Tri-axial accelerometry allows to determine parental food provisioning behaviour in a marine bird

The study of parental food provisioning is essential for understanding the breeding ecology of birds.We conducted the first study using accelerometry to detect food provisioning in birds,using Support Vector Machine(SVM)models to identify when adults feed chicks of three different age classes.Accelerometers were attached to the head of adult female Imperial Shags(Leucocarbo atriceps),and various attributes derived from the acceleration signals were used to train SVM models for each chick age class.Model performance improved with chick age class,with SVM models achieving high overall accuracy(>88%)and highest sensitivity in older chick categories(>91%).However,precision values,especially for younger chicks,remained relatively low(between 26%and 45%).The application of a time filter based on the minimum duration of the observed food provisioning behaviours for each chick age category,improved model performance by reducing false provisioning behaviours,particularly in the model for older chicks,which showed the highest precision(72.4%).This study highlights the effectiveness of accelerometry and machine learning in studying parental food provisioning in birds,providing a rapid and accurate data collection method to complement traditional techniques.The described methodology can be applied to any bird species that exhibits distinctive movements while feeding its offspring and has suitable characteristics for attaching an accelerometer to the body part that best captures this movement.Finally,it is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to future research on key questions in parental investment theory and reproductive strategies in birds.

The Revision of Aluminum-containing Food Additive Provisions in China

The aim of this study was to revise the provisions for aluminum-containing food additives in GB 2760-2011 （The National Food Safety Standard for Use of Food Additives）, in order to reduce aluminum exposure among the Chinese population. According to the latest risk assessment results of JECFA and China on aluminum and the actual use of aluminum-containing food additives in certain products, the aluminum-containing food additive-related provisions in GB 2760-2011 were revised. Those revisions included narrowing down the applicable food categories and adjusting the maximum use level of aluminum potassium sulfate and aluminum ammonium sulfate, repealing nine aluminum-containing food additives in puffed food and repealing the use of sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium aluminosilicate and starch aluminum octenylsuccinate in all food.

The foraging behavior of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata in a forested enclosure: Effects of nutrient composition,energy and its seasonal variation on the consumption of natural plant foods

In the wild, primate foraging behaviors are related to the diversity and nutritional properties of food, which are affected by seasonal variation. The goal of environmental enrichment is to stimulate captive animals to exhibit similar foraging behavior of their wild counterparts, e.g. to extend foraging time. We conducted a 12-month study on the foraging behavior of Japanese macaques in a semi-naturally forested enclosure to understand how they use both provisioned foods and naturally available plant foods and what are the nutritional criteria of their consumption of natural plants. We recorded time spent feeding on provisioned and natural plant foods and collected the plant parts ingested of their major plant food species monthly, when available. We conducted nutritional analysis （crude protein, crude lipid, neutral detergent fiber-‘NDF＇, ash） and calculated total non-structural carbohydrate - ‘TNC＇ and total energy of those food items. Monkeys spent 47% of their feeding time foraging on natural plant species. The consumption of plant parts varied significantly across seasons. We found that leaf items were consumed in months when crude protein, crude protein-to-NDF ratio, TNC and total energy were significantly higher and NDF was significantly lower, fruit/nut items in months when crude protein and TNC were significantly higher and crude lipid content was significantly lower, and bark items in months when TNC and total energy were higher and crude lipid content was lower. This preliminary investigation showed that the forested enclosure allowed troop members to more fully express their species typical flexible behavior by challenging them to adjust their foraging behavior to seasonal changes of plant item diversity and nutritional content, also providing the possibility for individuals to nutritionally enhance their diet .

食品添加剂和污染物中铝的风险评估

以联合国粮农组织和世界卫生组织食品添加剂联合专家委员会(JECFA)第67次和第74次会议对食品添加剂和污染物中铝的风险评估报告为主要依据,分析了铝的毒性、来源和暴露情况。指出JECFA推荐铝的健康指导值是暂定每周耐受摄入量(PTWI)为2.0 mg/kg(按体质量计)。详细介绍了JECFA对食品添加剂和污染物中铝的危害识别、危害特征描述、暴露评估和风险特征描述,旨在方便快捷地了解国际组织对铝的风险评估情况,为开展食品中铝的安全性评价研究及相关工作提供参考。

Assessment of food supplementation and surveillance as techniques to reduce damage caused by black capuchin monkeys Sapajus nigritus to forest plantations

Black capuchin monkeys Sapajus nigritus are among several mammalian species that damage forest plantations, pri- marily plantations of pine trees （Pinus spp.） in South Brazil. Management practices to reduce these damages include supplemen- tary food offerings and plantation surveillance. To assess the efficiency of these techniques, four treatments were evaluated： feeding （F, with supplementary bananas and maize）, surveillance （S, in situ, wherein men patrolled the plantations, deterring the monkeys）, feeding ＋ surveillance （FS） and control （no procedures） （C）. The efficiency assessment of each treatment involved the number of recorded primate sightings in the treatments with the presence of guards （S and FS） and a damage inventory of the outskirts of the experimental points immediately before and after the experiment. These data were complemented by a simulta- neous study of the availability of fruit, the primary item in the diet of this primate species, in the remnant native forest in the study area. Most sightings of S. nigritus occurred early in the morning, and in general, sightings were inversely proportional to the availability of native fruits. This trend was most evident in treatment FS, most likely due to the presence of food. Treatments F and FS exhibited higher percentages of damage, indicating that these are inefficient management techniques. Treatment S exhi- bited the lowest damage rate, but at a high cost, making this technique difficult to apply over large expanses. The development of other management techniques, such as environmental enrichment and the use of deterrents, is recommended to minimize the damage caused by capuchins in forest plantations [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 581-590, 2014].

金湖地区儿童和成人膳食汞摄入量的双份饭研究

目的了解金湖地区儿童、成人膳食汞的摄入量,并评价其安全性。方法收集62名研究对象连续3天的双份饭样本,使用原子荧光光谱分析法测定汞含量。采用联合国粮农组织和世界卫生组织食品添加剂联合专家委员会推荐的暂定每周可耐受摄入量(PTWI)评价金湖地区儿童、成人膳食汞摄入量的安全性。结果金湖地区儿童、成人每周每公斤体重膳食汞摄入量的第97.5百分位数分别为2.92μg/kgbw和1.67μg/kgbw,各占PTWI的58.4%、33.4%。儿童每周每公斤体重膳食汞的摄入量高于成人(z=4.0406,P<0.0001)。结论金湖地区儿童、成人膳食汞的摄入量是安全的,但仍有进一步降低的必要。