Today, ergot alkaloids have found widespread clinical use and more than 50 formulations contain natural or semisynthetic ergot alkaloids. They are used in the treatment of uterine atonia, postpartum bleeding, migraine, orthostatic circulatory disturbances, senile cerebral insufficiency, hypertension, hyp- prolactinemia, acromegaly, and Parkinsonism. Recently, new therapeutic - plications have emerged, e.g., against schizophrenia and for therapeutic usage based on newly discovered antibacterial and cytostatic effects, immunomodu- tory and hypolipemic activity.The broad physiological effects of ergot alkaloids are based mostly on their interactions with neurotransmitter receptors on the cells. The presence of "hidden structures'' resembling some important neu- humoral mediators (e.g., noradrenaline, serotonin, dopamine) in the molecules of ergot alkaloids could explain their interactions with these receptors 1]. Ergot alkaloids are produced by the filamentous fungi of the genus, Claviceps (e.g., Claviceps purpurea - Ergot, Mutterkorn). On the industrial scale these alkaloids were produced mostly by parasitic cultivation (field production of the ergot) till the end of the 1970s. Today this uneconomic method has been - placed by submerged fermentation. Even after a century of research on ergot alkaloids the search still continues for new, more potent and more selective ergot alkaloid derivatives.

This is the second volume of Multiphase Science and TechnoJogy, a new international series of books intended to provide authoritative overviews of im portant areas in multiphase systems. The alm is to have systematic and tutorial presentations of the state of knowledge in various areas. The objective of the chapters is to allow the nonspecialist reader to gain an up-to-date idea of the present state of development in a given subject. The response to Volume 1 of the se ries has been very positive, and we believe that the present volume will be equally weil received. Volume 1 was concerned entirely with gas-liquid systems, and the first four chapters of the present volume also relate to such systems. However, the inten tion of the se ries is to cover a wide range of multiphase systems, and we are, therefore, pleased to include in the present volume chapters that refer to liquid liquid and gas-solid multiphase flows, respectively. The first chapter in the present volume is by Professor A. E. Dukler of the University of Houston, Texas, and Professor Y. Taitel of Tel-Aviv University, Israel."

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Polymer Colloids, Strasbourg, France, July 3-15, 1988

"Batch Chemical Process Integration: Analysis, Synthesis and Optimization" is an excellent source of information on state-of-the-art mathematical and graphical techniques for analysis, synthesis and optimization of batch chemical plants. It covers recent techniques in batch process integration with a particular focus on the capabilities of the mathematical techniques. There is a section on graphical techniques as well as performance comparison between graphical and mathematical techniques. Prior to delving into the intricacies of wastewater minimisation and heat integration in batch processes, the book introduces the reader to the basics of scheduling which is aimed at capturing the essence of time. A chapter on the synthesis of batch plants to highlight the importance of time in design of batch plants is also presented through a real-life case study. The book is targeted at undergraduates and postgraduate students, researchers in batch process integration, practising engineers and technical managers.

The fields of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) continue to attract the attention of researchers in the various disciplines connected to these fascinating problems that represent two of the key outstanding chemical challenges for the petroleum refining industry in view of their very strong environmental and commercial implications. One area that has flourished impressively over the last 15 years is the organometallic chemistry of thiophenes and other related sulfur-containing molecules. This has become a powerful method for modeling numerous surface species and reactions implicated in HDS schemes, and nowadays it represents an attractive complement to the standard procedures of surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis, for understanding the complex reaction mechanisms involved in this process. Similar developments have begun to appear in connection with HDN mechanisms, although in a much more modest scale and depth. Some years ago when, encouraged by Prof. B. R. James, this book was planned, several excellent reviews and monographs treating different aspects of HDS were already available including some on the subject of organometallic models. However, it seemed appropriate to try to summarize the most striking features of this chemistry in an updated and systematic way, and inasmuch as possible in connection with the common knowledge and beliefs of the mechanisms of heterogeneous HDS catalysis. Hopefully, this attempt to build some conceptual bridges between these two traditionally separated areas of chemistry has met with some success.

Organometallic chemistry is a well established research area at the interface of organic and inorganic chemistry. In recent years this field has undergone a ren aissance as our understanding of organometallic structure, properties and mechanism has opened the way for the design of organometallic compounds and reactions tailored to the needs of such diverse areas as medicine, biology, materials and polymer sciences and organic synthesis. For example, in the de velopment of new catalytic processes, organometallic chemistry is helping meet the challenge to society that the economic and environmental necessities of the future pose. As this field becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, we recognize the need for critical overviews of new developments that are of broad significance. This is our goal in starting this new series Topics in Organometallic Chemistry. The scope of coverage includes a broad range of topics of pure and applied or ganometallic chemistry, where new breakthroughs are being achieved that are of significance to a larger scientific audience. Topics in Organometallic Chemistry differs from existing review series in that each volume is thematic, giving an overview of an area that has reached a stage of maturity such that coverage in a single review article is no longer possible. Furthermore, the treatment addresses a broad audience of researchers, who are not specialists in the field, starting at the graduate student level. Discussion of possible future research directions in the areas covered by the individual volumes is welcome."

