The first book to chronicle how innovation in laboratory designs for botanical research energized the emergence of physiological plant ecology as a vibrant subdiscipline   Laboratory innovation since the mid-twentieth century has powered advances in the study of plant adaptation, evolution, and ecosystem function. The phytotron, an integrated complex of controlled-environment greenhouse and laboratory spaces, invented by Frits W. Went in the 1950s, set off a worldwide laboratory movement and transformed the plant sciences. Sharon Kingsland explores this revolution through a comparative study of work in the United States, France, Australia, Israel, the USSR, and Hungary.   These advances in botanical research energized physiological plant ecology. Case studies explore the development of phytotron spinoffs such as mobile laboratories, rhizotrons, and ecotrons. Scientific problems include the significance of plant emissions of volatile organic compounds, symbiosis between plants and soil fungi, and the discovery of new pathways for photosynthesis as an adaptation to hot, dry climates. The advancement of knowledge through synthesis is a running theme: linking disciplines, combining laboratory and field research, and moving across ecological scales from leaf to ecosystem. The book also charts the history of modern scientific responses to the emerging crisis of food insecurity in the era of global warming.

This riveting work of investigative reporting and history exposes classified government projects to build gravity-defying aircraft--which have an uncanny resemblance to flying saucers.

The atomic bomb was not the only project to occupy government scientists in the 1940s. Antigravity technology, originally spearheaded by scientists in Nazi Germany, was another high priority, one that still may be in effect today. Now for the first time, a reporter with an unprecedented access to key sources in the intelligence and military communities reveals suppressed evidence that tells the story of a quest for a discovery that could prove as powerful as the A-bomb.

The Hunt for Zero Point explores the scientific speculation that a "zero point" of gravity exists in the universe and can be replicated here on Earth. The pressure to be the first nation to harness gravity is immense, as it means having the ability to build military planes of unlimited speed and range, along with the most deadly weaponry the world has ever seen. The ideal shape for a gravity-defying vehicle happens to be a perfect disk, making antigravity tests a possible explanation for the numerous UFO sightings of the past 50 years.

Chronicling the origins of antigravity research in the world's most advanced research facility, which was operated by the Third Reich during World War II, The Hunt for Zero Point traces U.S. involvement in the project, beginning with the recruitment of former Nazi scientists after the war. Drawn from interviews with those involved with the research and who visited labs in Europe and the United States, The Hunt for Zero Point journeys to the heart of the twentieth century's most puzzling unexplained phenomena.


From the Hardcover edition.

Your biochemistry lab course is an essential component in training for a career in biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry, and related molecular life sciences such as cell biology, neurosciences, and genetics. "Biochemistry Laboratory: Modern Theory and Techniques" covers the theories, techniques, and methodologies practiced in the biochemistry teaching and research lab. Instead of specific experiments, it focuses on detailed descriptions of modern techniques in experimental biochemistry and discusses the theory behind such techniques in detail. An extensive range of techniques discussed includes Internet databases, chromatography, spectroscopy, and recombinant DNA techniques such as molecular cloning and PCR. The Second Edition introduces cutting-edge topics such as membrane-based chromatography, adds new exercises and problems throughout, and offers a completely updated Companion Website.

Developing microscale chemistry experiments, using small quantities of chemicals and simple equipment, has been a recent initiative in the UK. Microscale chemistry experiments have several advantages over conventional experiments: They use small quantities of chemicals and simple equipment which reduces costs; The disposal of chemicals is easier due to the small quantities; Safety hazards are often reduced and many experiments can be done quickly; Using plastic apparatus means glassware breakages are minimised; Practical work is possible outside a laboratory. Microscale Chemistry is a book of such experiments designed for use in schools and colleges, and the ideas behind the experiments in it come from many sources, including chemistry teachers from all around the world. Current trends indicate that with the likelihood of further environmental legislation, the need for microscale chemistry teaching techniques and experiments is likely to grow. This book should serve as a guide in this process.

Introduction to Statistical Analysis of Laboratory Data presents a detailed discussion of important statistical concepts and methods of data presentation and analysis * Provides detailed discussions on statistical applications including a comprehensive package of statistical tools that are specific to the laboratory experiment process * Introduces terminology used in many applications such as the interpretation of assay design and validation as well as fit for purpose procedures including real world examples * Includes a rigorous review of statistical quality control procedures in laboratory methodologies and influences on capabilities * Presents methodologies used in the areas such as method comparison procedures, limit and bias detection, outlier analysis and detecting sources of variation * Analysis of robustness and ruggedness including multivariate influences on response are introduced to account for controllable/uncontrollable laboratory conditions

Sample Return Missions: The Last Frontier of Solar System Exploration examines the discoveries and results obtained from sample return missions of the past, present, and future. It analyses the results in the context of the current state of knowledge and their relation to the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, as well as to the available technologies and techniques. It provides detailed descriptions of experimental procedures applied to returned samples. Beginning with an overview of previous missions, Sample Return Missions then goes on to provide an overview of facilities throughout the world used to analyze the returned samples. Finally, it addresses techniques for collection, transport, and analysis of the samples, with an additional focus on lessons learned and future perspectives. Providing an in-depth examination of a variety of missions, with both scientific and engineering implications, this book is an important resource for the planetary science community, as well as the experimentalist and engineering communities.

