Books published by Nova Science Publishers Inc

The chapters in this volume present the latest developments in medicine and biology. Chapter One provides an overview of the evolution, development and production of aquaculture vaccines. Chapter Two discusses chronic fungal rhinosinusitis. Chapter Three focuses on congenital disorders that cause opthalmoplegia. Chapter Four discusses the roles of the inflammation amplifier and gateway reflexes in chronic inflammation. Chapter Five examines the clinical features, occurrence and treatment options of pyogenic granulomas. Chapter Six focuses on the biological aspects that is the effects of sex steroids and sex steroid-related changes, on biological responses to social stress. Chapter Seven reviews male and female diet compositions of elasmobranch species. Chapter Eight provides a review of the prevention and treatment of morbid obesity. Chapter Nine explores the mechanistic underpinnings of recently-identified centrosome functions and the consequences of their disruption in human disorders such as microcephaly, cancer, ciliopathies, inflammation, diabetes and obesity. Chapter Ten investigates the migration behavior of functional melanocytes (MCs) in extracellular matrix proteins after Nd:YAG laser irradiation, and demonstrates the relevant mechanisms involved in repigmentation.

This book provides current research on computer vision and simulation. Chapter One studies and compares the representation capability of several different layers in convolutional neural network (CNN) showing that they contain more accurate information about the face image than to believe. Chapter Two finds, empirically, the best methods for describing a given texture using an ensemble to harness the discriminative power of different texture approaches. Chapter Three provides a computer study of the interaction of mercury with graphene. Chapter Four discusses the influence of yttrium(III) ion on calcium(II) and zinc(II) biospeciation in human blood plasma by computer simulation. Chapter Five reviews the simualation of diffraction gratings in the Fresnel diffraction regime using the ab-initio iterative Fresnel Integral Method (IFIM). Chapter Six introduces an example of a simple visual feedback control system of a mobile robot with an axis-symmetric shape for mechatronics education.

This research consists of two parts. The first part focuses on the development of the proposition that if there exists a type of function, then there exists a functional with the same type based on the proposition of the Inheritance and Generalizability properties of the function in a functional. This study presents the abstract convex, increasing positively homogeneous and convex-along-rays functionals via this proposition. The second part is on the investigation of the global search optimization algorithm use called the Cutting Angle Method (CAM) on Optimal Control Problems (OCP). Many algorithms are available for solving OCP, but they are basically local search algorithms. To overcome the problem associated with local searches, most OCP are modelled as Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) problems in the hope that the solution found estimates the true global solution of the original problem. However, in doing so, a lot of information carried by the original problem might be lost in its translation into LQR models. CAM being a global search algorithm is expected to overcome this problem. It can be used alone or in combination with a local search to find the global solution. CAM has been successfully used on functions; however, OCPs are functionals. To do this, a model has been introduced based on Inheritance and Generalizability properties to demonstrate that the optimization algorithms which are used for functions can also be extended for use in functionals. Based on these properties, the study discovered that with the Unit Vectors Combinations Technique (UVCT) proposed in this research, and CAM could successfully work on functionals in general and with OCP particularly. To help speed up the convergence of CAM, the literature proposed the use of local searches for the determination of the initial solution. In a case study done in the research, CAM was successfully combined with a local search named the Dynamic Integrated System Optimization and Parameter Estimation (DISOPE) algorithm. Moreover, the initial solution given by DISOPE algorithm has been verified as global by CAM.

While candidate George W. Bush promised a humble foreign policy, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks President Bush implemented a highly ambitious and controversial foreign policy agenda. Examining the contentious decision to invade Iraq, the expansion of presidential power in foreign affairs, the apparent unilateralism that challenged established international norms, and the ideological underpinnings of Bushs foreign policy, many articles in this collection demonstrate why the administration proved to be so divisive domestically and internationally. However, other pieces in the collection show the Bush administration pursued more conventional approaches to certain international issues, such as the rising power of China and a nuclear North Korea. This collection thus both challenges some conventional views of Bushs foreign policy and provides a deeper understanding of why George W. Bush is viewed as one of the most controversial foreign policy presidents of the modern era.

