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Abstract Chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum were preincubated with 32 P i in the absence of added nucleotides. Particles and reaction mixture were then separated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The labeled chromatophores thus obtained esterify 32 P i into acid-soluble ATP (ATP as ) on the addition of ADP in the dark. Additional firmly bound ATP (ATP fb ) can be liberated on sodium dodecylsulfate treatment. Coinciding with the formation of acid-soluble ATP there is a decrease in the amount of firmly bound ATP. The isotopic concentration experiments in which labeled chromatophores were incubated with carrier-free 32 P i and ADP in the dark, show that ATP as might arise from ATP fb not by a direct γ-phosphate transfer but by an esterification of the added ADP and free phosphate with a concomitant hydrolysis of the ATP fb . On this basis we have proposed a new working hypothesis for the last step of electron transport-linked phosphorylations. It includes the following reactions: ∼ + P∗ i → ∼P∗ (i.e., ATP fb ) ∼ P∗ + ADP + P∗∗ i → ATP∗∗ as + P∗ i The hypothesis is compatible with the concept of conformational energy conservation.

Dietary change presents an opportunity to meet the dual challenges of non-communicable diseases and the effects of climate change in China. Based on a food survey and reviewed data sets, we linked nutrient composition and carbon footprint data by aggregating 1950 types of foods into 28 groups. Nine dietary scenarios for both men and women were modeled based on the current diet and latest National Program for Food and Nutrition. Linear uncertainty optimization was used to produce diets meeting the Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes for adults aged 18-50years while minimizing carbon footprints. The theoretical optimal diet reduced daily footprints by 46%, but this diet was unrealistic due to limited food diversity. Constrained by acceptability, the optimal diet reduced the daily carbon footprints by 7-28%, from 3495 to 2517-3252g CO2e, for men and by 5-26%, from 3075 to 2280-2917g CO2e, for women. Dietary changes for adults are capable of benefiting China in terms of the considerable footprint reduction of 53-222Mt.CO2eyear-1, when magnified based on the Chinese population, which is the largest worldwide. Seven of eight scenarios showed that reductions in meat consumption resulted in greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. However, dramatic reductions in meat consumption may produce smaller reductions in emissions, as the consumption of other ingredients increases to compensate for the nutrients in meat. A trade-off between poultry and other meats (beef, pork, and lamb) is usually observed, and rice, which is a popular food in China, was the largest contributor to carbon footprint reductions. Our findings suggest that changing diets for climate change mitigation and human health is possible in China, though the per capital mitigation potential is slight lower than that in developed economies of France, Spain, Sweden, and New Zealand.

AbstractClimate change and globalization affect the suitable conditions for agricultural crops and insect pests, threatening future food security. It remains unknown whether shifts in species’ climatic suitability will be linear or rather non‐linear, with crop exposure to pests suddenly increasing when a critical temperature threshold is crossed. Moreover, uncertainty of forecasts can arise because of the modelling approach based either on species distribution data or on physiological measurements. Here, we compared the predictions of two modelling approaches (physiological models and species distribution models) for forecasting the potential distribution of agricultural insect pests in Europe. Despite conceptual differences, we found good agreement overall between the two approaches. We further identified a potential regime change in pest pressure along a temperature gradient. With both modelling approaches, we found an inflection point in the number of pest species with suitable climatic conditions around a minimum temperature of the coldest month of −3°C. Our results could help decision‐makers anticipate the onset of rising pest pressure and provide support for intensifying surveillance measures, particularly in regions where temperatures are already beyond the inflection point.

AbstractCurrent anthropogenic environmental change causes rapid loss of biodiversity. Although the effects of the main causes of this loss (habitat fragmentation, climate change, and invasive species) on single species have been widely studied, the effects on species interactions are poorly understood. In particular, we do not yet understand how these phenomena affect the evolutionary processes that impact species interactions. Coevolution is a dominant process that organizes the web of life: most species are involved in at least one coevolved interaction. Due to rapid human modification of landscapes it is important to understand how subsequent changes in biotic and abiotic environment and in the level and distribution of genetic variation, as well as changes in population structures, influence the elements of the coevolutionary process. In this review, we synthesize recent development of theoretical work on the coevolution of interacting species with conservation genetics and the impact of anthropogenic environmental changes on single species to address the potential effects of habitat fragmentation, climate change, and invasive species on plant‐herbivore coevolution.

