reform and 'good' governance. By articulating the linkages between this neo-liberal development paradigm and the way different actors in the urban sector enact policy responses, the book provides an understanding of both the factors driving market enablement, and its impacts on urban sector policies and programmes. With case studies drawn from countries such as Egypt, Mexico, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia and transitional economies, the book focuses in particular on the implications for land, shelter and related sectoral policies for poverty alleviation. By linking policy to practice, the book seeks to inform policy-makers in governments, donor and implementing agencies of the impact of shifts in the development debate on urban sector strategies.