Bentham Science Publishers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that upto 4 percent of all fatal crashes are caused by drowsy driving and as many as 100,000 patients deaths per year may be due to fatigue related medical errors by doctors and nurses in the United States.

These problems of sleepiness, fatigue, and the contributions of inadequate sleep and night work, to human error and accidents have high costs in both lives lost and economic impact.

This e-book covers the physiology of sleep, the pathophysiology of sleep deprivation, the relationship to daytime alertness and fatigue, the relevance of sleep-related fatigue in various industry and occupational settings and its importance as a public safety issue. The e-book should serve as a useful reference to readers interested in sleep research and public health and safety management.

Smart Home and Industrial IoT Devices: Critical Perspectives on Cyber Threats, Frameworks and Protocols provides an in-depth examination of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its profound impact on smart homes and industrial systems. The book begins by exploring the significance of IoT in smart homes, followed by an analysis of emerging cyber threats targeting smart homes and cyber-physical systems. It presents AI and machine learning-based frameworks for monitoring water quality and managing irrigation in agriculture, highlighting their role in IoT ecosystems. The text also discusses a framework to mitigate cyber-attacks on robotic systems and introduces a multinomial naive Bayesian classifier for analyzing smart IoT devices. Dataflow analysis and modeling experiments are detailed, along with a comparison of IoT communication protocols using anomaly detection and security assessment. The book concludes with a discussion on efficient, lightweight intrusion detection systems and a unique taxonomy for IoT frameworks. This book is ideal for students, researchers, and professionals seeking to understand and secure IoT environments.

With the rapid development of electronic technology, mobile communication and satellite communication, electromagnetic interference (EMI) or Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) has received global scientific attention to ensure unperturbed performance of electronic items and to avoid any adverse effect on human health. EMI is one of the main factors that weaken electronic system performance and is considered as a modern form of environmental pollution.

Many efforts have been made to reduce EMI due to industrial regulations. With the expansion of the IT industry, microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) and EMI shielding materials have received considerable interest to improve the resistance of smart devices to EMI.

This book presents a comprehensive review of the recent developments in EMI shielding and the design of microwave absorbing materials. Chapters cover the basic mechanism of shielding and radiation absorption, measurement procedures, factors affecting the shielding and different materials for shielding and absorption (e.g. MWCNT, conjugated polymers, graphene, MXene based hybrid materials, Carbon foam, graphene based thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites, carbon-carbon composites, nano ferrite composites and conducting Ferro fluids). An analysis of EMI shielding using fillers composed of different materials is also presented.

In addition, key issues and current challenges to achieve better shielding and absorption performance for various materials are explained, giving the readers a broader perspective of the subject.

The book is suitable as a detailed reference for students in technology, electronics engineering and materials science courses, and professionals working on materials for designing EMI shielding mechanisms.

Smart Polymeric Nanocomposites: Synthesis and Applications explores the fascinating field of smart polymeric nanocomposites, presenting an in-depth understanding of their synthesis, properties, and diverse applications. Designed as a resource for researchers, students, and professionals, it provides a thorough overview of cutting-edge advancements in the field. The book covers various topics, including self-healing materials, shape-memory applications, controlled drug delivery, environmental solutions such as water purification, and innovations in flexible electronic sensing. By integrating theoretical principles with real-world applications, the book serves as both a learning tool and an inspiration for innovation in polymer science and nanotechnology.

Key Features:

- Detailed exploration of synthesis methods and advanced applications.

- Case studies and practical examples.

- Interdisciplinary insights across chemistry, engineering, and environmental science.

A refreshing and useful resource for understanding the multidimensional aspects linking social determinants to health equity and development. The book is written for researchers, students, public health practitioners, health decision makers, health economists, epidemiologists, sociologists, demographers and general public audience with interest in health equity and development. The nine chapters presented are clear and comprehensive, reinforced by several diagrams and real examples illustrating inequity in health. The book is Illustrated with 45 tables and figures, and contain 355 recent references to the literature.

Current global economic crises call for social responsibility to replace neo-liberalistic, one-sided and short-term criteria causing monopolies of global enterprises. Humanity's existence is endangered under the threat of global capitalism, unless the positive concept 'everyone's social responsibility impacts everyone in society' becomes the basis of the new socio-economic order. This concept must be realized together with related concepts of 'interdependence' and 'holism' embodying the principles of accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, and respect for stakeholders--to support the rule of law, international norms, and human rights.

