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openaire: EC/H2020/788489/EU//BioELCell Natural biopolymers have become key players in the preparation of biodegradable food packaging. However, biopolymers are typically highly hydrophilic, which imposes limitations in terms of barrier properties that are associated with water interactions. Here, we enhance the barrier properties of biobased packaging using multilayer designs, in which each layer displays a complementary barrier function. Oxygen, water vapor, and UV barriers were achieved using a stepwise assembly of cellulose nanofibers, biobased wax, and lignin particles supported by chitin nanofibers. We first engineered several designs containing CNFs and carnauba wax. Among them, we obtained low water vapor permeabilities in an assembly containing three layers, i.e., CNF/wax/CNF, in which wax was present as a continuous layer. We then incorporated a layer of lignin nanoparticles nucleated on chitin nanofibrils (LPChNF) to introduce a complete barrier against UV light, while maintaining film translucency. Our multilayer design which comprised CNF/wax/LPChNF enabled high oxygen (OTR of 3 ± 1 cm3/m2·day) and water vapor (WVTR of 6 ± 1 g/m2·day) barriers at 50% relative humidity. It was also effective against oil penetration. Oxygen permeability was controlled by the presence of tight networks of cellulose and chitin nanofibers, while water vapor diffusion through the assembly was regulated by the continuous wax layer. Lastly, we showcased our fully renewable packaging material for preservation of the texture of a commercial cracker (dry food). Our material showed functionality similar to that of the original packaging, which was composed of synthetic polymers.

Som stöd för Policyn för öppen forskningskultur har man utvecklat ett verktyg för självutvärdering av tjänster, som beaktar rekommendationerna i alla tidigare nationella riktlinjer för öppen vetenskap. Syftet med verktyget är att hjälpa forskningsorganisationerna att utvärdera och utveckla sina tjänster och göra dem tillgängliga. Organisationen kan producera tjänsterna ensam, i samarbete med andra organisationer eller utnyttja tjänster på nationell och internationell nivå. Åtgärder som främjar öppenhet gällande utvärdering, utbildning, forskningsdata och publicering, vilka också tas upp i Policyn för öppen forskningskultur, konkretiserar kriterierna på miniminivå och idealnivå. Dessa kriterier möjliggör olika målnivåer för olika typer av forskningsorganisationer på olika utgångsnivåer. Självutvärderingsverktygets åtgärder och kriterier utnyttjas också i den nationella uppföljningsmodellen för öppen vetenskap. Verktyget är avsett för organisationernas självutvärdering och utveckling av tjänster, medan uppföljningsmodellen gör det möjligt att bedöma hela fältets mognadsnivå gällande öppen vetenskap.

A self-evaluation tool for services has been developed to support the Policy for Open Scholarship, which takes into account the recommendations of all previous national policies on open science. The purpose of the tool is to assist research organisations in the self-evaluation and development of services and making them available. The organisation may produce the services alone, in cooperation with other organisations or utilise services at the national and international level. Measures promoting the openness of evaluation, learning, research data and publishing, which are also included in the Policy for Open Scholarship currently being prepared, are made concrete with minimum and ideal criteria. These criteria facilitate different target levels for different types of research organisations at different starting levels. The measures and criteria of the self-evaluation tool are also used in the national monitoring model for open science. The tool is intended for the self-assessment of organisations and the development of services, while the monitoring model makes it possible to assess the maturity level of the entire open science field.

Without food packaging, the global food supply chain could not function. Packaged food products are protected in transportation and retail, reducing food waste. Packaging is also a visible feature of environmental debates, as concerns over solid waste have become a part of public discussion. Responding to both challenges requires the packaging sector to develop and adopt sustainable innovations. This study seeks to understand the role of sustainability in food packaging innovation through expert interviews. The results of this study aid in clarifying actor roles for innovation processes in the packaging sector through encouraging collaboration and integrating socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability into innovation. The findings suggest that actors are primarily concerned with the ecological sustainability of packaging while economic or social factors in sustainable innovation play a more minor role. Finally, the study finds that much responsibility over developing innovations is placed on governmental organizations and brand owners in the food and beverage industry.

