Authentication of the botanical origin of honey using profiles of classical measurands and discriminant analysis

The potential of physical and chemical measurands for the determination of the botanical origin of honey by using both the classical profiling approach and chemometrics was evaluated for the authentication of ten unifloral (acacia, rhododendron, chestnut, dandelion, heather, lime, rape, fir honeydew, metcalfa honeydew) and polyfloral honey types (in total n = 693 samples). The classical approach using a profile for the determination of the botanical origin of honey revealed that the physical and chemical measurands alone do not allow a reliable determination. Pollen analysis is therefore essential for discrimination between unifloral and polyfloral honeys. However, chemometric evaluation of the physical and chemical data by linear discriminant analysis allowed reliable authentication with neither specialized expertise nor pollen or sensory analysis. The error rates calculated by Bayes' theorem ranged from 1.1% (rape and lime honeys) up to 9.9 % (acacia honey

CHEMampere: Technologies for sustainable chemical production with renewable electricity and CO2, N2, O2, and H2O

The chemical industry must become carbon neutral by 2050, meaning that process-, energy-, and product-related CO2 emissions from fossil sources are completely suppressed. This goal can only be reached by using renewable energy, secondary raw materials, or CO2 as a carbon source. The latter can be done indirectly through the bioeconomy or directly by utilizing CO2 from air or biogenic sources (integrated biorefinery). Until 2030, CO2 waste from fossil-based processes can be utilized to curb fossil CO2 emissions and reach the turning point of global fossil CO2 emissions. A technology mix consisting of recycling technologies, white biotechnology, and carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies is needed to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. In this context, CHEMampere contributes to the goal of carbon neutrality with electricity-based CCU technologies producing green chemicals from CO2, N2, O2, and H2O in a decentralized manner. This is an alternative to the e-Refinery concept, which needs huge capacities of water electrolysis for a centralized CO2 conversion with green hydrogen, whose demand is expected to rise dramatically due to the decarbonization of the energy sector, which would cause a conflict of use between chemistry and energy. Here, CHEMampere's core reactor technologies, that is, electrolyzers, plasma reactors, and ohmic resistance heating of catalysts, are described, and their technical maturity is evaluated for the CHEMampere platform chemicals NH3, NOx, O3, H2O2, H2, CO, and CxHyOz products such as formic acid or methanol. Downstream processing of these chemicals is also addressed by CHEMampere, but it is not discussed here

Effects of mycophenolate mofetil on key pattern of coronary restenosis: a cascade of in vitro and ex vivo models

BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), the prodrug of mycophenolic acid (MPA), is a rationally designed immunosuppressive drug. The current study investigates the effect of MMF on key pattern of restenosis in a cascade of in vitro and ex vivo models. METHODS: Part I of the study investigated in northern blot and cytoflow studies the effect of MMF (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 μg/mL) on TNF-α induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in human coronary endothelial cells (HCAEC) and human coronary medial smooth muscle cells (HCMSMC). Part II of the study applied a human coronary 3D model of leukocyte attack, the 3DLA-model. HCAEC and HCMSMC were cultured on both sides of a polycarbonate filters, mimicking the internal elastic membrane. Leukocyte attack (LA) was carried out by adding human monocytes (MC) on the endothelial side. The effect of MMF (50 μg/mL) on adhesion and chemotaxis (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 24 h after LA) and the effect on proliferation of co-cultured HCMSMC (24 h after LA) was studied. In part III of the study a porcine coronary organ culture model of restenosis (POC-model) was used. After ex vivo ballooning MMF (50 μg/mL) was added to the cultures for a period of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days. The effect on reactive cell proliferation and neointimal thickening was studied at day 7 and day 28 after ballooning. RESULTS: Expression of ICAM-1 in northern blot and cytoflow studies was neither clearly inhibited nor stimulated after administration of MMF in the clinical relevant concentration of 50 μg/mL. In the 3DLA-model 50 μg/mL of MMF caused a significant antiproliferative effect (p < 0.001) in co-cultured HCMSMC but had no effect on MC-adhesion and MC-chemotaxis. In the ex vivo POC-model neighter reactive cell proliferation at day 7 nor neointimal hyperplasia at day 28 were significantly inhibited by MMF (50 μg/mL). CONCLUSION: Thus, the data demonstrate a significant antiproliferative effect of clinical relevant levels of MMF (50 μg/mL) in the 3DLA-model. The antiproliferative effect was a direct antiproliferative effect that was not triggered via reduced expression of ICAM-1 or via an inhibition of MC-adhesion and chemotaxis. Probably due to technical limitations (as e.g. the missing of perfusion) the antiproliferative effect of MMF (50 μg/mL) could not be reproduced in the coronary organ culture model. A cascade of focused in vitro and ex vivo models may help to gather informations on drug effects before large experimental studies are initiated

The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative: Investigating Immigration and Social Policy Preferences. Executive Report.

