The meeting was organized by a local university committee and 205 delegates from 35 countries took part. European participation was low due to the economic crisis experienced by national air lines. During the conference, the AIPEA medals were awarded to Gerhard Lagaly and Tom Pinnavaia.

This volume of the Conference Proceedings contains 85 out of a total of 235 oral presentations and posters presented at the following symposia: Teaching Clay Mineralogy, Clays in Hydrothermal Deposits, Clays in Ceramics, Clays in Petroleum Exploration and Production, Clay Barriers, and Waste Management, as well as in the following general sessions of the Conference: Clays in Geology, Clay Minerals and Environment, Soil Mineralogy, Methods, Crystal Chemistry Structure and Synthesis, and Clays in Industry.

Telomere is the nucleoprotein complex located at the endmost chromosomal terminus and one of the essential cis-acting structural elements of chromosomes. Telomeres are composed of DNA, proteins, and RNA. In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the biological functions, sequencing and ageing of telomeres. Topics discussed include the biology of telomeres in multipotential stromal cells; telomere maintenance in the blight fungus ustilago maydis; telomere length in lymphoid malignancies; unravelling the genetic basis of the alternative lengthening of telomeres and the adjustment of telomeres by cell-matrix interaction.