What women who use drugs have to say about ethical research: findings of an exploratory qualitative study

Drug users are generally seen as a vulnerable population requiring special protection in research; however, to date there has been little empirical research into the ethics of research with illicit drug users. Moreover, the available research has tended to treat "drug users" as a homogeneous category, and has failed to consider potential gender differences in users' experiences. Drawing on focus groups with twenty-seven female drug users in Vancouver, Canada, this study examines women's experiences of research and what they see as ethical and respectful engagement. Many study participants talked about feeling dehumanized as a result of prior research participation. Women were critical of the assumption that drug users lack the capacity to take part in research, and affirmed the appropriateness of financial incentives. A variety of motivations for research participation were identified, including a desire for financial gain and altruistic concerns such as a desire to help others. These findings suggest that women drug users' views on ethical research differ from prevailing assumptions among institutional review boards about how research with such populations should proceed.     

蝗虫肠道微生物研究进展

蝗虫自古以来是我国农林牧业的一大害虫,蝗虫聚集成灾对农业造成了巨大的损失,国内外学者也因此对其进行了深入的研究。随着科研工作者对昆虫肠道微生态学理论的逐渐重视,蝗虫的肠道微生物也成为了研究的重点,同时测序技术的迅速发展促进了蝗虫肠道微生物的研究。本文从蝗虫肠道菌群的多样性、功能及研究方法入手,对近年来蝗虫肠道微生物的研究进展进行总结,并对今后的研究进行展望。     

Plant biotechnology in South Africa: Micropropagation research endeavours, prospects and challenges

Research in plant biotechnology is playing a crucial role in the production and conservation of plant-based resources globally. Being a country with rich and diverse floral resources, South Africa has a genuine opportunity to develop efficient and competitive plant biotechnology sectors. South Africa has a policy framework, in the form of a National Biotechnology Strategy that supports biotechnology research. The presence of competitive research infrastructure coupled with the government's willingness to commit significant resources will certainly help realise this. South Africa's plant biotechnology research has potential to make more significant contributions to the national economy. In this review, whilst highlighting the success, the research endeavours, prospects and challenges hindering the practical application of micropropagation research outputs are discussed.     

Scientific misconduct and research integrity for the bench scientist

This paper describes the role of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), a component of the Public Health Service (PHS), in defining scientific misconduct in research supported with PHS funds and in establishing standards for responding to allegations of misconduct. The principal methods by which ORI exercises its responsibilities in this area are defining what types of behaviors undertaken by research investigators constitute misconduct, overseeing institutional efforts to investigate and report misconduct, and recommending to the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) PHS administrative actions when misconduct is identified. ORI also takes affirmative steps to promote research integrity through education, training, and other initiatives. The role of the research institution in responding to misconduct and promoting research integrity is complementary and overlapping with ORI's efforts but, as the employer of research investigators and front-line manager of the research, the institution has a greater opportunity to promote the highest standards of integrity in the day-to-day conduct of research. Finally, legal precedent established through civil litigation has played an important role in defining the standards that apply in determining when a breach of research integrity has occurred.     

乳糖酶研究进展

乳糖酶作为乳品添加剂,应用相当广泛,通过来源及其性质、基础研究和应用等方面对乳糖酶进行综述,重点介绍乳糖酶研究上的新进展和应用的新领域,由于近年来低温乳糖酶成为研究热点,特别对低温乳糖酶的研究进行介绍.     

国内外产业共生网络研究比较述评

产业共生网络是指基于物质及能量交换以及知识及基础设施共享而形成的在不同产业主体之间的合作共赢网络,是产业转型升级的重要保障。作为产业共生的运作方式,产业共生网络的研究国外从20世纪90年代开始从概念到实例就展开了一系列探讨,国内自2002年也开始在网络结构等方面开展相关研究。尤其在2008年以后,产业共生网络的研究方向不断拓宽,研究成果丰富多样。为明晰国内外产业共生网络研究的发展态势,促进产业共生网络理论体系的发展并使其得到有效应用。本文从共生网络内涵、结构、功能及评价、演化、管理调控等方面比较分析了国内外产业共生网络的研究进展,并对产业共生网络的发展前景做了展望。未来产业共生网络研究在不同尺度的比较及推演、数据信息平台的搭建以及产业共生网络演化模拟及管理调控的耦合等方面需重点关注。     

Daniel I.C. Wang: a tribute to an inspirational leader and colleague

Daniel I.C. Wang has been an influential leader of the biotechnology industry over the past four decades through his inspirational research activities, the legions of students and other researchers that have studied under him, his development of many research and educational initiatives, both nationally and internationally, and the advice he has given worldwide to companies, research institutions, universities, and governments. He has played an important role in the mentoring and nurturing of junior faculty members, and has been a supportive collaborator in research and teaching. This two-part article provides a brief overview of Danny Wang's many contributions to furthering the global development of biotechnology, with particular emphasis on his recent activities in Asia, and concludes with an account of his research collaborations with the author over the past two decades.     

