Allergy is an immunological disease caused by multiple factors and characterized by variability, specificity and complexity. "Multidisciplinary Approaches to Allergies" covers diverse aspects ranging from basic molecular mechanisms to societal issues within the framework of multidisciplinary approaches to allergies. It contains 29 chapters in 6 parts: General Allergy; Allergenic Sources and Allergens; Diagnosis; Therapies and Pharmacy; Hypoallergenic Products; Environment, Hygiene and Societal Issues. It can be used in education and research as introductory and supplementary material. It is also an indispensable tool for scientists and doctors who are searching for an integrated way for allergy prevention, treatment and management.

Zhong-Shan Gao, Ph.D., is Professor of Fruit Science and Allergy at the Department of Horticulture and the Allergy Research Center, Zhejiang University, China. Hua-Hao Shen, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Respiratory Diseases at the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China, and Professor in the Chang Jiang Scholars Program (MOE). Min Zheng, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Dermatology at the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China. Lynn J. Frewer, Ph.D., is Professor of Food & Society at the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, UK. Luud J.W.J. Gilissen, Ph.D., is senior researcher at Plant Research International, Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands.

Consciousness and quantum mechanics are two great mysteries of our time—and recently scholars have postulated a deeper connection between them. Exploring this possible connection can be fruitful: an analysis of the conscious mind and psychophysical connection can be indispensable in understanding quantum mechanics and solving the notorious measurement problem, and there is also likely some kind of intimate connection between quantum mechanics—the most fundamental theory of the physical world—and our efforts to explain, naturalistically, the phenomenon of consciousness. The seventeen newly written chapters in this volume are divided into three sections: Consciousness and the Wave Function Collapse, Consciousness in Quantum Theories, and Quantum Approaches to Consciousness. This is the first volume to provide a comprehensive review and thorough analysis of intriguing conjectures about the connection between consciousness and quantum mechanics. Written by leading experts in physics, philosophy, and cognitive science, Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics will be of value to students and researchers working on the foundations of quantum mechanics and the philosophy of mind.

Science has made a mighty advance since it originated in ancient Greece more than 2500 years ago. Yet we still live in Plato's cave today; we think everything around us moves continuously, but continuous motion is merely a shadow of real motion. This book will lead you to walk out the cave along a logical and comprehensible road. After passing Zeno's arrow, Newton's inertia, Einstein's light, and Schrodinger's cat, you will reach the real world, where every thing in the universe, whether it is an atom or a ball or even a star, ceaselessly jumps in a random and discontinuous way. In a famous metaphor, God does play dice with the universe. The new discovery may finally solve Zeno's paradoxes and the quantum puzzle, and it will deeply change our view of the world. Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is". ---- Bernard d'Espagnat, University of Paris, Orsay The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original. ---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics I fully agree with your idea of discontinuous movement. ---- Antoine Suarez, Center for Quantum Philosophy, Zurich If it goes through, this would be an original and significant contribution to the debate over the nature of motion. ---- Reviewer of American Philosophical Quarterly A sense of relief at last! Gao has done it, with no metaphysics and magic. He seems to have no life-style to justify and no axe to grind against any belief system. Then pure physics and objectivity prevails. ---- Ph.D. Philip P. Benjamin

When you insert a straight stick in water, you will surprisedly find that the stick appears bent. Yet, this is in fact an optical illusion resulting from the refraction of light. Nature always hides her secret with attractive veiling. This may also be true for the motion of objects. Although everything around us appears to move in a continuous and lawful way, it is in all probability that their motion is discontinuous and random in reality as the microscopic phenomena reveal. This book presents a clear exposition of the intriguing idea of random discontinuous motion and its implications for quantum theory and relativity. Once you realize that motion is actually discontinuous and random, you may finally understand the mysterious quantum world, where an electron can pass through two slits at the same time. I fully agree with your idea of discontinuous movement. ---- Antoine Suarez, Center for Quantum Philosophy, Zurich The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original. If it can be made to work, it would add an interesting new ontology to our stock of quantum mechanical interpretations. ---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is." ---- Bernard d'Espagnat, University of Paris-Orsay

At the heart of quantum mechanics lies the wave function, a powerful but mysterious mathematical object which has been a hot topic of debate from its earliest stages. Covering much of the recent debate and providing a comprehensive and critical review of competing approaches, this ambitious text provides new, decisive proof of the reality of the wave function. Aiming to make sense of the wave function in quantum mechanics and to find the ontological content of the theory, this book explores new ontological interpretations of the wave function in terms of random discontinuous motion of particles. Finally, the book investigates whether the suggested quantum ontology is complete in solving the measurement problem and if it should be revised in the relativistic domain. A timely addition to the literature on the foundations of quantum mechanics, this book is of value to students and researchers with an interest in the philosophy of physics.

At the heart of quantum mechanics lies the wave function, a powerful but mysterious mathematical object which has been a hot topic of debate from its earliest stages. Covering much of the recent debate and providing a comprehensive and critical review of competing approaches, this ambitious text provides new, decisive proof of the reality of the wave function. Aiming to make sense of the wave function in quantum mechanics and to find the ontological content of the theory, this book explores new ontological interpretations of the wave function in terms of random discontinuous motion of particles. Finally, the book investigates whether the suggested quantum ontology is complete in solving the measurement problem and if it should be revised in the relativistic domain. A timely addition to the literature on the foundations of quantum mechanics, this book is of value to students and researchers with an interest in the philosophy of physics.

Combining twenty-six original essays written by an impressive line-up of distinguished physicists and philosophers of physics, this anthology reflects some of the latest thoughts by leading experts on the influence of Bell's theorem on quantum physics. Essays progress from John Bell's character and background, through studies of his main work, and on to more speculative ideas, addressing the controversies surrounding the theorem, and investigating the theorem's meaning and its deep implications for the nature of physical reality. Combined, they present a powerful comment on the undeniable significance of Bell's theorem for the development of ideas in quantum physics over the past 50 years. Questions surrounding the assumptions and significance of Bell's work still inspire discussion in the field of quantum physics. Adding to this with a theoretical and philosophical perspective, this balanced anthology is an indispensable volume for students and researchers interested in the philosophy of physics and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Protective measurements offer an intriguing method for measuring the wave function of a single quantum system. With contributions from leading physicists and philosophers of physics - including two of the original discoverers of this important method - this book explores the concept of protective measurement, investigating its broad applications and deep implications. Addressing both physical and philosophical aspects, it covers a diverse range of topics, including experimental possibility of protective measurements, connections with the PBR theorem, and the implications of protective measurements for understanding the nature of quantum reality. Including a clear and concise introduction to standard quantum mechanics, conventional measurements, and the fundamentals of protective measurements, this is a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers interested in the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics.