You may have to register before you can download all our books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
The income that supports the activities of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) comes from two major sources: program revenue received from sponsors to pay for the myriad studies and other activities undertaken each year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and a much smaller sum that is obtained from our endowment under the endowment spending policies adopted by the Council. The goal of the endowment is to provide stable support for the Academy's programs and activities. To achieve this goal, the Council, acting on the recommendations of the Finance Committee, has historically authorized spending from the portfolio at a rate designed to maintain the purchasing power of the endowment over time. This Report of the Treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences presents the financial position and results of operations as well as a review of the endowment, trust, and other long-term investments portfolio activities of our Academy for the year ended December 31, 2018. While this book provides essential financial summary to key personnel, it also serves as a vital informative resource for various members of the public, private, and governmental sectors.
Biotechnology and Food Quality focuses on the potential of biotechnology in quantitatively and qualitatively modifying agriculture. The selection first offers information on the benefits of agricultural biotechnology on developed and developing countries, food quality education, and food quality, biotechnology, and the food company. Discussions focus on consumer concerns, demographic and social changes, scope and future role of food quality, and improvement of agricultural raw materials and processed foods. The manuscript then underscores how to make technology transfer work and the regulatory considerations of biotechnology. The text examines the characterization and modification of maize s...
This book describes the history of tobacco genomics, from its “discovery” by Europeans to next-generation omics approaches in plant science. The authors primarily focus on the allotetraploid common tobacco plant (N. tabacum); however, separate chapters are dedicated to closely related Nicotiana species, such as N. benthamiana and N. attenuata, for which substantial progress in omics data analysis has been already achieved. While genetic maps, transcriptomes, and physical maps of BAC libraries have significantly enhanced our understanding of the tobacco plant, the genome of tobacco and related Nicotiana species has opened a new era in modern tobacco research. This book addresses current and future industrial and research applications as well as central challenges in tobacco science, including diseases, low variability of cultivars, the genome’s large size, polyploidy, and gene duplication.
The second edition of Comprehensive Biotechnology, Six Volume Set continues the tradition of the first inclusive work on this dynamic field with up-to-date and essential entries on the principles and practice of biotechnology. The integration of the latest relevant science and industry practice with fundamental biotechnology concepts is presented with entries from internationally recognized world leaders in their given fields. With two volumes covering basic fundamentals, and four volumes of applications, from environmental biotechnology and safety to medical biotechnology and healthcare, this work serves the needs of newcomers as well as established experts combining the latest relevant sci...
Fruit ripening is an important aspect of fruit production. The timing of it affects supply chains and buying behaviour, and for consumers ripeness not only affects perceptions of health but has nutritional effects too. Ripeness is closely related to spoilage which has a major financial impact on agricultural industries. Currently there are fast moving developments in knowledge of the factors affecting fruit ripeness, and this up-to-date monograph seeks to draw together the disparate research in this area. The aim of the book is to produce a comprehensive account covering almost every area related to fruit ripening including the latest molecular mechanisms regulating fruit ripening, its impact on human nutrition and emerging research and technologies.
Cell separation is an important process that occurs throughout the life cycle of a plant. It enables the radicle to emerge from the germinating seed, vascular tissue to differentiate, sculpturing of leaves and flowers to take place, pollen to be shed from the mature anther, fruit to soften, senescent and non-functional organs to be lost, and seeds to be shed. In addition to its intrinsic scientific interest, many of the developmental processes to which it contributes have importance for agriculture and horticulture. This is the first volume to focus exclusively on these processes and to link improvements in our scientific understanding with methods that may allow us to manipulate cell separation and adhesion to the benefit of the agricultural and horticultural industries. It will therefore be of interest to the experimental scientist and to those who wish to apply these techniques commercially.
Presents step-by-step protocols for users of Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), whether novice or expert. This book features a wide range of PFGE techniques, auxiliary methods, and a diverse array of powerful applications. It includes protocols designed to work even the first time they are used.
Crop improvement has been continuously driven by the demand for food security and sustainability. The caloric and nutritional needs of a growing world population require that global food production increase by one billion tons over the next few decades, but the current growth rate falls far short. Moreover, rapid changes in the environment are accelerating land degradation, aggravating pests and diseases, introducing extreme stresses, and reducing crop productivity. Genetic technologies and molecular breeding tools offer novel opportunities for modern crop breeding. In the past few decades, remarkable progress has been achieved in the discovery of genes for crop yield, quality, and resistance and in the dissection of plant molecular mechanisms. With the continuous advancement in sequencing technology, molecular markers, and gene editing, a large number of excellent crop varieties have been cultivated.