Book Description

Principles of Molecular Virology, Third Edition provides an essential introduction to modern virology in a clear and concise manner. It is a highly enjoyable and readable text with numerous illustrations that enhance the reader's understanding of important principles. This edition has been updated and revised with new figures and text.
It also includes a CD-ROM with material that complements the text. The CD-ROM includes interactive tutorials, virtual experiments and multiple-choice questions.

Key Features
* New to 3E:
* Viruses and Apoptosis (Chapter 6)
* Bacteriophages and Human Disease (Chapter 7)
* Learning objectives for each chapter
* Pronunciation section in Glossary and abbreviations section (Appendix 1)
* Key events in the history of virology (Appendix 3)
* Addition of colour in text and figures to enhance understanding of key points
* Inclusion of CD containing interactive learning resources to complement text, e.g. tutorials, MCQ's, Virtual experiments, PPT slide set containing lecture notes; Different CD with standard and Instructor's edition
* Virology on-line section - encourages readers to access the Internet to find further information
* Also:
* Self assessment questions at the end of each chapter
* Classification of Subcellular Infectious agents
* Approx. 20% new material and completely revised throughout
* Over 120 figures ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Virology in an understandable manner
Well, let's see, molecular virology is definitely a hard-to understand science. Fortunately, for begginers like me, A.J Cann wrote this book. I think it is an awesome one, but it has its drawbacks.
Pros: Easy to read ( i mean, critical concepts, especially genetics, come up very clearly ), relatively easy to understand, and final review questions that really stick concepts in your mind. Also excellent prospective view about why molecular virology is important.
Cons: Not enough pictures. Imagination is a useful tool, but not that much ! This is why this superb book deserves only 4 stars. Still, it is worth the money, and belongs to the shelf of every virologist or infectious disease expert/fan/student.

Respectable beginning text on virology.
I took virology while in med school, and it made less sense to me then neuroscience did at first. Part of that was the presentation methods of the professors, and part of it was their refusal to use or even recommend a decent textbook to refer to. I found the monster books on virology they place in the reference section of the medical school library, but trying to afford those books on your own is impossible. And they were so technical and so detailed, that it did not give a decent overview of the field and you had to use the index to find what you wanted. Too big.

This book by Cann is a good addition to anyone interested in the field of virology. Since the emergence of new or at least never seen before diseases, more people are wanting to familiarize themselves with viruses, and now prions. I was a little disappointed at the short chapter on prions, but since this was on viruses I was expecting more than he needed to deliver. The text is well-written and concise, but limited in historical background which I think adds to understanding and interest. Placing discoveries of science in context of social and cultural background helps to tie primary information in with other memory, so that that information can be recalled. Since there are other books which provide the historical overview of the discovery of viruses and means to control them (vaccinations, etc.) it isn't absolutely necessary for this text to explain it. It just a personal preference I have where I think science should be placed in context of social and cultural norms, and the public health history aids in understanding why developing vaccines for some diseases was given priority over others.

This is a good and inexpensive book which can be referred back to for papers. I would highly recommend this particular text for those who are in virology classes, where the professors are not explaining to your understanding or satisfaction, or when you need to know more about the genetic makeup of viruses, or their ability to use normal cells to reproduce. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Descent book on virology
The way the concepts are presented in this text book are far from being fair. They are poorly demonstrated and use of pictures is poor. While it serves its use in giving information on virology at a great price, it fails in comparison to other books, while double the price, worth it in every way. I recommend saving up and getting either Medical Virology, 4th ED or Sherris Medical Microbiology; either one is good and far better then this title - as well as providing way more information, the latter book includes key concepts in immunology, parasitology and indepth on bacteriology. Don't be fooled by the price, this information isn't presented clearly to learn virology off of. If you're serious in learning about virology and/or infectious diseases, check out first the books stated above first.

Excellent summary of the field; easy to read
I'm not a biologist, but having developed an interest in virology, I searched for a book that would explain the basic principles in an understandable manner without too much jargon and too detailed illustrations or explanations (or too high a cost!). This book provides an overview of the field and sufficiently detailed but understandable information on virus structure and processes. Written well, it is a readable text with numerous illustrations that enhance understanding of important principles. Frankly, it was also enjoyable to read. The chapters in some detail cover the viral processes like attachment and replication, the genome, and infection and the immune system responses. Both plant and human viruses are studied, and specific examples such as the picornaviruses (polioviruses), TMV, adenoviruses, retroviruses, and HHV/HIV are specifically mentioned in each chapter, adding example to observation. The author is also not shy about telling us where molecular virology is lacking information, which should provide clues for graduate students looking for research topics. What info the author does include (and this book is wealthy in facts) is presented clearly and understandably, so that a beginner like myself or even an intermediate student would find this a useful reference. This is a great book for anyone who has a working level of scientific training in any field. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for more understanding of the microbial universe -- based on the text, I have a better perspective on the competition and cooperation between microbes. What fascinated me most is that the book details, without specifically stating it, the intelligence at work in creating and sustaining the viral structures, in helping them become a success even though their success is a detriment to humans.

