Research Symposium—Aberdeen

ABSTRACT

Background: Climate change may increase the risk of biological invasions. However, current knowledge of this interaction is limited.

Aims: We aimed to quantify (1) the effect of climate change on the potential distribution of invasive plant species in Spain, (2) the importance of the area of origin of such species and (3) the vulnerability of different biogeographic provinces to future changes in climatic suitability for invaders.

Methods: We applied six methods of species distribution modelling to assess the variation of climatically suitable areas for 40 alien plants. We developed a Potential Area Change Index and used it as the response variable in modelling for three future emissions scenarios and three global circulation models over three time periods. The area of origin and biogeographic province in Spain were also considered.

Results: We found a highly specific response for each plant species rather than a clear trend for the entire set of species. Predicted climate suitability increased over higher emission scenarios and longer projected time lags. Neotropical species showed the greatest potential climatic range expansion. We detected a strong interaction between the geographic origin of a species and the biogeographic province.

Conclusions: Special attention should be given to the areas where aridification of climate is projected and where introduced neotropical species are likely to expand their range. Future work should develop accurate species-specific approaches that allow the management invasive plant species.     

Cell Research期刊征订单

CellResearch为中国科学院上海生命科学研究院主办,以全英文刊登国内外细胞生物学及其相关领域的原创性研究论文、综述、快报和述评的国际性期刊。已被Index Medicus,Medline,SCI（SciSearch ISI Web of Science）,BIOSIS,CA,VINIT以及《中国科学引文数据库》、《万方数据库》（光盘版,网络版）、《中国英文版科技期刊数据库》、《中文科技期刊数据库》、《中国学术期刊》（光盘版,网络版）、     

From Research to Practice: Which Research Strategy Contributes More to Clinical Excellence? Comparing High-Volume versus High-Quality Biomedical Research

The question when and to what extent academic research can benefit society is of great interest to policy-makers and the academic community. Physicians in university hospitals represent a highly relevant test-group for studying the link between research and practice because they engage in biomedical academic research while also providing medical care of measurable quality. Physicians’ research contribution to medical practice can be driven by either high-volume or high-quality research productivity, as often pursuing one productivity strategy excludes the other. To empirically examine the differential contribution to medical practice of the two strategies, we collected secondary data on departments across three specializations (Cardiology, Oncology and Orthopedics) in 50 U.S.-based university hospitals served by 4,330 physicians. Data on volume and quality of biomedical research at each department was correlated with publicly available ratings of departments’ quality of care, demonstrating that high-quality research has significantly greater contribution to quality of care than high-volume research.     

可以用作非病毒载体的TB蛋白

康内尔大学医学院(New York,NY)的科研人员们发现了一种叫做侵染素的蛋白,该蛋白可以作为一种试剂向细胞释放疫苗、治疗剂及基因治疗剂。 1993年研究人员成功地克隆了结核(TB)基因,侵染素即为该基因所表达。他们将该基因称作“分枝杆菌入口”(Mycobacterium Entry,MCE),因为侵染素可以通过TB进入哺乳动物细胞。 迄今为止,科研人员们已经发现该蛋白能够包被中空的膝乳珠并将其释放到体细胞中。如果这种珠粒