This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Embryology is the study of embryos. It is the branch of biological science that deals with the formation and early development of an individual organism, from fertilization of the egg (ovum) to birth. This collection includes articles on some of the most important topics in embryology today, such as cryopreservation of human embryos, in vitro generation of neurons from embryonic stem cells, embryonic transfer, transcriptional profiling, and more.

This volume, A Mathematical Primer of Molecular Phylogenetics, offers a unique perspective on a number of phylogenetic issues that have not been covered in detail in previous publications. The volume provides sufficient mathematical background for young mathematicians and computational scientists, as well as mathematically inclined biology students, to make a smooth entry into the expanding field of molecular phylogenetics. The book will also provide sufficient details for researchers in phylogenetics to understand the workings of existing software packages used. The volume offers comprehensive but detailed numerical illustrations to render difficult mathematical and computational concepts in molecular phylogenetics accessible to a variety of readers with different academic background. The text includes examples of solved problems after each chapter, which will be particularly helpful for fourth-year undergraduates, postgraduates, and postdoctoral students in biology, mathematics and computer sciences. Researchers in molecular biology and evolution will find it very informative as well.

In this volume, world leaders in potato research review historical and contemporary discoveries resulting in a range of advances. Topics include nutritional quality, yield, disease and insect resistance, processing, plant growth and development, and other aspects. The book also examines research yielding significant molecular resources that facilitate breeding, linkage and gene mapping, cytology, functional and structural genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Future research developments that are likely to significantly advance efforts to understand and improve the potato are also explored.

Woody plants belong to various taxonomic groups, which are heterogeneous in morphology, physiology, and geographic distribution. OtheJWise, they have neither strong evolutionruy relationships nor share a conunon habitat. They are a primaIy source of fiber and timber, and also include many edible fruit species. Their unique phenotypic behavior includes a perennial habit associated with extensive secondary growth. Additional characteristics of woody plants include: developmental juvenility and maturity with respect to growth habit, flowering time, and morphogenetic response in tissue cultures; environmental control of bud dormancy and flowering cycles; variable tolerance to abiotic stresses, wounding and pathogens; and long distance transport of water and IRltrients. Woody plants, particularly tree species, have been the focus of numerous physiological studies to understand their specialized functions, however, only recently they have become the target of molecular studies. Recent advances in our understanding of signal transduction pathways for environmental responses in herbaceous plants, including the identification and cloning of genes for proteins involved in signal transduction. should provide useful leads to undertake parallel studies with woody plants. Molecular mapping techniques, coupled with the availability of cloned genes from herbaceous plants, should provide shortcuts to cloning relevant genes from woody plants. The unique phenotypes of these plants can then be targeted for improvement through genetic engineering.

Although books exist on the evolution of aging, this is the first book written from the perspective of again as an adaptive program. It offers an insight into the implications of research on aging genetics, The author proposes the Demographic Theory of Senescence, whereby aging has been affirmatively selected because it levels the death rate over time helping stabilize population dynamics and prevent extinctions.

The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and Indie Bound Bestseller

'Those who like to insist that blood is always thicker than water should read Inheritance, and let their own hearts slowly and gently expand.'-- The Observer

'All my life I had known there was a secret. What I hadn't known: the secret was me.'

In the spring of 2016, through a genealogy website to which she had whimsically submitted her DNA for analysis, Dani Shapiro received the stunning news that her father was not her biological father. Everything she had believed about her identity was a lie.

Shapiro's parents had died when she was in her twenties. With only a handful of figures on a webpage, Shapiro sets out to discover the truth about herself and her history.

Inheritance is a genetic detective story; a memoir that reads like a thriller. It is a book about secrets -secrets within families, kept out of shame or self-protectiveness; secrets we keep from one another in the name of love. It is a book about the extraordinary moment we live in a moment in which science and technology have outpaced not only medical ethics but also the capacities of the human heart to contend with the consequences of what we discover.

