This title includes research from experts in organic chemistry & many other disciplines. There are sections on new terminology, the usefulness of particular reactions & experimental details.
Photochemistry of Proteins and Nucleic Acids focuses on the effects of ultraviolet and visible radiations on proteins and nucleic acids. The book first discusses some principles of photochemistry, including the laws of photochemistry and factors influencing photochemical reactions in solutions. The text describes absorption and luminescence spectra of nucleoproteins and their components, including principal absorbing groups in proteins, nucleic acids, and nucleoproteins. The selection also highlights the action of ultraviolet light on proteins; photochemical and photosensitized inactivation of enzymes; and the photochemistry of purine and pyrimidine derivatives. The text also discusses nucleic acids and oligo- and polynucleotides. Topics include photochemical degradation of nucleic acid; kinetics of biological inactivation of nucleic acids; nucleoproteins; and reversibility of nucleic acid photolysis. The book also encompasses the inactivation of viruses, including inactivation studies with a plant virus, bacteriophages, and photochemically produced vaccines. The text also presents some problems in photobiology and some techniques in photochemistry. The text is a good source of information for readers interested in the study of proteins and nucleic acids.Based on the standards and codes from Fo
Man has recognised an association of light with life and medicine for over 3000 years. Today the major challenges to this topic include the elucidation of photochemical reactions involved in photobiology at the molecular level. This includes the use of a variety of modem probing techniques that directly measures the reactivity of excited states and free radicals involved in biological reactions. This text-book is based on such an approach and has arisen from some of the lectures delivered at the NATO ASI held at Hotel Capo Caccia near the Centre for Advanced Research in Photobiology (CARP) in Sardegia, Italy. The ASI took place from 30 September -13 October 1993 and involved a total membership of 90. The book, like the NATO ASI itself, is divided into four themes starting with fundamental aspects and ending with complex medically related systems. Thus Theme 1 covers aspects of the underlying photophysics and photochemistry with particular emphasis on modem experimental techniques to study molecular mechanisms of biological processes. Theme 2 applies many of these fundamental studies to the chemical reactions of most relevance to photobiology and photomedicine such as photo-addition, -isomerization, -sensitization and -pigmentation. The third and fourth Themes deal with the deleterious and therapeutic aspects of light with particular emphasis on the use of Photo-Dynamic Therapy (PDT) to treat cancer and on viral and micro bioi infections.
"Physiology," which is the study of the function of cells, organs, and organisms, derives from the Latin physiologia, which in turn comes from the Greek physi- or physio-, a prefix meaning natural, and logos, meaning reason or thought. Thus physiology suggests natural science and is now a branch of biology dealing with processes and activities that are characteristic of living things. "Physicochemical" relates to physical and chemical properties, and "Environmental" refers to topics such as solar irradiation and wind. "Plant" indicates the main focus of this book, but the approach, equations developed, and appendices apply equalIy welI to animaIs and other organisms. We wilI specificalIy consider water relations, solute transport, photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration, and environmental interactions. A physiologist endeavors to understand such topics in physical and chemical terms; accurate models can then be constructed and responses to the internal and the external environment can be predicted. Elementary chemistry, physics, and mathematics are used to develop concepts that are key to under-standing biology -the intent is to provide a rigorous development, not a compendium of facts. References provide further details, although in some cases the enunciated principIes carry the reader to the forefront of current research. Calculations are used to indicate the physiological consequences of the various equations, and problems at the end of chapters provide further such exercises. Solutions to alI of the problems are provided, and the appendixes have a large tist of values for constants and conversion factors at various temperatures.
Photobiology - the science of light and life - begins with basic principles and the physics of light and continues with general photobiological research methods, such as generation of light, measurement of light, and action spectroscopy. In an interdisciplinary way, it then treats how organisms tune their pigments and structures to the wavelength components of light, and how light is registered by organisms. Then follow various examples of photobiological phenomena: the design of the compound eye in relation to the properties of light, phototoxicity, photobiology of the human skin and of vitamin D, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodism, the setting of the biological clock by light, and bioluminescence. A final chapter is devoted to teaching experiments and demonstrations in photobiology. This book encompasses topics from a diverse array of traditional disciplines: physics, biochemistry, medicine, zoology, botany, microbiology, etc., and makes different aspects of photobiology accessible to experts in all these areas as well as to the novice.