Application of barrier dispersion coatings on paperboards, which must have proper moisture and grease resistance for food applications, has always been an interesting subject for the packaging industry. In this study, paperboards were coated with a novel dispersion barrier coating prepared through mixing soy protein isolate (SPI) and polyethylene wax (PE-wax). Different characterization methods were used to study the effects of coating and its composition on the physical, mechanical, and barrier characteristics of paperboards. The results indicated that the incorporation of PE-wax into the coating formulation caused significant reduction of the viscosity of coating slurries. It had no effect on the coating weight of the samples but increased the thickness of the coated paperboards as compared with those coated with SPI only. The increase of the wax content led to a reduction of 5-16% in the tensile strength values in comparison with the uncoated paperboards. Barrier characteristics, i.e., water vapor permeability (WVP), surface wettability, and water resistance, improved by adding PE-wax. In addition, it was found that there was a critical level for the addition of PE-wax, 50% of SPI, as no oil migration was detected when the paperboards coated with SPI coatings contained less than 50% PE-wax.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a viable method for depositing functional, passivating, and encapsulating layers on top of halide perovskites. Studies in that area have only focused on metal oxides, despite a great number of materials that can be made with ALD. This work demonstrates that, in addition to oxides, other ALD processes can be compatible with the perovskites. We describe two new ALD processes for lead sulfide. These processes operate at low deposition temperatures (45-155 °C) that have been inaccessible to previous ALD PbS processes. Our processes rely on volatile and reactive lead precursors Pb(dbda) (dbda = rac-N2,N3-di-tert-butylbutane-2,3-diamide) and Pb(btsa)2 (btsa = bis(trimethylsilyl)amide) as well as H2S. These precursors produce high quality PbS thin films that are uniform, crystalline, and pure. The films exhibit p-type conductivity and good mobilities of 10-70 cm² V-1 s-1. Low deposition temperatures enable direct ALD of PbS onto a halide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) without its decomposition. The stability of MAPI in ambient air is greatly improved by capping with ALD PbS. More generally, these new processes offer valuable alternatives for PbS-based devices, and we hope that this study will inspire more studies on ALD of non-oxides on halide perovskites.

This document is the third and final iteration of recommendations for making semantic artefacts FAIR. These recommendations result from continuous discussions with semantic experts from multiple communities. Our previous work included 17 preliminary recommendations related to one or more of the FAIR principles, and 10 best practice recommendations on semantic artefacts. These recommendations were last published as Deliverable 2.5 and have now gone through minor revisions. The work has been published on GitHub and we used GitHub's issue tracking feature to allow the community to comment on the recommendations and best practices. The work presented in this version relates to the Best practices, the proposition for an initial service architecture to support FAIR Semantics, a first version of a community-driven minimum metadata schema for describing the Semantic Artefacts and discussing the future work around the recommendation and FAIR semantics.

It is generally acknowledged that researchers require substantial support from research infrastructures, data stewards, service providers, funders, etc. in order to achieve reasonable levels of FAIRness. The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) ecosystem also recognises the importance of FAIR data. As a final report, this deliverable aims to highlight and summarise the prerequisites, best practices and warnings that the EOSC association should take into account while driving forward the development, support and adoption of sustainable FAIR solutions. The prerequisites outline the basic requirements for implementing robust technical FAIR solutions, namely multilingualism and readability for both machines and humans. The best practices highlight two key guidelines that can reliably lead to achieving more FAIRness. The warnings provide a couple of cautions regarding PIDs and research object types.

Biodiversity informatics is a new and evolving field, requiring efforts to develop capacity and a curriculum for this field of science. The main objective was to summarise the level of activity and the efforts towards developing biodiversity informatics curricula, for work-based training and/or academic teaching at universities, taking place within the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) countries and its associated network. A survey approach was used to identify existing capacities and resources within the network. Most of GBIF Nodes survey respondents (80%) are engaged in onsite training activities, with a focus on work-based professionals, mostly researchers, policy-makers and students. Training topics include data mobilisation, digitisation, management, publishing, analysis and use, to enable the accessibility of analogue and digital biological data that currently reside as scattered datasets. An initial assessment of academic teaching activities highlighted that countries in most regions, to varying degrees, were already engaged in the conceptualisation, development and/or implementation of formal academic programmes in biodiversity informatics, including programmes in Benin, Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France, India, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Togo. Digital e-learning platforms were an important tool to help build capacity in many countries. In terms of the potential in the Nodes network, 60% expressed willingness to be recruited or commissioned for capacity enhancement purposes. Contributions and activities of various country nodes across the network have been highlighted and a working curriculum framework has been defined.

