Patent Office as Biosecurity Gatekeeper: Fostering Responsible Science and Building Public Trust in DIY Science, 10 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 423 (2011)

When the fields of intellectual property law and biotechnology intersect, most analysis is driven byeconomic and ethical issues. This article examines these factors, but in relation to the emerging security threat posed by biohackers, or do-it-yourself (“DIY”) scientists, who operate free from oversight and industry norms at the fringes of the biotechnology community. Public health risks are poised to grow as these citizen-scientists race for lucrative discoveries in the new frontier of syntheticbiology. This article proposes that the existing paradigm adjust accordingly to leverage regulatory compliance from the most ambitious biohackers looking to benefit from patent protection. The U.S. government could bring aspiring entrepreneurial biohackers into the fold by making non-institutional patent applicants undergo Center for Disease Control biosafety training, personnel screening, and lab registration one year prior to receiving patent application eligibility in order to reduce some of the potential risk of these unmonitored labs present

Gender-based perceptions of the 2001 anthrax attacks: Implications for outreach and preparedness

Extensive research dealing with gender-based perceptions of fear of crime has generally found that women express greater levels of fear compared to men. Further, studies have found that women engage in more self-protective behaviors in response to fear of crime, as well as have different levels of confidence in government efficacy relative to men. The majority of these studies have focused on violent and property crime; little research has focused on gender-based perceptions of the threat of bioterrorism. Using data from a national survey conducted by ABC News / Washington Post, this study contrasted perceptions of safety and fear in response to anthrax attacks among male and female respondents. Results indicated some gender differences in perceptions and responses to possible anthrax exposure, although not all achieved statistical significance. Results are discussed in relation to their implications for criminological theory, security and bioterrorism preparedness

Supercritical Water Gasification: Practical Design Strategies and Operational Challenges for Lab-Scale, Continuous Flow Reactors

Optimizing an industrial-scale supercritical water gasification process requires detailed knowledge of chemical reaction pathways, rates, and product yields. Laboratory-scale reactors are employed to develop this knowledge base. The rationale behind designs and component selection of continuous flow, laboratory-scale supercritical water gasification reactors is analyzed. Some design challenges have standard solutions, such as pressurization and preheating, but issues with solid precipitation and feedstock pretreatment still present open questions. Strategies for reactant mixing must be evaluated on a system-by-system basis, depending on feedstock and experimental goals, as mixing can affect product yields, char formation, and reaction pathways. In-situ Raman spectroscopic monitoring of reaction chemistry promises to further fundamental knowledge of gasification and decrease experimentation time. High-temperature, high-pressure spectroscopy in supercritical water conditions is performed, however, long-term operation flow cell operation is challenging. Comparison of Raman spectra for decomposition of formic acid in the supercritical region and cold section of the reactor demonstrates the difficulty in performing quantitative spectroscopy in the hot zone. Future designs and optimization of SCWG reactors should consider well-established solutions for pressurization, heating, and process monitoring, and effective strategies for mixing and solids handling for long-term reactor operation and data collection

Melatonin Chimeras Alter Reproductive Development and Photorefractoriness in Siberian Hamsters

Nightly melatonin (MEL) durations > 8 h provoke gonadal regression and decreases in body mass, whereas signals < 7 h stimulate gonadal and somatic growth in male Siberian hamsters. The authors sought to determine the minimum frequency of short MEL signals sufficient to induce the long-day phenotype in several photoperiodic traits. D,L-propranolol (hereafter propranolol) injections shortened MEL signals on the night of treatment without altering MEL on the subsequent night; this permitted interpolation of short MEL signals at variable frequencies against a background of long MEL signals (chimeras). Hamsters kept in short days (10 h light/day, 10L) were injected with propranolol 6 h after dark onset for 28 consecutive weeks beginning at 30 days of age (Week 0) either every other day or once every 3, 6, or 9 days. Control animals were injected with saline or with propranolol during the light phase or were transferred to long days (16L) at Week 0. Hamsters in 16L underwent rapid gonadal development and increases in body mass and displayed summer pelage color, as did hamsters treated with propranolol every other day. Animals treated with propranolol less frequently than every other day uniformly maintained undeveloped gonads and winter-like body weights, but pelage color becameproportionately darker with increased frequency of propranolol treatments. The onset of spontaneous testicular development in 10L was unaffected by propranolol injections. After termination of injections at Week 28, testicular regression was not observed in most 10L animals that previously had undergone spontaneous testicular development; however, 40% of hamsters that had been injected with propranolol every 3rd night did manifest the winter phenotype after Week 28. In an alternating sequence, short MEL signals completely override long signals and induce the summer phenotype. Threshold frequencies differ for MEL stimulation of long-day pelage and gonadal phenotypes. The timing and development of refractoriness to MEL does not depend in any simple manner on the number of long MEL signals or on the accumulation of a reaction product produced by long, and depleted by short, MEL signals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67291/2/10.1177_074873098129000345.pd

