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JLUpub ist das institutionelle Repositorium der Justus-Liebig-Universität.
JLUpub bietet Mitgliedern und Angehörigen der Universität die Möglichkeit neben wissenschaftlichen Dokumenten auch Forschungsdaten elektronisch zu veröffentlichen und dauerhaft zugänglich zu machen. Alle Veröffentlichungen erhalten einen Digital Object Identifier (DOI) und werden über nationale und internationale Bibliothekskataloge sowie Suchmaschinen nachgewiesen und auffindbar.
Neue Veröffentlichungen:
Markers of ultra-processing: Market analyses and association with mortality and morbidity
(2024) Neumann, Nathalie Judith
Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is associated with a broad range of adverse health outcomes in epidemiological studies. A large number of these publications use the NOVA classification to define UPF. There are two kinds of ingredients that are exclusively found in UPF, i.e., non-culinary ingredients and cosmetic additives, which combined are referred to as markers of ultra-processing (MUP). Critics point out that the NOVA classification is too inconsistent and is based on broad and ambiguous definitions that are not supported by scientific evidence.
Taking these studies into consideration, there are three main research gaps in the field of UPF that were analysed in the present work: (1) Which underlying mechanisms can explain the effects of UPF on overeating and body weight gain; (2) How can UPF be detected more objectively; (3) Can the MUP concept be adapted to the German food market? These research gaps have been addressed within three publications.
In the first publication, added flavours were suggested to induce overeating and obesity by promoting hedonic eating and disrupting flavour-nutrient-learning. They increased feed intake and body weight as compared to non-flavoured control diets in a broad range of animal studies. In the second publication, UPF were detected objectively via a MUP- and ingredient listbased approach. Among all MUP, flavour was the most frequent marker for UPF detection. With a combination of three and six MUP, almost 80 % and 90 % of UPF were detected, respectively. In the third publication, the MUP- and ingredient list-based approach was transferred to the German food market. The proportion of UPF in plant-based meat products (PBMP) was higher than in meat-based products (MBP). Flavour and dextrose were the most frequent MUP in PBMP and MBP, respectively.
Further research should focus on the following six steps: (1) Conducting further analyses of the worldwide food market concerning MUP; (2) Elucidating pathophysiological pathways by which the large number of other MUP apart from added flavours could lead to adverse health outcomes; (3) Analysing the association of the whole range of MUP with mortality and morbidity in epidemiological studies; (4) Studying the effectiveness of restricting selected MUP in randomised controlled or crossover trials; (5) Adapting the definition of UPF according to the findings of the previous steps; (6) Applying public health interventions to reduce UPF consumption and to change the food market towards more non-UPF.
Investigating the Role of Microbiologicals (Bacillus Species) in the Biodegradation of Residues of Chemical Fugicides
(2023) Loew, Farnaz
This work investigated the feasibility of finding bacteria able to degrade chemical fungicides and also act as biofungicides. Accordingly, bacterial isolates from samples of plant material from sites where fungicide trials had been carried out with multiple sprays of one fungicide were cultured.
Enhanced growth of isolates in the presence of the fungicide was sought in screening tests. This resulted in six isolates from Revysol® sites and 9 from boscalid sites being selected for identification and further characterization. All the strains identified were from the Genus Bacillus (B. megaterium, B. velenzensis, and B. licheniformis) and all were in the lowest risk group.
Following the selection of isolates for identification, the growth dynamics of the selected isolates in the absence of any fungicide were examined, and the growth curves obtained were attributed to one of the three typical curves. The isolates segregated into these growth curve types consistent with the species identification.
Despite the initial assumption, the degradation ability of the bacterial isolates was not fungicide specific. Furthermore, the enhanced growth of the isolates was restricted to a certain range of fungicide concentrations, with an optimum of 5 ppm for all four fungicides.
The selected isolates identified as B. velenzensis functioned particularly well as biofungicides, significantly inhibiting the growth of all three fungal pathogens (Botrytis, Cercospora, and Sclerotinia) tested. Furthermore MBI 600 the commercial biofungicide, in addition to showing biofungicide activity on all three pathogens as expected also demonstrated the capacity to degrade all four of the fungicides used in this study.