SummaryDark septate endophytes (DSE) are very common root colonizers of woody plant species. Ascomycetes of the Phialocephala fortinii s.l.–Acephala applanata species complex (PAC) are the main representatives of DSE fungi in forest ecosystems. PAC and mycorrhizal fungi share the same habitat, but interactions among PAC, mycorrhizal fungi and plants are poorly understood. We compared the effects of single and dual inoculation of Norway spruce seedlings with PAC and the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus Hebeloma crustuliniforme on host growth, degree of mycorrhization and density of endophytic PAC biomass. Single colonization by H. crustuliniforme or PAC significantly reduced plant biomass. Dual colonization reduced or neutralized plant growth depression caused by single fungal colonization. The degree of mycorrhization was independent on PAC colonization, and mycorrhization significantly reduced endophytic PAC biomass. Plant biomass of dually colonized plants positively correlated with PAC biomass. These results demonstrate the ability of dual inoculation of PAC and H. crustuliniforme to neutralize plant growth depression caused by single fungal inoculation. Our explanations of enhanced plant growth in dually inoculated plants are the inhibition of PAC during root colonization by the ECM mantle and ECM‐mediated access to plant growth‐promoting nutrients resulting from the mineralization of the potting medium by PAC.

AbstractIn this study, a previously developed mini‐bioreactor, the Biocurve, was used to identify an informative stimulus–response experiment. The identified stimulus–response experiment was a modest 50% shift‐up in glucose uptake rate (qGLC) that unexpectedly resulted in a disproportionate transient metabolic response. The 50% shift‐up in qGLC in the Biocurve resulted in a near tripling of the online measured oxygen uptake (qO2) and carbon dioxide production (qCO2) rates, suggesting a considerable mobilization of glycogen and trehalose. The 50% shift‐up in qGLC was subsequently studied in detail in a conventional bioreactor (4 l working volume), which confirmed the results obtained with the Biocurve. Especially relevant is the observation that the 50% increase in glucose uptake rate led to a three‐fold increase in glycolytic flux, due to mobilization of storage materials. This explains the unexpected ethanol and acetate secretion after the shift‐up, in spite of the fact that after the shift‐up the qGLC was far less than the critical value. Moreover, these results show that the correct in vivo fluxes in glucose pulse experiments cannot be obtained from the uptake and secretion rates only. Instead, the storage fluxes must also be accurately quantified. Finally, we speculate on the possible role that the transient increase in dissolved CO2 immediately after the 50% shift‐up in qGLC could have played a part in triggering glycogen and trehalose mobilization. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract Female rats were treated with graded oral doses of the anorectic chlorphentermine, RMI 10.393, an inhibitor of platelet aggregation, and of Ro 4-4318, a tricyclic amine belonging to a series of experimental psychotropic drugs, for 2–16 days. Masses of foam cells accumulated in the alveoli and bronchi of the lungs. With the higher doses foam cells were also demonstrated in the red pulpa of the spleen, in peribronchial lymphatic tissue, and in one animal also in the thymus. The extent of the foam cell reaction was related to dose and duration of treatment. A method for the isolation of alveolar foam cells was developed. Cytochemical studies on isolated foam cells showed that they contained large amounts of phospholipids, i.e., phosphoglycerides (lecithin), sphingomyelin and plasmalogens, and probably also small amounts of free fatty acids, cholesterol and acid mucopolysaccharides. No evidence was found for the presence of triglycerides, sulfatides, gangliosides, glycogen, iron and neutral mucopolysaccharides. These changes are a reflection of a drug-induced generalized disturbance of the phospholipid metabolism. The mechanism and toxicologic significance are not as yet explained.