Bücher veröffentlicht von IntechOpen

Thyroid cancer is the eighth most common type of cancer and is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 45-54. Nearly three out of four cases are found in women, while about 2% of thyroid cancers occur in children and teenagers. This book is for medical doctors with experience in the field of thyroid cancer. It comprises different subjects, especially the advances in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer with PET imaging and elastography, as well as the new therapeutic approaches with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

This book provides an overview of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods and recent advances in developing novel materials for application in various fields. CVD has now evolved into the most widely used technique for growth of thin films in electronics industry. Several books on CVD methods have emerged in the past, and thus the scope of this book goes beyond providing fundamentals of the CVD process. Some of the chapters included highlight current limitations in the CVD methods and offer alternatives in developing coatings through overcoming these limitations.

Microscopes represent tools of the utmost importance for a wide range of disciplines. Without them, it would have been impossible to stand where we stand today in terms of understanding the structure and functions of organelles and cells, tissue composition and metabolism, or the causes behind various pathologies and their progression. Our knowledge on basic and advanced materials is also intimately intertwined to the realm of microscopy, and progress in key fields of micro- and nanotechnologies critically depends on high-resolution imaging systems. This volume includes a series of chapters that address highly significant scientific subjects from diverse areas of microscopy and analysis. Authoritative voices in their fields present in this volume their work or review recent trends, concepts, and applications, in a manner that is accessible to a broad readership audience from both within and outside their specialist area.

The science and technology in the area of piezoelectric ceramics are extremely progressing, especially the materials research, measurement technique, theory and applications, and furthermore, demanded to fit social technical requests such as environmental problems. While they had been concentrated on piezoelectric ceramics composed of lead-containing compositions, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and lead titanate, at the beginning because of the high piezoelectricity, recently lead water pollution by soluble PZT of our environment must be considered. Therefore, different new compositions of lead-free ceramics in order to replace PZT are needed. Until now, there have been many studies on lead-free ceramics looking for new morphotropic phase boundaries, ceramic microstructure control to realize high ceramic density, including composites and texture developments, and applications to new evaluation techniques to search for high piezoelectricity. The purpose of this book is focused on the latest reports in piezoelectric materials such as lead-free ceramics, single crystals, and thin films from viewpoints of piezoelectric materials, piezoelectric science, and piezoelectric applications.

The purpose of this book is to provide an introduction to the theory and applications in the field of decision making, especially focused on Analytic Hierarchy Process, a structured technique for organizing and analyzing complex decisions, based on mathematics and psychology. It was developed by Prof. Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s and has been extensively studied and refined since then.The idea of the book is to expand the reader's consciousness to deal with problems regarding the decision making. This book presents some application examples of Analytic Hierarchy. It contains original research and application chapters from different perspectives, and covers different areas such as supply chain, environmental engineering, safety, and social issues. This book is intended to be a useful resource for anyone who deals with decision making problems.

Lakes are highly essential for their water quality, habitat suitability, and water supply. Lakes constitute important source for aquatic life, fish, wildlife, and human, but can undergo rapid environmental changes. Most important factors that affect lake ecosystem are climate, atmospheric inputs, land use, morphology, and physiography. Several environmental problems can affect a lake's water quality, and habitat suitability. The book "Lake Sciences and Climate Change" deals with several aspects of lake sciences (botany, zoology, geology, chemistry, models, morphology, and physiography) ,as well as the effect of climatic changes on lake body ecosystem. The book is divided into three sections and structured into 10 chapters. The first section discusses the relationship between lake and climatic change; the second section explains lake biology and health; and the third section focuses on water quality, management, and modeling. Scientists from different fields of lake sciences reported in this book their findings.

Although the history of chemical sensor dates back not long ago, it has attracted great research interest owing to its many excellent properties such as small size, satisfactory sensitivity, larger dynamic range, low cost, and easy-to-realize automatic measurement and on-line or in situ and continuous detection. With decades of vigorous research works, various sophisticated chemical sensors have been widely used in environmental conservation and monitoring, industrial process monitoring, gas composition analysis, medicine, national defense and public security, and on-site emergency disposal. Hence, the chemical sensor becomes one of the most active and effective directions of modern sensor technology. A typical chemical sensor is the analyzer that responds to a particular analyte in a selective and reversible way and transforms input chemical quantity, ranging from the concentration of a specific sample component to total composition analysis, into an analytically electrical signal. This book is an attempt to highlight recent progresses in the chemical sensors. It is composed of seven chapters and divided into four sections categorized by the working principle of the chemical sensor. This collection of up-to-date information and the latest research progress on chemical sensor will provide valuable references and learning materials for all those working in the field of chemical sensors.

