National Science And Technology Council Research Articles

Microalgal Macular Pigment Alleviated the Pathogenic Process in the Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic ApoE-deficient Mice

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the fastest growing epidemics in human history and characteristic is insulin resistance (IR), and endocrine disorder that promoted to decline in insulin production and inhibit cellular effects. Patients with T2DM would lead to many complications such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic foot, atherosclerosis, vascular inflammation, and hepatogenous diabetes due to hyperglycemia. Even after using medical treatment and lifestyle modifications, it is still hard to achieve the goal of reducing blood glucose to an optimal level. Microalga Chlorella sp., a unicellular green alga that has been used as a health food and nutritional product in the last few decades. Macular pigment (MP) produced by Chlorella sp. consists of rich lutein and zeaxanthin, which are regarded as the antioxidants to hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress. MP is widely used in eye health care, however, few studies focused on scientifically exploring the protection mechanism of MP on diabetes mellitus. Therefore, this study aimed to explore MP extracted from Chlorella on reducing retinopathy and atherosclerosis damages in the diabetic apolipoprotein E deficient mice (ApoE−/−) with high-fat diet feeding and streptozotocin treatment. The results show that MP supplement could significantly reduce glucose tolerance, IR, inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and the serum level of disease markers, i.e., triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TCHO), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the diabetic ApoE−/− mice. In addition, the expression levels of cellular antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased and the adhesion factors as well as MAPK pathway proteins in renal tissues were significantly reduced after MP supplementation. The pathological changes of pancreatic islet morphology, hepatic lipid accumulation, outer nuclear layer and aortic plaque of the diabetic ApoE−/− mice were significantly alleviated by MP supplement. At present, most MP products are derived from marigold, Calendula offcinalis, in the market. However, microalgae cultivation includes the advantages on no seasonal limit, no competition, high yield and carbon reduction compared with other plants. In summary, the microalgal MP improved IR, ameliorated atherosclerosis, and alleviated retinopathy in the diabetic ApoE−/− mice. Consequently, the microalgal MP is potentially to be a healthy food ingredient for the biological effcacy of scavenging free radicals and stabilizing blood glucose. This work was supported by the grants of NSTC 110-2312-B-A49-001-MY3, NSTC 112-2811-B-A49 -501, NSTC 112-2811-B-A49 -503, NSTC 112-2321-B-A49 -018 and NSTC 112-2321-B-A49-005, from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Taiwan. This work was also financially supported by the “Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B)” from The Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project of the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Ministry of Education (MOE), Taiwan. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

A cellular platform for the evaluation of the effect of O-glycan modification on B cell receptor signaling

Abstract The importance of N-glycosylation, a ubiquitous post-translational modification (PTM) of cell-surface and secreted proteins in vertebrates, in the regulation of B cell receptor (BCR) signaling has been well documented. On the other hand, the importance of O-glycosylation, another type of ubiquitous PTM, in B cell function is getting recognized only recently. A simplified system to study the effects of O-glycan modifications in BCR signaling would facilitate the efforts to understand the mechanism of B cell regulation by O-glycans. To this end, we reconstituted BCR components and CD45 with orthogonal self-labeling protein tags in the mouse myeloma J558L cell line, which is deficient in the components of BCR and several co-receptors. The enzymes that modify O-glycans were further introduced, and the cells were subjected to imaging-based quantitative analysis of the distance between BCR and CD45, as well as the evaluation of BCR signaling by Western blotting. Gene expression profiles among the cells were also compared by RNA sequencing. Our study revealed that core 2 branching of O-glycans has minimal effect on the distance between BCR and CD45, whereas the addition of an α2–8-linked sialic acid by ST8Sia-VI reduces the distance between them, facilitating the downstream BCR signaling. Our system may be adapted for the functional evaluation of other PTMs in BCR signaling. Supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)/National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan (MOST 109-2311-B-001-009-MY3)

New security requirements, oversight coming for scientists

A year ago, the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released guidelines designed to make academic research funding more transparent and less vulnerable to foreign interference. In 2023, many of the requirements, which stem from the National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) during the administration of Donald J. Trump, will become reality for scientists and universities seeking federal funding. The first requirement will be new disclosure forms that agencies use to collect information about a principal investigator’s funding sources. The goal is to make those forms—the biographical sketch and a list of current or pending funding—the same across all federal research agencies. The standardization is intended to streamline work for scientists applying for grants and eliminate confusion about what they need disclose to the government. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which brings federal agencies together to work on common issues, put out a call for comment on

