Synthetic biology: an emerging research field in China

Synthetic biology is considered as an emerging research field that will bring new opportunities to biotechnology. There is an expectation that synthetic biology will not only enhance knowledge in basic science, but will also have great potential for practical applications. Synthetic biology is still in an early developmental stage in China. We provide here a review of current Chinese research activities in synthetic biology and its different subfields, such as research on genetic circuits, minimal genomes, chemical synthetic biology, protocells and DNA synthesis, using literature reviews and personal communications with Chinese researchers. To meet the increasing demand for a sustainable development, research on genetic circuits to harness biomass is the most pursed research within Chinese researchers. The environmental concerns are driven force of research on the genetic circuits for bioremediation. The research on minimal genomes is carried on identifying the smallest number of genomes needed for engineering minimal cell factories and research on chemical synthetic biology is focused on artificial proteins and expanded genetic code. The research on protocells is more in combination with the research on molecular-scale motors. The research on DNA synthesis and its commercialisation are also reviewed. As for the perspective on potential future Chinese R&D activities, it will be discussed based on the research capacity and governmental policy.     

Fair Resource Allocation to Health Research: Priority Topics for Bioethics Scholarship

This article draws attention to the limited amount of scholarship on what constitutes fairness and equity in resource allocation to health research by individual funders. It identifies three key decisions of ethical significance about resource allocation that research funders make regularly and calls for prioritizing scholarship on those topics – namely, how health resources should be fairly apportioned amongst public health and health care delivery versus health research, how health research resources should be fairly allocated between health problems experienced domestically versus other health problems typically experienced by disadvantaged populations outside the funder's country, and how domestic and non‐domestic health research funding should be further apportioned to different areas, e.g. types of research and recipients. These three topics should be priorities for bioethics research because their outcomes have a substantial bearing on the achievement of health justice. The proposed agenda aims to move discussion on the ethics of health research funding beyond its current focus on the mismatch between worldwide basic and clinical research investment and the global burden of disease. Individual funders’ decision‐making on whether and to what extent to allocate resources to non‐domestic health research, health systems research, research on the social determinants of health, capacity development, and recipients in certain countries should also be the focus of ethical scrutiny.     

基于Web of Science的国际应用生态学研究进展

应用生态学是自然资源管理和生态环境保护最重要的科学技术工具之一.在当前自然资源短缺、环境污染严重、生态系统退化的严峻形势下,对国际应用生态学的理论基础、研究方法、研究热点进行分析,对夯实我国应用生态学的知识基础、指明研究方向、确定战略定位具有重要意义.本文基于文献计量学原理,借助CiteSpace、Carrot²等信息可视化软件,以Web of Science中1980—2018年国际应用生态学研究领域基于不同检索策略的两个文献数据集合为研究对象,从研究载体、研究力量及研究内容3个维度进行文献时空分布、核心研究力量、研究热点演进以及研究前沿及趋势分析,旨在揭示其学科发展轨迹、研究现状与发展趋势,以期为未来我国的应用生态学研究提供参考.     

旅游生态学研究体系

旅游生态学是一门新兴的应用性交叉学科,学科建立的时间短,学科体系发展有待完善.从学科体系研究入手,从学科的概念、研究领域、研究内容和研究方法等方面来探讨如何构建和完善旅游生态学研究体系.提出了旅游生态系统是旅游生态学研究的核心;旅游生态系统的组成、结构、功能和管理等是旅游生态学学科研究的主要支撑,是旅游生态学的重要研究内容;旅游野外研究方法、空间分析方法、旅游生态评价和旅游生态管理等方法为学科的主要研究方法.     

基于文献计量的青藏高原土壤呼吸研究进展

为了深入了解青藏高原土壤呼吸的研究现状与研究前沿,以中国知网数据库(CNKI)和Web of Science核心合集数据库中的相关文献为数据源,基于文献计量的分析方法,运用Citespace和VOSviewer等软件,通过对国内外发文趋势分析、高频关键词共现分析及国家、机构、作者合作网络分析等,总结了青藏高原土壤呼吸的研究热点与研究趋势。结果表明：(1)国内外青藏高原土壤呼吸的研究在逐年上升,外文研究的增长速率大于中文研究。(2)国内外关于青藏高原土壤呼吸的合作网络较为松散。(3)青藏高原土壤呼吸的研究大体划分为三个阶段：起步阶段(1978—2005年)、增长阶段(2006—2013年)、快速发展阶段(2014年—至今),研究方法、研究尺度都在不断发展。(4)目前土壤呼吸领域研究内容以青藏高原土壤呼吸与全球气候变化、氮添加与土壤呼吸、土壤呼吸与土壤温度、土壤呼吸与过度放牧为主。研究指出：在未来,应该加强对于青藏高原碳动态的连续观测,完善不同类型生态系统土壤呼吸研究。同时,探索放牧等生态系统管理措施对青藏高原土壤呼吸的影响机制。这些结果为国内外青藏高原土壤呼吸研究方向提供了可靠情报支持。     

