Polysaccharide Hydrogels for Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine is an archival reference for researchers, students and scientists working on hydrogels based on microbial and animal sources. The book contains Information regarding their synthesis, characterization, and applications in the field of drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Each chapter addresses a separate polysaccharide hydrogel and its suitability in drug delivery and/or regenerative medicine. This is a novel resource that brings together a panel of highly accomplished experts in the field of natural polysaccharides to discuss basic causes and specific problems related to drug delivery and regenerative medicine.

The rapid growth of IoT and its applications in smart cities have brought about significant challenges for academic scholars. The increasing number of interconnected devices and the massive amounts of data they generate strain traditional networks, leading to inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the centralized control plane in Software Defined Networks (SDN) poses a single point of failure, hindering network performance. Moreover, IoT devices themselves are susceptible to attacks, compromising user data and privacy. Scholars in the field urgently need a comprehensive solution to address these pressing issues. Network-Enabled IoT Applications for Smart City Services offer a compelling solution to the challenges faced by academic scholars in the IoT and smart city domain. Dr. K. Hemant Kumar Reddy, along with Dr. Diptendu SinhaRoy and Tapas Mishra, presents a persuasive and timely approach in this book. They propose leveraging SDN, which decouples the control plane from the data plane, enabling more efficient handling of high-frequency data streams from IoT devices. Additionally, the authors advocate for the integration of blockchain technology to enhance security and reliability in IoT applications. By decentralizing control and ensuring tamper-proof transactions, blockchain offers a promising solution for robust data management. This book provides academic scholars with a comprehensive and innovative solution to the challenges posed by IoT applications in smart city services. With their extensive expertise, the authors address critical issues such as network strain, security vulnerabilities, and device failures. By offering insights into the use of SDN and blockchain, the authors provide a roadmap for scholars to enhance network efficiency, security, and reliability in IoT applications. Network-Enabled IoT Applications for Smart City Services serve as an invaluable resource, inspiring further research and development in this rapidly evolving field and enabling scholars to make significant contributions to the advancement of IoT and smart city technologies.

In Asia and the Pacific, climate change is now a well-recognised risk to water security but responses to this risk are either under reported, or continue to be guided by the incremental or business as usual approaches. Water policy still tends to remain too narrow and fragmented, compared to the multi-sectoral and cross-scalar nature of risks to water security. What's more, current water security debates tend to be framed in discipline specific or academic ways, failing to understand decision making and problem-solving contexts within which policy actors and partitioners have to operate on a daily basis. Much of the efforts to date has focussed on assessing and predicting the risks in the context of increasing levels of uncertainty. There is still limited analysis of emerging practices of risks assessment and mitigation in different contexts in Asia and the Pacific. Going beyond the national scales and focussing on several socio-ecological zones, this book captures stories written by engaged scholars on recent attempts to develop cross-sectoral and cross-scaler solutions to assess and mitigate risks to water security across Asia and the Pacific. Identifying lessons from successes and failures, it highlights management and strategic lessons that water and climate leaders of Asia and the Pacific need to consider. This book showcases reflective and analytical thought pieces written by key actors in the climate and water spaces. Several critical socio-ecological zones are covered - from Pakistan in the west to pacific islands in the east. The chapters clearly identify strategies for improvement based on the analysis of emerging responses to climate risks to water security and gaps in current practices. The book will include an editorial introduction and a final synthesis chapter to ensure clear articulation of common themes and to highlight the overall messages of the book.

This book highlights current Cannabis research: its botany, authentication, biotechnology, in vitro propagation, chemistry, cannabinoids biosynthesis, metabolomics, genomics, biomass production, quality control, and pharmacology. Cannabis sativa L. (Family: Cannabaceae) is one of the oldest sources of fiber, food and medicine. This plant has been of interest to researchers, general public and media not only due to its medicinal properties but also the controversy surrounding its illicit use. Cannabis has a long history of medicinal use in the Middle East and Asia, being first introduced as a medicine in Western Europe in the early 19th century. Due to its numerous natural constituents, Cannabis is considered a chemically complex species. It contains a unique class of terpeno-phenolic compounds (cannabinoids or phytocannabinoids), which have been extensively studied since the discovery of the chemical structure of tetrah ydrocannabinol ( 9-THC), commonly known as THC, the main constituent responsible for the plant's psychoactive effects. An additionally important cannabinoid of current interest is Cannabidiol (CBD). There has been a significant interest in CBD and CBD oil (extract of CBD rich Cannabis) over the last few years because of its reported activity as an antiepileptic agent, particularly its potential use in the treatment of intractable epilepsy in children.

