In this book, researchers and practitioners working in the field present the major promises of algae biotechnology and they critically discuss the challenges arising from applications. Based on this assessment, the authors explore the great scientific, industrial and economic potential opened up by algae biotechnology. The first part of the book presents recent developments in key enabling technologies, which are the driving force to unleash the enormous potential of algae biotechnology. The second part of the book focuses on how practical applications of algae biotechnology may provide new solutions to some of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Algae offer great potential to support the building of a bio-based economy and they can contribute new solutions to some of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Despite significant progress, algae biotechnology is yet far from fulfilling its potential. How to unleash this enormous potential is the challenge that the own field is facing. New cultivation technologies and bioprocess engineering allow for optimization of the operation strategy of state-of the art industrial-scale production systems and they reduce the production costs. Parallel to this, new molecular technologies for genetic and metabolic engineering of (micro)algae develop quickly. The optimization of existing biochemical pathways or the introduction of pathway components makes high-yield production of specific metabolites possible. Novel screening technologies including high-throughput technologies enables testing of extremely large numbers of samples and, thus, allow for large scale modelling of biomolecular processes, which would have not been possible in the past. Moreover, profitable production can demand for integrated biorefining, which combines consecutive processes and various feedstocks to produce both transportation fuel, electric energy and valuable chemicals.

Plant-based medicines play an important role in all cultures, and have been indispensable in maintaining health and combating diseases. The identification of active principles and their molecular targets from traditional medicine provides an enormous opportunity for drug development. Using modern biotechnology, plants with specific chemical compositions can be mass propagated and genetically improved for the extraction of bulk active pharmaceuticals. Although there has been significant progress in the use of biotechnology, using tissue cultures and genetic transformation to investigate and alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites, there are many challenges involved in bringing plants from the laboratory to successful commercial cultivation. This book presents the latest advances in the development of medicinal drugs, including topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics and future biotechnological directions.

DNA and RNA fractions have been isolated from the whole blood, serum, plasma, the surface of blood cells, urine, saliva and spinal fluid from both healthy individuals and clinical patients. Recent developments are presented concerning the isolation, quantification and analysis of these molecules and their use in the identification of specific nucleic acid fragments related to a variety of clinical disorders thereby permitting their early diagnosis and prognosis.

This book focuses on biogas production by anaerobic digestion, which is the most popular bioenergy technology of today. Using anaerobic digestion for the production of biogas is a sustainable approach that simultaneously also allows the treatment of organic waste. The energy contained in the substrate is released in the form of biogas, which can be employed as a renewable fuel in diverse industrial sectors. Although biogas generation is considered an established process, it continues to evolve, e.g. by incorporating modifications and improvements to increase its efficiency and its downstream applications. The chapters of this book review the progress made related to feedstock, system configuration and operational conditions. It also addresses microbial pathways utilized, as well as storage, transportation and usage of biogas. This book is an up-to-date resource for scientists and students working on improving biogas production.

Weeds, insects, rodents, and pathogens are major problems in agricultural and urban environments; there is a clear need to augment chemical methods of control with biological methods. Until now these efforts have had limited success because of insufficient virulence of the host-specific organisms used. Naturally occurring biological agents are in evolutionary balance with their hosts, and attaining the level of control typically desired would lead to extinction of both the control agent and its host.In this book, the main researchers involved in enhancing fungal, bacterial, virus and insect biological control agents on different targets review progress in overcoming the barrier of insufficient virulence. This multi-disciplinary group, with backgrounds in many facets of biotechnology and crop protection, reviews their work and that of others, and describes the approaches, the successes and the remaining barriers in an integrated manner.

Grapevine is a crop of major economical interest, and wine represents a multicultural heritage which has been growing since several milleniums. Yet, modern viticulture must face several challenges. Global climate has increased berry sugar content (and alcohol in the wine) whereas phenolic and aromatic ripeness are not always achieved. Water supply is becoming shorter. New varieties better adapted to new climatic conditions might have to be planted, which may affect wine typicity. Phytochemical treatments are more controlled, and the consumer pays increasing attention to environmentally safe practices. New methods reducing pesticide use, but maintaining yield and typicity, must be designed. The present book illustrates the recent progress made in ecophysiology, molecular and cell biology, and pathology of grapevine, as well as in precision viticulture and berry composition. Combination of these new tools with field observations will undoubtly make it easier to face the challenges described above. These multidisciplinary contributions will be of interest to anyone involved in grapevine and wine activities.

