Effect of inoculation with Lentilactobacillus buchneri and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei on the maize silage volatilome: the advantages of advanced 2d-chromatographic fingerprinting approaches

[Image: see text] In this study, the complex volatilome of maize silage samples conserved for 229 d, inoculated with Lentilactobacillus buchneri (Lbuc) and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (Lpar), is explored by means of advanced fingerprinting methodologies based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The combined untargeted and targeted (UT) fingerprinting strategy covers 452 features, 269 of which were putatively identified and assigned within their characteristic classes. The high amounts of short-chain free fatty acids and alcohols were produced by fermentation and led to a large number of esters. The impact of Lbuc fermentation was not clearly distinguishable from the control samples; however, Lpar had a strong and distinctive signature that was dominated by propionic acid and 1-propanol characteristic volatiles. The approach provides a better understanding of silage stabilization mechanisms against the degradative action of yeasts and molds during the exposure of silage to air

Diagnostic performance of the Strength and Pain Assessment (SPA) score for non-contact muscle injury screening in male soccer players

Objectives: The aims of this study were to develop a clinical-feature based scoring system for muscle injury screening and to assess its diagnostic accuracy when large number of injuries are suspected. Methods: A prospective diagnostic accuracy study was performed according to the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) criteria. The diagnostic accuracy of the Strength and Pain Assessment (SPA) score (index test) was assessed in relation to muscle ultrasonography (reference standard). A large (n = 175) number of male soccer players met the inclusion/exclusion criteria: clinical assessment (i.e., evaluation of pain onset modality, location, distribution, impact on performance, and manual muscle strength testing) and ultrasonography were performed in all players after 48 hours from the sudden or progressive onset of muscle pain during or after a soccer competition. Results: 91 of 175 cases (52%) were classified as functional muscle disorders, while signs of muscle tear were observed in the remaining 84 of 175 (48%) cases that were classified as structural muscle injuries. The median (1st–3rd quartile) value of the SPA score was significantly (P < 0.001) lower in the functional disorder group [9 (9–10)] compared to the structural injury group [12 (12–13)]. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for different cutoff points of the SPA score was 0.977 (95% confidence intervals: 0.957–0.998) and the optimal cutoff value of the SPA score providing the greatest sensitivity and specificity (respectively, 99% and 89%) was 11. Conclusion: This study found that the SPA score has high diagnostic accuracy for structural muscle injuries and could be used as a valid screening tool in soccer players presenting with sudden or progressive onset of muscle pain during or after a competition

Location of a new ice core site at Talos Dome (East Antarctica)

In the frame of glaciology and palaeoclimate research, Talos Dome (72°48lS; 159°06lE), an ice dome on the East Antarctic plateau, represents the new selected site for a new deep ice core drilling. The increasing interest in this region is due to the fact that the ice accumulation is higher here than in other domes in East Antarctica. A new deep drilling in this site could give important information about the climate changes near the coast. Previous papers showed that the dome summit is situated above a sloped bedrock. A new position on a relatively flat bedrock 5-6 km far from here in the SE direction was defined as a possible new ice core site for an European (Italy, France, Swiss and United Kingdom) drilling project named as TALDICE (TALos Dome Ice Core Project). This point, named as ID1 (159°11l00mE; 72°49l40mS), became the centre of the Radio Echo Sounding (RES) flight plan during the 2003 Italian Antarctic expedition, with the aim of confirming the new drilling site choice. In this paper 2001 and 2003 RES data sets have been used to draw a better resolution of ice thickness, bottom morphology and internal layering of a restricted area around the dome. Based on the final results, point ID1 has been confirmed as the new coring site. Finally, the preliminary operations about the installation of the summer ice core camp (TALDICE) at ID1 site carried out during the XX Italian Antarctic expedition (November 2004-December 2005) are briefly described

