Next Generation Sequencing: Chemistry, Technology and Applications, by P. Hui Application of Next Generation Sequencing to Molecular Diagnosis of Inherited Diseases, by W. Zhang, H. Cui, L.-J.C. Wong Clinical Applications of the Latest Molecular Diagnostics in Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis, by K.C.A. Chan The Role of Protein Structural Analysis in the Next Generation Sequencing Era, by W.W. Yue, D.S. Froese, P.E. Brennan Emerging Applications of Single-Cell Diagnostics, by M. Shirai, T. Taniguchi, H. Kambara Mass Spectrometry in High-Throughput Clinical Biomarker Assays: Multiple Reaction Monitoring, by C.E. Parker, D. Domanski, A.J. Percy, A.G. Chambers, A.G. Camenzind, D.S. Smith, C.H. Borchers Advances in MALDI Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Diagnostic Applications, by E.W.Y. Ng, M.Y.M. Wong, T.C.W. Poon Application of Mass Spectrometry in Newborn Screening: About Both Small Molecular Diseases and Lysosomal Storage Diseases, by W.-L. Hwu, Y.-H. Chien, N.-C. Lee, S.-F. Wang, S.-C. Chiang, L.-W. Hsu

Reflecting the development of powerful new tools and high-throughput methods to analyze adenoviral particles and their interactions with host cells, the third edition of Adenovirus Methods and Protocols calls upon experts in the field to convey advances in molecular biology, genomics and proteomics, imaging, and bioinformatics. Beginning with cryo-electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and mass spectrometry for a high resolution image and characterization of the virion, this detailed book then continues with capsid modifications and viral-like particles as promising alternatives to classical adenovirus vectors, and the study of adenovirus in host interactions in vitro at the cellular level as well as in vivo in animal models. Finally, the volume concludes with an extensive update of the most efficient protocols to generate, amplify, and/or purify, at small and large scale, standard human Ad5 as well as non-human, chimeric, and helper-dependent adenovirus vectors. Written in the greatly 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 laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Adenovirus Methods and Protocols, Third Edition serves as an ideal guide for scientists continuing to research this highly valuable viral tool.

Plants and microbes interact in a complex relationship that can have both harmful and beneficial impacts on both plant and microbial communities. Effectors, secreted microbial molecules that alter plant processes and facilitate colonization, are central to understanding the complicated interplay between plants and microbes. Effectors in Plant-Microbe Interactions unlocks the molecular basis of this important class of microbial molecules and describes their diverse and complex interactions with host plants. Effectors in Plant Microbe Interactions is divided into five sections that take stock of the current knowledge on effectors of plant-associated organisms. Coverage ranges from the impact of bacterial, fungal and oomycete effectors on plant immunity and high-throughput genomic analysis of effectors to the function and trafficking of these microbial molecules. The final section looks at effectors secreted by other eukaryotic microbes that are the focus of current and future research efforts. Written by leading international experts in plant-microbe interactions, Effectors in Plant Microbe Interactions, will be an essential volume for plant biologists, microbiologists, pathologists, and geneticists.

Essential Microbiology 2nd Edition is a fully revised comprehensive introductory text aimed at students taking a first course in the subject. It provides an ideal entry into the world of microorganisms, considering all aspects of their biology (structure, metabolism, genetics), and illustrates the remarkable diversity of microbial life by devoting a chapter to each of the main taxonomic groupings. The second part of the book introduces the reader to aspects of applied microbiology, exploring the involvement of microorganisms in areas as diverse as food and drink production, genetic engineering, global recycling systems and infectious disease. Essential Microbiology explains the key points of each topic but avoids overburdening the student with unnecessary detail. Now in full colour it makes extensive use of clear line diagrams to clarify sometimes difficult concepts or mechanisms. A companion web site includes further material including MCQs, enabling the student to assess their understanding of the main concepts that have been covered. This edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the developments that have occurred in recent years and includes a completely new section devoted to medical microbiology. Students of any life science degree course will find this a concise and valuable introduction to microbiology.

This comprehensive book details the most recent advances in the microalgae biological sciences and engineering technologies for biomass and biofuel production in order to meet the ongoing need for new and affordable sources of food, chemicals and energy for future generations. The chapters explore new microalgae cultivation techniques, including solid (biofilm) systems, and heterotrophic production methods, while also critically investigating topics such as combining wastewater as a source of nutrients, the effect of CO2 on growth, and converting biomass to methane through anaerobic digestion. The book highlights innovative bioproduct optimization and molecular genetic techniques, applications of genomics and metabolomics, and the genetic engineering of microalgae strains targeting biocrude production. The latest developments in microalgae harvesting and dewatering technologies, which combine biomass production with electricity generation, are presented, along with detailed techno-economic modeling. This extensive volume was written by respected experts in their fields and is intended for a wide audience of researchers and engineers.

