Exogenous Ketone Salt Supplementation and Whole-Body Cooling Do Not Improve Short-Term Physical Performance

Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Clark, Munten, Herzig and Gagnon.Exogenous ketone supplementation and whole-body cooling (WBC) have shown to independently influence exercise metabolism. Whether readily available ketone salts, with and without WBC, would provide similar metabolic benefits during steady-state aerobic and time-trial performances was investigated. Nine active males (VO2peak: 56.3 ± 2.2 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed three single-blind exercise sessions preceded by: (1) ingestion of placebo (CON), (2) ketone supplementation (0.3 g·kg−1 β-OHB) (KET), and (3) ketone supplementation with WBC (KETCO). Participants cycled in steady-state (SS, 60% Wmax) condition for 30-min, immediately followed by a 15-min time trial (TT). Skin and core temperature, cardio-metabolic, and respiratory measures were collected continuously, whereas venous blood samples were collected before and after supplementation, after SS and TT. Venous β-OHB was elevated, while blood glucose was lower, with supplementation vs. CON (p < 0.05). TT power output was not different between conditions (p = 0.112, CON: 190 ± 43.5 W, KET: 185 ± 40.4 W, KETCO: 211 ± 50.7 W). RER was higher during KETCO (0.97 ± 0.09) compared to both CON (0.88 ± 0.04, p = 0.012) and KET (0.88 ± 0.05, p = 0.014). Ketone salt supplementation and WBC prior to short-term exercise sufficiently increase blood β-OHB concentrations, but do not benefit metabolic shifts in fuel utilization or improve time trial performance.Peer reviewe

Impact of European Beech Forest Diversification on Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen Stocks–A Meta-Analysis

Drought-sensitive European beech forests are increasingly challenged by climate change. Admixing other, preferably more deep-rooting, tree species has been proposed to increase the resilience of beech forests to drought. This diversification of beech forests might also affect soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks that are relevant for a wide range of soil functions and ecosystem services, such as water and nutrient retention, filter functions and erosion control. Since information of these effects is scattered, our aim was to synthesize results from studies that compared SOC/TN stocks of beech monocultures with those of beech stands mixed with other tree species as well as monocultures of other tree species. We conducted a meta-analysis including 38 studies with 203, 220, and 160 observations for forest floor (i.e., the organic surface layer), mineral soil (0.5 m depth) and the total soil profile, respectively. Monoculture conifer stands had higher SOC stocks compared to monoculture beech in general, especially in the forest floor (up to 200% in larch forests). In contrast, other broadleaved tree species (oak, ash, lime, maple, hornbeam) showed lower SOC stocks in the forest floor compared to beech, with little impact on total SOC stocks. Comparing mixed beech-conifer stands (average mixing ratio with regard to number of trees 50:50) with beech monocultures revealed significantly higher total SOC stocks of around 9% and a smaller increase in TN stocks of around 4%. This equaled a SOC accrual of 0.1 Mg ha$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$. In contrast, mixed beech-broadleaved stands did not show significant differences in total SOC stocks. Conifer admixture effects on beech forest SOC were of additive nature. Admixing other tree species to beech monoculture stands was most effective to increase SOC stocks on low carbon soils with a sandy texture and nitrogen limitation (i.e., a high C/N ratio and low nitrogen deposition). We conclude that, with targeted admixture measures of coniferous species, an increase in SOC stocks in beech forests can be achieved as part of the necessary adaptation of beech forests to climate change

Further investigations of the deep double donor magnesium in silicon

The deep double donor levels of substitutional chalcogen impurities in silicon have unique optical properties which may enable a spin/photonic quantum technology. The interstitial magnesium impurity (Mg$_i$) in silicon is also a deep double donor but has not yet been studied in the same detail as have the chalcogens. In this study we look at the neutral and singly ionized Mg$_i$ absorption spectra in natural silicon and isotopically enriched 28-silicon in more detail. The 1s(A$_1$) to 1s(T$_2$) transitions, which are very strong for the chalcogens and are central to the proposed spin/photonic quantum technology, could not be detected. We observe the presence of another double donor (Mg$_{i*}$) that may result from Mg$_i$ in a reduced symmetry configuration, most likely due to complexing with another impurity. The neutral species of Mg$_{i*}$ reveal unusual low lying ground state levels detected through temperature dependence studies. We also observe a shallow donor which we identify as a magnesium-boron pair

A Mg-pair isoelectronic bound exciton identified by its isotopic fingerprint in 28^{28}Si

