Like many genetic engineers, I have recently been receiving the atten tion of various venture capital companies, international drug houses and Members of Parliament. I will not discuss which of these approaches are most welcome, but it did cause me to consider the speed of advance in genetic engineering, and the implications of this rapid growth. There were few who anticipated it - only five years ago, most scientists thought applications would come at the end of the century, yet we see products such as insulin and interferon already available for clinical testing. In Europe in general and Britain in particular, this explosive growth in our own field has coincided with a general industrial depression and a marked reduction in funding for biomedical research. The brain drain from Britain is a serious matter, for we are losing the best of our younger scientists, on whom we would rely to train the next generation of molecular biologists. These volumes have come from British labs (mostly because I happen to be based in London, and my contacts and friends are here), and I feel that the quality of the con tributions also shows that our current research is of a high standard.

Drawing from a decade-long collaboration between Japan and Russia, this important volume presents the first major synthesis of current knowledge on the ecophysiology of the coniferous forests growing on permafrost at high latitudes. It presents ecological data for a region long inaccessible to most scientists, and raises important questions about the global carbon balance as these systems are affected by the changing climate.

Making up around 20% of the entire boreal forests of the northern hemisphere, these permafrost forest ecosystems are subject to particular constraints in terms of temperature, nutrient availability, and root space, creating exceptional ecosystem characteristics not known elsewhere. This authoritative text explores their diversity, structure, dynamics and physiology. It provides a comparison of these forests in relation to boreal forests elsewhere, and concludes with an assessment of the potential responses of this unique biome to climate change.

The book will be invaluable to advanced students and researchers interested in boreal vegetation, forest ecology, silviculture and forest soils, as well as to researchers into climate change and the global carbon balance. "

Genetics and Genomics of Populus provides an indepth description of the genetic and genomic tools and approaches for Populus, examines the biology that has been elucidated using genomics, and looks to the future of this unique model plant. This volume is designed to serve both experienced Populus researchers and newcomers to the field. Contributors to the volume are a blend of researchers, some who have spent most of their research career on Populus and others that have moved to Populus from other model systems. Research on Populus forms a useful complement to research on Arabidopsis. In fact, many plant species found in nature are - in terms of the life history and genetics - more similar to Populus than to Arabidopsis. Thus, the genetic and genomic strategies and tools developed by the Populus community, and showcased in this volume, will hopefully provide inspiration for researchers working in other, less well developed, systems.

After the publication of the Diagnostic Manual for the Identification of Insect Pathogens, the authors received many queries asking why they had not included the larger metazoan parasites as well as the microbial forms. An examination of the literature indicated that pictorial guides to the identification of nematodes and the immature stages of insect parasites were unavailable. Consequently we decided to rewrite the sections cover ing insect pathogens and combine these with new sections on ento mogenous nematodes and the immature stages of insect parasites. The result is the present laboratory guide, which is unique in covering all types of biotic agents which are found inside insects and cause them injury or disease. Included as parasites are insects and nematodes. Among the pathogens included are viruses, rickettsias, bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. Emphasis is placed on identification with an attempt to use the most easily recognizable characters. Use of a certain number of technical terms is unavoidable, and explanations of these can be found in most biological dictionaries or the glossary of invertebrate pathology prepared by Steinhaus and Martignoni (1970).

The original aim of this book was to cover different aspects of the tradi tionally "filamentous" potex-, carla-, poty-, clostero-, and capilloviruses. The title The Filamentous Plant Viruses seemed the only suitable one, but it has led us to discuss also the quite different filamentous viruses of the rice stripe group-recently officially named the tenuivirus group which otherwise, indeed, might not have been conveniently covered in any volume of this series. The question must be asked: What is there new that justifies the presentation of a book of this kind? An outline of the answer may be Among the traditional filamentous viruses, much pro given as follows. gress has been made in elucidating the physical structure of potexvirus particles, and this work serves as an excellent model for discussion of and future experiments on the poty-, carla-, clostero-, and capilloviruses, which have comparable structures, although they are more difficult to manipulate. Work on the structure and strategy of the genomes of poty viruses is, however, relatively advanced and at a very interesting stage. The helper component that assists the aphid transmission of potyviruses has also recently received considerable attention, although the more we know about that, the less seems clear about the aphid transmission of the carlaviruses and closteroviruses, which apparently neither possess nor require a helper component."