There are only a few discoveries and new technologies in materials science that have the potential to dramatically alter and revolutionize our material world. Discovery of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the thinnest form of materials to ever occur in nature, is one of them. After isolation of graphene from graphite in 2004, a whole other class of atomically thin materials, dominated by surface effects and showing completely unexpected and extraordinary properties, has been created. This book provides a comprehensive view and state-of-the-art knowledge about 2D materials such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) and so on. It consists of 11 chapters contributed by a team of experts in this exciting field and provides latest synthesis techniques of 2D materials, characterization and their potential applications in energy conservation, electronics, optoelectronics and biotechnology.

This book titled Nanofiber Research - Reaching New Heights contains a number of latest research results on growth and developments on material fibers in nanoscale. It is a promising novel research area that has received a lot of interest in recent years. This book includes interesting reports on cutting-edge science and technology related to synthesis, morphology, control, self-assembly and prospective application of nanofibers. I hope that the book will lead to systematization of nanofiber science, creation of new nanofiber research field and further promotion of nanofiber technology. This potentially unique work offers various approaches on the implementation of nanofibers. As it is widely known, nanotechnology presents the control of matter at the nanoscale and nano-dimensions within few nanometers, whereas this exclusive phenomenon enables us to regulate and control novel applications with nanofibers. This book presents an overview of recent and current nanofibers fundamental, significant applications and implementation research worldwide. It examined the methods of nanofiber synthesis, types of fibers used and potential applications associated with nanofiber researches. It is an important booklet for research organizations, governmental research centers, academic libraries and R

Countless healthcare and biomedical solutions with high impact in terms of timely diagnostics, therapeutic success, patient comfort or financial sustainability of healthcare systems rely on micro- and nanotechnologies. Thus, it is not at all exaggerate to claim that such technologies play in current days a tremendous role with respect to improving the quality of our life, health and well-being, which are the main priorities of modern science. This volume illustrates these statements, addressing highly significant scientific subjects from diverse areas of micro- and nanotechnologies for biotechnology. Authoritative voices in their fields present in this volume their work, or review recent trends, concepts and applications, in a manner that is accessible to a broad readership audience from both within and outside their specialist area.

This book is addressed to researchers, practicing physicians, and surgeons in the field of organ transplantation, as well as the medical students, residents, and fellows. The topics covered include the religious concepts in organ transplantation, embryonic organ transplantation, tolerance, normothermic graft perfusion, pharmacogenetics of immunosuppressors, viral transmission in organ transplantation, pediatric and split-liver transplantation, portopulmonary hypertension, mechanical circulatory support, ex vivo lung perfusion, and ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation.

The current edited book presents some of the most advanced research findings in the field of nanotechnology and its application in materials development in a very concise form. The main focus of the book is dragged toward those materials where electronic properties are manipulated for development of advanced materials. We have discussed about the extensive usage of nanotechnology and its impact on various facets of the chip-making practice from materials to devices such as basic memory, quantum dots, nanotubes, nanowires, graphene-like 2D materials, and CIGS thin-film solar cells as energy-harvesting devices. Researchers as well as students can gain valuable insights into the different processing of nanomaterials, characterization procedures of the materials in nanoscale, and their different functional properties and applications.

The discipline of dental implantology is one of the scientific medical/dental fields that are moving dynamically very fast. Not to mention the multiple specialties involved in managing the service as well as the research production. As much as it is necessary to have books to review the basics of bone healing, cellular biology, and implant rehabilitation planning, it is very critical to have more focused books to link the dots and elevate the benchmark of success even higher, especially when facing the reality of more advanced case challenges nowadays. ''Dental Implantology and Biomaterial'' presents four main sections covering topics of clinically applied ''tips and tricks'', the reality of transmucosal implant surface, the future of ceramic implants, the revolution of implant surface treatment, and finally the application of nonautogenous graft in the treatment process. The aim is updating the practitioners, researchers, and postgraduate trainees in the field with up-to-date clinically applied topics focused on reducing the gap between research and clinical application. Doing so will not only optimize the practice but also advance it with evidence-based maneuvers and technical details.

Personal health and well-being was and is important for all individuals. This includes the way people are living, what they do to stay healthy as well as a profound, well-informed diagnosis and appropriate treatment in case of disease. To achieve these goals, modern medicine is provided with a large variety of tools to assess a patient's health state and collect the information required for a proper diagnosis and treatment, which is tailored to the patient's needs. Many of these available tools use signals either generated by the human body, for example, electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG), or by interacting with the human body while traversing it like microwaves or reflected visible light that is recorded by a video camera. The biosignals recorded by the available and newly developed methods have to be processed to extract the information about the patient's condition and, analyzed tissue and cells. This book presents a small selection of the recent developments in the field of biosignal processing. The covered diagnostic tools and methods include the assessment of respiratory state through gait analysis, the contactless monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory parameters using microwaves, a non-linear approach to extract the fetal ECG from non-invasive abdominal recordings, identification of epileptic networks from pre-surgical neurophysiological recordings and an improved method to obtain and validate the copy number alterations parameter, which are considered an important marker in cancer classification.

