This book addresses the growing needs in deciphering the biological processes associated with fish reproduction, in view of the growth of aquaculture and the dwindling natural stocks of commercially important fish. It presents a comprehensive overview on egg production in fish, from the standpoint of the oocyte. With this view in mind, the book includes chapters on oocyte development (oogenesis), hormonal regulation and hormone receptors, formation of the egg envelopes, growth, accumulation of nutrients and maternal transcripts, maturation, hydration, ovulation and fertilization. A special emphasis is placed on using state-of-the-art tools including electron microscopy for discerning the ultra-structure of the follicle and genomic/ proteomic tools to fully understand biological basis of fish reproduction. Studies on promoting oocyte maturation, ovulation and spawning in farmed fish and preservation of fish oocytes at low temperatures are also included.

Many organisms have evolved the ability to enter into and revive from a dormant state. They can survive for long periods in this state (often even months to years), yet can become responsive again within minutes or hours. This is often, but not necessarily, associated with desiccation. Preserving onea (TM)s body and reviving it in future generations is a dream of mankind. To date, however, we have failed to learn how cells, tissues or entire organisms can be made dormant or be effectively revived at ambient temperatures. In this book studies on organisms, ranging from aquatic cyanobacteria that produce akinetes to hibernating mammals, are presented, and reveal common but also divergent physiological and molecular pathways for surviving in a dormant form or for tolerating harsh environments. Attempting to learn the functions associated with dormancy and how they are regulated is one of the great future challenges. Its relevance to the preservation of cells and tissues is one of the key concerns of this book.

Many organisms have evolved the ability to enter into and revive from a dormant state. They can survive for long periods in this state (often even months to years), yet can become responsive again within minutes or hours. This is often, but not necessarily, associated with desiccation. Preserving one's body and reviving it in future generations is a dream of mankind. To date, however, we have failed to learn how cells, tissues or entire organisms can be made dormant or be effectively revived at ambient temperatures. In this book studies on organisms, ranging from aquatic cyanobacteria that produce akinetes to hibernating mammals, are presented, and reveal common but also divergent physiological and molecular pathways for surviving in a dormant form or for tolerating harsh environments. Attempting to learn the functions associated with dormancy and how they are regulated is one of the great future challenges. Its relevance to the preservation of cells and tissues is one of the key concerns of this book.

This book addresses the growing needs in deciphering the biological processes associated with fish reproduction, in view of the growth of aquaculture and the dwindling natural stocks of commercially important fish. It presents a comprehensive overview on egg production in fish, from the standpoint of the oocyte. With this view in mind, the book includes chapters on oocyte development (oogenesis), hormonal regulation and hormone receptors, formation of the egg envelopes, growth, accumulation of nutrients and maternal transcripts, maturation, hydration, ovulation and fertilization. A special emphasis is placed on using state-of-the-art tools including electron microscopy for discerning the ultra-structure of the follicle and genomic/ proteomic tools to fully understand biological basis of fish reproduction. Studies on promoting oocyte maturation, ovulation and spawning in farmed fish and preservation of fish oocytes at low temperatures are also included.

Functional analysis studies the algebraic, geometric, and topological structures of spaces and operators that underlie many classical problems. Individual functions satisfying specific equations are replaced by classes of functions and transforms that are determined by the particular problems at hand. This book presents the basic facts of linear functional analysis as related to fundamental aspects of mathematical analysis and their applications. The exposition avoids unnecessary terminology and generality and focuses on showing how the knowledge of these structures clarifies what is essential in analytic problems. The material in the first part of the book can be used for an introductory course on functional analysis, with an emphasis on the role of duality. The second part introduces distributions and Sobolev spaces and their applications. Convolution and the Fourier transform are shown to be useful tools for the study of partial differential equations. Fundamental solutions and Green's functions are considered and the theory is illustrated with several applications. In the last chapters, the Gelfand transform for Banach algebras is used to present the spectral theory of bounded and unbounded operators, which is then used in an introduction to the basic axioms of quantum mechanics. The presentation is intended to be accessible to readers whose backgrounds include basic linear algebra, integration theory, and general topology. Almost 240 exercises will help the reader in better understanding the concepts employed. A co-publication of the AMS and Real Sociedad Matematica Espanola (RSME). Table of Contents: Introduction; Normed spaces and operators; Frechet spaces and Banach theorems; Duality; Weak topologies; Distributions; Fourier transform and Sobolev spaces; Banach algebras; Unbounded operators in a Hilbert space; Hints to exercises; Bibliography; Index. (GSM/116)