European Association of Tissue Banks Standards for Cryopreserved Cardiovascular Tissue Banking

The Cardiovascular Tissue Banking Standards are designed as an addition to the General Standards of the European Association of Tissue Banks to provide a minimum acceptable level for the donation, processing, storage, testing, labelling and distribution of cardiac tissue throughout Europe. The aim is that all heart valve banks in Europe should work to these Standards so that heart valves can be exchanged between countries without having to check the individual protocols of the donor processing facility. The writing of the Standards has been performed by the Heart Valve Council of EATB with input from cardiac surgeons. It is proposed that once the Standards are accepted they will form the document on which EATB may accredit tissue banks in the future and may form the basis on which National Legislation for Tissue Banking is based.     

Establishment of the 1st European Tissue Bank and a Vision of the Future of Tissue Banking

The paper offers a short history of the oldest European tissue bank, in cooperation with important international organizations and eduction authorities. The final part details the organization of development in research and clinical use by the bank in the field of human embryonal cells.     

美国与欧盟的转基因食品安全性政策演变比对

随着转基因食品的研究与发展,人们对待转基因食品的态度表现为主要以美国和欧盟为主的两种代表性政策.美国采取遵循可靠科学原则,坚决反对预防原则,即对转基因食品采取积极支持,自愿标识的宽松政策;欧盟采取谨慎预防原则,必须标识和可追溯.从管理原则出发,结合相应采取的监管措施和相关条例,对两国从开始颁布转基因食品政策到当下态势的发展,并结合最新出台的政策进行跟踪分析,比对美国及欧盟对这些指令和条例的执行情况.     

The variation in the eating quality of beef from different sexes and breed classes cannot be completely explained by carcass measurements

Delivering beef of consistent quality to the consumer is vital for consumer satisfaction and will help to ensure demand and therefore profitability within the beef industry. In Australia, this is being tackled with Meat Standards Australia (MSA), which uses carcass traits and processing factors to deliver an individual eating quality guarantee to the consumer for 135 different ‘cut by cooking methods’ from each carcass. The carcass traits used in the MSA model, such as ossification score, carcass weight and marbling explain the majority of the differences between breeds and sexes. Therefore, it was expected that the model would predict with eating quality of bulls and dairy breeds with good accuracy. In total, 8128 muscle samples from 482 carcasses from France, Poland, Ireland and Northern Ireland were MSA graded at slaughter then evaluated for tenderness, juiciness, flavour liking and overall liking by untrained consumers, according to MSA protocols. The scores were weighted (0.3, 0.1, 0.3, 0.3) and combined to form a global eating quality (meat quality (MQ4)) score. The carcasses were grouped into one of the three breed categories: beef breeds, dairy breeds and crosses. The difference between the actual and the MSA-predicted MQ4 scores were analysed using a linear mixed effects model including fixed effects for carcass hang method, cook type, muscle type, sex, country, breed category and postmortem ageing period, and random terms for animal identification, consumer country and kill group. Bulls had lower MQ4 scores than steers and females and were predicted less accurately by the MSA model. Beef breeds had lower eating quality scores than dairy breeds and crosses for five out of the 16 muscles tested. Beef breeds were also over predicted in comparison with the cross and dairy breeds for six out of the 16 muscles tested. Therefore, even after accounting for differences in carcass traits, bulls still differ in eating quality when compared with females and steers. Breed also influenced eating quality beyond differences in carcass traits. However, in this case, it was only for certain muscles. This should be taken into account when estimating the eating quality of meat. In addition, the coefficients used by the Australian MSA model for some muscles, marbling score and ultimate pH do not exactly reflect the influence of these factors on eating quality in this data set, and if this system was to be applied to Europe then the coefficients for these muscles and covariates would need further investigation.     

