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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > General
Mathematical Biology has grown at an astonishing rate and has
established itself as a distinct discipline. Mathematical modeling
is now being applied in every major discipline in the biological
sciences. Though the field has become increasingly large and
specialized, this book remains important as a text that introduces
some of the exciting problems which arise in the biological
sciences and gives some indication of the wide spectrum of
questions that modeling can address.
Fluorescence microscopy images can be easily integrated into
current video and computer image processing systems. People like
visual observation; they like to watch a television or computer
screen, and fluorescence techniques are thus becoming more and more
popular. Since true in vivo experiments are simple to perform,
samples can be directly seen and there is always the possibility of
manipulating the samples during the experiments; it is an ideal
technique for biology and medicine. Images are obtained by a
classical (now called wide-field) fluorescence microscope, a
confocal scanning microscope, upright or inverted, with
epifluorescence or transmission. Computerized image processing may
improve definition, and remove glare and scattered light signal. It
also makes it possible to compute ratio images (ratio imaging both
in excitation and in emission) or lifetime imaging. Image analysis
programs may supply a great deal of additional data of various
types, starting with calculations of the number of fluorescent
objects, their shapes, brightness, etc. Fluorescence microscopy
data may be complemented by classical measurement in the cuvette yr
by flow cytometry.
As well as examining successful biological control programmes this
book analyses why the majority of attempts fail. Off-target and
other negative effects of biological control are also dealt with.
Chapters contributed by leading international researchers and
practitioners in all areas of biological control afford the book a
breadth of coverage and depth of analysis not possible with a
single author volume. Combined with the use of other experts to
review chapters and editorial oversight to ensure thematic
integrity of the volume, this book provides the most authoritative
analysis of biological control published.
Key aspects addressed include how success may be measured, how
successful biological control has been to date and how may it be
made more successful in the future. With extensive use of
contemporary examples, photographs, figures and tables this book
will be invaluable to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate
students as well as being a must' for all involved in making
biological control successful.
Reviving the Living: Meaning Making in Living Systems presents a
novel perspective that relates to current biological knowledge and
issues. Written by polymath Dr. Yair Neuman, the book challenges
the dogmas that frame our understanding of living systems and
presents a radical alternative approach to understanding the world
around us, one that avoids the pitfalls of non-scientific
perspectives such as Vitalism and Creationism. In this thought
provoking and iconoclastic manuscript, Neuman follows the footsteps
of Gregory Bateson, Mikhail Bakhtin, Michael Polanyi and others, to
suggest that living systems are meaning making systems. The book
delves into the unique processes of meaning making that
characterize organisms as a unique category of nature, and offers
new and fascinating insights into a variety of enigmatic biological
phenomena from immune memory to hidden life (cryptobiosis). It
consists of four parts divided into 18 chapters and covers topics
ranging from reductionism and its pitfalls to genetics; why
organisms are irreducible; immunology; meaning making in language
and biology; meaning-bridging the gap between physics and
semantics; context and memory; and the poetry of living. Core
concepts and themes are illustrated using examples based in current
science. This text would be of high interest to biologists,
philosophers, cognitive scientists, psychologists, and
semioticians, as well as to any reflective individual who is
willing to examine the realm of the living from a novel and
fascinating perspective.
This book deals with the essential philosophical/ethical dimension
that concerns the ends and goods entrusted to medicine. It shows
that medicine cannot be reduced to its scientific and technical
aspects and that the constitutive philosophical aspects of medicine
presently are in a state of crisis.
Medicine, besides being a scientifically based art of diagnosing
and curing infirmities of many kinds, also possesses an essential
philosophical and ethical dimension. It turns into anti-medicine if
it no longer stands in the service of those goods and ends that are
entrusted to it. Their nature is in no way known by natural science
but can be clarified by philosophy. Consequently, medicine suffers
from philosophical diseases of different degrees of gravity if its
theory and practice are based on errors about its proper ends. The
cure from the life-threatening philosophical diseases of medicine
lies in a critique of philosophical mistakes that influence the
theory and practice of medicine and in an understanding and
practical implementation of those ethically relevant goods that
constitute its true ends. At a time when these goods are by no
means universally recognized or embodied in laws of medicine, some
basic philosophical understanding of them and of the foundations of
medical ethics is urgently required. The purpose of this volume is
to provide this largely neglected part of general and medical
education.
