**Contents**

Can Neurocognitive Function Predict Lower Extremity Injuries in Male Collegiate Athletes? Reprinted from: *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* **2020**, *17*, 9061, doi:10.3390/ijerph17239061 . . . **89**

#### **Carles Miguel Guillem, Andr ´es Felipe Loaiza-Betancur, Tamara Rial Rebullido, Avery D. Faigenbaum and Iv ´an Chulvi-Medrano**

The Effects of Resistance Training on Blood Pressure in Preadolescents and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Reprinted from: *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* **2020**, *17*, 7900, doi:10.3390/ijerph17217900 . . . **103**

#### **Hyun-Chul Jeong and Wi-Young So**

Difficulties of Online Physical Education Classes in Middle and High School and an Efficient Operation Plan to Address Them

Reprinted from: *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* **2020**, *17*, 7279, doi:10.3390/ijerph17197279 . . . **115**

#### **Jo ˜ao Pedro Nunes, Jeferson L. Jacinto, Alex S. Ribeiro, Jerry L. Mayhew, Masatoshi Nakamura and Danila M. G. Capel et al.**

Placing Greater Torque at Shorter or Longer Muscle Lengths? Effects of Cable vs. Barbell Preacher Curl Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Young Adults Reprinted from: *Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health* **2020**, *17*, 5859, doi:10.3390/ijerph17165859 . . . **127**


*Article* **An Exploratory Study of Cognitive Sciences Applied to Cybersecurity**

**Roberto O. Andrade 1, Walter Fuertes 2, María Cazares 3, Iván Ortiz-Garcés 4,\* and Gustavo Navas 3**

**Abstract:** Cognitive security is the interception between cognitive science and artificial intelligence techniques used to protect institutions against cyberattacks. However, this field has not been addressed deeply in research. This study aims to define a Cognitive Cybersecurity Model by exploring fundamental concepts for applying cognitive sciences in cybersecurity. For achieving this, we developed exploratory research based on two steps: (1) a text mining process to identify main interest areas of research in the cybersecurity field and (2) a valuable review of the papers chosen in a systematic literature review that was carried out using PRISMA methodology. The model we propose tries to fill the gap in automatizing cognitive science without taking into account the users' learning processes. Its definition is supported by the main findings of the literature review, as it leads to more in-depth future studies in this area.

**Keywords:** cognitive security; cybersecurity; cyberattacks


Meet the editors

Ram L. Ray is an associate professor at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, an MS in Soil Science, and a BS in Civil Engineering. He has more than 20 years of experience as a faculty and research scientist at Prairie View A&M University and as an engineer in the federal government. Dr. Ray's research interests include climate-smart agriculture, carbon sequestration, climate change,

hydrology-land surface-atmosphere interactions, soil water dynamics, watershed hydrology, and modeling. He has authored two books, several book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is an editor and editorial board member of several journals, including *Agronomy*, *Agricultural & Environmental Letters*, *Remote Sensing in Earth System Sciences*, *Remote Sensing*, *Sustainability*, and *Civil Engineering and Constructions*.

Dr. Dionysia G. Panagoulia is an associate professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, with expertise in hydrology, hydroclimatology, and water resources. She is the author of more than 140 published research works and lately has extended her research work to water economics theory and complex time/dark matter approaches. She has cooperated in joint research with the University of Stuttgart, Germany; CNRS

Laboratory of Oceanology and Geosciences Wimereux, France; Wageningen University, Netherlands; and McGill University, Canada. She was/is a member of twelve scientific societies, a reviewer and guest editor for thirty-two international journals, and a recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Reviewer Award from Water MDPI.

Dr. Nimal Shantha Abeysingha is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Soil Science, at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. He has a Ph.D. in Water Science and Technology. He has published more than forty-five research works in refereed journals, two books, and three book chapters. Dr. Abeysingha is an editorial board member of several journals including the *Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences*, the *Sri*

*Lankan Journal of Agriculture and Ecosystem*, the *Indian Journal of Soil Conservation*, the *Journal of Agriculture and Applied Biotechnology*, and has reviewed a large number of manuscripts in more than 25 reputed journals. His research interests include climate change assessments in agriculture, hydrological modeling and simulation, and soil and water conservation in an agroecosystem.


**7. Perspectives**

CIA is a major side effect that compromises patient quality of life, particularly for females and children. Overcoming CIA remains a major challenge in the management of cancer patients. Significant progresses in the pathobiology and molecular mechanisms of CIA have been made during the past decade, and several physical and pharmacological approaches to treat CIA have been attempted. However, effective treatment strategies have yet to be developed. A key to this success is a better understanding of the human CIA mechanisms which requires the development of more predictive experimental models. Animal models have been useful but have limitations and may not be predictive of human CIA. The newly developed organ culture system using human hair follicles is promising and could lead to the development of more effective treatment strategies for CIA. The recent success in combination chemotherapy also provides mechanistic insights to combating CIA through the use of different combination strategies.

Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia 67

Carelle, N.; Piotto, E.; Bellanger, A.; Germanaud, J.; Thuillier, A.; & Khayat, D. (2002)

Cline, B. W. (1984) Prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia: A review of the literature.

Conklin, K. A. (2004) Chemotherapy-associated oxidative stress: impact on

Corsarelis, G. and Millar, S. E. (2001) Towards a molecular understanding of hair loss

Danilenko, D. M.; Ring, B. D.; Yanagihara, D.; Benson, W.; Wiemann, B.; Starnes, C. O. &

Davis, S. T.; Benson, B. G.; Bramson, H. N.; Chapman, D. E.; Dickerson, S. H.; Dold, K. M.;

Davis, S. T.; Benson, B. G.; Bramson, H. N.; Chapman, D. E.; Dickerson, S. H.; Dold, K. M.;

Dean, J. C.; Salmon, S. E. & Griffiith, K. S. (1979) Prevention of doxorubicin-induced hair loss

Duvic, M.; Lemak, N. A.; Valero, V.; Hymes, S. R.; Farmer, K. L.; Hortobagyi, G. N.; Trancik,

Elliott, K.; Stephenson, T. J. & Messenger, A. G. (1999) Differences in hair follicle dermal

Freedman, T. G. (1994) Social and cultural dimensions of hair loss in women treated for breast cancer. Cancer Nursing Vol.17, No.4, (August 1994), pp. 334-341.

Vol.95, No.1, (July 2002), pp. 155-163.

2004), pp. 294-300.

293-301.

154.

134-137.

(December 2002), pp. 2327.

Vol.35, No.1, (July 1996), pp. 74-78.

27), pp. 1427-1429.

873-877.

*Cancer Nursing* Vol.7, No.3, (June 1984), pp. 221-228.

Changing patient perceptions of the side effects of cancer chemotherapy. *Cancer*

chemotherapeutic effectiveness. *Integrative Cancer Therapies* Vol.3, No.4, (December

and its treatment. TRENDS *in Molecular Medicine* Vol.7, No.7, (July 2001), pp.

Pierce, G. F. (1995) Keratinocyte growth factor is an important endogenous mediator of hair follicle growth, development, and differentiation. Normalization of the nu/nu follicular differentiation defect and amelioration of chemotherapyinduced alopecia. *American Journal of Pathology* Vol.147, No.1, (July 1995), pp. 145-

Eberwein, D. J.; Edelstein, M.; Frye, S. V.; Gampe Jr., R. T.; Griffin, R. J.; Harris, P. A.; Hassel, A. M.; Holmes, W. D.; Hunter, R. N.; Knick, V. B.; Lackey, K.; Lovejoy, B.; Luzzio, M. J.; Murray, D.; Parker, P.; Rocque, W. J.; Shewchuk, L.; Veal, J. M.; Walker, D. H. & Kuyper, L. F. (2001) Prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia in rats by CDK inhibitors. *Sciences* Vol.291, No.5501, (January 2001), pp.

Eberwein, D. J.; Edelstein, M.; Frye, S. V.; Gampe Jr., R. T.; Griffin, R. J.; Harris, P. A.; Hassel, A. M.; Holmes, W. D.; Hunter, R. N.; Knick, V. B.; Lackey, K.; Lovejoy, B.; Luzzio, M. J.; Murray, D.; Parker, P.; Rocque, W. J.; Shewchuk, L.; Veal, J. M.; Walker, D. H. & Kuyper, L. F. (2002) Retraction. *Sciences* Vol.298, No.5602,

with scalp hypothermia. *New England Journal of Medicine* Vol.301, No.26, (December

R. J.; Bandstra, B. A. & Compton, L. D. (1996) A randomized trial of minoxidil in chemotherapy-induced alopecia. *Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology*

papilla volume are due to extracellular matrix volume and cell number: implications for the control of hair follicle size and androgen responses. *The Journal of Investigative Dermatology* Vol.113, No.6, (December 1999), pp.

Even if CIA cannot be completely prevented, it can be managed. Healthcare providers and patient family could help patients prepare for the sudden loss of hair, thus minimizing the negative impact on patients. Patients should receive the information regarding self-care strategies to take control and cope with CIA. Patients with long hair should be encouraged to try short hair style to make a better transition to total CIA. Patients are also advised to avoid physical and chemical trauma to the hair (e.g. bleaching, coloring and perming) and to shave their hair once the hair loss becomes prominent. Appropriate head covering may be used, depending on individual preference (Bachelor, 2001; Trueb, 2010).


