Estimation of Tissue Construction Cost from Heat of Combustion and Organic Nitrogen Content

Abstract. We present a method for estimating the construction costs of plant tissues from measurements of heat of combustion, ash content, and organic nitrogen content. The method predicts glucose equivalents, the amount of glucose required to provide carbon skeletons and reductant to synthesize a quantity of organic product. Glucose equivalents have previously been calculated from the elemental composition of tissue. We define construction cost as the amount of glucose required to provide carbon skeletons, reductant and ATP for synthesizing the organic compounds in a tissue via standard biochemical pathways. The fraction of the total construction cost of a compound or tissue (excluding costs of transporting compounds) that is reflected in its glucose equivalents is the biosynthetic efficiency ( E _B). This quantity varies between 0.84 and 0.95 for tissues with a wide range of compositions. Using the new method, total construction cost can be estimated to ± 6% of the value obtained from biochemical pathway analysis.
Construction costs of leaves of three chaparral species were estimated using the proposed method and compared to previously published values, derived using different methods. Agreement among methods was generally good. Differences were probably due to a combination of inaccuracy in the estimated biosynthetic efficiency and technical difficulties with biochemical analysis, one of the older methods of determining construction cost.     

Modulation of beta-oxidation and proton conductance pathway of brown adipose tissue in hypo- and hyperinsulinemic states

The metabolic capacity of interscapular brown adipose tissue of hypoinsulinemic (diabetic) rats is decreased and a reduced beta-oxidative capacity contributes to this metabolic alteration. It was thus of interest to compare, in diabetic and in chronically (8 days) insulin-infused rats, the beta-oxidative capacity and indices of the thermogenic state (GDP-binding and 32 000 Mr protein) in this tissue. Mitochondrial GDP-binding and 32 000 Mr protein were both decreased in diabetic rats compared to appropriate controls and markedly increased as was also the beta-oxidative capacity in hyperinsulinemic rats.     

Phenological delay despite warming in wood frog Rana sylvatica reproductive timing: a 20-year study

Across all taxa, amphibians exhibit some of the strongest phenological shifts in response to climate change. As climates warm, amphibians and other animals are expected to breed earlier in response to temperature cues. However, if species use fixed cues such as daylight, their breeding timing might remain fixed, potentially creating disconnects between their life history and environmental conditions. Wood frogs Rana sylvatica are a cold-adapted species that reproduce in early spring, immediately after breeding ponds are free of ice. We used long-term surveys of wood frog oviposition timing in 64 breeding ponds over 20 yr to show that, despite experiencing a warming of 0.29°C per decade in annual temperature, wood frog breeding phenology has shifted later by 2.8 d since 2000 (1.4 d per decade; 4.8 d per °C). This counterintuitive pattern is likely the result of changes in the timing of snowpack accumulation and melting. Finally, we used relationships between climate and oviposition between 2000 and 2018 to hindcast oviposition dates from climate records to model longer-term trends since 1980. Our study indicates that species can respond to fine-grained seasonal climate heterogeneity within years that is not apparent or counterintuitive when related to annual trends across years.     

Plant architectural responses in simultaneous maize/soybean strip intercropping do not lead to a yield advantage

Maize/soybean strip intercropping is a commonly used system throughout China with high crop yields at reduced nutrient input compared to sole maize. Maize is the taller crop, and due to its dominance in light capture over soybean in the intercrop, maize is expected to outperform maize in sole cropping. Conversely, soybean is the subordinate crop and intercropped soybean plants are expected to perform worse than sole soybean. Crop plants show plastic responses in plant architecture to their growing conditions to forage for light and avoid shading. There is little knowledge on plant architectural responses to growing conditions in simultaneous (non-relay) intercropping and their relationship to species yields. A two-year field experiment with two simultaneous maize/soybean intercropping systems with narrow and wide strips was conducted to characterise architectural traits of maize and soybean plants grown as intercrop and sole crops. Intercropped maize plants, especially those in border rows, had substantially greater leaf area, biomass and yield than maize plants in sole crops. Intercropped soybean plants, especially those in border rows, had lower leaf area, biomass and yield than sole soybean plants. Overall intercrop performance was similar to that of sole crops, with the land equivalent ratio (LER) being only slightly greater than one (1.03–1.08). Soybean displayed typical shade avoidance responses in the intercrop, such as greater internode elongation and changes in specific leaf area, but these responses could not overcome the consequences of the competition with the taller maize plants. Therefore, in contrast to relay intercrop systems, in the studied simultaneous maize/soybean system, plastic responses did not contribute to practically relevant increases in resource capture and yield at whole system (i.e., intercrop) level.     

The nitrite-oxidizing community in activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant determined by fatty acid methyl ester-stable isotope probing

Metabolically-active autotrophic nitrite oxidizers from activated sludge were labeled with ¹³C-bicarbonate under exposure to different temperatures and nitrite concentrations. The labeled samples were characterized by FAME-SIP (fatty acid methyl ester-stable isotope probing). The compound cis-11-palmitoleic acid, which is the major lipid of the most abundant nitrite oxidizer in activated sludge, Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii, showed ¹³C-incorporation in all samples exposed to 3 mM nitrite. Subsequently, the lipid cis-7-palmitoleic acid was labeled, and it indicated the activity of a nitrite oxidizer that was different from the known Nitrospira taxa in activated sludge. The highest incorporation of cis-7-palmitoleic acid label was found after incubation with a nitrite concentration of 0.3 mM at 17 and 22 °C. While activity of Nitrobacter populations could not be detected by the FAME-SIP approach, an unknown nitrite oxidizer with the major lipid cis-9 isomer of palmitoleic acid exhibited ¹³C-incorporation at 28 °C with 30 mM nitrite. These results indicated flexibility of nitrite-oxidizing guilds in a complex community responding to different conditions. Labeled lipids so far not described for activated sludge-associated nitrifiers indicated the presence of unknown nitrite oxidizers in this habitat. The FAME-SIP-based information can be used to define appropriate conditions for the enrichment of nitrite-oxidizing guilds from complex samples.     

3D‐Printed Cathodes of LiMn1−xFexPO4 Nanocrystals Achieve Both Ultrahigh Rate and High Capacity for Advanced Lithium‐Ion Battery

A 3D‐printing technology and printed 3D lithium‐ion batteries (3D‐printed LIBs) based on LiMn_0.21Fe_0.79PO₄@C (LMFP) nanocrystal cathodes are developed to achieve both ultrahigh rate and high capacity. Coin cells with 3D‐printed cathodes show impressive electrochemical performance: a capacity of 108.45 mAh g^?1 at 100 C and a reversible capacity of 150.21 mAh g^?1 at 10 C after 1000 cycles. In combination with simulation using a pseudo 2D hidden Markov model and experimental data of 3D‐printed and traditional electrodes, for the first time deep insight into how to achieve the ultrahigh rate performance for a cathode with LMFP nanocrystals is obtained. It is estimated that the Li‐ion diffusion in LMFP nanocrystal is not the rate‐limitation step for the rate to 100 C, however, that the electrolyte diffusion factors, such as solution intrinsic diffusion coefficient, efficiency porosity, and electrode thickness, will dominate ultrahigh rate performance of the cathode. Furthermore, the calculations indicate that the above factors play important roles in the equivalent diffusion coefficient with the electrode beyond a certain thickness, which determines the whole kinetic process in LIBs. This fundamental study should provide helpful guidance for future design of LIBs with superior electrochemical performance.