Nudging the Food Basket Green: The Effects of Commitment and Badges on the Carbon Footprint of Food Shopping

\ua9 2023, The Author(s).We use an incentive-compatible experimental online supermarket to test the role of commitment and badges in reducing the carbon footprint of grocery shopping. In the experiment, some participants had the opportunity to voluntarily commit to a low carbon footprint basket before their online grocery shopping; the commitment was forced upon other participants. We also study the impact of an online badge as a soft reward for the achievement of a low carbon footprint basket. Participants from the general population shopped over two weeks, with the experimental stimuli only in week 2; and received their shopping baskets and any unspent budget. Results indicate that requesting a commitment prior to entering the store leads to a reduction in carbon footprint of 9–12%. When the commitment is voluntary, reductions are driven by consumers who accept the commitment. Commitments also reduced the consumption of fats and, for forced commitments, that of salt by 18%. Badges did not significantly impact consumer behaviour. Commitment mechanisms, either forced or voluntary, appear effective in motivating an environmental goal and search for low-carbon options, particularly in those accepting the commitment

Systematic pathologic findings report of callosciurus finlaysonii (Horsfield, 1823) (rodentia, sciuridae) squirrels from maratea area (south italy) to investigate species-specific pathologies, reliability of co2 euthanasia method, and possible use as environmental sentinels

The aim of the present study was to macroscopically and microscopically describe the main pathological findings occurring in this invasive species, in order to better understand the real risks for naïve animals and humans. The present study was conducted on Callosciurusfinlaysonii squirrels (n = 165), captured in the Maratea area and euthanatized with CO2 according to a population control of invasive species of the Italian Agriculture Ministry project (ex CIPE project) and conferred to the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Bari (Italy). Macroscopic analysis demonstrated heart, lung, and liver congestion, probably due to the euthanasia method, and variable lesions of bowel, liver, and kidney. The microscopically examination showed the presence of lymphocytic infiltration in the lower layers of the bowel, suggesting enteritis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systemic report of gross and microscopical anatomopathological lesions in C.finlaysonii, in South Italy. The results could be useful to fill a gap of knowledge of this species in Italy

Inflammatory Related Reactions in Humans and in Canine Breast Cancers, A Spontaneous Animal Model of Disease

Inflammatory cells are emerging markers in various cancers in human trials. The relationship between the inflammatory cells response, cancer grade, and progression has been investigated experimentally in a spontaneous canine model of breast cancer and in the unselected population (18–64 years.o.) under anti-HER2 treatments that represent the most prevalent population in this cancer type. The canine data (N samples = 101) were collected retrospectively for diagnosis in our regional area and evaluated by immunohistochemistry and haemato-chemistry. The inflammatory and immune-related adverse reactions (ADR) in humans were evaluated using EudraVigilance. The “Proportional Reporting Ratio” (PRR) of the mabs was calculated for each ADR with values >2 indicative of high risk. In dogs, we found elevated immunostaining of CD68-macrophages in the lymph node of the aggressive cancer G3 and infiltrating CD20+-lymphocyte. A high density of CD20 + lymphocytes was observed in G1 and a decrease in the density was observed with the histological degree of the tumors. The animals with the sample in G1 showed reduced serum platelet and neutrophil count and elevated lymphocytes and the opposite in severely affected animals. Inflammatory reactions with edema, skin reactions, extravasation, loss of effectiveness, and platelet count decrease (PRR > 13) were found with trastuzumab emtansine in humans, in the absence of immune system reactions. Trastuzumab i.v.-s.c. showed immune system reactions, loss of effectiveness, intolerances with drug withdrawal, technological issues (PRR > 7), and neutrophil count decrease reports. These reactions were less frequently reported for pertuzumab i.v. Case reports of platelet and neutrophil count decrease were not associated with disease progression with a better outcome in humans as in canine breast cancer. Therefore, infiltrating CD68-macrophages are associated with G3, while infiltrating CD20+ and elevated serum lymphocytes in parallel with reduced platelet and neutrophil count play a favorable role in human and canine breast cancer

Hyperammonemic encephalopathy as a manifestation of Reye syndrome in a previously-healthy 14-year-old girl: A case report

