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.

An In-Depth Resource for Understanding the Foundational Concepts and Clinical Applications in the Field of Biomechanics Winter's Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement is highly suitable as a textbook for today's biomechanics students who may come from many diverse academic programs and professional sectors. The work covers foundational theoretical and mathematical concepts in biomechanics, as well as up-to-date data collection, interpretation, and storage techniques. It also highlights the contemporary clinical applications of biomechanical research. New case studies related to cerebral palsy, patellar femoral pain syndrome, knee osteoarthritis, and ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction are also included. The work appeals to a broad audience within the field of biomechanics, an interdisciplinary field with applications in mechanical engineering, medicine, physical therapy, sports and exercise, and product development. Authors at leading universities guide the reader through the latest advancements in the field while also imparting critical foundational knowledge to allow for subject matter mastery and more precise practical application. Concepts covered in the book include: Biomechanical signal processing, anthropometry, kinematics and kinetics, muscle mechanics, and kinesiological electromyography Forward simulations and muscle-actuated simulations, static and dynamic balance, and the role of the central nervous system in biomechanics Movement sequencing and the kinetic chain concept, electromagnetic systems, inertial sensors, clinical measures of kinematics, and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of force plates Markerset design and event detection for gait and athletic motions like jumping, landing, and pitching Guidance on setting up a motion lab and access to online Excel spreadsheets with kinematic and kinetic marker data By providing a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, Winter's Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement will appeal to biomedical engineers working in the field of biomechanics and allied professionals in the medical, rehabilitation, and sports industries. Its comprehensive overall insight into the field of biomechanics also makes the work a highly useful resource for students and teachers of biomechanics at all levels of experience and expertise.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Discover the latest, fast-developing technology to help move towards more cost-effective, small-batch, decentralized manufacturing of personalized systems 3D printing has revolutionized manufacturing. Its precision and flexibility have enabled the large-scale production of materials and devices too complex for conventional industrial manufacturing. This has been particularly revolutionary in the field of pharmaceutical production, where 3D printing is being integrated into the manufacture of both drugs and drug delivery devices. It has never been more important for industry professionals to understand this form of production. 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals and Drug Delivery Devices: Progress from Bench to Bedside offers a comprehensive overview of 3D printing technology and its pharmaceutical applications. It introduces readers to a world in which bespoke drug delivery systems developed for specific users or conditions is rapidly becoming a reality. Its detailed coverage of strategies and industrial processes incorporates the latest research and real-world experience of production. 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals and Drug Delivery Devices: Progress from Bench to Bedside readers will also find: A multi-disciplinary authorial team of industry leaders Discussion of common technical and regulatory barriers and their possible solutions Far-ranging discussion of pharmaceutical applications across all sectors 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals and Drug Delivery Devices: Progress from Bench to Bedside is essential reading for pharmaceutical industry professionals and researchers looking to occupy the leading edge.

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.

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.

This volume analyzes the dynamics and interactive processes among the players (individuals, institutions, and organizations/firms) that have constituted and legitimized the development of the biotechnology industries. The unit of analysis is small entrepreneurial firms developing biotechnological products and processes. What types of strategies are small entrepreneurs pursuing in order to create markets for their new products and processes, and how have specific strategies emerged? The primary interest is the network process through which the technological field and the development of institutions and routines evolve and co-evolve.

The theoretical contribution of the book is its focus on the development of the concept of networks. From being regarded as a relative static concept the book transforms the concept into a dynamic concept of networking. The dynamic view on the creation and development of new technologies through network formations is linked to the concept of strategy that is used throughout the book. Hence the strategies are developed along with the creation of technological knowledge, and it is hoped that the diffusion of this specific knowledge will bring new actors into the technological arena or community.

This book will be useful to the academic community, those studying the formation of networks, strategic management, organizational behavior, and management of technology, as well as business observers with a specific interest in the evolution of the biotechnology industry.

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.

Over the last 15 years, there has been renewed interest in supercritical fluids owing to their unique properties and relatively low environmental impact. Greatest attention has been given to the extraction and separation of organic compounds. Supercritical fluids have also been successfully used for particle production, as reaction media, and for the destruction of toxic waste. Supercritical carbon dioxide has been the most widely used supercritical fluid, mainly because it is cheap, relatively nontoxic, and has convenient critical values. Supercritical fluids have also been used on analytical and preparative scales for many biological and other applications. Many papers have been published on the use of supercritical fluids. However, few have acted as a detailed instruction manual for those wanting to use the techniques for the first time. We anticipate that this Methods in Biotechnology volume, Supercritical Fluid Methods and Protocols will s- isfy the need for such a book. Every chapter has been written by experienced workers and should, if closely followed, enable workers with some or no previous experience of supercritical fluids to conduct experiments successfully at the first attempt.

