Quantum Response of Human Skin to Hydrogen Peroxide Stimulation

Visible range photon signals emitted after applying five concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on both sides of the left hand were measured and called response signals. Their quantum nature was ascertained in two analyses. The first analysis determined decay parameters of signals in two models - quantum and two exponential decays - and checked the robustness of decay parameters. The analysis established hyperbolic decay of response signals and showed that signals were in evolving squeezed states. The second analysis split response signal in small sections and determined the properties of the signal in each section from mean, variance and photon count distribution in the section. The properties showed that every section was a high strength biophoton signal having a core quantum component in squeezed state and a peripheral classical component. The properties further suggested the involvement of same or similar quantum entities in the emission of response and biophoton signals

MMP-2 mediates local degradation and remodeling of collagen by annulus fibrosus cells of the intervertebral disc

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is characterized by marked degradation and restructuring of the annulus fibrosus (AF). Although several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been found to be more prevalent in degenerate discs, their coordination and function within the context of the disease process are still not well understood. In this study, we sought to determine whether MMP-2 is associated with degenerative changes in the AF and to identify the manner by which AF cells use MMP-2. Two established animal models of disc degeneration, static compression and transannular needle puncture of rodent caudal discs, were examined for MMP-2 immunopositivity. With lentiviral transduction of an shRNA expression cassette, we screened and identified an effective shRNA sequence for generating stable RNA interference to silence MMP-2 expression in primary rat AF cells. Gelatin films were used to compare gelatinase activity and spatial patterns of degradation between transduced cells, and both noninfected and nonsense shRNA controls. The functional significance of MMP-2 was determined by assessing the ability for cells to remodel collagen gels. Both static compression and 18-g annular puncture of rodent caudal discs stimulated an increase in MMP-2 activity with concurrent lamellar disorganization in the AF, whereas 22-g and 26-g needle injuries did not. To investigate the functional role of MMP-2, we established lentivirus-mediated RNAi to induce stable knockdown of transcript levels by as much as 88%, and protein levels by as much as 95% over a 10-day period. Culturing transduced cells on gelatin films confirmed that MMP-2 is the primary functional gelatinase in AF cells, and that MMP-2 is used locally in regions immediately around AF cells. In collagen gels, transduced cells demonstrated an inability to remodel collagen matrices. Our study indicates that increases in MMP-2 observed in human degenerate discs are mirrored in experimentally induced degenerative changes in rodent animal models. AF cells appear to use MMP-2 in a very directed fashion for local matrix degradation and collagen remodeling. This suggests that MMP-2 may have a functionally significant role in the etiology of degenerative disc disease and could be a potential therapeutic target.https://doi.org/10.1186/ar4224https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-14-28

Development of insect resistant maize plants expressing a chitinase gene from the cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis

Due to the importance of chitinolytic enzymes for insect, nematode and fungal growth, they are receiving attention concerning their development as biopesticides or chemical defense proteins in transgenic plants and as microbial biocontrol agents. Targeting chitin associated with the extracellular matrices or cell wall by insect chitinases may be an effective approach for controlling pest insects and pathogenic fungi. The ability of chitinases to attack and digest chitin in the peritrophic matrix or exoskeleton raises the possibility to use them as insect control method. In this study, an insect chitinase cDNA from cotton leaf worm (Spodoptera littoralis) has been synthesized. Transgenic maize plant system was used to improve its tolerance against insects. Insect chitinase transcripts and proteins were expressed in transgenic maize plants. The functional integrity and expression of chitinase in progenies of the transgenic plants were confirmed by insect bioassays. The bioassays using transgenic corn plants against corn borer (Sesamia cretica) revealed that ~50% of the insects reared on transgenic corn plants died, suggesting that transgenic maize plants have enhanced resistance against S. cretica

The Regulation Of Intervertebral Disc Cell Interactions With Their Surrounding Microenvironment

Intervertebral disc degeneration is the major cause of back pain in the US, which can be both physically debilitating and costly to treat. Current treatments include invasive surgeries, which can be effective in ameliorating pain, but also contain the risk of complications. Additionally, these strategies target clinical manifestations of disc degeneration, rather than examine the cause of degenerative changes. Therefore, current research focuses on finding minimally invasive treatments for disc disease such as gene therapy. Regulating intervertebral disc cell interactions with their immediate environment can be a useful tool in the development of therapeutic strategies. This was explored through environmental changes to assess shifts in cell phenotype as well as genetic modulation to elucidate alterations in cell function. Biochemical, nutritional, and physical factors were examined in immature nucleus pulposus cells to assess changes in gene expression, attachment, and proliferation. It was found that nutritional and physical factors can alter gene expression levels of NP cells, thereby altering cell phenotype. In addition, down-regulation of the proteolytic enzyme MMP-2 was explored through RNAi interference. Five shRNA lentiviral vectors were designed and validated for the sustained gene silencing of MMP-2. Silencing MMP-2 activity resulted in the inability of disc cells to focally degrade gelatin films as well as reduced ability of disc cells to remodel fibers in type I collagen gels, resulting in weakened gel architecture. These functional consequences were further explored in an in vivo study utilizing an annular needle-puncture model of disc degeneration. Injection of the shMMP lentiviral construct lead to decreased expression of MMP-2 in the disc, as well as improved disc height and morphology. Thus, the functional consequences of silencing MMP-2 were examined, elucidating its role in the degradative pathway leading to degenerative disc disease. The results of these studies can lay the foundation for developing therapeutic treatments for intervertebral disc degeneration

The impact of chamber transparency on estimation of peatland net ecosystem exchange

