The papers in this Supplement address many aspects of pig reproduction, including: development of the follicle and the corpus luteum, oocyte development in vivo and in vitro, fertilization in vivo and in vitro, embryonic and placental development, gestation and parturition, and new technologies including somatic cloning and functional genomics. basic molecular and cellular biology, which provide new insight into pig reproductive physiology and regulation. These papers provide an authoritative source of information that will be invaluable for students, teachers, researchers, veterinarians, consultants and technologists interested in all aspects of pig reproduction.

As a continuation of the earlier volumes in this series, the proceedings of the Eighth International Conference provide authoritative and up-to-date information on pig reproduction research. This volume, which contains manuscripts accompanying the state-of-the art lectures, the parallel sessions, and the expanded abstracts, provides an authoritative and up-to-date source of information on research in pig reproduction. This text is an invaluable resource for students, teachers, veterinarians, animal scientists, consultants, and technologists with an interest in all aspects of pig reproduction.

Control of Pig Reproduction focuses on carefully evaluated techniques and technologies involved in the control of pig reproduction. The selection first ponders on the sexual development of male pigs, including early fetal, perinatal, and pubertal periods. The text also discusses testicular steroids and boar taint; interrelationships between spermatozoa, female reproductive tract, and egg investments; and artificial insemination. Discussions focus on androgens, estrogens, deposition of semen and uterine transit, sperm regulation and release by the isthmus, and types of artificial insemination. The manuscript examines endocrine control of sexual maturation in female pigs and sexual differentiation of the stimulatory estrogen feedback mechanism and factors affecting the natural attainment of puberty in gilts. Discussions focus on development of ovarian function and gonadal steroid levels; development of the stimulatory estrogen feedback mechanism; and maturation of negative feedback of gonadal steroids. The text also takes a look at controlled induction of puberty, endocrine control of the estrus cycle, and control of ovulation. The selection is a valuable reference for farmers and readers interested in pig reproduction.

As a continuation of the earlier volumes in this series, the proceedings of the Seventh International Conference provide authoritative and up-to-date information on pig reproduction research.

This open access book presents the findings from on-site research into radioactive cesium contamination in various agricultural systems affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011. This third volume in the series reports on studies undertaken at contaminated sites such as farmland, forests, and marine and freshwater environments, with a particular focus on livestock, wild plants and mushrooms, crops, and marine products in those environments. It also provides additional data collected in the subsequent years to show how the radioactivity levels in agricultural products and their growing environments have changed with time and the route by which radioactive materials entered agricultural products as well as their movement between different components (e.g., soil, water, and trees) within an environmental system (e.g., forests). The book covers various topics, including radioactivity testing of food products; decontamination trials for rice and livestock production; the state of contamination in, trees, mushrooms, and timber; the dynamics of radioactivity distribution in paddy fields and upland forests; damage incurred by the forestry and fishery industries; and the change in consumers’ attitudes. Chapter 19 introduces a real-time radioisotope imaging system, a pioneering technique to visualize the movement of cesium in soil and in plants. This is the only book to provide systematic data on the actual change of radioactivity, and as such is of great value to all researchers who wish to understand the effect of radioactive fallout on agriculture. In addition, it helps the general public to better understand the issues of radio-contamination in the environment. The project is ongoing; the research groups from the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences of The University of Tokyo continue their work in the field to further evaluate the long-term effects of the Fukushima accident.