Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Late-Nov papers

Some interested papers.

Flowering-time genes modulate meristem determinacy and growth form in Arabidopsis thaliana, Siegbert Melzer, Frederic Lens, Jerôme Gennen, Steffen Vanneste, Antje Rohde and Tom Beeckman, Nature Genetics 40(12):1489 - 1492 (December 2008).
Siegbert Melzer and colleagues report that in Arabidopsis the absence of MADS box proteins SOC1 and FUL leads to phenotypes of perennial woody plants, with indeterminate meristems, secondary growth with wood formation, and recurrent growth cycles.

Metagenomic analysis indicates that stressors induce production of herpes-like viruses in the coral Porites compressa, Rebecca L. Vega Thurber, Katie L. Barott, Dana Hall, Hong Liu, Beltran Rodriguez-Mueller, Christelle Desnues, Robert A. Edwards, Matthew Haynes, Florent E. Angly, Linda Wegley, and Forest L. Rohwer, PNAS 105(47):18413-18418 (November 25, 2008).

Plant Biology: Gibberellins close the lid, Nature 456(7221):455, Peter Hedden.
Gibberellins regulate many aspects of plant growth and development. Crystal structures of their receptors provide a view in unprecedented detail of how these hormones operate at the molecular level.

Gibberellin-induced DELLA recognition by the gibberellin receptor GID1, Nature 456(7221):459, Kohji Murase, Yoshinori Hirano, Tai-ping Sun and Toshio Hakoshima.

Structural basis for gibberellin recognition by its receptor GID1, Nature 456(7221):520, Asako Shimada, Miyako Ueguchi-Tanaka, Toru Nakatsu, Masatoshi Nakajima, Youichi Naoe, Hiroko Ohmiya, Hiroaki Kato & Makoto Matsuoka.

A Genetic Framework for the Control of Cell Division and Differentiation in the Root Meristem, R. D. Ioio et al., Science 322(5906):380 - 1384 (28 November 2008).
The number of stem cells in plant roots is controlled by an auxin-cytokine feedback loop in which a particular gene integrates signals from both hormones.

Read more!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Homologous Recombination

wiki Def of HR: Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination, a process of physical rearrangement occurring between two strands of DNA. Homologous recombination involves the alignment of similar sequences, formation of a Holliday junction, and breaking and repair, known as resolution, of the DNA to produce an exchange of material between the strands. The process of homologous recombination naturally occurs in organisms and is also utilized as a molecular biology technique for introducing genetic changes into an organism.

Cloning by HR

Homologous Recombination from a Molecular Perspective



Positive-negative selection is used to enrich for ES cells containing a targeted disruption of a gene.

Transgene silencing
Site-specific gene insertion
Single copy

Homologous recombination: a basis for targeted genome optimization in crop species such as maize, Kathleen D'Halluin, Chantal Vanderstraeten, Ellen Stals, Marc Cornelissen and Rene Ruiter, Plant Biotechnology Journal 6(1):93-102 (12 Nov 2007).

Enhancing gene targeting with designed zinc finger nucleases, Bibikova, M., Beumer, K., Trautman, J.K. and Carroll, D., Science 300:764 (2003).

Lloyd, A., Plaisier, C.L., Carroll, D. and Drews, G.N. (2005) Targeted mutagenesis using zinc-finger nucleases in Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 2232–2237.

Nahon, E. and Raveh, D. (1998) Targeting a truncated Ho-endonuclease of yeast to novel DNA sites with foreign zinc fingers. Nucleic Acids Res. 26, 1233–1239.

Urnov, F., Miller, J., Lee, Y.-L., Beausejour, C., Rock, J., Augustus, S., Jamieson, A., Porteus, M., Gregory, P. and Holmes, M. (2005) Highly efficient endogenous human gene correction using designed zinc-finger nucleases. Nature, 435, 646–651.

Wright, D., Townsend, J., Winfrey, R., Irwin, P., Rajagopal, J., Lonosky, P., Hall, B., Jondle, M. and Voytas, D. (2005) High-frequency homologous recombination in plants mediated by zinc-finger nucleases. Plant J. 44, 693–705.

Read more!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Dams level

We can view current dams level


Dams level in Oct., 2008



Dams level on April 16, 2009


This web site also list current information (Last Updated: 20th November 2008 9:38am). Well, there was thunderstorm last night, so this is not the most updated one.

Water Storage Status Table:
Item (20th November 2008 9:38am) Wivenhoe Somerset North Pine SEQWater Totals
Full Supply Level (m) AHD 67.00 99.00 39.63 -
Storage Volume @FSL (ML) 1,165,240 379,850 214,960 1,760,050
Lake Level (m) AHD 55.06 98.38 31.98 -
Volume Stored (ML) 321,555 354,466 88,839 764,860
Percentage in Storage 27.60% 93.32% 41.33% 43.46%
Change since yesterday +1.248% +1.466% +1.820% +1.365%
Rainfall at dam site 24 hours to 9am (mm) 75 23 12 45 average











