The future of agriculture greatly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. The application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), represents an ecologically and economically sustainable strategy. The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining importance worldwide. Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Productivity focus on the role of beneficial bacteria in crop growth, increased nutrient uptake and mobilization, and defense against phytopathogens. Diverse group of agricultural crops and medicinal plants are described as well as PGPR-mediated bioremediation leading to food security.

Products from Cells - Cells as Products This book ist he "lasting" product, a resource ofup to date information in the scientific literature fort he field ofanimal cell tec hnology, as it was presented during a pleasant and s timulating mee ting that was held in Lugano Switzerland in April 1999. "Products" appeartwice int he title oft he conference. This clearly indicates the fact that the focus oft he papers presented during this meeting was really the application ofn ew technologies (novel reactors or novel vectors, for example for the preparation and/ort he more efficient generation ofproducts ) that could be used, mainly, int he medical field. Classical approaches forthe use ofa nimal cells, for example forthe p r oduction of virus vaccines for human and animal health, still remain an important technology and still have, surprisingly, quite significant potential for further development and improvement. How ever, it appears that major technological advances an d major growth from an economical point ofview are occurring in other areas. Most importantly, protein production on the basis of recombinant DNA molecules transferred into a nimal cells, appears to be an ever increasing field of interest and innovation, even though the first production scheme with this technology was approved more than 15 years ago.

Part of a review series that looks at trends in modern biology. This book covers aspects of bioprocessing and biotransformation, where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science.

This volume, as with the previous books in the series, presents state-of-the-art discussions in genetics and genetic engineering by focusing on plant science and technology, agriculture, cell biology, and medical research.

As the major task of sequencing the human genome is near completion and full complement of human genes are catalogued, attention will be focused on the ultimate goal: to understand the normal biological functions of these genes, and how alterations lead to disease states. In this task there is a severe limitation in working with human material, but the mouse has been adopted as the favored animal model because of the available genetic resources and the highly conserved gene conservation linkage organization. In just of ten years since the first gene-targeting experiments were p- formed in embryonic stem (ES) cells and mutations transmitted through the mouse germline, more than a thousand mouse strains have been created. These achievements have been made possible by pioneering work that showed that ES cells derived from preimplantation mouse embryos could be cultured for prolonged periods without differentiation in culture, and that homologous rec- bination between targeting constructs and endogenous DNA occurred at a f- quency sufficient for recombinants to be isolated. In the next few years the mouse genome will be systematically altered, and the techniques for achi- ing manipulations are constantly being streamlined and improved.

This book provides an overview of ethical issues arising in connection with progress made in food biotechnology. There is substantive discussion of the ethical issues referring to food safety, animal welfare, environmental impact, ownership of intellectual property, and consumer perception of the product. The arguments for and against issues causing major concern are evaluated, advancing the quality of the debate. It will be of interest to companies exploiting the new biotechnology techniques, government policy makers, food scientists and biotechnologist in academic research institutions.

This Volume presents generic protocols for wet experimental and computer-based systems and synthetic biology approaches relevant to the field of hydrocarbon and lipid microbiology. It complements a second Volume that describes protocols for systems and synthetic biology applications. The wet experimental tools presented in this Volume include protocols for the standardisation of transcriptional measurements, application of uracil excision-based DNA editing for, inter alia, multi-gene assembly, the use of fluxomics to optimise "reducing power availability", and the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins for optimisation of activities. Phenome-ing microbes, using a combination of RNA-seq and bioinformatic algorithms, is presented, as is an illustration, using methylotrophs as an example, of how the different key omics approaches constitute a pipeline for functional analysis, acquisition of a systems overview, and metabolic optimisation. Complementary computational tools that are presented include protocols for probing the genome architecture of regulatory networks, genome-scale metabolic reconstruction, and bioinformatic approaches to guide metabolic engineering. The Volume also includes an overview of how synthetic biology approaches can be used to improve biocontainment. 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.

Genetic engineering has already produced impressive results in biological research. The gene transfer and cloning methods are changing biotechnology into an innovative activity with potentially great impact on health care, on chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, on the agricultural and the natural environment. It has thus attracted a great deal of attention from the public and regulatory authorities. There is a need to reconcile technological progress with safety assurance and civic acceptance. Technologies are regulated according to the inherent risk evaluated, through criteria based upon existing scientific evidence, new rigorous information, and/or records of safe applications and good performances. This should also apply to biotechnology. The title Scientific-Technical Backgrounds for Biotechnology Regulation is only intended to indicate that regulatory provisions for biotechnological activities should be in agreement and not in open contradiction with scientific knowledge and established technological experience.

