Mutation altering the miR-184 seed region causes keratoconus with cataract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) bind to complementary sequences within the 3? untranslated region (UTR) of mRNAs from hundreds of target genes, leading either to mRNA degradation or suppression of translation. We found that a mutation in the seed region of miR-184 (MIR184) is responsible for familial severe keratoconus combined with early-onset anterior polar cataract, by deep sequencing of a linkage region known to contain the mutation. The mutant form fails to compete with miR-205 (MIR205) for overlapping target sites on the 3? UTRs of INPPL1 and ITGB4. Although these target genes and miR-205 are expressed widely, the phenotype is restricted to the cornea and lens because of the very high expression of miR-184 in these tissues. Our finding highlights the tissue-specificity of a gene network regulated by a miRNA. Awareness of the important function of miRNAs may aid identification of susceptibility genes and new therapeutic targets for treatment of both rare and common diseases.

Bromate removal from drinking water by semiconductor photocatalysis

The semiconductor photocatalyst, platinised titanium dioxide, Pt/TiO2, is used to promote the destruction of bromate ions to bromide and oxygen by 254 nm ultraviolet light. The kinetics of bromate removal are first order with respect to [BrO3-] and are inhibited, although not completely, by competitive adsorption by other anions, including bromide and sulfate ions. The Pt/TiO2 can be used not only as a powder dispersion, but also as a thin film in a flow reactor for the destruction of bromate ions. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

The removal of bromate from potable water using granular activated carbon

Bromate in drinking water, at a level of microgrammes/litre, is a problem in ozonated waters but can be adsorbed, to a certain extent, by granular activated carbon. The adsorption capacity of granular activated carbon for bromate is significantly lowered when there are high concentrations of other anions, most notably chloride and sulphate, present in the water.

Hänsch--Couillaud locking of Mach--Zehnder interferometer for carrier removal from a phase-modulated optical spectrum

We describe and analyse the operation and stabilization of a Mach--Zehnder interferometer, which separates the carrier and the first-order sidebands of a phase-modulated laser field, and which is locked using the H\"ansch--Couillaud method. In addition to the necessary attenuation, our interferometer introduces, via total internal reflection, a significant polarization-dependent phase delay. We employ a general treatment to describe an interferometer with an object which affects the field along one path, and we examine how this phase delay affects the error signal. We discuss the requirements necessary to ensure the lock point remains unchanged when phase modulation is introduced, and we demonstrate and characterize this locking experimentally. Finally, we suggest an extension to this locking strategy using heterodyne detection.