This book is aimed at a large audience: from students, who have a high- school background in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology, to scien- tists working in the fields of biophysics and biochemistry. The main aim of this book is to attempt to describe, in terms of physical chemistry and chemi- cal physics, the peculiar features of "machines" having molecular dimen- sions which play a crucial role in the most important biological processes, viz. , energy transduction and enzyme catalysis. One of the purposes of this book is to analyze the physical background of the high efficiency of molecu- lar machines functioning in the living cell. This book begins with a brief review of the subject (Chapter 1). Macro- molecular energy-transducing complexes operate with thermal, chemical, and mechanical energy, therefore the appropriate framework to discuss the functioning of biopolymers comes from thermodynamics and chemical kinet- ics. That is why we start our analysis with a consideration of the conventional approaches of thermodynamics and classical chemical kinetics, and their application to the description of bioenergetic processes (Chapter 2). Critical analysis of these approaches has led us to the conclusion that the conven- tional approaches of physical chemistry to the description of the functioning of individual macromolecular devices, in many cases, appear to be incom- plete. This prompted us to consider the general principles ofliving machinery from another point of view.

The frontispiece, Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the embryo in the womb, was chosen as a starting point for this book. It was Leonardo who in his notebooks and drawings combined artistic composition and accurate recording of the anatomy of the human body. Leonardo studied human anatomy in order to execute artistic drawings. His aim was to clarify form and function of human organs including reproductive organs. He followed up his extensive research with graphic representa tion and thereby initiated record keeping as a basis of scientific investigation. His records, accurate three-dimensional drawings, allowed others to reproduce his find ings and to test for correctness. Results could be updated and refined. Only after these steps can abnormalities be ascertained and defined as pathology. Though Leonardo was both artist and scientist, it is assumed that his anatomic drawings were used to improve his art, and thus scientific endeavor was at the service of his art. Anatomy, the offspring of science and art, is an integration of the two and became an accepted branch of the natural sciences. Although art and science continued to interact throughout the Renaissance, art was often placed in the service of science. In the course of history that followed, art and science in creasingly followed separate ways."

One of the most impressive advances in the field of neuroscience over the last decade has been the accumulation of data on plasticity and regeneration in the nervous system of mammals. The book represents the contribution of a qroup of neuroscientists to this rapidly expanding field, through a Conference organized by the Institute of Developmental Neuroscience and Aging (IDNA). The meeting was held in Torino, Italy during April 1990 in honor of a great pioneer in the field of Neuroembryology, Professor Guido Filogamo. His introduction of the concept of neuroplasticity has had a significant impact on the study of neurobiology. This volume is divided into six sections, each focusing on one of the subject areas covered during the meeting Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Central and Peripheral Nervous System Development; Hormones,* Growth Factors, Heurotransmi tters, Xenobiotics and Development; In Vivo and in Vitro models of Development; Development and Regulation of Glia; Regeneration; and Aging.

Depite the rapid expansion of the field of biophysics, there are very few books that comprehensively treat specific topics in this area. Recently, the field of single molecule biophysics has developed very quickly, and a few books specifically treating single molecule methods are beginning to appear. However, the promise of single molecule biophysics is to contribute to the understanding of specific fields of biology using new methods. This book would focus on the specific topic of the biophysics of DNA-protein interactions, and would include the use of new approaches, including both bulk methods as well as single molecule methods. This would make the book attractive to anyone working in the general area of DNA-protein interactions, which is of course a much wider market than just single molecule biophysicists or even biophysicists.

The subject of the book will be the biophysics of DNA-protein interactions, and will include new methods and results that describe the physical mechanism by which proteins interact with DNA. For example, there has been much recent work on the mechanism by which proteins search for specific binding sites on DNA. A few chapters will be devoted to experiments and theory that shed light on this important problem. We will also cover proteins that alter DNA properties to facilitate interactions important for transcription or replication. Another section of the book will cover the biophysical mechanism by which motor proteins interact with DNA. Finally, we will cover larger protein-DNA complexes, such as replication forks, recombination complexes, DNA repair interactions, and their chromatin context.

