Handbook of Current and Novel Protocols for the Treatment of Infertility is a valuable resource of well-organized, comprehensive scientific data with practical guides and step-by-step protocols for infertility management. Written by contributors located worldwide, this book discusses different practice patterns and approaches used internationally, along with innovative topics including preimplantation genetic testing, time lapse imaging and the role of artificial intelligence in ART. This book provides up-to-date, evidence-based guidance on daily practice and is a valuable resource for infertility providers, including trainees in the field of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, embryologists, specialists in reproductive medicine and gynecologists. The field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) is rapidly evolving and stimulation protocols, fertility strategies and aspects of infertility treatments are constantly being updated as advances and new discoveries are made.

Not another textbook, but a valuable tool for doctors and microbiologists wanting to know how to set up a PCR diagnostic microbiology laboratory according to current regulatory standards and perform assays supplied with patient clinical diagnostic criteria and easy to follow protocols. Whether laboratories are using commercial kits or in-house methods developed in their own laboratories or adopted from published methods, all clinical microbiology laboratories need to be able to understand, critically evaluate, perform and interpret these tests according to rigorous and clinically appropriate standards and international guidelines. The cost and effort of development and evaluation of in-house tests is considerable and many laboratories do not have the resources to do so. This compendium is a vehicle to improve and maintain the clinical relevance and high quality of diagnostic PCR. It is a unique collection of; guidelines for PCR laboratory set up and quality control, test selection criteria, methods and detailed step by step protocols for a diagnostic assays in the field of molecular microbiology. The structure of the book provides the PCR fundamentals and describes the clinical aspects and diagnosis of infectious disease. This is followed by protocols divided into; bacteria, virus, fungi and parasites, and susceptibility screens. The inclusion of medical criteria and interpretation adds value to the compendium and benefits clinicians, scientists, researchers and students of clinical diagnostic microbiology

This book is about inductive databases and constraint-based data mining, emerging research topics lying at the intersection of data mining and database research. The aim of the book as to provide an overview of the state-of- the art in this novel and - citing research area. Of special interest are the recent methods for constraint-based mining of global models for prediction and clustering, the uni?cation of pattern mining approaches through constraint programming, the clari?cation of the re- tionship between mining local patterns and global models, and the proposed in- grative frameworks and approaches for inducive databases. On the application side, applications to practically relevant problems from bioinformatics are presented. Inductive databases (IDBs) represent a database view on data mining and kno- edge discovery. IDBs contain not only data, but also generalizations (patterns and models) valid in the data. In an IDB, ordinary queries can be used to access and - nipulate data, while inductive queries can be used to generate (mine), manipulate, and apply patterns and models. In the IDB framework, patterns and models become "?rst-class citizens" and KDD becomes an extended querying process in which both the data and the patterns/models that hold in the data are queried.

This BASS book Series publishes selected high-quality papers reflecting recent advances in the design and biostatistical analysis of biopharmaceutical experiments - particularly biopharmaceutical clinical trials. The papers were selected from invited presentations at the Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium (BASS), which was founded by the first Editor in 1994 and has since become the premier international conference in biopharmaceutical statistics. The primary aims of the BASS are: 1) to raise funding to support graduate students in biostatistics programs, and 2) to provide an opportunity for professionals engaged in pharmaceutical drug research and development to share insights into solving the problems they encounter. The BASS book series is initially divided into three volumes addressing: 1) Design of Clinical Trials; 2) Biostatistical Analysis of Clinical Trials; and 3) Pharmaceutical Applications. This book is the third of the 3-volume book series. The topics covered include: Targeted Learning of Optimal Individualized Treatment Rules under Cost Constraints, Uses of Mixture Normal Distribution in Genomics and Otherwise, Personalized Medicine - Design Considerations, Adaptive Biomarker Subpopulation and Tumor Type Selection in Phase III Oncology Trials, High Dimensional Data in Genomics; Synergy or Additivity - The Importance of Defining the Primary Endpoint, Full Bayesian Adaptive Dose Finding Using Toxicity Probability Interval (TPI), Alpha-recycling for the Analyses of Primary and Secondary Endpoints of Clinical Trials, Expanded Interpretations of Results of Carcinogenicity Studies of Pharmaceuticals, Randomized Clinical Trials for Orphan Drug Development, Mediation Modeling in Randomized Trials with Non-normal Outcome Variables, Statistical Considerations in Using Images in Clinical Trials, Interesting Applications over 30 Years of Consulting, Uncovering Fraud, Misconduct and Other Data Quality Issues in Clinical Trials, Development and Evaluation of High Dimensional Prognostic Models, and Design and Analysis of Biosimilar Studies.

