Book Description

This book provides sufficient detail without overloading the reader with details that might be unnecessary to attain basic understanding of the subject matter.A new chapter on genomics is a timely response to the mapping of the human genome that will appeal to many readers.This book will a useful resource for anyone working in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, agriculture, home economics, aquaculture—or those who simply have a desire to learn more about the basic concepts of chemistry and biochemistry. . ... Read more

Book Description

This accurate and up-to-date book focuses on the basic principles of Biochemistry, with carefully selected examples of each. The areas of greatest change since the second edition are lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and protein metabolism.Includes stereo views of many macromolecules; computer supplement; a section on molecular evolution; protein structures; molecular evolution; and developments in the area of gene expression, including the structure of RNA polymerase, the structure of the ribosome, genome organization, repair mechanisms, regulation of transcription and translation, and the structure and evolution of aminoacy1-tRNA synthetases.For readers interested in Biochemistry. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great introductory biochemistry text!
Filled to the brim with useful, concise information, and helpful explanations. It also has very complete coverage of a broad variety of concepts and fields of study of biochemistry. While it can at times get bogged down in the details, it was extremely helpful to me during my biochemistry class, and inspired in me a desire to continue educating myself in the field. I am keeping this book rather than selling it, because I'm certain it will be of great use to me in my further studies in biology and medicine.

not a bad text
The text could have expanded on some topics. I recommend the Voet and Voet text. Had to purchase this text because few of its authors were from the university I attend. ... Read more

Book Description

Das Lehrbuch stellt die Biochemie aus streng chemischer Sicht vor, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf den Strukturen von Biomolekulen, chemischen Mechanismen und evolutionaren Beziehungen liegt. Es vermittelt ein Gefuhl der geistigen Geschichte der Biochemie, ein Verstandnis der Werkzeuge und Ansatze zur Losung biochemischer Ratsel und eine Spur jener Aufregung, die mit neuen Entdeckungen einhergeht. Behandelt werden aktuelle Themen, insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit Gesundheit und Krankheiten des Menschen sowie wichtige Zahlen und Tabellen zu Struktur, Funktion und Stoffwechsel. Die einzelnen Themenbereiche werden weniger detailliert aufbereitet als in anderen Lehrbuchern, und zwar mit dem Ziel, dem Lernenden so einen raschen Uberblick uber Kerninhalte zu vermitteln. Daruber hinaus finden sich zahlreiche sehr interessante Spezialthemen. Im dazugehorigen Arbeitsbuch werden au?erdem eine Reihe neuer Problemstellungen mit detaillierten Losungsvorschlagen diskutiert. (02/99) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Average
This book is average at best. It does not cover the fundamental aspects of many of the important parts of biochemistry. What is does give you is an excellent overview of hemoglobin and myoglobin. I would, however, recommend Stryer's book, especially for those who have lousy undergraduate professors.

Not for someone new on biochemistry
I'm taking biochemistry for the first time and the book is almost useless. It has many errors and the explanations are not clear. To study for my class I have to look for other books. I don't recomend this book to anyone who really wants to learn biochemistry, specially if they're taking the class with a bad professor. I'm not saying this because I don't like the class; I like chemistry and I thought biochemistry would be very exciting. But, the book isn't a good reference, neither the CD-ROM it includes. Thank God I bought it used.

Appropriate for the 1st Biochemistry Course of a Sequence
All 3 major biochemistry texts were being used at the univesity where I attended: Lehninger was used in a one-semester survey course for biological science students whose emphasis was not biochemistry and/or molecular biology; Voet was the chosen text for the first of a 2-semester sequence in biochemistry; and Stryer was selected for the second half of the sequence. As an undergradate student, I was grateful that the authors (joined by Pratt) produced a fine version instead of the original Voet & Voet main text. This revised, modified version is more succinct, clear, with excellent graphics and photographs. The level of content in this version of Voet is no less intense and thorough than the other 2 major texts, with a special attention on chemistry as well. One star is taken off due to the high price!

IMHO, better than Stryer for undergraduates!
Although not as comprehensive as their larger text, this book is ideal for a beginning course in biochemistry. Most undergraduates are overwhelmed by the encylcopedic nature of Voet & Voet's main text, so the author team are to be thanked for joining with Pratt to produce this fine text. The book is on the level of the other main biochemistry textbooks (Stryer & Lehninger), but has the wonderful images and diagrams for which V&V (via artist Irving Geis) are famous! The interactive CD is very informative and useful as well. I have switched my classes to this text, as have about half of the liberal arts colleges in the midwest area (noted at the last MACTLAC conference, where the text, although new, was aready tied with Stryer as the textbook of choice).

