This groundbreaking new guide helps you logically associate and link symptoms to likely diagnoses/conditions-a critical skill for passing the USMLE Step 1 Despite the recent changes to the USMLE Step 1, it remains a very important exam for medical students. In order to navigate the vignette-based questions, students must be able to determine a diagnosis based on the vignette, then understand the science behind the diagnosis-a process called pattern recognition. This innovative guide will help you master pattern recognition-a crucial skill to develop in order to thrive throughout the medical school curriculum. Organized by symptom to reflect exactly what you'll see on test day, First Aid Clinical Pattern Recognition for the USMLE Step 1 provides overviews for more than 50 symptoms, discussing differential diagnosis and the principles that should inform your thinking about each symptom. Overviews are followed by Step 1-style vignettes for every potential diagnosis that may be included in the Step 1 exam. Then, each vignette is followed by the diagnosis-and competing diagnoses-along with explanations of why the patterns fit for the correct diagnosis. Guiding principles provide important information (such as which diagnoses are common, which are rare, which are acute, which are chronic, etc.) to enhance the way you think about each symptom. Each vignette contains classic history/physical exam and lab/test findings that would be observed in a typical presentation of the disease.

The present edited book is an attempt to update the state of art of the knowledge on metabolism of ROS and antioxidants and their relationship in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses involving physiological, biochemical and molecular processes. The chapters are much focused on the current climate issues and how ROS metabolism can manipulate with antioxidant system to accelerate detoxification mechanism. It will enhance the mechanistic understanding on ROS and antioxidants system and will pave the path for agricultural scientists in developing tolerant crops to achieve sustainability under the changing environmental conditions. The increase in abiotic stress factors has become a major threat to sustainability of crop production. This situation has led to think ways which can help to come out with potential measures; for which it is necessary to understand the influence of abiotic stress factors on crops performance and the mechanisms by which these factors impact plants. It has now become evident that abiotic stress impacts negatively on plant growth and development at every stage of plant's life. Plants adapt to the changing environment with the adjustment at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. The possible mechanisms involved in the negative effects of abiotic stress factors are excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). They alter physiological and molecular mechanisms leading to poor performance of plants. Plants however, are able to cope with these adverse effects by inducing antioxidant systems as the priority. Nevertheless, the dual role of ROS has now been ascertained which provides an evidence for regulation of plant metabolism positively on a concentration-dependent manner. Under conditions of high ROS production, the antioxidant system plays a major role in diminishing the effects of ROS. Thus, ROS production and antioxidant system are interwoven with abiotic stress conditions. The antioxidants have the capacity to hold the stability in metabolism in order to avoid disruption due to environmental disturbances.

Nitric Oxide in Developing Plant Stress Resilience presents a strong focus on genetics and molecular mechanisms, examining crosstalk with other signaling molecules and the role this plays in the alleviation of oxidative damage. Abiotic stress negatively impacts plants productivity and alters the metabolism at the cellular or whole plant level, disturbing the mineral nutrients status, enzyme activities and osmotic homeostasis. Beginning with the biosynthesis of NO and its mode of action, chapters review various molecular interactions, including phytohormonal crosstalk, ROS metabolism, post-translational modification, and nutrients homeostasis. In addition, the book also highlights genome editing and proteomic approaches that can be used to manipulate NO responses. This is an essential resource for students and researchers interested in plant physiology, biochemistry and genetics.

Handbook of Thin Film Technology covers all aspects of coatings preparation, characterization and applications. Different deposition techniques based on vacuum and plasma processes are presented. Methods of surface and thin film analysis including coating thickness, structural, optical, electrical, mechanical and magnetic properties of films are detailed described. The several applications of thin coatings and a special chapter focusing on nanoparticle-based films can be found in this handbook. A complete reference for students and professionals interested in the science and technology of thin films.

