Computer technology: State of the art and future trends

Computer technology and, more broadly, information technology, are bringing about a fundamental transformation in our society from an industrial economy to an information economy. A review of the short history and present state of information technology identifies two major undercurrents: I) the miniaturization of computer components, which has produced a millionfold increase in the complexity possible in a single chip of silicon, and 2) the integration of four previously separate areas of information technology: computation, communication, databases and the user interface. Microelectronics, computer networks, data storage and user amenities are the basic technologies that support these four areas and stimulate their progress. Future trends in speech recognition, voice synthesis, artificial intelligence, expert systems, computational imaging and scientific workstations are also examined

Skeletal trade-offs in coralline algae in response to ocean acidification

Ocean acidification is changing the marine environment, with potentially serious consequences for many organisms. Much of our understanding of ocean acidification effects comes from laboratory experiments, which demonstrate physiological responses over relatively short timescales. Observational studies and, more recently, experimental studies in natural systems suggest that ocean acidification will alter the structure of seaweed communities. Here, we provide a mechanistic understanding of altered competitive dynamics among a group of seaweeds, the crustose coralline algae (CCA). We compare CCA from historical experiments (1981-1997) with specimens from recent, identical experiments (2012) to describe morphological changes over this time period, which coincides with acidification of seawater in the Northeastern Pacific. Traditionally thick species decreased in thickness by a factor of 2.0-2.3, but did not experience a change in internal skeletal metrics. In contrast, traditionally thin species remained approximately the same thickness but reduced their total carbonate tissue by making thinner inter-filament cell walls. These changes represent alternative mechanisms for the reduction of calcium carbonate production in CCA and suggest energetic trade-offs related to the cost of building and maintaining a calcium carbonate skeleton as pH declines. Our classification of stress response by morphological type may be generalizable to CCA at other sites, as well as to other calcifying organisms with species-specific differences in morphological types

Dress with less : consumers’ engagement in Slow Fashion

The Fast Fashion phenomenon has become one of the biggest threats to the environment in current times, consuming abnormal amounts of water and energy, as well as producing tons of greenhouse gases and waste. Slow Fashion has then emerged as the responsible alternative to consumers who started to demand change and raising awareness to Fast Fashion’s harmful impact. This paper studies the online community behind Slow Fashion, looking at its behaviors and attitudes, as well as the main advantages, challenges and complaints consumers have when adopting this lifestyle. Netnography has been chosen to conduct this research, as it is the fittest method. Results show there is high willingness to change habits among consumers and they are starting to adopt strategies to reduce their environmental footprint. As to maintain a positive brand image, companies should focus on tailoring their operational strategies so that they enable might eco-friendly material sourcing and mitigate landfilling and unsold product incineration, therefore appeasing the increasingly demanding consumers. The desired movement requires, however, a structural change in today’s society and Social Marketing and governments are the cornerstones to achieve this circular economy.O fenómeno da Fast Fashion tornou-se, atualmente, uma das maiores ameaças ao ambiente, consumindo quantidades anormais de água e energia e produzindo toneladas de resíduos tóxicos e de gases com efeito de estufa. A Slow Fashion surgiu, desde então, como a alternativa responsável aos consumidores que, sensibilizados pelo efeito nocivo da Fast Fashion, começaram a exigir mudanças. O documento aqui apresentado, estuda a comunidade online por detrás da Slow Fashion, analisando os seus comportamentos e atitudes, bem como as principais vantagens, desafios e queixas que os consumidores têm quando adotam este estilo de vida. A Netnografia foi a metodologia usada na investigação, por a considerarmos a mais adequada neste tipo de trabalho. Os resultados mostram que existe uma grande vontade de mudança de hábitos por parte dos consumidores, os quais começam a adotar estratégias para reduzir a sua pegada ambiental. No sentido de manter uma imagem de marca positiva, as empresas devem concentrar-se na adaptação das suas estratégias operacionais, de modo a potenciar a obtenção de materiais ecológicos e a mitigar a deposição em aterro e a incineração de produtos não vendidos, apaziguando assim os consumidores cada vez mais exigentes. O movimento desejado exige, no entanto, uma mudança estrutural na sociedade atual, onde o Marketing Social e os governos terão papeis essenciais no atingimento desta economia circular

Where Can Objects Take You? The Case of the World War II Japanese Airman\u27s Suit

“Dad always said that ‘It’s made out of Australian wool,’ and I thought that was just a joke because you couldn’t see how the Japanese would get hold of Australian wool during the war…. But it is a fine material…. They weren’t scrapping for something to wear.” —Wally Lanagan In December 1942, the Yokosuka Military Department manufactured, surely among hundreds of others, a flying suit, which may or may not have ever been worn by a Japanese pilot. It did, however, end up on display at the Pioneer Park Museum in Dalby, a small town in rural Queensland, Australia. It was lent to the museum in the early 2000s by the nephew of the Australian soldier who brought it home as a souvenir at the end of World War II. There it rested, until the authors noticed it in May 2019. Through the dusty glass of the display the suit had an odd sheen—was it wool? cotton? A blend? An inquiry to the caretaker led to unlocking the case, and the discovery that the fabric was indeed a blend—but of rayon and wool. Another inquiry led to the lender, and the intriguing story of its arrival in Dalby and its place in a complex family history. And to the quotation at the top of this page…. And thence to the National Archives of Australia, to search the records of the textile trade between Australia and Japan in the years between the two world wars. This paper highlights a digital media interactive that melds a 3-D scan of the suit with relevant documents, images, and text. It explores how this one garment embodies both decades of international bickering over resources, natural and man-made, and a transitional moment in the fabrics of war

Greening the Archive: The Social Climate of Cotton Manufacturing in the Samuel Oldknow Papers, 1782-1924

This article re-examines the records and correspondence of Samuel Oldknow, a late eighteenth century textile manufacturer, within the context of the environmental humanities. Oldknow’s papers, a portion of which are held at Columbia University, are most often used by economic historians to date the beginnings of the factory wage labor system. We highlight, instead, the environmental implications of Oldknow’s cotton enterprise by juxtaposing documents related to the global reach of Oldknow’s empire with evidence of his transformation of the local landscape of northern England. This process of re-scaling captures a sense of what we call the “social climate” of the British cotton industry understood as a collaboration between the non-human environment and the structure of human social organizations. The Oldknow archive points to scientific investigations into the best growing conditions for different species of plants, contains factory memoranda that show how schedules were adapted to the flow of local waterways, and has sketches for fabric patterns that utilized the soft drape of cotton for a new flowing silhouette embraced by London ladies. Today, the archive deserves a reconsideration as scholars suggest that the eighteenth century was not just the beginning of modern capitalism, but also the beginning of a new era of unprecedented human influence on the planet. By examining both the long-distance trade relationships and local land policies of this precocious British textile industrialist, we show that this eighteenth-century archive may provide a model of new interdisciplinary cooperation and story-telling

Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-β Links Lens and Brain Pathology in Down Syndrome

Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21) is the most common chromosomal disorder and the leading genetic cause of intellectual disability in humans. In DS, triplication of chromosome 21 invariably includes the APP gene (21q21) encoding the Alzheimer's disease (AD) amyloid precursor protein (APP). Triplication of the APP gene accelerates APP expression leading to cerebral accumulation of APP-derived amyloid-β peptides (Aβ), early-onset AD neuropathology, and age-dependent cognitive sequelae. The DS phenotype complex also includes distinctive early-onset cerulean cataracts of unknown etiology. Previously, we reported increased Aβ accumulation, co-localizing amyloid pathology, and disease-linked supranuclear cataracts in the ocular lenses of subjects with AD. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that related AD-linked Aβ pathology underlies the distinctive lens phenotype associated with DS. Ophthalmological examinations of DS subjects were correlated with phenotypic, histochemical, and biochemical analyses of lenses obtained from DS, AD, and normal control subjects. Evaluation of DS lenses revealed a characteristic pattern of supranuclear opacification accompanied by accelerated supranuclear Aβ accumulation, co-localizing amyloid pathology, and fiber cell cytoplasmic Aβ aggregates (∼5 to 50 nm) identical to the lens pathology identified in AD. Peptide sequencing, immunoblot analysis, and ELISA confirmed the identity and increased accumulation of Aβ in DS lenses. Incubation of synthetic Aβ with human lens protein promoted protein aggregation, amyloid formation, and light scattering that recapitulated the molecular pathology and clinical features observed in DS lenses. These results establish the genetic etiology of the distinctive lens phenotype in DS and identify the molecular origin and pathogenic mechanism by which lens pathology is expressed in this common chromosomal disorder. Moreover, these findings confirm increased Aβ accumulation as a key pathogenic determinant linking lens and brain pathology in both DS and AD

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Instrumentation and Online Systems

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer-scale high-energy neutrino detector built into the ice at the South Pole. Construction of IceCube, the largest neutrino detector built to date, was completed in 2011 and enabled the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We describe here the design, production, and calibration of the IceCube digital optical module (DOM), the cable systems, computing hardware, and our methodology for drilling and deployment. We also describe the online triggering and data filtering systems that select candidate neutrino and cosmic ray events for analysis. Due to a rigorous pre-deployment protocol, 98.4% of the DOMs in the deep ice are operating and collecting data. IceCube routinely achieves a detector uptime of 99% by emphasizing software stability and monitoring. Detector operations have been stable since construction was completed, and the detector is expected to operate at least until the end of the next decade.Comment: 83 pages, 50 figures; updated with minor changes from journal review and proofin

Of global reach yet of situated contexts: an examination of the implicit and explicit selection criteria that shape digital archives of historical newspapers

A large literature addresses the processes, circumstances and motivations that have given rise to archives. These questions are increasingly being asked of digital archives, too. Here, we examine the complex interplay of institutional, intellectual, economic, technical, practical and social factors that have shaped decisions about the inclusion and exclusion of digitised newspapers in and from online archives. We do so by undertaking and analysing a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with public and private providers of major newspaper digitisation programmes. Our findings contribute to emerging understandings of factors that are rarely foregrounded or highlighted, yet fundamentally shape the depth and scope of digital cultural heritage archives and thus the questions that can be asked of them, now and in the future. Moreover, we draw attention to providers’ emphasis on meeting the needs of their end-users and how this is shaping the form and function of digital archives. The end user is not often emphasised in the wider literature on archival studies and we thus draw attention to the potential merit of this vector in future studies of digital archives

Of global reach yet of situated contexts:An examination of the implicit and explicit selection criteria that shape digital archives of historical newspapers

A large literature addresses the processes, circumstances and motivations that have given rise to archives. These questions are increasingly being asked of digital archives, too. Here, we examine the complex interplay of institutional, intellectual, economic, technical, practical and social factors that have shaped decisions about the inclusion and exclusion of digitised newspapers in and from online archives. We do so by undertaking and analysing a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with public and private providers of major newspaper digitisation programmes. Our findings contribute to emerging understandings of factors that are rarely foregrounded or highlighted yet fundamentally shape the depth and scope of digital cultural heritage archives and thus the questions that can be asked of them, now and in the future. Moreover, we draw attention to providers’ emphasis on meeting the needs of their end-users and how this is shaping the form and function of digital archives. The end user is not often emphasised in the wider literature on archival studies and we thus draw attention to the potential merit of this vector in future studies of digital archives