nova science publishers inc mär 2008 (46 Ergebnisse)

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - ESA (Endangered Species Act) has been one of the more contentious environmental laws. This may stem from its strict substantive provisions, which can affect the use of both federal and non-federal lands and resources. Under ESA, species of plants and animals (both vertebrate and invertebrate) can be listed as endangered or threatened according to assessments of their risk of extinction. Once a species is listed, powerful legal tools are available to aid its recovery and protect its habitat. ESA may also be controversial because dwindling species are usually harbingers of broader ecosystem decline: the most common cause of species listing is habitat loss. Major issues in recent years have included the role of science in decision-making, critical habitat (CH) designation and procedures, protection by and incentives for property owners, and appropriate protection of listed species, among others. This new book presents the latest updates on the ESA and its impact.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In the last 50 years significant numbers of men and women take little exercise in the course of their occupation. The computer keyboard, the rise of private transport, the world by television, household 'labour saving' devices mean that with the minimal of physical effort people work and play. The benefits of doing regular exercise include a reduced risk of: heart disease, stroke, bowel cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity. In addition, many people feel better in themselves during and after exercise. Regular exercise is also thought to help ease stress, anxiety, and mild depression. This new book presents recent significant research from around the world dealing with various aspects and impacts of exercise as related to health.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), 50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as passed in 1978, provided a statutory framework for the use of electronic surveillance in the context of foreign intelligence gathering. In so doing, Congress sought to strike a delicate balance between national security interests and personal privacy rights. Subsequent legislation expanded federal laws dealing with foreign intelligence gathering to address physical searches, pen registers and trap and trace devices, and access to certain business records. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, P.L. 107-56, made significant changes to some of these provisions. Further amendments were included in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002, P.L. 107-108, and the Homeland Security Act of 2002, P.L. 107-296, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, P.L. 108-458, the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, P.L. 109-177, and the USA PATRIOT Act Additional Reauthorizing Amendments Act of 2006, P.L. 109- 178. In addressing international terrorism or espionage, the same factual situation may be the focus of both criminal investigations and foreign intelligence collection efforts. Some of the changes in FISA under these public laws are intended, in part, to facilitate information sharing between law enforcement and intelligence elements. In its Final Report, the 9/11 Commission noted that the removal of the pre-9/11 'wall' between intelligence and law enforcement 'has opened up new opportunities for co-operative action within the FBI.' P.L. 110-55 limits the construction of the term 'electronic surveillance' so that it does not cover surveillance directed at a person reasonably believed to be located outside the United States. It also creates a mechanism for acquisition, without a court order under a certification by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Attorney General, of foreign intelligence information concerning a person reasonably believed to be outside the United States. The Protect America Act provides for review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) of the procedures by which the DNI and the Attorney General determine that such acquisitions do not constitute electronic surveillance. In addition, P.L. 110-55 authorises the Attorney General and the DNI to direct a person with access to the communications involved to furnish aid to the government to facilitate such acquisitions, and provides a means by which the legality of such a directive may be reviewed by the FISC petition review pool. A decision by a judge of the FISC petition review pool may be appealed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, and review by the U.S. Supreme Court may be sought by petition for writ of certiorari.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Farm labour was and remains an extremely controversial issue. This book presents in-depth analyses relevant at the outset of the 21st century.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book will serve as a reference book that contains a comprehensive list of formulas for the first time, tables of the Volterra functions. It also includes critically evaluated older material on the functions, but many new results that were obtained by the author. These results include: the behaviour of the Volterra Functions as a function of parameters, the integral representations of the functions, many new Laplace and other-one-dimensional and two-dimensional integral transforms, integrals and series as well as extensive numerical computations that are presented in graphical and tabular forms.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The purpose of this book is to provide evidence for physicians about the prevalence for a range of medical conditions by disability, from a primary care prospective. Each chapter focuses on a secondary condition for which adults with DD are at increased risk, decreased risk, and the same risk as the general population. The incidence and prevalence of each of the secondary conditions is presented, and contrasted to the general population. The special challenges for diagnosis and treatment of the secondary condition is highlighted. Finally the book describes a case study that includes physical, social and emotional challenges and ways to accommodate these issues in a primary care practice.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - One of the hottest topics in America is the burning issue of immigration. On the one hand, immigration is what has kept America growing and prospering. On the other hand, the demographics are politically sensitive, the emotions high and sometimes mean-spirited, and some state government services in as bad shape as America's bridges. This book presents important issues on this nontrivial issue.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book covers the subject of grasslands used for grazing livestock. Grasslands can be split into improved and unimproved pastures (also a sub-set of rangelands). Land used for livestock industries occupy 70% agricultural land and about 40% of total land and produce 40% of agricultural gross domestic product (FAO, 2005; Steinfeld et al., 2006). Increasing populations and incomes, coupled with a change in diets and urbanisation in the developing world, is enhancing demand for pasture-based products (Devine, 2003; Schmidhuber and Shetty, 2005). For example, milk and meat production is predicted to double to just over 1 billion tonnes of milk and 465 million tonnes of meat by 2050 (Steinfeld et al., 2006). To meet these demands most effort will go into intensification of improved pastures, which translates into high stocking densities supported by large inputs of fertilisers, feed supplements and energy.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This new book highlights the link between the luminescence phenomena of phosphors used in different displays. Both fluorescence (used in display phosphors) and phosphorescence (used in after glow phosphors and storage phosphors) mechanisms and the efforts made in phosphor synthesis to reduce the interference of one on another are dealt with in detail.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - U.S.-China economic ties have expanded substantially over the past several years. Total U.S.-China trade, which totaled only $5 billion in 1980, rose to $343 billion in 2006. China is also now the 2nd largest U.S. trading partner, its 2nd largest source of U.S. imports, and its 4th largest export market. With a huge population and a rapidly expanding economy, China is a potentially huge market for U.S. exporters. However, economic relations have become strained over a number of issues, including China's large and growing trade surpluses with the United States; its failure to fully implement its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, especially in regards to intellectual property rights (IPR); its refusal to adopt a floating currency system; and its maintenance of industrial policies and other practices deemed unfair and/or harmful to various U.S. economic sectors. China is a major supplier of consumer products (such as toys), and an increasingly important supplier of various food products. Reports of unsafe seafood, pet food, toys, tires, and other products imported from China over the past year have raised concern in the United States over the health, safety, and quality of imported Chinese products. This book presents important analyses which deal in part with whether the US economy would seriously falter with a substantial decrease in trade activity with China.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Child abuse and neglect is as, at a minimum any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm. Four major types of maltreatment are usually included: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they often occur in combination. This book presents new and important research in the field.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In recent years, among numerous advanced composite materials, non-homogeneous materials, such as functionally graded materials and laminated media, have received considerable attention in the field of structural design subjected to external thermo-electro-mechanical loads. Such non-homogeneous materials are composed of two or more materials of different properties or functions. The gradual change of properties can be tailored to different applications and service environments. It is possible with these materials to obtain a combination of properties that cannot be achieved in conventional monolithic materials. A typical example of non-homogeneous materials is the composites fabricated by combining piezoelectric ceramics with other materials. Such non-homogeneous materials are usually used for constructions of intelligent systems. The thermo-electro-mechanical properties of these advanced materials change with spatial positions. The knowledge of fracture behaviour of non-homogeneous materials is important in order to evaluate their structural integrity. A key feature of fracture which distinguishes non-homogeneous materials from homogeneous materials is that the resistance of the former to fracture and damage tolerance varies spatially. Consequently, analyses of fracture in non-homogeneous materials are considerably more complex than in the corresponding homogeneous case of the same specimen and crack geometry subjected to the same loading conditions. Associated complications involving spatially varying material constants have demanded the re-examination of the elastic crack problem. This book brings together the diverse achievements in the field.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Studies on queueing models and their publication in professional journals and textbooks have been sparse over the past eleven decades. Collections of some of these studies have appeared either as single volumes or just chapters of single volumes and/or monographs. This book is an attempt to present some queuing models, especially those applicable in business and industry, in a style between a monograph and a textbook. Also the need of researchers and practitioners for a handbook-type text and the current lack of it explain the need for a book of this kind. Most of the basic terminologies and concepts that appear throughout the text are introduced in a systematic way in the first two chapters; nevertheless, previous exposition to a first course in probability and statistics is advised for later chapters.