Research vulnerability: an illustrative case study from the South African mining industry

The concept of 'vulnerability' is well established within the realm of research ethics and most ethical guidelines include a section on 'vulnerable populations'. However, the term 'vulnerability', used within a human research context, has received a lot of negative publicity recently and has been described as being simultaneously 'too broad' and 'too narrow'. The aim of the paper is to explore the concept of research vulnerability by using a detailed case study - that of mineworkers in post-apartheid South Africa. In particular, the usefulness of Kipnis's taxonomy of research vulnerability will be examined. In recent years the volume of clinical research on human subjects in South Africa has increased significantly. The HIV and TB pandemics have contributed to this increase. These epidemics have impacted negatively on the mining industry; and mining companies have become increasingly interested in research initiatives that address these problems. This case study explores the potential research vulnerability of mineworkers in the context of the South African mining industry and examines measures that can reduce this vulnerability.     

基于Citespace软件的生态风险知识图谱分析

伴随着重大环境事件频发,环境污染、生态破坏现象的日益严峻,生态风险研究受到各国学者和政府的广泛关注。对整个生态风险研究领域进行全面系统的分析,旨在探究研究热点及趋势,归纳研究主题演进,了解当前国际研究现状。以Web of Science数据库为数据源,利用Citespace软件,绘制生态风险研究知识图谱,进行文献可视化分析。研究发现:(1)国际生态风险研究的发文数量经历了缓慢增长-平稳增长-迅速增长3个阶段;(2)生态风险研究分为奠基期,成长期,拓展期3个阶段,各阶段研究热点不同,当前研究热点是"空间分布、生态系统服务、城市土壤、源解析、海洋沉积物";(3)生态风险研究由单一风险源、风险受体、小尺度的评价演化为多种风险源、多种风险受体的大尺度综合评价;(4)欧美国家、学者奠定了该领域的研究基础,中国起步较晚但发展迅速。     

Advocacy groups as research organizations: the PXE International example

Advocacy organizations for genetic diseases are increasingly becoming involved in biomedical research, particularly translational research, in order to meet the needs of the individuals that they serve. PXE International, an advocacy organization for the disease pseudoxanthoma elasticum, provides an example of how research can be accelerated by these groups. It has adopted methods that were pioneered by other advocacy organizations, and has integrated these along with new approaches into franchizable elements. The model has been followed for other conditions and has led to the establishment of a common infrastructure to enable advocacy groups to initiate, conduct and accelerate research.     

Mouse models of neurological disorders—A comparison of heritable and acquired traits

Human neurological disorders include a wide range of illnesses which have a disproportionately high prevalence in the increasingly populous geriatric community. Any research effort directed at discovering the aetiology of neurological disease is greatly enhanced with in vivo models of the disease of interest. Scientific research incorporating the use of mice has advanced rapidly in the last three decades. Relatively simple to breed, maintain and train, mice have many advantages over other species for use in research. More than a century of selective breeding has provided investigators with a rich gene pool and sub-strain diversity from which to choose for their research. Thus the dramatic increase in genetic screening and gene engineering that has occurred in research in recent decades has enabled the generation of a multitude of mouse models. This review discusses the relative utility of mouse models in which a heritable or non-heritable (acquired) manipulation has been used to model a specified trait of a human neurological disorder. The techniques used in deriving useful genetic alterations or modifications and in generating acquired mouse models are outlined with examples of each provided.     

Current achievements using ProteinChip Array technology

Because of its inherent flexibility, the ProteinChip Array platform has demonstrated utility into basic research as well as clinical research. In the domain of basic research, it has been used to examine protein modifications, characterize protein-protein interactions and study signal transduction and enzymatic pathways. In clinical research, it has been used to elucidate and identify biomarkers of disease, and as a platform for predictive medicine.     

Bioreactor landfill technology in municipal solid waste treatment: An overview

In recent years, due to an advance in knowledge of landfill behaviour and decomposition processes of municipal solid waste, there has been a strong thrust to upgrade existing landfill technologies for optimizing these degradation processes and thereafter harness a maximum of the useful bioavailable matter in the form of higher landfill gas generation rates. Operating landfills as bioreactors for enhancing the stabilization of wastes is one such technology option that has been recently investigated and has already been in use in many countries. A few full-scale implementations of this novel technology are gaining momentum in landfill research and development activities. The publication of bioreactor landfill research has resulted in a wide pool of knowledge and useful engineering data. This review covers leachate recirculation and stabilization, nitrogen transformation and corresponding extensive laboratory- and pilot-scale research, the bioreactor landfill concept, the benefits to be derived from this bioreactor landfill technology, and the design and operational issues and research trends that form the basis of applied landfill research.     

