“This book is a collection of the most recent contributions in the area of Laser Welding Technique, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. It brings a total of thirteen chapters, covering different aspects of the laser welding field. From laser welding equipment to numerical modelling and simulation, digital twins, and artificial intelligence, the final work provides a comprehensive and accessible review of the state-of-the-art, also including metallurgy and quality assessment aspects in welded structures. Covering a wide span of themes within the laser welding research area, from the material science to the final products (including their performance on structural applications), passing by the fundamental aspects of mathematical and engineering characterization, product specification, limitations and possibilities of different laser welding technique, the book can be a useful source of information for decision-making by experienced engineers, as well as a reference work for students seeking for beginning his/her research activities in the field. Given the rapid and constantly evolving technology aspects in such a transversal (and integrative) area of research, the present book is definitely an added value for the future in the domain of Laser Welding Techniques.” – Professor Robertt Valente, Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal

“The Romantic Movement in Germany is an encyclopaedic book for those seeking to know more about this fascinating topic and its indelible contribution to European culture, art, philosophy and politics.  Letellier skillfully embraces and blends a fully referenced work that incorporates biography, opera, poetry, writing, painting, sculpture, architecture, women romantics, nature and the forest.  In contrast to the Enlightenment, it brings out the importance to German Romanticism of the mythical past and the supernatural. Thus, it highlights idealism, providence and transcendence.  Notably philosophy is covered such as Kant, Goethe and Hegel, and Fichte’s 14 addresses to the German nation.  This gives insights to the emergent nationalism. Letellier usefully notes the contribution of Scottish writers such MacPherson’s Ossian and the poems and novels of Sir Walter Scott to German Romantics. It is lavishly illustrated with 187 figures and also included are 29 readings. This should be essential reading and source of reference for those seeking to explore German Romanticism.” – Robert Gibson, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of the West of Scotland

Review by Johan Gielis, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk-Antwerpen, Belgium in the journal, Symmetry, Science and Culture, Vol. 34, No. 3 347-350, 2023. To read the full review, click here>>>

“This book is a string of new ideas leading to some sort of theory of everything starting from a generic Time-Space theory, using weaker axioms than relativity and Quantum Theory. One of the essential new points is the definition of existing as strings of germs of existence, which do not exist, but are in momentary states of the universe. The model obtained is not determined by initial conditions, as in Einstein’s theory, it allows unpredictable, momentary germs to appear, leading to a continuous ongoing creation in the exiting reality. The classical concept of causality has to be thoroughly revised and modern physical concepts like dark matter, the Big Bang, the quantum void, etc., get surprising new interpretations. Then the author expands his model in deriving new paradigms in philosophy, biology and the process theory of our cognitive constructions, finally realizing humans are Time Hybrids. The book is a fascinating experiment which may change your view on reality.” – Professor Dr. Florin Panaite, IRMAR, Bukarest, Romania

” F. Van Oystaeyen, an excellent mathematician, presents in this book, his more philosophical approach to eternal concepts as time and existence. His brilliant, insightful and original theory of everything goes beyond Relativity and quantum theory. In his model, not determined by initial conditions (as in Einstein) , the author examines the connection between the existing universe and the observable universe; his interpretation allows us to understand certain quantum phenomena (dark matter, dark energy, the quantum void and the wobbling of muons) in a elegant way. Furthermore, the reader will find many other witty and  original ideas relative to  organic causality  and human condition. The author rules out the idea of  introducing more mathematical structure, in fact this is not necessary for the theory presented in this book. In conclusion, it is  an absolute pleasure to read this wonderful book and I hope that his ideas will lead to a new paradigms in physics and philosophy.” Professor Dr. Blas Torrecillas, Universidad de Almeria, Almeria, Spain

“This essay, written by a world class mathematician, presents thought-provoking ideas grounded in a mathematical formalization of concepts that are often troublesome in physics, notably time and observation. Only a modicum of mathematical structure is used, so the book, despite being written in a cursory style, should be accessible to readers with little mathematical background. The result is an original and intriguing excursion through elusive aspects of relativity and quantum physics, eventually leading to a philosophical glance at evolution, moral, society, and free will.” – Professor Dr. Pedro Resende, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

