Controlled mechanized trepan.

A mechanized trepan is described whose cutting action is halted automatically when the trepan's cutting edge reaches the last 0.03 mm. tissue layer of the cornea. The automatic half of both the motor which advances the trepan as well as the second motor which rotates the trepan is triggered by the sudden change in electrical resistance between the trepan and the patient's internal body fluid, at the final stage of penetration. This automatic feature eliminates the danger of inadvertant damage to the inner structures of the eye.     

The use of aluminium lake of nuclear fast red in plant material succesively with alcian blue

The successive staining alcian blue/aluminium lake of nuclear fast red was proved a useful tool for studies on plant root tip. A simple and reliable procedure is given resulting in blue cell walls, almost colourless cytoplasm and red nuclei. Attempts were made to apply spectrophotometry and paper chromatography to overcome the confusions in manufacturers’ labelling of the dye and to check the lake formation.     

Growth and photosynthetic response of two larches exposed to O<Subscript>3</Subscript> mixing ratios ranging from preindustrial to near future

In this study, we questioned whether ground-level ozone (O₃) induces hormesis in Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) and its hybrid F₁ (L. gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi). In order to answer the question, we exposed seedlings of both taxa to four O₃ treatments [ranging from ≈10 to 60 nmol(O₃) mol^–1] in open-top chambers for two consecutive growing seasons. We found a hormetic response in maximum photosynthetic rate (P_Nmax) at 1700 μmol(CO₂) mol^–1 and maximum rates of carboxylation (V_cmax) and electron transport (J_max) in both larches. Stimulation of P_Nmax, V_cmax, and J_max did not lead to suppressed plant productivity in Japanese larch, which followed a stress-tolerant strategy, but it did lead to suppressed plant productivity in hybrid larch which followed a competitive strategy. These findings are the first to suggest that stimulation of physiological functions by low O₃ exposures may have negative consequences for larch reproduction.     

Durable Interactions of T Cells with T Cell Receptor Stimuli in the Absence of a Stable Immunological Synapse

1. Download high-res image (140KB)
2. Download full-size image

     

A recombineering pipeline to clone large and complex genes in Chlamydomonas

The ability to clone genes has greatly advanced cell and molecular biology research, enabling researchers to generate fluorescent protein fusions for localization and confirm genetic causation by mutant complementation. Most gene cloning is polymerase chain reaction (PCR)�or DNA synthesis-dependent, which can become costly and technically challenging as genes increase in size, particularly if they contain complex regions. This has been a long-standing challenge for the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii research community, as this alga has a high percentage of genes containing complex sequence structures. Here we overcame these challenges by developing a recombineering pipeline for the rapid parallel cloning of genes from a Chlamydomonas bacterial artificial chromosome collection. To generate fluorescent protein fusions for localization, we applied the pipeline at both batch and high-throughput scales to 203 genes related to the Chlamydomonas CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM), with an overall cloning success rate of 77%. Cloning success was independent of gene size and complexity, with cloned genes as large as 23 kb. Localization of a subset of CCM targets confirmed previous mass spectrometry data, identified new pyrenoid components, and enabled complementation of mutants. We provide vectors and detailed protocols to facilitate easy adoption of this technology, which we envision will open up new possibilities in algal and plant research.

A high-throughput system was developed to clone large, complex genes at high frequency and perform mutant complementation and protein tagging with a range of fluorophores in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.     

The abundance of an invasive freshwater snail Tarebia granifera (Lamarck, 1822) in the Nseleni River,South Africa

The invasive freshwater snail Tarebia granifera (Lamarck, 1822) was first reported in South Africa in 1999 and it has become widespread across the country, with some evidence to suggest that it reduces benthic macroinvertebrate biodiversity. The current study aimed to identify the primary abiotic drivers behind abundance patterns of T. granifera, by comparing the current abundance of the snail in three different regions, and at three depths, of the highly modified Nseleni River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Tarebia granifera was well established throughout the Nseleni River system, with an overall preference for shallow waters and seasonal temporal patterns of abundance. Although it is uncertain what the ecological impacts of the snail in this system are, its high abundances suggest that it should be controlled where possible and prevented from invading other systems in the region.     

The Potentials of Glycomics in Biomarker Discovery

Introduction

Glycans have unique characteristics that are significantly different from nucleic acids and proteins in terms of biosynthesis, structures, and functions. Moreover, their isomeric nature and the complex linkages between residues have made glycan analysis a challenging task. Disease development and progression are usually associated with alternations in glycosylation on tissue proteins and/or blood proteins. Glycans released from tissue/blood proteins hence provide a valuable source of biomarkers. In this postgenome era, glycomics is an emerging research field. Glycome refers to a repertoire of glycans in a tissue/cell type, while glycomics is the study of glycome. In the past few years, attempts have been made to develop novel methodologies for quantitative glycomic profiling and to identify potential glycobiomarkers. It can be foreseen that glycomics holds the promise for biomarker discovery. This review provides an overview of the unique features of glycans and the historical applications of such features to biomarker discovery.

Future Prospective

The concept of glycomics and its recent advancement and future prospective in biomarker research are reviewed. Above all, there is no doubt that glycomics is gaining momentum in biomarker research.