Wood Degradation and Ligninolytic Fungi, Volume 99 summarizes current knowledge on wood degradation by fungi. Chapters in this new release include Intracellular detoxification strategies of lignolytic fungi, Cell signaling during wood degradation, Evolution of ligninolytic systems in fungi, Diversity and distribution of lignolytic fungi, Fungal catalysts for lignin valorization: applied aspects, Expression of fungal lignocellulolytic genes in the environment, Wood degradation in grapevine disease, Imaging wood degradation, Lignin degradation by ascomycetes, and more. The increasing interest for wood decaying fungi over the past few years has sparked great potential for their use in biomass valorization, their important function in global carbon cycle, and for the damages they can cause on wood materials, hence this new release includes updates on these and related topics.

Progress in Brain Research series highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors.

Preparing a Workforce for the New Blue Economy: People, Products and Policies discusses the Blue Economy, how the industry will develop, and how to train the next generation. The book considers the use of big data, key skillsets, training undergraduate and graduate students, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) in the US, economic opportunities in African coastal countries, and governmental agencies, non-profits and NGO's. Finally, a broad range of case studies are provided, covering oil spills, commercial fishing, data protection and harvesting, sustainability and weather forecasting, all presented to highlight the educational requirements of the workforce and potential economic opportunities.

Inoculating Cities: Case Studies of Urban Pandemic Preparedness begins with a brief historical description of infectious disease outbreaks in cities as well as an overview of infectious disease outbreaks since 2000 that hold profound implications for cities and urban environments - such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, H1N1 influenza in 2009, Ebola virus in 2014, Zika virus in 2015, and more recently, COVID-19 in 2020. Each of these outbreaks affected different geographies of the world and underscored the importance of urban pandemic preparedness or urban health security as a means of mitigating the threats posed by infectious diseases. This book describes several of the characteristics of cities that make them uniquely vulnerable to infectious disease threats which include, but are not limited to, their population density, population diversity, internal and external population movements, and inequalities in cities. Finally, the book discusses frameworks and capacities that are essential for preparing cities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. With contributions from experts and researchers with first-hand experiences with infectious disease outbreaks, their impact on the management of disease, and pandemic preparedness in progressively urban societies, Inoculating Cities addresses the unique threats infectious diseases pose to urban environments and surveys innovative models that cities are using to combat these threats.

Translational Bioinformatics in Healthcare and Medicine offers an overview of main principles of bioinformatics, biological databases, clinical informatics, health informatics, viroinformatics and real-case applications of translational bioinformatics in healthcare. Written by experts from both technology and clinical sides, the content brings together essential knowledge to make the best of recent advancements of the field. The book discusses topics such as next generation sequence analysis, genomics in clinical care, IoT applications, blockchain technology, patient centered interoperability of EHR, health data mining, and translational bioinformatics methods for drug discovery and drug repurposing. In addition, it discusses the role of bioinformatics in cancer research and viroinformatics approaches to counter viral diseases through informatics. This is a valuable resource for bioinformaticians, clinicians, healthcare professionals, graduate students and several members of biomedical field who are interested in learning more about how bioinformatics can impact in their research and practice.

According to the World Health Organization, schizophrenia affects more than 21 million people worldwide, causing distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self, behavior, and hallucinations. Cognitive and Behavioral Dysfunction in Schizophrenia provides an overview of topics and theories related to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. This book discusses what schizophrenia is and its relationship with the cognitive domains including, but not limited to, learning, working memory, attention, and both deductive and inductive reasoning. This book also reviews theories as to why some individuals develop schizophrenia following cannabis and amphetamine abuse and how these relate to additional cognitive problems. The book further discusses recent topics related to religious delusions in psychotic patients, impact of sleep on psychosis, how urban life increases the likelihood of developing schizophrenia, as well as sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia patients. Unlike other books, Cognitive and Behavioral Dysfunction in Schizophrenia covers many cognitive domains related to the occurrence and development of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Advanced students and researchers in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy will find it useful for a well-rounded understanding of the subject.

