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The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life: Principles and Practical Considerations
by Arthur N. Popper Joseph A. Sisneros Anthony D. Hawkins Frank ThomsenIn this landmark new work, the major authorities in the field from around the world present a wealth of research data, coverage of regulatory issues, and thinking about the effects of man-made noise on marine mammals, turtles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates. The various themes of the book were chosen to cover the wide range of basic and cutting edge information on this topic. They include the hearing abilities of aquatic animals; communication by means of underwater sound; the description of aquatic soundscapes; different sound sources and their characteristics; the effects of sound on behavior; and assessing, mitigating, and monitoring the effects of aquatic noise. Emphasis is on the cross-fertilization of ideas and findings across species and noise sources. With over 140 contributions from leading researchers, the sources of underwater sound and their effects are discussed in detail.
The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life II
by Arthur N. Popper Anthony HawkinsThe meeting of Aquatic Noise 2013 will introduce participants to the most recent research data, regulatory issues and thinking about effects of man-made noise and will foster critical cross-disciplinary discussion between the participants. Emphasis will be on the cross-fertilization of ideas and findings across species and noise sources. As with its predecessor, The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life: 3rd International Conference will encourage discussion of the impact of underwater sound, its regulation and mitigation of its effects. With over 100 contributions from leading researchers, a wide range of sources of underwater sound will be considered.
Effects of Non-locality in Gravity and Quantum Theory (Springer Theses)
by Jens BoosThis thesis is devoted to the systematic study of non-local theories that respect Lorentz invariance and are devoid of new, unphysical degrees of freedom. Such theories are attractive for phenomenological applications since they are mostly unconstrained by current experiments. Non-locality has played an increasingly important role in the physics of the last decades, appearing in effective actions in quantum field theory, and arising naturally in string theory and non-commutative geometry. It may even be a necessary ingredient for quantum theories of gravity. It is a feature of quantum entanglement, and may even solve the long-standing black hole information loss problem. “Non-locality” is a broad concept with many promising and fruitful applications in theoretical and mathematical physics. After a historical and pedagogical introduction into the concept of non-locality the author develops the notion of non-local Green functions to study various non-local weak-field problems in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, gravity, and quantum field theory in curved spacetime. This thesis fills a gap in the literature by providing a self-contained exploration of weak-field effects in non-local theories, thereby establishing a “non-local intuition” which may serve as a stepping stone for studies of the full, non-linear problem of non-locality.
Effects of Opera Music from Brain to Body: A Matter of Wellbeing (Neurocultural Health and Wellbeing)
by Lorenzo Lorusso Michele Augusto Riva Vittorio Alessandro SironiThis book explores the connection between melodrama and medicine from multiple perspectives. Neuroscientists study the relationship between opera and brain functioning in the light of new findings in the fields of neurophysiology, neuroimaging, cognitive science and neuro-musicology; clinicians investigate the therapeutic potential of music, especially in the field of treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases; medical historians analyse the representation of diseases and those who cure diseases within operas; occupational doctors report descriptions of diseases that affect workers in the opera world and particularly focus on psychiatric and psychological alterations. Opera, with its instrumental and vocal accompaniment, is considered the most complete form of theatrical performance. However, little is known about the mechanisms of brain activity under the influence of melodrama on singers, musicians, and listeners. The use of neuroimaging techniques has enabled a better understanding of the neuronal mechanisms and circuits involved during an opera performance. Over the past 20 years, melodrama has increasingly been used as a therapeutic approach in various neurological and neuropsychiatric pathologies, such as depression, cognitive impairment, and even coma. The book also discusses the ways in which melodrama affects professionals involved in music and interventions to reduce or alleviate occupational diseases, leading to improved health and higher life satisfaction. The ultimate goal is to improve therapeutic interventions in neurological diseases and professional disorders, relying on solid neuroscientific data. This book will be of great interest to neurologists, neurobiologists, psychiatrists, occupational doctors and therapists in music.
