Bentham Science Publishers

In a constantly changing economic environment, higher education institutions need to adapt in order to be relevant to their stakeholders and the society. The unpredictable landscape also demands a fresh approach as university presidents are increasingly subject to high resolution and three-dimensional scrutiny. Instead of relying on last century’s old management mindset, university leaders must build institutions that are agile and flexible, which can continuously learn to adapt to the changing environment. Redefining University Leadership for the 21st Century is a treatise on the challenges universities face in current times. Readers will understand, in three parts, the heart of what makes a great university.

The initial part of the book covers the market failures and the management practices that have led to the erosion of confidence in universities among stakeholders. The authors examine the consequences of market failures caused by the marketization of higher education: an oversupply of graduates, student dissatisfaction, mismatch between qualifications and needed skills, student disillusionment, and the diminishing return on investments by students and their families.

Next, authors offer concrete advice on how universities can future-proof university graduates in this fast-changing world of the fourth industrial revolution and artificial intelligence. The authors also provide valuable strategies to help university leaders to lead effectively in this uncertain world with a concluding case study on the University of Hong Kong.

With its clear, logical and concise presentation, Redefining University Leadership for the 21st Century is a must-read for anyone who leads, works or studies in a university, or is interested in current trends in the higher education sector.

Refounding Political Governance: The Metaphysics of Public Administration points to a possible paradigm shift in the way Anglo-American Public Administration should be understood and analyzed. The book presents a unique approach to the analysis of power, leadership and management in Public Administration. The central theme is that humans make organizations in their own image and these organizations, in turn, are a product of the way humans think and act. The book extrapolates from historical philosophy and personality typologies to explain the dynamics and evolution of Public Administration. With the philosophical framework and approach clearly explained, the book provides a critique of current practice and recommends what is required to re-invent Public Administration, rather than New Public Management, in Anglo-American contexts.

The book explains a new, more complex, and more useful, understanding of the dynamics of contemporary US Public Administration situated within the American Constitution. This book is ground-breaking and should be useful in all graduate Public Administration courses and professionals in the field of Public Administration.

Neuroendoscopy and Interventional Pain Medicine is a clinically focused medical monograph series. With contributions from a team of internationally recognized neurosurgeons and spinal surgery specialists, the series aims to illuminate the latest advancements in minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques and pain management. Each volume offers invaluable insights into the future of minimally invasive treatments in this medical subspecialty.

Interventional Pain Surgery is the third of the monograph series. This book comprehensively covers endoscopic techniques for spinal surgery. Topics include interlaminar lumbar endoscopy, transforaminal lumbar discectomy, endoscopic approaches for lumbar spinal canal stenosis, and management of chronic low back pain through rhizotomy and rhiziolysis. The endoscopic treatment of basivertebral neuropathy, cervical foraminotomy, and decompression techniques is explained in dedicated chapters. Finally, the book also addresses endoscopic posterior lumbar interbody fusion and procedures for adjacent segment disease after lumbar fusion.

Key Features

- Covers a wide range of topics in neuroendoscopy and interventional pain medicine

- Emphasizes evidence-based approaches to treatment

- Offers clinical perspectives from expert surgeons

- Includes scientific references for researchers and advanced learners

It is an essential resource for readers who need to enhance their understanding of the latest technological advancements in neuroendoscopy and interventional pain medicine and apply these innovative techniques to improve patient outcomes.

Reinforcement Learning: Foundations and Applications combines rigorous theory with real-world relevance to introduce readers to one of the most influential branches of modern Artificial Intelligence. Walking readers through the essential principles, algorithms, and techniques that define reinforcement learning (RL), the book highlights how RL enables intelligent systems to learn from interaction and optimize decision-making in domains such as robotics, autonomous control, game AI, finance, and healthcare.

The book opens with foundational RL concepts, including Markov Decision Processes, dynamic programming, and the exploration–exploitation dilemma. It then progresses to advanced material covering policy gradient methods, actor–critic architectures, deep reinforcement learning models, and multi-agent systems. Dedicated application chapters demonstrate how RL drives adaptive control, sequential decision-making, and practical problem-solving—supported by case studies, diagrams, and algorithm pseudocode.

Rich with examples, research insights, and implementation guidance, this book equips readers with both the conceptual understanding and applied perspective needed to master reinforcement learning.

Key Features

Blends foundational RL theory with practical, application-driven case studies.

Explains both model-based and model-free reinforcement learning approaches.

Covers cutting-edge methods including Deep Q-Networks, continuous control, and reward shaping.

Presents clear diagrams, pseudocode, and implementation notes to support hands-on learning.

Highlights current challenges, limitations, and emerging research directions in RL.

Reliability Calculations with the Stochastic Finite Element presents different methods of reliability analysis for systems. Chapters explain methods used to analyze a number of systems such as single component maintenance system, repairable series system, rigid rotor balance, spring mechanics, gearbox design and optimization, and nonlinear vibration. The author proposes several established and new methods to solve reliability problems which are based on fuzzy systems, sensitivity analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, HL-RF methods, differential equations, and stochastic finite element processing, to name a few.

This handbook is a useful update on reliability analysis for mechanical engineers and technical apprentices.

Researchers, politicians and lay persons around the world agree that renewable energy technologies will play an increasingly important role in strengthening national economies in the future. The renewable energy industry has the potential to significantly increase power capacity of several countries and subsequently create many jobs.

This book examines recent advances in specific renewable energy systems. Readers will learn about theoretical and applied perspectives which are key to addressing the major issues associated with such systems. Chapters cover solar energy systems, thermal energy storage, bioenergy, hydrogen production, geothermal energy and measurement techniques for these energy systems. Students in engineering programs, and engineers working in academia and the renewable energy sector will be able to broaden their understanding of complex renewable energy projects through the comprehensive overview of both the fundamental concepts and the technical issues covered in the text.

Research Methodology and Project Management in Biotechnology is a vital resource addressing core concepts in the dynamic field of biotechnology. This comprehensive textbook focuses on research methodology, techniques, and project management, and provides essential knowledge for students and faculty in life sciences and allied disciplines.

Key features of the book include learning objectives, self-assessments and exercises, and a simple presentation (using bullet points, tables, and figures) designed to assist comprehension and retention of key information.

The book is split into 5 units with 12 focused chapters:

Unit I: Molecular Biology Techniques

Covers various techniques used in molecular biology, including nucleic acid isolation, DNA fragmentation, PCR, DNA sequencing, and more.

Unit II: Scientific Communication and Literature

Introduces the process of research writing.

Unit III: Biotechnology Entrepreneurship and Marketing

Covers the role of funding, intellectual property rights, and regulations.

Unit IV: Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics

Explores DNA sequencing strategies, gene expression analysis, and the role of bioinformatics in drug discovery.

Unit V: Advanced Biotechnological Techniques

Covers topics such as antisense technology, molecular cytogenetics, pharmacogenomics, next-generation DNA sequencing, and ethical considerations in science and technology.

Unit VI: Medical Biotechnology

Covers disease detection and diagnosis, genetic diseases, personalized medicine, nanotechnology, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and the Human Genome Project.

This textbook is suitable for courses aimed to enhance biotechnology project planning and execution skills and building a professional career path in biotechnology.

The aim of the eBook series of Research Topics in Agricultural & Applied Economics (RTAAE) is to publish high quality economic researches applied to both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors of the economy. The subject areas of this eBook series include, among others, supply and demand analysis, technical change and productivity, industrial organization, labor economics, growth and development, environmental economics, marketing, business economics and finance. By covering a broad variety of economic research topics, this eBook series should prove to be of considerable interest to a wide spectrum of academic, agricultural and applied economic researchers and scientists, as well as to industry specialists and government policy makers.

The aim of this e-book series is to publish high quality economic research in agricultural and applied economics. It particularly fosters quantitative studies which make original contribution on important economic issues, the results of which help to understand and solve real economic problems. This volume contains research papers focusing on the areas of agricultural policy, agricultural price volatility, agricultural finance and cooperatives, consumption economics, firm production and organization, human capital convergence, international economics and multinational business, investment decisions in organic agriculture, market structure and industry studies. The research papers of this volume make use of recent methodological approaches and provide conclusions which are useful to both private sector participants and policy-makers.

The global environmental crisis is a hot issue worldwide which drives discussions among business and social communities aimed at addressing environmental problems. Research on Corporate Environmental Responsibility in China is a survey of how some enterprises in China manage their corporate social and economic responsibilities. The survey is an important reference point for enterprises that wish to maintain sustainable development, for the government to control environmental deterioration, and for the public to maintain a society in harmony with the surrounding environment. The survey is guided by principles of system and dialectical science (SDS). It helps the reader to study Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) in a more comprehensive and dynamic manner using the basic concepts of systemic and spatiotemporal concepts.

Key Features:

- Presents a unique perspective of Chinese academics for the local region

- Presents an analysis of the element, structure and function of CER in China.

- Focuses on the systematic method and makes empirical analysis of CER in 30 Chinese enterprises.

- Puts forward suggestions for CER improvement in the region.

- Features research methodology based on historical analysis, comparative analysis and empirical analysis.

This reference serves as a useful guide for business managers, government officials and other stakeholders in China seeking to regulate their environmental policies. Business school teachers and students, will also benefit from the findings presented by the study.