Monitor duurzaam voedsel 2010

In dit rapport staan de resultaten van de Monitor Duurzaam Voedsel. Het is een inventarisatie van de consumentenbestedingen aan duurzame van keurmerken voorziene voedselproducten. Dit is de eerste monitor die deze cijfers weergeeft voor in Nederland verkrijgbare producten. Uit de monitor komt naar voren dat de duurzame consumptie in 2010 met bijna 30 procent is toegenomen. De groei is te danken aan de keuzen van consumenten maar ook door de inspanningen van verwerkers en aanbieders. Zij hebben in hun keuze van producten en assortimenten de duurzame producten extra aandacht gegeven. Alle verkoopkanalen hebben bijgedragen aan deze groei. Vergeleken met de algemene ontwikkelingen van de omzet aan voedsel, die in 2010 in Nederland vrijwel nihil was, is dit een bijzondere prestatie. In het rapport komt aan bod wat er gemeten is en hoe. De ontwikkeling van de omzet aan duurzame voeding in totaal, specificatie van de markt van diervriendelijker producten, ontwikkelingen in de markt van biologische producten en een overzicht van de biologische landbouwproductie

Opportunistic Sensing in Wireless Sensor Networks

Opportunistic sensing systems consist of changing constellations of wireless sensor nodes that, for a limited amount of time, work together to achieve a common goal. Such constellations are self-organizing and come into being spontaneously. This paper presents an opportunistic sensing system to select a subset of sensor nodes out of a larger set based on a common context. We show that it is possible to use a wireless sensor network to make a distinction between carriages from different trains. The common context in this case is acceleration, which is used to select a subset of carriages that belong to the same train. Simulations based on a realistic set of sensor data establish that the method is valid, but that the algorithm is too complex for implementation. Downscaling reduces the number of processor execution cycles as well as memory usage, and makes the algorithm suitable for implementation on a wireless sensor node with acceptable loss of precision. Actual implementation on wireless sensor nodes confirms the results obtained with the simulations

Disposable solid-contact ion-selective electrodes for environmental monitoring of lead with ppb

Solid-contact Pb2+-selective-electrodes and solid contact reference electrodes suitable for use as disposable sensing devices for environmental monitoring of lead have been prepared on screen-printed substrates. Accurate control over the fabrication procedures leads to excellent reproducibility of their calibration characteristics such as slope, offset and limit of detection. In particular, the limit of detection in the nanomolar range opens the possibility of their use for trace analysis of Pb2+ in environmental water samples. Significantly, the potentiometric measurements correlate well with data determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in a number of real samples taken from local rivers. Ways in which these sensors might be employed in autonomous platforms for monitoring water quality in-situ are discussed. The possibility of including arrays of virtually identical sensors is highlighted as a possible route to achieve long-term deployments

Influence of inspiration level on bronchial lumen measurements with computed tomography

SummaryBackgroundBronchial dimensions measured in CT images generally do not take inspiration level into consideration. However, some studies showed that the bronchial membrane is distensible with airway inflation. Therefore, re-examination of the elasticity of bronchi is needed.PurposeTo assess the influence of respiration on bronchial lumen area (defined as distensibility) in different segmental bronchi and to explore the correlations between distensibility and both lung function and emphysema severity.Material and methodsIn 44 subjects with COPD related to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), bronchial lumen area was measured in CT images, acquired at different inspiration levels. Measurements were done at matched locations in one apical and two basal segmental airways (RB1, RB10 and LB10). Airway distensibility was calculated as lumen area difference divided by lung volume difference.ResultsBronchial lumen area in the lower lobes (RB10 and LB10) correlated positively with FEV1%predicted (p=0.027 for RB10; and p=0.037 for LB10, respectively). Lumen area is influenced by respiration (p=0.006, p=0.045, and, p=0.005 for RB1, RB10 and LB10, respectively). Airway distensibility was different between upper and lower bronchi (p<0.001), but it was not correlated with lung function.ConclusionLumen area of third generation bronchi is dependent on inspiration level and this distensibility is different between bronchi in the upper and lower lobes. Therefore, changes in lumen area over time should be studied whilst accounting for the lung volume changes, in order to estimate the progression of bronchial disease while excluding the effects of hyperinflation

Generation of Interpersonal Stressful Events:The Role of Poor Social Skills and Early Physical Maturation in Young Adolescents-The TRAILS Study

This study developed two specifications of the social skills deficit stress generation hypothesis: the "gender-incongruence" hypothesis to predict peer victimization and the "need for autonomy" hypothesis to predict conflict with authorities. These hypotheses were tested in a prospective large population cohort of 2,064 Dutch young adolescents. Social skills and pubertal timing were measured when the sample was about 11 years old, and stressful life events were measured 2.5 years later at follow-up. As predicted by the gender-incongruence hypothesis, poor assertion in boys and poor self-control in girls were associated with peer victimization. Consistent with the need for autonomy hypothesis, poor self-control was associated with conflict with authorities, in both boys and girls. Furthermore, early physical maturation exacerbated the effect of poor self-control on conflict with authorities for both genders. These specific associations provide more insights in the pathways that result in the experience of interpersonal stressors in young adolescents.</p