Despite various studies carried out by scientific centres for population biology research in the USSR, many findings remain unknown to Western scientists. This collection of reviews on population biology in the USSR, attempts to remedy the situation. The areas covered include surveys of animal population biology studies - population genetics, population ecology and ecophysiology, population ethology, population cytogenetics, and population radioecology. Also explored are the population biology of amphibians and invertebrates, the population biology of the lower taxa - plants, protists, and microorganisms, and some general problems of population biology.

Volume 10 of Advances in Disease Vector Research consists of seven chapters on vectors that affect human or animal health and six chapters on plant pathogens and their vectors. In Chapter 1, Yasuo Chinzei and DeMar Taylor discuss hormonal regulation of vitellogenesis in ticks. Many blood sucking insects and ticks transmit pathogens by engorgement, which induces vitellogenesis and oviposition in adult animals. To investigate the pathogen transmission mechanism in vector animals, information on the host physiological and endocrinological conditions after engorgement is useful and important because pathogen development or proliferation occurs in the vector hosts at the same time as the host reproduction. Chinzei and Taylor have shown that in ticks, juvenile hormone (JH) is not involved in the endocrinological processes inducing vitellogenin biosynthesis. Synganglion (tick brain) factor(s) (vitellogenesis inducing factor, VIF) is more important to initiate vitellogenesis after engorgement, and ecdysteroids are also related to induction of vitellogenin synthesis. In their chapter, based mainly on their own experimental data, the authors discuss the characterization of main yolk protein, vitellogenin (Vg) , biosynthesis and processing in the fat body, and hormonal regulation of Vg synthesis in tick systems, including ixodid and argasid ticks.

First Published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Completely revised and updated for this new edition, Benedictow's acclaimed study remains the definitive account of the Black Death and its impact on history. The first edition of The Black Death collected and analysed the many local studies on the disease published in a variety of languages and examined a range of scholarly papers. The medical and epidemiological characteristics of the disease, its geographical origin, its spread across Asia Minor, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, and the mortality in the countries and regions for which there are satisfactory studies, are clearly presented and thoroughly discussed. The pattern, pace and seasonality of spread revealed through close scrutiny of these studies exactly reflect current medical work and standard studies on the epidemiology of bubonic plague. Benedictow's findings made it clear that the true mortality rate was far higher than had been previously thought. In the light of those findings, the discussion in the last part of the book showing the Black Death as a turning point in history takes on a new significance. OLE J. BENEDICTOW is Professor of History at the University of Oslo.

This authoritative reference volume emphasizes the importance and interrelationships of geological processes to the health and diseases of humans and animals. Its accessible format fosters better communication between the health and geoscience communities by elucidating the geologic origins and flow of toxic elements in the environment that lead to human exposure through the consumption of food and water. For example, problems of excess intake from drinking water have been encountered for several inorganic compounds, including fluoride in Africa and India; arsenic in certain areas of Argentina, Chile, and Taiwan; selenium in seleniferous areas in the U.S., Venezuela, and China; and nitrate in agricultural areas with heavy use of fertilizers. Environmental influences on vector borne diseases and stormflow water quality influences are also featured. Numerous examples of the environmental influences on human health from across the globe are also presented and discussed in this volume. * Covers recent advances and future research topics at the intersection of environmental science and public health * Developed by 60 experts from 20 countries and edited by professionals from the International Working Group on Medical Geology * Includes 200+ color photographs and illustrations * Organizes information in a highly structured format for easy reference * Written for a broad audience, ranging from students, researchers, and medical professionals to policymakers and the general public