Improvement of the catalytic properties of biological catalysts is equally important in the optimization of industrial processes as in the fundamental understanding of the catalytic machinery at the molecular level. The approaches taken are diverse and span from purely result-oriented, but nevertheless methodologically subtle, making and screening of combinatorial libraries to highly sophisticated tailoring of the environment of active sites. This volume illustrates four different concepts for modifying a given biocatalyst framework or create novel functions using Nature's basic building blocks. Summing up the state-of-the-art biocatalyst engineering it, serves as an orientational landmark and a platform for the specialist and non-expert alike to keep abreast of developments in this rapidly evolving field.

Calcium metabolism is regulated by three specific hormones: parathor- mone, calciferol metabolites, and calcitonin. Cyclic AMP also plays an important part in calcium regulation, and its concentration in urine can be taken as a measure of parathyroid function. Methods for quantitative measurement of, e.g. calcium-regulating hormones and vitamin D metabolites as well as of cAMP are absolutely necessary for safe differential diagnosis of diseases of the parathyroid like hypo- and hyperparathyroidism. In this monograph all presently available methods are summarized as to whether they can already be obtained as test kits or are still being tested. Radioimmunoassays for the various peptide fragments such as 53-84, 44-68, 28-48, and 1-34 are described, as are immunochemiluminescence methods and adenylate cyclase bioassays. The same is true for the vitamin D metabolites, where the various assays for calcidiol and calcitriol such as HPLC, protein-binding assay with second antibody separation, and double antibody RIA are dex scribed. Finally, determination of calcitonin and cAMP is discussed in detail. This is a practically and clinically oriented monograph for working in the fields of internal medicine, endocrinology, and laboratory medicine.

Within the field of general medicine, the last two decades have seen the curative procedures increasingly supplemented by func tions that can be summed up under the heading of "preventive health care." There is a close link between this development and the changing morbidity pattern. In highly developed countries the morbidity rate attributable to infectious diseases has been much reduced, while the various types of arteriosclerosis, some tumorous conditions, and so-called functional syndromes have attained massive incidence rates. Systematic epidemiologic studies have yielded the concept of risk factors, i. e., certain exogenous and endogenous factors whose elimination, ideally, would make it possible to avoid the manifestation of an illness or to ensure it did not become mani fest until later in life or in a milder form. The socioeconomic and sociomedical significance of these aspects is considerable, as can be seen from all the statistics on the reasons for incapacity and early retirement and on the relative contributions of different ill nesses to total mortality. Effective avoidance of illnesses by primary prophylaxis (elimi nation of the causes of disease) or early detection of the symp toms of disease (secondary prophylaxis) leading to early treat ment would be a particularly significant step forward, since in the case of most of the conditions mentioned above only pallia tive forms of treatment are available, and none that have any cu rative effect."

Improvement of the catalytic properties of biological catalysts is equally important in the optimization of industrial processes as in the fundamental understanding of the catalytic machinery at the molecular level. The approaches taken are diverse and span from purely result-oriented, but nevertheless methodologically subtle, making and screening of combinatorial libraries to highly sophisticated tailoring of the environment of active sites. This volume illustrates four different concepts for modifying a given biocatalyst framework or create novel functions using Nature's basic building blocks. Summing up the state-of-the-art biocatalyst engineering it, serves as an orientational landmark and a platform for the specialist and non-expert alike to keep abreast of developments in this rapidly evolving field.

Openness and development are key words of central importance in describing the dynamism within the present world economy. Openness denotes the entire process of internationalization and liberalization now underway in the commodity markets, factor markets and financial mar kets. Today there is hardly anational economy or company left which can afIord to ignore international dependencies. In the broadest sense of the word, development encompasses an those dynamic endogenous economic processes which create prosperity and a high standard of living via inno vation and structural change. Modem economic research has shown that both of these fields of economic causalities - which are themselves afIected by a wide variety of interdependencies - detennine the economic destiny of the national economies and of their actors in the industrial, newly industrializing, transitional and developing countries. The present volume focuses on the significance of these two key words while conveying, at the same time, an impression of the broad spectrum of related issues. It contains papers written by economists working at uni versities and research institutes as well as papers submitted by "economic practitioners"; the latter, in particular, provide valuable insights on current issues by taking account of theoretical and practical considerations. Whereas the papers printed in Part I analyze their subjects from a general perspective, the emphasis in Part TI is on specific regional aspects. Part I begins with a theoretical-empirical study on the development of foreign trade."

International economic integration is a topic upon which both academics and policy-makers are focusing a great deal of attention. This has perhaps been most marked in western Europe, given the establishing of the inter nal market and the prospects for an economic and monetary union. In parallel with the movement toward widening and deeping of western European economic integration, we find an increased integration of eastern Europe to world trade and finance as well as regional integration in North America and in East Asia. The book on hand provides a collection of recent research by leading scholars and practicians in this field. It is divided into three parts. The first part deals with some theoretical aspects of international integration, the second and the third part attend to implications of concrete forms of international integration inside and outside Europe. Part I starts with a neoclassical analysis of the impacts of factor-market integration by Franz Peter Lang. He investigates the effects on production level, production structure, demand level and structure of external trade of a "small integration area." Lang shows that the specific welfare effects of factor-market integration can only be realized if and only if external trade (between the integration area and the rest of the world) is increased too."

