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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.

    • Molecular Biology of RNA Tumor Viruses

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • John Stephenson
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Molecular Biology of RNA Tumor Viruses deals with the molecular biology and biologic significance of RNA tumor viruses. Methods and procedures with broad application to diverse areas of molecular biology, including cell culture procedures, competition radioimmunoassays, molecular hybridization, oligonucleotide mapping, heteroduplex mapping, and restriction endonuclease techniques, are considered. This book is organized into 12 chapters and begins with a historical overview of tumor virology beginning with the early studies of Peyton Rous and leading up to the significant surge of activity during the later decade. The biology of endogenous retroviruses, their transmission both within and between species, and cellular regulatory factors influencing their expression are subsequently discussed. This book then addresses the nature and origin of transforming RNA viruses and gives a detailed review of knowledge concerning the genomic structure of type C viruses. Translational products encoded by the type C viral genome are examined in ensuing chapters, emphasizing the viral reverse transcriptase. Other mammalian retroviruses, including the mouse mammary tumor virus and type D isolates of primates, are also described. The book concludes by evaluating the possibility of direct etiologic involvement of either endogenous or exogenous RNA tumor viruses in human cancers. This book will be of value both to graduate students and to established investigators with specific interest in other aspects of molecular biology.
    • Invertebrate Pathology Noncommunicable Diseases

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Albert Sparks
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Invertebrate Pathology Noncommunicable Diseases discusses the taxonomic and phylogenetic aspects of invertebrate pathology, beginning with protozoans and progressing through the ascending taxonomic order to the chordates. The book is organized into seven chapters that cover the death and postmortem change; reaction to injury and wound repair; the physical and chemical injuries; the effects of venoms and biotoxins; the effects of ionizing radiation; and tumors and tumor-like growths. The opening chapter describes stages of events in death: necrosis; somatic death; gross and histological postmortem changes; and cellular depression and degeneration. The following chapter discusses the inflammatory response, called wound repair, to injury in invertebrates. This text describes the processes that occur after injury in many invertebrates and covers the general principles of physical, chemical, and biological injuries. Discussions on the effects of trauma, pressure and temperature changes, poisons, pesticides, detergents, venoms, biotoxins, and toxigenic algae are included. The book further examines the effects of ionizing radiation both on vertebrates and invertebrates, such as beta particles, gamma and X-rays, and neutrons. The concluding chapter describes the structures of tumor in invertebrates, focusing on hyperplasia or unusual proliferation of typical cellular components, in response to injury or parasitic invasion. With an ultimate objective to stimulate an acceleration of research effort in invertebrate pathology, the book is an invaluable source for invertebrate pathologists, immunologists, and parasitologists.
    • Plant, Chemicals and Growth

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • F.C. Steward
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Plants, Chemicals and Growth investigates natural and synthetic chemicals that control plant growth and development. It examines how plant growth regulators, such as 2,4-D, 2,4-dichlorophenoxya... acid, 2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-trichloropheno... acid, ammonium sulfamate, indole-3-butyric acid, disodium 3,6-endoxohexahydrop... gibberellic acid, and 2-chloroethyltrimeth... chloride, induce biological responses in plants. These responses range from tropism and chemotropism to growth of organs by cell division and enlargement, rhythmic phenomena in growth and development, initiation of lateral organs and problems of phyllotaxy, and the regulatory effects of light and temperature on growth and form. Comprised of 10 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of chemical regulators and the ways in which they elicit biological responses in plants; how chemical regulation of plants is related to the growth and development of flowering plants; cell growth and cell division; cell cycle; and cellular ontogeny. It then looks at the history and modern concepts of growth-regulating compounds, such as auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins. The book introduces readers to how chemicals induce growth in quiescent cells; natural sources of growth stimulatory substances; synergisms and interactions of growth regulatory systems; growth-regulating effects in free cell systems; examples of biologically active compounds; the mechanisms of action of plant growth regulators; concepts and interpretations of plant growth regulation; and prospects and problems associated with chemical regulation of plant growth and behavior. Teachers, biology students, agriculturalists, and researchers will find this book extremely useful.
    • Metabolic Aspects of Food Safety

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Francis Roe
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Metabolic Aspects of Food Safety is based on the proceedings of the Second Food Safety Conference held in 1969. The first conference was held in April 1966 and was concerned solely with the Pathology of Small Laboratory Animals. The program of the second Conference was intended to be complementary to that of the first. In 1966, the animals used for tests were considered. The 1969 conference focused on the tests themselves and their interpretation in relation to the toxicity or safety of the constituents, including additives and contaminants, of man's food for man. The contributions made by researchers at the conference included studies on the need for more biochemical information in food safety evaluation; the physiology of gastrointestinal absorption; renal function tests in laboratory animals; significance of age of test animals in food additive evaluation; aspects of protein metabolism relevant to food safety evaluation; and significance of organ-weight changes in food safety evaluation.
    • Energy in Farm Production

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • R.C. Fluck
      • English
      • Paperback
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      This last volume of the Energy in World Agriculture series is in many ways the series' Alpha and its Omega. It addresses the broad issues related to the use of energy in agricultural production, and also characterizes and quantifies the energy involvements of many agricultural production technologies. It is a compilation of descriptive and analytical information and design principles and data of energy use in this field. A significant aspect is the relationship between energy and agricultural productivity, increased knowledge and resulting improved management of energy-consuming operations on the farm. Information provided here has not been published elsewhere before. Throughout the book are examples of the important role that energy inputs have played in increasing productivity of the world's agricultural systems. Together with a revived interest in energy for agricultural production due to increases in energy costs, this volume meets that interest with valuable information and insights.
    • Agricultural Engineering Soil Mechanics