Untrained consumer assessment of the eating quality of European beef: 2. Demographic factors have only minor effects on consumer scores and willingness to pay

The beef industry must become more responsive to the changing market place and consumer demands. An essential part of this is quantifying a consumer’s perception of the eating quality of beef and their willingness to pay for that quality, across a broad range of demographics. Over 19 000 consumers from Northern Ireland, Poland, Ireland and France each tasted seven beef samples and scored them for tenderness, juiciness, flavour liking and overall liking. These scores were weighted and combined to create a fifth score, termed the Meat Quality 4 score (MQ4) (0.3×tenderness, 0.1×juiciness, 0.3×flavour liking and 0.3×overall liking). They also allocated the beef samples into one of four quality grades that best described the sample; unsatisfactory, good-every-day, better-than-every-day or premium. After the completion of the tasting panel, consumers were then asked to detail, in their own currency, their willingness to pay for these four categories which was subsequently converted to a proportion relative to the good-every-day category (P-WTP). Consumers also answered a short demographic questionnaire. The four sensory scores, the MQ4 score and the P-WTP were analysed separately, as dependant variables in linear mixed effects models. The answers from the demographic questionnaire were included in the model as fixed effects. Overall, there were only small differences in consumer scores and P-WTP between demographic groups. Consumers who preferred their beef cooked medium or well-done scored beef higher, except in Poland, where the opposite trend was found. This may be because Polish consumers were more likely to prefer their beef cooked well-done, but samples were cooked medium for this group. There was a small positive relationship with the importance of beef in the diet, increasing sensory scores by about 4% in Poland and Northern Ireland. Men also scored beef about 2% higher than women for most sensory scores in most countries. In most countries, consumers were willing to pay between 150 and 200% more for premium beef, and there was a 50% penalty in value for unsatisfactory beef. After quality grade, by far the greatest influence on P-WTP was country of origin. Consumer age also had a small negative relationship with P-WTP. The results indicate that a single quality score could reliably describe the eating quality experienced by all consumers. In addition, if reliable quality information is delivered to consumers they will pay more for better quality beef, which would add value to the beef industry and encourage improvements in quality.     

Characterisation of the European Marine Sites in South West England: The Fal and Helford Candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC)

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, & c.) Regulations 1994 which implement the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) in the UK include a number of provisions for the protection of European Marine Sites (marine candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs)), including the requirement for competent authorities to assess the effects of new and existing consents, permissions and authorisations to ensure that they are not having an adverse effect on the integrity of the site (Regulations 48 and 50). In England and Wales site characterisation, a process which involves the collation, integration and critical evaluation of existing site knowledge, is seen by the Environment Agency (EA) and the nature conservation bodies (English Nature – EN, and the Countryside Council for Wales – CCW) as an important step towards evaluating the effects of consented discharges and activities on the interest features of EMS, and is fundamental to the development of ecosystem-based management. An on-going project, led by the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (part of the Plymouth Marine Science Partnership) in collaboration with EA, EN and CCW, sets out to characterise the impacts and risks associated with water and sediment quality in relation to the integrity and interest features of selected European Marine Sites in southwest England and Wales. Using published information and unpublished data-sets from regulatory agencies, conservation bodies, and research institutes, evidence is compiled on the links between potentially harmful activities, environmental quality and resultant biological effects, and includes an evaluation of long-term change. An overview of results is presented here for one of the UK marine sites studied, The Fal and Helford candidate SAC, highlighting the threats to biota from point-source and diffuse pollutants, together with major gaps in our understanding. Some of the priorities for new research and better integrated monitoring to address nature conservation objectives (to maintain and restore the system) are discussed.     

Domesticating Islam: exploring academic knowledge production on Islam and Muslims in European societies

The attacks on the Twin Towers in New York in September 2001 and subsequent events not only ignited a ‘war on terror’, but also marked a crucial change in the policies on integration of migrants of Islamic background in Europe. Most countries departed from integration policies based on some sort of recognition of cultural diversity and emphasized national culture as the only legitimate format for citizenship. The result is a strengthening of a frame of governance with the aim to regulate Islamic practices and to mould outlooks, institutional settings and legal arrangements into the nation-state format. This has been referred to as the ‘domestication of Islam’. One of the consequences is the narrowing down of research agendas and academic knowledge production. In this article I explore this process and address important fields of study that tend to be neglected in the study of Islam in Europe.     

