Academic literature on the topic 'Diet study techniques'

The dietary requirements of folivores affect many aspects of their ecology, including home range, potential for social interaction, abiotic/climatic requirements and habitat choice at the landscape and local scale. The purpose of this study was to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of three techniques commonly used to determine the diet of rainforest folivores. Many folivores are arboreal, nocturnal and cryptic, causing a variety of problems for determining their diet. The largely folivorous green ringtail possum (Pseudochirops archeri) is all of these, inhabiting complex rainforest and often displaying particularly cryptic or evasive behaviour. No single technique produced a comprehensive dietary list for P. archeri, and each had different biases in the diet composition determined. As the actual diet of P. archeri was unknown and not measurable, it was impossible to determine which technique most accurately described its diet. Direct observations were time-consuming and difficult within dense forest, faecal analysis underestimated the importance of species with fragile cuticles, and tree selection was not directly related to food intake. However, direct observation produced the highest diversity of diet from a single method, faecal analysis required the least time in the field, and tree selection allowed intraspecific measures of preference to be determined. Thus, multiple dietary analysis techniques were required to meet the aim of this study, which was to provide the most comprehensive estimation of dietary diversity in a cryptic, arboreal folivore.

The aim of this study was to compare the gas production profiles and nutrient degradability of two diets using automatic and semiautomatic in vitro gas production techniques. A randomized block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was adopted, with two diets comprising different proportions of nonfiber carbohydrates (NFCs) (low-NFC vs. high-NFC diets), two gas production measurement techniques (automatic vs. semiautomatic) and four replicates. The blocks represent three in vitro runs. Gas production from the fermentation of fiber carbohydrates (Vf2) was 22% higher when measured with the automatic technique than with the semiautomatic technique. The Vt of the low-NFC diet differed between techniques and was 22.9% higher using the automatic technique. A highly positive correlation (r = 0.96) was observed between the techniques, with a high coefficient of determination between the techniques (R2 = 0.93). There was greater degradability of dry matter (DMD) and organic matter (OMD) with the automatic technique. In both diets, the degradability of crude protein (CPD) was greater with the semiautomatic technique (p < 0.0001). The high-NFC diet resulted in a lower pH and lower NH3-N in the incubation medium than in that of the low-NFC diet, whereas the degradability of DM, OM and CP increased. The automatic and semi-automatic techniques similarly estimated the kinetic parameters and the profiles of total gas production, demonstrating the potential of both techniques for assessing the nutritional value of diets with different proportions of NFCs.

In experimental studies it has been shown that intrauterine growth retardation and reduced kidney growth during development are associated with significant decreases in nephron endowment. However, the results of previous studies may be inaccurate as nephron counts were obtained using a maceration technique, which can lead to breakdown of glomeruli, and other potentially biased techniques. In the present study, the total number of glomeruli (and thereby nephrons) in the offspring of rats fed a low (9%) or normal (20%) protein diet during pregnancy were estimated using a physical disector/fractionator technique. The offspring of rats fed a low protein diet had a significantly lower birth weight than rats fed a normal protein diet, their kidneys were smaller and they contained 30% fewer nephrons (20,386 ± 4,818 in the low protein diet vs. 28,731 ± 3,290 in the control rats). Our results, obtained using an unbiased stereological technique confirm previous findings that administration of a low protein diet during pregnancy results in reduced nephron endowment in the offspring.

Perencanaan program diet diabetes merupakan salah satu tindakan untuk memperbaiki kadar glukosa darah dan mencegah terjadinya komplikasi akibat hiperglikemi pada pasien diabetes melitus tipe 2. Masalah yang sering terjadi terkait dengan perencanaan program terapi diet diabetes adalah sulitnya mematuhi pelaksanaan diet itu sendiri. Tujuan penelitian mengetahui tingkat kepatuhan klien dengan diabetes melitus pada program terapi diet diabetes. Penelitian menggunakan desain kualitatif dengan metode deskriptif fenomenologi, menggali pengalaman pasien diabetes melitus tipe 2 terhadap program dietnya. Tehnik pengumpulan data menggunakan tehnik in depth interview dan focus group discussion. Setiap Partisipan diberikan pertanyaan sesuai dengan panduan yang telah disediakan. Penelitian dilakukan selama bulan Mei 2021 terhadap 7 partisipan yang menderita diabetes melitus tipe 2 di wilayah cakupan PKM Rangkasbitung. Hasil mendapatkan 5 tema yaitu pengetahuan, implementasi, hambatan, dukungan keluarga dan harapan. Sebagian besar partisipan tidak mengetahui dengan benar tentang terapi diet untuk diabetes melitus dan belum melaksanakan program diet diabetes. Hambatan adalah kurangnya dukungan keluarga dan kurangnya informasi. Dukungan keluarga dan tenaga kesehatan sangat dibutuhkan partisipan untuk memberikan motivasi. Harapan partisipan yaitu dapat melaksanakan program diet dengan benar sesuai dengan informasi yang diberikan oleh petugas kesehatan. Pendidikan kesehatan dan dukungan keluarga sangat dibutuhkan oleh partisipan agar dapat melaksanakan program dietnya secara patuh. Kata kunci: studi kualitatif; kepatuhan; diabetes melitus tipe 2; program dietA QUALITATIVE STUDY ON THE ADHERENCE OF CLIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS TO DIABETIC DIET PROGRAMABSTRACT Planning a diabetes diet program is one of the actions to improve blood glucose levels and prevent complications due to hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of client compliance with diabetes mellitus in the diabetes diet therapy program. The study used a qualitative design with a phenomenological descriptive method, exploring the experiences of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with their diet program. Data collection techniques used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Each participant was asked questions according to the guidelines provided. The study was conducted during May 2021 on 7 participants who suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Rangkasbelitung Health Centre coverage area. The results get 5 themes, namely knowledge, implementation, obstacles, family support and expectations. Most of the participants did not know correctly about diet therapy for diabetes mellitus and had not implemented a diabetes diet program. Barriers are lack of family support and lack of information. Support from family and health workers is needed by participants to provide motivation. Participants hope that they can carry out the diet program correctly according to the information provided by health workers. Health education and family support are very much needed by participants in order to carry out their diet program obediently. Keywords: qualitative study; adherence; type 2 diabetes mellitus; diet program

We tested whether four preservation methods for faecal samples affected the identification of dietary components from the mycophagous woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi). All storage techniques identified fungi as the most abundant food type (>69%), followed by plant material (9–17%) and invertebrates (<5%). Between 8 and 13% of material from each technique was unidentifiable. Despite these general similarities in the results from the different techniques, there were small but statistically significant differences in the relative importance of the food types estimated using the different preservation techniques. Individual researchers will need to decide on a case-by-case basis whether these small differences can be disregarded given the general aims of their study or whether a correction factor is appropriate if small differences in diet are important to their objectives.

