Analisi di Rasch e questionari di misura : Applicazioni in medicina e scienze sociali = Rasch analysis and measurement questionnaires: Applications in medicine and social sciences
Evaluation questionnaires are the most used tools nowadays in the field of medicine and the human sciences to evaluate variables such as disability, altruism or pain. However, clinicians are often unfamiliar with these tools. What do they really measure? How are the results to be interpreted? This book tries to answer these questions.
Analgesia
Analgesics are among the oldest drugs described, albeit not necessarily for medicinaluse. Forexample,theSumeriansisolatedopioids(probablyfortheir euphoric effects) in the third millennium b. c. and the use of willow bark (salicin) for fever was ?rst reported in the eighteenth century. Both types of drugs are still in use, but today they are supplemented by a wide array of substances ranging from antidepressants to ion channel blockers. Not all of theseareprescribedbyphysicians. Manycompoundsaresoldoverthecounter and thus available to the public for self-medication. As a result, analgesics are also the most misused class of drugs and are the culprit for a multitude of healthproblemsdueto untoward sideeffects. Thisvolumeattemptstosummarizethecurrentstateofknowledgeonme- anisms underlying the various effects of these drugs, their side effect pro?les, and their indications and contraindications in clinical use.
Alginates in drug delivery
Alginates in Drug Delivery explores the vital precepts, basic and fundamental aspects of alginates in pharmaceutical sciences, biopharmacology, and in the biotechnology industry. The use of natural polymers in healthcare applications over synthetic polymers is becoming more prevalent due to natural polymers’ biocompatibility, biodegradability, economic extraction and ready availability. To fully utilize and harness the potential of alginates, this book presents a thorough understanding of the synthesis, purification, and characterization of alginates and their derivative. This book collects, in a single volume, all relevant information on alginates in health care, including recent advances in the field.
Agroforestry in Europe : Current Status and Future Prospects
Brings together some of the most important current research in European agroforestry, and evaluates the current scope and future potential of agroforestry across the EU.While the majority of Europe’s agroforestry practices are currently focused in the Mediterranean, this volume draws together examples from a wide range of countries – including Greece, Spain, the UK, Hungary, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Slovenia. The book also covers a range of agroforestry types, including silvopastoralism – Europe’s predominant form of agroforestry – as well as alley cropping, forest farming, silvoarable systems and the use of trees for shelter. Through these examples the book also discusses the potential roles for these traditional land management systems in addressing both environmental issues such as water quality, biodiversity conservation, desertification, ecosystem services and socioeconomic issues such as rural population stabilization.
Agroecological transitions : From theory to practice in local participatory design
There is wide agreement on the need to change the prevalent agricultural models, given their negative impacts and their incompatibility with current societal issues. Agroecological transition has been promoted as a potential solution to the ecological, social and economic problems generated by these models. It however involves a systemic, multi-scale and transdisciplinary process. Due to this complexity, the overall picture of what farms and food systems “actually are” and “might be” may not be apparent at the individual level. Yet individuals’ knowledge and values provide complementary insights on how to proceed in deepening ecological modernisation. Expertise can also provide landmarks to be considered in that process. Because local stakeholders’ experience and skills are key resources in the adaptation and adoption of agroecological transition, new conceptual and methodological frameworks and tools have to be developed to support them in the design process of such a complex transition. This book presents feedback from the ‘Territorial Agroecological Transition in Action’- TATA-BOX research project, which was devoted to these specific issues.
Aging and Chronic Disorders
Aging and Chronic Disorders brings the most up-to-date answers into clear, readable focus. Focusing on the most prevalent conditions affecting older adults (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, low back pain, and fibromyalgia), Morewitz and Goldstein analyze disabilities and risk factors, stressors and coping strategies, treatment and rehabilitation methods, and patient education and self-management. Separate chapters are devoted to cognitive changes, psychological problems, and trends in health care utilization among seniors, and all chapters are amplified by current research findings and instructive case studies. As in their recent work.
