This book introduces new methods to analyze vertex-varying graph signals. In many real-world scenarios, the data sensing domain is not a regular grid, but a more complex network that consists of sensing points (vertices) and edges (relating the sensing points). Furthermore, sensing geometry or signal properties define the relation among sensed signal points. Even for the data sensed in the well-defined time or space domain, the introduction of new relationships among the sensing points may produce new insights in the analysis and result in more advanced data processing techniques. The data domain, in these cases and discussed in this book, is defined by a graph. Graphs exploit the fundamental relations among the data points. Processing of signals whose sensing domains are defined by graphs resulted in graph data processing as an emerging field in signal processing. Although signal processing techniques for the analysis of time-varying signals are well established, the corresponding graph signal processing equivalent approaches are still in their infancy. This book presents novel approaches to analyze vertex-varying graph signals. The vertex-frequency analysis methods use the Laplacian or adjacency matrix to establish connections between vertex and spectral (frequency) domain in order to analyze local signal behavior where edge connections are used for graph signal localization. The book applies combined concepts from time-frequency and wavelet analyses of classical signal processing to the analysis of graph signals. Covering analytical tools for vertex-varying applications, this book is of interest to researchers and practitioners in engineering, science, neuroscience, genome processing, just to name a few. It is also a valuable resource for postgraduate students and researchers looking to expand their knowledge of the vertex-frequency analysis theory and its applications. The book consists of 15 chapters contributed by 41 leading researches in the field.

This book is devoted to Agroecological Crop Protection, which is the declension of the principles of agroecology to crop protection. It presents the concepts of this innovative approach, case studies and lessons and generic keys for agroecological transition. The book is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, experimenters, teachers, farmers, students. It represents a new tool, proposing concrete keys of action on the basis of feedbacks validated scientifically. Beyond the examples presented, it is therefore of general scope and proposes recommendations for all temperate and tropical cropping systems. It contributes to the training and teaching modules in this field and it is an updated information support for professionals and a teaching aid for students (agronomy, crop protection, biodiversity management, agroecology).

The book is an indispensable companion to all students of biology, but particularly those enrolled in courses concerning experimental design, data analysis, hypothesis testing, research methods, or any practical project work.

This book offers a new perspective on advance directives through a combined legal, ethical and philosophical inquiry. In addition to making a significant and novel theoretical contribution to the field, the book has an interdisciplinary and international appeal. The book will help academics, healthcare professionals, legal practitioners and the educated reader to understand the challenges of creating and implementing advance directives, anticipate clinical realities, and preparing advance directives that reflect a higher degree of assurance in terms of implementation.

Cell Polarity and Morphogenesis, the latest volume in the Methods in Cell Biology series, looks at cell polarity and morphogenesis. Edited by leaders in the field, this volume provides proven, state-of-art techniques, along with relevant historical background and theory, to aid researchers in efficient design and effective implementation of experimental methodologies.

This book marries stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative biology into a single, interdisciplinary volume. The chapters also explore embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, cardiovascular regeneration, skeletal development, inflammation, polymeric biomaterials, neural injury, cartilage regeneration, regeneration in ambystoma, models for regeneration using salamander and zebrafish, and more. The volume also discusses recent advances and their potential in developing future therapies. Innovations in Molecular Mechanisms and Tissue Engineering combines perspectives from the biomedical, bioengineering, and medical fields to present a cutting-edge, multifaceted picture of the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields. This installment of Springer's Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series is ideal for scientists, clinicians, and researchers in the fields of stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering, and tissue engineering.

Historical analysis reveals that perceptual theories and models are doomed to relatively short lives. The most popular contemporary theories in perceptual science do not have as wide an acceptance among researchers as do some of those in other sciences. To understand these difficulties, the authors of the present volume explore the conceptual and philosophical foundations of perceptual science. Based on logical analyses of various problems, theories, and models, they offer a number of reasons for the current weakness of perceptual explanations. New theoretical approaches are also proposed. At the end of each chapter, dicussants contribute to the conclusions by critically examining the authors' ideas and analyses.

