International legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food: a review

Environmental contaminants such as trace elements may be present in all foods. Foods, raw materials and ingredients for food production are to an increasing extent traded across borders. Hence, there is a need for international legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food. In 1961, the FAO and WHO established the Codex Alimentarius to elaborate international food legislation. Contaminants in food are handled by the Codex Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC). The Codex Alimentarius system for developing legislation concerning trace elements as contaminants in food is based upon the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (GSCTF). By October 2001, the principles for setting maximum limits (MLs) for contaminants in food are agreed, and work is in progress on MLs for trace elements such as lead and cadmium in the various food categories. The status for the proposals is presented and discussed. The EU Regulation 466/2001 of 8 March 2001 sets MLs for lead and cadmium in various foods. This regulation will apply from 5 April 2002. The EU regulation is more detailed but similar to the Codex draft standards for lead and cadmium in food. In future, legislators and administrators in the Codex and EU and analytical chemists will discuss how to use more and better analytical data as risk-management tools to protect public health. Trace elements' speciation is an important aspect of this discussion.     

Das Problem der verantworteten Therapieentscheidung in der Neonatologie

Definition of the problem: Physicians and nurses who work in neonatology—as in intensive care at all—are often forced to decide whether to stop or to continue with the treatment of a severely ill patient. The literature provides several decision making instruments, which are meant to help and to rationalize such decisions. Method and conclusion: Two of these instruments (“Schema zur ethischen Urteilsbildung nach dem Muster der aristotelischen Ethik”, Honnefelder 1994; “Nimwegener Methode für ethische Fallbesprechung”, Gordijn 1998) were tested by retrospectively examining two cases of our NICU. Results of our study show that the use of a decision making instrument is basically helpful. But the above mentioned instruments showed also shortcomings when used in the framework of neonatology. Therefore we developed the “Kölner Arbeitsbogen zur ethischen Entscheidungsfindung in der Neonatologie”, which is adapted to the specific needs of neonatology.     

Photoelectrochemical Investigation of Fullerenes

Abstract

Fullerene solar cells are demonstrated. Illuminated, C₆₀ drives oxidation of redox couples in solution. a photoelectrochemical solid/liquid, rather than a solid state, junction, improves photocurrent, and a C₆₀ single crystal, and not polycrystalline film, decreases dark current, and thereby light driven charge transfer dominates.     

健康与纺织品:挑战与机遇

综述了能促进消费者健康和社会安宁的纺织品的最新的技术发展.介绍了种种创新的纺织品.社会的变革和发展趋势愈来愈强调生活环境、休闲娱乐、通信以及交通等的健康与安宁的重要性.最近的技术发展增加了使纺织品获得新性能的可能性,并直接关系到使用者的健康和生活环境.纺织品作为一种柔性材料,具有悬垂性好、弹性好、易变形、强度较高、较好的染色吸附性以及其他后处理特性,可以由多种原料制成,并具有多种功能.     

2,4,6-Trinitropyridine and Related Compounds,synthesis and characterization

A detailed study of the formation of trinitropyridine-1-oxide from dinitroethanol led to the hitherto unknown 2,4,6-trinitropyridine. Thus, nitropyridines become accessible which cannot be obtained by direct nitration. The novel substances were characterized by analytical methods and their spectral data (UV, IR, NMR). First results from the research of their physical, thermical and explosive properties are presented.     

Can food factors provide Us with the similar beneficial effects of physical exercise?

Metabolic diseases have got global health issues. Physical exercise as well as diet therapy is a potent strategy for fighting against the diseases. However, it is often difficult to continue to keep exercise regularly enough to take sufficient effect. Thus, good substitutes for the therapeutic exercise would be greatly beneficial. Recent studies have suggested that 5′AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) play important roles in the metabolic alterations by muscle contraction. The notion that AMPK mediates broad effects of physical exercise has been widely accepted, though it has been challenged by observations in some genetically AMPK-disrupted animals. We have demonstrated metabolome-wide significance of AMPK activation in contracting muscles. Thus, pharmacological activation of AMPK can be a promising way to obtain similar effects of the exercise. The relevance of AMPK will be introduced, and possible strategies for obtaining similar effects to the exercise from food factors will be discussed in the current review.     

The simultaneous multiple dipping of magnetic bubble garnets

The simultaneous growth of LPE films on two-inch diameter Gd3Ga5O12substrates with nominal film compositions in the (YLuSmCa)3(FeGe)5O12system is studied. The effective distribution coefficients of Ca²⁺-Ge⁴⁺, Y³⁺, Lu³⁺and Sm³⁺are discussed and related to the magnetic property variations observed as a function of film growth rate. The approaches for material property control are evaluated and examples given of expected property variation within a stack of epi wafers grown under constant thickness or constant growth rate conditions. A design is shown for a 18 at-a-time and a 30 at-a-time growth holder. Data is presented to indicate the radial thickness uniformity, thickness, saturation magnetization, collapse field and anisotropy field variation typically observed in multiple substrate film growth. A technique for minimizing flux caused mesa formation is evaluated. with comparative data showing the effectiveness of this technique.     

Kinetics of catalytic transfer hydrogenation of some vegetable oils

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation of corn, peanut, olive, soybean, and sunflower oils has been studied with aqueous sodium formate solution as hydrogen donor and palladium on carbon as catalyst. Kinetic constants and selectivity have been determined under intensive stirring in the presence of stabilizing agents. Hydrogenation reactions followed first-order kinetics with respect to fatty acids. Besides good selectivity and short reaction time, this method offers safe and easy handling. The presence of linolenic acid retards the migration of double bonds, which explains why soybean oil is the most appropriate for this hydrogenation process.