Issues In Life Sciences Research Articles

The DNA threat probing of some chromophores using UV/VIS spectroscopy

Chromosphere such as triaryl methane family of dyes used in various industries can affect the body of living organism system upon the interaction with the most biochemical molecule is the DNA. In this research, the binding mode of triaryl methane family of chromophore dyes that is Bromothymol blue, Bromophenol blue, Bromocresol green and Malachite green with double strand DNA in phosphate buffer at pH 6.9 was investigated through UV/VIS spectroscopy. The study shows that Bromothymol blue undergo non covalent interaction with DNA, bromocresol green interact through groove binding and malachite green and bromophenol blue interact through intercalative and partially through electrostatic mode of interaction with DNA. The studies on the binding nature of chemicals/dyes, which are regarded as small molecules to DNA are important and fundamental issues in life sciences. These dyes were found to be more toxic and care should be taken during disposing them off. Proper disposal of these dyes is needed for safe environment and healthy life.

Accelerated neuronal aging in vitro ∼melting watch ∼.

In developed countries, the aging of the population and the associated increase in age-related diseases are causing major unresolved medical, social, and environmental matters. Therefore, research on aging has become one of the most important and urgent issues in life sciences. If the molecular mechanisms of the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases are elucidated, we can expect to develop disease-modifying methods to prevent neurodegeneration itself. Since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), there has been an explosion of disease models using disease-specific iPSCs derived from patient-derived somatic cells. By inducing the differentiation of iPSCs into neurons, disease models that reflect the patient-derived pathology can be reproduced in culture dishes, and are playing an active role in elucidating new pathological mechanisms and as a platform for new drug discovery. At the same time, however, we are faced with a new problem: how to recapitulate aging in culture dishes. It has been pointed out that cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells are juvenile, retain embryonic traits, and may not be fully mature. Therefore, attempts are being made to induce cell maturation, senescence, and stress signals through culture conditions. It has also been reported that direct conversion of fibroblasts into neurons can reproduce human neurons with an aged phenotype. Here, we outline some state-of-the-art insights into models of neuronal aging in vitro. New frontiers in which stem cells and methods for inducing differentiation of tissue regeneration can be applied to aging research are just now approaching, and we need to keep a close eye on them. These models are forefront and intended to advance our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of aging and contribute to the development of novel therapies for human neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging.

A design process for developing agricultural life science‐focused model eliciting activities

AbstractAgricultural life science topics include but are not limited to (1) agriculture and the environment, (2) culture, society, and economy, and (3) energy. These topics have potential to come up during mathematics and science instruction and offer learning opportunities. One way for agricultural life science topics to be part of such instruction is through tasks that encourage problem solving. Model‐eliciting activities (MEAs) are tasks that promote problem solving, draw upon real‐life experiences, and have potential to engage in learning across multiple disciplines. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a qualitative, exploratory multiple case study. It answers the research question: What are important design features when developing Agricultural Life Science MEAs? Results from this study provide a viable roadmap as an approach to develop MEAs that address Agricultural Life Science issues. This roadmap includes six stages: problem identification, assessing developmental readiness, identifying potential engagement in the MEA, considering pedagogical supports, practitioner reviews, and finally field testing.

Public perception of urban companion animals during the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

This paper responds to the increasing concern regarding the role of non-human life in shaping urban space by exploring the public perception of urban companion animals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China. We argue that the public's perception of urban companion animals during emerging infectious disease outbreaks is related to medical and life science issues and reflects the political, economic, and emotional struggles involved in human-animal multispecies cohabitation. We find that the public has mainly followed and reconstructed medical discourses about the risk of companion animal-to-human transmission and discussed sustainable ethical animal practices in urban public health emergency management during the COVID-19 outbreak. Concerns regarding the risk of companion animal-related infection reflect the increasing prominence of more-than-human families, the pet industry, and multispecies leisure conflicts in public space in Chinese cities. The public's attention to animal ethics has prompted Chinese policy makers to adopt a more morally acceptable model for urban public health emergency management that can be sustained and supported by responsible non-governmental organizations and ethical urban residents.

Multiple sensitive estimation and optimal sample size allocation in the item sum technique.

For surveys of sensitive issues in life sciences, statistical procedures can be used to reduce nonresponse and social desirability response bias. Both of these phenomena provoke nonsampling errors that are difficult to deal with and can seriously flaw the validity of the analyses. The item sum technique (IST) is a very recent indirect questioning method derived from the item count technique that seeks to procure more reliable responses on quantitative items than direct questioning while preserving respondents' anonymity. This article addresses two important questions concerning the IST: (i) its implementation when two or more sensitive variables are investigated and efficient estimates of their unknown population means are required; (ii) the determination of the optimal sample size to achieve minimum variance estimates. These aspects are of great relevance for survey practitioners engaged in sensitive research and, to the best of our knowledge, were not studied so far. In this article, theoretical results for multiple estimation and optimal allocation are obtained under a generic sampling design and then particularized to simple random sampling and stratified sampling designs. Theoretical considerations are integrated with a number of simulation studies based on data from two real surveys and conducted to ascertain the efficiency gain derived from optimal allocation in different situations. One of the surveys concerns cannabis consumption among university students. Our findings highlight some methodological advances that can be obtained in life sciences IST surveys when optimal allocation is achieved.