Use of Microbes for the Alleviation of Soil Stresses, Volume 1 describes the most important details and advances related to the alleviation of soil stresses by soil microbes. Comprised of seven chapters, the book reviews the mechanisms by which plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) alleviate plant growth under stress; the role of mycorrhizal fungi on the alleviation of drought stress in host plants; how PGPR may alleviate salinity stress on the growth of host plants; and the role of PGPR on the growth of the host plant under the stress of sub optimal root zone temperature. Written by experts in their respective fields, Use of Microbes for the Alleviation of Soil Stresses, Volume 1 is a comprehensive and valuable resource for researchers and students interested in the field of microbiology and soil stresses.

This volume illustrates the complex root system, including the various essential roles of roots as well as their interaction with diverse microorganisms localized in or near the root system. Following initial chapters describing the anatomy and architecture as well as the growth and development of root systems, subsequent chapters focus on the various types of root symbiosis with bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere. A third section covers the physiological strategies of roots, such as nitrate assimilation, aquaporins, the role of roots in plant defense responses and in response to droughts and salinity changes. The book's final chapters discuss the prospects of applied engineering of roots, i.e., inventing new root structures or functions through genetic modification, but also with conventional breeding and manipulation of root symbionts. The budding field of root engineering is expected to promote a second green revolution.

The 'Advances in Plant Biopesticides' comprises 19 chapters on different important issues of developing biopesticides from promising botanicals and its phytomolecules based on the research reviews in the area concern. The book is written by reputed scientists and professors of both developed and developing countries namely Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, Kenya, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and USA represented by almost 53 contributors. The book is organized and presented in such a form that the readers can acquire and enhance their knowledge in plant biopesticide bioresources, its application in different areas to manage pests and diseases of field crops, stored products with status of exploring in Africa, non-target effects on beneficial arthropods, control of arthropods of veterinary and vectors of communicable diseases, efficacy in controlling honeybee mite pests, prospect of applying new tools to enhance the efficacy of plant biopesticides through use of nanotechnology, most important plant derived active principle as source of biopesticides, possible mode of action of phytochemicals against arthropods, limitation, production status, consumption, formulation, registration and quality regulation of plant biopesticides and have been cited by important scientific references. Most importantly, the book also highlights a unique example for developing biopesticides based on the research on Annonaceae as potential source of plant biopesticide, exploiting phytochemicals for developing green technology for sustainable crop protection strategies to withstand climate change with example in Africa, and overview in developing insect resistance to plant biopesticides. Most of the chapter contributing authors are internationally reputed researchers and possess experiences of more than three to four decades in the area of plant biopesticides. The contributing and corresponding authors of the book - Advances in Plant Biopesticides proposed and identified by the editor (Dwijendra Singh) include distinguished professors and reputed scientists from different continents of the world namely MB Isman (Canada), Nadia Z Dimetry (Egypt), Zeaur R Khan (Kenya), John A Pickett (UK), Gadi VP Reddy (USA), S Gopalakrishnan (India), Anand Prakash (India), Chirantan Chattopadyay (India), Christos G Athanassiou (Greece), Philip C. Stevenson (UK), S Raguraman (India), S Ghosh (India), Mir S Mulla (USA), Apiwat Tawatsin (Thailand), Dwijendra Singh (India), K Sahayaraj (India), Suresh Walia (India), T Shivanandappa (India), Roman Pavela (Czeck Republic), Errol Hasan (Australia), Ayhan Gokce (Turkey), SK Raza (India), and their colleague co-contributors. This book would certainly provide the updated knowledge to global readers on plant biopesticides as one of the important reference source and would stimulate to present and future researchers, scientists, student, teachers, entrepreneurs, and government & non-government policy makers interested to develop new & novel environmentally safe plant biopesticides world over.

