An indispensable primer and reference textbook, the third edition of Geochemical and Biogeochemical Reaction Modeling carries the reader from the field's origins and theoretical underpinnings through to a collection of fully worked examples. A clear exposition of the underlying equations and calculation techniques is balanced by real-world example calculations. The book depicts geochemical reaction modeling as a vibrant field of study applicable to a wide spectrum of issues of scientific, practical, and societal concern. The new edition offers a thorough description of surface complexation modeling, including two- and three-layer methods; broader treatment of kinetic rate laws; the effect of stagnant zones on transport; and techniques for determining gas partial pressures. This handbook demystifies and makes broadly accessible an elegant technique for portraying chemical processes in the geosphere. It will again prove to be invaluable for geochemists, environmental scientists and engineers, aqueous and surface chemists, microbiologists, university teachers, and government regulators.

This book highlights recent advances in the field of plant-biotic interactions and explores current serious issues in the crop production industry. It is intended to attract more attention to these important, but often overlooked areas, and to stimulate new ideas for future research. Plants are constantly under attack by pathogens, pests, and parasites, which can significantly impact worldwide food production and human health. While pathogens and pests attack and interconnect with their hosts in a variety of ways, plants have developed sophisticated immune systems to fight infections. In the field of plant-biotic interactions, most of the studies to date have focused on the function and signaling pathways of plant disease resistance proteins and pattern recognition receptors, as well as pathogen effector proteins. In contrast, this book presents new and emerging research areas, and introduces students, researchers, academics, and policy advisors to the latest trends in e.g. microbial technology, environmental microbiology, agricultural science, the health sciences, biological sciences and other related disciplines.

This book summarizes the basics of actinobacteria, from microbiology to synthetic biology. It focuses on diversity, NRPS, sesquiterpenes, lantipeptide, bioinformatics apparatuses, cloning, CRISPR, reverse engineering, FDA supported medications, and marine actinobacteria. It also covers the latest trends in drug discovery from actinobacteria, and introduces several recently developed bioinformatics and synthetic biology tools to explore new antibiotics from actinobacteria. Many natural products such as polyketides, isoprenoids, phenazines, peptides, indolocarbarbazoles, sterols, and others have been isolated and characterized from actinobacteria. Some products are synthesized by the non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), polyketide synthases (PKSs), or other functional genes. Although genome sequencing has uncovered the differing qualities of these chemicals, recognizing new items and their biosynthetic pathways is still under examination. Cryptic metabolic pathways have been explored using molecular techniques or culture-dependent approaches. In recent years, researchers' primary interest is to identify the specific conditions or agents that wake the cryptic antibiotics. Several bioinformatics and synthetic biology tools were developed to explore new antibiotics from actinobacteria. The book comprises 14 chapters with different aspects of application and utilization of actinomycetes from the microbiology; systems biology, pharmacology of natural products, bioinformatics, actinomycete and its diversity, CRISPR, artificial Intelligence, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, expressional studies, and biosynthetic gene clusters. The book delivers useful information on actinomyces to researchers, novices in genome designing, specialists, clinicians, policymakers, and professionals.

Microbial Symbionts: Functions and Molecular Interactions on Host focuses on microbial symbionts of plants, animals, insects and molecular methods in the identification of microbial symbionts. The book describes the molecular mechanism and interactions of symbiosis of microbiome in plants, animals and humans. It brings the latest techniques for identification, localization and functional characterization of host-associated microbes and explains the role/importance of microbial symbionts. This comprehensive reference covers a wide range of symbiotic microorganisms used for basic and advanced techniques associated with the isolation, characterization and identification of microbial symbiotic microorganisms and their functions and molecular interactions on the host. The book will also helps users plan and execute experiments with appropriate knowledge rather than experimental trial and error in a wide range of disciplines, including Microbiology, Biotechnology, Botany and Zoology.

This book highlights treatment strategies for bacterial biofilms in connection with a variety of human diseases. In particular, it reviews bacterial biofilm formation and its mechanism. Topics covered include biofilms in human health, the role of biofilms in mediating human diseases, and methods for testing bacterial biofilms. Further sections concentrate on biofilm-mediated diseases in different parts of the human gastrointestinal tract, while therapeutic strategies for biofilm control and natural agents that disrupt bacterial biofilms are also covered. Readers will also find the latest advances in probiotics and biofilms, as well as the use of probiotics to counteract biofilm-associated infections. Biofilms and antimicrobial resistance are discussed. Subsequent chapters address the management of inflammatory bowel disease via probiotics biofilms, as well as the role of probiotics bacteria in the treatment of human diseases associated with bacterial biofilms. The book is chiefly intended for clinicians/scientists in the fields of medical microbiology, applied microbiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology.

