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Elsevier

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.

  • Monoclonal Antibodies against Bacteria

    • 1st Edition
    • Alberto Macario
    • English
    Monoclonal Antibodies against Bacteria, Volume I explores the generation, characterization, and utilization of monoclonal antibodies against bacteria and on other monoclonal products relevant to antibacterial immune responses. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with a discussion on monoclonal antibodies against bacteria, encompassing its scope, research, and directions. It shows that the coordinated use of antisera and panels of monoclonal antibodies is proving useful for classification as a diagnostic tool with prognostic implications in the case of pathogens, or as a preliminary step in taxonomy. Also, monoclonal antibodies hold great potential as instruments in working with bacteria for industrial or biotechnological purposes, including genetic engineering. This book also elucidates the use of monoclonal antibodies of predefined molecular specificity for tracing molecular ""signatures"" left by a given strain in other microorganisms, subcellular structures, and materials from ecologic niches. The possibility of antibacterial and antitoxin therapies with monoclonal antibodies is also addressed. This treatise will be a valuable reference work to anyone working with monoclonal antibodies or getting ready to prepare them against the strain(s) (or bacterial structures) of his/her interest.

  • 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.

  • Methods in Mycoplasmology V1

    Mycoplasma Characterization
    • 1st Edition
    • Samuel Razin
    • English
    Methods in Mycoplasmology, Volume I: Mycoplasma Characterization is the first of a two-volume series that resulted from cumulative efforts to meet the need for standardized techniques in mycoplasmology. The book is organized into five sections. Section A provides an introduction to the mycoplasmas by discussing their characteristics and classification, mycoplasma-animal host interrelationships, and mycoplasma-plant-ins... interrelationships. The chapters in Section B examine the morphological and ultrastructural features of mycoplasmas, using techniques such as phase-contrast microscopy, dark-field microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Section C discusses the cultivation and nutrition of mycoplasmas. Section D focuses on analytical methods for the characterization of mycoplasmas, including harvest and washing procedures, cell lysis and membrane isolation, and crossed immunoelectrophoresi... Section E describes tests designed to detect specific enzymatic activities or nutritional requirements of mycoplasmas. These include sugar fermentation and arginine hydrolysis tests as well as tests to establish the sterol requirement of mycoplasmas. Section F deals with serological tests. These tests either have specific application to detection of mycoplasma antigens or antibody in plant and animal tissues; are useful in identification of specific groups of mycoplasmas (spiroplasmas); or provide higher sensitivity in measurements of antibodies against mycoplasmas.

  • Biochemistry and Genetics of Yeast

    Pure and Applied Aspect
    • 1st Edition
    • Metry Bacila
    • English
    Biochemistry and Genetics of Yeasts: Pure and Applied Aspects consists of papers presented at a symposium organized by the Academia Brasileira de Ciencias held at the Universidade de Sao Paulo, on December 4-10, 1977. Organized into seven parts, this book reveals relevant and exciting developments in the areas of yeast genetics, respiration and fermentation, metabolic regulation, cell wall structure, synthesis of macromolecules, and transport. It demonstrates the presence of great progress in the knowledge of structure and functions of the yeast mitochondrial DNA. This book will be useful to scientific institutes and university laboratories interested in the biochemistry, genetics, and technology of yeasts.

  • Primates in Nutritional Research

    • 1st Edition
    • K Hayes
    • English
    Primates in Nutritional Research is a result of a workshop on primate nutrition, held in October 1978. This book presents the topics in the workshop, which are the nutrient requirements and various techniques of feeding monkeys and the in-depth reviews of investigated aspects of nutritional research, where nonhuman primates are the models for human disease. This volume has 16 chapters and is basically divided according to two main themes. The first part (Chapters 1-7) deals with the practical matters of nutritional husbandry. Topics in this section include dietary allowances for nutrients; liquid formulas and protein requirements; caloric intake and weight changes; folic acid needs; and semipurified diets. The second part (Chapters 8-16) describes different models under investigation at the time of publishing. Included in this section are discussions on diet and atherosclerosis; selected aspects of metabolic behavior of the squirrel monkey; effects of dietary fat on plasma lipids; acute and chronic effects of ethanol; and the induction of obesity. Students, teachers, scientists, and researchers interested in nonhuman primate research will find this book very helpful. Professionals in other areas of study, such as nutrition and food science, medicine, metabolic diseases, and animal research, will also benefit from this book.

