Natural Organisms Research Articles

Metabolism in Micrathena gracilis, a stridulating orb-weaver (Araneae: Araneidae)

Metabolism powers all of life's processes, making it fundamental to understanding organisms in nature. For many arachnids, however, we do not have direct measurements of either metabolic rate or the relationship between metabolic rate and body size (i.e., allometric scaling, an important determinant of metabolic rate). Here, we present the first measurements of metabolic rate and allometric scaling in a stridulating spined micrathena spider, Micrathena gracilis (Walckenaer, 1805). Since intraspecific variation in metabolic rate may provide insights into variation in energetically costly behaviors, we additionally explore the link between stridulation and metabolism in M. gracilis. Our data suggests a link between stridulatory behavior and allometric scaling, such that increased stridulation is associated with a weaker connection between body mass and metabolic rate. We discuss how links between energetics, expression of behavior, and body size inform our understanding of trait variation in these spiders.

Characteristics of a new carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase NtCCD10 derived from Nicotiana tabacum.

A new carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase NtCCD10 from tobacco was characterized. There is some difference between NtCCD10 and CCD1 in structure. NtCCD10 can cleave the C5-C6 (C5'-C6') and C9-C10 (C9'-C10') double bonds of carotenoids and has high catalytic activity. Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) cleave carotenoids to produce a variety of apocarotenoids, which have important biological functions for organisms in nature. There are eleven CCDs subfamilies in the plant kingdom, many of which have been extensively characterized in their functions. However, as a newly classified subfamily, the function of CCD10 has rarely been studied. In this work, the function of an NtCCD10 gene from dicotyledonous Nicotiana tabacum was cloned and characterized, and its phylogeny, molecular structural modeling and protein structure were also systematically analyzed. Like other CCDs, NtCCD10 also possesses a seven bladed β-propeller with Fe2+ cofactor in its center constituting the active site of the enzyme. The Fe2+ is also coordinated bonding with four conserved histidine residues. Meanwhile, NtCCD10 also has many unique features, such as its α1 and α3 helixes are not anti-parallel, a special β-sheet and a longer access tunnel for substrates. When expressed in engineered Escherichia coli (producing phytoene, lycopene, β-carotene, and zeaxanthin) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (producing β-carotene), NtCCD10 could symmetrically cleave phytoene and β-carotene at the C9-C10 and C9'-C10' positions to produce geranylacetone and β-ionone, respectively. In addition, NtCCD10 could also cleave the C5-C6 and C5'-C6' double bonds of lycopene to generate 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one (MHO). NtCCD10 has higher catalytic activity than PhCCD1 in yeast, which provides a good candidate CCD for biosynthesis of β-ionone and has potential applications in biotechnological industry. This study identified the taxonomic position and catalytic activity of the first NtCCD10 in dicotyledonous plants. This will provide a reference for the discovery and functional identification of CCD10 enzymes in dicotyledons.

Bimetallic Co-Fe-BTC/CN nanocomposite synthesised via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method for highly efficient Reactive Yellow 145 dye photodegradation

BackgroundReactive Yellow 145 (RY-145), a common organic dye-containing azo chromophore found in wastewater from the textile and printing industries, can cause serious environmental pollution and pose a huge threat to human beings and various natural organisms. MethodsWe herein introduce for the first time a nanocomposite based on a bimetallic Co-Fe-BTC metal-organic framework (MOF) and a graphitic carbon nitride (CN) using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. It was shown that the Co-Fe-BTC/CN nanocomposite with band-gap energies of 2.38–2.52 eV and photocurrent intensity of 0.352 mA/cm2 can effectively excite photosensitive reaction and improve ion transport and electrolyte diffusion. Significant findingsThe performance of this nanocomposite material was examined in the decomposition of Reactive Yellow 145 (RY-145) dye under sunlight irradiation. The factors which might affect the dye removal process including Co:Fe molar ratio, dye concentration, pH, catalyst dosage and reaction radicals were evaluated. Based on the electrochemical data, we have been able to propose the mechanism and provide an insightful study of the photodegradation process. Our results also demonstrated that the nanocomposite sample with Co2-Fe8-BTC/CN doping exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity with 99.38% of RY-145 degradation after 40 min, as compared to Co-BTC/CN (89.76%) and Fe-BTC/CN (93.68%).

