It is known that the geomagnetic field can influence animal migration and homing. The magnetic field detection by animals is known as magnetoreception and it is possible due to two different transduction mechanisms: the first one through magnetic nanoparticles able to respond to the geomagnetic field and the second one through chemical reactions influenced by magnetic fields. Another behavior is the magnetic alignment where animals align their bodies to the geomagnetic field. It has been observed that magnetic alignment of cattle can be disrupted near electric power lines around the world. Experimentally, it is known that alternating magnetic fields can influence living beings, but the exact mechanism is unknown. The parametric resonance model proposes a mechanism to explain that effect on living beings and establishes that, in the presence of a constant magnetic field, molecules associated with biochemical reactions inside cells can absorb resonantly alternating magnetic fields with specific frequencies. In the present paper, a review is made about animal magnetoreception and the effects of alternating magnetic fields in living beings. It is suggested how alternating magnetic fields can interfere in the magnetic alignment of animals and a general conclusion is obtained: alternating magnetic field pollution can affect the magnetic sensibility of animals.

Natalia A. Belova

Daniel Acosta-Avalos

The Effect of Extremely Low Frequency Alternating Magnetic Field on the Behavior of Animals in the Presence of the Geomagnetic Field

The use of anthocyanin dyes extracted from epidermal leaves of Tradescantia spathacea (Trant) and petals of Ixora coccinea (IX) was evaluated in the application of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Subsequently, cocktail anthocyanin dyes from these dyes were prepared and how they enhanced the cell’s overall performance was assessed using five different volume-to-volume ratios. Cocktail dyes absorbed a wider range of light in the visible region, thus increasing the cell efficiencies of the cocktail dyes when compared to the DSSC sensitized by individual dyes. The surface charge (zeta-potential), average size of aggregated anthocyanin molecules (zetasizer), and anthocyanin stability in different storage temperatures were analyzed and recorded. Lower size of aggregated dye molecules as revealed from the cocktail dyes ensured better adsorption onto the TiO2 film. Tradescantia/Ixora pigments mixed in 1 : 4 ratio showed the highest cell efficiency of <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.40332pt" id="M1" height="11.7391pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.33578 44.1304 11.7391" width="44.1304pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g50-229" d="M478 400C478 445 461 451 447 451C425 451 399 442 369 425C316 395 241 339 172 252H170L191 340C198 371 203 395 203 412C203 439 194 451 178 451C147 451 81 411 24 351L43 324C68 349 101 371 111 371C117 371 122 363 115 334L35 -4L42 -11C61 -4 87 3 117 9C130 72 144 130 158 181C241 296 342 379 383 379C398 379 404 370 384 285L330 60C302 -58 282 -164 282 -190S323 -257 354 -257L361 -243C357 -223 359 -177 382 -73L464 303C474 347 478 378 478 400Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,10.202,0)"><path id="g54-34" d="M556 331V384H55V331H556ZM556 140V193H55V140H556Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,21.821,0)"><path id="g50-49" d="M245 635C92 635 37 457 37 312C37 149 91 -12 244 -12C395 -12 449 166 449 312C449 469 395 635 245 635ZM243 598C332 598 358 454 358 312C358 173 334 26 245 26C158 26 128 174 128 313S152 598 243 598Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,28.152,0)"><path id="g50-47" d="M117 -12C153 -12 178 12 178 50C178 84 153 110 118 110C84 110 59 84 59 50C59 12 84 -12 117 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.233,0)"><path id="g50-57" d="M253 635C142 635 71 555 71 471C71 401 113 353 178 316C144 294 106 267 91 252C70 231 46 202 46 157C46 51 132 -12 241 -12C328 -12 442 52 442 168C442 257 379 305 311 343C354 373 380 398 388 407C406 428 417 458 417 487C417 568 348 635 253 635ZM240 600C288 600 340 563 340 481C340 423 313 387 279 360C207 394 148 427 148 499C148 549 182 600 240 600ZM252 23C188 23 129 73 129 163C129 217 162 266 211 298C289 260 360 217 360 144C360 69 312 23 252 23Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,37.564,0)"><use xlink:href="#g50-49"/></g></svg>%, under the irradiance of 100 mW cm−2, with a short-circuit current density 4.185 mA/cm2, open-circuit voltage of 0.346 V, and fill factor of 0.499. It was found that the desired storage temperature for these cocktail dyes to be stable over time was −20°C, in which the anthocyanin half-life was about approximately 1727 days.

