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This volume is an up-to-date treatise of chemosensory vertebrate research performed by over 200 scientists from 22 countries. Importantly, data from over 25 taxa of vertebrates are presented, including those from human beings. Unlike other volumes on this topic, a significant nurober of the contributions come from leading workers in the former Soviet Union and reflect studies within a wide variety of disciplines, including behavior, biochemistry, ecology, endocrinology, genetics, psychophysics, and morphol­ ogy. Most of the studies described in this volume were presented at the Chemical Signals in Vertbrates VI (CSV VI) symposium held at the University of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1991. This international symposium was the largest and the most recent of a series of six such symposia, the first of which was held in Saratoga Springe, New York (June 6-9, 1976) and the last in Oxford, England (August 8-10, 1988). Unlike the previous symposia, Chemical Signals in Vertabrates VI lasted a full week, reflecting the increased number of participants and the desire of many to present their research findings orally to the group as a whole.

The selection of prolactin as the subject of the Midwest Con­ ference on Endocrinology was not only dictated by the recent ad­ vances in prolactin research but also by the long tradition in that particular area of Endocrinology in the laboratory of C.W. Turner at the University of Missouri. Therefore, it seems only appropri­ ate that these proceedings of the Tenth Midwest Conference on En­ docrinology are dedicated to the memory of this scientist, deceased in August 1975 before completion of this volume, whose pioneer in­ vestigations have contributed substantially to the advancement of our knowledge in many areas of Endocrinology and who played a major role in the early phases of prolactin research. This volume contains a review of the early studies in Turner's laboratory and the latest results obtained by some of the leading research workers in this area and should be a fitting memory to C.W. Turner. Some of the manuscripts printed here were prepared after the conference was held and include material of more recent origin. Much of the delay in publication was due to the length of time de­ voted to preparation of these manuscripts. To the other authors and participants, and to Plenum Press, we express our appreciation for their patience and cooperation. We also with to thank Mrs.

The analysis of intra-group correlations between LS and BW at representative intervals yields no consistent support for the hypothesis that lower BW is associated with longer LS. Indeed, among male Wistar rats and C57BL/6J and A/J mice followed since weaning on AL diets, the data suggested that relatively higher BW across the adult LS was generally associated with longer life. Even when the diet was restricted by EOD or RES regimens, this pattern of positive correlations between LS and BW persisted for the C57BL/6J and A/J strains when relative ages were analyzed. However, when BW at absolute ages were correlated with LS, support for the positive relationship between BW and LS was not as forthcoming. When AL groups were assessed beginning at later ages (> 10 months), the pattern of positive correlations was very evident for the Wistar rats--heavier rats tended to liver longer. This pattern was also evident among AL-fed C57BL/6J mice followed since 6 months, but was lost in the 10-month group in this strain. Among A/J mice on AL diets, the pattern became somewhat negative when followed at 6 and 10 months of age. However, among both C57BL/6J and A/J mice placed on EOD diets at 6 and 10 months of age, the pattern clearly tended toward the positive.

The numerous ways in which man and animals are affected by their physical environment, and the inborn and adaptive responses to change in the'milieu exterieur'have fascinated curious minds since the earliest days of recorded history. Development of the scientific method with its emphasis on evidence obtained through experimentation-perhaps best illustrated in this field by Paul Bert's encyclopedic work-allowed several generations of our predecessors to establish firmly some facts and reject erroneous beliefs, but it was only during the early 1940s that environmental physiology put on its seven-league boots. In 1941, a young physiologist named Hermann Rahn was recruited by Wallace O. Fenn, then Chairman of the Department of Physiology at the University of Rochester, who was engaged in a study of the effects of altitude on human performance. The years that followed witnessed some of Hermann Rahn's early achievements not only in the area of altitude, but in other aspects of environmental physiology as well. In particular, he participated in the definitive studies of human adaptive mechanisms in arid climates which formed the basis of Edward Adolph's classic'Physi­ ology of Man in the Desert'(Wiley/Interscience, NY 1947). During those golden years, environmental physiology flourished, and important dis­ coveries were reported in a seemingly endless stream from many labora­ tories.

