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Molecular Genetics of Bacteria Larry Snyder, Wendy Champness Extensively reviewed and class tested by instructors over the past four years with students at Michigan State University, this advanced level textbook offers an in-depth look at molecular biology and biochemistry. The breadth and diversity of bacterial genetics are explored in discussions of microbial systems beyond the much-studied E. coli. Boxed sections are included in every chapter that offer students enriching and challenging material, and chapters |
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A Field Guide to Mushrooms North America (Peterson Field Guide Series) Kent H. McKnight, Vera B. McKnight Over 500 species are described and illustrated in this authoritative guide to mycology that uses the famous Peterson Identification System and contains recipes for delicious wild mushroom dishes. |
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Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA Maryn McKenna LURKING in our homes, hospitals, schools, and farms is a terrifying pathogen that is evolving faster than the medical community can track it or drug developers can create antibiotics to quell it. That pathogen is MRSA—methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus—and Superbug is the first book to tell the story of its shocking spread and the alarming danger it poses to us all.Doctors long thought that MRSA was confined to hospitals and clinics, infecting almost exclusively those who were either already ill or old. But through remarkable reporting, including hundreds of interviews with the leading researchers and doctors tracking the deadly bacterium, acclaimed science journalist Maryn McKenna reveals the hidden history of MRSA’s relentless advance—how it has overwhelmed hospitals, assaulted families, and infiltrated agriculture and livestock, moving inexorably into the food chain. Taking readers into the medical centers where frustrated physicians must discard drug after drug as they struggle to keep patients alive, she discloses an explosion of cases that demonstrate how MRSA is growing more virulent, while evolving resistance to antibiotics with astonishing speed. It may infect us at any time, no matter how healthy we are; it is carried by a stunning number of our household pets; and it has been detected in food animals from cows to chickens to pigs. With the sensitivity of a novelist, McKenna portrays the emotional and financial devastation endured by MRSA’s victims, vividly describing the many stealthy ways in which the pathogen overtakes the body and the shock and grief of parents whose healthy children were felled by infection in just hours. Through dogged detective work, she discloses the unheard warnings that predicted the current crisis and lays bare the flaws that have allowed MRSA to rage out of control: misplaced government spending, inadequate public health surveillance, misguided agricultural practices, and vast overuse of the few precious drugs we have left. Empowering readers with the knowledge they need for self-defense, Superbug sounds an alarm: MRSA has evolved into a global emergency that touches almost every aspect of modern life. It is, as one deeply concerned researcher tells McKenna, "the biggest thing since AIDS." |
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Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point: New Directions for the Physics of Time Huw Price Why is the future so different from the past? Why does the past affect the future and not the other way around? What does quantum mechanics really tell us about the world? In this important and accessible book, Huw Price throws fascinating new light on some of the great mysteries of modern physics, and connects them in a wholly original way.
Price begins with the mystery of the arrow of time. Why, for example, does disorder always increase, as required by the second law of thermodynamics? Price shows that, for over a century, most physicists have thought about these problems the wrong way. Misled by the human perspective from within time, which distorts and exaggerates the differences between past and future, they have fallen victim to what Price calls the "double standard fallacy": proposed explanations of the difference between the past and the future turn out to rely on a difference which has been slipped in at the beginning, when the physicists themselves treat the past and future in different ways. To avoid this fallacy, Price argues, we need to overcome our natural tendency to think about the past and the future differently. We need to imagine a point outside time -- an Archimedean "view from nowhen" -- from which to observe time in an unbiased way.
Offering a lively criticism of many major modern physicists, including Richard Feynman and Stephen Hawking, Price shows that this fallacy remains common in physics today -- for example, when contemporary cosmologists theorize about the eventual fate of the universe. The "big bang" theory normally assumes that the beginning and end of the universe will be very different. But if we are to avoid the double standard fallacy, we need to consider time symmetrically, and take seriously the possibility that the arrow of time may reverse when the universe recollapses into a "big crunch."
