This newest edition to the Laboratory Techniques Series gives current state of the art use of synthetic peptides in molecular biology and practical protocols on how to conjugate peptides, immunize animals with peptides and monitor immune responses to peptides in vitro.
It gives background information on antigenic specificity, prediction of antigenic sites in proteins and applications of peptides in immunology and virology, as probes in diagnosis and as vaccines. The book also describes antigenicity of proteins and methods to localize antigenic sites as well as methods for predicting epitoxes, and gives detailed protocols for peptide-carrier conjugation, immunization with peptides, and peptide immunoassays.
The volume also describes typical use of antipeptide antibodies in molecular and cellular biology as well as the use of peptides in the diagnosis of viral infections and autoimmune diseases, and the use of peptides as potential synthetic vaccines. An excellent edition to an excellent series, available in hardbound and paperback.

The central role of RNA in many cellular processes, in biotechnology, and as pharmaceutical agents, has created an interest in experimental methods applied to RNA molecules. This book provides scientists with a comprehensive collection of thoroughly tested up-to-date manuals for investigating RNA-protein complexes "in vitro." The protocols can be performed by researchers trained in standard molecular biological techniques and require a minimum of specialized equipment. The procedures include recommendation of suppliers of reagents.

"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

The elucidation during the latter half of the 20th century of the mechanisms by which information flows from nucleic acids to proteins has completely changed the face of biological research. Many diseases are caused by abnormalities in control mechanisms which are not immediately essential for life itself but which maintain the normal social behavior of differentiated cells in multicellular organisms. The complex sugar chains of glycoproteins and glycolipids are believed to play important roles in the control of cellular functions and in recognition between the cell and its cellular and fluid environment. Investigations into the abnormalities of complex sugar chain assembly are expected to yield an important new underatanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of human diseases. This volume discusses several representative diseases which emphasize the current status of glycopathology, and will stimulate further research in this exciting field.

This publication contains full papers of both oral and poster presentations of the symposium "Immobilized Cells: Basics and Applications" that was held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, 26-29 November 1995. This volume covers recent developments in the field of immobilization e.g.: new support materials, characterization of support materials, kinetic characterizations, dynamic modelling, bioreactor types, scale up and applications are also given. Applications in the field of medicine, fermentation technology, food technology and environmental technology are described. Guidelines for research with immobilized cells. Based on the scientific sessions a strategy of research and methods for characterization of immobilized cells, especially in view of applications are given.

The goal was to relate basic research to applications and to extract guidelines for characterization of immobilized cells in view of process design and application from the contributions. The manuscripts presented in these proceedings give an extensive and recent overview of the research and applications of immobilized-cell technology.

Protein NMR Spectroscopy combines a comprehensive theoretical treatment of NMR spectroscopy with an extensive exposition of the experimental techniques applicable to proteins and other biological macromolecules in solution. Beginning with simple theoretical models and experimental techniques, Protein NMR Spectroscopy develops the complete repertoire of theoretical principles and experimental techniques necessary for understanding and implementing the most sophisticated NMR experiments.
Important new techniques and applications of NMR spectroscopy have emerged since the first edition of this extremely successful book was published in 1996. The second edition includes new sections describing measurement and use of residual dipolar coupling constants for structure determination, TROSY and deuterium labeling for application to large macromolecules, and experimental techniques for characterizing conformational dynamics. In addition, the treatments of instrumentation and signal acquisition, field gradients, multidimensional spectroscopy, and structure calculation are updated and enhanced.
Protein NMR Spectroscopy is written as a graduate-level textbook and will be of interest to biochemists, chemists, biophysicists, and structural biologists who utilize NMR spectroscopy or who wish to understand the latest developments in this field.
. Provides an understanding of the theoretical principles important for biological NMR spectroscopy
. Demonstrates how to implement, optimize and troubleshoot modern multi-dimensional NMR experiments
. Allows for the capability of designing effective experimental protocols for investigations of protein structures and dynamics
. Includes a comprehensive set of example NMR spectra of ubiquitin provides a reference for validation of experimental methods"

The accelerated globalization of the food supply, coupled with toughening government standards, is putting global food production, distribution, and retail industries under a high-intensity spotlight. High-publicity cases about foodborne illnesses over recent years have heightened public awareness of food safety issues, and momentum has been building to find new ways to detect and identify foodborne pathogens and eliminate food-related infections and intoxications. This extensively revised 4e covers how the incidence and impact of foodborne diseases is determined, foodborne intoxications with an introduction noting common features among these diseases and control measures that are applicable before and after the basic foodstuff is harvested.
Providesa summary of the"

