Journal articles on the topic 'Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences'
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1
Liseev, Igor K. "Ecology as a Way to Combine Knowledge about the Natural and Social in Human Being." Epistemology & Philosophy of Science 57, no. 4 (2020): 133–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/eps202057466.
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The article considers the process of expanding the subject and methods of research in modern environmental science. It is shown how, following the traditional biological science of ecology, new directions of ecological knowledge arise under the influence of research activities: social ecology, anthropoecology. Knowledge about a human being is achieved through the use of both natural and human sciences. A great step in expanding the subject of modern ecology was the intensive formation of human ecology in recent years, in which the need for the formation of a unity of natural science and socio-humanitarian research methods was reflected most clearly. In contrast to biological ecology, in which the main focus of research was the principles of natural science research, in social ecology, socio-humanitarian issues become dominant, and in human ecology-the synthesis of natural science and socio-humanitarian approaches. It's time to abandon the progressive illusions of the past and move on to the awareness of the specifics of sustainable civilizational development at the present stage. This sustainable development presupposes the co-evolution of society and nature, such a co-development of society and nature, in which both components of this single system do not oppose each other, do not conflict, but organically presuppose each other in their combined, harmonious development. Thus, now acting as a unified science that studies the interaction of the central coreof the system and its environment, ecology sets new guidelines for understanding the organization of scientific knowledge, the mood of the modern world picture is falling. A promising way for ecology is to grow into a modern universal organizational science. But this is a distant prospect. However, even now, such a renewed ecology can provide much for Russia’s search for its modern civilizational path, clarifying the organization of scientific knowledge, specifying the contours of the modern scientific picture of the world.
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Manning, Patrick. "The Life Sciences, 1900–2000: Analysis and Social Welfare from Mendel and Koch to Biotech and Conservation." Asian Review of World Histories 6, no. 1 (January 30, 2018): 185–208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22879811-12340030.
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Abstract The life sciences underwent a dramatic transformation during the twentieth century, with an expansion in fundamental knowledge of the process of evolution and its molecular basis, through advances in health care that greatly extended human life, and by the combination of these advances to address the problem of conserving the many forms of life threatened by expanding human society. The essay highlights the worldwide emphasis on social welfare in the years 1945–1980 and the expanding role of international collaboration, especially in the International Biological Program and its advances in ecology and the notion of the biosphere, and in the emergence of molecular biology. This was also the era of the Cold War, yet military confrontation had fewer implications for life sciences than for the natural sciences in that era. After 1980, deregulation and neoliberalism weakened programs for social welfare, yet links among the varying strands of life sciences continued to grow, bringing the development of genomics and its many implications, expanding epidemiology to include reliance on social sciences, and deepening ecological studies as the Anthropocene became more and more prevalent. In sum, the experience of the life sciences should make it clear to world historians that scientific advance goes beyond the achievements of brilliant but isolated researchers: those same advances rely substantially on social movements, migration, and the exchange of knowledge across intellectual and physical boundaries.
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Criales-Hernández, María I., Diana M. Sanchez-Lobo, and Johanna K. Almeyda-Osorio. "Expanding the knowledge of plankton diversity of tropical lakes from the Northeast Colombian Andes." Revista de Biología Tropical 68, S2 (October 22, 2020): S159—S176. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v68is2.44347.
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Introduction: A large number of planktonic communities found in tropical lakes have not yet been recorded, limiting understanding of how these ecosystems function and of the role that organisms play within them. Objective: Add new records of previously described species and to contribute to the knowledge of the planktonic communities present in tropical mountain and lowland lakes of the northeast Colombian Andes. Methods: Planktonic samples were collected and physicochemical variables measured in nine tropical lakes. Organisms were identified and a bibliographic search was carried out in databases and research articles to the identification of the new records to Colombia. Results: We present the data corresponding to six physicochemical variables measured in tropical lakes of this region and expand the existing information on organisms present in tropical lakes with a list of 391 taxa (299 phytoplankton and 92 zooplankton). The proportion of planktonic species unique to tropical lakes and the low similarity between lake types found with a Jaccard analysis indicated high heterogeneity of ecological conditions in the studied lakes. Conclusions: The 391 taxa found and 15 new records contribute to the list of planktonic organisms present in tropical lakes located in high and low areas of the Colombian northeast Andes.
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Essl, Franz, Stefan Dullinger, Piero Genovesi, Philip E. Hulme, Jonathan M. Jeschke, Stelios Katsanevakis, Ingolf Kühn, et al. "A Conceptual Framework for Range-Expanding Species that Track Human-Induced Environmental Change." BioScience 69, no. 11 (September 25, 2019): 908–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz101.
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Abstract For many species, human-induced environmental changes are important indirect drivers of range expansion into new regions. We argue that it is important to distinguish the range dynamics of such species from those that occur without, or with less clear, involvement of human-induced environmental changes. We elucidate the salient features of the rapid increase in the number of species whose range dynamics are human induced, and review the relationships and differences to both natural range expansion and biological invasions. We discuss the consequences for science, policy and management in an era of rapid global change and highlight four key challenges relating to basic gaps in knowledge, and the transfer of scientific understanding to biodiversity management and policy. We conclude that range-expanding species responding to human-induced environmental change will become an essential feature for biodiversity management and science in the Anthropocene. Finally, we propose the term neonative for these taxa.
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Shalamova, E. A. "Methodological issues in the History of origin and development of the Foundation Engineering from Ancient times to the beginning of the XVII century." Construction and Geotechnics 12, no. 2 (December 15, 2021): 51–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.15593/2224-9826/2021.2.05.
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The article is devoted to the methodology of the history of the emergence and development of knowledge in the field of foundation building from ancient times to the beginning of the XVII century. It is suggested that for the full-fledged formation of general cultural and professional competencies of graduates of higher education in the specialty 08.03.01 «Construction», it is necessary to build relatively deeper historical and theoretical connections in the methodology of the history of foundation construction. The object of the research is the history of the foundation building sciences. The purpose of this work is to analyze the history of the emergence and development of the foundation sciences in the «horizontal cross-section» of scientific periodization at the stage of pre-science within the framework of methodological issues. The research method is system-historical. Results of the research: during the research, the structures of the foundations of individual famous architectural monuments erected during the chronology of world history from the beginning of the primitive society age to the beginning of the New Time are considered. The role of sections of scientific works of the epochs of Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance devoted to the structure of foundations and foundations in modern issues of methodology is analyzed. Conclusions are drawn about the rationality of expanding the chronological boundaries in the study of the history of the emergence and development of the sciences of foundation construction to form students of the specialty 08.03.01 «Construction» theoretical knowledge that meets the requirements of modern professional standards.
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Vallee, Mickey. "The Science of Listening in Bioacoustics Research: Sensing the Animals' Sounds." Theory, Culture & Society 35, no. 2 (August 31, 2017): 47–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0263276417727059.
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Bioacoustics is an interdisciplinary field bridging biological and acoustic sciences, which uses sound technologies to record, preserve, and analyse large datasets of animal communications. But it is also a world, made of the meanings created through inter- and intra-species communication. This article empirically explores a variety of bioacoustics research, including interviews with researchers, as part of a broader qualitative study, in order to theorize the expanding sense and sensation of a global biosphere and sonic data. By giving a sustained and detailed account of the science of bioacoustics, particularly how its modes of measurement allow for a new way of understanding what is involved in the de-centred modes of hearing that re-centre acts of listening and, by extension, the nature of the relation between researcher and researched, the article contributes to methodological discussions regarding the longstanding questions of how researchers and scientists are implicated in the knowledge and objects they collectively produce.
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Graciá, Eva, Francisco Botella, José Daniel Anadón, Pim Edelaar, D. James Harris, and Andrés Giménez. "Surfing in tortoises? Empirical signs of genetic structuring owing to range expansion." Biology Letters 9, no. 3 (June 23, 2013): 20121091. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.1091.
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Much of our current knowledge about the genetic dynamics in range expansions originates from models, simulations and microcosm experiments that need to be corroborated by field data. Here, we report a neutral genetic pattern that matches the predictions of the genetic surfing theory. Genetic surfing occurs when repeated founding events and genetic drift act on the wave of advance of an expanding population, promoting strong spatial structure. In the range expansion of the tortoise Testudo graeca from North Africa to southeastern Spain, we found several genetic signatures consistent with surfing: a decrease of genetic diversity with distance from the initial founder area, clinal patterns in allele frequencies, rare African alleles which have become common at distal sites in the Spanish range, and stronger spatial differentiation in the expanded range than in the original one. Our results provide support for the theory that genetic drift can be an important force in shaping the genetic structure of expanding populations.
