The enormous recent success of molecular developmental biology has yielded a vast amount of new information on the details of development. So much so that we risk losing sight of the underlying principles that apply to all development. To cut through this thicket, John Tyler Bonner ponders a moment in evolution when development was at its most basic--the moment when signaling between cells began. Although multicellularity arose numerous times, most of those events happened many millions of years ago. Many of the details of development that we see today, even in simple organisms, accrued over a long evolutionary timeline, and the initial events are obscured. The relatively uncomplicated and easy-to-grow cellular slime molds offer a unique opportunity to analyze development at a primitive stage and perhaps gain insight into how early multicellular development might have started. Through slime molds, Bonner seeks a picture of the first elements of communication between cells. He asks what we have learned by looking at their developmental biology, including recent advances in our molecular understanding of the process. He then asks what is the most elementary way that polarity and pattern formation can be achieved. To find the answer, he uses models, including mathematical ones, to generate insights into how cell-to-cell cooperation might have originated. Students and scholars in the blossoming field of the evolution of development, as well as evolutionary biologists generally, will be interested in what Bonner has to say about the origins of multicellular development--and thus of the astounding biological complexity we now observe--and how best to study it.

Rules and List of members included in some volumes.

The First Extraterrestrial Signal is a fictional book. The book reveals how the entire world reacts to the first confirmed radio signal from an alien civilization. The book reveals how intelligent life on Earth gathers to discuss the signal from the aliens and how the world should react to that first confirmed radio signal from outer space aliens. From religions to governments, the intelligent beings on Earth gather to ponder what to do with the realization that there is another intelligent life in the universe way beyond the solar system and what to do with the information provided by the aliens.

This self-contained and user-friendly textbook is designed for a first, one-semester course in statistical signal analysis for a broad audience of students in engineering and the physical sciences. The emphasis throughout is on fundamental concepts and relationships in the statistical theory of stationary random signals, which are explained in a concise, yet rigorous presentation. With abundant practice exercises and thorough explanations, A First Course in Statistics for Signal Analysis is an excellent tool for both teaching students and training laboratory scientists and engineers. Improvements in the second edition include considerably expanded sections, enhanced precision, and more illustrative figures.

Alien scientists create a new human race—and keep them as sheltered pets: “It’s time to discover Donald Moffitt” (Greg Bear). After intercepting a message from Earth, Nar scientists have learned the secret of human life. The alien species understands everything about human technology and culture and uses this knowledge to build on each breakthrough until it succeeds in re-creating humans. Now they encourage their “pets” to evolve within the alien community and learn the mysteries of the galaxy, but prohibit any knowledge of the planet Earth itself. Bram has always dreamed of traveling to the forbidden planet. Although Earth is millions of miles away, the bioengineer is determined to discover the truth about his species and the land that has been kept a secret his whole life. Bram must discover a way to unveil the truth and see the homeland he has been denied.

A comprehensive source for microwave and wireless circuit design, the Commercial Wireless Circuits and Components Handbook reviews the fundamentals of transmitters and receivers, then presents detailed chapters on individual circuit types. It also covers packaging, large and small signal characterization, and high volume testing techniques for both devices and circuits. This handbook not only provides important information for engineers working with wireless RF or microwave circuitry, it also serves as an excellent source for those requiring information outside of their area of expertise, such as managers, marketers, and technical support workers who need a better understanding of the fields driving their decisions.

Arti?cial immune systems (AIS) is a diverse and maturing area of research that bridges the disciplines of immunology and computation. The original research impetus in AIS had a clear focus on applying immunological principles to c- putationalproblemsinpracticaldomainssuchascomputersecurity,datamining and optimization. As the ?eld has matured, it has diversi?ed such that we now see a growing interest in formalizing the theoretical properties of earlier - proaches, elaborating underlying relationships between applied computational models and those from theoretical immunology, as well a return to the roots of the domain in which the methods of computer science are being applied to - munological modelling problems. Following the trends in the ?eld, the ICARIS conference intends to provide a forum for all these perspectives. The 9th InternationalConference on AIS (ICARIS 2010)built on the success of previous years, providing a convenient vantage point for broader re?ection as it returned to Edinburgh, the venue of the Second ICARIS in 2003. This time, the conference was hosted by Edinburgh Napier University at its Craiglockhart Campus, recently reopened after extensive refurbishment which has resulted in a stunning building and state-of-the-art facilities. The extent to which the ?eld has matured over the preceding years is clear; a substantial track of theor- ical research now underpins the discipline. The applied stream has expanded in its outlook, and has examples of AIS algorithms being applied across a wide spectrum of practicalproblems,rangingfrom sensornetworksto semi-conductor design.