Prashant Kumar Singh – författare

Advances in Cyanobacterial Biology presents the novel, practical, and theoretical aspects of cyanobacteria, providing a better understanding of basic and advanced biotechnological application in the field of sustainable agriculture. Chapters have been designed to deal with the different aspects of cyanobacteria including their role in the evolution of life, cyanobacterial diversity and classification, isolation, and characterization of cyanobacteria through biochemical and molecular approaches, phylogeny and biogeography of cyanobacteria, symbiosis, Cyanobacterial photosynthesis, morphological and physiological adaptation to abiotic stresses, stress-tolerant cyanobacterium, biological nitrogen fixation. Other topics include circadian rhythms, genetics and molecular biology of abiotic stress responses, application of cyanobacteria and cyanobacterial mats in wastewater treatments, use as a source of novel stress-responsive genes for development of stress tolerance and as a source of biofuels, industrial application, as biofertilizer, cyanobacterial blooms, use in Nano-technology and nanomedicines as well as potential applications.

This book will be important for academics and researchers working in cyanobacteria, cyanobacterial environmental biology, cyanobacterial agriculture and cyanobacterial molecular biologists.

Summarizes the various aspects of cyanobacterial research, from primary nitrogen fixation, to advanced nano-technology applications Addresses both practical and theoretical aspects of the cyanobacterial application Includes coverage of biochemical and molecular approaches for the identification, use and management of cyanobacteria

Environmental change is affecting the world's agricultural productivity. This is coupled with an increase in population: according to the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.� Therefore, the current situation requires that we develop climate-smart technologies to improve crop productivity to sustain the ever-rising global population.� Current-day farmers are introducing a considerable amount of agrochemicals to enhance crop productivity.� Indiscriminate agrochemical application has altered not only the soil's physic-chemical and biological properties but also affected human health through food chain contamination.� Cyanobacteria, under these changing environmental conditions, may help to resolve the problem significantly without changing the natural soil properties.� In spite of their well-known stress tolerance potential, most of the cyanobacterial stress management and signaling pathways are yet to be fully characterized.� Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore cyanobacterial metabolism under stress as well as their regulatory pathways to exploit them for sustainable agriculture.� In recent decades, the application of cyanobacteria has attracted scientists because of uniqueness, better adaptability, and synthetic products.

Diverse cyanobacterial communities with the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, together with their photosynthetic properties, have demonstrated their application under field conditions.� Several cyanobacterial species have thus been exploited to enhance soil fertility, mitigate biotic and abiotic stress, and contamination management.

Cyanobacterial Lifestyle and its Applications in Biotechnology has been designed to discuss different aspects of cyanobacterial physiology with the aim of helping to provide a better understanding of advanced cyanobacterial molecular biology and their metabolism to uncover the potential of cyanobacteria in the tailoring of stress smart crops for sustainable agriculture.� Chapters include valuable information about the role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of life, cyanobacterial photosynthesis, stress-tolerant cyanobacterium, biological nitrogen fixation, circadian rhythms, genetics and molecular biology of abiotic stress responses.

Summarizes various aspects of cyanobacterial research. Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular approaches for the identification of cyanobacteria and their evolution. Identifies an expanding horizon of cyanobacterial lifestyle: stress management in cyanobacteria. Examines cyanobacteria synthetic biology, genetic engineering, photosynthesis and metabolic engineering.

Expanding Horizon of Cyanobacterial Biology discusses the different aspects of cyanobacteria cyanobacterial application, providing a better understanding of cyanobacterial metabolism. Chapters deal with cyanobacteria applications and explore how to exploit cyanobacterial metabolism for industrial applications. Sections cover cyanobacterial applications for the production of nanoparticles, cyanobacterial diversity, and the characterization of different assemblages such as cyanolichens and cyanobacterial endophytes, along with their ecological, morphological and physiological aspects. In addition, bioactive compounds and their applications are explored.

Increasing attention has been paid by scientists across the globe to Cyanobacteria as they are ubiquitous microbes and, undoubtedly, an important organism in terms of carbon as well as nitrogen fixation. However, the research on these organisms is limited in terms of their diversity and distribution across the globe.

Provides background knowledge for researchers concerned with cyanobacterial diversity and characterization of different assemblages Describes the exploitation possibility of cyanobacterial species for human welfare Discusses the different aspects of cyanobacteria, cyanobacterial application and better understanding of cyanobacterial metabolism Deals with the exploitation of cyanobacteria and their mats for bioremediation purposes Includes cyanobacterial nanotechnology and its applications in industry and allied sectors

Singh analyses the influence of Xi’s 'Chinese Dream' on China’s foreign relations and security postures. Xi Jinping’s rise has led to a paradigm shift in many aspects of China’s domestic and international politics. A key element of this has been the ideological vision shorthanded as the 'Chinese Dream', combining elements of nationalism, Confucian ideology, and economic expansionism. Singh evaluates the various changes in China’s nominally communist ideology in the post-Mao era, with an emphasis on the implications for China’s economic and security relations with other countries. He particularly focusses on China’s approach to South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, key elements of China’s strategy. An insightful guide to understanding the direction of China’s foreign and security policy, and especially its impact on India–China relations.

Singh analyses the influence of Xi’s 'Chinese Dream' on China’s foreign relations and security postures. Xi Jinping’s rise has led to a paradigm shift in many aspects of China’s domestic and international politics. A key element of this has been the ideological vision shorthanded as the 'Chinese Dream', combining elements of nationalism, Confucian ideology, and economic expansionism. Singh evaluates the various changes in China’s nominally communist ideology in the post-Mao era, with an emphasis on the implications for China’s economic and security relations with other countries. He particularly focusses on China’s approach to South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, key elements of China’s strategy. An insightful guide to understanding the direction of China’s foreign and security policy, and especially its impact on India–China relations.

