Acute lung injury, respiratory failure, and acute respiratorydistresssyndrome associ- ated with sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction isbecoming more common in hospitals through- out the world. Although new classesofantimicrobial medications have been introduced and aggressive intensive life support systems are in use in many hospitals, mortality remains in the range of35 to 65 percent in even the best equipped medical facilities. However, with new technologies inphysiology and cellularand molecularbiology, wonderful opportunities now exist for scientists to explore more effective approaches to identificationofpatients at risk, to develop better insights to pathogenic mechanisms, to use new tools to follow the progression and natural history ofdisease, and to develop better modes oftherapies. The NATOAdvanced Study Institute on Acute RespiratoryDistress Syndrome: Cel- lularandMolecularMechanisms and ClinicalManagement was an outstanding opportunity for laboratory scientists and clinical investigators to discuss their own research approaches, explore opportunities for bringing newdimensions to their laboratories, and work together to identify possible clinical applications. The conference brought together investigators who have worked with patients ofall ages, including those who have so successfully treated in- fants with respiratory distress syndrome. There is no doubt that this stimulating conference will bring new dimensions, new technologies, and new investigators into the scientific labo- ratoriesofeach participant. This provides hope that new therapeutic approaches will eventu- ally be available.

A review of our understanding of this area of the brain, showing how it fits into the general picture of those areas concerned with modulating mammalian behavior. The chapters, all written by leading figures in behavioral neuroscience, discuss the anatomy, neurochemistry, physiology, and behavioral relations in the septal area. Due to the great deal of current research shown in the related areas of hippocampus and the amygdala, this book will be of great interest to all those who research the hippocampus and the amygdala in addition to the septum itself.

This conference and monograph were the result of many collective efforts. The whole concept was formulated one early Wednesday morning at our weekly research meeting at Children's Hospital in our division of urology. We have been most fortunate to have a close collaboration with Bob Levin, Ed Macarak, and Pam Howard who have helped steer the course of our division's growing interest in basic science. At our weekly meetings our laboratory fellow will summarize their current work. Other ongoing areas of investigation in our labs and elsewhere are discussed. We have always made an effort to try and understand what other groups are doing who are working in the area of bladder smooth muscle research. It occurred to us that the best way to really know what everyone working in this field was doing would be to sponsor a 2-day meeting where we could all gather to discuss our ongoing work. A major limitation of the annual meeting of the American Urologic Association or the urology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics is that the scientfic sessions are limited as these are meant to be primarily clinical meetings (as they should be). For this reason the idea of a meeting devoted solely to research about the urinary bladder had great appeal. In addition to allowing for longer presentations than the standard 5 to 7 minutes, every effort would be made to encourage a dialogue amongst the presenters and the audience.

This volume focuses exclusively on those endocytic processes that sequester proteins by a selective, receptor-mediated mechanism. In such an endocytic process, cell surface receptors specifically bind protein ligands and localize them to specialized invaginations of the plasma membrane. These regions are coated pits, so named because they are lined on the cytoplasmic face with an ordered array of the protein, clathrin. It is this 'coat' which provides their characteristic electron microscopic image. Subsequently, these regions pinch off to form coated vesicles which rapidly lose their 'coat' and then fuse with other organelles or the plasma membrane. The hallmarks of, this process are the specific receptors, coated pits, coated vesicles and an ordered sequence of transit events leading to delivery to selected locations. Receptor recognition, specific disposition of the endocytosed ligand and the existence of recep tor-ligand complexes at highest density in coated pits define the process as selective and concentrative. This topic has received ever increasing attention during the past few years. The evolving mechanisms are especially exciting because they come at a time when the conventional views based on thermodynamic arguments suggest that proteins should not be able to cross into the cell. Receptor-mediated endocytosis, however, reconciles the view that biological membranes should be impervious to macromolecules with the evidence that certain mac romolecules do gain entrance into the cell. During the last few years this field has been stimulated by studies on the uptake and processing of low density lipoproteins (LDL) by cells."

Biological sensors are usually remarkably small, sensitive and efficient. It is highly desirable to design corresponding artificial sensors for scientific, industrial and commercial purposes.This book is designed to fill an urgent need for interdisciplinary exchange between biologists studying sensors in the natural world and engineers and physical scientists developing artificial sensors. Contributions from leading scientists in this area, whether engineers or biologists, are written to be accessible to readers from these and other disciplines. The main topics cover mechanical sensors, visual sensors and vision and chemosensors. Readers will obtain a fuller understanding of the nature and performance of natural sensors as well as enhanced appreciation for the current status and the potential applicability of artificial microsensors. Friedrich G. Barth was awarded the "Karl-Ritter-von-Frisch-Medaille at the 2003 Annual Conference of the German Zoological Society in Halle, Germany."

