Technology & Engineering

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on life cycle assessment (LCA) of crops.

The first chapter discusses the application of LCA to agricultural systems and highlights key issues associated with its implementation, including delimitation of systems boundaries, defining the functional unit, handling coproduction, and the choosing of impact assessment methods.

The second chapter explores the concepts of LCA and the coffee value chain. The chapter discusses how carbon footprint performances can be used to upgrade coffee value chains.

The third chapter assesses the environmental impact of oil palm production during cultivation and as a result of land use change for new plantations. The chapter describes the principles and modelling steps of LCA, as well as the challenges ahead regarding further development and application.

The fourth chapter reviews the core principles of LCA methodology, the state of the art of LCA for fruits and associated key challenges. The first complete LCA case study for export mango is also discussed.

The final chapter assesses the environmental impact of banana production and highlights the importance of LCA in influencing the adoption of practices that can reduce or offset the carbon footprint of the banana value chain.

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on improving water management in crop cultivation.

The first chapter focuses on site-specific variable rate irrigation systems utilised across agriculture and examines site-specific data acquisition and mining approaches, such as soil mapping and zone delineation.

The second chapter considers the main deficit irrigation strategies used in agriculture to improve crop water productivity. It also explores the status of site-specific irrigation management and its role in minimizing agricultural water use.

The third chapter reviews progress in winter wheat water management and water-use efficiency (WUE), drawing on long-term field experiments in the U.S. southern Great Plains. It discusses the key relationships between yield, evapotranspiration, WUE and best management practices.

The fourth chapter considers the key techniques for improving rice water productivity through enhanced irrigation practices aiming to reduce irrigation water use in rice cultivation, such as the Alternate Wetting and Drying technique.

The final chapter examines the main irrigation methods used in dryland sorghum production. It also reviews the relationship between soil properties and irrigation management.

The art of finding balance in a wired world.

There's no doubt that technology has overrun our lives. Over the past few decades, the world has embraced "progress" and we're living with the resultant clicking, beeping, anxiety-inducing frenzy. But a creative backlash is gathering steam, helping us cope with the avalanche of data that threatens to overwhelm us daily through our computers, tablets and smartphones.

The Joy of Missing Out considers the technologically focused life, with its impacts on our children, relationships, communities, health, work and more, and suggests opportunities for those of us longing to cultivate a richer on- and off-line existence. By examining the connected world through the lens of her own internet fast, author Christina Crook creates a convincing case for increasing intentionality in our day-to-day lives. Using historical data, typewritten letters, chapter challenges and personal accounts, she invites us to explore a new way of living, beyond our steady state of distracted "connectedness."

Most of us can't throw away our smartphone or cut ourselves off from the Internet. But we can all rethink our relationship with the digital world, discovering new ways of introducing balance and discipline to the role of technology in our lives. This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to rediscover quietness of mind, and seeking a sense of peace amidst the cacophony of the modern world.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on metabolic disorders in dairy cattle.

The first chapter reviews the prevalence, etiology and effects of ruminal acidosis, as well as ways to counteract it through regulation of ruminal pH. The chapter includes a case study on subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) in the post-partum phase of the transition period.

The second chapter assesses the main pathways for rumen fermentation which is a major factor in efficient transformation of nutrients. It discusses factors influencing the efficiency of microbial growth as well as the interactions between rumen energy and nitrogen metabolism in ensuring efficient digestion and avoiding metabolic disorders.

The third chapter investigates the genetics of improving feed intake efficiency which has significant potential in reducing metabolic disorders. The chapter reviews key challenges in developing genomic selection indices for feed intake, including recording feed intake, pooling genetic data and establishing genomic breeding values for feed efficiency.

The fourth chapter discusses how cereal grains impact feed efficiency in cattle. It reviews how cereal grains can be used to improve feed efficiency and the microbiology of cereal grain fermentation. The chapter also discusses ways of avoiding acidosis and other negative feed effects.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on developing immunity in poultry.

The first chapter discusses the advances in genetic, genomic and functional genomic studies of immune and disease resistance in chickens. The chapter reviews multi-trait selection experiments and considers the potential trade-offs between production and immunocompetence in response to disease.

The second chapter reviews the importance of the gut microbiome in optimising animal health and reducing susceptibility to major diseases affecting poultry production. The chapter examines intestinal immunity, as well as the microbiota interactions which occur within the poultry immune system.

The third chapter addresses the nutritional strategies which can be implemented to boost immune function in poultry. The chapter considers the process of nutritional modulation and reviews the use of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to enhance, suppress and balance poultry immune systems.

The final chapter provides an overview of the avian defence system and its role in tackling some of the major pathogens affecting global poultry production, such as coccidiosis. The chapter reviews the various elements of the host defence system and considers how supplements can modulate the immune system and its responses to specific challenges.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in agriculture.

The first chapter considers the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as plant biostimulants in agriculture. It considers the benefits of PGPR, such as their ability to promote plant growth and productivity under both normal and abiotic-stressed induced environments. The chapter also looks towards PGPR application as a sustainable and efficient method to enhance crop production.

The second chapter reviews recent research on the use of PGPR as biofertilizers to enhance root function and improve nutrient uptake, with emphasis on their effects on root architecture, metabolism and adaptation to abiotic stress.

The third chapter explores the use of microbial bio-effectors and their ability to optimise the mineral nutrition of agricultural crops. The chapter also reviews the wealth of research on the mechanism of action, applications and efficacy of key plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs).

The final chapter reviews the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as a biocontrol agent against invertebrate pests. The chapter analyses the effects of PGPB species against these pest types and enlists a case study on the PGPB species Pseudomonas protegens to further demonstrate this.

“This well-illustrated case study . . . will help students of permaculture, of sustainability, of earth regeneration and of integrated eco-social design.” —Prof. Declan Kennedy, Chairman, Advisory Board, gaiauniversity.org

To ensure food security and restore the health of the planet, we need to move beyond industrial agriculture and return to the practice of small-scale, local farming. The Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm describes the creation of a sustainable food system through a detailed case study of the successful year-round organic market garden and permaculture design at Pennsylvania’s Three Sisters Farm.

At the heart of Three Sisters is its bioshelter—a solar greenhouse which integrates growing facilities, poultry housing, a potting room, storage, kitchen facilities, compost bins, a reference library and classroom area. The Bioshelter Market Garden examines how the bioshelter promotes greater biodiversity and is an energy efficient method of extending crop production through Pennsylvania’s cold winter months. Both visionary and practical, this fully illustrated book contains a wealth of information on the application of permaculture principles. Some of the topics covered include:

• Design and management of an intensive market garden farm
• Energy systems and bio-thermal resources
• Ecological soil management and pest control
• Wetlands usage
• Solar greenhouse design and management

Whatever your gardening experience and ambitions, this comprehensive manual is sure to inform and inspire.

“Darrell Frey’s inspirational book gives you all you need to know to create an energy-saving, food-producing bioshelter . . . [It] covers everything you need to understand, build, or simply admire these important tools for sustainability.” —Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on nematode pests in agriculture.

The first chapter assesses the value and impact of using integrated pest management (IPM) to combat nematode pests. It summarises the basic biology and morphology of the most economically-important nematode pests and reviews cultural, biological and chemical methods of control.

The second chapter discusses advances in understanding plant root response to nematode attack. It highlights how nematodes form feeding structures in host roots and how this behaviour has allowed plants to evolve new mechanisms of resistance that target this structure with a toxic response.

The third chapter discusses key nematode pests of wheat, including cereal cyst, root-knot and root-lesion nematodes. It features research on best practice in detecting and managing these pests effectively.

The fourth chapter summarises what we know about soil and plant nematodes damaging maize, including lesion, root-knot and vermiform nematodes. It reviews research on characteristics, identification and effects which provide the foundation for effective control.

The final chapter describes the characteristics and control of key nematode pests of potatoes: potato cyst nematodes, root knot nematodes, root lesion nematode, potato rot and stem nematodes as well as virus vector nematodes.

“It is bold, it is courageous, and it challenges many of our preconceptions about food, about soils, about farming, and about health.” —Michael Ableman, farmer, author of Farm the City

To grow produce of the highest nutritional quality, the essential minerals lacking in our soil from intensive agriculture must be replaced. The Intelligent Gardener is the practical, step-by-step guide for any serious gardener who wants to:

• Demystify this process
• Debunk much of the false and misleading information perpetuated by both the conventional and organic agricultural movements
• Re-mineralize our soil.

Accompanied with customizable web-based spreadsheets, this toolkit calls for far more attention to detail than the simple addition of composted manure or NPK fertilizers. It conclusively establishes the link between healthy soil, healthy food, and healthy people.

Vegetables, fruits, and grains are a major source of vital nutrients, but centuries of intensive agriculture have depleted our soils to historic lows. As a result, the broccoli you consume today may have less than half the vitamins and minerals that the equivalent serving would have contained a hundred years ago. This is a matter of serious concern, since poor nutrition has been linked to myriad health problems including cancer, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. For optimum health we must increase the nutrient density of our foods to the levels enjoyed by previous generations.

The Intelligent Gardener goes beyond organic—it offers the essential tools for those who care about the quality of the produce they grow.

“It’s hard to imagine this book not having a significant and lasting impact on the way organic farmers and gardeners grow their crops.” —Mark McDonald, West Coast Seeds

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews discussing fungal diseases of apples.

The first chapter discusses the main pre- and postharvest pathogens affecting apple production. The chapter also reviews recent advances in biological, chemical and cultural forms of disease management to optimise production, maintain fruit quality and enhance sustainability.

The second chapter reviews the epidemiology of apple scab. The chapter explores the role of host resistance, as well as techniques to manage apple scab and minimise crop losses, including fungicide application and the use of biocontrol agents.

The third chapter reviews preharvest fungal and bacterial diseases as well as viruses of tree fruit. It looks at advances in technology for pathogen detection as well as methods of integrated disease management, including biological and cultural control.

The final chapter reviews the development of apple varieties that are resistant to a number of important diseases, including apple scab, powdery mildew, fire blight, nectria canker and Marssonina apple blotch. The chapter also considers the use of DNA-based selection techniques for developing resistance and the mechanisms on which resistance depends.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on decision support systems (DSS) in agriculture.

The first chapter provides a review of DSS in agriculture, whilst addressing the key questions surrounding their use for farm soil and crop management. The different aspects of agricultural DSS design, implementation and operation are also discussed.

The second chapter assesses the role of DSS for pest monitoring and management through information technology such as, remote sensing, GIS, spectral indices, image-based diagnostics, and phenology-based degree day models.

The third chapter discusses the potential of implementing DSS within the growing mechanisation in greenhouses. It examines differences in development and application of deterministic explanatory and data-based models for real-time control and DSS.

The fourth chapter explores the key issues associated with deploying DSS in precision agriculture, whilst also considering their human and social aspects. The chapter also considers how future research on DSS can be moulded to improve productivity in a precision agriculture setting.

The final chapter outlines the importance of a participatory approach in DSS development, whilst also offering examples of climate-based DSS for crop and land management, pest and disease management, and livestock (dairy) management.

A beginner’s complete guide to keeping bees in top bar hives, and why.

What’s the buzz about the growing popularity of backyard beekeeping? Providing habitat for bees, pollinating your garden, and producing honey for your family are some of the compelling reasons for taking up this exciting hobby. But conventional beekeeping requires a significant investment and has a steep learning curve. The alternative? Consider beekeeping outside the box.

The Thinking Beekeeper is the definitive do-it-yourself guide to natural beekeeping in top bar hives. Based on the concept of understanding and working with bees’ natural systems as opposed to trying to subvert them, the advantages of this approach include:

• Simplicity, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness
• Increased safety due to less heavy lifting and hive manipulation
• Chemical-free colonies and healthy hives

Top bar hives can be located anywhere bees have access to forage, and they make ideal urban hives.

Emphasizing the intimate connection between our food systems, bees, and the well-being of the planet, The Thinking Beekeeper will appeal to the new breed of beekeeper who is less focused on maximizing honey yield, and more on ensuring the viability of the bee population now and in the coming years.

Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living Recommendation

“You’ll find information you need here that’s not available anywhere else. Both you and your bees will benefit from Christy’s approach, advice, and philosophy.” —Kim Flottum, editor, Bee Culture Magazine

“A unique and exceptional resource for the beginning beekeeper.” —Marty Hardison, top bar beekeeper, educator and international developmental beekeeping consultant

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on conservation tillage in agriculture.

The first chapter reviews types of tillage and soil disturbance and how different soil management techniques affect the cropping cycle. The chapter also discusses how soil disturbance can be minimised during key farming operations.

The second chapter describes the principles of Conservation Agriculture (CA), looking primarily at soil management. It also examines the key concepts of no-tillage agriculture, as well as the environmental and economic benefits these techniques offer.

The third chapter discusses the role of conservation tillage in organic farming, reviewing over 20 years of practical, on-farm research. It outlines the main benefits associated with conservation tillage, whilst also considering the challenges that arise with its implementation and how these can be addressed.

The fourth chapter explores the emergence of conservation tillage (CT) as an innovation to address stagnant wheat yields in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia. The chapter explores the benefits of CT for soil health and crop yields, and highlights current obstacles facing region-wide adoption of CT.

The final chapter reviews the advantages of zero-till maize cultivation, including reduced soil erosion and nutrient losses. It also summarises best management practices to optimise zero-till maize systems.

This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on dietary supplements in poultry nutrition.

The first chapter reviews latest research on feed enzymes focussing on identifying the key challenges researchers face in terms of current trends in enzyme development, mechanism(s) of action and enzyme efficacy.

The second chapter considers the role of probiotics in optimising gut function in poultry. It reviews the development of novel, cost-effective, feed-stable, direct-fed microbials with potential for widespread utilisation and improved production.

The third chapter discusses the role of essential oils and botanicals in improving gut function in poultry, focussing on four major functions of phytobiotics that could potentially contribute to gut health: digestive conditioning, antimicrobial property, immunomodulation and gut microbiota modulation.

The fourth chapter considers the development of alternative protein sources for poultry nutrition, including grain by-products, pulses and algae. It also reviews best practices for improving the nutritive value of these alternative protein sources.

The final chapter reviews the effects of supplemental full- or de-fatted microalgal biomass in poultry diets on animal production and performance, meat and egg qualities, as well as nutrient metabolism and molecular responses.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on lameness in dairy cattle.

The first chapter provides an overview of lameness and its impact on dairy cow health and welfare. The chapter reviews existing methods for manual and automated detection of lameness, including approaches that detect changes and abnormalities in the gait, stance and behaviour of the animal, including the use of video, accelerometers and spatial positioning systems.

The second chapter discusses the aetiology of the four main causes of lameness in dairy cows: sole ulcer, white line, digital dermatitis and interdigital phlegmon. The chapter reviews the importance of prompt and effective treatments, as well as the best practices to optimise foot health to prevent the onset of lameness.

The third chapter reviews advances in dairy cattle breeding to improve resistance to claw and foot disorders, primarily lameness. It considers the various steps in breeding, from the definition of the breeding goal to genomic evaluation and data validation, as well as the consequent challenges which can develop.

The final chapter examines the impact of lameness on dairy production and highlights the importance of optimising foot health in dairy cattle to prevent the occurrence of lameness. The chapter discusses claw horn disruption and concludes with a case study on an outbreak of lameness in a herd of 800 Holstein cows.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on soil erosion in agriculture.

The first chapter identifies different types of soil degradation, focussing primarily on soil erosion by water. The chapter explores the impact of soil erosion processes on soil properties that relate directly to crop growth, including soil depth, water-holding capacity, carbon content and nutrient reserves.

The second chapter reviews advances in techniques used to assess and measure soil erodibility by water, such as computer aided tomography. The chapter considers the role of static and dynamic soil properties in the erosion process, as well as the challenges that have developed as a result of climate change.

The third chapter assesses the impact of heavy metal contamination on soil and its consequent role in the degradation of soil health. The chapter describes the sources, impacts, indicators and remediation of heavy metal contamination, as well as the development of improved soil management practices, including effective pollution control strategies.

The final chapter discusses the implementation of integrated strategies under Conservation Agriculture (CA) farming systems to restore soil productivity in degraded agricultural lands in tropical and subtropical regions in Brazil. The chapter additionally considers the adoption of CA as a tool to prevent and reverse instances of soil degradation.

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on fruit losses and waste.

The first chapter reviews the magnitude of losses and waste of fruit and vegetables as well as key issues in estimating losses. It provides a detailed assessment of the main causes of losses and waste together with strategies for their prevention.

The second chapter assesses the adoption of new, non-destructive technologies as a way of measuring harvest maturity and improving sorting operations to minimise the risk of product loss and waste.

The third chapter outlines the importance of harvest management of apples and considers the importance of various factors associated with fruit physiology, maturation and ripening to reduce losses.

The fourth chapter reviews existing research in the preservation of fruit quality and reduction of post-harvest damage and loss by adopting suitable technologies and knowledge during post-harvest operation, storage management, transportation and marketing of mango fruit.

The final chapter explores the advantages and disadvantages of cultivating ripening-impaired tomato mutants. It describes how controlling tomato diseases in both pre- and postharvest operations can help avoid fruit losses.

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on reducing antibiotic use in dairy production.

The first chapter describes the regulatory control of medicines in the United Kingdom and European Union and discusses the wider implications of antimicrobial use in dairy production and the need for change in the way we view and use medicines. The chapter also proposes how medicine prescribing practices in the dairy industry may undergo a series of changes in the near future.

The second chapter considers recent advances of disease prevention in dairy cattle. Using bovine respiratory disease as a model, the chapter investigates key interactions between the host, environment and pathogen. These interactions can provide beneficial information that can be utilised to develop a prevention platform for multiple syndromes of bacterial disease in dairy cattle.

