This book illustrates the major trends in applied microbiology research with immediate or potential industrial applications. The papers proposed reflect the diversity of the application fields. New microbial developments have been done as well in the food and health sectors than in the environmental technology or in the fine chemical production. All the microbial genera are involved : yeast, fungi and bacteria. The development of biotechnology in parallel with the industrial microbiology has enabled the application of microbial diversity to our socio-economical world. The remarkable properties of microbes, inherent in their genetic and enzymatic material, allow a wide range of applications that can improve our every day life. Recent studies for elucidating the molecular basis of the physiological processes in micro-organisms are essential to improve and to control the metabolic pathways to overproduce metabolites or enzymes of industrial interest. The genetic engineering is of course one of the disciplines offering new horizons for the " fantastic microbial factory " . Studies of the culture parameter incidence on the physiology and the morphology are essential to control the response of the micro-organisms before its successful exploitation at the industrial scale. For this purpose, fundamental viewpoints are necessary. Development of novel approaches to characterise micro-organisms would also facilitate the understanding of the inherent metabolic diversity of the microbial world, in terms of adaptation to a wide range of biotopes and establishment of microbial consortia.

Awarded with the 2018 Prose Award in Clinical Medicine, the third edition of Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine explored and described exciting new areas in biomedicine that integrated technology into the treatment of disease and the augmentation of human function. Novel topics such as the sex-specific aspects of space medicine, the development and the use of genderized robots and a discussion of cyborgs were included in the third edition, providing a preview of the expanding world of sex-specific physiology and therapeutics. This Fourth Edition is a continuation of the mission to trace the relevance of biological sex to normal function and to the experience of disease in humans. We are now twenty years into the postgenomic era. The investigation of how the genome produces the phenome has led to fascinating insights as well as yet unanswered questions. Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine, Fourth Edition, has a central theme: discuss advances in understanding the role of epigenetics in regulating gene expression in a dynamic, sex-specific way during human life. It explores the protean role of epigenetics in human physiology, the relevance of environmental experience to human function, the therapeutic promise of cutting-edge methodologies like gene manipulation, the preparation of humans for space travel, the use of artificial intelligence in detection and therapeutic decisions concerning disease states, the possibilities for technological support of not only compromised individuals but of the augmentation of human function, and an analysis of the benefits, limitations and issues that surround our current expectations of personalized medicine.

The book provides a fascinating overview about current and sophisticated developments in applied entomology that are powered by molecular biology and that can be summarized under a novel term: insect biotechnology. By analogy with the application of powerful molecular biological tools in medicine (red biotechnology), plant protection (green biotechnology) and industrial processing (white biotechnology), insect biotechnology (yellow biotechnology) provides novel tools and strategies for human welfare and nutrition. Insect Biotechnology has emerged as a prospering discipline with considerable economic potential, and encompasses the use of insect model organisms and insect-derived molecules in medical research as well as in modern plant protection measures.

