Nutritional problems and factors of forming the health of children of the first year

Evaluation of the type of nutrition, which is one of the important components that ensure the physical growth, development and health of a child in the first year of life, and that forms metabolic processes at an older age, has been the subject of research and discussion of domestic and foreign scientists over the past decades. Purpose — to study the influence of the nature of feeding on the incidence and physical development of infants. Materials and methods. During the year, 250 children (118 girls and 132 boys) of the first year of life were under observation, who received various types of feeding (breast milk and milk formulas, differing in composition). The main (I) group (n=130) included children (62 girls and 68 boys) who were breastfed; and in the comparison group — children receiving artificial feeding: in group II (n=60) (27 girls and 33 boys) received a standard mixture with a prebiotic; in group III (n=60) (29 girls and 31 boys) — a standard mixture without a prebiotic. Physical development was assessed according to the generally accepted measurement technique in terms of absolute values, monthly increases in anthropometric indicators and mass-growth indices. Outpatient records of children, protocols of examination of a 1-year-old child were studied (accounting and reporting documentation was analyzed). The criteria for inclusion in the main group of infants were: breastfeeding for at least 9 months; the age of children from up to 1 year of age. The second comparison group included children who were fed mixed with the addition of probiotic means. Results. In girls of the second group, who were artificially fed with the addition of a probiotic — 7100.0±95.9 g, the weight gain in the first year of life was significantly higher than the weight gain of girls who received breast milk and standard formula — 6671.0±72.6 g and 6733.3±91.8 g, respectively. Despite the fact that there were no significant differences in the medians of body weight and height in children of the main group and the comparison groups, it was found that children in the main group were overweight/obese at 12 months had two or more times less indicators than children who received artificial nutrition. Children who are breastfed began to sit independently much earlier, on average 7.6±0.05 months after birth, and children of the other two groups who are bottle-fed, on average, 8.0±0.13 and 8.1±0.12 months, respectively (p<0.05). When studying the structure of the most common diseases of children in the first year of life, depending on the type of feeding, it was revealed that the greatest percentage both in group I (group) and in group II (claim) are children with acute intestinal infections — in group I (group 1)) group in 7.7±2.34% of children, in subgroup II (claim) in 11.7±2.93% of children (p=0.3905). Conclusions. The results obtained indicate a positive effect of breastfeeding on anthropometric indicators and the formation of basic skills in young children. The incidence of infectious diseases (ARI and OCI) revealed in children who received breast milk, compared with children who are bottle-fed, indicates that breastfeeding has the ability to create conditions for reducing the incidence of diseases in young children. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local ethics committee of all participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the author. Key words: types of feeding, physical development, motor skills, morbidity, children under 1 year old.

Effects of Polyethylene Ground Plastic Waste Aggregate for Concrete Mixing Proportion

In recent times, the production of polyethylene ground plastics has increased markedly in the Philippines. However, current levels of their usage and disposal generate several environmental problems. Recycling is one of the most important actions that are being made to reduce these impacts. The present study used polyethylene ground plastic wastes to investigate their possible use as plastic aggregate in concrete application. The shredded plastic wastes were used in concrete with partial replacement of ½ kg and 1kg by volume of conventional coarse aggregate. Three types of concrete specimens including one without plastic aggregate were used in the study for comparison. All the concrete specimens were tested for their different mechanical properties after a curing period of 28 days. Various physical properties of all aggregates and fresh concrete properties were also tested in the laboratory, these include pound per square inch (psi), Mega Pascal (MPa), Kilo Newton (KN), and the type of fracture. The test for psi, MPa, and kN resulted that concrete mixtures with 1kg ground plastic produced the best result among the three samples having 3150 Psi, 21.7 MPa, and 395.7 KN, respectively. Moreover, the specimens were loaded under a monotonic uniaxial compressive load up to failure by using MATEST hydraulic testing machine with the indicator of kN. The result showed that both standard mixtures of concrete and the standard mixture of concrete with ½ kg polyethylene ground plastic have a comparison infraction that has a result of an SW-Shear Wedge of Type 5, while the standard mixture of concrete with 1kg polyethylene ground plastic has a conical type of a fracture. Based on the several tests conducted, it is concluded that the standard concrete mixture with 1kg polyethylene ground plastic provided the best result compared to other specimens. Furthermore, the use of polyethylene ground plastic waste in the standard concrete mixture provides some advantages like on reduction of plastic wastes, prevention of environmental pollution, and energy saving.

Effect of Using EVA as Partial Replacement for Coarse Aggregates on Concrete Properties

Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent of vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the residuum being ethylene, also EVA is an elastomeric polymer that makes materials which are (rubber-like) in fineness and flexibility. In this study, EVA waste was used in the concrete mix instead of different percentages of coarse aggregates (5%, 8%, 10%, 12%) by volume. The concrete slump test was performed to measure the workability of freshly made concrete. The compression test was performed on all samples at 7 and 28 days. The results were compared with the standard mixture. It was concluded that EVA was a suitable material to replace coarse aggregates. Accordingly, the results of these experiments indicate that not only EVA can be noticed as aggregate in concrete, but also it will have more advantages in lightweight concrete than normal concrete. Using of EVA concrete shows decrease in slump for further replacement without compromising on strength. The best replacing ratio was 5% of aggregate.

