Contrasting Pollinators and Pollination in Native and Non-Native Regions of Highbush Blueberry Production.

Highbush blueberry yields are dependent on pollination by bees, and introduction of managed honey bees is the primary strategy used for pollination of this crop. Complementary pollination services are also provided by wild bees, yet highbush blueberry is increasingly grown in regions outside its native range where wild bee communities may be less adapted to the crop and growers may still be testing appropriate honey bee stocking densities. To contrast crop pollination in native and non-native production regions, we sampled commercial 'Bluecrop' blueberry fields in British Columbia and Michigan with grower-selected honey bee stocking rates (0-39.

Optical clearing at cellular level.

Strong light scattering in tissues and blood reduces the usability of many optical techniques. By reducing scattering, optical clearing enables deeper light penetration and improves resolution in several optical imaging applications. We demonstrate the usage of optical tweezers and elastic light scattering to study optical clearing [one of the major mechanisms-matching of refractive indices (RIs)] at the single particle and cell level.

Serum sialic acid and prostate-specific antigen in differential diagnosis of benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

In order to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the serum total and free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in differential diagnosis between benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer, the serum total sialic acid (TSA) was measured and logistic regression (LR) models were built. Significantly higher serum PSA (p<0.001) concentrations were observed in patients with prostate cancer compared to control subjects, but no statistically significant differences were found in serum TSA concentrations between these groups.

Destruction of the epithelial anchoring system in lichen planus.

To find out whether the epithelial anchoring system shows any alterations in lichen planus, we examined the distribution of type VII collagen, alpha 6 beta 4 integrin, and kalinin in lesions of lichen planus. These molecules were chosen because they are structural components of anchoring fibrils, hemidesmosome-associated complexes, and anchoring filaments. The localization of type VII collagen in lichen planus was strikingly different from that in nonaffected mucosa or dermis or in other mucocutaneous lesions.