Baseline aquatic faunal survey of Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida: fishes, mollusks, and crayfishes

This report presents results of the first systematic study of the diversity and distribution of fishes and mussels in Avon Park Air Force Range (APR). We also provide information on crayfishes and aquatic snails taken during our fish and mussel sampling activities. Our surveys documented the presence of 46 species of fishes (43 native and 3 nonindigenous), 9 species of mussels (including 8 native and 1 nonindigenous species), 5 species of aquatic snails, and two crayfish species. (347 page document)

Survey of the fatty acid composition of Canadian beef: Backfat and longissimus lumborum muscle

[EN]A survey of Canadian retail beef was undertaken with emphasis on the trans fatty acid (TFA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, and compared with current health recommendations. Thirty striploin steaks were collected in the winter and summer from major grocery stores in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). Steak fatty acid compositions (backfat and longissimus lumborum muscle analysed separately) showed minor seasonal differences with lower total saturates (PB0.05) and higher total monounsaturates (PB 0.01) in winter, but no differences in total polyunsaturated fatty acids. The ratio of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in longissimus lumborum averaged 5.8. The average TFA content in longissimus lumborum was 0.128 g 100 g_1 serving size, and 10t-18:1 was found to be the predominant isomer (32% of total trans), while vaccenic acid was second most abundant (15% of total trans). The CLA content in longissimus lumborum was similar to that of backfat, ranging from 0.43 to 0.60% of total fatty acids and rumenic acid represented 60% of total isomers. Overall, there is still room for improvement in the saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of Canadian beef to meet general dietary guidelines for human consumption and additional targets should include reducing 10t-18:1 while increasing both rumenic and vaccenic acids.

Extended ageing time and temperature effects on quality of sub-primal cuts of boxed beef

[EN]Most of the information indicating ageing improves tenderness has been collected on the loin and rib-eye muscles over relatively short ageing times, assuming that all muscles will react similarly. In the present study, the effect of extended ageing times on instrumental texture (56 d) and sensory characteristics (42 d) of six different beef sub-primals [striploin (SL), inside round (IR), outside round (OR), eye of round (ER), blade eye (BE) and chuck tender (CT)] was studied. The effects of two ageing temperatures (1and 58C) were also compared. In general, ageing increased tenderness (P<0.05) of SL, BE, ER and CT sub-primals, although BE shear force increased after 42 d of ageing. On the other hand, ageing had no effect on IR tenderness (P<0.05) and resulted in a decrease in tenderness of OR (P<0.05) until day 35, with a later increase after 42 d of ageing. Increasing ageing temperature (58C) had limited effect on tenderness, but ageing time and temperature increases led to lower flavour and higher off-flavour intensity (P<0.05) of the studied sub-primals. These results suggest that cutspecific maximum ageing times and rigid adherence to temperature maximums would be of benefit to optimize postslaughter processes and meat quality

Influence of nutrient intake on antioxidant capacity, muscle damage and white blood cell count in female soccer players

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The frequency of muscle protein polymorphism in Menidia menidia (Atherinidae) along the Atlantic coast

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Study of Interaction Force between Antigen and Antibody Using Flow Chamber Method

A parallel plate flow chamber was used to study the interaction force between human IgG (immobilized on a chip surface as ligand) and goat anti-human IgG (immobilized on microspheres surface as receptor). First, it was demonstrated that the binding force between the microspheres and the chip surface came from the bio-specific interaction between the antigen and the antibody. Secondly, it was obtained that the critical shear rate to detach microspheres from the chip surface increases with the ligand surface concentration. Finally, two models to estimate the antigen-antibody bond strength considering bonds' positions were proposed and analyzed.

The effects of capillary force in micro or nano-indentation

Models describing wet adhesion between indenters and substrates joined by liquid bridges are investigated. The influences of indenter shapes and various parameters of structures on capillary force are focused. In the former, we consider several shapes, such as conical, spherical and truncated conical indenter with a spherical end. In the latter, the effects of the contact angle, the environmental humidity, the gap between the indenter and the substrate, etc. are included. Different dependences of the capillary force on the indenter shapes and the geometric parameters are observed. Most interesting finding is that applying the present results to micro- and nano-indentation experiments shows the size effect in indentation hardness not produced but underestimated by the effects of capillary force.(4 refs)

Running Pace Decrease during a Marathon Is Positively Related to Blood Markers of Muscle Damage

Background: Completing a marathon is one of the most challenging sports activities, yet the source of running fatigue during this event is not completely understood. The aim of this investigation was to determine the cause(s) of running fatigue during a marathon in warm weather. Methodology/Principal Findings: We recruited 40 amateur runners (34 men and 6 women) for the study. Before the race, body core temperature, body mass, leg muscle power output during a countermovement jump, and blood samples were obtained. During the marathon (27 uC; 27% relative humidity) running fatigue was measured as the pace reduction from the first 5-km to the end of the race. Within 3 min after the marathon, the same pre-exercise variables were obtained. Results: Marathoners reduced their running pace from 3.5 6 0.4 m/s after 5-km to 2.9 6 0.6 m/s at the end of the race (P,0.05), although the running fatigue experienced by the marathoners was uneven. Marathoners with greater running fatigue (. 15% pace reduction) had elevated post-race myoglobin (1318 6 1411 v 623 6 391 mg L21; P,0.05), lactate dehydrogenase (687 6 151 v 583 6 117 U L21; P,0.05), and creatine kinase (564 6 469 v 363 6 158 U L21; P = 0.07) in comparison with marathoners that preserved their running pace reasonably well throughout the race. However, they did not differ in their body mass change (23.1 6 1.0 v 23.0 6 1.0%; P = 0.60) or post-race body temperature (38.7 6 0.7 v 38.9 6 0.9 uC; P = 0.35). Conclusions/Significance: Running pace decline during a marathon was positively related with muscle breakdown blood markers. To elucidate if muscle damage during a marathon is related to mechanistic or metabolic factors requires further investigation.