In recent years the importance of adjuvants for optimising the activity of agrochemicals has become increasingly recognized. This book is aimed at accumulating the current knowledge of the interactions between adjuvants, agrochemicals and target organisms. It provides results, and ideas for future research and defines new methodological, biomechanistic and systematic approaches which can be implemented to streamline research and development of formulations and adjuvant/active ingredient combinations. The book contains micrographs of leaf surfaces and spray deposits, graphical and statistical presentations, and data on the properties of adjuvants. In particular a case study is presented demonstrating the interactions possible between formulation and adjuvant types.

During the last 35 years, there has been considerable develop ment and increase in the number of devices that emit nonionizing radiant energies. These energies such as radiofrequency including microwaves are used in all sectors of our society for military, industrial. telecommunications, medical, and consumer applications. This increase in sources of nonionizing radiant energies has resulted in growing interest on the part of government regulatory agencies, industrial and military physicians, research workers, clinicians, and environmentalists. Although there is information on biologic effects and potential hazards to man from exposure to microwave/radiofrequency energies, considerable confusion and misinformation has permeated not only the public press but also some scientific and technical publications. Because of the complexity of the interactions of nonionizing radiation in biological systems, an inter-disciplinary approach is necessary to assess and elucidate the problems that evolve as this field advances and as the use of these energies expands. It is important to maintain a proper perspective and assess realistically the biomedical effects of these radiant energies so that the worker or general public will not be unduly exposed nor will research, development and beneficial utilization of these energies be hampered or restricted by an undue concern for effects which may be nonexis tent or minimal in comparison to other environmental hazards."

It is increasingly being recognized that the experimental and theoretical study of the complex system brain requires the cooperation of many disciplines, in cluding biology, medicine, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and others. In this way brain research has become a truly interdis ciplinary endeavor. Indeed, the most important progress is quite often made when different disciplines cooperate. Thus it becomes necessary for scientists to look across the fence surrounding their disciplines. The present book is written precisely in this spirit. It addresses graduate students, professors and scientists in a variety of fields, such as biology, medicine and physics. Be yond its mathematical representation the book gives ample space to verbal and pictorial descriptions of the main and, as I believe, fundamental new insights, so that it will be of interest to a general readership, too. I use this opportunity to thank my former students, some of whom are my present co-workers, for their cooperation over many years. Among them I wish to mention in particular M. Bestehorn, L. Borland, H. Bunz, A. Daf fertshofer, T. Ditzinger, E. Fischer, A. Fuchs, R. Haas, R. Honlinger, V. Jirsa, M. Neufeld, M. Ossig, D. Reimann, M. Schanz, G. Schoner, P. Tass, C. Uhl. My particular thanks go to R. Friedrich and A. Wunderlin for their constant help in many respects. Stimulating discussions with a number of colleagues from a variety of fields are also highly appreciated.

This ASI brought together a diverse group of experts who span virology, biology, biophysics, chemistry, physics and engineering. Prominent lecturers representing world renowned scientists from nine (9) different countries, and students from around the world representing eighteen (18) countries, participated in the ASI organized by Professors Joseph Puglisi (Stanford University, USA) and Alexander Arseniev (Moscow, RU). The central hypothesis underlying this ASI was that interdisciplinary research, merging principles of physics, chemistry and biology, can drive new discovery in detecting and fighting chemical and bioterrorism agents, lead to cleaner environments and improved energy sources, and help propel development in NATO partner countries. At the end of the ASI students had an appreciation of how to apply each technique to their own particular research problem and to demonstrate that multifaceted approaches and new technologies are needed to solve the biological challenges of our time. The course succeeded in training a new generation of biologists and chemists who will probe the molecular basis for life and disease.

