The book is a fundamental reference source on reaction wood for wood scientists and technologists, plant biologists, silviculturists, forest ecologists, and anyone involved in the growing of trees and the processing of wood. It brings together our current understanding of all aspects of reaction wood, and is the first book to discuss both compression wood and tension wood. Trees produce reaction wood to maintain the vertical orientation of their stems and the optimum angle of each branch. They achieve this by laying down fibre cell walls in which differences in physical and chemical structure from those of normal fibres are expressed as differential stresses across the stem or branch. This process, while of obvious value for the survival of the tree, causes serious problems for the utilisation of timber. Timber derived from trees containing significant amounts of reaction wood is subject to dimensional instability on drying, causing twisting, bending and splitting. It is also difficult to work as timber, and for the pulp and paper industry the cost of removing the increased amount of lignin in compression wood is substantial. This has both practical and economic consequences for industry. Understanding the factors controlling reaction wood formation and its effect on wood structure is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the adaptation of trees to their environment and to the sustainable use of wood. The topics covered include: -Morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of reaction wood -Cell-wall polymers in reaction wood and their biosynthesis -Changes in tree proteomes during reaction wood formation -The biomechanical action and biological functions of reaction wood - Physical and mechanical properties of reaction wood from the scale of cell walls to planks -The detection and characterisation of compression wood -Effects of reaction wood on the performance of wood and wood-based products - Commercial implications of reaction wood and the influence of forest management on its formation

Lignins are nature's aromatic polymers and are the second most abundant organic constituent of the biosphere next to cellulose. Lignification mainly occurs in the walls of terrestrial vascular plants, mainly in the secondarily thickened cells of supportive or conductive tissues, which thus acquire novel properties. This new volume of Advances in Botanical Research gives a special emphasis to the bioengineering of these enigmatic polymers. It is divided in nine chapters containing up-to-date reviews by expert groups in their field. Gives a special emphasis to the bioengineering of these enigmatic polymers, lignins Divided in nine chapters Contains up-to-date reviews by expert groups in their field

This work presents a definitive interpretation of the current status of and future trends in natural products—a dynamic field at the intersection of chemistry and biology concerned with isolation, identification, structure elucidation, and chemical characteristics of naturally occurring compounds such as pheromones, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and enzymes. With more than 1,800 color figures, Comprehensive Natural Products II features 100% new material and complements rather than replaces the original work (©1999). Reviews the accumulated efforts of chemical and biological research to understand living organisms and their distinctive effects on health and medicine Stimulates new ideas among the established natural products research community—which includes chemists, biochemists, biologists, botanists, and pharmacologists Informs and inspires students and newcomers to the field with accessible content in a range of delivery formats Includes 100% new content, with more than 6,000 figures (1/3 of these in color) and 40,000 references to the primary literature, for a thorough examination of the field Highlights new research and innovations concerning living organisms and their distinctive role in our understanding and improvement of human health, genomics, ecology/environment, and more Adds to the rich body of work that is the first edition, which will be available for the first time in a convenient online format giving researchers complete access to authoritative Natural Products content

A chronicle written only by someone for whom the present important. Goethe, Maximen und Reflexionen The second volume of our company's history differs from the first in several ways. With a great appreciation of history, Heinz Sarkowski has impressively reconstructed the company cor- spondence, which is fortunately almost completely preserved, and made it speak. * There is an inexhaustible amount of c- respondence pertaining to the period I have taken it upon myself to cover, and working through it properly not only would have required many years, but also would have detracted from the immediacy of the account. Thus, I decided to proceed from personal experience, to describe what has happened and to provide details gleaned from the correspondence. I have - counted here by no means only my own, but rather the personal experiences of the many company members and employees who are mentioned below. With the founding of the New York firm, developments branch out, becoming parallel but separate, and the change from one scene to another repeatedly interrupts the continuing course of events and the chronological flow of the report. In this connection, the occasional repetition of certain facts was - avoidable. In some places, however, it seemed more appropriate not to interrupt particular lines of development, but to describe them in continuity without regard to specific periods of time.