“In this thought provoking book, one of the creators of the mathematical theory of “non-commutative geometry,” a revolutionary new kind of geometry with strong philosophical implications, the author boldly moves beyond abstract mathematics into the physical world and presents a generic model of reality radically different from earlier approaches, in which hard to characterize concepts like Time, Existing, Place, Space, etc. are given a precise meaning.” – Professor Dr. Michel Van Den Bergh, Foundation of Scientific Research (FWO),University of Hasselt, Belgium

“The author in this book proposed a  “theory of everything”  starting from a generic theory assuming weaker structural axioms than Relativity and quantum theory, avoiding real numbers  in order to  have  a suitable understanding of time as a totally ordered set of  momentary states of the universe.  One essential point the author in this book made is the definition of existence as strings of non-existing momentary germs of existing things (pre-things). In the model he constructed there are no problems of time being measured by real numbers. The model  obtained by the author is not determined by initial conditions (as in Einstein) but it allows via the pre-things without history in the strings of sets of pre-things unpredictable things to appear. He also pointed out the difference between existing universe and observed universe, that is the observation intervals containing many or millions existence intervals leading to an observation of supposedly one object actually being a set of consecutive manifestations plus series of ‘mutations’ of the existing objects. I think the book has  opened some doors for new paradigm in physics and philosophy. Further originality is in the changes in causality (organic causality in reality) and this has a lot of consequences in biology and the brain activity in constructing the abstract world.” – Professor Dr. Yinhuo Zhang, University of Hasselt, Belgium

“This volume offers a rare insight into how three Muslim governments aim to micro-manage the sexuality through the rights of their population that doesn’t conform with its religious traditions. Excellent research that offers a comparative perceptiveness.” – Professor Glen Segell, University of Cambridge

“A wonderful study and a vital reading for academic researchers, think tanks, NGOs, international organizations and government bureaucracies around the globe.” – Arno Tausch, Political Scientist, Visiting Professor of Political Studies and Governance, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

