Shifting surface: satellite imagery of the Arctic Sea ice and climate change discourse

Esta pesquisa explora como as imagens de satélite do gelo do Ártico contribuem para o discurso das mudanças climáticas. Discursos diferentes requerem respostas distintas. As medidas políticas dependem da representação, seja uma ameaça ou oportunidade. As representações discutidas são do NSIDC e da NASA, que mantêm uma hegemonia visual. Primeiro, a introdução discute estudos visuais na pesquisa de políticas e identifica uma dicotomia simplificada de um discurso de ameaça e cidadania ambiental. Além disso, é descrita a metodologia de análise do discurso visual baseada no pós-estruturalismo. As imagens delineadas retratam uma vista vertical e plana, permitindo referência espacial. O gelo do mar do Ártico é um efeito visível da mudança climática e a ausência de fronteiras, a intervisualidade com o ícone Earthrise e o foco nos efeitos ambientais apoiam um discurso de cidadania.This research explores how satellite images of Arctic sea ice contribute to climate change discourse. Different discourses require distinct responses. Policy measures are contingent upon representation, be it i.e. a threat or opportunity. The representations discussed are by the NSIDC and NASA, which hold a visual hegemony. First, the introduction discusses visual studies in policy research and identifies a simplified dichotomy of a threat discourse and environmental citizenship. Moreover, the methodology of visual discourse analysis based on poststructuralism is described. The delineated images portray a vertical, planar view allowing for spatial reference. Arctic sea ice is a visible climate change effect and the absence of boundaries, intervisuality with the Earthrise icon and focus on environmental effects support a discourse of citizenship

Consumer attitudes on salt and fat reduced foods in the Republic of Ireland

Public health campaigns are continually promoting healthier foods and in parallel many food manufacturers are working on recipes low in fat and salt. The following survey investigates how well consumers (n = 1045) in Ireland have assimilated the message of consuming healthier foods, including salt and fat reduced foods, into their diet. It seems that campaigns regarding the importance of a balanced diet have generally been adopted by respondents, as only a minority of the participants did not take care of their diet, independent of age, gender and level of education. More than half of the participants carefully maintained a balanced diet. Furthermore, an increase in purchasing salt reduced food was observed, though fat reduced food products were already better accepted. In general, men, young adults (<30 years) and lower educated people purchased less salt and fat reduced foods and took less care in maintaining a balanced diet. No conflict was observed for traditional foods reduced in salt and fat content when their intrinsic sensory character is maintained. The majority of the participants were aware of the health risks of a diet rich in salt and fat, though less participants transferred this knowledge into their diet. A very high demand for more salt and fat reduced foods on the market was observed although the smaller range of salt and fat reduced products and their higher prices might diminish the level of consumer acceptance. Launching taxation and subsidies in tandem might counteract this and furthermore, user-friendly product labelling schemes are required

Development of consumer accepted low salt and low fat traditional Irish processed meats

Irish consumers (n = 1045) were surveyed with respect to their attitudes towards healthier food consumption, particularly in relation to salt and fat reduction. It appears educational campaigns have generally been adopted by respondents, as only a minority were not concerned about their diet; irrespective of age, gender or educational status. Overall, an increase in purchasing salt-reduced food was observed, although fat-reduced food products were already better adopted. This thesis then focused on development of consumer-accepted low salt and low fat Irish traditional processed meats (white pudding, black pudding, corned beef). Salt and fat reductions were carried out by simply reducing salt and fat content without using additives. For that purpose, 25 white and black pudding formulations with varying fat (2.5% - 20% w/w) and sodium (0.2% - 1.0% w/w) contents, and 5 corned beef samples with varied sodium levels (0.2% - 1.0% w/w) were produced in a pilot plant processing facility. White pudding samples containing 15% fat and 0.6% sodium, and black pudding samples containing 0.6% sodium and 10% fat were highly accepted, thereby satisfying the sodium target (0.6%) set by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI, 2011). Corned beef samples low in sodium (0.2%, 0.4%) were positively correlated (not significant) to liking of flavour and overall acceptability. For greater reductions in salt and fat different replacer combinations were then added. White pudding formulations containing 10% fat and 0.6% sodium formulated with sodium citrate, as well as the combination of potassium chloride and glycine; black pudding samples with 5% fat and 0.6% sodium containing pectin and a combination of potassium citrate, potassium phosphate and potassium chloride, as well as samples containing 10% fat and 0.4% sodium with waxy maize starch; and accordingly, corned beef containing 0.4% sodium and formulated with potassium lactate and glycine were accepted by assessors

Advances in Automated Driving Systems

Electrification, automation of vehicle control, digitalization and new mobility are the mega trends in automotive engineering and they are strongly connected to each other [...

