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This book aims to elucidate recent advancements in immunology, presenting a curated selection of topics not typically covered in conventional immunology textbooks. Each chapter features a comprehensive outline, an abstract, a glossary, and relevant figures, making this volume an accessible and user-friendly resource for seeking to enhance their understanding of these subjects. This publication will appeal to university researchers, R&D professionals, and graduate students in immunobiology who wish to update and deepen their knowledge of emerging and applied concepts in the field.

This book is a comprehensive collection of extended contributions from the 3rd International Conference on Environmental Protection and Disaster Risks and the 12th Annual CMDR COE Conference on Crisis Management and Disaster Response held in the period June 4–6, 2024, in Sofia, Bulgaria, as a hybrid participation event. Environmental protection and disaster risk topics are challenging fields, that scientific world is trying to address. Earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, blizzards, dust storms, natural releases of toxic gases and liquids, diseases, and other environmental variations affect hundreds of millions of people each year. Many disaster events are triggered by human activities. Dealing with these problems requires a multidisciplinary scientific approach. Actions in these directions are taken more and more in the recent years by political bodies, NGOs, and scientific groups trying to find sustainable solutions for the future generations. Every point of view matters when it comes to our global home—The Planet Earth. This book presents recent advances in the topics: disaster management, natural hazards, risk reduction, and building resilience; climate change challenges and security implications; resilience and business continuity management; high-performance computing, modeling and simulations, GIS for environmental monitoring and artificial intelligence. The book is focused on important large-scale applications like environmental and climate modeling, computational optimizations and algorithms for specific hazard situations analyses.

The book provides a concise, integrated view of DNA biology and biotechnology in various aspects, such as human health, food production, environmental sustainability, and industry development. It covers the evolution of DNA, genes, cancer, aging biology, and plant gene technology. The chapters delve into the evolution of DNA, cells, genes, and regulation and its influence on cancer, aging, and development. The book emphasizes modern DNA biotechnology, including plant gene technology, gene therapy, and synthetic biology, and highlights the relevance of DNA knowledge in addressing global challenges. It focuses on providing a contemporary understanding and the background of DNA biology, making it suitable for science and medicine programs or as an introduction to specialized DNA/biotechnology areas. The book targets academicians, researchers, and clinicians in related fields. It is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding DNA and its applications in various fields.

The second edition of this book presents the role of osmolytes in human health and diseases. Some of the chapters deal about the possibility of the use of osmolytes as diagnostic biomarkers and potential drug design for neurodegenerative and other human diseases. Other chapters also include reviews on the role of osmolytes in cancer, metastasis, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, immunological disorders, and tissue regeneration. Importantly, the book also contain recent updates on the role of naturally occurring osmolytes in protein folding pathway, protein stability, and their underlying mechanisms. The book also covers the aspects that osmolytes could promote conformational alterations of transcription factors that favor metastatic behavior. Potential of the osmolytes in the various process of vaccine development, including enhancing the efficacy, production, and purification steps are also succintly described. Towards the end, the book also elucidates the use of specific molecules for the prevention of toxic gain of functions and restoration of function to disease-causing mutant protein. This book is an invaluable asset for the researchers especially working in osmolyte biology and scientists involved in basic and clinical research particularly neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer, and metabolic disorders.

Advanced methods for water consumption management can help save water and financial resources. This book introduces efficient methods and practical approaches for water consumption management through computational modeling to forecast water demand and optimization and through smart technology to help prevent or reduce water loss using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The book will be a useful for researchers and graduate students focusing on research initiatives in the field of water resource management, and for researchers and practicing engineers in water utility companies.

This book explains the main problems of industrial wastewater treatments and how they are being treated by innovative biological processes. The need for clean water in developing countries has become difficult to achieve as a result of globalization and industrialization and because of an increase in population, urbanization, and per capita water use. Residential, commercial, industrial, and educational institutions produce immense amounts of wastewater. Wastewater is treated to extract toxins to produce processed effluent by physical, chemical, and biological processes. Most of these innovative treatment systems are membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes, and electrochemical approaches, which are strongly committed to offering solutions to help protect public health and the environment. For wastewater treatment, different forms of bioreactors are used which are reliable, cost-efficient, and effective in removing a wide variety of contaminants. This book outlines the capacity of various bioreactors that are most widely used for the treatment of different industrial and domestic wastewater, such as a rotating biological contactor, biological fluidized bed reactor, packed bed reactor, membrane bioreactor, continuous stirred tank bioreactor, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor, and photobioreactor, etc. Despite this, the acceptance of these technologies and their commercialization on an industrial scale, the performance is still limited. Therefore, a broader use of cost-effective in situ remedial approaches to natural phenomena like bioremediation is needed. The role of numerous bioreactors in industrial effluent treatment has, including recent developments, also been explored in depth. Furthermore, it includes the operational factors affecting their performances, advances in their architectural design, their amalgamation with the existing setup, scale-up studies, life cycle assessment of those reactors, materials and cost analysis, etc. This information helps the reader to understand the insight into the mechanism, pros and cons, moreover efficient utilization, and commissioning of bioreactors.

This book covers polyextremophiles, the latest biotechnological advances, and developments in the study of extremophilic diversity with a focus on genetics, proteomics and the impact of climate change. It sets out new perspectives on the polyextremophiles'mechanism of tolerance to extreme conditions, and it also outlines their applications in bioremediation, therapeutics, and astrobiology research. Expert contributors discuss topics such as genes associated with polyextremophiles, the applications of genome editing in extremophiles, secondary metabolites from extremophiles, and the biocatalytic potential of extemozymes isolated from extremophiles. Readers will find in this book several case studies that collate the diverse applications of polyextremophiles for bioremediation, including the use of extremophilic algae in wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery and animal feed production, the treatment of industrial waste, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and the removal of microplastics, heavy metals and E-waste. Particular attention is given to the use of polyextremophiles for bioremediation of abandoned mining sites. The book also presents bioactive compounds from halophiles and their biomedical applications and discusses the implications of polyextremophiles in astrobiology research. Given its breadth, this book is a valuable contribution to the biotechnology of polyextremophiles by overviewing research to date and exploring challenges and opportunities for future research. It also benefits a broad readership, from scholars, researchers and students to industry professionals interested in the study and development of biotechnological applications of polyextremophiles.

