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Books in Life sciences

Melanins and Melanogenesis
1st Edition
Giuseppe Prota
English
This volume covers all aspects of melanin pigmentation, providing a concise, comprehensive picture of new knowledge gained at the frontiers of research. It draws heavily on the author's 30-year activity in the field and his continuing work with specialists of widely diverse disciplines. The core of the volume deals with the structure, physicochemical properties, and biosynthesis of the major classes of melanin pigments, including neuromelanins. Further discussions include the biology of the various types of pigment-producing cells, the structure and mode of action of tyrosinase, and the chemistry of urinary melanogens and their biomedical applications as metabolic markers of melanocyte activity, especially for the follow-up of malignant melanoma. Finally, the volume considers progress in the photobiology and photochemistry of melanins, with special emphasis on the controversial role of these pigments in skin photoprotection. Melanins and Melanogenesis is ideally suited as a basic guide for newcomers, and a handy source of specific information for practitioners in academic, medical, and industrial settings.
The Lectins
Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine
1st Edition
Irvin Liener
English
The Lectins: Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine is a 10-chapter text that deals with the advances in research studies on the properties, functions, and applications of lectins in biology and medicine. The first two chapters consider the historical development, physicochemical properties, isolation, and remarkable specificity toward sugars of lectins. These topics are followed by a discussion on the molecular aspects of protein evolution, with a particular emphasis on lectins, which provide an excellent example of a family of homologous proteins. The following chapters explore the diverse biological activities of lectins and how these properties are utilized for the isolation and characterization of carbohydrate-contain... compounds in solution and on cells. A chapter focuses on the functions of lectins in their natural milieu. This text further covers the importance of lectins in nonplant systems as exemplified by lectins that occur in vertebrates, slime molds, and bacteria. The last chapter highlights the nutritional significance of the occurrence of lectins in plant foods such as legumes. This book is an ideal source for organic chemists, protein researchers, and workers in the fields of biology and medicine.
Humus, its Structure and Role in Agriculture and Environment
1st Edition
Volume 25
J. Kubát
English
This volume presents the proceedings of the 10th internationalsymposi... Humus et Planta held in Prague in August 19-23,1991. The main topics of this book are devoted to the recentadvances in fundamental, as well as applied research of humicsubstances, the most abundant of the naturally occuringmacromolecul... of nature, the understanding of their natureand how they react and interact in their natural environments.Texts are included on the structure, physical and chemicalproperties of humic substances; the relationships among humus,soil properties and fertility; the biotransformations oforganic substances in the soil; the relationships betweenhumic substances and plants and the interactions of humus andxenobiotic substances. This book presents recent knowledge ofthe complicated and challenging humic substances. It will beof interest not only to scientist, but also to Universityteachers and students of agricultural and environmentalscience...
Practical Tissue Culture Applications
1st Edition
Karl Maramorosch
English
Practical Tissue Culture Applications contains the proceedings of a conference held at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Nairobi, Kenya, August 24-29, 1978. This book aims to describe some of the more important practical applications of in vitro techniques in a simple, easily understandable manner. Organized into three sections, with a total of 27 chapters, this book provides critical reviews, describes various techniques, and presents complete step-by-step methodology. It emphasizes applications pertaining to the health and economy in developing nations. In particular, this book discusses the pitfalls in preparing general purpose culture media, balanced salt solutions, and the procedures followed in the development of modern in vitro techniques. It also describes techniques for cultivation of vertebrate cells and organs; plant tissue culture and its numerous applications; and electron microscopy of cultured cell. This book explains as well virus isolation and identification in cell cultures, mass production of cells for vaccines, and use of cultured cells for drug evaluation. The applications of in vitro techniques to parasitology are explored in numerous chapters of this book. Considering the potential benefit of application of in vitro techniques, this reference material will be of interest both in developed and developing countries.
Intracellular Parasitic Protozoa
1st Edition
Masamichi Aikawa
English
Intracellular Parasitic Protozoa introduces the basic structure and classification of intracellular parasitic protozoa and the concept of parasitism. This book starts by discussing the concept of parasitism and the taxonomic background of various intracellular protozoan organisms. This is followed by a description of the relationships between intracellular protozoan and their host cells. Then, this book discusses the ultrastructure of cells and organisms, emphasizing cell morphology that serves as the primary basis of generalizations of the host cell-parasite relationships. It also presents the intracellular protozoa in several groups according to their probable taxonomic relationships and more obvious morphological similarities. Finally, this text describes protozoan fine structure, along with a brief discussion of their biological aspects. This book is ideal for researchers, teachers, and students who wish to gain more knowledge in parasitism caused by intracellular protozoa.
