Color vision in horses (Equus caballus): Deficiencies identified using a pseudoisochromatic plate test.

In the past, equine color vision was tested with stimuli composed either of painted cards or photographic slides or through physiological testing using electroretinogram flicker photometry. Some studies produced similar results, but others did not, demonstrating that there was not yet a definitive answer regarding color vision in horses (Equus caballus). In this study, a pseudoisochromatic plate test--which is highly effective in testing color vision both in small children and in adult humans--was used for the first time on a nonhuman animal. Stimuli consisted of different colored dotted circles set against backgrounds of varying dots. The coloration of the circles corresponded to the visual capabilities of different types of color deficiencies (anomalous trichromacy and dichromacy). Four horses were tested on a 2-choice discrimination task. All horses successfully reached criterion for gray circles and demonstration circles. None of the horses were able to discriminate the protan-deutan plate or the individual protan or deutan plates. However, all were able to discriminate the tritan plate. The results suggest that horses are dichromats with color vision capabilities similar to those of humans with red-green color deficiencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Di- and triesters of the lipids of steer and human meibomian glands

Three groups of diesters have been isolated and identified in the lipids of steer meibomian glands. The first group, designated as α Type I, with the abbreviated formula FA-αOHFA-FA1c, consisted of α-hydroxy fatty acids esterified to fatty acids and fatty alcohols in the approximate molar ratio 1∶1∶1. The second group, designated as ω Type I-St, with the abbreviated formula FA-ωOHF A-St, consisted of ω-hydroxy fatty acids esterified to fatty acids and sterols in the approximate molar ratio 1∶1∶1. The third group, designated as α,ω Type II, with the abbreviated formula FA-α,ωdiol-FA, consisted of α,ω-diols esterified to 2 moles of fatty acids. The sum of the different diesters comprised about 9% of total steer meibomian lipids. Capillary GLC of the fatty acids of αType I diesters showed the fatty acids to be a family with a two-cluster profile, one at C₁₂ to C₂₀ and the other at C₂₁ to C₃₁, with anteiso chains predominating. Fatty acids from ωType I-St and α,ωType II diesters gave mainly a one-cluster profile in the short long chain, C₂₃ to C₃₀, with anteiso chains predominating, while the α-hydroxy fatty acids were short chain C₁₃ to C₁₈ acids with C₁₆ predominating. The sterols in diesters ωType I-St were cholesterol (∼60%), Δ7 cholestenol (∼35%) and an unidentified compound (∼5%) with a GLC retention time slightly longer than Δ7 cholestenol on SE-30 phase. The ω-hydroxy fatty acids and α,ω-diols both were of exceedingly long chain lengths, C₂₉−C₃₈, and showed similar GLC profiles. Two types of triesters comprising approximately 1% of total steer meibomian lipids have been isolated but incompletely characterized. In terms of molar ratios, one group of triesters gave fatty acids:ω-hydroxy fatty acids:α-hydroxy fatty acids:sterols + fatty alcohols as approximately 1∶1∶1∶1. The other contained fatty acids, α-hydroxy fatty acids and α,ω-diols in what appears to be a complex mixture of several triesters. Diesters ωType I and α,ωType II also were found in human meibum. Hitherto these two diesters have not been found in any animal tissue.     

护肤品的功效性评价方法综述

现代科学技术,尤其是生物技术和计算机技术的飞速发展和广泛应用,给化妆品行业带来了全新的发展机遇,赋予化妆品以一定的功效性是新世纪化妆品发展的重要趋势.近20年来,人们对化妆品的要求已从洁肤、润肤为目的的基础护肤品向美白、祛皱为目的的功效性化妆品方向发展.     

Developing an Automated Enzyme Immunoassay for High-Throughput Screening of Bovine Serum Antibodies to Neospora Caninum

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Neospora caninum antibodies was automated with a robotic workstation, the Beckman Coulter Biomek 2000, to screen 200 bovine sera. Comparing these results with manually run ELISA data, a 95.92% agreement (K = 0.9592) between the two assays was obtained. The automated assay was specific and sensitive with excellent positive and negative predictive values. The results were repeatable and reproducible. The automation flexibility was high and the operation complexity was minimal. High-throughput screening (HTS) for bovine antibodies to Neospora caninum was achieved. The assay was developed according to the internationally recognized ISO17025 standard requirements.     

Radiationless anapole states in on-chip photonics

High-index nanoparticles are known to support radiationless states called anapoles, where dipolar and toroidal moments interfere to inhibit scattering to the fa...     

