Bücher veröffentlicht von IntechOpen

Milk proteins have nutritional value and extraordinary biological properties. Research over the last decades has provided new insight into the structure and the function of milk bioactive peptides. Some of these peptides are delivered directly into milk, and some are encrypted in major proteins such as caseins and lactoglobulins. These peptides have antimicrobial functions modulating the gut microflora. Even when milk is undisputedly the first food for mammals, milk proteins sometimes can be a health threat, either because of allergic reaction or because of toxicity. In this regard, in vitro studies showed donkey's casein and major whey proteins to be more digestible than cows' for human consumption. In this book, readers will find updated research on the major milk proteins' structure, bioactive peptides, milk protein allergy, therapeutic strategies, and chemical markers that can be used to detect cow milk intolerance in infants. This book provides the most current scientific information on milk proteins, from structure to biological properties. It will be of great benefit for those interested in milk production, milk chemistry, and human health.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem because it represents around 10% of all cancers and achieves a worldwide estimate of 1.4 million newly diagnosed cases annually, resulting in approximately 700,000 deaths. Approximately 19-31% of patients present liver metastases. At diagnosis, a further 23-38% will develop extra-hepatic disease. Over the past decade, the widespread use of modern chemotherapeutic and biological agents, combined with laparoscopic surgical techniques, has improved the prognosis of metastatic CRC. A better understanding of the biology of the tumor, along with high efficiency of diagnostic and therapeutic methods, as well as the spread of screening programs, will improve the survival of the CRC patients in the near future.

This book is an Up-to-date and authoritative account on physicochemical principles, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications of hydrogels. It consists of eight contributions from different authors highlighting properties and synthesis of hydrogels, their characterization by various instrumental methods of analysis, comprehensive review on stimuli-responsive hydrogels and their diverse applications, and a special section on self-healing hydrogels. Thus, this book will equip academia and industry with adequate basic and applied principles related to hydrogels.

This book has a complete set of applications of artificial neural networks that allow the reader to gain experience about the new systems for implementing and developing artificial intelligence (AI) methods, which can run in several digital systems. On the other hand, the book shows the newest algorithms of artificial intelligence that provide a wide spectrum of research areas in which AI can be deployed.There are a lot of books that address AI applications. However, this book shows the newest applications reached according with the technological changes that are presented nowadays. Those changes drastically appear in digital systems or other parallel areas that allow to improve the performance of AI algorithms. Hence, sometimes, the AI algorithms have to be redesigned in order to run in microcontrollers or FPGAs. The topics covered generate a structured book, so it could be used as a textbook, but it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience interested in AI.

A quarter century period of the 3D printing technology development affords ground for speaking about new realities or the formation of a new technological system of digital manufacture and partnership. The up-to-date 3D printing is at the top of its own overrated expectations. So the development of scalable, high-speed methods of the material 3D printing aimed to increase the productivity and operating volume of the 3D printing machines requires new original decisions. It is necessary to study the 3D printing applicability for manufacturing of the materials with multilevel hierarchical functionality on nano-, micro- and meso-scales that can find applications for medical, aerospace and/or automotive industries. Some of the above-mentioned problems and new trends are considered in this book.

As technology advances, high volumes of valuable data are generated day by day in modern organizations. The management of such huge volumes of data has become a priority in these organizations, requiring new techniques for data management and data analysis in Big Data environments. These environments encompass many different fields including medicine, education data, and recommender systems. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with a variety of fields and systems where the analysis and management of Big Data are essential. This book describes the importance of the Big Data era and how existing information systems are required to be adapted to face up the problems derived from the management of massive datasets.

Algae - Organisms for Imminent Biotechnology will be useful source of information on basic and applied aspects of algae for post graduate students, researchers, scientists, agriculturists, and decision makers. The book comprises a total of 12 chapters covering various aspects of algae particularly on microalgal biotechnology, bloom dynamics, photobioreactor design and operation of microalgal mass cultivation, algae used as indicator of water quality, microalgal biosensors for ecological monitoring in aquatic environment, carbon capture and storage by microalgae to enhancing CO2 removal, synthesis and biotechnological potentials of algal nanoparticles, biofilms, silica-based nanovectors, challenges and opportunities in marine algae, and genetic identification and mass propagation of economically important seaweeds and seaweeds as source of new bioactive prototypes.

Wireless power transfer techniques have been gaining researchers' and industry attention due to the increasing number of battery-powered devices, such as mobile computers, mobile phones, smart devices, intelligent sensors, mainly as a way to replace the standard cable charging, but also for powering battery-less equipment. The storage capacity of batteries is an extremely important element of how a device can be used. If we talk about battery-powered electronic equipment, the autonomy is one factor that may be essential in choosing a device or another, making the solution of remote powering very attractive. A distinction has to be made between the two forms of wireless power transmission, as seen in terms of how the transmitted energy is used at the receiving point:- Transmission of information or data, when it is essential for an amount of energy to reach the receiver to restore the transmitted information;- Transmission of electric energy in the form of electromagnetic field, when the energy transfer efficiency is essential, the power being used to energize the receiving equipment.The second form of energy transfer is the subject of this book.

The book contains the information of various aspects of newer developments and recent advances in the field of central nervous system (CNS) tumor molecular biology, tumor progression, clinical presentation, imaging and management. The authors from different reputed institutions shared their knowledge on this open access platform to disseminate their knowledge at global level. As it is obvious in the current text, the field of neurooncology is heterogeneous and under continuous development with addition of new knowledge and information on regular basis. The collective contributions from experts attempt to provide updates regarding ongoing research and developments pertaining to CNS tumor genetics and molecular aspects and their applied aspect in reference to patient management.

This book reports on the recent progresses in theory, application, and characterization of magnetic materials. It covers a broad spectrum of topics on magnetic materials with different shapes and morphologies such as transition metals, cylindrical and 2D ferromagnetic nanowires, core-shell nanowires, monoatomic-layered nanostructures, and nanocrystals. This book addresses diverse groups of readers with general background in physics and material science and also covers topics for the specialists in the field of magnetism. It is believed that this book will be interesting for the readers and will provide a solid foundation about the topic for the students, scientists, and engineers working in the field of material science and condensed matter physics.

Sustainability should be a key component of every process, safeguarding resources and reserves for future generations. This book shows how a responsible use of resources is possible, offering valid technological alternatives to fight climate change. We offer current technologies and valid methods for a wide range of activities: teaching, investigation, work, business and even daily life. We encourage all our readers to join us and become part of the solution to climate change, rather than the problem. After reading this book, we are certain that you will find justified reasons to start your own personal and social awareness campaign in favour of these effective technologies against climate change.

This book covers selected topics in different aspects of science and technology of alkali-ion batteries written by experts from international scientific community. Through the 9 chapters, the reader will have access to the most recent research and development findings on alkali-ion batteries through original research studies and literature reviews. This book covers inter-disciplinary aspects of alkali-ion batteries including new progress on material chemistry, micro/nano structural designs, computational and theoretical models and understanding of structural changes during electrochemical processes of alkali-ion batteries.

RNA interference (RNAi), a hallmark of all biological sciences of twenty-first century, is an evolutionarily conserved and double-stranded RNA-dependent eukaryotic cell defense process. Opportunity to utilize an organisms own gene and to systematically induce and trigger RNAi for any desired sequence made RNAi an efficient approach for functional genomics, providing a solution for conventional longstanding obstacles in life sciences. RNAi research and application have significantly advanced during past two decades. This book RNA interference provides an updated knowledge and progress on RNAi in various organisms, explaining basic principles, types, and property of inducers, structural modifications, delivery systems/methodologies, and various successful bench-to-field or clinic applications and disease therapies with some aspects of limitations, alternative tools, safety, and risk assessment.

The petrochemical industry is an important area in our pursuits for economic growth, employment generation, and basic needs. It is a huge field that encompasses many commercial petrochemical and polymer-enabled products.The book is designed to help the reader, particularly students and researchers of petroleum science and engineering, to understand synthesis, processing, mechanics, and simulation of the petroleum processes. The selection of topics addressed and the examples, tables, and graphs used to illustrate them are governed, to a large extent, by the fact that this book is aimed primarily at petroleum science and engineering technologists.Undoubtedly, this book contains must read materials for students, engineers, and researchers working in the area of petrochemicals and petroleum and provides valuable insights into the related synthesis, processing, mechanisms, and simulation. This book is concise, self-explanatory, informative, and cost-effective.

