Discontinuous and continuous transitions of collective behaviors in living systems

Living systems are full of astonishing diversity and complexity of life.Despite differences in the length scales and cognitive abilities of these systems,collective motion of large groups of individuals can emerge.It is of great importance to seek for the fundamental principles of collective motion,such as phase transitions and their natures.Via an eigen microstate approach,we have found a discontinuous transition of density and a continuous transition of velocity in the Vicsek models of collective motion,which are identified by the finite-size scaling form of order-parameter.At strong noise,living systems behave like gas.With the decrease of noise,the interactions between the particles of a living system become stronger and make them come closer.The living system experiences then a discontinuous gas-liquid like transition of density.The even stronger interactions at smaller noise make the velocity directions of the particles become ordered and there is a continuous phase transition of collective motion in addition.

The Predictive Potential of the Kinetic Model of Aging of Living Systems in Demography

An original mathematical model,previously tested by the authors on other non-demographic objects,is proposed for describing and forecasting demographic systems—the population of the countries of the World using the examples of the USA,China and Russia,as well as the number of mice in the“mouse paradise”experiment of the American scientist John Calhoun.The proposed approach allows us to describe the stages and features of this dynamics:population growth in the USA,growth and possible decrease in the population in China,loss of a part of the population of the Russian Empire and the USSR due to two world wars and the collapse of the USSR,biological degradation of the“mouse paradise”up to its complete extinction.The use of the kinetic model of aging of various types of living systems to predict the development of the number of demographic systems is based on the assumptions that the aging and development processes are related to each other and have the same statistical regularity,reflecting the fractal principle of Nature-the unity of structure and function.The results obtained suggest that a person,a population of the World,humanity and other biological species develop and simultaneously age like each other under the conditions of the always existing syndrome of general adaptation(stress)and according to the same pattern corresponding to the mathematical model proposed here.

Informational Structure of the Living Systems: From Philosophy to Informational Modeling

In this paper,there are discussed the informational functions of the living structures,analyzing the properties of the simplest eukaryotic cell as an example of a structural unit of the living unicellular and multicellular systems.The initiation of this analysis starts from an older example of an imaginary mechanism,particularly that described by the Maxwell’s demon experiment,which along the history of the information development concepts accompanied the philosophic vision on the structuration of matter and of the living entities,showing that these are actually the result of the intervention of information on the matter available substrate.Particularly,it is shown that the deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)structure is appropriate to store a large quantity of structural information,allowing the transfer of this information by transcription and translation mechanisms to proteins,which act as(re)structuration/transmission informational agents,or the generation of a new cellular daughter structure by a replication process.On the basis of the theory of information in communication channels,applicable also in biological systems,it was discussed the followed line for the evaluation of the quantity of structural information in various cells,demonstrating the evolution of organism complexity by the increase of the structural information quantity from unicellular(bacterium)to human cell.Applying a natural strategy of entropy lowering mainly by heat elimination,folding protein structuration and compartmentalization on the evolutionary scale,the living structures act as dynamic entities assuring their self-organizational structure by a permanent change of matter,energy and information with the environment in an efficient way,following a negative entropic process by internal structuration,similarly with Maxwell’s demon work.It is shown that to assure such a communication with external and internal intracellular structure,it was necessary the development of an own info-operational system of communication and decision,in which the operational“Yes/No”decisional binary(Bit)unit is essential.These revolutionary results show that the cell unit complies with the similar informational functions like the multicellular structure of the human body,organized in seven-type informational components,allowing the informational modeling of the activity of the living biologic structures and the opening of a shortcutting way to mimic the biologic functions in artificial cells.

The role of nickel(II) on the homochirality of amino acids in living systems

The origin of homochirality in living organisms is controversial,stands out of being particularly important and a question which is still not satisfactorily answered.A mental picture of sequence of events that is thought to have preceded the existence of chirality in molecules is described.A chemical model to mimic the original abiotic conditions in an attempt to explain the preference of homochirality in living systems was tried.The effect which might have influenced this preference is presented.The surpri...

