A scanner for positron emission mammography is described. The detector is based on pixelized LYSO crystals optically coupled to avalanche photodiodes (APD) and readout by a fast low-noise electronic system. A dedicated digital trigger and data acquisition system is used for on-line selection of coincidence events with high efficiency, large bandwidth and small dead-time. A specialized gantry allows to perform exams of the breast and of the axilla.

When Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are exposed to high concentrations of NaCI, they show reduced viability, methionine uptake and protein biosynthesis. Cells can acquire tolerance against a severe salt shock (up to 1.4 M NaCI) by a previous treatment with 0.7 M NaCI, but not by a previous heat shock. Two-dimensional analysis of [3H]-leucine-labelled proteins from salt-shocked cells (0.7 M NaCt) revealed the elevated rate of synthesis of nine proteins, among which were the heat-shock proteins hsp12 and hsp26. Northern analysis using gene-specific probes confirmed the identity of the latter proteins and, in addition, demonstrated the induction of glycerol-3-phos-phate dehydrogenase gene expression. The synthesis of the same set of proteins is induced or enhanced upon exposure of cells to 0.8 M sucrose, although not as dramatically as in an iso-osmolar NaCI concentration (0.7 M).

Carotenoids are a wide group of lipophylic isoprenoids synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and also by some non-photosynthetic bacteria and fungi. Animals, which cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo, must include them in their diet to fulfil essential provitamin, antioxidant, or colouring requirements. Carotenoids are indispensable in light harvesting and energy transfer during photosynthesis and in the protection of the photosynthetic apparatus against photooxidative damage. In this review, we outline the factors inducing carotenoid accumulation in microalgae, the knowledge acquired on the metabolic pathways responsible for their biosynthesis, and the recent achievements in the genetic engineering of this pathway. Despite the considerable progress achieved in understanding and engineering algal carotenogenesis, many aspects remain to be elucidated. The increasing number of sequenced microalgal genomes and the data generated by high-throughput technologies will enable a better understanding of carotenoid biosynthesis in microalgae. Moreover, the growing number of industrial microalgal species genetically modified will allow the production of novel strains with enhanced carotenoid contents.

A few years ago, knowledge about the molecular and genetic details of osmoregulatory processes was confined to prokaryotes (reviewed by Csonka, 1989; Csonka & Hanson, 1991). Recently, however, numerous reports have been published describing genes, or their products, involved in the response of eukaryotic organisms to changes in the external osmolarity.

The HSP12 gene encodes one of the two major small heat shock proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Hsp12 accumulates massively in yeast cells exposed to heat shock, osmostress, oxidative stress, and high concentrations of alcohol as well as in early-stationary-phase cells. We have cloned an extended 5'-flanking region of the HSP12 gene in order to identify cis-acting elements involved in regulation of this highly expressed stress gene. A detailed analysis of the HSP12 promoter region revealed that five repeats of the stress-responsive CCCCT motif (stress-responsive element [STRE]) are essential to confer wild-type induced levels on a reporter gene upon osmostress, heat shock, and entry into stationary phase. Disruption of the HOG1 and PBS2 genes leads to a dramatic decrease of the HSP12 inducibility in osmostressed cells, whereas overproduction of Hog1 produces a fivefold increase in wild-type induced levels upon a shift to a high salt concentration. On the other hand, mutations resulting in high protein kinase A (PKA) activity reduce or abolish the accumulation of the HSP12 mRNA in stressed cells. Conversely, mutants containing defective PKA catalytic subunits exhibit high basal levels of HSP12 mRNA. Taken together, these results suggest that HSP12 is a target of the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) response pathway under negative control of the Ras-PKA pathway. Furthermore, they confirm earlier observations that STRE-like sequences are responsive to a broad range of stresses and that the HOG and Ras-PKA pathways have antagonistic effects upon CCCCT-driven transcription.

Tin oxide is an n type semiconductor material with a high covalent behavior. Mass transport in this oxide depends on the surface state promoted by atmosphere or by the solid solution of aliovalent oxide doping. The sintering and grain grow of this type of oxide powder is then controlled by atmosphere and by extrinsic oxygen vacancy formation. For pure SnO2 powder the surface state depends only in the interaction of atmosphere molecules with the SnO2 surface. Inert atmosphere like argon promotes oxygen vacancy formation at the surface due to the reduction of SnO 2 to SnO at surface and liberation of oxygen molecules forming an oxygen vacancy. As a consequence, surface diffusion is enhanced leading to grain coarsening, but no densification. Oxygen atmosphere inhibits the SnO2 reduction decreasing the surface oxygen vacancy concentration. Additions of dopants with lower valence at sintering temperature create extrinsic charged oxygen vacancies that promote mass transport at grain boundary leading to densification and grain growth of this polycrystalline oxide. Cobalt and niobium doped SnO2 ceramics exhibit varistor behavior, which can be applied in electronics. Moreover, SnO2 ceramics are chemically inert and can be applied in form of crucibles to melt some optical glasses.