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Born in Hong Kong to parents who immigrated there from the Toishan region of mainland China, Elaine Mar came to America in 1972, when she was not quite 6. Colorado was quite a shock to a girl who had previously shared a five-room apartment with four other families. "She must be rich," Man Yee (her Chinese name) thought, emerging from the basement room where she and her parents slept to explore her Aunt Becky's three-bedroom house in a working-class Denver neighborhood. Not so: her aunt, father, and other relatives worked in the kitchen of a restaurant owned by others, and Mar's pungent memoir of her odyssey from poor immigrant to Harvard undergraduate shatters stereotypes about Asians as the "model minority." She was a smart girl and a good student who soon preferred the American name Elaine and "only spoke Chinese when absolutely necessary," but she found it hard to decipher the "cultural cues" on which social success in school depended. Honestly chronicling conflicts with her parents, whose horizons and expectations seemed unbearably limited, Mar outlines her youthful rebellion and their response with mature understanding. Her observation of American life is as clear-eyed and unsentimental as her self-portrait of a girl adrift between two cultures. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
When she was five years old, M. Elaine Mar and her mother emigrated from Hong Kong to Denver to join her father in a community more Chinese than American, more hungry than hopeful.
While working with her family in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant and living in the basement of her aunt's house, Mar quickly masters English and begins to excel in school. But as her home and school life--Chinese tradition and American independence--become two increasingly disparate worlds, Mar tries desperately to navigate between them.
Adolescence and the awakening of her sexuality leave Elaine isolated and confused. She yearns for storebought clothes and falls for a red-haired boy who leads her away from the fretful eyes of her family. In his presence, Elaine is overcome by the strength of her desire--blocking out her family's visions of an arranged marriage in Hong Kong.
From surviving racist harassment in the schooIyard to trying to flip her straight hair like Farrah Fawcett, from hiding her parents' heritage to arriving alone at Harvard University, Mar's story is at once an unforgettable personal journey and an unflinching, brutal look at the realities of the American Dream.
Customer Reviews:
Two cultures collide! .......2007-02-16
Although much of the focus of Elaine Mar's memoir could be written by anyone who experienced childhood teasing, discrimination, loneliness, poverty, low self-esteem; it is important to find the core of her plight, a battle with parents resisting a change into their new country. But even that story can be retold by many.
Two countries in one household.
Elaine was very young upon arriving from Hong Kong with her mother to join her father. The parents didn't accommodate to the U.S. well. They didn't learn English or customary ways. Her mother was mentally and physically abusive and spoke to her daughter in a degrading manner, and often repeated to the daughter that it was a waste of their time raising her.
I didn't feel what she had to say was any different that what many people experience as children. But then, I understood the conflict being raised as an American, but challenged by Hong Kong parents with their strong ties to that culture and beliefs.
Money vs no money.
That she could not buy the right clothes to fit in was moreso, poverty vs. money rather than a cultural aspect. And many Americans are forced to work in the family business their entire youth; it is not just a Hong Kong thing.
Unanswered Questions
I was left with questions unanswered. Her parents worked in a restaurant with relatives, and a feud caused them to leave the home (basement) and the father to be out of work. She never elaborates on what caused this feud that forced them to make changes and how did the feud end, since there was a reunion.
Also, aside from some typographical errors, toward the end, there is a chapter titled "When Father Lived in Wichita", but it has nothing to do with the content. The father lived there before she came to the U.S. Another chapter regarding college life is titled TASPS, but nowhere do we get an explanation what this stands for.
Graphic Detail - the sexual experience.
We learn of her sexual experience with a white boy from the restaurant, and I do say; we learn this through graphic detail for several pages.....several. A page would have done for me.
Well-written, holding my interest, living in Denver, and, my fascination with a different look at how two cultures collided.
One has to admire her tenacity to get where she did! ......MzRizz
Loved this memoir.......2005-06-05
Some people who've posted reviews here feel this book is not significant but I think we can all relate to being teased at school and trying to get by as a child. I loved this memoir and recommend it to anyone else who also loves memoirs or autobiographies.
Eh, no big deal.......2004-02-20
I read somewhere that the events in a person's life are only interesting to that person. So true in this case. Yeah, yeah, Asian girl picked on my American classmates. Asian girl must learn proper American table manners. blah blah blah. The flowery, overly-detailed descriptions were lame and contrived. It could have been a good story if it wasn't so full of self-pity and a narcissistic attitude. Poor child, auntie won't hug her. Poor dear, she can't date outside her ethnic background. It seems more like the diary of a confused and angry adolescent. Now, Amy Tan, that's an interesting writer!
An Engrossing Memoir.......2004-01-18
The book opens with a sensuous description of a Hong Kong child eating chicken bones, crushing them between her teeth to release the clotted marrow within. The author later contrasts this earthy and primal experience with the manner in which Americans eat fried chicken, delicately nibbling away from the bone, oblivious to the rich marrow within. I found this broad metaphor thought-provoking, contrasting the sterility of American suburban life with the riotous, crowded Hong Kong environs where the author lived her earliest years.
I was very impressed with the sensual detail in the book, the descriptions of textures and scents hinting of mystery, such as the jars of dried mushrooms and spices that her mother stored in the tiny room that was the author's first home.
The criticism that many reviewers have expressed is that the memoir fails to be reflective. I did not find that to be the case. I prefer to have the author use metaphor and selectiveness of memory to present her view, as she deftly does, than to read pages of exposition detailing why she felt her mother treated her coldly. I believe the author is trusting to the intelligence of the reader to puzzle out the motivations of each character. It would be less than artful to be as obvious as some readers apparently wish.
That said, I did not always sympathize with the author, especially as she grew into adolescence and became increasingly disrespectful of her parents. However, it took courage for the author to sometimes portray herself in a less than attractive manner. One was left to wonder if her adolescent angst would have been similar if she had never left Hong Kong.
I felt the memoir's legitimate focus was her childhood and formative years. Some have expressed the wish that the author would have continued, describing her college years in greater detail. I disagree, as that would have moved the story away from the focus on family. Family is used to define the author throughout the memoir; as she seperates from her family, the story ends. Therefore, I found the break logical.
My one criticism would be that it is slightly facile to believe that a Harvard education somehow has elevated the author beyond her family. The first severing was one of language. Education was secondary. I disliked the implication that the education she strove for somehow delivered her from an intolerable life. The author seemed to be overly impressed with herself for being accepted into Harvard, as if this were the grandest achievement attainable. She also failed to criticize, or if she did, it was too subtle for my tastes, the adolescent mentalities and delusions of genius, which were apparently common amongst the students at the Cornell summer program she attended. Nor could I tell if she felt the psychiatrist who interviewed her for the program was rather pompous and shallow, as I did. My assumption, though, is that the author has chosen to leave this unsaid and that this scene was yet another instance of her trying to fit into one sub-group or another, posing as an intellectual rather than as a typical American teenager.
The author progresses from dutiful Chinese daughter, to bewildered immigrant, to essential interlocutor for her family, to sullen teenager, to burgeoning "intellectual". I felt that most of these transitions were beautifully described and that the varying experiences and motivations of the different family members contributed greatly to the richness of the story. I was a little off-put by her eventual move to Cambridge and Harvard, because I felt that the author's motivations were more about belonging to an "elite" group and progressing socially than any educational goals. However, my opinion is belied by the elegant and moving memoir that she later wrote, which implies that her maturity has progressed greatly beyond the last stage described in the book, that of a self-centered teenager eager to break from her family.
Overall, I found this memoir to be very worthwhile reading.
Unexceptional.......2003-10-07
Mar's memoir may be a better read for someone not accustomed to reading about the Chinese-American immigrant experience, but those well-read in the field are unlikely to be impressed. Mar does not use hindsight to explain things that confused her in her childhood, such as the significance of speaking Toisan instead of proper Cantonese. Her childhood experiences are not so different from those of American-born Chinese, or frankly of smart children in general. Her experience with the joy of being around other smart kids is more closely tied with the "smart" experience than the "immigrant" experience. And her tango with anorexia, along the same vein, has more to do with the "type-A female" experience then with the immigrant experience. Overall, this book is a good memoir of one woman's life, but there are too many ideosyncratic facets for this to tout itself as a good representation of the modern Chinese immigrant experience in America.
Book Description
This book is intensely personal yet the poetic style allows others to connect to their own experience with adoption. Adoptees, adoptive parents, birthparents, family members, and friends on all sides of the adoption triangle will see themselves and their experiences.
In over 280 pages, Cold Paper draws you into the birthparents' relationship, the decision for adoption, and the feelings during the following years. You journey into the world of searching and sealed records swept along by a mother's determination to know if the daughter she relinquished is alive and loved.
Book Description
Examines all the world's civilizations, including those in the Western tradition but also those civilizations sometimes neglected in world history texts. Maintaining a focus on social history explores gender, class, economic, and intellectual issues, while examining patterns of inequality and human agency throughout world history. Instructors of World Civilization surveys that prefer a global account of history.
Customer Reviews:
What Ever Happened To Western Civilization?.......2007-04-11
This book was confusing, and expensive. I had to buy this for a history class that I took, and I just thought that is was confusing. However, It may not be the fault of the author or publisher as much as political correctness.
Back in the day we studied Western Civilization, actually the history of what made Americans what we are. But political correctness has redefined the concept of civilization and made it structured like the Civil Rights movement, where every society is equal. Well, they're NOT EQUAL in their contributions to American culture. Plain and simple.
To throw together all this loose information, in a confusing mess, just because it happened at roughly the same time in world history is nothing but a joke. Western Civilization covered too much information as it was, this World History movement is nothing but a sham, and I hope some historians wake up someday and change it back.
Just because a couple people traded silk across Eurasia in the Middle Ages doesn't mean there was some giant trade network that influenced everything equally. This book helps to illustrate how America has gotten to liberal in its worldview. Sorry.
Biased, Wordy, Short on Facts.......2007-03-30
We use this book in my AP World HIstory class, and I find it quite useless. It's written sometimes using to casual of language, but still has bulky, multi-sentence paragraphs that serve only to confuse. Just as other reviewers have said, is so incredibly desperate to fight Euro-Centrism that it sometimes goes off on rambling tangents of the "heroic/underreported/unknown/ignored" accomplishments of others. While I am generally a politically correct lefty-Looneytoon myself, this book is over the top in its political statements, and when studying for the AP Test, one needs less opinion, and more fact. This book rarely emphasizes order, instead it emphasizes random people and dates that most AP Professionals say aren't on the test. Finally, it has detail, just details that no one else seems to think will be on the test, but ignores more important historical facts.
If this is the book you use in class, I suggest investing in something else, like a Princeton Review or Barron's before the test. Those who self-study for tests (the only people who would be looking to by this book), should shy away from superfluous textbooks and go straight for one of the books I suggested.
Decent for the AP Test but..........2006-05-21
This book is quite appropriate for the AP World History test, and provides you with most of the information you'll need for the test, however, it does contain several gaping flaws if read purely for interest or outside the context of an AP class. As some other reviewers have mentioned, it attempts to be too politically correct, and dissmisses European achievements, while hailing many less significant foreign ones. It also focuses on the role of women too much in certain civilizations, sometimes writing more about it than achievements in science, for instane.
Additionally, there are long, complicated events that are summarized a tad too much. For instance, it basically covered the entire history of the American Revolution and its impact on the world in a paragraph or two, and describes all the events and battles in a few sentences. Of course, in certain situations, this would be a good thing, as it gives more of a general overview of the world, which is often what the AP test is designed to test you on, however for an enthousiastic reader, it is quite dissappointing.
Overall, it will serve its purpose very well if you're a student, but if you're not, you better find something else to read.
Faulty, Biased, and Unable to Teach.......2006-02-15
This particular textbook was required for AP World History in my school. As an individual with great prior knowlege of the history of humanity, I was shocked by the dearth of actual facts the book provides in nearly every chapter. Most sentences Stearns writes as factual are almost always summary of a multitude of events which could be expanded with greater understanding for the reader. He rarely utilizes chronological dates, which has caused many in my class to confuse the chronological order of events and generally creating a situation where students not already familiar with history are almost completley unaware of the actual nature of the history the text is trying to teach.
The text is written with more regard to political correctness than important fact in most cases, even going so far as to justify Aztec human sacrifice in one instance and deamonizing the Spaniards who brought it to a stop. The chapters almost always devote disproportional attention to gender relations and other things which often are mentioned more than the actual achievements of respective nations and empires the text discusses.
Furthermore, the textbook makes so much of an effort to avoid Eurocentricism that it quickly becomes mostly Euro-dismissive, speaking negativley of European nations in any way that can be found while the other nations have faults downplayed and mentioned in passing.
Overall, the lack of actual facts, political correctness, neglect of important civilizations for concentration on aimless chapters on unimportant places in certain periods of time, and the attitude of Anti-Westernism make the text both a poor learning tool, and a highly subjective and biased collection of Stearns' opinions rather than an effective one with an objective look at history.
A Decent Read.......2004-11-15
I am currently taking AP World History and this is our assigned text. I am saddedened that this book does not contain, many facts, but it is great anaylsis wise. The in-depth sections are helpful, as are the online sorces, which I have used repeatedly. I do often say that I dislike this book, but please take into account that I have to take notes on it and I am lazy. But I do recommend this if one is looking for a very analyitical read. Also, I forgot to mention the fact that Mr. Stearns is very undecided when trying to make an agrument. Which can be good, but it is bad for those trying to write an essay. Again, I recommend this book
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A computer in your shoe? Maybe so. Neil Gershenfeld, director of MIT's Media Lab, joins the ranks of techno-prognosticators with When Things Start to Think, and his focus is on how the future of computing will fit into our physical realities. This sensorial focus allows Gershenfeld to explore such science fictional ideas as wearable computers, nanotech circuitry implants, as well as such concerns as emotions, money, and civil rights in the new age of artificial intelligence. Gershenfeld provides a historical overview of the development of computers and extrapolates a world in which we will be forced to deal with things that think all the time. This can't help but reshape our society in ways we must try to imagine. You may be surprised at how far along this road we are--Gershenfeld is in exactly the right place to tell this story, and it's a whole lot of fun (and a little scary) to ride this wave with him. --Adam Fisher
Book Description
This is a book for people who want to know what the future is going to look like and for people who want to know how to create the future. Gershenfeld offers a glimpse at the brave new post-computerized world, where microchips work for us instead of against us. He argues that we waste the potential of the microchip when we confine it to a box on our desk: the real electronic revolution will come when computers have all but disappeared into the walls around us. Imagine a digital book that looks like a traditional book printed on paper and is pleasant to read in bed but has all the mutability of a screen display. How about a personal fabricator that can organize digitized atoms into anything you want, or a musical keyboard that can be woven into a denim jacket? Gershenfeld tells the story of his Things that Think group at MIT's Media Lab, the group of innovative scientists and researchers dedicated to integrating digital technology into the fabric of our lives.
Customer Reviews:
Admittedly incomplete and profound........2005-11-18
Gershenfeld admits that this book is incomplete. Unless you can be satisfied with an explanation of quantum physics that is a few sentences long, this book is definitely not the be-all and end-all. It might be worth your while just to skip this text and look into his other books "The Nature of Mathematical Modeling" and "The Physics of Information Technology" (I have yet to read these) if you are truly interested in this subject.
On the other hand, I fear for those who may be left satisfied with this book. Gershenfeld seems to think that we can allow machines to think for us. My fear lies in the consequences when (not if) these machines break down. For example, we in the firefighting industry call the lights that indicate the water level in a fire engine "idiot lights" because you are an idiot if you rely on them. Any self-respecting pump operator knows these detection systems fail and that they should be able to calculate water levels for themselves. If we are to rely on the more complicated systems he suggests, it follows that it will be increasingly difficult to compensate for them when they break down. Just look at what happens when cell phones, PC's, and networks break down today.
Gershenfeld should follow this book with "When Things Become Dumb."
Personal-Fabrication releasing innovation and talent.......2005-04-12
Dr Gershenfeld,the director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Centre for Bits and Atoms believes the next digital revolution will be a personal-fabrication machine costing about $20k. The personal-fabrication machine is made possible through open software, wireless communication, and internet collaboration technology.
