At the dawn of the 21st century, biotechnology is emerging as a key enabling technology for sustainable environmental protection and stewardship. Biotechnology for the Environment: Strategy and Fundamentals captures the dynamism of environmental biotechnology as it addresses the molecular functioning of microorganisms as cleanup agents, their communal interactions in natural and polluted ecosystems, and the foundations of practical bioremediation processes. Chapters on biological pollution control in the chemical industry, biodegradation of persistent molecules (halogenated compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, detergents, etc.), microbial diversity with impact on global change, bioaugmentation strategies, and sensors for ecotoxicological monitoring, will be of value to environmental scientists, engineers, and decision-makers involved in the development, evaluation, or implementation of biological treatment systems.

For information on Soil Remediation, see Focus on Biotechnology volume 3B, and for information on Waste Water and Waste Gas Handling, see Focus on Biotechnology volume 3C.

"This monograph contains recent studies in eco-informatics, promising ideas "

"and new challenges in information management for supporting sustainability in"

"companies and other organization. The scope of this book includes sets of"

"solutions which show different stakeholders viewpoints on sustainability. ""In individual chapters, authors discuss the role which Environmental"

"Information Systems (EIS) play in the environmental conscious functioning of"

"enterprise. New models, methods and tools supporting sustainability are"

"presented. Emphasis is placed on the innovative approach to eco-friendly"

"organization and coordination of transport, logistics processes and operations"

"management. The information management and decision making in"

"manufacturing and service organizations is highlighted."

"The scope of this monograph also encompasses topics related to the modeling"

"and monitoring of climate change.""

"

This revised third edition of Rheology of Fluid, Semisolid, and Solid Foods includes the following important additions: * A section on microstructure * Discussion of the quantitative characterization of nanometer-scale milk protein fibrils in terms of persistence and contour length. * A phase diagram of a colloidal glass of hard spheres and its relationship to milk protein dispersions * Microrheology, including detailed descriptions of single particle and multi-particle microrheological measurements * Diffusive Wave Spectroscopy * Correlation of Bostwick consistometer data with property-based dimensionless groups * A section on the effect of calcium on the morphology and functionality of whey protein nanometer-scale fibrils * Discussion of how tribology and rheology can be used for the sensory perception of foods

Since its first systematic application during the 1970s, bioremediation, or the exploitation of a biological system's degradative potential to combat toxic pollutants such as heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), cyanides, and radioactive material, has proven itself over time, and the many advances in molecular techniques have only amplified its utility. In Bioremediation: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field explore imaginative and ambitious multidisciplinary techniques that will enable more predictable removal of pollutants from a variety of environments. The easy-to-follow volume addresses some of the broader issues such as the effect of the environment in determining the availability and fate of organic and inorganic compounds and how choices around the most appropriate bioremediation process can be arrived at, as well as detailed complementary techniques that support the effective deployment and monitoring of a bioremediation approach. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and cutting-edge, Bioremediation: Methods and Protocols offers researchers a series of invaluable techniques certain to enhance their work with environmental contamination."

A comprehensive guide to a powerful new analytical tool by two of its foremost innovators

The past decade has witnessed many exciting advances in the use of genetic algorithms (GAs) to solve optimization problems in everything from product design to scheduling and client/server networking. Aided by GAs, analysts and designers now routinely evolve solutions to complex combinatorial and multiobjective optimization problems with an ease and rapidity unthinkable withconventional methods. Despite the continued growth and refinement of this powerful analytical tool, there continues to be a lack of up-to-date guides to contemporary GA optimization principles and practices. Written by two of the world's leading experts in the field, this book fills that gap in the literature.

Taking an intuitive approach, Mitsuo Gen and Runwei Cheng employ numerous illustrations and real-world examples to help readers gain a thorough understanding of basic GA concepts-including encoding, adaptation, and genetic optimizations-and to show how GAs can be used to solve an array of constrained, combinatorial, multiobjective, and fuzzy optimization problems. Focusing on problems commonly encountered in industry-especially in manufacturing-Professors Gen and Cheng provide in-depth coverage of advanced GA techniques for:
* Reliability design
* Manufacturing cell design
* Scheduling
* Advanced transportation problems
* Network design and routing

Genetic Algorithms and Engineering Optimization is an indispensable working resource for industrial engineers and designers, as well as systems analysts, operations researchers, and management scientists working in manufacturing and related industries. It also makes an excellent primary or supplementary text for advanced courses in industrial engineering, management science, operations research, computer science, and artificial intelligence.