Item (24th November 2008 9:06am) Wivenhoe Somerset North Pine SEQWater Totals
Full Supply Level (m) AHD 67.00 99.00 39.63 -
Storage Volume @FSL (ML) 1,165,240 379,850 214,960 1,760,050
Lake Level (m) AHD 55.88 98.10 32.34 -
Volume Stored (ML) 362,698 343,444 93,141 799,283
Percentage in Storage 31.13% 90.42% 43.33% 45.41%
Change since Friday +1.360% -0.205% +0.507% +0.918%
Rainfall at dam site 72 hours to 9am (mm) 0 0 0 0 average











Item (17th April 2009 8:57am) Wivenhoe Somerset North Pine SEQWater Totals
Full Supply Level (m) AHD 67.00 99.00 39.63 -
Storage Volume @FSL (ML) 1,165,240 379,850 214,960 1,760,050
Lake Level (m) AHD 59.18 98.20 36.57 -
Volume Stored (ML) 536,724 347,340 155,198 1,039,262
Percentage in Storage 46.06% 91.44% 72.20% 59.05%
Change since Friday +2.102% -5.709% +0.321% +0.199%
Rainfall at dam site 24 hours to 9am (mm) 0 0 0 0 average


Read more!

Mid-Nov 2008 papers

Here are some interesting papers.

Modified genes spread to local maize: Findings reignite debate over genetically modified crops, Rex Dalton, Nature 456:149 (12 November 2008).
Transgenes from genetically modified (GM) maize (corn) crops have been found in traditional 'landrace' maize in the Mexican heartland, a study says. The work largely confirms a similar, controversial result published in Nature in 20011 and may reignite the debate in Mexico over GM crops.

PLANT GENOMICS: A Bunch of Trouble, David Grimm, Science 322(5904):1046 - 1047 (14 November 2008).
The banana is endangered and largely ignored by funding agencies, researchers, and breeders. But things might finally be going its way.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Minnesota Ecologist Pushes Prairie Biofuels, Eli Kintisch, Science 322(5904):1044 - 1045 (14 November 2008).
David Tilman wants to mix it up by growing native grasses for energy. Many agronomists disagree.

Read more!

Direct PCR

I know that I shouldn't do any advertisement in here, but I just think this is a useful technique when I saw its ad on Nature.

Direct PCR – makes DNA purification irrelevant (Finnzymes)


Direct PCR eliminates the need for DNA extraction or sample preparation prior to PCR.

Would you like to amplify your target DNA fragment from the source material without prior DNA purification? Finnzymes’ robust PCR enzymes allow direct PCR from various starting materials saving time and costs and increasing sample throughput.

Finnzymes' Phusion and Phire DNA Polymerases, due to their unique structure, are highly robust and tolerant of many PCR inhibitors. This resilience provides efficient amplification from many difficult samples. Note that PCR from an unpurified starting material often requires more optimization than standard PCR reactions from purified DNA and may not always be suitable for all applications. So, please read these protocols carefully when planning your direct PCR experiments and contact us or your distributor with questions. We wish you the best of luck with this novel approach to PCR.
Bird feather Muscle tissues

Read more!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Precipitation

Here is the rainfall information from Climate statistics for Australian locations

LONG POCKET CSIRO LAB is close to Brisbane. Here is its monthly rainfall with millimetres (mm) as units.






StatisticJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual
Nov. 1968 - Dec. 2008
Mean132.2141.0100.387.592.449.746.137.532.381.2122.1121.71043.9
Lowest12.221.23.84.63.30.00.20.00.45.03.225.2574.0
5th percentile22.429.315.17.28.01.73.92.52.017.929.353.9644.8
10th percentile26.448.627.810.613.09.86.15.12.522.436.957.4718.0
Median102.695.979.050.753.035.031.426.923.279.1113.497.21020.2
90th percentile250.4312.1190.6195.4188.4105.8103.895.873.8138.8238.5217.91444.2
95th percentile331.1347.0229.4242.2266.8139.4145.898.879.0143.0298.9236.81730.6
Highest710.9438.5420.2470.7649.4257.0299.5135.1111.0374.8366.0403.61866.0
Yearly
200124.0184.8163.834.635.510.331.410.617.871.7 157.4 
200226.772.9113.333.528.963.90.298.423.243.965.4113.7684.0
200312.2195.681.8108.550.849.319.621.113.379.115.494.4741.1
2004350.4112.4102.035.420.211.08.2 28.681.0233.0215.8 
200580.429.413.844.264.299.417.420.220.4 124.859.6 
2006163.675.284.452.413.447.434.050.254.813.657.275.6721.8
200772.055.424.64.644.6104.24.0102.236.486.288.694.2717.0
2008180.0149.646.87.253.0120.096.217.555.268.1320.777.31191.6
200961.2125.445.3


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Monday, November 17, 2008

Mid-November papers

Here are some interest papers.

Enrichment of tomato fruit with health-promoting anthocyanins by expression of select transcription factors, Eugenio Butelli, Lucilla Titta, Marco Giorgio, Hans-Peter Mock, Andrea Matros, Silke Peterek, Elio G W M Schijlen, Robert D Hall, Arnaud G Bovy, Jie Luo & Cathie Martin, Nature Biotechnology 26, 1301 - 1308 (2008).

Glutamic acid residues in the C-terminal extension of small heat shock protein 25 are critical for structural and functional integrity, Amie M. Morris, Teresa M. Treweek, J. A. Aquilina, John A. Carver and Mark J. Walker, FEBS Journal 275(23):5885 - 5898 (2008).

