Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) have been studied by primatologists since 1948, and considerable knowledge of the primate has been accumulated to elucidate the adaptation of the species over time and to distinct environments in Japan. The Japanese macaque is especially suited to intragenera and interpopulation comparative studies of behavior, physiology, and morphology, and to socioecology studies in general. This book, the most comprehensive ever published in English on Japanese macaques, is replete with contributions by leading researchers in field primatology. Highlighted are topics of intraspecific variations in the ecology and behaviors of the macaque. Such variations provide evidence of the ecological determinants on this species' mating and social behaviors, along with evidence of cultural behavior. The book also addresses morphology, population genetics, recent habitat change, and conflicts with humans, and attests to the plasticity and complex adaptive system of macaque societies. The valuable information in this volume is recommended reading for researchers in primatology, anthropology, zoology, animal behavior, and conservation biology.

Nature helps... of course at first itself by developing measures that give bacteria, fungi, plants and animals a chance to be successful in their struggle for life. As a latecomer on Earth, Homo sapiens was gifted with some droplets of the divine spirit of recognition and thus became able to observe, to analyse and recombine skills of other living beings and to use them for his overwhelming career over the last 10,000 years.Of course fungi, plants, animals and even bacteria were primarily used by mankind as food or as lifestyle products such as beer, but soon it became clear that there was much more potential hidden in these organisms and that they could be used for other purposes, too. Extracts of plants and fungi were recognized as powerful remedies, as medicines, as insecticides or acarizides, as repellents against parasites or even as weapons, e.g. when poisonous compounds from frogs or plants were applied to arrowheads. Over the last 110 years the pharmaceutical industry has often simulated nature by analyzing complex organic substances taken from living organisms and then producing by synthesis absolutely pure compounds, which mostly consisted of only one single active substance. These products had the advantage of acting against precisely one target and thus produced fewer possible side effects than the complex plant extracts. However, the more serious side effect was that disease agents could develop resistances to pure medicinal products much more easily. Thus after 70 years of excellent prospects for chemotherapy, some dark clouds appeared and quickly gathered, so that several therapeutic remedies now no longer work. Therefore in many countries - especially in those where the pure chemotherapeutics are too expensive for the poor population - the cry "back to nature" is becoming louder and louder. This has led to an enormous increase of studies that again use natural extracts as remedies in the fight against diseases. The present book summarizes examples of promising aspects in a broad spectrum of applications and shows how extracts derived from bacteria, marine organisms, plants or even animals may help to treat infectious diseases, how such organisms may keep away parasites and pests from the bodies of plants or animals, including humans, and how they can be used directly to aid in diagnosis, promote wound healing and even to help catch criminals. These 15 chapters offer not only basic research on these different fields, but also show how useful and effective products can be developed from research.

There are several books on properties of chitin and associated biomolecules and their biochemical significance. However, the present volume deals with a wide variety of biogeochemical and organic geochemical aspects of this vital macromolecule written by leading authors and experts in the field. Each chapter is carefully peer reviewed and is an updated account of recent research in isotopic, nanostructural, biochemical, microstructural, geochemical, paleontological and experimental aspects of chitin formation, distribution and preservation in the environment and earth history.

This volume focuses on defining the unique attributes of using the zebrafish cancer model for discovering important pathways and potential drug targets for the treatment of human cancers. Using the zebrafish model, the volume explores oncogene and tumor suppressor discovery, chemical genetic approaches, genomics, epigenetics, cancer imaging, and cell transplantation. Contributed chapters come from the most prominent laboratories working in this field, which provides a unique perspective on zebrafish models from a wide spectrum of the research community. In addition, the book offers a detailed analysis of the most current research in the area for specific zebrafish cancer models, including T cell leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma, liver and pancreatic cancer, melanoma, neuroblastoma, germ cell tumors, and malignant peripheral sheath tumors. A chapter is also dedicated to the development and utilization of other piscine models of cancer. The compilation of chapters in the volume culminates into a comprehensive and definitive text on zebrafish and cancer, providing a much needed resource on the powerful attributes of the zebrafish model system.

