Does an inhibitor of mitochondrial adenylate kinase also affect oxidative phosphorylation?

Summary Adenylate kinase activity of intact mitochondria is strongly inhibited by Ap₅A, i.e.p ¹,p ⁵-Di (adenosine-5-) pentaphosphate, whereas oxidative phosphorylation is not affected. Therefore, Ap₅A is a useful tool to distinguish between oxidative and non oxidative ATP generating reactions.Acknowledgment. The generous support of Prof. Dr.Walther Lamprecht is gratefully acknowledged. J. L. thanks the Stipendienfonds des Verbandes der Chemische Industrie for a scholarship.     

Predicting returns and volatility with macroeconomic variables: evidence from tests of encompassing

Tests of forecast encompassing are used to evaluate one‐step‐ahead forecasts of S&P Composite index returns and volatility. It is found that forecasts over the 1990s made from models that include macroeconomic variables tend to be encompassed by those made from a benchmark model which does not include macroeconomic variables. However, macroeconomic variables are found to add significant information to forecasts of returns and volatility over the 1970s. Often in empirical research on forecasting stock index returns and volatility, in‐sample information criteria are used to rank potential forecasting models. Here, none of the forecasting models for the 1970s that include macroeconomic variables are, on the basis of information criteria, preferred to the relevant benchmark specification. Thus, had investors used information criteria to choose between the models used for forecasting over the 1970s considered in this paper, the predictability that tests of encompassing reveal would not have been exploited. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Progress in the study of tectophysicochemistry

Tectophysicochemistry is a research area that deals with the interrelations between physical and chemical changes of crustal materials caused by tectonism. A given tectonic force may be resolved into two parts: homogeneous stress and differential stress. Homogeneous stress refers to isotopic pressure, which is superimposed on the original pressure and affects the equilibrium of various chemical reactions. It is also a factor that influences petrogenesis,metallogenesis and metamorphism. Differential stress is commonly produced when external forces act on a given solid body. It may cause deformation of crustal materials and generate various kinds of structural features. Tectophysicochemistry pays special attention to pressure, temperature and other physicochemical conditions produced or induced by tectonism and studies the influences of additional tectonic parameters on various chemical equilibria, so it gradually develops into an independent area of science.     

Reproductive Biology and Prospects for Conservation of Caldesia parnassifolia (Alismataceae)——A Threatened Monocot in China

0　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＡｌｉｓｍａｔａｃｅａｅｉｓａｃｏｓｍｏｐｏｌｉｔａｎｆａｍｉｌｙｔｈａｔｃｏｎｓｉｓｔｓｏｆ 11ｇｅｎｅｒａａｎｄａｐｐｒｏｘｉｍａｔｅｌｙ 95ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ[1] .Ａｌｌｔｈｅｓｐｅｃｉｅｓｉｎｔｈｉｓｆａｍｉｌｙａｒｅａｑｕａｔｉｃｏｒｓｅｍｉ ａｑｕａｔｉｃｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｍａｊｏｒｉｔｙｏｃｃｕｒｒｉｎｇｉｎｔｈｅＮｅｗＷｏｒｌｄ .ＴｈｅｇｅｎｕｓＣａｌｄｅｓｉａｉｓｒｅｓｔｒｉｃｔｅｄｔｏｔｈｅＯｌｄＷｏｒｌｄｆｒｏｍＡｆｒｉｃａａｎｄＭａｄａｇａｓｃａｒａｎｄＳ…     

A preliminary study of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in the endangered aquatic quillwortIsoetes sinensis Palmer in China

Isoetes sinensis Palmer (Isoetaceae) is an aquatic or amphibious plant that is critically endangered in China. Previous studies have revealed the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)-like photosynthetic pathway occurs commonly in submerged leaves in genusIsoetes. Water chemistry parameters and the titratable acidity content of the plant extract were measured from samples obtained in the early morning (7∶00) and late afternoon (15∶00) from twoI. sinensis populations in China. One population occurs in the eulittoral zone of a freshwater tidal river at low elevation (134 m) and another occurs in a densely vegetated, high elevation (1 100 m) alpine shallow pool. Significant differences in pH and titratable acidity of the plant extract were detected between the morning and afternoon samples. These changes are associated with diurnal changes in water chemistry. Our results provide the first evidence for the existence of the CAM pathway in the East Asian endemicIsoetes sinensis Palmer. The magnitude of fluctuations in the titratable acidity of the plant extract may be correlated with the severe carbon limitation imposed on the plants by its aquatic habitat. Foundation item: Supported by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan (G2000046805) Biography:Pang Xin-an (1974-), male, Master candidate, research direction: conservation biology.     

Holocene lake deposits of Bosten Lake, southern Xinjiang, China

A 9.25-m-long sediment core from Bosten Lake,Xinjiang, provides detailed information about changes in the water budget and biological acticity over the last 8400 cal-endar years. The chronology is constructed from six AMS radiocarbon dates on the terrestrial plant remains. Based onanalyses of TOC, CO3, detrital compounds and biogenic SiO2,lake level fluctuations and periods of remarkably-negative water budget appeared at 8.4-8.2 cal ka, 7.38-7.25 cal ka,5.7-5.5 cal ka, 3.7-3.4 cal ka and 3.3-2.9 cal ka, respec-tively. As they are in-phase with low lake levels at Sumxl Co and Bangong Co in western Tibet Plateau and with paleo-lakes in Inner Mongolia, a climate-induced change to some-what drier and warmer conditions is inferred. A further drop in lake level after 1320 AD of about 200 yr duration may heattributed to a negative water balance prior to the main phase of the Little Ice Age. Deep and stable lake phases of 1500 yr and 1800 yr duration at 7.2-5.7 cal ka and 5.5-3.7cal ka coincide with maximum moisture during the Holocene Megathermai in China. The long term trend towards aridity since about 4.3 cal ka can dearly be recognised. The reduced water budget of Bosten Lake from 640-1200 AD may be attributed to local effects.     

Disruption of calcitonin gene-related peptide signaling accelerates muscle denervation and dampens cytotoxic neuroinflammation in SOD1 mutant mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron disease. Neuronal vacuolization and glial activation are pathologic hallmarks in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mouse model of ALS. Previously, we found the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) associated with vacuolization and astrogliosis in the spinal cord of these mice. We now show that CGRP abundance positively correlated with the severity of astrogliosis, but not vacuolization, in several motor and non-motor areas throughout the brain. SOD1 mice harboring a genetic depletion of the βCGRP isoform showed reduced CGRP immunoreactivity associated with vacuolization, while motor functions, body weight, survival, and astrogliosis were not altered. When CGRP signaling was completely disrupted through genetic depletion of the CGRP receptor component, receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), hind limb muscle denervation, and loss of muscle performance were accelerated, while body weight and survival were not affected. Dampened neuroinflammation, i.e., reduced levels of astrogliosis in the brain stem already in the pre-symptomatic disease stage, and reduced microgliosis and lymphocyte infiltrations during the late disease phase were additional neuropathology features in these mice. On the molecular level, mRNA expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and those of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) were elevated, while those of several pro-inflammatory cytokines found reduced in the brain stem of RAMP1-deficient SOD1 mice at disease end stage. Our results thus identify an important, possibly dual role of CGRP in ALS pathogenesis.