This article was originally published by the Noble Foundation’s Ag News and Views, Ardmore, OK and was written by Eddie Funderburg.
A routine call we get involves a person who takes a soil sample this year and submits it for analysis. The data do not match the results of the last sample that was taken from the field three years ago. The logical question is, “why?”
The usual reason is that soils vary in pH and nutrient content across the field, so the results will be different if subsamples were taken from different parts of the field in each sample. However, there are other possible reasons, and those are the ones I want to analyze in this article.
The depth at which the samples are taken is critical. Soil labs assume the sample is taken from a depth of 0 to 6 inches unless they are told otherwise. Sometimes, real-world samples are not taken from a 0- to 6-inch depth. We primarily work in pasture and hayfield settings. When the soil is dry, it is difficult to get a probe in the ground deeper than 2 inches without breaking or bending it. If the soil is wet, we may go considerably deeper than 6 inches simply because we can.
Why is sampling depth critical?
Nutrient levels will usually be higher in the upper part of the soil in pasture and hayfield situations, as well as in no-till situations. Fertilizer and manure are placed on top of the ground, and plant roots cycle nutrients from deeper in the soil profile to the soil surface when the plants decompose. Therefore, if the sampling depth is shallower than 6 inches, your report will show higher nutrient levels than are actually present because you are sampling the more nutrient-rich portion of the soil. If you collect soil deeper than 6 inches, your report will show lower nutrient levels than are actually present because you are including portions of the soil that are less nutrient rich in the sample.
Some soil test data can vary by season of the year. Soil pH is usually higher when soil is collected in wet seasons and lower when collected in dry seasons. The soil test pH value can vary by as much as 0.5 units between seasons of the year. If the sample is collected in the spring, it is likely to show a higher pH value than if it is collected in the summer.
Soil test phosphorus (P) can also vary by season and soil moisture content. Phosphorus is more soluble in wet conditions than in dry, so soil test P levels can be higher when samples are collected in the spring than in the summer. If the soil is very wet, the differences can be substantial.
Soil test potassium (K) can vary according to time of year if certain crops are grown. Hay crops remove a great deal of potassium, so soil test K levels will often be lower in the fall after a season of hay has been removed than in the spring before haying commences. Grain crops contain a lot of potassium in the stalks and stover. This potassium is temporarily bound up in the plant residue but will be released when the residue decomposes. Potassium can be lower shortly after grain harvest (early summer for wheat and fall for corn, sorghum, cotton, etc.) but will increase up to planting time unless the stalks are removed from the field.
What can be done to manage for soil test variation? Collect soil samples at the same season of the year. You can collect samples at any time during the year, just do it in the same season each year to minimize the effect of seasonal variation. Collect soil samples at exactly 0 to 6 inches each time. I have a mark on my soil probe at 6 inches and press the probe into the ground to that depth each time. If the soil is so dry that you cannot get the probe 6 inches into the ground, don’t take soil samples that day.
Following these steps should help you develop a better nutrient management program through use of soil testing.
You can have fun while gathering soil samples. Here’s how:


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Kim Kardashian: 'I'm Not Looking' for a New Man
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New year, new attitude for Kim Kardashian!
The newly single reality star, 31, joined her family -- Kourtney, Khloe and Rob Kardashian plus mom Kris Jenner -- at Thursday night's opening of the Kardashian Kaos boutique at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and remained upbeat despite a rough 2011.
"I'm really thinking that 2011 was a lot of learning lessons," Kim told Us of the past 12 months, which saw her get engaged, married and split from Kris Humphries. '2012, I'm just excited for the New Year and the new me.”
Despite the sad, fast end of her marriage to Humphries, 26, the superstar insisted she hasn't ruled out getting married for a third time. "I believe in love…always," she said.
But she's not on the prowl for a new man just yet. "I'm not looking," she noted.
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17 November 2020
Senior MTN Group officials are on a “calming mission in Ghana”, following tensions between the Ghanaian subsidiary and the telecom regulator.
Ralph Mupita, chairman and CEO of South African telecom group MTN and Mcebisi Jonas, chairman of the board, have been in the west African country since October 27, 2020. It is as part of a tour of priority markets.
In a statement, MTN Ghana said that during the two-day trip, representatives of MTN Group who have already met with Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Kufuor, member of MTN Group’s international advisory board, will also hold meetings with minister of communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and minister of finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
During these various exchanges, the MTN Group delegation said it wanted to “align itself with certain key stakeholders on important issues of common interest”. The trip comes after some tensions between MTN Ghana and the government, following its designation as dominant operator which induces certain restrictions on its competitive capacities.
MTN Ghana, which appealed to Ghanaian courts last June to overturn the decision of the state, represented by the Communications Authority (NCA), finally ended the action in mid-October. The company stressed its willingness to settle this dispute amicably.
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“It is our expectation that this action will pave the way for further discussions and an amicable resolution, in the spirit of the renewed channels of engagement”, the statement read.
The operator noted “collective goodwill and commitment” was needed, to aid the country’s telecoms industry, and support government plans to enhance connectivity and communications services in Ghana. It added the decision to withdraw its court case was in the best interest of customers, shareholders and stakeholders.

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Starting at $13,295
The Hyperstrada extends the hypermotard concept to fascinating new horizons. ABS, DTC, windshield, side bags, dedicated ergonomics and a series of touring features offering a new riding experience for everyone who loves curves, even when they're far away from home.
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The new Hypermotard family has done it again with the latest design which offers, as with the first version, a stunning looking bike that is a joy to ride.

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Expert review and test of the Revel F-208 Loudspeakers by Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. Free pdf download included.
Revel is a dedicated high-end brand founded by Harman International in 1996, and the F-208s were designed by Kevin Voeks, who’s been Director of Engineering at Revel since that time. Voeks was previously the head designer at Snell, having taken over from founder Peter Snell after his tragic death from heart attack, aged just 38, in 1984. Prior to working at Snell, Voeks worked for famous Canadian manufacturer Mirage. As a point of interest, Revel was only the second company actually started by Harman (itself now owned by Samsung), because apart from the harman/kardon brand, all the other brands owned by Harman are the result of acquisitions and mergers.
Some measure of the popularity of Revel’s F-208 floor-standing loudspeakers can be gauged by the fact that this model has been a best-seller in Revel’s line-up ever since it was first introduced in 2014. It’s part of Revel’s Performa3 Series, which, being positioned between Revel’s PerformaBe Series and its Concerta2 Series, puts it exactly in the middle of Revel’s five different series (not counting its architectural speakers).
The curvy cabinets in the Performa3 Series are similar to those used for the company’s flagship Ultima2 Series, being formed with contiguous wood layers and finished in high-gloss piano black or genuine American walnut using a process Revel says: ‘is developed and overseen by Italian luxury cabinet-makers and exceeds automotive finish quality.’
(The last words of this comment are no doubt a dig against speaker manufacturers who boast of using ‘high-tech automotive paints’ on their cabinets.)
The Revel F-208s are certainly impressive, as they stand more than one metre tall (1.182 metres, to be precise) and sport no fewer than four drivers on the front baffle—two 200mm-diameter aluminium-coned bass drivers, a 133mm-diameter aluminium-coned midrange driver and a single 25mm aluminium-domed tweeter. This means, of course, that the Revel F-208 is a true three-way design, which is my favourite implementation because it means that the all-important midrange frequencies are being reproduced by a single driver that’s dedicated to the task, so you not only get the purest tonality but also point-source sonic delivery.
The bass and midrange drivers have resonance-free cast aluminium chassis and the voice-coils and magnets use a geometry that results in a stable flux field even at high volume levels, which has the effect of reducing distortion. The aluminium cones have ribbing that Voeks says results in more piston-like behaviour which ‘eliminates a major source of resonances that are clearly audible in most other loudspeakers.’ The surrounds of the bass drivers and midrange driver are made from Santoprene, which is a thermoplastic vulcanizate made from rubber particles encapsulated in polypropylene. Santoprene combines the longevity of rubber with the flexibility of foam without any of the drawbacks of either material and as a result is one of the very best materials available for use in loudspeaker surrounds.