This book presents specific key natural and artificial systems that are promising biocatalysts in the areas of health, agriculture, environment and energy. It provides a comprehensive account of the state of the art of these systems and outlines the significant progress made in the last decade using these systems to develop innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Chapters from expert contributors explore how natural enzymes and artificial systems tackle specific targets such as: climate change, carbon footprint and economy and carbon dioxide utilisation; nitrogen footprint and fixation and nitrous oxide mitigation; hydrogen production, fuel cells and energy from bacteria; biomass transformation and production of added-value compounds, as well as biosensors development. This book provides an important and inspiring account for the designing of new natural and artificial systems with enhanced properties, and it appeals not only to students and researchers working in the fields of energy, health, food and environment, but also to a wider audience of educated readers that are interested in these up-to-date and exciting subjects.Chapter "Carbon Dioxide Utilisation-The Formate Route" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Stem cell based therapy is a 21st century approach of therapeutic intervention which epitomizes a shift from conventional symptomatic treatment strategy to addressing the root cause of the disease process. This is especially a hope for the patients suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer, diabetes, myocardial infarction and other diseases which have always been considered as incurable. Moreover, stem cells provide excellent in vitro disease models for drug development. This book is a compilation of the bench experience of experts from various research labs involved in the cutting edge area of research, describing the use of stem cells both as part of the combinatorial therapeutic intervention approach and as tools (disease model) during drug development.

Oligonucleotides represent one of the most significant pharmaceutical breakthroughs in recent years, showing great promise as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for malignant tumors, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, viral infections, and many other degenerative disorders. The Handbook of Analysis of Oligonucleotides and Related Products is an essential reference manual on the practical application of modern and emerging analytical techniques for the analysis of this unique class of compounds. A strong collaboration among thirty leading analytical scientists from around the world, the book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the most commonly used analytical techniques and their advantages and limitations in assuring the identity, purity, quality, and strength of an oligonucleotide intended for therapeutic use. Topics discussed include: Strategies for enzymatic or chemical degradation of chemically modified oligonucleotides toward mass spectrometric sequencing Purity analysis by chromatographic or electrophoretic methods, including RP-HPLC, AX-HPLC, HILIC, SEC, and CGE Characterization of sequence-related impurities in oligonucleotides by mass spectrometry and chromatography Structure elucidation by spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR, MS) as well as base composition and thermal melt analysis (Tm) Approaches for the accurate determination of molar extinction coefficient of oligonucleotides Accurate determination of assay values Assessment of the overall quality of oligonucleotides, including microbial analysis and determination of residual solvents and heavy metals Strategies for determining the chemical stability of oligonucleotides The use of hybridization techniques for supporting pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism studies in preclinical and clinical development Guidance for the presentation of relevant analytical information towards meeting current regulatory expectations for oligonucleotide therapeutics This resource provides a practical guide for applying state-of-the-art analytical techniques in research, development, and manufacturing settings.

Applications of Cryogenic Technology, Vol. 10, is the proceedings from the portion of the conference CRYO-90 sponsored by the Cryogenic Society of America (CSA). CRYO-90, held on the campus of the State University of New York, Binghamton, New York, was an unusual interdisciplinary event, drawing from the life sciences as well as the physical science and engineering areas of the low temperature community. Co-sponsoring CRYO-90 with CSA were the Society for Cryobiology and the Symposium on Invertebrate and Plant Cold Hardiness. These latter two organizations brought an exciting developing field to the conference, a field whose exploration will lead to the betterment of all mankind through improved cryosurgical and organ preservation techniques in addition to improved agricultural and herd yields under extreme conditions. Specific goals of the cryobiological community are cryopreservation, the arrest and recovery of living processes of cells, tissues and organs; and cryosurgery - the local cryodestruction of diseased cells while preserving the healthy surrounding tissue. These goals present great technological challenges. The technological requirements of the cryobiologist include the ability to cool tissues 6 at rates of 10 degrees per second (vitrification), to thaw frozen tissue without damaging the delicate cells, to freeze dry tissue using molecular distillation (vacuum) drying, to supercool cell structures below O DegreesC without freezing, and to successfully store the preserved tissues and organs for any required length of time.

