'This is a first-class book. If you are interested in wildlife and the outdoors, you will find it an essential addition to your natural-history library. The author's knowledge and enthusiasm come right through, and the illustrator's work greatly enhances the book's usefulness. Organization of the book makes identification easier than with other track books I know and should enable beginners to use the text with ease.'--Jim Rantz, Executive Director, The National Outdoor Leadership School.

This book is a collection of experimental studies demonstrating structure-function relationships in various biological systems having particular surface specialization to increase/decrease friction and adhesion. Studies on snake skin, adhesive pads, wing-interlocking devices and sticky mouthparts of insects as well as anti-adhesive and adhesive surfaces of plants are included in the volume containing four main subsections: (1) adhesion, (2) friction, (3) attachment-devices, (4) attachment-related behavior. Numerous experimental methods for characterizing tribological properties of biological surfaces at macro-, micro-, and nanoscale levels are demonstrated. This book is an excellent collection of publications on biotribology for both engineers and physicists working with biological systems as well as for biologists studying friction and adhesion. Inspirations from biology reported here may be also potentially interesting for biomimetics.

The aim of this book is to re-evaluate the true pest status of many common species traditionally regarded as pests. It is based on a revised selection of papers presented at a symposium organized by the Mammal Society in London, November 1987. Many of the pests described are introduced, non-native species, which in the absence of natural predators have multiplied in numbers to become pests. In other cases, it is man's creation of an artificial concentrated environment, such as a single-crop agricultural field, a grain store or a timber plantation, that has generated the conditons for large population increases of pest species. Data are presented from a number of British and European studies on various mammalian pests, including deer, badgers, squirrels, rabbits and others. Some pests are shown to cause direct damage, for example by eating man's food products, while others cause indirect damage, by allowing secondary infections into plants or by being vectors for disease. Strategies of pest management are also considered.

This book is the lasting product, a resource of up-to-date information in the scientific literature for the field of animal cell technology, as it was presented during a pleasant and stimulating meeting in TylAsand, Sweden, in June 2001. The title of the meeting, From Target to Market, indicates the usefulness of Animal Cell Technology during all steps in the pharmaceutical development process. Following the biotech products reaching the market, it shows an upward trend in the contribution of biotech products to total New Molecular Entity output in the nineties, which continued until 1996 when biotech represented 25% of the annual output. Since then the proportion has been decreasing. A perceived hurdle from a market perspective is that a protein per definition is biodegradable and thus requires intravenous, or for some drugs subcutaneous administration. New promising administration technologies such as pulmonary delivery were highlighted at this meeting. The emphasis on project selection prior to entry in the development phase has triggered a portfolio management using more extensive preclinical data before a development decision is taken. Animal cells have become a very important tool in the drug discovery process. The next generation of products will evolve from applications such as gene therapy, novel vaccines, cell therapy, and gene regulation. Animal cell technology has a major role to play in the post-sequence era.

This book outlines the interaction of cadmium with the proteome and signalling molecules of mammalian cells. Chapters from expert contributors cover topics such as cadmium chemical biology, membrane receptors and transporters for cadmium and cadmium complexes, and targets of cadmium toxicity. Students and researchers working in bioinorganic chemistry will find this book an important account.

New data on animal cell technology are brought together in this volume, with emphasis given to the basic characterization of cell lines. The merits of different cell culture systems are examined and investigations into the factors influencing cell growth and productivity are presented. A special section deals with the biological properties of proteins produced by engineered animal cells. All those involved in the culture of animal cells will find this volume invaluable.

Contributions to this volume detail paleontologic research in Manonga Valley, and shed important light on the evolutionary development of eastern Africa. Chapters provide novel insights into the taxonomy, paleobiology, ecology, and zoogeographic relationships of African faunas, as well as lay the foundation for future geological, paleontological, and paleoecological studies in this important area. The book concludes with a discussion of the importance of investigations on broader geographical sites, including the Manonga Valley, for human evolution research. The text is supported by 143 illustrations.

Presents a discrete in time-space universal map of relative dynamics that is used to unfold an extensive catalogue of dynamic events not previously discussed in mathematical or social science literature. With emphasis on the chaotic dynamics that may ensue, the book describes the evolution on the basis of temporal and locational advantages. It explains nonlinear discrete time dynamic maps primarily through numerical simulations. These very rich qualitative dynamics are linked to evolution processes in socio-spatial systems. Important features include: The analytical properties of the one-stock, two- and three-location map; the numerical results from the one- and two-stock, two- and three-location dynamics; and the demonstration of the map's potential applicability in the social sciences through simulating population dynamics of the U.S. Regions over a two-century period. In addition, this book includes new findings: the Hopf equivalent discrete time dynamics bifurcation; the Feigenbaum slope-sequences; the presence of strange local attractors and containers; switching of extreme states; the presence of different types of turbulence; local and global turbulence. Intended for researchers and advanced graduate students in applied mathematics and an interest in dynamics and chaos. Mathematical social scientists in many other fields will also find this book useful.

In the last decade nucleo-cytoplasmic transport has developed into one of the most active areas of research in cell biology and its significance for cell biology as a whole has been recognized. It has led to elucidation of the mechanisms of major cellular functions such as protein synthesis and cellular differentiation. It is also helping to bring about a synthesis of ultrastructural, biochemical, molecular biological and biophysical approaches to the study of cellular organization and function. These theoretical advances have been made possible chiefly by advances in technology - improved methods of gene manipulation and sequencing, of monoclonal antibody production and the use of protein chemistry, of microscopy and of cell manipulation, including microinjection methods. Developments in molecular biology, such as the search for sequence - specific DNA binding proteins and the identification of their binding domains, have also furthered advances in cell biology and these areas have become increasingly integrated with some well-established areas of biochemistry. This book aims to be an introduction, for senior undergraduates and postgraduate biologists, to the field of nucleo-cytoplasmic transport and its relevance to cell biology and seeks to use recent advances in the field to illustrate the process by which modern scientific progress occurs - the importance of developing techniques for formulating problems as well as answering them and the integration of different approaches leading to the evolution of novel concepts. The author assumes a basic general knowledge of molecular and cell biology and of biochemistry, but provides all the necessary background for discussion of recent advances and in the final chapters discusses the actual and potential contributions of the field of nucleo-cytoplasmic transport to cell biology.

Humans represent just one of many species that constitute the planet's biodiversity. Nevertheless, as the dominant species, humans have been the primary agent of the transformation of natural spaces. Therefore, the study of human interactions, biodiversity, and the environment that surrounds them is a basic tool for understanding the factors that bind human societies to natural resources. Within this context, ethnobiology is a promising discipline that can play a key role as a mediator of dialogue between different academic disciplines and traditional knowledge, a union essential in enabling contextualized and sustainable alternatives to exploitative practices and biodiversity management. Methods and Techniques in Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology introduces the basic techniques and methods traditionally used in ethnobiology and ethnoecology. Comprised of 28 chapters, the book covers the different qualitative and quantitative aspects of ethnobiology research methods, as well as methods from natural and social sciences that will be useful to both beginners and senior researchers. Written by internationally renowned experts in the fields, Methods and Techniques in Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology is a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in ethnobiology.

Based on the author's more than 40 years experience, Bacterial Growth and Form examines such important questions as what bacteria were, what they are, and what they do. Particular emphasis is placed on the ability of bacteria to establish their shapes as they grow and divide. By developing an understanding of the properties of these simple and early life forms, especially at the levels of physics and mathematics, the book provides insight into the mechanism used by bacteria to subvert physical forces to their own ends. A major consideration of this work is that prokaryotes do many of the same things that eukaryotes do, but with simpler equipment employed in an extremely sophisticated way. The book illustrates this point by closely examining the basic mechanismof hydrostatic or turgor pressure: how it functions for many of the mechanical purposes in the prokaryote, how it leads to mechanisms for resisting turgor pressure, and how it ultimately led to the development of exoskeletons and endoskeletons, and to the refinement of bacteria. Bacterial Growth and Form brings together biochemical, biophysical, and physiological principles in an authoritative, single-source volume. It provides researchers, and students in biophysics and microbiology with an indispensible reference and a new perspective into the biology of life.

The human body contains many specialized tissues that are capable of fulfilling an incredible variety of functions necessary for our survival. This volume in the Human Cell Culture Series focuses on mesenchymal tissues and cells. The in vitro study of mesenchymal cells is perhaps the oldest form of human cell culture, beginning with the culturing of fibroblasts. Fibroblasts have long been generically described in the literature, arising from many tissue types upon in vitro cell culture. However, recent studies, many enabled by new molecular biology techniques, have shown considerable diversity in fibroblast type and function, as described within this volume. Mesenchymal tissue types that are described within include bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments, muscle, adipose tissue, and skin (dermis). The proper function of these tissues is predominantly dependent upon the proper proliferation, differentiation, and function of the mesenchymal cells which make up the tissue. Recent advancements in primary human mesenchymal cell culture have led to remarkable progress in the study of these tissues. Landmark experiments have now demonstrated a stem cell basis for many of these tissues, and, furthermore, significant plasticity and inter-conversion of stem cells between these tissues, resulting in a great deal of contemporary excitement and controversy. Newly-developed mesenchymal cell culture techniques have even lead to novel clinical practices for the treatment of disease.

Nitrogen fixation is currently of great practical importance because the use of nitrogenous fertilizers has resulted in unacceptable levels of water pollution and the fact that these fertilizers are becoming steadily less economic both in cash terms and in utilization of fossil fuels for their manufacture. This book aims to present new findings in the field of nitrogen fixation and to reflect the influence on the subject of recent developments in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetic engineering and other biotechnologies. The book includes quantitative aspects of the subject, but the many practical difficulties for accurate field assessment of nitrogen fixation and its contribution to nitrogen cycles means that many assessments are either in conflict with each other or must be accepted as tentative. Although this book is concerned essentially with how nitrogen-fixing organisms function and why they are of practical importance, rather than with details of laboratory or field techniques, an appendix deals with the main methods of measurement of nitrogen fixation and some of the problems that must be faced.