scholarly journals Symbiotic magnetic sensing: raising evidence and beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1808) ◽  
pp. 20190595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eviatar Natan ◽  
Robert Rodgers Fitak ◽  
Yuval Werber ◽  
Yoni Vortman

The identity of a magnetic sensor in animals remains enigmatic. Although the use of the geomagnetic field for orientation and navigation in animals across a broad taxonomic range has been well established over the past five decades, the identity of the magnetic-sensing organ and its structure and/or apparatus within such animals remains elusive—‘a sense without a receptor’. Recently, we proposed that symbiotic magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) may serve as the underlying mechanism behind a magnetic sense in animals—‘the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis'. Since we first presented this hypothesis, both criticism and support have been raised accordingly. Here we address the primary criticisms and discuss the plausibility of such a symbiosis, supported by preliminary findings demonstrating the ubiquity of MTB DNA in general, and specifically in animal samples. We also refer to new supporting findings, and discuss host adaptations that could be driven by such a symbiosis. Finally, we suggest the future research directions required to confirm or refute the possibility of symbiotic magnetic-sensing. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The role of the microbiome in host evolution’.

Author(s):  
Philipp Roesch ◽  
Christian Vogel ◽  
Franz-Georg Simon

Over the past two decades, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have emerged as worldwide environmental contaminants, calling out for sophisticated treatment, decomposition and remediation strategies. In order to mineralize PFAS pollutants, the incineration of contaminated material is a state-of-the-art process, but more cost-effective and sustainable technologies are inevitable for the future. Within this review, various methods for the reductive defluorination of PFASs were inspected. In addition to this, the role of mechanochemistry is highlighted with regard to its major potential in reductive defluorination reactions and degradation of pollutants. In order to get a comprehensive understanding of the involved reactions, their mechanistic pathways are pointed out. Comparisons between existing PFAS decomposition reactions and reductive approaches are discussed in detail, regarding their applicability in possible remediation processes. This article provides a solid overview of the most recent research methods and offers guidelines for future research directions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 955-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maura D Iversen ◽  
Alison Hammond ◽  
Neil Betteridge

Self-management interventions are patient-centred and designed to foster active participation of patients in order to promote well-being and to manage symptoms. Over the past two decades, the role of self-management in chronic diseases has gained momentum. Self-management programmes are now acknowledged as a key element of quality care. New modes of delivery allow greater access to information and are tailored to address patient needs. This systematic review presents data from clinical studies of self-management over the past decade, summarises the evidence for programme effectiveness, and suggests future research directions.


Author(s):  
Marian Tanofsky-Kraff ◽  
Denise E. Wilfley

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a focused, time-limited treatment that targets interpersonal problem(s) associated with the onset and/or maintenance of EDs. IPT is supported by substantial empirical evidence documenting the role of interpersonal factors in the onset and maintenance of EDs. IPT is a viable alternative to cognitive behavior therapy for the treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The effectiveness of IPT for the treatment of anorexia nervosa requires further investigation. The utility of IPT for the prevention of obesity is currently being explored. Future research directions include enhancing the delivery of IPT for EDs, increasing the availability of IPT in routine clinical care settings, exploring IPT adolescent and parent–child adaptations, and developing IPT for the prevention of eating and weight-related problems that may promote full-syndrome EDs or obesity.


Author(s):  
Xiaochen Zhang ◽  
Lanxin Hui ◽  
Linchao Wei ◽  
Fuchuan Song ◽  
Fei Hu

Electric power wheelchairs (EPWs) enhance the mobility capability of the elderly and the disabled, while the human-machine interaction (HMI) determines how well the human intention will be precisely delivered and how human-machine system cooperation will be efficiently conducted. A bibliometric quantitative analysis of 1154 publications related to this research field, published between 1998 and 2020, was conducted. We identified the development status, contributors, hot topics, and potential future research directions of this field. We believe that the combination of intelligence and humanization of an EPW HMI system based on human-machine collaboration is an emerging trend in EPW HMI methodology research. Particular attention should be paid to evaluating the applicability and benefits of the EPW HMI methodology for the users, as well as how much it contributes to society. This study offers researchers a comprehensive understanding of EPW HMI studies in the past 22 years and latest trends from the evolutionary footprints and forward-thinking insights regarding future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 442-455
Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Zhengxue Luo ◽  
Zhen Wang

