ANTARES: the first undersea neutrino telescope

The ANTARES Neutrino Telescope was completed in May 2008 and is the first operational Neutrino Telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The main purpose of the detector is to perform neutrino astronomy and the apparatus also offers facilities for marine and Earth sciences. This paper describes the design, the construction and the installation of the telescope in the deep sea, offshore from Toulon in France. An illustration of the detector performance is given

Measurement of prompt hadron production ratios in pppp collisions at s=\sqrt{s} = 0.9 and 7 TeV

The charged-particle production ratios $\bar{p}/p$, $K^-/K^+$, $\pi^-/\pi^+$, $(p + \bar{p})/(\pi^+ + \pi^-)$, $(K^+ + K^-)/(\pi^+ + \pi^-)$ and $(p + \bar{p})/(K^+ + K^-)$ are measured with the LHCb detector using $0.3 {\rm nb^{-1}}$ of $pp$ collisions delivered by the LHC at $\sqrt{s} = 0.9$ TeV and $1.8 {\rm nb^{-1}}$ at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The measurements are performed as a function of transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ and pseudorapidity $\eta$. The production ratios are compared to the predictions of several Monte Carlo generator settings, none of which are able to describe adequately all observables. The ratio $\bar{p}/p$ is also considered as a function of rapidity loss, $\Delta y \equiv y_{\rm beam} - y$, and is used to constrain models of baryon transport.Comment: Incorrect entries in Table 2 corrected. No consequences for rest of pape

Identification and regulation of the xenometabolite derivatives cis- and trans-3,4-methylene-heptanoylcarnitine in plasma and skeletal muscle of exercising humans.

Little is known about xenometabolites in human metabolism, particularly under exercising conditions. Previously. an exercise-modifiable, likely xenometabolite derivative, cis-3,4-methylene-heptanoylcarnitine, was reported in human plasma. Here, we identified trans-3.4-methylene-heptanoylcarnitine, and its cis-isomer, in plasma and skeletal muscle by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We analyzed the regulation by exercise and the arterialto-venous differences of these cyclopropane ring-containing carnitine esters over the hepatosplanchnic bed and the exercising leg in plasma samples obtained in three separate studies from young. lean and healthy males. Compared with other medium-chain acylcarnitines, the plasma concentrations of the 3.4-methylene-heptanoylcarnitine isomers only marginally increased with exercise. Both isomers showed a more than twofold increase in the skeletal muscle tissue of the exercising leg: this may have been due to the net effect of fatty acid oxidation in the exercising muscle and uptake from blood. The latter idea is supported by a more than twofold increased net uptake in the exercising leg only. Both isomers showed a constant release from the hepatosplanchnic bed, with an increased release of the trans-isomer after exercise. The isomers differ in their plasma concentration, with a four times higher concentration of the cis-isomer regardless of the exercise state. This is the first approach studying kinetics and fluxes of xenolipid isomers from tissues under exercise conditions, supporting the hypothesis that hepatic metabolism of cyclopropane ring-containing fatty acids is one source of these acylcarnitines in plasma. The data also provide clear evidence for an exercise-dependent regulation of xenometabolites, opening perspectives for future studies about the physiological role of this largely unknown class of metabolites

The acute cytokine response to 30 min exercise bouts before and after 8-week endurance training in subjects with obesity.

BACKGROUND: One acute bout of exercise leads to a rapid increase in the systemic cytokine concentration. Regular exercise might alter the cytokine response, in particular in beforehand untrained and obese subjects. METHODS: Using a proximity extension assay, we studied the effects of acute exercise as well as endurance training on a panel of 92 cytokines related to inflammation. 22 subjects (30 ± 9 years; VO2peak 25.2 ± 4.2 ml/(kg*min); BMI 31.7 ± 4.4 kg/m2) participated in an 8-week endurance exercise intervention. Blood samples were collected before and immediately after 30 min ergometer exercise at 80% VO2peak. RESULTS: Before and after the training intervention, 40 and 37 cytokines, respectively, were acutely increased more than 1.2-fold (BH-adjusted p < 0.05). The exercise intervention did not change the acute increase in cytokines nor the resting cytokine levels, whereas fitness was improved and adiposity reduced. The increase in fitness led to a slight increase in power output when exercising at the same heart rate, which might explain the comparable increase in cytokines before and after the intervention. The largest acute increase was found for OSM, TGFA, CXCL1 and 5 and TNFSF14 (≥ 1.9-fold, BH-adjusted p-values < 0.001). The transcript levels of these proteins in whole blood were also elevated, particularly in the trained state. Only the acute increase in IL6 (1.3-fold) was related to the increase in lactate, confirming the lactate-driven secretion of IL6. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive proteomics approach detected several underexplored serum exerkines with up to now less understood function in the adaptation to exercise

