Microbiological Criteria and Food Safety: A Nationwide Study of Refrigerator Temperatures in Private Households

The technical guideline of the EU Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes (EURL) describes the implementation of challenge tests and the use of national data on temperature regimes of domestic refrigerators, in particular for foodstuffs that may favor the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. The findings of this study are based on representative data from consumer households, and thus for the first time provide reliable insights into actual temperature conditions of refrigerators in private households in Germany. Age of household members has an influence on measured and assumed optimal refrigerator temperatures with higher temperatures being found in households with elderly household members

In-field monitoring of ground-nesting insect aggregations using a scaleable multi-camera system

Insects provide essential ecosystem services, but are threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors. Observing insect populations and behaviour is crucial to gain a better understanding of species’ interactions, and their responses to different stressors and conservation measures. However, the observation of insects can be challenging, especially, when observing large scale aggregations of ground nesting insects. Here, many individuals of the same species nest close together and interact with each other making the simultaneous observation difficult. Camera based motion detection and neural networks have recently emerged for insect observations. They have the potential to make insect monitoring continuous and more precise, as well as more cost-efficient, compared to more traditional methods, such as manual observation or trapping. We are presenting an automated multi-camera observation system for aggregations of ground-nesting insects. The system has been tested and improved over two seasons observing an aggregation of the ground-nesting bee species Andrena vaga Panzer, 1799 and is to our knowledge the first system with which long-term observation of an aggregation of ground-nesting insects has been conducted. It offers the following main advantages over existing systems: The system is adaptable to different observation projects and able to detect insects of different sizes and shapes (e.g. parasites of Andrena vaga, or bumblebees) scaling the monitored area through height adjustments. Images from multiple cameras are stitched into an overview image with minimal overlap. The system can be used under different weather and environmental conditions (winter and summer, outdoor and laboratory). By only storing imagery if the detected motion in front of the camera is likely originated from an insect, it reduces post-processing work and required data storage capacity. In observing the natural environment, no attraction mechanism is employed, allowing for the monitoring of the insects’ natural behaviour. Our tests confirmed the capability of the system with motion detection reducing manual observation time of the Andrena vaga aggregation by 92.2 % providing new insights into their interactions and behaviour

LULUCF database (projection 2025)

In the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Germany has committed to the mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases. The EU LULUCF Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/841) and the federal climate change act require projections of GHG emissions and sinks in the LULUCF sector. The database contains results of the projections (2024 - 2050). Included are a Without-Measures scenario, scenarios for mitigation measures and With-Measures and With-Additional-Measures scenarios. The data is aggregated for federal states

Implementing and advancing Cell Painting-based phenotypic profiling for hazard assessment of substances with endocrine activity