**4.3. Measurement procedures**

The laser beam of front-end was amplified in the XeF(C-A) amplifier in a multipass optical scheme (33 passes) formed by 32 round mirrors increasing in diameter. The mirrors with a reflectivity of 99.7% were fixed along the perimeter of the intracell flanges of the laser cell. A divergent laser beam is injected into the laser cell, so that it expands in diameter from 2 cm at the inlet to 6 cm after 32 passes. When traveling between the mirrors, the beam makes two circular rounds in the laser cell. The penultimate convex mirror directs the beam to a flat 10 cmdiameter mirror located on the optical axis of the laser cell. A reflected beam propagates along the optical axis and is ejected from the laser cell with a diameter of 12 cm.

Input in the XeF(C-A) amplifier laser pulse was preliminary stretched up to 1 ps in a prism stretcher with negative group-velocity dispersion. The amplified negatively chirped laser pulse was expanded up to 20 cm and then one was collimated and compressed in three fused silica plates of 4 cm thickness at a Brewster angle on two passages. The energy loss in the compressor was about 2%. For measurement of the amplified pulse duration, the 90 mm-dia central part of the beam was attenuated by two wedges and focused by a 12-m focal length spherical mirror into a 0.25 mm-dia aperture placed in front of an ASF-20-480 single-shot autocorrelator. The sech2 function was used in autocorrelator to fit the temporal intensity profile.

The energies of the e-beams in the converter and VUV radiation in the laser chamber were measured by TPI-2-7 calorimeter. The output energy ща XeF(C-A) amplifier was measured with an OPHIR energy meter placed in the output beam, which was attenuated with a fused silica wedge and focused to a spot of 2.5 cm. The part of the beam passed through the wedge plate was used to record an image of laser beam on a photographic paper. The small signal gain of active medium was measured using a Sapphire-488 CW semiconductor laser after four passes of its probe beam through the active medium. This laser emits at 488 nm wavelength coinciding with the amplification band maximum of the XeF(C-A) transition.

### **4.4. Experimental results**

A high-purity xenon (99.9997%) was supplied to the gas chamber to provide maximum efficiency of the e-beam to VUV radiation conversion. The chamber preliminary evacuated to a pressure of 10−4 torr. During operation of the amplifier, the intensity of xenon VUV radiation gradually decreased due to outgassing from the stainless steel walls of the gas chamber, exposed to the electron beam. Xenon was circulated through a Sircal MP-2000 purifier to sup-

In our experiments, the mixture in the laser cell was replaced after each shot, because repeated

The laser beam of front-end was amplified in the XeF(C-A) amplifier in a multipass optical scheme (33 passes) formed by 32 round mirrors increasing in diameter. The mirrors with a reflectivity of 99.7% were fixed along the perimeter of the intracell flanges of the laser cell. A divergent laser beam is injected into the laser cell, so that it expands in diameter from 2 cm at the inlet to 6 cm after 32 passes. When traveling between the mirrors, the beam makes two circular rounds in the laser cell. The penultimate convex mirror directs the beam to a flat 10 cmdiameter mirror located on the optical axis of the laser cell. A reflected beam propagates along

Input in the XeF(C-A) amplifier laser pulse was preliminary stretched up to 1 ps in a prism stretcher with negative group-velocity dispersion. The amplified negatively chirped laser pulse was expanded up to 20 cm and then one was collimated and compressed in three fused silica plates of 4 cm thickness at a Brewster angle on two passages. The energy loss in the compressor was about 2%. For measurement of the amplified pulse duration, the 90 mm-dia central part of the beam was attenuated by two wedges and focused by a 12-m focal length spherical mirror into a 0.25 mm-dia aperture placed in front of an ASF-20-480 single-shot auto-

function was used in autocorrelator to fit the temporal intensity profile.

pumping of the mixture decreased the output energy by 20–30%.

the optical axis and is ejected from the laser cell with a diameter of 12 cm.

port the gas purity recovery.

**Figure 15.** Laser cell of the XeF(C-A) amplifier.

20 High Power Laser Systems

**4.3. Measurement procedures**

correlator. The sech2

First of all, the VUV radiation energy transmitted through the CaF2 windows into the laser cell was measured. Its value was 240–260 J. In view of the quantum efficiency of laser transition and 100% quantum yield of XeF(C) state production, the integral value of the energy stored in the active medium is ~ 90 J. In actuality, the actual lifetime of the XeF(C) state, which is determined by radiative decay and quenching, is much shorter than the pump pulse width. This makes the maximum current value of the energy stored on the XeF(C-A) transition 10 times less than the integral value.

The time profile of the small-signal gain near the CaF2 windows is shown in **Figure 16**. These results correlate well with those found in the experiments on femtosecond pulse amplification. As can be seen in the **Figure 16**, the maximum gain is 0.004 cm−1 and the FWHM of the amplified signal is ~ 200 ns. The amplification of picosecond pulses was performed within the time interval of 146 ns (33 passes) close to the gain profile maximum.

**Figure 16.** Time profile of the e-beam current in the diode and gain measured near the CaF2 windows with the continuous laser at 488 nm for a XeF2 vapor pressure of 0.25 torr.

The small-signal gain distribution over the active medium cross section, measured at different XeF2 vapor pressures, is shown in **Figure 17**. These measurements show that decreasing the vapor pressure enhances the gain distribution uniformity, but at the same time, it greatly decreases the gain near the pump windows. Final optimization of the gas mixture composition was made by achieving the maximum output energy of the amplified picosecond pulse in the real multipass amplification scheme. The maximum output energy was obtained for a XeF2 vapor pressure of 0.2–0.25 torr.

In our experiments, the seed pulse energy varied from 0.04 to 2 mJ.At an input energy of 0.04 mJ, the gain of active medium is far from saturation. The total gain factor was 2.5 × 103 by 100 mJ output energy. The total gain factor was reduced down to 5 × 102 under near-saturation conditions at a seed pulse energy of 2 mJ. In this case, the output energy was 1 J. The shot-to-shot fluctuations in the output pulse energy were within 10%. An imprint of the output laser beam on a photographic paper is shown in **Figure 18**.

**Figure 18.** Autograph of the output laser beam.

High-Power Laser Systems of UV and Visible Spectral Ranges

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71455

23

**Figure 19.** Pulse duration of the laser beam with energy of 0.7 J.

The ASE power of the XeF(C-A) amplifier with seed pulse blocked was measured for an estimation of the contrast ratio. It was 1 W within an angle of 0.2 mrad, which is close to the output beam divergence angle. Thus, the temporal contrast ratio between the output laser peak and background ASE was ~ 1013. It means that the real contrast of output beam is determined by the seed pulse temporal contrast, which is usually ~ 1010 at the second harmonic frequency [39].

After compression, the pulse duration was measured both with and without amplification in active medium. In both cases, the pulse duration was 50–60 fs inferred assuming sech2 pulseshape. The output beam energy was 0.5–0.7 J in these experiments. The autocorrelation function for the compressed pulse at 0.7 J output energy, which corresponds to 50 fs pulse duration,

**Figure 17.** Small signal gain distribution from the window toward the center of the laser cell for different XeF2 vapor pressures. The nitrogen pressure is 190 tоrr.

High-Power Laser Systems of UV and Visible Spectral Ranges http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71455 23

**Figure 18.** Autograph of the output laser beam.

The small-signal gain distribution over the active medium cross section, measured at differ-

the vapor pressure enhances the gain distribution uniformity, but at the same time, it greatly decreases the gain near the pump windows. Final optimization of the gas mixture composition was made by achieving the maximum output energy of the amplified picosecond pulse in the real multipass amplification scheme. The maximum output energy was obtained for a

In our experiments, the seed pulse energy varied from 0.04 to 2 mJ.At an input energy of 0.04 mJ,

tions at a seed pulse energy of 2 mJ. In this case, the output energy was 1 J. The shot-to-shot fluctuations in the output pulse energy were within 10%. An imprint of the output laser beam

The ASE power of the XeF(C-A) amplifier with seed pulse blocked was measured for an estimation of the contrast ratio. It was 1 W within an angle of 0.2 mrad, which is close to the output beam divergence angle. Thus, the temporal contrast ratio between the output laser peak and background ASE was ~ 1013. It means that the real contrast of output beam is determined by the seed pulse temporal contrast, which is usually ~ 1010 at the second harmonic frequency [39]. After compression, the pulse duration was measured both with and without amplification in

active medium. In both cases, the pulse duration was 50–60 fs inferred assuming sech2

**Figure 17.** Small signal gain distribution from the window toward the center of the laser cell for different XeF2

shape. The output beam energy was 0.5–0.7 J in these experiments. The autocorrelation function for the compressed pulse at 0.7 J output energy, which corresponds to 50 fs pulse duration,

the gain of active medium is far from saturation. The total gain factor was 2.5 × 103

output energy. The total gain factor was reduced down to 5 × 102

vapor pressures, is shown in **Figure 17**. These measurements show that decreasing

by 100 mJ

pulse-

vapor

under near-saturation condi-

ent XeF2

22 High Power Laser Systems

XeF2

vapor pressure of 0.2–0.25 torr.

on a photographic paper is shown in **Figure 18**.

pressures. The nitrogen pressure is 190 tоrr.

**Figure 19.** Pulse duration of the laser beam with energy of 0.7 J.

is shown in **Figure 19**. This result gives the peak power ~ 14 TW. According to literature data, the highest power of femtosecond pulses in the visible spectrum was attained earlier upon nonlinear conversion to the second harmonic in a Ti:sapphire laser [39] and upon direct amplification of 250-fs pulses in an electron beam–excited XeF(C-A) amplifier [40]. These values (4 TW and 1 TW, correspondingly) are far below the power attained in the present work.

[2] Owadano Y, Okudo I, Matsumoto Y, Tanimoto M, Tomie T, Koyama K, Yano M. Development of a high-power laser system, ASURA. Laser and Particle Beams.