Modified genes spread to local maize: Findings reignite debate over genetically modified crops, Rex Dalton, Nature 456:149 (12 November 2008).
Transgenes from genetically modified (GM) maize (corn) crops have been found in traditional 'landrace' maize in the Mexican heartland, a study says. The work largely confirms a similar, controversial result published in Nature in 20011 and may reignite the debate in Mexico over GM crops.

PLANT GENOMICS: A Bunch of Trouble, David Grimm, Science 322(5904):1046 - 1047 (14 November 2008).
The banana is endangered and largely ignored by funding agencies, researchers, and breeders. But things might finally be going its way.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Minnesota Ecologist Pushes Prairie Biofuels, Eli Kintisch, Science 322(5904):1044 - 1045 (14 November 2008).
David Tilman wants to mix it up by growing native grasses for energy. Many agronomists disagree.

Read more!

Thunderstorm

I felt bad when I saw the weather prediction from Nov 16 - 22 in last Saturday night.

It said that it will rain whole week. Sigh! We were thinking to do our laundry on Sunday. What should we do if it rained? It looked OK yesterday morning, so we went to do our laundry and put our clothes outside to dry them in the sun. We took the clothes in around 4:00pm when it became cloudy and dark.

It started thunder, lightening, and raining around 4:30 pm. We were hungry and decided to make lunch-dinner and prepared for today's lunch. The thunder and lightening got stronger and sounded like angry roaming. It was a big thunderstorm.

Our electrical power went off around 5 pm. Hmmm, our rice was half cooked, water and vegetables in pot were warm only, not to mention the noodle. Our landlord brought 2 candles to us in case the power did not come back. We waited and waited, but the power did not come back.

Around 8 pm, our landlord came to ask us if we wanted to use their camping stove to cook our dinner. It was still raining, but we were starving, so we took our pot, water and vegetables, noodle, and sauces and cook with landlord's camping stove. Then we ate our first candle dinner in Australia last night.

We could do nothing without power at night, so we just went to sleep after dinner. Finally, the power came back this morning around 5 am.

It is raining whole day. Sigh! So humid and so wet in here.

Read more!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Reef-building Corals

I read the first paper and found it is quite interest. Here are some interesting papers about corals.

Host pigments: potential facilitators of photosynthesis in coral symbioses, SOPHIE G. DOVE, CARLI LOVELL , MAOZ FINE, JEFFRY DECKENBACK, OVE HOEGH-GULDBERG, ROBERTO IGLESIAS-PRIETO & KENNETH R.N. ANTHONY, Plant, Cell & Environment 31(11):1523 - 1533 (2008).

Gene Expression of a Green Fluorescent Protein Homolog as a Host-Specific Biomarker of Heat Stress Within a Reef-Building Coral, C. Smith-Keune and S. Dove, Marine Biotechnology 10(2):166 (2008).

Bleaching, energetics and coral mortality risk: effects of temperature, light and sediment regime, KRN Anthony, SR Connolly & O Hoegh-Guldberg, Limnology and Oceanography 52(2): 716-726 (2007).

Coral mortality following extreme low tides and high solar radiation, KRN Anthony, A Kerswell, Marine Biology 151: 1623-1631 (2007).

The impact of coral bleaching on the pigment profile of the symbiotic alga, Symbiodinium, ALEXANDER A. VENN, MICHAEL A. WILSON, HENRY G. TRAPIDO-ROSENTHAL, BRENDAN J. KEELY & ANGELA E. DOUGLAS, Plant, Cell & Environment 29(12):2133 - 2142 (2006).

Response of holosymbiont pigments from the scleractinian coral Montipora monasteriata to short-term heat stress, Sophie Dove, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Susana Enríquez, Maoz Fine, Paul Fisher, Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, Dan Thornhill, and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Limnol. Oceanogr., 51(2):1149–1158 (2006).

Environmental limits to growth: physiological niche boundaries of corals along turbidity-light gradients, KRN Anthony & SR Connolly, Oecologia 141: 373-384 (2004).

Coral Reefs in a Century of Rapid Environmental Change, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Symbiosis 37(1-3):1-31 (2004).

Scleractinian corals with photoprotective host pigments are hypersensitive to thermal bleaching, Sophie Dove, Marine Ecology Progress Series 272:99-116 (2004).

Experience shapes the susceptibility of a reef coral to bleaching, B. Brown, R. Dunne, M. Goodson, A. Douglas, Coral Reefs 21(2):119-126 (July, 2002).

Kinetics of photoacclimation in corals, KRN Anthony & O Hoegh-Guldberg, Oecologia 134: 23-31 (2003).

Comparative analysis of energy allocation to tissue and skeletal growth in corals, Kenneth R. N. Anthony, Sean R. Connolly, and Bette L. Willis, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47(5), 2002, 1417–1429 (2002).

Major colour patterns of reef-building corals are due to a family of GFP-like proteins, S.G. Dove, O. Hoegh-Guldberg, and S. Ranganathan, Coral Reefs 19(3):197-204 (January, 2001).

Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energy budgets at varying turbidity, KRN Anthony & KE Fabricius, J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 252: 221-253 (2000).

