Bentham Books | Making Chemistry Education More Engaging with Computers

 

The recent COVID-19 outbreak has been the main reason behind several temporary school closures around the world. This has made the idea of continuing to pursue educational activities during this time a challenging proposition. The current lockdowns implemented in different countries has forced schoolteachers who wish to complete their current teaching periods to transition immediately to the online classroom. Many schools have already started online classes in the wake of the crisis caused by the global COVID-19 crises. Accessing and managing online teaching resources can be a bit difficult for educators or pupils accustomed to a conventional classroom.

A couple of our authors reached out to us and asked if Bentham Science had a solution for their book, Computer Based Projects for a Chemistry Curriculum – which is a great resource for school and college students and teachers interesting in using computers to illustrate fundamental concepts in chemistry. And we have responded. Starting today up to June 30, Bentham Science Publishers is making the eBook free to download. This means high school teachers and students anywhere in the world can access the content benefit from the projects presented in the book.

Computer Based Projects for a Chemistry Curriculum, authored by Thomas Manning and Aurora Grumatges, presents 24 chapters each giving information about activities employing applications such as MS excel (spreadsheets) and Spartan (computational modeling). Each project is explained in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. The content within this book is suitable as a guide for both teachers and students and each chapter is supplemented with practice guidelines and exercises. The book contents can be accessed here.

We hope that students around the world can benefit from the interesting and informative variety of projects presented in the book, while also allowing educators working in schools to continue their teaching activities throughout the academic year amidst the current pandemic crisis. Stay safe, and happy chemistry learning. Please visit the book page here: http://bit.ly/39uzhTW

New eBook Announcement | Stress Response And Immunity: Links And Trade Offs

 

Editor: “Nadia Danilova”

 

All living organisms face two major challenges: to adjust to constantly changing environment and to protect themselves from pathogens. How organisms integrate responses to these challenges is the subject of this book. Cellular machinery can function properly only in a narrow range of condition. The same is true for multicellular organisms. When conditions deviate from the acceptable range, that creates stress and requires change. Physical stress can be caused by starvation, heat, cold, irradiation, and other factors. In addition, higher animals can experience mental stress caused by fear, neglect, isolation etc. Stress response is a set of measures that preserve homeostasis in the face of environmental changes. Pathogens are another challenge for most life forms. Viruses and mobile genetic elements infect all organisms. Multicellular organisms can also be infected by bacterial and eukaryotic pathogens. These subjects are presented in the first two chapters of the book.

The next section presents the elaborate mechanisms of stress and immune responses in bacteria and archaea. A common response to stress in prokaryotes includes, among other means, switching to an alternative transcriptional mode. Prokaryotic immunodefense mechanisms are built on two strategies that are also conserved in eukaryotes. One is innate immunity based on genetically encoded molecules/receptors. The other — adaptive immunity is based on unique molecules/receptors that are created de novo in response to infection.

Eukaryotic stress response is discussed next. Global inhibition of translation, called integrated stress response, is a common reaction to many stresses in eukaryotic cells. In multicellular organisms, most individual cells have autonomous immunodefense mechanisms which function in collaboration with stress response. Some stress responses can participate in immunodefense. A notable example is unfolded protein response. It cleanses the cell of misfolded proteins plus also targets viral proteins because of their difference from cellular proteins. In animals, cellular stress response can trigger cytokine production and systemic response, which includes inflammation and engagement of specialised immune systems. Even subtle changes in homeostasis can activate such a response. The incredible sensitivity of cellular machinery to changes has a dark side; stress and ensuing immune mechanisms such as inflammation and complement can be induced without infection or substantial injury and lead to pathology.

In complex organisms with specialised immune systems, discussed next, the relationship between stress and immunity becomes more complex and sometimes antagonistic. Mental stress can cause activation of immune mechanisms, which, in turn, can affect the brain’s functioning, and behavior. In the recent decade, science has discovered the paramount importance of interaction of all levels of stress response with immunity in the etiology of many human diseases from atherosclerosis to Alzheimer’s. Read out the full version here 

 

 

Nadia Danilova
Department of Molecular,
Cell & Developmental Biology,
University of California, Los Angeles CA,
USA

 

New eBook Announcement | Classical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics: An Historic-Axiomatic Approach

 

BY
PETER ENDERS

 

This is not just another textbook about quantum mechanics as it presents quite a novel, axiomatic path from classical to quantum physics. The novelty begins with the description of classical mechanics, which rests on Euler’s and Helmholtz’s rather than Newton’s or Hamilton’s representations. Special attention is paid to the commons rather than to the differences between classical and quantum mechanics. Schrödinger’s 1926 forgotten demands on quantization are taken seriously; therefore, his paradigm ‘quantization as eigenvalue problem’ is replaced with Einstein’s idea of ‘quantization as selection problem’. The Schrödinger equation is derived without any assumptions about the nature of quantum systems, such as interference and superposition, or the existence of a quantum of action, h. The use of the classical expressions for the potential and kinetic energies within quantum physics is justified.

