One of the most universal functions of any scientific or engineer ing laboratory is the gathering of data to provide answers to immediate questions or information to be filed for future refer ence. Such data gathering may be achieved in various ways, depending on the nature and quantity of the information. The most prevalent of such data gathering methods is undoubtedly analog recording. Electrical analog recorders are available in a variety of sizes, speeds, sensitivities, and prices. They are suitable for recording any signal which is in, or can be converted to, electrical form. These recorders are found in every modern laboratory. Without them the importance of many functional relations would be missed altogether. How could one adequately diagnose a heart ailment without a cardiographic recorder, or obtain infrared or magnetic resonance spectra on any practicable basis without a strip-chart recorder? True, various curves that are now traced automatically with a recorder can be plotted manually from point-by-point measure ments. This procedure, however, is not only time-consuming, but may cause valid bits of information to be overlooked entirely, simply because the points were taken too far apart. Another factor favoring the use of recorders is the ability to pinpoint faulty operation of the data-gathering system. Artifacts that might not be observable at all in point-by-point observations 1 The Laboratory Recorder 2 will often be readily identifiable on a recording. Asymmetry of a peaked curve, for example, is only dearly evident in a recording.

A variety of powerful techniques for monitoring and analysing events during signal transduction at the single cell level are described in this lab manual. An introductionary section on cell handling includes guidelines for constructing a perfusion chamber. A main section of the book presents protocols on fluorescence techniques such as flow cytometry, microfluorescence, ion imaging and confocal microscopy. The electrophysiological section illustrates multiple applications of the patch-clamp technique in various cell types from both animals and plants. Emphasis is put on calibration and validation of the different techniques to measure changes of membrane potential, and intracellular ion concentration or pH.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Vacuum Microbalance Techniques held at Wakefield, Massachusetts on June 12 and 13, 1969. The tenth anniversary of the first confer ence will be registered as this volume passes through the typeset ting and proofreading stages. The eight volumes that have spawned from this continuing series of conferences now contain a total of 125 papers. Thus, these volumes serve as a major repository of the world's literature on vacuum microbalance techniques. The Ninth and Tenth Conferences will be held in West Germany in June 1970 and in Texas in 1971. Each of the eight meetings has served as a forum where new developments in this rapidly advancing field can be presented and discussed constructively within a conference atmosphere of cordial informality. The interaction of the participants at the conferences has led to the first treatise on ultra mlcrogravtmetry;' edited by S. P. Wolsky and E. J. Zdanuk, with most of the fourteen chapters written by steady contributors to the volumes on Vacuum Micro balance Techniques. The number of research investigations and published works in which a vacuum microbalance is utilized con tinues to expandr apldly. f This is a direct result of several types of automatic recording balances that are now available commercial ly. 3 The Eighth Conference was held to bring together again re search scientists and engineers who exploit the measurement of mass as a means of studying physical and chemical phenomena.

The papers in this volume arose out of two workshops entitled "Confinement and Remediation of Environmental Hazards," and "Resource Recovery," as part of the IMA 1999-2000 program year. These workshops brought together mathematicians, engineers and scientists to summarize recent theoretical, computational, and experimental advances in the theory of phenomena in porous media. The first workshop focused on the mathematical problems which arise in groundwater transport of contamination, and the spreading, confinement and remediation of biological, chemical and radioactive waste. In the second conference, the processes underlying petroleum recovery and the geological time scale of deformation, flow and reaction in porous media were discussed. Simulation techniques were used to simulate complex domains with widely-ranging spatial resolution and types of physics. Probability funcional methods for determining the most probable state of the subsurface and related uncertainty were discussed. Practical examples included breakout from chemical and radioactive waste repositories, confinement by injection of pore plugging material and bioremediation of petroleum and other wastes. This volume will be of interest to subsurface science practitioners who would like a view of recent mathematical and experimental efforts to examine subsurface science phenomena related to resource recovery and remediation issues.

This book deals with the underlying theory and practical aspects of pressure gauges that are at present in general use. Because of the ever-increasing demands to provide a wider range of sophisticated and reliable vacuum equipment a good understanding of these instruments is of vital importance to all workers in the research and industrial sectors. Of the gauges considered only the mechanical types are absolute, in the sense that they measure pressure directly as a force upon a liquid column or a solid surface. Under ideal conditions it is possible to calculate their sensitiv ities, which are the same for all gases and vapours. The recent developments in the viscous or molecular damping gauges indicate that these may also be considered absolute. Other gauges are indirect in that they involve the measurement of some secondary phenomenon which is pressure-dependent and therefore these gauges can only be used for measurement after calibration against an absolute standard. The radiometer or Knudsen type gauge has been excluded from the text since these are now only of historic interest. Also no mention is made of the integration techniques involving surface changes (such as work function) although these could have application under very special circumstances. The McLeod gauge is dealt with in some detail, for even though this gauge has few practical applications, it is the most sensitive absolute gauge available and has value as a reference standard."

