Bentham Science Publishers

This book focuses on the lung cancer, which is the mostly encountered, and one of the most challenging malignant disease of the world. Worldwide, the annual number of new cases of lung cancer is estimated at more than one million and is expected to increase to ten million in 2025. Fortunately, the political efforts to reduce the use of tobacco are getting increasing attention in many countries and the statistics are now showing the first positive results.

Over the last decade there have been several improvements and changes in the lung cancer management. Among the epidemiologic changes we see a change in the histopathologic pattern, with a relative decrease in squamous cell carcinoma and a rise in adenocarcinoma. Much research is attempting to identify biomarkers to predict a high risk for developing lung cancer. This will be important for implementing screening and prevention strategies. There is a steady improvement of the overall management of lung cancer based on an increasing use of combined modality therapy, consisting of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy applied concurrently or sequentially in early stage disease. Furthermore, new techniques are gaining ground, both within surgery and radiotherapy, and targeted medical therapy is being offered to more and more patients.

This book is not intended as a comprehensive textbook, but as a concise summary of advances in lung cancer clinical research and treatment for the clinician. The textbook brings up-to-date information about lung cancer, based on worldwide experience, for the use of the many physicians involved in this field.

All of the authors have been selected for their expertise and proven achievement in these challenging fields; I would like to sincerely thank all of them for participating with enthusiasm in this project. I hope that the different contributions will help the readers to fill in the gaps and stimulate them for future developments.

Today's academic environment presents assessment challenges defined by an increased volume of available information coupled with increased competition among students and time constraints. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) provide examiners with an opportunity to assess academic performance on the basis of instant recollection of correct answers in a minimal amount of time.

MCQs Series for Life Sciences Volume 2 is a collection of MCQs on advanced topics and offers the following benefits for readers:

o Includes over 950 relevant MCQs

o Covers two major topics: cell culture and microbiology.

o Simplified language and presentation of concepts

o Answers to each question are provided

This MCQ book series in life sciences is a handy reference for graduate and postgraduate students undertaking examinations or entrance tests as well as teachers or examiners involved in setting and controlling assessments in specific subjects in life sciences.

This book is a quick review of machine learning methods for engineering applications. It provides an introduction to the principles of machine learning and common algorithms in the first section. Proceeding chapters summarize and analyze the existing scholarly work and discuss some general issues in this field. Next, it offers some guidelines on applying machine learning methods to software engineering tasks. Finally, it gives an outlook into some of the future developments and possibly new research areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence in general.

Techniques highlighted in the book include: Bayesian models, support vector machines, decision tree induction, regression analysis, and recurrent and convolutional neural network. Finally, it also intends to be a reference book.

Key Features:

- Describes real-world problems that can be solved using machine learning

- Explains methods for directly applying machine learning techniques to concrete real-world problems

- Explains concepts used in Industry 4.0 platforms, including the use and integration of AI, ML, Big Data, NLP, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

- It does not require prior knowledge of the machine learning. This book is meant to be an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), machine earning, and its applications in Industry 4.0. It explains the basic mathematical principles but is intended to be understandable for readers who do not have a background in advanced mathematics.

This book describes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods which are used to study translational dynamics of molecules in different complex systems including systems made of synthetic and natural polymers, tissues and the porous heterogeneous systems of different types, such as cement and wood. The results of proton spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation, cross-relaxation, pulse field gradient (PFG) NMR in studying diffusion properties and dynamics of molecules in polymer systems of different complexity are reported. In addition to these methods, reports on the use of the double-quantum-filtered (DQF) NMR technique in a study of slow molecular dynamics and properties of systems with anisotropic properties, such as water in hardening cement pastes, are presented. The book also covers applications of one and two dimensional NMR techniques.

This book is a useful reference for readers learning different NMR techniques and their applications in civil engineering and biochemistry.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a life-threatening neoplasm of the mesothelium, the layer of tissue that covers many organs in the human body. The incidence of this type of neoplasm is gradually increasing among the global human population. Mesothelioma prognosis in patients is usually poor and their life expectancy is significantly reduced. This edited monograph presents holistic information about malignant mesothelioma in one volume. Readers will gain knowledge of the etiology, immunopathology of this disease and will understand the rationale for new treatment methods. The initial section of the book gives the historical context of mesothelioma in medicine. Subsequent sections illustrate mesothelioma epidemiology with respect to the problem of asbestos diffusion in different areas of the world such as Europe, The Americas, East Asia, Australia and Africa. This is followed by chapters detailing current information about asbestos and non-asbestos molecular biology and etiopathogenesis, as well as intriguing insights from human genetics and translational medicine. Other sections in this volume focus on clinical information; mesothelioma diagnosis and staging are thoroughly described with a focus on serum biomarkers and pleural liquid cytology. Additional sections provide information on treatment modalities, with one section dedicated to surgical procedures.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Present Status and Future Directions is a comprehensive informational resource with well organized sections, aided by protocol charts, tables and figures. The book is essential for both medical oncology students and specialists who want to augment or update their knowledge about this neoplasm.