沙鼠脑缺血模型特点及应用的研究进展

脑缺血因其高的发病率而成为近年来研究的热点。用于研究脑缺血的动物模型较多,其中沙鼠因大脑基底动脉环先天性发育不完全而成为脑缺血研究的较理想模型。沙鼠脑缺血模型在研究单侧脑缺血和全脑缺血方面都具有独特的优势,在研究脑缺血后脑区的病理变化、再灌注损伤机制及开发脑保护药方面都得到十分广泛的应用。本文针对不同脑缺血模型尤其是沙鼠模型的制作方法、优缺点及应用领域,将近年来国内外相关研究文献进行较为系统的梳理和综述。     

Post-Approval Monitoring and Oversight of U.S.-Initiated Human Subjects Research in Resource-Constrained Countries

The history of human subjects research and controversial procedures in relation to it has helped form the field of bioethics. Ethically questionable elements may be identified during research design, research implementation, management at the study site, or actions by a study’s investigator or other staff. Post-approval monitoring (PAM) may prevent violations from occurring or enable their identification at an early stage. In U.S.-initiated human subjects research taking place in resource-constrained countries with limited development of research regulatory structures, arranging a site visit from a U.S. research ethics committee (REC) becomes difficult, thus creating a potential barrier to regulatory oversight by the parent REC. However, this barrier may be overcome through the use of digital technologies, since much of the world has at least remote access to the Internet. Empirical research is needed to pilot test the use of these technologies for research oversight to ensure the protection of human subjects taking part in research worldwide.     

Glutamate transporter: an unexpected target for some antibiotics

Molecular pain is a relatively new and rapidly expanding research field that represents an advanced step from conventional pain research. Molecular pain research addresses physiological and pathological pain at the cellular, subcellular and molecular levels. These studies integrate pain research with molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, modern electrophysiology and neurobiology. The field of molecular pain research has been rapidly expanding in the recent years, and has great promise for the identification of highly specific and effective targets for the treatment of intractable pain. Although several existing journals publish articles on classical pain research, none are specifically dedicated to molecular pain research. Therefore, a new journal focused on molecular pain research is needed. Molecular Pain, an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal, will provide a forum for molecular pain scientists to communicate their research findings in a targeted manner to others in this important and growing field.     

长期生态研究中的若干重要问题及趋势

长期生态研究（LTER）是对生态过程进行长期的监测,研究各种生态因子的相互作用及生态过程,从而揭示出生态系统和环境的长期变化。为生态系统评价管理提供科学依据。本文探讨了长期生态研究的核心问题及其时空尺度,揭示出长期生态所注重的问题及其对策,并以国际长期生态研究计划为例论述了生态研究所关注的内容并提出了研究的发展趋势,这对中国的长期生态研究及陆地生态系统评价有着积极的指导作用。     

基于学科类别和富集分析的生物安全研究领域学科交叉研究*

随着合成生物学、基因编辑等典型两用性新兴生物技术的发展,生物安全作为一个具有显著交叉性的研究领域引起了国际各界的广泛关注。利用Web of Science数据库的论文数据,基于期刊学科类别分析了生物安全研究的学科交叉现状和时序演化,并采用富集分析方法研究了不同国家的学科交叉倾向差异。结果表明,20世纪以来,生物安全研究与其他学科的交叉融合日益广泛,动植物科学、环境和生态学、社会科学、微生物学、农业科学是其交叉融合最多的学科领域。不同国家生物安全研究的学科交融情况有所差异,欧美主要国家的学科交叉情况对我国有很好的借鉴之处。以期为生物安全特定研究领域的学科交叉研究提供一种新的方法探索,并为强化我国生物安全研究领域学科交叉和探索新的科研方向提供参考。     

MIPortal: a high capacity server for molecular imaging research

The introduction of novel molecular tools in research and clinical medicine has created a need for more refined information management systems. This article describes the design and implementation of such a new information platform: the Molecular Imaging Portal (MIPortal). The platform was created to organize, archive, and rapidly retrieve large datasets using Web-based browsers as access points. The system has been implemented in a heterogeneous, academic research environment serving Macintosh, Unix, and Microsoft Windows clients and has been shown to be extraordinarily robust and versatile. In addition, it has served as a useful tool for clinical trials and collaborative multi-institutional small-animal imaging research.