Since the production of the first commercially available blue LED in the late 1980s, silicon carbide technology has grown into a billion-dollar industry world-wide in the area of solid-state lighting and power electronics. With this in mind we organized this book to bring to the attention of those well versed in SiC technology some new developments in the field with a particular emphasis on particularly promising technologies such as SiC-based solar cells and optoelectronics. We have balanced this with the more traditional subjects such as power electronics and some new developments in the improvement of the MOS system for SiC MOSFETS. Given the importance of advanced microsystems and sensors based on SiC, we also included a review on 3C-SiC for both microsystem and electronic applications.

Nowadays, the implementation of novel technological platforms in biosensor-based developments is primarily directed to the miniaturization of analytical systems and lowering the limits of detection. Rapid scientific and technological progress enables the application of biosensors for the online detection of minute concentrations of different chemical compounds in a wide selection of matrixes and monitoring extremely low levels of biomarkers even in living organisms and individual cells. This book, including 16 chapters, characterizes the present state of the art and prospective options for micro and nanoscale activities in biosensors construction and applications.

The technological approach and the high level of innovation make bioengineering extremely dynamic and this forces researchers to continuous updating. It involves the publication of the results of the latest scientific research. This book covers a wide range of aspects and issues related to advances in bioengineering research with a particular focus on innovative technologies and applications. The book consists of 13 scientific contributions divided in four sections: Materials Science; Biosensors. Electronics and Telemetry; Light Therapy; Computing and Analysis Techniques.

Echinococcosis remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in certain areas of the world, tropical and non-tropical, particularly in rural settings. This book includes different topics with regard to the epidemiology, biology, clinical manifestations, treatment and prevention of the wide spectrum of diseases caused by the different species of Echinococcus involved in human and animal infection, with an aim to update the most significant research in many of them as well as to offer a multinational perspective on different aspects. The book has been organized into three major sections: (I) Epidemiology; (II) Biological and Clinical Aspects; and (III) Treatment and Prevention. Section I includes topics covering epidemiological studies in Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Tunisia, including molecular biology approaches to the study of parasite species. Section II includes topics covering the biology of some Echinococcus species affecting mainly animals, as also the human clinical manifestations in the central nervous system (CNS), genitourinary tract and other organic typical and atypical locations, as well as radiological manifestations of pulmonary disease. Section III includes topics on the usefulness of immunotherapy for antihelmintic treatment and intervention strategies.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder, phenotypically and biologically. MDD may be caused by complex interaction between genes and environment in susceptible individuals. Thus, a combination of certain genetic polymorphism, environmental stress, and personal susceptibility ultimately may induce MDD. Gene-environment interactions in the pathophysiology of MDD lead to advancement in personalized medicine by means of genotyping for inter-individual variability in drug action and metabolism. Gene-environment interactions may explain why some subjects become depressed while others remain unaffected. The aim of this book is to describe current knowledge of MDD from the point of view of neurobiology, molecular genetics and cognition. The authors address a deep understanding of cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms involved in MDD.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in most countries and its consequences result in huge economic, social and psychological burden. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer death among females. In this book, we discussed gene expression and DNA abnormalities including methylation in breast cancer. A recent important topic, roles of miRNAs and their potential use in cancer therapy have been discussed in this cancer type as well. Bioinformatics is very important part of recent human genome developments and data mining and thus this topic has also been added for the readers. It is hoped that this book will contribute to development of novel diagnostic as well as therapeutic approaches, which lead to cure of breast cancer.

Even since computers were invented, many researchers have been trying to understand how human beings learn and many interesting paradigms and approaches towards emulating human learning abilities have been proposed. The ability of learning is one of the central features of human intelligence, which makes it an important ingredient in both traditional Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging Cognitive Science. Machine Learning (ML) draws upon ideas from a diverse set of disciplines, including AI, Probability and Statistics, Computational Complexity, Information Theory, Psychology and Neurobiology, Control Theory and Philosophy. ML involves broad topics including Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks (NNs), Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs), Probability and Statistics, Decision Trees, etc. Real-world applications of ML are widespread such as Pattern Recognition, Data Mining, Gaming, Bio-science, Telecommunications, Control and Robotics applications. This books reports the latest developments and futuristic trends in ML.