Bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi, protozoans, animals, and plants consist of one or more cells. DNA controls how the cell reproduces and functions, and determines which traits are inherited from previous generations. In eukaryotes, the DNA is contained within a nucleus. Plants, animals, fungi, and many microorganisms are eukaryotes. Readers discover that in eukaryotic cells, a variety of organelles, including the nucleus, ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, and endoplasmic reticulum, work together to manufacture proteins, and with other organelles enable the cell to send, receive, and process information so that it can maintain a stable equilibrium.

Many advances have been made in the last decade in the understanding of the computational principles underlying olfactory system functioning. Neuromorphic Olfaction is a collaboration among European researchers who, through NEUROCHEM (Fp7-Grant Agreement Number 216916)-a challenging and innovative European-funded project-introduce novel computing p

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

The Brain Atlas: A Visual Guide to the Human Central Nervous System integrates modern neuroscience with clinical practice and is now significantly revised and updated for a Fourth Edition. The book's five sections cover: Background Information, The Brain and Its Blood Vessels, Brain Slices, Histological Sections, and Pathways. These are depicted in over 350 high quality intricate figures making it the best available visual guide to human neuroanatomy.

Cell to Cell Signalling: From Experiments to Theoretical Models is a collection of papers from a NATO Workshop conducted in Belgium in September 1988. The book discusses nerve cells and neural networks involved in signal transfers. The works of Hodgkin and Huxley presents a prototypic combination between experimental and theoretical approaches. The book discusses the coupling process found between secretory cells that modify their behavior. The text also analyzes morphogenesis and development, and then emphasizes the pattern formation found in Drosophila and in the amphibian embryo. The text also cite examples of immunological modeling that is related to the dynamics of immune networks based on idiotypic regulation. One paper analyzes the immune dynamism of HIV infection. The text notes that hormone signaling can be attributed as responsible for intercellular communication. Another paper examines how the dominant follicle in the ovarian cycle is selected, as well as the effectiveness of hormone secretion responsible for encoding the frequency of occurrence of periodic signals. The book also discusses heart signal sources such as cardiac dynamics and the response of periodically excited cardiac cells. The text can prove valuable for practioners in the field of neurology and cardiovascular medicine, and for researchers in molecular biology and molecular chemistry.

Elegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around us and examines the complex interdependence of all things. Extending beyond the usual limitations of biological science and into a vast and wondrous world of hidden relationships, this provocative book explores in personal, poetic essays to topics such as computers, germs, language, music, death, insects, and medicine. Lewis Thomas writes, "Once you have become permanently startled, as I am, by the realization that we are a social species, you tend to keep an eye out for the pieces of evidence that this is, by and large, good for us."