PART I - APPARATUS AND PRINCIPLES USED IN MICRODIFFUSION ANALYSIS - II. A STANDARD MICRO DIFFUSION APPARATUS OR 'UNIT' - III. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ABSORPTION RATE FROM OUTER TO INNER CHAMBER WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AMMONIA - IV. GENERAL PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE ABSORPTION TIME IN MICRO DIFFUSION ANALYSIS - V. PIPETTES (SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE STANDARD UNITS) AND THEIR DELIVERY ERRORS - VI. MICRO-BURETTES (SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE STANDARD UNITS) AND ERRORS INVOLVED IN THEIR USE - VII. THE MICRODIFFUSION METHOD WITH END-POINT VOLUMES AROUND 20 CUBIC MILLIMETRES - VII. COLORIMETRY IN THE MICRODIFFUSION METHODS - PART II - DESCRIPTION OF METHODS WITH THE STANDARD UNITS - IX. AMMONIA. GENERAL METHOD USING STANDARD ACID AS ABSORBENT - X. AMMONIA. GENERAL METHOD (USING THE BORIC-HCL PROCEDURE) - XI. SPECIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE RATE OF AMMONIA ABSORPTION - XII. OTHER METHODS FOR DETERMINING THE ABSORBED AMMONIA IN THE MICRO DIFFUSION PROCEDURE - XIII. AMMONIA. BIOLOGICAL DETERMINATIONS - XIV. TOTAL NITROGEN XVII. UREA (BLOOD AND URINE) - XIX. ADENOSINETRIPHOSPHORIC ACID, ADENYLIC ACID, ADENOSINE, ETC. - XX. NITRATE, NITRITE AND AMIDE NITROGEN - XXII. MONOAMINE OXIDASE AND HISTAMINASE IN TISSUES - XXIII. DETERMINATION OF VOLATILE AMINES - XXIV. CARBONATES AND BICARBONATE - XXV. BLOOD GLUCOSE AND FERMENTABLE SUGAR IN NORMAL URINE - XXVI. DETERMINATION OF CARBONIC ANHYDRASE - XXVII. OXIDATION RATES OF ORGANIC SUBSTANCES WITH A STANDARD OXIDANT WITH APPLICATION TO DETERMINATION OF MINUTE AMOUNTS OF CALCIUM AS OXALATE - XXVIII. ACETIC ACID AND OTHER LOWER FATTY ACIDS - XXIX. ASSAY OF ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE - XXX. CYANIDE, AZIDE, SULPHIDE, PHENOLS - XXXI. METHANOL AND ISOPROPANOL GROUP - XXXII. ETHANOL - XXXIII. ETHANOL FROM URETHANE - XXXIV. FORMALDEHYDE - XXXV. FORMALDEHYDOGENIC STEROIDS (PERIODIC ACID AS OXIDANT) - XXXVI. FORMALDEHYDOGENIC STEROIDS (SODIUM BISMUTHATE AS OXIDANT) - XXXVII. GLYCINE (FORMALDEHYDE PRODUCED BY NINHYDRIN OXIDATION) - XXXVIII. ACETALDEHYDE (SEMICARBAZIDE ABSORPTION) - XXXIX. ACETALDEHYDE FROM LACTIC ACID AND THREONINE WITH BISULPHITE ABSORPTION - XL. ACETONE (INCLUDING A RAPID CLINICAL METHOD USING THE NESSLER SOLUTION) - XLI. THE HALOGENS (INTRODUCTORY) - XLII. CHLORIDE (BY OXIDATION TO CHLORINE AND ABSORPTION INTO IODIDE) - XLIII. CHLORIDE (BY OXIDATION TO CHLORINE AND ABSORPTION INTO FAST GREEN) - XLIV. BROMIDE - XLV. IODIDES AND HALOGEN MIXTURES - XLVI. SERIAL DETERMINATION OF ORGANICALLY BOUND HALOGEN - XLVII. VOLATILE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS (CHLOROFORM, TRICHLORETHYLENE AND CARBON TETRACHLORIDE) - XLVIII. CARBON MONOXIDE - XLIX. A RAPID CLINICAL METHOD FOR CARBON MONOXIDE DETERMINATION - LI. TOTAL MOLECULAR CONCENTRATION IN FLUID SAMPLES OF ABOUT 3-4 MILLIGRAMS - LII. SEPARATION OF CRYSTALS AND' GUMS' BY MICRODIFFUSION - QUALITATIVE MICRO-DIFFUSION ANALYSIS - LIII. SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON QUALITATIVE MICRO-DIFFUSION ANALYSIS - PART III - THE ERROR OF VOLUMETRIC TITRATION - LIV. INTRODUCTORY - LV. THE VARIABLE GLASS ERROR - LVI. THE TOTAL VARIABLE GLASS ERROR AND ITS CONTROL - LVII. THE VARIABLE CHEMICAL ERROR IN TITRATION - LVIII. THE RATIONALE OF MICRO TITRATION - LIX. THE CONSTANT GLASS ERROR - LX. THE CONSTANT CHEMICAL ERROR - LXI. VOLUMETRIC ERROR IN KJELDAHL NITROGEN ANALYSES - LXIII. UREA EXCRETION AS RENAL FUNCTION TEST - Full TOC available on website