"Function dictates structure" is a classic paradigm reaffirmed in Wolff's law of the skeletal system. A major question being addressed by current research in biomechanics is whether this doctrine also holds true for the cardiovascular system and connective tissues. Taking a multidisciplinary approach to this question has produced new insights into the sensors, signals, and activators that produce remodeling and functional adaptation in cardiac muscle, blood vessels, and bone, including important new findings on the response of vascular endothelial cells to shear stress. Other work focuses on the extent of remodeling and adaptation processes in tendons, ligaments, and intervertebral discs. Together with two companion volumes, "Computational Biomechanics" and the "Data Book on Mechanical Properties of Living Cells, Tissues, " "and Organs," this monograph will prove invaluable to those working in fields ranging from medical science and clinical medicine to biomedical engineering and applied mechanics.

This volume contains the Proceedings of a two-week NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Laser Systems for Photobiology and Photomedicine", conducted from May 11 to 20, 1990 in Erice, Italy. This is the 15th annual course of the International School of Quantum Electronics (ISQE), organized under the auspices of the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture. The application of lasers to medicine and surgery has made amazing progress since the last ISQE Course on this subject in 1983. The present Proceedings give a tutorial introduction to today's most important areas, as well as a review of current results by leading researchers. Among the possible approaches to a NATO Advanced Study Institute on Laser Systems for Photobiology and Photomedicine, we chose to emphasize the scientific and technological aspects of advanced laser systems when applied to laboratory and clinical tests. Since it is the policy of the School to stress the advanced scientific and techn*ological achievements in the field of Quantum Electronics, the Course broadly covers performance already achieved and potential applications.

The symposium on Acoustical Signal Processing in the Central Auditory System which was held in Prague on September 4--7, 1996 was the third in a series organized in Prague, after the Neuronal Mechanisms of Hearing symposium in 1980 and Auditory Pathway - Structure and Function symposium in 1987. Approximately 100 scientists regis tered for the symposium and presented 82 separate papers and posters. The present vol ume contains 53 of these contributions, mostly presented at the symposium as invited review papers. Several essential changes occurred since the previous meeting in 1987. In auditory neuroscience, recently developed methods opened new horizons in the investigation of the structure and function of the central auditory pathway. Methods like c-fos tracing tech niques and monoclonal antibodies for neurotransmitters and their receptors, like the intro duction of electrophysiological recording from brain slices have made possible new insights into the function of individual neurons and their interconnections, particularly in the cochlear nuclei and in the superior olivary complex. Integrative approaches towards understanding the central auditory function started to dominate in the field. It is not easy at the present time to differentiate between purely morphological and neurochemical ap proaches; similarly electrophysiological approaches are accompanied inevitably by behav ioral and psychophysical studies. The understanding of human brain function advanced significantly during the last several years. mainly due to the contribution of magneto encephalography. positron emission tomography and functional nuclear magnetic reso nance imaging.

During the period August 5-9, 1992, and immediately preceding the 1992 Gordon Research Conference on Motile and Contractile Systems, the "Third International Conference on the Structure and Function of Ubiquitous Cellular Protein Actin" was held at the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, under the title "ACTIN '92". This conference focused on the fundamental properties and cellular functions of actin and actin based microfilament systems. The first conference in this series was held in 1982, in Sydney, Australia, and hosted by Dr. Cristobal G. dos Remedios and Dr. Julian A. Barden, both from the University of Sydney (New South Wales, Austrailia). The second conference convened in Monza, Italy in June 1987, and was organized by Dr. Roberto Colombo, University of Milan (Italy). This third gathering of researchers devoted to the study of actin and actin-associated proteins was organized by Dr. James E. Estes, Albany Stratton V A Medical Center and Dr. Paul 1. Higgins, Albany Medical College, who were assisted by an Organizing Committee consisting of Dr. Edward D. Korn (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, NIH), Dr. Thomas P. Stossel (Massachusetts General Hospital), Dr. Fumio Matsumura (Rutgers University), and Dr. Stephen Farmer (Boston University). This meeting was dedicated to the many pioneering contributions of Professor Fumio Oosawa to the field of actin research.

