Search

Technological Infrastructure Policy provides a systematic treatment of technological infrastructure (TI) and Technological Infrastructure Policy (TIP) which are emerging fields of interest both for academic economists and for policy makers in both advanced and developing economies. The specific topics covered include: the role of TI in economic growth and development; the nature and definition of TI; TI-components; the relationships between TI and markets; salient features of TIP. Technological Infrastructure Policy reflects the distinction made between basic and advanced TI. Basic TI involves the collective absorption of foreign technology for subsequent diffusion to domestic firms. Several chapters explicitly deal with this process with an emphasis on the supply of advisory services to small and medium enterprises. Advanced TI involves precompetitive, cooperation research and development in cutting edge technologies undertaken by consortia of firms. Several examples of advanced TIP are given. The novel integration of various conceptual and practical aspects of TI and TIP is the strong point of this book.

Four years ago the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) brought together a group of scientists to Belmont, Maryland to examine the status of human milk banking. During those deliberations, the idea was generated to organize a series of research conferences concerning human lactation and the composition and biological effects of human milk. The first one, organized by Robert G. Jensen from the University of Connecticut and Margaret C. Neville from the University of Colorado, dealt with methodologic issues. An additional meeting to explore the effects of maternal and environmental factors upon human lactation and the composition of human milk was organized by Margit Hamosh from Georgetown University and me, and was held in January, 1986 in Oaxaca, Mexico. Those meetings provided the foundation for the design of the present conference,'The Effects of Human Milk Upon the Recipient Infant'. In addition to a grant from the NICHD, the conference was generously supported by Milupa AG from the Federal Republic of Germany; Wyeth Limited and Mead Johnson of Canada; and Ross Laboratories, Heinz USA, the Mead Johnson Nutritional Group, Wyeth International Limited, Gerber Products Company, the La Leche League International, Glaxo Incorporated and Sandoz Pharmaceutical Corporation from the United States.

Knowledge about the mechanisms of lung development has been growing rapidly, especially with regard to cellular and molecular aspects of growth and differentiation. This authoritative international volume reviews key aspects of lung development in health and disease by providing a comprehensive review of the complex series of cellular and molecular interactions required for lung development. It covers such topics as pulmonary hypoplasia, effects of malnutrition, and pulmaonary angiogenesis. An indispensable reference for all those involved in studying or treating lung disease in neonates and children, the book offers a unique view of the development of this essential organ.

Breast cancer continues to be a major problem. In Volume 1 of this series we dealt exclusively with topics concerned with therapy. In Volume 2 we explored various aspects of experimental biology which are critical to our developing better methods of diagnosis and treatment. In the pres­ ent volume, we tum to a series of individual topics of considerable interest, including systemic methods for hormonal ablation, screening for early cancer, male breast cancer, and more. The first chapter addresses the question of why some breast tumors metastasize and others do not. Based on elegant animal tumor models, Kim believes that metastasizing tumor cells are the undesirable by­ product of the host immune surveillance mechanism. Unstable mem­ brane structures lead to shedding of membrane constituents, abnormal locomotive properties, and evasion of the host defense system. Factors which alter membrane structure will therefore have to be considered in our approach to the management of early breast cancer.

The International Workshop on human lactation dedicated specifically to the topic of Maternal and Environmental Effects on Lactation repre­ sents the recent progress of research in human lactation. Only four years ago it was clear that we do not yet have sensitive research techniques specifically adapted to the study of human milk. This need was addressed by an NIH convened workshop in 1982, the concensus being that appropriate methods have to be developed for the study of the composition of human milk. The progress in the development of these techniques was the subject of the second workshop on human lactation, dedicated specifically to'Milk Components and Methodologies.'The workshop was held in Colorado in 1984 and resulted in the publication of the first volume in the series of'Human Lactation.'At the Colorado meeting it was readily apparent that considerable progress has been made in the development of sensitive techniques able to quantitate the bioactive components of human milk (enzymes, growth factors, immuno-protective agents) as well as the macro, micro and trace elements. At the Colorado workshop it became clear that these workshops greatly benefit the research of human lactation by enhancing communication and collaboration among the investigators in the field. As a result it was decided to have a future workshop about a year later on the topic of'Maternal-Environmental Effects on Human Lacta­ tion', and I was charged with chairing it.

The first volume in this series is devoted to derivatization techniques in chromatography, for very obvious reasons. In gas chromatography (GC) chemical derivatization as an aid to expand the usefulness of the technique has been known for more than a decade and has become an established approach. The first chapter deals to a great extent with derivatization for the purpose of making compounds amenable to Gc. Although the discussion concentrates on pesticides, some generally valid conclusions can be drawn from this chapter. Chemistry will not be limited to the separation-it can also have a pronounced impact on the sample cleanup, another topic cov­ ered in Chapter 1. Since the introduction of coupled GC-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), a very powerful tool, derivatization techniques have taken still another di­ rection-taking into consideration chromatographic as well as mass spec­ trometric improvement of the compounds of interest. Cyclic boronates are discussed as derivatization reagents for this purpose in the second chapter.