Rather unusually for a high-end loudspeaker, the Revel F-208 uses high-order crossover slopes either side of both crossover frequencies (270Hz and 2.2kHz). Although it’s not stated in the specifications, Voeks estimates the order as approximating that of a 4th-order (24dB/octave) Linkwitz-Riley characteristic. Voeks says that it’s essential to use higher-order crossover slopes in a loudspeaker if you want low distortion characteristics, minimal compression and high dynamic range. This is because if you use low-order crossover slopes the drivers are being fed audio signals that are outside the frequency range they’re designed to handle, so most of the audio signal voltage ends up simply heating up the voice-coils. ‘The heat makes the voice-coil impedance go up, and as a result of that the filter network is mis-terminated because it’s not seeing the termination impedance it expects to see, then the network doesn’t work right anymore and you get peaks and dips in the response,’ says Voeks. Also, when a voice-coil gets hot, it introduces dynamic compression, which squashes dynamic range.
The 25mm aluminium-domed tweeter in the Revel F-208 has a integrated acoustic lens waveguide that Voeks says not only ensures that its dispersion characteristics match that of the midrange transducer in the crossover region, but also actually increases the tweeter’s dispersion at higher frequencies. ‘This gives the loudspeaker very smooth sound far off-axis,’ says Voeks, ‘providing consistent sound over an exceptionally wide listening area, which is an important contributor to overall sound quality.’
I loved that the tweeters on the F-208 are at seated ear-height, which is ideal acoustically. And of course you don’t have to use any ungainly (and often very costly!) stands to accomplish this—one of the many advantages of a good floor-standing design. I also loved that the tweeter dome is aluminium, because if you’re going to have any chance of making your speakers sound cohesive right across the frequency range, a very good starting point is to make sure that all the driver diaphragms are made of identical material. Designers who try to marry paper-coned bass-drivers with a metal-coned midrange and a fabric dome tweeter are behind the eight-ball before they even start!
A bass-reflex design, the Revel F-208’s port is on the front baffle, which simplifies room positioning, and the circular port is flared at both ends to minimise port-generated noise. You can ‘tune’ the speakers by fitting the ports with soft foam ‘plugs’. Revel says of these: ‘If your loudspeakers are located less than about 611mm from walls or other large objects, inserting the port plugs into the loudspeaker’s port openings can reduce the overly-aggressive bass output that can be created by the speaker’s proximity to large surfaces that reflect bass energy. In the F-208 you can experiment with the port plugs in conjunction with the loudspeaker’s Low-Frequency Compensation adjustment to fine-tune the low-frequency performance even further.’
So what is this Low Frequency Compensation adjustment? It’s a feature of the Revel F-208 that I have not yet got around to mentioning, so now seems as a good a time as any to do so. But before I do, however, we’ll first need to take a quick look at some basic physics, which is that the low-frequency output of any loudspeaker will be greater when it is located close to one or more boundaries (walls, floor, ceiling etc) than it is when it’s located away from such a boundary. This is because the boundary essentially acts as a reflector to concentrate the bass energy. Think about a light bulb. If you just put a single bulb in the middle of the room, its light will shine in all directions, lighting up all parts of the room equally.
If, however, you put a reflector behind the bulb, all the light that would normally have been sent behind the bulb will be reflected forwards. The result will be that the room in front of the reflector will be brighter than before, while the area of the room obscured by the reflector will be darker. Yet the bulb itself is producing exactly the same amount of light as previously.
Exactly the same effect occurs with the low frequencies produced by a speaker.
If you put a speaker in the middle of a room, the low-frequencies will spread out omnidirectionally from the cabinet, so that the sound will be almost equally as loud behind the speaker as it is at the front of the speaker. If you move the speaker closer to a boundary, that boundary will reflect the sound forward, increasing the level compared to if the speaker had been in the centre of the room. This effect only occurs at low frequencies, because high frequencies are more directional so, for example, very little of the sound from a tweeter goes behind the cabinet: some does, but most of it goes forwards.
All speaker designers know all about this of course, but none of them know where you will place your speakers, so almost all of them design their speakers to deliver the maximum bass output the drivers are capable of delivering and most of them do their measurements with their speakers elevated from the floor and well clear of any boundaries… even, sometimes, in large anechoic chambers, where there are no boundary effects at all.
This means that when you put these speakers in your room, you will get more bass than the designer’s measurements would indicate, because you are putting the speakers on the floor. And if you move the speakers closer to a room boundary such as a wall, you’ll get even more bass. And if you move the speaker close to a side wall as well, yet more bass again!
It is exactly to counteract this effect that the Revel F-208 has a ‘Low Frequency Compensation’ switch that can be used to reduce the speaker’s bass response when the speaker is operated close to a boundary. The switch has two positions—one marked ‘Normal’ and the other marked ‘Boundary’. The F-208 Owner’s Manual notes that you should: ‘Select the Normal setting if the loudspeaker is located at least 910mm from walls. Select the Boundary setting if the loudspeaker is built into an entertainment centre or shelving unit or if the loudspeaker is located less than about 610mm from walls and other objects.’ (Obviously some of this text is meant to apply to the smaller models in the Performa3 Series range that are fitted with LFC switches, because you would not build the F-208 into an entertainment centre!)
You can also adjust the output level of the tweeter, using a five-position ‘Tweeter Level’ switch that has positions for –1.0dB, –0.5dB, 0dB, +0.5dB and +1.0dB. Revel’s Owner’s Manual doesn’t go into much detail about adjusting this switch, noting only that you should: ‘Adjust the Tweeter Level switch on each loudspeaker to change the high-frequency level and fine-tune the overall tonal balance.’ The position you select will depend somewhat on your personal preferences, but assuming that you are after a nice linear and extended high-frequency response, you would use the +0.5dB or +1dB settings if your listening position is a considerable distance from the speakers and/or your room has lots of absorptive surfaces, and either the –0.5dB or –1.0dB settings if your listening position is fairly close to the speakers and/or your room has lots of reflective surfaces (hard floors, mirrors, window glass etc).
Both the Tweeter Level and the Low Frequency Compensation switches are rotary controls that are mounted at the rear of the speaker in a moulding that also houses the dual bi-wireable multi-way gold-plated speaker terminal posts.
Revel has built the F-208s speakers so they look equally attractive when used with or without grilles. The grilles are made from black cloth stretched over a very thin, insubstantial plastic frame (all the better to minimise diffraction) and attach to the front baffle via magnets, so there are no fittings visible if you decide to use the speakers without the grilles. The Revel F-208 is available in high-gloss piano black or walnut finishes. Each cabinet measures 1182×300×375mm (HWD) and weighs 36kg.
In Use and Performance
Getting good sound in any room is more about getting the acoustics of the room right first (not too bright, not too damped, eliminating resonances and room modes and so on) and then about correctly positioning the speakers in that room, after which all other considerations come a distant second… assuming that there’s some synergy between the various components in your system and they’re all of a minimum technical standard.
The fact that the Revel F-208 design allows you to experiment with not only the actual physical positioning of the speakers in the listening room, but also with the speakers’ acoustical interaction with the room by means of the port plugs and the Low Frequency Compensation and Tweeter Level switches makes it far more likely that you’re going to get better sound in your room as a result, along with a greater freedom to position the speakers where you like than you would otherwise. All of this therefore gives the Revel F-208s an instant and huge advantage over speaker designs that don’t offer these options.
If you decide to use the port plugs, you need to insert them into the loudspeaker’s port far enough that the end of the plug is flush with the inside end of the port tube’s external flared section. However, the port in the F-208 is relatively short (165mm in length) that you have to be a bit careful not to push the plug too far in, otherwise it might drop down inside the cabinet. In the unlikely event this happens you’ll have to remove it, which will involve some careful work with a bendable gripping tool, a mirror and a flash-light or getting someone with extremely thin arms to assist (the port is only 75mm in diameter).