The final chapter begins by assessing the need to promote digestive efficiency and productivity whilst maintaining animal health and welfare. It considers the role of probiotics in achieving this and reviews the range of research undertaken on the benefits and modes of action of probiotics. The chapter also details the role of probiotics in reducing antibiotic use in dairy production through improvements in areas such as pathogen control, feed efficiency and methane production.

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on crops as livestock feed.

The first chapter reviews the impact of feeding ruminants cereal grains on animal physiology and health. The chapter explores the use of starch-containing cereal grains as a feedstuff to improve animal efficiency and performance, as well as to reduce the environmental footprint of ruminant animal production.

The second chapter discusses key environmental trade-offs in the use of crops as livestock feed. It reviews key elements in trade-off analysis and explores opportunities for making better use of existing feed resources and producing more feed biomass of higher fodder quality.

The third chapter reviews ways of optimising the use of barley for animal feed, from production and breeding through to the application of new technologies such as near infrared spectroscopy and molecular markers.

The fourth chapter reviews the use of sorghum as an important source of fodder and forage. It reviews the different types of sorghum used for forage and other applications, and then provides a detailed discussion of the use of forage sorghum as feed for ruminants.

The final chapter discusses the use of soybean meal (SBM) as an animal feed. It assesses the nutritional content of SBM, as well dealing with its anti-nutritive compounds in optimising its use.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on developing immunity in pigs.

The first chapter provides an overview of the latest research in gut function and immunity in pigs, as well as the role of the gut microbiota in shaping intestinal immune responses. The chapter also reviews recent advances in the development of novel tools to investigate the function of the pig gut.

The second chapter describes the enteric and mucosal immune systems of pigs and presents evidence from experimental studies of the links between the immune system and microbiota. It examines the microbiome and metabolism of pigs and highlights its importance in the development of pig immune systems.

The third chapter reviews advances in nutritional strategies to boost immune function in pigs, including the use of lipopolysaccharide to stimulate the immune system. The chapter considers the need to reduce the use of antimicrobials in swine diets and reviews the effect of dietary supplementation during key stages of a pig’s life to enhance immunity.

The final chapter assesses methods of improving gut function in pigs to optimise health, prevent pathogen colonization and optimise immunity. The chapter discusses research on genes associated with pathogen resistance and porcine immune response and reviews the role of dietary and nutritional strategies in preventing intestinal pathogen colonisation.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on fertiliser use in agriculture.

The first chapter examines the role of biofertilizers and consortia of microorganisms to improve the effectiveness of organic fertilization, before moving on to consider the use of animal excrement, including manures, slurry and guano.

The second chapter assesses the management of mineral fertilisers and organic manures in relation to its effects on soil health in terms of soil organic carbon and nitrogen, soil acidification and soil microbiology.

The third chapter discusses the history, current status, and future needs of fertilizer developments in light of the goal of achieving global sustainability. It reviews developments in using efficient fertilizer sources to meet the needs of advancing yields of modern crop cultivars/hybrids.

The fourth chapter reviews some of the approaches used by decision support systems to determine fertiliser application decisions. The chapter highlights direct methods and indirect techniques: simulation models, yield forecasts using data-driven approaches and yield forecasts based on water supply.

The final chapter explores the implementation of foliar fertilizer sprays in agriculture for improving crop yield and quality, as well as improving plant performance under abiotic and/or biotic stress threats.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on integrated weed management in cereal cultivation.

The first chapter examines the problem of weeds in barley and explains the application of integrated weed management (IWM) to barley cultivation. The chapter also outlines weed control tactics and the practical implementation of IWM in barley.

The second chapter reviews the availability of cultural strategies which can be used in wheat cultivation as part of an IWM strategy. The chapter considers the implementation of practices that can improve crop health, including diverse crop rotations.

The third chapter considers the impact of weeds on maize cultivation and productivity, as well as the emergence of IWM as a sustainable method of controlling weeds. The chapter assesses the efficacy of key IWM techniques, such as crop rotations.

The fourth chapter provides a detailed assessment of the biological constraints currently impacting the productivity of rice cultivation, focusing on the issue of weeds. The chapter includes an overview of the IWM approach and its benefits.

The final chapter focuses on competitive cereal crops and cultural strategies for weed management, including the use of weed-suppressive cultivars, post-harvest crop residues, and cover crops for management of the weed seedbank and eventual weed suppression.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on improving piglet welfare.

The first chapter reviews the main welfare challenges faced during farrowing and lactation, including the occurrence of painful husbandry procedures, such as tooth resection, tail docking and castration. The chapter also highlights various mitigation strategies that can be implemented to optimise the welfare of both sows and piglets in the farrowing environment.

The second chapter addresses some of the main welfare concerns that can arise during the weaning and nursery stage as a result of separation between piglet and sow and exposure to a new environment. The chapter also summarises the most important fields of environmental, nutritional and social stress and how these experiences can be mitigated with the correct strategies.

The third chapter considers the demand for improved welfare and animal handling systems from governments, non-governmental organisations and consumers. The chapter reviews recent advancements in technology that have the potential to improve animal wellbeing, profitability and performance during the weaning period.

The final chapter discusses the main etiological agents acting in the period of transition from weaning, the risk factors for their introduction and diffusion within the farm and the main measures available for their control.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on viral diseases affecting pigs.

The first chapter summarises recent research on the causes and epidemiology of major bacteria, viruses and parasites found in pig production, focussing on those with a particular impact on safety and global production, such as African swine fever, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED).

The second chapter reviews advances in understanding mechanisms of porcine viral disease transmission and pathogenesis. The chapter concludes with commonly used measures for prevention and control of viral diseases of pigs, emphasizing the importance of the vaccination programs as cornerstone of swine health programs.

The third chapter discusses our current understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to the major respiratory diseases affecting pigs, including PRRS. The chapter considers the use of marker-selection and genetic modification as mechanisms to prevent the infection of PRRS and reduce its impact on swine health.

The final chapter considers the transmission, clinical presentation, evolution and spread of two major diseases affecting swine production - PRRS and PED. The chapter reviews the impact of each virus on a global scale, as well as its impact on swine production in the United Kingdom.

This specially formulated collection features 3 reviews of current topics and key research in sweetpotato.

The first chapter examines the origin and dispersal of sweetpotato, considers in vitro germplasm storage in sweetpotato genebanks, and looks at the importance of managing sweetpotato crop wild relatives (CWR). The chapter also considers the specific issues associated with sweetpotato germplasm, as well as the application of next-generation sequencing to sweetpotato and its CWR.

The second chapter reviews the development and application of genetic transformation and trait improvement to sweetpotato, including the development of sweetpotato plants which are resistant to disease and abiotic stress, and sweetpotatoes with improved starch quality and higher anthocyanin content.

The final chapter examines the nutritional contribution made by OFSP (orange-fleshed sweetpotato) in poor rural communities in Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso; sustainable breeding and seed systems; and effective commercialisation and marketing to benefit the communities concerned. This chapter includes detailed case studies from Ghana and Malawi.

This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on managing bacterial diseases of poultry.

The first chapter provides a brief overview of Campylobacter in poultry production and the routes of transmission from bird to human. It considers current and future challenges in controlling Campylobacter, as well as the control measures implemented to reduce the occurrence of infection in poultry flocks.

The second chapter discusses economically-important enteric diseases and disorders of poultry. The chapter highlights the aetiology of these diseases and explores more sustainable alternatives to promote gastrointestinal health, such as plant-derived extracts, organic acids, prebiotics and probiotics.

The third chapter provides an overview of best practices to manage disease outbreaks in poultry. It reviews current disease preventative measures, health monitoring procedures, as well as disease investigation techniques.

The fourth chapter reviews the emergence and re-emergence of several infectious pathogens in poultry production and the consequent need to improve current biosecurity measures in poultry flocks to ensure optimal animal health and welfare.

The final chapter considers the main alternatives to antibiotics in preventing zoonoses and other major pathogens in poultry. The chapter reviews the sector’s use of prebiotics and related compounds, as well as the beneficial effects of their use.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on proximal sensors in agriculture.

The first chapter addresses the use of proximal sensors to evaluate crop health and performance throughout the growing season. The chapter reviews the evolution of crop sensors, as well as the issues and limitations facing further development, including the need to develop sensors equipped with the ability to detect stresses other than nitrogen.

The second chapter reviews recent advances in using proximal sensors to detect crop health status in horticultural crops. The chapter considers the application of sensors to detect micro-environmental parameters linked to pathogen lifecycles which can then be utilised to predict disease risk.

The third chapter reviews advances in using proximal spectroscopic sensors to assess soil health. It assesses principles and technologies, key properties measured, advantages and disadvantages together with applications in improving soil management.

The final chapter discusses advances in the use of proximal sensor fusion and multi-sensor platforms for improved crop management. The chapter considers the combination of remote sensing from satellites and weather station data as the basis for crop growth models and explores the benefits of utilising a selection of tools to investigate yield prediction.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on supporting cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa.