Biochemistry, mutagenesis, and oligomerization of DsRed, a red fluorescent protein from coral, Geoffrey S. Baird, David A. Zacharias, and Roger Y. Tsien, PNAS 97(22):11984-11989 (October 24, 2000).

Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world's coral reefs, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, CSIRO Marine Freshwater Research 50:839-866 (1999).

Read more!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Car-9-5-8

I guess nobody will understand this title except us.

There is only 2 buses near the place we rent. 415 is to Toowong and Brisbane city and 414 is to UQ. The schedule for 414 is hourly from 7:20 am to 5:30 pm during weekdays and no service in weekend. 415 has a little bit more service than 414, and there is 8 buses on Saturday and 4 on Sunday.

Well, we tend to stay home in weekend due to this inconvenient bus schedule. We have thought about to buy car because we don't want to be trapped at home all the time. We decided to count the number of small white Japanese car on our way to shopping center or coming back and pick the number 10 as our consideration.

Here is the number:
Last Saturday from home to shopping center: 9
Last Saturday from shopping center to home: 5
Today from UQ to home: 8

We did not count to 10 yet. Does this mean that we should not buy a car?

Read more!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Expired Ticket

We use Go card when we take bus/ferry/train in Brisbane area all the time. It is convenient, saves money due to 20% discount of regular price, and help environment because there is no need to print ticket every time.

I like this system even it does not work well all the time, but they will refund the money if the card reader makes mistake and you call the service center to complain it.

I always wonder why there are still many people prefer to buy ticket every time or using other kind of ticket. I know why some people don't use Go card. When we took bus yesterday evening, we overheard one person from country Cxxxx told her friend proudly about how she could use expired ticket to take bus for several days. She said that bus driver has no time to read the print-out ticket carefully and won't be able to tell if she is holding an expired ticket. Of course they used their country language in their conversation. We could understand that language unfortunately even we don't come from that country.

This reminds me one conversation on school shuttle when I studied in US. Two people from that same country Cxxxx talked about how they made fake car accidence to get insurance company to pay big money to them. They were proud of what they were doing and one person was trying to teach the other one how to do it.

Sigh! I certainly don't like this kind of behavior. I am sorry that I did not stand up to explore her bad behavior.

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Bioactives

This is some basic information about Bioactives from CSIRO. Just for my own information.

1. Bioactives are molecules that possess a biological activity in addition to their nutritional value.
2. Flagship researchers are developing technology to separate bioactives.
3. The researchers are identifying sources of bioactives and what different bioactives do.
4. Extracting bioactives could lead to new food additives to improve the nutritional and health-giving properties of foods.

ABOUT BIOACTIVES
Bioactive molecules are components of food that possess biological activity in addition to their nutritional value. For example, omega-3 oils are fats which not only provide energy but are also believed to benefit human brain development and inflammatory response.

Bioactive molecules can play roles in: growth and development, reducing the risks of disease, healing injuries.

Bioactive molecules occur naturally in plant and animal products, normally at very low concentrations. Processing food, for example by cooking, packaging and storage, often reduces the level of bioactive molecules.

Many waste products from the food industry contain bioactives. For example, whey is a waste product of the cheese industry. It contains valuable bioactive proteins such as lactoferrin, which is reported to have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

National Flag

Definition of "National Flag" in wiki: A national flag is a flag that symbolises a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can be flown by citizens of that country as well. Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses often fly the national flag. In some countries, the national flags are only flown from non-military buildings on certain flag days.

The president of my home country said that our people have no right and no freedom to show our national flag in our own country because it would upset the politician from other country which swears to take over my country. It is really sad.

I don't watch international game, sport, or competition because my national flag is not allowed to appear in public. I drop my tears when I see every other medal winner raises his/her national flag proudly to honor and share his/her happiness to his/her home people, because I know that my home people are not allowed to do this. I feel that the whole world is forced me to erase my origin.

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Labmate

Some labmates in our lab are quite amazing. They tend to leave their mess or dirty stuffs in public area for other to clean up.

For example, some people will leave their used eppendorf tubes next to the centrifuge after they use them. Some people will leave dirty gel rack, holder, and comb in the sink for other people to wash them. Some people will leave their used gel inside the gel rack forever without taking them out. Some people will pour or split running buffer on the bench and without cleaning it up. Some people will pile up used stuffs in public area after others cleaning that area.

I hope I could live up in messy working environment, but I couldn't. It ends up that I have become cleaning lady in the lab. Sigh!

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Lab Air Condition

It is spring now and the summer is close. It will be hard to wear lab coat if the lab air conditions do not turn on. Unfortunately there is one above my head and it keeps dropping water onto my head.

Hmmm, I don't want to wear umbrella in lab, but I have no space to go. I used to have 2 blocks of bench as most people have in the lab. I was asked to give away one block to another new labmate. I only have one block while everyone has 1.5-2 blocks to use. Sigh!

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Early-Nov 2008 papers

There are many interesting papers about many things.

Colouring in cells, Nature Cell Biology 10(11):1233 (November 2008).
This year's Nobel Prizes mark the most significant technological advance in cell biology, GFP et al., as well as two discoveries in virology with major health implications.

