Offering an example for transnational cooperation and successful reduction of a neglected tropical disease, this volume shows how Chinese scientists and local physicians controlled schistosomiasis in Zanzibar. Over a four-year study, local medical specialists and the population of Zanzibar were taught how to diagnose the parasitosis caused by flukes (trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma. Furthermore, methods to eliminate the disease and prevent new infections were established. The developed control system will avoid repeated increase of human schistosomiasis, which is still prevalent in the tropics and subtropics. Rural populations and poor communities lacking access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation are most affected. This book is a blueprint of activities urgently needed to combat schistosomiasis in countries with low medical impact. The strategies outlined are particularly relevant to parasitologists and professionals in public health, physicians, medical personnel and also governmental, healthcare and pharmaceutical institutions.

European Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises: Marine Mammal Conservation in Practice presents an intimate view of the workings of international conservation agreements to protect marine mammals, detailing achievements over the last 25 years, identifying weaknesses and making recommendations that governments, scientists, marine stakeholders and the public can take to improve conservation efforts. The book is written by an experienced marine mammal scientist and award-winning conservationist, providing a unique synthesis on their status, distribution and ecology. In addition, it presents information on various conservation threats, including fisheries by catch, contaminants, noise disturbance, plastic ingestion and climate change. This comprehensive resource will appeal to marine mammal conservationists and researchers, as well as environmental and wildlife practitioners at all levels.

Biology and Physiology of Freshwater Neotropical Fish is the all-inclusive guide to fish species prevalent in the neotropical realm. It provides the most updated systematics, classification, anatomical, behavioral, genetic, and functioning systems information on freshwater neotropical fish species. This book begins by analyzing the differences in phylogeny, anatomy, and behaviour of neotropical fish. Systems such as cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, digestive, reproductive, muscular, and endocrine are described in detail. This book also looks at the effects of stress on fish immune systems, and how color and pigmentation play into physiology and species differentiation. Biology and Physiology of Freshwater Neotropical Fish is a must-have for fish biologists and zoologists. Students in zoology, ichthyology, and fish farming will also find this book useful for its coverage of some of the world's rarest and least-known fish species.

It is widely acknowledged that life has adapted to its environment, but the precise mechanism remains unknown since Natural Selection, Descent with Modification and Survival of the Fittest are metaphors that cannot be scientifically tested. In this unique text, invertebrate and vertebrate biologists illuminate the effects of physiologic stress on epigenetic responses in the process of evolutionary adaptation from unicellular organisms to invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively. This book offers a novel perspective on the mechanisms underlying evolution. Capacities for morphologic alterations and epigenetic adaptations subject to environmental stresses are demonstrated in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. Furthermore, the underlying cellular-molecular mechanisms that mediate stress for adaptation will be elucidated wherever possible. These include examples of 'reverse evolution' by Professor Guex for Ammonites and for mammals by Professor Torday and Dr. Miller. This provides empiric evidence that the conventional way of thinking about evolution as unidirectional is incorrect, leaving open the possibility that it is determined by cell-cell interactions, not sexual selection and reproductive strategy. Rather, the process of evolution can be productively traced through the conservation of an identifiable set of First Principles of Physiology that began with the unicellular form and have been consistently maintained, as reflected by the return to the unicellular state over the course of the life cycle.

Mosquitoes, Communities, and Public Health in Texas focuses on 87 known species of mosquitoes found throughout Texas. It includes information on the ecology, medical and public health importance, and biological diversity of each species. In addition, it provides detailed identification keys for both larval and adult stages of all mosquito genera and species known to occur in Texas, along a review of surveillance and control strategies. The expansion of invasive mosquitoes from other regions (including Mexico), together with climate change occurrences increase the likelihood for an increase in diseases, such as West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. This unique work is the first unified reference and resource rich in mosquito information for medical entomologists, mosquito and vector control professionals, pest management professionals, biologists, environmentalists, wildlife professionals, government regulators, instructors of medical entomology and public health professionals who have disease or vector responsibilities, mosquito taxonomists, epidemiologists, entomology students, academia, pest control industry, and libraries, etc., with utility for medical, veterinary and health professionals.

