Part of the International Space Station Program Science Office 15-book Researchers Guide Series by discipline. The purpose of the series is to educate potential users of the ISS platform on how their ground-based experiments can be translated to the space environment. Each guide is designed to start the conversation of how new researchers can find opportunities as well as assistance in the proposal development process.
More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human outposts, culminating in the current International Space Station (ISS). However, of the more than 500 humans who have so far ventured into space, most have gone only as far as near-Earth orbit, and none have traveled beyond the orbit of the Moon. Achieving humans' further progress into the solar system had proved far more difficult than imagined in the heady days of the Apollo missions, but the potential rewards remain substantial. During its more than 50-year history, NASA's success in human space exploration has depended on the agency's ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical science, and related obstacles-an achievement made possible by NASA's strong and productive commitments to life and physical sciences research for human space exploration, and by its use of human space exploration infrastructures for scientific discovery. The Committee for the Decadal Survey of Biological and Physical Sciences acknowledges the many achievements of NASA, which are all the more remarkable given budgetary challenges and changing directions within the agency. In the past decade, however, a consequence of those challenges has been a life and physical sciences research program that was dramatically reduced in both scale and scope, with the result that the agency is poorly positioned to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the now fully equipped and staffed ISS laboratory, or to effectively pursue the scientific research needed to support the development of advanced human exploration capabilities. Although its review has left it deeply concerned about the current state of NASA's life and physical sciences research, the Committee for the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is nevertheless convinced that a focused science and engineering program can achieve successes that will bring the space community, the U.S. public, and policymakers to an understanding that we are ready for the next significant phase of human space exploration. The goal of this report is to lay out steps and develop a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the excitement and value of human spaceflight-thereby enabling the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives that serve the nation, excite the public, and place the United States again at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.
The purpose of the Guide is to support national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) who wish to establish and maintain pest free areas (PFA) including places and/or production sites (PFPP and PFPS) as well as areas of low pest prevalence (ALPP). To facilitate an understanding of the processes to establish and maintain PFAs and ALPPs, a diagram in the form of a decision tree was constructed that identifies and outlines five general phases of programme development as follows: initiation, feasibility, establishment, maintenance, and market access phases. The guide is then divided into corresponding sections that describe what the key elements of each phase are, why these elements are important, what some of the common challenges and pitfalls are, and factors that may influence the success of the different phases such as budget stability, public outreach, availability of good survey and control tools, and open engagement with stakeholders and trading partners. By providing a deeper understanding of the factors that should be considered when establishing a PFA, PFPP, PFPS or ALPP the guide aims to overcome the challenges and maximize the impact of these efforts to the benefit of all parties. The guide concludes by providing a number of case studies from around the world that highlight successful PFA and ALPP programmes and how they deal with particular key issues. This guide contains current experience and the most advanced phytosanitary procedures in the implementation of PFA and ALPP, however, it is subjected to revision and updates as new developments are made available.
One of the first books dedicated to the emerging field of neutron protein crystallography (NPC). It covers all of the practical aspects of NPC and demonstrates how NPC can explore protein features such as hydrogen bonds, protonation and deprotonation of amino acid residues, and hydration structures.
Modern neuroscience research is inherently multidisciplinary, with a wide variety of cutting edge new techniques to explore multiple levels of investigation. This Third Edition of Guide to Research Techniques in Neuroscience provides a comprehensive overview of classical and cutting edge methods including their utility, limitations, and how data are presented in the literature. This book can be used as an introduction to neuroscience techniques for anyone new to the field or as a reference for any neuroscientist while reading papers or attending talks. - Nearly 200 updated full-color illustrations to clearly convey the theory and practice of neuroscience methods - Expands on techniques from previous editions and covers many new techniques including in vivo calcium imaging, fiber photometry, RNA-Seq, brain spheroids, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and more - Clear, straightforward explanations of each technique for anyone new to the field - A broad scope of methods, from noninvasive brain imaging in human subjects, to electrophysiology in animal models, to recombinant DNA technology in test tubes, to transfection of neurons in cell culture - Detailed recommendations on where to find protocols and other resources for specific techniques - "Walk-through" boxes that guide readers through experiments step-by-step
Research on gene drive systems is rapidly advancing. Many proposed applications of gene drive research aim to solve environmental and public health challenges, including the reduction of poverty and the burden of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue, which disproportionately impact low and middle income countries. However, due to their intrinsic qualities of rapid spread and irreversibility, gene drive systems raise many questions with respect to their safety relative to public and environmental health. Because gene drive systems are designed to alter the environments we share in ways that will be hard to anticipate and impossible to completely roll back, questions about the ethics surrounding use of this research are complex and will require very careful exploration. Gene Drives on the Horizon outlines the state of knowledge relative to the science, ethics, public engagement, and risk assessment as they pertain to research directions of gene drive systems and governance of the research process. This report offers principles for responsible practices of gene drive research and related applications for use by investigators, their institutions, the research funders, and regulators.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a great international, technological, and political achievement. It is the latest step in humankind's quest to explore and live in space. The research done on the ISS may advance our knowledge in various areas of science, enable us to improve life on this planet, and give us the experience and increased understanding that can eventually equip us to journey to other worlds. As a result of the Station s complexity, few understand its configuration, its design and component systems, or the complex operations required in its construction and operation. This book provides high-level insight into the ISS. The ISS is in orbit today, operating with a crew of three. Its assembly will continue through 2010. As the ISS grows, its capabilities will increase, thus requiring a larger crew. Currently, 16 countries are involved in this venture. The sophisticated procedures required in the Station's construction and operation are presented in Amazing 3D Graphics generated by NASA 104 pages of spectacularly detailed color graphics the Space Station as you've never seen it before!
Tropisms, the defined vectorial stimuli, such as gravity, light, touch, humidity gradients, ions, oxygen, and temperature, which provide guidance for plant organ growth, is a rapidly growing and changing field. The last few years have witnessed a true renaissance in the analysis of tropisms. As such the conception of tropisms has changed from being seen as a group of simple laboratory curiosities to their recognition as important tools/phenotypes with which to decipher basic cell biological processes that are essential to plant growth and development. Plant Tropisms will provide a comprehensive, yet integrated volume of the current state of knowledge on the molecular and cell biological processes that govern plant tropisms.
NP 2012-11-912-HQ. Provides an in-depth look at how NASA's initiatives in aeronautics and space exploration have resulted in beneficial commercial technologies in the fields of health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, environmental protection, computer technology and industrial productivity
This book provides an introduction to understanding combustion, the burning of a substance that produces heat and often light, in microgravity environments-i.e., environments with very low gravity such as outer space. Readers are presented with a compilation of worldwide findings from fifteen years of research and experimental tests in various low-gravity environments, including drop towers, aircraft, and space.Microgravity Combustion is unique in that no other book reviews low- gravity combustion research in such a comprehensive manner. It provides an excellent introduction for those researching in the fields of combustion, aerospace, and fluid and thermal sciences.* An introduction to the progress made in understanding combustion in a microgravity environment* Experimental, theoretical and computational findings of current combustion research* Tutorial concepts, such as scaling analysis* Worldwide microgravity research findings
