An acute bout of cycling does not induce compensatory responses in pre-menopausal women not using hormonal contraceptives

There is a clear need to improve understanding of the effects of physical activity and exercise on appetite control. Therefore, the acute and short-term effects (three days) of a single bout of cycling on energy intake and energy expenditure were examined in women not using hormonal contraceptives. Sixteen active (n = 8) and inactive (n = 8) healthy pre-menopausal women completed a randomised crossover design study with two conditions (exercise and control). The exercise day involved cycling for 1 h (50% of maximum oxygen uptake) and resting for 2 h, whilst the control day comprised 3 h of rest. On each experimental day participants arrived at the laboratory fasted, consumed a standardised breakfast and an ad libitum pasta lunch. Food diaries and combined heart rate-accelerometer monitors were used to assess free-living food intake and energy expenditure, respectively, over the subsequent three days. There were no main effects or condition (exercise vs control) by group (active vs inactive) interaction for absolute energy intake (P > 0.05) at the ad libitum laboratory lunch meal, but there was a condition effect for relative energy intake (P = 0.004, ηp2 = 0.46) that was lower in the exercise condition (1417 ± 926 kJ vs. 2120 ± 923 kJ). Furthermore, post-breakfast satiety was higher in the active than in the inactive group (P = 0.005, ηp2 = 0.44). There were no main effects or interactions (P > 0.05) for mean daily energy intake, but both active and inactive groups consumed less energy from protein (14 ± 3% vs. 16 ± 4%, P = 0.016, ηp2 = 0.37) and more from carbohydrate (53 ± 5% vs. 49 ± 7%, P = 0.031, ηp2 = 0.31) following the exercise condition. This study suggests that an acute bout of cycling does not induce compensatory responses in active and inactive women not using hormonal contraceptives, while the stronger satiety response to the standardised breakfast meal in active individuals adds to the growing literature that physical activity helps improve the sensitivity of short-term appetite control

Body mass index and age affect Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores in male subjects

This cross-sectional analysis evaluated the effect of age and body mass index (BMI) on Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores in males. Subjects (n = 60) were recruited according to BMI status. Each completed the 51-item Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The group was split at the median age to produce a "younger" and "older" group for statistical analysis. A 2-way between-groups analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of BMI on disinhibition (P = .003) and hunger (P = .041) with higher levels found in overweight males compared to healthy-weight counterparts. A significant main effect of age on hunger (P = .046) demonstrated older males were less susceptible to hunger than younger males. These insights provide a better understanding of eating behavior across the male life cycle and may assist health professionals to better guide men in weight management in the light of rising overweight/obesity. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Resonant Cantilever Sensing: From Model Systems to Application

Micro and nanomechanical resonators are highly sensitive, label-free analyte sensors in a range of environments. Resonant cantilevers, i.e. those operated in dynamic mode, can be considered as mechanical oscillators, with analyte adsorption creating a shift in cantilever resonance. Cantilever sensors work via a purely mechanical approach, transducing an analyte binding event into a nanomechanical signal. This response is governed by changes in sensor mass and stiffness due to adsorbed analytes, with previous theoretical work predicting the latter to produce significant effects on measured frequency shifts, counteracting effects of adsorbed mass. This highlights a particularly unsatisfactory feature of micro/nano-mechanical sensors, as an accurate interpretation of the sensor response must depend on both adsorbate mass and rigidity, which for nanometer-scale coverage can only be guessed, rather than derived from independent measurements. In this thesis, procedures to disentangle such effects in air and liquid are discussed and tested on a range of surface coatings, offering a novel method of analyte detection and analysis. The dynamic characteristics of cantilever beams are strongly dependent on the mass density and viscosity of the fluid in which the beams are immersed. The application of cantilevers in accurately determining such rheological properties is also presented, first via the use of model solutions, and then extending measurements to a range of commercial alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. A method to quantify alcohol content is also discussed, further demonstrating the commercial applications of cantilever sensors

Joint Estimation of Stokes Images and Aberrations from Phase-Diverse Polarimetric Measurements

The technique of phase diversity has been used in traditional incoherent imaging systems to jointly estimate an object and optical system aberrations. This paper extends the technique of phase diversity to polarimetric imaging systems. Specifically, we describe penalized-likelihood methods for jointly estimating Stokes images and optical system aberrations from measurements that contain phase diversity. Jointly estimating Stokes images and optical system aberrations involves a large parameter space. A closed-form expression for the estimate of the Stokes images in terms of the aberration parameters is derived and used in a formulation that reduces the dimensionality of the search space to the number of aberration parameters only. We compare the performance of the joint estimator under both quadratic and edge-preserving regularization; we also compare the performance of the reduced parameter search strategy to the full parameter search strategy under quadratic regularization. The joint estimator with edge-preserving regularization yields higher fidelity polarization estimates than with quadratic regularization. With the reduced parameter search strategy, accurate aberration estimates can be obtained without recourse to regularization “tuning.”Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/85915/1/Fessler9.pd

On the Moat-Penumbra Relation

Proper motions in a sunspot group with a delta-configuration and close to the solar disc center have been studied by employing local correlation tracking techniques. The analysis is based on more than one hour time series of G-band images. Radial outflows with a mean speed of 0.67 km s^{-1} have been detected around the spots, the well-known sunspots moats. However, these outflows are not found in those umbral core sides without penumbra. Moreover, moat flows are only found in those sides of penumbrae located in the direction marked by the penumbral filaments. Penumbral sides perpendicular to them show no moat flow. These results strongly suggest a relation between the moat flow and the well-known, filament aligned, Evershed flow. The standard picture of a moat flow originated from a blocking of the upward propagation of heat is commented in some detail.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, To appear in ApJ Letter

Phase diversity restoration of sunspot images I. Relations between penumbral and photospheric features

We investigate the dynamics of and the relations between small-scale penumbral and photospheric features near the outer penumbral boundary: penumbral grains (PGs), dark penumbral fibrils, granules, and photospheric G-band bright points. The analysis is based on a 2 h time sequence of a sunspot close to disc center, taken simultaneously in the G-band and in the blue continuum at 450.7 nm. Observations were performed at the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope (La Palma) in July 1999. A total of 2564 images (46 arcsec x 75 arcsec) were corrected for telescope aberrations and turbulence perturbations by applying the inversion method of phase diversity. Our findings can by summarized as follows: (a) One third of the outward-moving PGs pass through the outer penumbral boundary and then either continue moving as small bright features or expand and develop into granules. (b) Former PGs and G-band bright points next to the spot reveal a different nature. The latter have not been identified as a continuation of PGs escaping from the penumbra. The G-band bright points are mostly born close to dark penumbral fibrils where the magnetic field is strong, whereas PGs stem from the less-magnetized penumbral component and evolve presumably to non-magnetic granules or small bright features.Comment: Accepted by A&A, 9 pages and 5 figure

Novel plant-based meat alternatives: future opportunities and health considerations.

Current food systems threaten population and environmental health. Evidence suggests reduced meat and increased plant-based food consumption would align with climate change and health promotion priorities. Accelerating this transition requires greater understanding of determinants of plant-based food choice. A thriving plant-based food industry has emerged to meet consumer demand and support dietary shift towards plant-based eating. ‗Traditional' plant-based diets are low energy density, nutrient dense, low in saturated fat and purportedly associated with health benefits. However, fast-paced contemporary lifestyles continue to fuel growing demand for meat-mimicking plant-based convenience foods which are typically ultra-processed. Processing can improve product safety and palatability and enable fortification and enrichment. However, deleterious health consequences have been associated with ultra-processing, though there is a paucity of equivocal evidence regarding the health value of novel plant-based meat alternatives and their capacity to replicate the nutritional profile of meat-equivalents. Thus, despite the health halo often associated with plant-based eating, there is a strong rationale to improve consumer literacy of plant-based meat alternatives. Understanding the impact of extensive processing on health effects may help to justify the use of innovative methods designed to maintain health benefits associated with particular foods and ingredients. Furthering knowledge regarding the nutritional value of novel plant-based meat alternatives will increase consumer awareness thus support informed choice. Finally, knowledge of factors influencing engagement of target consumer subgroups with such products may facilitate production of desirable healthier plant-based meat alternatives. Such evidence-based food manufacturing practice has the potential to positively influence future individual and planetary health

Alginate reduces the increased uptake of cholesterol and glucose in overweight male subjects: a pilot study

Dietary fibers are of particular interest in the prevention and management of obesity and consequent pathologies. Among the proposed mechanisms of action of fiber is the modulation of nutrient uptake from the small intestine. We have used a crossover study design in human subjects to monitor the uptake of glucose, cholesterol, and triacylglycerols in human subjects with normal and high body mass index. Our data demonstrate that uptakes of glucose, triacylglycerols, and cholesterol are all increased with increasing body fat. We demonstrate that treatment with a 1.5-g dose of a strong-gelling alginate may restore uptake of cholesterol and glucose to the levels of healthy subjects. These data indicate a potential therapeutic application of gelling fibers. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Inc

Marine Monitoring Program: Annual Report for inshore pesticide monitoring 2018–19

[Extract] This component of the Marine Monitoring Program provides an understanding of nearshore pesticide profiles and the exposure risk to marine organisms, as a part of water quality condition on the Great Barrier Reef. Data are collected from eleven fixed monitoring sites located in four Natural Resource Management regions — the Wet Tropics (five sites: Low Isles, High Island, Normanby Island, Dunk Island and Lucinda), Burdekin (one site: Barratta Creek), Mackay-Whitsundays (four sites: Repulse Bay, Flat Top Island, Sandy Creek and Sarina Inlet) and Fitzroy (one site: North Keppel Island). The suite of pesticides monitored includes photosystem II (PSII) inhibiting herbicides (such as diuron, atrazine (and its metabolites), ametryn, hexazinone, tebuthiuron), which all affect photosynthesis, and are commonly detected due to their high usage in adjacent catchments, and their high solubility. Other pesticides monitored include those that have non-photosynthetic effects (such as imidacloprid and metolachlor) and knockdown herbicides (such as 2,4-D)