Over the course of the past decade, there has been an enormous augmentation in the amount of information available on the lemurs of Madagascar. These advances are closely coupled with an increase in the number of national and international researchers working on these animals. As a result, Madagascar has emerged as one of the principal sites of primatological studies in the world. Furthermore, the conserva tion community has a massive interest in the preservation of the natural habitats of the island, and lemurs serve as one of the symbols of this cause. Between 10 and 14 August 1998, the XVIIth International Primatology Society (IPS) Congress was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. For a country that about a decade ago was largely closed to foreign visitors, this Congress constituted a massive event for the Malagasy scientific community and was assisted by about 550 primatolo gists from 35 different countries. Naturally, given the venue and context of the Con gress, many of the presentations dealt with lemurs and covered a very wide breadth of subjects.

Evolutionary biomechanics is the study of evolution through the analysis of biomechanical systems. Its unique advantage is the precision with which physical constraints and performance can be predicted from first principles. Instead of reviewing the entire breadth of the biomechanical literature, a few key examples are explored in depth as vehicles for discussing fundamental concepts, analytical techniques, and evolutionary theory. Each chapter develops a conceptual theme, developing the underlying theory and techniques required for analyses in evolutionary biomechanics. Examples from terrestrial biomechanics, metabolic scaling, and bird flight are used to analyse how physics constrains the design space that natural selection is free to explore, and how adaptive evolution finds solutions to the trade-offs between multiple complex conflicting performance objectives. Evolutionary Biomechanics is suitable for graduate level students and professional researchers in the fields of biomechanics, physiology, evolutionary biology and palaeontology. It will also be of relevance and use to researchers in the physical sciences and engineering.

This volume contains the scientific papers and abstracts of posters presented at the International Symposium on Molecular Insect Science held in Tucson, Arizona, October 22-27, 1989. This meeting was organized by the Center for Insect Science at the University of Arizona in response to the growing need for a forum dedicated to the impact of modern biology on insect science. While scientific studies of a few insects, notably Drosophila melanogaster, have always had a central role in the development of biology, it is only recently that tools have become available to extend these studies to other insects, including those having economic and medical importance. The Tucson meeting was evidence of how far we have come in extending modern biological tools to the study of insects. It is also evident from the contents of this book that the study of insects is making an increasingly important contribution to the advancement of biology generally. Given the large impact of insects on human life, such a development has considerable importance for human welfare, and of the welfare of the ecosystem as a whole. It should be noted that several of the participants who presented posters were invited to prepare full length papers to ensure that the book covered the major areas of insect science. The financial support of the National Science Foundation and the Monsanto Corporation is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to Sharon Richards for her dedicated work on the manuscripts. Henry H.

The study of primate locomotion is a unique discipline that by its nature is interdis ciplinary, drawing on and integrating research from ethology, ecology, comparative anat omy, physiology, biomechanics, paleontology, etc. When combined and focused on particular problems this diversity of approaches permits unparalleled insight into critical aspects of our evolutionary past and into a major component of the behavioral repertoire of all animals. Unfortunately, because of the structure of academia, integration of these different approaches is a rare phenomenon. For instance, papers on primate behavior tend to be published in separate specialist journals and read by subgroups of anthropologists and zoologists, thus precluding critical syntheses. In the spring of 1995 we overcame this compartmentalization by organizing a con ference that brought together experts with many different perspectives on primate locomo tion to address the current state of the field and to consider where we go from here. The conference, Primate Locomotion-1995, took place thirty years after the pioneering confer ence on the same topic that was convened by the late Warren G. Kinzey at Davis in 1965."

The Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) has supported and continues to support development of computational approaches in biology and medicine. OHER's Radiological and Chemical Physics Program initiated development of computational approaches to determine the effects produced by radiation of different quality (such as high energy electrons, protons, helium and other heavy ions, etc. ) in a variety of materials of biological interest-such as water, polymers and DNA; these include molecular excitations and sub-excitations and the production of ionization and their spatial and temporal distribution. In the past several years, significant advances have been made in computational methods for this purpose. In particular, codes based on Monte Carlo techniques have .been developed that provide a realistic description of track-structure produced by charged particles. In addition, the codes have become sufficiently sophisticated so that it is now possible to calculate the spatial and temporal distribution of energy deposition patterns in small volumes of subnanometer and nanometer dimensions. These dimensions or resolution levels are relevant for our understanding of mechanisms at the molecular level by which radiations affect biological systems. Since the Monte Carlo track structure codes for use in radiation chemistry and radiation biology are still in the developmental stage, a number of investigators have been exploring different strategies for improving these codes."