The first chapter reviews how research and development can support smallholder wheat farmers through improving access to resources and services. The chapter considers current obstacles faced by smallholder farmers, including biophysical limitations such as climatic issues, as well as socio-economic limitations such as land availability.

The second chapter assesses the importance of increasing the adoption rate of improved maize technologies within smallholder farming households across Africa. The chapter discusses the economic and institutional barriers inhibiting adoption, as well as farmer attitudes to innovation.

The third chapter describes the effect of poor soil fertility, drought and weeds on maize yields in West Africa. The chapter considers strategies for mitigating these constraints, including nutrient management using fertilizers, weed management and resistant varieties of maize.

The final chapter discusses phosphorus scarcity in areas of West Africa and details the need to improve sorghum breeding to enhance the crop’s tolerance to low-phosphorus soil conditions.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on developing forestry products.

The first chapter discusses trade-offs between timber products from plantation forests and the need to protect ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration. It reviews ways of innovating business practices, the use of solid wood, reconstituted products and woody biomass as products.

The second chapter explores hardwood tree management within agroforestry systems for the production of veneer and high-quality sawlogs. It reviews how to optimise production in alley cropping, riparian buffers and silvopasture systems.

The third chapter assesses the range of non-timber forest products from tropical forests. These include non-wood fiber resources, including bamboo, rattan and agricultural biomass. These can be used to replace traditional wood fibers in both building and non-structural applications.

The fourth chapter focusses on new processes and applications of forestry products. It discusses cellulose pulp conversion into cellulosic nanomaterials, hydrolysis of hemicelluloses from wood to produce sugars for use in the food industry, as well as extraction of polyphenols from bark for nutraceuticals.

The final chapter reviews alley cropping practices to produce overstory nut crops. It discusses genetic improvement of nut trees, orchard design and management as well as pest management in nut tree alley cropping.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on improving crop disease management.

The first chapter reviews strategies for limiting foliar disease development in wheat and barley crops, such as crop rotations, intercropping, gene deployment and conservation tillage. It explores the effectiveness of each strategy against particular foliar diseases, as well as how these strategies can be deployed to reduce inoculum sources for residue-borne cereal leaf diseases.

The second chapter considers the use of integrated disease management (IDM) to prevent or reduce yield loss in wheat. The chapter reviews the tactics/tools used in IDM, such as scouting, disease identification and chemical control, and explores how these tactics can be implemented to maximise the effectiveness of managing diseases in wheat.

The third chapter assesses how IDM can be applied to barley production and considers the different disease threats, the tools available and possible approaches to deploying them. It also reviews the role of agronomy and how it can be used to optimise these tools.

The final chapter reviews the use of IDM in grain legume production and explores the deployment of traditional strategies, such as field and crop management, as well as advanced monitoring methods, modelling and molecular methods to control disease outbreaks in grain legumes.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on restoring degraded forests.

The first chapter reviews the restoration of tropical forests, focusing specifically on forest landscape restoration (FLR). It addresses the importance of implementing FLR and provides two detailed case studies to demonstrate this. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities in taking FLR forwards.

The second chapter considers the importance of exploiting the genetics of tropical tree species for the restoration of tropical forests. The chapter identifies and reviews the available methods to measure genetic diversity and suitability for future plantation establishment, including field trials and molecular markers.

The third chapter provides an overview of ecosystem services delivered by tropical agroforestry systems (AFS). The chapter reviews practical approaches for trade-off analysis between ecosystem services and plant biodiversity for better design (or redesign), as well as the sustainable management of AFS.

The final chapter discusses how measuring, monitoring and managing the environmental impact of plantation operations are key components in sustainable palm oil production. The chapter examines the operational impacts of oil palm cultivation on biodiversity, as well as how oil palm production can be balanced to ensure forest conservation.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on sustainable forest management.

The first chapter discusses the varying definitions of sustainable forest management (SFM) in tropical landscapes, as well as the trade-offs associated with SFM. The chapter also reviews the spatial scales of assessing SFM and explores expanding the scope of SFM from individual strands to forested landscapes.

The second chapter provides a comprehensive review of the current research undertaken in sustainable forestry. It considers the concept and evolution of sustainable forestry and the challenges which arise as a result of implementing SFM practices.

The third chapter reviews the role and impact of forest certification schemes in the achievement of SFM. The chapter summarises the wealth of research available on the development of forest certification and how individual elements can be optimised to further improve the model.

The fourth chapter discusses the recent history and implementation challenges of SFM across the Congo Basin, including logging concessions, land zones and the processes and institutions required to implement effective SFM policies.

The final chapter analyses the potential trade-offs between ecosystem services and biodiversity in the southern Patagonian forests. The chapter explores the implementation of SFM as a strategy to mitigate these trade-offs at a landscape level.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on infertility and other reproductive disorders in dairy cattle.

The first chapter discusses the physiology of the main impediments to fertility and management issues that need to be addressed to ensure good fertility of dairy cows. The chapter focusses on parturition and uterine health, the importance of the post-partum environment and the role of oestrus, as well as methods of establishing pregnancy and the effect of heat stress on cows’ fertility.

The second chapter considers recent developments in automated monitoring of livestock fertility and pregnancy, focussing on its implementation in dairy cattle production. The chapter explores the physiological basics of the reproductive cycle in dairy cattle and the use of artificial intelligence to monitor and report changes in animal behaviour.

The third chapter reviews progress in understanding the role of genetics in addressing the decline in fertility rates in dairy cattle. The chapter discusses strategies to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cattle, including the use of different breeds, measures of fertility and genomic data.

The final chapter reviews best practices to detect reproductive problems and limitations in dairy cattle. The chapter identifies key areas which are known to limit performance and provides strategies which can be implemented to optimise reproductive performance and maximise animal health.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on alternatives to antibiotics in pig production.

The first chapter provides a brief overview of antibiotic use in pig production and addresses the consequent development of antibiotic resistance. The chapter reviews recent advances in developing non-antibiotic means of controlling bacterial infections in swine, such as the use of phage therapy.

The second chapter considers the use of prebiotics to optimise gut function in pigs. The chapter summarises current knowledge on the effects of prebiotic oligosaccharides on porcine gut function and health, as well as the modes of action of the commonly used prebiotics in pig production.

The third chapter reviews advances in nutritional strategies to boost immune function in pigs, including the use of lipopolysaccharide to stimulate the immune system. The chapter considers the need to reduce the use of antimicrobials in swine diets and reviews the effect of dietary supplementation during key stages of a pig’s life to enhance immunity.

The final chapter reviews the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of the young pig and the important role it plays in the early stages of life. The chapter considers the use of probiotics and prebiotics in the post-weaning period of piglets to optimise gut function, animal health and performance.

This collection features three peer-reviewed literature reviews on pre- and probiotics in poultry production.

The first chapter summarises the safety and efficacy of individual monocultures for prophylactic and/or therapeutic efficacy against Salmonella infections in poultry under both laboratory and field conditions. The chapter also considers the development of novel, cost-effective, feed-stable, direct-fed microbials with potential for widespread utilisation and improved production, delivery and clinical efficacy for animal use.

The second chapter discusses the establishment of prebiotics as a series of feed compounds that serve as specific substrates for gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bacteria. The chapter reviews the impact of prebiotics on bird health, GIT function, and prevention of foodborne pathogen GIT colonization. Particular attention is drawn on the impact of prebiotics on the avian intestinal microbiome, cecal microbiome and the avian upper GIT.

The final chapter considers current concerns surrounding the application of probiotics in poultry production, primarily due to mixed experiences of their effectiveness and lack of knowledge regarding the scientific basis for their modes of action. In contrast, prebiotics have been readily accepted by the sector. This chapter summarises recent research on the effects of both types of treatment, their possible modes of action, as well as the strengths and limitations of their use.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on soil health indicators.

The first chapter describes indicators and frameworks for soil health currently in use. It evaluates the principles underpinning current approaches to monitoring soil quality/health and shows these principles have been applied in the development of a practical soil health toolkit for use by UK farmers.

The second chapter reviews the range of physical, chemical and biological indicators of soil health and how they can be used in practice. It focusses on measuring soil health in organic vegetable cultivation and, in particular, ways of measuring the effects of adding organic amendments to improve soil health.

The third chapter discusses key issues in soil organic carbon (SOM) modelling and the development of increasingly sophisticated, dynamic SOM models. It looks at the role of SOM models in improving soil health monitoring and developing decision support tools for farmers

The final chapter reviews current challenges in collecting more systematic and reliable data on earthworm communities, including issues in identifying different earthworm groups. It includes a case study on developing a robust method for accurate measurement of earthworm communities in soil in assessing and improving soil health.

This specially curated collection features six reviews of current and key research on genetic modification of crops.

The first chapter reviews key challenges facing banana production, primarily the risk of species decimation by diseases such as Fusarium wilt, and considers how genetic modification may be a solution to this.

The second chapter discusses the development and establishment of ‘Golden Rice’ - a biofortified variety designed as a health intervention to help alleviate the problem of vitamin A deficiency.

