Rapid microfluidic solid-phase extraction system for hyper-methylated DNA enrichment and epigenetic analysis

Genetic sequence and hyper-methylation profile information from the promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes are important for cancer disease investigation. Since hyper-methylated DNA (hm-DNA) is typically present in ultra-low concentrations in biological samples, such as stool, urine, and saliva, sample enrichment and amplification is typically required before detection. We present a rapid microfluidic solid phase extraction (μSPE) system for the capture and elution of low concentrations of hm-DNA (≤1 ng ml⁻¹), based on a protein-DNA capture surface, into small volumes using a passive microfluidic lab-on-a-chip platform. All assay steps have been qualitatively characterized using a real-time surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor, and quantitatively characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy. The hm-DNA capture/elution process requires less than 5 min with an efficiency of 71% using a 25 μl elution volume and 92% efficiency using a 100 μl elution volume.     

Public science and public innovation: Assessing the relationship between patenting at U.S. National Laboratories and the Bayh-Dole Act

Most studies of the effects of the Bayh-Dole Act have focused on universities. In contrast, we analyze patenting activity at two prominent national laboratories, Sandia National Laboratories and the National Institute of Standards and Technology before and after the enactment of this legislation and the Stevenson-Wydler Act. It appears as though the enactment of Bayh-Dole and the Stevenson-Wydler Act were not sufficient to induce an increase in patenting at these labs. However, the establishment of financial incentive systems, embodied in passage of the Federal Technology Transfer Act, as well as the allocation of internal resources to support technology transfer, stimulated an increase in such activity.     

Normal service continues — the role of intermediaries in electronic publishing

The paper outlines some of the conditions which bring about the need for intermediaries in the electronic world, the views of end users and librarians towards electronic journals and the range of intermediary services which exist for Internet based full texts. It also briefly considers archiving and digitisation activities.     

More library materials budget justifications

In the Winter 1990 issue of BRQ, Frederick C. Lynden outlined a strategy for justifying library materials budgest based on his experience at Brown University. Albert Henderson elaborates on this process by offering three additional arguments to justify increased funding at research libraries. These arguments are based on the accelerating publication rate, the shrinking of library budgets as a percentage of GNP, and the consequences for research of inadequate library holdings. Albert Henderson, presidents of Henderson Associates is a consultant to scholarly and professional publishers. He was previously an editor with Johnson Reprint and vice-president for marketing and production with Pergamon Press.     

Mathematics entrance examinations in Chinese institutions of higher education

For thousands of years examinations have set the standards for education in China. While in traditional China, examinations were humanistic in their outlook and mediated against scientific studies, in the Peoples Republic of China, the opposite situation exists. The examination system, as now carried out in the PRC, stresses the sciences, particularly mathematics. This paper examines the format and contents of recent mathematics papers set for the Chinese University Entrance Examinations and raises some issues concerning the efficacy of the examination process itself, and the mathematics it advocates, in meeting the developmental needs of the Chinese state.     

Multifaceted Impact of Self-Efficacy Beliefs on Academic Functioning

This research analyzed the network of psychosocial influences through which efficacy beliefs affect academic achievement. Parents' sense of academic efficacy and aspirations for their children were linked to their children's scholastic achievement through their perceived academic capabilities and aspirations. Children's beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and academic attainments, in turn, contributed to scholastic achievement both independently and by promoting high academic aspirations and prosocial behavior and reducing vulnerability to feelings of futility and depression. Children's perceived social efficacy and efficacy to manage peer pressure for detrimental conduct also contributed to academic attainments but through partially different paths of affective and self-regulatory influence. The impact of perceived social efficacy was mediated through academic aspirations and a low level of depression. Perceived self-regulatory efficacy was related to academic achievement both directly and through adherence to moral self-sanctions for detrimental conduct and problem behavior that can subvert academic pursuits. Familial socioeconomic status was linked to children's academic achievement only indirectly through its effects on parental aspirations and children's prosocialness. The full set of self-efficacy, aspirational, and psychosocial factors accounted for a sizable share of the variance in academic achievement.