Reye syndrome is seldom considered in the older child presenting with acute encephalopathy. The paucity of literature on Reye syndrome in the past 30 years highlights the importance of sharing new observations of this less-commonly considered disease. This case details an atypical presentation of Reye syndrome in an adolescent girl whose course was unexpectedly complicated by dialysis disequilibrium syndrome, occurring as a result of rapid metabolic shifts in the setting of urgent hemodialysis. A 14-year-old, previously healthy girl born to non-consanguineous Pakistani parents presented with acute-onset encephalopathy characterized by aggressive behaviour and altered level of consciousness. This was preceded by frequent vomiting and weeks of disordered eating. Laboratory findings included high anion-gap [30 (normal range, \u3c14)] metabolic acidosis [pH 7.23 (normal range, 7.35-7.45), bicarbonate 10 mmol/L (normal range, 22-29 mmol/L)] with markedly elevated peak levels of lactate [13.6 mmol/L (normal range, 0.5-2.2 mmol/L)] and ammonia [573 μmol/L (normal range, 11-48 μmol/L)]. Emergent hemodialysis was undertaken for management of severe hyperammonemia, with subsequent worsening of cerebral edema, elevated intracranial pressure, and consequent uncal and tonsillar herniation, in keeping with the development of dialysis disequilibrium syndrome. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with Reye syndrome after extensive biochemical and molecular testing including exome sequencing were non-contributory. This diagnosis would be consistent with her poor nutritional state, depleted carnitine levels, mild liver dysfunction and hyperammonemia. Two weeks of intensive care were required. The patient was ultimately discharged to a rehabilitation facility with ongoing fatigue and regression in motor and cognitive domains. Hyperammonemic encephalopathy should prompt consideration for Reye syndrome. Hyperammonemia is a medical emergency; the extremely time-sensitive nature of hyperammonemia management mandates that ammonia level testing be undertaken for any unexplained encephalopathy. Severe elevations can result in neurological impairment, cerebral edema, and are acutely life-threatening. Hemodialysis may be indicated for levels \u3e150 μmol/L; the urgency of ammonia clearance must be balanced against the risk of developing dialysis disequilibrium syndrome

Condition Assessment and Analysis of Bearing of Doubly Fed Wind Turbines Using Machine Learning Technique

Condition monitoring of wind turbines is progressively increasing to maintain the continuity of clean energy supply to power grids. This issue is of great importance since it prevents wind turbines from failing and overheating, as most wind turbines with doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) are overheated due to faults in generator bearings. Bearing fault detection has become a main topic targeting the optimum operation, unscheduled downtime, and maintenance cost of turbine generators. Wind turbines are equipped with condition monitoring devices. However, effective and reliable fault detection still faces significant difficulties. As the majority of health monitoring techniques are primarily focused on a single operating condition, they are unable to effectively determine the health condition of turbines, which results in unwanted downtimes. New and reliable strategies for data analysis were incorporated into this research, given the large amount and variety of data. The development of a new model of the temperature of the DFIG bearing versus wind speed to identify false alarms is the key innovation of this work. This research aims to analyze the parameters for condition monitoring of DFIG bearings using SCADA data for k-means clustering training. The variables of k are obtained by the elbow method that revealed three classes of k (k = 0, 1, and 2). Box plot visualization is used to quantify data points. The average rotation speed and average temperature measurement of the DFIG bearings are found to be primary indicators to characterize normal or irregular operating conditions. In order to evaluate the performance of the clustering model, an analysis of the assessment indices is also executed. The ultimate goal of the study is to be able to use SCADA-recorded data to provide advance warning of failures or performance issues

Performance Improvement of Grid-Integrated Doubly Fed Induction Generator under Asymmetrical and Symmetrical Faults

The doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind energy conversion system (WECS) suffers from voltage and frequency fluctuations due to the stochastic nature of wind speed as well as nonlinear loads. Moreover, the high penetration of wind energy into the power grid is a challenge for its smooth operation. Hence, symmetrical faults are most intense, inflicting the stator winding to low voltage, disturbing the low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) functionality of a DFIG. The vector control strategy with proportional–integral (PI) controllers was used to control rotor-side converter (RSC) and grid-side converter (GSC) parameters. During a symmetrical fault, however, a series grid-side converter (SGSC) with a shunt injection transformer on the stator side was used to keep the rotor current at an acceptable level in accordance with grid code requirements (GCRs). For the validation of results, the proposed scheme of PI + SGSC is compared with PI and a combination of PI with Dynamic Impedance Fault Current Limiter (DIFCL). The MATLAB simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme provides superior performance by providing 77.6% and 20.61% improved performance in rotor current compared to that of PI and PI + DIFCL control schemes for improving the LVRT performance of DFIG