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Animals in agroecosystems
Published in Stephen R. Gliessman, V. Ernesto Méndez, Victor M. Izzo, Eric W. Engles, Andrew Gerlicz, Agroecology, 2023
Stephen R. Gliessman, V. Ernesto Méndez, Victor M. Izzo, Eric W. Engles, Andrew Gerlicz
Some mechanical digestion usually takes place in the mouth during the process of chewing, and this is accompanied by some chemical digestion as well. Saliva in the mouth contains the enzyme amylase, which hydrolyzes starch into smaller polysaccharides. Mechanical digestion is important for breaking the food into smaller pieces so that later chemical digestion will have more surface area to act upon.
Biocomposites Based on Natural Fibers: Concept and Biomedical Applications
Published in Shakeel Ahmed, Saiqa Ikram, Suvardhan Kanchi, Krishna Bisetty, Biocomposites, 2018
Raoof Ahmad Najar, Aasim Majeed, Gagan Sharma, Villayat Ali, Pankaj Bhardwaj
The breakdown of harder elements of teeth such as enamel and dentin results into dental cavities. Restoration dentistry is a promising method to prevent tooth loss due to caries. Thus, an array of dental filling materials came into existence for this purpose. The fillers must have comparable mechanical and physical attributes like that of teeth. Further, they should function in oral environment and should possess the ability to withstand stress during chewing. In serving this purpose, resins have surpassed amalgam. However, resins have their own limitations and many times they fail mainly due to less adhesion between the matrix and the filler, thus compromising strength. This necessitated the need to reinforce the dental resins. Different reinforcing materials have been incorporated into dental resins, such as glass fibers [86], whiskers [87], and microparticles [88]. Natural fibers can also be applied for this purpose, and researchers have employed them in reinforcing dental resins. Silk, being biocompatible, mechanically tough, irritation free, and better bonding with resins, is an effective candidate for this purpose. Addition of 5% silk microfibers to bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin results in significant enhancement of its mechanical properties owing to its uniformity in distribution plus better bonding between the fiber and the resin at their interfaces [89]. Fiber-reinforced composites have now recently become center of attraction for dentists. Feather fiber, which is a protein-based fiber, can be used as reinforcement material in polymer matrix composites [90]. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a non-biodegradable polymer and an essential material in medicine and dentistry [91], which, in combination with feather fiber, yields a biocomposite dental post because enhancement of flexural strength and modulus is observed with the addition of feather fiber [92]. Filling of dental caries, replacement of decaying tooth and Crown Bridge are the typical applications of fiber- reinforced polymer.
A review of chewing detection for automated dietary monitoring
Published in Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, 2022
Yanxin Wei, Khairun Nisa’ Minhad, Nur Asmiza Selamat, Sawal Hamid Md Ali, Mohammad Arif Sobhan Bhuiyan, Kelvin Jian Aun Ooi, Siti Balqis Samdin
Chewing is a dynamic process that involves regular motions, including simultaneous movements of the jaws, tongue and cheeks and the use of molars to crush the bolus. After the food enters the mouth, it is subjected to a series of chewing until the bolus is swallowed. The regularity of chewing is generated through a central pattern generator (CPG), which activates the motor drives that coordinate the movement of the facial muscles, tongue and jaw. All these behaviors constitute an individual’s chewing pattern. The chewing function adjusts itself according to food characteristics; for example, the hardness of food affects chewing activity (Tonni et al. 2020).