The primary objective of this study was to determine if the intake of omega-3 fatty acids (O3FA), from self-selected foods and supplements, was associated with a reduction in muscle soreness in collegiate rowers. Several groups of collegiate rowers were identified as potential subjects and, using an IRB-approved protocol, 61 volunteers from this subject pool agreed to participate in the study. At the end of the first week of fall practice, subjects were asked to provide information on age, weight, height, ethnicity, rowing level, sun exposure, exercise regimen, pre- and peak-soreness and exertion levels, hydration status, and food/supplement intake. A Talag scale was used to determine the severity of muscle soreness, and a modified Borg scale was used to determine the exertion intensity level. A food frequency questionnaire using a 10-point Likert scale was used to assess food and supplement intake, with a special focus on O3FA. Subjects with a higher intake of EPA/DHA rich bottled supplemental fish oil, taken by spoon, had significantly higher soreness levels than those with lower intakes (p = 0.028). Higher soreness was also significantly associated with higher intake of EPA/DHA rich fish oil capsules (p < 0.001). Lower soreness was significantly associated with higher fruit intake (p = 0.030). These findings suggest that high intakes of O3FA from fish oils, regardless of liquid or capsule form, may be contraindicated for collegiate rowers wishing to reduce muscle soreness. Recommending fruit intake may be warranted for rowers wishing to reduce muscle soreness.

All organisms within a forested system play a role in the biogeochemical cycle, not only within the forest but also within the global community. Soil microorganisms are a vital part of this cycle, as they sequester or make nutrients available for the development of the forest environment. When a disturbance event occurs, changes to the environment occur; however, it is unclear how these changes affect the soils microbial community. This 2-year (2007 and 2008) study was carried out to obtain a preliminary assessment of the microbial community structure and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) availability within lodgepole pine stands of the Boreal Plain ecozone in west-central Alberta. Six stands of different ages were selected to determine the differences between pre and post harvest. Nutrient flux measurements were conducted using plant root simulator (PRS) probes to investigate the changes in nutrient availability. The microbial community structures were determined using two biochemical methods. The first one was a community level physiological profile (CLPP), which provides information concerning the functional characteristics of the microbial communities. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis provides information about the physiological characteristics of the microbial community. Analysis of the PRS probes results varied for the two nutrients: phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Nitrogen availability was determined by examining the fluxes of ammonium and nitrate to the PRS probes. These did not show a strong relationship between the different aged stands during 2007 or 2008. In addition, no statistical difference was shown between the 2007 and 2008 data compared to the LFH or the mineral soil of the stands. Phosphorus, however, did show a potential trend where there was an initial increase of available P after harvest and then a gradual decrease, as the forest stands matured. This was strongly observed within the LFH, while there was a slight increase in the mineral layer. These trends remained consistent over the two-year period showing a gradual decrease in P flux to the PRS probes as a stand aged even in just one year. The microbial communities did not show a strong change after a forest-harvesting event. When examining the functional groups, there was a drastic shift in the LFH layer microbial community over the first sampling season. This change remained the same within the beginning of the second sampling year. This shift occurred in all stands due to an environmental factor, which was suspected to be the increase in moisture during the season. The change in the microbial communities was not observed, however, in the mineral layer of the soil when the functional structure was examined. When the physiological composition of the microbial communities was observed, though, using PLFA, it was apparent that the physiological characteristics of the microbial community had changed in the mineral soil. Furthermore, no physiological change was observed in the microbial communities of the LFH, only a functional change.

Dietary energy is the largest single cost in pork production. Accurate and current understanding of energy metabolism is crucial to production efficiency. The overall objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of dietary energy concentration and energy intake on growth, nutrient deposition rates and energy utilization in weaned pigs. In experiment 1, the optimum total lysine:DE ratio for weaned pigs was estimated at 4.27 and 4.46 g/Mcal for pigs growing from 7.5 to 12.8 kg and 7.5 to 22.5 kg BW, respectively. Experiment 2 determined if a more predictable growth, nutrient deposition and energy utilization in the weaned pig is achieved with NE or with DE. ADG either remained similar or was depressed with increased NE compared to the control (P < 0.05). Empty body protein content and deposition (PD) declined relative to the control (P < 0.05) and lipid content and deposition (LD) tended to increase (P < 0.10). Body composition and nutrient deposition rates were more correlated with determined NE concentration and intake compared with DE. The results of Experiment 3 indicated that amino acid intake impaired the growth of pigs when an energy intake restriction greater than 30% occurred. Experiment 4 investigated the interaction of dietary NE concentration and feeding levels (FL) on body weight gain, tissue (protein, lipid, ash, water) accretion rates and ratios. Growth performance was not affected by NE (P > 0.05) but increased with feeding level (P < 0.001). Energy intake increased with NE and FL (P < 0.001), but the efficiency of energy utilization for growth declined (P < 0.05). Empty body protein content declined (P < 0.05) while lipid content increased with NE (interaction, P < 0.05). Empty body PD was not affected by NE (P > 0.05) but both LD and LD:PD ratio increased (interaction, P < 0.001). These data suggest that when amino acid:energy ratio is optimal, increasing dietary energy concentration increased energy intake but does not improve PD and overall body weight gain of weaned pigs. However, body lipid content and LD were increased. Finally, NE offers an advantage over the DE in predicting the body composition and nutrient deposition rates rather than in overall BW gain.

No description available.

Variable fluorescence of chlorophyll a (Fv/Fm), measured by pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometers, is an attractive target for phytoplankton-related water quality management. Lowered Fv/Fm is believed to reflect the magnitude of nutrient sufficiency or deficiency in phytoplankton. This rapid and specific metric is relevant to Lake Erie, which often experiences problematic Cyanobacteria blooms. It is unknown whether PAMs reliably measure phytoplankton nutrient status or if different PAMs provide comparable results. Water samples collected from Lake Erie and two Lake Ontario sites in July and September 2011 were analysed using alkaline phosphatase assay (APA), P-debt, and N-debt to quantify phytoplankton nutrient status and with three different PAM models (PhytoPAM, WaterPAM and DivingPAM) to determine Fv/Fm. The Lake Ontario, Lake Erie East and Central Basin sites were all N- and P-deficient in July, but only the East and Central Basin and one Lake Ontario site were P-deficient in September. The West Basin sites were P-deficient in July and one West Basin site and a river site were N-deficient in September. Between-instrument Fv/Fm comparisons did not show the expected 1:1 relationship. Fv/Fm from the PhytoPAM and WaterPAM were well-correlated with each other but not with nutrient deficiency. DivingPAM Fv/Fm did not correlate with the other PAM models, but correlated with P-deficiency. Spectral PAM fluorometers (PhytoPAM) can potentially resolve Fv/Fm down to phytoplankton group by additionally measuring accessory pigment fluorescence. The nutrient-induced fluorescent transient (NIFT) is the observation that Fv/Fm drops immediately and recovers when the limiting nutrient is reintroduced to nutrient-starved phytoplankton. A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted on a 2x2 factorial mixture design of P-deficient and P-sufficient Asterionella formosa and Microcystis aeruginosa cultures. Patterns consistent with published reports of NIFT were observed for P-deficient M. aeruginosa in mixtures; the pattern for A. formosa was less clear. This thesis showed that Fv/Fm by itself was not a reliable metric of N or P deficiency and care must be taken when interpreting results obtained by different PAM fluorometers. NIFT analysis using spectral PAM fluorometers may be able to discriminate P-deficiency in M. aeruginosa, and possibly other Cyanobacteria, in mixed communities.

Denna uppsats syfte var att ta reda på vilken kännedom som finns om de svenska näringsrekommendationerna hos människor på ett antal svenska arbetsplatser. Syftet har även inne-fattat att ta reda på huruvida man använder sig av denna kännedom eller inte. Metod: En kvantitativ ansats i en tvärsnittsstudie har använts i denna undersökning och hundratio enkäter har blivit besvarade. Dessa enkäter har analyserats både kvantitativt och kvalitativt. Resultatet visade att majoriteten av respondenterna inte kände till de svenska näringsrekom-mendationerna. Majoriteten var också omedvetna om hur den procentuella energifördelningen såg ut. Jämförbart med tidigare studier så underskattade männen rekommendationerna för grönsaker medan kvinnorna hade mer kännedom om rekommendationerna som helhet. Båda könen överskattade rekommendationerna för protein och underskattade rekommendationerna för kolhydrater. Slutsats: Av de få respondenter som kände till de svenska näringsrekommen-dationerna, använde de sig inte av dessa i sin vardag. Det är därför viktigt att hitta nya sätt att kommunicera denna information, ett förslag kan vara via sociala medier. Denna information bör vara anpassad så att alla personer har en möjlighet att förstå den. / The aim of the study was to find out what information people have regarding the Swedish Nutrient Recommendations at some Swedish workplaces. The aim also included to find out how people use - or do not use - this information in their everyday lives. Method: A cross sectional study design was used and a survey was administered at various workplaces where hundred and ten questionnaires were answered. These surveys have been analyzed quantita-tively and qualitatively. The results showed that the majority of the respondents were not aware of the Swedish Nutrient Recommendations, including the percentage of the energy dis-tribution. Consistent with previous studies, men underestimated the recommendations for vegetables, while women had slightly more knowledge about the recommendations as a whole. Both sexes overestimated the recommendations regarding protein and underestimated the recommendations for carbohydrates. Conclusion: Out of the few respondents who were aware of the recommendations, most did not make use of them in their everyday life. In order to improve public health, it is important that through better or new ways of communication get more information about the nutrient recommendations.

Hammarby Sjöstad is a new district in Stockholm with high environmental standard. Stockholm Water Company evaluates a local wastewater treatment plant with cutting edge technology. The first step is an experimental treatment plant (Sjöstadsverket) with four parallel lines of treatment, each with a capacity to treat wastewater from 150 persons. Within the membrane technology subproject the possibility of using reverse osmosis (usually called RO) to regain nutrients is examined. Reverse osmosis separates the incoming water in a clean permeate and a concentrate that, as the name indicates, is a more concentrated version of the incoming water. Using this method in wastewater treatment, a solution high in nutrients can be obtained without the use of chemical precipitation agent and with no production of sludge. The solution can then be recycled to use on farmland. The disadvantages of the RO technology include high energy consumption and sensitivity to membrane fouling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using RO at Sjöstadsverket and, if possible, to evaluate the chance of obtaining concentrate that can be accepted as a fertiliser and permeate that falls below emission limits. The experiments were carried out with an RO plant with three membranes in series operated in batch mode; the dimensioned permeate flow being 100 l/h. The incoming water was permeate from a membrane bioreactor in the majority of the trial runs. The results show that RO can be used in at least one of the lines of treatment. However the permeate exceeds the emission limits (phosphorus: 0,15 mg/l, nitrogen: 6 mg/l) while concentration in the concentrate is still too low. The limiting factor seems to be phosphorus. This could be solved with pre-precipitation of phosphorus or by reconstructing the RO plant to a two-stage system. The quota heavy metal – phosphorus in the concentrate is lower than the limit imposed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency but much higher than in human urine. / Som en del i miljöarbetet i Stockholms nya stadsdel Hammarby Sjöstad utvärderar Stockholm Vatten ett lokalt reningsverk med spetsteknologi. I ett första steg har ett reningsverk (Sjöstadsverket) med fyra parallella reningslinjer byggts. Varje linje har kapacitet att rena avloppsvatten från 150 personer. Inom delprojektet membranteknik undersöks möjligheterna att som slutsteg på flera av linjerna återvinna näringsämnen med hjälp av omvänd osmos (eller RO efter engelskans reverse osmosis). En RO separerar det inkommande vattnet i ett rent permeat och ett koncentrat som, liksom namnet antyder, är en koncentrerad form av det inkommande vattnet. Inom avloppsvattenrening kan alltså en lösning med hög koncentration av näringsämnen uppnås utan fällningskemikalier och uppkomst av slam. Denna kan sedan återföras till jordbruket. Till teknikens nackdelar hör hög energiförbrukning och stor känslighet för partiklar som kan sätta igen membranen. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det går att använda RO på Sjöstadsverket och att i så fall utvärdera koncentratets och permeatets möjlighet att bli accepterat gödselmedel respektive godkänt utloppsvatten. Försöken gjordes satsvis på en anläggning med tre seriekopplade membran dimensionerad för ett totalt permeatflöde på 100 l/h. Det inkommande vattnet var, i nästan alla försök, permeat från en membranbioreaktor. Resultaten visar att RO:n kan användas åtminstone på en av reningslinjerna. Däremot kan inte en tillräckligt hög koncentration uppnås i koncentratet utan att gränsvärdena (fosfor: 0,15 mg/l, kväve: 6 mg/l) i permeatet överskrids. Den begränsande faktorn verkar framför allt vara fosfor. Lösningen på problem skulle kunna vara förfällning av fosfor eller en utbyggnad av anläggningen till en två-stegsprocess. Kvoten tungmetallfosfor i koncentratet klarar Naturvårdsverkets gränsvärden för vad som får spridas på åkermark, men är klart högre än i humanurin.

Dietary energy is the largest single cost in pork production. Accurate and current understanding of energy metabolism is crucial to production efficiency. The overall objective of this thesis was to evaluate the effects of dietary energy concentration and energy intake on growth, nutrient deposition rates and energy utilization in weaned pigs. In experiment 1, the optimum total lysine:DE ratio for weaned pigs was estimated at 4.27 and 4.46 g/Mcal for pigs growing from 7.5 to 12.8 kg and 7.5 to 22.5 kg BW, respectively. Experiment 2 determined if a more predictable growth, nutrient deposition and energy utilization in the weaned pig is achieved with NE or with DE. ADG either remained similar or was depressed with increased NE compared to the control (P < 0.05). Empty body protein content and deposition (PD) declined relative to the control (P < 0.05) and lipid content and deposition (LD) tended to increase (P < 0.10). Body composition and nutrient deposition rates were more correlated with determined NE concentration and intake compared with DE. The results of Experiment 3 indicated that amino acid intake impaired the growth of pigs when an energy intake restriction greater than 30% occurred. Experiment 4 investigated the interaction of dietary NE concentration and feeding levels (FL) on body weight gain, tissue (protein, lipid, ash, water) accretion rates and ratios. Growth performance was not affected by NE (P > 0.05) but increased with feeding level (P < 0.001). Energy intake increased with NE and FL (P < 0.001), but the efficiency of energy utilization for growth declined (P < 0.05). Empty body protein content declined (P < 0.05) while lipid content increased with NE (interaction, P < 0.05). Empty body PD was not affected by NE (P > 0.05) but both LD and LD:PD ratio increased (interaction, P < 0.001). These data suggest that when amino acid:energy ratio is optimal, increasing dietary energy concentration increased energy intake but does not improve PD and overall body weight gain of weaned pigs. However, body lipid content and LD were increased. Finally, NE offers an advantage over the DE in predicting the body composition and nutrient deposition rates rather than in overall BW gain.

All organisms within a forested system play a role in the biogeochemical cycle, not only within the forest but also within the global community. Soil microorganisms are a vital part of this cycle, as they sequester or make nutrients available for the development of the forest environment. When a disturbance event occurs, changes to the environment occur; however, it is unclear how these changes affect the soils microbial community. This 2-year (2007 and 2008) study was carried out to obtain a preliminary assessment of the microbial community structure and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) availability within lodgepole pine stands of the Boreal Plain ecozone in west-central Alberta. Six stands of different ages were selected to determine the differences between pre and post harvest. Nutrient flux measurements were conducted using plant root simulator (PRS) probes to investigate the changes in nutrient availability. The microbial community structures were determined using two biochemical methods. The first one was a community level physiological profile (CLPP), which provides information concerning the functional characteristics of the microbial communities. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis provides information about the physiological characteristics of the microbial community. Analysis of the PRS probes results varied for the two nutrients: phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Nitrogen availability was determined by examining the fluxes of ammonium and nitrate to the PRS probes. These did not show a strong relationship between the different aged stands during 2007 or 2008. In addition, no statistical difference was shown between the 2007 and 2008 data compared to the LFH or the mineral soil of the stands. Phosphorus, however, did show a potential trend where there was an initial increase of available P after harvest and then a gradual decrease, as the forest stands matured. This was strongly observed within the LFH, while there was a slight increase in the mineral layer. These trends remained consistent over the two-year period showing a gradual decrease in P flux to the PRS probes as a stand aged even in just one year. The microbial communities did not show a strong change after a forest-harvesting event. When examining the functional groups, there was a drastic shift in the LFH layer microbial community over the first sampling season. This change remained the same within the beginning of the second sampling year. This shift occurred in all stands due to an environmental factor, which was suspected to be the increase in moisture during the season. The change in the microbial communities was not observed, however, in the mineral layer of the soil when the functional structure was examined. When the physiological composition of the microbial communities was observed, though, using PLFA, it was apparent that the physiological characteristics of the microbial community had changed in the mineral soil. Furthermore, no physiological change was observed in the microbial communities of the LFH, only a functional change.

No description available.