The scope of the book is to highlight the diverse roles of cilia in human development and disease. Almost all cell types form cilia and although they were first detected about 200 years ago, their significance was unclear. In the past ten years, it has become obvious that cilia have got sensory functions, as well as roles in motility and their mis-formation or the deregulation of the signaling pathways they control has been associated with defective development and human disease. Although research has concentrated on the role of the cilium in each organ, no effort has been made so far to bring all this information together and relate it to the various human diseases. This book aims to gather all the expertise that has been acquired on primary cilia and translate it into a medical and research context that will be of interest to postgraduate students, researchers, medics and scientists.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the principles and concepts behind the methods outlined or to inform the reader of possible pitfalls in the methods described. Filling these gaps, this book: Discusses a wide variety of approaches, from very basic methods to the latest, most sophisticated technologies Contains clearly detailed, step-by-step protocols with helpful troubleshooting tips Addresses the needs of researchers in academic and commercial environments Guides graduate students in designing, implementing, and evaluating experimental projects. Each chapter covers the principles underlying methods and techniques, and includes step-by-step descriptions of each protocol, notes, tips, and a troubleshooting guide. The book includes sections on how to write a research paper for publication in English-language journals, how to protect research discoveries and inventions via patents, and practical methods of bio-calculation. Written by a team of internationally recognized scientists, Gene Biotechnology presents protocols as well as clear and simple explanations of the key principles and concepts behind the methods. It is a single, logically organized source for the most important new methodologies. This unique resource provides the tools to help ensure success in contemporary molecular and cellular biology research.

The first edition of "Structural Bioinformatics" was the first major effort to show the application of the principles and basic knowledge of the larger field of bioinformatics to questions focusing on macromolecular structure, such as the prediction of protein structure and how proteins carry out cellular functions, as well as show how the application of bioinformatics to these life science issues can improve health care by accelerating drug discovery and development. Designed primarily as a reference, the first edition nevertheless saw widespread use as a textbook in graduate and undergraduate university courses dealing with the theories and associated algorithms, resources, and tools used in the analysis, prediction, and theoretical underpinnings of DNA, RNA, and proteins.

This new edition now contains not only thorough updates of the advances in structural bioinformatics since publication of the first edition, but also features eleven new chapters dealing with frontier areas with high scientific impact.

"Structural Bioinformatics, Second Edition" is essential reading for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in bioinformatics and advanced biology, for molecular biologists, biochemists and biophysicists interested in supplementing their training on the job. It is also of interest for computer and information scientists, including computational biologists.

Praise for the first edition:

""This book is a gold mine of fundamental and practical information in an area not previously well represented in book form."" Biochemistry and Molecular Education

,,"." destined to become a classic reference work for workers at all levels in structuralbioinformatics....recommended with great enthusiasm for educators, researchers, and graduate students."" BAMBED

,,"."a useful and timely summary of a rapidly expanding field."" Nature Structural Biology

,,"."a terrific job in this timely creation of a compilation of articles that appropriately addresses this issue."" Briefings in Bioinformatics

The development of gene-based technologies has been rapid over the past decade and has consequently resulted in a surge of interest in human gene therapy, the deliberate transfer of genes to somatic cells to cure or alleviate disease symptoms.
Hundreds of clinical protocols involving variously designed vectors for efficient gene transfer have been developed. However, the use of such complex 'gene medicines'’ containing potentially heritable genes has raised numerous concerns regarding quality, efficacy and safety.
Encompassing recent developments in the field and addressing current concerns this book:

• surveys many of the current technologies for preparing vectors for use in gene therapy protocols
• reviews the application of gene-mediated therapies to a range of medical conditions
• considers the regulatory aspects of gene therapy including product quality and safety requirements
• appraises the transfer of technologies from laboratory to clinic with regard to the attendant requirements and facilities for:
• good laboratory practice (GLP) conditions in the R&D laboratory
• large-scale production methods and good manufacturing practice (GMP)
• current in-process and final product testing

The maintenance of telomeres-repetitive sequences at the end of chromosome-is essential to health. Dysfunction in telomere maintenance pathways plays a role in aging, cancer, atherosclerosis and other diseases. This has led to telomere maintenance as a prime target for patient therapies. This book describes the advances in telomere research as it applies to human health and especially how lifestyle and dietary factors could modify the telomerase maintenance process. The book examines the mechanisms involved, the primary of which are oxidative stress and the role of sirtuins, and how they can be modified by dietary patterns such as Mediterranean diet.

