The effect of meal-time exposure to food advertisements (FA) on food intake, subjective appetite and caloric compensation was investigated in overweight/obese (OW/OB) and normal weight (NW) boys (study 1) and girls (study 2). In random order, each participant watched either FA or non-food advertisements (NFA) 30 min after consumption of either a non-caloric sweetened control (CON) or a glucose (GLU) drink. Food advertisements increased food intake only in OW/OB girls. The GLU drink reduced food intake in both girls and boys despite no changes in subjective appetite. Food advertisements did not modify the response to the GLU drink in girls and contrary to the hypothesis they magnified the reduction in energy intake following the GLU drink in boys. In conclusion, FA in a TV program during consumption of a pizza meal by NW and OW/OB boys and girls increased food intake only in OW/OB girls and increased caloric compensation for the GLU drink at meal time in boys but not in girls.

The effect of meal-time exposure to food advertisements (FA) on food intake, subjective appetite and caloric compensation was investigated in overweight/obese (OW/OB) and normal weight (NW) boys (study 1) and girls (study 2). In random order, each participant watched either FA or non-food advertisements (NFA) 30 min after consumption of either a non-caloric sweetened control (CON) or a glucose (GLU) drink. Food advertisements increased food intake only in OW/OB girls. The GLU drink reduced food intake in both girls and boys despite no changes in subjective appetite. Food advertisements did not modify the response to the GLU drink in girls and contrary to the hypothesis they magnified the reduction in energy intake following the GLU drink in boys. In conclusion, FA in a TV program during consumption of a pizza meal by NW and OW/OB boys and girls increased food intake only in OW/OB girls and increased caloric compensation for the GLU drink at meal time in boys but not in girls.

A diversion weir is a headwork facility built across a river to raise the water level and to divert water for various purposes, such as irrigation, hydropower generation, etc. Diversion weirs with sidewise intakes are widely used in plain rivers. They are composed of many structural components which are designed for different purposes. In this thesis, a Windows-based, visual, user friendly program named WINDWEIR was developed in Visual Basic.NET programming language for the optimum design of a diversion weir with sidewise intake. It determines the overall dimensions of each of the components of the diversion weir and the total cost of the whole structure. It also performs stability analysis. It is such a flexible computer program that a design engineer can assess various dimensions of the structure from viewpoints of safety and economy by performing quick successive test runs to achieve an optimum solution among various alternatives.

Aktuell gibt es für Selen (Se) keine Bedarfsempfehlungen für das Damwild (Dama dama) in Gehegehaltung. Diese Studie soll die typische Se-Aufnahme bei Gehegehaltung von Damwild ermitteln und klären, welche Parameter sich eignen, um die Se-Versorgung des Damwildes zu reflektieren. Dazu wurden 19 Damhirsche in zwei Gruppen unter identischen Bedingungen gehalten. Die Tiere ernährten sich von dem natürlichen Grasaufwuchs und Mischfutter (0,15 mg/kg TS bzw. 1,07 - 1,91 mg/kg TS). In Blut, Plasma und die Organen wurden der Se-Gehalt, die Aktivität der Se-abhängigen Glutathionperoxidase (GPx) sowie teilweise die Gesamt-GPx-Aktivität (gesGPx), die Aktivität der Glutathion-S-Transferase (GST) und die Expression verschiedener GPx analysiert. Durch die Se-Supplementierung wurden ein signifikanter Anstieg des Plasma-Se in der Versuchsgruppe und ein moderater Unterschied der Vollblut-Se-Konzentration sowie der Vollblut-GPx-Aktivität zwischen der Kontroll- und der Versuchsgruppe beobachtet (p = 0,08). Außerdem wurde in allen Organen der Versuchsgruppe ein höherer Se-Gehalt als in der Kontrollgruppe festgestellt. In der Hierarchie der untersuchten Organe ist die Niere am höchsten angeordnet, absteigend folgen der Herz- und Skelettmuskel, die Milz und die Leber. Eine Se-Aufnahme von 0,05 - 0,08 mg/kg TS führt beim Damwild nicht zur Ausprägung von Se-Mangelsymptomen und stellt daher eine ausreichende Se-Versorgung dar. Die Empfehlungen zur Se-Versorgung für Damwild sind somit nicht von Hauswiederkäuern zu übernehmen. Im Plasma und im Vollblut scheinen Se-Konzentrationen von 28 - 64 µg/l und 81 - 200 µg/l für eine ausreichende Se-Versorgung zu sprechen, in der Leber Se-Konzentrationen von 270 - 663 µg/kg TS.

