A collection of articles which provide examples that demonstrate the application of dynamic programming to a wide variety of decision problems in agriculture.

This book is a first course in statistics for students of biology. Most of the examples have an ecological bias, but illustrate principles which have direct relevance for biologists doing laboratory work. The structured approach begins with basic concepts, and progresses towards an appreciation of the needs and use of analysis of variance and regression, and includes the use of computer statistical packages. The work is clearly explained with worked examples of real-life biological problems, and should be suitable for undergraduate students engaged in quantitative biological work. Biostatistics should give students a sound grasp of the key principles of biological statistics without overwhelming detail, and should allow students to quickly apply techniques to their own work and data.

'The perfect gift for the armchair epidemiologist' Wall Street Journal Nature wants you dead. Not just you, but your children and everyone you have ever met and everyone they have ever met; in fact, everyone. It wants you to cough and sneeze and poop yourself into an early grave. It wants your blood vessels to burst and pustules to explode all over your body. And - until recently - it was really good at doing this... The subject of infection and how to fight it grows more urgent every day. How do pathogens cause disease? And what tools can we give our bodies to do battle? Infectious is not only a vital overview of what goes awry in our bodies, but also a hopeful story of ongoing human ingenuity.

Handbook of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering focuses on recent AI technologies and applications that provide some very promising solutions and enhanced technology in the biomedical field. Recent advancements in computational techniques, such as machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and big data, accelerate the deployment of biomedical devices in various healthcare applications. This volume explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can be applied to these expert systems by mimicking the human expert's knowledge in order to predict and monitor the health status in real time. The accuracy of the AI systems is drastically increasing by using machine learning, digitized medical data acquisition, wireless medical data communication, and computing infrastructure AI approaches, helping to solve complex issues in the biomedical industry and playing a vital role in future healthcare applications. The volume takes a multidisciplinary perspective of employing these new applications in biomedical engineering, exploring the combination of engineering principles with biological knowledge that contributes to the development of revolutionary and life-saving concepts.

Explores the use of IoT in the field of biomedical engineering Discusses current issues associated with biomedical engineering while including the fundamentals such as collaboration on usage of sensors, bio-interfaces, e-medicine, remote healthcare, etc. Throws light on IoT for healthcare monitoring as well as for remote healthcare, data communication, monitoring, and diagnosis.

Originally published in 1915, The Natural Theology of Evolution looks at the concept of natural theology, examining the argument for the existence of God based on reason and ordinary experiences of nature. The book looks at natural theology in light of Darwin's theory of evolution, and how this important discovery affected belief in intelligent design. The book argues that the discovery of evolution, far from diminishing the existence of God, provides stronger proof for an intelligently designed earth and therefore the existence of God. This book provides a unique and interesting take on the debates surrounding evolution in the late 19th and early 20th century. It will be of interest to philosophers, historians of religion and natural historians alike.

The first book published detailing the contributions of a premier female pioneer in science and anthropology Details the many revolutionary scientific advances and techniques developed by Trotter Provides context and background regarding a major, and now well-known, error in one specific measurement in her renowned stature estimation research Examines key overlooked historical aspects in scientific history including scientific error, experiences of sexism, women in science, and other marginalized groups

The first and only book on Spray-freeze-drying" which is a relatively recent drying technique, that provides the signature advantages of spray-drying and freeze-drying, while overcoming the limitations of both. Provides examples and case studies of nuances and intricacies associated with each stage of the spray-freeze-drying process Contains 200+ illustrations and tabulations Highlights the applications of spray-freeze-drying in the production of food products including soluble coffee, dairy powders, probiotics, and flavors.

The book presents an innovative technology based on injection of a very weak current to trace the quantity of a drug carried immediately after the administration. The book makes the reader familiar with the technology, from the conception through the design of the instrument, up to the preliminary clinical applications. In the first chapter, the method of transdermal drug delivery and the use of impedance spectroscopy in the dermatological field are presented. The second chapter describes a screening measurement campaign aimed at proving the feasibility of the assessment method and identifying the bandwidth of interest. The prototyping, validation and characterization of an instrument to measure the amount of drug delivered (DUSM: Drug Under Skin Meter) are presented in chapter three. In the fourth chapter three experimental campaigns, based on the electrical analysis of the biological tissue behavior due to the drug delivery, are reported: (i) laboratory emulation on eggplants, (ii) ex-vivo tests on pig ears, and finally (iii) in-vivo tests on human volunteers. In the fifth chapter a behavioral model, based on Finite Elements and Partial Differential Equation, of an impedance-based measurement system for assessing the drug released under the skin, during transdermal delivering, is proposed. The last chapter is dedicated to present a campaign in order to prove the suitability for insulin therapy applications. This book is intended for biomedical engineers, biomedical engineering students, operators working in the field of biomedical instrumentation, biotechnologists, and technicians of transdermal vehiculation.

