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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.

  • The Role of Insectivorous Birds in Forest Ecosystems

    • 1st Edition
    • James G. Dickson
    • English
    The Role of Insectivorous Birds in Forest Ecosystems is a publication of the proceedings of The Role of Insectivorous Birds in Forest Ecosystems symposium, held on July 13 and 14, 1978 at Nacogdoches, Texas. The proceedings discuss the ecology of insectivorous birds and acknowledge their roles in forest ecosystems. The book begins with an introduction to and history of insectivorous birds and their roles in forest ecosystems. It then discusses the sampling methods for bird and insect populations, bird foraging strategies, and ecology of insectivorous bird species and communities. This book will be helpful to forest managers in managing insectivorous birds. It is also especially valuable in formulating biological control strategies for use in forests.

  • Laboratory Safety Theory and Practice

    • 1st Edition
    • Anthony Fuscaldo
    • English
    Laboratory Safety: Theory and Practice focuses on theoretical aspects of the hazards the students, technicians, and scientists encounter in the laboratory. It presents methods of risk assessment that can be applied to technologies as they are translated from the scientist’s mind to the laboratory bench. It is organized into three sections designated as General Laboratory Safety, Biological Laboratory Safety, and Medical and Psychological Factors. The first section, encompassing three chapters, discusses hazards found in almost all laboratories; pertinent safety theories and practices; ubiquitous compounds that are either toxic or carcinogenic and guidelines for their use; and radiation hazards. Chapters 4 to 7 focus on the safety in the biological laboratory. Discussions on relatively complex group of viruses, approach to recombinant DNA research, and awareness on the possible hazards associated with the field are included in this book. Chapters 6 and 7 present design and function of biohazard laboratories and the hazards relating to laboratory animals. The final section discusses medical surveillance of persons at risk and the psychological factors involved in accident control. It presents a comprehensive list of chemical agents, their sources, subsequent physical effects, and the accepted mode of medical surveillance. Various genetic screening tests and their potential use for the evaluation of presumptive and actual mutagens are also covered. This book is ideal for safety and design engineers, students, technicians, and scientists.

  • Microbeam Analysis in Biology

    • 1st Edition
    • Claude Lechene
    • English
    Microbeam Analysis in Biology contains the proceedings of a workshop on Biological X-Ray Microanalysis by Electron Beam Excitation, held in Boston, Massachusetts on August 25-26, 1977. This book focuses on the principles, techniques, and biological use of electron probe microanalysis, energy-loss spectroscopy, and ion probe microanalysis. This text reflects the emphasis of the workshop on presenting the principles of analysis, the optimization of operating conditions, the description of successful techniques for sample preparation and quantitation, the illustration of problems and pitfalls, and the direction of microbeam analysis in biology.

  • General Parasitology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Thomas C. Cheng
    • English
    @from:From the Preface:Over a dozen years have passed since the first edition of this textbook was published. As is to be expected, tremendous progress has been made in the study of zooparasites and the nature of parasitism. This is especially true in the case of the protozoans and helminths of medical and economic importance. Continuing the original intent, this book is meant to be a teaching tool rather than a reference volume for seasoned investigators. It is meant to supplement formal lectures, but at the same time to provide students with sufficient information as to where more detailed review articles and primary research reports can be located.

  • Drugs and the Cell Cycle

    • 1st Edition
    • A Zimmerman
    • English
    Drugs and the Cell Cycle provides an introduction to fundamental principles and studies on the mechanisms of drug action on proliferating cells. The book is intended to reduce the time lag between observation and practical application. Comprised of 10 chapters, the book describes the plant alkaloids, alkylating agents, mercurials, adrenergic agents, radiomimetics, narcotics, hallucinogens, mitogens, hepatotoxins, antiobiotics, and antimetabolites of various types. The text also emphasizes the drugs used in cancer chemotherapy, and the in vitro and in vivo cell systems of bacteria, protozoa, sea urchins, and mammals. The concepts are presented with comprehensive illustrations and tables to help readers obtain more efficient understanding and learning. The information and concepts presented in this volume will be of great interest to scientists and students in many disciplines, including physiology, pharmacology, and oncology, as well as cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. The book will also fill the gap between drug experimental observations and their potential relevance to man.

