An attempt to fathom out why Hamsters love PLoS...

My package from Razzle, sorry Zazzle arrived at work this morning.

This post by Bora aka Coturnix on 17th Nov essentially set the scene.

Closely followed by this FriendFeed thread:-



And without any further ado, here is my cool PLoS hoodie:-



FAB !!!

Excellent quality material and online print on demand/shipping time from CA, USA to Scotland took only 7 working days. Nice one, Zazzle (plus they threw in a freebie white Zazzle t-shirt too).

--

Whilst I've wanted a "Hamsters love PLoS" garment for a while, I remain at a loss as to what the logo might actually mean. And even before wearing it, some peeps have been asking. I expect more to do so when I wear it to work tomorrow and down the pub afterwards.

So I searched teh interbebz and here's what I found.

1) The connection of the logo to PLoS.org Not surprisingly, the best resource was from PLoS via this blog post by Liz Allen, July 2007:- "We hope that you like our picture entitled "Hamsters love PLoS.org". It was drawn by one of our founders' kids and has even appeared on a tee-shirt."

OK, so there is the connection to PLoS.

2) But what about the hamster in the spherical object. Hhmm. During my search, I happened upon (again) the blog post, Impact Fauna January 2009 by a certain Dr Henry Gee, Senior Editor at Nature.com


"Gee Minor models ScienceOnline09 swag, earlier today"

On the "X" loves "Y" front, I created a few images of my own. And here they are again....

A) Chickens love Nature.com



B) Centaurs love Improbable Research



and C) Dolphins love Science




--











So, bearing mind the above and also, this




and that,



I've come to the conclusion that for whatever reason, Hamsters love PLoS. End of story. They just do.

If you support the likes of PLoS and Open Access, please do drop by the official PLoS store, have a good look around and happy shopping !!

PLoS's HQ in the UK is a house?? Surely some mistake.

McDawg had three scheduled meetings yesterday whilst still in London after attending Science Online London 2009.

For my final meeting, as planned, I took the express train from King's Cross Station to Cambridge and then took a cab to the offices of the Public Library of Science (PLoS).



I was rather perplexed however at what I saw:-


View Larger Map

In the centre of the above street view photo, you will see two blue doors. The one on the left is number 7. PLoS are based at number 7 Portugal Place. According to the Google map of that area that I printed off a week ago, I was indeed standing in Portugal Place:-


View Larger Map

So, I was left thinking that PLoS HQ (UK) is not an office, but instead, a small terraced residential house ???? Confused? I sure as hell was. For a nano-second, I was tempted to ring the bell of number 7 but my brain told me, "there's something not right here".

Placed a short call to PLoS. Essentially, I was extremely close to where I was meant to be, "stay where you are and I'll come out and get you". "I'm wearing a PLoS ONE t-shirt", I said. The above map is slightly misleading in that I was standing in Portugal STREET not Portugal Place.

--

Whilst sitting in a meeting room (within PLoS), I couldn't help but notice a stack of colourful, in-print copies of PLoS Journals. I had no idea that PLoS used to publish in paper format several years ago. Interesting.

Very much enjoyed the discussions I had with Ginny Barbour and Theo Bloom. Thank you both kindly for taking the time out to speak with The International Man Of Mystery and Patient Advocate

Before I left, I asked if it would be OK to take a couple of photos inside PLoS HQ (UK). Since there were no objections from PLoS staff......





----------

Open Source Science - Podcast

The following is (with a light mash-up) from the award winning A World of Possibilities website.

Open Source Science



(image source)

The outbreak of potential pandemics has driven home the urgent need for more rapid responses to public health threats. In order to respond more effectively, we need to create a more open system for the exchange of vital health information. Medical and scientific research pioneers are laying the foundation for a global health commons to accelerate the pace and effectiveness of crucial discoveries.

Guests:
Marty Tenenbaum, Chairman and Chief Scientist, CollabRx



Joint Interview with Gavin Yamey, Senior Editor PLoS Medicine, Public Library of Science




and Peter Jerram, Chief Executive Officer, Public Library of Science






(Click on a guest's name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Remote Engineers: Scott Cutty, Craig Sherod
Music in this program: Open - "Afterglow" - Aaron Parks - Blue Note; "A United Earth I" - Alan Stivell and Youssou N'Dour - Putumayo World Music; "Weird Science" - Oingo Boingo - MCA; "Them Bones" - Eddie Kirk - Rhino Atlantic; "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby - Capitol.

This program was funded by listeners like you.

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Take Action: For more information on this topic and to learn more about how to get involved click here.

Click to Listen


RT @BoraZ

New articles this week in PLoS ONE Published January 29, to February 4, 2009

Lead Article


PLoS ONE Collection—Stress-induced depression and comorbidities

This collection of articles represents the output of a group of international research institutions who collaborated around the causal link between stress exposure and depression vulnerability. The preclinical and clinical research papers present an integrated experimental effort, employing a variety of methods and concepts from different disciplines such as biological psychiatry, neuroscience, and neuroendocrinology. Editorial oversight by Bernhard Baune, Section Editor for Neuroscience and Psychiatry at PLoS ONE.

--

Derangement of a Factor Upstream of RARα Triggers the Repression of a Pleiotropic Epigenetic Network
Francesca Corlazzoli et al.


Species-Specific Seed Dispersal in an Obligate Ant-Plant Mutualism
Elsa Youngsteadt et al.

Reduced Responsiveness to Long-Term Monocular Deprivation of Parvalbumin Neurons Assessed by c-Fos Staining in Rat Visual Cortex
Marco Mainardi et al.

A Pathway-Based View of Human Diseases and Disease Relationships
Yong Li et al.

Selective and Irreversible Inhibitors of Aphid Acetylcholinesterases: Steps Toward Human-Safe Insecticides
Yuan-Ping Pang et al.

Tensin3 Is a Negative Regulator of Cell Migration and All Four Tensin Family Members Are Downregulated in Human Kidney Cancer
Danuta Martuszewska et al.

Disruption of Vps4 and JNK Function in Drosophila Causes Tumour Growth
Lina M. Rodahl et al.

A Filamentous Hemagglutinin-Like Protein of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, the Phytopathogen Responsible for Citrus Canker, Is Involved in Bacterial Virulence
Natalia Gottig et al.

Non-Sterilized Fermentative Production of Polymer-Grade L-Lactic Acid by a Newly Isolated Thermophilic Strain Bacillus sp. 2–6
Jiayang Qin et al.

New Protocetid Whale from the Middle Eocene of Pakistan: Birth on Land, Precocial Development, and Sexual Dimorphism
Philip D. Gingerich et al.

The HU Regulon Is Composed of Genes Responding to Anaerobiosis, Acid Stress, High Osmolarity and SOS Induction
Jacques Oberto et al.

ZEB1 Links p63 and p73 in a Novel Neuronal Survival Pathway Rapidly Induced in Response to Cortical Ischemia
Thai Bui et al.

An Ethical Façade? Medical Students' Miscomprehensions of Substituted Judgment
Farr A. Curlin et al.

Sequential Metabolism of 7-Dehydrocholesterol to Steroidal 5,7-Dienes in Adrenal Glands and Its Biological Implication in the Skin
Andrzej T. Slominski et al.

Neuronal Shot Noise and Brownian 1/f2 Behavior in the Local Field Potential
Joshua Milstein et al.

Ca2+ Permeable AMPA Receptor Induced Long-Term Potentiation Requires PI3/MAP Kinases but Not Ca/CaM-Dependent Kinase II
Suhail Asrar et al.

Using Sequence Similarity Networks for Visualization of Relationships Across Diverse Protein Superfamilies
Holly J. Atkinson et al.

Liver Cancer-Derived Hepatitis C Virus Core Proteins Shift TGF-Beta Responses from Tumor Suppression to Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Serena Battaglia et al.

The Tree versus the Forest: The Fungal Tree of Life and the Topological Diversity within the Yeast Phylome
Marina Marcet-Houben et al.


