Engineering in Translational Medicine

Engineering in Translational Medicine

This book covers a broad area of engineering research in translational medicine. Leaders in academic institutions around the world contributed focused chapters on a broad array of topics such as: cell and tissue engineering (6 chapters), genetic and protein engineering (10 chapters), nanoengineering (10 chapters), biomedical instrumentation (4 chapters), and theranostics and other novel approaches (4 chapters). Each chapter is a stand-alone review that summarizes the state-of-the-art of the specific research area.

Engineering in Translational Medicine

Sodium Calcium Exchange:

Sodium Calcium Exchange:

This book reports the text of the lectures of the 6th International Conference on Sodium Calcium Exchange held in Lacco Ameno in the Island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, from October 1 to October 5, 2011. The present book uncovers the most striking new findings on NCX that emerged since the previous Conference on Sodium Calcium Exchange, such as the structural dissection of the molecular determinants of Ca2+ sensitivity of the exchanger, the epigenetic regulation of ncx1 gene, the molecular identification of the mitochondrial Sodium Calcium Exchanger, and the discovery of NCX in unexpected anatomical locations such as the female reproductive tract.The book is organized into 11 parts covering NCX structural aspects, genetic and epigenetic regulation, regulatory mechanisms, subcellular localization in mitochondria, involvement in neurodegenerative diseases and in immune regulation, and the role of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as diabetes in physiology and pathophysiology. Selected chapters of the book are also devoted to the interaction of NCKX and other ion channels and transporters with NCX, like ASICs, TRPM, and NHE.

Sodium Calcium Exchange:

Tomatoes - 13

Tomatoes - 13

Tomatoes are one of the most important horticultural crops in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. This book provides a concise review of our knowledge of the scientific principles underlying the biology and production of the tomato crop. Our understanding of these aspects has increased rapidly in recent years and new areas such as genetic modification and biological pest control have been developed. Topics covered include genetics and breeding, developmental processes, crop growth and yield, fruit ripening and fruit quality, irrigation and fertilization, crop protection, production in the open field, greenhouse tomato production, postharvest biology and handling. This book will be of significant interest to students and professionals in horticulture.

Tomatoes - 13

Nostratic

Nostratic

The ‘Nostratic’ hypothesis — positing a common linguistic ancestor for a wide range of language families including Indo-European, Uralic, and Afro-Asiatic — has produced one of the most enduring and often intense controversies in linguistics. Overwhelmingly, though, both supporters of the hypothesis and those who reject it have not dealt directly with one another’s arguments. This volume brings together selected representatives of both sides, as well as a number of agnostic historical linguists, with the aim of examining the evidence for this particular hypothesis in the context of distant genetic relationships generally.The volume contains discussion of variants of the Nostratic hypothesis (A. Bomhard; J. Greenberg; A. Manaster-Ramer, K. Baertsch, K. Adams, & P. Michalove), the mathematics of chance in determining the relationships posited for Nostratic (R. Oswa

Nostratic

Physiology and Physiopathology of Adipose Tissue

Physiology and Physiopathology of Adipose Tissue

The scientific advances in the physiology and pathophysiology of adipose tissue over the last two decades have been considerable. Today, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of adipogenesis are well known. In addition, adipose tissue is now recognized as a real endocrine organ that produces hormones such as the leptin acting to regulate food intake and energy balance in the central nervous system, a finding that has completely revolutionized the paradigm of energy homeostasis. Other adipokines have now been described and these molecules are taking on increasing importance in physiology and pathophysiology. Moreover, numerous works have shown that in obesity, but also in cases of lipodystophy, adipose tissue was the site of a local low-grade inflammation that involves immune cells such as macrophages and certain populations of lymphocytes. This new information is an important step in the pathophysiology of both obesity and related metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Finally, it is a unique and original work focusing on adipose tissue, covering biology and pathology by investigating aspects of molecular and cellular biology, general, metabolic, genetic and genomic biochemistry.

Physiology and Physiopathology of Adipose Tissue

History

History

Homo sapiens have remained the same species, largely unchanged in genetic makeup and anatomy since the Cro-Magnon era. By contrast, the cultural, social, and technological changes since then have been nothing less than extraordinary. Telling our story, from prehistory to the present day, DK’s History is a thought-provoking journey, revealing the common threads and forces that have shaped human history.

History

Darwin2K

Darwin2K

Darwin2K: An Evolutionary Approach to Automated Design for Robotics is an essential reference tool for researchers, professionals, and students involved in robot design or in evolutionary synthesis, design, and optimization. It is also necessary for users of Darwin2K. Researchers and hobbyists interested in genetic algorithms and artificial life techniques will find the book interesting.

