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This new title provides information on the relationships of such biological materials as yeasts, fungi, and plasmids with metals they come in contact with.Readers will find in-depth discussions by noted experts in their respective fields on the toxicity of heavy metals, accumulation and precipitation of sulphides, and the reactions of bacterial cell walls to the presence of metal ions.This volume is ideal for undergraduates and graduates, as well as researchers unfamiliar with metal-microbe interactions who are seeking a useful introduction to the field. ... Read more

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This volume surveys some of the most recent developments in antimicrobial chemotherapy and emphasises our increasing knowledge of how these compounds exert their effects. It is 18 years since the Society for General Microbiology published a symposium volume devoted specifically to antimicrobial agents. Since then many new compounds have been described and marketed and enormous strides have been made in our understanding of the mode of action of antimicrobial compounds. This volume reflects these advances in the areas of cell wall active antibiotics, inhibitors of bacterial protein synthesis, antibacterial quinolones, antiprotozoal, antifungal and antiviral agents, antibiotic resistance, drug design and production, novel in vitro methods, and ways of supporting chemotherapeutic attack. Although antimicrobial agents are used for many purposes outside human therapy - and the book is sufficiently general to be of interest to workers in these other fields - the emphasis is on agents and issues that impinge on the clinical use of these drugs, so as to maintain a pragmatic perspective for the flights of high science that so easily tend otherwise to leave practical considerations behind. ... Read more

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The past twenty years have seen a steady increase in the number of viruses, of both man and animals, that predispose to the development of cancer. The mechanisms involved are now being elucidated and the means of intervention seem, at least in some instances, close at hand. This volume reviews the current knowledge of oncogenic viruses, their mechanism of action and the prospect for vaccination or therapy. Whilst the emphasis is on viruses of man - papillomaviruses, Epstein Barr Virus, Hepatitis B Virus and Human T cell Leukaemia Virus - the impact of animal studies is recognised by the inclusion of five chapters on oncogenic viruses of animals. ... Read more

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Light and time are key environmental components for the majority of organisms.Biologically, time operates at various scales, ranging from the annual cycle of seasons, to the daily cycle of the sun, to the potentially rapid cycle of cell division. What is apparently fundamental to all organisms is the ability to respond in a manner predictive of time. Time-dependent changes in physiology, morphology, and ecology are responsive to various environmental cues, the most significant of which is light. The ability of organisms to perceive, harvest, and protect themselves from light is also of fundamental importance, leading to a variety of biological responses including phototaxis and photosynthesis.This volume, which concentrates primarily but not exclusively on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, provides a series of chapters that explore various aspects of the underlying biology of organisms' reactions to light and time.The volume provides a wide-ranging and up-to-date review of this fundamental area of biology, which is currently advancing at a rapid pace. ... Read more

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The history of molecular genetics shows that the study of simple microbial models, provided first by bacteriophages and then bacteria, yields data of fundamental importance to the whole of biology. The genomes of eukaryotic microbes, although many times smaller than those of mammals and flowering plants, also provide essential keys to our general understanding of biology. This volume reviews how much has been achieved with these more complex microbial models and points the way forward in this exciting and burgeoning field. ... Read more

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This volume presents developments in the application of microbial concepts and techniques, designed to produce useful substances for micro-organisms. It deals with important microbial products and processes and current research at the forefront of the commercial exploitation of microbial products. ... Read more

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It is now accepted that microbial life followed very quickly after the formation of liquid water on the early earth, and that for the next 3,000 million years life was a unicellular phenomenon.During this immense period of time all the major types of microbes appeared, as did all the fundamental chemical pathways necessary for life.This diversification was not appreciated until the techniques of molecular biology provided a means to examine the relationships among microorganisms that share few, if any, phenotypic characteristics. This volume reviews the current understanding of the evolution of microbial life during that time.The chapters draw together the various threads of the story to reveal what has been learned about the process of evolution itself and how this knowledge can contribute to our understanding of biodiversity. ... Read more

Product Description
Light and time are key environmental components for the majority of organisms.Biologically, time operates at various scales, ranging from the annual cycle of seasons, to the daily cycle of the sun, to the potentially rapid cycle of cell division. What is apparently fundamental to all organisms is the ability to respond in a manner predictive of time. Time-dependent changes in physiology, morphology, and ecology are responsive to various environmental cues, the most significant of which is light. The ability of organisms to perceive, harvest, and protect themselves from light is also of fundamental importance, leading to a variety of biological responses including phototaxis and photosynthesis.This volume, which concentrates primarily but not exclusively on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, provides a series of chapters that explore various aspects of the underlying biology of organisms' reactions to light and time.The volume provides a wide-ranging and up-to-date review of this fundamental area of biology, which is currently advancing at a rapid pace. ... Read more