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Practical Plant Failure Analysis: A Guide to Understanding Machinery Deterioration and Improving Equipment Reliability
Added 12/19/2007
Neville Sachs
Component failures result from a combination of factors involving materials science, mechanics, thermodynamics, corrosion, and tribology. With the right guidance, you don't have to be an authority in all of these areas to become skilled at diagnosing and preventing failures. Based on the author's more than thirty years of experience, Practical Plant Failure Analysis: A Guide to Understanding Machinery Deterioration and Improving Equipment Reliability is a down-to-earth guide to improving machinery maintenance and reliability.
Illustrated with hundreds of diagrams and photographs, this book examines…
· When and how to conduct a physical failure analysis
· Basic material properties including heat treating mechanisms, work hardening, and the effects of temperature changes on material properties
· The differences in appearance between ductile overload, brittle overload, and fatigue failures
· High cycle fatigue and how to differentiate between high stress concentrations and high operating stresses
· Low cycle fatigue and unusual fatigue situations
· Lubrication and its influence on the three basic bearing designs
· Ball and roller bearings, gears, fasteners, V-belts, and synchronous belts
Taking a detailed and systematic approach, Practical Plant Failure Analysis thoroughly explains the four major failure mechanisms-wear, corrosion, overload, and fatigue-as well as how to identify them. The author clearly identifies how these mechanisms appear in various components and supplies convenient charts that demonstrate how to identify the specific causes of failure.
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Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition
Added 2/15/2008
Leland Cseke, Ara Kirakosyan, Peter Kaufman, Sara Warber, James Duke, Harry Brielmann
From medicinal, industrial, and culinary uses to cutting-edge laboratory techniques in modern research and plant conservation strategies, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition reveals a vastly expanded understanding of the natural products that plants produce. In a single volume, this book offers a thorough inventory of the various types of plant-derived compounds. It covers their chemical composition, structure, and properties alongside the most effective ways to identify, extract, analyze, and characterize new plant-derived compounds.
The authors examine new information on the chemical mechanisms plants use to deter predators and pathogens, attract symbiotic organisms, and defend themselves against environmental stress-insights which are key for adapting such mechanisms to human health. Along with updated and revised information from the highly acclaimed first edition, the second edition presents seven new chapters and features more than 50% new material relating to plant constituents, natural product biochemistry, and molecular biology. The book incorporates in-depth treatment of natural product biosynthesis with new collection and extraction protocols, advanced separation and analytical techniques, up-to-date bioassays, as well as modern molecular biology and plant biotechnology for the production of natural products.
Unique in its breadth and coverage, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition belongs on the shelf of interested researchers, policymakers, and consumers- particularly those involved in disease prevention, treatment, and pharmaceutical applications-who need a complete guide to the properties, uses, and study of plant natural products.
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Fungal Pathogenesis in Plants and Crops: Molecular Biology and Host Defense Mechanisms, Second Edition
Added 12/14/2007
P. Vidhyasekaran
Dramatic progress in molecular biology and genetic engineering has recently produced an unparalleled wealth of information on the mechanisms of plant and pathogen interactions at the cellular and molecular levels. Completely revised and expanded, Fungal Pathogenesis in Plants and Crops: Molecular Biology and Host Defense Mechanisms, Second Edition offers fresh insight into the interplay of signaling systems in plant and pathogen interactions. The book delineates the battle between plant and fungal pathogen and the complex signaling systems involved.
See what's new in the Second Edition:
· Chapter on the role of disease resistance genes in signal perception and emission
· Chapter on cell death signaling in disease susceptibility and resistance
· Revised material on phytoalexins, toxins, and signal perception and transduction in fungal pathogenesis
· 17 additional families of pathogenesis-related proteins and antifungal proteins
The book describes the weapons used by fungal pathogens to evade or suppress the host defense mechanisms. It covers each fungal infection process from initial contact and penetration to the subsequent invasion and symptom development. The author explains complex signaling systems in the plant-pathogen interface with flow charts and provides drawings elucidating the biosynthetic pathway of secondary metabolites. He includes figures that highlight cutting-edge breakthroughs in molecular science and tables documenting important findings in the field of molecular plant pathology. These features and more make this book not only the most up to date resource in the field, but also the most important.
