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This book discusses the applications of nanotechnology in clinical microbiology, food microbiology, and green solutions of nanoparticles using microorganisms for a range of benefits. It describes nanotechnology's rapid progress in the development of materials used in industry, medicine, drug delivery, and dentistry. The authors further explore how microbiology and nanotechnology separately have proven to be effective for human health solutions keeping an ecological and environmental balance. Domains covered include environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, food microbiology (to control food spoilage), biosynthesis of nanomaterials using microorganisms, water microbiology, nanofluidic devices for isolation and analysis of individual biomolecules such as DNA that can lead to a new detection scheme for cancer, and various fields such as pharmacy, clinical research, agriculture etc. This book will be essential reading to a wide range of scholars and researchers interestedin microbiology along with nanotechnology applications for efficient solutions to cancer detection, biosensors, vaccines research, agriculture, wastewater management etc.

The book covers in particular state-of-the-art scientific research about product quality control and related health and environmental safety topics, including human, animal and plant safety assurance issues. These conference proceedings provide contemporary information on the general theoretical, metrological and practical issues of the production and application of reference materials.Reference materials play an integral role in physical, chemical and related type of measurements, ensuring their uniformity, comparability and the validity of quantitative analysis as well as, as a result, the objectivity of decisions concerning the elimination of technical barriers in commercial and economic, scientific and technical and other spheres of cooperation. The book is intended for researchers and practitioners in the field of chemistry, metrologists, technical physics, as well as for specialists in analytical laboratories, or working for companies and organizations involved in the production, distribution and use of reference materials.

The term'integrated system'denotes the seamless collaboration of numerous (potentially unrelated) subsystems to achieve a specific goal. It involves combining various components—hardware, software, networks, and workflows—into a unified system that operates cohesively. Widely utilized across scientific and technological domains, integrated systems aim to elevate coherence, efficiency, and overall functionality quality. The Integrated System Design and Technology (ISDT) conference convenes a distinguished group of leading scientists with diverse backgrounds and notable achievements in technological innovation with the goal of fostering cross-disciplinary research and innovation. This gathering serves as an enabler for addressing major scientific and societal challenges that necessitate integrated systems, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in overcoming complex issues. The book at hand includes peer-reviewed research results that were presented and critically discussed duringthe ISDT 2023 which were held in Antalya, Turkey, in May 2023.

Die „Geriatrische Nephrologie“ bildet mittlerweile einen eigenen, evidenz-basierten Schwerpunkt innerhalb der Nierenheilkunde und fokussiert somit auf die Besonderheiten der Krankheitsverläufe und der Therapiekonzepte der alten und hochaltrigen Behandlungsgruppe. Dieses Fachbuch - herausgegeben von Experten der nephrologischen Altersmedizin und einem kompetenten Autorenteam - stellt Krankheitsbilder, Diagnostik und Therapiekonzepte im nationalen und internationalen Kontext dar. Alle Kapitel sind einheitlich aufgebaut, Praxistipps geben Orientierung und Literaturangaben regen zum Weiterlesen an. Es wirbt für ein angemessenes, kooperatives Behandlungsangebot aller, die an der Betreuung älterer Menschen mit Nierenerkrankungen beteiligt sind. Ein praxisnahes Nachschlagewerk für Fachärzt•innen in der Nephrologie und Geriatrie, Weiterbildungsteilnehmer•innen der Inneren Medizin, hausärztlich tätige Internist•innen und Allgemeinmediziner•innen sowie Studierende von Pflegestudiengängen.

This book describes the different aspects of ischemic heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in industrialized countries, and whose growing prevalence represents a major challenge in terms of short- and long-term management and surveillance. This volume offers a comprehensive discussion of the state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging options, of disease risk stratification, selection of candidates for surgical intervention, percutaneous revascularitation, mechanical assist devices implantation. Recently, the morbidity and mortality of ischaemic heart disease have substantially improved because of the progress in therapeutic strategies, represented by the dramatic evolution of percutaneous coronary interventions, that are carefully described in the volume, together with all the other most recent treatment options: from medical therapy to conventional surgery, minimally invasive surgery, surgery of ischemic complications. The biggest challengein the next years is, however, to reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease worldwide.This highly illustrated, case oriented reference book is aimed at cardiology fellows in training, while also helpful to surgeons, cardiologists, imaging specialists, interventional cardiologists, as well as other clinicians and students involved in the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic disease.