与环境管理有关的生态学研究展望

当今世界 ,自然资源和环境管理间有许多问题需要解决。决策者们不断寻求能够实现环境质量改善和有效、持续利用资源的途径和手段。而环境资源的有限性和稀缺性也决定了必须进行有效的环境管理 ,这就需要借助生态学知识作出有效可行的管理决策 [10 ,11]。然而 ,在我国目前的条件下 ,生态学家和环境管理人员之间通常缺乏联系 ,在许多方面难以达成共识。其原因 ,既有人为造成的 ,也有历史发展的原因。在解决有关生态保护、环境管理和可持续发展之间的种种问题时 ,对生态学研究所处的地位和作用缺乏理论上的探索。另一方面 ,生态系统管理比我们…     

Against Harmful Research on Non‐Agreeing Children

The Code of Federal Regulations permits harmful research on children who have not agreed to participate, but I will argue that it should be no more permissive of harmful research on such children than of harmful research on adults who have not agreed to participate. Of course, the Code permits harmful research on adults. Such research is not morally problematic, however, because adults must agree to participate. And, of course, the Code also permits beneficial research on children without needing their explicit agreement. This sort of research is also not problematic, this time because paternalism towards children may be justifiable. The moral problem at the center of this paper arises from the combination of two potential properties of pediatric research, first that it might be harmful and second that its subjects might not agree to participate. In Section 2 of this article I explain how the Code permits harmful research on non‐agreeing children. Section 3 contains my argument that we should no more permit harmful research on non‐agreeing children than on non‐agreeing adults. In Section 4, I argue that my thesis does not presuppose that pediatric assent has the same moral force that adult consent does. In Section 5, I argue that the distinction between non‐voluntary and involuntary research is irrelevant to my thesis. In Section 6, I rebut an objection based on the power of parental permission. In Section 7 I suggest how the Code of Federal Regulations might be changed.     

AGAINST RISK-BENEFIT REVIEW OF PRISONER RESEARCH

The 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, 'Ethical Considerations for Research Involving Prisoners', recommended five main changes to current US Common Rule regulations on prisoner research. Their third recommendation was to shift from a category-based to a risk-benefit approach to research review, similar to current guidelines on pediatric research. However, prisoners are not children, so risk-benefit constraints on prisoner research must be justified in a different way from those on pediatric research. In this paper I argue that additional risk-benefit constraints on prisoner research are unnecessary: the current Common Rule regulations, omitting category-based restrictions but conjoined with the IOM report's other four main recommendations, ensure that prisoner research is as ethical as non-prisoner research is. I explain why four problems which which may be more prevalent in prisons and which risk-benefit constraints may seem to address – coercion, undue inducements, exploitation, and protection from harm – are in fact not solved by adding further risk-benefit constraints on prisoner research.     

生态系统服务供给和需求研究评述及框架体系构建

生态系统服务供给和需求联系着自然生态系统与社会经济系统,对生态系统服务供给和需求的研究有助于加强生态系统管理和实现资源优化配置,从而保障区域生态安全与社会经济可持续发展。本文在系统梳理国内外相关研究的基础上,对生态系统服务供给和需求的概念内涵、评估方法和实践应用等方面进行全面综述。从理论发展的角度看,虽然目前已取得较为丰富的研究成果,但是现有研究仍较为分散,缺乏统一的生态系统服务供需研究框架体系。鉴于此,本文在对生态系统服务供给和需求的研究范畴进行拓展的基础上,按照“理论-方法-实践”相统一的研究脉络,构建了“定性-定位-定量-定策”的生态系统服务供给和需求研究框架体系,最后提出未来研究应围绕“重点关注生态系统服务供给和需求的空间转移规律、加强生态系统服务供给和需求的定量方法研究、深化生态系统服务供给和需求应用管理实践和建立生态系统服务供给和需求应用评价机制”等方面展开,以期促进生态系统服务供给和需求的理论与实践研究。     

What research with stored samples teaches us about research with human subjects

There is widespread discussion concerning the safeguards appropriate for human research subjects. Less discussed is the fact that the safeguards one deems appropriate depend, in large part, on the model of research participation that one assumes. Therefore, to determine what safeguards are appropriate, it is necessary first to clarify the competing models of research participation. The ostensibly obscure debate over informed consent for research on stored biological samples is of particular interest in this regard because such research can involve varying subsets of the three central elements of research involvement. As a result, analysis of this debate provides an opportunity to identify the competing models of research participation. Based on this analysis, this paper describes a new model of research participation that is emerging, and considers its implications for clinical research.     

