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Principles of Chemical Sensors.
73
one concerning the chilling effect, and 5 others on stress: 2 on salt and 2 on WV effects, 1 on heat sensitivity; and finally 2 papers are about tissue peculiarities of the fruit or the leaf, and 1 on senescence. The research approaches are protein biochemistry and molecular biology (as a tool and not as a subject per se) on the one hand, and structural and functional biophysics, on the other. The bioelectrochemist will mainly focus on the papers on the Ca2+ effect in gating H+ fluxes or on the role of Cl- in 0, evolution, and also on that on this mechanism itself, more generally, the biophysicist will be interested in the discussion on the triplet-minus-singlet absorbance and on linear dichroism difference spectra. Whereas several papers, especially on the American side, summarize results already published in international journals, some bring more originality or are less known outside the authors’ country. This is partly the case for the Pcdian contributions, and one advantage of this book is to remind many that India has a long tradition of high-level research. Because the fate of any book of this kind is to be only partially complete and rapidly outdated, it cannot be considered as a pricrity for beginners or non-specialists in the field. But because one can gain access here to often hard-to-find literature, it is an interesting buy for specialized laboratories and for many general libraries.
usual sense, with
Y. DE KOUCHKOVSKY Gif-sur-Yvette
Principles of Chemical Sensors. J. Janata. Plenum Press, New York, London, 1989, ix + 317 pp., ISBN O-30643183-1, US$39.50. Sensors are becoming ever more used and applied to analytical problems in very different fields. Therefore many textbooks are available dealing with this subject and each new one has to present some particular information in order to distinguish it from the others. What is new in this case appears to be the articulation of the matter. Following a general part dedicated to selectivity and to the necessary .-. . . aacuuoual operations such --0 e-m&ma Y-r----TO, sample manipulation, ticubation and so on, come four sections dealing with the four principal modes of transduction: thermal, mass, electrochemical and optical, each including a bibliography. The chapter on thermal sensors deals with thermistors, pyxoelectric devices and catalytic gas sensors. The chapter on mass sensors deals with piezoelectric sensors (Sauerbrey equation, oscillators in liquids, aerosols and suspensions), surface acoustic wave sensors and selective coating. Next comes a chapter on electrochemical sensors treating potent& metric sensors (non-polarized interfaces, ion-selective membranes, electrochemical cells, enzyme electrodes and transistors, gas sensors), amperometric sensors (microelectrodes and gas electrodes) and conductimetric sensors (chemiresistors, semiconducting oxide sensors, conductimetric gas-membrane sensors, dielectrometers). Fi-
74
nally, the chapter on optical sensors discusses optical sensors (ionic, gas, bio-, electrooptical and optomechanical sensors) and optical fibers. Each chapter is followed by a glossary. The appendix on the fundamentals of physical chemistry is particularly helpful in that it makes it unnecessary to look up a textbook to be able to understand better the discussion and mathematical development of some fundamental equations. In conclusion, it must be observed that the author not only describes the results of other researchers, but is himself an investigator interested in communicating to others the results and the impressions and experience gained in his own studies. L. CAMPANELLA Rome
Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. F. Eckstein and D.M. Lilley (Editors). Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, 1989, xi + 272 pp., ISBN 3-540-50803-2, ‘DM168.00. In this book, F. Eckstein and D.M.J. Lilley provide a fascinating overview of the biochemical and physical properties of Nucleic Acids in relation to Molecular Biology. The book contains articles ranging from nucleic acid structure, through their interactions with proteins, to the control of gene expression. Biochemists and biophysicists will find great pleasure in reading Part 1. The first part of the book deals with the probing of DNA structure, which is reviewed in papers on the application of hydroxyl radical and l,lO-phenanthroline copper cleavages. A number of important DNA-protein interactions are discussed, including DNA polymerase, the tryptophan and deoR repressors, and resolvase enzymes which cleave Holliday junctions in recombination. Gene transcription is covered from the points of view of DNA methylation, mammalian ribosomal and avian lysozyme genes, and the control of transcription in the proto-oncogene o-fos. The second part is concerned with the chemical synthesis of oligo- and polyribonudeotides, RNA structure, Pre-im RNA, splicing in yeast, transsplicing of in plants, transRNA, structure and funcdoii Of "UactziS R?J;;se D_, +,r~s~OsitiO~ genie plants and the study of plant development. In all, the text provides an extensive and clear view of the RNA structure and the mechanisms of transcript splicing. The book is recommended to biochemists, pharmacologists, physiologists, chemists and medical researchers because it is concise, very readable and covers many specific topics. Y.M. TEMERK Assiut
one concerning the chilling effect, and 5 others on stress: 2 on salt and 2 on WV effects, 1 on heat sensitivity; and finally 2 papers are about tissue peculiarities of the fruit or the leaf, and 1 on senescence. The research approaches are protein biochemistry and molecular biology (as a tool and not as a subject per se) on the one hand, and structural and functional biophysics, on the other. The bioelectrochemist will mainly focus on the papers on the Ca2+ effect in gating H+ fluxes or on the role of Cl- in 0, evolution, and also on that on this mechanism itself, more generally, the biophysicist will be interested in the discussion on the triplet-minus-singlet absorbance and on linear dichroism difference spectra. Whereas several papers, especially on the American side, summarize results already published in international journals, some bring more originality or are less known outside the authors’ country. This is partly the case for the Pcdian contributions, and one advantage of this book is to remind many that India has a long tradition of high-level research. Because the fate of any book of this kind is to be only partially complete and rapidly outdated, it cannot be considered as a pricrity for beginners or non-specialists in the field. But because one can gain access here to often hard-to-find literature, it is an interesting buy for specialized laboratories and for many general libraries.
usual sense, with
Y. DE KOUCHKOVSKY Gif-sur-Yvette
Principles of Chemical Sensors. J. Janata. Plenum Press, New York, London, 1989, ix + 317 pp., ISBN O-30643183-1, US$39.50. Sensors are becoming ever more used and applied to analytical problems in very different fields. Therefore many textbooks are available dealing with this subject and each new one has to present some particular information in order to distinguish it from the others. What is new in this case appears to be the articulation of the matter. Following a general part dedicated to selectivity and to the necessary .-. . . aacuuoual operations such --0 e-m&ma Y-r----TO, sample manipulation, ticubation and so on, come four sections dealing with the four principal modes of transduction: thermal, mass, electrochemical and optical, each including a bibliography. The chapter on thermal sensors deals with thermistors, pyxoelectric devices and catalytic gas sensors. The chapter on mass sensors deals with piezoelectric sensors (Sauerbrey equation, oscillators in liquids, aerosols and suspensions), surface acoustic wave sensors and selective coating. Next comes a chapter on electrochemical sensors treating potent& metric sensors (non-polarized interfaces, ion-selective membranes, electrochemical cells, enzyme electrodes and transistors, gas sensors), amperometric sensors (microelectrodes and gas electrodes) and conductimetric sensors (chemiresistors, semiconducting oxide sensors, conductimetric gas-membrane sensors, dielectrometers). Fi-
74
nally, the chapter on optical sensors discusses optical sensors (ionic, gas, bio-, electrooptical and optomechanical sensors) and optical fibers. Each chapter is followed by a glossary. The appendix on the fundamentals of physical chemistry is particularly helpful in that it makes it unnecessary to look up a textbook to be able to understand better the discussion and mathematical development of some fundamental equations. In conclusion, it must be observed that the author not only describes the results of other researchers, but is himself an investigator interested in communicating to others the results and the impressions and experience gained in his own studies. L. CAMPANELLA Rome
Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. F. Eckstein and D.M. Lilley (Editors). Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, 1989, xi + 272 pp., ISBN 3-540-50803-2, ‘DM168.00. In this book, F. Eckstein and D.M.J. Lilley provide a fascinating overview of the biochemical and physical properties of Nucleic Acids in relation to Molecular Biology. The book contains articles ranging from nucleic acid structure, through their interactions with proteins, to the control of gene expression. Biochemists and biophysicists will find great pleasure in reading Part 1. The first part of the book deals with the probing of DNA structure, which is reviewed in papers on the application of hydroxyl radical and l,lO-phenanthroline copper cleavages. A number of important DNA-protein interactions are discussed, including DNA polymerase, the tryptophan and deoR repressors, and resolvase enzymes which cleave Holliday junctions in recombination. Gene transcription is covered from the points of view of DNA methylation, mammalian ribosomal and avian lysozyme genes, and the control of transcription in the proto-oncogene o-fos. The second part is concerned with the chemical synthesis of oligo- and polyribonudeotides, RNA structure, Pre-im RNA, splicing in yeast, transsplicing of in plants, transRNA, structure and funcdoii Of "UactziS R?J;;se D_, +,r~s~OsitiO~ genie plants and the study of plant development. In all, the text provides an extensive and clear view of the RNA structure and the mechanisms of transcript splicing. The book is recommended to biochemists, pharmacologists, physiologists, chemists and medical researchers because it is concise, very readable and covers many specific topics. Y.M. TEMERK Assiut