Darwin did not discover evolution. He didn't trip over it on the way to somewhere else the way Columbus discovered the New World. Like the atom, planetary orbits, and so many other scientific constructs, evolution was invented in order to explain striking phenomena. And it has been most successful. A century and a half has not simply confirmed Darwin's work, it has linked evolution to the mechanisms of life on the molecular scale. It is what life does. Where Darwin had drawn his theories from forest and field, we now set them in the coiling and uncoiling of twists of DNA, linking where they might, with a host of molecular bits and pieces scurrying about. Darwin, himself, however, has been a closed story. A century and a half of study of the man and his work, including close readings of his books, his notebooks and letters, and even the books he read, has led to a working appreciation of his genius. The 'success' of this account has, however, kept us from seeing several important issues: most notably, why did he pursue evolution in the first place? Buckets from an English Sea offers a new view of what inspired Darwin and provoked his work. Stunning events early in the voyage of the Beagle challenged his deeply held conviction that people are innately good. This study of 1832 highlights the resources available to the young Darwin as he worked to secure humanity's innate goodness.

This volume looks at the study of oligodendrocytes through in vitro and in vivo techniques, multiple model organisms, using approaches that bridge scales from molecular through system. Chapters in this book cover topics such as fundamental molecular analyses of oligodendrocytes and myelin; in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo molecular-cellular-electrophysiology-based techniques; oligodendrocyte formation, homeostasis, and disruption in zebrafish and Xenopus; and parallel system-level imaging of animal and human models. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and thorough, Oligodendrocytes: Methods and Protocols is a valuable reference guide that highlights the expansive and fast-paced nature of research into oligodendrocyte biology underlying health and function.

This book focusing on the bitter gourd genome is the first comprehensive compilation of knowledge on the botany, cytogenetical analysis, genetic resources and diversity, traditional breeding, tissue culture and genetic transformation, whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics in the Cucurbitaceae family. It discusses the biochemical profile of the bioactives present in this horticultural crop, used both as a vegetable and as a medicine, and also addresses sex determination in bitter gourd. Written by respected international experts, the book is useful to students, teachers and scientists in academia, as well as seed companies and pharmaceutical industries.

Rare and Interesting Cases in Pulmonary Medicine provides a look into the uncommon diseases encountered in the field of pulmonary medicine. Using a case-based approach, the book provides clinical scenarios that include relevant accompanying radiology and pathology. Also included are frequently asked questions for each area, as well as a diagnosis and summary, presenting the reader with the most high yield information on each topic. Appropriate for medical students, residents, fellows, and physicians interested in pulmonary medicine, the case-based approach to each topic allows accessibility to the uncommon diseases of the field while also highlighting high yield and important points.

This book examines the human auditory effects of exposure to directed beams of high-power microwave pulses, which research results have shown can cause a cascade of health events when aimed at a human subject or the subject's head. The book details multidisciplinary investigations using physical theories and models, physiological events and phenomena, and computer analysis and simulation. Coverage includes brain anatomy and physiology, dosimetry of microwave power deposition, microwave auditory effect, interaction mechanisms, shock/pressure wave induction, Havana syndrome, and application in microwave thermoacoustic tomography (MTT). The book will be welcomed by scientists, academics, health professionals, government officials, and practicing biomedical engineers as an important contribution to the continuing study of the effects of microwave pulse absorption on humans.

