Synthetic Biology Comes into Its Own

Researchers create novel genetic circuits that give insight into, and are inspired by, nature.

Every two hours in Matthew Bennett’s Rice University lab, cyan and yellow lights flashed in synchronization. Bennett and his team had engineered 12 components to generate the coordinated oscillations. This circuit wasn’t electronic, however; it was biological. Two populations of E. coli, each carrying a synthetic gene circuit, cycled in synchronous pulses every 14 hours.

Bennett’s work, published last year in Science, is a key application of modern synthetic biology: taking biological components and linking them together to form novel functional circuits. Instead of a program coded in Java and executed by a computer’s working memory, commands were written in DNA and carried out by the microbes’ cellular machinery. LEDs were replaced with fluorescent proteins, and molecular signaling cascades served as the system’s wires.

Read more: Synthetic Biology Comes into Its Own

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Source: theScientist

Amazing Body Paint Animal Art

Artist Johannes Stoetter has gained worldwide attention for using body paint to create stunning animal creations.

In this video created by Stoetter, you may think you're seeing a frog and a chameleon -- but in fact you're seeing human beings, painted and intertwined to create an incredible illusion.

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Source: NewYorkMagazine

Can scientists really have work/life balance?

To be a top performer you need to be happy – something academics tend to forget.

Scientists spend a lot of time trouble-shooting. Every day we work on our protocols, and if something doesn’t work, we try again and again, until we fix it. We keep track of all the factors and accurately measure all variables, to find the perfect combination of parameters that work.

If there is one thing we can claim after getting a PhD, we’re definitely great at problem-solving. Can we also trouble-shoot our way out of the everlasting dilemma on how to find work/life balance?

Read more: Can scientists really have work/life balance?

Elisa Lazzari

Source: NatureJobs

ERBA Mannheim Clinical Chemistry Analyzer XL-1000

Automated high throughput random access analyzer, it offers continuous sample loading facility using racks. Contrary to other automatic analyzers, the sample loading is automatic instead of manual thereby enhancing precision.

• Throughput of upto 1040 tests/hour with ISE- 800 photometric tests/ hr and 240 tests/ hr with ISE
• Permanent hard glass cuvettes – requiring no replacement for upto 4-5 years
• Direct ISE measurement for Na/K/Cl/Li (optional)
• Auto re-run, auto dilution, reflex testing
• Probes with clot detection & Vertical Obstruction Detection feature
• Low reagent/test consumption -requires reagent volume of just 150 µL, thereby proving to be cost effective for laboratories
• Extensive Quality Control menu (L-J chart, twin plot, QC rules)

Read more: ERBA Mannheim Clinical Chemistry Analyzer XL-1000

Source: ERBA Mannheim

Dimension Xpand Plus Integrated Chemistry System

The Dimension® Xpand Plus integrated chemistry system combines chemistry, STAT and specialty testing on a single, compact, easy-to-use system.

• Full-range integrated capability in a small footprint
• True integration of chemistry and immunoassay for improved workflow efficiency
• Easy-to-use Dimension platform provides the confidence that every trained operator can run any test, any time
• Full disease-state profiling on a single analyzer
• The most commonly ordered panels from a single sample

Read more: Dimension Xpand Plus Integrated Chemistry System

Source: SiemensHealthineers

Molecular Biology Videos: The Tryptophan Repressor.

Source: All About Molecular Biology

Medical Videos: Normal Heart Sounds

Source: medicalvideoz

How to Write a Better Thesis, 3rd edition

From proposal to examination, producing a dissertation or thesis is a challenge. Grounded in decades of experience with research training and supervision, this fully updated and revised edition takes an integrated, down-to-earth approach drawing on case studies and examples to guide you step-by-step towards productive success.

Early chapters frame the tasks ahead and show you how to get started. From there, practical advice and illustrations take you through the elements of formulating research questions, working with software, and purposeful writing of each of the different kinds of chapters, and finishes with a focus on revision, dissemination and deadlines. How to Write a Better Thesis presents a cohesive approach to research that will help you succeed.

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How to Write a Better Thesis, 3rd edition By David Evans, Paul Gruba,

Justin Zobel 2014 | 184 Pages | ISBN: 3319042858 | PDF | 2 MB

Download: 1. books.google.com.np

                   2. drive.google.com

The Future of Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

How Innovative Approaches Can Help Reduce Mortality from One of the Deadliest Diseases Worldwide

The management of lung cancer, which in many cases is a deadly disease, is likely to change in the near future as the field adopts new strategies for diagnosis and treatment. A more fine-grained and stepwise approach to screening, and pharmaceutical and surgical innovations could help to fight the disease.

Read more: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)

Source: HealthcareSiemens

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)

Your doctor may order a test for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to help guide your cancer care.

One of the major challenges in treating cancer is getting “all” of the cancer, including the parts we cannot see. Even if surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation removes all traces of known cancer, there is still a risk of the cancer returning, often in a distant location in the body. This may occur as a result of CTCs.

Circulating tumor cells were first found in the blood under the microscope nearly 150 years ago. They are cancer cells from the primary tumor that escaped into the bloodstream to circulate around the body. As a result, these cells can serve as seeds for new areas of cancer to grow in distant organs. This is known asmetastasis.

Not all CTCs have the ability to land and establish a new metastasis in a distant organ; some may remain dormant (inactive) or be controlled by the immune system for years, sometimes forever.

Read more: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs)

Source: jamanetwork