During the war years the techniques for electromagnetic separation of radioactive nuclides have made great progress. Ever since then further improvements have been accomplished to separate stable nuclides and in more recent years special attention has been given to the problem of separating radioactive nuclides, especially in con nection with spallation and high energy fission studies. This poses slightly different problems, as the amounts of radioactive material may be very small indeed, highly diluted and the whole separation procedure has often to be a very rapid one, as some of the nuclides have a very short half-life. . On quite a number of the bigger machines very valuable operating experience has been gained and it was, therefore, a very good idea to hold a symposium' covering all the aspects of electromagnetic separation, where technicians could discuss the recent advances in this wide field. It is to be welcomed that at this symposium all aspects were discussed, from the details of vacuum systems, as well as sub jects like magnets, ion sources, scattering mechanisms, to the health physics problems connected, for example, with the electromagnetic separation of plutonium, as well as applications of mass separation. These proceedings are, therefore, essential for all those who do work in this field or contemplate to enter into it. Vienna, May 1961."

Der vierte Band der Reihe beinhaltet eine interdisziplinare Darstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes. Die Gebiete Neurotoxikologie und Reproduktionstoxikologie zahlen ebenso wie die Onkologie zu den Schwerpunkten dieses Buches. Umfassend eroertert werden auch Stand und Perspektiven des Wissenschaftsgebietes Biometrie. Dabei handelt es sich um einen Bereich, dem bislang zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wurde. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt dieses Buches ist der wissenschaftliche Dauerbrenner Immunisierung und Adjuvantien. Alternativen zu Freunds komplettem Adjuvans werden ebenso vorgestellt und bewertet wie Erfahrungen bei der Produktion mono- bzw. polyklonaler Antikoerper. Aufgrund der bevorstehenden, gravierenden Rechtsanderungen auf europaischer Ebene verdient das Kapitel Toxikologische Prufung von Kosmetika in der EU besondere Beachtung. Einerseits werden Moeglichkeiten und Grenzen alternativer Teststrategien zur Diskussion gestellt, andererseits werden ausgewahlte, zukunftstrachtige, alternative Untersuchungsmodelle dem Leser naher gebracht. Abschliessendes Kapitel ist auch in diesem Buch wieder der Bereich Recht und Ethik. Gerichtsverfahren in Deutschland, Diskussionen uber nationales Recht und EU-Recht und die starker werdende Sensibilisierung fur ethische Belange haben neue Fragen aufgeworfen, die beantwortet werden wollen.

Das vorliegende Buch der Reihe"Ersatz-und Ergtinzungsmethoden zu Tierversuchen" doku- mentiert nun bereits zum dritten Mal die Referate und Poster einer Kongre6serie iiber Ersatz- und Erganzungsmethoden zu Tierversuchen. Die hier vorgestellten Beitrage wurden im Rahmen des, 3. Osterreichischen internationalen Kongresses uber Ersatz-und Ergtinzungsmethoden zu Tierversuchen in der biomedizinischen Forschung", der von 20.-22. FeI>ruar 1994 an der Universitat Linz stattgefunden hat, prasentiert. Es gibt in Europa kein vergleichbares Forum fur eine sachlicbe, wissenschaftlich hoch- rangige und vom gemeinsamen Interesse an der Minderung von Tierversuchen getragene Dis- kussion zwischen allen Beteiligten - pharmazeutische Firmen, BehOrden, Wissenschaftler, Interessensvertretungen, Arzte, Veterinirmediziner und viele andere. Der Weg, den der Arbeits- kreis fur die Forderung von tierversuchsfreier Forschung (AFTF), Linz, und das Institut fur Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Graz, 1991 mit dem ersten Kongre6 eingeschlagen haben, hat sich bewiihrt und breiten Anklang gefunden. Fur den dritten KongreB konnten eine Reihe weiterer Mitveranstalter, wie ZEBET - die Zentralstelle zur Erfassung und Bewertung von Ersatz-und Erginzungsmethoden zum Tierver- such im Bundesinstitut fur gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinirmedizin (BgVV) (vormals im Bundesgesundheitsamt) in Berlin, das Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, SlAT -das Schweizerische Institut fur Alternativen zu Tierversuchen in Zurich sowie aus dem Bereich der Industrie die Ciba Geigy AG, Hoechst AG, Behringwerke AG uod Schering AG gewonnen werden. Zusammenarbeit und intensive Diskussion mit der Industrie ist erforderlich und wUnschens- wert. Einerseits tragt die Industrie dazu bei, Verfahren zur Reduktion bzw. zum Ersatz von Tierversuchen zu entwickeln, und andererseits mussen im Laborma6stab entwickelte Verfahren den Praxistest in der Industrie uberstehen.