This book's Italian title, Dimenticare Darwin, means "Forget Darwin," and its prologue bears the title "Evolution is dead!" The author, Dr. Giuseppe Sermonti, is a respected Italian biologist who boldly shatters the myth that all critics of Darwinian evolution are American religious fundamentalists. This delightful little book is loaded with scientific facts that aren't taught in standard biology classes, but it is also full of history and poetry. Why is a Fly Not a Horse? does not have all the answers, but it asks many of the right questions-in a style that is both entertaining and inspiring. Giuseppe Sermonti is retired Professor of Genetics at the University of Perugia. He discovered genetic recombination in antibiotic-producing Penicillium and Streptomyces and was Vice President at the XIV International Congress of Genetics (Moscow, 1980). Sermonti is Chief Editor of Rivista di Biologia/Biology Forum, one of the oldest still-published biology journals in the world, and he has published seven other books, including Dopo Darwin (After Darwin), with R. Fondi (1980-1984).

This volume brings together a set of reviews that provide a summary of our current knowledge of the proteolytic machinery and of the pathways of protein breakdown of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Intracellular protein degradation is much more than just a mechanism for the removal of incorrectly folded or damaged proteins. Since many short-lived proteins have important regulatory functions, proteolysis makes a significant contribution to many cellular processes including cell cycle regulation and transciptional control. In addition, limited proteolytic cleavage can provide a rapid and efficient mechanism of enzyme activation or inactivation in eukaryotic cells.
In the first chapter, Maurizi provides an introduction to intracellular protein degradation, describes the structure and functions of bacterial ATP-dependent proteases, and explores the relationship between chaperone functions and protein degradation. Many of the principles also apply to eukaryotic cells, although the proteases involved are often not the same. Interestingly, homologues of one of the bacterial proteases, Ion protease, have been found in mitochondria in yeast and mammals, and homologues of proteasomes, which are found in all eukaryotic cells (see below), have been discovered in some eubacteria.
Studies of proteolysis in yeast have contributed greatly to the elucidation of both lysosomal (vacuolar) and nonlysosomal proteolytic pathways in eukaryotic cells. Thumm and Wolf (chapter 2) describe studies that have elucidated the functions of proteasomes in nonlysosomal proteolysis and the contributions of lysosomal proteases to intracellular protein breakdown. Proteins can be selected for degradation by a variety of differen mechanisms. The ubiquitin system is one complex and highly regulated mechanism by which eukaryotic proteins are targetted for degradation by proteosomes. In chapter 3, Wilkinson reviews the components and functions of the ubiquitin system and considers some of the known substrates for this pathway which include cell cycle and transcriptional regulators.
The structure and functions of proteosomes and their regulatory components are described in the two subsequent chapters by Tanaka and Tanahashi and by Dubiel and Rechsteiner. Proteasomes were the first known example of threonine proteases. They are multisubunit complexes that, in addition to being responsible for the turnover of most short-lived nuclear and cytoplasmic protein, are also involved in antigen processing for presentation by the MHC class I pathway. Recent studies reviewed by McCracken and colleagues (chapter 6) lead to the exciting conclusion that some ER-associated proteins are degraded by cytosolic proteasomes.
Lysosomes are responsible for the degradation of long-lived proteins and for the enhanced protein degradation observed under starvation conditions. In chapter 7 Knecht and colleagues review the lysosomal proteases and describe studies of the roles of lysosomes and the mechanisms for protein uptake into lysosomes. Methods of measuring the relative contribution of different proteolytic systems (e.g., ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, calcium-dependent proteases, lysosomes) to muscle protein degradation, and the conclusions from such studies, are reviewed by Attai and Taillinder in the following chapter.
Finally, proteases play an important role in signaling apoptosis by catalyzing the limited cleavage of enzymes. Mason and Beyette review the role of the major players, caspases, which are both activated by and catalyze limite proteolysis, and also consider the involvement of other protoelytic enzymes in this pathway leading cell death.

Networks of Invasion bridges a conceptual gap between ecological network studies and invasion biology studies. This book contains chapters detailing pressing concerns regarding invasive species in food webs, but also extends the idea of networks of invasion to other systems, such as mutualistic networks or even the human microbiome. Chapters describe the tools, models, and empirical methods adapted for tackling invasions in ecological networks.