Impact of European red mite on Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur apples in Israel

To develop a damage threshold for the European red mite (ERM), Panonychus ulmi (Koch), the effect of ERM injury on fruit weight and return crop in the apple cultivars (CVs) Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur were studied in the Upper Galilee of Israel for two consecutive seasons. The ERM significantly affected the leaf colour, chlorophyll content, fruit weight and return harvest in both CVs. High population levels of 450 adult female cumulative mite days (ACMDs) reduced the fruit weight on Golden Delicious but not on Oregon Spur. Population levels above approximately 600 and 900 ACMDs in Golden Delicious and Oregon Spur, respectively, caused a substantial reduction in the return harvest. Because no damage was observed at low population levels, an action threshold of 150 ACMDs is recommended.     

Development and regional differentiation of the European vegetation during the Tertiary

The Tertiary vegetation of Europe evolved from paratropical to warm-temperate and temperate forms in response to a progressive, non-linear, climatic cooling. Its vegetational forms are composed mainly of two separate ecological units: the evergreen, laurophyll paleotropical geoflora and the deciduous, broad-leaved Arctotertiary geoflora. The development of the Tertiary climate and its interaction with the vegetation are convincingly indicated by the geoflora's migration; the changes in its composition; and the development of the Tertiary forest, swamp, and aquatic plant communities. The paleotropical geoflora is characterized in the upper Cretaceous to the upper Miocene by paratropical rain forest, subtropical rain and laurel forests, temperate laurel forests and edaphically-mediated formation of laurel-conifer forests. The Arctotertiary geoflora advanced into Europe in waves since the Paleocene and formed the basis for the Tertiary mixed mesophytic forests. These can be divided into warm-temperate rain forests, oak-hornbeamchestnut or mixed beech-oak-hornbeam forests, and edaphic formations such as bottomland and swamp forests. Beginning in the lower Cretaceous, the hydrophytic vegetation developed independently of the forest vegetation and formed very diverse herbaceous fresh water, swamp, salt water, and coastal formations. Considerable differences in composition allow to separate floral regions and provinces in Eurosiberia. Instead of three ill-defined floral regions in the Paleocene, there are four well-defined floral regions in the Pliocene. A Mediterranean region cannot be recognized, although Mediterranean (eumesogeic) floral elements appear in the Eocene/Oligocene and thereafter. The Mediterranean sclerophyll forests probably arose after the destruction of the laurophyll forests during the Pleistocene.     

中国-中东欧国家森林生态系统研究重点对比及合作方向分析——基于文献计量研究

中国-中东欧国家林业合作(17+1林业合作)是中国-中东欧国家合作的重要组成部分。为了明确双方林业研究的重点,使17+1林业合作更有针对性的开展,通过比较中国和中东欧17国森林生态系统研究状况,探究中国和中东欧17国森林生态系统研究的共同方向和领域,为中国-中东欧国家林业合作提供支撑。采用文献计量分析软件Citespace和VOSviewer对Web of Science核心库收录的中国和中东欧17国在2016-2020年期间发表的论文进行比较分析,内容涵盖国家、研究机构、作者、关键词的共现分析和关键词突现分析。分析结果显示:①中东欧17个国家之间的森林生态系统研究论文发表状况差异明显,其中波兰和捷克两国在森林生态系统研究领域发表论文数量最多,发文量分别占中东欧国家发文总量的26.91%和23.52%,篇均被引频次分别为8.46次/篇和9.85次/篇。②中国森林生态系统研究发表论文数量12951篇,高于中东欧国家总和8952篇,篇均被引用频次为8.58次/每篇,低于中东欧国家平均值9.90次/篇。③气候变化、生物多样性、森林土壤是中国与中东欧国家共同的研究重点。④中国的研究重点还包括人工林质量改善等。中东欧国家的研究重点还包括重金属,主要表现在重金属污染、评估及土壤和植被修复。通过对中国和中东欧国家森林生态系统研究领域发表的论文分析,为中国与中东欧国家林业合作提供以下建议:中国与中东欧国家开展林业研究合作,在气候变化方面的合作对象有波兰科学院、华沙大学、捷克生命科学大学;生物多样性方面的合作对象有捷克生命科学大学、捷克科学院、波兰科学院;土壤微生物方面的合作对象有塔尔图大学、波兰科学院;土壤重金属方面研究的合作对象有克拉科夫农业大学、波兰科学院、波兰格但斯克大学;病虫害防治方面的合作对象有捷克生命科学大学。     

内皮细胞电压门控钙离子通道及其功能研究进展

内皮细胞（endothelial cell,EC）作为不可兴奋细胞,早前通常被认为缺乏功能性电压门控钙离子通道（voltagegated calcium channel,VGCC）,如人脐静脉内皮细胞、牛肺动脉内皮细胞、牛主动脉内皮细胞等。随着膜片钳技术、荧光显微技术、聚合酶链式反应（PCR）技术的发展,越来越多的VGCC在各种内皮细胞中被发现,如人主动脉内皮细胞、大鼠主动脉内皮细胞、大鼠肺微血管内皮细胞等。目前对于VGCC存在与否主要有3种检测方法:利用膜片钳技术对离子通道电流的检测、利用荧光显微技术对胞内钙离子浓度变化的检测、利用PCR技术对离子通道基因或蛋白质表达的检测。内皮细胞不单单是血液和其他相邻组织细胞及基质蛋白间的物理屏障,更重要的是通过细胞膜上VGCC的开放和关闭对细胞和血管组织的生理变化产生显著的影响。一方面,VGCC对胞内钙离子浓度变化的影响,控制着一氧化氮（NO）等血管舒张因子的释放,调节血管张力的平衡。另一方面,作为钙离子内流重要途经的VGCC,经过Ras和MEK通路的诱导、磷酸化PI3K和Akt通路,影响内皮细胞迁移和增殖。此外,部分生理现象,如血管内压力产生...     

海水灌溉欧洲菊苣盐肥耦合效应

2008年在江苏北部沿海滩涂进行田间试验研究了不同浓度海水灌溉下欧洲菊苣(Cicherium intybus L.)的盐肥耦合效应。结果表明:1)20%海水灌溉下欧洲菊苣肉质根和地上部分生物产量与淡水处理相比没有显著差异,而40%海水灌溉下产量均显著下降;N3(氮用量90kg.hm-2)水平与N1(氮用量0kg.hm-2)水平相比,欧洲菊苣肉质根产量与地上部分生物产量可以显著提高;同样,P3(P2O5用量45kg.hm-2)水平与P1(P2O5用量0kg.hm-2)水平相比,欧洲菊苣产量亦显著提高。2)各浓度海水灌溉下,随着施氮、磷量的增加菊苣主茎普遍增长和增粗。3)经过海水与氮肥及磷肥的交互作用对总产量影响的分析,可以看出W1N3(淡水,氮用量90kg.hm-2)和W1P3(淡水,P2O5用量45kg.hm-2)是优化组合。4)经过海水与氮肥及磷肥的交互作用对籽粒产量影响的分析,可以看出W2N3(20%海水,氮用量90kgN.hm-2)和W1P2(淡水,P2O5用量22.5kg.hm-2)是优化的组合。处理因子分析表明:海水、氮肥、磷肥对欧洲菊苣产量具有显著效应,以海水影响最大;总产量的优化组合为W1N3P...     

Impact of changing wood demand,climate and land use on European forest resources and carbon stocks during the 21st century

