1 In this work we propose a novel method to analyze and recognize automatically 2 sound signals of chewing and biting. For the automatic segmentation and classi3 fication of acoustical ingestive behaviour of sheep the method use an appropriate 4 acoustic representation and statistical modelling based on hidden Markov models. 5 We analyzed 1813 seconds of chewing data from four sheep eating two ...

To quantitatively assess masticatory efficiency and/or food texture changes during chewing, the jaw movements and forces of human chewing behaviour need to be reproduced. We have proposed a robotic solution where a parallel mechanism with six degrees of freedom (DOF) is developed and based on the biological model of human mastication system. This paper presents such a robot and outlines the des...

a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. Abstract A mechatronic chewing robot of 6-DOF mechanism which consists mainly of the skull, six crank actuators, end effector and motion control system has been designed and is required to simulate human chewing behaviours ...

Background: There is an increasing trend of risk-taking behaviour among adolescents in India but little empirical evidence exists on its determinants. We examined the effect of socio economic characteristics and living arrangement on adolescent’s risk-taking behaviour in India. Methods: Cross sectional population based data of 1,11,077 adolescents aged 10-19 years included in India’s second Nat...

Many people chew gum partly due to the belief that it increases aspects of mental performance, including concentration. To the best of our knowledge no empirical evidence exists to support this contention. The present experiment, therefore, examined the effects of chewing gum using a comprehensive and sensitive cognitive assessment battery and two tasks manipulating cognitive load. Heart rate r...

BACKGROUND Oral health has been of interest in many low and middle income countries due to its impact on general health and quality of life. But there are very few population-based reports of adult Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in developing countries. To address this knowledge gap for Thailand, we report oral health findings from a national cohort of 87,134 Thai adults aged betw...

BACKGROUND Cow rumination and lying behaviour are potentially useful and interrelated indicators of cow health and welfare but there is conflicting evidence about how reliable these measures are. The objective of this study was to quantify the variation of indices of cow comfort and rumen health in a herd with an automatic milking system for which husbandry was relatively constant, in order to ...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a stress-related mental disorder caused by traumatic experience, with symptoms such as intrusive memories, hyperarousal, and avoidance, which endure for years. Single-Prolonged Stress (SPS) is an animal model proposed for PTSD. Rats exposed to SPS showed enhanced Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis inhibition, which has been reliably reproduced in ...

Stereotypies are invariant and repetitive behaviour patterns that seemingly have no function, which tend to develop in captive animals faced with insoluble problems and may be indicative of reduced welfare. A 4 year prospective study of the factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours (abnormal behaviour) in a population of 225 young Thoroughbred and part-Thoroug...

BACKGROUND The Mariana Islands, including Guam and Saipan, are home to many ethnic subpopulations of Micronesia. Oral cancer incidence rates vary among subpopulations, and areca (betel) nut chewing, a habit with carcinogenic risks, is common. Our objectives were to conduct a screening program to detect oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) in betel nut chewers, measure their betel nut che...