Gershenfeld like Bill Gates recognizes the potential in connecting the computer to the customer. Gates recognized the power of programmable languages; data presentation through a multitasking, preemptive context switching, and windows interface OS; and aggressive marketing of the microsoft products. Gershenfeld realizes the power of giving the most complex and sophisticated hardware and software to scientist and engineers of poor and remote countries giving them the power to fabricate tools and machines. Gershenfeld approach makes the digital virtual bits become concrete natural material bits. This is not about charity, this is about reducing the cost of production and increasing the quality of the product in cost prohibitive areas of the world. More directly it could mean a change in how consumers acquire the products they need. These tools and machines are cool because they solve simple problems where access to manufactured goods and services are not possible because of cost.
Gates received strong support from the engineering and software development community and they rallied too build hundreds of millions of dollars worth of VBX/OCX components. Gershenfeld will need strong support from the community of programmers, scientist, and engineers too build a rich public library of tool/machine/chip schematics available by internet search and all downloadable digitally into the fabrication lab; also, complex scientific theory will need to be delivered, as intuitive concepts for search and application; and engineers and computer scientist will need to write software applications making the Computer Aid Design intuitive and functional.
Manufacturing is about process oriented series steps in a complex series of systematic events. Gershenfeld knows that the complexity is massive and reducing this complexity to a simple lab is the first step to bringing engineering and science to the consumer.
However, Gershenfeld freely admits that scientist experts, computer experts, and engineering experts will need to be access through the Fab Lab communities. The idea that imperfect components with error correction can build a perfect system is the fundamental law. Machines that can provide a little maintenance can last forever and produce indefinitely, things that become smarter.
The personal-fabrication machine will allow individuals and small businesses to customise products meeting their needs and releasing an outpouring of talent. The segmentation between structural design and functionality are bridged by personal-fabrication. Structural engineers can build prototypes and include microchips to provide functionality. Eventually, these microchips will be small wirelessly computers with the ability to provide feedback, make decisions, and start other processes. Personal-fabrication becomes more feasible as the size of the computer reduces and the cost drops and the computer becomes more functional and more closely integrated into all facets of existence.
Gernshenfeld poses a thought provoking idea that smart devices should keep context information and this context information should be used by the device to provide helpful reactions. In the case of the product theft device, a small frequency transmits a certain frequency within a magnetic field, a siren goes off, and staff attention is attracted. The amazing fact is that the device cost about one penny. Gernshenfeld explains that the goal is to get more functionality for less money. In the case of the Fab Lab, micro chips cost about 50 to 70 cents. I believe things of demand always become cheapers, so the goal will be getting desired functionality on these chips fast and easy and that takes brains!
"Fab lab" version 1.0 includes a laser cutter capable of making two and three dimensional structures, a device that uses a computer-controlled knife to carve, a miniature milling machine, software for programming cheap computer chips known as microcontrollers, and a jigsaw.
The "Fab lab" is capable of precision of a millionth of a meter. The purpose is to provide inventors in poor countries with the best technology to solve their problems. Fab Lab provides an scaled down manufacturing fabrication model allowing device creation that is both functional and structural suitable for the need. The end result is a working prototype capable of solving a particular problem. Fab labs have been used to produce jewllery, car parts, agricultural tools, communication equipment, solar power devices, radio collars, wireless networks.
The "Fab Lab" makes printing semiconductors, transistors, and other electronic devices as if they were made of paper. Fab Lab will produce things and these things will be smart. Reuse will of things will be a big issue.
Hey, how cool would it be too walk into Radio Shack, ask for a demo of the Fab Lab, and build a machine? Remember when the TRS-80 when cost 5k? The concept was cool and now everyone has a computer a million times more powerful.
Many companies will ask is it practical to purchase the "Fab Lab" with the proliferation of components that can be ordered by internet or catalogue. I think the Fab Lab will gain in strength as it continues to bridge the gap between form and function. As structural and functional pattern package and standardized by groups these packages will be replicated and the Fab Lab will be the technology for replication. The Fab Lab must build the infrasture to become the bridge between the virtual digital world and the concrete world. The advantages of pure digital storage of pattern is staggering: just in time inventories, richer possiblities for solutions, stronger collaboration between ideas, and open design communities to sponser innovation.
When DESIGNERS Start To Think.......2004-11-20
This isn't a book about "things" starting to think, or even computers starting to think. It's about different ways to integrate computing power into our lives so the distinction about "what is a computer" starts to blur.
Wearable computers, smart coffepots, tennis shoes with CPUs, all of these are ideas which have become much more accepted (and real) in the 5 years since this book was published.
There are two directions computing can grow in the future -- automating tasks we already do (like the above) or, more promisingly, creating new tasks which take advantage of the advantages of computing power. Gershenfeld barely touches on the latter, even though examples are all around us (like the internet). Futurists working on films like Blade Runner, Demolition Man and Minority Report have had more to say. It is only when computing power starts to change the way we live our lives -- for better or worse -- that the true digital revolution will occur.
And it probably will be televised.
Entertaining and Still Timely .......2004-08-12
Neil Gershenfeld uses his experiences in The Media Lab to provide a glimpse of what technology can do and how there is a long way to travel in mindset before it becomes even more useful to us in our daily routines. Even 5 years after its publication date, the insights are fresh and the examples and stories are relevant. I appreciated the intoduction of concepts such as atom-dollars and bit-dollars and the idea of a do-tank. The logical case that assigns the blame for telemarketing to Pope Leo X made me smile.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wonders why his or her VCR isn't smart enough to tell them the time rather than the other way around and who questions why technology hasn't yet evolved to more transparency and provided things with the ability to think about simple but useful tasks that they can accomplish without us having to give specific instructions every time.
Easy General Overall Read.......2003-11-05
When Things Start To Think
By Neil Gershenfeld
When Things Start To Think was a very interesting overview from the authors personal point of view on of what happens when technology meets the traditional social world that we live in. Much of it is derived from Gershenfields own knowledge as he explores the world of new technology. He admits to discussing thoughout the book about his ground breaking experience with Yo-yo Ma, and how much of his experience is derived around his years in the Media Lab. Emerging from these detailed stories, such as how marries music with technology, we start to understand that his efforts is a vision of a future that is much more "accessible, connected, expressive, and responsive."
Gershenfield touches on many various areas of technology from wearable computers, to The Big Blue chess playing super computer, to the future of money. He attempts to cover massive amounts of ground on this huge topic of progressive and intelligent technology that some might not consider this book a very in-depth read. However, I would consider it a wonderful overview for those who are interested about the development and evolution of unique technologies that have inspired us to dream about the future. These dreams help us to envision what possibilities can be done when science, curiosity, and desire to create collide.
I don't think that Gershenfield meant this book to be a scholarly one at all, but it was a more causal, easy, and fun read for all to enjoy on a low- tech level. Overall I thought it was a enlightening story on Gresherfield's experiences, and he does drive home the idea that as technology develops out of it's "adolescence" it's important to bring it closer to people so that it's less obtrusive and more useful.
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When Things Start to Think
Neil Gershenfeld
Manufacturer: Henry Holt
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ASIN: 0340728701 |
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Genetics And Ecotoxicology (CURRENT TOPICS IN ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY)
Valery E., Ed. Forbes
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ASIN: 1560327154 |
Book Description
This first volume in the series provides a detailed treatment in ecotoxicology and stresses why genetics is important in understanding if and how chemical contaminants affect populations. Written by an array of international contributors from various fields covering mammals, invertebrates, fish, plants, as well as molecular ecotoxicology, this book considers both ecological/evolutionary consequences and practical implications of the interplay between chemical toxicants and the genetic population. In broadening the understanding of ecological response, this resource ranges from molecular to classical genetics, from plant to animal, from asexual to sexual, touching on some fundamental issues of evolutionary biology. In addition, gaps in our present understanding of genetic and ecotoxicological processes and future research directions have been identified.
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Applications Of Molecular Biology In Environmental Chemistry
ROGER,ED. MINEAR
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ASIN: 0873719514 |
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During this century we have experienced a shift in the leading causes of death from infectious diseases, such as pneumonia and influenza, to chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. Whereas infectious diseases are often related to a single infectious agent, chronic diseases are often related to a combination of environmental (including occupational) chemical exposures and genetic factors. This valuable reference helps the reader to identify these chemical pollutants in environmental matrices such as air, water, food, and soil. It provides improved analytical methods to measure the pollutant, its metabolites, and its various possible adducts in humans. This book presents the latest work designed to assess potential exposure (environmental concentration and activity of pollutants), dose to humans, and a molecular basis for some of the affected biological mechanisms.
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Toxicogenomics in Ecological Risk Assessment
Gerald Ankley
Manufacturer: CRC Press
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ASIN: 142006682X |
Book Description
The last three years have resulted in a literal explosion of new techniques to examine responses of organisms to internal and external stimuli at the molecular level. This book outlines the use of techniques such as polymerase chain reaction assays or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure single mRNA products or proteins diagnostics of exposure/effects of chemicals with well-defined modes or mechanisms of action. It explores exactly how data generated from new genomics technologies might actually impact/benefit the risk assessment process. A guide on how genomics research can impact regulatory decision making, the book also informs risk assessors on how genomics data may be used.
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Molecular Environmental Biology
SEYMOUR, ED. GARTE
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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Molecular Biology
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General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
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Ecotoxicology
| Biological Sciences
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Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
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General
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| Nature & Ecology
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General
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Molecular Biology
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Toxicology
| Pharmacology
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Toxicology
| Pharmacology
| Medicine
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General
| Health, Mind & Body
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ASIN: 0873716310 |
Book Description
Molecular Environmental Biology is the first book to illustrate molecular biological approaches to major issues in environmental biology. International experts have contributed representative chapters that cover how molecular methods and concepts apply to wildlife management, ecology, pollution control and remediation, and environmental health. Specific topics discussed include the use of molecular techniques in the population biology of wild animals and in the management of fisheries, bioremediation, cloning and characterization of the genes responsible for degradation of PCBs and related environmental pollutants, molecular analysis of aromatic hydrocarbon degradation by soil bacteria, and molecular biological techniques in assessing environmental damage to natural habitats. The book also explores how new molecular approaches can be applied to human disease etiology and epidemiology. Topics discussed in this area include an introduction to molecular epidemiology, the uses of molecular biological markers in cancer risk assessment, specific environmental carcinogens found in foods, measuring DNA adducts and mutation frequencies to assess environmental toxic exposures and effect, and using the extent of gene inducibility as a dosimeter of toxic exposure. This book will interest researchers and students in all fields of environmental biology and environmental medicine. Readers will find information on new techniques and applications of established molecular methodology that will stimulate new research ideas, collaborations, and progress. Researchers will now have a chance to make rapid progress on environmental questions that were previously not even open for exploration.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Mutation Research-Reviews in Mutation Research, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
Toxic compounds may interfere with the genetic constitution of populations, either directly through mutagenic activity, or indirectly via population-mediated processes (i.e. selection, bottleneck). These processes are initiated when toxic compounds reduce the survival and/or fecundity of exposed organisms, either through the accumulation of unfavorable mutations or when they adversely affect the physiology of an organism and/or the environment in which it has to survive. In this review, we describe how the RAPD technique can be applied in an ecotoxicological context, providing information on all direct and indirect routes through which toxicants may affect the genetic structure of populations. Based on RAPD band intensity, gain/loss and band numbers, three major types of RAPD fingerprint analyses are discussed, yielding diagnostic, phenetic and genetic information. Ecotoxicological literature examples demonstrate that, under strictly standardized conditions, the RAPD technique can be a useful tool to preliminary assess toxicological population genetic effects, particularly since this technique is relatively inexpensive and yields information on a large number of loci without having to obtain sequence data for primer design. However, currently only a small fraction of its potential is used in ecotoxicology. Statistical tools and parameters, as used in other RAPD studies, should be applied in ecotoxicological research as well in order to fully exploit the potential of this technique. Finally, due to their random nature, RAPD data often must be considered as preliminary until they are further documented by cloning, sequencing and probing techniques.
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