Consistency Is Key When Setting a New World Record for Running 10 Marathons in 10 Days

Background: We describe the requirements and physiological changes when running 10 consecutive marathons in 10 days at the same consistent pace by a female ultra-endurance athlete. Methods: Sharon Gayter (SG) 54 yrs, 162.5 cm, 49.3 kg maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) 53 mL/kg−1/min−1. SG completed 42.195 km on a treadmill every day for 10 days. We measured heart rate (HR), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), oxygen uptake (VO2), weight, body composition, blood parameters, nutrition, and hydration. Results: SG broke the previous record by ~2.5 h, with a cumulative completion time of 43 h 51 min 39 s. Over the 10 days, weight decreased from 51 kg to 48.4 kg, bodyfat mass from 9.1 kg to 7.2 kg (17.9% to 14.8%), and muscle mass from 23.2 kg to 22.8 kg. For all marathons combined, exercise intensity was ~60% VO2 max; VO2 1.6 ± 0.1 L.min−1/32.3 ± 1.1 mL.kg−1.min−1, RER 0.8 ± 0, HR 143 ± 4 b.min−1. Energy expenditure (EE) was 2030 ± 82 kcal/marathon, total EE for 10 days (including BMR) was 33,056 kcal, daily energy intake (EI) 2036 ± 418 kcal (20,356 kcal total), resulting an energy deficit (ED) of 12,700 kcal. Discussion: Performance and pacing were highly consistent across all 10 marathons without any substantial physiological decrements. Although overall EI did not match EE, leading to a significant ED, resulting in a 2.6 kg weight loss and decreases in bodyfat and skeletal muscle mass, this did not affect performance.

Design of a novel flat-cloth airway in powder tank based on Taguchi optimization

The fluidized bed is a key structure in the field of material transportation and is widely used in special automobile and construction powder transportation. A novel flat-cloth airway structure for powder unloading was proposed based on the traditional fluidized bed in this study. To analyze the uniformity of the velocity distribution ( Vu) in the fluidized bed and clarify the interaction mechanism between the geometric structure of the fluidized bed and airflow, 16 geometric structures of the fluidized bed for powder unloading were designed. Different schemes of the fluidized bed were numerically calculated by computational fluid dynamics, and the advantages of each scheme were analyzed by the Taguchi method and multiple regression. The length of the annular vortexes at the inlet of the airways becomes shorter than before as the number of airways increases. Airway height ( H), airway angle ( θ) and airway arc length ( L) exert statistically significant effects. Specifically, H (Delta = 6.45 rank =1) has the greatest effect on signal-to-noise ratios, L (Delta = 2.60 rank =2) has the second greatest effect and θ (Delta = 1.82 rank =3) has the least effect. The optimal combination of geometrical parameters of the fluidized bed is 15 mm H, 51° θ and 200 mm L.

Reizdarmbehandlung mit Lactobacillus plantarum 299v: Längere Einnahme verstärkt Behandlungserfolg – Ergebnisse einer nichtinterventionellen Studie

Zusammenfassung Einleitung Die Behandlung des Reizdarmsyndroms (RDS) ist in der Praxis oft eine Herausforderung. Als Therapieoption gewinnt die Modulation des Darmmikrobioms dabei immer mehr an Bedeutung. Die Wirksamkeit des Bakterienstamms Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (LP299V) wurde bei Reizdarmpatienten bereits in mehreren placebokontrollierten Studien über 4 Wochen gezeigt. Ziel der im Folgenden beschriebenen nichtinterventionellen Studie war es, die Verträglichkeit und Wirksamkeit von LP299V unter Praxisbedingungen zu untersuchen und neue Erkenntnisse über einen längeren Einnahmezeitraum zu gewinnen. Methodik In 25 Zentren wurden prospektiv Daten von 221 RDS-Patienten zur Verträglichkeit und Wirksamkeit von LP299V (1 Kapsel/Tag; 1 × 1010 KBE) über eine maximale Beobachtungsdauer von 12 Wochen erhoben. Die Erhebung erfolgte mittels Reizdarmtagebüchern und ärztlicher Dokumentation bei den Studienvisiten. Die Veränderung von Häufigkeit und Schweregrad der Beschwerden gegenüber der Baseline wurde als primärer Endpunkt festgelegt. Ergebnisse Im Verlauf der 12-wöchigen Behandlung kam es zu einer signifikanten und kontinuierlichen Reduktion der Gesamtsymptomatik (p < 0,05). Darüber hinaus kam es zu einer signifikanten Reduktion von Schwere (S) und Häufigkeit (H) einzelner Symptome, wie Abdominalschmerz (S: – 67 %, H: – 51 %), Flatulenz (S: – 61 %, H: – 63 %), Diarrhoe (S: – 70 %, H: – 32 %) und Obstipation (S: – 79 %, H: – 6 %). Das Gefühl der dringlichen und unvollständigen Entleerung sank ebenfalls signifikant (p < 0,001). Die Lebensqualität der Patienten stieg signifikant an (seelisches Wohlbefinden: + 110 %, negativer Einfluss auf den Alltag: – 67 %, p < 0,01). Die Langzeitbehandlung mit LP299V wurde von 94 % der Patienten als gut verträglich bewertet. Diskussion LP299V konnte die Gesamtbeschwerden von RDS-Patienten unter deutschen Alltagsbedingungen signifikant bessern. Um einen größeren Effekt zu erzielen, ist eine längerfristige Einnahme von LP299V (hier 12 Wochen) sinnvoll; die Verträglichkeit ist in diesem Zeitraum gut.

Estabilidad de rendimiento y características fisicoquímicas de grano de híbridos de maíz en Valles Altos de México

Las cosechas de grano de maíz en Valles Altos de México en lo general no cumplen con los requisitos de calidad para su uso en la industria de la masa y la tortilla. Nuevos híbridos han sido liberados por centros de investigación para estas condiciones agroecológicas y es necesario evaluar la estabilidad de producción y calidad de grano en diferentes ambientes de producción para evitar rechazos en el mercado. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar híbridos estables en su rendimiento, características fisicoquímicas de los granos y calidad de tortillas. Se evaluaron diez híbridos en cinco ambientes diferentes con cuatro repeticiones para cada tratamiento. Los datos se analizaron con SAS, versión 9.0, se desarrolló el Anova y la comparación de medias se hizo con la prueba de Tukey al 5%. Se detectaron diferencias significativas para híbridos, ambiente y la interacción híbrido*ambiente; para rendimiento de grano, variables físico-químicas de las tortillas. Los rendimientos de grano oscilaron entre 9 a 12.4 t ha-1. La mayor estabilidad por adaptabilidad y rendimiento por ambientes se encontró para los híbridos H-70, H-66 y Tsiri Puma. Dentro del grupo de los granos duros se encuentran el Tsiri Puma y el testigo comercial Albatros. Los híbridos Atziri Puma, en Temascalcingo y H-50 en Atlacomulco, presentaron los granos más grandes. Se encontraron correlaciones entre proteínas vs aceite (r = 0.6), aceite vs almidón (r= -0.86) y proteínas vs almidón (r= -0.82). El mayor rendimiento en masa fue el híbrido H-51 AE, seguido de H-47 AE, Albatros y Tsiri Puma con 2 kg de masa por kg de maíz nixtamalizado. El rendimiento y calidad de tortillas de los híbridos evaluados cumplen con los valores demandados por la industria. Los resultados de esta investigación permiten recomendar estos nuevos híbridos, por su estabilidad en el rendimiento, en los ambientes de prueba, calidad comercial del grano y calidad de sus tortillas.

Grain yield and population densities of new corn hybrids released by the INIFAP and UNAM for the High Valleys of Mexico†

In Mexico, corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereals from the alimentary, industrial, social, political, and cultural points of view. It is grown in different agroecological niches, water regimes, and management systems. The objective of the present research work was to study the optimum plant density per area unit and its effect on grain yield and agronomical characteristics of different corn hybrids. Six corn hybrids (H-51 AE, H 53 AE, H 47 AE, H 49 AE, Tsíri PUMA, and H-48) and three plant densities (50 000, 65 000, and 80 000 plants ha-1) were evaluated. Sowing was done during the spring-summer season, 2015, in field owned by the FESC-UNAM and CEVAMEX-INIFAP. A completely randomized block design was used with four replicates. Significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) were detected for genotypes (G) in the variables of grain yield, plant height, ear height, days to male and female flowering, volumetric weight, grain weight, ear length, and grains per ear. Moreover, the effect of the environment (E) was significant (P ≤ 0.05) for the same variables, with the exception of ear length. No significant differences (P ≥ 0.05) were registered for the densities factor (D). Only the G×E interaction had significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in the grain yield trait. The better environment was CEVAMEX, with a mean yield of 5497 kg ha-1. The Tsíri PUMA hybrid had the best grain yield with 5856 kg ha-1. Although there were no differences for the studied interactions, the 65 000 plants ha-1 population density was the most appropriate. The densities factor did not affect the performance of the evaluated hybrids. Therefore, we recommend using 65 000 plants ha-1 to avoid investing in large amounts of seeds.