Human Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease: From Pathogenesis to Therapy is a comprehensive discussion of all the aspects associated with gut microbiota early colonization, its development and maintenance, and its symbiotic relationship with the host to promote health. Chapters illustrate the complex mechanisms and metabolic signalling pathways related to how the gut microbiota maintain proper regulation of glucose, lipid and energy homeostasis and immune response, while mediating inflammatory processes involved in the etiology of many chronic disease conditions. Details are provided on the primary etiological factors of chronic disease, the effects of gut dysbiosis and its associated disease conditions, while providing an overview of therapeutic strategies involving dietary fiber and prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation therapy and probiotics. Throughout the chapters, a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed animal and human studies is provided as evidence related to the history of human exposure, safety, tolerance, toxicity, nomenclature, and clinical efficacy of utilizing prebiotic fructans, s, as well as probiotic intervention, and dietary modification in the prevention and intervention of chronic disease conditions. With common use today of pharmaceutical medicine in treating symptoms, and frequent overuse of antibiotics in chronic disease within mainstream medical practice, understanding the etiological mechanisms of dysbiosis-induced chronic disease, and natural approaches that offer prevention and potential cures for these diseases is of vital importance to overall human health.

Tinnitus - An Interdisciplinary Approach Towards Individualized Treatment: Towards Understanding the Complexity of Tinnitus, Volume 262, the latest release in the Progress in Brain Research series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on current topics such as Cochlear implantation for patients with tinnitus - a systematic review, Event Related Potentials to Assess the Tinnitus complaint during drug treatment, The difference in post-stimulus suppression between residual inhibition and forward masking, Sleep, sleep apnea and tinnitus, A Bayesian brain in imbalance: medial, lateral and descending pathways in tinnitus and pain, Tinnitus features according to caffeine consumption, and much more.

Deep Learning in Bioinformatics: Techniques and Applications in Practice introduces the topic in an easy-to-understand way, exploring how it can be utilized for addressing important problems in bioinformatics, including drug discovery, de novo molecular design, sequence analysis, protein structure prediction, gene expression regulation, protein classification, biomedical image processing and diagnosis, biomolecule interaction prediction, and in systems biology. The book also presents theoretical and practical successes of deep learning in bioinformatics, pointing out problems and suggesting future research directions. Dr. Izadkhah provides valuable insights and will help researchers use deep learning techniques in their biological and bioinformatics studies.

The volume discusses novel issues associated with the neurotoxicity of select metals

Novel Approaches to Colorectal Cancer, Volume 151 in the Advances in Cancer Research series, is composed of 11 reviews covering state-of-the-art research relating to the etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. The book's chapters were written by recognized experts in the field, and include sections on molecular biomarkers in diagnosis and therapy, the interplay of diet, lifestyle, and the microbiome, early-age onset disease, mutational signature analysis, challenges in early detection, immunotherapy, organoid technology, the role of epigenetic alterations, disparities in minority populations, field carcinogenesis, and cancer as an evolutionary process. Each of these topics provides novel insights and concepts on various aspects of the nature of colorectal cancer, offering new opportunities for the management of a major source of cancer incidence and mortality.

The Microbiology of Central Nervous System Infections, Volume 3, discusses modern approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of central nervous system (CNS) infections. This new release is divided into five sections that cover treatment strategies, imaging, molecular diagnosis, management of CNS infections with metal nanoparticles, and prophylaxis of CNS infections, including bacterial, viral and fungal infections. The last section contains a chapter on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and modern trends in its diagnosis and treatment. University teachers, medical practitioners, graduate and postgraduate students, researchers in microbiology, and those in the pharmaceutical and laboratory diagnostic industries will find the book very important.

Advances in Cancer Research, Volume 150, the latest release in this ongoing series, covers the relationship(s) between autophagy and senescence, how they are defined, and the influence of these cellular responses on tumor dormancy and disease recurrence. Specific sections in this new release include Autophagy and senescence, converging roles in pathophysiology, Cellular senescence and tumor promotion: role of the unfolded protein response, autophagy and senescence in cancer stem cells, Targeting the stress support network regulated by autophagy and senescence for cancer treatment, Autophagy and PTEN in DNA damage-induced senescence, mTOR as a senescence manipulation target: A forked road, and more.

Nearly 44 million people have Alzheimer's or related dementia worldwide, according to the Alzheimer's Disease International organization. That number is expected to double every 20 years. Unlike other books on the market, Alzheimer's Disease: Understanding Biomarkers, Big Data, and Therapy covers recent advancements in cognitive, clinical, neural, and therapeutic aspects of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. First, readers are introduced to cognitive and clinical studies, focusing on the different types of memory impairment, past and future thinking. This includes the prevalence of depression, its relationship to other symptoms, and the quality of life for those with Alzheimer's disease. In addition, the book discusses recent studies on memory dysfunction in advanced-stage Alzheimer's disease, in comparison to early-stage, including a chapter on the underlying factors in the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's diagnosis. Following this section, the book presents recent studies on the role of different cortical and subcortical structures in the development of various symptoms in Alzheimer's disease, as well as different neural biomarkers underlying the development and treatment of the disease. In the last section of the book, therapeutic aspects of Alzheimer's disease, focusing on behavioral and pharmacological treatments of sleep disorders, memory problems, and depression, are reviewed. The book aids readers in understanding the advances in research and care, making it a prime tool for all clinicians, psychologists, researchers, neurologists, and caregivers of dementia patients.

Prenatal Genetic Counseling: Practical Support for Prenatal Diagnostics, Decision-Making, and Dealing with Uncertainty provides a foundation for new research and a one-stop source for physicians, genetic counselors, psychologists, social workers, general practitioners, grief workers, translational researchers, and administrators seeking to work in the field of clinical genomics ethically and in full consideration of patients' psychological well-being. Here, an international team of experienced counselors and clinician-scientists lay out the range of methods and technologies applied in prenatal decision-making, including NIPT; invasive testing with microarray analysis or whole genome sequencing; ultrasound screening; and prenatal diagnosis for known hereditary conditions, among others. From here, they examine specific challenges in the clinical translation. In a field where decisions about life or death of a child are made, professionals are bound to encounter uncertainty. This book was co-created by health care practitioners, scientists, patients and students to provide insights and direction for offering support straight from the heart to couples faced with fetal anomalies. To make this possible for all couples, diversity in prenatal genetic counseling is also addressed. Finally, next steps in prenatal genetic counseling research and clinical implementation are discussed. As we are challenged by the rapid advances in prenatal genomics, so are our patients. Learning from our patients with every encounter, this book aims to offer access to the insights we gathered as well as to stimulate lifelong learning.

Handbook of Gastrointestinal Motility and Disorders of Gut and Brain Interactions, Second Edition fills the void in GI literature for a short and concise go-to book for GI motility and gut and brain interactions disorders. This exceptionally illustrated reference contains all the information needed for a quick reference of GI motility and disorders of the gut and brain interactions, as well as adolescent and pediatric disorders and disorders which affect the entire GI system, each systematically arranged by disorder and gut anatomy for easy reference. Each chapter also includes extensive color pictures and illustrations of each test involved as well as descriptions of how to perform and interpret the motility tests that are incorporated into patient care decisions. The current advances in the field have led the way for new updates to existing content as well as a new section for the book dedicated to systemic disorders and special topics including neurology of the gut, cannabis and the gut, eating disorders, pediatric and adolescent disorders, nutritional therapies, and psychological evaluation and treatment. This is the perfect reference for those who encounter the common problems of dysphagia, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and fecal incontinence in daily practice including practicing physicians, gastroenterologists, motility laboratory personnel, surgeons, and internists.

