July 2016: This Month in JoVE

Abstract

Here's a look at what's coming up in the July 2016 issue of JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments. In JoVE Neuroscience, gustatory perception - or taste - is an important factor for pollinating insects and the flowers that they feed from. Most studies have used restrained honeybees to study gustatory responses towards nutrients and toxins. This month, Ma et al. present a new behavioral assay that uses freely moving bumblebees to measure how different compounds influence their feeding behavior. This assay will be useful to pollination biologists, toxicologists, and neuroethologists studying the bumblebee's taste system. In JoVE Environment, trace metal measurements in natural waters are often inaccurate due to inadequate sampling and analytical techniques. In fact, using improved techniques, researchers are finding that true concentrations of dissolved trace metals may be orders of magnitude lower than previously thought. So Jiann et al. present a protocol for clean sampling and trace metal analysis of river and estuary waters. They present techniques for reducing contamination throughout all phases of trace metal analysis. The improved data quality allows accurate assessment of trace metals and their relationships to environmental parameters. In JoVE Engineering, Janus colloids are special nanoparticles that have multiple chemical, physical, and structural properties - making them attractive tools for biomedical applications. Campbell et al. present a method to prepare catalytically active Janus colloids that swim in fluids, and determine their 3D motion using fluorescence microscopy. With this method, 3D trajectories are obtained for the swimming colloid, which allows accurate measurement of swimming velocity and other physical phenomena. In JoVE Behavior, vision problems can have a major impact on development. But in young children or those with intellectual disabilities, it is often difficult quantitatively assess visual problems, which limits accurate diagnostics. To overcome these problems, Kooiker et al. describe a method for quantifying visual information processing. A remote eye tracker measures eye movements in response to different visual stimuli - providing valuable information for vision assessment and rehabilitation. You've just had a sneak peek of the July 2016 issue of JoVE. Visit the website to see the full-length articles, plus many more, in JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.