Population genomics has revolutionized various disciplines of biology including population, evolutionary, ecological and conservation genetics, plant and animal breeding, human health, medicine and pharmacology by allowing to address novel and long-standing questions with unprecedented power and accuracy. It employs large-scale or genome-wide genetic information and bioinformatics to address various fundamental and applied aspects in biology and related disciplines, and provides a comprehensive genome-wide perspective and new insights that were not possible before. These advances have become possible due to the development of new and low-cost sequencing and genotyping technologies and novel statistical approaches and software, bioinformatics tools, and models. Population genomics is tremendously advancing our understanding the roles of evolutionary processes, such as mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, and natural selection, in shaping up genetic variation at individual loci and across the genome and populations; improving the assessment of population genetic parameters or processes such as adaptive evolution, effective population size, gene flow, admixture, inbreeding and outbreeding depression, demography, and biogeography; resolving evolutionary histories and phylogenetic relationships of extant, ancient and extinct species; understanding the genomic basis of fitness, adaptation, speciation, complex ecological and economically important traits, and disease and insect resistance; facilitating forensics, genetic medicine and pharmacology; delineating conservation genetic units; and understanding the genetic effects of resource management practices, and assisting conservation and sustainable management of genetic resources. This Population Genomics book discusses the concepts, approaches, applications and promises of population genomics in addressing most of the above fundamental and applied crucial aspects in a variety of organisms from microorganisms to humans. The book provides insights into a range of emerging population genomics topics including population epigenomics, landscape genomics, seascape genomics, paleogenomics, ecological and evolutionary genomics, biogeography, demography, speciation, admixture, colonization and invasion, genomic selection, and plant and animal domestication. This book fills a vacuum in the field and is expected to become a primary reference in Population Genomics world-wide.

As the first comprehensive title on network biology, this book covers a wide range of subjects including scientific fundamentals (graphs, networks, etc) of network biology, construction and analysis of biological networks, methods for identifying crucial nodes in biological networks, link prediction, flow analysis, network dynamics, evolution, simulation and control, ecological networks, social networks, molecular and cellular networks, network pharmacology and network toxicology, big data analytics, and more.Across 12 parts and 26 chapters, with Matlab codes provided for most models and algorithms, this self-contained title provides an in-depth and complete insight on network biology. It is a valuable read for high-level undergraduates and postgraduates in the areas of biology, ecology, environmental sciences, medical science, computational science, applied mathematics, and social science.

This book provides essential insights into designing a localized DNA circuit to promote the rate of desired hybridization reactions over undesired leak reactions in the bulk solution. The area of dynamic DNA nanotechnology, or DNA circuits, holds great promise as a highly programmable toolbox that can be used in various applications, including molecular computing and biomolecular detection. However, a key bottleneck is the recurring issue of circuit leakage. The assembly of the localized circuit is dynamically driven by the recognition of biomolecules - a different approach from most methods, which are based on a static DNA origami assembly. The design guidelines for individual reaction modules presented here, which focus on minimizing circuit leakage, are established through NUPACK simulation and tested experimentally - which will be useful for researchers interested in adapting the concepts for other contexts. In the closing section, the design concepts are successfully applied to the biomolecular sensing of a broad range of targets including the single nucleotide mutations, proteins, and cell surface receptors.

Neuroinflammation, Second Edition, discusses the role inflammation plays in neuro-inflammatory diseases. As research in neuroinflammation has dramatically increased in recent years, this new edition covers all of the new developments and findings since the first publication nearly a decade ago. Comprehensive coverage of topics includes chapters on multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis and Susac syndrome. New chapters cover the latest research in Epilepsy and Neuroinflammation, Pediatric MS, Pediatric Lupus and Traumatic Brain Injury, amongst other topics. Inflammation is a central mechanism in many neurological diseases, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain trauma and meningitis, and it contributes to the generation of pain. Researchers are now beginning to understand the impact of the immune system on different nervous system functions and diseases, ranging from damage, through tolerance, and to modulation and repair.

