Role of the undergraduate student research assistant in the new millennium

In this study, we analyze the contribution of the undergraduate student who participates in the process of generating scientific data and developing a research project using Brazilian research as an example. Historically, undergraduate students have performed the critical role of research assistants in developing countries. This aspect has been underappreciated as a means of generating scientific data in Brazilian research facilities. Brazilian educational institutions are facing major age-related generational changes among the science faculty within the next 5-10 yr. A lack of adequate support for graduate students leads to a concern that undergraduates will not be interested in choosing research assistant programs and, subsequently, academic research careers. To remedy this situation it is important to focus on ways to encourage new research careers and enhance university-industry collaborations.     

The joint cardiovascular research profile of the university medical centres in the Netherlands

Biomedical scientific research in the Netherlands has a good reputation worldwide. Quantitatively, the university medical centres (UMCs) deliver about 40?% of the total number of scientific publications of this research. Analysis of the bibliometric output data of the UMCs shows that their research is highly cited. These output-based analyses also indicate the high impact of cardiovascular scientific research in these centres, illustrating the strength of this research in the Netherlands. A set of six joint national cardiovascular research topics selected by the UMCs can be recognised. At the top are heart failure, rhythm disorder research and atherosclerosis. National collaboration of top scientists in consortia in these three areas is successful in acquiring funding of large-scale programs. Our observations suggest that funding national consortia of experts focused on a few selected research topics may increase the international competitiveness of cardiovascular research in the Netherlands.     

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。     

Using the two-hybrid screen in the classroom laboratory

The National Science Foundation and others have made compelling arguments that research be incorporated into the learning of undergraduates. In response to these arguments, a two-hybrid research project was incorporated into a molecular biology course that contained both a lecture section and a laboratory section. The course was designed around specific goals for educational outcomes, including introducing research to a wide range of students, teaching students experimental design and data analysis, and enhancing understanding of course material. Additional goals included teaching students to search genomic databases, to access scientific articles, and to write a paper in scientific format. Graded events tested these goals, and a student evaluation indicated student perception of the project. According to our analysis of the data, the yeast two-hybrid screen was a success: several novel clones were identified; students met expectations on graded lab reports, the poster session, and the final paper; and evaluations indicated that students had achieved the outlined goals. Students indicated on the evaluations that the research project increased their interest in research and greatly improved understanding of the course material. Finally, several students in the course intend to submit the findings of the research project to an undergraduate research journal.     

Medical research; the program of the U.S. Public Health Service

Federal Government expenditures for medical research have increased apace in the last ten years. The increase in federal research funds has stimulated support from private sources; contributions from other than federal sources have doubled. More than half of medical research funds are being used by universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions, and less than one-fourth by laboratories of the Federal Government.Grants-in-aid of research, fellowships and extended training are made on the advice of Advisory Councils made up of leaders in the various research fields. The previous record of research by staffs and faculties of institutions is taken into account. Special attention is given to unknown investigators and small projects. Noninterference with a scientist in the conduct of research is a basic principle of all grants. He may change the direction of his research to pursue promising leads without asking permission. Continuity of grants so that promising projects need not be abandoned at the end of a grant period is given special consideration.     

脑电磁场及脑内源定位的研究进展

本文从物理学的电磁场理论阐述脑电磁场的产生原理;从源的等效偶极子定位和皮层成像方法两个方面回顾了脑内源定位的研究进展;作为脑电的基础性研究,它对临床医学的发展具有积极的推动作用。     

中国荒漠草原的研究态势与热点分析——基于文献计量研究

荒漠草原是我国草原的重要组成部分,对保障粮食安全、生态安全具有极其重要的作用。为了解中国该领域研究态势,运用文献计量方法,基于36年间国内外发表的3651篇论文,分析了发文量、发文来源、被引频次、主要作者、研究机构和研究热点等。结果表明：（1）2000年后关于荒漠草原的论文数量增幅较大,年均发表超160篇,但篇均被引频次、高质量学术期刊发文量和创新性研究成果较少,整体发文质量还有待进一步提高;（2）具有创新性的评价方法和理论研究一直备受关注,而利用荟萃分析方法对某一研究领域进展的分析得到了学者们的认可;（3）韩国栋、宋乃平、卫智军、周广胜等是荒漠草原研究的主要贡献者,内蒙古农业大学和宁夏大学等单位在发文机构合作间的节点上发挥了重要作用,并形成了荒漠草原研究的网络核心,但中文论文研究机构间的合作较英文论文离散程度高,特别是与国外机构的合作相对较少;（4）研究的热点主要集中在人类活动和气候变化对荒漠草原植被-土壤系统的影响、荒漠草原植被生产力及其影响因素、利用孢粉研究植被和环境变迁等方面。未来荒漠草原的研究应加强国内外机构和人员间的合作创新,从多尺度、多维度应用多学科知识、多技术手段,加强人类活动和气候条件相互作用对荒漠草原植物群落结构进化过程、地上与地下生态过程耦联关系、不同营养级之间内在机理的分析和探讨。通过深度挖掘荒漠草原基础数据,以促进高影响力、高质量成果的产出,实现科研成果量变与质变并举、基础研究与实际应用并重,期望能给荒漠草原的相关研究提供借鉴和启发新方向,为中国草地建设和决策提供科学依据。     

美国国立卫生研究院概况

美国国立卫生研究院(the National Institutes of Health,NIH)是美国主要的医学与行为学(medical and behavioral research)研究机构,拥有27个研究所及研究中心和1个院长办公室(office of the director,OD),任务是探索生命本质和行为学方面的基础知识,并充分运用这些知识延长人类寿命,以及预防、诊断和治疗各种疾病和残障。NIH不仅拥有自己的实验室从事医学研究,还通过各种资助方式和研究基金全力支持各大学、医学院校、医院等的非政府科学家及其他国内外研究机构的研究工作,并协助进行研究人员培训,促进医学信息交流。世界一流的科学家在NIH的支持下,自由探索科学问题,取得了辉煌的成就,极大地改善了人类的健康和生存状况。本文旨在介绍NIH的概况、基金管理模式、经费预算等,希望对我国的医学研究事业有所借鉴。     

Research in the garden: Averting the collections crisis

Botanic gardens and arboreta are a vibrant part of the natural history collections community, serving society in areas such as education, recreation, and research. Unfortunately, at the present time dwindling support and advocacy for collections-based reissued search has placed these institutions in the midst of a collections crisis. In this review, I assess the historical importance of living plant collections in supporting research, examine why their research potential is currently unmet, and provide a series of rationales in support of collections-based research. To avert this crisis several things must occur, the most basic of which is stronger advocacy for living collections and the research derived from them. Traditional views of collections management need to be evaluated under new light and the pool of researchers expanded. Formal, on-site programs are not required for collections to be used for research, as off-site scientists can make great contributions. Toward this end, collaborative links between the garden and research communities ought to be enhanced through the pivotal role played by curators and collections managers. Investment in data-management systems are also required to increase collection value and improve the ability to disseminate information to researchers who require it. If provided the necessary leadership and support, living plant collections have great potential to meet future scientific needs.     

Managing the environmental impact of research

The environmental impact of research increasingly needs to be taken into account in design and execution. This makes good financial sense. However, it is especially in the research world as one of the key reasons for doing health research is to improve our knowledge to improve health. Specifically, doing research in a more sustainable way allows us to generate more knowledge with the same resource. Research not only needs to be done increasingly sustainably, but the content of the research needs to direct how we promote health and deliver healthcare in more sustainable ways.     

Social values and scientific evidence: the case of the HPV vaccines

Several have argued that the aims of scientific research are not always independent of social and ethical values. Yet this is often assumed only to have implications for decisions about what is studied, or which research projects are funded, and not for methodological decisions or standards of evidence. Using the case of the recently developed HPV vaccines, we argue that the social aims of research can also play important roles in justifying decisions about (1) how research problems are defined in drug development, (2) evidentiary standards used in testing drug “success”, and (3) clinical trial methodology. As a result, attending to the social aims at stake in particular research contexts will produce more rational methodological decisions as well as more socially relevant science.     

The behavioral research program at the Washington Park Zoo

For the past decade, the Washington Park Zoo, Portland, Oregon, has had an active behavioral research program. The research department is both a zoo-supported research facility for visiting researchers and staff, and an educational facility that teaches practical behavioral research methods to undergraduates. The research education program utilizes students from any of a dozen local colleges and universities. Students receive academic credit for their participation. Active keeper-participation plays a major role in many research projects. Not only does keeper-cooperation facilitate research, but their knowledge of the individual animals often proves invaluable. In addition to involvement in student projects, keepers have also conducted their own research projects.     