Finally an understandable book on virology!
As a neuroscience student, I took a class on virology that I wasn't required to take. However, since I was working on AIDS and rabies, I decided I needed the background. Between the bad teaching and the horrible textbook, I ended up taking an audit in the class and came away from it very confused. This book managed to simply clarify everything that those supposedly distinquished professors of virology and the writers of the textbooks for the class couldn't do. Now as a science educator I am always horrified at how scientists take simple ideas and subjects and make them difficult for students or laypersons to understand. That isn't the motive for teaching science or at least shouldn't be. This text on virology is understandable to everyone, especially if someone like me who is deaf and therefore has English reading skills that are different from the norm can comprehend what the author is saying. All I can say to this author is Bravo, and why aren't you writing more! Karen L. Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh ... Read more

Book Description

Modern machine learning techniques are proving to be extremely valuable for the analysis of data in computational biology problems. One branch of machine learning, kernel methods, lends itself particularly well to the difficult aspects of biological data, which include high dimensionality (as in microarray measurements), representation as discrete and structured data (as in DNA or amino acid sequences), and the need to combine heterogeneous sources of information. This book provides a detailed overview of current research in kernel methods and their applications to computational biology.

Following three introductory chapters -- an introduction to molecular and computational biology, a short review of kernel methods that focuses on intuitive concepts rather than technical details, and a detailed survey of recent applications of kernel methods in computational biology -- the book is divided into three sections that reflect three general trends in current research. The first part presents different ideas for the design of kernel functions specifically adapted to various biological data; the second part covers different approaches to learning from heterogeneous data; and the third part offers examples of successful applications of support vector machine methods. ... Read more

Book Description

Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, Second Edition is an introductory text that incorporates phylogenetic principles and methods throughout—from the careful explanation of phylogenetic methods and principles in the initial two chapters to the taxonomic survey of vascular plant families in the last two chapters.

Orders and families are recircumscribed to represent monophyletic groups, largely following the most recent classification of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. The sources of taxonomic evidence are discussed, including morphology, anatomy, embryology, chromosomes, palynology, secondary plant compounds, proteins, and DNA. Molecular taxonomic methods are fully presented, and throughout the book reference is made to the results of recent studies, both molecular and morphological. A chapter on the history of plant classification puts current systematic methods in a historical context. Issues relating to variation in plant populations and species, including discussion of speciation, species concepts, polyploidy, hybridization, breeding systems, and introgression are carefully considered. Botanical nomenclature and field and herbarium methods are discussed in two appendices. New to the Second Edition are a chapter presenting an overview of the phylogeny of the green plants (with an emphasis on the vascular plants), a detailed glossary of botanical and biological terms, and coverage of 16 additional families of vascular plants. All chapters have been thoroughly updated, taking into account recent taxonomic methods and hypotheses.

The text is copiously illustrated, using in large part the informative analytical drawings developed as part of the Generic Flora of the Southeastern United States project. The text is accompanied by a much expanded CD-ROM, containing over 2,200 color photos illustrating the diagnostic characters of (and variability within) the vascular plant families covered in the text, including many images showing floral and fruit dissections. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Second edition
The second edition (2002) has been much expanded (from 464 to 576 pages) and has been adjusted to keep up with the (headlong) developments in this field. It also includes more descriptions of families.

In some ways the book has not changed. The same illustrations were used giving it the same look. It remain an introductory book, that although set up along the lines of a systembook is only of limited use as such, since coverage is far from complete. The Appendix on "Botanical nomenclature" is still a soft spot. Not only is the (badly) erroneous bit on the naming of cultivated plants still there, but the slanted view of the ICBN has worsened (the ICBN even being called "Linnaean"!) and the PhyloCode is plugged.

However this remains the foremost textbook for those wanting a start in plant taxonomy, a field that is changing ever more rapidly.