Mathematics in Medicine and the Life Sciences grew from lectures given by the authors at New York University, the University of Utah, and Michigan State University. The material is written for students who have had but one term of calculus, but it contains material that can be used in modeling courses in applied mathematics at all levels through early graduate courses. Numerous exercises are given as well, and solutions to selected exercises are included. Numerous illustrations depict physiological processes, population biology phenomena, models of them, and the results of computer simulations. Mathematical models and methods are becoming increasingly important in medicine and the life sciences. This book provides an introduction to a wide diversity of problems ranging from population phenomena to demographics, genetics, epidemics and dispersal; in physiological processes, including the circulation, gas exchange in the lungs, control of cell volume, the renal counter-current multiplier mechanism, and muscle mechanics; to mechanisms of neural control. Each chapter is graded in difficulty, so a reading of the first parts of each provides an elementary introduction to the processes and their models. Materials that deal with the same topics but in greater depth are included later. Finally, exercises and some solutions are given to test the reader on important parts of the material in teh text, or to lead the reader to the discovery of interesting extensions of that material.
For courses in anatomy & physiology for health professions, and
comprehensive medical assisting. Where A&P meets pathology: A
stimulating exploration Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease: An
Interactive Journey for Health Professionals provides an engaging
introduction to interrelationships in A&P and pathology, with
emphasis on clinical applications. Conversational and humorous, the
text uses real-world analogies to enable true understanding -
rather than memorization - and to create lasting connections. The
3rd edition presents the latest research and clinical applications
in human A&P, plus new visual aids and practice opportunities.
A student workbook, available separately, offers interactive exam
prep resources, including concept maps and crossword puzzles. New!
Also available with MyLab Health Professions By combining trusted
author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab
(TM) personalizes the learning experience and improves results for
each student. Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab
does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested
in purchasing this title with MyLab, ask your instructor to confirm
the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your
Pearson representative for more information. If you would like to
purchase both the physical text and MyLab, search for: 0135188881 /
9780135188880 Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease: An Interactive
Journey for Health Professionals Plus MyLab Health Professions with
Pearson eText -- Access Card Package, 3/e Package consists of:
0134876369 / 9780134876368 Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease: An
Interactive Journey for Health Professionals, 3/e 0134880196 /
9780134880198 MyLab Health Professions with Pearson eText--Access
Card--for Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease, 3/e
The rapid progress in clinical and experimental immunological
research, in addition to the radical change in immunological
concepts in recent years, has been accompanied by similar
developments in the technical vocabulary, and, as a consequence,
frequent widespread confusion. The fourth edition of The Dictionary
of Immunology will satisfy the needs of any biologist, clinician or
biochemist who requires easy reference to current immunological
usage.
This well-established work has been completely revised and updated
to include key terms arising from new discoveries in the
fast-developing fields of molecular and cellular immunology. The
Dictionary of Immunology contains brief descriptions of the most
commonly used immunological techniques, as well as definitions,
useful in clinical immunology, of immunodeficiency states and
autoimmune diseases. Clear illustrations and tables have been added
to complement the text, and extensive cross-referencing is used to
inform an integrated view.
The Dictionary will serve equally as a handy reference, a companion
to other reference texts, or a spelling and fact checker for
students, research scientists and those engaged in ancillary
activities such as science journalists, and the curious lay reader.
* Special Features:
* Radical revision, including addition of 30% new terms.
+ Clearly exposes the most frequent calumnies made against science
+ Shows how dogmatic religion, the financial interests of certain
industries, and opportunistic politicians sometime work in cohort
to undermine the public’s trust in science + Acknowledges that
science’s most mistaken critics are often skilled communicators,
and that effectively defending science requires an equally skilled
defense + Shows that while the “Science Wars“ of the 1990s have
abated, their effects on some of the methodologies in higher
education and the larger population continue + Examines three case
studies to clearly illustrate how reliable scientific knowledge is
secured: • Eratosthenes’ discovery of the circumference of the
earth • Louis Pasteur’s development of anthrax and rabies
vaccines • The rapid emergence of scientific consensus regarding
continental drift
The ease of use of the programs in the application to ever more
complex cases of disease and pestilence. The lack of need on the
part of the student or modelers of mathematics beyond algebra and
the lack of need of any prior computer programming experience. The
surprising insights that can be gained from initially simple
systems models.
