Harderian glands, first described by Jacob Harder in two species of deer in 1694, are large, intraorbital glands which, with but few exceptions, are found in all land vertebrates. Certainly, their relatively large size, their phylogenetic age, and persistent conservation in all groups as they emerged from an aqueous to an air/land environment lend strong support to the logical deduction that they probably play an important role in the physiological adaptation to terrestrial life. Yet, few biologists know even what or where these glands are. For a variety of reasons, the Harderian glands have not received the attention they deserve and, as a result, the published works available have been scarce and scattered throughout the world literature. The current situation is remarkably similar to that which existed in regard to the pineal gland prior to the mid-1960s, i. e. , scattered literature, unknown function, few investigators, and little interest. Yet, following a few key papers, interest in the pineal gland expanded and soon an explosive increase in the knowledge and understanding of the pineal gland took place and continues today. Will history repeat itself? Originally, a few of us discussed the desirability of an informal Symposium on the Harderian glands.

Comparative endocrinology helps to find the roots of homeostatic regulation in organisms. In this context, many years ago a series of experiments were done, which demonstrated the hormonal regula tion also on the invertebrate level. The mechanisms are partly similar, partly different, from those found in vertebrates. The new receptor era of mammalian endocrinology stimulated research on invertebrate hormone receptors, and sophisticated methods are applied also to determine hormones. The experiments demonstrated the existence and even similar function of these structures and signaling molecules. However, data on hormones and receptors at the lowest level of metazoan life and the highest level of protozoan life were not at our disposal. About two decades ago, first observations on the presence of hormone receptors reacting to vertebrate hormones in protozoa were made. Since the early 1980s we know that hormone-like molecules similar to those of higher vertebrates are present also in unicellular organisms. The presence of some second messengers in Tetrahymena was recognized. Since then, the research has been extended and many structures - previously believed to be solely vertebrate characteristics, such as opiate receptors, similar to mammalian ones - were found in unicellular organisms. These observations justified the assumption of a complete endocrine system at protozoan level, where - considering the unicellularit- this seemed to be not required. However, it became clear that the roots of endocrine communication date back at least 2 billion years."

Presenting an analysis of the water relationships of the major groups of organisms: fungi, plants and animals, the text examines water stress at all levels of biological organization. Topics covered include: 1) organic osmotic agents: their distributions, modes of action, and mechanisms of regulation; 2) desiccation stress; mechanisms for preserving cellu lar integrity under conditions of low cellular water activity; 3) water stress and water compartmentation in plants; and 4) freezing stress: the prevention and regulation of ice formation in biological fluids, and mechanisms for overcoming the damaging effects of low temperatures on cellular integrity. Common adaptive strategies in diverse organisms are emphasized, as well as the fundamental physical-chemical properties of aqueous solutions that establish the nature of the interactions among water, low molecular weight solutes and macromolecules.

Over the past 40 years, the SIP meetings have played a central role in the development of the field of insect-plant relationships, providing both a show-case for current research as well as a forum for the airing and development of influential new ideas. The 10th symposium, held 4-10 July 1998, in Oxford, followed that tradition. The present volume includes a representative selection of fully refereed papers from the meeting, plus a listing of the titles of all presentations. The volume includes reviews of major areas within the subject, along with detailed experimental studies. Topics covered include central neural and chemosensory bases of host plant recognition, integrative studies of insect behaviour, tritrophic interactions, plant defences, insect life histories, plant growth responses, microbial partners in insect-plant associations, and genetic bases of host plant associations. The book provides a key source for students and research workers in the field of insect-plant relationships.

A comparison of the adaptations made by invertebrates in polar deserts with those of temperate and subtropical deserts. These regions represent some of the most hostile environments on earth, demanding an array of strategies for survival. Polar species are well adapted to the cold and have to cope with arid conditions due to low precipitation and lack of liquid water during the winter. Similarly, temperate desert invertebrates have adapted to dry conditions and are also exposed to low winter temperatures. Terrestrial arthropods maintain their water-balance through behavioural and physiological adaptations. Tardigrades and nematodes are remarkable in their ability to shed all their water before entering a state of anhydrobiosis only to be revived when moisture once again becomes available.

This publication contains the proceedings of a Seminar "Beef production from different dairy breeds and dairy beef crosses," held in Ireland on April 13-15, 1981, under the auspices of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) as part of the European Communities (EC) programme for beef production research. The CEC wishes to thank those representatives of Ireland who took responsibility for the organisation and conduct of this Seminar, notably Professor E.P. Cunningham, Dr. G.J. More O'Ferrall (local organiser), Dr. Patricia McGlaughlin and In particular, thanks are due to Dr. McGlaughlin Mr. R. Barlow. and Mr. Barlow for their recording of the discussions. Professor Ian Gordon of the Faculty of Agriculture, kindly made available the facilities of Lyons House, University College, for the Seminar. Thanks are also accorded to the Chairmen of the Sessions Professor D. Smidt, Dr. R.B. Thiessen, Professor A. Neimann Sorensen, Professor E.P. Cunningham, and to all the participants who presented papers and took part in the discussions. X OBJECTIVES The aims of the Seminar were to review recent comparisons of Holstein and Friesian strains with other dairy breeds for beef and veal production; to look at the use of beef breeds for crossing on dairy herds in various EEC countries, and to examine the economic and genetic balance between milk and beef traits in dual purpose bull testing and selection."

JOHN G. HILDEBRAND Research on insect olfaction is important for at least two reasons. First, the olfactory systems of insects and their arthropod kin are experi mentally favourable models for studies aimed at learning about general principles of olfaction that apply to vertebrates and invertebrates alike. Detailed comparisons between the olfactory pathways in vertebrates and insects have revealed striking similarities of functional organisation, physiol ogy, and development, suggesting that olfactory information is processed through neural mechanisms more similar than different in these evolution arily remote creatures. Second, insect olfaction itself is important because of the economic and medical impact of insects that are agricultural pests and disease vectors, as well as positive impact of beneficial species, such as the bees and moths responsible for pollination and production of honey. The harm or benefit attributable to an insect is a function of what it does - that is, of its behaviour - which is shaped by sensory information. Often olfaction is the key modality for control of basic insect behaviour, such as ori entation and movement toward, and interactions with, potential mates, appro priate sites for oviposition, and sources of food. Not surprisingly, therefore, much work on insect olfaction has been motivated by long-term hopes of using knowledge of this pivotal sensory system to design strategies for mon itoring and managing harmful species and fostering the welfare of beneficial ones."

Coccinellids have been very actively studied in the course of the twenty three years since "Biology of Coccinellidae" was published. The great amount of new, and often very important findings have made the previous book outdated and a new synthesis is needed. No other monograph of similar focus and extent has appeared. Iablokoff Khnzorian's "Les Coccinelles" (1982), limited to the tribus Coccinellini, and Gor don's "The Coccinellidae of America North of Mexico" (1985) both concentrate on taxonomy. Majerus' beautiful "Ladybirds" (1994) deal specifically with British coc cinellids and address chiefly amateur naturalists. The focus and the title of the recent book are slightly different from the 1973 vol ume. If a satisfactory comprehensive review of important new findings is attempted, the book would grow too much, due also to References and Indexes. To keep the vol ume at a tolerable extent, the section on larval identification of Palaearctic species has been omitted; not much could be added to the previous version of that part, any way. However, we have kept Kovar's chapter on morphology and anatomy, because of its relation to feeding and other ecological aspects. The chapter on phylogeny was updated also by him. Our Polish friend, Piotr Ceryngier, who has recently specialised in parasites, updated perfectly the parts on parasites and pathogens in Chapter 8. We would be glad if their contribution is quoted by their names. It seems to us that the remarks, contained in the reprinted preface to the previous volume, remain pertinent today."

This book contains the proceedings of the 11 'h international symposium dedicated to the understanding of animal "Life in the Cold," held at Jungholz (Austria), August 13-18, 2000. In 55 chapters contributed by researchers from 16 countries the current state of knowledge is reviewed, and the most recent developments and discussions in this field are highlighted. The first symposium on hibernation and life in the cold was held in 1959, and from then on they continued to occur every 3-5 years. The regular occurrence of these meetings became almost a tradition. A tradition which is entirely based on the enthusiasm of participants, and was nourished by scientific progress in this area during the past decades. The first symposium in 1959 was organised by Charles P. Lyman and Albert R. Dawe and was almost entirely dedicated to hibernation and torpor. This has been a backbone topic of the following symposia, although other aspects of animal energetics, thermal physiology and biochemistry were included in later meetings.

This new definitive volume on fish auditory systems will interest investigators in both basic research of fish bioacoustics as well as investigators in applied aspects of fisheries and resource management. Topics cover structure, physiology, localization, and acoustic behavior as well as more applied topics such as using sound to detect and locate fish.

In order to communicate, animals send and receive signals that are subject to their particular anatomical, psychological, and environmental constraints. This SHAR volume discusses both the production and perception of acoustic signals. Chapters address the information that animals communicate, how the communication is developed and learned, and how communication systems have adapted and evolved within species. The book will give examples from a variety of species.

