Comprehensive needs analysis for the development of construction safety education tools in immersive reality

Construction industry remains one of the most hazardous industries to work in, despite numerous efforts by researchers and practitioners to improve levels of Health & Safety (H&S) and reduce the number of accidents which occur on the construction sites. A potential method to reduce the number accidents is to educate construction workers in hazard identification and to raise their awareness of the risks they face at the construction site through the use of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). This paper presents the first intellectual output of an Erasmus+ project titled Construction Safety with Education and Training using Immersive Reality (CSETIR), whose goal is to examine and apply such VR and AR tools to improve the levels of H&S. Through the literature review and discussions with relevant stakeholders, most appropriate training methods were identified for the development of safety educational tools in the following project phases. VR and AR technologies have the potential to train construction workers in H&S, especially those who have little experience in construction safety, workers with literacy limitations and workers that do not speak the local language. Visual training tools, especially immersive ones, also provide better retention of acquired knowledge and skills. An immersive reality safety education tool, therefore, has the potential to increase the levels of construction H&S and to reduce the number of accidents at construction sites

Collagen fiber arrangement in normal and diseased cartilage studied by polarization sensitive nonlinear microscopy

Jessica C. Mansfield ; C. Peter Winlove ; Julian Moger and Steve J. Matcher "Collagen fiber arrangement in normal and diseased cartilage studied by polarization sensitive nonlinear microscopy", J. Biomed. Opt. 13(4), 044020 (July 15, 2008). Copyright © 2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation EngineersSecond harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon fluorescence (TPF) microscopy is used to image the intercellular and pericellular matrix in normal and degenerate equine articular cartilage. The polarization sensitivity of SHG can be used directly to determine fiber orientation in the superficial 10 to 20 microm of tissue, and images of the ratio of intensities taken with two orthogonal polarization states reveal small scale variations in the collagen fiber organization that have not previously been reported. The signal from greater depths is influenced by the birefringence and biattenuance of the overlying tissue. An assessment of these effects is developed, based on the analysis of changes in TPF polarization with depth, and the approach is validated in tendon where composition is independent of depth. The analysis places an upper bound on the biattenuance of tendon of 2.65 x 10(-4). Normal cartilage reveals a consistent pattern of variation in fibril orientation with depth. In lesions, the pattern is severely disrupted and there are changes in the pericellular matrix, even at the periphery where the tissue appears microscopically normal. Quantification of polarization sensitivity changes with depth in cartilage will require detailed numerical models, but in the meantime, multiphoton microscopy provides sensitive indications of matrix changes in cartilage degeneration

Supporting Renewables’ Penetration in Remote Areas through the Transformation of Non-Powered Dams

Supplying power to remote areas may be a challenge, even for those communities already connected to the main grid. Power is often transmitted from long distances, under adverse weather conditions, and with aged equipment. As a rule, modernizing grid infrastructure in such areas to make it more resilient faces certain financial limitations. Local distribution may face stability issues and disruptions through the year and—equally important—it cannot absorb significant amounts of locally-produced power. The European policy has underlined the importance of energy production in local level towards meeting energy security and climate targets. However, the current status of these areas makes the utilization of the local potential prohibitive. This study builds on the observation that in the vicinity of such mountainous areas, irrigation dams often cover different non energy-related needs (e.g., irrigation, drinking water). Transforming these dams to small-scale hydropower (SHP) facilities can have a twofold effect: it can enhance the local energy portfolio with a renewable energy source that can be regulated and managed. Moreover, hydropower can provide additional flexibility to the local system and through reservoir operation to allow the connection of additional solar photovoltaic capacities. The developed methodological approach was tested in remote communities of mountainous Greece, where an earth-fill dam provides irrigation water. The results show a significant increase of renewables’ penetration and enhanced communities’ electricity autarky

Scaling up the stagnant small-scale hydropower capacities in European Union

Small and medium-scale hydropower systems have been in the core plans of the European Union to move towards cleaner power production. Despite the plans for a steady growth of the installed capacities, progress has been rather limited. Such systems have technical advantages due to their flexible operation and are of particular value for the power systems. Especially in mountainous areas small hydropower systems (SHP) can play an important role. Electrification of remote areas may face challenges, even in areas connected to the main grid. Power transmission from long distances may be affected by extreme weather conditions and aged equipment. Equally important, the aged infrastructure cannot absorb large amounts of power produced by local renewable energy systems. Upgrading the local grid infrastructure in such areas is often not an economically viable option. This study builds on the observation that non-powered dams (NPD) are often located in such areas to cover e.g. irrigation needs. Transforming these dams to SHPs can enhance the local energy portfolio with a renewable energy source that can be regulated and managed. Optimizing the operation of the SHP allows the connection of higher capacities of solar photovoltaic systems (SPVS). In this article, we present a methodology that streamlines this approach. The model was applied in a remote area of Greece, near an existing earth-fill NPD. The results show that dam’s transformation decreased the dependency to the grid by 50% and significantly enhanced communities’ electricity autarky.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

The Multifaceted Photocytotoxic Profile of Hypericin

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an established anticancer treatment employing a phototoxin (photosensitizer), visible light and oxygen. The latter is photochemically converted into reactive oxygen species, which are highly toxic to the cells. Hypericin, a natural pigment of hypericum plants, is prominent among photosensitizers. The unique perylenequinone structure of hypericin is responsible for its intriguing multifaceted photochemical cytotoxicity. The diverse photodynamic action of hypericin targets a range of subcellular organelles most importantly the mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi complex. Hypericin exerts its phototoxicity through intricate mechanisms, implicating key proteins, vital enzymes, organelle membranes and changes in cellular homeostasis. This, depending on drug and light administration conditions, leads to cell death, which occurs mainly by the induction of apoptosis and/or necrosis. Cell photosensitization with hypericin is also associated with the stimulation of macroautophagy, which may promote cell demise when the apoptotic machinery is defective. Herein, we aim to integrate the most important findings with regard to hypericin photocytotoxicity, into a unified scenario, detailing its potential in cancer photomedicine