Introducing Biological Rhythms is a primer that serves to introduce individuals to the area of biological rhythms. It describes the major characteristics and discusses the implications and applications of these rhythms, while citing scientific results and references. Also, the primer includes essays that provide in-depth historic and other background information for those interested in more specific topics or concepts.

It covers a basic cross-section of the field of chronobiology clearly enough so that it can be understood by a novice, or an undergraduate student, but that it would also be sufficiently technical and detailed for the scientist.

1 Introduction The esophagus is a relatively simple though vital organ. It consists of a two-layered muscular tube whose lumen is lined by squamous strati?ed epithelium. Beyond its role of propelling food from the pharynx to the stomach by a propulsive contraction wave representing the esophageal phase of deglutition (Conklin and Christensen 1994; Jean 2001), it is more and more recognized as a sensory organ from which a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular re?exes can be triggered, thus coop- ating with the larynx in protecting the lower airways from aspiration (Barthelemy et al. 1996; Lang et al. 2002; Lang et al. 2001; Loomis et al. 1997; Medda et al. 2003). In ruminants, there is additional antiperistalsis for regurgitation. During emesis, the esophagus is a merely passive conduit except for some antiperistalsis in its upper part. In the interval between swallows, both oral and aboral ends of the esophagus are tonically closed by the upper and lower esophageal sphincters, UES and LES respectively, while the tubular esophagus is ?accid and partly ?lled with air. Despite this apparent simplicity, neuronal control of esophageal functions is quite complex.

1 Introduction 1. 1 General Remarks The connective and supportive tissues constitute a considerable amount of the biomass in human and animal organisms. Characteristically, the osseous, car- laginous, and ?brous tissues each connect a vital part (cells) with a non-vital part, i. e. , extracellular matrix (ECM). The composition of the ECM constitutes the mechanical qualities of the respective tissue. The functional role of the bone and cartilage tissues is exhaustively discussed in the relevant literature. Whereas bone tissue provides the static and dynamic stability of the system as a whole, cartilage tissue accounts for the power transfer between bones. The articular cartilage insures a fairly friction free mobility of skeletal elements; likewise, cartilage interposed between skeletal elements allows mobility due to its reversible deformability. Under both static and dynamic con- tions, the powers transferred are remarkably large, while the ensuing mechanical force on various tissue zones varies. Tight connective tissue, especially muscle tendons and ligaments, are also part of the skeletal power transfer system. facilitating the transfer of tensile forces. The tendons of the locomotor system serve the purpose of transferring muscular - ergy to those skeletal elements to which they are attached. In this function, they are referred to as tensile tendons ("Zugsehnen"). Inseveral body parts, however, tendons appear in a peculiar mechanical situation: they pass around so-called - pomochlia, i. e. , bony pulleys. Hence, these tendons are referred to as wrap-around tendons ("Gleitsehnen").

Oxygen uptake for metabolic energy demand and the elimination of the resulting carbon dioxide is one of the essential processes in all higher life forms; in the case of animals, everything from protozoans to insects and vertebrates including humans. Respiratory Biology of Animals provides a contemporary and truly integrative approach to the topic, adopting a strong evolutionary theme. It covers aerobic metabolism at all levels, from gas exchange organs such as skin, gills, and lungs to mitochondria - the site of cellular respiration. The book also describes the functional morphology and physiology of the circulatory system, which often contains gas-carrying pigments and is important for pH regulation in the organism. A final section describes the evolution of animal respiratory systems. Throughout the book, examples are selected from the entire breadth of the animal kingdom, identifying common themes that transcend taxonomy. Respiratory Biology of Animals is an accessible supplementary text suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in respiratory biology, comparative animal physiology, and environmental physiology. It is also of relevance and use to the many professional academics requiring a concise but authoritative overview of the topic.

Ecophysiology attempts to clarify the role and importance of physiological processes in the ecological relations of species in their natural habitats. Including blood collection and the measurement of plasma components and hormone levels, the basic principles and methods relevant to any ecophysiological study are covered in this text. Examples are collected from a wide range of vertebrates living in deserts, cold climates and oceans. The book is an introduction to ecophysiology for advanced students, as well as researchers in ecology, biodiversity and conservation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the development and diffferentiation of the adrenal glands in the grass snake during early stages of ontogenesis. After light microscopy and ultrastructural investigation, six developmental phases were distinguished in the grass snake adrenal glands. Similar developmental phases were described in pig embryos but they slightly differ from those presented above. In reptile and mammal embryos a similar direction of changes is observed in primaordia of both tissues forming adrenal glands.

