Predictors and correlates of taste preferences in European children: The IDEFICS study

The present study investigated taste preferences in a sample of 1705 children aged 6 to 9 years from survey centres in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, and Spain and aimed to identify factors correlated with taste preference. Children’s preferences for varying levels of sucrose (sweet) in apple juice and fat, sodium chloride (salt) and monosodium glutamate (umami) in crackers were assessed using paired-comparison tests. Socio-demographics (age, sex, parental education), early feeding practises (breastfeeding, introduction of fruits), parenting behaviour (TV viewing, using food as a reward) and taste threshold sensitivity for sucrose (sweet), sodium chloride (salt), caffeine (bitter) and monosodium glutamate (umami) were investigated as possible correlates of taste preferences. Parents reported on socio-demographics, early feeding and parenting behaviour. Taste thresholds were determined via a paired-comparison staircase method. Country of residence was the strongest factor related to preferences for all four tastes. Taste preferences also differed by age. Preference for sugar and salt increased between 6 and 9 years of age while preference for monosodium glutamate decreased. The age differences remained significant even after adjustment for sex, country of residence, parental education and early feeding habits. Sex, parental education, early feeding habits, TV viewing, using food as a reward and taste thresholds were not consistently related to taste preferences among the survey centres. In summary, the results highlight the importance of culture and age in taste preferences in children younger than 10 years of age.     

Nitridische und oxinitridische HPPMS‐Beschichtungen für den Einsatz in der Kunststoffverarbeitung (Teil 2)

Nitride and oxy‐nitride HPPMS coatings for the application in the plastics processing (Part 2) In the previous issue three oxy‐nitridic hard coatings on CrAl‐basis were investigated. These coatings were deposited by physical vapour deposition (PVD) as protective coatings against adhesive and abrasive wear in polymer extrusion. The coatings were developed using a variation of the oxygen content to investigate the influence of the chemical composition on the coating properties as well as composite properties between the coating and the coated tool. Following up on these findings this article will focus on the application oriented system properties of the three investigated coating systems towards the polycarbonate melt.     

Artificial Microbial Arenas: Materials for Observing and Manipulating Microbial Consortia

From the smallest ecological niche to global scale, communities of microbial life present a major factor in system regulation and stability. As long as laboratory studies remain restricted to single or few species assemblies, however, very little is known about the interaction patterns and exogenous factors controlling the dynamics of natural microbial communities. In combination with microfluidic technologies, progress in the manufacture of functional and stimuli‐responsive materials makes artificial microbial arenas accessible. As habitats for natural or multispecies synthetic consortia, they are expected to not only enable detailed investigations, but also the training and the directed evolution of microbial communities in states of balance and disturbance, or under the effects of modulated stimuli and spontaneous response triggers. Here, a perspective on how materials research will play an essential role in generating answers to the most pertinent questions of microbial engineering is presented, and the concept of adaptive microbial arenas and possibilities for their construction from particulate microniches to 3D habitats is introduced. Materials as active and tunable components at the interface of living and nonliving matter offer exciting opportunities in this field. Beyond forming the physical horizon for microbial cultivates, they will enable dedicated intervention, training, and observation of microbial consortia.     

A survey of dynamic parameter setting methods for nature-inspired swarm intelligence algorithms

Neural Computing and Applications - Parameter settings for nature-inspired optimization algorithms are essential for their effective performance. Evolutionary algorithms and swarm intelligence...     

Injection molding of products with functional surfaces by micro-structured, PVD coated injection molds

Molding of micro structures by injection molding leads to special requirements for the molds e.g. regarding wear resistance and low release forces of the molded components. At the same time it is not allowed to affect the replication precision. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is one of the promising technologies for applying coatings with adapted properties like high hardness, low roughness, low Young’s modulus and less adhesion to the melt of polymers. Physical vapor deposition technology allows the deposition of thin films on micro structures. Therefore, the influence of these PVD layers on the contour accuracy of the replicated micro structures has to be investigated. For this purpose injection mold inserts were laser structured with micro structures of different sizes and afterwards coated with two different coatings, which were deposited by a magnetron sputter ion plating PVD technology. After deposition, the coatings were analyzed by techniques regarding hardness, Young’s modulus and morphology. The geometries of the micro structures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy before and after coating. Afterwards, the coated mold inserts were used for injection molding experiments. During the injection molding process, a conventional and a variothermal temperature control of the molds were used. The molded parts were analyzed regarding roughness, structure height and structure width by means of laser microscopy.     

Hydrogen content variation for enhancing the lubricated tribological performance of DLC coatings with ester

There are many types of DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings, which mainly differ from each other according to their hydrogen content, sp² and sp³-bonded carbon atoms and alloying elements (such as Ti, Cr, W or Zr). The lubricated tribological performance of these coatings depends on the lubricant. Controversially, the same lubricant delivers different tribological performances with differently produced DLC coatings. It has been observed that the presence of hydrogen has a remarkable effect on the tribological performance of DLC coatings in inert and vacuum environments. In this paper, the hydrogen content of two different types of DLC coatings, a-C:H:Me (metal containing hydrogenated amorphous carbon) and a-C:H, was varied, in order to obtain an optimized tribological behavior with a synthetic ester (TMP ester). The tribological performance of the coatings with TMP ester is examined in a pin-on-disk tribometer. It could be shown that increasing the hydrogen content in a DLC coating improves their tribological performance with TMP ester. Besides, a-C:H type of coatings is found to be more suitable for TMP ester regarding low friction coefficients.     

Spatially Sampled Pressure Profile Measurements in Externally Pressurized Gas Journal Bearings

Abstract

Externally pressurized gas journal bearings (EPGJBs) are widely adopted to support high-speed rotors. This article presents novel experimental benchmark test data that enable EPGJB model validation. Axial and circumferential pressure profile measurements are presented for a 40-mm-diameter annular restrictor EPGJB operating at speeds up to 25?krpm. The corresponding rotor position, air mass flow rate, and load capacity are also measured. The effects of supply pressure, rotational speed, and load on the measured variables are presented. The measurements are in good agreement with numerical model computations. The cases in which the model deviates from the measured data are discussed in terms of compressible flow theory.