A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / Background: Obesity has transitioned from an individual health concern to being a national problem with almost two‐thirds of the adult population in the United States now overweight or obese1. Television potentially provides a medium in which to model healthy and unhealthy behaviors to millions of viewers each week. Although there is no quick solution to obesity, promoting and normalizing healthy lifestyles in today’s most viewed shows may be one tool to help combat an obesogenic lifestyle. Research Question: To what degree do today’s most popular sitcoms model healthy and unhealthy behaviors? Methods: A scorecard with 11 behaviors (6 healthy and 5 unhealthy) was created using publically published guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)1,2,3, World Health Organization (WHO)4, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)5,6. The top three sitcoms for the 2013‐2014 season, as determined by TV Guide, were viewed and analyzed by one evaluator. These included The Big Bang Theory, The Millers, and Modern Family7. Results: In total, 898 unhealthy behaviors and 532 healthy behaviors were portrayed. The Big Bang Theory demonstrated the most behaviors overall and had the most favorable ratio of healthy to unhealthy behaviors at 1/1.1, compared to 1/3.8 for The Millers and 1/3.2 for Modern Family. The most common unhealthy behavior viewed was beverage choice with 492 occurrences. One of the least portrayed healthy behaviors was moderate physical activity with only 47 instances. In two of the three shows, there were remarkably few examples of fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusion: Today’s top three sitcoms expose their viewers to many healthy and unhealthy behaviors during the span of a 22‐minute show. Significantly more unhealthy behaviors were portrayed than healthy behaviors. The most common unhealthy behavior centered on beverage choice. This is a behavior that can easily be adjusted to promote a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, food content could reflect more healthy choices. Television shows reach millions of viewers each week and may prove to be a useful tool in helping to reinforce and normalize healthy lifestyle choices.

The aim of this Master's thesis is to create a business plan for rather a small restaurant that focuses on healthy, simple recipes using only fresh seasonal and local ingredients. Part of this business plan is also to evaluate the feasibility of the project through financial analysis. In theoretical part of this work I described steps which are taken and the rules that are generally kept through the process of making the business plan. The legislation and obligatory procedures the entrepreneur has to go through were also described in this part. The practical part obtains the actual business plan of the restaurant called "Eat Simple". In this part where different analysis of the market environment, marketing and financial plans could be found. At the end of the thesis you can also find the SWOT analysis of the restaurant which evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

No description available.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

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Selective feeding in response to depletion of particular reserves was examined in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. Animals deprived of specific nutrients and subsequently provided with dietary choices, responded so as to restore their altered reserves. Since two foods of differing energy content were used, the fundamental hypothesis of optimality theory could be tested (i.e. do cockroaches behave so as to maximize energy intake?). Adult male cockroaches were placed in a computer-monitored artificial habitat containing routes to shelter, water, protein and carbohydrate. Measures of behaviour were compared over treatments. Treatments included control cockroaches (no starvation), cockroaches fed agar (originally fed protein and sugar), protein-starved cockroaches (originally fed sugar only) and starved cockroaches (no food in the pre-treatment). In all treatments, more time was spent feeding than drinking. In controls, feeding on carbohydrate took precedence over protein (for intake and duration). Protein-starved cockroaches showed increased intake (over controls) for protein, as expected, but also increased intake for both carbohydrate and water. Starved and agar-fed cockroaches displayed decreased carbohydrate and water intake while protein consumption increased. The compensatory responses showed large initial peaks that gradually approached control behaviour. The results indicate that feeding behaviour is strongly responsive to reserve state and reserves act as an integral part of a dynamic system which operates homeostatically. The fact that depletion of the protein reserve resulted in increased ingestion of both protein and carbohydrate strongly suggests that reserves are linked. Considerable variation in daily feeding was observed which may be related to overshoot/undershoot responses typical of homeostatic systems where time lags exist. The results are strongly at variance with the predictions of optimal foraging theory. Cockroaches appear to feed to homeostatic set points, largely regulated by reserves. Reserves are largely ignored in optimal foraging theory. Furthermore, the animals regulate intake of nitrogen (protein) and/or energy, and do not simply maximize energy intake. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

In the U.S., states vary in the way they link the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). State practices that have come to be known as "Heat and Eat" (HandE) exploit a SNAP energy expense deduction in order to increase SNAP benefits. Sixteen states have used the practice at some point, with the earliest starting in 1995 and latest in 2013. This study uses variation in the timing of adoption of HandE across states to estimate the HandE's effect on SNAP participation. SNAP-LIHEAP participation links are also examined in relation to alternative state policies that bundle application costs. Using SIPP 2008 Panel data, the study employs a household fixed effects model to examine the impact of LIHEAP participation and the three SNAP-LIHEAP bundling policies on SNAP participation propensities. The results indicate that HandE policies cause a small increase in household SNAP participation, which is likely due to the fact that HandE provides additional benefits for SNAP participants. Categorical eligibility that links applications for both programs also generates higher differential probabilities of being on SNAP. These results are consistent with previous findings in the multiple program participation literature. / Master of Science

Microglia, the brain's resident immune cells and phagocytes, are emerging as critical regulators of developing synaptic circuits in the healthy brain after having long been thought to function primarily during central nervous system (CNS) injury or disease. Recent work indicates that microglia engulf synapses in the developing brain; however, how microglia know which synapses to target for removal remains a major open question. For my dissertation research, I studied microglia-mediated pruning in the retinogeniculate system and sought to identify the molecules regulating microglial engulfment of synaptic inputs. I discovered that "eat me" and "don't eat me" signals, immune molecules known for either promoting or inhibiting macrophage phagocytosis of cells or debris, localize to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (dLGN) and direct retinogeniculate refinement. We found that "eat me" signal C3 and its microglial receptor, CR3, are required for normal engulfment, and that loss of either of these molecules leads to a reduction in phagocytosis and sustained deficits in refinement. These data suggest that microglia-mediated pruning may be analogous to the removal of non-self material by phagocytes in the immune system. To test this hypothesis, I examined whether protective signals are required to prevent excess microglial engulfment, as they prevent phagocytosis of self cells in the immune system. I found that protective "don't eat me" signal CD47 is required to prevent excess microglial engulfment and retinogeniculate pruning during development. Moreover, another "don't eat me signal", CD200, also prevents overpruning. Together, these findings indicate that immune molecules instruct microglia as to which synapses to engulf and present a model in which a balance of stimulatory and inhibitory cues is necessary to guide remodeling of immature synaptic circuits. These data shed new light on mechanisms regulating synaptic refinement and microglial function in the healthy, developing CNS, and may have implications for disorders characterized by immune dysregulation and circuit disconnectivity, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia.

A bacteriological study was made of a number of prepared foods that were bought ready-to-eat, for home consumption, from several food establishments in Dallas, Texas. The purpose of this study was to show whether these foods could be a potential source of food poisoning; whether there are any particular foods that should have greater care than others in order to protect their quality; and whether the bacteriological contamination could have been prevented by strict observance of the city regulations for handling foods.

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to determine the bacteriological status of selected RTE foods, associated preparation surfaces and cleaning tools sampled from four retail delicatessens in Johannesburg. An initial pilot study of four RTE foods such as filled baguettes, assorted salads, sliced processed meats and hot meals was conducted in order to set the parameters for the remainder of the study. Results showed that filled baguettes and assorted salads contained the highest bacterial counts and incidences of potential foodborne pathogens. Bacterial counts were obtained from the associated preparation surfaces, whilst cleaning tools were associated with coliform and Escherichia coli, suggesting they may harbour potential foodborne pathogens. For the main study, 60% filled baguettes and assorted salads complied with the microbiological guidelines recommended by the retailer, however fruit salads had the lowest bacterial counts overall. Furthermore, of the food contact surfaces plastic chopping boards were identified as the greatest reservoir for RTE food contamination. Bacteriological analysis in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy showed potential foodborne pathogens associated with cleaning tools. Low numbers of aerobic bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus were associated with disposable plastic gloves, suggesting that good glove practices are used by the food handlers.