The main objective of this book is to present some of the fundamental structural aspects in the design of respiratory organs while debating and speculating on when, how and why these states were founded. The author's main thesis is that the modern gas exchangers are products of protracted processes that have entailed adaptation to specific environments and lifestyles. Only those feasible designs that have proven adequately compentent in meeting demands for molecular oxygen have been preserved. The author's approach has been to look into the limiting functional properties as regards the respiratory capacities of gas exchangers while finding out the specific structural adaptations that have evolved to meet the metabolic needs or to look into form and discern how it limits function.

Mit diesem Nachschlagewerk wird eine systematische Katalogisierung der Losungen angeboten, die dem Designer oder Konstrukteur einen grossen Fundus zur kreativen Umsetzung in der Technik liefert."

This book is a concise summary of the present knowledge about skeletal muscle fibres. The fibre types aare characterized from different points of view. The difficulties and possibilities of classifying muscle fibres in distinct non-overlapping types are shown. A main emphasis is put on metabolic fibre typing by cytophotometry as well as the adaptability of a given fibre type to altered physiological and pathological conditions. Extensive analyses of several rat hindlimb muscles revealed regional differences of fibre properties within the muscles and showed the influence of ageing, myopathy, hypoxia, diabetes and Ginkgo biloba-treatment on the different fibre tyypes.

Reviews: Methods and Technology in Fish Biology and Fisheries published by Kluwer Academic Publishers is a book series dedicated to the publication of information on advanced, forward-looking methodologies, technologies, or perspectives in fish and is especially dedicated to relevant topics addressing global, fisheries. This series international concern in fish and fisheries. Humans continue to challenge our environments with new technologies and technological applications. The dynamic creativity of our own species often tends to place the greatest burden on our supporting ecosystems. This is especially true for aquatic networks of creeks, lakes, rivers and ocean environments. We also frequently use our conceptual powers to balance conflicting requirements and demands on nature and continue to develop new approaches and tools to provide sustainable resources as well as conserve what we hold most dear on local and global scales. This book series will provide a window into the developing dynamic among humans, aquatic ecosystems (both freshwater and marine), and the organisms that inhabit aquatic environments. There are many reasons to doubt the increasing social and economic value technology has gained over the last two centuries. Science and technology represent stages in human development. I agree with Ernst Mayer when he said in Toward a New Philosophy of Biology (1988) that "endeavors to solve all scientific problems by pure logic and refined measurements are unproductive, if not totally irrelevant.

The cestodes, or tapeworms, are a group of parasitic worms many species of which cause serious, often fatal, diseases in man and domestic animals throughout the world. This book is an updated and expanded version of Professor Smyth's The Physiology of Cestodes (1969). The text has now been entirely rewritten, taking into account advances in investigative techniques such as immunocytochemistry, in vitro culture and scanning electron microscopy, which have immensely increased our understanding of these organisms. The biochemical coverage now includes the spectacular advances in molecular biology that have occured. The book also shows how cestodes are increasingly being recognized as valuable models for investigating fundamental biological phenomena such as membrane transport and asexual/sexual differentiation. Students of medicine, veterinary medicine, parasitology and zoology will find this book invaluable. Its high research content and extensive references also make it an essential reference book for researchers in these fields.

The rapid development of molecular biology and genetics has led to renewed interest in embryology, comparative embryology, and studies of the relations between ontogeny and phylogeny. In fact, genes have been identified which are involved in the formation of shapes and structures, and it is becoming apparent that their primary morphological expressions are conspicuously similar in different species. The primarily identical shapes do not become diversified until advanced individualization of embryos, and it is here that it is possible to employ the knowledge of comparative embryology, the branch of science engaged in the study of the development and differentiation of tridimensional structures in different animal groups. However, comparative embryology has been neglected during the past decades, as its development has appeared to have been completed. In our opinion, the decreased interest in comparative embryology has been caused by the fact that often the time factor was not or could not be respected. In fact, in the case of embryos of wild animals even their ontogenetic age and sometimes the duration of intrauterine development are unknown.

Sex differences are observed in various physiological, behavioral, and psychic functions, including reproductive behavior, aggres sion, emotions, and cognition. Such differences are expressed even in early childhood with preferences to definite activities. It has been generally accepted that differences between genders are formed under the influence of biological as well as environmental factors. The existence of sex differences in functions of the central nervous system has suggested that there are also morphological sex differences. In recent years several reports on sexual dimorphism in the brain of vertebrates have been published. However, the mecha nisms of sexual differentiation of the central nervous system remain unclear in most cases. It is often difficult to correlate morphological sex differences to differences in definite function or behavior. We set out to explore the sexual dimorphism of the limbic system and especially the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the amygdala, which are considered generally to be occupied with the control of reproductive behavior and autonomic and compli cated psychic functions. Several reports on sexual dimorphism of these structures have been published. Some of them have been directed to the total neuronal number and the volume of the nuclei, while others have concentrated on definite subpopula tions of neurons. In many cases the mechanisms of sexual differ entiation were tested, but sometimes they could not be estab lished."

Preparatory work for this monograph started in 1988 and 1989. The motive was provided by certain incongruities in the illustra- tion of descensus testis for the chapter "Entwicklung der Genital- organe" in the book Humanembryologie. The evoked discussion was reason enough for our own re- search on the phenomenon and uncertainties of testicular des- cent in human. The basis ofthese investigations was the collection of human embryos founded by Prof. Hinrichsen in 1970 at the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Ruhr-University Bo- chum. The preparation of the material used in this paper has been done with the help of many staff members of our department to whom we feel obliged. We are especially indebted to Prof. Hin- richsen who prepared the foetuses and took the first steps of this project. We wish also to acknowledge Dr. Heinz Jiirgen Jacob for careful fixation and microdissection of specimens intended for scanning electron microscopy. Weare also grateful to Mrs. Vera Mannheim for her involvement and her sensitivity in making scanning electron micrographs, and Mrs. Antje Jaeger for provid- ing an expert and skilful photographic technique especially in the setting up of micrographs. Our thanks are also due to Mrs. Marion Kohn for skilful technical assistance and to all those technical assistants who worked in our department during the past 25 years and who were engaged in providing the serial sec- tions. The English text has been thoroughly revised by Prof. Dr.

3* Doody's Star Rating (R) CHOICE Magazine 'Recommended' (May 2020) As of 2018, pet obesity in the US affects an estimated 55.8 percent of dogs and 59.5 percent of cats, resulting in secondary conditions such as arthritis, diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, and certain forms of cancer. A complete and balanced diet accompanied by regular exercise is fundamental to optimize health and longevity in companion animals, meaning overweight pets have reduced quality of life and shorter life expectancy. Seeking to address this major modern-day problem, this book provides a comprehensive review of obesity in small animal medicine. Reviews epidemiology and how animal- and human-specific factors contribute to excess weight gain. Discusses the metabolic effects and inflammatory mediators associated with adiposity. Looks at various disease states and how they relate or develop as a result of obesity. Reviews different modalities to determine body composition to diagnose obesity. Offers a clinical approach to managing obesity with diet including discussion on the nutrients of concern for therapeutic weight loss diets. Veterinarians seeking to provide weight management services in practice will find clinically-applicable information from expert authors from both academic and practice backgrounds. Chapters cover topics ranging from epidemiology and pathophysiology of obesity to evaluation of body composition, and nutritional and behavioral management. The book also explores the role of exercise in managing obesity and looks at the management of co-morbidities. Finally, the authors present a range of case studies to demonstrate these topics in real-life practice.

In this treatise, current knowledge on the neurogenesis, axonal outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and regenerative capacity of descending supraspinal pathways in tetrapods is discussed. Although emphasis is on the clawed toad, Xenopus laevis, chicken embryos, opossums and rodent data, also the data available for primates including man are presented. It will be shown that 1) the outgrowth of descending supraspinal pathways is the result of a coordinated program; 2) the pattern of early descending axonal tracts is similar in all vertebrate groups; 3) the formation of descending supraspinal pathways occurs according to a developmental sequence; 4) the earliest descending supraspinal fibers arrive in a rather immature spinal cord, and 5) the regenerative capacity of descending supraspinal pathways depends on the developmental stage the particular pathways arise.

Morphogeny of the nasal skull was investigated in 92 embryos of 13 species of Cetacea. Compared to the original nasal capsule of land mammals, the nasal structures of Cetacea show many weighty transformations. As a result, the nostrils are translocated from the tip of the snout to the vertex of the head. Several structures of the embryonic nasal skull remain preserved even in adult cetaceans. The translocation of the nostrils to the highest point of the surfacing body is among the most perfect adaptations of cetaceans to the aquatic life habits. The morphogeny of the nasal skull suggests that all cetaceans are of common origin and form a single monophyletic order. The hitherto usual division of this order into two suborders, Mysticeti and Odontoceti, appears to be unsubstantiated. Rather, at least three closely related superfamilies should be distinguished within the order Cetacea, viz., Balaenopteroidea, Physeteroidea, and Delphinoidea. The results are in a

The value of the canine nose is well-documented, and working dogs are being utilized for their olfactory skills in an increasing number of fields. Not only are dogs used by police, security, and the military, but they are also now used in forensic science, in medical detection of disease, in calculating population trends of endangered species and eradicating invasive species in protected environments, and in identifying infestations and chemical contaminants. Edited and contributed to by eminent scholars, Canine Olfaction Science and Law: Advances in Forensic Science, Medicine, Conservation, and Environmental Remediation takes a systematic scientific approach to canine olfaction. It includes work from scientists working in pure and applied disciplines, trainers and handlers who have trained and deployed detection dogs, and lawyers who have evaluated evidence produced with the aid of detection and scent identification dogs. The book is divided into six sections covering The anatomy, genetics, neurology, and evolution of canine olfaction as well as diseases affecting it The chemistry and aerodynamics of odors Behavior, learning, and training Uses of canine olfaction in forensics and law Uses in conservation and remediation Uses in detection of diseases and medical conditions The various contributors describe cutting edge research, some conclusions of which are the subject of vigorous debates between various laboratories and researchers. The editors have added cross-references so that readers can consider the different perspectives that are currently being advanced and understand where consensus is being built and where more research needs to be done. A useful practical reference, Canine Olfaction Science and Law provides a wealth of information beneficial to a wide range of disciplines. It aids trainers and handlers of detection dogs as well as various professionals in healthcare, law enforcement, forensic science, and environmental conservation to gain a better understanding of the remarkable power of the canine nose while encouraging further advances in applications.

Only five years ago, nobody in his right mind would have consid ered publishing a book on reeler as a model for brain develop ment. Although this interesting mutation has been with us for half a century, it is fair to say that, in spite of a wave of enthusiasm in the late sixties and early seventies, generated primarily by Sidman, Caviness and colleagues, studies of reeler mice fell pro gressively out of fashion during the next two decades. All that changed almost overnight when the cloning of the reeler gene, dubbed reelin, was reported in Tom Curran's laboratory in 1995. The fact that the same gene was identified at the same time independently by two other groups using positional cloning sug gested strongly that reelin was the right candidate. Although the key experiments of transgenic rescue have not been made (and perhaps will never be), the equation "reeler is reelin" has been established beyond reasonable doubt, as alterations of the reelin gene and/or its expression have been found in at least five alleles of reeler and in the mutation Shaking Rat Kawasaki (SRK), an ortholog of reeler."

Due to their pronounced intraspecific variability and to difficulties in defining their evolutionary trends in mammalian phylogenies, peripheral blood vessels have been neglected in comparative studies. Supported by the Sonderforschungsbereich 89 (Car- diology) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, we have reconstructed the ontoge- of the blood vessels of the tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri, on the netic morphogenesis basis of a series of developmental stages. The arteries of the lower extremity are described and discussed here. Besides describing the morphogenesis of the arteries in Tupaia, it is the aim of this study to explain the variability of the arteries of the pelvic extremity among mammals, and especially among primates including man, on the basis of a common developmen- tal pattern. This can be shown in the following example. In the popliteal region of most adult mammals the arteria poplitea profunda is situated under the musculus popliteus. In the adult Tupaia, as well as in primates, this artery is missing but, superficial to the musculus popliteus, an arteria poplitea super- ficialis exists. It seems difficult to explain such a case of "discontinuous evolution," because it is hard to imagine the position of the artery should have shifted through the muscle. The present investigation and the literature show that early in the embryonic development of a primate, man, and of Tupaia, both the arteria poplitea profunda and the arteria poplitea superficialis are present.

