Link between Lipid Second Messengers and Osmotic Stress in Plants

Plants are subject to different types of stress, which consequently affect their growth and development. They have developed mechanisms for recognizing and processing an extracellular signal. Second messengers are transient molecules that modulate the physiological responses in plant cells under stress conditions. In this sense, it has been shown in various plant models that membrane lipids are substrates for the generation of second lipid messengers such as phosphoinositide, phosphatidic acid, sphingolipids, and lysophospholipids. In recent years, research on lipid second messengers has been moving toward using genetic and molecular approaches to reveal the molecular setting in which these molecules act in response to osmotic stress. In this sense, these studies have established that second messengers can transiently recruit target proteins to the membrane and, therefore, affect protein conformation, activity, and gene expression. This review summarizes recent advances in responses related to the link between lipid second messengers and osmotic stress in plant cells.     

Ivabradine Induces Cardiac Protection against Myocardial Infarction by Preventing Cyclophilin-A Secretion in Pigs under Coronary Ischemia/Reperfusion

In response to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion, proteolysis mediated by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and its secreted ligand cyclophilin-A (CyPA) significantly contributes to cardiac injury and necrosis. Here, we aimed to investigate if, in addition to the effect on the funny current (I(f)), Ivabradine may also play a role against cardiac necrosis by reducing EMMPRIN/CyPA-mediated cardiac inflammation. In a porcine model of cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (IR), we found that administration of 0.3 mg/kg Ivabradine significantly improved cardiac function and reduced cardiac necrosis by day 7 after IR, detecting a significant increase in cardiac CyPA in the necrotic compared to the risk areas, which was inversely correlated with the levels of circulating CyPA detected in plasma samples from the same subjects. In testing whether Ivabradine may regulate the levels of CyPA, no changes in tissue CyPA were found in healthy pigs treated with 0.3 mg/kg Ivabradine, but interestingly, when analyzing the complex EMMPRIN/CyPA, rather high glycosylated EMMPRIN, which is required for EMMPRIN-mediated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activation and increased CyPA bonding to low-glycosylated forms of EMMPRIN were detected by day 7 after IR in pigs treated with Ivabradine. To study the mechanism by which Ivabradine may prevent secretion of CyPA, we first found that Ivabradine was time-dependent in inhibiting co-localization of CyPA with the granule exocytosis marker vesicle-associated membrane protein 1 (VAMP1). However, Ivabradine had no effect on mRNA expression nor in the proteasome and lysosome degradation of CyPA. In conclusion, our results point toward CyPA, its ligand EMMPRIN, and the complex CyPA/EMMPRIN as important targets of Ivabradine in cardiac protection against IR.     

Ethylene and Nitric Oxide Involvement in the Regulation of Fe and P Deficiency Responses in Dicotyledonous Plants

Iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) are two essential elements for plant growth. Both elements are abundant in soils but with poor availability for plants, which favor their acquisition by developing morphological and physiological responses in their roots. Although the regulation of the genes related to these responses is not totally known, ethylene (ET) and nitric oxide (NO) have been involved in the activation of both Fe-related and P-related genes. The common involvement of ET and NO suggests that they must act in conjunction with other specific signals, more closely related to each deficiency. Among the specific signals involved in the regulation of Fe- or P-related genes have been proposed Fe-peptides (or Fe ion itself) and microRNAs, like miR399 (P), moving through the phloem. These Fe- or P-related phloem signals could interact with ET/NO and confer specificity to the responses to each deficiency, avoiding the induction of the specific responses when ET/NO increase due to other nutrient deficiencies or stresses. Besides the specificity conferred by these signals, ET itself could confer specificity to the responses to Fe- or P-deficiency by acting through different signaling pathways in each case. Given the above considerations, there are preliminary results suggesting that ET could regulate different nutrient responses by acting both in conjunction with other signals and through different signaling pathways. Because of the close relationship among these two elements, a better knowledge of the physiological and molecular basis of their interaction is necessary to improve their nutrition and to avoid the problems associated with their misuse. As examples of this interaction, it is known that Fe chlorosis can be induced, under certain circumstances, by a P over- fertilization. On the other hand, Fe oxides can have a role in the immobilization of P in soils. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the dynamic of known Fe- and P-related genes expression, selected ad hoc and involved in each of these deficiencies, would allow us to get a profound knowledge of the processes that regulate the responses to both deficiencies. The better knowledge of the regulation by ET of the responses to these deficiencies is necessary to properly understand the interactions between Fe and P. This will allow the obtention of more efficient varieties in the absorption of P and Fe, and the use of more rational management techniques for P and Fe fertilization. This will contribute to minimize the environmental impacts caused by the use of P and Fe fertilizers (Fe chelates) in agriculture and to adjust the costs for farmers, due to the high prices and/or scarcity of Fe and P fertilizers. This review aims to summarize the latest advances in the knowledge about Fe and P deficiency responses, analyzing the similarities and differences among them and considering the interactions among their main regulators, including some hormones (ethylene) and signaling substances (NO and GSNO) as well as other P- and Fe-related signals.     