Partial replacement of Portland cement with industrial glass waste in mortars

The necessity to reduce the consumption of cement in cementitious composites is a worldwide concern and the partial replacement of cement with industrial waste has gathered considerable interest. One type of industrial waste is glass, which is rich in amorphous silica but can present problems with its use due to the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). The objective of this study was to analyze the compressive strengths of mortars using ground glass residue (GLR). Milling times of 16 h and 32 h were conducted and GLR tested in cement substitutions of 10 w.t.%, 15 w.t.% and 20 w.t.%. A statistical analysis was performed to verify which factors affected mortar strength. The mitigating effect of GLR in ASR was also tested. Results showed that milling time did not affect resistance significantly but w.t.% substitution did. The substitution of 20 w.t.% proved to provide the best result as it was statistically equal to the standard mixture.

Evaluation of a Simplified Method for GC/MS Qualitative Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, and Organic Pesticides Using PARADISe Computer Program

For complex matrices such as environmental samples, there is usually a problem with not fully resolved peaks during GC/MS analysis. The PARADISe computer program (based on the PARFAC2 model) allows the identification of peaks using the deconvoluted mass spectra and the NIST MS library. The number of repetitions required by this software (at least five) is a real limitation for the determination of semi-volatile compounds, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organic pesticides in environmental samples. In this work, the method to overcome this condition was proposed and evaluated. The sets of the five files required by PARADISe were prepared by mathematically modifying the original GC/MS chromatograms obtained for the standard mixture (C = 2 µg/mL of 40 compounds) and real sample extracts (soil samples with different total organic carbon content and one cardboard extract) spiked with standards. Total average match factor for all the substances identified in a standard mixture was 874 (near 900—“excellent match”), and for all the substances in the real samples, it was 786 (near 800—“good match”). The results from PARADISe were comparable to those obtained with other programs: AMDIS (NIST) and MassHunter (Agilent), tested also in this work. PARADISe software can be effectively used for chromatogram deconvolution and substance identification.

Optimization of SPE method for the extraction of 12 neurotransmitters from sheep brain

The present paper presents our attempts concerning the development of an extraction method for catecholamines. In order to achieve the extraction of all the selected solutes using a single SPE cartridge, several types of support were tested, among them: cation exchange supports, hydrophilic-lipophilic supports, C18 supports and PGC supports. As unfortunately none of the supports tested offered us the possibility of carrying out the extraction of 12 catecholamines from our standard mixture, we chose to use a coupling of two different cartridges: Oasis HLB and PGC which together ensure the extraction of all the compounds of the mixture with good extraction yields and with simple protocols. The selected cartridges were successfully tested for the extraction of a sample spiked from sheep brain with the 12 catecholamines in our mixture. The SPE method that we have developed allows the purification of the samples (a significant part of the components of the matrix is eliminated during this step) and also a preconcentration of the samples.

The flow rate of endodontic sealers in various consistencies

Introduction. The flow of endodontic sealer (ES) is the property that characterizes its velocity along the certain surface and depends on the friction force. The aim of this research was to measure the flow rate of three zinc oxide eugenol based ES?s in various consistencies exposed to the load of 2 kg. Material and methods. The experimental group included prepared samples of sealers protocoled by ADA specification No. 57 A) Endomethasone N in liquid:powder ratio of 1:5, 1:6, 1:7 (standard), 1:8 and 1:9 according to the manufacturer brochure depending on the clinical situation; B) Roth 801 as 1:7 (standard) and 1:8 mixtures C) Tubliseal EWT as standard preparation (base-catalyst 1:1). A volume of 0.05 ml sealer was spread on the glass plate and upon applying the load of 2 kg the diameter of sealer was measured. In the control group the sealer samples were loaded only by the weight of glass plate (0.1kg). Results. Based on measured diameters of sealers, all of them satisfied ADA requirements for the flow (d>20mm) (Endomethasone - 20.7-27.8 mm; Roth 801- 29.6-30.0 mm; Tubliseal -39.9 mm). The thin consistency of sealers (1:5, 1:6) showed significantly higher flow than standard mixture (1:7) (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Tubliseal EWT sealer showed the highest flow rate, significantly different than standard mixtures (1:7) of Endomethasone N and Roth 801.

Thermo-vacuum treatment of poplar (Populus spp.) plywood

Poplar cultivation is enduring a long-lasting crisis in Italy, but it is still playing a relevant role in the Italian and European wood sectors. To improve its prospects, the manufacturers of poplar plywood have recently activated various strategies to make it a distinguished panel with specific performances. In this frame, thermo-treatment could open new applications and markets. The present study investigates the physico-mechanical properties of thermo-treated poplar plywood. For this purpose, panels were manufactured with urea-melamine-formaldehyde adhesive, both in a standard mixture and added with resorcinol. They were then treated by the Termovuoto® process at 170, 190 and 210°C for 2 h. Changes in density, bonding quality, bending strength, modulus of elasticity, color and durability related to the aforementioned temperatures were investigated. Overall, the bonding quality of treated panels complied with the requirements of EN 314-1 and 2; bending strength and modulus of elasticity decreased, color darkened and durability increased. The latter is particularly important, because poplar wood is not durable and this process makes it suitable for use in humid conditions, offering new prospects for poplar plywood applications.

Liquid Penetration Depth and Strength of Concretes Modified with Polymer Admixtures Under the Action of Crude-Oil Products

In the present article, the research results of concretes modified with a polymer dispersion of vinyl-benzene and acrylic (PC1) and with a styrene–butadiene dispersion (PC2) are discussed. Concretes were exposed to diesel, non-ethylated fuel, and the standard mixture of light liquids for 1000 h. Concretes modified with polymer dispersions, especially with the styrene–butadiene dispersion (PC2), indicated a smaller degree of liquid penetration into the depth of samples compared to the control concrete. The compressive strength for tested concretes, determined after 1000 h of storage in crude-oil products, in comparison to the strength of samples stored in de-mineralized water was significantly decreased, with the maximum differences equal to 12% for PC2 concrete.