Functional vision restoration is within reach via stem cell therapy, but one of the largest obstacles is the derivation of colour-sensitive cone photoreceptors that are required for high-acuity daytime vision. To enhance progress made using nocturnal murine models, we instead utilize cone-rich zebrafish and herein investigate relationships between gdf6a and tbx2b in cone photoreceptor developme...

BACKGROUND Retinitis pigmentosa is characterized by the sequential loss of rod and cone photoreceptors. The preservation of cones would prevent blindness due to their essential role in human vision. Rod-derived Cone Viability Factor is a thioredoxin-like protein that is secreted by rods and is involved in cone survival. To validate the activity of Rod-derived Cone Viability Factors (RdCVFs) as ...

PURPOSE Congenital achromatopsia (ACHM) is an autosomal recessive disorder in which cone function is absent or severely reduced. Gene therapy in animal models of ACHM have shown restoration of cone function, though translation of these results to humans relies, in part, on the presence of viable cone photoreceptors at the time of treatment. Here, we characterized residual cone structure in subj...

Dynamic compaction is a soil improvement method which has been widely used for the increase of bearing capacity through stress wave propagation during heavy tamping. The cost and time of project implementation can be effectively curtailed by developing a model that can be used in the design of dynamic compaction operations. The numerical models offered so far are mostly one or two-dimensional, ...

PURPOSE Early visual defects in degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may arise from phased remodeling of the neural retina. The authors sought to explore the functional expression of ionotropic (iGluR) and group 3, type 6 metabotropic (mGluR6) glutamate receptors in late-stage photoreceptor degeneration. METHODS Excitation mapping with organic cations and computational mole...

PURPOSE To evaluate CAD/CAM conic crowns to obtain a reversible and predictable retention in implant-supported prostheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Five 1- to 8-degree CAD/CAM abutments and their respective copings (n = 40) were designed and manufactured to measure the retention strength (in N) on a Zwick/Roell testing frame. RESULTS The mean retention strength values found, in descending orde...

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels are key mediators underlying signal transduction in retinal and olfactory receptors. Genetic defects in CNGA3 and CNGB3, encoding two structurally related subunits of cone CNG channels, lead to achromatopsia (ACHM). ACHM is a congenital, autosomal recessive retinal disorder that manifests by cone photoreceptor dysfunction, severely reduced visual acuit...

PURPOSE To establish mouse models for RPGR-associated diseases by generating and characterizing an Rpgr mutation (in-frame deletion of exon 4) in two different genetic backgrounds (BL/6 and BALB/c). METHODS Gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells was performed to introduce a in-frame deletion of exon 4 in the Rpgr gene (Rpgr(DeltaEx4)). Subsequently, the mutation was introduced in two dif...

The relationship between branch diameter and leaf size has been widely used to understand how vegetative resources are allocated in plants. Branching architecture influences reproductive allocation as well, but fewer studies have explored this relationship at broad phylogenetic or ecological scales. In this study, we tested whether pollen-producing and seed-producing cone size scales with branc...