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Brain hypoxia-ischemia is a disorder characterised by a reduction in oxygen supply (hypoxia) combined with reduced blood flow (ischemia) to the brain. This condition may result from a localised obstruction of a cerebral artery or from systemic hypoperfusion. Prolonged hypoxia-ischemia is associated with ischemic attack, transient; brain infarction; brain oedema; coma; and other conditions. This book presents the latest research in this field from around the world.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This series presents substantial results from around the globe in selected areas of educational research. The field of education is consistently on the top of priority lists of every country in the world, yet few educators are aware of the progress elsewhere. Many techniques, programs and methods are directly applicable across borders. This series attempts to shed light on successes wherever they may occur in the hope that many wheels need not be reinvented again and again.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Biotechnology is a popular term for the generic technology of the 21st century. Although it has been utilised for centuries in traditional production processes, modern biotechnology is only 50 years old and in the last decades it has been witnessing tremendous developments. Bioengineering is the science upon which all Biotechnological applications are based. With the development of new approaches and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling them to improve the quality of their products and increase the productivity of their systems. Biological engineering (also biosystems engineering and bioengineering) deals with engineering biological processes in general. It is a broad-based engineering discipline that also may involve product design, sustainability and analysis of biological systems. In other words, Bioengineering is a discipline that applies engineering principles to biological systems for the purpose of developing new technologies of services to improve the living standards of societies. It exploits the new developments in molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, cell metabolism and engineering principles and applies them in order to understand living systems and to bring solutions various problems associated with these systems. This book presents leading research in both areas.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Management comprises directing and controlling a group of one or more people or entities for the purpose of co-ordinating and harmonising that group towards accomplishing a goal. Management often encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources. This book deals with management problems within a global context and presents the latest research in this growing field.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Metastasis is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-contiguous organ or part. Only malignant tumour cells and infections have the capacity to metastasise. Cancer cells can 'break away' from a primary tumour, penetrate into lymphatic and blood vessels, circulate through the bloodstream, and grow in a distant focus (metastasise) in normal tissues elsewhere in the body. Metastasis is considered a hallmark of malignancy. All tumours can metastasise albeit to varying degrees, barring a few exceptions (eg. Glioma and Basal cell carcinoma never metastasize). When cancer cells spread to form a new tumour, it is called a secondary, or metastatic tumour, and its cells are like those in the original tumour. This means, for example, that if breast cancer spreads (metastasizes) to the lung, the secondary tumour is made up of abnormal breast cells (not abnormal lung cells). The disease in the lung is then called metastatic breast cancer (not lung cancer). Only malignant tumour cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize. This book presents the latest research in the field from around the world.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book deals with new research in the fields of passenger and freight transportation modes: policy analysis, formulation and evaluation; planning; interaction with the political, socioeconomic and physical environment; design, management and evaluation of transportation systems.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In 1763, Reverend Edmund Stone took the first step toward the discovery of one of the most commonly used medicines when he noted that the bark of the English willow was an effective treatment for patients suffering from a fever. This synthesised compound would eventually become known as one of the most prescribed drugs for acute and chronic pain symptoms. However, through years of trial and error, this drug has been the subject of many controversial issues. Aspirin serves as one of the leading agents for cardiovascular treatment in women. However, many patients have experienced negative side effects of internal bleeding and lining damage due to strong amounts of acid in the drug. Aspirin is often effective when taken in small doses. This book presents medical and biological research. These involve neurological effects, clinical and experimental reactions, lung exposure, withdrawal symptoms, cardiovascular side effects, uses in cancer treatment and many other application areas.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties and which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure. Fibre Reinforced Polymers or FRPs include Wood comprising (cellulose fibers in a lignin and hemicellulose matrix), Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic or CFRP, Glass-fibre reinforced plastic or GFRP (also GRP). If classified by matrix then there are Thermoplastic Composites, short fiber thermoplastics, long fibre thermoplastics or long fibre reinforced thermoplastics There are numerous thermoset composites, but advanced systems usually incorporate aramid fibre and carbon fibre in an epoxy resin matrix. Composites can also utilise metal fibres reinforcing other metals, as in Metal matrix composites or MMC. Ceramic matrix composites include Bone (hydroxyapatite reinforced with collagen fibres), Cermet (ceramic and metal) and Concrete. Organic matrix/ceramic aggregate composites include Asphalt concrete, Mastic asphalt, Mastic roller hybrid, Dental composite, Syntactic foam and Mother of Pearl. Chobham armour is a special composite used in military applications. Engineered wood includes a wide variety of different products such as Plywood, Oriented strand board, Wood plastic composite (recycled wood fibre in polyethylene matrix), Pykrete (sawdust in ice matrix), Plastic-impregnated or laminated paper or textiles, Arborite, Formica (plastic) and Micarta. Composite materials have gained popularity (despite their generally high cost) in high-performance products such as aerospace components (tails, wings , fuselages, propellors), boat and scull hulls, and racing car bodies. More mundane uses include fishing rods and storage tanks. This new book presents the latest research from around the world.