Energy balance can be estimated in tissues, body segments, individual subjects (the focus of the present article), groups of subjects and even societies. Changes in body composition in individual subjects can be translated into changes in the energy content of the body, but this method is limited by the precision of the techniques. The precision for measuring fat and fat-free mass can be as low as 0.5 kg when certain reference techniques are used (hydrodensitometry, air-displacement plethysmography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and approximately 0.7 kg for changes between two time points. Techniques associated with a measurement error of 0.7 kg for changes in fat and fat-free mass (approximately 18MJ) are of little or no value for calculating energy balance over short periods of time, but they may be of some value over long periods of time (18 MJ over 1 year corresponds to an average daily energy balance of 70 kJ, which is <1% of the normal dietary energy intake). Body composition measurements can also be useful in calculating changes in energy balance when the changes in body weight and composition are large, e.g. >5–10 kg. The same principles can be applied to the assessment of energy balance in body segments using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Energy balance can be obtained over periods as short as a few minutes, e.g. during measurements of BMR. The variability in BMR between individuals of similar age, weight and height and gender is about 7–9%, most of which is of biological origin rather than measurement error, which is about 2%. Measurement of total energy expenditure during starvation (no energy intake) can also be used to estimate energy balance in a whole-body calorimeter, in patients in intensive care units being artificially ventilated and by tracer techniques. The precision of these techniques varies from 1 to 10%. Establishing energy balance by measuring the discrepancy between energy intake and expenditure has to take into consideration the combined validity and reliability of both components. The measurement error for dietary intake may be as low as 2–3% in carefully controlled environments, in which subjects are provided only with certain food items and bomb calorimetry can be undertaken on duplicate samples of the diet. Reliable results can also be obtained in hospitalised patients receiving enteral tube feeding or parenteral nutrition as the only source of nutrition. Unreliability increases to an unknown extent in free-living subjects eating a mixed and varied diet; thus, improved methodology is needed for the study of energy balance.

AbstractObjectives:Tonsillectomy is a common procedure with significant post-operative pain. This study was designed to compare post-operative pain, returns to a normal diet and normal activity, and duration of regular analgesic use in Coblation and bipolar tonsillectomy patients.Methods:A total of 137 patients, aged 2–50 years, presenting to a single institution for tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy were recruited. Pain level, diet, analgesic use, return to normal activity and haemorrhage data were collected.Results:Coblation tonsillectomy was associated with significantly less pain than bipolar tonsillectomy on post-operative days 1 (p= 0.005), 2 (p= 0.006) and 3 (p= 0.010). Mean pain scores were also significantly lower in the Coblation group (p= 0.039). Coblation patients had a significantly faster return to normal activity than bipolar tonsillectomy patients (p< 0.001).Conclusion:Coblation tonsillectomy is a less painful technique compared to bipolar tonsillectomy in the immediate post-operative period and in the overall post-operative period. This allows a faster return to normal activity and decreased analgesic requirements.

Linear programming is widely used to solve various complex problems with many variables, subject to multiple constraints. Expert systems are created to provide expertise on complex problems through the application of inference procedures and advanced expert knowledge on facts relevant to the problem. The diet problem is well-known for its contribution to the development of linear programming. Over the years many variations and facets of the diet problem have been solved by means of linear programming techniques and expert systems respectively. In this study the feasibility of combining expert system technology and linear programming techniques to solve a diet problem topical to South Africa, is examined. A computer application is created that incorporates goal programming- and multi-objective linear programming models as the inference engine of an expert system. The program is successfully applied to test cases obtained through knowledge acquisition. The system delivers an eating-plan for an individual that conforms to the nutritional requirements of a healthy diet, includes the personal food preferences of that individual, and includes the food items that result in the lowest total cost. It further allows prioritization of the food preference and least cost factors through the use of weights. Based on the results, recommendations and contributions to the linear programming and expert system fields are presented.<br>MSc (Computer Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

碩士<br>國立屏東科技大學<br>動物科學與畜產系所<br>105<br>Increase of greeenhouse gas is the major source that contributes to the global warming and climate change. The most important greenhouse gases directly emitted from human activity include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and several others. Climate change results the unstable crops growing. Moreover, the fast increasing world population and decreasing plantable crop land even stimulate the crisis food supply. Exploring diverse feed resources, using local-produced feed, and diet formulation are important reseach issues regarding carbon saving. It was aimed to access the feasibility of reducing greenhouse gas production by increasing the by product ratio in lactating Holstein cow diet. Rumen simulation technique (Rusitec) which is commonly used as an in vitro rumen simulation method was adopted to run the evaluation. The experimental diets were formulated according to NRC (2001) nutrition recommendation. By-products including soybean hull pellet, distillers’ grains, and wheat bran were used to partially substitute the dietary forage and grain concentrate to occupy 10%, 20% or 32% (dry matter basis). The pH, volatile fatty acids, ammonia nitrogen, diet dry matter digestibility, efficiency of microbial synthesis, and fermentation gas volume and compositions from the rumen fermentation were studied. Results showed that methane production was reduced by 8.8% from the 20% by-products diet and 21.3% from the 32% by-products diet when compared with the 10% by-products group. Carbon dioxide production was also reduced by 9.7% and 11.9%, respectively. The influence of dietary by-product ratio on microbial synthesis efficiency was not significant (P > 0.05). However, following the increasing ratio of by-product in diets, the synthesis efficiency was tended to increase. From this study, it was concluded that increasing dietary by-product ratio from 10% to 20% or 32% is an effective way to mitigate the rumen greenhouse gas emission. And the higher by-product diets seems to be able to keep the cow’s milking performance.

