Cereal and nonfat milk support muscle recovery following exercise

All authors are with the Exercise Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory Department of Kinesiology and Health Education The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX, USABackground: This study compared the effects of ingesting cereal and nonfat milk (Cereal) and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink (Drink) immediately following endurance exercise on muscle glycogen synthesis and the phosphorylation state of proteins controlling protein synthesis: Akt, mTOR, rpS6 and eIF4E. -- Methods: Trained cyclists or triathletes (8 male: 28.0 ± 1.6 yrs, 1.8 ± 0.0 m, 75.4 ± 3.2 kg, 61.0 ± 1.6 ml O2•kg-1•min-1; 4 female: 25.3 ± 1.7 yrs, 1.7 ± 0.0 m, 66.9 ± 4.6 kg, 46.4 ± 1.2 mlO2•kg-1•min-1) completed two randomly-ordered trials serving as their own controls. After 2 hours of cycling at 60–65% VO2MAX, a biopsy from the vastus lateralis was obtained (Post0), then subjects consumed either Drink (78.5 g carbohydrate) or Cereal (77 g carbohydrate, 19.5 g protein and 2.7 g fat). Blood was drawn before and at the end of exercise, and at 15, 30 and 60 minutes after treatment. A second biopsy was taken 60 minutes after supplementation (Post60). Differences within and between treatments were tested using repeated measures ANOVA. -- Results: At Post60, blood glucose was similar between treatments (Drink 6.1 ± 0.3, Cereal 5.6 ± 0.2 mmol/L, p < .05), but after Cereal, plasma insulin was significantly higher (Drink 123.1 ± 11.8, Cereal 191.0 ± 12.3 pmol/L, p < .05), and plasma lactate significantly lower (Drink 1.4 ± 0.1, Cereal 1.00 ± 0.1 mmol/L, p < .05). Except for higher phosphorylation of mTOR after Cereal, glycogen and muscle proteins were not statistically different between treatments. Significant Post0 to Post60 changes occurred in glycogen (Drink 52.4 ± 7.0 to 58.6 ± 6.9, Cereal 58.7 ± 9.6 to 66.0 ± 10.0 μmol/g, p < .05) and rpS6 (Drink 17.9 ± 2.5 to 35.2 ± 4.9, Cereal 18.6 ± 2.2 to 35.4 ± 4.4 %Std, p < .05) for each treatment, but only Cereal significantly affected glycogen synthase (Drink 66.6 ± 6.9 to 64.9 ± 6.9, Cereal 61.1 ± 8.0 to 54.2 ± 7.2%Std, p < .05), Akt (Drink 57.9 ± 3.2 to 55.7 ± 3.1, Cereal 53.2 ± 4.1 to 60.5 ± 3.7 %Std, p < .05) and mTOR (Drink 28.7 ± 4.4 to 35.4 ± 4.5, Cereal 23.0 ± 3.1 to 42.2 ± 2.5 %Std, p < .05). eIF4E was unchanged after both treatments. -- Conclusion: These results suggest that Cereal is as good as a commercially-available sports drink in initiating post-exercise muscle recovery.Kinesiology and Health [email protected]

ESCAPING FROM FRIENDS: EXPLORING THE NEED TO BE DIFFERENT IN SOCIAL COMMERCE SITES

This paper studies the influence of observational learning and herding in networks of friends versus informants on consumer purchase decisions. We explore how people trade off their needs to belong and to be different by first developing an exponential random graph model to predict online purchasing decision while taking into considerations of product properties, consumer demographics, online rating, as well as consumer social networks. We test our model through collecting panel data on a leading social commerce site in Asia. Contrary to the popular belief that people tend to follow friends’ choices, subjects in our context are more likely to diverge from the popular choice among their friends. As our study shows that the need to be different can dominate the need to be belong in certain contexts, we discuss managerial implications of our results for social media marketing

A Comparison of Human Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Abstract Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have long been considered the criterion standard for stem cell sources in musculoskeletal tissue engineering. The true test of a stem cell source is a side-by-side comparison with BMSCs. Human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs), one such candidate with high potential, are a fetus-derived stem cell source collected from discarded tissue (Wharton's jelly) after birth. Compared with human BMSCs (hBMSCs), hUCMSCs have the advantages of abundant supply, painless collection, no donor site morbidity, and faster and longer self-renewal in vitro. In this 6-week study, a chondrogenic comparison was conducted of hBMSCs and hUCMSCs in a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold for the first time. Cells were seeded on polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds at 25M cells/mL and then cultured in identical conditions. Cell proliferation, biosynthesis, and chondrogenic differentiation were assessed at weeks 0, 3, and 6 after seeding. At weeks 3 and 6, hUCMSCs produced more glycosaminoglycans than hBMSCs. At week 6, the hUCMSC group had three times as much collagen as the hBMSC group. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of collagen types I and II and aggrecan in both groups, but type II collagen staining was more intense for hBMSCs than hUCMSCs. At week 6, the quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed less type I collagen messenger RNA (mRNA) with both cell types, and more type II collagen mRNA with hBMSCs, than at week 3. Therefore, it was concluded that hUCMSCs may be a desirable option for use as a mesenchymal cell source for fibrocartilage tissue engineering, based on abundant type I collagen and aggrecan production of hUCMSCs in a 3D matrix, although further investigation of signals that best promote type II collagen production of hUCMSCs is warranted for hyaline cartilage engineering.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78138/1/ten.tea.2008.0393.pd