In my listening room I found I didn’t need to use the port plugs at all, and also found the Revel F-208s delivered ideal bass levels with the Low Frequency Compensation switches on both speakers set to ‘Normal’ and best treble with the Tweeter Level switches on both speakers set to ‘0dB’. (But note that the settings you use on one speaker do not have to be the same as the other. If, for example, your left speaker is close to a side wall, but the right speaker isn’t, you might have the LFC switch on the left speaker set to ‘Boundary’ and the LFC switch on the right speaker set to ‘Normal’.) Note also that I did not fit the grilles for my listening sessions. If you do use the grilles, you might like to set the Tweeter Level switch to +0.5dB to compensate for the absorption of the grille cloth.
So far as positioning was concerned, since my listening room is quite large, I was comfortably able to have both speakers a bit over two metres from the rear wall which seemed to provide the best stage depth. I found I achieved the best stereo imaging when I toed both speakers inwards so the tweeter paths crossed in front of the listening position, rather than converging exactly at the listening position. If, for aesthetic reasons, you’d prefer to have the speakers facing directly up the room, I’d suggest you might think about setting both Tweeter Level switches to their +1.0dB positions. (And,
if you move the speakers closer to the rear wall than I had them, also set the LFC switches to ‘Boundary’.)
I started out my listening sessions with a preconceived notion that the extreme high frequencies of the Revel F-208 might be slightly forward in the mix—a bit ‘hot’ if you prefer looser terminology—because the F-208s have been reviewed quite a few times over the four years they’ve been available, and some reviewers mentioned this as a characteristic of the F-208’s treble performance, and it’s a characteristic that’s often associated with metal dome tweeters because many of them have a resonant peak fairly close to—but higher than—25kHz.
Despite my preconceived notion, I am happy to be able to report that I heard nothing but absolutely clear, linear—and extraordinarily extended—treble… with no heat in the highs at all from my review F-208s. It may have been my room, which is very treble-friendly, or it may be that designer Kevin Voeks has ‘tweaked’ the treble of the latest models downwards slightly to address the concerns of the reviewers of earlier models… or it may simply be that they were wrong. It was because my judgement was that the treble was perfectly balanced against the midrange—and, indeed, against the bass—that I left the Tweeter Level control at 0dB where I’d set it as a start-out position, as noted previously. But if I had thought the treble was a little ‘hot’, I would have at least had the option to wind it back to –0.5dB or –1.0dB… options that will be available to you if you disagree with me about the treble.
As for the sonic purity of the treble, I was captivated. Brushed cymbals sounded just as they should, and the violin sound was perfectly true, with the G-string sounding soulfully sonorous, with a slightly dark tone, especially when compared to the E-string’s brighter, more lustrous tone. Particularly telling of the accuracy of the high-frequency sound was that the harmonics were not at all ‘stringy’ but more flute-like in character, exactly as a well-played violin should sound.
The midrange of the Revel F-208 was vividly revealed by the sound of The Franklin Electric’s album ‘This Is How I Let You Down.’ I knew I was in for an aural treat from the very first track, Strongest Man Alive. I’ve always been able to hear Alexis Messier’s fretting on this track—impossible to miss, frankly—but listening via the Revel F-208s the ‘metallicness’ of the sound was much more stringily metallic than I’ve ever heard it before. Curiously, rather than detracting, it also ended up being intertwined with the music itself, rather like an additional percussion instrument had been thrown into the mix. The clarity of Jon Matte’s voice on this track was superb… and the precision of the delivery from the Revel F-208 meant I could hear every intake of breath, every nuance of expression, every minute tonal inflexion.
The second track, Unsatisfied, highlighted the Revel F-208’s ability to deliver an incredibly realistic stereo image, along with a totally believable acoustic. Listen to the variety of different sounds Liam Killen creates with the drums and cymbals in his drum kit… it’s almost as if he’s conducting a conversation. Listen to the snap of the stick on skin, and on copper, and to the equally snappy bass delivery from the Revel F-208: the bass is delivered tight and fast, without overhang.
Track three, from which the album takes its title, is by far and away the triumph on this album. The Revel F-208s’ dynamic ability was ideal for the song’s slow build, with the tonal quality remaining pure and true irrespective of volume level. My second-favourite track, Watching From a Roof Top, highlighted the Revel’s delivery of PRAT, the syncopated drum beats contrasting with the haunting sound of the trumpets and keeping perfectly separate—yet at the same time wonderfully together—the vocals of Matte and Killen. This is a great album, by the way. Classified as alternative folk-pop, it’s one of the best ‘late-night’ albums I’ve ever heard… beautifully lazy, exquisitely sad and excellently recorded—most notably the sound of Jon Matte’s trumpet.
Piano is a wonderful test of any loudspeaker because it’s a percussion instrument that also has an enormous frequency range and extraordinary dynamics. Many of my favourite piano recordings for testing loudspeakers are recordings by Glenn Gould, not just because I get to admire his talent whilst auditioning, but also because of the quality of his recordings and because I get to hear the piano from the pianist’s sonic perspective. This means close-miked sound with tremendous dynamic range (in Gould’s case it also means you get to hear his vocalese, but that’s something you just get used to… or not). Unlike most pianists, Gould was a stickler for getting the sound of the piano correct… as well as the performance itself.
To hear Gould at his best it’s very hard to go past his last recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and very hard to go past the Revel F-208s’ ability to render it. Close your eyes and prepare to be amazed. The complete continuity of the sound from the very lowest notes on the piano to the highest is extraordinary. Every note is at the correct volume, irrespective of pitch, and the ‘tone’ of each note is identical to that alongside it, changing only when the thickness of the piano strings the hammer is hitting changes… and yes, you can hear that very clearly also. I marvelled at the attack sound the Revel F-208s were able to deliver in Variations 9 and 10, particularly against the sustained sounds of Gould’s other hand.
The ability for the drivers to ‘stop’ when required is crucial when playing the Goldbergs, and the Revel F-208s also accomplished this perfectly. I was totally impressed that the bass of the Revel F-208s is so balanced. More than a few high-end speakers who can afford to spend bucket-loads of money installing the world’s finest (and often biggest!) bass drivers in their products find that they then can’t resist the temptation to exaggerate it. Voeks has not done this with the F-208s—the bass is neither forward nor is it recessed: It’s exactly where it should be. If you are doing an A–B comparison with another speaker system and that system has louder bass than the Revel F-208, then that other speaker is wrong!
If you are going an A–B comparison, another thing you should watch out for is that in some cases you might think you’re hearing that the sound from the Revel F-208s is lacking in ‘warmth’, whereas what you’re actually hearing is a total lack of distortion and colouration combined with a completely linear and accurate frequency response. If you find this is happening, listen to the Revel F-208s exclusively for an hour or so and then switch back and you’ll realise that it’s the F-208s that are being truthful to the original sound quality and that it’s the other speakers that are tonally compromised by excessive distortion and colouration. Prove it to yourself by listening to the voice of London Grammar’s Hannah Reid. Any disc will do, but I used ‘Truth is a Beautiful Thing’, just so I could labour the bit about truthfulness in this review (because musically I actually prefer Grammar’s earlier album, ‘If You Wait’). You’ll hear Reid’s voice is delicate, yet at the same time powerful and although it’s a rich sound, it’s not overly rich. Take the opportunity to also marvel at the pin-point accuracy of the stereo imaging of the F-208s, which is always an indicator of both driver quality and quality control during final assembly.
If you’re looking for a true reference pair of loudspeakers, speakers that do absolutely everything well and have no shortcomings at all, you need look no further. Deep bass? Tick. Neutral midrange? Tick. Extended treble? Tick. Unrivalled dynamics? Tick. Completely uncoloured sound? Tick. I could go on with my tick-box examples, but the real proof will come when you listen to the Revel F-208s yourself. They reproduce music so accurately, so musically—and so natural-sounding—that you’ll be captivated. # greg borrowman
Readers interested in a full technical appraisal of the performance of the Revel F-208 Loudspeakers should continue on and read the LABORATORY REPORT published on the following pages. Readers should note that the results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or displayed using graphs and/or photographs should be construed as applying only to the specific sample tested.
Laboratory Test Report
The frequency response of the Revel F-208, as measured by Newport Test Labs, is shown in Graph 1 and you can see that it’s flat and extended, particularly so at the low-frequency end of the audio spectrum.
