This book is a compilation of the research which was presented during the NATO-Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) entitled "Advances in Bacterial Paracrystalline Surface Layers" held in London, Ontario, Canada during September 27 to 30, 1992. The organizing committee consisted of the two Workshop directors, S. F. Kaval and T. J. Beveridge, and H. Konig, U. B. Sleytr and T. J. Trust; their summary statements about the significance and success of the NATO-ARWare in Chapter 37 of this book. This was the third international workshop on bacterial S-layers and it demonstrated unequivocally how...

This volume is the scientific chronicle of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Computational Aspects of the Study of Biological Macro- molecules by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, which was held June 3-8, 1990 at Il Ciocco, near Barga, Italy. The use of computers in the study of biological macromolecules by NMR spectroscopy is ubiquitous. The applications are diverse, including data col- lection, reduction, and analysis. Furthermore, their use is rapidly evolv- ing, driven by the development of new experimental methods in NMR and molecular biology and by phenomenal increases in...

THIS BOOK collects together papers given at a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held at Il Ciocco (Lucca), Italy, from the 9th to the 15th April, 1989. It sets out to present the current state of understanding of the principles governing the way fluxes and concentrations are maintained and controlled in metabolic systems. Although this is a topic that has held the interest of biochemists for many years, it is only quite recently that the methods of analysing the kinetics of multi-enzyme pathways developed over the past two decades have come to be widely discussed or applied experimentally. Many...

Recent years have seen enormous advances in the field of protein and peptide engineering and a greater understanding in the way in which biological response modifiers function in the body. It is now possible through the use of recombinant DNA techniques, or by solid phase protein synthesis, to produce significant quantities of a wide variety of regulatory agents that are therapeutically applicable. The list of these response modifiers expands almost daily to include interferons, macrophage activation factors, neuropeptides and agents that may have potential in cardiovascular disease,...

The order Rodentia is the most abundant and successful group of mammals, and it has been a focal point of attention for compar- ative and evolutionary biologists for many years. In addition, rodents are the most commonly used experimental mammals for bio- medical research, and they have played a central role in investi- gations of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of speciation in mammals. During recent decades, a tremendous amount of new data from various aspects of the biology of living and fossil rodents has been accumulated by specialists from different disciplines, ranging from...

Of the three organizers of this NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Neocortex: Onto- geny and Phylogeny," one derived most of his knowledge about neocortex from studies on birds, another had never studied any animal but the cat and could probably recognize not more than ten animal species, and the third had very limited experience with mountaineering. They had in common the belief that evolutionary thinking permeates what biologists do, but that evolution of species and structures cannot be directly experimentally addressed. Although the fossil record can provide some major insights, the...

This book evolved through the efforts of several organizations and the dedication of many individuals. In 1987, we received arequest to propose a workshop topic for the Fifth International Theriological Congress (ITC) to be held in August 1989 in Rome, Italy. After looking up the meaning of the word "theriological" in the dictionary and discovering that it pertains to mammalian behavior, we decided a symposium on sensory abilities of whales and dOlphins would be an interesting topic. The ITC convenes only every five years and has the distinction of being very weIl attended by scientists from...

The disorders induced by iodine deficiency affect at least one billion people. Because ofits effects on brain development, iodinedeficiency is the single most preventable cause of mental retardation in the world. Therefore, the United Nations and the Heads of State of almost all the world's countries represented at the Summit for Children in 1990 adopted resolutions to eradicate the disorders induced by iodine deficiency (IDD) by the year 2000. For geological and socio-economic reasons, most of the populations affected by iodine deficiency disorders live in isolated and usually mountainous...

Proceedings of a NATO ASI held in Crete, Greece, September 5-17, 1992.

This volume is based on the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Slow Potential Changes in the Human Brain that was held at II Ciocco, Tuscany, Italy over the period 13-16th May, 1990. The Workshop Director was Dr. W. C. McCallum of the Burden Neurological Institute, Bristol, England. The meeting was superbly organised and proved to be both stimulating and productive. On behalf of everyone who attended the meeting, I would like to II Ciocco for express my appreciation to NATO for the provision of funding and to providing such a marvellous conference venue. I must apologise to...