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Near, Joseph A., and Bruce J. Martin. "Expanding course goals beyond disciplinary boundaries: physiology education in an undergraduate course on psychoactive drugs." Advances in Physiology Education 31, no. 2 (June 2007): 161–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00058.2005.
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The topic of psychoactive drugs is one of inherent interest to college students. We used this insight to design and implement a multidisciplinary undergraduate course with psychoactive drugs as the central theme. The Medical Science of Psychoactive Drugs examines the biological mechanisms underlying all major effects of psychoactive drugs, including the effects on the brain and other organs and tissues. Physiological principles, molecular mechanisms, and genetic factors involved in drug-induced therapeutic and adverse effects are emphasized. The course is open to undergraduate students at all levels and carries no prerequisites, and enrollment is limited to ∼50 students. Major teaching modes include lecture, short homework papers on topics related to the previous class meeting, small-group discussions at several points during each class, and whole class discussions. Because of the diversity of students' knowledge of basic science, we employ a variety of methods designed to help students grasp the necessary scientific concepts. Our methods are intended to be inquiry based and highly interactive. Our goals are 1) to foster the development of an organized knowledge base about psychoactive drugs that will have practical applicability in the daily lives of the students; 2) to promote the rational application of this knowledge in thinking about current medical, social, legal, and ethical issues involving psychoactive drugs; and 3) to cultivate science literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills among students.
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Pakeman, Robin J., Francisco I. Pugnaire, Richard Michalet, Chris J. Lortie, Katja Schiffers, Fernando T. Maestre, and Justin M. J. Travis. "Is the cask of facilitation ready for bottling? A symposium on the connectivity and future directions of positive plant interactions." Biology Letters 5, no. 5 (June 17, 2009): 577–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.0384.
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The 2009 British Ecological Society's Annual Symposium entitled ‘Facilitation in Plant Communities’ was held at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, from 20 to 22 April 2009. This was the first ever international meeting dedicated to the rapidly expanding field of facilitation. The aim of the symposium was to assess the current ‘state-of-play’ by contrasting findings from different systems and by looking outwards in an attempt to integrate this field with other related fields. It was also aimed at understanding how knowledge of facilitation can help understand community dynamics and be applied to ecosystem restoration. The symposium identified several key areas where future work is likely to be most profitable.
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Xu, Xingjian, Lili Hao, Junwei Zhu, Bixia Tang, Qing Zhou, Fuhai Song, Tingting Chen, et al. "Database Resources of the BIG Data Center in 2018." Nucleic Acids Research 46, no. D1 (October 3, 2017): D14—D20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx897.
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Abstract The BIG Data Center at Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences provides freely open access to a suite of database resources in support of worldwide research activities in both academia and industry. With the vast amounts of omics data generated at ever-greater scales and rates, the BIG Data Center is continually expanding, updating and enriching its core database resources through big-data integration and value-added curation, including BioCode (a repository archiving bioinformatics tool codes), BioProject (a biological project library), BioSample (a biological sample library), Genome Sequence Archive (GSA, a data repository for archiving raw sequence reads), Genome Warehouse (GWH, a centralized resource housing genome-scale data), Genome Variation Map (GVM, a public repository of genome variations), Gene Expression Nebulas (GEN, a database of gene expression profiles based on RNA-Seq data), Methylation Bank (MethBank, an integrated databank of DNA methylomes), and Science Wikis (a series of biological knowledge wikis for community annotations). In addition, three featured web services are provided, viz., BIG Search (search as a service; a scalable inter-domain text search engine), BIG SSO (single sign-on as a service; a user access control system to gain access to multiple independent systems with a single ID and password) and Gsub (submission as a service; a unified submission service for all relevant resources). All of these resources are publicly accessible through the home page of the BIG Data Center at http://bigd.big.ac.cn.
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Silva, G. G., A. J. Green, V. Weber, P. Hoffmann, Á. Lovas-Kiss, C. Stenert, and L. Maltchik. "Whole angiosperms Wolffia columbiana disperse by gut passage through wildfowl in South America." Biology Letters 14, no. 12 (December 2018): 20180703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0703.
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For the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate that whole angiosperm individuals can survive gut passage through birds, and that this occurs in the field. Floating plants of the genus Wolffia are the smallest of all flowering plants. Fresh droppings of white-faced whistling duck Dendrocygna viduata ( n = 49) and coscoroba swan Coscoroba coscoroba ( n = 22) were collected from Brazilian wetlands. Intact Wolffia columbiana were recovered from 16% of D. viduata and 32% of Coscoroba samples (total = 164 plantlets). The viability of plants was tested, and asexual reproduction was confirmed. Wolffia columbiana is an expanding alien in Europe. Avian endozoochory of asexual angiosperm propagules may be an important, overlooked dispersal means for aquatic plants, and may contribute to the invasive character of alien species.
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Ide, Hideto. "Special Issue on Biological Information Sensors." Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics 7, no. 2 (April 20, 1995): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.20965/jrm.1995.p0091.
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Robot researchers are always aiming at expanding robot functions, but no doubt the foremost aim in the expansion of functions is learning ability. Without learning ability, it is impossible to cope with the environment which changes in million different ways. Speaking from the present level of knowledge, it will be impossible for a robot to approach anything close to a human being even in the year 2000. This time, let us lower our aim one step below the ideal level and look our eyes at reality, which encompasses biological information and sensors. A human hand is an excellent actuator as well as an excellent sensor. The functions as an actuator have a close interaction with the functions as a sensor, and through this interaction, many functions are recognized and actions are realized. Generally speaking, it is common knowledge that the operation of an actuator is assisted by sensor information in the form of feedback, but in thecase of a hand, there exist not only this form but also a reverse form, namely a form in which an actuator is used in order to realize the sensing function; in addition, a form in which these two forms are mixed also exists. Thus, the motion of a mere hand contains very complex elements. This special issue, as was the case with the issue of last year published in a similar fashion, is considered interesting in order to learn what topics have been created in the past year. Thanks are expressed to those authors who have contributed their papers to this issue.
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Solanki, Kundan, Sajjan Rajpoot, Evgeny E. Bezsonov, Alexander N. Orekhov, Rohit Saluja, Anita Wary, Cassondra Axen, Kishore Wary, and Mirza S. Baig. "The expanding roles of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1)." PeerJ 10 (July 7, 2022): e13651. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13651.
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The nitric oxide synthases (NOS; EC 1.14.13.39) use L-arginine as a substrate to produce nitric oxide (NO) as a by-product in the tissue microenvironment. NOS1 represents the predominant NO-producing enzyme highly enriched in the brain and known to mediate multiple functions, ranging from learning and memory development to maintaining synaptic plasticity and neuronal development, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), psychiatric disorders and behavioral deficits. However, accumulating evidence indicate both canonical and non-canonical roles of NOS1-derived NO in several other tissues and chronic diseases. A better understanding of NOS1-derived NO signaling, and identification and characterization of NO-metabolites in non-neuronal tissues could become useful in diagnosis and prognosis of diseases associated with NOS1 expression. Continued investigation on the roles of NOS1, therefore, will synthesize new knowledge and aid in the discovery of small molecules which could be used to titrate the activities of NOS1-derived NO signaling and NO-metabolites. Here, we address the significance of NOS1 and its byproduct NO in modifying pathophysiological events, which could be beneficial in understanding both the disease mechanisms and therapeutics.
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Braga, Jacqueline Ramos Machado, Relrison Dias Ramalho, José Cleidvan Cândido de Sousa, and Ivan Luiz De Almeida. "Scorpions from Ceará State, Brazil: Distribution and ecological comments." Revista Peruana de Biología 29, no. 1 (March 15, 2022): e21205. http://dx.doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v29i1.21205.