The Handbook brings together leading scholars in international business as well as other disciplines to contribute state-of-the-art thinking on emerging markets. The volume extends theoretical and conceptual thinking, looks at operational practices and their implications and provides a research agenda to move the field forward.Contributors include a mix of new and established authors from around the world, for a diverse and current set of scholarly perspectives on emerging markets. Combining academic and operationally focused chapters, they offer a multifaceted, in-depth look at specific geographies and functional areas to enrich our understanding of emerging markets. This energetic and varied look at a burgeoning field will be an invaluable resource for academics and for students at the post-doctoral, PhD and MBA levels. Contributors: C.G. Alvstam, O.E. Annushkina, A. Arslan, M.S. Balakrishnan, E. Berselli, N. Bhatnagar, K. Braunsberger, I. Buciuniene, A. Cuervo-Cazzura, M. Demirbag, R.O. Flamm, M.W. Hansen, P.D.O. Jensen, S. Joshi, A. Karna, R. Kazlauskaite, C. Landau, J. Larimo, H. Merchant, K. Nair, W. Newburry, D. O'Reilly, B. Petersen, J. Prabhu, I. Pupieniene, K. Ramachandran, A. Soleimani, P. Strom, E. Tatoglu, F. Taube, L. Trevino, R. Trinca Colonel, C. Vithessonthi, R. Wentrup

Dr. Coppes and his co-Editors have created a comprehensive table of contents that addresses the full spectrum of food allergies in children. Articles are presented to be most useful to pediatricians, as the issue begins with the clinical presentation and epidemiology of food allergy, and then progresses to the diagnostic testing and pahthophysiology.? Articles are also included that are devoted to specific types of food allergy, dairy, soy, egg, peanut, and tree nut. Finally, articles are also devoted to living with food allergies, management of allergies in schools and camps, and therapies for food allergies.

Iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy Megaloblastic anaemia in pregnancy Sickle cell disease in pregnancy Thalassemia in pregnancy Cardiac diseases in pregnancy Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy Gestational diabetes Thyroid disorders in pregnancy Renal disease in pregnancy Epilepsy in pregnancy Acquired coagulation disorders in pregnancy Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome HIV in pregnancy Liver diseases in pregnancy Febrile illness in pregnancy Skin diseases in pregnancy TORCH in pregnancy Preterm labour Pre labour rupture of the membranes - PROM Cervical insufficiency Post term pregnancy (prolonged pregnancy) Placenta praevia Abruptio placentae Rh alloimmunization IUGR Intrauterine foetal demise Multifetal gestation Induction of labor Pregnancy after previous cesarean section Ectopic pregnancy Hyperemesis gravidarum Gestational trophoblastic disease Cesarean section Rupture of the uterus Contracted pelvis and cephalopelvic disproportion Non immune hydrops fetalis Amniotic fluid embolism Immunization in pregnancy Obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia in high risk pregnancies Cord around neck Trisomy 21 Amniotic fluid abnormalities Obesity and pregnancy Fetal distress in pregnancy Corticosteroids for lung maturity Progesterone in pregnancy Varicose veins in pregnancy Pregnancy after organ transplants Human milk banking - need of the time Oncofertility Partogram Nonstress test Sildenefil Citrate in Obstetrics

Plant-based medicines play an important role in all cultures, and have been indispensable in maintaining health and combating diseases. The identification of active principles and their molecular targets from traditional medicine provides an enormous opportunity for drug development. Using modern biotechnology, plants with specific chemical compositions can be mass propagated and genetically improved for the extraction of bulk active pharmaceuticals. Although there has been significant progress in the use of biotechnology, using tissue cultures and genetic transformation to investigate and alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites, there are many challenges involved in bringing plants from the laboratory to successful commercial cultivation. This book presents the latest advances in the development of medicinal drugs, including topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics and future biotechnological directions.

Over the last two decades the field of Intelligent Systems delivered to human kind significant achievements, while also facing major transformations. 20 years ago, automation and knowledge-based AI were still the dominant paradigms fueling the efforts of both researchers and practitioners. Later, 10 years ago, statistical machine intelligence was on the rise, heavily supported by the digital computing, and led to the unprecedented advances in and dependence on digital technology. However, the resultant intelligent systems remained designer-based endeavors and thus, were limited in their true learning and development abilities. Today, the challenge is to have in place intelligent systems that can develop themselves on behalf of their creators, and gain abilities with no or limited supervision in the tasks they are meant to perform. Cognitive development systems, and the supporting cognitive computing are on the rise today, promising yet other significant achievements for the future of human kind. This book captures this unprecedented evolution of the field of intelligent systems, presenting a compilation of studies that covers all research directions in the field over the last two decades, offering to the reader a broad view over the field, while providing a solid foundation from which outstanding new ideas may emerge.

This book focuses on the development of wellness protocols for smart home monitoring, aiming to forecast the wellness of individuals living in ambient assisted living (AAL) environments. It describes in detail the design and implementation of heterogeneous wireless sensors and networks as applied to data mining and machine learning, which the protocols are based on. Further, it shows how these sensor and actuator nodes are deployed in the home environment, generating real-time data on object usage and other movements inside the home, and therefore demonstrates that the protocols have proven to offer a reliable, efficient, flexible, and economical solution for smart home systems. Documenting the approach from sensor to decision making and information generation, the book addresses various issues concerning interference mitigation, errors, security and large data handling. As such, it offers a valuable resource for researchers, students and practitioners interested in interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of wireless sensing processing, radio communication, the Internet of Things and machine learning, and in how they can be applied to smart home monitoring and assisted living environments.

This book offers an essential textbook on complex analysis. After introducing the theory of complex analysis, it places special emphasis on the importance of Poincare theorem and Hartog's theorem in the function theory of several complex variables. Further, it lays the groundwork for future study in analysis, linear algebra, numerical analysis, geometry, number theory, physics (including hydrodynamics and thermodynamics), and electrical engineering. To benefit most from the book, students should have some prior knowledge of complex numbers. However, the essential prerequisites are quite minimal, and include basic calculus with some knowledge of partial derivatives, definite integrals, and topics in advanced calculus such as Leibniz's rule for differentiating under the integral sign and to some extent analysis of infinite series. The book offers a valuable asset for undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics and engineering, as well as students with no background in topological properties.

This book is a compilation of a selected subset of research articles presented at the Eighth INFORMS Computing Society Conference, held in Chandler, Arizona, from January 8 to 10, 2003. The articles in this book represent the diversity and depth of the interface between ORiMS (operations research and the management sciences) and CS/AI (computer science and artificial intelligence ). This volume starts with two papers that represent the reflective and integrative thinking that is critical to any scientific discipline. These two articles present philosophical perspectives on computation, covering a variety of traditional and newer methods for modeling, solving, and explaining mathematical models. The next set includes articles that study machine learning and computational heuristics, and is followed by articles that address issues in performance testing of solution algorithms and heuristics. These two sets of papers demonstrate the richness of thought that takes place at the ORiMS and CSI AI interface. The final set of articles demonstrates the usefulness of these and other methods at the interface towards solving problems in the real world, covering e-commerce, workflow, electronic negotiation, music, parallel computation, and telecommunications. The articles in this collection represent the results of cross-fertilization between ORiMS and CSI AI, making possible advances that could have not been achieved in isolation. The continuing aim ofthe INFORMS Computing Society and this research conference is to invigorate and further develop this interface.

Forensic Speaker Recognition: Law Enforcement and Counter-Terrorism is an anthology of the research findings of 35 speaker recognition experts from around the world. The volume provides a multidimensional view of the complex science involved in determining whether a suspect's voice truly matches forensic speech samples, collected by law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies, that are associated with the commission of a terrorist act or other crimes. While addressing such topics as the challenges of forensic case work, handling speech signal degradation, analyzing features of speaker recognition to optimize voice verification system performance, and designing voice applications that meet the practical needs of law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies, this material all sounds a common theme: how the rigors of forensic utility are demanding new levels of excellence in all aspects of speaker recognition. The contributors are among the most eminent scientists in speech engineering and signal processing; and their work represents such diverse countries as Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, France, Japan, India and the United States. Forensic Speaker Recognition is a useful book for forensic speech scientists, speech signal processing experts, speech system developers, criminal prosecutors and counter-terrorism intelligence officers and agents.

In 1944, the British Fourteenth Army and the Japanese Fifteenth Army clashed around the town of Imphal, Manipur, in North East India in what has since been described as one of the greatest battles of the Second World War. Over 200,000 soldiers from several nations fought in the hills and valley of Manipur on the India-Burma (Myanmar) frontier. This book is the first systematic mapping of the main scenes of the fighting in the critical Battle of Imphal. It connects the present with the past and links what exists today in Manipur with what happened there in 1944. The events were transformative for this little-known place and connected it with the wider world in an unparalleled way. By drawing on oral testimonies, written accounts and archival material, this book revisits the old battlefields and tells the untold story of a place and people that were perhaps the most affected by the Second World War in India. The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of military history, especially the Second World War, defence and strategic studies, area studies, and North East India.

In this book, modeling and control design of electric motors, namely step motors, brushless DC motors and induction motors, are considered. The book focuses on recent advances on feedback control designs for various types of electric motors, with a slight emphasis on stepper motors. For this purpose, the authors explore modeling of these devices to the extent needed to provide a high-performance controller, but at the same time one amenable to model-based nonlinear designs. The control designs focus primarily on recent robust adaptive nonlinear controllers to attain high performance. It is shown that the adaptive robust nonlinear controller on its own achieves reasonably good performance without requiring the exact knowledge of motor parameters. While carefully tuned classical controllers often achieve required performance in many applications, it is hoped that the advocated robust and adaptive designs will lead to standard universal controllers with minimal need for fine tuning of control parameters.

The book provides an insight into various facets of teaching and learning methodologies assisted by the technological advancements. The primary goal is to share with the readers about different experiences of technical as well as non-technical institutes in teaching and learning methodologies for improving the existing procedures. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and research.