Microbes are in our midst soon after birth. Thankfully, the number of harmless (and often beneficial) microbes far out number those that would do us harm. Our ability to ward-off pathogens in our environment, including those that can colonize our exterior and/or interior surfaces, depends on the integrative action of the innate and adaptive immunity systems. This volume of CTMI, entitled Antimicrobial Peptides and Human Disease, is dedicated to the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the innate host defense system of homo sapiens.

As this book. Antibacterial Peptide Protocols, will attest, my enthusi asm for the field of antibacterial peptides is based on a conviction (and I am unashamed to say, prejudice) that these substances are in essence antibiotics produced by the host that then participate in host defense against infectious agents. Because of their capacity to exert antibiotic-like action against patho genic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses), there is reason to believe that these agents will soon be used clinically to treat infectious diseases. In fact, in recent years, biotechnology companies have been formed for the sole purpose of developing antibacterial peptides for clinical use. It should be emphasized that antibacterial peptides will likely play a major role in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly with the increasing prob lem of multidrug-resistant microbes and the relative dearth of new antibiotics being provided by pharmaceutical companies. The topic of this volume of Methods in Molecular Biology, the diverse methods used in research on antibacterial peptides, is thus quite timely. As the subject of antibacterial peptides develops into its own discipline (something strongly suggested by the explosion in the number of papers published over the past decade), it is essential that reliable techniques and strategies be made available not only to those of us in the field, but also to the newcomers and researchers in complementary disciplines."

As this book. Antibacterial Peptide Protocols, will attest, my enthusi asm for the field of antibacterial peptides is based on a conviction (and I am unashamed to say, prejudice) that these substances are in essence antibiotics produced by the host that then participate in host defense against infectious agents. Because of their capacity to exert antibiotic-like action against patho genic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses), there is reason to believe that these agents will soon be used clinically to treat infectious diseases. In fact, in recent years, biotechnology companies have been formed for the sole purpose of developing antibacterial peptides for clinical use. It should be emphasized that antibacterial peptides will likely play a major role in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly with the increasing prob lem of multidrug-resistant microbes and the relative dearth of new antibiotics being provided by pharmaceutical companies. The topic of this volume of Methods in Molecular Biology, the diverse methods used in research on antibacterial peptides, is thus quite timely. As the subject of antibacterial peptides develops into its own discipline (something strongly suggested by the explosion in the number of papers published over the past decade), it is essential that reliable techniques and strategies be made available not only to those of us in the field, but also to the newcomers and researchers in complementary disciplines."

This book attempts to show, in a style acceptable to both academics and hurried planning executives, how simple analytic tools may be used to bridge the substantial gap between producing an input-output table and using one. In pursuing this goal, we eschew all discussions of complex programming models, for example, and concentrate on, above all, interpretation of the transactions table itself, on such common tools as multipliers, impact analysis, projections models, and self-sufficiency analysis, and on a few innovations such as income-per-employee indices, development simulators, and market analysis routines. Our primary purpose has been to show how planners, both private and public, can use regional input-output analysis quickly and to their advantage. The Georgia Interindustry Study was sponsored by the Office of Planning and Budget and the Department of Industry and Trade of the State of Georgia; their support is gratefully acknowledged. The fmal study report, of which this book represents a substantial revision, benefited enormously from the support and incisive criticisms of Dr. William W. Nash, then with the Office of Planning and Bud t; his efforts are warmly appreciated. Many other officials in Georgia government contributed to this study, including: Louis Schneider and Kenneth P. Johnson in the' Office of PlaJ}ning and Budget; James O. Bohanan, James Butler, George Rogers, and H.W. Wiley in the Department of Industry and Trade; Joe Woodall and Corine Cross in the Department of Labor; William M. Nixon in the Department of Audits; and J .B.