Many industrial, power generation and chemical processes produce unwanted fine particulate material as a consequence of their operation. Electrostatic precipitation is a highly efficient method of removing entrained particulate contaminants from exhaust gases and is extensively used in these industries to limit particulate emissions. New legislation aimed at improving the environment by further limiting these discharges has resulted in the technique undergoing considerable development over the past decade, to the point where it has become the method of choice, over a wide range of applications, for limiting particulate discharges. In this new book, the editor has brought together an international team of contributors, mainly industrialists and consultants, to produce an authorative and practical guide to electrostatic precipitation. This book is of interest to all those in process industries or power generation and to academics concerned with gas cleaning and environmental issues.

Microbial toxins are secondary metabolites that accumulate in the organism and, to a large extent, are metabolically inactive towards the organism that produces them. The discovery of penicillin, a secondary metabolite of Penicillium notatum West (= P. chrysogenum Thom), in 1929 marked a milestone in the development of antibiotics (microbial toxins). In the intensive studies that followed this discovery, scientists chemically characterized several new molecules (toxins) from secondary metabolites of microbes, some having a definite function in causing pathogenesis in plants. Toxins are also known to playa significant role in inciting animal (human) and insect diseases and as plant growth regulators. Many common toxins have also been isolated from different microbes exhibiting a wide spectrum of biological activity. Toxins are broadly divisible into several characteristic groupings - polyketides, oxygen heterocyclic compounds, pyrons, terpenoidS, amino acids - diketopiperazines, polypeptides etc. Recent research has indicated that these toxins play an important role in plant pathogenesis, disease epidemics, plant breeding, biological control of plant pathogens and insect pests, induced resistance, plant-pathogen interactions etc. Toxins produced by weed pathogens are exploited as lead molecules in developing environmentally friendly herbicides.

The objective of the Springer Handbook of Enzymes is to provide in concise form data on enzymes sufficiently well characterized. Data sheets are arranged in their EC-Number sequence. Each volume comprises one enzyme class, sometimes the enzyme classes have to be divided into several volumes. Considerable progress has been made in enzymology since the publication of the first edition (published as "Enzyme Handbook"): many enzymes are newly classified or reclassified. In the 2nd edition each entry is correlated with references and one or more source organisms. New datafields are created: "application" and "engineering" (for the properties of enzymes where the sequence has been changed). Altogether the amount of data has doubled so that the 2nd edition will consist of 39 volumes plus synonym index. This collection is an indispensable source of information for researchers in biochemistry, biotechnology, organic and analytical chemistry, and food sciences.

What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Biotechnology 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers - whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public - with the essential ideas of biotechnology using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood. Biotechnology 101 provides an introduction to all the areas of biotechnology, covering such topics as: BLA History of the Science Behind Biotechnology BLThe Tools of Biotechnology BLBiotechnology Innovations BLPrincipal people of Biotechnology BLBiotechnology in Everyday Life BLEthical Issues of Biotechnology This short volume will enable students and lay people to understand the basics of one of the most important scientific fields of endeavor for the future.

The potential now exists in many experimental systems to transfer a cloned, modified gene back into the genome of the host organism. In the ideal situation, the cloned gene is returned to its homologous location in the genome and becomes inserted at the target locus. This process is a controlled means for the repair of DNA damage and ensures accurate chromosome disjunction during meiosis. The paradigm for thinking about the mechanism of this p- cess has emerged primarily from two sources: (1) The principles of reaction mechanics have come from detailed biochemical analyses of the RecA protein purified from Escherichia coli; and (2) the principles of information transfer have been derived from genetic studies carried out in bacteriophage and fungi. A compelling picture of the process of homologous pairing and DNA strand exchange has been influential in directing investigators interested in gene t- geting experiments. The ability to find and pair homologous DNA molecules enables ac- rate gene targeting and is the central phenomenon underlying genetic recombi- tion. Biochemically, the overall process can be thought of as a series of steps in a reaction pathway whereby DNA molecules are brought into homologous register, the four-stranded Holliday structure intermediate is formed, hete- duplex DNA is extended, and DNA strands are exchanged. Not much is known about the biochemical pathway leading to homologous recombination in euka- otes.