The Structure of the Fusion Glycoprotein of Newcastle Disease Virus Suggests a Novel Paradigm for the Molecular Mechanism of Membrane Fusion

AbstractBackground: Membrane fusion within the Paramyxoviridae family of viruses is mediated by a surface glycoprotein termed the “F”, or fusion, protein. Membrane fusion is assumed to involve a series of structural transitions of F from a metastable (prefusion) state to a highly stable (postfusion) state. No detail is available at the atomic level regarding the metastable form of these proteins or regarding the transitions accompanying fusion.Results: The three-dimensional structure of the fusion protein of Newcastle disease virus (NDV-F) has been determined. The trimeric NDV-F molecule is organized into head, neck, and stalk regions. The head is comprised of a highly twisted β domain and an additional immunoglobulin-like β domain. The neck is formed by the C-terminal extension of the heptad repeat region HR-A, capped by a four-helical bundle. The C terminus of HR-A is encased by a further helix HR-C and a 4-stranded β sheet. The stalk is formed by the remaining visible portion of HR-A and by polypeptide immediately N-terminal to the C-terminal heptad repeat region HR-B. An axial channel extends through the head and neck and is fenestrated by three large radial channels located approximately at the head–neck interface.Conclusion: We propose that prior to fusion activation, the hydrophobic fusion peptides in NDV-F are sequestered within the radial channels within the head, with the central HR-A coiled coil being only partly formed. Fusion activation then involves, inter alia, the assembly of a complete HR-A coiled coil, with the fusion peptides and transmembrane anchors being brought into close proximity. The structure of NDV-F is fundamentally different than that of influenza virus hemagglutinin, in that the central coiled coil is in the opposite orientation with respect to the viral membrane

Fuser Deeper Dive (Mediation & Use Cases)

This presentation gets into a detailed level of how things are processed in the Fuser, providing some specific challenges and solutions

The plankton, aerosol, cloud, ocean ecosystem mission status, science, advances

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission represents the National Aeronautics and Space Administration\u27s (NASA) next investment in satellite ocean color and the study of Earth\u27s ocean-atmosphere system, enabling new insights into oceanographic and atmospheric responses to Earth\u27s changing climate. PACE objectives include extending systematic cloud, aerosol, and ocean biological and biogeochemical data records, making essential ocean color measurements to further understand marine carbon cycles, food-web processes, and ecosystem responses to a changing climate, and improving knowledge of how aerosols influence ocean ecosystems and, conversely, how ocean ecosystems and photochemical processes affect the atmosphere. PACE objectives also encompass management of fisheries, large freshwater bodies, and air and water quality and reducing uncertainties in climate and radiative forcing models of the Earth system. PACE observations will provide information on radiative properties of land surfaces and characterization of the vegetation and soils that dominate their reflectance. The primary PACE instrument is a spectrometer that spans the ultraviolet to shortwave-infrared wavelengths, with a ground sample distance of 1 km at nadir. This payload is complemented by two multiangle polarimeters with spectral ranges that span the visible to near-infrared region. Scheduled for launch in late 2022 to early 2023, the PACE observatory will enable significant advances in the study of Earth\u27s biogeochemistry, carbon cycle, clouds, hydrosols, and aerosols in the ocean-atmosphere-land system. Here, we present an overview of the PACE mission, including its developmental history, science objectives, instrument payload, observatory characteristics, and data products