In the thirty-seven years that have gone by since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published, optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science. At the time of inception of this series, the first lasers were only just becoming operational, holography was in its infancy, subjects such as fiber optics, integrated optics and optoelectronics did not exist and quantum optics was the domain of only a few physicists. The term photonics had not yet been coined. Today these fields are flourishing and have become areas of specialisation for many science and engineering students and numerous research workers and engineers throughout the world. Some of the advances in these fields have been recognized by awarding Nobel prizes to seven physicists in the last twenty years. The volumes in this series which have appeared up to now contain nearly 190 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments. They have helped optical scientists and optical engineers to stay abreast of their fields. There is no sign that developments in optics are slowing down or becoming less interesting. - Gaussian apodization and beam propagation - Electromagnetically-induced transparency - Three-dimensional electromagnetic fields - Quantum cryptography - Optical quantum cloning

In the thirty-seven years that have gone by since the first volume of Progress in Optics was published, optics has become one of the most dynamic fields of science. At the time of inception of this series, the first lasers were only just becoming operational, holography was in its infancy, subjects such as fiber optics, integrated optics and optoelectronics did not exist and quantum optics was the domain of only a few physicists. The term photonics had not yet been coined. Today these fields are flourishing and have become areas of specialisation for many science and engineering students and numerous research workers and engineers throughout the world. Some of the advances in these fields have been recognized by awarding Nobel prizes to seven physicists in the last twenty years. The volumes in this series which have appeared up to now contain nearly 190 review articles by distinguished research workers, which have become permanent records for many important developments. They have helped optical scientists and optical engineers to stay abreast of their fields. There is no sign that developments in optics are slowing down or becoming less interesting. - Gaussian apodization and beam propagation- Electromagnetically-induced transparency- Three-dimensional electromagnetic fields- Quantum cryptography- Optical quantum cloning

Chemokines are the cytokines that may activate or chemoattract leukocytes. Each chemokine contains 65 ~ 120 amino acids, with molecular weight of 8-10 kD. Their receptors belong to G-protein-coupled receptors. Inflammatory chemokines are released from a wide variety of cells in response to bacterial infection, viruses and agents that cause physical damage such as silica or the urate crystals that occur in gout. They function mainly as chemoattractants for leukocytes, recruiting monocytes, neutrophils and other effector cells from the blood to sites of infection or damage. They can be released by many different cell types and serve to guide cells involved in innate immunity and also the lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system. The cells that are attracted by chemokines follow a signal of increasing chemokine concentration to the site of infection or tissue injury. Some chemokines also have roles in the development of lymphocytes, migration and angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels).Since the entry of HIV into host cells requires chemokine receptors, their antagonists are being developed to treat AIDS. This book presents leading research from around the globe in this field.