We used the European Forest Information Scenario Model (EFISCEN) to project the development of forest resources for 15 European countries from 2000 to 2100 under a broad range of climate scenarios, which were based on the a1fi, a2, b1 and b2 storylines of the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Each climate scenario was associated with consistent land-use change and wood demand assumptions. Climate change-induced growth changes were incorporated into the calculations by scaling inventory-based stem growth in EFISCEN by net primary productivity estimated from the Lund–Potsdam–Jena dynamic global vegetation model. The impact of changes in wood demand, climate and forest area were studied separately, and in combination, in order to assess their respective effects. For all climate scenarios under consideration, climate change resulted in increased forest growth, especially in Northern Europe. In Southern Europe, higher precipitation in spring and the projected increased water-use efficiency in response to rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations mitigated the effects of increasing summer drought. Climate change enhanced carbon sequestration in tree biomass. The climate change-induced increase in tree growth led to a faster increase in growing stocks compared with the simulation using current climate. As productivity decreased in higher stocked forests, the positive impact of climate change began to level off during the second half of the 21st century in the scenarios where wood demand was low. Afforestation measures had the potential to increase growing stock and annual increment; however, large areas were needed to obtain notable effects. Despite noticeable differences in the growth response between the climate scenarios, changes in wood demand proved to be the crucial driving force in forest resource development. Tree carbon stocks increased by 33–114% between 2000 and 2100 when only changes in wood demand were regarded. Climate change added another 23–31% increase, while changes in forest area accounted for an additional increase of 2–40%. Our results highlight potential future pathways of forest resource development resulting from different scenarios of wood demand, land use and climate changes, and stress the importance of resource utilization in the European forest carbon balance.     

免疫细胞在棕色脂肪产热及白色脂肪棕色化过程中的功能研究进展

肥胖已经成为威胁人类健康的全球性问题,棕色脂肪(Brown adipose tissue,BAT)及米色脂肪因其能够通过产热作用增加能量消耗这一特性,已成为一种备受关注的潜在肥胖治疗方法。近年来的研究发现M2型巨噬细胞(Alternatively activated macrophages,M2 type)能够促进BAT产热和白色脂肪(White adipose tissue,WAT)的棕色化(即米色脂肪的形成过程),但随后的一些研究却得到了相反的结论。到目前为止,M2型巨噬细胞是否参与促进WAT的棕色化过程仍是一个备受争议的话题。主要对M2型巨噬细胞、II型固有淋巴细胞(Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells,ILC2s)和嗜酸性粒细胞(Eosinophils)对BAT产热和WAT的棕色化的促进作用,以及M2型巨噬细胞不参与/抑制WAT棕色化这两个方面的研究状况做一综述。     

豫北太行山旅游开发对生态环境的影响

以豫北太行山旅游开发的典型地—红旗渠青年洞和太行大峡谷桃花洞景区为研究对象,采用样地调查和现场提问的方法,以敏感水平、物种多样性指数、旅游影响系数和环境质量重要值等6项指标,同时对景区土壤理化性质进行了考察,分析评价了旅游开发对该区生态环境所产生的影响。结果表明,旅游开发对生态环境的影响具有一定的规律性,在考察的各项指标中,敏感水平与群落景观重要值及生物多样性信息指数两项指标基本上成反比关系。旅游活动对景区的植被、土壤和环境质量都已造成了一定的负面冲击。     

Twist and Degrade—Impact of Molecular Structure on the Photostability of Nonfullerene Acceptors and Their Photovoltaic Blends

Nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) dominate organic photovoltaic (OPV) research due to their promising efficiencies and stabilities. However, there is very little investigation into the molecular processes of degradation, which is critical to guiding design of novel NFAs for long‐lived, commercially viable OPVs. Here, the important role of molecular structure and conformation in NFA photostability in air is investigated by comparing structurally similar but conformationally different promising NFAs: planar O‐IDTBR and nonplanar O‐IDFBR. A three‐phase degradation process is identified: i) initial photoinduced conformational change (i.e., torsion about the core–benzothiadiazole dihedral), induced by noncovalent interactions with environmental molecules, ii) followed by photo‐oxidation and fragmentation, leading to chromophore bleaching and degradation product formation, and iii) finally complete chromophore bleaching. Initial conformational change is a critical prerequisite for further degradation, providing fundamental understanding of the relative stability of IDTBR and IDFBR, where the already twisted IDFBR is more prone to degradation. When blended with the donor polymer poly(3‐hexylthiophene), both NFAs exhibit improved photostability while the photostability of the polymer itself is significantly reduced by the more miscible twisted NFA. The findings elucidate the important role of NFA molecular structure in photostability of OPV systems, and provide vital insights into molecular design rules for intrinsically photostable NFAs.     