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Scorpions are venomous synanthropic arachnids, in 2019 they were responsible for more than 37000 cases of envenomation in the state of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. To update the knowledge about the scorpiofauna in Ceará, a distribution list of scorpions collected/received by municipal agents of the Health Surveillance Service was performed in 165 municipalities (89%) of Ceará (2018 – 2019) and deposited in the Dr. Thomaz Corrêa Aragão Entomology Laboratory scientific collection, including species distribution maps and ecological data. This study included a total of 999 scorpions from two families (Buthidae and Bothriuridae) and eleven species. The most abundant species were: Tityus stigmurus (40.1%), Jaguajir rochae (37.2%), Bothriurus asper (8.3%) and Bothriurus rochai (6.7%), mainly inhabiting municipalities in the Caatinga biome. The first record of Tityus confluens and Tityus maranhensis in the Sobral mesoregion is herein presented, expanding the distribution of these species in Brazil.
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Devaux, Andre, Maximo Torero, Jason Donovan, and Douglas Horton. "Agricultural innovation and inclusive value-chain development: a review." Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies 8, no. 1 (March 12, 2018): 99–123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jadee-06-2017-0065.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to take stock of the current state of knowledge about inclusive value-chain development (VCD) in the context of international agricultural research; and second, to draw out the implications for future research and action. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a review of recent research papers authored by professionals affiliated with international agricultural research centers and their partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Findings The studies reviewed in the paper identify the opportunities emerging from new and expanding markets for agricultural products and challenges to smallholder participation in these markets. It identifies key attributes of successful value-chain interventions, emphasizing the importance of combining value-chain approaches with other approaches, including those emerging from innovation systems and rural livelihoods frameworks. Methods are offered for evaluating complex value-chain interventions. Research limitations/implications The paper summarizes the state of knowledge as of early 2016 in a dynamic field. Important contributions to knowledge may have been made since then. Originality/value The paper summarizes the state of knowledge in the field, and identifies emerging issues and policy implications, knowledge gaps, and priorities for future applied research.
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Dreisbach, Caitlin, and Theresa A. Koleck. "The State of Data Science in Genomic Nursing." Biological Research For Nursing 22, no. 3 (April 8, 2020): 309–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1099800420915991.
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Nurse scientists are generating, acquiring, distributing, processing, storing, and analyzing greater volumes of complex omics data than ever before. To take full advantage of big omics data, to address core biological questions, and to enhance patient care, however, genomic nurse scientists must embrace data science. Intended for readership with limited but expanding data science knowledge and skills, this article aims to provide a brief overview of the state of data science in genomic nursing. Our goal is to introduce key data science concepts to genomic nurses who participate at any stage of the data science lifecycle, from research patient recruitment to data wrangling, preprocessing, and analysis to implementation in clinical practice to policy creation. We address three major components in this review: (1) fundamental terminology for the field of genomic nursing data science, (2) current genomic nursing data science research exemplars, and (3) the spectrum of genomic nursing data science roles as well as education pathways and training opportunities. Links to helpful resources are included throughout the article.
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Jiang, Lijing. "Retouching the Past with Living Things." Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 46, no. 2 (April 1, 2016): 154–206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2016.46.2.154.
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Chinese scientists working during the early twentieth century are often understood as radical modernizers. A close examination of research practices in biology at the time, however, complicates such a view. Influential biologists in Nanjing examined in this paper appropriated traditional styles, concerns, and knowledge as crucial constituents in conducting and communicating biological subjects, such as plant taxonomy, comparative anatomy, and goldfish evolution. This paper shows that the prioritized study of those species collected within China was crucial in sustaining traditional styles and knowledge essential to modern biology. As biologists reinterpreted classics, poems, Confucian morality, and historical texts, incorporating them into a scientific life, they changed what it meant to be traditional and scientifically modern at the same time. Particularly, these trends shaped a predominant focus on indigenous species and taxonomic science over experimentation in Nanjing, forging a direction that ran counter to an experimental turn in biology in the wider world. Emphasis on the importance of indigenous species for science, however, added to a full-blown scientific nationalism during the Nanjing Decade (1928–1937), when territorial and economic sovereignty became major concerns for the Guomindang government. With expanding research programs and communities, biologists increasingly presented species within China as potent symbols for national sovereignty in classrooms, at customs, and for museum display. By showing ways of appropriating indigenous species in these scientific and cultural activities, this paper exposes intricate associations between biological things and scientific nationalism in Republican China.
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Cárdenas, Melissa Querido, Márcia Cristina Nascimento Justo, Diego Carvalho Viana, and Simone Chinicz Cohen. "New host record and geographical distribution of Nematoda parasitizing Hypophthalmus marginatus Valenciennes (Siluriformes) from the Tocantins River, Brazil." Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences 43 (December 10, 2021): e58014. http://dx.doi.org/10.4025/actascibiolsci.v43i1.58014.
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Hypophthalmus marginatus is among the most commercialized fish from the Amazon region, with fish fillets exported to Southeastern Brazil and other countries. In the present study, the H. marginatus analyzed were parasitized by third-stage larvae of Hysterothylacium sp. and Anisakis sp. These nematodes are being reported for the first time in H. marginatus collected from the Tocantins River, representing a new host and geographical records, and expanding knowledge of the hosts of these nematodes in the Neotropical Region. A brief description with original measurements is presented.
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Sousa, Sebastiana Adriana Pereira, Helcileia Dias Santos, Cristiane América de Carvalho, Aline Marinho Machado, Letícia Espindola de Oliveira, Taiã Mairon Peixoto Ribeiro, Adriana Genelhá Carreira, et al. "Acute visceral leishmaniasis in a domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) from the state of Tocantins, Brazil." Semina: Ciências Agrárias 40, no. 4 (June 7, 2019): 1723. http://dx.doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n4p1723.
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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is expanding in the Brazilian territory. Dogs are considered an important urban reservoir; however, studies have demonstrated the presence of infected cats in some Brazilian states. This report aimed to describe a case of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum infection in a two-month-old domestic feline from a Brazilian region with a high incidence of human visceral leishmaniasis. The analyzed samples were the cat’s blood, conjunctiva, spleen, liver, popliteal, submandibular and mesenteric lymph nodes, skin, lung and kidney. The diagnostic methods were: parasitological examination, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and an immunoflurescence antibody test (IFAT). All tissues were positive. The title obtained using the IFAT was 1:160. The animal was negative for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV). This work addresses the first case of feline leishmaniasis in the state of Tocantins, and reveals data that may contribute to the knowledge of the disease, since it has been shown to be able to develop rapidly and fatally in kittens, with the ability to infect several tissues.
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Gomez-Cabrero, David, Albert Compte, and Jesper Tegner. "Workflow for generating competing hypothesis from models with parameter uncertainty." Interface Focus 1, no. 3 (March 30, 2011): 438–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2011.0015.
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Mathematical models are increasingly used in life sciences. However, contrary to other disciplines, biological models are typically over-parametrized and loosely constrained by scarce experimental data and prior knowledge. Recent efforts on analysis of complex models have focused on isolated aspects without considering an integrated approach—ranging from model building to derivation of predictive experiments and refutation or validation of robust model behaviours. Here, we develop such an integrative workflow, a sequence of actions expanding upon current efforts with the purpose of setting the stage for a methodology facilitating an extraction of core behaviours and competing mechanistic hypothesis residing within underdetermined models. To this end, we make use of optimization search algorithms, statistical (machine-learning) classification techniques and cluster-based analysis of the state variables' dynamics and their corresponding parameter sets. We apply the workflow to a mathematical model of fat accumulation in the arterial wall (atherogenesis), a complex phenomena with limited quantitative understanding, thus leading to a model plagued with inherent uncertainty. We find that the mathematical atherogenesis model can still be understood in terms of a few key behaviours despite the large number of parameters. This result enabled us to derive distinct mechanistic predictions from the model despite the lack of confidence in the model parameters. We conclude that building integrative workflows enable investigators to embrace modelling of complex biological processes despite uncertainty in parameters.
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Kelly, Rachel, Aysha Fleming, Gretta T. Pecl, Julia von Gönner, and Aletta Bonn. "Citizen science and marine conservation: a global review." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 375, no. 1814 (November 2, 2020): 20190461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0461.
