This book discusses oxidative stress and hormesis from the perspective of an evolutionary ecologist or physiologist. In the first of ten chapters, general historical information, definitions, and background of research on oxidative stress physiology, hormesis, and life history are provided. Chapters 2-10 highlight the different solutions that organisms have evolved to cope with the oxidative threats posed by their environments and lifestyles. The author illustrates how oxidative stress and hormesis have shaped diversity in organism life-histories, behavioral profiles, morphological phenotypes, and aging mechanisms. The book offers fascinating insights into how organisms work and how they evolve to sustain their physiological functions under a vast array of environmental conditions.

This new volume provides a concise overview of the most basic and exciting chapters of comparative medicine with regards to physiology and function in healthy individuals. The book includes core concepts in anatomy and physiology in human and animal models, which are key to understanding comparative medicine and to making contributions to research in this area. While writing this book, the authors were in constant interdisciplinary dialogue. They aim to contribute to improvements in quality of life for human and animal patients.

Channels and transporters are multi-functional proteins that mediate substrate transport and signal transmission and simultaneously act as regulators for other proteins and biosensors for environmental materials. Patch clamping is an epoch-making technique that allows researchers to perform real-time measurements of electrogenic channel/transporter functions at the single/multiple molecular level. This book describes not only the conventional patch clamp techniques but also their newly developed variations or applications, such as perforated patch, slice patch, blind patch, in vivo patch, imaging patch, smart patch, and automated patch clamping. These patch clamp techniques are now essential and are extensively used across the life sciences and in related industries. With plain and practical descriptions of patch clamping and how to carry it out, especially for beginners, the book also shows how widely and exquisitely the patch clamp techniques can be applied by expert electrophysiologists. This work serves as a useful guide for young researchers and students in training and laboratory courses as well as for senior researchers who wish to extend their repertoire of techniques.

Darwinian medicine looks at the ecological and evolutionary roots of disease. A disease is an interaction between a genome and its biotic or abiotic environment and therefore a disease is essentially an ecological process. Good understanding of ecology and a Darwinian way of thinking can give us novel and useful perspectives on health and disease. If we understand the disease process better, we can certainly prevent, control as well as treat diseases in a better way. Although the thought that the origins of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) might lie in our hunter gatherer adaptations is not new, research over the last decade makes us rethink many of the classical concepts. Brain and behavior is increasingly being recognized as central to all the endocrine, metabolic and immunological changes that earmark type 2 diabetes and other metabolic syndrome disorders. A major change in paradigm appears to be on the horizon and the proposed book intends to speed up the paradigm shift by raising important questions, pointing out flaws and inadequacies in the prevalent paradigm and stimulating radical rethinking which would redirect and refine the line of research as well as bring some fundamental changes in drug discovery and clinical practice.

The Micro-Tomographic Atlas of the Mouse Skeleton provides a unique systematic description of all calcified components of the mouse. It includes about 200 high resolution, two and three dimensional m CT images of the exterior and interiors of all bones and joints. In addition, the spatial relationship of bones within complex skeletal units is also described. The images are accompanied by detailed explanatory text, thus highlighting special features and newly reported structures. The Atlas fulfils an emerging need for a comprehensive reference to assist both trained and in-training researchers.

The study of animal communication has led to significant progress in our general understanding of motor and sensory systems, evolution, and speciation. However, one often neglected aspect is that signal exchange in every modality is constrained by noise, be it in the transmission channel or in the nervous system. This book analyses whether and how animals can cope with such constraints, and explores the implications that noise has for our understanding of animal communication. It is written by leading biologists working on different taxa including insects, fish, amphibians, lizards, birds, and mammals. In addition to this broad taxonomic approach, the chapters also cover a wide array of research disciplines: from the mechanisms of signal production and perception, to the behavioural ecology of signalling, the evolution of animal communication, and conservation issues. This volume promotes the integration of the knowledge gained by the diverse approaches to the study of animal communication and, at the same time, highlights particularly interesting fields of current and future research.