This book presents select proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Construction Resources for Environmentally Sustainable Technologies (CREST 2023), and focuses on sustainability, promotion of new ideas and innovations in design, construction and maintenance of geotechnical structures with the aim of contributing towards climate change adaptation and disaster resiliency to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It presents latest research, information, technological advancement, practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the field of geotechnical engineering for sustainable infrastructure towards climate change adaptation. This volume will be of interest to those in academia and industry alike.

This book reviews all important aspects of plant genome editing to shed new light on these genome editing technologies together in crop improvement and sustainable agriculture. The book is divided into three areas: the first of which reinterprets plant genome studies from an overview perspective, examining the safety and risk assessment of plants as well as breeding-related outcomes. The second area discusses recent advances in the understanding of crop improvement. A wide range of plant stress tolerance in relation to plant genome editing is then addressed, before turning attention to specific species approaches including rice, maize, wheat, and soybean. The entire book is devoted to an updated knowledge of plant genome editing technologies from all aspects of plant biology and agronomy as we move toward advancements in sustainable life research. The book will be highly recommended for agriculture biologists, agronomists, plant pathologists, and all related research areas.

This book compares the population history of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China to understand such emergent changes as extremely low fertility in Korea and Taiwan, compressed urbanization and a massive diaspora from Korea, early population aging relative to economic development in China, and changing patterns of cross-border migration in the region. After discussing the origin of each ethnic group, premodern population changes are examined by reviewing historical demographic studies including those written in local languages. A new population estimation for premodern Korea is also presented. Topics covered in this book include population growth, fertility, mortality, domestic and cross-border migration, marriage, divorce, and households. Contrasts between economic and population giants (China and Japan), former Japanese colonies (Korea and Taiwan), feudalism and Confucianism (Japan and others), and capitalism and socialism of the same ethnic groups (South and North Korea, Taiwan, and China) provide a fresh view of population dynamics in relation to political, economic, and cultural changes. The population study of Eastern Asia has great importance. If economic development is checked by early and rapid aging, it functions to preserve the conventional Euro-centric world system and Pax Americana. On the other hand, if China succeeds in further development while sustaining a socialist dictatorship, it is a challenge to the authority of liberal democracy. If the institution of marriage remains robust and extramarital births do not increase in Eastern Asia, it implies that an aspect of family change is culturally dependent. This book provides clues to help answer such important questions.

Climate protection and raw material change require new, sustainable carbon sources for the chemical and fuel industries. In fact, processes that recycle carbon-containing emission and gas streams industrially are reaching industrial practice. They will make an important contribution to reducing carbon emissions and moving towards a true carbon circular economy. This book describes the basics of chemical and biotechnological processes for converting CO and CO2 into chemicals and fuels. Furthermore, it addresses potentials for the manufacturing economy, industrial sites and regions and answers the following questions. Which emission and gas streams offer feedstock potential? What processes are already implemented, being tested and under development?What products can be made from gaseous carbon sources?How can carbon emitting and consuming industries be linked into new value chains?What is the regulatory framework?What does the ecological footprint look like?How do the new processes contribute to the regional economy and thus to social acceptance among consumers and among decision-makers in companies and politics?Providing companies with sustainable carbon sources is a central question of the circular economy, which must be answered with technical processes, new cross-sector value chains, adapted infrastructure and further developed framework conditions. This concerns scientists and decision-makers in companies alike. In this book, they as well as interested laymen will find a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in both, technology and research, and of the overriding issues involved in establishing CO2 and CO as feedstocks.

This handbook introduces a transnational approach to school psychology theory and practice. It provides a detailed review and analysis of multicultural and international literature in school psychology. In addition, the volume synthesizes this literature in ways that help promote transnational perspectives in the field of school psychology and recommends transnational processes that can further enhance the preparation and the role of school psychologists across a global context. With contributions from school psychology faculty members, researchers, and practitioners across diverse, multicultural, and international backgrounds, this book offers readers interested in studying or practicing school psychology in a transnational context an excellent background and introduction to the subject matter. Topical coverage ranges from conceptual foundations, educational and psychosocial foundations/systems, psychological and educational assessment, prevention and intervention, international research projects, school psychological services and training, special topics and future directions in the field. The breadth of the chapters makes this handbook a key resources for guiding and directing future research, training and practice that considers the current transnational challenges and resources of school psychology. This handbook is an essential resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, clinicians, and graduate students in child and school psychology, social work, public health, educational policy and politics, and other school-based and child-serving mental health disciplines.

The book describes how nanobiostimulants, which are nanoscale materials that can enhance plant growth and productivity, have the potential to revolutionize sustainable agriculture practices. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the properties and functions of nanobiostimulants, the mechanisms behind their effects on plant growth, and the potential risks associated with their use. It also discusses how nanobiostimulants can be used to improve soil health and nutrient uptake, enhance plant resistance to environmental stresses, and increase crop yields. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging field of nanobiostimulants and its potential applications in sustainable agriculture. It will be of interest to researchers, students, and professionals in the fields of agriculture, nanotechnology, and environmental science.

