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Academic Press

  • Humoral Factors in Host Defense

    • 1st Edition
    • Yuichi Yamamura
    • English
    Humoral Factors in Host Defense contains the proceedings of the First Takeda Science Foundation Symposium on Bioscience, held on October 28-30, 1982, in Kyoto, Japan. The symposium focused on the humoral factors regulating immune responses, with emphasis on T cell-derived immunoregulatory molecules; molecular mechanisms of interferons; factors involved in differentiation and activation of immunocytes; and the use of the molecular genetics approach to host defense factors. Organized into four parts encompassing 22 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of interleukin-2 and T cell-replacing factors, along with their immunological functions and biochemical features. It then discusses antigen-specific T cell factors; immunoregulatory molecules from human monoclonal T cells; physiological and pathological roles of lymphokines; regulation of the immune system by monoclonal T cell peptides; production of a glycosylated human protein by recombinant DNA technology; and molecular genetics of immunoglobulin genes and the major histocompatibility antigen. Geneticists and biologists will find this book extremely useful.
  • Flow Cytogenetics

    • 1st Edition
    • Johan S. Ploem
    • English
    This is the first book to be devoted entirely to the application and development of flow techniques in cytogenetics. It provides comprehensive information on the use of flow cytometry and sorting for chromosome classification and purification. Cytogenetics and molecular biologists will find this book an invaluable reference source.
  • Physiology of the Amphibia

    • 1st Edition
    • Brian Lofts
    • English
    Physiology of the Amphibia, Volume III consists of 10 chapters beginning with a discussion on amphibian color changes and the various aspects of the molting cycle. Possessing a skin more suitable for life in the water, the amphibians need to prevent excessive water loss from their body to the environment; hence, an additional mechanism for reducing the hazards of desiccation in many anuran species is described. This book also tackles the physiology of amphibian cells in culture. Furthermore, the animals' nervous, visual, and auditory systems; their immunity; and metamorphosis are explained in this text. This reference will be useful to general biologists and to students with interests in animal physiology.
  • Plasma Waves

    • 1st Edition
    • D.G. Swanson
    • English
    Plasma Waves discusses the basic development and equations for the many aspects of plasma waves. The book is organized into two major parts, examining both linear and nonlinear plasma waves in the eight chapters it encompasses. After briefly discussing the properties and applications of plasma wave, the book goes on examining the wave types in a cold, magnetized plasma and the general forms of the dispersion relation that characterize the waves and label the various types of solutions. Chapters 3 and 4 analyze the acoustic phenomena through the fluid model of plasma and the kinetic effects. These chapters also describe the averaging process for the fluid element motion using expanded Boltzmann equation for each species in a velocity moment expansion, truncating the expansion at some suitable level, depending on the particular problem. The remaining four chapters discuss the effects of adding sharp boundaries, slowly varying inhomogeneities, nonlinearities at several levels, and turbulent plasmas. Supplementary texts on complex variables and the special functions in plasma physics are provided in the concluding section of this text. The book is an advanced text for graduate students who have had an introductory plasma course at some level.
  • Scale-Up and Automation in Plant Propagation

    Cell Culture and somatic cell Genetics of Plants
    • 1st Edition
    • Indra Vasil
    • English
    Scale-Up and Automation in Plant Propagation reviews methods of automation and scale-up of plant propagation in vitro. It looks at the large scale clonal propagation of plants, or micropropagation, as the first major practical application of plant biotechnology. It also discusses the advantages and limitations of micropropagation and evaluates current methods of commercial micropropagation. Organized into 13 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the benefits of scaling up and automating plant propagation before proceeding with a discussion of synthetic seeds and their use for plant propagation, along with problems and economic considerations associated with synthetic seed technology. It then considers the implementation of somatic embryogenesis technology for clonal forestry, the development and commercialization of bioreactor technology for automated propagation of potato microtubers and lily microbulbs, and approaches to automated propagation of fruit trees. Other chapters focus on issues of cost reduction and development of ""new"" products, scale-up and operation of prototype bioreactors for plant propagation, and application of machine vision technology to scale-up and automated evaluation of somatic embryogenesis in sweet potato. The book also describes methods of measurement and control of the environment in culture, environmental factors affecting photosynthesis, and use of robotics and field transplanters in the automation of plant propagation. Scientists and plant breeders will find this book extremely useful.
  • Biochemistry of Thermophily