The third chapter details recent advances in the genetic modification of important agronomic traits of soybean crops, such as herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. The fourth chapter addresses progress in and prospects for transgenic interventions in the improvement of grain legumes, concentrating on chickpea, pigeonpea, cowpea and more.

The fifth chapter reviews recent research efforts in the production of genetically modified (GM) oil palm plants and looks towards establishing stable lines of commercially viable GM varieties.

The final chapter describes recent progress relating to transgenic modification of cassava and how future research can strengthen food security and commercialization of the crop.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on mastitis in dairy cattle.

The first chapter reviews the indicators of mastitis and the contagious and environmental pathogens which cause it. It then discusses how mastitis can be managed and controlled on dairy farms, including consideration of dry cow therapy and the use of antibiotics.

The second chapter examines the impact of clinical and subclinical mastitis in cows on milk quality, and provides a detailed account of indicators of mastitis. It describes the impact of mastitis on milk composition and quality, addressing its effect on the protein, fat, lactose and iron content of milk.

The third chapter reviews advances in dairy cattle breeding to improve resistance to mastitis. It includes sections on both conventional and new phenotypes for improving resistance to clinical mastitis and concludes with a section on increasing rates of genetic gain through genomic selection.

The final chapter considers recent research on the prevalence and development of antimicrobial resistance in mastitis pathogens. It shows how consistent diagnostic protocols and recording systems, attention to medical history, appropriate choice of antibiotics and control of treatment duration can all contribute to minimizing unnecessary use of antimicrobials and promoting effective treatment of mastitis.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on fusarium in cereal crops.

The first chapter describes how progress can be built over current agricultural practices in integrated pest management plans. It also addresses the disease cycle of Fusarium head blight, host–pathogen interactions, genetic resistance, the role of mycotoxins, as well as the impact of the disease on yields and loss of crop quality.

The second chapter reviews current research on the main fungal diseases affecting barley, as well as what we know about the mechanisms of barley genetic resistance to fungal pathogens. It features detailed discussions on biotrophic foliar diseases such as stem rust and powdery mildew and necrotrophic diseases such as spot blotch and Fusarium head blight.

The third chapter reviews control measures for Fusarium head blight, wheat blast and powdery mildew, including the development of resistant cultivars.

The final chapter considers the current status of global wheat production, the impact of crop loss on food security and the emergence of the current regulatory environment surrounding pesticides. It also features discussions on the current status of the global fungicide market.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on improving crop nutrient use efficiency.

The first chapter explores the relationship between rhizobacteria and plant roots, looking primarily at the recruitment of rhizobacteria by the plant to carry out particular functions, such as nutrient acquisition. The chapter highlights our current understanding of the molecular determinants of legume nodulation as well as challenges for improvements of biological nitrogen fixation in legumes and non-legumes.

The second chapter considers the rising use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in agriculture and its role in the shrinking contribution of soil organic N. The chapter explores the impact of the inefficient management of N (low nitrogen-use efficiency) and the consequent developments of major environmental issues, such as pollution to groundwater, oceans and the atmosphere.

The third chapter addresses key issues in using N fertilizers in wheat production, such as product cost and environmental impact. The chapter summarises the development of N-efficient cultivars and their economic benefits, as well as their role in reducing the environmental impact of excessive N fertilizer inputs, whilst maintaining respectable yields.

The final chapter considers the use of breeding techniques, including genetic variability, to develop more efficient wheat varieties with improved traits related to nitrogen capture, nitrogen assimilation and nitrogen remobilization.

Industrial agriculture is responsible for widespread environmental degradation and undermines the pursuit of human well-being. With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, it is urgent for humanity to achieve a more sustainable approach to farming and food systems.

This concise text offers an overview of the key issues in sustainable food production for all readers interested in the ecology and environmental impacts of agriculture. It details the ecological foundations of farming and food systems, showing how knowledge from the natural and social sciences can be used to create sustainable alternatives to the industrial production methods used today. Beginning with a discussion of the role of agriculture in human development, the primer examines how twentieth-century farming methods are environmentally and socially unsustainable, contributing to global change and perpetuating inequalities. The authors explain the principles of environmental sustainability and explore how these principles can be put into practice in agrifood systems. They emphasize the importance of human well-being and insist on the centrality of social and environmental equity and justice.

Sustainable Food Production is a compelling guide to how we can improve our ability to feed each other today and preserve the ability of our planet to do so tomorrow. Appropriate for a range of courses in the natural and social sciences, it provides a comprehensive yet accessible framework for achieving agricultural sustainability in the Anthropocene.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on ensuring animal welfare during transport and slaughter.

The first chapter examines the impact of transport on beef and dairy cattle, as well as the effects of transport on carcass quality issues, such as bruising and dark cutting beef. It details how conditions can be optimised to ensure the welfare needs of the animal are met during all stages of transport.

The second chapter reviews the legislation and codes of practice surrounding the transport and slaughter of cows to be culled as a result of disease or the development of health conditions such as lameness.

The third chapter considers the effects of transport, handling and slaughter practices on pigs as well as physiological effects on carcass and meat quality.

The fourth chapter explores current approaches used to stun poultry before slaughter, including electrical stunning and controlled atmosphere stunning. The chapter reviews the associated risks and benefits of each approach to overall bird health and welfare.

The final chapter reviews the main welfare issues associated with management of sheep once they leave the farm, including transport by road and sea, use of holding facilities as well as handling and stunning of sheep at abattoirs.

Winner of the Modern Language Association's Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies

Who speaks? The author as producer, the contingency of the text, intertextuality, the “device”—core ideas of modern literary theory—were all pioneered in the shadow of oral literature. Authorless, loosely dated, and variable, oral texts have always posed a challenge to critical interpretation. When it began to be thought that culturally significant texts—starting with Homer and the Bible—had emerged from an oral tradition, assumptions on how to read these texts were greatly perturbed. Through readings that range from ancient Greece, Rome, and China to the Cold War imaginary, The Ethnography of Rhythm situates the study of oral traditions in the contentious space of nineteenth- and twentieth-century thinking about language, mind, and culture. It also demonstrates the role of technologies in framing this category of poetic creation. By making possible a new understanding of Maussian “techniques of the body” as belonging to the domain of Derridean “arche-writing,” Haun Saussy shows how oral tradition is a means of inscription in its own right, rather than an antecedent made obsolete by the written word or other media and data-storage devices.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on bacterial diseases affecting pigs.

The first chapter summarises recent research on the causes and epidemiology of major bacteria, viruses and parasites found in pig production, focussing on those with a particular impact on safety and global production, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella typhimurium and African swine fever virus.

The second chapter discusses classical phenotypic characteristics and more advanced molecular techniques to identify and classify bacterial pathogens affecting swine health and performance. The chapter explores the different modes of transmission, as well as the commonly used measures for prevention and control, including vaccinations.

The third chapter reviews the development of dysbiosis and post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets and the consequent economic losses these diseases cause for the global pig industry. The chapter considers the role of animal nutrition and dietary strategies to optimise gut function as a means of preventing dysbiosis and PWD.

The final chapter assesses methods of improving gut function in pigs to optimise health and prevent pathogen colonization. The chapter discusses research on genes associated with pathogen resistance and porcine immune response and reviews the role of dietary and nutritional strategies in preventing intestinal pathogen colonisation.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a key technique in the medical imaging area, which allows to diagnose the organism functions and to track the tumor changes. In PET measurement the patient is injected with radiotracer, containing a large number of metastable atoms of radionuclide, that emmits positrons. As the result of positron annihilation, the two photons travelling off with nearly opposite directions are produced and registered by detection system positioned so that it surrounds the patient body. State-of-the-art PET scanners use scintillation crystals which are characterized by high detection efficiency of annihilation photons.

In this context, it is worth to mention that the Jagiellonian PET (J-PET) Collaboration developed a novel whole-body PET scanner based on plastic scintillators. They are much cheaper than crystal scintillators, which gives the opportunity to reduce the high cost of PET scanners and make them more affordable. However, plastic scintillators have much lower detection efficiency of gamma quanta compared to inorganic scintillation crystals. This can be compensated by increasing the scanner field of view and improving the time resolution in the measurement of the time of flight of gamma quanta. The J-PET scanner consists of plastic scintillator strips read out at both ends by a pair of photomultipliers and arranged axially around a cylindrical tomograph tunnel. The axial coordinate of the annihilation photon interaction point in the scintillator strip is derived from the difference of the light propagation time measured with the pair of photomultipliers.

The operational principles of the J-PET scanner are similar to conventional tomographs, except that the highly accurate time information is of paramount importance. Therefore, the J-PET scanner demands a preparation of novel methods on each step of the data processing. The goal of the work presented in this dissertation is a development of the signal and image processing algorithms taking into account uniqueness of the J-PET detector. The proposed methods include: signal recovery based on samples of a waveform registered on photomultiplier output, reconstruction of position and time of interaction of annihilation photon in the scintillator strip, classification of PET events types and image reconstruction that operates exclusively in the image space. Due to the dissimilarity from the conventional PET scanners, majority of the methods presented in this dissertation are innovative solutions in digital signal and image processing in tomography.