This book is the first work that systematically describes the procedure of data mining and knowledge discovery on Bioinformatics databases by using the state-of-the-art hierarchical feature selection algorithms. The novelties of this book are three-fold. To begin with, this book discusses the hierarchical feature selection in depth, which is generally a novel research area in Data Mining/Machine Learning. Seven different state-of-the-art hierarchical feature selection algorithms are discussed and evaluated by working with four types of interpretable classification algorithms (i.e. three types of Bayesian network classification algorithms and the k-nearest neighbours classification algorithm). Moreover, this book discusses the application of those hierarchical feature selection algorithms on the well-known Gene Ontology database, where the entries (terms) are hierarchically structured. Gene Ontology database that unifies the representations of gene and gene products annotation provides the resource for mining valuable knowledge about certain biological research topics, such as the Biology of Ageing. Furthermore, this book discusses the mined biological patterns by the hierarchical feature selection algorithms relevant to the ageing-associated genes. Those patterns reveal the potential ageing-associated factors that inspire future research directions for the Biology of Ageing research.

Features Introduces the physics of accelerators, lasers, and plasma in tandem with the industrial methodology of inventiveness. Outlines a path from idea to practical implementation of scientific and technological innovation. Contains more than 380 illustrations and numerous end-of-chapter exercises.

Provides exclusive material on refractories Discusses detailed descriptions of different shaped and unshaped refractories Uses phase diagrams for better understanding of concepts Explores details on testing and specifications including thermochemical and corrosion behaviour Includes a separate chapter on trends of refractories and other issues

This book provides the most updated information of how membrane lipids mediate protein signaling from studies carried out in animal and plant cells. Also, there are some chapters that go beyond and expand these studies of protein-lipid interactions at the structural level. The book begins with a literature review from investigations associated to sphingolipids, followed by studies that describe the role of phosphoinositides in signaling and closing with the function of other key lipids in signaling at the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles.

The key element of any fluorescence sensing or imaging technology is the fluorescence reporter, which transforms the information on molecular interactions and dynamics into measurable signals of fluorescence emission. This book, written by a team of frontline researchers, demonstrates the broad field of applications of fluorescence reporters, starting from nanoscopic properties of materials, such as self-assembled thin films, polymers and ionic liquids, through biological macromolecules and further to living cell, tissue and body imaging. Basic information on obtaining and interpreting experimental data is presented and recent progress in these practically important areas is highlighted. The book is addressed to a broad interdisciplinary audience.

The Heparins: Properties and Clinical Applications brings the latest information on heparin, one of the world's most widely used drugs. The book describes the fascinating history of the discovery of this biological agent, how it was isolated and characterized, and its use for the treatment of thrombotic disorders. The structures of various heparins are illustrated, with their function as anticoagulants delineated. This comprehensive resource arms researchers and clinicians with a concise and practical source that will assist in biomedical research, medical practice, and in improving patient outcomes.

This volume focuses on contributions from both the mathematics and life science community surrounding the concepts of time and dynamicity of nature, two significant elements which are often overlooked in modeling process to avoid exponential computations. The book is divided into three distinct parts: dynamics of genomes and genetic variation, dynamics of motifs, and dynamics of biological networks. Chapters included in dynamics of genomes and genetic variation analyze the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary processes that shape the structure and function of genomes and those that govern genome dynamics. The dynamics of motifs portion of the volume provides an overview of current methods for motif searching in DNA, RNA and proteins, a key process to discover emergent properties of cells, tissues, and organisms. The part devoted to the dynamics of biological networks covers networks aptly discusses networks in complex biological functions and activities that interpret processes in cells. Moreover, chapters in this section examine several mathematical models and algorithms available for integration, analysis, and characterization. Once life scientists began to produce experimental data at an unprecedented pace, it become clear that mathematical models were necessary to interpret data, to structure information with the aim to unveil biological mechanisms, discover results, and make predictions. The second annual "Bringing Maths to Life" workshop held in Naples, Italy October 2015, enabled a bi-directional flow of ideas from and international group of mathematicians and biologists. The venue allowed mathematicians to introduce novel algorithms, methods, and software that may be useful to model aspects of life science, and life scientists posed new challenges for mathematicians.

ss-barrel outer membrane channel proteins (OMP) are useful as robust and flexible models or components in nanotechnology. Over the last decade biotechnological techniques allowed to expand the natural characteristics of OMPs by modifying their geometry and properties. The present book is oriented towards a broad group of readers including graduate students and advanced researchers. It gives a general introduction to the field of OMP based nano-component development as well as the state of the art of the involved research. On the example of the E. coli FhuA the transformation of an OMP into a tailored nano-channel will be outlined. An exhaustive description of the scientific strategy, including protein selection, analytical methods and "in-silico" tools to support the planning of protein modifications for a targeted application, consideration on the production of a custom made OMP, and an overview on technological applications including membrane/polymersome technology, will be provided.

Key features: Supported by the latest research and based on the state-of-the-art computational methods in high-accuracy computational spectroscopy of molecules Authored by an authority in the field Accessible to both experts and non-experts working in the area of computational and experimental spectroscopy, in addition to graduate students

This book focuses on the data mining, systems biology, and bioinformatics computational methods that can be used to summarize biological networks. Specifically, it discusses an array of techniques related to biological network clustering, network summarization, and differential network analysis which enable readers to uncover the functional and topological organization hidden in a large biological network. The authors also examine crucial open research problems in this arena. Academics, researchers, and advanced-level students will find this book to be a comprehensive and exceptional resource for understanding computational techniques and their applications for a summary of biological networks.

This book investigates in detail the emerging deep learning (DL) technique in computational physics, assessing its promising potential to substitute conventional numerical solvers for calculating the fields in real-time. After good training, the proposed architecture can resolve both the forward computing and the inverse retrieve problems. Pursuing a holistic perspective, the book includes the following areas. The first chapter discusses the basic DL frameworks. Then, the steady heat conduction problem is solved by the classical U-net in Chapter 2, involving both the passive and active cases. Afterwards, the sophisticated heat flux on a curved surface is reconstructed by the presented Conv-LSTM, exhibiting high accuracy and efficiency. Besides, the electromagnetic parameters of complex medium such as the permittivity and conductivity are retrieved by a cascaded framework in Chapter 4. Additionally, a physics-informed DL structure along with a nonlinear mapping module are employed to obtain the space/temperature/time-related thermal conductivity via the transient temperature in Chapter 5. Finally, in Chapter 6, a series of the latest advanced frameworks and the corresponding physics applications are introduced. As deep learning techniques are experiencing vigorous development in computational physics, more people desire related reading materials. This book is intended for graduate students, professional practitioners, and researchers who are interested in DL for computational physics.

Describes landmark experiments in cell biology and biochemistry Discusses the "How" and "Why" of historically important experiments Includes primary, original data and graphs Emphasizes biological techniques, which helps understand how many of the experiments performed were possible. Documents, chronologically, how each result fed into the next experiments.

Symptomatic: The Symptom-Based Handbook for Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders offers a novel approach structured around the panoply of 75 symptoms with which a person with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) may present to a clinician. The content is arranged intuitively from head to feet, with each chapter integrating clinical case studies with a concise discussion and two important diagnostic tools: a simplified algorithm for diagnosing and treating each symptom and differential diagnoses and alternative explanations for their symptoms. This is a handbook that combines the expertise of some 70 leading clinicians, representing more than 30 specialties. This book is suited for clinicians who need a concise and straight-forward presentation of the various and complex symptoms they confront in their clinical practice. It brings forth a field of knowledge emerging from interdisciplinary collaboration despite the pressures of specialization that bridges gaps in understanding between the several dozen disciplines implicated in EDS and HSD.

This third volume in the series Tumor Dormancy, Quiescence, and Senescence discusses the role of tumor dormancy and senescence in a number of diseases, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and leukemia. The contents are organized under five subheadings: General Applications, Role in Breast Cancer, Role in Ovarian Cancer, Role in Leukemia and Role in Cardiovascular Disease. The first section includes basic information on the definition of dormancy, how cells become senescent and what they do, along with an appraisal of the current state of research on dormancy. Section Two explores dormancy in breast cancer, including the progression of hormone-dependent mammary tumors after dormancy. Section Three details the resistance of Type II ovarian tumors, in which the resistant tumor cell population persists after chemotherapy in a state of dormancy, with recurrent tumors arising upon transformation of such dormant cells back to malignant growth. This section explains how lineage, histological subtypes and grade influence the differential response of ovarian cancer resistance to platinum drugs. The fourth section explores leukemia, discussing regulation of the promyelocytic leukemia protein and its role in premature senescence. The final section explores the role of senescence and autophagy in age-related cardiovascular diseases and the observation that autophagy seems to retard cardiac senescence. Like the two preceding volumes in the series, Volume 3 stands out for its comprehensive approach, its roster of some 26 expert contributors representing seven different countries and its up-to-date review of leading-edge technology and methods.

