L-wrappers: concepts,properties and construction

In this paper, we propose a novel class of wrappers (logic wrappers) inspired by the logic prog- ramming paradigm. The developed Logic wrappers (L-wrapper) have declarative semantics, and therefore: (i) their specification is decoupled from their implementation and (ii) they can be generated using inductive logic programming. We also define a convenient way for mapping L-wrappers to XSLT for efficient processing using available XSLT processing engines.     

Colour and viscosity of milk and soybean vanilla beverages. Instrumental and sensory measurements

BACKGROUND: Differences in instrumental measurements of colour and viscosity were analysed in six commercial samples of vanilla beverages, three of milk and three of soybean. Sensory differences between them were assessed and an analysis was made of whether the perceived differences had any influence on consumer preferences with respect to these attributes. RESULTS: The milk beverages were a stronger yellow in colour (45.05≤b*≤60.02) than the soybean beverages (18.46≤b*≤21.96). The flow of all samples was Newtonian, showing viscosity values in the range 4.34–7.92 mPa s. Significant differences in viscosity were detected between samples. Sensory results revealed that the vanilla milk samples were perceived as having a stronger yellow colour and being thicker than the vanilla soymilk samples. The majority of people surveyed (n = 142) preferred the samples that were deeper yellow in colour; moreover, the thickness of milk samples was significantly more acceptable than that of soymilk samples. CONCLUSION: The instrumental measurement of colour relates well to the perceived differences in the colour of these products and explains the differences in consumer preferences. However, the instrumental viscosity values do not relate well to the thickness perceived or to the differences in acceptability of the beverages. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Automated equipment for anaerobic sludge parameters determination.

Methanogenic activity, anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity are key parameters in the design and operation of anaerobic bioreactors. A large variety of methods exist for the determination of these parameters but a normalized method has not been established so far. This paper presents the development of an automated manometric system for the determination of these anaerobic sludge parameters. The system is based on monitoring the production of methane by using a pressure transducer that measures the pressure in a gas-collecting chamber of known adjustable volume, which is independent of the space where biogas production takes place. The evolution of pressure generated by the accumulation of methane relates to the conversion of COD. In this way, the methanogenic activity of the sludge can be determined, as well as the biodegradability of solids and liquid, as well as the methanogenic toxicity of compounds. The equipment permits gas sampling, as well as extraction and introduction of liquid, without losing the anaerobic conditions. Various assays have been conducted to test the reliability and reproducibility of the obtained results, showing a high level of both. The methanogenic activities obtained in the assays ranged between 0.1 and 1.8 g COD g(-1) VSS d(-1), and the biodegradability of the organic compounds tested ranged between 20 and 90%.     

Variable solar control using thermotropic core/shell particles

Subject of our recent investigations is the utilization of a reversible thermotropic material for a self-regulating sun protection glazing that controls the solar energy input in order to avoid overheating. Based on the well-established UV curing technology for laminated glass a superior thermotropic material with tunable switching characteristics and of low material costs was developed. The polymer layer contains core/shell particles homogeneously dispersed in a UV-cured resin. The particle core in turn consists of an n-alkane mixture that is responsible for the temperature-induced clear/opaque switching. To obtain particles of well-defined size and with a narrow size distribution, the miniemulsion polymerization technique was used. The visible and solar optical properties (normal-normal, normal-hemispherical, and normal-diffuse transmittance) in the off (clear) and in the on state (opaque) were determined by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy. Samples containing particles of high median diameter (>800 nm) primarily scatter in the forward direction. However, with smaller particles (300-600 nm) a higher backscattering (reflection) efficiency was achieved. The largest difference in the normal-hemispherical transmittance could be found with a particle amount of 6% and a median scattering domain diameter of ∼380 nm.     

Alternaria toxins in Argentinean wheat,bran, and flour

Alternaria species have been reported to infect a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and cereal crops. Wheat is one of the most consumed cereal worldwide. A sensitive HPLC-DAD methodology was applied to quantify alternariol (AOH), alternariol methyl ether (AME) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) in 65 samples of whole wheat, bran, and flour. The extraction methodology allowed extracting the three toxins simultaneously. Limits of detection in wheat were 3.4, 4.5, and 0.5 µg kg^?1 for AOH, AME and TeA, respectively. For bran, these data were 3.1, 4.5, and 12 µg kg^?1 and for flour 50, 70, and 14 µg kg^?1, respectively. The studied recoveries were higher than 70% and RSD was below 10%. Wheat and bran samples showed low AOH and AME contamination compared to TeA. The averages levels found for TeA in wheat, bran and flour were 19,190, 16,760, and 7360 µg kg^?1, respectively.     

Removal of pharmaceuticals and fragrances in biological wastewater treatment

The removal of seven pharmaceuticals and two fragrances in the biological units of various full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants was studied. The observed removal of pharmaceuticals was mainly due to biological transformation and varied from insignificant (<10%, carbamazepine) to>90% (ibuprofen). However, no quantitative relationship between structure and activity can be set up for the biological transformation. Overall, it can be concluded that for compounds showing a sorption coefficient (K(d)) of below 300 L kg(-1), sorption onto secondary sludge is not relevant and their transformation can consequently be assessed simply by comparing influent and effluent concentrations. The two fragrances (HHCB, AHTN) studied were mainly removed by sorption onto sludge. For the compounds studied, comparable transformation and sorption was seen for different reactor types (conventional activated sludge, membrane bioreactor and fixed bed reactor) as well as for sludge ages between 10 and 60-80 days and temperatures between 12 degrees C and 21 degrees C. However, some significant variations in the observed removal currently lack an explanation. The observed incoming daily load of iopromide and roxithromycin in medium-sized municipal wastewater treatment plants (up to 80,000 population equivalents) is generated by only a small number of patients: the consequences for representative 24h composite sampling are discussed. Generally, the paper presents a method for setting up mass balances for micropollutants over entire wastewater treatment plants, including an estimation of the accuracy of the quantified fate (i.e. removal by sorption and biological transformation).     

Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Magnetically-Guided and Magnetically-Responsive Drug Delivery

In this review, we discuss the recent advances in and problems with the use of magnetically-guided and magnetically-responsive nanoparticles in drug delivery and magnetofection. In magnetically-guided nanoparticles, a constant external magnetic field is used to transport magnetic nanoparticles loaded with drugs to a specific site within the body or to increase the transfection capacity. Magnetofection is the delivery of nucleic acids under the influence of a magnetic field acting on nucleic acid vectors that are associated with magnetic nanoparticles. In magnetically-responsive nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles are encapsulated or embedded in a larger colloidal structure that carries a drug. In this last case, an alternating magnetic field can modify the structure of the colloid, thereby providing spatial and temporal control over drug release.     

Gloss control in rigid PVC—Part I. Techniques for gloss assessment of rigid PVC profiles

This paper describes various techniques for assessing the gloss of PVC extrudates. It discusses the effect of the incident light angle on measured gloss values and the test sensitivity. It also describes the relationship between surface gloss and extrudate roughness, as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. Finally, this paper provides recommendations on the most suitable methods for assessing the gloss of PVC extrudates.     

The Calibration of Data Loggers for the Characterization of Sterilization Autoclaves

An experimental setup established for the calibration of temperature and pressure data loggers for use in the characterization of autoclaves and steam sterilizers is described. The results obtained on two devices in the range of 25 °C to 125 °C at absolute pressures from 100 kPa to 375 kPa are presented and discussed in the context of the manufacturer??s specifications and their suitability for on-site characterization of the temperature and pressure conditions during the normal operational cycles. The recommendations on the calibration of these devices and the estimation of the contributions to the expanded uncertainty of measurement for the characterization of autoclaves are addressed.