Making Tactile Textures with Predefined Affective Properties

A process for the design and manufacture of 3D tactile textures with predefined affective properties was developed. Twenty four tactile textures were manufactured. Texture measures from the domain of machine vision were used to characterize the digital representations of the tactile textures. To obtain affective ratings, the textures were touched, unseen, by 107 participants who scored them against natural, warm, elegant, rough, simple, and like, on a semantic differential scale. The texture measures were correlated with the participants' affective ratings using a novel feature subset evaluation method and a partial least squares genetic algorithm. Six measures were identified that are significantly correlated with human responses and are unlikely to have occurred by chance. Regression equations were used to select 48 new tactile textures that had been synthesized using mixing algorithms and which were likely to score highly against the six adjectives when touched by participants. The new textures were manufactured and rated by participants. It was found that the regression equations gave excellent predictive ability. The principal contribution of the work is the demonstration of a process, using machine vision methods and rapid prototyping, which can be used to make new tactile textures with predefined affective properties

Café Mesoamericano: desarrollo de una estrategia de adaptación al cambio climático

La producción de café en Mesoamérica es parte importante de la economía y la sociedad, al ser eje del bienestar de miles de familias y contribuir significativamente al PIB agrícola de diversos países. Pero las proyecciones indican que es en México y América Central donde el cambio climático tendrá los impactos más severos. Los modelos climáticos y los indicadores de aptitud climática del nicho en relación con el cultivo muestran cambios considerables, tanto en la calidad del café como en las zonas altitudinales apropiadas para la producción. Si hoy no se hacen esfuerzos para fortalecer la capacidad adaptativa, probablemente habrá grandes pérdidas económicas en toda la cadena de abastecimiento de café, así como la desaparición de importantes servicios ambientales

The impact of user characteristics of smallholder farmers on user experiences with collaborative map applications

In the future, farmers will have increasing opportunities to use collaborative smartphone applications for agricultural management. Geospatial information in combination with agricultural-relevant information is a great source of knowledge for farmers. Including maps in collaborative mobile agriculture applications benefits communication processes related to agricultural-relevant questions. Ensuring a positive user experience with map interfaces depends on their design. To develop design guidelines for map-oriented mobile agricultural applications, this study evaluates 24 different map design variations (varying in their elements and degrees of complexity) and characterizes their user experience with 72 coffee farmers as study participants. Our findings show that the most crucial factors for a positive user experience were restricted interactivity, simple tasks to conduct (selecting single point features), and a simplified base map style, highlighting relevant landmarks. Since our farmers consisted primarily of less-experienced smartphone and map users, our findings may also be helpful for users in general, sharing similar user characteristics. While empirical, in-situ studies pose many challenges, they provide relevant insights into the real use situation and user behavior of mobile map applications. Our findings help establish some basic principles for designing map adaptations, serving as a guideline for creating effective mapping applications, which adapt to the farmers' contextual factors. Based on our study results, we suggest future research for continuing conceptualizing principles of map design adaptation and support this effort through empirical, in-situ studies for relating contextual user factors to the adaptation behavior of map applications

Tortillas on the roaster: Central America’s maize–bean systems and the changing climate

Maize and beans are a vital component of human diets and culture in Central America. More than a million smallholder families grow these crops for subsistence, producing 70% of the maize and 100% of the beans consumed locally. Average yields are low, however – 1.5 t/ha for maize and 0.7 t/ha for beans – on the approximately 2.5 million hectares of land sown to these crops (40% of the total area harvested) in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In the years to come, a harsher climate together with soil degradation1, widespread poverty, and rural people’s limited access to services and infrastructure will pose challenging obstacles to production. By 2025, these pressures could result in total annual losses of maize and bean production in the four countries of around 350,000 t – with a gross production value of around US$120 million. To ward off this threat to the food security of some 100,000 households, effective adaptation strategies must be developed in collaboration with stakeholders in the maize and bean value chains. These strategies require strong public support and must draw on both scientific and community knowledge

Tortillas en el comal: los sistemas de maíz y fríjol de América Central y el cambio climático

El maíz y el fríjol son un componente vital de las dietas alimenticias de los humanos y la cultura en América Central. Más de un millón de familias de pequeños agricultores siembran estos cultivos para su subsistencia y producen el 70% del maíz y 100% del fríjol que se consume localmente. Sin embargo, los rendimientos promedio son bajos —1.5 t/ha para maíz y 0.7 t/ha para fríjol — en las cerca de 2.5 millones de hectáreas de tierra sembradas con estos cultivos (40% del área total cosechada) en El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua. En los próximos años, el cambio climático junto con la degradación del suelo, la pobreza generalizada y el acceso limitado de la población rural a servicios e infraestructura plantearán obstáculos desafiantes para la producción. Para el 2025, estas presiones podrían producir pérdidas anuales totales de la producción de maíz y fríjol en los cuatro países de alrededor de 350.000 t — con un valor bruto de producción cercano a US$120 millones. Para detener esta amenaza para la seguridad alimentaria de alrededor de 100.000 hogares, se deben desarrollar unas estrategias de adaptación efectivas en colaboración con los interesados directos de las cadenas de valor del maíz y el fríjol. Estas estrategias requieren un apoyo público firme y deben aprovechar tanto el conocimiento científico como el saber de las comunidades

Ucma/GRP inhibits phosphate-induced vascular smooth muscle cell calcification via SMAD-dependent BMP signalling

Vascular calcification (VC) is the process of deposition of calcium phosphate crystals in the blood vessel wall, with a central role for vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). VC is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and thought, in part, to be induced by phosphate imbalance. The molecular mechanisms that regulate VC are not fully known. Here we propose a novel role for the mineralisation regulator Ucma/GRP (Upper zone of growth plate and Cartilage Matrix Associated protein/Gla Rich Protein) in phosphate-induced VSMC calcification. We show that Ucma/GRP is present in calcified atherosclerotic plaques and highly expressed in calcifying VSMCs in vitro. VSMCs from Ucma/GRP(-/-) mice showed increased mineralisation and expression of osteo/chondrogenic markers (BMP-2, Runx2, beta-catenin, p-SMAD1/5/8, ALP, OCN), and decreased expression of mineralisation inhibitor MGP, suggesting that Ucma/GRP is an inhibitor of mineralisation. Using BMP signalling inhibitor noggin and SMAD1/5/8 signalling inhibitor dorsomorphin we showed that Ucma/GRP is involved in inhibiting the BMP-2-SMAD1/5/8 osteo/chondrogenic signalling pathway in VSMCs treated with elevated phosphate concentrations. Additionally, we showed for the first time evidence of a direct interaction between Ucma/GRP and BMP-2. These results demonstrate an important role of Ucma/GRP in regulating osteo/chondrogenic differentiation and phosphate-induced mineralisation of VSMCs.NWO ZonMw [MKMD 40-42600-98-13007]; FCT [SFRH/BPD/70277/2010]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio