Nutritional and Phytochemical Content of High-Protein Crops

The authors acknowledge support from the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) via their strategic research and partnership programs.Peer reviewedPostprin

Expression of Cellulosome Components and Type IV Pili within the Extracellular Proteome of Ruminococcus flavefaciens 007

Funding: The Rowett Institute receives funding from SG-RESAS (Scottish Government Rural and Environmental Science and Analysis Service). Visit of M.V. was supported by research grants from FEMS and Slovene human resources development and scholarship funds. Parts of this work were funded by grants from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), Jerusalem, Israel – BSF Energy Research grant to E.A.B. and B.A.W. and Regular BSF Research grants to R.L. and B.A.W. – and by the Israel Science Foundation (grant nos 966/09 and 159/07 291/08). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

An investigation into the wild meat trade in Malaysia and its implications for zoonotic disease

Hunting wildlife for food has detrimental effects on many wild animal populations and represents a major threat to biodiversity. The great diversity of zoonotic pathogens identified in wildlife hosts may pose infection risks to humans involved in the wild meat trade. Southeast Asia is a hotspot for zoonotic emerging infectious diseases and the commercialisation of this trade presents challenges to wildlife conservation and public health. This dissertation explores these issues in Malaysia to better understand the consequences of wildlife trade.This study utilises survey data from establishments selling wild meat across Malaysia (collected by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia) in order to identify commonly traded species and uses published information to examine the drivers and impacts of this trade on wildlife populations. A literature review determines the potential zoonotic infection risks and transmission routes to hunters, traders and consumers, focusing the discussion on significant pathogens from commonly available species. The microbial food safety risks of this trade are highlighted by a proposal to conduct a risk assessment on the hazard of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia. coli (STEC) from wild deer, following Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines.This dissertation suggests that consumer preferences for wild meat drive the increasingly commercial trade in Malaysia, with wild pig, deer and reptile species being commonly hunted and leading to significant impacts upon some populations. The great variety of traded wildlife can host numerous zoonotic pathogens and several species (e.g. wild ungulates, reptiles and macaques) may harbour multiple pathogens, which can cause human diseases associated with hunting, butchering and consumption. Many bacteria and parasites are transmitted to humans via foodborne routes, which lead to the proposal for a food safety risk assessment on the STEC hazard from wild venison. The review also highlights the lack of pathogen data for certain species and advises further epidemiological research on wildlife and human populations in Malaysia. Overall, the dissertation asserts that the wild meat trade threatens wildlife populations and risks human zoonotic disease in Malaysia, a conclusion of importance for conservation and public health strategies

Sonographers' experiences of breaking bad news in prenatal ultrasound: a phenomenological analysis

This project is a study of how sonographers break bad news to women during routine prenatal ultrasound scans. The sonographers' position, with respect to breaking bad news, is unique among healthcare professionals. Prenatal scans are designed to detect foetal abnormalities and are offered to all pregnant women as part of a nationwide screening programme in the UK. Ultrasound in pregnancy is, therefore, a medical test, but unlike most medical tests it has become a social ritual in western culture. Many women view the scan as a chance to see and meet their baby for the first time and to take home a picture. They are generally unaware of its screening function, which means that bad news arrives when it is least expected. The news is often divulged in real-time as abnormalities are detected, and this leaves little time for the sonographer to prepare prior to disclosure. What a sonographer does in the few moments following a positive scan result affects how the news is given and ultimately how it is received. A bad experience can leave women suffering long-term psychological effects. This thesis focuses on how sonographers cope in those few moments. The impetus behind this research is paucity of empirical work that has, to date, been carried out from the sonographer's perspective. This means there are few evidence-based guidelines available to assist them in the news-giving process. Current protocols, underpinned by research from the medical profession, suggest that health professionals should prepare to give bad news in advance of meeting the patient. Such advice, however, fails to address the immediate and unexpected nature of bad news in the ultrasound scenario. This project offers an in-depth phenomenological investigation into the experiences of nine sonographers who have been breaking bad news to pregnant women for between eight and twenty five years. Using Heidegger's fundamental ontology as a framework, the five-stage temporal structure of a routine prenatal scan was revealed, offering an insight into how distressing information might be communicated to women in a genuinely empathic manner. This structure suggests that what happens in the moments following the detection of a foetal abnormality depends on a background of phenomena which are revealed only through a sonographer's particular style of scanning and ethical comportment

Visual fields, foraging and collision vulnerability in gulls (Laridae)

Wide variation in visual field configuration has been recorded among avian species and it is hypothesized that this variation is driven primarily by foraging ecology and predator detection. It has also been shown that visual field configurations can render some species more vulnerable to collisions with human artefacts that extend into open airspace, such as power lines and wind turbines. Visual fields have three main components: the monocular fields describe the extent of the world seen by each eye, the binocular field describes the region where the monocular fields overlap, and the blind area describes the region in which no vision is provided. Among birds, the topography of the binocular field, and the extent and position of the blind area, show considerable interspecific variation. Although Laridae (gulls, terns, skimmers) are a large and cosmopolitan taxon, visual field characteristics of only one species, Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, have been determined. However, skimmers are distinct from other Laridae species because they use a specialized foraging technique based upon tactile cues. We determined visual fields in three species of gulls (European Herring Gulls Larus argentatus, Lesser Black‐backed Gulls Larus fuscus, Black‐legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla), and found that they show the key characteristics associated with visually guided foraging. However, the binocular field does not extend through the full height of the frontal field. This results in a blind sector, which can project in the direction of flight when gulls pitch their heads sufficiently far forwards to visually search the surface below. This could render gulls vulnerable to collisions with anthropogenic structures (power lines, wind turbines) that extend into the open airspace. Photographs show that gulls in level flight do pitch their heads forward sufficiently to render them almost blind in the direction of travel, and further work on the head positions adopted by gulls in flight are recommended. The visual field of skimmers differs markedly from those of gulls. Their binocular field topography is interpreted as functioning in the control of bill position when skimming (flying just above the water surface with the elongated, blade‐like, rhamphotheca of the mandible extending through the water surface). Skimmers also have a blind area, which projects forwards in the direction of travel when skimming. This can be associated with the vulnerability of skimmers to collisions with objects that extend just above the water surface

Visual fields, foraging and collision vulnerability in gulls (Laridae)

Wide variation in visual field configuration has been recorded among avian species and it is hypothesized that this variation is driven primarily by foraging ecology and predator detection. It has also been shown that visual field configurations can render some species more vulnerable to collisions with human artefacts that extend into open airspace, such as power lines and wind turbines. Visual fields have three main components: the monocular fields describe the extent of the world seen by each eye, the binocular field describes the region where the monocular fields overlap, and the blind area describes the region in which no vision is provided. Among birds, the topography of the binocular field, and the extent and position of the blind area, show considerable interspecific variation. Although Laridae (gulls, terns, skimmers) are a large and cosmopolitan taxon, visual field characteristics of only one species, Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, have been determined. However, skimmers are distinct from other Laridae species because they use a specialized foraging technique based upon tactile cues. We determined visual fields in three species of gulls (European Herring Gulls Larus argentatus, Lesser Black‐backed Gulls Larus fuscus, Black‐legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla), and found that they show the key characteristics associated with visually guided foraging. However, the binocular field does not extend through the full height of the frontal field. This results in a blind sector, which can project in the direction of flight when gulls pitch their heads sufficiently far forwards to visually search the surface below. This could render gulls vulnerable to collisions with anthropogenic structures (power lines, wind turbines) that extend into the open airspace. Photographs show that gulls in level flight do pitch their heads forward sufficiently to render them almost blind in the direction of travel, and further work on the head positions adopted by gulls in flight are recommended. The visual field of skimmers differs markedly from those of gulls. Their binocular field topography is interpreted as functioning in the control of bill position when skimming (flying just above the water surface with the elongated, blade‐like, rhamphotheca of the mandible extending through the water surface). Skimmers also have a blind area, which projects forwards in the direction of travel when skimming. This can be associated with the vulnerability of skimmers to collisions with objects that extend just above the water surface

Identification of damaged proteins in human serum using modified Ehrlich's reagent to target protein-bound pyrroles

Peer reviewedPreprin

Proteomic and Glucosinolate Profiling of Rapeseed Isolates from Meals Produced by Different Oil Extraction Processes

Acknowledgment This work is part of the Strategic Research 2011–2016 and is funded by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS).Peer reviewedPostprin

Frequent Dietary Multi-Mycotoxin Exposure in UK Children and Its Association with Dietary Intake

Peer reviewe