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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.

  • Plant Geography

    With Special Reference to North America
    • 1st Edition
    • Rexford Daubenmire
    • English
    Plant Geography: With Special Reference to North America covers main concepts of the two major approaches to plant geography, namely, the floristic plant geography and the ecologic plant geography. Floristic plant geography primarily studies evolutionary divergence, migration, and decline of taxa, as influenced by past events of the earth’s history. Ecologic plant geography is an alternative approach to plant geography, which takes plant communities as units having ranges to be interpreted, dominated by sociologic and physiologic, rather than phylogenetic and historic considerations. Under the floristic plant geography part, topics covered include interrelations among floristic plant geography, taxonomy, and geology; the relation between plant dissemination and migration; evidence of the dynamic character of plant ranges; and migratory route. After a brief introduction to the evolution of North and South America vegetation, the book discusses the ecologic plant geography section that focuses on various vegetation regions in North America, including Tundra, subarctic-subalpine forest, temperate mesophytic, xerophytic forest, and chaparral and steppe regions and temperate affinity forests in Middle America. Other regions examined include the desert and marine regions, as well as the microphyllous woodland, tropical savanna, rain forest, and tropical alpine. With great information on geologic history of each vegetation unit and paleontology, this book will be helpful to paleobotanists, historical geologists, and taxonomists.
  • Tissue Printing

    Tools for the Study of Anatomy, Histochemistry, And Gene Expression
    • 1st Edition
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    Tissue Printing explains and compiles step-by-step methods and applications of this elegantly simple and practical technique. The protocols can be easily modified by the research biologist or teacher to study a wide variety of biological problems for basic research or classroom teaching. Tissue printing requires no expensive equipment for successful implementation, is safe, and can be used for both plant and animal systems. This practical laboratory guide contains many illustrative halftones, a complete bibliography, technique overviews, detailed protocols, and sample practical applications.
  • Environment and the Experimental Control of Plant Growth

    • 1st Edition
    • R.J. Downs
    • English
    Environment and the Experimental Control of Plant Growth centers on the general role of environmental factors in plant growth and methods of providing the desired levels and limit of control. The book is organized into seven chapters focusing on the various factors in the environment, such as temperature, light, carbon dioxide, and water. It also describes the controlled environments for plant research. This book will help biologists understand what he is buying or constructing in terms of environment variability in plant growth facilities. It will also provide some help and guidance to those who have encountered the problem of not obtaining the degree of control they have expected in the units they have in hand.
  • An Introduction to Farm Organisation & Management

    • 2nd Edition
    • M. Buckett
    • English
    The interval between the first and second editions of this book have witnessed significant changes for the food producers of the EEC. They have moved from a period of increasing production to an era of food surpluses and statutory reductions in production. This overall change in the fortunes of agriculture have greatly increased the need for sound business management. This book has been substantially updated to include all the current factors that have to be taken into consideration by farmers, as well as still providing a basic introduction to the study of farm management for students. It should prove invaluable reading to those running farms, whether experienced or inexperienced.
  • The Biogenesis of Mitochondria

    Transcriptional, Translational and Genetic Aspects
    • 1st Edition
    • A Kroon
    • English
    The Biogenesis of Mitochondria: Transcriptional, Translational and Genetic Aspects covers the symposium, ""Biogenesis of Mitochondria"", held in Rosa Marina near Bari, Italy in June 1973. Organized into three parts, this book first discusses the mechanism, products, and role of mitochondrial DNA in mitochondrial transcription, including the genetic aspects of the process. Subsequent parts elucidate the characteristics of the mitochondrial protein synthetic machinery, as well as the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins.
  • Transport And Diffusion Across Cell Membranes

    • 1st Edition
    • Wilfred Stein
    • English
    Transport and Diffusion across Cell Membranes is a comprehensive treatment of the transport and diffusion of molecules and ions across cell membranes. This book shows that the same kinetic equations (with appropriate modification) can describe all the specialized membrane transport systems: the pores, the carriers, and the two classes of pumps. The kinetic formalism is developed step by step and the features that make a system effective in carrying out its biological role are highlighted. This book is organized into six chapters and begins with an introduction to the structure and dynamics of cell membranes, followed by a discussion on how the membrane acts as a barrier to the transmembrane diffusion of molecules and ions. The following chapters focus on the role of the membrane's protein components in facilitating transmembrane diffusion of specific molecules and ions, measurements of diffusion through pores and the kinetics of diffusion, and the structure of such pores and their biological regulation. This book methodically introduces the reader to the carriers of cell membranes, the kinetics of facilitated diffusion, and cotransport systems. The primary active transport systems are considered, emphasizing the pumping of an ion (sodium, potassium, calcium, or proton) against its electrochemical gradient during the coupled progress of a chemical reaction while a conformational change of the pump enzyme takes place. This book is of interest to advanced undergraduate students, as well as to graduate students and researchers in biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and biophysics.
  • Human Lymphokines