Effects of Persistent and Bioactive Organic Pollutants on Human Health
by David O. CarpenterExamines what we know about the relationship between organic chemicals and human diseaseOrganic chemicals are everywhere: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. They are also found in a myriad of common household and personal care products. Unfortunately, exposure to some organic chemicals can result in adverse health effects, from growth and developmental disorders to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This book examines how organic chemicals affect human health. It looks at the different diseases as well as how individual organ systems are affected by organic chemicals.Effects of Persistent and Bioactive Organic Pollutants on Human Health begins with an introductory chapter explaining why we should care about organic chemicals and their effect on human health. Next, the authors address such important topics as:Burden of cancer from organic chemicalsOrganic chemicals and obesityEffects of organic chemicals on the male reproductive systemOrganic chemicals and the immune systemIntellectual developmental disability syndromes and organic chemicalsMental illness and exposure to organic chemicalsThe book ends with an assessment of how much human disease is caused by organic chemicals. Chapters have been contributed by leading international experts in public and environmental health and are based on the latest research findings. Readers will find that all of the contributions are clear and easy to comprehend, with extensive references for further investigation of individual topics.Effects of Persistent and Bioactive Organic Pollutants on Human Health is recommended for students and professionals in medicine as well as public and environmental health, bringing them fully up to date with what we know about the relationship between organic chemicals and human health.
The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation: A Cross-National Analysis (Routledge Research in Public Administration and Public Policy)
by Pragati Rawat John C. MorrisIn this book Pragati Rawat and John C. Morris identify and evaluate the impact of factors that can help explain the difference in e-participation, public participation using information and communication technology, in different countries. While cross-sectional studies have been covered, few have taken an in-depth look at cross-national studies. This book attempts to fill the gap using quantitative panel data to explore the influence of technology and institutions, and the impact of their complex relationships in a mediation and moderation analysis, on e-participation. The current study reviews the scholarly work in the field of “offline” and “online participation” to identify a set of antecedents that influence e-participation. A conceptual framework is developed, supported by the theories from the public policy and socio-technical premise. The authors utilize secondary data, primarily from the UN and World Economic Forum, for 143 countries from three waves of surveys to measure the dependent and explanatory variables. The panel data is statistically analyzed and findings reveal the role of technology as a mediator as well as a moderator for institutions’ impact on e-participation. The Effects of Technology and Institutions on E-Participation provides a groundbreaking country-level analysis that will appeal to academics and students of e-government and Digital Government, Public Policy, Public Administration, Public Sector Innovation, and Public Participation.
Effects of Wetland Conversion to Farming on Water Quality and Sediment and Nutrient Retention in a Tropical Catchment (IHE Delft PhD Thesis Series)
by Abias UwimanaThe study used a combination of landscape-scale synoptic surveys (catchment, reaches) and mesocosm surveys (experimental plots) to assess the impacts of conversion of natural valley-bottom wetlands to farming land on the water quality and retention of sediment and nutrients. The results showed that temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentration decreased, and total suspended solids (TSS) increased with storm water increase. Nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) accumulated in the catchment during the dry season and washed into the water courses during the early stages of the higher flows, with subsequent lower concentrations at the end of the rains due to dilution. Large proportions of the annual loads of TSS, TP and TN (93%, 60% and 67%, respectively) were transported during rainfall events that occurred in 115 days. Fishponds acted as temporal traps of TSS, TN and TP at the early stages of farming, and were a source of and TN and TP at the end of the farming period, in contrast to rice farming that generated sediments and nutrients early in the farming period and trapped them at the end of the farming season. Wetlands mostly acted as sinks but sometimes as a source of sediment and nutrients.