Animals and plants live in changing environmental conditions which require adaptation in order to cope with this. Some of these environmental changes serve as signals which have to be "sensed" and interpreted correctly by the organisms to initiate the adaptation. This signal processing is based on biochemical, molecular and neuronal processes which are discussed in this book. All examples given underline that continuous adjustment of physiological functions is an essential requirement for life and survival in complex changing environments.

Comparative Vertebrate Reproduction is the only comprehensive textbook covering major topics in the reproductive biology of vertebrates, from sexuality and gametogenesis to reproductive ecology and life history tactics. The work draws heavily on recent reviews and papers while placing topics in a historical context and conceptual framework. In addition, the author provides detailed comparative surveys of each of the major topics discussed. Comparative Vertebrate Reproduction has been written as a textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level students in biology, zoology, physiology, animal science, and veterinary medicine. The work also serves as an excellent reference for researchers in medical and veterinary schools working in reproductive medicine.

In six parts, this book considers the extent to which computational, neural, and ecological constraints have shaped the mechanisms underlying motion vision: - Early Motion Vision - Motion Signals for Local and Global Analysis - Optical Flow Patterns - Motion Vision in Action - Neural Coding of Motion - Motion in Natural Environments Each topic is introduced by a keynote chapter which is accompanied by several companion articles. Written by an international group of experts in neurobiology, psychophysics, animal behaviour, machine vision, and robotics, the book is designed to explore as comprehensively as possible the present state of knowledge concerning the principal factors that have guided the evolution of motion vision.

Pulmonary Biology in Health and Disease was conceived as a companion to a handful of expensive, multivolume textbooks. This is part of the promising trend to publish shorter textbooks on the subjects of lung biology and remodeling. Whoever is familiar with human biology and the far-reaching consequences of the genome and postgenome revolutions is apt to concede that the centerpiece in remodeling lies in the ?eld of m- ecular cardiobiology. The ?eld of molecular cardiobiology includes the syndrome of chronic heart failure as well as ischemic cardioprotection. By analogy, the centerpiece in pulmonobiology is chronic asthma. Key topics in the present volume include s- naling mechanisms regulating the endothelium and smooth muscle cells,in?ammatory cells, mediators, airway surface liquid, and pharmacological therapy that focuses on how in?amed airways are altered. Written primarily for predoctoral and postdoctoral graduates in the basic medical sciences, the medical student and postdoctoral physician, graduates in the allied s- ences, nurses, pulmonologists, and physicians in critical care medicine, this book p- vides many of the fundamentals of contemporary pulmonology. It is divided into several parts devoted to the control of respiration, arterial chemoreceptors,muscles of ventilation, pulmonary physiology, and gas exchange in health, exercise, and disease. Special emphasis is placed on emphysema and its pathobiology, acute lung injury, asthma and inhaled toxicants. Because the ?eld is always evolving, each chapter includes recommended readings that lead the reader to sources of additional information, such as the review on remodeling of the blood gas barrier by West and Mathieu-Costello.

This book contains aseries of review papers related to the lectures given at the Third Course on Bioelectrochemistry held at Erice in November 1988, in the framework of the International School of Biophysics. The topics covered by this course, "Charge Separation Across Biomembranes, " deal with the electrochemical aspects of some basic phenomena in biological systems, such as transport of ions, ATP synthesis, formation and maintenance of ionic and protonic gradients. In the first part of the course some preliminary lectures introduce the students to the most basic phenomena and technical aspects of membrane bioelectrochemistry. The remaining part of the course is devoted to the description of a selected group of membrane-enzyme systems, capable of promoting, or exploiting, the processes of separation of electrically charged entities (electrons or ions) across the membrane barrier. These systems are systematically discussed both from a structural and functional point of view. The effort of the many distinguished lecturers who contributed to the course is aimed at offering a unifying treatement of the electrogenic systems operating in biological membranes, underlying the fundamental differences in the molecular mechanisms of charge translocation.

