Evaluation of Curve Fitting Techniques for Estimating End of Primary Consolidation Settlement: Provo Westside Connector Project, Utah

15-8263This final report discusses the installation of magnet extensometer instrumentation associated with the Provo Westside Connector construction project in Utah County, Utah. The settlement monitoring instrumentation was installed in August of 2014, and embankment construction followed shortly thereafter. Maximum fill height was achieved in early December 2014. This report includes a summary of the installation, readings that were collected, and the modeling work regarding the settlement monitoring and end-of-primary settlement projections. Two different curve fitting techniques were evaluated in this research: using the standard primary consolidation equations and the finite difference equations for estimating the end of primary consolidation settlement. For the site investigated, the curve fitting techniques proved to be somewhat problematic because the soil layers had small magnitudes of settlement and the transition between primary and secondary settlement was not readily apparent during the evaluation of real time field data. Using the finite difference equations also proved somewhat problematic in trying to fit the full record of field data based on all of the different stages of loading

Changes in weight loss, body composition and cardiovascular disease risk after altering macronutrient distributions during a regular exercise program in obese women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study's purpose investigated the impact of different macronutrient distributions and varying caloric intakes along with regular exercise for metabolic and physiological changes related to weight loss.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred forty-one sedentary, obese women (38.7 ± 8.0 yrs, 163.3 ± 6.9 cm, 93.2 ± 16.5 kg, 35.0 ± 6.2 kg•m^-2, 44.8 ± 4.2% fat) were randomized to either no diet + no exercise control group (CON) a no diet + exercise control (ND), or one of four diet + exercise groups (high-energy diet [HED], very low carbohydrate, high protein diet [VLCHP], low carbohydrate, moderate protein diet [LCMP] and high carbohydrate, low protein [HCLP]) in addition to beginning a 3x•week^-1supervised resistance training program. After 0, 1, 10 and 14 weeks, all participants completed testing sessions which included anthropometric, body composition, energy expenditure, fasting blood samples, aerobic and muscular fitness assessments. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with an alpha of 0.05 with LSD post-hoc analysis when appropriate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All dieting groups exhibited adequate compliance to their prescribed diet regimen as energy and macronutrient amounts and distributions were close to prescribed amounts. Those groups that followed a diet and exercise program reported significantly greater anthropometric (waist circumference and body mass) and body composition via DXA (fat mass and % fat) changes. Caloric restriction initially reduced energy expenditure, but successfully returned to baseline values after 10 weeks of dieting and exercising. Significant fitness improvements (aerobic capacity and maximal strength) occurred in all exercising groups. No significant changes occurred in lipid panel constituents, but serum insulin and HOMA-IR values decreased in the VLCHP group. Significant reductions in serum leptin occurred in all caloric restriction + exercise groups after 14 weeks, which were unchanged in other non-diet/non-exercise groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall and over the entire test period, all diet groups which restricted their caloric intake and exercised experienced similar responses to each other. Regular exercise and modest caloric restriction successfully promoted anthropometric and body composition improvements along with various markers of muscular fitness. Significant increases in relative energy expenditure and reductions in circulating leptin were found in response to all exercise and diet groups. Macronutrient distribution may impact circulating levels of insulin and overall ability to improve strength levels in obese women who follow regular exercise.</p

Long-term effects of advice to consume a high-protein, low-fat diet, rather than a conventional weight-loss diet, in obese adults with Type 2 diabetes: one-year follow-up of a randomised trial

Aims/hypothesisThis study compared the long-term weight loss and health outcomes at 1-year follow-up, after a 12-week intensive intervention consisting of two low-fat, weight-loss diets, which differed in protein content.MethodsWe randomly assigned 66 obese patients (BMI: 27-40 kg/m2) with type 2 diabetes to either a low-protein (15% protein, 55% carbohydrate) or high-protein diet (30% protein, 40% carbohydrate) for 8 weeks of energy restriction (approximately 6.7 MJ/day) and 4 weeks of energy balance. Subjects were asked to maintain the same dietary pattern for a further 12 months of follow-up.ResultsThe study was completed by 38 of the subjects, with equal dropouts in each group. At Week 64, weight reductions against baseline were -2.2+/-1.1 kg (low protein) and -3.7+/-1.0 kg (high protein), pConclusions/interpretationA high-protein weight-reduction diet may in the long term have a more favourable cardiovascular risk profile than a low-protein diet with similar weight reduction in people with type 2 diabetes

Low-carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects

Recently, diets low in carbohydrate content have become a matter of international attention because of the WHO recommendations to reduce the overall consumption of sugars and rapidly digestible starches. One of the common metabolic changes assumed to take place when a person follows a low-carbohydrate diet is ketosis. Low-carbohydrate intakes result in a reduction of the circulating insulin level, which promotes high level of circulating fatty acids, used for oxidation and production of ketone bodies. It is assumed that when carbohydrate availability is reduced in short term to a significant amount, the body will be stimulated to maximize fat oxidation for energy needs. The currently available scientific literature shows that low-carbohydrate diets acutely induce a number of favourable effects, such as a rapid weight loss, decrease of fasting glucose and insulin levels, reduction of circulating triglyceride levels and improvement of blood pressure. On the other hand some less desirable immediate effects such as enhanced lean body mass loss, increased urinary calcium loss, increased plasma homocysteine levels, increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol have been reported. The long-term effect of the combination of these changes is at present not known. The role of prolonged elevated fat consumption along with low-carbohydrate diets should be addressed. However, these undesirable effects may be counteracted with consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat diet, because this type of diet has been shown to induce favourable effects on feelings of satiety and hunger, help preserve lean body mass, effectively reduce fat mass and beneficially impact on insulin sensitivity and on blood lipid status while supplying sufficient calcium for bone mass maintenance. The latter findings support the need to do more research on this type of hypocaloric low-carbohydrate diet

Effect of a high-protein energy-restricted diet on weight loss and energy expenditure after weight stabilization in hyperinsulinemic subjects

Copyright © 2003 Nature Publishing GroupObjectiveTo determine the effect of replacing some dietary carbohydrate with protein, during energy restriction, on weight loss, total energy expenditure (TEE), resting energy expenditure (REE), respiratory quotient (RQ), and the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) in subjects with hyperinsulinemia.DesignParallel, clinical intervention study of 12 weeks energy restriction (6.5 MJ/day) and 4 weeks energy balance (8.2 MJ/day) in two groups of subjects randomly assigned to either a high-protein (HP) diet (27% of energy (%E) as protein, 45%E as carbohydrate) or a lower-protein (LP) diet (16%E as protein, 57%E as carbohydrate).SubjectsA total of 36 obese nondiabetic volunteers with hyperinsulinemia (10 males/26 females, aged 34-65 y, BMI 28-43 kg/m(2), fasting insulin 12-45 mU/l).MeasurementsBody weight and composition, TEE, REE, and RQ were measured at baseline and at week 16. In addition, the TEF to an HP or LP meal was determined for 3 h, at baseline and at week 16.ResultsAfter 16 weeks, weight loss was similar in response to each diet; the overall decrease was 7.9+/-0.6 kg (PConclusionIn subjects with hyperinsulinemia an energy-restrictive diet containing an increased protein-to-carbohydrate ratio does not enhance weight loss or significantly affect energy expenditure. Caloric restriction, rather than the macronutrient composition of the diet, is the most important determinant of weight loss.N D Luscombe, P M Clifton, M Noakes, E Farnsworth and G Witter