Particle ingestion in gas turbine applications can be detrimental to performance and pose significant safety concerns. Areas of high sand concentration are hazardous to aircraft, requiring precautions like routine inspections and maintenance. The engine failure modes are dependent on particle composition, concentration, and size. Particles containing certain minerals tend to melt and stick to turbine blades, which is known as glazing. Alternatively, particles may erode blades from repeated collisions, or they may fill cooling passage holes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop systems that identify these parameters as particles are ingested. This thesis introduces three separate systems responsible for collecting sand concentration, size distribution, and material composition of sand. A particle visualization technique (ParVis), developed at Virginia Tech, was used to validate two sensors developed by commercial partners. One sensor measures particle size and velocity with a method similar to Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). The second sensor measures particle composition with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) by physically sampling particles in a flow. There has been little research on applying XRF to moving particles, so experimental data were collected to demonstrate the effectiveness of the sensor. Detection comparisons between two particle types showed promising outcomes for the XRF. Meanwhile, the ParVis technique was iterated to overcome previous limitations and implemented into the testing process to provide particle concentration measurements. Particularly, improvements led to increased accuracy and reliability of the method such as reducing variance in concentration approximations. / Master of Science / Aircraft are constantly ingesting particles into their engines. Those operating in dusty environments are at higher risks of engine failure because more particles are ingested, which cause damage in several ways. As engine manufacturers push the turbine operating temperatures higher for efficiency and emissions, sand particles reach melting temperatures and stick to turbine blades, which results in overheating. Because of the potential risks to life, sand ingestion research continues to provide solutions for improving aircraft safety. This study explores the capabilities of new sensors to quantify characteristics of ingested particles, including the concentration, size distribution, and material composition of sand. An illumination technique for measuring sand concentration from particle imaging was developed at Virginia Tech. The technique was iterated to overcome previous limitations and improve its reliability during this study. It provides a more accurate depiction of the testing conditions that can be used to diagnose and calibrate sensors. In this case, two sensors issued by Creare were tested, one of which measures size and particle velocity, while the other measures sand composition. The first sensor relies on non-intrusive optical measurements and can be mounted directly to an engine inlet. The second sensor collects particles from the inlet flow and applies X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to the moving particles. There has been little research on applying XRF to a flow of particles, so experimental data were critical to demonstrate the effectiveness of the sensor. technique was iterated to overcome previous limitations and implemented into the testing process to provide particle concentration measurements.

Master of Science in Life Sciences / This thesis explores the feeding structures of insects, which have evolved over millennia to utilize a variety of dietary sources. It examines the mouthparts of insects feeding on plants, other bugs, or vertebrate blood, analyzing how these structures influence or limit their diet. Focusing particularly on mosquitoes, which are a significant public health threat due to their role as vectors of deadly diseases, we investigate the unique sexual dimorphism and diet, females' blood-feeding behaviors and the differences in the dual-pump feeding mechanisms of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Specifically, we investigated the effect of fluid viscosity on the sugar-feeding behavior and the pumping dynamics of males and females via force-feeding assays and electromyography (EMG) recording. Results showed varied pumping contraction frequencies among mosquito species and sexes that align with host feeding preferences. Furthermore, the study confirms that both species and sexes significantly influence sucrose intake, with Aedes aegypti females notably consuming more at higher concentrations, a trend not mirrored in Culex quinquefasciatus females. By studying the effects of fluid viscosity on feeding behavior and pumping dynamics, we inform computational models of the ingestion pumps that will help us gain insight into how the evolution of blood feeding.

