Informatics and quantitative analysis in biological imaging

Biological imaging is now a quantitative technique for probing cellular structure and dynamics and is increasingly used for cell-based screens. However, the bioinformatics tools required for hypothesis-driven analysis of digital images are still immature. We are developing the Open Microscopy Environment (OME) as an informatics solution for the storage and analysis of optical microscope image data. OME aims to automate image analysis, modeling, and mining of large sets of images and specifies a flexible data model, a relational database, and an XML-encoded file standard that is usable by potentially any software tool. With this design, OME provides a first step toward biological image informatics.     

Cuba and the dilemma of modern agriculture

Having lost 73% of its purchasing power and 42% of it gross national product since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba faces a crisis with the modern agricultural system it had developed over the past 30 years. The response has been to put an alternative model into practice. The successes and problems associated with this model are discussed.