Enjoy streaming videos featuring discussion, analysis and interviews with leading scientists as they share their discoveries.

Video streaming is fast, easy to use and in high quality.

Watch the Moray eel’s mobile set of Jaws grasp its pray, see how researchers slow light to a halt in one box and eject it into another or discover how two new moons for Pluto were found using the Hubble telescope.

This year Nature will continue to provide you with groundbreaking streaming videos on the biggest scientific projects. Access the online video streaming archive today!

We are excited to announce that the new JSTOR platform will be launched on Friday, April 4. The behind-the-scenes process for switching from the existing JSTOR to the new platform will begin around 7:00 a.m. EST. We will be making changes throughout the day, but the vast majority of users should experience no interruption or downtime. If you do have any difficulties, though, please contact support@jstor.org.

A document describing features of the new platform is included in the JSTOR Sandbox (http://sandbox.jstor.org/). The Sandbox also has links to tutorials and training materials focused on the new JSTOR interface. In addition, a list of newly scheduled webinars appears at the end of this announcement, with links to online registration.

We would like to thank all of you for your comments over the past few months and your patience more recently as we performed additional testing. As always, your comments have proven to be invaluable. We look forward to your ongoing feedback as we continue adding enhancements and new content.

Webinars

The following training webinars are led by JSTOR User Services staff. A phone and a computer with online access are required. To register, follow a link in the list below.

Highlights of the New JSTOR Interface
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/507861435

Using the JSTOR Interface
Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/780793020

Highlights of the New JSTOR Interface
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/469266764

Highlights of the New JSTOR Interface
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/401053120

Using the JSTOR Interface
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/680252260

Highlights of the New JSTOR Interface
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/958097487

The April 2008 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE (v.96, no.4) covers the main aspects of multimedia information retrieval research and upcoming challenges in the field. Multimedia information retrieval refers to a set of theories, algorithms and systems that aim at extracting pertinent descriptors or metadata related to multimedia content and allowing search, retrieval and other user functions. In recent years, the tremendous interest of users in multimedia information retrieval has driven a significant amount of research in the field. Primarily, research objectives in information retrieval have been to develop technology breakthroughs that enable fast, natural, intuitive and personalized access to a vast number of multimedia data collections.

This special issue of Proceedings of the IEEE, entitled “Advances in Multimedia Information Retrieval,” begins by outlining specific approaches for multimedia retrieval and looking at the progress to date in the field. Papers have been carefully selected to cover the main aspects of the multimedia information retrieval research, highlight successes, critically analyze the achievements made so far and assess the applicability of information retrieval results in real-life scenarios. The issue provides insights into the current possibilities for building automated and semi-automated methods as well as algorithms for segmenting, abstracting, indexing, representing, browsing and retrieving multimedia content in various contexts. Additionally, future challenges that are likely to drive the research in the multimedia information retrieval field for years to come are also discussed. To learn more, please visit the Proceedings of the IEEE website.

An IEEE Xplore environment upgrade is scheduled for Saturday, 15 March, 2008. During this upgrade, the system will be unavailable for up to four (4) hours beginning at approximately 10:00 am EDT (UTC/GMT - 4 hours). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

If you have any questions, please contact onlinesupport@ieee.org

Organic reactions in water : principles, strategies and applications
By U. Marcus Lindström
Oxford ; Ames, Iowa : Blackwell Pub., 2007.

Call # QD169 .W3 O74 2007

From Wiley.com

“Volatile organic solvents are the normal media used in both research scale and industrial scale synthesis of organic chemicals. Their environmental impact is significant, however, and so the development of alternative reaction media has become of great interest.

Developments in the use of water as a solvent for organic synthesis have reached the point where it could now be considered a viable solvent for many organic reactions. Organic Reactions in Water demonstrates the underlying principles of using water as a reaction solvent and, by reference to a range of reaction types and systems, it’s effective use in synthetic organic chemistry. Written by an internationally respected team of contributors, and with a strong focus on the practical use of water as a reaction medium, this book illustrates the enormous potential of water for the development of new and unique chemistries and synthetic strategies, while at the same time offering a much reduced environmental impact.”

Birds in the ancient world from A to Z
By W. Geoffrey Arnott
London ; New York : Routledge, 2007.

Call # Ref QL690 .G8 A76 2007
From RoutledgeClassicalStudies.com
“Birds in the Ancient World from A to Z gathers together the ancient information available, listing all the names that ancient Greeks gave their birds and all their descriptions and analyzes. Arnott identifies as many of them as possible in the light of modern ornithological studies.

The ancient Greek bird names are transliterated into English script, and all that the ancients said about birds is presented in English. This book is accordingly the first complete discussion of ancient bird names that will be accessible to readers without ancient Greek.

The only large-scale examination of ancient birds for seventy years, the book has an exhaustive bibliography (partly classical scholarship and partly ornithological) to encourage further study, and provides students and ornithologists with the definitive study of ancient birds.”

The spatial distribution of microbes in the environment
By Rima Franklin
Dordrecht, The Netherlands : Springer, 2007.
Call # QR100 .S68 2007

From Springer.com

“Microbes are very small and, as individuals, are capable of influencing a portion of the environment only slightly larger than their own body size, i.e., a few microns.  However, their impact on the landscape is enormous, and ecosystem processes such as organic matter decomposition, denitrification, and metal oxidation/reduction are measured on scales of meters to kilometers.  This volume highlights recent advances that have contributed to our understanding of spatial patterns and scale issues in microbial ecology, and brings together research conducted at a range of spatial scales (from µm to km) and in a variety of different types of environments.  These topics are addressed in a quantitative manner, and a primer on statistical methods is included to aid the unfamiliar reader.  In soil ecosystems, both bacteria and fungi are discussed, and the spatial patterns are interpreted in an ecological context that considers issues such as nutrient availability, vegetation distribution and growth patterns, and microbial colonization.  In aquatic systems, focus is on the distribution of planktonic forms including phytoplankton and microzooplankton.  The reader should gain insight on how to integrate information across spatial scales, which is necessary in order to understand and predict how these tiny organisms can have such a profound effect on landscape and ecosystem-level processes.”

The synthetic organic chemist’s companion
Michael C. Pirrung
Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley-Interscience, 2007.
Call # QD262 .P574 2007

From Wiley:

“The Organic Chemists’ Companion provides a practical, hands-on resource for students and practitioners of organic synthesis. The book presents the fundamentals and guides the reader through the entire process of organic synthesis. It includes basic instructions on everything from on handling reagents, gases, and solvents to conducting and working up/purifying reactions as well as applying analytical techniques to identify the reaction product.”

Status, distribution, and conservation of native freshwater fishes of western North America : a symposium proceedings
American Fisheries Society
Bethesda, Md. : American Fisheries Society, 2007.
Call # QL628 .W39 S96 2004

From the American Fisheries Society:

“Throughout the western United States, Canada, and northern Mexico during the past century, the status of many western native freshwater fish species has become questionable. Native fish have been adversely impacted by land and watershed development, habitat loss, direct human harvest, and increased competition from introduced non-native fish species. As population growth within the western region continues, understanding where remaining populations of native fish fauna occur and the threat presented to them is critical for conservation and restoration.”

Cuba : Península de Zapata
Arturo Kirkconnell Páez, Douglas F. Stotz, and Jennifer M. Shopland, eds.
Chicago, Ill. : Field Museum, Environmental and Conservation Programs, 2005.
Call # QH109 .C9 C834 2005

Report at a glance, from Fieldmuseum.org