Bones are multifunctional passive organs of movement that supports soft tissue and directly attached muscles. They also protect internal organs and are a reserve of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Each bone is covered with periosteum, and the adjacent bone surfaces are covered by articular cartilage. Histologically, the bone is an organ composed of many different tissues. The main component is bone tissue (cortical and spongy) composed of a set of bone cells and intercellular substance (mineral and organic), it also contains fat, hematopoietic (bone marrow) and cartilaginous tissue. Bones are a tissue that even in adult life retains the ability to change shape and structure depending on changes in their mechanical and hormonal environment, as well as self-renewal and repair capabilities. This process is called bone turnover. The basic processes of bone turnover are: • bone modeling (incessantly changes in bone shape during individual growth) following resorption and tissue formation at various locations (e.g. bone marrow formation) to increase mass and skeletal morphology. This process occurs in the bones of growing individuals and stops after reaching puberty • bone remodeling (processes involve in maintaining bone tissue by resorbing and replacing old bone tissue with new tissue in the same place, e.g. repairing micro fractures). It is a process involving the removal and internal remodeling of existing bone and is responsible for maintaining tissue mass and architecture of mature bones. Bone turnover is regulated by two types of transformation: • osteoclastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone resorption • osteoblastogenesis, i.e. formation of cells responsible for bone formation (bone matrix synthesis and mineralization) Bone maturity can be defined as the completion of basic structural development and mineralization leading to maximum mass and optimal mechanical strength. The highest rate of increase in pig bone mass is observed in the first twelve weeks after birth. This period of growth is considered crucial for optimizing the growth of the skeleton of pigs, because the degree of bone mineralization in later life stages (adulthood) depends largely on the amount of bone minerals accumulated in the early stages of their growth. The development of the technique allows to determine the condition of the skeletal system (or individual bones) in living animals by methods used in human medicine, or after their slaughter. For in vivo determination of bone properties, Abstract 10 double energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography scanning techniques are used. Both methods allow the quantification of mineral content and bone mineral density. The most important property from a practical point of view is the bone’s bending strength, which is directly determined by the maximum bending force. The most important factors affecting bone strength are: • age (growth period), • gender and the associated hormonal balance, • genotype and modification of genes responsible for bone growth • chemical composition of the body (protein and fat content, and the proportion between these components), • physical activity and related bone load, • nutritional factors: – protein intake influencing synthesis of organic matrix of bone, – content of minerals in the feed (CA, P, Zn, Ca/P, Mg, Mn, Na, Cl, K, Cu ratio) influencing synthesis of the inorganic matrix of bone, – mineral/protein ratio in the diet (Ca/protein, P/protein, Zn/protein) – feed energy concentration, – energy source (content of saturated fatty acids - SFA, content of polyun saturated fatty acids - PUFA, in particular ALA, EPA, DPA, DHA), – feed additives, in particular: enzymes (e.g. phytase releasing of minerals bounded in phytin complexes), probiotics and prebiotics (e.g. inulin improving the function of the digestive tract by increasing absorption of nutrients), – vitamin content that regulate metabolism and biochemical changes occurring in bone tissue (e.g. vitamin D3, B6, C and K). This study was based on the results of research experiments from available literature, and studies on growing pigs carried out at the Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences. The tests were performed in total on 300 pigs of Duroc, Pietrain, Puławska breeds, line 990 and hybrids (Great White × Duroc, Great White × Landrace), PIC pigs, slaughtered at different body weight during the growth period from 15 to 130 kg. Bones for biomechanical tests were collected after slaughter from each pig. Their length, mass and volume were determined. Based on these measurements, the specific weight (density, g/cm3) was calculated. Then each bone was cut in the middle of the shaft and the outer and inner diameters were measured both horizontally and vertically. Based on these measurements, the following indicators were calculated: • cortical thickness, • cortical surface, • cortical index. Abstract 11 Bone strength was tested by a three-point bending test. The obtained data enabled the determination of: • bending force (the magnitude of the maximum force at which disintegration and disruption of bone structure occurs), • strength (the amount of maximum force needed to break/crack of bone), • stiffness (quotient of the force acting on the bone and the amount of displacement occurring under the influence of this force). Investigation of changes in physical and biomechanical features of bones during growth was performed on pigs of the synthetic 990 line growing from 15 to 130 kg body weight. The animals were slaughtered successively at a body weight of 15, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90, 110 and 130 kg. After slaughter, the following bones were separated from the right half-carcass: humerus, 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone, femur, tibia and fibula as well as 3rd and 4th metatarsal bone. The features of bones were determined using methods described in the methodology. Describing bone growth with the Gompertz equation, it was found that the earliest slowdown of bone growth curve was observed for metacarpal and metatarsal bones. This means that these bones matured the most quickly. The established data also indicate that the rib is the slowest maturing bone. The femur, humerus, tibia and fibula were between the values of these features for the metatarsal, metacarpal and rib bones. The rate of increase in bone mass and length differed significantly between the examined bones, but in all cases it was lower (coefficient b &lt;1) than the growth rate of the whole body of the animal. The fastest growth rate was estimated for the rib mass (coefficient b = 0.93). Among the long bones, the humerus (coefficient b = 0.81) was characterized by the fastest rate of weight gain, however femur the smallest (coefficient b = 0.71). The lowest rate of bone mass increase was observed in the foot bones, with the metacarpal bones having a slightly higher value of coefficient b than the metatarsal bones (0.67 vs 0.62). The third bone had a lower growth rate than the fourth bone, regardless of whether they were metatarsal or metacarpal. The value of the bending force increased as the animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. The rate of change in the value of this indicator increased at a similar rate as the body weight changes of the animals in the case of the fibula and the fourth metacarpal bone (b value = 0.98), and more slowly in the case of the metatarsal bone, the third metacarpal bone, and the tibia bone (values of the b ratio 0.81–0.85), and the slowest femur, humerus and rib (value of b = 0.60–0.66). Bone stiffness increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, the highest values were observed for the humerus, tibia and femur, smaller for the metatarsal and metacarpal bone, and the lowest for the fibula and rib. Abstract 12 The rate of change in the value of this indicator changed at a faster rate than the increase in weight of pigs in the case of metacarpal and metatarsal bones (coefficient b = 1.01–1.22), slightly slower in the case of fibula (coefficient b = 0.92), definitely slower in the case of the tibia (b = 0.73), ribs (b = 0.66), femur (b = 0.59) and humerus (b = 0.50). Bone strength increased as animals grew. Regardless of the growth point tested, bone strength was as follows femur &gt; tibia &gt; humerus &gt; 4 metacarpal&gt; 3 metacarpal&gt; 3 metatarsal &gt; 4 metatarsal &gt; rib&gt; fibula. The rate of increase in strength of all examined bones was greater than the rate of weight gain of pigs (value of the coefficient b = 2.04–3.26). As the animals grew, the bone density increased. However, the growth rate of this indicator for the majority of bones was slower than the rate of weight gain (the value of the coefficient b ranged from 0.37 – humerus to 0.84 – fibula). The exception was the rib, whose density increased at a similar pace increasing the body weight of animals (value of the coefficient b = 0.97). The study on the influence of the breed and the feeding intensity on bone characteristics (physical and biomechanical) was performed on pigs of the breeds Duroc, Pietrain, and synthetic 990 during a growth period of 15 to 70 kg body weight. Animals were fed ad libitum or dosed system. After slaughter at a body weight of 70 kg, three bones were taken from the right half-carcass: femur, three metatarsal, and three metacarpal and subjected to the determinations described in the methodology. The weight of bones of animals fed aa libitum was significantly lower than in pigs fed restrictively All bones of Duroc breed were significantly heavier and longer than Pietrain and 990 pig bones. The average values of bending force for the examined bones took the following order: III metatarsal bone (63.5 kg) &lt;III metacarpal bone (77.9 kg) &lt;femur (271.5 kg). The feeding system and breed of pigs had no significant effect on the value of this indicator. The average values of the bones strength took the following order: III metatarsal bone (92.6 kg) &lt;III metacarpal (107.2 kg) &lt;femur (353.1 kg). Feeding intensity and breed of animals had no significant effect on the value of this feature of the bones tested. The average bone density took the following order: femur (1.23 g/cm3) &lt;III metatarsal bone (1.26 g/cm3) &lt;III metacarpal bone (1.34 g / cm3). The density of bones of animals fed aa libitum was higher (P&lt;0.01) than in animals fed with a dosing system. The density of examined bones within the breeds took the following order: Pietrain race&gt; line 990&gt; Duroc race. The differences between the “extreme” breeds were: 7.2% (III metatarsal bone), 8.3% (III metacarpal bone), 8.4% (femur). Abstract 13 The average bone stiffness took the following order: III metatarsal bone (35.1 kg/mm) &lt;III metacarpus (41.5 kg/mm) &lt;femur (60.5 kg/mm). This indicator did not differ between the groups of pigs fed at different intensity, except for the metacarpal bone, which was more stiffer in pigs fed aa libitum (P&lt;0.05). The femur of animals fed ad libitum showed a tendency (P&lt;0.09) to be more stiffer and a force of 4.5 kg required for its displacement by 1 mm. Breed differences in stiffness were found for the femur (P &lt;0.05) and III metacarpal bone (P &lt;0.05). For femur, the highest value of this indicator was found in Pietrain pigs (64.5 kg/mm), lower in pigs of 990 line (61.6 kg/mm) and the lowest in Duroc pigs (55.3 kg/mm). In turn, the 3rd metacarpal bone of Duroc and Pietrain pigs had similar stiffness (39.0 and 40.0 kg/mm respectively) and was smaller than that of line 990 pigs (45.4 kg/mm). The thickness of the cortical bone layer took the following order: III metatarsal bone (2.25 mm) &lt;III metacarpal bone (2.41 mm) &lt;femur (5.12 mm). The feeding system did not affect this indicator. Breed differences (P &lt;0.05) for this trait were found only for the femur bone: Duroc (5.42 mm)&gt; line 990 (5.13 mm)&gt; Pietrain (4.81 mm). The cross sectional area of the examined bones was arranged in the following order: III metatarsal bone (84 mm2) &lt;III metacarpal bone (90 mm2) &lt;femur (286 mm2). The feeding system had no effect on the value of this bone trait, with the exception of the femur, which in animals fed the dosing system was 4.7% higher (P&lt;0.05) than in pigs fed ad libitum. Breed differences (P&lt;0.01) in the coross sectional area were found only in femur and III metatarsal bone. The value of this indicator was the highest in Duroc pigs, lower in 990 animals and the lowest in Pietrain pigs. The cortical index of individual bones was in the following order: III metatarsal bone (31.86) &lt;III metacarpal bone (33.86) &lt;femur (44.75). However, its value did not significantly depend on the intensity of feeding or the breed of pigs.