This book has been written to present major and efficient applications in landscape ecology, as well as to propose a solid action for this category of topics. The book aims to illustrate various treatment methods of the land-use models impact on landscape ecology creation. The book is divided into three parts:Part I: Ecological interpretation of land-use act - in this part, ecosystem and land use turn out to be a significant factor in the process of creating an ecological landscape.Part II: Landscape district in applied ecological analysis - this part attempts to illustrate the best possible model of analysis integrated with landscape in practical case studies. Part III: The anthropogenic impacts on landscape creation - this part discusses the human impact on landscape creation.

Natural and environmental hazards research comprises a diverse set of subjects and methodologies and this book is no exception - offering the reader only a small glimpse into the physical and social processes that threaten human interests. Atmospheric Hazards-Case Studies in Modeling, Communication, and Societal Impacts explores atmospheric-based hazards through focused investigations ranging from a local to global perspective. Within this short compendium, the major scales of atmospheric motion are well represented with topics on microscale turbulent transport of pollutants, mesoscale events stemming from thunderstorm complexes, and synoptic scale extreme precipitation episodes. Chapters include discussions on modeling aspects for investigating hazards (pollution, regional climate models) and the forecasting and structure of high wind events (derechos), whereas others delve into hazard communication, preparedness, and social vulnerability issues (tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning). Although the chapters are quite disparate upon first inspection, the topics are united through their interweaving of both the physical and societal mechanisms that create the atmospheric hazard and eventual disaster.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is based on inspection methodologies that do not require the change or destruction of the component or system under evaluation. Numerous NDT techniques are increasingly used, thanks to the recent advances in sensing technologies, data acquisition, data storage and signal processing. Inspection information is widely employed in order to make effective maintenance decisions based on the defects identified, their location and severity. This book presents the main advances recently made on different NDT techniques, together with the principal approaches employed to process the signals obtained during inspection.

High temperature corrosion is an extremely important area of corrosion as it causes the failure of high temperature equipment in process industry and power generation. Every engineer is required to obtain a basic knowledge of high temperature corrosion to prevent the colossal damage caused by it. This book contains chapters ranging from basic to advance topics to create an understanding of high temperature of various metals and alloys. With the emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, their role in controlling high temperature corrosion needs to be comprehended and new techniques developed to control high temperature corrosion. It is hoped that this book would fulfill these objectives and aspirations of the readers.Note from the publisher:It is with great sadness and regret that we inform the contributing authors and future readers of this book that the Editor, Prof. Zaki Ahmad passed away shortly after finishing the book and before having a chance to see its publication. Prof. Ahmad was InTech's long term collaborator and edited his first bookwith us in 2011 (''Recent Trends in Processing and Degradation of AluminiumAlloys''). The book ''High Temperature Corrosion'' was his fourth edited volume. The fruitful collaboration continued until his final days when he was acting as a co-editor on a book ''Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery''.We would like to acknowledge Dr. Zaki Ahmad's contribution to open access scientific publishing, which he made during 6 years of dedicated work on edited volumes and express our gratitude for his pleasant cooperation with us.

Restoration of motor function following spinal cord injury is a complex and challenging task. By reviewing emerging cellular, pharmacological, rehabilitative, as well as surgical approaches, this book seeks to highlight promising therapeutic strategies for the repair and regeneration of motor circuitry. The multidisciplinary nature of these approaches illustrates various routes to bridging the gap between the bench and the bedside and to identify the challenges that must be overcome in order to bring about a viable therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury patients.

Empirical modeling has been a useful approach for the analysis of different problems across numerous areas/fields of knowledge. As it is known, this type of modeling is particularly helpful when parametric models, due to various reasons, cannot be constructed. Based on different methodologies and approaches, empirical modeling allows the analyst to obtain an initial understanding of the relationships that exist among the different variables that belong to a particular system or process. In some cases, the results from empirical models can be used in order to make decisions about those variables, with the intent of resolving a given problem in the real-life applications. This book entitled Empirical Modeling and Its Applications consists of six (6) chapters.