Overall, it extends from 42Hz to 26kHz ±3dB. Note also that there’s no spectral skew on the response that would indicate a particular portion of the audio spectrum is dominant—the ±dB variations are fairly evenly distributed across the frequency response. You should particularly note the spectacular smoothness and linearity of the response between about 120Hz and 15kHz. The response almost tracks the graph line up to 1.2kHz, so is effectively ±1dB, then there’s a small dip between 1.2kHz and 3kHz, the lowest part of which is 2.5dB below reference, after which the response is around ±2dB out to 15kHz before rolling off to be –2.5dB at 20kHz. This is an excellent response.
Graph 2 shows a detailed view of the Revel F-208’s high-frequency response, showing response with and without the grille fitted. It’s immediately apparent that the grille has very little affect on performance, but interestingly enough, the very deep suck-out in the response up at 27kHz is ameliorated when the grille is fitted. This is of academic interest only, because it would not be possible to hear this particular dip in the response in any event, as it’s too high in frequency and too narrow in bandwidth.
The effect of the Revel F-208’s high-frequency control is shown in Graph 3 (with the grille fitted) and you can see that it has exactly the plus minus 1dB effect on the response that Revel claims for it… at least over the bandwidth between 3kHz and 23kHz. Below 3kHz the amount of boost and cut (for the record, it’s all cut, there’s no ‘boost’—the settings should more accurately be called 0dB, –0.5dB –1dB, –1.5dB and –2dB) tapers off below 3kHz and there’s no effect on response at all below 2kHz. As this would represent second from top ‘C’ on the piano keyboard, this control is really only going to affect harmonics, rather than fundamentals.
Graph 4 shows that the low-frequency response of the Revel F-208 rolls off very smoothly, that there’s no unwanted output from the bass reflex port and that the acoustic crossover between the bass drivers and the midrange occurs at around 230Hz.
The impedance of the Revel F-208 (the red trace on Graph 5) is controlled, but dips below 4Ω at a number of points across the audio spectrum, most importantly to 3.5Ω at 100Hz. Nevertheless, the design could to all intents and purposes be regarded as having a nominal impedance of 4Ω, despite not completely conforming with the specification for such a rating according to IEC 60628-5. However, it does mean that the driving amplifier should be comfortable driving 4Ω loads and that if you use a valve amp, you should use the 4Ω taps.
The effect of the Revel F-208’s boundary switch is shown in Graph 6, where the black trace is the frequency response of the speaker when measured well clear of any boundaries (except the floor) and the boundary switch set to Normal. This trace was obtained in the far-field, using pink noise, so the outputs of the bass drivers and the port are able to combine, and you can see that it is remarkably flat down to 60Hz, after which it rolls off to be 5dB down at 40Hz and 9dB down at 30Hz.
The red trace shows the response when the speaker is in exactly the same position and the boundary switch is set to Boundary. You can see that output is reduced by about 4dB between 60Hz and 100Hz, and having progressively less effect with increasing frequency above 100Hz, and around 3dB below 60Hz. This should work well in for all conceivable speaker positions.
The in-room response of the Revel F-208 is shown in Graph 7 and, as you can see for yourself, it is outstandingly flat, virtually tracking the graphing line from the top of the start of the low-frequency roll-off at 60Hz right up to the graph limit of 10kHz. Graph 8 is a composite that puts many of the responses measured by Newport Test Labs on the one graph: the graph caption indicates what’s been shown.
Newport Test Labs measured the sensitivity of the Revel F-208 using its standard procedure as being 87.5dBSPL, which is a little lower than Revel’s specification of 88.5dBSPL, but an excellent result that means it’s still more efficient than most floor-standing designs.
Overall, the Revel F-208 returned outstandingly good performance in all of the tests conducted by Newport Test Labs. A truly excellent design achievement. # Steve Holding


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Descoton Extra is used to disinfect and clean endoscopes and TEE-probes.
Descoton Extra is a combination product without formaldehyde and almost odourless. It is used to disinfect endoscopes and medical instruments. It protects from corrosion and is gentle on the material. The instrument disinfectant is also suitable for ultrasound baths. Only low concentrations are necessary.

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Fodor's Expert Review Las Pocitas
Acceso Mancora, off Panamericano Norte, Máncora, Piura, Peru
This full-service, family-friendly hotel has a large pool, restaurant, bar, game area, and a beautiful beach. Relax in a hammock on your room's terrace or join other guests at one of the many hotel facilities. If you want to explore more than just the beach, the staff can arrange horseback riding, surfing lessons, a sailing trip, massages, and tours of nearby mangroves.
- larger spaces than most hotels
- all rooms are on the first floor and face the ocean
- if all you want is the beach, you can stay somewhere else for less
Rate Includes: Free breakfast

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Mechanisms mediating the protective effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) are not well understood. This study explored the possibility that H2 exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by modulating energy metabolic pathway switch. Activities of glycolytic and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation systems were assessed in asthmatic patients and in mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. The effects of hydrogen treatment on airway inflammation and on changes in activities of these two pathways were evaluated. Monocytes from asthmatic patients and lungs from ovalbumin-sensitized and challenged mice had increased lactate production and glycolytic enzyme activities (enhanced glycolysis), accompanied by decreased ATP production and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I and III activities (suppressed mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation), indicating an energy metabolic pathway switch. Treatment of ovalbumin-sensitized and challenged mice with hydrogen reversed the energy metabolic pathway switch, and mitigated airway inflammation. Hydrogen abrogated ovalbumin sensitization and challenge-induced upregulation of glycolytic enzymes and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and downregulation of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α. Hydrogen abrogated ovalbumin sensitization and challenge-induced sirtuins 1, 3, 5 and 6 downregulation. Our data demonstrates that allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch from oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. Hydrogen inhibits airway inflammation by reversing this switch. Hydrogen regulates energy metabolic reprogramming by acting at multiple levels in the energy metabolism regulation pathways.
In the past decade, the therapeutic potential of molecular hydrogen (H2) is increasingly recognized1,2. Studies have shown that H2, administered by inhalation as hydrogen gas, by oral ingestion of hydrogen-rich water or by injection of hydrogen-rich saline (HRS), alleviates pathologies and improves outcomes in a wide range of pathological conditions2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22. However, the mechanisms mediating the protective effects of H2 are not well understood. H2 is small molecule that rapidly diffuses into cells and reacts with strong oxidants in cells1. The antioxidant activities could explain multiple beneficial effects of H2. H2 may act through disease-specific mechanisms and modulate specific pathways. Which mechanisms and pathways are modulated by H2 and how H2 may modulate these mechanisms and pathways remain essentially unknown.
Recently, the role of energy metabolic reprogramming in immune inflammatory response has drawn much attention23,24,25. Under normoxic conditions, cells produce ATP primarily through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Under hypoxic conditions, cells produce ATP mainly through anaerobic glycolysis25. However, cancer cells produce ATP predominantly through glycolysis even in the presence of abundant oxygen (aerobic glycolysis)26. This energy metabolic switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells provides a means of quickly producing ATP and other metabolites that support the rapid growth of cancer cells. Activated immune inflammatory cells undergo much the same metabolic pathway switch23,24,25, which rapidly provides ATP and metabolic intermediates for the biosynthesis of immune and inflammatory proteins to lunch immune response. This metabolic reprogramming has been linked to multiple processes of immune activation23,24,25,27 and contributes significantly to many pathological processes in which inflammation plays a role. Modulation of this energy metabolic reprogramming could be a novel mechanism by which H2, and many other therapeutic agents, exert their anti-inflammatory and protective activities. However, neither the effect of H2 on energy metabolic reprogramming nor the mechanisms mediating the H2’s effects have been studied. Additionally, it remains unclear whether allergic inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch.
Using asthma as a model of allergic inflammation, this study explored the possibility that H2 exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by modulating energy metabolic pathway switch, and studied the mechanisms by which H2 regulates energy metabolic reprogramming. We demonstrated that allergic airway inflammation is associated with a metabolic pathway switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis, and that H2 mitigates allergic airway inflammation by reversing this metabolic pathway switch. H2 modulates energy metabolic pathway switch by acting at multiple levels of the regulatory pathways that regulate energy metabolism. Our studies reveal a new mechanism by which H2 exerts its anti-inflammatory activity and protects against allergic inflammation.
