by G. MILAZZO and M. BLANK This book contains the lectures of the fourth advanced course Bioelectrochemislry W Neroe-Muscle Function: Bioelectrochemistry, Mechanisms, Energetics and Contro~ which took place at the Majorana Center in Erice, Italy, October 20th to November 1, 1991. The scope of the course was international in terms of both sponsorship and partici pation. Sponsors included the Bioelectrochemical Society, NATO, International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics (lUPAB), the World Federation of Scientists and the Italian National Research Council. One-third of the sixty participants were from Italy, but the majority came from eighteen other nations. Since the course was part of the International School of Biophysics, the biophysi cal point of view was emphasized in integrating the biology with the electrochemistry. Lecturers were asked to use a quantitative approach with accepted standards and proper units, since this is absolutely essential for developing an effective common language for communication across disciplines. Participants were also urged not to forget that biological systems could also be considered as physical systems. Ion channels are proteins and their properties as polyelectrolytes contribute to the specific biological properties. The existence of families of channels, with very similar structures but different selectivities, suggests that the specificities arise from slight variations of a general basic design. These perspectives on nerve-muscle function helped to make the school course a unique treatment of the subject.

Optical screening of excessive and potentially harmful solar radiation is an important photoprotective mechanism, though it has received much less attention in comparison with other systems preventing photooxidative damage to photoautotrophic organisms. This photoprotection in the form of screening appears to be especially important for juvenile and senescing plants as well as under environmental stresses-i.e. in situations where the efficiency of enzymatic ROS elimination, DNA repair and other 'classical' photoprotective systems could be impaired. This book represents an attempt to develop an integral view of optical screening-based photoprotection in microalgae and higher plants. Towards this end, the key groups of pigments involved in the screening of ultraviolet and visible components of solar radiation in microalgae and higher plants, and the patterns of their accumulation and distribution within plant cells and tissues, are described. Special attention is paid to the manifestations of screening pigment accumulation in the optical spectra of plants. It is also demonstrated that understanding these effects and their relationships to screening pigments' makeup and spectroscopy in plants provides valuable insights into the state of plants' long-term photoacclimation, as well as ample opportunities for the non-destructive quantification of screening pigments and the assessment of the efficiency of photoprotection providing by these pigments in situ.

From within complex structures of organisms and cells down to the molecular level, biological processes all involve movement. Muscular fibers slide on each other to activate the muscle, as polymerases do along nucleic acids for replicating and transcribing the genetic material. Cells move and organize themselves into organs by recognizing each other through macromolecular surface-specific interactions. These recognition processes involve the mu tual adaptation of structures that rely on their flexibility. All sorts of conformational changes occur in proteins involved in through-membrane signal transmission, showing another aspect of the flexibility of these macromolecules. The movement and flexibility are inscribed in the polymeric nature of essential biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. For instance, the well-defined structures formed by the long protein chain are held together by weak noncovalent interac tions that design a complex potential well in which the protein floats, permanently fluctuating between several micro- or macroconformations in a wide range of frequencies and ampli tudes. The inherent mobility of biomolecular edifices may be crucial to the adaptation of their structures to particular functions. Progress in methods for investigating macromolecular structures and dynamics make this hypothesis not only attractive but more and more testable.

Research on thrombin structure and function has progressed significantly over the past three decades. We are continually discovering new functions f()r this enzyme in biology. Yet, until quite recently, a full, detailed, three dimensional picture of its structure was difficult to attain. We believe that this text represents a turning point and, more appropriately, a new start ing point for thrombin studies. Our goal for this text is to present a thorough and rounded-out coverage of thrombin chemistry and biochem istry in order to provide the biochemist and physiologist with an excellent desk reference on almost any thrombin-related problem. This volume is organized into three general thrombin topic areas: Structure, Biochemistry, and Physiology. In Part 1, Structure, we open with the complete three-dimensional x-ray structures of two inhibited human thrombin complexes, one of which is the thrombin-hirudin com plex. These complexes are also addressed in the chapter on structural studies in solution, which include NMR, ESR, and fluorescence. Part 2, Biochemistry, includes chapters on synthetic thrombin inhibitors, protein inhibitors (e.g., antithrombin III, hirudin), and thrombin interactions with factor XIII. Part 3, Physiology, covers such topics as chemotactic activities, interactions with cell surfaces, and the vascular endothelium.

