The book will benefit a reader with a background in physical sciences and applied mathematics interested in the mathematical models of genetic evolution. In the first chapter, we analyze several thought experiments based on a basic model of stochastic evolution of a single genomic site in the presence of the factors of random mutation, directional natural selection, and random genetic drift. In the second chapter, we present a more advanced theory for a large number of linked loci. In the third chapter, we include the effect of genetic recombination into account and find out the advantage of sexual reproduction for adaptation. These models are useful for the evolution of a broad range of asexual and sexual populations, including virus evolution in a host and a host population.

This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of an authoritative introduction to ecological modelling. Sven Erik Jorgensen, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Modelling, and Giuseppe Bendoricchio, Professor of Environmental Modelling at the University of Padova, Italy, offer compelling insights into the subject. This volume explains the concepts and processes involved in ecological modelling, presents the latest developments in the field and provides readers with the tools to construct their own models.

The Third Edition features:
A detailed discussion and step-by-step outline of the modelling procedure.
An account of different model types including overview tables, examples and illustrations.
A comprehensive presentation of the submodels and unit processes used in modelling.
In-depth descriptions of the latest modelling techniques.
Structured exercises at the end of each chapter.
Three mathematical appendices and a subject index.

This practical and proven book very effectively combines the theory, methodology and applications of ecological modelling. The new edition is an essential, up-to-date guide to a rapidly growing field.

Presents the most commonly used model types with a step-by-step outline of the modeling procedure used for eachShows readers through an illustrated example of how to use each model in research and management settingsNew edition is revised to include only essential theory with a focus on applicationsIncludes case studies, illustrations, and exercises (case study of an ecological problem with full illustration on how to solve the problem)"

Brucella is a genus of Gram-negative, facultative, intracellular bacteria that are highly pathogenic for a variety of mammals, including humans. Recently the WHO cited brucellosis to be the world's most widespread zoonosis. An important feature of the pathogenicity of these organisms is their ability to survive and replicate within the host macrophages. However the mechanism for this is unclear. In addition, none of the classical bacterial virulence factors found in other bacterial pathogens have been found in the genomes of the forty Brucella species and biovars analysed to date. Nevertheless the application of systems biology approaches in recent years has transformed research, permitting fascinating new insights into Brucella molecular biology and genomics. Written by highly acclaimed Brucella scientists, this book comprehensively reviews the most important advances in the field. Opening chapters focus on genetic diversity within Brucella, covering both classical and new species. Pa

Biological invasions - the introduction of living organisms beyond their original range - are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. They are a major threat to human health and a source of pests and pathogens in the world's farms, forests and fisheries. The growth of international trade and travel means that more species are being introduced to more places than ever before. This book represents the first concerted effort to understand the economic causes and consequences of biological invasions. The volume discusses the theoretical and methodological issues raised by invasion, including control strategies, modelling options, and a study of the economic, institutional and policy conditions that predispose countries to biological invasions. Also included are case studies of fisheries, agricultural systems, tropical forests and protected areas affected by invasive species in locations such as the Black Sea, Australia and Africa, and an evaluation of control programmes. The Economics of Biological Invasions provides an important first step towards codification of the advice needed to develop decision rules, tools and protocols for the effective management of invasive biological species. This volume will be a fascinating read for researchers, academics and students in ecology, economics and environmental science with an interest in the biodiversity problem. The book will also prove to be essential reading for policymakers responsible for health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and the environment in both developed and developing countries.

Most of the islands of the Caribbean have long histories of herpetological exploration and discovery, and even longer histories of human-mediated environmental degradation. Collectively, they constitute a major biodiversity hotspot - a region rich in endemic species that are threatened with extinction. This two-volume series documents the existing status of herpetofaunas (including sea turtles) of the Caribbean, and highlights conservation needs and efforts. Previous contributions to West Indian herpetology have focused on taxonomy, ecology and evolution, particularly of lizards. This series provides a unique and timely review of the status and conservation of all groups of amphibians and reptiles in the region. This volume introduces the issues particularly affecting Caribbean herpetofaunas, and gives an overview of evolutionary and taxonomic patterns influencing their conservation. Chapters focus on groups that have been relatively neglected in the Caribbean: amphibians and snakes. A major chapter describes the problem of invasive species of amphibians and reptiles in the West Indies. Three chapters then deal with islands of the Wider Caribbean that share many of the same problems but fall outside the West Indies biogeographic region: the Atlantic islands of the Bermuda group; the Dutch continental shelf islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, and the Neotropical islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The book will be useful to biologists and conservationists working in or visiting the Caribbean, and internationally as a summary of the current situation in this diverse and important region.