It is not always the case that the subject of a scientific book and its relevance to everyday li fe are so timely. Photobiology and its si ster subject Radiobiology are now a must for understanding the environment we live in and the impact light, ultraviolet light, and radiation have on all aspects of our life. Photobiology is a true interdisciplinary field. Photobiology research plays a direct role in diverse fields, and a glance at the topics of the symposia covered in this book by over 100 articles shows the breadth and depth of knowledge acquired in fundamental research and its impact on the major issues and applied problems the world is facing. Half a century of photobiology research brought about an understanding of the importance of light to life, both as a necessary source of energy and growth as weIl as its possible dangers. Research in photochemistry and photobiology led to the discoveries of ceIlular repair mechanisms of UV induced damages to DNA and this led to understanding of the effects of hazardous environmental chemieals and mutagenecity , and to the development of genetic engineering. This topic was given due emphasis in several symposia and chapters in this book.
The plant factory is a facility that aids the steady production of high-quality vegetables all year round by artificially controlling the cultivation environment (e.g., light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and culture solution), allowing growers to plan production. By controlling theinternal environment,plant factories can produce vegetables about two to four times faster than by typical outdoor cultivation. In addition, as multiple cultivation shelves (a multi-shelf system) are used, the mass production of vegetables in a small space is facilitated. This research topic presents some new trends on intelligent measuring systems; environment controlled and optimization; flavonoids; phenylpropanoids, transcriptomes, and bacteria.
The first edition of The Science of Photobiology was published in 1977, and was the first textbook to cover all of the major areas of photobiology. The science of photobiology is currently divided into 14 subspecialty areas by the American Society for Photobiology. In this edition, however, the topics of phototechnology and spectroscopy have been com bined in a new chapter entitled "Photophysics." The other subspecialty areas remain the same, i.e., Photochemistry, Photosensitization, UV Radiation Effects, Environmental Photobiology, Photomedicine, Circadian Rhythms, Extraretinal Photoreception, Vision, Photomorphogenesis, Photomovement, Photosynthesis, and Bioluminescence. This book has been written as a textbook to introduce the science of photobiology to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The chapters are written to provide a broad overview of each topic. They are designed to contain the amount of information that might be presented in a one-to two-hour general lecture. The references are not meant to be exhaustive, but key references are included to give students an entry into the literature. Frequently a more recent reference that reviews the literature will be cited rather than the first paper by the author making the original discovery. The chapters are not meant to be a repository of facts for research workers in the field, but rather are concerned with demon strating the importance of each specialty area of photobiology, and documenting its relevance to current and/or future problems of man.
Plant physiology is now considered as an essential ingredient for improving crop productivity, a continuing necessity with today’s ever-increasing world population. This new volume provides an understanding of the physiological basis of the various plant processes and their underlying mechanisms under fluctuating environments, which is of great importance for sustainable crop production. Further advances in cellular and molecular biology hold promise to modify physiological processes, thereby improving the quality and quantity of major food crops and ensuring stability in yield of the produce even under severe abiotic stress. This book covers the latest information on the physiological basis of plant productivity, including abiotic stress adaptation and management, plant nutrition, climate change and plant productivity, transgenic and functional genomics, and plant growth regulators and their applications. The chapters in this volume tackle some of these key issues of sustainable plant production and evolve future strategies in overcoming challenges faced by the agricultural sector as a whole. The topics covered in this book presents important from research reputed scientists. This volume is a rich source of information in one place. It will be a useful resource for researchers and extension workers involved in plant physiology and related disciplines. Key features: Provide the latest information on developments in plant physiology Covers abiotic and biotic stress on economically important crop species Presents a detailed collection of biotechnological approaches in plant physiology Covers plant growth regulators, secondary metabolites, germination, crop growth and development of different crop species Provides research from experts at internationally renowned institutes
Photobiology integrates a wide variety of scientific disciplines. As more people become aware of the many ways light interacts with chemical and biological systems, the need for a concise treatment of photobiology has become more critical. Kohen et al. Have written just such a book, intended both as a textbook and as a reference.The authors begin by providing a brief description of the nature of light, how it affects matter, and the means and methods of measuring it. A major section of the book is devoted to how light influences living systems, including discussions of photosynthesis, bioluminescence, regulatory mechanisms, and visual transduction of light. The last half of the book is devoted to the biomedical aspects of light, including photoimmunology, photoallergic reactions and other forms of light sensitivity, the optical properties of skin, and various ways that light can be used in therapy treatments.Useful to photobiologists as a comprehensive overview, this book should also appeal to biomedical researchers and advanced students of photobiology.