a so-so biochemistry text
The price of this text, when compared with the large version of Voet & Voet, is not reasonable. The material presented is condensed but not comprehensive. The authors tried to make their textbook shorter and maintain Voets'philosophy in writing a text (chemistry emphasis). I personally think that this text cannot be appropriately used in the upperclass or graduate course. On the other hand, the beginner of biochemistry may find this text easier, lighter, more colorful and more costly than its encyclopedic version. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

CONCISE; YET, WELL-DETAILED
Compiled by an experienced mind, this "Biochemistry" by Lubert Stryer may seem a little pricey, but it is worth investing on. Its everyday language is comprehensive, generously illustrated, and presents details using a concise format. The book was designed for intermediate learners; although that its aura appeals to both beginners and advanced students. The sequential organisation of each section makes self-teaching an easy task. There are also revised chapters with overviews of Developmental Physiology and Genetics. It is a very fine text.

Easy to read, but not so good to study from
This book is considered a classic in its field, and, indeed, had few serious competitors up until about eight years ago. But, with new undergraduate texts that appeared since then, the weaknesses of Stryer's text became more apparent.

1. The text is not structured well enough: its 37 chapters are divided into a number of titled topics, but it is apparent that students would find it easier to manage if each chapter were divided into 4-8 major topics,just the way it has been done in 'Student companion for Stryer's Biochemistry' by Gumport et al.

2. It seems that the book owes part of its popularity to the fact that the most difficult topics have either been left out or are covered very briefly and with serious lack of rigor. The most notorious example is incredibly poor coverage of biochemical energetics. Since most readers are life science majors or medical students with little background in thermodynamics and electrochemistry, this ought be treated in a more detailed and more serious manner. Many students find the treatment of energetic aspects of oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis so unclear tham majority of them find it necessargy to consult some other text to figure things out. The same goes for enzyme kinetics - it is just inexcusable for a text of this size to completely ignore discussion of bisubstrate kinetics and other common complex kinetic systems.

As a conclusion, Stryer's Biochemistry 4th ed. is still readable and up-to date text. However, nowadays there are several other texts of about the same size and aiming at the same audience, but with much less things to complain about. As a TA in an undergraduate biochemistry course, I found texts by Mathews and van Holde (1996), Garrett and Grisham (1995) and Lehninger, Nelson and Cox (1993) to be more adequate for the needs of most students. My students especially praise Matthews and van Holde as a book which enables them to easily grasp even the most difficult concepts.

Learn elsewhere
A disorganized muddle of clinical correlations, chemical mechanisms, and pathways, the text attempts to destroy an otherwise beautiful topic. It is difficult to extract the main pts and organize the information into a coherent fashion. But fortunately there are other texts, and a map showing how all the pathways converge and a table w/enzymes organized by mechanism w/cofactor, rxn info will be golden. With books like Lippincott's Reviews and Voet&Voet, youll be biochemistry's biggest fan in no time.

Jack of a few trades, master of none
As with any intro text, this book tries to reach the largest audience possible. The problem is that it has deficiencies in many areas. The initial sections on DNA are short, completely avoiding any detailed mechanisms about DNA replication or transcription, putting those with a background that is stronger in chemistry at a disadvantage. When it comes to proteins, the book seems to have no trouble giving detailed mechanisms but the mechanisms are often obscure and poorly labeled (notably in serine proteases and metal-ion catalysis) making the information more difficult for those stronger in regular biology. Perhaps the worst part is that this book, which was chosen for my professor based on its integrated web courseware, has a website that is often unresponsive and seems to only work on old versions of Netscape. Nonetheless, I still keep a copy on my bookshelf for reference since the sections on proteins (notwithstanding the diagrams) are actually pretty good. All in all, an okay text and decent reference but certainly not for someone looking to pursue a career in biochemistry, molecular biology, or medicine. If you have a choice, the new Lehninger 4th edition is way better.

One step forward, one step back from previous edition
OK, it seems that the new authors of the 5th edition actually took to heart soem of the amazon.com critiques of the 4th edition. The chapters are more structured, and the worst chapters of the previous editions have been completely overhauled. There is a modest increase in the amount of quantitative materrial, although its quality still cannot rival some other biochem textbooks targeting the same audience (e.g. the wonderful Mathews, van Holde and Ahern text).

The 5th edition also succumbed to a malaise common to most textbooks when they are taken over by a different set of authors: an absolute overkill of "new pedagogical features". Icons, boxes, keywords, conceptual insights, structural insights etc. belong well to a study guide, but here they just interrupt the flow of the exposition unnecesarily. The simplicity of layout and the illustrations was one of the strengths of previous editions, and it seems to be lost here.

Also, without questioning the importance of the structural data that accumulated over the past decade, I am very doubtfull of the pedagogical value of their extensive use to explain basic biochemical concepts: way too often they just add additional complexity that moots the point the authors are trying to convey. Just look at the figure 10.21 - without the accompanying animation, it is about the poorest (least illustrative) depiction of the T to R transition in hemoglobin I have ever seen.

Overall, it is an updated text that will please Stryer fans. Those using other textbooks (Mathews, Lehninger) will have no reason whatsoever to switch to this one. ... Read more

Book Description

This title has not appeared in Preview, but was published in July 2002. Biochemistry 3rd edition DONALD VOET, University of Pennsylvania, USA and JUDITH G. VOET, Swarthmore College, USA Biochemistry is a modern classic that has been thoroughly revised. Don and Judy Voet explain biochemical concepts while offering a unified presentation of life and its variation through evolution. Incorporates both classical and current research to illustrate the historical source of much of our biochemical knowledge.
* This edition has been updated to reflect the enormous advances in molecular and protein structure
* Integrated Biochemical Interactions CD ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A very deatail oriented text
My biochem class "officially" uses the Lehninger textbook, but my professor also uses the voet&voet as a reference. I'll say the Lehninger book is good to read as intro, but if you really want to learn the details you've to use this book instead. I think not a single biochemistry book out there is good enough for every aspects, but i'll highly recommend using the voet text along with another one so they can fill each other's holes.

The Best Biochemistry text on the market
This book covers much of the same material as Stryer with about twice the detail and vastly better illustrations. V&V's massive advantage is a detailed methods chapter that lets you understand how the advances in biology have been made, and why science is so slow and frustrating. If you're serious about understanding biological chemistry (as distinct from understanding how the cell works, in which case you'll want a book on molecular cell biology), look no further than this. The third edition will be coming out in 2002, at about the same time as the sixth edition of Stryer. Expect V&V to be more up-to-date, better illustrated and less verbose than its competition (although obviously I haven't seen either yet). If you're a medical student, try Devlin's Biochemistry with clinical correlations. If you want an integrated cell biology/biochemistry text, try Garrett and Grisham, including part 5.

Voet and Voet Biochemistry
This book is complete garbage, especially considering the price. Explanations of relatively simple ideas are often made unnecessarily complicated. A good deal of the writing is unnecessarily flowery, and sentence structure is quite often more complex than is necessary or desireable for a book of this sort. I wasted an enormous amount of time rereading sections that turned out to be extremely confusing ways of explaining relatively uncomplicated concepts. In my view, potentially confusing scientific concepts should be explained in the simplest possible way. There's enough substance in the actual material that decorative language is definitely not necessary. For the price, I would have expected better editing as well, quite a few noticeable typos (3rd edition Vol. 1). I haven't read any biochem textbooks besides this one, but I'd recommend avoiding this one at all costs.

The very best biochemistry textbook out there
I've used the 1st edition of this textbook during my undergraduate days as a B.A. in biology (but concentrating in molecular biology and biochemistry), and then I used the 2nd edition during medical school and my fellowship in biophysical chemistry. If you are in the medical sciences, biochemistry, biophysics, physical chemistry, and even organic chemistry, this is the "must-have" book for you. It contains a more detailed explanation of the topic than typical undergraduate textbooks, but it still has excellent coherence and clarity to each and every topic despite the amount of information. I feel this book satisfies even the most "physical sciences" minded of us. I'm still waiting for the 3rd edition!

THE BEST
If you're looking for a biochemistry textbook, this is it.

I have used everything from Stryer to Matthews and Van Holde, and this book tops them all.

Great illustrations, extensive topics covered, and well-written text. A+++ ... Read more

Book Description

This newly revised and updated fifth edition of Devlin’s Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations presents the biochemistry of mammalian cells, relates events at the cellular level to physiological processes in the whole animal, and cites examples of human diseases derived from aberrant biochemical processes.
This edition significantly expands the clinical correlation that highlight the significance of biochemistry to specific clinical problems. Full-color illustrations provide clear explanations for the concepts discussed, and end-of-chapter questions and answers act as challenging study material. Reorganized into five practical sections, Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations covers these topics and much more:

• Structure of macromolecules–DNA, RNA, and protein structure
  
• Information transmission–replication, transcription, protein synthesis, and control of gene expression
  
• Functions of proteins–protein families, enzymes, membrane structure, and transport mechanisms
  
• Metabolic pathways and their control–carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism
  
• Physiological processes–hormone and signal transduction, biochemistry of nervous tissue, muscle vision, coagulation and digestion, and principles of nutrition

Reviews (11)

DO not confuse the book with the software
The book is one of THE basics choice in Biochemistry for medical school. Good basic biochemistry with interesthing associated clinical cases. But please do not confuse with the software with has the figures of the book.

