This book explores the emergence of a new scientific field, synthetic biology, and the many bold promises its proponents have made to change the future of science, industry, humanity and the global environment. It explores how people, including academics, students, industrialists and governance actors, tried to change their practices to bring engineering and biology together, and to realise such promises from within their everyday lives. It focuses on an ethnographic case study of an academic project that aimed to demonstrate the field's promise for solving water industry problems, from leaky pipes to climate change. In doing so, the book weaves together stories of barriers, bacteria and bodies, examining how they were entangled as people tried to make connections between academia and industry. It also reflects on the authors' attempts to work collaboratively with natural scientists and engineers, reflecting on current debates about the role of sociology in such interdisciplinary projects. The book contributes to contemporary studies of science and technology by highlighting issues such as ontology, practices, failure and time.

Mycorrhizal fungi are microbial engines which improve plant vigor and soil quality. They play a crucial role in plant nutrient uptake, water relations, ecosystem establishment, plant diversity, and the productivity of plants. Scientific research involves multidisciplinary approaches to understand the adaptation of mycorrhizae to the rhizosphere, mechanism of root colonization, effect on plant physiology and growth, biofertilization, plant resistance and biocontrol of plant pathogens. This book discusses and goes into detail on a number of topics: the molecular basis of nutrient exchange between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and host plants; the role of AM fungi in disease protection, alleviation of soil stresses and increasing grain production; interactions of AM fungi and beneficial saprophytic mycoflora in terms of plant growth promotion; the role of AM fungi in the restoration of native ecosystems; indirect contributions of AM fungi and soil aggregation to plant growth and mycorrhizosphere effect of multitrophic interaction; the mechanisms by which mycorrhizas change a disturbed ecosystem into productive land; the importance of reinstallation of mycorrhizal systems in the rhizosphere is emphasized and their impact on landscape regeneration, and in bioremediation of contaminated soils; Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) and their importance in forest ecosystems and associations of ECM in tropical rain forests function to maintain tropical monodominance; in vitro mycorrhization of micro-propagated plants, and visualizing and quantifying endorhizal fungi; the use of mycorrhizae, mainly AM and ECM, for sustainable agriculture and forestry.

This book is about the how of desertification control as opposed to an analysis of the why and fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands. There are numerous illustrations to show the successful techniques.
This compilation demonstrates that desertification and land degradation can be controlled and reversed with existing techniques in such widely varying environments as the Sahel of Africa to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in SE Asia, from mountains in Lesotho to low lands on desert margins in Mongolia. Proven approaches include technical interventions, changes in governance and to the legislative framework and policy reform. The book fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands."

This doctoral thesis reports on an innovative data repository offering adaptive metadata management to maximise information sharing and comprehension in multidisciplinary and geographically distributed collaborations. It approaches metadata as a fluid, loosely structured and dynamical process rather than a fixed product, and describes the development of a novel data management platform based on a schemaless JSON data model, which represents the first fully JSON-based metadata repository designed for the biomedical sciences. Results obtained in various application scenarios (e.g. integrated biobanking, functional genomics and computational neuroscience) and corresponding performance tests are reported on in detail. Last but not least, the book offers a systematic overview of data platforms commonly used in the biomedical sciences, together with a fresh perspective on the role of and tools for data sharing and heterogeneous data integration in contemporary biomedical research.

The complexity of biological systems has intrigued scientists from many disciplines and has given birth to the highly influential field of systems biology wherein a wide array of mathematical techniques, such as flux balance analysis, and technology platforms, such as next generation sequencing, is used to understand, elucidate, and predict the functions of complex biological systems. More recently, the field of synthetic biology, i.e., de novo engineering of biological systems, has emerged. Scientists from various fields are focusing on how to render this engineering process more predictable, reliable, scalable, affordable, and easy. Systems and control theory is a branch of engineering and applied sciences that rigorously deals with the complexities and uncertainties of interconnected systems with the objective of characterising fundamental systemic properties such as stability, robustness, communication capacity, and other performance metrics. Systems and control theory also strives to offer concepts and methods that facilitate the design of systems with rigorous guarantees on these properties. Over the last 100 years, it has made stellar theoretical and technological contributions in diverse fields such as aerospace, telecommunication, storage, automotive, power systems, and others. Can it have, or evolve to have, a similar impact in biology? The chapters in this book demonstrate that, indeed, systems and control theoretic concepts and techniques can have a significant impact in systems and synthetic biology. Volume II contains chapters contributed by leading researchers in the field of systems and synthetic biology that concern modeling physiological processes and bottom-up constructions of scalable biological systems. The modeling problems include characterisation and synthesis of memory, understanding how homoeostasis is maintained in the face of shocks and relatively gradual perturbations, understanding the functioning and robustness of biological clocks such as those at the core of circadian rhythms, and understanding how the cell cycles can be regulated, among others. Some of the bottom-up construction problems investigated in Volume II are as follows: How should biomacromolecules, platforms, and scalable architectures be chosen and synthesised in order to build programmable de novo biological systems? What are the types of constrained optimisation problems encountered in this process and how can these be solved efficiently? As the eminent computer scientist Donald Knuth put it, "biology easily has 500 years of exciting problems to work on". This edited book presents but a small fraction of those for the benefit of (1) systems and control theorists interested in molecular and cellular biology and (2) biologists interested in rigorous modelling, analysis and control of biological systems.

Describes landmark experiments in cell biology and biochemistry Discusses the "How" and "Why" of historically important experiments Includes primary, original data and graphs Emphasizes biological techniques, which helps understand how many of the experiments performed were possible. Documents, chronologically, how each result fed into the next experiments.

This book is the product of the 2nd World Conference on Environmental History, held in Guimaraes, Portugal, in 2014. It gathers works by authors from the five continents, addressing concerns raised by past events so as to provide information to help manage the present and the future. It reveals how our cultural background and examples of past territorial intervention can help to combat political and cultural limitations through the common language of environmental benefits without disguising harmful past human interventions. Considering that political ideologies such as socialism and capitalism, as well as religion, fail to offer global paradigms for common ground, an environmentally positive discourse instead of an ecological determinism might serve as an umbrella common language to overcome blocking factors, real or invented, and avoid repeating ecological loss. Therefore, agency, environmental speech and historical research are urgently needed in order to sustain environmental paradigms and overcome political, cultural an economic interests in the public arena. This book intertwines reflections on our bonds with landscapes, processes of natural and scientific transfer across the globe, the changing of ecosystems, the way in which scientific knowledge has historically both accelerated destruction and allowed a better distribution of vital resources or as it, in today's world, can offer alternatives that avoid harming those same vital natural resources: water, soil and air. In addition, it shows the relevance of cultural factors both in the taming of nature in favor of human comfort and in the role of the environment matters in the forging of cultural identities, which cannot be detached from technical intervention in the world. In short, the book firstly studies the past, approaching it as a data set of how the environment has shaped culture, secondly seeks to understand the present, and thirdly assesses future perspectives: what to keep, what to change, and what to dream anew, considering that conventional solutions have not sufficed to protect life on our planet.

This book describes new theories and applications of artificial neural networks, with a special focus on answering questions in neuroscience, biology and biophysics and cognitive research. It covers a wide range of methods and technologies, including deep neural networks, large scale neural models, brain computer interface, signal processing methods, as well as models of perception, studies on emotion recognition, self-organization and many more. The book includes both selected and invited papers presented at the XXI International Conference on Neuroinformatics, held on October 7-11, 2019, in Dolgoprudny, a town in Moscow region, Russia.

This book focuses on modules and emergence with self-organization in the life sciences. As Aristotle observed so long ago, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. However, contemporary science is dominated by reductionist concepts and tends to neglect the non-reproducible features of complex systems, which emerge from the interaction of the smaller units they are composed of. The book is divided into three major parts; the essays in part A highlight the conceptual basis of emergence, linking it to the philosophy of science, systems biology and sustainability. This is subsequently exemplified in part B by applying the concept of emergence to various biological disciplines, such as genetics, developmental biology, neurobiology, plant physiology and ecology. New aspects of emergence come into play when biology meets the technical sciences, as revealed in a chapter on bionics. In turn, part C adopts a broader view, revealing how the organization of life follows a hierarchical order in terms of scalar dimensions, ranging from the molecular level to the entire biosphere. The idea that life is primarily and exclusively shaped by processes at the molecular level (and, in particular, by the information encoded in the genome) is refuted; rather, there is no hierarchy with respect to the level of causation in the cross-talk between the levels. In the last two chapters, the evolutionary trend toward ever-increasing complexity in living systems is interpreted in terms of the Gaia hypothesis sensu Lovelock: the entire biosphere is viewed as a functional unit (or 'holobiont-like system') organized to develop and sustain life on Earth.

Bioinformatics is growing by leaps and bounds; theories/algorithms/statistical techniques are constantly evolving. Nevertheless, a core body of algorithmic ideas have emerged and researchers are beginning to adopt a "problem solving" approach to bioinformatics, wherein they use solutions to well-abstracted problems as building blocks to solve larger scope problems.