Impact on the physicochemical and sensory properties of salt reduced corned beef formulated with and without the use of salt replacers

peer-reviewedThe aim of this study was to investigate physicochemical and microbiological properties as well as a sensory (affective and descriptive) driven sodium reduction (0.2 g/100 g - 1.0 g/100 g product) strategy for a cured meat product (corned beef). A second aim was to use the same methodology to further reduce salt, using salt replacers. Significant differences in colour, hardness and cooking loss were measured. Corned beef samples low in sodium (0.2 g/100 g, 0.4 g/100 g) showed reduced (P  0.05) to liking of flavour and overall acceptability. Samples formulated with CaCl2, MgCl2 and KCl scored higher (P  0.05) to liking of flavour and overall acceptability. However, a sodium reduction in corned beef was determined to be achievable as assessors liked (P < 0.05) the flavour of the sodium reduced corned beef containing 0.4 g/100 g sodium and formulated with potassium lactate and glycine (KLG), even with the noticeable lower salty taste. Sodium reduction in corned beef (packaged under modified atmosphere) did not negatively impact on the microbiological shelf-life.This study was funded by the Irish Food Industry Research Measure (FIRM) as part of the project titled “PROSSLOW; Development of assessor accepted low salt and low fat Irish traditional processed meat (Ref: 11 F 026)”

SEX-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN THE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSION - ARE WOMEN AND MEN TREATED DIFFERENTLY?

Background: In the last decade, sex-related medicine has become an increasingly important area of research as insights in this field can improve treatment strategies and recovery. The aim of this study was to investigate sex-related differences in the prescription and kinds of psychopharmacological treatment in individuals with unipolar affective disorder. Subjects and methods: Data collected on 388 patients attending a psychiatric rehabilitation clinic (194 females, 194 males, mean age 52.3 years, standard deviation 7.8 years), who were matched by age and severity of depression, were analyzed. Depression severity and information on drug type and quantity were assessed at the beginning of the rehabilitation program and compared between women and men. Results: A significant difference between females and males was found in the frequency of prescribing bupropion (females: 3.61%, males: 12.89%; p=0.001) and mirtazapine (females: 5.15%, males: 13.40%; p=0.005). In terms of polypharmacy, the results showed that over 53% of the patients were taking two or more psychotropic substances as a long-term therapy and that 34% of them were taking three to five different substances. No sex-related differences were found concerning the number of psychotropic drugs taken by the patients. Conclusion: The higher frequency of prescriptions for bupropion and mirtazapine in men might be explained by the adverse drug reactions of the drugs (e.g., fewer sexually adverse drug reactions, weight gain) and a known interaction with oral contraception. It remains unclear whether these aspects are taken into consideration for each patient in terms of their special needs and conditions or whether it is a decision based on the patient’s sex. Given a similar severity of depression, men and women are prescribed a similar number of psychotropic substances. However, the high number of psychotropic drugs prescribed on average should be noted. Well-trained healthcare professionals should focus on regularly assessing and optimizing treatment regimens

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-activity in severe psychiatric disorders: A systemic review

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity is induced by cellular immune activation and therefore associated to inflammatory diseases, among others psychiatric disorders. This review aims to elucidate IDO activity reflected by kynurenine (KYN) to tryptophan (TRP) ratio in severe mental disorders

Validation of a microsimulation of the port of Dover

Modelling and simulating the traffic of heavily used but secure environments such as seaports and airports is of increasing importance. Errors made when simulating these environments can have long standing economic, social and environmental implications. This paper discusses issues and problems that may arise when designing a simulation strategy. Data for the Port is presented, methods for lightweight vehicle assessment that can be used to calibrate and validate simulations are also discussed along with a diagnosis of overcalibration issues. We show that decisions about where the intelligence lies in a system has important repercussions for the reliability of system statistics. Finally, conclusions are drawn about how microsimulations can be moved forward as a robust planning tool for the 21st century

Pharmacological Treatment of Bipolar Depression: A Review of Observational Studies

The persistence of depressive morbidity is frequent in bipolar disorder, and the pharmacological management of this symptomatology often lacks effectiveness. This systematic review aimed to summarize the results of the naturalistic observational studies on the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression published through April 2022. The certainty of evidence was evaluated according to the GRADE approach. In sum, 16 studies on anticonvulsants, 20 on atypical antipsychotics, 2 on lithium, 28 on antidepressants, and 9 on other compounds were found. Lamotrigine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, and ketamine were the most investigated compounds. Overall, the results support the recommendations regarding the effectiveness of lamotrigine and quetiapine. In contrast to the current recommendations, aripiprazole was shown to be effective and generally well tolerated. Additionally, SSRIs were shown to be effective, but, since they were associated with a possibly higher switch risk, they should be used as an adjunctive therapy to mood stabilizers. Lithium was only studied in two trials but was shown to be effective, although the serum concentrations levels were not associated with clinical response. Finally, ketamine showed divergent response rates with a low certainty of evidence and, so far, unclear long-term effects. Heterogeneity in diagnosis, sample sizes, study designs, reporting of bias, and side effects limited the possibility of a head-to-head comparison