The presentation and interpretation of visual information is essential to almost every activity in human life and most endeavors of modern technology. This book examines the current status of what is known (and not known) about human vision, how human observers interpret visual data, and how to present such data to facilitate their interpretation and use. Written by experts who are able to cross disciplinary boundaries, the book provides an educational pathway through several models of human vision; describes how the visual response is analyzed and quantified; presents current theories of how the human visual response is interpreted; discusses the cognitive responses of human observers; and examines such applications as space exploration, manufacturing, surveillance, earth and air sciences, and medicine. The book is intended for everyone with an undergraduate-level background in science or engineering with an interest in visual science. This second edition has been brought up to date throughout and contains a new chapter on "Virtual reality and augmented reality in medicine."

This book includes articles relating to presentations given in a variety of forms (lectures, posters, contributions to round tables, software presentations) at the 5th International Biothermokinetics Meeting held in Bordeaux-Bombannes, September 23-26, 1992. The fact that not just lectures were considered for these proceedings reflects the aims of BTK meetings to instigate discussion, promote scientific cooperation and confront as many different ideas as possible with each other (at best heretical ones). BTK conferences have expanded more and more; 130 participants came to the 1992 meeting from 20 countries. It was therefore necessary to hold the round tables in parallel sessions. It is difficult to have an unbiased feeling of what should be selected as the salient features of the meeting. As the name suggests, Biothermokinetics embraces thermodynamic and kinetic approaches to experimental and theoretical investigations of biological processes, in particular at the cellular level. This "classical" point of view is mainly represented in the chapter "Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Transport Processes and Biological Energy Transduction."

In Volume 12, eminent international ornithologists further elucidate endocrinological correlates of mating strategies and hormones and reproductive behavior; assess the value of the ''brood reduction hypothesis'' in explaining ''the paradox of hatching asynchrony''; and explore the validity and sensitivity of growth bands in feathers as an indication of nutritional condition and the use of feather banding in studying growth. Chapters are well supported with charts, maps, schematic diagrams, and photographs. Current Ornithology is the only English-language publication currently devoted exclusively to extensive reviews and synthesis of topics pertaining to all aspects of the biology of birds. Chapters fall under such diverse rubrics as ecology, evolution, behavior, phylogeny, behavioral ecology, anatomy and physiology, and conservation biology. All authors are leading authorities on their subjects, and each chapter is refereed by experts in the topics covered. Although all chapters focus primarily on birds, some topics, such as the social cognition of birds as compared to primates (Volume 13), have significant application to disciplines outside of ornithology. Current Ornithology aims to provide an accessible, up-to-date, accurate source of data and to contribute to conceptual generalization and unification across the biological sciences.

The International Society for Arterial Chemoreception (ISAC) was founded in August 1988 during the 9th International Symposium on Arterial Chemoreception which was held at Park City, Utah, USA. ISAC was established with the aim of providing a framework to support the increasing number of investigators from a wide variety of disciplines (anatomists, pathologists, respiratory physiologists and clinicians, high altitude physiologists, biochemists, biophysicists, physiologists and pharmacologists) who share a common interest in arterial chemoreception. ISAC took over the co-ordination of the international chemoreceptor meetings, with the membership deciding the venue for forthcoming meetings. During the Park City symposium Dublin was selected to host the 1993 meeting, under the Presidency of Professor Ronan O'Regan. The 12th International Meeting on Arterial Chemoreception, which was held in Dublin in August 1993, was acclaimed as a great success by all those present. The delegates not only shared in a wide-ranging feast of chemoreceptor based science, they had plenty of opportunity during the meeting for renewing acquaintances and establishing new friendships. The location for the meeting at University College Dublin's modem Belfield campus helped to promote such interaction, and the social programme was outstanding.

