scholarly journals How the Geomagnetic Field Influences Life on Earth – An Integrated Approach to Geomagnetobiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weronika Erdmann ◽  
Hanna Kmita ◽  
Jakub Z. Kosicki ◽  
Łukasz Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Emergence Of Life

AbstractEarth is one of the inner planets of the Solar System, but – unlike the others – it has an oxidising atmosphere, relatively stable temperature, and a constant geomagnetic field (GMF). The GMF does not only protect life on Earth against the solar wind and cosmic rays, but it also shields the atmosphere itself, thus creating relatively stable environmental conditions. What is more, the GMF could have influenced the origins of life: organisms from archaea to plants and animals may have been using the GMF as a source of spatial information since the very beginning. Although the GMF is constant, it does undergo various changes, some of which, e.g. a reversal of the poles, weaken the field significantly or even lead to its short-term disappearance. This may result in considerable climatic changes and an increased frequency of mutations caused by the solar wind and cosmic radiation. This review analyses data on the influence of the GMF on different aspects of life and it also presents current knowledge in the area. In conclusion, the GMF has a positive impact on living organisms, whereas a diminishing or disappearing GMF negatively affects living organisms. The influence of the GMF may also be an important factor determining both survival of terrestrial organisms outside Earth and the emergence of life on other planets.

scholarly journals Genome Tree of Life: Deep Burst of Organism Diversity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
JaeJin Choi ◽  
Sung-Hou Kim
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Tree Of Life ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Emergence Of Life ◽  
Genome Tree

AbstractAn organism Tree of Life (organism ToL) is a conceptual and metaphorical tree to capture a simplified narrative of the evolutionary course and kinship among the extant organisms of today. Such tree cannot be experimentally validated but may be reconstructed based on characteristics associated with the extant organisms. Since the whole genome sequence of an organism is, at present, the most comprehensive descriptor of the organism, a genome Tol can be an empirically derivable surrogate for the organism ToL. However, a genome ToL has been impossible to construct because of the practical reasons that experimentally determining the whole genome sequences of a large number of diverse organisms was technically impossible. Thus, for several decades, gene ToLs, based on selected genes, have been commonly used as a surrogate for the organisms ToL. This situation changed dramatically during the last several decades due to rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology. Here we describe the main features of a genome ToL that are different from those of the broadly accepted gene ToLs: (a) the first two organism groups to emerge are the founders of prokarya and eukarya, (b) they diversify into six large groups and all the founders of the groups have emerged in a “Deep Burst” at the very beginning period of the emergence of Life on Earth and (c) other differences are notable in the order of emergence of smaller groups.Significance StatementTree of Life is a conceptual and metaphorical tree that captures a simplified narrative of the evolutionary course and kinship among all living organisms of today. Since the whole genome sequence information of an organism is, at present, the most comprehensive description of the organism, we reconstructed a Genome Tree of Life using the proteome information from the whole genomes of over 4000 different living organisms on Earth. It suggests that (a) the first two primitive organism groups to emerge are the founders of prokarya and eukarya, (b) they diversify into six large groups, and (c) all the founders of the groups have emerged in a “Deep Burst” at the very beginning period of the emergence of Life on Earth.

scholarly journals Tolerance of two anhydrobiotic tardigrades Echiniscus testudo and Milnesium inceptum to hypomagnetic conditions

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10630
Author(s):  
Weronika Erdmann ◽  
Bogdan Idzikowski ◽  
Wojciech Kowalski ◽  
Jakub Z. Kosicki ◽  
Łukasz Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Geomagnetic Field ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Species Response ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The open space is a hostile environment for all lifeforms not only due to vacuum, high radiation, low atmospheric pressure, and extremely low temperature, but also the absence of the geomagnetic field. The geomagnetic field protects Earth mainly from corpuscular radiation, that is, solar wind and cosmic radiation, but above all it influences organisms, including their cells, tissues and organs. Moreover, numerous studies conducted on plants and animals confirmed that hypomagnetic conditions (the term referring to all situations when the magnetic field is weaker than the typical geomagnetic field) have significant influence on the metabolism of living organisms. Although many studies dealt with a variety of aspects related mainly to the influence of hypomagnetic conditions on human health. Very few studies have considered the influence of hypomagnetic conditions on extremophiles. Astrobiologists have long been testing different extremofiles to find out if any multicellular organisms are able to survive in extreme conditions of open space. Among all multicellular extremophiles fit for such research, water bears (Tardigrada) are the most interesting. Not only are they one of the most resistant organisms on Earth, but results obtained from studies on these invertebrates can be extrapolated or applied to vertebrates (including humans). Despite this, studies on the influence of hypomagnetic conditions on tardigrades are rare, so far. In the present study, to test the influence of hypomagnetic conditions on the process of anhydrobiosis while entering and returning from anhydrobiosis, we used two terrestrial anhydrobiotic species that are Echiniscus testudo and Milnesium inceptum. To exclude the ambient magnetic field, experiments were carried out in a special magnetic field shielding chamber. In total, three experiments were conducted: (a) tardigrades in anhydrobiosis, (b) tardigrades entering anhydrobiosis and (c) tardigrades returning to active life. The obtained results clearly showed that even partial isolation from the geomagnetic field, that is, hypomagnetic conditions, has negative influence on anhydrobiotic abilities of both tested tardigrade species. In both species we observed lower survivability rate while entering anhydrobiosis, in anhydrobiotic state and returning to the active state. What is more, we observed a higher mortality rate in Ech. testudo than Mil. inceptum which suggest that different species response to the hypomagnetic conditions in different way. In conclusion, while current knowledge on the influence of hypomagnetic conditions on mortality of invertebrates is very limited, our results suggest that the presence of the magnetic field is a very important factor which should be considered in further research focused on potential survival of Earth organisms in outer space, spacecrafts or different planets and moons.

scholarly journals Heterogeneous radiolysis of urea. Implications in astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail E. Abigail E. Cruz-Hernández, ◽  
Maria Colin-Garcia ◽  
Alejandro Heredia-Barbero ◽  
Alicia Negron-Mendoza ◽  
Sergio Ramos-Bernal
Keyword(s):  
Organic Molecule ◽  
Prebiotic Chemistry ◽  
Solid Surfaces ◽  
Mineral Surfaces ◽  
Primitive Earth ◽  
High Doses ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Emergence Of Life

AbstractUrea is an organic molecule present in most living organisms. Historically, it was the first organic molecule synthesized in the laboratory. In prebiotic chemistry, urea readily forms in different laboratory simulations using different energy sources. Furthermore, the role of solid surfaces, particularly minerals, might have been crucial to increase the complexity of the organic matter which may have led to the subsequent emergence of life on Earth. In this work, the radiolysis of urea in presence of a clay is studied to determine to what extent the mineral surfaces influence the decomposition of organics. The results indicate that urea is relatively stable to ionizing radiation in aqueous solutions and up to 20 kGy no decomposition is observed. Moreover, the presence of sodium montmorillonite, by a mechanism until now unknown, affects the radiolytic behavior and urea remains in the heterogeneous solution without a change in concentration even at very high doses (140 kGy). These results indicate that solids could have protected some organics, like urea, from degradation enabling them to remain in the environment on the primitive Earth.

scholarly journals Paleolithic Diet—Effect on the Health Status and Performance of Athletes?

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019
Author(s):  
Barbara Frączek ◽  
Aleksandra Pięta ◽  
Adrian Burda ◽  
Paulina Mazur-Kurach ◽  
Florentyna Tyrała
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Model Assessment ◽  
Paleolithic Diet ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this meta-analysis was to review the impact of a Paleolithic diet (PD) on selected health indicators (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure, and carbohydrate metabolism) in the short and long term of nutrition intervention in healthy and unhealthy adults. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of 21 full-text original human studies was conducted. Both the PD and a variety of healthy diets (control diets (CDs)) caused reduction in anthropometric parameters, both in the short and long term. For many indicators, such as weight (body mass (BM)), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), impact was stronger and especially found in the short term. All diets caused a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), albeit the impact of PD was stronger. Among long-term studies, only PD cased a decline in TC and LDL-C. Impact on blood pressure was observed mainly in the short term. PD caused a decrease in fasting plasma (fP) glucose, fP insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the short run, contrary to CD. In the long term, only PD caused a decrease in fP glucose and fP insulin. Lower positive impact of PD on performance was observed in the group without exercise. Positive effects of the PD on health and the lack of experiments among professional athletes require longer-term interventions to determine the effect of the Paleo diet on athletic performance.