The annual research conference for 1996 of the American Institute for Cancer Re search was again held at the Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC, August 29 and 30. The topic for this, the seventh in the series, was "Dietary Fat and Cancer: Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms. " Two separate presentations were given as the conference overview. "Fat and Cancer: The Epidemiologic Evidence in Perspective" noted that die tary fat can be saturated, largely from animal or dairy sources, or mono- or polyunsatu rated, mostly from plant sources. Unlike animal fats, fish contain relatively high levels of protective omega-3 fatty acids. Although the hypothesis that dietary fat is associated with cancer is plausible, the mechanisms involved are reasonable, and many animal studies support the hypothesis, there are many obstacles in any direct extrapolation to humans, in cluding imprecise measures of dietary fat intake, variability in individual diets, and spe cies variations. Despite these limitations, there is a weak positive correlation between colon cancer and dietary fat intake, but with substantial differences for various ethnic groups. In the case of breast cancer, there is substantial variation among countries and eth nic groups, but the overall evidence indicated an association with fat in the diet. Epidemiologic studies of dietary fat and prostate cancer are more consistent and most show a positive relationship. However, it was not clear which types of dietary fat were im plicated in the effect."

Saponins are glycosides of triterpenes, steroids or steroidal alkaloids. They can be found in plants and marine organisms. Very diverse biological activities are ascribed to saponins and they play important roles in food, animal feedstuffs, and pharmaceutical properties. This volume provides a selection of recent work on saponins presented at a symposium in Pulawy, Poland, in 1999. Many different aspects are treated: analysis, separation, biological activities, relevant use in human and animal nutrition, and ecological significance. This book will be of use to researchers both in universities and industry.

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.

The importance of polyamines for all living cells has been recognized since spermine was discovered in human semen more than 300 years ago. Polyamine research intensified when analytical methods were developed for their determination, particularly in tissues and biological fluids. Discovering their close correlation with cancer, and that polyamine concentrations change during the cell cycle, gave reason for further research in this topic. Polyamines in Health and Nutrition concentrates on the direction of polyamine research which has the capacity to influence and benefit our health and which can explain some of the discrepancies and failures of earlier research. It is important to recognize the dietary contribution to the polyamine body pool and to investigate how the polyamine content of the diet can be changed, with the ultimate aim of using this information to improve our health.

This text presents a general introduction to soft tissue biomechanics. One of its primary goals is to introduce basic analytical, experimental and computational methods. In doing so, it enables readers to gain a relatively complete understanding of the biomechanics of the heart and vasculature.

Sense organs serve as a kind of biological interface between the environment and the organism. Therefore, the relationship between sensory systems and ecology is very close and its knowledge of fundamental importance for an understanding of animal behavior. The sixteen chapters of this book exemplify the diversity of the constraints and opportunities associated with the sensation of stimuli representing different forms of energy. The book stresses the events taking place in the sensory periphery where the animal is exposed to and gets in touch with its natural habitat and acquires the information needed to organize its interaction with its environment.
"Ecology of Sensing " brings together the leading experts in the field.

This book is formulated from a number of presentations made at a one-day workshop on the subject of Photon Migration in Tissues. The meeting was held in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, April, 1988. The workshop was an impromptu effort to bring together scientists to discuss photon migration in animal tissues and appropriate models. The rapid emergence of the ideas of Townes and Schalow in their invention of the then called maser, now laser opened up completely unexpected possibilities for biomedical research. Timing of rapid biochemical reaction, identification of unstable intermediates, spectroscopy of short lived fluorescent states were all goals to be expected and achieved. At the same time continuous light spectroscopy of tissue slices and of the myocardium, and eventually of the brain have the to the the neonate emerged over years. Shifting red end of spectrum, Butler and Norris clearly showed how transparent plant materials and the human hand could be illuminated in this region and Jobsis applied their idea to the neonate brain using a multiwavelength technique.

A summary of how the electrical signals used to represent sounds are encoded and interpreted through the integrated roles of various nuclei. This volume builds on the information about the anatomy and physiology of the auditory pathway found in volumes 1 and 2 of the SHAR series. While the first two volumes describe the structure and function of auditory pathways, this one explains how these pathways lead to an animal's ability to localize and interpret sounds.

Genetics is fundamental to hearing function, and an understanding of genetics enhances both auditory research and the clinical treatment of the hearing impaired. Approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of hearing impairment have developed from technological advances in genetic research. This volume covers gene expression, mutations, mapping and cloning, as well as mitochondrial and cellular genetics. Chapters are also included on the uses of mouse models, genetic epidemiology and genetic counseling specifically for hearing impairment. As a comprehensive review of the genetics of hearing, this book will interest hearing researchers, clinicians and genetic counselors.

