Heat Shock Proteins And Whole Body Adaptation To Extreme Environments

For many years, the authors have investigated the adaptive role of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in different animals, including the representatives of homothermic and poikilothermic organisms that inhabit regions with contrasting thermal conditions. This book will summarize the data accumulated in the course of these studies and describe the general molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of various organisms to aggressive environments. We also concentrate on different evolutionary trends characteristic for HSP systems in the course of adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions. In addition, we describe the peculiarities in the regulatory regions of heat shock genes necessary for fine tuning of these systems providing the adaptation to adverse conditions. Special emphasis is given to the role of mobile elements in the evolution and functioning of various groups of HSP genes. The book combines the results of field studies and laboratory analysis of stress genes systems.

For many years, the authors have investigated the adaptive role of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in different animals, including the representatives of homothermic and poikilothermic organisms that inhabit regions with contrasting thermal conditions. This book will summarize the data accumulated in the course of these studies and describe the general molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of various organisms to aggressive environments. We also concentrate on different evolutionary trends characteristic for HSP systems in the course of adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions. In addition, we describe the peculiarities in the regulatory regions of heat shock genes necessary for fine tuning of these systems providing the adaptation to adverse conditions. Special emphasis is given to the role of mobile elements in the evolution and functioning of various groups of HSP genes. The book combines the results of field studies and laboratory analysis of stress genes systems.

Life has evolved in an extraordinary way to deal with the most extreme physical and chemical conditions. Extremophilic (extreme-loving) organisms have been found in the superheated waters of deep ocean vents or the hypersaline and cold lakes of Antarctica and indeed often require the extreme conditions of their habitat to survive and thrive. The cellular machinery of extremophiles has developed unique adaptation strategies to effectively function in their given environment. Much scientific attention has focussed on the adaptation of proteins as they have both structural and catalytic functions and hence play key roles in all cellular processes. Moreover, their ability to perform in or withstand extreme physical and chemical conditions has made extremophilic proteins attractive bio-catalysts for a range of industrial and biotechnological applications. This novel and significant book comprehensively summarises our current understanding regarding the structure-function-stability relationship of extremophilic proteins. Leading experts in the field extensively review and comment on the adaptation of proteins to the whole spectrum of physical and chemical extremes. This book represents an important and indispensable reference for students, teachers and researchers with interest or activities in the fascinating area of extremophiles.

The range of environments in which people can survive is extensive, yet most of the natural world cannot support human life. The Biology of Human Survival identifies the key determinants of life or death in extreme environments from a physiologist's perspective, integrating modern concepts of stress, tolerance, and adaptation into explanations of life under Nature's most austere conditions. The book examines how individuals survive when faced with extremes of immersion, heat, cold or altitude, emphasizing the body's recognition of stress and the brain's role in optimizing physiological function in order to provide time to escape or to adapt. In illustrating how human biology adapts to extremes, the book also explains how we learn to cope by blending behavior and biology, first by trial and error, then by rigorous scientific observation, and finally by technological innovation. The book describes life-support technology and how it enables humans to enter once unendurable realm, from the depths of the ocean to the upper reaches of the atmosphere and beyond. Finally, it explores the role that advanced technology might play in special environments of the future, such as long journeys into space.

Human Physiology in Extreme Environments, Second Edition, offers evidence on how human biology and physiology is affected by extreme environments, also highlighting technological innovations that allow us to adapt and regulate environments. Covering a broad range of extreme environments, including high altitude, underwater, tropical climates, desert climates, arctic climates and space travel, the book also includes case studies that can be used to illustrate practical application. Graduate students, medical students and researchers will find this to be an interesting, informative and useful resource for human physiology, environmental physiology and medical studies. Includes coverage of current global challenges and their consequences on human physiology and performance Presents human physiological challenges in extreme environments Provides an excellent source of information on paleontological and anthropological aspects Offers practical medical and scientific uses of current concepts

Winner of the Association of American Publishers PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences A world-renowned researcher of animal behavior reveals the extraordinary orienteering skills of desert ants, offering a thrilling account of the sophisticated ways insects function in their natural environments. Cataglyphis desert ants are agile ultrarunners who can tolerate near-lethal temperatures when they forage in the hot midday sun. But it is their remarkable navigational abilities that make these ants so fascinating to study. Whether in the Sahara or its ecological equivalents in the Namib Desert and Australian Outback, the Cataglyphis navigators can set out foraging across vast expanses of desert terrain in search of prey, and then find the shortest way home. For almost half a century, Rüdiger Wehner and his collaborators have devised elegant experiments to unmask how they do it. Through a lively and lucid narrative, Desert Navigator offers a firsthand look at the extraordinary navigational skills of these charismatic desert dwellers and the experiments that revealed how they strategize and solve complex problems. Wehner and his team discovered that these insect navigators use visual cues in the sky that humans are unable to see, the Earth’s magnetic field, wind direction, a step counter, and panoramic “snapshots” of landmarks, among other resources. The ants combine all of this information to steer an optimal course. At any given time during their long journey, they know exactly where to go. It is no wonder these nimble and versatile creatures have become models in the study of animal navigation. Desert Navigator brings to light the marvelous capacity and complexity found in these remarkable insects and shows us how mini brains can solve mega tasks.

Occupational Safety and Hygiene VI collects recent papers of selected authors from 21 countries in the domain of occupational safety and hygiene (OSH). The contributions cover a wide range of topics, including: - Occupational safety - Risk assessment - Safety management - Ergonomics - Management systems - Environmental ergonomics - Physical environment - Construction safety, and - Human factors Occupational Safety and Hygiene VI represents the state-of-the-art on the above mentioned domains, and is based on research carried out at universities and other research institutions. Some contributions focus more on practical case studies developed by OSH practitioners within their own companies. Hence, the book provides practical tools and approaches currently used by OHS practitioners in a global context.

The book HSP70 in Human Diseases and Disorders provides the most comprehensive review on contemporary knowledge on the role of HSP70 family - one of the most studied HSP - in human diseases and disorders. Using an integrative approach to expand our current understanding of HSP70 functions, the contributors provide a synopsis of novel mechanisms by which HSP70 is involved in the regulation of human diseases and disorders. Key basic and clinical research laboratories from major universities and academic medical hospitals around the world contribute chapters that review present research activity and importantly project the field into the future. The book is a must read for medical students and residents, clinical and basic science researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the fields of Medicine, Physiology, Clinical Trials, Biotechnology, Molecular Medicine and Pathology.