Islands with large colonies of seabirds are found throughout the globe. Seabird islands provide nesting and roosting sites for birds that forage at sea, deposit marine nutrients on land, and physically alter these islands. Habitats for numerous endemic and endangered animal and plant species, seabird islands are therefore biodiversity hotspots with high priority for conservation.
Successful campaigns to eradicate predators (e.g., rats and cats) from seabird islands have been conducted worldwide. However, removal of predators will not necessarily lead to natural recovery of seabirds or other native species. Restoration of island ecosystems requires social acceptance of eradications, knowledge of how island food webs function, and a long-term commitment to measuring and assisting the recovery process.
This book, written collaboratively by and for ecologists and resource managers, provides the first large-scale cross-system compilation, comparison, and synthesis of the ecology of seabird island systems. Offering a new conceptual framework into which to fit the impacts of seabirds on island ecology, this is an essential resource for academics and resource managers alike.

Presents the principles of human gene evolution in a concise and easy to understand fashion. Uses examples of how evolutionary processes have molded present day genes, drawn from the evolution of humans and other primates, as well as from more primitive organisms. With increasing attention in this expanding area, this review forms a timely publication of our current knowledge of this important field.
Key Features
* Structure and function in the human genome
* The evolution of gene structure
* Mutational mechanisms in evolution

Brain Protection Strategies and Nanomedicine, Volume 266 in the Progress in Brain Research serial highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of topics, including Histamine H3 and H4 receptors modulate Parkinson's disease induced brain pathology: Neuroprotective effects of nanowired BF-2649 and clobenpropit with anti-histamine-antibody therapy, Ultra Early Molecular Biologic Diagnosis Of Malignant And Neurodegenerative Diseases By The Immunospecific Profiles Of The Proteins Markers Of The Surface Of The Mobilized Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Neuroprotective effects of Insulin like growth factor-1 on Engineered metal Nanoparticles Ag, Cu and Al induced blood-brain barrier breakdown, and more. Other chapters cover how Methamphetamine exacerbates pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury at high altitude: Neuroprotective effects of nanodelivery of a potent antioxidant compound H-290/51, Effectiveness of bortezomib and temozolomide for eradication of recurrent human glioblastoma cells, resistant to radiation, and more.

This book brings together carefully selected, peer-reviewed works on mathematical biology presented at the BIOMAT International Symposium on Mathematical and Computational Biology, which was held at the Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences, in October 2017, in Moscow. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, the evolution of spatial patterns on metapopulations, problems related to cardiovascular diseases and modeled by boundary control techniques in hemodynamics, algebraic modeling of the genetic code, and multi-step biochemical pathways. Also, new results are presented on topics like pattern recognition of probability distribution of amino acids, somitogenesis through reaction-diffusion models, mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, and many others. Experts, scientific practitioners, graduate students and professionals working in various interdisciplinary fields will find this book a rich resource for research and applications alike.

Few people have had as great an impact on the modern environmental movement as has the great writer and scientist Rachel Carson. This readable and up-to-date biography traces the famous environmentalist's development as a writer from earliest childhood through the publication of her best-known work Silent Spring (1962). Although Carson is now remembered almost exclusively for Silent Spring, which exposed the dangers of pesticides, this book was preceded by three best-sellers about the ocean environment: Under the Sea-Wind (1941), The Edge of the Sea (1955), and The Sea Around Us (1951) which catapulted her to fame. In Rachel Carson: A Biography, Carson emerges as a talented scientist and exceptional writer who was able to share her sense of wonder about nature with both scientists and the general public. Carson's great love of both writing and nature emerged at a young age and enabled her to overcome numerous obstacles in her life. She made a critical decision to switch her major in college from English to biology, she suffered financial problems during the Depression, and family and work responsibilities left her little time to write. She struggled for years to become a writer, working in relative obscurity for 15 years at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service writing pamphlets and brochures. She also endured harsh criticism of Silent Spring toward the end of her life while terribly ill. This biography shows how Carson overcame these difficulties and persevered to become one of the most influential writers of the last half of the 20th century. Her legacy as a champion of nature continues 50 years after her death.

What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Genetics 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers - whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public - with the essential ideas of genetics using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood. Genetics 101 provides readers of all levels a brief introduction for understanding a science that is so essential to the advancement of science today. It covers: Genetics as a science, The applications of genetics, including developmental genetics and behavioral genetics, Genetics counseling, and other ways in which genetics impacts our lives. The future of the science of genetics, including genetically modified organisms, cloning, and transgenics A glossary and sources for further research complete this handy resource.

The purpose of this book is to present a range of cases and comparison of the issues, insights and cases emerging from the Sustainable Energy Mix Summit in the Galapagos that offer a better understanding of energy mix in fragile environments from a variety of International locations and contexts including the Galapagos.

Human Prion Diseases, Volume 153 is designed to update the reader on the latest advances and clinical aspects of prion diseases. The book is organized into five sections, including the pathophysiology of prions and a description of animal and human diseases. This is followed by detailed reports on recent advances in diagnosis strategies for the development of novel anti-prion molecules and possible designs of clinical trials in such a rare disease. An introductory chapter gives an extensive historical background of prion research, with a final chapter highlighting recent progress, and more importantly, unsolved problems.

Myasthenia Gravis and Myasthenic Disorders, Second Edition is a thoroughly re-written and updated version of the highly successful first edition published in 1999. The current edition begins with an overview of the anatomy and molecular architecture of the neuromuscular junction and the electrophysiologic diagnosis of its disorders. The introductory chapters are followed by a detailed exposition of the pathogenesis, natural history, diagnosis and therapy of the autoimmune myasthenias, the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, and the increasingly complex and fascinating diseases collectively referred to as congenital myasthenic syndromes. The acetylcholine receptor is a major target of both autoimmune and inherited myasthenias and a separate chapter reviews its structural and functional properties. The book also describes disorders that often target terminal nerve segment near the neuromuscular junction-- the syndrome of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability and the Guillain-Barr syndrome.
Comprehensively written by leaders at the forefront of research, not to mention thoroughly referenced throughout and gorgeously illustrated, this new edition of the classic 1999 text will cement its place as the text on Myasthenia Gravis and related disorders for years to come.

This book systemically describes the mechanisms underlying the neural regulation of metabolism. Metabolic diseases, including obesity and its associated conditions, currently affect more than 500 million people worldwide. Recent research has shown that the neural regulation of metabolism is a central mechanism that controls metabolic status physiologically and pathophysiologically. The book first introduces the latest studies on the neural and cellular mechanisms of hypothalamic neurons, hypothalamic glial cells, neural circuitries, cellular signaling pathways, and synaptic plasticity in the control of appetite, body weight, feeding-related behaviors and metabolic disorders. It then summarizes the humoral mechanisms by which critical adipocyte-derived hormones and lipoprotein lipase regulate lipid and glucose metabolism, and examines the role of the hypothalamus-sympathetic nerve, a critical nerve pathway from CNS to peripheral nervous system (PNS), in the regulation of metabolism in multiple tissues/organs. Furthermore, the book discusses the functions of adipose tissue in energy metabolism. Lastly, it explores dietary interventions to treat neural diseases and some of the emerging technologies used to study the neural regulation of metabolism. Presenting cutting-edge developments in the neural regulation of metabolism, the book is a valuable reference resource for graduate students and researchers in the field of neuroscience and metabolism.

Following the Third Alcohol and Cancer Conference, this volume compiles the most up-to-date research on the role of alcohol consumption in carcinogenesis, from epidemiology to pathology metabolism and stem cells. More specifically, it delves into the effects of alcohol consumption and thyroid cancer, CD133+ progenitor cells, carcinogenic iron accumulation, developmental morphogens, and cancer-inducing epigenetic changes. Alcohol and Cancer: Proceedings of the Third International Conference is a timely update to Biological Basis of Alcohol-Induced Cancer, which followed the Second Alcohol and Cancer Conference, compiling cutting-edge research from graduate students, young scientists, and researchers. It is ideal for graduate students and researchers in oncology, hepatology, epigenetics, and alcohol consumption.