Take a chance to be fascinated by biochemistry
I am 4° semester medical student and ever since I was introduced to this book (about a year ago by my biochemistry class teacher), it has proved to be a very useful biochemistry information resource. I have other biochemistry texts because I like to study from different points of view, but this text is a little bit different from the basic biochemistry textbook in that the information presented here is most relevant to the clinical setting. After reading any chapter it will be clear to you that you made a good investment. The most important thing is that the book is written in a very understandable reading wiht many examples and illustrations. The chapter on metabolic interrelationships will proof of great value to understanding biochemistry as a fundamental discipline in medicine; in a sense it opened my eyes (and yours too) to what at first seems a boring subject.

If you are thinking that because the book is presented in a clinical way you'll loose basic information, don't be. I took the chance and believe me I am not dissapointed at all, otherwise I wouldn't be recommending it to you. Good luck.

Too detailed and wordy for medical school
I just finished first semester medical school, and we used this book. The chapters read like a bad and verbose novel. With the time constraints in medical school, you really need a book that gets to the point. That's why the Illustrated Review Series are much better for medical school students. I will admit that this is a great book for graduate biochem if you're interested in research. Stay away if your in medical school and rely upon the notes and a supplemental book like Lipcotts. You'll get more confused reading this text b/c it's way too detailed.

ANALYTICAL AND INTERPRETATIVE
This is a very comprehensive biochemistry textbook: well-written and well-organized. It maintained both analytical and interpretative approach in most of its chapters. Its clinical applications were evident in the way it handled nucleic acids, nucleotides, bioenergetics, immunochemistry, enzymology, and gene replications. Each metabolic pathway it discussed is well-detailed, and is supported with illustrative charts.
The only thing this book demands from its reader is good Organic Chemistry foundation. It is a very good text, although that its retail price is clearly on the high side.

vs. Stryer
Fair clinical book. The Devlin just does not read as well as the Stryer. If Stryer is poetry, Devlin is a newspaper, informative yet not very moving. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Good book for biochemistry
This book is complete and thorough in explaing every energy pathway (Kreb's cycle, electron transport system, glycolysis, etc.) The diagrams are helpful and explain the material with visual detail especially in this type of book. The only thing, the book is somewhat hard to understand for reading it the first time. I know biochemistry is a hard subject, but I thought it could be explained in a little easier fashion. However, other than that, the book is quite organized and a must buy for every chiropractic student taking biochemistry. I also highly recommend:
National Board of Chiropractic Part I Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers
Both these books I found very helpful for studying for the National boards. The text is a must for studying for the biochemistry part of the chiro boards.

Biochemistry for medical studies
An excellent book in biochemistry for a beginner in this subject. I especially like the the way the chapters are administrated. The book is best read from beginning to the end, because this will give you the whole picture in a educative fashion. It covers all the essential subjects of cellbiology needed for the medical student, as for instance metabolism and DNA. It also has advantages over other biochemistry books with its nicer apperance. With the pictures, medical notices and cellbiology material it covers all thats necessary. Good stuff and pleasant reading.

Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry is simply the best one.
The Lehninger Princicples of Biochemistry is the best book in biochemistry that has been written. I have use it in my biochemistry course in my first year in school medicine and thanks to this book I pass my class with one of the best notes in the group. Any other book exposes the biochemistry principles with clarity and coherence like the Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. I can't wait for the 4th edition.

Excellent! Can't wait for the Next Edition!
If you are a undergraduate or a graduate student who needs to learn some biochemistry from the ground up (without an instructor), this is the text for you. Lehninger really outdoes himself by creating a Biochemistry textbook that's not only colorful and pretty to look at but also wonderfully written. Of all of the science textbooks I've had to read to date, this was the best! Lehninger really does write the text so that it's like reading a novel, which allows for maximum absorption of the material he covers. Occasionally, I hit spots in my reading which were harder to understand, but that was because my own ignorance and not his. He begins the text with a review of the basics of general chemistry and organic chemistry which come into play with the biochemistry subject matter. Then he continues on, developing the student's foundations with describing protein structure and protein function, working his way up with enzymatic properties and activities. Carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids come next. The last section of the book is devoted to biochemical mechanisms, which is alot, but it is covered adequately for a beginner's textbook. The only major drawback: many of the answers to the chapter questions are wrong, hopefully, this will be addressed in the 4th Ed. If your school doesn't use Lehninger, protest, write treatises, do anything to convince your Biochemistry professor to use this text to teach you biochemisty! It's expensive, but once you have this textbook, don't ever sell it because if you're going into chemistry or biochemistry, it will be a priceless resource for your future studies!