PHYLOGENY AND NIRVANA
Several colleagues have recently adopted, or plan to adopt the new textbook by JUDD, W. S., CAMPBELL, C. S., KELLOGG, E. A. & STEVENS, P. F. 1999. Plant systematics, a phylogenetic approach. ISBN 0-87893-404-9, for teaching vascular plant taxonomy. The book has some very useful introductory chapters on modern tools, which provide students with an insight on the applications of phytochemistry, mollecular biology and confection of cladograms.
Surely plant (and other) systematics bear on a traditional use of systems which have inherent flaws, given the tremendous diversity os species (or whatever you can call the final taxa) they deal with. The limitations of a patchy fossil record render phylogenetic approaches, however tempting their confection may be for a plant scientist in his search of a broader understanding, a kind of Nirvana that can never be completely conquered. We can know with some accuracy how long ago currently fossilized plants lived, but anyone familiar with the concept of convergence can hardly attribute affinities to a leaf imprint not attached to a flower or vice versa. Oddly enough, some of these concerns are addressed in Chapter 1 of the book, which is not consistent with the classification system proposed [since a large number of smaller but very important families was left out].
On p. 3 the book addresses the theory-neutral approach and clearly states it's intent to go further - into Phylogenetic interpretations. Conversely the most exhaustive numeric study of all species in a single extant genus, using all characters one can securely split into states, will shed light on their similarities, providing just another elegant and often valuable way to organize data, such as a cladogram. Distinguishing similarities reflecting true affinities from those brought about by convergence remains a cumbersome task which shall always rely on traditional methods.
The comment on p. 6 says: "We do not know the actual phylogeny of any nontrivial group of organisms [what would a trivial one be?], but instead must infer phylogenies from the data available to us." I have trouble agreeing with this point of view, since available data is admittedly patchy and often inconsistent. Paths in the true cladogram of evolution can not be retraced based on assumptions. We only have access to the dense upper surface of the crown, while the gross remainder of the tree's branches and trunk are obstructed from view. No matter from which angle one looks at it, Phylogeny draws on a generous dose of guesswork. On the practical purpose of classification, I cannot but paraphrase CRONQUIST (1988:12), one of the traditional taxonomists excommunicated in this book: "In taxonomy, consistency must always be secondary to the primary objective of recognizing natural groups on the basis of all available information".
Fitting the entire universe of traditional knowledge and current advances of plant systematics into a comprehensive book for students at any level poses obvious problems: How does one cope with limited space to organize the maelstrom of data? Our minds need to create categories in order to control storage and retreival of information. Obviously some omitting is inevitable, but at least the general idea of diversity must come across. In that sense I am especially intrigued by the comment by Michael Donoghue in the foreword "Students will readily appreciate the desirability of abandoning ranks altogether."
Following one of the modern trends, some groups of plants in the book's system, (for ex. used for Orchids in Dahlgren's treatment) are named using formal taxonomic rank, while other are not. If a group is recognized as separate, why not give it a rank? One inherent function of ranks is providing a common language - the only method of sharing knowledge currently used by humans. It must be recognized that the way in which ranks are currently applied is not problem-free: why must there be a defined number of them, let's say, between family and species? Rather than eliminating ranks, we should create new ways to apply them and see them.
No matter how deeply modern views have shifted, we can never entirely erase nor replace the results presented in old publications. Students need to know and understand important footsteps in 2 centuries of botanical investigation, which have paved the way toward current advances. We can now add new characters from an arsenal of chemical and mollecular data, ecological observations and a substantially improved matrix of geographic data. Regardless of academic rank, we are all students with a mission to discover and organize information and convey knowledge, not to ignore, misplace or ommit data. How can a student fit families like the Acanthochlamydaceae, Acoraceae, Boryaceae, Burmanniaceae, Corsiaceae, Costaceae, Didieraceae, Epacridaceae, Lemnaceae, Velloziaceae or Xyridaceae into such a system, when they are not even in the alphabetical index?
A good system must account for every component as best it can. Misplacing taxa (implicitly considered the most common flaw of traditional classifications) is still better than making-believe that odd parts don't exist. The argument of producing a textbook for undergraduate courses does not justify the omission of important plant families. Students deserve to start out at least with a complete set of families and the tools to recognize them. Even a great job of organizing a mere subset of information has very limited practical value, especially if Phylogeny is one of its main goals. Some of the smaller families which were left out are very important from both the taxonomic and the phytogeographic perspectives. Despite some hardships such as dichotomic keys starting with presence or absence of betalains, Cronquist's system remains the most recent comprehensive reference guide to the diversity of flowering plant families, simple enough to be used at the undergraduate level.
Though data from modern sources, such as molecular and chemical, are used in the introductory chapters, it is not quite clear how this data was usen in confecting the classification by JUDD et al., and there is no way of knowing whether the new system proposed shall hold its consistency after all omitted families of vascular plants are included in the data.

A essential book
The book of W. Judd is essential to all Botany student and studious of Systematics and General Botanical. For the ones that still feel difficulties in the comprehension of the concepts of Phylogenetic Systematics, the clear text and explanative allows a very clear vision of the whole process. The approach of the initial chapters, mostly of the chapter 2 is too much elucidative, allowing to the reader if involve with the study themes, learning simultaneously all vision of the phylogenetic systematic current. It is a book that can't miss in shelf of any botanist or studous of plants.

a college text
Dr. Judd is an amazing lecturer and has provided an excellent pictorial CD along with the textbook. While this book is used as as a college text I often refer to it when discussing plants in general.

On modern plant taxonomy
There seems to be a pretty universal agreement that this is the book to have for those who want to keep up with what is happening in modern plant systematics. It is a wonderfully concise text that clearly states principles and gives good practical examples. Also it gives a good overview of the main groups in the APG-system (based on three genes combined with more traditional taxonomical characters). The conciseness is also, in a way, its weak point. It leaves out much that traditionally belongs in basic taxonomy texts, so that it is dubious how well this work is suited as an introduction to plant taxonomy. The many plant groups that are not treated detract from its usefulness as "system book". Another quibble is that the illustrations (line drawings) are all borrowed from other sources, so that style and quality varies. ... Read more

Book Description

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that transmits signals in an organism. Signal transmission by a gas that is produced by one cell and which penetrates through membranes and regulates the function of another cell represents an entirely new principle for signaling in biological systems.
NO is a signal molecule of key importance for the cardiovascular system acting as a regulator of blood pressure and as a gatekeeper of blood flow to different organs. NO also exerts a series of other functions, such as acting a signal molecule in the nervous system and as a weapon against infections. NO is present in most living creatures and made by many different types of cells.
NO research has led to new treatments for treating heart as well as lung diseases, shock, and impotence. Scientists are currently testing whether NO can be used to stop the growth of cancerous tumors, since the gas can induce programmed cell death, apoptosis.
This book is the first comprehensive text on nitric oxide to cover all aspects--basic biology, chemistry, pathobiology, effects on various disease states, and therapeutic implications.

Key Features
* Edited by Nobel Laureate Louis J. Ignarro, editor of the Academic Press journal, Nitric Oxide
* Authored by world experts on nitric oxide
* Includes an overview of basic principles of biology and chemical biology
* Covers principles of pathobiology, including the nervous system, cardiovascular function, pulmonary function, and immune defense ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A nice introduction to structural biology
This book deserves 5 stars on the basis of its color stereo diagrams alone! Well done. I wish I had this book when I was starting out as a graduate student! A very good explanation of structural hierarchy. Plus the book also contains excellent details of structure of proteins belonging to specific families -for ex., antibodies. Even today, for my work, I find it very convenient to look into the book first for some structural information rather than into the PDB databases. And yes, I do have a very good pair of stereo glasses always on hand!

If Frank Lloyd Wright did proteins...
This is truly a monument to the architecture of proteins: a gorgeous tour of the structures that dwell within us. The "frozen music" of biology is clearly presented in beautiful detail. The computer-generated renderings give pause to anyone who wonders what God was up to when She thought about creating life. Proteins, as represented here, are Her finest efforts. Visually stunning is only the most obvious aspect of this amazing introduction to structural genomics (proteinomics): the systematic study of protein structures. This is a serious graduate level textbook.

The text should be considered for any introductory graduate level course in biochemistry. Beginning with sound chemical principles, the text lays a solid foundation for the concepts of secondary and tertiary structure within protein. The author builds a superstructure from which to view the motifs of cofactor binding domains and active sites in enzymes.

Each chapter concludes with exercises, problems and "weblems". The weblems underscore the fact that structural genomics, a branch of bioinformatics, is a hot topic in the biotech arena. The weblems ask the reader to pursue ideas on the world wide web. The author provides the reader with a wealth of websites ranging from browser plug-in software for viewing crystal structures, to sources of those structures, to sequence alignment servers which will allow the student to do real research. Well thought-out, the weblems posed are useful to the student in exploring the topics of each chapter.

The author sticks to protein architecture avidly, issues of how proteins fold or how structure might be predicted from amino acid sequence are presented to the reader. It is a credit to the author that he does not speculate on these very hot research topics. The bibiliography for each chapter is current to mid-2000.

A student using this text will have greater insight and understanding of the literature of protein structure, folding, and prediction of structure. This book would also be a useful reference to the veteran practitioner, summarizing an early 21st century look at this field. ... Read more

Book Description

Molecular Biology of the Skin: The Keratinocyte comprehensively reviews the major aspects of keratinocyte and epidermal differentiation, physiology, and pathology, primarily focusing on the molecular aspects. This exciting new resource discusses keratin genes, retinoic acid, and the use of transgenic animals in the study of dermatological pathology. The volume also highlights areas of genetic disease, new animal models to help in understanding dermatological disorders, and gene therapy using skin as a target. W.W. Franke, a pioneer in the study of the molecular biology of keratins, has written the foreword for the book.
Molecular Biology of the Skin: The Keratinocyte is intended for use by dermatologists and basic researchers in cell and developmental biology. It will also be valuable for surgeons and other clinicians as well as researchers in gene therapy, virology, and pharmacology.

*
* Reviews keratinocyte (and epidermal) differentiation. physiology, and pathology, focusing on the molecular aspects
* -Discusses keratin genes, retinoic acid, and the use of transgenic animals in the study of dermatalogical pathology
* -Highlights genetic disease, new animal models, and gene therapy ... Read more

Book Description

This authoritative text begins with an introduction to basic microarray technology. The author then provides clear explanations of the conceptual and theoretical basis of this technology, followed by thorough and multi-disciplinary coverage of modern and emerging applications. The coverageincludes chapters on microarray informatics, gene expression profiling, genetic diagnostics, and novel microarray technologies. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Highly Recommended
"...the book is highly recommended as an excellent one stop resource on microarray technology" (Proteomics)

Recommended Book
"...a very personal, encyclopedic, diffuse compendium of everything known about microarrays...fun to read...full of information that a working biologist...might be quite interested to learn." (ASM News, Vol. 69, No. 7, 2003)

A grand introduction to a daunting field
As an emerging discipline, Microarray analysis is somewhat overwhelming and this book provides an excellent overview and introduction. While it does not give the reader the ability to perform high level data analysis, it certainly provides the criteria which would be necessary to design one. I personally rather enjoyed the casual and light hearted editaorial handling of what could have been a very dry text. I am an engineer, interested in the techniques of Microarray analysis more than the actual execution, but even I found the book extremely valuable. An excellent introductory and intermediate text. Readable by and valuable to almost anyone with a basic background in and understanfding of the life sciences. Extraordinary and a great addition to any library!

Excellent Foundational Text on Microarray Technology
The Microarray Analysis book by Dr. Mark Schena does an excellent job of taking the reader thru the multiple technologies and science disciplines required to understand and use the power of the microarray. It's interdisciplinary and broad approach allows complete understanding of the field without wasting time on aspects of the field which are sill evolving. It's elegantly written. Chapter 13, which talks about the use of microarrays in genetic screening, testing and diagnostics, is one of Schena's greatest accomplishments, in a historic and socio-economic sense. This contribution alone, makes the book a must read to prepare for the microarray revolution in medicine, agriculture, ecology and bio-threat detection. Strongly recommended reading for anyone seriously interested in Microarrays, be they students, professors expanding their horizons or CEO's hoping to mine microarrays. Hats off to Dr. Mark Schena!

An Excellent Text
"...an excellent text...a valuable reference...If you need to know what microarrays are, how they can be used, how they work, and how you can analyze the data...then this book will provide the insight." (Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 49, No. 6, 2003) ... Read more

Book Description

Published by New Science Press, this text introduces general principles of protein structure, folding, and function, then goes beyond these basics to tackle the conceptual basis of inferring structure and function from genomic sequence. It is the first book in a series, Primers in Biology, employing a modular design in which chapters are divided into topics, each occupying one two-page spread that includes the relevant text, illustrations (in full color), definitions, and references.

The book has five chapters. The first is an introduction to the principles of protein structure and folding, with emphasis on proteins' biophysical properties. The second describes the principles of the main biochemical functions of proteins, namely binding and catalysis, with a short section on the properties of structural proteins. Chapter 3 covers the regulation of protein function, containing concise descriptions of all the regulatory mechanisms that operate on proteins, from pH to phosphorylation, with several sections on protein switches based on nucleotide hydrolysis. Chapter 4 introduces the principles whereby structure and function are deduced from sequence, with illustrative examples. The final chapter addresses how data on protein structure is gathered, interpreted, and presented.

Written for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students, Protein Structure and Function will also be useful for working scientists needing an up-to-date introduction to the field. ... Read more

Book Description

In this introduction to computational molecular biology, Rex Dwyer explains many basic computational problems and gives concise, working programs to solve them in the Perl programming language.With minimal prerequisites, he covers the biological background for each problem, develops a model for the solution, and then introduces the Perl concepts needed to implement the solution.The chapters discuss pairwise and multiple sequence alignment, fast database searches for homologous sequences, protein motif identification, genome rearrangement, physical mapping, phylogeny reconstruction, satellite identification, sequence assembly, gene finding, and RNA secondary structure. Concrete examples and a step-by-step approach enable readers to grasp the computational and statistical methods. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

a nice book
This book was very favorably reviewed on perl.com.

Not a good perl programming book period!
This books tries to combine and explain both bioinformatics and perl programming yet fails miserably at both. Though I have taken a class on learning perl this code is difficult to read and poorly explained. The bioinformatics is useless because the examples are simply stupid. For example instead of using free energy to determine RNA folding the author uses hydrogen bonding which is completely irrelavent or predicting species by using %gc or %at content between two organsims also useless. If you are looking for bioinformatics programming tips this book will not help you.
Variables are introduced that are not explained and the program is written in the most condensed possible way making it difficult to read and leaving you wading through each line. I am thankful I have taken programming perl and bioinformatics or this book would be of zero value. If I could I would give this book a -5 stars. Check it out at a library before you BUY!!!!!!! Even if perl.com reviews the book favorably the biology is at best completely WRONG!!! Buy O'Riely's advanced bioinformatics.

Develops effective genomic toolkits for UNIX, Windows & Mac
Combines intuitive derivations of most key algorithms, thoughtful use of key references to illustrate solutions of main problems with a detailed example, and develop well documented, carefully programmed,perl toolkit. The 65 routines on the CD in UNIX, Windows, and Mac formats perform most of the essential maipulations of GenBank sequences. I only miss Hidden Markov Model routines. ... Read more

Book Description

Ever since James Watson and Francis Crick proposed their double-helical structure of DNA in 1953, biology has been in the throes of a revolution in knowledge at the molecular level. This Schaum's Outline was written to help bring order and understanding to this rapidly expanding field. As a succinct overview of the subject, it will supplement any molecular biology course or provide the foundation needed for advanced courses. The text material is presented in a question and answer format; each concept is explained as an answer to a specific question. At the end of each chapter are objective questions of several kinds; multiple choice, true-false, fill-ins, and matching. These objective questions can be used to evaluate the extent to which the text material has been mastered, while also preparing the student for this kind of examination format. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SCHAUM'S OUTLINES MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY
I consider molecular and cell biology an excellent review book for people who want an introduction of the field. Also it can help readers who want to refresh their knowledge. It is well organized, in fourteen different chapters, with multilple review questions and answers in each of them. I found the coverage of each chapter comprehensive. Objective questions at the end of each chapter helped to assess your level of understanding. I certainly recommend this book to people who study biological related sciences. ... Read more