Understanding how the brain works is undoubtedly the greatest challenge for human intelligence and one of the most ambitious goals of contemporary science. We are certainly far from this goal, but significant advancements in several fields of Neuroscience and Neurobiology are being obtained at an increasing pace. The NATO ASI School in Neurobiology, held in Erice May 2-12,1995, as the 23rd Course of the International School of Biophysics, provided an update on three basic topics: Biophysics and Molecular Biology ofIon Channels, Sensory Transduction, and Higher Order Functions. Current knowledge on these subjects was covered by formal lectures and critical discussions between lecturers and participants. This book collects original contributions from those scientists who attended the School. Many students presented their results in poster sessions, steering lively informal discussions. A selection of these contributions is also included. A major portion of the program of the School was devoted to a general overview of current trends of thought and experimental approaches in neurobiology, emphasising the importance of understanding molecular aspects of the elementary events underlying sensory transduction and processing in the nervous system, without indulging however in a pure reductionistic view of such complex phenomena. Recent studies of molecular biology and the electrophysiology of heterologously expressed ionic channels, have shed new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying ionic permeation of excitable membranes and its regulation by physical and chemical parameters.

We have considered it to be a demanding assignment to provide a complete exposition dealing with the nature of radiation, its effects, and protection against it to workers in health-related activities. "Radiation" (and more precisely "ionizing radiation") is emitted by X-ray machines, nuclear reactors, and nuclear weapons, but also comes from natural sources to which we are all exposed. It would have been easier to deal with this subject area with the terminology and mathematics employed by specialists. However, although most of the potential readers probably have obtained further pertinent knowledge, we assume no more than a high school education in science and mathematics and the challenge was to provide maximum information within this constraint. This book contains five sections: (A) Radiation Physics, (B) Radiological Physics, (C) Radiation Biology, (D) Radiation Effects on Human Populations, and (E) Radiation Protection. Each section is preceded by a synopsis covering its essential features. It provides sufficient information to enable readers to obtain a general under standing of the subject of the section and an adequate background for comprehension of other sections. The more detailed presentation in the bulk of each section is followed by appendixes that generally contain more advanced topics. This scheme necessarily involves some repetition but permits a more flexible approach for readers who are especially interested in the contents of particular sections.

Since its inception in 1973, The International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT) has provided a unique forum to facilitate and encourage scientific interaction and debate. Welcoming scientists and clinicians from a broad spectrum of disciplines, each with their own particular skills and expertise, ISOTT unites them under the common theme of oxygen transport. The successful blend of scientific presentations and informal discussion which characterizes ISOTT is epitomized best by the many fundamental discoveries and technical advancements which it has spawned. The breadth and strengths of The Society's scientific base promotes the rapid progression of ideas from theoretical concepts to rigorous scientific testing and often, ultimately to the clinical arena. Each publication of the ISOTT proceedings has been recognized by Science Citation Index listing and the papers frequently establish scientific precedents and become considered as standard works in their respective fields. The 21st ISOTT Meeting was held in San Diego from August 14th through August 18th, 1993. The San Diego Meeting attracted about 150 registrants and 40 accompanying persons. Ten state-of-the-art lectures were presented by international experts in ~ transport and there were in addition two symposia -one dealing with assessment of tissue hypoxia and the other with functional heterogeneity in different organ systems. There were 100 free communications, consisting of posters accompanied by an abbreviated oral summary. All manuscripts were reviewed by the Editors for form and content, but as is customary for the ISOTT proceedings, rigorous scientific peer review was not undertaken.

Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics describes recent fundamental advances in the experimental and theoretical study of molecular dynamics and stochastic dynamic simulations, X-ray crystallography and NMR of biomolecules, the structure of proteins and its prediction, time resolved Fourier transform IR spectroscopy of biomolecules, the computation of free energy, applications of vibrational CD of nucleic acids, and solid state NMR. Further presentations include recent advances in UV resonance Raman spectroscopy of biomolecules, semiempirical MO methods, empirical force fields, quantitative studies of the structure of proteins in water by Fourier transform IR, and density functional theory. Metal-ligand interactions, DFT treatment of organometallic and biological systems, and simulation vs. X-ray and far IR experiments are also discussed in some detail. The book provides a broad perspective of the current theoretical aspects and recent experimental findings in the field of biomolecular dynamics, revealing future research trends, especially in areas where theoreticians and experimentalists could fruitfully collaborate.

