Ethylene and IAA interactions in the inhibition of photoperiodic flower induction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pharbitis nil</Emphasis>

It has been shown that both IAA and ethylene application inhibit flower induction in the short-day plant Pharbitis nil. However application of IAA has elevated ethylene production in this plant, as well. Strong enhancement of ethylene production is also correlated with the night-break effect, which completely inhibits flowering. In order to determine what the role of IAA and ethylene is in the photoperiodic flower induction in Pharbitis nil, we measured changes in their levels during inductive and non-inductive photoperiods, and the effects of ethylene biosynthesis and action inhibitors on inhibition of flowering by IAA. Our results have shown that the inhibitory effect of IAA on Pharbitis nil flowering is not physiological but is connected with its effect on ethylene biosynthesis.     

Regulation of potato meristem development by jasmonic acid in vitro

The influence of jasmonic acid (JA) on differentiation of meristems of the potato,Solanum tuberosum cv. Vesna, was investigated in vitro. Meristems were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (10 μM), kinetin (10 μM), gibberellic acid (3 μM), as modified by Bang. Addition of JA in concentrations of 0.5–10 μM increased the number of meristems that developed into buds, particularly in meristems isolated from shoots grown from tubers in the dark. JA had no noticeable effect on meristems from germs grown in light. All added concentrations of JA retarded callus and root formation. The inhibitory effect on rhizogenesis disappeared immediately after transfer of the developed buds to medium without JA.     

The influence of subterranean termites on the hydrological characteristics of a Chihuahuan desert ecosystem

Summary Rainfall simulation at an average intensity of 124 mm·h^-1 was used to compare infiltration and run off on arid areas where subterranean termites had been eliminated four years prior to the initiation of the study (termite free) with adjacent areas populated by subterranean termites (termites present). Infiltration rates on termite free plots with less than 5% perennial plant cover were significantly lower 51.3±6.8 mm·h^-1 than rates on comparable termites present plots 88.4±5.6 mm·h^-1. On plots centered on Larrea tridentata shrubs, there were no differences in infiltration rates with or without termites. Plots with shrub cover had the highest infiltration rates 101±6 mm·h^-1. Highest run-off volumes were recorded from termite free <5% grass cover plots and the lowest from plots with shrubs. There were no differences in suspended sediment concentrations from termites present and termite free plots. Average bed load concentration was more than three times greater from termite free, <5% cover plots than from termites present, <5% cover plots.The reduction in infiltration, high run-off volumes and high bedloads from termite free areas without shrub cover is related to increased soil bulk density resulting from the collapse of subterranean galleries of the termites that provide avenues of bulk flow into the soil. Subterranean termites affect the hydrology of Chihuahuan desert systems by enhancing water infiltration and retention of top soil. The presence of a shrub canopy and litter layer cancels any effect of subterranean termites on hydrological parameters. Since approximately 2/3 of the area is not under shrub canopies, subterranean termites are considered to be essential for the maintenance of the soil water characteristics that support the present vegetation.     

A new DNA marker (D4S90) is located terminally on the short arm of chromosome 4, close to the Huntington disease gene

Genetic linkage studies have mapped Huntington's disease (HD) to the distal portion of the short arm of chromosome 4 (4p16.3), 4 cM distal to D4S10 (G8). To date, no definite flanking marker has been identified. A new DNA marker, D4S90 (D5), which maps to the distal region of 4p16.3, is described. The marker was used in a genetic linkage study in the CEPH reference families with seven other markers at 4p16. The study, together with knowledge of the physical map of the region, places D4S90 as the most distal marker, 6 cM from D4S10. A provisional linkage study with HD gave a maximum lod score of 2.14 at a θ of 0.00 and no evidence of linkage disequilibrium. As D4S90 appears to be located terminally, it should play an important role in the accurate mapping and cloning of the HD gene.     