Two thumbs way up
This book is one of the best biochemistry available. It presents an extensive amount of valuable concepts and information a highly readable manner. I used this text as an undergraduate and even as a gradduate student I find it impossible to part with it. The understanding biochemistry CD that is included with the book is also an excellent tool for revision. I found that the retention of information and ease of understanding is higher when the book is used in conjunction with the CD. It comes highly recommended for any serious students of biochemistry and as an invaluable reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Biochemistry is a modern classic that had been thoroughly revised. Explains biochemical concepts while offering a unified presentation of life and its variation through evolution. Incorporates both classical and current research to illustrate the historical source of much of our biochemical knowledge. This new edition will be available in two volumes as well as one complete text. Volume 1 will cover Chapters 1-29. Volume 2 will repeat chapter 29 and will also include Chapters 30-35. ... Read more

Book Description

The Only Authoritative, Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Guide to Glycemic Index Values—A Companion to the New York Times Bestseller The New Glucose Revolution

The glycemic index (GI)—an easy-to-understand measure of how different foods affect our blood glucose levels—is revolutionizing the way we eat. Now medical experts and health authorities around the world advocate using GI values in making daily food decisions—so it’s never been more important to understand how to choose and benefit from low-GI foods. The New Glucose Revolution Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values provides GI values for hundreds of foods and beverages. Included are three easy-to-read tables: an A to Z listing, a comprehensive listing by food categories, and a handy, at-a-glance table sorted according to low, intermediate and high GI values. Each entry in every table also specifies serving size, net carbohydrate per serving, and the glycemic load, which is clearly explained. Also included in the book are two GI Food Pyramids, specially created by the authors, to help guide you to appropriate daily food choices. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Too technical
Even though the book contains alot of useful information--if you are a scientist, I found it to be frustrating for someone trying to manage a weight loss program. My mistake was to purchase this book before the program book. I am hoping it will be a better reference tool than an explanation for a diet.

Never heard of most products
I had high hopes for this glycemic index to food products. However, most items listed seem to be from Australia, Canada and South Africa and I don't recognize the brand names. The book does not have enough useful information. I am very disappointed.

Helpful information... if you're in Australia
I had searched far and wide for a good listing of foods by Glycemic LOAD (different from glycemic index). This book does have a really nice compilation that includes glycemic load and glycemic index as well as net carb count all in one chart. The frustrating part is that it is focused more on Canadian and Australian products than on United States. Many of the items that are listed are not available here. But it IS better than anything I've been able to find thus far.

More, Please
What we need is more. More specific results, more numbers for foods available in the US, more specific name-brand items, more, more, much more. Yes, I realize that research is time-consuming and expensive. I realize this is the best available resource. But we need more...

Just for fun, you should read the South Beach Diet book for contrast. This book (NGR) looks to me to have a more balanced, long term approach whereas the SBD seems to be focused on those that want fast results. Following the NGR guidelines, it seems like I eat more than I used to and am full more often, but I've lost 30 pounds over the last 4 months. ... Read more

Book Description

Biochemistry Molecular Biology of Plants is a major contribution to the plant sciences literature, superbly edited by three distinguished scientists, Bob B. Buchanan, Wilhelm Gruissem, and Russell L. Jones, with contributions from more than 50 world-renowned scientists. With over 1,400 pages, 1,100 full-colour original drawings and 500 photographs this work qualifies, in the words of the Science reviewer, as:

"an essential reference for practicing plant biologists and for the increasing number of scientists from other disciplines who are entering the field of plant biology. To exploit fully the wealth of new information provided by the genome projects and to integrate the metabolic, regulatory, and signal transduction pathways of complex organisms, biologists will require a solid command of biochemistry and physiology. For this reason, the publication of Biochemistry Molecular Biology of Plants could not have come at a more opportune and auspicious time."

This book is meticulously organised and richly illustrated, useful both for teaching and for reference. The multi-authored work provides a contemporary view of its subject, including molecular biology, cell biology, and plant physiology, integrated around the themes of:

• compartmentation
• cell reproduction
• energetics
• metabolism
• development

"The great strength of this book is that it has integrated its three major components (molecular biology, cell biology, and plant biochemistry) in each of the 24 chapters, resulting in a comprehensive analysis of a multitude of specific topics."

Who should buy this spectacular new text?

Book Description

Biological physics, the application of physics to provide an understanding of biological phenomenas, is a burgeoning, new inter-disciplinary subject. This text explores the physics behind the architecture of a cell's envelope and internal scaffolding, as well as the properties of its soft components. The analysis is performed within a consistent mathematical framework, although readers can navigate from the introductory material to biological applications without working through the intervening mathematics. The book includes applications and extensions handled through problems at the end of each chapter. This text is aimed at senior undergraduates and graduate students in science and biomedical engineering. ... Read more