This Volume 2 of a two-volume work provides an up-to-date overview of the latest advances in live biotherapeutics research, engineered and genome-edited probiotics. It focuses on key areas within probiotics and microbiome studies in human medicine, including their translation into commercial applications. The book is divided into three sections, comprising (I) biomedical and nutritional benefits of probiotics for human health, (II) post-genomic technologies in probiotics sciences and genome engineering, and (III) biosafety aspects and prospects of biotherapeutics. The broad spectrum of industry-relevant contributions makes this work a valuable resource for industry professionals as well as researchers in functional food and feed biotechnology, applied microbiology and gastroenterology. Presenting novel and evidence-based research, this volume will drive the commercial enterprise and meets the great demand for good probiotic products in the human medical sector.

Nanoscience or the science of the very small offers the pharmaceutical scientist a wealth of opportunities. By fabricating at the nanoscale, it is possible to exert unprecedented control on drug activity. This textbook will showcase a variety of nanosystems working from their design and construction to their application in the field of drug delivery. The book is intended for graduate students in drug delivery, physical and polymer chemistry, and applied pharmaceutical sciences courses that involve fundamental nanoscience. The purpose of the text is to present physicochemical and biomedical properties of synthetic polymers with an emphasis on their application in polymer therapeutics i.e., pharmaceutical nanosystems, drug delivery and biological performance. There are two main objectives of this text. The first is to provide advanced graduate students with knowledge of the principles of nanosystems and polymer science including synthesis, structure, and characterization of solution and solid state properties. The second is to describe the fundamentals of therapeutic applications of polymers in drug delivery, targeting, response modifiers as well as regulatory issues. The courses, often listed as Advanced Drug Delivery and Applied Pharmaceutics; Polymer Therapeutics; or Nanomedicine, are designed as an overview of the field specifically for graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Programs. However, the course content may also be of interest for graduate students in related biomedical research programs. These courses generally include a discussion of the major principles of polymer science and fundamental concepts of application of polymers as modern therapeutics. All courses are moving away from the above mentioned course names and going by ‘pharmaceutical nanoscience or nanosystems'. This area of research and technology development has attracted tremendous attention during the last twodecades and it is expected that it will continue to grow in importance. However, the area is just emerging and courses are limited but they are offered.

The second edition of this book offers six new chapters covering the latest developments in quantitative medical imaging, including artificial intelligence, MRI mapping, sonography, elastography and cardiac CT. All the other existing chapters have been updated and expanded, many with new text and figures, to reflect the rapid translation and advancement of technology in this exciting area of biomedical research. This updated edition presents fundamental knowledge on the imaging quantification of biophysical parameters for clinical diagnostic purposes. Clinical imaging scanners are considered by the authors as physical measurement systems capable of quantifying intrinsic parameters for the representation of the constitution and biophysical properties of tissues in vivo. In one respect, this approach fosters the development of new imaging methods for highly reproducible, system-independent, and quantitative biomarkers. These methods are greatly detailed in the book. Alternatively, this new edition equips the reader with a better understanding of how the physical properties of tissues interact with signal generation in medical imaging, opening up new insights into the complex and fascinating relationship between structure and function in living tissues. This updated edition is of interest to all those who recognize the limitations of clinical diagnosis based primarily on visual inspection of images, and who wish to learn more about the diagnostic potential of quantitative, biophysically-based medical imaging markers, as well as the challenges posed by the scarcity of such markers for next-generation imaging technologies.

This book provides a platform for researchers, engineers, and manufacturers to conceptualize green ideas for sustainably developing plastics and films from biomass and agricultural waste. The upscaling of sustainable bioplastic production is essential for the economic growth of industries and local communities as a means to tackle waste management issues. Therefore, this book acts as a guide to characterize various methodologies and applications for producing usable bioplastic products that will lift the burden imposed by excessive industrial waste pollution. This framework will not only contribute to support the health and management of local communities impacted by waste pollution, but will also support businesses economically through efficient and sustainable recycling practices. This work will inform readers in academia, business, and government sectors with the knowledge needed to control the waste generated from various sources and transfer them to valuable products.

Die qualitative Studie zielt darauf ab, die Motivation und Haltung angehender Religionslehrkräfte verschiedener Glaubensrichtungen zu untersuchen. Das Forschungsteam führte insgesamt 83 vertiefende Einzelinterviews durch (34 Studierende der Islamischen Theologie mit Lehramtsoption und 19 Studierende ohne Lehramtsoption sowie 30 Studierende der Katholischen Theologie mit Lehramtsoption). Die Ergebnisse geben Einblicke in die Herausforderungen und Chancen des Religionsunterrichts in einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft. Darüber hinaus könnten sie wertvolle Impulse für die Gestaltung einer integrativen Bildungspolitik bieten, die auf Respekt und interreligiöser Verständigung basiert.

Blockchain is a new type of technology that combines and secures information exchange between different stakeholders such as medical practitioners, patients, healthcare providers, and other applicable parties. Among them, Blockchain Technology is one of the most important areas in the bioinformatics application of biomedical research and healthcare systems utilizing unique requirements and integration features. All the chapters are written by experts and researchers working in various areas of the biomedical and healthcare domain and they also dive into one of the most overlooked methodological, practical, and moral questions to secure and handle the enormous amount of data being generated from IoT-enabled biomedical and healthcare systems. In the beginning, this book presents an overview and then discusses open issues, challenges, and applicability aspect of Blockchain technology in healthcare. Then, this book presents a variety of perspectives on the most pressing questions in the field, for example: how IoT can connect billions of biomedical and healthcare information; how the blockchain-based secure access control mechanisms in biomedical and healthcare work; how to address the Quality-of-Service (QoS) and real-time accessibility requirements for healthcare applications; and how to ensure communication with efficiency. Also, it discusses Blockchain for IoT-enabled healthcare systems and presents a comparative analysis with respect to various performance evaluation metrics too.

This edited book deals with the distribution, classification and diversity of halophytic ecosystems, ecology of mangroves, coastal agroforestry, adaptations and mechanisms of salt tolerance in glycophytes verses halophytes, scope of biosaline agriculture, and potential utilization of halophytes in abiotic stressed environments in arid and semiarid regions and coastal areas. In this era of global population increase and global environmental change, there is need to provide food to the ever-growing population, combating climate change and conserving biodiversity. Keeping in view the rich biodiversity of halophytes, there is wide scope in food industry, phytoremediation, as well as a source of bioactive compounds including modern drugs. The new technologies for the cultivation of halophytes help to utilize saline and arid wastelands and also waterlogged areas sustainably for humans and the livestock. This book creates interest in educationists, researchers, industrialists, investors, soil and climate change scientists, development/extension workers, environmentalists, policy/decision makers, and government and non-government organizations. Also, the book serves as reference material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international soil and agricultural scientists, ecologists, policy makers will also find this book immensely useful.

This book elaborates on the sustainability of biofuels and biochemicals production via thermochemical conversion pathways. Sustainability encompasses the social, economic, environmental, political, and thermodynamic efficiencies of a production technology. Assessing the sustainability of wastes conversion pathways would help pinpoint inefficiencies hence improving the process economically, environmentally, and thermodynamically. This book discusses the major sustainable potential feedstocks/waste for thermochemical conversion into bioproducts such as biodiesel and bioelectricity. Though there exist many pathways for thermochemical waste conversion (such as combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis) which operate on laboratory, pilot and commercial scales, their sustainability indices are scarce as there exist few sustainability assessment tools to help pinpoint inefficiencies. This book assesses the sustainability of various types of thermochemical conversion pathways using technoeconomic analysis as well as exergetic life cycle assessment tools. Common sustainability issues and the way forward for sustainable thermochemical wastes conversion into bioproducts are detailed in this book. For overall sustainability, thermochemical waste conversion process development alternatives are also discussed in this book. Given its scope, this is a valuable resource for renewable energy policy makers, bioprocess researchers in academia and related industries, students studying in the fields of Green Chemistry, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering as well as the general publics who have great interest in biofuels for sustainable development. Almost all books on thermochemical biomass conversion address only the process and new technologies, but few tend to address the technical and thermodynamic issues pertaining to sustainability due to the use of fossil fuel in the manufacturing process. This book bridges this knowledge gap, and subsequently outlines specific exergetic improvement options for biofuel and biochemicals production which is scarce in literature. This book assesses the sustainability of bioprocess technologies in a more concise manner for students to understand and apply the knowledge in their future engineering careers.

This book offers a variety of cases that detail microbial technologies for remediation of microfiber pollution. Synthetic microfibers are made up of polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate. They are porous and dry which makes them ideal for cleaning, but wide use of synthetic microfibers across industries and the human population in general has led to the accumulation of microfiber wastes in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Microfibers are a major environmental pollutant due to their endurance, omnipresence, and synthetic composition. Due to their undetectable size and wide distribution, microfibers slowly get incorporated within the food chain leading them into the higher trophic level. Microbial remediation of Synthetic microfibers through biodegradation is a sustainable and economic solution. With advanced bioremediation technology, novel methods have been developed for remediation, recovery, and recycling. Some of these methods are detailed in this volume.

This book introduces the concept of a semi-closed ecosystem, which is necessary for the social implementation of plant production, such as agriculture, in harmony with the environment. While aiming at achieving a sustainable balance of human activities and environmental protection, this book focuses on the material cycle within each semi-closed system listed below. 1) Mangrove forests as semi-closed systems in coastal ecosystems 2) Environmental control in facility-based plant production systems as semi-closed systems 3) Control of the gaseous environment in the root zone as a semi-closed system 4) Controlled ecological life support system as a completely closed ecosystem in space 5) A sustainable balance of human activities and environmental conservation in urban ecosystems. Developing efficient food production with less environmental loads is an important issue. Plant production is vital to human health and welfare, especially in urban areas as semi-closed ecosystems. Producing food efficiently under consideration of environmental protection is necessary with material-cycling systems, especially in semi-closed ecosystems. Establishing a resource recycling production system with reduced waste emissions has also become important in agriculture. Plant production will play an important role not only in food production (Goal 2 in SDGs) but also in many other goals. This book explains how we must regard plant production as semi-closed ecosystems, reduce material and energy resource inputs, and recycle waste emissions generated during production and consumption processes to solve the various issues. Students and researchers studying Agricultural Environmental Engineering, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Systems Design for Sustainable Society, Environmental Control in Agriculture, etc., will find this publication a helpful reference.

This book summarizes the recent advancements for biomaterials in the field of cardiovascular disease, including drug delivery system (gene, protein, drug), implant interventional instrument (heart valve, heart blocker, stent, artificial blood vessel, patch, artificial heart, cardiac pacemaker, etc.) have been innovated and applied to the clinical uses to treatment of cardiovascular disease. Through the summary of this book, readers will have comprehensive and advanced understanding of the application of biomaterials in the field of cardiovascular disease.

This edited book is a compilation of tangible research findings and actual experiences on various salt tolerant rice breeding programmes, that have been successfully practiced and continuing to do so by research centres in South East Asia, with major emphasis in India, Bangladesh and Philippines. Rice being one of the most important staple crops of the world, its production and productivity have to be kept on increasing so as to feed the burgeoning population. This is a very challenging task in the midst of shrinking resource base and arable lands in the face of climate change. Salt stress is the second major abiotic stress, next only to drought, which greatly affects rice production. To overcome this problem, development of improved salt tolerant rice cultivars coupled with appropriate package of practices, an ecologically sound and socially acceptable strategy should be developed which is well within the reach of marginal farmers. With rapid advances in molecular biology, mechanisms underlying the complexity of the trait are better understood now than before. Selection of appropriate parents, desired mapping populations, precise phenotyping are the key components to underpin the mapping and utilization of reliable QTLs. Understanding genetics of salt tolerance, identifying the robust molecular markers and targeted utilization of available molecular markers form the sound basis to develop the commercial products with more precision and speed. This book covers entire range of topics: starting from biophysical characterization of salt stressed areas in different rice ecologies, conventional and molecular breeding approaches for mapping salt tolerance and subsequent development of improved rice varieties for commercial cultivation and their societal impacts. This book is of interest to scientists, faculty, policy makers and administrators. It also serves as a resource guide to graduate students of agriculture particularly plant breeding, plant physiology, molecularbiology and soil science.

This book summarizes and provides a detailed overview of the enhanced mechanical and functional properties of bulk nanostructured metallic materials with respect to their potential applications. These applications include nanostructured Ti-based materials in bio-medical engineering, Al alloys and Cu in electrical engineering and nanostructured steels in construction engineering. Moreover, this book describes the application of severe plastic deformation for the formation of hybrid metal systems from simple powders and solid metals for an enhancement in the functional properties of materials. Authored by global leaders in the field, this book will serve as a bridge between researchers and professionals engineering the newest nanomaterials.

The book explains the use of natural products as scaffolds in tissue engineering. It presents an introduction to the concept of natural product-based scaffolds and explores various fabrication strategies for their synthesis. The book highlights the wide range of applications of these scaffolds in tissue engineering, including their use in tissue regeneration, wound healing, plastic surgery, and breast reconstruction. Specific natural products, such as gums (xanthan, gellan, arabic, guar, ghatti gum), chitosan, collagen are discussed in separate chapters. In addition, various application of natural product loaded PCL and PLA scaffolds have also been discussed. Each chapter focuses on the application of these natural product based scaffolds and explores their potential in tissue engineering. It also covers specific applications of these scaffolds in tissue regeneration, including angiogenesis, bone, skin, and nerve tissue regeneration. The book addresses important considerations regarding the toxicity and regulatory aspects of natural product-based scaffolds and explores the challenges associated with their implementation and emphasizes the need for safety and compliance in their use. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the field. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, scientists, and professionals in the field of tissue engineering.

This book covers mechanobiology, growth, remodeling, and clinical implications of coronary artery disease treatment. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of coronary circulation, including growth and remodeling of coronary vasculature, implications to cardiology, and implications to cardiovascular surgery. General principles of biomechanical homeostasis and mechanobiology are outlined. Specifics topics covered include endothelial mechano-transduction, flow reversal, uniform shear, stress & strain hypotheses, scaling laws in coronary artery disease, growth, and aging, and coronary retroperfusion. Coronary Circulation: Mechanobiology, Growth, Remodeling and Clinical Implications is a vital resource for coronary physiologists and cardiovascular disease researchers and bioengineers who want to learn more about mechanobiology and clinical implications to coronary circulation in health and disease.

This book analyses the negotiation of place, belonging and uncertainty enacted by a group of 60 men and women seeking asylum who gathered weekly in a community space in Bristol, UK, to share songs, memories, laughter, and precariousness with other established and new city-dwellers. Building on a rich corpus of ethnographic data, this book explores music-making to address “what goes unnoticed” in existing ways of thinking about forced migration. By looking at the junctures where leisure, forced migration and urban analyses intersect with grassroot solidarity with and by people seeking asylum, it offers an interdisciplinary reading of music, forced migration and emplacement for scholars across leisure, anthropology, sociology, and geography. This book contributes and provokes novel discussions regarding refugees'everyday experiences and negotiations of precariousness, suspension, and marginality in Britain.

This book discusses the latest information and advancements on all aspects of sustainable sludge management including treatment, characterization, stabilization, digestion, thickening, dewatering, thermal processing, utilization, valorization production of usable materials, and disposal, with associated pros and cons addressed. It provides an up-to-date resource on industrial sludge generation in various industries, its disposal and treatment by various modern treatment approaches, its physico-chemical and microbiological characterization, as well as legislation, risk assessment, and methodological aspects related to its characterization. Past and recent trends in industrial sludge handling are covered to understand and overcome the environmental risks posed by industrial sludge, with a focus on the brick and agrochemical industries and how to implement sustainable sludge managements practices in these industries. The book is intended for environmental engineers, chemical engineers,soil scientists, and policymakers, and will be of interest to students and researchers of environmental biotechnology, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering.

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are a very diverse group of photosynthetic microorganisms with many applications. Some of them are related to the accumulation of molecules involved in specific metabolic pathways such as pigments, fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc. Also, there are uses of the biomass related to the exploitation of physiological necessities such as the absorption of essential nutrients (the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, the capture of CO2 from the fixation of nitrogen, etc.). Nevertheless, the evaluation in financial and life-cycle aspects is necessary to ensure the industrial application of the processes. The objective of the book is to analyze innovative applications of microalgae and cyanobacteria to develop environmental-friendly processes for removal of pollutants, wastewater treatment, production of high-value products or bioenergy, and finally evaluate the feasibility of the processes both ineconomic and sustainability aspects.

Bioremediation is the use of biological interventions for mitigation of the noxious effects caused by pollutants in the environment including wastewater. It is very useful approach for a variety of applications in the area of environmental protection. It has become an attractive alternative to the conventional clean-up technologies that employ plants and their associated microorganisms to remove, contain, or render harmless environmental contaminants.Hydroponic systems, which utilize plants which are grown in a nutrient solution without soil, are expanding and raising great interest in the commercial and scientific community. They are engineered systems designed and constructed to utilize the natural processes involving macrophytes, media, and the associated microbial assemblages to assist in treating wastewaters. This is a relatively new approach in wastewater treatment by which a variety of emergent macrophytes are grown hydroponically on top of floating platforms with their roots developing freely into the flowing wastewater. The roots provide a support medium for attached microbial growth which participates in the treatment process.