This volume describes the various applications of entomopathogenic soil microorganisms in the management and control of the devastating lepidopteran pest. An introduction describes the insecticidal properties of viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and their metabolites, as well as their applications in the context of crop improvement. Subsequent chapters focus on topics such as insecticidal proteins; the role of nucleopolyhedroviruses; Bt toxins and their receptors; control of lepidopterans using entomopathogenic fungi; management of cotton defoliators; and sustainable use of entomopathogenic nematodes and their bacterial symbionts. An overview of culture collections of entomopathogenic microorganisms rounds out the volume.

Microbial Phenazines: Biosynthesis, Agriculture and Health focuses on phenazines, a group of upwards of a hundred nitrogen-containing redox-active heterocyclic compounds of bacterial origin that have long attracted scientific interest because of their colorful pigmentation. Our understanding of these fascinating natural products and their role in human health and the environment has advanced rapidly in recent years, but we are only now beginning to be able to exploit the potential of these compounds in such fields as agriculture and medicine. This volume includes information on the biochemistry and genetics of phenazine synthesis, the physiological effects of phenazines, and methods for the isolation and identification of phenazines with the aid of spectroscopic and electrophoretic techniques. Also included are chapters focused on the roots of phenazine research in the biological control of plant pathogens and recent knowledge of the diversity of phenazine-producing microorganisms and the environments in which they occur. A final chapter addresses the potential of phenazines in the treatment of cancer.

This volume describes the more relevant secondary metabolites of different fungi with current information on their biosynthesis and molecular genetics. Bolstered with color illustrations and photographs, the book describes the possible application of molecular genetics to directed strain improvement in great detail. The needs for future developments in this field are also discussed at length Written by authorities in the field, Biosynthesis and Molecular Genetics of Fungal Secondary Metabolites provides a cutting-edge perspective on fungal secondary metabolism and underlying genetics and is a valuable resource for scientists, researchers, and educators in the field of fungal biology.

This book review series presents current trends in modern biotechnology. The aim is to cover all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science. Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

Plant innate immunity is a potential surveillance system of plants and is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The immune system is a sleeping system in unstressed healthy plants and is activated on perception of the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP; the pathogen’s signature) of invading pathogens. The PAMP alarm/danger signals are perceived by plant pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). The plant immune system uses several second messengers to encode information generated by the PAMPs and deliver the information downstream of PRRs to proteins which decode/interpret signals and initiate defense gene expression. This book describes the most fascinating PAMP-PRR signaling complex and signal transduction systems. It also discusses the highly complex networks of signaling pathways involved in transmission of the signals to induce distinctly different defense-related genes to mount offence against pathogens.

Yeast is one of the most studied laboratory organisms and represents one of the most central models to understand how any eukaryote cell works. On the other hand, yeast fermentations have for millennia provided us with a variety of biotech products, like wine, beer, vitamins, and recently also with pharmaceutically active heterologous products and biofuels. A central biochemical activity in the yeast cell is the metabolism of carbon compounds, providing energy for the whole cell, and precursors for any of the final fermentation products. A complex set of genes and regulatory pathways controls the metabolism of carbon compounds, from nutrient sensing, signal transduction, transcription regulation and post-transcriptional events. Recent advances in comparative genomics and development of post-genomic tools have provided further insights into the network of genes and enzymes, and molecular mechanisms which are responsible for a balanced metabolism of carbon compounds in the yeast cell, and which could be manipulated in the laboratory to increase the yield and quality of yeast biotech products. This book provides a dozen of most comprehensive reviews on the recent developments and achievements in the field of yeast carbon metabolism, from academic studies on gene expression to biotechnology relevant topics.

The present work aims to cover the perspectives of biosurfactants, which can be of interest in food-related industries and biomedical applications. Biosurfactants are a structurally diverse group of surface-active molecules extensively produced by bacteria, yeast and fungi. Despite having significant potential associated with emulsion formation, anti-adhesive and antimicrobial activities, considerably few applications have been reported regarding applications of biosurfactants in food formulations and processing. The utilization of biosurfactants, which are highly functional in food and biomedical applications, has become more and more significant. Along with providing an overview of biosurfactant properties, the book suggests how these properties could be applicable in the food industry.

Researchers in the field of ecological genomics aim to determine how a genome or a population of genomes interacts with its environment across ecological and evolutionary timescales. Ecological genomics is trans-disciplinary by nature. Ecologists have turned to genomics to be able to elucidate the mechanistic bases of the biodiversity their research tries to understand. Genomicists have turned to ecology in order to better explain the functional cellular and molecular variation they observed in their model organisms. We provide an advanced-level book that covers this recent research and proposes future development for this field. A synthesis of the field of ecological genomics emerges from this volume. Ecological Genomics covers a wide array of organisms (microbes, plants and animals) in order to be able to identify central concepts that motivate and derive from recent investigations in different branches of the tree of life. Ecological Genomics covers 3 fields of research that have most benefited from the recent technological and conceptual developments in the field of ecological genomics: the study of life-history evolution and its impact of genome architectures; the study of the genomic bases of phenotypic plasticity and the study of the genomic bases of adaptation and speciation.

