Networks of trophic links (food webs) are used to describe and understand mechanistic routes for translocation of energy (biomass) between species. However, a relatively low proportion of ecosystems have been studied using food web approaches due to difficulties in making observations on large numbers of species. In this paper we ...

Molecular tools that characterize the structure of complex food webs and identify trophic connectedness in the field have become widely adopted in recent years. However, characterizing the intensity of predator-prey interactions can be prone to error. Maximizing collection success of small, fast-moving predators with vacuum suction samplers has the potential ...

We examined the arthropod community on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr, in the context of its role in providing potential prey items for hemlock-associated web-weaving spiders. Using sticky traps simulating spider webs, we evaluated what prey items are available to web-weaving spiders in eastern hemlock based on web orientation ...

Regulators are acutely aware of the need for meaningful risk assessments to support decisions on the safety of GM crops to non-target invertebrates in determining their suitability for field release. We describe a process for developing appropriate, testable risk hypotheses for invertebrates in agroecosystems that might be exposed to plants ...

Agni is the invariable agent in the process of Paka (digestion, transformation). Ingested food is to be digested, absorbed and assimilated, which is unavoidable for the maintenance of life, and is performed by the Agni. Different examples are available in our classics to indicate that Pitta is the same as ...

Scout honeybees recruit other bees to visit a newly discovered food source through the famous 'waggle dance'. Now a new study reports that other nest mates can induce the dancer to stop advertising, if they have experienced danger at that location.

The main objective of this study was to determine the motives underlying the selection of foods between husbands and wives in an urban community. Thiscross-sectional study was carried out in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia among 150 married couples aged 20 and above, who voluntarily agreed to participate and were ...

Effects of genotype on carcass measurements and meat quality were investigated by using 24 suckling kids from Turkish Saanen, Gokceada and Maltese breeds. Carcass quality characteristics of indigenous kids (Gokceada) were lower than those of dairy type (Turkish Saanen and Maltese) kids. Breed effect on ultimate meat pH, cooking loss, ...

Recent adulteration of milk products with melamine (ME) in several countries caused adverse health effects and even deaths in infants. Earlier, in 2007, contamination of pet food with ME and its related contaminants was associated with many clinical cases of canine and feline nephrotoxicity, and in some cases mortality. ME ...

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a public university in Kuala Lumpur among a random sample of 2665 undergraduates. The objective was to study the prevalence of breakfast skipping and its associated factors. Data collection was conducted via a self-administered pre-tested questionnaire. There were 43.5% male respondents, with Malays ...

The synchronous behaviour of interacting communities is studied in this paper. Each community is described by a tritrophic food chain model, and the communities interact through a network with arbitrary topology, composed of patches and migration corridors. The analysis of the local synchronization properties (via the master stability function approach) ...

This article traces the Japanese media's response to Chinese poison pot-stickers (gyoza) in Japan's food system as they debate and guide consumer-citizens' feelings of increasing vulnerability as individuals in the global market, the nation, and families. Global food becomes a key metaphor for threats to national borders and the need ...

The aim of the present paper is to review the technical and scientific state of the art of wireless sensor technologies and standards for wireless communications in the Agri-Food sector. These technologies are very promising in several fields such as environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, cold chain control or traceability. The ...

Mushroom poisoning continues to occur worldwide. We report a cluster of sudden death in two villages of the Gan County, Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China in September 2005. Extensive investigations on the clinical presentation, epidemiological features, food and water sources have led to the identification of mushroom poisoning. Each ...

Vagal nerve stimulation, because of its involvement in the short- and long-term regulation of food intake, might become a useful tool in the treatment of obesity. However, both peripheral and central mechanisms of its action are still poorly understood. There is a strong evidence that intestinal mucosal mast cells play ...

On Sunday 1 August 2004, at noon, in a well-known supermarket (Ycua Bolaños) on the outskirts of Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, there was a violent explosion in the fast-food section. This was caused by a build-up of gases in the chimneys of the kitchen. The flames spread rapidly through ...

Surplus production is a hallmark of Alaska's prehistoric coastal societies. Over the millennia, foragers procured greater quantities of resources with increasing efficiency, developing economies dependent upon storage and institutionalized exchange. In the central Gulf of Alaska, notable evidence of surplus production comes from the late phase of the Kachemak tradition. ...

There has been a substantial increase in sales of pasteurised in-pack chilled products over the last decade. It is anticipated that this trend will continue. These foods address consumer demand in being of high quality and requiring little preparation time. The microbiological safety of these foods commonly depends on a ...

In Arenicola marina (L.), in vitro attachment and phagocytosis of bacteria appears to be serum-independent and thus, non-specific. Mixtures of Gram+ve and Gram-ve bacterial species (Gram+ve/-ve, of two Gram+ve (Gram+ve/+ve) and of two Gram-ve bacterial species (Gram-ve/-ve)were overlaid on coelomocyte monolayers, in order to introduce competition for cell surface 'receptors'. ...

Hospital patients undoubtedly benefit when visitors bring in home-cooked meals. Patients are more likely to be well-nourished if they can eat food they enjoy. But it can present practical difficulties. Banning such food can prevent visitors from showing they care and present nurses with a dilemma.