Book Description

Probablistic models are becoming increasingly important in analyzing the huge amount of data being produced by large-scale DNA-sequencing efforts such as the Human Genome Project.For example, hidden Markov models are used for analyzing biological sequences, linguistic-grammar-based probabilistic models for identifying RNA secondary structure, and probabilistic evolutionary models for inferring phylogenies of sequences from different organisms. This book gives a unified, up-to-date and self-contained account, with a Bayesian slant, of such methods, and more generally to probabilistic methods of sequence analysis. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, it is accessible to molecular biologists, computer scientists, and mathematicians with no formal knowledge of the other fields, and at the same time presents the state of the art in this new and important field. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Excellent overview of probabilistic computational biology
This book is a very well written overview to hidden Markov models and context-free grammar methods in computational biology. The authors have written a book that is useful to both biologists and mathematicians. Biologists with a background in probability theory equivalent to a senior-level course should be able to follow along without any trouble. The approach the author's take in the book is very intuitive and they motivate the concepts with elementary examples before moving on to the more abstract definitions. Exercises also abound in the book, and they are straightforward enough to work out, and should be if one desires an in-depth understanding of the main text. In addition, there is a software package called HMMER, developed by one of the authors (Eddy) that is in the public domain and can be downloaded from the Internet. The package specifically uses hidden Markov models to perform sequence analysis using the methods outlined in the book.

Probabilistic modeling has been applied to many different areas, including speech recognition, network performance analysis, and computational radiology. An overview of probabilistic modeling is given in the first chapter, and the authors effectively introduce the concepts without heavy abstract formalism, which for completeness they delegate to the last chapter of the book. Bayesian parameter estimation is introduced as well as maximum likelihood estimation. The authors take a pragmatic attitude in the utility of these different approaches, with both being developed in the book.

This is followed by a treatment of pairwise alignment in Chapter Two, which begins with substitution matrices. They point out, via some exercises, the role of physics in influencing particular alignments (hydrophobicity for example). Global alignment via the Gotoh algorithm and local alignment via the Smith-Waterman algorithm, are both discussed very effectively. Finite state machines with accompanying diagrams are used to discuss dynamic programming approaches to sequence alignment. The BLAST and FASTA packages are briefly discussed, along with the PAM and BLOSUM matrices.

Hidden Markov models are treated thoroughly in the next chapter with the Viterbi and Baum-Welch algorithms playing the central role. HIdden Markov models are then used in Chapter 4 for pairwise alignment. State diagrams are again used very effectively to illustrate the relevant ideas. Profile hidden Markov models which, according to the authors are the most popular application of hidden Markov models, are treated in detail in the next chapter. A very surprising application of Voronoi diagrams from computational geometry to weighting training sequences is given.

Several different approaches, such as Barton-Sternberg, CLUSTALW, Feng-Doolittle, MSA, simulated annealing, and Gibbs sampling are applied to multiple sequence alignment methods in Chapter 6. It is very well written, with the only disappointment being that only one exercise is given in the entire chapter. Phylogenetic trees are covered in Chapter 7, with emphasis placed on tree building algorithms using parsimony. The next chapter discusses the same topic from a probabilistic perspective. This to me was the most interesting part of the book as it connects the sequence alignment algorithms with evolutionary models.

The authors switch gears starting with the next chapter on transformational grammars. It is intriguing to see how concepts used in compiler construction can be generalized to the probabilistic case and then applied to computational biology. The PROSITE database is given as an example of the application of regular grammars to sequence matching. This chapter is fascinating reading, and there are some straightforward exercises illustrating the main points.

The last chapter covers RNA structure analysis, which introduces the concept of a pseudoknot. These are not to be confused with the usual knot constructions that can be applied to the topology of DNA, but instead result from the existence of non-nested base pairs in RNA sequences. The authors discuss many other techniques used in RNA sequence analysis and take care to point out which ones are more practical from a computational point of view. Surprisingly, genetic algorithms and algorithms based on Monte Carlo sampling are not discussed in the book, but the authors do give references for the interested reader.

The best attribute of this book is that the authors take a pragmatic point of view of how mathematics can be applied to problems in computational biology. They are not dogmatic about any particular approach, but instead fit the algorithm to the problem at hand.

Brief and clear
I keep coming back to this book for its readable, applicable summaries of basic algorithms.

One chapter covers the basics of dynamic programming for string matching: a staple of bioinformatics computing. The authors come back to it a number of times as they introduce new variations on the string-matching theme. They give about the clearest description of the Needleman-Wunsch and basic variants (including Smith-Waterman) of any book I know.

The bulk of the book is devoted to Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), as one might have guessed in a book with Eddy as co-author. It covers the basics of model construction, motif finding, and various uses for decoding. Again, it covers all the basics so clearly you'll want to start coding as soon as you read it.

The later sections of the book cover phylogeny and tree building, along with the relationships to multiple alignment. Good, solid, clear writing prepares the reader for texts that may be more specialized, but possibly less transparent.

The next-to-last chapter, on RNA folding, is weaker than the ones before, in my opinion. It ties to the other chapters reasonably well in terms of algorithms, but I don't think it does justice to the thermodynamic models of RNA folding. If there is any weakness in this chapter, though, it does not detract from the strengths elsewhere.