Price then turns to the greatest mystery of modern physics, the meaning of quantum theory. He argues that in missing the Archimedean viewpoint, modern physics has missed a radical and attractive solution to many of the apparent paradoxes of quantum physics. Many consequences of quantum theory appear counterintuitive, such as Schrodinger's Cat, whose condition seems undetermined until observed, and Bell's Theorem, which suggests a spooky "nonlocality," where events happening simultaneously in different places seem to affect each other directly. Price shows that these paradoxes can be avoided by allowing that at the quantum level the future does, indeed, affect the past. This demystifies nonlocality, and supports Einstein's unpopular intuition that quantum theory describes an objective world, existing independently of human observers: the Cat is alive or dead, even when nobody looks. So interpreted, Price argues, quantum mechanics is simply the kind of theory we ought to have expected in microphysics -- from the symmetric standpoint.
Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point presents an innovative and controversial view of time and contemporary physics. In this exciting book, Price urges physicists, philosophers, and anyone who has ever pondered the mysteries of time to look at the world from the fresh perspective of Archimedes' Point and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, the universe around us, and our own place in time. |
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Mushrooms of North America Roger Phillips The ultimate illustrated handbook on mushrooms. More than 1,000 handsome color photographs by Roger Phillips illustrate this comprehensive guide to mushrooms and other fungi of North America, in all their astonishing variety. Amateur collectors, expert mycologists and armchair naturalists will welcome the reissue of this valuable reference. Each photograph has a neutral background to eliminate distractions. The specimens are arranged to show the cap, stem, gills, spines, and a cross section, usually in various stages of growth. The information on each mushroom variety includes: - Dimensions of cap, gills and stem
- Color and texture description of flesh
- Description of odor and taste
- Habitat and growing season
- Description of spores
- Categorization of edibility.
Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America also includes useful tips and helpful advice on collecting specimens and identifying them. This book is the ideal introduction to mycology. (20051120) |
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Schaum's Outline of Microbiology, Second Edition (Schaum's Outline Series) Jennifer M. Warner Confusing Textbooks? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time? Fortunately for you, there's Schaum's Outlines. More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills.This Schaum's Outline gives you: Practice problems with full explanations that reinforce knowledge Coverage of the most up-to-date developments in your course field In-depth review of practices and applications Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time-and get your best test scores! Schaum's Outlines-Problem Solved. |
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The Blood and its Third Element Antoine Bechamp The last work by Antoine Béchamp, a man who should, by rights, be regarded today as one of the founders of modern medicine and biology.
During his long career as an academic and researcher in nineteenth century France, Béchamp was widely known and respected as both a teacher and a researcher. As a leading academic, his work was well documented in scientific circles.
Few made as much use of this fact as Louis Pasteur, who based much of his career on plagiarising and distorting Béchamp’s research; in doing so, Pasteur secured for himself an undeserved place in the history of medical science.
The Blood and its Third Element is Béchamp’s explanation of his position, and his defense of it against Pasteur’s mischief. This final major work of Béchamp’s embodies the culmination of his life’s research. This book contains, in detail, the elements of the microzymian theory of the organization of living organisms and organic materials. It has immediate and far reaching relevance to the fields of immunology, bacteriology, and cellular biology; and it shows that more than 100 years ago, the germ, or microbian, theory of disease was demonstrated by Béchamp to be without foundation.