"Problem Solving Handbook for Computational Biology" and Bioinformatics is an edited volume contributed by world renowned leaders in this field. This comprehensive handbook with problem solving emphasis, covers all relevant areas of computational biology and bioinformatics. Web resources and related themes are highlighted at every opportunity in this central easy-to-read reference.

Designed for advanced-level students, researchers and professors in computer science and bioengineering as a reference or secondary text, this handbook is also suitable for professionals working in this industry.

This book presents the most recent mathematical approaches to the growing research area of networks, oscillations, and collective motions in the context of biological systems. Bringing together the results of multiple studies of different biological systems, this book sheds light on the relations among these research themes. Included in this book are the following topics: feedback systems with time delay and threshold of sensing (dead zone), robustness of biological networks from the point of view of dynamical systems, the hardware-oriented neuron modeling approach, a universal mechanism governing the entrainment limit under weak forcing, the robustness mechanism of open complex systems, situation-dependent switching of the cues primarily relied on by foraging ants, and group chase and escape. Research on different biological systems is presented together, not separated by specializations or by model systems. Therefore, the book provides diverse perspectives at the forefront of current mathematical research on biological systems, especially focused on networks, oscillations, and collective motions. This work is aimed at advanced undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, as well as scientists and engineers. It will also be of great use for professionals in industries and service sectors owing to the applicability of topics such as networks and synchronizations.

This highly-readable book addresses how to teach effective communication in science. The first part of the book provides accessible context and theory about communicating science well, and is written by experts. The second part focuses on the practice of teaching communication in science, with ‘nuts and bolts’ lesson plans direct from the pens of practitioners. The book includes over 50 practice chapters, each focusing on one or more short teaching activities to target a specific aspect of communication, such as writing, speaking and listening. Implementing the activities is made easy with class run sheets, tips and tricks for instructors, signposts to related exercises and theory chapters, and further resources. Theory chapters help build instructor confidence and knowledge on the topic of communicating science. The teaching exercises can be used with science students at all levels of education in any discipline and curriculum – the only limitation is a wish to learn to communicate better! Targeted at science faculty members, this book aims to improve and enrich communication teaching within the science curriculum, so that science graduates can communicate better as professionals in their discipline and future workplace.

Features • Presents an accessible introduction to the topic in addition to more advanced material for specialists in the field. • Covers a broad spectrum of topics this new field. • Contains exciting case studies and examples, such as quantum dots, bionanomaterials, and future perspectives.

This text examines in detail mathematical and physical modeling, computational methods and systems for obtaining and analyzing biological structures, using pioneering research cases as examples. As such, it emphasizes programming and problem-solving skills. It provides information on structure bioinformatics at various levels, with individual chapters covering introductory to advanced aspects, from fundamental methods and guidelines on acquiring and analyzing genomics and proteomics sequences, the structures of protein, DNA and RNA, to the basics of physical simulations and methods for conformation searches. This book will be of immense value to researchers and students in the fields of bioinformatics, computational biology and chemistry. Dr. Dongqing Wei is a Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. His research interest is in the general area of structural bioinformatics.

This book describes novel algorithms based on interval-valued fuzzy methods that are expected to improve classification and decision-making processes under incomplete or imprecise information. At first, it introduces interval-valued fuzzy sets. It then discusses new methods for aggregation on interval-valued settings, and the most common properties of interval-valued aggregation operators. It then presents applications such as decision making using interval-valued aggregation, and classification in case of missing values. Interesting applications of the developed algorithms to DNA microarray analysis and in medical decision support systems are shown. The book is intended not only as a timely report for the community working on fuzzy sets and their extensions but also for researchers and practitioners dealing with the problems of uncertain or imperfect information.

