Emphasis in agricultural research for many years has concen trated on crop production. This emphasis has become more important in recent years with the realization that the population worldwide is outstripping the food supply. There is, however, another side to increasing the availability of the food supply. This simply involves preservation of the harvested crop.for human consumption. The losses incurred in harvesting, handling, transportation, storage and marketing crops have become a greater problem as the distance from the farm to the ultimate consumer increases. In the Western world where modern transportation, storage facilities, and marketing technology are widely used, post-harvest technology requires a large input of energy which increases costs considerably. There fore, losses are more significant and the ability to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, out of season, at reasonable costs will depend on reduced post-harvest losses throughout the marketing chain from the farm gate to the ultimate consumer. The reduction in post-harvest losses depends on proper use of current technology and further developments derived from a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Biochemistry, plant physiology, plant pathology, horticulture, agronomy, physics, engineering and agricultural economics, all provide knowledge which has been useful and will be useful in the future for improving post-harvest technol ogy and crop preservation. This volume records the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Post-Harvest Physiology and Crop Preservation, held at Sounion, Greece, April 28 - May 8, 1981."

The Fourteenth Midwest Conference on Endocrinology and Metab olism, held at the University of Missouri - Columbia on September 28th and 29th, 1978, brought together several prominent researchers who are authorities on various aspects of the renin-angiotensin system. Each speaker presented an in-depth coverage of a topic related to his own area of expertise, including recent findings from his own research laboratory. Following each presentation thet:e was a general discussion of the material by the speaker and the audience. These presentations and the ensuing discussions are summarized in these published Proceedings. Traditionally the Midwest Conferences on Endocrinology and Metabolism have emphasized breadth as well as depth of coverage of the selected topic; the present Conference is no exception. Perusal of the titles of the presentations will reveal that the Conference dea1th with many different facets of the renin-angiotensin system, including the biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, and comparative endocrinology of this hormonal system, plus special areas of con sideration such as angiotensin receptors, angiotensin-converting enzyme, the control of renin release, angiotensin and aldosterone secretion, and the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the central nervous system. The selection of the renin-angiotensin system as the topic for the present conference was very timely because of the many noteworthy advances in this area in recent years, many by the participants in the Conference. The Editors are very appreciative of the excellent manuscripts which the speakers provided for these Proceedings.

Plant tissue culture (PTC) is basic to all plant biotechnologies and is an exciting area of basic and applied sciences with considerable scope for further research. PTC is also the best approach to demonstrate the totipotency of plant cells, and to exploit it for numerous practical applications. It offers technologies for crop improvement (Haploid and Triploid production, In Vitro Fertilization, Hybrid Embryo Rescue, Variant Selection), clonal propagation (Micropropagation), virus elimination (Shoot Tip Culture), germplasm conservation, production of industrial phytochemicals, and regeneration of plants from genetically manipulated cells by recombinant DNA technology (Genetic Engineering) or cell fusion (Somatic Hybridization and Cybridization). Considerable work is being done to understand the physiology and genetics of in vitro embryogenesis and organogenesis using model systems, especially Arabidopsis and carrot, which is likely to enhance the efficiency of in vitro regeneration protocols. All these aspects are covered extensively in the present book. Since the first book on Plant Tissue Culture by Prof. P.R. White in 1943, several volumes describing different aspects of PTC have been published. Most of these are compilation of invited articles by different experts or proceedings of conferences. More recently, a number of books describing the Methods and Protocols for one or more techniques of PTC have been published which should serve as useful laboratory manuals. The impetus for writing this book was to make available a complete and up-to-date text covering all basic and applied aspects of PTC for the students and early-career researchers of plant sciences and plant / agricultural biotechnology. The book comprises of nineteen chapters profusely illustrated with self-explanatory illustrations. Most of the chapters include well-tested protocols and relevant media compositions that should be helpful in conducting laboratory experiments. For those interested in further details, Suggested Further Reading is given at the end of each chapter, and a Subject and Plant Index is provided at the end of the book.

The Daniel S. Lehrman Memorial Symposia Series will publish the proceedings of symposia devoted to the evolution, development, and organization of behavior. These various symposia will bring together at intervals scientists studying problems from each of these view points. The aim is to attempt to integrate our knowledge derived from these different sources and to familiarize scientists working on similar behavior patterns with the work of their colleagues in related fields of study. Each volume, therefore, will be devoted to a specific topic in the field of animal behavior, which will be explored with respect to its evolutionary aspects, including the adaptive nature of the behav ior; with respect to its developmental aspects, including neural, hor monal, and experiential influences; and with respect to the analysis of features of organization, including motivational, perceptual, and motor aspects and their physiological bases. It is our feeling that the most appropriate memorial to our colleague and close friend, Daniel S. Lehrman, is the continuation of his valuable contributions toward integrating these approaches to the study of animal behavior, which he pursued so effectively during his own life. Daniel S. Lehrman's lifelong love and study of animal behavior gave us a wealth of new insights into reproductive behavior and evolution. It is therefore appropriate that the first symposium of this series is devoted to recent advances in this field.

