Bøger i Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation serien

This book addresses challenges and opportunities in the Energy-Water-Environment (EWE) nexus, with a particular focus on research and technology development requirements in harsh desert climates. Its chapters include selected contributions presented during the 1st international conference on sustainable Energy-Water-Environment nexus in desert climates (ICSEWEN-19) held at the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) in Doha, Qatar in December 2019. This volume is comprised of three main chapters, each describing important case studies and progress on water, energy and environmental questions. A fourth chapter on policies and community outreach on these three areas is also included. This compilation aims to bridge the gap between research and industry to address the socioeconomic impacts of the nexus imbalance as perceived by scientists, industrial partners, and policymakers. The content of this book is of particular importance to graduate students, researchers and decision makers interested in understanding water, energy and environmental challenges in arid areas. Re searchers in environmental and civil engineering, chemistry, hydrology and environmental science can also find unique in-situ observations of the current nexus imbalance in deserts climate to validate their investigations. It is also an invaluable guide for industry professionals working in water, energy, environment and food sectors to understand the rapidly evolving landscape of the EWE nexus in arid areas. The analyses, observations and lessons-learned summarized herein are applicable to other arid areas outside North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as well, such as central Australia, the southwest of the United States and deserts in central Asia.

This book comprises the selected proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Natural Hazards (NATHAZ¿22), Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores, 2022. The book interests all researchers and practitioners in Earth Sciences, Volcanic Risks, Natural Hazards, Geoethics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering.Terceira is a volcanic island with volcanic systems with caldera (Cinco Picos, Guilherme Moniz, Santa Bárbara and Pico Alto central volcanoes) and an active fissural zone defined by various alignments of small volcanic cones, lava domes and fault zones. The agricultural landscape, the natural and forest reserve, as well as the natural pools make the island a unique place to visit. The historic downtown of Angra do Heroísmo is a UNESCO world heritage, and several iconic buildings witness the island¿s geodynamic history.Natural hazards result from a threat of a naturally occurring event that will have a negative effect on humans. That damaging effect is often called natural disasters. Among the natural hazards and potential disasters to be considered are: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, subsidence, floods, droughts and coastal erosion. In addition, anthropogenic hazards occur as a result of human interaction with the environment. They comprise technological risks due to exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.Natural systems in different frameworks require a comprehensive understanding of climatology, geology, hydrology and volcanic data, processes and dynamics. Thus, it is important to perform hazard and risk assessment studies to accomplish hazard mitigation. In addition, it highlighted the role of variability and climate change in Earth systems. Furthermore, an accurate understanding of the natural systems and interactions with engineering, geodiversity and natural resources is vital to the entire socioeconomic sector.This book is expected to offer an overview of natural hazards in model regions in Europe, America, Asia and the Atlantic islands. It gives new insights into the characterization, assessment, protection, and modelling of geological hazards, volcanic systems, urban areas, coastal zones and engineering approaches by international researchers and professionals. The scientific committee comprises lead geoscientists, natural hazards related practitioners, and academics worldwide.The main topics include: 1. Multi-hazards and risks: sustainable society, disasters and geoethics 2. Natural hazards and assessment: rock falls, landslides, urban planning and management 3. Sustainable Earth systems: hazards and climate change 4. Terceira Island geology and geodiversity: meeting volcanological hazards in the Azores

This book presents possible solutions for a circuler economy (CE) in the water and wastewater sector through an inventory of multidisciplinary knowledge with high scientific and practical importance which can contribute to support the transition to the CE model in water and wastewater sector. Water in modern studies exceeds being an important source for irrigation and drinking. It is now a significant source of renewable energy and a catalyst in most industrial and manufacturing products. The protection and sustainable management of water resources and water-based waste (as wastewater, sewage sludge, or sewage sludge ash) are important aspects of the CE, which is defined as a regenerative growth model that gives back to the planet more than it takes. Our book, entitled "Water in Circular Economy", delivers a comprehensive overview of the latest research covering the following aspects of water management from the perspective of the CE implementation: · Water as a key resource in the circular economy;· Innovative solutions in transition to the circular economy in water and wastewater sector;· Monitoring of circular economy implementation in water and wastewater sector.