This book focuses on polarization microscopy, a powerful optical tool used to study anisotropic properties in biomolecules, and its enormous potential to improve diagnostic tools for various biomedical research. The interaction of polarized light with normal and abnormal regions of tissue reveals structural information associated with its pathological condition. Diagnosis using conventional microscopy can be time-consuming, as pathologists require an hour to freeze and stain tissue slices from suspected patients. In comparison, polarization microscopy more quickly distinguishes abnormal tissue and provides better microstructural information of samples, even in the absence of staining. This book provides a basic understanding of the properties of polarized light, a description of the polarization microscope, and a mathematical formalism of Mueller matrix polarimetry. The authors discuss various advanced linear and nonlinear optical techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), reflectance and transmission spectroscopy, fluorescence, multiphoton excitation, second harmonic generation, Raman microscopy, and more. They explore the exciting potential of integrating polarimetry with these techniques for possible applications in different areas of biomedical research, as well as the associated challenges. Including the most recent developments on the topic, this book serves as a modern guide to polarization microscopy and advancements in its use in biomedical research.

This open access book proposes a conceptual framework for understanding measurement across a broad range of scientific fields and areas of application, such as physics, engineering, education, and psychology. It addresses contemporary issues and controversies within measurement in light of the framework, including operationalism, definitional uncertainty, and the relations between measurement and computation, and describes how the framework, operating as a shared concept system, supports understanding measurement's work in different domains, using examples in the physical and human sciences.This revised and expanded second edition features a new analysis of the analogies and the differences between the error/uncertainty-related approach adopted in physical measurement and the validity-related approach adopted in psychosocial measurement. In addition, it provides a better analysis and presentation of measurement scales, in particular about their relations with quantity units, and introduces the measurand identification/definition as a part of the'Hexagon Framework'along with new examples from the physical and psychosocial sciences. Researchers and academics across a wide range of disciplines including biological, physical, social, and behavioral scientists, as well as specialists in measurement and philosophy appreciate the work's fresh and provocative approach to the field at a time when sound measurements of complex scientific systems are increasingly essential to solving critical global problems.

This book presents an overview of how machine learning and data mining techniques are used for tracking and preventing diseases. It covers several aspects such as stress level identification of a person from his/her speech, automatic diagnosis of disease from X-ray images, intelligent diagnosis of Glaucoma from clinical eye examination data, prediction of protein-coding genes from big genome data, disease detection through microscopic analysis of blood cells, information retrieval from electronic medical record using named entity recognition approaches, and prediction of drug-target interactions.The book is suitable for computer scientists having a bachelor degree in computer science. The book is an ideal resource as a reference book for teaching a graduate course on AI for Medicine or AI for Health care. Researchers working in the multidisciplinary areas use this book to discover the current developments. Besides itsuse in academia, this book provides enough details about the state-of-the-art algorithms addressing various biomedical domains, so that it could be used by industry practitioners who want to implement AI techniques to analyze the diseases. Medical institutions use this book as reference material and give tutorials to medical experts on how the advanced AI and ML techniques contribute to the diagnosis and prediction of the diseases.

This book offers up-to-date information and guidance on the application of metrology in legal proceedings, clarifying the limits of validity of scientific evidence and presenting an illuminating series of case studies in which measurement uncertainty has played an important role. The fundamental concepts of metrology are discussed, and it is explained how metrology is capable of quantifying the reliability of measurement results and thereby contributing to appropriate decision making. With the aid of the presented case studies, this book will assist readers in understanding how legal decisions should be made in the presence of uncertainty. Areas covered in those studies include breath alcohol concentration analysis, and DNA profiling. Nowadays, decisions in most legal cases are based on evidence obtained through scientific analysis involving the acquisition of accurate measurements. Against this background, Forensic Metrology will be of value for lawyers and judges in both civil and common law countries, as well as engineers and other scientists with an interest in the subject.

This edited book covers all aspects of wood degradation from its formation and growing in trees to its end usages when it is put into human usage. Wood is an age-old traditional fascinating material with a sensory-rich immersive experience that kindles aesthetics and creativity. The utility, durability, and functionality of wood render it a cosmopolitan material. It constitutes an integral part of human lives from ancient times to modern societies being used by various sectors viz., construction, furniture, panel products, paper and pulp, sports goods, agricultural implements, etc., Wood, being a biological material, is susceptible to degradation both by physical and biological means, and the need to protect the wood and prevent heavy economic losses constitutes a major challenge. Also, wood formed by the trees is the major sinks of carbon and the carbon remains locked-up for the life of the wood, thereby serving as important tool to mitigate the climate change. But the carbon stored in wood returns to the atmosphere when it degrades and will have positive effect on climate change. Hence, wood protection aiming for extending the service life of wood plays a key role in locking the carbon for a longer period in the wood and also substantially reduce the demand and depletion of forest resources. The book focuses on wood as an important natural bio-resource, inventory of wood protection, usage, utilization, preservatives, protection technologies and wood protection from all forms of degradation. Special focus is given on the eco-friendly way of protecting wood and its importance in mitigating climate change. The book is useful for Indian and international readers, who are working in wood domains. It is of interest to wood technologists, teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders, and policymakers. It is of immense importance as a guide and study material to the graduate and postgraduate students of wood science in various universities of India and abroad.

This new volume introduces the applications of microfluidic systems to facilitate biotechnological and biomedical processes. It provides an overview on cutting-edge technologies, summarizes traditional and modern fabrication methods and highlights recent advances regarding the application of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems for bioanalytical purposes. This book is ideal for research scientists and students interested at the cross-section between biotechnology, chemistry and chemical engineering.

Over the course of the previous seven editions, Pediatric Nephrology has become the standard reference text for students, trainees, practicing physicians (pediatricians, nephrologists, internists, and urologists), subspecialists, and allied health professionals seeking information about children's kidney diseases. It is global in perspective, reflecting the fact that the international group of editors are all acknowledged world experts. The latest edition of this text is no different, providing a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview on pediatric nephrology. Much like the previous edition, the latest edition reviews the most critical aspects of the field. Topics covered include developmental physiology and diseases, renal physiology and diagnostic approaches, glomerular disease, kidney involvement in systemic diseases, renal tubular disorders, homeostasis, cystic kidney disease and related disorders, urinary tract disorders, hypertension, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney failure.Unlike the previous edition, however, the chapters in this edition now combine physiology, clinical management, and pathology for ease of use. The latest edition also includes a new section on the evaluation of different disorders that can have multiple etiologies, setting the stage for the evaluation and management of specific diseases. This book serves as a superb resource and an invaluable asset for practitioners, health professionals, and trainees seeking out information about children's kidney diseases.

This book proposes a conceptual framework for understanding measurement across a broad range of scientific fields and areas of application, such as physics, engineering, education, and psychology. The authors, who themselves span these disciplines, argue that the justification of the public trust attributed to measurement results can in principle apply identically to both physical and psychosocial properties. They further argue that the lack of a common conceptualization of measurement hampers interdisciplinary communication and limits the ability to share knowledge. They advance their views by first surveying the conceptual history of the philosophy of measurement and arguing that classical, operationalist and representational perspectives on measurement each make important contributions but also each have important shortcomings. A synthesis is then offered as the foundation for a new conceptual framework. The authors describe how the framework, which operates as a shared concept system, supports understanding measurement's work in different domains, using examples in the physical and human sciences. They consider connections and consequences with respect to causality, objectivity, and intersubjectivity, among other topics, and how measurement science concepts and issues are construed across these disciplines and settings. They also address contemporary issues and controversies within measurement in the light of the framework, including operationalism, definitional uncertainty, and the relations between measurement and computation. The book concludes with a justification for the basic claim that measurement is an empirical and informational process that produces explicitly justifiable information. Researchers and academics across a wide range of disciplines including biological, physical, social and behavioral scientists, as well as specialists in measurement and philosophy will appreciate the work's fresh and provocative approach to the field at a time when sound measurements of complex scientific systems are increasingly essential to solving critical global problems.

This book describes the fundamentals of microfluidics and fabrication methods of microfluidic devices that can be adopted for animal-assisted reproduction. It presents microfluidic methods for sorting highly fertile spermatozoa. This book also describes the application of microfluidics in vitro fertilization and embryo culture. It discusses the use of microfluidics in sperm sexing and the cryopreservation of animal gametes and embryos. Lastly, the book examines the potential opportunities of microfluidics in infertility diagnosis, sperm selection and guidance, oocyte selection, insemination, and embryo monitoring.

This open access book provides worldwide examples demonstrating the importance of the interplay between demography and disasters in regions and spatially. It marks an advance in practical and theoretical insights for understanding the role of demography in planning for and mitigating impacts from disasters in developed nations. Both slow onset (like the of loss polar ice from climate change) and sudden disasters (such as cyclones and man-made disasters) have the capacity to fundamentally change the profiles of populations at local and regional levels. Impacts vary according to the type, rapidity and magnitude of the disaster, but also according to the pre-existing population profile and its relationships to the economy and society. In all cases, the key to understanding impacts and avoiding them in the future is to understand the relationships between disasters and population change. In most chapters in this book we compare and contrast studies from at least twocases and summarize their practical and theoretical lessons.

This second edition provides an updated review on the current guidelines and practice standards for the clinical management of cardiovascular risk factors and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Endorsed by the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, this practical textbook includes concise descriptions of major and newer risk factors, biomarkers, and best practices in the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease. The manual contains chapters on the epidemiology and risk factors for a variety of cardiovascular diseases including dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, and ischemic stroke. It examines behavioral factors, psychosocial stress, family history, nutrition, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and other sociocultural factors. In addition, the book discusses new imaging strategies in detection of cardiovascular disease, prevention of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and peripheral arterial disease, and prevention for special populations. Throughout the manual, recommendations are based on guidelines endorsed by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and other major societies. The second edition of the ASPC Manual of Preventive Cardiology is an essential resource for physicians, medical students, residents, fellows, nurses, and other healthcare professionals and researchers in cardiology, primary care, health promotion and disease prevention, exercise physiology, and pharmacotherapy.

This edited volume aims to better understand the multifaceted phenomenon we call health. Going beyond simple views of health as the absence of disease or as complete well-being, this book unites scientists and philosophers. The contributions clarify the links between health and adaptation, robustness, resilience, or dynamic homeostasis, and discuss how to achieve health and healthy aging through practices such as hormesis. The book is divided into three parts and a conclusion: the first part explains health from within specific disciplines, the second part explores health from the perspective of a bodily part, system, function, or even the environment in which organisms live, and the final part looks at more clinical or practical perspectives. It thereby gathers, across 30 chapters, diverse perspectives from the broad fields of evolutionary and systems biology, immunology, and biogerontology, more specific areas such as odontology, cardiology, neurology, andpublic health, as well as philosophical reflections on mental health, sexuality, authenticity and medical theories. The overarching aim is to inform, inspire and encourage intellectuals from various disciplines to assess whether explanations in these disparate fields and across biological levels can be sufficiently systematized and unified to clarify the complexity of health. It will be particularly useful for medical graduates, philosophy graduates and research professionals in the life sciences and general medicine, as well as for upper-level graduate philosophy of science students.

This Volume comprises 14 chapters in an attempt to provide the reader with available information on safe and effective use of entomopathogens. Chapters in this book dealing with soil-borne entomopathogens and their phylogeny also provide a review on most updated information of their isolation and molecular identification. Employing fungal pathogens in biological control programmes plays a key role, and conidial thermotolerance and oxidative stress are examined in separate chapters. Entomopathogenic bacteria are able to kill their hosts quickly. An important contribution concerns informations provided upon bacterial cytotoxic factors on insect haemocytes. Nematodes are biological control agents safe to the environment. The information with respect to their direct and indirect effects on non-target organisms is provided. Viruses as highly specific, virulent candidates for use as biological insecticides are safe to non-target species. A separate chapter on the role of granuloviruses inIPM contributes a wealth of information. Biopesticides in combination with synthetic insecticides are reported as effective, economic, and eco-friendly. Understanding their interactions will certainly promote their uses. Finally, emphasis has been given on reviewing synergistic and antagonistic interactions of microbial and chemical pesticides, in other chapters.

This book examines rural tourism across three different contexts, acknowledging the complexity of rural places. It applies a systematic comparative framework across nine case studies from Australia, Canada and Sweden. The case studies address the uniqueness of different rural spaces, while the framework incorporates many theoretical aspects from human geography including spatial, historic, institutional, demographic, socio-economic and network perspectives. In the course of applying this comparative case study framework, the book identifies numerous implications for planning and policy in rural settings. These contributions from international, expert authors help to identify the opportunities and challenges that affect rural regions, from places at the urban fringe to exotic remote spaces and taking in the ‘boring bits in between.'Both the analysis and the framework used will be of value to scholars and students of rurality, tourism, regional development, rural policy,geography, and destination management. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the rural context in developed countries and a robust conceptualization of rural tourism geographies.

This completely updated and expanded second edition stands as a comprehensive knowledgebase on both the fundamentals and applications of this important materials processing method. The diverse, international team of contributing authors of this reference clarify in extensive detail properties and applications of sol-gel science and technology as it pertains to the production of substances, active and non-active, including optical, electronic, chemical, sensor, bio- and structural materials. Essential to a wide range of manufacturing industries, the compilation divides into the three complementary sections: Sol-Gel Processing, devoted to general aspects of processing and recently developed materials such as organic-inorganic hybrids, photonic crystals, ferroelectric coatings, and photocatalysts; Characterization of Sol-Gel Materials and Products, presenting contributions that highlight the notion that useful materials are only produced when characterization is tied to processing, such as determination of structure by NMR, in-situ characterization of the sol-gel reaction process, determination of microstructure of oxide gels, characterization of porous structure of gels by the surface measurements, and characterization of organic-inorganic hybrid; and Applications of Sol-Gel Technology, covering applications such as the sol-gel method used in processing of bulk silica glasses, bulk porous gels prepared by sol-gel method, application of sol-gel method to fabrication of glass and ceramic fibers, reflective and antireflective coating films, application of sol-gel method to formation of photocatalytic coating films, and application of sol-gel method to bioactive coating films. The comprehensive scope and integrated treatment of topics make this reference volume ideal for R&D scientists and engineers across a wide range of disciplines and professional interests.

This volume is the first comprehensive text on human biobanking, authored by scientists and regulatory officers who have led the field over the past 10 years. It covers biobanking issues and its importance in advancing the field of research in cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, and other diseases. Biobanks of human specimens have become the cornerstone for research on human health that harnesses the power of “omics” technologies to identify biomarkers for disease susceptibility. Biobanks are an essential component of the development of personalized medicine, which relies on the molecular analysis of biospecimens that are truly representative of individuals and of diseases. Over the past decade, biobanking has been the focus of major investments and developments aimed at developing appropriate infrastructure, methods, networking practice and evidence-based pre-analytical procedures. This volume explores topics including specimen storage, protocol design, specimen collection, pre-analytical processing and preservation, long-term storage, retrieval and separation, and distribution to analytical laboratory platforms. These activities are extremely complex and are essential for biomedical and biotechnological developments and this text provides critical information about biobanking for the development of future forms of medicine.​

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Symposium on Applied Reconfigurable Computing, ARC 2016, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March 2016. The 20 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 47 submissions. They are organized in topical headings named: video and image processing; fault-tolerant systems; tools and architectures; signal processing; and multicore systems. In addition, the book contains 3 invited papers and 8 poster papers on funded RD running and completed projects.

Akute NierenschädigungDieses Springer-Buch bietet alles Erforderliche für das optimale Management der akuten Nierenschädigung. Frühzeitige Diagnose, rasche Therapie, kompetente Nachbetreuung sind bei der plötzlichen Verschlechterung der Nierenfunktion entscheidend für Überleben, Krankheitsverlauf und Prognose.Für Nephrologen, Intensivmediziner, Internisten und Chirurgen: Personelle und logistische Voraussetzungen, Kooperation inter-/intradisziplinär und stationär/ambulant, kompetente Entscheidungshilfen für den klinischen Alltag, Tipps &Tricks, technische Fallstricke, Fallbeispiele.Medizinisch und ökonomisch optimiert. Inhalt- Frühzeitige Diagnose: Frühwarnsystem, Algorithmen, Konsil-Checkliste, Risikopatienten identifizieren, bei welchen Patienten müssen welche Werte wann kontrolliert werden.- Rasche Therapie: optimale supportive bzw. kausale Therapie, Behandlungspfade, interdisziplinäre Behandlung.- Kompetente Nachbetreuung: Organisation der ambulanten Nachsorge: für wen und wie, präventive Maßnahmen, Patientenausweis. AutorenDr. Anja Haase-FielitzProfessor Dr. Michael HaaseKlinik für Nieren- und Hochdruckkrankheiten, Diabetologie und EndokrinologieOtto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg

Coagulation testing is the basis for the diagnosis of bleeding and thrombotic disorders, as well as the mainstay of anticoagulant monitoring and management. This handbook provides practical information and guidance on topics relevant to directing a coagulation laboratory, filling a void in the literature. Since the first edition, all chapters have been updated and an entirely new chapter is included on pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics. The book will aid pathologists, clinical laboratory scientists and other physicians serving as laboratory directors to understand and carry out their responsibilities. It will also assist residents and fellows in learning the basics of coagulation testing and serve as a useful day-to-day reference for coagulation laboratory supervisors, technologists, and technicians. Finally, clinicians may find aspects of the book helpful in understanding the role of the coagulation laboratory in patient evaluation and monitoring.

Volume two of this series is a comprehensive review of the current knowledge of microsporidian taxonomy. It is a supplement to volume one that deals with the biology of the microsporidia. Together, they provide the broadest possible coverage of this group of microorganisms that has received considerable attention because of their importance in invertebrate and vertebrate disease. Volume two contains the most complete published list of micro­ sporidian species, outlines their classification and phylogeny, and provides a zoological distribution. The driving force in compiling all of this information was Victor Sprague of the University of Maryland. Dr. Sprague has spent his scientific career researching many different facets of micro sporidia and no other person is regarded as expert as he. Certainly, the wealth of information contgined herein cannot be found elsewhere in any single coverage. Therefore, the publi­ cation of Volumes one and two sets a milestone for microspori­ diology and it is our hope that the readers of these two volumes will share the enthusiasm of the authors and contributors and will reap rich reward from their unique and profound insight. Lee A. BuZZa~ Jr.

The editor of these volumes has asked me to contribute a brief foreword. When I accepted this honor I suddenly became aware of the enormous progress that has taken place in this field in the 50 years since I began as a medical student, in a humble way, to take interest in the catecholamine system. At about that time some evidence was forthcoming to the effect that catecholamines were an important factor in eliciting emotional reactions, thus secondarily influencing behavior. The great physiologist Walter B. Cannon showed in his classic experiments that when a cat was exposed to a dog it responded not only with overt signs of aversion and dislike, but also with an increased flow of adrenaline from its adrenals. The relationships between catecholamines and behavior have since then become the subject of intense research by physiologists, pharmacologists, and psychologists. Infu­ sion of adrenaline in man was shown to provoke a typical pattern of emo­ tional and behavioral changes. The development of more convenient methods for the measurement of catecholamines in blood and urine led to important new findings. A close association between emotional stress and catecholamine release could be es­ tablished. This was further extended to psychiatric disorders in which characteristic disturbances in catecholamine release patterns were described.

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of information on the molecular biology of insect viruses and a frenzy of activity in applying this information to medicine and agriculture. Genetically engineered baculoviruses are presently being tested for commercial use as pesticides, and the study of such viruses is also revealing remarkable insights into basic cellular processes such as apoptosis. This comprehensive volume provides readers with knowledge of basic and applied baculovirology so that current literature in the field can be appreciated.