Chapter 2 highlights the North American mummies from the Southwest, Southeast, and Alaska. Techniques used to study North American mummies are reviewed. Research on the North American mummies focusses on diet, trauma and diseases.

Insight into the diet of domestic animals in the archaeological record can elucidate diverse activities pertaining to ancient agricultural systems, including the utilization of the landscape by livestock and their herders (Bocherens et al. 2001; Bentley et al. 2003; Charles &amp; Bogaard 2005), the impact of livestock farming on the environment (Amorosi et al. 1998; Witt et al. 2000; Mainland 2001), seasonality in husbandry practices (Akeret et al. 1999; Akeret &amp; Rentzel 2001; Charles &amp; Bogaard 2005), animal productivity (Amorosi et al. 1998) and the role of animals in society (Moens &amp; Wetterstom 1988; Mainland &amp; Halstead 2004). Research into the diet of domestic livestock has, however, largely focused on cattle, sheep, and goats (see for example all the references cited above) and it is only relatively recently that palaeodietary studies have begun to consider suid diet/nutrition and its potential value for elucidating the socio-economics of pig husbandry (e.g. Ervynck et al. this volume). This article presents one further such study: an analysis of dental microwear patterning in domestic pigs from selected Late Iron Age to medieval contexts in England, undertaken as part of a wider project into the potential application of dental microwear analysis to the question of pig diet and management in the prehistoric and historic past (Mainland et al. in prep.). Dental microwear analysis, although still primarily used within palaeontology (Teaford 1994; Rose &amp; Ungar 1998), is increasingly being applied in archaeology to reconstruct both human (Rose &amp; Ungar 1998; Schmidt 2001) and animal diet (Beuls et al. 2000; Mainland &amp; Halstead 2004). In common with many other palaeodietary techniques (e.g. Schwarcz &amp; Schoeninger 1991), dental microwear will not identify the consumption of individual foodstuffs but rather reflects broad functional and/or dietary adaptations (Rose &amp; Ungar 1998); for example, browsing vs grazing (Solounias &amp; Hayek 1993), folivory vs frugivory (Teaford &amp; Walker 1984), hard vs soft diet (Teaford &amp; Oyen 1989). Preliminary studies in modern suid populations have indicated that one basic axis of variation in pig diet/management is potentially identifiable using dental microwear, namely the separation of indoor-reared/stall-fed and outdoor reared/rooting populations (Ward &amp; Mainland 1999).

Healthy diet and proper nutrition are basic necessity of life and play a key role in preventing diseases. Nutrigenomics (NG) is an emerging approach in nutritional research which deals with the gene-diet interactions. The concept of nutrigenomics is not new and it is commonly associated with “inborn errors of metabolism”, the rare genetic (inherited) disorders in which the body cannot properly turn food into energy. These disorders are related to insufficient availability of metabolic enzymes or cofactors due to alteration of gene. Usually cure of these diseases lies in restricted diet. Presently non communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and cancers are outnumbering the other health ailments among the different human populations of world. The main reason behind the occurrence of these NCDs is the abruptly changing life style and food habits after industrial revolution. With the advent of industrial revolution and economical concerns, the life style of people across the world has changed so much so that it resulted in approximately millions of death cases due to these NCDs. Study related to NG is one step forward in nutritional research involving the techniques of nutrition, molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, molecular medicine and epidemiology together to understand the role of food as an epigenetic factor which unravel its role in the occurrence of these diseases. Hence, under the prevailing scenario of world health, it has become an urgency to boost NG research to find cure for dreaded diseases caused due to lack of healthy food and improper nutrition. Thus, such type of research findings ensures the effective benefit of genomic revolution for mankind near future.

Milk, which is a basic component of the human diet since millennia worldwide, is rich in all kind of nutrients, thus comprises an excellent growth substrate for both beneficial and harmful microorganisms. As a result, milk contains numerous microorganisms deriving either from the animal itself or from the environment during the collection and storage of milk. These microbes can play a number of roles, such as facilitating dairy fermentations, promoting health, causing spoilage or even disease. For decades, the microbial ecology of dairy products has been based on the study of microbial isolates through conventional culture-dependent microbiological analysis. However, culture-independent approaches, and, most importantly, high throughput sequencing coupled with the omics-based techniques enable a thorough taxonomic fingerprinting of the dairy microbiota. This chapter provides a broad overview on the microbiota of raw cow's milk, as this has been described so far by both culture-dependent and -independent approaches.

For decades, it has been evidenced that seaweeds are used as part of the human diet in many parts of the world. Across the globe, it has been investigated and accepted that seaweeds are rich source of diverse bioactive compounds and can be used as functional foods. These bioactive compounds or metabolites are derived in the form of peptides, polysaccharides, fatty acids, pigments and polyphenols. They have various bioactive properties like anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidants and anti-diabetic. Further, these findings were noticed by pharmaceutical industries that seaweeds can be employed as nutraceuticals for various human ailments. Environmental factors contribute to maximum diversification in the production of metabolites; therefore, there is a need to develop a better understanding of the functional importance of novel metabolites through screening. Several modern analytical tools have been used to elucidate the functionality and characterisation of the metabolic network. This study of metabolic network regulation forms the newly emerging field regarded as metabolomics. This chapter highlights various types of metabolites in seaweeds as phyco-nutraceuticals. Also, various techniques have been discussed to characterize and profile seaweed-derived metabolites. The chapter also emphasises the seaweed-derived bioactive compounds' potential and economic importance

During the past two decades, there have been numerous developments in the genetic and genomic technologies enabling us to understand complex biological systems in an integrative manner through holistic approaches in research. Since the sequencing of the human genome, efforts are made to identify the number of the genes and their functions. The tools for determining the functionality of the genes are just beginning to appear. Initially the methodologies to identify functionality of the genes were largely based on comparative studies between model organisms. The very high number of genes with unknown functions demanded the need to develop new methods and technologies that may be helpful in assigning functions to the identified genes. Advancements in computing techniques and software opened the door for new technologies to be able to take an applied approach by studying biomolecules needed for proper functioning of the cell and take a holistic approach in biomedical research. Besides genomics, several other technologies are developed in the last decade that take an ‘omics’ approach, i.e., an integrated approach in the study of cell function. It is hoped that the applied integrative omics approaches may be helpful in establishing cause and effect relationships between genotype and phenotype. These ‘omics’ approaches include the integration of genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and other omic technologies to do the non-targeted studies of biomolecules involved in the proper functioning of the cells and their responses to environmental changes. The applications of these technologies have been also utilized in the field of nutrition for studies on how nutrients and other metabolites effect the proper functioning of the cell. With these emerging techniques to understand the molecular functioning of the body, it is envisaged that they might be helpful to give personalized medical care and dietary advice to people based on their individual genotypes in the future. Whilst nutritional genomics is a rapidly growing field in the nutritional sciences focusing on the diet-gene relationships, there is an increasing understanding that other technologies will also be crucial in understanding the whole biological processes involved in metabolism of food. In this chapter I wish to outline the use of contemporary technologies that are involved in establishing the intricate linkages between diet and the genes, and the ethical challenges they raise in their applications.

