Topological defects, the unavoidable result of many symmetry-breaking phase transitions, can reveal the properties of many condensed matter systems, may be responsible for seeding the density perturbations that developed into galaxies, and are of interest to mathematicians as non-trivial solutions o

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the mould genera Penicillium and Aspergillus in the natural world and in the affairs of man. These are large and ub1quitous genera; several species are beneficial to mankind because of their role in food fermentation or the production of useful antibiotics and enzymes. Others are important as agents of food spoilage. In recent years, these moulds have ga1ned attention because a number of species produce toxic metabo lites. The great impact of mycotoxicology on food problems, particularly in developing countries has generated a vast body of...

Investigations of atmospheric pollution have recently reached a new stage. In addition to the estimation and the monitoring of pollutant concentrations in the air around their sources, by way of observational data and also by calcu lations on the basis of theoretical research, it is now possible to make short term forecasts of air pollution and to use them to regulate industrial emissions. Many countries are interested in such forecasts. In the Soviet Union the organizations of the State Committee of the USSR for Hydrometeorology (Goskomgidromet) are carrying out a wide-scale scientific...

An international treaty banning the testing of any nuclear device in any environment - a comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) - has been on the political agenda for nearly 40 years. Objections to a CTBT have been political, technical, or a combination of both. However, the possibilities seem better after the end of the Cold War. In the prevailing, cooperative disarmament climate a CTBT appears likely to be approved by most countries in 1996. Hence the great current interest in monitoring technologies and capabilities.
Such issues are comprehensively addressed here, a preamble being...

Leishmaniasis is a tropic and subtropical disease affecting humans and other mammals, discovered 100 years ago, and known to be spread by the sand flea. The conference lecture sessions are a topical compendium of the most pertinent aspects of recent research and provide a focus for future research in the area of control. The workshop summaries deal

Many viruses make us sick, so of course it is a good idea to find out how they work in order to stop them; in addition, however, scientists have found that the simplicity of viruses' method of replication make them excellent models for exploring the basic mechanics of gene expression and regulation.

Proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop on title], held in Il Ciocco, Tuscany, Italy, April 1992, to collect an ample mass of data from different specialists, to foster discussion among them, and to form a consensus on treatment protocols and indications. The volume includes sections on he

From an August 1992 workshop on the Greek island of Spetsai, 28 papers focus on the regulation of intracellular calcium levels, the second messengers derived from inositol lipids, and the specific phospholipase C isozymes involved in those processes. The sections cover the components of signal trans

Based on presentations at two conferences held in April and May 1993, respectively (the first a clinical meeting, the second a forum designed primarily for basic scientists), this volume offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art review on most aspects of iron metabolism. Chapters on the biophysical a

The proceedings of the August 1993 Meeting, coordinated by the International Society for Arterial Chemoreception, comprise invited reviews, historical perspectives, and technical presentations in the areas of molecular and ionic mechanisms of chemotransduction; neurotransmitters and putative neurotr