Outcomes associated with acute kidney disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Acute kidney disease (AKD) defines the period after kidney damage and it is a critical period of both repair and fibrotic pathways. However, the outcomes of patients with AKD have not been well-defined. In this meta-analysis, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched on July 31,2022. We excluded studies including patients undergoing kidney replacement therapy at enrollment. The data was used to conduct a random-effects model for pool outcomes between patients with AKD and non-AKD (NKD). This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021271773. The search generated 739 studies of which 21 studies were included involving 1,114,012 patients. The incidence rate of community-acquired AKD was 4.60%, 2.11% in hospital-acquired AKD without a prior AKI episode, and 26.11% in hospital-acquired AKD with a prior AKI episode. The all-cause mortality rate was higher in the AKD group (26.54%) than in the NKD group (7.78%) (odds ratio [OR]: 3.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.64 to 4.95, p<0.001, I2=99.11%). The rate of progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) was higher in the AKD group (1.3%) than in the NKD group (0.14%) (OR: 6.58, p<0.001, I2=94.95%). The incident rate of CKD and progressive CKD was higher in the AKD group (37.2%) than in the NKD group (7.45%) (OR:4.22, p<0.001, I2=96.67%). Compared to the NKD group, patients with AKD without prior AKI had a higher mortality rate (OR: 3.00, p<0.001, I2=99.31%) and new-onset ESKD (OR:4.96, 95% CI, p=0.002, I2=97.37%). AKD is common in community and hospitalized patients who suffer from AKI and also occurs in patients without prior AKI. The patients with AKD, also in those without prior AKI had a higher risk of mortality, and new-onset ESKD than the NKD group. This study was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) [grant number, MOST 107-2314-B-002-026-MY3, 108-2314-B-002-058, 110-2314-B-002-241, 110-2314-B-002-239], National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) [grant number, NSTC 109-2314-B-002-174-MY3, 110-2314-B-002-124-MY3, 111-2314-B-002-046, 111-2314-B-002-058], National Health Research Institutes [PH-102-SP-09], National Taiwan University Hospital [109-S4634, PC-1246, PC-1309, VN109-09, UN109-041, UN110-030, 111-FTN0011] Grant MOHW110-TDU-B-212-124005, Mrs. Hsiu-Chin Lee Kidney Research Fund and Chi-mei medical center CMFHR11136. JAN is supported, in part, by grants from the National Institute of Health, NIDDK (R01 DK128208 and P30 DK079337) and NHLBI (R01 HL148448-01).

Comparing National Innovation System among the USA, Japan, and Finland to Improve Korean Deliberation Organization for National Science and Technology Policy

As the Korean government expands the budget for national research and development, the need for an institute that deliberates, coordinates, and operates research development and its budget has increased. In response to these demands, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was recently established. However, to achieve a creative economy, which is the economic system where value is based on novel imaginative qualities rather than the traditional resources of land, labor, and capital, more efficiently, fundamental research regarding the current state of the Korean national administration system of science and technology in Korea is required. Accordingly, this study first analyzes the function and organizational structure of the NSTC in Korea. Second, it investigates the current state of the NSTC in other countries. Finally, the study derives several implications for improving NSTC operation based on the benchmarking study and suggests an operational improvement plan for NSTC with respect to enhancement of function, operation of organization, human resource management, and improvement of the relationships between other departments. The study contributes to analyze the current state of the NSTC in Korea and science and technology (S&amp;T) Councils in other major countries, systematically and in detail. In addition, based on benchmarking study, this study derived operational improvement of NSTC in Korea with four perspectives, including enhancement of function, operation of organization, human resource management, and improvement of the relationships between other departments.

A perspective on bitemark analysis: from empiricism to scientific rationality

Among the numerous missions realized by the forensic odontologist, the morpho-analysis of a human bitemark, both on an alive or dead victim, plays a relevant role since the identification not only affects the victim but also concerns the perpetrator. This analysis requires the forensic odontologist to compare the bitemark left on a victim's skin with teeth that leave a dental impression of the assumed perpetrator of the crime. For over a century, many experts have been working to make bitemark analysis more reliable and improve dental impression recording. Despite these efforts, current bitemark analysis was recently challenged by the U.S. National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) report, which considers that it does not meet the required scientific standards.

Becoming a Space Weather-Ready Nation

Becoming a Space Weather-Ready Nation

Nanotechnology: History and future.

Human dreams and imagination often give rise to new science and technology. Nanotechnology, a 21st-century frontier, was born out of such dreams. Nanotechnology is defined as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between 1 and 100 nm where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Although human exposure to nanoparticles has occurred throughout human history, it dramatically increased during the industrial revolution. The study of nanoparticles is not new. The concept of a ‘‘nanometer’’ was first proposed by Richard Zsigmondy, the 1925 Nobel Prize Laureate in chemistry. He coined the term nanometer explicitly for characterizing particle size and he was the first to measure the size of particles such as gold colloids using a microscope. Modern nanotechnology was the brain child of Richard Feynman, the 1965 Nobel Prize Laureate in physics. During the 1959 American Physical Society meeting at Caltech, he presented a lecture titled, ‘‘There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom’’, in which he introduced the concept of manipulating matter at the atomic level. This novel idea demonstrated new ways of thinking and Feynman’s hypotheses have since been proven correct. It is for these reasons that he is considered the father of modern nanotechnology. Almost 15 years after Feynman’s lecture, a Japanese scientist, Norio Taniguchi, was the first to use ‘‘nanotechnology’’ to describe semiconductor processes that occurred on the order of a nanometer. He advocated that nanotechnology consisted of the processing, separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or one molecule. The golden era of nanotechnology began in the 1980s when Kroto, Smalley, and Curl discovered fullerenes and Eric Drexler of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used ideas from Feynman’s ‘‘There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom’’ and Taniguchi’s term nanotechnology in his 1986 book titled, ‘‘Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology.’’ Drexler proposed the idea of a nanoscale ‘‘assembler’’ which would be able to build a copy of itself and of other items of arbitrary complexity. Drexler’s vision of nanotechnology is often called ‘‘molecular nanotechnology.’’ The science of nanotechnology was advanced further when Iijima, another Japanese scientist, developed carbon nanotubes. The beginning of the 21st century saw an increased interest in the emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. In the United States, Feynman’s stature and his concept of manipulation of matter at the atomic level played an important role in shaping national science priorities. President Bill Clinton advocated for funding of research in this emerging technology during a speech at Caltech on January 21, 2000. Three years later, President George W. Bush signed into law the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. The legislation made nanotechnology research a national priority and created the National Technology Initiative (NNI). Today, the NNI is managed within a framework at the top of which is the President’s Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and its Committee on Technology. The Committee’s Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) is responsible for planning, budgeting, implementation, and review of the NNI and is comprised of representatives from 20 US departments and independent agencies and commissions (Table 1).

New and improved proteomics technologies for understanding complex biological systems: Addressing a grand challenge in the life sciences

This White Paper sets out a Life Sciences Grand Challenge for Proteomics Technologies to enhance our understanding of complex biological systems, link genomes with phenotypes, and bring broad benefits to the biosciences and the US economy. The paper is based on a workshop hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD, 14-15 February 2011, with participants from many federal R&D agencies and research communities, under the aegis of the US National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). Opportunities are identified for a coordinated R&D effort to achieve major technology-based goals and address societal challenges in health, agriculture, nutrition, energy, environment, national security, and economic development.