Book Description

Biochemical Pathways An Atlas of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Edited by Gerhard Michal Modern biochemistry is a complex field, combining areas of cell biology, molecular biology, medicine, immunology, genetics-even neuroscience. Many of these disciplines converge in the dynamic arena of research dealing with metabolic processes and other mechanisms present at the cellular and molecular level. Biochemical Pathways offers a truly unique road map to modern biochemistry. In full and vivid color, it features detailed charts-each color-coded and accompanied by a brief explanation-of metabolic pathways and their relationship to regulation pathways. Important mechanisms of molecular biology are reviewed in the second part of the book. This encyclopedic compendium goes well beyond traditional biochemistry to cover some very specialized pathways and many aspects of regulation. The clear, systematic presentation includes:
* Metabolic structures and reaction mechanisms
* The intermediates and enzymes involved
* Metabolic branching points
* Transcription and translation
* Signal transduction
* Transport mechanisms
* Blood coagulation, immunology, and the complement system
Current, referenced, and easy-to-use, Biochemical Pathways is bound to become a classic in the field. It is a one-of-a-kind visual guide for researchers and scholars in all areas of the life sciences. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent. A MUST for anyone in biochemistry and endocrine
This is by far the best written and illustrated book for pathways I have ever seen. If I was teaching a course, it would be absolutely required.

"Bichemical Pathways"...Great content, Poor Presentation
Comprehensive references of bochemical pathways are not common, especially with well described cofactors, modulators, and interactions with disparate pathways. This book could provide such a useful reference, unfortunately, the quality of the layout is so poor as to make it very difficult to read. Poor graphic quality, exceptionally small fonts, and poor color choices render what should be a most useful reference into a visually challenging document. At the price, the book is a disappointment, although the content is great. One wishes that the editors would rerelease it after completely revising the graphics and production quality, as the content is indeed very useful.

"Biochemical Pathways..." - An excellent reference guide
The book "Biochemical Pathways..." is the book of choice if you quickly need information on a particular biochemical reaction, substrate or enzyme and serves well as an excellent reference guide. It is a comprehensive book version of the well-known Boehringer Mannheim wallchart "Biochemical Pathways" that can surely be found in almost every laboratory on the world. The book is color-coded and in addition to the enormous biochemical wallchart data gives a large body of overview information about fundamental aspects concerning enzyme structure, viruses and even the immune system. ... Read more

Book Description

Two factors dominate current molecular biology: the amount of raw data is increasing very rapidly and successful applications in biomedical research require carefully curated and annotated databases.  The quality of the experimental data — especially nucleic acid sequences — is satisfactory; however, annotations depend on features inferred from the data rather than measured directly, for instance the identification of genes in genome sequences. It is essential that these inferences are as accurate as possible and this requires human intervention. 

With the recognition of the importance of accurate database annotation and the requirement for individuals with particular constellations of skills to carry it out, annotators are emerging as specialists within the profession of bioinformatics.  This book compiles information about annotation — its current status, what is required to improve it, what skills must be brought to bear on database curation and hence what is the proper training for annotators.

The book should be essential reading for all people working on biological databases, both biologists and computer scientists.  It will also be of interest to all users of such databases, including molecular biologists, geneticists, protein chemists, clinicians and drug developers.

... Read more

Book Description

Yeasts are the world's premier industrial micro-organisms. In addition to their wide exploitation in the production of foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals, yeasts also play significant roles as model eukaryotic cells in furthering our knowledge in the biological and biomedical sciences. In order for modern biotechnology to fully exploit the activities of yeasts, it is essential to appreciate aspects of yeast cell physiology. In recent years, however, our knowledge of yeast physiological phenomena has lagged behind that of yeast genetics and molecular biology. Yeast Physiology and Biotechnology redresses the balance by linking key aspects of yeast physiology with yeast biotechnology. Individual chapters provide broad and timely coverage of yeast cytology, nutrition, growth and metabolism - important aspects of yeast cell physiology which are pertinent to the practical uses of yeasts in industry. The final chapter reviews traditional, modern and emerging biotechnologies in which roles of yeasts in the production of industrial commodities and their value in biomedical research are fully discussed. Relevant aspects of classical and modern yeast genetics and molecular biology are fully integrated into the appropriate chapters. This up-to-date and fully referenced book is aimed at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate bioscience students,but will also prove to be a valuable source of information for yeast researchers and technologists. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Nice figures
I'm new to molecular evolution and have been confused with various terms and concepts (e.g., cladogram vs. phylogram vs. dendrogram, plesiomorphy vs. apomorphy vs. autapomorphy vs. synapomorphy vs. homoplasy, etc.). Reading other books that try to explain these concepts mostly in words only added more confusion.

Every page in this book contains highly illustrative figures that accompanies well written text. Of course, not all sections are not immediately clear to understand, and I would need to read other books as well.

If you are new to molecular evolution, start with this book along with any other books that may suit your particular need.