Organic synthesis is a vibrant and rapidly evolving field; we can now cyclize amines directly onto alkenes. Like its predecessors, this reference leads readers quickly to the field's more important recent developments. Two years of Douglass F. Taber's popular weekly online column, "Organic Chemistry Highlights", as featured on the organic-chemistry.org website, are consolidated here, with cumulative indices of all three volumes in this series. Important topics that are covered range from powerful new methods for C-C bond construction to asymmetric organocatalysis and direct C-H functionalization. This go-to reference focuses on the most important recent developments in organic synthesis, and includes a succinct analysis of the significance and applicability of each new synthetic method.

The first insights into the site and mechanisms of RNA process- ing to functional mRNA in eukaryotic cells came from the group of Georgiev (Lukanidin et al. 1972) who demonstrated the association of rapidly labelled, heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) with a limited number of specific proteins in the cell nucleus. These "informofers", i. e. packaged precursors of mRNA (pre-mRNA or hnRNA), are in a form presumably amenable to the action of nucleases. With the availability of better analytical techniques, the considerable heterogeneity of hnRNA associated proteins was revealed (Niessing and Sekeris 1970), suggesting a role that was more composite, rather than solely structural, for these proteins. Later studies investigated the RNA binding behavior of these proteins (Schenkel et al. 1988, 1989; Wilk et al. 1983). For a long time, the small nuclear RNAs, well characterized with respect to primary structure (reviewed by Reddy and Busch 1983), were naively ignored regarding their function. Several events then set the stage for a detailed study of the intricate mechanisms of the splicing process and other steps involved in hnRNA processing: (1) The demonstration of a second class of nuclear ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), composed of small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and another characteristic group ofheterogene- ous proteins (Lerner et al. 1980; Guialis et al. 1983); (2) the detec- tion of the association of snRNPs with hnRNPs by virtue of base pairing between hnRNA and snRNA (Flytzanis et al.

This book should be on the shelf of every practising statistician who designs experiments. Good design considers units and treatments first, and then allocates treatments to units. It does not choose from a menu of named designs. This approach requires a notation for units that does not depend on the treatments applied. Most structure on the set of observational units, or on the set of treatments, can be defined by factors. This book develops a coherent framework for thinking about factors and their relationships, including the use of Hasse diagrams. These are used to elucidate structure, calculate degrees of freedom and allocate treatment subspaces to appropriate strata. Based on a one-term course the author has taught since 1989, the book is ideal for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses. Examples, exercises and discussion questions are drawn from a wide range of real applications: from drug development, to agriculture, to manufacturing.

Vacuum apparatus is widely used in research and industrial establishments for providing and monitoring the working environments required for the operation of many kinds of scientific instruments and process plant. The vacuum conditions needed range from the relatively coarse vacuum requirements in applications covering diverse fields such as food packaging, dentistry (investment casting), vacuum forming, vacuum metallur gical processes, vacuum impregnation, molecular distillation, vacuum drying and freeze drying etc. to the other extreme involving the highest possible vacuum as in particle accelerators, space technology -both in simulation and outer space, and research studies of atomically clean surfaces and pure condensed metal films. Vacua commence with the rough vacuum region, i.e. from atmosphere to 100 Pa * passing 6 through medium vacuum of 100 Pa to 0.1 Pa and high vacuum of 0.1 Pa to 1 J.lPa (10- Pa) until ultra high vacuum is reached below 1 J.lPa to the limit of measurable pressure about 12 I pPa (10- Pa)."

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.

Organic synthesis is a vibrant and rapidly evolving field; we can now cyclize amines directly onto alkenes. Like the first two books in this series, Organic Synthesis: State of the Art 2003-2005 and Organic Synthesis: State of the Art 2005-2007, this reference leads readers quickly to the most important recent developments. Two years of Taber's popular weekly online column, "Organic Chemistry Highlights", as featured on the organic-chemistry.org website, are consolidated here, with cumulative indices of all three volumes in this series. Important topics that are covered range from powerful new methods for C-C bond construction to asymmetric organocatalysis and direct C-H functionalization. This go-to reference focuses on the most important recent developments in organic synthesis, and includes a succinct analysis of the significance and applicability of each new synthetic method. It details and analyzes more than twenty complex total syntheses, including the Sammakia synthesis of the Macrolide RK-397, the Ley synthesis of Rapamycin, and the Kobayashi synthesis of (-)-Norzoanthamine.

