BASIC Microcomputer Models in Biology by James D Spain. pp 354. Addison Wesley Publishing Co. London. 1982. £15.50 Supplementary software on Apple or.
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BASIC Microcomputer Models in Biology
of their teaching or research. This text will provide a springboard into a fascinating and valuable field of modern biology. Robert J Beynon
by James D Spain. pp 354. Addison Wesley Publishing Co London. 1982. £15.50 Supplementary software on Apple or TRS80 disk or cassette £25 + VAT ISBN 0 - 2 0 1 - 1 0 6 7 8 - 7
Department of Biochemistry University of Liverpool
Among the many applications that can be envisaged for the increasingly popular microcomputer is its use in the simulation of biological processes. Such 'modelling' has of course occupied the thoughts of a group of scientists for many years but the restriction of their techniques to large mainframe systems has precluded wide interest in this area. Now, the opportunity for departments or individuals to obtain a microcomputer means that more and more interest will be shown in the simulation of biological processes either for teaching or research. Much of the literature on simulation techniques is complicated, admitting the need for a preliminary text that introduces the reader to the theoretical and the practical aspects of modelling. Dr Spain describes his book as 'the first general introductory text on the subject of computer modelling for life scientists'. It is clear from the title that simulations on large computers are not covered and the emphasis is laid firmly on the development of biological models from theoretical principles to the final goal of a working microcomputer program. Not all of the 23 chapters describe the modelling of biochemical processes; other subjects include population dynamics, energy flow in ecosystems and physiological models. I estimate, however that 15 of the chapters are directly relevant to the biochemist, the remainder provide indirect supplementary information on the use of the various simulation techniques. Biochemical subjects include enzyme kinetics and regulatory mechanisms, the effect of pH and temperature on enzyme activity, microbial growth in nutrient-limited media, active transport, gene repression and the dynamics of multienzyme systems. The text is written in three sections. The first part discusses the derivation of simple model equations using differential equations or equilibrium assumptions, curve-fitting and flow-charting and the numerial solution of rate equations. The middle section develops these principles in the construction of larger and more complex simulations (eg the simulation of glycolysis). Finally, the last section 'probabilistic modelling' introduces the use of random-event modelling, and where possible encourages a comparison with previously established deterministic models. The text has considerable value as an introduction to modeUing but for someone such as myself with little mathematical ability some of the chapters are difficult. The book is clearly intended to be part of an undergraduate course but I would have thought that few departments of Biochemistry currently offer such a course. The exercises cannot be described as trivial (eg Exercise 17.1: "Program the glycolysis model described above") but nonetheless provide a stimulus to use the book properly; I'm currently attempting exercise 17.1 ! Several of the exercises can be provided, in addition to curve fitting programs, on floppy disk or cassette for two popular systems, the Apple II (DOS 3.2) and the TRS 80. The programs are of reasonable quality and would form a useful addition to the text. It should be noted that the listings of the programs are supplied in the text but that they will not run as published, and thus have limited value. The Apple II programs are so machine-specific that translation to the dialect of BASIC used on a different system would be extremely difficult. In conclusion then, I can recommend this book to teachers or individuals who have an interest in microcomputers and who feel that modelling would be of value in the development
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 11( 1 ) 1983
Conformation of Biological Molecules by G Govil and R V Hoscor. pp 216. Springer-Verlag, New York. 1982. DM 148 ISBN 3 - 5 4 0 - 1 0 7 6 9 - X There are quite a number of new books on the application of NMR to biological studies. This one is devoted to new results in the field of structural studies. Like most of the other books it gives a general introduction to NMR methods but subsequently it differs in that it gives a very comprehensive coverage of a lot of different studies without much critical judgement. This makes the book useful as a work of reference but it does not allow the non-expert to see where NMR studies are really valuable. Given that there are now a number of texts on NMR I would not select this one for general reading but it is certainly useful for its 1500 references to nearly all molecules of biological interest. Individual chapters describe nucleotides, peptides, saccharides and lipids and the book is up to date. R J P Williams
Wadham College Oxford
The Molecular Biology of Tumor Viruses. Second Edition. Part 2 Revised. DNA Tumor Viruses Edited by J Tooze. pp 1072. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY. 1981. $39 paperback, $90 hardback. ISBN 0 - 8 7 9 6 9 - 1 4 1 - 7 and 0 - 8 7 9 6 9 - 1 4 2 - 5 The first edition of this book published in 1973 formed the first widely-circulated comprehensive treatise on tumour viruses and was enthusiastically received by both virologists and biochemists interested in the use of tumour viruses as tools in molecular biology. The present volume, which is an updated version of an edition first published in 1980, is one part of a projected series of t h r e e - indicative of the rapid expansion in knowledge in this important area of research in less than a decade. We may look forward soon to a volume on RNA tumour viruses, but sadly the volume on the biology of transformed cells will not now appear. Rapid methods of DNA sequencing and increasingly sensitive and accurate transcriptional mapping procedures have deepened our understanding of eukaryotic gene expression. The results of these studies on infection and transformation by papovaviruses and adenoviruses are reviewed widely and in depth. The more complex herpes viruses are also reviewed and will, in future, no doubt be understood in the detail now current in the other two major groups of DNA tumour viruses. Authors have updated their chapters written for the 1980 edition with carefully written supplements, giving the volume a most topical emphasis. The book can be highly recommended to advanced undergraduates and graduates embarking on studies on molecular biology. Many of our current ideas on the structure and transcription of eukaryotic genes originated from studies on the papovaviruses and adenoviruses, and this volume covers these subjects admirably. The appendices, which comprise almost one third of the book, are most valuable as a collected edition of DNA sequences, restriction endonuclease maps and transcription/translation analyses of papovaviruses and adenoviruses. A book to be in all libraries, and in the lower priced paperback edition, accessible to many individuals. G E Blair
