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Calcium Signalling and Disease : Molecular Pathology of Calcium
This topic is a new entry in the area of cellular calcium signaling: yet, it now spans the entire area, with discoveries that cover both genetic and acquired pathologies, even offering glimpses in the direction of therapy.Cellular calcium homeostasis, and thus calcium signalling, is mainly regulated by membrane intrinsic proteins and calcium sensor proteins. Both classes may be involved in pathological processes that affect both human and animals, ranging from common and important diseases (e.g. migraine, diabetes, epilepsia, manic depression, infertility, various types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy) to rare genetic conditions (e.g., a number of genetic heart conditions, autoimmune retinopathies, night blindness, hereditary amyloid polyneuropathy, malignant hyperthermia, cerebellar ataxia, atherothrombotic disease).
Brodmann's : Localisation in the Cerebral Cortex
It is one of the major "classics" of the neurological world. Even today it forms the basis for so-called "localisation" of function in the cerebral cortex. Brodmann's "areas" are still used to designate functional regions in the cortex, the part of the brain that brings the world that surrounds us into consciousness, and which governs our responses to the world. For example, we use "area 4" for the "motor" cortex, with which we control our muscles, "area 17" for "visual" cortex, with which we see, and so on. This nomenclature is used by neurologists and neurosurgeons in the human context, as well as by experimentalists in various animals. Indeed, Brodmann's famous "maps" of the cerebral cortex of humans, monkeys and other mammals must be among the most commonly reproduced figures in neurobiological publishing. The most famous of all is that of the human brain. There can be few textbooks of neurology, neurophysiology or neuroanatomy in which Brodmann is not cited, and his concepts pervade most research publications on systematic neurobiology.
Bridging laboratory and field research for genetic control of disease vectors
Contemporary research on genetic control of disease-transmitting insects knows two kinds of scientists: those that work in the laboratory and those known as ‘field people’. Over the last decade, both groups seem to have developed differing research priorities, address fundamentally different aspects within the overall discipline of infectious-disease control, and worse, have developed a scientific ‘language’ that is no longer understood by the ‘other’ party. This gap widens every day, between the North and the South, between ecologists and molecular biologists, geneticists and behaviourists, etc. The need to develop a common research agenda that bridges this gap has been identified as a top priority by all parties involved. Only then shall the goal of developing appropriate genetic-control strategies for vectors of disease become reality.
Breathing, feeding, and neuroprotection
New findings in brain research are being revealed on an almost daily basis, and the focus of this book is the fields of breathing, neuroprotection, and higher brain functions. An unresolved issue within respiration research and hence a topic of much interest is Where and how respiratory rhythm is generated in the brainstem, detailed analysis of which is presented herein. Chapters on neuroprotection examine the functional significance of the blood – brain barrier as an interface of blood and the central nervous system; other chapters look at health and disease in relation to the hypothalamic and limbic systems. In addition to animal experiments, research on the human brain is included, with a focus on the recently developed EEG/dipole tracing method. This book will be an invaluable reference for researchers in neuroscience and related fields.
Branching Morphogenesis
Branching morphogenesis, the creation of branched structures in the body, is a key feature of animal and plant development. This book brings together, for the first time, expert researchers working on a variety of branching systems to present a state-of-the-art view of the mechanisms that control branching morphogenesis. Systems considered range from single cells, to blood vessel and drainage duct systems to entire body plans, and approaches range from observation through experiment to detailed biophysical modelling. The result is an integrated overview of branching.
Boreal Peatland Ecosystems
This volume adopts an ecosystems approach to understanding the world's boreal peatlands. It focuses on biogeochemical patterns and processes, production, decomposition, and peat accumulation, and provides additional information on animal and fungal diversity. A recurring theme is the legacy of boreal peatlands as impressive accumulators of carbon as peat over millennia. This carbon legacy is under threat from a wide diversity of disturbances, including wildfire, ongoing climate change, the changing chemistry of atmospheric deposition, and continuing resource exploitation. The volume is of inte.
Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents : A New Dilemma for the 21st Century
Since the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 and subsequent cases of anthrax in Florida and New York City, attention has been focused on the threat of b- logical warfare and bioterrorism. Biological warfare agents are de?ned as “living org- isms, whatever their nature, or infected material derived from them, which are used for h- tile purposes and intended to cause disease or death in man, animals and plants, and depend for their efforts on the ability to multiply in person, animal or plant attacked.” Biological warfare agents may be well suited for bioterrorism to create havoc and terror in a civilian population, because they are cheap and easy to obtain and dispense. Infectious or contagious diseases have played a major part in the history of warfare – deliberately or inadvertently – in restricting or assisting invading armies over the centuries. In 1346, the Tartars catapulted plaque-infected bodies into Kaffa in the Crimea to end a 3-year siege. Blankets contaminated with smallpox to infect North American Indians were used by British forces in the 18th century. More recently, the Japanese released ?eas infected with plaque in Chinese cities in the 1930s and 1940s. Biological research programs for both offensive and defensive strategies have been developed by the United States, Britain, the former Soviet Union, and Canada; several other nations are thought to have such programs.
Bio-mechanisms of swimming and flying ; Fluid dynamics, biomimetic robots, and sports science
This book follows "Bio-mechanisms of Animals in Swimming and Flying" published in 2004 including 11 chapters. This time, the book includes 31 chapters on the latest researches into natural autonomous systems and locomotion in both flying and swimming organisms. The area of sports science such as analysis and simulation of human swimming is newly added. The computational frameworks for the modeling, simulation and optimization of animals in swimming and flying demonstrate an important role in the progress of interdisciplinary work in the fields of biology and engineering. An innovative technology is exhibited for the flight of an insect size micro air vehicle. Neuronal science is not only unveiling the locomotion mechanisms of swimming in fish from the aspect of the neuronal activities, but also applied to underwater biomimetic robots. The interdisciplinary works are exhibited in the fields of biology and engineering, yielding real-world benefits in innovative technologies.
Biological Low-Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy
Biological Low-Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy is the first book to address both of these aspects of biological LVSEM. After providing a thorough description of the unique advantages and the operating constraints related to operating a scanning electron microscope at low beam voltage, the remainder of book focuses on the the best way to image all types of plant and animal cells and covers specimens that range from macromolecules to the surfaces revealed by de-embedding resin-embedded samples. Advanced specimen preparation techniques such as cryo-LVSEM, and immuno-gold-LVSEM are fully covered, as is x-ray microanalysis at low beam voltage and live-time stereo imaging. The preparative protocols provided represent the distilled essence of the experience of a group of world-renowned authors who have, for many decades, been instrumental in developing and applying new approaches to LVSEM to support their own biological research.
Biological Invasions in South Africa
This book presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects.
Biological Invasions
This new volume on Biological Invasions deals with both plants and animals. It differs from previous books on the subject by extending from the level of individual species to an ecosystem and global level. Topics of highest societal relevance, such as the impact of genetically modified organisms, are interlinked with more conventional ecological aspects, including biodiversity. The combination of these approaches is new and makes compelling reading for researchers and environmentalists. The book’s 22 chapters cover a huge range of subjects relevant to the field. These include pathways of biological invasions (e.g. ballast water, waterways), traits of successful invaders (e.g. chemical weapons, empty niches), and patterns of invasion and invasibility, such as man-induced predisposition by fire, land use and eutrophication, and the role of climate change.
Biological adhesives
Many plants, animals, and microbes use adhesive polymers and structures to attach to inert substrates, to each other, or to other organisms. This is the first major review that brings together research on many of the well-known biological adhesives. Emphasizing the diversity of biological adhesives and associated adhesion processes, it deals with bacteria, fungi, algae, and marine and terrestrial animals. It bridges a variety of disciplines including biochemistry, molecular biology, biomechanics, bioengineering, microbiology, organism structure and function, and ultrastructure. As we learn more about the molecular and mechanical properties of these adhesives, we begin to understand why they adhere so well and how they develop cohesive strength. With this understanding comes the prospect of developing synthetic or semi-synthetic adhesives with broad applications in areas such as medicine, dentistry, and biotechnology. The book is suitable for both industrial and academic researchers.
