Biomarkers for Environmental Biomonitoring: An Integrated Perspective provides a holistic view of the biomonitoring of environmental degradation, accumulated toxicity, and associated human health concerns. Organized into two sections, the book incorporates theoretical and practical aspects of the biomonitoring of environmental pollution and the health surveillance of ecological communities using samples from living organisms which are analyzed for contaminants and toxin levels. In the first half, the book provides a general overview if the different types of biomarkers, their significance as bioindicators for contaminants and detection of toxicity, as well as how they can be utilized in the restoration of degraded ecosystems. The second half of the book discusses molecular biomarkers and how they are used as diagnostic and prognostic tools for pollution monitoring. It reviews analytical tools used to validate the biomarkers in the detection and monitoring of pollution and disease. The book also delves into how novel approaches like genetic ecotoxicology; Big Data, and artificial intelligence calculates the potential consequences of environmental pollution on the ecosystems and on human health.

With the current emphasis on sustainable construction there is now a move towards using non-hazardous waste materials and by-products, as binders in making self-compacting concrete. Alternative Cementitious Materials for Self-Compacting Concrete provides a detailed review on the various properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) and how they are affected by the use, of by-products and waste materials in concrete production. The book provides a fair comparison on the application and use of various types of materials in SCC. It also provides the latest data and detailed information on modeling and soft computing techniques for estimation of the various properties of SCC as well as detailed investigations on microstructural characterization. The book will be a valuable reference resource for materials scientists, and civil and structural engineers working in construction materials and self-compacting concrete, as well as for those working in the cement production and non-hazard waste industries.

The Handbook of Flexible and Smart Sheet Forming Techniques presents a collection of research on state-of-art techniques developed specifically for flexible and smart sheet forming, with a focus on using analytical strategies and computational, simulation, and AI approaches to develop innovative sheet forming techniques. Bringing together various engineering perspectives, the book emphasizes how these manufacturing techniques intersect with Industry 4.0 technologies for applications in the mechanical, automobile, industrial, aerospace, and medical industries. The first section of the book introduces the concepts, classifications, variants, process cycles, and materials for flexible and smart sheet forming techniques and compares them with other conventional sheet forming processes. Subsequent sections delve deeper into topics such as: hardware and software required for these techniques; parameters, responses, and optimization strategies; the mechanics of flexible and smart sheet forming; simulation approaches; applications; and future innovations and directions. Each chapter will feature research outcomes, illustrations, case studies, and examples useful to anyone who needs to better understand and utilize these new manufacturing technologies.

Although inflammation is one of the body's first responses to infection, overactive immune responses can cause chronic inflammatory diseases. Long-term low-grade inflammation has also been identified as a risk factor for other diseases. Diet, immunity and inflammation provides a comprehensive introduction to immunity and inflammation and the role that diet and nutrition play with regard to this key bodily response. Part one, an introductory section, discusses innate and adaptive immunity, mucosal immunity in a healthy gut and chronic inflammatory diseases and low grade inflammation. Chapters in part two highlight the role of micronutrients, including zinc, selenium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin D, in inflammation and immunity. Part three explores other dietary constituents and includes chapters on intestinal bacteria and probiotics, the impacts of prebiotics on the immune system and inflammation, and antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of food bioactive proteins and peptides. Further chapters explore the role of olive oil, short and long chain fatty acids and arginine and glutamine in immune functions. Nutrition, immunity and inflammation are discussed from an integrative and life course perspective in part four. Chapters focus on adverse immune reactions to foods, early nutritional programming, the impact of nutrition on the immune system during ageing, the impact of exercise on immunity and the interaction with nutrition, and the effect that malnutrition has on immunity and susceptibility to infection. With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Diet, immunity and inflammation is a comprehensive resource for those researching immunology or inflammation, nutrition scientists, and professionals in the food and nutrition industries who require an understanding of the effect that diet can have on the immune system and inflammation.