Originally published in 1951, Homo Faber is an examination of the scientific outlook on human mental evolution through the lens of parapsychology. The book aims to undermine what its terms, the 'scientific outlook' examining the human interpretation of the world, and the preconceived scientific concepts that reality does not extend beyond the realm that our senses reveal. The book expands upon this and moves to examine the broader human understanding of the entire cosmos, challenging the scientific conception that this can be grasped in principal by human intellect, arising from the chance combination of material particles. The book argues that the scientific outlook prevents humans from discovering in the Universe the meaning and purpose which are everywhere to be found if sought in the appropriate contemplative states of mind. This book provides a unique take on the examination of human psychology and the evolution of the brain from an alternative scientific stance. It will be of interest to anthropologists, historians and psychologists alike.

This new volume explores the exciting and diverse applications of three-dimensional printing in a variety of industries, including food processing, environmental sciences, biotechnology, medical devices, energy storage, civil engineering, the textile and fashion industry, and more. It describes the various 3D printing methods, the commonly used materials, and the pros and cons. It also presents an overview of the historical development and modern-day trends in additive manufacturing, as well as an exploration of the prospects of 3D printing technology in promoting academic education.

Providing a wealth of in-depth knowledge of forest ecosystems, this new volume explores a collection of important topics on forest community dynamics. It looks at the diversity of forest ecosystems and explores such aspects as forest products in enhancing local livelihoods and community participation, forage production, forest conservation and sustainable management, regeneration patterns, seed handling, and more. Chapters in Diversity and Dynamics in Forest Ecosystems present new research on forest products, livelihood generation mechanisms of forest-dependent communities, utilization patterns of untapped resources from forests, and the structure of different ecosystems from the tropical to the temperate landscape. This book also features different drivers of community dynamics, such as the role of seed handling in forests, the influence of altitudinal variations, and protected and community-conserved forests on the forest diversity. Chapters also consider the role of non-timber forest products and their significance in livelihood diversification for tribal communities and forage crop genetic resources, and forest resource extraction by forest fringe dwellers. Also explored are aspects of soil organic carbon in agroforestry systems and integrated approaches of sustainable agroforestry development in diverse forest ecosystems. This edition also examines the vegetation structure and regeneration aspects of timberline zone, including diversity of herbaceous flora along the altitudinal gradient. The abundance of in-depth knowledge of the diversity and dynamics of forest ecosystems in this volume will be valuable in conservation and management of forests, which play an important role in the world environment. Forests are presently facing multiple disturbances, and this volume will help forestry professionals and others formulate further strategies to mitigate global climate change and other challenges.

Presents recent advances in prosthetic biomechanics engineering research. Discusses the design and development of limb prosthetic systems. Explores advanced concepts of the prosthetic sockets. Describes gait analysis of prosthetics and orthotics.

Life is all around us, abundant and diverse, it is extraordinary. But what does it actually mean to be alive? Nobel prize-winner Paul Nurse has spent his career revealing how living cells work. In this book, he takes up the challenge of defining life in a way that every reader can understand. It is a shared journey of discovery; step by step he illuminates five great ideas that underpin biology. He traces the roots of his own curiosity and knowledge to reveal how science works, both now and in the past. Using his personal experiences, in and out of the lab, he shares with us the challenges, the lucky breaks, and the thrilling eureka moments of discovery. To survive the challenges that face the human race today - from climate change, to pandemics, loss of biodiversity and food security - it is vital that we all understand what life is.

This book primarily focuses on providing deep insight into the concepts of network security, network forensics, botnet forensics, ethics and incident response in global perspectives. It also covers the dormant and contentious issues of the subject in most scientific and objective manner. Various case studies addressing contemporary network forensics issues are also included in this book to provide practical know - how of the subject. Network Forensics: A privacy & Security provides a significance knowledge of network forensics in different functions and spheres of the security. The book gives the complete knowledge of network security, all kind of network attacks, intention of an attacker, identification of attack, detection, its analysis, incident response, ethical issues, botnet and botnet forensics. This book also refer the recent trends that comes under network forensics. It provides in-depth insight to the dormant and latent issues of the acquisition and system live investigation too. Features: Follows an outcome-based learning approach. A systematic overview of the state-of-the-art in network security, tools, Digital forensics. Differentiation among network security, computer forensics, network forensics and botnet forensics. Discussion on various cybercrimes, attacks and cyber terminologies. Discussion on network forensics process model. Network forensics tools and different techniques Network Forensics analysis through case studies. Discussion on evidence handling and incident response. System Investigations and the ethical issues on network forensics. This book serves as a reference book for post graduate and research investigators who need to study in cyber forensics. It can also be used as a textbook for a graduate level course in Electronics & Communication, Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