Le Strontium 90 (90Sr) est un radionucléide d’origine anthropogénique, relâché en grandes quantités dans l’environnement à la suite d’essais nucléaires aériens ou d’accidents d’installations nucléaires. Le 90Sr persiste à long terme dans l’environnement, ce qui conduit à la contamination chronique par ingestion de populations des territoires contaminés. L’induction de tumeurs osseuses liées à la fixation du 90Sr a été largement décrite. Par contre, l’occurrence d’effets non cancéreux est beaucoup moins connue. Nous avons utilisé un modèle murin avec une contamination chronique par ingestion d’eau contenant 20 kBq/l de 90Sr. Une étude de biocinétique a confirmé l’accumulation de 90Sr dans les os, avec un taux d’accumulation plus rapide durant la croissance osseuse. Cette accumulation est plus élevée dans les os des femelles que chez les males. Les doses absorbées au corps entier varient de 0.33 ± 0.06 mGy (naissance) à 10.6 ± 0.1 mGy (20 semaines). La dose au squelette peut aller jusqu’à 55 mGy. L’ingestion de 90Sr induit une modification de l’expression des gènes impliqués induisant à un déséquilibre favorisant la résorption osseuse, mais sans répercussion sur la morphologie de l’os. Aucun effet majeur n’a été observé pour le système hématopoïétique. Par contre, des modifications mineures du système immunitaire ont été observées. Afin d’évaluer la fonctionnalité du système immunitaire, un test de vaccination avec les antigènes TT et KLH a été utilisé. Les résultats montrent chez les animaux contaminés une diminution significative de la production d’immunoglobulines spécifiques, une modification de la balance Th1/Th2 dans la rate et une différenciation lymphoïde B perturbée. Ces résultats permettent de mieux comprendre certaines des conséquences non cancéreuses de l’exposition chronique à faible dose à des radionucléides à demi-vie longue pouvant être rejetés accidentellement. / Strontium 90 (90Sr) is a radionuclide of anthropogenic origin released in large quantities in the environment as a result of nuclear atmospheric tests or accidents at nuclear facilities. 90Sr persists on a long-term basis in the environment, leading to chronic contamination by ingestion of populations living on contaminated territories. The induction of bone tumours associated with the fixation of 90Sr has been widely described. However, the occurrence of non-cancer effects is much less known. We used a mouse model with chronic contamination by ingestion of water containing 20 kBq/l of 90Sr. A biokinetic study confirmed the accumulation of 90Sr in the bones, with an increased rate of accumulation during bone growth. This accumulation was higher in the bones of females than in males. The whole-body absorbed doses ranged from 0.33 ± 0.06 mGy (birth) to 10.6 ± 0.1 mGy (20 weeks). The absorbed dose for the skeleton was up to 55 mGy. Ingestion of 90Sr induced a change in the expression of genes inducing an imbalance in favour of bone resorption, but without effect on bone morphology. No significant effect was observed for the hematopoietic system. On the other hand, minor modifications were observed for the immune system. To evaluate the functionality of the immune system, a vaccination test with TT and KLH antigens was used. Results showed in contaminated animals a significant decrease in the production of specific immunoglobulins, changes in the Th1/Th2 balance in the spleen and a disrupted B lymphocyte differentiation. These results improve the understanding of some of the non-cancerous consequences of chronic exposure at low dose of radionuclides with a long half-life, which can be accidentally released.

