Books published by Nova Science Publishers Inc

The book addresses the issue of the human relationship with diversity within a theoretical framework that considers not only the psycho-social perspective, but also - and pre-eminently - the perspective of complexity science. A broad definition of diversity is proposed, whereby diversity is all that is not the self or, more precisely, all that is not the present self. There is a focus on cross-cultural relations, especially with regards to young people, and on the themes of racism and empathy in this context. The analysis draws on the considerable data obtained by the author and her research group in her study of children's and adolescents' attitudes towards multiculturalism. Interspecies diversity is considered as well, with a chapter devoted to the human relationship with animals supported by data obtained from the author's research study on children's and adolescents' attitudes towards animals. Throughout the book, the main concepts and principles pertaining to complexity science and complex thinking are used, including systems, interconnection, emergent factors, non-linearity, uncertainty, responsibility, mutilating thought, and the contribution of art to scientific research. Two chapters address the relationship with diversity as it is presented in literature, cinema, and photography. In conclusion, the author's view is that complexity is an intrinsic quality of reality, and that reality absolutely must be approached through the complexity lens.

Advances in Materials Science Research. Volume 35 opens with an examination of the effect of bismaleimides based on the Diels-Alder reaction mechanism on high performance aerospace carbon fibre reinforced plastics. More precisely, the interlaminar fracture toughness of unidirectional bismaleimide modified composites and their healing capabilities were measured under mode I and mode II fracture loading conditions. Following this, polyacrylonitrile nanofibers are first obtained from polyacrylonitrile in dimethylformamide by electrospinning. Then, the carbon nanofibers are obtained by calcination of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers. Additionally, the capacity of these materials to promote oxygen reduction reaction is evaluated. As new sorbents are developed for purifying gases or liquids via physisorption and/or chemisorption processes, the objective is typically to increase the specific surface area to maximize the available binding sites for capturing various species of interest. One drawback to making a sorbent more porous is that it often leads to a product that is fragile or friable and can be damaged, thus imposing process limitations. Thus, the authors propose an alternative approach for improving the mechanical integrity of the sorbent by binding it within a porous matrix that passively holds the sorbent in place. Next, evidence that the nanopillared graphene surface can induce strong dewettability is been reported by molecular dynamics simulations. The retracting and detaching behaviors of the liquid film can be effectively controlled by tuning the geometric parameters of the liquid film or nanopillar as well as the temperature. This compilation also includes a study which aims to present the advantages of using a thermodynamic analysis for the production of high purity hydrogen by the ethanol steam reforming combined with CO2 absorption (ESR-CO2-ABS). For this purpose, a thermodynamic analysis is used to find optimal reaction conditions for the ESR-CO2-ABS system. Thermodynamic analysis of the ESR-CO2-ABS system was performed using CaO, CaOMgO, Na2ZrO3, Li2ZrO3 and Li4SiO4 as CO2 absorbents to determine optimal operating conditions to generate high production and concentration of hydrogen in the product gas. In conclusion, the authors discuss how recently, research emphasis has been directed towards integrating multiple functions into polymer materials. Among these new advancements in materials science are functional polymers with structural designs for versatile applications. Piperazine is an interesting heterocyclic diamine which possess excellent medicinal and chelating property. Polymers and surfactants based on piperazine and surfactants have shown good hydrophilic, chelating anti-bacterial and anti-helminthic properties.