In Creating Community-Led and Self-Build Homes, Martin Field explores the ways in which people and communities across the UK have been striving to create the homes and neighbourhood communities they want.

Giving context to contemporary practices in the UK, the book examines ‘self-build housing’ and ‘community-led housing’, discussing the commonalities and distinctions between these in practice, and what could be learned from other initiatives across Europe.

Individual methods and models of local practice are explored - including cohousing, cooperatives, community land trusts, empty homes and other intentional communities - and an examination is made of what has constrained such initiatives to date and how future policies and practice might be shaped.

“The book oozes with bee facts and trivia….Bees do make good pets and this book is a gentle introduction to the world of backyard bee keeping.” —Patsy Bell Hobson, writer and master gardener emeritus

#1 New Release in Entomology and Insects & Spiders

What happens when a writer sets up a backyard beehive? You get a beekeeping book full of fun and fascinating facts about honey bees and our other favorite pollinators.

A nature guide book for beekeeping beginners. Full of trivia, tips, legends, and lore—this quirky bee book swarms with interesting information, so you can have fun, learn stuff, grow your farm, or just relax. Writer and beekeeper Jack Mingo lives with half a million bees, and has picked up a thing or two at his bee farm. In this collection of humorous and often unusual observations, Mingo shows us a glimpse of the mystical and matriarchal world of bees.

The save the bees sign you’ve been looking for. How many legs do bees have? Enough not to crowd your bed at night. They don't track mud or bugs into your house, and they won’t bark and whine. They even greet you with raw honey and beeswax. And these are just some of the reasons bees make the best pets of all. Whether you’re a beekeeping beginner, looking to save the bees, or interested in fun nature facts about bugs and insects, there’s something here for every nature lover.

Step into Mingo’s hive for tidbits like:

• Fun and interesting tips and tricks for beekeeping beginners
• Knowledge about the color, quality, and benefits of local honey
• The history and legendary stories of bees, like the role they played in the Civil War and the Legend of the Caroling Bees

If you liked Beekeeping for Dummies, The Beekeeper’s Handbook, or Beekeeping for Beginners, you’ll love Bees Make the Best Pets.

Small farmers are often viewed as engaging in wasteful practices that wreak ecological havoc. Exploring Agrodiversity sets the record straight: Small farmers are in fact ingenious and inventive and engage in a diverse range of land-management strategies, many of them resourcefully geared toward conserving resources, especially soil. They have shown considerable resilience in the face of major onslaughts against their way of life by outsiders and government.

Using case studies from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, this book provides in-depth analysis of agricultural diversity and explores its history. The book also considers the effect of the "gene revolution" on small farmers and reviews the effects of the "green revolution" in Asian countries. In conclusion, it questions whether the diverse agricultural practices employed by small farmers can survive modern pressures and the global ambitions of the biotechnology industry.

What History’s Greatest Science and Technology Breakthroughs Teach Us About Future Technology

"Dagogo has the uncanny ability to take fascinating topics and somehow make them even more interesting.” –Adam Sinicki, author and founder of The Bioneer

#1 Best Seller in Cold Fusion Programming, General Technology & Reference, and Business & Management Technology History

Embark on an exhilarating journey through the hidden history of technology and innovation and get a glimpse of our future.

Discover the hidden history of technology and its profound impact on our present and future. This captivating book uncovers the stories behind pivotal moments in technology, offering insights into the future of globalized technology and the limitless potential of human ingenuity. Embark on an eye-opening exploration of history's greatest technological breakthroughs, including the captivating stories behind the steam engine revolution, Nikola Tesla's electrifying world, and the birth of the internet and artificial intelligence. A great gift for men and for those looking for dad gift ideas.

Gain new understanding of the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. Delve into the remarkable accounts of visionary men and women who defied norms and reshaped our world. From the audacious thinkers who propelled us into the age of superintelligence to the pioneers who revolutionized medicine and engineering, ColdFusion Presents: New Thinking showcases the power of innovation.

Inside you’ll:

• Uncover the captivating stories behind history's greatest technological breakthroughs
• Gain insights into the driving forces and motivations of the brilliant minds who shaped our world through innovation
• Explore hidden technology history and its profound impact on our present and future

If you enjoyed books like The Innovators, Sapiens, or The Code Book, you'll love ColdFusion Presents: New Thinking.

Humanitarian workers around the world struggle under dangerous conditions. Yet many do not have the technological tools readily available elsewhere to help them realize their mission to provide essential services and save lives.

This book, the fruit of a historic conference, is a practical guide to current technologies that can help relief and humanitarian aid workers succeed. Designed to facilitate needed technology transfer to the humanitarian sector, the essays focus on areas where technology is underused and predict where new technological advances may be applied to relief efforts.

The essays cover essential areas: communications technology and infrastructure support and security. They describe how such technologies as personal identification and tagging systems, software radios, wireless networks, and computer-aided language translation can promote safety and manage large groups of people. Other essays outline new technological solutions to such challenges as mine removal, water purification, and energy generation.

The contributors are: Kevin M. Cahill, Frank Fernandez, C. Kumar Patel, Paul J. Kolodzy, Joseph Mitola III, Victor Zue, Jaime G. Carbonell, Stephen Squires, Joseph V. Braddock, Arthur L. Lerner-Lam, Ralph James, William L. Warren, and Regina E. Dugan.

Launched in 1942, the Manhattan Project was a well-funded, secret effort by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada to develop an atomic bomb before the Nazis. The results—the bombs named "Little Boy" and "Fat Man"—were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945.

A vast state within a state, the Manhattan Project employed 130,000 people and cost the United States and its allies 2 billion dollars, but its contribution to science as a prestigious investment was invaluable. After the bombs were dropped, states began allocating unprecedented funds for scientific research, leading to the establishment of many of twentieth century's major research institutions. Yet the union of science, industry, and the military did not start with the development of the atomic bomb; World War II only deepened the relationship. This absorbing history revisits the interactions among science, the national interest, and public and private funding that was initiated in World War I and flourished in WWII. It then follows the Manhattan Project from inception to dissolution, describing the primary influences that helped execute the world's first successful plan for nuclear research and tracing the lineages of modern national nuclear agencies back to their source.

What if the terms "technology" and "the body" did not refer to distinct phenomena interacting in one way or another? What if we understood their relationship as far more intimate – technologies as always already embodied, material bodies as always already technologized? What would it mean, then, to understand the relationship between technology and the body as a relation of indeterminacy?
Expanding on the concept of the apparatus of bodily production in the work of Donna Haraway and Karen Barad, Josef Barla explores how material bodies along with their boundaries, properties, and meanings performatively materialize at sites where technological, biological, technoscientific, (bio-)political, and economic forces intra-act.

Living sustainably is not just about preserving the wilderness or keeping nature pristine. The transition to a green economy depends on cities. For the first time in human history, the majority of the people on the planet live in urban areas. If we are to avert climate catastrophe, we will need our cities to coexist with nature without destroying it. Many places are already investing in the infrastructure of the future—including renewable energy, energy efficiency, mass and personal transit, and advanced sewage and waste management—but the modern city still has a long way to go.

In The Sustainable City, Steven Cohen provides a broad and engaging overview of the urban systems of the twenty-first century, surveying policies and projects already under way in cities around the world and pointing to more ways progress can be made. Cohen discusses the sustainable city from an organizational-management and public-policy perspective that emphasizes the local level, looking at case studies of existing legislation, programs, and public-private partnerships that strive to align modern urban life and sustainability. From waste management in Beijing to energy infrastructure in Africa to public space in Washington, D.C., there are concrete examples of what we can do right now. Cohen synthesizes the disparate strands of sustainable city planning in an approachable and applicable guide that highlights how these issues touch our lives on a daily basis, whether the transportation we take, where our energy comes from, or what becomes of our food waste. Providing recommendations and insights with immediacy and relevance, this book has invaluable lessons for anyone seeking to link public policy to promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

It’s a contraption that makes the lists of “Greatest Inventions Ever”; at the same time, it’s accused of causing global disaster. It has changed everything from architecture to people’s food habits to their voting patterns, to even the way big business washes its windows. It has saved countless lives . . . while causing countless deaths. Most of us are glad it’s there. But we don’t know how, or when, it got there.

It’s air conditioning.

For thousands of years, humankind attempted to do something about the slow torture of hot weather. Everything was tried: water power, slave power, electric power, ice made from steam engines and cold air made from deadly chemicals, “zephyrifers,” refrigerated beds, ventilation amateurs and professional air-sniffers. It wasn’t until 1902 when an engineer barely out of college developed the “Apparatus for Treating Air”—a machine that could actually cool the indoors—and everyone assumed it would instantly change the world.

