Central to the synthesis of proteins, the performance of catalysis, and many other physiological processes, the aberrant expression of which can be linked to human diseases including cancers, RNA has proven to be key target for therapeutics as well as a tool for therapy. In RNA Therapeutics: Function, Design, and Delivery, expert contributors from a broad spectrum of scientific backgrounds highlight the roles that messenger RNAs and small RNAs can play in biology and medicine. While covering the five major RNA-based drugs, namely the use of ribozymes to cleave and/or correct mRNA transcript, the use of siRNA for targeted silencing of gene transcripts, the use of aptamers, like short RNA molecules, for neutralizing the protein functions, the use mRNA-transfected DCs to activate immune system against tumor cells, as well as the use of RNA to reprogram T and/or DC cell function, this extensive volume brings together the fields of coding (mRNA) and non-coding RNA such as ribozymes, RNAse P, siRNAs, and miRNAs into one convenient source. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, the cutting-edge protocol chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and practical tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Also, the book contains several excellent reviews for teaching purposes. Authoritative and comprehensive, RNA Therapeutics: Function, Design, and Delivery provides key models and tools which will assist researchers in increasing our understanding of RNA functions, modifications, and their involvement in diseases in order to lead to the design of vital new RNA-based therapeutics.

During the 20th century Xenopus has flourished as an accessible experimental model system for studying vertebrate biology. The second edition of Xenopus Protocols:Post-Genomic Approaches expands upon the previous edition with novel approaches inspired by Xenopus tropicalis and the sequencing of its genome. Xenopus tropicalis genomics and tractable genetics combined with the unique experimental advantages of Xenopus laevis and their distinctive phylogenetic position make them unique model systems for vertebrate embryonic development in the 21st century. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Xenopus Protocols: Post-Genomic Approaches, Second Edition provides a toolkit that will enable every laboratory to maximize the power of this extraordinary experimental system in the post-genomic age.

The immune systems of human and non-human primates have diverged over time, such that some species differ considerably in their susceptibility, symptoms, and survival of particular infectious diseases. Variation in primate immunity is such that major human pathogens - such as immunodeficiency viruses, herpesviruses and malaria-inducing species of Plasmodium - elicit striking differences in immune response between closely related species and within primate populations. These differences in immunity are the outcome of complex evolutionary processes that include interactions between the host, its pathogens and symbiont/commensal organisms. The success of some pathogens in establishing persistent infections in humans and other primates has been determined not just by the molecular evolution of the pathogen and its interactions with the host, but also by the evolution of primate behavior and ecology, microflora, immune factors and the evolution of other biological systems. To explore how interactions between primates and their pathogens have shaped their mutual molecular evolution, Primates, Pathogens and Evolution brings together research that explores comparative primate immune function, the emergence of major and neglected primate diseases, primate-microorganism molecular interactions, and related topics. This book will be of interest to anyone curious as to why infectious diseases manifest differently in humans and their closest relatives. It will be of particular interest to scholars specializing in human and non-human primate evolution, epidemiology and immunology, and disease ecology. Primates, Pathogens and Evolution offers an overview and discussion of current findings on differences in the molecular mechanics of primate immune response, as well as on pathogen-mediated primate evolution and human and non-human primate health.

Latent knowledge in the field of pig reproduction is vast but scattered, making it difficult to take in all information at a glance. Moreover, nascent branches in biotechnology cannot grow if deprived of roots. The book Boar Reproduction: Fundamentals and New Biotechnological Trends links the past, the present and the emerging scientific research fields on reproductive biotechnology, offering a rigorous but easy to follow compilation of topics, from "old favorites" to the latest advances. The book is organized in three parts. The chapters of the first and second part cover various biological aspects of boar spermatozoa within the male, and within the female environments, respectively. The most common laboratory and artificial insemination techniques are discussed in the third part. As an additional feature, some chapters focus on the basis of a technology transfer to bring research expertise from basic science to the market, making the information provided in this book suitable for academic, research and other professional applications.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennedius) has distinguished itself from the more than 1,000 whitefly species in the world by its adaptability, persistence and potential to damage a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops in all six of the world's inhabited continents. B. tabaci inflicts plant damage through direct feeding, inducement of plant disorders, vectoring of plant viruses and excretion of honeydew. This book collates multiple aspects of the pest ranging from basic to applied science and molecular to landscape levels of investigation. Experts in multiple disciplines provide broad, but detailed summaries and discussion of taxonomy, genetics, anatomy, morphology, physiology, behavior, ecology, symbiotic relationships, virus vector associations and various tactics for integrated management of this pest insect. The book is focused primarily on progress during the last 10-15 years and is directed at workers in the field as well as the informed professional who may not necessarily specialize in whitefly research. The book is unique in providing broad coverage in relatively few chapters by recognized experts that highlight the state-of-the-art in our understanding of this fascinating but troublesome cosmopolitan pest.

This book provides the Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART) community an update of the fast approaching novel technologies that may allow improved assessment of the reproductive potential of sperm, oocytes and embryos. The reader has access to concise updates on the rapidly developing diagnostic technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) and morphological methods which may help us better assess the gametes and embryos. Methodologies are described which enable selection of the best gamete or embryo by invasive and non-invasive diagnostics, as well as the clinical validity of these techniques.

Prenatal life is the period of maximal development in animals, and it is well recognised that factors that alter development can have profound effects on the embryonic, fetal and postnatal animal. Scientists involved in research on livestock productivity have for decades studied postnatal consequences of fetal development on productivity. Recently, however, there has been a surge in interest in how to manage prenatal development to enhance livestock health and productivity. This has occurred largely due to the studies that show human health in later life can be influenced by events during prenatal life, and establishment of the Fetal Origins and the Thrifty Phenotype Hypotheses. This book, Managing the Prenatal Environment to Enhance Livestock Productivity reviews phenotypic consequences of prenatal development, and provides details of mechanisms that underpin these effects in ruminants, pigs and poultry. The chapters have been divided into three parts: Quantification of prenatal effects on postnatal productivity, mechanistic bases of postnatal consequences of prenatal development and regulators of fetal and neonatal nutrient supply. Managing the Prenatal Environment to Enhance Livestock Productivity is a reference from which future research to improve the level of understanding and capacity to enhance productivity, health and efficiency of livestock in developing and developed countries will evolve. It is particularly timely given the development of molecular technologies that are providing new insight into regulation and consequences of growth and development of the embryo, fetus and neonate.

The second edition of this book constitutes a comprehensive manual of new techniques for setting up mammalian cell lines for production of biopharmaceuticals, and for optimizing critical parameters for cell culture considering the whole cascade from lab to final production. The chapters are written by world-renowned experts and the volume's five parts reflect the processes required for different stages of production. This book is a compendium of techniques for scientists in both industrial and research laboratories that use mammalian cells for biotechnology purposes.

The evolution of leks--clusters of small territories where males congregate and display in order to attract mates--is of central issue in behavioral ecology, because of the insights it offers into female mate choice, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. In the first book on the subject, Jacob HA

glund and Rauno Alatalo draw together existing knowledge on two main aspects of lekking. Why do leks evolve in some species and not in others? Why do females of certain lekking species select their mates even though such behavior reaps few or no material benefits for them? In each case they emphasize the importance of understanding the selective forces that act on individuals in natural populations.

HA

glund and Alatalo synthesize the available information on lekking in all animal groups and suggest new areas of research.

Originally published in 1995.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905."

Marsupials belong to the Class Mammalia, sharing some features with other mammals, yet they also possess many unique features. It is their differences from the more traditionally studied mammals, such as mice and humans, that is of greatest value to comparative studies. Sequencing of genomes from two distantly related marsupials, the short grey-tailed opossum from South America and the Australian tammar wallaby, has launched marsupials into the genomics era and accelerated the rate of progress in marsupial research. With the current worldwide concern for the plight of the endangered Tasmanian devil, marsupial genetics and genomics research is even more important than ever if this species is to be saved from extinction. This volume recounts some of the history of research in this field and highlights the most recent advances in the many different areas of marsupial genetics and genomics research.

In light of mounting fishing pressures, increased aquaculture production and a growing concern for fish well-being, improved knowledge on the swimming physiology of fish and its application to fisheries science and aquaculture is needed. This book presents recent investigations into some of the most extreme examples of swimming migrations in salmons, eels and tunas, integrating knowledge on their performance in the laboratory with that in their natural environment. For the first time, the application of swimming in aquaculture is explored by assessing the potential impacts and beneficial effects. The modified nutritional requirements of "athletic" fish are reviewed as well as the effects of exercise on muscle composition and meat quality using state-of-the-art techniques in genomics and proteomics. The last chapters introduce zebrafish as a novel exercise model and present the latest technologies for studying fish swimming and aquaculture applications.

The ontogeny of each individual contributes to the physical, physiological, cognitive, neurobiological, and behavioral capacity to manage the complex social relationships and diverse foraging tasks that characterize the primate order. For these reasons Building Babies explores the dynamic multigenerational processes of primate development. The book is organized thematically along the developmental trajectory:conception, pregnancy, lactation, the mother-infant dyad, broader social relationships, and transitions to independence. In this volume, the authors showcase the myriad approaches to understanding primate developmental trajectories from both proximate and ultimate perspectives. These collected chapters provide insights from experimental manipulations in captive settings to long-term observations of wild-living populations and consider levels of analysis from molecule to organism to social group to taxon. Strepsirrhines, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, apes, and humans are all well-represented. Contributions by anthropologists, microbiologists, psychologists, population geneticists, and other primate experts provide Building Babies a uniquely diverse voice. Building Babies features multi- and trans-disciplinary research approaches to primate developmental trajectories and is particularly useful for researchers and instructors in anthropology, animal behavior, psychology, and evolutionary biology. This book also serves as a supplement to upper-level undergraduate courses or graduate seminars on primate life history and development. In these contexts, the book provides exposure to a wide range of methodological and theoretical perspectives on developmental trajectories and models how researchers might productively integrate such approaches into their own work.

For nearly 50 years, pest control was mostly based on broad-spectrum conv- tional insecticides such as organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids. However, the severe adverse effects of pesticides on the environment, problems of resistance reaching crisis proportions and public protests led to stricter regulations and legislation aimed at reducing their use. Ways to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides in plant protection and to use more alternative and novel me- ods for pest control or biorational control are the challenges of pest control for the twenty-first century. The term biorational (biological + rational) pesticides can be defined as the use of specific and selective chemicals, often with a unique modes of action, that are compatible with natural enemies and the environment, with minimal effect on n- target organisms. Biorational control is based on a diversity of chemical, biological and physical approaches for controlling insect pests which results in minimum risk to man and the environment.

Foreword by Phillip V. Tobias The introduction of rhesus macaques to Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico in 1938, and the subsequent development of the CPRC for biomedical research, continues its long history of stimulating studies in physical anthropology. The CPRC monkey colonies, and the precise demographic data on the derived skeletal collection in the Center's Laboratory of Primate Morphology and Genetics (LPMG), provide rare opportunities for morphological, developmental, functional, genetic, and behavioral studies across the life span of rhesus macaques as a species, and as a primate model for humans. The book grows out of a symposium Wang is organizing for the 78th annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists to be held in April 2009. This symposium will highlight recent and ongoing research in, or related to, physical anthropology, and reveal the numerous research opportunities that still exist at this unusual rhesus facility. Following an initial historical review of CPRC and its research activities, this book will emphasize recent and current researches on growth, function, genetics, pathology, aging, and behavior, and the impact of these researches on our understanding of rhesus and human morphology, development, genetics, and behavior. Fourteen researchers will present recent and current studies on morphology, genetics, and behavior, with relevance to primate and human growth, health, and evolution. The book will include not only papers presented in the symposium, but also papers from individuals who could not present their work at the meeting due to limitations in the maximum number (14) of permitted speakers.

Carabid ground beetles, sometimes called "walking jewels," are among the most thoroughly investigated insects in the world. This book presents the results of molecular phylogenetic analyses of 2000 specimens, including 350 species and that cover more than 90% of the known genera, from 500 localities in 35 countries. These comprehensive analyses using mitochondrial DNA-based dating suggest that carabid diversification took place about 40 to 50 million years ago as an explosive radiation of the major genera, coinciding with the collision of the Indian subcontinent and Eurasian land mass. The analyses also lead to surprising conclusions suggesting discontinuous evolution and parallel morphological evolution. With numerous color illustrations, this book presents readers with the dynamic principles of evolution and the magnificent geographic history of the earth as revealed by the study of beetles.

In a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder. M. Shelley (1818) Genomic analysis of aquatic species has long been overshadowed by the superb activity of the human genome project. However, aquatic genomics is now in the limelight as evidenced by the recent accomplishment of fugu genome sequencing, which provided a significant foundation for comparative fish genomics. Undoubt edly, such progress will provide an exciting and unparalleled boost to our knowl edge of the genetics of aquatic species. Thus, aquatic genomics research has become a promising new research field with an impact on the fishery industry. It is notewor thy that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has projected that current global fisheries production will soon become insufficient to supply the increasing world population and that aquaculture has a great potential to fulfill that demand. This book, Aquatic Genomic. ~: Steps Toward a Great Future, was designed as a collection of advanced knowledge in aquatic genomics and biological sciences. It covers a variety of aquatic organisms including fish, crustaceans, and shellfish, and describes various advanced methodologies, including genome analysis, gene map ping, DNA markers, and EST analysis. Also included are discussions of many sub jects such as regulation of gene expression, stress and immune responses, sex differ entiation, hormonal control, and transgenic fishes.

"Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds" is the most current and comprehensive account of research on avian reproduction. It develops two unique themes: the consideration of female avian reproductive physiology and ecology, and an emphasis on individual variation in life-history traits. Tony Williams investigates the physiological, metabolic, energetic, and hormonal mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the key female-specific reproductive traits and the trade-offs between these traits that determine variation in fitness.

The core of the book deals with the avian reproductive cycle, from seasonal gonadal development, through egg laying and incubation, to chick rearing. Reproduction is considered in the context of the annual cycle and through an individual's entire life history. The book focuses on timing of breeding, clutch size, egg size and egg quality, and parental care. It also provides a primer on female reproductive physiology and considers trade-offs and carryover effects between reproduction and other life-history stages. In each chapter, Williams describes individual variation in the trait of interest and the evolutionary context for trait variation. He argues that there is only a rudimentary, and in some cases nonexistent, understanding of the physiological mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the major reproductive life-history traits, and that research efforts should refocus on these key unresolved problems by incorporating detailed physiological studies into existing long-term population studies, generating a new synthesis of physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

In this book, numerous prominent aquaculture researchers contribute 27 chapters that provide overviews of aquaculture effects on the environment. They comprise a comprehensive synthesis of many ecological and genetic problems implicated in the practice of aquaculture and of many proven, attempted, or postulated solutions to those problems. This is an outstanding source of reference for all types of aquaculture activities.

One Hundred Years of Chromosome Research: What Remains to be Learned, offers the reader a critical analysis of the observations and experiments that shaped the last 100 years of chromosome research, as well as the ideas which prevailed during this period.
Emphasis is placed on what remains to be learned, particularly in light of reality of the sequencing of DNA which leaves the previous era of chromosome research as a prehistoric event. It is at this turning point, that well formulated questions can be asked about many of the chromosome's properties, which remain to be unveiled.

The author, Lima-de-Faria is Professor Emeritus of Molecular Cytogenetics at Lund Unviersity, Sweden, previously Head of the Institute of Molecular Cytogenetics, Lund University.

The Welfare of Animals is an exciting book that will stimulate and provoke its readers. It describes many problems faced by animals - those we use for food, for pleasure or in research, and those simply but harshly affected by shrinking habitats in the face of the ever-growing human population. And yet it is not a depressing read. It focuses not only on the difficulties that animals face, but on their capacity for free-choice, for joy and excitement, and on the possible ways in which the planet can be shared between species if only we take the time and trouble to think more carefully about the impact of our actions. Clive Phillips moved from the United Kingdom to take up a Foundation Chair in Animal Welfare at the University of Queensland, becoming Australia's first Professor of Animal Welfare in 2003. This cultural leap, combined with his travels in countries like Malaysia and Borneo, permits him the unique and broad perspective that forms the backbone of this book. Eschewing the normal territory patrolled by the animal scientist (explaining the physiological basis of the stress response or causation of abnormal behaviour), Clive ventures into jungles and deserts, city centres and tribal homelands, and presents a book that remarkably and successfully combines travel-diary, nature notes, social and cultural history.

Metabolism is the sum of the chemical reactions in cells that produce life-sustaining chemical energy and metabolites. In the post-genome era, metabolism has taken on new significance for biological scientists: metabolites are the chemical basis of phenotypes that are final expressions of genomic information. This book covers research on metabolomics, ranging from the development of specialized chemical analytical techniques to the construction of databases and methods for metabolic simulation. The authors have been directly involved in the development of all the subject areas, including capillary electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, metabolic databases, and metabolic simulation. Breakthrough achievements and the future of metabolome studies are described, making this book a valuable source for researchers in metabolomics in diverse fields, such as plant, animal, cellular, microbial, pharmaceutical, medical, and genetic sciences.

Over the last ten years the introduction of computer intensive statistical methods has opened new horizons concerning the probability models that can be fitted to genetic data, the scale of the problems that can be tackled and the nature of the questions that can be posed. In particular, the application of Bayesian and likelihood methods to statistical genetics has been facilitated enormously by these methods. Techniques generally referred to as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) have played a major role in this process, stimulating synergies among scientists in different fields, such as mathematicians, probabilists, statisticians, computer scientists and statistical geneticists. Specifically, the MCMC "revolution" has made a deep impact in quantitative genetics. This can be seen, for example, in the vast number of papers dealing with complex hierarchical models and models for detection of genes affecting quantitative or meristic traits in plants, animals and humans that have been published recently. This book, suitable for numerate biologists and for applied statisticians, provides the foundations of likelihood, Bayesian and MCMC methods in the context of genetic analysis of quantitative traits. Most students in biology and agriculture lack the formal background needed to learn these modern biometrical techniques. Although a number of excellent texts in these areas have become available in recent years, the basic ideas and tools are typically described in a technically demanding style, and have been written by and addressed to professional statisticians. For this reason, considerable more detail is offered than what may be warranted for a more mathematically apt audience. The book is divided into four parts. Part I gives a review of probability and distribution theory. Parts II and III present methods of inference and MCMC methods. Part IV discusses several models that can be applied in quantitative genetics, primarily from a Bayesian perspective. An effort has been made to relate biological to statistical parameters throughout, and examples are used profusely to motivate the developments. Daniel Sorensen is a Research Professor in Statistical Genetics, at the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics in the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences. Daniel Gianola is Professor in the Animal Sciences, Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, and Dairy Science Departments of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gianola and Sorensen pioneered the introduction of Bayesian and MCMC methods in animal breeding. The authors have published and lectured extensively in applications of statistics to quantitative genetics.

This two-volume textbook provides a comprehensive overview on the broad field of Animal Biotechnology with a special focus on livestock reproduction and breeding. The reader will be introduced to a variety of state-of-the-art technologies and emerging genetic tools and their applications in animal production. Also, ethics and legal aspects of animal biotechnology will be discussed and new trends and developments in the field will be critically assessed. The two-volume work is a must-have for graduate students, advanced undergraduates and researchers in the field of veterinary medicine, genetics and animal biotechnology. This first volume mainly focuses on artificial insemination, embryo transfer technologies in diverse animal species and cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos.

Examining mating from the male perspective, this book provides an overview of mammalian reproduction to illustrate the important role that male desire plays in the life of mammals. Written in a conversational style that will appeal to those without specialist knowledge of the field, it begins with a broad overview of sexual reproduction in mammals, explaining the importance of mixing genes, sexual selection and the concept of mating seasons. Subsequent chapters examine some of the most important aspects in detail including mating behaviour, the structure and function of the male organs of reproduction and their physiological control and modes of copulation. A final chapter considers human reproduction, explaining how our physical and social evolution have contributed to the development of sexual behaviour that is markedly different to that of other mammals, due in particular to the absence of oestrus and seasonality in the human female.

At first sight just a small brown bird, the dunnock's unobtrusive appearance belies its extraordinary behaviour and mating patterns. In this book Nick Davies gives a full account of the mating systems of the dunnock or hedge sparrow, Prunella modularis, which include pairs, a male with two females, two males with one female, and several males with several females. Detailed observations, elegant field experiments, and DNA fingerprinting are combined to show how this variable social organization from selfish individuals competing to maximize their own reproductive success. Further experiments reveal how the cuckoo may thwart the dunnock's parental efforts. David Quinn's exquisite drawings provide a visual summary of the birds' behaviour. All students of ecology, evolution, and animal behaviour will want to be familiar with this work, which addresses the wider issues of the influence of ecology on mating systems and the evolutionary significance of conflict within and between species. This is the third volume in the Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution, and the first in this series to tackly behavioural ecology. Nick Davies is a Lecturer in Zoology at the University of Cambridge and co-editor with J. R. Krebs of the leading text in the field, Behavioural ecology: an evolutionary approach.