Open Access Books

A water supply system is an interconnected collection of sources, pipes, and hydraulic control elements delivering consumers prescribed water quantities at desired pressures and water qualities. This book incorporates selected topics on theory, revision, and practical application models for water supply systems analysis, including: guidelines for transient analysis, sustainable management of regional water supply systems, infrastructure asset management, optimal pump scheduling, demand uncertainty, errors in water meter measuring, and indicators for water mains rehabilitation.

Published

In recent years, marine genomics has become a growning rapidly field, helped by the large amount of information that is becoming available to the international scientific community. Taking into account the current excitement in the field of marine biotechnology, this Special Issue entitled “Genome Mining and Synthetic Biology in Marine Natural Product Discovery” aims to to assess the impact of these molecular approaches on the discovery of bioactive compounds from marine organisms. The term “genome mining” is used to identify all bioinformatic investigations aimed at detecting the biosynthetic pathways of bioactive natural products and their possible functional and chemical interactions. Several studies are now reporting on marine organisms. Oceans cover nearly 70% of the Earth’s surface and host a huge ecological, chemical, and biological diversity. The natural conditions of the sea favor, in marine organisms, the production of a large variety of novel molecules with great pharmaceutical potential. Marine organisms are unique in their structural and functional features compared to terrestrial ones. Innovation in this field is very rapid, as revealed by the funding of several Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and Horizon 2020 projects under the topic “Blue Growth”, with the urgent goal of discovering new drugs.

The development of science and technology in recent decades has enabled IVF methods to occupy a leading place in the treatment of infertility. This book introduces some modern infertility treatment methods that are part of IVF technologies, focusing on clinical practice. Topics discussed include semen analysis, ovarian stimulation, and basic methods applied in the IVF laboratory. The book also addresses diagnostics and treatment of the immunological factor of infertility as well as the relationship between infertility and reproductive age. This book will increase readers’ knowledge and understanding of the treatment of infertility using in vitro technologies.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is one of the best animal models to understand biological mechanisms and develop new methods for treating some human diseases. In this framework, the zebrafish is a versatile animal model organism for many research fields because of its many advantages, including rapid embriyonic development, easy maintenance and transparency of its embryos. Zebrafish in Biomedical Research describes the current understanding of zebrafish as a model organism in biomedical science. Written by experts in the field, this volume discusses the potential use of zebrafish in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, in respiratory and kidney diseases, and in developing new drugs.

This Special Issue on food waste and byproduct-based packaging presents innovative research on repurposing food industry byproducts into sustainable packaging solutions, targeting waste reduction and environmental impact. Papers in this issue showcase the development of biomaterials and packaging materials from byproducts like potato chips, apple and pear pomaces, pomegranate peels, and fish scales. For instance, potato byproducts, apple and pear pomace—a leftover from juice production—are used to create biodegradable films with antioxidant properties, ideal for food preservation. Similarly, pomegranate peel extracts are incorporated into bio-composites that offer antimicrobial protection, enhancing food safety. Studies also highlight chitosan from seafood shells and cellulose from plant fibers as alternatives to synthetic plastics, demonstrating strong mechanical properties and environmental compatibility. These materials not only serve as viable packaging but can also be infused with active compounds, such as polyphenols, to extend the shelf life of both the packaging and the food it encases. Moreover, the issue addresses production challenges, such as scaling and standardization, while emphasizing a circular economy model that repurposes waste into renewable resources, thus mitigating pollution and promoting sustainable practices.

Springer Proceedings in Complexity

This book provides the perspectives of a group of noted China experts on how China’s economic expansion and internal reforms are impacting its neighbors in the Pacific region as well as the United States and the rest of the world.

To better understand migration governance and the concrete, daily practices of civil servants tasked with enforcing state laws and policies, it is important to focus on documents, which are core artefacts of bureaucratic work. These can include certificates, letters, reports, case files, decisions, internal guidelines and judgements in both digital and paper form. Based on ethnographic studies in various geographical and bureaucratic contexts, this collection shows how civil servants produce statehood, restrict migrants’ movements and engage with migrants’ strategies to make themselves legible. It contributes to the study of the state as documentary practice and highlights the role of paperwork as a powerful practice of migration control.

The goal of this book is to present the main ideas and techniques in the field of continuous smooth and nonsmooth optimization. Starting with the case of differentiable data and the classical results on constrained optimization problems, and continuing with the topic of nonsmooth objects involved in optimization theory, the book concentrates on both theoretical and practical aspects of this field. This book prepares those who are engaged in research by giving repeated insights into ideas that are subsequently dealt with and illustrated in detail.

A obra apresenta conceitos que estruturam a relação entre saúde e meio ambiente no Brasil, tomando como base os dez anos da Conferência das Nações Unidas sobre o Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento (Rio-92), na qual foi aprovada a Agenda 21 - documento que contém os compromissos para mudança nos padrões de desenvolvimento deste século. O livro contém reflexões de especialistas de diversas áreas do conhecimento, que avaliam a atual situação brasileira e apresentam sugestões para serem utilizadas na elaboração de um Programa Nacional de Desenvolvimento em consonância com a Agenda 21. A coletânea está dividida em cinco partes: ambiente, espaço, território: o olhar da saúde; dialogando com o risco; qualidade de vida e promoção da saúde; processos produtivos, consumo e degradação da saúde e do ambiente; indicadores em saúde e ambiente: construção conceitual.