This book focuses on recent advances and future trends in the methods and applications of technologies that are used in neuroscience for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases and conditions or for the improvement of quality of life. The editors have assembled contributions from a range of international experts, to bring together key topics in neurotechnology, neuroengineering, and neurorehabilitation. The book explores biomedical signal processing, neuroimaging acquisition and analysis, computational intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, biometrics, machine learning and neurorobotics, human machine interaction, mobile apps and discusses ways in which these neural technologies can be used as diagnostic tools, research methods, treatment modalities, as well as in devices and apps in everyday life. This cross-disciplinary topic is of particular interest to researchers and professionals with a background in neuroscience-related disciplines and neurotechnology, but also touches on a wide range of other fields including biomedical engineering, AI, medicine, healthcare, security and industry, among others.

This book describes the vast opportunity created by unifying science and integrating technology, and recommends transforming ideas for individuals and society. We stand at the threshold of a new renaissance in knowledge based on the structure and behavior of matter from the nanoscale up to the most complex system yet discovered, the human brain. Unification of science based on unity in nature and its holistic investigation will lead to technological convergence and a more efficient societal structure for reaching human goals. In the early decades of the twenty-first century, concentrated effort can bring together nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and new humane technologies based in cognitive science. With proper attention to ethical issues and societal needs, rapid advances in convergent technologies have the potential to enhance both human performance and productivity. Examples of payoffs will include improving work efficiency and learning, enhancing individual sensory and cognitive capabilities, revolutionary changes in healthcare, improving both individual and group efficiency, highly effective communication techniques including brain to brain interaction, perfecting human-machine interfaces, enhancing human capabilities for defense purposes, reaching sustainable development using NBIC tools, and ameliorating the physical and cognitive decline that is common to the aging mind.

This is the first book addressing the convergence of technologies in coherence with social sciences, with a focus on people. Science and technology will increasingly dominate the world, as population, resource exploitation, and potential social conflict grow. Therefore, the successof this convergent technologies priority area is seen as crucial to the future of humanity.

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.

Copper is one of the three most important metals in the world economy, and the only one of the three that is comparatively scarce in the earth's crust. Known reserves will only last a few decades at projected rates of consumption. While some substitution possibilities exist for some of its applications, copper is uniquely valuable as a conductor of electricity in a world that is rapidly electrifying. This fact makes the copper life cycle an appropriate subject for holistic analysis. This book, which includes a quantitative demand forecasting model, is based on a study commissioned by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) fills that need for the first time.

Among the conclusions of the study are the following. The medium-term prospects for copper producers and copper consuming industries include (1) more intensive exploration into more remote regions, (2) utilization of lower grade ores resulting in more mine wastes and associated waste disposal problems, (3) more intensive mining efficient ore reduction processes, (4) dramatic price increases when the current glut works itself out, (5) significant changes in the patterns of consumption (increasingly electrical applications), (6) sharp increases in the need for recovering and recycling old scrap copper in the future, (7) a significant buildup of copper and by-products (especially arsenic) either in use or in the human environment. Similar implications can be drawn for two other scarce and toxic metals - lead and zinc - often found in geological association with copper.

There is hardly a technical library in the world in which the volumes of the Chemical Formulary (Volumes 1-34) do not occupy a prominent place. It does not duplicate any of the formulas included in previous volumes, but lists a wide array of modern and salable products from all branches of the chemical industries. An excellent reference for formulation problems. - CONTENTS - I. Introduction - II. Adhesives - III. Beverages and Foods - IV. Cosmetics - V. Coatings - VI. Detergents - VII. Drugs - VIII. Polishes - IX. Elastomers, Polymers and Resins - X. Miscellaneous - Appendix - Trademark Chemicals - Trademark Chemicals Suppliers - Index - PREFACE - Chemistry, as taught in our schools and colleges, concerns chiefly synthesis, analysis, and engineering-and properly so. It is part of the right foundation for the education of the chemist. Many a chemist entering an Industry soon finds that most of the products manufactured by his concern are not synthetic or definite complex compounds, but are mixtures, blends, or highly complex compounds of which he knows little or nothing. The literature in this field, if any, may be meager, scattered, or obsolete. Even chemists with years of experience In one or more Industries spend conslderable time and effort in acquainting themselves with any new field which they may enter. Consulting chemists similarly have to solve problems brought to them from industries foreign to them. There was a definite need for an up-to-date compilation of formulae for chemical compounding and treatment. Since the fields to be covered are many and varied, an editorial board of chemists and engineers engaged in many industries was formed. Many publications, laboratories, manufacturing firms, and Individuals have been consulted to obtain the latest and best information. It is felt that the formulas given in this volume will save chemists and allied workers much time and effort.