Microbiome and the Eye: What's the connection? highlights how alterations in the gut and eye microbiomes can lead to systemic immune alterations with subsequent effects on the eye. The book is divided into two sections, one highlighting how alterations in the gut microbiome impact various components of health outside the gut, with a focus on the immune system and inflammatory mediators, and the second focusing on studies on a variety of ocular diseases, including ocular surface diseases/dry eye, keratitis, uveitis, glaucoma, and retinopathy to gut dysbiosis. With its translational approach, the book is suitable for both researchers and clinicians. The book will help readers understand the mechanisms in which gut and eye microbiome composition may influence health in multiple compartments, with a focus on eye diseases.

The rapidly developing field of systems biology is influencing many aspects of biological research and is expected to transform biomedicine. Some emerging offshoots and specialized branches in systems biology are receiving particular attention and are becoming highly active areas of research. This collection of invited reviews describes some of the latest cutting-edge experimental and computational advances in these emerging sub-fields of systems biology. In particular, this collection focuses on the study of mammalian embryonic stem cells; new technologies involving mass-spectrometry proteomics; single cell measurements; methods for modeling complex stochastic systems; network-based classification algorithms; and the revolutionary emerging field of systems pharmacology.

Lignin is a large phenolic polymer found in the cell wall of most land plants. Volume ABR104, provides in-depth reviews on the most recent discoveries in the field. It revisits the lignin paradigm and reviews the occurrence of unconventional lignin precursors that are derived from both the monolignol biosynthetic pathway, and from other polyphenolic biosynthetic pathways. The volume encompasses the most recent data about the regulation of lignin biosynthesis in a environment of polysaccharides, the importance of oxidases, the pivotal role of feruloylation and coumaroylation of the cell wall both in the lignified stem and in the cereal grain. The volume gives an important part to the transcriptional regulation at different scales. At last, vibrational and fluorescence microscopy methods to characterize the lignin-decorated cell wall as well the most recent bioengineering approaches towards lignin modification are reviewed.

Health Effects of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster provides a multidisciplinary retrospective on the health consequences on the population the first decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Sections 1 and 2 of the book begins with an introduction and an overview of the developments surrounding the Fukushima accident. Section 3 discusses topics such as the physical health impact of radiation exposure as well as diseases that resulted from long-term evacuation. Section 4 examines the psychological factors and the social impact of the disaster and how their combined influence affected the physical and mental wellness of the population. The book concludes with Section 5 which covers the mitigation strategy for treatment and care of psychological health issues resulting from the disaster. The book contains expert contributions from those who have first-hand experience in the recovery efforts and are still actively researching the impact of the disaster. Health Effects of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster provides readers with a coherent, multi-dimensional narrative about the physical, psychosocial, and psychological aspects of the decade-long aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The next generation of nursing leadership needs in-depth exposure to the real world of health policy, its culture and history, including understanding what historical barriers and professional opposition exists to nursing functioning of its training and expertise. Shaping Nursing Healthcare Policy: A View from the Inside directly addresses the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine landmark reports on the Future of Nursing. This important work brings to life the practical realties of advanced practice nursing's maturation and related social change, rather than relying on excessively abstract and theoretical opinions.

Since its commercial introduction in 2004, UHPLC (Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography) has begun to replace conventional HPLC in academia and industry and interest in this technique continues to grow. Both the increases in speed and resolution make this an attractive method; particularly to the life sciences and more than 1500 papers have been written on this strongly-evolving topic to date. This book provides a solid background on how to work with UHPLC and its application to the life sciences. The first part of the book covers the basics of this approach and the specifics of a UHPLC system, providing the reader with a solid background to working properly with such a system. The second part examines the application of UHPLC to the life sciences, with a focus on drug analysis strategies. UHPLC-MS, a key technique in pharmaceutical and toxicological analyses, is also examined in detail. The editors (Davy Guillarme and Jean-Luc Veuthey) were some of the earliest adopters of UHPLC and have published and lectured extensively on this topic. Between them they have brought together an excellent team of contributors from Europe and the United States, presenting a wealth of expertise and knowledge. This book is an essential handbook for anyone wishing to adopt an UHPLC system in either an academic or industrial setting and will benefit postgraduate students and experienced workers alike.