This updated edition addresses the examined units of the CCEA AS level Life and Health Sciences specification (including the recently-proposed revisions). It covers both the Single and Double Award courses, through the study of the following units: * AS 2: Human Body Systems * AS 3: Aspects of Physical Chemistry in Industrial Processes * AS 5: Material Science The full-colour, illustrated chapters clearly explain the theory for the course, and are supported by worked examples, tips, examination-style questions and answers. The authors are all experienced science teachers and examiners and the book has been through a meticulous quality assurance process prior to publication. Contents: Unit AS 2: Human Body Systems 1 Cardiovascular System 2 Respiratory System 3 Respiration 4 Homeostatic Mechanisms and How These Are Monitored 5 Nutrition and Physical Exercise in Maintaining Good Health Unit AS 3: Aspects of Physical Chemistry in Industrial Processes 6 Chemical Calculations 7 Volumetric Analysis 8 Energetics 9 Kinetics 10 Equilibrium 11 Industrial Processes, Infrastructure and Environmental Consequences Unit AS 5: Material Science 12 Material Properties 13 Categorising Materials and Microscopic Structure 14 Alloys, Metal Working and Biomaterials 15 Smart Materials, Nanomaterials and Industrial Considerations 16 Semiconductors Answers

This astute volume brings together the latest expert research on adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs). ACPs are histologically benign but clinically aggressive tumors exhibiting a high propensity for local invasion into the hypothalamus, optic and vascular structures. These tumors, as well as the current treatments, may result in pan-hypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, morbid obesity followed by type II diabetes mellitus, blindness, as well as serious behavioral and psychosocial impairments. Exploring in detail advances in both the understanding of tumor biology as well as clinical advances in patient management are explored in detail, this book will also look towards potential new treatment approaches. Basic Research and Clinical Aspects of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma is the first book compiling all current research on ACPs. Mouse and human studies have unequivocally demonstrated that mutations in CTNNB1 encoding -catenin underlie the etiology of the majority, if not all ACP tumors. Genetic studies in mice have shown that ACPs are tumors of the pituitary gland and not of the hypothalamus as previously thought, and are derived from Rathke's pouch precursors. In addition, a role for tissue-specific adult pituitary stem cells has been revealed as causative of ACP. Together, these studies have provided novel insights into the molecular and cellular etiology as well as the pathogenesis of human ACP. Finally, this volume covers new treatment approaches that have been shown to be effective both in reducing ACP burden as well as reducing the morbidity associated with therapy.

This invaluable resource discusses clinical applications with effects and side-effects of applications of stem cells in liver, lung and heart regeneration. All chapters are contributed by pre-eminent scientists in the field and covers such topics as cell therapy in the treatment of cirrhosis and other liver, heart and lung diseases, characteristics of hepatic progenitor cells, future directions of the discussed therapies and much more. Liver, Lung and Heart Regeneration and the other books in the Stem Cells in Clinical Applications series will be invaluable to scientists, researchers, advanced students and clinicians working in stem cells, regenerative medicine or tissue engineering.

Historical Perspectives. Morphology of Chemoreceptors. Re-Examination of the Carotid body Ultrastructure with Paying Attention to the Intercellular Membrane Apposition; H. Kondo, H. Iwasa. Biochemistry of Chemoreceptor Mechanisms. Developmental Aspects of Chemoreceptors. Mechanisms of Carotid Chemoreceptor Resetting After Birth: in vitro Studies; J.L. Carroll, et al. Biophysics of Ionic Channels in Chemoreceptors. Molecular Biology of Chemoreceptors. Evaluation of Gene Expression in the Rat Carotid Body Using the Differential Display Technique; J. Chen, et al. Generation of Chemosensory Activity. transmitters Involved in Chemoreception: Acetylcholine. Release of Acetylcholine from the in vitro Cat Carotid Body; R.S. Fitzgerald, M. Shirahata. Transmitters Involved in Chemoreception: Catecholamines. Dopamine Efflux from the Carotid Body During Hypoxic Stimulation; P. Zapata, et al. Transmiters Involved in Chemoreception: Adenosine and Peptides. Transmitters Involved in Chemoreception: Carbon Monoxide and Nitric Oxide. Chemoreflex Pathways. Coherence of Chemosensor Discharges in Catas' Carotid Nerves. Cooperative Inputs or Redundant Afferences?; J. Alcayaga, et al. Chemoreceptors in Ventilatory Regulation. Chemoreflex Integration and Effectors. 65 Additional Articles. Index.