Fluctuations Hypothesize the New Explanation of Meridians in Living Systems

Biosystems are complex. Their physiology is well-controlled with various negative feedback signals and processes, it describes by opposite interfering effects which are characterized in the Eastern philosophy by Yin-Yang (Y-Y) pairs. Y-Y pairs could be described by the promoter-suppressor pairs in a wide range of physiologic signals creating the homeostasis of the complex system. This type of control appears as fluctuations from the average (mean) value of the signal. The mean carries an ineluctable fluctuation (called pink-noise or 1/f noise). All signals in homeostasis have equal entropy (SE = 1.8), which is the character of the complex equilibrium. The various controlling opposite signals (Y-Y) have different time-scales which change by aging. The processes with smaller time-scale are degraded by aging, but the pink-noise ensures that the deviations of the signals of the healthy homeostatic system remain constant. Meridians are connected to the general transport systems that combined the material and the information transport with the considerable transport networks, like blood, lymph, nerve, cell-junctions, mesenchymal “ground substance” cytoskeletons. The meridians in this meaning only virtual line averaged from multiple realized paths to connect two acupuncture points by the material, energy and information transport processes. The meridian network is designed by various coupling points (acupoints), which could be perturbed by actuating stimulus. Our objective is to describe the meridian system from complexity point of view.

Reaction of water and living systems under the chronic effect of ionized radiation in low doses

It is represented the review about the effect of low doses of ionized radiation on different types of biological objects (Japanese quail embryos, Aspergillus niger, Spirostomum ambiguum Ehrbg., mezenchim stem cells of mice bone brain, dry seeds of the highest plants, blood lymphocytes of pilots and cosmonauts) and water medium. In model experiments under the chronic ionized radiation in doses comparable with the doses of ionized radiation inside the orbital space stations and during the flight in interplanetary space was shown alike with morphological deviations (Japanese quail embryos, Aspergillus niger), the phenomenon of radiation hormezis (Aspergillus niger, mezenchim stem cells), the increasing of the germination of seeds, the decreasing of spontaneous motion activity of spirostoms and DNA damage, chromosome aberrations and the increased radio-sensitivity to adding radiation load in blood lymphocytes. These data testified the fact that the definite factor of ionized radiation effect is the changing of water medium state. Thus under the interplanetary cosmic flight and long stay on the orbit in the region of magnetosphere the studying kinds of radiation first effected on the water medium of organism as a result morpho-functional structures were changed.

Why Linear Thermodynamics Does Describe Change of Entropy Production in Living Systems?

We propose a hypothesis according to which there is a hierarchy of included steady states in living systems. Each steady state is not stable and exists only in a certain frame of time, named characteristic time. Evolution of system to any steady state leads to a change of boundary conditions for all steady states having lesser characteristic time. It should not be very rapid. In the opposite case, the level of entropy production could change so much that the system achieves a critical unstable point of any included steady state. Passing through the critical point leads to reorganization of the entire hierarchy of the steady states or to the complete collapse of the system as a dissipative structure. Also one should take into account that living systems are the result of long-term biological evolution. The species that are able to maintain their integrity for the longest time interval have evolutionary advantage. Therefore, it is quite likely that difference between current value of the entropy production and value of the entropy production in nearest steady state is small enough to satisfy the laws of linear thermodynamics. Experimental data confirm the hypothesis. Limits of applicability of linear thermodynamics to biological systems are discussed.

