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Books in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

  • Encyclopedia of Food Safety

    • 1st Edition
    • December 12, 2013
    • Yasmine Motarjemi
    • English
    With the world’s growing population, the provision of a safe, nutritious and wholesome food supply for all has become a major challenge. To achieve this, effective risk management based on sound science and unbiased information is required by all stakeholders, including the food industry, governments and consumers themselves. In addition, the globalization of the food supply requires the harmonization of policies and standards based on a common understanding of food safety among authorities in countries around the world. With some 280 chapters, the Encyclopedia of Food Safety provides unbiased and concise overviews which form in total a comprehensive coverage of a broad range of food safety topics, which may be grouped under the following general categories: History and basic sciences that support food safety; Foodborne diseases, including surveillance and investigation; Foodborne hazards, including microbiological and chemical agents; Substances added to food, both directly and indirectly; Food technologies, including the latest developments; Food commodities, including their potential hazards and controls; Food safety management systems, including their elements and the roles of stakeholders. The Encyclopedia provides a platform for experts from the field of food safety and related fields, such as nutrition, food science and technology and environment to share and learn from state-of-the art expertise with the rest of the food safety community.
  • Global Safety of Fresh Produce

    A Handbook of Best Practice, Innovative Commercial Solutions and Case Studies
    • 1st Edition
    • December 9, 2013
    • Jeffrey Hoorfar
    • English
    Continuing food poisoning outbreaks around the globe have put fresh produce safety at the forefront of food research. Global Safety of Fresh Produce provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of best practice for produce safety throughout the food chain, and unique coverage of commercial technologies for fresh produce safety. Part one covers the production and regulation of fresh produce on the agricultural level, including issues of niche farm fresh products, FDA regulation, and zoonotic transfer of pathogens from animals to farm products. Part two moves on to look at safety and environmental issues surrounding fresh produce processing, such as postharvest washing, alternative sanitizers, and using produce waste as animal feed. Part three focuses on current and emerging commercial solutions for fresh produce safety, like ionizing radiation and edible coatings, and part four covers methods of laboratory testing and related legislation. The final section of the book covers a series of case studies of fresh produce safety breaches, including European E. coli outbreaks in sprouts and leafy greens, and the illegal use of fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) in China. This book is an essential text for R&D managers in the fresh produce industry, quality control professionals working with fresh produce throughout the food chain, postgraduate students, and academic researchers with an interest in fresh produce safety.
  • The Guide to Investigation of Mouse Pregnancy

    • 1st Edition
    • December 9, 2013
    • B. Anne Croy + 3 more
    • English
    The Guide to Investigation of Mouse Pregnancy is the first publication to cover the mouse placenta or the angiogenic tree the mother develops to support the placenta. This much-needed resource covers monitoring of the cardiovascular system, gestational programming of chronic adult disease, epigenetic regulation, gene imprinting, and stem cells. Offering detailed and integrated information on how drugs, biologics, stress, and manipulations impact pregnancy in the mouse model, this reference highlights techniques used to analyze mouse pregnancy. Joining the ranks of much referenced mouse resources, The Guide to Investigation of Mouse Pregnancy is the only manual providing needed content on pregnancy in animal models for translational medicine and research.
  • Plant Virus-Host Interaction

    Molecular Approaches and Viral Evolution
    • 1st Edition
    • December 7, 2013
    • R.K. Gaur + 2 more
    • English
    Plant Virus-Host Interaction contains cutting-edge research in plant molecular virology, including pathogenic viroids and transport by insect vectors, interference with transmission to control viruses, and synergism, with pivotal coverage of RNA silencing and the counter-defensive strategies used by viruses to overcome the silencing response in plants. With a clear focus on plant virus evolution, including quantitative and population genetics, Plant Virus-Host Interaction provides insights on the major factors favoring disease emergence, such as genetic change in pathogen and host populations and changes in host ecology and environment. The book also examines socioeconomic implications of widespread plant viral agents. Contributions from leading experts around the globe provide varied perspectives, while comprehensive coverage ensures a complete look at this exciting field.
  • Social Predation

