Biology

Macromolecular crystallography is the study of macromolecules (proteins and nucleic acids) using X-ray crystallographic techniques in order to determine their molecular structure. The knowledge of accurate molecular structures is a pre-requisite for rational drug design, and for structure-based function studies to aid the development of effective therapeutic agents and drugs. The successful determination of the complete genome (genetic sequence) of several species (including humans) has recently directed scientific attention towards identifying the structure and function of the complete complement of proteins that make up that species; a new and rapidly growing field of study called ‘structural genomics’. There are now several important and well-funded global initiatives in operation to identify all of the proteins of key model species. One of the main requirements for these initiatives is a high-throughput crystallization facility to speed-up the protein identification process. The extent to which these technologies have advanced calls for an updated review of current crystallographic theory and practice. This book features the latest conventional and high-throughput methods, and includes contributions from a team of internationally recognized leaders and experts.

This book explains the role of simple biological model systems in the growth of molecular biology. Essentially, the whole history of molecular biology is presented here, tracing the work in bacteriophages in E. coli, the role of other prokaryotic systems, and also the protozoan and algal models — Paramecium and Chlamydomonas, primarily — and the move into eukaryotes with the fungal systems Neurospora, Aspergillus, and yeast. Each model was selected for its appropriateness for asking a given class of questions, and each spawned its own community of investigators. Some individuals made the transition to a new model over time, and remnant communities of investigators continue to pursue questions in all these models, as the cutting edge of molecular biological research flows onward from model to model, and onward into higher organisms and, ultimately, mouse and man.

Natural Products (NPs) is the term used to describe the hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds or substances that are continually produced by living organisms (plants and microbes). Hundreds of millions of tons of these chemicals are generated annually, and the trade in just a few of these has dominated human economic activity for thousands of years. Indeed, the current world geopolitical map has been shaped by attempts to control the supply of a few of these compounds. Every day of our lives each human spends time and money trying to procure the NPs of their choice. However, despite their overwhelming influence on human culture, they remain poorly understood. A knowledge of NPs can help in our search for new drugs, further the debate about GM manipulation, help us address environmental pollution, and enable a better understanding of drug trafficking. This is the first book to describe Natural Products (NPs) in an evolutionary context, distilling the few simple principles that govern the way in which organisms (including humans) have evolved to produce, cope with, or respond to NPs. It neatly synthesizes a widely dispersed literature and provides a general picture of NPs, encompassing evolution, history, ecology, and environmental issues (along with some deeper theory relevant to biochemistry), with the goal of enabling a wider section of the scientific community to fully appreciate the crucial importance of Natural Products to human culture and future survival.

This book is an update and major revision to Radiological Assessment: A Textbook on Environmental Dose Analysis published by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 1983. It focuses on risk to the public because decision makers typically use that endpoint to allocate resources and resolve issues. Chapters in the book explain the fundamental steps of radiological assessment, and they are organized in a sequence that would typically be used when undertaking an analysis of risk. The key components of radiological risk assessment discussed include source terms, atmospheric transport, surface water transport, groundwater transport, terrestrial and aquatic food chain pathways, estimating exposures, conversion of intakes and exposures to dose and risk, uncertainty analysis, environmental epidemiology, and model validation. A chapter on regulations related to environmental exposure is also included. Contributors to the book are well known experts from the various disciplines addressed.

Recent scandals and controversies—such as the falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism of data in federally funded science; the manipulation and distortion of research sponsored by private companies; human embryonic stem cell research; cloning; and the patenting of DNA and cell lines—illustrate the importance of ethics in scientific research. This book provides an introduction and overview of many of the social, ethical, and legal issues facing scientists today. The book includes chapters on research misconduct, conflicts of interest, data management, mentoring, authorship, peer review, publication, intellectual property, research with human subjects, research with animal subjects, genetic and stem cell research, international research, and ethical decision making. The book also features dozens of real and hypothetical cases for discussion and analysis and introduces the reader to important research regulations and guidelines. Now in its second edition, this book synthesizes the diverse talents and experiences. This second edition of this book includes new chapters and cases and has been brought up to date on the latest issues and problems in research ethics.

In this book, the mathematical principles and working methods of single-particle reconstruction are described; a method designed to retrieve three-dimensional structural information from electron micrographs showing thousands of “copies” of biological molecules trapped in a thin layer of ice. This technique is uniquely suited to obtain three-dimensional images of molecular machines in different functional states, as it dispenses with the need for crystals. The book starts with an introduction of image formation in the electron microscope, which includes the definition of the contrast transfer function. Next, averaging techniques and tools for image alignment, multivariate data analysis, and classification are described. An introduction into the mathematical principles underlying reconstruction of an object from its projections is followed by detailed accounts on how projection angles are determined, and how reconstruction is done in practice. The book concludes with a chapter on interpretation of density maps reconstructed, including methods for segmentation as well as fitting and docking of atomic coordinates.