This book reviews applications of nanomaterial and nanodevices in the food industry. It also discusses the advanced bioanalytical techniques, including Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), immunoanalytical techniques, monoclonal antibody-based immunological techniques for detecting food adulterations and allergens. It comprehensively covers electrode modification and nano-engineered fabrication of biosensors to enhance their functionalities for utilization in food industries. The book highlights the utilization of nanobiosensors for food safety and quality analysis, such as detection of toxin, food-borne pathogen, allergen, and evaluation of toxicity. Further, it also summarizes the recent advances in nanodevices such as nano-systems, nano-emulsions, nanopesticide, nanocapsule and their applications in the food industry. Lastly, it covers nanomaterial-based sensors for drug analysis in diverse matrices. It serves as an invaluable source of information for professionals, researchers, academicians, and students related to food science and technology.

This volume describes the most common laboratory procedures for isolation, identification and characterization of polioviruses used in clinical and research laboratories. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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 practical, Poliovirus: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

This book discusses various renewable energy resources and technologies. Topics covered include recent advances in photobioreactor design; microalgal biomass harvesting, drying, and processing; and technological advances and optimised production systems as prerequisites for achieving a positive energy balance. It highlights alternative resources that can be used to replace fossil fuels, such as algal biofuels, biodiesel, bioethanol, and biohydrogen. Further, it reviews microbial technologies, discusses an immobilization method, and highlights the efficiency of enzymes as a key factor in biofuel production. In closing, the book outlines future research directions to increase oil yields in microalgae, which could create new opportunities for lipid-based biofuels, and provides an outlook on the future of global biofuel production. Given its scope, the book will appeal to all researchers and engineers working in the renewable energy sector.

Studies of Reovirus Pathogenesis Reveal Potential Sites for Antiviral Intervention.- Drugs as Molecular Tools.- Genetically Engineered Bacteria to Identify and Produce Antiviral Agents.- Antiviral Agents from Novel Marine and Terrestrial Sources.- Virus Receptors: The Achilles' Heel of Human Rhinoviruses.- Therapeutic Strategies Employing CD4, The HIV Receptor.- Molecular Characterization of HIV-2 (ROD) Protease following PCR Cloning from Virus Infected H9 Cells.- A Novel, Non-Nucleoside Inhibitor of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (Review).- Catalytic Antisense RNA (Ribozymes): Their Potential and Use as Anti-HIV-1 Therapeutic Agents.- Therapies for Hepatitis B Virus: Current Status and Future Possiblities.- A Preliminary Report of a Controlled Study of Thymosin Alpha-1 in the Woodchuck Model of Hepadnavirus Infection.- Delta Virus as a Vector for the Delivery of Biologically Active RNAs: Possibly a Ribozyme Specific for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.- Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus Ribonucleotide Reductase by Synthetic Nonapeptides: A Potential Antiviral Therapy.- Antiviral Effects of Herpes Simplex Virus Specific Anti-Sense Nucleic Acids.- Heterogeneity of a Herpes Simplex Virus Clinical Isolate Exhibiting Resistance to Acyclovir and Foscarnet.- Cellular Metabolism and Enzymatic Phosphorylation of 9-(2-Phosphonylmethoxyethyl) Guanine (PMEG), a Potential Antiviral Agent.- Effect of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection on Cytokine Gene Expression in Activated Murine Peritoneal Macrophages.- Procedure for Evaluation of Neutralizing Antibody to Cytomegalovirus in Commercial Intravenous Gamma Globulin Preparations.- Improved Detection of Antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus Using a Second Generation ELISA.- Emerging Trends in the Rapid Detection of Viruses.- DNA Probes for Viral Diagnosis.- Contributors.

Pet-to-Man Travelling Staphylococci: A World in Progress explores Staphylococci, a dangerous pathogen that affects both humans and animals with a wide range of infection states. This bacteria can spread rapidly as a commensal organism in both humans and pets, and is an agent of disease. Staphylococci are potentially highly virulent pathogens which require urgent medical attention. In addition, Staphylococci remain a threat within hospital environments, where they can quickly spread across a patient population. This book explores the organisms' resistance to many compounds used to treat them, treatment failure and multidrug resistant staphylococci, amongst other related topics.

Viruses: From Understanding to Investigation, Second Edition presents the definitions and unique characteristics of viruses. The book includes major topics such as virus lifecycle, structure, taxonomy, evolution, history, host-virus interactions, and methods to study. In addition, the book assesses the connections between the aforementioned topics and provides an integrated approach and in-depth understanding of how viruses work. The new edition also provides an expanded methods chapter containing new information on deep sequencing for in virus identification, mathematical formulas to calculate titers and a description of quantitiative PCR for enumerating viruses. The vaccine chapter has been updated to include vaccine efficacy, mRNA vaccines and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development. The viral pathogenesis chapter has been expanded to include mechanisms of virally induced cancers. Viral taxonomy sections have been updated and chapters revised to accommodate new virus family designations. New chapters include nucleocytoplasmic viruses (very large DNA viruses), replication of viroids and COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2.

The ongoing global climate change triggered by greenhouse gas growth has had a significant effect on the microbial dynamics of plants and soils. This volume explores the various microbial responses of plants and soils caused directly or indirectly by climate change resulting from rising greenhouse gases and other factors. The book considers the rapidly changing environment and the important role of microbiomes in restoring soil and plant health and in creating sustainable approaches. It discusses the adaptation and mitigation of plants and soils, specifically addressing such topics as biogeochemical processes, antimicrobial resistance, the dynamics of bacteria and fungus in extreme environments, bacterial siderophores for sustainability, and more. The volume also looks at edaphic and regeneration performance of tree species in the temperate forests.

*A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021* Tim Moore, the author of the Sunday Times bestselling French Revolutions, completes his epic (and ill-advised) trilogy of cycling's Grand Tours. Julian Berrendero's victory in the 1941 Vuelta a Espana was an extraordinary exercise in sporting redemption: the Spanish cyclist had just spent 18 months in Franco's concentration camps, punishment for expressing Republican sympathies during the civil war. Seventy nine years later, perennially over-ambitious cyclo-adventurer Tim Moore developed a fascination with Berrendero's story, and having borrowed an old road bike with the great man's name plastered all over it, set off to retrace the 4,409km route of his 1941 triumph - in the midst of a global pandemic. What follows is a tale of brutal heat and lonely roads, of glory, humiliation, and then a bit more humiliation. Along the way Tim recounts the civil war's still-vivid tragedies, and finds the gregarious but impressively responsible locals torn between welcoming their nation's only foreign visitor, and bundling him and his filthy bike into a vat of antiviral gel. 'Bill Bryson on two wheels' Independent

As this book. Antibacterial Peptide Protocols, will attest, my enthusi asm for the field of antibacterial peptides is based on a conviction (and I am unashamed to say, prejudice) that these substances are in essence antibiotics produced by the host that then participate in host defense against infectious agents. Because of their capacity to exert antibiotic-like action against patho genic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses), there is reason to believe that these agents will soon be used clinically to treat infectious diseases. In fact, in recent years, biotechnology companies have been formed for the sole purpose of developing antibacterial peptides for clinical use. It should be emphasized that antibacterial peptides will likely play a major role in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly with the increasing prob lem of multidrug-resistant microbes and the relative dearth of new antibiotics being provided by pharmaceutical companies. The topic of this volume of Methods in Molecular Biology, the diverse methods used in research on antibacterial peptides, is thus quite timely. As the subject of antibacterial peptides develops into its own discipline (something strongly suggested by the explosion in the number of papers published over the past decade), it is essential that reliable techniques and strategies be made available not only to those of us in the field, but also to the newcomers and researchers in complementary disciplines."

A compilation of up to date reviews of topics in biotechnology and medical field.

Diet, Microbiome and Health, Volume 11, in the Handbook of Food Bioengineering series, presents the most up-to-date research to help scientists, researchers and students in the field of food engineering understand the different microbial species we have in our guts, why they are important to human development, immunity and health, and how to use that understanding to further promote research to create healthy food products. In addition, the book provides studies that clearly demonstrate how dietary preferences and social behavior significantly impact the diversity of microbial species in the gut and their numeric values, which may balance health and disease.

The new series "Microbiology Monographs" begins with two volumes on intracellular components in prokaryotes. In this first volume, "Inclusions in Prokaryotes," the components, labeled inclusions, are defined as discrete bodies resulting from synthesis of a metabolic product. Research on the biosynthesis and reutilization of the accumulated materials is still in progress, and interest in the inclusions is growing. This comprehensive volume provides historical background and comprehensive reviews of eight well-known prokaryotic inclusions.