This work synthesizes research and practical work, including various techniques and applications of botany and nanoparticles, including enzymology, pharmaceuticals, phenolics, antioxidants, metal particles, synthesis of nanoparticles by plants and microbes, and more. The text discusses the latest research as well as key sources of information condensed from other scholars across the globe, providing a comprehensive resource for scholars working in nanobotany, as well as chemists and researchers in the pharmaceutical industry.

This book contains complete information on Capsicum genetic resources, diversity, evolution, history and advances in capsicum improvement from classical breeding to whole genome sequencing, genomics, databases and its impact on next generation pepper breeding. Capsicum is one of the most important Solanaceae crops grown worldwide as vegetables and spices. Due to its high economic value and to meet the demands of enormous population growth amid biotic and abiotic stresses, there has been an ongoing breeding program utilizing available genetic resources with desired traits to increase the sustainable productivity of this crop for several decades. However, the precision breeding of this crop for desired traits only started with the advent of molecular markers. The recent advances in high-throughput genome sequencing technologies helped in the quick decoding of transcriptome, epigenome, nuclear and organeller genomes, thereby enhancing our understanding of the structure and function of the Capsicum genome, and helping in genomics assisted breeding. These advanced technologies coupled with conventional mapping have greatly contributed towards dissection and manipulation of economically important traits more precisely and made less time consuming.

In 1992, a group of scientists including molecular biologists, microbiologists, population biolo gists, ecologists, human geneticists, moral philosophers and others met discussing the state of affairs regarding the deliberate or unintentional release of genetically modified organisms. The proceedings of this meeting were subsequently published by Birkhauser Verlag as Transgenic Organisms: Risk Assessment of Deliberate Release (K. Wohrmann and J. Tomiuk). Since then we have gained many new insights that are also worthy of discussion. And although other equally important scientific views on the release of genetically modified organisms exist, we have mainly concentrated on aspects of population biology and evolution. The results of a second meeting in 1995 are summarized here. We are grateful to colleagues and friends for their help in the translation, correction and review of the authors' contributions. We especially want to thank Jutta Bachmann, Donna Devine, Diana von Finck, Friedrich Laplace, Volker Loeschcke, Rolf Lorenz, Dave Parker and Trevor Petney. A grant (BMFT N' 0311035) from the Ministerium fUr Forschung und Technologie der Bundesrepublik Deutschland again made possible the continuation of this cooperative endeavour."

This volume details the exploration, collection, characterization, evaluation and conservation of microbes for sustainable utilization in the development of the global as well as national economies, e.g. in agriculture, ecosystems, environments, industry and medicine.Many research institutes and universities all over the world carry out microbiological and biotechnological research, which generates substantial genomic resources such as cDNA libraries, gene constructs, promoter regions, transgenes and more valuable assets for gene discovery and transgenic product development. This work provides up-to-date information on the management of microbial resources in the environment. It also covers the ecology of microorganisms in natural and engineered environments. In trying to understand microbial interactions it further focuses on genomic, metagenomic and molecular advances, as well as on microbial diversity and phylogeny; ecological studies of human, animal and plant microbiology and disease; microbial processes and interactions in the environment; and key technological advances. Though not intended to serve as an encyclopedic review of the subject, the various chapters investigate both theoretical and practical aspects and provide essential basic information for future research to support continued development. "

Bioenergy: Principles and Technologies introduces biomass energy resources and then elaborates on bioenergy technologies including biomass combustion, biogas production, biomass briquettes and biomass gasification. With a combination of theories, experiments and case studies, the book is an essential reference for bioenergy researchers, industrial chemists and chemical engineers.

Biotechnology of Microbial Enzymes: Production, Biocatalysis, and Industrial Applications, Second Edition provides a complete survey of the latest innovations on microbial enzymes, highlighting biotechnological advances in their production and purification along with information on successful applications as biocatalysts in several chemical and industrial processes under mild and green conditions. The application of recombinant DNA technology within industrial fermentation and the production of enzymes over the last three decades have produced a host of useful chemical and biochemical substances. The power of these technologies results in novel transformations, better enzymes, a wide variety of applications, and the unprecedented development of biocatalysts through the ongoing integration of molecular biology methodology, all of which is covered insightfully and in-depth within the book. This fully revised, second edition is updated to address the latest research developments and applications in the field, from microbial enzymes recently applied in drug discovery to penicillin biosynthetic enzymes and penicillin acylase, xylose reductase, and microbial enzymes used in antitubercular drug design. Across the chapters, the use of microbial enzymes in sustainable development and production processes is fully considered, with recent successes and ongoing challenges highlighted.

