This new series on The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Fishes grew out of the demand for state-of-the-art review articles in a rapidly expanding field of research. Up to the present, most research literature on biochemistry involved rats and humans, but new breakthroughs in the piscine setting have indicated that the field is ready for a review series of its own. Because of funding and experimental availability restrictions, most research in the field has dealt with fish and insects. Within the insect field, comparative biochemistry and comparative physiology have proceeded along independent paths as opposed to the piscine field, where the tendency has been for the latter to envelop the former.
This volume sets out to make comparative biochemistry and comparative physiology independent of each other within the piscine setting, another important rationale for this review series as well as detailing the phylogenetic evolution of fishes. The goal of the series is to provide researchers and students with an appropriate balance between experimental results and theoretical concepts.

Current Ornithology publishes authoritative, up-to-date, scholarly reviews of topics selected from the full range of current research in avian biology. Topics cover the spectrum from the molecular level of organization to population biology and community ecology. The series seeks especially to review (1) fields in which an abundant recent literature will benefit from synthesis and organization, or (2) newly emerging fields that are gaining recognition as the result of recent discoveries or shifts in perspective, or (3) fields in which students of vertebrates may benefit from comparisons of birds with other classes. All chapters are invited, and authors are chosen for their leadership in the subjects under review.

Volume 39, devoted solely to the vital research area on molybdenum and tungsten and their role in biology, offers a comprehensive and timely account of this fascinating topic by 40 distinguished international authorities. With more than 2200 references to assist further research, Molybdenum and Tungsten: Their Roles in Biological Processes is an essential resource for scientists and students in many disciplines, including bioinorganic, inorganic, and coordination chemistry; biochemistry; biophysics; molecular biology; enzymology; pharmacology; physiology; clinical chemistry; nutrition; toxicology; and environmental sciences.

The most recent research findings on the important genes, key molecules, and mechanisms in neural development and regeneration are presented in this volume. The papers collected here were delivered at the second of the Keio University International Symposia for Life Sciences and Medicine, held in Mita (Tokyo), Japan, and are in eight main sections: Early Neurogenesis and Pattern Formation, Regional and Cellular Specification, Trophic Factors, Adhesion Molecules, Glial Cell Lineage and Myelination, Circuit Formation, Synaptic Refinement and Neurotransmitter Release, and Neural Regeneration. Together, they present the concept of neural development and regeneration and its vital importance at the frontiers of medical science today.
Neural Development is an invaluable resource and reference for researchers, clinicians, and students in physiology and the medical sciences.

Here is the first effort in a single volume to cover all of the integrative functions of calcium signalling - how changes in intracellular calcium coordinate a variety of coherent cellular responses. Written by a team of internationally established researchers, Integrative Aspects of Calcium Signalling provides the latest experimental data and concepts, bringing together a detailed analysis of the events, processes, and functions regulated by calcium signalling. A unique resource for professionals and students of physiology, biophysics, neurobiology, biochemistry, and all related fields.

The overall scope of this new series will be to evolve an understanding of the genetic basis of (1) how early mesoderm commits to cells of a heart lineage that progressively and irreversibly assemble into a segmented, primary heart tube that can be remodeled into a four-chambered organ, and (2) how blood vessels are derived and assembled both in the heart and in the body. Our central aim is to establish a four-dimensional, spatiotemporal foundation for the heart and blood vessels that can be genetically dissected for function and mechanism. Since Robert DeHaan's seminal chapter "Morphogenesis of the Vertebrate Heart" published in Organogenesis (Holt Rinehart & Winston, NY) in 1965, there have been surprisingly few books devoted to the subject of cardiovascular mor phogenesis, despite the enormous growth of interest that occurred nationally and internationally. Most writings on the subject have been scholarly compilations of the proceedings of major national or international symposia or multiauthored volumes, often without a specific theme. What is missing are the unifying concepts that can make sense out of a burgeoning database of facts. The Editorial Board of this new series believes the time has come for a book series dedicated to cardio vascular morphogenesis that will serve not only as an important archival and didac tic reference source for those who have recently come into the field but also as a guide to the evolution of afield that is clearly coming of age.

