Abstract: As part of the NWO Science4ArtsREVISRembrandtproject (2012-2018), novel chemical imaging techniques were developed and applied to the study of Rembrandt's late experimental painting technique (1651-1669). One of the unique features in his late paintings is his abundant use of smalt: a blue cobalt glass pigment that he often combined with organic lake pigments, earth pigments and blacks. Since most of these smalt-containing paints have discolored over time, we wanted to find out more about how these paintings may have originally looked, and what the role of smalt was in his paint. This paper reports on the use of smalt in complex pigment mixtures in Rembrandt'sHomer(1663), Mauritshuis, The Hague. Macroscopic X-ray fluorescence imaging (MA-XRF) assisted by computational analysis, in combination with SEM-EDX analysis of paint cross-sections, provides new information about the distribution and composition of the smalt paints in the painting. Paint reconstructions were carried out to investigate the effect of different percentages of smalt on the overall color, the drying properties, translucency and texture of the paint. Results show that the influence of (the originally blue) smalt on the intended color of the paint of theHomeris minimal. However, in mixtures with high percentages of smalt, or when combined with more transparent pigments, it was concluded that the smalt did produce a cooler and darker paint. It was also found that the admixture of opaque pigments reduced the translucent character of the smalt. The drying tests show that the paints with (cobalt-containing) smalt dried five times faster compared to those with glass (without cobalt). Most significantly, the texture of the paint was strongly influenced by adding smalt, creating a more irregular surface topography with clearly pronounced brushstrokes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used as an additional tool to reveal differences in translucency and texture between the different paint reconstructions. In conclusion, this study confirmed earlier assumptions that Rembrandt used substantial amounts of smalt in his late paintings, not for its blue color, but to give volume and texture to his paints, to deepen their colors and to make them dry faster.

Abstract: Background This study explores the repurposing of Auranofin (AF), an anti-rheumatic drug, for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Drug repurposing in oncology offers a cost-effective and time-efficient approach to developing new cancer therapies. Our research focuses on evaluating AF's selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells, identifying RNAseq-based biomarkers to predict AF response, and finding the most effective co-therapeutic agents for combination with AF. Methods Our investigation employed a comprehensive drug screening of AF in combination with eleven anticancer agents in cancerous PDAC and NSCLC patient-derived organoids (n = 7), and non-cancerous pulmonary organoids (n = 2). Additionally, we conducted RNA sequencing to identify potential biomarkers for AF sensitivity and experimented with various drug combinations to optimize AF's therapeutic efficacy. Results The results revealed that AF demonstrates a preferential cytotoxic effect on NSCLC and PDAC cancer cells at clinically relevant concentrations below 1 µM, sparing normal epithelial cells. We identified Carbonic Anhydrase 12 (CA12) as a significant RNAseq-based biomarker, closely associated with the NF-κB survival signaling pathway, which is crucial in cancer cell response to oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that cancer cells with low CA12 expression are more susceptible to AF treatment. Furthermore, the combination of AF with the AKT inhibitor MK2206 was found to be particularly effective, exhibiting potent and selective cytotoxic synergy, especially in tumor organoid models classified as intermediate responders to AF, without adverse effects on healthy organoids. Conclusion Our research offers valuable insights into the use of AF for treating NSCLC and PDAC. It highlights AF's cancer cell selectivity, establishes CA12 as a predictive biomarker for AF sensitivity, and underscores the enhanced efficacy of AF when combined with MK2206 and other therapeutics. These findings pave the way for further exploration of AF in cancer treatment, particularly in identifying patient populations most likely to benefit from its use and in optimizing combination therapies for improved patient outcomes.

Abstract: Eight silicate glasses were prepared by directly fusing and stirring 50-100 g each of basalt, andesite, komatiite, peridotite, rhyolite, and quartz-diorite. These are referred to as MPI-DING glasses and were made for the purpose of providing reference materials for geochemical, in-situ microanalytical work. Results from various analytical techniques indicate that individual glass fragments are well homogenised with respect to major and trace elements at the mu m to mm scale. Heterogeneities due to quench crystallisation of olivine have been observed in small and limited areas of the two komatiitic glasses. In order to obtain concentration values for as many elements as possible, the glasses were analysed by a variety of bulk and microanalytical methods in a number of laboratories. From the analytical data, preliminary reference values for more than sixty elements were calculated. The analytical uncertainties of most elements are estimated to be between 1% and 10%.

