Cannabinoids and the brain
Cannabinoids and the Brain gives a comprehensive overview of all the essential literature concerning the endocannabinoid and related systems in the nervous tissue. It is a rapidly expanding research field and the widespread presence of cannabinoids in most physiopathological mechanisms appear to hinder the effort to fully cover the subject. By the end of the book, the reader will have a solid knowledge of the genetics, molecular biology, anatomy, pharmacology, and physiology of the endocannabinoid system and its involvement in neurological and psychiatric disorders, and will eventually discover a natural relationship among marijuana, aspirin, and chili pepper.
Cancer drug resistance
In Cancer Drug Resistance, leading scientists from the best academic institutions and industrial laboratories summarize and synthesize the latest discoveries concerning the changes that occur in tumor cells as they develop resistance to a wide variety of anticancer therapeutics, as well as suggest new approaches to the biology of drug resistance that may afford new therapeutic opportunities.
Biosphere Origin and Evolution
The book covers notions by scientists of various branches on the evolutionary relationship between the biosphere and geosphere, evolution features at various levels of living matter organization, and problems of prebiotic evolution and life origin. The data were collected in the course of the RAS program "Biosphere origin and evolution" (subprogram II) in 2003–2006. The objectives of this subprogram were (1) generalization of data related to problems of biosphere origin and evolution accumulated by geneticists, molecular biologists, zoologists, botanists, paleontologists, microbiologists, geologists, chemists, and archaeologists; (2) search for new interdisciplinary approaches to biosphere origin and evolution; (3) development of a "lingua franca" understandable by experts in various fields, which would allow apprehension of results concerning the topic obtained in allied sciences
Biology and Ecology of Norway Spruce
This book presents a concise and comprehensive review of the biology, ecology, and management of Norway spruce. It integrates classic and contemporary literature (more than 2000 works cited in the text), highlighting basic research and forestry practices in central and eastern Europe. The topics include anatomy and morphology, physiology and nutrition, reproductive biology and genetics, and ecology. In addition, it examines mycorrhiza, diseases and pests as well as silviculture and wood products. In the light of increasing threats to forest health from air pollution, climate change, and insects and disease, it provides an essential information source to those concerned with the ecology, conservation, and management of the species
Biofuels and sustainability : Holistic perspectives for policy-making
This open access book presents a comprehensive analysis of biofuel use strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective using sustainability science. This interdisciplinary perspective (social science-natural science) means that the strategies and policy options proposed will have significant impacts on the economy and society alike. Biofuels are expected to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, revitalizing economies in agricultural communities and alleviating poverty. However, despite these anticipated benefits, international organizations such as the FAO, OECD and UN have published reports expressing concerns that biofuel promotion may lead to deforestation, water pollution and water shortages. The impacts of biofuel use are extensive, cross-sectoral and complex, and as such, comprehensive analyses are required in order to assess the extent to which biofuels can contribute to sustainable societies.
Beetle conservation
Interest in beetle conservation has long been evident, with many papers treating these abundant, ecologically important and popular insects. However, this issue of Journal of Insect Conservation is the first to be dedicated entirely to beetles, and contains a number of papers, predominantly from outside western Europe, to demonstrate the variety and scope of problems and conservation concerns that surround these insects. A short introductory perspective is followed by eight original contributions, in which beetles from many parts of the world are considered, and in which some major threats to their wellbeing are evaluated.
Applications of Plant Metabolic Engineering
Written by leading international experts in the field of plant metabolic engineering, this book discusses, mainly, applications of plant metabolic engineering. Metabolic engineering, which is part of second generation biotechnology, has made several contributions at basic level as well as at conceptualising products ever since its emergence in the early 1980s. Applications resulting from metabolic engineering are expected to play a very important role in future for plant breeding, e.g. for improved resistance or improved traits concerning health promoting constituents, and production of fine chemicals such as medicines, flavors and fragrances.
Antibiotic policies : Theory and practice
This unique book assembles contributions from experts around the world concerned with responsible use of antibiotics and the consequences of overuse. For the first time, it provides up to the minute texts on both the theoretical aspects of antibiotic stewardship and the practical aspects of its implementation, with consideration of the key differences between developed and developing countries
AIDS-Associated Viral Oncogenesis
AIDS-associated viral oncology is a significant healthcare problem. Since the identification of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated acquired immune disease syndrome (AIDS), the role of viruses in human cancers has become acutely apparent over the past twenty years. The understanding and treatment of AIDS-associated cancers has become a major concern among healthcare organizations. Human cancers that were once rare in the population have now become common within the HIV infected population.
Advances in Integrated Soil Fertility Research in sub-Saharan Africa : Challenges and Opportunities
Food insecurity is a central concern and a fundamental challenge for human welfare and economic growth in Africa. Low agricultural production, results in low incomes, poor nutrition, vulnerability to risks and lack of empowerment. Land degradation and soil fertility depletion are considered the major threats to food security and natural resource conservation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Investments in technology, policy and institutional reforms are needed to increase agricultural productivity to ensure food security and sustained national economies. Past research has generated numerous soil fertility management technologies which if adopted could propel the African continent out of the poverty trap. However, these technologies have had little, if any, impact due to low adoption by the smallholder farmers.
Competition Authorities in South Eastern Europe : Building Institutions in Emerging Markets
Provides answers to key open questions concerning competition policy in emerging economies, with a focus on South Eastern Europe. The contributions address two major issues. One is the design of competition policy and the national competition authorities that enforce it, including the topics of competition advocacy and state aid control; the other is the use of economic methods in competition law enforcement, especially in the cases of relevant market definition and merger control. Many lessons learned in the countries of South Eastern Europe can be applied to the emerging markets of other regions. As such, the findings presented here will be highly relevant for officials and staff at national competition authorities, advisers to legislators shaping national competition policy, competition law professionals, and university students alike.
Children in Tort Law Part II : Children as Victims
Since children are not as capable as adults to perceive the risks involved in many situations of daily life, they are at a high risk of suffering personal injuries, mainly resulting from home, school and traffic accidents. From the tort law perspective, this requires a specific treatment of children as victims. For the last few decades some legal systems have been trying to find new solutions for a better protection of children, while other legal systems still follow more traditional rules. After having tackled the problems concerning the position of children as tortfeasors in a previous book, in this book the same working team deals with the problems related to the position of children as victims. This book analyses both the traditional solutions found in some legal systems and the newer solutions offered by others and devotes specific attention to damage issues, apportionment of damage and insurance problems when the victim is a child.
Logical and Relational Learning
This textbook covers logical and relational learning in depth, and hence provides an introduction to inductive logic programming (ILP), multirelational data mining (MRDM) and (statistical) relational learning (SRL). These subfields of data mining and machine learning are concerned with the analysis of complex and structured data sets that arise in numerous applications, such as bio- and chemoinformatics, network analysis, Web mining, natural language processing, within the rich representations offered by relational databases and computational logic.
Legal Programming : Designing Legally Compliant RFID and Software Agent Architectures for Retail Processes and Beyond
LEGAL PROGRAMMING: Designing Legally Compliant RFID and Software Agent Architectures for Retail Processes and Beyond provides a process-oriented discussion of the legal concerns presented by agent-based technologies, processes and programming. It offers a general outline of the potential legal difficulties that could arise in relation to them, focusing on the programming of negotiation and contracting processes in a privacy, consumer and commercial context. The authors will elucidate how it is possible to create form of legal framework and design methodology for transaction agents, applicable in any environment and not just in a specific proprietary framework, that provides the right level of compliance and trust. Key elements considered include the design and programming of legally compliant methods, the determination of rights in respect of objects and variables, and ontologies and programming frameworks for agent interactions. Examples are used to illustrate the points made and provide a practical perspective.
