Böcker utgivna av IntechOpen

The present book is composed of modern theoretical and applied studies that highlight the core principles and evidence of sustainable agriculture. This work is systematically divided into two sections, which summarize crucial insights into this theme, such as agroecological concepts, case studies, soil health, and agroforestry systems. The chapters included in this book have been written by researchers whose expertise allows the relatively complex sustainable agroecosystem-related topics to be easily understood by any reader. Therefore, the target audience comprises not only scholars and specialists in the field but also common people and enthusiasts about this theme. Such chapter's collection is certainly a valuable resource about agricultural sustainable principles and a pleasure reading for those who are willing to dive more deeply into the study of "sustainability of agroecosystems."

Intelligent system is an advanced machine that can perceive, learn, and solve the problems with a great accuracy. Technologies with intelligent system are currently available in the market and used in real-world applications, i.e., self-driving cars, Siri, Alexa, Facebook, and so on. To exceed human cognitive capabilities, the important keys rely on the development of sensors and algorithms. Therefore, the insight into artificial intelligence (AI) methods becomes a fundamental building block for design and construction of intelligent system with particular applications. This book aims to describe the AI systems ranging from the basic knowledge, i.e., algorithm and mathematical models of AI techniques, fundamentals of machine learning, genetic algorithm, and fuzzy logic, to the current state-of-the-art applications, such as smart road and biomedical applications.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO2) is a widely accepted adjuvant therapy in various health conditions that exhibit impaired tissue blood flow. At high pressures, the delivery of the dissolved oxygen in plasma is enhanced, which contributes to better tissue oxygenation, cellular metabolism and ultimately, healing. However, this is not the only beneficial outcome of HBO2 treatment since oxygen is a highly reactive molecule and can induce upregulation of many enzymatic systems in the cell at the cellular, genetic and molecular level. Particularly, vascular/endothelial function is affected by the HBO2. Our understanding of these mechanisms is still emerging. There have been many controversies related to the HBO2 protocols and indications. As well as exhibiting beneficiary effects on the tissue perfusion, it is known that HBO2 demonstrates high toxicity at higher pressures, due to increased oxidative stress and barotrauma. On the other hand, there is a lack of translation of the knowledge on the mechanisms of action of HBO2 obtained from the experimental research to the clinical practice. Thus, this book presents the reader with an overview of the current knowledge on the mechanisms of HBO2 effects in various experimental models and clinical treatment protocols, in an attempt to provide a better understanding of how and when HBO2 should be used as an effective therapy without unwanted side effects.

The book "Recent Developments in Optoelectronic Devices" is about the latest developments in optoelectronics. This book is divided into three categories: light emitting devices, sensors, and light harvesters. This book also discusses the theoretical aspects of device design for iridium complexes as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), strategies for developing novel nanostructured materials, silicon-rich oxide (SRO) electroluminescent devices, and multifunctional optoelectronic devices developed on resistive switching effects. The worldwide participation of authors has contributed to the unifying effect of science. Furthermore, interested readers will also find information on the screen printed technology using semiconductor devices, nonlinear phenomena in quantum devices, experimental set up of optoelectronics flexible logic gate to realize logic operations, autonomous vehicles, and the latest developments in perovskites as solar cells.

This book on data mining explores a broad set of ideas and presents some of the state-of-the-art research in this field. The book is triggered by pervasive applications that retrieve knowledge from real-world big data. Data mining finds applications in the entire spectrum of science and technology including basic sciences to life sciences and medicine, to social, economic, and cognitive sciences, to engineering and computers. The chapters discuss various applications and research frontiers in data mining with algorithms and implementation details for use in real-world. This can be through characterization, classification, discrimination, anomaly detection, association, clustering, trend or evolution prediction, etc. The intended audience of this book will mainly consist of researchers, research students, practitioners, data analysts, and business professionals who seek information on the various data mining techniques and their applications.

This book aims to introduce the emerging technologies of graphene oxide (GO) in various fields such as industrial, medical, electronics, artificial intelligence, materials-alloys, energy storage devices, optical, physics, mechanical, nanomaterials, and sustainable chemistry. At the current level of development, the properties and binding structure of graphene are important toward the recent applications. The knowledge produced by the graphene oxide could be a much haunting basis for discovering innovative opportunities in the field of emerging trends of research. Future technology expected that the full development will depend only on graphene and its functionalized composite materials. This book highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with GOs. Subject of interest in this book is exploring the opportunities and technologies related to abundant clean energy, pure water, and noble long healthy life.

For the incisive tests of hydrological theory, manipulation experiments can create particular conditions, plan and define boundaries and inner structures, isolate individual mechanisms, and push systems beyond the range in a PhD timescale. The goals of this book are to stimulate the approach of manipulation in promoting watershed hydrological experimentation and to try to demonstrate that the controlled and artificial experiments are the promising way of useful and effective generation of tests of new theories. This book is organized on the basis of nine different manipulation types from six countries including field lysimeter, field runoff plot, field manipulated experimental basin, field artificial catchment, laboratory river segment, laboratory pedon (rock), laboratory lysimeter, laboratory hillslope, and phytotron artificial catchment.

The term "Internet of Things" (IoT) refers to an ecosystem of interconnected physical objects and devices that are accessible through the Internet and can communicate with each other. The main strength of the IoT vision is the high impact it has created and will continue to do so on several aspects of the everyday life and behavior of its potential users. This book presents some of the state-of-the-art research work in the field of the IoT, especially on the issues of communication protocols, interoperability of protocols and semantics, trust security and privacy issues, reference architecture design, and standardization. It will be a valuable source of knowledge for researchers, engineers, practitioners, and graduate and doctoral students who are working in various fields of the IoT. It will also be useful for faculty members of graduate schools and universities.

Remote sensing was the primary data source since the launch of the first environmental monitoring satellite back in 1972. In the past five decades, remote sensing technology has come a long way and evolved into a mature science. Even so, new technologies, new theories, new methodologies, and new applications continue to emerge. With the rapid pace of technological advancement, it is essential to share experiences especially between different disciplines, either on breakthroughs in new theory or understanding, or applications of remote sensing on real world issues. Disciplines or fields covered in this book include geography, geology, agriculture, forestry, botany, and oceanography. Though remote sensing may be used differently in various disciplines, the principles are similar, if not the same. This book will be valuable to scientists, scholars, working professionals, or students who use remote sensing in their work, and are interested in learning how others use remote sensing in different ways.

Evolving Strategies in Peritoneal Dialysis is intended as a concise compilation of articles designed to understand the basics of the current practice of the most cost-effective form of life support for patients with end-stage renal disease who require dialysis. Current strategies are understood best with a review of the historical development of catheter materials, solution packaging, and simplified machinery, which allow safe and effective nocturnal treatments. Quantitation of the efficacy of peritoneal dialysis is also reviewed because such calculations were also developed by the pioneers of nephrology to ensure adequacy of dialysis and daily fluid balance, which are responsible for the best chance for long-term patient survival. Comparison of methods for catheter placement is presented as well as the role that a dialysis center plays in the health and success of this form of end-stage renal disease patient care. The novel concept of assisted peritoneal dialysis for the infirm or institutionalized patients is probably the next direction needed to make available this treatment to many more patients than are currently eligible to receive it. This concept is explored in a separate chapter. Finally, professional dialysis staff must monthly assess individuals' nutritional status, bone health, and infection prevention and treatment to ensure the greatest functional status for these patients. This book concludes with a review of each of these topics to expand the mandatory monthly surveillance performed by dialysis centers for each patient who receives home peritoneal dialysis therapy.

Among energy sources, hydrogen gas is clean and renewable and has the potential to solve the growing energy crisis in today's society because of its high-energy density and noncarbon fuel properties. It is also used for many potential applications in nonpolluting vehicles, fuel cells, home heating systems, and aircraft. In addition, using hydrogen as an energy carrier is a long-term option to reduce carbon dioxide emissions worldwide by obtaining high-value hydrocarbons through the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. This book presents the recent progresses and developments in water-splitting processes as well as other hydrogen generation technologies with challenges and future perspectives from the point of energy sustainability.

Today, the application of phase change materials (PCMs) has developed in different industries, including the solar cooling and solar power plants, photovoltaic electricity systems, the space industry, waste heat recovery systems, preservation of food and pharmaceutical products, and domestic hot water. PCMs use the principle of latent heat thermal storage to absorb energy in large quantities when there is a surplus and release it when there is a deficit. This promising technology has already been successfully implemented in many construction projects. The aim of this book is to assist the scientists and to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the properties that characterize the phase change materials from theoretical and experimental perspectives with a focus on their technological applications. The present status and future perspectives of phase change material are discussed.

