Summary An equation is developed that describes the condition of homeostasis in a general molecular system containing catalysts. In a prebiotic environment, this condition first results from a critical level of catalytic feedback in feedback loops containing differing organic molecular species. This critical level results in temporary exponential growth in concentrations of those catalyst species participating in the feedback loops, leading to homeostasis as the steady-state endpoint. None of the molecules in any feedback loop need be self-replicating for this autocatalysis to occur. Homeostasis is regarded as a definition of life at the lowest possible hierarchical level. A general mathematical boundary condition is derived for the critical level of catalytic feedback mentioned above-in effect, an origin of life condition. The paper argues that any natural prebiotic system of organic molecules in an H2O medium will automatically form many catalytic feedback loops, even if of very low catalytic efficiency. The analysis in this paper indicates that high temperatures strongly increase the efficiency of such catalytic feedback. If the temperature and total concentration of carbon in the system (e.g., in CO2, CH4, etc.) are sufficiently high, the critical condition for initial exponential growth will be attained. High initial temperatures for the earth are predicted by the planetesimal accretion model. 相似文献
The biomass of three desert plants, Amsonia kearneyana, A. grandiflora and A. palmeri, was used for the production of glucose and ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation techniques. Ethanol yields were 0.46 g g-1 for A. keurneyana, 0.51 g g-1 for A. grandiflora and 0.51 g g-1 for A. palmeri. When the plant materials were saccharified into glucose only, the yields obtained were 0.35 g g-1 for A. kearneyana, 0.39 g g-1 for A. grandiflora and 0.22 g g-1 for A. palmeri.H. Punnapayak is with the Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; J.J. Hoffmann is with the Bioresources Research Facility, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85706, USA. 相似文献
InLymnaea stagnalis, oral uptake of ambient medium was studied using51Cr-ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid. In normal snails Cr-ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid uptake showed two components: a
high uptake rate within the first hour followed by moderate uptake proportional with time. The tracer accumulated mainly in
the digestive system. All animals showed initial, transient uptake. Moderate uptake proportional with time did not occur in
snails in which the buccal ganglia had been extirpated, in which both the buccal ganglia had been extirpated and the oesophagus
was sectioned, or in snails provided with an oesophageal fistula. These snails did not accumulate tracer in the intestinal
system. This type of tracer accumulation clearly represented oral ingestion of surrounding water. The oral water ingestion
rate ranged from 8 to 12 μl·h−1·g−1. Assuming complete absorption, this accounts for 20–30% of the urine production rate. At low external concentrations the
contribution of oral water ingestion to Na+ balance is negligible. However, its importance will grow with increasing external concentrations and becomes a major factor
at higher concentrations. The ingestion rate increased almost sixfold when starving snails were allowed to feed. It is suggested
that oral water ingestion is a consequence of making bite cycles and swallowing. 相似文献
1. 1. The objective of this paper is to investigate the indoor environment from the viewpoint of interaction between physical environment and the human responses. The field survey has been conducted over 1 year.
2. 2. A continuous measurement has been carried out for 1 week and distribution of variables have been measured for 1 day.
3. 3. The attitude of workers was investigated by a questionnaire.
4. 4. As the result, average luminance represented more than 1000 lx in the new building, in contrast with less tha 300 lx in the existing building.
5. 5. There was a significant difference of the occupants' response to the light environment between the two buildings.
6. 6. Measured thermal conditions are on the edge of the ASHRAE comfort envelope in summer, and in the neighborhood of the lower dry limit of the envelope in spring.
7. 7. The occupants' evaluations were remarkably changed before and after the moving. The office environment is better than that of the factory.