This BASS book Series publishes selected high-quality papers reflecting recent advances in the design and biostatistical analysis of biopharmaceutical experiments - particularly biopharmaceutical clinical trials. The papers were selected from invited presentations at the Biopharmaceutical Applied Statistics Symposium (BASS), which was founded by the first Editor in 1994 and has since become the premier international conference in biopharmaceutical statistics. The primary aims of the BASS are: 1) to raise funding to support graduate students in biostatistics programs, and 2) to provide an opportunity for professionals engaged in pharmaceutical drug research and development to share insights into solving the problems they encounter.The BASS book series is initially divided into three volumes addressing: 1) Design of Clinical Trials; 2) Biostatistical Analysis of Clinical Trials; and 3) Pharmaceutical Applications. This book is the first of the 3-volume book series. The topics covered include: A Statistical Approach to Clinical Trial Simulations, Comparison of Statistical Analysis Methods Using Modeling and Simulation for Optimal Protocol Design, Adaptive Trial Design in Clinical Research, Best Practices and Recommendations for Trial Simulations in the Context of Designing Adaptive Clinical Trials, Designing and Analyzing Recurrent Event Data Trials, Bayesian Methodologies for Response-Adaptive Allocation, Addressing High Placebo Response in Neuroscience Clinical Trials, Phase I Cancer Clinical Trial Design: Single and Combination Agents, Sample Size and Power for the Mixed Linear Model, Crossover Designs in Clinical Trials, Data Monitoring: Structure for Clinical Trials and Sequential Monitoring Procedures, Design and Data Analysis for Multiregional Clinical Trials - Theory and Practice, Adaptive Group-Sequential Multi-regional Outcome Studies in Vaccines, Development and Validation of Patient-reported Outcomes, Interim Analysis of Survival Trials: Group Sequential Analyses, and Conditional Power - A Non-proportional Hazards Perspective.

Survival analysis arises in many fields of study including medicine, biology, engineering, public health, epidemiology, and economics. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of Bayesian survival analysis. Several topics are addressed, including parametric models, semiparametric models based on prior processes, proportional and non-proportional hazards models, frailty models, cure rate models, model selection and comparison, joint models for longitudinal and survival data, models with time varying covariates, missing covariate data, design and monitoring of clinical trials, accelerated failure time models, models for multivariate survival data, and special types of hierarchical survival models. Also various censoring schemes are examined including right and interval censored data. Several additional topics are discussed, including noninformative and informative prior specificiations, computing posterior qualities of interest, Bayesian hypothesis testing, variable selection, model selection with nonnested models, model checking techniques using Bayesian diagnostic methods, and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms for sampling from the posteiror and predictive distributions. The book presents a balance between theory and applications, and for each class of models discussed, detailed examples and analyses from case studies are presented whenever possible. The applications are all essentially from the health sciences, including cancer, AIDS, and the environment. The book is intended as a graduate textbook or a reference book for a one semester course at the advanced masters or Ph.D. level. This book would be most suitable for second or third year graduate students in statistics or biostatistics. It would also serve as a useful reference book for applied or theoretical researchers as well as practitioners. Joseph G. Ibrahim is Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Ming-Hui Chen is Associate Professor of Mathematical Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Debajyoti Sinha is Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the Medical University of South Carolina.

This unique volume provides an insight into bioactive compounds of tea from studies of both chemical structures and pharmacological aspects. Examples of the beneficial health effects of tea compounds in managing health problems and diseases are presented, with an emphasis on viral diseases such as COVID-19. Vaccines are not always available in many countries, thus simple and inexpensive measures which are easily available to help mitigate for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, are urgently needed. Dietary bioactive compounds could be alternative nutritional approaches in combating infection in addition to existing therapies and also upcoming vaccines and drugs, by enhancing their efficacy. Features : Emphasizes the antiviral activity of the tea compounds and the latest findings against Coronavirus and SARS-Cov-2. Provides a general overview of tea constituents, chemical structures of these compounds and their potential health benefits. Tea is one of the most commonly used beverages around the world and people with different backgrounds will be interested in reading about its health benefits. Correlating the therapeutic effect of tea components with COVID-19 is extremely beneficial for health care team members and general population. Assists the reader in understanding the therapeutic value of using tea to tackle COVID-19 symptoms, offering simple, inexpensive tips to help mitigate the virus.

This 21st Century Nanoscience Handbook will be the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field of nanoscience. Handbook of Nanophysics by the same editor published in the fall of 2010 and was embraced as the first comprehensive reference to consider both fundamental and applied aspects of nanophysics. This follow-up project has been conceived as a necessary expansion and full update that considers the significant advances made in the field since 2010. It goes well beyond the physics as warranted by recent developments in the field. This eighth volume in a ten-volume set covers nanopharmaceuticals, nanomedicine, and food nanoscience. Key Features: Provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date large reference work for the field. Chapters written by international experts in the field. Emphasises presentation and real results and applications. This handbook distinguishes itself from other works by its breadth of coverage, readability and timely topics. The intended readership is very broad, from students and instructors to engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, biomedical researchers, industry professionals, governmental scientists, and others whose work is impacted by nanotechnology. It will be an indispensable resource in academic, government, and industry libraries worldwide. The fields impacted by nanophysics extend from materials science and engineering to biotechnology, biomedical engineering, medicine, electrical engineering, pharmaceutical science, computer technology, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, food science, and beyond.