现代生物医学研究中医学研究生“大数据”利用能力的培养

科研能力的水平是我国研究生教育质量的重要指标。现代生物医学研究中呈现的"大数据"特点给研究生科研能力培养提出了新的要求。本文在分析"大数据"基本特点和总结医学科研思维模式在"大数据"影响下发生的转变的基础上,对提高医学研究生获取和利用"大数据"信息的能力提出一些具体建议,希望能够推动医学研究生科研能力的培养。     

Research ethics and the challenge of whole-genome sequencing

The recent completion of the first two individual whole-genome sequences is a research milestone. As personal genome research advances, investigators and international research bodies must ensure ethical research conduct. We identify three major ethical considerations that have been implicated in whole-genome research: the return of research results to participants; the obligations, if any, that are owed to participants' relatives; and the future use of samples and data taken for whole-genome sequencing. Although the issues are not new, we discuss their implications for personal genomics and provide recommendations for appropriate management in the context of research involving individual whole-genome sequencing.     

Cytokines 2017 in Kanazawa: Looking beyond the horizon of integrated cytokine research from the sea of Japan

At the 5th Annual meeting of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society held in Kanazawa, Japan from Oct. 29–Nov. 2 2017, new research was presented in the broad field of cytokine and interferon research. The meeting provided an outstanding platform for investigators in basic science and clinical research to communicate, share and discuss their recent findings in this fast moving area of research.     

The history of the Nematology Department at Rothamsted

This is a review of the activities of what rapidly became the leading plant nematology department in the world, based in what was at that time not only the most important but also the most distinguished agricultural research station in the world. We first briefly review the research done in the period under each head of department before recording in more detail some of the long‐term research programmes, including work on potato cyst nematode hatching factors, chemical control and biological control. These strong research activities flourished until the radical funding constraints that were introduced nationally following release of the Rothschild Report in 1973 forced the adoption of various management actions at research stations. The changed pattern of research funding systems, which evolved gradually from 1973 onwards, resulted in a different style of research collaboration and changes in research focus by institutes and their staff. It became fashionable for institutes to have mission statements and these were changed frequently by directors due to the need to respond to funding possibilities. Successive severe and progressive reductions in staffing and, inevitably, outputs culminated in the complete cessation of nematology research at Rothamsted in 2013, even though cutting edge work on biological control and molecular interactions between nematodes and their plant hosts was still being carried out.     

Comments on the sixth report of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC) was established in July 1996, to consider the care, welfare and use of animals involved in procedures for defence research purposes at Defence and Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) establishments in the UK. Two of the objectives of AWAC are to examine the broad trends in animal use at DERA establishments, and to implement and audit the application of the Three Rs principle. AWAC's sixth report addressed the period from 31 October 2000 to 28 February 2002. The statistics of animal use within the report are briefly examined, and some of the actions undertaken by defence research establishments to facilitate the application of the Three Rs are highlighted. It is recommended that, if possible (subject to security constraints), figures detailing the severity of the procedures undertaken should be included in future issues of the report, in order to provide a more-detailed account. It is concluded that Defence Science and Technology Laboratory establishments have made a contribution to the Three Rs, and that other establishments may be able to incorporate some of their actions into their own research programmes. There was an overall 36% increase in the number of procedures carried out by defence research establishments between 1995 and 2000, from 8,900 to 12,065. This probably reflects alterations in the research programme, which is, in turn, decided primarily by the Ministry of Defence's customers and the progress made with previous research programmes. It is therefore recommended that the UK Government allocates significantly more financial resources for the development and validation of alternatives, in order to maximise the potential for achieving the Three Rs in defence research, and to complement the existing initiatives within the defence research industry.     

Graduate education and the role of the physical anthropologist in biomedical teaching and research

There is a place for the physical anthropologist in biomedical teaching and research because of the special and unique skills possessed by this individual. However, eventual success in the health sciences environment requires the student to obtain the knowledge and background for functionally oriented teaching and research. Students interested in a biomedical teaching and research career must prepare themselves methodologically and theoretically. This requires: (1) teaching qualifications, (2) an increased emphasis on methodology and technology, (3) an increased emphasis on research and experimental design, (4) appropriate interdisciplinary courses which provide the background for both teaching and research, (5) increased interaction with graduate faculty active in research, and (6) the latitude to adapt the graduate program to meet these specific needs. Students who finish their graduate training with a marketable skill, and who can apply their unique talents to a specialized area, will have broad appeal in the job market and will considerably strengthen their career opportunities.     

植物硼钙效应及其在细胞壁中互作机制的研究

植物营养元素之间存在着相互作用,其作用机理一直是相关学者研究的重点。硼是植物必需的营养元素,近年来,有关硼与其它元素之间的相关性研究已取得了一系列成果。本文综述了国内外关于植物在不同硼、钙条件下的形态发育、代谢组学、细胞壁果胶网络中的交联机制等方面的研究进展,并对如何充分利用代谢组学手段探究硼钙之间相互作用的机制以及硼钙互作对植物生长发育的调控作用,尤其是两者在细胞壁的互作机制方面的研究进行了展望。