An important and comprehensive review of an expanding research area. The book will combine all classical knowledge in the field with recent advances to provide a full and comprehensive coverage of the field.
Transcription factors are important in regulating gene expression, and their analysis is of paramount interest to molecular biologists studying this area. This book looks at the basic machinery of the cell involved in transcription in eukaryotes, the factors involved in transcription and progresses to look at the regulatory systems which control this machinery both within the cell and also in the wider systems of the mammalian organism.
Key Features
* Comprehensive review of an increasingly important subject area
* Editor is well-known in this area, and has gathered a team of respected international contributors
* A unique collection of all recent work in this area, with no existing competition
* Covers both transcription factors and their control, and also both normal and disease states

This book is the latest volume in the highly successful series "Comprehensive Biochemistry." It provides a historical and autobiographical perspective of the developments in the field through the contributions of leading individuals who reflect on their careers and their impact on biochemistry. Volume 46 is essential reading for everyone from graduate student to professor, placing in context major advances not only in biochemical terms but in relation to historical and social developments. Readers will be delighted by the lively style and the insight into the lives and careers of leading scientists of their time.
* Contributors are distinguished scientists in the field
* Unique series of personal recollections
* Presents scientific research in a historical perspective

The concept of network as a mathematical description of a set of states, or events, linked according to a certain topology has been developed recently and has led to a novel approach of real world. This approach is no doubt important in the field of biology. In fact biological systems can be considered networks. Thus, for instance, an enzyme-catalysed reaction is a network that links, according to a certain topology, the various states of the protein and of its complexes with the substrates and products of the chemical reaction. Connections between neurons, social relations in animal and human populations are also examples of networks. Hence there is little doubt that the concept of network transgresses the boundaries between traditional scientific disciplines.
This book is aimed at discussing in physical terms these exciting new topics on simple protein model lattices, supramolecular protein edifices, multienzyme and gene networks.
*Physical and mathematical approach of biological phenomena.
*Offers biochemists and biologists the mathematical background required to understand the text.
*Associates in the same general formulation, the ideas of communication of a message and organization of a system.
*Provides a clear-cut definition and mathematical expression of the concepts of reduction, integration, emergence and complexity that were so far time-honoured and vague

This book is the first systematic, detailed treatment of the approaches to ethical issues taken by biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The application of genetic/genomic technologies raises a whole spectrum of ethical questions affecting global health that must be addressed. Topics covered in this comprehensive survey include considerations for bioprospecting in transgenics, genomics, drug discovery, and nutrigenomics, as well as how to improve stakeholder relations, design ethical clinical trials, avoid conflicts of interest, and establish ethics advisory boards. The expert authors represent multiple disciplines including law, medicine, bioinformatics, pharmaceutics, business, and ethics.

The functional properties of any molecule are directly related to, and affected by, its structure. This is especially true for DNA, the molecular that carries the code for all life on earth.
The third edition of Understanding DNA has been entirely revised and updated, and expanded to cover new advances in our understanding. It explains, step by step, how DNA forms specific structures, the nature of these structures and how they fundamentally affect the biological processes of transcription and replication.
Written in a clear, concise and lively fashion, Understanding DNA is essential reading for all molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics students, to newcomers to the field from other areas such as chemistry or physics, and even for seasoned researchers, who really want to understand DNA.
* Describes the basic units of DNA and how these form the double helix, and the various types of DNA double helix
* Outlines the methods used to study DNA structure
* Contains over 130 illustrations, some in full color, as well as exercises and further readings to stimulate student comprehension

Edited by Daniel Rothbart of George Mason University in Virginia, this book is a collection of Rom Harre's work on modeling in science (particularly physics and psychology). In over 28 authored books and 240 articles and book chapters, Rom Harre of Georgetown University in Washington, DC is a towering figure in philosophy, linguistics, and social psychology. He has inspired a generation of scholars, both for the ways in which his research is carried out and his profound insights. For Harre, the stunning discoveries of research demand a kind of thinking that is found in the construction and control of models. Iconic modeling is pivotal for representing real-world structures, explaining phenomena, manipulating instruments, constructing theories, and acquiring data.
This volume in the new Elsevier book series Studies in Multidisciplinarity includes major topics on the structure and function of models, the debates over scientific realism, explanation through analogical modeling, a metaphysics for physics, the rationale for experimentation, and modeling in social encounters.
* A multidisciplinary work of sweeping scope about the nature of science
* Revolutionary interpretation that challenges conventional wisdom about the character of scientific thinking
* Profound insights about fundamental challenges to contemporary physics
* Brilliant discoveries into the nature of social interaction and human identity
* Presents a rational conception of methods for acquiring knowledge of remote regions of the world
* Written by one of the great thinkers of our time.

"Recent Events in the Psychology of Aging" documents the successful integration of aging into the mainstream of psychology. Leading psychologists present overviews of the key issues and research findings on mainstream topics. These include cognitive neuroscience, visual attention, learning, memory and cognition, as well as personality and happiness. The intersection of aging content with mainstream psychology is also prominent in the areas of emotions, personality, and social psychology as seen in the chapters on subjective well-being, emotional development, self-esteem and personality trajectories.
The seven chapters of this book offer information on such topics as: the seven sins of memory, categorizing the common breakdowns of memory in everyday life and the special breakdown of sins that increase with aging; problems with attention and learning; and offers answers to questions such as do emotions get blunted with age; do older people focus more on positive feelings; and the age old question of whether older people are happier than younger people is given in the chapter on the evolving concept of subjective well-being and the multifaceted nature of happiness. Questions about what occurs to one's self-esteem and personality are also masterfully discussed and the answers may be surprising. The concluding seventh chapter provides a cultural lens on the biopsychosocial study of aging.

Ageing is of perennial interest as a universal feature in all human societies. The genetic background and biochemical bases of ageing processes are currently being revealed in unprecedented detail. It is emerging that one of the main hurdles to be overcome in achieving a long and healthy lifespan is the maintenance of a properly functioning immune system. The main cause of death in people who have achieved "successful ageing" (which mostly means not having succumbed to cancer or cardiovascular disease) is infectious disease, caused by immunosenescence. This book contains chapters by many of the leaders in the field of immune-related issues in ageing and remediation.

These volumes are of interest to bioscientists and to historians alike. Many authors, both as individuals and as scientists, lived and worked in the 'age of extremes' in the so-called 'short 20th century', and yet contributed significantly to the unprecedented development of life sciences in this period. These 'oral histories', set against a backdrop of the Second World War, Holocaust, and Stalinist terror, are thus of interest and relevance to older and younger generations alike. Perhaps the lessons learned from these first-hand accounts may contribute in some way to ensuring that future scientists can enjoy the fascination of science undisturbed by the avoidable tragedy of man-made events.

The contributors to this volume in the Comprehensive Biochemistry series encompass a wide variety of experiences in many different countries and in very different fields of biochemistry. Some have worked close to the laboratory bench throughout their scientific life and are continuing to do so. Others have been closely engaged in organizational matters, both nationally and internationally. All mention incidents in their own career or have observed those in others that will be of interest to future historians who will record and assess the period in which our contributors have lived and worked. It was an extremely exciting time for the life sciences. It was also a period of major and often tragic historical events that deeply affected the life and work of the generation to which our contributors belong.

The bioseparation engineering of today includes downstream process engineering such as waste water, material and gas treatment. Taking this tendency into account, bioseparation engineers gathered in Japan as a special research group under the main theme of "Recovery and Recycle of Resources to Protect the Global Environment."

The scope of this book is based on the conference, and deals not only with recent advances in bioseparation engineering in a narrow sence, but also the environmental engineering which includes waste water treatment and bioremediation. The contributors of this book cover many disciplines such as chemical engineering, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology.

"Bioseparation Engineering" will stimulate young engineers and scientists who will develop bioseparation engineering further in the 21st century, and contribute to a world-wide attention to the global environment

" Genetic Aberrancies and Neurodegenerative Disorders" presents critical reviews and emerging findings concerning the roles of genetic mutations and polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of a range of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, trinucleotide repeat disorders, stroke, epilepsy and others. This volume, written by leading experts, brings together fundamental information concerning the roles of inherited traits in the pathogenesis of different neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to providing a catalogue of the known genetic alterations that are linked to specific neurodegenerative disorders, the chapters detail the current state of understanding of the cellular and biochemical mechanisms whereby the genetic aberrancies lead to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. The emerging picture of each disorder, painted by pathological, biochemical and molecular brushes, suggests that they share key mechanisms including increased levels of oxidative stress, perturbed ion homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptotic proteolytic cascades. The existence of specific molecular defects provides the opportunity to design experiments that can establish the precise pathogenic mechanism of a specific mutation or genetic risk factor. The value of this approach is exemplified by recent studies of how mutations in Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and how presenilin mutations result in early-onset Alzheimer's disease. A theme developed among the different chapters is that events that occur during aging predispose neurons to genetic aberrancies that promote degenerative cascades, and that specific genetic defects exert their influence on particular populations of neurons in a disorder-specific manner. The chapters in this volume will stimulate readers to generate new hypotheses concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of genetic aberrancies that can be experimentally tested.

