Search Results (17)

Agricultural prosumption is a transformative pathway, enabling individuals to reconnect to nature whilst producing food for their own consumption. Allotment gardens (AGs) and community-supported agriculture (CSA) are two main types of this practice, forming opposing sides on a continuous prosumption scale, ranging from prosumption-as-consumption (p-a-c), as in consumption focused CSA initiatives, to prosumption-as-production (p-a-p), as in the production-orientated AGs. Using a survey completed by Swiss CSA (n = 250) and AG members (n = 201), this study shows how prosumers perceive the benefits of their activity, how these experiences shape their likeliness to continue and how differently they rate the effects of prosumption on individuals, communities and society. In addition, it provides an outlook on associated societal developments, regarding these activities as forms of contributive economy. Although the two groups differed in their socio-demographics, their attitudes and experiences were similar. P-a-p organisations (AGs) enhance production-related individual benefits, while p-a-c organisations foster positive experiences around consumption activities. AG continuation is driven by the experienced health and food-related benefits, while CSAs rely on the communal and organisational involvement of their members. While AG members focus on individual benefits, CSA members strive to be part of a food system change, using their communal structures to create a social movement. This demonstrates the wide range and potential of food prosumption in fostering diverse forms of engagement, offering insights into its potential for sustaining participation and contributing to alternative economic models. Full article

Knee joint stability comprises passive (ligaments), active (muscles), and static (articular congruency) contributors. The stability of total knee replacement (TKR) implants can be assessed pre-clinically using joint motion simulators. However, contemporary testing methods with these platforms do not accurately reproduce the biomechanical contributions of passive stabilizers, active stabilizers, or both. A key component of joint stability is therefore missing from laxity tests. A recently developed muscle actuator system (MAS) pairs the quadriceps-driven motion capabilities of an Oxford knee simulator with the prescribed displacements and laxity testing methods of a VIVO robotic knee testing system, which also includes virtual ligament capabilities. Using a TKR-embedded non-cadaveric joint analogue, TKR with two different virtual ligament models were compared to TKR with no active ligaments. Laxity limits were then obtained for both developed models using the conventional style of laxity testing (the VIVO’s force/displacement control) and compared with results obtained under similar conditions with the MAS (gravity-dependent muscle control). Differences in joint control methods identified the need for muscle forces providing active joint stability, while differences in the effects of the virtual ligament models identified the importance of physiological representations of collateral ligaments during testing. Full article

The purpose of the current study is to investigate a special case of art gallery problem, namely a sculpture garden problem. In this problem, for a given polygon P, the ultimate goal is to place the minimum number of guards (landmarks) to define the interior polygon P by applying a monotone Boolean formula composed of the guards. Using this problem, it can replace the operation-based method with time-consuming, pixel-based algorithms. So, the processing time of some problems in the fields of machine vision, image processing and gamification can be strongly reduced. The problem has also many applications in mobile device localization in the Internet of Things (IoT). An open problem in this regard is the proof of Eppstein’s conjecture, which has remained an open problem since 2007. According to his conjecture, in the worst case, $n-2$ vertex guards are required to describe any n-gon. In this paper, a lower bound is introduced for the special case of this problem (natural vertex guard), which shows that if a polygon can be defined with natural vertex guards, then $n-2$ is a lower bound. Full article

With the French at the door, on May 31st of 1509, the Head of the Venetian Garda fleet received the order to burn and sink the ships and come back to Venice: the war on the lake was temporarily lost. The small fleet, whose base was at Lazise, was formed by one light galley and two fustas, so the commandant sunk the galley and one fusta in front of the town and went with the third ship to the northern lake to take a safe trip to Venice on horseback. One shipwreck was discovered in 1960 and was studied in several campaigns, but it was not clear if it was a small galley or a large fusta. New research was started in 2018 with BENĀCUS, a project of the Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage of the University of Udine, in a joint venture with the Trieste and Firenze Universities, and under the Superintendency for the Archaeology, Arts and Landscape of the provinces of Verona, Vicenza and Rovigo. The aim of this project was an historical research and geophysical survey to map the underwater cultural heritage (UCH) of Garda Lake. Full article