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[4] Bychkov YI, Ivanov NG, Losev VF, Mesyats GA. XeCl-laser with 150 J laser energy.

[5] Abdullin EN, Gorbachev SI, Efremov AM, Koval'chuk BM, Loginov SV, Skakun VS, Tarasenko VF, Tolkachev VS, Fedenev AV, Fomin EA, Shchanin PM. High-power compact laser with λ = 308 and 249 nm pumped by a radially converging electron beam. Quantum Electronics. 1993;**23**:564-567. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1070/

[6] Ivanov NG, Losev VF, Naats EI, Ryzhov VV, Turchanovskii IY, Yastremskii AG. XeCl laser with an output energy 200 J. Quantum Electronics. 1997;**27**:670-672. Available from:

[7] Ivanov NG, Losev VF, Panchenko YN, Yastremskii AG. XeCl laser system with a 25 cm × 25 cm output aperture. Quantum Electronics. 1999;**29**:852-856. DOI: https://

[8] Abdullin EN, Grishin DM, Gubanov VP, Zorin VB, Kim AA, Koval'chuk BM, Kumpyak EV, Liu J, Morozov AV, Skakun VS, Stepchenko AS, Tarasenko VF, Tolkachev VS, Tsoi NV, Shchanin PM. A 650-J XeCl laser. Quantum Electronics. 2004;**34**:199-202. Available

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[10] Kovalchuk BM, Losev VF, Mesyats GA, Tarasenko VF. Electron-beam-pumped highpower wide-aperture exciplex lasers and laser systems. Russian Physics Journal.

[11] Bugaev SP, Abdullin EN, Zorin VB, Koval'chuk BM, Loginov SV, Mesyats GA, Skakun VS, Tarasenko VF, Tolkachev VS, Shchanin PM. A 2-kJ wide-aperture XeCl laser. Quantum Electronics. 2004;**34**:801-804. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1070/QE2004v 034n09 ABEH002687

[12] Zvorykin VD, Arlantsev SV, Bakaev VG, Rantsev OV, Sergeev PB, Sychugov GV, Tserkovnikov AY. Transport of electron beams and stability of optical windows in highpower e-beam-pumped krypton fluoride lasers. Laser Particle Beams. 2001;**19**:609-622.

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*Edited by Pankaj Kumar Choudhury*

Optical amplifiers are indispensable in long-haul communication systems operating in a relatively broad range of electromagnetic spectra. Various forms of optical amplifiers and their advancements have been extensively discussed in the literature emphasizing the relative merits and demerits of different types of configurations and/or designs and also usefulness in specific applications. The book—*Optical Amplifiers: A Few Different Dimensions*—aims at reporting developments in these devices in the recent years. The contributed chapters in this book encompass both theoretical and experimental results covering various aspects in the relevant research directions. This somehow makes the volume useful to both experts and novice researchers. Finally, the expectation remains of the contents to be of some merit for the R&D scientists working in universities and research institutions.

ISBN 978-1-78923-498-5

Optical Amplifiers - A Few Different Dimensions

Published in London, UK © 2018 IntechOpen © gonin / iStock


**Sarah Doydora 1, Luciano Gatiboni 1, Khara Grieger 2, Dean Hesterberg 1, Jacob L. Jones 3, Eric S. McLamore 4, Rachel Peters 5, Rosangela Sozzani 5, Lisa Van den Broeck 5 and Owen W. Duckworth 1,\***

Received: 30 October 2020; Accepted: 17 December 2020; Published: 18 December 2020

**Abstract:**Repeated applications of phosphorus (P) fertilizers result in the buildup of P in soil (commonly known as legacy P), a large fraction of which is not immediately available for plant use. Long-term applications and accumulations of soil P is an inefficient use of dwindling P supplies and can result in nutrient runoff, often leading to eutrophication of water bodies. Although soil legacy P is problematic in some regards, it conversely may serve as a source of P for crop use and could potentially decrease dependence on external P fertilizer inputs. This paper reviews the (1) current knowledge on the occurrence and bioaccessibility of different chemical forms of P in soil, (2) legacy P transformations with mineral and organic fertilizer applications in relation to their potential bioaccessibility, and (3) approaches and associated challenges for accessing native soil P that could be used to harness soil legacy P for crop production. We highlight how the occurrence and potential bioaccessibility of different forms of soil inorganic and organic P vary depending on soil properties, such as soil pH and organic matter content. We also found that accumulation of inorganic legacy P forms changes more than organic P species with fertilizer applications and cessations. We also discuss progress and challenges with current approaches for accessing native soil P that could be used for accessing legacy P, including natural and genetically modified plant-based strategies, the use of P-solubilizing microorganisms, and immobilized organic P-hydrolyzing enzymes. It is foreseeable that accessing legacy P will require multidisciplinary approaches to address these limitations.

**Keywords:** legacy phosphorus; speciation; transformation; accessibility


**5. Methods used for pinpointing herbal materials and natural products with wound healing property**

Electronic databases such as PubMed, Scifinder® and Google Scholar were used to search medicinal plants that have been evaluated for wound healing. All filtered articles were appraised to determine whether they contain any validated *in vitro* or *in vivo* wound model. Primary search results were independently screened by two investigators. Included articles were reviewed concerning plant botanical names, part of plants used in the respective study and type of plant extracts, active constituents or compounds and wound models used (*in vivo* or *in vitro*) or standardized clinical trials with clearly demonstrated wound healing activity in the models used. Consideration was given to the significant differences between test group and control group with respect to wound contraction, wound tensile strength, period of epithelialization, neovascularization, collagenation, keratinization and fibrosis. In case of clinical studies, the respective design, number of patients, interventions, duration of treatment, and data related to the efficacy and tolerability of the patients to treatment were also monitored.


**Abstract**

In this chapter, we describe the applications of asymptotic methods to the problems of mathematical physics and mechanics, primarily, to the solution of nonlinear singular perturbed problems. We also discuss the applications of Padé approximations for the transformation of asymptotic expansions to rational or quasi-fractional functions. The applications of the method of matching of internal and external asymptotics in the problem of boundary layer of viscous gas by means of Padé approximation are considered.

**Keywords:** asymptotic methods, Padé approximation, boundary-value problem of mathematical physics, boundary layer


**Preface to "CFD Modelling and Simulation of Water Turbines"**

Numerical simulations for the performance prediction of water turbines are becoming a standard tool in the engineering practice. This book is focused on the modelling and simulation of water turbines for both conventional and unconventional hydropower energy. The scope of this book includes state-of-the-art Topics in the field of hydropower energy production, such as: modelling of pump-turbines, simulation of horizontal and vertical axis turbines for hydrokinetic applications and modelling of hydropower plants. Finally, this book promises to be a good reference for researchers and graduate students alike who share an interest in reliably predicting the performance of water turbines based on numerical simulations.

> **Santiago Lain and Omar Dario Lopez Mejia** *Editors*


*4.7. Statistical Analysis*

All measurements were done in three replicates. All results are expressed as mean ± the standard deviation compared by ANOVA. All di fferences were considered to be statistically significant if *p* < 0.05. Data were analyzed using the software Statistic 6.0. (StastSoft, Tulsa, OK, USA). To confirm the normal distribution of variables, Shapiro–Wilks test was performed.


**Membrane Separation Process in Wastewater Treatment of Food Industry**

Claudia Muro1, Francisco Riera2 and María del Carmen Díaz1

*1Institute Technological of Toluca, 2University of Oviedo, 1México 2Spain*


**3. Complementary effects of soy protein/peptide in combination with drugs**

#### **3.1 Effect of combined use with anti-hyperlipidaemic drugs**

The mechanism by which soy protein lowers cholesterol differs from that of statins and fibrates. Soy protein lowers serum cholesterol levels by acting as a bile acid sequestrant, which binds bile in the gastrointestinal tract to prevent its reabsorption by performing the same anion exchange reaction as the resin cholestyramine [68, 69].

Statins and fibrates are drugs developed to improve blood lipid levels. Statins are known as the most efficient agents for reducing plasma cholesterol. Statins target hepatocytes and inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A [HMG-CoA] reductase in cholesterol metabolism. Accordingly, statin and soy protein are expected to act additively or synergistically to decrease cholesterol levels. There are known serious side effects from statins, including muscle symptoms, rhabdomyolysis [secondary renal failure due to destruction of specific muscle tissue], peripheral neuropathy, myopathy, liver dysfunction, and thrombocytopenia [70–73]. Rhabdomyolysis often induces sudden kidney failure [74]. Fibrates, which are antagonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α [PPARα], are used in adjunct therapy for hypertriglyceridemia and are usually used in combination with statins. As fibrate-related side effects, the slight gastric region discomfort and myopathy [myalgia with increased creatinine phosphokinase] have been reported. In addition, increasing of the gallstones risk has been known by fibrates because of increasing of cholesterol in the bile duct. Use in combination of statins and fibrates is reported to even more raise the risk of rhabdomyolysis. So, combination use of these two agents is contraindicated in principle.

Nabiki et al. examined the effects of SPI on weight loss, markers of diabetes, and parameters of dyslipidaemia in obese diabetic patients by treated with statins and/or fibrates because of high levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides [75]. As a result, body weights of these patients decreased significantly by approximately 1 kg and their waist circumferences got thinner significantly by approximately 2 cm. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and glycated hemoglobin levels of these patients decreased significantly, and HDL cholesterol levels increased significantly. In addition, a lipid metabolism-improving effect was also observed in patients who did not decrease weight. Therefore, it was suggested that the improving effect of lipid metabolism-related factors in these patients was not only due to weight loss but also a direct effect of soy protein. Use of soy protein may help to reduce the drug dose for dyslipidaemia. SPI is recommended for patients with mild dyslipidaemia prior to drug therapy or for maladaptive disease patients, such as those who have side effects from medications.