Little is known about the adaptation of livestock to repeated transport. This study determined how repeated transport affected calf feed intake, plasma cortisol (CORT), post-transport behavior, and the expression of immune-related genes. Thirty-six 4-month-old Holstein steer calves were housed in groups of six with each group randomly assigned to either transport (T) or control (C) treatments. The T calves were hauled for 6 h in a 7.3 m x 2.4 m goose-neck trailer, at an average density of 0.87 m2/calf, every 7 d for five consecutive weeks. Individual daily intake was determined using Calan gate feeders. Blood samples were obtained in the trailer or home pen via jugular venipuncture before loading, and after 2, 4, and 6 h of transport. Samples were analyzed for CORT, serotonin, tryptophan, and the gene expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2, interleukin-12, toll-like receptor-4, toll-like receptor-2, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A in leukocytes. Behavior was recorded for transported calves at 5-min intervals for 1 h after return to their home pens. The C calves had a higher feed intake than T calves overall (P = 0.01), on the day of transport (P = 0.007), and the day after transport (P = 0.02). Pre-transport CORT concentrations did not differ by treatment (P = 0.77) or trial (P = 0.32). However, the T calves had higher response CORT concentrations than C calves during Transport 3 (P = 0.006), Transport 4 (P = 0.001) and Transport 5 (P = 0.02). The T calves had the highest response CORT concentrations after 2 h of transport and the lowest response CORT concentrations after 6 h of transport (P < 0.0001). Treatment did not affect gene expression in leukocytes, however, the expression of IL-4 (P = 0.01) and IL-6 (P = 0.05) was significantly lower after 2 h of transport than any other sampling times. These results suggest conflicting conclusions on whether the calves started to acclimate after being transported five times. However, CORT and gene expression differences occurred in response to the blood sampling regimen, which may provide insight to how calves acclimate during prolonged stress.

Observations of feeding behaviour of common guillemots, Uria aalge, in June 2002 at the island Stora Karlsö in the Baltic Sea proper, and measurements of morphology and energy density in the prey fish sprat, Sprattus sprattus, showed that fish delivered to chicks at present are shorter and weigh less than in the 1970s. Long lasting attending periods and a feeding rate of 4.6 feeds per day indicate that parents are feeding their chicks at a maximum rate. Because of a decline in the energy density in sprat (22.4 kJg-1 dry weight) the daily energy intake of common guillemot chicks have declined noticeably. This could probably explain the observed decrease in fledging body weight of chicks through the 1990s. Baltic common guillemots do not seem to be able to select more energy-dense prey sizes or to switch to other prey species.

Obesity constitutes a problem whose manifestations have consequences in almost every field of the medicine and nowadays there is a lack of pharmacological therapy alternatives for its long term treatment. Lipidic compounds as endocannabinoids and PPAR-α ligands are known to play an important role in the modulation of appetite and metabolism. Three series of fatty acid derivatives of catechol compounds were synthesized and their biological activity evaluated. Some of the synthesized compounds presented LDL antioxidant activity and/or food intake modulation in an animal model and their mechanism of action was also evaluated. The pharmacodynamics of the synthesized compounds could be explained by CB1 and PPAR-α interactions nevertheless it does not explain the activity of all compounds. / La obesidad es un problema cuyas manifestaciones tienen consecuencias en casi todos los campos de la medicina y actualmente existe una escasez de terapias farmacológicas para su tratamiento de uso continuo. Se sabe que algunos compuestos lipídicos como los endocanabinoides y ligandos del PPAR-α participan de manera importante en la modulación del apetito y en el metabolismo. Tres series de compuestos derivados de ácidos grasos con compuestos catecólicos fueron sintetizadas y sus actividades biológicas fueron evaluadas. Algunos de los compuestos presentó inhibición de la oxidación de la LDL y/o modulación de la ingesta en modelo animal y sus mecanismos de acción fueron también evaluados. La actividad de los compuestos pasa por interacciones con el receptor CB1 y el PPAR-α pero estas interacciones no explican la actividad de todos los compuestos