This book presents an inclusive approach to deal with plant stresses in light of recent technological advances. As we have entered into a new decade, researchers and scientists should review and evaluate the recent findings in the field of plant stress management and visualize what we need to focus upon in the near future to increase crop yield. Above all, global climate changes present the greatest challenges of all time for plant scientists. In this context, the book highlights the recent findings and future perspectives in crop improvement to the faculties, scientists, research scholars, and postgraduate students.  Major features of the book include an inclusive approach in understanding the mechanism of stress tolerance; recent advances and innovations in the field of allied disciplines like microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, plant breeding, nanobiotechnology, etc., for improving plant stress tolerance; and illustrative sketches to convey the mechanism and strategies of stress alleviation.

This book is a compilation of diverse, yet homogenic, research papers that discuss current advances in Earth Observation and Geospatial Information Technologies to tackle new horizons concerning the digitization and information management in smart cities¿ infrastructures. The book also tackles the challenges faced by urban planners by the new mega-cities and proposes a series of solutions to resolve complex urban issues. It suggests enhancing the integration of disciplines, thus, bringing together architects, urban planners, civil engineers, landscape designers and computer scientists to address the problems that our cities are facing. This book is a culmination of selected research papers from IEREK¿s fourth edition of the International Conference on Future Smart Cities (FSC) and the fourth edition of the International Conference on Resilient and Responsible Architecture and Urbanism (RRAU) held online in collaboration with the XMUM, Selangor, Malaysia (2021).

This book focuses on the management and conservation of architectural heritage with the aim of increasing awareness about the value of such conservation and of saving what is left of history, which in turn rewards societies by supporting the tourism industry, generating economic return, and preserving communities' identities.Since it has become an essential need to manage and conserve the architectural heritage in order to protect the identity and heritage of a city, there appeared a gap between the theory and its application. Therefore, a considerable amount of attention has been directed by experts in this field toward emphasizing the contribution of heritage conservation in order to inspire the development of imaginative, useful high-quality design.

This book contains the best peer-reviewed papers accepted for presentation at the 2nd Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG-2), organized in Sousse, Tunisia, in November 2019. The short papers cover various topics from the fields of (1) geological and geotechnical engineering, (2) geomechanical studies based on numerical and analytical methods, and (3) geo-informatics and remote sensing. The content of these papers provides new scientific knowledge for further understanding on landslides, new stabilization techniques, importance of geophysics for engineering geology investigations as well as new empirical approaches for easily predicting some physical and hydrogeomechanical properties of geomaterials. The book is of interest to all researchers, practitioners, and students in the fields of geological and mining engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrogeomechanics, engineering geology, geotechnologies, and natural hazards.

This edited book is based on the papers accepted for presentation during the 2nd Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG-2), Tunisia, in 2019. Major subjects treated in the book include geomorphology, sedimentology, and geochemistry. The book presents an updated unique view in conjugating field studies and modeling to better quantify the process-product binomial unusual in geosciences. In the geomorphology section, 24 papers deal with topics related to fault slip and incision rates, soil science, landslides and debris flows, coastal processes, and geoarcheology, and geoheritage. Under the sedimentology section, 34 papers including stratigraphy, and environmental, tectonic, and diagenetic processes, together with evolutionary, biostratigraphic, and paleo-environmental significance of paleontology are presented. Additionally, this section also contains papers on marine geosciences, from molecular proxies related to climate to geophysical surveys. Last but not least, the third section on geochemistry is composed of 26 papers that are focused on sedimentary geochemistry and mineralogical characterization, magmatic and metamorphic processes and products, and the origin and exploration of mineral deposits. This book resumes the current situation related to the abovementioned topics mainly in the Mediterranean realm. The volume book is of interest to all researchers, practitioners, and students in the fields of geomorphology, sedimentology, and geochemistry, as well as those engaged in environmental geosciences, soil science, stratigraphy and paleontology, geoarcheology and geoheritage, marine geosciences, petrology, metallogenesis, and mineral deposits.

This book explains how learning from past mistakes in urban design can help to enhance sustainable cities and how the principles of Green Urbanism can yield more resilient urban settlements. Environmental design is a fundamental principle in shaping cities. However, environmental challenges like increased resource consumption, water degradation and waste-related issues are among the greatest problems now facing humanity - which is why these issues need to be considered with regard to "e;smart cities,"e; either for the development of new urban centers or for the transformation of existing cities. The book not only discusses the importance of integrating sustainability principles in the urban design process, but also demonstrates their application to the development of sustainable cities. As such, the book offers essential information and a source of inspiration for all those who want to build more sustainable cities.

