Self-heating function of carbon nanofiber cement pastes

The viability of carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites in cement matrices as a self-heating material is reported in this paper. This functional application would allow the use of CNF cement composites as a heating element in buildings, or for deicing pavements of civil engineering transport infrastructures, such as highways or airport runways. Cement pastes with the addition of different CNF dosages (from 0 to 5% by cement mass) have been prepared. Afterwards, tests were run at different fixed voltages (50, 100 and 150V), and the temperature of the specimens was registered. Also the possibility of using a casting method like shotcrete, instead of just pouring the fresh mix into the mild (with no system’s efficiency loss expected) was studied. Temperatures up to 138 °C were registered during shotcrete-5% CNF cement paste tests (showing initial 10 °C/min heating rates). However a minimum voltage was required in order to achieve a proper system functioning.

Blending of industrial waste from different sources as partial substitution of Portland cement in pastes and mortars

Binary and ternary combinations of sewage sludge ash (SSA) with marble dust (MD), fly ash (FA) and rice husk ash (RHA) as replacement in Portland cement pastes, were assessed. Several tests were carried out at different curing ages: thermogravimetry, density, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity and mechanical strengths. Pozzolanic effects of the mineral admixtures, densities similar to control sample and improved absorptions when combining waste materials were identified. In general, the compressive strength reaches or exceeds the cement strength class, and blending SSA, FA and RHA (30% cement replacement) increase of strength by 9%, compared to the control sample, was achieved.

The effect of smoking on visceral fat accumulation in Czech men and women

Many studies indicate that smoking is one of risk factors influencing the accumulation of visceral fat (VFA). The mechanism by which smoking contributes to the accumulation of visceral fat is not yet fully understood, but it is assumed that smoking increases the level of plasma cortisol, causes imbalance between male and female sex hormones in women, and decreases testosterone levels in men (Chiolero et al., 2008). The objection of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking on the accumulation of VFA in the population of the Czech Republic. The research included 1,412 individuals of both genders divided into categories of smokers vs nonsmokers and physically active vs. physically inactive. VFA was measured by the device InBody 720 and information about physical activity and smoking was collected via a questionnaire. We supposed that smokers would have a higher percentage of VFA than non-smokers. The results showed that smokers had a higher amount of VFA, but the difference was not statistically significant. In contrast, statistically significant differences were found in the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and total % body fat. Physically active individuals had a much more favourable results than physically inactive individuals. Remarkably, the amount of VFA, WHR and % body fat tended to be smaller in smoking men than in non-smoking men, but higher in smoking women than in non-smoking women.

Determination of fat-soluble vitamins in vegetable oils through microwave-assisted high-performance liquid chromatography

In this manuscript, a study of the effect of microwave radiation on the high-performance liquid chromatography separation of tocopherols and vitamin K1 was conducted. The novelty of the application was the use of a relatively low polarity mobile phase in which the dielectric heating effect was minimized to evaluate the nonthermal effect of the microwave radiation over the separation process. Results obtained show that microwave-assisted high-performance liquid chromatography had a shorter analysis time from 31.5 to 13.3 min when the lowest microwave power was used. Moreover, narrower peaks were obtained; hence the separation was more efficient maintaining or even increasing the resolution between the peaks. This result confirms that the increase in mobile phase temperature is not the only variable for improving the separation process but also other nonthermal processes must intervene. Fluorescence detection demonstrated better signal-to-noise compared to photodiode arrayed detection mainly due to the independent effect of microwave pulses on the baseline noise, but photodiode array detection was finally chosen as it allowed a simultaneous detection of nonfluorescent compounds. Finally, a determination of the content of the vitamin E homologs was carried out in different vegetable oils. Results were coherent with those found in the literature.

Indicators of success in the dietary management of overweight and obesity: weight, body fat loss and quality

Concepts: %WL: Percentage of weight loss; %FL: Percentage of fat loss. Objective: evaluate which unit of measurement for weight loss could determine the success or failure of dietary treatment for overweight and obesity. Method: 4,625 consultations carried out on 616 patients in the southeast of Spain from 2006 to 2012. All of the patients were over 25 years of age and suffered from overweight or obesity. The consultations were carried out every fortnight, using the Mediterranean or low-calorie diet. The patients were divided into four groups according to their %WL and %FL. Results: most of the sample consisted of: women; participants between 25-45 years of age; attended consultations for over a month and a half; obese. 80% of the patients obtained a %FL ≥ 5% (15.5 ± 12.8). The groups with a higher %FL obtained significant differences in weight loss (22.6 vs 11.2%, p = 0.000). The multinomial analysis shows significant differences between the groups with the highest %FL and the lowest %WL and %FL: sex (p = 0.006 vs p = 0.005), BMI (p = 0.010 vs p = 0.003) and attendance (p = 0.000 vs p = 0.000). Conclusion: the patients who lost < 5% of fat had higher initial parameters (percentage of weight and fat); most of the sample lost ≥ 5% of fat. This means that the method of personalised dietary treatment results in a high fat loss; fat is an indicator of the quality loss obtained. Recommendations: use the measurement of fat as a complementary unit of measurement to weight loss; establish a limit of 5% to evaluate such loss; and increase this type of research in any method of weight loss.

Daryā-yi laṭāfat

taṣnīf-i Mīr Inshaʼ Allāh Khān va niṣf-i s̲ānī-i muʼallifah-i Mirzā Muḥammad Ḥusayn Qatīl.

al- Fatāwá al-Sirājīyah

[ʻAlī ibn ʻUthmān al-Ūshī].

Kitāb Tuḥfat ahl al-futūḥāt wa-al-adhwāq fī ittikhādh al-subḥah wa-jaʻlihā fī al-aʻnāq wa-baʻḍ al-ādāb al-lāʼiqah bi-al-mukarramīn bi-ṣuḥbat ahl ḥaḍrat al-iṭlāq bi-faḍl al-karīm al-khallāq

lil-Shaykh Fatḥ Allāh ibn al-Shaykh Sayyidī Abī Bakr al-Bannānī.

Münşeat-i Rıfat Efendi

Each section has separate caption title.

Kitāb al-Fatāwá al-naẓm

li-Maḥmūd Afandī al-Ḥamzāwī.

Kitāb Laṭāʼif akhbār al-uwal fī-man taṣarrafa fī Miṣr min al-duwal / taʼlīf sayyidinā wa-mawlānā al-ʻālim al-ʻallāmah Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd al-Muʻṭī ibn Abī al-Fatḥ ibn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Ghanī ibn ʻAlī al-Isḥāqī al-Shāfiʻī : manuscript, 1733

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فهو حبي اكفي الحمد لله الملك العزيز في ملكه واقتذاره الذي ملك الوجود يقوته واوجد بارادته واختياره... :Incipit

Kitāb Tuḥfat al-silāk fī faḍl al-siwāk / min kalām sayyidinā al-Shaykh al-ʻĀrif billāh taʻālá al-Shaykh Shihāb al-Dīn Abū al-ʻAbbās Aḥmad al-Zāhid : manuscript, undated

Written in several hands, in one column, 23-24 lines per page, in black rubricated in red.

Fatḥ al-ʻazīz li-ahl al-tamyīz : manuscript, [ca. 1686]

Written in one column, 17 lines per page, in black rubricated in red, framed within triple red, golden and black lines.