The book begins by describing in detail the mechanisms of energy exchange radiative, convective, conductive and evaporative together with techniques for their determination. The discussion extends to the importance of CO2, ozone and methane, together with that of aerosol pollutants and the evolution of atmospheric CO2. Subsequent chapters apply the results of the biophysical methods to mammals, birds and aquatic animals. Discussion includes problems of shelter and shade for animals in tropical environments and techniques for the thermal evaluation for shelters and for several tree types. The details of heat exchange between animals and the environment are presented, in separate chapters covering Mammals and Birds and Aquatic Mammals. A chapter on Shade and Shelter describes the importance of shade for animals, factors of shade efficiency, the protections offered by shelter and methods of calculating the protection afforded by both shade and shelter. A Special Methods chapter offers a variety of techniques for evaluating cutaneous and respiratory evaporation, and practical methods for sampling of hairs and the evaluation of hair coat characteristics."

In 1974 when I published my book, Biological Mechanism of Attachment, not many pages were required to report on the attachment devices of insect cuticles. As in most fields of research, our knowledge on this specific subject has simply exploded. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb now describes the present day level of our knowledge, to which he has personally contributed so much, and a research team working on biological microtribology has gradually developed, also. With modern methods of measurement it is possible to enter the structure - function relationship much more deeply, even down to a molecular level, which was not possible two and a half decades ago. It is a well known fact that, in biology, the more sophisticated the measuring method, the greater the achievement of biological fundamental research, and its resulting evidence. Our knowledge remains at a certain level until new methods once more permit a forward leap. Biological knowledge develops in the form of a stepped curve rather than linear, as reflected in the studies carried out on the attachment devices of insect cuticles.

In the past few years, the scientific community has witnessed significant progress in the study of ion channels. Technological advancement in biophysics, molecular biology, and immunology has been greatly ac celerated, making it possible to conduct experiments which were deemed very difficult if not impossible in the past. For example, patch-clamp techniques can now be used to measure ionic currents generated by almost every type of cell, thereby allowing us to analyze whole-cell and single channel events. It is now possible to incorporate purified ion channel components into lipid bilayers to reconstitute an "excitable membrane." Gene cloning and monoclonal antibody techniques provide us with new approaches to the study of the molecular structure of ion channels. A variety of chemicals have now been found to interact with ion channels. One of the classical examples is represented by tetrodotoxin, a puffer fish poison, which was shown in the early 1960s to block the voltage-activated sodium channel in a highly specific and potent manner.

This volume is made up of papers presented at the Second International Altschul Symposium: Biology and Pathology of Astrocyte-Neuron Interactions. The symposium was held in Saskatoon, Canada at the University of Saskatchewn in May, 1992 in memory of Rudolf Altschul, a graduate of the University of Prague and a pioneer in the fields of the biology of the vascular and nervous systems. Dr. Altschul was Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Saskatchewan from 1955 to 1963. The Altschul Symposia were made possible by an endowment left by Anni Altschul and by other contributions. The symposia are held biennially. One of the greatest challenges for present day scientists is to uncover the mechanisms of brain function. Although cellular anatomy of the nervous system has already been well outlined and indeed was delineated by the beginning of the century, experimental analysis of the function of the brain is relatively recent. The framework of the brain is made up of stellate cells, the astrocytes, which are interconnected by means of their processes, thus presenting a meshwork through which the neurons send their axons, accompanied by oligodendrocytes. Microglia are distributed throughout the brain.

Techniques in the neurosciences are evolving rapidly. There are currently very few volumes dedicated to the methodology - ployed by neuroscientists, and those that are available often seem either out of date or limited in scope. This series IS about the methods most widely used by modern-day neuroscientists and is written by their colleagues who are practicing experts. Volume 1 will be useful to all neuroscientists since it concerns those procedures used routmely across the widest range of s- disciplines. Collecting these general techniques together in a s- gle volume strikes us not only as a service, but will no doubt prove of exceptional utilitarian value as well. Volumes 2 and 3 - scribe current procedures for the analyses of amines and their - tabolites and of amino acids, respectively. These collections will clearly be of value to all neuroscientists working in or contempl- ing research in these fields. Similar reasons exist for Volume 4 on receptor binding techniques since experimental details are p- vided for many types of ligand-receptor binding, including ch- ters on general principles, drug discovery and development, and a most useful appendix on computer programs for Scatchard, nonlinear and competitive displacement analyses. Volume 5 p- vides procedures for the assessment of enzymes involved in biogenic amine synthesis and catabolism. Volumes in the NEUROMETHODS series will be useful to neuro-chemists, -pharmacologists, -physiologists, -anatomists, psychopharmacologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and chemists (organic, analytical, pharmaceutical, medicinal); in fact, everyone involved in the neurosciences, both basic and clinical.

During the past few decades, much research has been reported on the formation of insoluble monomolecular films of lipids and biopolymers (synthetic polymers and proteins) on the surface of water or at the oil-water interface. This interest arises from the fact that monomolecular film studies have been found to provide much useful information on a molecular scale, information that is useful for understanding many industrial and biological phenomena in chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical, medical, and food science applications. For instance, information obtained from lipid monolayer studies has been useful in determining the forces that are known to stabilize emulsions and biological cell membranes. The current texts on surface chemistry generally devote a single chapter to the characteristics of spread monolayers of lipids and biopolymers on liquids, and a researcher may have to review several hundred references to determine the procedures needed to investigate or analyze a particular phenomenon. Furthermore, there is an urgent need at this stage for a text that discusses the state of the art regarding the surface pheqomena exhibited by lipids and biopolymers, as they are relevant to a wide variety of surface and interfacial processes.

Intravenous infusion is a necessary mode of delivery for many pharmaceuticals currently on the market or undergoing clinical trials. The technique of prolonged intravenous delivery in conscious, free-moving animal models has broadened the opportunity to study and evaluate the safety and efficacy of these therapeutic products. For the first time, the collective sciences involved in the understanding of this mode of drug delivery and the methodologies for carrying it out are brought together in a comprehensive work, Non-Clinical Vascular Infusion Technology, Two Volume Set: Science and Techniques. Volume I: The Science covers the scientific principles behind the delivery systems, from both physical and physiological standpoints. It addresses body fluid dynamics, describes the scientific processes necessary to understand the various aspects of the physico-chemical issues relating to vascular infusion delivery, and discusses vascular infusion dynamics. It also considers all the essential elements of the preparation of a formulation intended for vascular delivery as well as assessment of compatibility of the formulation with the dosing apparatus. Volume II: The Techniques builds upon the highly praised Handbook of Pre-Clinical Continuous Intravenous Infusion and provides a current account of the techniques and equipment involved in all the major laboratory animal species for conducting successful vascular infusion studies with xenobiotics. It is organized by species, including all those commonly used in pre-clinical studies: rat, mouse, dog, minipig, large primate, and marmoset. There are also chapters on juvenile studies and reproductive toxicity studies. Each section addresses the selection of the best model, surgical and non-surgical best practices, practical techniques, equipment selection, and commonly encountered background pathologies. Using a fresh approach, the authors identify best practices to be shared across the industry, and provide guidance on choices for the most acceptable methodologies from an animal welfare perspective. This two-volume set provides a foundation of knowledge on infusion technology and its importance for safe clinical use of substances via this route of delivery.

Papers comprising this volume were presented at the first IEEE Conference on [title] held in Denver, Co., Nov. 1987. As the limits of the digital computer become apparent, interest in neural networks has intensified. Ninety contributions discuss what neural networks can do, addressing topics that in

The development of neurophysiology, the study of the activity of living nervous tissue, has relied heavily on the techniques of electrophysiology. This emphasis is revealed in volumes 14 and 15 of this series, which show how electrophysiological techniques can be applied to research topics ranging from ion channels to human behavior. Kitai and Park show how cellular neurophysiology can be related to classical neuroanatomy, an important basis for any type of functional analysis. Wonderlin, French, Arispe, and Jones describe new (single channel) and more traditional (whole cell) techniques for studying the role of ion channels in cellular pr- esses, a field that is currently developing very rapidly. An exciting nontraditional approach to the study of cellular electrophysiology is discussed by Hopp, Wu, Xiao, Rioult, London, Zecevic, and Cohen in their paper on optic measurement of membrane pot- tials. Humphrey and Schmidt offer a thoughtful review of the uses and limitations of the technique of recording extracellular unit potentials in the brain. Hoffer presents an introduction to a field that is of great interest but is technically very difficult-the reco- ing from cells and axons in the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system in freely moving animals. An electrophysiological approach to the analysis of the neural mechanisms of normal behavior is presented by Halgren in a wide-ranging review of the field of evoked potentials in humans.

