Bentham Science Publishers

`Ricin Toxin’ brings together a collection of in depth and cutting edge reviews that focus on the current understanding of ricin toxins. This e-book provides a historical background, innovations in detection, identification and medical countermeasures against this biothreat, and the toxin’s previous use as an anti-cancer agent.

This e-book answers various important questions such as detection of ricin in food or soil, making of humanized antibody against the toxin, novel approaches for the creation of a safe vaccine to protect first responders, exploitation of toxin`s ability to bind and penetrate cells for medical benefits, aftereffects of administering antibody against ricin to a first responder and their exposure to the toxin, neutralization of different ricin from different castor plant cultivars. Aside from learning key concepts that may be overlooked while scanning literature, the reader will benefit from gems of information scattered throughout the book.

The book comprises of five different parts. The first part covers the background of ricin from pharaohs to bioterrorists and beyond.

The second part covers the discovery of recent technologies which are very helpful for the detection of ricin in different matrices, followed by the detection of ricin in the sorption of soils, minerals,textiles, and food; soil inflatration and dust transport. The third part covers the ricin and castor plant cultivars. It also discusses the antibody therapies such as Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies and the extraction of ricin toxin from several cultivars of the Castor Plant (Ricinus communis).

The fourth part of this e-book discusses different medical countermeasures which are very effective in enhancing the progress in the development of vaccines against ricin intoxication. This part also describes different methods employed for the improvement of anti-ricin antibodies.

The last part of this book describes the replacement and different applications of the toxin. All chapters are written by paramount experts in ricin research.

`Ricin Toxin’ is an essential reading to all medical students, biochemists and professionals involved in the field of toxicology.

Robotics and Automation in Industry 4.0 explores the transformative role of robotics, automation, and emerging technologies in the modern industrial landscape. The book is divided into four comprehensive sections, each focusing on key areas of Industry 4.0. These are: 1) Robotics: Applications and Advancements, 2) Renewable Energy Applications, 3), FinTech, and 4) Multidisciplinary approaches. It compiles 13 chapters offering insights into the latest advancements and provides practical guidance for navigating the evolving industrial landscape.

Consumers have been increasingly involved in the innovation process in the last few decades, a major driving force of business success. This involvement is critically important for innovation, particularly in product development.

However, consumers frequently cannot articulate exactly what they need, want, or like if they are asked directly. It is very difficult for consumers to articulate their needs and desires. Therefore, researchers have to use other means to understand their motivations. There are many arguments suggesting that focus groups cannot create a reliable direction for new product development (NPD) or message optimization. A solution for this problem lies in a systematic, structured and disciplined experimentation with consumers - presenting them with a set of experimentally-designed products or concepts and soliciting their preferences. It is much easier for consumers to choose a preferred option from a set of concepts. New technologies make it easier than ever to conduct complex experiments quickly and inexpensively. The expanded use of experimentation provides an opportunity to take innovation to a new level.

Rule Developing Experimentation (RDE) is an increasingly popular, structured, consumer-based experimentation methodology. RDE works with prototypes, either physical prototypes, prototypes created out of language (concepts), or prototypes created out of visual stimuli (design and packaging). In business, RDE is used both to understand existing products, product categories and packages, as well as to create next generation offerings in the process of new product development (NPD).

Rule Developing Experimentation: A Systematic Approach to Understand & Engineer the Consumer Mind explains RDE concepts, beginning from its origins, to novel consumer research techniques and covers applications relevant to a real market context. Readers are also introduced to the concept of Mind Genomics® - a more holistic approach to gaining insight into the consumer mind.

The book presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the context of quantum physics experiments and the function of the human mind that makes it possible to demonstrate that an object-based model of reality formed at the level of the unconscious is the basis of our worldview.

The consciousness experiences a "time flow" because of the specific features of perception in the form of a model with a sequential fixation of events. Together with the need to relate objects in terms of the model, this generates a space-time representation of the world around us. Acceptance of a mental character of our construct of reality allows for resolution of the problems in quantum physics and its paradoxes, thereby opening the way to an insight into reality.

The presented material is organized in a specific order to facilitate the reader's understanding. First, the fact that if there are no objects in the area of quantum mechanics, then they belong to the corresponding model rather than the reality is proved by case studies of the most discussed and relevant paradoxes of quantum physics. The authors consider a topological variant in constructing an object-based space that describes the physical properties of an object that are the most verified in science and describable with mathematical relations. The functionality of the proposed construct is tested by deriving the "laws" of conservation of energy and momentum in a relativistic form.

