Advances in Applied Microbiology offers intensive reviews of the latest techniques and discoveries in this rapidly moving field. The editors are recognized experts and the format is comprehensive and instructive.

Impacts of technological change have historically been assessed only after the passage of a significant period of time. It is then that historians recreate the decisions that were made, sort out the influencing factors, and debate in hindsight the options that were available at the time. Sheldon Krimsky, consistent with the importance of his subject, telescopes this process by providing to contemporary readers a broad overview of the first ten years of the industrial revolution in applied molecular genetics. He discusses the birth and expectations of the biotechnology industry, the response to products of genetic engineering, perspectives on risk assessment from different sectors of the scientific community, and public initiatives to regulate new products. The author explores the social and political discourse on the direction of biotechnology, and offers the most detailed examination to date of the controversy over the environmental release of genetically engineered organisms. Finally, he takes a critical look at the conventional role of technology assessment and suggests an alternative model that fits more closely with the needs of an environmentally sensitive world.

Krimsky's thought-provoking work offers readers a unique opportunity to understand what questions were being asked, what options were available, and what decisions were being made when the industrial application of genetic technologies was still in its infancy. His insider's perspective will interest those working in the fields of biology and social issues; science, technology, and society; and the sociology of science. Challenging, cautioning, and balanced, this book is required reading for all who are seriously concerned with the relationship of emerging technologies to society.

Synthetic biology is becoming one of the most dynamic new fields of biology, with the potential to revolutionize the way we do biotechnology today. By applying the toolbox of engineering disciplines to biology, a whole set of potential applications become possible ranging very widely across scientific and engineering disciplines. Some of the potential benefits of synthetic biology, such as the development of low-cost drugs or the production of chemicals and energy by engineered bacteria are enormous. There are, however, also potential and perceived risks due to deliberate or accidental damage. Also, ethical issues of synthetic biology just start being explored, with hardly any ethicists specifically focusing on the area of synthetic biology. This book will be the first of its kind focusing particularly on the safety, security and ethical concerns and other relevant societal aspects of this new emerging field. The foreseen impact of this book will be to stimulate a debate on these societal issues at an early stage. Past experiences, especially in the field of GM-crops and stem cells, have shown the importance of an early societal debate. The community and informed stakeholders recognize this need, but up to now discussions are fragmentary. This book will be the first comprehensive overview on relevant societal issues of synthetic biology, setting the scene for further important discussions within the scientific community and with civil society.

Biotechnology is a diverse, complex and rapidly evolving field. Students and experienced researchers alike face the challenges of staying on top of developments in their field of specialty and maintaining a broader overview of the field as a whole. Volumes containing competent reviews on a diverse range of topics in the field fulfill the dual role of broadening and updating biotechnologists knowledge. The current volume is an excellent example of such a book. The topics covered range from classical issues in biotechnology - such as, vehicles for the production of biotechnology products and methods for their detection, separation and analysis - to topics that are focused on the role of biotechnology in the health sciences. The information presented in this book will therefore will be of great value to both experienced biotechnologists and biotechnologists in training.

In the last decade, a number of powerful kernel-based learning methods have been proposed in the machine learning community: support vector machines (SVMs), kernel fisher discriminant (KFD) analysis, kernel PCA/ICA, kernel mutual information, kernel k-means, and kernel ARMA. Successful applications of these algorithms have been reported in many fields, such as medicine, bioengineering, communications, audio and image processing, and computational biology and bioinformatics. ""Kernel Methods in Bioengineering, Signal and Image Processing"" covers real-world applications, such as computational biology, text categorization, time series prediction, interpolation, system identification, speech recognition, image de-noising, image coding, classification, and segmentation. ""Kernel Methods in Bioengineering, Signal and Image Processing"" encompasses the vast field of kernel methods from a multidisciplinary approach by presenting chapters dedicated to adaptation and use of kernel methods in the selected areas of bioengineering, signal processing and communications, and image processing.