This is the first book written on using Blender (an open-source visualization suite widely used in the entertainment and gaming industries) for scientific visualization. It is a practical and interesting introduction to Blender for understanding key parts.

Analytical techniques are powerful tools in a chemist's armoury. Spectroscopic data and chemical information are used routinely in laboratories to follow a chemical reaction or elucidate a chemical structure. However, the sophistication of the analytical techniques used changes rapidly, hence the routinely used method of today can all too readily be superseded by the new technology of tomorrow. More Modern Chemical Techniques identifies some applications of the important chemical techniques in use today that are less well known in schools and colleges and which illustrate how chemistry is using state-of-the-art technology to push back the frontiers of the subject. Examples include: elemental analysis such as atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma techniques; separations including electrophoresis, structure determination (eg x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy); and sampling and sample preparation.

Bringing together the contributions of eleven leading photometric experts, this practical reference guide presents common design formulas, essential rules-of-thumb, worked-out examples, and discussions of photometric instruments. The book is arranged for ease of reference. The twelve chapters, each of which may be read independently, are grouped into three sections. The first contains introductory material, and defines the terminology and units of measurement used in photometry. The second section covers photometric methods and procedures and provides numerous illustrative case studies. The third section contains reports from the frontiers of photometry, and includes a look at the directions future research might take. The Handbook incorporates some special features, including a list of Web sites which offer photometry information. The editor has also set up the Web Companion, an online site for discussion about the book and related photometric issues. He will post errata and new information related to the book, and will respond to the most frequently asked questions. Profusely illustrated and thoroughly referenced, The Handbook of Applied Photometry will prove invaluable to those involved in lighting design, optical physics, or applications design, and will be welcomed by workers in government-standards laboratories.

Analytical techniques are powerful tools in a chemist's armoury and this book identifies some of the most important chemical techniques currently in use, along with their applications. Aimed at those with some familiarity with modern chemical techniques, as well as those completely new to them, the book covers much of the basic theory without emphasising the mathematics and physics involved. Where appropriate, descriptions of the instrumentation and sample preparation are included, as are problems with example solutions. More advanced ideas are presented in highlighted boxes, so the novice can happily skip these if desired. Modern Chemical Techniques is based on a series of 'hands-on' symposia that enabled individuals to update their chemical skills and learn about the newest methods, techniques, and instrumentation available. The resource material presented at the symposia is published here, developed and extended into an accessible, illustrated book, making the valuable information it contained available to a much wider audience.

Although the specimen of choice in the US drug testing industry is urine, and serum in clinical medicine, interest has recently grown in the use of other matrices as drug testing media. This book provides researchers and forensic toxicologists with a convenient general text summarizing the state of knowledge today. Chapters focus specifically on the application of these practices to drugs of abuse. The up-to-date information provided is complemented with thorough references.

For some people with disabilities, their interest and skills are best applied to laboratory work. Science laboratories are environments where hazardous materials and processes are in use, and assessments are required to mitigate risk and ensure compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. Accommodating individuals in a laboratory requires balancing adherence to those regulations, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) technical access standards. Individualized assessment and accommodation are needed to ensure that a qualified individual with a disability can work or study effectively in the laboratory while ensuring a safe working environment for all. This book is intended to be a helpful guide for professionals to understand how to provide equal access to people with disabilities in a laboratory environment. It will review the breadth of protections that are provided by the ADA. This book also covers the roles and responsibilities of persons involved in laboratory oversight, including institutional policies and their limitations with respect to providing appropriate support for individualized assessments in the laboratory.

Neutrons are extremely versatile probes for investigating structure and dynamics in condensed matter. Due to their large penetration depth, they are ideal for in-situ measurements of samples situated in sophisticated and advanced environments. The advent of new high-intensity neutron sources and instruments, as well as the development of new real-time techniques, allows the tracking of transformation processes in condensed matter on a microscopic scale. The present volume provides a review of the state of the art of this new and exciting field of kinetics with neutrons.