This volume presents work from six different groups working on various aspects of cycloaddition chemistry. Jose Mascarenas gives us a very interesting account of the chemistry of &Bgr;-alkoxy-&ggr;-pyrones and related species. Al Padwa and Chris Staub discuss further advances in rhodium carbenoid chemistry and the unusual cycloaddition processes possible with these intermediates. Higher order cycloadditions mediated by transition metals highlight Jim Rigby's update on his group's efforts in this area. Lily Lee and John Snyder present us with a detailed account of the indole ring as a dienophile, challenging us to consider the untapped potential in this area. Brian Keay and Ian Hunt discuss the intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions of furan; a report that is both top-notch science, and what could be a great learning tool for students who need to see how fundamental chemical principles can and should be applied to synthetic problems. Finally, Kay Brummond introduces us to a new version of the Pauson-Khand reactions, one that will no doubt be further exploited in productive ways by her group well into the future.

The present volume focuses on microbial invasion strategies of pathogen uptake. An accompanying volume (Vol. 5) in the series presents the phagocytic process from the viewpiont of the host cell.
This field of study is growing rapidly after a somewhat slow start over recent decades. This collection of invited chapters attempts to reflect current research and brings together cell biologists, microbiologists, and immunologists wiht disthemes, hopefully like a symphony rather than a boring catalogue. It will be evident that editorial bias favors intracellular parasitism and medically important organisms. The neutrophil is far more than a supporting player to the macrophage and some attempt is made to remind the reader of some of its unique skills. To retain a manageable size, the emphasis is on relatively early events such as mutual recognition, cell entry, and response, rather than on longterm changes in gene expression by either host cell or pahtogen. Viruses are excluded not because of lack of importance but because of somewhat different research approaches, although it is becoming increasingly clear that large viruses (e.g. "Vaccinia") and "Listeria monocytogenes," share common strategies in invasion and intercellular spread.

The eighth volume of this series comprises six chapters and describes a variety of interesting strained and not so strained molecules and their use - or abuse - in the widest sense. This volume contains a position summary of planar carbon networks, the field of strained allenesis addressed by considering the five- to- nine-membered ring derivatives and this is followed by an introduction to the nature of carbene geometry and the use of ESR spectroscopy in deducing carbene structure. The use of strained molecules in the synthesis of important new compounds of a natural and non-natural nature is a main theme in the volume. Other areas that are discussed are strained carbohydrates, stereocontrolled access to natural products and polymer systems as well as a much sought after contribution to the series on small-ring nitrogen heterocycles.

Peptidomimetics have found wide application as bioavailable, and often potent mimetics of natural peptides. They form the basis of important classes of enzyme inhibitors, they act as receptor agonists and antagonists, and they have even been used to mimic DNA structure. Recent advances in the use of solid-phase organic synthesis have paved the way for the preparation of libraries of these structures to allow the rapid optimization of theri biological properties and hence therapeutic potential. We are also beginning to gain a greater understanding of the structural features of this class of compounds that influence their ability to permeate membranes, and their rate of clearance and metabolism. This volume brings together many of these critical issues by highlighting recent advances in a number of core peptidomimetic-based research.

An accompanying volume (Volume 6) in this series presents strategies of cellular invasion from the viewpoint of the microbe.
This filed of study is growing rapidly after a somewhat slow start over recent decades. This collection of invited chapters attempts to reflect current research, and brings together cell biologists, microbiologists and immunologists with disparate interests. However, there is a certain unity, even repetition of key themes, hopefully like a symphony rather than a boring catalogue. It will be evident that editorial bias favors intracellular paratism and medically important organisms. The neutrophil is far more than a supporting player to the macrophage, and some attempt is made to remind the reader of some of its unique skills. To retain a manageable size, the emphasis is on relatively early events such as mutual recognition, cell entry, and response, rather than on longterm changes in gene expression by either host cell or pathogen. Viruses are excluded not because of lack of importance but because of somewhat different research approaches, although it is cytogenes, share common strategies in invasion and intercellular spread.

The aim of this book is to show how supramolecular complexity of cell organization can dramatically alter the functions of individual macromolecules within a cell. The emergence of new functions which appear as a consequence of supramolecular complexity, is explained in terms of physical chemistry.
The book is interdisciplinary, at the border between cell biochemistry, physics and physical chemistry. This interdisciplinarity does not result in the use of physical techniques but from the use of physical concepts to study biological problems.
In the domain of complexity studies, most works are purely theoretical or based on computer simulation. The present book is partly theoretical, partly experimental and theory is always based on experimental results. Moreover, the book encompasses in a unified manner the dynamic aspects of many different biological fields ranging from dynamics to pattern emergence in a young embryo.
The volume puts emphasis on dynamic physical studies of biological events. It also develops, in a unified perspective, this new interdisciplinary approach of various important problems of cell biology and chemistry, ranging from enzyme dynamics to pattern formation during embryo development, thus paving the way to what may become a central issue of future biology.