This book has been written to provide research workers with an introd- tion to several optical techniques for new applications. It is intended to be comprehensible to people from a wide range of backgrounds - no prior optical or physics knowledge has been assumed. However, sufficient technical details have been included to enable the reader to understand the basics of the techniques and to be able to read further from the ref- ences if necessary. The book should be as useful to postgraduate students and experienced researchers as those entering the bioengineering field, irrespective of whether they have a technical or clinical background. It has been prepared with an awareness of the inherent difficulties in und- standing aspects of optics which, in the past, have precluded practical application. The contents address a broad range of optical measurement techniques which have been used in biomechanics, techniques characterized as n- contacting and non-destructive. Theoretical outlines and practical advice on gaining entry to the fields of expertise are complemented by biomec- nical case studies and key literature references. The aim is to present each technique, to appraise its advantages and capabilities and thereby to allow informed selection of an appropriate method for a particular app- cation. It is anticipated that research workers will be assisted in est- lishing new methodologies and gain first-hand experience of the techniques.

The latest edition in this continuing series includes the newest advances in the rapidly evolving field of animal cell culture, genetic manipulations for heterologous gene expression, cell line enhancements, improved bioreactor designs and separations, gene therapy manufacturing, tissue engineering, anti-apoptosis strategies and cell cycle research. The contents include new research articles as well as critical reviews on emerging topics such as viral and viral-like agent contamination of animal cell culture components. These papers were carefully selected from contributions by leading academic and industrial experts in the biotechnology community at the recent Cell Culture Engineering VI Meeting in San Diego, USA, 1998. However, the book is not merely a proceedings. Audience: Biochemical engineers, cell biologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, immunologists and other disciplines related to cell culture engineering, working in the academic environment and the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.

Contaminated sediments pose some of the most difficult site remediation issues. Contaminated sediments typically reside in spatially variable and dynamic systems subject to seasonal flow variations and episodic storm events. The volume of sediments that must be managed at particular sites often exceeds one million cubic meters, dwarfing many contaminated soil sites. These sediments are also associated with equally daunting volumes of water and efforts to remove the contamination typically entrains even more water. The environmental security of both NATO and partner countries is at risk due to the pervasive nature of sediment contamination of rivers, lakes and harbors. A NATO Advanced Research Workshop was convened in Bratislava in May 2005 to discuss current approaches to managing contaminated sediments and to identify research necessary to overcome outstanding problems.

In this text, drawn from presentations and discussion of that workshop, current approaches to the assessment and remediation of contaminated sediments will be discussed with the emphasis on in-situ management. Physical, chemical and biological approaches for the assessment and remediation of sediments are all addressed. Developing regulatory and strategic approaches are highlighted with a special emphasis on the potential for biological remediation for the management of contaminated sediments.

The present volume presents essential information on advancements in oilseed production, processing and utilization. Advances in the technology of seed processing to produce oil and oil quality for edible and industrial applications are well presented, followed by hybrid technology, biotechnology, oil technology and meal quality for animal nutrition. The following areas are also covered: the potential for oil in developing biodiesel markets, fatty acid long chains and their derivative, pollination management, and safety of pollinators from harmful effects of pesticides. This volume also includes an economic assessment of oilseed integrated pest management (IPM) programs in different regions of the world. Dr. Surinder Kumar Gupta is Professor/Chief Scientist (Oilseeds) Plant Breeding & Genetics and Nodal officer in School of Biotechnology, S K University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chatha, Jammu-India. He holds a distinguished academic and service record and has been devoted primarily to research on oilseed Brassicas for nearly two decades. He has written two books on plant breeding and edited three volumes, one on 'Recent Advances in Oilseed Brassicas', Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi, India, second on 'Rapeseed Breeding-Advances in Botanical Research', Vol. 45, Academic Press, Elsevier Publishers and third on Biology and Breeding of crucifers, CRC Publishers, Taylor and Francis Group.