“I greatly enjoyed and benefited from reading this volume, Protein Adaptation in Extremophiles. With the possible exception of the final chapter, the book contained material of relevance to my teaching as well as my research. I plan to assign some of these chapters for the students in my spring term class on biochemical adaptation. In the most general sense, I appreciated three principal things about this book. One (obviously) was the broad coverage given to the subject, such that all of the relevant environmental factors, both chemical and physical, that affect protein structure and function were examined. I don’t know of another volume that has this comprehensive coverage of protein adaptation between its covers. The second characteristic of the book that I found useful (speaking here as someone who’s primarily focused on animals!) was the comprehensive treatment of the literature on bacterial and archaeal proteins. Some of this literature was easy for someone (like me) to miss who does not effectively sift through such sources as symposium volumes. The third thing I appreciated (and here I’m thinking of how useful the volume will be for teaching) was the authors efforts to communicate their subject matter in manners that make the work accessible to the non-specialist. The first chapter by Daniel et al. exemplifies this approach. The authors have written one of the clearest, yet nicely detailed accounts of protein thermal stability that I have read. It reminded me very much of the approach used by John Brandts in his classic 1967 review in “Thermobiology,” in which a sophisticated and advanced analysis is developed in a way that even a relative newcomer to the topic could follow. In the Daniel et al. chapter I really appreciated being given the relevant abbreviations for the “Two-State” and “Equilibrium” models right at the beginning of the chapter. This foundational information, in conjunction with the clear explanatory figures (numbers 1-3) that were used to introduce the topic, will give the reader a solid foundation on which to build understanding of the more detailed elements in the chapter. Their Equilibrium Model is a fascinating and powerful one that, thanks to this chapter, will be appreciated by a broader set of investigators and students. The explanation of how temperature affects rates of enzymatic activity was one of the clearest I have read. Very “student friendly” writing. The chapter by Georges Feller on low-temperature effects is a good complement to the analysis in the Daniel et al. chapter on high-temperature effects. Feller writes beautifully, and I will be using this chapter in my class to provide students with an especially good entry into low-temperature adaptation of proteins. Like Daniel et al., Feller presents figures that have text-book clarity and make their points unambiguously. Feller does an especially good job of writing a broadly applicable analysis, one that includes prokaryotes and eukaryotes in its focus. The literature review is very well done. The analysis of halophilic proteins given by Bolhuis et al. in Chapter III has a broad focus that emphasize the “cooperative” effort between proteins and the osmotic solutes of the cell in sustaining protein structure and function under extremely high osmolalities. As in the other chapters, the references led me to look at literature I had missed. I greatly appreciated the information provided on the costs of producing compatible solutes in halophilic species. This was a piece of the puzzle I had not seen discussed before. The chapter on “Alkaline Adaptation of Proteins” by Shirai et al. contained material that was mostly new to me. The writing was a good introduction to this subject. I liked the treatment given to how pKa values can be modified to suit a protein for function at high pH values. The short section on engineering alkaline-adapted proteins will be of interest to biotechnologists who seek to make greater use of these proteins in industrial contexts. These comments made on the Shirai et al. chapter apply as well to the treatment of low-pH function of proteins in thermoacidophiles. The treatment gives a good introduction to this topic and the reference list will provide useful entry into the field. The analysis of high-pressure adaptation of proteins did what I think is a good job of summarizing what we know about this relatively unstudied subject. As has been pointed out in the introduction to the chapter, work on pressure-adapted proteins has lagged behind that on other classes of extremophilic proteins. However, there is good reason to believe that a lot of progress could be on the near horizon. I hope so. I have long been curious about these proteins and hope that people working with deep-living microbes can soon clarify the basic adaptational strategies that are operative. It will be interesting to see how “cooperation” between proteins and osmotic solutes that stabilize proteins in the face of elevated pressure facilitates life at great depth. Some of Paul Yancey’s recent work on the unusual osmolyte compositions of deep-living animals have important implications for investigations of archaeal and bacterial proteins. I hope that someone plays around with B-hydroxybutyrate to see if it can stabilize proteins, as found for TMAO and a few other solutes. Chapter VII visited a topic I have read little about: enzymes that are stable in organic solvents. I think that the overview provided in this chapter gives a good introduction to this topic to the neophyte. So, those are my thoughts on the book. As I said above, the writing makes these topics very accessible to the non-specialist, while giving the expert an up-to-date analysis of these many topics. I was impressed by the quality of the production too. There were very few typographical errors and the overall impression I gained was that the authors took their assignments seriously and did an outstanding job.” – Dr. George Somero, David & Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Sciences, Biochemical Adaptation, Evolution & Ecological Physiology, Associate Director of Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford, USA

“This volume contains a rich panoply of concrete examples and original phenomenological expositions. The book is an original and lucid contribution to the understanding of the critical ecological destruction we are witnessing.” To read the full review, CLICK HERE>>>. – Dr. Alphonso Lingis, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University, USA

“A fascinating polyphonic exploration of the possibilities of the work’s subtitle, “Welcome Home” (welcome back home, welcome to your home, to the hospitable place where you feel welcome), this book urges us to become sensitive and attentive to our native Earth—to think and act responsibly and ecologically in the broadest sense, authentically caring for this home so that we ourselves will truly be welcome here.” To read the full review, CLICK HERE>>>. – Dr. Naglis Kardelis, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University, Lithuania

“This book combines philosophical debates concerning the prevalent conception of “reality” with a broad and principled articulation of the existential challenges confronting humanity, challenges that call for an integral consciousness beyond the ideology of progress and consumption—for a dramatic transformation of our awareness and a new path of living in harmony with the powers of nature and with the world that is our true home. ” To read the full review, CLICK HERE>>>. – Dr. Vytautas Rubavičius, LKTI – Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania

“Tausch and Neriah provide an astute analysis of the international instability that has developed in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the importance of the West’s ability to demonstrate resilience in the face of new challenges.” – Russell A. Berman, Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University, CA, USA