Central Cholinergic Systems and Behaviour
1st Edition
F DeFeudis
English
Central Cholinergic Systems and behavior reviews experimental evidence on the possible involvement of central cholinergic systems in the regulation of animal behavior. More specifically, the book investigates the role of acetylcholine as a transmitter in the mammalian spinal cord and in central nervous function. This text also describes cholinergic involvement in some of the more fundamental processes of central nervous functions and how it may fit into overall cholinergic and non-cholinergic behavioral patterns. This book is organized into seven chapters and begins with an overview of the link between central cholinergic mechanisms and behavior, and then discusses the cholinergic roles in consciousness, emphasizing on the roles of reticular systems in the arousal mechanism. An effort is made to define the cholinergic nature of some spinal mechanisms that are apparently involved in reflexes and posture. An account of the role of cholinergic mechanisms in central respiratory control is also given, along with the function of acetylcholine as an important transmitter at many sites of the central nervous system. The book concludes by analyzing the roles of cholinergic systems in motivated behaviors, emotion, learning, and memory. This book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in fields ranging from physiology to biology and psychiatry.
Metabolic Inhibitors V1
A Comprehensive Treatise
1st Edition
R Hochster
English
Metabolic Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Treatise, Volume I focuses on the properties of inhibitors of metabolic processes or enzyme systems. The book explores a wide range of substances that interfere with (and usually retard) metabolic and enzymic processes, emphasizing the inhibitor rather than the metabolic or enzymic system that is affected. Organized into 15 chapters, this volume begins with a historical overview of research on the mode of action of biological inhibitors, touching on the principle of competitive inhibition by structural analogues. The book then turns to the concept of a competitive enzymic relationship by growth inhibitory analogues and their corresponding amino acids; the metabolic inhibitory effects of polypeptides and proteins; and the use of pentoses as analogues in carbohydrate metabolism. The reader is also introduced to the metabolic inhibitory effects of fatty acids; the intermediary metabolism of phospholipids; and the inhibition of purine and pyrimidine analogues. The remaining chapters discuss the role of nucleic acids and nucleoproteins in the regulation of cellular metabolism and the inhibition of amino acid decarboxylases, cholesterol, and steroid biosynthesis. This book will be of value to biochemists, advanced students, medical research workers, and research workers in the various fields of biological chemistry, as well as those working in the microbiological, botanical, and other agricultural fields.
From Gene to Protein: Information Transfer in Normal and Abnormal Cells
1st Edition
Thomas Russell
English
Miami Winter Symposia, Volume 16: From Gene to Protein: Information Transfer in Normal and Abnormal Cells presents the expression and processing of genetic information at the levels of both proteins and nucleic acids. This book deals with the reassembly and mobilization of genetic information. Organized into 105 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the discovery of the double helix and the search for the genetic code and the three-dimensional structure of protein. This text then examines the molecular mechanism by which steroid hormones regulate specific gene expression. Other chapters consider the possible hazards inherent to hybrid DNA technology. This book discusses as well the various problems of gene control in higher organisms, which are illustrated by the changes that occur in the hemoglobin of mammals. The final chapter deals with the characterization of adenovirus-2 mRNAs. This book is a valuable resource for biochemists, genetic engineers, enzymologists, scientists, geneticists, and molecular biologists.
Learning and Memory
A Biological View
1st Edition
Joe L. Jr. Martinez
English
Learning and Memory: A Biological View is a comprehensive textbook about the neurobiology of learning and memory. Topics covered include developmental approaches to the memory process; anatomical correlates of neuronal plasticity; drugs that modulate learning and memory; and biochemical correlates of learning and memory. The link between aging and memory is also discussed, along with electrophysiological approaches to the study of memory. Comprised of 12 chapters, this book begins with a review of historical traditions that influenced research on the biological basis of learning and memory. Experimental findings suggesting that the engram for a simple classically conditioned skeletal response may be in the cerebellum are also presented. The next chapter emphasizes the importance of anatomical mechanisms that could mediate learning, plasticity, and memory storage in young and adult animals. Subsequent chapters explore the influence of peripheral hormones and particularly opioid peptides on complex behavior such as learning and memory; the contribution of individual neurotransmitter systems to learning; the psychopathology of aging; and long-term potentiation as a model of the way the central nervous system stores information. Learning in complex vertebrate systems and direct stimulation of various brain nuclei are also examined. The final chapter presents a neurobehavioral analysis of the structure of memory formation that utilizes lesions and explores human memory pathology. This monograph is intended for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and research workers in the field of memory.
The Physiological Ecology of Woody Plants
1st Edition
Theodore T. Kozlowski + 2 more
English
The efficient management of trees and other woody plants can be improved given an understanding of the physiological processes that control growth, the complex environmental factors that influence those processes, and our ability to regulate and maintain environmental conditions that facilitate growth.

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