Combination prescription of fibrates and statins for patients with renal dysfunction and dyslipidaemia is contraindicated. Thus, physicians are unable to adequately treat lipid abnormalities for chronic kidney disease patients. It has been reported that when chronic kidney disease patients with dyslipidaemia ingested β-conglycinin, a major component of soy protein, for 3 months, triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels improved. Renal function during the consumption period

of β-conglycinin showed a tendency to improve despite protein intake [76]. β-conglycinin may help improve lipid abnormalities in patients with renal dysfunction as a complementary medical food material without decreasing kidney function. Moreover, β-conglycinin may improve renal dysfunction as a direct and/or secondary effect of ameliorating lipid abnormalities.

#### **3.2 Concomitant effect with rheumatoid arthritis drug**

Rheumatoid arthritis is due to inflammation triggered by an immune response to autoantigens. Many of these patients have swelling and pain due to polyarticular arthritis. Their pain interferes with activities of daily living [ADLs], such as cleaning, washing, dressing, and undressing. These patients are anxious for more comfortable ADLs with reduced pain. The mechanisms of onset of rheumatoid arthritis have been reported in many studies. Based on these results, numerous new therapeutic agents have been developed.

As a specific case of improved inflammation, outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis consumed soy peptide with therapeutic drugs and the levels of IL-6 and IL-1β were significantly lower in the soy peptide group than the placebo group [77]. An increase in blood IL-6 levels is associated with extra-articular symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as general malaise, loss of appetite, weight loss, and a slight fever. The Disease Activity Score 28 [DAS 28, objective assessment of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity by physicians] and the Clinical Disease Activity Index [CDAI, patient's own subjective indicator of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity] were calculated from the degree of ADLs' improvement, the severity of pain, and subjective symptoms recorded by visual analogue scale [VAS]. The DAS 28 score of the peptide group was markedly decreased, and the CDAI of the peptide group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group.

These effects on cytokines were also evident in a cell experiment using articular chondrocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis [78]. In this in vitro cell study, treatment with soy peptide significantly suppressed the mRNA levels of MMP-3 and ADAMTS-4 enhanced by IL-1β stimulation. This finding also suggests that soy peptides may prevent the degradation of articular cartilage.


**Chapter 12**

*Tribology in Materials and Manufacturing - Wear, Friction and Lubrication*

pressure and anti-wear properties of engine lubricating oil using four ball tester. Materials Today: Proceedings.

[26] Nair SS, Nair KP, Rajendrakumar PK. Micro and nano particles blended sesame oil bio-lubricant: Study of its tribological and rheological properties. Micro & Nano Letters. 2018;**13**(12):1743- 1746. DOI: 10.1049/mnl.2018.5395

[27] Shafi WK, Charoo MS. Rheological properties of sesame oil mixed with H-Bn nanoparticles as industrial

lubricant. Materials Today: Proceedings.

[28] Rajubhai VH et al. Friction and wear behavior of Al-7% Si alloy pin under pongamia oil with copper nanoparticles

2018;**5**(1):248-253

2019;**18**(7):4963-4967

as additives. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2020;**25**:695-698

[29] Sajeeb A, Rajendrakumar PK. Comparative evaluation of lubricant properties of biodegradable blend of coconut and mustard oil. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019;**240**:118255

[30] Sabarinath S, Rajendrakumar P, Prabhakaran Nair K. Evaluation of tribological properties of sesame oil as biolubricant with SiO2 nanoparticles and imidazolium-based ionic liquid as hybrid additives. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,

Part J. 2019;**233**(9):1306-1317

Reviews. 2016;**63**:62-92

2010;**13**:127-137

[31] Sajjadi B, Raman AAA, Arandiyan H. A comprehensive review on properties of edible and non-edible vegetable oil-based biodiesel: Composition, specifications and prediction models. Renewable and Sustainable Energy

[32] Kesari V, Rangan L. Development of Pongamia pinnata as an alternative biofuel crop — Current status and scope of plantations in India. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology.

Chemistry, Analytical Edition.

[18] Erhan SZ, Asadauskas S.

lubricants—Evaluation and

2000;**11**(2-3):277-282

2018;**232**(4):427-436

[21] Topal A, Yilmaz M, Kok BV, Kuloglu N, Sengoz B. Evaluation of rheological and image properties of styrene-butadiene-styrene and ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer

modified bitumens. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2011;**122**:3122-3132

[23] Domingos AK et al. The influence of BHA, BHT and TBHQ on the oxidation stability of soybean oil ethyl esters (biodiesel). Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society. 2007;**18**(2):416-423

[24] Nair SS, Nair KP, Rajendrakumar PK. Experimental and quantum chemical investigations on the oxidative stability of sesame oil base stock with synthetic antioxidant additives. Lubrication Science. 2019;**31**(5):179-193. DOI:

[25] Yadav G, Tiwari S, Jain ML. Tribological analysis of extreme

[22] Varkey JT, Thomas S, Rao SS. Rheological behavior of blends of natural rubber and styrene–butadiene rubber latices. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 1995;**56**:451-460

Lubricant basestocks from vegetable oils. Industrial Crops and Products.

[19] Jayadas NH, Prabhakaran Nair K. Coconut oil as base oil for industrial

modification of thermal, oxidative and low temperature properties. Tribology International. 2006;**39**(9):873-878

[20] Sabarinath S, Prabhakaran Nair K, Rajendrakumar P, Parameswaran P. Styrene butadiene rubber as a viscosity improver: Experimental investigations and quantum chemical studies. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J.

1934;**6**(1):52-56

**214**

10.1002/ls.1441


**1. Introduction**

Process modeling for the investigation and understanding of deformation mechanics has become a major concern in research, and the application of the finite element method (FEM) has been tremendously increased, particularly in the modeling of forming processes. There are many research studies on the principles and fundamentals of the simulation of metal forming, but only a few studies describe the application of FEM to the analysis and simulation of multiscale forming processes. The main objective of this chapter is to present the applications of FEM in metal forming analysis from macroscale to microscale.

Friction at the strip-roll interface is an important consideration in the metal-forming process. Traditionally, the frictional force is assumed to be proportional to the normal force, and the friction coefficient keeps the same in the roll bite. This assumption conflicts with the research

results where the friction is changeable in the roll bite [1], and the rolling pressure and model control accuracy will be influenced significantly. The deformation mechanics of thin foil [2] and the foil rolling with constant friction during cold rolling [3] have been investigated. The finite element method has been proposed in special-shaped strip rolling [4–6], particularly with variable friction models [5, 6]. Considering modeling accuracy, a friction variation model should be introduced in the cold rolling simulation of thin strip.

In the friction variation model, the friction varies along the contact length of the deformation

for forward slip zone and backward slip zone, respectively; *ki*

are the velocity components in the *x* and *y* directions, respectively, *β* is the

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ (*vx sec* − *VR*)2 + *vy*

angular position of the node, *VR* is the tangential velocity of the roll, and the distribution of

As shown in **Figure 2**, a quarter of the strip was studied. Isoparametric hexahedral elements were applied with eight Gauss points throughout the deformed workpiece. The element number in *x*, *y*, and *z* directions are 10, 8, and 5, respectively, and totally there are 594 nodes

From the simulation with low carbon steel, **Figures 3** and **4** show the effect of reduction on

value is below 0.1, the rolling pressure calculation value is in agreement with the measured

as shown in **Figures 5** and **6**. It can be seen that the calculated results are in good agreement

The rolling of copper strip is simulated with work roll diameter 158.76 mm, width of strip

simulation results significantly where the rolling pressure increases with decreased *k*2

= 0.1, the change of *k*1

for forward slip zone and backward slip zone, respectively; *Vg*

Application of Finite Element Analysis in Multiscale Metal Forming Process

and constant *k*1

= 0.1 is also close to the measured one when the reduc-

= 0.1. Therefore, the simulation results are close to measured

= 0.4. For case 1, *K*1

*ki* }) (1)

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.71880

2 (2)

= 0.1. *k*2

also has an effect on the simulation results,

= *K*2

= 1.0 and *k*1

is a posi-

influences the

 = *k*2 = 0.1

. When

is

99

is a coefficient of the friction shear stress

*m*1 *σ* \_\_\_\_*s* √ \_\_ 3 ( \_\_2 *π tan*−1 { *Vg* \_\_\_

yields stress; *Ki*

relative slip velocity between the strip and the roll and can be obtained by:

zone. The frictional shear stress model is modified as [5]:

these frictional shear stress models is shown in **Figure 1**.

rolling pressure and spread of strip for different *k*2

are less than 0.1.

76.2 mm, rolling speed 0.16 m/s, and friction factor *m*1

one. The spread calculation value for *k*2

tion is less than 43%. For *k*2

with the measured values for *k*1

**Figure 1.** Frictional shear stress models.

and *k*2

*τf* = *Ki*

and *K*2

*Vg* = √

is the friction factor; *σs*

and *k*2

where *m*1

where *vx*

*k*2

changes with *K*1

tive constant with *k*1

and *vy*

and 400 elements.

values when *k*1

The application of crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) has been introduced in the simulation of surface asperity flattening in cold quasistatic uniaxial planar compression process. Rate-dependent crystal plasticity constitutive models have been established on the basis of experimental conditions [7], and the influences of the reduction and strain rate on the surface roughness are investigated using the 3D crystal plasticity finite element method [8]. The experimental results are also employed in the 3D CPFEM model and compared with the simulation results.

Microforming differs from the conventional forming technology in terms of materials, processes, tools, and machines and equipment due to the miniaturization nature of the whole microforming system [9]. It is impossible to scale down all parameters in the microforming process according to the theory of similarity due to the existence of size effects in microforming processes. A number of unexpected problems in key aspects of mechanical behavior, tribology, and scatter of material behavior are encountered [10, 11]. Challenges remain in the high efficiency manufacturing of high-quality microproducts due to the common problem of microscale size effects [9, 11], complexity of processes for making microproducts, and the ever increasing requirement to improve product quality and performance.

In Section 4, novel material model with grained heterogeneity in 3D Voronoi tessellation has been developed in the simulation of micro cross wedge rolling, springback analysis in micro flexible rolling and the micro V-bending processes considering grain boundary and generation process of grains in the workpiece [12–16]. The modified FE model in microforming has been applied with the consideration of size effects including material characterization, friction/contact characterization, and other size-related factors presented in Section 5. Open and closed lubricate pocket (OCLP) theory and size-dependent friction coefficient are proposed in micro deep drawing (MDD) and micro hydromechanical deep drawing (MHDD) [17–19]. Real microstructures and Voronoi structures are applied in microstructural models through the image-based modeling method [20, 21].


*Edited by Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, Mike Dixon, Giancarlo Barassi,*

*Ben Bin Xu and Yinzhu Jiang*

Due to industrialization and increasing population, water demand continues to grow at compound annual growth rates of 7–8%. The current demand is also intensified by increased water utilization for hand washing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, around 20,000 desalination plants operating around the world produce 100 million cubic meters of water per day to supply 300 million people. These desalination plants are a major source of environmental and marine pollution due to their inefficient operation. Scientists and researchers are encouraged to develop out-of-box solutions to achieve future sustainability. This book addresses key challenges related to the desalination industry.

ISBN 978-1-83968-876-8

Pathways and Challenges for Efficient Desalination

Published in London, UK © 2022 IntechOpen © number1411 / iStock


**Author details**

Guanming Yuan1,2\* and Zhengwei Cui1,2

1 The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

2 Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion and New Carbon Materials, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

\*Address all correspondence to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

**117**

*Preparation, Characterization, and Applications of Carbonaceous Mesophase: A Review*

Netherlands: Elsevier Science Ltd; 2018. pp. 41-65. DOI: 10.1016/ B978-0-12-803581-8.10312-1

[9] Mochida I, Shimizu K, Korai Y, et al. Preparation of mesophase pitch

[10] Mochida I. Recent progresses of mesophase pitch a review at a receipt of 1993 Charles E. Pettinos Award, American Carbon Society. TANSO. 1994;**163**:150-162. DOI: 10.7209/

[11] Mochida I, Yoon SH, Korai Y. Mesoscopic structure and properties of liquid crystalline mesophase pitch and its transformation into carbon fiber. The Chemical Record. 2002;**2**(2):81-101.

[12] Boero JFR, Wargon JA. Study of the AlCl3 catalytic activity on aromatic hydrocarbons-II: Mesophase formation. Carbon. 1981;**19**(5):341-346. DOI: 10.1016/0008-6223(81)90057-9

[13] Mochida I, Sone Y, Korai Y. Preparation and properties of carbonaceous mesophase-II highly soluble mesophase from ethylene tar modified using aluminum chloride as a catalyst. Carbon. 1985;**23**(2):175-178. DOI: 10.1016/0008-6223(85)90009-0

[14] Kumar S, Srivastava M. Catalyzing mesophase formation by transition metals. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 2015;**112**:192-200. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaap.2015.01.029

[15] Marsh H, Latham CC. The chemistry of mesophase formation. In: Bacha JD, Newman JW, White JL, editors. Petroleum-Derived Carbons. ACS Symposium Series. Washington DC: American Chemical Society; 1986.

DOI: 10.1002/tcr.10016

from aromatic hydrocarbons by the aid of HF/BF3. Carbon. 1990;**28**(2-3):311-319. DOI: 10.1016/0008-6223(90)90005-J

tanso.1994.150

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88860*

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10.1016/0008-6223(65)90047-3

**References**

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[4] Hurt RH, Chen ZY. Liquid crystals

[5] Wang CY. Theory and application of carbonaceous mesophase. Beijing PRC: Science Press; 2015. ISBN:

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**Cardiac Myocardial Disease States Cause Left Ventricular Remodeling with Decreased Contractility and Lead to Heart Failure; Interventions by Coronary Arterial Bypass Grafting and Surgical Ventricular Restoration Can Reverse LV Remodeling with Improved Contractility**

Dhanjoo N. Ghista1, Liang Zhong2, Leok Poh Chua3, Ghassan S. Kassab4, Yi Su5 and Ru San Tan2 *1Department of Graduate and Continuing Education, Framingham State University, Framingham, Massachusetts, 2Department of Cardiology, National Heart Centre, 3School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 4Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Surgery, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, 5Institute of High Performance Computing, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 1,4USA*

*2,3,5Singapore*

### **1. Introduction**

### **1.1 Theme and scope**

In this chapter, we are studying the course (i) of cardiomyopathy diseased LVs (with myocardial infarcts) progressing to heart failure (HF) through LV remodelling and decreased LV contractility, and (ii) their recovery through surgical therapeutic interventions of CABG and Surgical Ventricular Restoration (SVR), by restoration of myocardial ischemic segments, reversal of LV remodeling and improvement in LV contractility.

For this purpose, we first provide the methodology for detecting myocardial infarcts. Then, we characterize LV remodeling of cardiomyopathy diseased LVs (with myocardial infarcts) in terms of reduced change in curvedness from end-diastole to end-systole. In these LVs, there is also reduced contractility; so we provide an index for cardiac contractility, in terms of maximal rate-of-change of normalized wall stress, *dσ\*/dtmax,* and its decrease in an infarcted LV progressing to heart failure. We provide clinical studies of remodeled cardiomyopathy diseased LVs, in terms of reduced values of their curvedness index and contractility index.

By way of therapeutic interventions, we have presented the hemodynamic flow simulation of the CABG (carried out to enhance myocardial perfusion in the region around the blocked coronary artery), and pointed out certain factors and sites of wall shear stresses that cause intimal damage of vessels and hyperplasia, as potential causes for decreased patency. We have shown that surgical ventricular restoration (SVR), in conjunction with CABG, is seen to benefit the ischemic-infarcted heart, by (i) restoration of cardiac remodeling index of 'enddiastolic to end-systolic curvedness change', (ii) reduction of regional wall stresses, and (iii) augmentation of the cardiac contractility index value.


**6. Concluding Remarks**

In this study, I designed a laboratory experiment to examine the consistency of players' strategic sophistication formulated by the level-*k* model. Following the endogenous depth of reasoning framework, I controlled the strategic environment by varying the cost of reasoning for the subjects, and their first- and second-order beliefs about their opponents.

My findings were consistent with the EDR model under some conditions. When the strategic environment was carefully controlled, subjects were very responsive towards the changes in the environment. Subjects who have more cognitive resources (in a low cognitive load treatment) or subjects who are facing opponents with less cognitive resources (in a high cognitive load treatment) change strategies systematically. This behavior can be predicted by the EDR model. Subjects in a strategically disadvantaged situation (high cognitive load treatment) have less room for strategic adjustments. In some of my findings, subjects appeared to try to achieve higher behavioral levels when they were under the high cognitive load treatment. The reason for this is still unclear. It may due to the awareness of the strategic disadvantage and the extra effort of the subjects under such situations, or some other behavioral factors existed that were not captured by the EDR model. The underlying reason needs further investigation. The effect of cognitive ability on the treatments was also captured by the cognitive test. Subjects with higher test scores were more predictable by the EDR model, regardless of the strategic environment. This finding is in line with the asymmetry observed in my results. As the source of asymmetry was mainly the amount of cognitive resources, it is not surprising that subjects with higher cognitive test scores adjusted better in these tasks.

A level of cognitive bound existed for subjects in different strategic situations. When playing games under the same amount of cognitive resources, subjects rarely had behavioral levels that exceeded their respective cognitive bounds for that strategic situation. Significant downward adjustments occurred from the cognitive bound in response to different strategic environments. Overall, when there is a strict control over the strategic environment, changes in *k*-levels across games are systematic. They can be explained by the EDR model to some extent, especially for subjects in a more cognitively advantaged situation. This study only discusses the directional changes in the levels. Further studies could examine the criteria and accuracy of such predictions.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** I would like to thank Charles Sprenger and Vincent Crawford for their valuable feedback and thoughtful suggestions. I am also grateful to the three referees and the editor for their helpful comments.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.


**1. Introduction**

Oil palm (*Elaeis guineensis* Jacq), a palm of African origin produces palm oil accounting for 30.8% of today's global production of oils and fats [1]. The versatility of the oil palm in oleo-chemical applications, food and biodiesel production makes it a sought after commodity in food and non-food industry. Globally, it is by far the most productive oil-bearing crop per land use and is capable of fulfilling the large and growing demand of vegetable oil that is estimated to reach 240 million by 2050 [2, 3]. While 56.2 million tons of palm oil were extracted from 17.24 million hectare of land under oil palm cultivation, only 23.6 million tons were produced from rapeseed grown on 36.4 million ha and cost of production for these two commodities stood at US\$ 700 and US\$ 850 per metric tons respectively, indicating lower cost of production for oil palm [4].

The oil palm is significantly more productive, versatile and most economically viable among the leading vegetable and fat crops due to its cost-effective production, wide use, extreme yields and profitability. It is the ideal crop to address several of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Economically, it has the capacity to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, lifting millions of people out of poverty in Indonesia and other parts of the world where it is produced on

a large scale. In Indonesia, the livelihood of 25 million people depend on oil palm cultivation while in Malaysia, the number of people employed increased from 92, 352 in 1980 to 570,000 in 2009.

The oil palm is a profitable crop and when coupled with good government policies have the capacity to transform the livelihood of millions of people and as well improve health care and education in rural areas [5–7]. In Brazil specifically, Paha, the average yearly investment return on oil palm cultivation is US\$ 2,000 per hectares [8].

The production of palm oil is dominated by Indonesia and Malaysia which together accounts for 85–90% of total palm oil production. Indonesia, the top producer and exporter of palm oil has over 14 million hectares of oil palm plantations in 2018, out of which 55.09% are from the large private companies, 40.62% from small holder plantations and 4.39% from state large estates. Indonesia produced 48.3 million metric tons of palm oil in 2020 [9, 10]. Malaysia, the second producer of oil palm has over 5 million hectares of oil palm plantations and also produced 19.14 million tons of palm oil in 2020 [11].

Countries that have devoted large tracts of land for oil palm production have increased their economies greatly. Indonesia and Malaysia made over USD 18.7 billion and USD 9.8 billion from the export of palm oil in 2017 respectively.

Globally, the area planted with oil palm is 27 million ha with Africa accounting for 2 million ha and a recorded production of 0.27 gigatons of fruits and 71.4 megatons of palm oil produced globally [12–14]. The economic impact of the oil palm industry in general is not contributed solely by large plantation companies, it is estimated that smallholders cultivate about 50% of the oil palm area globally [15]. However, in Africa, the smallholders account for approximately 70% of the oil palm cultivated [16]. The cultivation of oil palm by small holders have resulted in increased farm and employment incomes, reduced poverty rates at local, regional and national levels [17].

Irrespective of the socioeconomic impact of the oil palm, great criticism has emanated from international groups such as Green peace, Rainforest Action Network and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for unsustainable practices that have led to deforestation, increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the loss of biodiversity [18, 19]. Lim et al. [20] defined sustainable palm oil production as the production that protects the natural environment, promotes intra and inter-generational equity, while enhancing commercial operations and sharing economic growth with the local community through employment and fair trade. The negative impacts raised by these pressure groups may include forced labour, food safety and environmental issues etc. However, this chapter aims at bringing some of the negative impacts on the environment on oil palm cultivation and expansion to light and as well suggest some strategies that can be adopted to ensure the sustainability of the oil palm industry.

#### **1.1 Environmental concerns**

Globally, the area under oil palm has increased from 5 million ha in 1980 to more than 20 million ha in 2018 [21] with this expansion coming from Malaysia and Indonesia although 240 million ha of available land are suitable for oil palm cultivation, excluding intact forest landscapes, high carbon stock forest conservation hot spots and protected areas. Although the oil palm is the driver of the growth of most economies of countries producing on a large scale, the expansion has also led to tropical deforestation and associated biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, forest and peat land fires as well as air and water pollution [18, 19]. Overall expansion of annual crops e.g. soybean, maize, paddy rice, and sorghum has been more rapid and more wide spread than expansion of perennial crops especially in South America, Africa and tropical Asia from 1999 to 2008 creating more biodiversity loss with oil palm noted to be the fifth on the list of biodiversity loss [22].


**Abstract**

Although track maintenance is important, many operators of regional railway with limited financial resources are unable to conduct sufficient track inspections. In response to this problem, a track condition diagnosis system using car-body vibration sensors has been developed. In this study, a track condition monitoring system using a smartphone for general use has been developed. A technique for identifying train location using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) speed is proposed. The results of field testing shows that track condition diagnosis is possible using a smartphonebased monitoring system.

**Keywords:** railway, track, condition monitoring, wavelet transform, Hilbert-Huang transform, smartphone


2.1.1. Feces Induced Peritonitis

Polymicrobial sepsis (peritonitis) was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) introduction of fecal stem solution into the peritoneum as described previously [13,19]. Thirty minutes after fecal challenge (45 mg/mL), some mice received i.p. injection of VitC as ascorbic acid (200 mg/kg in saline). Untreated mice received i.p. saline instead of VitC. Blood was collected 16 h later by cardiac puncture, and lungs harvested. Blood was allowed to coagulate, spun to separate serum, and stored at −80 °C for batch analysis of cell-free DNA (see below).

All animal studies were performed in accordance to the Virginia Commonwealth University Animal Care and Use Committee's approved protocols (Protocol # AM10100, approved 15 March, 2011).


**5. Wave-Induced Liquefaction**

The stability of the coastal structures and its seabed foundation is one of the main concerns for engineering design procedure. The wave-induced liquefaction in a porous seabed is one of the most significant unstable factors. Zen and Yamazaki [55] pointed out that the liquefaction of the porous seabed is responding to the variation of the ocean wave, which is actually caused by the periodic upward seepage force. Thus, we proposed to estimate the liquefaction state in two-dimensions, i.e.,

$$
\sigma\_0' + (P\_b - p\_s) \le 0 \tag{35}
$$

where *σ* 0 0 represents the initial effective stress, *Pb* is the wave pressure acting on seabed, while *ps* is the wave-induced transient pore pressure. The value of *Pb* − *ps* is equal to the excess pore pressure generated by the wave loading (|*ue* |).

Figure 13 shows the wave-induced transient liquefaction area around the immersed tunnel at three typical times (*t* = 12 s, *t* = 14 s and *t* = 15.5 s) separately. As shown in the figure, the transient liquefaction area moves along the direction of the wave propagation. The previously liquefied area is able to recover as the wave trough go away. This process is repeated periodically under the cyclic wave loading. The maximum liquefaction depth in this case is 0.8 m below the seabed surface, as seen in Figure 13a, while the soil that covered the tunnel is fully liquefied during one wave period which illustrated in Figure 13b. Thus, the back filling soil above the tunnel can not protect the immersed tunnel any more in this circumstance. Moreover, the maximum liquefaction depth of the rightward seabed of the tunnel is 0.6 m, which is slightly shallow than that in leftwards of 0.8 m.

**Figure 13.** The liquefaction area surrounding immersed tunnel for (**a**) *t* = 12 s; (**b**) *t* = 14 s and (**c**) *t* = 15.5 s respectively.


**Abstract**

The bimodal mortality rate in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been well documented, with atherosclerosis identified as a leading cause of late-stage death. Multiple mechanisms are responsible for accelerated atherosclerosis in SLE, ultimately resulting in endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, arterial wall thickening, and plaque formation. This leads to an increased risk of coronary artery disease, cardiovascular events, cerebrovascular accidents, and peripheral arterial disease. SLE patients are not only impacted by traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (age, smoking, dyslipidemia, diabetes), but additionally nontraditional risk factors (prolonged corticosteroid use, disease activity and chronic inflammation). Identifying the impact of traditional risk factors and mediating nontraditional risk factors in SLE are vital to reduce morbidity and mortality related to atherosclerosis. SLE-specific screening methods should be established in the routine care of these patients, including the use of validated modified risk scores and imaging modalities. Furthermore, the utility of disease-specific biomarkers and anti-atherosclerotic therapies should be elicited. This chapter will provide an overview of considerations for the mechanisms, impact, and prevention of atherosclerosis in SLE patients.

**Keywords:** systemic lupus erythematosus, atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular accident, peripheral arterial disease, risk stratification


**5.2. Therapy**

Treatment of TOA historically was surgical with most women having a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy Management of TOAs has changed drastically in the past decades with the advent of broad-spectrum antibiotics (ampicillin, clindamycin, and flagyl) and continues to evolve with improved imaging and drainage techniques. Recently antibiotics, surgical intervention, with either conventional surgery or laparoscopy to be in use.

#### **Adnexal torsion**

Adnexal torsion is an uncommon gynecologic emergency that is caused by the twisting of the ovary, fallopian tube, or both along the vascular pedicle. It is a rare gynecologic emergency of women at reproductive ages. Usually adnexal torsion is a process of benign tumors. The clinical presentation is often nonspecific with few distinctive physical findings, commonly resulting in delay in diagnosis and surgical management. The causes of adnexal torsion include functional and pathologic ovarian cysts, paraovarian cysts, ovarian hyper stimulation, adhesions, ectopic pregnancy, and congenital malformations. Classically, patients present with sudden onset, severe, unilateral lower abdominal pain that worsens intermittently over many hours. Nausea and vomiting occur in approximately 70% of patients, mimicking a gastrointestinal source of pain and further obscuring the diagnosis. Colored Doppler sonography with its non-invasive modality detects blood flow patterns within the ovarian vascular networks and gives important information about the diagnosis of torsion. Laparoscopy surgery must be the choice for less post operative morbidity, and a better cosmetic appearance. Detorsion must be performed even in necrotic appearing adnexa because of a high rate of survival of ovaries even looking necrotic. Salpingooophorectomy may be indicated if severe vascular compromise, peritonitis, or tissue necrosis is clearly evident.


*2.5. Estimation of MODIS ATI*

The MODIS ATI was computed as the ratio of the daily surface albedo and the diurnal temperature range [10]:

$$ATI = \mathbb{C} \frac{1-\alpha}{\Delta LST} \,\,\,\,\,\tag{1}$$

where *C* is the solar correction factor, *α* is the broadband albedo and Δ*LST* corresponds to the diurnal temperature range.

The correction factor *C* is related to the solar flux and therefore compensates for seasonal variation in solar insolation. This factor was obtained following the expression [10]:

$$\mathcal{L} = \sin\varrho \sin\delta (1 - \tan^2\varrho \tan^2\delta)^{1/2} + \cos\varrho \cos\delta \arccos(-\tan\varrho \tan\delta),\tag{2}$$

where *ϕ* corresponds to the latitude and *δ* to the solar declination of each pixel for each Julian day of the year.