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Climate change, overfishing, marine pollution and other anthropogenic drivers threaten our global oceans. More effective efforts are urgently required to improve the capacity of marine conservation action worldwide, as highlighted by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030. Marine citizen science presents a promising avenue to enhance engagement in marine conservation around the globe. Building on an expanding field of citizen science research and practice, we present a global overview of the current extent and potential of marine citizen science and its contribution to marine conservation. Employing an online global survey, we explore the geographical distribution, type and format of 74 marine citizen science projects. By assessing how the projects adhere to the Ten Principles of Citizen Science (as defined by the European Citizen Science Association), we investigate project development, identify challenges and outline future opportunities to contribute to marine science and conservation. Synthesizing the survey results and drawing on evidence from case studies of diverse projects, we assess whether and how citizen science can lead to new scientific knowledge and enhanced environmental stewardship. Overall, we explore how marine citizen science can inform current understanding of marine biodiversity and support the development and implementation of marine conservation initiatives worldwide. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Integrative research perspectives on marine conservation’.
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Tamaki, Fabio K. "Directed evolution of enzymes." Emerging Topics in Life Sciences 4, no. 2 (September 7, 2020): 119–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/etls20200047.
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There are near-to-infinite combinations of possibilities for evolution to happen within nature, making it yet impossible to predict how it occurs. However, science is now able to understand the mechanisms underpinning the evolution of biological systems and can use this knowledge to experimentally mimic nature. The fundamentals of evolution have been used in vitro to improve enzymes as suitable biocatalysts for applications in a process called ‘Directed Evolution of Enzymes' (DEE). It replicates nature's evolutionary steps of introducing genetic variability into enzymes, selecting the fittest variants and transmitting the genetic information for the next generation. DEE has tailored biocatalysts for applications, expanding the repertoire of enzymatic activities, besides providing experimental evidences to support mechanistic hypotheses of molecular evolution and deepen our understanding about nature. In this mini review, I discuss the basic concepts of DEE, the most used methodologies and current technical advancements, providing examples of applications and perspectives.
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Miu, Bogdan Andrei, and Anca Dinischiotu. "New Green Approaches in Nanoparticles Synthesis: An Overview." Molecules 27, no. 19 (October 1, 2022): 6472. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules27196472.
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Nanotechnology is constantly expanding, with nanomaterials being more and more used in common commercial products that define our modern life. Among all types of nanomaterials, nanoparticles (NPs) occupy an important place, considering the great amount that is produced nowadays and the diversity of their applications. Conventional techniques applied to synthesize NPs have some issues that impede them from being appreciated as safe for the environment and health. The alternative to these might be the use of living organisms or biological extracts that can be involved in the green approach synthesis of NPs, a process that is free of harmful chemicals, cost-effective and a low energy consumer. Several factors, including biological reducing agent concentration, initial precursor salt concentration, agitation, reaction time, pH, temperature and light, can influence the characteristics of biologically synthesized NPs. The interdependence between these reaction parameters was not explored, being the main impediment in the implementation of the biological method on an industrial scale. Our aim is to present a brief review that focuses on the current knowledge regarding how the aforementioned factors can control the size and shape of green-synthesized NPs. We also provide an overview of the biomolecules that were found to be suitable for NP synthesis. This work is meant to be a support for researchers who intend to develop new green approaches for the synthesis of NPs.
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Berta, Lavinia, Năstaca-Alina Coman, Aura Rusu, and Corneliu Tanase. "A Review on Plant-Mediated Synthesis of Bimetallic Nanoparticles, Characterisation and Their Biological Applications." Materials 14, no. 24 (December 13, 2021): 7677. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma14247677.
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The study of bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) has constantly been expanding, especially in the last decade. The biosynthesis of BNPs mediated by natural extracts is simple, low-cost, and safe for the environment. Plant extracts contain phenolic compounds that act as reducing agents (flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, and alkaloids) and stabilising ligands moieties (carbonyl, carboxyl, and amine groups), useful in the green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs), and are free of toxic by-products. Noble bimetallic NPs (containing silver, gold, platinum, and palladium) have potential for biomedical applications due to their safety, stability in the biological environment, and low toxicity. They substantially impact human health (applications in medicine and pharmacy) due to the proven biological effects (catalytic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and regenerative activity). To the best of our knowledge, there are no review papers in the literature on the synthesis and characterisation of plant-mediated BNPs and their pharmacological potential. Thus, an effort has been made to provide a clear perspective on the synthesis of BNPs and the antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and size/shape-dependent applications of BNPs. Furthermore, we discussed the factors that influence BNPs biosyntheses such as pH, temperature, time, metal ion concentration, and plant extract.
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Ambrosino, Luca, Michael Tangherlini, Chiara Colantuono, Alfonso Esposito, Mara Sangiovanni, Marco Miralto, Clementina Sansone, and Maria Luisa Chiusano. "Bioinformatics for Marine Products: An Overview of Resources, Bottlenecks, and Perspectives." Marine Drugs 17, no. 10 (October 11, 2019): 576. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/md17100576.
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The sea represents a major source of biodiversity. It exhibits many different ecosystems in a huge variety of environmental conditions where marine organisms have evolved with extensive diversification of structures and functions, making the marine environment a treasure trove of molecules with potential for biotechnological applications and innovation in many different areas. Rapid progress of the omics sciences has revealed novel opportunities to advance the knowledge of biological systems, paving the way for an unprecedented revolution in the field and expanding marine research from model organisms to an increasing number of marine species. Multi-level approaches based on molecular investigations at genomic, metagenomic, transcriptomic, metatranscriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic levels are essential to discover marine resources and further explore key molecular processes involved in their production and action. As a consequence, omics approaches, accompanied by the associated bioinformatic resources and computational tools for molecular analyses and modeling, are boosting the rapid advancement of biotechnologies. In this review, we provide an overview of the most relevant bioinformatic resources and major approaches, highlighting perspectives and bottlenecks for an appropriate exploitation of these opportunities for biotechnology applications from marine resources.
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Snezhitskiy, V. A., E. A. Moiseenok, and L. S. Lukashevich. "JOURNAL OF THE GRODNO STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY IS 20 YEARS OLD: OUR ACHIEVEMENTS." Journal of the Grodno State Medical University 20, no. 6 (December 30, 2022): 575–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.25298/2221-8785-2022-20-6-575-578.
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Summary. The scientific and practical peer-reviewed "Journal of the Grodno State Medical University" celebrates its twentieth anniversary. The history of the journal began on November 27, 2002, when it was registered by the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus. Over the years of its existence, the Journal of the Grodno State Medical University has gained the status of an authoritative periodical scientific journal that publishes review and original articles on medical and biomedical topics, the history of medicine, and the features of medical education. In just 20 years, 90 issues of the Journal of the Grodno State Medical University were published, where 2610 scientific articles and reviews appeared. The main purpose of the journal is to provide a wide coverage of scientific achievements in the field of preventive, clinical, experimental medicine and other medical and biological sciences, especially in the context of cross-border cooperation of medical specialists. The editorial policy of the Journal of the Grodno State Medical University is aimed at disseminating and exchanging scientific knowledge, expanding cooperation with domestic and foreign clinical, scientific and educational institutions in order to deepen integration in the field of medical research.
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Alhajri, Noora, Mohammad Rustom, Adedayo Adegbile, Weshah Ahmed, Salsabeel Kilidar, and Nariman Afify. "Deciphering the Basis of Molecular Biology of Selected Cardiovascular Diseases: A View on Network Medicine." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 19 (September 28, 2022): 11421. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911421.
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Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death across the world. For decades, researchers have been studying the causes of cardiovascular disease, yet many of them remain undiscovered or poorly understood. Network medicine is a recently expanding, integrative field that attempts to elucidate this issue by conceiving of disease as the result of disruptive links between multiple interconnected biological components. Still in its nascent stages, this revolutionary application of network science facilitated a number of important discoveries in complex disease mechanisms. As methodologies become more advanced, network medicine harbors the potential to expound on the molecular and genetic complexities of disease to differentiate how these intricacies govern disease manifestations, prognosis, and therapy. This is of paramount importance for confronting the incredible challenges of current and future cardiovascular disease research. In this review, we summarize the principal molecular and genetic mechanisms of common cardiac pathophysiologies as well as discuss the existing knowledge on therapeutic strategies to prevent, halt, or reverse these pathologies.
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Solberg, Rigmor, Ngoc Nguyen Lunde, Karl Martin Forbord, Meshail Okla, Moustapha Kassem, and Abbas Jafari. "The Mammalian Cysteine Protease Legumain in Health and Disease." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 24 (December 15, 2022): 15983. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415983.
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The cysteine protease legumain (also known as asparaginyl endopeptidase or δ-secretase) is the only known mammalian asparaginyl endopeptidase and is primarily localized to the endolysosomal system, although it is also found extracellularly as a secreted protein. Legumain is involved in the regulation of diverse biological processes and tissue homeostasis, and in the pathogenesis of various malignant and nonmalignant diseases. In addition to its proteolytic activity that leads to the degradation or activation of different substrates, legumain has also been shown to have a nonproteolytic ligase function. This review summarizes the current knowledge about legumain functions in health and disease, including kidney homeostasis, hematopoietic homeostasis, bone remodeling, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, fibrosis, aging and senescence, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In addition, this review addresses the effects of some marketed drugs on legumain. Expanding our knowledge on legumain will delineate the importance of this enzyme in regulating physiological processes and disease conditions.
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Ewe, Joo Ann, and Sheh May Tam. "Utilizing a discovery learning, real-world based fruit juice clarification experiment to enhance teaching and learning of biological enzyme concepts." International Journal for Innovation Education and Research 6, no. 6 (June 30, 2018): 21–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol6.iss6.1048.
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Discovery learning is an approach that encourages students to become active participants in the learning process by exploring concepts and answering questions through experience. It is one of several inquiry-based learning techniques that seems particularly suited to the instruction of science since performing experiments is one of the key methods in discovery learning. However, the efficacy of discovery learning projects have not been explored much in Malaysia. In this study, an experiment integrated with real-world biotechnology industry example focusing on the function of the enzyme pectinase in the clarification of fruit (apple) juice was adapted and introduced to a group of urban, international secondary school science students who had undergone prior direct instructional guidance on the biological role and function of enzymes. The students were asked to complete a set of pre-experiment and post-experiment questions in order to analyse the impact of the experiment on their understanding of this topic. Results suggest that this discovery learning project do strengthen the learners’ prior knowledge and understanding of the function of biological enzymes through application of concept based on real world practice. High level of positive feedback was received (86.2%), with the students commenting on the “fun aspect”, being excited about being able to perform the experiment and expanding their understanding by linking their findings with a real-world, industrial application. Given the reported steady decline of Malaysian students enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses at secondary and tertiary levels, our findings suggest that developing and including more real-world, discovery type projects in secondary schools may help to effectively raise student interests in science subjects such as biology through new learning approaches.
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Marchwiany, Maciej E., Magdalena Birowska, Mariusz Popielski, Jacek A. Majewski, and Agnieszka M. Jastrzębska. "Surface-Related Features Responsible for Cytotoxic Behavior of MXenes Layered Materials Predicted with Machine Learning Approach." Materials 13, no. 14 (July 10, 2020): 3083. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma13143083.
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To speed up the implementation of the two-dimensional materials in the development of potential biomedical applications, the toxicological aspects toward human health need to be addressed. Due to time-consuming and expensive analysis, only part of the continuously expanding family of 2D materials can be tested in vitro. The machine learning methods can be used—by extracting new insights from available biological data sets, and provide further guidance for experimental studies. This study identifies the most relevant highly surface-specific features that might be responsible for cytotoxic behavior of 2D materials, especially MXenes. In particular, two factors, namely, the presence of transition metal oxides and lithium atoms on the surface, are identified as cytotoxicity-generating features. The developed machine learning model succeeds in predicting toxicity for other 2D MXenes, previously not tested in vitro, and hence, is able to complement the existing knowledge coming from in vitro studies. Thus, we claim that it might be one of the solutions for reducing the number of toxicological studies needed, and allows for minimizing failures in future biological applications.
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Birchenough, Silvana N. R., and Steven Degraer. "Science in support of ecologically sound decommissioning strategies for offshore man-made structures: taking stock of current knowledge and considering future challenges." ICES Journal of Marine Science 77, no. 3 (April 16, 2020): 1075–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa039.
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Abstract The blue growth agenda has spurred an accelerating exploitation and continued development of the coastal and marine environment. This is also driven by the increasing need to generate renewable energy. In most cases, this has resulted in a large number of man-made structures (MMSs) across several soft sediment environments. The nature of these structures ranges from oil and gas installations to harbour walls, anchored buoys, pipelines and offshore wind farms. These structures host fouling communities that are often new to offshore regions, potentially serving as stepping stones for range-expanding (non-indigenous) species and providing habitat and shelter for a variety of marine species. The altered local biodiversity also affects biological and biogeochemical processes from the water column to the seafloor, either directly (e.g. scouring, organic matter export from piles) or indirectly (e.g. closure or displacement of fisheries) and, hence, ecosystem functioning at various spatial and temporal scales. A proper understanding of the effects of artificial hard substrate and the consequences of its removal (e.g. through decommissioning) to marine biodiversity has yet to develop to maturity. This themed article set contributes to the scientific knowledge base on the impacts of MMSs on marine ecosystems with the specific aim to fertilize and facilitate an evidence-based debate over decommissioning. This discussion will become ever more vital to inform marine spatial planning and future policy decisions on the use and protection of marine resources.
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Safandeev, Vitalij Vasilevich, and Tat’yana Alekseevna Sinitskaya. "The use of neurotoxins in fundamental, medical and biological sciences on the example of the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine." Toxicological Review 30, no. 5 (October 30, 2022): 307–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.47470/0869-7922-2022-30-5-307-314.
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Introduction. Neurotoxins are a class of chemicals that damage neurons. Some pesticides have a similar effect. The increase in areas with developed heavy industry and agriculture, uncontrolled use of pesticides contribute to the emergence and progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The insidiousness of PD is that it is still incurable, since there is no early diagnosis: for decades it has been asymptomatic, and by the time of manifestation there are no target neurons for therapy. Considering that the diagnosis is made at the late stages of PD development, the treatment of the disease is ineffective. It follows that in order to increase the effectiveness of treatment, it should be started as early as possible - before the appearance of motor symptoms, at the preclinical stage. To do this, it is first necessary to develop an early (preclinical) diagnosis of PD based on an in-depth study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. In order to develop early diagnosis and preventive therapy of PD, proneurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was used in this study. Material and methods. To simulate the preclinical and clinical stages of PD, inbred lines of animals were injected with MPTP according to certain schemes. The behavior of experimental animals was assessed, and after their decapitation, the content of monoamines in the structures of the brain, peripheral organs, and blood plasma was determined by HPLC, and a morphofunctional analysis of the studied tissues and organs was performed. Results. The clinical stage of PD was modeled in animals, which corresponds to the key characteristics of PD in humans. A hypothetical preclinical stage of PD was modeled in animals, on which the method of early diagnosis was successfully tested. This model shows a number of important biochemical changes in peripheral organs, indicating the systemic nature of the disease and preceding the onset of the clinical stage of PD. Research limitations. The results of this study can only be applied to humans only after similar results have been obtained in monkeys. Limitations. Only after obtaining similar results in monkeys the results of this study can be translated to humans. Conclusion. Knowledge about the mechanisms of action of some neurotoxins is expanding, which are successfully used for the needs of fundamental, medical and biological sciences.
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Robertson, M. J., R. C. Muchow, R. A. Donaldson, N. G. Inman-Bamber, and A. W. Wood. "Estimating the risk associated with drying-off strategies for irrigated sugarcane before harvest." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, no. 1 (1999): 65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/a98051.
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The development of recommendations for drying-off management in sugarcane is difficult due to climatic variability and lack of knowledge of the sensitivity of changes in sucrose content and cane yield to severity of water deficit. Relative cane biomass targets were developed for drying-off irrigated sugarcane before harvest based on derived relationships between cane yield, cane dry weight, and sucrose concentration, using pooled data from previous field studies. These targets were then linked to a crop–soil model and long-term climate data to determine the economically optimum duration of drying-off, and its variability from season to season for 2 locations in Australia and one location in South Africa, for a range of harvest dates and soil types. The crop–soil model was validated on yields measured in 37 drying-off treatments conducted in South Africa and Australia. The simulation results show that the required drying-off duration can be highly variable, although the level of variability is not necessarily correlated with rainfall per se. There were interactions between soil type and harvest date, but not at every location. The systems approach outlined here can be useful in developing recommendations for drying-off where experience is limited, such as in expanding areas of sugar industries, for districts in which the practice of irrigation is increasing, or for harvest dates outside the current harvesting season.