That wasn’t the case. There was a time when people “ignored” hot weather while reading each day’s list of heat-related deaths, women wore furs in the summertime, heatstroke victims were treated with bloodletting . . . and the notion of a machine to cool the air was considered preposterous, even sinful.

The story of air conditioning is actually two stories: the struggle to perfect a cooling device, and the effort to convince people that they actually needed such a thing. With a cast of characters ranging from Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Nixon to Felix the Cat, Cool showcases the myriad reactions to air conditioning— some of them dramatic, many others comical and wonderfully inconsistent—as it was developed and presented to the world. Here is a unique perspective on air conditioning’s fascinating history: how we rely so completely on it today, and how it might change radically tomorrow.

Map Worlds plots a journey of discovery through the world of women map-makers from the golden age of cartography in the sixteenth-century Low Countries to tactile maps in contemporary Brazil.

Author Will C. van den Hoonaard examines the history of women in the profession, sets out the situation of women in technical fields and cartography-related organizations, and outlines the challenges they face in their careers. Map Worlds explores women as colourists in early times, describes the major houses of cartographic production, and delves into the economic function of intermarriages among cartographic houses and families. It relates how in later centuries, working from the margins, women produced maps to record painful tribal memories or sought to remedy social injustices. Much later, one woman so changed the way we think about continents that the shift has been likened to the Copernican revolution. Other women created order and wonder about the lunar landscape, and still others turned the art and science of making maps inside out, exposing the hidden, unconscious, and subliminal “text” of maps. Shared by all these map-makers are themes of social justice and making maps work for the betterment of humanity.

All over the world, and with a great emphasis in the business area, there is a growing recognition that innovation plays a key role. In a world characterized by high levels of competition, uncertain environments, expanding markets, financial constraints, among others, the probability of success is deeply determined by innovation. Only flexible, dynamic, and innovative organizations can survive in a world characterized by continuous challenges and changes. Innovation Management in Research and Industry covers innovation management issues with a special emphasis on the field of research and industry. Gathering contributions that are exceptional in terms of theory, evidence, and/or methodology and that significantly advance social scientific research on innovation management in research and industry, this book is designed to increase the knowledge and effectiveness of all those, practitioners and academics, which are concerned with these issues, both in the profit or non-profit sectors, or in the public or private sectors. In sum, this book can be used for academics, researchers, managers, engineers, under and pos graduate students, and other professionals in related matters with management and innovation.

1) Highlight the importance of organizational flexibility and continuous learning to keep up with technological and market changes.

2) Explore how an organizational environment that fosters creativity and experimentation can drive sustainable innovation.

3) Emphasize the role of new technologies (AI, IoT, Big Data) as catalysts for innovation and competitive differentiation.

In Zeiten leistungsfähiger KI-Systeme wie der GPT ist Value-based Engineering dringend erforderlich. Dabei handelt es sich um einen neuen transdisziplinären IT-Innovations- und Engineering-Ansatz, der die menschlichen Werte und die gesellschaftlichen Folgen von IT-Systemen bereits bei der Planung und in frühen Entwicklungsphasen berücksichtigt. Das Buch erzählt die Geschichte, warum wir Technologie für die Menschheit mehr denn je brauchen und welchen Prinzipien wir bei ihrer Entwicklung folgen sollten. Konkret ist es ein Leitfaden dafür, wie genau Unternehmen ihre Innovationsbemühungen verfolgen sollten, mit einem Epilog darüber, wie sich dies von aufstrebender Science-Fiction unterscheidet. Der in diesem Buch mit konkreten Fallstudien, Formularen und über 90 Abbildungen dargestellte Ansatz des Value-based Engineering wurde von über 100 Experten aus der ganzen Welt im Rahmen eines Projekts namens IEEE P7000 TM entwickelt und überarbeitet.

https://www.value-based-engineering.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrLvHXQKvx17-PbWaYJzEQQ

Biotechnological advances sparked a food revolution with new ideas for a sustainable food future. The book embodies all microbial and food biotechnology related topics, and current, emerging, and future technologies for food fortification, safety and security. It critically assesses the use of emerging trends in biotechnology to develop disease resistant raw foods and products, enhance food and food products nutritional profiles, and reduce negative effects of animal nutrition. It explains the influence of genetic variations in foods, and the varied responses to diet, nutrients, and overall health outcomes. The use of fermentation technologies to create innovative and sustainable food products with novel organoleptic attributes, and the conversion of food waste into useful products are discussed. The book also covers genetic modification methods to reduce or eliminate food allergens, and blockchain technologies that enable transparency and food security along the food supply chains.

• Emerging technologies in food processing, biotechnology and microbiology.
• Functional foods, nutrigenomics, gene editing and personalized nutrition based on individual genomes.
• Food informatics, supply, safety, waste, packaging and bioeconomy.

A handy resource on the fundamental facts about engineering for both engineers and non-engineers alike, whether you are exploring engineering for the first time, already have a strong background, or fall anywhere in between.

Engineering impacts every aspect of our lives. Bridges, buildings, buses, electrical grids, computers, televisions, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and virtually any everyday household item needs to be engineered to function properly. Fundamentally, engineering is about identifying a need and developing solutions that meet that need. Throughout history, engineering ideas and innovative feats have provided solutions to many challenges faced by civilizations. From the Great Wall of China to NASA's space program, The Handy Engineering Answer Book covers the history of the field, details the lives of key figures, introduces the tools engineers use to solve problems, and provides fun facts and answers to a thousand important and interesting questions, such as …

• What is the difference between science and engineering?
• What do engineers do?
• What are some famous engineering mistakes or failures?
• What is reverse engineering?
• What is a prototype?
• What types of jobs do electrical engineers do?
• How does a car battery work?
• What are the major job responsibilities of a HVAC engineer?
• What is a Powertrain?
• What is Bernoulli’s principle?
• What are the Laws of Thermodynamics?
• What’s the difference between 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines?
• What is stress and strain?
• What is the difference between torque and power?
• What is automation?
• What is quality assurance?
• What is meant by outsourcing?
• What are the responsibilities of a construction manager?
• What are the types of road construction that are both durable and cost-effective?
• Which materials are used to build a cruise ship?
• What are some design elements that help structures withstand earthquakes?
• How does a civil engineer design water slides for theme parks?
• Who was W. Edwards Deming?
• What is ergonomics?
• What is biomedical engineering?
• Who is Grace Hopper?
• What is debugging?
• What is the difference between a web developer and a website designer?
• Was Leonardo da Vinci an aerospace engineer?
• Where do chemical engineers work?
• How much energy does the world use?
• What are the major challenges addressed by environmental engineers?
• What is humanitarian engineering?
• What is acoustical engineering?
• What are the required skills for fire engineers?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology?

With more than 140 photos and graphics, this fascinating tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. Whether using science and math or building prototypes for testing or the development of various subdisciplines, The Handy Engineering Answer Book looks at how fundamental engineering is to modern life and society!

Soft Robotics is a growing field in Robotics that spans disciplines to solve challenges in unique environments, such as operation near the human body. The book takes a practical approach to teaching soft robotics by introducing fundamental concepts and experimental guides for a learn-by-doing approach. It covers molecular origin of elasticity, processing and fabrication, bulk properties and practical use for a stretchable robot.

Didaktisch geschickt und leicht verständlich vermittelt das 3-bändige Lehrbuch die Technische Mechanik. In Band 3 werden die Themen wie Hydromechanik, Kontinuumsschwingungen und wesentliche Prinzipien der Mechanik anregend erläutert und mithilfe zahlreicher origineller Zeichnungen verdeutlicht.

Band 1: Statik und Festigkeitslehre.

Band 2: Kinematik und Kinetik.

Didaktisch geschickt und leicht verständlich vermittelt das 3-bändige Lehrbuch die Technische Mechanik. In Band 1 werden die Themen wie Statik, Schwerpunkt, Spannungszustand, Torsion u.w. anregend erläutert und mithilfe zahlreicher origineller Zeichnungen verdeutlicht.

Band 2: Kinematik und Kinetik.

Band 3: Hydromechanik und Prinzipien der Mechanik.

Didaktisch geschickt und leicht verständlich vermittelt das 3-bändige Lehrbuch die Technische Mechanik. In Band 2 werden die Themen wie Kinetik, gedämpfte/ungedämpfte Schwingungen, Stoß u.w. anregend erläutert und mithilfe zahlreicher origineller Zeichnungen verdeutlicht.

Band 1: Statik und Festigkeitslehre.

Band 3: Hydromechanik und Prinzipien der Mechanik.

Since the 21st century, national aerospace industry has developed rapidly with an explosive increase in satellites. To coordinate the in-orbit satellites and their management resources for better social, economic, and military applications, the satellite task scheduling is required. As the satellite management and application manners change over the years, cross-agency and cross-model have become the new normal, and the integration and quick-response have become the new requirements. Under such circumstances, the one satellite, one system shortcoming in system development and application occurs, while those systems that differ in agencies, modes, and types cannot accommodate each other; hence, the generality of satellite scheduling models and algorithm must be strengthened. To address the one satellite, one system shortcoming, the cooperative, flexible, efficient applications, and the monopoly of the U.S. STK/Scheduler, a Satellite Task Scheduling Engine that contains general-purpose modeling and optimization methods is studied in this book.