scholarly journals The Diverse Calpain Family in Trypanosomatidae: Functional Proteins Devoid of Proteolytic Activity?

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 299
Author(s):  
Vítor Ennes-Vidal ◽  
Marta Helena Branquinha ◽  
André Luis Souza dos Santos ◽  
Claudia Masini d’Avila-Levy
Keyword(s):  
Proteolytic Activity ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Current Therapy ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Administration Routes ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Calpain Inhibitors

Calpains are calcium-dependent cysteine peptidases that were originally described in mammals and, thereafter, their homologues were identified in almost all known living organisms. The deregulated activity of these peptidases is associated with several pathologies and, consequently, huge efforts have been made to identify selective inhibitors. Trypanosomatids, responsible for life-threatening human diseases, possess a large and diverse family of calpain sequences in their genomes. Considering that the current therapy to treat trypanosomatid diseases is limited to a handful of drugs that suffer from unacceptable toxicity, tough administration routes, like parenteral, and increasing treatment failures, a repurposed approach with calpain inhibitors could be a shortcut to successful chemotherapy. However, there is a general lack of knowledge about calpain functions in these parasites and, currently, the proteolytic activity of these proteins is still an open question. Here, we highlight the current research and perspectives on trypanosomatid calpains, overview calpain description in these organisms, and explore the potential of targeting the calpain system as a therapeutic strategy. This review gathers the current knowledge about this fascinating family of peptidases as well as insights into the puzzle: are we unable to measure calpain activity in trypanosomatids, or are the functions of these proteins devoid of proteolytic activity in these parasites?

scholarly journals 405 - Music Therapy in the management of dementia

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. 121-121
Author(s):  
Catarina Pedro ◽  
Beatriz Jorge ◽  
Mariana Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
World Health ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Introduction:Dementia has become a worldwide concern. According to the World Health Organization, there are 50 million individuals suffering from dementia across the world and approximately 20 million new cases are diagnosed each year. The efficacy of medications in controlling agitation and psychotic symptoms is modest and may cause serious adverse effects, outlining the urge for new treatment methods for patients with dementia. Music therapy (MT) is a nonpharmacologic strategy that is used in patients with early-to-late stages of dementia with promising results.Objectives:The aim of this presentation is to evaluate the benefits of music therapy in cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia. We also summarize the current knowledge about this topic.Methods:A non-systematic review of the literature was performed on PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of science using selected keywords.Results:MT sustains its benefit because musical memory regions in the brain are relatively spared compared to cognitive function. “Musical memories” can, thus, be stored longer than non-musical memories, allowing to recall associated life events and emotions. Systematic reviews suggest that MT seem to have a positive effect on symptoms such as depression, anxiety and behavioral problems while the findings concerning agitation/aggression are inconsistent. No large differences were found between studies using live or recorded music although the latter reported more of a consistently positive impact on behavioral and psychological outcomes. The studies using live music, however, reported specific benefits to relationships and interactions.Conclusions:The majority of the studies have methodological limitations, making it difficult to offer firm conclusions. Despite this, there were positive results on aspects of quality of life, cognitive function, behavioral, psychological, physiological and communication outcomes.

scholarly journals Autocatalytic and oscillatory reaction networks that form guanidines and products of their cyclization

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander I. Novichkov ◽  
Anton I. Hanopolskyi ◽  
Xiaoming Miao ◽  
Linda J. W. Shimon ◽  
Yael Diskin-Posner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Native Chemical Ligation ◽  
Reaction Networks ◽  
Oscillatory Reaction ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Chemical Ligation ◽  
Chemical Systems ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Emergence Of Life ◽  
Equilibrium Chemical