The last decade has seen tremendous progress in our knowledge of the pollen development and gene expression on one hand and the characterization of pollen specific proteins on the other. In compiling the chapters for this volume, we have pragmatically categorized these basic developments in pollen molecular biology and biotechnology into two sections based on their applications in agricul ture and implications in medicine. Pollen developmental biology and gene expression: applications in agricul ture. Pollen development is an extremely complex process encompassing a series of biochemical, physiological and genetic events. At the basic level, sporophyt ically expressed genes may expound our knowledge of unique processes of cellular differentiation which ultimately give rise to a full-fledged organism. At the applied level, the studies on the pollen and male sporophyte-specific gene expression, and of promoters and transcription factors of relevant genes have the potential to manipulate the fertility in certain cash crops leading to agricultural biotechnology."

Reproductive Biology of Plants is a comparative account of reproduction in viruses, bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms, each chapter written by an expert in the field. Special emphasis is placed on the truly comparative approach illustrating the vast range from simplicity to complexity in structure and function with respect to the various organisms.

Drawing upon a wealth of past research and results, this book provides a comprehensive summary of state-of-the-art methods for empirical modeling of forest trees and stands. It opens by describing methods for quantifying individual trees, progresses to a thorough coverage of whole-stand, size-class and individual-tree approaches for modeling forest stand dynamics, growth and yield, moves on to methods for incorporating response to silvicultural treatments and wood quality characteristics in forest growth and yield models, and concludes with a discussion on evaluating and implementing growth and yield models.

Ideal for use in graduate-level forestry courses, this book also provides ready access to a plethora of reference material for researchers working in growth and yield modeling.

"

The biotechnological advances of recent years have put us on the brink of unprecedented gains in animal productivity. Manipulation of animal growth rate and composition of gain is now possible by a variety of techniques. Ex amples include ingestion of beta-adrenergic agonists, injection of somatotropin, castration, immunization, and gene insertion. Animal Growth Regulation ad dresses modem concepts of growth regulation with an emphasis on agricul turally important animals. This emphasis is not exclusive, as many situations exist in which the only information available was generated in other species, and this information has been included for the sake of clarity and completeness. However, because of the overall orientation of this volume, particular attention has been given to the regulation of skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and bone growth. Certain hormones and growth factors have a profound influence on growth regulation and this basic physiological knowledge is being harnessed to maniplilate growth. Thus, considerable emphasis has been given to growth hor mone-somatomedinlinsulinlike growth factor regulation of cell and tissue growth. The involvement of peptides coded by protooncogenes and of negative growth regulators, such as transforming growth factor-l3, represents an emerging area of molecular biology wherein basic knowledge offers potential exploitation for growth manipulation. Opportunities also exist for regulation of protein turn over, especially from the standpoint of protein degradation. Therefore, a place was reserved for these topics in order to provide relevant basic knowledge."

The biomedical community often complains of the crowded schedule of important meetings to be attended. It was thus with some reser vations when the individuals participating in this conference accepted the invitation to attend a small gathering to discuss the "Comparative Pathophysiology of Circulatory Disturbances," held over three days in November, 1971. At the end of it they had changed their minds and were enthusiastic over the wisdom to hold meetingsof this kind. The conference was conceived some years earlier when it was apparent to the conveners that little opportunity exists in the common mammoth meetings to exchange detailed information and, p- haps more importantly, to transmit points of view between scientists of different disciplines. In particular, the voice of veterinarians and comparative biologists is not often heard by medical investigators, and vice versa. Thus, many animal models exist in nature whose investigative exploitation might make important contributions to an understanding of human disease, yet they are unknown to medical scientists. Conversely, veterinarians are often not aware of the needs of such models and their recognition is often delayed unduly. This conference, attended by investigators of various back grounds was called to help correct these deficiencies, at least in a small segment of study, that concerned with circulatory pathophysiology."