DNA damage and ageing: new-age ideas for an age-old problem, George A. Garinis, Gijsbertus T.J. van der Horst1, Jan Vijg & Jan H.J. Hoeijmakers, Nature Cell Biology 10:1241 - 1247 (November 2008).
Loss of genome maintenance may causally contribute to ageing, as exemplified by the premature appearance of multiple symptoms of ageing in a growing family of human syndromes and in mice with genetic defects in genome maintenance pathways.

A model for transmission of the H3K27me3 epigenetic mark, Klaus H. Hansen1, Adrian P. Bracken, Diego Pasini, Nikolaj Dietrich, Simmi S. Gehani, Astrid Monrad, Juri Rappsilber, Mads Lerdrup & Kristian Helin, Nature Cell Biology 10:1291 - 1300 (2008).
Organization of chromatin by epigenetic mechanisms is essential for establishing and maintaining cellular identity in developing and adult organisms.

Epigenetic restriction of embryonic cell lineage fate by methylation of Elf5, Ray Kit Ng, Wendy Dean, Claire Dawson, Diana Lucifero, Zofia Madeja, Wolf Reik & Myriam Hemberger, Nature Cell Biology 10:1280 - 1290 (2008).
Here we show that ES cells deficient in DNA methylation can differentiate efficiently into trophoblast derivatives.

Ubiquitylation of the COMPASS component Swd2 links H2B ubiquitylation to H3K4 trimethylation, Adeline Vitaliano-Prunier, Alexandra Menant, Maria Hobeika, Vincent Géli, Carole Gwizdek & Catherine Dargemont, Nature Cell Biology 10:1365 - 1371 (2008).
Here we show that mono-ubiquitylation of histone H2B promotes ubiquitylation at Lys 68 and Lys 69 of Swd2, the essential component of SET1/COMPASS in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

SELF-EXPERIMENTATION: Eat, Drink, and Be Wary: A Sugar's Sour Side, Jon Cohen, Science 322(5902):659 - 661 (31 October 2008).
A new study being reported online this week strongly ties a sialic acid called Neu5Gc, made by chimpanzees and many other mammals but not humans, to a human disease and ingestion of red meat.

Structural Insights into a Circadian Oscillator, Carl Hirschie Johnson, Martin Egli, Phoebe L. Stewart, Science 322(5902):697 - 701 (31 October 2008).
An endogenous circadian system in cyanobacteria exerts pervasive control over cellular processes, including global gene expression.

Evolving a better-expressing GPCR, Allison Doerr, Nature Methods 5, 918 - 919 (2008).
Researchers describe a method for evolving G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) with greater stability and enhanced expression.

Native mass spectrometry: a bridge between interactomics and structural biology, Albert J R Heck1, Nature Methods 5, 927 - 933 (2008).
Native mass spectrometry is an emerging technology that allows the topological investigation of intact protein complexes with high sensitivity and a theoretically unrestricted mass range.

Inaugural Article: A PHD-Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 triggers the epigenetic silencing of FLC during vernalization, Filomena De Lucia, Pedro Crevillen, Alexandra M. E. Jones, Thomas Greb, and Caroline Dean, PNAS 105(44):16831-16836 (November 4, 2008).

Human genes are multitaskers: Up to 94% of human genes can generate different products, Heidi Ledford, Nature 456(7218):9 (2 November 2008).
Although people often struggle to master more than one discipline, our genes are accomplished polymaths. Genome-wide surveys of gene expression in 15 different tissues and cell lines have revealed that up to 94% of human genes generate more than one product.

How to get the most from a gene test: New tools squeeze more research out of personal genomics, Erika Check Hayden, Nature 456(7218):11 (2 November 2008).
According to two commercial gene-testing services — 23andMe and deCODEme — US Army medic Timothy Richard Gall of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, has a higher-than-average risk of basal cell carcinoma, type 2 diabetes and psoriasis. But much more enlightening than these results, which cost Gall more than $1,400, was a free online program called Promethease that he used to further analyse the data.

Diversification of Photoperiodic Response Patterns in a Collection of Early-Flowering Mutants of Arabidopsis, Sylvie Pouteau, Isabelle Carré, Valérie Gaudin, Valérie Ferret, Delphine Lefebvre and Melanie Wilson, Plant Physiology 148:1465-1473 (2008).

Acceleration of Flowering during Shade Avoidance in Arabidopsis Alters the Balance between FLOWERING LOCUS C-Mediated Repression and Photoperiodic Induction of Flowering, Amanda C. Wollenberg, Bárbara Strasser, Pablo D. Cerdán and Richard M. Amasino, Plant Physiology 148:1681-1694 (2008).

Read more!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

22 degree C?

I saw a tv ad about air condition. The temperature on that air condition is set to 22 degree C and they are proud about it. What's wrong with the person(s) who designed this ad? Did they have any environmental conscience?

I think that people should think more carefully before they put up any ad on public.

