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Plants are the basic source of food for both humans and animals. Most of the food is made of fruits and seeds. For these to be formed, pollination must first take place. This process is the transfer of pollen grains from the anther, which is the male structure of the flower, to the sigma on the female structure of the flower. The transfer process requires agents to be carried out. The agents can be either biotic or abiotic. Nature perfected this arrangement between the pollination agents and the plants. As ecosystems and agricultural systems are changing, this balanced arrangement becomes disturbed. This makes it necessary that pollination systems be studied so that necessary measures can be undertaken to ensure productivity. The chapters of this book present results in research undertaken to improve productivity in crops such as Actinidia chinensis (the kiwifruit), Theobroma cacao (cocoa), and Manicaria saccifera (a tropical forest palm). Some results are presented on tests to check the viability of pollen grains and the delivery of sperm cells through pollen tubes to the embryo sac. These results can serve as guidelines to any person seeking to improve pollination and productivity or to check the efficiency on pollination in ecosystems or agricultural production systems.

The book Reflections on Bioethics is an effort that brings together works grouped into five sections: "Bioethics and Health", "Bioethics and Education", "Bioethics and Technology", "Bioethics in the Use of Experimental Animals",and "Selected Topics of Bioethics". In each of these sections, the fundamental concepts of bioethics and their relationship with each of these branches of knowledge are covered. The purpose is to give the reader a specific document of topics, it is not intended to be a treaty because the study of any of the five sections is very broad. However, this is an effort that manages to combine in interdisciplinary subjects that are fundamental for professionals of all fields of knowledge.

Superfood is a food that contains active ingredients or important nutrients at extremely high levels. Protective effects of superfoods on diseases have been remarked. Recently, several foods such as camu camu, chia seeds and goji berries are well known, and their trade has been rapidly increasing in the past 10 years. The purpose of this book is the development of a novel concept of superfoods and diet-containing superfoods. In the chapters, researchers have introduced the active components of superfoods and diets using such foods. Superfoods derived from fish and by-products of beer brewing are also introduced. Moreover, the procedure of bio-accessibility is also considered. I expect that the readers understand this novel concept of superfoods.

Musculoskeletal disorders are defined as disorders that affect a part of the body's musculoskeletal system, which includes bones, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, blood vessels, and spinal disks. These are the injuries that result from repeated motions, vibrations, and forces placed on human bodies while performing various job actions. They are extremely common and costly problems for people and companies. Thus, this book is designed to include a wide array of extensive and comprehensive discussions provided on occupational, educational, and medical aspects of ergonomics. Thus, it can be utilized as a guide to identify and analyze the risk factors, reveal the impact of prevention and intervention, and discuss treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.

This book is devoted to different aspects of tectonic researches. New results and interpretations are presented here for diverse tectonic settings. Most of the chapters include up-to-date materials of detailed geological investigations, often combined with geophysical data, which can help understand more clearly the essence of mechanisms of different tectonic processes. Some chapters are devoted to the tectonic evolution of regions (East Antarctica, East Kazakhstan, Mongolo-Okhotsk orogenic belt), and others have dealt with the different aspects of tectonic events: influence of detachment structural deformation on pore structure evolution in shales, evolution of drainage in response to brittle-ductile dynamics and surface processes, soft sediment deformation structures triggered by the modern earthquakes, and post-opening deformation history of the Japan Sea back-arc basin.

The rapid fragmentation and habitat change in natural environments have created a need for management and conservation, which will ensure areas are protected from anthropogenic interference. These protected areas are necessary to provide adequate location for biodiversity conservation, environmental monitoring, and scientific research where a complete understanding of the natural process and full protection of ecosystems can be attained. This book highlights various approaches for managing and conserving protected areas in temperate and tropical regions to respond to some pressing global challenges today. It is divided into five main sections, viz., protected area management, fish and wildlife conservation, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism and recreation, and local community participation. The book enhances the understanding of the important roles national parks play in the environment and society.

Oxygen represents only 20% of the Earth's atmosphere, yet it is vital for the survival of aerobic organisms. There is a dark part of the use of oxygen that consists in generating reactive species that are potentially harmful to living organisms. Moreover, reactive oxygen species can combine with nitrogen derivatives and generate many other reactive species. Thus, living organisms are continuously assaulted by reactive species from external or internal sources. However, the real danger comes in the case of high concentrations and prolonged exposure to these species. This book presents an image of the mechanisms of action of reactive species and emphasizes their involvement in diseases. Inflammation and cancer are examined to determine when and how reactive species turn the evolution of a benign process to a malignant one. Some answers may come from recent studies indicating that reactive species are responsible for epigenetic changes.

Human skin cancers, the most common type of tumors, represent a significant health burden. The deadliest is unquestionably melanoma. Half of melanomas have an activating mutation in the BRAF gene, prompting development of novel drugs, vemurafenib and dabrafenib, specifically targeting mutated BRAF. Trametinib and cobimetinib, which block MEK, a BRAF effector protein, have been used in combination with BRAF inhibitors. A promising new melanoma treatment is immunotherapy, approach that boosts patient's own immune system to attack cancer. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab inhibit PD-1, whereas Ipilimumab targets CTLA-4, another immunity check point, to boost the immune response. Here we focus on pathways, mechanisms, targets and treatments of human skin cancers, with particular emphasis on the new developments in the research on melanomas.

Nowadays, nobody can imagine practicing obstetrics without using obstetrical ultrasound. Working in the prenatal diagnosis field requires dedication, patience, skills, experience, caution, and empathy. The concept of this book was guided by the desire to provide some help to the ultrasound operators. On a daily basis, they are confronted with the challenging task of ruling out or suspecting/confirming the diagnosis of fetal anomalies, either structural or chromosomal. The chapters of this book contain objective and exhaustive updated reviews of the pertinent literature, so that the reader would have a wide reference basis on each subject. Yet, many authors scan the fetus themselves or are directly involved with managing pregnancies with structural malformations or chromosomal anomalies. They kindly shared their personal experience and lessons learned over the years. This book is beneficial for all the professionals working in the prenatal diagnosis.

Ebola epidemics have had immediate and lasting impact in Africa and beyond, with its high case fatality and societal disruption. Its rapid spread, coupled with the limited knowledge, serves as a recipe for disaster and panic in the community. Health workers are particularly at risk, paying heavily with their lives. Sharing knowledge from various experts in basic sciences that support vaccine and drug development, as well as improving community surveillance and case management, enriches our understanding of this highly fatal and contagious disease. In a world that is fast becoming a global village, communicable diseases from low-resource setting are gradually becoming a global health threat. This book seeks to discuss emerging advances in the Ebola control.

This book is a wonderful celebration of culture and identity, especially from the cultural lens of the various authors' nation of origin. Culture is viewed as a collective programming of the mind and is at times compared to an onion?the more you peel off the layers, the more you get to learn about the values, beliefs, and norms of the respective societies. As complex as the onion diagram is, and it gives the possibilities of tears due to its complexity, a great understanding is critical to interact and communicate effectively. It is a unique tribute to the many scholars who have embarked on this journey of exploring culture and how identity is defined. It is an intellectual discourse that could act as a springboard for many more experiments to be conducted around the world, more specifically the multidimensional aspects of culture and identity. Other interesting elements in this book are the many historical details and the abundance of insightful illustrations.

This contribution book collects five among reviews and original articles from eminent experts working in the interdisciplinary area of biomaterial synthesis and application. From their direct and recent experience, the readers can access the novel and ongoing potentialities of different synthetic and engineered biomaterials. Contributions reflect the fundamental studies, with a particular attention to the physico-chemical mechanical characterization of biomaterials, along with biocompatibility studies and potential clinical use. After an introductory chapter on the question of storage stability for biomaterial-based devices and products and for polymeric nanomedicines, a first review deals with the use and commercial sources of hydroxyapatite in tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. A study follows on optical fiber laser marking on the properties of stainless steel in implant manufacturing. Two other reviews, respectively, focused on the approaches to prevent or treat the effects of calcification that occurs in vivo on biomaterial-based implants and on the encapsulation of pancreatic islet cells for the treatment of type I diabetes will be presented. Finally, an overview on the physical bases and application in biomaterial science of the spray-drying process will close the volume. This setting will allow to achieve a general view of how classical and novel biomaterials can be applied, along with the methodologies necessary to design, develop, and characterize them, without the restrictions necessarily imposed by industrial or profit concerns. Readers will be apprised about the methodologies used to develop biomaterials possessing the physical and biological properties needed for specific medical and clinical applications.

Stem Cells in Clinical Practice and Tissue Engineering is a concise book on applied methods of stem cell differentiation and optimization using tissue engineering methods. These methods offer immediate use in clinical regenerative medicine. The present volume will serve the purpose of applied stem cell differentiation optimization methods in clinical research projects, as well as be useful to relatively experienced stem cell scientists and clinicians who might wish to develop their stem cell clinical centers or research labs further. Chapters are arranged in the order of basic concepts of stem cell differentiation, clinical applications of pluripotent stem cells in skin, cardiac, bone, dental, obesity centers, followed by tissue engineering, new materials used, and overall evaluation with their permitted legal status.

The lack of knowledge about sedimentation processes taking place in a watershed or a waterbody hinders practical progress in addressing problem-solving. To assist the reader in putting sediment quantity and quality issues into perspective, sedimentation engineering features the most state-of-the-art contributions from a number of researchers working in the fields of water resources and soil erosion. The book contains 10 chapters selected among a great number of submitted manuscripts. The main topics are sedimentation processes in marshes, harbor estuaries, gulf, hydraulic turbine, and volcanic area. Sediment contamination and few other topics are included as well. The case studies cover a sequence for integrated solutions where watershed management and sedimentation engineering are not decoupled. This book on sedimentation engineering is designed for researchers and professionals and for course use in environmental science.

This book is focused on different aspects of geophysical research, particularly on modern approach in subsurface imaging, tectonics, geohazard, seismicity, and Earth planetary system. Syntheses of results from regional and local studies combined with new techniques of geophysical data acquisition and interpretation from diverse geological provinces are presented. Some of the chapter explained clearly the geophysical technic that can image local sources in urban and rural settings in Israel. An example of studies on basement tectonics and fault reactivation in North America using integrated geophysical methods is also presented. Two modes of seismicity, one involving rotational seismology and another based on seismic response in Mexico using Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) as an alternative technique for extracting data that will be useful for the assessment of potential earthquake, are discussed in other sets of chapters. The integration of geoelectric methods in another chapter demonstrated delimitation of the resistivity anomalies caused by different types of hydrocarbon contaminants and rocks in rural, industrial, and urban sites. The results of electrical resistivity method to define 1D and 2D electrical models from two datasets acquired in dry and rainy seasons in Panama (Central America) were used to show the relationship between electrical resistivity and volumetric water content. Petrophysical analyses show good fits between resistivity and volumetric water content and known parameters for rocks and soils. The study on Earth planetary system noted that at all stages of the Earth?s formation, convective heat and mass transfer are the most important factors in the dynamics of the planet. The chapter on magnetics shows how remanent magnetization and self-demagnetization complicate the inversion and interpretation of magnetic anomaly with examples from iron deposit in South Australia.