Are humans violent or peaceful by nature? We are both. In this ambitious and wide-ranging book, Agner Fog presents a ground-breaking new argument that explains the existence of differently organised societies using evolutionary theory. It combines natural sciences and social sciences in a way that is rarely seen. According to a concept called regality theory, people show a preference for authoritarianism and strong leadership in times of war or collective danger, but desire egalitarian political systems in times of peace and safety. These individual impulses shape the way societies develop and organise themselves, and in this book Agner argues that there is an evolutionary mechanism behind this flexible psychology. Incorporating a wide range of ideas including evolutionary theory, game theory, and ecological theory, Agner analyses the conditions that make us either strident or docile. He tests this theory on data from contemporary and ancient societies, and provides a detailed explanation of the applications of regality theory to issues of war and peace, the rise and fall of empires, the mass media, economic instability, ecological crisis, and much more. Warlike and Peaceful Societies: The Interaction of Genes and Culture draws on many different fields of both the social sciences and the natural sciences. It will be of interest to academics and students in these fields, including anthropology, political science, history, conflict and peace research, social psychology, and more, as well as the natural sciences, including human biology, human evolution, and ecology.

Dear Colleagues, The brain is vulnerable to injury. Following injury in the brain, apoptosis or necrosis may occur easily, leading to various functional disabilities. Neuronal death is associated with a number of neurological disorders including hypoxic ischemia, epileptic seizures, and neurodegenerative diseases. The brain subjected to injury is regarded to be responsible for the alterations in neurotransmission processes, resulting in functional changes. Oxidative stress produced by reactive oxygen species has been shown to be related to the death of neurons in traumatic injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, scavenging or decreasing free radicals may be crucial for preventing neural tissues from harmful adversities in the brain. Neurotrophic factors, bioactive compounds, dietary nutrients, or cell engineering may ameliorate the pathological processes related to neuronal death or neurodegeneration and appear beneficial for improving neuroprotection. As a result of neuronal death or neuroprotection, the brain undergoes activity-dependent long-lasting changes in synaptic transmission, which is also known as functional plasticity. Neuroprotection implying the rescue from neuronal death is now becoming one of global health concerns. This Special Issue attempts to explore the recent advances in neuroprotection related to the brain. This Special Issue welcomes original research or review papers demonstrating the mechanisms of neuroprotection against brain injury using in vivo or in vitro models of animals as well as in clinical settings. The issues in a paper should be supported by sufficient data or evidence. Prof. Bae Hwan Lee Guest Editor

In recent years remarkable progress has been accomplished with respect to our knowledge about bacterial protein toxins. This refers especially to structural aspects of protein toxins but also holds true for genetics, molecular biology and biochemical mechanisms underlying the action of toxins. This volume covers the very current and exciting aspects of up-to-date bacterial toxicology and comprehensively reviews the most important bacterial protein toxins such as the intracellular acting toxins which exhibit enzyme activity, as well as those toxins that interact with cell plasma membranes by damaging the membranes (pore formation) or stimulating cell receptors (superantigens). This is the most current reference work on these important bacterial protein toxins, which are presented from the point of view of different disciplines such as pharmacology, microbiology, cell biology and protein chemistry.