The ASCUS : SIL ratio and the reference laboratory pathologist

The atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) : squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) ratio was proposed to monitor laboratory use of the ASCUS diagnosis. This study addresses problems associated with comparing pathologists by this means. An intuitive example showed the ASCUS : SIL ratio depends on the prevalence of smears from patients who actually have SIL. In this study of 2000 cervical smears, each of five pathologists made 400 diagnoses. Differences among proportions of SIL diagnoses were statistically significant; differences among proportions of ASCUS diagnoses were not. Had an ASCUS : SIL ratio upper limit of 3.0 been used, two pathologists would have been misidentified as having high ASCUS diagnosis rates. Unlike the situation for laboratories, potential variability in SIL prevalence requires caution in the use of this ratio in assessing pathologists. An alternative measure that is independent of prevalence, the ASCUS : SIL odds ratio, is posited.     

Timing of nocturnal autumn migratory departures in juvenile European robins (Erithacus rubecula) and endogenous and external factors

Many passerine medium distance nocturnal migrants take off from stopover sites not only at the beginning of the night, but also in the middle and at the end of the night. In this paper, we tested two explanations for this phenomenon: (1) that departure time is governed by fuel stores, and (2) that departure time is influenced by the weather. The relationship of temporal distribution of migratory nocturnal departures with body condition and weather factors was studied in juvenile European robins (Erithacus rubecula) during autumn migration. The study was done on the Courish Spit on the Baltic Sea in 1997–2003 by retrapping 74 ringed birds in high mist nets during nocturnal migratory departure. Departure time was not related to fuel stores at arrival and departure, stopover duration, fuel deposition rate or progress of the season. Nor did the local weather at departure influence departure time. A possible reason was a large variation in the behaviour of the birds. European robins which made 1-day stopovers arrived and departed during better weather conditions than birds that stopped over for longer periods. In the former cohort, a significant model with four predictors explained 55% of variation in departure time. It is assumed that weather at the night of departure and during the previous night influenced the time of take-offs in these birds. In robins which made long stopovers, departure time is probably governed by their individual endogenous circadian rhythms of activity, which are related to the environment in a complex way.     

Gymnosperm Orthologues of Class B Floral Homeotic Genes and Their Impact on Understanding Flower Origin

Class B floral homeotic genes play a key role in specifying the identity of male reproductive organs (stamens) and petals during the development of flowers. Recently, close relatives (orthologues) of these genes have been found in diverse gymnosperms, the sister group of the flowering plants (angiosperms). The fact that such genes have not been found so far, despite considerable efforts, in mosses, ferns or algae, has been taken as evidence to suggest that B genes originated 300–400 million years ago in a lineage that led to extant seed plants. Gymnosperms do not develop petals, and their male reproductive organs deviate considerably from angiosperm stamens. So what is the function of gymnosperm B genes? Recent experiments revealed that B genes from diverse extant gymnosperms are exclusively expressed in male reproductive organs (microsporophylls). At least for some of these genes it has been shown that they can partially substitute for the Arabidopsis B genes AP3 and PI in ectopic expression experiments, or even partially substitute these genes in different class B floral organ identity gene mutants. This functional complementation, however, is restricted to male organ development. These findings strongly suggest that gymnosperm and angiosperm B genes have highly related interaction partners and equivalent functions in the male organs of their different host species. It seems likely that in extant gymnosperms B genes have a function in specifying male reproductive organs. This function was probably established already in the most recent common ancestor of extant gymnosperms and angiosperms (seed plants) 300 million years ago and thus represents the ancestral function of seed plant B genes, from which other functions (e.g., in specifying petal identity) might have been derived. This suggests that the B gene function is part of an ancestral sex determination system in which B gene expression specifies male reproductive organ development, while the absence of B gene expression leads to the formation of female reproductive organs. Such a simple switch mechanism suggests that B genes might have played a central role during the origin of flowers. In the out-of-male and out-of-female hypotheses changes in B gene expression led to the origin of hermaphroditic flower precursors out of male or female gymnosperm reproductive cones, respectively. We compare these hypotheses with other recent molecular hypotheses on the origin of flowers, in which C/D and FLORICAULA/LEAFY-like genes is given a more prominent role, and we suggest how these hypotheses might be tested in the future.