Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). It regulates normal CNS function, is a major participant in pathology, and serves learning, memory, and higher cognitive functions. The 12 chapters of this book provide the first comprehensive coverage of all the major features of glutamate as excitatory neurotransmitter. The book begins with a valuable historical backdrop. Building from a chapter on the common structure of glutamate receptors, several others cover the major ionotropic receptors, their structure, function, and pharmacology. A follow-up chapter discusses the metabotropic receptors that are directly coupled to second messenger metabolism. A central theme of the book is the capacity of the excitatory amino acid system to contribute to the diverse array of signaling systems in the CNS as a direct result of the large assortment of receptors (including, for the ionotropic receptors, various subunits) the combination of which determine distinct functional properties. A recent development in the field discussed in several chapters is the biochemical characterization of a supermolecular protein complex, the post-synaptic density, that makes the unique structure of excitatory synapses. This complex subserves the experience-dependent modulation of synaptic strength and synaptic plasticity, and gives the synapse the capacity to change dynamically in both structure and receptor composition. Drawing on the individual properties of the receptors, transporters, and functional architecture of the synapse, the concluding chapters describe the functional integration of these components in the more complex physiological processes of plasticity and pathology. Recognition that the regulation of excitatory amino acid receptor activity underlies the pathology of many neurological diseases, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, has opened up an exciting frontier that will allow the translation of our understanding of these basic mechanisms into new concepts of pathology and new therapeutic strategies. This book will be invaluable for neuroscientists, pharmacologists, neurologists, and psychiatrists, and for their students and trainees.
From the monumental splendour of Tower Bridge and the august span at Westminster to the engineering masterpieces at Ironbridge and the Forth, bridges comprise some of the most recognisable landmarks in Britain. Whether the smallest arch or the largest overpass, each has a rich architectural, economic, social and sometimes even religious history. This beautifully illustrated introduction by Richard Hayman explains how piety built and maintained bridges in the Middle Ages; how economic forces inspired a new generation of road bridges in the eighteenth century, such as the Menai Bridge in North Wales, and how technological prowess gave us soaring Victorian railway viaducts and the concrete road bridges of the twentieth century.
This important collection of essays, based on extensive original research, presents a vigorous critique of ` revisionist' analyses of the period, and reasserts the importance of long term ideological and social developments in causing the outbreak of the civil war.
Diagnostic Pathology of Infectious Disease presents a comprehensive, organ-based approach to the effective and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. Dr. Richard L. Kradin covers the latest information on H1N1, as well as the use of immunohistochemical stains, PCR, Immunoperoxidase, and other molecular techniques for a current representation of the field. High-quality, full-color illustrations and differential diagnosis tables accompany each lesion so you can quickly identify and diagnose whatever you see. This reference is an invaluable tool for the accurate diagnosis of any infectious disease—from the common to the most challenging. Covers the latest techniques in immunohistochemistry and molecular genetics integrated throughout the text for comprehensive information on all investigative contexts relevant to ensuring diagnostic accuracy. Emphasizes the host responses critical in differential diagnosis to serve as a second opinion when non-infectious diagnoses mimic and confound the diagnosis of infection. Provides a complete visual guide to suspect lesions through superb, high-quality, full-color illustrations of key aspects of various diseases that facilitate the rapid identification of biopsy specimen. Presents contents organized by organ as opposed to pathogen to more effectively address diagnostic and management issues. Features tables that list differential diagnosis for each lesion for quick summaries of key points in problem areas. Highlights morphological characteristics and landmarks of tissue samples throughout the text for easy access to information necessary for signing out specimen. Focuses on clinicopathologic features and correlations so you can deal with the diagnostic problems you face every day.
This integrative book brings forty years of research and scholarship in counseling, psychology, and education together in a singular analysis. In Making Meaning, Hayes illustrates how the construction of meaning can have a profound effect on how we come to know ourselves and others. Hayes depicts meaning-making as an ongoing, dialectical, and recursive process of change and reinvention. This process plays a central role in individual development and loss and helps promote multiculturalism, collaboration, and group and team development. This book is recommended for mental health professionals and educators looking to promote democratic learning communities.
As one of the earliest Western physics teachers, Richard Rufus of Cornwall helped transform Western natural philosophy in the 13th century. But despite the importance of Rufus's works, they were effectively lost for 500 years, and the Physics commentary is the first complete work of his ever to be printed. Rufus taught at the Universities of Paris and Oxford from 1231 to 1256, at the very time when exposure to Aristotle's ibri naturales was revolutionizing the academic curriculum; indeed Rufus gave the earliest surviving lectures on physics and metaphysics. Rufus not only expounded the views of Aristotle and the commentator Averroes, but he also challenged them, and this lively discussion proved to be enormously influential. Rufus rejected Aristotle's theory of projectile motion, and this rival view was later adopted by Franciscus de Marchia. His revised account of the place of the heavens was taken up by Roger Bacon and Thomas Aquinas; and his defence of creation, still considered a cogent reply to Aristotle's claims for a beginningless universe, was to be embraced by both Bacon and Bonaventure. Professor Wood's meticulous edition sheds light on that Crucial period when the medieval West for the first time acquired a comprehensive scientific account of the cosmos.
Distance determination is an essential technique in astronomy, and is briefly covered in most textbooks on astrophysics and cosmology. It is rarely covered as a coherent topic in its own right. When it is discussed the approach is frequently very dry, splitting the teaching into, for example, stars, galaxies and cosmologies, and as a consequence, books lack depth and are rarely comprehensive. Adopting a unique and engaging approach to the subject An Introduction to distance Measurement in Astronomy will take the reader on a journey from the solar neighbourhood to the edge of the Universe, discussing the range of distance measurements methods on the way. The book will focus on the physical processes discussing properties that underlie each method, rather than just presenting a collection of techniques. As well as providing the most compressive account of distance measurements to date, the book will use the common theme of distance measurement to impart basic concepts relevant to a wide variety of areas in astronomy/astrophysics. The book will provide an updated account of the progress made in a large number of subfields in astrophysics, leading to improved distance estimates particularly focusing on the underlying physics. Additionally it will illustrate the pitfalls in these areas and discuss the impact of the remaining uncertainties in the complete understanding of the Universes at large. As a result the book will not only provide a comprehensive study of distance measurement, but also include many recent advances in astrophysics.
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