DNA sequence specificity is a sub-specialty in the general area of molecular recognition. This area includes macromolecular-molecular interactions (e.g., protein-DNA), oligomer-DNA interacitons (e.g., triple strands), and ligand-DNA interactions (e.g., drug-DNA). It is this latter group of DNA sequence specificity interactions that is the subject of Volumes 1 and 2 of "Advances in DNA Sequence Specific Agents." As was the case for Volume 1, Part A also covers methodology, but in Volume 2 we include calorimetric titrations, molecular modeling, X-ray crystallographic and NMR structural studies, and transcriptional assays. Part B also follows the same format as Volume 1 and describes the sequence specificities and covalent and noncovalent interactions of small ligands with DNA.
This volume is aimed in general at scientists who have an interest in deciphering the molecular mechanisms for sequence recognition of DNA. The methods have general applicability to small molecules as well as oligomers and proteins, while the examples provide general principles involved in sequence recognition.

Gene probes, whether RNA or DNA, have played a central role in the rapid development of molecular biology. The wide variety of applications is matched by a considerable diversity in the methods used for generating probes, a complete account of which would be very difficult to make. Instead, this second volume in the series combines a selection of newer gene probe procedures with a review of the most important established methods, together with some examples of the ways in which gene probes can be applied. In doing so, the book aims to act not only as an introductory manual for newcomers to the field, but also as a means of broadening the horizons of existing researchers.

In recent decades there has been an explosion in work in the social and physical sciences describing the similarities between human and nonhuman as well as human and non-animal thinking. This work has explicitly decentered the brain as the sole, self-contained space of thought, and it has found thinking to be an activity that operates not only across bodies but also across bodily or cellular membranes, as well as multifaceted organic and inorganic environments. For example, researchers have looked at the replication and spread of slime molds (playfully asking what would happen if they colonized the earth) to suggest that they exhibit 'smart behavior' in the way they move as a potential way of considering the spread of disease across the globe. Other scholars have applied this model of non-human thought to the reach of data mining and global surveillance. In The Biopolitics of Alphabets and Embryos, Ruth Miller argues that these types of phenomena are also useful models for thinking about the growth, reproduction, and spread of political thought and democratic processes. Giving slime, data and unbounded entities their political dues, Miller stresses their thinking power and political significance and thus challenges the anthropocentrism of mainstream democratic theories. Miller emphasizes the non-human as highly organized, systemic and productive of democratic growth and replication. She examines developments such as global surveillance, embryonic stem cell research, and cloning, which have been characterized as threats to the privacy, dignity, and integrity of the rational, maximizing and freedom-loving democratic citizen. By shifting her level of analysis from the politics of self-determining subjects to the realm of material environments and information systems, Miller asks what might happen if these alternative, nonhuman thought processes become the normative thought processes of democratic engagement.

The book "Green Technologies for the Environment" brings together experts in the field of biotechnology, chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental engineering and toxicology from both academia and industry, to discuss green processes for the environment. The topics included finding replacements for crude oil to meet both our energy needs as well as the supply of chemicals for the production of essential products, advances in chemical processing, waste valorization, alternative solvents, and developments in homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis as well as enzyme-based processes for chemical transformations. Advances in green chemistry concepts will further enhance the field through the design of new chemicals and solvents. In addition, obtaining a better understanding of the mechanistic pathways involved in various reactions is essential toward advances in the field. The goal of the work described in each of the chapters is to address the need for best practices for chemical processes and for the production of chemicals, while promoting sustainability.

Chiral molecules are ubiquitous in nature. Thus, it is not surprising to come across this phenomenon in the world of flavor substances. This book provides an overview on the analytical procedures currently applied to analyze chiral flavor substances at trace levels. It demonstrates several examples for the application of these techniques to determine naturally occurring enantiomeric compositions of chiral key flavor compounds in various natural systems. In addition to the analytical aspects, the contributions focus on the sensory properties of enantiomers and enlarge our knowledge on the correlation between configurations and odor properties and intensities of chiral flavor compounds. The practical importance of the topic is reflected by a discussion of merits and limitations of chiral analysis for the authenticity control of food flavorings. In addition, examples for the use of enzymes and microorganisms to obtain enantiopure flavor substances and thus to meet legal requirements for "natural" labeling are presented. Finally, the book covers aspects recently getting more and more in the focus of flavor science: What are the physiological mechanisms underlying the perception of sensory properties and does chirality matter in that respect?

Microfluidics is a young and rapidly expanding scientific discipline, which deals with fluids and solutions in miniaturized systems, the so-called lab-on-a-chip systems. It has applications in chemical engineering, pharmaceutics, biotechnology and medicine. As the lab-on-a-chip systems grow in complexity, a proper theoretical understanding becomes increasingly important.
The basic idea of the book is to provide a self-contained formulation of the theoretical framework of microfluidics, and at the same time give physical motivation and example from lab-on-a-chip technology. After three chapters introducing microfluidics, the governing questions for mass, momentum and energy, and some basic flow solutions, the following 14 chapters treat hydraulic resistance/compliance, diffusion/dispersion, time-dependent flow, capillarity, electro-and magneto-hydydrodynamics, thermal transport, two-phase flow, complex flow patterns and acousto-fluidics, as well as the new fields of opto-and nano-fluidics. Throughout the book simple models with analytical solutions are presented to provide the student with a thorough physical understanding of order of magnitudes and various selected micorfluidic phenomena and devices.
The book grew out of a set of well-tested lecture notes. It is with its many pedagogical exercises designed as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate course. IT is also well suited for self-study.

Microbial Biofilms: Challenges and Advances in Metabolomics Study, a volume in the Advances in Biotechnology and Bioengineering series, covers the metabolomic characteristics of bacterial biofilms and examines the techniques used in the analysis of the metabolomics of the biofilm, its formation and related infections. The book covers the metabolomics study of various types of biofilms and details new strategies in targeting metabolic pathways for inhibiting the biofilm. The book also details various types of metabolomics studies of biofilm formation such as oral biofilm and biofilm by various nosocomial organisms. Recent advancements on various aspects of metabolomics studies pertaining to biofilms, related infections, their pathogenesis, and present-day treatment strategies are also covered. This book will be a helpful resource to scientists and researchers engaged in studying the formation of biofilms based upon the metabolomics changes taking place within the organism and to clinicians and health professionals interested in chronic infections caused by the biofilm and related metabolomics studies.

Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing for Zinc Biofortification of Rice provides the first single-volume, comprehensive resource on genetic engineering approaches, including novel genome editing techniques, that are carried out in rice, a staple crop for much of the world's population. Dietary zinc deficiency can lead to negative health outcomes, including increased risk of stunting, respiratory diseases, diarrhea, mortality during childhood, and preterm births in pregnancy. By providing a complete view of the need for zinc biofortification in rice, sections in this book discuss state-of-the-art scientific advances, and then go further, placing them in their proper scientific, regulatory and socioeconomic contexts. While zinc biofortification can be achieved through conventional breeding, genetic engineering and agronomic practices, this is the first reference to bring all the latest insights and understanding to a comprehensive resource that is based on real-world experience and targeted applications.

The Impact of Nanoparticles on Agriculture and Soil, part of the Nanomaterials-Plant Interaction series, contributes the most recent insights into understanding the cellular interactions of nanoparticles in an agricultural setting, focusing on current applications and means of evaluating future prospects. In order to ensure and improve the biosafety of nanoparticles, it is a primary concern to understand cellular bioprocess like nanomaterial's cellular uptake and their influence on cellular structural, functional and genetic components. This book addresses these and other important aspects in detail along with showcasing their applications in the area of agriculture. With an international team of authors, and experienced editors, this book will be valuable to those working to understand and advance nanoscience to benefit agricultural production and human and environmental welfare. In-depth knowledge of these bioprocess will enable researchers to engineer nanomaterials for enhanced biosafety.

Biotechnology for Beginners, Third Edition presents the latest developments in the evolving field of biotechnology which has grown to such an extent over the past few years that increasing numbers of professional's work in areas that are directly impacted by the science. This book offers an exciting and colorful overview of biotechnology for professionals and students in a wide array of the life sciences, including genetics, immunology, biochemistry, agronomy and animal science. This book will also appeals to lay readers who do not have a scientific background but are interested in an entertaining and informative introduction to the key aspects of biotechnology. Authors Renneberg and Loroch discuss the opportunities and risks of individual technologies and provide historical data in easy-to-reference boxes, highlighting key topics. The book covers all major aspects of the field, from food biotechnology to enzymes, genetic engineering, viruses, antibodies, and vaccines, to environmental biotechnology, transgenic animals, analytical biotechnology, and the human genome.

De novo Peptide Design: Principles and Applications presents the latest developments in the fields of therapeutic peptides and bio-nanotechnology. The title focuses on the design of peptides, particularly how peptides may be tailored to specific functions. It includes computational and experimental protocols to assist in the design of peptides. Sections cover the basics of protein and peptide structure, modeling and simulation, solid phase peptide synthesis, peptide-based antibiotics, drug delivery, peptide nanomaterials, aromatic interactions directing nano-assembly, protein/peptide aggregation, therapeutic interventions against protein/peptide aggregation diseases, peptide based hydrogels, computational tools and algorithms for peptide design, and experimental protocols in peptide chemistry. In addition, the book covers key aspects in peptide design, providing a solution for researchers working within the 'peptidic universe' to create new therapeutic agents.

Nanoparticle therapeutics: Production Technologies, Types of Nanoparticles, and Regulatory Aspects employs unique principles for applications in cell-based therapeutics, diagnostics and mechanistics for the study of organ physiology, disease etiology and drug screening of advanced nanoparticles and nanomaterials. The book focuses on the extrapolation of bioengineering tools in the domain of nanotechnology and nanoparticles therapeutics, fabrication, characterization and drug delivery aspects. It acquaints scientists and researchers on the experiential and experimental aspects of nanoparticles and nanotechnology to equip their rational application in various fields, especially in differential diagnoses and in the treatment of diverse diseased states. This complete resource provides a holistic understanding of the principle behind formation, characterization, applications, regulations and toxicity of nanoparticles employing myriad principles of nanotechnology. Investigators, pharmaceutical researchers, and advanced students working on technology advancement in the areas of designing targeted therapies, nanoscale imaging systems and diagnostic modalities in human diseases where nanoparticles can be used as a critical tool for technology advancement in drug delivery systems will find this book useful.

Algae Based Bioelectrochemical Systems for Carbon Sequestration, Carbon Storage, Bioremediation and Bioproduct Generation explores the integration of carbon capture, storage and sequestration technologies with bioelectrochemical fuels cells (BEFC), showing how conventional technologies can be renovated to aid in the reduction in GHG emissions and simultaneously optimize BEFC performance. The book focuses on the integration of algal biogas upgradation with electrochemical systems, providing a guide to the renovation of conventional technologies to combine energy production and carbon sequestration. Chapters discuss the latest advancements in carbon sequestration biocatalyst and microbial platforms and integrations for rapid carbon biotransformations. In addition, the book highlights the potential of algae and chemolithotrophs as candidates for carbon delivery, biocatalyst orientation and architecture for optimal BEFC performance.

Quantitative Perfusion MRI: Techniques, Applications, and Practical Considerations, Volume 11 clearly and carefully explains the basic theory and MRI techniques for quantifying perfusion non-invasively in deep tissue, covering all aspects of perfusion imaging, from acquisition requirements to selection of contrast agents and appropriate pharmacokinetic models and for reliable quantification in different diseases and tissue types. Specifically, this book enables the reader to understand what microvascular functional parameters can be measured with perfusion MRI, learn the basic techniques to measure perfusion in different organs, apply the appropriate perfusion MRI technique to the organ of interest, and much more. This complete reference on quantitative perfusion MRI is highly suitable for both early and experienced researchers, graduate students and clinicians wishing to understand how quantitative perfusion MRI can apply to their application area of interest.

Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogels: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications looks at the synthesis, characterization and application of polysaccharide-based materials in a broad array of fields. The book discusses the role of polysaccharides in the preparation of hydrogels, the use of hydrogel-based green materials, and their applications in biomedical applications, drug delivery, water purification techniques, food industries, agricultural fields, and pharmaceuticals applications. Written by leading experts in this field, this book will be a valuable reference for scientists, academicians, researchers, technologists, consultants and policymakers.