Lactate modeling and its application to endurance training

1. 1. In this short review, previous studies regarding the modeling of lactate (La) response to exercise and its application to endurance training have been summarized.

2. 2. Additionally the result of a recent study by the present authors are shown.

3. 3. Several models for La response to step and ramp exercise are already proposed and deductions derived from them are used for practical purposes such as the prediction of race performance in middle-and long-distance runners as well as for construction of their training regimens.

4. 4. Only a limited number of models however have tried to quantify whole body La kinetics to exercise in humans concomitantly with describing physiological mechanisms underlying the observed phenomenon.

5. 5. In a recent study described further in this paper a 2 compartment model was used for the purpose of clarifying the current “La production vs degradation” controversy during La adaptation to training.

6. 6. It was determined from this investigation that the La metabolic clearance rate during recovery is enhanced by the endurance training.

7. 7. This is in accordance with another recent observation of an increased La metabolic clearance rate at high absolute work rates and all relative work rates during exercise.

Effect of organic and conventional farming on soil bacterial diversity of pecan tree (Carya illinoensis K. Kosh) orchard across two phenological stages

We described the bacterial diversity of walnut grove soils under organic and conventional farming. The bacterial communities of rhizospheric and nonrhizospheric soils of pecan tree (Carya illinoensis K. Koch) were compared considering two phenological stages (sprouting and ripening). Sixteen operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified significantly more abundant according to the plant development, only one according to the farming condition, and none according to the soil origin. The OTUs specificaly abundant according to plant development included Actinobateria (2) and Betaproteobacteria (1) related OTUs more abundant at the sprouting stage, while at the fruit ripening (FR) stage the more abundant OTUs were related to Actinobacteria (6), Alphaproteobacteria (6), and unclassified Bacteria (1). The Gaiellaceae OTU18 (Actinobacteria) was more abundant under conventional farming. Thus, our study revealed that the plant development stage was the main factor shaping the bacterial community structure, while less influence was noticed for the farming condition. The bacterial communities exhibited specific metabolic capacities, a large range of carbon sources being used at the FR stage. The identified OTUs specifically more abundant represent indicators providing useful information on soil condition, potential tools for the management of soil bacterial communities.     

Photosynthesis,Transpiration, and Water Use Efficiency of Vegetative and Reproductive Shoots of Grassland Species from North-Eastern China

The differences in net photosynthetic rate (P _N), transpiration rate (E), and water use efficiency (WUE) between the vegetative and reproductive shoots of three native grass species from the grassland of northeastern China [grey-green and yellow green populations of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel., Puccinellia tenuiflora (Griseb) Scrib & Merr, Puccinellia chinampoensis Ohwi] were compared. The two type shoots experienced similar habitats, but differed in leaf life-span and leaf area. The leaf P _N and WUE for the vegetative shoots were significantly higher than those for the reproductive shoots in the grasses, while their E were remarked lower in the dry season. Relative lower leaf P _N and WUE for the reproductive shoots of grassland grasses may explain the facts of lower seed production and the subordinate role of seed in the grassland renewal in north-eastern China.     

Ephelides are More Related to Pigmentary Constitutional Host Factors than Solar Lentigines

Ephelides and solar lentigines are benign pigmented spots, which are currently associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. These two pigmented spots are known to be discriminated by their clinical, histological, and electron microscopic characteristics, even though occasional misclassification can occur because of their similarity. It has also been questioned whether these spots are not one and the same. In this study, we have attempted to differentiate between these two pigmented spots with the use of a standardized protocol for clinical examinations on 272 healthy volunteers, paying particular consideration to their pigmentary and constitutional host factors. We found that solar lentigines 1) are more prevalent than ephelides, 2) increase in prevalence and number with higher age, and 3) are most prevalent on the trunk and occur more frequently in males than in females. A trend is also observed whereby ephelides 1) loose their prevalence with age, 2) become equally distributed on the face, arms, and trunk, and 3) occur more frequently in females. An intimate association of ephelides, but not solar lentigines, has been found with hair color and skin type. All of these findings are in agreement with most of those reported in the literature, supporting the view that ephelides and solar lentigines are different types of pigmented lesions.     

A physiological analogy of the niche for projecting the potential distribution of plants

Aim  To develop a physiologically based model of the plant niche for use in species distribution modelling. Location  Europe. Methods  We link the Thornley transport resistance (TTR) model with functions which describe how the TTR’s model parameters are influenced by abiotic environmental factors. The TTR model considers how carbon and nutrient uptake, and the allocation of these assimilates, influence growth. We use indirect statistical methods to estimate the model parameters from a high resolution data set on tree distribution for 22 European tree species. Results  We infer, from distribution data and abiotic forcing data, the physiological niche dimensions of 22 European tree species. We found that the model fits were reasonable (AUC: 0.79–0.964). The projected distributions were characterized by a false positive rate of 0.19 and a false negative rate 0.12. The fitted models are used to generate projections of the environmental factors that limit the range boundaries of the study species. Main conclusions  We show that physiological models can be used to derive physiological niche dimensions from species distribution data. Future work should focus on including prior information on physiological rates into the parameter estimation process. Application of the TTR model to species distribution modelling suggests new avenues for establishing explicit links between distribution and physiology, and for generating hypotheses about how ecophysiological processes influence the distribution of plants.     

利用Ecopath模型评价鲢鳙放养对千岛湖生态系统的影响

“保水渔业”是中国控制"水华"暴发等生态灾变的措施之一，其结果存在较大的不确定性。在浙江省的新安江水库（千岛湖），"保水渔业"的实施带来了水质改善和渔业增产的双重效果。但在生态系统自组织层面，这种人工干预手段引起的生态系统结构化效应的研究，尚未真正展开。基于2008-2010年千岛湖的生态和渔业资源调查数据，应用EwE （V6.6）构建了2010年千岛湖生态系统的Ecopath模型，并将其与2004和2016年的模型进行对照，分析了千岛湖生态系统在鲢、鳙鱼放养下的变化。千岛湖生态系统在3个年份均为4个整合营养级，营养能流分布成典型的金字塔型，且营养流总量中流向碎屑的占比很大，营养级Ⅰ、Ⅱ的能量被利用得不够充分；除鲢、鳙鱼外大部分鱼类的生物量逐渐下降，浮游植物和碎屑的生物量增多；系统的初级生产力和规模得到了一定提升，但总体的能量转换效率有所降低。在一些和系统成熟度、复原力和稳定性密切相关的参数方面，总初级生产量/总呼吸量增加，Finn氏循环指数和Finn氏平均路径长度逐渐降低，3个年份的连接指数（CI）分别为0.223、0.219、0.263，系统杂食指数（SOI）分别为0.087、0.102和0.131。研究分析表明，长期的鲢、鳙鱼放养使千岛湖的食物网结构发生了较大的变动，生态系统的营养交互关系不够复杂，成熟度和稳定性有所下降。千岛湖作为一个由水库发展而来的淡水水体，食物网关系本身就较为简单。因此，未来需要避免过多的人为干扰，并基于生态学原理更系统地进行修复工作。     

Feeding Characteristics of Three Species of Intertidal Sea Anemones of the South Kuril Islands

We examined the content of the coelenteron of Oulactis orientalis, Cnidopus japonicus, and Aulactinia sp. (family Actiniidae) inhabiting the intertidal area of Shikotan and Kunashir Islands (South Kuril Islands). The feeding characteristics (food spectrum, the index of filling of the coelenteron, the index of food similarity of the species, occurrence frequency, the index of trophic importance, and the proportions of certain components in the food pellet) allowed us to determine that the examined species are euryphagous.