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Lack of robustness of findings characterizes the empirical studies about the effect of the transition to parenthood on partners’ labour division. In this analysis, the purpose of this paper is to solve these problems through the conjoint use of methodological instruments of regression analysis, allowing the authors to correct for the effects of omitted variables.

A correction method is here applied to a longitudinal simultaneous equation model. In particular, the authors impose specific constraints on the covariances of the error terms of the longitudinal simultaneous equations of the paid and domestic work of both partners. For the empirical analysis, use is made of the Italian National Institute of Statistics Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007 to select a survey sample of dual-earner Italian couples.

The authors found that the negative influence of motherhood on the Italian women’s paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of wage. The authors found that having a child (whatever the order) decreases a woman’s paid work hours by 17 hours a week, while woman’s domestic work increases by 20 hours a week as the effect of the birth of the first child.

Compared to Fixed Effect or Change-Score models suggested for longitudinal studies the Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations-Difference-in-Differences procedure let us obtain estimations also for the effect of time-invariant variables. In addition, the methodological approach allows us to correct estimates for the common effects that latent variables exert simultaneously (e.g. the bargaining process) on paid and unpaid work equations of both partners.

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the human health impacts of soy-biodiesel production with the aim to discuss about its environmental sustainability.

The integrated use of two current approaches, risk assessment (RA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), has allowed improvement of the potentialities of both in obtaining a more complete analysis. The implementation of a life cycle indicator for the assessment of the impacts on the human health, integrating the features of both approaches, is the main focus of this paper.

It has been found that, although the biodiesel is a green fuel, it has some criticalities in its life cycle, which cannot be disregarded. In fact, even if biodiesel is essentially a clean fuel there are some phases, prior to the industrial phase, that can cause negative effects on human health and ecosystems.

Results suggest some measures which can be adopted to substantially reduce human health impacts. Further alternative could be analysed in future to gain more insight about the use of biodiesel fuels.

The estimation of the impacts of a process producing biodiesel has been made by using a novel approach. The novelty is associated with the calculation of the impacts on human health by using the transfer factors applied in RA. The use of such factors, properly modified in order to estimate the impacts on a wider scale than a site-dimension, allows defining a holistic approach, as LCA and RA are used as complete units but at the same time can be related to each other.

The physical and chemical properties of a new class of synthetic lubricants, the perfluoroalkylpolyether oils and the polytetrufluoroethylene‐thickened greases made from these oils, are described in some detail. The properties which make these products of interest as lubricants for use under severe conditions are shown to be I) excellent thermal and oxidative stability, 2) extreme inertness to many reactive chemicals, 3) broad liquid range and good viscosity‐temperature characteristics, 4) complete nonflammability, 5) good lubricating qualities, 6) compatibility with most elastomers and metals at suitable operating temperatures and 7) insolubility in most common solvents. The commercial process used in the production of these lubricants is described. The oils are disclosed to be fluorine end capped polymers of hexafluoropropylene epoxide having number average molecular weights of from 2000 to 7500, and the preferred thickener for the greases is disclosed to be a telomer of tetrafluoroethylene having a molecular weight of 20,000 to 30,000. A number of the commercial uses of these oils and greases, sold by Du Pont under the trade‐name Krytox®, are described including specific examples of instances where their performance far exceeded that of other available lubricants. Some uses in the space and aircraft industries are also discussed.

This is indeed the age of revolution, when timeless attitudes are changing and new ways of living being born. To most it is a bewildering complex, with uneasy forbodirtgs of the outcome. Improvement and change, there must always be—although change is not necessarily progress—but with unrest in the schools, universities and industry, one naturally questions if this is the right time for such sweeping reorganization as now seems certain to take place in local government and in the structure of the national health service. These services have so far escaped the destructive influences working havoc in other spheres. Area health boards to administer all branches of the national health service, including those which the National Health Service Act, 1946 allowed local health authorities to retain, were recommended by the Porritt Committee a number of years ago, when it reviewed the working of the service.

To convert the post‐production polyethylene terephthalate (PET)‐containing fabrics waste into new value‐added polymeric materials using maleic anhydride grafted linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE‐g‐MAH) for improved toughness and to optimise the results of such a modification.

For effective toughening, various blends were made of polyamide 6 (PA) and post‐production PET‐containing fabrics waste (PET) by incorporating different concentrations of maleic anhydride grafted, linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE‐g‐MAH). The reactions of LLDPE‐g‐MAH with blend components were studied by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, solubility behaviour of the products in formic acid and rheological measurements. Blends investigated were prepared in a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder and characterised by differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The static tensile property and impact strength of the blends were also measured.

The modification of polyamide 6 and post‐production PET‐containing fabrics waste using LLDPE‐g‐MAH showed significant enhancement of impact and interfacial adhesion over the unmodified one. The modification caused a chemical linkage between LLDPE‐g‐MAH and blend components which led not only to forming PA‐co‐LLDPE‐g‐MAH‐co‐PET copolymers, but also to ensuring the intrinsically strong chemical bonds across LLDPE‐g‐MAH phase/PET phase/PA matrix interface, which was the main cause to the improved impact strength and interface adhesion. The optimum results were obtained at 10 per cent of LLDPE‐g‐MAH.

The post‐production PET‐containing fabrics waste used in the present context was defibrated before processing.

The method developed provided a simple and practical solution to recycling and improving the toughness of post‐production PET‐containing fabrics waste.

The method of recycling post‐production PET‐containing fabrics waste was novel and the new polymeric materials obtained could find numerous applications such as hybrid films, fibres and engineering polymers.