There is no single cause of disease. The ancients thought this, and Béchamp proved it and was written out of history for his trouble. The relevance of his work to the dilemmas that plague modern medical science remains as yet unrealized. |
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Passing On L.D. Strawser In a not too distant future the human race has been devastated by forces they thought they could control. Now life is simple, brutal, and savage. When their neighbors are taken by strangers Grandma's small community gathers together to hunt down and kill the attackers and hopefully save their friends. This is a short story with scientific background information included. |
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Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field-to-kitchen Guide David W. Fischer, R. McKenna Brown Unusual shapes and colors make many mushrooms alluring to the eye, while the exotic flavors and textures of edible mushrooms are a gourmet delicacy for the palate. Yet many people never venture beyond the supermarket offerings, fearing that all other mushrooms are poisonous. With amateur mushroom hunters especially in mind, David Fischer and Alan Bessette have prepared Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America. This field guide presents more than 100 species of the most delicious mushrooms, along with detailed information on how to find, gather, store, and prepare them for the table. More than 70 savory recipes, ranging from soups and salads to casseroles, canapes, quiches, and even a dessert, are included. Throughout, the authors constantly emphasize the need for correct identification of species for safe eating. Each species is described in detailed, nontechnical language, accompanied by a list of key identifying characteristics that reliably rule out all but the target species. Superb color photographs also aid in identification. Poisonous "lookalikes" are described and illustrated, and the authors also assess the risks of allergic or idiosyncratic reactions to edible species and the possibilities of chemical or bacterial contamination. |
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Jawetz, Melnick, & Adelberg's Medical Microbiology, Twenty-Fifth Edition (LANGE Basic Science) Geo. Brooks, Karen C. Carroll, Janet Butel, Stephen Morse, Timothy Mietzner An easy-to-understand, well-illustrated introduction to the clinically-important aspects of microbiology! NOW in full color! A Doody's Core Title ESSENTIAL PURCHASE for 2011! 4 STAR DOODY'S REVIEW!
"This book provides a comprehensive overview of medical microbiology in a well organized and practical format. The new version includes color photographs and revisions to reflect advances in knowledge and molecular diagnostics. These updates are essential in such a rapidly progressing field and will ensure this book continues to be a mainstay in teaching medical microbiology."--Doody's Review Service Linking fundamental principles with the diagnosis and treatment of microbial infections, this classic text delivers an essential overview of the roles microorganisms play in human health and illness. In addition to the brief descriptions of the organisms, you'll find vital perspectives on pathogenesis, diagnostic laboratory tests, clinical findings, treatment, and epidemiology. The book introduces you to basic clinical microbiology through the fields of bacteriology, virology, mycology, and parasitology, giving you a far-reaching yet student-friendly review of the discipline. All chapters have been extensively revised to reflect the tremendous expansion of medical knowledge afforded by molecular mechanisms, advances in our understanding of microbial pathogenesis, and the discovery of unusual pathogens. Features: - NEW full-color presentation
- 500+ USMLE-style review questions
- 300+ informative tables and illustrations, each designed to clarify and reinforce important chapter concepts
- Coverage that reflects the latest techniques in laboratory and diagnostic technologies
Visit www.LangeTextbooks.com to access valuable resources and study aids. The science of microbiology, Cell structure, Classification of bacteria, The growth and survival and death of microorganisms, Cultivation of microorganisms, Microbial metabolism, Microbial genetics, Immunology, Pathogenesis of bacterial infection, Antimicrobial chemotherapy, Normal microbial flora of the human body Spore-forming gram-positive bacilli: bacillus & clostridium species, Non-spore-forming gram-positive bacilli, corynebacterium, propionibacterium, listeria, erysipelothrix, actinomycetes, The staphylococci, The streptococci, Enteric gram-negative rods (enterobacteriaceae), Pseudomonads, acinetobacters, uncommon gram-negative bacteria, Vibrios, campylobacters, helicobacter, Haemophilus, bordetella, brucella, francisella, Yersinia & pasteurella, The neisseriae, Infections caused by anaerobic bacteria, Legionellae, bartonella, unusual bacterial pathogens, Mycobacteria, Spirochetes & other spiral microorganisms, Mycoplasmas & cell wall-defective bacteria, Rickettsia & ehrlichia, Chlamydiae, General properties of viruses, Pathogenesis & control of viral diseases, Parvoviruses, Adenoviruses, Herpesviruses, Poxviruses, Hepatitis viruses, Picornaviruses (enterovirus & rhinovirus groups), Reoviruses, rotaviruses, & caliciviruses, Arthropod-borne & rodent-borne viral diseases, Orthomyxoviruses (influenza viruses), Paramyxoviruses & rubella virus, Coronaviruses, Rabies, slow virus infections, prion diseases, Human cancer viruses, AIDS & lentiviruses, Medical mycology, Medical parasitology, Principles of diagnostic medical microbiology |