Discovered in 1961, amiodarone is a cationic amphiphilic molecule which belongs to class III antiarrhythmic drugs and therefore, it is used in the treatment of a wide range of cardiac arrhythmias. Advances in Medicine and Biology. Volume 136 begins by discussing state of the art formulations of amiodarone and outlooks for future dosage forms. Though amiodarone hydrochloride has often been prescribed for patients with refractory or life-threatening arrhythmias, its clinical use is frequently limited because of a number of side effects such as corneal microdeposits, photosensitivity, pulmonary fibrosis, thyroid and liver dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy. As such, the authors conduct a study wherein amiodarone hydrochloride dose-dependently induced cell death, lysosomal storage of phospholipids and neutral lipids, and oxidative stress in immortalized Schwann cells. The following review presents scientific results and popular uses for plants from the Euphorbia genus. With nearly 2,000 species, Euphorbia is the third largest genus of blossoming plants, promptly discernable by their milky latex and particular inflorescences, called cyathia. The laryngeal mask airway was introduced by Dr. Archie Brain in 1981 with the intent to develop a safe and effective alternative to orotracheal intubation. Since its first use in the early 90s, the laryngeal mask airway went through many structural changes and has greatly evolved. This compilation addresses this evolution and suggests that the laryngeal mask airway is a safe and easy to use device that can be considered an effective alternative to more invasive tools. Also studied in this collection is the recent development and modern trends in the use of mesenchymal stem cells for the regeneration of damaged myocardium. Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide and there is no promising treatment available for cardiomyopathies except some pharmacological and surgical interventions including heart transplantation. Obesity is associated with the chronic inflammatory condition, and a consequence of obesity is the development of cardiovascular diseases due to the presence of risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidemia. The authors present a study is presented which analyzes recent literature data related to the link between obesity and development of cardiovascular diseases. Following this, the authors discuss echinococcosis, a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the larval stages of four species of genus Echinococcosis, including, Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis, E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli. Imaging methods for detecting space occupying lesions are the primary approaches for diagnosing of human Echinococcosis. The clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of classical Kaposis sarcoma is also discussed. Classical Kaposis sarcoma predominantly develops in immunocompetent older males of Mediterranean or Jewish origin and is considered the most indolent of the four variants of the disease. Human herpes virus 8 is believed to be the etiological factor. In the penultimate chapter, the authors suggest presenting experimental data in the form of hybridization energy isotherms. Theory has demonstrated a relationship between the free energy of oligo-target duplex interaction and the hybridization signal. Moreover, it has been found that target concentration changes are causing vertical shifts of hybridization energy isotherms. Lastly, a short introduction to microphysiometry (the monitoring of energy metabolism of living cells) is given. An experiment with the mouse fibroblast cell line L929 is described, employing the intelligent mobile lab for in vitro diagnostics. The experimental conditions are described with a focus on the medium exchange and rest intervals which result in a metabolism frequency of the living cells.

In Advances in Engineering Research. Volume 26, sodium dodecyl sulfate and hydroxy isopropyl chitosan are employed as modulation agents for crystallization of CaC2O4. The effects of these concentrations on the crystallization are investigated, and the CaC2O4 particles are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The authors examine a novel flash ironmaking technology, developed by Professor H.Y. Sohns research group at the University of Utah, which has shown promising results for the production of iron from iron ore concentrate with low energy consumption/greenhouse gas emissions. Computation fluid dynamics has been used to simulate the novel flash ironmaking process from the kinetics analysis of the results obtained in laminar-flow reactors to the laboratory scale Utah flash reactor and the large scale bench reactor. This collection goes on to review recent data on composite materials intended for repairing mechanochemical and technological damages of metallic pipelines. The technological aspects of repairing gas and oil pipeline surfaces and their joints and couplings in field conditions are analyzed, and methods used to improve the strength of the adhesive layer are considered. Next, several mega-structural projects for regulation of the economic and ecological impacts of global sea-level rise in the Mediterranean Sea Basin are detailed. In particular, one macro-project, a modernized installation sited within the Strait of Gibraltar composed of a single fabric submarine curtain and super-ropes, is closely examined in terms of its sea-level rise macro-problem solving suitability. Lastly, a new method based on subsampled contourlet transform and feature smoothing technique is presented for automatic classification of seabed square-size images. This new version of standard contourlet transform allows for the study of images with various resolution levels and directions. This proposed method is implemented using graphics processing unit capabilities to reduce execution time.

In the introductory chapter of Advances in Chemistry Research. Volume 47, the authors review eterogeneous catalytic systems reported from 2004 to 2018 for some of the key chemical transformations of limonene such as oxidation, hydrogenation and isomerization reactions. The main advantages of the heterogeneous catalytic processes are the easy separation of a catalyst from a reaction mixture, the possibility of reuse and the mild reaction conditions of the processes. The processes responsible for the memory effect (induced by electrical breakdown and discharge in custom-made/commercial tubes) filled with noble gases at low pressure are analyzed in the next chapter. This analysis is based on the experimental results pertaining to a mean value of electrical breakdown time delay as a function of the afterglow period. Next, a variety of hydroxyquinoline-based compounds from three perspectives, namely their applications as anticancer agents, as sensing agents for metal detection, and the mechanisms of their actions. The authors provide an overview on the ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes catalyzed and visible-light assisted procedures employed for the production of radical intermediates from sulfonyl chlorides. In addition, they account the applications of these radical species in the syntheses of functionalized aliphatic and aromatic compounds. Because previous kinetic models assume that the reaction medium was reacting at random and without a turnover associated to thermodynamics exchanges, some included experimental studies aim to show that coupling factor 1 from spinach chloroplasts has latent ATPase activity which becomes expressed after heat-treatment and incubation with calcium. Lastly, optically active ketones are isolated from the domino deprotection/decarboxylation/protonation reaction of racemic allyl or benzyl B-ketoesters and corresponding enol carbonates mediated with both palladium species and unichiral aminoalcohols. Protonation of an ammonium enolate as the key enantioselective step is consistent with the absence of a relationship between the nature of the substrate and the absolute configuration of the isolated ketone.