Electrochemical insights into bacterial respiration upon polarized substrates: A proposal for tricking bacteria and compelling them to exhibit desired activities

Based on similarities between bacterial respiration and electrodic processes, we here present some propositions about microbial activities in electrochemical systems, which justify why microorganisms could interact with polarized surfaces and how these interactions could potentially be utilized for bioengineering as well as life science issues. In this paper, using a potentiodynamic polarization approach, the polarity effect on the bioelectrocatalytic response of a facultative anaerobe, viz. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was scrutinized. The investigations revealed that under the anodic regime, both respiratory options (aerobic and anaerobic) are available and the positively charged electrode could provide a suitable niche for bacterial growth. Microscopic observations illustrated that under such a circumstance, it is possible to electrochemically stimulate the bacterial cells on the polarized surfaces. Under cathodic polarization, the electrode serves as electron-source, and by decreasing the system impedance, the microorganism is able to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction. Finally, a general insight was achieved and the phenomena were discussed in detail from physico-electrochemical viewpoint.

Review of alignment and SNP calling algorithms for next-generation sequencing data.

Application of the massive parallel sequencing technology has become one of the most important issues in life sciences. Therefore, it was crucial to develop bioinformatics tools for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data processing. Currently, two of the most significant tasks include alignment to a reference genome and detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In many types of genomic analyses, great numbers of reads need to be mapped to the reference genome; therefore, selection of the aligner is an essential step in NGS pipelines. Two main algorithms-suffix tries and hash tables-have been introduced for this purpose. Suffix array-based aligners are memory-efficient and work faster than hash-based aligners, but they are less accurate. In contrast, hash table algorithms tend to be slower, but more sensitive. SNP and genotype callers may also be divided into two main different approaches: heuristic and probabilistic methods. A variety of software has been subsequently developed over the past several years. In this paper, we briefly review the current development of NGS data processing algorithms and present the available software.

Advances in polarization sensitive multiphoton nano-bio-imaging

In this talk, we shall shortly review four main directions of ongoing research in our laboratories, directed at the conception and demonstration of a variety of innovative configurations in nanoscale multiphoton imaging. A common feature to all of these directions appears to be the central role played by the involvement of polarization features, both in- and outgoing, moreover so in view of the tensorial aspects inherent to nonlinear schemes such second-harmonic generation, electro-optic modulation or two-photon fluorescence which will ne emphasized. These advances relate to the new domain of nonlinear ellipsometry in multiphoton imaging (1), of high relevance to fundamental aspects of nanophotonics and nanomaterial engineering as well as towards basic life science issues. The four domains to be shortly reported are: a) polarization resolved second-harmonic generation in semiconductor QD's with record small sizes in the 10-12 nm range (2) b) original use of two-photon confocal polarization resolved microscopy in DNA stained by two photon fluorescent dyes in different LC phases arrangements so as to characterize these as well as ascertain the respective DNA-dye orientation (intercalant or groves) (3) c) elaboration and demonstration of an electrooptic confocal microscope in a highly sensitive interferometric and homodyne detection configuration allowing to map weak electric potentials such as in artificial functionalized membranes, the dynamical investigation of firing and propagation aspects of action potentials in neurones being currently the next step (4) d) original plasmon based enhanced nanoscale confocal imaging involving a dual detection scheme (fluorescence imaging and ATR plasmon coupling in reflection) whereby adequate preparation and switching of the incoming polarization state between radial, linear and azimuthal configurations, entail different images and plasmon enhancement levels (5).

Meeting highlight: BioVision

AbstractWith 125 speakers, 30 thematic debates, 8 debate dinners and over 3000 participants, BioVision 2009 (March 8–11, 2009, Lyon, France) offered ample food for thoughts for scientists and policy makers alike. BioVision fosters the dialogue between scientists, civil society, industrialists and policy makers for concrete solutions concerning major issues in Life Sciences.

An empirical Lotka-Volterra system for competition dynamics in the telecommunication sector of Sri Lanka

The objective of the present research is to build an empirical Lotka-Volterra system using real-time data and information from two telecommunication service providers of Sri Lanka. The temporal change in market share of the two service providers was modelled by logistic population growth equation of which the coefficients were used as initial values to developing the competition system. Results show that the mobile telecom service providers and the fixed telephone service providers of Sri Lanka are in the process of reaching long-run stable coexistence equilibrium where they would own 83% and 17% shares of the market, respectively. The experimental procedure applied in the present research shows a path to linking mathematical models and economic theories with real-time information to build empirical models that address contemporary issues in life sciences for decision making.

Bioethics in Eastern Europe: a difficult birth.

Bioethics as it stands today is a typically American product, but whether it can be spread across the globe as easily as Coca-Cola remains to be seen. Historically, we can observe that the internationalization of bioethics has taken place in a form of concentric waves beginning in the United States and encompassing increasingly new territories having older roots. Born in the 1960s, bioethics as the study of ethical issues in life sciences began to permeate the Anglo-Saxon world. Ten years later it penetrated countries with developed liberal democratic traditions and remnants of the different Protestant attitudes to life where issues such as patients' rights, abortion, euthanasia, eugenics quickly started to appear frequently in newspapers, magazines, and on television. Then in the '80s the bioethics wave swept into the European community, and by the end of the '80s and early '90s bioethics advanced timidly into Eastern Europe. Because the difficult birth of bioethics in Eastern Europe is not widely known, the purpose here is to provide a perspective of that development, including its struggle with a totalitarian legacy, as well as to offer some comments as to how current cultural gaps between East and West, and especially between the Western and Orthodox worlds, might be bridged.