Efficacy Analysis in Clinical Trials an Update: Efficacy Analysis in an Era of Machine Learning
by Ton J. Cleophas Aeilko H. ZwindermanMachine learning and big data is hot. It is, however, virtually unused in clinical trials. This is so, because randomization is applied to even out multiple variables Modern medical computer files often involve hundreds of variables like genes and other laboratory values, and computationally intensive methods are required This is the first publication of clinical trials that have been systematically analyzed with machine learning. In addition, all of the machine learning analyses were tested against traditional analyses. Step by step statistics for self-assessments are included The authors conclude, that machine learning is often more informative, and provides better sensitivities of testing than traditional analytic methods do
Efficiency and Power in Energy Conversion and Storage: Basic Physical Concepts
by Thomas ChristenThis book provides fundamental theoretical concepts for the understanding, the modelling, and the optimisation of energy conversion and storage devices. The discussion is based on the general footing of efficiency-power relations and energy-power relations (Ragone plots). Efficiency and Power in Energy Conversion and Storage: Basic Physical Concepts, is written for engineers and scientists with a bachelor-degree level of knowledge in physics. It contains: <li>An introductory motivation of the topic <li>A review on equilibrium thermodynamics <li>A primer to linear non-equilibrium thermodynamics and irreversible processes <li>An introduction to endo-reversible thermodynamics <li>The basics on the theory of Ragone plots <li>Derivations of efficiency-power relations or Ragone plots for illustrative examples like heat engines, batteries, capacitors, kinetic energy storage devices, solar power, photodiodes, electro-motors, transformers, and flow turbines <li>An excursion to impedance matching and the optimization of technical devices with respect to economic and related objectives
Efficiency and Sustainability in the Energy and Chemical Industries: Scientific Principles and Case Studies (Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering)
by Krishnan SankaranarayananUsing classic thermodynamic principles as the point of departure, this new edition of a popular resource supplies the understanding and tools required to measure process ef ciency and sustainability with much improved accuracy. Exploring the driving forces in the chemical and power industries, Efficiency and Sustainability in the Energy and Chemical Industries: Scientific Principles and Case Studies, Third Edition investigates why losses occur and explains how to reduce them. It focuses on the changing roles of refining and chemicals in industry and how the industry is transforming itself, and considers economics as a key enabler to look at technology choices and whether shareholder returns will be there. • Includes new chapters on plastics recycling technologies and challenges, low carbon energy sources, the changing energy mix, and project economics, taxes, and subsidies. • Illustrates techniques with wide-ranging case studies related to energy conversion, mining, and the chemical industries as well as examples and problems. • Considers engineering layouts that reduce the environmental impact of chemical operations. • Explains how to use energy analysis to accurately assess the quality and performance of chemical processes. • Supplies quantitative tools for analyzing sustainability and efciency. • Investigates the challenges of the hydrogen economy and CO2 and low carbon. • Discusses plastics recycling, economics, and a changing energy mix. Complete with the keys to quanti cation of process ef ciency and sustainability, this cutting-edge book is the ideal guide for those engaged in the transition from fossil-based fuels to renewable and sustainable energy sources using low-waste procedures.
Efficiency Evaluation of Energy Systems
by Mehmet Kanoğlu Ibrahim Dincer Yunus A. ÇengelEfficiency is one of the most frequently used terms in thermodynamics, and it indicates how well an energy conversion or process is accomplished. Efficiency is also one of the most frequently misused terms in thermodynamics and is often a source of misunderstanding. This is because efficiency is often used without being properly defined first. This book intends to provide a comprehensive evaluation of various efficiencies used for energy transfer and conversion systems including steady-flow energy devices (turbines, compressors, pumps, nozzles, heat exchangers, etc.), various power plants, cogeneration plants, and refrigeration systems. The book will cover first-law (energy based) and second-law (exergy based) efficiencies and provide a comprehensive understanding of their implications. It will help minimize the widespread misuse of efficiencies among students and researchers in energy field by using an intuitive and unified approach for defining efficiencies. The book will be particularly useful for a clear understanding of second law (exergy) efficiencies for various systems. It may serve as a reference book to the researchers in energy field. The definitions and concepts developed in the book will be explained through illustrative examples.
Efficiency in Complex Systems: Self-Organization Towards Increased Efficiency (Springer Proceedings in Complexity)
by Georgi Yordanov Georgiev Mahmoud Shokrollahi-FarThis book uses new ideas and language for understanding how self-organization and complexity trend toward increased efficiency. Different measures for efficiency from multiple disciplines are used to probe the ones that provide the most insight. One major goal is to seek a common framework to trace the increase of efficiency as a measure of the level of organization and evolutionary stage of a complex system. The chapters come from a satellite meeting hosted at the Conference on Complex Systems, in Cancun, 2017. The contributions will be peer-reviewed and contributors from outside the conference will be invited to submit chapters to ensure full coverage of the topics. This text will appeal to students and researchers working on complex systems and efficiency.
Efficiency in Natural Product Total Synthesis
by Pei-Qiang Huang Zhu-Jun Yao Richard P. HsungUniting the key organic topics of total synthesis and efficient synthetic methodologies, this book clearly overviews synthetic strategies and tactics applied in total synthesis, demonstrating how the total synthesis of natural products enables scientific and drug discovery. • Focuses on efficiency, a fundamental and important issue in natural products synthesis that makes natural product synthesis a powerful tool in biological and pharmaceutical science• Describes new methods like organocatalysis, multicomponent and cascade reactions, and biomimetic synthesis• Appeals to graduate students with two sections at the end of each chapter illustrating key reactions, strategies, tactics, and concepts; and good but unfinished total synthesis (synthesis of core structure) before the last section• Compiles examples of solid phase synthesis and continuing flow chemistry-based total synthesis which are very relevant and attractive to industry R&D professionals
Efficiency Measures in the Agricultural Sector: With Applications
by Emiliana L. D. G. Soares da Silva Jorge M Azevedo Santos Armando MendesThe editors draw on a 3-year project that analyzed a Portuguese area in detail, comparing this study with papers from other regions. Applications include the estimation of technical efficiency in agricultural grazing systems (dairy, beef and mixed) and specifically for dairy farms. The conclusions indicate that it is now necessary to help small dairy farms in order to make them more efficient. These results can be compared with the technical efficiency of a sample of Spanish dairy processing firms presented by Magdalena Kapelko and co-authors.
