MyEcoCost - forming the nucleus of a novel environmental accounting system: vision, prototype and way forward

The innovative software system "myEcoCost" enables to gather and communicate resource and environmental data for products and services in global value chains. The system has been developed in the consortium of the European research project myEcoCost and forms a basis of a new, highly automated environmental accounting system für companies and consumers. The prototype of the system, linked to financial accounting of companies, was developed and tested in close collaboration with large and small companies. This brochure gives a brief introduction to the vision linked to myEcoCost: a network formed by collaborative environmental accounting nodes collecting environmental data at each step in a product's value chains. It shows why better life cycle data are needed and how myEcoCost addresses and solves this problem. Furthermore, it presents options for a future upscaling of highly automated environmenal accounting for prodcuts and services

Reconstruction of landslide activity using dendrogeomorphological analysis in the Karavanke mountains in NW Slovenia

Tree ring eccentricity was used to reconstruct landslide activity in the last 138 years in the Urbas landslide located at Potoška planina in the NW part of the Karavanke Mountains, Slovenia. The research was based on the dendrochronological sampling of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in areas of varying landslide intensity. Analysis of a sudden change in the eccentricity index of 82 curved trees concluded that there were 139 growth disturbances and 16 landslide reactivations between 1880 and 2015, with a landslide return period of 8.5 years. Using lidar data, changes in the surface of the digital terrain model (DTM) were compared with changes in the eccentricity index of trees at the same location in the period 2014-2017. On the basis of temporal changes in the eccentricity index and by using spatial interpolation, landslide activity was reconstructed for the period 1943%2015. During this period, landslide intensity increased in the central part of the landslide. Although categorization into seven categories of different stem curvature was proposed, no distinction between categories with respect to their eccentricity index was found

Growth-limiting factors and climate response variability in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) along an elevation and precipitation gradients in Slovenia

Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) is among the most sensitive coniferous species to ongoing climate change. However, previous studies on its growth response to increasing temperatures have yielded contrasting results (from stimulation to suppression), suggesting highly site-specific responses. Here, we present the first study that applies two independent approaches, i.e. the nonlinear, process-based Vaganov-Shashkin (VS) model and linear daily response functions. Data were collected at twelve sites in Slovenia differing in climate regimes and ranging elevation between 170 and 1300 m a.s.l. VS model results revealed that drier Norway spruce sites at lower elevations are mostly moisture limited, while moist high-elevation sites are generally more temperature limited. Daily response functions match well the pattern of growth-limiting factors from the VS model and further explain the effect of climate on radial growth: prevailing growth-limiting factors correspond to the climate variable with higher correlations. Radial growth correlates negatively with rising summer temperature and positively with higher spring precipitation. The opposite response was observed for the wettest site at the highest elevation, which positively reacts to increased summer temperature and will most likely benefit from a warming climate. For all other sites, the future radial growth of Norway spruce largely depends on the balance between spring precipitation and summer temperature

The fetal liver counterpart of adult common lymphoid progenitors gives rise to all lymphoid lineages, CD45+CD4+CD3- cells, as well as macrophages

We identified an IL-7Rα+Sca-1lowc-Kitlow population in E14 fetal liver, which is the phenotypical analog of common lymphoid progenitors (CLP) in adult bone marrow. After transfer into newborn mice, the IL-7Rα+Sca-1lowc-Kitlow population rapidly differentiated into CD45+CD4+CD3- cells, which are candidate cells for initiating lymph node and Peyer's patch formation. In addition, this population also gave rise to B, T, NK, and CD8α+ and CD8α- dendritic cells. The fetal liver precursors expressed a significantly lower level of the myeloid-suppressing transcription factor Pax-5, than adult CLP, and retained differentiation activity for macrophages in vitro. We propose that the transition from fetal liver IL-7Rα+Sca-1lowc-Kitlow cells to adult CLP involves a regulated restriction of their developmental potential, controlled, at least in part, by Pax-5 expression

Antifungal and antibacterial activity of 3-alkylpyridinium polymeric analogs of marine toxins

Analogs of marine sponge-derived 3-alkylpyridinium compounds (3-APS) were synthesized and screened for possible antibacterial and antifungal activities. They were found to exhibit moderate antibacterial activity. Antifungal potential was tested on pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and hypersaline species Wallemia sebi. S. cerevisiae was the most susceptible to the action of selected 3-APS. Inhibitory effects on fungal growth were also studied on two wood-rotting fungi, brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum and a white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor. The former showed a higher susceptibility to the action of 3-APS. The highest antifungal potential was observed with the poly-1,3-dodecyl pyridinium chloride (APS12-3, 7), while a complete loss of activity was noticed with the poly-1,3-butyl pyridinium chloride (APS3, 1), suggesting that this activity may closely correlate to the length of their alkyl chains. Based on our results, synthetic APS12-3 is a good candidate to be used as biocide or wood preservative against wood-rotting fungi

Challenges and solutions for application and wider adoption of wearable robots

The science and technology of wearable robots are steadily advancing, and the use of such robots in our everyday life appears to be within reach. Nevertheless, widespread adoption of wearable robots should not be taken for granted, especially since many recent attempts to bring them to real-life applications resulted in mixed outcomes. The aim of this article is to address the current challenges that are limiting the application and wider adoption of wearable robots that are typically worn over the human body. We categorized the challenges into mechanical layout, actuation, sensing, body interface, control, human–robot interfacing and coadaptation, and benchmarking. For each category, we discuss specific challenges and the rationale for why solving them is important, followed by an overview of relevant recent works. We conclude with an opinion that summarizes possible solutions that could contribute to the wider adoption of wearable robots.Human-Robot Interactio