The cells in our body release a wide variety of factors into the extracellular space that help to signal, regulate and build the extracellular matrix. One of the most fascinating of these factors are extracellular vesicles (EVs). These lipid membrane-covered particles have now emerged as a new powerful method of near and distant intercellular communication. EVs facilitate communication between cells and their extracellular environment, which includes solid tissues and body fluids. This volume summarizes current knowledge on EVs as integral and active components of the extracellular matrix. It covers topics such as the interplay between EVs and ECM molecules and how cancer cells modify their microenvironment by releasing EVs. Additionally, it discusses how EVs can mediate tissue repair and regeneration by modulating matrix degradation, protein cross-linking, and matrix calcification. The book explores instances where EVs play a crucial role in conditions related to matrix biology, such as cancer and arthritis, and considers their potential as therapeutic agents for these medical conditions. Both experienced researchers and clinicians, as well as PhD students who wish to study the extracellular matrix and extracellular vesicles will find this book is an excellent introduction into the field of EV biology with applications in matrix research. The series Biology of Extracellular Matrix is published in collaboration with the American Society for Matrix Biology and the International Society for Matrix Biology.

This book reports on innovative research and developments in the field of environmental protection from the influence of human activities, spanning a wide range of disciplines, including urban environmental development, resources and environment engineering, green technology, and technology potential for environmental management 4.0. Based on the International Russian Conference on Ecology and Environmental Engineering, held on March 25–28, 2024, in Sochi, Russia, the book provides academics and professionals with a timely overview of and extensive information on the state of the art in the field of industrial ecology, ecology of urban infrastructure, and environmental protection and fosters new ideas and collaborations between groups in different countries.

This proceedings volume constitutes peer-reviewed full-length papers contributed by the Authors and tailored on various thematic areas of the 1st International Conference on Sustainable Advanced Technologies for Environmental Management (SATEM – 2023). The areas of research covered by these papers include but are not limited to: •Sustainable Water Quality Management •Advanced Water Treatment Technologies •Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technologies •Assessment and Control of Air Pollution •Solid and Hazardous Waste Management •Prevention of Groundwater Contamination •Wetland Management/Phyto- and Phyco-remediation •Case Studies in Urban and Rural Pollution Control •Management of Emerging Contaminants •Innovative Techniques for measuring environmental pollutants

This edited book gives an in-depth coverage of various aspects of biotechnological procedures followed by international scientists and researchers to sustain growth and improvement of forests in context of current climatic change. Forests especially trees play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance as well as in the functioning of natural ecosystem. More importantly, they contribute to the economic growth of a country through its products such as timber, fuel, pharmaceuticals, fibre for textile industry and edible fruits. The denudation of trees due to urbanisation of towns/cities/villages by various construction activities and industrialisation directly impact the climate change resulting in global warming, short rainfall or erroneous weather currently experienced. This book is an effort to address these problems and attempts to find out solutions using biotechnological approaches. Most of the proposed chapters cover latest information. The proposed book deals with biotechnological aspects of forest trees such as micropropagation, somatic embryogenesis, somaclonal variation, synthetic seeds, cryopreservation, disease amangement and genetic engineering. Further, applications and limitations of these approaches to improve the forest trees are discussed. The book is of relevance to teachers, students and researchers working in area of forest and plant biotechnology globally.

Anaerobic digestion is a core technology for sustainable waste(water) management and renewable energy recovery from waste sources. This book introduces and brings readers up to date with anaerobic digestion and its applications. It refreshes readers on the fundamentals of anaerobic digestion processes for normal and stressed scenarios, introduces techniques for stable system operation and predication, and explains the innovation in technology applications for waste valorization. By providing scientific and engineering fundamentals, the book equips professionals with the knowledge of knowing why and how to solve the problems in the application of anaerobic digestion.

This book provides an in-depth exploration of microbial biodiversity and its crucial role in diverse biotechnological and industrial sectors. It covers topics such as the integration of molecular approaches for identifying industrially significant strains, omics roles in the production of bioproducts, and modern genetic engineering techniques. It discusses biostatistical investigations and the impact of microbial biotechnology on healthcare and emerging contaminants. It highlights the significance of food microbiology, fermentation, and the latest technologies in improving human health. Additionally, the book delves into emerging trends in oligosaccharide production, biobased approaches for a sustainable future, and the importance of microbial biomolecules and secondary metabolites. It also explores the identification and production of industrially significant biocatalysts/enzymes, the valorization of agro-industrial waste using microorganisms for green energy generation, and the development of bioreactor systems for the biobased economy. The book covers advancements in solid-gaseous biofuels production, impact assessment of synthetic microfiber pollution, sustainable management strategies for waste management, and the impact of emerging technologies in medical microbiology. The book also discusses the development of healthcare products using nano-biotechnological advancements, the impact of novel remediation technology, and the utilization of microbial products in biomaterial development. It further explores microbial regulatory systems, gene expression studies, and the significance of mutations in microbial technology. This book serves as a great reference for researchers, environmentalists, microbiologists, biotechnologists, and graduate, post-graduate students, and doctoral students working on microbial biotechnology and industrial microbiology.

This book comprehensively covers critically investigated information on medicinal plants prioritized for their anti-allergy properties. It offers insights into strategies related to the distribution, mechanism of action, and assessment of antiallergic medicinal plants, and also delves into crucial aspects of modern biotechnological tools, addressing their implementation challenges, presenting innovative approaches through case studies, and exploring opportunities for nanotechnologies. These elaborated discussions aim to raise awareness and bridge the gap between human health and the biodiversity of antiallergic medicinal plants. As the book navigates the uncertainties of plant-based medicines in the post-COVID-19 era, it provides real-world applications showcasing the specific utility of medicinal plants through advanced biotechnological insights. This book covers several medicinal plants associated with antiallergy, exploring their modes of action, available secondary metabolites,and estimation methods. It also emphasizes all modern biotechnological interventions aimed at propagating, multiplying, and conserving this unique treasure trove of medicinal plants. The World Health Organization estimated that 80% of the populations of developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs. Increasing demand in both developing and developed countries resulted in the expanding trade of medicinal plants and has serious implications for the survival of several plant species, with many under threat of becoming extinct. This book describes various approaches to conserving these genetic resources. It discusses the whole spectrum of biotechnological tools from micro-propagation for large-scale multiplication and cell-culture techniques to the biosynthesis and enhancement of pharmaceutical compounds in plants. It also discusses the genetic transformation as well as short- to long-term conservation of plant genetic resources via synthetic seed production and cryopreservation, respectively. This reference book is useful for researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, medicinal chemists, biochemists, botanists, molecular biologists, academicians, students as well as allergic patients, traditional medicine practitioners, scientists in medicinal and aromatic plants, and other traditional medical practitioners.

This book provides the latest information on trans-Himalayan Hindu Kush Region (HKR) fisheries including the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) as well as the historical context of its sustainable development for improving livelihood and nutritional security. The book serves as an important document to provide knowledge and information about the major concerns of environmental and anthropogenic factors that have impacted the population of certain important fishes in the ecosystem and the strategies and policies required for the conservation of these important groups of fishes, viz., Mahseer, snow trout, minor carp, catfishes, etc. The chapters describe the information to the readers on potential cold water and cool water fish species suitable for large-scale farming and propagation addressing the issues of diseases, nutrigenomics, and nanobiotechnology. This book also addresses the prospects and potential of recreational fishing in India and the scope for its improvement to generate more employment and income citing the success stories and primary information from reputed anglers. Finally, the book also elucidates a comprehensive yet representative description of many challenges associated with inland coldwater- cool water fisheries and aquaculture in HKR, IHR, and its way forward.

This book masterfully bridges the gap between science and industry, offering readers invaluable insights into the technological advancements shaping our world. Amidst a profound industrial transformation aimed at minimizing environmental impact, this work highlights the pivotal role of reducing energy consumption and material waste. It aligns closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, encapsulating the global ambition for the coming years. The narrative delves into myriad examples of industrial evolution, showcasing how various sectors, especially energy (including electricity and oil & gas) and natural resource exploitation, are revolutionizing their processes to lessen their environmental footprint. Furthermore, each chapter of the book equips readers with the knowledge to spearhead innovative solutions tailored to these evolving processes, making it an essential resource for anyone committed to driving sustainable industrial advancements.

Nature is a vast source of inspiration and information for the resolution of complex problems and can influence many varieties of design. Biomimetics, biodesign and bionics are three branches of interdisciplinary research merging biological and applied sciences. This volume collects cases that highlight recent breakthroughs in these disciplines. Biological features such as patterns, shapes, mechanisms, colors, structures, and more can be analyzed, organized, and modeled for application in human creations. Therefore, design, engineering, and architecture projects can benefit from solutions that were already tested and verified through evolution in the natural world. With the development of new technologies for the investigation, simulation, and testing of natural features, the path from nature to product can be accelerated. The cases presented in this work showcase how technological advancements are leading to improved design solutions and influencing our very comprehension of natureand its complex organization.

This book examines the changing significance of intra-European labor mobility in the 21st century. The focus is on the driving forces, the labor market effects and the regulation of this mobility. It is shown that there is a demand for workers with different qualifications in the'post-industrial'societies of Western Europe. This demand is primarily met by migration from the enlarged EU. However, this is no longer traditional labor migration, but the mobility of EU citizens. This brings with it new opportunities, but also challenges in a transnational mobility space, which is also a space of inequality.

Actinomycetes are a group of Gram-positive bacteria of which many representatives are prominent for being prolific producers of bioactive natural products including antibiotics, fungicides, antitumor agents, or immunosuppressants. SARP transcriptional regulators are widely distributed among actinomycetes, especially in streptomycetes and are known to activate antibiotic biosynthesis. The set of genes responsible for the production of natural products, including pathway specific transcriptional regulators such as SARPs, are typically located in contiguous regions of the genome known as'biosynthetic gene clusters'(BGCs). In this book, Oona Rössler reports on the activation of antibiotic BGCs in selected actinomycetes strains upon heterologous expression of the SARP-type regulator PapR2 from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis. Applying a bioinformatic screening for the abundance of SARP genes and SARP consensus sequences as part of BGCs, the author has selected actinomycetes candidate strains from the DSMZ strain collection for heterologous SARP expression. It is shown that overexpression of papR2 increased the production of predominantly unknown antimicrobial compounds in more than half of the selected actinomycetes strains, as observed by bioassays against different microbial test strains including bacteria and fungi.

Dieses Buch befasst sich mit den Herausforderungen und Möglichkeiten von Open-Source- und kollaborativen Designansätzen und -strategien im biomedizinischen Bereich. Es bietet eine umfassende Reihe von bewährten Verfahren und Methoden, damit diese sicheren, innovativen und zertifizierbaren biomedizinischen Geräte die Patienten erreichen und erfolgreiche Lösungen für Probleme im Gesundheitswesen bieten. Die Kapitel sind so gegliedert, dass sie den gesamten Lebenszyklus von Open-Source-Medizintechnologien verfolgen. Die bereitgestellten Informationen sind äußerst praxisorientiert, da sie sich auf reale Studienfälle stützen, bei denen sich die Zusammenarbeit zwischen medizinischen Fachkräften, Ingenieuren und Technikern, Patienten und Patientenverbänden, politischen Entscheidungsträgern, Regulierungsbehörden und Bürgern als vorteilhaft erwiesen hat. Das Buch wird auch durch eine Online-Infrastruktur, UBORA, unterstützt, über die Open-Source-Medizinprodukte gemeinsam entwickelt und geteilt werden können, um die Medizintechnik zu demokratisieren und eine zugängliche biomedizintechnische Ausbildung zu fördern.

This volume “Cell Engineerring 11 - Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing: Progress, Trends and Challenges” is a source of the latest innovative research and technical development in biomanufacturing systems. It is organised into 2 parts: 1) Manufacturing of recombinant therapeutic proteins (e.g. therapeutic antibodies, biosimilars/biogenerics) and 2) Manufacturing aspects of cell and gene therapy. Each with selected chapters on the following topics for both up- and downstream, such as: Advanced process strategies, especially continuous manufacturing, Advanced culture techniques, especially single-use systems, Process transfer, scale-up/scale-down models, Processing advances/Manufacturing productivity/efficiency, Model-assisted process understanding and development/Digital Twins, Process controls and analytics, Quality control, Quality by design, Facility design and full-scale commercial systems, manufacturing technology innovation.The book comprises contributions of experts from academia and industry active in the field of cell culture development for the production of recombinant proteins, cell therapy and gene therapy, with consideration of Digital Twin´s and facility design. The knowledge and expertise of the authors cover disciplines like cell biology, engineering, biotechnology and biomedical sciences. Inevitably, some omissions will occur in the test, but the authors have sought to avoid duplications by extensive cross-referencing to chapters in other volumes of this series and elsewhere. We hope the volume provides a useful compendium of techniques for scientists in industrial and research laboratories active in this field.

This book describes recent studies of soil behaviour in strong ground motion – one of the most important and problematic issues in engineering seismology. Destructive earthquakes worldwide show us the damage of structures located on soil foundations; therefore, reliable and adequate estimations of in situ soil behaviour during strong motion are needed. The effects of soil response proved to be more complicated and diverse than we thought previously. Additionally to well-known amplification of seismic waves in near-surface softer layers, resonant phenomena and nonlinearity of soil response, during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, we observed soil hardening and generation of abnormally high accelerations. The author suggests a method for studying these effects in situ, to forecast soil behaviour in future earthquakes. The method is based on processing records of seismic vertical arrays, which are widely developed in the world and should help us in understanding soil response during earthquakes.The book is addressed to a wide range of seismologists, geotechnical earthquake engineers and physicists.

This book examines the progress in the biotechnology sector in India towards knowledge and innovation driven Bioeconomy. The chapters of the book review different genome editing techniques and the GM crops focusing on the emerging potential in agricultural biotechnology. Chapters on Vaccines and AI in healthcare unfold huge opportunities in medical biotechnology. The book covers the advances in biotechnology towards delivering important benefits of healthcare, particularly through the pharmaceutical industry focusing on new healthcare interventions and delivering innovations. Further, it explores the major opportunities in industrial biotechnology related to bio-pharma, biorefinery, fermentation biotechnology, and growing synergies between industry-academia. Toward the end, the book also reviews the genetic regulation and the critical role of HRD. In summary, the book emphasizes on India as a strong bio-manufacturing hub for innovative, affordable and accessible products for the society and also for global markets while describing the sector wise strategies required.

The book introduces readers to the latest developments in biotechnological methods used for improving the cultivation of silkworms. The text focuses on implementing biotechnological approaches, ranging from basic to advanced techniques, on enhancing silk production, increasing abiotic stress resilience, improving disease tolerance, and developing resistance in silkworm crops. With the current climate crisis and growing demand for high-quality silk, biotechnological applications have become essential in addressing the urgent need to increase silk production. The field of sericulture has made significant breakthroughs, such as identifying DNA markers, linkage association, genome-wide association studies, generating mutants, and introducing transgenic silkworms. Developing silkworms with improved cocoon yield and disease resistance is crucial to boost silk production. The book covers fundamental principles and recent advancements and delves into various methodologies employed inseri-biotechnology for improving silkworm crops. These methodologies include next-generation sequencing for DNA sequencing, using molecular markers to enhance abiotic stress tolerance (specifically high temperature and humidity conditions), expression analysis, RNA interference, gene knockout approaches to bolster disease resistance, and transcriptomics to enhance economically significant parameters such as silk content. The book explains these topics in detail and includes contemporary research appraisals, extensive discussions, and an evaluation of the benefits and risks associated with the use of biotechnological tools. This book serves as an invaluable reference for researchers and academics in biotechnology, molecular biology, and sericulture while also serving as an informative starting point for budding researchers.

This book is unique as it will cover the latest technological advancements in the field of biorefinery and how it is a major futuristic component of global biofuel research. Initially, the role of bio-based waste materials, microorganisms, and their bioactive metabolites in biorefinery will be focused. Further, recent advances and emerging topics that are related to industrially important products such as biofuels, hydrogen production will also be elaborated. The book addresses the lack of understanding of recent technological advancement such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic assessment (TEA) as well. The systems for biorefineries demand a methodical approach to identifying effects and evaluating their long-term viability. Thus, a futuristic paradigm focusing on in silico studies, will also be incorporated, enabling us to understand the developments and impacts of bio-based materials towards a circular and sustainable economy. Additionally the proposed book will also discuss various strategies such as the analysis of cost-effectiveness, nanotechnology, value sensitive design (VSD) and also emphasize the economic, technical, and environmental aspects that affect their production as well as the future perspective in terms of the market scenario. Thus, the book will provide cumulative information on various dimensions of biorefinery and its role as a major bio-economic industry of the future for researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, career starters, and policymakers. The shift towards a bioeconomy not only promises innovative solutions to pressing global challenges but also opens up new avenues for various industries and policymakers. Thus, biorefinery is regarded as a crucial aspect of biobased economy ultimately leading the path towards sustainability.