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Saturday, November 1, 2008

Egg-free Ice Cream

We are trying to make egg-free ice cream. Here are some experiments and the results.
1. Too much fat because we tasted fat and oil, not good
Heat up 250 mL water by microwave
-> add 80 mL milk powder + 60 mL sugar, stir to dissolve them
-> cool down half hour in fridge
-> add 250 mL heavy cream (40% fat), beat well
-> pour into pre-cold ice cream maker and stir for 20 minutes
-> scoop into microwave-safe container and put into freezer

2. Tea Ice Cream: it still became too hard after frozen (note1)
Heat up 350 mL water by microwave, put 2 tea bags to make tea
-> add 50 mL milk powder + 40 mL sugar, stir to dissolve them
-> add 150 mL heavy cream (40% fat) + 100 mL whole milk, stir well
-> heat up with microwave 1 min
-> cool in fridge
-> pour into pre-cold ice cream maker and stir for 20 minutes
-> scoop into microwave-safe container and put into freezer

3. Custard base

(Test 1) We added Thick Custard bought in supermarket into ice cream maker and stirred about 20 minutes. It tasted good if we added some sugar into. The texture is still too firm but not rock-hard like the previous ones. Maybe we should mix with some sugar and water/milk and try to beat it up before we add it into ice cream maker.

(Test 2)
2 TBSP sugar + 3 TBSP milk powder + 200 mL water + 150 mL thick custard
-> mix well
-> pour into pre-cold ice cream maker and stir for 20 minutes
-> scoop into microwave-safe container and put into freezer


It tastes good right after scoop from ice cream maker. Microwave 15 sec first if it has been frozen because it becomes hard. Microwave can make it a little bit softer but still with firm texture.

-----------------
(note1) This is reference from Oolong Tea Ice Cream using an Egg-Free Base

makes approximately 2 pounds / 900 grams

4 3/4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup nonfat powdered milk
10 grams stabilizer (optional)
a handful of oolong tea (1 to 2 cups loosely packed tea leaves)

The stabilizer improves the texture of the ice cream but don’t worry about it if you don’t have it. Examples of stabilizers include guar flour, carob flour, pectin, and gelatin.

Combine the milk, cream, and oolong tea leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let the tea leaves steep in the milk and cream mixture for a few minutes.

Strain the milk and cream mixture and discard the tea leaves. Add the sugar, nonfat powdered milk, and stabilizer. Heat over medium-low heat until barely simmering (185ºF). Cool the ice cream mixture to room temperature.

Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Stir the cold ice cream mix briefly before pouring into your actively churning ice cream machine. Churn until the desired consistency is reached. Pack the ice cream into the chilled container of your choice and freeze until firm.

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Pro-China leaders

Nov. 24, 2007, Australian elected pro-China prime minister, Kevin Rudd of Labor Party, ALP.
March 20, 2008, Taiwanese elected pro-China president, Ying-Jeou Ma of KMT party.

The 56th consecutive quadrennial United States presidential election is scheduled on Tuesday November 4, 2008. What will happen? I do not hold too much hope on John McCain of the Republican Party, it looks like Barack Obama of the Democratic Party might win it according to the global trend. Hmmm, another pro-China leader.

I hope that Australian, Taiwanese, and American will enjoy their decision.

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Rubber Platelets for Pipe

It looks like an interest and useful technology. I hope this can be successful applied on most pipe repairing for water leak.

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They could spell the end of roadworks... magic rubber plugs that seal burst pipes
By FIONA MACRAE (Last updated at 12:36 AM on 30th October 2008)


(image from Daily Mail)

They could be mistaken for miniature squash balls or cubes of chalk for snooker cues.

But these small pieces of rubber could make digging up the road to repair water leaks a thing of the past.

Named Platelets after the compounds that make blood clot and form a scab when we cut ourselves, they seek out leaks in pipes and plug them from the inside.

.... (ps. Please go to original report to see the whole article.)

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Glory the Lord 2

Believe in God. That's all it matters.

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桂格麥粉公司是怎麼來的? ──克勞威爾的一生 作者:張文亮(台灣大學教授)

許多人看過「桂格麥粉」的包裝 ─ ─一個白髮老人,穿著十八世紀的服裝,戴著帽子在對著你微笑。有些人還記得早期的「桂格麥粉」─ 打開盒子的時候,裡面的麥粉多到會噴出來。 但是,很少人知道「桂格麥粉」的背後,是一個已被醫生宣判危在旦夕的年輕人,向上帝的一個禱告:
主啊!我將我的生命放在你的手中,教導我做生意,讓我為你做大事,我將我所賺的百分之六十五都奉獻於你。

十一年後,他成立了桂格麥粉公司,他履行了他的諾言:
●支持了芝加哥「慕迪聖經神學院」(Moody Bible Institute)
●幫助成立「太平洋花園佈道團」(Pacific Garden Mission)
●他是大佈道家陶雷(R. A. Torrey)福音大復興的主要經費奉獻者
●聯合一批有抱負的人,首先通過美聯邦「曼恩法案」(Mann Act)
●打擊色情人口買賣「強制令發佈與撤銷法案」(Injunction and Abatement Law)給色情行業斷水斷電並使「桂格麥粉」公司成為廿世紀初期對抗 犯罪集團的主力。

他在晚年,公司仍處巔峰的時期,把經營權完全交給別人,使「桂格麥粉」 公司成為世界歷史上第一個,非家族企業化的國際大公司。 何等的典範,因為他說:「桂格麥粉公司,是為上帝的榮耀設立的,因此我 不用留名。

