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External Links

Please click on one of the subsections below or scroll down the page.

1. Free Software
2. Academic Institutions
3. Charities
4. YouTube Videos
5. Other Sites

1. Free Software:

The following software is recommended by the Trust and is available free of charge. Much of it is "open source". In most cases a copy of the software can be downloaded free from the the link provided. Please note that some are very large files and it would not be recommended to download them on a slow internet connection. Some software is available to be sent to you on a CD, free of charge, or at low cost.

PC Protection & Housekeeping:

AVG Free Edition: Free anti-virus software. The Trust highly recommends that everyone has some form of anti-virus software installed on their computer. AVG is possibly one of the best free anti-virus software packages available. It's clean, easy to use and runs smoothly in the background without slowing your machine down. It stays up-to-date by quietly downloading updates whenever you're connected to the internet. The basic, free version of this software provides basic virus protection for your computer, along with a linkscanner which protects users against visiting potentially unsafe websites. You can opt to upgrade and get extra features (at a cost) if you wish.
Zonealarm Free Edition: Free firewall which blocks inbound and outbound traffic threats and makes you invisible to hackers. This free firewall is better than the default one that comes with Windows® based operating systems. However, you only usually need this software if you connect directly to the internet (i.e. through a modem in or attached to your computer, via a mobile phone, etc). If you connect through a wired or wireless computer network, then most modern routers should already have sufficient firewall capabilities already installed. This link will take you to the main commercial website. You will find the free version under "Download & Buy" » "Free Downloads".
Spybot - Search & Destroy: Free anti-spyware tool which removes unwanted programmes from your computer, such as tracking cookies, diallers and advertising software. Most commercial anti-virus software packages include these features as standard.

Office Based Packages:

Abi Word: Free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks. It will work on some older machines when OpenOffice may be slow.
Adobe Reader: Free program that allows you to read PDF files. PDF (portable document format) files are generally used for sending, receiving and reading documents. Adobe Reader® does not let you create or edit PDF files.
Cute PDF Writer: Free program which allows you to create PDF files. Note that once you have installed the program, it will be listed under your printers. To create a PDF, you must select the "Cute PDF Writer" as your printer. Users should note to change the printer settings when creating a pdf, to significantly reduce file sizes. Reducing the dpi setting to around 144 will usually suffice for the majority of documents. This can usually be found under "Print" » "Properties" » "Advanced" buttons.
Open Office: Free open-source software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and databases, etc. It can create and read files in Microsoft Office formats.

Communication:

Mozilla Thunderbird: Free e-mail and newsgroup client from Mozilla. Good alternative to Microsoft® Outlook or Outlook Express.
Skype: Free chat programme that allows you to speak with anyone in the world for free (provided the other user also has Skype), using your internet connection as a telephone line. For a small fee you can use it to call land lines and / or text mobiles anywhere in the world. Your computer requires a microphone to use the chat feature of this program. You can also use it to share your screen with other users, which is perfect for delivering presentations over the internet.

Photo & Picture Editing:

ImageJ: Free image processing programme which allows you to edit pictures. Fairly powerful and free.
Paint.net: A powerful image/graphics editing programme that is similar to Adobe Photoshop®, but free. Although this programme only works on Windows® based operating systems, the latest version of Ubuntu comes bundled with a similarly powerful programme.

Internet Browsers:

Apple Safari: Free internet browser, for use as an alternative to Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Very clean and quick. This is the default browser for Apple Mac operating systems, but is also available for Windows® platforms.
Google Chrome: Free internet browser, for use as an alternative to Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Very clean and quick. Now also available for Ubuntu.
Mozilla Firefox: Free internet browser, for use as an alternative to Microsoft® Internet Explorer. This is the default browser on Ubuntu.
Opera: Free internet browser, for use as an alternative to Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Very clean and quick. Also available for Mac and Ubuntu.

Operating Systems:

Kubuntu: This is an alternative to Windows®. It is a free operating system and does not get viruses. You can do most things with it that you can with Windows® and more. However, it will not run Windows® programs, as it uses its own. It is a community developed, Linux-based operating system for laptops, desktops and servers. It comes with a web browser, Open Office and many other freeware programs. It can be obtained free of charge by downloading it. This software is licensed to allow and encourage you to copy it and pass it to others (Software Libre). This operating system is very similar to Ubuntu, but is different in its layout and offers an improved appearance.
Ubuntu: This is an alternative to Windows®. It is a free operating system and does not get viruses. You can do most things with it that you can with Windows® and more. However, it will not run Windows® programs, as it uses its own. It is a community developed, Linux-based operating system for laptops, desktops and servers. It comes with a web browser, Open Office and many other freeware programs. It can also be obtained free of charge on CD by clicking here, or by downloading it. This software is licensed to allow and encourage you to copy it and pass it to others (Software Libre). Free, downloadable guides are available by clicking here.

