How plants make light work of growth

Entry to medical schools; Harry Grenville

Nuffleld Advanced Biology

Environmental politics and policy

Grants for school nature areas

Biology in TVEI/CPVE courses - new handbook

New AV catalogue     

Web watch

Teachers' websites

Webwise Spinneret Biology websitehttp://web.ukonline.co.uk/webwise/spinnere:

Lesson Planet www.lessonplanet.com

Gourmet Curriculum Press www.gourmetcurriculumpress.com

Learn.co.ukwww.learn.co.uk

Just for Teacherswww.justforteachers.co.uk     

In this issue

Make your own transpiring tree

Difficulties in teaching cell division

Students' attitudes to biotechnology processes

Understanding ecosystem concepts     

Evolution

BBC Education Evolution http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/darwin/index.shtml

Evolution theory and science

Eukaryotic Cells — the next evolutionary step

Evolution and the Nature of Science Institutes

Biology lessons: how do populations change over time?     

Art in the Making

Abstract

Jan Adkins, Letterbox: The Art and History of Letters, Walker: New York, 1981, 48 pages, $10.95.

Michael Kehoe, The Puzzle of Books, Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, 1982, unpaged, $6.95.

Linda Bourke, Handmade Abc: A Manual Alphabet, Addison-Wesley: Reading, Mass., 1981, unpaged, $6.95.

Linda Bourke, Signs of a Friend, Addison-Wesley: Reading, Mass., 1982, unpaged, $2.95 (paper).

Philip Newth, Roly Goes Exploring, Philomel Books: New York, 1981, unpaged, $12.95 (spiral bound).

Tomas Gonzales (text by J. R. Kesselman and F. Peterson), I CAN USE TOOLS, Elsevier/Nelson: New York, 1981, unpaged, $6.25 (boards).

Harvey Weiss, Hammer and Saw, Crowell: New York, 1981, 80 pages, $9.00.

Gail Gibbons, Tool Book, Holiday House: New York, 1982, unpaged, n.p.i.

Harvey Weiss, Model Building: And How to Make Them, Thomas Crowell: New York, 1979, 96 pages, $7.95.

Paul Berman, Make-Believe Empire: A How-to Book, Atheneum: New York, 1982, 88 pages, $8.95.

Evaline Ness, Four Rooms From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Scribners: New York, 1977, unpaged, $6.95.

Alan Rose, Build Your Own Taj Mahal, Perigee: New York, 1981, unpaged, $7.95.

Les Walker, Housebuilding for Children, The Overlook Press: New York, 1977, 175 pages, $10.00.

Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey (story by Natalie S. Carlson), Marie Louise and Christopher at The Carnival, Scribners: New York, 1981, unpaged, $11.95

Beverley Gooding (Kenneth Grahame), Wayfarers All from The Wind in the Willows, Scribners: New York, 1981, 32 pages, $11.95.

Shawn Rice (text by Paul Rice and Peter Mayle), AS DEAD AS A DODO, Godine: Boston, 1981, unpaged, $10.95.     

Genetics web sites

Human Genome Project Information http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/home.html

Access Excellence http://www.accessexcellence.org/

Genetics Science Learning Centre at the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/

Blazing a Genetic Trial http://www.hhmi.org/GeneticTrail/

A Hypermedia Glossary of Genetic Terms prepared and presented by Birgid Schlindwein http://www.weihenstephan.de/~schlind/genglos.html

Virtual Flylab http://vcourseware5.calstatela.edu/VirtualFlyLab/IntroVflyLab.html

Web watch topics coming up…     

Film Reviews

Sources of Biological Films

The Assessment of Microbiology Films by Undergraduates

Appendix

Biology on Television     

Books and the Child

Abstract

Marion Endicott, Emily Carr: The Story of an Artist, Women's Educational Press: Toronto, Canada, 1981, 64 pages, n.p.i. (paperback)

Jean Lipman with Margaret Aspin-wall, Alexander Calder and his Magic Mobiles, Hudson Hills Press: New York, 1981, 96 pages, $15.00

M. B. Goffstein, Lives of the Artists, Farrar, Straus & Giroux: New York, 1982, unpaged, $8.95

Trina Schart Hyman, Self-Portrait, Addison-Wesley: Reading, Massachusetts, 1981, unpaged, $8.95