Renewable energies constitute excellent solutions to both the increase of energy consumption and environment problems. Among these energies, wind energy is very interesting. Wind energy is the subject of advanced research. In the development of wind turbine, the design of its different structures is very important. It will ensure: the robustness of the system, the energy efficiency, the optimal cost and the high reliability. The use of advanced control technology and new technology products allows bringing the wind energy conversion system in its optimal operating mode. Different strategies of control can be applied on generators, systems relating to blades, etc. in order to extract maximal power from the wind. The goal of this book is to present recent works on design, control and applications in wind energy conversion systems.

The book describes the recent progress in some engine technologies and active flow control and morphing technologies and in topics related to aeroacoustics and aircraft controllers. Both the researchers and students should find the material useful in their work.

Although it is well-accepted that drug addiction is a major public health concern, how we address it as a society continues to evolve as recent advances in the lab and clinic clarify the nature of the problem and influence our views. This unique collection of eight chapters reviews key findings on the neurobiology and therapeutics of addiction while capturing the diversity of perspectives that shape these concepts, which range from evolutionary biology to psychiatry to the legal system. This book discusses in depth how technological advances have led to important discoveries and how these discoveries, in turn, are increasingly being translated into clinical practice. It also presents avenues for future study that hold promise for the many affected by addiction.

Investigating the incessant technology growth and the even higher complexity of engineering systems, one of the crucial requirements to confidently steer both scientific and industrial challenges is to identify an appropriate measurement approach. A general process can be considered effective and under control if the following elements are consciously and cyclically managed: numeric target, adequate tools, output analysis, and corrective actions. The role of metrology is to rigorously harmonize this virtuous circle, providing guidance in terms of instruments, standards, and techniques to improve the robustness and the accuracy of the results. This book is designed to offer an interdisciplinary experience into the science of measurement, not only covering high-level measurement strategies but also supplying analytical details and experimental setups.

Parkinson's disease is a common neurological disease and affects 2% population of more than 65 years of age and 5% more than 85 years of age. Pathomechanism of this disease is still not fully understood. This book is a sum up of knowledge on the genetic factors and neuronal death mechanisms induced by excitotoxic and inflammatory agents. The authors summarize the pathophysiology observed both in patients with Parkinson's disease and in experimental models. The book also contains the latest views on drug therapy used in the treatment of parkinsonism and other therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease. The book ''Challenges in Parkinson's Disease'' was made as a compendium on contemporary challenges in Parkinson's disease.

Water inside the earth, the groundwater and the invisible resource is the most important source of survival of mankind on this globe. Part of the hydrological cycle between entry (percolation and recharge) and exit (natural or forced extraction and discharge), the groundwater fascinates all: engineers, hydrogeologists, agriculturists, environmentalists, scientists, academia, resource managers and domestic and industrial users.This book is the outcome of efforts of those eminent authors who despite their fascination were able to write upon some important facet of groundwater flow and the transport of pollutants with it. The dimensions covered range from simple descriptive narratives; to expose of analytical methods; to complex mathematical treatment; to numerical simulations and computer modeling. All areas have been touched upon for the sake of general readers, students, professional engineers and scientists.

Helicobacter pylori is an ancient microorganism that co-evolved with humans for many years and typically colonizes the human stomach and is being recognized as the most common infectious pathogen of the gastroduodenal tract. Some years after bacterium isolation, epidemiological studies have revealed a correlation between its infection and some diseases localized outside the stomach, such as hematological, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, cardiovascular, neurological, dermatological and respiratory diseases. Different mechanisms of action have been proposed, ranging from the induction of a low-grade inflammatory state to the occurrence of molecular mimicry mechanisms. This book is an overview of contributors surrounding the association of H. pylori infection with extragastric diseases, based on evidence, bacterial-host interactions and mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of some of these disorders.

The necessity of on-site, fast, sensitive, and cheap complex laboratory analysis, associated with the advances in the microfabrication technologies and the microfluidics, made it possible for the creation of the innovative device lab-on-a-chip (LOC), by which we would be able to scale a single or multiple laboratory processes down to a chip format. The present book is dedicated to the LOC devices from two points of view: LOC fabrication and LOC application.

The book presents a collection of MATLAB-based chapters of various engineering background. Instead of giving exhausting amount of technical details, authors were rather advised to explain relations of their problems to actual MATLAB concepts. So, whenever possible, download links to functioning MATLAB codes were added and a potential reader can do own testing. Authors are typically scientists with interests in modeling in MATLAB. Chapters include image and signal processing, mechanics and dynamics, models and data identification in biology, fuzzy logic, discrete event systems and data acquisition systems.

During the past few years, scientists have achieved significant successes in nanoscience and technology. Nanotechnology is a branch of science that deals with fine structures and materials with very small dimensions - less than 100 nm. The composite science and technology have also benefits from nanotechnology. This book collects new developments about diamond and carbon composites and nanocomposites and their use in manufacturing technology.