This book explores cutting-edge methods combining geospatial technologies and artificial intelligence related to several fields such as smart farming, urban planning, geology, transportation, and 3D city models. It introduces techniques which range from machine and deep learning to remote sensing for geospatial data analysis.The book consists of two main parts that include 13 chapters contributed by promising authors. The first part deals with the use of artificial intelligence techniques to improve spatial data analysis, whereas the second part focuses on the use of artificial intelligence with remote sensing in various fields. Throughout the chapters, the interest for the use of artificial intelligence is demonstrated for different geospatial technologies such as aerial imagery, drones, Lidar, satellite remote sensing, and more. The work in this book is dedicated to the scientific community interested in the coupling of geospatial technologies and artificial intelligence and exploring the synergetic effects of both fields. It offers practitioners and researchers from academia, the industry and government information, experiences and research results about all aspects of specialized and interdisciplinary fields on geospatial intelligence.

This book focuses on sustainability concepts in architecture and urban design, environmental issues, and natural resources. Today it has become essential to reduce carbon emissions, protect habitats, and preserve the delicate ecosystems of our planet. Accordingly, sustainable development has to be improved by decreasing the consumption of non-renewable resources, in order to help nature replenish itself.Further, it highlights the efforts that have been made by architects, environmentalists, engineers, students, planners and everyone in between in order to improve sustainability in various developing communities and countries.

This edited book explores the most promising and reliable technological developments expected to impact on the next generation of desalination systems. The book includes research studies which takes the reader on a fascinating walk through the multidisciplinary world of membrane science applied to water treatment. Concerning the ultimate technological advancement, the book seeks to investigate how to bridge the gap between the laboratory scale and the applicability to industry.

This edited book compiles all category viewpoints in waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) dispersions, composites, characterizing techniques, and allied applications such as coatings, adhesives, sealants, anticorrosive, flame-retardant, and biomedical applications. The book brings together panels of highly accomplished experts in the field of advanced polymers for versatile applications. It encompasses basic studies and addresses topics of novel issues which cover all the aspects in one place. The book is an invaluable guide to newcomers, research scholars, professors, and R&D industrial experts working in the field of polyurethane chemistry. Polyurethanes are excellent materials in coating technology owing to their chemical resistance, toughness, abrasion resistance, and mechanical stability. However, polyurethane dispersion contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) which are harmful to the environment. Hence, green chemistry research focuses on discovery of waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) and pay attention. WPUs have fascinated growing interest in wide range of industrial and commercial applications.

This book presents the most recent research and applications in Biomedical Engineering, electronic health and TeleMedicine. Top-scholars and research leaders in the field contributed to the book. It covers a broad range of applications including smart platforms like DietHub which connects patients with doctors online. The book highlights the advantages of Telemedicine to improve the healthcare services and how it can contribute to the homogenization of medicine without any geographical barriers. Telemedicine transforms local hospitals, with limited services, into a node of an integrated network. In this manner, these nodes start to play an important role in preventive medicine and in high-level management of chronic diseases. The authors also discuss the challenges related to ¿health informatics¿ and in ¿e-health management¿. The topics of the book include: synchronous and asynchronous telemedicine with deep discussions on e-health applications, virtual medicalassistance, real-time virtual visits, digital telepathology, home health monitoring, and medication adherence, wearable sensors, tele-monitoring hubs and sensors, Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality as well as e-learning technologies. The scope of the book is quite unique particularly in terms of the application domains that it targets. It is a unique hub for the dissemination of state of the art research in the telemedicine field and healthcare ecosystems. The book is a reference for graduate students, doctors, and researchers to discover the most recent findings, and hence, it achieves breakthroughs and pushes the boundaries in the related fields.

With the introduction of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations General Assembly in 25 September 2015, UN agencies, member states and stakeholders have begun to focus on the adoption and implementation of these strategies in realization of 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The book presents numerous examples of smart construction technologies, discusses the applications of new construction materials and technologies, and includes studies on recent trends in automation as applied to the construction sector.

This edited book gathers research studies presented at the 5th International Symposium on Formal Methods in Architecture (5FMA), Lisbon 2020.

This book presents a detailed discussion of the fundamentals and practical applications of membrane technology enhancement in a range of industrial processes, energy recovery, and resource recycling.

Bringing together a diverse group of government agencies, academics, professionals, and students, the book addresses issues related to construction safety, innovative technologies, lean and sustainable construction, international construction, improving quality and productivity, and innovative materials in the construction industry.

Since ENPs are used in many industries, including cosmetics, agriculture, medicine, food technology and waste management, their transport through biogeochemical cycles is an important focus of many studies today. Specifically, ENP-microbe interaction has been analysed with regard to disease treatment for plants;