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PubMed2005

The impact of landsat satellite monitoring on conservation biology.

Landsat 7's recent malfunctioning will result in significant gaps in long-term satellite monitoring of Earth, affecting not only the research of the Earth science community but also conservation users of these data. To determine whether or how important Landsat monitoring is for conservation and natural resource management, we reviewed the Landsat program's history with special emphasis on the development of user groups. We also conducted a bibliographic search to determine the extent to which conservation research has been based on Landsat data. Conservation biologists were not an early user group of Landsat data because a) biologists lacked technical capacity--computers and software--to analyze these data; b) Landsat's 1980s commercialization rendered images too costly for biologists' budgets; and c) the broad-scale disciplines of conservation biology and landscape ecology did not develop until the mid-to-late 1980s. All these conditions had changed by the 1990s and Landsat imagery became an important tool for conservation biology. Satellite monitoring and Landsat continuity are mandated by the Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992. This legislation leaves open commercial options. However, past experiments with commercial operations were neither viable nor economical, and severely reduced the quality of monitoring, archiving and data access for academia and the public. Future satellite monitoring programs are essential for conservation and natural resource management, must provide continuity with Landsat, and should be government operated.

Biology↗

PubMed1987

Progress in European CELSS activities.

The European CELSS activities started in the late 1970's with system analysis and feasibility studies of Biological Life Support Systems (BLSS). Since then the European efforts have continued in two major directions: as a series of individual development tasks like the Environmental Life Support System and the Solar Plant Growth Facility, and in parallel hereto as overall coordination and planning activities for life support system long term needs definition and payload definition for COLUMBUS utilization. The early initiations for CELSS came from the industry side in Europe, but since then planning and hardware feasibility analyses have been initiated also from customer/agency side. Despite this, it is still to early to state that a "CELSS-programme" as a "concerted" effort has been agreed upon in Europe. However, the general CELSS objectives have been accepted as planning and possible development goals for the European effort for manned space activities, and as experimental planning topics in the life sciences community for the next decades.

Austria↗

PubMed2006

Temporal representation and reasoning in medicine: Research directions and challenges.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this paper is to propose and discuss promising directions of research in the field of temporal representation and reasoning in medicine, taking into account the recent scientific literature and challenging issues of current interest as viewed from the different research perspectives of the authors of the paper. BACKGROUND: Temporal representation and reasoning in medicine is a well-known field of research in the medical as well as computer science community. It encompasses several topics, such as summarizing data from temporal clinical databases, reasoning on temporal clinical data for therapeutic assessments, and modeling uncertainty in clinical knowledge and data. It is also related to several medical tasks, such as monitoring intensive care patients, providing treatments for chronic patients, as well as planning and scheduling clinical routine activities within complex healthcare organizations. METHODOLOGY: The authors jointly identified significant research areas based on their importance as for temporal representation and reasoning issues; the subjects were considered to be promising topics of future activity. Every subject was addressed in detail by one or two authors and then discussed with the entire team to achieve a consensus about future fields of research. RESULTS: We identified and focused on four research areas, namely (i) fuzzy logic, time, and medicine, (ii) temporal reasoning and data mining, (iii) health information systems, business processes, and time, and (iv) temporal clinical databases. For every area, we first highlighted a few basic notions that would permit any reader--including those who are unfamiliar with the topic--to understand the main goals. We then discuss interesting and promising directions of research, taking into account the recent literature and underlining the yet unresolved medical/clinical issues that deserve further scientific investigation. The considered research areas are by no means disjointed, because they share common theoretical and methodological features. Moreover, subjects of imminent interest in medicine are represented in many of the fields considered. CONCLUSIONS: We propose and discuss promising subjects of future research that deserve investigation to develop software systems that will properly manage the multifaceted temporal aspects of information and knowledge encountered by physicians during their clinical work. As the subjects of research have resulted from merging the different perspectives of the authors involved in this study, we hope the paper will succeed in stimulating discussion and multidisciplinary work in the described fields of research.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed2005

A method for determining the age of a bloodstain.

