Global food security is increasingly challenging in light of population increase, the impact of climate change on crop production, and limited land available for agricultural expansion. Plant breeding and other agricultural technologies have contributed considerably for food and nutritional security over the last few decades. Genetic engineering approaches are powerful tools that we have at our disposal to overcome substantial obstacles in the way of efficiency and productivity of current agricultural practices. Genome engineering via CRISPR/Cas9, Cpf1, base editing and prime editing, and OMICs through genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, phenomics, an metabolomics have  helped to discover underlying mechanisms controlling traits of economic importance.      Principle and Practices of OMICs and Genome Editing for Crop Improvement provides recent research from eminent scholars from around the world, from various geographical regions, with established expertise on genome editing and OMICs technologies. This book offers a wide range of information on OMICs techniques and their applications to develop biotic, abiotic and climate resilient crops, metabolomics and next generation sequencing for sustainable crop production, integration bioinformatics, and multi-omics for precision plant breeding. Other topics include application of genome editing technologies for food and nutritional security, speed breeding, hybrid seed production, resource use efficiency, epigenetic modifications, transgene free breeding, database and bioinformatics for genome editing, and regulations adopted by various countries around globe for genome edited crops. Both OMICs and genome editing are vigorously utilized by researchers for crop improvement programs; however, there is limited literature available in a single source. This book provides a valuable resource not only for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level but also for researchers, stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the potential of genome editing and OMICs for crop improvement programs.

Access to food with enough calories and nutrients is a fundamental right of every human. The global population has exceeded 7.8 billion and is expected to pass 10 billion by 2055. Such rapid population increase presents a great challenge for food supply. More grain production is needed to provide basic calories for humans. Thus, it is crucial to produce 60-110% more food to fill the gap between food production and the demand of future generations. Meanwhile food nutritional values are of increasing interest to accommodate industrialized modern lives. The instability of food production caused by global climate change presents another great challenge. The global warming rate has become more rapid in recent decades, with more frequent extreme climate change including higher temperatures, drought, and floods. Our world faces various unprecedented scenarios such as rising temperatures, which causes melting glaciers and the resulting various biotic and abiotic stresses, ultimately leading to food scarcity. In these circumstances it is of utmost importance to examine the genetic basis and extensive utilization of germplasm to develop "climate resilient cultivars" through the application of plant breeding and biotechnological tools. Future crops must adapt to these new and unpredictable environments. Crop varieties resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses are also needed as plant disease, insects, drought, high- and low-temperature stresses are expected to be impacted by climate change. Thus, we need a food production system that can simultaneously satisfy societal demands and long-term development. Since the Green Revolution in the 1960s, farming has been heavily dependent on high input of nitrogen and pesticides. This leads to environmental pollution which is not sustainable in the long run. Therefore, a new breeding scheme is urgently needed to enable sustainable agriculture; including new strategies to develop varieties and crops that have high yield potential, high yield stability, and superior grain quality and nutrition while also using less consumption of water, fertilizer, and chemicals in light of environmental protection. While we face these challenges, we also have great opportunities, especially with flourishing developments in omics technologies. High-quality reference genomes are becoming available for a larger number of species, with some species having more than one reference genome. The genome-wide re-sequencing of diverse varieties enables the identification of core- and pan-genomes. An integration of omics data will enable a rapid and high-throughput identification of many genes simultaneously for a relevant trait. This will change our current research paradigm fundamentally from single gene analysis to pathway or network analysis. This will also expand our understanding of crop domestication and improvement. In addition, with the knowledge gained from omics data, in combination with new technologies like targeted gene editing, we can breed new varieties and crops for sustainable agriculture.

Recent trends in globalization have conclusively demonstrated that economic and socio-political problems of the 21st century would need to be confronted in the context of the inter-dependent nature of the world and its inhabitants. The emerging global economic order has once again brought capitalism and its principal actor, the large multinational corporation, to the apex of social institutions. The 23 papers represent a diversity of viewpoints and are indicative of one of the major goals, i.e., to create a meaningful discourse that goes beyond rhetoric. Instead, it emphasizes a search for feasible solutions in the context of real world problems, resource constraints, and human frailties. Previously Published in the Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 87 Supplement 1, 2009

This book undertakes an in-depth study and a systematic analysis of the workings of the Sullivan Principles and their impact on: (a) the operations of the US corporation in South Africa; (b) the process of the dismantling of apartheid and creation of a non-racial, democratic government in South Africa; and (c) the actions of multinational corporations from other countries and large South African corporations in emulating the behavior of US multinational corporations and thereby enlarging their impact through a multiplier effect. The over-arching objective of this book is to learn from the experience of the Sullivan Principles, and interpret how this experience might be translated into developing 'rules of the game' and 'codes of business ethics' as large multinational corporations continue to confront the issues of human rights, living and working conditions of workers in their overseas manufacturing operations, and where there is constant pressure on the corporations to pay more attention to environmental protection, sustainable growth, and preservation of biodiversity.Furthermore, the ethical conduct of multinational corporations and transparency in their dealings with important stakeholders is an increasing concern. The authors bring to this analysis their combined experience of more than fifteen years working with business corporations, non-governmental organizations, and other segments of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa during the formulation and implementation of the Sullivan Principles. In addition, they have been engaged in extensive research, teaching, and consultation on various aspects of business ethics and global codes of conduct. The analytical framework created by the authors will help multinational corporations to understand societal expectations of business within a normative, economic, and contextual framework, and to evaluate the likelihood of success or failure of various strategic options and implementation formats that might be available for use in a given situation.

Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestle and the Infant Formula Controversy presents an in-depth analysis of the infant formula controversy and the resulting international boycott of Nestle products launched by various social activist groups and church organizations. The actions of those groups culminated in the passage of the first international marketing code under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Based on exhaustive and unique research, the book details the Nestle case and uses it to analyze a number of other major issues bearing on contemporary business strategy and operations in the national and international arena. Issues addressed include: The rising phenomenon of social activism and its affect on public opinion and public policy; The changing role of churches and other religious groups and their impact on corporate strategy and behavior; The emergence of UN affiliated international bodies, as both arbiters and regulators of market conduct of multinational corporations; The changing dynamics between multinational corporations and host countries; The factors which determine a company's behavior and its ability to adapt to changing societal expectations. GBP/LISTGBP Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: Nestle and the Infant Formula Controversy presents a microcosm of business society conflicts being played out in all parts of the world. This scholarly book will be of great interest to academics in the areas of management, business ethics, social conflict, and international regulation. It will also appeal to a broad corporate and government audience and to anyone interested in contemporary world affairs and the increasing globalization of socio-economic conflicts.

religious values at the office door. Apartheid was an evil, and business had great power in South Africa. Where there is power, there is also responsibil ity. I prayed about this long and hard. I pushed the companies as much as I thought I could. There were advances and there were setbacks, but finally we prevailed and the Blacks of South Africa secured their freedom. My effort in behalf of the Sullivan Principles was only one of a number of significant efforts of the anti-apartheid movement. All of those other efforts must be recognized, as well. The Sullivan Principles and the manner in which they were implemented in South Africa were in the nature of a grand experiment in the sociopolitical change and economic uplifting of the Black people of South Africa. What is even more important is that the Principles were driven by an ethical and moral imperative, and were voluntarily implemented by a group of enlight ened United States multinational corporations. No grand design or vision is ever perfect. We fall prey to human follies, limited understanding of the future, and necessary compromises to seek not what is perfect but what is possible. Thus, any such effort is subject to criticism from those who seek ideological purity and those who seek to minimize the impact of change from the status quo . ."

Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: NestlA(c) and the Infant Formula Controversy presents an in-depth analysis of the infant formula controversy and the resulting international boycott of NestlA(c) products launched by various social activist groups and church organizations. The actions of those groups culminated in the passage of the first international marketing code under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Based on exhaustive and unique research, the book details the NestlA(c) case and uses it to analyze a number of other major issues bearing on contemporary business strategy and operations in the national and international arena. Issues addressed include: The rising phenomenon of social activism and its affect on public opinion and public policy; The changing role of churches and other religious groups and their impact on corporate strategy and behavior; The emergence of UN affiliated international bodies, as both arbiters and regulators of market conduct of multinational corporations; The changing dynamics between multinational corporations and host countries; The factors which determine a company's behavior and its ability to adapt to changing societal expectations. A/LISTA Multinational Corporations and the Impact of Public Advocacy on Corporate Strategy: NestlA(c) and the Infant Formula Controversy presents a microcosm of business society conflicts being played out in all parts of the world. This scholarly book will be of great interest to academics in the areas of management, business ethics, social conflict, and international regulation. It will also appeal to a broad corporate and government audience and to anyoneinterested in contemporary world affairs and the increasing globalization of socio-economic conflicts.

Global food security is increasingly challenging in light of population increase, the impact of climate change on crop production, and limited land available for agricultural expansion. Plant breeding and other agricultural technologies have contributed considerably for food and nutritional security over the last few decades. Genetic engineering approaches are powerful tools that we have at our disposal to overcome substantial obstacles in the way of efficiency and productivity of current agricultural practices. Genome engineering via CRISPR/Cas9, Cpf1, base editing and prime editing, and OMICs through genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, phenomics, an metabolomics have helped to discover underlying mechanisms controlling traits of economic importance. Principle and Practices of OMICs and Genome Editing for Crop Improvement provides recent research from eminent scholars from around the world, from various geographical regions, with established expertise on genome editing and OMICs technologies. This book offers a wide range of information on OMICs techniques and their applications to develop biotic, abiotic and climate resilient crops, metabolomics and next generation sequencing for sustainable crop production, integration bioinformatics, and multi-omics for precision plant breeding. Other topics include application of genome editing technologies for food and nutritional security, speed breeding, hybrid seed production, resource use efficiency, epigenetic modifications, transgene free breeding, database and bioinformatics for genome editing, and regulations adopted by various countries around globe for genome edited crops. Both OMICs and genome editing are vigorously utilized by researchers for crop improvement programs; however, there is limited literature available in a single source. This book provides a valuable resource not only for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level but also for researchers, stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the potential of genome editing and OMICs for crop improvement programs.

This is a concise, systematic and complete treatment of the design and construction of pile foundations. Discusses pile behavior under various loadings and types of piles and their installation, including consideration of soil parameters. It provides step--by--step design procedures for piles subject to vertical loading and pullout, lateral, inclined and eccentric loads, or dynamic loads, and for piles in permafrost. Also describes load test procedures and their interpretation and buckling of long, slender piles with and without supported length. The closing chapter presents case histories of prediction and performance of piles and pile groups. Includes numerous solved problems.

What is the mechanism of the origin of phonon anomalies? Is there any relationship between the phonon anomalies and the structural phase transition? Do the magnetic interactions also contribute significantly to these anomalous characteristics? At least some of the questions, if not all, can be answered by an appropriate microscopic theory of lattice vibrations of these materials. This book examines the central questions mentioned above and their possible solutions with particular reference to transition metals, rare earth metals, their compounds and alloys. The book coherently presents the microscopic theories which have been developed in the last four decades. The available experimental data are presented with an emphasis on their anomalous features