    The Biological Immune Response Modifiers
    • 1st Edition
    • Amanullah Khan
    • English
    Human Lymphokines: The Biological Immune Response Modifiers is a collection of papers presented at the Third International Symposium on Human Lymphokines held on October 15-17, 1981 at the Wadley Institutes of Molecular Medicine in Dallas, Texas. Contributors explore the role of human lymphokines in immune responses and their applications in immunotherapy. The focus is on lymphokines that have either entered clinical trials or are nearing clinical evaluation. Some of the activities of possible immediate significance, such as Glia cell stimulating factor and polyclonal B-cell activator, are also described. This volume is organized into six sections encompassing 56 chapters and begins with an overview of assay systems, touching on topics such as the activation of macrophages by interferon to produce plasminogen and macrophage activation by lymphokine factors. The next sections turn to the production, purification, and biological and chemical characterization of lymphokines. The discussion then shifts to the mechanisms of action of lymphokines in vitro and the use of animal models in lymphokine investigations, including lymphokine fractions in a mouse tumor model and enhancement of natural killing activity by different types of interferon. A great deal of emphasis is placed on macrophage migration inhibitory factor, lymphotoxins, gamma interferon, and interleukins. The book concludes with chapters devoted to the immunoregulatory effects of lymphokines and clinical studies.
  • Organization and Assembly of Plant and Animal Extracellular Matrix

    • 1st Edition
    • W. Steven Adair
    • English
    Organization and Assembly of Plant and Animal Extracellular Matrix presents a state-of-the-art view of some of the experimental systems in plant and animal matrix biology. It discusses certain principles underlying establishment of complex three-dimensional architecture cross broad evolutionary boundaries. The opening chapter reviews studies on the cellular mechanisms responsible for storage, release, assembly, and function of extracellular matrices during early sea urchin development. The subsequent chapters describe the structure, assembly, disassembly, and molecular biology of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cell wall. The chapters also summarize the status of work on basement membrane assembly. Important insights into approaches to identify critical molecular domains and the complexity of relating defined molecular associations to establishment of matrix architecture are provided. A family of discovered cell wall genes that encode protein products containing up to 70% glycine is presented in Chapter 4. This is followed by a discussion on the role of alginate self-assembly in cell wall formation in Fucus. The book goes on to address the issue of protein-carbohydrate recognition with a detailed discussion of plant and animal lectins. Chapter 7 tackles a family of genes encoding higher plant hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) and the relationship between the HRGP genes cloned and their products. The final two chapters are devoted to one of the most important classes of protein modifying enzymes for extracellular matrix formation and function, the prolyl hydroxylases. This book will be of help to workers in plant and animal matrix in understanding information, approaches, and ideas that they may not normally encounter.
  • Cation Flux Across Biomembranes

    • 1st Edition
    • Yasuo Mukohata
    • English
    Cation Flux Across Biomembranes documents the proceedings of a symposium on ""Cation Flux across Biomembranes"" sponsored by the Japan Bioenergetics Group, held September 10-13, 1978 at the Inter-University Seminar House of Kansai in Kobe, Japan. The symposium brought together 80 of the leading investigators concerned with ATP-utilizing and ATP-generating systems associated with cation fluxes across membranes to discuss biochemical mechanisms in depth and their relation to cation transport functions. The papers presented focused on three types of membrane systems. The first two membrane systems are classified as ATP-utilizing systems. These include the plasma membrane, associated with the ATP dependent Na+-K+ transport system, which draws upon most of the cell's energy for cation fluxes; and the sarcoplasmic recticulum membrane associated with Ca++ transport, which plays a key role in excitation-contracti... coupling in muscle. The third type of membrane system falls under ATP-generating systems. These include the inner membranes of mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacteria associated with H+ fluxes generated by oxidation-reduction reactions, and their coupling to secondary ion flows and oxidative and photosynthetic phosphorylation. H+ transport associated with the photoreaction cycle of bacteriorhodopsin, the light energy converted in halobacteria was also considered.
  • Viruses, Evolution and Cancer Basic Considerations

    • 1st Edition
    • Edouard Kurstak
    • English
    Viruses, Evolution and Cancer: Basic Considerations focuses on comparative biology and evolutionary aspects of DNA and RNA oncogenic viruses. Organized into seven parts, this book begins with a discussion on the host-cell-virus relationships. Some chapters follow that discuss the comparative aspects of DNA and RNA oncogenic viruses. This work also elucidates the effects of oncogenic viruses on cell surface metabolism. Other chapters explore the comparative viral oncology, comparative immunology of oncogenic viruses, and evolution of viruses. This book will be an invaluable material both to those concerned in the scientific and medical problems of cancer and will benefit all who are interested in virology and oncology.