scholarly journals Reported and potential bioluminescent species in Lithuania

Biologija ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asta Malakauskienė

Bioluminescent species are those producing and emitting light by chemical reactions and using it for a wide range of functions important for survival, hunting, camouflage, mating, recognition, and communication. Studies on Lithuanian bioluminescent species biodiversity are scarce. The aim of this study was to review available information about reported and potential (found near the borders of the neighbouring countries) bioluminescent (fireflies, fungi, centipedes, springtails), and luminescent (mosses) species in Lithuania. Available sources of literature on the diversity of Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, and Belarusian bioluminescent species were studied, and folklore and verbal evidence of seen bioluminescent species were analysed as well. All collected information was generalized and presented as a list of Lithuanian bioluminescent species. The results showed that representatives of 26 different bioluminescent and one luminescent species may glow in the dark in Lithuania depending on the season, temperature, humidity, pH and oxygen presence in their environment: two reported and one potential (immigrating from Poland and Belarus) species of fireflies; recently reported one species of bioluminescent centipedes from the family of Geophilus; one potential species of bioluminescent springtail (reported in Latvia and Poland); 21 reported species of bioluminescent fungi; one reported species of luminescent moss. Glowing must be confirmed for two fungi species mentioned in folklore, also one species is found that does not glow in Lithuania but is bioluminescent in North America. Specimens of Chlorociboria sp. and Xylaria hypoxylon found in the Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University did not glow, while Armillaria mellea glowed brightly emitting green light.

Author(s):  
Anthony S-Y Leong ◽  
David W Gove

Microwaves (MW) are electromagnetic waves which are commonly generated at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. When dipolar molecules such as water, the polar side chains of proteins and other molecules with an uneven distribution of electrical charge are exposed to such non-ionizing radiation, they oscillate through 180° at a rate of 2,450 million cycles/s. This rapid kinetic movement results in accelerated chemical reactions and produces instantaneous heat. MWs have recently been applied to a wide range of procedures for light microscopy. MWs generated by domestic ovens have been used as a primary method of tissue fixation, it has been applied to the various stages of tissue processing as well as to a wide variety of staining procedures. This use of MWs has not only resulted in drastic reductions in the time required for tissue fixation, processing and staining, but have also produced better cytologic images in cryostat sections, and more importantly, have resulted in better preservation of cellular antigens.


2020 ◽  
pp. 102-109
Author(s):  
Svetlana Alekseevna Raschetina ◽  

Relevance and problem statement. Modern unstable society is characterized by narrowing the boundaries of controlled socialization and expanding the boundaries of spontaneous socialization of a teenager based on his immersion in the question arises about the importance of the family in the process of socialization of a teenager in the conditions of expanding the space of socialization. There is a need to study the role of the family in this process, to search, develop and test research methods that allow us to reveal the phenomenon of socialization from the side of its value characteristics. The purpose and methodology of the study: to identify the possibilities of a systematic and anthropological methodology for studying the role of the family in the process of socialization of adolescents in modern conditions, testing research methods: photo research on the topic “Ego – I” (author of the German sociologist H. Abels), profile update reflexive processes (by S. A. Raschetina). Materials and results of the study. The study showed that for all the problems that exist in the family of the perestroika era and in the modern family, it acts for a teenager as a value and the first (main) support in the processes of socialization. The positions well known in psychology about the importance of interpersonal relations in adolescence for the formation of attitudes towards oneself as the basis of socialization are confirmed. Today, the frontiers of making friends have expanded enormously on the basis of Internet communication. The types of activities of interest to a teenager (traditional and new ones related to digitalization) are the third pillar of socialization. Conclusion. The “Ego – I” method of photo research has a wide range of possibilities for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the socialization process to identify the value Pillars of this process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (10(79)) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
G. Bubyreva