A doubtless benefit of this textbook is its extensive reference to original texts. This includes many details that do not enter contemporary representations of classical mechanics, although these details are essential for understanding quantum physics.

Another benefit consists in that it addresses not only students and scientists, but also teachers and historians; it sheds new light on the history of ideas and notions. The level of mathematics is seldom higher than that of the common (Riemannian) integral. Basic notions and quantities are carefully introduced; steps like “It can be shown, that textellipsis…” or ‘It’s sink or swim’ are successfully avoided.

“From Newton to Planck and even more. The mix of exacting physics, biography and history exhibits its quite own charm and quickly fascinates the reader – in particular, when nowadays physical equations and the historical literature are so masterly interwoven as the paramount historical figures with their epochal works.” (Carsten Hansen, review on buchkatalog.de)

“I would like to express my thank to the author for this book. It contains an impressive and comprehensible derivation and representation of quantum physics. Due to his approach, I have eventually found an approach that is acceptable for me and not purely formal. The way from classical to quantum physics is impressively understood. Using a profound knowledge of the historical literature, including the original texts, the Schroedinger equation is derived through an extension of Euler’s and Helmholtz’s representations of classical mechanics to non-classical systems. It is the concentration on the commons rather than on the differences between classical and quantum systems that makes this approach reasonable. Moreover, this makes the interpretation and meaningfulness of the quantum-mechanical models and concepts clearly visible.” Read out the full version here

eBook | Advanced Calculus – Fundamentals of Mathematics

 

BY

CARLOS POLANCO

 

Vector calculus is an essential mathematical tool for physical and natural phenomena analysis; it is a very important subject for students in the Faculties of Science and Engineering. This ebook has been designed to cover two academic semesters for second-year students, as it contains the fundamentals related to Vector Calculus. Here, the reader will find a concise and clear study of this mathematical field, it provides many examples, exercises, and a case study in each chapter. The solutions to the exercises are also included at the end of the ebook. The reader will be able to understand it even without a rigorous mathematical knowledge and will be able to immediately practise the concepts. Its main purpose is to enable students to put into practise what they are learning about the subject

This ebook on Vector Calculus differs from others in the intensive use of affine transformations (or mapping), to modify the integration region of real-valued functions or vector-valued functions.

The first part of the ebook introduces the Vector Algebra over the real coordinate space Rⁿ, but cases and examples are displayed on the plane and space for a better understanding of the concepts. In this part is reviewed the dot and cross product operators, the orthogonal projection, various representations and conversions of the Cartesian and Polar coordinate systems on a plane, and the Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems in a space are reviewed.

The second part is dedicated to real-valued functions, level surfaces, domain, image, graphic representations, properties of limits, continuity, differentiability, gradient, and polynomial approximation as well as the identification of critical points, the use of the Hessian matrix and Bordered Hessian matrix to characterise critical points, the implicit Function Theorem, and the inverse Function Theorem. The final chapter of this part introduces the vector-valued functions, graphic representations, and the rotational and divergence operators.

The third part presents the evaluation of integrals from mapping on a plane and in space. It separately reviews integrals of real-valued functions over bounded and unbounded regions, and curve and surface integrals of vector-valued functions over vector fields. The concept of mapping is carefully introduced, emphasising how adequate mapping simplifies integrals.

The fourth part reviews the Stokes, Gauss, and Green theorems applying mapping. It also includes examples with the complete resolution of both sides of the equalities that these theorems state.

The fifth part is a survey of exterior product and it is based on the books of Hermann Grassmann, Jerrold Marsden, and David Hestenes. We greatly appreciate the recommendation of Prof. Hestenes to include this material.

The last part covers the differential forms and the exterior product focused on line integral, surface integral, the Stokes, Gauss, and Green theorems.

The author hopes the reader interested in studying the fundamentals of calculus on several variables, finds useful the material presented here and that those who start studying this field find this information motivating. The author would like to acknowledge the Faculty of Sciences at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for support. Read out the full version here.

eBook | Improved Indirect Power Control (IDPC) of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS)

 

BY

FAYSSAL AMRANE, AZEDDINE CHAIBA

 

During the past decade, the installed wind power capacity in the world has been increasing more than 30%. Wind energy conversion system (WECSs) based on the doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) dominated the wind power generations due to the outstanding advantages, including small converters rating around 30% of the generator rating, lower converter cost.

Due to the non-linearity of wind system, the DFIG power control presents a big challenge especially under wind-speed variation and parameter’s sensibility.

To overcome these major problems; an improved IDPC (Indirect Power Control); based on PID “Proportional-Integral-Derivative” controller, was proposed instead the conventional one (based on PI), in order to enhance the wind-system performances in terms; power error, tracking power and overshoot. Unfortunately using robustness tests (based on severe DFIG’s parameters changement); the wind-system offers non-satisfactory simulation results which were illustrated by the very bad power tracking and very big overshoot (> 50%).

In this context; adaptive, robust & intelligent controllers were proposed to control direct & quadrature currents (Ird & Irq) under MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) strategy to main the unity power factor (PF≈1) by keeping the reactive power at zero level. In this case, the new IDPC based on intelligent controllers offered an excellent wind-system performance especially using robustness tests, which offered a big improvement especially using Type-1 Fuzzy Logic Controller (T1-FLC), Type-2 Fuzzy Logic Control (T2-FLC; is the New class of fuzzy logic) & Neuro-Fuzzy Logic (NFC).

In this sense, I think that this edited book is an important contribution to help students already in mastery of the basis of power electronic circuits and control systems theory to achieve these pedagogical goals. The proposed book describes with easy manner the modeling & control of Wind-turbine DFIG in order to control the stator powers using different topologies of robust, adaptive and intelligent controllers.

The book present numerous intelligent control techniques that help in the control design of the DFIG wind-system (WT).

The textbook “Improved Indirect Power Control (IDPC) of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS)” proposes a collection of concepts, organized in a synergic manner such that to ease comprehension of the WT control design.

The book’s contribution goes towards completing the already existing literature by offering a useful integration of control techniques, worthy to be read, understood and employed in the various WT applications. Please enjoy reading this book. Read out the full version here.

eBook | Nitrogen Removal Processes for Wastewater Treatment

 

BY

EDRIS HOSEINZADEH

Since the ecological and environmental monitoring and protection has been widely addressed and emphasized by academic research and public, the remediation and removal for the pollutants became a critical subject for the Industry, Official and Academy. The state-of-the art technology needs to be comprehensively surveyed covering a wide spectrum of related areas. This book is aimed to fulfill this goal and hopefully will benefit the student, teaching staff, engineers, staffs in the civil corporation and also the public.

This book is divided into 5 chapters and an introduction. In the introduction section, Nitrogen compounds and their toxicity and pollution in the water environment are first addressed and the necessity to remove them from the water body is emphasized. Chapter 1 discusses conventional method and technology of Nitrogen removal from water. Chapter 2 covers conventional Biological method for nitrogen removal. The next three chapters are the essence of this book and maybe the most interesting parts for the readers, in Chapter 3 the authors introduce food industry wastewater treatment from nitrogen compounds. In Chapters 4 and 5 a new approach towards environmental pollution remediation biotechnology by different types of Bio Electrochemical Systems (BES) is presented. The authors exert our effort to make this book as an important reference and manual guide for the readers interested in the field. Read out the full version here.

Press Release | Exploring new ways to treat different cancers

 

This eBook is edited by Dr.Atta-ur-Rahman and Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, published on May 31, 2019. For further details, please visit: https://ebooks.benthamscience.com/book/9789811400711/

 

 

 

Bentham Science’s premier Anti-cancer drug discovery book series is now in its 10th volume.

Frontiers in Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery is one of the first drug discovery book series published by Bentham Science. The series is Edited by Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, and M. Iqbal Choudhary. The tenth volume of the series features chapters covering the treatment and management of specific tumors such as hepatoblastoma and glioblastoma, the reole of different transporters and nanocarriers in anti-cancer medicine, advances in anti-cancer nanomedicine and polyphenols. The series continues to be an up-to-date source of information for pharmaceutical researchers, oncologists and molecular biologists studying cancer and devising treatment solutions for patients embattled with the disease. Read full press release to find out more at: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/bsp-mao061919.php

Book Highlights | How to Restore Public Trust in our Universities?

 

With declining societal confidence and diminishing value of a university degree, the book Redefining University Leadership for the 21^st Century could not come at a more opportune time. The ever-increasing tuition fees and ballooning student debts, bloated administrative costs and student dissatisfaction should sound alarm bells for the viability of universities. When technology and artificial intelligence make knowledge rapidly redundant, how can universities future-proof their graduates in this fast-changing world of the fourth industrial revolution and artificial intelligence

In this brilliantly insightful book, the authors pin-point the market failures and the management practices that have led to the erosion of public confidence in universities. They examine the consequences of market failures caused by the marketization of higher education: an oversupply of graduates, mismatch between qualifications and needed skills, student disillusionment, and the diminishing return on investments by students and their families. The marketable “excellence” of universities is artificially constructed on ranking metrics which neglect the core academic mission. Instead of serving the needs of society, they are focused primarily on achieving high ranks in league tables. Success in these rankings lulls them into a false sense of security and complacency. Poor management and bloated administration are major causes of high fees and student unaffordability. The crisis in college costs is eroding the democratic promise of higher education.

