Analysis of the root system architecture of Arabidopsis provides a quantitative readout of crosstalk between nutritional signals

As plant roots forage the soil for food and water, they translate a multifactorial input of environmental stimuli into a multifactorial developmental output that manifests itself as root system architecture (RSA). Our current understanding of the underlying regulatory network is limited because root responses have traditionally been studied separately for individual nutrient deficiencies. In this study, we quantified 13 RSA parameters of Arabidopsis thaliana in 32 binary combinations of N, P, K, S, and light. Analysis of variance showed that each RSA parameter was determined by a typical pattern of environmental signals and their interactions. P caused the most important single-nutrient effects, while N-effects were strongly light dependent. Effects of K and S occurred mostly through nutrient interactions in paired or multiple combinations. Several RSA parameters were selected for further analysis through mutant phenotyping, which revealed combinations of transporters, receptors, and kinases acting as signaling modules in K–N interactions. Furthermore, nutrient response profiles of individual RSA features across NPK combinations could be assigned to transcriptionally coregulated clusters of nutrient-responsive genes in the roots and to ionome patterns in the shoots. The obtained data set provides a quantitative basis for understanding how plants integrate multiple nutritional stimuli into complex developmental programs

Micro Talk Systems

This case focuses on a unique and often overlooked product market – sporting event timing systems and supplies – and involves a Japanese manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID)-based timing systems called Micro Talk Systems or MTS.  Some of the challenges facing MTS, as they begin to penetrate the U.S. timing market, include identifying the size and scope of the timing market, which market segment(s) should MTS focus on, what is the competitive advantage(s) MTS holds compared to other timing systems being marketed in the U.S., and which channel(s) of distribution would prove to be the most efficient and cost effective to use

Biodesalination: an emerging technology for targeted removal of Na+and Cl−from seawater by cyanobacteria

Although desalination by membrane processes is a possible solution to the problem of freshwater supply, related cost and energy demands prohibit its use on a global scale. Hence, there is an emerging necessity for alternative, energy and cost-efficient methods for water desalination. Cyanobacteria are oxygen-producing, photosynthetic bacteria that actively grow in vast blooms both in fresh and seawater bodies. Moreover, cyanobacteria can grow with minimal nutrient requirements and under natural sunlight. Taking these observations together, a consortium of five British Universities was formed to test the principle of using cyanobacteria as ion exchangers, for the specific removal of Na+ and Cl− from seawater. This project consisted of the isolation and characterisation of candidate strains, with central focus on their potential to be osmotically and ionically adaptable. The selection panel resulted in the identification of two Euryhaline strains, one of freshwater (Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803) and one of marine origin (Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002) (Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen). Other work packages were as follows. Genetic manipulations potentially allowed for the expression of a light-driven, Cl−-selective pump in both strains, therefore, enhancing the bioaccumulation of specific ions within the cell (University of Glasgow). Characterisation of surface properties under different salinities (University of Sheffield), ensured that cell–liquid separation efficiency would be maximised post-treatment, as well as monitoring the secretion of mucopolysaccharides in the medium during cell growth. Work at Newcastle University is focused on the social acceptance of this scenario, together with an assessment of the potential risks through the generation and application of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan. Finally, researchers in Imperial College (London) designed the process, from biomass production to water treatment and generation of a model photobioreactor. This multimodal approach has produced promising first results, and further optimisation is expected to result in mass scaling of this process

Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis of the Effects of Chronic Centrifugation on the Structural Development of the Musculoskeletal System of the Rat

At the age of 30 days female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on a 3.66 m radius centrifuge and subsequently exposed almost continuously for 810 days to either 2.76 or 4.15 G. An age-matched control group of rats was raised near the centrifuge facility at earth gravity. Three further control groups of rats were obtained from the animal colony and sacrificed at the age of 34, 72 and 102 days. A total of 16 variables were simultaneously factor analyzed by maximum-likelihood extraction routine and the factor loadings presented after-rotation to simple structure by a varimax rotation routine. The variables include the G-load, age, body mass, femoral length and cross-sectional area, inner and outer radii, density and strength at the mid-length of the femur, dry weight of gluteus medius, semimenbranosus and triceps surae muscles. Factor analyses on A) all controls, B) all controls and the 2.76 G group, and C) all controls and centrifuged animals, produced highly similar loading structures of three common factors which accounted for 74%, 68% and 68%. respectively, of the total variance. The 3 factors were interpreted as: 1. An age and size factor which stimulates the growth in length and diameter and increases the density and strength of the femur. This factor is positively correlated with G-load but is also active in the control animals living at earth gravity. 2. A growth inhibition factor which acts on body size, femoral length and on both the outer and inner radius at mid-length of the femur. This factor is intensified by centrifugation

Computed tomography-osteoabsorptiometry for assessing the density distribution of subchondral bone as a measure of long-term mechanical adaptation in individual joints

To estimate subchondral mineralisation patterns which represent the long-term loading history of individual joints, a method has been developed employing computed tomography (CT) which permits repeated examination of living joints. The method was tested on 5 knee, 3 sacroiliac, 3 ankle and 5 shoulder joints and then investigated with X-ray densitometry. A CT absorptiometric presentation and maps of the area distribution of the subchondral bone density areas were derived using an image analyser. Comparison of the results from both X-ray densitometry and CT-absorptiometry revealed almost identical pictures of distribution of the subchondral bone density. The method may be used to examine subchondral mineralisation as a measure of the mechanical adaptability of joints in the living subject

Futile Na+ cycling at the root plasma membrane in rice (Oryza sativa L.): kinetics, energetics, and relationship to salinity tolerance

Globally, over one-third of irrigated land is affected by salinity, including much of the land under lowland rice cultivation in the tropics, seriously compromising yields of this most important of crop species. However, there remains an insufficient understanding of the cellular basis of salt tolerance in rice. Here, three methods of 24Na+ tracer analysis were used to investigate primary Na+ transport at the root plasma membrane in a salt-tolerant rice cultivar (Pokkali) and a salt-sensitive cultivar (IR29). Futile cycling of Na+ at the plasma membrane of intact roots occurred at both low and elevated levels of steady-state Na+ supply ([Na+]ext=1 mM and 25 mM) in both cultivars. At 25 mM [Na+]ext, a toxic condition for IR29, unidirectional influx and efflux of Na+ in this cultivar, but not in Pokkali, became very high [>100 μmol g (root FW)−1 h−1], demonstrating an inability to restrict sodium fluxes. Current models of sodium transport energetics across the plasma membrane in root cells predict that, if the sodium efflux were mediated by Na+/H+ antiport, this toxic scenario would impose a substantial respiratory cost in IR29. This cost is calculated here, and compared with root respiration, which, however, comprised only ∼50% of what would be required to sustain efflux by the antiporter. This suggests that either the conventional ‘leak-pump’ model of Na+ transport or the energetic model of proton-linked Na+ transport may require some revision. In addition, the lack of suppression of Na+ influx by both K+ and Ca2+, and by the application of the channel inhibitors Cs+, TEA+, and Ba2+, questions the participation of potassium channels and non-selective cation channels in the observed Na+ fluxes

A bioenergetics model to evaluate demographic consequences of disturbance in marine mammals applied to gray whales