The International Society on OXygen Transport to Tissue (ISO'IT) has canpleted nine years as a society since its first fonnal meeting at Charleston-Clanson, South Carolina, United States of America in 1973. Prior to this time an active group of scientists and engineers rret in w:: >rkshop environrrents, on a periodic basis, around the w:: >rld. Meetings are ncM on an annual basis, alternating between Europe and the United States. The international gatherings include scientists and engineers in a variety of fields. ISOIT has produced a stable forum for the exchange of info: rmation on the rnicroenvirornnent of living cells, ranging fran the utilization of mathematics and engineering, through physiology and radiobiology, to clinical applications. The proceedings of these meetings have been codified into six books, four of them published by Plenum Press in its prestigious Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology series. This volume, together with the next two volumes that will follCJV.l the meetings in Dortmund, Gennany in 1982 and in Ruston, Louisiana in 1983 will provide further chapters in the history of this fascinating field of knCJV.lledge. OUr thanks are given to all the participants and contributors to the Detroit meeting. We hope that the strength of the society will grow in caning years, and that our contribution will eventually be felt in: inproving the treatment of the sick, and in enhancing the thought processes of the intellectual.

Modern forest products research had its start hardly fifty years ago. Today we are in a position to apply the title "wood science" to the field of wood technology that is based on scientific investigation, theoretical as well as experimental. It is this research that fosters new uses for wood as a raw material and that creates the foundation for new industries for the manufacture of wood-base materials such as plywood, laminated products, particle and fiber board and sand wich construction. Wood technology in its broadest sense combines the disciplines of wood anatomy, biology, chemistry, physics and mechanical technology. It is through this interdisciplinary approach that progress has been made in wood seasoning, wood preservation methods, wood machining, surfacing and gluing, and in the many other processes applied in its utilization. In 1936 the senior author published a book entitled, "Technologie des Holzes," which was a first approach to a universal reference book on wood technology. The first edition of Volume I of the Textbook of Wood Technology, co-authored by H. P. BROWN, A. J. P AN SHIN, and C. C. FORSAITH, was published in 1948. An indication of the rapid development of this field can be gained from the fact that the second edition of "Technologie des Holzes und der Holzwerkstoffe," completely revised, was needed by 1951. It contains 2233 pages compared with the 764 pages of the 1936 edition."

After UNCED (United Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, July 1992), a second edition of Desertification was necessary. About 150 corrections, amendments and additions take scientific progress into account. The author also presents an updated chapter in which the results of UNCED are analyzed.
This book aims at an understanding of what is commonly called "desertification" - a term which is proposed to be replaced by "land degradation." Each level of technology, excessive or insufficient, creates its own mismanagement. This is reflected in an increase in land degradation and eventually a decrease in soil productivity. The benefit to the reader is an awareness of the ecozones and a global overview of the phenomena, mechanisms and existing solutions.

This is the third annual compendium of a Technical Session of the Physiology Working Group of the Society of American Foresters held at the National Convention. Specialists in a dedicated area of tree physiology were invited to prepare chapter contributions synthesizing the status of knowledge in their area of expertise. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) was selected as the topic for in-depth examination at the 1986 Technical Session because a knowledge of how these "secondary messengers" regulate tree morphogenesis is vital to applications of biocontrol and biotechnology. Plant growth regulators have been the subject of numerous reviews in recent years. However, few have dealt specifically with woody perennials, and they are generally confined to single processes and/or organs. This volume attempts to provide a more comprehensive treatise of PGRs as they influence various ontogenetic events in forest trees. Reproductive physiology, both sexual and asexual, is emphasized because of its relevance to current efforts directed at increasing efficiency in the breeding and production of genetically improved trees for reforestation. The chapters on vegetative growth will be of interest to silviculturists and urban foresters as they consider cultural treatments in the management of forests and individual trees for specific products and purposes. This book should serve as a valuable text and source of reference for students, researchers and other professionals interested in gaining a better understanding of PGRs. The reader, however, who expects definitive answers to how PGRs function or can be used to control specific processes is likely to be disappointed.

The remarkable symposium arranged by Bruce L. Welch and Annemarie S. Welch for the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Massachusetts at the end of the year 1969 was devoted to the physiological effects of audible sound. Dr. Welch and his wife were able to bring together a distinguished group of scientists from all parts of the world. It was very remarkable to be able to discuss the physiological aspects of noise with representative scientists from Israel, France, Germany, Hungary, Russia, Australia, Canada and Argentina. Dr. and Mrs. Welch ran the meeting in a delightful manner and continued to maintain interest and enthusiasm. Now the results of the conference are available. It is to be hoped that this volume will find wide interest and attention. We must differentiate noise from sound. Noise is unpleasant, unwanted or intolerable sound. On the other hand, even ordinary sound may at times be unpleasant, simply because we are not con ditioned to it. The general impression that one gets from reading the various reports on the physiological effects of noise is bad. It's a pollutant that we can each individually reduce, and maybe we can have a great enough effect socially so that we can significantly lower the noise levels which may result in considerable harm to us. It is interesting that noise as a pollutant has only recently attracted attention."