Le Big Data est maintenant la nouvelle ressource naturelle. Les architectures actuelles des environnements d'analyse des données massives sont constituées de trois couches: les flux de données sont acquis par la couche d’ingestion (e.g., Kafka) pour ensuite circuler à travers la couche de traitement (e.g., Flink) qui s’appuie sur la couche de stockage (e.g., HDFS) pour stocker des données agrégées ou pour archiver les flux pour un traitement ultérieur. Malheureusement, malgré les bénéfices potentiels apportés par les couches spécialisées (e.g., une mise en oeuvre simplifiée), déplacer des quantités importantes de données à travers ces couches spécialisées s’avère peu efficace: les données devraient être acquises, traitées et stockées en minimisant le nombre de copies. Cette thèse propose la conception et la mise en oeuvre d’une architecture unifiée pour l’ingestion et le stockage de flux de données, capable d'améliorer le traitement des applications Big Data. Cette approche minimise le déplacement des données à travers l’architecture d'analyse, menant ainsi à une amélioration de l’utilisation des ressources. Nous identifions un ensemble de critères de qualité pour un moteur dédié d’ingestion des flux et stockage. Nous expliquons l’impact des différents choix architecturaux Big Data sur la performance de bout en bout. Nous proposons un ensemble de principes de conception d’une architecture unifiée et efficace pour l’ingestion et le stockage des données. Nous mettons en oeuvre et évaluons le prototype KerA dans le but de gérer efficacement divers modèles d’accès: accès à latence faible aux flux et/ou accès à débit élevé aux flux et/ou objets. / Big Data is now the new natural resource. Current state-of-the-art Big Data analytics architectures are built on top of a three layer stack:data streams are first acquired by the ingestion layer (e.g., Kafka) and then they flow through the processing layer (e.g., Flink) which relies on the storage layer (e.g., HDFS) for storing aggregated data or for archiving streams for later processing. Unfortunately, in spite of potential benefits brought by specialized layers (e.g., simplified implementation), moving large quantities of data through specialized layers is not efficient: instead, data should be acquired, processed and stored while minimizing the number of copies. This dissertation argues that a plausible path to follow to alleviate from previous limitations is the careful design and implementation of a unified architecture for stream ingestion and storage, which can lead to the optimization of the processing of Big Data applications. This approach minimizes data movement within the analytics architecture, finally leading to better utilized resources. We identify a set of requirements for a dedicated stream ingestion/storage engine. We explain the impact of the different Big Data architectural choices on end-to-end performance. We propose a set of design principles for a scalable, unified architecture for data ingestion and storage. We implement and evaluate the KerA prototype with the goal of efficiently handling diverse access patterns: low-latency access to streams and/or high throughput access to streams and/or objects.

L’environnement climatique est l’un des facteurs pouvant influencer la performance aérobie. Il existe des températures idéales avec lesquelles les athlètes réalisent de meilleures performances : entre 10 et 12°C en course à pied (Maughan et coll. 2010) ou inférieures à 32°C en cyclisme (Peiffer & Abbiss 2011). Davies et coll. (2016) condensent dans une métaanalyse différentes études portant sur le contre la montre (CLM) en cyclisme en environnement chaud et relèvent que la performance est altérée en climat chaud à partir du milieu de l’épreuve (P < 0,02) et jusqu’à la fin (P = 0,01) par rapport à une condition contrôle.Ce résultat laisse donc apparaitre qu’outre la température environnementale, la durée de l’effort peut également être déterminante dans l’impact du climat sur la performance. L’élévation de la température n’est pas le seul facteur environnemental pouvant influencer la performance. Maughan et coll. (2012) mettent en évidence qu’au plus le taux d’humidité est élevé au plus la performance aérobie est détériorée. Dans cette étude, des