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Plant Cytogenetics, Second Edition
Added 11/1/2007
Ram Singh
Plant cytogenetics has progressed at a rapid rate since the publication of the first edition. Plant Cytogenetics, Second Edition presents an up-to-date review of cytogenetics. It covers the latest in the various classical and modern techniques in the handling of chromosomes, karyotype analysis, genetics of meiosis, genomic relationships, and chromosome manipulation. It includes new chapters on extra chromosomal inheritance and the mode of reproduction in plants, paricularly apomixis, as well as new sections on the molecular basis of heredity, genomic in situ hybridization, and the classical and molecular methods of genome analysis. The author also elaborates on the cytogenetic basis of somaclonal variation generated through cell and tissue culture.
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The Rhizosphere: Biochemistry and Organic Substances at the Soil-Plant Interface, Second Edition
Added 11/1/2007
Roberto Pinton, Zeno Varanini, Paolo Nannipieri
In the rhizosphere, exudates from plants and microorganisms as well as stable soil organic matter influence processes that can control plant growth, microbial infections, and nutrient uptake. As the chemistry and biochemistry of these substances becomes more and more clear, their study promises to shed light on the complex interactions between plant and soil microflora.
Maintaining the interdisciplinary approach of the first edition, The Rhizosphere: Biochemistry and Organic Substances at the Soil-Plant Interface, Second Edition summarizes information on soil science, agronomy, plant nutrition, plant physiology, microbiology, and biochemistry to provide a comprehensive and updated overview of the most recent advances in the field. Revised and expanded, the second edition presents new information on areas that are only recently gaining importance for understanding the complex biochemistry of the soil-microbe-plant interaction. New topics include the role of nutrient availability in regulating root morphology and architecture, the involvement of root membrane activities in determining and responding to the nutritional conditions in the rhizosphere, molecular signals between root-root and root-microbe, and gene flow and the evolution of rhizosphere organisms and their coevolution with plants. The book also covers mathematical modeling and methodological approaches to the study of the rhizosphere. Information in all chapters derives from a molecular approach which contributes to a better understanding of the biochemical processes occurring at the plant-soil interface.
Drawing on the expertise of pioneers in the field, The Rhizosphere: Biochemistry and Organic Substances at the Soil-Plant Interface, Second Edition contributes to the vigorous interchange between rhizosphere biochemistry and molecular biology to provide the most current information and stimulate further interest and research on this fascinating topic.
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CRC World Dictionary of Grasses: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology - 3 Volume Set
Added 11/28/2007
Umberto Quattrocchi
now we have easier and better access to
grass data than ever before in human history. That is
a marked step forward. Congratulazioni Professor
Quattrocchi!&
-Daniel F. Austin, writing in Economic Botany
The remarkable work of a brilliant botanist and linguist, this critically acclaimed unparalleled lexicon offers an indispensable guide for all those involved with plants and gardens, whether they are growing, studying, or writing about them. Detailing approximately 800 generic names and thousands of species of grasses, including cereals and forages, this three volume set lists all relevant properties related to the main and secondary uses of the grasses, as well as detailed descriptions and geographical distribution. Entries include genus, synonyms, and etymology, as well as vernacular names, rejected names, and orthographic variants. It provides a huge amount of obscure sources of nearly impossible to find information.
Destined to become a seminal resource for those directly involved with botany, plant science, horticulture, and agriculture, this masterly referenced work will also enrich the understanding of any individual in the physical or social sciences who is fascinated with history, the birth of ideas, culture, the art of bibliography, and the evolution of linguistics.
Utilizes a Myriad of Resources, Cites Tens of Thousands of References
The material found in the volumes has been painstakingly gathered from a wide variety of typical and atypical sources that includes both electronic and print media, as well as personal investigation. These sources include papers of general interest, reports and records, taxonomic revisions, field studies, herbaria and herbarium collections, notes, monographs, pamphlets, botanical literature and literature tout court, sources available at various natural history libraries, floras and standard flora works, local floras and local histories, nomenclatural histories, and the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Leaving no stone unturned, the author also culled information from reference collections, botanical gardens, museums, and nurseries, dictionaries, drawings, poetry, journal articles, personal communications, and biographies.
Much More than a Nomenclature Reference
While these volumes serve as the most authoritative and sophisticated nomenclature lexicon ever compiled in this area, it is much more than a dictionary. It offers unique insight across a range of subjects that include the history of botany and botanists, travels and botanical discoveries, the histories of medicine, science, and mankind, the history of genera and species, linguistics, geography, and ethnography. While this information may not be typically found in such references, it's the author's belief that all these details belong to any complete history of botany.
Umberto Quattrocchi earned his first degree in political science from the University of Palermo. He followed this achievement with an M.D., specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1992, he retired from the practice of medicine to pursue his studies in botany across the world while teaching as a professor of political science. Highly prolific, Quattrocchi has numerous political and botanical books and articles to his credit, including those on plants and gardening that have been published in Hortus and The Garden. In 1997, he received the prestigious Hanbury Botanical Garden Award promoted by the Premio Grinzane Cavour for his book Piante Rustiche Tropicali. He received a second Hanbury Award for the bestselling CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. He is a member of the International Dendrology Society, the Royal Horticultural Society, and the Botanical Society of America. He is also an elected Fellow of the world-renowned Linnean Society
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Wood Formation in Trees: Cell and Molecular Biology Techniques
Added 11/28/2007
Nigel Chaffey
Trees are a major component of the biosphere and have played an important part in the world's history and culture. With the modern challenges of global warming and dwindling fossil fuel reserves, trees, and in particular their wood, can provide solutions. Unfortunately, too little is known about the biology of these plants, due largely to a lack of appropriate techniques. In recognition of this, Wood Formation in Trees presents a variety of detailed techniques and protocols for the study of the cell and molecular biology of wood formation in trees. Internationally recognized experts, most of whom are the researchers who developed the techniques, speak with authority in this volume, and also provide first-hand tips and trade secrets to help the uninitiated master the techniques. The techniques reflect a hierarchical approach to the study of the developmental biology of wood formation: anatomical, biochemical and molecular-genetic.
Trees are a tremendous but vastly under-appreciated natural resource. In an age where the natural product is so often modified to suit modern tastes and industrial processes, it is essential to understand how the natural product is made. The techniques in this book provide that essential information about the process of wood formation in trees.
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Shengmai San
Added 11/28/2007
Robert Kam-Ming Ko
Traditional Chinese medicine commonly prescribes herbal formulas for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Shengmai San, a famous Chinese medicinal formula that has been used for more than eight hundred years in China, is comprised of Radix Ginseng, Fructus Schisandre and Radix Ophiopogonis. Traditionally, Shengmai San is used for the treatment of excessive loss of essence Qi and body fluid that threaten heart failure, particularly in the summer when heat exhaustion and profuse sweating commonly occur.
This book provides a comprehensive treatise on the historical, phytochemical, pharmacological/toxicological, clinical as well as pharmaceutical aspects of Shengmai San and its component herbs.
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Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden, Second Edition
Added 12/19/2007
J. Benton Jones, Jr.
While tomatoes continue to be one of the most widely grown plants, the production and distribution of tomato fruits have been changing worldwide. Smaller, flavorful tomatoes are becoming more popular than beefsteak tomatoes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes have entered the marketplace, and home gardeners are using the Internet to obtain information for growing tomatoes. Encompassing these changes, Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden, Second Edition clearly presents the characteristics, nutritional information, environmental requirements, and production aspects of tomato plants and fruits.
Authored by one of the foremost experts in hydroponics, the book outlines the history of the tomato plant and fruit and delves into the author's personal experiences with tomato plant cultivation. It discusses the characteristics and composition of the plant as well as seedling and seed production. The author elucidates the physical features of the fruit and the mineral nutrition of the plant. He also examines the physical and chemical characteristics of soils most desirable for plant growth, makes fertilizer recommendations, and explores the factors involved in greenhouse tomato production. In addition, the book looks at ways to identify and control plant diseases and insect pests.
With scientific data, trivia, and troubleshooting advice, this technical yet accessible book enables scientists, commercial growers, and home gardeners to cultivate a successful crop of tomatoes.
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Biology and Chemistry of Jerusalem Artichoke: Helianthus tuberosus L.
Added 12/19/2007
Stanley Kays, Stephen Nottingham
A unique plant on many levels, the distinctive properties of the Jerusalem artichoke, or Helianthus tuberosus L., present novel answers to some of today's most pressing problems. The potential of Jerusalem artichoke as a source for inulin, a fructose polymer that may provide dietary health benefits for obesity, diabetes, and several other health issues and the possible use of the crop for biofuels are drawing tremendous recent interest. With its ready cultivation and minimal pest and disease problems, Jerusalem artichoke is an underutilized resource that possesses the potential to meet major health and energy challenges.
