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Mitochondria 1977, genetics and biogenesis of mitochondria
and seminal contributions to organic chemistry in some 700 publications covering about half its lifetime as a science. E. R. H. Jones The Tides of the Planet Melchior. Pp. 609. f37.50($75.00)
Earth by Paul
Pergamon
Press.
1978.
Professor Melchior is to be congratulated on producing a remarkably complete account of this fascinating aspect of geophysics. The book opens with a careful derivation of the Laplace-Doodson theory of tidal potential from astronomical data, and the resulting classification of tidal harmonics. Then, after a brief chapter on Precession and Nutation as they affect the observation of Earth Tides, the main material is presented in chapters on spherical elasticity; Liquid-Core Theory; Tidal Analysis; Tilt; Gravity; Extensometry; and Instrumentation. Indirect effects are also discussed, as, for example, the ocean-tide earth-tide interaction. Several other topics are included, if only briefly, such as the effect of Earth Tides on astronomical observations, satellite orbits, solid tides on the Moon, and possible triggering of earthquakes. The historical development of the subject is not overlooked and features particularly in descriptions of the experimental apparatus and the analysis observations. Finally, there is included a brief and modest account of the activities of the International Centre for Earth Tides in Brussels, under the direction of the author. Also of great value is a 150-pagebibliography. In spite of the complexity of the subject, and its many interactions with other sciences,the author has succeededin presenting the subject with great clarity. This will surely become the standard text for many years. J. N. Hunt Darertification: Consequences.
Its Causes and
Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Desertification. Pp. 448. Pergamon Press. 19 7 7. f28.00
($50.001. It has been estimated that desertification processes threaten areas inhabited by an estimated 78 million people and that some 50 million of these inhabitants have been adversely affected in some manner. Unfortunately, the largest proportion of these people already live in the world’s poorest nations. Any attempt to quantify the extent of desertification, analyse its myriad causes, prescribe some basic preventative measures and remedies, and publicize its devastating affects must be acclaimed. The UNEP and Pergamon Press must be credited for bringing out this timely publication. The volume consists of four full-length reviews on the relationships of climate, ecological change, population and society, and technology, with desertification and is preceded by a comprehensive overview. The reviews are generally of good quality, but as can be expected there is some unevennessin levels of presentation. The chapter on ‘Population, Society and Desertification’ (Kates, Douglas, and Haring), presents an
excellent description of the synergistic interactions between society and desertification. Andrew Warren’s and Judith Maizel’s review ‘Ecological Change and Desertification’, is well presented and contains valuable information. Kenneth Hare’s chapter, ‘Climate and Dksertilication’, is excellent, but he could have spared the reader the long and tedius sections on climatic modelling. In the last chapter, ‘Technology and Desertification’, Manuel Anaya Garduno has compiled an encyclopaedia of arid-zone technology whose valuable material could have been better organized. Those involved in arid and semiarid zone programmes would do well to have a copy of this book on hand. J. Schechter Mitochondria 1977, Genetics and Biogenesis of Mitochondrie by
This book consists of a collection of fifty papers read at a meeting held in 1977 and presents an up-to-date account of current knowledge of the mitochondrial genome and its function, although eighty per cent of the papers concern research using yeast as an experimental organism. The papers are largely concerned with detailed genetic and restriction enzyme mapping and present evidence for the position of all known mitochondrial loci, together with evidencefor the function of many of them. These data are very clearly described and discussed in a review paper in this volume. Some interesting new findings concerning the structure and location of the polaritydetermining locus are presented, as well as new hypotheses to explain the structure and generation of petite mutants and the disparity between the number of genomes per cell and the number of heritable units determined genetically. Overall, this book provides fascinating reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in this field, but for the general reader wishing to keep abreast of current findings, the price and considerable detail are disadvantageous. A. Tait I
A. J. Berry. f20.00.
and Bahaviour by 0. S. McLusky Pp. 388. Pergamon
of Marina and Press.