A Late Role for bmp2b in the Morphogenesis of Semicircular Canal Ducts in the Zebrafish Inner Ear
Katherine L. Hammond et al.

ACC2 Is Expressed at High Levels Human White Adipose and Has an Isoform with a Novel N-Terminus
John C. Castle et al.

Transmission of MDR and XDR Tuberculosis in Shanghai, China
Ming Zhao et al.

Adult and Embryonic GAD Transcripts Are Spatiotemporally Regulated during Postnatal Development in the Rat Brain
Anke Popp et al.

Identification of Lympho-Epithelial Kazal-Type Inhibitor 2 in Human Skin as a Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 5-Secific Potease Ihibitor
Ulf Meyer-Hoffert et al.

Diagnostic Accuracy of S100B Urinary Testing at Birth in Full-Term Asphyxiated Newborns to Predict Neonatal Death
Diego Gazzolo et al.


Modulation of the β-Catenin Signaling Pathway by the Dishevelled-Associated Protein Hipk1
Sarah H. Louie et al.

Nitric Oxide Administration Using an Oxygen Hood: A Pilot Trial
Namasivayam Ambalavanan et al.

Zebrafish Kidney Phagocytes Utilize Macropinocytosis and Ca2+-Dependent Endocytic Mechanisms
Claudia Hohn et al.

QTL Mapping in New Arabidopsis thaliana Advanced Intercross-Recombinant Inbred Lines
Sureshkumar Balasubramanian et al.

Hepatitis C Virus Is a Weak Inducer of Interferon Alpha in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Comparison with Influenza and Human Herpesvirus Type-1
Françoise Gondois-Rey et al.

The Effect of Transposable Element Insertions on Gene Expression Evolution in Rodents
Vini Pereira et al.


Chaotic Signatures of Heart Rate Variability and Its Power Spectrum in Health, Aging and Heart Failure
Guo-Qiang Wu et al.

Varicones and Growth Cones: Two Neurite Terminals in PC12 Cells
Ana Mingorance-Le Meur et al.

Forest Structure and Roe Deer Abundance Predict Tick-Borne Encephalitis Risk in Italy
Annapaola Rizzoli et al.


Confusion and Conflict in Assessing the Physical Activity Status of Middle-Aged Men
Dylan Thompson et al.

On the Evolution of the Standard Genetic Code: Vestiges of Critical Scale Invariance from the RNA World in Current Prokaryote Genomes
Marco V. José et al.

Facilitated Monocyte-Macrophage Uptake and Tissue Distribution of Superparmagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles
Arnaud Beduneau et al.

The Staphylococcus aureus Response to Unsaturated Long Chain Free Fatty Acids: Survival Mechanisms and Virulence Implications
John G. Kenny et al.

Novel Biochemical Markers of Psychosocial Stress in Women
Marie Åsberg et al.

Stress and Depression: Preclinical Research and Clinical Implications
Alessandro Bartolomucci et al.

Conceptual Challenges of a Tentative Model of Stress-Induced Depression
Bernhard Baune

Towards Predictive Computational Models of Oncolytic Virus Therapy: Basis for Experimental Validation and Model Selection
Dominik Wodarz et al.

Network Adaptation Improves Temporal Representation of Naturalistic Stimuli in Drosophila Eye: II Mechanisms
Anton Nikolaev et al.


Network Adaptation Improves Temporal Representation of Naturalistic Stimuli in Drosophila Eye: I Dynamics
Lei Zheng et al.


Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia in a Tropical Setting: Patient Outcome and Impact of Antibiotic Resistance
Emma K. Nickerson et al.

PECAM-Independent Thioglycollate Peritonitis Is Associated With a Locus on Murine Chromosome 2
Michael A. Seidman et al.


Systemic Correlates of Angiographic Coronary Artery Disease
José Pedro L. Nunes et al.


The Combined Dexamethasone/CRH Test (DEX/CRH Test) and Prediction of Acute Treatment Response in Major Depression
Cornelius Schüle et al.