Quality control of serum and plasma by quantification of (4E, 14Z)-sphingadienine-C18-1-phosphate uncovers common preanalytical errors during handling of whole blood.

BACKGROUND: Nonadherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during handling and processing of whole blood is one of the most frequent causes affecting the quality of serum and plasma. Yet, the quality of blood samples is of the utmost importance for reliable, conclusive research findings, valid diagnostics, and appropriate therapeutic decisions.METHODS: UHPLC-MS-driven nontargeted metabolomics was applied to identify biomarkers that reflected time to processing of blood samples, and a targeted UHPLC-MS analysis was used to quantify and validate these biomarkers.RESULTS: We found that (4E, 14Z)-sphingadienine-C181-phosphate (S1P-d18: 2) was suitable for the reliable assessment of the pronounced changes in the quality of serum and plasma caused by errors in the phase between collection and centrifugation of whole blood samples. We rigorously validated S1P-d18: 2, which included the use of practicality tests on >1400 randomly selected serum and plasma samples that were originally collected during single-and multicenter trials and then stored in 11 biobanks in 3 countries. Neither life-threatening disease states nor strenuous metabolic challenges (i.e., highintensity exercise) affected the concentration of S1P-d18: 2. Cutoff values for sample assessment were defined (plasma, <= 0.085 mu g/mL; serum, <= 0.154 mu g/mL).CONCLUSIONS: Unbiased valid monitoring to check for adherence to SOP-dictated time for processing to plasma or serum and/or time to storage of whole blood at 4 degrees C is now feasible. This novel quality assessment step could enable scientists to uncover common preanalytical errors, allowing for identification of serum and plasma samples that should be excluded from certain investigations. It should also allow control of samples before long-term storage in biobanks

Quality control of serum and plasma by quantification of (4E,14Z)-sphingadienine-C18-1-phosphate uncovers common preanalytical errors during handling of whole blood

BACKGROUND: Nonadherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during handling and processing of whole blood is one of the most frequent causes affecting the quality of serum and plasma. Yet, the quality of blood samples is of the utmost importance for reliable, conclusive research findings, valid diagnostics, and appropriate therapeutic decisions. METHODS: UHPLC-MS-driven nontargeted metabolomics was applied to identify biomarkers that reflected time to processing of blood samples, and a targeted UHPLC-MS analysis was used to quantify and validate these biomarkers. RESULTS: We found that (4E,14Z)-sphingadienine-C18-1-phosphate (S1P-d18:2) was suitable for the reliable assessment of the pronounced changes in the quality of serum and plasma caused by errors in the phase between collection and centrifugation of whole blood samples. We rigorously validated S1P-d18:2, which included the use of practicality tests on 1400 randomly selected serum and plasma samples that were originally collected during single- and multicenter trials and then stored in 11 biobanks in 3 countries. Neither life-threatening disease states nor strenuous metabolic challenges (i.e., high-intensity exercise) affected the concentration of S1P-d18:2. Cutoff values for sample assessment were defined (plasma, 0.085 g/mL; serum, 0.154 g/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Unbiased valid monitoring to check for adherence to SOP-dictated time for processing to plasma or serum and/or time to storage of whole blood at 4 °C is now feasible. This novel quality assessment step could enable scientists to uncover common preanalytical errors, allowing for identification of serum and plasma samples that should be excluded from certain investigations. It should also allow control of samples before long-term storage in biobanks. © 2018 American Association for Clinical Chemistry