Efficiency of Biomass Energy: An Exergy Approach to Biofuels, Power, and Biorefineries
by Krzysztof J. PtasinskiDetails energy and exergy efficiencies of all major aspects of bioenergy systems Covers all major bioenergy processes starting from photosynthesis and cultivation of biomass feedstocks and ending with final bioenergy products, like power, biofuels, and chemicals Each chapter includes historical developments, chemistry, major technologies, applications as well as energy, environmental and economic aspects in order to serve as an introduction to biomass and bioenergy A separate chapter introduces a beginner in easy accessible way to exergy analysis and the similarities and differences between energy and exergy efficiencies are underlined Includes case studies and illustrative examples of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation biofuels production, power and heat generation (thermal plants, fuel cells, boilers), and biorefineries Traditional fossil fuels-based technologies are also described in order to compare with the corresponding bioenergy systems
Efficiency, Sustainability, and Justice to Future Generations
by Klaus MathisFifty years after the famous essay "The Problem of Social Cost" (1960) by the Nobel laureate Ronald Coase, Law and Economics seems to have become the lingua franca of American jurisprudence, and although its influence on European jurisprudence is only moderate by comparison, it has also gained popularity in Europe. A highly influential publication of a different nature was the Brundtland Report (1987), which extended the concept of sustainability from forestry to the whole of the economy and society. According to this report, development is sustainable when it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". A key requirement of sustainable development is justice to future generations. It is still a matter of fact that the law as well as the theories of justice are generally restricted to the resolution of conflicts between contemporaries and between people living in the same country. This in turn raises a number of questions: what is the philosophical justification for intergenerational justice? What bearing does sustainability have on the efficiency principle? How do we put a policy of sustainability into practice, and what is the role of the law in doing so? The present volume is devoted to these questions. In Part One, "Law and Economics", the role of economic analysis and efficiency in law is examined more closely. Part Two, "Law and Sustainability", engages with the themes of sustainable development and justice to future generations. Finally, Part Three, "Law, Economics and Sustainability", addresses the interrelationships between the different aspects.
The Efficiency Trap
by Steve HallettThis realistic appraisal of current environmental thinking will challenge environmentalists and industrialists alike. One of the key tenets of the environmental movement is the need for greater efficiency in our use of dwindling natural resources, especially coal, natural gas, and oil. If our products are designed to be more energy efficient, so the thinking goes, our environmental impacts will be reduced and our fossil fuels will last longer. In this surprising new look at sustainability and conservation, environmentalist Steve Hallett argues that this thinking is fundamentally flawed. In fact, based on the example of coal use throughout the Industrial Revolution, more efficiency leads to more consumption, faster depletion of resources, and ultimately more stress on the planet. This is the efficiency trap. How do we avoid this trap? Hallett suggests that we focus on protecting natural resources, ecosystems, and social systems by making them more resilient. Knowing that we have reached limits to growth, we should work to decentralize energy-delivery services to give homes and communities some measure of independence. We can also build more sustainable food systems by diversifying the food-production landscape to address the vulnerabilities of the current supply chain. Efficiency does have its place in specific areas such as recycling and home insulation, but it will not work as a long-term approach to our energy dilemma. Yet recognizing the inevitable limits to our growth and the shortcomings of our current approach to addressing our dwindling resources is a necessary first step toward the establishment of sound environmental policy.
Efficient and Suitable Construction (Building Pathology and Rehabilitation #17)
by João M. P. Q. DelgadoThis book presents recent research in the area of hygrothermal building performance, acoustic and natural lighting performance in buildings, phase change materials (PCM) and energy storage. Discussing the state of the art in the field, and covering topics relevant to variety of engineering disciplines, such as civil, materials and mechanical engineering, it will appeal to scientists, students, practitioners, lecturers and other stakeholders.
Efficient Cognition: The Evolution of Representational Decision Making
by Armin W. SchulzAn argument that representational decision making is more cognitively efficient, allowing an organism to adjust more easily to changes in the environment. Many organisms (including humans) make decisions by relying on mental representations. Not simply a reaction triggered by perception, representational decision making employs high-level, non-perceptual mental states with content to manage interactions with the environment. A person making a decision based on mental representations, for example, takes a step back from her perceptions at the time to assess the nature of the world she lives in. But why would organisms rely on representational decision making, and what evolutionary benefits does this reliance provide to the decision maker? In Efficient Cognition, Armin Schulz argues that representational decision making can be more cognitively efficient than non-representational decision making. Specifically, he shows that a key driver in the evolution of representational decision making is that mental representations can enable an organism to save cognitive resources and adjust more efficiently to changed environments. After laying out the foundations of his argument—clarifying the central questions, the characterization of representational decision making, and the relevance of an evidential form of evolutionary psychology—Schulz presents his account of the evolution of representational decision making and critically considers some of the existing accounts of the subject. He then applies his account to three open questions concerning the nature of representational decision making: the extendedness of decision making, and when we should expect cognition to extend into the environment; the specialization of decision making and the use of simple heuristics; and the psychological sources of altruistic behaviors.
Efficient Control and Spontaneous Transitions (Springer Theses)
by Miranda LouwerseThis thesis addresses deep questions that cut to the physical and informational essence of central chemical quantities such as transition paths and reaction mechanisms and proposes fundamental new connections between transition-path theory, linear-response theory, nonequilibrium thermodynamics, and information theory. The author investigates slow, energetically efficient driving protocols that drive a system between conformations corresponding to endpoints of a reaction, aiming to find connections between principles of efficient driving and the spontaneous transition mechanism in the absence of driving. First, an alternative perspective of transition-path theory is developed that unifies it with stochastic thermodynamics to describe flows of entropy, energy, and information during the reaction. This also provides an optimization criterion for selecting collective variables. Next, protocols are designed which invert the magnetization of a 3×3 Ising model with minimal energetic cost, and it is determined that using multiple control parameters allows the system to be driven along a fast-relaxing pathway between reaction endpoints. Finally, the author compares these protocols with the spontaneous transition mechanism for magnetization inversion in the same Ising model, finding that designed protocols capture general features of the spontaneous mechanism and energetics given the constraints on the control parameters. This work represents a major step forward in our understanding of rare events and provides a basis for investigating the connection between efficient protocols and spontaneous transition mechanisms which can be further probed in a wider variety of systems.
Efficient Data Handling for Massive Internet of Medical Things: Healthcare Data Analytics (Internet of Things)
by Chinmay Chakraborty Uttam Ghosh Vinayakumar Ravi Yogesh ShelkeThis book focuses on recent advances and different research areas in multi-modal data fusion under healthcare informatics and seeks out theoretical, methodological, well-established and validated empirical work dealing with these different topics. This book brings together the latest industrial and academic progress, research, and development efforts within the rapidly maturing health informatics ecosystem. Contributions highlight emerging data fusion topics that support prospective healthcare applications. The book also presents various technologies and concerns regarding energy aware and secure sensors and how they can reduce energy consumption in health care applications. It also discusses the life cycle of sensor devices and protocols with the help of energy-aware design, production, and utilization, as well as the Internet of Things technologies such as tags, sensors, sensing networks, and Internet technologies. In a nutshell, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art theories and techniques for massive data handling and access in medical data and smart health in IoT, and provides useful guidelines for the design of massive Internet of Medical Things.
Efficient High-Order Discretizations for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CISM International Centre for Mechanical Sciences #602)
by Martin Kronbichler Per-Olof PerssonThe book introduces modern high-order methods for computational fluid dynamics. As compared to low order finite volumes predominant in today's production codes, higher order discretizations significantly reduce dispersion errors, the main source of error in long-time simulations of flow at higher Reynolds numbers. A major goal of this book is to teach the basics of the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method in terms of its finite volume and finite element ingredients. It also discusses the computational efficiency of high-order methods versus state-of-the-art low order methods in the finite difference context, given that accuracy requirements in engineering are often not overly strict. The book mainly addresses researchers and doctoral students in engineering, applied mathematics, physics and high-performance computing with a strong interest in the interdisciplinary aspects of computational fluid dynamics. It is also well-suited for practicing computational engineers who would like to gain an overview of discontinuous Galerkin methods, modern algorithmic realizations, and high-performance implementations.
