The Effect of Foam Rolling for Three Consecutive Days on Muscular Efficiency and Range of Motion

Background Foam rolling (FR) has been shown to alleviate some symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage and has been suggested to increase range of motion (ROM) without negatively impacting strength. However, it is unclear what neuromuscular effects, if any, mediate these changes. Methods In a randomized, crossover design, 16 healthy active males completed 2 min of rest or FR of the knee extensors on three consecutive days. Mechanical properties of vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) were assessed via Tensiomyography. Knee extension maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and knee flexion ROM were also assessed, and surface electromyography amplitude (RMS) was recorded during a submaximal isometric contraction (50% of MVC). Measures were performed before and after (0, 15, and 30 min) FR or rest. Results MVC was reduced on subsequent days in the rest condition compared to FR (p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.04); ROM was not different across time or condition (p = 0.193, pη2 = 0.01). Stiffness characteristics of the VL were different on the third day of FR (p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.03). RMS was statistically reduced 0, 15, and 30 min after FR compared to rest (p = 0.006, pη2 = 0.03; p = 0.003, pη2 = 0.04; p = 0.002, pη2 = 0.04). Conclusions Following FR, MVC was elevated compared to rest and RMS was transiently reduced during a submaximal task. Excitation efficiency of the involved muscles may have been enhanced by FR, which protected against the decline in MVC which was observed with rest

Modulation of ecosystem services by animal personalities

Conservationists rarely consider the roles individuals, with their own unique behavior, physiology, and genome, play in shaping ecosystem processes and consequently ecosystem services, but this is changing. An ongoing surge in research on animal personalities (that is, behavioral differences among individuals that are consistent over time and across contexts) is exposing the ecological roles of individuals to scientific scrutiny. Here, we present four broad examples of ecosystem services that are likely to be shaped by personalities: (1) pollination and seed dispersal, (2) regulation of pest species, (3) ecotourism, and (4) maintenance of soil quality. Although researchers have suggested diverse links between animal personality and ecosystem function, very few have examined this association. We outline a four-step process for quantifying and validating these linkages, leading to application for conservation practitioners, and conclude by recommending that accounting for behavioral variation should be incorporated into the management of ecosystem services

Reduced Radial Displacement of the Gastrocnemius Medialis Muscle After Electrically Elicited Fatigue

Context: Assessments of skeletal muscle functional capacity often necessitate maximal contractile effort, which exacerbates muscle fatigue or injury. Tensiomyography (TMG) has been investigated as a means to assess muscle contractile function following fatigue; however observations have not been contextualised by concurrent physiological measures. Objective: The aim of the present investigation was to measure peripheral fatigue-induced alterations in mechanical and contractile properties of the plantar flexor muscles through non-invasive TMG concurrently with maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and passive muscle tension (PMT) in order to validate TMG as a gauge of peripheral fatigue. Design: Pre- and post-test intervention with control. Setting: University laboratory. Participants: Twenty-one healthy male volunteers. Interventions: Subjects plantar flexors were tested for TMG parameters, along with MVC and PMT, before and after either a 5 minute rest period (control) or a 5 minute electrical stimulation intervention (fatigue). Main Outcome Measures: Temporal (contraction velocity) and spatial (radial displacement) contractile parameters of the Gastrocnemius Medialis were recorded through TMG. MVC was measured as an indicator of muscle fatigue and PMT was measured to assess muscle stiffness. Results: Radial displacement demonstrated a fatigue-associated reduction (3.3 ± 1.2 vs. 4.0 ± 1.4 mm vs, p=0.031), while contraction velocity remained unaltered. Additionally, MVC significantly declined by 122.6 ± 104 N (p<0.001) following stimulation (fatigue). PMT was significantly increased following fatigue (139.8 ± 54.3 vs. 111.3 ± 44.6 N, p=0.007).  Conclusion: TMG successfully detected fatigue, evident from reduced MVC, by displaying impaired muscle displacement, accompanied by elevated PMT. TMG could be useful in establishing fatigue status of skeletal muscle without exacerbating the functional decrement of the muscle

TarO : a target optimisation system for structural biology

This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets (SPoRT) initiative, (Grant BBS/B/14434). Funding to pay the Open Access publication charges for this article was provided by BBSRC.TarO (http://www.compbio.dundee.ac.uk/taro) offers a single point of reference for key bioinformatics analyses relevant to selecting proteins or domains for study by structural biology techniques. The protein sequence is analysed by 17 algorithms and compared to 8 databases. TarO gathers putative homologues, including orthologues, and then obtains predictions of properties for these sequences including crystallisation propensity, protein disorder and post-translational modifications. Analyses are run on a high-performance computing cluster, the results integrated, stored in a database and accessed through a web-based user interface. Output is in tabulated format and in the form of an annotated multiple sequence alignment (MSA) that may be edited interactively in the program Jalview. TarO also simplifies the gathering of additional annotations via the Distributed Annotation System, both from the MSA in Jalview and through links to Dasty2. Routes to other information gateways are included, for example to relevant pages from UniProt, COG and the Conserved Domains Database. Open access to TarO is available from a guest account with private accounts for academic use available on request. Future development of TarO will include further analysis steps and integration with the Protein Information Management System (PIMS), a sister project in the BBSRC Structural Proteomics of Rational Targets initiative.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Flares and Proper Motions of Ground-State OH Masers in W75N

The star-forming region W75N hosts bright OH masers that are observed to be variable. We present observations taken in 2008 of the ground-state OH maser transitions with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) and with the Nancay Radio Telescope in 2011. Several of the masers in W75N were observed to be flaring, with the brightest 1720-MHz maser in excess of 400 Jy. The 1720-MHz masers appear to be associated with the continuum source VLA 1, unlike the bright flaring 1665- and 1667-MHz masers, which are associated with VLA 2. The 1720-MHz masers are located in an outflow traced by water masers and are indicative of very dense molecular material near the H II region. The magnetic field strengths are larger in the 1720-MHz maser region than in most regions hosting only main-line OH masers. The density falls off along the outflow, and the order of appearance of different transitions of OH masers is consistent with theoretical models. The 1665- and 1667-MHz VLBA data are compared against previous epochs over a time baseline of over 7 years. The median maser motion is 3.5 km/s, with a scatter that is comparable to thermal turbulence. The general pattern of maser proper motions observed in the 1665- and 1667-MHz transitions is consistent with previous observations.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in MNRA

Effects of Timber Harvest on Amphibian Populations: Understanding Mechanisms from Forest Experiments

Accompanying appendix may be accessed at: http://hdl.handle.net/10355/1365Harvesting timber is a common form of land use that has the potential to cause declines in amphibian populations. It is essential to understand the behavior and fate of individuals and the resulting consequences for vital rates (birth, death, immigration, emigration) under different forest management conditions.We report on experimental studies conducted in three regions of the United States to identify mechanisms of responses by pond-breeding amphibians to timber harvest treatments. Our studies demonstrate that life stages related to oviposition and larval performance in the aquatic stage are sometimes affected positively by clearcutting, whereas effects on juvenile and adult terrestrial stages are mostly negative

Notes on the distribution and status of small carnivores in Gabon

The distribution and status of small carnivore species in Gabon have never been comprehensively assessed. We collated data from general wildlife surveys, camera-trap and transect studies and analyses of bushmeat consumption and trade, to map their country-wide occurrence and assess current exploitation levels. Records of Common Slender Mongoose Herpestes sanguineus and Cameroon Cusimanse Crossarchus platycephalus represent the first confirmation of their occurrence in Gabon. Cameroon Cusimanse was believed to extend into north-east Gabon, but the Slender Mongoose records extend its known range well outside that previously suspected. We furthermore extended the known range for Egyptian Mongoose Herpestes ichneumon. Crested Genet Genetta cristata has also been proposed to occur in Gabon but our records were not suited to evaluating this possibility given the difficulties of separation from Servaline Genet G. servalina. Most species appear to be distributed widely across the country. While several are commonly recorded in hunter catch and bushmeat markets, they form only a small proportion (3.4% and 3.1%, respectively) of all bushmeat records. However, in proximity to settlements, small carnivore exploitation, for bushmeat and use of body parts in traditional ceremonies, appears to have adverse effects on species richness and abundance

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty