Bücher veröffentlicht von Springer Netherlands

The book collects the lectures and the status reports delivered during the "e;Eighth International Conference on Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy"e;, IPS-8, held in Palermo (Italy) from 15th to 20th of July 1990. As usual, the main theme of the Conference was that of making the point about the trends and the developments of the studies related to the photochemical exploitation of solar energy and also to report the main lines of potential applications. Therefore the contributions reflect this point; they vary from those reporting basic and fundamental theories to those reporting cases of possible applications. For the sake of following the logical line which links each other the various contributions, we report the six areas in which the main theme of the conference was devided: (a) Electron and energy transfer in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems; (b) Photosynthesis: organized assemblies and biomimetic systems; (c) Photoelectrochemistry; (d) Photocatalysis: homogeneous and heterogeneous regime; (e) Environment: photochemical and photocatalytic processes; (f) Solar energy materials and photochemical engineering. It remains now to thank persons and institutions which made possible the organization of the Conference. The persons to thank are all the members of the International and National Organizing Committees and in particular Prof. A.Sclafani and Dr. L.Palmisano whose efforts were essential for the success of the Conference.

Ecotoxicology is a relatively new scientific discipline. Indeed, it might be argued that it is only during the last 5-10 years that it has come to merit being regarded as a true science, rather than a collection of procedures for protecting the environment through management and monitoring of pollutant discharges into the environment. The term 'ecotoxicology' was first coined in the late sixties by Prof. Truhaut, a toxicologist who had the vision to recognize the importance of investigating the fate and effects of chemicals in ecosystems. At that time, ecotoxicology was considered a sub-discipline of medical toxicology. Subsequently, several attempts have been made to portray ecotoxicology in a more realistic light. Notably, both F. Moriarty (1988) and F. Ramade (1987) emphasized in their books the broad basis of ecotoxicology, encompassing chemical and radiation effects on all components of ecosystems. In doing so, they and others have shifted concern from direct chemical toxicity to man, to the far more subtle effects that pollutant chemicals exert on natural biota. Such effects potentially threaten the existence of all life on Earth. Although I have identified the sixties as the era when ecotoxicology was first conceived as a coherent subject area, it is important to acknowledge that studies that would now be regarded as ecotoxicological are much older. Wherever people's ingenuity has led them to change the face of nature significantly, it has not escaped them that a number of biological con- sequences, often unfavourable, ensue.

Volumes I and 2 of this Plant Biotechnology series reviewed fundamental aspects of plant molecular biology and discussed production and analysis of the first generation of transgenic plants of potential use in agriculture and horticulture. These included plants resistant to insects, viruses and herbicides, which were produced by adding genes from other organisms. Realisation of the potential of plant breeding has led to a resurgence of interest in methods of altering the structure, composition and function of plant constituents, which represents an even greater challenge and offers scope for improving the quality of a wide range of agricultural products. This, in tum, has resulted in a re-evaluation of priorities and targets by industry. Volume 3 of this series considers the biochemical and gentic basis of the biosynthesis of plant products such as starch, lipids, carotenoids and cell walls, and evaluates the ways in which biosynthesis of these products can be modified for use in the food industries. Authors also cover the biosynthesis of rare secondary products and the function and application of proteins for plant protection and therapeutic use. The emphasis throughout is on the relationship between fundamen- tal aspects of biosynthesis and structure-function relationships, and application of this knowledge to the redesigning and altering of plant products by molecular genetics.

Molecular and Cell Biology of Muscular Dystrophy gives a series of accounts of various aspects of the remarkable breakthrough which has been achieved in our understanding of the Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophies and of the consequences and ramifications of this breakthrough.