Dry chemistry has been accepted as an important technology in medical laboratories for many years. Many evaluations of this technology have been undertaken by reputable clinical laboratories, the results of which were excellent when compared with conventional wet chemistry analysis.

This book contains a detailed overview of the current knowledge in the field of dry chemistry both in the physicians' office laboratories and large medical laboratories. The results from many evaluation studies are presented, as is data from interference studies which complete the descriptions of many dry chemistry methods.

A detailed description of various commercially available dry chemistry systems such as Ektachem, Reflotron, Seralyzer, Cobas Ready, Drichem, Opus and Stratus are also included.

This book effectively describes the current state-of-the-art technology and knowledge and succeeds in filling the gap in information in this important field of clinical chemistry science.

Originally published as 'Trockenchemie' by Georg Thieme Verlag,
Stuttgart, Dr. Sonntag has taken the opportunity of this translation to completely revise and update the contents of his book.

The results of today's genome projects promise enormous medical and agricultural benefits and point to a new predictive approach to the conduct of future research in biology. Biocomputing: Informatics and Genome Projects represents a survey of the needs and objectives of genome projects as of the early 1990's. It provides the groundwork necessary to understand genome-related informatics, including computational and database storage objectives. The book covers four general areas: automated laboratory notebooks, nucleic acid sequence analysis, protein structure, and database activities.

Written by experts in their respective fields, this book reviews the expanding knowledge concerning the mechanisms regulating male reproduction at the molecular and cellular levels. It covers the development of the testes and regulatory controls for spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis, and it considers aspects of Sertoli cell function. Areas of emphasis include communication between the various cell types involved in reproduction by hormone and growth factors and the mechanisms by which these factors regulate gene expression. A number of mammalian systems, including humans, are covered. The carefully selected authors provide a clear synopsis of the concepts in each area as well as the latest references, enabling the reader to investigate the topic further. This book is of interest to those seeking an understanding of the regulatory mechanisms in male reproduction and is written for the graduate and postgraduate levels.
Key Features
* Provides up-to-date reviews of the molecular and cellular biology of male reproduction
* Includes chapters on the developmental biology of the testes
* Links conventional hormonal control of testicular function with the evolving role of growth factors and proto-oncogenes

Written by well-known experts in their respective fields, this book synthesizes recent work on the biology of bone cells at the molecular level. Cellular and Molecular Biology of Bone covers the differentiation of these cells, the regulation of their growth and metabolism, and their death resorption. The authors' special comprehensive treatment of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of bone metabolism makes this book a unique and valuable tool. Cellular and Molecular Biology of Bone provides interested readers-with concise state-of-the-art reviews in bone biology that will enlarge their scope and increase their appreciation of the field. Research in this area has intensified recently due to the increasing incidence of osteoporosis. The editor hopes an understanding of the basic biology of this disease will prove relevant to its prevention and treatment.

Why a Second Edition?
The Second Edition provides practical answers to the general question, "How can I obtain useful sequence information from my protein or peptide?" rather than the more specific question asked in the first edition, "How can I obtain the N-terminal sequence?" Important new methods include ways of dealing with blocked N termini, computer analysis of protein sequences, and the recent revolution in mass spectrometry.
Key Features
Highlights of the Second Edition:
* Mass spectrophotometric characterization of proteins and peptides
* N-terminal sequencing of proteins with blocked N termini
* Internal amino acid sequence analysis after protease digestion in-gel and on-blot
* Improved microscale peptide purification methods
* Computer analysis of protein sequences
* New protocols tested and refined through everyday use in authors' laboratories
* Updated reference chapter covering all aspects of protein microsequencing

This is the first comprehensive review of mRNA stability and its implications for regulation of gene expression.
Key Features
* Provides perspectives from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems
* Offers a timely, comprehensive review of mRNA degradation, its regulation, and its significance in the control of gene expression
* Discusses the mechanisms, RNA structural determinants, and cellular factors that control mRNA degradation
* Evaluates experimental procedures for studying mRNA degradation
Written by experts in the field, Control of Messenger RNA Stability serves both as a reference for specialists in regulation of mRNA stability and as a general introduction for a broader community of scientists.
Key Features
* Provides perspectives from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems
* Offers a timely, comprehensive review of mRNA degradation, its regulation, and its significance in the control of gene expression
* Discusses the mechanisms, RNA structural determinants, and cellular factors that control mRNA degradation
* Evaluates experimental procedures for studying mRNA degradation

The series Practical Methods in Electron Microscopy, edited by Audrey M. Glauert has an international reputation as
a unique source of practical information for all electron microscopists.
Each book of the series starts from first principles, assuming no
specialist knowledge, and is complete in itself. The series will
eventually cover the whole range of techniques for electron microscopy.

In this latest volume in the popular series, Peter Lewis and David Knight describe in practical detail the whole range of staining techniques for electron microscopy, including contrast staining for ultrastructural studies, specific cytological staining methods, and enzyme cytochemical techniques.

The chemical basis of cytochemical methods is discussed and analysed in a straightforward manner with great clarity. In consequence this book will help the beginner to choose between the sometimes bewildering variety of published technical procedures.

Electron microscopists will find this volume to be an invaluable and compact source-book for all those cytochemical techniques that have proved to be both reliable and convenient to use. As with previous titles in this popular series, the unique type of practical guidance provided will be of value for many years to come.

This book is the first laboratory manual to bring together basic procedures for measurement of stable and radioactive isotopes of nitrogen, with specific applications to plant, soil, and aquatic biology. This bench-top reference gives practical coverage of mass and emission spectrometry, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and identification, organic nitrogen, and the radioactive isotope 13N. Methods are described so that researchers can adapt them, without the aid of outside references, to virtually any task they may encounter in investigations of nitrogen transformation processes.
Key Features
* Serves as a practical guide for nitrogen isotope techniques
* Features studies of nitrogen transformations in terrestrial and aquatic systems
* Includes basic measurement techniques plus specific applications for stable and radioactive nitrogen isotopes
* Presents detailed protocols, overviews, and key references
* Includes fifty figures and sixteen tables
* Hands-on reference for both students and researchers

Free radical species are generally short-lived due to their high reactivity and thus direct measurement and identification are often impossible. ESR is the only technique which has the potential for direct detection of radicals but in biological systems even these must be trapped by a spin-trapping agent. Thus most investigations involve recognition of indicators of the presence of radicals in vivo or "FOOTPRINTS" of radical-mediated damage.

"Techniques in Free Radical Research" assembles and critically assesses the most relevant and reliable experimental approaches used towards the measurement of radicals and radical-mediated damage in chemical systems, in cells and in tissues under the following six headings: a) Footprints of DNA damage, b) Footprints of protein damage, c) Footprints of lipid peroxidation, d) Footprints of antioxidant consumption, e) Footprints via indirect radical assays, and f) Footprints via the availability of transition metal complexes.

This practical reference examines the structure and properties of the atmosphere, including listings of compounds in clouds, fog, rain, snow, and ice; a listing of compounds detected in the stratosphere; and a compendium of compounds in indoor air. An introduction to carcinogenicity and bioassay of atmospheric compounds is also presented. Readers will find the extensive cross-referencing especially useful--compounds can be located by chemical type, name, CAS registry number, or source.

Animal Migration, Orientation, and Navigation presents the various aspects of animal migration, including the evolution of migration, climatic and meteorological influences, and bioenergetics. This book discusses the physiological control, sensory systems, orientation and navigation, and biological clocks and phenology aspects of animal migration. Organized into five chapters, this book begins with an overview of the migration strategies of animals in the context of a space continuum. This text then explains the influence of short- and long-term climatic cycles on the spectrum of migratory patterns in nature. Other chapters consider the energetic requirements of different migration strategies and the energy stores of the migrants. This book discusses as well the physiological basis of animal migration, with emphasis on endocrinal findings on the timing and energetic aspects of different migration strategies. The final chapter deals with the mechanisms used in direction finding by migrating animals. This book is a valuable resource for biologists and ecologists.

"Designing Science Presentations "guides researchers and graduate students of virtually any discipline in the creation of compelling science communication. Most scientists never receive formal training in the creation, delivery, and evaluation of such material, yet it is essential for publishing in high-quality journals, soliciting funding, attracting lab personnel, and advancing a career.

This clear, readable volume fills that gap and provides visually intensive guidance at every step-from the construction of original figures to the presentation and delivery of those figures in papers, slideshows, posters, and websites. It provides pragmatic advice on the preparation and delivery of exceptional scientific presentations; demonstrates hundreds of visually striking presentation techniques, giving readers inspiration for creating their own; and is structured so that readers can easily find answers to particular questions.
Clear heading for each section indicates its message, highlighted with graphic illustrations Two summary paragraphs that complement the visual images and clearly discuss the main pointNumerous examples of high-quality figures, page layouts, slides, posters, and web pages to help stimulate readers' ideas for their own presentationsNumerous "before and after" examples to illustrate the contrast between poor and outstanding presentations

Aging occurs at the level of individual cells, a complex interplay between intrinsic "programming" and exogenous "wear and tear," with genetically-determined cellular capacity to repair environmentally-induced DNA damage playing a central role in the rate of aging and its specific manifestations. In 12 chapters, "The Role of DNA Damage and Repair in Cell Aging" provides an intellectual framework for aging of mitotic and post-mitotic cells, describes a variety of model systems for further studies, and reviews current concepts of DNA responses and their relationship to the phenomenon of aging.

As part of a series entitled "Advances in Cell Aging and Gerontology," this volume also summarizes seminal recent discoveries such as the molecular basis for Werner syndrome (a mutant DNA helicase), the complementary roles of telomere shortening and telomerase activity in cell senescence versus immortalization, the role of apoptosis in the homeostasis of aging tissue, and the existence of an inducible SOS-like response in mammalian cells that minimizes DNA damage from repeatedly encountered injurious environmental agents. Insights into the relationship between cellular aging and age-associated diseases, particularly malignancies, are also provided in several chapters.

This book is an excellent single source of information for anyone interested in DNA repair, mechanisms of aging, or certainly their intersection. Students will gain a general appreciation of these fields, but even the most senior investigators will benefit from the detailed coverage of rapidly advancing areas.

Metabolic engineering is a new field with applications in the production of chemicals, fuels, materials, pharmaceuticals, and medicine at the genetic level. The field's novelty is in the synthesis of molecular biology techniques and the tools of mathematical analysis, which allow rational selection of targets for genetic modification through measurements and control of metabolic fluxes. The objective is to identify specific genetics or environmental manipulations that result in improvements in yield and productivities of biotechnological processes.
Key features of the book are pathway integration and the focus on metabolic flux as a fundamental determinant of cell physiology. The book keeps mathematical complexity to a minimum, and provides a glossary of biological terms to facilitate use of the book by a broader spectrum of readers. A web page exists to communicate updates of the codes and homework problems.

Key Features
* Demonstrates metabolic engineering in action with numerous examples of pathway modification
* Includes methods for identifying key enzymes in metabolic networks
* Contains a comprehensive review of metabolic biochemistry
* Discusses metabolic regulation at the gene, enzyme, operon, and cell levels
* Explains concepts of stoichiometry, kinetics, and thermodynamics of metabolic pathways
* Minimizes mathematical complexity
* Links to a Web page to communicate updates of the software code and homework problems