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This Brief highlights different approaches used to create stable cellulase and its use in different fields. Cellulase is an industrial enzyme with a broad range of significant applications in biofuel production and cellulosic waste management. Cellulase 7a from Trichoderma reesei is the most efficient enzyme in the bio hydrolysis of cellulose. In order to improve its thermal stability, it can be engineered using a variety of approaches, such as hydrophobic interactions, aromatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, ion pairs and disulfide bridge creation.

Centrifugal Materials Processing; L.L. Regel, W.R. Wilcox. Convection in Crystal Growth under High Gravity on a Centrifuge; J. Friedrich, G. Muller. Segregation in Crystal Growth under High Gravity on a Centrifuge: A Comparison between Experimental and Theoretical Results; J. Friedrich, G. Muller. Analysis of Thermal Convection in Molten Tin Under Centrifugal Conditions; L. Bergelin, A. Chevy. Thermal Stability During Centrifugation: Flow Visualization Experiment; Numerical Results; W.A. Arnold, L.L. Regel. Flow Visualization Study of Convection in a Centrifuge; P.V. Skudarnov, et al. Determination of Solid/Melt Interface Shape and Growth Rate During Gradient Freeze Solidification on a Centrifuge Using Current Interface Demarcation; I. Moskowitz, et al. In Situ Observation of Directional Solidification in High Gravity; Y. Inatomi, et al. Impurity Distribution and Superconducting Properties of PbTe: T1 Crystals Grown in a Centrifuge; R. Parfeniev, et al. A Low Cost Centrifuge for Materials Processing in High Gravity; Y.A. Chen, et al. 20 Additional Articles. Index.

The first edition of the Printing Ink Manual was published by the Society of British Printing Ink Manufacturers in 1961 to fill the need for an authorative textbook on printing technology, which would serve both as a training manual and a reliable reference book for everyday use. The book soon became established as a standard source of information on printing inks and reached its fourth edition by 1988. This, the fifth edition, is being published only five years later, so rapid has been the development in technology. The objective of the Printing Ink Manual remains unchanged. It is a practical handbook designed for use by everyone engaged in the printing ink industry and the associated industries. It provides all the information required by the ink technical for the day-to-day formulation of printing inks. It supplies the factory manager with details of the latest equipment and manufacturing methods, including large-scale production, and gives guidance on achieving quality assessment and total quality management specifications. Care has been taken to maintain the value of the Manual for training both technical personnel and others who requiresome kn- ledge of inks. Readers with little scientific knowledge will not find dif- culty in using the Manual, but sufficient chemistry and physics have been included to provide an explanation of the underlying principles and theories governing the behaviour of inks for use by the advanced te- nologist. Suppliers of raw materials, substrate manufacturers, printers and print users will find the book a valuable source of information.

Thermal Separation Technology is a key discipline for many industries and lays the engineering foundations for the sustainable and economic production of high-quality materials. This book provides fundamental knowledge on this field and may be used both in university teaching and in industrial research and development. Furthermore, it is intended to support professional engineers in their daily efforts to improve plant efficiency and reliability. Previous German editions of this book have gained widespread recognition. This first English edition will now make its content available to the international community of students and professionals. In the first chapters of the book the fundamentals of thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and multiphase flow are addressed. Further chapters examine in depth the different unit operations distillation and absorption, extraction, evaporation and condensation, crystallization, adsorption and chromatography, and drying, while the closing chapter provides valuable guidelines for a conceptual process development.

Among the most promising techniques to handle small objects at the micrometer scale are those that employ electrical forces, which have the advantages of voltage-based control and dominance over other forces. The book provides a state-of-the-art knowledge on both theoretical and applied aspects of the electrical manipulation of colloidal particles and fluids in microsystems and covers the following topics: dielectrophoresis, electrowetting, electrohydrodynamics in microsystems, and electrokinetics of fluids and particles. The book is addressed to doctoral students, young or senior researchers, chemical engineers and/or biotechnologists with an interest in microfluidics, lab-on-chip or MEMS.

Ion-exchange Technology I: Theory and Materials describes the theoretical principles of ion-exchange processes. More specifically, this volume focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and modelling of ion-exchange materials and their associated kinetics and equilibria. This title is a highly valuable source not only to postgraduate students and researchers but also to industrial R&D specialists in chemistry, chemical, and biochemical technology as well as to engineers and industrialists.