&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Abstract. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;A database of resource survey trawl samples was analyzed to determine if patterns in spatial variability of estimated density of juvenile red snapper &lt;em&gt;Lutjanus campechanus &lt;/em&gt;in an approximately 15 × 10&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;-km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; area in the north–central Gulf of Mexico were consistent among years from 1991 through 2000. Areas that consistently produced high (&lt;em&gt;n &lt;/em&gt;= 1), median (&lt;em&gt;n &lt;/em&gt;= 2), or low (&lt;em&gt;n &lt;/em&gt;= 1) estimated juvenile red snapper density during this time series then were mapped with digital side-scan sonar, and differences in acoustic reflectance of the seabed were groundtruthed with sediment analyses of boxcore samples. Spatial variability in juvenile density estimated from trawl samples (&lt;em&gt;n &lt;/em&gt;= 80) in summer and fall 2001 were similar to historic patterns. Juvenile density was significantly higher in areas with shell rubble or sponge habitat, thus indicating juveniles require habitat with small-scale (cm to m) complexity. Results of this study indicate our mapping techniques were effective in delineating juvenile red snapper habitat, but future studies also should examine diet, growth, and mortality of juveniles to distinguish suitable versus essential habitats.

The systematic study of coinage at the level of individually engraved die revolutionized numismatics; however the laborious nature of such work has severely limited its application. Die studies are important for attribution and chronology as well as for quantification. Exhaustive study on coinage reveals great evidences particularly in economic history. This chapter discusses the potential posed by image analysis and photography on the field of numismatics. It discusses the principal technique challenges, with a view to stimulating discussion as to the best way forward.

Semi solid processing is a near net shape casting process and one of the promising techniques to obtain dendritic free structure of metals. Semi solid casting gives numerous advantages than solid processing and liquid processing. Semi solid casting process gives, Laminar flow filling of die without turbulence, Lower metal temperature, Less shrinkage, Less porosity, Higher mechanical properties. Semi solid casting process is industrially successful, producing a variety of products with good quality. Slope Casting process is a simple technique to produce semi solid feed-stoke with globular microstructure and dendrite free structure castings. Slope casting process depends on different process parameters like slope length, slope angle, pouring temperature etc. The present study mainly focuses on review of various explorations made by researchers with different process parameters of the Slope casting process and explain the mechanisms that lead to microstructural changes which leads to good mechanical properties.

The ball-on-ring (BOR) and 3-point bending (3PB) tests were used in this study to characterize the effect of dicing process on the fracture strength of Si dies. Dies prepared by a blade dicing process and a laser dicing process were studied. The edge-initiated fracture was distinguished from the surface-initiated fracture by the fractographic analysis. The fracture strength distributions related to surface flaws in the 3PB test as well as the BOR test were consistent regardless of dicing process. For the edge defect-induced failure mode, on the other hand, blade-sawn dies showed wider spread distribution than laser-sawn dies. It was due to the scattered nature in size and location of edge flaws induced by blade dicing. The laser-sawn dies showed a tighter distribution of the die strength although the average die strength was slightly lower than that of the blade-sawn dies. This work successfully demonstrated that the die failure caused by the edge defects can be deconvoluted from the 3PB test data by using the fractographic observation.

International health association such as American Heart Association (AHA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and World Health Organization (WHO) recommend limiting saturated fat (SAFA) intake in daily diet due to the health concerns that they are linked to. However, SAFA can provide frying stability and provide crispy texture to the fried food. In this study, soybean oil which is known to have low SAFA was structured using 5% natural waxes: Candelilla wax (CNW) and Rice Bran wax (RBW) via oleogelation techniques. Oleogels can be defined as a structured liquid vegetable oil entrapped within a three-dimensional, thermo-reversible gelation network. Upon preparing the oleogels, the oleogels were subjected to frying application to determine its frying performances. Results show that the addition of waxes can help to control the increment of free fatty acids, total oxidation value and total polar compounds in the oil. Addition of waxes also show reduced oil absorption in food upon frying. However, the color changes of the wax added frying oils are much faster throughout the frying process. Therefore, natural waxes such as RBW and CNW have promising potential to be used in solidifying soybean oil for frying application.

Abstract With the 3D stack-die technology, top die and base die are stacked together with micro-bumps for die-to-die interconnection and a through silicon via (TSV) for die-to-package connection. This technology provides tremendous flexibility as designers seek to "mix and match" technology IP blocks with various memory and I/O elements in novel device form factors. Even though the lock-in thermal detection technique had been demonstrated as a useful debug technique to detect defects on packages or pin related fails on 3D stack-die configuration, it is difficult to apply this technique to do functional debug. This paper presents a novel base die debug technique with TSV wirebond for 3D stack-die devices. A comprehensive study on the base die debug flow with real failing cases is also presented. Base die debug techniques will need to continue to be innovated to provide complete debug solutions for such platform.

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of extrusion parameters (extrusion speed and temperature), die geometry, and the application of appropriate coating materials on the extrusion dies in order to extend their working life. To achieve the above goal FEM techniques and experimental tests adopted and simulating and experimental results evaluated. In this way, special FEM software was used to set up the finite element model of the aluminum extrusion. As a billet material the 6061 aluminum was used, with a specific diameter and length. The extrusion process was modeled as isothermal, which means that the billet material preheated at the specific temperature and then it was pressured into the two different dies, with a specific extrusion ratio. The extrusion speed was varied between 0.5 to 1 mm/sec and the extrusion temperature varied between 400 °C to 500 °C. The extrusion angle of the two different dies was 9° degrees. The fillet radius at the top surfaces was selected to be 1 mm. The friction between aluminum material (billet) and the extrusion equipment was i) aluminum material and die 0.3, ii) aluminum material and ram 0.9 and iii) aluminum material and container equal to 0.96. Optimized algorithms of extrusion parameters were proposed regarding to the concluded simulating results. The results obtain from the simulation procedure help to the better understanding of the specific extrusion process, leading to better modification of the experimental procedure. In this way, experimental tests were conducted on special laboratory extrusion press using the two different die geometries coated with three different PVD coatings. By means of these experimental tests the additional working life of the coated dies, during hot extrusion process, was able to be evaluated. In addition, the three different coatings where tested by established quality procedures in order to determine their behavior on the material of the extrusion die.