A history of the agricultural sciences in Nazi Germany is presented in this book. The book analyzes scientific practice under the Nazi regime, Nazi agricultural policy and autarkic strategies, and the expansion policy in Eastern Europe. It offers new insights into the Auschwitz concentration camp and new perspectives on the cooperation between German elite scientists and the Nazi regime. The book goes on to dismiss the assumption that "Arian physics" were typical for Nazi Germany.

This book summarizes the key adaptations enabling extremophile fishes to survive under harsh environmental conditions. It reviews the most recent research on acidic, Antarctic, cave, desert, hypersaline, hypoxic, temporary, and fast-flowing habitats, as well as naturally and anthropogenically toxic waters, while pointing out generalities that are evident across different study systems. Knowledge of the different adaptations that allow fish to cope with stressful environmental conditions furthers our understanding of basic physiological, ecological, and evolutionary principles. In several cases, evidence is provided for how the adaptation to extreme environments promotes the emergence of new species. Furthermore, a link is made to conservation biology, and how human activities have exacerbated existing extreme environments and created new ones. The book concludes with a discussion of major open questions in our understanding of the ecology and evolution of life in extreme environments.

This book offers a new explanation for the development of flight in mammals and offers detailed morphological descriptions of mammals with flapping flight. The skeletomuscular apparatus of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs of tree shrews, flying lemurs and bats is described in detail. Special attention is paid to the recognition of peculiar features of the skeleton and joints. For the basic locomotor patterns of flying lemurs and bats, the kinematic models of the shoulder girdle elements are developed. The most important locomotor postures of these animals are analyzed by means of statics. The key structural characters of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs of flying lemurs and bats, the formation of which provided transition of mammals from terrestrial locomotion to gliding and then, to flapping flight, are recognized. The concept is proposed that preadaptations preceding the acquisition of flapping flight could have come from widely sprawled forelimb posture while gliding from tree to tree and running up the thick trunks. It is shown that flying lemur is an adequate morphofunctional model for an ancestral stage of bats. The evolutionary ecomorphological scenario describing probable transformational stages of typical parasagittal limbs of chiropteran ancestors into wings is developed.

This authoritative volume explores advances in the techniques used to measure percutaneous penetration of drugs and chemicals to assess bioavailability and bioequivalence and discusses how they have been used in clinical and scientific investigations. Seven comprehensive sections examine topics including in vitro drug release, topical drugs products, clinical studies, and guidelines and workshop reports, among others. The book also describes how targeted transdermal drug delivery and more sophisticated mathematical modelling can aid in understanding the bioavailability of transdermal drugs. The first edition of this book was an important reference guide for researchers working to define the effectiveness and safety of drugs and chemicals that penetrated the skin. This second edition contains cutting-edge advances in the field and is a key resource to those seeking to define the bioavailability and bioequivalence of percutaneously active compounds to improve scientific and clinical investigation and regulation.

This book covers advances made since the 2004 Springer volume "Polarized Light in Animal Vision" edited by Horvath and Varju, but also provides reviews and synopses of some areas. Part I examines polarization sensitivity across many animal taxa including vertebrates and invertebrates and details both terrestrial and aquatic life. Part II is devoted to the description of polarized light in nature and explores how the physics of light must be taken into account when understanding how polarized light is detected by the visual system. This includes underwater polarization due to scattering; polarization patterns reflected from freshwater bodies; polarization characteristics of forest canopies; normal and anomalous polarization patterns of the skies; skylight polarization transmitted through Snell's window and both linearly and circularly polarized signals produced by terrestrial and aquatic animals. This Part also examines polarized "light pollution" induced by anthropogenic factors such as reflection off asphalt surfaces, glass panes, car bodies, and other man-made structures that are now known to form ecological traps for polarotactic insects. Part III surveys some of the practical applications of polarization vision including polarization-based traps for biting insects, ground-based polarimetric cloud detectors and an historical examination of the navigational abilities of Viking seafarers using the sky polarization compass. The deterrent qualities of ungulate pelage to polarization-sensitive biting insects is also examined in this section.

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.