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Caruso, Alessandra, Alessandra Gaetano, and Sergio Scaccianoce. "Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone: Biology and Therapeutic Opportunities." Biology 11, no. 12 (December 8, 2022): 1785. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology11121785.
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In 1981, Wylie Vale, Joachim Spiess, Catherine Rivier, and Jean Rivier reported on the characterization of a 41-amino-acid peptide from ovine hypothalamic extracts with high potency and intrinsic activity stimulating the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone and β-endorphin by cultured anterior pituitary cells. With its sequence known, this neuropeptide was determined to be a hormone and consequently named corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), although the term corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is still used and preferred in some circumstances. Several decades have passed since this seminal contribution that opened a new research era, expanding the understanding of the coding of stress-related processes. The characterization of CRH receptors, the availability of CRH agonists and antagonists, and advanced immunocytochemical staining techniques have provided evidence that CRH plays a role in the regulation of several biological systems. The purpose of this review is to summarize the present knowledge of this 41-amino-acid peptide.
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Marsden, Russell L., Juan A. G. Ranea, Antonio Sillero, Oliver Redfern, Corin Yeats, Michael Maibaum, David Lee, et al. "Exploiting protein structure data to explore the evolution of protein function and biological complexity." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361, no. 1467 (February 2006): 425–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2005.1801.
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New directions in biology are being driven by the complete sequencing of genomes, which has given us the protein repertoires of diverse organisms from all kingdoms of life. In tandem with this accumulation of sequence data, worldwide structural genomics initiatives, advanced by the development of improved technologies in X-ray crystallography and NMR, are expanding our knowledge of structural families and increasing our fold libraries. Methods for detecting remote sequence similarities have also been made more sensitive and this means that we can map domains from these structural families onto genome sequences to understand how these families are distributed throughout the genomes and reveal how they might influence the functional repertoires and biological complexities of the organisms. We have used robust protocols to assign sequences from completed genomes to domain structures in the CATH database, allowing up to 60% of domain sequences in these genomes, depending on the organism, to be assigned to a domain family of known structure. Analysis of the distribution of these families throughout bacterial genomes identified more than 300 universal families, some of which had expanded significantly in proportion to genome size. These highly expanded families are primarily involved in metabolism and regulation and appear to make major contributions to the functional repertoire and complexity of bacterial organisms. When comparisons are made across all kingdoms of life, we find a smaller set of universal domain families (approx. 140), of which families involved in protein biosynthesis are the largest conserved component. Analysis of the behaviour of other families reveals that some (e.g. those involved in metabolism, regulation) have remained highly innovative during evolution, making it harder to trace their evolutionary ancestry. Structural analyses of metabolic families provide some insights into the mechanisms of functional innovation, which include changes in domain partnerships and significant structural embellishments leading to modulation of active sites and protein interactions.
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Orr, James A., Rolf D. Vinebrooke, Michelle C. Jackson, Kristy J. Kroeker, Rebecca L. Kordas, Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle, Paul J. Van den Brink, et al. "Towards a unified study of multiple stressors: divisions and common goals across research disciplines." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1926 (May 6, 2020): 20200421. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0421.
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Anthropogenic environmental changes, or ‘stressors’, increasingly threaten biodiversity and ecosystem functioning worldwide. Multiple-stressor research is a rapidly expanding field of science that seeks to understand and ultimately predict the interactions between stressors. Reviews and meta-analyses of the primary scientific literature have largely been specific to either freshwater, marine or terrestrial ecology, or ecotoxicology. In this cross-disciplinary study, we review the state of knowledge within and among these disciplines to highlight commonality and division in multiple-stressor research. Our review goes beyond a description of previous research by using quantitative bibliometric analysis to identify the division between disciplines and link previously disconnected research communities. Towards a unified research framework, we discuss the shared goal of increased realism through both ecological and temporal complexity, with the overarching aim of improving predictive power. In a rapidly changing world, advancing our understanding of the cumulative ecological impacts of multiple stressors is critical for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Identifying and overcoming the barriers to interdisciplinary knowledge exchange is necessary in rising to this challenge. Division between ecosystem types and disciplines is largely a human creation. Species and stressors cross these borders and so should the scientists who study them.
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Coman, Ioana A., Caitlyn E. Cooper-Norris, Scott Longing, and Gad Perry. "It Is a Wild World in the City: Urban Wildlife Conservation and Communication in the Age of COVID-19." Diversity 14, no. 7 (July 4, 2022): 539. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/d14070539.
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Most ecosystems are increasingly being degraded and reduced by human activities at the local and global scales. In contrast, urban environments are expanding as increasing portions of humanity move into cities. Despite the common perception among biologists that urban areas are biological deserts, cities offer habitat for many non-human species, but their ecology and conservation remain poorly studied. In this review, we first provide an update on the current state of knowledge on urban wildlife, then briefly examine the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban wildlife and add four components not previously included in comprehensive reviews. (1) We show that by reducing human activity, COVID-19 has temporarily enhanced urban habitat quality for some species and diminished it for others. (2) Thoughtful horticulture can contribute to urban wildlife by providing complex habitat structures that benefit biodiversity while enhancing human wellbeing. (3) Recent literature on urban invertebrate biodiversity has grown, though is still focused on pollinators. (4) Finally, employing insights from the discipline of communication can enhance the success of urban biodiversity conservation among both biologists and the public.
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Magalhães, Alex Fernandes, and Luiz Alex Silva Saraiva. "In Defense of a Complex Notion of Subject in Organizational Studies." Organizações & Sociedade 29, no. 100 (January 2022): 20–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1984-92302022v29n0001en.
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Abstract This essay reflects on the need to expand the complexity of the notion of subject in the critical approaches used in organizational studies and to contribute with a new perspective on the human attribute in collective issues based on a new concept: the concrete procedural subject. The human and social sciences are faced with the challenge of delimiting their object of study (human beings in their manifestations) without excluding the biological, social, historical, and psychological dimensions that are inherent to them, thus avoiding reductionism. It is believed that this complex perspective is relevant to analyses of socio-organizational spaces since we take the subject as a fundamental analytical unit to understand organizational dynamics. Organizations emerge from the interrelationships between subjects, expanding, structuring, and institutionalizing themselves. Therefore, the subject and organization are inseparable, and dichotomies must be avoided in favor of knowledge production in organizational studies and other correlated areas. Based on a critical analysis and adopting a multifaceted and plural approach, with contributions from psychoanalysis, sociohistorical psychology, and post-structuralism, all of which address the complexity of the human being, this essay presents a notion of subject that is contradictory and fluid, which are the marks of its procedurality in contemporary times and the foundation for understanding the complex socio-organizational dynamic and its phenomena.
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Magalhães, Alex Fernandes, and Luiz Alex Silva Saraiva. "Em Defesa de uma Concepção Complexa de Sujeito nos Estudos Organizacionais." Organizações & Sociedade 29, no. 100 (January 2022): 20–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1984-92302022v29n0001pt.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This essay reflects on the need to expand the complexity of the notion of subject in the critical approaches used in organizational studies and to contribute with a new perspective on the human attribute in collective issues based on a new concept: the concrete procedural subject. The human and social sciences are faced with the challenge of delimiting their object of study (human beings in their manifestations) without excluding the biological, social, historical, and psychological dimensions that are inherent to them, thus avoiding reductionism. It is believed that this complex perspective is relevant to analyses of socio-organizational spaces since we take the subject as a fundamental analytical unit to understand organizational dynamics. Organizations emerge from the interrelationships between subjects, expanding, structuring, and institutionalizing themselves. Therefore, the subject and organization are inseparable, and dichotomies must be avoided in favor of knowledge production in organizational studies and other correlated areas. Based on a critical analysis and adopting a multifaceted and plural approach, with contributions from psychoanalysis, sociohistorical psychology, and post-structuralism, all of which address the complexity of the human being, this essay presents a notion of subject that is contradictory and fluid, which are the marks of its procedurality in contemporary times and the foundation for understanding the complex socio-organizational dynamic and its phenomena.
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Schluter, Dolph, Kerry B. Marchinko, R. D. H. Barrett, and Sean M. Rogers. "Natural selection and the genetics of adaptation in threespine stickleback." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 365, no. 1552 (August 27, 2010): 2479–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0036.