Plant Hormones in Crop Improvement examines the signaling pathways and mechanisms associated with phytohormones, with particular focus on stress resilience. The growing population of world and unpredictable climate puts pressure on the agriculture production. Current constraints such as increasing temperatures, drought, salinity, cold, nutrient deficiency, along with biotic interactions trigger exquisitely tuned responsive mechanisms in plants. The main coordinators of all stress-related mechanisms are phytohormones, which can be transported over long distances and play a significant role in controlling physiological, agronomic and growth traits, metabolites and sustained crop productivity. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms influencing the stress responses mediated by phytohormones is crucial to ensure the continuity of agricultural production and food security. This book aims to address sustainable agricultural approaches to improve biotic and abiotic stress resilience in crop plants, covering different topics from perception and signaling plant hormones to physiological and molecular changes under different cues. Plant Hormones in Crop Improvement is an essential read for students, researchers and agriculturalists interested in plant physiology, plant genetics and crop yield improvement.

Plants often encounter abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, flooding, high/low temperatures, and metal toxicity, among others. The majority of these stresses occur simultaneously and thus limit crop production. Therefore, the need of the hour is to improve the abiotic stresses tolerance of crop plants by integrating physiology, omics, and modern breeding approaches. This book covers various aspects including (1) abiotic stress responses in plants and progress made so far in the allied areas for trait improvements, (2) integrates knowledge gained from basic physiology to advanced omics tools to assist new breeding technologies, and (3) discusses key genes, proteins, and metabolites or pathways for developing new crop varieties with improved tolerance traits.

Plants often encounter abiotic stresses including drought, salinity, flooding, high/low temperatures, and metal toxicity, among others. The majority of these stresses occur simultaneously and thus limit crop production. Therefore, the need of the hour is to improve the abiotic stresses tolerance of crop plants by integrating physiology, omics, and modern breeding approaches. This book covers various aspects including (1) abiotic stress responses in plants and progress made so far in the allied areas for trait improvements, (2) integrates knowledge gained from basic physiology to advanced omics tools to assist new breeding technologies, and (3) discusses key genes, proteins, and metabolites or pathways for developing new crop varieties with improved tolerance traits.

Abiotic stresses such as drought, flooding, high or low temperatures, metal toxicity and salinity can hamper plant growth and development. Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants explains the physiological and molecular mechanisms plants naturally exhibit to withstand abiotic stresses and outlines the potential approaches to enhance plant abiotic stress tolerance to extreme conditions. Synthesising developments in plant stress biology, the book offers strategies that can be used in breeding, genomic, molecular, physiological and biotechnological approaches that hold the potential to develop resilient plants and improve crop productivity worldwide. Features * Comprehensively explains molecular and physiological mechanism of multiple abiotic stress tolerance in plants * Discusses recent advancements in crop abiotic stress tolerance mechanism and highlights strategies to develop abiotic stress tolerant genotypes for sustainability * Stimulates synthesis of information for plant stress biology for biotechnological applications * Presents essential information for large scale breeding and agricultural biotechnological programs for crop improvement Written by a team of expert scientists, this book benefits researchers in the field of plant stress biology and is essential reading for graduate students and researchers generating stress tolerant crops through genetic engineering and plant breeding. It appeals to individuals developing sustainable agriculture through physiological and biotechnological applications.

Written by leaders in their fields, Calcium Oxalate in Biological Systems comprehensively discusses current information about the importance of this compound in animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Both in vivo and in vitro methods of crystallization as well as crystallization systems are discussed. Researchers who pioneered the field contribute their invaluable knowledge for the first time about oxalate bacteria and their importance. This is an essential reference for both plant and animal scientists concerned with human and animal kidney disease.

amounts can produce a deleterious effect on animals. In an attempt to quantify this potential for toxicity and to give sufficient margin for safety, JECFA has introduced an acceptable daily intake (ADI) level for food additives. For example, the ADI values granted for saccharin, aspartame, cyclamate, acesulfame-K and sucralose are 2. 5, 40, 11,9 and 1 3. 5 mg kg- body weight per day, respectively. Chapter 2 on regulatory aspects of low-calorie food elaborates these points. The additives that are to be consumed in large amounts, such as a fat replacement product like 'Olestra' or a new bulking material like 'polydextrose', present a more complex problem as far as the evaluation of their toxicity is concerned. Normal safety testing of an additive, such as a high-intensity sweetener, requires that the test animals are fed with a sufficiently high dosage in order to produce an effect and then on that basis an ADI value is calculated. In cases like 'Olestra' and 'polydex trose', which are not normally present in diet or metabolised to dietary constituents, such an approach will obviously not be applicable, or of any use, in calculating an ADI value. Due to these factors the regulatory authorities have not yet been able to produce any guidelines for toxicity trials for additives that are to be taken in food in large quantities."

