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Summer’s Dawn is a fantasy novella set in the fictional world of Lothrium, which is modeled after Late Medieval England. The novel follows the protagonist, Quinten Wesker, a wine merchant from a once prominent house whose fortunes have so diminished that now their greatest asset is a single rickety wagon, which Quinten uses to travel through the bandit ridden forest of Hilgard. With him are two escorts: Draven, a quiet, yet fierce guard hailing from the icy northern tip of Lothrium, called the Frost; and Percy, a fiery youth sent by Quinten’s potential business partner at the Alwyn Estate. But along the way, Draven proves himself to be a dark force that threatens Quinten’s life. Summer’s Dawn is a low fantasy novella, as it takes place in an ordinary world where magical forces are minimal–yet they do intrude at times, often to disastrous results. The novella explores the themes of heroism and redemption in the face of overwhelming adversity, as they are navigated by a psychologically atypical protagonist.

Dietary fat is considered the least satiating of the macronutrients. Coupled with its high palatability, fat has been implicated in the growth of obesity. Despite this, there are lipids which exert greater satiety than others. This thesis has explored further various lipids which may exert these effects. A literature review identifying lipids which have the potential to beneficially affect appetite, followed by a systematic review and meta-analysis on medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) was conducted. A series of three experiments followed: 1) a comparison of the satiety response to MCT and conjugated linoleic acid in individuals with healthy weight or overweight and obesity, 2) the combination of MCT and cycling exercise on energy balance, and 3) an investigation into the relationship between MCT and the physical form in which they are consumed, and the effect on satiety. To achieve this, 70 individuals (M: 42, F: 28; mean ± SD: age 27 ± 8 years, body mass index [BMI] 24.5 ± 8.0 kg·m-2) were recruited into three experiments. The results of these reviews and experiments highlight that there are various lipids which may be useful in weight management strategies, although research is limited. MCT do decrease energy intake compared to long-chain triglycerides (LCT) irrespective of weight status. This effect is not mediated by gut peptide hormones measured in this thesis but appears to be related to a delay of gastric emptying, and potentially an increase in ketone body production. These effects are only observed in resting conditions, whereas consuming them alongside exercise poses no additional benefit. Consuming MCT in a resting state does, however, increase resting metabolic rate through dietary induced thermogenesis. Discrepancies in the extant literature can be explained via the form in which MCT are delivered, as MCT in solid form is no more satiating than LCT in solid form, where MCT in liquid form is.

Purpose. Plant-based proteins may have the potential to improve glycaemic and gastrointestinal hormone responses to foods and beverages. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two doses of pea protein on postprandial glycaemic, insulinaemic, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) response following a high-carbohydrate beverage intake in healthy individuals. Methods. In a single-blind, randomised, controlled, repeat measure, crossover design trial, thirty-one participants were randomly assigned to ingest 50 g glucose (Control), 50 g glucose with 25 g pea protein (Test 1) and 50 g glucose with 50 g pea protein (Test 2) on three separate days. Capillary blood samples (blood glucose and plasma insulin measurements) and venous blood samples (GIP and GLP-1 concentrations) were taken before each test and at fixed intervals for 180 min. The data were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA or the Friedman test. Results. Glucose incremental Area under the Curve (iAUC180) was significantly lower (p

Research has indicated that consuming medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) may be more satiating than consuming long-chain triglycerides (LCT) potentially causing a reduction in energy intake. However not all studies have demonstrated this acute reduction in energy intake and it has yet to be systematically reviewed. Our main objective was to examine how ingestion of MCT influences energy intake, subjective appetite ratings and appetite-related hormones compared to LCT. Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINHAL, and Embase were searched for publications comparing the effect of MCT on appetite (commonly hunger, fullness, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption), appetite-related hormones (pancreatic polypeptide (PP), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), neurotensin, leptin, total ghrelin and active ghrelin) and energy intake to LCT. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted on studies which examined energy intake. Seventeen studies (291 participants) were included in the systematic review, of which 11 were included in the energy intake meta-analysis. Synthesis of combined data showed evidence of a statistically significant moderate decrease in ad libitum energy intake after both acute and chronic ingestion of MCT compared to LCT when assessed under laboratory conditions (mean effect size: −0.444, 95% CI −0.808, −0.080, p