Traditionally, behaviour and physiology have been considered two separate fields of biology with the majority of available literature focusing on one or the other. Recently the need for a multidisciplinary approach to these topics has been realised, highlighted by some of the sessions to be held at the 2003 annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology such as 'regulation of behaviour' and' mechanisms of behaviour'. The proposed volume aims to bring together these disciplines in a comprehensive review of the available literature. Volume 24 will be novel in actively bridging these two areas of fish biology together and considering them as inextricably linked. The progression of chapters focuses on different aspects of the life history of a fish, from predator avoidance through to reproduction, each written by scientists currently bridging the gap between behaviour and physiology in their own specialised subdiscipline.
* Multidisciplinary and integrative research in fish biology
* Written by internationally recognized researchers
* Encompasses the whole life span of fish
* A wide variety of inter-related topics presented in a cohesive format

Principles of Animal Physiology, Second Edition continues to set a new standard for animal physiology textbooks with its focus on animal diversity, its modern approach and clear foundation in molecular and cell biology, its concrete examples throughout, and its fully integrated coverage of the endocrine system. Carefully designed, full-color artwork guides students through complex systems and processes while in-text pedagogical tools help them learn and remember the material. The book includes the most up-to-date research on animal genetics and genomics, methods and models, and offers a diverse range of vertebrate and invertebrate examples, with a student-friendly writing style that is consistently clear and engaging. Christopher Moyes and Patricia Schulte present animal physiology in a current, balanced, and accessible way that emphasizes the integration of physiological systems, an overarching evolutionary theme, and thorough coverage of the cellular and molecular basis of animal physiology. Principles of Animal Physiology comes with a comprehensive supplements package for students and instructors that includes a new Media Manager CD-ROM, a new Print and Computerized Test Bank, and a powerful Companion Website. The InterActive Physiology(R) 10-System Suite CD-ROM and PhysioEx(TM) V7.0 laboratory simulations can be packaged with the text at a discounted price.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny, along with a number of case studies. It discusses a number of areas where DNA barcoding can be applied, such as clinical microbiology, especially in relation to infection management; DNA database management; and plant -animal interactions, and also presents valuable information on the DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny of microbes, algae, elasmobranchs, fishes, birds and ruminant mammals. Furthermore it features unique case studies describing DNA barcoding of reptiles dwelling in Saudi Arabian deserts, genetic variation studies in both wild and hatchery populations of Anabas testudineus, DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny of Ichthyoplankton and juvenile fishes of Kuantan River in Malaysia, and barcoding and molecular phylogenetic analysis of indigenous bacteria from fishes dwelling in a tropical tidal river. Moreover, since prompt identification and management of invasive species is vital to prevent economic and ecological loss, the book includes a chapter on DNA barcoding of invasive species. Given its scope, this book will appeal not only to researchers, teachers and students around the globe, but also to general readers.

Saliva as a unique sample for health assessment is gaining attention among researchers of different fields in the last 20 years; being reflected in an impressive increase in the number of papers published studying saliva from different biological aspects in human and veterinary species. Once deemed merely a digestive juice is now considered a biological fluid capable of communicating information about physiopathological processes occurring in organisms, since saliva has been shown to contain molecular and bacterial compounds that can change in response to local and systemic pathologies. Furthermore, the interest of saliva as a diagnostic, prognostic and monitoring biofluid is forced by its non-invasive nature being of easy and inexpensive sampling, involving only minimal discomfort and allowing the collection of multiple/repeated specimens at anytime, anywhere and without need for specialized staff. In this contributed volume, the authors bring together, summarize and reflect the generated knowledge about saliva as a source of biomarkers for health and welfare evaluation in humans and animal models. This volume also highlights the importance of confounding factors, such as sampling methods, flow, total protein content, contamination, or storage. This book will serve as a manual for graduates, practitioners and researchers by providing general ideas about the possibilities and utilities of saliva in clinical practice or investigation, and indicating the main cautions each should have in mind before saliva usage.