The Paris Framework for Climate Change Capacity Building pioneers a new era of climate change governance, performing the foundational job of clarifying what is meant by the often ad-hoc, one-off, uncoordinated, ineffective and unsustainable practices of the past decade described as 'capacity building' to address climate change. As an alternative, this book presents a framework on how to build effective and sustainable capacity systems to meaningfully tackle this long-term problem. Such a reframing of capacity building itself requires means of implementation. The authors combine their decades-long experiences in climate negotiations, developing climate solutions, climate activism and peer-reviewed research to chart a realistic roadmap for the implementation of this alternative framework for capacity building. As a result, this book convincingly makes the case that universities, as the highest and sustainable seats of learning and research in the developing countries, should be the central hub of capacity building there. This will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy-makers in the areas of climate change and environmental studies.

The impact of climate change is global both in its cause and its effect. Thus there is a global responsibility for international cooperation to tackle the causes through mitigation strategies such as those agreed at the Durban Platform of December 2011. This climate regime aims to define responsibilities, mechanisms, funding and compliance in order to achieve a clear objective regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Although tackling the causes of climate change through mitigation is necessary, it is also essential to examine the effect of climate change and what international cooperation can take place to ensure global adaptation measures. This pioneering book deals exclusively with the politics of why adaptation as a global responsibility continues to be ignored. Scientific consensus is that the impacts of climate change are increasing, as evident from the greater frequency, intensity and magnitude of climate disasters in recent years. This book asks why anticipatory and planned measures for reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change should not be regarded as a global responsibility in the same way as mitigation. This discrimination is likely to continue unless the framing and legal basis of adaptation can be strengthened. It is with this aim in place that Professor Khan utilises his experience in academia and as a negotiator to analyse the politics surrounding this important issue. In this book the author sets out a framework for establishing a legally-binding adaptation regime under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with the view to reducing the gap between the strategic focus on mitigation and adaptation. This is invaluable research for students researching climate change from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including the politics, law and economics of the issue.

The impact of climate change is global both in its cause and its effect. Thus there is a global responsibility for international cooperation to tackle the causes through mitigation strategies such as those agreed at the Durban Platform of December 2011. This climate regime aims to define responsibilities, mechanisms, funding and compliance in order to achieve a clear objective regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Although tackling the causes of climate change through mitigation is necessary, it is also essential to examine the effect of climate change and what international cooperation can take place to ensure global adaptation measures. This pioneering book deals exclusively with the politics of why adaptation as a global responsibility continues to be ignored. Scientific consensus is that the impacts of climate change are increasing, as evident from the greater frequency, intensity and magnitude of climate disasters in recent years. This book asks why anticipatory and planned measures for reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change should not be regarded as a global responsibility in the same way as mitigation. This discrimination is likely to continue unless the framing and legal basis of adaptation can be strengthened. It is with this aim in place that Professor Khan utilises his experience in academia and as a negotiator to analyse the politics surrounding this important issue. In this book the author sets out a framework for establishing a legally-binding adaptation regime under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with the view to reducing the gap between the strategic focus on mitigation and adaptation. This is invaluable research for students researching climate change from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including the politics, law and economics of the issue.

The Paris Framework for Climate Change Capacity Building pioneers a new era of climate change governance, performing the foundational job of clarifying what is meant by the often ad-hoc, one-off, uncoordinated, ineffective and unsustainable practices of the past decade described as 'capacity building' to address climate change. As an alternative, this book presents a framework on how to build effective and sustainable capacity systems to meaningfully tackle this long-term problem. Such a reframing of capacity building itself requires means of implementation. The authors combine their decades-long experiences in climate negotiations, developing climate solutions, climate activism and peer-reviewed research to chart a realistic roadmap for the implementation of this alternative framework for capacity building. As a result, this book convincingly makes the case that universities, as the highest and sustainable seats of learning and research in the developing countries, should be the central hub of capacity building there. This will be a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy-makers in the areas of climate change and environmental studies.

