Controls on the Isotopic Composition of Nitrite (δ15N and δ18O) during Denitrification in Freshwater Sediments

The microbial reduction of nitrate, via nitrite into gaseous di-nitrogen (denitrification) plays a major role in nitrogen removal from aquatic ecosystems. Natural abundance stable isotope measurements can reveal insights into the dynamics of production and consumption of nitrite during denitrification. In this study, batch experiments with environmental bacterial communities were used to investigate variations of concentrations and isotope compositions of both nitrite and nitrate under anoxic conditions. To this end, denitrification experiments were carried out with nitrite or nitrate as sole electron acceptors at two substrate levels respectively. For experiments with nitrate as substrate, where the intermediate compound nitrite is both substrate and product of denitrification, calculations of the extent of isotope fractionation were conducted using a non-steady state model capable of tracing chemical and isotope kinetics during denitrification. This study showed that nitrogen isotope fractionation was lower during the use of nitrite as substrate (ε = −4.2 and −4.5‰ for both treatments) as compared to experiments where nitrite was produced as an intermediate during nitrate reduction (ε = −10 and −15‰ for both treatments). This discrepancy might be due to isotopic fractionation within the membrane of denitrifiers. Moreover, our results confirmed previously observed rapid biotic oxygen isotope exchange between nitrite and water.

The contribution of muscle, kidney, and splanchnic tissues to leucine transamination in humans

The first steps of leucine utilization are reversible deamination to α-ketoisocaproic acid (α-KIC) and irreversible oxidation. Recently, the regulatory role of leucine deamination over oxidation was underlined in rodents. Our aim was to measure leucine deamination and reamination in the whole body, in respect to previously determined rates across individual organs, in humans. By leucine and KIC isotope kinetics, we determined whole-body leucine deamination and reamination, and we compared these rates with those already reported across the sampled organs. As an in vivo counterpart of the “metabolon” concept, we analysed ratios between oxidation and either deamination or reamination. Leucine deamination to KIC was greater than KIC reamination to leucine in the whole body (p = 0.005), muscles (p = 0.005), and the splanchnic area (p = 0.025). These rates were not significantly different in the kidneys. Muscle accounted for ≈60% and ≈78%, the splanchnic bed for ≈15% and ≈15%, and the kidney for ≈12% and ≈18%, of whole-body leucine deamination and reamination rates, respectively. In the kidney, percent leucine oxidation over either deamination or reamination was >3-fold greater than muscle and the splanchnic bed. Skeletal muscle contributes by the largest fraction of leucine deamination, reamination, and oxidation. However, in relative terms, the kidney plays a key role in leucine oxidation.

Statistical Approach to Estimated Uncertainty of Nuclear Concentration in Problems of Isotope Kinetics

The minority of papers only is devoted to the study of impact of the uncertainties in nuclear data on the nuclear concentration received during the solution of the problem of fuel burn-up in the reactor facility. On the other hand, uncertainties of known reaction rates, neutron fluxes, etc. can lead to considerable distortions of the results obtained therefore it is important to be able to assess the impact of such uncertainties on nuclear concentration of nuclides. In this paper we consider the problem of the impact assessment of uncertainties in nuclear data on reactor functionalities as applied to isotope kinetics which represents the well-known Cauchy linear problem. The most exact approach is the statistical approach of the randomized selection of input parameters in using different distribution laws. But the simplest method of the analysis of sensitivity of model to perturbation parameters is the following (it has several names in the literature: one-at-a-time sensitivity measures, 1% sensitivity method): by varying one of the input parameters of the task for the small amount (for example, for 1%) when other parameters are constant, the corresponding response of output parameters is defined (variation approach). Our results show that in burn-up calculations the mean square deviations of nuclear concentrations obtained using statistical approach coincide with the variations of nuclear concentrations obtained in the variation approach.

Postnatal expression and activity of the mitochondrial 2-oxoglutarate-malate carrier in intact hearts

This study examines the functional implications of postnatal changes in the expression of the mitochondrial transporter protein, 2-oxoglutarate-malate carrier (OMC). Online 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) measurements of isotope kinetics in hearts from neonate (3–4 days) and adult rabbits provided tricarboxylic acid cycle flux rates and flux rates through OMC. Neonate and adult hearts oxidizing 2.5 mM [2,4-13C2]butyrate were subjected to either normal or high cytosolic redox state (2.5 mM lactate) conditions to evaluate the recruitment of malate-aspartate activity and the resulting OMC flux. During development from neonate (3–4 days) to adult, mitochondrial protein density in the heart increased from 19 ± 3% to 31 ± 2%, whereas OMC expression decreased by 65% per mitochondrial protein content ( P < 0.05). Correspondingly, OMC flux was lower in adults hearts than in neonates by 73% (neonate = 7.4 ± 0.4, adult = 2.0 ± 0.1 μmol/min per 100 mg mitochondrial protein; P < 0.05). Despite clear changes in OMC content and flux, the responsiveness of the malate-aspartate shuttle to increased cytosolic NADH was similar in both adults and neonates with an approximate threefold increase in OMC flux (in densitometric units/100 mg mitochondrial protein: neonate = 25.8 ± 2.5, adult = 6.0 ± 0.2; P < 0.05). The13C NMR data demonstrate that OMC activity is a principal component of the rate of labeling of glutamate.