Incredible Scientific Inventions and Discoveries:

There are numerous scientific inventions and discoveries. Regeneration of the lost parts of the body is an amazing discovery. The scientists have done it by the usage of ECM (Extracellular Matrix) with the merging of physical therapy. ECM has the tendency to reawaken the body`s original therapeutical capabilities.

Scientists have found a better way to battle with malaria and dengue fever. The genetic modification of mosquitoes helped a great deal for the stopping of the spread of dengue and malaria.

In the field of Synthetic Biology, scientists have discovered a new way to treat diseases. For example, the invention of the Escherichia Coli Cell which upon contact with certain pathogens completely kills itself as well as the pathogens.

The scientists have discovered a new way to hunt for bombs with the help of plants. Dr. Jane Medford is doing a research on plants which will turn white upon interaction with environmental pollutants and explosives.

Synthetic Telepathy is another amazing invention. A scientific device has been developed by the military which can read electrical actions inside the human brain. It helps in sensing of all thoughts and forwards them to other soldiers in the form of text messages or voice mail.

Recent Developments in Drug Discovery

There are many other advanced methods and new research disciplines for drug design and discovery such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, chemogenomics etc which improve the quality of the drug discovery process. 

New trends in the field of drug discovery are transforming the drug discovery mechanisms. The use of target based drug design is much more practical and long lasting.

The course of the use of High Throughput Screening (HTS) technique in which a large number of compounds are screened for their biological activities with the discovered targets, which are synthesized by combinatorial chemistry, is called hits. Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR) comprise of immense significance in discovering analogues, or the new drug candidates.

In this context, the research published in the research papers is a life-line to scientific development and the research community. There are quite a number of research journals available in the field of Combinatorial Chemistry, and Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening (CCHTS) is highly recommended. The journal has an impact factor of 2.0 as per journal citation report 2012, with 16 volumes already compiled and published. CCHTS publishes research articles and reviews in the domain of Combinatorial Chemistry. In my opinion, CCHTS is the most comprehensive and up-to-date medium for all scientists working in the field of combinatorial chemistry. 

Global Warming

Due to certain detrimental factors, the average global temperature is on the rise, leading to a phenomenon widely known as the global warming.

The issue of global warming is not new. Since the 1950s, the rise in average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere is affecting the natural equilibrium and climatic systems. Global warming is negatively affecting life on earth, and things will continue to get worse if we do not control the factors resulting in global warming.

The wholesale burning of fossil fuel began with the industrial revolution, and is a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon. Industrial development, coal mining, landfills, gas field leakages and vehicle emissions escalates things further.  

Interestingly, even agriculture and livestock farming contribute to global warming. Agriculture is the cause of about 14% of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Cows, on the other hand, emit huge amounts of methane, a major contributor to world’s greenhouse gases.

Global warming is a serious issue which needs immediate attention. There are two fold effects, one is the rise of global temperature; the other is the rise in sea level. Global warming is the source of major catastrophes like floods, intense storms, melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, and tropical storms etc. It adversely affects the life on earth, and it is time we united as a global community to counter this grave concern. 

Electronic-Book Publishing

An eBook is a book published in a digital format, available on computer and other electronic devices.

 Today, e-publishing is a popular alternative to costly traditional publishing. It has made reading more affordable and pleasurable for readers, who now have a much wider choice of selections and the comfort of sitting at home and downloading eBooks.

Similarly, authors of eBooks enjoy lower processing costs and a much wider readership by making their research work available online in digital formats. 

A variety of eBooks is available by major publishers like Bentham Science Publishers. These eBooks cover all major disciplines of natural sciences, social sciences and information technology. As an author, you will be entitled to have free access to your published content and there is no fee on the processing of your eBook. Librarians and institutions can avail package discounts and IP-based access to Bentham eBooks.

Bentham eBooks follow a set of stringent editorial policies, such as author guidelines, plagiarism prevention, copyright, ethical approval of studies, informed consent, permissions and animal protection etc. You can view them in detail:

http://benthamscience.com/ebooks/policy.htm

http://benthamscience.com/ebooks/eBkAuthGuide.htm

You can also find e-Lectures, electronic textbooks, monographs, proceedings and review volumes on their website:

http://benthamscience.com/ebooks

Bentham comes complete with an extensive range of eBooks in all spheres of science, technology, 

medicine and business studies.

The Unresolved Issue of Predatory Publishing

The Open Access model of publishing is the "unrestricted, free availability of scholarly research, online for all". Despite resistance from certain quarters (traditional publishers who fear that this model will completely destroy the traditional subscription model, thereby rendering them extinct), it continues to grow and receive acceptance from the industry and academia alike. Unrestricted and free availability of research publications, especially to the developing world, will in fact serve the very purpose of scientific research and scientific publication. If quality of publication can be maintained, this truly is a revolution in publishing.  

Bentham Science Publishers is a well known international STM ( Scientific and Technical Manual) publisher. They have several high impact factor journals to their credit, which are quite popular in their  fields such as Current Medicinal Chemistry, Current Pharmaceutical Design, Current Organic Chemistry, Current Alzheimer Research etc. The authors who have contributed in Bentham journals are quite satisfied with their publication processes and peer review procedure. For authors’ comments, please visit:

http://benthamscience.com/comments/Comments.htm  

Their sub brands include Bentham eBooks and Bentham Open. 

The research published by them is of high quality and rigorously peer reviewed. They practice the single-blind peer review procedure; the review and editorial policies are transparent and clearly disclosed on their official website; and the members on board of their journals are highly qualified and well-known, with several worthy publications to their credit. For more information, visit:

http://benthamscience.com/open/index.htm

http://benthamscience.com/open/todentj/EBM.htm

http://benthamscience.com/policy.htm

http://benthamscience.com/reviewguideline.htm

 Most of their journals, both subscriptions based and Open Access, are indexed in internationally recognized indexing agencies like Scopus, Medline, EMBASE and PubMed etc.

Bentham Open is actually charging quite an affordable fee for open access as compared to other known publishers and, in case of authors from the developing world, the publisher makes it totally free for the contributor. Just as in their subscription journals, a single blind review process is rigorously followed here as well. 

Open Access Publishing has also generated some controversies but this is to be expected in a new publication model. There are always some teething problems in the initial stage of anything and fine tuning is always required. Compared to over five hundred years of traditional publishing models, Open Access is still a new born baby and has to be nurtured in good faith. There is a concerted effort going on out there by unknown quarters to try and discredit this form of publishing but if that happens it would be to the detriment of the scientists and researchers. Blind acceptance of whatever is published against Open Access must be resisted with an open mind.