Comparison of methanol/hydrochloric,ferric chloride acid versus tribochemical silica coating for adhesion of resin cement to zirconium dioxide

This study compared air-abrasion and etching regimens on adhesion of resin luting agent to zirconium dioxide. Ceramic specimens (LAVA, 3 M ESPE) (N = 16) were embedded in acrylic resin and exposed surfaces were polished. The specimens were randomly assigned into four groups (n = 12, 3 specimens for each disc): SC: Air-borne particle abrasion (30 μm aluminum oxide particles coated with silica, CoJet, 3 M ESPE); MH: Heated chemical solution (Methanol-800 mL; 37% Hydrochloric Acid-200 mL; Ferric Chloride-2 g) at 100 °C for 30 min, MHP: Primer (Metal/Zirconia Primer, Ivoclar Vivadent) + MH, P: Primer only (Metal/Zirconia Primer). Cylindrical molds (internal diameter: 0.7 mm; height: 1.5 mm) were placed on each conditioned specimen, filled with resin cement (Multilink Automix) and photo-polymerized for 60 s. After 24 h, the molds were removed and the specimens were stored in distilled water at 37 °C for six months). Microshear test was performed in a Universal Testing Machine (1 mm/min). Failures types were classified as adhesive, mixed, or cohesive. In another set of specimens (n = 2 per group) contact angle measurements were recorded. Data were analyzed statistically using Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s tests (α = 0.05). The surface conditioning method significantly affected the mean bond strength (MPa) (p < 0.0001): SC(18.3 ± 0.3)^a < P(5.00 ± 0.07)^b < MHP(4.7 ± 0.08)^c < MH(0.84 ± 0.01)^c. While Group SC showed mainly adhesive (58%) and mixed (41.7%) failure types, groups MH, MHP, and P presented exclusively adhesive failures. SC, MHP, and P (29–32°) showed lower contact angle than MH (78.9°). Volume loss was the highest with MHP (9.92 μl) followed by SC (9.67 μl).     

Complement-Opsonized Nano-Carriers Are Bound by Dendritic Cells (DC) via Complement Receptor (CR)3, and by B Cell Subpopulations via CR-1/2, and Affect the Activation of DC and B-1 Cells

The development of nanocarriers (NC) for biomedical applications has gained large interest due to their potential to co-deliver drugs in a cell-type-targeting manner. However, depending on their surface characteristics, NC accumulate serum factors, termed protein corona, which may affect their cellular binding. We have previously shown that NC coated with carbohydrates to enable biocompatibility triggered the lectin-dependent complement pathway, resulting in enhanced binding to B cells via complement receptor (CR)1/2. Here we show that such NC also engaged all types of splenic leukocytes known to express CR3 at a high rate when NC were pre-incubated with native mouse serum resulting in complement opsonization. By focusing on dendritic cells (DC) as an important antigen-presenting cell type, we show that CR3 was essential for binding/uptake of complement-opsonized NC, whereas CR4, which in mouse is specifically expressed by DC, played no role. Further, a minor B cell subpopulation (B-1), which is important for first-line pathogen responses, and co-expressed CR1/2 and CR3, in general, engaged NC to a much higher extent than normal B cells. Here, we identified CR-1/2 as necessary for binding of complement-opsonized NC, whereas CR3 was dispensable. Interestingly, the binding of complement-opsonized NC to both DC and B-1 cells affected the expression of activation markers. Our findings may have important implications for the design of nano-vaccines against infectious diseases, which codeliver pathogen-specific protein antigen and adjuvant, aimed to induce a broad adaptive cellular and humoral immune response by inducing cytotoxic T lymphocytes that kill infected cells and pathogen-neutralizing antibodies, respectively. Decoration of nano-vaccines either with carbohydrates to trigger complement activation in vivo or with active complement may result in concomitant targeting of DC and B cells and thereby may strongly enhance the extent of dual cellular/humoral immune responses.     

Varietal discrimination of Chilean wines by direct injection mass spectrometry analysis combined with multivariate statistics

A simple, direct injection, electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (ESI FT-MS) method, in combination with multivariate statistics, was used for the characterization and sorting of Chilean wines. 47 commercial red wines labelled as Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, and Pinot noir, and 25 white wines of the varieties Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc were diluted, directly infused into the mass spectrometer, and analyzed in negative ion mode. The signature ions used for statistical analyses were manually filtered out from the signals with m/z ratios over 10%. The results of principal component analysis allowed a good sorting of white wines, but not so in the case of reds. The main three principal components explained 96.82% and 85.65% of the variance for white and red wines, respectively. Instead, linear discriminant analysis, allowed the correct discrimination of 100.00% of white and 95.74% of red samples. The validation of these results using the leave-one-out cross-validation method gave lower percentages of correct classification (76.00% and 61.70% of white and red samples respectively), suggesting that some of the wine samples analyzed might have been blends of more than one variety. Consequently, ESI FT-MS direct injection analysis of wines can be used for sample discrimination, but requires a stronger mathematical model built with spectral information of pure and blended samples before improving the percentages of classification.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting of Brazilian cacha?as produced in copper alembic and in stainless-steel column stills

Brazilian cacha?a can be produced in two different ways: distilled in stainless steel column or in copper alembic stills. We evaluated 36 samples of commercial non-aged cacha?as: 18 samples of sweetened cacha?as distilled in stainless steel column, and 18 samples distilled in copper alembic stills. Fingerprints were obtained through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry by recording the intensity of the 15 most abundant ions. Principal component analysis was applied to the data and separated the samples in two groups. However, after sample standardization with sugar (20?g?L^?1), it was not possible to group them by type of distillation. The results showed that the technique applied did not allow differentiation of cacha?as based on the distillation system, but for the presence or absence of sugar in them.