Since the last century, remarkable advances at both the basic and clinical levels have considerably improved our ability to evaluate and treat children with neurological disorders. Many cases seen by general pediatricians are primarily neurological accounting for up to 30% of all consultations to pediatrics with a high ratio of follow-up visits to new patients of about 3:1. This manual is a neurology reference for medical students and pediatric residents and is intended to supplement larger textbooks on pediatric neurology already available. Many of undergraduate medical students refer to deficient and oversimplified references that do not enable them to deal with pediatric neurology patients adequately. The manual presents a simplified, organized, and comprehensive problem based approach to common pediatric neurological disorders directed to the level of medical students, pediatric residents, general practitioners and general pediatricians. This e-book is thus a concise outline with practical tips to facilitate proper diagnosis and management of various neurological disorders.

Marine Biopharmaceuticals: Scope and Prospects is a collaboration of experts in pharmacology, biology and biochemistry with a focus on Marine Bioprospecting. The book provides an in-depth exploration of promising pharmaceutical compounds found in various marine biota and their therapeutic applications. The comprehensive contents cover marine ecosystems, marine biopharmaceutical, and delve into the chemistry and therapeutic applications of compounds from diverse marine organisms such as seaweeds, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, worms, shellfish, tunicates, and fishes.

The chapters also highlight approved and marketed marine biota-derived drugs and marine biota-derived drug candidates currently under clinical trials. Marine biopharmaceutical compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 are also covered, reflecting the latest developments in the field. The editors conclude the book by advocating for the establishment of professional grade Marine Biopharmacy courses at university level to contribute to this emerging field.

This reference serves as a guide for researchers and instructors in disciplines such as Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marine Biology, Marine Microbiology, Marine Biochemistry, and Marine Biotechnology. Moreover, it is positioned as a standard reference for libraries in colleges and universities, offering critical insights for drug companies engaged in the development of new drugs from marine biopharmaceuticals.

While oceans are vast, they represent a fragile resource that must be protected if we want to protect our livelihoods and our planet. Marine pollution has been a topic of concern for a long time, and it has recently attracted the attention of scientists, environmentalists, economists, politicians and journalists in mainstream media.

Besides providing food, transportation routes and other resources, the oceans serve as a heat absorbing sink which offsets the extreme heating effects of climate change, but only to a limited degree. Pollution in marine environments such as the oceans, poses a threat to coastal communities by affecting the fauna and flora in the environment and the health of the nearby population. This has a disruptive effect on the health and economy of these communities.

Marine Pollution: Current Status, Impacts and Remedies emphasizes the limitations of marine resources that relevant environments provide. Readers will find chapters on methods to assess pollution as well as important information for identifying, measuring, and remediating various pollutants. The book also covers some known pollutants (heavy metals, organic pollutants, microplastics) and ways to manage these substances. Other issues covered in the book include problems caused by invasive species, and the ecological problems caused by pollutants which affect local fauna and flora.

This book will prove to be a useful resource for students, researchers, and policymakers, who are working in environmental science, marine conservation and allied fields.

Markov Chain Process: Theory and Cases is designed for students of natural and formal sciences. It explains the fundamentals related to a stochastic process that satisfies the Markov property. It presents 10 structured chapters that provide a comprehensive insight into the complexity of this subject by presenting many examples and case studies that will help readers to deepen their acquired knowledge and relate learned theory to practice. 

This book is divided into four parts. The first part thoroughly examines the definitions of probability, independent events, mutually (and not mutually) exclusive events, conditional probability, and Bayes' theorem, which are essential elements in Markov's theory. The second part examines the elements of probability vectors, stochastic matrices, regular stochastic matrices, and fixed points. The third part presents multiple cases in various disciplines: Predictive computational science, Urban complex systems, Computational finance, Computational biology, Complex systems theory, and Computational Science in Engineering. The last part introduces learners to Fortran 90 programs and Linux scripts. 

To make the comprehension of Markov Chain concepts easier, all the examples, exercises, and case studies presented in this book are completely solved and given in a separate section. 

This book serves as a textbook (either primary or auxiliary) for students required to understand Markov Chains in their courses, and as a reference book for researchers who want to learn about methods that involve Markov Processes.