In 2009 competent organisations in the European Union provided the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with data from the most recent national dietary survey at the level of individuals' consumption. Twenty different Member States provided EFSA with data from 22 different national dietary surveys, with consumption figures for adults and, when available, for children. Member States' dietary data were assembled into the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. In this paper an overview of the methodologies and protocols employed in the different national dietary surveys is provided. Specifically, details about dietary assessment methods, interview administration, sampling design, portion size estimation, dietary software, evaluation of under-reporting and non-dietary information collected are described. This information is crucial to evaluate the level of accuracy of food consumption data and to anticipate and acknowledge the utmost important sources of heterogeneity of national databases included in the Comprehensive Database. The Comprehensive Database constitutes a unique resource for the estimation of consumption figures across the European Union and represents a useful tool to assess dietary exposure to hazardous substances and nutrient intake in Europe. Nevertheless, the many substantial methodological differences that characterise the Comprehensive Database are acknowledged and critically discussed.

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MR-guided RF ablation in an open interventional 0.2T MR-unit is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of RCC. Fast MR-imaging is a convenient method for exact positioning of MR-compatible RF-electrodes. Near on-line MR-monitoring of ablation procedure with T2-weighted imaging allows for immediate assessment of the coagulation extent.

The word weed has been defined in many different ways. A fairly comprehensive definition is the following: "A weed is a plant which grows where it is not wanted;" in other words, "an undesirable plant citizen. " A plant may be a weed at one time and useful at some other time, depending upon its environment. For instance, a wheat plant may appear in the cornfield. It is then a weed. Then again one corn plant may be a weed to another corn plant. For instance, if eight plants come up in a hill where only three are desired, five of these plants are really weeds. This, then, is the broad conception of the term weed. KINDS OF WEEDSWeeds may be classified in different ways. One of the most useful classifications is based on the length of time the weeds live. This gives three classes: (1) annual, (2) biennial, and (3) perennial.An annual weed is one that starts from the seed in the spring, develops into a plant which flowers and seeds the same year, and then dies; or, in other words, an annual weed is one that lives but one growing season. Most of our weeds belong to this class. It includes wild mustard, foxtail, wild oats, pigweed, Russian thistle, corn cockle, kinghead, ragweed, and many others. Some plants are known as winter annuals. Their seeds ripen early in the summer, fall to the ground and germinate, reaching a certain stage of growth before frost. As soon as the frost is out of the ground the next spring, they continue their growth and ripen seeds very early in the spring. Such plants are, in a sense, biennial in their habits, though not real biennials. Some weed examples of winter annuals are French weed, peppergrass. and shepherd's purse. These plants are also annuals, however, just as winter wheat is a winter annual, but, if sown in spring, is an ordinary annual. Note.-In this bulletin the terminology in regard to seeds and fruit is that of the farm and seed trade. For instance, a Canada thistle "seed" is in reality a fruit. Adhering to the strictly accurate botanical terminology leads only to confusion and complexity in a bulletin intended for practical farm use. The term pod is used in the common sense of a capsular fruit, and not necessarily to designate a legume. The drawings in this bulletin are all original. The drawings of seedlings were made by E. W. Norcross and G. D. George, those of mature plants by G. D. George, and those of seeds by F. H. Hillman.

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