Identification and expression analysis of chemosensory receptors in the tarsi of fall armyworm, (J. E. Smith).

Chemosensation of tarsi provides moths with the ability to detect chemical signals which are important for food recognition. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the chemosensory roles of tarsi are still unknown. The fall armyworm is a serious moth pest that can damage many plants worldwide.

Artificial neural network approaches for fluorescence lifetime imaging techniques.

A novel high-speed fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) analysis method based on artificial neural networks (ANN) has been proposed. In terms of image generation, the proposed ANN-FLIM method does not require iterative searching procedures or initial conditions, and it can generate lifetime images at least 180-fold faster than conventional least squares curve-fitting software tools. The advantages of ANN-FLIM were demonstrated on both synthesized and experimental data, showing that it has great potential to fuel current revolutions in rapid FLIM technologies.

Expression, purification and crystallization of CTB-MPR, a candidate mucosal vaccine component against HIV-1.

CTB-MPR is a fusion protein between the B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) and the membrane-proximal region of gp41 (MPR), the transmembrane envelope protein of Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), and has previously been shown to induce the production of anti-HIV-1 antibodies with antiviral functions. To further improve the design of this candidate vaccine, X-ray crystallography experiments were performed to obtain structural information about this fusion protein. Several variants of CTB-MPR were designed, constructed and recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli.