No comments about Auditory Sound Transmission: An Autobiographical Perspective.

5 comments about Biological Thermodynamics.

1. Although Mrs. Faversham is revealed as the murderer in the first third of the book, the joy is in the chase. Dr. Haynie's Inspector Thorndyke is a valuable addition to mystery fiction. Although the subplot about the stuttering pan flute player seemed a little belaboured.



2. I teach a course in thermodynamics for college students in biology, as such, I thought the book could be useful, perhaps the new textbook for my course.
   Possitive things:
   * you will find real thermodynamics, biology and also historical notes in the book.
   * there are not too many books that blend biology and thermodynamics in forms acceptable to biologist and physicists, this one does.
   * it has an interesting selection of subjects

   Problems:
   * most of the time it has TOO many words, for those that like concise presentations, it is a problem. There are no evident forms to distinguish essential from accesory
   * there is a bias towards bio-chemistry that introduces some additional difficulties for people with other backgrounds

   My recommendation to the students
   Main text: Kondepudi and Prigogine. Modern Thermodynamics
   (extremely clear, concise and with historical notes but little biology)
   Second text: Biological Thermodynamics by Haynie




3. For people with little insight (but interest) in thermodynamics this book is mandatory. For me personally it has been a quick way to freshen up the concepts of thermodynamics. The book is in large parts well written with many easy to understand examples of otherwise diffucult topics.



4. As someone who has used the book during his graduate studies in biophysical chemistry (the field of biopolymer conformational dynamics), I warmly recomend this book to any student/researcher interested in learning more about this field. The book offers a solid foundation to those interested in exploring the field in greater details.



5. I found this text replete with misconceptions and mistakes. An interesting attempt, but it should have had a critical editor who knew something about thermodynamics. Clearly, this was not the case.
   
   I sought elsewhere, and I suggest you do too.

No comments about Methods in Enzymology, Volume 347: Protein Sensors and Reactive Oxygen Species, Part A: Selenoproteins and Thioredoxin (Methods in Enzymology).

1 comments about Cell Mechanics, Volume 83 (Methods in Cell Biology) (Methods in Cell Biology).

1. This is an excellent collection of articles from leading researchers in the cell mechanics field summarizing the current techniques to probe and sense forces on the cellular level. I highly recommend it to anyone in the cell mechanics field or for those who want to learn more about it.

No comments about Ionic Transport Processes: In Electrochemistry and Membrane Science.

No comments about Photocatalysis.

5 comments about A Dictionary of Biology (Oxford Paperback Reference).

1. This book would be better titled Glossary of Biology. There are lots of words and terms with definitions, but no pronunciations given for any of them.



2. This is the best dictionary that I have ever purchased. The dictionary has EVERYTHING that a college biology major (or biology professional) needs. The definitions are thorough and extremely well written. The dictionary itself is organized perfectly. Everything about this dictionary is great--inside and out! A must-buy for any biology student, teacher or anyone else who is interested in the subject.



3. The question was: what (or whatever) maintains the resting membrane potential nowadays! I always thought that it was the sodium pump (or Na K ATPase etc.). Recently, I heard: No, it is not the sodium pump that maintains the resting potential. So I checked both the Oxford and the Penguin Dictionaries of Biology. Oxford says that the resting potential is maintained by the sodium pump; however, the Penguin says it is the leaky potassium channels, and sodium pump plays a slight role. Well, it is one of those academic debates, it would seem--which really mean nothing--because nothing is at stake! The debate is from confusing maintenance, recovery, and repair--perhaps. Is it the resting potential (a thing being maintained) or is it the repolarization after a depolarization (a thing in recovery) that we are talking about? Is maintenance still maintenance if you spend energy in extruding the smaller atoms out--well: a running car can be maintained only by spending money? Perhaps, after all, it is only the usual confusion of the frogs in a well: they can only see the stars in their own horizons. The whole biological process has several components, and to know which is the one--well, just take one out and see if the process holds and functions. Which brick is the most important in a wall? Clearly, the truth is never simple, and possibly there is no such thing as the truth. Things evolve using all of the components--and are what they are. So, I guess it is always the context and it is always relative: point of view etc. There is no simple correct answer because the question is incorrectly formulated--without the necessary context. What is more important in the running of a car: the engine or the gas? So get both the Oxford and Penguin--they complement, and both are useful when viewed and understood in the right context: neither can replace the textbook; and no textbook replaces all the source materials--but you need to start somewhere. For a rich fantasy life read Ayul Zamir's Intern Beth. Now, whatever maintains that resting membrane potential!



4. Our high school age daughter is in honors biology. This dictionary has really improved her grades by giving her alternate definitions/explanations of biology terms/concepts. A great resource!



5. ...for anyone who is interested in biology. To uses it you need some prerequisite knowledge (so the book isn't "watered down" with "faux science" factoids), but not much (making it highly accessible to the general public). If you want to take your understanding of biological science to the next level, buy this right now.

No comments about Introduction to Molecular Thermodynamics.

No comments about Guide to Yeast Genetics and Molecular Cell Biology, Part B (Methods in Enzymology) (Methods in Enzymology).

No comments about Biomagnetism and Magnetic Biosystems Based on Molecular Recognition Processes (AIP Conference Proceedings).