This is the introductory volume of a new series to be issued under our general editorship. With the development of an unpre­ cedented increase in interest in comparative pathobiology, we are of the opinion and intent that Comparative PathobioZogy should become the focal point for the publication of definitive reviews and the proceedings of significant symposia in this area of modern biomedical science. Although the term is now in common use, the question is still sometimes raised as to what'pathobiology'includes. This broad area of modern biology includes but extends beyond traditional pathology. It also encompasses studies directed at understanding the biology, chemistry, and physics of infectious agents, in­ cluding how they contact and invade the effected organism; the reactions of hosts to such agents, as well as to abiotic invaders; the ecologic parameters which facilitate infection; and the development of tools essential for the understanding of hast­ pathogen interactions. In other words, pathobiology is inter­ disciplinary and incorporates all of those aspects of biology, chemistry, and physics which directly or indirectly permit greater understanding of the nature of infectious and noninfectious diseases and the possible implications of such in biomedicine, agriculture, and environmental science. By'comparative'is meant an analytical and critical evaluation of comparable processes as they apply to all categories of animals, invertebrates as well as poikilothermic and homeothermic verte­ brates.

The 38 chapters of this Field Manual provide the tools required for planning experiments with entomopathogens and their implementation in the field. Basic tools include chapters on the theory and practice of microbial control agents, statistical design of experiments, equipment and application strategies. The major pathogen groups are covered in individual chapters (virus, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes). Subsequent chapters deal with the impact of naturally occurring and introduced exotic pathogens and inundative application of microbial control agents. The largest section of the Manual is composed of 21 chapters on the application and evaluation of entomopathogens in a wide range of agricultural, forest, domestic and aquatic habitats. Mites and slugs broaden the scope of the book. Supplementary techniques and media for follow-up laboratory studies are described. Three final chapters cover the evaluation of Bt transgenic plants, resistance to insect pathogens and strategies to manage it, and guidelines for evaluating the effects of MCAs on nontarget organisms. Readership: Researchers, graduate students, practitioners of integrated pest management, regulators, those doing environmental impact studies. The book is a stand-alone reference, but is also complementary to the laboratory-oriented Manual of Techniques in Insect Pathology and similar comprehensive texts.

This is the third volume of Advances in Microbial Ecology to be produced by the current editorial board. I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank my co-editors for all their efforts, particularly in maintaining a balance of subject matter and geographical distribution of the contributions. Volume 15 is no exception in that we have a balance between the prokaryo­ tic and eukaryotic organisms and a range of subject matter from applied ecology through process ecology to ecological theory. The response from our readers has been encouraging in the sense that the breadth of coverage is much appreciated, particularly by teachers and postgraduate/postdoctoral researchers. However, we still strive to improve our coverage and particularly to move wider than the North America/Europe axis for contributions. Similarly, we would like to see coverage of the more unusual microbes, perhaps a chapter devoted to the ecology of a particular species or genus. There must exist many ecological notes on'rarer'organisms that have not found their way into the standard textbooks or taxonomic volumes; properly compiled these could provide valuable information for the field ecologist. Ecological theory has, until recently, been the domain of the'macroecolo­ gist.'Recent advances in molecular techniques will ensure that the microbial ecologist will playa more significant role in the development of the subject. We shall not, therefore, change our policy of encouraging our contributors to specu­ late, permitting them sufficient space to develop their ideas.

Biological insecticides are competing more and more with traditional chemical pesticides. A successful application of natural pathogens requires a better understanding of both fungal and insect ecology and physiology. This Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of these fields and includes the taxonomy of those species of fungi which are proven pathogens. Biotechnological methods for the genetic modification of these natural pathogens resulting in further optimization and the advantages of biological control are discussed.

Almost every aspect of energy and nutrient metabolism is altered by hormonal and other physiological changes during pregnancy and lactation. While it is evident that hormonal adjustments affect nutrient requirements, these are rarely considered when nutrient recommen­ dations are made for pregnant or lactating women, and often neglected during evaluation of nutritional status. In addition, changes in nutrient metabolism during the stages of pregnancy and oflactation are usually considered separately, while in reality events during pregnancy can have a major influence on nutritional status and nutrient requirements during lactation. The purpose of this volume is to describe changes in the metabolism of important nutrients during pregnancy and lactation, including the physiological basis for these changes and their implications for nutrient requirements and assessment. Authors have considered such issues as inter-relationships between endocrine changes and nutrient metabolism at the tissue, cellular and molecular level; alterations in nutrient binding proteins; the efficiency of nutrient absorp­ tion and retention; and the impact on maternal as well as fetal nutritional status. Another unique aspect of this book is the focus on pregnancy and lactation as a continuum.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfängen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen für die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfügung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden müssen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.