Abstract: In order to sustain human life in an isolated environment, an efficient conversion of wasted nutrients to food might become mandatory. This is particularly the case for space missions where resupply from earth or in-situ resource utilization is not possible or desirable. A combination of different technologies is needed to allow full recycling of e.g. nitrogenous compounds in space. In this review, an overview is given of the different essential processes and technologies that enable closure of the nitrogen cycle in Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS). Firstly, a set of biological and physicochemical refinery stages ensures efficient conversion of waste products into the building blocks, followed by the production of food with a range of biological methods. For each technology, bottlenecks are identified. Furthermore, challenges and outlooks are presented at the integrated system level. Space adaptation and integration deserve key attention to enable the recovery of nitrogen for the production of nutritional food in space, but also in closed loop systems on earth.

Abstract: A polycrystalline sample of perovskite-like Sr3Fe2TeO9 has been prepared in a solid-state reaction and studied by a combination of electron microscopy, Mossbauer spectroscopy, magnetometry, X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. The majority of the reaction product is shown to be a trigonal phase with a 2:1 ordered arrangement of Fe3+ and Te6+ cations. However, the sample is prone to nano twinning and tetragonal domains with a different pattern of cation ordering exist within many crystallites. Antiferromagnetic ordering exists in the trigonal phase at 300 K and Sr3Fe2TeO9 is thus the first example of a perovskite with 2:1 trigonal cation ordering to show long-range magnetic order. At 300 K the antiferromagnetic phase coexists with two paramagnetic phases which show spin -glass behaviour below similar to 80 K. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Abstract: At the core of the theoretical framework of the ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) is the thermodynamic principle that one can determine the equilibrium behavior of ferroelectric (FERRO) systems using the appropriate thermodynamic potential. In literature, it is often implicitly assumed, without formal justification, that the Gibbs free energy is the appropriate potential and that the impact of free charge accumulation can be neglected. In this Article, we first formally demonstrate that the Grand Potential is the appropriate thermodynamic potential to analyze the equilibrium behavior of perfectly coherent and uniform FERRO-systems. We demonstrate that the Grand Potential only reduces to the Gibbs free energy for perfectly non-conductive FERRO-systems. Consequently, the Grand Potential is always required for free charge-conducting FERRO-systems. We demonstrate that free charge accumulation at the FERRO interface increases the hysteretic device characteristics. Lastly, a theoretical best-case upper limit for the interface defect density D-FI is identified. The ferroelectric field-effect transistor, which has attracted much attention for application as both a highly energy-efficient logic device and a non-volatile memory device, has often been studied within the framework of equilibrium thermodynamics. Here, the authors theoretically demonstrate the importance of utilizing the correct thermodynamic potential and investigate the impact of free charge accumulation on the equilibrium performance of ferroelectric-based systems.

Abstract: Addition of a labile sulphur donor to light sensitive silver halide microcrystals results in the formation of a distribution of silver sulphide clusters on the crystal surface. These silver sulphide clusters enhance the efficiency of image formation during the photographic process. Their activity towards the capturing of light photons, however, is very critical to their size (aggregation number) and concentration. By incorporating gold ions into silver sulphide clusters it was possible to monitor the size distribution by measuring the amount of gold reacted. From these experiments, no evidence was found for aggregation of the reacted sulphur entities on the surface. The uptake of gold ions at different sulphur concentrations could well be fitted with a simulated size distribution when a catalyzed deposition of sulphur was assumed, with a reactivity of the surface equal to 1.0 % for the microcrystals studied. From a simulation of the silver sulphide cluster size distribution a correlation could also be found between increasing aggregation numbers and the absorption at increasing wavelengths in diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Abstract: We demonstrate that near-edge X-ray-absorption fine-structure spectroscopy combined with full-field transmission X-ray microscopy can be used to study the electronic structure of suspended carbon nanohorns. Based on reports of electronic structure calculations additional spectral features observed in the π region of the NEXAFS spectrum recorded on the carbon nanohorns were associated to the presence of the pentagonal rings and the folding of the graphene sheet.