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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.

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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.

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Communication in Plants : Neuronal Aspects of Plant Life

Plant neurobiology is a newly emerging field of plant sciences. It covers signalling and communication at all levels of biological organization – from molecules up to ecological communities. In this book, plants are presented as intelligent and social organisms with complex forms of communication and information processing. Authors from diverse backgrounds such as molecular and cellular biology, electrophysiology, as well as ecology treat the most important aspects of plant communication, including the plant immune system, abilities of plants to recognize self, signal transduction, receptors, plant neurotransmitters and plant neurophysiology. Further, plants are able to recognize the identity of herbivores and organize the defence responses accordingly. The similarities in animal and plant neuronal/immune systems are discussed too. All these hidden aspects of plant life and behaviour will stimulate further intense investigations in order to understand the communicative plants in their whole complexity.

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Chapel and Haeneys essentials of clinical immunology

Contains the knowledge necessary to understand the diagnosis and treatment of immunological disorders. With easy-to-read text and a wealth of colour clinical images and diagrams, this well-regarded textbook introduces complex concepts using effective pedagogical tools such as bulleted lists, key point boxes, real-life case studies, practical examples, figures and tables, chapter introductions, and keywords in bold integrated in each chapter.

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Cell Communication in Nervous and Immune System

At first glance, the nervous and immune systems appear very different. However, both systems have developed mechanisms for memory formation – though of quite different quality and significance for the organism. One striking example is that both systems form and communicate via synapses armed with similar sets of proteins. This collection of reviews, contributed by internationally recognized immunologists and molecular and cellular neurobiologists, puts side by side cellular communication devices and signaling mechanisms in the immune and nervous systems and discusses mechanisms of interaction between the two systems, the significance of which has only recently been fully appreciated.

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CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells : Origin, Function and Therapeutic Potential

CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and interleukin-10 producing T regulatory 1 (Tr1) cells have been studied in most detail and are the subject of most articles in this issue. Treg, also called "natural" regulatory T cells, will be traced from their intra-thymic origin to the site of their action in peripheral lymphoid organs and tissues.

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Cancerimmunotherapies : Solid tumors and hematologic malignancies

Presents the clinical scope of cancer immunotherapeutic agents for solid tumors and Hematologic malignancies, elaborates on the scientific details of their modes of action, and presents the impact of these agents on oncology, patients and the broader healthcare system. At present, cancer immunotherapies fall broadly into three categories: immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive T cell therapies, and cancer vaccines which have distinct mechanisms of action. Immune checkpoint inhibitors rely upon disrupting tumor antigen recognition as self by the immune system through inhibition of checkpoint molecules. Adoptive T cell therapies involve the engineering of T cells ex vivo to target and destroy tumor cells. The first part of this book will provide an overview of the discovery and mechanistic details of the technology. The second part will be devoted to elaborating on the clinical outcomes, successes and limitations for specific tumor subtypes, which includes both solid tumors and hematologic malignances for both pediatric and adult populations.

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Cancer Gene Therapy

the authors comprehensively review the anticancer genes and gene delivery methods currently available for cancer gene therapy, including the transfer of genetic material into the cancer cells, stimulation of the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells, and the targeting of the nonmalignant stromal cells that support their growth. They also thoroughly examine the advantages and limitations of the different therapies and detail strategies to overcome obstacles to their clinical implementation

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Bioinformatics drug discovery

Quantitative tools are becoming increasingly important in order to understand complex cascade of signal transduction events, pathways or biochemical reactions. The book showcases how computational techniques and algorithms are applied to biological data analysis, interpretation, and modelling. It covers applications in drug design and discovery, immune systems, phylogenetic analysis and protein structures.

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Asymmetric Cell Division

Cell biologists have recently become aware that the asymmetry of cell division is an important regulatory phenomenon in the fate of a cell. During development, cell diversity originates through asymmetry; in the adult organism asymmetric divisions regulate the stem cell reservoir and are a source of the drift that contributes to the aging of organisms with renewable cell compartments. Because of the concept of semi-conservative DNA synthesis, it was thought that the distribution of DNA between daughter cells was symmetric. The analysis of the phenomenon in cells during mitosis, however, revealed the asymmetry in the distribution of the genetic material that creates the drift contributing to aging of mammals. On the other hand, cancer cells can originate from a deregulation of asymmetry during mitosis in particular during stem cell expansion. The book describes the phenomenon in different organisms from plants to animals and addresses its implications for the development of the organism, cell differentiation, human aging and the biology of cancers.

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Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) Associated Vasculitis

Covers all aspects of Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) Associated Vasculitis (AAV). The expression refers to a group of diseases, characterized by destruction and inflammation of small vessels. The clinical signs vary and affect several organs, such as the kidney, lung, skin, nervous system and others. presents recently acquired knowledge on pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapy with the aim of promoting a more holistic approach to these conditions. AAVs are systemic autoimmune diseases of unknown cause that affect small (to medium) sized blood vessels. They include granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener's granulomatosis), microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Churg–Strauss syndrome).

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Antibiotics as Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Agents

Although the potential for immunomodulation has been recognized for many years there has been an explosion of data in this field with relevance especially to the treatment of chronic airway diseases. Most of the work in this field has been conducted by Japanese investigators but in the last decade there has been a body of work outside of Japan that supports and enhances these findings. The book covers basic research like effects on bacteria, anti-inflammatory and mucoregulatory effects, but also clinical results with up-to-date information for the use of such medications to potentially treat diseases as diverse as chronic airway diseases, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer.

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Adaptive dynamic programming for chemotherapy drug delivery

Focuses on the practical application of Adaptive Dynamic Programming (ADP) in chemotherapy drug delivery, taking into account clinical variables and real-time data. ADP's ability to adapt to changing conditions and make optimal decisions in complex and uncertain situations makes it a valuable tool in addressing pressing challenges in healthcare and other fields. As optimization technology evolves, we can expect to see even more sophisticated and powerful solutions emerge.

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Actin-Binding Proteins and Disease

This volume, written by experts in the field, is the first to deal with the relationship between human disease and the actin cytoskeleton. It provides overviews of actin and selected actin-binding proteins, and then focuses on diseases that involve these proteins. Specific chapters deal with actin, cofilin, profilin, gelsolin and thymosin ¾4. Other chapters discuss the roles of multiple actin-binding proteins in cancer and metastasis, leukocyte disorders, and heart failure, and there is a chapter that describes how intracellular pathogens use the host actin cytoskeleton. This seminal volume is intended for researchers, clinicians, physicians, and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and genetics.

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Biologically Inspired Algorithms for Financial Modelling

Then Part I provides a thorough guide to the various bioinspired methodologies – neural networks, evolutionary computing (particularly genetic algorithms and grammatical evolution), particle swarm and ant colony optimization, and immune systems. Part II brings the reader through the development of market trading systems. Finally, Part III examines real-world case studies where BIA methodologies are employed to construct trading systems in equity and foreign exchange markets, and for the prediction of corporate bond ratings and corporate failures.

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Advanced artificial intelligence models and its applications

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has undergone enormous expansion since its inception in the mid-20th century, as demonstrated by its application across an array of engineering and scientific challenges. Particularly in the last decade, AI has witnessed a significant breakthrough with the advent of deep learning, which has facilitated the employment of various AI models across a multitude of domains. This reprint features ten papers accepted for publication in the Special Issue titled "Advanced Artificial Intelligence Models and Their Applications," published in the MDPI Mathematics journal. These papers explore numerous facets of advanced artificial intelligence models and their applications, covering areas such as cybersecurity, image classification, logistics optimization, automatic music generation, human capital investment, writer recognition, remote sensing image indexing, target tracking, and more.

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Kuby Immunology

Presents an up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to the principles and findings of immunology. It contains full-colour illustrations, study questions, study aids and much more

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Mathematical Modeling of Complex Biological Systems : A Kinetic Theory Approach

This book describes the evolution of several socio-biological systems using mathematical kinetic theory. Specifically, it deals with modeling and simulations of biological systems—comprised of large populations of interacting cells—whose dynamics follow the rules of mechanics as well as rules governed by their own ability to organize movement and biological functions. The authors propose a new biological model for the analysis of competition between cells of an aggressive host and cells of a corresponding immune system.Because the microscopic description of a biological system is far more complex than that of a physical system of inert matter, a higher level of analysis is needed to deal with such complexity. Mathematical models using kinetic theory may represent a way to deal with such complexity, allowing for an understanding of phenomena of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics not described by the traditional macroscopic approach. The proposed models are related to the generalized Boltzmann equation and describe the population dynamics of several interacting elements (kinetic population models).The particular models proposed by the authors are based on a framework related to a system of integro-differential equations, defining the evolution of the distribution function over the microscopic state of each element in a given system. Macroscopic information on the behavior of the system is obtained from suitable moments of the distribution function over the microscopic states of the elements involved. The book follows a classical research approach applied to modeling real systems, linking the observation of biological phenomena, collection of experimental data, modeling, and computational simulations to validate the proposed models. Qualitative analysis techniques are used to identify the prediction ability of specific models.

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Mathematical Methods for Robust and Nonlinear Control : EPSRC Summer School

The underlying theory on which much modern robust and nonlinear control is based can often be dif?cult for the student to grasp. In particular, the mathematical - pects can be problematic for students from a standard engineering background. The EPSRC sponsored Summer School which was held in Leicester in September 2006 attempted to “?ll the gap” in students’ appreciation the theory relevant to several important areas of control. This book is a collection of lecture notes which were p- sented at that workshop and consists of, broadly, two parts. The ?rst nine chapters are devoted to the theory behind several areas of robust and nonlinear control and are aimed at introducing fundamental concepts to the reader. The last six chapters contain detailed case studies which aim to demonstrate the use and effectiveness of these modern techniques in real engineering applications. It is hoped that this book will provide a useful introduction to many of the more common robust and nonlinear control techniques and serve as a valuable reference for the more adept practitioner.

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Killer Cell Dynamics : Mathematical and Computational Approaches to Immunology

Reviews how mathematics can be used in combination with biological data in order to improve understanding of how the immune system works. This is illustrated largely in the context of viral infections. Mathematical models allow scientists to capture complex biological interactions in a clear mathematical language and to follow them to their precise logical conclusions. This can give rise to counter-intuitive insights which would not be attained by experiments alone, and can be used for the design of further experiments in order to address the mathematical results.

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