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"Hyperspectral imaging, as an emerging technology, acquires and analyzes a large amount of spectral and spatial information from a real scene in the form of three-dimensional images. The technology offers unprecedented capabilities, compared to conventional imaging and spectroscopy, for a wide range of applications from satellite remote sensing to biomedical imaging and to product quality and safety inspection. Image processing and analysis is thus at the core of the technology. With rapid developments both in hardware and software in recent years and increased demands for better quality and safer food products, we have witnessed expanding R&D activities and applications of hyperspectral imaging technology in objective, rapid, non-destructive and automated safety inspection and quality control for a variety of food and agricultural products and production. Hyperspectral Imaging Technology in Food and Agriculture is focused on major recent advances in research and applications of hyperspectral imaging technology in food and agriculture. The book begins with the fundamentals of the technology, followed by a comprehensive coverage of food quality and safety evaluation in meats, fruits, vegetables, grains and other foods, as well as remote sensing for crop production. This book is written by international peers who have academic and professional credentials, with each chapter addressing a particular topic or specific application of the technology. The book provides the engineer and technologist working in the food and agricultural industry with critical, comprehensive and readily accessible information on hyperspectral imaging technology. It also serves as an essential reference source to undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers in universities and research institutions"--Back cover

Background: There is a substantial body of evidence supporting the association between maternal active smoking during pregnancy and child development, but the association between prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and early child development has not been well documented. This cross-sectional study examines the association between prenatal exposure to ETS and the development of children in their first two years of life. Methods: We interviewed the primary caregivers of 446 children under two years old in rural Guizhou Province, China. Based on self-reported assessments about whether the mother was exposed to ETS during pregnancy, we divided the children into the ETS-exposed group or the non-exposed group. Sociodemographic information was collected through a questionnaire. The cognitive, language, motor, and socioemotional abilities of children were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III). A multivariate linear regression model adjusting for confounding variables was used to estimate the association of interest. Results: About 60% of mothers experienced ETS exposure during pregnancy. Cognitive and language scores were lower among children in the ETS-exposed group. When adjusting for characteristics of the child, the mother, the household, and village fixed effects, prenatal exposure to ETS was associated with lower cognition scores (&minus ; 3.41 ; 95% confidence interval (CI): &minus ; 6.39 to &minus ; 0.42 ; p = 0.03) and language scores (&minus ; 3.01 ; 95% CI: &minus ; 5.39 to &minus ; 0.09 ; p = 0.04). Frequency of prenatal exposure to ETS was also negatively associated with language development (&minus ; 0.48 ; 95% CI: &minus ; 0.87 to &minus ; 0.09 ; p = 0.02) before children reached two years old. Conclusions: Prenatal exposure to ETS is negatively associated with the cognitive and language development of rural young children within their first two years of life. The government should take action to raise public awareness about the negative effects of tobacco use, with an emphasis on the protection of pregnant women and their children, in order to carry through comprehensive smoke-free laws in rural areas, while also increasing tobacco taxation.

Although quality may be as important as quantity in public infrastructure management, little research has studied changes in the quality of China's infrastructure investments. This study seeks to document the quality of infrastructure projects in China's villages and to measure whether or not quality has suffered as China's investment effort has risen. The study also examines if satisfaction is rising. Using data from 100 villages in China, we have found that both the quantity and the quality of infrastructure investments have increased. We also find that rural residents are more satisfied with projects, especially when they are higher quality. (China J/GIGA)