Nectar formation and floral nectary anatomy of Anigozanthos flavidus: a combined magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy study

Metabolic processes underlying the formation of floral nectar carbohydrates, especially the generation of the proportions of fructose, glucose, and sucrose, are important for understanding ecological plant–pollinator interactions. The ratio of sucrose-derived hexoses, fructose and glucose, in the floral nectar of Anigozanthos flavidus (Haemodoraceae) was observed to be different from 1:1, which cannot be explained by the simple action of invertases. Various NMR techniques were used to investigate how such an unbalanced ratio of the two nectar hexoses can be formed. High-resolution 13C NMR spectroscopy in solution was used to determine the proportion of carbohydrates in vascular bundles of excised inflorescences fed with 13C-labelled carbohydrates. These experiments verified that feeding did not affect the metabolic processes involved in nectar formation. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (e.g. cyclic J cross-polarization) was used to detect carbohydrates in vascular bundles and 1H spin echo imaging non-invasively displayed the architecture of tepal nectaries and showed how they are connected to the vascular bundles. A model of the carbohydrate metabolism involved in forming A. flavidus floral nectar was established. Sucrose from the vascular bundles is not directly secreted into the lumen of the nectary but, either before or after invertase-catalysed hydrolyses, taken up by nectary cells and cycled at least partly through glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Secretion of the two hexoses in the cytosolic proportion could elegantly explain the observed fructose:glucose ratio of the nectar

Advanced atomic force microscopy techniques

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Although its conceptual approach is as simple as the technique used in record players already introduced in the 19th century, the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM) in 1986 by Binnig, Quate, and Gerber was a milestone for nanotechnology. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM), introduced some years earlier, had already achieved atomic resolution, but is limited to conductive surfaces. Since its operational principle is based on the detection of the forces acting between tip and sample, this restriction does not exist for the AFM. Consequently, atomic force microscopy quickly became the standard tool for nanometer-scale imaging of all types of surfaces in all environments. True atomic resolution was first achieved in the 1990s. The most convincing results, however, were restricted to the so-called noncontact mode in vacuum for a long time, but recent technical developments overcame this limitation, and atomic-resolution imaging is now also a standard in liquids. Beyond pushing the resolution limit to the picometer range, the invention of the AFM triggered the development of a growing number of new scanning probe methods and approaches, ranging from an expansion of the properties that can be mapped to the active manipulation of surfaces and small particles. Practically every month, reports on the growing capabilities of AFMs appear. Nearly every physical effect that influences the tip–sample interaction has been used to improve existing modes and to develop new ones. For example, many recently presented techniques include the excitation of higher cantilever oscillation modes; it is amazing in how many ways the shaking of a simple cantilever can improve our knowledge about the tip–sample interaction. Another direction is high-speed atomic force microscopy, which is one of the eminent challenges that need to be solved in order to allow the in situ observation of biological processes. Data acquisition times have already reached the millisecond range, enabling the visualization of the dynamic behavior of biological molecules and cells. Other recent accomplishments include imaging of organic molecules with unprecedented resolution, full three-dimensional mapping of surface force fields, and the imaging and discrimination of individual chemical bonds. The development of advanced techniques is the focus of this Thematic Series, following the Thematic Series “Scanning probe microscopy and related techniques” edited by Ernst Meyer and the Thematic Series “Noncontact atomic force microscopy” edited by Udo Schwarz. The articles that are part of the series demonstrate that, despite its 25 years of history, the AFM is still far from reaching its limits, and today’s developments are far-reaching. As the number of research groups utilizing advanced atomic force microscopy techniques increases with each passing year, the technical improvements, data-acquisition approaches, analysis procedures, user friendliness, and application areas of the technique further diversify. With this Thematic Series, it is our intention to stimulate these improvements. We thank all authors for contributing their excellent work to this series. Furthermore, we acknowledge all referees for their promptly provided reports keeping the publication times short and attractive for contributors. Finally, we are grateful to the open access policy of the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology providing the ground for unrestricted discussions on advanced atomic force microscopy techniques. Thilo Glatzel, Hendrik Hölscher, Thomas Schimmel, Mehmet Z. Baykara, Udo D. Schwarz and Ricardo Garcia December 201

The impact of productive and non-productive government expenditure on economic growth: an empirical analysis in high-income versus low- to middle-income economies

This paper examines the relationship between the compositions of government expenditure and economic growth. It develops an endogenous growth framework drawing on variables from existing models, and separates government expenditure into productive and non-productive forms. Using panel data from 37 high-income and 22 low- to middle-income countries covering 1993–2012, our findings are based on OLS fixed effects and GMM techniques. We challenge much of the existing empirical literature in relation to developing economies by showing that a shift in government expenditure away from non-productive government expenditure and towards productive forms of expenditure are associated with higher levels of growth in both high-income and low- to middle-income economies. Moreover, we identify the differing components of government expenditure that are most associated with increased long-run output levels in both high-income and low- to middle-income economies

Mass spectrometry-based ligand binding assays on adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors

Conventional methods to measure ligand-receptor binding parameters typically require radiolabeled ligands as probes. Despite the robustness of radioligand binding assays, they carry inherent disadvantages in terms of safety precautions, expensive synthesis, special lab requirements, and waste disposal. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a method that can selectively detect ligands without the need of a label. The sensitivity of MS equipment increases progressively, and currently, it is possible to detect low ligand quantities that are usually found in ligand binding assays. We developed a label-free MS ligand binding (MS binding) assay on the adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors (A(1)AR and A(2A)AR), which are well-characterized members of the class A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Radioligand binding assays for both receptors are well established, and ample data is available to compare and evaluate the performance of an MS binding assay. 1,3-Dipropyl-8-cyclopentyl-xanthine (DPCPX) and 4-(2-((7-amino-2-(furan-2-yl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]-[1,3,5]triazin-5-yl)amino)ethyl)phenol (ZM-241,385) are high-affinity ligands selective for the A(1)AR and A(2A)AR, respectively. To proof the feasibility of MS binding on the A(1)AR and A(2A)AR, we first developed an MS detection method for unlabeled DPCPX and ZM-241,385. To serve as internal standards, both compounds were also deuterium-labeled. Subsequently, we investigated whether the two unlabeled compounds could substitute for their radiolabeled counterparts as marker ligands in binding experiments, including saturation, displacement, dissociation, and competition association assays. Furthermore, we investigated the accuracy of these assays if the use of internal standards was excluded. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the MS binding assay, even in the absence of a deuterium-labeled internal standard, and provide great promise for the further development of label-free assays based on MS for other GPCRs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11302-015-9477-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

De novo evolved interference competition promotes the spread of biofilm defectors

Biofilms are social entities where bacteria live in tightly packed agglomerations, surrounded by self-secreted exopolymers. Since production of exopolymers is costly and potentially exploitable by non-producers, mechanisms that prevent invasion of non-producing mutants are hypothesized. Here we study long-term dynamics and evolution in Bacillus subtilis biofilm populations consisting of wild-type (WT) matrix producers and mutant non-producers. We show that non-producers initially fail to incorporate into biofilms formed by the WT cells, resulting in 100-fold lower final frequency compared to the WT. However, this is modulated in a long-term scenario, as non-producers evolve the ability to better incorporate into biofilms, thereby slightly decreasing the productivity of the whole population. Detailed molecular analysis reveals that the unexpected shift in the initially stable biofilm is coupled with newly evolved phage-mediated interference competition. Our work therefore demonstrates how collective behaviour can be disrupted as a result of rapid adaptation through mobile genetic elements

Metabolomic Profiling of Bile Acids in Clinical and Experimental Samples of Alzheimer’s Disease

Certain endogenous bile acids have been proposed as potential therapies for ameliorating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but their role, if any, in the pathophysiology of this disease is not currently known. Given recent evidence of bile acids having protective and anti-inflammatory effects on the brain, it is important to establish how AD affects levels of endogenous bile acids. Using LC-MS/MS, this study profiled 22 bile acids in brain extracts and blood plasma from AD patients (n = 10) and age-matched control subjects (n = 10). In addition, we also profiled brain/plasma samples from APP/PS1 and WT mice (aged 6 and 12 months). In human plasma, we detected significantly lower cholic acid (CA, p = 0.03) in AD patients than age-matched control subjects. In APP/PS1 mouse plasma we detected higher CA (p = 0.05, 6 months) and lower hyodeoxycholic acid (p = 0.04, 12 months) than WT. In human brain with AD pathology (Braak stages V-VI) taurocholic acid (TCA) were significantly lower (p = 0.01) than age-matched control subjects. In APP/PS1 mice we detected higher brain lithocholic acid (p = 0.05) and lower tauromuricholic acid (TMCA; p = 0.05, 6 months). TMCA was also decreased (p = 0.002) in 12-month-old APP/PS1 mice along with 5 other acids: CA (p = 0.02), β-muricholic acid (p = 0.02), Ω-muricholic acid (p = 0.05), TCA (p = 0.04), and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (p = 0.02). The levels of bile acids are clearly disturbed during the development of AD pathology and, since some bile acids are being proposed as potential AD therapeutics, we demonstrate a method that can be used to support work to advance bile acid therapeutics

Supercritical water oxidation of dioxins and furans in waste incinerator fly ash, sewage sludge and industrial soil

Three environmental samples containing dioxins and furans have been oxidized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under supercritical water oxidation conditions. The samples consisted of a waste incinerator fly ash, sewage sludge and contaminated industrial soil. The reactor system was a batch, autoclave reactor operated at temperatures between 350°C and 450°C, corresponding to pressures of ~20-33.5 MPa and with hydrogen peroxide concentrations from 0.0 to 11.25 vol%. Hydrogen peroxide concentration and temperature/pressure had a strong positive effect on the oxidation of dioxins and furans. At the highest temperatures and pressure of supercritical water oxidation of 450°C and 33.5 MPa and with 11.25 vol% of hydrogen peroxide, the destruction efficiencies of the individual polychlorinated dibenzo-ρ-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) isomers were between 90% and 99%. There did not appear to be any significant differences in the PCDD/PCDF destruction efficiencies in relation to the different sample matrices of the waste incinerator fly ash, sewage sludge and contaminated industrial soil

Chuva sob dossel ao longo de sucessões vegetais: capoeiras do nordeste do Pará.

É apresentada uma análise da variação da chuva sob dossel (CSD) durante 55 meses, em duas vegetações secundárias (capoeiras), respectivamente de 2,5 (A) e 10 (B) anos em pousio. O monitoramento foi realizado, em cada vegetação, mediante quinze coletores periodicamente realocados aleatoriamente. Os valores médios de CSD foram de, respectivamente, 69,7±0,99 e 53,4±1,05% da chuva bruta (CB), para as capoeiras A e B, considerando o período completo. No início do estudo, contudo, maior quantidade de chuva alcançava o solo via CSD na capoeira A (78,5±2,85%) em comparação com a capoeira B (35,8±2,19%), enquanto que no final, houve uma inversão de comportamento (57,6±2,12 em A e 67,7±1,51% em B). Maior amplitude de variação em CSD foi observada em classes de baixa oferta de de CB.Disponível artigo completo no CD