This book examines the role of human microbiome in human health and diseases. The initial chapters present tools for genetic manipulation of gut microbiota and the therapeutic applications of engineered microbiota. They discuss the interaction between human microbiota and host in defining the prominent role of microbes in the development and progression of major human diseases. The book also summarizes the current applications and trends for the development, production and analytical characterization of recombinant therapeutic proteins in microbial systems. It also reviews the role of microbes in the production of vaccines and antibiotics. Further, the book presents bacterial products, including proteins, enzymes, immunotoxins and secondary metabolites, that target cancer cells and cause tumour regression. The chapters also discuss the critical role of gut microbiota dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease and in bowel-related diseases. Towards the end, the book explores the role of intestinal microbiota in metabolic health and the pathogenesis of common metabolic disorders. It presents state-of-the-art insights into important aspects of United Nations—Sustainable Developmental Goal 3.

In recent years, cloud computing has gained a significant amount of attention by providing more flexible ways to store applications remotely. With software testing continuing to be an important part of the software engineering life cycle, the emergence of software testing in the cloud has the potential to change the way software testing is performed. Software Testing in the Cloud: Perspectives on an Emerging Discipline is a comprehensive collection of research by leading experts in the field providing an overview of cloud computing and current issues in software testing and system migration. Deserving the attention of researchers, practitioners, and managers, this book aims to raise awareness about this new field of study.

This book presents a systematic approach to the literary analysis of cultural practices. Based on a postcolonial framework of diaspora, the book utilizes literary theory to investigate cultural phenomena such as food preparation and song. Razia Parveen explores various diverse themes, including the female voice, genealogy, space, time, and diaspora, and applies them to the analysis of community identity. This volume also demonstrates how a literary analysis of oral texts helps to provide insight into women's lived narratives. For example, Parveen discusses how the notion of the 'third space' creates a distinctly feminine spatiality.

The book Computer Applications in Engineering and Management is about computer applications in management, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and civil engineering. It covers the software tools for office automation, introduces the basic concepts of database management, and provides an overview about the concepts of data communication, internet, and e-commerce. Additionally, the book explains the principles of computing management used in construction of buildings in civil engineering and the role of computers in power grid automation in electronics engineering. Features Provides an insight to prospective research and application areas related to industry and technology Includes industry-based inputs Provides a hands-on approach for readers of the book to practice and assimilate learning This book is primarily aimed at undergraduates and graduates in computer science, information technology, civil engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, management, academicians, and research scholars.

This book presents a comprehensive analysis of diverse aspects of geohazards. The growing vulnerability and exposure to failures in risk reduction and policy-making increases the severity of geohazard impacts by many folds. Therefore, detailed geohazard analysis, modelling and forecasting are needed to reduce the impacts of extreme events.An interdisciplinary approach to hazard mitigation provides an advanced tool for risk reduction. The book thus summarizes recent modelling and analysis techniques for hazard assessment and risk mitigation. Topics discussed in the book are hazard and risk associated with earthquakes, vulnerability assessment for landslides and avalanches, the assessment of tsunami risk in coastal regions, the implementation of early warning systems to prevent catastrophic consequences, climate change risk modelling and risk communication. The convergent approach with the aspects of natural, engineering, and social sciences attracts a vast audience working to advance disaster science. This book also significantly facilitates the acquisition of policy-relevant knowledge for risk reduction, which is beneficial to the general public.

High-k Materials in Multi-Gate FET Devices focuses on high-k materials for advanced FET devices. It discusses emerging challenges in the engineering and applications and considers issues with associated technologies. It covers the various way of utilizing high-k dielectrics in multi-gate FETs for enhancing their performance at the device as well as circuit level. Provides basic knowledge about FET devices Presents the motivation behind multi-gate FETs, including current and future trends in transistor technologies Discusses fabrication and characterization of high-k materials Contains a comprehensive analysis of the impact of high-k dielectrics utilized in the gate-oxide and the gate-sidewall spacers on the GIDL of emerging multi-gate FET architectures Offers detailed application of high-k materials for advanced FET devices Considers future research directions This book is of value to researchers in materials science, electronics engineering, semiconductor device modeling, IT, and related disciplines studying nanodevices such as FinFET and Tunnel FET and device-circuit codesign issues.