Regulation of Kainate Receptor Subunit mRNA by Stress and Corticosteroids in the Rat Hippocampus
Richard G. Hunter et al.

Enriched Environment Experience Overcomes Learning Deficits and Depressive-Like Behavior Induced by Juvenile Stress
Yana Ilin et al.

Exercise Improves Cognitive Responses to Psychological Stress through Enhancement of Epigenetic Mechanisms and Gene Expression in the Dentate Gyrus
Andrew Collins et al.

Metabolic Consequences and Vulnerability to Diet-Induced Obesity in Male Mice under Chronic Social Stress
Alessandro Bartolomucci et al.


Multiple Independent Genetic Factors at NOS1AP Modulate the QT Interval in a Multi-Ethnic Population
Dan E. Arking et al.

Expression of the Axonal Membrane Glycoprotein M6a Is Regulated by Chronic Stress
Ben Cooper et al.

Opposite Effects of Early Maternal Deprivation on Neurogenesis in Male versus Female Rats
Charlotte A. Oomen et al.

Crohn's Disease and Early Exposure to Domestic Refrigeration
Fatemeh Malekzadeh et al.


Mortality Risk among Children Admitted in a Large-Scale Nutritional Program in Niger, 2006
Nael Lapidus et al.

The Methyl-CpG Binding Proteins Mecp2, Mbd2 and Kaiso Are Dispensable for Mouse Embryogenesis, but Play a Redundant Function in Neural Differentiation
Isabel Martín Caballero et al.

Retinal Pathology of Pediatric Cerebral Malaria in Malawi
Valerie A. White et al.

Identification of Retinal Ganglion Cells and Their Projections Involved in Central Transmission of Information about Upward and Downward Image Motion
Keisuke Yonehara et al.


Rhythmicity in Mice Selected for Extremes in Stress Reactivity: Behavioural, Endocrine and Sleep Changes Resembling Endophenotypes of Major Depression
Chadi Touma et al.


Chronic Mild Stress (CMS) in Mice: Of Anhedonia, ‘Anomalous Anxiolysis’ and Activity
Martin C. Schweizer et al.

Timing Is Critical for Effective Glucocorticoid Receptor Mediated Repression of the cAMP-Induced CRH Gene
Siem van der Laan et al.

PLoS ONE New Articles Published 6th Aug 2008

What is PLoS ONE?

An interactive open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research. More


New articles this week in PLoS ONE
Published August 6, 2008


Estimating the Resources Needed and Savings Anticipated from Roll-Out of Adult Male Circumcision in Sub-Saharan Africa
Bertran Auvert et al.


Cocaine Serves as a Peripheral Interoceptive Conditioned Stimulus for Central Glutamate and Dopamine Release
Roy A. Wise et al.

Gene Expression and Functional Studies of the Optic Nerve Head Astrocyte Transcriptome from Normal African Americans and Caucasian Americans Donors
Haixi Miao et al.

Coincident Activity of Converging Pathways Enables Simultaneous Long-Term Potentiation and Long-Term Depression in Hippocampal CA1 Network In Vivo
ZhiFang Dong et al.

Messenger RNA Oxidation Occurs Early in Disease Pathogenesis and Promotes Motor Neuron Degeneration in ALS
Yueming Chang et al.


K-ras/PI3K-Akt Signaling Is Essential for Zebrafish Hematopoiesis and Angiogenesis
Lihui Liu et al.

A National Survey of Musculoskeletal Impairment in Rwanda: Prevalence, Causes and Service Implications
Oluwarantimi Atijosan et al.

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Triple Antiplatelet Therapy (Aspirin, Clopidogrel and Dipyridamole) in the Secondary Prevention of Stroke: Safety, Tolerability and Feasibility
Nikola Sprigg et al.


Three-Dimensional Analysis of Vascular Development in the Mouse Embryo
Johnathon R. Walls et al.


Response Properties of the Auditory Telencephalon in Songbirds Change with Recent Experience and Season
Thomas A. Terleph et al.