A “waste-valorization” approach was developed to transform recalcitrant hydrolysis lignin (HL) from second-generationbioethanol productioninto multifunctional bio-based products. The hydrolysis lignin (HL) was extracted with aqueousacetone, yielding two fractions enriched in lignin and cellulose, respectively. The soluble hydrolysis lignin (SHL) was converted into anionic and cationic colloidal lignin particles (CLPs and c-CLPs). The insoluble cellulose-rich fraction was transformed intolignocellulosicnanofibrils that were further combined with CLPs or c-CLPs to obtainnanocomposite filmswithtailored mechanical properties,oxygen permeabilityand antioxidant properties. To enable prospective applications of lignin in nanocomposite films and beyond, CLPs and c-CLPs were also produced from a soda lignin (SL) and the influence of the lignin type on the particle size and ecotoxicity was evaluated. Finally, the carbon footprint of the entire process from hydrolysis lignin to films was assessed and an integration to industrial scale was considered to reduce the energy consumption. While most previous work utilizes purified lignin and pristine and often purified cellulose fibers to produce nanomaterials, this work provides aproof of conceptfor utilizing the recalcitrant lignin-rich side stream of thebioethanolprocess as raw material for functional nanomaterials and renewable composites.

Protein films can be applied to improve food quality and to reduce packaging waste. To overcome their poor water barrier properties, lipids are often incorporated. The function of incorporated lipid depends on the interface between filler and matrix. This study aimed to tailor the properties of a protein–lipid film by designing the oil/water interface to see if the concept of inactive/active filler is valid. Therefore, we varied the emulsifier stabilizing solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to promote (viaβ-lactoglobulin) or to minimize (via Tween 20) interactions between particle surface and protein. SLN were incorporated into protein films and film properties were determined. Addition of SLN led to significantly decreased water vapor permeability (WVP) of protein films. However, WVP was mainly affected by the emulsifiers and not by the lipid. Protein-stabilized SLN (BS) replaced a lacking protein in the protein network and therefore did not influence the mechanical properties of the films at ambient temperature. BS-composite films were temperature sensitive, as lipid and sucrose palmitate melted at temperatures above 40°C. Tween 20-stabilized SLN(TS) led to reduced tensile strengths, probably due to perturbative effects of TS and plasticizing effects of Tween 20. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that TS and Tween 20 increased film mobility. Melting of lipid and emulsifiers, and temperature-dependent behavior of Tween 20 led to a strong temperature dependence of the film stiffness. By designing the interface, particles can be used to tailor mechanical properties of protein films. Tuned edible films could be used to control mass transfers between foods.

This work made use of the Aalto University Nanomicroscopy Center (Aalto-NMC) premises. The authors thank Ting Guan from Aalto University for her skillful assistance in the initial phase of the experimental development. Appreciation is also extended to Rita Hatakka and Tuyen Nguyen for their assistance with the HPAEC analysis and microfluidizer operation. This work was a part of the Academy of Finland’s Flagship Programme under Projects Nos. 318890 and 318891 (Competence Center for Materials Bioeconomy, FinnCERES). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 American Chemical Society. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved. Developing the bio-based barrier material to substitute the petroleum-based one is the trend in functional packaging applications. Utilization of the abundantly underappreciated bark biomass is attractive from the sustainability point of view; however, an upgraded approach is required to maximize the performances of the lignin-containing cellulose nanofibril (LCNF) films from willow bark. Herein, hot water extraction (HWE) and microfluidization were studied for their effect on the yield of LCNF and its film performance after treatment of aqueous p-toluenesulfonic acid. The resultant HWE films were superior to the nontreated ones regarding yield, moisture, and oxygen barrier properties. In particular, the HWE films achieved an oxygen permeability of 3 cm3·μm/m2·kPa·day at 50% relative humidity, which is among the lowest achieved for single bio-based materials and comparable to commercially available synthetic barrier films. The LCNF films attained complete blocking of UV light transmission within the wavelength range of 290-400 nm. Overall, this study shows that HWE pretreatment not only allows the recovery of high-value extracts, but also significantly improves the yield of LCNF and its barrier performances. The biocompatible, lignin-containing, and self-standing hydrophobic nanocellulose films show promise as a barrier layer against UV radiation and oxygen permeation in food packaging and other applications.