African Biodiversity : molecules, organisms, ecosystems
BIOTA is an interdisciplinary research project focusing on sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in Africa (http://www.biote-africa.de). Session titles were Biogeography and Speciation Processes, Phylogenetic Patterns and Systematics, Diversity Declines and Conservation, and Applied Biodiversity Informatics
Aesthetic Surgery of the Abdominal Wall
We have come a long way since the days when abdominal wall contouring was p- formed by simple dermolipectomies, with no attention to diastasis correction and muscular reinforcement, and little regard for the final aesthetic result. Nowadays, an abdominoplasty may be indicated for even the most demanding of patients. Details such as placement of the incision and umbilicoplasty are meticulously planned so as to conceal undesirable scars. Since the advent of suction-assisted lipectomy, in as- ciation with a classical operation or as an isolated procedure, the plastic surgeon has become capable of remodeling the entire trunk, assuring removal of considerable amounts of adipose tissue.
Advances in Molecular Oncology
Proceedings of the 2nd Annual IFOM-IEO Meeting on Cancer. This is a new meeting, it has about 200 attendees from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA. The 2nd IFOM-IEO international meeting on cancer will provide a forum in which the world’s leading cancer researchers and young scientists will discuss the latest advances in molecular oncology. The impact of recent breakthroughs in basic research and of emerging technologies on molecular medicine in cancer will be highlighted.
Advances in Integrated Soil Fertility Research in sub-Saharan Africa : Challenges and Opportunities
Food insecurity is a central concern and a fundamental challenge for human welfare and economic growth in Africa. Low agricultural production, results in low incomes, poor nutrition, vulnerability to risks and lack of empowerment. Land degradation and soil fertility depletion are considered the major threats to food security and natural resource conservation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Investments in technology, policy and institutional reforms are needed to increase agricultural productivity to ensure food security and sustained national economies. Past research has generated numerous soil fertility management technologies which if adopted could propel the African continent out of the poverty trap. However, these technologies have had little, if any, impact due to low adoption by the smallholder farmers.
Adaptogens : Herbs for strength, stamina, and stress relief
Includes a Materia Medica with monographs covering 25 adaptogens, including eleuthero, ginseng, rhodiola, schisandra, ashwagandha, licorice, shatavari, reishi, and holy basil, as well as complementary nervines, restorative tonics, and nootropics Explains how adaptogens increase the body's resistance to adverse influences, increase energy and stamina, and counter the effects of age and stress on the body Details the actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb and their uses in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine and as remedies for animals Every day our bodies strive to adapt and stay balanced, energized, and healthy, yet chronic stress and the resulting elevation of stress hormones such as cortisol have been shown to be major factors behind not only fatigue and weight gain but also many chronic and degenerative diseases
Adaptive dynamic programming for chemotherapy drug delivery
Focuses on the practical application of Adaptive Dynamic Programming (ADP) in chemotherapy drug delivery, taking into account clinical variables and real-time data. ADP's ability to adapt to changing conditions and make optimal decisions in complex and uncertain situations makes it a valuable tool in addressing pressing challenges in healthcare and other fields. As optimization technology evolves, we can expect to see even more sophisticated and powerful solutions emerge.
Adapting dermal fillers in clinical practice
There have been many different brands of dermal fillers approved for use for soft tissue augmentation in the US market alone, comprising four different types of temporary fillers and one permanent type, with several other brands and types also available elsewhere in the world. Against such a potentially bewildering variety and range of choices, this new text offers a scientific and an anatomic rationale for why a particular filler should be selected as optimal for each individual location and indication and how it should best be used in treatments. International experts share their clinical knowledge and expertise to guide all levels of aesthetic practitioners toward the best results for each individual patient.