This book focuses on an "outside the box" notion by utilizing the powerful applications of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies in the interface of chemistry and biology. In personalized medicine, developing small molecules targeting a specific genomic sequence is an attractive goal. N-methylpyrrole (P)-N-methylimidazole (I) polyamides (PIPs) are a class of small molecule that can bind to the DNA minor groove. First, a cost-effective NGS (ion torrent platform)-based Bind-n-Seq was developed to identify the binding specificity of PIP conjugates in a randomized DNA library. Their biological influences rely primarily on selective DNA binding affinity, so it is important to analyze their genome-wide binding preferences. However, it is demanding to enrich specifically the small-molecule-bound DNA without chemical cross-linking or covalent binding in chromatinized genomes. Herein is described a method that was developed using high-throughput sequencing to map the differential binding sites and relative enriched regions of non-cross-linked SAHA-PIPs throughout the complex human genome. SAHA-PIPs binding motifs were identified and the genome-level mapping of SAHA-PIPs-enriched regions provided evidence for the differential activation of the gene network. A method using high-throughput sequencing to map the binding sites and relative enriched regions of alkylating PIP throughout the human genome was also developed. The genome-level mapping of alkylating the PIP-enriched region and the binding sites on the human genome identifies significant genomic targets of breast cancer. It is anticipated that this pioneering low-cost, high through-put investigation at the sequence-specific level will be helpful in understanding the binding specificity of various DNA-binding small molecules, which in turn will be beneficial for the development of small-molecule-based drugs targeting a genome-level sequence.

NanoBioTechnology: BioInspired Devices and Materials of the Future is a groundbreaking text that will assist scientists and students in learning the fundamentals and cutting-edge nature of this new and emerging science. Focusing on materials and building blocks for nanotechnology, leading scientists from around the world share their knowledge and expertise in this authoritative volume.

The volume is broken into five sections. The first section presents an overview of nanotechnology and describes the many aspects of the field. Section 2 details biological materials serving as nanotemplates for bottom-up fabrication. Section 3 covers the use of biological macromolecules for electron transfer and computation. Section 4 presents a brief overview of the extensive and rapidly growing field of nanomedicine. Finally, Section 5 details de-novo designed structures and the various approaches different scientific groups take with molecular level training and language.

Authoritative and comprehensive, NanoBioTechnology: BioInspired Devices and Materials of the Future provides an extraordinary and thorough overview of the emerging field of nanobiotechnology for engineers and physicists, chemists and biologists, and others from many diverse fields.

Medicine and engineering work together towards solutions for biomedical problems. The interactions of blood elements with artificial materials (bags, tubes, artificial organs, etc.) require many disciplines for its understanding. Thus the effort presented in this book is the culmination of a genuine discussion on the problems arising in blood banks, in hospitals, in biomaterials development, in experimental haemocompatibility testing when platelets interact with biomaterials. Haematologists, chemists, biologists and engineers have tried to put their own point of view and to understand the point of view of the other disciplines. The main themes that are presented in the discussion are: platelet collection, storage and transfusion; haemostasis and anticoagulation; platelet and biomaterials, extracorporeal circulation and implanted materials; haemorheological parameters; modulation of platelet function; biological tests for evaluating platelet biomaterial interactions.

Genomics research has great potential to revolutionize the discipline of plant breeding. This two-volume set provides a critical assessment of genomics tools and approaches for crop breeding. Volume 1, entitled "Genomics Approaches and Platforms," illustrates state-of-the-art genomics approaches and platforms presently available for crop improvement. Volume 2, entitled "Genomics Applications in Crops," compiles crop-specific studies that summarize both the achievements and limitations of genomics research for crop improvement. We hope that these two volumes, while providing new ideas and opportunities to those working in crop breeding, will help graduate students and teachers to develop a better understanding of the applications of crop genomics to plant research and breeding.