This edited volume describes cell-SELEX as the fundamental tool used to generate aptamer molecules for a wide range of applications in molecular medicine, bioanalysis and chemical biology. Easily integrated into the natural heterogeneous cell matrix, aptamers can be effectively used in theranostics, bioanalysis, environment detection and biomedical studies. The book gathers reviews that reflect the latest advances in the field of aptamers and consists in fourteen chapters demonstrating essential examples of these aptamers and aptamer-nanomaterial assemblies, depending on the types of applications and biological systems. It also includes a separate chapter on the utilization of aptamers in real clinics and what will be required to achieve this significant goal. The book will be both appealing and useful to a broad audience, including biologists, bioscientists, and clinicians whose interests range from chemistry and biomedical engineering to cell and molecular biology and biotechnology. Weihong Tan is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Hunan University, China and also a University of Florida Distinguished Professor and V.T. and Louis Jackson Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida, USA. Xiaohong Fang is a Professor at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

In dealing with recent advances in biological engineering and human reproduction, we are confronted with legal, ethical, and religious questions for which there are no precedents. Warren Freedman undertakes a comprehensive examination of this topic. Sorting through the tangle of issues surrounding artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, and other aspects of contemporary reproduction trends, Freedman attempts to clarify the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families, and society in the face of these new developments.

The author begins with a survey of the legal implications of nontraditional approaches to conception and birth. Separate chapters are devoted to artificial insemination and surrogate motherhood; and new concepts such as cryo-preservation, in-vitro fertilization, banking of sperms and eggs, and patentable new organisms are also discussed in detail. The author addresses questions of rights and liabilities as they apply to fetuses, donors, and adoptive parents, as well as the role of physicians and parenthood organizations, researchers, corporations, and government. Following a review of existing statutes, policies, and contracts that attempt to deal with these issues both here and abroad, he presents proposals that may aid in achieving equitable, uniform solutions. Freedman's book will be of interest to any citizen, group, or government agency concerned with these vital questions, and to professionals in law, government, medicine, human services, and industry.

A particular issue for biopharmaceuticals that has not been addressed comprehensively in any book, is the potential of an immune response to the biopharmaceutical product. That is, the human body marks the drug as a foreign body, and develops antibodies against the drug. These antibodies may be relatively harmless, but may also cross-react with the endogenous compound, causing autoimmunogenicity. Recent adverse experiences in Europe with Janssen-Ortho's blockbuster product Eprex has increased the attention towards potential immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals, above all from the regulatory agencies. This book is intended to give a broad overview of the current state-of-the-art regarding the immune response to biopharmaceuticals. The chapters range from an overview of the immune system and factors that may trigger the immune system, via detection of antibodies and clinical implications, to various case examples and the regulatory view on immunogenicity.

The first volume in a series which aims to focus on advances in computational biology. This volume discusses such topics as: fluctuations in the shape of flexible macromolecules; the hydration of carbohydrates as seen by computer simulation; and studies of salt-peptide solutions.

The purpose of this book is to provide a balanced introduction to process control and management, aimed at the general process engineer. Rapid changes have occurred in process control over the past decade, mainly because of the deployment of robust and effective digital control equipment, and the development of the models which underpin the area. Historically, process control was seen as simply the maintenance of particular process variables at appropriate setpoints. This very narrow view has been superseded by the view that process control involves the regulation of any given process, in the context of a complete processing plant, to maximise the economic return from the plant. This wider definition brings into play a range of control regimes, from basic regulatory control, through advanced regulatory control, to complex process management. The organization of the book reflects this hierarchy, and is thus split into 3 parts, covering basic regulatory control, advanced process control and finally process management. The book is completed by the inclusion of several useful appendices, covering mathematical modelling, process optimisation and simulation.

A detailed look at the latest research in non-invasive in vivo cytometry and its applications, with particular emphasis on novel biophotonic methods, disease diagnosis, and monitoring of disease treatment at single cell level in stationary and flow conditions.
This book thus covers the spectrum ranging from fundamental interactions between light, cells, vascular tissue, and cell labeling particles, to strategies and opportunities for preclinical and clinical research. General topics include light scattering by cells, fast video microscopy, polarization, laser-scanning, fluorescence, Raman, multi-photon, photothermal, and photoacoustic methods for cellular diagnostics and monitoring of disease treatment in living organisms. Also presented are discussions of advanced methods and techniques of classical flow cytometry.

This book brings together and updates the latest information on the diversity of yeasts, their molecular features and their applications in the welfare of mankind. Yeasts are eukaryotic microfungi widely found in natural environments, including those with extreme conditions such as low temperatures, low oxygen levels and low water availability. To date, approximately 2,000 of the estimated 30,000 to 45,000 species of yeast on Earth, belonging to around 200 genera have been described. Although there are a few that are opportunistic human and animal pathogens, the vast majority of yeasts are beneficial, playing an important role in the food chain and in the carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles. In addition, yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris are used in expressing foreign genes to produce proteins of pharmaceutical interest. A landmark in biotechnology was reached in 1996 with the completion of sequencing of the entire S. cerevisiae genome, and it has now become a central player in the development of an entirely new approach to biological research and synthetic biology. The sequencing of genomes of several yeasts including Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neofromans has also recently been completed.

This book reviews water treatment technologies for the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs). It provides the reader with an overview of state-of-the-art techniques and recent efforts to develop more sustainable approaches. After nearly two decades of research into the presence and impact of PhACs in the environment, they remain one of the hottest topics in the fields of environmental chemistry, toxicology and engineering. Accordingly, intensive research efforts are currently being devoted to water treatment technologies that can reduce the presence of these emerging contaminants in water bodies. This book examines various types of contaminated water from industry, hospitals and urban wastewater. It provides the reader with a range of potential solutions for water treatment and reuse, and addresses the advancement of analytical tools for evaluating the performance and efficiency of treatment technologies.

Volumes in this widely revered series present comprehensive reviews of drug substances and additional materials, with critical review chapters that summarize information related to the characterization of drug substances and excipients. This organizational structure meets the needs of the pharmaceutical community and allows for the development of a timely vehicle for publishing review materials on this topic.
The scope of the Profiles series encompasses review articles and database compilations that fall within one of the following six broad categories: Physical profiles of drug substances and excipients; Analytical profiles of drug substances and excipients; Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic profiles of drug substances and excipients; Methodology related to the characterization of drug substances and excipients; Methods of chemical synthesis; and Reviews of the uses and applications for individual drug substances, classes of drug substances, or excipients.

Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

"Engineered Biomimicry" covers a broad range of research topics in the emerging discipline of biomimicry. Biologically inspired science and technology, using the principles of math and physics, has led to the development of products as ubiquitous as Velcro (modeled after the spiny hooks on plant seeds and fruits). Readers will learn to take ideas and concepts like this from nature, implement them in research, and understand and explain diverse phenomena and their related functions. From bioinspired computing and medical products to biomimetic applications like artificial muscles, MEMS, textiles and vision sensors, "Engineered Biomimicry" explores a wide range of technologies informed by living natural systems.

"Engineered Biomimicry" helps physicists, engineers and material scientists seek solutions in nature to the most pressing technical problems of our times, while providing a solid understanding of the important role of biophysics. Some physical applications include adhesion superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning, structural coloration, photonic devices, biomaterials and composite materials, sensor systems, robotics and locomotion, and ultra-lightweight structures.
Explores biomimicry, a fast-growing, cross-disciplinary field in which researchers study biological activities in nature to make critical advancements in science and engineeringIntroduces bioinspiration, biomimetics, and bioreplication, and provides biological background and practical applications for each Cutting-edge topics include bio-inspired robotics, microflyers, surface modification and more"

These Proceedings evolved from the OECD Co-operative Research Programme workshop on "Potential ecological impact of transgenic plants expressing viral sequencies," held at the Agricultural Biotechnology Center in Godollo, Hungary on 24-26 April 1997. The OECD Co-operative Research Programme At the Directorate for Agrieulture of the Organisation for Economie Co-operation and Development (OECD) a co-operative research programme for "Biological Resource Management" has existed since 1990. It foeuses on work in four specific topie areas, one of whieh is "Ecology and utilisation of new organisms" (Theme 3). The activities promoted by this programme are post-doctoral fellowships (announced annually), and the organisation of expert workshops (1-2 workshops per Theme per year). The 26 OECD member countries participating in this programme are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, ltaly, Korea, Japan, the NetherIands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, SwitzerIand, Turkey, the UK, and the USA."

ss-barrel outer membrane channel proteins (OMP) are useful as robust and flexible models or components in nanotechnology. Over the last decade biotechnological techniques allowed to expand the natural characteristics of OMPs by modifying their geometry and properties. The present book is oriented towards a broad group of readers including graduate students and advanced researchers. It gives a general introduction to the field of OMP based nano-component development as well as the state of the art of the involved research. On the example of the E. coli FhuA the transformation of an OMP into a tailored nano-channel will be outlined. An exhaustive description of the scientific strategy, including protein selection, analytical methods and "in-silico" tools to support the planning of protein modifications for a targeted application, consideration on the production of a custom made OMP, and an overview on technological applications including membrane/polymersome technology, will be provided.