Color constancy in real-world settings
(2024) Gegenfurtner, Karl R.; Weiss, David; Bloj, Marina
Color constancy denotes the ability to assign a particular and stable color percept to an object, irrespective of its surroundings and illumination. The light reaching the eye confounds illumination and spectral reflectance of the object, making the recovery of constant object color an ill-posed problem. How good the visual system is at accomplishing this task is still a matter of heated debate, despite more than a 100 years of research. Depending on the laboratory task and the specific cues available to observers, color constancy was found to be at levels ranging between 15% and 80%, which seems incompatible with the relatively stable color appearance of objects around us and the consistent usage of color names in real life. Here, we show close-to-perfect color constancy using real objects in a natural task and natural environmental conditions, chosen to mimic the role of color constancy in everyday life. Participants had to identify the color of a (non-present) item familiar to them in an office room under five different experimental illuminations. They mostly selected the same colored Munsell chip as their match to the absent object, even though the light reaching the eye in each case differed substantially. Our results demonstrate that color constancy under ideal conditions in the real world can indeed be exceptionally good. We found it to be as good as visual memory permits and not generally compromised by sensory uncertainty.
Cercozoan diversity of spring barley grown in the field is strongly plant compartment specific
(2024) Sacharow, Julia; Ratering, Stefan; Quiroga, Santiago; Geißler-Plaum, Rita; Schneider, Bellinda; Österreicher Cunha-Dupont, Alessandra; Schnell, Sylvia
Protists are an important part of the plant holobiome and influence plant growth and pathogenic pressure as consumers. Hordeum vulgare is one of the most economically important crops worldwide, and its yield depends on optimal environmental plant-growth conditions and pathogen defense. This study aimed to analyse the natural compositions of the cercozoan diversity, one of the most important and dominant protist phyla, of spring barley at different developmental stages, from different plant compartments over two years. Hordeum vulgare bulk soil samples were taken before seeding and after harvest on an organic farming field. Bulk soil, rhizosphere soil, roots and leaves were sampled at the flowering and ripening stages, and analysed with cercozoan-specific primers. Results showed a clear dominance of the families Sandonidae, Allapsidae, Cercomonadidae, Rhogostomidae and the order Glissomonadida in all sample types. Separated analyses of root, leaf and soil samples showed that members of the family Sandonidae were strongly enriched in leaf samples, while members of the Allapsidae family were enriched in the roots. No compositional differences were detected between the different plant developmental stages, except for the beta diversity of the leaf samples at the flowering and ripening stages. It can be concluded that the cercozoan diversity of spring barley is primarily affected by the plant compartment and not by the plant developmental stage. Further studies are needed to analyze the cercozoan community in greater taxonomic depth and to target their ecological function.
Effects of a Brief Mindfulness-based Intervention in Patients with Psoriasis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(2024) Eckardt, Markus; Stadtmüller, Laura; Zick, Christoph; Kupfer, Jörg; Schut, Christina
Mindfulness is a special type of attention, namely focusing on the current moment in a non-judgmental manner. Extensive mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have positive effects in patients with psoriasis. However, it is unclear whether brief (2-week) interventions are also beneficial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 2-week mindfulness-based intervention in patients with psoriasis. Patients were randomly assigned to an experimental (treatment-as-usual + mindfulness-based intervention) or control group (treatment-as-usual) during their clinic stay. All variables were measured by self-report using validated questionnaires: primary outcomes were mindfulness and self-compassion, secondary outcomes were itch catastrophizing, social anxiety, stress and skin status. Variables were assessed prior to, immediately and 3 months after the intervention. Effects were tested by repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Analyses of pre-post-measurements (n = 39) revealed a significant interaction effect on self-reported mindfulness [F(1,35) = 7.46, p = 0.010, η2p = 0.18] and a tendency to a significant effect on self-reported self-compassion [F(1,36) = 3.03, p = 0.090, η2p = 0.08]. There were no other significant effects, but most descriptive data were in favour of the experimental group. However, the control group showed a greater improvement in skin status. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and investigate which subgroups especially profit from such an intervention.