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Growing knowledge of the molecular basis of adaptation in wild populations is expanding the study of natural selection. We summarize ongoing efforts to infer three aspects of natural selection—mechanism, form and history—from the genetics of adaptive evolution in threespine stickleback that colonized freshwater after the last ice age. We tested a mechanism of selection for reduced bony armour in freshwater by tracking genotype and allele frequency changes at an underlying major locus ( Ectodysplasin ) in transplanted stickleback populations. We inferred disruptive selection on genotypes at the same locus in a population polymorphic for bony armour. Finally, we compared the distribution of phenotypic effect sizes of genes underlying changes in body shape with that predicted by models of adaptive peak shifts following colonization of freshwater. Studies of the effects of selection on genes complement efforts to identify the molecular basis of adaptive differences, and improve our understanding of phenotypic evolution.
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Solvang, Hiroko K., Tore Haug, Tor Knutsen, Harald Gjøsæter, Bjarte Bogstad, Siri Hartvedt, Nils Øien, and Ulf Lindstrøm. "Distribution of rorquals and Atlantic cod in relation to their prey in the Norwegian high Arctic." Polar Biology 44, no. 4 (March 14, 2021): 761–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02835-2.
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AbstractRecent warming in the Barents Sea has led to changes in the spatial distribution of both zooplankton and fish, with boreal communities expanding northwards. A similar northward expansion has been observed in several rorqual species that migrate into northern waters to take advantage of high summer productivity, hence feeding opportunities. Based on ecosystem surveys conducted during August–September in 2014–2017, we investigated the spatial associations among the three rorqual species of blue, fin, and common minke whales, the predatory fish Atlantic cod, and their main prey groups (zooplankton, 0-group fish, Atlantic cod, and capelin) in Arctic Ocean waters to the west and north of Svalbard. During the surveys, whale sightings were recorded by dedicated whale observers on the bridge of the vessel, whereas the distribution and abundance of cod and prey species were assessed using trawling and acoustic methods. Based on existing knowledge on the dive habits of these rorquals, we divided our analyses into two depth regions: the upper 200 m of the water column and waters below 200 m. Since humpback whales were absent in the area in 2016 and 2017, they were not included in the subsequent analyses of spatial association. No association or spatial overlap between fin and blue whales and any of the prey species investigated was found, while associations and overlaps were found between minke whales and zooplankton/0-group fish in the upper 200 m and between minke whales and Atlantic cod at depths below 200 m. A prey detection range of more than 10 km was suggested for minke whales in the upper water layers.
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James, Jennifer Elyse, Leslie Riddle, Barbara Ann Koenig, and Galen Joseph. "The limits of personalization in precision medicine: Polygenic risk scores and racial categorization in a precision breast cancer screening trial." PLOS ONE 16, no. 10 (October 29, 2021): e0258571. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258571.
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Population-based genomic screening is at the forefront of a new approach to disease prevention. Yet the lack of diversity in genome wide association studies and ongoing debates about the appropriate use of racial and ethnic categories in genomics raise key questions about the translation of genomic knowledge into clinical practice. This article reports on an ethnographic study of a large pragmatic clinical trial of breast cancer screening called WISDOM (Women Informed to Screen Depending On Measures of Risk). Our ethnography illuminates the challenges of using race or ethnicity as a risk factor in the implementation of precision breast cancer risk assessment. Our analysis provides critical insights into how categories of race, ethnicity and ancestry are being deployed in the production of genomic knowledge and medical practice, and key challenges in the development and implementation of novel Polygenic Risk Scores in the research and clinical applications of this emerging science. Specifically, we show how the conflation of social and biological categories of difference can influence risk prediction for individuals who exist at the boundaries of these categories, affecting the perceptions and practices of scientists, clinicians, and research participants themselves. Our research highlights the potential harms of practicing genomic medicine using under-theorized and ambiguous categories of race, ethnicity, and ancestry, particularly in an adaptive, pragmatic trial where research findings are applied in the clinic as they emerge. We contribute to the expanding literature on categories of difference in post-genomic science by closely examining the implementation of a large breast cancer screening study that aims to personalize breast cancer risk using both common and rare genomic markers.
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Angell, Inga Leena, and Knut Rudi. "A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1931 (July 15, 2020): 20200824. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0824.
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Despite the fact that infant gut colonization patterns have been extensively studied, we have limited knowledge about the underlying ecological processes. This particularly relates to the ecological choice of nutrient utilization strategies. The aim of the current study was therefore to compare empirically determined nutrient utilization strategies with that expected from a combinatorial game theory model. Observational analyses for 100 mother–child pairs suggested mother–child transmission of specialists with the potential to use few nutrients. Generalists, on the other hand, with the potential to use many nutrients, peaked at three months of age for the children. The level of generalists was gradually replaced with specialists up to 12 months of age. Game theory simulation revealed a competitive advantage of generalists in an expanding population, while more specialized bacteria were favoured with the maturation of the population. This suggests that the observed increase in generalists in the three-month-old children could be due to an immature, expanding gut microbiota population while the increase of specialists at 12 months could be due to population maturation. The simulated and empirical data also correspond with respect to an increased α diversity and a decreased β diversity with the number of simulations and age, respectively. Taken together, game theory simulation of nutrient utilization strategies can therefore provide novel insight into the maturation of the human gut microbiota during infancy.
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Jepson, P., F. Schepers, and W. Helmer. "Governing with nature: a European perspective on putting rewilding principles into practice." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373, no. 1761 (October 22, 2018): 20170434. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0434.
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Academic interest in rewilding is moving from commentary to discussion on future research agendas. The quality of rewilding research design will be enhanced if it is informed by knowledge of the rewilding practice. Here, we describe the conceptual origins and six case study examples of a mode of rewilding that emerged in the Dutch Delta and is being promoted and supported by Rewilding Europe, an umbrella organization established in 2011. The case experiences presented help position this version of rewilding in relation to the US 3C's version and point towards a rewilding action philosophy characterized by pragmatic realism and pioneer projects around which multiactor networks interested in policy innovation and change form. We argue that scaling-up the models of rewilding presented is constrained by institutional cultures and will require innovations in conservation finance and business models. Nonetheless, we suggest that the expanding European Rewilding Network and associated facilities, such as the European Wildlife Bank, represent a valuable asset for natural science research, aimed at exploring the ecological impacts of grazing and the relationship between role of restored herbivore guilds and biotical expansion, and for social science research investigating concepts such as non-human agency and autonomy. Lastly, we ask applied scientists to view rewilding as an uncertain and unfolding conservation approach and to refrain from seeking to specify it as a management approach supporting the delivery of pre-determined targets and/or ideals. This is because such actions may constrain the transformative potential of rewilding practice. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change’.
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Wang, Enli, and Chris J. Smith. "Modelling the growth and water uptake function of plant root systems: a review." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55, no. 5 (2004): 501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar03201.
Full textAbstract:
Crop models have been intensively used as a tool to analyse the performance of cropping systems under variable climate in terms of productivity, profitability, and off-site impact. The importance of modelling the function of plant roots in water and nutrient uptake from the soil is becoming increasing clear with the expanding application areas of crop models. This paper reviews the approaches and assumptions used in growth and uptake modelling of plant roots, and how the responses of plant root system to internal and external factors are captured in the widely used crop models. Most modelling approaches are based on one of the following assumptions: (i) that plant roots are uniformly distributed in homogenous soil layers and all roots have the same ability for uptake, or (ii) that plant root length is always sufficient for resource uptake in rooted soil layers. In structured soils, an overestimation of water uptake is likely to be expected. Further studies on root growth, distribution, and function in structured soils will require quantification of soil structures and root distribution patterns; and for non-uniformly distributed plant populations, spatial distribution of plant roots and non-uniform uptake need to be modelled. Root architecture modelling may help to address such issues. However, in order for the model to be useful at the field production level, simplified approaches that require easily measurable inputs need to be developed. Some examples are given. The oversimplification of root response to soil drying and hardness is likely to lead to overestimation of root growth and water uptake in dense soils. A soil strength factor needs to be incorporated so that the improved model can help evaluate the effect of subsoil compaction on production and resource use. Responses of root growth and uptake to soil salinity, boron toxicity, and extreme pH need to be further investigated if models are to be used for evaluation of crop performance in such environments. Effect of waterlogging also needs to be added for use of the model on heavy clay soils under irrigation or concentrated rainfall. There is an urgent need for joint efforts of crop physiologists, agronomists, breeders, and soil scientists to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge and to collect data that better describe the crop root system and its growth and uptake ability, to quantify plant process level responses, and for better soil quantification. Such knowledge and data are essential for improvement of model performance and successful applications.
