| 01/16/2023 - Differentiating cannabis products: Drugs, food, and supplements  Hemp? Cannabis? Marijuana? Industrial hemp? Salehi et al. note that terms like these and others are "a significant source of confusion for many," not just in the public but also within industry, marketing, and other groups. This not only causes issues with communicating research clearly but also employing that research to best effect. As such, the authors of this paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, pose the important question, "What is essential for defining Cannabis as a food, supplement, or drug?" Salehi et al. answer this question by reviewing a wide swath of current study on the Cannabis plant and its derivatives, highlighting critical definitions, composition, production practices, and pharmacological effects as part of defining the essentials of Cannabis. The authors also go into its use in foods, drugs, and supplements, as well as regulatory status and testing methodologies. They conclude that "despite all of the recent advances, several cannabis topics remain to be addressed," and addressing those topics will require more consistent terminology, greater understanding of the human endocannabinoid system, and a more consistent "platform for developing research about cannabis and related industries" within a number of countries.
11/22/2022 - Can a byte improve our bite? An analysis of digital twins in the food industry  In this 2022 paper published in Sensors, Henrichs et al. of the University of Hohenheim present their literature review on the topic of digital twins in the food and beverage industry. The concept of the digital twin—a digital representation of a product, process, or system that as closely as possible represents the characteristics of the physical representation—is relatively new, and its use in the food and beverage industry holds much promise, according to the authors' research. After an introduction and extensive background, the authors provide the methodology for their review, focusing on six critical questions. They then present their results from a broad perspective, and then a more in-depth discussion focusing on answering those six questions. They close by emphasizing related work in the field, and then concluding that while a majority of the research conducted by others involves the production and processing stages of food and beverage activities, a dearth of cases appear to discuss supply, processing, retail, and consumption. They also note that "relatively few focus on the integration of digital twins in systems for developing autonomous control or providing recommendations to humans," which could be practically useful in the industry. "Nevertheless, digital twins provide huge potentials," they add, "e.g., in determining food quality, ensuring traceability, or designing personalized foods."
| 
Modern laboratory informatics systems are essential to the efficient operations of both oil and gas production facilities and related research work. In research, ELNs can manage the progress of research projects with LIMS providing support for extensive routine testing programs. With a well-designed laboratory informatics architecture and attention paid to technology management and planning, a laboratory informatics system can support a petrochemical organization's research, production, regulatory, and customer support needs. 
Data migration has always been seen as a barrier to a laboratory information management system (LIMS). The process of transferring data from one system to another can be complex, challenging, and time-consuming. That is why organisations should carefully consider the data migration process when implementing a LIMS and ensure that all data is accurately transferred by an expert LIMS vendor.
Selecting a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for any lab is usually not a simple decision. There are different types of stakeholders i.e. users of the system, who expect LIMS to fulfill different requirements as each of them uses it for different purposes. Understanding and implementing the suggestions and requirements of all user groups provides increased value to a lab. 
As we start 2023, now is the perfect time to start thinking about your STEM career (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and which skills are most in demand. 