IL-33 ameliorates Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology and cognitive decline

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating condition with no known effective treatment. AD is characterized by memory loss as well as impaired locomotor ability, reasoning, and judgment. Emerging evidence suggests that the innate immune response plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AD. In AD, the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain perturbs physiological functions of the brain, including synaptic and neuronal dysfunction, microglial activation, and neuronal loss. Serum levels of soluble ST2 (sST2), a decoy receptor for interleukin (IL)-33, increase in patients with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that impaired IL-33/ST2 signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD. Therefore, we investigated the potential therapeutic role of IL-33 in AD, using transgenic mouse models. Here we report that IL-33 administration reverses synaptic plasticity impairment and memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. IL-33 administration reduces soluble Aβ levels and amyloid plaque deposition by promoting the recruitment and Aβ phagocytic activity of microglia; this is mediated by ST2/p38 signaling activation. Furthermore, IL-33 injection modulates the innate immune response by polarizing microglia/macrophages toward an antiinflammatory phenotype and reducing the expression of proinflammatory genes, including IL-1β, IL-6, and NLRP3, in the cortices of APP/PS1 mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate a potential therapeutic role for IL-33 in AD

Effect of a Low Carbohydrate-Moderate Protein Supplement on Endurance Performance in Female Athletes

Previous research has shown that consuming a carbohydrate supplement during prolonged endurance exercise improves performance compared to water or placebo. The addition of protein to traditional carbohydrate supplement has been shown to further improve perfomance beyond that of carbohydrate alone. However, few investigations have explored the effect of adding protein to a supplement containing a low carbohydrate concentration. PURPOSE: To investigate if a low carbohydrate and moderate protein supplement, provided during prolonged variable intensity exercise, would improve time to exhaustion in comparison to a traditional carbohydrate supplement. METHODS: Fourteen (n = 14) trained females cyclists and triathletes (30.4 ±1.6 yrs, 2.90 ± 0.15 L⋅min¬-1) cycled on two different occasions for three hours at intensities varying between 45% - 70% VO2max. After three hours, the intensity was increased (average 72.5 % VO2max) and held until exhaustion. Exhaustion was defined as the point at which subjects could no longer hold cadence above 60RPM. Supplements (275ml) were provided every 20 min during exercise and were composed of a 3% carbohydrate/1.2% protein mix (CHO+PRO) or a 6% carbohydrate-only (CHO). The CHO+PRO treatment contained a mixture of glucose (dextrose), maltodextrin and fructose, and whey protein isolate. The CHO treatment was composed of dextrose. CHO+PRO contained half the carbohydrate content and 30% less calories in comparison to CHO. RESULTS: Time to exhaustion (TTE) was significantly greater with CHO+PRO in comparison to CHO (49.94 ± 7.01 vs 42.36 ± 6.21 min, respectively, p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The above result suggests that addition of a moderate protein to a low carbohydrate supplement enhances performance in endurance trained females above that of carbohydrate alone. Improvement in performance occurred despite a lower carbohydrate and caloric content. It is unknown whether the greater performance seen with CHO+PRO was a result of the added protein, the use of a mixture of carbohydrate sources (glucose, maltodextrin and fructose), or their combination

Test Targets 10: A Collaborative effort exploring the use of scientific methods for color imaging and process control

Th ere are six papers that were written, peer reviewed, and published in Test Targets 10. Two papers focus on printing standardization and conformity assessment. Chung describes aims and tolerances specified in ISO 12647-2 and the use of color measurement and data analysis for conformity assessment. Urbain and Khoury describe data reception requirements in ISO 12647-2 and ISO 15930 and the use of a test pdf file to assess conformity of any pdf workflow. Test Targets 10 will likely be remembered as the publication that covers OBA (optical brightening agents). Two papers focus on OBA. Tian and Chung report the effect of paper containing OBA on printed colors and how such effect can be corrected using different mathematics. Sigg and Millward report the stability of OBA as a function of exposure to light over time. In addition, Gallery of Visual Interest shows side-by-side the visual effect of pictorial and synthetic color images printed on paper with and without OBA. Printing conformity is result-oriented and does not dictate the press calibration method used. The fifth paper, authored by Wang, compares the compatibility of two press calibration methods, TVI and G7, by means of gradation compensation and press run simulation. Printing conformity requires that correct inks and paper be used. Verifying that correct inks are used is outside the capability of a printer. Th e sixth paper, authored by Zhang, explores an alternative ink drawdown and ink verification method that could be implemented by printers. Test Forms is a regular feature of Test Targets. We are pleased to showcase pictorial color reference images, Roman 16 Reference Images, courtesy of Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V. (bvdm), and many possible uses of these images for printing process control and for color management studies. For example, we can compare the appearance of an image printed from the supplied CMYK file with the image from a supplied RGB file that was converted to CMYK by a color management application