Social Responsibility – A non-technological innovation process explores the realm of social responsibility in the context of innovation, business practice and economic crises. Readers can apply related principles to their business practices and enhance their business prospects in a modern environment facing the challenges of socio-economic crises.

This volume is intended for graduates and professionals working in government organizations and commercial enterprises, to learn basic concepts about social responsibility and introduce holistic management practices in their daily and professional lives.

Current global economic crises call for social responsibility to replace neo-liberalistic, one-sided and short-term criteria causing monopolies of global enterprises. Humanity's existence is endangered under the threat of global capitalism, unless the positive concept ‘everyone's social responsibility impacts everyone in society' becomes the basis of the new socio-economic order. This concept must be realized together with related concepts of ‘interdependence' and ‘holism,' embodying the principles of accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, and respect for stakeholders--to support the rule of law, international norms, and human rights.

Range of Perspectives Per Topics and Countries brings forth discussions from researchers from different countries. The contents of this volume include discussions related to community involvement, disaster response and disease epidemics, among other topics. The volume also includes studies on social responsibility standards in a Mexican city as well as a discussion of social responsibility in BIRCS countries.

Soft robotics is a subfield of robotics that encompasses the design and fabrication of robots with soft and compliant materials. Soft robots represent components like human prosthetics or biomimicking systems. Soft robotics relies on technically astute designs based on the correct choice of materials to enable a level of dexterity not possible with rigid components alone. The basic prime movers (actuators) and perception (sensors) require control systems capable of accommodating imprecise feedback data and often unpredictable reaction times. Mobility in such robots is more akin to entomological or marine systems than conventional guided vehicles.

This reference is a guide to materials and systems used in soft robotics. If features 6 chapters contributed by robotics experts that review fundamental and applied topics that are important for understanding the requirements of soft robotics design projects and the physics of the polymers involved. Chapters are organized for easy reading and include references.

The topics include:

- Aspects of materials processing and engineering for the development of soft robotic devices

- A review on biological gripping principles and their application to robotics

- Information about self-sensing electroadhesive polymer grippers with magnetically controllable surface geometry

- Theoretical and experimental investigations of magnetic hybrid materials

- Modeling and dynamic analysis of a novel rotary soft robotic arm by transfer matrix method

- Design and control of a portable continuum robot for pipe inspection assisted by a rigid manipulator

This book is a suitable reference for scholars and engineers who are seeking knowledge about materials and design principles in soft robotics with its practical applications.

Soil Biology & Ecology: The Basics offers an accessible introduction to the diverse and dynamic world beneath our feet. This book explores soil as a thriving habitat, detailing the rich biodiversity of microorganisms and macroorganisms that sustain essential ecological cycles. It covers the key biochemical cycles in soil, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, explaining how these processes contribute to soil fertility and ecosystem health. With a focus on ecological relationships like symbiosis and competition, this guide illuminates the vital role of soil in supporting life and agricultural productivity.

Ideal for students, researchers, and nature enthusiasts, the book is a foundational resource for understanding soil's impact on the biosphere and human food production.

Key Features:

- Comprehensive overview of soil as a living ecosystem

- Detailed coverage of soil microbiota, macrobiota, and biochemical cycles

- Insights into ecological relationships and their practical applications

Solar Chimney Power Plants: Numerical Investigations and Experimental Validation summarizes the effect of the geometrical parameters of a solar chimney on the airflow behavior inside a solar chimney power plant. Chapters in this experimental handbook are presented in two parts with the goal of equipping readers with the information necessary to study and determine key factors which affect the performance of the solar chimney power plant.

In the first part, the authors present a simulation developed by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling software ANSYS Fluent to model the airflow. The adopted CFD models include k-ɛ turbulence model, the DO radiation model and the convection heat flux transfer model. These models have been validated with anterior experimental results.

In the second part, the simulated models are then tested with alternate geometric configurations of the solar chimney power plant. The numerical studies allow readers to consider ways to expand on the design optimizing of the solar chimney when constructing a prototype. Geometrical parameters include the height, the diameter of the chimney and the dimensions of the solar collector and their effect on the temperature and air pressure is documented to validate models used for experimental simulations.

The handbook also includes a study of an experimental prototype, constructed at ENIS. The researchers have gathered data on the environmental temperature, distribution of the temperature, air velocity and the power output generated by the turbine, the solar radiation and the gap of temperature in the collector of the prototype.