This book constitutes the proceedings of the third International Workshop on Symbiotic Interaction, Symbiotic 2014, held in Helsinki, Finland, in October 2014. The 8 full papers and 5 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 16 submissions. They are organized in topical sections named: definitions of symbiotic interaction; reviews of implicit interaction; example applications; experimenting with users; and demos and posters.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Symbiotic Interaction, Symbiotic 2015, held in Berlin, Germany, in October 2015. The 11 full papers and 8 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 23 submissions. The papers present an overview of the symbiotic relationships between humans and computers as well as novel advancements. The idea of symbiotic systems put forward in this workshop capitalises on the computers’ ability to implicitly detect the users goals and psycho-physiological states and thereby enhancing human-computer interaction (HCI). A special focus of this year’s Symbiotic Workshop will be on physiological computing approaches, e.g. using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.

This book is published open access under a CC BY license.​ This book constitutes the proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Symbiotic Interaction, Symbiotic 2016, held in Padua, Italy, in October 2016. The 12 full papers and 3 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 23 submissions. The idea of symbiotic systems put forward in this workshop capitalizes on the computers’ ability to implicitly detect the users goals, preferences or/and psycho-physiological states and thereby enhancing human-computer interaction (HCI). The papers present an overview of the symbiotic relationships between humans and computers with emphasis on user-driven research on symbiotic systems, adaptive systems, implicit input data, physiological computing and BCI, but also on understanding the nature of the interdependence and agency between computers and humans more broadly.

The associations between insects and microorganisms, while pervasive and of paramount ecological importance, have been relatively poorly understood. The third book in this set, Insect Symbiosis, Volume 3, complements the previous volumes in exploring this somewhat uncharted territory. Like its predecessors, Volume 3 illustrates how symbiosis resear

This volume focuses on those instances when benign and even beneficial relationships between microbes and their hosts opportunistically change and become detrimental toward the host. It examines the triggering events which can factor into these changes, such as reduction in the host’s capacity for mounting an effective defensive response due to nutritional deprivation, coinfections and seemingly subtle environmental influences like the amounts of sunlight, temperature, and either water or air quality. The effects of environmental changes can be compounded when they necessitate a physical relocation of species, in turn changing the probability of encounter between microbe and host. The change also can result when pathogens, including virus species, either have modified the opportunist or attacked the host’s protective natural microflora. The authors discuss these opportunistic interactions and assess their outcomes in both aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems, highlighting the impact on plant, invertebrate and vertebrate hosts.

A multiplicity of biotrophic micro-organisms interact with plants in nature, forming symbiotic relationships that range from mutualism to antagonism. Microorganisms that have adopted biotrophy as a lifestyle are able to colonize the plant and often to cross the plant cell boundaries by forming intracellular structures that are the site of nutrient uptake/exchange. To establish themselves within plant tissues, both mutualistic and pathogenic biotrophs need to overcome the plant defense response through an exchange of molecular signals. Our knowledge of the nature of these signals and their function in the interaction has rapidly increased over the last few years. This volume focuses on the genetic, molecular and cellular components involved in the communication between partners of well-known symbioses, but also reports on the advances for less studied systems.

Plants and animals have evolved ever since their appearance in a largely microbial world. Their own cells are less numerous than the microorganisms that they host and with whom they interact closely. The study of these interactions, termed microbial symbioses, has benefited from the development of new conceptual and technical tools. We are gaining an increasing understanding of the functioning, evolution and central importance of symbiosis in the biosphere. Since the origin of eukaryotic cells, microscopic organisms of our planet have integrated our very existence into their ways of life. The interaction between host and symbiont brings into question the notion of the individual and the traditional representation of the evolution of species, and the manipulation of symbioses facilitates fascinating new perspectives in biotechnology and health. Recent discoveries show that association is one of the main properties of organisms, making a more integrated view of biology necessary. Microbial Symbioses provides a deliberately "symbiocentric outlook, to exhibit how the exploration of microbial symbioses enriches our understanding of life, and the potential future for this discipline. - Offers a concise summary of the most recent discoveries in the field - Shows how symbiosis is acquiring a central role in the biology of the 21st century by transforming our understanding of living things - Presents scientific issues, but also societal and economic related issues (biodiversity, biotechnology) through examples from all branches of the tree of life

Symbiotic Fungi – Principles and Practice presents current protocols for the study of symbiotic fungi and their interactions with plant roots, such as techniques for analyzing nutrient transfer, ecological restoration, microbial communication, and mycorrhizal bioassays, AM inoculum procedures and mushroom technology. The protocols offer practical solutions for researchers and students involved in the study of symbiotic microorganisms. The volume will be of great use for basic research, biotechnological applications, and the development of commercial products.

Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology of 1-3 Beta Glucans and Related Polysaccharides presents a comprehensive, systematic and authoritative survey of information about a family of chemically related, but functionally diverse, naturally occurring polysaccharides--the (1-3)-glucans. International contributors describe the chemical and physicochemical properties of these glucans and their derivatives and the molecular biological and structural aspects of the enzymes involved in their formation and breakdown. A detailed analysis of their physiological roles in the various biological situations in which they are found will be provided. Additionally, evolutionary relationships among the family of these glucans will be described. - Topics of medical relevance include detailing the glucans' interactions with the immune system and research for cancer therapy applications - Web resource links allow scientists to explore additional beta glucan research - Separate indexes divided into Species and Subject for enhanced searchability