The field of genetics is rapidly evolving, and new medical breakthroughs are occurring as a result of advances in our knowledge of genetics. This series continually publishes important reviews of the broadest interest to geneticists and their colleagues in affiliated disciplines.
* Includes methods for testing with ethical, legal, and social implications
* Critically analyzes future

This book is the output of Anthropological Survey of India's National Project "DNA Polymorphism of Contemporary Indian Population" conducted during 2000 to 2018. The book compiles the independent and collaborative work of 49 scientific personnel. Genomics facilitate the study of genetic constitution and diversity at individual and population levels. Genomic diversity explains susceptibility, predisposition and prolongation of diseases; personalized medicine and longevity; prehistoric demographic events, such as population bottleneck, expansion, admixture and natural selection. This book highlights the heterogeneous, genetically diverse population of India. It shows how the central geographic location of India, played a crucial role in historic and pre-historic human migrations, and in peopling different continents of the world. The book describes the massive task undertaken by AnSI to unearth genomic diversity of India populations, with the use of Uni-parental DNA markers mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) and Y -chromosome in 75 communities. The book talks about the 61 maternal and 35 paternal lineages identified through these studies. It brings forth interesting, hitherto unknown findings such as shared mutations between certain communities. This volume is a milestone in scientific research to understand biological diversity of Indian people at genomic level. It addresses the basic priority to identify different genes underlying various inborn genetic defects and diseases specific to Indian populations. This would be highly interesting to population geneticists, historians, as well as anthropologists.

This book offers an essential introduction to the latest advances in delayed genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) and presents cutting-edge work on the analysis and design of delayed GRNs in which the system parameters are subject to uncertain, stochastic and/or parameter-varying changes. Specifically, the types examined include delayed switching GRNs, delayed stochastic GRNs, delayed reaction-diffusion GRNs, delayed discrete-time GRNs, etc. In addition, the solvability of stability analysis, control and estimation problems involving delayed GRNs are addressed in terms of linear matrix inequality or M-matrix tests. The book offers a comprehensive reference guide for researchers and practitioners working in system sciences and applied mathematics, and a valuable source of information for senior undergraduates and graduates in these areas. Further, it addresses a gap in the literature by providing a unified and concise framework for the analysis and design of delayed GRNs.

This book presents an authoritative review of the most significant findings about all the epigenetic targets (writers, readers, and erasers) and their implication in physiology and pathology. The book also covers the design, synthesis and biological validation of epigenetic chemical modulators, which can be useful as novel chemotherapeutic agents. Particular attention is given to the chemical mechanisms of action of these molecules and to the drug discovery prose which allows their identification. This book will appeal to students who want to know the extensive progresses made by epigenetics (targets and modulators) in the last years from the beginning, and to specialized scientists who need an instrument to quickly search and check historical and/or updated notices about epigenetics.

This book highlights modern methods and strategies to improve cereal crops in the era of climate change, presenting the latest advances in plant molecular mapping and genome sequencing. Spectacular achievements in the fields of molecular breeding, transgenics and genomics in the last three decades have facilitated revolutionary changes in cereal- crop-improvement strategies and techniques. Since the genome sequencing of rice in 2002, the genomes of over eight cereal crops have been sequenced and more are to follow. This has made it possible to decipher the exact nucleotide sequence and chromosomal positions of agroeconomic genes. Most importantly, comparative genomics and genotyping-by-sequencing have opened up new vistas for exploring available biodiversity, particularly of wild crop relatives, for identifying useful donor genes.

This book summarizes all different fields of cotton fiber, including genetics, fiber chemistry, soft materials, textile, and fashion engineering. It also contains some new applications such as biomaterials, nanocoated smart fabrics, and functional textiles. Moreover, the significant improvement recently in gene modification and gene technology is introduced. This book discusses all these aspects in a more straightforward way, and new illustrations will help readers to understand the contents. It is intended for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in cotton science and processing technologies, researchers investigating the updated applications of cotton in various fields as well as industrialists who want to have a quick review of the cotton and its different stages.

This book reviews the state-of-the-art in stem-cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, and highlights advances in both animal models and clinical trials. It comprehensively discusses most neurodegenerative diseases, including such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, amyotrophic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and retinal degeneration, in which stem cells could potentially be used for therapy in the future. It also addresses the challenges and problems relating to the translation of stem-cell-based therapies into treatments. As such, the book will appeal to research scientists, physicians, graduate students, and medical professionals in the field of stem cells, neuroscience, neurology, neurorestoratology and major neurological disorders.

This book takes a fresh look at the work, thoughts, and life of 1956 Nobel Prize winner William B. Shockley. It reconstructs Shockley's upbringing, his patriotic achievements during World War II, his contribution to semiconductor physics - culminating with the epoch-making invention of the transistor - and his views on the social issues of his time. The author's unparalleled access to Shockley's personal documents provides insight into a colorful, yet controversial, man, and also sheds light on the attitudes of other prominent scientists of that era. Shockley was not only an outstanding scientist in his own right but also a fiercely independent thinker in perpetual search of the truth. His contributions to the field known today as microelectronics are enormous and unmatched. This book explores the critical facets of Shockley's life, replete with never-before-published photos and excerpts from his private correspondence and personal notebooks. The book also delves into Shockley's views on genetics and human intelligence. It tells the story of a man beset by an unrelenting rationality, slandered by the popular media, and ultimately alienated by his peers. It discusses his controversial, although sometimes prescient, ideas regarding human genetics, putting these into the context of modern research findings. Today, William Shockley is perhaps just as enigmatic as his work and accomplishments. The author presents a convincing argument that Shockley still has much to say about the issues of our age, and many of his ideas deserve evaluation in the public forum.

There has recently been considerable discussion of a "replication crisis" in some areas of science. In this book, the authors argue that replication is not a necessary criterion for the validation of a scientific experiment. Five episodes from physics and genetics are used to substantiate this thesis: the Meselson-Stahl experiment on DNA replication, the discoveries of the positron and the omega minus hyperon, Mendel's plant experiments, and the discovery of parity nonconservation. Two cases in which once wasn't enough are also discussed, the nondiscovery of parity nonconservation and the search for magnetic monopoles. Reasons why once wasn't enough are also discussed.

This book constitutes a fascinating and in-depth analysis of the significance of the requirement of industrial application within gene patenting and how this influences innovation in Europe and the US. The author addresses an area normally overlooked in biotechnology patenting due to the predominance of the ethical debate and, in doing so, produces a unique approach to dealing with concerns in this field. Patenting Genes: The Requirement of Industrial Application is the result of extensive research into the legal history of the industrial application requirement as well as exploration of the broad range of decisions on DNA patentability. This requirement has taken a prominent role within DNA patenting decisions in Europe since the 1998 Biotech Directive, which Dr Diaz Pozo argues has worked efficiently to control claims to human gene sequences and encouraged progress in genetic research. A broad selection of decisions on the patentability of DNA in both European Union and US courts is discussed, emphasizing the mirroring of the European approach in US cases. Academics and students of patent law and biotechnology innovation, as well as policy formulators, will find this book of great interest and value. Activists and practitioners interested in the patentability of human gene inventions in Europe and the US will also benefit from this original work.

This second edition shows how long non-coding RNAs (lnc)RNAs have emerged as a new paradigm in epigenetic regulation of the genome. Thousands of lncRNAs have been identified and observed in a wide range of organisms. Unlike mRNA, lncRNA have no protein-coding capacity. So, while their function is not entirely clear, they may serve as key organizers of protein complexes that allow for higher order regulatory events. Advances in the field also include better characterization of human long non-coding RNAs, novel insights into their roles in human development and disease, their diverse mechanisms of action and novel technologies to study them.

Various "omics" methods have recently revolutionized molecular diagnostics. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) makes it possible to sequence a human genome in just one day. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) greatly improves the ability to investigate the outbreaks of numerous pathogens. Metagenomics helps to analyze the microbiome, which aids greatly in identifying the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Proteomic-based methods, namely matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), have a promising role in identifying myctobacteria and fungi, and predicting antimicrobial resistance. While there are numerous scientific publications on "omics" applications for microbiology, there are relatively few books that review this topic from a clinical diagnostics perspective. This book looks at this field from a holistic viewpoint, instead of limiting by type of "omics" technology, in order to cover the body of knowledge needed for practitioners and academics interested in clinical and public health microbiology. Additionally, it addresses the management, economical, regulatory and operational aspects of integrating these technologies into routine diagnostics.

This book describes how the genome sequence contributes to our understanding of allopolyploidisation and the genome evolution, genetic diversity, complex trait regulation and knowledge-based breeding of this important crop. Numerous examples demonstrate how widespread homoeologous genome rearrangements and exchanges have moulded structural genome diversity following a severe polyploidy bottleneck. The allopolyploid crop species Brassica napus has the most highly duplicated plant genome to be assembled to date, with the largest number of annotated genes. Examples are provided for use of the genome sequence to identify and capture diversity for important agronomic traits, including seed quality and disease resistance. The increased potential for detailed gene discovery using high-density genetic mapping, quantitative genetics and transcriptomic analyses is described in the context of genome availability and illustrated with recent examples. Intimate knowledge of the highly-duplicated gene space, on the one hand, and the repeat landscape on the other, particularly in comparison to the two diploid progenitor genomes, provide a fundamental basis for new insights into the regulatory mechanisms that are coupled with selection for polyploid success and crop evolution.

This volume covers the current progress in understanding the mechanisms for genomic control of gene expression, which has grown considerably in the last few years as insight into genome organization and chromatin regulation has advanced.
* Discusses the evolution of cis-regulatory sequences in drosophila
* Includes information on genomic imprinting and imprinting defects in humans
*Includes a chapter on epigenetic gene regulation in cancer

This book looks at where stem cell technology is presently and how it is instrumental in advancing the field of disease modeling and cell transplantation. By focusing on major human disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and heart disorders, the book summarizes the major findings in the field of human stem cells and dissect the current limitations on our understanding of stem cells biology. The chapters focus on the genetics, genomics, epigenetics and physiology of stem cells models, together with technological advances on molecular biology such as CRISPR/Cas9 or epigenetic editing, that will be instrumental in the future of human disease modeling and treatment. In base of the limitations of current disease models and in front of the unmet necessity of finding therapeutical interventions for human disorders, the availability of stem cell technology has opened new doors for several fields. The unlimited self-renewal capacity and more extensive differentiation potential of stem cells offers a theoretically inexhaustible and replenishable source of any cell subtype. Since Professor Shinya Yamanaka described it, 10 years ago in his seminal paper, that somatic cells could be reprogrammed to inducible stem cells (iPSC) just by expressing four transcription factors, the field of has exploded, especially its applications in biomedical research.

Despite the popular perception that genetic explanations of the causes of crime are new, biological determinism dates back to the birth of criminology, and the ideas of the man widely regarded as its founder, Cesare Lombroso. His 1876 work, DEGREESICriminal Man DEGREESR, drew on Darwin to propose that most lawbreakers were throwbacks to a more primitive level of human evolution--identifiable by their physical traits, such as small heads, flat noses, large ears, and the like. These born criminals could not escape their biological destiny.

The scientific appeal of these theories of criminal anthropology had a powerful and long-lasting impact on criminological theory and practice in contemporary Italy, Europe, and the Western world as a whole, and even today the stereotypes they created resonate in popular culture. But while these ideas had a wide influence, their origins were very much in a specific time and place--the political, economic, and social history of modern Italy. Gibson shows that understanding the development of Lombroso's thinking is much more complicated than merely pinning his ideas onto the left-right political spectrum; he influenced socialists and fascists, lawyers and doctors, policemen and social workers alike. In the end, she argues for a more subtle interpretation of his theories, emphasizing that Lombroso himself acknowledged the multifaceted nature of criminal behavior.