The formation of the architecture of the future taking into account environmental requirements

The article discusses the creation of harmonious architectural objects based on the principles used in the systems of natural organisms. Using the experience of wildlife for the creation of modern structures is a promising direction. Analysis of living organisms when studying the laws of material economy, energy security and reliability of life can help to master new principles in architecture. New technologies taken after scientific research of natural processes are energy-saving homes; smart homes; healthy homes etc. The paper contain the examples of the use of natural materials –for example, wood – in construction of high-rise buildings maintaining optimal environmental parameters.

Artificial light-harvesting systems and their applications in photocatalysis and cell labeling

• The artificial light-harvesting systems based on non-covalent interactions are discussed. • The artificial light-harvesting systems with two-step sequential energy transfer are discussed. • The applications of artificial light-harvesting systems in photocatalysis and cell labeling are discussed. Photosynthesis is the basis for the survival of organisms in nature; consequently, the fabrication of artificial light-harvesting systems (LHSs) that simulate natural photosynthesis is of significant interest. Recently, a variety of artificial LHSs have been successfully constructed using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). However, it is crucial to fabricate artificial LHSs with a sequential energy transfer process when considering that the natural photosynthetic process involves a multistep sequential energy transfer process rather than a simple one-step energy transfer. Moreover, many previously reported LHSs have been used as imaging agents for cell labeling and bioimaging or as catalysts in photocatalytic reactions, showing promise for applications simulating natural photosynthesis. In this review, we have summarized recently published representative work on artificial LHSs. In addition, the application of LHSs in photocatalysis and cell labeling has been described in detail.

“Bodyheartminding” (xin 心): Reconceiving the Inner Self and the Outer World in the Language of Holographic Focus and Field

“Bodyheartminding” (<i>xin</i> 心): Reconceiving the Inner Self and the Outer World in the Language of Holographic Focus and Field

National Blood Foundation 2021 Research and Development summit: Discovery, innovation, and challenges in advancing blood and biotherapies.

National Blood Foundation 2021 Research and Development summit: Discovery, innovation, and challenges in advancing blood and biotherapies.

Vitamin E synthesis and response in plants.

Vitamin E, also known as tocochromanol, is a lipid-soluble antioxidant that can only be produced by photosynthetic organisms in nature. Vitamin E is not only essential in human diets, but also required for plant environment adaptions. To synthesize vitamin E, specific prenyl groups needs to be incorporated with homogentisate as the first step of reaction. After decades of studies, an almost complete roadmap has been revealed for tocochromanol biosynthesis pathway. However, chlorophyll-derived prenyl precursors for synthesizing tocochromanols are still a mystery. In recent years, by employing forward genetic screening and genome-wide-association approaches, significant achievements were acquired in studying vitamin E. In this review, by summarizing the recent progresses in vitamin E, we provide to date the most updated whole view of vitamin E biosynthesis pathway. Also, we discussed about the role of vitamin E in plants stress response and its potential as signaling molecules.

Longitudinal physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal the short term and long term response of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 to cadmium stress.

Due to the bioaccumulation and non-biodegradability of cadmium, Cd can pose a serious threat to ecosystem even at low concentration. Microalgae is widely distributed photosynthetic organisms in nature, which is a promising heavy metal remover and an effective industrial sewage cleaner. However, there are few detailed reports on the short-term and long-term molecular mechanisms of microalgae under Cd stress. In this study, the adsorption behavior (growth curve, Cd removal efficiency, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and dynamic change of extracellular polymeric substances), cytotoxicity (photosynthetic pigment, MDA, GSH, H2O2, O2-) and stress response mechanism of microalgae were discussed under EC50. RNA-seq detected 1413 DEGs in 4 treatment groups. These genes were related to ribosome, nitrogen metabolism, sulfur transporter, and photosynthesis, and which been proved to be Cd-responsive DEGs. WGCNA (weighted gene co-expression network analysis) revealed two main gene expression patterns, short-term stress (381 genes) and long-term stress (364 genes). The enrichment analysis of DEGs showed that the expression of genes involved in N metabolism, sulfur transporter, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated. This provided raw material for the synthesis of the important component (cysteine) of metal chelate protein, resistant metalloprotein and transporter (ABC transporter) in the initial stage, which was also the short-term response mechanism. Cd adsorption of the first 15min was primary dependent on membrane transporter and beforehand accumulated EPS. Simultaneously, the up-regulated glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) family proteins played a role in the initial resistance to exogenous Cd. The damaged photosynthetic system was repaired at the later stage, the expressions of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis were up-regulated, to meet the energy and substances of physiological metabolic activities. The study is the first to provide detailed short-term and long-term genomic information on microalgae responding to Cd stress. Meanwhile, the key genes in this study can be used as potential targets for algae-mediated genetic engineering.

