University of York

6 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

High-throughput Saccharification Assay for Lignocellulosic Materials

Leonardo D. Gomez¹, Caragh Whitehead¹, Philip Roberts¹, Simon J. McQueen-Mason¹

¹Center for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York

A simple, rapid method for determining the saccharification potential of large numbers of plant biomass samples is described. The automated platform for this analysis involves the preparation of the plant biomass for analysis in 96 well plates and the subsequent performance of pretreatment, hydrolysis and quantification of the sugars released.

Immunology and Infection

A Method for Labeling Vasculature in Embryonic Mice

Jerrod L. Bryson¹, Mark C. Coles², Nancy R. Manley³

¹Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, ²Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology and HYMS, University of York, ³Department of Genetics, University of Georgia

This article describes a method for labeling embryonic skin and thymus blood vessels.

Developmental Biology

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Simon W. Fellgett¹, Simon A. Ramsbottom², Richard J. Maguire³, Stephen Cross⁴, Peter O'Toole⁵, Mary E. Pownall⁵

¹Department of Biomedical Science, The Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, ²Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, ³Department of Cardiovascular Science, The Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, ⁴School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, ⁵Biology Department, University of York

The manuscript here provides a simple set of methods for analysing the secretion and diffusion of fluorescently tagged ligands in Xenopus. This provides a context for testing the ability of other proteins to modify ligand distribution and allowing experiments that may give insight into mechanisms regulating morphogen gradients.

Behavior

The 4 Mountains Test: A Short Test of Spatial Memory with High Sensitivity for the Diagnosis of Pre-dementia Alzheimer's Disease

Dennis Chan¹, Laura Marie Gallaher², Kuven Moodley², Ludovico Minati³, Neil Burgess⁴, Tom Hartley⁵

¹Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, ²Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, ³U.O. Direzione Scientifica, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, ⁴Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, ⁵Department of Psychology, University of York

This article describes the 4 Mountains Test (4MT), a hippocampus-dependent test of working allocentric spatial memory. The hippocampus is affected early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and this article outlines the 4MT methodology and results of patient testing, which demonstrates the value of the 4MT in the diagnosis of pre-dementia AD.

JoVE Core

An Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Setup to Investigate the Reactive Species Formation

Yury Gorbanev^1,2, Robert Soriano², Deborah O'Connell², Victor Chechik¹

¹Department of Chemistry, University of York, ²York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York

An experimental setup was created for the helium-operated kHz frequency plasma jet. The setup includes a cage for the plasma power supply and jet and an in-house built reactor to monitor plasma-induced reactive species without the interference of the ambient atmosphere.

JoVE Journal

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Gabriella Cavallo¹, Duncan W. Bruce², Giancarlo Terraneo¹, Giuseppe Resnati³, Pierangelo Metrangolo¹

¹Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, ²Department of Chemistry, University of York, ³Laboratory of Nanostructured Fluorinated Materials (NFMLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano

A protocol for the synthesis of a new type of mesogens, based on the halogen-bonded supramolecular anion [C_nF_2n+1-I···I···I-C_nF_2n+1]⁻, is reported.