The Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents: Reliability and Validity Evidence in Colombian Adolescents

The aim of this study was to analyze reliability and validity evidence of scores on the Colombian version of the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA) in a sample of 1,628 adolescents (65.7% boys), ranging in age from 12 to 18 years. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the correlated five-factor structure of the QIDA: Assertiveness, Heterosexual Relationships, Public Speaking, Family Relationships, and Close Friendships. Internal consistency for the QIDA and subscales scores was excellent. Girls reported higher level of perceived anxiety in heterosexual relationships, whereas boys showed more anxiety in close friendships and decreased interpersonal anxiety during adolescence. Results support the reliability and validity of the scores on the Colombian version of the QIDA.

Semivolatile and Volatile Compound Evolution during Pyrolysis and Combustion of Colombian Coffee Husk

Thermal characterization of coffee husk (Coffea arabica) from Colombian coffee has been studied. Different products, mostly volatile and semivolatile compounds, were analyzed, paying special attention to 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as priority pollutants, frequently used for checking toxicity in environmental samples. A fixed amount of raw material was exposed to different excess air ratios (λ = 0–2.33) and nominal temperature of 1123 K in a horizontal quartz reactor. The results show that coffee husk is a promising biomass for energetic exploitation with reduced formation of PAHs in a low air excess ratio. This implies reduction of carcinogenic potential in the limited presence of oxygen, demonstrated by calculating the carcinogenic potential (KE) for each experimental condition. Most volatile and semivolatile compounds followed different trends, with the oxygen presence prevailing their decomposition with increasing the air excess ratio.