Built upon conservation of resource theory and self-determination theory, this study explores boundary conditions under which family-supportive supervisors (FSSs) influence employee-perceived leader–member exchange (LMX) and work–family enrichment (WFE). Findings from this research reveal that FSSs positively relate to employee perceptions of LMX and WFE. Employees’ collectivistic self-construals moderate the effect of FSSs on LMX but not on WFE. Implications and future research directions are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1434-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
April W. Armstrong ◽  
Joel M. Gelfand ◽  
Wolf-Henning Boehncke ◽  
Ehrin J. Armstrong

At the 2012 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) in Stockholm, Sweden, several GRAPPA members led a panel discussion on cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The panelists discussed the role of insulin resistance in the pathophysiology of psoriasis, the possible effect of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors on CV comorbidities, and the effect of 12/23 monoclonal antibodies on CV outcomes. The panelists also addressed how lessons from CV comorbidity research could be applied to other areas of comorbidity research in psoriasis and PsA and identified future research directions in this area.


ExRNA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Jin ◽  
Zhigang Guo

Abstract The discovery of small non-coding RNAs, such as miRNA and piRNA, has dramatically changed our understanding of the role RNA plays in organisms. Recent studies show that a novel small non-coding RNA generated from cleavage of tRNA or pre-tRNA, called tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA), serves as a new regulator of gene expression. tsRNA has been determined participate in regulating some specific physiological and pathological processes. Although knowledge regarding the biological roles of miRNA and piRNA is expanding, whether tsRNAs play similar roles remains poorly understood. Here, we review the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of action and biological functions of tsRNAs in intracellular, extracellular and intergenerational inheritance, and highlight the potential application of tsRNAs in human diseases, and present the current problems and future research directions.


Author(s):  
Ammar Rashid ◽  
William Yu Chung Wang ◽  
Felix B. Tan

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in cloud services in academic literature. Most research in this area has focused on the technical aspects of designing and implementing cloud services, with few studies focusing on understanding the value of cloud services and the processes by which consumer and service providers engage each other to co-create these services. This chapter explains the co-creation processes, and, the role of consumer in the value co-creation process of cloud services. It incorporates extant marketing and information systems literature, industry reports, and practical experience reflections to highlight the significance of cloud services. The drivers of co-creation are explored with the description of co-creation processes and the underlying factors involved in value co-creation of cloud services. The chapter concludes by outlining the opportunities associated with the development of cloud services, noting future research directions and discussing academic and managerial implications.


Author(s):  
Jenny Chen

There was a famous saying from the celebrated hotelier, “king of hoteliers and hotelier to kings,” Mr. Cesar Ritz, that a good person is priceless (Leng, 2013). Human resources has always played a very important role in hotels. This is because the hotel industry is a labor-intensive industry that requires great contribution and support from human resources to identify and recruit the required staff, train and manage the manpower to fill the various jobs, and retain and develop the talented employees for greater responsibilities or higher positions. This chapter displays the changes of the role of human resources in hotels in China and its significant impact of the changes to the industry. In addition, this chapter also provides its unique points of view in the part of Solutions and Recommendations and in the part of Future Research Directions.


Author(s):  
Mi Jeong Kim ◽  
Xiangyu Wang ◽  
Xingquan Zhu ◽  
Shih-Chung Kang

A growing body of research has shown that Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to contribute to interaction and visualization for architecture and design. While this emerging technology has only been developed for the past decade, numerous journals and conferences in architecture and design have published articles related to AR. This chapter reviews 44 articles on AR especially related to the architecture and design area that were published from 2005 to 2011. Further, this chapter discusses the representative AR research works in terms of four aspects: AR concept, AR implementation, AR evaluation, and AR industry adoption. The chapter draws conclusions about major findings, research issues, and future research directions through the review results. This chapter will be a basis for future research of AR in architecture and design areas.


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