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.     

Ethics is as ethics does

He is also Adjunct Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. This paper is based on a keynote address presented to the Mississippi Association of Colleges on 16 October 1989.     

The issue at a glance

The issue at a glance     

Ethos,Habitus and Situation for Learning: An ecology

It is argued that the concept of ethos connects with Bourdieu's 'habitus' and the notion of situated learning. It can be argued that ethos can be defined as an organisation's habitus. An ecological perspective suggests that habituses external to the school provide dispositions that continuously construct and re-construct school ethos, and the evolving ethos itself provides developing dispositions and contexts for situated co-learning and participation in communities of practice; for example, shared learning about how to learn. Some implications for school improvement and leadership in schools are discussed.     

The economic impact of nonresident students on West Virginia's economy

This paper describes a cost-benefit analysis of the impact of nonresident higher education students on the economy of West Virginia during the academic year 1985–86. During that year, the 10,091 FTE nonresident students enrolled in higher education institutions in West Virginia contributed to the state economy an estimated $72,182,000 through tuition and fees, living expenses, and travel expenses of parents and friends. The $72,182,000 flowing through the state's economy generated $86,618,318 in direct and indirect financial benefit to the state, while the state allocation attributed to the education of these nonresident students was $28,668,537. This return on investment, a benefit to cost ratio of 3.02, represents the net economic impact on West Virginia's state and local economies associated with higher education's nonresident enrollment in 1985–86. The ratio suggests that for each one dollar invested by the state in non-resident students, the state realized a return of $3.02 over the period of one academic year.Presented at the Twenty-Seventh Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Kansas City, May 1987.