Marine Biodiversity : Patterns and Processes, Assessment, Threats, Management and Conservation
Understanding the functioning of Marine Ecosystems is the first step to measure and predict the influence of Man, and to find solutions for the enormous array of problems we face today. This volume is organised according to the four subthemes of the symposium and to issues commonly perceived as relevant by scientists concerned with the study, protection and management of Marine Biodiversity: patterns and processes, assessment, threats and management and conservation.
Marine Anthropogenic Litter
This book describes how man-made litter, primarily plastic, has spread into the remotest parts of the oceans and covers all aspects of this pollution problem from the impacts on wildlife and human health to socio-economic and political issues. Marine litter is a prime threat to marine wildlife, habitats and food webs worldwide. The book illustrates how advanced technologies from deep-sea research, microbiology and mathematic modelling as well as classic beach litter counts by volunteers contributed to the broad awareness of marine litter as a problem of global significance. The authors summarise more than five decades of marine litter research, which receives growing attention after the recent discovery of great oceanic garbage patches and the ubiquity of microscopic plastic particles in marine organisms and habitats.
Management of the Addicted Patient in Primary Care
لThe text is logically organized and key information is easily accessible. The introductory section offers the reader important background and rationale for evaluating and treating addiction in primary care. Following a useful presentation of addiction "basics" (i.e., definitions, neurobiology, genetics, and the disease model), the majority of the book focuses on helping the physician gain insight and develop practical skills that can be readily implemented. A wealth of clinical assessment tools is provided, and the underlying psychosocial processes common to all forms of addiction are discussed. Both pharmacologic interventions and nonpharmalogic modalities are clearly outlined. Of particular note are specific cognitive-behavioral and motivational strategies that can be administered in an office-based setting. The role of community-based recovery support systems is considered as well. Since a complete understanding of why and when to refer is critical to the management of this often life-threatening condition, criteria for referral are detailed. Bulleted clinical "pearls" further aid the reader in gaining insight into treating this difficult patient population.
Malaria: Drugs, Disease and Post-genomic Biology
This volume brings some of the worlds best investigators to describe recent advances in both the scientific and clinical aspects of malaria, and bridges between the two. The opening chapters discuss antimalarials and resistance to them in Africa and Asia. Then there are reviews of the different clinical manifestations of malaria, ranging from uncomplicated infections to severe disease and its complications.
Make Life Visible
This book describes marked advances in imaging technology that have enabled the visualization of phenomena in ways formerly believed to be completely impossible. These technologies have made major contributions to the elucidation of the pathology of diseases as well as to their diagnosis and therapy.
Magnetoreception and Magnetosomes in Bacteria
Recent developments in the research on magnetotactic bacteria are presented in this volume. Included are reviews on the formation and organization of magnetosomes, the genes controlling magnetosome biomineralization, and new cryogenic techniques to visualize novel cytoskeleton structures. Described here are potential nanobiotechnological applications of the magnetosome crystals, which have magnetic and crystalline characteristics unmatched by their inorganic counterparts.
Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration: Science and Medicine in Practice provides a unique overview of current thinking in the pathogenesis, incidence and treatment of AMD. It includes, for the first time, a synthesis of the views of the world's leading scientists and practitioners regarding retinal biology, basic mechanisms, clinical and pathogenetic processes, and rational approaches to intervention.
Lymphocyte Trafficking in Health and Disease
Since the discovery of chemokines and of chemokine receptors it has become evident that expression of chemokines at the site of inflammation may regulate the composition of cellular infiltrate, thereby directing the type of immune response. Recently, the molecular characterization of inherited disorders of immune system, (e.g., Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, WHIM syndrome, leukocyte adhesion deficiency), which are characterized by cytoskeleton/adhesion defects or by altered response of chemokine receptors has contributed to clarifying the key players of immune response in normal physiology and in disease. This book, which deals with the description of the role of chemokines in immune response and underlines potential targets of therapeutical intervention, offers a series of contributions of the most challenging aspects of lymphocyte migration in homeostasis and in disease.
Lymphocyte Signal Transduction
Signal transduction through leukocyte receptors involves a variety of signaling molecules including kinases, phosphatases, adaptor proteins, small GTPases GTP exchange factors, membrane phospholipids as well as others. These signal transducers, regulated by inter- and intra-molecular interactions, as well as by various post-translational modifications, lead to the activation of transcription factors that mediate cellular differentiation and growth, effector cell functions, and apoptotic cell death. Several investigators from various parts of the world convened at the 3rd Lymphocyte Signal Transduction Workshop in Crete, Greece from May 27 to June 1, 2005 to discuss their most recent findings in leukocyte signaling. This volume represents a collection of topics discussed during the conference.
Lung biology and pathophysiology
The lungs are the organ for gas exchange between the body and the external environment. Dysfunction of upper airway epithelium and smooth muscle cells leads to pathogenesis of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, and other conditions, resulting in airway inflammation and narrowing. Injury to alveolar epithelium and endothelium causes influx of neutrophil and protein-rich fluid from circulation, resulting in edema and disruption of gas exchange. In addition to lung structural cells, immune cells, including alveolar macrophages and lymphocytes play critical roles in the maintenance of lung function. This book contributes to the understanding homeostasis of lung cells in the physiological and pathological conditions critical to the development of novel therapeutics.
Longevity and Frailty
Contained in this book are the outcome of a colloquium sponsored by Fondation IPSEN in which interdisciplinary perspectives were brought to bear on conceptual, empirical and clinical aspects of this relationship. The result is a unique, innovative and timely blend of papers on topics ranging from frailty concepts in animal models and early Homo sapiens, to documentation of progress in morbidity compression, on the relationships between frailty and impairments and inflammation, and perspectives on long-term health care needs in an aging world.
Liver carcinogenesis : Methods and protocols
Discusses the latest advancements in modern methodologies used to study liver carcinogenesis. The first half of this book describes pertinent preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), established either through orthotopic induction of ectopic implantation. The second half of this book covers a diverse array of techniques applied to characterize the biochemical and cellular composition of hepatic malignancies that operate at the single-cell and histological levels. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Listeria Monocytogenes : Pathogenesis and Host Response
This comprehensive volume, written by experts in the field, includes concise and timely reviews of Listeria monocytogenes, one of the most intensively studied bacterial pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes is the cause of listeriosis, a potentially fatal disease that arises from the consumption of contaminated food. During the past two decades, studies of this organism have uncovered a wealth of information on its virulence factors, its genome organization, and its interactions with host cells and the immune system.
Linking Restoration and Ecological Succession
Recognizes the critical roles of disturbance ecology, landscape ecology, ecological assembly, invasion biology, ecosystem health, and historical ecology in habitat restoration and argues that restoration within a successional context will best utilize the lessons from each of these disciplines.
Light Sensing in Plants
Presents overviews of and the latest findings in many of the interconnected aspects of plant photomorphogenesis, including photoreceptors (phytochromes, cryptochromes, and phototropins), signal transduction, photoperiodism, and circadian rhythms, in 42 chapters. Also included, is a prologue by Prof. Masaki Furuya that gives an overview of the historical background.
Life as We Know It
Life As we Know It ["LAKI"] covers several aspects of Life, ranging from the prebiotic level, origin of life, evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes and finally to various affairs of human beings. Although it is hard to define Life, one can, however, characterize it and describe its features. Topics treated are categories of bacteria, algae and fungi, conscience, philosophy, theology, aesthetics, appearance of sport and life destiny, life after clinical death, and thoughts of the world to come ("Olam Haba"). The various chapters have been written so that they are accessible to all - from the avid lay reader to the specialist – and make available multidisciplinary sources of information about Life. This volume will interest open minded scholars, students at all levels of general sciences, natural and Life science, researchers of philosophy, theology, history of Life, astrobiology, and those who wish to widen their knowledge about "who are we in the universe".
Leptin
The discovery of leptin little more than a decade ago, as a hormone produced in white adipose tissue with an important role in satiety and energy expenditure, was a seminal event in our understanding of adiposity. This initial advance in the new endocrinology of obesity was soon followed by the realization that leptin was not only produced in adipose tissue, but in many different tissues of the body, and that receptors were similarly distributed. Additionally, the early recognition of infertility that was associated with leptin deficiency prompted research that identified roles for the polypeptide in virtually every area of reproductive biology.
Lectins
In the intervening years well over 10,000 articles have appeared with lectins as the main subject, and more than twice as many in which they were touched upon, as well as around 20 books. In particular, great strides have been made in several areas of lectin research, about which little was known until the late 1980s. One prominent example is animal lectins, many of which have been discovered only during the last decade and the functions of several of which have been clarified, especially as to their key role in innate immunity.
Lamto : Structure, Functioning, and Dynamics of a Savanna Ecosystem
Known as "a dream place for scientists," the Lamto savannas, located on the edge of the Cote d'Ivoire rain forests, are one of the only savannas in the world where ongoing ecological research has endured for more than forty years. Drawing from and synthesizing this abundance of research, the book examines the structure, functioning, and dynamics of the Lamto humid savanna. Beginning with the history of the Lamto ecology station and an overview of the major environmental conditions of the site, this exacting work specifically examines the integrative view of energy and nutrient fluxes relative to the dynamics of the savanna's vegetation.
Lake Taihu, China : Dynamics and Environmental Change
There are many shallow lakes in the world. Many of them play an important socio-economic role as contributors to the drinking water supply, in flood attenuation, fisheries and recreation activities. Because of the current anthropogenic changes in the environment, such lakes rapidly respond to eutrophication and swamping. It is often hard to address these issues because many changes in the ecosystems of shallow lakes are associated with little studied physical processes. This interaction between the aquatic biota and the physical and chemical environment increases the complexity of shallow lake ecosystems. Lake Taihu, located in the delta of Yangtze River, is a typical large, shallow eutrophic lake with area of 2338 km2 and maximum depth of less than 3m . This book provides basic data on various aspects of this lake and summarizes research work on the interaction between its ecology and physical limnology. It will be a reference for teachers and students of freshwater ecology and biology, the aquatic environment in general, and, most strikingly, for all those interested in physical limnology.



