Cell culture techniques allow a variety of molecular and cell biological questions to be addressed, offering physiological conditions whilst avoiding the use of laboratory animals. In addition to basic techniques, a wide range of specialised practical protocols covering the following areas are included: cell proliferation and death, in-vitro models for cell differentiation, in-vitro models for toxicology and pharmacology, industrial application of animal cell culture, genetic manipulation and analysis of human and animal cells in culture.

During pubertal development of the testes, germ cells pass initially through the complete succession of spermatogenic differentiation. Using the golden hamster as a model, this volume presents a comprehensive analysis of that establishing period of mammalian spermatogenesis. Detailed morphological and cell kinetic data of the pubertal seminiferous epithelium reveal a level of cellular organization and synchronization coming near to the adult situation. Characteristic, temporarily occurring perturbations of spermatogenic progression are related to specific delays of Sertoli or Leydig cell maturation, respectively. These results emphasize and specify the close structural and functional interdependence of germ and somatic cell development.

1.1 Overview The precise knowledge of the three-dimensional (3-D) assembly of biological structures is still in its origin. As an example, a widely accepted concept and common belief of the structure of the airway network oflung is that of a regular, dichotomous branching pattern, also known as the trumpet model. This model, first introduced by Weibel in 1963, is often used in clinical and physiological applications. However, if this concept of dichotomy is used to model lung, a shape is obtained that is quite different from a real lung. As a matter of fact, many previous quantitative morphological and stereological investigations of lung did not concentrate on the spatial aspect of lung morphology but delivered data in a more statistical fashion. Accordingly, the functional behavior predicted by such a model becomes questionable and indeed, the morphometrically predicted lung capacity exceeds the physiological required capacity by a factor of 1.3 up to a factor of2. This problem has also been termed a paradox, as discussed by Weibel in 1983. In the rare cases where descriptive models of the mammalian bronchial tree exist, monopodial in small mammals, dichotomous in larger ones, the understanding of the historical and/or functional reasons for size-related changes in the general design is not explainable. This investigation is trying to overcome this gap by computer modeling and functional simulation.

Glomerular flltration represents one of the basic mechanisms in the function of an organism. Our understanding of this process is still quite fragmentary. Regulation of blood flow and pressure, together with regulation of the ultraflltration coefficient (which is an attribute of the flltration barrier), are the two fundamental mechanisms accounting for maintenance and adaptability of glomerular flltration. Regulation of glomerular blood flow is generally considered to result from an interplay between afferent and efferent glomerular arterioles, and much progress has been made recently in understanding this interplay (Navar et al. 1996). The present study provides a detailed structural description of the glomerular vascular pole of rat. The results of this study appear to be relevant for several open questions of glomerular function. First, the interaction between afferent and efferent arterioles in regulating glomerular blood is generally understood to occur between the preglomerular and the postglomerular portions of these vessels. As shown in the present study, the structural elaborations of these arterioles and the spatial relationships between them within the glomerular hilum strongly suggest an interplay also at this site. Moreover, the current understanding of glomerular blood flow regulation by tuning the interplay between afferent and efferent arterioles is exclusively based on signals whose regulatory loops are established in follow-up events outside the glomerulus (tubuloglomerular balance, tubuloglomerular feedback).

According to Jones and Smith (1973) the potential adverse effect of maternal alcoholism on the development of the offspring has been referred to in early Greek and Roman mythology. In a Carthaginian ritual, the bridal couple was forbidden to drink wine on their wedding night in order that defective children might not be conceived (Haggard and Jellinek 1942). Also, according to lones and Smith (1973,1975), the British House of Commons indicated in 1834, in a report by a select committee investigating drunk enness, that infants born to alcoholic mothers sometimes had a starved, shrivelled and imperfect look. According to Librizzi (1982) the first documented observations appeared in 1849 with the publication of the essay by Carpenter entitled "The Use and Abuse of Alcoholic Liquors in Health and Disease." He stated that habitual intemperance is the most potent of all causes of insanity because it aggravates the operation in other causes. Sullivan (1990) recorded increased abortion and stillbirth rates among chronically al coholic mothers in a Liverpool prison and an increased incidence of epilepsy in their surviving offspring. Various investigators including Ladraque (1901), Roe (1944). Le comte (1950), Christiaens et al. (1960) and Lemoine et al. (1967) have since then reported increased incidence of abnormalities and decreased weight of surviving children born to chronic alcoholic mothers."