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Building a Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
What are the challenges and action points for agricultural sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa? This collection of papers offers technical analyses, policy recommendations and an overview of success stories to date. Each carefully selected paper provides valuable insights for improved policy making and defines relevant strategic priorities on Africa’s sustainable transformation process, which is in line with the international development agenda. Although agriculture remains the main source of income for Africa’s population, the sector is rain-fed subjecting it to the vagaries of weather and climate change. This volume demonstrates the rationale of developing a competitive, inclusive and sustainable agribusiness sector for Africa’s food security and structural transformation.
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing progress, trends and challenges
Source of the latest innovative research and technical development in biomanufacturing systems. It is organised into 2 parts: 1) Manufacturing of recombinant therapeutic proteins (e.g. therapeutic antibodies, biosimilars/biogenerics) and 2) Manufacturing aspects of cell and gene therapy. Each with selected chapters on the following topics for both up- and downstream, such as: Advanced process strategies, especially continuous manufacturing, Advanced culture techniques, especially single-use systems, Process transfer, scale-up/scale-down models, Processing advances/Manufacturing productivity/efficiency, Model-assisted process understanding and development/Digital Twins, Process controls and analytics, Quality control, Quality by design, Facility design and full-scale commercial systems, manufacturing technology innovation.
Biometric Authentication ; International ECCV 2002 Workshop Copenhagen, Denmark, June 1, 2002 Proceedings
Biometric authentication refers to identifying an individual based on his or her distinguishing physiological and/or behavioral characteristics. It associates an individual with a previously determined identity based on that individual s appearance or behavior. Because many physiological or behavioral characteristics (biometric indicators) are distinctive to each person, biometric identifiers are inherently more reliable and more capable than knowledge-based (e.g., password) and token-based (e.g., a key) techniques in differentiating between an authorized person and a fraudulent impostor. For this reason, more and more organizations are looking to automated identity authentication systems to improve customer satisfaction, security, and operating efficiency as well as to save critical resources.
Biodiesel : A realistic fuel alternative for diesel engines
Environmental and political concerns are generating a growing interest in alternative engine fuels such as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a renewable energy source produced from natural oils and fats, which can be used as a substitute for petroleum diesel without the need for diesel engine modification. In addition to being biodegradable and non-toxic, biodiesel is also essentially free of sulfur and aromatics, producing lower exhaust emissions than conventional gasoline whilst providing similar properties in terms of fuel efficiency.
Biased technical change and economic conservation laws
Makes use of Lie groups to shed new light on the analysis of economic conservation laws. Economic conservation laws are not simply abstract concepts; this book shows that they are tools of empirical analysis that can be applied to such topics as analyses of macro performance and corporate efficiency.
Beyond the limits to growth : New ideas for sustainability from Japan
This book offers an optimistic view of the future and provides a road map for societies to get there. Drawing upon extensive research and many years as a thought leader in environmental and sustainability issues in Japan and internationally, Hiroshi Komiyama analyzes the most pressing challenges to the attainment of sustainability of economically advanced nations and argues forcefully for Japan to lead them out of the present dilemma through active promotion of creative consumer and societal demand. He shows how an active industry–government–academic partnership can provide the environment needed to promote such new creative demand and illustrates its potential through presentation of a Platinum Society Network that was launched on a regional basis in Japan in 2010 to facilitate the solution of common issues through the exchange of information and ideas.
Barry's Introduction to Construction of Buildings ; 4th ed.
Based mainly on domestic and residential buildings—and filled with extensive illustrations throughout—this concise text is the ideal introduction to the subject of building construction. It provides the basic material that readers need in order to understand the construction process for the majority of low rise buildings. The book explains construction technology through the key functional and performance requirements for the main elements common to all buildings. With a strong focus on building efficiency and meeting the challenges posed by limiting the environmental impact of buildings, and new “at a glance” summaries allowing you to grasp the salient points of each chapter, readers will find the text fully up to date with the latest building regulations and construction technology. Deals with design, technology, site assembly, and environmental issues of domestic and residential buildings. Thoroughly updated, with particular attention paid to the concept of building efficiency and improved integration of the topics covered to match current student needs. New “at a glance” summaries at the beginning of each chapter.
Asset Sales : Their Role in Restructuring and Financing Firms
Examines the corporate asset market and the mechanisms of asset sale transactions. The book then focuses on the theory of finance in asset sales (the efficiency and financing theory) and the extensive empirical literature now available. In light of recent and rapid technological and digital advances, the last section presents new perspectives on analyzing asset sales transactions. Chiefly intended as a primer for PhD students and academics, the book offers a road map of the empirical research landscape and suggests future research directions.
Assessment of Energy-Efficient Building Details for Seismic Regions
Presents a methodology for the assessment of structural building details, taking into account the contemporary guidelines for earthquake-resistant and energy-efficient buildings. A review of structural details for energy-efficient buildings revealed that in some cases the structural system is interrupted, leading to solutions which are not suitable for earthquake-prone regions. Such typical examples would be the use of thermal insulation under the building foundation and reduction of the load-bearing elements’ dimensions – also at the potential locations of plastic hinges which are crucial for the dissipation of seismic energy.
Artificial intelligence for multimedia signal processing
Artificial intelligence technologies are also actively applied to broadcasting and multimedia processing technologies. A lot of research has been conducted in a wide variety of fields, such as content creation, transmission, and security, and these attempts have been made in the past two to three years to improve image, video, speech, and other data compression efficiency in areas related to MPEG media processing technology. Additionally, technologies such as media creation, processing, editing, and creating scenarios are very important areas of research in multimedia processing and engineering. This book contains a collection of some topics broadly across advanced computational intelligence algorithms and technologies for emerging multimedia signal processing as: Computer vision field, speech/sound/text processing, and content analysis/information mining.
Artificial Intelligence for a better future : An ecosystem perspective on the ethics of AI and emerging digital technologies
This book proposes a novel approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics. AI offers many advantages: better and faster medical diagnoses, improved business processes and efficiency, and the automation of boring work.
Architectural interior lighting
Essential guide to creating well-lit, visually appealing interior spaces. The book begins with an overview of light and color theory, lighting fundamentals, and design principles. It then covers artificial, natural, decorative, and professional lighting in interior design, as well as standards and regulations, controls and systems, sustainable lighting, energy efficiency, light pollution reduction, and the use of environmentally friendly materials. With a focus on practical applications and real-world examples, this book provides readers with the tools and knowledge necessary to achieve their design goals while considering the latest trends and techniques in the field. A valuable resource for professionals and students in architecture and lighting design, it will also appeal to anyone interested in creating visually stunning and functional interior spaces.
Applied mathematics and machine learning
The simultaneous availability of large datasets and high-performance computing capability in recent years has enabled the rapid development of powerful machine learning algorithms. On the one hand, state-of-the-art machine learning techniques have transformed many areas of science and engineering; on the other hand, theoretical discoveries in mathematical algorithms, differential equations, and statistical inferences, to name a few, have provided the foundation for the exploration of new multidisciplinary models for solving practical problems. This Special Issue endeavors to continue the journey that started in our previous Special Issue (Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics) by providing a platform for researchers from both academia and industry, as well as government, to present their new computational methods that have engineering and physics applications.
Anti-stress chewing gum
Anxiety (stress) is a prevalent mental health concern that can significantly impact individuals' well-being and productivity. It can contribute to various health issues, including mental disorders, gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular complications, and reduced work efficiency. To address this pressing issue, we aimed to assess public awareness of stress among Syrians and develop an innovative chewing gum formulation to mitigate its negative effects...
Analyzing the availability of fin tech and its role in enhancing the strategic : Performance of Syrian banks using the balanced scorecard
Aims to examine the role of financial technology (FinTech) in enhancing the strategic performance of Syrian banks by analyzing its impact on the four dimensions of the balanced scorecard : financial performance, customer satisfaction, internal process quality, and learning and growth. Amid economic and technological challenges, integrating fintech emerges as a strategic tool to boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, and promote financial inclusion. The study explores the experiences of several Syrian banks in implementing modern financial technologies, such as digital banking and smart payment systems, while evaluating key financial indicators like return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE).