Neuropsychiatric manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is one of the most recalcitrant complications of the disease. According to the 1999 ACR nomenclature and case definitions, diffuse psychiatric/neuropsychological syndromes in NPSLE (anxiety disorder, acute confusional state, cognitive dysfunction, mood disorder, psychosis) (diffuse NPSLE) present psychiatric manifestations unlike neurologic syndromes (focal NPSLE) originating from focal CNS lesions, such as cerebrovascular disease, demyelinating syndrome, headache, aseptic meningitis, chorea, seizures and myelopathy. A number of studies have reported that diffuse NPSLE is usually associated with the presence of autoantibodies against neuronal cells in serum as well as in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Moreover, IL-6 has been shown to be elevated in CSF of patients with diffuse NPSLE. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the severity of blood-brain barrier damages plays a crucial role in the development of acute confusional state, the severest form of diffuse NPSLE through the accelerated entry of larger amounts of autoantibodies to NMDA receptor subunit NR2 into the CNS. Since the importance of autoantibodies in the NPSLE has been now evident, such an aggressive treatment, especially B cell depleting therapy, would make sense in that it would reduce the levels of pathogenic autoantibodies, leading to a better prognosis of NPSLE. As far as we know, no single book specifically dedicated to NPSLE alone has been published as yet. As mentioned above, NPSLE constitutes a vastly expanding field of research with increasing numbers of papers published annually. Therefore, we believe that an effort to collect and critically review these publications is invaluable. Such an effort will provide an important contribution to basic researchers as well as clinicians working in the field of neurology, rheumatology, psychiatry and internal medicine fields.

This book explores the subject of artificial psychology and how the field must adapt human neuro-psychological testing techniques to provide adequate cognitive testing of advanced artificial intelligence systems. It shows how classical testing methods will reveal nothing about the cognitive nature of the systems and whether they are learning, reasoning, and evolving correctly; for these systems, the authors outline how testing techniques similar to/adapted from human psychological testing must be adopted, particularly in understanding how the system reacts to failure or relearning something it has learned incorrectly or inferred incorrectly. The authors provide insights into future architectures/capabilities that artificial cognitive systems will possess and how we can evaluate how well they are functioning. It discusses at length the notion of human/AI communication and collaboration and explores such topics as knowledge development, knowledge modeling and ambiguity management, artificial cognition and self-evolution of learning, artificial brain components and cognitive architecture, and artificial psychological modeling. Explores the concepts of Artificial Psychology and Artificial Neuroscience as applied to advanced artificially cognitive systems; Provides insight into the world of cognitive architectures and biologically-based computing designs which will mimic human brain functionality in artificial intelligent systems of the future; Provides description and design of artificial psychological modeling to provide insight into how advanced artificial intelligent systems are learning and evolving; Explores artificial reasoning and inference architectures and the types of modeling and testing that will be required to "trust" an autonomous artificial intelligent systems.

Given the profound moral-ethical controversies regarding the use of new biotechnologies in medical research and treatment, such as embryonic research and cloning, this book sheds new light on the role of religious organizations and actors in influencing the bio-political debates and decision-making processes. Further, it analyzes the ways in which religious traditions and actors formulate their bio-ethical positions and which rationales they use to validate their positions. The book offers a range of case studies on fourteen Western democracies, highlighting the bio-ethical and political debates over human stem cell research, therapeutic and reproductive cloning, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. The contributing authors illustrate the ways in which national political landscapes and actors from diverse and often fragmented moral communities with widely varying moral stances, premises and commitments formulate their bio-ethical positions and seek to influence political decisions.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including cathelicidins and defensins are host defence peptides that carry out multiple roles in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Antimicrobial Peptides in Gastrointestinal Diseases presents knowledge about the physiological functions and pharmacological actions of AMPs in inflammation, cancer, and further infection of the GI tract. The book provides coverage from the basic research to clinical application for GI diseases. Current research and development of AMPs is presented, opening the way for further work on these peptides, not only in the context of GI diseases, but also for similar pathologies in other organs. AMPs are key to the regulation of human microbiome and second line defence in the GI mucosa, prevent colonization of pathogens and modulation of innate response to invading pathogens, and modify immunological reactions during inflammatory processes and oncogenic development in the GI mucosa. More importantly, AMPs possess diversified anti-microbial actions against various infectious diseases in the GI tract. With these physiological functions and pharmacological actions, AMPs have significant potential as therapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammation, cancer and further infection in the GI tract.