Cover Story | Volume 12 - Issue 1 | February 2017
Sections
Business Management
How Project Management Techniques Can Improve Research
Without established timelines or performance measures by which to track progress, it can feel like you are constantly racing against time and funding to produce results.
Lab Services: What's Best for Your Business?
As instruments became more reliable and cost reduction mandates sweep through labs, managers begin to seek less costly alternatives
How to Ensure Compatibility When Buying Pre-Owned
Simple steps to reduce the risk of compatibility issues arising post purchase
Increase Transparency for Your Lab's Products and Services
Industry survivors must embrace shifting paradigms in order to remain competitive in the private sector
Research-Specific Labs
What Will a Lab on Mars Be Like?
A lab on Mars would be essential to future manned missions and the search for life
Leadership and Staffing
Creating a Positive Lab Culture
Along with hiring the right people, creating a good work environment is also required to help foster and maintain a solid workplace culture
Laboratory Technology
Open Data: Challenges and Opportunities
The challenges and opportunities of open data for the future of science and technology
Lab Health and Safety
Managing Laboratory Noise
Many areas within laboratories and especially research facilities are inherently noisy. Exposure to loud noise for long enough periods can result in permanent loss of hearing.
INSIGHTS
Protecting Foods from Pesticides
Those applying pesticides and producing foods that have been treated with pesticides must follow specific rules
Selecting the Right Cell Culture Media
Cell culture media fuel modern life sciences research. Whether the objective is cell-based assays, antibody production, or virus replication, the medium is a make-or-break component
Ask the Expert
Mojca Strazisar on the Challenges in Sample Prep Workflows
Mojca Strazisar is an expert scientist at the Genomic Service Facility in the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, with a focus on genomics technologies.
Vinka Oyanedel-Craver and Tahei Tahara on New Applications for Molecular Spectroscopy
Some of the challenges associated with fast, real-time testing, comprehensive analysis of samples, and post-processing of the data do exist but continue to be addressed with improvements in the technology.
Product Focus
How to Use Less Solvents in Sample Prep
Solventless sample preparation methods have been applied to a variety of sample types
Flow Cytometry for Detecting Rare Cells
Flow cytometry has been instrumental in the discovery of rare cells and in understanding how they differ from more abundant cells.
Maintaining Your Lab's Cold Chain
Refrigerators and freezers are integral pieces of equipment in many research and clinical labs.
Refractometers: Secrets of Accurate Measurement
Many factors can negatively affect accuracy in refractometry. The secret is to eliminate them.
Surveys
2017 Titrator Product Survey Results
Find out our readers’ most common titrator types and more from our latest product survey results
2017 Microplate Reader User Survey Results
Learn the most common components and more from our latest microplate survey results
2017 Freeze Dryer User Survey Results
Learn readers’ key applications and more from our latest freeze dryer product survey results.
2017 Lab Ovens User Survey
Find out readers’ ten preferred lab oven features and more from the results of our latest product survey
How it Works
How an Upright Liquid Nitrogen Freezer Works
Frozen storage of biological materials has become an essential activity in many laboratories
How a Reagent Dispensing Solution Works
From a safety standpoint, the current methods for transferring reagents risk spills, waste, contamination of the bottle contents, or in the case of glass ampoules, pose a risk from broken glass and sharp edges.