Nanobiotechnology holds the promise of providing revolutionary insight into aspects biology ranging from fundamental questions such as elucidating molecular mechanisms of brain disorders to extraordinary applications such as the detection of a single cancer cell in a population of a million cells. The second edition of Nanobiotechnology Protocols expands upon the previous editions with current, detailed protocols for nanobiotechnology; imaging and detection. With new chapters that explore nano-bio constructs and toxicology of nanomaterials. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Nanobiotechnology Protocol, Second Edition highlights important current areas of development and directions of the field for the future.

This Volume presents protocols for investigating the genetic, metabolic and ecological potential and functional analysis of microbial communities. Methods are described for the creation and bioinformatic assessment of metagenomic and metatranscriptomic libraries, and for metaproteomic analyses, which provide important insights into the metabolic potential and interactions of community members. These in turn lead to specific hypotheses concerning the functional contributions of individual populations in the community, which may be investigated by the stable isotope probing approaches described in this Volume, making it possible to identify those community members primarily responsible for particular functions. Methods for the direct extraction of proteins from environmental samples for sequencing and activity tests are presented, providing a broad overview of prevailing metabolic activities and of the types of microbe involved in them. Protocols for the analysis of nutrient flow through microbial communities and for the modelling of dynamic physiological interactions in communities are also provided. Lastly, the book presents a protocol for the quantitative assessment of permissiveness for the transfer of conjugative plasmids, important agents of physiological change and evolution in microbial communities. Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ProtocolsThere are tens of thousands of structurally different hydrocarbons, hydrocarbon derivatives and lipids, and a wide array of these molecules are required for cells to function. The global hydrocarbon cycle, which is largely driven by microorganisms, has a major impact on our environment and climate. Microbes are responsible for cleaning up the environmental pollution caused by the exploitation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and will also be pivotal in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by providing biofuels, plastics and industrial chemicals. Gaining an understanding of the relevant functions of the wide range of microbes that produce, consume and modify hydrocarbons and related compounds will be key to responding to these challenges. This comprehensive collection of current and emerging protocols will facilitate acquisition of this understanding and exploitation of useful activities of such microbes.

This book describes how biologically available free energy sources (ATP, chemical potential, and membrane potentials, among others) can be used to drive synthetic reactions, signaling in cells, and various types of motion such as membrane traffic, active transport, and cell locomotion. As such, it approaches the concept of the energy cycle of life on Earth from a physical point of view, covering topics ranging from an introduction to chemical evolution, to an examination of the catalytic activity of enzymes associated with the genome in Darwinian evolution. The author introduces the relationship between functions and physical properties in biomembranes, explaining the methods and equipment used in biophysics research to help researchers unravel the still-unsolved mysteries of life. The physical principles needed to understand the cellular functions are provided; these functions are associated with biomembranes and regulated by physical properties of the lipid bilayer such as membrane fluidity, phase transition, and phase separation, as shown in lipid rafts. Other key dynamic aspects of life (cell locomotion, cytoskeletal dynamics, and sensitivities of the cell to physical stimuli such as external forces and temperature) are also discussed. Lastly, readers will learn how life on Earth and its ecological system are maintained by solar energy, and be provided further information on the problems accompanying global warming.

This book highlights the results from over a year of ethnobotanical research in a rural and an urban community in Jamaica, where we interviewed more than 100 people who use medicinal plants for healthcare. The goal of this research was to better understand patterns of medicinal plant knowledge, and to find out which plants are used in consensus by local people for a variety of illnesses. For this book, we selected 25 popular medicinal plant species mentioned during fieldwork. Through individual interviews, we were able to rank plants according to their frequency of mention, and categorized the medicinal uses for each species as "major" (mentioned by more than 20% of people in a community) or "minor" (mentioned by more than 5%, but less than 20% of people). Botanical identification of plant specimens collected in the wild allowed for cross-linking of common and scientific plant names. To supplement field research, we undertook a comprehensive search and review of the ethnobotanical and biomedical literature. Our book summarizes all this information in detail under specific sub-headings.

This textbook focuses on stochastic analysis in systems biology containing both the theory and application. While the authors provide a review of probability and random variables, subsequent notions of biochemical reaction systems and the relevant concepts of probability theory are introduced side by side. This leads to an intuitive and easy-to-follow presentation of stochastic framework for modeling subcellular biochemical systems. In particular, the authors make an effort to show how the notion of propensity, the chemical master equation and the stochastic simulation algorithm arise as consequences of the Markov property.