DNA allows for the unambiguous identification of the person from whom a biological sample was derived but provides little information about when the sample was deposited. This information only indicated that the biological material was deposited at the crime scene prior to the collection of evidence. The ability to determine the age of a biological sample would greatly benefit the forensic science community. If there were independent evidence that the biological sample was deposited at the time of the crime, then its age would reveal when the crime occurred. If the time of the crime were known through another means, then the age of the biological sample could potentially exclude the human source as a suspect. We have used real-time reverse transcriptase PCR to show that the ratio between different types of RNA (mRNA versus rRNA) changes over time in a linear fashion when dried human blood from eight individuals was examined over the course of 150 days. Although other approaches have been used in the past to estimate the age of a biological sample, our approach offers the following advantages: enhanced detectability of small samples, simultaneous isolation of DNA and RNA from the same sample, species-specific probes, and an increased window of usefulness.

Actins↗

PubMed2006

Organization of the state space of a simple recurrent network before and after training on recursive linguistic structures.

Recurrent neural networks are often employed in the cognitive science community to process symbol sequences that represent various natural language structures. The aim is to study possible neural mechanisms of language processing and aid in development of artificial language processing systems. We used data sets containing recursive linguistic structures and trained the Elman simple recurrent network (SRN) for the next-symbol prediction task. Concentrating on neuron activation clusters in the recurrent layer of SRN we investigate the network state space organization before and after training. Given a SRN and a training stream, we construct predictive models, called neural prediction machines, that directly employ the state space dynamics of the network. We demonstrate two important properties of representations of recursive symbol series in the SRN. First, the clusters of recurrent activations emerging before training are meaningful and correspond to Markov prediction contexts. We show that prediction states that naturally arise in the SRN initialized with small random weights approximately correspond to states of Variable Memory Length Markov Models (VLMM) based on individual symbols (i.e. words). Second, we demonstrate that during training, the SRN reorganizes its state space according to word categories and their grammatical subcategories, and the next-symbol prediction is again based on the VLMM strategy. However, after training, the prediction is based on word categories and their grammatical subcategories rather than individual words. Our conclusion holds for small depths of recursions that are comparable to human performances. The methods of SRN training and analysis of its state space introduced in this paper are of a general nature and can be used for investigation of processing of any other symbol time series by means of SRN.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed1987

Retinopathy of prematurity.

ROP is a challenging disease of the decade of the 1980s. Answers, even partial answers, to many of its questions may provide information bearing on those same questions in other blinding vascular retinopathies, such as diabetes and sickle cell disease. Answers more clearly defining the role of oxygen, ventilation, antioxidants, blood transfusions, and a host of diseases of the premature infant will lead to better care of that infant. I have tried in this article to present the boundaries of the problem, a theory of its genesis and progression, and a review of the major issues to be confronted by the pediatric, ophthalmologic, and basic science communities through its recurrence today. I have tried to make it clear to the reader when I was so doing. I have used information liberally from studies both under way and in the planning stages to make the reader aware of what is being done, even if these have not yet reached fruition, for the field is a rapidly growing one. Finally, I have tried to point out directions that I believe clinical and experimental work should take on certain critical issues.

Humans↗

PubMed2000

Developing consensus: mercury science and policy in the NAFTA countries (Canada, the United States and Mexico).

The international science community has recognized methylmercury in the aquatic food chain, as a potential environmental and human health risk. As a result, countries around the world have implemented a number of mercury management initiatives. The United States, Mexico and Canada in consultation with stakeholders are developing a trilateral North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on mercury. Through public involvement in the decision making process, the NARAP has offered opportunities for more transparency in transactions between governments, industry and stakeholders. In spite of the available scientific information, there are still important uncertainties associated with the mercury issue. These knowledge gaps include: the most appropriate methylmercury reference dose for sensitive groups; the percentage of the North American population that is at risk from methylmercury exposure; spatial and temporal mercury deposition patterns in each country; the link between mercury emissions, atmospheric deposition and methylmercury concentrations in fish; and the relative magnitude of contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Critical overview and outlook: pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis and hepatocarcinoma caused by hepatitis B virus.