Effect of Long-Lasting Diabetes Mellitus on Rat and Human Brain Monoamines

Experimental alloxan- or streptozotocin-produced diabetes in rats was accompanied by an increase in the levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, whereas the contents of metabolites, i.e., 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and homovanillic acid, in the whole brain gradually decreased with the duration of diabetes. Among the striatum, thalamus, and hypothalamus of alloxan diabetic rats, monoamine alterations were observed only in the hypothalamus; after 1 week an increase of norepinephrine content and after 13 weeks an increase of norepinephrine and dopamine contents were found. Tissues of 11 brain regions of 10 diabetic and 12 control patients post mortem were investigated for monoamine concentrations. Patients were all male, of similar age and interval between death and autopsy. Diabetic patients had an increase in the content of serotonin in the medial and lateral hypothalamus. The content of dopamine increased in the medial hypothalamus, putamen, and medial and lateral pallidus. In diabetic patients, the content of norepinephrine increased in the lateral pallidus and decreased in the nucleus accumbens and claustrum. Thus, it seems that diabetes mellitus in rats, as well as in humans is associated with regionally specific changes in brain monoamines.     

Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland

Industrial ecology (IE) methodologies, such as input/output or material flow analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA), are often used for the environmental evaluation of circular economy strategies. Up to now, an approach that utilizes these methods in a systematic, integrated framework for a holistic assessment of a geographic region's sustainable circular economy potential has been lacking. The approach developed in this study (IE4CE approach) combines IE methodologies to determine the environmental impact mitigation potential of circular economy strategies for a defined geographic region. The approach foresees five steps. First, input/output analysis helps identify sectors with high environmental impacts. Second, a refined analysis is conducted using material flow and LCA. In step 3, circular strategies are used for scenario design and evaluated in step 4. In step 5, the assessment results are compiled and compared across sectors. The approach was applied to a case study of Switzerland, analyzing 8 sectors and more than 30 scenarios in depth. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from waste incineration, biogas and cement production, food waste prevention in households, hospitality and production, and the increased recycling of plastics had the highest mitigation potential. Most of the scenarios do not influence each other. One exception is the CCS scenarios: waste avoidance scenarios decrease the reduction potential of CCS. A combination of scenarios from different sectors, including their impact on the CCS scenario potential, led to an environmental impact mitigation potential of 11.9 Mt CO₂-eq for 2050, which equals 14% of Switzerland's current consumption-based impacts.     

Oral nicotinamide riboside raises NAD+ and lowers biomarkers of neurodegenerative pathology in plasma extracellular vesicles enriched for neuronal origin

Declining nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) concentration in the brain during aging contributes to metabolic and cellular dysfunction and is implicated in the pathogenesis of aging-associated neurological disorders. Experimental therapies aimed at boosting brain NAD⁺ levels normalize several neurodegenerative phenotypes in animal models, motivating their clinical translation. Dietary intake of NAD⁺ precursors, such as nicotinamide riboside (NR), is a safe and effective avenue for augmenting NAD⁺ levels in peripheral tissues in humans, yet evidence supporting their ability to raise NAD⁺ levels in the brain or engage neurodegenerative disease pathways is lacking. Here, we studied biomarkers in plasma extracellular vesicles enriched for neuronal origin (NEVs) from 22 healthy older adults who participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial (NCT02921659) of oral NR supplementation (500 mg, 2x /day, 6 weeks). We demonstrate that oral NR supplementation increases NAD⁺ levels in NEVs and decreases NEV levels of Aβ42, pJNK, and pERK1/2 (kinases involved in insulin resistance and neuroinflammatory pathways). In addition, changes in NAD(H) correlated with changes in canonical insulin–Akt signaling proteins and changes in pERK1/2 and pJNK. These findings support the ability of orally administered NR to augment neuronal NAD⁺ levels and modify biomarkers related to neurodegenerative pathology in humans. Furthermore, NEVs offer a new blood-based window into monitoring the physiologic response of NR in the brain.