Testing new concepts for crop cultivation in space : Effects of rooting volume and nitrogen availability

Long term human missions to the Moon and Mars, rely on life support systems for food production and regeneration of resources. In the EU H2020 TIME SCALE-project, an advanced life support system concept was developed to facilitate plant research and technology demonstration under different gravity conditions. Ground experiments assessed irrigation systems and effects of rooting- and nutrient solution volume. The maximal allowed volume for existing International Space Station research facilities (3.4 L) was able to support cultivation of two lettuce heads for at least 24 days. A smaller rooting volume (0.6 L) increased root biomass after 24 days, but induced a 5% reduction in total biomass at day 35. Regulating effects of nitrate supply on plant water fluxes in light and dark were also investigated. At low concentrations of nitrate in the nutrient solution, both transpiration and stomatal conductance increased rapidly with increasing nitrate concentration. During day-time this increase levelled off at high concentrations, while during nigh-time there was a distinct decline at supra optimal concentrations. Plants supplied with nitrate concentrations as low as 1.25 mM did not show visible signs of nutrient stress or growth reduction. These findings hold promise for both reducing the environmental impact of terrestrial horticulture and avoiding nutrient stress in small scale closed cultivation systems for space.</p

Economic Crisis and Investor Behaviour

This study investigates the effects of crises on domestic and foreign investors’ behaviours by utilizing a nonlinear approach. Considering the nonlinearity inherent in many financial variables, this study proposes an appropriate econometric modelling for analysing the investors’ behaviour, particularly during turbulent times. Specifically, STAR-STGARCH family models and generalized impulse response function analysis (GIRF) are employed to understand the different reactions of foreign and domestic investors at the Malaysian Stock Exchange market during the 1997 Asian crisis. The results of the model and the GIRF analysis have shown that foreign investors exhibited a herding behavior during the crisis and responded the shock more quickly than the domestic investors. When the same analysis is applied to understand the effects of the 2008 Subprime Mortgage Crisis in the Malaysian market, the behaviors of foreign and domestic investors are found to be very similar

Metabolic Effects of n-3 PUFA as Phospholipids Are Superior to Triglycerides in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet: Possible Role of Endocannabinoids

Background n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can ameliorate many of obesity-associated disorders. We hypothesised that the latter effect will be more pronounced when DHA/EPA is supplemented as phospholipids rather than as triglycerides. Methodology/Principal Findings In a ‘prevention study’, C57BL/6J mice were fed for 9 weeks on either a corn oil-based high-fat obesogenic diet (cHF; lipids ~35% wt/wt), or cHF-based diets in which corn oil was partially replaced by DHA/EPA, admixed either as phospholipids or triglycerides from marine fish. The reversal of obesity was studied in mice subjected to the preceding cHF-feeding for 4 months. DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids prevented glucose intolerance and tended to reduce obesity better than triglycerides. Lipemia and hepatosteatosis were suppressed more in response to dietary phospholipids, in correlation with better bioavailability of DHA and EPA, and a higher DHA accumulation in the liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and muscle phospholipids. In dietary obese mice, both DHA/EPA concentrates prevented a further weight gain, reduced plasma lipid levels to a similar extent, and tended to improve glucose tolerance. Importantly, only the phospholipid form reduced plasma insulin and adipocyte hypertrophy, while being more effective in reducing hepatic steatosis and low-grade inflammation of WAT. These beneficial effects were correlated with changes of endocannabinoid metabolome in WAT, where phospholipids reduced 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and were more effective in increasing anti-inflammatory lipids such as N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine. Conclusions/Significance Compared with triglycerides, dietary DHA/EPA administered as phospholipids are superior in preserving a healthy metabolic profile under obesogenic conditions, possibly reflecting better bioavalability and improved modulation of the endocannabinoid system activity in WA

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Tonoplast anion channel activity modulation by pH in Chara corallina

The patch-clamp technique was used to investigate regulation of anion channel activity in the tonoplast of Chara corallina in response to changing proton and calcium concentrations on both sides of the membrane. These channels are known to be Ca2+-dependent, with conductances in the range of 37 to 48 pS at pH 7.4. By using low pH at the vacuolar side (either pH(vac) 5.3 or 6.0) and a cytosolic pH (pH(cyt)) varying in a range of 4.3 to 9.0, anion channel activity and single-channel conductance could be reversibly modulated. In addition, Ca2+- sensitivity of the channels was markedly influenced by pH changes. At pH(cyt) values of 7.2 and 7.4 the half-maximal concentration (EC50) for calcium activation was 100-200 muM, whereas an Ec(50) of about 5 muM was found at a pH,yt of 6.0. This suggests an improved binding of Ca2+ ions to the channel protein at more acidic cytoplasm. At low pH(cyt), anion channel activity and mean open times were voltage-dependent. At pipette potentials (V-P) of +100 mV, channel activity was approximately 15-fold higher than activity at negative pipette potentials and the mean open time of the channel increased. In contrast, at pH(cyt) 7.2, anion channel activity and the opening behavior seemed to be independent of the applied V-P. The kinetics of the channel could be further controlled by the Ca2+ concentration at the cytosolic membrane side: the mean open time significantly increased in the presence of a high cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. These results show that tonoplast anion channels are maintained in a highly active state in a narrow pH range, below the resting pH(cyt). A putative physiological role of the pH-dependent modulation of these anion channels is discussed

Anion channels in Chara corallina tonoplast membrane: Calcium dependence and rectification

Tonoplast K+ channels of Chara corallina are well characterized but only a few reports mention anion channels, which are likely to play an important role in the tonoplast action potential and osmoregulation of this plant. For experiments internodal cells were isolated. Cytoplasmic droplets were formed in an iso-osmotic bath solution according to a modified procedure. Ion channels with conductances of 48 pS and 170 pS were detected by the patch-clamp technique. In the absence of K+ in the bath solution the 170 pS channel was not observed at negative pipette potential values. When Cl- on either the vacuolar side or the cytoplasmic side was partly replaced with F-, the reversal potential of the 48 pS channel shifted conform to the Cl- equilibrium potential with similar behavior in droplet-attached and excised patch mode. These results showed that the 48 pS channel was a Cl- channel. In droplet-attached mode the channel rectified outward current flow, and the slope conductance was smaller. When Chara droplets were formed in a bath solution containing low (10+8 M) Ca2+, then no Cl- channels could be detected either in droplet-attached or in inside-out patch mode. Channel activity was restored if Ca2+ was applied to the cytoplasmic side of inside-out patches. Rectification properties in the inside-out patch configuration could be controlled by the holding pipette potential. Holding potential values negative or positive to the calculated reversal potential for Cl- ions induced opposite rectification properties. Our results show Ca2+-activated Cl- channels in the tonoplast of Chara with holding potential dependent rectification. Chemicals/CAS: Anions; Calcium, 7440-70-2; Cesium, 7440-46-2; Chloride Channels; Chlorides; Fluorine, 7782-41-4; Plant Proteins; Potassium Channels; Sodium, 7440-23-5; Zinc, 7440-66-