The most trusted name in USME review—just ask any student! First Aid Clinical Pattern Recognition for the USMLE Step 2 CK provides the information you need to tie clinical facts together in order to recognize patterns and build illness scripts for various high-yield conditions. This essential resource features classic textbook-style vignettes of syndromes and cases commonly tested on the USMLE 2 CK. You'll learn how to determine the next best step, perform a patient workup, and effectively manage patient care. By presenting context that ties different symptoms, signs, and conditions together, the text encourages you to consider a differential diagnosis for a chief complain, explore how different conditions may be related to one another, and more.  • All key conditions began with a high-yield overview and then move into case vignettes for that particular disorder type • Robust differential diagnosis sections provide targeted information on how to narrow down a diagnosis • Case vignettes are followed by sections on evaluation, drug treatment and key clinical considerations • Useful illustrations and flow charts help clarify complex concepts and processes • Separate chapters on pediatrics, surgery and emergency medicine cover content highly represented on the Step 2 CK exam

Written by leaders in their fields, Calcium Oxalate in Biological Systems comprehensively discusses current information about the importance of this compound in animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Both in vivo and in vitro methods of crystallization as well as crystallization systems are discussed. Researchers who pioneered the field contribute their invaluable knowledge for the first time about oxalate bacteria and their importance. This is an essential reference for both plant and animal scientists concerned with human and animal kidney disease.

Audience
Applied biomathematicians, orthopedists, clinical orthopedists.

The present edited book is an attempt to update the state of art of the knowledge on metabolism of ROS and antioxidants and their relationship in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses involving physiological, biochemical and molecular processes. The chapters are much focused on the current climate issues and how ROS metabolism can manipulate with antioxidant system to accelerate detoxification mechanism. It will enhance the mechanistic understanding on ROS and antioxidants system and will pave the path for agricultural scientists in developing tolerant crops to achieve sustainability under the changing environmental conditions. The increase in abiotic stress factors has become a major threat to sustainability of crop production. This situation has led to think ways which can help to come out with potential measures; for which it is necessary to understand the influence of abiotic stress factors on crops performance and the mechanisms by which these factors impact plants. It has now become evident that abiotic stress impacts negatively on plant growth and development at every stage of plant's life. Plants adapt to the changing environment with the adjustment at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. The possible mechanisms involved in the negative effects of abiotic stress factors are excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). They alter physiological and molecular mechanisms leading to poor performance of plants. Plants however, are able to cope with these adverse effects by inducing antioxidant systems as the priority. Nevertheless, the dual role of ROS has now been ascertained which provides an evidence for regulation of plant metabolism positively on a concentration-dependent manner. Under conditions of high ROS production, the antioxidant system plays a major role in diminishing the effects of ROS. Thus, ROS production and antioxidant system are interwoven with abiotic stress conditions. The antioxidants have the capacity to hold the stability in metabolism in order to avoid disruption due to environmental disturbances.

"Handbook of Thin Film Technology" covers all aspects of coatings preparation, characterization and applications. Different deposition techniques based on vacuum and plasma processes are presented. Methods of surface and thin film analysis including coating thickness, structural, optical, electrical, mechanical and magnetic properties of films are detailed described. The several applications of thin coatings and a special chapter focusing on nanoparticle-based films can be found in this handbook. A complete reference for students and professionals interested in the science and technology of thin films.

amounts can produce a deleterious effect on animals. In an attempt to quantify this potential for toxicity and to give sufficient margin for safety, JECFA has introduced an acceptable daily intake (ADI) level for food additives. For example, the ADI values granted for saccharin, aspartame, cyclamate, acesulfame-K and sucralose are 2. 5, 40, 11,9 and 1 3. 5 mg kg- body weight per day, respectively. Chapter 2 on regulatory aspects of low-calorie food elaborates these points. The additives that are to be consumed in large amounts, such as a fat replacement product like 'Olestra' or a new bulking material like 'polydextrose', present a more complex problem as far as the evaluation of their toxicity is concerned. Normal safety testing of an additive, such as a high-intensity sweetener, requires that the test animals are fed with a sufficiently high dosage in order to produce an effect and then on that basis an ADI value is calculated. In cases like 'Olestra' and 'polydex trose', which are not normally present in diet or metabolised to dietary constituents, such an approach will obviously not be applicable, or of any use, in calculating an ADI value. Due to these factors the regulatory authorities have not yet been able to produce any guidelines for toxicity trials for additives that are to be taken in food in large quantities."

Abiotic stresses such as drought, flooding, high or low temperatures, metal toxicity and salinity can hamper plant growth and development. Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants explains the physiological and molecular mechanisms plants naturally exhibit to withstand abiotic stresses and outlines the potential approaches to enhance plant abiotic stress tolerance to extreme conditions. Synthesising developments in plant stress biology, the book offers strategies that can be used in breeding, genomic, molecular, physiological and biotechnological approaches that hold the potential to develop resilient plants and improve crop productivity worldwide. Features * Comprehensively explains molecular and physiological mechanism of multiple abiotic stress tolerance in plants * Discusses recent advancements in crop abiotic stress tolerance mechanism and highlights strategies to develop abiotic stress tolerant genotypes for sustainability * Stimulates synthesis of information for plant stress biology for biotechnological applications * Presents essential information for large scale breeding and agricultural biotechnological programs for crop improvement Written by a team of expert scientists, this book benefits researchers in the field of plant stress biology and is essential reading for graduate students and researchers generating stress tolerant crops through genetic engineering and plant breeding. It appeals to individuals developing sustainable agriculture through physiological and biotechnological applications.

This book provides new contributions to the theory of inequalities for integral and sum, and includes four chapters. In the first chapter, linear inequalities via interpolation polynomials and green functions are discussed. New results related to Popoviciu type linear inequalities via extension of the Montgomery identity, the Taylor formula, Abel-Gontscharoff's interpolation polynomials, Hermite interpolation polynomials and the Fink identity with Green's functions, are presented. The second chapter is dedicated to Ostrowski's inequality and results with applications to numerical integration and probability theory. The third chapter deals with results involving functions with nondecreasing increments. Real life applications are discussed, as well as and connection of functions with nondecreasing increments together with many important concepts including arithmetic integral mean, wright convex functions, convex functions, nabla-convex functions, Jensen m-convex functions, m-convex functions, m-nabla-convex functions, k-monotonic functions, absolutely monotonic functions, completely monotonic functions, Laplace transform and exponentially convex functions, by using the finite difference operator of order m. The fourth chapter is mainly based on Popoviciu and Cebysev-Popoviciu type identities and inequalities. In this last chapter, the authors present results by using delta and nabla operators of higher order.

This book provides new contributions to the theory of inequalities for integral and sum, and includes four chapters. In the first chapter, linear inequalities via interpolation polynomials and green functions are discussed. New results related to Popoviciu type linear inequalities via extension of the Montgomery identity, the Taylor formula, Abel-Gontscharoff's interpolation polynomials, Hermite interpolation polynomials and the Fink identity with Green’s functions, are presented. The second chapter is dedicated to Ostrowski’s inequality and results with applications to numerical integration and probability theory. The third chapter deals with results involving functions with nondecreasing increments. Real life applications are discussed, as well as and connection of functions with nondecreasing increments together with many important concepts including arithmetic integral mean, wright convex functions, convex functions, nabla-convex functions, Jensen m-convex functions, m-convex functions, m-nabla-convex functions, k-monotonic functions, absolutely monotonic functions, completely monotonic functions, Laplace transform and exponentially convex functions, by using the finite difference operator of order m. The fourth chapter is mainly based on Popoviciu and Cebysev-Popoviciu type identities and inequalities. In this last chapter, the authors present results by using delta and nabla operators of higher order.