We use the greatly improved optical linewidths provided by highly enriched $^{28}$Si to study a photoluminescence line near 1017 meV previously observed in the luminescence spectrum of natural Si diffused with Mg, and suggested to result from the recombination of an isoelectronic bound exciton localized at a Mg-pair center. In $^{28}$Si this no-phonon line is found to be comprised of five components whose relative intensities closely match the relative abundances of Mg-pairs formed by random combinations of the three stable isotopes of Mg, thus confirming the Mg-pair hypothesis. We further present the results of temperature dependence studies of this center that reveal unusual and as yet unexplained behaviour.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

A case report of metastasis of malignant mesothelioma to the oral gingiva

Introduction: Metastatic mesothelioma to the oral cavity arises from the pleura or peritoneum and distant hematogenous metastases are seen in more than half of cases but only a few cases are reported to the oral cavity Case: A 75 year old male suffering from metastatic mesothelioma presents an hyperplasia of the attached gingiva. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare tumour arising from pleura, pericardium or peritoneum. Conclusion: This article highlights the importance of biopsy and histopathological diagnosis of oral lesions especially in case of a malignant history

Internationale Terrorismusbekämpfung und Menschenrechte (Oktober 2001 - April 2003)

Die Studie beleuchtet einige wesentliche Maßnahmen und Trends der internationalen Terrorismusbekämpfung zwischen Oktober 2001 und April 2003 unter menschenrechtlichen Gesichtspunkten. Diskutiert werden die Definition von Terrorismus, Maßnahmen der Terrorismusbekämpfung sowie die Beobachtung der Einhaltung der Menschenrechte und des humanitären Völkerrechts

Feasibility, acceptability and adaption of dignity therapy : a mixed methods study achieving 360° feedback

Background Dignity Therapy (DT) is a short-term intervention to reduce psychological suffering in end-of-life care. Its strength lies in evidenced-based development and investigation. The aim of the present study is to investigate the feasibility of DT at German palliative care units (PCU), as well as the acceptability and adaption of a German version of the DT question protocol (DTQP). Method A clinical multicentre mixed methods study, whereby patients and relatives provided quantitative (feedback questionnaires) and qualitative (cognitive interviews) data on the DT intervention. Before using the DTQP on patients, healthcare professionals (HCP) were invited to participate in cognitive interviews to provide input on DT. Therefore 360° feedback was achieved. Finally, the conducted DT interviews were examined. The study took place at two German PCUs (Mainz and Würzburg). Participating HCPs were physicians, psychologists, nurses and chaplains. Patients admitted to the PCUs were eligible to participate if they had a terminal illness and a life expectancy ranging from 2 weeks to 12 months. Results: Out of 410 admitted patients, 72 were eligible and 30 (7.3% of all patients and 41.7% of eligible patients) participated. On average, 9 questions from the DTQP were used per DT interview. Subsequent cognitive interviews with patients produced four main categories of feedback (on the title, the question protocol, wording, and the questions actually asked). Finally, of the 30 participants, 19 completed the feedback questionnaire, as did 26 relatives. Of those, 18 patients and 24 relatives evaluated DT as helpful. Conclusions DT is feasible for German PCUs. Our research yielded a validated German translation of the DTQP following EORTC guidelines and findings were reported according to the COREQ checklist for qualitative design

Hybrid Energy Storage Systems Based on Redox-Flow Batteries: Recent Developments, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Recently, the appeal of Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESSs) has been growing in multiple application fields, such as charging stations, grid services, and microgrids. HESSs consist of an integration of two or more single Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) to combine the benefits of each ESS and improve the overall system performance, e.g., efficiency and lifespan. Most recent studies on HESS mainly focus on power management and coupling between the different ESSs without a particular interest in a specific type of ESS. Over the last decades, Redox-Flow Batteries (RFBs) have received significant attention due to their attractive features, especially for stationary storage applications, and hybridization can improve certain characteristics with respect to short-term duration and peak power availability. Presented in this paper is a comprehensive overview of the main concepts of HESSs based on RFBs. Starting with a brief description and a specification of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of common electrochemical storage technologies suitable for hybridization with RFBs, HESS are classified based on battery-oriented and application-oriented KPIs. Furthermore, an optimal coupling architecture of HESS comprising the combination of an RFB and a Supercapacitor (SC) is proposed and evaluated via numerical simulation. Finally, an in-depth study of Energy Management Systems (EMS) is conducted. The general structure of an EMS as well as possible application scenarios are provided to identify commonly used control and optimization parameters. Therefore, the differentiation in system-oriented and application-oriented parameters is applied to literature data. Afterwards, state-of-the-art EMS optimization techniques are discussed. As an optimal EMS is characterized by the prediction of the system’s future behavior and the use of the suitable control technique, a detailed analysis of the previous implemented EMS prediction algorithms and control techniques is carried out. The study summarizes the key aspects and challenges of the electrical hybridization of RFBs and thus gives future perspectives on newly needed optimization and control algorithms for management systems