Dutch elm disease is a significant problem in forestry and horticulture which has proven remarkably difficult to ameliorate. Since the introduction of the Dutch elm disease pathogen to North America, the disease has devastated the elm population of this continent and has been the subject of intensive research. This book summarizes the range of approaches that have been taken to address the disease, and emphasizes the significant progress over the past decade in applying methods from cell and molecular biology. Dutch Elm Disease: Cellular and Molecular Approaches will be of interest to scientists in plant pathology, horticulture, forestry, biological control, and plant breeding.

The role of arthropods in forest ecosystems is poorly understood. Yet such knowledge may be critical in order to explain fully the fundamental forces that shape the structure and regulate the functioning of such ecosys tems. There are numerous hypotheses about the roles of various arthropods, but few, if any, of these hypotheses have been rigorously tested. Some, however, have been repeated so often and so widely that they are now accept ed by many as unequivocal fact. Nothing could be further from the truth. Forest arthropods which derive most of their sustenance from plants are usually specially adapted for feeding in one of three subsystems-the above-ground plant system, the soil-litter system, or the aquatic stream system. Plant-feeding arthropods in the soil-litter and stream systems are primarily saprophous although many consume significant amounts of microorganisms. Research on the role of arthropods in each of these three subsystems has historically been provincial. Until very recently there has been little effort to collate, assimilate, and syn thesize the plethora of findings in even one of these systems-rnuch less all three. This Symposium (at the 15th International Congress of Entomology, Washington, D.C. August 19-27, 1976) was organized for the specific pur pose of promoting scientific synthesis. It fulfills one of the first requirements in such endeavors; namely, the juxtapositioning of current knowledge and hypotheses so that similarities can be perceived, insights can be de rived, and more elaborate conceptual constructs can be built."

There are clearly many directions in which the further development of the GUS gene fusion system can progress. Some of these have been outlined above, but others can be imagined. There are no reasons to limit our conceptions of the use of GUS gene fusions to analysis and manipulation of single genes. We can envision numerous marked genes - perhaps with several new fusion systems - giving valuable information about gene interaction, or population structure. The study of plan- pathogen and plant symbiont interactions can progress rapidly with simple quantitative markers for genes and individuals. We can imagine ways of using gene fusions to report on crop physiology or other complex phenotypes, thereby enhancing the accuracy and speed of screening. Introduction of the biosynthetic pathway for glucuronide detoxification by expressing genes for the UDP-glucuronyl transferases in plants may result in novel mechanisms for plants to deal with xenobiotics such as insecticides or herbicides. Synthesis of substrates, which until now has been performed chemicall- resulting in expensive compounds - can be done biosynthetically. This should make the system not only the most powerful gene fusion system for agriculture, but also the most accessible.

Chemistry of Plant Protection, Volume 7, provides critical review articles on new aspects of herbicide resis- tance, serving the needs of research scientists, pesticide manufacturers, government regulators, agricultural practitioners.

Since the middle of the Sixties, new types of formulation for biologically active com pounds have been developed, which have been introduced into the literature under the term Controlled Release Formulations (CRF). Stimulated by results from former and successful pharmaceutical research, which was engaged in the production of prepa rations with protracted effects (introduction onto the market in the year 1952 of D amphetamine in the form of pellets, coated to varying degrees with fats and waxes) 1), experiments were carried out to transfer the prolongation of effectiveness to pesticidal substances also, by means of a depot formulation. Initial work was concerned with the production of protective coatings for sonar systems in marine ecosystems. By means of antifouling paints or rubber coatings containing tri-n-butyl-tin oxide (TBTO), the growth of marine organisms on sonar domes, buoys and hulls in the water could be effectively prevented 2. 3). Controlled release formUlations of pesticides are defined as depot systems which continuously release their toxic constituents into the environment over a specified period of time (usually months to years) 4). According to this definition, such formu lations can be successfully employed where a chronic exposure to biologically active compounds is required over a longer period. The following hypothetical example is intended to illustrate this 5). In Fig. 1, the duration of activity of a non-persistent pesticide with a loss rate under environmental conditions of t1/2 = 15 days, is graphically illustrated."

