FILAMENTS IN THE DIVISION FURROW OF MOUSE MAMMARY CELLS

Of the various theories that have been advanced to account for the mechanism of furrow formation and cytokinesis in animal cells (9, 21), the notion of active constriction in the equatorial cortex ha

Cataract surgery and quality of life implications

Cataract surgery in the developed world has undergone a revolution over the last 20 years. An operation which used to require a stay in hospital and long visual rehabilitation is now a quick day-case procedure with immediate benefits. As with any surgery there is an associated morbidity, but there is now the potential to provide cataract surgery at an earlier stage of cataract maturation and save patients from a period of severe visual impairment. This article reviews the new techniques available to measure the impact that cataracts have not only on a patient’s visual acuity but also their general physical health, function, cognition, and emotional well-being. New research is described that takes into account these more holistic tests and how they can be used to judge the best time to refer and operate on a patient with cataracts

Facile Protocol for Water-Tolerant “Frustrated Lewis Pair”-Catalyzed Hydrogenation

Despite rapid advances in the field of metal-free, “frustrated Lewis pair” (FLP)-catalyzed hydrogenation, the need for strictly anhydrous reaction conditions has hampered wide-scale uptake of this methodology. Herein, we report that, despite the generally perceived moisture sensitivity of FLPs, 1,4-dioxane solutions of B(C6F5)3 actually show appreciable moisture tolerance and can catalyze hydrogenation of a range of weakly basic substrates without the need for rigorously inert conditions. In particular, reactions can be performed directly in commercially available nonanhydrous solvents without subsequent drying or use of internal desiccants

Ten year change in forest succession and composition measured by remote sensing

Vegetation dynamics and changes in ecological patterns were measured by remote sensing over a 10 year period (1973 to 1983) for 148,406 landscape elements, covering more than 500 sq km in a protected forested wilderness. Quantitative measurements were made possible by methods to detect ecologically meaningful landscape units; these allowed measurement of ecological transition frequencies and calculation of expected recurrence times. Measured ecological transition frequencies reveal boreal forest wilderness as spatially heterogeneous and highly dynamic, with one-sixth of the area in clearings and early successional stages, consistent with recent postulates about the spatial and temporal patterns of natural ecosystems. Differences between managed forest areas and a protected wilderness allow assessment of different management regimes