On a Sustainable Future of the Earth s Natural Resources is divided into three sections, with individual chapters contributed by experts on diff erent facets of the earth sciences, natural resources management and related issues. The first section focuses on the status of Earth s resources; land, water, biota and atmosphere. Reviews on the rate of exploitation and the need to conserve these resources for future sustenance are also covered in this section. Th e following section includes chapters elucidating environmental, ecological, climatological and anthropological pressures on sustained nourishment with the Earth s resources. The last section describes management practices, issues and perspectives on sociological, legal, administrative, ICT and strategic efforts that need to be implemented in order to sustain our natural resources. This book covers a broad spectrum of the Earth s resources and sustenance, offering a comprehensive perspective on their past, present and future.

''Informative, well-constructed, and readable...The contributors are leaders in their fields and what they have to say is worthwhile.'' --- SGM Quarterly, August 1998

Both fire and climatic variability have monumental impacts on the dynamics of temperate ecosystems. These impacts can sometimes be extreme or devastating as seen in recent El Nino/La Nina cycles and in uncontrolled fire occurrences. This volume brings together research conducted in western North and South America, areas of a great deal of collaborative work on the influence of people and climate change on fire regimes. In order to give perspective to patterns of change over time, it emphasizes the integration of paleoecological studies with studies of modern ecosystems. Data from a range of spatial scales, from individual plants to communities and ecosystems to landscape and regional levels, are included. Contributions come from fire ecology, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, landscape and ecosystem ecology, ecological modeling, forest management, plant community ecology and plant morphology. The book gives a synthetic overview of methods, data and simulation models for evaluating fire regime processes in forests, shrublands and woodlands and assembles case studies of fire, climate and land use histories. The unique approach of this book gives researchers the benefits of a north-south comparison as well as the integration of paleoecological histories, current ecosystem dynamics and modeling of future changes.

Forest management has evolved from a mercantilist view to a multi-functional one that integrates economic, social, and ecological aspects. However, the issue of sustainability is not yet resolved. Quantitative Techniques in Participatory Forest Management brings together global research in three areas of application: inventory of the forest variables that determine the main environmental indices, description and design of new environmental indices, and the application of sustainability indices for regional implementations. The book outlines a public participatory process to assess sustainability in forest management. It explores a new approach that links human and natural systems, reconsiders our interdependence with the diversity of life, and recognizes our role in a unique and complex system. The book also identifies quantitative indices that provide a vast amount of information on soil, landscape, and ecological functioning. It highlights the importance of these indices for public information programs on participatory processes and provides an operating procedure to identify the degree of convergence in the utility of multiple evaluators. The last chapter describes a downloadable computer application that integrates the techniques explained in the book. Users accessing the application are offered a map representing their preferred forest management plan in the study zone. They are also given a map with the results of their corresponding community of evaluators, including the numerical and qualitative data for both. The system stores a record of the visit, including the visitor's profile and responses, to progress towards the joint forest management plan. The quantitative techniques highlighted in this book create the basis for the development of scientific methodologies of participatory sustainable forest management. It details the methodology for the design of a forest management plan that best suits a specific preference system.

27 chapter cover the distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture, and in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Ajuga, Allium, Ambrosia, Artemisia, Aspilia, Atractylodes, Callitris, Choisya, Cinnamomum, Coluria, Cucumis, Drosera, Daucus, Eustoma, Fagopyrum, Hibiscus, Levisticum, Onobrychis, Orthosiphon, Quercus, Sanguinaria, Solanum, Sophora, Stauntonia, Tanecetum, Vetiveria, and Vitis. Like the previous volumes 4, 7, 15, and 21 in the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants series, the volume is tailored to the need of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the area of plant biotechnology andbioengineering, pharmacy, botany and biochemistry.