    How Group Living Benefits Predators and Prey
    • 1st Edition
    • December 7, 2013
    • Guy Beauchamp
    • English
    The classic literature on predation dealt almost exclusively with solitary predators and their prey. Going back to Lotka-Volterra and optimal foraging theory, the theory about predation, including predator-prey population dynamics, was developed for solitary species. Various consequences of sociality for predators have been considered only recently. Similarly, while it was long recognized that prey species can benefit from living in groups, research on the adaptive value of sociality for prey species mostly emerged in the 1970s. The main theme of this book is the various ways that predators and prey may benefit from living in groups. The first part focusses on predators and explores how group membership influences predation success rate, from searching to subduing prey. The second part focusses on how prey in groups can detect and escape predators. The final section explores group size and composition and how individuals respond over evolutionary times to the challenges posed by chasing or being chased by animals in groups. This book will help the reader understand current issues in social predation theory and provide a synthesis of the literature across a broad range of animal taxa.
  • Fish Physiology: Organic Chemical Toxicology of Fishes

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 33
    • December 4, 2013
    • Keith B. Tierney + 2 more
    • English
    Fish Physiology: Organic Chemical Toxicology of Fishes discusses the different types of organic chemical contaminants and their respective toxic effects in fish. The book also covers the detection of dissolved organic compounds and methods to assess organic toxicity. Substances addressed in this book include organometallics, hydrocarbons, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), insecticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals. Fish are exposed to an ever-increasing array of organic chemicals that find their way into rivers and oceans. Some of these compounds are no longer being produced but nonetheless persist within the environment (persistent organic pollutants, or POPs). The exposure of fish to toxic organic compounds has potential impact on human, fish, and ecosystem health. Yet the regulations that govern environmental water quality vary worldwide, and compliance is never complete. This book provides a crucial resource on these issues for researchers in zoology, fish physiology, and related fields; applied researchers in environmental monitoring, conservation biology, and toxicology; and university-level students and instructors in these areas.
  • Green Vegetable Oil Processing

    Revsied First Edition
    • 1st Edition
    • December 4, 2013
    • Walter E. Farr + 1 more
    • English
    Alternative green food processing technologies have gained much technical and industrial attention in recent years as a potential means of reducing costs and promoting consumer awareness of corporate environmental responsibility. However, utilizing green principles is now becoming an effective business approach to enhance vegetable oil processing profitability. Two years have passed since the first edition of Green Vegetable Oil Processing was published. The Revised First Edition includes much of the content of the first edition, but incorporates updated data, details, images, figures, and captions. This book addresses alternative green technologies at various stages of oilseed and vegetable oil processing. This includes oil extraction technologies such as expeller, aqueous and supercritical methods, and green modifications of conventional unit operations such as degumming, refining, bleaching, hydrogenation, winterizing/dewaxing... fractionation, and deodorization. While most chapters describe soy oil processing, the techniques described equally applicable to oils and fats in general.
  • Working with Dynamic Crop Models

    Methods, Tools and Examples for Agriculture and Environment
    • 2nd Edition
    • November 25, 2013
    • Daniel Wallach + 3 more
    • English
    This second edition of Working with Dynamic Crop Models is meant for self-learning by researchers or for use in graduate level courses devoted to methods for working with dynamic models in crop, agricultural, and related sciences. Each chapter focuses on a particular topic and includes an introduction, a detailed explanation of the available methods, applications of the methods to one or two simple models that are followed throughout the book, real-life examples of the methods from literature, and finally a section detailing implementation of the methods using the R programming language. The consistent use of R makes this book immediately and directly applicable to scientists seeking to develop models quickly and effectively, and the selected examples ensure broad appeal to scientists in various disciplines.
  • Electrocardiography of Laboratory Animals

    • 1st Edition
    • November 22, 2013
    • Jeffrey W. Richig + 1 more
    • English
    Electrocardiography of Laboratory Animals is the only book covering electrocardiography of laboratory animals, including dogs, mini-pigs, and cynomologus monkeys. As more countries institute requirements for the care of laboratory animals in research, this publication offers an effective standard on performing and analyzing ECGs. Topics covered include safety electrocardiography, toxicology, safety pharmacology, and telemetry. Electrocardiography of Laboratory Animals will assist biological and medical researchers, veterinarians, zoologists, and students in understanding electrocardiography of various species of animals used in research.
  • A Complete Guide to Quality in Small-Scale Wine Making

    • 1st Edition
    • November 21, 2013
    • John Anthony Considine + 1 more
    • English
    As the wine industry has experienced a period of rapid global expansion, there is a renewed emphasis on quality and consistency even within the small winery industry. Written for the small production program, A Complete Guide to Quality in Small-Scale Wine Making is for the novice to intermediate level winemaker seeking foundational information in chemistry and sensory science as they relate to wine quality at a technical level. Drawing from personal experience as well as scientific literature, this book introduces the core concepts of winemaking before delving into methods and analysis to provide practical insights into creating and maintaining quality in the wine product.