A Review on Islamic Environmental Ethics: A Solution to Environmental Issues of Science and Technology

Ethical issues in science and technology no longer exist as a new problem arises in this present world. However, the concern for the environment creates awareness in analysing ethical practices in science and technology research and development. It encourages scientists and industries to ensure the chemical products and the processes harmless to the environment. Microplastics (MPs) in the water system demand serious debates and concern among scientists to study the definition and the effects on nature and other organisms. In the past several decades, conventional ethical guidelines have played a significant role in developing new scientific fields but did not control the upcoming technologies, leading to those threats and pollution still occurring. The introduction to the green chemistry concept shows the contribution of conventional ethics in maintaining experimental activities. However, the procedures do not highlight the management of the entire process and the implications after the implementation. It only discusses the purposes of those processes, which may put high risks of destroying the environment during or after the operations are conducted. Therefore, introducing Islamic environmental ethics is significant to curing the unsolved issues. Earlier studies had addressed these ethical guidelines but were limited to philosophical views and personal thought. Hence, the explanation of the Islamic environmental ethics in this research will involve Qur’an as the primary reference by applying the Qur’anic Thematic Exegesis method to address the issue. It requires a discussion based on the environmental pollution cited in Qur’an and the Islamic explanation to overcome. This study involves hermeneutics and content analysis in collecting and presenting the data. At the conclusion of the discussion, Islamic environmental ethics demonstrated its ability to provide guidelines for upholding ethical values and protecting nature in the face of MPs, using a comprehensive approach based on the Quranic perspective.

Synthetic growth by self-lubricated photopolymerization and extrusion inspired by plants and fungi

Many natural organisms, such as fungal hyphae and plant roots, grow at their tips, enabling the generation of complex bodies composed of natural materials as well as dexterous movement and exploration. Tip growth presents an exemplary process by which materials synthesis and actuation are coupled, providing a blueprint for how growth could be realized in a synthetic system. Herein, we identify three underlying principles essential to tip-based growth of biological organisms: a fluid pressure driving force, localized polymerization for generating structure, and fluid-mediated transport of constituent materials. In this work, these evolved features inspire a synthetic materials growth process called extrusion by self-lubricated interface photopolymerization (E-SLIP), which can continuously fabricate solid profiled polymer parts with tunable mechanical properties from liquid precursors. To demonstrate the utility of E-SLIP, we create a tip-growing soft robot, outline its fundamental governing principles, and highlight its capabilities for growth at speeds up to 12 cm/min and lengths up to 1.5 m. This growing soft robot is capable of executing a range of tasks, including exploration, burrowing, and traversing tortuous paths, which highlight the potential for synthetic growth as a platform for on-demand manufacturing of infrastructure, exploration, and sensing in a variety of environments.

Dinoflagellate Tripos furca and Tripos fusus niches in the South China Sea: Maximum entropy assessment of environmental factors

Two dinoflagellate species, Tripos furca and T. fusus commonly co-occur in different marine waters. Both species often bloomed and caused mortalities of natural and culture marine organisms, but T. furca was more often suggested as the causative species. However, the ecological characteristics of these two species are not well understood. The present study applied the MaxEnt (maximum entropy) model using input data obtained from four surveys during 2003–2006 for estimating and comparing entropies of T. furca and T. fusus based on impact levels of six environmental factors (nitrate, phosphate, silicate, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen). PCA analysis on in situ data sets including abundance of the two species and the environmental factors were performed to compared with the model data. MaxEnt model results indicated that there was a significant difference between the two species on entropy values and impact levels of environmental factors to their occurring probabilities. The strongest environmental factor was salinity and nitrate (contributing 37.5% and 24.5% effect) for T. furca and T. fusus, respectively. PCA analysis of density of the two species and environmental variables showed comparable results with the MaxEnt model simulation, that the most important environmental variable being salinity to T. furca and nitrate/phosphate to T. fusus. Tripos furca can be dominant over T. fusus in lower but broader salinity and lower nitrate and phosphate concentrations. The present study results demonstrated applicability of this model for assessing ecological characteristics of species provided adequate input data.

