Biological molecules such as enzymes and antibodies display a unique capacity to recognize and respond to other molecules in a way which can be exploited in the development of analytical devices. In a biosensor, the biological recognition system creates a physiochemical change proximal to a suitable transducer and thereby converts the concentration of the analyte into a quantifiable electrical signal. The design and construction of these devices requires an imaginative combination of biological, chemical, physical and engineering disciplines. Biosensors will find (...) application in a variety of analytical fields. (shrink)

The arguments of Lefèvre for extensive Plautine rewriting at the end of the Mercator are here reinforced. The theory of an allusion to the Teucer legend is rejected. The question of how Plautus’ Greek model ended is left open.

Widely different views have been held concerning the structure of Plautus’ Menaechmi. On the one hand, the sequence of misunderstandings arising from the presence in the same city of a pair of identical twins with the same name has been likened to clockwork and attributed in essentials to an unknown Greek dramatist. On the other hand, E. Stärk has stressed features of the play which are typical of improvised comedy and put forward the bold theory that it was constructed by (...) Plautus himself, following traditions of pre-literary Italic drama but using stock motifs of Greek New Comedy. I wish to suggest that the truth lies between these extreme positions. (shrink)