Andrew Glass, Jackson Makes his Move, Warne: New York, 1982, unpaged, $9.95

Tom Seidmann-Freud, The Magic Boat, Greenwillow: New York, 1981, unpaged, $5.95

Ernest Nister, Magic Windows, Philomel Books: New York, 1980, unpaged, $6.95

Lothar Meggendorfer, The City Park, Viking: New York, 1981, unpaged, $10.95

J. F. Schreiber (verses by Anthea Bell), The Great Menagerie, Viking: New York, 1980, unpaged, $7.95

Lothar Meggendorfer, International Circus, Viking: New York, 1980, unpaged, $7.95

Eric Hill, Spot's First Walk, G. P. Putnam's Sons: New York, 1981, unpaged, $7.95

Robert Crowther and lames R. Diaz (paper engineer), The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Counting Book, Viking: New, York, 1981, 14 pages, $8.95

Demi, Where is Willie Worm? Random House: New York, 1981, unpaged, $3.50

John Goodall and Tor Lokvig (paper engineer), PADDY FINDS A JOB, Atheneum: New York, 1981, unpaged, $6.95

Eric Carle, The Honeybee and the Robber, Philomel: New York, 1981, 15 pages, $10.95     

Letters

Out of focus; Keith Leech

No more projects?; Judith Tborley

Nuffield Advanced Biology; Tim Turvey

AIDS information for schools; Dana Schmidt Hopfeld, Avi Hofstein and David Samuel     

Biologically Active Oligodeoxyribonucleotides. X. Anti-HIV-1 Activity and Stability of Modified Hexanucleotides Containing Glycerol-Skeleton§

Abstract

Deoxyribose-moieties of modified hexadeoxyribonucleotide 1, which exhibits anti-HIV-1 activity, were partially replaced with glycerol-moieties. Compound 7 with two glycerylguanines at its 3′-end showed more potent anti-HIV-1 activity and more stability against digestion by nucleases than the parent compound 1.

     

Inline index helped in cleaning up data contamination generated during library preparation and the subsequent steps

Background

High-throughput sequencing involves library preparation and amplification steps, which may induce contamination across samples or between samples and the environment.

Methods

We tested the effect of applying an inline-index strategy, in which DNA indices of 6 bp were added to both ends of the inserts at the ligation step of library prep for resolving the data contamination problem.

Results

Our results showed that the contamination ranged from 0.29 to 1.25% in one experiment and from 0.83 to 27.01% in the other. We also found that contamination could be environmental or from reagents besides cross-contamination between samples.

Conclusions

Inline-index method is a useful experimental design to clean up the data and address the contamination problem which has been plaguing high-throughput sequencing data in many applications.

     

Creativity and the Handicapped

Abstract

Revisiting Music Education Research

Richard Colwell and Carol Richardson, eds. The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning New York: Oxford University Press 1222 pp. $175.00

A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever?

David Kenneth Holt The Search for Aesthetic Meaning in the Visual Arts: The Need for the Aesthetic Tradition in Contemporary Art Theory and Education Bergin &; Garvey Publishers 148 pp. $62.50     

Darkroom Magic

Abstract

S. D. Schindler (story by Phyllis Krasilovsky), THE FIRST TULIPS IN HOLLAND, Doubleday: New York, 1982, unpaged, $12.95 (boards)

Tomie de Paola, Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi, Holiday House: New York, 1982, unpaged, $14.95

Piero Ventura (story by Gian P. Ceserani), Marco Polo, Putnam: New York, 1982, unpaged, $9.95 (boards)

Demi, The Adventures of Marco Polo, Holt, Rinehart &; Winston: New York, 1982, unpaged, $6.95 (boards)

Bernice Loewenstein (text by Dan Beekman), Forest, Village, Town, City, Thomas Crowell: New York, 1982, 40 pages, $9.50

Huck Scarry, Life on a Barge, Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1982, 70 pages, $9.95, (boards)

Douglas Florian, The City, Thomas Crowell: New York, 1982, unpaged, $8.95

Byron Barton, Airport, Thomas Crowell: New York, 1982, unpaged, $9.95

Gail Gibbons, Trucks, Thomas Crowell: New York, 1981, unpaged, n.p. i

Robert Quackenbush, City Trucks, Albert Whitman: Chicago, 1981, unpaged, n.p.i. (boards)

John Lim, Merchants of the Mysterious East, Tundra: Plattsburgh, N.Y., 1981, 32 pages, $12.95

Sandra J. Russell, A Farmer's Dozen, Harper: New York, 1982, unpaged, $8.95

Mary Azarian, A Farmer's Alphabet, David Godine: Boston, Mass., 1981, 62 pages, $6.95