Stirred yoghurt made using probiotic bacteria which are usually called Rayeb milk in the Arab countries is one of the most important functional fermented milk products. Tamr (dried dates) is commonly consumed in various parts of the world and is believed to represent a vital component of the diet in the Arab world. Tamr and honey characterize with high nutritional and healthful benefits. The purpose of this paper is to manufacture functional fermented dairy food (Rayeb milk) which has the nutritional and health effects of goat’s milk, Tamr, honey and probiotic.

Rayeb milk was made from goat’s milk fortified with Tamr (10 and 15 percent) with or without honey (1, 2, and 3 percent) using ABT culture (S. thermophiles, L. acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium). Samples of Rayeb milk were studied for their chemical composition, starter bacteria populations, and sensory attributes during 14 days of storage period.

Supplementation of goat’s milk with Tamr and honey decreased saturated fatty acids concentrations in Rayeb milk. The levels of carbohydrate, total solids, dietary fiber, ash, total protein (TP), unsaturated fatty acids, omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 fatty acids and antioxidants activity were higher in Rayeb milk contained Tamr and honey than those of control. Also, numbers of probiotic bacteria (L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium) greatly increased in Rayeb milk supplemented with Tamr and honey. The recommended level of 107 cfu.g-1 of bifidobacteria as a probiotic was exceeded for these treatments. Adding Tamr and honey highly improved the sensory attributes of Rayeb milk.

Adding 10 percent Tamr with 3 percent honey or 15 percent Tamr with 1 or 2 percent honey to goat’s milk highly improved the nutritional, healthy and sensory properties of Rayeb milk.

This study aims to motivate the application of some low-cost minerals in synthesizing nanoparticles as effective additives on the performance of liquid crystal (LC) hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) nanocomposite film, in comparison with carbon nanoallotrope.

Metallic nanoparticles of vanadium oxide, montmorillonite (MMT) and bentonite were synthesized and characterized by different techniques (Transmission electron microscopy [TEM], X-ray diffraction [XRD] and Fourier transform infrared [FTIR]). While the XRD, FTIR, non-isothermal analysis thermogravimetric analysis, mechanical analysis, scanning electron microscope and polarizing microscope were techniques used to evaluate the key role of metallic nanoparticles on the performance of HPC-nanocomposite film.

The formation of nanoparticles was evidenced from TEM. The XRD and FTIR measurements of nanocomposite films revealed that incorporating the mineral nanoparticles led to enhance the HPCs crystallinity from 14% to 45%, without chemical change of HPC structure. It is interesting to note that these minerals provide higher improvement in crystallinity than carbon nanomaterials (28%). Moreover, the MMT provided film with superior thermal stability and mechanical properties than pure HPC and HPC containing carbon nanoparticles, where it increased the E_a from 583.6 kJ/mol to 669.3 kJ/mol, tensile strength from 2.25 MPa to 2.8 MPa, Young’s modulus from 119 MPa to 124 MPa. As well as it had a synergistic effect on the LC formation and the birefringence texture of the nanocomposites (chiral nematic).

Hydroxylpropyl cellulose-nanocomposite films were prepared by dissolving the HPC powder in water to prepare 50% concentration, (free or with incorporating 5% synthesized nanoparticles). To obtain films with uniform thickness, the prepared solutions were evenly spread on a glass plate via an applicator, by adjusting the thickness to 0.2 mm, then air dried.

These minerals provide higher improvement in crystallinity than carbon nanomaterials (28%), moreover, the MMT and bentonite provided films with superior thermal stability than pure HPC and HPC containing carbon nanoparticles. The mineral nanoparticles (especially MMT nanoclays) had a synergistic effect on LC formation and the birefringence texture of the nanocomposites (chiral nematic).

This study presents the route to enhance the utilization of claystone available in El-Fayoum Province as the precursor for nanoparticles and production high performance LC nanocomposites.

This study presents the route for the valorization of low-cost mineral-based nanoparticles in enhancing the properties of HPC-film (crystallinity, thermal stability, mechanical strength), in comparison with carbon-based nanoparticles. Moreover, these nanoparticles provided more ordered mesophases and, consequently, good synergetic effect on LCs formation and the birefringence texture of the HPC-films.

Functional dairy products market has been growing steadily in Iran. Awareness and perception related to these products has an important role in consumers’ acceptance and subsequently long-term marketplace success of these products. The purpose of this paper is to fill the knowledge gap in this regard, study conducted in Iran.

The theory of social marketing served as the framework of the study. Qualitative data were collected via eight semi-structured focus group discussions (FGDs), between May and September 2014. Participants were 65 women (44 housewives and 21 employed women), aged 23-68 years, selected by purposive sampling, with a maximum diversity. All FGDs were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis of the data was conducted by MAXQDA®.

Almost all participants were unfamiliar with the term “functional dairy products,” although, some of them had consumed these products. Apart from perceiving the functional dairy products as unnecessary by some participants, some women did not trust in health claims of these products for various reasons such as distrust in food manufacturers, exposure to contradictory information, and fear of unforeseen and dangerous side effects due to taking them. The participants agreed on the need for more information from a trusted and credible source such as health professionals or authorities through different communication channels like television, training classes, shopping center, and so on.

This study provides a unique insight into consumers’ awareness and perceptions concerning functional dairy products in Iran. To the best of the knowledge, this study is the first study in this regard in Iran. Given the novelty of these products in the market, the findings could provide information for the dairy industry to expand its market and improve its profitability and reliability, as well as public health sector to design and implement intervention programs to promote functional dairy products consumption in the population.