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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.

  • Ectomycorrhizae

    Their Ecology and Physiology
    • 1st Edition
    • G.C. Marks
    • English
    Ectomycorrhizae: Their Ecology and Physiology provides an overview of the state of knowledge and opinion on the physiological ecology of ectomycorrhizae, which may be defined as symbiotic associations between nonpathogenic or weakly pathogenic fungi and living cells of roots. Although the book places considerable emphasis on forestry aspects of mycorrhizal problems, its wide ranging subject matter cuts across the boundaries of a number of traditional plant sciences. The book begins with discussions of the structure, cytology, and morphogenesis of mycorrhizae; their classification; and their distribution in native and man-made forests. It then deals with the growth of ectomycorrhizal fungi around seeds and roots; nutrition uptake; and the role of hormones in mycorrhizal development. The remaining chapters cover the rhizosphere; the role of mycorrhizae in feeder root diseases and the mechanisms for their resistance; and applications of mycorrhizal relations in forest management. This book will be of interest to a wide variety of researchers and teachers, especially agronomists, biochemists, foresters, horticulturists, mycologists, plant pathologists, soil scientists, plant ecologists, plant physiologists, and microbiologists.

  • The Biology And Control of Weeds in Sugarcane

    • 1st Edition
    • S Peng
    • English
    The Biology and Control of Weeds in Sugarcane provides a comprehensive discussion of the problems of weed control in sugarcane against the background of world-wide cultivation, with emphasis on Taiwan's intensive pattern of crop farming. The book is divided into 12 chapters which present the following concepts of weed control in sugarcane: botanical description of sugarcane; the cultivation of sugarcane in relation to weed control; weeds associated with sugarcane and their biological characteristics; losses in crop production caused by weeds; chemical control of weeds; crop tolerance and weed responses to chemicals; evaluation of new herbicides; research and practices of chemical weed control; and application techniques and equipment utilized in weed control. The book is an authoritative reference for agriculture students, lecturers, and scientists. The advances presented in the book are also an invaluable contribution to the expanding ""Weed Science"" and will serve as an excellent background and perspective for further weed studies.

  • Chromosome Microdissection and Cloning

    A Practical Guide
    • 1st Edition
    • Nabil Hagag
    • English
    Chromosome Microdissection and Cloning: A Practical Guide is a straightforward guide to chromosome microdissection and cloning. It presents an overview of the procedures and briefly reviews a few areas of research in which these techniques are applied. Topics range from preparation of chromosomes for microdissection to molecular cloning of microdissected chromosomal DNA. Methods of chromosome microdissection, including video microscope method and oil chamber method, are described. Comprised of five chapters, this book begins with an overview of the structure and organization of chromosomes, followed by a description of methods for preparing and preserving chromosomal DNA in a manner that is useful for cloning and direct analysis. Microdissection of metaphase chromosomes and isolation of fragments can be accomplished in one of the three ways described in the next chapter: by microdissection using an upright microscope and glass capillaries in an oil chamber; by laser microbeam; and with the use of an inverted microscope equipped with a video camera and high magnification-high resolution lenses. A step-by-step guide to these techniques and solutions for common problems are given following each method. Protocols for cloning and identifying genetic sequences from defined chromosome regions, particularly using the polymerase chain reaction, are also discussed. The final chapter focuses on applications of chromosome microdissection, such as cloning of disease-specific genes and generating "sequence tagged sites" to be used in large DNA sequencing projects. This monograph will be particularly helpful to investigators setting up microdissection systems de novo.

  • Genetic Control of Insect Pests

    • 1st Edition
    • G Davidson
    • English
    Genetic Control of Insect Pests focuses on laboratory and field trials of genetic control methods of insects, which entails the use of insects to control themselves. It particularly describes species-specific and non-polluting genetic methods that have the advantage over most other methods of being efficient when the target insect is in low density, as the released insects have the capacity to search out the wild populations. Composed of nine chapters, the core parts of the book cover the mass-rearing, sterilization, and release of populations in the hope that these will mate with wild populations, leading to fertility reduction and population elimination. The book also examines techniques that use naturally existing population incompatibilities and techniques, which can result in population replacement rather than eradication with the intention to render such replacement populations harmless beforehand by genetic manipulation. This book is a valuable source of information for those who are searching for biological alternatives of insect pests control.