Fish sensory systems have been extensively studied not only because of a wide general interest in the behavioral and sensory physiology of this group, but also because fishes are well suited as biological models for studies of sensory systems. This volume describes how fish are able to perceive their physical and biological surroundings, and highlights some of the exciting developments in molecular biology of fish sensory systems. Volume 25 in the Fish Physiology series offers the only updated thorough examination of fish sensory systems at the molecular, cellular and systems levels.
* Offers a comprehensive account of the present state of science in this rapidly expanding and developing field
* New physiological techniques presented to enable examining responses at the cellular and system levels
* Discusses fish sensory systems and how they have adapted to the physiological challenges presented by an aquatic environment

Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) comprise twelve species of leaf-eating New World monkeys that range from southern Mexico through northern Argentina. This genus is the most widespread of any New World primate taxa, and can be found to inhabit a range of forest types from undisturbed rainforest to severely anthropogenically impacted forest fragments. Although there have been many studies on individual species of howler monkeys, this book is the first comprehensive volume to place information on howler behavior and biology within a theoretical framework of ecological and social adaptability. This is the second of two volumes devoted to the genus Alouatta. This volume: * Examines behavioral and physiological mechanisms that enable howler monkeys to exploit highly disturbed and fragmented habitats * Presents models of howler monkey diet, social organization, and mating systems that can also inform researchers studying Old World colobines, apes, and other tropical mammals These goals are achieved in a collection of chapters written by a distinguished group of scientists on the feeding ecology, behavior, mating strategies, and management and conservation of howlers. This book also contains chapters on the howler microbiome, the concept of behavioral variability, sexual selection, and the role of primates in forest regeneration.

Disulfide-containing proteins belong to a unique class of proteins for studying the mechanism of protein folding. Their folding mechanism can be analyzed by three distinct techniques: (1) The conventional denaturation-renaturation method (disulfide intact); (2) The disulfide oxidation method (oxidative folding); and (3) The emerging disulfide scrambling method. Each technique provides specific information as to how an unfolded disulfide protein refolds to form the native structure. This book is intended to highlight the knowledge of several important proteins (BPTI, RNase A, beta-Lactalbumin and Lysozyme etc.) that have been characterized in depth by these methodologies. The book will also devote sections to comparing these methodologies and chaperones (PDI and Dsb machineries) that facilitate folding of disulfide proteins. Folding of Disulfide Proteins aims to cover the knowledge of protein folding accumulated from studies of disulfide-containing proteins, including methodologies, folding pathways, and folding mechanism of numerous extensively characterized disulfide proteins. This book will be of interest to those interested in problems related to protein folding, and anyone who is interested in understanding the mechanism of protein misfolding and protein misfolding-related diseases. Folding of Disulfide Proteins aims to cover the knowledge of protein folding accumulated from studies of disulfide-containing proteins, including methodologies, folding pathways, and folding mechanism of numerous extensively characterized disulfide proteins. This book will be of interest to those interested in problems related to protein folding, and anyone who is interested in understanding the mechanism of protein misfolding and protein misfolding-related diseases.

This book presents the latest developments and recent research trends in the field of plankton, highlighting the potential ecological and biotechnological applications. It critically and comprehensively discusses strain selection, growth characteristics, large-scale culturing, and biomass harvesting, focusing on the screening and production of high-value products from algae, and evaluating carbon dioxide sequestration from fuel gas as a climate change mitigation strategy. The latter areas of research are clearly central to the sustainable development approach that is currently attracting global attention. Over the decades, much of the literature on has focused on the biological and ecological aspects of phytoplankton found in freshwater, marine and brackish water environments. However, these organisms are known to also inhabit various other environments. More recently, there has been a substantial shift toward the concept of sustainable development and the "green economy" with emphasis on exploiting biological systems for the benefit of mankind. The significance of these plankton cannot be underestimated as they contribute approximately 40% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Therefore, there is potential for exploitation of this invaluable biomass source that could lead to significant environmental and economic benefits for man. Providing a comprehensive outline of the most recent developments and advances in the field of industrial applications of these plankton, this book is an excellent reference resource for researchers and practitioners.

One of the major questions in the evolution of animals is the transition from unicellular to multicellular organization, which resulted in the emergence of Metazoa through a hypothetical Urmetazoa. The Comparative Embryology of Sponges contains abundant original and literary data on comparative embryology and morphology of the Porifera (Sponges), a group of 'lower Metazoa'. On the basis of this material, original typization of the development of Sponges is given and the problems concerning origin and evolution of Porifera and their ontogenesis are discussed. A morphogenetic interpretation of the body plan development during embryogenesis, metamorphosis and asexual reproduction in Sponges is proposed. Special attention is given to the analysis of characteristic features of the ontogenesis in Porifera. The book pursues three primary goals: 1) generalization of all existing information on individual development of sponges, its classification and a statement according to taxonomical structure of Porifera; 2) revealing of heterogeneity of morphogenesis and peculiarities of ontogeneses in various clades of Porifera, and also their correlations with the organization, both adult sponges, and their larvae; 3) revealing homology of morphogeneses in both Porifera and Eumetazoa, testifying to the general evolutionary roots of multicellular animals, and peculiar features of sponges' morphogeneses and ontogenesis. This book will be of interest to embryologists, zoologists, morphologists and researchers in evolutionary biology.