Barriers and drivers to a circular economy for vegetables in the Norwegian food sector

Food systems are pressing the environment in multiple ways. Moreover, some of these pressures are due to inefficient resource use. It is estimated that as much as one third of all food being produced globally is lost or wasted. One of the most wasted food categories globally is fresh fruit and vegetables. In order to avoid the crossing of planetary boundaries, scientific and political communities have signaled the urgent need to change current practices in the global food system. As a response to this, the concept of circular economy is increasingly being recognized as a possible approach to create more sustainable food systems. However, there is a need for more knowledge on barriers and drivers to a circular economy transition, in order to move from theory to practice. With the aim of contributing to such knowledge, this study investigates the barriers and drivers to a transition to a circular economy for vegetables in the Norwegian food system. Through a qualitative case study, perspectives from leaders in businesses working in the various components of the value chain for vegetables have been collected and analyzed. The study takes on a systems perspective and holds the ambition of gaining a greater understanding of how the barriers and drivers are relevant and manifested across the value chain, as well as how these factors are connected to other actors, institutions, and spheres in the greater system. The findings of this study indicate that central barriers are: hindering regulations; lack of political incentives and economic risk; the size and standardization of economic processes; consumer preferences; the conflict between vegetables and supporting resources; knowledge gaps and lack of awareness; lack of holistic thinking and collaboration; lack of willingness to change; and power structures in the value chain. Furthermore, the identified drivers are: increased knowledge and awareness; circular approaches are becoming profitable; political responsibility, incentives, and guidelines; collaboration and holistic thinking; new technologies; and strategic division of power. Thus, the drivers are both direct responses to the perceived barriers, or separate factors seen to enable circular initiatives. Moreover, this study finds that many of the identified factors affecting a transition to a circular economy for vegetables are interlinked, overlapping and dependent on each other. This should be taken into consideration when creating measures aimed at facilitating a transition to a circular economy for vegetables in the Norwegian food system.M-IE

Social Media Days at UMass Boston

Hosted by Professor Werner Kunz, Social Media Days is envisioned to be a meeting place and networking hub for Boston businesses and organizations interested in Social Media. This daylong event combines presentations from high profile speakers with breakout discussions/small group workshops. Attendees can expect high quality and knowledgeable speakers and an increased amount of face to face interaction. Social Media Days strengthens the connection between UMass Boston and the local business community through an engaging day long event

The perception of strabismus by children and adults

Background: Visible strabismus has been shown to have adverse psychosocial consequences. It remains controversial if esotropia or exotropia is perceived more negatively. The aim of this study was to determine if esotropia or exotropia and the eye (side) in which strabismus is present are perceived differently. We also asked our adult participants: (1) if they thought visible strabismus should be corrected by surgery, (2) if they thought that strabismus surgery should only be to improve the cosmesis, and (3) if they thought that the surgery should be paid for by health insurance. Methods: One hundred adults and 61 children rated four photographs of a digitally altered picture of a boy and four of a girl, showing a large-angle esotropia or exotropia either in the left or on the right eye. The adults were additionally asked if a squint should be operated, if they considered strabismus surgery to be a cosmetic procedure, if in their opinion strabismus surgery should be covered by compulsory health insurance, and if children with strabismus are disadvantaged. Comparisons were performed using ANOVA and regression analysis. Results: Adults perceived a squinting right eye as more disturbing than a squinting left eye p  0.1 for each). Children also found that a squinting right eye is more disturbing (p < 0.001) than a left one. Additionally, children ranked esotropia worse than exotropia (p < 0.001). Neither age nor gender had an impact on the perception of strabismus by children. Of the adults, 94% would recommend surgery for all forms of strabismus, 18% thought that surgery is only cosmetic, and 94% found that health insurance should cover strabismus surgery for everybody. Problems of squinting children named by the adults included: being made fun of by other children (53%), problems with eyesight (39%), people looking strangely at them (21%), less acceptance by peers (17%), less self confidence (6%), problems judging distances (4%), and that they are perceived as less intelligent (3%). Conclusions: Adults and children rated a squinting right eye as worse compared to a left one. Children perceived esotropia as more disturbing than exotropia. Neither age, nor gender, nor the fact that the respondents have friends or family members with a squint, had an impact on this ranking. Almost all adults would correct all forms of strabismus, and think that surgery should be covered by compulsory health insuranc

The HoverMesh: a deformable structure based on vacuum cells: new advances in the research of tangible user interfaces

In this paper we propose a novel attempt to develop a spatial tangible user interface (TUI) [1] based on a deformable structure, the so-called HoverMesh. It consists of a stiff cubical, whose upper wall is composed of a deformable mesh of particle filled inflatable cells. This mesh can be deformed by inflating and/or deflating the cubical while consolidating (evacuating) and/or releasing (inflating) the cells. The HoverMesh is both an input and output device and we see its major benefit in the wide interaction area. The haptic feedback modality is thus embedded as well. The first results in our early experiments sustain the concept of a mesh based on inflatable cells

Addiction & Trauma Considerations for Women in Reentry

Research shows that more than 92°/o of our individuals who complete the residential program stay out of the criminal justice system after one year. As part of Alvis Residential programs, a comprehensive range of evidence-based programs and services are delivered to help individuals who are transitioning from the corrections system back into the community. Alvis provides these services in a safe, supportive environment, so that individuals receive the guidance they need to navigate the challenges of finding employment and reconnecting with family members.https://fuse.franklin.edu/ss2016/1055/thumbnail.jp

Distribution, autecology, genetic characterization, and conservation of the Western Mediterranean endemic dragonfly Orthetrum nitidinerve (Selys, 1841): insights from Italy

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are a primary component of freshwater ecosystems and one of the most threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Among them, dragonflies are a charismatic group of growing scientific and social interest. However, little is known about the natural history of several species. One paradigmatic example is the declining Orthetrum nitidinerve, a Western Mediterranean endemic anisopteran. We reviewed published and new data on this species, addressing distribution, autecology, and conservation (with a focus on Italy), and provide its first genetic characterization and phylogenetic placement within the genus. In Italy, the species is known from 50 sites so far (only 17 breeding populations) located in Sardinia and Sicily (1841–2019, only 22 from 1990 onward). Records from continental Italy are due to misidentification. The flight period in Italy spans between May and September. Habitat consists of permanent freshwater (mostly helocrene sources, seepages, and small brooks), slow-flowing, shallow, with muddy bottom deposits at elevation from the sea level up to 1000 m asl. All the breeding populations are found in open and sunny landscapes, almost invariably in extensive pasturelands. The species has strongly declined in Sicily, whereas several large populations still occur in Sardinia. The major threats identified so far are agriculture and grazing intensification or abandonment and drought/source desiccation determined by water overexploitation and climate change. The first ever provided mitochondrial COI barcode and ITS nuclear sequences allowed a first tentative phylogenetic placement of the species as a sister group of the O. brunneum/O. lineostigma lineage

O Movimento Mucker e suas relações com a igreja católica e a protestante.

Este artigo visa caracterizar o movimento Mucker, que se configurou no Vale dos Sinos, no Rio Grande do Sul, a partir de 1868, e analisar como o discurso de diferentes instâncias de poder legitimaram o massacre desse grupo. Em especial, busca analisar as relações do movimento com a igreja católica e a protestante, as quais têm papel fundamental no evento. Para tal, utilizam-se fontes bibliográficas considerando diversas produções sobre o tema