Biodiversity of angola : Science & conservation : A modern synthesis
The book identifies Angola as one of the most biologically diverse countries in Africa, but notes that its fauna, flora, habitats and the processes that drive the dynamics of its ecosystems.
Biodiversity Conservation and Phylogenetic Systematics : Preserving our evolutionary heritage in an extinction crisis
This book brings an updated state of the art of phylogenetic diversity in conservation biology. Nineteen chapters written by scientists from research institutions of fourteen countries demonstrate that approaches for preserving the evolutionary heritage are now very tuned into human impacts and sustainability issues. The questions, methods and applications around which it is organized show the importance of phylogenetic diversity in avoiding biodiversity losses in the present extinction crisis. They touch important points such as the way we value phylogenetic diversity, the importance of thinking at a much wider sample of the Tree of Life, the choice of adequate measures. In methods section, new solutions, such as dealing with abundances, sampling effort, or with information coming from conflicting phylogenetic trees are provided. Application section includes study cases of different groups of organi
Bacteriocins : Ecology and Evolution
Microbes produce an extraordinary array of defense systems. These include bacteriocins, a class of antimicrobial molecules with narrow killing spectra, produced by bacteria. The book describes the diversity and ecological role of bacteriocins of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, presenting a new classification scheme for the former and a state-of-the-art look at the role of bacteriocins in bacterial communication. It discusses the molecular evolution of colicins and colicin-like bacteriocins, and provides a contemporary overview of archaeocins, bacteriocin-like antimicrobials produced by archaebacteria. Furthermore, various modeling (in silico) studies elucidate the role of bacteriocins in microbial community dynamics and fitness, delving into rock-paper-scissors competition and the counter-intuitive survival of the weakest. The book makes compelling reading for a multi-faceted scientific audience, including those working in the fields of biodiversity and biotechnology, notably in the human and animal health domain.
Bacterial Genomes and Infectious Diseases
This book imparts fundamental knowledge on the structure, organization, and evolution of bacterial genomes. The value and power of comparative genomics and proteomics, bioinformatics, microarrays, and knockout animal models in analyzing genomes, bacteria-host interactions and disease are demonstrated. Also discussed are the genomes of virulent and nonvirulent strains and species, origin and evolution of pathogens, different models of bacteria-host interactions, and diseases mechanisms.
Auditory Perception of Sound Sources
Auditory Perception of Sound Sources covers higher-level auditory processes that are perceptual processes. The chapters describe how humans and other animals perceive the sounds that they receive from the many sound sources existing in the world. This book will provide an overview of areas of current research involved with understanding how sound-source determination processes operate. This book will focus on psychophysics and perception as well as being relevant to basic auditory research.
Asymmetric Cell Division
Cell biologists have recently become aware that the asymmetry of cell division is an important regulatory phenomenon in the fate of a cell. During development, cell diversity originates through asymmetry; in the adult organism asymmetric divisions regulate the stem cell reservoir and are a source of the drift that contributes to the aging of organisms with renewable cell compartments. Because of the concept of semi-conservative DNA synthesis, it was thought that the distribution of DNA between daughter cells was symmetric. The analysis of the phenomenon in cells during mitosis, however, revealed the asymmetry in the distribution of the genetic material that creates the drift contributing to aging of mammals. On the other hand, cancer cells can originate from a deregulation of asymmetry during mitosis in particular during stem cell expansion. The book describes the phenomenon in different organisms from plants to animals and addresses its implications for the development of the organism, cell differentiation, human aging and the biology of cancers.
Aquatic Biodiversity II : The Diversity of Aquatic Ecosystems
The present book comprises a unique collection of primary research papers spanning a wide range of topics in aquatic biodiversity studies, and including a first global assessment of specific diversity of freshwater animals. The book also presents a section on the interaction between scientists and science policy managers
Applications of Gene-Based Technologies for Improving Animal Production and Health in Developing Countries
This book will help in bridging the wide gap between developed and developing countries, in the development and use of gene-based technologies, and to elucidate the current and future roles of such technologies in the developing world. It is a good reference source for researchers, students and policy-makers alike.