The general field of fundamental and applied biotechnology becomes increasingly important for the production of biologicals for human and veterinary use, by using prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. The papers in the present book are refereed articles compiled from oral and poster presentations from the EFB Meeting on Recombinant Protein Production with Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells. A Comparative View on Host Physiology, which was organized in Semmering/A from 5th to 8th October 2000. A special feature of this meeting was the comparison of different classes of host cells, mainly bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, and animal cells, which made obvious that many physiological features of recombinant protein formation, like cell nutrition, stress responses, protein folding and secretion, or genetic stability, follow similar patterns in different expression systems. This comparative aspect is by far the point of most interest because such comparisons are rarely done, and if they are done, their results are most often kept secret by the companies who generated them. Audience: Presently, a comparable book does not exist because the compiling of manuscripts from all fields of biotechnology (prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic, up to animal cell biotechnology) is not done in general. This particularity makes this book very interesting for postgraduate students and professionals in the large field of biotechnology who want to get a more global view on the current state of the expression of recombinant biologicals in different host cell systems, the physiological problems associated with the use of different expression systems, potential approaches to solve such difficulties bymetabolic engineering or the use of other host cells, and the cooperation between process development and strain improvement, which is crucial for the optimisation of both the production strain and the process. This book should be in every library of an institution/organization involved in biotechnology.

The zebrafish embryo has now been well established as an organism of choice for the genetic and cell biological basis of vertebrate development. Large-scale forward genetic screens together with reverse genetic tools have resulted in a flood of new information on the regulation of vertebrate development. Furthermore, the unique transparency of the zebrafish embryo allows unprecedented access to cells and tissues and many important discoveries on gene function have already been made using live imaging techniques in this organism. This book successfully brings together state-of-the-art methodologies of live imaging, such as the use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), that will be useful for investigators in the field of developmental biology to address their favorite problem using cell biological approaches in the zebrafishOne of the key reasons that has made the zebrafish such a popular vertebrate model is its transparency and its potential for high-resolution cell biology and imaging. However, there is no comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the new "live imaging" tools that can now be used in the zebrafish. Furthermore, there are many new microscopy methods that have been adapted for use in zebrafish, and this book can be a good guide even for scientists already familiar with the imaging advantages of this model.

This book presents the basic and applied aspects of sequencing of genes and genomes and their implication in the fine-scale elucidation of the plant genomes. The third volume presents an overview on the advances of plant genomics made in the past century; deliberations on the genomics resources; concepts, tools, strategies, and achievements of comparative, evolutionary, and functional genomics and whole-genome sequencing. It also presents critical reviews on the already completed genome initiatives and glimpses on the currently progressing genome initiatives. This volume is an ideal reference book for students, scholars and scientists in academia, industry, and government.

Elizabeth Rakcozy and a team of leading clinical and experimental scientists describe in step-by-step detail the key techniques essential to effective molecular biological research in ophthalmology and optometry. These readily reproducible methods are adapted to the special requirements of vision research, with coverage that ranges from the most basic to the most sophisticated technologies. Included are methods for the down-regulation of gene expression, new gene therapy techniques, and for the development of transgenic and knockout animal models for testing novel therapies. Eminently accessible and clinically relevant, Vision Research Protocols provides experimental and biomedical investigators in ophthalmology and optometry with a rich panoply of most powerful tools with which to ask--and answer--all the important questions emerging from the dramatically advancing work in vision research today.

Despite the prevalence of behavioral research conducted through genetic studies, there is an absence of literature pertaining to the genetics of motor behavior. Genetics and the Psychology of Motor Performance is the first book to integrate cutting-edge genetic research into the study of the psychological aspects of motor learning and control. The book's central line of enquiry revolves around the extent to which psychological factors central to motor proficiency - including personality, emotion, self-regulation, motivation, and perceptual-cognitive skills - are acquired or inherited. It explains how these factors affect motor performance, distilling the latest research into their genetic underpinnings and, in doing so, assessing the magnitude of the role genetics plays in the stages of motor development, from early proficiency through to expertise. Written by leading experts in the genetics of human performance and exercise psychology, and thoroughly illustrated throughout, Genetics and the Psychology of Motor Performance is a crucial resource for any upper-level student or researcher seeking a deeper understanding of motor learning. It is an important book for anyone studying or working in exercise psychology, motor development, exercise genetics, or exercise physiology more broadly.

James Mark Baldwin left a legacy that has yet to be fully examined, one with profound implications for science and the humanities. In some sense it paralleled that of his friend Charles Sanders Peirce, whose semiotics became understood only a century later. Baldwin was trying to make sense of complex biological and social processes which only now have come into the limelight as biological sciences, and slowly but surely, have re-emerged in psychology.