Biological cell membranes regulate the transfer of matter and information between the intracellular and extracellular compartments as basic survival and maintenance functions for an organism. This volume contains a series of reviews that are c- cerned with how epithelial plasma membranes regulate the transport of solutes between the intracellular and extracellular compartments of a cell. This book is also an attempt to analyze the molecular basis for the movement of various solutes across an epithelial cell membrane. This volume is devoted to a diversity of epithelial transport mechanisms in rep- sentative cell membranes of a variety of living things. The ?rst section of the book (Chapters 1-6) focuses on mechanisms of solute transport in epithelia of inver- brates. The last section which comprises ten chapters (Chapters 7-16) deals with solute transporters in epithelial cell membranes of vertebrates. It is hoped that with this particular ordering the reader can glean a telescopic view of the evolutionary history of the various epithelial solute transporters.

In the late 1980s, it became painfully evident to the pharmaceutical industry that the old paradigm of drug discovery, which involved highly segmented drug - sign and development activities, would not produce an acceptable success rate in the future. Therefore, in the early 1990s a paradigm shift occurred in which drug design and development activities became more highly integrated. This new str- egy required medicinal chemists to design drug candidates with structural f- tures that optimized pharmacological (e. g. , high affinity and specificity for the target receptor), pharmaceutical (e. g. , solubility and chemical stability), bioph- maceutical (e. g. , cell membrane permeability), and metabolic/pharmacokinetic (e. g. , metabolic stability, clearance, and protein binding) properties. Successful implementation of this strategy requires a multidisciplinary team effort, incl- ing scientists from drug design (e. g. , medicinal chemists, cell biologists, en- mologists, pharmacologists) and drug development (e. g. , analytical chemists, pharmaceutical scientists, physiologists, and molecular biologists representing the disciplines of pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, and pharmacokinetics/drug metabolism). With this new, highly integrated approach to drug design now widely utilized by the pharmaceutical industry, the editors of this book have provided the sci- tific community with case histories to illustrate the nature of the interdisciplinary interactions necessary to successfully implement this new approach to drug d- covery. In the first chapter, Ralph Hirschmann provides a historical perspective of why this paradigm shift in drug discovery has occurred.

To humans, cold has a distinctly positive quality. 'Frostbite', 'a nip in the air', 'biting cold', all express the concept of cold as an entity which attacks the body, numbing and damaging it in the process. Probably the richness of descriptive English in this area stems from the early experiences of a group of essentially tropical apes, making their living on a cold and windswept island group half way between the Equator and the Arctic. During a scientific education we soon learn that there is no such thing as cold, only an absence of heat. Cold does not invade us; heat simply deserts. Later still we come to appreciate that temperature is a reflection of kinetic energy, and that the quantity of kinetic energy in a system is determined by the speed of molecular movement. Despite this realization, it is difficult to abandon the sensible prejudices of palaeolithic Homo sapiens shivering in his huts and caves. For example; appreciating that a polar bear is probably as comfortable when swimming from ice floe to ice floe as we are when swimming in the summer Mediterranean is not easy; understanding the thermal sensa tions of a 'cold-blooded' earthworm virtually impossible. We must always be wary of an anthropocentric attitude when considering the effects of cold on other species."

Cataract is the major cause of blindness in man throughout the world. It is usually dealt with by surgery but surgery is expensive and may lead to other ocular damage. Apart from surgery one might hope to prevent cataracts or to cure them, but these approaches require a much greater understanding of the structure and metabolism of the lens and of its weaknesses and strengths. The emphasis of this book is on recent findings. The first chapter deals with the normal lens and its structure, cellular composition, metabolism and proteins. In the following chapter the ageing of the lens will be discussed, and the third chapter discusses the epidemiology of cataract emphasizing the size of the problem of cataract and the associated risk factors. Surgery is discussed briefly but without detailed discussion of recent changes in surgical procedure. That is followed by a chapter on experimental cataracts and related in vitro studies. The studies of human cataracts are discussed in chapter 5. The last chapter deals with the prevention of cataract and its delay by anti-cataract agents. There have been advances in this area recently and there is the promise of an effective therapeutic treatment soon.

This book describes the major steps by which the mammalian ear transforms sound into nerve impulses. The author leads us along the pathway followed by an acoustic signal--collected by the outer ear, augmented by the middle ear, then delivered to the inner ear where the minuscule vibrations of the sound waves are transformed into nerve impulses. At each stage, the basic mechanisms are described qualitatively in terms of current theories and illustrated with experimental data. Where appropriate, related mechanisms in the ears of other vertebrates are considered. It is shown that the mammalian ear does an exquisite job of translating sound signals into a very robust nerve-pulse code. The book concludes with descriptions of some common ear impairments and a brief survey of the treatments available for them. The text is integrated with animations of mechanical and neural phenomena available through the Internet.

This volume includes papers presented at the Third Annual Computation and Neural Systems meeting (CNS*94) held in Monterey California, July 21 - July 26, 1994. This collection includes 71 of the more than 100 papers presented at this year's meeting. Acceptance for meeting presentation was based on the peer review of preliminary papers by at least two referees. The papers in this volume were submitted in final form after the meeting. As represented by this volume, CNS meetings continue to expand in quality, size and breadth of focus as increasing numbers of neuroscientists are taking a computational approach to understanding nervous system function. The CNS meetings are intended to showcase the best of current research in computational neuroscience. As such the meeting is fundamentally focused on understanding the relationship between the structure of neIVOUS systems and their function. What is clear from the continued expansion of the CNS meetings is that computational approaches are increasingly being applied at all levels of neurobiological analysis. in an ever growing number of experimental preparations. and neural subsystems. Thus. experimental subjects range from crickets to primates; sensory systems range from vision to electroreception; experimental approaches range from realistic models of ion channels to the analysis of the information content of spike trains. For this reason, the eNS meetings represent an opportunity for computational neurobiologists to consider their research results in a much broader context than is usually possible.

During the past two decades, fish endocrinology has witnessed exciting developments due to our increased knowledge at all levels of biological organizations, including molecular biology, cell biology, physiology and behavior. New insights into development, neurobiology, immunology and molecular genetics closely correlated with classical aspects of endocrinology and represent important contributions to our knowledge on regulatory processes of vertebrates, including fish. The purpose of this book is to overview major advances in numerous research areas of fish endocrinology. Most of the chapters not only review and discuss the state-of-the-art in the respective field, but also show perspectives of future research. The book will be of interest to scientists involved in basic fish research, comparative endocrinology, fisheries and aquaculture as well as for students of fish biology.

Interest in retinoic acid, the main biologically active derivative of vi- min A or retinol, increased dramatically between 1989 and 1993, following the cloning of nuclear receptors or RARs reported in 1987 (Fig. 1). Important discoveries since then have shown how RARs work as all-trans retinoic ac- dependent heterodimers with related nuclear receptors for 9-cis retinoic acid called RXRs. This has stimulated the development of synthetic analogs s- cific for each type of receptor, and opens the way to develop new methods for regulating pharmacologically the activity ofretinoic acid-dependent pathways of gene activation. The potential for the development of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry is now a maj or factor driving forward our understa- ing of vitamin A-regulated pathways in animal development and homeostasis. However, apart from the real potential ofretinoid analogs as novel pharma- logical agents, there remains the considerable intellectual challenge of und- standing the way in which vitamin A and its derivatives function in cell development and differentiation. Retinoid Protocols is an attempt to bring together various methodologies that will be vital for rising to this challenge in the future. Retinoid molecular biology has few methods of its own, but is reliant on standard molecular biology methods applied to this particular research area.

This volume describes the current state of our knowledge on the neurobiology of muscle fatigue, with consideration also given to selected integrative cardiorespiratory mechanisms. Our charge to the authors of the various chapters was twofold: to provide a systematic review of the topic that could serve as a balanced reference text for practicing health-care professionals, teaching faculty, and pre-and postdoctoral trainees in the biomedi cal sciences; and to stimulate further experimental and theoretical work on neurobiology. Key issues are addressed in nine interrelated areas: fatigue of single muscle fibers, fatigue at the neuromuscular junction, fatigue of single motor units, metabolic fatigue studied with nuclear magnetic resonance, fatigue of the segmental motor system, fatigue involving suprasegmental mechanisms, the task dependency of fatigue mechanisms, integrative (largely cardiorespiratory) systems issues, and fatigue of adapted systems (due to aging, under-and overuse, and pathophysiology). The product is a volume that provides compre of processes that operate from the forebrain to the contractile proteins."

The author makes a unique contribution to the field by discussing the history and philosophy of the neurosciences, and then developing critical approaches which integrate techniques, theory, and ethics. Taken as a whole, Jacobson's work will provide a coherent and humane framework for future research programs. The paperback edition of this highly successful text, first published in 1993, is now available! The author brings the ethics of neuroscience into a closer relationship with empirical research. Covering the field's history, philosophy, theories, and techniques, this volume provides the necessary moral and ethical framework to evaluate neuroscience research.

Essentials of Medical Biochemistry, Third Edition offers a condensed, yet detailed overview of clinical biochemistry, spanning fundamentals and relevant physiologic and pathophysiologic concepts. Pivotal clinical case studies aid in understanding basic science in the context of diagnosis and treatment of human diseases, and the text illuminates key topics in molecular immunology and hemostasis. Users will find fundamental concepts aiding students and professionals in biochemistry, medicine, and other healthcare disciplines. The text is a useful refresher that will help users meet USMLE and other professional licensing examination requirements, providing thorough introductions, key points, multicolored illustrations of chemical structures and figures, fact-filled tables, and recommended reading lists. This Third Edition has been fully updated to address evolving techniques in the biological sciences, including genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and gene therapy, among other methods. In addition, each chapter has been fully revised for current science and now features learning objectives and chapter summaries, supplemental reading, and 5 clinical case based multiple choice questions. New clinical cases have been added throughout.

JOHN G. HILDEBRAND Research on insect olfaction is important for at least two reasons. First, the olfactory systems of insects and their arthropod kin are experi mentally favourable models for studies aimed at learning about general principles of olfaction that apply to vertebrates and invertebrates alike. Detailed comparisons between the olfactory pathways in vertebrates and insects have revealed striking similarities of functional organisation, physiol ogy, and development, suggesting that olfactory information is processed through neural mechanisms more similar than different in these evolution arily remote creatures. Second, insect olfaction itself is important because of the economic and medical impact of insects that are agricultural pests and disease vectors, as well as positive impact of beneficial species, such as the bees and moths responsible for pollination and production of honey. The harm or benefit attributable to an insect is a function of what it does - that is, of its behaviour - which is shaped by sensory information. Often olfaction is the key modality for control of basic insect behaviour, such as ori entation and movement toward, and interactions with, potential mates, appro priate sites for oviposition, and sources of food. Not surprisingly, therefore, much work on insect olfaction has been motivated by long-term hopes of using knowledge of this pivotal sensory system to design strategies for mon itoring and managing harmful species and fostering the welfare of beneficial ones."

This manual provides an easy guide to pain management for the veterinary practitioner. Beginning with pain terminology, it goes on to describe to physiology of pain, management strategies, various drugs and techniques, and the management of specific conditions and procedures. Strategies for the treatment of pain are comprehensively reviewed, with an overview of the mechanisms by which pain is perceived and the principles of pain management. The drugs currently used in the treatment of acute and chronic pain are discussed as well as the specific techniques that can be used to control intra- and post operative pain in dogs and cats. The book covers a broad range of information on specific aspects of pain management from analgesic techniques to management of chronic pain to pain perception. Published by Teton New Media USA and distributed by CRC Press outside of North America.

In this introductory text, Dr. Birdi demonstrates experimental methods and analyses of fractal dimensions in natural processes. In addition to a general overview, he discusses in detail problems in the fields of chemistry, geochemistry, and biophysics. Both students and professionals with a minimum of mathematics or physical science training will learn to find and model shapes and patterns from their own everyday observations.

Many organisms have evolved the ability to enter into and revive from a dormant state. They can survive for long periods in this state (often even months to years), yet can become responsive again within minutes or hours. This is often, but not necessarily, associated with desiccation. Preserving onea (TM)s body and reviving it in future generations is a dream of mankind. To date, however, we have failed to learn how cells, tissues or entire organisms can be made dormant or be effectively revived at ambient temperatures. In this book studies on organisms, ranging from aquatic cyanobacteria that produce akinetes to hibernating mammals, are presented, and reveal common but also divergent physiological and molecular pathways for surviving in a dormant form or for tolerating harsh environments. Attempting to learn the functions associated with dormancy and how they are regulated is one of the great future challenges. Its relevance to the preservation of cells and tissues is one of the key concerns of this book.