A High-Sensitivity Method for Detection and Measurement of HMGB1 Protein Concentration by High-Affinity Binding to DNA Hemicatenanes
Claire Gaillard et al.

Comparison of Pattern Detection Methods in Microarray Time Series of the Segmentation Clock
Mary-Lee Dequéant et al.

Emergence of Xin Demarcates a Key Innovation in Heart Evolution
Shaun E. Grosskurth et al.

Improving T-Cell Assays for the Diagnosis of Latent TB Infection: Potential of a Diagnostic Test Based on IP-10
Morten Ruhwald et al.

Characterization of a Nonclassical Class I MHC Gene in a Reptile, the Galápagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
Scott Glaberman et al.

Ubiquitous Crossmodal Stochastic Resonance in Humans: Auditory Noise Facilitates Tactile, Visual and Proprioceptive Sensations
Eduardo Lugo et al.

A Randomised Trial of an Eight-Week, Once Weekly Primaquine Regimen to Prevent Relapse of Plasmodium vivax in Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
Toby Leslie et al.

Perceiving What Is Reachable Depends on Motor Representations: Evidence from a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Yann Coello et al.

Induction of Olig2+ Precursors by FGF Involves BMP Signalling Blockade at the Smad Level
Bilada Bilican et al.

Riluzole Increases the Amount of Latent HSF1 for an Amplified Heat Shock Response and Cytoprotection
Jingxian Yang et al.

Iron Accumulation with Age, Oxidative Stress and Functional Decline
Jinze Xu et al.

Mere Expectation to Move Causes Attenuation of Sensory Signals
Martin Voss et al.

Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness in India
John Neena et al.

Individual Attachment Style Modulates Human Amygdala and Striatum Activation during Social Appraisal
Pascal Vrtička et al.

Protective Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection by Chemokine and Cytokine Conditioned CFP-10 Differentiated Dendritic Cells
Nasir Salam et al.

Major Role for Amphotericin B–Flucytosine Combination in Severe Cryptococcosis
Françoise Dromer et al.

Characterization of Unique Small RNA Populations from Rice Grain
Sara E. Heisel et al.

Non-Replication of Genome-Wide Based Associations between Common Variants in INSIG2 and PFKP and Obesity in Studies of 18,014 Danes
Camilla H. Andreasen et al.

The Yeast Spore Wall Enables Spores to Survive Passage through the Digestive Tract of Drosophila
Alison E. Coluccio et al.

Complex Ecological Dynamics and Eradicability of the Vector Borne Macroparasitic Disease, Lymphatic Filariasis
Manoj Gambhir et al.

Effector Genomics Accelerates Discovery and Functional Profiling of Potato Disease Resistance and Phytophthora Infestans Avirulence Genes
Vivianne G. A. A. Vleeshouwers et al.

Mathematical Analysis of Copy Number Variation in a DNA Sample Using Digital PCR on a Nanofluidic Device
Simant Dube et al.

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) Mediated Tyrosine Phosphor-Proteome from Drosophila S2 (ErbB1) Cells Reveals Novel Signaling Networks
Srinivasan Krishnamoorthy

No Major Change in vCJD Agent Strain after Secondary Transmission via Blood Transfusion
Matthew T. Bishop et al.

Genome-Wide Survey and Expression Profiling of CCCH-Zinc Finger Family Reveals a Functional Module in Macrophage Activation
Jian Liang et al.

HER2 Oncogenic Function Escapes EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors via Activation of Alternative HER Receptors in Breast Cancer Cells
Anthony Kong et al.

High-Throughput Isolation and Mapping of C. elegans Mutants Susceptible to Pathogen Infection
Laura E. Fuhrman et al.

Preservation of Genes Involved in Sterol Metabolism in Cholesterol Auxotrophs: Facts and Hypotheses
Giovanna Vinci et al.


Eye Movements Predict Recollective Experience
Tali Sharot et al.


Germline EPHB2 Receptor Variants in Familial Colorectal Cancer
George Zogopoulos et al.

C4b-Binding Protein Is Present in Affected Areas of Myocardial Infarction during the Acute Inflammatory Phase and Covers a Larger Area than C3
Leendert A. Trouw et al.