  • Metabolic Inhibitors V3

    A Comprehensive Treatise
    • 1st Edition
    • R Hochster
    • English
    Metabolic Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Treatise, Volume III reviews developments in metabolic and enzyme inhibition. With contributions by investigators experienced in their respective fields, the book explores metabolic processes or systems and covers topics ranging from membrane transport to immunization; gene activity; DNA, RNA, and protein syntheses; photosynthesis; lipid metabolism; and blood clotting. Organized into 12 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of transport reactions and their inhibition, emphasizing inhibitors of ATPase including cations, substrates, and products. Some chapters deal with inhibitors, such as antibiotics; polypeptide and protein hormones; modified transfer RNAs; and oligonucleotides. Other chapters discuss inhibitors of immune reactions; animal virus replication; plant viruses and mycoplasma; and isozymes. An account of genetic deletions is also given. Finally, the book considers molecules that act as repressors and derepressors of gene activity. This book will be beneficial to biochemists and medical research workers, as well as to virologists, microbiologists, plant physiologists, and agronomists.

  • Differential Equations and Applications in Ecology, Epidemics, and Population Problems

    • 1st Edition
    • Stavros Busenberg
    • English
    Differential Equations and Applications in Ecology, Epidemics, and Population Problems is composed of papers and abstracts presented at the 1981 research conference on Differential Equations and Applications to Ecology, Epidemics, and Population Problems held at Harvey Mudd College. The reported researches consist of mathematics that is either a direct outgrowth from questions in population biology and biomathematics, or applicable to such questions. The content of this volume are collected in four groups. The first group addresses aspects of population dynamics that involve the interaction between spatial and temporal effects. The second group covers other questions in population dynamics and some other areas of biomathematics. The third group deals with topics in differential and functional differential equations that are continuing to find important applications in mathematical biology. The last group comprises of work on various aspects of differential equations and dynamical systems, not essentially motivated by biological applications. This book is valuable to students and researchers in theoretical biology and biomathematics, as well as to those interested in modern applications of differential equations.

  • Biochemistry of Thermophily

    • 1st Edition
    • S. Marvin Friedman
    • English
    Biochemistry of Thermophily covers the proceedings of a seminar held under the auspices of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 22-24, 1977. This seminar focuses on biochemistry of thermophilic microorganisms. It presents an achievement in the complex field of thermophiles and their unique properties. This book discusses the fatty acid composition in several strains of moderately and extremely thermophilic bacteria, the membrane and lipid components, the biosynthesis and function of ω-cyclohexyl fatty acids, and the influence of growth temperature and lipid state on lipid and protein distribution. It then presents the ecologic and genetic aspects of thermophilic bacteria, including their morphology, surface structure, and transfection. It also examines the function and thermostability of ribosomal proteins, polypeptides, and polyamines in thermophilic bacteria. Finally, the book discusses the thermostability of proteins, the effect of amino acid substitution on conformational stability of thermophile, the thermophilic enzymes, and the physiology of thermophilic bacteria. This book will be helpful to molecular and research biologists, teachers, and students who wish to expand their understanding on mechanisms of thermophilicity, thermostability, and thermophilic microorganisms.

  • Histocompatibility

    • 1st Edition
    • George Snell
    • English
    Histocampatibility covers the genetic, immunologic, and the chemical studies on allograft rejection process. The book is composed of 13 chapters that describe how these studies relate to medicine, organ transplantation in man, basic immunology, cell membrane structures, and cancer research. After briefly dealing with the early studies on isografts and allografts in laboratory animals, the book describes the histogenetic methods of gene manipulation and transplantation that permit identification of individual histocompatibility loci. The following chapter examines the significance of congenic resistant lines in determining the diversity of histocompatibility loci and allele and immune response genes. Other chapters present immunogenetic and serological methods, as well as the applications of these methods in studying alloantigens and H-2 complex loci and of immunogenetic methods to human. The book also discusses the practical implication of HLA immunogenetics in organ transplantation and describes the biochemical, immunochemical, and dynamic properties of alloantigens. A chapter discusses the associations between HLA system and disease and the various mechanisms that have been suggested to explain these associations. The last chapter focuses on allograft reaction and on established facts of cellular immunity. This book is a valuable source of information for researchers in the fields of medicine, organ transplantation in man, basic immunology, cell membrane structures, and cancer.

  • Biology of Plant Litter Decomposition V1

    • 1st Edition
    • C.H. Dickinson
    • English
    Biology of Plant Litter Decomposition, Volume 1 focuses on decomposition of various types of litter, which include all plant remains, ranging from still standing dead trees to the decomposing hyphae of fungi and bacterial cells, including herbivore dung. The book is organized into seven chapters, each devoted to a specific type of litter including lower plants, herbaceous, angiosperm, and coniferous tree leaf litters; wood; root; and digested litter. It describes the structure and function of the organisms concerned. It also covers the involvement of biotrophic and necrotrophic parasites of higher plants in the early stages of decomposition. With a strong focus on the interrelationships in plant litter decomposition, the book is an ideal source of information for research biologists who are interested in life cycle and decomposition of plants.

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