The final chapter, the "background on probability", is the one that I think needs the most support. If you don't already understand its topics, I doubt that this will help very much. (If you do understand them, you won 't need the help.) There's nothing inherently tricky about probability, but individual distributions carry many assumptions, and I did not see those spelled out well.

This shouldn't be the only book in your bioinformatics library. If you really want algorithms, though, it's a good book to have in the collection and one you'll keep coming back to.

Good bargain, but...
not suffciently precise for being an academic textbook. The definitions are sometimes incomplete, correctness proofs are missing, some exercises are incorrect. On the positive side, it does cover important topics, and brings good examples to illustrate main concepts and algorithms (which partially compemsates for the lack of precisenss).

Simply Excellent!
This book explained topics I was interested in above my personal expectations. All the mathematics and probabilistic models were explained in detail with a practical approach. I was even able to refine some of those models for specific needs without much previous experience nor knowledge. I highly recommend this book, it is one of the best I ever read.

Don't let the title mislead you.
Don't let the title fool you. This book is a great if you'd like to understand the algorithms used in any type of sequence analysis, for example speech recognition, speech synthesis, and natural language understanding.

I used this book for a bioinformatics class. The instructor's notes were basically a rehash of the textbook. This didn't bother me as there really is no way to improve on what's already in the text. Explanations of the different ways to use HMMs made it easy to write the genefinder we did for our final programming project.

I've also written natural language processing software (for text and speech) and I've found this book to be a great reference for probabilistic language modeling algorithms. The material is similar to that found in Jurafsky and Martin, or Manning and Schutz, but the presentation in DEKM provides more insight into how the algorithms work. This should come as no surprise, as the human genome project is perhaps the most successful artificial intelligence project ever undertaken and the authors were instrumental in creating the software used by the HGP.

The book by Gusfield is also great for sequence analysis, but there the emphasis is on deterministic modeling, which has it's place if one can't make a probabilistic sequence model.

Mining databases of text, image, and sound sequences is becoming more important as more data is available on the web. Books like DEKM are valuable algorithm resources for extracting knowledge all sorts of sequence data. ... Read more

Book Description

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistryprovides a readable, uncomplicated and accessible introduction to those in allied health and other fields who have little or no background in chemistry. The author uses the same style and integrated pedagogy that have made her one-semester book so successful, balancing technical accuracy and everyday examples to help chemistry come to life for readers.For college instructors and students. ... Read more

Book Description

This book not only covers reactions, products and processes with and from biological catalysts, but also the process of designing and improving such biocatalysts, taking into account all recent insights.
A unique feature is that the fields of organic chemistry, biology and bioengineering receive equal attention, such that practitioners and students from all three areas are addressed. ... Read more

Book Description

Extensively revised and updated, this authoritative biochemistry text is known worldwide for its comprehensive and up-to-date coverage. Extensively illustrated and user-friendly, the text offers examples pf how knowledge of biochemistry is essential for understanding the molecular basis of health and disease. The 26th edition also features expanded content on results of the Human Genome Project. Perfect as both text and USMLE review. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

It Is Not A Textbook ! It Is A Referance Book!
The book, at least from my point of view, is not a good book to grasp the core concepts of Biochemistry from at the beginning of your biochemistry course.Actually,it is a tool by which you can get a deep understanding of the subject by the aid of other books that can give you the full picture of Biochemistry. Its advantage is in that it covers in details many of the topics that other books usually do not cover. I remember many times finding myself opening the book looking for some details that some professors mention as extra bits which are not found in the other textbooks and present in this book. I recommend it as a reference book for medical students but not a textbook.

Top-of-the-Pop reference book
I am a medical student having studied medicine and biochemistry for the past 3 years. I found the Harper's Biochemistry by a coincidence on the university library.......it is now my favored reference on biochemical and some physiological matters being very concise with more specific details than many other biochemistry textbooks. Said that, I might have more value in your last periods of biochemistry and physiology and as a reference for the rest of your study. Thats why you should go to the library to try it for a couple of months. But then again....you will not be disappointed. S. Wiedemann - Denmark.

Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry
This edition is brilliant. The authors did a fantastic job in displaying such difficult information. The chapter summaries are key for holistic understanding, and the illustrations are very simplistic and highly memorable. Indeed, a job well done. It is perfect for any medical biochemistry course, and the added molecular biology completes the biochemical literature.

The don juan for biochem books
As a Doctor of Pharmacy student, I came across this book during the beginning of the semester while taking biochemistry. This book in my opinion should be owned by all students in the medicinal field. Getting an A in the class was made alot easier to me just because of this book. I found myself using Harper's more than the original required class text book. At a great price compartively with information given..this book is a must. Ive also used Lippincotts Illustrated Biochemistry,as good as that book is, I would say spend the extra 15$ and get one that is alot more in detail.