''Excellent and very timely....It will undoubtedly become a standard reference for the application of circular dichroism (CD) to biomolecules.'' "--- Quarterly Review of Biology," March 1997 '' T]estament to the book's utility is the fact that during the course of my review I had to 'rescue' it from the desks of graduate students on an almost daily basis. In summary, this is a great book.'' "--- American Scientist" ''Well documented chapters provide a very good insight into the problems surrounding the conformation of biomacromolecules...An indispensible source of information.'' "--- Nahrung," 42(2), 1998 Renowned experts present the first state-of-the-art description of circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD). Chapters present in-depth discussions of the history of the field, the theory of CD for application to globular proteins, membrane proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and their interactions, carbohydrates, and instrumentation. Discussions also feature new techniques using synchrotron radiation, vibrational Raman optical activity, and vibrational CD. More than 250 illustrations supplement the text.

Methods for Obtaining X-Ray Diffraction Patterns from Drosophila 198 Diffraction Patterns from Drosophila IFM 203 Concluding Remarks 211 Note Added in Proof 211 17. Functional and Ecological Effects of Isoform Variation in Insect Flight Muscle 214 James H. Marden Abstract 214 Introduction 215 Nature's Versatile Engine 215 The Underlying Genetics: An Underinflated Genome and a Hyperinflated Transcriptome and Proteome 216 Functional Effects of Isoform Variation 219 Alternative Splicing and the Generation of Combinatorial Complexity 220 Functional Consequences of Naturally Occurring Isoform Variation 220 18. Muscle Systems Design and Integration 230 Fritz- OlafLehmann Abstract 230 Power Requirements for Flight 230 Power Reduction 233 Power Constraints on Steering Capacity 234 Balancing Power and Control 236 Changes in Muscle Efficiency in Vivo 238 Concluding Remarks 239 From the Inside Out 19. Molecular Assays for Acto-Myosin Interactions 242 John C. Sparrow and Michael A. Geeves Abstract 242 Introduction 242 Myosin Purification and Preparation of the SI Fragment 243 Purification of Flight Muscle Actin 244 Assays of Myosin and Acto-Myosin 244 Major Conclusions Relating to the Enzymatic Properties of Insect Flight Muscle Acto-Myosin 247 Major Questions about Insect Flight Muscle Acto-Myosin Kinetics That Remain 249 20.

With the growing global fear of a major pandemic, avian influenza (AI) virus research has greatly increased in importance. In Avian Influenza Virus, an expert team of researchers and diagnosticians examine the fundamental, yet essential, virological methods for AI virus research and diagnostics as well as some of the newest molecular procedures currently used for basic and applied research. They present exciting, cutting-edge new methods that focus both on studying the virus itself and on work with avian hosts, an area greatly lacking in research.

An excellent survey of the most recent advances in the area of cellular and molecular biology of glial cells and their involvement in remyelination and functional repair in the CNS. A major part of this book deals with signaling paths within and among neural cells. Glial cells (astrocytes, oligodentrocytes, microglial cells) themselves release substantial amounts of cytokines, growth factors and other signaling molecules, which play an important role during injury and regeneration. Another signaling route between neurons and glial cells follows ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors. In addition to animal models, human oligodentrocytes in cell culture and in the human MS brain are characterized with respect to their immunocytochemistry and function.

Since the early times of the Greek philosophers Leucippus and Democritus, and later of the Roman philosopher Lucretius, a simple, fundamental idea emerged that brought the life sciences into the realm of the physical sciences. Atoms, after various interactions, were assumed to acquire stable configurations that corresponded either to the living or to the inanimate world. This simple and unitary theory, which has evolved in successive steps to our present time, remarkably maintained its validity despite several centuries of alternative vicissitudes, and is the foundation of modern biophysics. Some of the recent developments of this ancient idea are the discovery of the direct relationship between spatial structures and chemical activity of such molecules as methane and benzene, and the later discovery of the three-dimensional structure of double-helical DNA, and of its relationship with biological activity. The relationship between the structure of various macromolecules and the function of living cells was one of the most striking advancements of modern science, obtained by the cooperation of physicists, chemists, mathematicians, engineers, biologists, and physicians. This crossing of the life and physical sciences has given rise to new and exciting frontiers, and to a new synthesis where there is a frequent interconnection of expertise, and where there is an exchange of roles among traditionally separated soft and hard sciences. Even if knowledge is still transmitted to new generations within univer sities as separate disciplines, new knowledge is acquired today in the laboratory by truly interdisciplinary teams."