This book was first published in 2006. The standard model brings together two theories of particle physics in order to describe the interactions of subatomic particles, except those due to gravity. This book uses the standard model as a vehicle for introducing quantum field theory. In doing this the book also introduces much of the phenomenology on which this model is based. The book uses a modern approach, emphasizing effective field theory techniques, and contains brief discussions of some of the main proposals for going beyond the standard model, such as seesaw neutrino masses, supersymmetry, and grand unification. Requiring only a minimum of background material, this book is ideal for graduate students in theoretical and experimental particle physics. It concentrates on getting students to the level of being able to use this theory by doing real calculations with the minimum of formal development, and contains several problems.

This series presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in polymer and biopolymer science including chemistry, physical chemistry, physics and materials science. It is addressed to all scientists at universities and in industry who wish to keep abreast of advances in the topics covered.

Impact Factor Ranking: Always number one in Polymer Science. More information as well as the electronic version of the whole content available at: www.springerlink.com

Flow cytometry is now well established in research laboratories and is gaining increasing use in clinical medicine and pathology. The technique enables multiple simultaneous light scatter and fluorescence measurements to be made at the individual cell level at very rapid rates and results in very large quantities of data being collected. Data, however, is just a series of numbers which have to be converted to information which, in turn, must be shown to have meaning. This is the most important single aspect of flow cytometry but it has received relatively little attention. One of the frequently voiced advantages of the technology is that it produces 'good statistics' because large numbers of cells have been analysed. However, it is not very often that confidence limits are placed on results, hence the reader has little or no feel for the inherent variability in the information produced. This book covers very basic number handling techniques, regression analysis, probability functions, statistical tests and methods of analysing dynamic processes. All those who use flow cytometry in their research will find this book an invaluable guide to interpreting the data produced by flow cytometers.

Soft matter science is nowadays an acronym for an increasingly important class of materials, which ranges from polymers, liquid crystals, colloids up to complex macromolecular assemblies, covering sizes from the nanoscale up the microscale. Computer simulations have proven as an indispensable, if not the most powerful, tool to understand properties of these materials and link theoretical models to experiments. In this first volume of a small series recognized leaders of the field review advanced topics and provide critical insight into the state-of-the-art methods and scientific questions of this lively domain of soft condensed matter research.

Recent advances in the biosciences have led to a range of powerful new technologies, particularly nucleic acid, protein and cell-based methodologies. The most recent insights have come to affect how scientists investigate and define cellular processes at the molecular level. This book expands upon the techniques included in the first edition, providing theory, outlines of practical procedures, and applications for a range of techniques. Written by a well-established panel of research scientists, the book provides an up-to-date collection of methods used regularly in the authors own research programs.

Lasers are employed throughout science and technology, in fundamental research, the remote sensing of atmospheric gases or pollutants, communications, medical diagnostics and therapies, and the manufacturing of microelectronic devices. Understanding the principles of their operation, which underlie all of these areas, is essential for a modern scientific education. This text introduces the characteristics and operation of lasers through laboratory experiments designed for the undergraduate curricula in Chemistry and Physics. Introductory chapters describe the properties of light, the history of laser invention, the atomic, molecular and optical principles behind how lasers work, and the kinds of lasers available today. Other chapters include the basic theory of spectroscopy and computational chemistry used to interpret laser experiments. Experiments range from simple in-class demonstrations to more elaborate configurations for advanced students. Each chapter has historical and theoretical background, as well as options suggested for variations on the prescribed experiments. The text will be useful for undergraduates students in advanced lab classes, for instructors designing these classes, or for graduate students beginning a career in laser science.