Medical Epigenetics, Second Edition provides a comprehensive analysis of epigenetics in health management, across a broad spectrum of disease categories and specialties, and with a focus on human systems, epigenetic diseases that affect these systems, and evolving modes of epigenetic-based treatment. Here, more than 40 leading researchers examine how each human system is affected by epigenetic maladies, offering an all-in-one resource on medical epigenetics not only for those directly involved with health care, but investigators in life sciences, biotech companies, graduate students, and others who are interested in applied aspects of epigenetics. Incorporating both diagnostic and prognostic epigenetic approaches, this volume also fully supports the application of epigenetics in precision medicine. This second edition of Medical Epigenetics, a volume in the Translational Epigenetics series, has been fully revised to address recent advances in disease epigenetics and role of epigenetics in precision medicine, with all-new chapters on skin cancer epigenetics, network analysis in medical epigenetics, machine learning in epigenetic diseases, and clinical trials of epigenetics drugs.

The book presents new and stimulating approaches to the study of language evolution and considers their implications for future research. Leading scholars from linguistics, primatology, anthroplogy, and cognitive science consider how language evolution can be understood by means of inference from the study of linked or analogous phenomena in language, animal behaviour, genetics, neurology, culture, and biology. In their introduction the editors show how these approaches can be interrelated and deployed together through their use of comparable forms of inference and the similar conditions they place on the use of evidence. The Evolutionary Emergence of Language will interest everyone concerned with this intriguing and important subject, including those in linguistics, biology, anthropology, archaeology, neurology, and cognitive science.

Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) covers this highly efficacious treatment option for movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor and Dystonia. The book examines its impact on distributed brain networks that span across the human brain in parallel with modern-day neuroimaging concepts and the connectomics of the brain. It asks several questions, including which cortical areas should DBS electrodes be connected in order to generate the highest possible clinical improvement? Which connections should be avoided? Could these connectomic insights be used to better understand the mechanism of action of DBS? How can they be transferred to individual patients, and more. This book is suitable for neuroscientists, neurologists and functional surgeons studying DBS. It provides practical advice on processing strategies and theoretical background, highlighting and reviewing the current state-of-the-art in connectomic surgery.

Stroke Rehabilitation: Insights from Neuroscience and Imaging informs and challenges neurologists, rehabilitation therapists, imagers, and stroke specialists to adopt more restorative and scientific approaches to stroke rehabilitation based on new evidence from neuroscience and neuroimaging literatures. The fields of cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging are advancing rapidly and providing new insights into human behavior and learning. Similarly, improved knowledge of how the brain processes information after injury and recovers over time is providing new perspectives on what can be achieved through rehabilitation.
Stroke Rehabilitation explores the potential to shape and maximize neural plastic changes in the brain after stroke from a multimodal perspective. Active skill based learning is identified as a central element of a restorative approach to rehabilitation. The evidence behind core learning principles as well as specific learning strategies that have been applied to retrain lost functions of movement, sensation, cognition and language are also discussed. Current interventions are evaluated relative to this knowledge base and examples are given of how active learning principles have been successfully applied in specific interventions. The benefits and evidence behind enriched environments is reviewed with examples of potential application in stroke rehabilitation. The capacity of adjunctive therapies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, to modulate receptivity of the damaged brain to benefit from behavioral interventions is also discussed in the context of this multimodal approach. Focusing on new insights from neuroscience and imaging, the book explores the potential to tailor interventions to the individual based on viable brain networks.
This book is intended for clinicians, rehabilitation specialists and neurologists who are interested in using these new discoveries to achieve more optimal outcomes. Equally as important, it is intended for neuroscientists, clinical researchers, and imaging specialists to help frame important clinical questions and to better understand the context in which their discoveries may be used.

This book describes methods for statistical brain imaging data analysis from both the perspective of methodology and from the standpoint of application for software implementation in neuroscience research. These include those both commonly used (traditional established) and state of the art methods. The former is easier to do due to the availability of appropriate software. To understand the methods it is necessary to have some mathematical knowledge which is explained in the book with the help of figures and descriptions of the theory behind the software. In addition, the book includes numerical examples to guide readers on the working of existing popular software. The use of mathematics is reduced and simplified for non-experts using established methods, which also helps in avoiding mistakes in application and interpretation. Finally, the book enables the reader to understand and conceptualize the overall flow of brain imaging data analysis, particularly for statisticians and data-scientists unfamiliar with this area. The state of the art method described in the book has a multivariate approach developed by the authors' team. Since brain imaging data, generally, has a highly correlated and complex structure with large amounts of data, categorized into big data, the multivariate approach can be used as dimension reduction by following the application of statistical methods. The R package for most of the methods described is provided in the book. Understanding the background theory is helpful in implementing the software for original and creative applications and for an unbiased interpretation of the output. The book also explains new methods in a conceptual manner. These methodologies and packages are commonly applied in life science data analysis. Advanced methods to obtain novel insights are introduced, thereby encouraging the development of new methods and applications for research into medicine as a neuroscience.

Sometimes history seems like a laundry list of malevolent monarchs, pompous presidents and dastardly dictators. But are they really the ones in the driving seat? Sapiens: A Graphic History – The Masters of History takes us on an immersive and hilarious ride through the human past to discover the forces that change our world, bring us together, and – just as often – tear us apart.

Grab a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth and explore the rise of money, religion and empire. Join our fabulous host Heroda Tush, as she wonders: which historical superhero will display the power to make civilisations rise and fall? Will Mr Random prove that luck and circumstance prevail? Will Lady Empire convince us of the irrefutable shaping force of conquerors? Or will Clashwoman beat them all to greatness by reminding us of the endless confrontations that seem to forever plague our species?

In this next volume of the bestselling graphic series, Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave continue to present the complicated story of humankind with wit, empathy and originality. Alongside the unlikely cast of new characters, we are rejoined by the familiar faces of Yuval, Zoe, Professor Saraswati, Bill and Cindy (now Romans), Skyman and Captain Dollar. As they travel through time, space and human drama in search of truth, it's impossible not to wonder: why can’t we all just get along?

This third instalment in the Sapiens: A Graphic History series is an engaging, insightful, and colourful retelling of the story of humankind for curious minds of all ages, and can be browsed through on its own or read in sequence with Volumes One and Two.

This volume honours an outstanding Japanese carcinologist, Masatsune Takeda (National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan), on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Since 1967, Takeda-sensei ("sensei" is an honourific term for teacher or senior scientist in Japan) has devoted his life to studying the taxonomy of Brachyura and has published 323 papers over a long and illustrious career, and in the process, described 231 new taxa. In this volume, a total of 24 papers have been put together by 40 of his friends and colleagues to honour him. These papers cover a wide diversity of topics on the taxonomy, larval biology, palaeontology and ecology of Brachyura, Caridea, Stenopodidea, Astacidea, Axiidea, Anomura, Amphipoda, Isopoda and Mysida, all groups that Takeda-sensei loved.

Oligonucleotides represent one of the most significant pharmaceutical breakthroughs in recent years, showing great promise as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for malignant tumors, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, viral infections, and many other degenerative disorders. The Handbook of Analysis of Oligonucleotides and Related Products is an essential reference manual on the practical application of modern and emerging analytical techniques for the analysis of this unique class of compounds. A strong collaboration among thirty leading analytical scientists from around the world, the book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the most commonly used analytical techniques and their advantages and limitations in assuring the identity, purity, quality, and strength of an oligonucleotide intended for therapeutic use. Topics discussed include: Strategies for enzymatic or chemical degradation of chemically modified oligonucleotides toward mass spectrometric sequencing Purity analysis by chromatographic or electrophoretic methods, including RP-HPLC, AX-HPLC, HILIC, SEC, and CGE Characterization of sequence-related impurities in oligonucleotides by mass spectrometry and chromatography Structure elucidation by spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR, MS) as well as base composition and thermal melt analysis (Tm) Approaches for the accurate determination of molar extinction coefficient of oligonucleotides Accurate determination of assay values Assessment of the overall quality of oligonucleotides, including microbial analysis and determination of residual solvents and heavy metals Strategies for determining the chemical stability of oligonucleotides The use of hybridization techniques for supporting pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism studies in preclinical and clinical development Guidance for the presentation of relevant analytical information towards meeting current regulatory expectations for oligonucleotide therapeutics This resource provides a practical guide for applying state-of-the-art analytical techniques in research, development, and manufacturing settings.