Stem Cells and Aging covers what is known about the effect of time and age on the basic units of life, which are the corresponding tissue-specific or adult stem cells. Even though the concept of stem cells was introduced nearly a century ago by Alexander Maximow, modern stem-cell research began in 1963 when James Till, Ernest McCullough and Lou Siminovitch established assays to detect hematopoietic stem cells. In fact, given the importance of the aging-associated diseases, scientists have developed a keen interest in understanding the aging process as they attempt to define the role of dysfunctional stem cells in the aging process. With an aging population worldwide, understanding these age-related stem cell changes at a basic biology level and at the level of their influences for regenerative medicine is of interest and importance. There is increasing evidence that the aging process can have much adverse effects on stem cells. In the modern era, one of the emerging fields in treating human diseases is stem cell research, as stem cells have the remarkable potential to treat a wide range of diseases. Nevertheless, understanding the molecular mechanism involved in aging and deterioration of stem cell function is crucial in developing effective new therapies for aging.

Emerging Plant Growth Regulators in Agriculture: Roles in Stress Tolerance presents current PGR discoveries and advances for agricultural applications, providing a comprehensive reference for those seeking to apply these tools for improved plant health and crop yield. As demand for agricultural crops and improved nutritional requirement continue to escalate in response to increasing population, plant researchers have focused on identifying scientific approaches to minimize the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture crops. Among the various applied approaches, the application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) have gained significant attention for their ability to enhance stress tolerance mechanisms. This book was developed to provide foundational and emerging information to advance the discovery of novel, cost-competitive, specific and effective PGRs for applications in agriculture.

Phytoplankton ecology has developed from an understanding of taxonomy, species dynamics and functional roles, and species interactions with the surrounding environment. New and emerging technologies enable a paradigm shift in the ways we monitor and understand phytoplankton in a range of environments. Advances in Phytoplankton Ecology: Applications of Emerging Technologies is a practical guide to these new technologies and explores their application with case studies to show how recent advances have changed our understanding of phytoplankton ecology. Part one of this book explores how traditional taxonomy and species identification has changed, moving from morphological to molecular techniques. Part two explores the new technologies for remote and automatic monitoring and sensor technology and applications for management. Part three explores the explosion of omics techniques and their application in species identification, functional populations, trait characterization, interspecific interactions, and interaction with their environment. This book is an invaluable guide for marine and freshwater ecology researchers to how new technologies can enhance our understanding of ecology.

The fastest growing realization everywhere is that humanity can't go on the way it is going. Indeed, the great fear is we're entering endgame where we appear to have lost the race between self-destruction and self-discovery-the race to find the psychologically relieving understanding of our `good and evil'-afflicted human condition. Well, astonishing as it is, this book by Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith presents the 11th hour breakthrough biological explanation of the human condition necessary for the psychological rehabilitation and transformation of our species! The culmination of 40 years of studying and writing about our species' psychosis, FREEDOM delivers nothing less than the holy grail of insight we have needed to free ourselves from the human condition. It is, in short, as Professor Harry Prosen, a former president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, asserts in his Introduction, "The book that saves the world!". Griffith has been able to venture right to the bottom of the dark depths of what it is to be human and return with the fully accountable, true explanation of our seemingly imperfect lives. At long last we have the redeeming and thus transforming understanding of human behaviour! And with that explanation found all the other great outstanding scientific mysteries about our existence are now also able to be truthfully explained-of the meaning of our existence, of the origin of our unconditionally selfless moral instincts, and of why we humans became conscious when other animals haven't. Yes, the full story of life on Earth can finally be told-and all of these incredible breakthroughs and insights are presented here in this `greatest of all books'.

Climate Change and Crop Stress: Molecules to Ecosystems expounds on the transitional period where science has progressed to 'post-genomics' and the gene editing era, putting field performance of crops to the forefront and challenging the production of practical applicability vs. theoretical possibility. Researchers have concentrated efforts on the effects of environmental stress conditions such as drought, heat, salinity, cold, or pathogen infection which can have a devastating impact on plant growth and yield. Designed to deliver information to combat stress both in isolation and through simultaneous crop stresses, this edited compilation provides a comprehensive view on the challenges and impacts of simultaneous stresses.