Development of an academic Internet resource.

Networked electronic publication is a relatively new development that has already begun to change the way in which medical information is exchanged. Electronic publications can present ideas that would be impossible in printed text, using multimedia components such as sound and movies. Physicians who use the World Wide Web (WWW) on a regular basis may recognize the value of electronic publication and decide to become information providers. Nearly anyone with a computer and modem can create a WWW resource on a Web server at a hospital or on a commercial hosting service. Medical publication on the Internet demands a high level of quality control because the information will be available to anyone who cares to look. Creating a peer-review system for electronic information may, therefore, help to enhance academic recognition of Internet medical resources. Resources containing medical information must be continually available and protected from system failures and unauthorized access. As Internet technology matures and these problems are solved, electronic publication may become the predominant method of communication between medical professionals.     

The world-wide web and plant molecular biology

The Internet has been functional since 1967 and has been operating without interruption for over 20 years. Although local service can be lost, the network will retain its integrity and recover from almost any imaginable combination of faults, whether natural or intentional. This robustness, the global scope, the availability of quality public domain software, and the inherent democracy of the Internet, have combined to eclipse similar efforts. Many scientists have found the Internet immediately useful for communication in the form of electronic mail. Shared resources, an intrinsic benefit of networks, are now becoming apparent in the form of the World-Wide Web (WWW).     

Laboratory protocols on the internet

Summary The World Wide Web (WWW) is of major significance to the Biotechnologist. One of the fastest growing and most useful areas of the internet, the WWW contains information sites, genome and sequence databases, newsgroups and forums, search and comparison tools, and electronic journals. To many scientists, the WWW has become an indispensable research tool. This paper lists some of the sites providing a wide range of relevant protocols and techniques and describes how to access this information.     

Teaching bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is the name that has become associated with the theoretical and applied field of study that links computer science with modern biology. Within molecular biology specifically, bioinformatics is a generic term used to describe many of the analytical manipulations that can be carried out on sequences. Familiarity with the resources available and fundamental methods used for such analyses should be an essential part of a modern biology course, especially given the availability of WWW resources. In this article, some of these resources are summarised and their possible integration into a short practical undergraduate teaching unit is described.     

无尾两栖类食物资源利用研究进展

食物资源的利用是无尾两栖类生态学研究的一个重要组成部分,针对食物资源的竞争策略和食物资源竞争对群落结构的影响都有比较深入的研究,本文总结近年来本领域的理论成果与发展动态,并对我国的研究现状和未来作了讨论.     

Information resources for the bioinformatician

The collaborative computing project in biosequence and structure analysis (CCPII) was established to foster bioinformatics in the broad community and the UK research community in particular. A World-Wide Web site called 'The Bioinformatics Resource' has been created containing a comprehensive set of information resources of use to the bioinformatician. The activities of CCPII are complementary to other providers of molecular biology information such as the BIOSCI electronic communication forum, which was established to facilitate communication between professionals in the biological sciences.     

The Ribosomal Database Project (RDP).

The Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) is a curated database that offers ribosome-related data, analysis services and associated computer programs. The offerings include phylogenetically ordered alignments of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences, derived phylogenetic trees, rRNA secondary structure diagrams and various software for handling, analyzing and displaying alignments and trees. The data are available via anonymous ftp (rdp.life.uiuc.edu), electronic mail (server@rdp.life.uiuc.edu), gopher (rdpgopher.life.uiuc.edu) and World Wide Web (WWW)(http://rdpwww.life.uiuc.edu/). The electronic mail and WWW servers provide ribosomal probe checking, screening for possible chimeric rRNA sequences, automated alignment and approximate phylogenetic placement of user-submitted sequences on an existing phylogenetic tree.     

The RDP (Ribosomal Database Project).

The Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) is a curated database that offers ribosome-related data, analysis services and associated computer programs. The offerings include phylogenetically ordered alignments of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences, derived phylogenetic trees, rRNA secondary structure diagrams, and various software for handling, analyzing and displaying alignments and trees. The data are available via anonymous FTP (rdp.life.uiuc.edu), electronic mail (server@rdp.life.uiuc.edu), gopher (rdpgopher.life.uiuc.edu) and WWW (http://rdpwww.life.uiuc.edu/ ). The electronic mail and WWW servers provide ribosomal probe checking, approximate phylogenetic placement of user-submitted sequences, screening for possible chimeric rRNA sequences, automated alignment, and a suggested placement of an unknown sequence on an existing phylogenetic tree.     

