Middle Tennessee State University 2 articles published in JoVE Immunology and Infection Size Matters: Measurement of Capsule Diameter in Cryptococcus neoformans Tiffany Guess1, Hoyin Lai2, Serenah E. Smith1, Linda Sircy1, Kirsten Cunningham1, David E. Nelson*1, Erin E. McClelland*1 1Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, 2DRVision Technologies The polysaccharide capsule is the primary virulence factor in Cryptococcus neoformans, and its size correlates with strain virulence. Capsule diameter measurements are used in phenotypic testing and to gauge therapeutic efficacy. Here a standard method of capsule induction is presented, and two methods of staining and measuring diameter are compared. Environment A Noninvasive Method For In situ Determination of Mating Success in Female American Lobsters (Homarus americanus) Jason S Goldstein1, Tracy L Pugh1,2, Elizabeth A Dubofsky1, Kari L Lavalli3, Michael Clancy4, Winsor H Watson III1 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 2Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, 3Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, College of General Studies, Boston University, 4Rhode Island Nursing Institute, Middle College Fishery-induced changes to exploited crustacean fisheries, such as the American lobster fishery, could potentially influence their reproductive dynamics, leading to a reduction in mating success. This study's goal was to develop a noninvasive method for ascertaining the mating success of female lobsters that may be physiologically or functionally mature.
