This one-semester text is designed for an upper-level majors course. Vertebrates features a unique emphasis on function and evolution of vertebrates, complete anatomical detail, and excellent pedagogy. Vertebrate groups are organized phylogenetically, and their systems discussed within such a context. Morphology is foremost, but the author has developed and integrated an understanding of function and evolution into the discussion of anatomy of the various systems.

Biology is in the midst of a era yielding many significant discoveries and promising many more. Unique to this era is the exponential growth in the size of information-packed databases. Inspired by a pressing need to analyze that data, Introduction to Computational Biology explores a new area of expertise that emerged from this fertile field- the combination of biological and information sciences.

This introduction describes the mathematical structure of biological data, especially from sequences and chromosomes. After a brief survey of molecular biology, it studies restriction maps of DNA, rough landmark maps of the underlying sequences, and clones and clone maps. It examines problems associated with reading DNA sequences and comparing sequences to finding common patterns. The author then considers that statistics of pattern counts in sequences, RNA secondary structure, and the inference of evolutionary history of related sequences.

Introduction to Computational Biology exposes the reader to the fascinating structure of biological data and explains how to treat related combinatorial and statistical problems. Written to describe mathematical formulation and development, this book helps set the stage for even more, truly interdisciplinary work in biology.

The book provides a comprehensive detailed summary of current status on skin microbiome research in health and disease as well as key regulatory and legal aspects. In the past decade, interest and technology have greatly advanced to unravel the nature and effect of skin microbiome on our health. Diseases such as atopic dermatitis and acne are at the forefront of this research, but also other conditions such as skin cancer are under investigation. In addition, mapping of the skin microbiome has gone from basic to more detailed with attempts to correlate it to various ages, ethnicities and genders. In parallel to mapping it, a great deal of research is dedicated to understanding its functionality and communication (and hence effect) on human cells. The Skin Microbiome Handbook is a summary of current status of knowledge, research tools and approaches in skin microbiome, in health and disease. It contains the following categories: healthy skin microbiome and oral-skin interaction; skin microbiome observational research; skin microbiome in disequilibrium and disease; skin's innate immunity; testing and study design; regulatory and legal aspects for skin microbiome related products. The 18 chapters of the book are written by carefully selected leaders in the academia and industry exhibiting extensive experience and understanding in the areas of interest.

Topical and transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDs) have several advantages over traditional drug delivery methods, as they can be less invasive, more sanitary, more cost-effective, and may result in better patient compliance. TDDs play a significant role in therapeutics with a variety of preparations and approaches designed by expert formulation scientists. This volume integrates a wide variety of case studies, research, and theories to reveal their diversity and capture the novel approaches of transdermal and topical drug delivery employed by developers and content experts in the field. It provides an abundance of important information and state-of-the-art research on topical and transdermal drug delivery systems and addresses the basics of drug delivery systems, strategies to enhance permeation across membranes, and formulation and evaluation of diverse dosage forms. The volume presents an evaluation of the pros and cons of conventional drug delivery systems against TDDs and discusses the nuances of micro- and nano-systems in TDDs. The extraordinary packages of nano systems (vesicular systems, polymeric nanoparticles, nanoemulsion and dendrimers) are broadly discussed, and their applications are reviewed through a transdermal route. The book looks at TDDs and the main nanoparticles used in skin diseases and lesions of the aging, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, cancer, lesions of the aging and others. Chapters also discuss polymeric micelles in topical and transdermal delivery; microneedles; emulsion, nanoemulsion and microemulsion; TDDs in pulmonary drug delivery systems; nanoencapsulated nasal drug delivery systems; skin sensitivity and irritation testing for transposing transdermal drug delivery systems; and regulatory aspects of drug development for dermal products. Topical and Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems: Applications and Prospects will be a valuable resource for pharmaceutical scientists and researchers, industry professionals, and academicians and students of the pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences.

This book is a cohesive guide to the available methods that can be used in population viability analysis. It is therefore extremely valuable to both the practitioner of conservation biology and the theoretical population biologist.

4.1.1 Demographic significance Confined populations grow more rapidly than populations from which dispersal is permitted (Lidicker, 1975; Krebs, 1979; Tamarin et at., 1984), and demography in island populations where dispersal is restricted differs greatly from nearby mainland populations (Lidicker, 1973; Tamarin, 1977, 1978; Gliwicz, 1980), clearly demonstrating the demographic signi ficance of dispersal. The prevalence of dispersal in rapidly expanding populations is held to be the best evidence for presaturation dispersal. Because dispersal reduces the growth rate of source populations, it is generally believed that emigration is not balanced by immigration, and that mortality of emigrants occurs as a result of movement into a 'sink' of unfavourable habitat. If such dispersal is age- or sex-biased, the demo graphy of the population is markedly affected, as a consequence of differ ences in mortality in the dispersive sex or age class. Habitat heterogeneity consequently underlies this interpretation of dispersal and its demographic consequences, although the spatial variability of environments is rarely assessed in dispersal studies."

- Presents the reasons behind the decisions taken by automated algorithms - Frames eXplainable AI as a bridge between computer scientists and physicians - Emphasizes transparency in data analysis within healthcare - Covers computer vision and deep learning in tandem - Creates space to discuss human-AI relationships in future healthcare

In this captivating book Anthony Synnott explores a subject which has been woefully ignored: our bodies. He surveys the history for thinking about the body and the senses, then focuses on specific themes: gender, beauty, the face, hair, touch, smell and sight. He concludes with a review of classical and contemporary theories of the body and the senses. Thinking about the body will never be the same after reading this book.

eBook available with sample pages: 020320154X

From the Authors' Preface The advances made in the area of controlled drug delivery during the last two decades are remarkable ....Of the many polymeric materials, biodegradable hydrogels present unique advantages and opportunities in the development of ...delivery devices....We have undertaken the challenge of putting together information relevant to biodegradable hydrogels in one place. This book covers the mechanisms of biodegradation, types of biodegradable hydrogels,chemical and physical gels, chemical and enzymatic degradation, and examples of biodegradable drug delivery systems.

This volume contains the proceedings of the workshop held in March 1990 at Austin, Texas on Self-Organization, Emerging Properties and Learning. The workshop was co-sponsored by NATO Scientific Affairs Division, Solvay Institutes of Physics and Chemistry, the University of Texas at Austin and IC2 Institute at Austin. It gathered representatives from a large spectrum of scientific endeavour. The subject matter of self-organization extends over several fields such as hydrodynamics, chemistry, biology, neural networks and social sciences. Several key concepts are common to all these different disciplines. In general the self-organization processes in these fields are described in the framework of the nonlinear dynamics, which also governs the mechanisms underlying the learning processes. Because of this common language, it is expected that any progress in one area could benefit other fields, thus a beneficial cross fertilization may result. In last two decades many workshops and conferences had been organized in various specific fields dealing with self-organization and emerging properties of systems. The aim of the workshop in Austin was to bring together researchers from seemingly unrelated areas and interested in self-organization, emerg{ng properties and learning capabilities of interconnected multi-unit systems. The hope was to initiate interesting exchange and lively discussions. The expectations of the organiziers are materialized in this unusual collection of papers, which brings together in a single volume representative research from many related fields. Thus this volume gives to the reader a wider perspective over the generality and ramifications of the key concepts of self organization.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in both theory and practical implementation of plasmonic probes. Encompassing multiple disciplines, the field of plasmonics provides a versatile and flexible platform for nanoscale sensing and imaging. Despite being a relatively young field, plasmonic probes have come a long way, with applications in chemical, biological, civil, and architectural fields as well as enabling many analytical schemes such as immunoassay, biomarkers, environmental indexing, and water quality sensing, to name but a few. The objective of the book is to present in-depth analysis of the theory and applications of novel probes based on plasmonics, with a broad selection of specially-invited chapters on the development, fabrication, functionalization, and implementation of plasmonic probes as well as their integration with current technologies and future outlook. This book is designed to cater to the needs of novice, seasoned researchers and practitioners in academia and industry, as well as medical and environmental fields.

This book is a comprehensive review of the genera of Meliaceae, a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs, found in tropical East Africa. It presents information on their character, occurrence, habitat, phenotypic variations and distribution of each of the species under these genera.

Since early Greek and Roman times, atoms were assumed-after un dergoing their various interactions-to take on the stable configurations of either the living or the inanimate world. This simple and unitary theory has evolved markedly, even while maintaining its validity over several centuries of vicissitudes, and in essence constitutes the first ex ample of a synthesis between the physical and the life sciences. In modern times, a similar relationship between the structure of various macromolecules and the function of living cells has also emerged as one of the most striking findings of those scientists active at the con vergence of the physical and life sciences. This fundamental result is re ported in the first two sections of the present work, namely those on "Oncogenes and Cancer" and "Lower-to-Higher-Order DNA Struc ture," in many cases by those recent Nobelists who themselves have been major contributors to work at the intersection of these fields. Many other significant areas of forefront scientific inquiry today (for example, research on the brain and vision), as well as some of the most exciting technological developments (e.g., work on renewable fuels and materials, biotechnology, and NMR and X-ray tomography) and method ological advances (e.g., studies in the fields of statistical mechanics and cancer chemotherapy) depend on the complex but harmonious collabora tions of physicists, chemists, mathematicians, engineers, biologists, and physicians."

