Linear and nonlinear optical responses in bacteriochlorophyll a

Nonlinear optical responses of bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) were investigated by means of the three-pulse four-wave mixing (FWM) technique under the resonant excitation into the Q _y band. The experimental results are explained by a theoretical model calculation including the Brownian oscillation mode of the solvent. We have determined the spectral density, which is the most important function with which to calculate optical signals. The linear absorption spectrum can be reproduced fairly well when the vibronic oscillation modes of the solvent together with those of BChl a are properly taken into consideration. The FWM signal was also calculated using the spectral density. It was found that a simple two-level model could not explain the experimental result. The effect of the higher-order interactions is discussed.     

Different drought-stress responses in photosynthesis and reactive oxygen metabolism between autotetraploid and diploid rice

Photosynthetic light curve, chlorophyll (Chl) content, Chl fluorescence parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity and reactive oxygen metabolism were studied under drought stress in two autotetraploid rice lines and corresponding diploid rice lines. Net photosynthetic rate decreased dramatically, especially under severe drought stress and under high photosynthetic active radiation in diploid rice, while it declined less under the same conditions in autotetraploid lines. Compared with the corresponding diploid lines, the Chl content, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) II, and actual photochemical efficiency of PSII were reduced less in autotetraploid lines. PEPC activities were higher in autotetraploid rice lines. PEPC could alleviate inhibition of photosynthesis caused by drought stress. The chromosome-doubling enhanced rice photoinhibition tolerance under drought stress. The lower MDA content and superoxide anion production rate was found in the autotetraploid rice indicating low peroxidation level of cell membranes. At the same time, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities were higher in autotetraploid rice lines. SOD, POD, and CAT could effectively diminish the reactive oxygen species and reduced the membrane lipid peroxidation.     

Physiological responses in a variable environment: relationships between metabolism, hsp and thermotolerance in an intertidal-subtidal species

Physiological responses to temperature reflect the evolutionary adaptations of organisms to their thermal environment and the capability of animals to tolerate thermal stress. Contrary to conventional metabolism theory, increasing environmental temperatures have been shown to reduce metabolic rate in rocky-eulittoral-fringe species inhabiting highly variable environments, possibly as a strategy for energy conservation. To study the physiological adaptations of an intertidal-subtidal species to the extreme and unpredictable heat stress of the intertidal zone, oxygen consumption rate and heat shock protein expression were quantified in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. Using simulate natural temperatures, the relationship between temperature, physiological performance (oxygen consumption and heat shock proteins) and thermotolerance were assessed. Depression of oxygen consumption rate and upregulation of heat shock protein genes (hsps) occurred in sequence when ambient temperature was increased from 24 to 30°C. Large-scale mortality of the sea cucumber occurred when temperatures rose beyond 30°C, suggesting that the upregulation of heat shock proteins and mortality are closely related to the depression of aerobic metabolism, a phenomenon that is in line with the concept of oxygen- and capacity-limited thermal tolerance (OCLTT). The physiologically-related thermotolerance of this sea cucumber should be an adaptation to its local environment.     

Linear relationships between mitochondrial forces and cytoplasmic flows argue for the organized energy-coupled nature of cellular metabolism

We have studied rates of formation of glucose, urea and lactate by isolated hepatocytes incubated with a variety of inhibitors of energy transduction. Linear relationships have been found between these metabolic rates and mitochondrial forces (membrane, redox and phosphorylation potentials). The findings are suggestive of extensive enzyme organization within these metabolic pathways.     

Linear and nonlinear causality between signals: methods, examples and neurophysiological applications

In this paper, we will present and review the most usual methods to detect linear and nonlinear causality between signals: linear Granger causality test (Geweke in J Am Stat Assoc 77:304–313, 1982) extended to direct causality in multivariate case (LGC), directed coherence (DCOH, Saito and Harashima in Recent advances in EEG and EMG data processing, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1981), partial directed coherence (PDC, Sameshima and Baccala 1999) and nonlinear Granger causality test of Baek and Brock (in Working Paper University of Iowa, 1992) extended to direct causality in multivariate case (partial nonlinear Granger causality, PNGC). All these methods are tested and compared on several ARX, Poisson and nonlinear models, and on neurophysiological data (depth EEG). The results show that LGC, DCOH and PDC are not very robust in relation to nonlinear linkages but they seem to correctly find linear linkages if only the autoregressive parts are nonlinear. PNGC is extremely dependent on the choice of parameters. Moreover, LGC and PNGC may give misleading results in the case of causality on a spectral band, which is illustrated by our neurophysiological database.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available to authorised users in the online version of this article at .     