他每天中午,會邀請一個商業鉅子一起共餐,然後把福音傳給對方, 一生帶領許多有錢的人,進入駱駝的針孔。 他說:
我不祗是天國的生意人,更是基督見証者, 我雖然已成公司的總裁,但我仍向上帝支領薪水, 很多人誇我會做事,會賺錢, 但是我最會做的事就是禱告, 因為在禱告中,我看到上帝不斷做事, 那不是人所能做的事。

§桂格麥粉的起源§

燕麥生長在低溫地區,產量豐富而且富含維生素與礦物質,但是在「桂格麥粉」推出 以前,世界上很少人以燕麥為主食。主要原因是燕麥穗的外殼非常剛硬,要把外殼 壓碎頗費工夫,壓碎後的燕麥,也不容易煮熟。所以燕麥一直是馬的飼料,很少人 吃,不過吃燕麥的馬倒長得很強壯。

「進入燕麥市場的時機已經到了。」巴森斯(Joel Parsons)對他的姪子說。那是 一八八一年的春天,美國在南北戰爭後到處蓬勃發展,市場上不斷傳出有人一夕致 富的故事。克勞威爾(Henry Parsons Crowell)不解的問道:「為什麼呢?」

巴森斯回答道:「時機是生意人最需要掌握的。時機由許多條件綜合產生,也許有些 條件看來彼此沒有什麼關係,有些條件看來稀鬆平凡,但是綜合起來看就是生意 的時機。」
克勞威爾繼續問:「那為什麼商機會是燕麥呢?」

巴森斯答道:「我無法解釋。那是一種綜合思考後的直覺。我認為你應該到燕麥廠看看。」

克勞威爾回答道:「我會去看,並且繼續在禱告中尋求上帝的旨意。生意的時機在別人看來,是投資,或是風險,或是賭注,在我卻是服事上帝的地方。

§疾病陰影下的童年§

那是在俄亥俄州雷本那(Ravenna)鎮的一家小磨粉廠。克勞威爾當時廿五歲,他過去 二次經營農場都不成功,一次遇到龍捲風,一次遇到旱災,他知道從事農業生產的工 作,大自然變化是不可預料的。但是比起人生的變化,大自然變化算不得什麼。

克勞威爾出生在一個非常敬虔的長老會基督徒家庭,十七歲時,醫生宣佈他有肺結核。在自己與母親的眼淚中,他辦了休學,「再也進不了耶魯大學了,那是父親對他的最後期望」。克勞威爾的父親是個皮鞋製造商,但是在一八六四年冬天,克勞威爾八歲時病逝於肺結核。舅舅巴森斯前來繼續經營皮鞋匠。

一八六七年佈道家芬尼(CharlesG.Finney)在俄亥俄州燃起復興的火,在眾多決志人群中,克勞威爾也在其內。決志後,克勞威爾最喜愛讀的一本書是《天路歷程》(Pilgrim'sProgress),他沒想到將來他的天路歷程會在生意圈中。同年,克勞威爾進入「格雷洛克專科學校」(GreylockInstitute),在這裡遇到一個影響他一生的米勒斯(BenjaminFranklinMills)校長。

§一生中最重要的一句話§

專科學校有一千多個學生,米勒斯竟然能夠叫出每位學生的名字。美國的南北戰爭死了五十多萬人,學校裡有許多學生都是內戰後的孤兒,他們幾乎把米勒斯視為第二個父親。米勒斯每天都與不同的學生約談。一八七一年,有一天米勒斯校長約談克勞威爾,
米勒斯說:「你知道什麼是你一生中最重要的教育?」

克勞威爾搖搖頭。

米勒斯:「花時間認識上帝的旨意,是你一生中最重要的教育。

米勒斯校長這句勸勉,成為克勞威爾一生行事的準則。

§曠野的日子§

一八七一年冬天,在克勞威爾強烈的咳嗽聲中,好像特別漫長。諾特醫生(Dr.Naught)檢查他的身體後說:「你如果不立刻休息,將會很快死亡。」

克勞威爾哭了:「但是我明年春天就要進耶魯大學。」

諾特醫生說:「你不瞭解肺結核,得肺結核的人,不用為未來規劃,因為他沒有未來。」

「難道就無藥可治?」

「是的,無藥可治。不過最近有醫學報告提出較好的氣候、較多的野外活動能夠改善一些。」

一個沒有明天的人,一個再也不能為未來作夢的人,還去談什麼?認識上帝的旨意為人生最好的教育。克勞威爾回到家裡,翻開聖經,仔細查考。

他後來寫道:
「當我誠心認真尋求答案時。聖經裡的約伯記五章19節彷彿跳出來『你六次遭難祂必救你,就是七次災禍也無法害你』,我忽然有一種信心,我生病六年,到第七年肺結核一定會好。我跪下來禱告,無論發生任何事,我相信祂的應許到底。

一八七二年,克勞威爾辦了休學,並到各處旅行。數年之久他在美國加州當牛仔,又在克羅拉多的丹佛學爬山,以後他到處爬山,使自己的肺部更強健。

他寫道:
「在開往西部的火車上,大家都在談,那裡淘金可以發財。我卻在此等待康健,到了第七年,我會健康的回到我的故鄉。」

§病夫回城了§

其實旅遊是一種很好的教育,克勞威爾在外旅行七年,他的見聞變得非常廣博,閱歷豐富,他發現這段時間美國的工業化快速進步,汽油引擎取代了蒸氣引擎,電話電報取代了驛馬車送信,機械收割機取代了傳統勞力收穫,沙士飲料與罐頭食品取代了傳統飲食。他也曾在旅途中遇到騙子,被騙不少錢,但他寫道:「這是很好的一課。錢沒有被騙光。」