Adaptation to Life at High Salt Concentrations in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya
This book complements “Halophilic Microorganisms”, edited by A. Ventosa and published by Springer-Verlag (2004), “Halophilic Microorganism and their Environments” by A. Oren (2002), published by Kluwer Academic Publishers as volume 5 of “Cellular Origins, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology” (COLE), and “Microbiology and Biogeochemistry of Hypersaline Environments” edited by A. Oren, and published by CRC Press, Boca Raton (1999).
A Legacy for Living Systems : Gregory Bateson as Precursor to Biosemiotics
This book represents a major attempt to revise this deficiency. Scholars from ecology, biochemistry, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, anthropology and philosophy discuss how Bateson's thinking might lead to a fruitful reframing of central problems in modern science. Most important perhaps, Bateson's bioanthropology is shown to play a key role in developing the set of ideas explored in the new field of biosemiotics. The idea that organismic life is indeed basically semiotic or communicative lies at the heart of the biosemiotic approach to the study of life.The only book of its kind, this volume provides a key resource for the quickly-growing substratum of scholars in the biosciences, philosophy and medicine who are seeking an elegant new approach to exploring highly complex systems.
A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems
The authors address the future role of atmospheric CO2 and its likely effects on ecosystems. This book incorporates the advances of various earth science, environmental, and ecological fields into an overall account of global change and the changing dynamics of life on Earth.
Capital Punishment and the Criminal Corpse in Scotland, 1740–1834
This book provides the most in-depth study of capital punishment in Scotland between the mid-eighteenth and early nineteenth century to date. Based upon an extensive gathering and analysis of previously untapped resources, it takes the reader on a journey from the courtrooms of Scotland to the theatre of the gallows. It introduces them to several of the malefactors who faced the hangman’s noose and explores the traditional hallmarks of the spectacle of the scaffold. It demonstrates that the period between 1740 and 1834 was one of discussion, debate and fundamental change in the use of the death sentence and how it was staged in practice. In addition, the study provides an innovative investigation of the post-mortem punishment of the criminal corpse. It offers the reader an insight into the scene at the foot of the gibbets from which criminal bodies were displayed, and around the dissection tables of Scotland’s main universities where criminal bodies were used as cadavers for anatomical demonstration. In doing so it reveals an intermediate stage in the long-term disappearance of public bodily punishment.
Managed Software Evolution
This open access book presents the outcomes of the “Design for Future – Managed Software Evolution” .The different lifecycles of software and hardware platforms lead to interoperability problems in such systems. Instead of separating the development, adaptation and evolution of software and its platforms, as well as aspects like operation, monitoring and maintenance, they should all be integrated into one overarching process. Accordingly, the book is split into three major parts, the first of which includes an introduction to the nature of software evolution, followed by an overview of the specific challenges and a general introduction to the case studies used in the project. The second part of the book consists of the main chapters on knowledge carrying software, and cover tacit knowledge in software evolution, continuous design decision support, model-based round-trip engineering for software product lines, performance analysis strategies, maintaining security in software evolution, learning from evolution for evolution, and formal verification of evolutionary changes. In turn, the last part of the book presents key findings and spin-offs. The individual chapters there describe various case studies, along with their benefits, deliverables and the respective lessons learned. An overview of future research topics rounds out the coverage.
Machine learning for cyber-physical systems: selected papers from the international conference ML4CPS 2023
Contains selected papers from the international conference ML4CPS – Machine Learning for Cyber-Physical Systems, which was held in Hamburg (Germany), from 29 to 31 March 2023. Cyber-physical systems are adaptive and learning: they analyze their environment and, based on observations, learn patterns, associations and predictive models. Typical applications are condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, image processing and diagnostics. Machine learning is the key technology for these developments.
Machine Learning : The Basics
Approaches ML as the computational implementation of the scientific principle. This principle consists of continuously adapting a model of a given data-generating phenomenon by minimizing some form of loss incurred by its predictions. Trains readers to break down various ML applications and methods in terms of data, model, and loss, thus helping them to choose from the vast range of ready-made ML methods.



















