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Gene therapy as a treatment for cancer is at a critical point in its evolution. Exciting new developments in gene targeting and vector technology, coupled with results from the first generation of preclinical and clinical studies have led to the design and testing of new therapeutic approaches. The Third Edition of Gene Therapy of Cancer provides crucial updates on the basic and applied sciences of gene therapy. It offers a comprehensive assessment of the field including the areas of suicide gene therapy, oncogene and suppressor gene targeting, immunotherapy, drug resistance gene therapy, and the genetic modification of stem cells. Researchers at all levels of development, from basic laboratory investigators to clinical practitioners, will find this book to be instructive.

Cancer gene therapy, like cancer therapy in general, is evolving rapidly, testing new concepts, targets and pathways, evoking new technologies, and passing new regulatory hurdles. Its essence, however, has not changed: the hope and challenges of returning altered genes to normal, using targeted gene expression to alter the function of both tumor and microenvironment, and in some cases normal cells, and delivering functionally important genes to specific cell types to increase sensitivity to killing or to protect normal cells from cancer therapies.

In some instances, gene therapy for cancer forms a continuum from gene repair through the use of molecularly modified cells; the use of viral and non-viral vector based gene delivery to both tumor and tumor microenvironment; the use of viral and gene based vaccines; and development of new gene-based therapeutics. The unique mechanistically chosen vector platforms are at the heart of this technology because they allow for direct and selective cell death and transient to sustained delivery of vaccine molecules or molecules that affect the microenvironment, vasculature, or the immune response.

• Explains the underlying cancer biology necessary for understanding proposed therapeutic approaches
• Presents in-depth description of targeting systems and treatment strategies
• Covers the breadth of gene therapy approaches including immunotherapeutic, drug resistance,oncolytic viruses, as well as regulatory perspectives from both the NCI and FDA

General Biophysics, Volume I deals with the theoretical physics underlying biological phenomena and presents some pertinent experimental results. It explores the molecular foundations of biophysics, the thermodynamics of nonequilibrium systems and membrane transport, nerve impulses, and mechanochemical processes.
Comprised of five chapters, this volume begins with an overview of molecular biophysics and the concept of molecular recognition, followed by a discussion of the interaction between antibodies and antigens, the primary processes that determine odor reception, and the importance of intercellular interactions in the existence and development of multicellular organisms. The next chapters explain how protein biosynthesis is regulated by molecules and how proteins are biosynthesized in eukaryotic cells, along with the application of thermodynamics to the analysis of biophysical problems and the coupling of chemical reactions near equilibrium. The reader is also introduced to the stability conditions of a steady state, the concept of entropy for an open system, the thermodynamics of the sodium pump, ionic equilibrium between sodium and potassium solutions separated by an active membrane, the conformational properties of membranes, and the general phenomenological theory of facilitated transport and the role of the carriers. The book concludes with a chapter on biological mechanochemical processes and their thermodynamics.
This book is a valuable resource for physicists and biophysicists, graduate and postgraduate students having the necessary knowledge of physics, and anyone acquainted with proteins and nucleic acids.

The new concept of metamaterial is increasingly attracting the interest of physicists and mechanical engineers. Such materials are obtained by suitably assembling multiple individual elements but usually arranged in (quasi-)periodic substructures in order to show exotic global mechanical properties. Indeed, the particular shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement of their constituting elements can affect, the propagation of waves of light or sound in a manner not observed in natural materials, creating material properties which may give rise to unexpected engineering applications. Particularly promising in the design and description of metamaterials are those micro-structures which present high contrasts in their mechanical properties: these micro-structures, once homogenized, may produce generalized continuum media, for example, second gradient or micromorphic.

Many scientific challenges related to the application of generalized continuum theories to the characterization and conception of high-performance metamaterials can be identified. In this book we identify and discuss four main potential fields of applications of generalized continuum theories, namely, mechanical behavior of fibrous composite reinforcements, wave propagation in metamaterials, mechanical behavior of concrete and mechanically driven remodeling of bone in presence of bio-resorbable materials.

For each field, we underline how the use of a generalized continuum theory can be of help for describing how the presence of microstructure can affect the global mechanical behavior of the considered metamaterials.

• Covers four main fields of the application of continuum theories
• Learn how to apply generalised continuum theory to describe the effects of microstructure on the mechanical behavior of materials
• Decipher the material properties which aid your engineering applications

The electric power sector is what keeps modern economies going, and historically, fossil fuels provided the bulk of the energy need to generate electricity, with coal a dominant player in many parts of the world. Now with growing concerns about global climate change, this historical dependence on fossil-fuels, especially those rich in carbon, are being questioned. Examining the implications of the industry's future in a carbon-constrained world, a distinct reality, is the subject of this book.

Containing contributions from renowned scholars and academics from around the world, this book explores the various energy production options available to power companies in a carbon-constrained world. The three part treatment starts with a clear and rigorous exposition of the short term options including Clean Coal and Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology, Coal, and Emission trading. Renewable energy options such as Nuclear Energy, Wind power, Solar power, Hydro-electric, and Geothermal energy are clearly explained along with their trade-offs and uncertainties inherent in evaluating and choosing different energy options and provides a framework for assessing policy solutions.

This is followed by self-contained chapters of case-studies from all over the world. Other topics discussed in the book are Creating markets for tradable permits in the emerging carbon era, Global Action on Climate Change, The Impossibility of Staunching World CO2 Emissions and Energy efficiency.


Clearly explains short term and long term options
Contributions from renowned scholars and academics from around the world
Case-studies from all over the world