In order to produce a superior scholarly treatise in bio medical science, three important conditions need to be met. First, the subject needs to be of recognized importance and preferably one in which a sizeable volume of new knowledge has been added recently. Second, it needs to be quite evident that the field involved re quires much more up-to-date coverage than it has received and third, the choice of the editors and in turn the authors needs to be recognized as outstanding. This major treatise fills these criteria in an admirable way. There are few who would deny the importance of knowledge concerning the circulatory system. This all pervasive system is the route by which virtually all of the cells and tissues of the body receive their nutrition and it is the major route by which metabolic waste products are carried away. Furthermore, the diseases that involve the circulatory system are, by far, the underlying causes of death and morbidity in the largest number of Americans, Western Europeans and several other populations of industrialized nations. Not only is atherosclerosis-induced-ischemic disease of the heart, brain and extremities widespread in these populations but venous occlusive disease also takes a great toll from phlebothrombosis, pulmonary embolism, etc.

Although the physiology of the menstrual cycle appears clear and easily explained by a balance in the concentration of various sex steroid hormones, numerous details of its mechanism are still poorly understood and little is known about the relationship among clinical events, plasma hormone concentrations, molecular impacts on target tissues and their regulation. In the following chapters, the authors have attempted to establish a correlation between endometrial histology and well-understood physiologic events of the menstrual cycle. They have provided up-to-date information on the effects of various hormones and combinations of hormones on the endometrium. The interdependence of endometrial morphology, molecular biology, endocrinology and physiology, provides grounds for a better understanding of the complex mechanism of the menstrual cycle, and sheds some light on its pathophysiology. Such an approach adds ariother dimension to interpretation of many menstrual abnormalities and numerous aspects of infertility in women with normal physiognomies and apparently regular menstrual cycles. The pathologist must be aware of these new concepts since a knowledge of functional changes reflected in hormone serum levels and sex steroid receptor concentrations allows a mare detailed analysis and a better interpretation of the structural features of the endometrium. This information placed in the proper clinical context can help the gynecologist provide optimal therapy. The reader will find a valuable reference for a synthesis of clinical, morphological, and biochemical data related to the menstrual cycle and its aberrations.

One of the most significant challenges facing mankind in the twenty-first century is the development of a sustainable global economy. Within the scientific community, this calls for the development of processes and technologies that will allow the sustainable production of materials from renewable natural resources. Plant material, in particular lignin, is one such resource. During the annual production of about 100 million metric tons of chemical wood pulps worldwide, approximately 45 and 2 million metric tons/year of kraft lignin and lignosulfonates, respectively, are also generated. Although lignosulfonates have found many applications outside the pulp and paper industry, the majority of kraft lignin is being used internally as a low-grade fuel for the kraft pulping operation. A surplus of kraft lignin will become available as kraft mills increase their pulp production without expanding the capacity of their recovery boilers that utilize lignin as a fuel. There is a tremendous opportunity and an enormous economic incentive to find better uses of kraft lignin, lignosulfonates and other industriallignins. The pulp and paper industry not only produces an enormous amount of lignins as by products of chemical wood pulps, but it also utilizes about 10 million metric tons of lignin per year as a component of mechanical wood pulps and papers. Mechanical wood pulps, produced in a yield of 90-98% with the retention of lignin, are mainly used to make low-quality, non-permanent papers such as newsprint and telephone directories because of the light-induced photooxidation of lignin and the yellowing of the papers.

The quality of human life has been maintained and enhanced for generations by the use of trees and their products. In recent years, ever rising human population growth has put a tremendous pressure on trees and tree products; growing awareness of the potential of previously unexploited tree resources; and environmental pollution have both accelerated the development of new technologies for tree propagation, breeding and improvement. Biotechnology of trees may be the answer to solve the problems which can not be solved by conventional breeding methods. The combination of biotechnology and conventional methods such as plant propagation and breeding could become a novel approach to improving and multiplying a large number of the trees and woody plants. So far, plant tissue culture technology has largely been exploited by commercial companies in propagation of ornamentals, especially foliage house plants. Generally, tissue culture of woody plants has been recalcitrant. However, limited success has been achieved in tissue culture of angiosperm and gymnosperm woody plants. A number of recent reports on somatic embryogenesis in woody plants such as Norway spruce (Picea abies), Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), Sandalwood (Santalum album), Citrus and mango (Mangifera indica), offer a ray of hope for inexpensive clonal propagation for large-scale production of plants or 'emblings' or somatic seedlings; protoplast work; cryopreservation; genetic transformation; and synthetic or artificial or manufactured seed production.

