The beautiful colors of many inorganic compounds, including minerals and gemstones, as well as the mysterious cold light of luminescence emitted by these materials, have attracted the inquisitiveness of natural philosophers for centuries. The scientific study of such phenomena - the optical spectroscopy of solids - has paid rich dividends in technological advances such as lasers and other optronic devices. This is a book on the art of optical spectroscopy of solids, establishing a theoretical and experimental framework for the subject, which is well illustrated with relevant spectra and...

Cytokines have become established as key mediators of the signs and symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, dermatitis, asthma and multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, they are involved in the cascade of events leading to cardiovascular shock and are major regulators of the function of immune cells. This book reviews recent advances in the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs. It addresses different therapeutic intervention possibilities for new drugs, such as the cellular source of cytokines, specific receptors which induce cytokine synthesis, intracellular regulators of...

Of the two major products of the gene (proteins and microRNAs) it is the protein that is the functional unit of biology. A combinatorial association of 20 amino acids in linear chains of up to 30,000 residues generates, or can generate in theory, many more proteins than there are stars in our universe. The protein molecule can be chemically active, in the form of an enzyme, whose catalytic effect can speed up chemical reactions by a thousand- to a million-fold. It can be a structural component acting as a tissue support or allowing the transmission of force. It can function as a binding...