Bio-Based Materials and Wastes for Energy Generation and Resource Management is the fifth and final volume in the series, Advanced Zero Waste Tools: Present and Emerging Waste Management Practices. It addresses processes and practices for utilizing bio-based materials and wastes to support efforts to promote a more sustainable society and provide readers with a better understanding of the major mechanisms required to achieve zero waste in different fields. This book covers numerous mechanisms supported by scientific evidence and case studies, as well as in-depth flowcharts and process diagrams to allow for readers to adopt these processes. Summarizing present and emerging zero waste tools on the scale of both experimental and theoretical models, Advanced Zero Waste Tools is the first step toward understanding the state-of-the-art practices in making the zero waste goal a reality. In addition to environmental and engineering principles, it also covers economic, toxicologic, and regulatory issues, making it an important resource for researchers, engineers, and policymakers working toward environmental sustainability.

This 2nd edition begins with an overview of NMR development and applications in biological systems. It describes recent developments in instrument hardware and methodology. Chapters highlight the scope and limitation of NMR methods. While detailed math and quantum mechanics dealing with NMR theory have been addressed in several well-known NMR volumes, chapter two of this volume illustrates the fundamental principles and concepts of NMR spectroscopy in a more descriptive manner. Topics such as instrument setup, data acquisition, and data processing using a variety of offline software are discussed. Chapters further discuss several routine stategies for preparing samples, especially for macromolecules and complexes. The target market for such a volume includes researchers in the field of biochemistry, chemistry, structural biology and biophysics.

Advanced biotechnologies enable breeders to produce a whole generation of new crops for specialist needs (designer crops), including raw materials for the energy, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This book provides concerns useful to promote an increase of the productivity of crops by using functional genomics (to understand the regulation of plant metabolism at molecular, cellular and whole plants), and the improvement of photosynthetic efficiency (to design new plants with enhanced raw materials percent and recovery). Fundamental thematics have been addressed: metabolic engineering, plant breeding tools, renewable biomass for energy generation, fibres and composites, biopharmaceuticals. The gained know how is relevant to identify bottlenecks in the major production chains and to propose actions for moving these issues forward.

This consolidated reference book addresses the various aspects of nano biomaterials used in ophthalmic drug delivery, including their characterization, interactions with ophthalmic system and applications in treatments of the ophthalmic diseases and disorders. In the last decade, a significant growth in polymer sciences, nanotechnology and biotechnology has resulted in the development of new nano- and bioengineered nano-bio-materials. These are extensively explored as drug delivery carriers as well as for implantable devices and scaffolds. At the interface between nanomaterials and biological systems, the organic and synthetic worlds merge into a new science concerned with the safe use of nanotechnology and nano material design for biological applications. For this field to evolve, there is a need to understand the dynamic forces and molecular components that shape these interactions. While it is impossible to describe with certainty all the bio physicochemical interactions at play at the interface, we are at a point where the pockets of assembled knowledge are providing a conceptual framework to guide this exploration, and review the impact on future product development. The book is intended as a valuable resource for academics and pharmaceutical scientists working in the field of polymers, polymers materials for drug delivery, drug delivery systems and ophthalmic drug delivery systems, in addition to medical and health care professionals in these areas.

The development of sustainable and renewable biofuels is attracting growing interest. It is vital to develop robust microbial strains for biocatalysts that are able to function under multiple stress conditions. This Microbiology Monograph provides an overview of methods for studying microbial stress tolerance for biofuels applications using a systems biology approach. Topics covered range from mechanisms to methodology for yeast and bacteria, including the genomics of yeast tolerance and detoxification; genetics and regulation of glycogen and trehalose metabolism; programmed cell death; high gravity fermentations; ethanol tolerance; improving biomass sugar utilization by engineered Saccharomyces; the genomics on tolerance of Zymomonas mobilis; microbial solvent tolerance; control of stress tolerance in bacterial host organisms; metabolomics for ethanologenic yeast; automated proteomics work cell systems for strain improvement; and unification of gene expression data for comparable analyses under stress conditions.