Trees and more trees
Although molecular phylogenetic analysis can be extremely complex, this reference provides an introduction to the subject that is straightforward to read. The reference begins with consideration of trees, which are structures used to model actual evolutionary relationships between genes or entire lifeforms. It then provides an introduction to molecular and population genetics. Coding as well as noncoding DNA (tandem repeats, transposable elements, retroviruses, spacer DNA) is considered. The reference then considers how genetic change can be measured, followed by how we can deduce molecular phylogenies. The validity of the molecular clock is then considered, along with a discussion of the neutralist-selectionist debate. The reference finally considers how different phylogenies can be combined to determine actual phylogeny, reconciled trees, and rates of diversification.

Handy read
This book is very well written and a handy tool for anyone who is new to molecular evolution. Nice diagrams and concise chapters. The authors know how to break up the sometimes demanding ideas into appropriate bites. Perfect for grad students and senior undergrads. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents the statistical methods that are useful in the study of molecular evolution and illustrates how to use them in actual data analysis. It is appropriate for graduate students and researchers (assuming a basic knowledge of evolution, moecular biology, and elementary statistics), allowing many investigators to incorporate refined statistical analysis of large-scale data in their own work. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A valuable addition
I don't look for any one book to answer all my questions. This one carries its weight, though, and maybe a bit more.

The first section gives the clearest and most detailed description of nucleotide sequence comparisons I've seen. I'm no biologist, but it really got me thinking about some new ways to talk about substitution matrices.

The bulk of the book covers what I hoped for originally: phylogenetic trees. The authors choose an unusual approach - it doesn't quite meet the authors' initial promise of math-minimization, but doesn't climb too far up the ivory tower, either. I find it a very practical, usable level of presentation. I'd be nervous about going beyond their formulas, since the math for real understanding isn't all there. Still, the phylogeny discussion covers a lot of material, and covers it well enough for me to write programs about most of it.

The final section addresses population genetics. I have nothing against population genetics, it just never seemed to point where I'm headed. Nei and Kumar corrected my mis-impression. Population gentics is the background model, the null hypothesis, behind the functions that score population differences. It really shows what happens when the tree of life branches out.

The book has some minor weaknesses. It emphasizes nucleotide sequences at the expense of peptides; I can't fault an author for writing what they want as opposed to what I want. On page one, the authors decline an intensely mathematical approach. By page 25, they're up to Poisson and gamma distances. The typography make the section breaks into a "Where's Waldo" experience. Nei's favorite author, based on citations, is Nei. Well, false modesty is no virtue. This book seems authoritative and Nei seems to be an authority, maybe not just in Nei's opinion.

This book really has given me a lot more to work with than most. Education isn't cheap these days, and this book is very educational. I just hope no one asks me to lend it any time soon.

OK, until something better comes along
Nei and Kumar's "Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics" is basically an updated version of Nei's 1987 "Molecular Evolutionary Genetics" book. Accordingly, attention is shifted to reviewing many recent advances in methods of phylogenetic inference with an obvious bias towards distance methods, particularly those which the senior author devised. In fairness, they give decent coverage to the more popular parsimony and likelihood methods as well. The great strength of the book is the number of real examples used to illustrate properties of the methods, and their focus on statistical methodology without miring the reader in detailed mathematics. The disappointment is that while breadth of coverage is tolerable, depth is lacking. Expanding their views on the shortcomings of likelihood in choosing tree topology and likelihood ratio-tests in choosing models of sequence evolution would have been most enlightening, particularly as these issues have been brushed lightly aside by phylo-likelihoodists. Other methods (Hadamard transformations, Bayesian phylogenetic inference) were absent altogether. Further the chapter on molecular clocks was disappointing--old 1980s controversies were rehashed, while there was nothing on methods that relax the assumption of rate constancy while still allowing divergences to be dated. Admittedly some of this is very new and research is ongoing, but there isn't even a hint of these developments in this chapter. Another plus though is the addition of a chapter on inferring ancestral states of molecular sequences.

Unlike Molecular Evolutionary Genetics, far too little of the book is devoted to methods at the population level, and what is there again smacks of state-of-the-art 15-20 years ago. I was hoping for much more coverage of microsatellite and AFLP data. There was very little for either, while now rarely-used RFLPs were given extensive coverage.

In short, this book was too short, particularly for the price, and I almost gave it 3 stars rather than 4. However, if you are a phylogeneticist, you will probably want to have this book on your shelf. A lighter introduction for the uninitiated would be Rod Page's "Molecular Evolution" or Graur and Li's "Fundamentals of Molecular Evolution". However, my hopes for a good comprehensive text and reference on phylogenetic methods now rest on publication of Joseph Felsenstein's "Inferring Phylogenies".

Top in its Field
This book is an excellent text and reference for both graduate students and faculty. It covers several topics in molecular evolution and phylogenetic analysis, as the title suggests. It stands as a unique contribution because the authors explain the mathematical and conceptual framework of a given topic in molecular evolution or phylogenetic analysis and give subsequent examples to show how various analytical methods can be applied to the study of that topic. In that context, the explanation of concepts was exceptionally clear, which made it easy to understand potentially difficult subject matter. This book is highly recommended to those wishing to study the analysis of genes and proteins in an evolutionary framework.