The papers in this volume were presented at the Symposium on Steroid Hormone Receptor Systems held October 18-20, 1978, at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Mass. The meeting was organized to review, discuss, and disseminate new knowledge about the regulation and function of the receptor proteins which mediate estrogen, progestin, glucocorticoid, and androgen action. The symposium brought together leading scientists whose interests span the spectrum of biological organization. On this occasion, Drs. Elwood V. Jensen and Etienne E. Baulieu were honored as recipients of the Tenth Annual Gregory Pincus l1emorial Award for their pioneering studies of steroid hormone receptors. The material covered in this book focuses on the molecular mechanisms which control receptor site availability and function. The topics discussed include recent work on receptor antibodies, antiestrogen action, receptor heterogeneity, nuclear binding and processing of receptor, receptor activation and inactivation mechan isms, interactions between receptor systems, influence of biological rhythms, membrane binding sites, and the evolution of steroid-bind ing proteins. Although studies on steroid receptors have led to the development of new approaches for cancer therapy and contraception, much remains to be discovered in this rapidly expanding field. Hope fully, this book will provide added impetus to the quest for a full understanding of steroid receptor systems by drawing attention to the unresolved questions yet to be answered. Hhile the book is intended primarily for those interested in hormone action, it should be of value to a more general audience including cell, molecular, and developmental biologists."

The topics in this volume explore the etiology, cellular mechanisms, epidemiology, genetics, models and potential therapeutic measures for the blinding diseases of retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Special focus is highlighted in the areas of Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Degeneration and Cell Death (extremely important because very little is known how or why photoreceptors die in these diseases, despite an abundance of genetic information), Age-Related Macular Degeneration (with several novel approaches to its analysis), Usher Syndrome (the most severe form of retinitis pigmentosa, which includes an early or congenital loss of hearing along with blindness), and Gene Therapy. In addition, the section on Basic Science Related to Retinal Degeneration is particularly strong with several laboratories reporting on new discoveries in the area of outer segment phagocytosis, a key component of photoreceptor-retinal pigment epithelial cell interactions in normal and degenerating retinas.

During the course of the developnent of most areas of scien- tific research certain events occur that serve to bring a particular area into focus. We feel that this symposilHll volume serves that role with regard to the study of the reproductive biology of amphib- ians. The collection of vnrks contained in this volume provides an excellent review of a diversity of past contributions to this field of investigation and brings together in one volume the major ap- proaches that have been utilized to study amphibian reproductive biology. The work emphasizes recently-completed studies and therefore can be considered to be an up-to-date account of the field. Equally signif icant, however, the contributors to this volume have excelled in pointing out directions for future research that will be of im- mense value in integrating the component parts of reproductive bi- ology, i.e., genetics, developnental biology, physiology, behavior, and ecology, into an eVOlutionary framework.

Fruit flies are enormously important economic pests, as California has learned over the past few years (remember the Mediterranean Fruit Fly?). The problem is expected to get worse, and issues of both basic research and control measures are very important for this pest. This book is the edited, camera-ready proceedings of a recent international symposium on fruit flies of economic importance. It covers current knowledge of fruit fly physiology, genetics, morphology and behavior. It discusses action programs for controlling and using fruit flies in agronomy, as well as the problem of fruit flies in the fruit growing industry.

These Proceedings evolved from the OECD Co-operative Research Programme workshop on "Potential ecological impact of transgenic plants expressing viral sequencies," held at the Agricultural Biotechnology Center in Godollo, Hungary on 24-26 April 1997. The OECD Co-operative Research Programme At the Directorate for Agrieulture of the Organisation for Economie Co-operation and Development (OECD) a co-operative research programme for "Biological Resource Management" has existed since 1990. It foeuses on work in four specific topie areas, one of whieh is "Ecology and utilisation of new organisms" (Theme 3). The activities promoted by this programme are post-doctoral fellowships (announced annually), and the organisation of expert workshops (1-2 workshops per Theme per year). The 26 OECD member countries participating in this programme are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, ltaly, Korea, Japan, the NetherIands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, SwitzerIand, Turkey, the UK, and the USA."

Progress in the field of plant cell and tissue culture has made this area of research one of the most dynamic and promising not only in plant physiology, cell biology and genetics but also in agriculture, forestry, horticulture and industry. Studies with plant cell cultures clearly have bearing upon a variety of problems as yet unsolved in basic and applied research. This was the compelling reason for assembling such a comprehensive source of information to stimulate students, teachers, and research workers. This book comprises 34 articles on regeneration of plants, vegetative propagation and cloning; haploids; cytology, cytogenetics and plant breeding; protoplasts, somatic hybridization and genetic engineering; plant pathology; secondary products and a chapter on isoenzymes, radiobiology, and cryobiology of plant cells. Particular attention has been paid to modern , fast-growing and fascinating disciplines - e.g. the induction of haploids, somatic hybridization and genetic manipulation by protoplast culture, which possess an enormous potential for plant improvement.