The book is oriented towards experts in physics and psychology, advanced students, and readers interested in state-of-the-art science and the philosophy connected to it.

Many herbs and spices, in addition to their culinary use for taste, contain chemical compounds which have medicinal uses. For this reason, herbs and spices have been used for treating various ailments since ancient times. Modern scientific methods have enabled researchers to isolate and analyze bioactive compounds from herbs and spices to develop medicines for different diseases. Science of Spices and Culinary Herbs presents current reviews on studies performed on herbs and spices. This book series is an informative resource for medicinal chemists, herbalists and biomedical researchers interested in the science of natural herbs and spices that are a common part of regional diets and folk medicine.

The sixth volume of this series features reviews on medicinal aspects of a selection of herbs and spices, including:

Pimpinella anisum L. (Anise, Aniseed)

Sinapis alba L. (Mustard Seeds)

Cinnamomum verum (Cinnamon)

Tamarindus indica L (Tamarind)

Curcuma longa (Curcumin)

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice).

This text explains the use of compressed air for energy storage and efficient pneumatic applications. Chapters cover the elementary physical and engineering principles related to compressed air, including compression and expansion characteristics, adiabatic, polytropic, and isothermal phenomena, and energy content within a given volume. The author also discusses the advantages and drawbacks of pneumatic technology and presents innovative ways to increase the energy efficiency of pneumatic actuators. A key highlight of the book is the introduction of a method to enhance efficiency by incorporating expansion work alongside constant pressure displacement. The author presents an analysis of various cylinder assemblies where energy efficiency is notably improved compared to conventional pneumatic actuators. The book serves as a primary reference for mechanical engineering students and as a handbook for engineers designing efficient pneumatic devices.

Key Features: Fundamental and advanced information about actuators and their pneumatic applications Focus on energy efficiency testing Systematic chapter order for effective learning progression, with a working example to support comprehension References for further reading Appendices providing additional insights and resources .

Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Functionalization and Applications presents detailed information about the range of methods of synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The book systematically delves into the subject with an introductory chapter before moving to chemical synthesis of AGnPs and fabrication methods which help in assigning functional properties for useful nanomaterials. Basic and advanced synthetic methods like surface functionalization and bioconjugation are covered. Additionally, the book informs about impactful applications of AGNPs across a range of industries. Through this book, readers will be able to understand the importance of silver nanoparticles as a futuristic material in scientific investigations and gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational strategies revolving around their surface modification and conjugation.

Key Features:

-Covers the basics of silver nanoparticle (AGNP) synthesis -Focuses on green methods of AGNPs

- Covers information about surface modification and functionalization of AGNPs with different molecules (including biomolecules)

-Covers a range of applications of AGNPs

-Includes advanced applications of AGNPs in next-generation antibiotics

Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Functionalization and Applications a handy reference for scholars in advanced chemical engineering, materials science and pharmacology programs as well as anyone who wants to know all about silver nanoparticles.

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.

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.

This book encapsulates current information about the science behind solar energy and the solar thermal systems available to meet domestic needs. Several scholars have contributed to the chapters in the text in an effort to distill research-oriented topics for learners.

The book starts with an explainer on the fundamentals of thermodynamics, heat transfer and solar energy in the first 2 chapters. The basics of some solar thermal devices along with their thermal modeling are covered in the next few chapters, along with solar distillation systems. This is followed by information about the design, development and applications of solar cookers along with their thermal modeling. Thermal modeling of semi-transparent PVT systems and their applications are discussed in Chapter 9. Chapter 10 covers the development in solar photovoltaic technology. Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 discusses thermal modeling of greenhouse solar dryers and presents a case study on a hybrid active greenhouse solar dryer. Chapter 13 covers the thermal analysis of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) air heaters employing thermoelectric modules (TEM). The applications of various solar systems in building sectors and the development in this field are covered in Chapter 14. Chapter 15 deals with energy and environ- economics analysis of bio-gas integrated semi-transparent photo-voltaic thermal (Bi-iSPVT) systems for Indian climates.

The book has a broad scope and is intended as a resource for students, researchers and teachers in universities, industries, and national and commercial laboratories to help learn the fundamentals and in-depth knowledge of thermal modeling and recent developments in solar heating systems.