The impact of artificial light at night on human and ecosystem health: a systematic literature review

Context

Artificial light at night (ALAN) provides an array of important benefits but might also adversely affect humans and other living organisms. Yet, the existing reviews of accumulated knowledge about the multifaceted effects associated with exposure to ALAN focus on distinct ecosystem components. As a result, our understanding of potential system-wide impacts of ALAN exposure is insufficient.

Objectives

This paper attempts to bridge this knowledge gap by reviewing a wide range of studies, with a particular focus on identifying the impacts of ALAN exposure that are common to different species.

Methods

The survey is conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and covers peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2019.

Results

Seventy-four eligible articles, out of 1223 initially identified, were selected and synthesized. 20% of them focus on humans, while the rest explore other living organisms, such as vertebrates, avian species, arthropods, aquatic organisms, and vegetation. The review demonstrates that similar adverse effects of ALAN exposure, ranging from sleep disturbance, depression, weight gain, eating and movement disorders, to elevated risk of cancer, are manifested across different components of the ecosystem, and therefore entail wider and more complex risks to its stability and integrity.

Conclusion

To reduce ecosystem risks, associated with constantly increasing ALAN levels, illumination policies should be based on directional and reduced nighttime lighting, which can help to avoid unnecessary exposures. The study highlights knowledge gaps that warrant further research attention.

     

The Use of Multi Criteria Models for Decision Support System in Fruit Production

The success or failure of an investment project in fruit production also depends on the selection of the fruit species and variety. When selecting the variety for the creation of a new orchard it is necessary to perform the synthesis of different data and to look at all aspects of the investment. This paper presents the application of DEX multi-criteria decision making. The model was applied on 7 varieties of plum from the western Balkans region that were assessed by experts from “The association of agricultural economists of Western Balkans” using the Delphi method.By applying this model it has been shown that the ’Stanley’ is the most suitable for starting a new orchard while the varieties ’?a?anska ljepotica’ and ’?a?anska rodna’ are also very suitable for starting new fruit orchards and they have also received the value attribute “very acceptable”.Using this model all strong and weak sides of the observed plum variety were shown. For the final selection it is necessary to conduct research at a specific micro location where all characteristics of that area would also be taken into consideration.     

Control of spawning activity in female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (L.) by temperature manipulation

The aim of this study was to maximize the spawning of Oreochromis niloticus females in a specific time period. Females were divided randomly into control and treatment groups. In the treatment groups, females were kept for one week at 28±0.5 °C, after which they were exposed to a reduced water temperature of 22±0.5 °C for 7, 14 and 28 days. Thereafter, the temperature was restored to 28 °C. Females in the control groups were kept continuously at a water temperature of 28 °C. All females were checked daily for signs of spawning for the duration of the experiments and were manually stripped if ready to spawn. The following parameters were calculated for period of 3 and 7 days following a 28 °C temperature restoration: spawning rate, number of eggs per female, weight of female, relative fecundity (eggs g⁻¹ body weight) and the percentage of hatched and swim-up fry. The highest spawning rate of 39.5% was obtained in the 14-day trial over a period of 7 days, while the corresponding value in the control was 12.5%. The percentages of hatched and swim-up fry in the 14- and 28-day trials, however, were significantly higher in the controls than in the corresponding treatment groups.     

Molecular Targets of Brown Algae Phlorotannins for the Therapy of Inflammatory Processes of Various Origins

Inflammatory reactions are part of a complex biological response that plays a vital role in the appearance of various stimuli resulting from tissue and cell damage, the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, and the formation of the subsequent adaptive immune response. The production of many triggers and mediators of inflammation, which are inducers of pro-inflammatory factors, is controlled by numerous differentiation programs, through which inflammation is resolved and tissue homeostasis is restored. However, prolonged inflammatory responses or dysregulation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms can lead to chronic inflammation. Modern advances in biotechnology have made it possible to characterize the anti-inflammatory activity of phlorotannins, polyphenolic compounds from brown seaweed, and the mechanisms by which they modulate the inflammatory response. The purpose of this review is to analyze and summarize the results of numerous experimental in vitro and in vivo studies, illustrating the regulatory mechanisms of these compounds, which have a wide range of biological effects on the body. The results of these studies and the need for further research are discussed.     

Global patterns of predator diversity in the open oceans

The open oceans comprise most of the biosphere, yet patterns and trends of species diversity there are enigmatic. Here, we derive worldwide patterns of tuna and billfish diversity over the past 50 years, revealing distinct subtropical "hotspots" that appeared to hold generally for other predators and zooplankton. Diversity was positively correlated with thermal fronts and dissolved oxygen and a nonlinear function of temperature (approximately 25 degrees C optimum). Diversity declined between 10 and 50% in all oceans, a trend that coincided with increased fishing pressure, superimposed on strong El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation-driven variability across the Pacific. We conclude that predator diversity shows a predictable yet eroding pattern signaling ecosystem-wide changes linked to climate and fishing.     

Wood as a natural smart material

The dominant feature of artificial smart materials is the “shape memory” effect. This phenomenon is based on frozen strains (FS). They were detected in wood fastened specimens during drying in the early 1960s. The integral law of wood deforming under loading and moisture content and/or temperature changes was subsequently formulated. This law takes into account the forming of FS. It was applied for the calculation of wood drying stresses. Stress memory and strain memory effects for wood were discovered. Wood has the ability to recollect the type of loading (tension or compression) which it had undergone. The difference between the free and restrained shrinkage is named “frozen shrinkage” (FSh). In calculations of drying stresses, it is more justified to use the FSh concept than “mechano-sorptive creep” (MSC). The MSC phenomenon is observed at cyclical change of moisture content in loaded wood. “Hygrofatigue” that reduces wood stiffness plays the main role in this process.     

A functional screen for the type III (Hrp) secretome of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae

Type III secreted "effector" proteins of bacterial pathogens play central roles in virulence, yet are notoriously difficult to identify. We used an in vivo genetic screen to identify 13 effectors secreted by the type III apparatus (called Hrp, for "hypersensitive response and pathogenicity") of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Although sharing little overall homology, the amino-terminal regions of these effectors had strikingly similar amino acid compositions. This feature facilitated the bioinformatic prediction of 38 P. syringae effectors, including 15 previously unknown proteins. The secretion of two of these putative effectors was shown to be type III--dependent. Effectors showed high interstrain variation, supporting a role for some effectors in adaptation to different hosts.     

Strong association of de novo copy number mutations with autism

We tested the hypothesis that de novo copy number variation (CNV) is associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We performed comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on the genomic DNA of patients and unaffected subjects to detect copy number variants not present in their respective parents. Candidate genomic regions were validated by higher-resolution CGH, paternity testing, cytogenetics, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and microsatellite genotyping. Confirmed de novo CNVs were significantly associated with autism (P = 0.0005). Such CNVs were identified in 12 out of 118 (10%) of patients with sporadic autism, in 2 out of 77 (3%) of patients with an affected first-degree relative, and in 2 out of 196 (1%) of controls. Most de novo CNVs were smaller than microscopic resolution. Affected genomic regions were highly heterogeneous and included mutations of single genes. These findings establish de novo germline mutation as a more significant risk factor for ASD than previously recognized.     

The mosquito genome--a breakthrough for public health

The Anopheles gambiae genome sequence will accelerate identification of new insect vector target genes leading to improved strategies for malaria control.