Living Nature, not dull Art Shall plan my ways and rule my heart -Cardinal Newman Nature and Art 1868 One of the ineluctable consequences of growth in any field of science is that subjects of inquiry once established tend to give birth to subsubjects and that the subsubjects once established will in time undergo further mitotic division. Not so many years ago, problems surrounding the ietus and newly born infant lay in a realm almost to be described as a "no-man's land." Obstetricians properly gave major consideration to understanding and learning about processes and disorders concerned with maternal health and safety. The welfare of the infant was regarded as of secondary importance. Pediatricians on their part hesitated to invade the nursery, a sanctum regarded as belonging to the domain of the accoucheur. And the pathologist, enveloped in the mysteries of life and death in the adult, found scant tim~ for the neonate and the placenta.

Traditionally, intercellular communication and the regulation of biological functions of the body have been considered the role of two major and distinct systems: the nervous system and the endocrine system. The classic nervous system transmitted its signal rapidly by using electrical currents, whereas the signals used by the endocrine system were hormones produced by endocrine glands which reached the target tissues via the blood stream. During the past few decades, it has become apparent that these systems of intercellular com munication are not distinct and the signal messenger molecules are not unique to one or the other system. Many classic endocrine hormones are found in and act on nervous tissues and evidence exists for their de novo synthesis by neural related tissues. An exciting development in this area is the possibility that insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are not only produced by neural tissues but also exert profound physiological and biochemical effects on these tissues. The area of investigation of CNS insulin and IGF has been expanding rapidly and the availability of this book complete with up-to-date reviews on the subject by leaders in the field allows other scientists to utilize the knowledge in planning and adapting the latest ideas for future experiments. In addition, the book provides a collection of up-to-date articles for teachers to be used for the latest instructional material. The first section of the book covers general aspects of insulin receptors and insulin action."

Temperate forests cover large areas of Europe and perform a number of important functions such as the regulation of energy and matter, production of wood and other resources, and conservation of biodiversity and habitats; they also have special signi?cance in social and cultural contexts. Initiated in 1960s, the ?rst International Biological Program (IBP) focused on ''the biological basis of productivity and human welfare. '' As the German contribution to the IBP, ecosystem research has been carried out since 1966 in the Solling area (Ellenberg H., Ecological Studies 2, 1971), an upland region in Northwest Germany. This study provided clear evidence that the stability of forest ecosystems was threatened by the high inputs of at- spheric pollutants. This promoted many interdisciplinary research programs which were coordinated by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Ulrich and the Forest Ecosystems Research Center of the University of Go]ttingen. This involved, in addition to the Solling site, the establishment of two other sites for long-term monitoring of ecosystem pro- ] cesses. The two contrasting sites were established in 1980 at Gottinger Wald on base-rich calcareous soil and in 1989 at Zierenberg on volcanic soil. These projects were funded initially by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMBF) as interdisciplinary projects under the titles: ''Conditions of Stability of Forest Ecosystems'' (1989-1993), and ''Dynamics of Forest Ecos- tems'' (1993-1998). The primary goal of these studies was to quantify the ecolo- cal condition of forests in a changing environment and element ?uxes."

The 21st century has seen the beginnings of a great restoration effort towards the world's forests, accompanied by the emergence of an increasing literature on reforestation, regeneration and regrowth of forest cover. Yet to date, there is no volume which synthesises current knowledge on the extent, trends, patterns and drivers of reforestation. This edited volume draws together research from leading researchers to explore reforestation and forest regrowth across the world, from multiple dimensions - including ecosystem services, protected areas, social institutions, economic transitions, remediation of environmental problems, conservation and land abandonment - and at different scales. Detailing the methods and analyses used from across a wide range of disciplines, and incorporating research from North, South and Central America, Africa, Asia and Europe, this groundbreaking book provides a global overview of current trends, explores their underlying causes and proposes future forest trajectories. The first of its kind, the book will provide an invaluable reference for researchers and students involved in interdisciplinary research and working on issues relevant to the biophysical, geographic, socioeconomic and institutional processes associated with reforestation.