"Environment and Animal Development "is the first book to focus specifically on the interactions between the environment and developmental mechanisms with particular emphasis given to the consequences for animal populations. The underlying premise of the book is that the study of physiological mechanisms alongside the analysis of adaptive values will enable rapid advancements in our knowledge of this important field. With contributions from well-known experts, the book will be invaluable for all graduate students and researchers in this area.

Primate locomotion has typically been studied from two points of view. Laboratory-based researchers have focused on aspects like biomechanics and energetics, whereas field-based researchers have focused on (locomotor) behaviour and ecology. Unfortunately, to date, there is relatively little scientific exchange between both groups. With a book, which will be the result of a symposium on the 2008 Meeting of the International Primatological Society in Edinburgh, we would like to bring together laboratory and field-based primate locomotion studies. We are convinced this will be beneficial for both research lines. For example, biomechanists might wonder how frequently the locomotor style they study in the lab actually occurs in nature, and field workers might use calculated costs of locomotion to understand why certain locomotor behaviours are favoured under specific conditions. Thus, on the one hand, an established link between both groups may help interpret the results by using each other's findings. On the other hand, recent technological advances (e.g. portable high-speed cameras) make it possible to bridge the gap between lab-based and field-based research by actually collecting biomechanical data in situ. Again, communication between both groups is necessary to identify the specific needs and start up achievable and successful research projects in the field. In order to generate a wide interest, we have invited biomechanists, ecologists, and field-based researchers who combine both disciplines, and we hope their combined contributions will facilitate lasting cooperation between the mentioned disciplines and stimulate innovative research in Primatology. We are convinced that the most appropriate format to publish the different symposium contributions is a conference volume within an existing book series. Firstly, the chapters will not only contain new data but will also review existing data and elaborate on potential future work - more so than can be done in a journal article. Secondly, the combination of chapters will form an entity that is more valuable than the sum of the separate chapters and therefore they need to be presented together. Lastly, this volume will benefit from the typically long "shelf life" of a book in a renowned series, allowing it to be used as reference book for both researchers and students.

Because of developments in powerful computer technology, computational techniques, advances in a wide spectrum of diverse technologies, and other advances coupled with cross disciplinary pursuits between technology and its greatly significant applied implications in human body processes, the field of biomechanics is evolving as a broadly significant area. The four volumes of Biomechanical Systems: Techniques and Applications presents the advances in widely diverse areas with significant implications for human betterment that occur continuously at a high rate. These include dynamics of musculo-skeletal systems; mechanics of hard and soft tissues; mechanics of muscle; mechanics of bone remodeling; mechanics of implant-tissue interfaces; cardiovascular and respiratory biomechanics; mechanics of blood flow, air flow, flow-prosthesis interfaces; mechanics of impact; dynamics of man machine interaction; and numerous other areas. The great breadth and depth of the field of biomechanics on the international scene requires at least four volumes for adequate treatment. These four volumes constitute a well integrated set that can be utilized as individual volumes. They provide a substantively significant and rather comprehensive, in-depth treatment of biomechanic systems and techniques that is most surely unique on the international scene.

This is the first book devoted to international deer husbandry techniques for the growing industries of venison, velvet antler, and antler trophy production as well as long established extensive park systems for amenity. Written by world leaders in their specialised subjects, chapters shed light on widely differing management systems and the optimum design of deer farms, handling yards and fencing layouts. Moreover, readers will discover the requisites of good stockmanship and specialist veterinarians describe different diseases the deer may develop. Details on available treatments, the general biology of deer and an explanation of controversial ethics of velvet and trophy production complete this work. As deer farming has come of age this collection is timely. At fifty years the New Zealand deer industry carries one million animals with annual venison exports to America, Europe and growing antler markets in China and Korea. Chinese antler production is well-established and Asian reindeer husbandry even more ancient. In North America and Europe, deer are now being kept for antler trophies and amenity in many historic parks. This volume is a valuable resource for everyone researching deer management systems, be it practising veterinarians, deer farmers, park managers or agricultural and veterinary students.

In this unique book, Sir Donald Harrison draws on his wide-ranging experience as a surgeon and comparative anatomist to produce an authoritative and detailed account of the anatomy and physiology of the mammalian larynx. His investigation of the larynx has involved the study of over 1400 specimens of mammalian larynges from around the world, as well as using data from his own clinical experiences. The comparative morphology of the larynx is discussed from a developmental and functional perspective and the involvement of the larynx in respiration, locomotion and vocalisation is highlighted. Throughout the book the relationship of structure to function is drawn out and the clinical relevance of features of the human larynx is emphasised. This book will be an invaluable reference for all researchers and clinicians involved in laryngology as well as for anatomists, zoologists and anaesthesiologists.

The bright colour of haemoglobin has, from the very beginning, played a significant role in both the investigation of this compound as well as in the study of blood oxygen transport. Numerous optical methods have been developed for measuring haemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation, and the principal dyshaemoglobins in vitro as well as in vivo. Modern applications include pulse oximeters, fibre optic oximeters, multiwavelength haemoglobin photometers ('co-oximeters') and instruments for near infrared spectroscopy in vivo. Knowledge of the light absorption spectra of the common haemoglobin derivatives is a prerequisite for the development and understanding of these techniques.
In the 1960s a reference method based on the absorptivity of a single derivative (haemiglobincyanide; HiCN) at a single wavelength (540 nm) was established for measuring the total haemoglobin concentration. Thus an anchor value was provided on which the absorptivity spectra of all other haemoglobin derivatives could be based.
This monograph presents absorption spectra and absorptivity data in the wavelength range of 480 to 1000 nm of the major haemoglobin derivatives for human adult and foetal haemoglobin and for haemoglobin of several animals (cow, dog, horse, pig, rat, and adult and foetal sheep). A detailed description of the methods used to acquire these data has been included to allow future investigators to reproduce and expand on the data.
The second part of the monograph includes chapters on the principles and development, in historical perspective, of the principal methods for measuring total haemoglobin concentration for two, three, and multi-component analysis of haemoglobin derivatives, and for blood oxygen saturation measurement. Accurate quantitative data pertaining to haemoglobin in human blood are presented, together with a description of methods for measuring haemoglobin oxygen capacity and oxygen affinity. These chapters have been written with a view to foster knowledge and insight concerning the principles, purposes, and limitations of the various methods of all who use these methods in research and patient care.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book looks at a range of topics covering a variety of animals, including how macaques teach their offspring, how rats transmit avoidance behavior, how supplementary feeding of tree frogs affects their breeding behavior, and more. Studies in animal behavior can have far-reaching implications for animals and humans alike, such as how humans can improve conservation efforts, how to better protect animals-both in the wild and in captivity (zoos), and what can be learned about humans from animals, such as how the human brain and behaviors might work.

Myofibrillogenesis has been studied extensively over the last 100 years. Until recently, we have not had a comprehensive understanding of this fundamental process. The emergence of new technologies in molecular and cellular biology, combined with classical embryology, have started to unravel some of the complexities of myofibril assembly in striated muscles. In striated muscles, the contractile proteins are arranged in a highly ordered three dimensional lattice known as the sarcomere. The assembly of a myofibril involves the precise ordering of several proteins into a linear array of sarcomeres. Multiple isoforms in many of these proteins further complicate the process, making it difficult to define the precise role of each component. This volume has been compiled as a comprehensive reference on myofibrillogenesis. In addition, the book includes reviews on myofibrillar disarray under various pathological conditions, such as familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), and incorporates a section on the conduction system in the heart. Much of the information in this volume has not been described elsewhere. Presented in a manner to be of value to students and teachers alike, "Myofibrillogenesis" will be an invaluable reference source for all in the fields of muscle biology and heart development.

There is increasing concern in the media, among politicians and within environmental organizations, about the effects of chemicals in our environment that affect the endocrine systems of wildlife and humans. At its simplest these are referred to as gender-bending' chemicals or environmental estrogens'. The chemicals in question (pesticides, PCBs, plasticizers, petrochemicals, and a variety of industrial chemicals) have been known to decrease human sperm counts, cause fish to change sex', and increase male genital abnormalities. A great deal of pressure has been placed on environmental protection agencies to devise regulatory tests for the effects of these chemicals and to require limitations on their manufacture and release. Fish are increasingly recognized as an excellent model for such tests, in that the aquatic environment may provide early warnings of the effects that these chemicals will have on human health. In addition, the large number of eggs which fish produce provides an excellent model to examine the effects on female fertility. Endocrine Disruption in Fish provides a simple yet extensive background to the field of fish endocrinology in order to assist those toxicologists who have a limited background in either mammalian or fish endocrinology. It shows that environmental estrogens do not simply affect male reproductive potential, but that they may equally well affect the female. It is possible that these chemicals may have a complex effect on the brain, hypothalamus, pituitary, gonad and liver of both sexes. There are many other chemicals which affect both the gonads and other parts of the endocrine system to cause decreased fertility, abnormal sexual differentiation andbehavior, decreased response to stress, immune deficiency or altered basal metabolism. Many thousand man-made chemicals are released into the environment, but very few have been tested for endocrine disrupting activity. This book covers only the minute fraction for which evidence has been collected.

Every coordination within or between animals depends on communication processes. Although the signaling molecules, vocal and tactile signs, gestures and its combinations differ throughout all species according their evolutionary origins and variety of adaptation processes, certain levels of biocommunication can be found in all animal species:

(a) Abiotic environmental indices such as temperature, light, water, etc. that affect the local ecosphere of an organism and are sensed, interpreted.

(b) Trans-specific communication with non-related organisms.

(c) Species-specific communication between same or related species.

(d) Intraorganismic communication, i.e., sign-mediated coordination within the body of the organism.

This book gives an overview of the manifold levels of animal communication exemplified by a variety of species and thereby broadens the understanding of these organisms.

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This book reviews all major models and hypotheses concerning the mechanisms supposed to underlie the process of navigation in vertebrates.

It covers data on all major model groups of vertebrates studied in the context of animal navigation, such as migratory birds, homing pigeons, sea turtles, subterranean mammals and some migratory fish species. Some other - less studied - groups, e.g., whales, have also been touched.

The first part of the book describes different sources of navigational information, with their specific navigational mechanisms known or supposed to be employed by animals for navigational goals. The second part discusses possible functions of these mechanisms in different vertebrates and in the context of different navigational tasks, ranging from short-range navigation, often performed by animals within as small an area as several square meters, to long-distance global-scale migrations performed by many birds and some sea turtles during their lifespan.

This volume covers a wide range of model systems from invertebrate to humans and in vitro and in vivo. Chapters detail methods on squid, aplysia, xenopus, mouse in vivo, ex vivo, rodent primary neurons, human-derived neurons, zebrafish, drosophila in vivo, primary neurons, c. elegans, and in vitro reconstitution assays.Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and reagents, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Axonal Transport: Methods and Protocols aims to further our understanding of the trafficking of cellular components in the nervous system leading to the advancement of basic knowledge that underlines the cell biology of the neuron. The chapters " Live imaging of RNA Transport and Translation in Xenopus Retinal Axons, Retrograde Axonal Transport of Neurotrophins in Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Neurons, Assessment of Mitochondrial Trafficking as A Surrogate of Fast Axonal Transport in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Spinal Motor Neurons, Drosophila Primary Neuronal Cultures as a Useful Cellular Model to Study and Image Axonal Transport, and In vitro Reconstitution of Kinesin-Based, Axonal mRNA Transport" are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com

A presentation of the most elementary form of pulsatile flow as an important prerequisite for the study of other flow applications in biological systems. The book provides in a single source a complete treatment of the fluid dynamics of flow with the required mathematics and emphasis on the basis mechanics. The style and level of this book make it accessible to students and researchers in biophysics, biology, medicine, bioengineering and applied mathematics working in theoretical and clinical work on the cardiovascular system, as well as in the design of new instrumentation, medical imaging systems, and artificial organs. With problems and exercises.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), known as prion diseases, have been recognized for nearly 300 years in animals and almost 100 years in humans. Modern studies, including the protein-misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), have greatly advanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of prion diseases and facilitated the identification of new prion diseases in animals and humans. In the second edition of Prions and Diseases, more than 60 leading researchers and clinicians worldwide provide an up-to-date discussion of these unique infectious pathogens and their associated diseases. The book provides up-to-date knowledge about the etiology, pathogenesis, classification, histopathological, and clinical aspects of the full range of animal and human prion diseases. As a result, the book contains by far the most authoritative views about the past, present, and future of prions and prion diseases. The new second edition covers such important emerging topics such as inherited human prion disease, stem-cell models in prion research, human prion disease surveillance, and gene therapy strategies.

A number of factors have come together in the last couple of decades to define the emerging interdisciplinary field of structural molecular biology. First, there has been the considerable growth in our ability to obtain atomic-resolution structural data for biological molecules in general, and proteins in particular. This is a result of advances in technique, both in x-ray crystallography, driven by the development of electronic detectors and of synchrotron radiation x-ray sources, and by the development ofNMR techniques which allow for inference of a three-dimensional structure of a protein in solution. Second, there has been the enormous development of techniques in DNA engineering which makes it possible to isolate and clone specific molecules of interest in sufficient quantities to enable structural measurements. In addition, the ability to mutate a given amino acid sequence at will has led to a new branch of biochemistry in which quantitative measurements can be made assessing the influence of a given amino acid on the function of a biological molecule. A third factor, resulting from the exponential increase in computing power available to researchers, has been the emergence of a growing body of people who can take the structural data and use it to build atomic-scale models of biomolecules in order to try and simulate their motions in an aqueous environment, thus helping to provide answers to one of the most basic questions of molecular biology: the relation of structure to function.

An integrated reference which could form the basis for advanced courses on development or become a resource for individuals teaching basic courses. Following an introduction by the volume editors, the 11 chapters represent 11 different systems, arranged phylogenetically, beginning with prokaryotic s

Sunao Tawara's epoch-making work on the excitation conduction system of the mammalian heart paved the way for the advancement of modern cardiology in the 20th century. Even today, more than 90 years after the publication of the German monograph "Das Reizleitungssystem des Saugetierherzen", his precise account of the conduction system from the atrioventricular node through the His-Purkinje system to the ordinary ventricular muscle fibers retains all of its original actuality.This English edition of Tawara's monograph will serve as an invaluable reference for both basic and clinical cardiological research in the years ahead.

This unique volume gives insight into the science of slaughter with in-depth discussion of neural communication and the welfare aspects of pre-slaughter handling and slaughter of livestock. The concepts of conscious perception, unconsciousness, stunning, slaughter and death are discussed to provide readers with an understanding of the different events that lead to the conversion of animals into carcasses and subsequently into meat. This accessible work is an excellent resource for learning about welfare issues of different techniques, as it includes historical aspects of religious and conventional slaughter with a focus on the developments around technologies. It comprises the advent of mechanical slaughter in the form of poleaxes to present day use of sophisticated stunning equipment. Moreover, the author covers key aspects of halal meat production and discusses the politics of religious slaughter with an emphasis on the increasing number of anti-halal movements across Europe, America and others. The slaughter of animals for consumption by people of faith is economically significant and has led to a race for market share by multinational retail enterprises. However, there are also ethical and political aspects of religious slaughter which have always divided opinion. The topic of this book provides an important link to the disciplines of animal welfare research, the meat industry and the food business. Scientists, students, as well as government agencies, veterinarians and professionals in food processing and slaughter technology manufacturing will find this an important account. Simplified summaries and practical notes make this reference highly readable.

In this volume of Reviews of Physiology there are three outstanding contributions, the first on Selenium-containing proteins in mammals and other forms of life, and the second on constitutively active and G-protein coupled inward rectifier K+ channels: Kir2.0 and Kir3.0 and the third on Chloroplast quest: a journey from the cytosol into the chloroplast and beyond.