  • Origins of Molecular Biology

    A Tribute to Jacques Monod
    • 1st Edition
    • Andre Lwoff
    • English
    Origins of Molecular Biology: A Tribute to Jacques Monod consists of contributions of scientists narrating their experiences with Jacques Monod. Significantly, the history of various discoveries Jacques Monod made is unfolded. This book pictures Jacques Monod through the eyes of his technician, secretary, peers, friends, and even opponents. It notes that the depiction of the same discovery may be told differently by different scientists who worked at the same time in the same laboratory. The personality of the contributor sometimes influences the narration. Through this book, one can learn how a great scientist receives, discusses, rejects, accepts, assimilates, and creates ideas; how ideas are turned into experiments; how experimental results are interpreted and how concepts are born. In a word, it tells how science is constructed.

  • Serology and Immunochemistry of Plant Viruses

    • 1st Edition
    • M.H.V. Van Regenmortel
    • English
    Serology and Immunochemistry of Plant Viruses investigates the antigenic properties of plant viruses. It looks at the practical aspects of plant virus serology, along with the molecular basis of viral antigenicity, antigenic determinants in proteins, the structure of antibodies, virus purification, antiserum production, and the theoretical principles and practical implementation of the various serological techniques. It also considers the problems associated with identification and classification of plant viruses. Organized into 10 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of antigens and antigenic determinants before proceeding with a discussion of the immunochemistry of plant viruses, virus-antibody binding, the role of quaternary structure in antigenicity, and the structure of viral antigenic determinants. The reader is also introduced to the methods and principles of purifying plant viruses, preparation of antisera and purification of antibodies, antigen-antibody interaction, immunochemical techniques used with plant viruses, the role of quaternary structure on viral antigenicity, diagnosis of virus diseases, use of serological criteria for measuring the degree of relationship between viruses, and immunochemical studies of plant viruses. The book includes a bibliography with 1,400 references and a list of all the plant viruses that have been studied by serology. This book will be a useful resource for virologists and plant pathologists, as well as for students and research workers in plant virology, plant pathology, microbiology, and general virology.

  • Perspectives on Plant Competition

    • 1st Edition
    • James Grace
    • English
    Perspectives on Plant Competition is mainly about addressing the many different perspectives in plant competition and finding a common ground among them. Its aim is that through this common ground, new theories can be created. Encompassing 20 chapters, this book is divided into three parts. Part I, Perspectives on the Determinants of Competitive Success, consists of eight chapters. This section deals mainly on the question of determination of competitive success. Different writers put forward various definitions of competition and competitive success to shed light on the question at hand. In the second part of this book, an opposing set of views regarding the consequences of competitive interactions for the plant community structure is provided. This section emphasizes the idea that competition is not the sole force in natural communities. Each chapter in this part focuses on a certain aspect of competition as seen in different communities – across and within habitats – and systems. Part III, which comprises of four chapters, focuses on the competition within the context of interaction of plants with organisms on the other trophic levels. The chapters set forth the idea that competition depends on the impacts of herbivores, parasites, and symbionts. The concluding part of the book greatly emphasizes the need to integrate the mechanisms of competition into the framework of the entire food web.

  • The Computerized Greenhouse

    Automatic Control Application in Plant Production
    • 1st Edition
    • Bozzano G Luisa
    • English
    The aim of this book is to open up research areas in automatic control engineering for crop production systems in horticulture and agriculture, and to explain the principle ideas of advanced automatic control in plant production. The text includes detailed discussions of:- Fundamental systems engineering concepts- Modeling- Control for agricultural systems- Optimal control and its applications- Artificial intelligence for agricultural applications

  • Concepts of Membrane Structure

    • 1st Edition
    • Ronald Aloia
    • English
    Membrane Fluidity in Biology, Volume 1: Concepts of Membrane Structure covers membrane properties influenced by alterations in membrane lipid compositions and/or other organizational parameters that are encompassed by the term fluidity. This book is composed of eight chapters that discuss significance of fluidity changes in both normal and pathological cellular functions. This book starts by describing membrane structural organization and composition and arrangement of the molecular components of cell membranes. This is followed by discussions on structural properties of lipids and role of nonbilayer lipid structures in membrane fusion. The methodological approaches in study of cellular membrane structural diversity and fluid mosaic model for accurate representation of membrane fluidity are also discussed. This volume then describes the phenomenon of reversed or ""negative"" membrane images, as viewed with transmission electron microscope. Chapters 6 and 7 explain the interaction of cytochrome P-450 with phospholipids and proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and steps in the derivation of membrane structure and packing principles. Finally, the concluding chapter focuses on the membrane of the human red blood cell and presents relatively simple arguments concerning its physical properties. The book will serve as a primary source for research scientists and teachers interested in cellular membrane fluidity phenomena.

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