International audience; Tree architecture has evolved to support a top-heavy above-ground biomass, but this integral feature poses a weight-induced challenge to trunk stability. Maintaining an upright stem is expected to require vertical proprioception through feedback between sensing stem weight and responding with radial growth. Despite its apparent importance, the principle by which plant stems respond to vertical loading forces remains largely unknown. Here, by manipulating the stem weight of downy birch (Betula pubescens) trees, we show that cambial development is modulated systemically along the stem. We carried out a genetic study on the underlying regulation by combining an accelerated birch flowering program with a recessive mutation at the ELIMAKI locus (EKI), which causes a mechanically defective response to weight stimulus resulting in stem collapse after just 3 months. We observed delayed wood morphogenesis in eki compared with WT, along with a more mechanically elastic cambial zone and radial compression of xylem cell size, indicating that rapid tissue differentiation is critical for cambial growth under mechanical stress. Furthermore, the touch-induced mechanosensory pathway was transcriptionally misregulated in eki, indicating that the ELIMAKI locus is required to integrate the weight-growth feedback regulation. By studying this birch mutant, we were able to dissect vertical proprioception from the gravitropic response associated with reaction wood formation. Our study provides evidence for both local and systemic responses to mechanical stimuli during secondary plant development.

Suberin fatty acids were extracted from outer bark of Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) using an isopropanolic sodium hydroxide solution. Laboratory sheets composed of lignocellulosic fiber networks were prepared from unbleached and unrefined softwood kraft pulp and further impregnated with suberin fatty acid monomers and cured with maleic anhydride in ethanol solution. The treatment resulted in hydrophobic surfaces, in which the contact angles remained over 120 degrees during the entire measurement. The fiber network also retained its water vapor permeability and enhanced fiber&ndash, fiber bonding resulted in improved tensile strength of the sheets. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the curing agent, together with suberin fatty acids, was evenly distributed on the fiber surfaces and smoothing occurred over the wrinkled microfibrillar structure. High concentrations of the curing agent resulted in globular structures containing betulinol derivates as revealed with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Also, the larger amount of suberin fatty acid monomers slightly impaired the optical properties of sheets.

Faba bean has gained increasing attention from the food industry and the consumers mainly due to the quality of its protein fraction. Fermentation has been recently recognized as the most efficient tool for improving its nutritional and organoleptic properties. In this study, faba bean flour fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum DPPMAB24W was used to fortify semolina pasta. Pasta samples including different percentages of fermented faba bean flour were produced at the pilot-plant level and characterized using an integrated approach for chemical, nutritional, technological, and sensory features. At a substitution level of 30%, pasta had a more homogeneous texture and lower cooking loss compared to 50% addition. The impact of faba bean flour addition on pasta technological functionality, particularly of the protein fraction, was also assessed by scanning electron microscopy and textural profile analysis. Compared to traditional (semolina) pasta and pasta containing unfermented faba bean flour, the nutritional profile (in vitro protein digestibility and nutritional indexes - chemical score (CS), sequence of limiting essential amino acids, Essential Amino Acid Index (EAAI), Biological Value (BV), Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), and Nutritional Index (NI)) and the resistant starch content of pasta containing 30% fermented faba bean flour markedly improved, while the starch hydrolysis rate decreased, without negatively affecting technological and sensory features. The use of fermentation technology appears to be a promising tool to enhance the quality of pasta and to promote the use of faba bean flour.

Biodiversity informatics has been characterized as a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field, which aims to bring together the areas of biodiversity and informatics. A study was conducted looking at the current level of activity within the GBIF Participant countries and its associated network in relation to work-based training and/or academic teaching at universities, in the field of biodiversity informatics. It was intended to get an overview of GBIF Node Managers, (hence, member countries), already engaged in developing course curricula, or in providing training, and whether they would be willing to share resources or enter into collaborations, to further elaborate this field of science. This investigation followed a survey approach, conducted globally across the GBIF community to identify the existing capacities and resources within the network. The results indicated that the vast majority of GBIF Nodes survey respondents, are engaged in onsite training activities in biodiversity informatics areas, with a focus on professionals, mostly researchers, policy makers and students. Training includes data digitization, management, publishing, analysis and use, to enable the accessibility of analogue and digital biological data which currently resides as scattered databases/datasets. A list containing the associated URL's for training and dissemination activities in GBIF Nodes has been developed, based on survey results, and will be presented. An initial assessment of the academic teaching activities indicated that many countries across most regions were already engaged in the conceptualisation, development and/or implementation of formal academic programs in biodiversity informatics including Benin, Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France, India, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan and Togo. This study also identified that digital e-learning platforms were a very important tool to help build capacity in a number of countries. To assess the level of potential in the network to support academic teaching and work-based training, sixty percent indicated that they would be willing to be recruited or commissioned to support teaching activities, demonstrating the value of the Nodes network to support the development of biodiversity informatics globally. The contributions and activities of various nodes across the network will be highlighted and a working high-level curriculum framework will be discussed.

