Biosecurity in the age of Big Data: a conversation with the FBI

New scientific frontiers and emerging technologies within the life sciences pose many global challenges to society. Big Data is a premier example, especially with respect to individual, national, and international security. Here a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation discusses the security implications of Big Data and the need for security in the life sciences.     

A Psychological Exploration of Engagement in Geek Culture

Geek culture is a subculture of enthusiasts that is traditionally associated with obscure media (Japanese animation, science fiction, video games, etc.). However, geek culture is becoming increasingly mainstream; for example, in the past year alone, Dragon*Con, a major Geek convention in Atlanta, Georgia, attracted an attendance of over 57,000 members. The present article uses an individual differences approach to examine three theoretical accounts of geek culture. Seven studies (N = 2354) develop the Geek Culture Engagement Scale (GCES) to quantify geek engagement and assess its relationships to theoretically relevant personality and individual differences variables. These studies present evidence that individuals may engage in geek culture in order to maintain narcissistic self-views (the great fantasy migration hypothesis), to fulfill belongingness needs (the belongingness hypothesis), and to satisfy needs for creative expression (the need for engagement hypothesis). Geek engagement is found to be associated with elevated grandiose narcissism, extraversion, openness to experience, depression, and subjective well-being across multiple samples. These data lay the groundwork for further exploration of geek culture as well as provide a foundation for examining other forms of subculture participation.     

Construction and characterization of a single polypeptide chain containing two enzymatically active dihydrofolate reductase domains.

A single polypeptide chain containing two dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) sequences from Escherichia coli was constructed to determine if a repeat sequence fusion protein could be expressed in an active form. The possibility that intersequence interactions could play a significant role for this enzyme is suggested by the results of Hall and Frieden (1989, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 86, 3060-3064) who observed a substantial decrease in the yield of active enzyme when folded in the presence of a large C-terminal fragment. The fusion protein [DHFR(Cys152Glu)--Ile--DHFR (Met1Gln)] was efficiently expressed in E. coli cells and has an activity which is twice that of the wild-type enzyme in the standard assay. The Michaelis constants of the fusion protein for the substrate, dihydrofolate and the cofactor, NADPH, are essentially unchanged from those of the wild-type protein. The urea-induced in vitro unfolding reaction of the fusion protein at low concentrations was found to be fully reversible and follow a three state model, suggesting that the two domains unfold independently. At higher protein concentrations the unfolding transition broadened and shifted to a higher urea concentration. Size-exclusion chromatography results are consistent with the formation of aggregates at the higher protein concentration, even in the absence of denaturant.     

Human Brain Reacts to Transcranial Extraocular Light

Transcranial extraocular light affects the brains of birds and modulates their seasonal changes in physiology and behavior. However, whether the human brain is sensitive to extraocular light is unknown. To test whether extraocular light has any effect on human brain functioning, we measured brain electrophysiology of 18 young healthy subjects using event-related potentials while they performed a visual attention task embedded with emotional distractors. Extraocular light delivered via ear canals abolished normal emotional modulation of attention related brain responses. With no extraocular light delivered, emotional distractors reduced centro-parietal P300 amplitude compared to neutral distractors. This phenomenon disappeared with extraocular light delivery. Extraocular light delivered through the ear canals was shown to penetrate at the base of the scull of a cadaver. Thus, we have shown that extraocular light impacts human brain functioning calling for further research on the mechanisms of action of light on the human brain.