“
“High-throughput

sequencing has allowed for unprecedented detail in gene expression analyses, yet its efficient application to single cells is challenged by the small starting amounts of RNA. We have developed CEL-Seq, a method for overcoming this limitation by barcoding and pooling samples before linearly amplifying mRNA with the use of one round of in vitro transcription. We show that CEL-Seq gives more reproducible, linear, and sensitive results than a PCR-based amplification method. We demonstrate the power of this method by studying early C. elegans embryonic development AG-120 inhibitor at single-cell resolution. Differential distribution of transcripts between sister cells is seen as early as the two-cell stage embryo, and zygotic expression in the somatic cell lineages is enriched for transcription factors. The robust transcriptome quantifications enabled by CEL-Seq will be useful for transcriptomic analyses of complex tissues containing populations of diverse cell types.”
“Cross-linked chitosans synthesized

by the inverse emulsion cross-link method were used to investigate adsorption of three metal ions [Cd(II), Pb(II), and Ag(I)] in an aqueous solution. The chitosan microsphere, was characterized by FTIR and SEM, and adsorption of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Ag(T) ions onto a cross-linked chitosan was examined through analysis buy GSK1838705A of pH, agitation time, temperature, and initial concentration of the metal. The order of adsorption capacity for the three metal SB202190 clinical trial ions was Cd(2+) > Pb(2+) > Ag(+). This method showed that adsorption of the three metal ions in an aqueous solution followed the monolayer coverage of the adsorbents through physical adsorption phenomena and coordination because the amino (-NH(2)) and/or hydroxy (-OH) groups on chitosan chains serve as coordination sites. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 733-739, 2010″
“To counteract abiotic stress-induced adverse effects on

plants, one approach is the application of exogenous potential osmoprotectants such as proline. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of exogenous application of different concentrations of proline as foliar spray on growth, gas exchange characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence and mineral ion accumulation of two eggplant cultivars viz., L-888 and Round grown under saline regimes. Fifty-seven days old plants were subjected for 15 days to varying levels of proline [0 (water spray), 10 and 20 mM] under control and saline (150 mM NaCl) conditions. Salt stress reduced growth, net CO2 assimilation rate (A), water use efficiency (A/E), efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), shoot and root K+ and Ca2+ ions of both eggplant cultivars. Exogenous application of proline counteracted the adverse effects of salt stress on shoot fresh weight of both eggplant cultivars and A/E ratio in cv. Round only.