In recent years there has been tremendous activity in computational neuroscience resulting from two parallel developments. On the one hand, our knowledge of real nervous systems has increased dramatically over the years; on the other, there is now enough computing power available to perform realistic simulations of actual neural circuits. This is leading to a revolution in quantitative neuroscience, which is attracting a growing number of scientists from non-biological disciplines. These scientists bring with them expertise in signal processing, information theory, and dynamical systems theory that has helped transform our ways of approaching neural systems. New developments in experimental techniques have enabled biologists to gather the data necessary to test these new theories. While we do not yet understand how the brain sees, hears or smells, we do have testable models of specific components of visual, auditory, and olfactory processing. Some of these models have been applied to help construct artificial vision and hearing systems. Similarly, our understanding of motor control has grown to the point where it has become a useful guide in the development of artificial robots. Many neuroscientists believe that we have only scratched the surface, and that a more complete understanding of biological information processing is likely to lead to technologies whose impact will propel another industrial revolution. Neural Systems: Analysis and Modeling contains the collected papers of the 1991 Conference on Analysis and Modeling of Neural Systems (AMNS), and the papers presented at the satellite symposium on compartmental modeling, held July 23-26, 1992, in San Francisco, California. The papers included, present an update of the most recent developments in quantitative analysis and modeling techniques for the study of neural systems.

In contrast to animals, plants are immobile and, thus, cannot leave a drastically changed environment. Therefore, plants have developped specific strategies involving particular signal and transduction systems as well as a form of cellular organization that allow them to buffer against sudden changes in external conditions. This state-of-the-art summary written by leading scientists deals with: - the most recent data available on the molecular mechanism involved in the response of plant cells to different stimuli; - the critical domaine of ignorance such as the signifi cance of site occupancy of receptors for growth substances; - the estimation of the applicability of new techniques such as electrophysiology, cell imaging and DNA recombinant technology; - directions for future work.

Dr. Howard House, founder of the House Ear Institute and House Ear Clinic often uses the analogy of planting a seed when referring to establishing the House Ear Institute in 1946. Two grateful patients of Dr. House put forth the idea that his knowledge and innovative skills could be used to expand the understanding of hearing impairment and its treatment. Those two early patients provided the "seed money" to begin the Institute. Since that time, the growth has been phenomenal from a one-man laboratory to a multidisciplinary facility boasting over 175 scien tists, physicians, and support staff, all dedicated to the advancement of otologic research and education. Six years ago after a half-century of remarkable success with prosthetic and device research, the Institute began cultivating a new field of endeavor-cell and molecular biology. Don Nielsen, then the Institute's Executive Vice President for Research and Scientific Director, began exploring the potential for hair cell regen eration and presented his ideas to the Board of Trustees. For a period of six months, we did a lot of fact finding to assess what role the Institute might take in this excit ing new field.

This volume addresses a fundamental puzzle in biology and medicine, namely, how does tissue develop, repair and replace itself. The answer appears to lie in growth factors and their regulation. To thrive and survive we need growth factors and this book concentrates on two factors that are related to growth hormone. Growth hormone does not act directly on all tissues, but mediates many of its actions through the release of insulin-like growth factors from the liver. The growth factors were originally called somatomedins by McConaghey and Sledge (1), who discovered that they mediated growth-like effects of growth hormone. However, the factors were purified on the basis of their insulinomimetic actions on fat and muscle and it is their relationship to the insulin family of pep tides that now gives them their name (2,3) of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). They mediate the actions of. growth hormone on the proteoglycan synthesis of cartilage and produce mitogenic effects in fibroblast cultures.

This is the third volume in the series, in which the topic of the effects of radio frequencies on human tissue, now increasingly a concern with the prevalence of cell phones, is explored by Prof. Lin and other researchers. The impact of electromagnetics on imaging and cardiology, both very keen areas of research at present, is also explored.