Octopus, Physiology and Bahaviour of an Advanced Invertebrate by M. J. Wek Pp. 4 17. Chapman
W. Bandlow, R. J. Schweyen, K. Wolf and F. Kaudewitz, Pp. 669. Walter De Gruyter &Co. 1977. DM190.
Physiology Organisms
‘camera-ready copy’ process, and include numerous tables, graphs, and line drawings. Photographic plates have also been successfullyreproduced, but unfortunately this technique has had little effect on the overall cost of the book. It is difficult to comment on the scientific aspects of a volume covering such a diversity of topics, but any university lecturer with fairly catholic tastes would find much to interest him in this panorama of marine research.The book is obviously aimed for the library shelves of universities and researchinstitutes where it will provide a useful guide to current research in thesefields. D.A. Dorsett
19 78
This volume representsthe Proceedings of the 12th European Symposium on Marine Biology held at the University of Stirling in 1977. It consists of 45 short papers grouped under the following headings: Metabolism; Osmotic and Permeability studies; Physiology and the Chemical Environment; Heavy Metals and Pollution: Behaviour, Reproduction, and Development. The book achieves a good balance of papers from workers in several European countries, all but the four French representatives managing to present their contributions in English. The original manuscripts have been reproduced by the
&Hall.
19 78. El 7.00.
To zoologists, cephalopods are fascinating as a pinnacle of invertebrate evolution. For behaviour students, there is the added interest of an animal with a completely different perceptual world to that of higher vertebrates. This book brings together the surprising amount of scattered information on octopus body functions, setting it into the context of the known behaviour. Work on respiration, circulation, excretion, feeding, digestion, reproduction, and endocrinology are brought together for the first time, providing an important introduction and reference source for advanced students and researchers, although a cephalopod classification and a glossary would be helpful. Over half the book is devoted to the nervous system. Here it is less successful, partly because the work has been reviewed extensively before, partly because of presentation. The chapters on learning plunge into an elaborate argument without any overview. Throughout, experiments are presented in detail daunting to the uninitiated, with many complicated figures and tables from research papers that must have pushed up the book’s cost. A notable omission is neuronal function, despite the contribution of the squid giant fibre system to understanding of axonal and synaptic transmission. This is a useful compendium on Octopus but the opportunity to produce a broader, more valuable book, a Physiology of Cephalopods perhaps, has been missed. Jennifer ANman Inflammation
and Anti-inflammatorias
by EdoardoArrigoni-Martelli. Pp. 343. John Wiley. 19 78. f2 1 .OO. f$38.001.
The first ten chapters of this book represent comprehensive reviews of inflammatory mediators, incorporating up to date detailed accounts. This section alone represents excellent value for both the student of inflammation and those interested in acquiring a good working knowledge of the subject. Complement, lysosomal enzymes, and cyclic nucleotides are especially well-documented. Minor printing errors are evident in the structures of histamine (p. 17) and prostaglandin E3a (p. 44).
Earth by Paul
Pergamon
Press.
1978.
Professor Melchior is to be congratulated on producing a remarkably complete account of this fascinating aspect of geophysics. The book opens with a careful derivation of the Laplace-Doodson theory of tidal potential from astronomical data, and the resulting classification of tidal harmonics. Then, after a brief chapter on Precession and Nutation as they affect the observation of Earth Tides, the main material is presented in chapters on spherical elasticity; Liquid-Core Theory; Tidal Analysis; Tilt; Gravity; Extensometry; and Instrumentation. Indirect effects are also discussed, as, for example, the ocean-tide earth-tide interaction. Several other topics are included, if only briefly, such as the effect of Earth Tides on astronomical observations, satellite orbits, solid tides on the Moon, and possible triggering of earthquakes. The historical development of the subject is not overlooked and features particularly in descriptions of the experimental apparatus and the analysis observations. Finally, there is included a brief and modest account of the activities of the International Centre for Earth Tides in Brussels, under the direction of the author. Also of great value is a 150-pagebibliography. In spite of the complexity of the subject, and its many interactions with other sciences,the author has succeededin presenting the subject with great clarity. This will surely become the standard text for many years. J. N. Hunt Darertification: Consequences.
Its Causes and
Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Desertification. Pp. 448. Pergamon Press. 19 7 7. f28.00
($50.001. It has been estimated that desertification processes threaten areas inhabited by an estimated 78 million people and that some 50 million of these inhabitants have been adversely affected in some manner. Unfortunately, the largest proportion of these people already live in the world’s poorest nations. Any attempt to quantify the extent of desertification, analyse its myriad causes, prescribe some basic preventative measures and remedies, and publicize its devastating affects must be acclaimed. The UNEP and Pergamon Press must be credited for bringing out this timely publication. The volume consists of four full-length reviews on the relationships of climate, ecological change, population and society, and technology, with desertification and is preceded by a comprehensive overview. The reviews are generally of good quality, but as can be expected there is some unevennessin levels of presentation. The chapter on ‘Population, Society and Desertification’ (Kates, Douglas, and Haring), presents an
excellent description of the synergistic interactions between society and desertification. Andrew Warren’s and Judith Maizel’s review ‘Ecological Change and Desertification’, is well presented and contains valuable information. Kenneth Hare’s chapter, ‘Climate and Dksertilication’, is excellent, but he could have spared the reader the long and tedius sections on climatic modelling. In the last chapter, ‘Technology and Desertification’, Manuel Anaya Garduno has compiled an encyclopaedia of arid-zone technology whose valuable material could have been better organized. Those involved in arid and semiarid zone programmes would do well to have a copy of this book on hand. J. Schechter Mitochondria 1977, Genetics and Biogenesis of Mitochondrie by
This book consists of a collection of fifty papers read at a meeting held in 1977 and presents an up-to-date account of current knowledge of the mitochondrial genome and its function, although eighty per cent of the papers concern research using yeast as an experimental organism. The papers are largely concerned with detailed genetic and restriction enzyme mapping and present evidence for the position of all known mitochondrial loci, together with evidencefor the function of many of them. These data are very clearly described and discussed in a review paper in this volume. Some interesting new findings concerning the structure and location of the polaritydetermining locus are presented, as well as new hypotheses to explain the structure and generation of petite mutants and the disparity between the number of genomes per cell and the number of heritable units determined genetically. Overall, this book provides fascinating reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in this field, but for the general reader wishing to keep abreast of current findings, the price and considerable detail are disadvantageous. A. Tait I
A. J. Berry. f20.00.
and Bahaviour by 0. S. McLusky Pp. 388. Pergamon
of Marina and Press.
Octopus, Physiology and Bahaviour of an Advanced Invertebrate by M. J. Wek Pp. 4 17. Chapman
W. Bandlow, R. J. Schweyen, K. Wolf and F. Kaudewitz, Pp. 669. Walter De Gruyter &Co. 1977. DM190.
Physiology Organisms
‘camera-ready copy’ process, and include numerous tables, graphs, and line drawings. Photographic plates have also been successfullyreproduced, but unfortunately this technique has had little effect on the overall cost of the book. It is difficult to comment on the scientific aspects of a volume covering such a diversity of topics, but any university lecturer with fairly catholic tastes would find much to interest him in this panorama of marine research.The book is obviously aimed for the library shelves of universities and researchinstitutes where it will provide a useful guide to current research in thesefields. D.A. Dorsett
19 78
This volume representsthe Proceedings of the 12th European Symposium on Marine Biology held at the University of Stirling in 1977. It consists of 45 short papers grouped under the following headings: Metabolism; Osmotic and Permeability studies; Physiology and the Chemical Environment; Heavy Metals and Pollution: Behaviour, Reproduction, and Development. The book achieves a good balance of papers from workers in several European countries, all but the four French representatives managing to present their contributions in English. The original manuscripts have been reproduced by the
&Hall.
19 78. El 7.00.
To zoologists, cephalopods are fascinating as a pinnacle of invertebrate evolution. For behaviour students, there is the added interest of an animal with a completely different perceptual world to that of higher vertebrates. This book brings together the surprising amount of scattered information on octopus body functions, setting it into the context of the known behaviour. Work on respiration, circulation, excretion, feeding, digestion, reproduction, and endocrinology are brought together for the first time, providing an important introduction and reference source for advanced students and researchers, although a cephalopod classification and a glossary would be helpful. Over half the book is devoted to the nervous system. Here it is less successful, partly because the work has been reviewed extensively before, partly because of presentation. The chapters on learning plunge into an elaborate argument without any overview. Throughout, experiments are presented in detail daunting to the uninitiated, with many complicated figures and tables from research papers that must have pushed up the book’s cost. A notable omission is neuronal function, despite the contribution of the squid giant fibre system to understanding of axonal and synaptic transmission. This is a useful compendium on Octopus but the opportunity to produce a broader, more valuable book, a Physiology of Cephalopods perhaps, has been missed. Jennifer ANman Inflammation
and Anti-inflammatorias
by EdoardoArrigoni-Martelli. Pp. 343. John Wiley. 19 78. f2 1 .OO. f$38.001.
The first ten chapters of this book represent comprehensive reviews of inflammatory mediators, incorporating up to date detailed accounts. This section alone represents excellent value for both the student of inflammation and those interested in acquiring a good working knowledge of the subject. Complement, lysosomal enzymes, and cyclic nucleotides are especially well-documented. Minor printing errors are evident in the structures of histamine (p. 17) and prostaglandin E3a (p. 44).