Uncertainties in the determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloid levels in naturally contaminated honeys and comparison of results obtained by different analytical approaches

The contamination of honey with hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) is a well-known hazard for food safety. While management strategies and controls of the honey industry aim to reduce the PA levels, uncertainties remain with regard to the safety of regionally produced and marketed honey. In addition, a previous study showed large differences of results obtained after various periods of storage and apparent differences between the analytical results of different laboratories. Therefore, this study aimed at examining these uncertainties by monitoring the impact of storage on the PA and PA N-oxide (PANO) content of two freshly harvested honeys and on possible demixing effects caused by pollen settling. Additionally, three analytical approaches – target analysis with matrix-matched calibration or standard addition and a sum parameter method – were applied for a comparative analysis of 20 honeys harvested in summer 2016. All samples originated from Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany where the PA plant Jacobaea vulgaris is currently observed on a massive scale. The results of the time series analyses showed that PANO levels markedly decreased within a few weeks and practically reached the LOD 16 weeks after harvest. Tertiary PAs, by contrast, remained stable and did not increase as a consequence of PANO decrease. The experiments on a putative demixing, which may result in a heterogeneous distribution of PAs/PANOs, revealed that there was no such effect during storage of up to 12 weeks. A comparison of the PA/PANO levels obtained by different analytical approaches showed that in some cases the sum parameter method yielded much higher levels than the target approaches, whereas in other cases, the target analysis with standard addition found higher levels than the other two methods. In summary, the results of this study highlight uncertainties regarding the validity and comparability of analytical results and consequently regarding health risk assessment.     

Proton-Detected Solid-State NMR of the Cell-Free Synthesized α-Helical Transmembrane Protein NS4B from Hepatitis C Virus

Proton-detected 100 kHz magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR is an emerging analysis method for proteins with only hundreds of microgram quantities, and thus allows structural investigation of eukaryotic membrane proteins. This is the case for the cell-free synthesized hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural membrane protein 4B (NS4B). We demonstrate NS4B sample optimization using fast reconstitution schemes that enable lipid-environment screening directly by NMR. 2D spectra and relaxation properties guide the choice of the best sample preparation to record 2D ¹H-detected ¹H,¹⁵N and 3D ¹H,¹³C,¹⁵N correlation experiments with linewidths and sensitivity suitable to initiate sequential assignments. Amino-acid-selectively labeled NS4B can be readily obtained using cell-free synthesis, opening the door to combinatorial labeling approaches which should enable structural studies.     

Tracking the mind during reading: The influence of past, present, and future words on fixation durations.

Reading requires the orchestration of visual, attentional, language-related, and oculomotor processing constraints. This study replicates previous effects of frequency, predictability, and length of fixated words on fixation durations in natural reading and demonstrates new effects of these variables related to 144 sentences. Such evidence for distributed processing of words across fixation durations challenges psycholinguistic immediacy-of-processing and eye-mind assumptions. Most of the time the mind processes several words in parallel at different perceptual and cognitive levels. Eye movements can help to unravel these processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Design of 5.9 ghz dsrc-based vehicular safety communication

The automotive industry is moving aggressively in the direction of advanced active safety. Dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) is a key enabling technology for the next generation of communication-based safety applications. One aspect of vehicular safety communication is the routine broadcast of messages among all equipped vehicles. Therefore, channel congestion control and broadcast performance improvement are of particular concern and need to be addressed in the overall protocol design. Furthermore, the explicit multichannel nature of DSRC necessitates a concurrent multichannel operational scheme for safety and non-safety applications. This article provides an overview of DSRC based vehicular safety communications and proposes a coherent set of protocols to address these requirements     

The Determinants of Debt and (Private) Equity Financing: The Case of Young, Innovative SMEs from Germany

Financial theory creates a puzzle. Some authors argue that high-risk entrepreneurs choose debt contracts instead of equity contracts since risky but high returns are of relatively more value for a loan-financed firm. Conversely, authors who focus explicitly on start-up finance predict that entrepreneurs are the more likely to seek equity-like venture capital contracts, the more risky their projects are. Our paper is an initial step towards resolving this puzzle empirically. We present microeconometric evidence on the determinants of debt and equity financing in young and innovative SMEs. We pay special attention to the role of risk for the choice of the method of financing. Since risk is not directly observable we use different indicators for financial and project risk. It turns out that our data generally confirms the hypothesis that the probability that a young high-tech firm receives equity financing is an increasing function of the financial risk. With regard to the intrinsic project risk, our results are less conclusive, as some of our indicators of a risky project are found to have a negative effect on the likelihood to be financed by private equity.     

Diurnal and spatial variation of xylem dielectric constant in Norway Spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) as related to microclimate, xylem sap flow, and xylem chemistry

Spatial and temporal variations in vegetation dielectric properties strongly influence the microwave backscatter characteristics of forested landscapes. This paper examines the relationship between xylem tissue dielectric constant, xylem sap flux density, and xylem sap chemical composition as measured in the stems of two Norway Spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) trees in the Fichtelgebirge region of Northern Bavaria, Germany. Dielectric constant and xylem sap flux were monitored continuously from June through October 1995, at several heights along the tree trunks. At the end of the measurement series, each tree was harvested, and its xylem sap extracted and analyzed to determine the concentrations of amino acids and cations. Results show that the sap flux density was correlated with vapor pressure deficit (VPD) at all heights in the stem. In contrast, the xylem tissue dielectric constant is influenced by VPD but can exhibit a significant temporal lag relative to changes in VPD. This lag varies with position along the tree trunk. The temporal variability of the dielectric constant is compared with both trees at several positions along the tree trunks. Results of xylem sap chemical analysis are presented. We show that spatial and temporal variability in the xylem tissue dielectric constant is influenced not only by water content, but by variations in xylem sap chemistry as well. This has important implications for microwave remote sensing of forested landscapes, as useful information may be acquired regarding stand physiology and water relations and where variations in dielectric properties within individual trees and across geographic areas can be significant error sources for forest inventory mapping.     

Head and eye movements in unrestrained pigeons (Columba livia).

Head and eye movements were simultaneously recorded during locomotory and pecking behavior of 4 pigeons, which were trained to traverse a conditioning chamber, with a pecking key and a food dispenser at each end. Each trial involved key pecking, walking, and feeding. Head movements were registered with a skull-mounted miniature accelerometer, and eye movements were recorded with implanted electrooculogram (EOG) electrodes. An almost perfect temporal coordination between head and eye movements was observed during both walking and feeding bouts. During walking, head movements primarily provide retinal image stability, and eye movements support visual scanning. During feeding, head movements mainly subserve the grasping of food items, and eye movements maintain visual fixation on them. Because the eyes are reflexively closed during the middle phase of pecks, the head and eye movements are then under ballistic control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A vectorial vibrating reed magnetometer with high sensitivity

A vibrating reed magnetometer with high sensitivity is constructed. Using optical signal pickup, modified excitation coils, and an acoustical reference excitation system, the high sensitivity of former constructions is combined with the detection of the magnetization component perpendicular to the bias field H. The calibration procedure providing increased reliability is simplified and allows hysteresis measurements with the magnetic easy axis of the sample oriented at an arbitrary angle with respect to H. Measurement results are given in order to demonstrate the performance of the apparatus