The editor is Dr. Walter Boron, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Yale University School of Medicine, who for past year has been editor of News in Physiological Sciences (NIPS), a predecessor to Physiology. Dr. Boron also is a former President of APS, which was founded in 1887, has more than 10,000 members and publishes almost 4,000 articles annually in its 14 peer-reviewed journals.
Associate editors are Michael Caplan, professor at Yale's Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, and Ulrich Pohl, professor at the Physiology Institute, University of Munich.
"The need for a focal, or 'driving,' publication is really a reflection of the growth of physiology over the past 10 years," Dr. Boron said. He noted that the Human Genome Project--and genome projects for other organisms--have been a major boost to the discipline and its "role in integrating function from the molecule to the whole organism.
"Now that we know the identities of the molecular players, physiologists are working to understand how these molecules work, the roles they play, and how changes in these molecules affect the function of everything from individual cells to the whole organism," Boron said.
Physiology designed to appeal to broader audience
The inaugural August issue of Physiology is going live with all-new features, and a totally new look – a new cover concept, and leading-edge integrated artwork by the design firm J/B Woolsey Associates of Philadelphia.
Table of Contents for inaugural August issue of Physiology
- Emerging Technologies: Mouse MRI
- Hydroxylation of HIF-1: Oxygen Sensing at the Molecular Level
- Unraveling the Cellular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance in Humans: New Insights from Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Modeling the Heart
- Why Trypanosomes Cause Sleeping Sickness
- The pH of the Secretory Pathway: Measurement, Determinants, and Regulation
- The ABCs of Immunology: Structure and Function of TAP, the Transporter Associated with Antigen Processing
- Cystic Kidney Diseases: All Roads Lead to the Cilium.
Sections planned for upcoming issues:
- Point/Counterpoint: a collegial discussions of opposing viewpoints
- Timelines: brief historical articles describing how a particular field developed to where it is today, sometimes linked to current reviews in Physiology.
Dale Benos, chair of the APS Publications Committee, said: "Walter Boron has assembled an outstanding, enthusiastic and committed editorial board, ensuring the success of this new endeavor. The transformation of NIPS into Physiology is another exciting innovation of the APS publications program of the American Physiological Society. It's more than a name change. Physiology will showcase the most up-to-date, cross-cutting physiological research in a manner that will appeal to scientists of all disciplines."
Margaret Reich, APS Director of Publications and Executive Editor, said: "NIPS has had a loyal following, especially internationally, but we are very excited about the redesigned journal drawing even a broader audience, especially with the new title, Physiology, 'claiming' the field. Hopefully, a whole new audience will discover this beautiful, readable journal, and in doing so, rediscover physiology itself," Reich said.
The design firm led by John Woolsey was chosen to develop an avante garde design and also to produce complete original, innovative artwork for all future articles in Physiology. Dr. Boron had worked with Woolsey when he collaborated with Emile Boulpaep on their comprehensive textbook for medical and graduate students, Medical Physiology: A Cellular and Molecular Approach, published by Saunders in 2003.
What was unique about designing Physiology, Woolsey said, is that "Walter Boron wanted to make it a more widely read journal and he recognized the importance of graphic communication, including bringing an editorial view into a process we call 'graphic development,'" Woolsey said.
"Physiology is a pretty overarching field and includes specialists at different corners of the science," Woolsey noted. "So one of the things we wanted to do, without diluting the artwork, is to bring more accessibility, even for novice readers. So part of it is to spell out acronyms, and not use concepts in the art that isn't used in the text -- basic, simple things that too many journals overlook."
Physiology is one of 14 journals, most of which are peer-reviewed, containing almost 4,000 articles annually, published by the American Physiological Society, based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Editors note: Copies of individual articles in Physiology are available in pdf format to the media. Members of the media are encouraged to obtain an electronic version and to interview the authors, or editor. To do so, please contact Mayer Resnick at APS 301-634-7209, cell 301-332-4402 or mresnick@the-aps.org.
The American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 to foster basic and applied bioscience. The Bethesda-based society has more than 10,000 members and provides a wide range of research, educational and career support to further the contributions of physiology to understanding the mechanisms of diseased and healthy states.
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Physiology