The existing legislation determines the education as "an integral and focused process of teaching and upbringing, which represents a socially important value and shall be implemented so as to meet the interests of the individual, the family, the society and the state". However, even in this part, the meaning of the notion ‘socially significant benefit is not specified and allows for a wide range of interpretation [2]. Yet the more inconcrete is the answer to the question – "who and how should determine the interests of the individual, the family and even the state?" The national doctrine of education in the Russian Federation, which determined the goals of teaching and upbringing, the ways to attain them by means of the state policy regulating the field of education, the target achievements of the development of the educational system for the period up to 2025, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 4, 2000 #751, was abrogated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 29, 2014 #245 [7]. The new doctrine has not been developed so far. The RAE Academician A.B. Khutorsky believes that the absence of the national doctrine of education presents a threat to national security and a violation of the right of citizens to quality education. Accordingly, the teacher has to solve the problem of achieving the harmony of interests of the individual, the family, the society and the government on their own, which, however, judging by the officially published results, is the task that exceeds the abilities of the participants of the educational process.  The particular concern about the results of the patriotic upbringing served as a basis for the legislative initiative of the RF President V. V. Putin, who introduced the project of an amendment to the Law of RF "About Education of the Russian Federation" to the State Duma in 2020, regarding the quality of patriotic upbringing [3]. Patriotism, considered by the President of RF V. V. Putin as the only possible idea to unite the nation is "THE FEELING OF LOVE OF THE MOTHERLAND" and the readiness for every sacrifice and heroic deed for the sake of the interests of your Motherland. However, the practicing educators experience shortfalls in efficient methodologies of patriotic upbringing, which should let them bring up citizens, loving their Motherland more than themselves. The article is dedicated to solution to this problem based on the Value-sense paradigm of upbringing educational dynasty of the Kurbatovs [15].


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 325-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hojjat Borna ◽  
Kasim Assadoulahei ◽  
Gholamhossein Riazi ◽  
Asghar Beigi Harchegani ◽  
Alireza Shahriary

Background & Objective: Neurodegenrative diseases are among the most widespread lifethreatening disorders around the world in elderly ages. The common feature of a group of neurodegenerative disorders, called tauopathies, is an accumulation of microtubule associated protein tau inside the neurons. The exact mechanism underlying tauopathies is not well-understood but several factors such as traumatic brain injuries and genetics are considered as potential risk factors. Although tau protein is well-known for its key role in stabilizing and organization of axonal microtubule network, it bears a broad range of functions including DNA protection and participation in signaling pathways. Moreover, the flexible unfolded structure of tau facilitates modification of tau by a wide range of intracellular enzymes which in turn broadens tau function and interaction spectrum. The distinctive properties of tau protein concomitant with the crucial role of tau interaction partners in the progression of neurodegeneration suggest tau and its binding partners as potential drug targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Conclusion: This review aims to give a detailed description of structure, functions and interactions of tau protein in order to provide insight into potential therapeutic targets for treatment of tauopathies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruijuan Du ◽  
Chuntian Huang ◽  
Kangdong Liu ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Zigang Dong

AbstractAurora kinase A (AURKA) belongs to the family of serine/threonine kinases, whose activation is necessary for cell division processes via regulation of mitosis. AURKA shows significantly higher expression in cancer tissues than in normal control tissues for multiple tumor types according to the TCGA database. Activation of AURKA has been demonstrated to play an important role in a wide range of cancers, and numerous AURKA substrates have been identified. AURKA-mediated phosphorylation can regulate the functions of AURKA substrates, some of which are mitosis regulators, tumor suppressors or oncogenes. In addition, enrichment of AURKA-interacting proteins with KEGG pathway and GO analysis have demonstrated that these proteins are involved in classic oncogenic pathways. All of this evidence favors the idea of AURKA as a target for cancer therapy, and some small molecules targeting AURKA have been discovered. These AURKA inhibitors (AKIs) have been tested in preclinical studies, and some of them have been subjected to clinical trials as monotherapies or in combination with classic chemotherapy or other targeted therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 911-927
Author(s):  
Lucia Muggia ◽  
Yu Quan ◽  
Cécile Gueidan ◽  
Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi ◽  
Martin Grube ◽  
...  