Consistent estimation of the memory parameter for nonlinear time series

Abstract. For linear processes, semiparametric estimation of the memory parameter, based on the log‐periodogram and local Whittle estimators, has been exhaustively examined and their properties well established. However, except for some specific cases, little is known about the estimation of the memory parameter for nonlinear processes. The purpose of this paper is to provide the general conditions under which the local Whittle estimator of the memory parameter of a stationary process is consistent and to examine its rate of convergence. We show that these conditions are satisfied for linear processes and a wide class of nonlinear models, among others, signal plus noise processes, nonlinear transforms of a Gaussian process ξ_t and exponential generalized autoregressive, conditionally heteroscedastic (EGARCH) models. Special cases where the estimator satisfies the central limit theorem are discussed. The finite‐sample performance of the estimator is investigated in a small Monte Carlo study.     

Observability of linear systems with commensurate delays and unknown inputs

This paper investigates the observability analysis for linear time systems whose outputs are affected by unknown inputs. Three different definitions of observability are proposed. By introducing the Smith form and comparing the invariant factors, a sufficient condition is deduced for each proposed observability definition. Three examples are given for the purpose of highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

A new approach to the epsilon expansion of generalized hypergeometric functions

Assuming that the parameters of a generalized hypergeometric function depend linearly on a small variable ε$\epsilon$, the successive derivatives of the function with respect to that small variable are evaluated at ε=0$\epsilon =0$ to obtain the coefficients of the ε$\epsilon$-expansion of the function. The procedure, which is quite naive, benefits from simple explicit expressions of the derivatives, to any order, of the Pochhammer and reciprocal Pochhammer symbols with respect to their argument. The algorithm may be used algebraically, irrespective of the values of the parameters. It reproduces the exact results obtained by other authors in cases of especially simple parameters. Implemented numerically, the procedure improves considerably, for higher orders in ε$\epsilon$, the numerical expansions given by other methods.     

Application of the classical levels of intelligence to structuring the control system in an automated distribution centre

Traditional management and control models can benefit from added levels of intelligence to increase their capability to adapt to the continuous changes in global markets. After reviewing the classical definition of intelligence and its levels, this paper provides a new approach to help increase the responsiveness of management and control to changes and disturbances in the manufacturing supply chain. The ancient concept of the “Tertium Quid” has inspired a three-level community of agents (MAS-TRIO) that is proposed to improve the coordination of all actors involved. The proposed model combines Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) to make possible a certain level of Autonomous Intelligence in the decision-taking process. This paper analyses how these levels of intelligence can be applied to management and control, and the performance of the proposed model has been tested at low and mid-levels on an experimental platform representing the facilities of a distribution centre controlled by a network of programmable logic controllers (PLCs).     

Balanced pasture fertilization in the Basque Country: I. Phosphorus and potassium budgets on dairy farms

Dairy farming is the main agricultural activity of the Basque Country. A dairy farm is characterized as a system with soils and crops, forage, cattle and manure as main components, and in such a system, nutrient cycling is very important to maintain soil fertility and optimize forage production. To quantify nutrient transfers in the cycle, a simple system was developed and has been applied to seventeen farms to examine its ability to achieve a balanced P and K fertilization. These farms have provided data on inputs (fertilizer, feeds, concentrates), pasture and manure management, and outputs (milk production), and soil samples have been taken from farm pastures. Phosphorus and K in excreta and uneaten pasture is used with a relatively high efficiency as suggested by the relatively high efficiency of P and K utilization by the pasture that usually ranges from 70 to 90%. Concentrate feeding (3000 kg cow^–1 yr^–1) represents one of the main P and K inputs in Basque Country dairy farms, averaging 26 and 66 kg ha^–1, respectively. Besides, release of K in the soil through slow liberation from non-exchangeable sites was estimated as 30 kg ha^–1. Thus, a high efficiency in excreta recycling would diminish substantially P and K mineral fertilizer needs. Farm nutrient budgets appear to be a convenient tool for determining nutrient shortages and surpluses at farm level, and thus they are considered as a first step to support a better management of maintenance fertilization of permanent pastures.     

Analysis of pentasodium triphosphate hydration kinetics

The present work analyzes the effect of various factors on the hydration of pentasodium triphosphate. The experimental method is based on application of the hydration test. Technical-quality products with different proportions of phase I and phase II have been used. The variables studied are phase I/phase II ratio, initial temperature, particle size, stirring rate and composition of the slurry (presence of hexahydrate crystals and water hardness). The results have been discussed according to a kinetics model that includes a series of stages of a physical nature (dissolution of anhydrous salt and the crystallization of the hexahydrate), as well as of a chemical nature (solvation of the ions in solution). Crystallization of the hexahydrate may be the controlling stage in the process.