Each volume in this series illustrates the adults of all species of
Geometrid Moths in photographical color plates of the best quality.
Sexual dimorphism as well as polymorphism is also illustrated, and
all subspecies are illustrated when possible. Most species are
shown in natural size, but larger groups of small species such as
the genera Idaea and Eupithecia are shown enlarged. The following
information is provided for each species: full name; original
reference to all available nominal names (valid names and
synonyms); diagnosis based on external features, including detail
figures where necessary; male and female genitalia of all species
with line drawings or photographs; and a summary of the European
distribution and also of distribution outside the area treated; a
map of the European distribution; phenology with detailed
information about flight period or periods, with reference to
various parts of the distribution area; information about how the
species hibernates; biology including hostplant(s); habitat
including the altitude of occurrence; and similar species with the
differences clearly pointed out. The Geometrid Moths of Europe is
intended for both professional and amateur entomologists. Among the
European Geometrid Moths are a number of serious pest species,
especially to forestry. Thus, the series will also be an important
tool in future pest management.
During the last couple of years, fractals have been shown to
represent the common aspects of many complex processes occurring in
an unusually diverse range of fields including biology, chemistry,
earth sciences, physics and technology. Using fractal geometry as a
language, it has become possible to get a deeper insight into
previously intractable problems. Among many others, a better
understanding of growth phenomena, turbulence, iteractive
functions, colloidal aggregation, biological pattern formation and
inhomogenous materials has emerged through the application of such
concepts as scale invariance, self-affinity and
multifractality.This volume contains a selection of high quality
papers that discuss the latest developments in the research of
fractals. It is divided into 5 sections and contains altogether 64
papers. Each paper is written by a well known author or authors in
the field. Beginning each section is a short introduction, written
by a prominent author, which gives a brief overview of the topics
discussed in the respective sections.
That children need nature for health and well-being is widely
accepted, but what type of nature? Specifically, what type of
nature is not only necessary but realistically available in the
complex and rapidly changing worlds that children currently live
in? This book examines child-nature definitions through two related
concepts: the need for connecting to nature and the processes by
which opportunities for such contact can be enhanced. It analyses
the available nature from a scientific perspective of habitats,
species and environments, together with the role of planning, to
identify how children in cities can and do connect with nature.
This book challenges the notion of a universal child and childhood
by recognizing children's diverse life worlds and experiences which
guide them into different and complex ways of interacting with the
natural world. Unfortunately not all children have the freedom to
access the nature that is present in the cities where they live.
This book addresses the challenge of designing biodiverse cities in
which nature is readily accessible to children.
Determinism, holism and complexity: three epistemological attitudes
that have easily identifiable historical origins and developments.
Galileo believed that it was necessary to "prune the impediments"
to extract the mathematical essence of physical phenomena, to
identify the math ematical structures representing the underlying
laws. This Galilean method was the key element in the development
of Physics, with its extraordinary successes. Nevertheless the
method was later criticized because it led to a view of nature as
essentially "simple and orderly," and thus by choosing not to
investigate several charac teristics considered as an "impediment,"
several essential aspects of the phenomenon under investigation
might be left out. The Galilean point of view also contains an
acknowledgement of the central role played by the causal nexus
among phenomena. The mechanistic-deterministic de scription of
reality - for instance, a la Laplace - although acknowledging that
it is not possible to predict phenomena exactly owing to unavoid
able measurement error, is based on the recognition of the their
causal nature, even in an ontological sense. Consequently,
deterministic predic tion became the methodological fulcrum of
mathematical physics. But although mechanistic determinism has had
and, in many cases, still has, considerable success in Physics, in
other branches of science this situa tion is much less favourable."
This book, written by an international team of experts,
introduces the reader to various aspects of complexity theory and
its applications. It illustrates the latest trends in science to go
beyond the mechanistic Newtonian view of the world by shifting the
focus to self-organization, adaptation, and emergent phenomena. The
authors discuss these properties of complex systems in biology,
ecology and chemistry along with the structure and
interconnectedness of the "layers" of complexity. The qualitative
description is complemented by a discussion of methods for
complexity quantification. Networks are covered in detail as a
universal language of the complex world.
General readers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students
and researchers in life sciences, chemistry, and nanotechnology
will find this book to be of great interest.
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