Zularif Zolkepli

Andery Lim

Piyasiri Ekanayake

Kushan Tennakoon

Efficiency Enhancement of Cocktail Dye of Ixora coccinea and Tradescantia spathacea in DSSC

Myosin Va (MyoVa) is a processive molecular motor involved in intracellular cargo transport on the actin cytoskeleton. The motor&#x2019;s processivity and ability to navigate actin intersections are believed to be governed by the stiffness of various parts of the motor&#x2019;s structure. Specifically, changes in calcium may regulate motor processivity by altering the motor&#x2019;s lever arm stiffness and thus its interhead communication. In order to measure the flexural stiffness of MyoVa subdomains, we use tethered particle microscopy, which relates the Brownian motion of fluorescent quantum dots, which are attached to various single- and double-headed MyoVa constructs bound to actin in rigor, to the motor&#x2019;s flexural stiffness. Based on these measurements, the MyoVa lever arm and coiled-coil rod domain have comparable flexural stiffness (0.034&#x2009;pN/nm). Upon addition of calcium, the lever arm stiffness is reduced 40&#x25; as a result of calmodulins potentially dissociating from the lever arm. In addition, the flexural stiffness of the full-length MyoVa construct is an order of magnitude less stiff than both a single lever arm and the coiled-coil rod. This suggests that the MyoVa lever arm-rod junction provides a flexible hinge that would allow the motor to maneuver cargo through the complex intracellular actin network.

Arthur J. Michalek

Guy G. Kennedy

David M. Warshaw

M. Yusuf Ali

Flexural Stiffness of Myosin Va Subdomains as Measured from Tethered Particle Motion

The properties of many biological materials often depend on the spatial distribution and concentration of the trace elements present in a matrix. Scientists have over the years tried various techniques including classical physical and chemical analyzing techniques each with relative level of accuracy. However, with the development of spatially sensitive submicron beams, the nuclear microprobe techniques using focused proton beams for the elemental analysis of biological materials have yielded significant success. In this paper, the basic principles of the commonly used microprobe techniques of STIM, RBS, and PIXE for trace elemental analysis are discussed. The details for sample preparation, the detection, and data collection and analysis are discussed. Finally, an application of the techniques to analysis of corn roots for elemental distribution and concentration is presented.

Stephen Juma Mulware

The Review of Nuclear Microscopy Techniques: An Approach for Nondestructive Trace Elemental Analysis and Mapping of Biological Materials

Endothelial microvilli that protrude into the capillary lumen, although invisible in the optical microscopy, may play an important role in the blood flow control in the capillaries. Because of the plug effects, the width of the gap between the capillary wall and the blood cell is especially critical for the blood flow dynamics in capillaries, while microvilli located on the capillary wall can easily control the velocity of the blood flow. We report that microvilli in the capillaries of different vertebrate species have similar characteristics and density, suggesting similarities between the respective regulation mechanisms. A simplified physical model of the capillary effective diameter control by the microvilli is presented.

Vladimir Makarov

Lidia Zueva

Priscila Sanabria

William Dave Wessinger

Tatiana Golubeva

Igor Khmelinskii

Mikhail Inyushin

On the Role of the Blood Vessel Endothelial Microvilli in the Blood Flow in Small Capillaries

The method of lifespan extension that is a practical application of the informational theory of aging is proposed. In this theory, the degradation (error accumulation) of the genetic information in cells is considered a main cause of aging. According to it, our method is based on the transplantation of genetically identical (or similar) stem cells with the lower number of genomic errors to the old recipients. For humans and large mammals, this method can be realized by cryopreservation of their own stem cells, taken in a young age, for the later autologous transplantation in old age. To test this method experimentally, we chose laboratory animals of relatively short lifespan (mouse). Because it is difficult to isolate the required amount of the stem cells (e.g., bone marrow) without significant damage for animals, we used the bone marrow transplantation from sacrificed inbred young donors. It is shown that the lifespan extension of recipients depends on level of their genetic similarity (syngeneity) with donors. We have achieved the lifespan increase of the experimental mice by 34&#x25; when the transplantation of the bone marrow with high level of genetic similarity was used.

Alexey V. Karnaukhov

Elena V. Karnaukhova

Larisa A. Sergievich

Natalia A. Karnaukhova

Elena V. Bogdanenko

Irina A. Manokhina

Valery N. Karnaukhov

Informational Theory of Aging: The Life Extension Method Based on the Bone Marrow Transplantation

Chlorophyll and xanthophyll dyes extracted from a single source of filamentous freshwater green algae (Cladophora sp.) were used to sensitize dye sensitized solar cells and their performances were investigated. A more positive interaction is expected as the derived dyes come from a single natural source because they work mutually in nature. Cell sensitized with mixed chlorophyll and xanthophyll showed synergistic activity with improved cell performance of 1.5- to 2-fold higher than that sensitized with any individual dye. The effect of temperature and the stability of these dyes were also investigated. Xanthophyll dye was found to be more stable compared to chlorophyll that is attributed in the ability of xanthophyll to dissipate extra energy via reversible structural changes. Mixing the dyes resulted to an increase in effective electron life time and reduced the process of electron recombination during solar cell operation, hence exhibiting a synergistic effect.

Noramaliyana Haji Manaf

R. L. N. Chandrakanthi

Linda Biaw Leng Lim

J. M. R. Sarath Bandara

Higher Performance of DSSC with Dyes from Cladophora sp. as Mixed Cosensitizer through Synergistic Effect

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Journal of Biophysics