Books published by Nova Science Publishers Inc

Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin B1: New Research first presents the latest knowledge regarding the occurrence of ochratoxin A in dry-cured meat and dairy products, as well as relevant food safety issues. Different remediation strategies such as heating, ripening, drying, storage and the use of microbial cultures, which have been adopted for the prevention or decontamination of ochratoxin A, are critically reviewed. Next, the authors assess the occurrence of ochratoxin A in different types of dry-fermented sausages and hams produced by various households in Croatia, proposing that in order to avoid contamination, the production of household-based meat and meat products should run under standardized and well-controlled conditions. In the subsequent study, a total of sixty mold-contaminated rice, corn and groundnut samples were collected from one of the Cauvery delta regions of Tamil Nadu, India, and analyzed to determine the co-occurrence of ochratoxin A and citrinin, and the respective mycotoxigenic fungal strains that produce these toxins. Besides the known adverse effects of alcohol, beer could also be the source of several mycotoxins such as aflatoxin B1. Aflatoxin B1 is the most toxic among the identified aflatoxins and classified into group I as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancers. The stability of aflatoxin B1 during the brewing process, as well as the most important detection techniques and sample treatment used for the determination of this compound are evaluated.

Rubus blackberries are grown worldwide and are known for their excellent nutritional and bioactive characteristics, particularly due to their high content of nutrients such as sugars, dietary fibre, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Rubus: An Overview summarizes the available data on nutrients, bioactive compounds, and health-promoting properties of the most studied Rubus blackberries. Similarly, the authors review the role of the phenolic compounds in Rubus blackberries in the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Experimental studies suggest that anthocyanins of these fruits can improve cognition and human health. The main pathogens and phytoparasites that cause damage in raspberries, thus causing important economic losses in the crop, are also received. The concluding chapter suggests that increasing the role of genomics and genome editing technologies in Rubus presents new opportunities to develop more focused molecular tools for gene discovery and deployment.

This is a novel about the all too common practice in higher academia of hiring part time, non-tenure track faculty to teach students. The faculty hired in these situations often cannot pursue research even though they likely have a Ph.D. This fictional story is mostly set in the 1970s. It follows the tumultuous career of a professor interested in teaching and doing research in biological science. The people who administered the university at the place of his employment expressly do not want faculty to be involved with research. The professor in the story owns a Ph.D., which is a research degree. He holds that being involved in research adds a beneficial dimension to his teaching. Problems arise when he decides to undertake a research problem at his own expense and on his own time. A marine invertebrate zoologist, his search for knowledge centers on the marine organisms that have settled on a lengthy set of pier pilings. When this ultimately leads to publications by himself and with students, his bosses at the university find that seriously troublesome and they try to make him cease. Dire consequences result. The author is a marine biologist and has taught university students for years. So he has extensive experience with this subject area. Of course, what is supposedly found out in the research undertaken in the story is fiction. On the other hand, the marine organisms investigated are real enough species. While the research findings of his main character may be imagined, the approaches to formulating questions and ways to answer them are very much as they might have been in reality. What this author creates here is a telling of the troubles, trials, and tribulations that may come from pursuing new knowledge.

Agricultural Research Updates. Volume 29 opens with information on wild edible plants commonly consumed by Jordanians and people of other neighboring countries. The presented plant spp. are among hundreds of wild edible species recorded in Jordan, are regarded as partially or totally consumable, and are usually used in food and medicine. The authors discuss various aspects of species complications among Phytophthora, and discuss the way these complications could be addressed through a better understanding of the biology, diversity, ecology, and taxonomic relationships between species. In one study, thirty African yam bean genotypes were evaluated for grain yield in a randomized complete block design of three replications in four agroecologies of Nigeria. Across the four locations, a mean yield of 1019Kg/ha was obtained. A mixed model was employed to access variability among the 30 genotypes and four locations. Lastly, this collection reviews the applications of size-exclusion chromatography in the fractionation of fructans and in the determination of their molecular weight, size, intrinsic viscosity and degree of branching.

This book will be beneficial for students, researchers and scientists working in the field of molecular dynamics simulation. In this book, Materials Studio software developed by Accelrys, a software company headquartered in the United States, has been used for performing the simulations and analysis. The source codes written in the book can be used by any one for modeling. The book starts with an introduction to molecular dynamics. Then various molecular dynamics methods will be discussed in detail. As the book progresses, various case studies related to modeling of composites at nano level will be discussed. The properties predicted are mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical. The concept of perl scripting has also been discussed in detail. Lastly the applications of molecular dynamics in various fields of engineering and technology will be discussed. The nanocomposite materials discussed in this book include polymer-matrix composites. The reinforcements used are carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanoparticles and nanofibers.