Spawning induction and embryonic development of Salminus hilarii (Characiformes: Characidae)

SummaryThe present study aimed to evaluate two different methods of artificial reproduction induction, and characterize the embryonic development of Salminus hilarii. Different than observed for other tropical fish species, artificial reproduction induction followed by hand-stripping of gametes was considered unfeasible for S. hilarii, as no gamete fertilization was observed. However, females that were induced and spawned naturally presented a fertilization rate of 65.64 ± 0.54%. With a mean temperature of 26.20 ± 0.90ºC it was possible to clearly distinguish a large perivitelline space at 14 min after fertilization (AF) and at 49 min AF more than 50% of the embryos presented two blastomeres, and these cleavages occurred until 1 h 54 min AF. The gastrula phase was characterized at 3 h 56 min AF, and blastopore closure was observed at 8 h 31 min AF. At 9 h 1 min, organogenesis started, with a clear distinction of the yolk mass, embryonic axis, cephalic and caudal regions; at 11 h 51 min AF the embryos already had advanced segmentation and a free tail. Total hatching occurred at 21 h 17 min and after opening the mouth, which occurred at 33 h 9 min, the larvae of S. hilarii presented a strong and characteristic cannibalism. This information can be considered fundamental to improving S. hilarii production in captivity and for collaboration with a conservation programme in the upper Tietê river basin.

Evaluation of the Level of Length of Eating Time, Chewing and Parameters of Daily Increased Activity Depending on the Breed, the Lactation Number and the Period of the Year

Eating time, rumination and activity is affected by many factors. Evaluation of the parameters obtained from Vitalimeter 5P was performed on 719 dairy cows Czech fleckvieh cattle and Holstein cattle and their hybrids within one farm. Data collecting took place for one year. As part of a detailed evaluation using the GLM procedure, the lactation number, the period of the year and the pedigree (P < 0.001) had a significant effect on the time of rumination, eating, increased activity and the sum of activities. The highest values in all monitored parameters were reached by H 51–87. Within the effect of the lactation number was evident a certain discrepancy when the longest eating time was observed in cows at the first lactation (293.20 min.), while the longest rumination time in cows at 3, resp. 4 and further lactation (484.82 and 482.46 min, respectively). The lowest values were monitored for these two parameters in exactly the opposite order, the lowest eating time in older cows and the shortest rumination time in the youngest cows. Results of evaluated periods of the years confirmed mainly the differences in the time of eating and rumination in the summer months compared to the rest of the year (P < 0.01). These results, both individually and within the interactions of factors, confirm the effects of the body framework in the case of breeds, the age of the animals within the lactation order and the importance of assessing heat stress in assessing the effect of the year.

Dynamics of Sows’ Activity Housed in Farrowing Pens with Possibility of Temporary Crating might Indicate the Time When Sows Should be Confined in a Crate before the Onset of Farrowing

One way to reduce the negative impact of farrowing crates on sow welfare is to limit confinement of sows from the onset of farrowing until the end of the critical period of piglets’ life a few days after farrowing. In order to provide an indication of the time when sows should be confined in crates, ear tag-based acceleration data was modeled to provide the following two types of alarms: A “first-stage” alarm that indicates the beginning of nest-building behaviour, and a “second-stage” alarm that indicates the ending of the nest-building behaviour. In total, 53 sows were included in the experiment. Each sow had an ear tag with an accelerometer sensor mounted on the ear. Acceleration data were modeled with the Kalman filtering and fixed interval smoothing (KALMSMO) algorithm. It was possible to predict farrowing on the basis of increased activity in the validation dataset with a median of 8 h 51 min before the onset of farrowing. Alarms that indicated the need for confinement of the sow in a crate were generated with a median of 2 h 3 min before the onset of farrowing. These results suggest that the developed model should be sufficient to provide early warning of approaching farrowing and secondary alarm indicating the need to confine a sow in a crate.

It’s never too late to become an Ironman – The example of an 85-year-old triathlete

This study aimed to analyse the performance of Hiromu Inada (HI), an 85-year-old triathlete, who became the oldest athlete in the world to complete the famous Hawaii Ironman triathlon consisting of a 3.8 km swim, 180-km cycle and 42-km run. HI swam in 1 h 51 min, cycled in 8 h 02 min, ran in 6 h 28 min and took 31 min for his transitions, for a total time of 16 h 53 min. Compared to the winner’s speed, HI was 55, 47 and 58% slower in swimming, cycling and running, respectively. For the same age-group category (i.e. 85–89 years), the age-related decline in performances of HI are more pronounced compared to the age-related decline in performance of shorter duration endurance single discipline such as 1500-m swimming, 1-h track cycling or marathon running. To our knowledge, the performance of HI represents the first written observation of a master athlete older than 85 years old who officially finished an ultra-endurance event. The HI case is a clear example that humans can retain remarkable functionality until the end of their life span… if they train for it.