Estas son algunas de las preguntas a las que responde este extraordinario libro sobre la manera en que las criaturas del mundo natural y los humanos hemos desafiado la gravedad a lo largo de la historia.

En nuestro deseo de imitar a los pájaros, hemos creado aparatos tan singulares como el globo aerostático o el avión, e incluso hemos logrado alcanzar el espacio. Por su parte, algunos animales han desarrollado las alas, mientras que determinadas especies las han perdido. Si a esto le sumamos invenciones como la alfombra mágica, Pegaso o Harry Potter, no cabe duda de que son innumerables las alusiones que demuestran que el arte de volar siempre nos ha fascinado.

Un asombroso ensayo que revela las distintas formas de vuelo presentes en disciplinas tan complejas como la biología,  la física,  la literatura, el arte y la mitología.

«Ciencia e imaginación toman vuelo en esta obra dedicada a los habitantes de los cielos.»
The Wall Street Journal

Für alle, die fasziniert vom Fliegen sind und ein tieferes Verständnis dafür entwickeln wollen, wie Vögel und Modellflugzeuge ihre Kreise in der Luft ziehen. Anschaulich und unterhaltsam führt der Autor in die komplexen Sachverhalte von Wirbel, Zirkulation und Auftrieb ein. Verständlich und begreifbar durch zahlreiche Diagramme und Videos. Es gelingt dem Autor die dem dynamischen Auftrieb zugrunde liegenden Gesetzmäßigkeiten besonders anschaulich darzustellen.

Ein Buch aus der Ausbildungspraxis der Mediengestalter Bild und Ton für Ausbildung und Prüfungsvorbereitung. Fundiertes Wissen und Praxisbezug gehen hier Hand in Hand. In 10 Kapiteln wird nahezu alles vermittelt, was ein angehender Mediengestalter für die Abschlussprüfung in Tontechnik wissen muss. Ein Kapitel mit prüfungsnahen Übungsklausuren und ausführlichem Lösungsteil bietet die Möglichkeit, sich fundiert auf die Prüfung vorzubereiten.

Dieses Buch behandelt die begrifflichen und sachlichen Grundlagen der Flugnavigation sowie die mathematisch-geometrischen Zusammenhänge mit zahlreichen Berechnungsbeispielen. Wegen des engen Bezugs zur Kartographie, welche die benötigten raum- und sachbezogenen Informationen für die thematischen Karten und Navigationsdatenbanken bereitstellt, sind die theoretischen Aspekte sowie der praktische Gebrauch und die Interpretation moderner Navigationskarten inhaltlicher Schwerpunkt.

Weiterer Schwerpunkt ist die leistungsbasierte Navigation, wie diese in der heutigen Luftfahrtpraxis mithilfe integrierter bordseitiger Navigationssysteme in Verbindung mit den Ab- und Anflugverfahren realisiert wird. Hierbei werden Funk-, Trägheits- und Satellitennavigation kombiniert. Mithin widmet sich dieses Buch den Letzteren in einer angemessenen Detailtiefe sowie der Architektur der Bordsysteme am Beispiel der weltweit verbreiteten Airbus A320-Flugzeugfamilie. Des Weiteren werden relevante Aspekte der Flugsicherung einbezogen.

Zielgruppe sind alljene, die ihre Ausbildung zum Piloten oder Fluglotsen mit einem Studium im Bereich der Luftfahrt kombinieren, Verfahrensplanende bei der Flugsicherung, Studierende des Verkehrsingenieurwesens oder der Geowissenschaften und alle, die sich für Navigationskarten und -systeme sowie die damit verbundenen aktuellen Technologien begeistern.

• Die vorliegende zweite Auflage ist gleichermaßen geeignet für Neueinsteiger und Fortgeschrittene, die Praxisbeispiele verhelfen zum „Ankommen".
• Zahlreiche hochwertige Abbildungen fördern die Anschaulichkeit, großer Wert wird auf Allgemeinverständlichkeit gelegt bei dennoch mathematischer Fundierung.
• Das Buchkonzept mit dem Schwerpunkt auf aktueller Thematik bindet die traditionellen Navigationssysteme jedoch soweit ein, dass die Leserinnen und Leser Kenntnisse erwerben, welche ihnen dazu verhelfen, oben genannte Systeme als alleinige Navigationsmittel anwenden zu können.

Auch werden die vom Luftfahrtbundesamt für die Ausbildung zum Verkehrsflugzeugführer im Fach Navigation geforderten Inhalte im Wesentlichen abgedeckt.

Biopharmaceuticals, medicines made by or from living organisms (including cells from living organisms), are extremely effective in treating a broad range of diseases. Their importance to human health has grown significantly over the years as more biopharmaceutical products have entered the market, and now the biggest selling drugs in the world are biopharmaceuticals. Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing: Principles, Processes and Practices provides concise, comprehensive, and up-to-date coverage of biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Written in a clear and informal style, the content has been influenced by the authors’ substantial industry experience and teaching expertise. That expertise enables the authors to address the many questions posed over the years both by university students and professionals with experience in the field. Consequently, the book will appeal both to undergraduate or graduate students using it as a textbook and specialized industry practitioners seeking to understand the big picture of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Chemistry of High-Energy Materials continues in this new and revised 7th edition to provide fundamental scientific insights into primary and secondary explosives, propellants, rocket fuels and pyrotechnics. It expands with new research developments, including machine learning, new programs (e.g., RoseBoom), the production of propellants, supply of energetic materials in times of war, and flow chemistry. This work is of interest to advanced students in chemistry, materials science and engineering, as well as to all those working in military and defense technology.

Quantitative tools are becoming increasingly important in order to understand complex cascade of signal transduction events, pathways or biochemical reactions. The book showcases how computational techniques and algorithms are applied to biological data analysis, interpretation, and modelling. It covers applications in drug design and discovery, immune systems, phylogenetic analysis and protein structures.

This book discusses the effects of prolonged hypoventilation, or a pulmonary condition on hypoxia, and hypercapnia, its effect on the formation of some joint diseases, and the types of natural medicine used in the treatment of each joint disease.

You will also find methods used to calculate thermodynamic parameters. You can also learn optimized structures for these chemical compounds. The book includes a listing of the thermodynamic table for literature values for standard enthalpy of formation, and C-H and O-H Bond dissociation energizes energies for some chemical compounds; simple multi-fluorinated organic alcohols.

A slow and consistent study of the approaches for drug design can help the foundation for a good scientific intuition. This edition includes over 30 new illustrations, numerous new mechanistic schemes and enhanced original figures. In addition, the use of color makes its study more pleasant and impressive.

The Second Edition has been thoroughly revised with a modern look. The chapters on QSAR and Drug Metabolism have been extended, emphasizing concepts, such as the hyperconjugative effect or the anomeric effect, in which the student normally finds it difficult to understand. Stereoelectronic effects are essential to explain the mechanism of action of drugs and therefore, its agile and intuitive handling will allow the student access to both chemical and biological mechanisms, in a more rational way. The text is illustrated with hundreds of formulas and many tables that facilitate the understanding of this interesting discipline, which is halfway between Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology. This Volume is aimed at building basis principles on drug design and it is likely to be of interest to students reading, pharmacy, pharmacology, and pharmaceutical chemistry.

This book emphasizes general principles of drug design and drug action from an organic chemical perspective, rather than from the overview of specific classes of drugs, allowing the reader to extrapolate information to many related classes of drug molecules. This volume presents an organic chemistry’s perspective of how drug are designed and assuming no prior knowledge of biochemistry, and pharmacology. It is written in an informal, clear style so that undergraduates can easily understand the concepts presented.

ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics is a concise, practical guide to the key concepts and latest developments in the field of soil mechanics. It explores the physical properties of soils and the behaviour of soil masses subjected to loads, as well as soil phases, classification and characteristics, stresses and fluid flow, consolidation, compressibility and compaction, shear strength, lateral earth pressure, slope stability and bearing capacity. These core principles can be applied to soil-like materials, such as coal ashes and mine tailings, and are explored using real-life scenarios and worked examples. Key features include real-life case studies and worked examples, easily digestible topic summaries, over 100 explanatory diagrams, and suggestions for further reading.

Revised and updated, this new edition features

• a new chapter covering a range of special topics, including expansive soil, thermal and electrical properties of soil, reinforced soil and soil liquefaction
• updates to existing chapters include sustainability considerations, some advanced topics, and recent developments in soil mechanics
• updated and additional multiple-choice questions, and numerical/conceptual problems.

ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics provides broad coverage of soil mechanics in a concise and accessible format, and is ideal for students, practising engineers and other related professionals who require a concise introduction to this subject. Together, ICE Core Concepts: Soil Mechanics and ICE Core Concepts: Geotechnical Engineering provide a comprehensive introduction to geotechnical engineering.