Once Nietzsche said that human beings may be divided into two categories: Apollonians and Dionysians*. By this the philosopher meant that there are human beings a) who know what they are going to do in the long-term future (what we now call the grant application for the next 5 years), i. e. , Apollonians, and b) who barely know what they are going to do tomorrow morning before breakfast, i. e. , Dionysians. ** To organize a symposium, this symposium in particular, a committee had to be formed either of individuals sharing both Nietzschean characteristics or of individuals possessing either characteristic. Considering the rarity of the former type of subject, this organizing committee was spontaneously formed by a typical sample of both types of individuals. We first met in Perugia in 1988. Those of us who were Apollonians had thus a chance to organize a programme. The Dionysians knew what was going to happen to them, but, of course, did not know yet how to cope with it. They duly did so every day of the meeting, after breakfast. The organizers decided that it would be a useful exercise to assemble experts having different perspectives but all pursuing a very rapidly developing aspect of cell biology. They also hoped that these selected Apollonians and Dionysians would not merely recount their results but try to project the future through active interchanges of ideas and opinions with other attendees.

Various endogenous and environmental challenges of homoiostasis have resulted in the evolution of apparently quite different mechanisms for the same or similar functions in individual representatives of the animal kingdom. One of the prominent achievements of comparative physiology over the last few decades has been the description of regula- tory features common to many studied species beyond the extreme diversity of their morphological forms. Delineation offunctional princi- ples universally applicable to the physiology and biochemistry of living systems became often possible through technical advances in the devel- opment of numerous new techniques, in many cases modified and adopted from other fields of science, but also by approaching certain problems using multifactorial analysis. The advance in technology has facilitated studies of minute functional details of mechanisms, which finally lead to better understanding of generally similar functions, covered by the multiple developments of Nature as a response to an extreme variety of different conditions. Improved understanding of specific mechanisms, however, has presented new problems at the level of system integration. The importance of the integrative aspect became particularly apparent during an international symposium on 'Mecha- nisms of Systemic Regulation in Lower Vertebrates: Respiration, Circu- lation, Ion Transfer and Metabolism' (organized in 1990 by Norbert Heisler and Johannes Piiper at the Max-Planck-Institut fUr experimen- telle Medizin at Gottingen/Germany).

In the first edition of The Enzymes of Biological Membranes, published in four volumes in 1976, we collected the mass of widely scattered information on membrane-linked enzymes and metabolic processes up to about 1975. This was a period of transition from the romantic phase of membrane biochemistry, preoccupied with conceptual developments and the general properties of membranes, to an era of mounting interest in the specific properties of membrane-linked enzymes analyzed from the viewpoints of modem enzymology. The level of sophistication in various areas of membrane research varied widely; the structures of cytochrome c and cytochrome b5 were known to atomic detail, while the majority of membrane-linked enzymes had not even been isolated. In the intervening eight years our knowledge of membrane-linked enzymes ex panded beyond the wildest expectations. The purpose of the second edition of The Enzymes of Biological Membranes is to record these developments. The first volume describes the physical and chemical techniques used in the analysis of the structure and dynamics of biological membranes. In the second volume the enzymes and met abolic systems that participate in the biosynthesis of cell and membrane components are discussed. The third and fourth volumes review recent developments in active transport, oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis."

This comprehensive treatise on the reticuloendothelial system is a project jointly shared by individual members of the Reticuloendothelial (RE) Society and bio medical scientists in general who are interested in the intricate system of cells and molecular moieties derived from those cells which constitute the RES. It may now be more fashionable in some quarters to consider these cells as part of what is called the mononuclear phagocytic system or the lymphoreticular sys tem. Nevertheless, because of historical developments and current interest in the subject by investigators from many diverse areas, it seems advantageous to present in one comprehensive treatise current information and knowledge con cerning basic aspects of the RES, such as morphology, biochemistry, phylogeny and ontogeny, physiology, and pharmacology as well as clinical areas including immunopathology, cancer, infectious diseases, allergy, and hypersensitivity. It is anticipated that, by presenting information concerning these apparently het erogeneous topics under the unifying umbrella of the RES, attention will be focused on the similarities as well as interactions among the cell types constitut ing the RES from the viewpoint of various disciplines. The treatise editors and their editorial board, consisting predominantly of the editors of individual vol and enormous task umes, are extremely grateful for the enthusiastic cooperation undertaken by members of the biomedical community in general and especially and Japanese Reticuloen by members of the American as well as European dothelial Societies.

The dream of developing a biocomputer should not be dismissed as a sheer fantasy. Although there is naturally some doubt as to whether it is possible to design a computer using carbon-based components as in living organisms, instead of silicon-based components as in existing computers, the fact that an average brain often outperforms the most sophisticated computer in terms of the complexity of tasks, if not in terms of speed, is a living testimony to this possibility. The remaining question is to what extent a biocomputer can mimic a living organism and whether it is possible to design and fabri cate such a biocomputer within the foreseeable future. This volume does not attempt to provide immediate and exact answers to these questions but instead attempts to provide a vision and a progress report of the initial efforts. This volume is mainly a collection of papers presented at the Symposium on Molecular Electronics - Biosensors and Biocomputers, sponsored by the Divi sion of Biotechnology, Health and Environment of the Fine Particle Society, held from July 19-22, 1989 at the Society's 19th Annual Meeting in Santa Clara, California. Also included are articles contributed by those who planned to attend the conference but were unable to do so. The emergence of the field of molecular electronics is largely the consequence of one person's crusade, that of Forrest L. Carter.