This text is devoted to the rapidly evolving microsystem technology that promises to unravel a wide range of academic and industrial analytical problems, such as trace proofing and single molecule detection, substance selection, miniturized sequencing of biopolymers, handling of single molecules or cells in micro devices and the optimization of molecular functions. All these applications will have a bearing on the future work in the diagnosis of disease, high-throughput screening approaches and combinatorial chemistry. These should be of importance in all life science fields where high efficiency, budgetary restrictions, high sensitivity, the presence of small amounts of highly toxic waste products and storage space constraints are relevant parameters. Taken as a whole this text seeks to reveal how microsystems technology is how changing the face of biology, forensics, gene therapy, molecular medicine, screening, and more.

Mushrooms are fleshy fungi with a high prospective for the production of secondary metabolites including extracellular enzymes with high agricultural and biotechnological significance. Worldwide, they are well recognized as supplementary foods due to their high nutritional values and their medicinal importance, which includes their uses in exhibiting antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, immune enhancer, and to be effective for the treatment of several diseases including diabetes and few types of cancers as well. According to recent studies, extracellular enzymes produced by several white-rot fungal strains such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pleurotus sajor-caju and several mushrooms have shown a high capacity to decolorize dyes that are very harmful for the environment. Moreover, wild macrofungi have the capability to synthesize nanoparticles which are more useful for the treatment of cancer, gene therapy, DNA analysis and biosensors. Wild macrofungi are extremely important model for basic biology and commercial manufacture.

Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics: Cells, Tissues, and Organs is a vital resource for courses on cardiovascular solid mechanics or soft tissue biomechanics. Focusing on the response of the heart and blood vessels to mechanical loads from the perspective of nonlinear solid mechanics, its primary goal is to integrate basic analytical, experimental, and computational methods to offer a more complete understanding of the underlying mechanobiology. While dealing primarily with cardiovascular mechanics, both the fundamental methods and many of the specific results are applicable to many different soft tissues, making this book an excellent general introduction to soft tissue biomechanics overall. Divided into three parts, Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics presents a practical and rational approach to biomechanics. Part I, Foundations, briefly reviews historical points of interest, basic molecular and cell biology, histology, and an overview of soft tissue mechanics. In order to provide not only a working framework, but also to give key references for those who wish to develop and extend biomechanics, included are mathematical preliminaries and salient results from continuum mechanics, finite elasticity, experimental mechanics, and finite elements. Part II, Vascular Mechanics, reviews the anatomy, histology, and physiology of arteries, illustrating and discussing constitutive formulations and stress analyses for healthy mature arteries. Considerable attention is given to the concept of residual stress and the mechanics of a number of vascular disorders, including atherosclerosis, aneurysms, and hypertension, as well as the mechanics of popular endovascular therapies such as balloon angioplasty. Part III, Cardiac Mechanics, reviews the requisite anatomy, histology, physiology, and pathology, and discusses the constitutive relations and stress analyses in the normal, mature heart. Finally, the book points the reader to areas of study that require more advanced theoretical, experimental, and computational methods, such as electromechanics, thermomechanics, mixture theory analysis of solid-fluid coupling, and damage mechanics. This book is designed as a text for an upper-division course on cardiovascular solid mechanics but will also serve as a good introduction to soft tissue biomechanics. Exercises at the end of each chapter will clarify complex concepts for both students and more experienced readers. Clinicians, life scientists, engineers, and mathematicians will also find this an invaluable guide, with concise and practical chapters, all of which are amply referenced. Cover illustration: Schema of a developing pathology of the arterial wall under mechanical stress.

This review series covers trends in modern biotechnology, including all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology, requiring knowledge, methods, and expertise from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science.

This open access book focuses on the linear selection index (LSI) theory and its statistical properties. It addresses the single-stage LSI theory by assuming that economic weights are fixed and known - or fixed, but unknown - to predict the net genetic merit in the phenotypic, marker and genomic context. Further, it shows how to combine the LSI theory with the independent culling method to develop the multistage selection index theory. The final two chapters present simulation results and SAS and R codes, respectively, to estimate the parameters and make selections using some of the LSIs described. It is essential reading for plant quantitative geneticists, but is also a valuable resource for animal breeders.

Attention has recently turned to using plants as hosts for the production of commercially important proteins. The twelve case studies in this volume present successful strategies for using plants to produce industrial and pharmaceutical proteins and vaccine antigens. They examine in detail projects that have commercial potential or products that have already been commercialized, illustrating the advantages that plants offer over bacterial, fungal or animal cell-culture hosts. There are many indications that plant protein production marks the beginning of a new paradigm for the commercial production of proteins that, over the next decade, will expand dramatically.