Nanotechnology: A Coming Clinical Laboratory Revolution

1. Linda L. Williford Pifer, Ph.D.,SM(ASCP), GS(ABB)[⇑][1] 1. University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163 2. Kathleen Kenwright, MS, MT,MP(ASCP) SI 1. University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163 1. Address for Correspondence: Linda L. Williford Pifer, Ph.D., SM(ASCP), GS(ABB) , Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 930 Madison Avenue, Suite 672, Memphis, TN, 38163, 901-448-6338., lpifer{at}uthsc.edu 1. Discuss the history of nanotechnology. 2. Define nanotechnology. 3. Describe the innovative nature and unique features of nanotechnology. 4. List potential applications of nanotechnology in the coming years. “My own judgment is that the nanotechnology revolution has the potential to change America on a scale equal to, if not greater than, the computer revolution.” U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).1 It is imperative that all generations of clinical laboratory scientists understand and appreciate the enormous potential for nanotechnology to solve problems and to improve the quality of our lives and of those receiving medical treatment. These include, but are not limited to, diagnosis, treatment and management of many conditions. Unique insight may be gained into infections, malignancies, genetic errors and enhanced, targeted drug-delivery systems. Nanotechnology is already revolutionizing communications, materials engineering, energy production and approaches to environmental issues. This is a “must know” technology and we need to understand how it will apply to life-changing advances in the clinical laboratory. Nanoscale refers to matter that occupies space equal to one to ten billionths of a meter (one billionth of a meter = 1 nanometer, Table 1). A red blood cell averages 7000 nanometers (nm), and a human hair measures approximately 50,000 nm in diameter.2 One nanometer is approximately equivalent to the diameter of three or four atoms.1 Nanotechnology is defined by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), as research in the range of 1–100 nm.3 One might say that the “nanoworld” lies in the “depths of inner space,” where the properties of matter are no longer what we have been taught. Tensile strength, chemical bonds, and magnetism display uncommon properties. An example would be the enormous strength of… ABBREVIATIONS: nm = nanometer; IBM = International Business Machines (IBM); AFM = atomic force microscope; 1. Discuss the history of nanotechnology. 2. Define nanotechnology. 3. Describe the innovative nature and unique features of nanotechnology. 4. List potential applications of nanotechnology in the coming years. [1]: #corresp-1

DESIGN OF BEAM-FORMING NETWORKS FOR SCANNABLE MULTI-BEAM ANTENNA ARRAYS USING CORPS

This work was supported by the Mexican National Science and Technology Council, CONACyT, under grant J50839-Y and the Science and Technology Council of Tamaulipas Mexico (COTACyT) under Grant 2007-C13-73901.

Nano-materials: Science of bottom-up and top-down

The most frequently used high tech words in the scientific world now are Computer, gene and nanometer. On 29 December 1959, Richard P Feynman [1] gave a talk at the annual meeting of the American Physical society that hasbecome one of the twentieth century’s classic science lectures titled “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”. He presented a technological vision of the miniaturization of materials, manipulating and controlling things on asmall scale called “Nanotechnology”. Feynman visualized a technology using a toolbox of nature to build nano-object by atom by atom or molecule by molecule.Taking into account of the future potential of nanoscience, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of the White House created the interagency working group on Nanoscience,Engineering and Technology (IWGN) in 1998. A grant of $497 million was granted to National Nanotechnology Institute (NNI) in the year 2001 and made it a top science and technology priority. Scientists are already developing nano-applications that will be bringing revolution in a host of products and services like battery storage capacity, computer chip minimization, drug delivery, facial creams, food processing, agricultural insect control, solar energy management and water purification. The United States have decided to spend US $3.7 billion during 2005–2008 and have spent almost US $3 billion during 2002–2005. The European Union will spend US $1.7 billion and the figures for other countries are - Japan (US $3 billion), China (US $240 million), Brazil (US $25 million), India (US $23 million), South Africa (US $6 million) and Argentina (US $10 million) [2].

Panel considers future of U.S. land imaging

A U.S. government interagency working group charged with developing a strategy for the future of U.S. land imaging began eliciting comments from the users of Landsat data at a public workshop held on 26 July in Washington, D.C.The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, in December 2005, announced that it would acquire the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), which for a time had been planned to be part of the National Polarorbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. In addition, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and other government agencies would develop a plan for what to do after Landsat and the LDCM to acquire moderate‐resolution land images.

Quantifying freshwater sustainability through multiscale mapping

The issue of freshwater availability and sustainability within U.S. federal and state governments. For example, a recent report by the U.S. National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) urges the federal government to take new steps to understand freshwater sustainability in the United States [NSTC, 2004]. Although the report refers to ‘availability’—a concept that in the past has applied only to human needs and that implies that a resource may decline or be liquidated—the focus of the report is on ‘sustainability’ as commonly defined in the literature today. Sustainability requires that consumption will not cause a decline or liquidation of freshwater resources.

Developing a federal policy on research misconduct.

Since April 1996, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), in collaboration with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President, has been leading the development of a government-wide Federal policy for research misconduct. The author is a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of Science and Technology Policy and a participant in this process. This paper places the NSTC/OSTP effort in historical context, outlines the process by which the policy will be finalized, and discusses the principal issues raised during the policy development process.

