An analysis of the work and tasks of the microbiology laboratory at a multidisciplinary research institute

The comparative analysis of the work of 3 groups of microbiologists at a multiple-discipline clinical research institute has permitted the development of the method for the evaluation of the work of researchers in the microbiological laboratory. The volume of investigations carried out in the laboratory, the relative significance of individual samples of clinical material, the degree of contamination of the samples under study, the level of the identification of microbes and the analysis of the data obtained in the course of investigations have been used as evaluation criteria. The method may be used for the objective quantitative evaluation of the work and the level of professional training of individual researchers, as well as for the calculation of expenditures in materials and time, necessary for performing investigations. According to the data of the analysis carried out by the authors with the use of the proposed method, the work of scientific-practical groups at the institutions of this category holds the greatest promise.     

Moral considerations in body donation for scientific research: a unique look at the University of Tennessee's anthropological research facility

This paper discusses keys to the moral procurement, treatment and disposition of remains used for scientific research, specifically those donated to the University of Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility (ARF). The ARF is an outdoor laboratory dedicated to better understanding the fate of human remains in forensic contexts, and focuses its research on decomposition, time since death estimates, body location and recovery techniques, and skeletal analysis. Historically, many donations were unclaimed bodies received from medical examiners (although it will be shown that this trend is changing), and it has been argued that the use of the unclaimed bodies for medical or scientific purposes is a violation of autonomy since no consent was given by the individual. It is argued here, however, that the domain of autonomous choice extends to one's own corpse only insofar as expressed wishes are made known prior to one's death, and that in the absence of expressed intent toward final disposition, it is acceptable for institutions to receive donations from medical examiners or family members. This paper also discusses other philosophical issues related to donation, consent and autonomy, and the forensic benefits of research conducted at the Anthropological Research Facility.     

A history of scientific research at Loch Leven,Kinross, Scotland

Loch Leven is a large, shallow lake in lowland Scotland, UK. Scientific research began here almost 200 years ago. Early research characterised the biodiversity and physical characteristics of the loch, providing an important historical background for future research. In the mid-1960s, this ad hoc approach was superseded by a more structured research programme under the umbrella of the International Biological Programme. This was the beginning of the Loch Leven long-term monitoring programme. Today, the results of these studies form one of the longest and most comprehensive limnological datasets for shallow freshwater lakes in the world, comprising more than 500 physical, chemical and biological variables collected at two-weekly intervals. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the start of the long term monitoring programme, and to highlight the scientific investigations still being conducted at Loch Leven, the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) organised a symposium entitled “Loch Leven: 40 years of scientific research” in Kinross, Scotland, UK, on 11 December 2008. This examined the role of long-term monitoring in developing our understanding of the links between pollution, climate change and ecological responses in shallow lakes. This article introduces a series of papers summarising the scientific results presented at this meeting.     

Ethical muscle and scientific interests: a role for philosophy in scientific research

Ethics, a branch of philosophy, has a place in the regulatory framework of human subjects research. Sometimes, however, ethical concepts and arguments play a more central role in scientific activity. This can happen, for example, when violations of research norms are also ethical violations. In such a situation, ethical arguments can be marshaled to improve the quality of the scientific research. I explore two different examples in which philosophers and scientists have used ethical arguments to plead for epistemological improvements in the conduct of research. The first example deals with research dishonesty in pharmaceutical development. The second example is concerned with neuropsychological research using fMRI technology.     

科学研究五十年的点滴体会

邹承鲁教授是中国科学院院士。本文是作者在 50多年科学研究工作中的经验、心得和体会 ,是难得的一篇好文章。我们推荐给读者 ,相信会得到读者的好评。     

Cognitive impairments and cancer chemotherapy: Translational research at a crossroads

Cancer chemotherapy is often associated with cognitive deficits which may remain after the treatment has ended. As more people survive cancer, concern is increasing about the impact of these problems with memory and executive function when they return to everyday life. When chemotherapeutic drugs are administered to healthy animals in dosing regimens modeling those used in humans, cognitive deficits also occur, and these preclinical studies can provide information about the biological mechanisms by which the cancer fighting drugs affect the brain. Evidence from animal studies points to damage to hippocampus, particularly a disruption of neurogenesis, whereas human studies emphasize cognitive deficits associated with impairments in frontal cortical function. This discrepancy may be due more to the tasks selected by researchers, and the choice of biochemical endpoints than inherently different effects of chemotherapy in humans and rodents. These differences in approach must be reconciled if common underlying mechanisms are to be identified, with the hope of leading to novel drug or non-pharmacological treatments. This may be achieved by broadening the scope of human and animal studies, and by looking outside the topic of chemotherapy-induced cancer deficits to learn from the advances being made by studying the effects of stress and somatic disease on brain function, and the cognitive impairments now recognized to result from a wide range of mental and physical illnesses.