Experimental evidence that toe-tapping behavior in the green-and-black poison frog (Dendrobates auratus) is related to prey detection

acta ethologica - Toe-tapping, the quick movement of the middle toes of the hind legs, has been observed in many frogs and toads, and is usually associated with feeding, calling, or courtship...     

A proposed free radical explanation for the differential response of long-day and short-day plants to photoperiod

Journal of Plant Research -     

A qualitative model for the mechanism of sugar accumulation in cold-stressed plant tissues

Summary Low temperatures induce the accumulation of soluble sugars in plant cells. An attempt is made to identify the primary site of action of low temperatures and the sequence of physiological and biochemical events leading to sugar accumulation. The integration of all the available information points to a central role of increased intracellular calcium ion concentration generated by the inhibition of ATPases concerned with its homeostasis. A positive role of a cold-induced dysfunction of mitochondrial and chloroplast electron flow is also proposed. The biological significance of an explanation of this physiological response to a stress factor relies on its categorization into the major family of those employing alternative energy-producing pathways under stress conditions. More specifically, a connection of sugar mobilization to the needs of the cold-stressed cell to employ fermentative energy-producing mechanisms is made. From this ankle of view, new ways of genetically modifying the ability of plant cells to accumulate sugars become obvious.     

Indocyanine green-enhanced multimodal photoacoustic microscopy and optical coherence tomography molecular imaging of choroidal neovascularization

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has great potential for visualization of the microvasculature with high spatial resolution and contrast. Early detection and differentiation of newly developed blood vessels named choroidal neovascularization (CNV) from normal vasculature remains a challenge in ophthalmology. Exogenous contrast agents can assist with improving PAM sensitivity, leading to differentiation of CNV. Here, an FDA-approved indocyanine green (ICG) was utilized as a PAM contrast agent. ICG was conjugated with RGD peptides, allowing the ICG to bind to the integrin expressed in CNV. Molecular PAM imaging showed that ICG-RGD can target CNV for up to 5 days post intravenous administration in living rabbits with a model of CNV. The PAM image sensitivity and image contrast were significantly enhanced by 15-fold at 24 h post-injection. Overall, the presented approach demonstrates the possibility of targeted ICG to be employed in PAM molecular imaging, allowing more precise evaluation of neovascularization.