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 10
      • December 2, 2012
      • E. McKyes
      • English
      • Paperback
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      This book provides an introduction to classical soil mechanics and foundation engineering, and applies these principles to agricultural engineering situations. Theoretical design formulae are given, plus tables and graphs dealing with bearing capacity factors, wall pressure factors, soil cutting numbers and soil mechanical properties. Many example problems of design and analysis are solved in the text, and there are unsolved problems given for each chapter.The text begins with descriptions of soil origins and classification systems, including agricultural classification schemes, and then introduces classical concepts of soil strength and strength measurement techniques in the laboratory and in the field. Soil mechanics is applied to the design of shallow foundations, and the design formulae as well as tables of bearing capacity factors for design use are provided. New research and design findings in the specialized area of tall and heavy farm silos are also given, in addition to deep pile foundation design for heavy structures on very soft soils. Water flow in soils is treated, together with stability of ditch bank slopes and small earth dams, design of retaining walls and pressure pressures in bins and silos, soil erosion and protection methods, soil cutting and tillage design methods, soil compaction analysis, the use of geotextiles and problems of soil freezing.The book is directed primarily at professional university students in Agricultural Engineering, but will also be of interest to scientists working in other engineering branches, landscape architecture, soil physics and the like.
    • Genetic Control of Immune Responsiveness

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Hugh Mcdevitt
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Genetic Control of Immune Responsiveness: Relationship to Disease Susceptibility documents the proceedings of an international conference held at Brook Lodge, Augusta, Michigan, May 8-10, 1972. It brings together the detailed experimental evidence on the mechanism of action of specific immune response genes, and shows how the two major classes of immune response genes affect our understanding of basic immunology and antibody formation on the one hand, and of host factors determining disease susceptibility on the other. The book is organized into seven parts that correspond to the seven sessions of the conference. Part I presents a session on how the study of the genetic control of immune responses in guinea pigs and mice has contributed to the development of T cell immunology. Part II presents a session on genetic fine structure of the major (H-2) histocompatibility complex in the mouse. Part III presents a session dealing with the association between the production of homogeneous antibody, or of idiotypic antibody, and immunoglobulin allotypes. Part IV presents a session on the relationship between histocompatibility-l... and allotype-linked immune response genes and antigen-specific receptors on T and B cells. Part V presents a session on animal models of multigenic control of susceptibility to disease. Part VI presents a session on the associations between HL-A type and specific disease entities. Finally, Part VII provides a commentary on the ideas and concepts emerging from the three days of free-ranging discussion.
    • Germination Control. Metabolism, and Pathology

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • T.T. Kozlowski
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Seed Biology, Volume II: Germination Control, Metabolism, and Pathology is a part of a three-volume treatise, which aims to bring together a large body of important information on seed biology. Organized into five chapters, this book begins with a discussion on environmental control of germination and its biological significance. Separate chapters follow that discuss physiology and metabolism of seeds with specific dormancy and anomalous storage history, as well as those germinated under abnormal conditions. This work will be useful to various groups of research biologists and teachers, including agronomists, plant anatomists, biochemists, ecologists, entomologists, foresters, horticulturists, plant pathologists, and plant physiologists.
    • Determinants of Spatial Organization

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Stephen Subtelny
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Determinants of Spatial Organization documents the proceedings of the 35th symposium of the Society for Developmental Biology in 1978. The symposium brings together a diverse group of investigators who are engaged in the analysis of mechanisms involved in spatial organization. The contributions made by researchers at the symposium are organized into three parts. Part I on the cytoplasmic localization of determinants includes studies on fine structure of cytoplasmic specializations of the polar lobe of molluscan embryos; the fine structure of the polar granules of Drosophila eggs; and the polarity of rhizoid formation in Fucus. Part II deals with maternal-effect mutants of developmental processes. It includes studies on temperature sensitive maternal effect mutants in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; the nature of the control of gene action during development; and deviations from normal development observed in mutant embryos of Drosophila melanogaster. Part III examines pattern formation in developing systems. It includes studies on intracellular patterning in Tetrahymena; developmental properties of nerve-free hydra; and intercellular interactions and pattern formation in filamentous cyanobacteria.
    • Invertebrate Cell Culture Applications

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Karl Maramorosch
      • English
      • Paperback
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      Invertebrate Cell Culture Applications assesses the status of invertebrate cell culture at a time when this method can be used to solve problems in a number of diverse disciplines. Organized into seven chapters, this book begins by discussing the development and amino acid requirements of insect cell culture. It then describes the Drosophila tissue culture and chromosomal phenomena in cell lines of this organism. This book also explains the culture conditions regulating the infection of cells by an intracellular microorganism, as well as the replication of arboviruses in arthropod in vitro systems. Lastly, the characteristics, growth requirements, and applications of tick cell culture to parasitology are explored. This book will contribute in solving biomedical and agricultural problems. This reference material will be of special interest to parasitologists, virologists, microbiologists, entomologists, geneticists, medical researchers, and graduate students in related fields of biomedical research.