Audio & Video Software:

DVDVideoSoft: This website has many free audio and video based tools available, such as DVD rippers, file conversion tools, YouTube video downloader tools and many more. If you may find that the YouTube videos on this website are slow (and constantly keep stopping to buffer), you may find the "Free YouTube Download" programme useful. After installing it, simply copy and paste the video URL (from YouTube) into the programme and download it. The software is regularly kept up to date, so if you have problems using any of the programmes, try updating the software to the latest versions.
VLC Media Player: An excellent, free media player which plays almost any video file type with ease, along with DVD's, CD's, and more. It plays most codecs without requiring codec packs. You will most likely need this programme in order to watch videos you have downloaded from YouTube using the "Free YouTube Download" software. It is available on most platforms including Windows®, Mac®, Linux, Unix, and even Android.

Statistical Packages:

Genstat & Genstat Discovery: GenStat is a product of VSN International and is a comprehensive statistics system, developed specifically for use in biosciences, which offers ease-of-use for the novice user through a Windows menu interface, or power and flexibility for the more experienced user through a powerful command language interface. The Discovery Edition is a free version of GenStat developed for use by not-for-profit research organisations, charities and educational institutes based in the developing world.

Note: Some of the programs above are also available on The Open CD. This is a collection of 30 or so free open source programs for use on Windows®. Please also see the Open Education Disc. Programs are available to be downloaded individually too.

2. Academic Institutions:

The following links will take you to some useful academic websites. All of which are related to the Kirkhouse Trust.

The John Innes Centre: The John Innes Centre works closely with the Kirkhouse Trust, and acts as a consultancy on many research projects and PhD scholarships. The centre is based in Norwich and is recognised as a centre of excellence for many disciplines including plant science, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics and cell biology. There are instances where the Trust has provided support for students wishing to travel there to train.
Rockefeller University: Based in New York, the Rockefeller University is an institution which focuses its research on biomedical research. Originally funded by John D. Rockefeller in 1901 it has been headed by Sir Paul Nurse since 2003, who is also one of the Kirkhouse Trust's Trustees.
University Of Edinburgh: Professor Adrian Bird is based here as a Professor of Genetics. He is one of the four Trustees associated with the Kirkhouse Trust.
University Of Dundee: Dr Keith Palmer is based here as a part-time Professor of Economics and Finance. He is one of the four Trustees associated with the Kirkhouse Trust.
University Of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore: One of the institutions that receives funding from the Kirkhouse Trust. Projects on pepper, dolichos, horsegram and moth bean are funded by the Trust here, along with a laboratory and several PhD / MSc students.
University Of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad: The Trust currently funds a dolichos research programme here. It is based in Dharwad (North of Bangalore) and is linked to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute Of Technology: The Trust has recently approved a fifteen month pilot research project on velvet bean (mucuna spp.) here. The institute is based in Bangalore, India.

3. Charities:

The following links will take you to some other charitable websites. Some of these organisations work closely with the Kirkhouse Trust.

AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture): AGORA is a program to provide free or low cost access to major scientific journals in agriculture and related biological, environmental and social sciences to public institutions in developing countries. The AGORA program was set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) together with major publishers. AGORA is a digital library collection of food, agriculture, environmental science and related social sciences journals. Institutions wishing to use AGORA must register with FAO. Access to AGORA is password controlled, and upon successful completion of the registration process, your institution's library will receive a password that can be used by all students, faculty and/or staff at your institution.
You can e-mail AGORA at agora@fao.org for further information, and to find out about eligibility.
The Edina Trust: The 'sister' charity of the Kirkhouse Trust. The charity provides small grants to aid education in science (primarily for schools) within Lancashire, Fife and Midlothian.
Office Of The Scottish Charity Register (OSCR): The Kirkhouse Trust is a charity registered under OSCR. OSCR is an organisation set up to regluate charities and ensure that the Trustees are aware of their statutory responsibilities with regard to spending public money effectively.
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation: This charity is an endowed grant-making Trust and gives money to other charitable causes. It focuses on plant science and eduction within the science and engineering disciplines.
The British Council: A charity which aims to improve relationships and understanding between different cultures throughout the world. It helps support people from different parts of the world to work on community based projects, aiding understanding and learning through first hand experiences.

