Photoreception and Sensory Transduction in Aneural Organisms
Photoreception and Sensory Transduction in Aneural Organisms

Author: Francesco Lenci

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 1461591643

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This book collects all the lectures presented during the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Photoreception and Sensory Transduction in Aneura1 Organisms," held in Villa Le Pianore (Versi1ia, Italy), September 3-14, 1979. In order to publish the lectures in the shortest possible time, we had to make the decision not to include the free communications, the informal seminars, and the panel discussions, notwithstanding their very high scientific level and interest. Only the final panel discussion has been summarized by Prof. W. Haupt (whose effort we gratefully acknowledge), because it gives a comprehensive view of the state of the art in this field. The ASI was intended to be a high-level course, characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of photoreception and photosensory physiology in aneural organisms, bringing together scientists from different fields and specializations. We hope that these characteristics are reflected in the content of the book, which is meant to be both an advanced textbook for researchers and students entering the field and a critical overview of the problems of photosensory transduction in aneura1 organisms. The topics pre sented range from a phenomenological description of the different photomotile responses in various microorganisms to a discussion of the molecular processes involved in the primary events of photo reception as well as in the subsequent steps of the transduction chain.

Sensory Perception and Transduction in Aneural Organisms
Sensory Perception and Transduction in Aneural Organisms

Author: Giuliano Colombetti

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1461324971

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This book is based on the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Sensory Perception and Transduction in Aneural Organisms" held in Volterra (Pisa. Italy) from the third to the fourteenth of September. 1984. The Advanced Study Institute was planned as a high level course dealing with several aspects and problems of sensory perception and transduction of diverse environmental stimuli in aneural organisms. Scientists from different fields and cultural backgrounds were present at the meeting. both as lecturers and as students. The lectures and the discussions that followed represented a well integrated interdisci plinary approach to the questions considered. At the end of the Advanced Study Institute course. it was quite clear that. notwith standing the apparent heterogeneity of the topics dealt with. unifying concepts and ideas already existed, among the most important being the role of membranes and their physicochemical properties. All this should be reflected in the content of this book. We gratefully acknowledge the financial sponsorship of the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO (Brussels), that made both the Advanced Study Institute on "Sensory Perception and Transduction in Aneural Organisms" and this book possible. Finally. we are also indebted to Ms. Pat Parham Morgan who expertly retyped all the chapters of the book and Ms. Leslie Schmidt of Plenum Publishing Co. provided us valuable advice and suggestions on the preparation of this book. G. Colombetti F. Lenci P. S.

Physiology
Physiology

Author: Dennis E. Buetow

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 0323153216

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The Biology of Euglena, Volume III: Physiology covers areas of investigation on Euglena, focusing in particular on its physiology. The book demonstrates the wide utilization and research on the members of the genus, especially Euglena gracilis. The book discusses, in particular, the essential features of organelle distribution and structure in Euglena, and euglenoid surfaces. It presents circadian rhythms reported for Euglena, as well as the organism's movement and locomotion. It also explains the various aspects of sensory responses of Euglena gracilis to photic, chemical, and mechanical stimuli. In addition, the book addresses the stimulation and inhibition of the metabolism and growth of Euglena gracilis. Lastly, the Euglena chloroplast membrane, including its structure, function, and photocontrol of its development are described.

Biophysics of Photoreceptors and Photomovements in Microorganisms
Biophysics of Photoreceptors and Photomovements in Microorganisms

Author: F. Lenci

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1468459880

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This volume contains the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Biophysics of Photoreceptors and Photomovements in Microorganisms" held in Tir renia (Pisa), Italy, in September 1990. The Institute was sponsored and mainly funded by the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO; the Physical Science Committee and the Institute of Biophysics of National Research Council of Italy also supported the School and substantially contributed to its success. It is our pleasant duty to thank these institu tions. Scientists from very different backgrounds contributed to the understanding of this fast developing field of research, which has seen considerable progress during the last years. The areas of expertise ranged from behavioral sciences, supported by sophi sticated techniques such as image analysis or laser light scattering, to spectroscopy, ap plied, in different time domains, to the study of the primary photoreactions, to electro physiology, biochemistry or molecular biology, with the aim of analyzing the various steps of the transduction chains and how they control the motor apparatus of the cells. The organisms studied covered a wide range, from bacteria to algae, fungi and other eukaryotes. Thus, the ASI represented a successful opportunity for carrying on and imple menting an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the biophysical basis of photore ception and photosensory transduction in aneural organisms, with special attention to the basic phenomena and the underlying molecular events. We hope that this book has caught the spirit in which the ASI was conceived.