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Computers have taken a permanent place in almost every human endeavour in the last 20 years. This infiltration requires a learning process on the part of the people utilising them and realising where and how they can be best used beyond the basic and obvious applications. Statistics is an example of their application in many diverse fields to reach conclusions and make projections never before possible. Beyond this, applied statistics is rapidly becoming not only an instrument, but an integral part of the advance of knowledge. There are many fields such as medicine, biology, weather prediction, military planning, and many others where the statistical studies are essential before the next step can be taken. This book presents the latest research advances from around the world.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - When used in the context of reproduction of living cells the phrase 'cell growth' is shorthand for the idea of 'growth in cell populations by means of cell reproduction.' During cell reproduction one cell (the 'mother' cell) divides to produce two daughter cells. Cell proliferation, which depends on the intimately linked processes of growth and division, is a fundamental systems-level attribute of all life forms. The precise regulation of proliferation in response to internal and external cues is critical for development, tissue renewal and evolutionary fitness, while the disregulation of cell proliferation underlies a variety of human diseases, most notably cancer and ageing. Historically, breakthroughs in our understanding of cell growth and division have derived from cross-fertilisation of results and ideas from researchers studying a wide range of model organisms, from yeast to humans. The basis for cell proliferation entails the control of key signalling and cell cycle regulators through transcriptional, translational, post-translational, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Indeed, many conceptual breakthroughs in cell regulation have derived from analyses of basic cell cycle mechanisms. This book presents the latest research in the field.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book presents new and significant research on electric power. The world is becoming increasingly electrified. For the foreseeable future, coal will continue to be the dominant fuel used for electric power production. The low cost and abundance of coal is one of the primary reasons for this. Electric power transmission, a process in the delivery of electricity to consumers, is the bulk transfer of electrical power. Typically, power transmission is between the power plant and a substation near a populated area. Electricity distribution is the delivery from the substation to the consumers. Due to the large amount of power involved, transmission normally takes place at high voltage (110 kV or above). Electricity is usually transmitted over long distance through overhead power transmission lines. Underground power transmission is used only in densely populated areas due to its high cost of installation and maintenance, and because the high reactive power gain produces large charging currents and difficulties in voltage management. A power transmission system is sometimes referred to colloquially as a 'grid'; however, for reasons of economy, the network is rarely a true grid. Redundant paths and lines are provided so that power can be routed from any power plant to any load centre, through a variety of routes, based on the economics of the transmission path and the cost of power. Much analysis is done by transmission companies to determine the maximum reliable capacity of each line, which, due to system stability considerations, may be less than the physical or thermal limit of the line. Deregulation of electricity companies in many countries has led to renewed interest in reliable economic design of transmission networks.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Discrete mathematics, also called finite mathematics or Decision Maths, is the study of mathematical structures that are fundamentally discrete, in the sense of not supporting or requiring the notion of continuity. Most, if not all, of the objects studied in finite mathematics are countable sets, such as integers, finite graphs, and formal languages. Discrete mathematics has become popular in recent decades because of its applications to computer science. Concepts and notations from discrete mathematics are useful to study or describe objects or problems in computer algorithms and programming languages. In some mathematics curricula, finite mathematics courses cover discrete mathematical concepts for business, while discrete mathematics courses emphasise concepts for computer science majors.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Educational technology is a creative blending of 'idea' and 'product' technologies with subject-matter content in order to engender and improve teaching and learning processes. Educational technology is often associated with the terms instructional technology or learning technology. 'Product' technologies are tangible; for example, computer hardware or software. 'Idea' technologies are cognitive frameworks or schemes; for example, the Multiple Intelligence Theory proposed by Howard Gardner. When products are thoughtfully blended with subject matter content (such as mathematics or science concepts) for a specific audience in a specific educational context (such as a school), one is using 'educational technology' The words educational and technology in the term educational technology have the general meaning. Educational technology is not restricted to the education of children, nor to the use of high technology.