Energy metabolic pathway switch in asthmatic patients
Prior studies have shown that asthmatic patients had elevated serum and sputum levels of lactate and that cell from asthmatic patients produced higher amounts of lactate upon stimulation28,29. OVA sensitization and challenge upregulated glycolysis enzyme expression in rat lungs30. However, whether an enhanced glycolysis is accompanied by a reduced OXPHOS activity (whether an energy metabolic pathway switch occurs) remains unclear. To study whether H2 may regulate energy metabolic reprogramming, we first ascertained whether allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic reprogramming.
We characterized energy metabolic pathways in PBMCs of asthmatic and control subjects. Table 1 summarizes the demographic information for the two groups. There were no differences in age, sex, BMI, or smoking history between the 2 groups. Patients with asthma displayed an increased blood eosinophil count, and lower FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio. PBMCs from asthmatic patients showed a significantly increased lactate production (Fig. 1A) and decreased ATP production (Fig. 1B). Consistent with the increased lactate and decreased ATP production, asthmatic PBMCs had significantly increased HK and PFK activities (Fig. 1C,D), two key enzymes that catalyze the glycolysis reaction, significantly decreased mitochondrial OXPHOS complex I and III activities (Fig. 1E,F), which catalyze the oxidation-reduction in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, and a decreased CS activity (Fig. 1G), the pace-making enzyme in the first step of the Krebs cycle. The enhanced glycolytic activity and repressed OXPHOS activity in association with an increased lactate and decreased ATP production in asthmatic PBMCs suggest that asthma is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis.
Energy metabolic pathway switch in mouse model of allergic airway inflammation
We used a well-established mouse model of OVA sensitization and challenge-induced airway inflammation to study the mechanisms by which H2 modulates allergic inflammation-associated energy metabolic pathway switch. OVA-sensitized and challenged mice developed significant airway inflammation, and showed a significantly increased lung tissue level of lactate, and decreased lung issue level of ATP production (Fig. 2A,B). The increased lactate production was accompanied by increased HK and PFK activities (Fig. 2C,D), whereas the decreased ATP production was accompanied by decreased mitochondrial complex I and III activities (Fig. 2E,F), and a decreased CS activity (Fig. 2G). Thus, allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis in mouse model.
H2 reverses allergic inflammation-associated energy metabolic pathway switch
To examine whether H2 modulates allergic inflammation-associated energy metabolic pathway switch, we treated mice with HRS for 7 days. HRS had no effects on OXPHOS and glycolytic activities in control mice (Fig. 2A,B, HRS), but prevented the elevation in lactate and reduction in ATP production in lungs of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice (Fig. 2A,B, OVA vs HRS + OVA). Consistently, HRS attenuated the increase in HK and PFK activities (Fig. 2C,D, OVA vs HRS + OVA), the decrease in mitochondrial OXPHOS complex I and III activities (Fig. 2E,F, OVA vs HRS + OVA), and the decrease in CS activity (Fig. 2G, OVA vs HRS + OVA) in lungs of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. These results suggest that H2 reverses OVA sensitization and challenge-induced metabolic pathway switch by inhibiting the stimulation of glycolytic enzyme activities and by relieving the inhibition of OXPHOS enzyme activities.
H2 counter-regulates OVA sensitization and challenge-induced HIF-1α upregulation and PGC-1α downregulation
Genes encoding glycolytic or OXPHOS enzymes are regulated by HIF-1α or PGC-1α31,32,33. We examined the effects of HRS, and OVA sensitization and challenge on HIF-1α and PGC-1α expressions and activities. OVA sensitization and challenge increased HIF-1α nuclear translocation (stimulated HIF-1α activity), which was inhibited by HRS treatment (Fig. 3A,B). By contrast, OVA sensitization and challenge downregulated PGC-1α protein expression, and HRS treatment reversed this downregulation (Fig. 3C). Considering that HIF-1α regulates the expression of numerous genes encoding enzymes that make up the glycolytic machinery31,32 and that PGC-1α regulates the expression of numerous genes mediating mitochondrial biogenesis and OXPHOS33, these results suggest that OVA sensitization and challenge may cause energy metabolic pathway switch by upregulating HIF-1α and downregulating PGC-1α. H2 may reverse this pathway switch by counter-regulating this up- and down-regulation.
H2 abrogates sirtuin downregulation in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice
The sirtuin family of proteins is an upstream modulator of HIF-1α and PGC-1α34,35,36. We assessed the effects of H2 on sirtuin expression. HRS upregulated basal mRNA expression of all 7 mammalian sirtuins in control lungs (Fig. 4A). OVA sensitization and challenge variably regulated sirtuin mRNA expression, downregulating sirtuins 1, 3, 5 and 6 markedly, upregulating sirtuin 7 moderately, and causing little changes in sirtuins 2 and 4 expression (Fig. 4B). At protein level, OVA sensitization and challenge downregulated sirtuin 1, 3 and 6 expressions in the lungs (Fig. 4C–E). HRS treatment partially reversed sirtuin 1, 3, 5 and 6 mRNA downregulation (Fig. 4B), inhibited sirtuin 7 mRNA upregulation (Fig. 4B), and reversed sirtuins 1, 3 and 6 protein downregulation (Fig. 4C–E). In parallel to sirtuin downregulation, levels of acetylated HIF-1α, acetylated PGC-1α and acetylated p65, major targets of sirtuin deacetylase, were significantly increased in the same lungs of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice (Fig. 5A–C), indicating a reduced sirtuin deacetylase activity. Treatment of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice with HRS reduced lung levels of acetylated HIF-1α, PGC-1α and p65, indicating restoration of sirtuin deacetylase activity (Fig. 5A–C).
H2 restores mitochondrial NAD production in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice
H2 and OVA sensitization and challenge may regulate sirtuin deacetylase activity by altering its substrate availability. NAD is an obligatory substrate for sirtuin deacetylase activity, and NAMPT is the rate-limiting enzyme in NAD biosynthesis36,37. We measured lung mitochondrial levels of NAD, NAD/NADH and NAMPT. OVA sensitization and challenge significantly reduced lung mitochondrial levels of NAD, NAD/NADH and NAMPT, which were prevented by HRS treatment (Fig. 6A–C, OVA vs OVA + HRS), suggesting that H2 relieves OVA sensitization and challenge-induced repression of sirtuin deacetylase activity by improving NAD synthesis or/and availability.
H2 ameliorates allergic airway inflammation
Reversal of metabolic pathway switch by HRS treatment was associated with an improved pathology and functional outcome. OVA sensitization and challenge caused significant airway inflammation, as indicated by airway inflammatory cell infiltration, and epithelial injury and detachment (Fig. 7A), two major characteristics of the structural changes in allergic airway inflammation. OVA-sensitized and challenged mice had significantly increased number of BALF inflammatory cell count, particularly eosinophil count (Fig. 7B), airway hyperresponsiveness (Fig. 7C), significantly elevated BALF levels of IL-4 and IL-5 (Fig. 7D,E), and elevated BALF total and OVA-specific IgE (Fig. 7F,G). Treatment of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice with HRS ameliorated the pathological changes in airways (Fig. 7A), reduced the number of BALF inflammatory cell count (Fig. 7B), alleviated airway hyperresponsiveness (Fig. 7C), and reduced BALF levels of cytokines and IgE (Fig. 7D–G). HRS also alleviated oxidant stress in the lungs. HRS treatment mitigated changes in mitochondrial morphology (Fig. 8A), inhibited the increases in BALF leukocyte and lung mitochondrial ROS production (Fig. 8B,C), and attenuated the decreases in mitochondrial Mn-SOD and GSH-Px activities (Fig. 8D,E) in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. Thus, reversal of metabolic pathway switch by HRS treatment is associated with an improvement in airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness.
This study demonstrates that allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch, and that H2 mitigates allergic airway inflammation by reversing this energy metabolic pathway switch. We showed that PBMCs from patients with asthma and lungs from mice with OVA sensitization and challenge-induced airway inflammation displayed an increased level of lactate and decreased level of ATP productions, indicating an enhanced glycolysis and repressed OXPHOS. The increased lactate production was accompanied by increased glycolytic enzyme, PFK and HK, activities, whereas the decreased ATP production was accompanied by decreased mitochondrial OXPHOS complex I and III activities, and a decreased CS activity. Thus, we have demonstrated that allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch from OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis. The biochemical basis for this switch is likely to be an upregulation of glycolytic enzyme activities and a downregulation of OXPHOS enzyme activities.
Treatment of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice with HRS reversed the increase in lactate production and decrease in ATP production. HRS treatment also reversed the increase in PFK and HK activities and the decrease in mitochondrial OXPHOS complex I and III, and CS activities. Concomitantly, HRS treatment mitigated allergic airway inflammation and airway hyperreponsiveness in these mice. This result suggests that H2 inhibits airway inflammation by reversing the energy metabolic pathway switch. H2 reverses energy metabolic switch by inhibiting glycolytic enzyme activities and by stimulating mitochondrial OXPHOS enzyme activities. Our data demonstrates a novel mechanism that H2 exerts its anti-inflammatory action by regulating energy metabolic reprogramming.
H2 may modulate the allergic inflammation-associated energy metabolic reprogramming by multiple mechanisms. OVA sensitization and challenge stimulated PFK and HK activities, and suppressed mitochondrial OXPHOS complex I and III activities. HRS treatment inhibited this stimulation and relieved this suppression, indicating that H2 may directly modulate glycolytic and OXPHOS activities. H2 may also act at upstream regulatory elements. OVA sensitization and challenge upregulated HIF-1α activity and downregulated PGC-1α expression. HRS treatment prevented the up- and down-regulation. It is well documented that HIF-1α mediates the transcription of multiple genes in the glycolytic pathway, including PFK and HK genes35,36. PGC-1α regulates the expression of multiple genes that mediate OXPHOS and mitochondrial biogenesis33,35,36,37. OVA sensitization and challenge may cause metabolic pathway switch by HIF-1α-mediated upregulation of HK and PFK, as well as other glycolytic enzymes, and by PGC-1α-mediated downregulation of OXPHOS enzymes. H2 may reverse the energy metabolic pathway switch by counter-regulating the up- and down-regulation.
The sirtuin family of proteins is upstream regulator of HIF-1α and PGC-1α34,35,36,37, and may play important roles in H2-mediated modulation of energy metabolic switch and in H2-mediated protection against allergic airway inflammation. OVA sensitization and challenge downregulated sirtuin expression and activity, and concomitantly caused energy metabolic pathway switch and airway inflammation. HRS treatment prevented sirtuin downregulation and restored sirtuin deacetylase activity, which were associated with a reversal of energy metabolic switch and an improvement in airway inflammation in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. Sirtuin deacetylase activity is regulated by an obligatory cofactor, NAD. NAD is synthesized by the NAD salvage pathway, in which NAMPT is a rate-limiting enzyme36,37. Consistent with a downregulated sirtuin deacetylase activity, tissue levels of NAD and NAMPT were significantly lower in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice, but were restored to control levels in HRS-treated, OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. HRS treatment also upregulated basal expression of all 7 mammalian sirtuins, and increased basal NAD level in the lungs.
It is well established that sirtuins regulate metabolism through deacetylation of target proteins33,34,35,36,37,38,39. Both HIF-1α and PGC-1α are targets of sirtuin 134,35,36,37,38. Deacetylation of HIF-1α by sirtuin 1 represses HIF-1α activity, whereas deacetylation of PGC-1α by sirtuin 1 increases its transcriptional activity34,35. Sirtuin 6 has similar activities38,39. It is possible that OVA sensitization and challenge suppresses sirtuin activity, which increases HIF-1α acetylation and activity, resulting in an upregulated glycolytic enzymes and an enhanced glycolysis. Concurrently, suppression of sirtuin activity increases PGC-1α acetylation and inhibits PGC-1α transcriptional activity, resulting in a reduced OXPHOS. The two mechanisms work in parallel, leading to energy metabolic pathway switch. HRS treatment restores sirtuin expression and activity, decreases HIF-1α transcriptional activity, increases PGC-1α transcriptional activity, inhibits glycolysis and stimulates OXPHOS, reversing energy metabolic pathway switch and airway inflammation in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice. Thus, H2 may regulate the energy metabolic pathway switch by acting at multiple levels in the regulatory pathways of energy metabolism.
Prior studies have reported that asthmatic patients had elevated serum and sputum levels of lactate and that cell from asthmatic patients produced higher amounts of lactate upon stimulation28,29, suggesting an enhanced glycolysis. However, these prior studies did not address the question whether the enhanced glycolysis is accompanied by a repressed OXPHOS activity (whether an energy metabolic pathway switch occurs). Additionally, the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic reprogramming in context of allergic airway inflammation remain largely unclear. Our study extends these previous studies by demonstrating a link between allergic airway inflammation and energy metabolic pathway switch. More importantly, we elucidated the mechanisms linking allergic airway inflammation and energy metabolic pathway switch. Furthermore, we demonstrated a novel mechanism that H2 alleviates allergic airway inflammation by reversing the energy metabolic switch.
Allergic airway inflammation is associated with an energy metabolic pathway switch from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis. H2 reverses this metabolic pathway switch and mitigates allergic airway inflammation. H2 appears to regulate the allergic inflammation-associated energy metabolic pathway switch by multiple mechanisms. H2 directly inhibits glycolytic enzyme activities and stimulates mitochondrial OXPHOS enzyme activities. H2 acts at upstream regulatory elements and regulates co-factor production in the energy metabolism regulation pathways, reversing the upregulation of glycolytic enzyme activities and the downregulation of OXPHOS enzyme activities, and energy metabolic pathway switch. Our data uncovers a novel mechanism that H2 mitigates allergic airway inflammation by reversing energy metabolic pathway switch.
Seven control and 7 asthmatic subjects were enrolled into the study based on Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria40. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Review Board of Liangxiang Hospital of Beijing Fangshan District, and carried out in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. A written consent was obtained from each participant. Asthmatic patients had typical symptoms and physiological evidence of asthma, and a significant airway hyperresponsiveness (a provocative dose of inhaled methacholine causing a 20% reduction in FEV1 of <8 mmol) or a positive response to a bronchodilator (FEV1 improvement of ≥12% and ≥200 ml). Asthmatic patients had not been treated with corticosteroids in the last 3 months. Participants were excluded if they had pulmonary disease other than asthma, inflammation in other organs, smoked within the prior six months, any comorbidity and medication that could potentially alter systemic inflammation, or other significant diseases that in the opinion of the investigators would interfere with study participation. Control participants had no diagnosis of asthma, had no history of respiratory diseases and were not atopic.
Heparinized peripheral blood was collected from each participant following informed consent. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by Ficoll-Paque Plus (GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) density-gradient centrifugation, as we have previously described41.
An established mouse model of allergic airway inflammation was used42. Study protocols were approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Hebei Medical University, and complied with regulations of the Ministry of Health of China and the US National Institute of Health guidelines. FVB mice (8–10 weeks) were obtained from Vital River Laboratory Animal Technology Co. Ltd (Beijing, China), and randomly divided into control, hydrogen-rich saline (HRS), ovalbumin (OVA) and OVA + HRS groups. Mice in control group and HRS group were sham-sensitized by injection with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and sham-challenged by PBS inhalation. Mice in the other 2 groups were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of 25 μg per mouse OVA emulsified in 2.5 mg aluminum hydroxide in 250 μl PBS on days 1, 9 and 14, and then challenged by aerosolized 1% OVA in PBS for 20 minutes per day on days 21 to 27. Mice in OVA + HRS and HRS groups were administered HRS (6 ml/kg/day, i.p.) on days 21 to 27. On day 28, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed by slowly delivering 0.8 ml of pre-warmed (~37 °C) PBS through a polyethylene tube inserted into trachea followed by gentle suction. This procedure was repeated 3 times on each mouse, and the collected PBS was pooled. Lungs and BAL fluid (BALF) were collected for further analyses.
Hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) production
HRS was prepared by dipping a plastic-shelled stick consisting of metallic magnesium (99.9% pure) and natural stones (Doctor SUISOSUI, Friendear Inc., Tokyo, Japan) into sterilized saline. Fifty μl of HRS was injected into a lid-sealed glass container. H2 level in the gas phase (1 ml) was determined using a biogas analyzer with a semiconductor sensor (TRI lyzer mBA-3000; Taiyo KK, Osaka, Japan). H2 concentration was expressed as parts per million (ppm). HRS was freshly prepared every other day. H2 concentration in HRS was maintained between 0.3 and 0.4 ppm during the experiment.
Determination of cellular and tissue levels of lactate and ATP production, and of energy metabolic enzyme activities
Mouse lung tissues (100 mg) and human PBMCs (1 × 106 cells) were homogenized in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using a DIAX 600 tissue homogenizer (Heidolph, Schwabach, Germany) on ice. The homogenates were centrifuged at 2500 rpms at 4 °C for 10 minutes. The supernatants were collected and protein concentration determined by BCA method. Mouse lung and human PBMC levels of lactate and ATP productions were measured using lactate and ATP assay kits (Nanjing Jiancheng Bio-engineering Institute, Nanjing, China) following manufacturer’s protocols.
Lung and PBMC levels of hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PKF) and citrate synthase (CS) activities were measured using corresponding assay kit (Nanjing Jiancheng Bio-engineering Institute, Nanjing, China). To measure HK activity, 30 μl of each sample was mixed with and incubated in 1000 μl reaction Mix containing HK substrate and coenzymes at 37 °C. Absorbance at 340 nm (A340) was recorded after 0.5 and 5 minutes of incubation to monitor the rate of production of the HK catalytic product. HK activity was calculated based on changes in A340 readings and the standard curve of the reaction product.
To measure PFK activity, 30 μl of each sample was mixed with and incubated in 810 μl reaction Mix containing PFK substrate and coenzymes at 37 °C. Absorbance at 340 nm (A340) was recorded after 0.3 and 10 minutes of incubation to monitor the rate of production of the reaction production. PFK activity was calculated based on changes in A340 readings and the standard curve of the reaction product.
To measure CS activity, 10 μl of each sample was mixed with and incubated in 240 μl reaction Mix containing CS substrate and cofactors at 37 °C. Absorbance at 412 nm (A412) was recorded after 5 and 15 minutes of incubation to monitor the rate of production of the enzymatic reaction product. CS activity was calculated based on changes in A412 readings and the standard curve of the reaction product.
Measurement of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex activities
Mitochondria were isolated as previously described43. Briefly, mouse lungs or human PBMCs were homogenized in isolation buffer (1 mM EGTA, 215 mM mannitol, 75 mM sucrose, 0.1% BSA, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.2). Mitochondria were isolated by differential centrifugation, and homogenized. Mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes I and III enzyme activities were measured using respective assay kits (Nanjing Jiancheng Bio-engineering Institute, Nanjing, China). To measure complex I activity, 900 μl reaction Mix containing ubiquinone and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) was incubated at 30 °C for 3 minutes before 100 μl sample was added. Absorbance at 340 nm (A340) was recorded immediately after the addition of sample and after further incubation for 3 minutes to monitor the rate of NAD production. Absorbance at 380 nm (A380) was also recorded at the two time points for correcting background absorbance. Total complex I activity was calculated based on rate of changes in the corrected A340 readings (A340-A380) and the NAD standard curve. A parallel reaction, in which a specific complex I inhibitor was added into the reaction Mix, was performed for each sample to determine non-specific complex I activity. Specific complex I activity for each sample was calculated by subtracting the non-specific activity from total complex I activity.
To measure complex III activity, 900 μl reaction Mix containing ubiquinol and 2-ferricytochrome c was incubated at room temperature in dark for 10 minutes before 100 μl sample was added. Absorbance at 550 nm (A550) was recorded immediately after the addition of sample and after further incubation for 5 minutes to monitor the rate of reduced cytochrome c production. Complex III activity was calculated based on changes in A550 readings and the reduced cytochrome c standard curve.
Measurement of mitochondrial NAD, NAMPT, and NAD/NADH ratio
Mitochondria were isolated from mouse lungs, and homogenized. Mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), NADH and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) were measured using corresponding assay kits (Nanjing Jiancheng Bio-engineering Institute, Nanjing, China). For the NAD assay, NAD/NADH was extracted from mitochondrial protein in extraction buffer. Each sample and NADH standard were treated with alcohol dehydrogenase to convert all NAD to NADH. The treated samples and NADH standard were then incubated in detection buffer containing MTT [3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] at room temperature for 1 hours. Absorbance at 570 nm (A570) was recorded to monitor the conversion of MTT to formazan. Total NAD/NADH was calculated based on change in A570 readings and the NADH standard curve. To measure NADH, sample was heated to 60 °C for 30 minutes followed by cooling down on ice before treatment with dehydrogenase. This heat treatment decomposes all NAD, but keeps NADH intact. Sample NADH level was then quantified as described above. Sample level of NAD was calculated by subtracting NADH from total NAD/NADH. NAD/NADH ratio was determined by dividing NAD by NADH.
NAMPT was quantified using a competitive immunoassay. Fifty μl of each sample (or NAMPT standard) and 50 μl working solution containing biotin-conjugated antigen were added into a plate well coated with NAMPT-capture antibody, and incubated at 37 °C for 1 hour. Following washing, 100 μl streptavidin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was added, and incubated at 37 °C for 1 hour. Plate was washed and 100 μl HRP substrate added. After incubation at 37 °C for 10 minutes, reaction was stopped, and absorbance at 450 nm (A450) recorded. Mitochondrial NAMPT level was calculated based on A450 readings and the NAMPT standard curve.
Determination of mitochondrial ROS generation, and mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme activities
Mitochondrial ROS production was monitored using 7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluorescence probe (Beyotime Company, Guangzhou, China). Briefly, isolated mitochondria (0.5 mg/ml) were incubated with 10 μM DCFH-DA at 37 °C for 1 hour, and the fluorescence intensity was measured using microplate fluorometer (Perkin-Elmer, Waltham, USA) at excitation of 488 and emission of 525 nm.
Activities of mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were determined using Mn-SOD and GSH-Px assay kits (Nanjing Jiancheng Bio-engineering Institute, Nanjing, China). The Mn-SOD assay kit measures superoxide anion oxidation of a chromagen into an oxidative product that absorbs light. SOD activity is determined as inhibition of the chromagen oxidation. Samples and saline were treated with an inhibitor that inactivates Mn-SOD, but has no effect GuZn-SOD activity. The treated samples and saline were mixed with reaction/detection solution in GuZn-SOD-test and GuZn-SOD-control wells, incubated at 37 °C for 40 minutes, and absorbance at 550 nm (A550) recorded. Saline and untreated samples were used for measuring total SOD activity. Total and GuZn-SOD activities were determined based on changes in A550 readings. Mn-SOD activity was calculated by subtracting GuZn-SOD from total SOD activity.
GSH-Px activity was assayed based on the reaction of reducing free hydrogen peroxide to water. In this reaction, GPx converts reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG). GSH-Px assay kit measures GSH-Px activity based on GSH consumption. Each sample (200 μl) was mixed with and incubated in GSH solution at 37 °C for 5 minutes, and then in reaction buffer for further 5 minutes. Following addition of application buffer, the reaction was centrifuged, and supernatant collected. Supernatant and GSH standard were incubated in developer solution at room temperature for 15 minutes. Absorbance at 412 nm (A412) was recorded every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. GSH-Px activity was calculated based on changes in A412 readings and the GSH standard curve.
Histology and transmission electron microscopy
Mouse lungs were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and processed. Paraffin-embedded sections (4 μm) were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. For electron microscopy, mouse lungs were rapidly excised and fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde and 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer and postfixed with 1% osmium tetroxide followed by 1% uranyl acetate. Fixed lungs were dehydrated through a graded series of ethanol and embedded in LX112 resin (LADD Research Industries, Williston, VT, USA). Sections (80 nm) were cut on a Reichert Ultracut UCT, stained with uranyl acetate followed by lead citrate, and viewed on a JEOL 1200EX transmission electron microscope.
Measurements of BALF IgE, cytokine and reactive oxygen species (ROS)
BALF was centrifuged at 7000 g for 4 minutes to remove debris. BALF levels of total and OVA-specific IgE were measured using mouse IgE ELISA kit (Bethyl Laboratories, Montgomery, AL, USA) and Legend MAX mouse OVA-specific IgE ELISA Kit (Biolegend, San Diego, CA, USA). BALF IL-4 and IL-5 were measured using mouse IL-4 and IL-5 ELISA kits (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA).
BALF leukocyte ROS production was measured using membrane-permeable fluorescent probe, DCFH-DA (Beyotime Company, Guangzhou, China). One ml of BALF containing 1 × 105 leukocytes was mixed and incubated with 20 μM DCFH-DA at 37 °C for 20 minutes. Fluorescence intensity of the oxidized DCFH-DA was read using microplate fluorometer (Perkin-Elmer, Waltham, USA) at excitation of 488 and emission of 525 nm.
BALF cell count and differential cell count
BALF was centrifuged. The pellet was resuspended in PBS. Total cell number was counted with haemocytometer after cell viability determination by trypan blue exclusion test. For differential cell counts, cells were centrifuged onto cytospin slides, differentially stained with Diff-Quik stain reagent (Beyotime Institute of Biotechnology, Nanjing, China) and counted.
Measurement of airway responsiveness to methacholine
Airway responsiveness was assessed 24 hours after final OVA challenge. Mice were anesthetized (nembutal 60 mg/kg, i.p.), trachea cannulated, mechanically ventilated and placed in a plethysmograph chamber with a pneumotachograph connected to an AniRes2005 pulmonary mechanics data collection and analysis system (BestLab, Beijing, China). This system records lung volume, flow and pressure changes during expiration or inspiration, and analyzes airway responsiveness based on change in airway resistance. Mice were equilibrated in the chamber for 20 minutes, and then sham-challenged with PBS or challenged with 3 concentrations of nebulized methacholine (3, 9, and 27 mg/ml) for 1 minute with a 20 minute interval. Airway responsiveness was recorded for 3 minutes before and after each challenge. Mean of the 3 minute recordings was reported as airway responsiveness.
Total, cytoplasmic or nuclear protein was extracted from mouse lungs. Equal amounts of protein (30 μg) were separated on 10% SDS-PAGE gel, and transferred to polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA). The membrane was cut horizontally into stripes corresponding to different molecular weight ranges, based on protein size markers. Stripes that are expected to contain hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α, sirtuin 1, sirtuin 3, sirtuin 6, β-actin, lamin B or NF-κB p65 protein were used for immunoblotting to detect each specific protein band. Stripes were blocked with 5% non-fat dry milk in TBST (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 0.1% Tween-20), incubated overnight at 4 °C with antibodies specific to HIF-1α, PGC-1α, sirtuin 1, sirtuin 3, sirtuin 6, β-actin, lamin B or NF-κB p65 (Bioss Inc, Beijing, China or Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA, USA). Stripes were washed, incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody (Bioss Inc., Beijing, China), and washed. Immunoreactive bands were visualized using ECL reagents (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). This modified western blot protocol improved sensitivity and specificity, and reduced the quantity of antibody usage. However, cutting the whole membrane into stripes has eliminated the possibility of obtaining full-length image of the western blot. Acetylated HIF-1α, acetylated PGC-1α and acetylated p65 were analyzed by immunoprecipitation of HIF-1α, PGC-1α and NF-κB p65 proteins followed by western blot using acetylated-lysine antibody (Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA, USA).
RNA was isolated from mouse lungs using the RNeasy mini kit (Qaigene, Germantown, MD, USA), and reverse transcribed into cDNAs using Sensiscript RT kit (Promega, Madison, WI, USA). Real-time PCR was performed using an ABI Prism 7900 sequence detection system (Applied Biosystems, Foster city, CA, USA) with SYBR Green PCR master mix following standard protocol. The primer sequences were given in Table 2. Results were analyzed using the 2−ΔCt method. Each sirtuin mRNA expression was normalized to its corresponding GADPH mRNA.
Data were expressed as means ± SEM. Unpaired t test was used to compare the means of two independent groups. For multiple group comparison, data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc analysis using Holm-Sidak method. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
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This work was supported partially by Hebei province international collaboration special grant (17397771D).
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Niu, Y., Nie, Q., Dong, L. et al. Hydrogen Attenuates Allergic Inflammation by Reversing Energy Metabolic Pathway Switch. Sci Rep 10, 1962 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-58999-0

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RF Code extended its leadership in providing the market's most energy efficient solutions for the data center with the introduction of its RF Code High Performance Temperature Sensor. Based on innovative sensor technology that enables long battery life while maintaining real time alerting and meticulous monitoring accuracy, RF Code leapfrogs other monitoring solutions.
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LAURINBURG — Remember to lace up your sneakers and stretch, the morning to night community relay is only about 24 hours away.
About 35 team have committed to participate in the 2018 Scotland County Relay For Life event, which will open Saturday at 10 a.m. and run until 10 p.m. at Scotland High.
Event Co-Chair Carol Thomas said this week’s team captains meeting brought additional members to give the team total a boost.
The local Relay For Life Committee is “hyped up” about the performances this year — especially the U.S. Army Parachute team, The Golden Knights, which will fly into Scotland High School’s Pate Stadium for the opening ceremony.
“We are extremely excited about the U.S. Army Golden Knights jumping into the stadium on Saturday morning,” Thomas said. “This will give the event a great kickoff (and) we’re very fortunate to have the support from this group.”
Various activities for children are planned throughout the day, but Thomas said at least two of the events will ensure the children will have a blast.
“They will have tons of fun in the color toss and will be eager to show off their colors in the Kids Lap,” she said. “The Race For Recovery event for the youth will be lots of fun for them also, as they make their cars to ‘drive’ in the race.”
Also during the day, the team campsites will sell food and beverages while the festivities continue past nightfall. The entertainment will continue with the New Creation Band.
“They are outstanding and I know everyone will enjoy them as well,” said Thomas.
The popular Luminaria Ceremony will start at 9 p.m. to honor and remember family, friends, and caregivers.
Entry into the Relay For Life event is free all day.
Jael Pembrick can be reached at 910-506-3169 or [email protected]

domain: news


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By J.D. Kurz
Special to The SUN
Have we broken any snow depth records this year? To answer that question, I plotted March 1 snow depths over the last 20 winters.
The full version of this story is available in the print edition and e-edition of the Pagosa Springs SUN. Subscribe today by calling (970)264-2100 or click here.

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News Desk, Amar Ujala, New Delhi
Published by: Surendra Joshi
Monday, 25 October 2021 08:03 PM Updated to IST
Salman Khurshid, a senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, wrote the book ‘Sunrise over Ayodhya: Nationhood in our Times’. It details the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya dispute and the idea of a Hindu state and Muslims.
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Khurshid’s new book ‘Sunrise Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’ was released on Monday. It discusses extensively the historic judgment of the Supreme Court in the 2019 Ayodhya case. Khurshid writes that the Supreme Court has struck a delicate balance between the use of legal principles and the healing of the wounds of civilization.
The Congress leader wrote that the Supreme Court may have convinced Hindus a little more than Muslims, but it did a great job in convincing Muslims that it was time for reunification. That defeat.

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The police minister says South Africa's murder rate fell by 6.5 percent in the past year to 15,940 _ the lowest number since the end of apartheid.
Minister Nathi Mthethwa says the number of reported rapes increased and noted that many such crimes are never reported. Reported rapes went up from 55,097 to 56,272.
Also down are the number of house robberies which declined by 10 percent to 16,889 cases.
Mthethwa spoke Thursday at the release of the latest crime statistics in South Africa, which has one of the highest crimes rates in the world. He said the murder rate has been falling gradually since white rule ended in 1994. Some 27,000 killings were recorded that year, when hundreds died in political violence.
The figures apply to March 2010 to April 2011.


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