Zero-Point Field, QED Coherence, Living Systems and Biophotons Emission

Living organisms are high ordered and organized systems accumulating and successively using low entropy energy to support all the processes needed for life. This low level of entropy is a required condition in order to make possible the use of endogenous energy for producing, for example, mechanical work. The commonly accepted picture of condensed matter physics, exclusively considering the perturbative coupling between QED Zero-Point-Field also known as “Quantum Vacuum” and the matter system, is unable to thoroughly explain the true origin of this low entropy energy reservoir and its dynamics. Recent researches instead suggested that energy and mass of every particle or body could be actually considered as arising from Quantum Vacuum dynamics which, in turn, can exhibit, under suitable conditions always occurring in the case of living systems, a coherent behavior characterized by a strong phase correlation between matter and an electromagnetic field trapped inside this ensemble. In this paper the preliminary model of Quantum Vacuum already proposed by author is reformulated in terms of QED coherence in condensed matter showing it is able to explain the origin of internal energy stock of living organisms. Within this theoretical framework, an interpretation of some important experimental results about biophotons emission by living systems under the influence of external stimuli is also proposed, suggesting their origin could also arise from Quantum Vacuum dynamics. This model, as shown, opens very interesting and exciting scenarios of further developments in the understanding of the birth and dynamics of life.

Effect of Hypomagnetic Field on Water Medium of Living Systems

The article represents the generalizing data for the studying of the effect of hypomagnetic field on physico-chemistry properties of water and bio-objects. It was revealed the changing state of water: increasing of its oxidation-reduction potential and oxidative properties as magnetic induction attenuated pointing to a natural decline, that testifies about the regular decreasing of internal energy of water molecules, which, in our opinion, is caused the inhibition of the germination of seeds of the highest plants, embryonic development of Planorbarius corneus and the changing of energy state of growing mediums for cell culture of mammals. It is supposed that namely the changing state of water is the main component in the effects of weakening of magnetic field on the studying bio-objects.

Living systems allometric scaling laws

The spatial and temporal structuring and functioning of living systems are associated with scaling independent qualitative characteristics (gauge invariance) and quantitative laws (power laws). This is allowed by the emergence of new blueprints through the systems merging into ‘Associations for the Reciprocal and Mutual Sharing of Advantages and Dis-Advantages’(ARMSADA). The local actors become more and more mutually integrated into their new global Whole. Then they are more and more independent from their previous local situations of emergence. Reversely (systemic constructal law), the global Whole is more and more integrating local parceners. The relationship between actors within a living system was described using allometric laws, e.g. the metabolic rate of a lot of species was supposed to be proportional to its mass according to a 3/4 exponent power-law (Kleiber’s law). But, according to the gauge invariance paradigm, an other explanation of the invariant scaling of living systems is proposed with a 2/3 power-law. Whatever its level of organization, a living system,‘system of systems’ emerging by embedments and juxtapositions of previous ones, effectively functions in 4 dimensions (VA: the Adult system Volume, and tg: the time of generation, the duration that is necessary to acquire the capacity of reproduction). Looking at the gauge invariance paradigm as a ‘factual’ system, from the quantum of Planck to the Universe as a Whole, a meta-analysis of a database of the systems internal (endophysiotope) and external (ecoexotope) interactions can allow to quantify 45-18 allometric relationships. This allows to evidence a ‘grammar’: 1. Invariant independent processes (power-laws with exponent e= 0);2. Simultaneous limiting interactions regulation processes (e=+1);3. Feedback (e=-1);4. Competition between actors (e= 1/2);5. Optimal exchanges flow (e= 2/3) processes. Brownian motion is the basic fundamental process that governs all functions. From the Monera to the ecosystem levels the increasing of regulation processes allows more and more autonomy of the endophysiotope from the ecoexotope dependence. From the point of view of matter and energy flows, living systems optimize the input and output exchanges at their interface. The greater diversity of regulation processes occurs for the endophysiotope throughput flows. Whatever the organization level, living systems optimize their survival by adjusting ‘the capacity to be hosted’ of their endophysiotope (HOSTED) to the changes of ‘the hosting capacity’ of their ecoexotope (HOSTING).