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Muchow, R. C., and B. A. Keating. "Assessing irrigation requirements in the Ord Sugar Industry using a simulation modelling approach." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38, no. 4 (1998): 345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea98023.
Full textAbstract:
Summary. Sustainable irrigation guidelines that maximise profitability and minimise water losses and accession to the watertable are required for the new Ord Sugar Industry. In addition, knowledge on crop water requirements is needed to guide water allocation and costing policies for the expanding Ord Irrigation Area where sugarcane is likely to be a dominant crop. Field data indicating water requirements for sugar in the Ord Irrigation Area are few and this paper deploys a modelling approach to extrapolate from knowledge of water requirements in other parts of the world. The approach links long-term climatic data with soil water characteristics of the main soil type, with a cropping systems model, to develop indicative estimates of irrigation water requirement and yield consequences for different management options for sugarcane production in the Ord. Analyses of the growth of 12-month old ratoon crops were conducted using the APSIM–Sugarcane model with historical climatic data from 1960 to 1985 and either a deep (188 mm available water to 160 cm depth) or shallow (144 mm of water to 120 cm depth) Cununurra clay soil. Under maximum attainable growth conditions where crops were irrigated after half the soil water supply was depleted, average sucrose yield ranged from 26.7 to 29.0 t/ha, and the irrigation requirement (assuming 100% application efficiency) ranged from 22.7 to 23.8 ML/ha depending on ratooning date. Soil water holding capacity had a major effect on the number of irrigations and the interval between irrigation for a given irrigation schedule but little effect on yield or irrigation requirement. Varying the irrigation schedule by changing the level of soil water depletion before irrigation and thus the irrigation frequency, showed the tradeoff between yield and irrigation requirement with the most profitable irrigation schedule depending on the price of sucrose and the cost of irrigation relative to other costs. Most of the year-to-year variation in irrigation water requirement could be explained by the highly variable effectiveness in soil storage of rainfall which ranged from 44 to 93%. This study has provided insight and indicative estimates of the yield and irrigation requirements for different irrigation management options for use in the establishment of an Ord River sugar industry. These estimates will be further refined as field data become available.
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Arvizu-Rubio, Verania J., Laura C. García-Carnero, and Héctor Manuel Mora-Montes. "Moonlighting proteins in medically relevant fungi." PeerJ 10 (September 13, 2022): e14001. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14001.
Full textAbstract:
Moonlighting proteins represent an intriguing area of cell biology, due to their ability to perform two or more unrelated functions in one or many cellular compartments. These proteins have been described in all kingdoms of life and are usually constitutively expressed and conserved proteins with housekeeping functions. Although widely studied in pathogenic bacteria, the information about these proteins in pathogenic fungi is scarce, but there are some reports of their functions in the etiological agents of the main human mycoses, such as Candida spp., Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Sporothrix schenckii. In these fungi, most of the described moonlighting proteins are metabolic enzymes, such as enolase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; chaperones, transcription factors, and redox response proteins, such as peroxiredoxin and catalase, which moonlight at the cell surface and perform virulence-related processes, contributing to immune evasion, adhesions, invasion, and dissemination to host cells and tissues. All moonlighting proteins and their functions described in this review highlight the limited information about this biological aspect in pathogenic fungi, representing this a relevant opportunity area that will contribute to expanding our current knowledge of these organisms’ pathogenesis.
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Jame, Y. W., and H. W. Cutforth. "Crop growth models for decision support systems." Canadian Journal of Plant Science 76, no. 1 (January 1, 1996): 9–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/cjps96-003.
Full textAbstract:
Studies on crop production are traditionally carried out by using conventional experience-based agronomic research, in which crop production functions were derived from statistical analysis without referring to the underlying biological or physical principles involved. The weaknesses and disadvantages of this approach and the need for greater in-depth analysis have long been recognized. Recently, application of the knowledge-based systems approach to agricultural management has been gaining popularity because of our expanding knowledge of processes that are involved in the growth of plants, coupled with the availability of inexpensive and powerful computers. The systems approach makes use of dynamic simulation models of crop growth and of cropping systems. In the most satisfactory crop growth models, current knowledge of plant growth and development from various disciplines, such as crop physiology, agrometeorology, soil science and agronomy, is integrated in a consistent, quantitative and process-oriented manner. After proper validation, the models are used to predict crop responses to different environments that are either the result of global change or induced by agricultural management and to test alternative crop management options.Computerized decision support systems for field-level crop management are now available. The decision support systems for agrotechnology transfer (DSSAT) allows users to combine the technical knowledge contained in crop growth models with economic considerations and environmental impact evaluations to facilitate economic analysis and risk assessment of farming enterprises. Thus, DSSAT is a valuable tool to aid the development of a viable and sustainable agricultural industry. The development and validation of crop models can improve our understanding of the underlying processes, pinpoint where our understanding is inadequate, and, hence, support strategic agricultural research. The knowledge-based systems approach offers great potential to expand our ability to make good agricultural management decisions, not only for the current climatic variability, but for the anticipated climatic changes of the future. Key words: Simulation, crop growth, development, management strategy
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Lana, José Fábio, Lucas Furtado da Fonseca, Gabriel Azzini, Gabriel Santos, Marcelo Braga, Alvaro Motta Cardoso Junior, William D. Murrell, Alberto Gobbi, Joseph Purita, and Marco Antonio Percope de Andrade. "Bone Marrow Aspirate Matrix: A Convenient Ally in Regenerative Medicine." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 5 (March 9, 2021): 2762. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052762.
Full textAbstract:
The rise in musculoskeletal disorders has prompted medical experts to devise novel effective alternatives to treat complicated orthopedic conditions. The ever-expanding field of regenerative medicine has allowed researchers to appreciate the therapeutic value of bone marrow-derived biological products, such as the bone marrow aspirate (BMA) clot, a potent orthobiologic which has often been dismissed and regarded as a technical complication. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have contributed to the expansion of medical knowledge, revealing optimistic results concerning the application of autologous bone marrow towards various impactful disorders. The bone marrow accommodates a diverse family of cell populations and a rich secretome; therefore, autologous BMA-derived products such as the “BMA Matrix”, may represent a safe and viable approach, able to reduce the costs and some drawbacks linked to the expansion of bone marrow. BMA provides —it eliminates many hurdles associated with its preparation, especially in regards to regulatory compliance. The BMA Matrix represents a suitable alternative, indicated for the enhancement of tissue repair mechanisms by modulating inflammation and acting as a natural biological scaffold as well as a reservoir of cytokines and growth factors that support cell activity. Although promising, more clinical studies are warranted in order to further clarify the efficacy of this strategy.
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Hewezi, Tarek, and Thomas J. Baum. "Manipulation of Plant Cells by Cyst and Root-Knot Nematode Effectors." Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® 26, no. 1 (January 2013): 9–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/mpmi-05-12-0106-fi.
Full textAbstract:
A key feature of sedentary plant-parasitic nematodes is the release of effector proteins from their esophageal gland cells through their stylets into host roots. These proteinaceous stylet secretions have been shown to be crucial for successful parasitism by mediating the transition of normal root cells into specialized feeding sites and by negating plant defenses. Recent technical advances of purifying mRNA from esophageal gland cells of plant-parasitic nematodes coupled with emerging sequencing technologies is steadily expanding our knowledge of nematode effector repertoires. Host targets and biological activities of a number of nematode effectors are continuously being reported and, by now, a first picture of the complexity of sedentary nematode parasitism at the molecular level is starting to take shape. In this review, we highlight effector mechanisms that recently have been uncovered by studying the host–pathogen interaction. These mechanisms range from mediating susceptibility of host plants to the actual triggering of defense responses. In particular, we portray and discuss the mechanisms by which nematode effectors modify plant cell walls, negate host defense responses, alter auxin and polyamine signaling, mimic plant molecules, regulate stress signaling, and activate hypersensitive responses. Continuous molecular characterization of newly discovered nematode effectors will be needed to determine how these effectors orchestrate host signaling pathways and biological processes leading to successful parasitism.