Introduction: There is growing interest in the public health and transport sectors in research into exposure to biological hazards, considering not only the risks arising from inter-human contagion, but also those related to exposure to the flight environment itself. The aim of this paper is to report data from an investigation into the water and air-conditioning systems of commercial aircraft for the presence of Legionella contamination, with a total of 645 water samples taken during the period 2007–2021. Methods: The investigation involved 126 aircraft of six different commercial aircraft types: MD80, Airbus A320 F, Embraer 175/190, AIRBUS A330, Boeing 767 and Boeing 777. Water samples were taken from the water systems (toilet taps, galley and boilers). Each sample was preliminarily subjected to an evaluation of the following parameters: temperature, pH and residual chlorine. The ScanVit^® Legionella kit was used for bacteria detection and enumeration. Results: Samples were considered positive if the number of colony-forming units/liter (CFU/L) was >100. For the entire observation period, 45% of the investigated aircraft tested positive. Regarding the overall number of samples analyzed, 68.4% (441/645) were below 100 CFU/L, and thus within the limits allowed by the Italian Guidelines. Conclusions: Water system contamination with Legionella in the air transport field is a real public health issue that should not be underestimated given the heavy passenger traffic. Infection should be considered an occupational risk to which crew members are exposed. Full article

This article is an attempt to analyse the master frame form characterised by a flat floor-timber, a sharp or shaped turn of the bilge, and more or less straight sides. This form of master frame is associated with the Mediterranean architecture of the ‘frame-based’ principle, as attested from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century AD Dor 2001/1 shipwreck (Israel), which is considered as one of the five origins (Root 4: Nilotic-riverine) of the ‘frame-based’ architecture. A series of medieval and modern wrecks of coastal ships and galleys bear witness to this form of master frame linked more generally to the Mediterranean whole moulding. In view of the consistency of these archaeological as well as ethnographic evidence on traditional Mediterranean shipbuilding, this form of master frame with a flat floor-timber appears to be one of the most revealing ‘architectural signatures’ of the practices of Mediterranean shipyards. Full article

Mass-participation events in temperate forests are now well-established features of outdoor activities and represent high-risk activities regarding human exposition to tick bites. In this study we used a citizen science approach to quantify the space–time frequency of tick bites and undetected tick bites among orienteers that participated in a 6-day orienteering competition that took place in July 2018 in the forests of Eastern France, and we looked at the use and efficacy of different preventive behaviors. Our study confirms that orienteers are a high-risk population for tick bites, with 62.4% of orienteers bitten at least once during the competition, and 2.4 to 12.1 orienteers per 100 orienteers were bitten by ticks when walking 1 km. In addition, 16.7% of orienteers bitten by ticks had engorged ticks, meaning that they did not detect and remove their ticks immediately after the run. Further, only 8.5% of orienteers systematically used a repellent, and the use of repellent only partially reduced the probability of being bitten by ticks. These results represent the first attempt to quantify the risk of not immediately detecting a tick bite and provide rare quantitative data on the frequency of tick bites for orienteers according to walking distance and time spent in the forest. The results also provide information on the use of repellent, which will be very helpful for modeling risk assessment. The study also shows that prevention should be increased for orienteers in France. Full article

In the past few decades, interest in the therapeutic benefits of exosomes and extracellular vesicles (EVs) has grown exponentially. Exosomes/EVs are small particles which are produced and exocytosed by cells throughout the body. They are loaded with active regulatory and stimulatory molecules from the parent cell including miRNAs and enzymes, making them prime targets in therapeutics and diagnostics. Breast milk, known for years to have beneficial health effects, contains a population of EVs which may mediate its therapeutic effects. This review offers an update on the therapeutic potential of exosomes/EVs in disease, with a focus on EVs present in human breast milk and their remedial effect in the gastrointestinal disease necrotizing enterocolitis. Additionally, the relationship between EV miRNAs, health, and disease will be examined, along with the potential for EVs and their miRNAs to be engineered for targeted treatments. Full article

Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. We investigated differential effects of three forms of vitamin E, which accumulate in different cellular compartments, on oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, mRNA and protein expression profiles associated with the human Toll-like receptor (TLR) -2 and -4 pathways. Human endothelial cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/peptidoglycan G (PepG) to mimic sepsis, MitoVitE, α-tocopherol, or Trolox. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, mitochondrial membrane potential and metabolic activity were measured. NFκB-P65, total and phosphorylated inhibitor of NFκB alpha (NFκBIA), and STAT-3 in nuclear extracts, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 production in culture supernatants and cellular mRNA expression of 32 genes involved in Toll-like receptor-2 and -4 pathways were measured. Exposure to LPS/PepG caused increased total radical production (p = 0.022), decreased glutathione ratio (p = 0.016), reduced membrane potential and metabolic activity (both p < 0.0001), increased nuclear NFκB-P65 expression (p = 0.016) and increased IL-6/8 secretion (both p < 0.0001). MitoVitE, α- tocopherol and Trolox were similar in reducing oxidative stress, NFκB activation and interleukin secretion. MitoVitE had widespread downregulatory effects on gene expression. Despite differences in site of actions, all forms of vitamin E were protective under conditions mimicking sepsis. These results challenge the concept that protection inside mitochondria provides better protection. Full article

Soft robotic grippers often incorporate pneumatically-driven actuators that can elastically deform to grasp delicate, curved organic objects with minimal surface damage. The complexity of the actuator geometry and the nonlinear stress–strain behavior of the stretchable material during inflation make it difficult to predict actuator performance prior to prototype fabrication. In this work, a scalable modular elastic air-driven actuator made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is developed for a mechanically compliant robotic gripper that grasps individual horticultural plants and fungi during automated harvesting. The key geometric design parameters include the expandable surface area and wall thickness of the deformable structure used to make contact with the target object. The impact of these parameters on actuator displacement is initially explored through simulation using the Mooney–Rivlin model of hyperelastic materials. In addition, several actuator prototypes with varying expandable wall thicknesses are fabricated using a multistep soft-lithography molding process and are inserted in a closed ring assembly for experimental testing. The gripper performance is evaluated in terms of contact force, contact area with the target, and maximum payload before slippage. The viability of the gripper with PDMS actuators for horticultural harvesting applications is illustrated by gently grasping a variety of mushroom caps. Full article

That games can be used to teach specific content has been demonstrated numerous times. However, although specific game features have been conjectured to have an impact on learning outcomes, little empirical research exists on the impact of iterative design on learning outcomes. This article analyzes two games that have been developed to train an adult audience to recognize and avoid relying on six cognitive biases (three per game) in their decision making. The games were developed iteratively and were evaluated through a series of experiments. Although the experimental manipulations did not find a significant impact of the manipulated game features on the learning outcomes, each game iteration proved more successful than its predecessors at training players. Here, we outline a mixed-methods approach to postmortem game design analysis that helps us understand what might account for the improvement across games, and to identify new variables for future experimental training game studies. Full article

A dedicated study on the physical characteristics and C-band scattering response of frost-flower-covered sea ice was performed in an artificial sea ice mesocosm over a 36-h period in January 2017. Meteorological conditions were observed and recorded automatically at the facility when the sea ice grew and frost flowers formed while the C-band scattering measurements were conducted continuously over a range of incidence angles. Surface roughness was characterized using a LiDAR. During the experiment, frost flowers did not initially form on the extremely smooth ice surface even though suitable meteorological conditions prevailed during their development (low air temperature, low near-surface wind speed, and high near-surface relative humidity). This provides evidence that both the presence of (i) liquid brine at the surface and (ii) raised nodules as nucleation points are required to enable frost flower initiation. As the ice thickened, we observed that raised nodules gradually appeared, frost flowers formed, and flowers subsequently spread to cover the surface over a six-hour period. In contrast to previous experiments, the frost flower layer did not become visibly saturated with liquid brine. The C-band scattering measurements exhibited increases as high as 14.8 dB (vertical polarization) in response to the frost flower formation with low incidence angles (i.e., 25°) showing the largest dynamic range. Co-polarization ratios responded to the physical and thermodynamic changes associated with the frost flower formation process. Our results indicate that brine expulsion at the sea ice surface and frost flower salination can have substantial temporal variability, which can be detected by scatterometer time-series measurements. This work contributes towards the operational satellite image interpretation for Arctic waters by improving our understanding of the highly variable C-band microwave scattering properties of young sea ice types. Full article

Beverages and supplements prepared from mangosteen fruit are claimed to support gut health and immunity, despite the absence of supporting evidence from clinical trials. We recently reported that α-mangostin (α-MG), the most abundant xanthone in mangosteen fruit, altered the intestinal microbiome, promoted dysbiosis, and exacerbated colitis in C57BL/6J mice. The objective of this study was to determine whether induction of dysbiosis by dietary α-MG is limited to the C57BL/6J strain or represents a more generic response to chronic intake of the xanthone on the gut microbiota of mice. C3H, Balb/c, Nude FoxN1^nu, and C57BL/6J mice, each demonstrating unique microbiomes, were fed standard diet or diet containing 0.1% α-MG for four weeks. Dietary α-MG significantly altered the cecal and colonic microbiota in all four strains of mice, promoting a reduction in generally assumed beneficial bacterial groups while increasing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria. Consumption of α-MG was associated with reduced abundance of Firmicutes and increased abundance of Proteobacteria. The abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae was reduced in α-MG-fed mice, while that of Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcaceae was increased. Dietary α-MG also was associated with increased proliferation of colonic epithelial cells, infiltration of immune cells, infiltration of immune cells and increased fluid content in stool. These results suggest that ingestion of pharmacologic doses of xanthones in mangosteen-containing supplements may adversely alter the gut microbiota and should be used with caution. Full article