Presents recent developments in sustainable materials from various engineering fields and industry applications. Emphasizes analytical strategies, computational, and simulation approaches develop innovative sustainable materials. Discusses an artificial intelligence approach, rapid prototyping, and customized production. Chapters are written by global experts. Includes case studies and research outcomes.

This reference text discusses integrated approaches to improve the objectives of additive manufacturing in medical application. The text covers case studies related to product design and development, discuses biomaterials, applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning using additive manufacturing techniques. It covers important topics including 3D printing technology, materials for 3D printing in medicine, rapid prototyping in clinical applications, and use of additive manufacturing in customized bone tissue engineering scaffold. The text- Discusses additive manufacturing techniques and their utilization in medical applications. Covers important applications of additive manufacturing in the fields of medicine, education and space industry. Explores regulatory challenges associated with the emergence of additive manufacturing. Examines the use of rapid prototyping in clinical applications. The text will serve as a useful reference guide for graduate students and academic researchers in the fields of industrial engineering, manufacturing science, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering. This book discusses important application areas of additive manufacturing, including medicine, education, and the space industry, this reference text will be a serve as a useful text for graduate students and academic researchers in the fields of industrial engineering, manufacturing science, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering.

Computational intelligence (CI) in concrete technology has not yet been fully explored worldwide because of some limitations in data sets. This book discusses the selection and separation of data sets, performance evaluation parameters for different types of concrete and related materials, and sensitivity analysis related to various CI techniques. Fundamental concepts and essential analysis for CI techniques such as artificial neural network, fuzzy system, support vector machine, and how they work together for resolving real-life problems, are explained. Features: It is the first book on this fast-growing research field. It discusses the use of various computation intelligence techniques in concrete technology applications. It explains the effectiveness of the methods used and the wide range of available techniques. It integrates a wide range of disciplines from civil engineering, construction technology, and concrete technology to computation intelligence, soft computing, data science, computer science, and so on. It brings together the experiences of contributors from around the world who are doing research in this field and explores the different aspects of their research. The technical content included is beneficial for researchers as well as practicing engineers in the concrete and construction industry.

This book introduces Bayesian reasoning and Gaussian processes into machine learning applications. Bayesian methods are applied in many areas, such as game development, decision making, and drug discovery. It is very effective for machine learning algorithms in handling missing data and extracting information from small datasets. Bayesian Reasoning and Gaussian Processes for Machine Learning Applications uses a statistical background to understand continuous distributions and how learning can be viewed from a probabilistic framework. The chapters progress into such machine learning topics as belief network and Bayesian reinforcement learning, which is followed by Gaussian process introduction, classification, regression, covariance, and performance analysis of Gaussian processes with other models. FEATURES Contains recent advancements in machine learning Highlights applications of machine learning algorithms Offers both quantitative and qualitative research Includes numerous case studies This book is aimed at graduates, researchers, and professionals in the field of data science and machine learning.

* Covers material testing and development using computational intelligence * Highlights the technologies to integrate computational intelligence and materials sciences * Discusses how computational tools can generate new materials with advanced applications * Details case studies and detailed applications * Investigates challenges in developing and using computational intelligence in materials science * Analyzes historic changes that are taking place in designing of materials

High-k Materials in Multi-Gate FET Devices focuses on high-k materials for advanced FET devices. It discusses emerging challenges in the engineering and applications and considers issues with associated technologies. It covers the various way of utilizing high-k dielectrics in multi-gate FETs for enhancing their performance at the device as well as circuit level. Provides basic knowledge about FET devices Presents the motivation behind multi-gate FETs, including current and future trends in transistor technologies Discusses fabrication and characterization of high-k materials Contains a comprehensive analysis of the impact of high-k dielectrics utilized in the gate-oxide and the gate-sidewall spacers on the GIDL of emerging multi-gate FET architectures Offers detailed application of high-k materials for advanced FET devices Considers future research directions This book is of value to researchers in materials science, electronics engineering, semiconductor device modeling, IT, and related disciplines studying nanodevices such as FinFET and Tunnel FET and device-circuit codesign issues.