A comprehensive, up-to-date reference, Biology and Chemistry of Jerusalem Artichoke presents the unique biological and chemical properties that distinguish it from other crops. Citing a diverse cross-section of references, it reviews the history, classification, morphology, and anatomy of the plant. It details inulin chemistry addressing properties and structure, extraction, and modification using microbes, enzymes, and a wide range of chemical processes. The book examines the use of Jerusalem artichokes as a biofuel and the role of inulin derived from the crop in combating obesity and diabetes, as well as promoting bone, blood, bowel, and immune health. A comprehensive chapter addresses genetic resources, breeding, breeding methods, hybridization, and the heritability of important traits. The book details developmental biology in terms of maximizing yield and determining resource allocation as well as controlling pests and disease. It concludes with practical information on agronomic methods, storage, the economics of crop production, and future prospects for utilization.
Gathering a wealth of information into a single volume and drawing on the authors' 25 years of research, Biology and Chemistry of Jerusalem Artichoke provides the most comprehensive resource to date on this extremely useful crop.
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Food Safety of Proteins in Agricultural Biotechnology
Added 1/7/2008
Bruce Hammond
With contributions from internationally recognized experts, Food Safety of Proteins in Agricultural Biotechnology comprehensively addresses how toxicology testing of proteins should be accomplished and how protein safety assessments should be carried out. Beginning with a background on protein biology, the book delineates the fundamental differences among proteins and small molecular weight chemicals that impact their safety assessment. It discusses the life cycle of proteins and explains why some protein toxins exert toxic effects and others do not.
Drawing attention to the increasingly popular insect-protected Bt crops, contributions provide a detailed history of the safety assessment and environmental impact of these crops and answer many safety questions. The editors include the safety assessment process developed for enzymes, one of the earliest applications of proteins in food processing and production. The book addresses protein pharmaceuticals, focusing on the unique challenges of testing protein therapeutics in humans. It summarizes the food safety issues and controversies surrounding the use of bST to increase milk production in dairy cows.
This unique volume also provides nuts and bolts information on conducting safety tests such as how to confirm that an introduced protein does not fit the profile of known allergens, how to carry out dietary exposure assessments for proteins introduced into food crops, and how to use sources of food consumption databases that are available internationally. It provides four case studies on the safety assessment of proteins of different structure and function to be introduced into biotechnology-derived agricultural crops. The final chapter is a review and distillation of the previously presented information on protein safety assessments and provides strategies for the safety assessment of future biotech products under development.
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Handbook of Turfgrass Management and Physiology
Added 1/7/2008
Mohammad Pessarakli
A multibillion dollar industry that has tripled in the last ten years, turfgrass management plays an important role in landscaping, golf courses, and other sports surfaces. Proper management and cultural practices are crucial for the performance of these versatile grasses, creating a demand among scientists, researchers, and industry professionals for better quality, hardier grasses. The mounting collection of research into new species, modern cultivars, and stress tolerant genotypes requires a high-quality, accessible resource.
Filling a long-empty niche by compiling the most complete, up-to-date collection of contributions from internationally known specialists, Handbook of Turfgrass Management and Physiology is the only single source reference that covers every aspect of turfgrass maintenance and cultivation. Divided into several sections, this all-inclusive volume begins with an introductory chapter on turf related issues. The second section reveals detailed accounts of turfgrass growth, management, and cultural practices such as carbon metabolism and overseeding. Subsequent sections cover sports turf management and growth regulating factors, as well as breeding, genetics, and biotechnology. The text highlights research in turfgrass pathology and disease including nutritional disorders, rapid blight, and fungal diseases. The book reviews several methods of pest control using herbicides, as well as biological, and microbial control agents. It provides extensive information on the physiological responses of turfgrass to acidic soil, salinized water, temperature, light, depleted oxygen, reactive nitrogen use, and other environmental stressors. The final section looks at future and potential grasses requiring minimal maintenance and management.
Offering hundreds of figures and tables, thousands of references, and an extensive index, Handbook of Turfgrass Management and Physiology is the definitive reference to the dynamic and growing world of turfgrass.
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Pleurocarpous Mosses: Systematics and Evolution
Added 4/28/2008
Angela Newton, Raymond Tangney
The shift from traditional taxonomic methods to data-oriented, analytical cladistic methodologies has led to a better understanding of biological processes and more accurate classifications for a wide range of organisms, including mosses. Pleurocarpous Mosses: Systematics and Evolution explores the impact of these methods through recent breakthroughs in research on the evolution and phylogeny of pleurocarpous mosses.