Environmental benign cellulosic textiles are hampered by their tendency to absorb water, which restricts their use in functional clothing. Herein we describe a method to functionalize textile surfaces using thin, open coatings based on natural wax particles and natural polymers rendering cellulosic fabrics water-repellent while retaining their feel and breathability. The impact of curing temperature, cationic polymer and fabric properties on wetting and long-term water-repellency were studied using contact angle measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The wetting properties were correlated to roughness of the textiles using white light interferometer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the surface chemical composition, leading to fundamental understanding of the effect of annealing on the wax layer. Breathability was evaluated by water vapor permeability. The optimal curing temperature was 70 °C. The developed coating performed well on different natural textiles, and better than commercial alternatives. A set of garment prototypes were produced using the coating.

The remarkable vertical and radial growth observed in tree species, encompasses a major physical challenge for wood forming tissues. To compensate with increasing size and weight, cambium-derived radial growth increases the stem width, thereby supporting the aerial body of trees. This feedback appears to be part of a so-called “proprioception” (1, 2) mechanism that controls plant size and biomass allocation. Yet, how trees experience or respond to mechanical stress derived from their own vertical loading, remains unknown. Here, we combined two strategies to dissect the proprioceptive response in birch. First, we show that in response to physical loading, trees promote radial growth with different magnitudes along the stem. Next, we identified a mutant cultivar (B. pubescens cv. Elimäki) in which the main stem shows normal vertical development, but collapses after three months. By inducing precocious flowering, we generated a backcrossed population (BC1) by producing two generations in 4 years. In his scheme, we uncovered a recessive trait (eki) that segregates and genetically maps with a Mendelian monogenic pattern. Unlike WT,ekiis resistant to vertical mechanical stimulation. However,ekiresponds normally to the gravitropic stimulus by making tension wood. Before the collapse, cell size inekiis compromised resulting in radial growth defects, depending on stem height. Cell walls of developing xylem and phloem tissues have delayed differentiation ineki, and its tissues are softer compared to WT as indicated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The transcriptomic profile ofekihighlighted the overlap with that of theArabidopsisresponse to touch. Taken together, our results suggest that the mechanical environment and cell wall properties of developing woody tissues, can significantly affect the growth responses to vertical loading thereby compromising their proprioceptive capacity. Additionally, we introduce a fast forward genetics strategy to dissect complex phenotypes in trees.

Tree architecture has evolved to support a top-heavy above-ground biomass, but this integral feature poses a weight-induced challenge to trunk stability. Maintaining an upright stem is expected to require vertical proprioception through feedback between sensing stem weight and modulating radial growth. Despite its apparent importance, the principle by which plant stems respond to vertical loading forces remains largely unknown. Here, by manipulating the stem weight of downy birch (Betula pubescens) trees, we show that cambial development is modulated systemically along the stem. We carried out a genetic study on the underlying regulation by combining an accelerated birch flowering program with a recessive mutation at the ELIMAKI locus (EKI), which causes a mechanically defective response to weight stimulus resulting in stem collapse after just three months. We observed delayed wood morphogenesis in eki compared with WT, along with a more mechanically elastic cambial zone and radial compression of xylem cell size, indicating that timely tissue differentiation is critical for cambial growth under mechanical stress. Furthermore, the touch-induced mechanosensory pathway was transcriptionally misregulated in eki, indicating that the ELIMAKI locus is required to integrate the weight-growth feedback regulation. By studying this birch mutant, we were able to dissect vertical proprioception from the gravitropic response associated with reaction wood formation. Taken together, our study provides evidence for both local and systemic responses to mechanical stimuli during secondary plant development.