DS-MMAC:A Delay-Sensitive Multi-Channel MAC Protocol for Ambient Assistant Living Systems

In Ambient Assistant Living(AAL) systems, it is a fundamental problem to ensure prompt delivery of detected events, such as irregular heart rate or fall of elderly, to a central processing device(e.g. gateway node). Most of recently proposed MAC protocols for low-power embedded sensing systems(e.g. wireless sensor networks) are designed with energy efficiency as the first goal, so they are not suitable for AAL systems. Although some multi-channel MAC protocols have been proposed to address the problem, most of those protocols ignore the cost of channel switching, which can have reverse effect on network performance, especially latency of data delivery. In this paper, we propose a Delay-Sensitive Multi-channel MAC protocol(DS-MMAC) for AAL systems, which can provide high packet delivery ratio and bound low latency for data delivered to the gateway node. The novelty of the protocol is that an efficient distributed time slot scheduling and channel assignment algorithm is combined with the process of route establishment, which takes the channel switching cost into account and reduces endto-end delay to meet the required delay bound of each data flow. The performance of the proposed protocol is evaluated through extensive simulations. Results show that DS-MMAC can bound low latency for delivering detected events in AAL system to the gateway, while providing high delivery reliability and low energy consumption.

Proximity Chemistry in Living Systems

Enzyme-and catalyst-generated reactive species have been leveraged in the past decade to covalently label biomolecules within a short range of a defined site or space inside cells or at the cell–cell interface.Due to their high spatial resolution,such proximity labeling strategies have been coupled with various bioanalytical techniques for dissecting dynamic and complex biological processes.Here,we review the development of enzyme-and catalyst-triggered proximity chemistry and their applications to identifying protein interaction networks as well as cell–cell communications in living systems.

Living environment shaped residents’willingness to pay for ecosystem services in Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis,China

Profound understanding on the diversity of local residents’willingness to pay(WTP)for ecosystem services(ESs)may aid evaluation of policy impacts by uncovering trade-offs and synergies for achieving sustainable environmental resource management.However,the reasons for the spatial preference heterogeneity of WTP are still unclear.In this study,an extensive survey with 4,580 residents in the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis(YRMRM),central China,was carried out to investigate the public’s WTP to maintain and improve ESs.We identified key influencing factors and explored how they shaped the preference heterogeneity in WTP by random forest model and surface fitting method.Our results showed that 81.4% of residents reported WTP for ESs greater than zero.Water supply,waste treatment,food supply and raw material supply were the preferred ESs for residents.Living environment factors(i.e.,extent of farmland,water and forest near the residence)were found as the key drivers of WTP.Proximity to farmland,water and forests resulted in high WTP values for a series of specific ESs.The reasons for the heterogeneity of WTP are(1)the difference in proximity to farmland,water and forest(i.e.,the contributor to ESs),(2)the divergence of local residents’preferences for ESs.This study disclosed the heterogeneity and causes of public preferences in YRMRM,which could help policy and decision makers to develop eco-compensation initiatives towards conservative and sustainable use of the environmental resources.

The impact of the Rural Minimum Living Standard Guarantee(Rural Dibao)Program on child nutrition outcomes

The Rural Minimum Living Standard Guarantee(Rural Dibao)is an important unconditional cash transfer program to alleviate poverty in rural China.Despite the importance of children’s nutrition in breaking poverty cycles,little is known about the impact of Rural Dibao on child nutrition outcomes.Using China Family Panel Studies(CFPS),this paper examines the effects of Rural Dibao on child nutrition outcomes and investigates potential pathways and heterogeneous effects.We exploit propensity score matching and difference-in-differences techniques to evaluate the effects of the Rural Dibao program on child nutrition outcomes.Our results suggest that Rural Dibao significantly impacts the nutrition outcomes of children up to 15 years of age.Specifically,our results suggest that Rural Dibao improves child height-to-age z-scores by 1.05 standard deviations and lowers the probability of stunting by 11.9 percentage points.Additional analyses suggest that increased protein intake is the main pathway through which Rural Dibao participation contributes to better nutrition outcomes.We also find that the effect of the program is more pronounced among girls,children who are non-left-behind or live with highly educated mothers,and those from low-income families and poor areas.Our findings suggest that Rural Dibao participation helps improve child nutrition outcomes through improving diet quality.