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Autoantibodies are a group of antibodies (immune proteins) that mistakenly target and damage specific tissues or organs of the body. One or more autoantibodies may be produced by a person's immune system when it fails to distinguish between 'self' and 'non-self' proteins. Usually the immune system is able to discriminate by recognising foreign substances (non-self) and ignoring the body's own cells (self), yet not overreact to non-threatening substances such as foods, dust and pollen, or beneficial microorganisms. It creates antibodies only when it perceives what it has been exposed to as a threat (non-self). When the immune system ceases to recognise one or more of the body's normal constituents as 'self', it may produce autoantibodies that attack its own cells, tissues, and/or organs, causing inflammation and damage. The causes of this inappropriate action are varied and are not well understood, often resulting in a chronic auto-immune disorder. While there is not a direct link, it is thought that many cases of autoantibody production are due to a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental trigger (such as a viral illness or a prolonged exposure to certain toxic chemicals). Some families have been shown to have a high prevalence of auto-immune conditions; however, individual family members may have different auto-immune disorders or may never develop an auto-immune condition. Researchers believe that there may also be a hormonal component to the cause as many of the auto-immune conditions are more common in women of childbearing age. This book presents leading research from throughout the world.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This new book focuses on the that latest research gains in the field of educational technology which is a creative blending of 'idea' and 'product' technologies with subject-matter content in order to engender and improve teaching and learning processes. Educational technology is often associated with the terms instructional technology or learning technology. 'Product' technologies are tangible; for example, computer hardware or software. 'Idea' technologies are cognitive frameworks or schemes; for example, the Multiple Intelligence Theory proposed by Howard Gardner. When products are thoughtfully blended with subject matter content (such as mathematics or science concepts) for a specific audience in a specific educational context (such as a school), one is using 'educational technology' The words educational and technology in the term educational technology have the general meaning. Educational technology is not restricted to the education of children, nor to the use of high technology.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of blood stem cells derived from the bone marrow (that is, bone marrow transplantation) or blood. Stem cell transplantation is a medical procedure in the fields of haematology and oncology, most often performed for people with diseases of the blood, bone marrow, or certain types of cancer. Stem cell transplantation was pioneered using bone-marrow-derived stem cells by a team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center from the 1950s through the 1970s led by E. Donnall Thomas, whose work was later recognised with a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Thomas' work showed that bone marrow cells infused intravenously could repopulate the bone marrow and produce new blood cells. His work also reduced the likelihood of developing a life-threatening complication called Graft-versus-host disease. With the availability of the stem cell growth factors GM-CSF and G-CSF, most hematopoeitic stem cell transplantation procedures are now performed using stem cells collected from the peripheral blood, rather than from the bone marrow. Collecting stem cells provides a bigger graft, and does not require that the donor be subjected to general anaesthesia to collect the graft. Hematopoeitic stem cell transplantation remains a risky procedure with many possible complications; it has always been reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. This book presents recent leading research in the field.

Buch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly, is characterised pathologically by extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, pathophysiologically by synaptic dysfunction, and clinically by a progressive decline in cognition. Currently, AD has no cure and its prevalence is predicted to triple by 2050 with the rapid increase in the ageing population, unless more effective treatments are developed. Since the publication of the second book volume, the rapid progress in the research fields of AD and dementia continues through the intensive efforts of research scientists worldwide. This third book volume contains 15 chapters, bringing together a presentation of research frontiers in current AD/dementia research. The topics include molecular genetics of AD, gene expression abnormalities in AD progression, presenilins, taupathy in AD, single -induced(neuron gene expression abnormalities in AD, intracellular A neurodegeneration, roles of lipoprotein receptors in AD onset and progression, cholesterol and tau hyperphosphorylation, AD diagnostics and therapeutic strategies, in vivo visualisation of amyloid-like structures, cathepsin B, antiamyloidogenesis and neuroprotection, environmental enrichment, Fragile X mental retardation gene and dementia, category learning in Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease and dementia, and dementia and hypertension. These chapters cover current advances in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying AD and dementia, in the diagnosis of early AD and dementia, and in the development of therapeutic agents that target memory-relevant AD pathogenesis. The book will be highly valuable to students and scientists worldwide who are interested in the scientific research progress in AD and dementia.