This book emphasizes the use of cutting-edge analytical methods, morphological characters, and the use of morphological and molecular data in systematics. It investigates the interrelationships within various moss families in which pleurocarpous morphology appears and their related taxa. The authors examine higher-level relationships to construct the backbone phylogeny of the group and set up relations within subgroups. They present new results derived from molecular data, phylogenetic analyses, and a variety of analytical methods used to evaluate the processes of morphological evolution, including growth patterns, leaf structure, and other morphological features. The final chapters explore the fossil history of pleurocarpous mosses and discuss a proposed timeline for the evolution of critical nodes. They also address wider evolutionary questions relevant to the origin and maintenance of species diversity.
In addition to upgrading the current knowledge of this complex group of organisms, Pleurocarpous Mosses: Systematics and Evolution also raises the standards of analysis and offers a paradigm for resolving phylogenetic relationships and classifying lesser-known taxonomic groups.
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Biogeography in a Changing World
Added 4/11/2008
Malte Ebach, Raymond Tangney
Hampered by a confusing plethora of approaches and methods, biogeography is often treated as an adjunct to other areas of study. The first book to fully define this rapidly emerging subdiscipline, Biogeography in a Changing World elucidates the principles of biogeography and paves the way for its evolution into a stand-alone field. Drawing on contributions from leading proponents of differing methods within biogeography, the book clearly defines the differing, sometimes conflicting, perspectives in the field and their correspondingly different methodological approaches. This gives readers the opportunity to refocus on a range of issues including the role of biological processes such as vicariance, dispersal and extinction in biogeographical explanation, the possibility of biogeographical pattern, and the role of geological reconstructions in biogeographic explanation. The book also explores the discipline’s current relationship with other disciplines and discusses potential developments.
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Developmental Genetics and Plant Evolution
Added 4/28/2008
Quentin C.B. Cronk, Richard Bateman, Julie Hawkins
A benchmark text, Developmental Genetics and Plant Evolution integrates the recent revolution in the molecular-developmental genetics of plants with mainstream evolutionary thought. It reflects the increasing cooperation between strongly genomics-influenced researchers, with their strong grasp of technology, and evolutionary morphogenetists and systematists who are more deeply rooted in comparative biology and patterns of plant evolution.
The book discusses our increasing understanding of gene function and expression, along with modern phylogenies. It integrates morphological and molecular data to highlight specific key transitions in plant evolution that warrant additional intensive study. Furthermore, it explores increasing knowledge of the physical expression of plant development from disciplines such as anatomy and paleobotany. Rather than focus on the technical aspects of plant genomics, this book provides genuinely integrated explanations of plant evolution.
The distinguished panel of contributors has succeeded in capturing a demanding subject in an accessible volume for a wide range of professional botanists and students in developmental biology, applied molecular biology, molecular evolution, morphogenesis, organismal botany, and theoretical systematics.
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Turmeric: The genus Curcuma
Added 4/28/2008
P. Ravindran, K. Nirmal Babu, K. Sivaraman
For the last 6000 years turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate pain, balance digestion, purify body and mind, clear skin diseases, expel phlegm, and invigorate the blood. Nowadays, this plant has acquired great importance with its anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-Altzheimer, antioxidant, and a variety of other medicinal properties. The need of the hour is to verify and validate the traditional uses by subjecting them to proper experimental studies. To do this effectively there needs to be a single comprehensive source of the knowledge to date. Turmeric: the genus Curcuma is the first comprehensive monographic treatment on turmeric. It covers all aspects of turmeric including botany, genetic resources, crop improvement, processing, biotechnology, pharmacology, medicinal and traditional uses, and its use as a spice and flavoring. Bringing together the premier experts in the field from India, Japan, UK, and USA, this book offers the most thorough examination of the cultivation, market trends, processing, and products as well as pharmacokinetic and medicinal properties of this highly regarded spice. While Ayurveda has known for millennia that turmeric cleanses the body, modern science has now discovered that it produces glutathione-s-transferase that detoxifies the body and therefore strengthens the liver, heart, and immune system. By comparing traditional uses with modern scientific discoveries, the text provides a complete view of the medicinal value and health benefits of turmeric. Heavily referenced with an exhaustive bibliography at the end of each chapter, the book collects and collates the currently available data on turmeric. Covering everything from cultivation to medicine, Turmeric: the Genus Curcuma serves as an invaluable reference for those involved with agriculture, marketing, processing or product development, and may function as a catalyst for future research into the health benefits and applications of turmeric.
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