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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.

  • Native Orchids of China in Colour

    • 1st Edition
    • Singchi Chen + 2 more
    • English
    Distributed by Elsevier Science on behalf of Science Press.Available internationally for the first time, this book is a definitive illustrated work on Chinese wild orchids. It introduces a total of 117 genera, 403 species and 2 varieties of Chinese wild orchids with detailed description of origin (domestic and foreign), habitat, altitude, flowering period, and 791 stunningly beautiful photographs shot in the field. The authors are both highly-regarded in the research of Chinese native orchids and provide abundant firsthand information. This book is a necessary reference to Chinese orchids which will be welcomed by researchers in botany and practitioners in the horticultural industry worldwide.
  • Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification

    • 1st Edition
    • Thomas Allen Jefferson + 2 more
    • English
    With coverage on all the marine mammals of the world, authors Jefferson, Webber, and Pitman have created a user-friendly guide to identify marine mammals alive in nature (at sea or on the beach), dead specimens “in hand”, and also to identify marine mammals based on features of the skull. This handy guide provides marine biologists and interested lay people with detailed descriptions of diagnostic features, illustrations of external appearance, beautiful photographs, dichotomous keys, and more. Full color illustrations and vivid photographs of every living marine mammal species are incorporated, as well as comprehendible maps showing a range of information. For readers who desire further consultation, authors have included a list of literature references at the end of each species account. For an enhanced understanding of habitation, this guide also includes recognizable geographic forms described separately with colorful paintings and photographs. All of these essential tools provided make Marine Mammals of the World the most detailed and authoritative guide available!
  • Perspectives for Agroecosystem Management:

    Balancing Environmental and Socio-economic Demands
    • 1st Edition
    • Peter Schroder + 2 more
    • English
    Sustainable agriculture is a key concept for scientists, researchers, and agricultural engineers alike. This book focuses on the FAM- project (FAM Munich Research Network on Agroecosystems) of the 1990s as a means to assessing, forecasting, and evaluating changes in the agroecosystems that are necessary for agricultural sustainability. The management of two separate management systems: an organic and an integrated farming system are described to provide an interdisciplinary approach Changes of matter fluxes in soils, changes of trace gas fluxes from soils, precision farming in a small scale heterogen landscape, influence of management changes on flora and fauna, as well as the development of agroecosystem models, the assessment of soil variability and the changes in nutrient status are important aspects of this book.
  • The Migration Ecology of Birds

    • 1st Edition
    • Ian Newton
    • English
    This book presents an up-to-date, detailed and thorough review of the most fascinating ecological findings of bird migration. It deals with all aspects of this absorbing subject, including the problems of navigation and vagrancy, the timing and physiological control of migration, the factors that limit their populations, and more. Author, Ian Newton, reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe, including current climate change. This adventurous book places emphasis on ecological aspects, which have received only scant attention in previous publications. Overall, the book provides the most thorough and in-depth appraisal of current information available, with abundant tables, maps and diagrams, and many new insights. Written in a clear and readable style, this book appeals not only to migration researchers in the field and Ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject.
  • Technology of Functional Cereal Products

    • 1st Edition
    • B R Hamaker
    • English
    Cereal grains and their fractions contain many health-protecting compounds such as phytochemicals, vitamins and indigestible carbohydrates, but the texture and taste of functional cereal products can be less than ideal. This important collection reviews technologies for producing a wide range of cereal products with different health-promoting properties and more acceptable sensory quality.The first part of the book discusses the health effects of cereals, with chapters on topics such as whole grain foods, cereal micronutrients and resistant starch. Consumer perception of health-promoting cereal products and regulatory and labelling issues are also described. The second part focuses on technologies to improve the quality of functional cereal products, reviewing issues such as grain improvement, novel cereal-derived ingredients and formulation of low GI products. Chapters dedicated to a wide range of product types are also included, covering cereal foods made from oats, rye, barley and speciality grains and breads fortified with vitamins and minerals, soy and omega-3 lipids among others.Technology of functional cereal products is an essential reference for all those involved in research and development of health-promoting cereal-based foods.
  • Advances in Botanical Research

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 46
    • English
    Edited by Jean-Claude Kader and supported by an international Editorial Board, Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. Currently in its 46th volume, the series features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This eclectic volume features four reviews on cutting-edge topics of interest to post-graduates and researchers alike.
  • Advances in Agronomy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 96
    • English
    Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Volume 96 contains seven superior reviews with 25 tables.
  • Evaluation of the Effects and Consequences of Major Accidents in Industrial Plants

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 8
    • Joaquim Casal
    • English
    Evaluation of the Effects and Consequences of Major Accidents in Industrial Plants analyzes the different major accidents which can occur in process plants and during the transportation of hazardous materials. The main features of fires, explosions and toxic releases are discussed, and a set of mathematical models allowing the prediction of their effects and consequences are explained. With a practical approach, the models are applied to simple illustrative examples, as well as to more complex real cases. The use of these calculations in the frame of Quantitative Risk Analysis is also treated. Evaluation of the effects of major accidents in industrial installations covers the following topics: general introduction, source term, fire accidents, vapour cloud explosions, BLEVEs and vessel explosions, atmospheric dispersion of toxic or flammable clouds, vulnerability, and quantitative risk analysis. This book is a useful tool for engineering professionals, as well as an interesting reference for teaching at graduate and post-graduate levels.
  • Food Preservation by Pulsed Electric Fields

    From Research to Application
    • 1st Edition
    • H.L.M. Lelieveld + 2 more
    • English
    Pulsed electric field (PEF) food processing is a novel, non-thermal preservation method that has the potential to produce foods with excellent sensory and nutritional quality and shelf-life. This important book reviews the current status of the technology, from research into product safety and technology development to issues associated with its commercial implementation.Intro... chapters provide an overview of the process and its history. Part one then discusses the technology of PEF food preservation, with chapters on circuitry and pulse shapes, chamber design and technical and safety requirements. The second part of the book focuses on important product safety and quality issues such as probable mechanisms of microbial inactivation by PEF, adaptation potential of microorganisms treated by this method, toxicological aspects, the impact on food enzymes and shelf life. Chapters in the final part of the book cover topics relating to the commercialisation of the technology, including current and future applications, pitfalls, economic issues and scaling up, and public and regulatory acceptance.Food preservation by pulsed electric fields is a standard reference for all those involved in research into PEF food processing and its commercialisation.
  • Insect Resistance Management

    Biology, Economics, and Prediction
    • 1st Edition
    • David W. Onstad
    • English
    Insects, mites, and ticks have a long history of evolving resistance to pesticides, host-plant resistance, crop rotation, pathogens, and parasitoids. Insect resistance management (IRM) is the scientific approach to preventing or delaying pest evolution and its negative impacts on agriculture, public health, and veterinary issues. This book provides entomologists, pest management practitioners, developers of new technologies, and regulators with information about the many kinds of pest resistance including behavioral and phenological resistance. Abstract concepts and various case studies provide the reader with the biological and economic knowledge required to manage resistance. No other source has the breadth of coverage of this book: genomics to economics, transgenic insecticidal crops, insecticides, and other pest management tactics such as crop rotation. Dr. David W. Onstad and a team of experts illustrate how IRM becomes efficient, effective and socially acceptable when local, social and economic aspects of the system are considered. Historical lessons are highlighted with new perspectives emphasized, so that future research and management may be informed by past experience, but not constrained by it.