Two groups of animals, bats and odontocetes (toothed whales), have independently developed the ability to orient and detect prey by biosonar (echolocation). This active mechanism of orientation allows these animals to operate under low light conditions. "Biosonar"is a conceptual overview of what is known about biosonar in bats and odontocetes. Chapters are written by bat and odontocetes experts, resulting in collaborations that not only examine data on both animals, but also compare and contrast mechanisms. This book provides a unique insight that will help improve our understanding of biosonar in both animal groups. "

This new edition of Animal Models in Cardiovascular Research describes historical and recent advances in our understanding of the cardiovascular system from studies conducted in a variety of animal models. Since the last edition we have witnessed an explosion in the use of both congenic and transgenic animals. The use of specific knock-in and knock-out transgenic models has resulted in an avalanche of genetic, molecular and protein-based information that, potentially, could result in an amazing new array of treatment and management options. However, the results of these studies also introduce a sometime bewildering array of redundant, overlapping and competing molecular pathways involved in both physiological and pathological responses.

This third edition is designed to provide a better basis for understanding and using animal models in the current climate of background knowledge and information. It is significantly different than the previous two editions. Chapter 1 is updated from the previous editions addressing general principles of animal selection. It also provides expanded tables of normal physiological values for easy reference. Chapter 2 covers preoperative care, pre-anesthesia, chemical restraint, and includes a significantly expanded section on pain recognition and analgesia particularly in rodents. Chapter 3 provides a summary of normal cardiovascular parameters obtained from intact, awake animals. The data have been rearranged in outline rather than the previous tabular form hopefully resulting in easier reference.

Chapter 4 addresses the techniques, problems and pitfalls of measuring cardiac function in animals. There is an emphasis on the proper use of these measurements to develop new treatment and management strategies as well as using them to study mechanisms of disease. Chapter 5 emphasizes the techniques, problems and pitfalls involved in the measurement of arterial function and ventricular/arterial coupling dynamics. Again the emphasis is on the use of these parameters to develop new treatment and management strategies and for studying the mechanisms of disease. Chapter 6 is a all new chapter dealing specifically with the problems and pitfalls inherent in using isolated heart preparations. The need for this chapter became apparent because so much information was published using obviously non-physiologic preparations. The use of both pumping and non-pumping preparations are described along with techniques necessary for using hearts from larger species where oxygen carrying capacity of the perfusate is critical. The importance of hypoxia and anoxia in the interpretation of results is discussed.

Chapter 7 focuses on the cardiovascular effects of the post-operative analgesic drugs commonly used today and how to avoid potential problems resulting from these effects when reporting experimental data. These data are also presented in outline form rather than the tabular format used in the two previous editions. Chapter 8 addresses the use of naturally occurring animal models of valvular and infectious cardiovascular disease. The information presented has been updated and expanded from the second edition. Chapter 9 examines iatrogenic models of ischemic heart disease.

Chapter 10 is new. It provides a review of iatrogenic, transgenic and naturally occurring animal models of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Chapter 11 includes new, updated and revised information reviewing iatrogenic and transgenic models of hypertension. Chapter 12 contains new, and updated information on iatrogenic and transgenic models of atherosclerotic disease.

Chapter 13 is completely new material dealing with animal models for the study of neurohumeral and central nervous system control of the cardiovascular system. Chapter 14 is also new. It provides examples of cardiovascular studies involving the use of specific transgenic models not normally associated with the cardiovascular system, such as estrogen receptor knockouts, to study cardiovascular function.

This book describes the life cycle of a unique endocrine gland that is absolutely essential for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in all mammalian species. The corpus luteum is unique because it is formed and destroyed every (non-fertile) reproductive cycle. When fertilization occurs, the corpus luteum is rescued or maintained. The processes that control corpus luteum formation, demise (luteolysis), or maintenance are just beginning to be unraveled in recent years; they involve diverse cell types and mechanisms. Some of these processes resemble tumor development-angiogenesis, for instance-but interestingly enough, this resemblance is only up to a point. The corpus luteum uses mechanisms that allow its normal, physiological growth and disappearance. Pulling together key research on the corpus luteum, this volume is of interest to both reproductive endocrinologists and comparative physiologists, with clinical relevance spanning comparative animal studies to women's health.

The development of vertebrate muscle has long been a major area of research in developmental biology. During the last decade, novel technical approaches have allowed us to unravel to a large extent the mechanisms underlying muscle formation, and myogenesis has become one of the best-understood paradigms for cellular differentiation. This book concisely summarizes our current knowledge about muscle development in vertebrates, from the determination of muscle precursors to terminal differentiation. Each chapter has been written by an expert in the field, and particular emphasis has been placed on the different developmental and molecular pathways followed by the three types of vertebrate musculature - skeletal, heart and smooth muscle.