Landscapes have been fundamental to the human experience world-wide and throughout time, yet how did we as human beings evolve or co-evolve with our landscapes? By answering this question, we can understand our place in the complex, ever-changing world that we inhabit. This book guides readers on a journey through the concurrent processes of change in an integrated natural-cultural history of a landscape. While outlining the general principles for global application, a richly illustrated case is offered through the Mariana Islands in the northwest tropical Pacific and furthermore situated in a larger Asia-Pacific context for a full comprehension of landscape evolution at variable scales. The author examines what happened during the first time when human beings encountered the world's Remote Oceanic environment in the Mariana Islands about 3500 years ago, followed by a continuous sequence of changing sea level, climate, water resources, forest composition, human population growth, and social dynamics. This book provides a high-resolution and long-term view of the complexities of landscape evolution that affect all of us today.

Understanding biomes--the communities of nature that share a similar climate and plant and animal life--is key to a student's success in biology, geography, and environmental studies. This book provides a thorough and accessible description of the climate, plant and animal life, origins and human impacts, and history of the scientific exploration of every major biome in the world. Chapters on the "human-dominated" biomes--urban areas and agricultural regions--illustrate how these frequently ignored communities are also an important part of the global environment. More than 90 maps and photographs help the reader visualize the extent and characteristics of each biome. This book divides the world's biomes into four principal types: Terrestrial, Freshwater, Marine, and Human-dominated. Comprehensive discussions enable readers to obtain a thorough understanding of each biome, and the convenient one-volume format allows easy comparison between aspects of each region. For example, a student can compare the typical characteristics of flora and fauna of the Continental Shelf and Deep Sea biomes, or the climates of the Tropical Rainforest and the Tundra. Current references to the latest scientific research provide a convenient starting point for those interested in more intensive investigations on such issues as the human impact on the distribution of natural biomes and the loss of biodiversity in the world.

This book provides a full account of the concept of fiber and fiber theory in eighteenth-century British medicine. It explores the pivotal role fiber played as a defining, underlying concept in anatomy, physiology, pathology, therapeutics, psychology, and the life sciences. With the gradual demise of ancient humoralism, the solid fibers appeared on the medical scene both as the basic building unit of the body and as a dynamic agent of life. As such, fiber stands at the heart of eighteenth-century medicine, both iatromechanism and iatro-vitalism. Touching on the cultural aspects of fiber, the Baroque, and the culture of sensibility, this book also challenges the widely held assumption that the eighteenth century was the age of the nerve and instead offers an alternative model of fiber.

This volume discusses techniques to synthesize and functionalize nanoparticles, monitor their delivery and uptake, and identify and evaluate their lethal and non-lethal effects on the metabolic activity of the nervous system. The chapters in this book are divided into 4 sections: photo-stimulation, thermal stimulation, mechanical perturbation, and toxicity and physiological effects. The first 3 sections focus on nanoparticle interactions with external sources that disturb the neuronal system, while the 4th explores the effects of having nanoparticles in a neuronal system in the absence of external stimuli. In Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Use of Nanoparticles in Neuroscience is a valuable resource for graduate students and specialized researchers that want to learn techniques needed to quantify experiments that use nanoparticles in the nervous system.