Quantitative dietary exposure assessment of the Catalonian population (Spain) to the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common contaminants of cereals worldwide, and its occurrence has been widely reported in raw foods and foodstuffs, around the European region, including Catalonia. In the present work, a stochastic methodology has been applied to accurately assess the exposure of the Catalonian population (Spain) to DON through food consumption. Raw contamination data was provided by a large survey conducted in this region, in addition to the raw consumption data from a nutritional study specifically designed to assess the dietary intake of the main foodstuffs related to DON contamination for all population age groups. Contamination and consumption data were combined by simulation using an essentially parametric (P-P) method. The P-P method draws sampling values from distribution functions fitted to consumption and contamination data sets. Moreover, to quantify the accuracy and reliability of the statistics estimates, we built the related confidence intervals using a pseudo-parametric bootstrap method. Considering the results drawn from the P-P simulation method, the Catalonian population should be expected to be exposed at moderated levels of deoxynivalenol, the infants and individuals with ethnic dietary patterns being the most exposed population groups.     

New green coatings made from fatty acid dispersions: improvement in barrier properties of biodegradable thermoplasticized-starch substrate

This work was aimed at developing new coatings on biodegradable substrates for possible use in food packaging. In order to study barrier properties of these coatings made from fatty acid dispersions, oxygen permeability, water vapor permeability and also contact angle measurements were carried out. The coatings made from a fatty acid exhibited good barrier properties towards oxygen gas. Moreover, these coatings presented a higher contact angle value than the one obtained directly for the substrate without coating; this can be likely due to the hydrophobic nature of fatty acid and the recrystallization of fatty acid during the drying process.     

Aluminium composite coatings containing micrometre and nanometre-sized particles electroplated from a non-aqueous electrolyte

The electrolytic codeposition of micro- and nano-sized particles with aluminum from a nonaqueous electrolyte is investigated. SiC, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, TiB₂ and hexagonal BN particles were codeposited with aluminium from an AlCl₃/dimethylsulfone (DMSO₂) electrolyte. The effect of particle concentration and current density on the codeposition rate of SiO₂ with aluminium was investigated. The codeposition of the various particles with Al from AlCl₃:DMSO₂ solutions is very high. The amount of codeposited particles is Langmuir dependent on the particle concentration in the electrolyte. In contrast, the effect of the current density on the amount of codeposited SiO₂ is small.     

La microfissuration d'autodessiccation et la durabilité des BHP et BTHP

This paper presents principal results of an extensive experimental study related to a main objective: to study how microcracks inducing by self-desiccation of High Performance Concrete can call into question the potentially high durability of these concretes. So, durability of 8 concretes of a 20–110 MPa range has been characterised with air permeability measurements. Development of self-desiccation has been determined. The lower the water to cement ratio, the higher is the self-desiccation. Microcracks due to self-desiccation have been quantified for 8 concretes between 28 days and 1 year. The principle and the accuracy of the quantification's tool have been presented. Cracking specific surface area increases with the development of self-desiccation. Air permeability of concretes stored in self-desiccation conditions has been measured. Preliminary results showing that wrong preparation of samples can lead to great and scattered permeability of HSC, then the development of an experimental procedure had been necessary. Its influence on microstructure of concretes has been analysed. With our procedure, permeability does not increase between 28 days and 3 years. Finally, it can be concluded that self-desiccation microcracks in HPC and VHPC do not question the durability.     

DRYING OF WOOD CHIPS WITH AMBIENT AIR

This paper discusses the slow drying of wood chips stacked in deep beds by a flow of ambient air throughout the major part of the year. This kind of drying operation introduces some simplifications to the equation system. The celerity of the drying front is described by an analytical term, then the shape of the front is obtained by an ordinary differential equation. The meteorological data which has been put into the computer determines the progress of the drying front. The flow rate of the blower is determined from the operation characteristics (time allowed, height of the pile, moisture of the product, regulation function) and from the data of the local climate. An additional rudimentary solar collector can improve the efficiency of the system. A period of ten days will be sufficient to calculate the mean data in order to ascertain the progress of the front.     

Kinetics of the electrochemical deposition and dissolution of sodium tungsten bronzes

The electrochemical deposition of sodium tungsten bronzes from Na₂WO₄/WO₃ melts at 700–800°C has been studied. The kinetics of the deposition and the dissolution reactions have been investigated using galvanostatic step, open-circuit decay of electrode potential, and faradaic impedance measurements. The results show that the kinetics of electrochemical deposition are controlled by at least 3 processes: a heterogeneous reaction (surface diffusion of adion), a charge-transfer reaction, and some diffusion in the electrolyte. The relative role of diffusion in the electrolyte seems more important in the dissoluton process than in the deposition reaction.     

Direct,mass-analyzed ion-beam and arc-discharge deposition of diamondlike films

Utilizing mass-analyzed carbon beams at an energy range of 10 eV to 2 keV, we can fabricate diamondlike films with direct deposition. This process allows a very precise adjustment of deposition. This process allows a very precise adjustment of deposition parameters such as ion energy, ion current density, angle of incidence, and control of impurities at an isotopic level. We obtained a density of 3.3-3.5 g/cm³, which is very close to the corresponding values of natural diamond. The most serious disadvantage of direct deposition is a low growth rate. Using an arc-discharge method provides more feasible deposition rates while simultaneously retaining many beneficial effects of direct deposition. These results were also confirmed by spectroscopic studies that revealed similar characteristics on both films. This paper reviews deposition of diamondlike films produced with direct, mass-analyzed ion-beam and arc-discharge methods and presents some properties of these films. *Invited talk in TMS Spring Meeting, Anaheim, CA, February 1990     

Lidar observations of the diurnal variations in the depth of urban mixing layer: a case study on the air quality deterioration in Taipei, Taiwan

An aerosol light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system was used to measure the depth of the atmospheric mixing layer over Taipei, Taiwan in the spring of 2005. This paper presents the variations of the mixing height and the mixing ratios of air pollutants during an episode of air quality deterioration (March 7-10, 2005), when Taipei was under an anti-cyclonic outflow of a traveling high-pressure system. It was found that, during those days, the urban mixing height reached its daily maximum of 1.0-1.5 km around noon and declined to 0.3-0.5 km around 18:00 (LST). In terms of hourly averages, the mixing height increased with the ambient temperature linearly by a slope of 166 m/degrees C in daytime. The consistency between the changes in the mixing height and in the ambient temperature implied that the mixing layer dynamics were dominated by solar thermal forcing. As the cap of the mixing layer descended substantially in the afternoon, reduced dispersion in the shallow mixing layer caused the concentrations of primary air pollutants to increase sharply. Consequently, the pollutant concentration exhibited an anti-correlation with the mixing height. While attentions are usually focused on the pollution problems occurring in a morning inversion layer, the results of this study indicate that the air pollution and its health impacts could be even more severe as the mixing layer is getting shallow in the afternoon.     

Recurrent recovery of Pseudomonas oryzihabitans strains in a karstified chalk aquifer

Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is an uncommon pathogen that may cause catheter-associated infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Although it has been isolated from environment, the source of human infection is not well documented. In the present study, 14 isolates of P. oryzihabitans were recovered over a 28-month period from a karstified chalk aquifer, allowing to advance that distributed natural water could be a source of contamination. Microbiological analyses showed that the bacterium was mainly associated with suspended particulate matters. To investigate the clonality of P. oryzihabitans environmental isolates, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, antibiogram and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typings were performed. Results demonstrated (i) the presence of at least three clones within the aquifer and (ii) that the presence of the bacterium in groundwater is not only the result of a biofilm bloom but also of an exogenous contamination.