Peter B. Kaufman

The definitive guidebook for using video in modern communication. Video (television, film, the moving image generally) is today's most popular information medium. Two-thirds of the world's internet traffic is video. Americans get their news and information more often from screens and speakers than through any other means. The Moving Image is the first authoritative account of how we have arrived here, together with the first definitive manual to help writers, educators, and publishers to use video more effectively. Drawing on decades as an educator, publisher, and producer, MIT's Peter Kaufman presents new tools, best practices, and community resources for integrating film and sound into media that matters. Kaufman describes video's vital role in politics, law, education, and entertainment today, only 130 years since the birth of film. He explains how best to produce video, distribute it, clear rights to it, cite it, and, ultimately, archive and preserve it. With detailed guidance on producing and deploying video and sound for publication, finding and using archival video and sound, securing rights and permissions, developing distribution strategies, and addressing questions about citation, preservation, and storage--across the broadest spectrum of platforms, publications, disciplines, and formats--The Moving Image equips readers for the medium's continued ascendance in education, publishing, and knowledge dissemination over the decades to come. And modeled in part on Strunk & White's classic Elements of Style, it's also a highly enjoyable read.

How the internet transformed education and knowledge in the 21st century. Peter B. Kaufman is a visionary of the video age who, from his perch at Columbia and now MIT, sees what he calls "the Monsterverse" for what it is--an Internet dominated by purely commercial interests--and how, just maybe, we can change that. A publisher, teacher, and videographer, Kaufman describes how recapturing control over moving images and recorded sound can transform our online engagement from one that is stubbornly unsatisfying, aggravates inequities, and even facilitates totalitarianism, to one that can free our minds and transform education--in much the same way that the Encyclop die and the Enlightenment helped European society modernize and democratize in the 18th century. He reminds us how the control of publishing, broadcast media, and knowledge itself has evolved--and devolved. He looks at copyright law and other laws that govern the dissemination of information and intellectual freedoms in our digital age. Kaufman's subject is the battleground of ideas, how the fights there affect the quality of life in our society. He charts how corporate dominance of the Internet has meant that we the people have been losing these battles in recent decades and, most pressingly, he proposes new ways for us, finally, to start winning now "In many ways," writes Kaufman, "we are returning via the Internet to a world of sound and pictures--after a detour among letters for a few hundred years." He shows how a whole new era of visual education awaits us with exciting and unprecedented opportunities--opportunities that could expand the very definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

How do we create a universe of truthful and verifiable information, available to everyone? In The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, MIT Open Learning's Peter B. Kaufman describes the powerful forces that have purposely crippled our efforts to share knowledge widely and freely. Popes and their inquisitors, emperors and their hangmen, commissars and their secret police--throughout history, all have sought to stanch the free flow of information. Kaufman writes of times when the Bible could not be translated--you'd be burned for trying; when dictionaries and encyclopedias were forbidden; when literature and science and history books were trashed and pulped--sometimes along with their authors; and when efforts to develop public television and radio networks were quashed by private industry. In the 21st century, the enemies of free thought have taken on new and different guises--giant corporate behemoths, sprawling national security agencies, gutted regulatory commissions. Bereft of any real moral compass or sense of social responsibility, their work to surveil and control us are no less nefarious than their 16th- and 18th- and 20th- century predecessors. They are all part of what Kaufman calls the Monsterverse. The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge maps out the opportunities to mobilize for the fight ahead of us. With the Internet and other means of media production and distribution--video especially--at hand, knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, museums, and archives have a special responsibility now to counter misinformation, disinformation, and fake news--and especially efforts to control the free flow of information. A film and video producer and former book publisher, Kaufman begins to draft a new social contract for our networked video age. He draws his inspiration from those who fought tooth and nail against earlier incarnations of the Monsterverse--including William Tyndale in the 16th century; Denis Diderot in the 18th; untold numbers of Soviet and Central and East European dissidents in the 20th--many of whom paid the ultimate price. Their successors? Advocates of free knowledge like Aaron Swartz, of free software like Richard Stallman, of an enlightened public television and radio network like James Killian, of a freer Internet like Tim Berners-Lee, of fuller rights and freedoms like Edward Snowden. All have been striving to secure for us a better world, marked by the right balance between state, society, and private gain. The concluding section of the book, its largest piece, builds on their work, drawing up a progressive agenda for how today's free thinkers can band together now to fight and win. With everything shut and everyone going online, The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge is a rousing call to action that expands the definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the principles and concepts behind the methods outlined or to inform the reader of possible pitfalls in the methods described. Filling these gaps, this book: Discusses a wide variety of approaches, from very basic methods to the latest, most sophisticated technologiesContains clearly detailed, step-by-step protocols with helpful troubleshooting tipsAddresses the needs of researchers in academic and commercial environmentsGuides graduate students in designing, implementing, and evaluating experimental projects. Each chapter covers the principles underlying methods and techniques, and includes step-by-step descriptions of each protocol, notes, tips, and a troubleshooting guide. The book includes sections on how to write a research paper for publication in English-language journals, how to protect research discoveries and inventions via patents, and practical methods of bio-calculation. Written by a team of internationally recognized scientists, Gene Biotechnology presents protocols as well as clear and simple explanations of the key principles and concepts behind the methods. It is a single, logically organized source for the most important new methodologies. This unique resource provides the tools to help ensure success in contemporary molecular and cellular biology research.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

