Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) B radiation for improving vitamin D3 content of eggs and meat. In a two-factorial design hens that received diets with 0 (-D3) or 3,000 IU (+D3) vitamin D3/kg were non-exposed (-UVB) or exposed to UVB radiation (+UVB) for 3 h daily over 4 weeks. Data show that UVB radiation was very effective in raising the vitamin D3 content of egg yolk and meat. Egg yolk from +UVB/−D3 hens had a higher vitamin D3 content (17.5±7.2 µg/100 g dry matter (DM)) than those from the –UVB/+D3 group (5.2±2.4 µg/100 g DM, p<0.01). Vitamin D3 content in egg yolk of vitamin D3-supplemented hens could be further increased by UVB radiation (32.4±10.9 µg/100 g DM). The content of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) in the egg yolk also increased in response to UVB, although less pronounced than vitamin D3. Meat revealed about 4-fold higher vitamin D3 contents in response to UVB than to dietary vitamin D3 (p<0.001). In conclusion, exposure of hens to UVB is an efficient approach to provide consumers with vitamin D3-enriched foods from animal sources.

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Frit glass bonding is a widely used technology for encapsulation of surface micro-machined structures like inertial sensors or gyroscopes on wafer level. Since for sensors in automotive applications, a lifetime of 15-20 years has to be guaranteed for, a reliable lifetime prediction is necessary. Different material parameters have to be known for a lifetime estimation based on stress corrosion cracking, which determines the longterm strength behaviour of most bonded interfaces of microsystems. Parameters needed for lifetime prediction have to describe the material's resistance against crack propagation (fracture toughness KIC), the stress situation in a micro package and the long-term strength behaviour. Results for fracture toughness investigations presented in this paper were determined by the micro chevron test. The stress situation in a micro package was calculated by a thermo-mechanical Finite Element Analysis. Furthermore the residual stress in the glass layer and linear thermal expansion coefficient were determined by a crack width measurement in an environmental scanning electron microscope

Structural properties of resins based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) were investigated in reference to varying amounts of the hardener components methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and maleic acid (MA). This includes gel time and the Shore A and D hardness. The shortest gel time of 0.9 min and the highest Shore A and D hardness of 85 and 34 were found at a nMTHPA/nPMDA/nMA molar ratio of 8/1/8. To study the effect of the ELO mass on gel time and hardness, different masses of ELO (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 g) were used, keeping the amount of the hardener system (4 g) (MTHPA, PMDA and MA) constant. With increased ELO mass, gel time increased while the Shore A and D hardness of the samples did not differ when up to 14 g ELO was applied. Substitution of petrol-based PMDA with biogenic compounds, specifically oxalic acid and citric acid, resulted in new bio-based epoxy resins with shorter gel times while maintaining hardness.

Hybrid foams consist of two different interpenetrating or particulate‐embedded foam‐material classes and, therefore, an enhanced multifunctionality of the material and of the final product can be expected. This paper illustrates the concept of hybrid foams with two selected examples. The cells of an open‐cell steel host‐foam are filled either with a polymer foam or a newly developed direct ceramic foam.The results of compression tests and non‐destructive resonance‐frequency‐damping analyses are presented. An improvement in the deformation is observed for the metal‐polymer hybrid foam, while the deformation behavior changes from brittle to ductile for the metal‐ceramic hybrid foams. Additionally, the damping and Young's modulus of the metal foam are enhanced by the interpenetrating direct foamed ceramic.