Baldwin's focus on development, based on the observation of his own children and extrapolated to his general theoretical scheme, is fully in line with where our contemporary biological sciences are heading. This is exemplified by the bounded flexibility of the work of the genetic system. The general principle of persistent exploration of the environment with the result of creating novelty, which was the core of Baldwin's theoretical system, has since the 1960s become the guiding idea in genetics. Contemporary developmental science is rooted in Baldwin's thinking.

In his new introduction, Jaan Valsiner shows that Baldwin's Genetic Theory of Reality demonstrates how human beings are in their nature social beings, establishes an alternative conceptualization of evolutionary theory, and formulates a system of developmental logic, all of which serve as the foundation for developmental psychology as a whole. This is a work of social science rediscovery long overdue.

Thoroughly Describes Biological Applications, Computational Problems, and Various Algorithmic Solutions Developed from the author's own teaching material, Algorithms in Bioinformatics: A Practical Introduction provides an in-depth introduction to the algorithmic techniques applied in bioinformatics. For each topic, the author clearly details the biological motivation and precisely defines the corresponding computational problems. He also includes detailed examples to illustrate each algorithm and end-of-chapter exercises for students to familiarize themselves with the topics. Supplementary material is available at http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~ksung/algo_in_bioinfo/ This classroom-tested textbook begins with basic molecular biology concepts. It then describes ways to measure sequence similarity, presents simple applications of the suffix tree, and discusses the problem of searching sequence databases. After introducing methods for aligning multiple biological sequences and genomes, the text explores applications of the phylogenetic tree, methods for comparing phylogenetic trees, the problem of genome rearrangement, and the problem of motif finding. It also covers methods for predicting the secondary structure of RNA and for reconstructing the peptide sequence using mass spectrometry. The final chapter examines the computational problem related to population genetics.

The sunflower has fascinated mankind for centuries. The oilseed sunflower contributes approximately ten percent of the world 's plant-derived edible oil and the confection type sunflower holds a considerable share of the directly consumed snacks market. In addition, sunflower is also grown as an ornamental for cut flowers, as well as in home gardens. We are now embarking on the age of genomics which will expedite the process of genetic improvement of crops. There has been an explosion of information on genetic markers, DNA sequences, and genomic resources for most major food crops including sunflower. This volume is intended to bridge traditional research with modern molecular investigations on sunflower.

The enormous advances in molecular biology and genetics coupled with the progress in instrumentation and surgical techniques have produced a voluminous and often bewildering quantity of data. The primary objective of a second edition of Cardiovascular Physiology in the Genetically Engineered Mouse is to interpret critically the literature and to provide a framework for the enormous amount of information in this burgeoning field. As in the first edition, the monograph serves as a practical guide for the investigator interested in the functional methods used to characterize the murine cardiovascular phenotype. The monograph is organized into three parts. The first deals with principles of transgenesis and homologous recombination. The second part, which again is the largest, discusses the various techniques used to assess the cardiovascular mechanical, metabolic, and electrophysiologic phenotype. This section is organized in a hierarchical manner- i.e. from isolated myocyte to isolated heart to the intact, anesthetized and conscious mouse. The third part examines techniques used to evaluate murine smooth muscle function, genetic mouse models of hypertrophy and heart failure, and the methods to assess the cardiovascular phenotype in the developing mouse embryo. In addition, newer methods that push the envelope', such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and computed tomography (microCT) are discussed. Expanded and updated, each chapter is richly enhanced with original tables and figures, and in many cases, extensively rewritten when compared with the first edition. An essential and enduring goal of this second edition isto continue to facilitate interactions between the basic science disciplines and help bridge the gap between molecular biology and physiology.

An introduction to machine learning methods and their applications to problems in bioinformatics Machine learning techniques are increasingly being used to address problems in computational biology and bioinformatics. Novel computational techniques to analyze high throughput data in the form of sequences, gene and protein expressions, pathways, and images are becoming vital for understanding diseases and future drug discovery. Machine learning techniques such as Markov models, support vector machines, neural networks, and graphical models have been successful in analyzing life science data because of their capabilities in handling randomness and uncertainty of data noise and in generalization. From an internationally recognized panel of prominent researchers in the field, Machine Learning in Bioinformatics compiles recent approaches in machine learning methods and their applications in addressing contemporary problems in bioinformatics. Coverage includes: feature selection for genomic and proteomic data mining; comparing variable selection methods in gene selection and classification of microarray data; fuzzy gene mining; sequence-based prediction of residue-level properties in proteins; probabilistic methods for long-range features in biosequences; and much more. Machine Learning in Bioinformatics is an indispensable resource for computer scientists, engineers, biologists, mathematicians, researchers, clinicians, physicians, and medical informaticists. It is also a valuable reference text for computer science, engineering, and biology courses at the upper undergraduate and graduate levels.