Chapter 1 focuses on how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identifies and combats waste, fraud, and abuse in both traditional Medicare and the Medicare Advantage program. Reducing improper payments is critical for protecting the integrity of the program and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are well spent. The Medicaid program, which provides vital health care to over 70 million Americans, regardless of preexisting conditions. GAO and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published reports on continued weaknesses and program integrity risks and Medicaid managed care. Clearly, there is a need for greater transparency on how managed care organizations spend Federal dollars and greater program integrity and oversight in Medicaid in general. Chapter 2 talks about the rate of improper payments in the Medicaid program.

Since 2014, millions of individuals have purchased coverage through the health insurance exchanges established under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). PPACA altered the individual health insurance market by setting federal standards for coverage and subsidizing exchange coverage for certain low-income individuals. In the first 5 years of exchanges, issuers have moved in and out of the market and increased premiums, but little is known about issuers'' claims costs or the factors driving their business decisions. Chapter 1 examines (1) claims costs of issuers participating in exchanges, and (2) factors driving selected issuers'' changes in exchange participation, premiums, and plan design. GAO reviewed data from nine issuers participating in five states, which were selected to represent a range in size, tax status, and exchange participation. During open enrollment, eligible returning consumers may re-enroll in their existing health insurance exchange plan or choose a different plan. Those who do not actively enroll in a plan may be automatically re-enrolled into a plan. Chapter 2 examines 1) the extent to which plans identified as benchmark plans remained the same plans from year to year, and how premiums for benchmark plans changed; 2) the proportion of exchange consumers who were automatically re-enrolled into the same or similar plans, and how these proportions compared to those for consumers who actively re-enrolled, and 3) the extent to which consumers'' financial responsibility for premiums changed for those who were automatically re-enrolled compared to those who actively re-enrolled. Chapter 3 discussed the amendments to title XIX of the Social Security Act to ensure health insurance coverage continuity for former foster youth. Certain individuals without access to subsidized health insurance coverage may be eligible for premium tax credits, as established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended). The dollar amount of the premium credit varies from individual to individual, based on a formula specified in statute. Individuals who are eligible for the premium credit, however, generally are still required to contribute some amount toward the purchase of health insurance as described in chapter 4. During the summer of 2018, the Trump Administration issued final rules governing coverage offered through association health plans (AHPs) and short-term, limited-duration insurance. Chapter 5 describes how the Congressional Budget Office and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) analyzed the new rules and determined how those rules would affect the agencies'' projections of the number of people who obtain health insurance and the costs of federal subsidies for that coverage.

There are a variety of tumors that can arise from various compartments and cellular components of peripheral nerves throughout the body. These peripheral nerve sheath tumors run the gamut from benign, fairly commonly encountered neoplasms such as schwannomas and neurofibromas to rarer, low grade neoplasms and variants such as perineuriomas, mucosal neuromas, palisaded encapsulated neuromas, granular cell tumors and nerve sheath myxomas to malignant neoplasms, so-called malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. They are generally classified as soft tissue neoplasms but they differ from most other tumors in this general grouping in a number of ways. Many of them are associated with genetic disorders or hereditary tumor syndromes and the majority of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors arise from a benign precursor tumor, neurofibroma. Their precise diagnosis and classification necessitates careful correlation with clinical and surgical data along with attention to histologic and immunohistochemical features. This text is comprised of a collection of chapters reviewing some of the myriad aspects of this group of neoplasms and includes discussions of the epithelioid variant of malignant peripheral nerve sheaths, peineuriomas arising in the colon, peripheral nerve sheath tumors arising in the oral cavity, jaw and salivary gland regions of the head and neck, and the melanotic variant of schwannoma.

Translated from the Georgian by Eirik Halvorson.

Describes approaches to be applied for the therapeutic management of patients with cancer.

The use of polymers for dental purposes started with the invention of vulcanised rubber. The development of the dough technique made it possible to use polyacrylates in dentistry. This book has been written in an effort to emphasise the use of polymeric materials in dentistry.

Describes African American men and women who have contributed to the advancement of science including inventions.