The genus Perca includes only three species of fish, but they are ubiquitous and abundant in freshwater and brackish environments of the northern hemisphere, from North America to Europe and Asia. These species are important both ecologically and economically. In Biology of Perch, world-renowned specialists review and update the biology of these fish. The book opens with a review of the genetic makeup of this complex assemblage from early post-glacial dispersion to the colonization of new habitats. The influences of geomorphological and biological factors on the dispersal of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are explored. Two case studies exploit unique historical databases to follow population dynamics of yellow perch and European perch (P. fluviatilis) and to demonstrate how fisheries and habitat management can drastically influence the fate of fish populations. Three other chapters are dedicated to the general reproductive physiology, parasitology, and behavior of Perca species. The third species, the Balkhash perch (P. schrenkii), is a rare and threatened species of the Balkans, and a chapter is dedicated to its biology. The book ends with a review of the use of Perca species around the world as sentinels of ecological integrity and biomonitors in ecotoxicological studies.

Bayesian Approaches in Oncology Using R and OpenBUGS serves two audiences: those who are familiar with the theory and applications of bayesian approach and wish to learn or enhance their skills in R and OpenBUGS, and those who are enrolled in R and OpenBUGS-based course for bayesian approach implementation. For those who have never used R/OpenBUGS, the book begins with a self-contained introduction to R that lays the foundation for later chapters. Many books on the bayesian approach and the statistical analysis are advanced, and many are theoretical. While most of them do cover the objective, the fact remains that data analysis can not be performed without actually doing it, and this means using dedicated statistical software. There are several software packages, all with their specific objective. Finally, all packages are free to use, are versatile with problem-solving, and are interactive with R and OpenBUGS. This book continues to cover a range of techniques related to oncology that grow in statistical analysis. It intended to make a single source of information on Bayesian statistical methodology for oncology research to cover several dimensions of statistical analysis. The book explains data analysis using real examples and includes all the R and OpenBUGS codes necessary to reproduce the analyses. The idea is to overall extending the Bayesian approach in oncology practice. It presents four sections to the statistical application framework: Bayesian in Clinical Research and Sample Size Calcuation Bayesian in Time-to-Event Data Analysis Bayesian in Longitudinal Data Analysis Bayesian in Diagnostics Test Statistics This book is intended as a first course in bayesian biostatistics for oncology students. An oncologist can find useful guidance for implementing bayesian in research work. It serves as a practical guide and an excellent resource for learning the theory and practice of bayesian methods for the applied statistician, biostatistician, and data scientist.

The Geometric Induction of Bone Formation describes new biomimetic biomaterials that offer mechanistic osteogenic surfaces for the autonomous and spontaneous induction of bone formation without the addition of osteogenic soluble molecular signals of the transforming growth factor- supergene family. The chapters frame our understanding of regenerative medicine in primate species, including humans. The goal is to unravel the fundamental biological mechanisms of bone formation unique to non-human and human primates. The broad target audience dovetails with several disciplines both in the academic and private biotech sectors primarily involved in molecular biology, tissue biology, tissue engineering, biomaterial science, and reconstructive, orthopedic, plastic, and dental surgery. Key Features Includes outstanding images of undecalcified whole mounted sections Summarizes non-human primate research - ideal for clinical translation Reviews methods for creating devices capable of making bone autonomously, i.e. an intrinsically osteo-inductive bioreactor and/or biomaterial Describes the spontaneous induction of bone formation including a whole spectrum of tissue biology, from basic molecular biology to clear-cut morphology and pre-clinical application in non-human primate species Intended for audiences in both academic research and the biotech industry

First published in 1996, liposomes have become an important model in fundamental biomembrane research, including biophysical, biochemical, and cell biological studies of membranes and cell function. They are thoroughly studied in several applications, such as drug delivery systems in medical applications and as controlled release systems, microencapsulating media, signal carriers, support matrices, and solubilizers in other applications. While medical applications have been extensively reviewed in recent literature, there is a need for easily accessible information on applications for liposomes beyond pharmacology and medicine. The Handbook of Nonmedical Applications of Liposomes fills this void. This unique new handbook series presents recent developments in the use of liposomes in many scientific disciplines, from studies on the origin of life, protein function, and vesicle shapes, to applications in cosmetics, diagnostics, ecology, bioreclamation, and the food industry. In these volumes many of the top experts contribute extensive reviews of their work.

This new volume focuses on clinical biochemistry fundamentals, cell culture techniques, and drug discovery and development concepts. It deals with three different fields of clinical research: cell culture, clinical biochemistry, and drug discovery and development. The book introduces cell animal and bacterial culture techniques and their potential uses as well as cell culture techniques. The biochemistry aspect of the book covers the principles of clinical biochemistry and biochemical analysis, biochemical aids to clinical diagnosis, measurement, and quality control. The book also presents important concepts in cell membrane receptor signal transduction pathways as drug targets. The drug development focus of the book discusses the fundamentals of human disease and drug discovery. Various in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches for drug discovery are examined, along with a discussion on drug delivery carriers and clinical trials. Overall, the volume provides an overview of the journey from clinical fundamentals to clinical output.

The Present book is aimed at providing a readable account of physical methods and results required to measure cell adhesion and interpret experimental data. Since on the one hand readability seemed a major quality for a book, and on the other hand, the problems posed referred to a wide range of domains of physics, chemistry, and biology, completeness had to sacrificed. Indeed, a whole book would not suffice to quote the relevant literature (and many more authors would be required to have read it). Hence, only a limited number of topics were selected for reliability of methods, availability of enough experimental results to illustrate basic conception or potential use in the future. These were discussed in three sections.

Cytochromes are proteins that catalyze electron transfer reactions of well-known metabolic pathways and are classified in various superfamilies. The CYP, or P450, superfamily accounts for 90% of the oxidative metabolism of clinical drugs. One member of this superfamily, P450 2D6 (or CYP2D6), singlehandedly metabolizes about 25% of all medications in the human liver. Cytochrome P450 2D6: Structure, Function, Regulation, and Polymorphism reviews the current knowledge of CYP2D6 as well as the maturing body of evidence indicating its significance to clinical and pharmacological researchers and practitioners. This book focuses on the critical role CYP2D6 plays in the human liver. It examines the genetic, epigenetic, physiological, pathological, and structural factors of the gene that govern the highly variable metabolism of a number of drugs in clinical use. It highlights the impact of the functional roles of CYP2D6 on clinical practice and drug development and also discusses implications for precise medicine, strategies to avoid adverse drug reactions, and paths for future research. Cytochrome P450 2D6 is a unique, valuable book focusing on a single but immensely powerful human gene. It provides the first single source of comprehensive information on CYP2D6 that serves as an important reference for medical, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and nursing researchers, practitioners, and students.

Thoroughly researched using experimentation and re-examination of all previously published evidence, Molecular and Physiological Mechanisms of Muscle Contraction is a carefully crafted treatise and revision of previous conceptions of muscle contraction. It presents detailed descriptions of new, previously unpublished data and hybrids recent findings with the standard Huxley model. This book demonstrates that traditional concepts cannot fully explain contraction and builds upon previous work. It identifies flaws in the reasoning initially used to explain some results as well as alternative interpretations accounting for inconsistencies. In response to previous bodies of inconsistent or conflicting theories and data, the book synthesizes research based on the Huxley model with more recent experimental and laboratory findings to define a new model. The new model this book proposes is not a replacement for the standard Huxley model of muscle contraction, but a modification based on recent research and synthesized with pre-existing data and conceptions. It reconciles new data with prior information that is contradictory or not entirely explicable in proposing a new integrated and more complete model of muscle contraction.

Much of the biology of oxidative stress and oxidative signalling centres on the generation and handling of hydrogen peroxide. The overall aim for this book would be to provide an insightful and useful forum to assist with the understanding of the relevance of hydrogen peroxide generation and how this is managed in human biology. The target audience would be those who currently have an interest in the generation of ROS, but who do not have expertise in chemistry, as well as those experts in the chemistry of oxidative stress, but without detailed understanding of the biologically relevant setting. We would aim to bridge the gap in understanding between chemistry and biology.

* Includes many captivating illustrations enabling easy comprehension. * Explains microbiome functions from algae to vertebrates. * Reveals how microbiomes contribute to the health of the hosts and the ecosystems. * Describes the impact of dysbiosis on diseases, food security and climate change. * Boxed sections provide a detailed analysis of concepts and are accompanied by vivid illustrations.

Basics of proteins and proteomics techniques In-depth understanding of mass-spectrometry and quantitative proteomics An overview of interactomics and its application for translational research. Advancement in the field of proteomics and challenges in clinical applications.

The mechanics underlying the form and structure of biological tissues is being increasingly investigated and appreciated, with new results appearing at a fast pace. Cellular Patterns covers the salient elements of this thriving field of research in a textbook style, including both historic landmark results and recent achievements. By building on concepts such as packing, confinement, surface tension, and elastic instabilities, the book explains the structure and the shape of sheet-like and bulk tissues by adapting the mechanics of continuous media to living matter. It reviews experimental results and empirical laws, and wherever possible, it discusses more than a single theoretical interpretation of a given phenomenon. The in-depth treatment of technical details, the many boxes summarizing essential physical and biological ideas, and an extensive set of problems make this book suitable as a complementary textbook for a graduate course in biophysics and as a standalone reference for students and researchers in biophysics, bioengineering, and mathematical biology interested in the mechanics of tissue. Features: Provides an overview of patterns and shapes seen in animal tissues in addition to an interpretation of these structures in terms of physical forces and processes Contains detailed analysis and a critical comparison of mechanical models of cells, tissues, and morphogenetic movements Presents a visually rich style which is accessible to physicists and biologists alike

A Unified Microscopic Approach to Analyzing Complex Processes in Molecular Motors Motor Proteins and Molecular Motors explores the mechanisms of cellular functioning associated with several specific enzymatic molecules called motor proteins. Motor proteins, also known as molecular motors, play important roles in living systems by supporting cellular transport and force generation via the transformation of chemical energy into mechanical work. The book presents established results, theoretical methods, and experimental observations related to biological molecular motors. It uses fundamental physical-chemical concepts and methods to develop a systematic theoretical framework for understanding motor protein dynamics. The author introduces the main ideas using simple arguments that avoid heavy mathematical derivations in favor of more intuitive physical understanding. Although the book assumes some rudimentary knowledge of cell biology, calculus, and basic ideas from chemistry and physics, it gives explanations and derivations for most results. Accessible to students and researchers in a wide range of scientific fields, this book provides a unified molecular picture for analyzing motor proteins. It connects major experimental facts on molecular motors to principal theoretical concepts consistent with the fundamental laws of chemistry and physics.

Lysosomes are key subcellular organelles that regulate the cell function. Many of the essential activities of the cell are dependent on lysosomes. Dysfunction is linked to multiple diseases - storage disorders, neurodegeneration, immunological diseases and cancer. This book discusses concepts and methods used to study lysosome ion and small molecule transport. The contents will not only attract accomplished investigators in need of a broad review and synthesis of this important subject but will also appeal to young investigators and trainees needing to acquire comprehensive knowledge and technical skills working with lysosomal ion channels and small molecule transporters. Key selling features: Summarizes the endocellular role that lysosomes play with respect to cellular waste disposal Reviews essential cellular functions of lysosomes Explores how lysosome dysfunction is the cause of many metabolic disorders Examines how lysomes are involved in storage diseases Describes various technologies and methods used in lysosome research

This book brings together current information on the families that make up the kinesin superfamily of molecular motors in one comprehensive text; an ideal reference for researchers looking to make comparisons between different families, for specific information on an individual family, or simply for an overview of the kinesin superfamily. Information is clearly structured and grouped according to individual families and organised in a standardised way, allowing the reader to easily search and retrieve information on this large superfamily of molecular motors and understand how its individual members carry out a diverse variety of cellular functions. Features: The first book dedicated to the entire kinesin superfamily Enables a fuller understanding of this family of proteins, which is becoming an increasing focus of research due to its involvement in diseases such as cancer, neuropathies and ciliopathies Written in a manner accessible to a range of researchers in the life and medical sciences, including biophysicists, biochemists and medical researchers. Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.here. Chapter 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.here.

This new edition of a foundational text presents a contemporary review of cladistics, as applied to biological classification. It provides a comprehensive account of the past fifty years of discussion on the relationship between classification, phylogeny and evolution. It covers cladistics in the era of molecular data, detailing new advances and ideas that have emerged over the last twenty-five years. Written in an accessible style by internationally renowned authors in the field, readers are straightforwardly guided through fundamental principles and terminology. Simple worked examples and easy-to-understand diagrams also help readers navigate complex problems that have perplexed scientists for centuries. This practical guide is an essential addition for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in taxonomy, systematics, comparative biology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology.

The evolution of segmentation is one of the central questions in evolutionary developmental biology. Indeed, it is one of the best case studies for the role of changes in development in the evolution of body plans. Segmented body plans are believed to have appeared several times in animal evolution, and to have contributed significantly to the evolutionary success of the taxa in which they are present. Because of the centrality of the subject, and the continuing interest in understanding segmentation, this book offers an often overlooked focus on the cellular aspects of the process of segmentation, providing an invaluable reference for students of evolutionary developmental biology at all levels. Key Features Explores the role that segmentation has played in the diversity of animals Documents the diverse cellular mechanisms by which segmentation develops Reviews the independent evolutionary origins of segmentation Provides insight into the general patterns of serial homology at the cellular level Related Titles Lynne Bianchi. Developmental Neurobiology (ISBN 978-0-8153-4482-7). Jonathan Bard. Principles of Evolution: Systems, Species, and the History of Life (ISBN 978-0-8153-4539-8). Gerhard Scholtz. Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea (ISBN 978-9-0580-9637-1). Dr. Ariel D. Chipman is Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior of the Silberman Institute of Life Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author or co-author of dozens of peer reviewed scientific journal articles. His research focuses upon the evolution of animal body plans with a focus on arthropod segmentation, integrating comparative embryology, the fossil record and genome evolution.

1) General description of the Genetic Polymorphism and its various types 2) Discuss the role of Genetic Polymorphisms in modulating risk of various human diseases 3) Discuss various molecular techniques used for detecting GPs 4) Discuss the role of SNPs in modulating the susceptibility of human diseases 5) Genetic basis for individual variations in response to therapeutics

New Techniques for Studying Biomembranes describes some of the latest methods used to investigate the dynamic distribution of specific lipids in membranes and their effects on other membrane components. The contributors present important discoveries with respect to lipid analysis and lipid interactions with membrane proteins. Various methods, which have been used to study lipid bilayer structure and lipid organization in membranes, include both in vitro and in vivo membrane systems, and study membrane proteins in various membrane systems. Key Features: Reviews both in vivo and in vitro analytical technologies and methods for studying membrane structure and function Explores how lipid bilayers and membrane proteins interact Includes contributions from an international team of researchers actively studying membrane structure and function Identifies various diseases whose causes are related to membrane proteins Related Titles: Christopher R. Jacobs, Hayden Huang, and Ronald Y. Kwon. Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology (ISBN 978-0-8153-4425-4) Wendell Lim and Bruce Mayer. Cell Signaling: Principles and Mechanisms (ISBN 978-0-8153-4244-1) Stephen Rothman. Proteins Crossing Membranes: A Scientist's Memoir (978-0-3670-7449-4)

A volume in the new Principles and Applications in Engineering series, Tissue Engineering provides an overview of the major physiologic systems of current interest to biomedical engineers: cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, visual, auditory, gastrointestinal, and respiratory. It contains useful definitions, tables of basic physiologic data, and an introduction to the literature. Then, the book reviews the status of tissue engineering of specific organs, including bone marrow, skeletal muscle, and cartilage. Readers will acquire a good understanding of the engineering and cell biological fundamentals of tissue engineering and will develop ideas for further development of this emerging and important field.

Of recent, the structure of the complement system has received considerable attention, including the publication of several three-dimensional structures of complement proteins. This has led to the need for an authoritative resource to provide a complete overview of the basics, as well as an explanation of the cutting-edge work being accomplished in this emerging science. Structural Biology of the Complement System is devoted to the full exploration of structural aspects of the complement system, with special consideration of the links between molecular structure and function. Containing the work of leading authorities across the disciplines of immunology and structural biology, the book serves both as an introductory volume for newcomers to the field and as a comprehensive reference for established researchers, in particular those whose goal is the discovery of anticomplement drugs. Written in a didactic style, this volume is an appropriate resource for students in the fields of immunology and structural biology. Structural Biology of the Complement System comes with downloadable resources containing color figures, a molecular structure visualization program, and files with three-dimensional coordinates of the structures described in the book. These tools allow readers to perform tailored structural manipulation and analysis, while also serving as a starting point for further research.

Cellular proteinases and their physiological role in normal and disease states have been the subject of great interest over recent decades. At present, specific protease inhibitors are exploited both as tools in unraveling the role of individual proteinases in particular cellular processes and for the development of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of various disorders. Proteinase and Peptidase Inhibition presents updated progress reports on the characterization of a wide range of cellular proteinases whose inhibitors may hold the key to the development of new drugs. Introductory chapters deal with the broad enzyme classes, inhibitor types and regulatory mechanisms governing proteinase activity. The target enzymes themselves, together with all aspects of their inhibition and inhibitor design, are comprehensively described. The classification of target enzymes by structural similarity, rather than by pharmacological effects, provides a new and coherent platform for understanding how inhibition of different targets can lead to the same therapeutic outcomes. This is a valuable reference book that will appeal to both academic and industrial researchers in the fields of medicinal chemistry, drug design and development, pharmacology, biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology.

This work presents the proceedings of a conference held at Adare Manor, County Limerick, Ireland. It provides an updated, in-depth review of the biological role of eosinophils in allergic diseases, summarizing basic knowledge of these unique cationic proteins. The book features an annotated discussion of the conference's post-presentation question-and-answer session.

Tissue stem cells and their medical applications have become a major focus of research over the past decade. With 16 full-color illustrations, this reference provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the current and emerging technologies for stem cell research and transplantation. Divided into three sections covering general issues, adult stem cells within specific tissues, and clinical applications, this source studies advances in bone marrow transplantation, cancer development modeling, tumor analysis, and gene therapy.

Concentrating on proven data and adopting a structure-function approach, this text provides grounding for an intricate understanding of the molecular biology, physiological mechanisms, and routine clinical use in disease settings of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs). This edition includes eight additional chapters, with updates of recently-discovered and established CSFs, each indexed individually.