  • The Hormones V5

    Physiology, Chemistry and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Mohhamad Reza Kiani
    • English
    The Hormones: Physiology, Chemistry and Applications, Volume V covers the advances in understanding the nature and function of hormones. This seven-chapter volume is a continuation of Volume IV on the endocrinology of plant and non-mammalian animal hormones. The introductory chapters examine the structure, metabolite actions, and some other chemical aspects of pituitary hormones. The following chapter explores the physiological, biochemical, and phylogenetic aspects of thyroid hormones, as well as brief description of thyroid cytology and process kinetics related to the thyroid. This chapter also presents mathematical models describing the processes of accumulation and binding of iodide in the thyroid, along with the release and metabolism of thyroid hormone. These topics are followed by discussions on the methods and concepts used for in vivo studies with labeled steroids in man. A chapter focuses on the role of hormones on tumorigenesis and tumor growth. Another chapter considers the concepts of mode of action of other hormones, such as insulin, epinephrine, and estradiol. The concluding chapter treats some examples of endocrine disease from the standpoint of the biological problems. Endocrinologists, physiologists, biochemists, phylogeneticists, and researchers who are interested in expanding knowledge on hormones will find this book invaluable.

  • Metabolic Aspects of Food Safety

    • 1st Edition
    • Francis Roe
    • English
    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.

  • The Behavior of Fish and Other Aquatic Animals

    • 1st Edition
    • David Mostofsky
    • English
    The Behavior of Fish and Other Aquatic Animals provides a comprehensive discussion of the behavior of fish and other aquatic animals. It aims to fulfill the need for published materials that can responsibly depict the status quo of existing knowledge, and that can serve to educate the scientist seeking an organized presentation focused on biobehavioral issues and techniques. The book begins by exploring symbiotic relationships in fishes that range from broad multispecific types that have little or no intimacy between symbionts to intimate mutualistic relationships. It then presents studies on the feasibility of using teleost fish as subjects in behavioral toxicology experiments; the visual behavior of fishes; the role of the teleost telencephalon in behavior; and the auditory systems of fishes. The remaining chapters cover the behavior of turtles in land, sea, and fresh waters; visually guided behavior in turtles; the gas bubble disease of fish; and the advantages and limitations of acoustic telemetry, which has been used to obtain data from animals ranging in size from hatchling sea turtles to large tuna and sharks.

  • The Macrophage In Neoplasia

    • 1st Edition
    • Mary Fink
    • English
    The Macrophage in Neoplasia is a compilation of papers presented at a workshop held at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on October 8-11, 1975. The book presents the many faceted activities of macrophage. This book is divided according to the five sessions of the workshop. First session talks about the role of tumor macrophages in vivo. It then elucidates the macrophage function and indicates how the interaction of macrophages with other cells can alter the host-tumor balance. The remaining sessions, as presented in this book, explore the mechanism of macrophage mediated cytotoxicity, functional expression of macrophages and neoplasia, and the stimulation of macrophage function and applied therapy.

  • The Structure and Function of Nervous Tissue V6

    Structure IV and Physiology IV
    • 1st Edition
    • Geoffrey Bourne
    • English
    The Structure and Function of Nervous Tissue, Volume VI: Structure IV and Physiology IV covers topics pertaining to ependyma and subependymal layer, filaments and tubules, synapse, epiphysis cerebri, excitation, macromolecules, and dopamine in the nervous system. The book particularly discusses the main structural features and functions of the ependyma and subependymal layer. It describes the ultrastructure of the synapse, and the nonspecific changes of the central nervous system in normal and experimental materials. It also includes the molecular biology of developing mammalian brain. In addition, the ""macromolecular picture"" of nerve excitation based on accumulated experimental findings from intracellularly perfused squid giant axons is presented. Lastly, evidence pertaining to the view that dopamine plays an important role in the control of extrapyramidal (striatal) motor functions is shown. This book will be very useful for graduate students in a variety of disciplines and for those specializing in particular aspects of nervous tissue study.

  • The Biology of Marsupials

    • 1st Edition
    • Don II Hunsaker
    • English
    The Biology of Marsupials is a compilation and analysis of the research conducted on New World marsupials that covers both Australian and didelphid marsupials. It is organized into nine chapters that aim to bring scientific community the information available on certain aspects of marsupial biology. After presenting data on karyotypes, comparative serology, classification, and phylogenetic inferences of marsupials, this book goes on discussing the organism's chromosomes, cell cycles, and cytogenetics. A chapter covers the ecological strategies and adaptations of marsupial family, particularly, of the Didelphis virginiana. Another chapter discusses marsupial neurology; evidence of commonalities with eutherian nervous systems; distinctive features peculiar to the marsupial subclass; and neural specialization identification of particular genera and species in this subclass. The following chapter describes the plasticity, variability, and generability of the behavior patterns of marsupials. This book also describes the anatomy and histologic, embryologic, and gerontologic observations of Marmosa robinsoni. The concluding chapters discuss diseases of both American and Australasian marsupials based on zoological, wildlife, parasitological, and veterinary medical studies. Supplemental texts are also provided. This book is ideal for researchers in the fields of developmental anatomy, immunology, neurology, and many aspects of comparative medicine and behavior.

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