Physiological Systems in Insects, Fourth Edition explores why insects have become the dominant animals on the planet. Sections describe the historical investigations that have led us to our current understanding of insect systems. Integrated within a basic physiological framework are modern molecular approaches that provide a glimpse of the genetic and evolutionary frameworks that testify to the unity of life on earth. This updated edition describes advances that have occurred in our understanding of hormone action, metamorphosis, and reproduction, along with new sections on the role of microbiomes, insecticide action and its metabolism, and a chapter on genetics, genomics and epigenetic systems. The book represents a collaborative effort by two internationally known insect physiologists who have instructed graduate courses in insect physiology. As such, it is the ideal resource for entomologists and those in other fields who may require knowledge of insect systems.

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.

In the last decade, we have witnessed a striking maturation of our understanding of how neurons in the spinal cord control muscular activity and movement. Paradoxically, a host of new findings have revealed an unexpected versatility in the behavior of these well-studied neural elements and circuits. In this volume, the world's leading experts review the current state of our knowledge of motor control, outline their latest results and developments, and delineate the seminal unresolved questions in this vibrant field of research. The volume begins with a commentary and overview of our current understanding of the peripheral and spinal basis of motor control. The remainder of the volume is divided into seven sections, each focused on a different problem. The first chapter in each section provides some historical review and presages the experimental findings and hypotheses that are discussed in subsequent chapters.
Topics include the biomechanics of neuromuscular systems, the properties of motoneurons and the muscle units they control, spinal interneurons, pattern generating circuits, locomotion, descending control of spinal circuits, comparative physiology of motor systems, and motor systems neurophysiology studied in man. The book serves as a unique reference volume and should be essential reading for anyone interested in motor systems. Moreover, the volume's comprehensive coverage of a wide range of topics make it an effective textbook for graduate level courses in motor control neurobiology, kinesiology, physical therapy, and rehabilitation medicine.

Neuro-Behavioral Determinants of Interlimb Coordination: A multidisciplinary approach focuses on bimanual coordination against the broader context of the coordination between the upper and lower limbs. However, it is also broad in scope in that it reviews recent developments in the study of coordination by means of the latest technologies for the study of brain function, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, magneto-encephalography, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. In addition, new developments in recovery of interlimb coordination following spinal cord injury and other insults of the central nervous system, such as stroke, are reviewed.
Neuro-Behavioral Determinants of Interlimb Coordination: A multidisciplinary approach is intended to be a helpful source of information for scientists in basic research as well as practioners involved in clinical settings. Those who will benefit most are neuroscientists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, kinesiologists, motor and rehabilitation scientists, physical therapists etc. Special efforts have been made to make the contents accessible to graduate students by means of review chapters that contain explanatory boxes. We hope to convey our excitement and enthusiasm about the field of interlimb coordination and what it has to offer as a prototypical vehicle for a cognitive neuroscience approach to movement control.

Volume 5 in the series "Advances in Structural Biology" is based upon a selection of articles presented at the Workshop on Molecular Bio-physics of the Cytoskeleton: Microtubule Formation, Structure, Function, and Interactions (August 18-22 1997 at the Banff Conference Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada). Its main objective was to review the state-of-the-art of the field and stimulate a multidisciplinary investigation into the molecular biology of the cytoskeleton, which is amply manifested in the articles selected and published in this volume.

The papers in this volume arose out of the workshop Membrane Transport and Renal Physiology, which was conducted as part of the IMA 1998-1999 program year, Mathematics in Biology. The workshop brought together physiologists, biophysicists, and applied mathematicians who share a common interest in solute and water transport in biological systems, especially in the integrated function of the kidney. Solute and water transport through cells involves fluxes across two cell membranes, usually via specialized proteins that are integral membrane components. By means of mathematical representations, transport fluxes can be related to transmembrane solute concentrations and electrochemical driving forces. At the next level of functional integration, these representations can serve as key components for models of renal transcellular transport. Ultimately, simulations can be developed for transport-dependent aspects of overall renal function. Workshop topics included solute fluxes through ion channels, cotransporters, and metabolically-driven ion pumps; transport across fiber-matrix and capillary membranes; coordinated transport by renal epithelia; the urine concetrating mechanism; and intra-renal hemodynamic control. This volume will be of interest to biological and mathematical scientists who would like a view of recent mathematical efforts to represent membrane transport and its role in renal function.

The new edition of P.J. Bentley's established text describes the physiological mechanisms utilized by different vertebrate species to adapt to the differences and vicissitudes of water and salt availability in their natural environments. The book is especially concerned with the roles of endocrine glands in coordinating and maintaining such osmoregulation. It provides information about the environmental stresses and physiological and endocrine processes involved in the osmoregulation in each phyletic order of the vertebrates, and it describes the physiological adaptations they have evolved to foster their survival in osmotically hostile habitats. The second edition provides a comprehensive update utilizing the considerable amount of new data which have been collected over the past years. From a review of the previous edition: "I strongly recommend it as an essential reading and reference book for younger and older workers alike". Nature

Humans have always been fascinated by marine life, from extremely small diatoms to the largest mammal that inhabits our planet, the blue whale. However, studying marine life in the ocean is an extremely difficult propo- tion because an ocean environment is not only vast but also opaque to most instruments and can be a hostile environment in which to perform expe- ments and research. The use of acoustics is one way to effectively study animal life in the ocean. Acoustic energy propagates in water more efficiently than almost any form of energy and can be utilized by animals for a variety of purposes and also by scientists interested in studying their behavior and natural history. However, underwater acoustics have traditionally been in the domain of physicists, engineers and mathematicians. Studying the natural history of animals is in the domain of biologists and physiologists. Und- standing behavior of animals has traditionally involved psychologists and zoologists. In short, marine bioacoustics is and will continue to be a diverse discipline involving investigators from a variety of backgrounds, with very different knowledge and skill sets. The inherent inter-disciplinary nature of marine bioacoustics presents a large challenge in writing a single text that would be meaningful to various investigators and students interested in this field. Yet we have embarked on this challenge to produce a volume that would be helpful to not only beginning investigators but to seasoned researchers.

Radicals for Life: the Various Forms of Nitric Oxide provides an up-to-date overview of the role of nitrosocompounds and nitrosyl-iron complexes in physiology. Nitrosocompounds can be considered as stabilised forms of nitric oxide, one of the most important regulatory molecules in physiology today. Many nitrosocompounds share some of the physiological functions of nitric oxide, and may be formed inside living organisms. This is the first book to be published that is dedicated to the role of such nitrosocompounds in physiology, with particular emphasis on the nitrosocompounds that are endogenously formed in higher organisms and humans.
Points of discussion include: physical and chemical properties of the compounds, the main chemical pathways in vivo, as well as the physiological effects that have been recognised to date. Each of the nineteen chapters is written by distinguished specialists in the field, well known for their original and important contributions to the subject. Also included are results from a wide range of studies in vitro, in cell cultures, animal models and human volunteers.
Examples of alternative forms of nitric oxide, with special emphasis on their protective role against widespread human diseases like atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, and renal insufficiency to stroke and ischemia are also included.
* First monograph to consider and provide an overview of endogenous nitrosocompounds and nitrosyl-iron complexes
* Extensive bibliographic references, written by specialists of human physiology
* Providing high scientific quality with a focus on implications for human diseases

Insect physiology is currently undergoing revolutionary changes with the increased application of molecular biological techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological responses to insect cells. Advances in Insect Physiology is committed to publishing high quality reviews on molecular biology and molecular genetics in areas where they provide an increased understanding of physiological processes in insects. Volume 27 of this classic series continues to provide up-to-date reviews on topical subjects of importance to all invertebrate physiologists and neurobiologists and contains increased coverage on the molecular biology of insect physiology.

Volume 2 has focused on aspects of the pituitary gland both anterior (growth hormone and prolactin receptors, and GH action) and posterior (vasopressin) pituitary. In addition, thyroid cancer and steroidogenic enzymes and precocious puberty are covered. Finally, the "hot topics" include leptin and growth factor signaling.

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.

Any intelligent debate on the ethical treatment of animals hinges on understanding their mental processes. The idea that consciousness in animals is beyond comprehension is usually traced to the 17th-century philosopher Ren. Descartes whose concept of animals as beast machines lacking consciousness influenced arguments for more than 200 years. But in reviewing Descartes' theory of mind, Daisie and Michael Radner demonstrate in "Animal Consciousness" that he did not hold the view so frequently attributed to him. In fact, they contend that Descartes distinguished two types of consciousness, which make it easier to discuss the conscious experiences of animals and to trace the debate into the post-Darwinian era.

The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of areas known to be involved in mammalian vision. It has also seen a far greater understanding of the importance of reciprocal connections, intrinsic connections, structure-specific modules and modules which span different structures, as well as the introduction of parallel processing models within the thalamocortical and corticocortical streams.

The body of knowledge has become so vast, and is growing so rapidly, that periodic updates are essential even for experts in the field. This volume is based on a satellite meeting of an international group of researchers. It emphasizes the most current information regarding midbrain and extrastriate mechanisms underlying vision and visually-guided behavior. The book also places these data into the larger context of how interrelated components of the visual system function to produce coherent visual experiences and behavior. New research findings are presented that are unavailable elsewhere, as well as reviews and broad perspectives in which existing data from multiple sources are brought together in order to help understand the structure and function of extrageniculostriate visual areas.

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 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.

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

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 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.

Most consumable products of animal origin, such as eggs and milk, are obtained through exploitation of the reproductive processes of livestock, making efficiency extremely important in intensive production units. Critical evaluation of each technological innovation in this field is necessary before widespread introduction, and this requires an extensive knowledge of reproductive biology.
This volume presents comprehensive, current discussions of the individual aspects comprising the complete reproductive process in domesticated animals, covering various technological procedures for regulation and manipulation of particular events. It provides extensive coverage of reproductive anatomy and includes avian reproduction, supplying original and often innovative figures. This book will be of great value to agriculturalists and veterinarians as well as to food and environmental scientists.

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.