This book presents the first comprehensive text on construction biomaterials and bioprocesses. It details aspects of construction biotechnology, a new interdisciplinary area involving applications of environmental and industrial microbiology and biotechnology in geotechnical and civil engineering. It also critically reviews all existing and potential construction biotechnology processes. It discusses a number of topics including the biotechnological production of new construction materials such as self-healing concrete, construction biocomposites, construction bioplastics, and biotechnological admixtures to cement. It also addresses construction-related processes like biocementation, bioclogging, soil surface fixation and biosealing, microbial cements and grouts, the biocoating of construction material surfaces, the microbiology and biosafety of the construction environment, the prevention of biocorrosion as well as biodeterioration and biofouling in civil engineering. Biomediated precipitation of calcium, magnesium, and iron compounds as carbonates, phosphates, sulphides, and silicate minerals in soil for its clogging and strengthening are considered from geotechnical, chemical, and microbiological points of view. It offers an overview of the basic microbiology that will enable civil engineers to perform the construction biogeochemical processes. Design principles and considerations for different field implementations are discussed from a practical point of view. The book can be used as a textbook for graduate and senior undergraduate students in biotechnology, civil engineering and environmental engineering as well as a reference book for researchers and practitioners working in this new interdisciplinary area.

The coupling of biological and electronic systems has in the past few years emerged as a field of increasing importance. Achievements like the cardiac pacemaker have paved the way for more sophisticated approaches, such as the lab-on-a-chip and DNA computers. This book presents reviews on some of the most promising projects in this interdisciplinary research field, covering topics from bioinformatics to biosensor technology.

8 11/16 X 11 1/4 in Foreword - What is Biotechnology Today? (Leroy Hood, The Institute for S ystems Biology, Seattle, WA, USA) Rapid translation system: a novel cell-free way from gene to protein (M. Hoffmann, C. Nem etz). Protein expression and refolding - a practi cal guide to getting the most out of inclusion bodies (L.D. Cabrita, S. Bottomley). Towards a systems biology understandi ng of human health: interplay between genotype, environment and nutritio n. Public health issues related with the consumpt ion of food obtained from genetically modified organisms (A. Paparini, V . Romano-Spica). p75 neurotrophin receptor signal ing in the nervous system (Y. Hasegawa et al.). P hage display for epitope determination: a paradigm for identifying recep tor-ligand interactions (M.J. Rowley, K. O'Connor, L. Wijeyewickrema). < /LI> DNA vaccines and their application against parasit es - promise, limitations and potential solutions (P.M. Smooker et al.). Drug-induced and antibody-mediated pure red cell

Altogether, the biochemical, technical and economic limitations on existing proka- otic and eukaryotic expression systems and the growing clinical demand for complex therapeutic proteins have created substantial interest in developing new expression systems for the production of therapeutic proteins. To that end, plants have emerged in the past decade as a suitable alternative to the current production systems, and today their potential for production of high quality, much safer and biologically active complex recombinant pharmaceutical proteins is largely documented. The chapters in this volume, contributed by leaders in the field, sum up the state-- the-art methods for using a variety of different plants as expression hosts for phar- ceutical proteins. Several production platforms are presented, ranging from seed- and leaf-based production in stable transgenic plant lines, to plant cell bioreactors, to viral or Agrobacterium-mediated transient expr ession systems. Currently, antibodies and their derived fragments represent the largest and most important group of biote- nological products in clinical trials. This explains why the potential of most prod- tion platforms is illustrated here principally for antibodies or antibody fragments with acknowledged potential for immunotherapy in humans. In addition, a comparison of different plant expression systems is presented using aprotinin, a commercial phar- ceutical protein, as a test system. Although multiple books and monographs have been recently published on mol- ular pharming, there is a noticeable dearth of bench step-by-step protocols that can be used quickly and easily by beginners entering this new field.

The efficiency of delivering DNA into mammalian cells has increased t- mendously since DEAE dextran was first shown to be capable of enhancing transfer of RNA into mammalian cells in culture. Not only have other chemical methods been developed and refined, but also very efficient physical and viral delivery methods have been established. The technique of introducing DNA into cells has developed from transfecting tissue culture cells to delivering DNA to specific cell types and organs in vivo. Moreover, two important areas of biology-assessment of gene function and gene therapy-require succe- ful DNA delivery to cells, driving the practical need to increase the efficiency and efficacy of gene transfer both in vitro and in vivo. TM These two volumes of the Methods in Molecular Biology series, Gene Del- ery to Mammalian Cells, are designed as a compendium of those techniques that have proven most useful in the expanding field of gene transfer in mammalian cells. It is intended that these volumes will provide a thorough background on chemical, physical, and viral methods of gene delivery, a synopsis of the myriad techniques currently available to introduce genes into mammalian cells, as well as a practical guide on how to accomplish this. It is my expectation that it will be useful to the novice in the field as well as to the scientist with expertise in gene delivery.

