Animal cell technology is a growing discipline of cell biology which aims to understand the structure, function and behaviour of differentiated animal cells, and especially the development of such abilities as are useful for industrial purposes. These developments range from clonal expansion of differentiated cells with useful abilities, to optimization of cell culture on industrial scale and modulation of the cells' abilities to produce drugs and monoclonal antibodies. The sixth volume in this series gives a complete review of today's state of the art in Japan, a country where this field is especially well advanced. It will be of interest to cell biologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, immunologists and other disciplines related to animal cell culture, working in the academic environment as well as in (biotechnology or pharmaceutical) industry.

Lattice defects of organic molecular crystals affect their optical or electrical properties by changing the local energy structure. Lattice defects also playa very important role in the chemical and physical properties, for example, as an active site of a catalyst or an initiating point of a solid state reaction. However, very little has been reported on the defect structure of real organic crystals. In the past ten years it became clear that the origin and the structure of the defects depend on the geometrical and chemical nature of the building units of the crystal, the molecules. Molecular size, form and anisotropy, charge distribution, etc. cause the characteristic structure of the defect. Accordingly, a defect structure found in one compound may not be found in others. The defect structure of an organic crystal cannot be defined solely by the displacement of the molecular center from the normal lattice site. A rotational displacement of a molecule is frequently accompanied by a parallel shift of the molecular center. In addition to the usual geometrical crystallographic defects, chemical defects are important too which originate, for example, from differences in the substitution sites of molecules carrying side groups. In order to reveal such defect structures, direct imaging of molecules by high resolution electron microscopy is the only direct method.

The areas we deal with in biochemical engineering have expanded to include many various organisms and humans. This book has gathered together the information of these expanded areas in biochemical engineering in Japan. These two volumes are composed of 15 chapters on microbial cultivation techniques, metabolic engineering, recombinant protein production by transgenic avian cells to biomedical engineering including tissue engineering and cancer therapy. Hopefully, these volumes will give readers a glimpse of the past and also a view of what may happen in biochemical engineering in Japan.

The areas we deal with in biochemical engineering have expanded to include many various organisms and humans. This book has gathered together the information of these expanded areas in biochemical engineering in Japan. These two volumes are composed of 15 chapters on microbial cultivation techniques, metabolic engineering, recombinant protein production by transgenic avian cells to biomedical engineering including tissue engineering and cancer therapy. Hopefully, these volumes will give readers a glimpse of the past and also a view of what may happen in biochemical engineering in Japan.

Animal cell technology is a growing discipline of cell biology which aims to understand the structure, function and behaviour of differentiated animal cells, and especially the development of such abilities as are useful for industrial purposes. These developments range from clonal expansion of differentiated cells with useful abilities, to optimization of cell culture on industrial scale and modulation of the cells' abilities to produce drugs and monoclonal antibodies. The sixth volume in this series gives a complete review of today's state of the art in Japan, a country where this field is especially well advanced. It will be of interest to cell biologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, immunologists and other disciplines related to animal cell culture, working in the academic environment as well as in (biotechnology or pharmaceutical) industry.

Hearing Impairment - An Invisible Disability is the first work of its kind to comprehensively cover all aspects of hearing impairment. It covers the following categories through more than 100 contributions from all over the world to constitute an encyclopedia of hearing impairment:

- Hearing Basics: What does hearing impairment mean? Its causes and effects are explained through many real-world examples.

- Children: Childhood is a time when hearing impairment often begins, so proper treatment at an early stage can help alleviate difficulties and allow for as normal a life as possible. Many case studies from both the developed and developing parts of the world, including Indonesia and Latin America in the latter category, are provided to aid comprehension.

- Hearing Aids: Through newly emerging technology and with the help of electronics companies, new and affordable hearing aids are being developed and marketed. The authors take a closer look at this burgeoning field.

- Medical Aspects: Medical treatment of hearing impairment has recently shown remarkable change, manifested in improved techniques and applications all over the world. Although mainly of relevance to researchers and practicing physicians, the clear explanation of the medical and technical terminology is likely to be of interest to all concerned with the future of hearing impairment.

- Social and International Help: With a wealth of assistance from individuals, NGOs, and international organizations specifically tailored to help the hearing impaired, those in need of guidance can gain confidence from the knowledge that substantial support is available to help them pursue a full and varied life.