The broadband albedo can be computed in two different spectral ranges—shortwave and visible in Equations (3) and (4), respectively—from daily Aqua MODIS surface reflectance at 1 km [54]:

$$
\mu\_{\text{shortwave}} = 0.160\rho\_1 + 0.291\rho\_2 + 0.243\rho\_3 + 0.116\rho\_4 + 0.112\rho\_5 + 0.081\rho\gamma - 0.0015,\tag{3}
$$

$$
\alpha\_{\text{visible}} = 0.331\rho\_1 + 0.424\rho\_3 + 0.246\rho\_{4'} \tag{4}
$$

where *ρ*1, *ρ*2, *ρ*3, *ρ*4, *ρ*5 and *ρ*7 are reflectance in bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, respectively. These two albedo approaches were analyzed.

The diurnal temperature range can be approximated in four different ways. The first method consists of estimating the LST through time as a sinusoid defined by its amplitude, its average temperature, the angular velocity of Earth, and the phase angle (Ψ) corresponding to the time of daily maximum LST [11,13], which coincides with the time of highest correlation between the LST and soil moisture behavior [55]. MODIS provides up to four observations for each day: Aqua nighttime LST at 1:30 h, Terra daytime LST at 10:30 h, Aqua daytime LST at 13:30 h, and Terra nighttime LST at 22:30 h, local time. These four LST at 1 km were used to compute Δ*LST* as the solution of the amplitude of the sinusoid by means of the least squares method (Δ*LST*4values). In this case, the four LST values are required to derive Ψ. Nonetheless, if Ψ was known, the amplitude could be calculated using only 2 LST values, preferable a day-night LST pair, because the difference between 2 daytime or 2 nighttime LSTs is usually low and would result in unrealistic Δ*LST* estimates. The second method is based on the difference between the Aqua daytime and nighttime LSTs (Δ*LST*Aqua). The third way employs the same methodology as the second but uses Terra daytime and nighttime LSTs (Δ*LST*Terra). The fourth way estimates the Δ*LST* as the difference between the daily maximum LST—computed from Terra or Aqua daytime LST—and the daily minimum LST—computed from Aqua or Terra nighttime LST (Δ*LST*Aqua/Terra). Therefore, four different approaches of the MODIS-based ATI are calculated, and their performances are assessed.

#### *2.6. Estimation of ATI-Derived Surface Soil Moisture*

The rationale of the ATI-derived SSM is that high ATI values correspond to maximum soil water content while low ATI values are related to minimum soil water content. The Soil Moisture Saturation Index (SMSI) was used to normalize the MODIS ATI time series at 1 km [12]:

$$MSSI(t) = \frac{ATI(t) - ATI\_{\text{min}}}{ATI\_{\text{max}} - ATI\_{\text{min}}},\tag{5}$$

where *ATI*(*t*) is the ATI at time *t*, and *ATImax* and *ATI*min represent the maximum and minimum values, respectively, of the ATI time series during the study period.

Because the SMSI varies from 0 to 1, the ATI-derived SSM was finally estimated after applying a change of dynamic range [12]:

$$SSM(t) = SMSI(t)(SSM\_{\text{max}} - SSM\_{\text{min}}) + SSM\_{\text{min}} \tag{6}$$

where *SSM*max and *SSM*min are the maximum and minimum SSM values of a reference soil moisture dynamic range, respectively.

To obtain an adequate soil moisture dynamic range and to account for a SSM dataset independent of SMAP and SMOS, two different data sources were used. The first data were the saturation (SAT), field capacity (FC), and wilting point (WP) water content maps at 1 km from the European 3D Soil Hydraulic Database (SHD) at 5 cm depth [56]. For each pixel over the Iberian Peninsula, the *SSM*max was calculated as the mean of SAT and FC, whereas the *SSM*min was calculated as the half value of the WP. This was similar to previous studies [12,57]. The second dataset was the combined CCI SSM v3.2 product at 25 km from 1978 to 2015 [58]. In this case, the *SSM*max and *SSM*min were computed as the maximum and minimum values, respectively, of the long-term time series of each pixel over the Iberian Peninsula. These *SSM*max and *SSM*min maps from CCI were resampled from 25 to 1 km resolution using the nearest neighbor method. Thus, the two different reference dynamic ranges were assessed.


**1. Introduction**

Water has many facets. In general, water is often characterized as one of the basic components required for life. A second viewpoint is that water is a natural element which threatens human society via floods. Human activities have significantly interfered with the environment and in doing so have altered the behavior of surface as well as underground water in the landscape. Water is thus becoming an increasingly precious liquid and simultaneously a feared element. In order to protect the values it has built up, society strives to adopt measures with the aim of preventing or minimizing risks. Water management in the area of drinking water and protection against its negative aspects are some of the important activities carried out by a dynamically developing society on the level of communities and countries, and also on an international level.

The information obtained provides an assessment of water-related crises for which a type plan has been prepared based on a risk analysis within crisis management. The water management area is thus reflected on from a non-traditional perspective and a contemporary model—the paradigm of considering societal resilience for water-related crises. The assessment was carried out within the scope of a case study focusing on the Czech Republic. In this aspect, the presented study is unique, innovative and original by incorporating and combining a reflection on crisis management and on water-related crises.

**Citation:** Kavan, Š.; Kroˇcová, Š.; Pokorný, J. Assessment of the Readiness and Resilience of Czech Society against Water-Related Crises. *Hydrology* **2021**, *8*, 14. https:// doi.org/10.3390/hydrology8010014

Academic Editors: Tamim Younos, Tammy Parece, Juneseok Lee, Jason Giovannettone and Alaina J. Armel Received: 9 December 2020 Accepted: 21 January 2021 Published:22January2021

**Publisher's Note:** MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

**Copyright:** © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

International literature in the area usually offers reflections of specific separate components, which can be classified into texts focusing on securing drinking water, handling floods and crisis management. The topic of the emergency supply of drinking water is handled, for instance, from the viewpoint of a strategy for the supply of drinking water, the area of water management systems and the associated operating risks [1], the possible use of underground water for emergency supply and an assessment of the sources of backup drinking water sources [2,3], Preventing Secondary Disasters through Providing Emergency Water Supply [4]; yet another approach is the analysis of risks and sensitivity of potential sources of the emergency water supply [5], emergency supply of drinking water with the use of available technology [6]. One important document with an international impact in this area is "Water Safety Plans", authored by the World Health Organisation; the document focuses on Managing drinking-water quality from catchment to consumer [7].

The second area that has been the focus for researchers is that of floods. There is an ample number of documents and papers; however, these are very diverse in nature, covering topics such as various means of protecting against floods [8–10], the framework for flood risk communication [11,12], strategies for reducing risks during floods [13–16], and the implementation of the flood risk management directive in selected European countries [17,18]. Some documents also focus on selected aspects of floods such as the use of mobile Mose barriers to protect Venice [19] or the household insurance system for households located in areas at risk from floods [20].

One specific area which is also covered by the presented study and is often reflected on separately in the literature is the area of crisis management. The management of people and crises represents an important component of the study. Crisis management must be based on a risk analysis and react to potential threats [21]. International studies usually focus on a single topic, such as the government's position on crisis management [22], team-based handling of catastrophes [23], coordination and collaboration when handling floods [24] and the sustainability of critical infrastructure [25]. A link between crisis management and water-related catastrophes in the scope covered by this article cannot be found in international databases. This specific angle thus provides a new perspective on the given area and contributes to the development of crisis management theory. It will certainly be interesting to carry out a similar study in other countries and to compare the results obtained for this specific area of safety within the scope of further systemic research.

In the Czech Republic, as a country situated in Central Europe with a predominantly continental climate and without access to a sea, the experience with the solution of waterrelated crises is primarily connected with the extensive floods in 1997 and 2002. These floods first hit the eastern part of the country (1997) and subsequently the center and west of the country (2002). From the perspective of the supply of drinking water, no wide-reaching problems with a lack of water have occurred. In recent years, however, with regard to lower rainfall and a decrease in the level of groundwater, there were local problems with the supply of drinking water and also partially with a restriction on the use of surface water for irrigation. The given facts were reflected in the area of crisis management when preparing risk analyses and were also exhibited during the processing of type plans as part of the crisis plans.

Society strongly emphasizes the prevention of extraordinary events [26–28]. Understanding the risks and threats has a direct impact on the stance of the public administration and consequently also the general populace to planned or adopted measures and the associated economic costs. The selection of topics for this study was based on the risks that were identified and evaluated in the "Risk Analysis for the Czech Republic" and approved by the Czech government's ruling of 27 April 2016 after discussion in the Country's Security Council [29].

A total of 72 types of hazards were identified in the Risk Analysis for the Czech Republic, divided into three basic categories [29]. These are:

The risk analysis identified 22 types of hazards/risks that were evaluated as unacceptable and where, if they occur, these are expected to lead to a state of crisis and need to be prioritized. Risks that are unacceptable for society include (in the category of antropogeneous and natural risks, the subcategory of abiotic and technogeneous risks): floods, flash floods, catastrophic rainfall, disruption of dams of prominent waterworks (special floods), and large-scale disruptions of the delivery of drinking water. When preparing the study, the authors decided to adopt a certain level of generality and focus the article on events whose theme is associated with water, with the aim of increasing the awareness of and subsequently improving the quality of prevention within these risk categories (see also Czech government directive 369/2016).

