This textbook introduces the basics of protein structure and logically explains how to use online software to explore the information in protein structure databases. Readers will find easily understandable, step-by step exercises and video-trainings to support them in grasping the fundamental concepts. After reading this book, readers will have the skills required to independently explore and analyze macromolecular structures, will be versed in extracting information from protein databases and will be able to visualize protein structures using specialized software and on-line algorithms. This book is written for advanced undergraduates and PhD students wishing to use information from structural biology in their assignments and research and will be a valuable source of information for all those interested in applied and theoretical aspects of structural biology.
The remarkable family of proteins that can make us very ill—but can also be linked to long-term memory, immunity, and the origin of life Over the last decade, scientists have discovered the importance and widespread presence in the body of a remarkable family of proteins known as prion proteins. Research links various types of prion proteins to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s—and this has fueled the search for new drugs that could halt the progression of these terrible disorders. Other discoveries have revealed the essential roles prion proteins play in memory and immunity, and—in an extraordinary finding—the part they may have played in the beginnings of life on our planet. In this engaging and accessible book, Michel Brahic tells the story of these amazing and versatile proteins. Brahic, a leading researcher on diseases of the central nervous system, first describes the discovery of prions and their role in infection, beginning with early work on the animal disease scrapie and a mysterious human illness in New Guinea, apparently transmitted by cannibalism. Prions were eventually identified and named by Stanley Prusiner in the 1980s. (Brahic tells us Prusiner’s alternate name for prion was “piaf.”) Prion proteins were then revealed as the cause of other illnesses, from “mad cow” disease and its human counterpart, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, to such noninfectious brain disorders as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. While the prion proteins responsible for diseases are definitively “bad,” Brahic also explains that these abnormal prions are rare exceptions. Most of the time, prion proteins actually serve “good” and vital functions—and they may even have been present at the origin of life itself.
This textbook presents solid tools for in silico engineering biology, offering students a step-by-step guide to mastering the smart design of metabolic pathways. The first part explains the Design-Build-Test-Learn-cycle engineering approach to biology, discussing the basic tools to model biological and chemistry-based systems. Using these basic tools, the second part focuses on various computational protocols for metabolic pathway design, from enzyme selection to pathway discovery and enumeration. In the context of industrial biotechnology, the final part helps readers understand the challenges of scaling up and optimisation. By working with the free programming language Scientific Python, this book provides easily accessible tools for studying and learning the principles of modern in silico metabolic pathway design. Intended for advanced undergraduates and master’s students in biotechnology, biomedical engineering, bioinformatics and systems biology students, the introductory sections make it also useful for beginners wanting to learn the basics of scientific coding and find real-world, hands-on examples.
This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2012), held in Québec, Canada, in October 2012. The 68 revised full papers were carefully selected from 186 submissions. Beside the technical program, the conference featured two special tracks. The former was the traditional application track, which focused on industrial and academic uses of constraint technology and its comparison and integration with other optimization techniques (MIP, local search, SAT, etc.) The second track, featured for the first time in 2012, concentrated on multidisciplinary papers: cross-cutting methodology and challenging applications collecting papers that link CP technology with other techniques like machine learning, data mining, game theory, simulation, knowledge compilation, visualization, control theory, and robotics. In addition, the track focused on challenging application fields with a high social impact such as CP for life sciences, sustainability, energy efficiency, web, social sciences, finance, and verification.
Introduction to Proteins provides a comprehensive and state-of-the-art introduction to the structure, function, and motion of proteins for students, faculty, and researchers at all levels. The book covers proteins and enzymes across a wide range of contexts and applications, including medical disorders, drugs, toxins, chemical warfare, and animal behavior. Each chapter includes a Summary, Exercies, and References. New features in the thoroughly-updated second edition include: A brand-new chapter on enzymatic catalysis, describing enzyme biochemistry, classification, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanisms, and applications in medicine and other industries. These are accompanied by multiple animations of biochemical reactions and mechanisms, accessible via embedded QR codes (which can be viewed by smartphones) An in-depth discussion of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) A wider-scale description of biochemical and biophysical methods for studying proteins, including fully accessible internet-based resources, such as databases and algorithms Animations of protein dynamics and conformational changes, accessible via embedded QR codes Additional features Extensive discussion of the energetics of protein folding, stability and interactions A comprehensive view of membrane proteins, with emphasis on structure-function relationship Coverage of intrinsically unstructured proteins, providing a complete, realistic view of the proteome and its underlying functions Exploration of industrial applications of protein engineering and rational drug design Each chapter includes a Summary, Exercies, and References Approximately 300 color images Downloadable solutions manual available at www.crcpress.com For more information, including all presentations, tables, animations, and exercises, as well as a complete teaching course on proteins' structure and function, please visit the author's website: http://ibis.tau.ac.il/wiki/nir_bental/index.php/Introduction_to_Proteins_Book. Praise for the first edition "This book captures, in a very accessible way, a growing body of literature on the structure, function and motion of proteins. This is a superb publication that would be very useful to undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and instructors involved in structural biology or biophysics courses or in research on protein structure-function relationships." --David Sheehan, ChemBioChem, 2011 "Introduction to Proteins is an excellent, state-of-the-art choice for students, faculty, or researchers needing a monograph on protein structure. This is an immensely informative, thoroughly researched, up-to-date text, with broad coverage and remarkable depth. Introduction to Proteins would provide an excellent basis for an upper-level or graduate course on protein structure, and a valuable addition to the libraries of professionals interested in this centrally important field." --Eric Martz, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 2012
Using the latest clinical research and diagnoses, Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing, 10th Edition provides a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to psychiatric nursing care. It follows the popular Stuart stress-adaptation framework and includes comprehensive coverage to simplify important nursing and medical concepts, promote quality and safety in care, and address psychobiology and psychopharmacology topics integral to today's psychiatry. New to this edition is a chapter on psychiatric care of military personnel, plus the latest on health care reform, prescription abuse, and obesity issues. Written by psychiatric nursing expert Gail W. Stuart, this market-leading text makes it easy to apply classroom theory to clinical practice. - An easy-to-follow writing style makes it easy to understand both simple and complex topics. - A well-rounded, collaborative approach provides coverage of all major psychiatric disorders from nursing and medical perspectives. - The Stuart Stress Adaptation Model of health and wellness provides a consistent nursing-oriented framework, with clear explanations of biological, psychological, sociocultural, environmental, and legal-ethical components. - An evidence-based practice approach bridges the gap between clinical research and everyday practice. - Learning from a Clinical Case boxes begin disorders chapters with thought-provoking questions and end chapters with answers and feedback. - Summarizing the Evidence boxes in the disorders chapters examine the research and findings that support psychiatric nursing care. - A family focus and discussions of outpatient care reflect current trends in psychiatric nursing. - A Patient Speaks and A Family Speaks boxes present short vignettes with the patient's and family's perspectives of the caregiving process. - Competent Caring: A Clinical Exemplar of a Psychiatric Nurse boxes feature the experiences and personal insights of practicing psychiatric nurses. - Medical and Nursing Diagnoses boxes and Detailed Diagnoses tables emphasize the interdisciplinary approach to patient care by presenting NANDA diagnoses relevant to specific disorders and describing the essential features of the related DSM-IV-TR diagnoses. - Nursing Treatment Plan Summary tables present care plans including patient goals with nursing interventions and rationales. - Patient Education Plan and Family Education Plan tables include key information that you need to share with the patient and his or her family to facilitate shorter hospital stays and more outpatient care. - Therapeutic Dialogue boxes offer examples of nurse-patient interactions. - Clinical examples include selected nursing diagnoses. - Focus Points provide a comprehensive, point-by-point review of the important information in each chapter.
Success in science depends nowadays on effective communication in English. This workbook is specifically designed to give under- and post-graduates confidence in writing scientific English. Examples and exercises show how to avoid common errors and how to rephrase and improve scientific texts. The generation of a model manuscript enables the reader to recognise how scientific English is constructed and how to follow the conventions of scientific writing. Guidelines for structuring written work and vocabulary lists will encourage young scientists to develop a concise and mature style. The workbook is accessible to students of many fields, including those of the natural and technical sciences, medicine, psychology and economics.
Imagine trying to understand an engine without visualizing its moving parts. Biological processes involve far more complex chemical reactions and components than any engine. Furthermore, the parts work together to do many more functions than an engine which sole task is to turn a shaft. Understanding the implications of the three-dimensional coordinates for a molecule with several thousand atoms requires an understanding of, and practice with, 3D imaging. For many biologists, this means acquiring a whole new set of skills. Foundations of Structural Biology is aimed at helping the reader develop visualization skills for protein or DNA segments, while also describing the fundamental principles underlying the organization and interaction between these complex molecules.Key Features* Explains how to use coordinate databases and atomic coordinates of biological macromolecules* Teaches the skills of stereoviewing* Contains computer-generated stereographics* Describes the principles of symmetry and handedness in proteins and DNA* Introduces metal and lipid binding proteins and DNA-protein interactions* Explains the principles involved in understanding secondary and quaternary structure * Includes coverage of protein-metal, protein-nucleic acid, and protein-lipid interactions
This textbook introduces the industrial production and processing of natural resources. It is divided into six major topics (fats and oils, carbohydrates, lignin, terpenoids, other natural products, biorefinery), which are divided into a total of 20 chapters. Each chapter is self-contained and therefore a compact learning unit, which can be worked on by students in self-study or presented by lecturers. Clear illustrations, flow diagrams, apparatus drawings and photos facilitate the understanding of the subject matter. All chapters end with a succinct summary, the "Take Home Messages". Each chapter is supplemented by ten short test questions, which can be solved quickly after working through the chapter; the answers are at the end of the book. All chapters contain bibliographical references that focus on essential textbooks and reference works. As a prior knowledge, only basic knowledge of chemistry is required.
This systematic approach to protein engineering provides a thorough introduction to protein biophysics via chapters dealing with the experimental and theoretical determination of protein structure. Separate chapters discuss each of the expression systems c