Interactive Visualization and Industrial Ecology: Applications,Challenges, and Opportunities

The emergence of increasingly complex data in industrial ecology (IE) has caused scholarly interest in interactive visualization (IV). IV allows users to interact with data, aiding in processing and interpreting complex datasets, processes, and simulations. Consequently, IV can help IE practitioners communicate the complexities of their methods and results, shed light on the underlying research assumptions, and enable more transparent monitoring of data quality and error. This can significantly increase the reach and impact of research, promote transparency, reproducibility, and open science, as well as improve the clarity and presentation of IE research. A review of current IV applications reveals that, while data exploration has received some attention among IE practitioners, IV applications in scientific communication are clearly lacking. With the help of a working example, we explore the value of IV, discuss its operationalization, and highlight challenges that the IE community must face during IV uptake. Such challenges include technical and knowledge limitations, limits on user interaction, and implementation strategies. With these challenges in mind, we outline key aspects needed to lift the IE field to the forefront of scientific communication in the coming years. Among these, we draft the basic principles of a “Hub for Interactive Visualization in Industrial Ecology” (HIVE), a point of encounter where IE practitioners could find an array of data visualization tools that are geared toward IE datasets. IV is here to stay, and its inceptive stage presents many opportunities to IE practitioners to shape its operationalization and benefit from early adoption.     

MACROALGAL CANDIDATES FOR GENOMICS1

Genomes from over 130 organisms have been either sequenced completely or are currently under investigation. These studies include a wide array of Bacteria, a smaller number of Archaea, model‐system eukaryotes, parasitic protists, and even several microalgae. However, no major effort is underway to acquire a complete nuclear genome sequence from a single macroalga or seaweed despite their crucial contribution to the biodiversity and energy economy of oceans and estuaries. Here we examine various macroalgae as potential candidates for a genome project. A set of criteria is presented, followed by a brief discussion of how well different candidates from the principal macroalgae groups, green, brown, and red algae, meet these criteria. Based on our analyses, we conclude that the red seaweed, Porphyra yezoensis Ueda, should be the leading candidate for a macroalgal genomics initiative. We realize, of course, that others in the phycological community might have a different opinion and that a broad consensus among algal researchers is required to make seaweed genomics a reality; thus the primary intention of this review is to initiate and encourage further discussion as to where the phycological community should focus its genomic efforts.     

The past,present and future of phycology in China

Algae have been part of Chinese life for thousands of years. They are widely used as food and have been cited in Chinese literature as early as 2500 years ago. However, formal taxonomic studies on Chinese algae were initiated by foreign scientists only about 200 years ago, and by Chinese phycologists only about 90 years ago. This paper summarizes the history of modern phycological studies on Chinese algae and provides an overview of the achievements of phycological studies by Chinese scientists, especially on algal taxonomy, morphology, genetics, ecology and environmental research, physiology, biotechnology, algal culture, applied phycology and space phycology, in the last century. Recent development in phycological research focuses on algal floristic and molecular systematics, algal molecular biotechnology, applied phycology including micro and macroalgal cultivation and algal product development, and the roles of algae in environmental pollution control. These areas will also be the main focuses of Chinese phycological research in the foreseeable future.     

Social complexity as a proximate and ultimate factor in communicative complexity

The 'social complexity hypothesis' for communication posits that groups with complex social systems require more complex communicative systems to regulate interactions and relations among group members. Complex social systems, compared with simple social systems, are those in which individuals frequently interact in many different contexts with many different individuals, and often repeatedly interact with many of the same individuals in networks over time. Complex communicative systems, compared with simple communicative systems, are those that contain a large number of structurally and functionally distinct elements or possess a high amount of bits of information. Here, we describe some of the historical arguments that led to the social complexity hypothesis, and review evidence in support of the hypothesis. We discuss social complexity as a driver of communication and possible causal factor in human language origins. Finally, we discuss some of the key current limitations to the social complexity hypothesis-the lack of tests against alternative hypotheses for communicative complexity and evidence corroborating the hypothesis from modalities other than the vocal signalling channel.     

专家论藻类学的新前沿

随着可供利用的陆生资源的日益枯竭以及系统生物学与整合生物技术的兴起,藻类学研究正面临着许多前所未有的挑战与机遇。在312次香山科学会议——《藻类学的新前沿》上,与会专家围绕“系统生物学时代的藻类学研究”、“面向资源环境新需求的藻类生物技术”、“藻类学科和藻类产业的可持续发展”、“藻类与环境”等关键问题,进行了深入的探讨。     

Debating Biodiversity: Threatened Species Conservation and Scientific Values

This paper explores some aspects of the cultural logic of conservation biology and threatened species `conservation recovery projects from the perspectives of environmental anthropology and science studies. Responses of the scientific community to recent ‘re‐discoveries' of species believed to have become extinct are considered within current decision making models that emphasise landscape scale restoration over single species recovery projects. In particular, this paper considers responses to the proposition that dedicating resources towards recovery projects for critically endangered species is inconsistent with a rational approach to biodiversity conservation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, I demonstrate that debates over the value of threatened species recovery projects cause many scientists to reflect on the ethical responsibilities and emotional attachments that led them to act as advocates for threatened species.     

