First published in 1987, this book is about how cells differentiate; that is it describes the way in which cells in animal and plant bodies take on their specialised fates. It has long been recognised that since all such cells retain copies of all genes, the genetic explanation for tissue differences lies in the controlled expression of restricted sets of genes. But how is the choice made and how are such restricted groups of genes activated and regulated? This book discusses these questions and describes both determination and differentiation. The mechanisms that underlie the processes are described for the embryo and in the adult. Determination may occur in adult life during regeneration, wound healing, cancer formation and in the immune and blood systems, and the possible genetic basis for the events is explored. The influence of the cell environment, the cell surface and the pericellular-extracellular matrix as mediators of external signals is discussed.

The Clyde submarine base was officially commissioned in 1967. The Faslane site had originally been used as a military port during the Second World War and was built and manned by the army. HMS Adamant, the Depot ship of the 3rd Submarine Squadron, first anchored in Faslane Bay in 1957, and over the years the base has increased in size to accommodate the growing sophistication of the squadron submarines and the increasing number of hulls. This book traces the development of the base in unsurpassed pictorial detail, from its initial use by the army to October 1996, when the base became HM Naval Base Clyde. Chronicling the histories of the two submarine squadrons based at Faslane, the 3rd and 10th Squadrons, this collection is sure to provoke nostalgia among submariners and personnel who have served at the base, while providing a fascinating insight for those not so familiar with its story.

The X Class submarines were conceived during WW2, small craft of around 51ft (16m) long, designed to be towed by a ‘mother’ submarine with a passage crew on board. Their midget size meant they could attack with stealth, and return to their towing submarine. Beginning with a look back over the wartime craft, this new study from ex-submariner Keith Hall charts the evolution of the X class subs, from X3 through X and XE, and onto the 1950s short-lived and unique Stickleback class. Only four Stickleback submarines were ever produced, with grand plans to use them to carry a 15-kiloton nuclear naval mine codenamed Cudgel deep into Soviet harbours. Nearly all scrapped, just one remains, an X51 now residing in the Scottish Submarine Centre in Helensburgh. With a wealth of imagery including archive X craft photographs as well as up-to-date views of the X51 Stickleback from the Helensburgh Museum, this book tells the little-known story of Britain's midget class subs.