Establishing delivery route-dependent safety and efficacy of living biodrug mesenchymal stem cells in heart failure patients

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)as living biopharmaceuticals with unique properties,i.e.,stemness,viability,phenotypes,paracrine activity,etc.,need to be administered such that they reach the target site,maintaining these properties unchanged and are retained at the injury site to participate in the repair process.Route of delivery(RoD)remains one of the critical determinants of safety and efficacy.This study elucidates the safety and effectiveness of different RoDs of MSC treatment in heart failure(HF)based on phase II randomized clinical trials(RCTs).We hypothesize that the RoD modulates the safety and efficacy of MSCbased therapy and determines the outcome of the intervention.AIM To investigate the effect of RoD of MSCs on safety and efficacy in HF patients.METHODS RCTs were retrieved from six databases.Safety endpoints included mortality and serious adverse events(SAEs),while efficacy outcomes encompassed changes in left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),6-minute walk distance(6MWD),and pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(pro-BNP).Subgroup analyses on RoD were performed for all study endpoints.RESULTS Twelve RCTs were included.Overall,MSC therapy demonstrated a significant decrease in mortality[relative risk(RR):0.55,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.33-0.92,P=0.02]compared to control,while SAE outcomes showed no significant difference(RR:0.84,95%CI:0.66-1.05,P=0.11).RoD subgroup analysis revealed a significant difference in SAE among the transendocardial(TESI)injection subgroup(RR=0.71,95%CI:0.54-0.95,P=0.04).The pooled weighted mean difference(WMD)demonstrated an overall significant improvement of LVEF by 2.44%(WMD:2.44%,95%CI:0.80-4.29,P value≤0.001),with only intracoronary(IC)subgroup showing significant improvement(WMD:7.26%,95%CI:5.61-8.92,P≤0.001).Furthermore,the IC delivery route significantly improved 6MWD by 115 m(WMD=114.99 m,95%CI:91.48-138.50),respectively.In biochemical efficacy outcomes,only the IC subgroup showed a significant reduction in pro-BNP by-860.64 pg/mL(WMD:-860.64 pg/Ml,95%CI:-944.02 to-777.26,P=0.001).CONCLUSION Our study concluded that all delivery methods of MSC-based therapy are safe.Despite the overall benefits in efficacy,the TESI and IC routes provided better outcomes than other methods.Larger-scale trials are warranted before implementing MSC-based therapy in routine clinical practice.

Outcome of split liver transplantation vs living donor liver transplantation:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The outcomes of liver transplantation(LT)from different grafts have been studied individually and in combination,but the reports were conflicting with some researchers finding no difference in both short-term and long-term outcomes between the deceased donor split LT(DD-SLT)and living donor LT(LDLT).AIM To compare the outcomes of DD-SLT and LDLT we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis.METHODS This systematic review was performed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines.The following databases were searched for articles comparing outcomes of DD-SLT and LDLT:PubMed;Google Scholar;Embase;Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials;the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews;and Reference Citation Analysis(https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com/).The search terms used were:“liver transplantation;”“liver transplant;”“split liver transplant;”“living donor liver transplant;”“partial liver transplant;”“partial liver graft;”“ex vivo splitting;”and“in vivo splitting.”RESULTS Ten studies were included for the data synthesis and meta-analysis.There were a total of 4836 patients.The overall survival rate at 1 year,3 years and 5 years was superior in patients that received LDLT compared to DD-SLT.At 1 year,the hazard ratios was 1.44(95%confidence interval:1.16-1.78;P=0.001).The graft survival rate at 3 years and 5 years was superior in the LDLT group(3 year hazard ratio:1.28;95%confidence interval:1.01-1.63;P=0.04).CONCLUSION This meta-analysis showed that LDLT has better graft survival and overall survival when compared to DD-SLT.