Victoria Chess, Alfred's Alphabet Walk, Greenwillow: New York, 1979, unpaged, $7.95

Jack Kent (“story” by M. Elting and M. Folson), Q IS FOR DUCK, Clarion Books: New York, 1980, unpaged, $8.95 ($3.95 paper)

Borje Svensson (paper engineering by James Diaz), BLOCK BOOKS (LETTERS, NUMBERS, COLORS, ANIMALS), Viking: New York, 1981, unpaged, $2.50 each     

Web Watch

Plant biology - with an emphasis on photosynthesis

The Great Plant Escape http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/gpe.html

The Power of Green.http://researchmag.asu.edu/stories/power.html

Photosynthesis http://biology.ck.uc.edu/courses/biol04/photosyn.htm

An Introduction to Photosynthesis and its Applicationhttp://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/photointro.html

Aliens Explorers - Photosynthesis http://www.alienexplorer.com/ecology/topic3.html

The Photosynthesis Processhttp://www.ifmt.nf.ca/mi-net/enviro/photo3.htm     

Vally Wieselthier

Abstract

John E. Chubb and Terry M. Moe. Politics, Markets, and America's Schools. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1990. 318 pages. $10.95 paperback.

Jacques Ellul. The Technological Bluff. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990. 418 pages. $24.95 hardback.

Robert Grudin. The Grace of Great Things. New York: Ticknor &; Fields, 1990. 257 pages. $20.95 hardback.

Alfie Kohn. The Brighter Side of Human Nature: Altruism and Empathy in Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books, 1990. 400 pages. $19.95 hardback.

Samuel Lipman. Arguing for Music/Arguing for Culture. Boston: David R. Godine in association with the American Council for the Arts, 1990. 448 pages. $19.95 paperback.

Colin Martindale. The Clockwork Muse: The Predictability of Artistic Change. New York: Basic Books, 1990. 411 pages. $29.95 hardback.

Seymour D. Sarasan. The Challenge of Art to Psychology. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990. 188 pages. $25.00 hardback.     

Book Reviews

A DEPARTMENT DEVOTED TO ABSTRACTS OF BOOKS AND PAPERS FROM OTHER JOURNALS DEALING WITH STAINS AND MICROSCOPIC TECHNIC IN GENERAL

CONN, H. J., DARROW, MARY A., and EMMEL, VICTOR M. Staining Procedures, 2nd Ed. 289 pages, 9 × 6 inches, perforated; spiral plastic binding, with cardbooard covers. The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore 2, Maryland. $5.00. 1960.

GURR, EDWARD. Encyclopaedia of Microscopic Stains. 498 pages, 10 × 6 inches. The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore 2, Maryland, exclusive U. S. agents. $18.50. 1960.

ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AMELUNXEN, F., and THEMANN, H. Zur Fixation mit Kaliumpermanganat. Mikroscopie, 14, 276-83. 1960.

PHOTOMICROGRAPHY MIGNANI, G., MARCHETTI, P. G., and HUSSL, B. Die Anwendung der mikroradiographischen Technik zum Studium des Knochengewebes. Mikroskopie, 14, 131-43. 1959.

DYES AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL USES KAUFMAN, L., and WEAVER, R. H. Use of neutral red fluorescence for the identification of colonies of Clostridia. J. Bact., 79, 292-4. 1960.

ANIMAL MICROTECHNIC LOUIS, C. J., and WHITE, J. Fluorescein-globulin staining of cells in tissue cultures. Lab. Invest., 9, 273-82. 1960.

McFARLANE, J. E., and KENNARD, C. P. Further observations on water absorption by the eggs of Acheta domesticus (L). Canad. J. Zool., 38, 77-85. 1960.

PROVENZA, D. V., and CHENG, T. C. A simplified parlodion method for sectioning teeth; with notes on the decalcification of teeth. Trans. Am. Micr. Soc., 79, 103-4. 1960.

PLANT MICROTECHNIC DEVIDÉ, Z., and WRISCHER, M., Versuche über gasblasenfreie Plexiglas Einbettung von pflanzlichen Objecten für Ultramikrotomie. Mikroskopie, 14, 337-42. 1960.

MICROORGANISMS BORZANI, W. Measurement of gram-positiveness. J. Bact., 79, 431-3. 1960.

