Nova Science Publishers
Pain in children & youth.
Schofield (pain management, Centre for Advanced Studies in Nursing, U. of Aberdeen, UK) and Merrick (child health and human development, Kentucky Children's Hospital, U. of Kentucky) bring together nine studies on pain in children and youth, that examine the results of studies on psychological and complementary and alternative medicine approaches, standards of pain management in minor sports-related musculoskeletal injuries and the use of topical non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, acute sickle cell disease pain, and the impact of pain-associated functioning limitation on children's lives. Others address the use of analgesics during pregnancy and impact on children's quality of life, adolescents living with chronic pain, the use of hydromorphone with sickle cell disease, the use of morphine, and the relationship between race, lab-based coping strategies and anticipatory anxiety and pain intensity in pain tasks. Studies are by specialists in pediatrics, behavioral sciences, holistic medicine, pain medicine, hematology, and other fields from North America, Europe, and Israel. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Physics and technology of high current discharges in dense gas media and flows.
The book is dedicated to research results and technical applications in the field of dense low-temperature plasma. Three chapters cover high- current discharges in dense and super dense gas environments, investigation of high-current discharges in gas environments, and pulse electric discharges in liquids. New technologies described include hyper-acceleration on the basis of electric discharge and combined units, devices for bactericidal water treatment, and the generation of charged oxide nanoparticles and their applications in biology, genetics, and oncology. Chapter abstracts, introductions, and conclusions are included, along with b&w photos, images, and illustrations. Rutberg is affiliated with the Institute for Electrophysics and Electric Power (RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Pioneering human myoblast genome therapy.
Myoblasts are differentiated, immature cells destined to become muscles, which can be used for safe and efficient universal gene transfer. This book explains recent work in human myoblast genome therapy, or HMGT (previously known as myoblast transfer therapy, or MTT), a platform technology of cell transplantation, nuclear transfer, and tissue engineering. It describes research on myoblast transfer in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) subjects, HMGT and the regenerative heart, and the first myoblast study of Type II diabetic patients. Color images and photos are included. The authors are affiliated with Cell Transplants Asia Ltd., Canada, and the National University Hospital, Singapore. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Plastic recycling.
Manrich (materials engineering, U. Federal de Sao Carlos, Brazil) and Santos (no affiliations listed) explore modern recycling processes for plastics, noting that the "3R" concept (reduction, reuse and recycling) is the leading strategy for minimizing the environmental impact of carbon-releasing energy sources. The authors describe how mechanical recycling processes are the simplest and most cost- effective way to deal with post-consumer plastics, and then compare these technologies to chemical/feedstock and quaternary/energy types of recycling. This study is intended for students and researchers in materials engineering and uses research data acquired from the workgroup at the 3R Residues Recycling Center. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Polymer nanocomposites; the variety and structural forms and applications.
Mikitaev, Kozlov and Zaikov (no affiliations listed) have written this volume for students and researchers in the field of nanotechnology development, offering seven different classes of structure-properties relationships of polymer nanocomposites. The authors examine nanocomposite materials with elastomeric matrices, ultrafine particles (with and without special properties), polymer and polymeric characteristics, polymer and organoclay, carbon nanotubes and hybrid varieties. An appendix features a representation of amorphous glassy polymers structure as nanocomposites. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Polyester; properties, preparation and applications.
Polyesters are polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. The eight chapters of this book spotlight current research in the field from around the world. Some areas under discussion include hydrolysis of polyesters and polycarbonates, carbon nanotube-reinforced polyester nanocomposites, recent developments in modification of cyanate ester resins, and biodegradable aliphatic polyesters derived from 1,3-propanediol. Other subjects considered include compatibility of cotton/nylon and cotton/polyester warp-knit terry toweling with industrial laundering procedures, development of polyester type shape memory polymer and its application to composite material, and thermal stability and fire performance of unsaturated polyester resins. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Polyfunctional stabilizers of polymers.