This valuable resource provides a systematic account of the biochemistry of smooth muscle contraction. As a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing area of research, it covers the structure and characteristic properties of contractile and regulatory proteins, with special emphasis on their predicted function in the live muscle. Also included in this book are intermediate filament proteins, and desmin and vimentin, whose function in smooth muscle is unknown; and several enzymes involved in the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of contractile and other proteins.

Vertebrate embryos develop from a single cell via a complex succession of cell divisions, movements and inductive interactions. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, emerged in recent years as an excellent system in which to study genetic underpinnings of normal human development and its pathologies. Large-scale genetic screens identified thousands of mutant variants that allow in vivo dissection of developmental processes at single cell and molecular resolution. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of zebrafish embryogenesis: formation and patterning of germ layers, gastrulation movements, and aspects of organogenesis, including formation of somites, cardiovascular system, pronephros and eyes.

The central nervous system (CNS) represents the organ with the highest struc- tural and functional complexity. Accordingly, uncovering the mechanisms leading to cell diversity, patterning and connectivity in the CNS is one ofthe major chal- lenges in developmental biology. The developing CNS of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster is an ideal model system to study these processes. Several principle questions regarding neurogenesis (like stem cell formation, cell fate specification, axonal pathfinding) have been addressedinDrosophilaby focusing on the relatively simply structuredtruncal partsofthe nervous system. However, informationprocess- ing (e. g. , vision, olfaction), behavior, learning and memory require highly special- ized structures, which are located in the brain. Owing to much higher complexity and hidden segmental organisation, our understandingofbrain development is still quite rudimentary. Considerable advances have been made recently in bringing the resolution ofbrain structures to the level ofindividual cells and their lineages, which significantly facilitates investigations into the mechanisms controlling brain development. This book provides an overview of some major facets of recent research on Drosophila brain development. The individual chapters were written by experts in each field. V. Hartenstein et al survey the generic cell types that make up the developing brain and describe themorphogenesisofneural lineages and theirrelation- ship to neuropil compartments in the larval brain. Recent findings on anteroposterior regionalization and on dorsoventral patterning in the embryonic brain are reviewed in the chapters by R. Lichtneckert and H. Reichert and by R. Urbach and G. Technau, respectively. Both processes show striking parallels betweenDrosophila and mouse.

This volume presents a set of essays that discuss the development and plasticity of the vertebrate auditory system. The topic is one that has been considered before in the Springer Handbook of Auditory Research (volume 9 in 1998, and volume 23 in 2004) but the field has grown substantially and it is appropriate to bring previous material up to date to reflect the wealth of new data and to raise some entirely new topics. At the same time, this volume is also unique in that it is the outgrowth of a symposium honoring two-time SHAR co-editor Professor Edwin W Rubel on his retirement. The focus of this volume, though, is an integrated set of papers that reflect the immense contributions that Dr. Rubel has made to the field over his career. Thus, the volume concurrently presents a topic that is timely for SHAR, but which also honors the pioneer in the field. Each chapter explores development with consideration of plasticity and how it becomes limited over time. The editors have selected authors with professional, and often personal, connections to Dr. Rubel, though all are, in their own rights, outstanding scholars and leaders in their fields. The specific audience will be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and established psychologists and neuroscientists who are interested in auditory function, development, and plasticity. This volume will also be of interest to hearing scientists and to the broad neuroscience community because many of the ideas and principles associate with the auditory system are applicable to most sensory systems. The volume is organized to appeal to psychophysicists, neurophysiologists, anatomists, and systems neuroscientists who attend meetings such as those held by the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Society for Neuroscience.

Neurotoxicology: Approaches and Methods provides a unique and comprehensive presentation of the current concepts and state-of-the-art methods for the assessment of neurotoxicity. The book analyzes various techniques available and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. This volume will serve as an excellent desk companion and laboratory guide for all investigators, researchers, clinicians, and students interested in neurotoxicology. The internationally knowngroup of editors divide the book into seven sections: "Neuromorphological and Neuropathological Approaches; Neurophysiological Approaches; Neurobehavioral Toxicology; Neurochemical and Biomolecular Approaches; In-Vitro Models; Clinical Neurotoxicology; and Risk Assessment of Neurotoxicity." Each section yields the most up-to-date information by experts in their fields. Meticulously organized and edited, Neurotoxicology: Approaches and Methods is the most authoritative and well-planned neurotoxicology book on the market.
Key Features
* Discusses neurobehavioral testing methods for assessment of neural dysfunctions
* Explains state-of-the-art diagnostic methods, such as clinico-neuropsychological and neurophysiological methods, for patients confronted by neurotoxic problems
* Discusses "In Vitro" methods, including aggregating brain cell methods, organotypic cultures, and the use of human neuronal cell lines for the assessment of neurotoxicity
* Presents step-by-step procedures for many methods
* Provides state-of-the-art neuromorphological and biomolecular methods and approaches for neurotoxicity investigation

This volume on insects introduces the hearing research community and entomologists to the extensive but often unfamiliar literature on the ways that insects detect and process sounds. Each of the chapters is written by a leading expert in the field, and together they comprise the first comprehensive treatment of insect hearing. Starting with a discussion of insect taxonomy and an overview of the insects that are known to hear and use sound in communication, Comparative Hearing: Insects goes on to provide reviews of the behavior, physiology, mechanics and biophysics of insect hearing. All of the chapters are conceptual, providing not only an appreciation of insect hearing but also discussion of major questions for the future. This volume gives the reader considerable insight into insect hearing as well as applications to other animal models.

The contributors to this volume have provided a detailed and integrated introduction to the behavioural, anatomical, and physiological changes that occur in the auditory system of developing animals. Edwin W Rubel is Virginia Merrill Bloedel Professor of Hearing Sciences at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington, Arthur N. Popper is Professor and Chair of the Department of Zoology at the University of Maryland, while Richard R. Fay is Associate Director of the Parmly Hearing Institute and Professor of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. Each volume in this series is independent and authoritative; taken as a set, the series will be the definitive resource in the field.

calcium exchanger, which is the topic of the final chapter of the book by N. Gabellini, A. Zatti, and E. Carafoli. Padova Zurich, Ernesto Carafoli February 2000 Joachim Krebs "Yes, calcium, that is everything ..." Contents Calcium Homeostasis and Its Evolution Robert J. P. Williams ...Evolution of EF-Hand Proteins Susumu Nakayama, Hiroshi Kawasaki and Robert Kretsinger...29 . Calmodulin Target Recognition: Common Mechanism and Structural Diversity Tao Yuan, Kyoko L. Yap and Mitsuhiko Ikura ...59 ...Calcium-Binding EGF-like Domains A. K. Downing, P. A. Handford and J. D. Campbell...83 ...Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases Joachim Krebs...101 ...Structure of Calcineurin and Its Complex with Immunophilins Claude B. Klee ...125 ...2 The Ca + Pump of Sarcoplasmic and Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes Giuseppe Inesi and Chikashi Toyoshima...143 ...2 The Plasma Membrane Ca + ATPase Danilo Guerini ...155 ...2 The Na+/Ca+ Exchanger: Structural Aspects, Function and Regulation Nadia Gabellini, Alessandra Zatti and Ernesto Carafoli ...173 ...Calcium Homeostasis and Its Evolution Robert J. P. Williams Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OXl 3QR, UK E-mail: Susie. Compton@chem. ox. ac. uk The homeostasis of calcium is managed very differently in different organisms. A general outline of homeostasis, a dynamic balanced flow, is therefore described before a description of the systems in particular classes of organism. The organisms are treated in the sequence: prokaryotes, single-cell eukaryotes and, lastly, multicellular organisms reaching up to man.

Divided into three parts, Doubly Labelled Water presents a clear and accessible account of this technique. Part One presents a general introduction to the study of animal energetics: Part Two discusses the theory behind use of doubled labellled water and Part Three evaluates the practical aspects of its use and the methodlologies required for its application.

The Springer Handbook of Auditory Research presents a series of com prehensive and synthetic reviews of the fundamental topics in modern auditory research. It is aimed at all individuals with interests in hearing research including advanced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical investigators. The volumes will introduce new investigators to important aspects of hearing science and will help established inves tigators to better understand the fundamental theories and data in fields of hearing that they may not normally follow closely. Each volume is intended to present a particular topic comprehensively, and each chapter will serve as a synthetic overview and guide to the literature. As such, the chapters present neither exhaustive data reviews nor original research that has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals. The series focusses on topics that have developed a solid data and con ceptual foundation rather than on those for which a literature is only beginning to develop. New research areas will be covered on a timely basis in the series as they begin to mature."

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.

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.

William P. Cooney III, R. A. Berger, and K. N. An Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory Department of Orthopedic Surgery Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation Rochester, MN 55905, U. S. A. As surgeons struggle to find new insights into the complex diseases and deformities that involve the wrist and hand, new insights are being provided by applied anatomy, physiology and biomechanics to these important areas. Indeed, a fresh new interaction of disciplines has immersed in which anatomists, bioengineers and surgeons examine together basic functions and principles that can provide a strong foundation for future growth. Clinical interest in the hand and wrist are now at a peak on an international level. Economic implications of disability affecting the hand and wrist are recognized that have international scope crossing oceans, cultures, languages and political philosophies. As with any struggle, a common ground for understanding is essential. NATO conferences such as this symposium on Biomechanics of the Hand and Wrist provides such a basis upon which to build discernment of fundamental postulates. As a start, basic research directed at studies of anatomy, pathology and pathophysiology and mechanical modeling is essential. To take these important steps further forward, funding from government and industry are needed to consider fundamental principles within the material sciences, biomechanical disciplines, applied anatomy and physiology and concepts of engineering modeling that have been applied to other areas of the musculoskeletal system.