AbstractLichen thalli provide a long-lived and stable habitat for colonization by a wide range of microorganisms. Increased interest in these lichen-associated microbial communities has revealed an impressive diversity of fungi, including several novel lineages which still await formal taxonomic recognition. Among these, members of the Eurotiomycetes and Dothideomycetes usually occur asymptomatically in the lichen thalli, even if they share ancestry with fungi that may be parasitic on their host. Mycelia of the isolates are characterized by melanized cell walls and the fungi display exclusively asexual propagation. Their taxonomic placement requires, therefore, the use of DNA sequence data. Here, we consider recently published sequence data from lichen-associated fungi and characterize and formally describe two new, individually monophyletic lineages at family, genus, and species levels. The Pleostigmataceae fam. nov. and Melanina gen. nov. both comprise rock-inhabiting fungi that associate with epilithic, crust-forming lichens in subalpine habitats. The phylogenetic placement and the monophyly of Pleostigmataceae lack statistical support, but the family was resolved as sister to the order Verrucariales. This family comprises the species Pleostigma alpinum sp. nov., P. frigidum sp. nov., P. jungermannicola, and P. lichenophilum sp. nov. The placement of the genus Melanina is supported as a lineage within the Chaetothyriales. To date, this genus comprises the single species M. gunde-cimermaniae sp. nov. and forms a sister group to a large lineage including Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriaceae, Cyphellophoraceae, and Trichomeriaceae. The new phylogenetic analysis of the subclass Chaetothyiomycetidae provides new insight into genus and family level delimitation and classification of this ecologically diverse group of fungi.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2754
Author(s):  
Naila Qayyum ◽  
Muhammad Haseeb ◽  
Moon Suk Kim ◽  
Sangdun Choi

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), widely known as thioredoxin-binding protein 2 (TBP2), is a major binding mediator in the thioredoxin (TXN) antioxidant system, which involves a reduction-oxidation (redox) signaling complex and is pivotal for the pathophysiology of some diseases. TXNIP increases reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress and thereby contributes to apoptosis. Recent studies indicate an evolving role of TXNIP in the pathogenesis of complex diseases such as metabolic disorders, neurological disorders, and inflammatory illnesses. In addition, TXNIP has gained significant attention due to its wide range of functions in energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, improved insulin secretion, and also in the regulation of glucose and tumor suppressor activities in various cancers. This review aims to highlight the roles of TXNIP in the field of diabetology, neurodegenerative diseases, and inflammation. TXNIP is found to be a promising novel therapeutic target in the current review, not only in the aforementioned diseases but also in prolonged microvascular and macrovascular diseases. Therefore, TXNIP inhibitors hold promise for preventing the growing incidence of complications in relevant diseases.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3888
Author(s):  
Boon-Peng Puah ◽  
Juriyati Jalil ◽  
Ali Attiq ◽  
Yusof Kamisah

Lycopene is a well-known compound found commonly in tomatoes which brings wide range of health benefits against cardiovascular diseases and cancers. From an anti-cancer perspective, lycopene is often associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer and people often look for it as a dietary supplement which may help to prevent cancer. Previous scientific evidence exhibited that the anti-cancer activity of lycopene relies on its ability to suppress oncogene expressions and induce proapoptotic pathways. To further explore the real potential of lycopene in cancer prevention, this review discusses the new insights and perspectives on the anti-cancer activities of lycopene which could help to drive new direction for research. The relationship between inflammation and cancer is being highlighted, whereby lycopene suppresses cancer via resolution of inflammation are also discussed herein. The immune system was found to be a part of the anti-cancer system of lycopene as it modulates immune cells to suppress tumor growth and progression. Lycopene, which is under the family of carotenoids, was found to play special role in suppressing lung cancer.


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