Citation: Tiekstra, S.; Dopico-Parada, A.; Koivula, H.; Lahti, J.; Buntinx, M. Holistic Approach to a Successful Market Implementation of Active and Intelligent Food Packaging. Foods 2021, 10, 465. https://doi. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by COST for promoting the collaboration between the authors and contributors. This position paper would not have been possible without the contributions of many of the ActInPak Working Group 2 participants from various backgrounds and invited experts on a.o. industry, society, and legislation. During its lifetime, ActInPak provided a platform for open communication, linking (i) research organizations in the areas of papermaking, packaging, printing, bio-based materials/chemicals; (ii) industry (large and SMEs); and (iii) branch organizations and policy/standardization groups. This platform was created by organizing various meetings, workshops, and conferences on topics that mattered during that period of the Action. Both Invited experts (from science as well as industry) and ActInPak participants presented their views to direct the network’s activities. Additionally, the authors thank ActInPak for granting permission to use Figures 1–7. Figures 1–4, Figures 5 and 7, and Figures 6 and 7 were, respectively, designed by Anouk Dantuma, Veronika Štampfl, and Sanne Tiekstra.

Mineral oil migration through paperboard presents a safety risk in modern food packaging. This study aimed to enhance the safety of fiber-based packaging by utilizing a bio-based composite barrier layer to protect against mineral oil. Starch-clay composite coatings on paperboard were created via dispersion coating. Thermal analysis of the coating components and field emission scanning electron microscopy imaging were performed to ascertain the physicochemical properties and morphology of the coatings. Coating functionality was evaluated using contact angles and transmission rate (water and oxygen) measurements. The packaging safety focus was implemented by measuring the gas phase migration of heptane and analyzing the migration of liquid mineral oil through the coated paperboards with FTIR. The functional properties of the coated paperboards were maintained or improved. The studied coatings were effective barriers against the migration of mineral oil and could hence improve the barrier properties and safety of fiber-based primary food packaging.

Biodegradable coatings and films of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) or a combination of CNFs and inorganic fillers, such as clay or calcium carbonate (CaCO3), can provide a replacement for non-biodegradable plastic coatings as barrier layers in packaging boards. In this work, transparent composite films were prepared from CNFs of Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus using different amounts of clay and CaCO3 as fillers. The impact of raw material (softwood vs. hardwood), TEMPO oxidation levels and filler type (clay vs. CaCO3) on film properties was studied. Pinus radiata CNF films had superior mechanical properties to Eucalyptus CNF films, but no significant differences were observed in the barrier and optical properties. Clay seemed to work better as filler compared to CaCO3, in terms of its impact on film properties. Composite films with CaCO3 as filler were highly brittle with inferior properties to clay-CNF films, and an uneven distribution and agglomeration of the CaCO3 mineral particles was evident in SEM images. Based on the results, clay as filler in CNF coatings is preferred for targeting packaging board applications. Rheological characterisation of the CNF suspensions revealed shear-thinning behaviour, with the CNF from Eucalyptus having higher viscosities and lower power-law indices when compared to the CNF from P. radiata.

With biodiversity research activities being increasingly shifted to the web, the need for a system of persistent and stable identifiers for physical collection objects becomes increasingly pressing. The Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities agreed on a common system of HTTP-URI-based stable identifiers which is now rolled out to its member organizations. The system follows Linked Open Data principles and implements redirection mechanisms to human-readable and machine-readable representations of specimens facilitating seamless integration into the growing semantic web. The implementation of stable identifiers across collection organizations is supported with open source provider software scripts, best practices documentations and recommendations for RDF metadata elements facilitating harmonized access to collection information in web portals. Database URL : http://cetaf.org/cetaf-stable-identifiers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a thin, TEMPO-oxidized (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl–mediated oxidation) cellulose nanofibril (CNF) coating as a barrier layer in multilayer packaging films together with biobased polyethylenes. The purpose was also to explore the possible interactions between food products and the biobased films, and to evaluate the feasibility of these films for packaging of dry foods. CNF provided the biobased multilayer films with an oxygen barrier suitable for both demanding food products and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The MAP pouches made of these multilayer films retained their atmosphere and shape and protected ground hazelnuts from further oxidation for the storage time used in this study. However, irradiation used to sterilize packed foods and aroma compounds from clove in particular impaired the oxygen barrier property of the CNF layer, while the water vapor barrier property of the multilayer films remained unaffected. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44830.

In the original version of this article, one of the concentrations of CNF suspensions has been reported to be 0.01% under the results and discussion of rheology measurements. It should have been 0.1% instead.