This book is devoted to a description of the modeling of nanosystems and a detailed exposition of the application of molecular dynamics methods to problems from various fields of technology: material science, the formation of composite molecular complexes, and transport of nanosystems. The research results of the modeling of various nanosystems are presented: soft supramolecular nanostructures, nanosized beams of single-crystal Cu, metallic nanosized crystals, drug delivery systems, and systems stabilized by hydrogen bonds. The information from this book will be useful for engineers, technologists, researchers, and postgraduate students interested in the study of the whole complex of computer simulation based on the concept of molecular dynamics methods for the task of designing and producing nanomaterials with controlled properties.

The book "Dental Anatomy" is one of the most important and basic areas of dentistry. This book is a collection of nine chapters divided into five sections as follows: Chapter 1: "Permanent Maxillary and Mandibular Incisors", Chapter 2: "The Permanent Maxillary and Mandibular Premolar Teeth", Chapter 3: "Dental Anatomical Features and Caries: A Relationship to be Investigated", Chapter 4: "Anatomy Applied to Block Anaesthesia", Chapter 5: "Treatment Considerations for Missing Teeth", Chapter 6: "Anatomical and Functional Restoration of the Compromised Occlusion: From Theory to Materials", Chapter 7: "Evaluation of the Anatomy of the Lower First Premolar", Chapter 8: "A Comparative Study of the Validity and Reproducibility of Mesiodistal Tooth Size and Dental Arch with the iTero Intraoral Scanner and the Traditional Method", Chapter 9: "Identification of Lower Central Incisors".The book is aimed toward dentists and can also be well used in education and research.

In this book, we learn about organizational conflict, highlighting different perspectives of conflict resolution and conflict management in different settings and areas, as well as different theoretical views on this subject. The authors from Norway, Estonia, Nigeria, Israel, USA, Slovakia, Turkey, Finland, Uruguay, and Italy bring ideas, studies, findings, and experiences to enhance our knowledge in the field of organizational conflict. The book is divided into two sections, and their respective chapters refer to two different perspectives of study. The first section covers Conceptual Frameworks on Organizational Conflict, considering management and conflict resolution, conflict in organizations as an indicator for organizational values, organizational trust as a conflict management tool, conflicts and social capital, and team conflict in complex adaptive systems. The second section deals with Empirical Studies on Organizational Conflict, emphasizing research on conflict resolution from the perspective of managers and project teams, resistance to change and conflict of interest, conflicts as a springboard for Metallica's success, drivers of innovation deployment affecting marketing relationships, and impacts of national culture on the use of bonuses for teamwork. Thus, we consider this book will be of interest to readers with a diverse group of interests in different specialties such as management, social psychology, education, law, and sociology.

Municipal and industrial wastewaters contain a wide spectrum of pollutants. Their effective removal presents a challenge for water treatment technology. Biosorption of nutrients and pollutants has been used in sewage treatment since the discovery of the activated sludge process. It is a passive uptake process by which pollutants are adsorbed on the surface of cell walls and/or dissolved in structures of microorganism cells that are present in sludge. Sorbed pollutants remain in the sludge and can be potentially released back into the environment depending on their condition and the reversibility of the pollutant-sludge interaction. An overview of typical biosorption applications for the removal of nutrients, organic pollutants, and metals in wastewater treatment is provided in different areas of their use for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health. This book will be of interest to operators of wastewater treatment plants and sludge treatment and disposal facilities as well as to researchers and university students in the field of environmental engineering.

Peptides are the biomolecules that consist of several amino acid chains linked through peptide bonds. This class of biomolecules is commonly found in living matter, and some of which play an imperative role in their regulation and functional activities. Peptides have been extensively applied in every aspect of human life, including cosmetics, electronics, the food industries, and pharmaceutical fields. Ultimately, peptide commercialization has become a major trend, which has been growing significantly in recent years. Viewed from the scientific perspective described above, the editor believes that the development of peptides in every aspect of human life should be accelerated. As such, this book aims to provide insight and knowledge regarding the current research that has been conducted in this field; hence, this book may encourage the reader to emphasize the importance of peptides in human life and to inspire others to identify the potency of peptides for other applications that still need further exploration. In this book, some of the compelling applications of peptides in biological and health sciences will be introduced. This book comprises an introductory chapter, along with four chapters presented by several prominent scientists who work in the field of peptide research.

Food safety is defined as the concept that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use. Most food product recalls and food-related outbreaks are fully considered as food safety failures. Many risk-based food safety standards, e.g., HACCP, BRC, SQF, ISO/FSSC 22000, are designed to prevent such issues from occurring. Any food recall or food-related outbreak may be attributed to the likelihood of a risk assessment, which in some way failed to identify and control the risk. The essence and true nature of food safety hazards are affected by resources of the food facility, e.g., human, work environment, infrastructure, availability and accessibility of food safety information. Thus, food specialists should establish and manage the parameters of the applied food safety systems to achieve the food safety objectives that produce food in compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements. It is important to understand what exactly will make an end product unsafe and ensure that the necessary control measures are in place to prevent it from happening. Understanding the basic food safety concepts can lead to improvement of the current food safety systems and/or standards.

Public support and feed-in tariff as a nonvariable compensation for the electric power production of energy have suppressed the risky investment of distributed generators (DGs) in smart distribution systems (SDSs). Although the using renewable energy technologies and the incorporation of plug-in DGs into SDS may have positive effects on congestion management, power loss reduction, and sustainability, they may create some difficulties relating to manage the system optimally by considering the intermittency of renewable resources in power production and uncertainties. Many researches have been carried out to deliver the high-quality power to the end-users with acceptable reliability. This book aims to present the recent materials related to the smart microgrids and the management of intermittent renewable energy sources that organized into seven chapters.

During the last decades, aquatic resources have been severely depleted due to human-induced factors such as overexploitation and pollution and more recently due to deviations in the physicochemical parameters of oceans, dramatic changes in weather patterns and melting of glaciers. The effects of these man-made factors are occurring in a relatively shorter time scale and, in many cases, are beyond the capacity of organisms to adapt to these deviations. The majority of natural aquatic resources, which are one of the most important food sources on the planet, are being used to the extent that limits their capacity for regeneration. Despite ongoing attempts towards developing strategies for long-term management of aquatic resources all over the world, efforts have met with limited success. Thus, the sustainable use of aquatic resources has become a very important reality considering a projected human population of 11 billion by the year 2100. With this reality in mind, the purpose of this book is to shed more light on the field of marine ecology by emphasizing the diversity of aquatic life on earth and its importance both as part of a balanced ecosystem and as part of critical source of food on earth. The book covers important findings, discussions and reviews on a variety of subjects on environmental and competitive interactions of marine organisms at different trophic levels and their effects on the productivity, dynamics and structure of marine ecosystems around the world. Each chapter focuses on a specific case in the field of marine ecology and was written by researchers with years of experience in their respective fields. We hope that academicians, researchers and students as well as experts and professionals working in the field of marine ecology will benefit from these contributions. We also hope that this book will inspire more studies to help better understand the marine environment and develop strategies to better protect this crucial element of life on earth.

Electrical machines are used in the process of energy conversion in the generation, transmission and consumption of electric power. In addition to this, electrical machines are considered the main part of electrical drive systems. Electrical machines are the subject of advanced research. In the development of an electrical machine, the design of its different structures is very important. This design ensures the robustness, energy efficiency, optimal cost and high reliability of the system. Using advanced techniques of control and new technology products has brought electrical machines into their optimal functioning mode. Different techniques of control can be applied depending on the goals considered. The aim of this book is to present recent work on the design, control and applications of electrical machines.

The disproportionate use of fossil fuels has turned into a serious environmental issue. Thus, we are encountering one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century, satisfying the energy demand with respect to the environment. Thermoelectricity is an emerging technology, which contributes to reducing the impact of the use of traditional technologies, harvesting the waste heat, and eliminating the use of refrigerants. The book Bringing Thermoelectricity into Reality covers the current thermoelectric investigations: the study of novel thermoelectric materials, the development of computational models, the design of proper assemblies, and the optimization of thermal designs, as well as novel thermoelectric generators, coolers, and heating applications. This book looks for the definitive thermoelectric applications applied to everyday life.

Despite their wide availability and relatively low prices, the conventional energy sources have harmful consequences on the environment and are exhaustible. In order to circumvent these negative effects, the renewable energies in general and the photovoltaic energy in particular are becoming more and more attractive. Solar cell is an electrical device that converts light into electricity at the atomic level. These devices use inorganic or organic semiconductor materials that absorb photons with energy greater than their bandgap to promote energy carriers into their conduction band. They do not pollute the atmosphere by releasing harmful gases, do not require any fuel to produce electricity, and do not move parts so they are rugged. Solar panels have a very long life and do not need much maintenance.