Photomovement
Photomovement

Author: D.-P. Häder

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2001-06-19

Total Pages: 959

ISBN-13: 008053886X

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This volume emphasizes the involvement of all facets of biology in the analysis of environmentally controlled movement responses. This includes biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology and as an integral part of any approach to a closer understanding, physiology. The initial euphoria about molecular biology as the final solution for any problem has dwindled and the field agrees now that only the combined efforts of all facets of biology will at some day answer the question posed more than hundred years ago: "How can plants see?". One conclusion can be drawn from the current knowledge as summarized in this volume. The answer will most likely not be the same for all systems.

Membranes and Sensory Transduction
Membranes and Sensory Transduction

Author: Giuliano Colombetti

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 1461326753

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The main purpose of this book is to unify approaches and ideas in the field of aneural sensory transduction. This field has recently come to the attention of several research groups in various disciplines, and their number seems to be growing. Unfortunately, because of the diverse scientific backgrounds of the researchers in the field, the apparent heterogeneity of experimental techniques (i. e. , behavioral response analysis, sophisticated biochemical and genetic manipulations, conventional and pulsed laser spectroscopy) and theoretical approaches may be discouraging, for both the experienced worker and the new comer. Actually, this heterogeneity is more apparent than real, and unifying concepts, approaches, and ideas already exist, particularly with respect to all the questions concerning the role of membranes and their properties (such as ion permeability, electric potentials, and active transport) in the various steps of sensory perception and transduction processes. It is currently accepted that most, if not all, the fundamental facts in molecular sensory physiology of aneural organisms, be they chemosensory, photosensory, or geosensory, can ultimately be understood in terms of a few basic ideas. Each chapter of this book emphasizes and clarifies the role of mem brane properties and phenomena in the particular sensory response examined. Of course, in some cases, this task has been rather complex because of the limited amount of experimental data clearly supporting a membrane-based model of sensory transduction.

Photoreception and Vision in Invertebrates
Photoreception and Vision in Invertebrates

Author: M. A. Ali

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 856

ISBN-13: 1461327431

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I see a man's life is a tedious one. Cymbeline, Act III, Sc. 6. It is well known that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it! Along the same lines one might also say that a pleasant way of learning a subject and at the same time getting to know quite a few of the workers active in it, is to arrange and to attend an Advanced Study Institute (ASI) or a workshop lasting about two weeks. This was and is the wisdom behind the NA TO-ASI programme and much as people fear that a fortnight may be too long, before it is over everyone feels that it was too short, especially if the weather had cooperated. Organising this ASI which resulted in this volume has been a very good learning experience. I started my career in research with invertebrates and retained an interest in them over the years due to my teaching a course and working sporadically on various aspects of photoreception in Polychaetes, Crustaceans and Insects. Thus, the thought of organising an ASI on photoreception and vision in invertebrates had been brewing in my mind for the past half a dozen years or so. It was felt that it will be desirable to do a bit of stock taking and discuss possible new approaches to the study of this matter.

The Science of Photobiology
The Science of Photobiology

Author: Kendric C. Smith

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-08

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 1461580617

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The first edition of The Science of Photobiology was published in 1977, and was the first textbook to cover all of the major areas of photobiology. The science of photobiology is currently divided into 14 subspecialty areas by the American Society for Photobiology. In this edition, however, the topics of phototechnology and spectroscopy have been com bined in a new chapter entitled "Photophysics." The other subspecialty areas remain the same, i.e., Photochemistry, Photosensitization, UV Radiation Effects, Environmental Photobiology, Photomedicine, Circadian Rhythms, Extraretinal Photoreception, Vision, Photomorphogenesis, Photomovement, Photosynthesis, and Bioluminescence. This book has been written as a textbook to introduce the science of photobiology to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The chapters are written to provide a broad overview of each topic. They are designed to contain the amount of information that might be presented in a one-to two-hour general lecture. The references are not meant to be exhaustive, but key references are included to give students an entry into the literature. Frequently a more recent reference that reviews the literature will be cited rather than the first paper by the author making the original discovery. The chapters are not meant to be a repository of facts for research workers in the field, but rather are concerned with demon strating the importance of each specialty area of photobiology, and documenting its relevance to current and/or future problems of man.