In a previous publication it was shown that succinic acid is rapidly oxidized by homogenized suspensions of chick kidney (1). In view of the fact that succinic acid is an important intermediate in tissue oxidat.ions (2-4) it seemed desirable to study some of the properties of the succinoxidase system by means of the new technique. Quastel and Woolridge (5), using the methylene blue technique, s...

Earth's gravity exerts relatively weak forces in the range of 10-100 pN directly on cells in biological systems. Nevertheless, it biases the orientation of swimming unicellular organisms, alters bone cell differentiation, and modifies gene expression in renal cells. A number of methods of simulating different strength gravity environments, such as centrifugation, have been applied for researchi...

GENETICALLY modified (GM) sugarcane, as with any other genetically modified organism (GMO), must be approved by regulatory authorities before it can be released in Australia. Growing GMOs is regulated by the Gene Technology Regulator under the Gene Technology Act 2000. The object of the Act is ‘to protect the health and safety of people, and to protect the environment, by identifying risks pose...

Research into horizontal gene transfer (HGT) suggests that HGT is complex and certain pathways are likely to be more significant than others. The advent of GM plants has led to more research which has changed our perception of HGT. We argue that GM crops impact the probability of HGT. It is possible that the rate limiting steps in HGT can be significantly altered by transgenic technology. We al...

With the development of biotechnology, more and more genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have entered commercial market. Because of the safety concerns, detection and characterization of GMOs have attracted much attention recently. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method is a chemiluminescent (CL) reaction of species generated electrochemically on an electrode surface. It is a highly efficient ...

A concern associated with the growing of genetically modified (GM) crops is that they could adversely affect non-target organisms. We assessed the impact of several transgenic powdery mildew-resistant spring wheat lines on insect herbivores. The GM lines carried either the Pm3b gene from hexaploid wheat, which confers race-specific resistance to powdery mildew, or the less specific anti-fungal ...

The mass marketing of foods derived from organisms modified through recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology (genetically modified, or GM foods) has put extreme pressure on the interpretation and implementation of the United States’ basic food safety law, the venerable Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (FD&CA). In its classic form, the FD&CA reflects its Progressive and New Deal roots. It vests enormous trust...

Background: Since large-scale commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) crops began in 1996, a concern has been that non-GM crops may become contaminated by GM crops and that wild or weedy relatives of GM crops growing outside of cultivated areas could become contaminated. The GM Contamination Register contains records of GM contamination incidents since 1997 and forms a unique database....

Previous European guidance for environmental risk assessment of genetically modified plants emphasized the concepts of statistical power but provided no explicit requirements for the provision of statistical power analyses. Similarly, whilst the need for good experimental designs was stressed, no minimum guidelines were set for replication or sample sizes. Furthermore, although substantial equi...