Environmental conditions change considerably in the course of 24 h with respect to abiotic factors and intra- and interspecific interactions. These changes result in limited time windows of opportunity for animal activities and, hence, the question of when to do what is subject to fitness maximisation. This volume gives a current overview of theoretical considerations and empirical findings of activity patterns in small mammals, a group in which the energetic and ecological constraints are particularly severe and the diversity of activity patterns is particularly high. Following a comparative ecological approach, for the first time activity timing is consequently treated in terms of behavioural and evolutionary ecology, providing the conceptual framework for chronoecology as a new subdiscipline within behavioural ecology. An extensive Appendix gives an introduction to methods of activity modelling and to tools for statistical pattern analysis.

(Chapters 11 to 14) summarise important features of the biological clock at the level of whole animal covering all vertebrate classes (fish to mammal). Chapters 15 and 16 are on long term (seasonal) rhythms in plants and higher vertebrates. Short term rhythms (ultradian rhythms), the significance of having a clock system in animals living in extreme (arctic) environments, and the diversity of circadian responses to melatonin, the key endocrine element involved in regulation of biological rhythms, have been discussed in Chapters 17 to 19. Finally, a chapter on sensitivity to light of the photoperiodic clock is added which, using vertebrate examples, illustrates the importance of wavelength and intensity of light on circadian and non-circadian functions. A well-known expert writes each chapter. When presenting information, the text provides consistent thematic coverage and feeling for the methods of investigation. Reference citation within the body of the text adequately reflects the literature as subject is developed. A chapter begins with an abstract that enables a reader to know at the first glance the important points covered in that chapter. The chapter concludes with a full citation of references included in the text, which could be useful for further reading. The book ends with a comprehensive subject index that may be useful for quick searches.

The basal forebrain has received considerable attention in recent years. This emphasis resulted from observations that the cortically projecting cholinergic neurons found in this region are critical for normal information processing. However, to achieve a complete understanding of such a complex function as "information processing" it is necessary to consider the basal forebrain not as an autonomous structure with a solitary task, but one that plays an integrative role; a structure that is connected intimately with many brain regions. This view evolved from the realization that the basal forebrain interfaces cognitive and reward functions with motor outputs. It is from this integrative and functional perspective that the present book was organized. The book is a unique collection of reports pertaining to the basal forebrain that encompasses a diversity of research approaches and techniques. It provides the reader with a progression of information that begins with anatomical descriptions of the afferent and efferent systems, stressing the integrative nature of various neurotransmitters located within the basal forebrain. The chapters focusing on anatomy are complemented by electrophysiologic studies that merge anatomical concepts with synaptic pharmacology and behavior. In vitro experiments demonstrate physiologic variations in anatomically identified neuronal subtypes and, together with in vivo techniques, provide pharmacologic descriptions of neuronal consequences to various neurotransmitter influences. Additional in vivo reports correlate changes in neuronal activity with specific motivational states and motor behaviors. These functional approaches culminate with behavioral studies that overview current understanding of basal forebrain involvement in mnemonic, reward, and motor processes.

The Intemational Meeting on Vitamin B6 and Carbonyl Catalysis took place on Capri, Italy from 22nd to 27th May 1994 and was organized in conjunction with the 3rd Symposium on PQQ and Quinoproteins. It was an extraordinary occasion for scientists from all over the world to meet and discuss new developments in these overlapping fields. Several sessions were dedicated to the molecular aspects of Vitamin B6 and Quinone dependent enzymes, as well as to the cellular, biomedical and nutritional aspects. The congress was inaugurated by Paolo Fasella in his capacity as General Director of Science, Research and Development of the Commission of the European Communities, with an overview on Intemational Scientific Collaboration. The scientific sessions started with a talk on the History of Vitamin B6 given by David Metzler who at the very last minute presented Esmond Snell's paper adding some personal remarks. Unfortunately, both Esmond Snell and Alton Meister had to unexpectedly cancel the trip to Capri. These proceedings contain the papers presented as oral contributions and a few selected poster presentations. The limited number of pages meant we could not publish many interesting poster presentations, including those selected for the three lively and exciting evening poster discussion sessions called by the organizers "Vino, taralli and ... discussion".