Article history: Received 25 May 2015 Received in revised form 17 June 2015 Accepted 18 June 2015 Available online xxxx

A collinear photothermal detection bench is described that makes use of a position-modulated heating source instead of the classic power-modulated source. This new modulation scheme increases by almost a factor 2 the sensitivity of a standard mirage bench. This bench is then used to measure the absorption coefficient of OH-free synthetic fused silica at 1064 nm in the parts per 10(6) range, whi...

Basic research designed to answer environmental health questions is usually conducted in laboratories at the bench. Bench research allows financial investors, scientists, and society to maximize control over experiments, develop experimental procedures, and test hypotheses in a safe and cost-effective manner. However, results of experiments conducted at the bench may not be representative of wh...

worldwide have been trained in seed conservation techniques. Paul Smith, head of the MSB, said: " Plant diversity is a vital part of the system upon which we depend. The need for the kind of insurance policy the Millennium Seed Bank provides has never been greater ". Earlier last month another project was launched to document all the 1.8 million named species of life on Earth. Called the Encycl...

The use of the stability ball as a platform for upper-body resistance training has gained much attention in recent years. However, the efficacy of such training regimens remains largely unstudied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of platform (unstable vs. stable, stability ball vs. flat bench) on strength and work capacity during barbell chest-press exercise. We also soug...