Diabetes in Indigenous Australians occurs at a younger age and at almost four times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. While the cause for this health disparity is multi-factorial, recent studies suggest that nutrition, and particularly magnesium intake, may play a role in onset of diabetes and related pathologies. No study has ever examined whether there is any relationship between diabetes and magnesium intake in Indigenous Australians, and the present study therefore sought to establish whether any such interrelationship existed. As part of this study, dietary magnesium intake was estimated in an urban cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander subjects and compared to the average Australian dietary intake. An ecological study then explored environmental correlates, and specifically the magnesium level in drinking water, to diabetes mortality. Finally, total and free serum magnesium concentrations were determined to identify any differences in magnesium status between diabetic and non-diabetic Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and also to compare which of the two parameters was a more sensitive measure of magnesium status and diabetic risk. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that were recruited for this study were patients of the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services, Townsville, North Queensland, who presented for health monitoring and subsequently required fasting blood tests as part of that routine care. Additional non-Indigenous people were recruited from five GP practices in the Townsville area. Inclusion criteria included persons over the age of 15 (Tanner Stage 5) who had lived in the Townsville area for at least ten days. Exclusion criteria included chronic diarrhoea, alcoholism or binge drinking in the past two weeks, use of diuretics, consumption of magnesium supplements, reduced renal function (urinary albumin to creatinine ratio exceeding > 2.5 mg/mmol in men and > 3.5 mg/mmol in women), severe mental illness, pregnancy, or breastfeeding. Our results indicated that 60% of the Indigenous people assessed in this study had a dietary intake of magnesium that was below the estimated average magnesium requirement for half the national population. Additionally, the average magnesium intake in Indigenous Australians was significantly less than the intake of non-Indigenous Australians (p<0 .001). A significant negative correlation was found between the incidence of diabetes related mortality and the concentration of magnesium in drinking water in Queensland, confirming previous reports from the USA that drinking water magnesium may be an important factor in development of diabetes. The needs assessment study confirmed that diabetes in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was associated with reduced levels of total serum magnesium, and more importantly, that total serum magnesium was lower in Indigenous Australians who did not have diabetes compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts (p=<0.001). In the absence of diabetes, the prevalence of hypomagnesaemia was 17.2% for the non-Indigenous but 36.9% for the Indigenous subjects. Finally, the ionic serum magnesium analysis confirmed the results of the total serum magnesium study, and demonstrated that ionic magnesium was strongly correlated to the total magnesium concentration (r: 0.75. p < 0.001), with the relationship being apparent irrespective of either diabetic (r: 0.66 to 0.81. p<0.001) or ethnicity (r = 0.71 to 0.81. p<0.001)." We conclude that although not causal, the evidence suggests that magnesium may be a significant contributing factor to diabetes in Australia, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and that further investigation of the potential relationship between magnesium and diabetes in the Australian Indigenous populations, and possible corrective interventions, is highly warranted. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1348469 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Medical Sciences, 2008

Diabetes in Indigenous Australians occurs at a younger age and at almost four times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. While the cause for this health disparity is multi-factorial, recent studies suggest that nutrition, and particularly magnesium intake, may play a role in onset of diabetes and related pathologies. No study has ever examined whether there is any relationship between diabetes and magnesium intake in Indigenous Australians, and the present study therefore sought to establish whether any such interrelationship existed. As part of this study, dietary magnesium intake was estimated in an urban cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander subjects and compared to the average Australian dietary intake. An ecological study then explored environmental correlates, and specifically the magnesium level in drinking water, to diabetes mortality. Finally, total and free serum magnesium concentrations were determined to identify any differences in magnesium status between diabetic and non-diabetic Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and also to compare which of the two parameters was a more sensitive measure of magnesium status and diabetic risk. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that were recruited for this study were patients of the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services, Townsville, North Queensland, who presented for health monitoring and subsequently required fasting blood tests as part of that routine care. Additional non-Indigenous people were recruited from five GP practices in the Townsville area. Inclusion criteria included persons over the age of 15 (Tanner Stage 5) who had lived in the Townsville area for at least ten days. Exclusion criteria included chronic diarrhoea, alcoholism or binge drinking in the past two weeks, use of diuretics, consumption of magnesium supplements, reduced renal function (urinary albumin to creatinine ratio exceeding > 2.5 mg/mmol in men and > 3.5 mg/mmol in women), severe mental illness, pregnancy, or breastfeeding. Our results indicated that 60% of the Indigenous people assessed in this study had a dietary intake of magnesium that was below the estimated average magnesium requirement for half the national population. Additionally, the average magnesium intake in Indigenous Australians was significantly less than the intake of non-Indigenous Australians (p<0 .001). A significant negative correlation was found between the incidence of diabetes related mortality and the concentration of magnesium in drinking water in Queensland, confirming previous reports from the USA that drinking water magnesium may be an important factor in development of diabetes. The needs assessment study confirmed that diabetes in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was associated with reduced levels of total serum magnesium, and more importantly, that total serum magnesium was lower in Indigenous Australians who did not have diabetes compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts (p=<0.001). In the absence of diabetes, the prevalence of hypomagnesaemia was 17.2% for the non-Indigenous but 36.9% for the Indigenous subjects. Finally, the ionic serum magnesium analysis confirmed the results of the total serum magnesium study, and demonstrated that ionic magnesium was strongly correlated to the total magnesium concentration (r: 0.75. p < 0.001), with the relationship being apparent irrespective of either diabetic (r: 0.66 to 0.81. p<0.001) or ethnicity (r = 0.71 to 0.81. p<0.001)." We conclude that although not causal, the evidence suggests that magnesium may be a significant contributing factor to diabetes in Australia, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and that further investigation of the potential relationship between magnesium and diabetes in the Australian Indigenous populations, and possible corrective interventions, is highly warranted. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1348469 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Medical Sciences, 2008

Summary Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of brominated flame retardants. The addition of these chemicals to electrical and electronic equipment, building materials, carpet and textiles reduces flammability and therefore harm and destruction caused by unwanted fire. These chemicals are now internationally ubiquitous in the environment and humans because of their increased usage and physical and chemical properties of persistence and lipophilicity. Although Australian data on both the concentrations and the sources and exposure pathways was limited, a preliminary study of PBDEs in 10 pools of human blood serum revealed that concentrations of PBDEs in Australia were comparatively higher than most countries with the exception of Canada and the USA. The aim of this project was to determine the concentrations of PBDEs in the Australian population and to examine the possible sources and pathways of exposure in humans. Experimental evaluation of PBDE exposure matrices included samples of: sediment (n=46), air (n=19), dust (n=19), surface wipes (n=10) and human milk (157 samples combined into 17 pools, n=10 individual samples); and the general population using human blood serum (10552 samples combined into 169 pools). With accumulating evidence regarding age differences in PBDE concentrations, the scope of this project was broadened to include a focus on infants and young children. This study found that PBDE contamination was widespread in the Australian environment and human population. In sediment, PBDEs were relatively low at the majority of sites with mean ± standard deviation and median ΣPBDE concentrations across all sites of 4707 ± 12580 and 305 pg g-1 dw, respectively. There were elevated concentrations found downstream of sewerage treatment plants; in areas dominated by industrial and urban land-use types; and in estuarine compared to freshwater environments. PBDEs were detected in air, dust and surface wipes. Concentrations on the whole were found to be higher indoors compared to outdoors and in offices compared to homes. ΣPBDE concentrations ranged from 0.5 -179 pg/m3 for homes and 15 - 487 pg/m3 for offices and at the two outdoor sites the concentrations were 1.7 and 6.8 pg/m3. PBDEs were detected on 9 out of 10 surfaces (e.g. television, refrigerator, DVD player) sampled and ranged from non-detectable to 5985 pg/cm2 while in dust, ΣPBDEs ranged from 87 - 733 ng/g dust in homes and 583 - 3070 ng/g dust in offices. PBDEs were detected in all individual and pooled samples of human milk and blood serum and the ΣPBDE and BDE-47 concentrations ranged from 5.5 to 103 and 0.6 to 55 ng/g lipid, respectively. There were no regional differences in concentrations in human milk or blood serum and in general PBDE concentrations were higher in males than in females. Although no temporal trend was apparent in samples of human milk or blood serum collected between 2002 and 2008, the ban on penta- and octa-BDE commercial products in several countries has only been in place since 2004. Hence, effects of the ban may not be reflected in human body burden for several years. The concentrations of PBDEs were found to be highest in young children aged 2 – 5 years of age where concentrations were up to 10 times greater than those detected in adults. Congener profiles for sediment, air, dust and surface wipes were mostly dominated by BDE-209. In human milk and serum, BDE-47 was dominant while BDE-209 contributed only 3% in human milk and was not determined in serum. Concentrations of PBDEs found in Australian human and environmental samples were lower than those reported from North America but higher than those reported from Europe and Asia. The results of modeling and the assessment of matched samples of human milk, indoor air and dust showed that body burden could be partly explained by exposure via food, air, dust and human milk as well as clearance (half-life) data. However, the higher than expected concentrations in young children indicated that there are likely to be missing sources and exposure pathways and/ or the clearance data is inaccurate. The results of this thesis provide baseline data on PBDE concentrations in Australia and will prove important for long term monitoring of the effect of changes in usage rates of these chemicals. It is important to understand the specific sources and exposure pathways of PBDEs in infants and young children in order to identify intervention methods whereby exposure to this vulnerable population can be reduced. In terms of the future use of PBDEs or other flame retardant chemicals, it is important that the risk-benefit ratio is regulated so that the minimization of human exposure and potential associated negative health effects is balanced with the reduction of harm caused by fire.