Nitrogen Fixation by symbiotic organisms is considered an important contribution to the solution of food problems throughout the world. For manyyears, Chinese scientists have focused their research in this area. Today more than half of the total nitrogen fertilizers applied are from biological fixation sources. The editor is an international renowned scientist at the Chinese Academy of sciences. He has brought together contributions from various research fields in China and Europe.Together they present the state-of-the-art in nitrogen-fixation research. The studies range from actino- mycete fixation induced in various genera andspecies of plants, mechanisms and chemical modeling of enzyme systems togenetical engineering of organisms.

The newest installment in this superb series presents descriptions of the latest DNA recombinants molecule technology. The text combines reports on basic research in genetics with discussions of specific new industrial applications (as well as refinements of older ones) that are likely to prove highly profitable in the years to come.

This book arose from a meeting held at the University of Washington, Seattle, in July of 1986. The meeting was a satellite symposium of the XXXth International Congress of Physiological Sciences which occurred in Vancouver, canada, at that time. 2 Adjustments in the cytoplasmic Ca ] concentration of cells occur in response to a variety of external signals. These fluctuations are a cen tral component of one mechanism by which cells adapt their activities to changes in the external environment and to the requirements of whole body 2 homeostatic mechanisms. It is now clear that redistribution of Ca + within 2 intracellular compartments, as well as changes in the rates of Ca + influx and extrusion at the whole cell level, occur during signal-dependent 2 changes in the cytoplasmic Ca + concentration. In summarizing current research in this area, this volume considers first the properties of indi vidual cation transporting activities located in various cell membranes. It then moves to the cellular level, where the consequence of individual transporting activities acting in concert is examined. l D.phasis is also 2 p1 aced on pa tho1 ogica1 conditions which resu1 t in loss of cell Ca + regu1 a tion as a part of the disease process. We hope that this approach will help the reader to integrate developments in this large and rapdi1y changing fie1 d."

The newest installment in this superb series presents descriptions of the latest DNA recombinants molecule technology. The text combines reports on basic research in genetics with discussions of specific new industrial applications (as well as refinements of older ones) that are likely to prove highly profitable in the years to come.

Pork continues to occupy an important position as a food source in affluent societies as well as in developing countries with slower economic growth. The growth of the world swine population continues at a faster rate than that of the human population, a reflection of the sustained demand for pork in all parts of the world. The technical basis for commercial production of swine was presented in our two earlier textbooks-Swine Production in Temperate and Tropical Environ ments, by Pond and Maner, 1974, and Swine Production and Nutrition, by Pond and Maner, 1984. In view of rapidly advancing technology and an appreciation for the systems approach in industry and agriculture, this third book has been restructured to provide the student and practitioner with an integrated concept of pork production. We have attempted to blend the fundamental principles from genetics, physiology, nutrition, and biotechnology into the modern concepts of systems analysis and simulation modeling. The objective is to create a teaching approach which empha sizes the integrated synthesis of biological with physical and environmental sci ences and economics. This approach is expected to provide an overall pork pro duction systems view that individual producers can adapt to their specific resources, needs, and goals. Our new co-author, Dr. Dewey Harris, has used his expertise and perspective on interacting systems to change the complexion of the book to fulfill this objective. In addition, Dr."

An extraordinary development of the knowledge, concepts and biomedical applications has occurred during the past two decades in the biological sciences, including the Reticuloendothelial Sys- tem (RES). For example, it is now widely recognized that distinct classes of cells are involved in the recognition of "exogenous" invaders of the body such as microorg~nisms and other foreign an- tigens, as well as of "endogenous" parasites represented by trans- formed neoplastic cells and altered "self" antigens. Prominent among cell populations involved in such recognition of antigens and subsequent immune responses are those constituting the RES. In recent years, there has been much discussion and indeed contro- versy as to what constitutes such a system and even whether the term "RES" is appropriate. Some investigators feel that the phago- cytes are the most important cells of the RES as they playa major role in the defense mechanism of the host. Mononuclear phagocytes include tissue macrophages as well as circulating monocytes and their precursors. Although phagocytosis is a major functional ac- tivity, it is only one of their several functions. The important role of phagocytes and other mononuclear cells in antibody forma- tion, cell-mediated immunity, specific and non-specific resistance to microorganisms and tumor cells, as well as homeostatic adjust- ments in general has become the focus of attention for many inves- tigators.