Mesodenn is a key tissue in early development. It is involved in the differentiation of almost every organ in the body, not merely as a structural component, but as an active participant in the establishment of diverse cell types. All mesodenn is derived from ectoderm. Its appearance signals the start of a significant new phase in the development of the embryo. At this time all three genn layers are now present and myriad sequences of cell and tissue interactions begin to occur which will eventually give rise to the entire embryo. The control of the growth and differentiation of the mesoderm is critical for the production of a normal individual. Indeed, disturbance of the patterning of the mesoderm or of its interaction with other tissues plays a critical part in the fonnation of most congenital anomalies. The main focus of this book is therefore on the establishment, divergence and specialisation of mesodermal derivatives. The central role of the mesoderm in development has long been appreciated and a wide literature exists on its activity in certain specialised situations. Recently, however, an impetus to its study has been provided by new approaches opened up through biotechnological advances. Many of these advances are reflected in the reports in this volume. Scientists from various disciplines have become drawn to mesodermal tissues, and this volume may help them find a framework within which their work will fit.

In recent years rapid progress has been made in the areas of T cell and B cell biology, cell-cell and cell-matrix/stroma interactions. The use of isolated subunits of the T cell receptor invariant chains has been instrumental in defining their role in signal transduction and tyrosine phosphorylation. A role of src family phosphotyrosine kinases in T cell activation has been demonstrated and several phosphotyrosine kinase substrates have been identified and their functions characterized. Homologous recombinant techniques have led to the development of murine strains that lack CD4 or CD8 expression. These models are likely to be instrumental in studying the role of T cell subsets in autoimmune disorders, tissue transplant rejection and tumor rejection. A role of major histocompatibility complex I in the development of T cell subsets and NK cells has been defined. Recent data suggest a role of interaction between plasma membrane molecules of activated T helper cells and B cells, B cells primed with plasma membrane of activated T helper cells and cytokines, and interaction between bone marrow stromal cells and B cell progenitors and precursors, in the B cell development, proliferation, and differentiation. The structure and functions of adhesion molecules, especially with regard to signal transduction and homing events, are better defined.

This monograph contains the proceedings from the Advanced Study Institute on "Vascular Endothelium: Physiological Basis of Clinical Problems" which took place in Corfu, Greece in June 1990. The meeting consisted of twenty-eight lectures, most of them adapted as full length papers in this volume, as well as numerous short oral and poster communications which are abstracted and also included in alphabetical order (pages 239-302). There were ninety-six participants from ten NATO and four other European countries. The meeting was the second in as many years dealing with a specific subject in Endothelial Cell biology. Following the 1988 discussion on "Receptors and Transduction Mechanisms", the present ASI recognized and tried to deal with the increasing overlap in interest between basic scientists studying endothelial cell functions and clinicians facing problems of known or suspected endothelial pathological involvement. As with any similar effort, we opted to be selective, rather than fail by trying to be inclusive, in the subjects covered. We chose to discuss diseases, such as atherosclerosis, sepsis, ARDS and stroke, based on their relevance to endothelial cell function and urgent need for new insights into their pathogenesis and treatment. Similarly, we examined endothelial cell functions by considering their relevance to disease and their potential for elucidating important pathologies. Obviously, some areas were covered superficially or not at all; this should not distract from their importance, but rather reflect on the constraints of time and -not at all negligibly -the bias of the organizing committee.

From the 19-29 May 1991 the NATO ASI Course PAsthma Treatment: A P Multidisciplinary Approach was held in Erice, on the rocky North West Coast of Sicily, facing the ancient Phoenician shore of the African Continent. Sixty NATO sponsored participants arriving from many different European Countries - Nato members and non - attended the course. Qualified researchers from Europe and the United States held extensive lectures, short meetings and small informal group discussions. Erice is a magical place which draws together people from different backgrounds and cultures under her Mediterrean charm, recreating the ancient Greek openair discussion atmosphere. And so, during the 10 days gathering, the extensive willingness of the senior investigators and the laudable enthusiasm of the younger participants was stimulated. All of the most recent findings in the biology and the pharmacology of Asthma were discussed, initially behind closed doors, to be unhurriedly continued along the alley ways of the "Cittadella della Scienza" , in Erice's small restaurants, and on her deserted beaches. The texts collected here are testimony to the high quality of the investigators contributions as well as their far reaching interests. I think that a Director of such a Course would be adequatly satisfied by merely considering the enthusiasm and high level involvement of every participant. He could not have been more satisfied after having considered the proceedings summerizing the scientific content of the meeting.