In connection with the risk analysis for the purpose of system access, it is important to formulate the perception of safety and to specify deviations from safety and disruptions of safety, i.e., defining various types of events. Safety and security are not stand-alone constructs without relations to other notions—they are always considered with respect to a referential object [30]. The referential object may be a country, company, community, person, building, secret information, etc. It is then possible to speak about the safety and security of a country, information security, etc. The safety and security environment consists of a range of elements of the referential object, which are then linked to other elements [31]. This work focuses on country-level safety and security in relation to critical situations related to water.

In terms of safety, the actual safety environment consists of real and usually wellknown referential objects, such as a country, its organizational elements, or international organizations. Safety then represents a state of calmness, where the referential object is not experiencing interference and is not under threat, and hence it is not necessary to make proactive steps to ensure the required state. A joint foundation for all areas dealing with safety is the adoption of a set of measures aimed at ensuring safety. These measures are aimed at reaching a state where damage is minimized and the referential object can continue performing its intended function [32]. The measures aimed at handling crises that have been prepared for the Czech Republic are handled within the crisis management and planning system.

Planning is one of the basic functions of management. Crisis planning in the Czech Republic is a crisis management tool that represents a summary of planning activities, procedures and links implemented by crisis management bodies and their designated government or public institutions, legal bodies or entrepreneurs in order to implement the goals and tasks associated with ensuring the safety of the country and its populace during emergencies [33].

Humans live in a society that consists of various people who all have their own interests, capabilities and preferences. That is why it is necessary to regulate our mutual cohabitation, for instance via legal regulations, and during crises this system also incorporates measures that arise from the crisis plan. In the case of water crisis management, the crisis plan focuses on risks which were assessed as unacceptable risks. These groups include catastrophes caused by floods, flash floods, excessive rainfall, breaches of dams of significant waterworks (special floods) and significant disruptions of drinking water supply.

The aim of the article is to assess and characterize crisis situations related to water, for a type plan that has been prepared within crisis planning based on a risk analysis. The assessment of this topic is carried out primarily from the viewpoint of prepared measures targeting society and individuals. The assessment is implemented as a case study under the conditions of the Czech Republic. From a scientific viewpoint, this represents a research limitation and means that we focus on the conditions and approach to the given topic implemented by the specific considered country. In view of the aims of the study, an assessment of the technical quality of specific equipment of emergency services and of preventive technical-structural measures is not part of the study's scope. A certain limitation on the study comes from the composition of the expert group for performing the multicriteria analysis. Their own experience from the resolution of crisis situations (especially water-related) could influence the objectivity and a certain degree of detachment. For this reason, the expert group was comprised of experts from different areas. The essential characteristics were included as part of the performed SWOT analysis; in light of the scope of the study, it was not possible to resolve the individual type plans individually, but a summary evaluation of the plans that relate to water-related catastrophes was performed.

The theoretical part of the article delimits and characterizes selected type plans which are included in crisis plans and which are related to water. The practical part of the article focuses on a concretization of selected measures within type plans and possible impacts on life in the Czech Republic. The article assesses crisis preparedness within the scope of a case study focusing on the national level.

The research question was formulated as the process of creating organized knowledge based on systematic research. Specifically, the following research questions were formulated: how has the preparedness for crisis situations associated with water been incorporated in the planning documentation on the national level within the Czech Republic? How are individual type plans handling water-related catastrophes designed? An analysis of the topic was carried out in order to reflect these scientific problems.


**5. Is there hope**

Primary brain tumors remain hard and challenging work despite the progress in understanding their genetics and technological progress that enabled safe and extensive tumor resection [3, 15, 17]. As gliomas include a variety of different histological tumor types and malignancy grades, contemporary achievements in terms of molecular imaging have given us a unique chance for a comprehensive interdisciplinary assessment of the glioma pathophysiology, with direct implications in terms of the medical and surgical treatment strategies available for patients [26]. The concept of individualized surgery in brain tumor neurosurgery, that is, specifically in neurooncology of glial tumors is actually based on the goal to provide as radical tumor resection as possible, without causing (additional) neurological deficit (**Figure 2**) [27].

Unfortunately, the prognosis of patients with grade IV malignant glioma particularly recurrent is dismal, and there is currently no effective therapy, but there are some promising agents as vaccine immunotherapy or recombinant nonpathogenic poliorhinovirus chimera (PVSRIPO) [28, 29]. Desjardins et al. have recently reported that overall survival among the patients who received PVSRIPO immunotherapy was higher at 24 and 36 months than the rate among controls [29]. Extension of surgical excision is still an important predictor of outcome. Achieving a gross total resection of the tumor without significant complication requires a thorough understanding of available surgical approaches [15, 17, 30–32]. For majority of those patients, short-course radiotherapy with concurrent and adjuvant TMZ will bring a benefit, while gain from bevacizumab is limited [13]. There have been some ideas that certain antiepileptics also have a favorable effect on the outcome with glioma patients, but these studies have not given affirmative results [33]. To provide a highly personalized medicine, we will also have to make additional effort toward molecular neuropathology [30].

What do we want to see in the future? A patient from the supposed risk group will be scanned with MRI spectroscopy, 7T MRI, or similar MRI prototype. At the level of a robot medical center, needle biopsy of tumor will be performed, which will be followed by oncogenomic characterization of lesion, with gene map reading and defining. Research in the field of stem cells also has an important place and implications in the future. By way of stem cells, a specific

mapping (IEM) during awake craniotomy helps to maximize the extent of resection and to minimize the risk of permanent neurological morbidity, allowing a substantial increase in the

IDH, isocitrate dehydrogenase; NOS, not otherwise specified; RELA, reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A [7].

† The last WHO classification of CNS tumors brought about some changes based on molecular findings.

**Table 1.** Simplified and modified from WHO 2016 classification of neuroepithelial tissue tumors.

WHO IV

WHO I

• WHO II • Ependymoma WHO II or III

• WHO III

WHO I

WHO III

• Ganglioglioma • Gangliocytoma

(Lhermitte-Duclos)

• Anaplastic ganglioglioma

**Ependymal tumors**

• Subependymoma

• Glioblastoma, IDH-wild type • Glioblastoma, IDH-mutant • Glioblastoma, NOS

• Myxopapillary ependymoma

• Anaplastic ependymoma

• Ependymoma, RELA fusion-positive

**Neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors** • Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor

• Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor

• Dysplastic gangliocytoma of cerebellum

• Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant

Primary brain tumors remain hard and challenging work despite the progress in understanding their genetics and technological progress that enabled safe and extensive tumor resection [3, 15, 17]. As gliomas include a variety of different histological tumor types and malignancy grades, contemporary achievements in terms of molecular imaging have given us a unique

survival and quality of life of patients [14, 17, 25].

**Other astrocytic tumors (often referred as "circumscribed**

6 Glioma - Contemporary Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches

• Oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted†

**gliomas")** WHO I

WHO II

WHO III

WHO II

• Pilocytic astrocytoma

• Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma

**referred as "diffuse gliomas")**

• Diffuse astrocytoma, NOS

• Oligodendroglioma, NOS WHO III (anaplastic)

• Anaplastic astrocytoma, NOS

1p/19q-codeleted

• Diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-mutant • Diffuse astrocytoma, IDH-wild type

• Anaplastic astrocytoma, IDH-mutant • Anaplastic astrocytoma, IDH-wild type

• Anaplastic oligodendroglioma, NOS

• Anaplastic oligodendroglioma, IDH-mutant and

• Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma **Diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors (often**

**5. Is there hope**

**Figure 2.** Contrast-enhanced axial T1 MRI scan of 54-year-old female patient with IDH-mutant glioblastoma. (A) Preoperative MRI and (B) 4 years after extensive surgical resection, followed with TMZ and radiotherapy treatment. Small part of recurrent tumor is visible 50 months after initial resection. Patient is still without any neurological deficit.

medicine will be produced, individualized for the particular patient, and in a microcapsule, it will be implanted into the brain zone affected by tumor, by way of robot surgery and injection needle. These are not at all unrealistic expectations in the next decade or two. Perhaps a bit futuristic, but it is also realistic to expect vaccination against glioma [28], that is, specific repair stem cells that will recognize the "glioma-damaged" part of the brain and thus preventively work on it, before the growth of tumor itself.

[5] Waqar M, Hanif S, Rathi N, et al. Diagnostic challenges, management and outcomes of midline low-grade gliomas. Journal of Neuro-Oncology. 2014;**120**:389-398. DOI: 10.1007/

Introductory Chapter: Glioma - Merciless Medical Diagnosis

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[7] Louis DN, Perry A, Reifenberger G, et al. The 2016 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the central nervous system: A summary. Acta Neuropathologica.

[8] Weller M, Van den Bent M, Tonn JC, et al. European Association for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of adult astrocytic and oligodendroglial gliomas. European Association for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) Lancet Oncology.

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[11] Brat DJ, Verhaak RGW, Aldape KD, et al. Comprehensive, integrative genomic analysis of diffuse lower-grade gliomas. The cancer genome atlas research network. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2015;**372**(26):2481-2498. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1402121 [12] Baumert BG, Hegi ME, van den Bent MJ, et al. Temozolomide chemotherapy versus radiotherapy in high-risk low-grade glioma (EORTC 22033-26033): A randomised, open-label, phase 3 intergroup study. The Lancet Oncology. 2016;**17**(11):1521-1532. DOI:

[13] Van den Bent MJ, Klein M, Smits M, et al. Bevacizumab and temozolomide in patients with first recurrence of WHO grade II and III glioma, without 1p/19q co-deletion (TAVAREC): A randomised controlled phase 2 EORTC trial. The Lancet Oncology.

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It is not too much to expect that the current generation of neurooncologists will resolve glioma problem for ever. We should bravely carry on. Time is brain.