NaWuReT-Workshop: Forschung in der Reaktionstechnik für und mit der Gesellschaft

In this article, the results of the NaWuReT (Early Career Reaction Engineers) workshop on the topic “Are we doing relevant science?” are presented. The topics “(In)surmountable hurdles for Citizen Scientists in reaction engineering?” and “Circular Economy in reaction engineering with/for society?” were discussed. Therefrom, a variety of ideas and suggestions were extracted.     

A non-invasive form finding method with application to metal forming

Inverse form finding aims in determining the optimal material configuration of a workpiece for a specific forming process. A gradient- and parameter-free (nodal-based) form finding approach has recently been developed, which can be coupled non-invasively as a black box to arbitrary finite element software. Additionally the algorithm is independent from the constitutive behavior. Consequently, the user has not to struggle with the underlying optimization theory behind. Benchmark tests showed already that the approach works robustly and efficiently. This contribution demonstrates that the optimization algorithm is also applicable to more sophisticated forming processes including orthotropic large strain plasticity, combined hardening and frictional contact. A cup deep drawing process with solid-shell elements and a combined deep drawing and upsetting process to form a functional component with external teeth are investigated.     

Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Reveal Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B as a Blood Biomarker Candidate to Monitor Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury

Acute liver injury (ALI) is a severe disorder resulting from excessive hepatocyte cell death, and frequently caused by acetaminophen intoxication. Clinical management of ALI progression is hampered by the dearth of blood biomarkers available. In this study, a bioinformatics workflow was developed to screen omics databases and identify potential biomarkers for hepatocyte cell death. Then, discovery proteomics was harnessed to select from among these candidates those that were specifically detected in the blood of acetaminophen-induced ALI patients. Among these candidates, the isoenzyme alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) was massively leaked into the blood. To evaluate ADH1B, we developed a targeted proteomics assay and quantified ADH1B in serum samples collected at different times from 17 patients admitted for acetaminophen-induced ALI. Serum ADH1B concentrations increased markedly during the acute phase of the disease, and dropped to undetectable levels during recovery. In contrast to alanine aminotransferase activity, the rapid drop in circulating ADH1B concentrations was followed by an improvement in the international normalized ratio (INR) within 10–48 h, and was associated with favorable outcomes. In conclusion, the combination of omics data exploration and proteomics revealed ADH1B as a new blood biomarker candidate that could be useful for the monitoring of acetaminophen-induced ALI.     

Antibiotic resistance of coagulase-negative staphylococci associated with food and used in starter cultures

The resistance of 330 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) associated with food or used in starter cultures and belonging to the species Staphylococcus carnosus, Staphylococcus condimenti, Staphylococcus piscifermentans, Staphylococcus equorum, Staphylococcus succinus and Staphylococcus xylosus, against 21 antibiotics was determined using the disk diffusion method. The incidence and number of resistances was found to be species and source of isolation dependent. Most strains of S. equorum (63%), S. succinus (90%) and S. xylosus (95%) exhibited resistances against up to seven antibiotics, whereas only few strains of S. carnosus (12%) and S. piscifermentans (27%) were antibiotic resistant. Resistances to lincomycin, penicillin, fusidic acid, oxacillin, ampicillin and tetracycline were predominant. Among strains of S. xylosus, the incidence of resistance ranged from 22% for tetracycline up to 69% for penicillin. Concerning the source of isolation, resistances were often determined in strains of S. equorum, S. succinus and S. xylosus isolated from cheese (87%) and sausage (83%), and strains of S. xylosus obtained from meat starter cultures (93%). Remarkably, all CNS were sensitive to the clinically important antibiotics chloramphenicol, clindamycin, cotrimoxazol, gentamicin, kanamycin, linezolid, neomycin, streptomycin, synercid and vancomycin. The phenotypic resistances to ss-lactam antibiotics, lincomycin and tetracycline were verified by PCR amplification and could be traced back to the genes blaZ, lnuA and tetK, respectively. This study permitted a comprehensive insight into the incidence of antibiotic resistances in food-associated CNS.     

Scouring at Bed Sills as a Response to Flash Floods

The temporal development of clear-water local scour depth at bed sills in uniform gravel beds is considered. Experiments are presented on the development of scour holes under unsteady hydraulic conditions, with the triangular-shaped hydrographs tested being of different durations and different rates of flow variation. Based on the experimental results and a theoretical framework, a method is given for the definition and prediction of the scouring process under unsteady flows in terms of a dimensionless temporal parameter. A “flash flood” is here defined as an event for which the scour doesn’t attain its potential magnitude, i.e., the equilibrium value for the peak hydrograph flow rate. This flood nature is dependent on both the characteristics of the flood event itself and the characteristics of the stream. A quantitative measure of what constitutes a flash flood is given in terms of the identified temporal parameter. Results show that the ratio between the final scour depth and the potential scour depth at a bed sill for a given hydrograph can be estimated as a function of the identified temporal parameter.     