This volume arranged into three sections describes biochemical, in vitro, and in vivo protocols on Semaphorins. Chapters focus on approaches that would allow the novice to study Semaphorins and employ robust assays to characterize mechanisms of action. Written in the highly 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. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Semaphorin Signaling: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

The advent of new biotechnologies implies significant changes in the world, both biologically and industrially. Biologically, these new technologies represent changes on a scale never before witnessed in the context of evolutionary systems. How these systems will respond to these changes is uncertain and potentially very significant. The first part of this volume addresses these issues in a series of chapters considering the manner in which societies might analyse and manage these systemic responses to biotechnological changes.

The second part of the volume addresses the industrial issues concerning biotechnologies. One of the primary motivations for these changes is to enhance the appropriability of the value of innovation occurring within the life sciences sectors. Changing to a property rights-based system of biotechnology has implications for the nature of research and development within these sectors, and the diffusion and distribution of its benefits across the globe. Another set of chapters in this volume sets out a framework for considering these important industrial issues.

The volume is the outcome of a two-year project on the economics of managing biotechnologies in agriculture. It is recommended to academics and policy makers interested in the issues concerning society's options in the management of this process of technological change.

This manual reflects practical approaches to handling bacteria in the labora- tory. It is designed to recall historical methods of bacterial genetics that have had recent developments and to present new techniques that allow full genome analysis. It has been written for microbiologists who need to group their protocols at the state of the art of a new millennium and also for scientists in other fields of life sciences who need to use bacteria for their research. Teachers, graduate students, and postdocs also will benefit from having these protocols to help them understand modern bacterial genetics. I learned so much from these contributions from my colleagues that I have no doubt about the daily usefulness of this book. April 2002 Michel Blot XII Abbreviations Acyl-HSL N-acyl homoserine lactone moi multiplicity of infection Amp or Ap ampicillin N amino C carboxy NMR nuclear magnetic resonance CIO-HSL N-decanoyl-L-homoserine lactone 3-0H-C14:1-HSL N-(3-hydroxy-7 -cis-tetra- C12-HSL N-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lac- decanoyl)homo-serine lactone tone 3-0H-C4-HSL N-3-hydroxybutanoyl-L- C14-HSL N-tetradecanoyl-L-homoserine homoserine lactone lactone ONPG o-nitrophenyl ~-D-galactopyranoside C4-HSL N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone ORF open reading frame C6-HSL N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone OTG I-S-octyl-~-D-thioglucoside C8-HSL N-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone 3-oxo-CIO-HSL N-3-oxodecanoyl-L-homo- Cam or Cm chloramphenicol serine lactone CBD chitin binding domain 3-oxo-C12-HSL N-3-oxododecanoyl-L- CHEF contour clamped homogenous electric homoserine lactone field 3-oxo-C14-HSL N-3-oxotetradecanoyl-L- CI consistency index homoserine lactone CRIM conditional-replication, integration, 3-oxo-C4-HSL N-3-oxobutanoyl-L-homoser- and modular ine lactone dCTP deoxycytidine triphosphate 3-oxo-C6-HSL N-3 -oxohexanoyl-L-homoser- deg.

In Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals: The Twenty-Eighth Symposium, leading US and international researchers from academia, industry, and government exchange cutting-edge technical information and update current trends in the development and application of biotechnology for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. This symposium emphasizes advances in biotechnology to produce high-volume, low-price products from renewable resources, while improving the environment. The major areas of interest include advanced feedstock production and processing, enzymatic and microbial biocatalysis, bioprocess research and development, opportunities in biorefineries, and commercialization of biobased products. International and domestic progress on producing liquid biofuels, especially ethanol and biodiesel, is highlighted, and related topics, including bioseparations and optimal integration of biochemical and thermochemical conversion technologies, are featured. Forward-looking and authoritative, Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals: The Twenty-Eighth Symposium provides an illuminating overview of current research and development in the production of commodity fuels and chemicals from renewable biomass resources via biochemical and thermochemical routes.