This book describes novel microtechnologies and integration strategies for developing a new class of assay systems to retrieve desired health information from patients in real-time. The selection and integration of sensor components and operational parameters for developing point-of-care (POC) are also described in detail. The basics that govern the microfluidic regimen and the techniques and methods currently employed for fabricating microfluidic systems and integrating biosensors are thoroughly covered. This book also describes the application of microfluidics in the field of cell and molecular biology, single cell biology, disease diagnostics, as well as the commercially available systems that have been either introduced or have the potential of being used in research and development. This is an ideal book for aiding biologists in understanding the fundamentals and applications of microfluidics. This book also: Describes the preparatory methods for developing 3-dimensional microfluidic structures and their use for Lab-on-a-Chip design Explains the significance of miniaturization and integration of sensing components to develop wearable sensors for point-of-care (POC) Demonstrates the application of microfluidics to life sciences and analytical chemistry, including disease diagnostics and separations Motivates new ideas related to novel platforms, valving technology, miniaturized transduction methods, and device integration to develop next generation sequencing Discusses future prospects and challenges of the field of microfluidics in the areas of life sciences in general and diagnostics in particular

Aquaculture is rapidly becoming a major source of fish protein used to meet the nutritional needs of humans. As the aquaculture industry grows, exposure of farmed fish to environmental contaminants, and the need for chemical therapeutic agents for fish, will increase. This book is designed to bring together authorities worldwide on the regulation of environmental contaminants and food chemicals and researchers investigating the metabolism and disposition of foreign chemicals (xenobiotics) in fish species.

Reviewers have characterized Paul Naour's A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism, which includes brief introductions by E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner's elder daughter, Julie Vargus, as an idea book. The work will undoubtedly have a significant academic market and provide students and scholars in biology, ethology, psychology, anthropology, sociology and economics a strong foundation in twentieth century history and systems.

Praise for A Dialogue Between Sociobiology and Radical Behaviorism:

- E.O. Wilson says of the book: ." . . excellent, an outstanding addition to the history of ideas. It will put Fred Skinner back in the pantheon and, providing context, serve as an excellent introduction to the content and central truths in radical behaviorism. Needless to say, I'm also grateful to have my work following Sociobiology given proper attention."

-David Sloan Wilson, author of Darwin's Cathedral writes: "E.O. Wilson and B.F. Skinner agreed that the human capacity for change is both a product of genetic evolution and an evolutionary process in its own right. Yet, the paradigms of sociobiology and radical behaviorism went in very different directions. Paul Naour's insightful analysis of a taped conversation between Wilson and Skinner goes beyond the historical significance of the conversation and helps to integrate the two paradigms for the future."

-Carl Haywood writes: "The present question is whether evolution by natural selection is a useful set of concepts for the development of psychology. Naour's proposed confluence of radical behaviorism and sociobiology suggests not only that it is, but also that radical behaviorism shares with sociobiology a debt and an allegiance to Darwinism."

This volume covers Darwin's reception across Europe and his influence on European science and culture.Charles Darwin is a crucial figure in nineteenth-century science with an extensive and varied reception in different countries and disciplines. His theory had a revolutionary impact not only on biology, but also on other natural sciences and the new social sciences. The term 'Darwinism', already popular in Darwin's lifetime, ranged across many different areas and ideological aspects, and his own ideas about the implications of evolution for human cognitive, emotional, social and ethical capacities were often interpreted in a way that did not mirror his own intentions. The implications for religious, philosophical and political issues and institutions remain as momentous today as in his own time.This volume conveys the many-sidedness of Darwin's reception and exhibit his far-reaching impact on our self-understanding as human beings.

The book is about the seed development in the model and crop plants. Seed development is a key step of the plant life cycle that determines the nutrient value of seeds - the life for human civilization, growth, and development. The nutrient value of seeds is mainly due to storage reserve products such as carbohydrates, lipids (triacylglycerols), and proteins. The book primarily focuses on application of the 21st century high-throughput technologies transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and systems biology in near complete understanding of the various processes involved in seed development in different crop plants. The book reveals how such technologies have revolutionized our understanding of the multilayer processes and regulations involved therein by generating large-scale datasets. Accumulated datasets provide basic knowledge to develop integrated strategies to eventually improve the nutritional value of plant seed and crop yield, a critical goal in food security issues around the globe.