The existing theories on the evolution of senescence assume that senescence is inevitable in all organisms. However, recent studies have shown that this is not necessarily true. A better understanding of senescence and its underlying mechanisms could have far-reaching consequences for conservation and eco-evolutionary research. This book is the first to offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the evolution of senescence in many species, setting the stage for further developments. It brings together new insights from a wide range of scientific fields and cutting-edge research done on a multitude of different animals (including humans), plants and microbes, giving the reader a complete overview of recent developments and of the controversies currently surrounding the topic. Written by specialists from a variety of disciplines, this book is a valuable source of information for students and researchers interested in ageing and life history traits and populations.

Entomology as a science of inter-depended branches like molecular entomology, insect biotechnology, has made rapid progress. This also implies that there is an urgent need to manage the available resources. In the past five decades, entomology has taken giant steps ahead. The aim of this work is to integrate perspectives across molecular and biochemistry, physiology, reproduction, developmental biology, molecular evolution, genetics and RNAi applications. This century is proclaimed as the Era of Biotechnology and it consists of all types of Mol-Bio-Gen applications, which is an essential component for a thorough understanding of the insect biology. The aim of this work is to provide the comprehensive review of recent research from various geographic areas around the world and contributing authors that are recognized experts in their respective field of Genomic entomology. This Volume emphasizes upon the need for and relevance of studying molecular aspects of entomology in Universities, Agricultural Universities and other centers of molecular research. It will also serve as a landmark source for Insect advance science technology.

E.F.F. Chladni's experiments and observations with sound and vibrations profoundly influenced the development of the field of Acoustics. The famous Chladni diagrams along with other observations are contained in Die Akustik, published in German in 1802 and Traite d'Acoustique, a greatly expanded version, published in French in 1809. This is the first comprehensive translation of the expanded French version of Traite d'Acoustique, using the 1802 German publication for reference and clarification. The translation was undertaken by Robert T. Beyer, PhD (1920-2008), noted acoustician, Professor of Physics at Brown University, and Gold Medal recipient of the Acoustical Society of America. Along with many other projects completed over the course of his career, Dr. Beyer translated Von Neumann's seminal work, Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics from the original German, spent 30 years translating Russian physics treatises and journals, served as editor of the English translation of the Soviet Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, and also authored Sounds of our Times: Two Hundred Years of Acoustics.

This book summarizes recent advances in understanding of the mammalian and fish olfactory system and provides perspective on the translation of external odor information into appropriate motivational and behavioral responses. Following the discovery of the odorant receptor gene family in 1991, understanding of the basic biological mechanisms of the olfactory system has advanced enormously. Despite such rapid progress, however, it remains unclear how odor information is processed at levels beyond the olfactory bulb, including the olfactory cortex, olfactory tubercle, and orbitofrontal cortex. This book thus describes the most recent developments in olfactory research, with particular focus on the basic neurobiological mechanisms of the neuronal circuit function in the olfactory system and its related higher centers. Exploring the basic functional logic of the neuronal circuits in the olfactory system in this way appears to be crucial in understanding the workings of the complex neuronal circuits of the brain, particularly those in the cerebral cortex that link sensory perception to appropriate behavioral responses. This book is written for the coming generation of scientists: undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of neuroscience, neurobiology, chemical senses, food and nutritional sciences, medical science, sensory psychology, and behavioral sciences.

