Temperament in Childhood Predicts Body Mass in Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

This study examined associations of temperament at ages 6 to 12 with body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) at ages 24 to 30 years. The participants were 619 men and women derived from the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Temperament was operationalized as (negative) emotionality, sociability, and activity. High emotionality predicted increased BMI, independently of WC, and independently of childhood and adulthood risk factors for adult obesity. None of the temperament dimensions had any associations with WC after controlling for BMI. The findings suggest that temperamental difficulty in childhood may be a useful risk indicator for general body mass in adulthood, and the mechanisms relating temperament with body mass should be further explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Zur Nitratreaktion bei Milchprodukten

Zusammenfassung Wir haben die für die Abfüllung von Milchprodukten benützten Kartonpapiersorten auf ihren Nitratgehalt untersucht. Die untersuchten Kartonsorten zeigten schwankenden, aber unbedeutenden Nitratgehalt, der in erster Linie von den verschieden hohen Nitratgehalten der Fabrikationswässer abhängig ist. In den untersuchten Fällen wurde die Aufnahme von Nitraten durch Sauerrahm aus solchen paraffinierten Kartonbechern nachgewiesen. Die Herkunft dieser weit über den ursprünglichen Nitratgehalt der Kartons hinausgehenden Nitratmenge lag in dem zur Herstellung der Becher benützten, stark nitrathaltigen Stärkekleister. In solchen Fällen fallen somit die an die Nitratreaktion geknüpften Folgerungen (Wässerung, Verschmutzung) weg. Daher ist bei der Beurteilung der Milchprodukte auf Grund der Nitratreaktion auf diesen Umstand acht zu geben.Da solche Kartonbehälter auch zur Abfüllung anderer Lebensmittel verwendet werden (Honig, Senf, Marmelade usw.), behalten wir uns vor, unsere Untersuchungen auch auf dieses Gebiet auszudehnen.     

Minimal forbidden subwords

Motivated by a study of similar problems stated for factors of words, we study forbidden subwords of a language or a word. A procedure for obtaining the set of all words avoiding a given set of subwords is presented. On the other hand, an algorithm for computing the set of minimal forbidden subwords for a word is given. The case of a two-letter alphabet appears to be particularly interesting and it is considered separately.     

Disc filtration for separation of flocs from a moving bed bio-film reactor.

A Discfilter with 10 and 18 microm filter openings, respectively, was placed in parallel to a flotation plant for separation of biological flocs from a post-denitrifying Kaldnes Moving Bed Process, the last treatment step at the municipal wastewater treatment plant at Sj?unda, Malm?, Sweden. The effluent concentrations from the 10 and 18 microm filter were 2-5 and 2-8 mg SS L(-1), respectively, which is comparable to, or better than, the flotation plant. Comparison with experiences from activated sludge plants shows that the Discfilter works especially well after the Kaldnes process. Particle size distribution (PSD) studies show that particles larger than the filter openings of 10 and 18 microm are separated with approximately 90% efficiency, whereas most of the smaller particles pass the filter. This fact indicates that the major particle separation mechanism is physical blocking. These findings point to the possibility of improving the prediction of the separation efficiency by combining measurements of turbidity and suspended solids with particle size analysis.     

Textilspanplatten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Challenges in the Application of Stochastic Modal Identification Methods to a Cable-Stayed Bridge

This paper presents an analysis of the data collected in the ambient vibration test of the International Guadiana cable-stayed Bridge, which links Portugal and Spain, based on different output-only identification techniques: peak-picking, frequency domain decomposition, covariance-driven stochastic subspace identification, and data-driven stochastic subspace identification. The purpose of the analysis is to compare the performance of the four techniques and evaluate their efficiency in dealing with specific challenges involved in the modal identification of the tested cable-stayed bridge, namely the existence of closely spaced modes, the perturbation produced by the local vibration of stay-cables, and the variation of modal damping coefficients with wind velocity. The identified natural frequencies and mode shapes are compared with the corresponding modal parameters provided by a previously developed numerical model. Additionally, the variability of some modal damping coefficients is related with the variation of the wind characteristics and associated with a component of aerodynamic damping.     

Influence of Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions on structural and magnetic properties of NiZn ferrites

The paper is devoted to the preparation of NiZn ferrite with small substitutions of copper by means of ceramic technology. The influence of small Cu substitution on the microstructural and magnetic properties of NiZn ferrites have been analysed by means of various experimental methods and interpreted from the point of view of preparation technology optimisation and possible applications of such materials. A strong correlation between the substituent content and resulting properties has been observed, thus allowing preparation of material with the properties tailored for any particular application.     

Pretreatment of Highly Polluted Pharmaceutical Waste Broth by Wet Air Oxidation

The preoxidation of a highly polluted waste pharmaceutical fermentation broth using wet air oxidation (WAO) has been studied as a possible method for the effective removal of organics. The applied (pre)treatment method should enhance the biotreatability of the pharmaceutical fermentation broth in terms of reduced initial toxicity and higher biodegradability. Preliminary experiments in the pilot biological treatment plant were successful only at low organic loads, whereas the system collapses at higher ones. The characterization of the fermentation broth was started by common physicochemical analysis, whereas several bioassays were used to determine its impact on biological treatment plants and the environment. Toxicity prior to and after WAO was determined using the acute Vibrio fischeri test, measurement of inhibition of O2 consumption, and the Daphnia magna acute test. Ready biodegradability of the treated and untreated broth has also been assessed. WAO experiments were accomplished in the 2?L batch reactor at different temperatures (240/280°C) and operating pressures. WAO experiments confirmed reduction of the toxicity toward microorganisms, whereas oxidized wastewater was more toxic to daphnids. Biodegradability of the oxidized broth has also been enhanced. Further work has been focused on designing appropriate combination of WAO and biological processes.     

DILIGENT: integrating digital library and Grid technologies for a new Earth observation research infrastructure

This paper introduces DILIGENT, a digital library infrastructure built by integrating digital library and Grid technologies and resources. This infrastructure allows different communities to dynamically build specialised digital libraries capable to support the entire e-Science knowledge production and consumption life-cycle by using shared computing, storage, content, and application resources. The paper presents some of the main software services that implement the DILIGENT system. Moreover, it exemplifies the provided features by presenting how the DILIGENT infrastructure is being exploited in supporting the activity of user communities working in the Earth Science Environmental sector. This work is partially funded by the European Commission in the context of the DILIGENT project, under the 2nd call of FP6 IST priority.