The term scienti?c inquiry as manifest in different educational settings covers a wide range of diverse activities. The differences in types of scienti?c inquiry can be organized along a continuum according to the degree of teacher control and intellectual sophistication involved in each type of inquiry. Types of scienti?c inquiry can also be de?ned according to whether they produce cultural knowledge or personal knowledge. Authentic scienti?c inquiry is de?ned according to ?ve characteristics: devel- ment of personal and cultural knowledge; contextualized scienti?c knowledge; the progression toward high-order problem solving; social interaction for s- enti?c goals; and scienti?c inquiry as a multi-stage and multi-representational process. The de?nition of scienti?c inquiry that forms the basis for the development of an assessment program consists of a two-part analytical frame: the de?nition of knowledge types relevant to scienti?c inquiry and the de?nition of an organi- tional frame for these knowledge types. Four types of knowledge are signi?cant for the de?nition of a speci?c s- enti?c inquiry program: cognitive knowledge, physical knowledge, represen- tional knowledge, and presentational knowledge. All four of these knowledge types are considered signi?cant. These four types of knowledge are organized in a framework that consists of two intersecting axes: the axis of knowledge types and the axis of stages of a s- ci?c scienti?c inquiry. This framework describes scienti?c inquiry as multi-stage process that involves the development of a series of in-lab outcomes (represen- tions) over an extended period of time.

Recent advances in the biosciences have led to a range of powerful new technologies, particularly nucleic acid, protein and cell-based methodologies. The most recent insights have come to affect how scientists investigate and define cellular processes at the molecular level. This book expands upon the techniques included in the first edition, providing theory, outlines of practical procedures, and applications for a range of techniques. Written by a well-established panel of research scientists, the book provides an up-to-date collection of methods used regularly in the authors own research programs.

This invaluable reference handbook describes the fundamental principles and procedures underlying the successful isolation of viable, functionally intact hematopoietic and lymphoid cells, and their maintenance as primary cultures. The text provides technical information on the signals and mediators required for the differentiation and growth of these cells, and is designed for laboratory investigators with limited practical experience in cell culture. Chapters discuss dendritic cells, T and B lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages, NK and LAK cells, mast cells and basophils, hematopoietic differentiation of embryonal stem cells, and the culturing of murine thymic explants. Each chapter has been written by experts who have practical experience of the techniques discussed to provide tips for avoiding common pitfalls, and sharing insight into the fundamental questions in cell biology and immunology addressed using each cell culture model.

This handy reference handbook describes the fundamental principles and procedures underlying the successful isolation of viable, functionally-intact cells from mammalian endocrine tissues, and their maintenance as primary cultures. The cell types selected for coverage illustrate the diversity of endocrine tissues from which cells have been isolated, and the range of procedures which have been devised to ensure the optimal survival and behaviour of each cell type under study. Particular emphasis has been placed on the provision of detailed protocols describing, step by step, the manipulations necessary to establish differentiated and responsive cultures. The chapters have been prepared by authors having direct practical experience of the cell type concerned, and the reader is therefore provided with first-hand accounts on the background to each procedure, the avoidance of potential problems and pitfalls, and the fundamental questions in endocrinology which may be addressed using each cell culture model.

This handy reference handbook describes the fundamental principles and procedures underlying the successful isolation of viable, functionally-intact cells from mammalian endocrine tissues, and their maintenance as primary cultures. The cell types selected for coverage illustrate the diversity of endocrine tissues from which cells have been isolated, and the range of procedures which have been devised to ensure the optimal survival and behaviour of each cell type under study. Particular emphasis has been placed on the provision of detailed protocols describing, step by step, the manipulations necessary to establish differentiated and responsive cultures. The chapters have been prepared by authors having direct practical experience of the cell type concerned, and the reader is therefore provided with first-hand accounts on the background to each procedure, the avoidance of potential problems and pitfalls, and the fundamental questions in endocrinology which may be addressed using each cell culture model.

The Welfare of Animals used in Research: Practice and Ethics gives a complete and balanced overview of the issues surrounding the use of animals in scientific research. The focus of the book is on the animal welfare implications and ethics of animals in research. It covers the topics with sufficient depth to show a real understanding of varied and complex subjects, but conveys the information in a beautifully reader-friendly manner. Key features: * Provides those who are not working in the field with a reasonable understanding as to why and how animals are used in research. * Gives an introduction to the ethical issues involved in using animals, and explains how these are addressed in practice. * Details the advances in animal welfare and the use and development of the 3Rs principles, and how these have become fundamental to the everyday use and regulation of animals used in research. * The focus is on principles making it suitable for an international audience. This book is a useful introduction to the issues involved in laboratory animal welfare for those who intend to work in research involving animals. It is also useful to prospective animal care staff and animal welfare scientists, and to those involved in ethical review. It will help inform debate amongst those who are not involved in experimentation but who are interested in the issues. Published as a part of the prestigious Wiley-Blackwell UFAW Animal Welfare series. UFAW, founded 1926, is an internationally recognised, independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity. For full details of all titles available in the series, please visit the