An advanced textbook for graduate students.
This is an advanced textbook on population genetics and molecular evolution. It is best recommended for graduate students with some background in population genetics and statistics. It gives a broad and thorough view of the field of molecular evolution and phylogenic different models up to date. The authors have included a lot of numerical examples to demonstrate the principles of the various models dealt with (mainly by using the MEGAII software), which helps a lot to relate to. Unlike some other general textbooks of population genetics, this book indeed concentrate mainly on phylogenic analysis and hence it's uniqueness and advantage. ... Read more

Book Description

Information Theory, Evolution and the Origin of Life presents a timely introduction to the use of information theory and coding theory in molecular biology. The genetical information system, because it is linear and digital, resembles the algorithmic language of computers. George Gamow pointed out that the application of Shannon's information theory breaks genetics and molecular biology out of the descriptive mode into the quantitative mode and Dr Yockey develops this theme, discussing how information theory and coding theory can be applied to molecular biology. He discusses how these tools for measuring the information in the sequences of the genome and the proteome are essential for our complete understanding of the nature and origin of life. The author writes for the computer competent reader who is interested in evolution and the origins of life. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Clears confusions with different concepts of entropy.
Biological literature is full of confusions stemming from using different concepts of entropy as if they are the same or related.
Thermodynamic entropy and logical (information) entropy don't correlate, and as an interesting recent example of one way that they don't, Rolf Landauer has shown that "there is no umavoidable minimal energy requirement per transmitted bit."

Yockey gives an insightful treatment of this subject, forcefully pointing out how different types of entropy are unrelated. For instance, he explains that Shannon entropy and Maxwell-Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy have nothing to do with each other, and shows how Shannon's information form of entropy makes no distinction between meaningful DNA sequences that encode life and random DNA sequences of equal length. Concluding, that evolution does not create any paradox for Shannon entropy.

Quantitative analysis of the human genome, version 2.0
I found this book to be an important and valuable resource while researching a possible Ph.D. thesis topic on interactions of DNA with enzyme pathways. Having previously studied about 95% of the math and spent a month as a Visiting Scholar in the most mathematical of the genetics labs at Harvard Medical School, I feel pretty confident that I can recommend the first half of the book to those seeking to build or broaden their professional knowledge of applied mathematics in the biological and biomedical sciences or in bioengineering. Despite its obvious importance to calculating the information content of proteins, protein folding, and cell-to-cell signalling, information theory is rarely covered in the standard biomathematics texts at all. § I think Cambridge University Press ought to ask Yockey to add text material on traditional subjects like Lottka-Volterra population studies, Turing diffusion models, Hopfield networks, and the like. Also, the book needs more exercises, so it would be easier to use for teaching. And wouldn't it be great if it were packaged in Mathematica or MatLab form! § I wish I could say something intelligent about the applications to molecular biology in the second half of the book, but I don't think I've gotten enough biochemistry and molecular genetics yet. One thing's for sure, though, it's written clearly enough that any molecular biologist familiar with the state of the art ought to be able to gauge its worth pretty quickly. Yockey's math is so good it's pretty hard to imagine he flopped on the science. § Maybe some of my own work will arrive in the 2nd edition. I can hope, can't I?

A very scientific book by a very clear-thinking scientist.
Dr. Yockey is an extremely clear thinker, and has apparently been thinking about the connections between genetics and the mathematics of information theory for some time (1956 at least). This book, probably a difficult read for the layman, is nevertheless written in an entertaining and unbiased style. Although he slyly sneaks in references to the Bible ("...through a glass darkly...", "...stones that must be rejected by the builder...", etc.), he illuminates with equanimity both creationist and evolutionist theories with the cold light of mathematics. Ultimately, he concludes that life did not happen by chance, although he admits that he has no scenario to explain its origin. He speaks as a pure scientist and should be greatly respected for this. ... Read more

Book Description

Basic Medical Endocrinology, Third Edition provides up-to-date coverage of rapidly unfolding advances in the understanding of hormones involved in regulating most aspects of bodily functions. The discussion focuses on molecular and cellular aspects of hormone production and action firmly rooted in the context of integrative physiology. Topics are approached from the perspective of a physiologist with four decades of teaching experience.

This book is richly illustrated with both descriptive schematic diagrams and laboratory findings obtained in clinical studies.Each of the thirteen in-depth chapters starts with an 'Overview' of the topic and ends with a 'Suggested Reading' list.

* Single authorship provides continuity and consistency between chapters
* Richly illustrated with over 200 illustrations
* IThirteen in-depth chapters incorporating the latest insights gleaned from rapidly expanding genetic studies of humans and rodents
* Author has taught subject for over 40 years ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition collects up-to-date information on the purification, activities, antibodies and genes for proteins found in the extracellular matrix, and those known to be involved in cell-cell contact and adhesion. It includes new research on the structure of proteins and their diverse roles in cell communication and metabolite exchange. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A guidebook
Every major adhesion protein is in there. Not for bedtime reading though, as this book is specifically for those who need this sort of detail for their research. (Although it seems there are more than I would have thought as 5 people rated my initial version of this review) ... Read more