This comprehensive series covers the science and technology of zeolites and all related microporous and mesoporous materials. Authored by renowned experts, volume 3 deals with the most widely employed techniques for the post-synthesis modification of molecular sieves.

New process technology strategies are required to cope with the future. Fossil feedstocks are losing ground in favour of renewable feedstocks and secondary resources. Conventional processing routes using thermal `sledgehammer' techniques are replaced by highly selective (bio)catalytic conversions. The future process engineer is neither allowed to think in terms of unit operations, nor to take for granted the conventional practice of continuous steady state processing. Hybrid systems and transient operations are more and more frequently encountered. The continuing impressive progress being made in process modelling and control will revolutionize the process industries. In the new generation of chemical production processes the keyword is precision. Precision in terms of selectivity and of efficiency, is required to maximize the utilisation of materials and energy. Moreover, enhanced precision is needed to exploit the quality of materials and energy to the full extent. Only by reducing the squandering of materials, energy and quality will a harmonious relationship be established between the process industries, the economy, and the environment. Process integration, as well as an integrated effort by the disciplines involved in process technology, will be of crucial importance in attaining the goals of precision process technology. These emerging strategies involve an active exchange of tools and ideas between a variety of disciplines, not only in plant design and operation, but even more in the early stages of process development and design. By looking from various angles at what the future has in store for the process industries, this volume systematically lifts the corners of the veil and may inspire to establish a new tradition of precision in process technology.

Ch. P. Kubicek, Vienna: "The Cellulase Proteins of Trichoderma reesei: Structure, Multiplicity, Mode of Action and Regulation of Formation" Dr.A. Singh, Dr. P.K.R. Kumar, Dr. K. Sch}gerl, Hannover: "Bioconversion of Cellulosic Materials to Ethanol by Filamentous Fungi" Dr. T. Coolbear, Palmerston North, New Zealand, Dr. R.M. Da- niel, Dr. H.W. Morgan, Hamilton, New Zealand: "The Enzymes from Extreme Thermophiles: Bacterial Sources, Thermostabilities and Industrial Relevance" Dr. N. Weber, M}nster, Dr. D. C. Taylor, Dr. E. W. Under- hill, Saskatoon (Canada): "Biosynthesis of Storage Lipids in Plant Cell and Embryo Cultures"

Over the past four decades polymers containing imide groups (usually as build ing blocks of the polymer backbone) have attracted increasing interest of sci entists engaged in fundamental research as well as that of companies looking into their application and commercialization. This situation will apparently continue in the future and justifies that from time to time reviews be published which sum up the current state of knowledge in this field. Imide groups may impart a variety of useful properties to polymers, e. g., thermal stability chain stiffness, crystallinity, mesogenic properties, photoreactivity etc. These lead to a broad variety of potential applications. This broad and somewhat heteroge neous field is difficult to cover in one single review or monograph. A rather com prehensive monograph was edited four years ago by K. Mittal, mainly concen trating on procedures and properties of technical interest. Most reviews presented in this volume of Advances in Polymer Science focus on fundamen tal research and touch topics not intensively discussed in the monograph by K. Mittal. Therefore, the editor of this work hopes that the reader will appreci ate finding complementary information. Finally I wish to thank all the contributors who made this work possible and I would like to thank Dr. Gert Schwarz for the revision of the manuscripts of the contributions 3 and 4. Hamburg, September 1998 Hans R. Kricheldorf Contents Rapid Synthesis of Polyimides from Nylon Salt Type Monomers Y. Imai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Most of the untreated surfaces of polymers used in industry are not hydrophilic but hydrophobic. It is, therefore, difficult to bond these nonpolar polymer sur faces directly to other substances like adhesives, printing inks, and paints because they generally consist of polar compounds. On the other hand, polymer surfaces generally adsorb proteins when brought into direct contact with a bio logical system, resulting in cell attachment or platelet aggregation. The protein adsorption and attachment of biological components trigger a subsequent series of mostly adverse biological reactions toward the polymeric materials. Therefore, the technologies for surface modification of polymers or regulation of the polymer surface interaction with other substances have been of prime importance in polymer applications from the advent of polymer industries. Some of the technologies have been directed to introduction of new function alities onto polymer surfaces. The new functionalities introduced include improved surface hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, bio compatibility, conductivi ty, anti-fogging, anti-fouling, grazing, surface hardness, surface roughness, adhesion, lubrication, and antistatic property. Theoretically, there is a large dif ference in properties between the surface and the bulk of a material and only the outermost surface is enough to be taken into consideration when the sur face properties are concerned. However, this is not the case for polymer surfaces, as the physical structure of the outermost polymer surface is generally not fixed but continuously changing with time due to the microscopic Brownian motion of polymer segments."