athlètes non acclimatés, réalisent une épreuve à vélo à 70% de VO2max jusqu’à épuisement lors de quatre sessions à 24, 40, 60 et 80% d’HR (T: 30°C). Les résultats, montrent que le temps d’exercice diminue significativement avec l’augmentation du taux d’humidité (P < 0,05).A travers ce travail de recherche nous avons donc investigué la question : comment faire pour limiter cet impact du climat sur la performance ?Pour ce faire 3 axes sont développés à travers nos études :a. Etudier l’efficacité de protocoles de refroidissement à plusieurs moments de la performance : avant, pendant et entre deux efforts consécutif.b. Déterminer si les combinaisons de froid peuvent se combiner.c. Déterminer si l’utilisation du menthol peut permettre une optimisation des protocoles de cooling.Les principaux résultats de cette thèse mettent en évidence que l’utilisation de méthodes de cooling est efficace mais que cette efficacité dépend du protocole utilisé. Nous avons ainsi mis en évidence (1) Qu’en pré-cooling il est nécessaire de débuter 1h avant l’effort pour avoir une efficacité de la méthode ; (2) Qu’une immersion avec du menthol est plus efficace qu’une immersion seule entre deux efforts de 20’ mais qu’utilisé sur des vêtements son efficacité n’est pas prouvée; (3) Que le port d’un gilet froid cumulé à une ingestion d’une boisson froide à l’échauffement n’est pas plus efficace qu’un refroidissement interne seul (4) Que le menthol peut influencer les performances en jouant un rôle sur le SNC.L’action du menthol va permettre au SNC de percevoir l’environnement comme étant « plus favorable » et par conséquent entrainer une modification de la rétroaction thermorégulatrice, et ainsi permettre une meilleure performance. Cela sans que le menthol ne joue un rôle délétère à la thermorégulation. / The climatic environment is one of the factors that can influence the aerobic performance. There are an ideal temperatures with which athletes realize better performance: between 10 and 12°C in running (Maughan et al. 2010) below 32°C in cycling (Peiffer & Abbiss 2011). Davies et al. (2016) condense in a meta-analysis different studies on time trial (TT) in cycling and note that the performance is impaired in hot weather from middle of the test (P <0.02) and until the end (P = 0.01) compared to a condition control. This result therefore shows that in addition to the environmental temperature, the duration of the effort can also be decisive in the impact of climate on the performance.Rising temperature is not the only environmental factor that can influence the performance. Maughan et al. (2012) highlight that at the highest level of humidity is high at most aerobic performance is deteriorated. In this study, non-athletes acclimatized, perform a 70% VO2max bike test until exhaustion four sessions at 24, 40, 60 and 80% RH (T: 30 ° C). The results show that time exercise decreased significantly with increasing humidity (P <0.05). Through this research work we therefore investigated the question: how to do to limit this impact of climate on performance?To do this, 3 axes are developed through our studies: a. Study the effectiveness of cooling protocols at several points in the performance: before, during and between two consecutive efforts.b. Determine if cold combinations can combine.c. To determine if the use of menthol can allow optimization of the protocols of cooling.The main results of this thesis highlight that the use of cooling is effective but this efficiency depends on the protocol used. We havehighlighted (1) That in pre-cooling it is necessary to start 1 hour before the effort to have an efficiency of the method;(2) Immersion with menthol is more effective only a single immersion between two efforts of 20 'but that used on clothes its effectiveness is not proven; (3) That wearing a cold vest combined with ingestion from a cold drink to warm up is no more effective than an internal cooling only (4) That menthol can influence performance by playing a role on the CNS. The action of menthol will allow the CNS to perceive the environment as being "More favorable" and therefore result in a change in the feedback thermoregulatory, allow higher performance. This without the menthol isplayed a deleterious role to thermoregulation.