Phenotypic changes in cell morphology and organization can indicate perturbations in cell functions, potentially leading to adverse health effects such as organ dysfunction or cancer. Thus, image-based high-throughput screening (HTS) and high-throughput phenotypic profiling (HTPP) approaches play an important role in basic research, drug discovery, and chemical hazard assessment. The disruption of physiological estrogen function by environmental chemicals is an example of factors contributing to cell function alterations and potentially breast cancer progression. Thus, identification of substances that interfere with hormone pathways and elicit adverse health effects, so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), is of high relevance. Additionally, the phasing out of animal-based regulatory testing methods in the EU and beyond necessitates robust in vitro HTS and HTPP approaches utilizing cell-specific, functional readouts for hazard assessment of environmental chemicals, such as EDCs and compounds with specific target organ toxicity (STOT). Cell Painting (CP) is a powerful image-based HTPP method compatible with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven image and data analysis as well as capable of reflecting mode-of-action (MoA)-driven cellular responses caused by compound treatments, genetic perturbations, or disease states in an untargeted manner. However, the CP assay still holds methodical limitations regarding multiplexing capacity, physiological relevance of cell culture conditions, and diversity of cell types, which limits its use for hazard assessments. In this PhD project, the CP assay was implemented in steroid hormone-responsive MCF-7/vBOS cells for identification of environmental chemicals with diverse MoAs, including endocrine activity. Moreover, the CP assay was further developed into the novel Cell Painting PLUS (CPP) assay, which is an efficient, robust, and broadly applicable HTPP approach that overcomes certain methodological limitations of the CP method. A small-scale screen of 15 reference compounds demonstrated that the iterative staining-elution cycle of CPP significantly expands the multiplexing capacity of the CP method. Importantly, it also improves the specificity of phenotypic profiles through completely separate imaging and analysis of single dyes in individual channels. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of screening data confirmed the ability of CPP-based HTPP in MCF-7/vBOS cells to reflect diverse MoA-driven phenotypes, including estrogen receptor (Er) pathway inhibition. In this context, this PhD project also established state-of-the-art requirements for screening large-compound libraries using two targeted HTS approaches, E-Morph assay and E-Morph screening assay, to generate reference data for identifying Erspecific phenotypes in HTPP. To improve the robustness and physiological relevance of image-based HTS and HTPP, serum-free cell culture conditions for MCF-7/vBOS cells were systematically explored. Overall, this PhD project set the ground for future CPP-based large-scale screenings identifying endocrine- or STOT-related compounds and enhancing the exploration of HTPP in the context of hazard assessment. Together with existing data from targeted phenotypic HTS, HTPP data was envisioned to enable an iterative hit prediction and testing cycle supported by AI-based analysis tools.Phänotypische Veränderungen in Zellmorphologie und -aufbau können auf funktionelle Störungen hinweisen, die potenziell mit der Entstehung gesundheitsschädlicher Effekte wie Organdysfunktionen oder Krebs zusammenhängen. Bildbasierte Hochdurchsatzverfahren für Screenings (HTS) und „Phenotypic profiling“ (HTPP) spielen daher eine wichtige Rolle in der Grundlagenforschung, Wirkstoffentwicklung sowie Gefahrenbeurteilung von Chemikalien. Die Störung der physiologischen Östrogenfunktion durch Umweltchemikalien ist ein Beispiel für Faktoren, die zu Veränderungen der Zellfunktionen und potenziell zur Entstehung von Brustkrebs beitragen. Die Identifikation von Substanzen, die Hormonsignalwege stören und gesundheitsschädliche Effekte hervorrufen, sogenannte endokrine Disruptoren (EDC), ist daher hoch relevant. Zudem erfordert die in und außerhalb der EU geplante Abschaffung tierbasierter regulatorischer Testmethoden robuste, auf zellspezifische und funktionale Parameter basierende in vitro HTS- und HTPP-Methoden zur Gefahrenbeurteilung von Umweltchemikalien, wie EDCs und Substanzen mit spezifischer Zielorgan-Toxizität (STOT). Cell Painting (CP) ist eine leistungsstarke, bildbasierte HTPP-Methode, die mit auf künstlicher Intelligenz (AI)-basierten Analysetools kombinierbar ist. Der „untargeted“ CP Assay kann zelluläre, Wirkmechanismus (MoA)-abhängige Reaktionen auf Wirkstoffbehandlungen, genetische Störungen oder Krankheiten abbilden. CP weist jedoch methodische Limitationen bzgl. der Multiplexing-Kapazität, physiologischen Relevanz der Zellkulturbedingungen und Diversität der Zelltypen auf, was seine Nutzung in der Gefahrenbeurteilung einschränkt. In dieser Arbeit wurde der CP Assay in steroid-hormon-responsive MCF-7/vBOS Zellen implementiert, um Umweltchemikalien mit diversen MoAs, einschließlich endokriner Aktivität, zu identifizieren. Zudem wurde der CP Assay zum innovativen Cell Painting PLUS (CPP) Assay weiterentwickelt, einem effizienten, robusten und breit anwendbaren HTPP-Ansatz, der bestimmte methodische Einschränkungen von CP überwindet. Das Screenen von 15 Referenzsubstanzen zeigte, dass der iterative Färbe-Elution-Zyklus von CPP die Multiplexing-Kapazität der CP-Methode erheblich erweitert. Dadurch konnte insbesondere die Spezifität der phänotypischen Profile verbessert werden, da eine vollständig getrennte Bilderfassung und -analyse einzelner Farbstoffe in individuellen Kanälen ermöglicht wird. Qualitative und quantitative Analysen bestätigten, dass CPP-basiertes HTPP in MCF-7/vBOS Zellen diverse MoAabhängige Phänotypen widerspiegeln kann, inklusive eines inhibierten Östrogenrezeptor (Er)-Signalwegs. In diesem Kontext wurde unter Verwendung zweier „targeted“ HTS-Ansätze, dem E-Morph Assay und dem E-Morph Screening Assay, modernste Anforderungen für das Screenen großer Wirkstoffbibliotheken etabliert, um Referenzdaten zur Identifizierung Er-spezifischer Phänotypen in HTPP zu generieren. Um die Robustheit und physiologische Relevanz von bildbasierten HTS und HTPP zu verbessern, wurden zudem serumfreie Zellkulturbedingungen für MCF-7/vBOS Zellen systematisch untersucht. Diese Arbeit legt damit den Grundstein für große CPP-basierte Screenings zur Identifikation von endokrinen oder STOT-relevanten Substanzen sowie der Weitererforschung von HTPP zur Gefahrenbeurteilung. Zusammen mit bestehenden Daten von „targeted“ phänotypischen HTS und AI-basierten Analysetools sollen HTPP-Daten einen iterativen Zyklus aus Aktivitätsprädiktion und -testung ermöglichen

Optimal implementation of genomic selection in clone breeding programs exemplified in potato: II. Effect of selection strategy and cross‐selection method on long‐term genetic gain

Different cross-selection (CS) methods incorporating genomic selection (GS) have been used in diploid species to improve long-term genetic gain and preserve diversity. However, their application to heterozygous and autotetraploid crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is lacking so far. The objectives of our study were to (i) assess the effects of different CS methods and the incorporation of GS and genetic variability monitoring on both short- and long-term genetic gains compared to strategies using phenotypic selection (PS); (ii) evaluate the changes in genetic variability and the efficiency of converting diversity into genetic gain across different CS methods; and (iii) investigate the interaction effects between different genetic architectures and CS methods on long-term genetic gain. In our simulation results, implementing GS with optimal selected proportions had increased short- and long-term genetic gain compared to any PS strategy. The CS method considering additive and dominance effects to predict progeny mean based on simulated progenies (MEGV-O) achieved the highest long-term genetic gain among the assessed mean-based CS methods. Compared to MEGV-O and usefulness criteria (UC), the linear combination of UC and genome-wide diversity (called EUCD) maintained the same level of genetic gain but resulted in higher diversity and a lower number of fixed QTLs. Moreover, EUCD had a relatively high degree of efficiency in converting diversity into genetic gain. However, choosing the most appropriate weight to account for diversity in EUCD depends on the genetic architecture of the target trait and the breeder’s objectives. Our results provide breeders with concrete methods to improve their potato breeding programs

Malaria in a metropolitan region of Southern Germany: past, present and future perspectives on a protozoan infection with the potential of re-appearance in Central Europe

Background Malaria occurred endemically in Germany until the twentieth century. Climate change and globalization are known to promote the spreading of malaria. Erlangen is a city with just under 120,000 inhabitants located in the Nürnberg metropolitan region, Federal State of Bavaria, Southern Germany. Historical findings, current climate data, microbiological data (local and state level) and vector surveillance data are used to estimate the risk of re-emergence and autochthonous transmission of malaria in the area of Erlangen. Methods Historical data was obtained by searching literature. Climatic data were retrieved from the German Climate Data Centre. Data on reported (supra-)regional infections were obtained from the Robert-Koch Institute. Cases of malaria diagnosed at the Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene (University Hospital Erlangen) complement this data. The citizen science project “Mückenatlas” (Mosquito Atlas), the German mosquito database (CULBASE) and the company Biogents AG provided mosquito surveillance data. Results Malaria was highly endemic in Erlangen in the nineteenth century, with 18% of hospitalized patients suffering from this disease in 1860, but disappeared during the first half of the twentieth century. After the end of World War II, autochthonous ‘malaria tertiana’ (tertian malaria) occurred in neighbouring Nürnberg, demonstrating the regional malaria potential. In recent decades, the average monthly temperature increased by 1.6 °C. In Erlangen and the surrounding area, three potential vectors of tertian malaria parasites are prevalent (Anopheles messeae, Anopheles maculipennis sensu stricto, and Anopheles plumbeus). In addition, Anopheles daciae, which has unknown potential of Plasmodium transmission, and Anopheles claviger sensu lato have been detected. In recent years, malaria diagnosed in Erlangen mainly resulted from travelling to Africa. Plasmodium vivax accounted for only a small proportion of these cases (2010–2023: n = 5, 17%). Conclusion Future autochthonous transmission of malaria parasites in Erlangen is possible, although re-establishment of a natural transmission cycle is currently unlikely. In order to avoid unexpected autochthonous malaria, surveillance and prevention measures should be considered. Patients with fever after visiting endemic areas need to be analysed for Plasmodium infection