This book begins with a treatment of the classical Riesz-Schauder theory which takes advantage of the most recent developments. It deals with Fredholm operators, semi-Fredholm operators, Riesz operators and Calkin algebras, and is helpful for graduate students and research mathematicians.

Since the appearance of Banach algebra theory, the interaction between the theories ofBanach algebras with involution and that of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space hasbeen extensively developed. The connections of Banach algebras with the theory ofbounded linear operators on a Hilbert space have also evolved, and Calkin Algebras andAlgebras of Operators on Banach Spaces provides an introduction to this set of ideas.The book begins with a treatment of the classical Riesz-Schauder theory which takesadvantage of the most recent developments-some of this material appears here for the firsttime. Although the reader should be familiar with the basics of functional analysis, anintroductory chapter on Banach algebras has been included. Other topics dealt with includeFredholm operators, semi-Fredholm operators, Riesz operators. and Calkin algebras.This volume will be of direct interest to both graduate students and research mathematicians.

Endophytes are bacterial and fungal microorganisms that colonize plants without usually eliciting visible disease symptoms but establishing intricate and mutually beneficial interactions with their host plant. This can lead to an increase in plant vigour, growth, development, and changes in plant metabolism. Endophytes may assist in the development of more productive and sustainable agricultural practices or discoveries of novel pharmacologicals. These elusive organisms are often overlooked and their benefits underrated. Endophytes can support plants in a variety of ways to cope with biotic and abiotic stress factors, such as drought, heat, pest and diseases. They can produce particular metabolites, facilitate access to nutrients, change the plant's chemistry, physiology and responses, or by a combination of these factors. The biosynthetic pathways present in endophytes alone or in combinations with the plant's, can lead to novel chemicals, with yet undiscovered pharmacological characteristics. With state-of-the-art knowledge on their discovery and roles, this book describes the diversity of endophytes, their value, exploitation and future challenges. Key features: Provides an overview of the endophytes that are encountered in nature. Demonstrates the beneficial effects of endophytes together with their practical applications in agriculture. Explores how endophytes are valuable candidates for research on future drugs and biopesticides. This title is a valuable resource for students and researchers in plant science and plant pathology as well as those working in the pharmaceutical and pesticide industries.

If you sit in a pew, Sunday by Sunday, you will hear parts of Matthew's Gospel read. But you might never have read it yourself from start to finish. And if you are not a churchgoer, you might not think to read any of it. Yet it has been, and continues to be, an important part of our heritage. This book considers a group of people who meet, week by week, to try to untangle what Matthew is about. A complete text of the Gospel is included in this book and many questions are raised, the kind that you and I might ask. Some conclusions are reached; many issues remain. But no one goes away unchanged.