Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is a highly conserved cellular process that has been intensively investigated in nematodes, flies and mammals. The genetic conservation, the low redundancy, the feasibility for high-throughput genetic screens and the identification of temporally and spatially regulated apoptotic responses make Drosophila melanogaster a great model for the study of apoptosis. Here, we review the key players of the cell death pathway in Drosophila and discuss their roles in apoptotic and non-apoptotic processes.

The "microwave effect" or non-thermal effects due to microwaves have been the subject of intense debate. This paper explores the following hypothesis: if the transport of an active species is a rate limiting step in a reaction, and if microwaves enhance the diffusion of that species, then the overall reaction rate would change under microwave heating compared with conventional heating. If the hypothesis is correct then it should be possible to pick those reactions that would speed up, slow down or stay the same, under microwave irradiation. One consequence of the hypothesis is that the equilibrium states (end point of the reactions) remain unchanged by microwave irradiation. The measurements and theory presented here strongly suggest that this hypothesis is correct.

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Extraction and characterization of acid soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin soluble collagen (PSC) from scales of Giant groupers (saltwater fish) and Nile tilapia (freshwater fish) were carried out in this research. Due to a higher protein content in scales, collagen yield extracted from the Giant groupers scales was higher than that of the Nile tilapia scales. The yield increased as extraction time increased for both ASC and PSC and pepsin extraction resulted in higher yields than acid extraction. Even though there were differences in collagen yields, collagen characteristics were independent of the scale sources but some differences were observed for the ASC and PSC. The peptide hydrolysis patterns of the ASC showed a wide range of molecular weights whereas all of the PSC had similar molecular weight of around 42 kDa. FTIR spectra showed that all the collagens remained the triple helical structure though ASC might be self-aggregated. From zeta potential analysis, net charge of zero was found at pH 3.2-4.0 and the dynamic light scattering suggested that the average particle sizes at pH 11-12 were around 100-200 nm. The denaturation temperatures (Tds) in a range of 35-42 o C indicated that the collagens were considerably thermally stable.

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