With local student demand flattening and graduate employability declining, some universities find themselves in financial stress. Escalating tuition, rising student debts, the unbundling of higher education services and the rapid advance of learning technologies mean that higher education is ripe for disruption. In their race to expand and pursue ranking excellence, universities have driven up costs and lost focus on their teaching mission. They are now unsustainably over-extended and unaffordable for much of the population. The commodification of higher education in the last century has made universities more vulnerable to disruptive competition. To read out more, please visit: https://ebooks.benthamscience.com/book-highlights/190104001/

 

eBook | Sex Steroids and Apoptosis In Skeletal Muscle: Molecular Mechanisms

BY

ANDREA VASCONSUELO

 

Aging has serious consequences on skeletal muscle. ‘Sarcopenia’, the progressive loss of muscle mass and associated muscle weakness during elderly, affects radically the functional capacity and general health in adult people and renders frail elders susceptible to serious injury from sudden falls and fractures and at risk for losing their functional independence. There is a vital need to recognise the molecular mechanisms and regulatory factors, underlying age-related muscle wasting and to develop therapeutic strategies that can attenuate, prevent, or finally reverse sarcopenia. In this context, sexual hormones play a key role.

The book, SEX STEROIDS AND APOPTOSIS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, written by Dr. Andrea Vasconsuelo aims to provide a new way to perceive the role of sex hormones in skeletal muscle. The book present in integrated form the latest information on sarcopenia and its relation with apoptosis, from leading researchers studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying age-linked changes in skeletal muscle emphasising on the role of satellite cells. The authors succeed to explain, how hormones are involved in muscle homeostasis and in the regulation of apoptosis process and how these two functions connect to maintain a healthy muscle or to trigger pathologies. Therefore, the goal of this work is the combination of that information focusing on the molecular level and resulting in the clarification of molecular mechanisms implicated in skeletal muscle aging; when apoptosis is more intense and sex hormones levels decline. Very interesting, the book contains a chapter describing molecular structure of phytoestrogens and their action on sex steroids receptors. In addition, it is possible to emphasize the drafting writing promoting easy and pleasant reading, numerous and careful documentation, high quality images of the authors’ experiments and comprehensive and updated bibliography. This ebook is of interest to graduates and postgraduates in the fields of medicine and biochemistry, researchers of different aspects of ageing biology and people of the pharmaceutical, and health-care industry. Read out the full version here.

 

eBook | Evaluation of Environmental Contaminants and Natural Products: A Human Health Perspective

 

 

BY
ASHITA SHARMA, MANISH KUMAR, SARWINDERJEET KAUR, AVINASH KAUR NAGPAL

Environmental contaminants are constantly increasing in the environment due to the ill planned economic development. Increase in degenerative diseases as a result of continuous exposure to environmental contaminants is posing a serious threat to mankind. While living in such an environment, it has become an absolute necessity to find ways to enhance the protective nature of human metabolic response against the exposure to carcinogens. Various phytochemicals were considered as nectar against many degenerative diseases in ancient civilizations. Modern science is also making efforts to understand the protective effects of natural products. There is a need to compile the information about pollutants which can damage mankind and the protectants to safeguard our existence. The book is a unique and well-arranged compilation of these important aspects.

The first section of the book covers various sources and effects of emerging contaminants in our ambient environment. Environmental contaminants are associated with an increase in incidences of various types of cancers. The chapter entitled “Environmental risk and cancer” covers all such pollutants in detail. Due to the emergence of various contaminants, it has also become important for scientific community to assess the toxicity of various chemical agents present in the environment. Next chapters of the book suggest various plant and bacterial bioassays which could be used to analyze the toxic potential. Injudicious urbanization and economic development have increased the concentrations of some toxins into the environment which could have been prevented if judiciously used; pesticides and biphenyls are perfect examples. In the second section, editors have tried to compile the information about various natural products and their protective effects against carcinogenic potential of environmental contaminants. The metabolic link between plant products and cancer chemoprevention is also summarized well in one of the chapters in the book. The volume of Environmental Contaminants and Natural Products is a concise and well-organized handbook for researchers working in the field. Read out the full version here.