一八七八年秋天雷本那的鎮民有一陣騷動,因為有一個強壯的牛仔,披掛著手槍,精神飽滿的騎著一匹大馬進鎮來。隨著卡達、卡達的馬蹄聲,很多人都出來看,在這保守的東方小鎮,很少會看到一個西部強漢。大家仔細一看,騎在馬上,咧著嘴笑的人,正是以前在鎮上被稱為「病夫」的克勞威爾。他不僅身體強健,心靈更強健。

§取名為「桂格」的原因§

一八八一年,克勞威爾前往雷本那郊外的「桂格磨粉廠」(QuakerMill)。這間磨粉廠是在一八七五年,由一個貴格會的基督徒海斯頓(WilliamHeston)所建立的,所以海斯頓將磨粉廠取名為「桂格」。海斯頓是個發明家,他製造出一套機械撞擊設備,能夠迅速脫去燕麥的硬殼,但是他不善行銷,以致拍賣磨粉廠。 

克勞威爾看了這間三層樓高的磨粉廠及其設備後,寫道:「這家磨粉廠的設備是一種創新,所磨出的麥粉是高品質,而且研磨的時間短,效率高,所差的祗是行銷。…未來的人口會往都市集中,人需要在很短時間內,獲得高度營養與容易煮熟的早餐,麥粉應該是未來人類食物的大改革。」

克勞威爾看了這家桂格磨粉廠好幾次,並且每次作筆記,再回去研究,隔年他才買下。一八八三年,克勞威爾正式向政府登記為「桂格麥粉公司」(QuakerOatsCompany),克勞威爾繼續沿用「桂格」為名的原因,是他在麥粉包裝上特別強調「純」(pure)
的特性。過去的麥粉常在裡面混有豆粉、雜草粉,甚至砂子。克勞威爾則認為「品質第一,貨真價實,值得信賴」是他賣出產品的保証,如同貴格會基督徒信仰一樣純正。

§第一個廣告人§

石油大王洛克菲勒(JohnD.Rockefeller)後來說道:
「一個克勞威爾,勝過三萬個推銷員」

克勞威爾改變了普世市場行銷觀念。當時大家都看不起廣告,認為祗有江湖郎中的東西才需要廣告,克勞威爾力排眾議:
「愈好的產品,愈需要廣告,好讓大眾知道高品質的東西。」

克勞威爾認為「廣告不祗是一種游說,而是一種理念的宣導。不祗是想做成一筆生意,而是一種永遠帶著創意、活力、衝動、異象、主動的與消費大眾溝通。在那看似不毛的荒漠,廣告人卻看到結實纍纍。」

§克勞威爾做了幾件開創之舉:§

1.所有「桂格麥粉」都是一樣大小的包裝,重量一樣。一改過去食品一堆、一堆的擺在店裡。
2.「桂格麥粉」絕對純淨,沒有摻雜其他物質。一改過去食品販售的骯髒形象。
3.「桂格麥粉」的包裹封面常印上食譜,指導人如何煮才會更有營養。一改過去食品業忽略消費者。
4.他讓各地的報紙、火車廂、公車等都出現「桂格麥粉」的海報,一改過去認為推銷員是行銷的第一線。克勞威爾反過來先用廣告教育大眾,再以大眾要求給售貨商壓力。克勞威爾認為推銷員不祗是賣東西的人,更是「市場調查」、「消費者對產品反應」的評估者。

克勞威爾認為行銷,不是孤芳自賞,更非守株待兔,而是一種「敏銳」的察覺群眾說不出來的共同所需。廣告行銷是一種可以調查的「邏輯思考」,而不盲目的相信賣好賣壞,不過是一時的好運歹運。廣告行銷是一種「機動」的溝通,如同一個有機體,不斷的在生產者與消費者之間建立交通的網絡。

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Rock and birds' dropping

Yesterday was a bad luck day. Twisting my ankle by rock and getting birds' droppings on my head all happened in the same day.

We will rush to bus stop every morning. The granny flat we rent is behind a house. We have to walk through a 45 degree slope to reach landlord's parking space, then followed by driveway with 30 degree angle to road side. When we walked down yesterday morning, I stepped onto a fist-size rock on the driveway and twisted my ankle right away. If my husband did not hold my hand, I think I would fall and roll down the driveway because it hurt so much and made me lose my balance when I stepped on it. We have thought about if we should go back to our flat and put ice on my ankle. We decided to go to our bus stop because we would miss the hourly bus schedule if we went back to our flat and I have many experiments need to do today.

I always go to my husband's office to eat lunch together. After lunch, we will take a walk a little bit. I felt something dropping on my head while we were walking. In the beginning, I thought it might be leaf because we were under a tree. I found it was birds' droppings when my hand tried to move the "stuff" away. Disgusted! Then I felt the arm part of my light jacket was wet. Well, there was birds' droppings, too. Sigh! Yesterday really sucks.

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