Lysine mediation of neuroendocrine food regulation in guinea fowl

In poultry, obesity is partly influenced by food intake, and is increasingly becoming a nationwide problem. Hypothalamic food intake mechanisms are involved metabolically and neurologically via two peptide hormones, leptin and ghrelin, and the amino acid glutamate, which is enzymatically derived from lysine metabolism. We hypothesize that lysine homeostasis mediates regulation of feed intake and performance characteristics via the brain–liver axis through glutamate sensing. The objective was to examine the effects of lysine homeostasis in avian food regulation and performance through neuroendocrine signaling. One-day-old male French Guinea fowl (GF) keets (n = 270) were weighed and randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments (0.80%, 0.86%, 0.92%, 1.10% control, and 1.22% lysine) in 3 replicates. At 4 and 8 wk of age 20% of experimental birds were randomly selected, weighed and euthanatized. The liver, pancreas, and hypothalamus were excised, snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at –80°C until use. Tissue mRNA was extracted and cDNA synthesized for qPCR assays. Lysine at 0.80 and 0.86% hindered growth, development of digestive organs, expression of brain and liver glutamate and leptin receptors, and caused high mortality in GF. The fold change for metabotropic glutamate receptor I was lower (P \u3c 0.05) in liver and higher in brain at 0.86 and 0.92% than the control (1.10%) and 1.22% lysine. The 1.22% lysine exhibited highest expression of ionotropic glutamate receptor, while brain ghrelin receptor expression was highest at 0.86 and 0.92% lysine. Therefore, dietary lysine concentration may influence signaling pathways regulating food intake in brain-liver axis via glutamate synthesis

Intercomparison of the cloud water phase among global climate models

Mixed‐phase clouds (clouds that consist of both cloud droplets and ice crystals) are frequently present in the Earth's atmosphere and influence the Earth's energy budget through their radiative properties, which are highly dependent on the cloud water phase. In this study, the phase partitioning of cloud water is compared among six global climate models (GCMs) and with Cloud and Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization retrievals. It is found that the GCMs predict vastly different distributions of cloud phase for a given temperature, and none of them are capable of reproducing the spatial distribution or magnitude of the observed phase partitioning. While some GCMs produced liquid water paths comparable to satellite observations, they all failed to preserve sufficient liquid water at mixed‐phase cloud temperatures. Our results suggest that validating GCMs using only the vertically integrated water contents could lead to amplified differences in cloud radiative feedback. The sensitivity of the simulated cloud phase in GCMs to the choice of heterogeneous ice nucleation parameterization is also investigated. The response to a change in ice nucleation is quite different for each GCM, and the implementation of the same ice nucleation parameterization in all models does not reduce the spread in simulated phase among GCMs. The results suggest that processes subsequent to ice nucleation are at least as important in determining phase and should be the focus of future studies aimed at understanding and reducing differences among the models. Key Points Phase partitioning of cloud water in GCMs is investigated Cloud water phase in GCMs is compared to satellite observations Ice nucleation parameterization influence on cloud water phase is investigatedPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106995/1/jgrd51239.pd

The Local Volume HI Survey: star formation properties

We built a multi-wavelength dataset for galaxies from the Local Volume HI Survey (LVHIS), which comprises 82 galaxies. We also select a sub-sample of ten large galaxies for investigating properties in the galactic outskirts. The LVHIS sample covers nearly four orders of magnitude in stellar mass and two orders of magnitude in HI mass fraction (fHI). The radial distribution of HI gas with respect to the stellar disc is correlated with fHI but with a large scatter. We confirm the previously found correlations between the total HI mass and star formation rate (SFR), and between HI surface densities and SFR surface densities beyond R25. However, the former correlation becomes much weaker when the average surface densities rather than total mass or rate are considered, and the latter correlation also becomes much weaker when the effect of stellar mass is removed or controlled. Hence the link between SFR and HI is intrinsically weak in these regions, consistent with what was found on kpc scales in the galactic inner regions. We find a strong correlation between the SFR surface density and the stellar mass surface density, which is consistent with the star formation models where the gas is in quasi-equilibrium with the mid-plane pressure. We find no evidence for HI warps to be linked with decreasing star forming efficiencies.Comment: 31 pages, 20 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication at MNRA