It is an exciting time to follow the new developments in the field of biotechnology and its wider applications in the different areas. The whole genomes of over 1000 viruses and over 100 microbes can now be found in Entrez Genome. The genomes represent both completely sequenced organisms and those for which sequencing is still in progress. The three main domains of life - bacteria, archaea, and eukaryota - are represented, as well as many viruses and organelles.

The exponential increase of the sequence data lead to the development of the new "Bioinformatics" field in order to attempt making sense, at least biological sense, out of all the new and fast data.

It will take also other techniques such as "functional genomics" to link the gap between a specific phenotype or a treatment and a gene sequence. Functional genomics tools are therefore important for the accurate molecular diagnosis/prognosis, target discovery validation needed for drug development and novel targets for antibiotics development. Functional genomics are also important for the confirmation of therapy in pharmacogenomics studies.

Biotechnology is in many respects shaping our life and affecting our means of production and the creation of jobs. Progress in the applications of biotechnology depends on a wide base of basic as well as applied sciences. The output of biotechnology has already proved itself in many diverse fields from health to
biomining and from agriculture to enzyme "breeding." It is therefore difficult to follow all of the current as well as the potential applications of biotechnology.

The objective of the Biotechnology Annual Review series is to attempt to provide readers with the needed indepth knowledge, by reviewing specific topics in biotechnology in each issue. The philosophy behind this series is to encourage good reviews to make it easier for readers to keep in touch with progress and applications of biotechnology. Reviews on topics related to regulatory affairs, social impact of biotechnology, biodiversity, biosafety, public acceptance and patent issues are also encouraged.

Research in the genomics of a handful of fungi has matured at an unprecedented rate allowing comprehensive review. Developments in fungal genomics should be of great significance to new strategies in fields where disciplinary crossovers of fungal genomics, genes and their regulation, expression, and engineering will have a strong impact in dealing with agriculture, foods, natural resources, life sciences, biotechnology, informatics, metabolomics, pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds.
This volume analyzes the commonly used molecular markers systems, and elaborates the development of biochemical genetics, which provides a model system that established the relationship between genes and enzymes. Current knowledge about the genomic and genetic variability of Candida albicans, the polymorphic fungus that is an opportunistic human pathogen of increasing medical importance, has been covered in detail. Current understanding of the genetics and functional genomic analysis of the most important fungal pathogens of staple food crops, rice and wheat among others is covered including chapters dealing with the genomics of economically important fungi such asMagnaporthe grisea, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhizoctonia, Mycosphaerella graminicola, and entomopathogenic fungi. With several thousand recent citations, it is hoped that volume four will serve as a useful reference for knowledgeable veterans and beginners as well as those crossing disciplinary boundaries into the exciting field of biotechnology, genomics and bioinformatics of fungi.

Springer Handbook of Enzymes provides data on enzymes sufficiently well characterized. It offers concise and complete descriptions of some 5,000 enzymes and their application areas. Data sheets are arranged in their EC-Number sequence and the volumes themselves are arranged according to enzyme classes.

This new, second edition reflects considerable progress in enzymology: many enzymes are newly classified or reclassified. Each entry is correlated with references and one or more source organisms. New datafields are created: application and engineering (for the properties of enzymes where the sequence has been changed). The total amount of material contained in the Handbook has more than doubled so that the complete second edition consists of 39 volumes as well as a Synonym Index. In addition, starting in 2009, all newly classified enzymes are treated in Supplement Volumes.

Springer Handbook of Enzymes is an ideal source of information for researchers in biochemistry, biotechnology, organic and analytical chemistry, and food sciences, as well as for medicinal applications.

The very first major reference text on this topic, this book provides a unique collection of articles reviewing the state of the art in the field. It gives particular emphasis to emerging technologies, from bioengineering and bio-tissues to nanotechnology. The integration of the different topics is presented via a combination of theoretical and applied methodology to provide a self-contained major reference that is appealing to both the scientist and the engineer.