PURPOSE To characterize the properties of connexin 46 hemichannels in differentiating fiber cells isolated from mouse lenses. METHODS Differentiating fiber cells were isolated from mouse lenses using collagenase. Cellular localization of connexin 50 (Cx50) and connexin 46 (Cx46) was assessed by immunofluorescence. Membrane currents were recorded using whole cell patch clamping. Dye uptake was...

We study the statistics of large-separation gravitational lens systems produced by non-spherical halos in the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) model. Specifically, we examine how the triaxiality of CDM halos affects the overall lensing probabilities and the relative numbers of different image configurations (double, quadruple, and naked cusp lenses). We find that triaxiality significantly enhances lensin...

A new species of abertellid sand dollar, Abertella miskellyi n. sp., is described from the Miocene Camarones Formation of Patagonia, southern Argentina. The new taxon corroborates the existence of the genus in South America, given that Abertella is most common in the southeastern USA and the eastern coast of Central America. It is characterized by a unique basicoronal circle, in which the inter...

A two-dimensional infiltration experiment was conducted to investigate and quantify the effect of spatial wettability variations on DNAPL migration and entrapment in saturated sands. Experimental observations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) infiltration showed that organic-wet sand lenses acted as very effective capillary barriers, retaining PCE and inhibiting its downward migration. A multiphase ...

background: free-living amoebae (fla) including acanthamoeba spp. and hartmannella spp. are the causative agents of serious corneal infection especially within contact lens wearers. thus contact lenses and their storage case could be a suitable niche for potentially pathogenic amoebae. the main objective of the present study was to evaluate the contamination of contact lenses to free living amo...

to assess the one year results of artiflex phakic intraocular lens (iol) implantation in the treatment of high myopia. in this non-random interventional study, myopic patients with spherical equivalent worse than -5.0 diopters (d) who were not eligible for laser surgery were assessed. all patients had refraction, uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity tests (ucva and bcva), endothelial ce...

The effective implementation of in situ thermal treatment (ISTT) technologies requires understanding gas production and migration heterogenous media. However, investigations the effects high permeability contrast on formation, accumulation, migration, as well its potential effect redistribution dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), are relatively rare. In this study, electrical resistance hea...

Organisms with external fertilization are often sperm limited, and in echinoids, larger eggs have a higher probability of fertilization than smaller eggs. This difference is thought to be a result of the more frequent sperm-egg collisions experienced by larger targets. Here we report how two components of egg target size, the egg cell and jelly coat, contributed to fertilization success in a se...