As the most common health-care intervention, prescription drug use shares the most important characteristics of the health-care system in the United States. When everything works well, it makes possible breathtakingly successful applications of science to the prevention and cure of human suffering. But everything doesn't always work well. Pharmaceutical Public Policy provides the understanding and framework required for effective organization, financing, and delivery of pharmaceutical products and services. It supplies an overview of the policy process as well as the roles of legislation and regulation in pharmaceutical policy. The book identifies the goals, objectives, and key policy issues of concern to stakeholders involved in the development of products, use of pharmaceuticals in healthcare, and administration of insurance programs by both the private and government sectors. Policy issues examined include the appropriateness of prescribing and patient adherence. Addressing questions of access, quality, and cost, the book considers the operation of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare Part D. It details the responsibilities of Federal providers of pharmaceutical care and private and public payers such as managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, Medicare, and Medicaid. The book covers the policies and practices involved in promoting pharmaceutical products. It also considers pharmacoeconomics as a response to market failure. Finally, the book describes the market, the role of the manufacturer, drug shortages, and the responsibilities of the FDA. The book includes a Foreword by Jerry Avorn, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and Chief, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Woman's Hospital.

While it has always been legal for a citizen in the United States to manufacture their own firearm, the sale and distribution of such items is illegal under current U.S. law. The primary impediment to individuals making their own weapons has been access to the tooling and machinery required to convert raw materials into finished parts for assembly. However, in the last fifteen years this paradigm has changed drastically. Home builders and companies have emerged to support individuals who choose to produce their own firearm. Kits with receivers and gun components are available for hobbyists, as are 3-D printable gun designs, downloadable from the Internet in some cases. This phenomenon has led to the term ghost guns: firearms whose existence is not reported to any third party and therefore whose existence is unknown and, largely, untraceable. A Field Guide to Ghost Guns: For Police and Forensic Investigators provides a useful brief for field investigators on the technical aspects of the self-made firearm, so-called "ghost guns. The first book to focus on the emergent issue of ghost guns, coverage addresses the history of firearms making and manufacture in the U.S.-including regulated and nonregulated manufacturing, details firearm components and accessories, how to assemble a Firearm, an overview of common Types of ghost guns, and investigative considerations. Though there have been increased calls to regulate guns in the wake of numerous mass shootings, the proliferation of ghost guns-and their increasing use in crimes-would likely require additional laws and regulatory measures. Since there are few knowledgeable firearm practitioners in the field, who can render qualified opinions on the subject, author Robb Walker has taken a practical, pragmatic approach to the topic. The book defines terminology, provides photographs, and explains the concepts surrounding homemade firearm in clear, easy to understand terms. Key Features: Addresses the technology and technical aspects in creating, assembling, and/or modifying homemade firearms-both printable and assembled from pre-fabricated components Discusses the rationale and motivations behind making one's own firearm Outlines what is currently legal and illegal under U.S. law, providing indicators for investigators for illegally configured firearms A Field Guide to Ghost Guns addresses the pressing need for a practical reference on the topic. The book provides police investigators and forensic ballistics experts a useful aid to understand legal aspects and to identify ghost guns, and the paraphernalia-tooling and machinery, and otherwise-indicative of gun making in a non-formal, factory setting.

This new volume, Natural Polymers for Pharmaceutical Applications, Volume 1: Plant-Derived Polymers, presents some of the latest research on the applications of natural polymers in drug delivery and therapeutics for healthcare benefits. Polymers and their applications from several plants are discussed in depth, including tamarind gum, gum Arabic, natural carbohydrate polymer gum tragacanth, pectin, guar gum and its derivatives, locust bean gum, sterculia gum, okra gum, and others. The use of the polymers derived from plants as potential pharmaceutical excipients is expanding day by day because of their stability in the biological system, drug-releasing capability, drug-targeting abilities, as well as their bioavailability.

