Future SF is a magazine focusing on international science fiction.In this oversized issue we've collected stories from the established masters as well as some exciting up-and-comers in China, Japan, and South Korea.From machine societies to ocean depths, from interstellar migrations to genetically engineered mermaids, these tales envision very different, often dark, but always fascinating futures.Includes the following stories:Rœsin by Wu Guan (translated fr...

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on machine vision applications in agriculture.The first chapter examines recent advances in machine vision technologies for the measurement of soil texture, structure and topography. The chapter also provides an overview of the basic principles of machine vision technologies, focussing on areas such as 3D surface modelling.The second chapter considers the use of machine learning methods to classify multiple diseases across sever...

With increasing temperatures and an escalation in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, agricultural productivity remains at risk of being compromised. With the food security of millions threatened, there remains a need to develop alternative, sustainable production models which can thrive in the face of climate change.Advances in plant factories: New technologies in indoor vertical farming reviews the wealth of research on optimising plant...

Lingdao, the Chinese word for leadership, is rarely used to denote acts of social persuasion that occur outside of contexts of formal rank or status. However, the ubiquity of informal leadership in China raises a number of practical and theoretical questions.Based on an analysis of selected Chinese cinematic works depicting settings of educational practice and policy, the book explores how "Western" understandings of leadership emerge from these texts to form discursive me...

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society: Multi-Disciplinary Approaches offers nine case studies from several academic disciplines. The chapters describe the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity within the Muslim communities of Amdo and illustrate complex social interactions with other Amdo communities. While relations between Han Chinese and Tibetans, and between Han Chinese and Muslims in Qinghai and Gansu, have already attracted scholarly attention, this volume has a special foc...

Wearable Sensing and Assistive Devices for Robotic Rehabilitation provides an overview of current research and developments in the field of innovative technologies for advanced wearable sensing and assistive devices in medical rehabilitation. The book presents a systematic investigation into the wearable acquisition and deep learning-based processing of biological signals and applications with wearable robotic devices. It provides fundamental bio-mechatronics engineering knowledge to analy...

An accessible introduction to constructing and interpreting Bayesian models of perceptual decision-making and action.Many forms of perception and action can be mathematically modeled as probabilistic—or Bayesian—inference, a method used to draw conclusions from uncertain evidence. According to these models, the human mind behaves like a capable data scientist or crime scene investigator when dealing with noisy and ambiguous data. This textbook provides an approacha...

This book studies recent developments in immigration in one Akha village in northern Thailand by examining issues such as the coffee economy, ethnic relations, religious beliefs and cultural changes. The author demonstrates how their social structure and culture allow the immigrant population in this location to adapt to the demands of modernity by making constant adjustment to their tradition. The analysis sheds important light on how this marginal population manages to turn the tension b...

Calculations and Simulations of Low-Dimensional MaterialsA comprehensive guide to methods for calculating and simulating the properties of low-dimensional materialsTwo-dimensional materials are those, such as graphene and 2D oxides, whose thickness is so small as to approach the atomic scale. Potential applications for these materials exist in an enormous range of scientific and industrial fields. A previous era of low-dimensional materials...

An original advanced level reference appealing to both the microwave and antenna communitiesAn overview of the research activity devoted to the synthesis of transmission lines by means of electrically small planar elements, highlighting the main microwave applications and the potential for circuit miniaturizationShowcases the research of top experts in the fieldPresents innovative topics on synthesized transmission lines, which represent f...

This book explores optimal decisions for companies and governments to build a sustainable supply chain and economy by applying analytical models from new perspectives.Taking differentiated carbon permit-buying and -selling prices into consideration, it investigates the optimal emission permit cap under the “cap-and-trade” regulation and discusses how to establish a two-period carbon tax scheme with a two-period planning horizon.Moreover, it examines how to balance the econo...

This book focuses on validation and reconstruction work on the land surface temperature (LST) products retrieved by thermal infrared remote sensing. The LST is a key parameter in the energy-water balance process and has been widely used in research on the global climate change, water cycle, vegetation growing, and drought detection. Remote sensing retrieving LST is the most important source for regional and even global application. However, there are several factors that limited their wide...