“How is the Western world going to defend democracy, individual freedoms, pluralistic values and the rule of law if in some Western nations more than 50% of the population is not prepared to fight for their own country? This is a very uncomfortable question but it needs to be asked. Thankfully, the study by Tausch and Neriah not only provides a much-needed strategic perspective on the current and arising trends regarding the destabilizing forces and resilience in this crisis, but also dares to ask such pressing questions.” – Dr. Ferdinand J. Haberl (Deputy Director of the Documentation Centre Political Islam, Austria), author of Jihadi Intelligence and Counterintelligence – Ideological Foundations and Operational Methods (Springer 2023), project lead and co-author of the recent KIRAS study, The Muslim Community of Vienna – Between Religion and the Rule of Law (KIRAS, 2022)

“In times of increasing openly military conflicts and global challenges posed by climate change, resilience will take on new importance for the survival of a state. This book illustrates the problem in an impressive way – well worth reading!“ – Hon. Prof. Dr. Gunther Hauser, Austrian Defense Academy, Vienna

“Also ideas become a material force as soon as they are adopted by the masses. The present study is important in this respect as it informs about ideas – and persistently wrong ideas – concerning especially the Arab world. Only correct ideas will then guarantee global peace – an important contribution in this sense.” – Prof. Dr. habil. Peter Herrmann; Research Fellow at the Human Rights Center; Law School at the Central South University, Changsha, PRC; Affiliated (among others): Max Planck Institute for Social Law (Germany); Member of the European Academy of Science and Arts

“Important data and perspectives; vital reading for the analysis of Western and Middle East security.” – Colonel (GS) Markus Reisner, Austrian Armed Forces

“When our embarrassments and fears lie, we often listen to them anyway. They thwart our gratitude, acceptance, and compassion—our goodness. They insist, “War could never happen again on the European continent”. But it did! Arno Tausch and Jacques Neriah study the destabilizing forces and resilience in the current global crisis, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, as a combination of global comparisons and a Middle East survey. We find courage from this excellently researched and written volume to strengthen our faith despite the unstable world.” – Glen Segell (University of Cambridge), author of Development, Globalization, Global Values and Security: Essays in Honor of Arno Tausch (Springer 2023), and A Defence Structure for the 21st Century (Institute of Security Policy, 2023)

“Authoritative, meticulously researched and incisive, this volume by Tausch and Neriah is a must read for those who seek to understand the turbulence of today’s current world.” – Prof Hussein Solomon, Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa; Author of Directions in International Terrorism, 2021, Palgrave Macmillan; African Security in the Anthropocene, 2023, Springer

“From the theoretical perspective, this book, in an unprecedentedly comprehensive manner, discusses and confirms the effects of female executives on seven critical organizational issues by considering both the fixed and contingent effects with the most recent data than most of the existing publications do, instead of only considering its direct effects on a single issue, e.g., firm performance. And amounts of new valuable findings have been reached by this book, which are of significance in helping us identify the roles of female executives in corporate governance practices; From the practical perspective, the book not only reveals the consequences of female executives from systematical perspectives, but constructs effective countermeasures and suggestions, which are helpful in making full use of the positive effects of female executives’ participation, while minimizing the potential negative consequences of female executives’ participation. Such countermeasures can provide good guidelines for each stakeholder on multiple critical governance issues.” To read the full review, CLICK HERE>>>. – Zhao Jing, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Trade, School of Economics and Management, Xi’an University of Technology, China

“The work is written in a rigorous language that is scientifically correct and, at the same time, accessible to those to whom it is addressed. The work has a pronounced scientific character and is of real use not only to engineers but also to all those interested in computer-aided design.” To read the full review, CLICK HERE>>>. –  Virgil Gabriel Teodor, PhD, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Universitatea Dunarea de Jos Galati, Galaţi, Romania

“This book presents a compelling collection of 4 chapters, each authored by different experts in the field. I found myself fascinated in a thoughtful educational book as I perused its pages. These chapters provided a thorough overview of this rapidly evolving field thanks to the variety of themes and issues they examined. ” To review the full review, CLICK HERE>>> – Dr. Maria Tzamtzi, Professor of Automatic Control Systems, Department of Digital Industry Technologies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

“This book discusses numerous topics related to the development and use of hydraulic control systems. Both novice and advanced readers interested in industrial control applications will find the presentations and themes in the collection worth reading.” – Dr. Kouvakas Nikolaos, Associate Professor, Department of Digital Industry Technologies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece