Martin Ward | Search PubMed

PubMed2002

Luminous X-ray sources in spiral and star-forming galaxies.

For studies of discrete X-ray source populations in nearby galaxies, high spatial resolution is a key to making progress. Now, for the first time, using the Chandra X-ray observatory, we are able to study these source populations in detail for galaxies beyond M31 and our local group galaxies. Analysis of accretion-driven and supernova-related discrete sources provides a new perspective on the evolution of galactic stellar populations, as well as giving insights into the physical mechanisms operating in individual cases. A particularly intriguing area, which we are only just beginning to address, is the nature of the most X-ray-luminous sources that are being discovered in many spiral and star-forming galaxies.

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Detection of genetic modification in cured tobacco leaf: proficiency testing using polymerase chain reaction-based methods.

The Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA; Paris, France) "Task Force Genetically Modified Tobacco-Detection Methods" investigated the performance of qualitative and quantitative methods based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection and quantitation of genetically modified (GM) tobacco. In the 4 successful rounds of proficiency testing, the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S RNA promoter (CaMV 35S) and the Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase terminator (NOS) were selected as target sequences. Blind-coded reference materials containing from 0.1 to 5.0% and from 0.15 to 4% GM tobacco were used in 2 rounds of qualitative and quantitative PCR, respectively. Eighteen laboratories from 10 countries participated in this study. Considering all methods and 2 rounds, the different laboratories were able to detect GM tobacco at the 0.1% level in 46 out of 58 tests in qualitative assays. The results of the proficiency test indicate that both end point screening and real-time quantitative methods are suitable for the detection of genetically modified organisms in tobacco leaf samples having a GM content of 0.1% or higher. The CORESTA proficiency study represents a first step towards the interlaboratory evaluation of accuracy and precision of PCR-based GM tobacco detection, which may lead to the harmonization of analytical procedures and to the enhancement of comparability of testing results produced by different laboratories.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