Cyanobacteria are the oldest living organisms on Earth, going back to the Precambrian era and the planet's early harsh climate. Cyanobacteria inhabit almost all environmental niches. These prokaryotes were critical to the formation of the current biosphere as they evolved photosynthetic reactions emitting oxygen similar to those of plants and green algae. They continue to contribute to the equilibrium of the Earth's atmosphere by generating oxygen and eliminating carbon dioxide. In addition, heterocystous cyanobacteria (specialized nitrogen-fixing cells formed during nitrogen starvation) contribute to atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Therefore, cyanobacteria have tremendous potential for biotechnological applications. Cyanobacteria have evolved specific regulatory mechanisms to cope with environmental stresses and/or variable environments, such as high altitude, extreme cold, hot water and springs, and volcanic ash. However, cyanobacterial adaptation mechanisms to environmental extremes have been poorly addressed, despite their ubiquitous presence in such ecological extremes. Over the last decade, remarkable progress has been made to uncover cyanobacterial adaptation to various abiotic stresses such as high irradiance, nutritional deprivation, UV-B radiation, heat, cold, desiccation, heavy metals, and radiation. These studies must lead the way to a basic understanding of cyanobacterial gene regulatory pathways for morphological, physiological, metabolic, and genetic adaptations to environmental stress. Unfortunately, until now, this information has been scattered in the literature. This book reviews and provides an up-to-date snapshot of where current research stands, as well as discussing the different aspects of cyanobacterial adaptation to extreme environments and their potential for biotechnological exploitation and future research. This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students involved in any aspect of research into cyanobacteria, extreme environments and the exploitation of these organisms in biotechnological applications.

A major challenge for agriculture and future crop production is the deterioration in soil health and fertility. We have large areas of barren land across the globe with degraded soil which can only be made fertile by applying proper nutrition and soil health management practices. It is crucial to protect soil health in order to feed the world's ever-growing population. Healthy soil is a dynamic ecosystem containing microbes that aid in the breakdown of organic materials and minerals, increasing the availability of plant nutrients (nutrient recycling) and enhancing soil quality and crop output. Healthy soil also helps mitigate the impact of climate change by maintaining nutrients and sequestering atmospheric carbon. This book summarizes the numerous components of soil health management including cutting-edge technologies such as genome editing and rhizospheric engineering, together with conventional techniques for preserving soil nutrients.

Many current extremophile studies have been undertaken on species suited to extreme temperatures. In contrast, thermophiles (hot temperature-loving microbes) have received far more attention than psychrophiles (cold-loving microbes). On the other hand, scientific research on cold-adapted microbes (precisely polar microbes) has surged by a factor of ten in the last decades. Regarding the size of cold habitats, psychrophiles, or cold-loving creatures, thermophiles should outnumber thermophiles because a considerable percentage of the Earth's biosphere never sees temperatures beyond 5°C. Oceans span over three-quarters of the planet, with deep water masses between 2 and 4°C regardless of latitude. In addition to providing a constantly frigid terrestrial habitat, Antarctica also provides an aquatic niche in the surrounding ice that melts throughout the summer. Examples of cold ecosystems include permafrost soils, high alpine soils, cold deserts, cold caverns, marine sediments, snow, glaciers, and sea ice.This book discusses the different aspects of microbial diversity and their adaptations to extreme polar regions, with a view to their biotechnological exploitation for future research. The chapters cover the complete atlas of up-to-date information. The contents offer molecular diversity and molecular and genetic adaptations of polar inhabitant microbes with a focus on low-temperature-adapted microorganisms. It describes representative groups, the habitats in which they live, and the strategies they employ to cope with the cold. The book will be of interest to all scientists interested in how life copes in deep freezers.It is warranted to mention that for survival in frigid environments and climate change, these organisms have established specific regulatory mechanisms to overcome environmental cues. Over the last decade, remarkable progress has been made to uncover microbial adaptation to anthropogenic activities such as high irradiance, nutritional deprivation, UV-B radiation, heat, cold, desiccation, heavy metals, and radiation. However, studies have opened the doors for a basic understanding of gene regulatory pathways for morphological, physiological, metabolic, and genetic adaptations to various environmental stresses. Unfortunately, the polar regions' adaptation mechanisms and molecular diversity are primarily unexplored. Even research is scattered for a long time, and researchers are looking for a common platform to have a complete snapshot in one place. Hence, the present book content has been designed to discuss the different aspects of microbial diversity and their adaptations to extreme polar regions for their biotechnological exploitation for future research. In addition, chapters have been designed to deal with the complete atlas of up-to-date information. Hence, the book will offer molecular diversity and molecular and genetic adaptations of polar inhabitant microbes. The book will focus on low-temperature-adapted microorganisms. With cutting-edge knowledge, it will describe representative groups, the habitats in which they live, and the strategies they employ to cope with the cold. Furthermore, the book will offer valuable information to all those scientists interested in knowing how life manages in deep freezers.

This book offers fresh perspectives on the legacy of colonialism in the North-east frontiers of India, especially the Naga Hills. The book interrogates the presence of British administrators and anthropologists in the Naga Hills as part of a popular discourse on (post) colonialism.

In parallel with the advances in cyanobacterial research in the 21st century, the development and application of innovative techniques in molecular biotechnology has widened the spectrum of commercial applications and potential exploitation of cyanobacteria.