Preface

Dengue fever (DF) is an arthropod-borne disease transmitted by different species of *Aedes* mosquitoes that live in tropical and subtropical regions of the world to non-human primates (sylvatic form) and humans (human form). The etiological agent of DF is dengue virus (DENV), a flavivirus species, grouped into five known distinct serotypes: DENV1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4, and DENV-5 associated with a sylvatic form. DF control is challenging to human health institutional organizations since the DENV life cycle is complex with the inclusion of arthropod vectors, humans, and animals.

DF can be asymptomatic or exhibit classic symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, and petechiae. DF can even cause severe haemorrhagic syndrome that can lead to death. The pathophysiology of DF is associated with the host immune system, making it difficult to develop an effective and safe vaccine. Thus, treatment of DF is based on alleviating symptoms. The principal strategy to control DF is through *Aedes* elimination. Environmental changes, including climate and humidity, are important factors to disseminate *Aedes* mosquitoes. Vector biology knowledge can help to find new strategies for *Aedes* control. Improvement of DF diagnosis in vectors and human hosts can help to identify the silencing circulation of DENV and can help to prevent DF outbreaks. Investigation of DF pathophysiology is also important for developing new targets for drug development. Thus, this book discusses DF from a One Health perspective.

The book is organized into five sections: "Epidemiological Aspects", "Environmental Aspects", "Pathogenicity", "Diagnosis and Treatment" and "Management Strategies".

Section 1 discusses the history of DF prevalence and management in a Chinese county; the modification of DF distribution in American populations with greater prevalence in children younger than 15 years; the re-emergence of sylvatic DENV-2 in Southern Senegal, revealing the role of DF sylvatic form in maintaining virus sources during a long period of time; studies on the silent transmission of DENV by asymptomatic individuals; and the importance of asymptomatic DF in blood safety. Section 2 examines variations in the influence of climate parameters on DF vector biology and the risk of DENV adaptation to sylvatic *Aedes* species. Section 3 describes encephalitis in DF and discusses its biological mechanism. Section 4 outlines diagnosis and treatment strategies with three chapters on the description of primers and probes to detect families of the principal arboviruses by RT-qPCR in clinical samples in a single reaction; the use of chest radiography and an abdominal ultrasound to identify severe DF cases; and employment of a gene-silencing technique to investigate biological aspects and treat DF.

Finally, Section 5 includes chapters on management strategies to impair DF, including a description of a network formation to analyze DF complexity; the use of the Google

Earth-Pro tool to map the distribution of DENV cases; viral genomic surveillance to enable early intervention in DF epidemics; DF reduction through vector control; and the application of a hospital disaster management model used during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to severe cases of DF occurring during an epidemic.

I am grateful to all authors for their important contributions and trust, and to IntechOpen for once more allowing me to participate as the editor for a book of high scientific level, contributing in a decisive way to serious problems of public health worldwide.

> **Márcia Aparecida Sperança** Centro de Ciâncias Naturais e Humanas (Center for Natural and Human Sciences), Universidade Federal do ABC (Federal University of ABC), São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil

Section 1


**1.2 Pros and cons of composites materials**

#### *1.2.1 Pros of composites*

Composite materials have various advantages that can be used for different applications. Composite materials are very lightweight and have a low density

**Figure 1.** *Concept of biocomposite.*

## *Eco-Friendly and Biodegradable Green Composites DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98687*

making it easier to mold into complex forms and modules like Modular construction. These materials have a high specific stiffness, creep resistance and strength with an improved friction and wear properties. Composites have low thermal expansion and electrical conductivity giving rise to good dumping properties and good fatigue resistance. These composite materials are easily bondable, have lower radar visibility and have the capability to store and release internal energy, leading to a lower overall system cost. Composite products are known to have excellent heat sink properties. The mechanical properties such as strength-weight ratio, stiffnessweight ratio and fatigue properties of the composite products are better than most of the common engineering metals like steel or aluminum. With improved corrosion resistance and a high resistance to impact damage, the composites have indefinite shelf life just like metals. Composites can be used to obtain a varied combination of properties which cannot be attained in other materials such as polymers, ceramics or metals alone. One of the major advantages of composites is the ability to incorporate sensors into the matrix which can be used to monitor and correct the material performance, giving rise to a range of applications towards Smart composites (**Table 1**).