Degraded reality: Using VR/AR to simulate visual impairments

The effects of eye disease cannot be depicted accurately using traditional media. Consequently, public understanding of eye disease is often poor. We present a VR/AR system for simulating common visual impairments, including disability glare, spatial distortions (Metamorphopsia), the selective blurring and filling-in of information across the visual field, and color vision deficits. Unlike most existing simulators, the simulations are informed by patients' self-reported symptoms, can be quantitatively manipulated to provide custom disease profiles, and support gaze-contingent presentation (i.e., when using a VR/AR headset that contains eye-tracking technology, such as the Fove0). Such a simulator could be used as a teaching/empathy aid, or as a tool for evaluating the accessibility of new products and environments

Is the Industrial Product-Service System Really Sustainable

As the product-service system has shifted from its original concept to the Industrial PSS, its scope has expanded to include industrial products. Furthermore, the overall goal of reducing environmental impacts has been left behind. Despite the PSS's potential as a business model for a more sustainable production and consumption system, the mere addition of services to conventional products does not necessarily lead to a reduction of environmental impacts. This paper aims to discuss the concepts related to PSS, the need for considering environmental impact reduction as a critical issue for sustainability, and the role of ecodesign practices in the development of PSS

Impacts of microalgae pre-treatments for improved anaerobic digestion: Thermal treatment, thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic hydrolysis

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of microalgae is primarily inhibited by the chemical composition of their cell walls containing biopolymers able to resist bacterial degradation. Adoption of pre-treatments such as thermal, thermal hydrolysis, ultrasound and enzymatic hydrolysis have the potential to remove these inhibitory compounds and enhance biogas yields by degrading the cell wall, and releasing the intracellular algogenic organic matter (AOM). This work investigated the effect of four pre-treatments on three microalgae species, and their impact on the quantity of soluble biomass released in the media and thus on the digestion process yields. The analysis of the composition of the soluble COD released and of the TEM images of the cells showed two main degradation actions associated with the processes: (1) cell wall damage with the release of intracellular AOM (thermal, thermal hydrolysis and ultrasound) and (2) degradation of the cell wall constituents with the release of intracellular AOM and the solubilisation of the cell wall biopolymers (enzymatic hydrolysis). As a result of this, enzymatic hydrolysis showed the greatest biogas yield increments (>270%) followed by thermal hydrolysis (60–100%) and ultrasounds (30–60%)

Influence of microalgal N and P composition on wastewater nutrient remediation

Microalgae have demonstrated the ability to remediate wastewater nutrients efficiently, with methods to further enhance performance through species selection and biomass concentration. This work evaluates a freshwater species remediation characteristics through analysis of internal biomass N:P (nitrogen:phosphorus) and presents a relationship between composition and nutrient uptake ability to assist in species selection. Findings are then translated to an optimal biomass concentration, achieved through immobilisation enabling biomass intensification by modifying bead concentration, for wastewaters of differing nutrient concentrations at hydraulic retention times (HRT) from 3 h to 10 d. A HRT <20 h was found suitable for the remediation of secondary effluent by immobilised Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella vulgaris at bead concentrations as low as 3.2 and 4.4 bead·mL−1. Increasing bead concentrations were required for shorter HRTs with 3 h possible at influent concentrations <5 mgP L−1

Land Use / Land-Use Change in an Emissions Constrained World: The Need of a New Approach

The concept of constraining cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally until, e.g., 2050 influences climate policy-making since the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Cumulative emissions allow specifying the risk of exceeding a global warming target (e.g., 2 degrees C) by 2050 and beyond better than any other concept. Cumulative emission constraints must be expected to receive increasing attention in the future both scientifically and politically. However, the treatment of emissions from land use / land-use change (LUC) under this concept falls short

Testing a phantom eye under various signal-to-noise ratio conditions using eleven different OCT devices

We compared eleven OCT devices in their ability to quantify retinal layer thicknesses under different signal-strength conditions, using a commercially available phantom eye. We analyzed a medium-intensity 50 µm layer in an identical manner for all devices, using the provided log-scale images and a reconstructed linear-scale tissue reflectivity metric. Thickness measurements were highly comparable when the data were analyzed in an identical manner. With optimal signal strength, the thickness of the 50 µm layer was overestimated by a mean of 4.3 µm in the log-scale images and of 2.7 µm in the linear-scale images

The complete mitogenome of the European mantis, Mantis religiosa, from Italy: implications for the origin of North American mantis population

3openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorThe European mantis, Mantis religiosa L. (Mantodea Mantidae), is distributed all over Southern Europe, Africa and Asia, and has been reported as alien species in North America. Here we present the mitogenome sequence of an Italian individual and compare it with previously sequenced Chinese and Canadian samples. The assembled mitogenome has a length of 15,530 nucleotides and includes 13 protein coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 23 tRNA genes (including the additional Arginine tRNA already observed in other M. religiosa mitogenomes), and the control region. Based on the inferred phylogenetic relationships, the Canadian sample is more closely related to the Italian than to the Chinese one, in line with the putative European origin of the North American invasive population. Time-calibrated phylogeny dated the divergence among extant European Mantis lineages at 2.33 million years ago, consistent with the first appearance of M. religiosa fossils. Our results support a European origin of the North American M. religiosa population and suggest that selective processes acting on mitogenome may have contributed to its adaptation in the new area.openLuchetti, A; Ometto, L; Rota Stabelli, O.Luchetti, A.; Ometto, L.; Rota Stabelli, O

Produção e qualidade de fibras de algodão (G. hirsutun L.) em relação a energia solar

O presente trabalho refere-se à uma pesquisa realizada no Departamento de Agricultura e Horticultura da ESALQ, em Piracicaba , S.P. (Latitude 22º42' sul, Longitude 47º38' W.G. e altitude 546 m). Procurou-se por intermédio de semeadura em diferentes épocas e com utilização de cobertura artificial avaliar o comportamento do cultivar IAC 17 de algodão (Gossypium hirsututm L.) com referência à produção e a qualidade das fibras em relação à radiação solar incidente. A radiação solar incidente, medida e registrada, assim como a insolação, durante o período do ensaio foram tabuladas e confrontadas com os valores de produção e caracteres agronômicos. O tratamento sob cobertura apresentou nível médio de radiação solar incidente equivalente a menos de 20% daquele a céu aberto, o que causou redução tanto na produção quanto nos caracteres agronômicos e tecnológicos das fibras do algodão.The present paper refers to a research work carried out at the Dept. of Agriculture and Horticulture of ESALQ, University of São Paulo, in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo (latitude 22º42'S, longitude 47º33' WG and altitude 546 m). Sowing at different times and using artificial cover, an attempt was made to evaluate the behavior of cultivar IAC 17 of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as to production and quality of fiber relating to incident solar radiation. Incident solar radiation, as well as insolation during the trial period, were tabulated and compared with yelds and agricultural and technological characters of fibers. The treatment under cover showed a mean level of incident solar radiation equivalent to less than 20% of that at clear sky, causing a decrease in cotton production and in the agricultural and technological characters of fibers

Oxygen isotope ratios of waters and respired CO2 in Amazonian forest and pasture ecosystems

Journal ArticleThe oxygen isotope ratio (d18O, SMOW) of atmospheric CO2 is a powerful indicator of large-scale CO2 exchange on land. Oxygen isotopic exchange between CO2 and water in leaves and soils controls the d18O of atmospheric CO2. Currently there is little empirical information on the spatial and temporal variation in the d18O of leaf and stem water in tropical ecosystems. We measured the seasonal dynamics of d18O in atmospheric CO2 and water in different ecosystem compartments in both primary forest and pasture ecosystems in three different regions of the Amazonian Basin of Brazil (Ji-Paraná, Manaus, and Santarém)

The impacts of replacing air bubbles with microspheres for the clarification of algae from low cell-density culture

Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is a well-known coagulation–flotation system applied at large scale for microalgae harvesting. Compared to conventional harvesting technologies DAF allows high cell recovery at lower energy demand. By replacing microbubbles with microspheres, the innovative Ballasted Dissolved Air Flotation (BDAF) technique has been reported to achieve the same algae cell removal efficiency, while saving up to 80% of the energy required for the conventional DAF unit. Using three different algae cultures (Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira maxima), the present work investigated the practical, economic and environmental advantages of the BDAF system compared to the DAF system. 99% cells separation was achieved with both systems, nevertheless, the BDAF technology allowed up to 95% coagulant reduction depending on the algae species and the pH conditions adopted. In terms of floc structure and strength, the inclusion of microspheres in the algae floc generated a looser aggregate, showing a more compact structure within single cell alga, than large and filamentous cells. Overall, BDAF appeared to be a more reliable and sustainable harvesting system than DAF, as it allowed equal cells recovery reducing energy inputs, coagulant demand and carbon emissions