Pseudomonas volume 7 collects some of the most relevant and emerging issues in the biology of these microorganisms, and a number of other important issues that were not collected in the previous volumes. The first six volumes of the Pseudomonas series covered the biology of pseudomonads in a wide range of contexts, including the niches they inhabit, the taxonomic relations among its members of this group, the molecular biology of gene expression in different niches and under different environmental conditions, the analysis of virulence in plants, animal and human pathogens, as well as the determinants that make some of these strains of interesting for biotechnological applications. This seventh volume covers the following topics: The history of the biology of Pseudomonas The use of Pseudomonas as biological agents New trends in the molecular biology of these microorganisms Pseudomonas and the immune system of insects and animals This book will be of use to researchers working on these bacteria, particularly those studying medical aspects of Pseudomonas, and their use as a means to control pathogens or to stimulate plant growth. This volume is also interesting for those studying the physiology, genetics, molecular biology of Pseudomonas and those using novel-omics approaches to understand bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas.

Plants are endowed with innate immune system, which acts as a surveillance system against possible attack by pathogens. Plant innate immune systems have high potential to fight against viral, bacterial, oomycete and fungal pathogens and protect the crop plants against wide range of diseases. However, the innate immune system is a sleeping system in unstressed healthy plants. Fast and strong activation of the plant immune responses aids the host plants to win the war against the pathogens. Plant hormone signaling systems including salicylate (SA), jasmonate (JA), ethylene (ET), abscisic acid (ABA), auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins and brassinosteroids signaling systems play a key role in activation of the sleeping immune systems. Suppression or induction of specific hormone signaling systems may result in disease development or disease resistance. Specific signaling pathway has to be activated to confer resistance against specific pathogen in a particular host. Two forms of induced resistance, systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR), have been recognized based on the induction of specific hormone signaling systems. Specific hormone signaling system determines the outcome of plant-pathogen interactions, culminating in disease development or disease resistance. Susceptibility or resistance against a particular pathogen is determined by the action of the signaling network. The disease outcome is often determined by complex network of interactions among multiple hormone signaling pathways. Manipulation of the complex hormone signaling systems and fine tuning the hormone signaling events would help in management of various crop diseases. The purpose of the book is to critically examine the potential methods to manipulate the multiple plant hormone signaling systems to aid the host plants to win the battle against pathogens.

This volume addresses the similarities and also the differences in the genomes of soil saprophytes, symbionts, and plant pathogens by using examples of fungal species to illustrate particular principles. It analyzes how the specific interactions with the hosts and the influence of the environment may have shaped genome evolution. The relevance of fungal genetic research and biotechnological applications is shown for areas such as plant pathogenesis, biomass degradation, litter decomposition, nitrogen assimilation, antibiotic production, mycoparasitism, energy, ecology, and also for soil fungi turning to human pathogens. In addition to the model organisms Neurospora and Aspergillus, the following species are covered providing a view of pathogens and mutualists: Trichoderma, Fusarium oxysporum, Cochliobolus heterostrophus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus oryzae, Podospora anserina, and species belonging to Agaricomycetes, Archaeorhizomycetes and Magnaporthaceae. Ecology and potential applications have guided the choice of fungal genes to be studied and it will be fascinating to follow the trends of future sequencing projects.

This book discusses the commercialization of biofuels and the Brazilian government policies for the promotion of renewable energy program in Brazil, which could be a learning module for several countries for implementing biofuels policy to improve their socioeconomic status and make them energy independent. Researchers in academia and industries, policy makers, and economic analysts will be assisted by important source of information in their ongoing research and future perspectives. This book will benefit graduate and postgraduate students of chemical and biochemical engineering, forestry, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, applied chemistry, environmental science, sustainable energy, and biotech business disciplines by signifying the applied aspects of bioenergy production from various natural sources and their implications. Graduate and postgraduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers will find clear concepts of feedstock analysis, feedstock degradation, microbial fermentation, genetic engineering, renewable energy generation and storage, climate changes, and techno-economic analysis of biofuels production technologies.

