Stable Period (stable + period)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effect of amino acid and glucose administration following exercise on the turnover of muscle protein in the hindlimb femoral region of Thoroughbreds

EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue S36 2006
A. MATSUI
Summary Reasons for performing study: In man, muscle protein synthesis is accelerated by administering amino acids (AA) and glucose (Glu), because increased availability of amino acids and increased insulin secretion, is known to have a protein anabolic effect. However, in the horse, the effect on muscle hypertrophy of such nutrition management following exercise is unknown. Objectives: To determine the effect of AA and Glu administration following exercise on muscle protein turnover in horses. We hypothesise that administration of AA and Glu after exercise effects muscle hypertrophy in horses, as already shown in man and other animals. Methods: Measurements of the rate of synthesis (Rs) and rate of degradation (Rd) of muscle protein in the hindlimb femoral region of thoroughbred horses were conducted using the isotope dilution method to assess the differences between the artery and iliac vein. Six adult Thoroughbreds received a continuous infusion of L-[ring- 2H5]-phenylalanine during the study, the stable period for plasma isotope concentrations (60 min), resting periods (60 min), treadmill exercise (15 min) and recovery period (240 min). All horses were given 4 solutions (saline [Cont], 10% AA [10-AA], 10% Glu [10-Glu] and a mixture with 10% AA and 10% Glu [10-Mix]) over 120 min after exercise, and the Rs and Rd of muscle protein in the hindlimb measured. Results: The average Rs during the 75,120 min following administration of 10-Mix was significantly greater than for the other solutions (P<0.05). The second most effective solution was 10-AA, and there was no change in Rs after 10-Glu. Conclusions: Administration of AA following exercise accelerated Rs in the hindlimb femoral region, and this effect was enhanced when combined with glucose, because of increasing insulin secretion or a decreased requirement for AA for energy. Potential relevance: Further studies are required regarding the effect on muscle hypertrophy of supplementing amino acids and glucose in the feed of exercising horses. [source]


Landscape and Coast Development of A Lowland Fjord Margin Following Deglaciation, East Greenland

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2001
Louise Hansen
The landscapes of western Jameson Land bordering Hall Bredning fjord comprise upper river basins, glacial landscapes, lower river basins and a near-shore zone. The upper river basins are incised into bedrock and display no cover of young sediments whilst the glacial landscapes, located closer to the coast, are dominated by Pleistocene deposits and an irregular topography with hills and ridges. The lower river basins, dissecting the glacial landscapes, are connected to the upper river basins and contain well-defined Holocene delta terraces. The near-shore zone, which includes the present coast, displays a few raised shorelines. Geomorphological observations combined with stratigraphic work and 14C dates provide a chronological framework for the development of landscape and shoreline, as presented by a four-stage reconstruction. The first stage covers the deglaciation of western Jameson Land at the Weichselian-Holocene transition after a collapse of the main fjord glacier in Hall Bredning. The sea inundated the low-lying areas on Jameson Land forming small side-entry fjord basins that possibly follow the track of older valleys. This was followed by a second stage, the paraglacial period, when large meltwater production and sediment transport resulted in a fast infilling of the side-entry fjord basins by deltas. These are now exposed in terraces in the lower river basins at 70,80 m a.s.l. During a third stage, the relaxation period, fluvial activity decreased and the land surface was increasingly occupied by a cover of tundra vegetation. A glacio-isostatic rebound resulted in a relative sea level fall and fluvial incision. During stages two and three the coast was exposed to shallow marine processes that aided the alignment of the coast. Stages one to three presumably lasted for less than 2000 years. During stage four, the stable period, lasting for several thousand years till the present, there were minor adjustments of shoreline and landscape. The four-step reconstruction describes the sedimentary response of a lowland fjord margin to dramatic changes in climate and sea level. The distribution of erosion and sedimentation during this development was mainly controlled by topography. The reconstruction of the latest environmental development of Jameson Land puts new light on Jameson Land's long and complex Quaternary stratigraphic record. The reconstruction may also be used as a model for the interpretation of deposits in similar areas elsewhere. [source]


Stability in temperate reef communities over a decadal time scale despite concurrent ocean warming

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
RICK D. STUART-SMITH
Abstract Despite increasing scientific and public concerns on the potential impacts of global ocean warming on marine biodiversity, very few empirical data on community-level responses to rising water temperatures are available other than for coral reefs. This study describes changes in temperate subtidal reef communities over decadal and regional scales in a location that has undergone considerable warming in recent decades and is forecast to be a ,hotspot' for future warming. Plant and animal communities at 136 rocky reef sites around Tasmania (south-east Australia) were censused between 1992 and 1995, and again in 2006 and 2007. Despite evidence of major ecological changes before the period of study, reef communities appeared to remain relatively stable over the past decade. Multivariate analyses and univariate metrics of biotic communities revealed few changes with time, although some species-level responses could be interpreted as symptomatic of ocean warming. These included fishes detected in Tasmania only in recent surveys and several species with warmer water affinities that appeared to extend their distributions further south. The most statistically significant changes observed in species abundances, however, were not related to their biogeographical affinities. The majority of species with changing abundance possessed lower to mid-range abundances rather than being common, raising questions for biodiversity monitoring and management. We suggest that our study encompassed a relatively stable period following more abrupt change, and that community responses to ocean warming may follow nonlinear, step-like trajectories. [source]


Alpha-1-antitrypsin and complement component C7 are involved in asthma exacerbation

PROTEOMICS - CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 1 2008
Tatsuji Nishioka
Abstract Asthma is the most common chronic disorder in childhood and asthma exacerbation is an important cause of childhood morbidity and hospitalization. Allergic responses are known to be biased toward T-helper type 2 in asthmatics; however, the pathogenesis of asthma is not simple, and our understanding of the disease mechanism remains incomplete. The aim of the present study was to identify protein expression signatures that reflect acute exacerbation of asthma. Plasma was taken twice from pediatric asthmatic patients, once during asthma exacerbation and once during a stable period. Plasma was also taken from healthy children as a control. The protein profiles of plasma during asthma exacerbation were analyzed by 2-DE and 49 spots were differentially expressed during asthma exacerbation. Thirty-eight of the spots were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Proteins up- or down-regulated during asthma exacerbation were involved in responses to stress and pathogens, in the complement and coagulation cascades, and in acute-phase responses. Among the differentially expressed proteins, up-regulation of alpha-1-antitrypsin and complement component C7 was confirmed by nephelometry and ELISA. Our present results suggest that protease inhibitors and complement components may be involved in asthma exacerbation, and plasma level of alpha-1-antitrypsin may be a potential biomarker for asthma. [source]


A simple Markov chain structure for the evolution of credit ratings

APPLIED STOCHASTIC MODELS IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, Issue 6 2007
Amparo Baíllo
Abstract We focus on continuous Markov chains as a model to describe the evolution of credit ratings. In this work it is checked whether a simple, tridiagonal type of generator provides a good approximation to a general one. Three different tridiagonal approximations are proposed and their performance is checked against two generators, corresponding to a volatile and a stable period, respectively. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Real-time signal processing by adaptive repeated median filters

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADAPTIVE CONTROL AND SIGNAL PROCESSING, Issue 5 2010
K. Schettlinger
Abstract In intensive care, a basic goal is to extract the signals from very noisy time series in real time. We propose a robust online filter with an adaptive window width, which yields a smooth representation of the denoised data in stable periods and which is also able to trace typical patterns such as level shifts or trend changes with small time delay. Several versions of this method are evaluated and compared with a simulation study and on real data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]