Molecular structure and optical attributes of (Na-CMC/SA) natural polymer blend

ABSTRACT. Biopolymers are referred to the bio-degradable polymer that is derived from living organisms in nature or synthesized from renewable materials but needs polymerization. There are consisting of monomeric units that bond together through a covalent bond to obtain large molecules. A biopolymeric blend of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose/sodium alginate (Na-CMC/SA) film was prepared by the casting/solvent evaporation method. In addition to the molecular structure, the optical and molecular geometry of the collected films were characterized. XRD of binary blend investigated the interaction and miscibility among two biopolymers. FTIR of the blend spectrum explicated the conferring of the two polymer group’s vibrations. UV/Vis and optical studies appeared a peak in the binary at the wavelength (227 nm) which explained the high combination between two polymers. Molecular geometry clarifies the assignment of vibrational spectra of pure polymers which implied the important role of the (C=O) group as eventful regions for the two polymers.&#x0D; &#x0D; KEY WORDS: Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, Sodium alginate, Na-CMC/SA, FTIR, XRD, UV/Vis&#x0D; &#x0D; Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2022, 36(3), 707-716. &#x0D; DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v36i3.19

Recent Advances in Stimuli‐Responsive Shape‐Morphing Hydrogels

AbstractInspired by shape‐morphing organisms in nature, researchers have developed various hydrogels with stimuli‐responsive swelling, shrinking, bending, folding, origami, rolling, twisting, or locomotion. These smart hydrogels are usually created by patterning or 4D printing. The shape morphing of hydrogels allows the fabrication of helixing, twisting, and rolling microstructures, all of which are hard to reproduce directly by ordinary techniques. More importantly, under external stimuli (e.g., solvent, humidity, temperature, light, pH, and electric/magnetic fields), many hydrogels exhibit recoverable shape morphing and thus find promising applications in grippers, sensors, valves, soft robotics, etc. Since shape morphing determines the functions of hydrogels in a great number of cases, herein, recent advances of stimuli‐responsive hydrogels are summarized, with their types, shape‐morphing mechanisms, fabrication methods, shape‐morphing modes, and extensive applications covered. The conclusion and perspectives are also presented to guide the design and fabrication of functional hydrogels.

Medicinal Fungi with Antiviral Effect.

Pandemics from various viruses make natural organisms face challenges over and over again. Therefore, new antiviral drugs urgently need to be found to solve this problem. However, drug research and development is a very difficult task, and finding new antiviral compounds is desirable. A range of medicinal fungi such as Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps sinensis are widely used all over the world, and they can enhance human immunity and direct anti-virus activities and other aspects to play an antiviral role. Medicinal fungi are used as foods or as food supplements. In this review, the species of medicinal fungi with antiviral activity in recent decades and the mechanism of antiviral components were reviewed from the perspectives of human, animal, and plant viruses to provide a comprehensive theory based on better clinical utilization of medicinal fungi as antiviral agents.

Analysis of the Ecological Carrying Capacity of Fish Resources in Shengjin Lake, Anhui Province, China.

The carrying capacity of fish is related to the sustainability of fisheries’ activities in water bodies. The fish carrying capacity of a water body is the maximum fish yield that can be carried by the natural bait organisms in the water body under the ideal natural conditions without feeding and fertilization. The evaluation of fish productivity is an important basis for rational stocking, rational fishing, and the scientific utilization of natural bait resources in a water area. This paper adopts the background data of the Shengjin Lake fishery ecosystem and uses the bait-based estimation method. The results show that (1) the annual yield of silver carp fed on phytoplankton is 1.5 million kg; (2) the annual yield of bighead carp fed on zooplankton is 1.295 million kg; (3) the annual yield of benthos is 310,000 kg; (4) the annual yield of organic detritus is 280,000 kg; and (5) as the coverage of water grass in Shengjin Lake is less than 10%, it should be protected and restored rather than used by fish. In general, the annual maximum carrying capacity of fish in Shengjin Lake is 3.385 million kg, except for water and grass.