The purpose of this work was to quantify the variation of chamber transparency over the period of one month of measurements and its impact on estimates of peatland net ecosystem exchange. The automated transparent closed (non-steady-state) chambers are widely used for quantifying net carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes exchanged between different canopies and the atmosphere. However, it is known that the transparency of the chamber, and hence the amount of radiation reaching the surface, is changing over time and depends on several factors, such as solar angle, obstacles, and cleanness of the chamber surface which is exposed to the environmental conditions. The objective of this research work was to determine if the material from which the measuring chamber is made maintains constant parameters for reduction of incoming radiation in the form of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) inside the chamber. Based on the obtained results, it can be stated that during the specific atmospheric conditions, the average transparency of the measuring chamber of the automatic chamber system can drop even up to 20%. If not considered, it may lead to incorrect estimation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In case of our experiment, non-corrected NEE flux rates were five times higher than the same fluxes after corrections. For this reason, it is important to apply correction coefficients, which allow the selection of the appropriate value for PPFD during the NEE modelling process

The impact of chamber transparency on estimation of peatland net ecosystem exchange

The purpose of this work was to quantify the variation of chamber transparency over the period of one month of measurements and its impact on estimates of peatland net ecosystem exchange. The automated transparent closed (non-steady-state) chambers are widely used for quantifying net carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes exchanged between different canopies and the atmosphere. However, it is known that the transparency of the chamber, and hence the amount of radiation reaching the surface, is changing over time and depends on several factors, such as solar angle, obstacles, and cleanness of the chamber surface which is exposed to the environmental conditions. The objective of this research work was to determine if the material from which the measuring chamber is made maintains constant parameters for reduction of incoming radiation in the form of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) inside the chamber. Based on the obtained results, it can be stated that during the specific atmospheric conditions, the average transparency of the measuring chamber of the automatic chamber system can drop even up to 20%. If not considered, it may lead to incorrect estimation of net ecosystem exchange (NEE). In case of our experiment, non-corrected NEE flux rates were five times higher than the same fluxes after corrections. For this reason, it is important to apply correction coefficients, which allow the selection of the appropriate value for PPFD during the NEE modelling process

Review of Top-of-Canopy Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF) Studies from Ground, UAV, Airborne to Spaceborne Observations

Remote sensing (RS) of sun-induced fluorescence (SIF) has emerged as a promising indicator of photosynthetic activity and related stress from the leaf to the ecosystem level. The implementation of modern RS technology on SIF is highly motivated by the direct link of SIF to the core of photosynthetic machinery. In the last few decades, a lot of studies have been conducted on SIF measurement techniques, retrieval algorithms, modeling, application, validation, and radiative transfer processes, incorporating different RS observations (i.e., ground, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), airborne, and spaceborne). These studies have made a significant contribution to the enrichment of SIF science over time. However, to realize the potential of SIF and to explore its full spectrum using different RS observations, a complete document of existing SIF studies is needed. Considering this gap, we have performed a detailed review of current SIF studies from the ground, UAV, airborne, and spaceborne observations. In this review, we have discussed the in-depth interpretation of each SIF study using four RS platforms. The limitations and challenges of SIF studies have also been discussed to motivate future research and subsequently overcome them. This detailed review of SIF studies will help, support, and inspire the researchers and application-based users to consider SIF science with confidence

Monitoring the Impact of Environmental Manipulation on Peatland Surface by Simple Remote Sensing Indices

The behaviour of nature depends on the different components of climates. Among these, temperature and rainfall are two of the most important components which are known to change plant productivity. Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on the Earth, which is due to its high biodiversity, huge soil carbon storage, and its sensitivity to different environmental factors. With the rapid growth in industrialization, the climate change is becoming a big concern. Therefore, this work is focused on the behaviour of Sphagnum peatland in Poland, subjected to environment manipulation. Here it has been shown how a simple reflectance based technique can be used to assess the impact of climate change on peatland. The experimental setup consists of four plots with two kind of manipulations (control, warming, reduced precipitation, and a combination of warming and reduced precipitation). Reflectance data were measured twice in August 2017 under a clear sky. Vegetation indices (VIs) such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv), MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI), Green chlorophyll index (CIgreen), Simple Ration (SR), and Water Band Index (WBI) were calculated to trace the impact of environmental manipulation on the plant community. Leaf Area Index of vascular plants was also measured for the purpose to correlate it with different VIs. The observation predicts that the global warming of 1°C may cause a significant change in peatland behaviour which can be tracked and monitored by simple remote sensing indices

Monitoring the Impact of Environmental Manipulation on Peatland Surface by Simple Remote Sensing Indices

The behaviour of nature depends on the different components of climates. Among these, temperature and rainfall are two of the most important components which are known to change plant productivity. Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on the Earth, which is due to its high biodiversity, huge soil carbon storage, and its sensitivity to different environmental factors. With the rapid growth in industrialization, the climate change is becoming a big concern. Therefore, this work is focused on the behaviour of Sphagnum peatland in Poland, subjected to environment manipulation. Here it has been shown how a simple reflectance based technique can be used to assess the impact of climate change on peatland. The experimental setup consists of four plots with two kind of manipulations (control, warming, reduced precipitation, and a combination of warming and reduced precipitation). Reflectance data were measured twice in August 2017 under a clear sky. Vegetation indices (VIs) such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv), MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI), Green chlorophyll index (CIgreen), Simple Ration (SR), and Water Band Index (WBI) were calculated to trace the impact of environmental manipulation on the plant community. Leaf Area Index of vascular plants was also measured for the purpose to correlate it with different VIs. The observation predicts that the global warming of 1°C may cause a significant change in peatland behaviour which can be tracked and monitored by simple remote sensing indices