In order to enable comparison of Helicon ion thruster performance across different vacuum test facilities, an understanding of the effect of operating pressure on plasma plume properties is required. Plasma property measurements are compared for thruster operation at two separate vacuum facility operating pressures to determine the effect of neutral ingestion on Helicon ion thruster operation. The ion energy distribution function (IEDF), electron temperature, ion number density, and plasma potential are measured along the thruster main axis for a replica of the Madison Helicon eXperiment. Plasma property values recorded at the ‘high-pressure condition’ (3.0×10^(-4) Torr corrected for argon) are compared to values recorded at the ‘low-pressure condition’ (1.2×10^(-5) Torr corrected for argon) for thruster operation at 100 - 500 watts radio frequency forward power, 340 – 700 gauss source region magnetic field strength, and 1.3 - 60 sccm argon volumetric flow rate (0.039-1.782 mg/s). Differences in plasma behavior at the ‘high-pressure condition’ result from two primary neutral-plume interactions: collisions between accelerated beam ions and ingested neutrals leading to a reduction of ion energy and neutral ionization downstream of the thruster exit due to electron-neutral collisions. Electron temperature at higher operating pressures is lowered due to an electron cooling effect resulting from repeated collisions with neutral atoms. Results suggest that Helicon ion thruster plasma properties are greatly influenced when subjected to neutral ingestion.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal (GI) disorder. GI symptoms and impaired quality of life affect between 10-20% of all adults, corresponding to about 25-50% of all patients who visit a gastroenterologist’s clinic. In recent years, several novel mechanisms of IBS that likely relate to previously established theories have been identified. Inflammation, postinfectious low-grade inflammation, immunological and genetic predisposition along with altered microbiota are critical in IBS development, while several dietary factors may also play a role in this syndrome. However, none of these factors accounts for the full repertoire of IBS symptoms, and the pathophysiology of this condition is not fully understood. The overarching aim of this study was to investigate the nutrient intakes, GI microbiota and the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum (L.plantarum) 299v in IBS patients. Sub-aims: 1) Update healthcare professionals on current probiotic information and provide an overview of probiotic treatment approaches, with special emphasis on IBS, 2) conduct a well designed randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) with L. plantarum 299v as part of an intervention and establish whether a course of probiotics may alleviate undesirable symptoms of IBS and improve quality of life, 3) assess nutrient intake in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared to dietary recommendations, 4) validate and assess the reproducibility of food records and 5) identify possible nutrient risk components for establishing GI microbiota involved in IBS and as part of an intervention, determine whether a course of probiotics may alter stool microbiota. Results: 1) A review article published by the author provides an overview of current probiotic treatment options to health care professionals and indicates certain probiotics are a promising therapeutic treatment option for management of IBS symtpoms, 2) the effects of the single strain probiotic, L. plantarum 299v, supplementation was evaluated in a RCT. Compared to placebo, the probiotic supplementation showed no significant reduction in GI symptom severity scores, particularly abdominal pain relief. Quality of life was also not improved in the treatment versus control group. Both the treatment and placebo groups improved significantly over the trial period, indicating a large placebo effect, 3) nutrient intakes of the IBS patients compared to current dietary reference recommendations indicates that this group of patients are at risk for nutrient inadequacies in key macro and micronutrients, 4) the validity and reliability of the dietary data showed good reliability but poor validity as measured by plasma fatty acids and 5) the GI microbiota composition in the phenotypically different diarrhoea-predominant IBS (D-IBS) vs. constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS) showed that D-IBS patients had significantly lower counts of