DEIBEL, R. H., and EVANS, J. B. Modified benzidine test for the detection of cytochrome-containing respiratory systems in microorganisms. J. Bact., 79, 356-60. 1960.

SAHAB, K. Method for demonstrating capsules of enterobacteriaceae. J. Bact., 79, 198-202. 1960.

WEIBULL, C. Counting procedures for phase contrast microscopy. J. Bact., 79, 155. 1960.

HISTOCHEMISTRY BAKER, J. R. II, HEW, H., and FISHMAN, W. H. The use of chloral hydrate formaldehyde fixative solution in enzyme histochemistry. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 244-50. 1958.

FISCHER, R., and ZALESCHUK, J. A semi-micro method for the determination of crystal violet sorbed to biological material. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 237-43. 1958.

TAKEUCHI, T. Histochemical demonstration of branching enzyme (amylo-1,4 £ 1,6-transglucosidase), in animal tissues. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 208-16. 1958.

ZUGIBE, F. T., KOPACZYK, K. C., CAPE, W. E., and LAST, J. H. A new Carbowax method for routinely performing lipid, hematoxylin and eosin and elastic staining techniques on adjacent freeze-dried or formalin-fixed sections. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 6, 133-8. 1958.     

Laboratory Hints from the Literature

Fry, H. J. A paraffin method for serially sectioning a minute object in a known plane. Anat. Rec., 34, 245-252. 1927.

Kisser, J. and Anderson, B. B. Method of preparing thin cross and longitudinal sections of cotton fibers and its importance in cell wall research. Am. J. Bot., 15, 437. 1928.

Sweany, H. C. System of sputum analysis for the presence of acid-fast bacilli. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 547-557. 1929.

Terry, B. T. Improvement in technic and results made in examining microscopically by the razor section method 2000 malignant tissues. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 519. 1929.

Belling, J. A method for the study of chromosomes in pollen-mother-cells. Univ. of Cal. Publs, in Bot., 14, 293-299. 1928.

Cartwright, K. St. G. A satisfactory method of staining fungal mycelium in wood sections. Ann. Bot., 43, 412. 1929.

Dolfini, G. Su un nuovo metodo di colorazione dei grassi. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 6, 137. 1929.

Doubrow, S. Un procédé rapide de coloration des bacilles de Koch dans les coupes histologiques. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 6, 142. 1929.

Hadjioloff, A. Coloration des graisses par quelques pigments naturels. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 183. 1929.

Joyet-Lavergne, Ph. La recherche qualitative du glutathion. Bull. d'Histol. Prac., 5, 331-349.

Levine, M. A method for staining connective tissue mast cells. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 172. 1928.

Martens, P. Les structures nucléaires et chromosomiques dans la cellule vivante et dans la cellule fixée. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 229-252. 1928.

Parker, F. P. A technic for staining red blood cells for measurement of cell diameters by the projection method. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 663. 1929.

Parker, F. P. and Lewis, G. T. Microscopic projections in the measurements of erythrocytes. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 664. 1929.

Pergola, M. Substrati al tellurito e colorasione ridotta nella ricerca e dimostrazione del bacillo difterico. Bull, dell' 1st. Sieroterapico Milanese, 7, 585-598. 1928.

Volkonsky, M. Sur une nouvelle modification de la technique d'Altman. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 220-222. 1928.

Webber, J. M. Smear method for the study of chromosomes. Univ. of Cal. Publs. in Bot., 14, 345-352. 1929.     

Metabolic phenotyping to monitor chronic enteritis canceration

Introduction

Untargeted metabolomics intends to objectively analyze a wide variety of compounds. Their diverse physicochemical properties make it difficult to choose an appropriate reconstitution solvent after sample evaporation without influencing the chromatography or hamper column sorbent integrity.

Objectives

The study aimed to identify the most appropriate reconstitution solvent for blood plasma samples in terms of feature recovery, four endogenous compounds, and one selected internal standard.

Methods

We investigated several reconstitution solvent mixtures containing acetonitrile and methanol to resolve human plasma extract and evaluated them concerning the peak areas of tryptophan-d₅, glucose, creatinine, palmitic acid, and the phophatidylcholine PC(P-16:0/P-16:0), as well as the total feature count

Results

Results indicated that acetonitrile containing 30% methanol was best suited to match all tested criteria at least for human blood plasma samples.

Conclusion

Despite identifying the mixture of acetonitrile and methanol being suitable as solvent for human blood plasma extracts, we recommend to systematically test for an appropriate reconstitution solvent for each analyzed biomatrix.