Analysis and Numerics for Conservation Laws
The physical and chemical mechanisms as well as the sizes of these processes are quite different. So are the motivations for studying them scientifically.The super- 8 nova is a thermo-nuclear explosion on a scale of 10 cm. Astrophysicists try to understand them in order to get insight into fundamental properties of the universe. In hows around airfoils of commercial airliners at the scale of 3 10 cm shock waves occur that influence the stability of the wings as well as fuel consumption in ight. This requires appropriate design of the shape and structure of airfoils by engineers. Knocking occurs in combustion, a chemical 1 process, and must be avoided since it damages motors. The scale is 10 cm and these processes must be optimized for efficiency and environmental conside- tions. The common thread is that the underlying ?uid ?ows may at a certain scale of observation be described by basically the same type of hyperbolic s- tems of partial differential equations in divergence form, called conservation laws. Astrophysicists, engineers and mathematicians share a common interest in scientific progress on theory for these equations and the development of computational methods for solutions of the equations. Due to their wide applicability in modeling of continua. A substantial portion of mathematical research is related to the analysis and numerical approximation of solutions to such equations. Hyperbolic conservation laws in two or more space dimensions still poseone of the main challenges to modern mathematics.
Analysis and Design of Intelligent Systems Using Soft Computing Techniques
This book comprises a selection of papers from IFSA 2007 on new methods for analysis and design of hybrid intelligent systems using soft computing techniques. Soft Computing (SC) consists of several computing paradigms, including fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms, which can be used to produce powerful hybrid intelligent systems for solving problems in pattern recognition, time series prediction, intelligent control, robotics and automation. Hybrid intelligent systems that combine several SC techniques are needed due to the complexity and high dimensionality of real-world problems. Hybrid intelligent systems can have different architectures, which have an impact on the efficiency and accuracy of these systems, for this reason it is very important to optimize architecture design. The architectures can combine, in different ways, neural networks, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, to achieve the ultimate goal of pattern recognition, time series prediction, intelligent control, or other application areas.
An Introduction to Optical Wireless Mobile Communications
Discusses existing conventional radio frequency (RF)-based wireless access technology and presents the challenges that can impact the requirements of the future wave of new wireless services in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) driven autonomous systems and machine-type communications. The relationship between visible light communications (VLC) and light fidelity (LiFi), is explored, and the major advantages of VLC and LiFi such as security and data density, and discuss existing research challenges are also introduced. Channel modeling techniques are provided for mobile multiuser scenarios, and will introduce key building blocks to achieve LiFi cellular networks achieving orders of magnitude improvements of area spectral efficiency compared to state-of-the-art. Challenges that arise from moving from a static point-to-point visible light link to a LiFi network that is capable of serving hundreds of mobile and fixed nodes are discussed. An overview of recent standardization activities and the commercialization challenges of this disruptive technology is also provided.
An Introduction to Efficiency and Productivity Analysis
It is designed to be a "first port of call" for people wishing to study efficiency and productivity analysis. The book provides an accessible introduction to the four principal methods involved: econometric estimation of average response models; index numbers; data envelopment analysis (DEA); and stochastic firontier analysis (SFA). For each method, we provide a detailed introduction to the basic concepts, give some simple numerical examples, discuss some of the more important extensions to the basic methods, and provide references for further reading. In addition, we provide a number of detailed empirical applications using real-world data.
Algoritmi : Lo spirito dell’informatica = Algorithms : The spirit of information technology
Algorithms are the heart of computer science and mathematics, since without them the use of computers would not be possible. In this book, which in its English edition has been a longtime bestseller, Harel and Feldmann answer all questions relating to this topic. They talk about the evaluation, correctness and effectiveness of algorithms, but also clarify some doubts about programming techniques and also refer to the very current discussion on quantum computing. The book is useful both as a basic text for an introductory university course in computer science, and as a general introduction to natural sciences, mathematics or engineering.