Linear and nonlinear characteristics of oxygen uptake kinetics during heavy exercise.

We assessed the linearity of oxygen uptake (VO2) kinetics for several work intensities in four trained cyclists. VO2 was measured breath by breath during transitions from 33 W (baseline) to work rates requiring 38, 54, 85, and 100% of maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max). Each subject repeated each work rate four times over 8 test days. In every case, three phases (phases 1, 2, and 3) of the VO2 response could be identified. VO2 during phase 2 was fit by one of two models: model 1, a double exponential where both terms begin together close to the start of phase 2, and model 2, a double exponential where each of the exponential terms begins independently with separate time delays. VO2 rose linearly for the two lower work rates (slope 11 ml.min-1 W-1) but increased to a greater asymptote for the two heavier work rates. In all four subjects, for the two lighter work rates the double-exponential regression reduced to a single value for the time constant (average across subjects 16.1 +/- 7.7 s), indicating a truly monoexponential response. In addition, one of the responses to the heaviest work rate was monoexponential. For the remaining seven biexponential responses to the two heaviest work rates, model 2 produced a significantly better fit to the responses (P less than 0.05), with a mean time delay for the slow component of 105 +/- 46 s.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interplay between ferritin metabolism, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide

 The biological relevance of each of the three inorganic species – iron, oxygen, and nitric oxide (NO) – is crucial. Moreover, their metabolic pathways cross each other and thus create a complex network of connections responsible for the regulation of many essential biological processes. The iron storage protein ferritin, one of the main regulators of iron homeostasis, influences oxygen and NO metabolism. Here, examples are given of the biological interactions of the ferritin molecule (ferritin iron and ferritin shell) with reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NO. The focus is the regulation of ferritin expression by ROS and NO. From these data, ferritin emerges as an important cytoprotective component of the cellular response to ROS and NO. Also, by its ability to alter the amount of intracellular "free" iron, ferritin may affect the metabolism of ROS and NO. It is proposed that this putative activity of ferritin may constitute a missing link in the regulatory loop between iron, ROS, and NO. Received: 2 January 1997 / Accepted: 9 June 1997     

Intraspecific relationships between resting and activity metabolism in anuran amphibians: influence of ecology and behavior

The aerobic capacity model, as well as other models for the evolution of aerobic metabolism and the origin of endothermy, requires a mechanistic link between rates of resting and activity oxygen consumption (VO2rest and VO2act). The existence of such link is still controversial, but studies with anuran amphibians support a correlation between VO2rest and VO2act at both the intraspecific and interspecific levels. Because results at the intraspecific level are based only on a few species, we test for the generality of a link between these two metabolic variables in anurans by studying the intraspecific correlational patterns between mass-independent VO2rest and VO2act in anurans. We focus on 21 Neotropical species from different geographical areas that include remarkable diversity in behavior and thermal ecology. Although uncorrelated, VO2rest and VO2act seem to be consistent among individuals. Diverse intraspecific phenotypic correlational trends were detected, indicating that the intraspecific relationships between VO2rest and VO2act might be very diverse in anurans. The three possible trends (positive, negative, and absent correlations) were observed and appeared to be predictable from ecological and behavioral variables that relate to evolutionary physiological shifts in anurans. Positive correlations between VO2rest and VO2act were more common in species with active lifestyles (e.g., intense vocal activity) and in species that call at low temperatures (e.g., winter or high-elevation specialists).     

The canine spleen in oxygen transport: gas exchange and hemodynamic responses to splenectomy.