This volume contains the formal record of the lectures presented at the 9th Course of the International School of Radiation Damage and Protection held at the "E . Majorana" International Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice (Italy) from May 9 to May 20, 1989. This course was the last of a series of 4 courses, started in 1981, that were dedicated to the assessment of risk hazard from non-ionizing radiation. The proceedings of these courses were all published by Plenum Press with the following headings: 1) M. Grandolfo, S. M. Michaelson and A. Rindi, Eds. : "Biological Effects and Dosimetry of Nonionizing Radiation; Radiofrequency and Microwave Energy", Plenum Press, New York, NATO ASI Series A Life Sciences, Vo1. 49 (1983); 2) M. Grandolfo, S. M. Michaelson and A. Rindi, Eds. : "Biological Effects and Dosimetry of Static and ELF Electromagnetic Fields", Plenum Press, New York, E. Majorana International Science Series, Life Sciences, Vol. 19 (1985) ; 3) M. H. Repacholi, M. Grandolfo and A. Rindi, Eds. : "Ultrasound; medical applications, biological effects and hazard potential", Plenum Press, New York (1987). We hope that all these volumes together may represent a complete textbook and a reference for the students and scientists interested in the physics, biology, measurement and dosimetry, health effects and standard setting, in short, the risk assessment of that wide field of radiation presently classified as non-ionizing radiation. We are indebted to the Associa?ione Italiana Protezione dalle Radiazioni (AIRP), The Internat:l.

The origins of what have come to be known as the "Oxford" Conferences on modelling and the control of breathing can be traced back to a discussion between Dan Cunningham and Richard Hercynski at a conference dinner at the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1971. Each felt that they had benefited from the different perspectives from which the topic of ventilatory control was approached - predominantly physiological in the case of Dr Cunningham and predominantly mathematical in the case of Dr Hercynski. Their judgement at that time was that a conference on the control of breathing which allowed investigators with these different (but related) scientific perspectives to present and discuss their work, might prove fruitful. We would judge that this has amply been borne out, based upon the success of the series of conferences which resulted from that seminal dinner conversation. The first conference, entitled "Modelling of a Biological Control System: The Regulation of Breathing" was held in Oxford, UK, in 1978. Subsequent conferences were: "Modelling and the Control of Breathing" at Lake Arrowhead, California, in 1982; "Con cepts and Formulations in the Control of Breathing" in Solignac, France, in 1985; "Respi ratory Control: A Modeling Perspective" at Grand Lakes, Colorado, in 1988; and "Control of Breathing and Its Modelling Persepctive" at the Fuji Institute in Japan in 1991. The conferences, subsequent to the one in Oxford, have all resulted in well-received published proceedings.

The cardiac system represents one of the most exciting challenges to human ingenuity. Critical to our survival, it consists of a tantalizing array of interacting phenomena, from ionic transport, membrane channels and receptors through cellular metabolism, energy production to fiber mechanics, microcirculation, electrical activation to the global, clinically observed, function, which is measured by pressure, volume, coronary flow, heart rate, shape changes and responds to imposed loads and pharmaceutical challenges. It is a complex interdisciplinary system requiring the joint efforts of the life sciences, the exact sciences, engineering and technology to understand and control the pathologies involved. The Henry Goldberg Workshops were set up to address these multivariable, multidisciplinary challenges. Briefly, our goals are: To encourage international cooperation and foster interdisciplinary interaction between scientists from the different areas of cardiology; to relate microscale cellular phenomena to the global, clinically manifested cardiac function; to relate conceptual modeling and quantitative analysis to experimental and clinical data; to gain an integrated view of the various interacting parameters, identify missing links, catalyze new questions, and lead to better understanding of the cardiac system. The outstanding success of past workshops has encouraged their continuation. The first Henry Goldberg Workshop, held in Haifa in 1984, introduced the concept of interaction between mechanics, electrical activation, perfusion and metabolism, emphasizing imaging in the clinical environment. The second Workshop, in 1985, discussed the same parameters with a slant towards the control aspects.

Following the previous OWLS conferences devoted to optics in life sciences, the 5th Conference focused on recent achievements in applying lasers and optics in biomedicine and in the preservation of our cultural heritage. Particular attention is thus paid to laser diagnostics in medicine, interaction of laser radiation with biological tissue, and the development of new systems for these studies. The contributors to this volume cover such international research activities as photon migration in tissue, fibre optics, lasers in dermatology, ENT, cardiology, and in art conservation, imaging techniques in archaeology, laser technologies in contemporary art, and new laser and opto-electronic systems for biomedical and art-related studies.

The papers in this Volume were given at a two-day Conference on the subject of Optoelectronics in Medicine. The meeting was held in Florence, and promoted by the Consortium Centro di Eccellenza Optronica (C.E.O.). It represented the first of a series of Meetings on Optoelectronics that C.E.O. is organizing in order to stimulate new developments in this field and more efficient cooperation among local, national, and international research centers, industries, utilizers, etc .. Italian scientists have contributed consistently to the development of laser sources and to their applications to Medicine. A significant role has also been played by research institutes and industries in Florence. However, in this Conference, and in the Proceadings only a few Italian scientists were invited to present a lecture, thus offering the local and national communities as wide an international view as possible. Many more were present, however, as chairmen, and contributed successfully to making the discussions stimulating and fruitful. AB Editor, I had to substitute last-minute missing manuscripts with papers of my own, in order to keep the scheduled index of papers. The contributions presented at the Conference are written as extended, review like papers to provide a broad and representative coverage of the fields of light sources, optoelectronic systems for medical diagnosis, and light and laser applications to Medicine."

This is the third meeting we have organized which has explored the meaning of fetal neural developmental disruption in the etiology of schiwphrenia. The first was sponsored by the Schiwphrenia Research Branch with the scientific cooperation of Dr. David Shore. We met in Washington; the output of the meeting was published in a book entitled, Fetal Neural Development and Adult Schizophrenia. Cambridge University Press. 1991. The next meeting was an Advanced Research Workshop sponsored by NATO and was held at n Ciocco. Castelvecchio Pascoli. This meeting was reported in a NATO volume. Developmental Neuropathology of Schizophrenia and was edited by Mednick. Cannon. Barr and La Fosse. The current meeting has noted several advances in the field. There are additional psychiatric illnesses which have been found to be related to maternal viral infection in the second trimester. There have been studies reported which have definitely observed a viral infection in the mothers of fetuses who later evidenced schirophrenia. More evidence has been published which has replicated the "second-trimester effect." In the future studies will be wise to provide serological evidence of a viral infection and information on the precise viruses involved. Another important step will be to determine whether second-trimester maternal viral infection is related to a behavioral deficit in the infant. If neural development has been compromised. it might be possible to detect deficits in the infant with the proper measures. We look forward to future meetings at which these new areas might be explored.

From recent developments in the rapidly growing area of neuroscience it has become increasingly clear that a simplistic description of brain function as a broad collection of simple input-output relations is quite inadequate. Introspection already tells us that our motor behavior is guided by a complex interplay between many inputs from the outside world and from our internal "milieu," internal models of ourselves and the outside world, memory content, directed attention, volition, and so forth. Also, our motor activity normally involves more than a circumscribed group of muscles, even if we intend to move only one effector organ. For example, a reaching movement or a reorientation of a sensory organ almost invariably requires a pattern of preparatory or assisting activities in other parts of the body, like the ones that maintain the body's equilibrium. The present volume is a summary of the papers presented at the symposium "Sensory Interaction in Posture and Movement Control" that was held at Smolenice Castle near Bratislava, Slovakia, as a Satellite Symposium to the ENA Meeting 1994 in Vienna. The focus of this meeting was not only restricted to the "classical" sensory interactions such as between vestibular and visual signals, or between otolith and semicircular canal inputs. Rather, the symposium tried to consider also the interplay between perception and action, between reflexive and volitional motor acts as well as between sensory driven or self-initi ated motor acts and reafferent inputs."

Hidenori Kimura, renowned system and control theorist, turned 60 years of age in November, 2001. To celebrate this memorable occasion, his friends, collaborators, and former students gathered from all over the world and held a symposium in his honor on November 1 and 2, 2001, at the Sanjo Conference Hall at the University of Tokyo. Reflecting his current research interests, the symposium was entitled "Cybernetics in the 21st Century: Information and Complexity in Control Theory," and it drew nearly 150 attendees. There were twenty-five lectures, on which the present volume is based. Hidenori Kimura was born on November 3, 1941, in Tokyo, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. It is not hard to imagine, then, that his early days, like those of so many of his contemporaries, must have been difficult. Fortunately, the war ended in 1945, and his generation found itself thoroughly occupied with the rebuilding effort and with Japan's uphill journey in the last half-century. He entered the University of Tokyo in 1963, received a B. S. in 1965, an M. S. in 1967, and, in 1970, a Ph. D. degree for his dissertation "A Study of Differential Games. " After obtaining his doctorate, he joined the Department of Control En gineering at Osaka University as a research associate, and in 1973 he was promoted to an associate professor.

The recentexplosionofactivity inneural modelingseemsto have beendriven more by advances inthe theories and applicationsoflearning paradigms for artificial neural networks than by advances in our knowledge of real nervous systems. In the past few years, major conferences on neural networks and neural modeling have emerged and, appropriately, have focussed on technological exploitation of these advances. Sensingthat the recentleaps in both computational powerand knowledge ofthe nervous system may have setthe stage for a revolution intheoretical neurobiology, neuroscientists have welcomed thenew neural modeling; butmanyofthem would like tosee itdirected as heavily toward understanding of the nervou$ system as it is presently directed toward computertechnology and control-system engineering. Furthermore, some neuroscientists believe thattechnologists shouldnotbe satisfiedonly with exploiting or extending the recent advances in learning paradigms, that emerging knowledge about real nervous systems will suggest other, comparably valuable, paradigms forsignal processingand control. Ourmotive as organizers was to have a conference that focussed on both of these areas -- emerging modeling tools and concepts for neurobiologists, and emerging neurobiological concepts and neurobiological knowledge ofpotential use to technologists. Ourprinciple ofdesign was simple. We attempted to organize aconference withagroup ofspeakers that would be most illuminating and exciting to us and to our students. We succeeded. EdwinR. Lewis INTRODUCTION This volume contains the collected papers of the 1990 Conference on Analysis and ModelingofNeural Systems, held July 25-27, in Berkeley, California. There were 21 invited talks at the meeting, covering aspects ofanalysis and modeling from the subcellularlevel to the networklevel. Inaddition, thirty six posters were accepted forpresentation.

Neural and Synergetic Computers deals with basic aspect of this rapidly developing field. Several contributions are devoted to the application of basic concepts of synergetics and dynamic systems theory to the constructionof neural computers. Further topics include statistical approaches to neural computers and their design (for example by sparse coding), perception motor control, and new types of spatial multistability in lasers.

Computation in Neurons and Neural Systems contains the collected papers of the 1993 Conference on Computation and Neural Systems which was held between July 31--August 7, in Washington, DC. These papers represent a cross-section of the state-of-the-art research work in the field of computational neuroscience, and includes coverage of analysis and modeling work as well as results of new biological experimentation.

It was only in 1980 that the first recognisable magnetic resonance images of the human brain were published, by Moore and Holland from Nottingham University in England. There then followed a number of clinical trials of brain imaging, the most notable from the Hammersmith Hospital in London using a system designed by EMI, the original manufacturers of the first CT machines. A true revolution in medicine has ensued; in only a few years there are thousands of scanning units, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has assumed a central importance in medical investigation. It is an extraordinary fact that within a few years of development, the esoteric physics of nuclear spin, angular momentum, and magnetic vector precession were harnessed to provide exquisite images of living anatomy; modem science has no greater tribute. That indisputable king of neurology and the oldest of recorded conditions, epilepsy, has not been untouched by the new technology; indeed, it is our view that the introduction of MRI of electroencephalography (EEG) in the late has been as important to epilepsy as was that 1930s. Now, for the first time, the structural and aetiological basis of the condition is susceptible to thorough investigation, and MRI can provide structural detail to parallel the functional detail of EEG. MRI has the same potential as had EEG over 50 years ago, to provide a new level of understanding of the basic mechanisms, the clinical features and the treatment of epilepsy.