Abstract Recent advances in integrated circuit technologies and in interconnect methodologies to external electronics have made it extremely difficult to conduct failure analysis from the top side of the die (1,2). Therefore analysis techniques are being developed that allow analysis from the backside of the die. The first step in this process involves gaining access to the back of the die through the packaging material. Most backside analysis techniques require that the die then be thinned and polished. This paper describes specialized equipment and procedures to meet those requirements. The equipment is relatively inexpensive compared to other approaches.

With obesity being an increasing health concern, replacements of calorie-dense fat in diet is a necessity. Proteinaceous microgels have recently been found to have ultra-lubricating properties and are hypothesised to act as excellent fat replacers. However, such microgels have not been applied to more sustainable plant protein which is often associated with generating high friction in between oral contact surfaces and consequently generate astringency issues. The aim of this study was to design novel ultra-lubricating microgels using plant proteins and compare lubrication performance of various volume fractions (10-70 vol%) to that of a fat emulsion. An array of characterisation techniques combining oral tribology using 3D biomimetic tongue surface , rheology, dynamic light scattering (DLS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) were used to characterise these newly designed microgels and their surface properties. Potato protein microgels at 5 and 10 wt% protein (PoPM5, PoPM10), pea protein microgel at 15 wt% protein (PePM15) and combined alternative protein microgel at 12.5 wt% (Po5:Pe7.5) were prepared at pH 7.0 by thermally crosslinking the proteins at 80°C for 30 minutes to form gels, followed by shearing. AFM and DLS revealed that microgels were sub-micron sized ranging in diameter from 85 to 232 nm with low polydispersity (‰¤ 0.25) . The microgels were relatively soft with storage modulus varying from 0.35 to 6.5 kPa. Irrespective of the type of proteins used, the microgel dispersions presented excellent lubrication performance especially owing to their adsorption properties as well as high effective viscosities. Strikingly, PePM15 microgels had similar friction coefficient values to that of the 20 wt% oil-in-water emulsion when introduced between 3D biomimetic tongue-like surface. Thus, we demonstrate for the first time that these sustainable protein microgels allow better incorporation of alternative protein in low calorie food without any negative mouthfeel consequences.

Dry press forming which hasn’t used lubricants in the process is the attractive forming technique of zero emission for the lubricants. As one of the dry press forming techniques, the usage of dies coated with a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond film, which are expected to be applied to forming tools owing to their high tribological properties, abrasion resistance and heat resistance, has been proposed. Magnesium alloys have attracted attention owing to their advantages over what such as, high specific strength and ease of recycling. However, they have intractable characteristics, and it is necessary to perform the forming technique at high temperature and to consider lubrication condition. In this study, diamond-coated dies were used in the deformation of magnesium alloy sheets without lubricants in press forming, and the formability of magnesium alloy and its effect on the surface texture of a formed-cup were investigated. Dry deep-drawing tests and dry ironing tests were carried out to estimate the effect of the diamond-coated dies on the formability of magnesium alloy sheets. Furthermore, the formability obtained using the above-mentioned tests was compared with that obtained in tests using non-lubricant dies with traditional lubricant. AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets (thickness: t0 = 0.5 mm) were deformed at 200 °C in dry deep-drawing tests. From the results, it was found that what can be deformed using diamond-coated dies. Moreover, a 20% reduction in drawing force was confirmed compared with the usage of the traditional lubricant (MoS2). Meanwhile, dry ironing tests were performed under conditions of 10% ironing ratio by a method similar to the dry deep-drawing tests. In general, the ironing process, which is the most difficult step in lubrication in sheet forming, has been enabled by the diamond coating technique. Furthermore, it was observed that the surface roughness of the formed-cup walls using the diamond-coated dies was 0.4 μmRz, and, 1.3 μmRz in case of MoS2. It was confirmed that the application of diamond-coated dies improved the surface roughness of the formed-cup. It produced an improvement in the formability of magnesium alloys compared with the traditional lubrication technique (use of MoS2). It was concluded that the validity of the use of diamond-coated dies became clear.

Abstract The main thrust of this research is in developing a knowledge-based system for the design of a mechanical engineering process. The study concentrates on developing methodologies for initial design and redesign in a qualitative format. The component selected is a die for plastic extrusion. A design algorithm using best first heuristic search and expert knowledge, both in procedural and declarative form, forms the core of the process. Initial design and redesign methodologies are presented that can enable efficient design of a component using expert knowledge. Some generality has been accomplished by the implementation of the techniques to dies of different cross sectional shapes. The software is written in Lisp within an object oriented software package using analysis modules written in C.

Abstract This paper presents a comparative study of backside sample preparation techniques with applicability to conventional as well as flip chip package types. We will cover mechanical (grinding and milling tools), chemical (wet and dry chemistries) and other approaches such as laser ablation. Backside sample preparation is very challenging. The preparation process flow starts with decapsulation of the ceramic or plastic package, continues with the die paddle removal, silicon thinning and finishes with silicon polishing. The techniques involved include mechanical, chemical and other novel approaches for ceramic and plastic package. Today, only CNC milling can cover the whole process for almost any kind of packages. Nevertheless, photo ablation is a rising technology for package decapsulation. In addition, chemical wet etch can be used to perform silicon thinning and polishing. We will illustrate the complexity of the process through examples. The first one is a ceramic package where the main issue is the hardness of ceramic. The second one is a TSOP package where the main challenge is the chip scaled package. Both will be observed through the IR emission microscope to demonstrate the efficiency of the preparation.