Flexible Incentives for the Adoption of Environmental Technologies in Agriculture identifies and structures more flexible economic incentives for the achievement of environmental goals in agriculture. It provides a conceptual framework and presents case studies that analyze how flexible incentives can address environmental problems that are caused by agricultural production. The book brings together economists, agency personnel and political economists for the purpose of exploring how new cutting-edge economic tools could be developed and applied to environmental problems. The goal of the book is to complement and to expand the economic theory of environmental regulation and technology adoption with new research findings. The key theme of this book is the important role technology takes when addressing environmental problems. New technologies and technical development are broadly defined to include economic instruments, innovative ways to communicate environmental information, new economic institutions, and education. This book is designed for public and private policymakers, government analysts, teachers, researchers and students who specialize in the fields of natural resources, agricultural economics and environmental regulation. It provides a fresh perspective on what types of incentives may be used to lead us to the desired environmental outcomes and offers new ideas about the types of economic instruments that may achieve these outcomes.

This title is Volume 2 of a 2 Volume set. - Contents - PART 1. - COMPOUNDED WAXES - 1. GENERAL - Compatibility - Hardness - Melting Point - Penetration - Refractive Index - Solubility in Oil - Viscosity - 2. PARAFFIN WAX COMPOUNDS - 3. ETHYL CELLULOSE AND WAX MIXTURES - Compounding Ethyl Cellulose with Incompatible Substances - Methods of Preparing Mixtures of Waxes with Ethyl Cellulose - 4. COMPOSITIONS WITH RESINS AND RUBBER - Resin Wax Compositions - Compatibility of Varnish Resins with Waxes - Cumarone-Indene Resins and Wax Compositions - Methacrylate Resin Hot-Melt Blends - Microcrystalline Wax-Resin Blends - Wax-Rubber Compositions - 5. COMMERCIAL WAX ADDITIVES - PART 2 - WAX TECHNOLOGY - 6. TESTS AND TECHNIQUES - The Melting' Points of Waxes - Odor and Taste - Emulsions - Fluorescence of Waxes - Solubility of Waxes - Commercial Wax Solutions - Surface Tension of Waxes - Specific Gravity - Specific Heat of Petroleum Waxes - To Alter Properties of Paraffin Wax - Simple Tests - Identification of Mixed Waxes - Separation and Comparison of Properties - Detecting Wax Additives - Evaluation of Waxes for Paperboard - Determinations of Properties - Testing for Quality Control - Opacifying Waxes - Coloring Waxes - 7. INDUSTRIAL USES OF WAXES - Adhesives - Candles - Coatings - Cosmetics - Electrical Applications - Inks - Leather Goods - Paper Products - Pharmaceutical Preparations - Photomechanics - Plastics - Polishes - Pyrotechnics - Rubber - Textile Processing - Abbreviations - Alphabetic Listing of Trademark Products - Index -

Rotary reactors or rotary kilns are the reactors facilitating the chemical reaction between the gas and solid phases usually at high temperatures.
This book, which is written by an expert in the field, describes the principles of the rotary reactor and the mode of its operation. These reactors are widely used in various chemical process industries (food, pharmaceuticals) and metallurgical industries.
The book defines the physiochemical aspects of the rotart reactors and provides theoretical equations of their operation.
The first part of this book presents the fundamentals; solid movement, conversion of solids, and heat transfer. The middle part of the book applies these equations to a variety of processes which have been developed so far, and shows how they are used. In its last part, conceptual designs of novel rotary reactors are proposed, which performance characteristics are predicted on the basis of above equations, especially, in gasification of solid wastes.
- Defines the rotary reactors and their mode of operation.
- Defines all operating parameters and gives equations to predict the operation of rotary reactors under various conditions.
- Includes a number of practical examples from various industrial applications (metallurgical waste treatment etc).