Viral hepatitis B is an enigmatic disease in which the host's own immune response to persistent viral infection may bring about host destruction through antiviral inflammatory responses which might otherwise present as a benign or inapparent disease. The simple solution to the hepatitis B problem is by immunoprophylaxis using the vaccine licensed in 1981, which prevents both infection and the late sequelae of liver cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. Immunotherapeutic vaccines against persistent hepatitis B infection have not been successful and new explorations are being directed to therapies which include antisense, ribozymes, gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) and aptamer approaches. Limited benefits from nucleoside therapy and limitations in opportunity for liver transplantation have left a large void of curative treatments. Findings with respect to e antigen tolerance provide a basis for exploration to determine whether passively administered e antigen might suppress cell-mediated immunity, creating a commensal state in which virus persists but without pathologic damage to the host. Therapy of hepatocarcinoma by conventional chemotherapy, radiation, or surgical resection and ablation gives little hope for restoration of health unless the tumor is detected very early. The large engagement of the world medical science community to develop therapeutic vaccines against cancer is now in major clinical trials to determine the hope and credibility for the immunization approach. Vaccines based on tumor peptides which are linked to heat shock proteins and directed to host dendritic cells give reason for excitement and may be the "best show in town". A new era of tumor therapy will need to be based on new discoveries in immune function which are required to pursue immunotherapy on a more rational basis. The many facets of current hepatitis B virology, pathogenesis, immunoprophylaxis, immunotherapeusis, chemotherapy, and tumor pathogenesis and therapy are discussed here, in depth, but in keeping with needed brevity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed2002

Use of Lactobacillus to prevent infection by pathogenic bacteria.

This review focuses on the use and potential of Lactobacillus to prevent infections of the urogenital and intestinal tracts. The presence and dominance of Lactobacillus in the vagina is associated with a reduced risk of bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections. The mechanisms appear to involve anti-adhesion factors, by-products such as hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins lethal to pathogens, and perhaps immune modulation or signaling effects. The instillation of Lactobacillus GR-1 and B-54 or RC-14 strains into the vagina has been shown to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections, and improve the maintenance of a normal flora. Ingestion of these strains into the gut has also been shown to modify the vaginal flora to a more healthy state. In addition, these strains inhibit the growth of intestinal, as well as urogenital pathogens, colonize the gut and protect against infections as shown in mice. Other probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus GG, have been shown to prevent and treat gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus and bacteria. Given that lactobacilli are not the dominant commensals in a gut which comprises around 10(10) organisms, much work is still needed to define the mechanisms whereby GR-1, RC-14, GG and other strains contribute to health restoration and maintenance. Such critically important studies will require the medical science community to show a willingness to turn away from pharmaceutical remedies as the only solution to health and disease.

Bacterial Infections↗

PubMed1997

Scanning probe microscopy.

During the past year, scanning probe microscopy, especially atomic force microscopy (AFM), has taken root in the biological sciences community, as is evident from the large number of publications and from the variety of specialized journals in which these papers appear. Furthermore, there is a strong indication that the technique is evolving from a qualitative imaging tool to a probe of the critical dimensions and properties of biomolecules and living cells. The next stage of the evolution involves the development of microinstruments for process control and sensing applications. Recent advances have been reported in AFM instrumentation and method. For example, the tapping mode of operation is becoming the method of choice to image biological molecules; work to extend tapping-mode operation in liquids has been reported. Biological molecules can also be imaged at low temperature in a cryo-AFM with improved resolution. The measurement of recognition forces between individual molecules continues to attract much attention and has spawned new concepts for ultra-sensitive biosensors. The AFM is being used increasingly for property measurements such as determining the viscoelastic properties of biological molecules. Finally, structural studies using the AFM abound. Some specific highlights include the mapping of DNA using restriction enzymes, imaging during DNA transcription and determining the mode of drug binding to DNA.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMed2004

Communicating original research in chemistry and related sciences.

The availability of scientific information in electronic form is the convergence of traditional journal publishing, electronic communications, and the widespread availability of computer technology. This revolution in scientific communication has its roots in developments that started in the mid-19th century and culminated with the extraordinary progress in telecommunications and computer technology in the latter years of the 20th century. Eighty-three percent of scientific journals are now available online. The benefits of electronic journals include rapid publication, instantaneous linking to external information sources, and the capability to deliver new types of information. To date neither electronic-only nor preprint servers have been well received by the chemical sciences community. Continued advances in telecommunications, computer technology, and acquisition of scientific data in structured formats hold promise for even greater advances in communication of scientific information.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

A new synthetic method for controlled polymerization using a microfluidic system.

