This book gives a good introduction to argumentation theory and its twists and turns over the course of its existence. I found it helpful to get started, especially coming from a completely different field. It gives the essence of Toulmin and Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca but I would have liked to see a bit more on Austin and Searle.But then again the references mentioned are very extensive and can be followed up. All in all a good book if a bit pricey for students (whatever happened to the paperback cover?)

This book gives a fascinating overview of viral molecular biology and how to modify it so as to serve useful functions. For readers with a background in biochemistry and genetics, the book gives a solid introduction to the genetic engineering of viruses, although there are places in the book that read more like a literature survey. A very lengthy listing of references though is included when this is the case. The information given in the book leaves no doubt of the power of molecular biology in introducing any type of mutation into a large collection of viruses. The steps for doing this are outlined explicitly, and the history of the discovery of the various types of viruses is discussed briefly. Readers, like myself, who need a background in this topic will find the book very adequate, as it serves to introduce the vast literature on the subject. My main reason for reading it was to gain insight into the possibility of the genetic engineering or creation of 'superviruses' and the role of DNA shuffling. Although these are not discussed in the book, it does lay a foundation to judge whether this type of genetic engineering is feasible, both from a scientific standpoint and a commercial one. The general message that I get from the book is that genetic engineering of viruses is a non-trivial exercise experimentally, with stability issues of the modification being the predominant reason. The book includes an article about safety concerns with the genetic engineering of viruses, so as to assist in the alleviation of any concerns with this technology.

Some of the more interesting discussions in the book include: 1. The discussion on prokaryotic viruses and the use of bacteriophages as gene delivery vectors (GDV). The experiments that attempted to use lambda phages to do gene therapy in the western grey kangaroo, which is deficient in galactose-1 phosphate uridyl transferase (GPUT) (called Galactosemia in the human case) are discussed, and their failure in enabling expression of bacterial GPUT. The promise of using bacteriophage GDV in gene therapy though is discussed with examples of laboratory successes. The use of bacteriophages as antibiotics is discussed and a list is given of the things that should be remembered when considering phage therapy. 2. The use of insect viruses as expression vectors, with emphasis on the baculoviruses. The entomopox viruses are mentioned but not discussed in detail, and this is somewhat disappointing given their importance in grasshopper populations and the current plague of Mormon crickets. The genetic engineering of baculoviruses to control insects is discussed, and their efficacy in comparison to the BT toxin. The scorpion toxin AaIT gene is mentioned as one that has been used to induce paralysis in the feeding insect. Although not mentioned in this discussion, commerical products are being offered recently that make use of recombinant AcMNPV that is egt__ and expresses AaIT. Caution though is expressed by the author in the use of genetic engineering to baculoviruses due to the danger of introducing foreign genes to the environment. The ability of baculoviruses to enter mammalian cells is discussed briefly. 3. In the discussion on plant viruses, the authors discuss the need sometimes for high-level transient gene expression using virus-based vectors, instead of stable plant transformation, giving several reasons for this. Their discussion on agroinoculation is particularly interesting, especially their conclusion on "size effects" in agroinoculation. To obtain stability, genes over 1 kb in length require 'master copies" of the genome, if they are to be expressed by a TGMV-based vector. Small gene insertions, they conclude, give optimal fluidy of the viral genome, whereas large insertions do not and are unstable. However, the authors point out that viruses that encapsidate their genomes in rod-shaped particles, such as tobamoviruses, potexviruses, and potyviruses, are more amenable to larger gene insertions. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), was one of the first rod-shaped particles to be studied in this light, but the authors point out that recombination led to rapid elimination of the foreign sequence from the viral population. This motivated the use of more stable TMV viruses for gene expression. 4. In the chapter on mammalian expression systems, the discussion on the recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV), one of the most widely studied of mammalian expression vectors. In light of the current small pox vaccination program, this discussion took on special relevance. The authors do discuss the complications with VV strains for smallpox eradication in the context of replication-defective VV expression vectors. They also discuss the use of rVV expressing the rabies glycoprotein as a wildlife vaccine, and the Wyeth vaccine strain expressing HIV-1 gp160 for inducing HIV antibody and T cell responses. The use of the adenoviruses, for gene therapy and general research, is extensively discussed in this chapter. The authors are very optimistic in their apprasial of alphaviruses for use in molecular biology and medicine. 5. The discussion of the genetic engineering of animal DNA viruses, especially the role of herpesvirus-encoded Fc receptors for in vivo pathogenesis. The author of the article points to the tremendous role played by the genome projects for allowing the virtual prediction of gene function. The exponential increase in the use of computational biology and chemistry shows no sign of abatement, and promises even more advances in the realm of rational drug discovery. 6. The discussion of the genetic engineering of animal RNA viruses, especially the role of the techniques of reverse genetics in learning about these viruses. The genetic modification of both positive- and negative-strand RNA viruses is addressed in detail. 7. In the discussion of the therapeutic applications of viral vectors, the inclusion of the risks of gene therapy. The author is careful to point out the risks of the dissemination of transgenic sequences within human populations. Most interesting is the discussion on 'amplicons', i.e. those genomic sequences that are deleted when using HSV-1 viruses for vectors, so as to suppress their ability to replicate.

Al, Sabs, Katie, and Randy are ready to cross-country ski at Eagle mountian... but strange things start to happen. They get a cabin with Stacy the Great and her buds, the bus brakes down, and they hear strange noises in the woods! Alison thinks it is a spirt of an indian! Read the book and see what you think.

The book I read is house party.When I was done with it.It make you think what if I had a party.And I got evey thing cleand up. I dont think I would tell.This girl has a party. she does not tell what would of happined to heR IF SHE DID

As a children's librarian, I can't read all the books out there. This book was brought to my attention by a young patron whose name is Emily. It is one of her favorites and after including it in several programs, I found that all the girls who heard it loved it, too. Even the youngest of my listeners was fascinated by Emily's quest for fabulous hair and delighted by all the illustrations. They 'oohhed and aahed' over all the lavish hair styles. I guess the freedom of personal expression and the celebration of female beauty are still strong positive messages for girls. Though some femiminsts might disagree, my young friends declare that Emily Blair and her Fabulous Hair are beyond compare!

This collection of unfinished stories was very interesting. It's very cool to know these unfinished tales. This product is not quite as good as the original Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer novels but is defenately a good collection. Some of the stories aren't as good as others but there are several that are very good.

The Illustrated Discography of Surf Music 1961-65 is an excellent source to find the what, who, and where of surf music produced in these influential times. While the book doesn't go into any great detail of the history of each song, there is a good and basic history of Surf Music and gives useful information about certain artists. This book contains a database-like listing of albums and is a useful guide to collecting albums. This book is worth looking high and low for.

This book is very interesting and different in its approach to self-hypnosis. The idea is that you can hypnotize yourself while you read hypnotic scripts out loud right from the book. I tried it and it definitely did something. What I liked most about the book is that I didn't have to weed through a lot of filler. The author got to the technique fast within about 30 minutes after I started reading. I wish all self-help books would do that.

"A soldier is trained to fight the good fight...but it helps if he knows who the enemy is."
Blair writes science fiction and about the military as though he'd visited the planets he's writing about while a member of some mobile infantry. In short, though the premise may seem a little far fetched (it is sci-fi, after all), it is told with the exuberance and detail that makes you wonder if it's made up at all. The lead character, Clay, is a good example of the hero, or even anti-hero, in modern literature. If you are into sci-fi, if you liked Starship Troopers, Predator, or Alien, this book is for you. Enjoy.

is very importante, however, because have criterias and power theory about analysis and desing