Éste es el trabajo de un politólogo sobre algunas políticas culturales del Estado mexicano en los últimos treinta años del siglo XX, que vieron el ocaso del sistema prisita. Luego de examinar sus antecedentes, el autor las somete a escrutinio, siempre con la preocupación de situarlas en su entorno, relacionarlas con medidas públicas en otros ámbitos y dilucidar sus intenciones y efectos. El análisis expone más debilidades que fortalezas y concluye que las políticas culturales del priismo en decadencia quedaron por debajo de sus promesas y de las necesidades nacionales. Sin embargo, suplió estas carencias la política relativa a la instrucción primaria, fuente de legitimidad de un sistema político inusualmente longevo, en contubernio perverso con la sociedad en la que estaba arraigado. Y a pesar de todo queda alguna nostalgia, frente a la desolación del presente.

Music is a complex, dynamic stimulus with an un-paralleled ability to stimulate a global network of neural activity involved in attention, emotion, memory, communication, motor co-ordination and cognition. As such, it provides neuroscience with a highly effective tool to develop our understanding of brain function, connectivity and plasticity. Increasingly sophisticated neuroimaging technologies have enabled the expanding field of music neuroscience to reveal how musical experience, perception and cognition may support neuroplasticity, with important implications for the rehabilitation and assessment of those with acquired brain injuries and neurodegenerative conditions. Other studies have indicated the potential for music to support arousal, attention and emotional regulation, suggesting therapeutic applications for conditions including ADHD, PTSD, autism, learning disorders and mood disorders. In common with neuroscience, the music therapy profession has advanced significantly in the past 20 years. Various interventions designed to address functional deficits and health care needs have been developed, alongside standardised behavioural assessments. Historically, music therapy has drawn its evidence base from a number of contrasting theoretical frameworks. Clinicians are now turning to neuroscience, which offers a unifying knowledge base and frame of reference to understand and measure therapeutic interventions from a biomedical perspective. Conversely, neuroscience is becoming more enriched by learning about the neural effects of ‘real world’ clinical applications in music therapy. While neuroscientific imaging methods may provide biomarking evidence for the efficacy of music therapy interventions it also offers important tools to describe time-locked interactive therapy processes and feeds into the emerging field of social neuroscience. Music therapy is bound to the process of creating and experiencing music together in improvisation, listening and reflection. Thus the situated cognition and experience of music developing over time and in differing contexts is of interest in time series data. We encouraged researchers to submit papers illustrating the mutual benefits of dialogue between music therapy and other disciplines important to this field, particularly neuroscience, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology. The current eBook consists of the peer reviewed responses to our call for papers.

This book examines how research-based teaching practices, implemented in public schools in Medellín, foster problem-solving and critical thinking. Adopting a qualitative approach and a multiple case study design, it analyzes how cross-disciplinary curricula that integrate inquiry and project-based learning contribute to active learning processes. The work underscores that placing research processes at the core of the curriculum encourages students to develop critical thinking skills and greater autonomy in problem resolution. It also stresses the importance of teachers understanding the research-based approach promoted by their institutions, enabling them to adapt their pedagogical practices, guide students effectively, and meet established learning objectives. Embedding research across all subjects transforms inquiry into a unifying thread, promoting active and reflective thinking.

Cet ouvrage s’intéresse à de curieux petits vases qui ont la particularité de présenter un bec sur leur panse et de se trouver principalement dans des tombes d’enfants. Les archéologues les ont baptisés “biberons” ou, parfois, “tire-laits”. Se concentrant sur la Gaule romaine, cet ouvrage fait le point sur la fonction encore débattue de ces vases, en s’appuyant sur des analyses biochimiques révélatrices de leur contenu. Montrent-elles que les vases ont contenu du lait comme leur nom le suggère ? Pas toujours, et pas seulement. L’étude approfondie des sources écrites anciennes (d’Hippocrate et Aristote à Pline, Soranos et Célius Aurélien), ainsi que de l’iconographie permet de mieux approcher le contexte d’emploi et la fonction de ces vases, en les inscrivant dans le cadre global de l’alimentation et des pratiques de soin. La physiologie de l’enfant, sujet à des besoins et des maladies particulières qui le distingue de l’homme et de la femme adultes, le rapproche, au contraire, de certaines catégories sociales, comme l’atteste l’usage de ces vases. Ainsi, en combinant témoins archéologiques, archives iconographiques et textuelles et analyses biochimiques cet ouvrage éclaire certaines représentations du corps et certaines stratégies alimentaires et sociales. A la croisée de l’histoire matérielle, de l’histoire culturelle et de l’histoire du corps, il propose, à partir de l’étude des rapports entre lait et enfant et l’usage des “vases-biberons” en Gaule, une réflexion plus large sur la physiologie et la santé.