While sophisticated tools are used to monitor behavioral changes of large marine vertebrates, determining whether these changes are meaningful for management and conservation is challenging. The Population Consequences of Disturbance model proposed a bioenergetics model to detect biologically meaningful population responses, where disturbance costs are linked to lost energy. The model assumes that changes in behavior, caused by disturbance, compromise maternal condition, reducing energy delivery to offspring, leading to reduced reproduction, increased offspring mortality, and eventually increased adult mortality. Given its coastal habits and past whaling history, gray whales' (Eschrichtius robustus) life history and ecology are better known than for many other baleen whales. However, their preference for coastal habitat increases their exposure to human disturbance. We created a female gray whale bioenergetics model to determine energy requirements for a two-year reproductive cycle and determined the consequences of lost energy under three possible disturbance scenarios. An annual energetic loss of 4% during the year in which she is pregnant, would prevent a female from successfully producing/weaning a calf. For this reason, gray whale reproduction is particularly sensitive to disturbance during pregnancy. During the year in which she is lactating, she would wean her calf at a lower mass with a 37% energetic loss. A female would lack the energy to become pregnant during a year with a 30–35% energetic loss, and female mortality would likely occur at 40–42% annual energetic loss. Our model can be used for assessing disturbance costs or other effects associated with climate change and/or anthropogenic activities and can be applied to other species with similar life histories

Non-reciprocal interactions between K+ and Na+ ions in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

The interaction of sodium and potassium ions in the context of the primary entry of Na+ into plant cells, and the subsequent development of sodium toxicity, has been the subject of much recent attention. In the present study, the technique of compartmental analysis with the radiotracers 42K+ and 24Na+ was applied in intact seedlings of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to test the hypothesis that elevated levels of K+ in the growth medium will reduce both rapid, futile Na+ cycling at the plasma membrane, and Na+ build-up in the cytosol of root cells, under saline conditions (100 mM NaCl). We reject this hypothesis, showing that, over a wide (400-fold) range of K+ supply, K+ neither reduces the primary fluxes of Na+ at the root plasma membrane nor suppresses Na+ accumulation in the cytosol. By contrast, 100 mM NaCl suppressed the cytosolic K+ pool by 47–73%, and also substantially decreased low-affinity K+ transport across the plasma membrane. We confirm that the cytosolic [K+]:[Na+] ratio is a poor predictor of growth performance under saline conditions, while a good correlation is seen between growth and the tissue ratios of the two ions. The data provide insight into the mechanisms that mediate the toxic influx of sodium across the root plasma membrane under salinity stress, demonstrating that, in the glycophyte barley, K+ and Na+ are unlikely to share a common low-affinity pathway for entry into the plant cell

Accuracy of ARGOS Locations of Pinnipeds at-Sea Estimated Using Fastloc GPS

Background: ARGOS satellite telemetry is one of the most widely used methods to track the movements of free-ranging marine and terrestrial animals and is fundamental to studies of foraging ecology, migratory behavior and habitat-use. ARGOS location estimates do not include complete error estimations, and for many marine organisms, the most commonly acquired locations (Location Class 0, A, B, or Z) are provided with no declared error estimate.Methodology/Principal Findings: We compared the accuracy of ARGOS locations to those obtained using Fastloc GPS from the same electronic tags on five species of pinnipeds: 9 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), 4 Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki), 6 Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus), 3 Australian fur seals (A. p. doriferus) and 5 northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). These species encompass a range of marine habitats (highly pelagic vs coastal), diving behaviors (mean dive durations 2&ndash;21 min) and range of latitudes (equator to temperate). A total of 7,318 ARGOS positions and 27,046 GPS positions were collected. Of these, 1,105 ARGOS positions were obtained within five minutes of a GPS position and were used for comparison. The 68th percentile ARGOS location errors as measured in this study were LC-30.49 km, LC-2 1.01 km, LC-1 1.20 km, LC-0 4.18 km, LC-A 6.19 km, LC-B 10.28 km. Conclusions/Significance: The ARGOS errors measured here are greater than those provided by ARGOS, but within the range of other studies. The error was non-normally distributed with each LC highly right-skewed. Locations of species that make short duration dives and spend extended periods on the surface (sea lions and fur seals) had less error than species like elephant seals that spend more time underwater and have shorter surface intervals. Supplemental data (S1) are provided allowing the creation of density distributions that can be used in a variety of filtering algorithms to improve the quality of ARGOS tracking data.<br /