Books published by Nova Science Publishers Inc

Water shortages are a reality all over the world, and supplying water to urban centers is one of the challenges of modern society. This book examines the processes, uses and importance of water filtration systems. It begins with a discussion on osmosis pretreatment of seawater for thermal desalination. The following chapter reviews the Neptune Project. Chapter three demonstrates that the use of electrocoagulation coupled with microfiltration/ultrafiltration membranes is a possible technique to adjust the quality of reclaimed municipal wastewater for water reuse. Chapter four provides an evaluation of ion exchange as a pretreatment method to decrease membrane fouling. The last chapter addresses the treatment of the effluents by-produced in olive mills, generally called olive mill wastewaters.

Different species of the genus Populus, also known as poplars, are of great economic importance as major sources of timber, pulp and fiber. Salix species, or willows, have become very important sources of biomass for bioenergy. Both are characterised by their fast-growing trees, being asexually propagated, and having several species growing in riparian areas prone to flooding. This book studies the cultivation, applications and environmental benefits of poplars and willows. The first chapter begins with a review of the ecological importance and sustainable development of poplar forests in NE China and possible influences on soil properties. Chapter two reviews the properties and practical purposes of willows. Chapter three outlines an experimental project for growing, harvesting, and utilising willow trees in Japan. Chapter four studies the responses of poplars and willows during flooding. The last chapter examines the application of organic wastes from industry and municipalities at short-rotation willow and poplar plantations.

This book on cover crops begins with a review of management practices on cover crops, their benefits, constrains associated with their use and possible solutions as experienced in southern Africa. The following chapter aims to review the literature addressing the effect of growing different cover crops under different soil management systems on the soil P dynamics in Brazilian highly weathered soils. Chapter three evaluates the resistance to penetration in three Oxisols under cultivation of five cover crops used for the production of grain, seeds and fodder in different sowing density per hectare, and of spontaneous vegetation, grown in rotation with soybean and corn. The final chapter highlights the impact of plant strips on soil erosion with particular focus on Mediterranean factors affecting vegetation, and its implications for soil productivity from agronomic and environmental perspective.

Aquatic biomass are a promising source for bioethanol production as they can be grown in aquatic environments to avoid the competition with food crops on land. Research on bioethanol production from aquatic biomass is still at an early stage due to the technical and economic barriers. The first chapter of this book reviews various aquatic species, pretreatment methods, and processing techniques that were used for bioethanol production. Chapter two reviews recent anaerobic digestion studies regarding to biogas production from different aquatic plants, the basic operations for biogas production from aquatic plants, reactor design issues, and operational parameters. Chapter three provides a brief review of literature related to water remediation potential of important aquatic plant species, mechanisms of aquatic macrophytes in nutrient and contaminant removal and water purification, and management of aquatic macrophytes for sustainable ecological remediation. Chapter four discusses the stress response of freshwater aquatic plants in particular oxidative stress responding to fluctuations in abiotic environmental stresses. The final chapter examines the catalytic fast pyrolysis of Lemnoideae spp. for production of industrious chemicals.

Alzheimer''s disease (AD) is the most common form of senile dementia worldwide. Anosognosia, a deficit in self-awareness, is recognised as one of the core symptoms of Alzheimer''s disease dementia, in which self-awareness gradually deteriorates with disease progression. Chapter one of this book discusses anosognosia in Alzheimer''s disease. Chapter two examines whether pathological narcissistic personality predicts increased risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD. Chapter three discusses the impairment of instrumental activities of daily living in mild-to-moderate AD patients. Chapter four studies the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in four candidate genes, and compares their frequencies in healthy individuals with the frequencies in Venezuelans diagnosed with AD. Chapter five studies the role of IL-6 genotypes in the late-onset of AD. The last chapter evaluates the risk factors and protective factors for impairment in elderly individuals living in communities in Shanghai.

Academic performance is determined by several factors. The aim of the first paper in this book is to describe the relationship between the goals of adolescents, their everyday life and the influence these factors have on academic achievement. Chapter two focuses on a longitudinal investigation of students'' well-being experiences within the framework of motivational beliefs. Chapter three aims to analyse differences in academic self-attributions and learning strategies between aggressive and nonaggressive Spanish adolescents, and to identify the predictive role of self-attributions and learning strategies in academic promotion of aggressive Spanish adolescents. Chapter four analyses a simulation software and sensitivity analysis for future student academic performance. Chapter five establishes how personal self-regulation and different contexts of stress produce differences in the coping strategies used by students, whether university students or graduates who are preparing for competitive exams. Chapter six provides a model with the main variables that can predict, with a certain degree of accuracy, school achievement and success, in order to put forward interventions and counseling to prevent students from dropping-out of health professions degree courses. Chapter seven critically reviews the different assessments and processes used within medical training and considers the affective implications for students, educators and eventually patients. Chapter eight addresses the teaching of physiology in different continents, and particularly, that of laboratories, and discusses a historical review of medicine in Mexico as well as the birth of Physiology in our country. Chapter nine analyses student performance on the Grade 8 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Mathematics exam for students in two Texas school districts to determine the extent to which differences were present as a function of Saxon Math instruction. The final chapter examines school district size and its impact on black student performance.