Over-expression of HAP3b enhances primary root elongation in Arabidopsis.

HAPs, similar to Heme Activator Proteins (HAP) or nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) in yeast and animals, play versatile roles in plant growth, development, and responses to environmental cues. HAP3b in Arabidopsis is a member in the HAP3 gene family and is involved in regulating flowering time through the long-day photoperiod pathway (Cai et al., 2007, Plant Physiol 145: 98-105).

A putative CCAAT-binding transcription factor is a regulator of flowering timing in Arabidopsis.

Flowering at the appropriate time of year is essential for successful reproduction in plants. We found that HAP3b in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), a putative CCAAT-binding transcription factor gene, is involved in controlling flowering time. Overexpression of HAP3b promotes early flowering while hap3b, a null mutant of HAP3b, is delayed in flowering under a long-day photoperiod.

Mutant identification and characterization of the laccase gene family in Arabidopsis.

Laccases, EC 1.10.3.

Precision and Reproducibility of Measurements of Human Corneal Thickness with Rapid Optical Low-Coherence Reflectometry (OLCR).

This study investigates the precision and intraindividual variability of a clinical optical pachometer based on low-coherence reflectometry, which was used to measure the central thickness of a human cornea in vivo. The instrument, attached to a slit lamp, is a single mode fiber optic based Michelson interferometer with a high repetition rate as previously described. The same operator performed ten sets of measurements on the same subject, each consisting of 20 consecutive scans, on each day for three consecutive days.

Rapid and precise in vivo measurement of human corneal thickness with optical low-coherence reflectometry in normal human eyes.

An optical low-coherence reflectometer is used for rapid noncontact measurements of the human corneal thickness in vivo. Thickness measurements on ten volunteers show a standard deviation of 3.4 μm.