The new emerging field of photonics has significantly attracted the interest of many societies, professionals and researchers around the world. The great importance of this field is due to its applicability and possible utilization in almost all scientific and industrial areas. This book presents some advanced research topics in photonics. It consists of 16 chapters organized into three section…
Semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted a great amount of multidiscipline research due to their high potential for solar-to-chemical-energy conversion applications, ranging from water and air purification to hydrogen and chemical fuel production. This unique diversity of photoinduced applications has spurred major research efforts on the rational design and development of photocatalytic mat…
Photocatalysis is an advanced technique that transforms solar energy into sustainable fuels and oxidizes pollutants via the aid of semiconductor photocatalysts. The main scientific and technological challenges toward effective photocatalysis are the stability, robustness, and efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts. For major practical applications in energy conversion (i.e., hydrogen evolut…
Glycosyl inositol phospho ceramides (GIPCs) are the major sphingolipids on earth, as they account for a considerable fraction of the total lipids in plants and fungi, which in turn represent a large portion of the biomass on earth. Despite their obvious importance, GIPC analysis remains challenging due to the lack of commercial standards and automated annotation software. In this work, we i…
Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms that represent an extremely important component of the aquatic ecosystem productivity, diversity, and functioning. Moreover, these microorganisms, using a network of signals, interact with all the other organisms present in their environment. Signals are often secondary metabolites that play an important role in competition, defense, attr…
The last decades have seen a massive advance in technologies for Earth observation (EO) and environmental monitoring, which provided scientists and engineers with valuable spatial information for studying hydrologic processes
There has been a tremendous change in the outlook of surgical patients ever since laparoscopic surgery has come into practice. Surgeons all over the world have seen this change, for which there is a great deal of enthusiasm, and have shown an eagerness to learn this novel technique
This paper addresses the effects of electric power quality on robotic operations. A general overview is reported to highlight the main characteristics of electric power quality and it’s effects on a powered system by considering an end-user’s viewpoint
Studies have shown that the reduction of wustite is the limiting factor in the ironmaking process, whether in hydrogen-based shaft furnaces, hydrogen-rich blast furnaces or smelting reduction vessels. The study of the thermodynamic conditions for the reduction of molten wustite by hydrogen is of great significance for the optimization of the ironmaking process, energy saving and emission red…
Rice is grown in lowland paddies, which is flood irrigated. In the most undulating areas, continuous flooding is difficult and some farmers seek alternative irrigation methods. Grain yield in sprinkler irrigated rice ranges between 80 and 100% of that obtained under flooding, but for this, fertilizer and water should be properly managed