4. YouTube Videos:

The following videos created by the Trust, are aimed at helping scientists learn how to use lab equipment and practice different scientific techniques. Most of these videos were filmed at various East African institutions.

Bio-Rad MyCycler Videos:

Replacing the touchpad on the Bio-Rad MyCycler: This video covers how to remove and replace the front panel touchpad on the unit.
Replacing the battery on the Bio-Rad MyCycler: This video demonstrates how to replace the battery in the Bio-Rad MyCycler. Ideally, this should be done once very 3 years.
Efficient use of the Bio-Rad MyCycler: This video describes how to efficiently use the Bio-Rad MyCycler, without damaging the unit.

hPAGE Videos:

Part 1 - Casting a Polyacrylamide Gel in the hPAGE Apparatus.
Part 2 - Running, Staining and Photographing the Gel.

Pathology Videos:

Chapter 1 of 2 - "Preparation of a Medium for (Fungal) Pathogens": This first chapter of a two part series demonstrates the steps required to make up a media solution, along with the equipment and consumables needed to do so.
Chapter 2 of 2 - "Isolation of a Fungal Pathogen and Producing Inoculum": The second chapter of this two part series covers how to isolate the fungal pathogen (part 1), how to culture it (part 2), how to prepare the inoculum (part 3), and how to inoculate the plant (part 4).
"How to use an Autoclave (for Fungal Pathogen Media)": This video demonstrates how to use an autoclave. This particular demonstration exhibits the procedure for sterilising fungal pathogen media. Although other types of media may require a slightly different set up for sterilisation, this video should still prove useful to those who have a limited experience of using an autoclave.

Molecular Biology Videos:

Using FTA Cards: This video covers the benefits of using FTA cards, along with preparing the cards for electrophoresis and long term storage.
Gel Electrophoresis - Casting, Loading & Running Agarose Gel: This video follows on from the "Using FTA Cards" video. The video covers how to create, prepare, and run agarose gel. Viewers of this video should consult part 2 of the Trust's hPAGE video to see the next step of the process, which involves photographing the gel.

The Hook Method Videos:

Part 1 - Opening the Female Bud.
Part 2 - Crossing the Female With the Male.

5. Other Sites:

The following links may be useful for someone visiting this site or an existing grantee, looking for information not already listed.

XE.com: Free currency conversion site which is constantly updated with the latest exchange rates. As the Kirkhouse Trust always sends grants in GBP (£'s), it uses this site to calulate how much to send.
Oxford Gene Technology IP Ltd: The principal source of funding for the Kirkhouse Trust comes from OGT. OGT is a commerical organisation which develops high throughput microarray services and cytogenetics.
Lablablab.org: Dedicated site to dolichos (lablab purpureus L.). Please visit this site to learn more about dolichos, it's habitat, disease susceptibility and taxonomic details, etc.
The Cowpea Genomics Knowledge Base: The Cowpea Genomics Knowledge Base (CGKB) is a database containing SSRs and other cowpea data.
New Agriculturist: "Making a Mark for Cowpea": An article written by Dr Robert Koebner, explaining the problem of Striga gesneroides on cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa. The article goes on to explain about how the Kirkhouse Trust is helping to fund MAS technology directly to West African cowpea breeders.
Marker Assisted Breeding: Learning Module: The use of molecular markers in efficient crop improvement: Marker Assisted Breeding, a Learning Module (by Theresa Fulton; Cornell University, and with Robert Koebner; CropGenInternational.com).
This learning module was designed to be used either as the basic material for a course or as a self-tutorial. It is geared towards scientists or upper-level students with a good background of biology, genetics and plant breeding. It is expected that readers have some understanding of molecular markers (a number of resources are given throughout, if not). It is meant to complement other learning modules available on the Generation CP website, such as those available or in progress for molecular markers, genetic diversity, phenotyping, and plant breeding.
BTS Newsletter: "Beans and Molecules: Bringing Modern Plant Breeding Technology to a Tanzanian Bean Breeder": An article written by Dr Robert Koebner, detailing the background of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and the role the Trust plays in supporting such projects in Tanzania (and other East African countries).