This monograph on polyfunctional stabilizers of polymers is aimed primarily at physical chemistry scientists who need to correlate the structure, reactivity and efficiency of these high-molecular compounds. Mukmeneva, Bukharo, Nugumanova and Kochnev (no affiliations listed) examine the synthesis of polyfunctional stabilizers, and describe the modelling used for the chemical processes that inhibit polymer oxidation. The stabilization of polymer color is also investigated, as is stabilizer efficiency and synergism effects. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Poly (vinyl alcohol)[PVA]- based polymer membranes.
PVA is a polymer of great interest because of its many desirable characteristics for various pharmaceutical, biomedical, and separation applications. This book focuses on the applications of PVA-based membranes in areas such as separation membrane processes, fuel cells, sensors, biochemical/medical applications, catalyst or PVA derivatives, and membranes as gas and vapor barriers. The authors are affiliated with the University of Brasov. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Poststroke dementia and imaging.
This volume reviews the current understanding of post-stroke dementia and its imaging. The authors define post-stroke dementia and discuss foundational issues, including its classification, pathology, prevalence, and cognitive pattern, imaging modalities, methods, and applications, and determinants for ischemic post-stroke dementia. Some grammar problems are present, suggesting English is not the authors’ first language. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Protein biosynthesis.
Protein biosynthesis is the multi-step process by which cells build proteins. This book presents new work in the field from around the world, with 13 chapters in all. Some specific areas studied include modification of mRNA translation initiation, stimulating protein synthesis in sepsis, protein synthesis of hepatocytes of mice as revealed by electronic microscopic radioautography, and recent advances in label-free biosensor applications in protein biosynthesis and HTS screening. Other topics covered include the role of protein biosysnthesis in synaptic plasticity, secreted protein and peptide biosynthesis, and the effects of temperature on ectotherm protein metabolism. Information on the editors is not given. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Progress in cell cycle control research.
A cell cycle is an ordered and highly controlled set of events that leads to cell growth and proliferation. This new book presents the latest research in the field from around the globe. Some specific research areas reported include CDKs and HDACs inhibition in cancer therapy, cell cycle control by proteasome inhibition, and genetic and epigenetic alterations of cell cycle control genes in hematological malignancies and the restoration of cell cycle control genes using molecular targeted therapy. Other topics considered are cell cycle control proteins in human breast cancer, primary roles of the retinoblast protein family in cell cycle regulation, and FHIT and cancer initiating cells. Information on the editor is not given. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Progress in heterogeneous catalysis.
Heterogeneous catalysis, a process of industrial and environmental importance, is introduced as a term in chemistry which describes catalysis where the catalyst is in a different phase to the reactants (e.g., a liquid and gas), thus providing a surface on which a chemical reaction can take place. In an expert commentary and eight chapters, international contributors treat the role of such catalysis in 'sustainable chemistry' with minimal environmental impact, such as new generation catalysts in biodiesel production; microwave-assisted chemistry; metal nanoparticles; and emerging research on advanced polyolefins. Diagrams illustrate processes. No professional background information is given on the editor. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Progress in nonlinear analysis research.
Nonlinear analysis, an interdisciplinary field characterized by a mixture of analysis, topology, and applications, is used to model phenomena in fields ranging from engineering to chemistry to economics. This book gathers recent research in nonlinear analysis from around the world. Some areas studied include a mathematical-model approach to chlamydial infection in Japan, time-inhomogeneous Markov chains and ergodicity arising from nonlinear dynamic systems and optimization, solutions to open problems in n-dimensional fluid dynamics, exact penalty functions for constrained optimization problems, and the development of Lyapunov's direct method in the application to new types of problems of hydrodynamic stability theory. Information on the editor is not given. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Progress in nonlinear optics research.
Written for fellow researchers in the relatively new field of nonlinear optics, this collection of research shows the latest advances and how they can be applied to such technologies as signal processing, optical communications, holographic memory and soliton phenomenon. Editors Takahashi and Gotô (no affiliations listed) have gathered research on such topics as nonlinear photonic ring lasers, real-time electroholography and the maneuvering of atoms for lithography using near resonant spatially varying laser fields. The generation, characterization and application of vortices of light for nonlinear optics is also discussed. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Progress on drinking water research.
Contamination, toxicity, and treatment are the primary concerns of analytic chemists from around the world as they consider water that is or can be made suitable for human consumption. They report their research or review the literature on such topics as using composite electrodes in the analysis of drinking water, voltametric and amperometric determination of organic pollutants using boron doped diamond film electrodes, groundwater toxicity due to natural dissolved radionuclides belonging to the uranium and thorium decay series, lessons from field studies in India on the solar disinfection of drinking water, and the impact of low turbidities in the sanitary quality of exploited water. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Psychological aspects associated with spinal cord injury rehabilitation; new directions & best evidence.
Craig and Tran (both rehabilitation studies, U. of Sydney, Australia) present professionals involved in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) 11 articles addressing related psychological challenges and, in a separate section, strategies for managing them. Specific topics include: impact of SCI on children and families, short and long-term outcomes following cognitive behavior therapy for patients with SCI, cognitive impairment, vocational achievement following SCI, environmental control systems and their psychological influence, and the effects of relaxation on secondary conditions in SCI. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Psychological factors and cardiovascular disorders; the role of stress and psychosocial influences.
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that psychological and psychosocial factors significantly affect the cardiovascular system and play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders. This book collects international research on the interaction of psychological and biological factors in the regulation of the cardiovascular system and the development of cardiovascular disorders. Some specific areas examined include reducing cardiovascular disease with the Transcendental Meditation technique, the influence of fatigue in cardiovascular responses, indigenous views of the heart in health and disease, and the impact of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training on psychological distress. Sher is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Psychology of stress.
Editor Oxington has collected research in the field on stress and its effects on well-being, offering students and researchers a balanced view of the positive and negative aspects of this universal phenomenon. Expert contributors cover such topics as stress among students in developing countries, chronic and acute stress situations and a sociocultural perspective on stress and somatization. New psychotherapeutic strategies for treating children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress are also reviewed. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Recycling; new research.
These research articles on recycling practices focus on continued wastefulness in developed countries and increased efforts to establish national mindsets and infrastructures for conservation. Editors Gallo and Rossi (no affiliations listed) have enlisted the help of experts in economics, agriculture and environmental engineering to cover such topics as the recycling and reuse of high-purity water, the recycling and recovery of waste acids from industrial manufacturing and recycling practices for scrap lithium batteries. These papers are recommended for engineers and researchers in the field due to their highly technical nature. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Robust stability and performance analysis of large scale power systems with real parametric uncertainty; a structured singular value approach.
Meant for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in power system stability analysis and control, this volume discusses the robustness analysis of large-scale power systems subject to uncertainties in operating conditions. The authors use robustness and optimization theories, and describe the development and testing of efficient computational methods based on the structured singular value for robustness analysis of highly uncertain nonlinear dynamical systems. They also describe a modeling framework and techniques that address uncertainty, the application of the analysis framework to a small security assessment of a single machine infinite bus system, results of analytical studies, and the development and application of near, real-time uncertainty-based control policies to the problem of evaluating dynamic security assessment. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Role of newly detected and emerging viruses in childhood respiratory diseases.
For virologists and clinicians, this volume describes the role of newly discovered pathogens, their biology and clinical features, in childhood respiratory diseases. Schildgen (Institute for Virology, U. Hospital Bonn, Germany) compiles six chapters in which each pathogen is described, including the human metapneumovirus, the SARS- coronavirus, the human bocavirus, and picornaviruses. Also discussed are methodologies for virus discovery, and the diagnosis and treatment of viral lower respiratory tract infections in children. Contributors work in virology, pediatrics, and infectious diseases, in Europe, the US, and Australia. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