Darwin2K

Practical Paediatrics

Practical Paediatrics

This is a comprehensive textbook of paediatrics that describes childhood disease within the context of social determinants of illness, such as genetic origins and social factors. The emphasis is on differential diagnosis from a presenting-problem viewpoint, making it suitable for any problem-based learning style of curriculum. The new 6th edition is more comprehensive and more concise; the clinical focus is made even stronger with clinical examples. There are more images, and the full text is online at StudentConsult, along with self-assessment, further reading and web links.

Practical Paediatrics

Language Lateralization and Psychosis

Language Lateralization and Psychosis

In 1861 Paul Broca discovered that, in most individuals, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant for language. Taking language as an example, the first part of this book explains the normal development of bodily asymmetry and lateralization, its association with hand preference, genetic aspects, geographical differences and the influence of gender. The coverage then moves on to review the association between language lateralization and psychosis, describing findings in patients with schizophrenia to suggest the dominant hemisphere may fail to completely inhibit the language areas in the non-dominant half. The language allowed to ‘release’ from the right hemisphere can lead to psychotic symptoms including auditory verbal hallucinations and formal thought disorder. This book should be read by psychiatrists, neurologists and neuroscientists working in the field of psychosis and other brain scientists interested in laterality.

Language Lateralization and Psychosis

Calcium Signalling in Cancer

Calcium Signalling in Cancer

Calcium signalling occupies a preeminent position in the signal transduction system of the cell by virtue of its participation in a wide range of physiological functions together with the biological events associated with genetic expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis, as well as cell differentiation and morphogenesis. It is an important feature of cell adhesion and motility; the integrity of the calcium binding proteins themselves is a basic requirement of normal biological function. In fact, the deregulation of calcium signaling is now regarded as the primary event in the pathogenesis, growth, invasion, and secondary spread of cancer.

Calcium Signalling in Cancer

Agent-Based Hybrid Intelligent Systems

Agent-Based Hybrid Intelligent Systems

Solving complex problems in real-world contexts, such as financial investment planning or mining large data collections, involves many different sub-tasks, each of which requires different techniques. To deal with such problems, a great diversity of intelligent techniques are available, including traditional techniques like expert systems approaches and soft computing techniques like fuzzy logic, neural networks, or genetic algorithms. These techniques are complementary approaches to intelligent information processing rather than competing ones, and thus better results in problem solving are achieved when these techniques are combined in hybrid intelligent systems. Multi-Agent Systems are ideally suited to model the manifold interactions among the many different components of hybrid intelligent systems.

Agent-Based Hybrid Intelligent Systems

Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Design

Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Design

The last few years have seen important advances in the use of genetic algorithms to address challenging optimization problems in industrial engineering. Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Design is the only book to cover the most recent technologies and their application to manufacturing, presenting a comprehensive and fully up-to-date treatment of genetic algorithms in industrial engineering and operations research.

Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Design

Parenting and the Childs World

Parenting and the Childs World

Stimulated by the publication of The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris, Parenting and the Child’s World was conceived around the notion that there are multiple sources of influence on children’s development, including parenting behavior, family resources, genetic and other biological factors, as well as social influences from peers, teachers, and the community at large.

Parenting and the Childs World

Insect Life Cycles

Insect Life Cycles

The International Congress of Entomology holds regular symposia on insect life-cyles every four years. This book arose from papers contributed by most of the speakers at the latest symposium held in Vancouver, BC (Canada), July 1988. This volume provides a diverse array of studies on insect life-cycle evolution which can be broken down into three main levels of approach: (a) comparisons of genetic variation and covariation underlying life-cycle traits; (b) comparisons of variable phenotypes within and among populations of the same and/or related species; and (c) comparisons of habitat-specific traits regardless of relatedness. While the material is particularly relevant to scientists and researchers within this field, both undergraduate and graduate level students will find the material relevant to their studies.

Insect Life Cycles

Handbook of Toxicology, Third Edition

Handbook of Toxicology, Third Edition

The Handbook of Toxicology, Third Edition provides an updated practical reference source for practicing toxicologists in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, contract laboratories, regulatory agencies, and academia. Written by experts in their specific toxicology fields, the chapters provide both fundamental and applied information. Topics range from General Toxicology, to Genetic Toxicology, Human Clinical Toxicology, Histopathology, Clinical Pathology, Metabolism and Toxicokinetics, Risk Assessment, and more.

Handbook of Toxicology, Third Edition