Sample Sizes for Clinical Trials, Second Edition is a practical book that assists researchers in their estimation of the sample size for clinical trials. Throughout the book there are detailed worked examples to illustrate both how to do the calculations and how to present them to colleagues or in protocols. The book also highlights some of the pitfalls in calculations as well as the key steps that lead to the final sample size calculation. Features: Comprehensive coverage of sample size calculations, including Normal, binary, ordinal, and survival outcome data Covers superiority, equivalence, non-inferiority, bioequivalence and precision objectives for both parallel group and crossover designs Highlights how trial objectives impact the study design with respect to both the derivation of sample formulae and the size of the study Motivated with examples of real-life clinical trials showing how the calculations can be applied New edition is extended with all chapters revised, some substantially, and four completely new chapters on multiplicity, cluster trials, pilot studies, and single arm trials The book is primarily aimed at researchers and practitioners of clinical trials and biostatistics, and could be used to teach a course on sample size calculations. The importance of a sample size calculation when designing a clinical trial is highlighted in the book. It enables readers to quickly find an appropriate sample size formula, with an associated worked example, complemented by tables to assist in the calculations.

A myriad of different scenarios await those entering the field of forensic pathology, ranging from gunshot wounds to asphyxiation to explosives to death from addiction. Essential Forensic Pathology: Core Studies and Exercises helps prepare pathologists in training by establishing what they must know about the most common death scenes they will encounter. The book begins by discussing the coaching objectives in medical education and follows with a description of the 15 different rotations of the forensic pathology resident. Using a consistent and concise format, the book describes the facility where the rotation takes place, the necessary skills, the laboratory equipment, and other components of the rotation. The main portion of the book presents forensic pathology essentials in the form of learning objectives-each delineated with a code: "M" for items students must know, and "S" for those they must do. This section begins by discussing the government's role, describes medical examiner and coroner systems, and analyzes the academic discipline of forensic pathology. Next, the book focuses on hands-on elements of forensic pathology, with chapters on scene investigation, identification, and postmortem changes (signs of death). Objectives are also presented for various causes of death, including gunshot wounds, stab wounds, asphyxiation, sex-related death, and death from addiction. Additional chapters cover bombs and explosive devices, mental disease, epidemics, and issues related to forensic entomology. Each chapter contains a list of pertinent vocabulary and references for further study. By mastering the objectives contained in each chapter of this manual, forensic pathology students will be ready to pass certification exams and work confidently in the field.

Energy, chemistry, solvents, and habitats - the basic elements of living systems - define the opportunities and limitations for life on other worlds. This class-tested text examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. It also considers, however, exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as basic chemical element, solar energy as a main energy source, or water as primary solvent. Finally the question of detecting bio- and geosignature of such life forms is discussed, ranging from Earth environments to deep space. While speculative considerations in this emerging field of science cannot be avoided, the authors have tried to present their study with the breadth and seriousness that a scientific approach to this issue requires. They seek an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter and avoid scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

The second edition thoroughly updates this text in view of the rapid progress in the field and a substantial amount of new material has been added, in particular sections and chapters on adaptation to extreme environments, the future and fate of living systems, life detection concepts based on the thorough analysis of the Viking missions and the issue around the meteorite ALH 84001, and - last but not least - recommendations for the optimization of future space exploration missions.

From the reviews of the first edition:

" ...] I know of no other book that reassesses the fundamentals of astrobiology in such way. This book is a tacit lesson in open-mindedness tempered with thorough scientific analysis. This is a very important book for all professional astrobiologists." A Ellery, International Journal of Astrobiology, 6 (2007) 182-183

Many athletes suffer health and sports consequences related to inadequate nutrition to meet their sports demands. It often goes unrecognized and untreated if they do not have the stereotypical diagnosis of an “eating disorder.” Highly marketable for those looking to gain an extra edge above the competition by maximizing their health through appropriate nutrition and mental work. The book has background information on the problem and serves as an instruction manual for coaches and parents. Female athletes’ personal narratives are dispersed within the information.

Following many reports that were published in the last two decades on correlations of multiphase structures of the surface of materials with their antithrombogenicity or biocompatibility a research project ''Design of Multiphase Biomedical Materials'' was carried out in Japan between 1982 and 1986. The objective of this research project was to elucidate various aspects of biomedical behaviour of multiphase systems at the interface with living bodies at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels. Multiphase materials studied cover polymers having microphase-separated structures, hydrogels, immobilized enzymes (or cells), ceramics and metallic materials.
The research project was carried out by the following subgroups:
-- Multiphase biomedical materials with microdomain structures
-- Multiphase biomedical materials containing liquid components
-- Hybrid-type multiphase biomedical materials with biological components
-- Inorganic and metallic multiphase biomedical materials
-- Methods for analysis and evaluation of multiphase biomedical materials
This book contains the results of the research project in an edited form and aims to provoke a better understanding about various aspects of cell--material interactions in which the multiphase systems play a crucial role.

Research indicates that most neurodegenerative diseases, systemic amyloidoses and many others, arise from the misfolding and aggregation of an underlying protein. This is the first book to discuss significant achievements in protein structure-function relationships in biochemistry, molecular biology and molecular medicine. The authors summarize recent progress in the understanding of the relationships between protein misfolding, aggregation and development of protein deposition disorders.