Rhizomes of the marsh plant Acorus calamus (L.) and tubers of the flooding-intolerant Solanum tuberosum (L.) var. Bintje, both kept under strict anoxia, differ markedly in their fermentation properties. The fermentation capacities as measured by ADH and LDH activities and their respective product concentrations were estimated. While rhizomes of Acorus calamus, having high ADH and low LDH activities, accumulate mainly ethanol, tubers of Solanum tuberosum tend towards lactic acid fermentation. The total amount of adenine nucleotides is quite stable in Acorus calamus, whereas they show a sharp decline in S. tuberosum during the first 6h of anoxia. The adenylate energy charge of A. calamus recovers after a short initial drop (AEC > 0.8). AEC values of S. tuberosum decrease rapidly and remain at very low values (AEC ~ 0.3). Tuber tissues became soft and lost viability after about 48–72 h of anoxia at 25 °C. This might be due to tissue acidification and impaired energy metabolism, but not to the lack of energy reserves. Energy metabolism of A. calamus is well adapted to anoxia. 相似文献
Sheath blight, which is caused by Rhizoctonia solani, is a disease that majorly impacts rice production. A biocontrol agent used for control rice sheath blight must be sprayed on the stem at specific times during rice growth, a process that is labour-intensive and renders the antagonist vulnerable to environmental factors. In this study, Trichoderma asperellum T12 was used to produce preparation by solid-state fermentation using a surface-response method. Rice hull was selected as a carrier based on its ability to sustain the T12 floating in the water and protect T12 from ultraviolet irradiation. The production of a T12-based preparation required 32% wheat bran, 7% inoculum, 2.3 g kg?1 (NH4)2SO4 and 65% water content, with fermentation at 27.5°C for 30 days and agitation every six days. The preparation demonstrated 90% biocontrol efficacy and significantly (P > 0.05) increased the seed-set rate and 1000-grain weight as compared with the pathogen treatment. The population of Trichoderma on the surface of rice leaf sheath in the treatment applied with T12 preparation increased from 232 cfu (colony forming units) g?1 fw (fresh weight) to 436 cfu g?1 fw during rice growth stage, which was significantly (P > 0.05) higher than pathogen treatment. The population of R. solani on the leaf sheath increased from 41 cfu g?1 fw to 271 cfu g?1 fw in the pathogen treatment, while remained stable (P > 0.05) at level of 10–23 cfu g?1 fw in T12 preparation applied treatment. Biocontrol of sheath blight by the addition of the preparation to the soil is effective and decreases the costs of agro-industrial waste disposal. 相似文献
Among 45 Bacillus subtilis strains isolated from non-salted types of fermented soybeans produced in several Southeast Asian countries, 20 had the insertion sequence IS4Bsu1 in the chromosome. In contrast, none of 49 B. subtilis strains of non-food origin contained IS4Bsu1. Frequent occurrence of this mobile DNA element in the soybean-fermenting B. subtilis would reflect the fact that few strains flourish on soybeans and thereby contribute to soybean fermentation. 相似文献
‘Good genes’ models of sexual selection show that females can gain indirect benefits for their offspring if male ornaments are condition‐dependent signals of genetic quality. Recurrent deleterious mutation is viewed as a major contributor to variance in genetic quality, and previous theoretical treatments of ‘good genes’ processes have assumed that the influx of new mutations is constant. I propose that this assumption is too simplistic, and that mutation rates vary in ways that are important for sexual selection. Recent data have shown that individuals in poor condition can have higher mutation rates, and I argue that if both male sexual ornaments and mutation rates are condition‐dependent, then females can use male ornamentation to evaluate their mate’s mutation rate. As most mutations are deleterious, females benefit from choosing well‐ornamented mates, as they are less likely to contribute germline‐derived mutations to offspring. I discuss some of the evolutionary ramifications of condition‐dependent mutation rates and sexual selection. 相似文献
Mackerel icefish Champsocephalus gunnari are widespread on the South Georgia (54° S, 36° W) shelf. Analysis of condition indicated a strong interannual variation. High condition indices, indicative of good feeding conditions, were present when krill were abundant in the region. Years when krill were scarce and condition index was consequently low, were consistent with years when indices from land-based krill predators also indicated that krill were scarce. 相似文献
Two forage grasses, timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) were exposed to flooding, and activities
of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and their isozyme profiles were determined. The flooding stress increased ADH activities in
both species. This increase was 2-times greater in timothy than in ryegrass. Only one ADH isozyme was found in non-flooded
seedlings of both species, whereas two and four bands were identified in ryegrass and timothy seedlings, respectively, under
flooding stress.
This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. 相似文献