Melt Property Variation In GeSe2-As2Se3-PbSe Glass Ceramics For Infrared Gradient Refractive Index (GRIN) Applications

Melt size-dependent physical property variation is examined in a multicomponent GeSe2-As2Se3-PbSe chalcogenide glass developed for gradient refractive index applications. The impact of melting conditions on small (40 g) prototype laboratory-scale melts extended to commercially relevant melt sizes (1.325 kg) have been studied and the role of thermal history variation on physical and optical property evolution in parent glass, the glass\u27 crystallization behavior and post heat-treated glass ceramics, is quantified. As-melted glass morphology, optical homogeneity and heat treatment-induced microstructure following a fixed, two-step nucleation and growth protocol exhibit marked variation with melt size. These attributes are shown to impact crystallization behavior (growth rates, resulting crystalline phase formation) and induced effective refractive index change, neff, in the resulting optical nanocomposite. The magnitude of these changes is discussed based on thermal history related melt conditions

Comprehensive serial analysis of gene expression of the cervical transcriptome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>More than half of the approximately 500,000 women diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide each year will die from this disease. Investigation of genes expressed in precancer lesions compared to those expressed in normal cervical epithelium will yield insight into the early stages of disease. As such, establishing a baseline from which to compare to, is critical in elucidating the abnormal biology of disease. In this study we examine the normal cervical tissue transcriptome and investigate the similarities and differences in relation to CIN III by Long-SAGE (L-SAGE).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have sequenced 691,390 tags from four L-SAGE libraries increasing the existing gene expression data on cervical tissue by 20 fold. One-hundred and eighteen unique tags were highly expressed in normal cervical tissue and 107 of them mapped to unique genes, most belong to the ribosomal, calcium-binding and keratinizing gene families. We assessed these genes for aberrant expression in CIN III and five genes showed altered expression. In addition, we have identified twelve unique HPV 16 SAGE tags in the CIN III libraries absent in the normal libraries.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Establishing a baseline of gene expression in normal cervical tissue is key for identifying changes in cancer. We demonstrate the utility of this baseline data by identifying genes with aberrant expression in CIN III when compared to normal tissue.</p

Human Cancer Long Non-Coding RNA Transcriptomes

Once thought to be a part of the ‘dark matter’ of the genome, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as an integral functional component of the mammalian transcriptome. LncRNAs are a novel class of mRNA-like transcripts which, despite no known protein-coding potential, demonstrate a wide range of structural and functional roles in cellular biology. However, the magnitude of the contribution of lncRNA expression to normal human tissues and cancers has not been investigated in a comprehensive manner. In this study, we compiled 272 human serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) libraries to delineate lncRNA transcription patterns across a broad spectrum of normal human tissues and cancers. Using a novel lncRNA discovery pipeline we parsed over 24 million SAGE tags and report lncRNA expression profiles across a panel of 26 different normal human tissues and 19 human cancers. Our findings show extensive, tissue-specific lncRNA expression in normal tissues and highly aberrant lncRNA expression in human cancers. Here, we present a first generation atlas for lncRNA profiling in cancer

The role of fungi in the remediation of industrial wastes

Abstract not available

Chemistry of some fluorescamine-amine derivatives with relevance to the biosynthesis of benzylpenicillin by fermentation

he reaction of fluorescamine with 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) at pH 4 was investigated for its potential use in the biosynthesis of benzylpenicillin. A number of amino acids and penicillin amine derivatives, that reacted with fluorescamine at pH 7-9, were unlikely to do so to a significant extent at pH 4 and hence were unlikely to interfere in results that led to the biosynthesis of benzylpenicillin. Biosynthesis was followed using Penicillium chrysogenum Wis F3-64, growing in a corn steep liquor medium in a shake flask fed with phenylacetic acid daily. Analysis of benzylpenicillin formation was effected enzymically and fluorimetrically. A sample of the fermentation broth was treated with buffer at pH 7.8 and an active penicillin acylase solution for 1 h at 37 °C. The pH was then lowered to 4 by swamping with acetate buffer and the solution was treated with fluorescamine. The resulting fluorescence was compared with that of a standard 6-aminopenicillianic acid solution treated in the same manner. In this case the biosynthesis of benzylpenicillin was found to increase over 6 days. The results were compared with those for a control broth where the penicillin acylase was not added

Histochemical detection of laccase in Pycnoporus cinnabarinus using microwave-enhanced colloidal gold microcrystallization

Laccase was detected histochemically in Pycnoporus cinnabarinus fungal hyphae by growing the organism on cellophane or microporous polycarbonate membranes overlaid on malt extract agar. Membrane sections were stained with a reagent of 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and colloidal gold for 30 min and irradiated for 24 s at maximum output in a microwave oven. Laccase was detected as purple-blue deposits at the apical tip region in high concentrations, and at lower levels on the exterior, sub-apical hyphal sheath

Zirconium Diboride with High Thermal Conductivity

Thermal properties were characterized for zirconium diboride produced by reactive hot pressing and compared to ZrB2 ceramics that were hot pressed from commercial powders. No sintering additives were used in either process. Thermal conductivity was calculated from measured values of heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and density for temperatures ranging from 298 to 2273 K. ZrB2 produced by reactive hot pressing achieved near full density, but had a small volume fraction of ZrO2, whereas hot-pressed ZrB2 contained porosity and carbon inclusions. Reactive hot pressing produced a ceramic with higher thermal diffusivity and heat capacity, resulting in thermal conductivities of 127 W·(m·K)-1 at 298 K and 80 W·(m·K)-1 at 2273 K, which were up to ~30% higher than typically reported for hot-pressed ZrB2

Peroxidatic activity of some mammalian catalases using 2,2/-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulphonic acid

Abstract not available

Decolourisation of the dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R by pycnoporus cinnabarinus in a solid phase bioreactor

Abstract not available