Intensive agriculture has generally resulted in higher productivity, but also in a trend towards decreasing levels of agro-biodiversity, which represents a key point in ensuring the adaptability and resilience of agro-ecosystems in the global challenge to produce more and better food in a sustainable way. The biodiversity of vegetable crops includes genetic diversity—both as species diversity…
This open access book reports on cutting-edge electrical engineering and microelectronics solutions to foster and support digitalization in the semiconductor industry. Based on the outcomes of the European project iDev40, which were presented at the two first conference editions of the European Advances in Digital Transformation Conference (EADCT 2018 and EADTC 2019), the book covers different,…
The papers included in this special issue cover a broad range of aspects ranging from genetics and breeding to crop production in the field. Climate change, intensified agriculture, modifications of land use, or pollution are often accompanied by larger fluctuations including extreme events. The growing world’s population and nutrient deficiencies in agricultural products for human or animal …
In a worldwide context of ever-growing competition for water and land, climate change, droughts and man-made water scarcity, and less-participatory water governance, agriculture faces the great challenge of producing enough food for a continually increasing population. In this line, this book provides a broad overview of innovation issues in the complex water–agriculture–food nexus, thus al…
his Open Access book is for scientists and experts who work on urban food policies. It provides a conceptual framework for understanding the urban food system sustainability and how it can be tackled by local governments. Written by a collective of researchers, this book describes the existing conceptual frameworks for an analysis of urban food policies, at the crossroads of the concepts of foo…
The introduction of "smart machines" for agricultural operations will allow several advantages, such as an increase in their efficiencies, a reduction in environmental impacts and a reduction of work injuries. There are partially- and fully-automatic devices for most aspects of agricultural functions, from seeding and planting to harvesting and postharvesting, from spraying to livestock managem…
Dietary intake in children is not only associated with current and future health, but also with behavior and learning. Especially during early childhood and throughout the school-age years, adequate food and nutrient intake to support brain development and function are critical. Data on the effect of sugar intake on children’s activity levels, or their ability to focus on cognitive tasks, are…
Rich in examples and intuitive discussions, this book presents General Algebra using the unifying viewpoint of categories and functors. Starting with a survey, in non-category-theoretic terms, of many familiar and not-so-familiar constructions in algebra (plus two from topology for perspective), the reader is guided to an understanding and appreciation of the general concepts and tools unifying…
The book summarizes Ting Lei?s PhD study on a series of novel conjugated polymers for field-effect transistors (FETs). Studies contain many aspects of polymer FETs, including backbone design, side-chain engineering, property study, conformation effects and device fabrication. The research results have previously scattered in many important journals and conferences worldwide. The book is likely …
This fascinating, colourful book offers in-depth insights and first-hand working experiences in the production of art works, using simple computational models with rich morphological behaviour, at the edge of mathematics, computer science, physics and biology. It organically combines ground breaking scientific discoveries in the theory of computation and complex systems with artistic representa…