Detailed information presented in a succinct manner
This is the best biochemistry book for medical students on the market. Medical students need a biochemistry textbook that balances detail with brevity. Harper's biochem does this very well. The chapters are well organized, well written and quite short. The brevity of each chapter makes it easy to digest in one sitting. It also allows specificity as you do not have to scan large chapters looking for information. There is a good balance of diagrams and text and the diagrams are of good quality. The 26th edition is shorter than the 25th edition and the information is more condensed, some chapters have been removed and the information incorporated into existing chapters. Many of the excellent diagrams are retained from the 25th edition. I recommend this text to all medical students. ... Read more

Book Description

In the genome era, the analysis of gene expression has become a critical requirement in many laboratories. But there has been no comprehensive source of strategic, conceptual, and technical information to guide this often complex task. Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes answers that need. Written by two experienced investigators, Michael Carey and Stephen Smale at the UCLA School of Medicine, and based in part on the Gene Expression course taught at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, this book directly addresses all the concerns of a laboratory studying the regulation of a newly isolated gene and the biochemistry of a new transcription factor.

Chapter 1 reviews the state-of-the-art in the RNA polymerase II transcription field;

Chapters 2–10 are a systematic guide to the investigation of regulatory mechanisms for newly identified genes;

Chapters 11–15 discuss approaches for synthesizing recombinant transcription factors, analyzing their binding, and deciphering their mode of action.

Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes reveals not only what to do but why, and how to plan properly for success. This approach is ideal for graduate students, physician-scientists, postdocs, and others entering the field, but is also valuable for established investigators undertaking in-depth studies in specific systems. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a great reference for transcription lab work!
I purchased this book for my lab and I cannot praise it highly enough.The only problem is that grad students and postdocs keep stealing it from my office and I'm always having to go out and hunt it down on someone's bench!When introducing a new technique to your lab, it is a good idea to read the chapater on that technique before you pick up your pipet.The descriptions of methodology and the degree of detail are first rate. I hope that Carey and Smale bring out a new edition soon that covers the new innovations in the transcription field from the five years since their current edition was published.

Lori Bernstein
Assistant Professor
Texas A & M University

Good Book for the beginner and expert....
There are so many method for experiment regarding transcriptional regulations. In this book, you may find brief purpose, background knowledge and technical guide for the allmost experiment about transcriptionalregulations. ... Read more

Book Description

Organic and Biological Chemistryprovides a readable, uncomplicated and accessible introduction to those in allied health and other fields who have little or no background in chemistry. The author uses the same style and integrated pedagogy that has made her book so successful, balancing technical accuracy and everyday examples to help chemistry come to life.For college students instructors and students. ... Read more

Book Description

Molecular markers have opened exciting new windows through which to view the natural biological world. This treatment addresses the many applications for genetic markers (from polymorphic proteins and DNA) from the perspectives of population biology, behavioral ecology, organismal evolution, and phylogeny. Opening chapters review the history and purview of molecular approaches, and compare and contrast various laboratory techniques for revealing molecular markers. Subsequent chapters review the extensive scientific literature of molecular ecology and evolution, and describe a cornucopia of captivating discoveries about nature's workings, past and present.

The book is taxonomically balanced with numerous examples from plants, animals, and microbes. It is also temporally balanced with examples ranging from assessments of genetic parentage and kinship in the most recent generations to phylogenetic assessments deep in the Tree of Life (and nearly everything in-between). This Second Edition of a seminal work (first published in 1994) brings the reader up-to-date on the many dramatic advances and insights made over the last decade. Furthermore, by retaining descriptions of many pioneering works, this book also traces the empirical and conceptual roots of each subject, and thereby provides a rich sense of the field's history.

Appropriate for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and scientists in such disciplines as ecology, genetics, population biology, ethology, molecular biology, systematics, and conservation biology, this new edition is for anyone interested in the application of molecular markers to organisms in the wild. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great.
Excelent book, full of diverse examples. Excelent to read too. Full of very interesting informations. Everyone who is interested at the subject should read it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good if you need quick quick coverage.
Nicely summed up by the reviewer below. If you need a very quick-and-dirty review, this is good. I take points off due to the lack of index and some weak sections. At this point, QBank leads me to believe that this book may not cover everything I needed to know.. but good for last minute stuff, especially if you hate Biochem like myself.

Good choice for USMLE
High Yield Biochemistry is the perfect book for a one or two day board review. It is easy reading without the complex charts and detail needed in the first year of medical school. The book does miss some major points. Vitamin overdoses are weak, as are some major disorders/deficiencies like Diabetes, G6pdh, Hbs/Hbc, and purine salvage. ... Read more