Abstract The goal of the pultrusion process is to produce a composite material having the desired properties with minimal variation. This requires reliability, uniformity and consistency in production. Key to achieving these requirements is the design of the die and an automated control system. A consistent quality control system can result in greater confidence in the predicted composite properties of the products. The objective of this study is to design the heating configuration for an existing pultrusion die. The design optimization technique is used to synthesize the heating configuration of a laboratory scale die to produce the required production temperature profile for a pultrusion process. The heating configuration includes three variables, which are the number of heaters, power input and location of the heaters. The scope of the design optimization method is to choose the number of heaters, the input power and heater location to minimize the error between the calculated and desired production temperature profile.

Brucella Mutagenesis (TAMU) The working hypothesis for this study was that survival of Brucella vaccines was directly related to their persistence in the host. This premise is based on previously published work detailing the survival of the currently employed vaccine strains S19 and Rev 1. The approach employed signature-tagged mutagenesis to construct mutants interrupted in individual genes, and the mouse model to identify mutants with attenuated virulence/survival. Intracellular survival in macrophages is the key to both reproductive disease in ruminants and reticuloendothelial disease observed in most other species. Therefore, the mouse model permitted selection of mutants of reduced intracellular survival that would limit their ability to cause reproductive disease in ruminants. Several classes of mutants were expected. Colonization/invasion requires gene products that enhance host-agent interaction or increase resistance to antibacterial activity in macrophages. The establishment of chronic infection requires gene products necessary for intracellular bacterial growth. Maintenance of chronic infection requires gene products that sustain a low-level metabolism during periods characterized little or no growth (1, 2). Of these mutants, the latter group was of greatest interest with regard to our originally stated premise. However, the results obtained do not necessarily support a simplistic model of vaccine efficacy, i.e., long-survival of vaccine strains provides better immunity. Our conclusion can only be that optimal vaccines will only be developed with a thorough understanding of host agent interaction, and will be preferable to the use of fortuitous isolates of unknown genetic background. Each mutant could be distinguished from among a group of mutants by PCR amplification of the signature tag (5). This approach permitted infection of mice with pools of different mutants (including the parental wild-type as a control) and identified 40 mutants with apparently defective survival characteristics that were tentatively assigned to three distinct classes or groups. Group I (n=13) contained organisms that exhibited reduced survival at two weeks post-infection. Organisms in this group were recovered at normal levels by eight weeks and were not studied further, since they may persist in the host. Group II (n=11) contained organisms that were reduced by 2 weeks post infection and remained at reduced levels at eight weeks post-infection. Group III (n=16) contained mutants that were normal at two weeks, but recovered at reduced levels at eight weeks. A subset of these mutants (n= 15) was confirmed to be attenuated in mixed infections (1:1) with the parental wild-type. One of these mutants was eliminated from consideration due to a reduced growth rate in vitro that may account for its apparent growth defect in the mouse model. Although the original plan involved construction of the mutant bank in B. melitensis Rev 1 the low transformability of this strain, prevented accumulation of the necessary number of mutants. In addition, the probability that Rev 1 already carries one genetic defect increases the likelihood that a second defect will severely compromise the survival of this organism. Once key genes have been identified, it is relatively easy to prepare the appropriate genetic constructs (knockouts) lacking these genes in B. melitensis Rev 1 or any other genetic background. The construction of "designer" vaccines is expected to improve immune protection resulting from minor sequence variation corresponding to geographically distinct isolates or to design vaccines for use in specific hosts. A.2 Mouse Model of Brucella Infection (UWISC) Interferon regulatory factor-1-deficient (IRF-1-/- mice have diverse immunodeficient phenotypes that are necessary for conferring proper immune protection to intracellular bacterial infection, such as a 90% reduction of CD8+ T cells, functionally impaired NK cells, as well as a deficiency in iNOS and IL-12p40 induction. Interestingly, IRF-1-/- mice infected with diverse Brucella abortus strains reacted differently in a death and survival manner depending on the dose of injection and the level of virulence. Notably, 50% of IRF-1-/- mice intraperitoneally infected with a sublethal dose in C57BL/6 mice, i.e., 5 x 105 CFU of virulent S2308 or the attenuated vaccine S19, died at 10 and 20 days post-infection, respectively. Interestingly, the same dose of RB51, an attenuated new vaccine strain, did not induce the death of IRF-1-/- mice for the 4 weeks of infection. IRF-1-/- mice infected with four more other genetically manipulated S2308 mutants at 5 x 105 CFU also reacted in a death or survival manner depending on the level of virulence. Splenic CFU from C57BL/6 mice infected with 5 x 105 CFU of S2308, S19, or RB51, as well as four different S2308 mutants supports the finding that reduced virulence correlates with survival Of IRF-1-/- mice. Therefore, these results suggest that IRF-1 regulation of multi-gene transcription plays a crucial role in controlling B. abortus infection, and IRF-1 mice could be used as an animal model to determine the degree of B. abortus virulence by examining death or survival. A3 Diagnostic Tests for Detection of B. melitensis Rev 1 (Kimron) In this project we developed an effective PCR tool that can distinguish between Rev1 field isolates and B. melitensis virulent field strains. This has allowed, for the first time, to monitor epidemiological outbreaks of Rev1 infection in vaccinated flocks and to clearly demonstrate horizontal transfer of the strain from vaccinated ewes to unvaccinated ones. Moreover, two human isolates were characterized as Rev1 isolates implying the risk of use of improperly controlled lots of the vaccine in the national campaign. Since atypical B. melitensis biotype 1 strains have been characterized in Israel, the PCR technique has unequivocally demonstrated that strain Rev1 has not diverted into a virulent mutant. In addition, we could demonstrate that very likely a new prototype biotype 1 strain has evolved in the Middle East compared to the classical strain 16M. All the Israeli field strains have been shown to differ from strain 16M in the PstI digestion profile of the omp2a gene sequence suggesting that the local strains were possibly developed as a separate branch of B. melitensis. Should this be confirmed these data suggest that the Rev1 vaccine may not be an optimal vaccine strain for the Israeli flocks as it shares the same omp2 PstI digestion profile as strain 16M.