    • 1st Edition
    • S. Marvin Friedman
    • English
    Biochemistry of Thermophily covers the proceedings of a seminar held under the auspices of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 22-24, 1977. This seminar focuses on biochemistry of thermophilic microorganisms. It presents an achievement in the complex field of thermophiles and their unique properties. This book discusses the fatty acid composition in several strains of moderately and extremely thermophilic bacteria, the membrane and lipid components, the biosynthesis and function of ω-cyclohexyl fatty acids, and the influence of growth temperature and lipid state on lipid and protein distribution. It then presents the ecologic and genetic aspects of thermophilic bacteria, including their morphology, surface structure, and transfection. It also examines the function and thermostability of ribosomal proteins, polypeptides, and polyamines in thermophilic bacteria. Finally, the book discusses the thermostability of proteins, the effect of amino acid substitution on conformational stability of thermophile, the thermophilic enzymes, and the physiology of thermophilic bacteria. This book will be helpful to molecular and research biologists, teachers, and students who wish to expand their understanding on mechanisms of thermophilicity, thermostability, and thermophilic microorganisms.
  • Central Cholinergic Systems and Behaviour

    • 1st Edition
    • F DeFeudis
    • English
    Central Cholinergic Systems and behavior reviews experimental evidence on the possible involvement of central cholinergic systems in the regulation of animal behavior. More specifically, the book investigates the role of acetylcholine as a transmitter in the mammalian spinal cord and in central nervous function. This text also describes cholinergic involvement in some of the more fundamental processes of central nervous functions and how it may fit into overall cholinergic and non-cholinergic behavioral patterns. This book is organized into seven chapters and begins with an overview of the link between central cholinergic mechanisms and behavior, and then discusses the cholinergic roles in consciousness, emphasizing on the roles of reticular systems in the arousal mechanism. An effort is made to define the cholinergic nature of some spinal mechanisms that are apparently involved in reflexes and posture. An account of the role of cholinergic mechanisms in central respiratory control is also given, along with the function of acetylcholine as an important transmitter at many sites of the central nervous system. The book concludes by analyzing the roles of cholinergic systems in motivated behaviors, emotion, learning, and memory. This book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in fields ranging from physiology to biology and psychiatry.
  • Heterojunctions and Metal Semiconductor Junctions

    • 1st Edition
    • A.G. Milnes
    • English
    Heterojunctions and Metal-Semiconductor Junctions discusses semiconductor-semico... heterojunctions and metal-semiconductor heterojunctions, which are of significant practical importance today and also of considerable scientific interest, with worthwhile problems still to be explored and understood. Many classes of heterojunctions are believed to have new and valuable applications. Although some aspects of heterojunction behavior remain areas for continued scientific and technological study, the main outlines of the subject are clear. This book comprises nine chapters, and begins with an introduction to semiconductor heterojunctions. Succeeding chapters then discuss semiconductor p-n heterojunction models and diode behavior; heterojunction transistors; isotype (n-n, p-p) heterojunctions; optical properties of heterojunctions and heterojunction lasers; metal-semiconductor barriers; metal-semiconductor junction behavior; high yield photoemissive cathodes; and fabrication of heterojunctions. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of applied physics.
  • The Mycoplasmas V1

    Cell Biology
    • 1st Edition
    • M.F. Barile
    • English
    The Mycoplasmas, Volume I: Cell Biology is a volume of a comprehensive three-volume series encompassing various facets of mycoplasmology, emphasizing outstanding developments made in the field. This volume deals specifically with the cell biology of the mycoplasmas. This book focuses on problems regarding mycoplasma classification, phylogenetics, and relatedness to wall-covered bacteria; their unique molecular biology, energy metabolism, transport mechanisms, antigenic structure, and membrane biochemistry. The characterization, ultrastructure, and molecular biology of the mycoplasmaviruses, as well as the special properties of several groups of mycoplasmas, such as Ureaplasma, Acholeplasma, Thermoplasma, and Anaeroplasma, are also described. This book will serve as a standard reference work for mycoplasmologists, as well as for other interested microbiologists, cellular and molecular biologists, membrane biochemists, clinicians, veterinarians, plant pathologists, and entomologists.
  • Tropical Diseases of Legumes

    • 1st Edition
    • Julio Bird
    • English
    Tropical Diseases of Legumes consists of papers presented at a workshop held at Rio Piedras Agricultural Station, University of Puerto Rico, in June 1974. Legumes are group of plants that provide an important and often sole source of protein in the diet of millions of people. In the growing problem of hunger, there is an immediate need to raise the production of legumes through better knowledge of plant diseases, by ultimate prevention of these diseases, and through improved crop production. Consequently, a workshop is organized and the presented papers, grouped into four parts, are shown in this book. The first two parts describe the rugaceous and mosaic diseases. Bacterial diseases, chemical control, and ecology of pathogens are explained in the third part of this book. The last part explores the origin and improvement of the common bean, as well as its diseases in the tropical Americas. This book aims to provide a stimulating forum for discussion of the findings and observations in tropical legume disease research.