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This book showcases the diverse strategies used by invertebrate organisms to enhance their structures with metals. Written by the leading scientists in this multidisciplinary field, this book explores a range of metal-enhanced structures that span the world of invertebrates, their wonderous uses, and their applications to human-engineered products. The articles, accompanied by artistic imagery, reveal how metals augment the cuticle of insect mouthparts, the tongue of snails, the slime of slugs, and the claws of crabs. Intended for evolutionary biologists, material scientists, and anybody with an interest in invertebrate biology, this book covers what we currently understand about the adaptive value of metals in structures and lays a foundation for future studies.

This book highlights the types and importance of multitasking fungi and provides critical analysis of fungi involved in production of important enzymes. It also covers additional tasks of fungi such as biosorption, remediation, soil fertilization, and water treatment. This book discusses the types of fungi, their cultivation, execution of multitasking, and the analysis and recovery of products. This information can be used to understand and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of fungi in the production of a variety of products, such as antibiotics, enzymes, and biofuels. This book would be of interest to researchers working in industrial biotechnology, fungal physiology, environmental sciences and technology, sustainable technologies, and agricultural sciences.

The rapidly increased understanding of the molecular background of complex diseases facilitated the development of highly advanced therapeutic concepts. Such concepts aiming to consider individual signatures of genomic and proteomic biomarkers including pharmacogenomics as well as advanced diagnostic tools have been successfully implemented in clinical practice in various fields leading to significant improvement of treatment successes. This volume gives an up-to-date overview on applications of precision medicine in various clinical entities, on advanced techniques as well as on economic considerations.

This edited book has a strong focus on advances in microscopy that straddles research, medical education and clinical practice. These advances include the shift in power from conventional to digital microscopy. The first section of this book covers imaging techniques and morphometric image analysis with its applications in biomedicine using different microscopy modes. Chapters highlight the rich development of fluorescence methods and technologies; particle tracking techniques with applications in biomedical research and nanomedicine; the way in which visualizations have revolutionized taxonomy from gross anatomy to genetics; and the psychology of perception and how it affects our understanding of cells and tissues. The book's first section concludes by exploring the use of CT modalities to evaluate anterior deformities in craniosynostosis. In the second section of the book, chapters on anatomical and cell biology education explore the history of anatomical models and their use in educational settings. This includes examples in 3D printing and functional human anatomical models that can be created using easily available resources and the use of biomedical imaging in visuospatial teaching of anatomy; the novel use of ultrasound in medical education and practice; and skill acquisition in histology education using a flowchart called a ‘decision tree'. This book will appeal to histologists, microscopists, cell biologists, clinicians and those involved in anatomical education and biomedical visualization, as well as students in those respective fields.

Fundamentals of Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology is the first case-based textbook dedicated to pediatric neuro-ophthalmology. Fundamentals is a must-have resource for ophthalmologists, neurologists, emergency medicine physicians, and pediatricians who are seeking a practical guide for the diagnosis and management of pediatric neuro-ophthalmologic disease. With contributions from experts in the Consortium of Pediatric Neuro-ophthalmologists, the text is an important educational reference for trainees and established physicians alike. Key Features· Fifty-two real-world clinical cases that examine presenting symptoms and signs, differential diagnosis, approach to evaluation, treatment considerations, visual outcomes, and novel insights into disease management· Broad coverage of important topics in pediatric neuro-ophthalmology including Congenital optic nerve anomaliesOptic disc edemaOptic nerve tumorsOptic atrophyStrabismusDisorders of the extraocular musclesNystagmusOther abnormal eye movementsPupillary disordersNeuro-ophthalmologic manifestations in neurologic and systemic diseasesHigher order visual processing disorders · Video library of important clinical signs of neuro-ophthalmologic disease· Discussion of decision making and interpretation of ancillary testing by experts in the field of pediatric neuro-ophthalmology Easy to follow format that will serve as a concise, practical guide with clinical pearls and references for further reading

The first edition of this publication was aimed at defining the current concepts of trauma induced coagulopathy by critically analyzing the most up-to-date studies from a clinical and basic science perspective. It served as a reference source for any clinician interested in reviewing the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of the coagulopathic trauma patient, and the data that supports it. By meticulously describing the methodology of most traditional as well as state of the art coagulation assays the reader is provided with a full understanding of the tests that are used to study trauma induced coagulopathy. With the growing interest in understanding and managing coagulation in trauma, this second edition has been expanded to 46 chapters from its original 35 to incorporate the massive global efforts in understanding, diagnosing, and treating trauma induced coagulopathy. The evolving use of blood products as well as recently introduced hemostatic medications is reviewed in detail. The text provides therapeutic strategies to treat specific coagulation abnormalities following severe injury, which goes beyond the first edition that largely was based on describing the mechanisms causing coagulation abnormalities.Trauma Induced Coagulopathy 2nd Edition is a valuable reference to clinicians that are faced with specific clinical challenges when managing coagulopathy.

This book discusses a broad range of basic and advanced topics in the field of protein structure, function, folding, flexibility, and dynamics. Starting with a basic introduction to protein purification, estimation, storage, and its effect on the protein structure, function, and dynamics, it also discusses various experimental and computational structure determination approaches; the importance of molecular interactions and water in protein stability, folding and dynamics; kinetic and thermodynamic parameters associated with protein-ligand binding; single molecule techniques and their applications in studying protein folding and aggregation; protein quality control; the role of amino acid sequence in protein aggregation; muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, antimuscarinic drugs, and their clinical significances. Further, the book explains the current understanding on the therapeutic importance of the enzyme dopamine beta hydroxylase; structural dynamics and motions in molecularmotors; role of cathepsins in controlling degradation of extracellular matrix during disease states; and the important structure-function relationship of iron-binding proteins, ferritins. Overall, the book is an important guide and a comprehensive resource for understanding protein structure, function, dynamics, and interaction.

​This text presents the technological and physiological properties of pectin in an educational approach that encompasses all of the essential information a researcher needs to fully understand their function and use in foods. Utilizing basic information on pectin as well as recent technological advances, this book is designed to be the primary resource for individuals seeking out an up to date reference work covering all the necessary informational and functional aspects of pectin. Pectin: technological and physiological properties is the first book to fully focus on the introductory concepts on pectin. Individual chapters cover localization and function, the structural aspects of pectin, pectinases, isolation and characterization and recovery from agricultural wastes. Important current advances such as emulsions, films, digestion, metabolism and bioactive properties are also focused on. With its combinationof vital basic information and technological advances, this book presents full and up to date coverage on this pectin and its many forms and uses in foods.

This book provides a selection of essential knowledge on the image-based quantification of biophysical parameters for the purpose of clinical diagnosis. The authors regard clinical imaging scanners as physical measurement systems capable of quantifying intrinsic parameters for depiction of the constitution and biophysical properties of in vivo tissue. On the one hand, this approach supports the development of new methods of imaging highly reproducible, system-independent, and quantitative biomarkers, and these methods receive detailed attention in the book. On the other hand, the reader will also gain a deeper understanding of how physical tissue properties interact with the generation of signals in medical imaging, opening new windows on the intricate and fascinating relationship between the structure and function of living tissues. The book will be of interest to all who recognize the limitations of basing clinical diagnosis primarily on visual inspection of images and who wish tolearn more about the diagnostic potential of quantitative and biophysics-based medical imaging markers and the challenges that the paucity of such markers poses for next-generation imaging technologies.

This thesis studies the effects of superplasticizers, polyacrylate latexes and asphalt emulsions, which differ in molecular/particle size from nanometers to microns, on the rheological properties of fresh cement pastes (FCPs), as well as the action mechanisms involved. It systematically investigates the rheological properties and microstructure of cement-based materials, and elucidates the adsorption behaviors of polycarboxylate polymers with different functional groups and their effects on cement hydration. Moreover, it reveals how the working mechanism of naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde (NSF) differs from that of polycarboxylate ether-based (PCE) superplasticizers. Lastly, it develops a conceptual microstructure model and two rheological equations. These findings lend theoretical support to the development of new chemical admixtures and new, higher-performance, cement-based composites.

This book delves into the recent developments in the microscale and microfluidic technologies that allow manipulation at the single and cell aggregate level. Expert authors review the dominant mechanisms that manipulate and sort biological structures, making this a state-of-the-art overview of conventional cell sorting techniques, the principles of microfluidics, and of microfluidic devices. All chapters highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each technique they discuss, which include magnetic, electrical, optical, acoustic, gravity/sedimentation, inertial, deformability, and aqueous two-phase systems as the dominant mechanisms utilized by microfluidic devices to handle biological samples. Each chapter explains the physics of the mechanism at work, and reviews common geometries and devices to help readers decide the type of style of device required for various applications. This book is appropriate for graduate-level biomedical engineering and analytical chemistry students, as well asengineers and scientists working in the biotechnology industry.

This volume provides an overview on the influence of Extracellular Matrix (ECM) on tumor progression. It covers topics such as signaling induced by structural ECM proteins including collagen and fibronectin, the control of ECM deposition and the turnover in tumors. Also discussed are the migration of cells through basement membranes and the function of proteoglycans including lumican and veriscan in tumor progression. Biomaterial-based in-vitro models as well as C. elegans models of the tumor microenvironment are used to show how these models can lead to a greater understanding of the disease mechanisms that promote cancer progression. The book addresses researchers working on cancer biology or ECM, and oncologists alike.

This book surveys attachment structures and adhesive secretions occurring in this class of animals and discusses the relationships between structure, properties, and function in the context of evolutionary trends, and biomimetic potential. Topics comprise mechanical attachment devices, such as clamps, claws, hooks, spines and wraps, as well as hairy and smooth adhesive pads, nano-fibrils, suction cups, and viscid and solidifying adhesives. Attachment is one of the major types of interactions between an organism and its environment. There are numerous studies that deal with this phenomenon in lizards, frogs, insects, barnacles, mussels and echinoderms, but the second largest class of animals, the Arachnida, was highly neglected so far. The authors demonstrated that most arachnid adhesive structures are highly analogous to those of insects and vertebrates, but there are also numerous unique developments with some intriguing working principles. Because arachnid attachment organs have a very strong potential of technological ideas for the development of new materials and systems, inspirations from biology could also be interesting for a broad range of topics in materials and surface engineering.

This text is aimed at defining the current concepts that define trauma induced coagulopathy by critically analyzing the most up-to-date studies from a clinical and basic science perspective. It will serve as a reference source for any clinician interested in reviewing the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of the coagulopathic trauma patient, and the data that supports it. By meticulously describing the methodology of most traditional as well as state of the art coagulation assays the reader will have full understanding of the tests that are used to study trauma induced coagulopathy. The evolving use of blood products as well as recently introduced hemostatic medications are reviewed in detail.Trauma Induced Coagulopathy will also be a valuable source for quick reference to the clinician that is faced with specific clinical challenges when managing coagulopathy.

This interdisciplinary volume collates research work on kinesins and cancer. Authors attempt to validate members of the kinesin superfamily as potential targets for drug development in cancer chemotherapy. The work begins by highlighting the importance of kinesins, summarising current knowledge and how they are shown to be crucial for mitosis. Chapters go on to explore how this family of proteins are emerging as a novel target for chemotherapeutic intervention and drug development.Readers will learn how kinesins travel along microtubules to fulfill their many roles in intracellular transport or cell division. Several compounds that inhibit two mitotic kinesins (called Eg5 and CENP-E) have entered Phase I and II clinical trials and are explored in these chapters. Additional mitotic kinesins are currently being validated as drug targets, raising the possibility that the repertoire of kinesin-based drug targets may expand in the future.The book is suitable as a reference standard for the field of kinesins and cancer. It will interest those in academia and pharmaceutical companies, and anyone with an interest in the medical relevance of these proteins, which cutting edge methodologies are now enabling us to understand in astonishing detail.

This book provides a comprehensive up-to-date review of optical approaches used in brain imaging and therapy. It covers a variety of imaging approaches including diffuse optical imaging, laser speckle imaging, photoacoustic imaging and optical coherence tomography. A number of laser-based therapeutic techniques are reviewed, including photodynamic therapy, fluorescence guided resection and photothermal therapy. Fundamental principles and instrumentation are discussed for each imaging and therapeutic approach.

This volume provides an overview of the development and scope of molecular biophysics and in-depth discussions of the major experimental methods that enable biological macromolecules to be studied at atomic resolution. It also reviews the physical chemical concepts that are needed to interpret the experimental results and to understand how the structure, dynamics, and physical properties of biological macromolecules enable them to perform their biological functions. Reviews of research on three disparate biomolecular machines—DNA helicases, ATP synthases, and myosin--illustrate how the combination of theory and experiment leads to new insights and new questions.

This book contains 14 original review chapters each yielding new, exciting and intriguing data about the emerging understanding of nucleolar structure and function in normal, stressed and diseased cells. The goal of this work is to provide special insight into the nucleolus of the past, present and future, as well its regulation, translocation, and biomedical function. A multitude of topics are introduced and discussed in detail, including nucleologenesis, nucleolar architecture, nucleolar targeting, retention, anchoring, translocation, and the relationship between the nucleolus and cancer. This book also brings together work from several different species, from human to Drosophila to Dictyostelium and other eukaryotic microbes. The final chapter summarizes some of the issues brought up in the various chapters with a view to future research. This book supports the continued emergence of the nucleolus as a dynamic intranuclear region that oversees a vast diversity of events.

This book describes the state of the art on computational modeling and fabrication in Tissue Engineering. It is inspired by the ECCOMAS thematic conference, the European Committee on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences, on Tissue Engineering, held in Lisbon, Portugal, June 2-4, 2011. Tissue Engineering is a multidisciplinary field involving scientists from different fields. The development of mathematical methods is quite relevant to understand cell biology and human tissues as well to model, design and fabricate optimized and smart scaffolds. Emphasis is put on mathematical and computational modeling for scaffold design and fabrication. This particular area of tissue engineering, whose goal is to obtain substitutes for hard tissues such as bone and cartilage, is growing in importance.

UK Colloids 2011 - the first multi-day conference on the topic of colloid science held in the UK for many years, jointly organized by the RSC Colloid and Interface Science Group and the SCI Colloid and Surface Science Group. The conference had over 250 delegates, from all across the world – good representation from Japan, China, Australia, USA, France, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Georgia – as well as a substantial number of UK based researchers. This Special Issue of “Progress in Colloid and Polymer Science” collects together a selection of 20 papers, mostly presented during the Conference. The papers included cover the wide variety of topics from fundamentals in colloid and interface science to industrial applications. The current Special Issue also reflects the international character of the Conference.

The aim of this volume is to give up-to-date information on animal models generated by transgenic or gene targeting techniques. Naturally, the focus is on the mouse system. Each chapter has been written by leading experts in the field and gives an overview on existing animal models. This is facilitated by tables, which list the most important genetically engineered animal models and their phenotypes. This book aims at illustrating the impact of transgenic animal models in the field of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, which includes their role in the understanding of basic cellular mechanisms, the evaluation of potential drug targets or the testing for drug effects.

It has been known for over 150 years that hallmarks of inflammation can be observed in the wall of atherosclerotic vessels. It was, however, not clear if this inflammation is the cause or the consequence of atherogenesis. More recently, it has become evident that inflammation mediated both by innate and adaptive immunity is instrumental even in the earliest stages of the development of atherosclerotic lesions, i.e., that it plays an important pathogenetic role. In this volume, international experts in the field discuss the pathogenetic, diagnostic, preventive and possible therapeutic relevance of inflammation in atherogenesis. This book is intended for researchers and physicians in the fields of vascular biology, immunology and atherosclerosis.

The second edition maintains the standard of excellence established in the first edition, while adjusting the content to reflect changes in tissue optics and medical applications since 1995. The material concerning light propagation now contains new chapters devoted to electromagnetic theory for coherent light. The material concerning thermal laser-tissue interactions contains a new chapter on pulse ablation of tissue. The medical applications section now includes several new chapters on Optical Coherent Tomography, acoustic imaging, molecular imaging, forensic optics and nerve stimulation. A detailed overview is provided of the optical and thermal response of tissue to laser irradiation along with diagnostic and therapeutic examples including fiber optics. Sufficient theory is included in the book so that it is suitable for a one or two semester graduate or for senior elective courses. Material covered includes (1) light propagation and diagnostic application; (2) the thermal response of tissue and therapeutic application; (3) denaturation; and (4) ablation. The theory and applications provide researchers with sufficient detail that this volume will become the primary reference for laser-tissue interactions and medical applications.

This book presents the latest findings in the field of research of mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction in different cells and tissues. Mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction of the heart and vascular cells, in the lung, in bone and joint tissues, in sensor systems and in blood cells are described in detail. This Volume focuses on molecular mechanisms of mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction via cytoskeleton. Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction, the role of actin cytoskeleton and the role of other cytoskeletal elements are discussed. It contains a detailed description of several stretch-induced signaling cascades with multiple levels of crosstalk between different pathways. It contains a description of the role of nitric oxide in regulation of cardiac activity and in regulation of mechanically gated channels in the heart. In the heart mechanical signals are propagated into the intracellular space primarily via integrin-linked complexes, and are subsequently transmitted from cell to cell via paracrine signaling. Biochemical signals derived from mechanical stimuli activate both acute phosphorylation of signaling cascades, such as in the PI3K, FAK, and ILK pathways, and long-term morphological modii cations via intracellular cytoskeletal reorganization and extracellular matrix remodelling. Cellular and molecular effects of mechanical stretch on vascular cells are also discussed. This Volume highlights the role of mechanotransduction in the lung, in bone and joint tissues. For the first time mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction in blood cells are discussed. It contains new insights into mechanosensitive K+ channels functioning in mouse B lymphocytes. This book is a unique collection of reviews outlining current knowledge and future developments in this rapidly growing field. Currently, investigations of the molecular mechanisms ofmechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction are focused on several issues. The majority of studies investigate intracellular signaling pathways. Knowledge of the mechanisms which underlie these processes is necessary for understanding of the normal functioning of different organs and tissues and allows to predict changes, which arise due to alterations of their environment. Possibly such knowledge will allow the development of new methods of artificial intervention and therapies. This book brings up the problem closer to the experts in related medical and biological sciences as well as practicing doctors besides just presenting the latest achievements in the field.

During the last decade, a number of novel biophysical methods have been developed that allow the manipulation and study of individual biomolecules. The ability to monitor biological processes at the fundamental level of sensitivity, that of a single molecule, has given rise to an improved understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms. Through the removal of ensemble averaging, distributions and fluctuations of molecular properties can be characterized, transient intermediates identified, and catalytic mechanisms elucidated. By applying forces on biomolecules while monitoring their activity, important information can be obtained on how proteins couple function to structure. The Handbook of Single-Molecule Biophysics provides an introduction to these techniques and presents an extensive discussion of the new biological insights obtained from them. Editorial Advisory Board: Daniel Müller, Cheng Zhu, Claus Seidel, Xiaowei Zhuang, Thomas Schmidt, Nynke Dekker.

© Springer-Verlag 2008 rd 43 Biennial Meeting of the German Colloid Society rd This volume containsselected paperspresented at the 43 Biennial Meeting of the German Colloid Society held at the Schloß Waldthausen near Mainz, October 8–10, 2007. The meeting's emphasis was given to “Surface and Interfacial Forces – From Fundamentals to Applications” but also provided a general overview on current aspects of colloid and polymer science in fundamental research and applications. The contributions in this volume are representative of the richness of research topics in colloid and polymer science. They cover a broad eld including the application of scanning probe techniques to colloid and interface science, surface induced ordering, novel developments in amphiphilic systems as well as the synthesis and applications of nano-colloids. The meeting brought together people from different elds of colloid, polymer, and materials science and provided the platform for dialogue between scientists from universities, industry, and research institutions.

Microscale Diagnostic Techniques highlights the most innovative and powerful developments in microscale diagnostics. It provides a resource for scientists and researchers interested in learning about the techniques themselves, including their capabilities and limitations. The fields of Micro- and Nanotechnology have emerged over the past decade as a major focus of modern scientific and engineering research and technology. Driven by advances in microfabrication, the investigation, manipulation and engineering of systems characterized by micrometer and, more recently, nanometer scales have become commonplace throughout all technical disciplines. With these developments, an entirely new collection of experimental techniques has been developed to explore and characterize such systems.

In recent years, serine proteases and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have gained considerable attention in tumor biology. For most of these proteases, their expression is a reliable indication of ongoing tissue remodeling. This book provides a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanisms of action of proteases and their inhibitors in tumor biology. The first part provides the reader with a selective overview of the molecular biology of serine proteases, MMPs and their physiological inhibitors. The most important proteases and their physiological as well as synthetic inhibitors are evaluated in the most relevant models of experimental and human cancer. The clinical aspects are also taken into account. This volume offers an update on this challenging aspect of cancer treatment, its interest bias, and possible clinical implication.