Building the Infrastructure for Cloud Security : A Solutions view
For cloud users and providers alike, security is an everyday concern, yet there are very few books covering cloud security as a main subject. This book will help address this information gap from an Information Technology solution and usage-centric view of cloud infrastructure security. The book highlights the fundamental technology components necessary to build and enable trusted clouds. Here also is an explanation of the security and compliance challenges organizations face as they migrate mission-critical applications to the cloud, and how trusted clouds, that have their integrity rooted in hardware, can address these challenges.
Blockchains For Network Security : Principles, technologies and applications
Blockchain technology is a powerful, cost-effective method for network security. Essentially, it is a decentralized ledger for storing all committed transactions in trustless environments by integrating several core technologies such as cryptographic hash, digital signature and distributed consensus mechanisms. Over the past few years, blockchain technology has been used in a variety of network interaction systems such as smart contracts, public services, Internet of Things (IoT), social networks, reputation systems and security and financial services. With its widespread adoption, there has been increased focus on utilizing blockchain technologies to address network security concerns and vulnerabilities as well as understanding real-world security implications.
Autonomy oriented computing : From problem solving to complex systems modeling
Autonomy Oriented Computing explores the important theoretical and practical issues in AOC, by analyzing methodologies and presenting experimental case studies. The book serves as a comprehensive reference source for researchers, scientists, engineers, and professionals in all fields concerned with this promising new development in computer science. It can also be used as a main or supplementary text in graduate and undergraduate programs across a broad range of computer-related disciplines, including Robotics and Automation, Amorphous Computing, Image Processing and Computer Vision, Programming Paradigms, Computational Biology, and many others. The first part of the book, Fundamentals, describes the basic concepts and characteristics of an AOC system, and then it enumerates the critical design and engineering issues faced in AOC system development. The second part of the book, AOC in Depth, provides a detailed analysis of methodologies and case studies to evaluate the use of AOC in problem solving and complex system modeling. The final chapter reviews the essential features of the AOC paradigm and outlines a number of possibilities for future research and development.
Autonomes fahren : Technische, rechtliche und gesellschaftliche aspekte = Autonomous driving : Technical, legal and social aspects
This book provides answers to a wide range of these and other questions. Experts from Germany and the USA describe central topics related to the automation of vehicles on public roads from an engineering and social science perspective. They show which "decisions" are required of an autonomous vehicle or which "ethics" must be programmed. The authors discuss expectations and concerns that characterize the individual and societal acceptance of autonomous driving. An increased safety potential through autonomous vehicles is compared to the challenges and solution approaches that play a role in securing the safety concept. In addition, they explain what possibilities for change and opportunities arise for our mobility and the reorganization of traffic, not least for freight traffic. The book thus offers an up-to-date, comprehensive and scientifically sound examination of the topic of "autonomous driving".
Agent Technology from a Formal Perspective
The field of agent & multi-agent systems is experiencing tremendous growth. At the same time the field of formal methods is blossoming and has proven its importance in industrial and government applications. The FAABS (Formal Approaches to Agent-Based Systems) workshops, merging the concerns of the two fields, provided a timely and compelling platform on which the growing concerns and requirement of agent-based systems users that systems should be accompanied by behavioral assurances, could be discussed. This book has arisen from the overwhelming response to FAABS ’00, ’02 & ’04 and all chapters are updated or represent new research, and are designed to provide a more in-depth treatment of the topic. Examples of how others have applied formal methods to agent-based systems are included, plus formal method tools & techniques that readers can apply to their own systems.
Advances in fuzzy logic systems
Fuzzy logic systems have been a hot topic in the scientific and academic community for more than half a century. The idea of making machines behave and make decisions like humans do is astounding. The development and implementation of fuzzy logic systems can be seen in various real physical applications in daily human life. The methods employed using fuzzy logic have resulted in innovative technologies. This book provides insights into understanding the principles and concepts behind the advances of fuzzy logic systems. It presents ideas concerning fuzzy logic systems and their technological applications. The book is arranged into two sections on theories and foundations of fuzzy logic systems and implementations of fuzzy logic systems in service to the community.



















