eChapters

1.     Length and Size
2.     Volume
3.     Weight

In may cases, it becomes necessary to send the cells from one laboratory to another laboratory within or outside the country. The ideal method is to fill the flask containing cells at log/exponential phase with growth medium, tightly close the cap, seal it with parafilm and tape and pack it properly with polythene containing tissue paper and cotton. The tissue paper and cotton is used to soak the medium in case of accidental breakage. The polythene containing tissue culture flask having the adherent cell sheet should again be packed with thick paper. Finally, it is to be kept in a wooden/metal box or container.

Pie charts are useful to compare different parts of a whole amount. They are often used to present financial information. E.g. A farmer’s expenditure on farm can be shown to be the sum of its parts including different expense cate- gories such as cultivation, irrigation, sowing, harvesting, and general running costs (i.e. rent, electricity, fuel etc).

A pie chart is a circular chart in which the circle is divided into sectors. Each sector visually represents an item in a data set to match the amount of the item as a percentage or fraction of the total data set.

STANDARD NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

If μ = 0 and σ = 1, the distribution is called the standard normal distribution or the unit normal distribution, and a random variable with that distribution is a standard normal deviate. The approximate test is given by

1.     General Precautions
    
2.     General Requirements for Biotechnology Laboratory

1.     Equipments

1.     Common Solvents
    
2.     Common Buffer Compositions

Enzymes are biocatalysts composed of amino acids. Enzyme reactions are highly specific. It binds to the substrate to form a reversible intermediate product called enzyme substrate complex. As the concentration of the substrate increases the rate of formation of the intermediate complex also increases. This increase in velocity of the reaction is in a hyperbolic manner till it achieves the maximum velocity called Vmax .At this point all the enzymes will be in the form of ES complex. Substrate concentration will be in at its optimum level i.e. further increase in substrate concentration will not affect the rate of the reaction. The substrate concentration at which the rate of the reaction is half the maximum velocity Vmax is called the Michaelis-Menten constant, Km. This is constant for the given enzyme acting on the same substrate.

Abstract

Bioinformatics is an important interdisciplinary field that brings together several areas of science, including molecular biology, biostatistics, and computer science (vis-a-vis information technology). With the rapid increase in the sequencing of DNA/RNA/protein molecules, as well as the growing understanding of the interconnections between different areas of biological science, the importance of bioinformatics is only increasing. This chapter seems to provide a thorough introduction to the definition, concept, and importance of bioinformatics. It also appears to highlight the relevance and potential scope of the subject for students interested in pursuing a career in the field. As bioinformatics continues to evolve and expand, it is likely to become an increasingly important area of research and development in the life sciences.

This book is designed to introduce to the students some of the most widely used experimental procedures in biotechnology, including DNA/RNA isolation, manipulation, cloning, protein purification and characterization. The students will also get familiarized with some of the equipments frequently used in biochemistry and molecular biology.

The biotechnology laboratory course is an exploration of procedures. Hence, in order to get full benefit from the course, the students need to read the manual, which is self explanatory. The more effort they put into the course work, the more they will learn. Before the start of actual lab works, one needs to spend some time reading the Laboratory Manual. This reading will provide background information and an outline of the procedures to be performed.

The biotechnology laboratory is conducted as a “directed” research project. This means that although the general procedures are well established, the overall goal of each experiment is the acquisition of new information. Because of the nature of scientific research, predicting the outcome of experiments that have not previously been performed is difficult. It may therefore be necessary to design new experiments based on the results of previous ones, or to repeat experiments that yielded uninterruptable or ambiguous results.

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief overview of the key milestones in the development of bioinformatics that would help to understand the historical context and evolution of a subject. As an interdisciplinary field, bioinformatics has grown gradually from molecular biology, with the development of various algorithms, databases, and other important tools that have helped to advance computational biology. Some important events in the history of bioinformatics might include the development of the first algorithms for sequence alignment and comparison, the creation of early databases such as GenBank and Swiss- Prot, and the development of software tools for molecular modeling and drug design. Other key milestones might include the sequencing of the first genomes, the development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, and the emergence of new areas of research such as systems biology and synthetic biology. By understanding the historical context of bioinformatics, students and researchers can gain a deeper appreciation for the current state of the field and the ongoing efforts to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie life.

In molecular biology and biochemistry, the ability to accurately and reproducibly measure and transfer small volumes of liquids is critical for obtaining useful results. For volumes less than 1 ml, the most common method for measuring liquid volumes involves the use of a device known as a pipetman or micro-pipette.

The pipetmen can be both fixed and variable volumes. Commonly used pipetmen are: P1000, P200, P20, P10 etc. P1000 are useful for volumes from 200 to 1000 µl. P200 are useful for volumes from 20 to 200 µl. P20 are useful for volumes from 0.5 to 20 µl. For beginners fixed volume pipetmen are more useful. It is important to ascertain whether the correct pipetman is chosen for measuring the volume one needs.