Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Chemistry. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Nanoparticles are promising platforms for biomedical applications ranging from diagnostic tools to therapeutic delivery agents. During the course of these applications, nanoparticles are exposed to a complex mixture of extracellular serum proteins that nonspecifically adsorb onto the surface. The resulting protein layer, or protein "corona," creates an interface between nanoparticles and the biological environment. Protecting the nanoparticle surface can reduce protein adsorption, but complete inhibition remains a challenge. As a result, the corona, rather than the nanoparticle itself, mediates the cellular response to the nanoparticle. The following dissertation describes the fundamental characterization of the cellular binding of charged nanoparticles, interactions of protein-nanoparticle complexes with cellular receptors, and the structural and thermodynamic properties of adsorbed corona proteins.

A novel approach of using near infrared region (NIR) dyes is applied to elucidate the binding interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and mangiferin (MGF). HSA is a blood carrier protein used for drug delivery, while mangiferin is a natural polyphenol found in mangoes that possesses numerous beneficial health properties. The NIR dyes are used as a probe to investigate MGF binding interaction with HSA via monitoring fluorescence of Trp-214 residue. Molecular modeling is used for docking and semi-empirical analysis. The investigation of the binding interaction between Trp-214 and MGF is significant, for it may offer broader pharmacological insight and applications for the polyphenol. Mangiferin in proposed to bind with a 2:1 stoichiometric ratio with HSA to the Trp-214 residue in subdomain IIA and another possible binding site to be determined in future studies. Spectral changes suggest a stabilized protein conformation upon mangiferin binding with the addition of NIR dye E-06 and MHI-06.

Six ruminally fistulated steers (average BW 317 kg) were used in a 5 X 5 + 1 Latin Square design to determine effects of humic/fulvic acid (HFA) on serum urea nitrogen (SUN), rumen pH, rumen ammonia nitrogen (RAN), and rumen VFA production in Holstein steers. Treatments included a control (0%), 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5% HFA, and a diet containing monensin (33 mg/kg). A quadratic feed intake response was observed; with intake lowest for 0.5 and 1.0 and highest for 1.5 relative to control steers. No treatment x time interaction was observed for RAN, pH, SUN, total VFA or individual VFA. No treatment differences were observed for total VFA concentrations (mM), or for molar proportion of acetate, propionate, butyrate or valerate. A quadratic response was observed for butyrate and isovalerate. However, HFA does not alter rumen fermentation in the same mode of action as monensin.

Savo darbe tyrėme probiotinio preparato BACTOCELLR ir prebiotinio preparato AGRIMOSR įtaką lipidų kiekio pokyčiams japoninių putpelių (Coturnix coturnix japonica) organizme. Bandymo eigoje buvo tiriami šie rodikliai: bendrųjų lipidų kiekis kraujo serume, trigliceridų kiekis kraujo serume, cholesterolio kiekis kraujo serume, lipidų kiekis raumeniniame skrandyje, lipidų kiekis kepenyse, lipidų kiekis kiaušinio trynyje, vitamino A kiekis kiaušinio trynyje, trynio masė, kiaušinio masė. Atlikus eksperimentą ir išanalizavus tyrimų duomenis nustatyta, kad probiotinio preparato Bactocell ir prebiotinio preparato Agrimos įtakoje: bendrųjų lipidų kiekis kraujo serume bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 11,40 % iki 15,41 %, trigliceridų kiekis kraujo serume bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 1,25 % iki 8,05 %, cholesterolio kiekis kraujo serume bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai mažėjo nuo 2,35 % iki 3,08 %, lipidų kiekis raumeniniame skrandyje bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 16,67 % iki 33,33 %, lipidų kiekis kepenyse bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 14,29 % iki 33,33 %, lipidų kiekis kiaušinių tryniuose bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 7,11 % iki 14,29 %, vitamino A kiekis kiaušinio trynyje bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 8,51 % iki 14,89 %, trynio masė bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 12,93 % iki 20,11 %, kiaušinio masė bandomosiose grupėse vidutiniškai didėjo nuo 3,73 % iki 11,45 %, lyginant su... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / We investigated and presented in this paper the influence of probiotic preparation BACTOCELLR and prebiotic preparation AGRIMOSR on the lipid quantity changes in the organisms of Japanese quails. During the experiment the following readings were examined: the total lipid quantity in the blood serum, the quantity of triglicerids in the blood serum, the quantity of cholesterol in blood serum, the quantity of lipids in the muscular stomach, the quantity of lipids in the liver, the quantity of lipids in egg yolk, the quantity of vitamin A in the egg yolk, egg yolk weight, and egg weight. After the experiment and data analysis we discovered that under the influence of probiotic preparation BACTOCELLR and prebiotic preparation AGRIMOSR, in comparison with the check-group, the total quantity of lipids in the blood serum of experimental groups raised from 11,40 % to 15,41 %; the quantity of triglicerids in the blood serum of experimental groups raised from 1,25 % to 8,05 %; the quantity of cholesterol in the blood serum of experimental groups fell from 2,35 % to 3,08 %; the quantity of lipids in the muscular stomach of experimental groups raised from 16,67 % to 33,33 %, the quantity of lipids in the liver of experimental groups fell from 14,29 % to 33,33 %, the quantity of lipids in the egg yolk of experimental groups raised from 7,11 % to 14,29 %; the quantity of vitamin A in the egg yolk of experimental groups raised from 8,51 % to 14,89 %, the yolk weight of experimental groups... [to full text]

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Motivation The objective of the South African Avocado Growers Association (SAAGA) is to increase the demand of avocados by advertising, promoting and other means deemed fit by them. In order to promote and advertise a product, consumer research has to be done to determine the consumers' attitudes towards and beliefs concerning the product. These findings then need to be followed up by scientific studies, targeted at specific problems and target groups to yield scientific evidence. Little consumer research has been done on avocados and studies investigating the health effects of avocados are limited, with available literature only focussing on the cholesterol lowering effect of avocados. Objectives Firstly, the objective is to investigate the beliefs and attitudes of the South African consumer towards avocados and health; to determine whether gender, age group, race or living standard influence the consumers beliefs towards avocados. Secondly, the objective is to dispel the myth that avocados are fattening and should therefore be avoided in energy restricted diets; to examine the effects of avocados, a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, as part of an energy restricted diet on weight loss, serum lipids, fibrinogen and vascular function in overweight and obese subjects. Methods Consumer study: One thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven South African individuals, randomly selected from metropolitan areas in South Africa, participated in this survey. Data were weighed to reflect the adult metropolitan population based on gender, age and race distribution. The total population (10 695 000) was representative of both genders (5 423 000 men and 5 272 000 women) and major race groups (2 615 000 whites, 6 252 000 blacks, 1 255 000 coloureds and 573 000 Indians) from different age groups and living standards. The questionnaires were designed by a multidisciplinary team and consisted of seventeen foodrelated questionnaires, of which one questioned the beliefs regarding avocados. Trained field workers administrated questionnaires by conducting face-to-face interviews with consumers. The market research company, MARKINOR, was contracted to collect the data. Quantitative data was statistically analysed in order to generate the relevant descriptive statistics, cross tabulations and statistical tests. SUMMARY Dietary intervention study: Sixty one free-living volunteers (13 men; 48 women), with a mean (standard deviation) body mass index (BMI) of 32 (3.9) kg/m2, participated in this randomised, controlled parallel study. The subjects were paired according to gender, BMI and age and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group consumed 200 g of avocado (1 avocado) per day, substituting 30 g of other mixed dietary fats, and the control group excluded avocado from their energy restricted diet for six weeks. Seven-day isoenergetic menu plans were given according to mean energy requirements of both genders to provide 30% fat, 55% carbohydrates and 15% protein of total energy intake. Anthropometric measurements, physical activity, dietary intakes, blood pressure and arterial compliance were measured with standard methods at the beginning and end of the intervention. Fasting blood samples were drawn at the beginning and end of the intervention period. Results Consumer study: There were no practical significant differences in the consumers responses in terms of gender or age. Practical significant differences were found between different race and LSM (Living Standard Measure) groups for some variables. The overall response of consumers towards the effect of avocados on health, heart health, children's health and the health effects associated with the fat content of avocados were very positive. However, almost half the consumers are still not convinced of or are uncertain as to the cholesterol content of avocados, while 47% of the consumers still believe that avocados are fattening. More than 80% of the consumers agreed that avocados are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and 76% consider avocados to be a good source of fibre. Almost 70% of the consumers agreed that avocados are good for sportsmen and -women. Avocados were seen by 49% of the consumers to be an aphrodisiac. Dietary intervention study: Fifty-five subjects completed the study. Compliance with avocado intake in the experimental group was 94.6%. Anthropometric measurements (weight, body mass index and percentage body fat) decreased significantly in both groups during the study (p<0.001), and the change was similar in both groups. Serum lipid levels (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides), fibrinogen, blood pressure and arterial compliance did not change significantly within or between the two groups. SUMMARY Conclusions Consumer study: There are still a few myths and misconceptions that exist among some consumers regarding avocados, especially with regard to sexual functioning, cholesterol content, and fattening effect of avocados. The agricultural industry can use these results to plan different marketing campaigns focused on certain target groups to change the misperceptions concerning avocados and convey the positive nutritional value of avocados. Dietary intervention study: The consumption of 200 g avocado per day, within an energy restricted diet, does not compromise weight loss when substituted for 30 g of mixed dietary fat. The serum lipid levels, plasma fibrinogen, arterial compliance, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not affected by weight loss or avocado intake. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Nutrition))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Fair division is the problem of dividing one or several goods among a set of agents in a way that satisfies a suitable fairness criterion. Traditionally studied in economics, philosophy, and political science, fair division has drawn a lot of attention from the multiagent systems community, since this field is strongly concerned about how a surplus (or a cost) should be divided among a group of agents. Arguably, the Shapley value is the single most important contribution to the problem of fair division. It assigns to each agent a share of the resource equal to the expected marginal contribution of that agent. Thus, it is implicitly assumed that individual marginal contributions can be objectively computed. In this thesis, we propose a game-theoretic model for sharing a joint reward when the quality of individual contributions is subjective. In detail, we consider scenarios where a group has been formed and has accomplished a task for which it is granted a reward, which must be shared among the group members. After observing the contribution of the peers in accomplishing the task, each agent is asked to provide evaluations for the others. Mainly to facilitate the sharing process, agents can also be requested to provide predictions about how their peers are evaluated. These subjective opinions are elicited and aggregated by a central, trusted entity, called the mechanism, which is also responsible for sharing the reward based exclusively on the received opinions. Besides the formal game-theoretic model for sharing rewards based on subjective opinions, we propose three different mechanisms in this thesis. Our first mechanism, the peer-evaluation mechanism, divides the reward proportionally to the evaluations received by the agents. We show that this mechanism is fair, budget-balanced, individually rational, and strategy-proof, but that it can be collusion-prone. Our second mechanism, the peer-prediction mechanism, shares the reward by considering two aspects: the evaluations received by the agents and their truth-telling scores. To compute these scores, this mechanism uses a strictly proper scoring rule. Under the assumption that agents are Bayesian decision-makers, we show that this mechanism is weakly budget-balanced, individually rational, and incentive-compatible. Further, we present approaches that guarantee the mechanism to be collusion-resistant and fair. Our last mechanism, the BTS mechanism, is the only one to elicit both evaluations and predictions from the agents. It considers the evaluations received by the agents and their truth-telling scores when sharing the reward. For computing the scores, it uses the Bayesian truth serum method, a powerful scoring method based on the surprisingly common criterion. Under the assumptions that agents are Bayesian decision-makers, and that the population of agents is sufficiently large so that a single evaluation cannot significantly affect the empirical distribution of evaluations, we show that this mechanism is incentive-compatible, budget-balanced, individually rational, and fair.

In 2001, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to compare levels of total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in residents of Calcasieu Parish and Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. A demographic, lifestyle, and food consumption questionnaire was collected for each participant. Overall, weighted geometric means and medians of total serum PCB concentrations in residents of Calcasieu and Lafayette Parishes were similar among all risk subgroups. However, 15-29 year olds had higher total serum PCB weighted geometric means in Calcasieu (64.4 ppb) than did this age group in Lafayette (46.6 ppb) (p=0.0059); conversely, in the 60 and older age group, geometric means of 293.7 ppb and 392.5 ppb were observed for Calcasieu and Lafayette, respectively (p=0.0059). In general, total PCB serum levels in Calcasieu and in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana residents were similar to each other and to levels observed in the U.S. general population in this time period.

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