Efficient Preparations of Fluorine Compounds
by Herbert W. Roesky Karl Barry SharplessThe definitive guide to creating fluorine-based compounds--and the materials of tomorrowDiscovered as an element by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1886, through electrolysis of potassium fluoride in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride--"le fluor," or fluorine, began its chemical history as a substance both elusive and dangerous. With a slight pale yellow hue, fluorine is at room temperature a poisonous diatomic gas. Resembling a spirit from a chemical netherworld, fluorine is highly reactive, difficult to handle, yet very versatile as a reagent--with the power to form compounds with almost any other element.Comprising 20% of pharmaceutical products and 30% of agrochemical compounds, as well as playing a key role in electric cars, electronic devices, and space technology, compounds containing fluorine have grown in importance across the globe. Learning how to safely handle fluorine in the preparation of innovative new materials--with valuable new properties--is of critical importance to chemists today. Bringing together the research and methods of leading scientists in the fluorine field, Efficient Preparations of Fluorine Compounds is the definitive manual to creating, and understanding the reaction mechanisms integral to a wide variety of fluorine compounds. With sixty-eight contributed chapters, the book's extensive coverage includes:Preparation of Elemental FluorineSynthesis Methods for Exotic Inorganic Fluorides with Varied ApplicationsIntroduction of Fluorine into Compounds via Electrophilic and Nucleophilic ReactionsDirect Fluorination of Organic Compounds with Elemental FluorineEfficient Preparations of Bioorganic Fluorine CompoundsAsymmetric Fluorocyclization ReactionsPreparations of Rare Earth Fluorosulfides and OxyfluorosulfidesThe book offers methods and results that can be reproduced by students involved in advanced studies, as well as practicing chemists, pharmaceutical scientists, biologists, and environmental researchers. The only chemical resource of its kind, Efficient Preparations of Fluorine Compounds--from its first experiment to its last--is a unique window into the centuries old science of fluorine and the limitless universe of fluorine-based compounds.
Efficient Radiology: How to Optimize Radiology Operations
by Daniel Rosenthal Oleg PianykhAiming at building efficient radiology operations, this book walks the reader through the entire radiology workflow, from the moment that the examination is requested to the reporting of findings. Using their practical experience, the authors draw attention to the many elements that can go wrong at each step, and explain how critical analysis and objective metrics can be used to fix broken processes. Readers will learn how to measure the efficiency of their workflows, where to find relevant data, and how to use it in the most productive ways. The book also addresses how data can be turned into insightful operational information to produce organizational change. All aspects of radiology operations are considered including ordering, scheduling, protocols, checking-in, image acquisition, image interpretation, communication, and billing. The closing section provides a deeper dive into the advanced tools and techniques that are used to analyze operations, including queuing theory, process mining and artificial intelligence.
Efficient Screening Techniques to Identify Mutants with TR4 Resistance in Banana: Protocols
by Joanna Jankowicz-Cieslak Ivan L. IngelbrechtBananas are a staple food for over 500 million people and are also an important cash crop. Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense, is one of the most destructive diseases of banana globally. Since the 1990s, an aggressive variant of this fungus, called Tropical Race 4 (TR4), severely affected banana plantations in Southeast Asia from where it spread to other continents, including Latin America, where the global banana export market is primarily centred. TR4 is a soil borne pathogen making the disease difficult to contain. The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture implemented a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) ‘Efficient Screening Techniques to Identify Mutants with Disease Resistance for Coffee and Banana” (2015-2020). This CRP brought together experts from Asia, Europe and Africa in addition to experts of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre to develop resistance against TR4 through mutation-assisted breeding. Induced mutagenesis is particularly attractive in case of banana since most cultivated bananas are seedless, thus hampering conventional cross breeding.This Open Access book is a compilation of the protocols developed under the CRP specifically for TR4. The first part covers methods for mutation induction, including the integrated use of innovative single-cell culture with mutagenesis techniques. The book also describes up-to-date phenotypic screening methods for TR4 resistance in banana under field-, greenhouse- and laboratory conditions. Finally, molecular and bioinformatics tools for genome-wide mutation discovery following Next Generation Sequencing are also described. Given the imminent threat of Fusarium Wilt TR4 on banana production globally, it is our hope and intention that the book will serve as a timely reference and guide for banana breeders and pathologists worldwide who are committed to the genetic improvement of banana for Fusarium wilt resistance.