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.

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.

The adsorption of proteins at interfaces plays a role in many ?elds, such as health, food, environment and analysis. Fundamental aspects are useful when considering applications. We focus here especially on solid-liquid interfaces and present a few fundamental studies regarding adsorption - netics and conformational changes, and examples of applications to sensors and membranes. The ?rst part is dedicated to fundamental studies performed using - tical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, as an example of a technique that has the advantage of not requiring labelled proteins, but is limited to s- ci?c supports. Conversely, the radiolabelling of proteins, which has the disadvantage of any labelling process, allows application to any kind of s- faces. As proteins bear both positive and negative charges, we can expect thein?uenceofanelectric?eldnormaltothe interfaceonthe pack- ing order at interfaces. The re?ning of data treatment may also lead to the determination of useful structural parameters. The balance between protein-surface and protein-protein interactions is a key point for the - scription of the structure at high coverage of the surface. Electrokinetic methods, like measurement of the streaming potential, may be helpful in the electrical characterisation of the interfacial layer facing the solution. The second part includes different bench techniques that were dev- oped to improve the sensitivity of the characterisation of the orientation and structure of the proteins at interfaces: dual polarisation interferometry and total internal re?ection ellipsometry are such recent examples.

Focusing on the rapidly increasing interaction between biotechnology and advanced fiberoptics/electronics, Biosensors with Fiberoptics emphasizes the three major phases of the developmental process from concept to marketplace: research, development, and applications.
With contributions by leading experts directly involved in key areas of this exciting, fast-paced field, the book describes novel biosensor technologies and such current and potential applications as: chemical sensing fluorescent labels evanescent-wave biosensors and immunosensors clinical applications immunoassay kinetics luminescence monitoring of environmental toxins.
Researchers and clinicians in a broad spectrum of disciplines will find Wise and Wingard's Biosensors with FIBEROPTICS an extremely practical, up-to-date reference text."

Representing the latest knowledge of the ecology and the physiology of cold-adapted microorganisms, plants and animals, this book explains the mechanisms of cold-adaptation on the enzymatic and molecular level, including results from the first crystal structures of enzymes of cold-adapted organisms.

With the rapid proliferation of RNAi applications in basic and clinical sciences, the challenge has now become understanding how components of RNAi machinery function together in a regulated manner. Argonaute proteins are the central effectors of RNAi and are highly conserved among eukaryotes and some archaebacteria. These RNA-binding proteins use small guide RNAs to silence expression of genes at the mRNA and DNA levels. In Argonaute Proteins: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in this burgeoning field provide detailed, up-to-date methods to study Argonaute protein functions and interactions in a wide variety of cell types ranging from yeast to mammalian systems, as well as in vitro. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and authoritative, Argonaute Proteins: Methods and Protocols serves as a vital reference for both experienced and novice scientists approaching the vast complexities of RNAi research.

The fourth International Symposium of the International Society for Environmental Biotechnology was held on the campus of Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 20-25, 1998, with an attendance of several hundred people. This meeting included technical presentations of state-of-the-art research which were integrated with tutorials and workshops by practising technologists in the broad field of environmental biotechnology. The meeting was designed to be, in every respect, truly global. For example, presentations were heard from technical workers in Southeast Asia, Iran, China, many countries in Europe, India, and the United States. By having these selected presenters, as well as experienced tutors with focused workshops, all participants benefited from this interactive symposium, and from an informal exchange of ideas, discussions of technical problems, and exploration of new applications. Environmental biotechnology is an emerging field of scientific and technological investigations that is truly global. Furthermore, popular recognition is high for the environmental problems being faced and solved by biotechnology methods. The papers in this book cover the following topics: (i) Metals: Mine Drainage, Removal, Toxicity; (ii) Waste Treatment/Monitoring; (iii) Integrated Systems; (iv) Bioremediation: In situ/Reactors/Basic Studies; (v) Water Quality; (vi) Biodegradation; (vii) Local/National/International Issues.

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.

Part I The Nano-Scale Biological Systems in Nature; Molecular bio-motors in living cells - by T. Nishizaka; The form designed by viral genome - by K. Onodera; Part II Detection and Characterization Technology; Atomic force microscopy applied to nano-mechanics of the cell - by A. Ikai; Design, synthesis and biological application of fluorescent sensor molecules for cellular imaging - by K. Kikuchi; Dynamic visualization of cellular signaling - by Q. Ni and J. Zhang; Part III Fabrication Technology; Surface acoustic wave atomizer and electrostatic deposition - by Y. Yamagata; Electrospray deposition of biomolecules by V.N. Morozov; Part IV Processing Technology; Droplet handling - by T.Torii; Integrated microfluidic systems - by S. Kaneda and T. Fujii; Part V Applications; A novel non-viral gene delivery system: Multifunctional envelope-type nano device - by H. Hatakeyama, H. Akita, K. Kogure, and H. Harashima; Biosensors - by M. Saito, H.M. Hiep, N. Nagatani, and E.Tamiya; Micro bioreactors - by Sato and T. Kitamori

The goal of this book is to disseminate information on the worldwide status and trends in biosensing R and D to government decisionmakers and the research community. The contributors critically analyze and compare biosensing research in the United States with that being pursued in Japan, Europe and other major industrialized countries.

Biosensing includes systems that incorporate a variety of means, including electrical, electronic, and photonic devices; biological materials (e.g., tissue, enzymes, nucleic acids, etc.); and chemical analysis to produce detectable signals for the monitoring or identification of biological phenomena. In a broader sense, the study of biosensing includes any approach to detection of biological elements and the associated software or computer identification technologies (e.g., imaging) that identify biological characteristics. Biosensing is finding a growing number of applications in a wide variety of areas, including biomedicine, food production and processing, and detection of bacteria, viruses, and biological toxins for biowarfare defense. Subtopics likely to be covered in this study include the following: Nucleic acid sensors and DNA chips and arrays, organism- and cell-based biosensors, bioelectronics and biometrics, biointerfaces and biomaterials; biocompatibility and biofouling, integrated, multi-modality sensors and sensor networks, system issues, including signal transduction, data interpretation, and validation, novel sensing algorithms, e.g., non-enzyme-based sensors for glucose, mechanical sensors for prosthetics, related issues in bio-MEMS and NEMS (microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems), possibly including actuators, applications in biomedicine, the environment, food industry, security and defense.

Particular emphasis will be on technologies that may lead to portable or fieldable devices/instruments. Important consideration will be given to an integrated approach to detection, storage, analysis, validation, interpretation and presentation of results from the biosensing system. Focus will be on research from the following disciplines: BioMems and nano, optical spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, chemometrics, pattern recognition, telemetry, signal processing, and toxicology.

Finally, beyond the above technical issues, the study will also address the following non-technical issues: Mechanisms for enhancing international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the field, opportunities for shortening the lead time for deployment of new biosensing technologies emerging from the laboratory, long range research, educational, and infrastructure issues that need addressed to promote better progress in the field, current government R and D funding levels overseas compared to the United States, to the extent data are available.

The biotechnology business in India with an increase from USD 500 million in 1997 and reaching an estimated USD 1 billion next year health related prod ucts accounting for 60%, agro and veterinary products together 15%, and con tract R&D, reagents, devices and supplies adding up to the remaining 25% of which the diagnostics share was about 10% of the total surely presented an encouraging picture even five years ago. While volumes have increased, the pat tern has not. According to a report, prepared by McKinsey & Co, India's Phar maceutical industry including domestic and export sales and contract services totals nearly USD 5 billion. Furthermore, the company optimistically projects the growth to a factor of five fold only if both the industry and the government are able to put in place achievable solutions that must take care of the formida ble obstacles preventing further growth. If this assessment is correct, then the established transformation made by IT growth should also provide the confi dence required by the high expectations for biotechnology which have arisen in the country in recent years. Some contributors to this are overenthusiastic these are bureaucrats, some retired scientists and of course the complacent politicians who have the least knowledge of what the new biotechnology is all about. However, there are clear indications of biotechnology growth demon strated by a few but rapidly expanding biotech companies such as Biocon Ltd, Shantha Biotech (P) Ltd, Dr.

This volume covers recent developments in both fundamental and applied research in biological nitrogen fixation. It emphasizes the application of biological nitrogen fixation for sustainable agriculture, which should lead to poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and good agricultural practices generally. The roles of, and advances in, plant breeding, plant molecular biology, nodule physiology, and symbiotic and associative interactions between plants and microbes in sustaining agricultural productivity and soil fertility are described. The evolution of symbioses and nitrogen fixation are also covered in this volume. To ensure high agricultural productivity, while protecting the environment (both soil and water resources), requires plant cultivars that also respond to beneficial microbes. The volume, therefore, describes the physiology and genomics of nitrogen-fixing bacteria together with the biochemistry and molecular genetics of the nitrogenase enzyme that actually fixes atmospheric nitrogen to a usable form.

This volume, which covers the most recent data on the role of nitrogen fixation in agriculture and forestry and on the biology of both plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes, is intended to serve as a useful reference for students and researchers, both in the laboratory (academic and commercial) and in the field.