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Since embryos change their morphology drastically in the gastrulation stage, mechanical characterization of young embryos is important as they also change their tissue stiffness with the stage of development. Herein, virtual compression tests were conducted assuming that the Xenopus laevis gastrula has a spherical shape with transverse anisotropy. Based on the design of experiments, we found that the Young's moduli and material anisotropy can be efficiently determined by measuring the reaction force and surface displacement when indenting the tester into an embryo. The proposed scheme may be a substantial step toward understanding the timing of cell-type specification during embryo development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Asia, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a serious problem. Eating out is now common, including in Japan, and eating out has been reported to be positively related to the onset of NCDs. To improve the nutritional quality of out-of-home meals, we must be able to identify the factors affecting menu planning. However, there are no reports on how restaurateurs plan their menus in Asian countries. So, we used semi-structured interviews with 26 restaurateurs. As a result, we identified the following five factors: Sales Promotion, Internal Factors of Restaurateurs, Customer Prioritization, External Factors, and Management for Profit, which indicate that to improve the nutritional quality, efficient strategies should consider these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]