Microrobotic Leg With Expanded Planar Workspace

A microrobotic leg actuated with amplifying mechanisms is developed in this letter to mimic the motion of legs in natural organisms on the small scale. The leg device has a planar structure and is fabricated with bulk micromachining. Two electrothermal actuators are used to drive the leg back and forth in the planar workspace. The actuator motion is transmitted elastically to the leg using flexible arms. The leg mechanism has a symmetrical structure similar to standard parallel planar manipulators but with deformable parts instead of joints. The motion of the leg at the tip side is further amplified by blocking its motion at the other side using stoppers, resulting in an extended range of motion at the leg tip. Finite element simulations and experimental tests on fabricated prototypes demonstrated the efficient operation of the proposed design. The unique characteristics of the proposed leg mechanism, including large force and displacement, multiple degrees of freedom, and compatibility with micromachining, enhance the power, control, and mobility autonomy of legged microbots.

Eco-Friendly Bio-Hydrogels Based on Antheraea Pernyi Silk Gland Protein for Cell and Drug Delivery.

The Antheraea Pernyi silk gland protein originates from natural organisms and synthesized by tussah silk glands and has widely potential biomaterial applications due to the superior biocompatibility. This study investigates the Antheraea Pernyi silk gland protein-based drug-loaded bio-hydrogels for bioengineered tissue fabricated by using an eco-friendly method without the harsh extracting process and the usage of toxic chemicals. The drug-loaded bio-hydrogels exhibited a porous structure and interconnected pore walls. The swelling ratio and water absorption of drug-loaded bio-hydrogels were, respectively, above 95% and 1.5 × 103%. The cumulative release of drug loaded hydrogels all reached more than 90% within 4 h, and this indicates the potential of drug-loaded hydrogels as future drug-carrying biomaterials. RSC96 Schwann cells cultured on drug-loaded hydrogels for 72 h under cell culture medium show no toxic effects and more pro-proliferative effects. The results suggest the suitability of drug-loaded bio-hydrogels as natural biopolymer for the potential in vitro RSC96 cell culture platform and other biomaterial applications.

One-Pot Self-Assembly of Dual-Color Domes Using Mono-Sized Silica Nanoparticles.

Spots with dual structural colors on the skin of some organisms in nature are of tremendous interest due to the unique function of their dye-free colors. However, imitation of them requires complicated manufacturing processes, expensive equipment, and multiple predesigned building blocks. In this work, a one-pot strategy based on the phase-separation-assisted nonuniform self-assembly of monosized silica nanoparticles is developed to construct domes with dual structural colors. In drying poly(ethylene glycol)-dextran-based (PEG-DEX) droplets, monosized nanoparticles distribute nonuniformly in two compartments due to the droplet inner flow and different nanoparticle compatibility with the two phases. The dome colors are derived from the self-assembled nanoparticles and are programmable by regulating the assembly conditions. The one-pot strategy enables the preparation of multicolor using only one type of building block. With the dual-color domes, encrypted patterns with a high volume of contents are designed, showing promising applications in information delivery.

Biomimetic Self-Adhesive Structures for Wearable Sensors.

Inspired by the adhesion ability of various organisms in nature, the research of biomimetic adhesion has shown a promising application prospect in fields such as manipulators, climbing robots and wearable medical devices. In order to achieve effective adhesion between human skin and a variety of wearable sensors, two natural creatures, octopus and mussel, were selected for bio-imitation in this paper. Through imitating the octopus sucker structure, a micro-cavity array with a large inner cavity and small outer cavity was designed. The fabrication was completed by double-layer adhesive photolithography and PDMS molding, and the adhesion capacity of the structure was further enhanced by the coating of thermal responsive hydrogel PNIPAM. The adhesive force of 3.91 N/cm2 was obtained in the range of the human body temperature. PDA-Lap-PAM hydrogel was prepared by combining mussel foot protein (Mfps) with nano-clay (Lap) as biomimetic mussel mucus. It was found that 0.02 g PDA-Lap-PAM hydrogel can obtain about 2.216 N adhesion, with good hydrophilicity. Through oxygen plasma surface treatment and functional silane surface modification, the fusion of the PDMS film with biomimetic octopus sucker structure and the biomimetic mussel mucus hydrogel patch was realized. The biomimetic octopus sucker structure was attached to the human skin surface to solve the problem of shape-preserving attachment, and the biomimetic mussel mucus hydrogel was attached to the sensor surface to solve the problem of sensor surface adaptation. The fusion structure was used to attach a rigid substrate piezoelectric sensor to the skin for a human pulsewave test. The results verified the self-adhesion feasibility of wearable sensors with biomimetic structures.