Photobiology Ionizing Radiations

Comprehensive Biochemisty, Volume 27: Photobiology, Ionizing Radiations deals with the aspects of bioenergetics, immunochemistry, photobiology, and molecular phenomena that underlie the evolution of organisms. This book discusses the types of phototropic response, action spectra in the further ultraviolet, and structure and light-absorbing properties of the photoreceptor cells. The preliminary remarks on visual pigment structure, synopsis of extracted systems, oxidation of proteins, and effects of ultraviolet radiation and photoreactivation are also elaborated. This text likewise covers the chemical nature of photoreactivable damage, reversibility of potentiated flowering response, and primary reactions in algae and higher plants. This volume is beneficial to biochemists and specialists researching on ionizing radiations.

It is not always the case that the subject of a scientific book and its relevance to everyday li fe are so timely. Photobiology and its si ster subject Radiobiology are now a must for understanding the environment we live in and the impact light, ultraviolet light, and radiation have on all aspects of our life. Photobiology is a true interdisciplinary field. Photobiology research plays a direct role in diverse fields, and a glance at the topics of the symposia covered in this book by over 100 articles shows the breadth and depth of knowledge acquired in fundamental research and its impact on the major issues and applied problems the world is facing. Half a century of photobiology research brought about an understanding of the importance of light to life, both as a necessary source of energy and growth as weIl as its possible dangers. Research in photochemistry and photobiology led to the discoveries of ceIlular repair mechanisms of UV induced damages to DNA and this led to understanding of the effects of hazardous environmental chemieals and mutagenecity , and to the development of genetic engineering. This topic was given due emphasis in several symposia and chapters in this book.

Radiation Measurement in Photobiology deals with the measurement of optical radiation and its application in photobiology. Optical radiation detectors as well as the calibration of light sources and detectors are discussed, together with techniques for spectroradiometry and broadband radiometry. Action spectroscopy and ultraviolet radiation dosimetry are also considered. Comprised of nine chapters, this volume begins with an introduction to the basic principles of light measurement, followed by a survey of optical radiation detectors based on physical principles and the problems associated with calibration. The next three chapters deal with important applications and extensions of these radiant measurements, including a short review of biological and medical users of lasers. The final three chapters on specialized studies and developments illustrate the wide diversity that exists in photobiology. These cover ultraviolet radiation dosimetry using polymer films, computer modeling of terrestrial ultraviolet radiation, and the "diffusion optics" in biological media. This book should be of interest to photobiologists.

Molecular Photobiology: Inactivation and Recovery describes the deleterious photochemical reactions occurring in biological systems. This book is composed of 10 chapters that specifically tackle light interactions in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum resulting to damaged proteins and nucleic acids in living systems. This book deals first with the kinds of photochemical reactions that can occur and the possible effects of photochemistry on molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. The succeeding chapters highlight the principle of recovery mechanisms, wherein evidence shows that cells can repair their damaged genetic material, and thus recover from the otherwise inactivating effects of light. The remaining chapters are devoted to the comparison and contrast of some biological effects of ionizing radiation and those of ultraviolet radiation. This book is of value to molecular photobiologists, photochemists, biochemists, and radiation scientists and researchers.

This book is the latest volume in a highly successful series within Comprehensive Biochemistry and provides a historical and autobiographical perspective of the development of the field through the contributions of leading individuals who reflect on their careers and their impact on biochemistry. The book is essential reading for everybody, from graduate student to professor, placing in context major advances not only in biochemical terms but in relation to historical and social developments. Readers will be delighted by the lively style and the insight into the lives and careers of leading scientists of their time.

What is biophysics? As with all subjects which straddle traditional boundaries between fields, it eludes a precise definition. Furthermore, it is impossible to do biophysics without having a certain foundation of knowledge in biology, physics, physical chemistry, chemistry and biochemistry. One approach to a biophysics textbook would be to refer the student to the literature of these neighboring fields, and to leave the selection of the appropriate supplementary material up to the student. The editors of this volume are of the opinion that it is more useful and less time-consuming to present a selection of the supplementary knowledge, in concentrated form, together with the subject matter specific to biophysics. The reader will thus find in this book introductions to such subjects as the structure and function of the cell, the chemical structure of biogenic macromolecules, and even theoretical chemistry. What, indeed, is biophysics? Must we consider it to include physiology, electromedicine, radiation medicine, etc. ? The field has evolved continuously in recent years. Molecular understanding oflife processes has come more and more to the fore. Just as the field of molecular physics has developed to describe structures and processes in the realm of non-living systems, there has been a corresponding development of molecular biophysics.