Meiotic Recombination Hotspots of Fission Yeast Are Directed to Loci that Express Non-Coding RNA
Wayne P. Wahls et al.

Generation of Breast Cancer Stem Cells through Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Anne-Pierre Morel et al.

Heat Stress Enhances the Accumulation of Polyadenylated Mitochondrial Transcripts in Arabidopsis thaliana
Alessio Adamo et al.


Up-Regulation of Mitochondrial Activity and Acquirement of Brown Adipose Tissue-Like Property in the White Adipose Tissue of Fsp27 Deficient Mice
Shen Yon Toh et al.


Investigation of the Role of Mitochondrial DNA in Multiple Sclerosis Susceptibility
Maria Ban et al.

Boc5, a Non-Peptidic Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist, Invokes Sustained Glycemic Control and Weight Loss in Diabetic Mice
Haoran Su et al.


Wingless Signalling Alters the Levels, Subcellular Distribution and Dynamics of Armadillo and E-Cadherin in Third Instar Larval Wing Imaginal Discs
Ildiko M. L. Somorjai et al.

Protein Crystals in Adenovirus Type 5-Infected Cells: Requirements for Intranuclear Crystallogenesis, Structural and Functional Analysis
Laure Franqueville et al.

Analysis of 17,576 Potentially Functional SNPs in Three Case–Control Studies of Myocardial Infarction
Dov Shiffman et al.

Evolutionary Origins and Functions of the Carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathway in Marine Diatoms
Sacha Coesel et al.

Relative Crystallinity of Plant Biomass: Studies on Assembly, Adaptation and Acclimation
Darby Harris et al.


Cytokine Plasma Levels: Reliable Predictors for Radiation Pneumonitis?
Claudia E. Rübe et al.

Transthyretin Protects against A-Beta Peptide Toxicity by Proteolytic Cleavage of the Peptide: A Mechanism Sensitive to the Kunitz Protease Inhibitor
Rita Costa et al.

Neuromagnetic Evidence for Early Auditory Restoration of Fundamental Pitch
Philip J. Monahan et al.


Superposition of Transcriptional Behaviors Determines Gene State
Sol Efroni et al.

A RasGAP SH3 Peptide Aptamer Inhibits RasGAP-Aurora Interaction and Induces Caspase-Independent Tumor Cell Death
Perayot Pamonsinlapatham et al.


Long Term Outcome of Severe Anaemia in Malawian Children
Kamija S. Phiri et al.

Dorsomorphin, a Selective Small Molecule Inhibitor of BMP Signaling, Promotes Cardiomyogenesis in Embryonic Stem Cells
Jijun Hao et al.

Maintenance of Large Subpopulations of Differentiated CD8 T-Cells Two Years after Cytomegalovirus Infection in Gambian Infants
David J. C. Miles et al.

Disruption of Neuronal Autophagy by Infected Microglia Results in Neurodegeneration
Mehrdad Alirezaei et al.


Genes to Diseases (G2D) Computational Method to Identify Asthma Candidate Genes
Karine Tremblay et al.


Molecular Detection of Multiple Emerging Pathogens in Sputa from Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Fadi Bittar et al.

Consumption of Bt Maize Pollen Expressing Cry1Ab or Cry3Bb1 Does Not Harm Adult Green Lacewings, Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)
Yunhe Li et al.


Evidence from GC-TRFLP that Bacterial Communities in Soil Are Lognormally Distributed
James R. Doroghazi et al.

The Continuous Wagon Wheel Illusion and the ‘When’ Pathway of the Right Parietal Lobe: A Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Rufin VanRullen et al.


Surfactants as Microbicides and Contraceptive Agents: A Systematic In Vitro Study
Otilia V. Vieira et al.

A Dynamic Stochastic Model for DNA Replication Initiation in Early Embryos
Arach Goldar et al.

Study of a Synthetic Human Olfactory Receptor 17-4: Expression and Purification from an Inducible Mammalian Cell Line
Brian L. Cook et al.