Study on Distribution of Four Pseudomonas Species in Living Environment Using Multiplex PCR

Purpose: The genus Pseudomonas is a ubiquitous microorganism frequently detected from immunocompromised patients. The inherent resistance to numerous antimicrobial agents contributes to the opportunistic character of this pathogen exhaustive monitoring of this pathogen is considered of critical importance to public health organizations. The reliable identification method able to distinguish genetic close Pseudomonas species is needed, because these organisms are difficult to differentiate by phenotypic or biochemical methods. The purpose of the present study was to design species-specific primers in order to identify and detect four Pseudomonas species which are frequently detected from the human oral cavities, and to investigate the distribution of these organisms in the living environment using a multiplex PCR. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed based on partial sequences of the rpoD gene of four Pseudomonas species. Swab samples were collected from fifty washstands, and the distribution of Pseudomonas species was investigated using a conventional PCR at genus level and a multiplex PCR at species level. Results: Multiplex PCR method developed in this study was able to distinguish four Pseudomonas species clearly. The genus Pseudomonas was detected from all samples (100%), whereas P. putida, P, aeruginosa, P. stutzeri and P. fluorescens were detected at 44%, 8%, 4% and 2% in fifty swab samples, respectively. Conclusion: Our developed one-step multiplex PCR method is accurate, specific, cost-effective, time-saving, and works without requiring DNA extraction. It was indicated that washstands were the uninhabitable environment for P. putida, P, aeruginosa, P. stutzeri and P. fluorescens.

Effect of solvent on the initiation mechanism of living anionic polymerization of styrene:A computational study

For living anionic polymerization(LAP),solvent has a great influence on both reaction mechanism and kinetics.In this work,by using the classical butyl lithium-styrene polymerization as a model system,the effect of solvent on the mechanism and kinetics of LAP was revealed through a strategy combining density functional theory(DFT)calculations and kinetic modeling.In terms of mechanism,it is found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the more electrons transfer from initiator to solvent through detailed energy decomposition analysis of electrostatic interactions between initiator and solvent molecules.Furthermore,we also found that the stronger the solvent polarity,the higher the monomer initiation energy barrier and the smaller the initiation rate coefficient.Counterintuitively,initiation is more favorable at lower temperatures based on the calculated results ofΔG_(TS).Finally,the kinetic characteristics in different solvents were further examined by kinetic modeling.It is found that in benzene and n-pentane,the polymerization rate exhibits first-order kinetics.While,slow initiation and fast propagation were observed in tetrahydrofuran(THF)due to the slow free ion formation rate,leading to a deviation from first-order kinetics.

Relationship Between Individuals’Epidemic Risk Perception Within Living Space and Subjective Well-Being:Empirical Evidence from China after the First Wave of COVID-19

It is common to observe the epidemic risk perception(ERP)and a decline in subjective well-being(SWB)in the context of public health events,such as Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19).However,there have been few studies exploring the impact of individuals’ERP within living space on their SWB,especially from a geographical and daily activity perspective after the resumption of work and other activities following a wave of the pandemic.In this paper,we conducted a study with 789 participants in urban China,measuring their ERP within living space and examining its influence on their SWB using path analysis.The results indicated that individuals’ERP within their living space had a significant negative effect on their SWB.The density of certain types of facilities within their living space,such as bus stops,subway stations,restaurants,fast food shops,convenience shops,hospitals,and public toilets,had a significantly negative impact on their SWB,mediated by their ERP within living space.Additionally,participation in out-of-home work and other activities not only increased individuals’ERP within living space,but also strengthened its negative effect on their SWB.

Recent advances in living cell nucleic acid probes based on nanomaterials for early cancer diagnosis

The early diagnosis of cancer is vital for effective treatment and improved prognosis. Tumor biomarkers, which can be used for the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic evaluation of cancer, have emerged as a topic of intense research interest in recent years. Nucleic acid, as a type of tumor biomarker, contains vital genetic information, which is of great significance for the occurrence and development of cancer. Currently, living cell nucleic acid probes, which enable the in situ imaging and dynamic monitoring of nucleic acids, have become a rapidly developing field. This review focuses on living cell nucleic acid probes that can be used for the early diagnosis of tumors. We describe the fundamental design of the probe in terms of three units and focus on the roles of different nanomaterials in probe delivery.