Current environmental concerns have encouraged the food packaging industry to search for biobased barriers produced from renewable material sources. One candidate for renewable barrier applications is nanocellulose which has been found to possess excellent barrier properties, especially against grease and oxygen. However, most of the research presented so far has been based on small, batch-produced films or coatings of nanocellulose. Reports on continuous processing of nanocellulose into films or coatings, which is required for large-scale, low-cost production, are few. The current work presents a roll-to-roll coating process of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) suspensions on paperboard for renewable barrier applications. The coating apparatus used herein provides a low effective viscosity to enable the processing of the highly viscous nanocellulose suspensions into a coating on a paper web. The impact of various process parameters on the coating quality and runnability are discussed. Strength (tensile and burst...

Offset printability is influenced by interactions between ink constituents: linseed oil, mineral oil and water (fountain solution), with the mineral surfaces of paper coatings. To exclude complications of the porous structure effects, the influence of temperature and moisture on wetting by offset ink model liquids were studied on cleaved optical calcite surfaces with and without sodium polyacrylate dispersant. Contact angle measurement was chosen as the method of analysis. The results show that a moderate temperature increase from 25 °C to 60 °C, which might occur in the process, does not affect the wetting of these surfaces by mineral oil. Water and linseed oil are affected by the transport of moisture at the surfaces as an indirect consequence of temperature increase. The linseed oil behavior was found to be sensitive to polarity changes of the surfaces.

Well-defined optical properties are essential in determining the quality of printed papers. The mea-surement of optical properties, such as print gloss, as a function of time provides a means of studying ink-setting behavior and paper-ink interactions. This study compares three different methods for measuring dynamic print gloss: a dynamic gloss meter, a diffractive-optical-element-based gloss meter (DOG), and a polarized-light reflec-tometer. Four double-coated papers were printed at varying ink levels. This paper compares and discusses the tech-nical details of the measurement techniques. Dynamic print gloss results are evaluated in the light of current ink-set-ting theories. Each of the methods is highly applicable to ink-setting studies. With low inking level, the paper properties, surface roughness, and absorption are important for gloss development. Printing conditions such as speed, nip geometry, and materials have significant influence. As the amount of ink used in printing is increased, the printing conditions start to influence the gloss dynamics considerably, especially on glossy papers.

The design of minerals for coated papers to maximise ink hold out and printed colour density has been an area of much study over the years. It is desirable in terms of cost and press runnability to achieve the required colour density with the minimum amount of ink applied. In this work, a series of heatset offset ink components was printed separately onto a coated paper and then combined into a varnish and then a whole ink. The ink components were visualised by focused ion beam (FIB) to determine which of the ink components entered the coating layer. The ink varnish was also applied to modified thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates, which had been coated with the same coating formulation as the paper samples. The separation of the ink components on modified TLC plates was assessed using FTIR spectroscopy. The results show that ink components, which enter the coating layer after offset printing, can be visualised in the FIB instrument. An exception to this was the mineral oil, which did not remain in the coating layer after drying and placing under vacuum due to its volatile nature. It was noticed that the contrast of the FIB image increased significantly when the samples with wax dissolved in the oil were imaged, which also allowed for a very clear imaging of the porous structure of coating layer. This type of image would be excellent for fundamental studies of detailed pore structure within a coating layer. This work agrees with other published findings which show that the pigments and hard resins remain on the surface of the coating, whereas the mineral and vegetable oils are mobile and penetrate into the coating layer. Ester solvent and dissolved wax also penetrate into the coating layer.

A combination of optical and tomographic imaging techniques for inspection of local surface roughness and specular gloss of black prints and coated paper are introduced. A diffractive optical-element-based glossmeter (DOG) and a low-coherence interferometer (LCI) were used to obtain local information about the print in terms of topographic and gloss maps. X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) was used to obtain 3D local structural information of the coated paper. Gloss and topographic maps were used to determine statistical gloss and roughness parameters. These parameters were useful when analysing the surface condition of prints and coated paper. We found an orientation-dependent gloss slope, which reflects the fact that gloss does not depend on the surface roughness alone. Slope parameters turned out to be particularly sensitive to surface properties.

