Genetic Structure of the Rice Blast Pathogen (Magnaporthe oryzae) over a Decade in North Central California Rice Fields.

Rice blast, caused by the ascomycete Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most destructive rice diseases worldwide. Even though the disease has been present in California since 1996, there is no data for the pathogen population biology in the state. Using amplified fragment length polymorphisms and mating-type markers, the M. oryzae population diversity was investigated using isolates collected when the disease was first established in California and isolates collected a decade later. While in the 1990 samples, a single multilocus genotype (MLG) was identified (MLG1), over a decade later, we found 14 additional MLGs in the 2000 isolates. Some of these MLGs were found to infect the only rice blast-resistant cultivar (M-208) available for commercial production in California. The same samples also had a significant decrease of MLG1. MLG1 was found infecting the resistant rice cultivar M-208 on one occasion whereas MLG7 was the most common genotype infecting the M-208. MLG7 was identified in the 2000 samples, and it was not present in the M. oryzae population a decade earlier. Our results demonstrate a significant increase in genotypic diversity over time with no evidence of sexual reproduction and suggest a recent introduction of new virulent race(s) of the pathogen. In addition, our data could provide information regarding the durability of the Pi-z resistance gene of the M-208. This information will be critical to plant breeders in developing strategies for deployment of other rice blast resistance genes/cultivars in the future

The Influence of Education on the Nutritional Knowledge of Certified Fitness Professionals

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(4): 239-249, 2021. The American Fitness Industry has seen progressive success with recent increases in facility memberships and annual revenues of fitness centers. The number of fitness trainers and instructors in the United States has persisted this growth and is projected to grow over the next decade. However, only a few known studies have investigated the nutritional education of fitness professionals. This preliminary study explores the education and knowledge among certified fitness professions (CFPs) in the United States. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey design was utilized with a convenience sample of 120 female participants from the United States who were associated with a major fitness newsletter. The average age of the participants was 48.51 years (SD 12), and they had 14.85 years of experience (SD 10.16) and worked an average of 22.04 hours per week (SD 16.78). Most of the participants had some kind of college degree (96.2%) and held a group fitness certification (76.6%) or personal training certification (47.5%). Those with a nutrition certification were found to have significantly higher nutrition knowledge test scores on the 21 question test (18.2 ± 2.0 correct to 17.1 ± 1.9, p=0.04). Additionally, it is revealed that CFPs use the internet as a primary source for nutritional information and was the most frequently used source of nutrition information accessed. This pilot study suggests a more in-depth study would be beneficial to solidify the current results and could allow for more investigation into whether or not completion of nutrition coursework within formal earned degrees by CFPs positively influences their nutritional knowledge

The Influence of a Slow-Breathing Protocol on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure from Exercise in Moderately Trained Females

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 714-725, 2019. Heart rate recovery (HRR) and blood pressure recovery (BPR) from exercise are both important indicators of health and fitness and are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a slow-breathing technique, upright passive recovery (PASS), and active recovery (ACT) on HRR and BPR from exercise. Nine moderately trained, college-aged (20.22 ± 0.97 yrs) female participants cycled three times on an ergometer for 15 mins at 70% of their heart rate maximum (HRmax), each of which was followed by one of three 5 min recovery interventions with heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) objectively measured. Each participant completed all three recovery protocols. One recovery protocol consisted of breathing at a rate of 6 breaths per minute (BRE), another involved PASS and the third was ACT at 60 RPM and 25 W. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed there was a significant effect of protocol (p= 0.00, hp2= 0.67) with HRR. BRE resulted in the fastest HRR of 69 ± 9.31 bpm (40.12%) at the end of the 5 min recovery compared to 63 ± 10.60 bpm (36.57%) and 47 ± 12.54 bpm (27.34%) for PASS and ACT, respectively. A second repeated measures ANOVA indicated there was no effect of protocol (P = 0.43), nor was there a significant interaction with time (p= 0.68), for BPR. The results indicated that BRE increased HRR after exercise more rapidly than PASS or ACT with no influence on BPR. These findings lead to future research needed to explore different breathing protocols following exercise in at-risk populations, such as individuals with cardiovascular disease

Galaxies Probing Galaxies at High Resolution: Co-Rotating Gas Associated with a Milky Way Analog at z=0.4

We present results on gas flows in the halo of a Milky Way-like galaxy at z=0.413 based on high-resolution spectroscopy of a background galaxy. This is the first study of circumgalactic gas at high spectral resolution towards an extended background source (i.e., a galaxy rather than a quasar). Using longslit spectroscopy of the foreground galaxy, we observe spatially extended H alpha emission with circular rotation velocity v=270 km/s. Using echelle spectroscopy of the background galaxy, we detect Mg II and Fe II absorption lines at impact parameter rho=27 kpc that are blueshifted from systemic in the sense of the foreground galaxy's rotation. The strongest absorber EW(2796) = 0.90 A has an estimated column density (N_H>10^19 cm-2) and line-of-sight velocity dispersion (sigma=17 km/s) that are consistent with the observed properties of extended H I disks in the local universe. Our analysis of the rotation curve also suggests that this r=30 kpc gaseous disk is warped with respect to the stellar disk. In addition, we detect two weak Mg II absorbers in the halo with small velocity dispersions (sigma<10 km/s). While the exact geometry is unclear, one component is consistent with an extraplanar gas cloud near the disk-halo interface that is co-rotating with the disk, and the other is consistent with a tidal feature similar to the Magellanic Stream. We can place lower limits on the cloud sizes (l>0.4 kpc) for these absorbers given the extended nature of the background source. We discuss the implications of these results for models of the geometry and kinematics of gas in the circumgalactic medium.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, submitted to ApJ, comments welcom

Physical profile of Air Force Special Warfare trainees

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(4): 924-931, 2023. Physical fitness testing in the military is commonly used to assess whether service members are physically capable of performing the diverse physical tasks that may be required for their job. Body composition can influence an individual’s ability to physically perform. This study aimed to analyze the general physical profile of U.S. Air Force (USAF) special warfare candidates by assessing body composition results and physical assessment scores collected over the past four years. Male candidates (n = 1036) were 18.2 years to 39.5 years of age (M = 23.5, SD = 3.9) and weighed 78.8 kg (SD = 8.3) with a BMI of 25.0 (SD = 2.0) at 11.8% body fat (SD = 3.3) as measured using bioelectrical impedance. Body composition and fitness scores were similar to those noted in U.S. Navy special warfare candidates as well as individuals in other elite tactical units. These results highlight the normative body composition profile of individuals assessing for advanced military career fields

Bias Varies for Bioimpedance Analysis and Skinfold Technique when Stratifying Collegiate Male Athletes Fat-free Mass Hydration Levels

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and skinfold (SF) techniques are commonly used to estimate body composition in athletic settings. Both methods are based upon a 2-compartment (2C) model approach, which assumes the hydration of fat-free mass (FFM) is constant (73.80%). Deviations from assumed constants such as FFM hydration have previously been observed in athletes. However, the magnitude of error associated with deviations in FFM hydration are scarce. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of BIA- and SF-based body fat percentage (BF%) estimates in collegiate athletes when stratifying FFM hydration levels. METHODS: FFM hydration levels for the entire sample ranged from 64.55–73.84%. Therefore, athletes were analyzed as a whole (FFM-HydrationALL: n=63) and at the FFM hydration levels of 64.00-68.99% (FFM-HydrationL1: n=37) and 69.00-74.00% (FFM-HydrationL2: n=26). A 3-compartment model utilizing air displacement plethysmography for body volume and bioimpedance spectroscopy for total body water was employed in order to determine the accuracy of BIA and SF for the 3 separate groups. RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrated that BIA had significant constant error (CE) when analyzed in FFM-HydrationALL, FFM-HydrationL1, and FFM-HydrationL2 (all p \u3c 0.001; CE = 5.64, 6.27, and 4.73%, respectively). However, the CE was not statistically significant for SF when evaluating FFM-HydrationALL, FFM-HydrationL1, and FFM-HydrationL2 (all p \u3e 0.05; CE = -0.04, -1.36, and 1.83%, respectively). The BIA device revealed proportional bias for FFM-HydrationALL and FFM-HyrdrationL1 (coefficients = -0.19 and -0.21; both p \u3c 0.05). However, the proportional bias was not present for BIA when analyzed in FFM-HydrationL2 (coefficient = -0.16; p = 0.06). Lastly, the SF method only had significant proportional bias when examined in FFM-HydrationALL (coefficient = 0.17; p = 0.02).CONCLUSIONS: The current study results revealed that proportional bias for BIA is removed when FFM hydration levels approach the assumed 73.80% commonly employed in 2C models. In contrast, the large variance in FFM hydration levels did not impact the SF technique. Therefore, practitioners are encouraged to utilize the SF technique over BIA when assessing BF% in collegiate male athletes

Thermoregulatory Adaptations following Sprint Interval Training

Traditional endurance training typically involves weeks of long-duration (60–90 min) exercise performed at a moderate to vigorous intensity. An alternative paradigm, sprint interval training, is characterized by multiple bouts of short-duration, high-intensity exercise. Similar fitness benefits from the two paradigms have been demonstrated, but whether sprint interval training—like traditional endurance training—induces heat acclimation remains unclear. Purpose To test the hypothesis that sprint interval training performed over six sessions results in measureable thermoregulatory and cardiovascular adaptations consistent with heat acclimation. Methods Seven untrained men [mean ± SD, 13 ± 5% body fat, 22 ± 3 y, 3.1 ± 0.3 L/min peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak)] performed 6 sprint interval training sessions over 12 days with 48­–72 h between sessions. Sessions consisted of 4–6 thirty-second Wingate Anaerobic Tests separated by ~4 min. Before and after the two-week training protocol, participants cycled for 30 min at 65% V̇O2peak in 25 °C to assess the effects of sprint interval training on heat acclimation. Results Main outcome variables (onset of sweating, sweat sensitivity, heart rate at end of exercise, percent change in plasma volume, and core temperature change from pre- to post-exercise) were not different from pre- to post-training (all p \u3e 0.05). Conclusion Two weeks of sprint interval training performed under the conditions specified does not result in heat acclimation

Economics of pasture-based dairies (2012)

"Agriculture.""Dairy grazing.""Dairy grazing publication series: This publication is one in a series about operating and managing a pasture-based dairy. Although these publications often refer to conditions in Missouri, many of the principles and concepts described may apply to operations throughout the United States. A list of the publications in this series is available online at http://extension.missouri.edu/m168.""Revised from M168, Dairy Grazing Manual, by Joe Horner, Dairy Economist, Commercial Agriculture Program, Ryan Milhollin, Project Manager, Commercial Agriculture Program, Wayne Prewitt, West Central Region Agriculture Business Specialist.""This publication replaces Chapter 14, Economics of a Pasture-Based Dairy, in MU Extension publication M168, Dairy Grazing Manual. Original authors: Stacey A. Hamilton, Greg J. Bishop-Hurley and Ron Young, University of Missouri."New 2/12/Web