Palm oil production is one of the most developed and noteworthy industries in the world, leading to rapid economic growth in countries where the industry has been established. Currently, palm oil is the world's leader in the vegetable oil industry with a yearly production and consumption of approximately 45.3 million tons, which almost covers 60% of the global trade of vegetable oils in the international market. Along these lines, it is expected that the global demand for palm oil will be doubled by 2020. The book focuses on various aspects of palm oil production, primarily, the environmental aspects, its application as an animal feed, chemical and nutritional properties of the oil, and technical aspects of enhancing the efficacy of production.

This book is intended to attract the attention of practitioners and researchers in the academia and industry interested in challenging paradigms of wavelets and its application with an emphasis on the recent technological developments. All the chapters are well demonstrated by various researchers around the world covering the field of mathematics and applied engineering. This book highlights the current research in the usage of wavelets in different areas such as biomedical analysis, fringe-pattern analysis, image applications, network data transfer applications, and optical measurement techniques. The entire work available in the book is mainly focusing on researchers who can do quality research in the area of the usage of wavelets in related fields. Each chapter is an independent research, which will definitely motivate the young researchers to ponder on. These 12 chapters available in four sections will be an eye opener for all who are doing systematic research in these fields.

In recent years, research on microelectronics has been specifically focused on the proposition of efficient alternative methodologies and materials to fabricate feasible integrated circuits. This book provides a general background of thin film transistors and their simulations and constructions. The contents of the book are broadly classified into two topics: design and simulation of FETs and construction of FETs. All the authors anticipate that the provided chapters will act as a single source of reference for the design, simulation and construction of FETs. This edited book will help microelectronics researchers with their endeavors and would be a great addition to the realm of semiconductor physics.

Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose and is a resourceful copious and cheap biomaterial discovered in 1859 owing to significant industrial and technological utility. Raw chitin-chitosan resembles keratin in its biological functions. Chitin chemistry vastly developed via innate unparalleled biological features and exceptional physicochemical characters. Chitosan endures assorted chemical/physical modifications easily at free proactive functionalities, yet intact bulk properties are achieved through processing, viz., film, membrane, composite, hybrid, nanofibre, nanoparticle, hydrogel and scaffolds. Rapidly lessen bioresources signify chitosan as an option due to renewable eco-friendliness and drive embryonic myriad applications in S

Bats have a poor image for the public at large because they are often feared. This is usually due to ignorance. In this book, we have eight chapters on bats covering countries such as Algeria, Bulgaria, France, Pakistan, Poland, the UK and the USA and subjects ranging from acoustic monitoring of bat species for distribution and conservation purposes to various bat-borne and bat-carried diseases. These diseases cannot be taken lightly but should not be a reason for panic or to fear or even kill bats. Bats will not cause any harm if we let them live in peace. With the added knowledge through this book, we should know how best to cope with bats, which need all our support in the changing environments and climates.

MEMS by becoming a part of various applications ranging from smartphones to automobiles has become an integral part of our everyday life. MEMS is building synergy between previously unrelated fields such as biology, microelectronics and communications, to improve the quality of human life. The sensors in MEMS gather information from the surrounding, which is then processed by the electronics for decision-making to control the environment. MEMS offers opportunities to miniaturize devices, integrate them with electronics and realize cost savings through batch fabrication. MEMS technology has enhanced many important applications in domains such as consumer electronics, biotechnology and communication and it holds great promise for continued contributions in the future. This book focuses on understanding the design, development and various applications of MEMS sensors.

This book in two sections represents the current trend of research in ecology and biology of earthworms. In section "Ecology and Diversity" the authors reported the ecological and geographical uniqueness and diversity of earthworms in different environmental terrains of Siberia and Mexico. Functional interaction between earthworms and soil nematodes was elucidated with reference to vermicomposting and agricultural systems. Importance of digital library was highlighted for inventorization and taxonomical identification of earthworms. In section "Vermicomposting" the importance of maintaining pure cultures was discussed from the viewpoint of growth rate and the reproduction of composting species. This section includes article describing the management-related issues like roles of physicochemical parameters of soil and feed mixture on growth and reproduction of commercially important species of earthworm.