Reaching Out for Inaccessible Food Is a Potential Begging Signal in Cooperating Wild-Type Norway Rats, Rattus norvegicus

Begging is widespread in juvenile animals. It typically induces helpful behaviours in parents and brood care helpers. However, begging is sometimes also shown by adults towards unrelated social partners. Adult Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) display a sequence of different behaviours in a reciprocal food provisioning task that have been interpreted as such signals of need. The first behaviour in this sequence represents reaching out for a food item the animal cannot obtain independently. This may reflect either an attempt to grasp the food object by itself, or a signal to the social partner communicating the need for help. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we tested in female wild-type Norway rats if the amount of reaching performed by a food-deprived rat changes with the presence/absence of food and a social partner. Focal rats displayed significantly more reaching behaviour, both in terms of number and total duration of events, when food and a potentially helpful partner were present compared to when either was missing. Our findings hence support the hypothesis that rats use reaching behaviour to signal need to social partners that can help them to obtain food.

Modifications of Phytoseiidae mite breeding methods to suppress spider mite

Populations of mites from the Tetranychidae family are characterized as high-resistant to acaricides, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the pesticide load on the agrocenoses ecosystem. Carnivorous arthropods from the Phytoseiidae family can be used as an alternative pest control. Our research aimed at improving the methods of breeding, storage and use of predatory mites against Tetrahychus urticae Koch. In 2015–2018, work was being undertaken to define the optimum thickness of the substrate layer (2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 cm) for breeding the food object – Acaris farus Oud. We also assessed the effect of the fodder substrate composition (wheat bran – control, wheat bran + soybean meal – experimental variant) on the population density of Amblyseius andersoni Chant. In 2016–2019, experiments on the storage of Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes, Neoseiulus cucumeris Oud. and Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot at 4 °C (control – no storage) were carried out. In 2018–2019, to control Tetrahychus urticae Koch. in the soybean field, a mixture of N. cucumeris and A. andersoni was used according to the method of introduction into natural foci of prey. The optimum thickness of the substrate layer was found to be 4 cm. In this case, it was possible to obtain 6,983 mites in 1 cm3 for 7 days. Soybean meal addition increased the number of A. andersoni by 22.3 % compared to control (263 ind. vs 204 ind. per cm3). 30–45 days – an effective storage period for N. barkeri, 30 days – for N. cucumeris, no more than 10 days – for A. swirskii. On average, in 2018–2019, N. cucumeris and A. andersoni mixture reduced the number of T. urticae. The number of spider mites in the control variant was 14.6, in the experimental one – 5.3 ind./leaf. No predatory activity was observed on eggs. To prevent the development of spider mites, it is necessary to use N. cucumeris and A. andersoni at least twice with an interval of 5–7 days.

Development of a methodology for assessing the organoleptic perception of a food product

Процесс разработки пищевого продукта представляет собой процесс формирования фактуры пищевого объекта, наделенного пищевой ценностью при обеспечении соответствия требованиям пищевой безопасности. В отдельных случаях к разрабатываемому продукту акцентированно предъявляется требование обеспечения выраженной физиологической функциональности. Показатели пищевой безопасности и основные идентификационные показатели пищевой ценности пищевых продуктов регламентируются техническими регламентами ТР ТС 021/2011, ТР ТС 033/2013, ТР ТС 023/2011, ТР ТС 034/2013, ТР ТС 027/2012, ТР ТС (на масложировую продукцию). Физиологическая функциональность продукта ассоциируется с использованием в его рецептуре функциональных ингредиентов, обеспечивающих присутствие в составе продукта определенных биологически активных веществ, доведенных до уровня, соответствующего критериям для пищевой продукции - источника пищевого вещества или других отличительных признаков, а максимальный уровень содержания пищевых и (или) биологически активных веществ в такой продукции не должен превышать верхний безопасный уровень потребления при поступлении из всех возможных источников (при наличии таких уровней). Вместе с тем при разработке продукта недопустимо мало внимания уделяется формированию его потребительской ценности, в то время как именно ценность продукта для потребителя определяет не только его продвижение на рынке, но, что более важно, является носителем концептов полезности, заложенной в продукт при его разработке. Иными словами, актуализация полезности продукта возможна при условии, если продукт воспринимается потребителем как ценный для него продукт. Целью настоящей публикации является изложение методики оценки органолептического восприятия как непрерывно изменяющейся величины. The process of developing a food product is a process of forming a texture of a food object endowed with food value while ensuring compliance with food safety requirements. In some cases, the product being developed is focused on the requirement to provide pronounced physiological functionality. Food safety indicators and main identification indicators of food food value are regulated by technical regulations TR TS 021/2011, TR TS 033/2013, TR TS 023/2011, TR TS 034/2013, TR TS 027/2012, TR TS (for oil and fat products). The physiological functionality of the product is associated with the use of functional ingredients in its formulation, ensuring the presence of certain biologically active substances in the product composition. Brought to a level that meets the criteria for food products - a source of a food substance or other distinguishing features, and the maximum level of food and (or) biologically active substances in such products should not exceed the upper safe level of consumption of such substances when received from all possible sources (if such levels are present). At the same time, when developing a product, it is unacceptable that little attention is paid to the formation of its consumer value, while it is the value of the product for the consumer that determines not only its promotion in the market, but, more importantly, is the carrier of the concepts of utility embedded in the product when developing it. In other words, the actualization of the usefulness of a product is possible provided that the product is perceived by the consumer as a valuable product for it. The purpose of this publication is to present a technique for evaluating organoleptic perception as a continuously varying value.

The interaction between lifetime depression severity and BMI is related to altered activation pattern in the right inferior frontal gyrus during food anticipation

ABSTRACTBackgroundDepression and obesity often co-occur but the underlying neural mechanisms for this bidirectional link are not well understood. Using fMRI, we examined how the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and dimensional lifetime depression severity was associated with brain activation during food anticipation and pleasant/unpleasant rating.Methods90 participants (48 healthy controls, 42 with unipolar depression (UD), 69 female, age=28.5±6.6) were fMRI-scanned while performing the Food and Object Cued Encoding task consisting of food/object anticipation and food/object pleasant/unpleasant rating phases.ResultsThe analysis across all participants revealed a significant BMI-by-lifetime depression severity interaction on RIFG activation during food anticipation (p<0.0125). Most symptomatic and overweight/obese individuals with UD showed decreased right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) activation during food anticipation, while less symptomatic and/or normal-weight individuals with UD showed increased RIFG activation during food anticipation. RIFG activation during food anticipation was negatively correlated with RIFG activation during pleasant/unpleasant rating (r= -0.63, p<0.001). Individuals with UD who showed higher RIFG activation for food items during pleasant/unpleasant rating reported liking or wanting those food items less than those with lower RIFG activation (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe IFG is involved in emotion regulation and response inhibition necessary to control appetitive behavior. Greater RIFG activation during pleasant/unpleasant rating of food coupled with low ratings of food liking and wanting could be associated with inhibition of cognitive and emotional response to food in UD. This process may be cognitively challenging and stressful thus putting affected individuals with UD at risk for weight gain and worsening of depression.

Helminth communities in amphibians from Latvia, with an emphasis on their connection to host ecology

Helminth infracommunities were studied at 174 sites of Latvia in seven hosts from six amphibian taxa of different taxonomical, ontogenic and ecological groups. They were described using a standard set of parasitological parameters, compared by ecological indices and linear discriminant analysis. Their species associations were identified by Kendall's rank correlation, but relationships with host size and waterbody area were analysed by zero-inflated Poisson and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. The richest communities (25 species) were found in post-metamorphic semi-aquatic Pelophylax spp. frogs, which were dominated by trematode species of both adult and larval stages. Both larval and terrestrial hosts yielded depauperate trematode communities with accession of aquatic and soil-transmitted nematode species, respectively. Nematode loads peaked in terrestrial Bufo bufo. Helminth infracommunities suggested some differences in host microhabitat or food object selection not detected by their ecology studies. Associations were present in 96% of helminth species (on average, 7.3 associations per species) and dominated positive ones. Species richness and abundances, in most cases, were positively correlated with host size, which could be explained by increasing parasite intake rates over host ontogeny (trematode adult stages) or parasite accumulation (larval Alaria alata). Two larval diplostomid species (Strigea strigis, Tylodelphys excavata) had a negative relationship with host size, which could be caused by parasite-induced host mortality. The adult trematode abundances were higher in larger waterbodies, most likely due to their ecosystem richness, while higher larval abundances in smaller waterbodies could be caused by elevated infection rates under high host densities.

The Simulation of Heat Propagation Rate in Smart Roasting Process Using Finite Difference Method

In the industrial 4.0 era, there have been many developments in daily equipment that have been transformed into more sophisticated tools both in terms of how they are used, the efficiency of their work and the quality of the results obtained due to the digitization process that is easily accessed by many people. Therefore, As the early step, the paper discusses the computational modeling in the automatic cooking methods, namely the smart roaster system. The cooking method in the form of granules by using a roasting process, which generally utilizes heated sand, is interesting to learn since there are two mechanisms of heat propagation from the pan to the food object, namely the mechanism of heat propagation by conduction and radiation, but in this study, the heat propagation due to temporary convection was ignored. The first mechanism is accommodated by Fourier's Law, while the second is by Stefan-Boltzmann's Law. For simplification, the system is discussed in one dimension with the same grain size, but the object can have a different size. The composition of the pan walls, grains of sand, empty space, and food objects can be randomized so that various configurations can be created. Discussed how the process of heat propagation can occur in the roasting process and also radiation to the surrounding space on the top of the sand surface. The numerical analysis method is used with the finite difference method and the Matlab programming language for simulation.

PESAN SEMIOTIK PADA TRADISI MAKAN TABHEG DI PONDOK PESANTREN

Tabheg is one type of food wrapped in banana leaves filled with rice with very simple side dishes such as salted fish, eggplant, chili sauce and crackers as a complement. Tabheg is a souvenir brought by the guardians of students when visiting their children in the boarding school. The tradition of bringing this tabheg is often found in Islamic boarding schools in the East Java, area Tapal Kuda. The tradition of eating tabheg for santri is a sign (representamen) with the values of togetherness and simplicity (interpretant) that can be conveyed through the form of food (object) that is shared by the students without distinguishing economic background and social stratification of the family. Phenomenon in the tradition of eating tabheg is believed to have a rich meaning of symbolic messages which are full of philosophical meanings so as to form patterns of human behavior. Exposure analysis of the tradition of eating tabheg is a qualitative study with a literature study approach, departing from the perspective of communication science using the concept of Charles Sanders Pierce with his trichotomies and psychological studies that form the basis of behavior formation. In addition it also aims to explore the constructive meaning of the pesantren tradition which is a reference to the santri mindset to shape behavior. The results of the analysis based on semiotic messages on the tabheg eating tradition for students based on representamen, interpretants and objects produce a constructive concept of santri personality characterized by traditional Islam. Where the santri character is built from the meaning implied in symbolic messages in the form of togetherness and simplicity that is internalized in the form of peace-loving behavior as a pesantren modality in realizing world peace.