Synthetic Peptide Vaccine Models
A new generation of technological vaccines protect against many infectious diseases. This book describes synthetic peptide-based vaccine prototypes - the future of vaccination. The book illustrates the use of peptides vaccine systems and makes predictions of future development.
RNA, the Epicenter of Genetic Information
The origin story and emergence of molecular biology is muddled. The early triumphs in bacterial genetics and the complexity of animal and plant genomes complicate an intricate history. This book documents the many advances, as well as the prejudices and founder fallacies.
Modeling and Simulation of Lipid Membranes
Cell membranes are complex structures able to contain the main elements of the cell and to protect them from the external surroundings, becoming the most fundamental interface in Biology. The main subject of this book is the study of the structure and characteristics of lipid membranes in a wide variety of environments, ranging from simple phospholipid membranes to complex systems including proteins, peptides, or oncogenes as well as the analysis of the interactions of the membrane components with small molecules and drugs. The scope of this book is to provide recent developments on membrane structure, composition and function by means of theoretical and experimental techniques, some of them combining computer simulations with available data obtained at the laboratory.This Special Issue aims to report brand new key contributions to the field and also to give an overview about the connection between experiments and computer simulations, addressing fundamental aspects and applied research in biological membranes, with particular attention paid to the applications of computer modeling and simulation to medicine.
The Oral Microbiome
This volume discusses the oral microbiome, and oral and systemic health. The chapters in this book cover topics such as analytical techniques for identifying and measuring oral bacteria; strategies for controlling common sources of variability in oral microbiome methods for viral bacterial and fungal analysis; ways to study oral DNA and RNA samples to identify molecular pathways to disease; approaches to functional assays for oral bacteriophage, antibiotic purging of systemic bacteria; and metaproteomic analysis of various oral samples. 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. Cutting-edge and practical, The Oral Microbiome: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for any scientist or researcher looking to further study this exciting and developing field.
Computational Thinking for Life Scientists
Computational thinking is increasingly gaining importance in modern biology, due to the unprecedented scale at which data is nowadays produced. Bridging the cultural gap between the biological and computational sciences, this book serves as an accessible introduction to computational concepts for students in the life sciences. It focuses on teaching algorithmic and logical thinking, rather than just the use of existing bioinformatics tools or programming. Topics are presented from a biological point of view, to demonstrate how computational approaches can be used to solve problems in biology such as biological image processing, regulatory networks, and sequence analysis. The book contains a range of pedagogical features to aid understanding, including real-world examples, in-text exercises, end-of-chapter problems, colour-coded Python code, and 'code explained' boxes. User-friendly throughout, Computational Thinking for Life Scientists promotes the thinking skills and self-efficacy required for any modern biologist to adopt computational approaches in their research with confidence.
Computational Thinking for Life Scientists
Computational thinking is increasingly gaining importance in modern biology, due to the unprecedented scale at which data is nowadays produced. Bridging the cultural gap between the biological and computational sciences, this book serves as an accessible introduction to computational concepts for students in the life sciences. It focuses on teaching algorithmic and logical thinking, rather than just the use of existing bioinformatics tools or programming. Topics are presented from a biological point of view, to demonstrate how computational approaches can be used to solve problems in biology such as biological image processing, regulatory networks, and sequence analysis. The book contains a range of pedagogical features to aid understanding, including real-world examples, in-text exercises, end-of-chapter problems, colour-coded Python code, and 'code explained' boxes. User-friendly throughout, Computational Thinking for Life Scientists promotes the thinking skills and self-efficacy required for any modern biologist to adopt computational approaches in their research with confidence.
Understanding Race
The human species is very young, but in a short time it has acquired some striking, if biologically superficial, variations across the planet. As this book shows, however, none of those biological variations can be understood in terms of discrete races, which do not actually exist as definable entities. Starting with a consideration of evolution and the mechanisms of diversification in nature, this book moves to an examination of attitudes to human variation throughout history, showing that it was only with the advent of slavery that considerations of human variation became politicized. It then embarks on a consideration of how racial classifications have been applied to genomic studies, demonstrating how individualized genomics is a much more effective approach to clinical treatments. It also shows how racial stratification does nothing to help us understand the phenomenon of human variation, at either the genomic or physical levels.
Understanding Cancer
One in two of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives and yet many of us don't understand how cancers arise. How many different kinds of cancer are there? What treatments are available? What does the future hold in terms of developing new therapies? This book demystifies cancer by explaining the underlying cell and molecular biology in a clear and accessible style. It answers the questions commonly asked about cancer such as what causes cancer and how cancer develops. It explains how DNA makes proteins and how mutations can corrupt those proteins. It also gives an overview of current therapies and how treatments may advance over the next decades, as well as explaining what actions we can take to help prevent cancer developing. Understanding Cancer is an accessible and engaging introduction to cancer biology for any interested reader.
Understanding Cancer
One in two of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives and yet many of us don't understand how cancers arise. How many different kinds of cancer are there? What treatments are available? What does the future hold in terms of developing new therapies? This book demystifies cancer by explaining the underlying cell and molecular biology in a clear and accessible style. It answers the questions commonly asked about cancer such as what causes cancer and how cancer develops. It explains how DNA makes proteins and how mutations can corrupt those proteins. It also gives an overview of current therapies and how treatments may advance over the next decades, as well as explaining what actions we can take to help prevent cancer developing. Understanding Cancer is an accessible and engaging introduction to cancer biology for any interested reader.
Thoughts on the Origin of Life
Essays are a means of putting one's thoughts on paper. So this book reflects that now my thoughts, though still steeped deeply in science, tend mostly to religion. In the title essay, trying to make a case for the creation of the human soul, I felt it necessary to show my background knowledge of the relevant science. The same logic applies to the short essay on water, but I get more philosophical in the third essay about the difference between humans and other animals. My philosophy becomes more personal in the two essays on theological virtues and birth control. I hesitate to call the final item in this collection an essay, because it is largely a quote of my father's diary. However, I include it because of its relevance to current huge world problems with refugees and totalitarianism.Radmila Boruvka Raikow was born in Prague. Her mother was still postpartum in a hospital when the Nazi's marched into that grand old city. After the war, her family, managed to escape from Soviet occupied Czechoslovakia and migrated to the USA. There, thanks to her family's support, she received a good education (crowned with a PhD in genetics from UC, Berkeley) and married a native-born American, a fellow student of science, with whom she had two children. She spent twenty five years in biological research, and in retirement has turned to popular writing. Her three publications (Heterosis, Where Is My Home and Mind Control) are short novels. This is her first non-fiction book.
Ocean Noise
Scientific and societal concern about the effects of underwater sound on marine ecosystems is growing. While iconic megafauna was of initial concern, more and more taxa are being included. Some countries have joined in multi-national initiatives to measure, monitor and mitigate environmental impacts of ocean noise at large, trans-boundary spatial scales. Approaches to regulating ocean noise change as new scientific evidence becomes available, but may also differ by country. The OCEANOISE conference series has provided a platform for the exchange of scientific results, management approaches, research needs, stakeholder concerns, etc. Attendees have represented various sectors, including academia, offshore industry, defence, NGOs, consultants and government regulators. The published articles in the Special Issue cover a range of topics and applications central to ocean noise.
Enhancers and Promoters
This volume contains cutting-edge techniques to study the function of enhancers and promoters in depth. Chapters are divided into six sections and describe enhancer-promoter transcripts, nucleosome occupancy, DNA accessibility, chromatin interactions, protein-DNA interactions, functional analyses, and DNA methylation assays. Written in the Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include comprehensive introductions, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step laboratory protocols, and useful suggestions for troubleshooting.Authoritative and cutting-edge, Enhancers and Promoters: Methods and Protocols is a useful guide for future experiments.Chapters 4 and 11 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors and, in a joint publication introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding.Inside you will read about...Early Life and EducationRound the World Aboard the BeagleDarwin's Evolutionary TheoryLife Leading Up to MarriageEvolutionary ResearchThe Theory of Natural SelectionDarwin's Post-Publication LifeBearing this in mind, while it was indeed Darwin who stoked the fire, he is not the hardcore, deity-despising atheist who obsessed about disproving God that most presume him to be. What lies within this fascinating man is a complicated, neurotic, and somewhat tortured individual, which, needless to say, only makes this pioneer all the more compelling.
Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
bVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring /b Bacteria form a fundamental branch of life. They are the oldest forms of life as we know it, and they are still the most prolific living organisms. They inhabit every part of the Earth's surface, its ocean depths, and even terrains such as boiling hot springs. They are most familiar as agents of disease, but benign bacteria are critical to the recycling of elements and all ecology, as well as to human health. In this Very Short Introduction, Sebastian G. B. Amyes explores the nature of bacteria, their origin and evolution, bacteria in the environment, and bacteria and disease. In this new edition, he examines the ethical implications of synthetic bacteria, the evolving technologies used to combat antibiotics resistance, and the role bacteria play in the evolutionary development of humans. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Microbiomes: A Very Short Introduction
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The term 'microbiomes' encapsulates an important scientific breakthrough of recent years. This is the realization that humans, other animals, and plants harbour communities of microorganisms which are mostly beneficial but can occasionally cause or exacerbate disease. Our quickly developing understanding of microbiomes is being translated into novel microbial therapies for human disease and is contributing to sustainable practices in agriculture and food production. On the flipside, there is a growing concern that some claims for microbiomes, especially in relation to human health, far exceed the scientific data. This Very Short Introduction is an essential guide to the fast-moving discipline of microbiome science. It accessibly distills the key facts about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health and wellbeing depend on them, and provides readers with the fundamental knowledge they need to judge the reliability of claims about microbiome-based applications. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The Applied Anatomy of the Nervous System
The Applied Anatomy of the Nervous System is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1881. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.
Precision Poultry Farming
This book presents the latest advances in applications of continuous, objective, and automated sensing technologies and computer tools for sustainable and efficient poultry production, and it offers solutions to the poultry industry to address challenges in terms of poultry management, the environment, nutrition, automation and robotics, health, welfare assessment, behavior monitoring, waste management, etc. The reader will find original research papers that address, on a global scale, the sustainability and efficiency of the poultry industry and explore the above-mentioned areas through applications of PPF solutions in poultry meat and egg production
Marine Surfactants
This book explores the development of novel marine biosurfactants. The book also covers the utilization of marine surfactants for biological, biomedical, and environmental applications
Bioinformatics and Machine Learning for Cancer Biology
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, claiming millions of lives each year. Cancer biology is an essential research field to understand how cancer develops, evolves, and responds to therapy. By taking advantage of a series of "omics" technologies (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics), computational methods in bioinformatics and machine learning can help scientists and researchers to decipher the complexity of cancer heterogeneity, tumorigenesis, and anticancer drug discovery. Particularly, bioinformatics enables the systematic interrogation and analysis of cancer from various perspectives, including genetics, epigenetics, signaling networks, cellular behavior, clinical manifestation, and epidemiology. Moreover, thanks to the influx of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data in the postgenomic era and multiple landmark cancer-focused projects, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), machine learning has a uniquely advantageous role in boosting data-driven cancer research and unraveling novel methods for the prognosis, prediction, and treatment of cancer.
Nature's Wild Ideas
A lively and endlessly fascinating deep-dive into nature and the many groundbreaking human inventions inspired by the wild. "Delightful."-The Guardian"Fans of Helen Scales won't want to miss this."--Publishers Weekly STARRED ReviewWhen astronomers wanted a telescope that could capture X-rays from celestial bodies, they looked to the lobster. When doctors wanted a medication that could stabilize Type II diabetic patients, they found their muse in a lizard. When scientists wanted to drastically reduce emissions in cement manufacturing, they observed how corals construct their skeletons in the sea. This is biomimicry in action: taking inspiration from nature to tackle human challenges.In Nature's Wild Ideas, Kristy Hamilton goes behind the scenes of some of our most unexpected innovations. She traverses frozen waterfalls, treks through cloudy forests, discovers nests in the Mojave desert, scours intertidal zones and takes us to the deepest oceans and near volcanoes to introduce us to the animals and plants that have inspired everything from cargo routing systems to non-toxic glues, and the men and women who followed that first spark of "I wonder" all the way to its conclusion, sometimes against all odds. While the joy of scientific discovery is front and center, Nature's Wild Ideas is also a love letter to nature--complete with a deep message of conservation: If we are to continue learning from the creatures around us, we must protect their untamed homelands.
Origins
Origins: Speak to the Earth is an anthology of scientific evidence supporting a creation / global flood / young earth worldview. It is written primarily for students as an alternative to the theory of evolution. God himself formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he did not create it a waste place [he created it not in vain], he formed it to be inhabited. (Isaiah 45:18)
Origins
Origins: Speak to the Earth is an anthology of scientific evidence supporting a creation / global flood / young earth worldview. It is written primarily for students as an alternative to the theory of evolution. God himself formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he did not create it a waste place [he created it not in vain], he formed it to be inhabited. (Isaiah 45:18)
New Insights on Biofilm Antimicrobial Strategies, 2nd Volume
In biofilms, microorganisms are able to communicate together and assemble by themselves, creating a consortium with different properties from the original free-floating microorganisms. In fact, biofilm cells bind strongly to a living or non-living surface, enclosed in a self-produced extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular polymeric substances. One benefit of this lifestyle is the increased resistance or tolerance to antimicrobial agents (e.g., antibiotics). Hence, research on the development of alternative strategies to prevent and control biofilms is highly relevant for society in terms of human health, industry and the environment. Different approaches to prevent or control biofilms using antibiotic alternative strategies were submitted to this Special Issue.
Selected Papers from the 8th International Conference of Biotechnologies, Present and Perspectives
The Special Issue reprint presents the latest developments in the food industry field, with a specific focus on the biotechnological processes that take place in various branches of the food industry, which have major implications in determining the overall quality of food products. This Special Issue capitalizes the experience of the authors in the latest advancements and future trends in biotechnologies from the food industry, applied engineering sciences, food product quality, food safety, environment protection, and equipment for the food industry.
Advances in Primary Progressive Aphasia
Primary progressive aphasia is a clinical syndrome that includes a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive language impairment. Our knowledge about this disorder has evolved significantly in recent years. Notably, correlations between clinical findings and pathology have improved, and main clinical, neuroimaging, and genetic features have been described. Furthermore, primary progressive aphasia is a good model for the study of brain-behavior relationships, and has contributed to the knowledge of the neural basis of language functioning. However, there are many open questions remaining. For instance, classification into three variants (non-fluent, semantic, and logopenic) is under debate; further data about epidemiology and natural history of the diseases are needed; and, as in other neurodegenerative disorders, successful therapies are lacking.The Guest Editors expect that this book can be very useful for scholars.
The Human Experiment
Is warfare a uniquely human behavior? Do you know how many human races there are? Have you ever wondered how evolution can be both a fact and a theory? How can we know about the distant past if we weren't there to witness it? How did we become who we are as a species, and what does that mean for other species and the rest of the planet? The Human Experiment: Origins and Evolution of Humanity touches on these and other big questions, and provides students with an introduction to what anthropologists know about the origins of the human condition. Topics include the study of anthropology; science, myth, religion and pseudoscience; evolution; common misconceptions about race; why anthropologists study nonhuman primates; and the emergence of biologically modern humans. Students learn about culture as human adaptation, peopling of the New World, the origins and consequences of food production, civilizations, and global warming. Designed to help students better understand the evolution of humankind, The Human Experiment is an ideal textbook for introductory anthropology courses. It provides a concise and accessible overview of the key developments in human prehistory and examples of how the knowledge of our shared past is continually being updated as new information is discovered.
Covid Chaos: What Happened and Why
COVID Chaos is a book about the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic that was written real time, spanning the time from March 31, 2020 through December 31, 2021, by two Emeritus Professors of Infectious Diseases (Adult - RJS, Pediatrics - JSA). RJS's and JSA's careers began with the HIV pandemic, involved collaboration with the 2009 Influenza pandemic, and now are finishing up with the Coronavirus pandemic. The authors have broad experience with outbreaks, from the local level (RJS had career long responsibilities for controlling outbreaks at medical school hospitals and worked taking care of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic), all the way up to the pandemic level (JSA wrote a book about the 2009 Influenza pandemic and has worked with the WHO for the past 10 years.The aim of the book is to give the reader some insight into the global impact of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak during the first two years, from multiple perspectives (patient, healthcare provider, global citizen, public health, economic, geopolitical). An attempt was also made to understand how SARS-CoV-2 caused disease, both its pathogenesis at the individual patient level, and globally, as to how it was so successful at causing a pandemic and how it compares with other organisms capable of causing outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics. It is written to be of interest to anyone who likes to read and wants to know more about what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and why.COVID Chaos was written by two infectious disease physicians, who each have over 35 years of experience caring for patients with a large variety of infectious diseases. Additionally, both did research in understanding the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, and collectively have many years of experience handling outbreaks at the local level, have been involved with guideline documents making recommendations for reducing infections at the national level, and have global experience managing international infectious diseases.The book begins with three first person accounts from physicians involved in COVID-19 care during the early pandemic, when it was overwhelming hospitals.It then tracks its course from Wuhan, China, to other parts of the world, while comparing and contrasting public health interventions, both at the hospital and local community level, all the way up to country level.The book attempts to understand the broad spectrum of COVID-19 disease, both clinically and pathophysiologically, as well as its global collateral damage. It explores in depth SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development, testing and the geopolitical problems with vaccine deployment, and attempts to understand the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and its place in the pantheon of other organisms causing pandemics.The book concludes with some late breaking pandemic events at the end of 2021 (Omicron variant, etc.) and a global photo essay about the pandemic.
Covid Chaos: What Happened and Why
COVID Chaos is a book about the 2019 SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic that was written real time, spanning the time from March 31, 2020 through December 31, 2021, by two Emeritus Professors of Infectious Diseases (Adult - RJS, Pediatrics - JSA). RJS's and JSA's careers began with the HIV pandemic, involved collaboration with the 2009 Influenza pandemic, and now are finishing up with the Coronavirus pandemic. The authors have broad experience with outbreaks, from the local level (RJS had career long responsibilities for controlling outbreaks at medical school hospitals and worked taking care of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic), all the way up to the pandemic level (JSA wrote a book about the 2009 Influenza pandemic and has worked with the WHO for the past 10 years.The aim of the book is to give the reader some insight into the global impact of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak during the first two years, from multiple perspectives (patient, healthcare provider, global citizen, public health, economic, geopolitical). An attempt was also made to understand how SARS-CoV-2 caused disease, both its pathogenesis at the individual patient level, and globally, as to how it was so successful at causing a pandemic and how it compares with other organisms capable of causing outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics. It is written to be of interest to anyone who likes to read and wants to know more about what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and why.COVID Chaos was written by two infectious disease physicians, who each have over 35 years of experience caring for patients with a large variety of infectious diseases. Additionally, both did research in understanding the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, and collectively have many years of experience handling outbreaks at the local level, have been involved with guideline documents making recommendations for reducing infections at the national level, and have global experience managing international infectious diseases.The book begins with three first person accounts from physicians involved in COVID-19 care during the early pandemic, when it was overwhelming hospitals.It then tracks its course from Wuhan, China, to other parts of the world, while comparing and contrasting public health interventions, both at the hospital and local community level, all the way up to country level.The book attempts to understand the broad spectrum of COVID-19 disease, both clinically and pathophysiologically, as well as its global collateral damage. It explores in depth SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development, testing and the geopolitical problems with vaccine deployment, and attempts to understand the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and its place in the pantheon of other organisms causing pandemics.The book concludes with some late breaking pandemic events at the end of 2021 (Omicron variant, etc.) and a global photo essay about the pandemic.
Molecular Fluorescent Sensors for Cellular Studies
Molecular Fluorescent Sensors for Cellular Studies Enables readers to fully understand the fundamentals and chemical principles of fluorescent sensing and the design of fluorescent sensors Fluorescent sensors are able to provide specific chemical information about cells and can be invaluable in understanding processes that underpin health and disease. Molecular Fluorescent Sensors for Cellular Studies provides an avenue into and overview of currently available fluorescent sensing technology and its application to biological imaging. This book aims to help the reader understand the principles of fluorescence and the mechanisms by which fluorescent sensors operate in order to ensure appropriate and optimal use of sensors. Key applications of fluorescent sensing are presented, with explanations not only of how new sensors can be designed, but also how existing sensors can be applied to various biological settings and conditions. Clear and engaging schematics throughout the book explain chemical principles of sensing to the non-expert. Discusses the breadth of fluorescent sensors, from commercially available sensors to those reported in literature which are yet to be used widely Explains how fluorescent sensors operate for appropriate and optimal use from a theoretical standpoint Provides guidance on how to achieve optimal use of fluorescent sensors in practical settings Summarizes the principles behind fluorescent sensors and their design This work will be an invaluable resource for postgraduates and professionals in the fields of microscopy, bioimaging, and diagnostic imaging who wish to harness the information to improve practical applications and to gain key knowledge surrounding the many facets of fluorescent sensing. It is also of interest to medical and biological researchers working across industry, universities and medical institutes.
Human Evolution
Controversy over human evolution remains widespread. However, the human genome project and genetic sequencing of many other species have provided myriad precise and unambiguous genetic markers that establish our evolutionary relationships with other mammals. Human Evolution: Genes, Genealogies and Phylogenies identifies and explains these identifiable, rare and complex markers including endogenous retroviruses, genome-modifying transposable elements, gene-disabling mutations, segmental duplications and gene-enabling mutations. The new genetic tools also provide fascinating insights into when and how many features of human biology arose: from aspects of placental structure, vitamin C dependence and trichromatic vision, to tendencies to gout, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Bringing together a decade's worth of research and tying it together to provide an overwhelming argument for the mammalian ancestry of the human species, the book will be of interest to professional scientists and students in both the biological and biomedical sciences.
Human Origins
This book describes the origins of the Human species. It takes us through the stages of life from a single cell organism all the way to the emergence and evolution of humankind. In this book, it describes the major evolutionary processes that began here on Earth, which has lead, us to the discovery of the complex and diverse emergence of the many living and extinct creatures that have roamed the planet. The later chapters of the book focuses on the evolutionary changes of the human species from genetic variable adaptations and environmental stresses that lead to natural selection, giving rise to the vast array of Human hominids including modern humans.
Gregor Mendel - The Scientist
The major purpose of this book is to present Johann Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) in a real and interesting way based on the most recent historical research and analysis of authentic sources. The authors aim to show Mendel織s scientific thinking and inner feelings together with his environment and to communicate his message as a multifaceted personality and modern experimentalist.The book draws from the only existing short sketch of Mendel織s youth, his letters and the biographical ceiling paintings that were made according to his proposal. They form the basis of the self-portrait concept. The structure of the book follows thematic groups covering Mendel織s activities from a poor village boy in search for education and financial security, as not being physically suitable for running his father's farm. The book does not perpetuate the myths invented by some creative authors to make Mendel織s biography more attractive. Mendel織s life and work are dramatic enoughwithout those embellishments. Mendel found happiness in science and he was able to explain the theory of new scientific facts. He was not a tragic figure, he did not work to become famous, but to be useful. His pea research has now been appreciated as a genius accomplishment of a scientist. The book is published at the occasion of Mendel織s birthday bicentennial.
Cell-Free Circulating Dna: Purification and Analysis Techniques
Circulating cell-free DNA is poised to transform cancer diagnosis and care; however, it carries technical challenges such as low abundance, fragmentation and sensitivity to biospecimen handling. Development of clinically useful assays hinges on understanding the unique technical aspects of working with cell-free DNA as a substrate. This book provides an in-depth summary of the technical issues impacting cell-free DNA purification from blood plasma and analysis in a cancer context, including design of PCR assays, sequencing library preparation and methylation analysis. Emerging fields such as extracellular vesicles and blood nucleases are also covered, as well as basic biology and considerations pertinent to biobanking.
Synthetic Peptides and Peptidomimetics
This Special Issue, entitled "Synthetic Peptides and Peptidomimetics: From Basic Science to Biomedical Applications", has included both reviews and original research contributions focused on the chemical design and biomedical applications of structurally modified bioactive peptides. The papers collected show how successful this class of molecules still is, both as model molecules for studying the structure of proteins and as potential therapeutics and diagnostics, and also as laboratory tools for advanced basic and applied studies. The large scientific community working in this field is in fact very active and productive, and is making the most of the potential and versatility of these molecules to generate increasingly interesting and innovative molecules of therapeutic interest and to understand the fundamental molecular mechanisms of life.
MicroRNA and Cancer
MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that function as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and have important roles in almost all biological pathways. Deregulated miR expression has been detected in numerous cancers, where miRs act as both oncogene and tumor suppressors. Due to their important roles in tumorigenesis, miRs have been investigated as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers and as useful targets for therapeutic intervention. From a therapeutic point of view, two modalities can serve to rectify gene networks in cancer cells. For oncomiRs, a rational means is downregulation through antagomirs. Moreover, observations of the pathological reductions in tumor-suppressive miRs have inspired the concept of "miR replacement therapy" to enhance the amount of these miRs, thereby restoring them to normal levels. However, the clinical applicability of miR-based therapies is severely limited by the lack of effective delivery systems. Therefore, to understand the role of this new class of regulators, we need to identify the mRNA targets regulated by individual miRs as well as to develop specific, efficient, and safe delivery systems for therapeutic miRs.
Advances in Applied Microbiology
Advances in Applied Microbiology, Volume 119 continues the comprehensive reach of this widely read and authoritative review source in microbiology. Users will find invaluable references and information on a variety of areas relating to the topics of microbiology.
CRISPR-Cas Methods
This second volume provides new and updated methods detailing advancements in CRISPR-Cas technical protocols. Chapters guide readers through protocols on prime editing, base editing, multiplex editing, editing in cell-free extract, in silico analysis of gRNA secondary structure and CRISPR-diagnosis. Authoritative and cutting-edge, CRISPR-Cas Methods, Volume 2 aims to serves as a laboratory manual providing scientists with a holistic view of CRISPR-Cas methodologies and its practical application for the editing of crop plants, cell lines, nematode and microorganism.The chapter "CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in human induced pluripotent stem cells" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Nutritive Value, Polyphenolic Content, and Bioactive Constitution of Green, Red and Flowering Plants
Plants, including vegetables, are an essential element of the human diet, considering their dense nutritional content and bioactive content that could assist in boosting nutritional quality and food security. Plants are exhibiting a colossal rebound in the context of healthier lifestyles, especially as functional foods empowered with bioactive phytochemicals; they synthesize uncountable "ecochemicals" via secondary metabolism, which command medical and socioeconomic significance. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds are of prime interest and are largely present in medicinal plants, herbs, vegetables, and flowers. These metabolites are at the helm of the bitterness, color, and scent of plants, and are correlated to the beneficial health qualities expressed by the antioxidant capacity. The accretion of these health-promoting phytochemicals depends chiefly on the genetic material and the maturity stage at harvest, notwithstanding the main role that is played by preharvest factors, i.e., eustress, fertilization, irrigation, light, biostimulants, biofortification, and other agronomic practices. This Special Issue is a collection of 11 original research articles addressing the quality of seeds, microgreens, leafy vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, fruits, and byproducts. Mainly preharvest factors were assessed regarding their effect on the qualitative aspects of the aforementioned plants.
Evolution Fact or Fable?
This book distills twenty-five-plus years of personal study done by a Harvard Law-trained trial attorney to determine whether Darwin's big idea璽 "the notion that more complex species evolved from more simple ancestors璽 "is supported by the scientific evidence. Spoiler alert: it is not. Yet most Americans have been taught to believe that Darwin's theory has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt. Sadly, most people do not have nearly enough time to do the reading and study necessary to understand that this belief is false. This book changes all that. It is unique in that it presents technical information from more than a dozen important books in a form that is both brief and easily understood. Readers can learn a series of decisive truths about Darwin's big idea in just a few hours璽 ]truths that may well take them completely by surprise.
Applications of Instrumental Methods for Food and Food By-Products Analysis
The analysis of food and food by-products is a particularly important topic dealing with the development and application of various analytical procedures and methods determining the properties and safety of food and food constituents. It is an important tool not only for defining food quality but also for supporting the investigation of new food products and technologies. The continuous development of methodology and access to modern research equipment enable detailed research on the composition, structure, physicochemical properties, thermal characteristics, and stability of food products and, recently, also byproducts of the food industry, which are potentially a source of bioactive compounds and currently present little commercial value and are mostly disposed of as an industrial waste. It is imperative to identify the properties and potential applications of food by-products, which would fit in with current trends in circular ecology. Taking the aforementioned reasons into account, it is important to present procedures and instrumental analytical techniques and methods commonly used to analyze food and food processing byproducts and to discuss their application in food research to detect and characterize specific food components of significance to food science and technology, such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Sometimes Things Just Happen
The book has a very large scope, all creatures for all time; snowball earth, evolution of life forms, extinction events; and through tribal man, civilized man, and modern man. The book is not about solutions, but about choices. More than history, it covers why things happened, what it meant at the time and what it might mean in the future. It is a fun book looking at some events in a new way. i.e.. "The success of capitalism and free markets has resulted, as it must, in inequalities...which go against the man's millions of years of Trible living and preference for equal outcomes.
Propionic Acid Degradation by Syntrophic Bacteria During Anaerobic Biowaste Digestion
Propionic acid is an important intermediate produced during anaerobic degradation of biowaste and a precursor of a large amount of methane. Its accumulation during biomethanation is however a common problem resulting in stagnation phases in biogas production. During this study, the deeper insight into the process of propionic acid degradation was intended by using modern analytical chemistry, standard microbiological approach and molecular biology for describing and explaining the problem.
Phylogenetic Comparative Methods in R
An authoritative introduction to the latest comparative methods in evolutionary biology Phylogenetic comparative methods are a suite of statistical approaches that enable biologists to analyze and better understand the evolutionary tree of life, and shed vital new light on patterns of divergence and common ancestry among all species on Earth. This textbook shows how to carry out phylogenetic comparative analyses in the R statistical computing environment. Liam Revell and Luke Harmon provide an incisive conceptual overview of each method along with worked examples using real data and challenge problems that encourage students to learn by doing. By working through this book, students will gain a solid foundation in these methods and develop the skills they need to interpret patterns in the tree of life.Covers every major method of modern phylogenetic comparative analysis in RExplains the basics of R and discusses topics such as trait evolution, diversification, trait-dependent diversification, biogeography, and visualizationFeatures a wealth of exercises and challenge problemsServes as an invaluable resource for students and researchers, with applications in ecology, evolution, anthropology, disease transmission, conservation biology, and a host of other areasWritten by two of today's leading developers of phylogenetic comparative methods
Stress and Poverty
The word stress is everywhere and highly overused. Everyone is stressed, it seems, all the time. Looking into the meaning of stress in the natural science and the humanities, this book explores cellular stress as cause of and in correlation with what humans experience as stress. When do we psychologically feel stress and when do we show physiological evidence of stress in our brain? Stress is a deviation from what feels normal and healthy. It can be created by social or economic factors and become chronic, which has substantial impacts on the individual and society as a whole. Focusing on poverty as one chronic inducer of stress, this book explores how the lack of pressure-free time, the hardships and unpredictability of everyday life and a general lack of protection lead to destructive toxic stress. This pressure affects cognitive and social functioning, brain development during childhood and may also result in premature aging. How can the sciences informour understanding of and our response to stress? What can be done about toxic stress both on a personal level and in terms of structures and policies? The book is written for anyone interested in stress, its causes and consequences, and its relationship to poverty.
Metagenomic Futures
This book is an ethnographic exploration of what it means to be human from a more-than-human perspective, the microbial perspective.
Pluripotent Stem-Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes
This volume provides methodologies for ES and iPS cell technology on the study of cardiovascular diseases. Chapters guide readers through protocols on cardiomyocyte generation from pluripotent stem cells, physiological measurements, bioinformatic analysis, gene editing technology, and cell transplantation studies. 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, Pluripotent Stem-Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes aims to help researchers set up experiments using pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac cells.
Computational Design of Membrane Proteins
This volume provides an overview of the current successes as well as pitfalls and caveats that are hindering the design of membrane proteins. Divided into six parts, chapters detail membrane transporter, FoldX force field, protein stability, G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR) structures, transmembrane helices, membrane molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, pH-dependent protonation states, membrane permeability, and passive transport. 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, Computational Design of Membrane Proteins aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.Chapter 4 is available open access under a Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