The text contains many illustrations, examples and exercises to illustrate the ideas and methods that are introduced. Matlab code is also provided where appropriate. Additionally, the cell cycle is introduced as a more complex case study.

Senior undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and physics as well as researchers working in the area of systems biology, bioinformatics and related areas will find this text useful.

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Digital Twins for Healthcare: Design, Challenges and Solutions establishes the state-of-art in the specification, design, creation, deployment and exploitation of digital twins' technologies for healthcare and wellbeing. A digital twin is a digital replication of a living or non-living physical entity. When data is transmitted seamlessly, it bridges the physical and virtual worlds, thus allowing the virtual entity to exist simultaneously with the physical entity. A digital twin facilitates the means to understand, monitor, and optimize the functions of the physical entity and provide continuous feedback. It can be used to improve citizens' quality of life and wellbeing in smart cities and the virtualization of industrial processes.

This book provides exhaustive information on several recent technologies that are employed for sugarcane improvement through biotechnology and will be of great interest to plant scientists, biotechnologists, molecular biologists and breeders who work on sugarcane crop. Topics discussed in this volume include genomics and transcriptomics, transgenic sugarcane for trait improvement, potential candidate promoters, new strategies for transformation, molecular farming, sugarcane as biofuel, chloroplast transformation, and genome editing.

Tree improvement is necessary to meet the growing demand for renewable wood resource and the time is ripe for a critical evaluation of the chances and challenges of tree transgenesis. This book provides an up-to-date review of the present state of genetic engineering of trees. Biosafety and risk assessment are treated in detail, and future experimental tasks are discussed. The book provides a sound basis for decision-making processes in politics.

The diversity and specialization in orchid floral morphology have fascinated botanists and collectors for centuries. In the past 10 years, the orchid industry has been growing substantially worldwide. This interesting book focuses on the recent advances in orchid biotechnology research since the last 10 years in Taiwan. To advance the orchid industry, enhancement of basic research as well as advanced biotechnology will provide a good platform to improve the flower quality and breeding of new varieties. Important topics covered include the new knowledge of basic genome, through floral morphogenesis, floral ontology, embryogenesis, micropropagation, to functional genomics such as EST, virus-induced gene silencing, and genetic transformation.

Cell mechanics is the field of study that looks at how cells detect, modify, and respond to the physical properties of the cell environment. Cells communicate with each other through chemical and physical signals which are involved in a range of process from embryogenesis and wound healing to pathological conditions such as cancerous invasion. Similar principles are also likely to be critical for success in regenerative medicine. Cell mechanics is thus central to understanding these principles. As cell mechanics draws from the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and mathematics, this book aims not only to provide a collection of research methods, but also to develop a common language among scientists who share the interest in cell mechanics but enter the field with diverse backgrounds. To this end all of the contributing authors have sought to explain in plain language the nature of the biological problems, the rationale for the approaches, in addition to the methods themselves. In addition, to balance practical utility against conceptual advances, the book has intentionally included both chapters that provide detailed recipes and those that emphasize basic principles.
* Presents a distinctive emphasis on matrix mechanics and their interplay with cell functions
* Includes highly significant topics relevant to basic and translational research, as well as tissue engineering
* Emphasizes mechanical input and output of cells

Nanopores are vital biological features, described as tiny holes in cellular membranes used for recognition and transport of ions and molecules between compartments within the cell, as well as between the extracellular environment and the cell itself. Their study, ever growing in esteem, leads toward the promise of ultra-fast sequencing of DNA molecules with the ultimate goal of building a nanoscale device that will make rapid and cheap DNA sequencing a reality. In Nanopore-Based Technology, expert researchers in the forefront of the field explore the cutting-edge of nanopore technology for single molecule sensing, detection, and characterization. Divided into four convenient parts, this volume covers single molecule characterization techniques utilizing biological pores, methods for biomolecule characterization with nanoporous artificial membranes, computational studies of the biomolecule confined within the nanopore environment, as well as techniques that use novel materials in conjunction with nanopore sensing. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series, this work provides the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for achieving optimal results. Authoritative and state-of-the-art, Nanopore-Based Technology serves as an excellent representation of the present-day available techniques for biomolecule characterization with nanoporous membranes in order to guide researchers toward developing the next generation of technologies for fast and cheap DNA sequencing with practically no limitations on the read lengths.