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 EnvironmentsEach 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.

Experimental approaches to auditory research make use of validated animal models to determine what can be generalized from one species to another. This volume brings together our current understanding of the auditory systems of fish and amphibians. To address broader comparative issues, this book treats both fish and amphibians together, to overcome the differing theoretical and experimental paradigms that underlie most work on these groups.

In this volume outstanding specialists review the state of the art in nervous system research for all main invertebrate groups. They provide a comprehensive up-to-date analysis important for everyone working on neuronal aspects of single groups, as well as taking into account the phylogenesis of invertebrates. The articles report on recently gained knowledge about diversification in the invertebrate nervous systems, and demonstrate the analytical power of a comparative approach. Novel techniques in molecular and developmental biology are creating new perspectives that point toward a theoretical foundation for a modern organismic biology. The comparative approach, as documented here, will engage the interest of anyone challenged by the problem of structural diversification in biology.

The aim of this book is to help create new feedstuffs for poultry and farm animals from the agro-industry and to mobilize the neglected waste as a feedstuff to lower the price of animal products such as eggs, white and red meat, milk, etc. Furthermore, this book aims to contribute to the campaign against hunger in the developing world and to reduce the competition between animals and human beings for cereals and pulses. Accordingly the global pollution problem will be reduced. This book will be of great interest to all those involved in the animal feed and poultry industries, in agricultural universities, and in research establishments where animal nutrition is studied and taught.

Multicellular organisms require a means of intracellular communication to organize and develop the complex body plan that occurs during embryogenesis and then for cell and organ systems to access and respond to an ever changing environmental milieu. Mediators of this constant exchange of information are growth factors, neurotransmmitters, peptide and protein hormones which bind to cell surface receptors and transduce their signals from the extracellular space to the intracellular compartment. Via multiple signaling pathways, receptors of this general class affect growth, development and differentiation. Smaller hydrophobic signaling molecules, such as steroids and non-steroid hormones, vitamins and metabolic mediators interact with a large family of nuclear receptors. These receptors function as transcription factors affecting gene expression, to regulate the multiple aspects of animal and human physiology, including development, reproduction and homeostasis.
The aim of this book is to cover various aspects of intracellular signaling involving hormone receptors.

Methods in Bone Biology is unique in being devoted to describing the methodology used by bone researchers. This book describes in detail the techniques of cell and organ culture used in the study of bone and bone cell function and the techniques used to monitor the skeleton and skeletal remodelling both in clinical and experimental settings.

As the current millennium steams towards a close, one cannot help but look with amazement at the incredible amount of progress that has been achieved in medicine in just the last few decades. A key contributing factor to this success has been the importation and blending of ideas and techniques from disciplines outside the traditional borders of medical science. In recent years, the most well-known example is the cross-pollination between molecular biology and medicine. Advances driven by this potent combination have spawned the vision of a future where cures based on gene therapy become commonplace. Yet, as we continue our search for "magic bullets" in the quest to eradicate disease, it important to recognize the value of other less-heralded interdisciplinary efforts that have laid a large part of the foundation of present-day medicine. In pulmonary medicine, the contribution from the bioengineers (a diverse collection of individuals cross-bred to various degrees in mathematical modeling and experimental physiology) has been larger and more sustained than in many other medical specialties. It is easy to point to the vast array of ventilators, blood-gas analyzers, oximeters, pulmonary function devices, and respiration monitors that are present in any modern clinical setting as solid evidence of the successful synergy between engineering science and pulmonary medicine. However, one must not forget the less tangible, but perhaps more important, contributions that have been derived from mathematical modeling and computer simulation, without which many of these modern instruments would not have come into existence.

Experienced physicians concisely explain the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of endocrine disorders and survey all the latest laboratory diagnostics. Topics range widely from an overview of the diagnosis of diabetes and the long-term monitoring of its complications to the evaluation of menstrual dysfunction. Coverage is also given to the diagnosis of pituitary tumors, Cushing's syndrome, thyroid disease, and hypoglycemia; the evaluation of endocrine-induced hypertension; the assessment of dyslipidemia and obesity; and approaches to diagnosing hyper- and hypocalcemia. There are also discussions of osteoporosis, hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction, and hyperandrogenism in women. The authors each review the complex physiological basis of the relevant endocrine processes and provide richly instructive recommendations for followup and long-term management of patients.