In athletic animals the spleen induces acute polycythemia by dynamic contraction that releases red blood cells into the circulation in response to increased O(2) demand and metabolic stress; when energy demand is relieved, the polycythemia is rapidly reversed by splenic relaxation. We have shown in adult foxhounds that splenectomy eliminates exercise-induced polycythemia, thereby reducing peak O(2) uptake and lung diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DL(CO)) as well as exaggerating preexisting DL(CO) impairment imposed by pneumonectomy (Dane DM, Hsia CC, Wu EY, Hogg RT, Hogg DC, Estrera AS, Johnson RL Jr. J Appl Physiol 101: 289-297, 2006). To examine whether the postsplenectomy reduction in DL(CO) leads to abnormalities in O(2) diffusion, ventilation-perfusion inequality, or hemodynamic function, we studied these animals via the multiple inert gas elimination technique at rest and during exercise at a constant workload equivalent to 50% or 80% of peak O(2) uptake while breathing 21% and 14% O(2) in balanced order. From rest to exercise after splenectomy, minute ventilation was significantly elevated with respect to O(2) uptake compared with exercise before splenectomy; cardiac output, O(2) delivery, and mean pulmonary and systemic arterial blood pressures were 10-20% lower, while O(2) extraction was elevated with respect to O(2) uptake. Ventilation-perfusion inequality was unchanged, but O(2) diffusing capacities of lung (DL(O2)) and peripheral tissue during exercise were lower with respect to cardiac output postsplenectomy by 32% and 25%, respectively. The relationship between DL(O2) and DL(CO) was unchanged by splenectomy. We conclude that the canine spleen regulates both convective and diffusive O(2) transport during exercise to increase maximal O(2) uptake.     

Pair-wise linear and 3D nonlinear relationships between the liver antioxidant enzyme activities and the rate of body oxygen consumption in mice

Relationships between the rate of body oxygen consumption (VO₂) and the liver key antioxidant enzyme activities were assessed in female CBA mice. The pair-wise linear regression and correlation demonstrated significant correlative links between VO₂ and activity of catalase (CAT). Nonlinear 3D plotting revealed a complementary pattern of CAT and glutathione peroxidase (GP) relation. CAT activity was elevated in mice with proportionally high VO₂ and superoxide dismutase (SOD), whereas GP activity was high in animals with low or disproportional VO₂ and SOD.     

Regulation of oxygen transport during brain activation: stimulus-induced hemodynamic responses in human and animal cortices

BACKGROUND: The correlation between regional changes in neuronal activity and changes in hemodynamics is a major issue for noninvasive neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and near-infrared optical imaging (NIOI). A tight coupling of these changes has been assumed to elucidate brain function from data obtained with those techniques. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between neuronal activity and hemodynamic responses in the occipital cortex of humans during visual stimulation and in the somatosensory cortex of rats during peripheral nerve stimulation. METHODS: The temporal frequency dependence of macroscopic hemodynamic responses on visual stimuli was investigated in the occipital cortex of humans by simultaneous measurements made using fMRI and NIOI. The stimulus-intensity dependence of both microscopic hemodynamic changes and changes in neuronal activity in response to peripheral nerve stimulation was investigated in animal models by analyzing membrane potential (fluorescence), hemodynamic parameters (visible spectra and laser-Doppler flowmetry), and vessel diameter (image analyzer). RESULTS: Above a certain level of stimulus-intensity, increases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were accompanied by a decrease in regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV), i.e., dissociation of rCBF and rCBV responses occurred in both the human and animal experiments. Furthermore, the animal experiments revealed that the distribution of increased rCBF and O2 spread well beyond the area of neuronal activation, and that the increases showed saturation in the activated area. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that above a certain level of neuronal activity, a regulatory mechanism between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and rCBV acts to prevent excess O2 inflow into the focally activated area.     

The interplay between central metabolism and innate immune responses

A growing body of recent studies bring into light an important cross-talk between immune response and metabolism not only at the level of the organism as a whole, but also at the level of the individual cells. Cellular bioenergetics functions not only as a power plant to fuel up the cells, but the intermediate metabolites are shown to play an important role to modulate cellular responses. It is especially the pathways through which a cell metabolizes glucose that have been recently shown to influence both innate and adaptive immune responses, with oxidative phosphorylation used by resting or tolerant cells, while aerobic glycolysis (also termed ‘Warburg effect’) fueling activated cells. In this review we will address how the center metabolism shifts upon activation in the innate immune cells and how the intermediate metabolites modulate the function of immune cells.