Unchecked aggression and violence take a significant toll on society. Even if we manage to avoid being the direct victim of a violent act, the effects of aggression and violence reach us all: We hear about the mauling of a woman by an aggressive dog, our children are bullied at school, or we deal with impulsive violence while commuting to work or attending a sporting event. Reflecting psychology in general, the dominant roles of learning and environmental influences - both social and nonsocial - have traditionally been prominent in discussions of the etiology of human aggression. Biological factors have not been considered sufficiently important to investigate in the search for ways of dealing with human aggression or violence. With recent advances in pharmacology and genetic manipulation techniques, however, new interest has developed in the biological mechanisms of both non-human and human aggression. Although aggression is certainly a complex social behavior with multiple causes, molecular biological factors should not be overlooked, as they may well lead to interventions that prevent excess aggressive behaviors. The primary goal of this book is to summarize and synthesize recent advances in the biological study of aggression. As most aggressive encounters among human and non-human animals represent a male proclivity, the research in this book describes and discusses studies using the most appropriate murine model: testosterone-dependent offensive inter-male aggression, which is typically measured in resident-intruder or isolation-induced aggression tests. The research also emphasizes various molecules that have been linked to aggression tests. The research also emphasizes various molecules that have been linked to aggression by the latest gene-targeting and pharmacological techniques. Although the evidence continues to point to androgens and serotonin (5-HT) as major hormonal and neurotransmitter factors in aggressive behavior, recent work with GABA, dopamine, vasopressin, and other factors, such as nitric oxide, has revealed significant interactions with the neural circuitry underlying aggression. This book is organized according to levels of analysis. The first section examines the genetic contributions to aggression in species ranging from crustaceans to humans. The section summarizes the involvement of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in aggressive behavior. The third section summarizes the influence of hormones on aggression, primarily in humans. All chapters emphasize future directions for research on aggression and reveal important domains that have received comparatively less attention in this literature. Considered together, these chapters provide up-to-date coverage of the biology of aggression by some of the leading authorities currently working in this field. Biology of Aggression will direct future research to continue the recent advances in the pharmacological and genetic approaches to understanding aggression and violence. It promises to be a valuable resource for professional and student researchers in neuroscience, psychiatry, cognitive and developmental psychology, behavioral biology, and veterinary medicine.

This SpringerBrief provides a concise summary on the chemistry and function of murine pheromones in reproduction. It discusses mechanisms of action as well as the applicability of these mechanisms to humans. The image of pheromones is usually some invisible mysterious chemicals that make people attracted to the opposite sex. However, pheromones have many functions and one that perhaps is not well known yet is that they affect the reproductive status of others. Males' pheromones stimulate females' reproductive status and vice versa. This book will present studies on male mice which is rarely covered and will also discuss trans-generational influences of pheromones. The book addresses Professors, researchers and students working in animal neurochemistry, chemical signaling and reproductive medicine.

This monograph presents complex data on Fascioloides magna from all aspects of its research (general information, distribution, spectrum of hosts) and summarizes the latest information on molecular structure of informative genes which were recently applied in resolving taxonomy and biogeography of this veterinary important parasite. The giant liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, is important liver parasite of free-living and domestic ruminants. Due to its biology, distribution, medical impact, and invasive character, this liver fluke attracts attention of wide spectrum of specialists - veterinary doctors, hunters and farmers, as well as scientists. The parasite utilizes wide range of free living and domestic ruminants as definitive hosts, with various pathological impacts ranging from moderate infections towards lethal effects. Fascioloides magna is of North American origin where it occurs in five enzootic regions. It was introduced to Europe along with its deer hosts in 19th century and it has established three permanent natural foci. The giant liver fluke represents an outstanding model for studying the origin, spatial distribution, migratory routs, and invasion processes of introduced species.

Research over the years has demonstrated that free radicals mediated oxidative stress lies at the helm of almost all patho-physiological phenomena. These findings emphasize on the need to understand the underlying molecular mechanism(s) and their critical role in the pathogenesis. This book aims to focus on these areas to provide readers a comprehensive outlook about the major redox sensitive pathways and networks involved in various disease conditions. In the first chapter of the book, basic information about the oxidative stress, its generation, its biomarkers and its role in body are discussed. In the next three chapters, the role of oxidative stress in various pathologies ranging from neurological disorders, to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, metabolic diseases and ageing have been described. Chapter 5 cumulatively describes the most important molecular signaling pathways that are affected by reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are the mechanisms which are common denominators in various pathological states. In the next part of the book, various antioxidant strategies to target and mitigate ROS have been discussed with details on the mechanisms. Selenium, being the research focus and interest of the authors for years, the role of selenium as an antioxidant as part of selenoproteins has been included in the book. Finally, the book culminates with authors’ perspective on the future of the redox biology field. Throughout the book, efforts have been made to use simplified language and suitable figures for ease to understand the contents. Although the authors have tried to touch on all the different aspects of oxidative stress in detail, the fact that it is a continuously growing field with updates coming every day, there might be some areas which might not be described in depth. This book is designed for students, young scientists to get acquainted with the redox biology. Overall, this book is a reference to understand the redox regulation of cellular signaling pathways involved in pathogenesis.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the current progress in muscle contraction and cell motility research. It discusses structural, mechanical, and biochemical characteristics of skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles, and cell motility. The experimental objects of the studies described in this volume extend from humans to molecules. A distinct feature of this volume is that, in some chapters, evidence against the textbook view is presented, showing how well-established dogma can be denied by an unexpected discovery. This book is as interesting as it is informative for general readers and young scientists alike, and it is sure to inspire both to challenge the enticing mysteries that still remain in this exciting research field.