AbstractAutocatalytic and oscillatory networks of organic reactions are important for designing life-inspired materials and for better understanding the emergence of life on Earth; however, the diversity of the chemistries of these reactions is limited. In this work, we present the thiol-assisted formation of guanidines, which has a mechanism analogous to that of native chemical ligation. Using this reaction, we designed autocatalytic and oscillatory reaction networks that form substituted guanidines from thiouronium salts. The thiouronium salt-based oscillator show good stability of oscillations within a broad range of experimental conditions. By using nitrile-containing starting materials, we constructed an oscillator where the concentration of a bicyclic derivative of dihydropyrimidine oscillates. Moreover, the mixed thioester and thiouronium salt-based oscillator show unique responsiveness to chemical cues. The reactions developed in this work expand our toolbox for designing out-of-equilibrium chemical systems and link autocatalytic and oscillatory chemistry to the synthesis of guanidinium derivatives and the products of their transformations including analogs of nucleobases.

The ring dove's short-term memory capacity for spatial information

1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 639-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald M. Wilkie ◽  
Marcia L. Spetch ◽  
Lincoln Chew
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

Development of Composite Indicators of Cyclical Response in Business Surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-41
Author(s):  
L. A. Kitrar ◽  
T. M. Lipkind
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Economic Behavior ◽  
Retail Trade ◽  
Composite Indicators ◽  
Business Activity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Current Output

The article proposes a new set of composite indicators-predictors in business tendency surveys, which allow identifying early information signals of a cyclical nature in the economic behavior of business agents. The main criterion for the efficiency of such indicators is their sensitivity to a cyclical pattern and changes in the dynamics of statistical referents. Property such as a statistically significant lead in time series or earlier publication allows them to be combined into indicators of early response. The composite Business Activity Indicator (BAI) in the basic sectors of the Russian economy is calculated by the authors for the first time based on the results of regular (monthly and quarterly) business surveys of Rosstat for 1998–2020 with a large-scale coverage of sampling units. In 2020, the number of survey respondents averaged about 20,000 organizations of all sizes. The index reflects the «common» profile in the dynamics of short-term fluctuations of the key parameters of the economic environment, which consists of the «balances of opinions» of respondents to the questions unified for all sectoral surveys and connected with the reference quantitative statistics with cross-correlation coefficients that are statistically significantly different from zero, with a lead at least one quarter. This is its main difference from the well-known indices of economic sentiment and entrepreneurial confidence. The main components of the BAI are the new composite indices of real demand, current output, real employment, total profits and economic situation. They aggregate the relevant «order» statistics for the basic sectors of the national economy, including the main kinds of industrial activities, retail trade, construction, and services.The article provides a methodological substantiation and an extended procedure for identifying the BAI components; their composition is formed for the entire set of retrospective results of business tendency monitoring in Russia. A new Aggregate Economic Vulnerability Indicator with a counterdirectional profile and varying degrees of symmetry of its dynamics relative to the short-term movement of the BAI is being introduced as the main limitation of business activity. Proactive monitoring of emerging vulnerabilities in the business environment is necessary to warn their large-scale accumulation, prevent the risks of economic downturns and ensure the highest possible macroeconomic stability. This integrated approach makes it possible to determine the novelty of the proposed measurements of short-term cyclical fluctuations in economic development.

Service quality, loyalty, and co-creation behaviour: a customer perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael P. Albuquerque ◽  
João J. Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Perspective ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Customers Perspective

Purpose This paper aims to verify co-creation behavior and understand a relationship between perception of service quality, loyalty and co-creation, from Starbucks customers' perspective. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative methodology was carried out, operationalized by applying a questionnaire to a sample of 385 respondents. Findings The results showed that service quality has a positive impact on loyalty and co-creation behavior in all its aspects; loyalty can be considered an important attribute in the intention of co-creation by customers. Originality/value This research extends the current knowledge on the subject and examines the associations between other attributes discussed. The implications of the study suggest strategic directions for using the clients' co-creation as a competitive alternative and generating value.

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