Cancer Pathway Network Analysis Using Cellular Automata

Identification of cancer pathways is the central goal in the cancer gene expression data analysis. Data mining refers to the process analyzing huge data in order to find useful pattern. Data classification is the process of identifying common properties among a set of objects and grouping them into different classes. A cellular automaton is a discrete, dynamical system with simple uniformly interconnected cells. Cellular automata are used in data mining for reasons such as all decisions are made locally depend on the state of the cell and the states of neighboring cells. A high-speed, low-cost pattern-classifier, built around a sparse network referred to as cellular automata (ca) is implemented. Lif-stimulated gene regulatory network involved in breast cancer has been simulated using cellular automata to obtain biomarker genes. Our model outputs the desired genes among inputs with highest priority, which are analysed for their functional involvement in relevant oncological functional enrichment analysis. This approach is a novel one to discover cancer biomarkers in cellular spaces.

Big Data Analytics in Bioinformatics

Voluminous data are being generated by various means. The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged recently to group all manmade artificial things around us. Due to intelligent devices, the annual growth of data generation has increased rapidly, and it is expected that by 2020, it will reach more than 40 trillion GB. Data generated through devices are in unstructured form. Traditional techniques of descriptive and predictive analysis are not enough for that. Big Data Analytics have emerged to perform descriptive and predictive analysis on such voluminous data. This chapter first deals with the introduction to Big Data Analytics. Big Data Analytics is very essential in Bioinformatics field as the size of human genome sometimes reaches 200 GB. The chapter next deals with different types of big data in Bioinformatics. The chapter describes several problems and challenges based on big data in Bioinformatics. Finally, the chapter deals with techniques of Big Data Analytics in the Bioinformatics field.

Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights

As a contribution to the open debate regarding the effect of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) on innovation, this chapter postulates that the adoption of strong IPRs is not a necessary condition to foster innovation in the plant breeding industry. The chapter studies the evolution of the soybean breeding industry in the US and Argentina and shows that regardless the level of intellectual property protection, if there is an attractive and profitable market, firms may search for different appropriability strategies rather than changing their innovative behavior. The chapter finds that the growth rates of new soybean varieties are similar in both countries and the adoption rate is faster in Argentina where the IPRs system is weaker.

Bacterial Remediation of Phenolic Compounds

Environmental pollution has been an irrefutable fact of life for many centuries; but it has become a real problem, since the start of the industrial revolution. Discharge of these toxic compounds without treatment results in serious health risks to humans and the marine ecosystem. Several physical, chemical and biological methods have been employed for the remediation of the phenolics. Bioremediation is identified as the most efficient, cost effective and eco-friendly ways for treatment of phenolic compounds. This article is a comprehensive review on the sources of phenolic compounds, their hazards, and their fate once released into the environment; the treatment technologies employed and bioremediation of these compounds using both non-extremophlic and extremophilic organisms. The review, throws light on the enzymes involved in the remediation of phenolic compounds, highlights the importance of extremophilic organisms and biological treatment of phenol containing industrial wastewaters. Such comprehensive information on the research work performed for the remediation of phenolic compounds provide ways to explore the role played by micro organisms in the remediation of phenolic compounds, which could be applied in the remediation of phenol /contaminated sites even under extreme conditions.

Smart Device Clickers

In the traditional instructional paradigm, faculty members act like actors on a stage. They memorize their speech and deliver it to the audience, many times with very little to no interaction at all with the audience. On the other hand, in the student-centered learning paradigm, faculty members act like coaches interacting full time with their team. This chapter is based on a study conducted at a Brazilian Federal University. The study depicts the distance between science production and teaching, and reports on experiences using smart phone clickers to track and analyze students' content acquisition. The objective is to improve the interactive quality of teaching and learning, thus promoting steps to shift towards a student-centered instructional paradigm. Although smartphones were used in this study, with wearable technologies continuing to grow, other wearables such as smart glasses and smart watches could be used instead.

Opportunities and Challenges in Socially Inclusive Innovation

This chapter analyzes the opportunities and challenges for modern biotechnology, particularly Genetically Modified (GM) corn, in addressing social inclusion to ensure its equitable outcomes or impacts. It examines the policy environment in which GM corn was introduced and the related socioeconomic concerns. The study reveals that in the Philippines there is no institutionalized mechanism yet to determine if GM corn promotion policies and strategies conform to the social inclusion context of biotechnology. Governance of the GM technology and the interplay of the innovation system intermediaries hindered the full realization and application of social inclusion principles. Interventions to monitor socio-economic impact, knowledge transfer and interaction, and credit support delivery are needed for a more socially inclusive innovation. There should be a continuous interactive learning among various stakeholders to have evidence-based information on the technology.

Start-Ups and Spin-Offs in Biotechnology Sector in Poland

This chapter concerns the subject of research-developmental activity of biotech spin-offs in Poland with particular reference to their strategy, determinants of their development and determinants of their financial standing. In the chapter, the authors analyse the determinants of biotech spin-offs and start-ups development in Poland in the light of the research commercialisation cooperation on the universities-business line. The literature overview contains the definition of a process for the commercialisation of the results of research and development (R&D) activity and components of companies' business models. The chapter defines key activities in the development of business models in the context of the commercialisation process and the life cycle of the company, especially at the start up and early stage. Quality-quantitative analysis includes the business models of seven biotechnology spin-offs traded on the alternative market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, especially the structure of their intellectual capital, R&D expenses in relation to received subsides and grants, third-party shares in start up equity, and the ability to realise the “Go Global” strategy.

Library Services for Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is an emerging data intensive discipline. The community and information resources and sources are heterogeneous. It is the role of library to provide a comprehensive platform to deliver effective information services to the community. The paper discusses the status of various bioinformatics information resources available for the community. It is essential to search, consolidate and made information resources available to the community. The paper also discusses the methodology for integration of information resources at a single platform. The integration platform is proposed shall highlight the role of the library in understanding the current best practices to deliver effective information to bioinformatics community. It will discuss the close relationship between data and information playing an extensive role in generation of bioinformatics knowledge. Further, a model has been proposed for the resource integration in the area of bioinformatics in order to provide a comprehensive platform for knowledge dissemination.

Biodegradation of Phenol

Aromatic compounds are widely distributed in nature. Free phenols are frequently liberated as metabolic intermediates during the degradation of plant materials. In recent years the natural supply of phenolic substances has been greatly increased due to the release of industrial byproducts into the environment. Phenolic compounds are hazardous pollutants that are toxic at relatively low concentration. Effluents from petrochemical, textile and coal industries contain phenolic compounds in very high concentration; therefore there is a necessity to remove phenolic compounds from the environment. Microorganisms capable of degrading phenol are common and include both aerobes and anaerobes. The use of microbial catalysts in the biodegradation of organic compounds has advanced significantly during the past three decades. The efficiency of biodegradation of organic compounds is influenced by the type of the organic pollutant, the nature of the organism, the enzyme involved, the mechanism of degradation and the nature of the influencing factors.

Mycoremediation of Lignocelluloses

The most abundant aromatic biopolymer on earth Lignin is extremely recalcitrant to degradation. It creates a barrier to solutions or enzymes by linking to both hemicellulose and cellulose preventing the penetration of lignocellulolytic enzymes into the interior lignocellulosic structure. Global attention has been gained by fungi owing to the potential use of their versatile enzymes for agriculture, medicines, industries and bioremediation. The combination of extracellular ligninolytic enzymes, mediators, organic acids and accessory enzymes make some of the basidiomycete white-rot fungi to be able to degrade lignin efficiently. This review describes remediation of lignocelluloses by fungi, properties of fungi, their spatial distribution and the mechanisms of action which render them attractive candidates in biotechnological applications like biopulping, animal feed, genetic engineering and space exploration.