In what ways is the meaning and practice of politics changing? Why might so many people feel dissatisfied and disaffected with electoral politics? What approaches do political activists use to raise issues and mobilise people for action? What role does the internet and social media play in contemporary citizenship and activism? This book brings together academics from a range of disciplines with political activists and campaigners to explore the meaning of politics and citizenship in contemporary society and the current forms of political (dis)engagement. It provides a rare dialogue between analysts and activists which will be especially valuable to academics and students across the social sciences, in particular sociology and political science.

This book, the second of two volumes, discusses the importance of fodder production of the minor fodder crops for animals. It focuses on 25 minor forage crops, including non-leguminous perennial forages, leguminous forages, and non-graminaceous forages. It discusses crop production methodology and agronomic management in a systemic way, providing an abundance of information on each type of forage crop discussed, including preferred soil type, land capability, cropping patterns, climate, and socioeconomic conditions. It goes on to address pests, disease management, agroforestry in fodder and forage crops, preservation, and production and climate change. This volume provides valuable information needed for effective forage crop production and management. The book, with chapters from highly qualified scientists, will be a rich resource for researchers, academicians, students, and those in the industry. Forage Crops of the World, Volume I: Major Forage Crops focuses on major forage crops. Key features: * Discusses 25 different types of minor forage crops, including many types of grasses and other plants * Provides information on agronomic production practices * Covers pest and disease management practices for forage crops

Despite growing cultural and economic homogenization across the globe, the visible presence of immigrant communities stands out in many metropolises of the world. In almost all major cities the cultural and physical presence of various ethnic or religious groups is very much in evidence. Yet, until now, the academic treatment of international migration has mostly been confined to limited case studies, single ethnic groups, or single locations. Crossing Over offers an alternative to this method, bringing together a diverse group of academics charged with submitting new research that juxtaposes experiences and draws on comparisons between aspects of migration in Europe and the United States. The essays focus on two main issues: security issues-heightened by recent terrorist activities-and the question of citizenship, identity, and host-guest interaction. The result is a collection of accessible research essays that shed light on both the parallels and differences that exist for immigrant groups across continents and cultures.

This new book, the first of two volumes on forage crops grown throughout the world, discusses the importance of fodder production of the major fodder crops for animals. It focuses on the 17 major forage crops, both non-leguminous perennial forages and leguminous forages. It discusses crop production methodology and agronomic management in a systemic way, providing an abundance of information on each type of forage crop, including preferred soil type, land capability, cropping patterns, climate, and socioeconomic conditions. It goes on to address pests of leguminous forage crops, disease management of non-leguminous seasonal forages, agroforestry in fodder and forage crops, preservation of forage crops, and forage production and climate change. This volume provides valuable information needed for effective forage crop production and management. The book, with chapters from highly qualified scientists, will be a rich resource for researchers, academicians, students, and those in the industry. Volume 2 of Forage Crops of the World focuses on minor forage crops. Key features: * Discusses 17 different types of major forage crops, including many types of grasses and other plants * Provides information on agronomic production practices * Covers pest and disease management practices for forage crops

This book, the second of two volumes, discusses the importance of fodder production of the minor fodder crops for animals. It focuses on 25 minor forage crops, including non-leguminous perennial forages, leguminous forages, and non-graminaceous forages. It discusses crop production methodology and agronomic management in a systemic way, providing an abundance of information on each type of forage crop discussed, including preferred soil type, land capability, cropping patterns, climate, and socioeconomic conditions. It goes on to address pests, disease management, agroforestry in fodder and forage crops, preservation, and production and climate change. This volume provides valuable information needed for effective forage crop production and management. The book, with chapters from highly qualified scientists, will be a rich resource for researchers, academicians, students, and those in the industry. Forage Crops of the World, Volume I: Major Forage Crops focuses on major forage crops. Key features: * Discusses 25 different types of minor forage crops, including many types of grasses and other plants * Provides information on agronomic production practices * Covers pest and disease management practices for forage crops