Upcoming applications of genetic engineering in farm animals include higher yields, leaner meat, or disease resistance. The proceedings cover an analysis of the state of the art of the technology and its applications, an introduction to the specific application zoopharming (a method to produce biopharmaceuticals in transgenic livestock), including an analysis of the market for biopharmaceuticals. In addition an assessment of ethical aspects of livestock biotechnology and considerations regarding animal welfare implications are covered. The study is addressed to science, industry and politics.

Fungi playa major role in the sustainability of the biosphere, and mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the growth of many of our woods and forests. The applications of fungi in agriculture, industry and biotechnology remain of paramount importance, as does their use as a source of drugs and to help clean up our environment. This volume contains key papers from the conference 'From Ethnomycology to Fungal Biotechnology: Exploiting Fungi from Natural Resources for Novel Products'. This was the first international scientific conference covering the transfer of traditional remedies and processes in ethnomycology to modern fungal biotechnology. The conference was held at Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India from 15 to 16 December 1997. The key subject areas addressed in the conference were the issues of exploring and exploiting fungal diversity for novel leads to new antibiotics, enzymes, medicines and a range of other leads for wood preservation, biological control, agricultural biotechnology and the uses of fungi in the food industry. The conference programme included key-note presentations followed by poster sessions and general discussion. The book is broadly based, covering five main areas: Ethnomycology, Fungal Biotechnology, Biological Control, Mycorrhizal Fungi and Fungal Pests. There is no doubt that in the past fungi have played a key role in ethnomycological remedies and that in the future they will continue to attract the interest of a wide range of disciplines ranging from environmental conservation, agriculture and the food industry to wood preservation and aerobiological studies.

The last two decades have seen a phenomenal growth of the field of genetic or biochemical engineering and have witnessed the development and ultimately marketing of a variety of products-typically through the manipulation and growth of different types of microorganisms, followed by the recovery and purification of the associated products. The engineers and biotechnologists who are involved in the full-scale process design of such facilities must be familiar with the variety of unit operations and equipment and the applicable regulatory requirements. This book describes current commercial practice and will be useful to those engineers working in this field in the design, construction and operation of pharmaceutical and biotechnology plants. It will be of help to the chemical or pharmaceutical engineer who is developing a plant design and who faces issues such as: Should the process be batch or continuous or a combination of batch and continuous? How should the optimum process design be developed? Should one employ a new revolutionary separation which could be potentially difficult to validate or use accepted technology which involves less risk? Should the process be run with ingredients formulated from water for injection, deionized water, or even filtered tap water? Should any of the separations be run in cold rooms or in glycol jacketed lines to minimize microbial growth where sterilization is not possible? Should the process equipment and lines be designed to be sterilized in-place, cleaned-in-place, or should every piece be broken down, cleaned and autoclaved after every turn?"

The aim of this book is to present the current state of the art of extracting natural products with near-critical solvents and to view the possibilities of further extensions of the technique. Relevant background theory is given but does not dominate the book. Carbon dioxide is the near-critical solvent used in most recent applications and inevitably receives prominence. In addition to general descriptions and reviews, the book contains three chapters by indus trial practitioners who describe in detail the operation of their processes and discuss the market for their products. Sections on the design of the pressure vessels and pumps required in these processes and on the acquisition of the data required for design are included. The costing of the processes is also discussed. There is good scope for combining a near-critical extraction step with other process steps in which the properties of near-critical solvents are utilised, for example as a reaction or crystallisation medium and a chapter is devoted to these important aspects. It is hoped that the work will be found to contain a great deal of specific information of use to those already familiar with this field. However the style of presentation and content is such that it will also be useful as an introduction. In particular it will be helpful to those wondering if this form of separation method has anything to offer for them, whether they are engineers, chemists or managers in industry, or in academic or research institutions."