The depletion of fossil fuel reserves and concerns for environmental degradation due to the fossil fuel burning have led the scientific community to look for alternative renewable energy sources. Among the available renewable energy sources, bioenergy derived from biomass and waste resources have great potential to not only prevent environmental pollution but also be a carbon neutral energy source. In addition, adaptation of this technology could streamline new green products, alternative energy sources into real-world applications and promote a circular economy towards zero-waste approach. This book tries to bridge the existing knowledge gap in the area of bioenergy resources. The first two chapters provide introduction to the anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies and direct interspecies electron transfer in AD. The next three chapters are on biomass pretreatment technologies for process improvement. The sixth to eighth chapter discuses biogas and other by-product production from specific wastes such from dairy, food and agricultural solid waste. The following two chapters focuses on the downstream processing of anaerobic digestate and on biochar production. Integration of AD in biorefineries using bioelectrochemical systems, syngas fermentation and electricity production are discussed in the next three chapters. The final two chapters elaborates on life cycle assessment of AD based technologies.

Viruses that are pathogenic to beneficial insects and other arthropods cause millions of dollars of damage every year to industries, such as sericulture, apiculture, and aquaculture (e.g. infecting honeybees and silk worms). On the other hand, viruses that are pathogenic to insect pests can be exploited as attractive biological control agents. Another fascinating feature of these viruses is that some, e.g. baculoviruses, have been commercially exploited for use as gene expression and delivery vectors in both insect and mammalian cells. All of these factors have led to an explosion in the amount of research into insect viruses in recent years, generating impressive quantities of information on the molecular and cellular biology of these viruses. This timely book reviews the exciting new developments in the field of insect virology. Written by internationally renowned insect virologists, the chapters review the current molecular biology of all the major groups of insect pathogenic viruse

Rhodococcus are metabolically versatile actinobacteria frequently found in the environment with potential applications in bioremediation, biotransformations and biocatalysis, among other biotechnological processes. These microorganisms are currently the subject of research in many countries of the world. The number of publications and patents on rhodococci has intensified significantly within the last years. In this context, the knowledge acquired during the last decade about basic aspects of Rhodococcus biology is significant and promising about their future prospects. Several genomic projects of Rhodococcus members are now available and in progress through public and private efforts due to the increasing interest in their use for biotechnology. The large Rhodococcus genomes containing a multiplicity of catabolic genes, a high genetic redundancy of biosynthetic pathways and a sophisticated regulatory network reflect the complexity of Rhodococcus biology. The combination of functional genomics studies with biochemical and physiological knowledge is providing new insights, which will enable the biotechnological use of rhodococci. This Microbiology Monographs volume provides a thorough review of many aspects of biochemistry, physiology and genetics of Rhodococcus, in the context of new genomic information. Expert international scientists contributed with reviews on the extraordinary capability of Rhodococcus genus for biodegradation of diverse compounds and bioremediation, biosynthesis of lipids and biosurfactants, adaptation and tolerance to solvents, interaction with metals and biotechnological applications. Chapters dealing with taxonomy, genomes and plasmids, and oligotrophic and central metabolism are also included in this volume. Moreover, the book includes basic aspects of the phytopathogenic R. fascians.

Listeria monocytogenes is still a major threat to public health. A new book in the Methods in Molecular Biology series, Listeria monocytogenes: Methods and Protocols addresses its titular pathogen with protocols and methodologies used in research to gain a better understanding of Listeria at a molecular level. The topics covered include sampling in order to isolate Listeria, methods for their identification and characterization, methods for gene manipulation and finally, methods for control of the organism. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective subjects, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Vital and authoritative, Listeria monocytogenes: Methods and Protocols aims to contribute to the harmonization of the methods used in the field and will therefore benefit all those interested in Listeria research.

This book series focuses on current progress in the broad field of medical microbiology, and covers both basic and applied topics related to the study of microbes, their interactions with human and animals, and emerging issues relevant for public health. Original research and review articles present and discuss multidisciplinary findings and developments on various aspects of microbiology, infectious diseases, and their diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health is a subseries of Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, which has been publishing significant contributions in the field for over 30 years and is indexed in Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Biological Abstracts, CSA, Biological Sciences and Living Resources (ASFA-1), and Biological Sciences. 2018 Impact Factor: 2.126.

This book highlights important aspects of food biotechnology. It is very thoughtfully divided into five sections. The first section introduces the readers to food biotechnology and discusses functional foods, use of plant and animal biotechnology in improving food quality. The second section deals with food microbiology and includes topics such as application of microbial surfactants, use of probiotics, beneficial microorganisms used in food industry etc. The third section describes important macro and micromolecules in foods. It includes chapters on food enzymes, gluten free formulations, use of biopolymers, biofortification of food and other important topics. The next section discusses novel technologies such as use of nanotechnology in food industry, reverse micelle techniques, genome editing in food crops etc. The book culminates with a section on food quality and management. It describes important topics about biosafety and regulatory issues in food biotechnology. This book is meant for students, researchers and course instructors in food science, food technology and biotechnology. It is also useful for industry experts in the area of food technology.