The rapid progress of neuroscience in the last decade can be largely attributed to significant advances in neuroethology, a branch of science that seeks to understand the neural basis of natural animal behavior. Novel approaches including molecular biological techniques, optical recording methods, functional anatomy, and informatics have brought drastic changes in how the neural systems underlying high-level behaviors such as learning and memory are described. This book introduces recent research techniques in neuroethology, with diverse topics involving nematodes, insects, and vertebrates (birds, mice and primates), divided into sections by research method. Each section consists of two chapters written by different authors who have developed their own unique approaches. Reports of research in "model animals" including C. elegans, Drosophila, and mice, which were not typical specimens in conventional neuroethology, have been deliberately selected for this book because a molecular genetic approach to these animals is necessary for advances in neuroethology. Novel methodology including optical recording and functional labeling with reporter genes such as GFP has been actively used in recent neurobiological studies, and genetic manipulation techniques such as optogenetics also are powerful tools for understanding the molecular basis of neural systems for animal behavior. This book provides not only these new strategies but also thought-provoking statements of philosophy in neuroethology for students and young researchers in the biological sciences.

The International Symposium on Hearing is a highly-prestigious, triennial event where world-class scientists present and discuss the most recent advances in the field of hearing research in animals and humans. Presented papers range from basic to applied research, and are of interest neuroscientists, otolaryngologists, psychologists, and artificial intelligence researchers. Basic Aspects of Hearing: Physiology and Perception includes the best papers from the 2012 International Symposium on Hearing. Over 50 chapters focus on the relationship between auditory physiology, psychoacoustics, and computational modeling.

Animals perform many athletic tasks to an amazing degree of accomplishment: not only spectacular feats of running and jumping but also routine actions that ensure survival such as feeding, vocalization, diving, flying, and many more. The study of performance capacity (defined as the ability of an animal to conduct a key task) is of great interest to both ecologists and evolutionary biologists. At an ecological level, how well individuals perform often dictates opportunities for reproduction, occupation of preferred territories, or capturing prey. Therefore, variation in performance capacities can be a key determinant of variation in fitness within animal populations. At an evolutionary level, variation in function often follows closely from variation in form, and therefore enables animals to invade novel habitats, or to overtake other species. This novel book examines how and why animal athletes have evolved. It uses examples from across the animal kingdom and integrates them in the broader context of ecology and evolution, thereby identifying common themes that transcend taxonomic divisions. Animal Athletes is an accessible textbook of particular relevance to undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of evolutionary biology, ecology, vertebrate morphology, and functional morphology, and will also appeal to the interested layperson.

This book describes in detail various aspects of fluoride toxicity in animals. Animals, like human beings, suffer from the toxic effects of excess fluoride intake. They show pathological changes in their teeth and bone, together with a marked reduction in appetite, productive and reproductive potentials, which can result in severe economic losses in the dairy industry. Laboratory and wild animals also suffer from this ailment. Animal suffering and economic losses alike can be minimized through early diagnosis of the problem and by adopting suitable preventive and therapeutic measures. The book details the susceptibility of different animal species, important sources of toxicity, clinical signs and symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, preventive and therapeutic approaches. It offers a valuable resource for scientists working in the fields of toxicology, veterinary science, animal nutrition, and environmental science, as well as for public health workers, animal welfare activists, public health veterinarians, field veterinarians, medical professionals and all others interested in the subject.