Many polymers derived from various marine sources and microorganisms possess some important biological properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioadhesivity that make them attractive as pharmaceutical excipients in various pharmaceutical dosage forms. Moreover, these polymers can be modified physically and/or chemically to improve their biomaterial properties. In this volume, Natural Polymers for Pharmaceutical Applications, Volume 2: Marine- and Microbiologically Derived Polymers, looks at how these polymers have been explored and exploited for pharmaceutical uses, such as in tablets, microparticles, nanoparticles, ophthalmic preparations, gels, emulsions, suspensions, etc. Some commonly used marine- and microbiologically derived polymers used as pharmaceutical excipients include alginates, agar-agar, gellan gum, carrageenan; chitosan, xanthan gum, and others. The book focuses on important recent advances from experts around the world on marine-derived polysaccharides and pharmaceutical applications of alginates, agar-agar, gellan gum, carrageenan, chitosan derivatives, xanthan gum.

In recent years, many animal-derived polymers have emerged as an attractive category of naturally derived polymers because of their advantageous physicochemical, chemical, and biological properties. The important biological properties of these natural polymers derived from animals are biocompatibility and biodegradation. These polymers are generally composed of repeated units of amino acids. Moreover, these polymers can be modified physically and/or chemically to improve their biomaterial properties. Natural Polymers for Pharmaceutical Applications, Volume 3: Animal-Derived Polymers looks at how these polymers can be exploited as pharmaceutical excipients in various pharmaceutical dosage forms, like microparticles, nanoparticles, ophthalmic preparations, gels, implants, etc. The commonly used animal-derived polymers used as pharmaceutical excipients are hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan), albumin, collagen, gelatin, chondroitin, etc.

This first-of-its-kind handbook offers crucial information on the safety of drugs taken during pregnancy. It covers an exhaustive list of common and less common drugs and provides for each drug the FDA letter categorization and newly approved "Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Rule (PLLR)" systems for rating drug risks in pregnancy, imposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Drugs in Pregnancy: A Handbook for Pharmacists and Physicians covers the pregnancy ramifications of using anti-infective, cardiovascular, hematologic, dermatologic drugs and drugs affecting the endocrine, central, autonomic, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal systems in addition to herbs, vitamins and dietary supplements. To enable the reader to develop well-informed knowledge about a drug safety profile during pregnancy, three sections of data have been provided for each drug: FDA Category, Risk Summary, and Further Reading.

This new volume provides an abundance of information on new biomedical applications being used today. The book covers a wide range of concepts and technologies, discussing such modern technological methods as the Internet of Things, e-pills, biomedical sensors, support vector machines, wireless devices, image and signal processing in e-health, and machine learning. It also includes a discussion on software implementation for the devices used in biomedical applications. The different types of antennas, including antennas using RF energy harvesting for biomedical applications, are covered as well.

While it has always been legal for a citizen in the United States to manufacture their own firearm, the sale and distribution of such items is illegal under current U.S. law. The primary impediment to individuals making their own weapons has been access to the tooling and machinery required to convert raw materials into finished parts for assembly. However, in the last fifteen years this paradigm has changed drastically. Home builders and companies have emerged to support individuals who choose to produce their own firearm. Kits with receivers and gun components are available for hobbyists, as are 3-D printable gun designs, downloadable from the Internet in some cases. This phenomenon has led to the term ghost guns: firearms whose existence is not reported to any third party and therefore whose existence is unknown and, largely, untraceable. A Field Guide to Ghost Guns: For Police and Forensic Investigators provides a useful brief for field investigators on the technical aspects of the self-made firearm, so-called "ghost guns. The first book to focus on the emergent issue of ghost guns, coverage addresses the history of firearms making and manufacture in the U.S.-including regulated and nonregulated manufacturing, details firearm components and accessories, how to assemble a Firearm, an overview of common Types of ghost guns, and investigative considerations. Though there have been increased calls to regulate guns in the wake of numerous mass shootings, the proliferation of ghost guns-and their increasing use in crimes-would likely require additional laws and regulatory measures. Since there are few knowledgeable firearm practitioners in the field, who can render qualified opinions on the subject, author Robb Walker has taken a practical, pragmatic approach to the topic. The book defines terminology, provides photographs, and explains the concepts surrounding homemade firearm in clear, easy to understand terms. Key Features: Addresses the technology and technical aspects in creating, assembling, and/or modifying homemade firearms-both printable and assembled from pre-fabricated components Discusses the rationale and motivations behind making one's own firearm Outlines what is currently legal and illegal under U.S. law, providing indicators for investigators for illegally configured firearms A Field Guide to Ghost Guns addresses the pressing need for a practical reference on the topic. The book provides police investigators and forensic ballistics experts a useful aid to understand legal aspects and to identify ghost guns, and the paraphernalia-tooling and machinery, and otherwise-indicative of gun making in a non-formal, factory setting.