全球变化背景下大气CO_2浓度升高与森林群落结构和功能的变化

大气 CO2 浓度升高所引起的森林生态系统生态稳定性的变化会导致森林在结构和功能上的变动。概述了全球变化背景下大气 CO2 浓度升高和陆地森林生态系统可能性变化之间的相互关系的研究情况。由于大气 CO2 浓度升高出现了额外多的 C供应 ,讨论了以这些额外多的 C经大气—植物—土壤途径的流动走向来研究大气 CO2 浓度的升高与森林结构和功能的相互作用 ,探讨了大气 CO2 浓度升高对森林植物生长、冠层结构、引发的生物量增量的分配、凋落物质量和根质量的变化造成的土壤生态过程的变化、微生物共生体、有机质周转率以及营养循环的潜在效应 ,这些受影响的生物要素和生态过程会引起群落内植物间对资源原有的竞争关系发生变化 ,对资源竞争的格局发生变化最终将会导致森林结构和功能的改变。还提出了一个假设性的概念性框架 ,描述大气 CO2 升高引起的森林结构和功能变化的内在机理。     

Stories from Below: Subject-generated Comics

This article discusses the efficacy of grassroots comics as a practical and affordable method of realizing localized subject-generated development communication goals that focus explicitly on the interests and capacities of the subject community. The Khwe San, living in Platfontein in South Africa's Northern Cape Province, constitute the subject community. The study is informed by contemporary shifts in development theory, particularly that of participatory communication, which values individuals who live in a community as active participants in the research process. The use of grassroots comics is based on theoretical concepts in current literature regarding the field of development communication that are critical of older, top-down theories of development. My analysis and findings are presented in terms of possible implications that they might have for broader discussions regarding contemporary development theory or visual methodologies with respect to participatory communication practices.     

Defining “high quality” food resources of herbivores: the case for meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus)

Summary Food availability, food utilization patterns and levels of some nutritional factors in plants were studied in 1984–85 in an old-field community supporting low to moderate densities of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Food choice and preference indices were positively related to levels of proteins, and negatively related to levels of total phenolics and ADL fibers in plants. High quality resources for voles were resources that had the highest amount of proteins, and the lowest level of total phenolics and ADL fibers among available plant species. There were only two plants species among the available ones that possessed these characteristics, Festuca rubra and Vicia cracca and they represented 25 to 50% of the available biomass during summer. Vole densities of up to 64 animals/ha were therefore not limited by the availability of high quality resources. Fecal analyses performed on 267 animals in 1984 and 269 voles in 1985 showed that all voles ate high quality resources. Meadow voles appear to choose foods with high protein content and low levels of digestion inhibitors, and not on the basis of caloric content or availability. These observations contradict predictions arising from current antiherbivore hypotheses and lead us to reconsider these models in light of this new evidence.     

Inducing human induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation through embryoid bodies: A practical and stable approach

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are invaluable resources for producing high-quality differentiated cells in unlimited quantities for both basic research and clinical use. They are particularly useful for studying human disease mechanisms in vitro by making it possible to circumvent the ethical issues of human embryonic stem cell research. However, significant limitations exist when using conventional flat culturing methods especially concerning cell expansion, differentiation efficiency, stability maintenance and multicellular 3D structure establishment, differentiation prediction. Embryoid bodies (EBs), the multicellular aggregates spontaneously generated from iPSCs in the suspension system, might help to address these issues. Due to the unique microenvironment and cell communication in EB structure that a 2D culture system cannot achieve, EBs have been widely applied in hiPSC-derived differentiation and show significant advantages especially in scaling up culturing, differentiation efficiency enhancement, ex vivo simulation, and organoid establishment. EBs can potentially also be used in early prediction of iPSC differentiation capability. To improve the stability and feasibility of EB-mediated differentiation and generate high quality EBs, critical factors including iPSC pluripotency maintenance, generation of uniform morphology using micro-pattern 3D culture systems, proper cellular density inoculation, and EB size control are discussed on the basis of both published data and our own laboratory experiences. Collectively, the production of a large quantity of homogeneous EBs with high quality is important for the stability and feasibility of many PSCs related studies.     

Reproductive biology in Acacia caven (Mol.) Mol. (Leguminosae) in the central region of Argentina

Studies on Acacia caven (Mol.) Mol. in central Argentina indicate that the species is polygamous (andromonoecious), some plants having a high proportion of staminate heads. Though pollen/ovule ratios of flowers, inflorescences and plants are at a level common for 'facultative xenogamic' systems, controlled pollination shows a marked xenogamy. The ratio between pollen grains in the polyad and the maximum number of seeds per pod is close to one. Observations support the idea of the inflorescence as a specialized reproductive unit with gynoecia functioning as fixed modules in which all or none of its ovules develop into seeds. Mass flowering prior to the growing season, the absence of other floral resources in the community, the high degree of fruiting limitations and scarce insect visitation suggest that, as in other Acacia , the reproductive system of Acacia caven involves a great sacrifice of floral resources.     

贵州省赫章县民族农业生物资源调查与分析

2014年9—10月对贵州省赫章县7个乡镇18个村分布的与苗族、彝族、白族和回族等少数民族生产、生活密切相关的农业生物资源进行了调查、收集与整理,共收集到农业生物资源239份,其中特有、特优以及特用资源共计97份。本文对当地农业生物资源现状、消长情况及调查、收集到资源种类、利用价值进行了分析,并对赫章县农业生物资源的利用、保护和开发进行了讨论。