Seaweeds from the genus Porphyra play a big economic role in seaweed aquaculture, mainly in Asia. In Europe, resources are put towards seaweed cultivation, but without attention to the Porphyra species which is also native to Europe. Different nomenclature and specifications are used to describe Porphyra, due to taxonomical reclassification and difficult phenotypical identification. Abiotic & biotic together with seasonal factors make for major variance in chemical compositions that are reported. This is also fueled by differences in chemical analytical methods and procedures followed. Combining taxonomical challenges, variance due to seasonal factors and differences in analysis, overviewing published research on Porphyra constituents such as protein, polysaccharides and fatty acids is warranted. Within this review, cellular consitutents found in Porphyra are discussed, including proteins, polysaccharides, fatty acids and mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA’s). MAA's are considered amongst the strongest UV-photoprotectants found in nature and feature possible applications in cosmetics. As global interest in seaweeds as food, feed and industrial resource is emerging, opportunities for Porphyra constituents is rising.
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Implementation of reliable methodologies allowing Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement (3Rs) of animal testing is a process that takes several decades and is still not complete. Reliable methods are essential for regulatory hazard assessment of chemicals where differences in test protocol can influence the test outcomes and thus affect the confidence in the predictive value of the organisms used as an alternative for mammals. Although test guidelines are common for mammalian studies, they are scarce for non-vertebrate organisms that would allow for the 3Rs of animal testing. Here, we present a set of 30 reporting criteria as the basis for such a guideline for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) testing in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Small organisms like C. elegans are upcoming in new approach methodologies for hazard assessment; thus, reliable and robust test protocols are urgently needed. A literature assessment of the fulfilment of the reporting criteria demonstrates that although studies describe methodological details, essential information such as compound purity and lot/batch number or type of container is often not reported. The formulated set of reporting criteria for C. elegans testing can be used by (i) researchers to describe essential experimental details (ii) data scientists that aggregate information to assess data quality and include data in aggregated databases (iii) regulators to assess study data for inclusion in regulatory hazard assessment of chemicals.
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The Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) sector is responsible for a large part of the total worldwide energy consumption, a significant part of which is caused by incorrect operation of controls and maintenance. HVAC systems are becoming increasingly complex, especially due to multi-commodity energy sources, and as a result, the chance of failures in systems and controls will increase. Therefore, systems that diagnose energy performance are of paramount importance. However, despite much research on Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) methods for HVAC systems, they are rarely applied. One major reason is that proposed methods are different from the approaches taken by HVAC designers who employ process and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). This led to the following main research question: Which FDD architecture is suitable for HVAC systems in general to support the set up and implementation of FDD methods, including energy performance diagnosis? First, an energy performance FDD architecture based on information embedded in P&IDs was elaborated. The new FDD method, called the 4S3F method, combines systems theory with data analysis. In the 4S3F method, the detection and diagnosis phases are separated. The symptoms and faults are classified into 4 types of symptoms (deviations from balance equations, operating states (OS) and energy performance (EP), and additional information) and 3 types of faults (component, control and model faults). Second, the 4S3F method has been tested in four case studies. In the first case study, the symptom detection part was tested using historical Building Management System (BMS) data for a whole year: the combined heat and power plant of the THUAS (The Hague University of Applied Sciences) building in Delft, including an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system, a heat pump, a gas boiler and hot and cold water hydronic systems. This case study showed that balance, EP and OS symptoms can be extracted from the P&ID and the presence of symptoms detected. In the second case study, a proof of principle of the fault diagnosis part of the 4S3F method was successfully performed on the same HVAC system extracting possible component and control faults from the P&ID. A Bayesian Network diagnostic, which mimics the way of diagnosis by HVAC engineers, was applied to identify the probability of all possible faults by interpreting the symptoms. The diagnostic Bayesian network (DBN) was set up in accordance with the P&ID, i.e., with the same structure. Energy savings from fault corrections were estimated to be up to 25% of the primary energy consumption, while the HVAC system was initially considered to have an excellent performance. In the third case study, a demand-driven ventilation system (DCV) was analysed. The analysis showed that the 4S3F method works also to identify faults on an air ventilation system.
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The propagandization of a Net Generation adds nothing to our understanding of the digital behaviour of young people. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the whole concept of a Net Generation rests on incorrect assumptions. Hence, arguments based on a Net Generation are not only irrelevant and misleading but precarious as well. Precarious in the sense that they are mobilized as a decisive means of engineering change, not least in education policy. Only when we stop thinking in terms of the Net Generation can we form a more astute vision of when the deployment of digital learning aids will have a realistic chance of success.
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Understanding taste is key for optimizing the palatability of seaweeds and other non-animal-based foods rich in protein. The lingual papillae in the mouth hold taste buds with taste receptors for the five gustatory taste qualities. Each taste bud contains three distinct cell types, of which Type II cells carry various G protein-coupled receptors that can detect sweet, bitter, or umami tastants, while type III cells detect sour, and likely salty stimuli. Upon ligand binding, receptor-linked intracellular heterotrimeric G proteins initiate a cascade of downstream events which activate the afferent nerve fibers for taste perception in the brain. The taste of amino acids depends on the hydrophobicity, size, charge, isoelectric point, chirality of the alpha carbon, and the functional groups on their side chains. The principal umami ingredient monosodium l-glutamate, broadly known as MSG, loses umami taste upon acetylation, esterification, or methylation, but is able to form flat configurations that bind well to the umami taste receptor. Ribonucleotides such as guanosine monophosphate and inosine monophosphate strongly enhance umami taste when l-glutamate is present. Ribonucleotides bind to the outer section of the venus flytrap domain of the receptor dimer and stabilize the closed conformation. Concentrations of glutamate, aspartate, arginate, and other compounds in food products may enhance saltiness and overall flavor. Umami ingredients may help to reduce the consumption of salts and fats in the general population and increase food consumption in the elderly.
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Lezing gehouden tijdens congres "Wie beslist er over wat: congres over subsidiariteit en het middenbestuur in de 21e eeuw" op 19 december 2005.
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Lecture about the regional dimension in the political, economic and social construction of Europe.
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The evolving landscape of science communication highlights a shift from traditional dissemination to participatory engagement. This study explores Dutch citizens’ perspectives on science communication, focusing on science capital, public engagement, and communication goals. Using a mixed-methods approach, it combines survey data (n = 376) with focus group (n = 66) insights. Findings show increasing public interest in participating in science, though barriers like knowledge gaps persist. Trust-building, engaging adolescents, and integrating science into society were identified as key goals. These insights support the development of the Netherlands’ National Centre of Expertise on Science and Society and provide guidance for inclusive, effective science communication practices.
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This article reflects on implications of presenting nature as a social construction, and of commodification of nature. The social construction of nature tends to limit significance of nature to human perception of it. Commodification presents nature in strict instrumental terms as ‘natural resources’, ‘natural capital’ or ‘ecosystem services’. Both construction and commodification exhibit anthropocentric bias in denying intrinsic value of non-human species. This article will highlight the importance of a deep ecology perspective, by elaborating upon the ethical context in which construction and commodification of nature occur. Finally, this article will discuss the implications of this ethical context in relation to environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). https://doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.146931 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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