This detailed book highlights recent advances in molecular imaging techniques and protocols, designed to be immediately applicable in global bio-laboratories. The chapters are categorized into seven major groups according to the reporter materials, such as imaging with passive optical readouts, activatable bioluminescent probes, functional substrates and luciferases, organic fluorescent probes, BRET probes, FRET probes, as well as with advanced instrumentation. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Live Cell Imaging: Methods and Protocols aims to direct and inspire researchers into creating smarter, next-generation imaging techniques that are truly quantitative, highly sensitive, and readily comprehended, in the effort to engender deeper understanding of biological systems and break new ground in the research fields of life science.

Scientific techniques developed in materials science offer invaluable information to archaeology, art history, and conservation. A rapidly growing number of innovative methods, as well as many established techniques, are constantly being improved and optimized for the analysis of cultural heritage materials. The result is that on the one hand more complex problems and questions can be confronted, but on the other hand the required level of technical competence is widening the existing cultural gap between scientists and end users, such as archaeologists, museum curators, art historians, and many managers of cultural heritage who have a purely humanistic background.
The book is intended as an entry-level introduction to the methods and rationales of scientific investigation of cultural heritage materials, with emphasis placed on the analytical strategies, modes of operation, and resulting information rather than on technicalities. The extensive and updated reference list should be a useful starting point for further reading. Students and researchers from the humanities approaching scientific investigations should find it useful, as well as scientists applying familiar techniques and methods to unfamiliar problems related to cultural heritage.

This detailed book collects methods based on the evolution of the chromosome conformation capture (3C) technique and other complementary approaches to dissect chromatin conformation with an emphasis on dissection of nuclear compartmentalization and visualization in imaging. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Capturing Chromosome Conformation: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for researchers working to further understand 3D genome organization.

The accurate measurement of temperature is a vital parameter in many fields of engineering and scientific practice. Responding to emerging trends, this classic reference has been fully revised to include coverage of the latest instrumentation and measurement methods.

Featuring:

• Brand new chapters on computerised temperature measuring systems and temperature measurement in medicine.

• Sections on noise thermometers, the development of photoelectric and two-wave pyrometers and the latest IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards

• Coverage of fibre optic thermometers, imaging of temperature fields and measurement in hazardous areas.

• Examination of virtual instruments, fuzzy logic in temperature measurement and new methods for thermometer calibration.

Most cells will survive removal from the natural mic- environment of their in vivo tissue and placement into a sterile culture dish under optimal conditions. Not only do they survive, but they also multiply and express differen- ated properties in such a culture dish. A few cells do this in suspension, but most will need some kind of mechanical support substituting for their natural connections with other cells. The surface of a culture dish that might have to be coated is usually sufficient. The recent trend to standa- ization of conditions and the existence of commercial ent- prises with adequate funds and specializing in the needs of scientists were responsible for the tremendous proliferation of cell culture techniques in all fields of research in the last 20 years. No longer does a scientist have to concentrate all his/her efforts on that technology; the new trends make it feasible to employ cell culture techniques as only one of the many methods available in a small corner of a larger research laboratory. Some areas of research depend more heavily than others on cell culture techniques. Neuroscience is one of the areas that has developed hand in hand with the prol- eration of cell culture methodology. Molecular biological aspects, cell differentiation and development, neurophy- ological and neurochemical studies, as well as investigations into the nature of various diseases are now to a large extent dependent on the use of cell cultures.

Mammalian cells have evolved a complex multicomponent machinery that enables them to sense and respond to a wide variety of potentially toxic agents present in their environment. These stress responses are often associated with an increased cellular capacity to tolerate normally lethal levels of an insult. The realization that the mammalian stress response may be intimately linked with many human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia, fever, infection, and cancer, has led to an explosion of interest in this research area. Stress Response: Methods and Protocols brings together a diverse array of practical methodologies that may be employed to address various aspects of the response of mammalian cells to environmental stress. The p- tocols are carefully described by authors who have both devised and succe- fully employed them, and they represent a mixture not only of well-established techniques, but also new technologies at the leading edge of research. The areas covered include the detection and assay of stress-induced damage, the acti- tion of signal transduction pathways, stress-inducible gene expression, and stress protein function. Although no volume of this size can be comprehensive and the topics covered reflect a personal choice, it is hoped that it will prove of subst- tial interest and use to a wide range of research workers in the field.

A superb collection of time-tested, key techniques for investigating nervous system function, as well as the actions of drugs on the nervous system. The methods range from authoritative treatment of such well-established techniques as recording electrical activity in the brain, to practical coverage of state-of-the-art methods, including neural transplantation and antisense technology. The techniques described are particularly suitable for studying the mechanisms of action of psychotropic drugs and drugs of abuse, as well as the etiology and pharmacotherapy of neuropsychiatric diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. Several of the methods detailed are highly useful in screening potential drugs for the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.