A recently built multifunction spectrophotometer is used to measure reflectance from a dried liquid layer of optically very dense medium applied as a liquid onto the probe window in the form of a face of a prism. The measurement consists of scanning across of the wavelength range 400–800 nm and recording the s- and p-polarized light reflection. Complex refractive data is extracted using Azzam’s theory for light reflection. As an example, data for the case of dry magenta offset ink are shown, an application where the complex refractive index of the solidified ink layer is important in the evaluation of the print quality. The present method is not restricted to the case of inks but is proposed to be applicable across a broad range of applications, such as assessment of the optical properties of paints and biomedical samples. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spreading of oils and water on porous and pre-saturated model carbonate coating structures was studied with high speed video imaging. The short-time data were complemented with long time absorption and wicking experiments. The results indicate a strong dependence between surface structural features of the pigment tablets and water spreading at short times, both in non-saturated and water pre-saturated cases, while the oil spreading is mainly dependent on the liquid properties. Sodium polyacrylate dispersant on pigment surfaces is shown to contribute to water spreading and absorption. On pre-saturated structures the liquid-liquid interactions are dominant and the majority of results support spreading according to the molecular kinetic model. The evidence supports the hypothesis of S. Rousu, P. Gane, and D. Eklund, [“Influence of coating pigment chemistry and morphology on the chromatographic separation of offset ink constituents,” in The Science of Papermaking Transactions of the 12th Fundamental Research Symposium, FRC The Pulp & Paper Fundamental Research Society, Oxford, UK, 2001, p. 1115] that at long times the oils absorb into the porous structure at a rate proportional to the ratio of viscosity and surface tension, provided there is no sorptive action with the binder. A combination of nanosized pores and large surface area is useful for providing sufficient absorption capability for carbonate based coatings.

The optical properties of inks have much importance in quality inspection of prints. For instance, gloss and gloss mottling of a print depend not only on the surface roughness of the print but also on the spectral properties such as the wavelength-dependent complex refractive index of the ink. We have developed a device, the so-called multi-function spectrophotometer (MFS), that allows the measurement of reflectance and thereby assessment of the complex refractive index of the dry ink. Here, we report on the complex refractive index of dry black and cyan offset inks. Such information has importance in the study of gloss of prints. Furthermore, we show that the colour of these dry inks can be obtained with our apparatus by using light scattering data from the dry ink.

Biodiversity informatics plays a central enabling role in the research community's efforts to address scientific\ud conservation and sustainability issues. Great strides have been made in the past decade establishing a framework\ud for sharing data, where taxonomy and systematics has been perceived as the most prominent discipline involved.\ud To some extent this is inevitable, given the use of species names as the pivot around which information is\ud organised. To address the urgent questions around conservation, land-use, environmental change, sustainability,\ud food security and ecosystem services that are facing Governments worldwide, we need to understand how the\ud ecosystem works. So, we need a systems approach to understanding biodiversity that moves significantly beyond\ud taxonomy and species observations. Such an approach needs to look at the whole system to address species\ud interactions, both with their environment and with other species.\ud It is clear that some barriers to progress are sociological, basically persuading people to use the technological\ud solutions that are already available. This is best addressed by developing more effective systems that deliver\ud immediate benefit to the user, hiding the majority of the technology behind simple user interfaces. An\ud infrastructure should be a space in which activities take place and, as such, should be effectively invisible.\ud This community consultation paper positions the role of biodiversity informatics, for the next decade, presenting\ud the actions needed to link the various biodiversity infrastructures invisibly and to facilitate understanding that can\ud support both business and policy-makers. The community considers the goal in biodiversity informatics to be full\ud integration of the biodiversity research community, including citizens’ science, through a commonly-shared,\ud sustainable e-infrastructure across all sub-disciplines that reliably serves science and society alike.

In the offset printing process, ink film splitting has an important impact on formation of ink filaments. The filament size and its distribution influence the leveling of ink and hence affect ink setting and the print quality. However, ink filaments are difficult to image due to their short lifetime and fine length scale. Due to this difficulty, limited work has been reported on the parameters that influence filament size and methods to characterize it. We imaged ink filament remains and quantified some of their characteristics by changing printing speed, ink amount, and fountain solution type. Printed samples were prepared using a laboratory printability tester with varying ink levels and operating settings. Rhodamine B dye was incorporated into fountain solutions to aid in the detection of the filaments. The prints were then imaged with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and images were further analyzed for their surface topography. Modeling of the pressure pulses in the printing nip was included to better understand the mechanism of filament formation and the origin of filament length scale. Printing speed and ink amount changed the size distribution of the observed filament remains. There was no significant difference between fountain solutions with or without isopropyl alcohol on the observed patterns of the filament remains.