We are pleased to present Volume 9 of our highly successful series, which now celebrates 12 years of providing the magnetic resonance community with topical, authoritative chapters on new aspects of biological magnetic resonance. As always, we try to present a diversity of topic coverage in each volume, ranging from applications of in vivo magnetic resonance to more fundamental aspects of electron spin resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance. Philip Yeagle presents an eagerly awaited chapter on 31p NMR studies of membranes and membrane protein interactions. Alan Marshall has con tributed two chapters to the volume: one, with Jiejun Wu, describes magnetic resonance studies of 5S-RNA as probes of its structure and conformation; the secon"

Uniting the conceptual foundations of the physical sciences and biology, this groundbreaking multidisciplinary book explores the origin of life as a planetary process. Combining geology, geochemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, evolution and statistical physics to create an inclusive picture of the living state, the authors develop the argument that the emergence of life was a necessary cascade of non-equilibrium phase transitions that opened new channels for chemical energy flow on Earth. This full colour and logically structured book introduces the main areas of significance and provides a well-ordered and accessible introduction to multiple literatures outside the confines of disciplinary specializations, as well as including an extensive bibliography to provide context and further reading. For researchers, professionals entering the field or specialists looking for a coherent overview, this text brings together diverse perspectives to form a unified picture of the origin of life and the ongoing organization of the biosphere.

Protein folding remains one of the most exclusive problems of modern biochemistry. Structure analysis has given access to the wealth of the molecular architecture of pro teins. As architecture needs static calculations, protein structure is always related to thermodynamic factors that govern folding and stability of a particular folded protein over the non-organized polypeptide chain. During the past decades a huge amount of thermodynamic data related to protein folding and stability has been accumulated. The data are certainly of importance in dechiffring the protein folding problem. At the same time, the data can guide the con struction of modified and newly synthesized proteins with properties optimized for particular application. The intention of this book is a generation of a data collection which makes the vast amount of present data accessible for multidisciplinary research where chemistry, phy sics, biology, and medicine are involved and also pharmaceutical and food research and technology. It took several years to compile all the data and the author wishes to thank everyone who provided data, ideas or even unpublished results. The author is, in particular, indebted to Prof. Wadso (Lund, Sweden) and IUPAC's Steering Committee on Bio physical Chemistry. Furthermore, support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschafi (INK 16 AI-I) is acknowledged."

The ISOTT 2001 local organizing committee was pleased to welcome over 140 delegates from around the world to the 29th annual general meeting of the International Society for Oxygen Transport to Tissue. The meeting was held in historic Philadelphia, USA, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania from August 11 to 15, 2001. In the tradition of ISOTT, the conference was a total immersion experience. Attendees were encouraged to eat together and spend their evenings relaxing together in a style that maximized exchange of ideas and interactions of younger scientists with their more senior colleagues. Delegates participated in a total of 122 presentations including poster displays, selected oral presentations, seminars by invited speakers and a round table discussion. In choosing invited speakers and oral presenters, special emphasis was placed on methods for oxygen measurement in living tissue and application of these technologies to understanding physiological and biochemical basis for pathology related to tissue oxygenation. All of the manuscripts contained in this volume underwent both an editorial and scientific review, and only those meeting both criteria have been published. However, while all efforts have been made to eliminate editorial errors, some have undoubtedly been overlooked, for which the editors apologize.

Californium-252 is a neutron emitter with a high specific activity, making it useful in a variety of applications, the most spectacular of which is in brachytherapy for cancer patients. Radiation oncology has exhausted nearly every option for treating radioresistant tumors by photon brachytherapy, and therefore new types of radiation need to be studied to improve the curability of cancer. Audience: Californium brachytherapy is used in only a few radiation therapy centers in the world, so the book will be highly instructive for radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiobiologists. The nuclear techniques used in clinical applications may also interest nuclear physicists and engineers.