To develop a science of hearing that is intellectu­ The five-day conference was held at the Mote ally satisfying we must first integrate the diverse, Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, May - extensive body of comparative research into an 24, 1990. The invited participants came from the evolutionary context. The need for this integra­ fields of comparative anatomy, physiology, biophys­ tion, and a conceptual framework in which it could ics, animal behavior, psychophysics, evolutionary be structured, were demonstrated in landmark biology, ontogeny, and paleontology. Before the papers by van Bergeijk in 1967 and Wever in 1974. conference, preliminary manuscripts of the invited However, not since 1965, when the American papers were distributed to all participants. This facilitated - even encouraged - discussions through­ Society of Zoologists sponsored an evolutionary conference entitled''The Vertebrate Ear;'has there out the conference which could be called, among other things,'lively.'The preview of papers, along been a group effort to assemble and organize our current knowledge on the evolutionary-as with the free exchange of information and opinion, opposed to comparative-biology of hearing. also helped improve the quality and consistency of In the quarter century since that conference the final manuscripts included in this volume. there have been major changes in evolutionary In addition to the invited papers, several studies concepts (e. g., punctuated equilibrium), in sys­ were presented as posters during evening sessions.

Various kinds of mineralization have been found in many biological systems. Investigations made at a microscopical level using various sophisticated analytical methods and using principles developed in different fields have clarified their mechanisms very much. Sometimes, very similar phenomena have been found in the mineralized tissues of completely different biological systems. Compilation and comparative investigations of such findings obtained from the many specimens systematically collected contribute a great deal to an understanding of the crucial mechanisms and significance of biominerali­ zation which originated in very primitive organisms and remain in advanced ones. Previously, the functional significance of mineralized tissues was considered mainly from an anatomical point of view based upon their morphological and structural features. However, the recent advance of investigations has made it possible to interpret the func­ tional significance of biomineralization not only from local and mechanical points of view, but also from a systemic and phylogenetic point of view. It is also well-known that biomineralization has contributed in various ways to geological and oceanographical conditions of the environment in which the organisms were living. During this process, the mechanisms of biomineralization may have evolved to maintain harmony between organisms and their environments.

This volume integrates theory and experiment to place the study of vision within the context of the action systems which use visual information. This theme is developed by stressing: (a) The importance of situating anyone part of the brain in the context of its interactions with other parts of the brain in subserving animal behavior. The title of this volume emphasizes that visual function is to be be viewed in the context of the integrated functions of the organism. (b) Both the intrinsic interest of frog and toad as animals in which to study the neural mechanisms of visuomotor coordination, and the importance of comparative studies with other organisms so that we may learn from an analysis of both similarities and differences. The present volume thus supplements our studies of frog and toad with papers on salamander, bird and reptile, turtle, rat, gerbil, rabbit, and monkey. (c) Perhaps most distinctively, the interaction between theory and experiment.

As genome-sequencing costs continue their downward spiral, sequencing of closely related organisms has become increasingly a?ordable. The growing amount of genomic data available demands for the constant development of computational tools to be applied in comparative genomics. The RECOMB Workshop on C- parative Genomics (RECOMB-CG) is devoted to bringing together scientists working on all aspects of comparative genomics, from computer scientists, ma- ematicians and statisticians working on novel computational approaches for genome analysis and comparison, to biologists applying these computational tools to study the structure and the evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This volume contains the 19 papers presented at the 7th Annual RECOMB-CG workshop held during September 27–29, 2009 at the Renyi Institute, in Budapest, Hungary. The papers published in these proceedings were selected for oral p- sentation from 31 submissions from scientists around the world. Each paper was reviewed by at least three members of the Program Committee in a stringent and thoughtful peer-review process.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th RECOMB Comparative Genomics Satellite Workshop, RECOMB-CG 2008, held in Paris, France, in October 2008. The 19 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 48 initial submissions. The papers illustrate the crucial role of comparative genomics in understanding genome function and address a broad variety of aspects, ranging from the inference of evolution in genetic regulatory networks to the divergent fates of gene and genome duplication events and to the importance of new computational approaches to unraveling the structural evolution of genomes.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the RECOMB 2004 Satellite Workshop on Comparative Genomics, RCG 2004, held in Bertinoro, Italy in October 2004. The 10 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and improved for inclusion in the book. The papers address a broad variety of aspects of comparative genomics ranging from new quantitative discoveries about genome structures and processes to theorems on the complexity of computational problems inspired by genome comparison.

'This volume contains the papers presented at the 3rd RECOMB Comparative Genomics meeting, which was held in Dublin, Ireland, on September 18-20, 2005.'

