Magnetism, FeS colloids, and Origins of Life

A number of features of living systems: reversible interactions and weak bonds underlying motor-dynamics; gel-sol transitions; cellular connected fractal organization; asymmetry in interactions and organization; quantum coherent phenomena; to name some, can have a natural accounting via $physical$ interactions, which we therefore seek to incorporate by expanding the horizons of `chemistry-only' approaches to the origins of life. It is suggested that the magnetic 'face' of the minerals from the inorganic world, recognized to have played a pivotal role in initiating Life, may throw light on some of these issues. A magnetic environment in the form of rocks in the Hadean Ocean could have enabled the accretion and therefore an ordered confinement of super-paramagnetic colloids within a structured phase. A moderate H-field can help magnetic nano-particles to not only overcome thermal fluctuations but also harness them. Such controlled dynamics brings in the possibility of accessing quantum effects, which together with frustrations in magnetic ordering and hysteresis (a natural mechanism for a primitive memory) could throw light on the birth of biological information which, as Abel argues, requires a combination of order and complexity. This scenario gains strength from observations of scale-free framboidal forms of the greigite mineral, with a magnetic basis of assembly. And greigite's metabolic potential plays a key role in the mound scenario of Russell and coworkers-an expansion of which is suggested for including magnetism.Comment: 42 pages, 5 figures, to be published in A.R. Memorial volume, Ed Krishnaswami Alladi, Springer 201

?-d-Galactosylation of surface fucoglycoconjugate(s) upon stimulation/activation of murine peritoneal macrophages

Murine resident macrophages express, on their surface, carbohydrate epitopes which undergo changes during their stimulation/activation as monitored by binding of 125 I labelled Evonymus europaea and Griffonia simplicifolia I-B 4 lectins. Treatment of the stimulated macrophages with coffee bean α-galactosidase abolished binding of the GS I-B 4 isolectin and changed the binding pattern of the Evonymus lectin. The affinity ( K a ) of Evonymus lectin for α-galactosidase-treated macrophages decreased approximately 23-fold, from 1.25×10 8 M −1 to 5.5×10 6 M −1 . Subsequent digestion of α-galactosidase-treated macrophages with α- l -fucosidase from Trichomonas foetus , further reduced binding of Evonymus lectin. Resident macrophages showed the same pattern of Evonymus lectin binding, with the same affinity, as α-galactosidase-treated, stimulated macrophages. These results, together with a consideration of the carbohydrate binding specificity of the Evonymus lectin which, in the absence of α- d -galactosyl groups, requires α- l -fucosyl groups for binding, indicate the presence, on resident macrophages, of glycoconjugates with terminal α- l -fucosyl residues. It is also concluded that during macrophage stimulation/activation α- d -galactosyl residues are added to this glycoconjugate and that they form part of the receptor for Evonymus lectin. The same glycoconjugate(s) is/are also expressed on the activated macrophage IC-21 cell line which exhibits the same characteristics as that of stimulated peritoneal macrophages, i.e., it contains α- d -galactosyl end groups and is resistant to the action of trypsin. Both lectins were also specifically bound to Corynaebacterium parvum activated macrophages.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45796/1/10719_2004_Article_BF00731705.pd

Effects of Atmospheric Rivers

This book is intended to summarize the state of the science of atmospheric rivers (ARs) and itsapplication to practical decision-making and broader policy topics. It is the first book on thesubject and is intended to be a learning resource for professionals, students, and indeed anyonenew to the field, as well as a reference source for all.We first envisioned the book during the heady days of 2013 when the Center for WesternWeather and Water Extremes was being planned and established. However, right from the start,we recognized that the effort required would exceed that of any single or couple of authors, andthat the book would surely benefit from a broad range of perspectives and knowledge from avariety of leaders of atmospheric-river science from around the world. Consequently, the firststep toward this book was to organize workshops addressing various aspects of AR science thatwe were able to co-opt, in part, for recruitment of, and discussions among, possible contributingauthors. This led to the diverse authorship team that ultimately wrote this book, as well asour engagement of an experienced publication and book editing team. Among the strategiesagreed to by the contributing authors, one key decision was that the book would focus mostlyon results that have already been published and would emphasize figures and references fromthose formal publications. Where vital, new information has been developed and incorporated.Each chapter was led by a few expert lead authors recruited by the four of us, and those chapterleads recruited contributions from other experts on the chapter topic. Each chapter wasreviewed by other specialists who were not part of its authorship team, generally including onehighly technical expert and one reviewer intended to represent members of a broader audience.This helped ensure the accuracy of interpretations as well as high standards and accessibilityof presentation. We, the editors of the book, reviewed all chapters at various stages of compositionand layout.Given currently high levels of interest in ARs in the scientific community as well as by thepublic, we hope that the book will be a useful starting place for many readers. Writing a bookabout a topic that is as new and that is advancing as quickly as AR science is today (in 2018)poses many difficult challenges but, with the help of the large team of expert authors who havecontributed, we believe that, with this book, we are providing a firm foundation for futureexpansion and advances in this important field.Fil: Dettinger, Michael D.. United States Geological Survey; Estados UnidosFil: Lavers, David A.. No especifíca;Fil: Compo, Gilbert P.. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados UnidosFil: Gorodetskaya, Irina V.. Universidade de Aveiro; PortugalFil: Neff, William. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados UnidosFil: Neiman, Paul J.. National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Ramos, Alexandre M.. Universidade Nova de Lisboa; PortugalFil: Rutz, Jonathan J.. National Weather Service; Estados UnidosFil: Viale, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Wade, Andrew J.. University of Reading; Reino UnidoFil: White, Allen B.. National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unido

Insights from quantitative metaproteomics and protein-stable isotope probing into microbial ecology

The recent development of metaproteomics has enabled the direct identification and quantification of expressed proteins from microbial communities in situ, without the need for microbial enrichment. This became possible by (1) significant increases in quality and quantity of metagenome data and by improvements of (2) accuracy and (3) sensitivity of modern mass spectrometers (MS). The identification of physiologically relevant enzymes can help to understand the role of specific species within a community or an ecological niche. Beside identification, relative and absolute quantitation is also crucial. We will review label-free and label-based methods of quantitation in MS-based proteome analysis and the contribution of quantitative proteome data to microbial ecology. Additionally, approaches of protein-based stable isotope probing (protein-SIP) for deciphering community structures are reviewed. Information on the species-specific metabolic activity can be obtained when substrates or nutrients are labeled with stable isotopes in a protein-SIP approach. The stable isotopes ((13)C, (15)N, (36)S) are incorporated into proteins and the rate of incorporation can be used for assessing the metabolic activity of the corresponding species. We will focus on the relevance of the metabolic and phylogenetic information retrieved with protein-SIP studies and for detecting and quantifying the carbon flux within microbial consortia. Furthermore, the combination of protein-SIP with established tools in microbial ecology such as other stable isotope probing techniques are discussed