Glacio RADAR system and results

Since 1997 the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) in Italy has been involved in the development of the airborne RES system named Glacio RADAR, which is continuously upgraded. Radio Echo Sounding (RES) techniques are widely used in glaciological measurements. They are based on the use of radar systems, to obtain information concerning ice thickness of ice sheets and ice shelves, internal layering of glaciers, detection of inhomogeneities, exploration of subglacial lakes and identification of physical nature of subglacial interface. The Glacio RADAR is mounted on an aircraft and flies at an altitude around 300m above the ice surface during the survey. The first prototype operates in bistatic mode with separate transmit and receive one wire folded dipole installed beneath the aircraft wings. It works at 60 MHz with an envelope pulse width variable between 0.3 s and 1 s. The receiving window is 64 s which implies a maximum penetration depth (range) in the ice of about 5.3 km. The horizontal sampling rate is 10 traces/s at a mean aircraft speed of about 70 m/s. This would produce roughly 143 traces per kilometre (horizontal resolution of 1 trace every 7 m). The Navigation and geographical information is based on a on board GPS receiver giving longitude, latitude, altitude and time for the acquired radar trace. This radar was used in several Italian Antarctic Expeditions (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) and highlights of data results from these expeditions are presented here

DXA-Based Detection of Low Muscle Mass Using the Total Body Muscularity Assessment Index (TB-MAXI): A New Index with Cutoff Values from the NHANES 1999–2004

The aims of this study were to investigate age-related changes in total body skeletal muscle mass (TBSMM) and the between-limb asymmetry in lean mass in a large sample of adults. Demographic, anthropometric, and DXA-derived data of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants were considered. The sample included 10,014 participants of two ethnic groups (Caucasians and African Americans). The age-related decline of TBSMM absolute values was between 5% and 6% per decade in males and between 4.5% and 5.0% per decade in females. The adjustment of TBSMM for body surface area (TB-MAXI) showed that muscle mass peaked in the second decade and decreased progressively during the subsequent decades. The following thresholds were identified to distinguish between low and normal TB-MAXI: (i) 10.0 kg/m2 and 11.0 kg/m2 in Caucasian and African American females; and (ii) 12.5 kg/m2 and 14.5 kg/m2 in Caucasian and African American males. The lean asymmetry indices were higher for the lower limbs compared with the upper limbs and were higher for males compared with females. In conclusion, the present study proposes the TB-MAXI and lean asymmetry index, which can be used (and included in DXA reports) as clinically relevant markers for muscle amount and lean distribution

Evidence for Possible New Subglacial Lakes along a Radar Transect Crossing the Belgica Highlands and the Concordia Trench

Subglacial lakes are of great interest to the scientific community, and about 190 lakes have been identified in Antarctica and catalogued (Siegert et al., 2005; Cafarella et al., 2006; Popov & Masolov, 2007). We report on the possible existence of 5 new subglacial lakes in the area between the Belgica HighLands and the Concordia Trench. Analysis of radar data collected during the 2003 Antarctic field survey reveals particularly strong radar echoes coming from the subglacial interface. As radar surveys are only one of the methods used to identify subglacial lakes, the presence of these 5 new lakes must be discussed and confirmed through other geophysical investigations

Radio Echo Sounding (RES) investigations at Talos Dome (East Antarctica): bedrock topography and ice thickness

Radio echo sounding measurements were collected during two Antarctic expeditions to determine the ice thickness and the sub-glacial morphology of Talos Dome in the region around 72°48'S; 159°06'E (about 6400 km2) on the edge of the East Antarctic plateau adjacent to Victoria Land in the western Ross Sea sector. The increasing interest in this region is due to the fact that in this area the ice accumulation is higher than in other sites in East Antarctica. Because of this, Talos Dome could be a new site for a project of a deep ice core drilling to obtain information on climate changes near the coast of Antarctica. In this frame, the knowledge of the bedrock topography is of great importance to choose the best location for the drilling site. In this paper, airborne radio echo sounding results from two Antarctic expeditions (1997 and 1999) are presented. Bedrock topography in bi- and three-dimensions for the Talos Dome region are discussed

Radio echo sounding data analysis of the Shackleton Ice Shelf

In this study, our initial results are presented for the interpretation of the radio echo sounding data collected over the Shackleton Ice Shelf and adjacent ice sheet (East Antarctica) during the 2003/2004 Australian- Italian expedition. The Shackleton Ice Shelf is one of the larger ice shelves of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The radar survey provided data relating to ice thickness and bed morphology of the outlet glaciers, and thickness of their floating portions. The glacier grounding lines were determined by assessment of the basal echo characters. The information derived is compared with data from the BEDMAP database and from other sources