2008 NOMINEEThe Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Annual Award for a Significant Work in Botanical or Horticultural Literature From medicinal, industrial, and culinary uses to cutting-edge laboratory techniques in modern research and plant conservation strategies, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition reveals a vastly expanded understanding of the natural products that plants produce. In a single volume, this bookoffers a thorough inventory of the various types of plant-derived compounds. It covers their chemical composition, structure, and properties alongside the most effective ways to identify, extract, analyze, and characterize new plant-derived compounds. The authors examine new information on the chemical mechanisms plants use to deter predators and pathogens, attract symbiotic organisms, and defend themselves against environmental stress—insights which are key for adapting such mechanisms to human health. Along with updated and revised information from the highly acclaimed first edition, the second edition presents seven new chapters and features more than 50% new material relating to plant constituents, natural product biochemistry, and molecular biology. The book incorporates in-depth treatment of natural product biosynthesis with new collection and extraction protocols, advanced separation and analytical techniques, up-to-date bioassays, as well as modern molecular biology and plant biotechnology for the production of natural products. Unique in its breadth and coverage, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition belongs on the shelf of interested researchers, policymakers, and consumers— particularly those involved in disease prevention, treatment, and pharmaceutical applications—who need a complete guide to the properties, uses, and study of plant natural products.

Thisisadiscoverybookaboutplants. Itisforeveryone For those interested in the methods used and the interestedinplantsincludinghighschoolandcollege/ sourcesofplantmaterialsintheillustrations,anexp- university students, artists and scienti?c illustrators, nationfollows. Foradevelopmentalseriesofdrawings, senior citizens, wildlife biologists, ecologists, profes- there are several methods. One is collecting several sionalbiologists,horticulturistsandlandscapedesign- specimensatonetimeindifferentstagesofdevel- ers/architects,engineersandmedicalpractitioners,and ment;forexample,severalbudsand?owersofaplant physicaltherapistsandtheirpatients. Hereisanoppor- (see29)andbuttontomatureformsofmushrooms(see tunitytobrowseandchoosesubjectsofpersonalinter- 50,51). Then,somearecutopentoobservepartsand est,toseeandlearnaboutplantsastheyaredescribed. decidehowtopresentthem,whileothersaretousefor By adding color to the drawings, plant structures be- ?naldrawings. Anothermethodiswaitingfortheplantto come more apparent and show how they function in change,whichinvolves"forcing"stems(see14),ger- life. Thecolorcodecluestellhowtocolorforde?nition natingseeds(see40),watchingoneleafexpand(see andanillusionofdepth. Formoreinformation,thetext 69),anddrawinga?owerinoneseasonanditsmature explains the illustrations. The size of the drawings in fruitinanother(see104,109,110,111). Analternative relation to the true size of the structures is indicated towaitingforfruitistouseacollectionofdryorfrozen by x1(thesamesize)to x3000(enlargementfrom specimens,sothatasspring?owersappear,thelater truesize)and xn/n(reductionfromtruesize). maturingfruitscanbeseenatthesametime(see102, 105,106). The contents re?ect a balanced selection of bota- calsubjectmatterwithemphasison?oweringplants, Inthe?rstsection,introductiontoplants,thereares- the dominant plants of the earth. After a page about eral sources for various types of drawings. Hypoth- plantnamesandterms,thebookisdividedintothree ical diagrams show cells, organelles, chromosomes, sections. The ?rst is an introduction to plants, show- the plant body indicating tissue systems and expe- ingstructureandfunction;then,majorgroups,provid- mentswithplants,and?owerplacentationandrep- inganoverviewofthediverseforms;andlastly,one- ductivestructures. Forexample,thereisnoaverageor seventhofthe?oweringplantfamilies,withtheaccent standard-looking ?ower; so, to clearly show the parts onthoseofeconomicimportance. Thesequenceinthe ofa?ower(see27),adiagramshowsastretchedout sectionsissimpletocomplex(celltoseed),primitiveto and exaggerated version of a pink (Dianthus) ?ower advanced(blue-greensto?oweringplants),andunspe- (see 87). A basswood (Tilia) ?ower is the basis for cializedtospecialized(magnoliastoastersandwater- diagrams of ?ower types and ovary positions (see plantainstoorchids). Whereappropriate,an"ofinter- 28). Another source for drawings is the use of p- est"paragraphlistswaysthesegeneraarerelevantin paredmicroscopeslidesofactualplanttissues. Some ourlives(categoriesincludeuseasfood,ornamentals, are traced from microscope slide photographs such lumber,medicines,herbs,dyes,fertilizers;noticeofwild ascross-sections,vascularbundles,andtransections. or poisonous; and importance in the ecosystem).