Animals and Environmental Fitness: Physiological and Biochemical Aspects of Adaptation and Ecology, Volume 2 contains the proceedings of the First Conference of the European Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry held in Liège, Belgium, on August 27-31, 1979. The papers explore the physiology and biochemistry of animal adaptation and ecology and cover topics ranging from amino acid transport and metabolism during osmotic shock to the role of organic compounds in osmoregulation in plants and animals. This volume is comprised of 89 chapters and begins with an analysis of the transport and metabolism of amino acids under osmotic stress, followed by a discussion on cell volume regulation in isolated heart ventricles from the flounder, Platichthys flesus, perfused with anisosmotic media. Subsequent chapters focus on the effects of cholinergic drugs on the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes; strategies of osmoregulation in the fiddler crab Uca pugilator; ionic regulation in the African catfish Clarias mossambicus in water and air; and environmental and endocrine factors controlling osmotic water fluxes in gills of Sarotherodon (tilapia) mossambicus. The effect of seawater adaptation on the phosphatidyl-choline metabolism in the eel is also considered, along with evaporative water loss in anuran amphibians. This book will be of value to zoologists, physiologists, biologists, and biochemists.

Advances in Physiological Sciences, Volume 18: Environmental Physiology covers the physiological mechanisms in living organisms. This book discusses the circadian system properties and the control of secretion in reptilian salt glands. This book deals first with the central neural substrates for osmoregulation in the mammal; properties of the body fluids affecting basal salt gland secretion and urine formation in birds; properties of sleep-promoting factor S derived from human urine; and interrelation between sleep and temperature regulation. Other chapters present an introduction to hormonal and pharmacological aspects in exercise physiology, as well as the physiological responses during sustained isomeric contractions. These topics are followed by a discussion on the mechanism of exercise, nutrition, and growth. The last chapters are devoted to the oxytocin influences on the central nervous system of healthy young men. These chapters also describe drug metabolism in athletes. The book can provide useful information to veterinarians, scientists, students, and researchers.

Advances in Physiological Sciences, Volume 20: Advances in Animal and Comparative Physiology covers the proceedings of the symposia of the 28th International Congress of Physiology. The book discusses several studies that tackle issues about the advances in animal and comparative study. The text is comprised of 61 chapters in which Chapter 4 and the succeeding chapters are grouped into eight parts based on the topic of the studies. The opening chapter explains sensory modalities beyond human perception, while Chapter 2 discusses trends in the physiology of domesticated animals. Chapter 3 reviews muscles in living animals, which is followed by topics grouped into parts. The first part deals with fetal homeostasis, while the second part discusses control of corpora lutea function of ruminant and non-ruminant domesticated animals. The third part deals with the comparative physiology of lactation in farm animals, while the fourth part tackles digestion in non-ruminant herbivorous animals. Parts 5 and 6 cover topic on diving, which includes metabolism, physiology, and control. The seventh part discusses phylogenesis of hormones and hormone receptors, and the last part covers neuromuscular transmission in invertebrates. Researchers whose line of work concerns the physiological properties of animals will find this book as a great source of related literatures.

The Evolution of Pancreatic Islets covers the proceedings of the 1975 symposium on The Evolution of Pancreatic Islets, held at Leningrad under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. This symposium brings together numerous studies on the structure, chemistry, and function of the pancreatic islets of animals ranging from the mollusc to man. This book is composed of three parts encompassing twenty seven chapters. The first part deals with the problems related to the production of insulin from its precursor pro-insulin and the ontogeny of the pancreatic islets from the embryonic endoderm. The second part discusses the phylogenetic aspects of the structure of pancreatic islets. This part also looks into the evolutionary morphology and classification of pancreatic acinar-islet cells. The third part describes the biological and chemical aspects of pancreatic hormones of vertebrates.

Comparative Mechanisms of Cold Adaptation covers the proceedings of a symposium held at the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska in 1975 and 1976. The said symposium discusses the mechanisms of cold adaptation according to experts from different fields. The book covers topics related to cold adaptation, such as energy acquisition and utilization; mechanisms of thermal tolerance; the physiology and requirements of hibernation; and the role of neural inputs in cold adaptation. Topics also include cold-induced enzymatic adjustments; cold-induced responses in ectotherms and homeotherms; hormonal mechanisms; and plant adaptation to low temperatures. The text is recommended for biologists who would like to understand better the different mechanisms involved in cold adaptation and the importance of its study.

The Novartis Foundation Series is a popular collection of the proceedings from Novartis Foundation Symposia, in which groups of leading scientists from a range of topics across biology, chemistry and medicine assembled to present papers and discuss results. The Novartis Foundation, originally known as the Ciba Foundation, is well known to scientists and clinicians around the world.