The field of molecular evolution has experienced explosive growth in recent years due to the rapid accumulation of genetic sequence data, continuous improvements to computer hardware and software, and the development of sophisticated analytical methods. The increasing availability of large genomic data sets requires powerful statistical methods to analyse and interpret them, generating both computational and conceptual challenges for the field.
Computational Molecular Evolution provides an up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of modern statistical and computational methods used in molecular evolutionary analysis, such as maximum likelihood and Bayesian statistics. Yang describes the models, methods and algorithms that are most useful for analysing the ever-increasing supply of molecular sequence data, with a view to furthering our understanding of the evolution of genes and genomes. The book emphasizes essential concepts rather than mathematical proofs. It includes detailed derivations and implementation details, as well as numerous illustrations, worked examples, and exercises. It will be of relevance and use to students and professional researchers (both empiricists and theoreticians) in the fields of molecular phylogenetics, evolutionary biology, population genetics, mathematics, statistics and computer science. Biologists who have used phylogenetic software programs to analyze their own data will find the book particularly rewarding, although it should appeal to anyone seeking an authoritative overview of this exciting area of computational biology.

This volume details technologies on recombinant DNA and nucleic acid manipulation that underpin much of the biological sciences and instructions on how to conduct them successfully. Chapters guide the reader through the basics of oligonucleotide synthesis and DNA sequencing; recombinant DNA plasmid work; cell-free experiments and the latest developments in CRISPR approaches to genome modification. Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and methods, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols.   Authoritative and cutting-edge, Gene Modification and Nucleic Acid Technologies aims to be the comprehensive guide for life scientists moving into the field of recombinant DNA and nucleic acid manipulation.

Recent advances that allow scientists to quickly and accurately sequence a genome have revolutionized our view of the structure and function of genes as well as our understanding of evolution. A new era of genetics is underway, one that allows us to fully embrace Dobzhansky's famous statement that "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution". Genetics: Genes, Genomes, and Evolution presents the fundamental principles of genetics and molecular biology from an evolutionary perspective as informed by genome analysis. By using what has been learned from the analyses of bacterial and eukaryotic genomes as its basis, the book unites evolution, genomics, and genetics in one narrative approach. Genomic analysis is inherently both molecular and evolutionary, and every chapter is approached from this unified perspective. Similarly, genomic studies have provided a deeper appreciation of the profound relationships between all organisms - something reflected in the book's integrated discussion of bacterial and eukaryotic evolution, genetics and genomics. It is an approach that provides students with a uniquely flexible and contemporary view of genetics, genomics, and evolution. Online Resource Centre: - Video tutorials: a series of videos that provide deeper, step-by-step explanations of a range of topics featured in the text. - Flashcards: electronic flashcards covering the key terms from the text. For registered adopters of the text: - Digital image library: Includes electronic files in PowerPoint format of every illustration, photo, graph and table from the text - Lecture notes: Editable lecture notes in PowerPoint format for each chapter help make preparing lectures faster and easier than ever. Each chapter's presentation includes a succinct outline of key concepts, and incorporates the graphics from the chapter - Library of exam-style questions: a suite of questions from which you can pick potential assignments and exams. - Test bank of multiple-choice questions: a ready-made electronic testing resource that can be customized by lecturers and delivered via their institution's virtual learning environment. - Solutions to all questions featured in the book: solutions written by the authors help make the grading of homework assignments easier. - Journal Clubs: a series of questions that guide your students through the reading and interpretation of a research paper that relates to the subject matter of a given chapter. Each Journal club includes model answers for lecturers. - Instructor's guide: The instructor's guide discusses the educational approach taken by Genetics: Genes, Genomes, and Evolution in more detail, why this approach has been taken, what benefits it offers, and how it can be adopted in your class.

Translational Urinomics provides an overview of urine analysis using proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics or any combination thereof for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases related to the urinary system and the kidneys. The text approaches urine biomarkers from a new perspective, incorporating up-to-date studies of mass-spectrometry-based biomarker discovery as well as the latest advances in personalized medicine. The integration of technology-driven techniques, such as OMICS also provides a unique opportunity for improved diagnostics accuracy of urinary-related diseases. For nephrologists and urologists looking for new approaches to well-known problems, this edited volume serves as a valuable guide.