Development of a roadmap for advanced ceramics: 2010–2025

A roadmap for advanced ceramics for the period from 2010 to 2025 has been developed to provide guidelines for future investments for policy makers, scientists and industry alike. Based on questionnaires, interviews and a final workshop with well-balanced participation of members from industry and academia three roadmaps on application fields and two roadmaps on scientific areas have been developed and contrasted. The three application fields selected are: (i) electronics, information and communication; (ii) energy and environment; (iii) mechanical engineering and the two scientific fields are: (a) structural and functional properties; (b) process technology. Within these fields the tremendous growth opportunities for ceramics as an enabling technology are highlighted and manifold suggestions for future development are provided.     

Effects of genotype and sowing date on phytostanol–phytosterol content and agronomic traits in wheat under organic agriculture

Cereals are an important source of sterols and stanols in the human diet. The present study underlines the effect of genotype and weather conditions in bread wheat, on total sterol and stanol content (TSS), agronomic traits, proteins and ash content under organic conditions. Variations in TSS as well as other characters between two sowing dates were observed. A broad genotypic variability was also reported since extreme genotypes differed by more than 30 mg 100 g⁻¹ DW for TSS, with total stanol content varying twofold. Moreover, two groups of genotypes that differed in agronomic production, ash and protein content were depicted, based on their response to an increase in temperature. This result suggests that the genotypic factor prevails over the sowing date factor for determining sterol and stanol traits in wheat cultivated under organic conditions. Nevertheless, a strong interaction exists between the two factors, which can be used to drive bioaccumulation of these molecules.     

Design of LTCC with High Thermal Expansion

New applications of low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC), such as pressure sensors or integrated functional layers, require materials that possess higher coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). To fabricate LTCC with elevated CTE, two methods of material design are examined: firstly, glass ceramic composites (GCC), which consist of >50 vol% glass in the starting powder, and, secondly, glass-bonded ceramics (GBC), where glass is added as a sintering aid only. The CTE of GBC is mainly determined by the crystalline component. For GCC, the CTE can be well predicted, if CTE and elastic data of each phase in the microstructure are known. A nonlinear characteristic of the CTE versus phase composition was found with increasing E _crystals/ E _glass ratio and absolute CTE difference between the components. The glass composition and glass amount can be used to compensate the fixed properties of a crystalline material in a desired way. However, because the CTE and permittivity of a glass cannot be chosen independently, an optimum glass composition has to be found. For a given LTCC, it is possible to control the devitrification by shifting the glass composition. In this way, the resulting CTE values can be predicted more exactly and tailoring becomes possible. Different LTCC materials, based on the crystalline compounds Ba(La,Nd)₂Ti₄O₁₂, ZrO₂ (Y-TZP), SiO₂ (quartz), and specially developed glasses, possessing an elevated CTE of around 10 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ while showing permittivity ɛ_r between 6 and 63, are introduced.     

Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of a bis-cyclometalated phosphorescent red-emitting iridium(III) complex

The synthesis of the bis-cyclometalated complex [{Ir(μ-Cl)(ccpz)₂}₂] (1, cppz = 1-chloro-4-(4-chlorophenyl)-phthalazine) from hydrated iridium(III) chloride and the ligand ccpz in refluxing ethoxyethanol is described. Compound 1 was characterized by spectroscopic means and the crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. The absorption and emission spectra exhibit the new compound as a red-emitting phosphorescent complex.     

The effect of eicosapentaenoic acid consumption on human neutrophil chemiluminescence

The effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on the inflammatory potential of neutrophils was investigated by supplementing the diets of 12 subjects with 2.16 g of EPA or 12 g of olive oil per day for 4 weeks in a double blind crossover study. Neutrophil function as assessed by luminol enhanced chemiluminescence responses to plateletactivating factor (PAF) and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-EPA but not after olive oil consumption in the subjects who consumed EPA first. In contrast, EPA had no significant effect on neutrophil chemiluminescence in the subjects who consumed olive oil first. Dietary supplementation with EPA inhibits neutrophil responses to inflammatory mediators such as PAF while other fatty acids appear to modify the effects of EPA. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989.