The book summarizes the latest research and developments in dairy biotechnology and engineering. It provides a strategic approach for readers relating to fundamental research and practical work with lactic acid bacteria. The book covers every aspect from identification, ecology, taxonomy and industrial use. All contributors are experts who have substantial experience in the corresponding research field. The book is intended for researchers in the human, animal, and food sciences related to lactic acid bacteria. Dr. Heping Zhang is a Professor at the Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China. Dr. Yimin Cai works in Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan.

This thesis presents a scalable, generic methodology for microbial phenotype prediction based on supervised machine learning, several models for biological and ecological traits of high relevance, and the deployment in metagenomic datasets. The results suggest that the presented prediction tool can be used to automatically annotate phenotypes in near-complete microbial genome sequences, as generated in large numbers in current metagenomic studies. Unraveling relationships between a living organism's genetic information and its observable traits is a central biological problem. Phenotype prediction facilitated by machine learning techniques will be a major step forward to creating biological knowledge from big data.

A critical evaluation of the prospects for nitrogen fixation with non-legumes.- Regulation of expression of genes for three nitrogenases in Azotobacter vinelandii.- Genetic characterization of nitrogen fixation in Enterobacter strains from the rhizosphere of cereals.- Analysis of nitrogenase reaction using monoclonal antibodies against -subunit of component I of A. vinelandii.- Involvement of GroEL in Klebsiella pneumoniae nif gene expression and nitrogenase assembly.- The effect of some terrestrial oligochaeta on nitrogenase activity in the soil.- Cassette mutagenesis of a proposed DNA-binding motif in klebsiella pneumoniae rpon (sigma 54).- Characterization of a mutant of Azotobacter chroococcum resistant to some fungicides.- A chromosomal linkage map of Azotobacter vinelandii.- Energy coupling and electron transfer in nitrogenase.- Fluctuation of the ara under elaeagnus angustifolia canopy.- The influence of root exudates on dinitrogen fixation of chosen free-living bacteria.- Soil redox potential in presence of azospirillum.- Biofertilization of maize with free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria: results of field trials on grain production.- Kinetics of kelthane uptake and distribution in azospirillum lipoferum.- Bioaccumulation of the acaricide kelthane (dicofol) by azospirillum lipoferum.- Effect of biofertilizers on controlling fusarium solani f. Sp. phaseoli.- Phyllospheric nitrogen fixing bacteria in tillandsia leaves.- Nif and nod genes in Azospirillum.- Control of nitrogenase in Azospirillum sp..- Biology of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.- Biological nitrogen fixation associated with sugar cane.- Physiological properties of Azospirillum brasilense involved in root growth promotion.- Regulation of the nifHDK genes transcription in Azospirillum brasilense.- Cloning of the nifA and nifB genes of Azospirillum brasilense strain FP2.- Regulation of nitrogen fixation genes in Azospirillum: characterization of A nif regulatory region.- Azospirillum-plant interaction: a biochemical approach.- Osmotollerance of diazotrophic rhizosphere bacteria.- Azospirillum-gramineae interaction: effect of indole-3-acetic acid.- DNA restriction fingerprint for the identification of Azospirilla.- Alteration in membrane potential and in proton efflux in plant roots induced by Azospirillum brasilense.- Effect of soil organic matter on chickpea inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. ciceri.- Active attachment of Azospirillum brasilense to root surface of non-cereal plants and to sand particles.- Association of Alcaligenes faecalis with wetland rice.- Sunflower inoculation with Azospirillum and other P.G.P.R..- Characterization of a pectinolytic activity in Azospirillum irakense.- Associative N2-fixation in plants growing in saline sodic soils and its relative quantification based on 15N natural abundance.- Genetic analysis of the Azospirillum plant-root interaction.- Dinitrogen fixation and infection of grass leaves by Pseudomonas rubrisubal-bicans and Herbaspirillum seropedicae.- Growth parameters of microaerobic diazotrophic rhizobacteria determined in continuous culture.- Infection of intact roots of kallar grass and rice seedlings by Azoarcus.- Strain-specific salt tolerance and chemotaxis of Azospirillum brasilense and their associative N-fixation with finger millet in saline calcareous soil.- Nitrate reductase activity of Azospirillum brasilense sp7 and sp245 V - and C -forms in continuous culture.- Microcalorimetric study of the growth of Azospirillum brasilense: relation between heat production and other growth parameters.- Nitrogen fixation in P- nodules of wheat roots by introduced free-living diazotrophs.- Firefly luciferase expression on nitrogen fixation with non-legumes.- Nucleotide sequence of regulatory regions of Azospirillum brasilense.- Nucleotide sequence and expression of an Azospirillum nod homologous region.- Isolation and characterization of TN5 induced Azospirillum brasilense mutants alterate...

Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis: Review Questions and Case Studies is the collaborative effort that spanned a time period of 2 years and included 50 experts, many whom are national leaders in their respected fields. It also represents the passion and privilege we feel to teach the next generation of physicians in Transfusion Medicine and Apheresis. The main goal for this book is to help the readers build a solid foundation of both basic and advanced conceptual knowledge to prepare for the American Board of Pathology (ABP) certification exam in Transfusion Medicine. This book is not intended to be a substitute for textbooks, original research or review articles, and/or clinical training. Further, since the field of medicine, both from a scientific and regulatory perspective, rapidly changes, the readers are advised to continuously update their knowledge by attending national meetings and reading clinical journals. To equip the readers with the basic knowledge in critical reading and data analysis, which is an essential skill in daily medical practice, a novel chapter titled "Data Interpretation in Laboratory Medicine" was included in this book. In this chapter, the readers are asked to make logical conclusions based on the given data and/or statistical results. Moreover, there is also a chapter on "Practical Calculations in Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis" to help consolidate all the necessary formulas commonly used in daily practice for easy reference. These chapters are unique to our book and will not be found in any other currently on the market. All of the questions in this book were originally created by the authors of each chapter. Each question can either be standalone or part of a case scenario representing challenge cases in Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis. These questions often represent both rare and common clinical scenarios that the authors have seen during their clinical practice. Each question is then followed by 5 possible answers, with only one being correct (or the best answer). After the question, there is a conceptual explanation followed by a more factual explanation of the right and wrong answers. We gave the individual authors the freedom to choose how they explained the wrong answer choices. Some authors chose to be more direct (e.g. Answer A is incorrect because...), while other authors chose a more conversational style (e.g. Human resources (answer A) includes staffing, selection, orientation, training, and competency assessment of employees). This format is designed to help the student linking the conceptual and factual knowledge together to form a solid foundation for use in clinical practice. At the end of each chapter, there is a list of articles and textbooks that will prove useful to the motivated student who wishes to become an expert in the field. Another special feature to our textbook is the presence of a pre-test and post-test, which are provided to help the readers with self-assessment. As stated above, the main focus of this book is to help the readers preparing for the ABP certification exam in Transfusion Medicine. However, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis, we believe that this book is also beneficial to and can be used by all clinicians involved in the management of complex transfusion, apheresis, and hemostasis issues, such as hematologists, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and critical care physicians. We further believe that it is a helpful guide for these specialists to prepare for their own specialty certification exam, when the topics are related to Transfusion Medicine, Apheresis, and Hemostasis.

An authoritative overview of the ecological activities of microbes in the biosphere Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology presents a broad overview of microbial activity and microbes' interactions with their environments and communities. Adopting an integrative approach, this text covers both conventional ecological issues as well as cross-disciplinary investigations that combine facets of microbiology, ecology, environmental science and engineering, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Focusing primarily on single-cell forms of prokaryotes -- and cellular forms of algae, fungi, and protozoans -- this book enables readers to gain insight into the fundamental methodologies for the characterization of microorganisms in the biosphere. The authors draw from decades of experience to examine the environmental processes mediated by microorganisms and explore the interactions between microorganisms and higher life forms. Highly relevant to modern readers, this book examines topics including the ecology of microorganisms in engineered environments, microbial phylogeny and interactions, microbial processes in relation to environmental pollution, and many more. Now in its second edition, this book features updated references and major revisions to chapters on assessing microbial communities, community relationships, and their global impact. New content such as effective public communication of research findings and advice on scientific article review equips readers with practical real-world skills. Explores the activities of microorganisms in specific environments with case studies and actual research data Highlights how prominent microbial biologists address significant microbial ecology issues Offers guidance on scientific communication, including scientific presentations and grant preparation Includes plentiful illustrations and examples of microbial interactions, community structures, and human-bacterial connections Provides chapter summaries, review questions, selected reading lists, a complete glossary, and critical thinking exercises Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology is an ideal textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in biology, microbiology, ecology, and environmental science, while also serving as a current and informative reference for microbiologists, cell and molecular biologists, ecologists, and environmental professionals.