Infectious Disease--A Threat to Global Health and Security

Two months ago the White House adopted a new national public health policy for dealing with ominous threats of emerging and reemerging infections. The policy was based on a report called Infectious Disease—A Global Health Threat , released in September 1995. 1 The policy was initiated by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and is known as NSTC-7. The threats posed by infectious disease have engaged public concern via the media, the cinema, and many serious books and advisory pronouncements during the last several years, 2-6 as well as a new journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases , published quarterly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 7 The January 17,1996, issue of JAMA was a theme issue on the same topic, in cooperation with 35 other medical journals around the world. 8 Last month's headline was BSE (bovine spongiform encephalitis). As we go to press, this month belongs to Cyclospora

Presidential panel endorses U.S. role in Antarctica

The United States must continue its work in Antarctica for both scientific and strategic reasons, the Clinton Administration's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) asserted in a report issued in May. The challenge, however, will be to find a way to keep the knowledge base growing while the budget is shrinking.

White House, Congress Rethink National Earthquake Strategy

For federal policy makers, the devastating 1994 Northridge and 1995 Kobe earthquakes were powerful and costly reminders of the need for an effective national earthquake strategy. This need is further supported by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that the population in the most seismically active regions of the United States will double by the year 2010. Given the immense cost of earthquakes and other natural disasters, both the Clinton Administration and Congress have been considering ways to improve this country's current strategy. Last fall, both the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) released reports on this issue, and FEMA released its first ever national mitigation strategy for all natural hazards. In addition, Congress has begun to consider legislation to revise the existing National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) and retool...

Linking science more closely to policy-making: Global climate change and the national reorganization of science and technology policy

This paper examines the national trends behind recent efforts to link scientific research more closely to policy-making. It discusses the evolution of these efforts within the Clinton Administration in general and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) in particular. The paper describes the politics surrounding the establishment of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and its Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, of which the USGCRP is a part, and concludes with an appraisal of the NSTC and of the “assessments” component of the USGCRP.

At Law: Ethics: Public and Private

Lacking a formal, broadly based deliberative body, United States has had to rely on ad hoc efforts of groups like American Medical Association as means for examining and reaching conclusions about a range of bioethical issues. Despite impetus of an October 1993 Senate hearing on public bioethics ethics policymaking and introduction of Senate Bill S. 1042, [1] momentum toward congressional action on proposals for a new advisory panel has apparently dissipated. Yet several recent developments - in science, in public policy, and in activities of unofficial ethics bodies - serve as reminders of need for prompt legislative action. The most striking signals come in form of new scientific findings whose social and ethical consequences have not been adequately addressed, much less resolved, through existing venues. One example was mid-September announcement that gene implicated in many cases of familial breast cancer (BRCA1) had been discovered.[2] While various groups at National Center for Human Genome Research have worked conscientiously on ethical, social, and legal issues of genome mapping, little public discussion has occurred on such important issues as whether scientists should be able to patent a human gene like BRCAI. Are such questions to be left to Patent Office to resolve on technical grounds? Similarly, what are implications of expected development of means for routine BRCA1-testing for 600,000 American women who may carry defective versions of this gene, especially when they apply for health or life insurance? A National Advisory Commission While constant stream of headline-grabbing scientific developments provides dramatic reminders of absence of answers, a perhaps more compelling reason for congressional action may be White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's proposed charter for a new National Bioethics Advisory Commission.[3] The members of bioethics panel, actually an advisory committee to National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), come from outside government. The president may appoint up to fifteen members, including chairperson, for overlapping four-year terms, with at least three members coming from general public and at least one each from bioethics and theology, social and behavioral science, law, medicine and allied health professions, and biological research. The commission identify broad, overarching principles to govern ethical conduct of research,, but shall not be responsible for review and approval of individual projects. While probably better than nothing, proposed National Bioethics Advisory Commission has three major drawbacks over a legislatively authorized body: mandate, location, and independence. Despite claim that new body would expand work of such predecessors as National Commission for Protection of Human Subjects and President's Commission for Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine, its proposed mandate is vague. The charter concentrates on the bioethical issues arising from research on human biology and behavior, which suggests that commission's existence obviate need for ad hoc panels like those convened recently on such problems as radiation research and experiments with human embryos. Clearly, for reasons both of consistency and of efficiency, a standing body has many advantages, yet Office of Science and Technology Policy does not mention ad hoc panels in justifying National Bioethics Advisory Commission, leaving doubt whether it is conceived as a substitute for problem-specific bodies. The Office of Science and Technology Policy candidly admits doubt about how best to define scope of commission's charge to meet public needs for deliberation of bioethical issues without being so broad as to limit its effectiveness. …