     

Laboratory Hints from the Literature

Chaze, J. Sur le mode de formation et la detection des alcaloides dans la plantule de tabac. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 253. 1928.

Nan, Yao. Sur un fixateur cytologique particulièrement adapté aux tissues des insectes. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 4, 71, 1927.

Reichardt, H., and Wetzel, A. Paraffineinbettungsmethode nach vorhergegangener Zelloidindurchtränkung unter Vermeidung der härtenden Intermedien, Xylol, Benzol, Chloroform. Zeit. f. wiss. Mikr., 45, 476-479. 1928.

Erb, N. M. A rapid stain for direct miroscopic examination of milk. J. Lab. & Clin. Med., 14, 377. 1929.

Galesesco, P., and Bratiano, S. Coloration des graisses par l'extrait alcoolique de Daucus carota. Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol., 99, 1460. 1928.

Goldner, J' Résultats obtenus chez la seiche par l'emploi de divers colorants vitaux Comp. Rend. Soc. Biol., 99, 1323. 1928.

Hadjioloff, A. Une modification rapide de la méthode de Weigert-Pal. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 431-434. 1928.

Hausdorf, G. Farbung zur Darstellung reifer Samenzellen im Hodenschnittpraparat. Zeit. f. wiss. Mikr., 44, 327-328. 1927.

Houcke, E. Emploi des colorants mixtes en technique histologique. Comp. Rend. Soc. Biol., 99, 783. 1928.

Houcke, E. Emploi des mélanges de fuchsines et de blues basiques pour la coloration histologique. Comp. Rend. Soc. Biol., 99, 786. 1928.

Houcke, E. Emploi du mélange rhodamine-blue de méthylène dans la coloration des tissus splénique et lymphcïde. Comp. Rend. Soc. Biol., 99, 788. 1928.

Lillie, R. D. Erne Schnellmethode zur Toluidinblau-Schleimfarbung. Zeit. f. wiss. Mikr., 45, 381. 1928.

Ochs, Georg Wilhelm. Über den Einfluss der Temperatur auf die Färbung von Blutausstrich-Präparaten. Folia Hematologica, 37, 241-257. 1928.

Verne, Jean. Une nouvelle coloration élective de la myeline. Bull. d'Histol. Appl., 5, 223-224. 1928.     

Art in the Making

Abstract

There's Pigs and Pigs: Erik Blegvad, The Three Little Pigs, Atheneum: New York, 1980, 32 pages, $8.95.

There's Pigs and Pigs: Joseph Jacobs, The Story of the Three Little Pigs (illust. by Lorinda B. Cauley), Putnam: New York, 1980, unpaged, $8.95.

There's Pigs and Pigs: Margaret Wise Brown (illust. by Ann Strugnell), Once Upon a Time in a Pigpen, Addison-Wesley: Reading, Mass., 1980, 64 pages, $10.95.

There's Pigs and Pigs: Miska Miles (illust. by Leslie Morrill), This Little Pig, Dutton: New York, 1980, unpaged, $6.95.

Picture Books: William Steig, Gorky Rising, Farrar, Strauss &; Giroux: New York, 1980, unpaged, $10.95.

Picture Books: Charles Keeping, Willie's Fire-Engine, Oxford University: New York, 1980, unpaged, $10.95 (boards).

Picture Books: Lydia Pender (illust. by Judith Cowell), The Useless Donkeys, Warne: New York, 1979, unpaged, $9.95.

Picture Books: Lillie D. Chaffin (illust. by Lloyd Bloom), We Be Warm Till Springtime Comes, Macmillan: New York, 1980, unpaged, $9.95.

Picture Books: Kate Canning, A Painted Tale, Barrons: Woodbury, N.Y.: 1979, unpaged, $6.95 (boards).

Historical Explorations: Maurice Boutet de Monvel, Joan of Arc, Viking: New York, 1980, 55 pages, $12.95.

Historical Explorations: Mitsumasa, Anno, Anno's Medieval World, Philomel Books: New York, 1980, 48 pages, $9.99.

Historical Explorations: Peter Spier, People, Doubleday: New York, 1980, unpaged, $10.00.

Historical Explorations: John S. Goodall, An Edwardian Season, Atheneum: New York, 1980, unpaged, $7.95.

Historical Explorations: Miriam Schlein (illust. by Erik Hilgert), I, Tut, Four Winds Press: New York, 1979, unpaged, $7.95.