In an era of mass migration, social scientists, populist parties and social movements raise concerns over the future of immigration-destination societies. What impacts does this have on policy and social solidarity? Comparative cross-national research, relying mostly on secondary data, has findings in different directions. There is a threat of selective model reporting and lack of replicability. The heterogeneity of countries obscures attempts to clearly define data-generating models. P-hacking and HARKing lurk among standard research practices in this area.This project employs crowdsourcing to address these issues. It draws on replication, deliberation, meta-analysis and harnessing the power of many minds at once. The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative carries two main goals, (a) to better investigate the linkage between immigration and social policy preferences across countries, and (b) to develop crowdsourcing as a social science method. The Executive Report provides short reviews of the area of social policy preferences and immigration, and the methods and impetus behind crowdsourcing plus a description of the entire project. Three main areas of findings will appear in three papers, that are registered as PAPs or in process

Silver-enhanced In Situ Hybridization for Determination of EGFR Copy Number Alterations in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation and high gene copy number (CN) predict response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy in the adenocarcinoma subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aims of this study were first to compare automated enzyme metallographic silver-enhanced in situ hybridization (SISH) with conventionally used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the determination of EGFR CN in NSCLC tissue sections, and second to assess the association of EGFR CN with EGFR mutations and clinicopathological parameters. FISH and SISH were performed on tissue microarrays and large sections. Samples from 56 consecutively surgically resected NSCLC patients (cohort 1) and from 60 selected lung adenocarcinoma patients (cohort 2) were analyzed. EGFR CN was classified applying the Colorado criteria, and agreement between both methods was evaluated using κ values. EGFR CN was compared with EGFR protein expression and EGFR gene mutations. The results of SISH and FISH were identical in 114 of the 116 cases examined using the 2 techniques. One case was FISH+, SISH-, and 1 case was FISH- and SISH+. The agreement between the 2 methods was good in cohort 1 (κ=0.642 [0.428, 0.823]) and excellent in cohort 2 (κ=0.963 [0.870, 1.000]). EGFR positivity by FISH and SISH was associated with high EGFR protein expression (P<0.001) and EGFR mutation (P<0.001). These results validate the use of SISH for assessing EGFR CN alterations in NSCLC. The advantage of a permanent result and the possibility of bright-field microscopy make SISH an attractive alternative to FISH

Authentication of the botanical origin of honey using profiles of classical measurands and discriminant analysis

The potential of physical and chemical measurands for the determination of the botanical origin of honey by using both the classical profiling approach and chemometrics was evaluated for the authentication of ten unifloral (acacia, rhododendron, chestnut, dandelion, heather, lime, rape, fir honeydew, metcalfa honeydew) and polyfloral honey types (in total n = 693 samples). The classical approach using a profile for the determination of the botanical origin of honey revealed that the physical and chemical measurands alone do not allow a reliable determination. Pollen analysis is therefore essential for discrimination between unifloral and polyfloral honeys. However, chemometric evaluation of the physical and chemical data by linear discriminant analysis allowed reliable authentication with neither specialized expertise nor pollen or sensory analysis. The error rates calculated by Bayes' theorem ranged from 1.1% (rape and lime honeys) up to 9.9 % (acacia honey)

Successful Aging and Subjective Aging: Toward a Framework to Research a Neglected Connection

peer reviewedResearch related to subjective aging, which describes how individuals perceive, interpret and evaluate their own aging, has substantially grown in the past two decades. Evidence from longitudinal studies shows that subjective aging predicts health, quality of life, and functioning in later life. However, the existing literature on successful aging has mostly neglected the role of subjective aging. This paper proposes an extended framework of successful aging linking subjective aging conceptually and empirically to Rowe and Kahn’s (1997) three original key criteria of successful aging (i.e., avoiding disease and disability, maintaining high cognitive and physical function, and engagement with life). A particular focus is placed on subjective aging as an antecedent of successful aging. A review of the empirical subjective aging literature shows that subjective aging concepts consistently predict all three of Rowe and Kahn’s criteria of successful aging. Mechanisms underlying these relations are discussed at three levels, namely psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways. The proposed addition also takes into consideration the interconnections between subjective aging and successful aging throughout the lifespan and across historical time. Finally, we discuss the importance of facilitating successful aging through systematic interventions that support more positive views of aging at the individual and societal level