中美脑科学领域比较分析

通过定性、定量分析,比较中美脑科学研究的投入、产出差距及各自的重点布局领域,以期对中国的脑科学发展提供借鉴。主要通过分析梳理两国的重大计划、规划以及重要资助机构对脑科学研究的投入和布局,比较两国对脑科学研究的投入情况;综合运用多个数据库和分析工具,定量分析了中美脑科学的论文、专利产出量及影响力。分析结果表明,中国脑科学领域还需要加大投入,重点加强相关技术的研究与开发,提高研究的质量和影响力。     

中国园林生态学发展综述

运用文献计量等方法对已有科研成果进行统计分析,结果表明:中国近50年园林生态学科领域科研发展经过了起步探索(1962-1981)、缓慢发展(1982-2001)、快速发展(2002-2011)3个时期,园林生态学作为生态学一个新的分支学科,于20世纪90年代末初见端倪,作为一门新兴独立的应用生态学分支学科于21世纪初已基本形成.中国园林生态学领域的研究包括园林生态系统中生物与环境相互作用关系问题、人与环境相互作用关系问题以及园林生态系统与其他生态系统之间相互作用关系问题.当代园林生态研究主要有生态效益研究、生物与环境研究、人的需求与行为研究、生态规划与生态管理研究4个方面,目前园林生态学研究主要侧重生物与环境研究和生态效益研究,两方面的研究成果占总体研究成果的76.3％.不同研究方面也有各自的侧重点,如生物与环境研究侧重对植物的研究,生态效益研究侧重净化环境、水土保持和防灾减灾,生态规划与生态管理研究则侧重生态规划与设计.对四个研究方面的论文主题词检索和高频主题关键词的分布进行统计,结果显示,研究的热点有多样性、群落、水土保持、防灾避险、净化环境、生态规划与设计等.对CNKI中4个研究方面成果中获基金资助项目论文进行统计(不排重),总体成果中基金项目论文所占比重为10.8％,国家和地方基金是园林生态学科研基金资助的主要来源,基金论文比例之和达到85.4％,且国家和地方基金资助论文较多的是“生态与环境研究”和“生态效益研究”,合计占基金论文79.1％.SCI-E中收录的文献基金论文率为47.1％,是CNKI数据库收录的文献基金论文率的4.3倍,且国际基金是基金论文的主要资助来源之一,说明中国园林生态学领域部分科研成果得到国际学界关注.基于CNKI相关主题词统计,“园林生态学”的研究成果只有“景观生态学”的1％,“城市生态学”的8.3％,“园林生态学”学科系统理论研究在相关生态学科研究中所占比重很低,其理论和方法研究还较薄弱.今后在进一步完善学科理论体系、持续开展生态效益和园林植物研究的同时,为更好地研究和解决人-自然复合生态系统问题,提供更多的科学理论支撑,还需拓展交叉生态心理学或环境心理学等其他相关理论,更多地关注人与环境互相作用关系以及生态规划与生态管理等方面的研究,既使环境更好地满足人的行为需求,也使人认识到改变一些行为能更好地保护环境.     

共词分析国内外生物信息学领域研究态势

生物信息学作为自然科学领域中多学科交叉的新兴学科,其发展研究得到了众多学者的关注。为了解生物信息学在国内外的研究态势,以CNKI中文数据库和Web of science外文数据库中生物信息学领域期刊论文为研究对象,利用R语言编程工具,文献计量和共词分析归纳了国内外生物信息学领域的研究现状、热点及趋势。结果表明:国内外生物信息学研究均处于高速发展期,文献量呈逐年增长趋势,研究领域也在不断拓宽;国内外研究热点均聚焦在基因挖掘、蛋白质结构与功能预测、miRNA分析等,但国内偏向于理论研究,而国际更注重其在疾病治疗、药物设计等方面的应用研究。     

对我国公立医院集团相关研究的文献分析

目的:对我国公立医院集团的相关研究进行文献分析,找出特点与重要结论进行归纳。方法:通过适宜的文献检索策略,在相关数据库获取合适的文献,根据文献研究的要求,对其进行分析汇总。结果:筛选确定18篇实证研究文献、3篇理论研究文献,并根据之前确定的文献分析方法分析其研究内容与结论,通过计量的方式总结目前实证研究的重点,同时通过归纳,总结目前理论研究的成果。结论:医疗机构外部环境、内部环境与合作条件是研究我国公立医院集团的几个最常见的因素。     

哺乳动物对气候变化响应的研究热点演变分析——基于动物学记录（Zoology Record）的文献计量分析

利用Thomson Data Analysis软件对Zoology Record数据库中收录的1942篇哺乳动物对气候变化响应领域的期刊论文做了重点分析。以关键词为核心分析了不同哺乳动物物种、不同地质年代的研究热点分布和研究热点演变,以及2001-2005年、2006-2010年、2011-2015年3个年代段中的研究热点的演变规律。结果显示：进入2000年以后,该领域文献呈现逐年递增;研究热点显示出了较强的物种相关性;不同地质年代对应的物种研究有细微变化;3个文献发表年代段的研究热点显示出了该领域的热点演变规律。     

Moving from Rabies Research to Rabies Control: Lessons from India

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of effective interventions and public recognition of the severity of the problem, rabies continues to suffer neglect by programme planners in India and other low and middle income countries. We investigate whether this state of 'policy impasse' is due to, at least in part, the research community not catering to the information needs of the policy makers. METHODS #ENTITYSTARTX00026; FINDINGS: Our objective was to review the research output on rabies from India and examine its alignment with national policy priorities. A systematic literature review of all rabies research articles published from India between 2001 and 2011 was conducted. The distribution of conducted research was compared to the findings of an earlier research prioritization exercise. It was found that a total of 93 research articles were published from India since 2001, out of which 61% consisted of laboratory based studies focussing on rabies virus. Animals were the least studied group, comprising only 8% of the research output. One third of the articles were published in three journals focussing on vaccines and infectious disease epidemiology and the top 4 institutions (2 each from the animal and human health sectors) collectively produced 49% of the national research output. Biomedical research related to development of new interventions dominated the total output as opposed to the identified priority domains of socio-politic-economic research, basic epidemiological research and research to improve existing interventions. CONCLUSION: The paper highlights the gaps between rabies research and policy needs, and makes the case for developing a strategic research agenda that focusses on rabies control as an expected outcome.     

三江平原沼泽湿地水系统研究浅析

综述了沼泽湿地水文研究进展,对其水系统研究的地位和作用进行讨论,并综合分析了其主要内容和研究系统,同时对沼泽湿地水系统研究前景提出了展望。     

基于CiteSpace中国海洋生态经济的文献计量分析

以CNKI和CSSCI数据库中1980—2017年的1779篇文献为原始数据,基于文献计量分析方法和文献可视化工具,对海洋生态经济领域的研究成果进行信息挖掘。研究发现:(1)海洋生态经济的研究始于1982年,2009年论文发表数量激增成为学术界的研究热点。(2)狄乾斌、高强、殷克东等在海洋生态经济方面做出了大量研究,中国海洋大学、国家海洋局和辽宁师范大学为主要研究机构,研究机构之间合作联系主要以部门和地域联系为主,跨区域和跨部门的合作有待增强。(3)海洋生态经济的研究热点指向"蓝色经济"、"海洋生态系统协调"、"人海可持续发展"等方向。(4)海洋生态经济研究的综合性不断增强,《海洋开发与管理》是海洋生态经济研究刊文量最多的期刊。     

旅游环境系统研究进展与展望

旅游环境系统是旅游发展的基础,其协调性与完整性对旅游目的地的可持续发展具有重要推动作用。旅游环境系统具有复杂性、动态性与综合性,对人地关系的关注与研究为改善旅游环境系统的功能提供了科学依据,对旅游环境系统的研究体现了众多学者对旅游可持续发展领域达成的科学共识。文章从旅游环境系统的内涵、指标体系、量化模型、管理工具、应用研究等角度,对国内外学者的旅游环境系统的研究现状分析;根据其研究的不足,提出旅游环境系统研究展望,以期对提升旅游环境系统质量的进一步研究提供理论参考。     

On the Alleged Right to Participate in High‐Risk Research

Reigning regulatory frameworks for biomedical research impose on researchers and research ethics committees an obligation to protect research participants from risks that are unnecessary, disproportionate to potential research benefits, and non‐minimized. Where the research has no potential to produce results of direct benefit to the subjects and the subjects are unable to give consent, these requirements are strengthened by an additional condition, that risks should not exceed a certain minimal threshold. In this article, I address the question of whether there should be limits of permissible risks in non‐therapeutic research involving competent and healthy subjects. Some commentators argue that competent and informed individuals should have a right to participate even in extremely risky research and that research ethics committees should never reject studies because they are too dangerous. To use David Shaw's expression, competent volunteers should have ‘a right to participate in high‐risk research’. I argue that this idea is ill‐founded, as it does not take into account the social mission and complex collaborative nature of research practice as well as the inequity of power between researchers and subjects. Imposition of limits on permissible risks for healthy volunteers is justified by the need to protect research enterprise and the need to protect the weaker party, namely the subjects. Also, I suggest that the best way to set boundaries on research risks is to leave the judgment of risk acceptability to research ethics committees.