When chronic misfit Isaac Winter walks out into the freezing cold of a January night, he only has one thing on his mind: ending his own life. Instead, he encounters something in the darkness that makes life worth living. Something strange. Something scary. Something not of this world – an extraterrestrial machine of unknown origin and intent. After developing an obsession with this other-worldly entity, events are set in motion that lead Isaac to a secret military organisation, strangers with superhuman powers, and – ultimately – a revelation about his own past he could never have dreamt of.
This volume addresses challenging new questions surrounding stem cell-based chimera research. This book is organized into three parts: Part One provides readers with a summary of different human donor cell types. The chapters in this section discuss ways to evaluate new types of pluripotent stem cells; the derivation of naïve and primed pluripotent stem cells from mouse preimplantation embryos; and the ethical and regulatory complexities of informed consent for the procurement of somatic cells. Part Two discusses methods for generating chimeras. The chapters here look at chick models and human-chick organizer grafts; generating human-pig interspecies chimeras; and techniques for transplanting mouse neural stem cells into a mouse disease model for stroke. Part Three concludes the book with a look at ongoing ethical controversies and new scientific directions. Chapters in this part cover the ethics of crossing the xenobarrier; animal welfare; experimentation with spermatogonial stem cells; and cautious approaches to human-monkey chimera studies to further understand complex human brain disorders. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, 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. Cutting-edge and thorough, Chimera Research: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for scientists interesting in using chimeras as a research tool while also taking into consideration their complex ethical scopes.
In CHIMERAJohn Barth injects his signature wit into the tales of Scheherezade of the Thousand and One Nights, Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, and Bellerophon, who tamed the winged horse Pegasus. In a book that the Washington Post called "stylishly maned, tragically songful, and serpentinely elegant,” Barth retells these tales from varying perspectives, examining the myths’ relationship to reality and their resonance with the contemporary world. A winner of the National Book Award, this feisty, witty, sometimes bawdy book provoked Playboy to comment, "There’s every chance in the world that John Barth is a genius.”
Using philosophical and ethnographic theory, presents new approaches to ritual and memory, relating them to visual and sound images as acts of communication.
In his 2006 State of the Union speech, President George W. Bush asked the U.S. Congress to prohibit the "most egregious abuses of medical research," such as the "creation of animal–human hybrids." The president's message echoed that of a 2004 report by the President's Council on Bioethics, which recommended that hybrid human–animal embryos be banned by Congress. Discussions of early interspecies research, in which cells or DNA are interchanged between humans and nonhumans at early stages of development, can often devolve into sweeping statements, colorful imagery, and confusing policy. Although today's policy advisory groups are becoming more informed, debate is still limited by the interchangeable use of terms such as chimeras and hybrids, a tendency to treat all forms of interspecies alike, the failure to distinguish between laboratory research and procreation, and not enough serious policy justification. Andrea Bonnicksen seeks to understand reasons behind support of and disdain for interspecies research in such areas as chimerism, hybridization, interspecies nuclear transfer, cross-species embryo transfer, and transgenics. She highlights two claims critics make against early interspecies studies: that the research will violate human dignity and that it can lead to procreation. Are these claims sufficient to justify restrictive policy? Bonnicksen carefully illustrates the challenges of making policy for sensitive and often sensationalized research—research that touches deep-seated values and that probes the boundary between human and nonhuman animals.
This text provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of chimerism. The first part of the volume presents the causes of chimerism, specifically focusing on fertilization and early embryonic errors, pregnancy and multiple gestations, and transplantation and transfusion. The second part of the volume outlines clinical identification and consequences of chimerism. Chapters in this section focus on the effects of chimerism on testing in relationship determination and forensics, prenatal genetic testing and screening, and blood and HLA typing. This part also reviews new data concerning matching donors and recipients for transplantation, while outlining the risks of transplantation, such as graft-vs-host disease and passenger lymphocyte syndrome. Additionally, evidence on the role of chimerism in autoimmune disease and cancer is presented. Written by experts in the field, Chimerism: A Clinical Guide is a valuable resource for clinicians and researchers that will help guide patient management and stimulate investigative efforts.
This book, which was originally published in 1986, introduces the reader to the main steps in the analysis of chimeras, explains their structural and developmental basis, and the ways of classifying and manipulating them. The twelve chapters separate types of chimeras according to their origin - by grafting or polyploidy; their structure - sectorial or periclinal; or according to the varied parts of the plant most affected - tubers, leaves, flowers or fruit. Throughout the book care is taken to distinguish between the activity of the growing-point in determining chimera structure, and the role of gene expression in determining appearance. Examples of the experimental uses of chimeras are given and of the valuable role they can play in studying fundamental questions of anatomical development; the disadvantages of chimeras in mutation breeding are discussed too.
The United States military is arguably the most intensely technological, complex enterprise in existence. When compared to the gross domestic products of other countries, the Department of Defense (DoD) budget ranks above all but about 20 nations. If viewed as a company, it would be the largest globally with the most employees. Major investments in weapons systems using advanced technologies provide an advantage over competing systems. Each weapon, platform, vehicle, and person in an operating force is a node in one or more advanced networks that provide the ability to rapidly form a coherent force from a large number of broadly distributed elements. DoD's ability to create and operate forces of this nature demands a competent understanding by its workforce of the composition, acquisition, and employment of its technology-enabled forces. Review of Specialized Degree-Granting Graduate Programs of the Department of Defense in STEM and Management focuses on the graduate science, technology, engineering, mathematics and management (STEM+M) education issues of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. This report assesses the cost, benefits, and organizational placement of DoD institutions that grant degrees in STEM+M and evaluates alternative ways - for example, civilian institutions and distance learning - to ensure adequate numbers and high-quality education outcomes for DoD personnel."--Publisher's description.
Congenital and Acquired Bone Marrow Failure is a comprehensive guide to congenital and acquired bone marrow failure in adult and pediatric patients. Chapters are divided into two sections, acquired aplastic anemia and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. Content ranges from the basic, to the translational, and from the epidemiology of acquired aplastic anemia and telomere biology, to the management, treatment, and supportive care of pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients. Contributors are world leading experts in the field of bone marrow failure. The book is required reading for residents, fellows, clinicians, and researchers across hematology, oncology, pathology, bone marrow transplantation, pediatrics, and internal medicine.