This book is based on a study of household indebtedness in an upper-middle income economy known as Mauritius, and authored by a vibrant team of researchers from the University of Mauritius. The novelty of this publication is that it fills the gap with respect to the paucity of microeconomic studies pertaining to and relevant for developing countries. At the local and regional level, there is no consolidated work that studies household indebtedness with so much rigour and with such deep-rooted analysis. All in all, this publication uses different data sources and a mixed methodology approach to investigate the factors related to household indebtedness. The main advantage of this publication is that it is based on a comprehensive survey of indebted households in Mauritius. While the survey questionnaire tracks micro-socioeconomic characteristics of households, the empirical analysis is highly scientific and uses the latest statistical and econometric tools, techniques and softwares. It has a good review of literature backed by sound macroeconomic analysis and puts into practice the state of the art of econometric analysis. The discussions are clear and provide insights into expenditure patterns, financial constraints and vulnerability of households both within and among different income categories. The findings uncover specific traits of the typical Mauritian household debtor. The findings in this book are also compared with studies based on other developed and developing countries. Moreover, the book probes deeper into cases of over-indebtedness and the different reasons that could explain various financial commitments of a typical household debtor. Policy recommendations are provided to open the outreach to policy makers and researchers. Lastly, the book is also useful to the academic community and students in terms of its academic endeavors and achievements.

College affordability is an issue that has received considerable attention from federal policy makers in recent years as concerns have arisen that a college education may be out of reach for an increasing number of students and families. While there is little disagreement that escalating college prices pose a problem, there is not a consensus about the precise causes for these increases. Among the possible explanations for price increases, one that has surfaced with some frequency in recent years is the notion that the availability of or increases in federal student aid may help to fuel price increases, as institutions seek to capture additional aid rather than stabilize or lower prices. This hypothesized relationship has received a good deal of attention and raised some concerns about the efficacy of federal student aid policies that aim to enhance access and affordability. This book has been undertaken in response to numerous congressional requests to explain what is actually known about the relationship between student aid and prices. In this book, this task is approached first through analysis of trends in prices, examining different measures and concepts of price. This is followed by a brief examination of trends in student aid, and an examination of many of the competing explanations for why prices are increasing. Finally, the book explores what is known about the possible causal relationship between student aid and price increases, principally through a survey of primary studies that attempt to isolate the effects of student aid on college prices.

Federal advisory committeeswhich may also be labeled as commissions, councils, or task forcesare established to assist the executive branch in deliberating and, in some cases, helping to solve complex or divisive issues. Congress, the President, or an agency head may establish a federal advisory committee to render independent advice or provide policy recommendations. In 1972, Congress enacted the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. Appendix Federal Advisory Committee Act; 86 Stat. 770, as amended), prompted by the perception that some advisory committees were duplicative, inefficient, and lacked adequate oversight. FACA mandates certain structural and operational requirements, including formal reporting and oversight procedures. Additionally, FACA requires committee meetings be open to the public, unless they meet certain requirements. Also, FACA committee records are to be accessible to the public. Pursuant to statute, the General Services Administration (GSA) maintains and administers management guidelines for federal advisory committees. This book offers a history of FACA, examines its current requirements, and provides data on federal advisory committees operations and costs.

The chapters in this volume present the latest developments in medicine and biology. Chapter One summarizes the recent knowledge on the effects of carnitine on hyperammonemia in patients with liver cirrhosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Chapter Two discusses the role of Acyl/free carnitine ratio on uremic cardiomyopathy in chronic hemodialysis patients. Chapter Three investigates the possible application of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) during milk fermentation in relation to ACE-I inhibitory peptides. Chapter Four focuses on black tea and the effect of the addition of milk on the antioxidant activity of black tea. Chapter Five clarifies the current status of aortic valve stenosis therapy and defines its main advantages and problems related to the current option of treatment to better understand how to deal with patients at intermediate risk for conventional surgery. Chapter Six reviews clinical signs, diagnosis and topical therapy of dermatophyte infections. Chapter Seven focuses on species, subtypes, differences in pathogeny and clinical manifestations, and mathematical methods for DNA sequence analysis of human cryptosporidiosis. Chapter Eight reviews global health security for the control of emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

This book examines the most up-to-date research in the agricultural field. The first chapter discusses strategies for the management and mitigation of herbicide-resistant weeds. Chapter Two revises the available information about the diversity and plant growth promotion abilities of bacterial endophytes isolated from legume nodules and from roots of different plants, focusing on their interest for crop biofertilization. Chapter Three presents process-related technological information for the synthesis and purification of bioactive peptides from soybean and their functional properties. Chapter Four focuses on the nutritional value of wheat germ-supplemented foods, for humans and animals alike, with a specific emphasis on the protein and essential amino acid content of these foods and its related health benefits. Chapter Five provides an overview of the importance of fatty acids (FA), fructans, lipids and lipopolysaccharides in determining some grain and malt composition. Chapter Six gives insights into the production and commercialization of transgenic wheat. Chapter Seven reviews the modification of barley by binary acrylic monomers and its applications.