While many parallel synthesis methods developed by the pharmaceutical and life science communities are being applied to polymer synthesis, there remains a need to construct "libraries" of polymeric materials that explore a wider range of polymer structures with accuracy, flexibility, and rapid, often small, changes. We report the use of microfluidics to create an environment for continuous controlled radical polymerization. Varying either the flow rate or the relative concentrations of reactants (i.e., stoichiometry) controls the molecular properties of the products. Molecular variables, here molecular weight, can then be varied continuously. Well-defined materials with narrow molecular weight distributions are produced inside the microfluidic reactor and are available for processing, such as further mixing, deposition, or coating on surfaces. Preliminary kinetic data appear to agree well with literature values reported for larger-scale reactions.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Transient oxygen clathrate-like hydrate and water networks induced by magnetic fields.

Recently, careful experiments of oxygen-dissolved pure water treated by high magnetic fields showed indirectly the existence of magnetic field-affecting water (MFA water), which brought about a decrease in the contact angle of water on metals, an increase in the electrolytic potential of water, inhibition of metal corrosion, and changes in the crystal structure of calcium carbonate due to magnetic treatment. Here we report the infrared and Raman spectroscopic evidence indicating quasi-stable structures in the MFA water; oxygen clathrate-like hydrate and developed water networks, which were induced by magnetic interactions while a vacuum-distilled water, followed by oxygen exposure, crossed a steady magnetic field. The mechanism of MFA water formation and survival under thermal fluctuation is a challenging problem for the science community.

Letter↗

PubMed2002

C(4) photosynthesis: discovery and resolution.

This Minireview provides a brief account of the scene and interesting turn of events surrounding the discovery and resolution of the mechanism of C(4) photosynthesis, as well as the recognition of the process by the wider plant science community.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Analysing protein-protein interactions with the yeast two-hybrid system.

Plant research is moving into the post-genomic era. Proteomic-based strategies are now being developed to study functional aspects of the genes predicted from the various genome-sequencing initiatives. All biological processes depend on interactions formed between proteins and the mapping of such interactions on a global scale is providing interesting functional insights. One of the techniques that has proved itself invaluable in the mapping of protein-protein interactions is the yeast two-hybrid system. This system is a sensitive molecular genetic approach for studying protein-protein interactions in vivo. In this review we will introduce the yeast two-hybrid system, discuss modifications of the system that may be of interest to the plant science community and suggest potential applications of the technology.

Genes, Reporter↗

PubMed2005

Are scaling laws on strength of solids related to mechanics or to geometry?

One of the largest controversial issues of the materials science community is the interpretation of scaling laws on material strength. In spite of the prevailing view, which considers mechanics as the real cause of such effects, here, we propose a different argument, purely based on geometry. Thus, as happened for relativity, geometry could again hold an unexpected and fundamental role.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed2004

Synergies of microtissue design, viral transduction and adjustable transgene expression for regenerative medicine.

In the past decade, regenerative medicine has evolved as an interdisciplinary field, integrating expertise from the medical, life- and material-science communities. Recent advances in tissue engineering, gene therapy, gene-function analysis, animal-free drug testing, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing and cell-phenotype engineering have capitalized on a core technology portfolio including artificial microtissue design, viral transduction and precise transcription dosing of therapeutic or phenotype-modulating transgenes. We provide a detailed overview on recent progress in these core technologies and comment on their synergistic impact on current and future human therapies.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Comment on "Postnucleation droplet growth in supersaturated gas with arbitrary vapor concentration" [J. Chem. Phys. 120, 10455 (2004)].

We provide the overview of the papers dealing with the growth of the liquid droplet. The purpose is to put the paper "Postnucleation droplet growth in supersaturated gas with arbitrary vapor concentration" [V. Pines, M. Zlatkowski, and A. Chait, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 10455 (2004)] in the right historical context. The original paper and this comment point the correct condensation formula to the atmospheric science community.

Comment↗