Lactobacillus plantarum compared to C-IBS patients. The probiotic had no significant effects on the GI microbiota as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). It was found that nutrient intakes had a significant impact on the microbiota. Lower fibre intakes were associated with higher Bacteroides spp., lower Bifidobacteria bifidum and Lactobacillus plantarum counts in both IBS groups. Conclusion: Taken together, L.plantarum 299v did not alleviate the GI symptoms of IBS, nor was it associated with significant changes in the GI microbiota. IBS patients may be at risk of key nutrient inadequacies. The influence of nutrient intakes on the GI microbiota provides an attractive explanation as a potential pathophysiological factor for IBS. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond: Prikkelbare derm-sindroom (PDS) is ‘n algemene gastro-intestinale (GI) stoornis. GI simptome affekteer die lewenskwaliteit van 10-20% van alle volwassenes. Dit stem ooreen met ongeveer 25-50% van alle pasiënte wat ‘n gastroënteroloog konsulteer. Verskeie oorspronklike meganismes vir die ontwikkeling van PDS is onlangs identifiseer. Inflammasie, post-infektiewe lae-graadse inflammasie, immunologiese en genetiese vatbaarheid tesame met veranderde mikrobiota is krities vir die ontwikkeling van PDS. Sekere dieetfaktore mag ook bydraend wees tot hierdie sindroom. Geen van hierdie faktore is egter verantwoordelik vir die volle spektrum van PDS simptome nie en die patofisiologie van die toestand word ook nog nie ten volle verstaan nie. Die oorkoepelende doel van hierdie studie is om nutriëntinname, GI mikrobiota en die uitwerking van L.plantarum 299v in PDS pasiënte bepaal. Sub-doelwitte: 1) Om gesondheidswerkers in te lig aangaande die nuutste inligting oor probiotika en om ‘n oorsig van probiotika behandelingsopsies te verskaf, met spesiale klem op PDS, 2) om ‘n goed beplande ewekansige, dubbel-blinde, plasebo-beheerde kliniese studie met L.plantarum 299v as deel van die intervensie uit te voer om sodoende te bepaal of ‘n kursus probiotika ongewensde simptome van PDS kan verbeter en lewenskwaliteit sodoende verhoog, 3) om nutriëntinname in pasiënte met PDS te bepaal vergeleke met dieet aanbevelings, 4) om die geldigheid en herhaalbaarheid van voedselrekords te bepaal en 5) om moontlike nutriënt risikokomponente vir die ontwikkeling van GI mikrobiota betrokke in PDS te identifiseer en om as deel van ‘n intervensie te bepaal of ‘n kursus probiotika stoelgang mikrobiota patrone verander. Resultate: 1) ‘n Oorsigartikel gepubliseer deur die kandidaat dui probiotika aan as ‘n belowende terapeutiese opsie in die behandeling van PDS simptome, 2) die effek van ‘n enkelstam probiotikum, L.plantarum 299v, is evalueer deur ‘n ewekansige, dubbel-blinde, plasebo-beheerde kliniese studie. Vergeleke met die plasebo, het probiotiese aanvulling geen betekenisvolle vermindering in die GI simptome in PDS pasiënte tot gevolg gehad nie. Lewenskwaliteit het ook nie verbeter in die behandelde versus die kontrole groep nie. Beide die behandelde en plasebo groepe het aansienlik verbeter oor die studietydperk, wat ‘n groot plasebo effek aandui, 3) nutriëntinname van die PDS groep vergeleke met huidige dieetaanbevelings, dui daarop dat hierdie groep pasiënte ‘n risiko het vir die ontwikkeling van kern nutriënttekorte (makro- en mikronutriënte), 4) die geldigheid en betroubaarheid van die dieetdata dui op goeie betroubaarheid, maar swak geldigheid soos bepaal deur plasma vetsure en 5) die dermkanaal mikrobiotiese samestelling in die verskillende fenotipes, diarree-oorheersende PDS (D-PDS) vs. konstipasie-oorheersende PDS (K-PDS) dui daarop dat D-PDS pasiënte aansienlike minder Lactobacillus plantarum gehad het vergeleke met K-PDS pasiënte. Die probiotikum het geen beduidende uitwerking op die oorheersende mikrobiota gehad nie, soos gemeet deur kwantitatiewe polimerase kettingreaksie (kPKR). Daar is gevind dat dieet ‘n beduidende impak op die mikrobiota gehad het. Daar is ‘n verband tussen laer vesel inname en hoёr Bacteroides spp. en laer Bifidobacteria bididum en Lactobacillus plantarum tellings gevind in beide PDS groepe. Gevolgtrekking: Die L.plantarum 299v enkelstam probiotikum het nie die gastrointestinale simptome van PDS pasiënte verlig nie en daar is ook geen beduidende veranderinge in die mikrobiota gevind nie. PDS pasiënte mag ‘n verhoogde risiko toon vir kern nutriënttekorte. Die invloed van nutriëntinname op GI mikrobiota verskaf ‘n belowende verduideliking as ‘n potensiële patofisiologiese faktor in PDS.

Radical aircraft and propulsion system architecture changes may be required to continue historic performance improvement rates as current civil aircraft and engine technologies mature. Significant fuel-burn savings are predicted to be achieved through the Distributed Propulsion concept, where an array of propulsors is distributed along the span of an aircraft to ingest boundary layer air and increase propulsive efficiency. Studies such as those by NASA predict large performance benefits when integrating Distributed Propulsion with the Blended Wing Body aircraft configuration, as this planform geometry is particularly suited to the ingestion of boundary layer air and the fans can be redesigned to reduce the detrimental distortion effects on performance. Additionally, a conventional aircraft with Distributed Propulsion has not been assessed in public domain literature and may also provide substantial benefits. A conceptual aircraft design code has been developed to enable the modelling of conventional and novel aircraft. A distributed fan tool has been developed to model fan performance, and a mathematical derivation was created and integrated with the fan tool to enable the boundary layer ingestion modelling. A tube & wing Distributed Propulsion aircraft with boundary layer ingestion has been compared with a current technology reference aircraft and an advanced turbofan aircraft of 2035 technology. The advanced tube & wing aircraft achieved a 27.5% fuel-burn reduction relative to the baseline aircraft and the Distributed Propulsion variant showed fuel efficiency gains of 4.1% relative to the advanced turbofan variant due to a reduced specific fuel consumption, produced through a reduction in distributed fan power requirement. The Blended Wing Body with Distributed Propulsion was compared with a turbofan variant reference aircraft and a 5.3% fuel-burn reduction was shown to be achievable through reduced core engine size and weight. The Distributed Propulsion system was shown to be particularly sensitive to inlet duct losses. Further investigation into the parametric sensitivity of the system revealed that duct loss could be mitigated by altering the mass flow and the percentage thrust produced by the distributed fans. Fuel-burn could be further reduced bydecreasing component weight and drag, through decreasing the fan and electrical system size to below that necessary for optimum power or specific fuel consumption.

Nous nous sommes intéressés au rôle des caractéristiques sensorielles des aliments dans les aspects qualitatifs (sélection) et quantitatifs (ingestion) du comportement alimentaire des ovins. Indépendamment des conséquences post-ingestives d'une part, et en interaction avec les conséquences post-ingestives dans les processus d'apprentissage alimentaire d'autre part. A conséquences similaires, les caractéristiques sensorielles n'ont pas influencé l'ingestion journalière mais ont influencé i/ l'ingestion à court-terme via une modification de l'équilibre entre motivation et rassasiement, et ii/ les durées et vitesses d'ingestion. Certaines caractéristiques sensorielles possèdent une valeur hédonique voire une valeur latente potentiellement indicatrice des conséquences, et influencent la sélection. Lors des apprentissages, la valeur hédonique de ces caractéristiques module la propension des animaux à les associer aux conséquences. D'autres ont un rôle d'indicateur des conséquences qui permet aux animaux d'améliorer leurs apprentissages notamment en milieu complexe, via un processus de généralisation, et conforte la validité de la théorie des apprentissages alimentaires dans ces milieux. De part leur rôle d'agent discriminant, leur valeur hédonique voire leur rôle d'indicateur, les caractéristiques sensorielles influencent à différents niveaux le comportement alimentaire des ovins, et devraient être considérées pour améliorer l'utilisation des aliments dans les rations et le bien-être des animaux d'élevage

Serotonin has been implicated as a modulator of feeding behavior. This experiment was designed to alter brain serotonin levels through dietary means in hypothalamic ventromedial-lesioned and unlesioned rats. Daily food, water, and animal weights were measured. The purpose was to determine if VMH lesions altered the feeding pattern found in unlesioned rats. Although food intake for tryptophanenriched diets and tryptophan-deficient diets did not differ from their respective control groups, in some cases gross animal weights did differ significantly between experimental and control groups and between lesioned and unlesioned groups. A proposed model explains how a "low" energy signal and a "high" protein signal cycles amino acids through gluconeogenesis to comPensate for an energy deficit.