A future for seafood point-of-origin testing using DNA and stable isotope signatures

Demand for seafood products is increasing worldwide, contributing to ever more complex supply chains and posing challenges to trace their origin and guarantee legal, well-managed, sustainable sources from confirmed locations. While DNA-based methods have proven to be reliable in verifying seafood authenticity at the species level, the verification of geographic origin remains inherently more complex. Both genetic and stable isotope analyses have been employed for determining point-of-origin with varying degrees of success, highlighting that their application can be effective when the right tool is selected for a given application. Developing an a priori prediction of their discrimination power for different applications can help avoid the financial cost of developing inappropriate reference datasets. Here, we reviewed the application of both techniques to seafood point-of-origin for 63 commercial finfish species certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, and showed that, even for those species where baseline data exist, real applications are scarce. To fill these gaps, we synthesised current knowledge on biological and biogeochemical mechanisms that underpin spatial variations in genetic and isotopic signatures. We describe which species’ biological and distribution traits are most helpful in predicting effectiveness of each tool. Building on this, we applied a mechanistic approach to predicting the potential for successful validation of origin to three case study fisheries, using combined genetic and isotopic methodologies to distinguish individuals from certified versus non-certified regions. Beyond ecolabelling applications, the framework we describe could be reproduced by governments and industries to select the most cost-effective techniques. Graphic abstract

Comparison of 4-Bit SAR ADC Using Different Logic Styles in 90nm Technology

In recent years, we have come across a growing need for the design of low power, long battery life Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC). ADCs are the major component of all the systems which need to process an analogue signal obtained from measuring real world parameters and hence they need to be efficient enough depending on the application and power constraint of the device. Speed is also an important parameter as it is used in many real time applications. The basic components of the SAR ADC can be implemented using circuits of various logics available for the logic gates, adders, comparators utilised in it. This paper presents the working of 4-bit successive approximation register analog-to-digital converters (SAR ADC) in three different logics namely, Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors (CMOS), Transmission Gates (TG), and Double Pass Transistors (DPL) logics, which were used in the basic components of each major block of the ADC. The aim of this paper here is to compare the various parameters such as area, power consumption and delay between the three different technologies chosen above. The SAR ADCs were implemented for this purpose in 90nm Technology using the Cadence Virtuoso Design Tool building schematics and layouts for the same and calculating the various parameters required for the above-mentioned comparison.

The Planarian Anatomy Ontology: A resource to connect data within and across experimental platforms

As the planarian research community expands, the need for an interoperable data organization framework for tool building has become increasingly apparent. Such software would streamline data annotation and enhance cross-platform and cross-species searchability. We created the Planarian Anatomy Ontology (PLANA), an extendable relational framework of defined Schmidtea mediterranea (Smed) anatomical terms used in the field. At publication, PLANA contains over 850 terms describing Smed anatomy from subcellular to system-level across all life cycle stages, in intact animals, and regenerating body fragments. Terms from other anatomy ontologies were imported into PLANA to promote interoperability and comparative anatomy studies. To demonstrate the utility of PLANA as a tool for data curation, we created resources for planarian embryogenesis, including a staging series and molecular fate mapping atlas, and the Planarian Anatomy Gene Expression database, which allows retrieval of a variety of published transcript/gene expression data associated with PLANA terms. As an open-source tool built using FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible) principles, our strategy for continued curation and versioning of PLANA also provides a platform for community-led growth and evolution of this resource.

RESEARCH OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE DISPERSION OF THE ACTUAL LINK SIZES ON THE TRANSMISSION FUNCTION OF THE MECHANISM OF ROD SEMI-AUTOMATICS

In this work, the analysis of real deviations from the nominal dimensions links, and their cumulative effect on the final movement of the chain linkage element rolling semiautomatic mechanism. The considered mechanism was converted to an equivalent one, consisting of lower translational and rotational kinematic pairs. In the course of the structural analysis, the mechanism was divided into Assur groups in order to simplify further kinematic calculations. The calculation was carried out sequentially for each of the structural groups separately. Based on this, a mathematical model of the kinematics of a rolling semiautomatic mechanism was developed, taking into account the real size of the links, that is, possible deviations of the links size from the nominal values for any combination of them. Using a specific example with the given installation dimensions of the mechanism, the transfer function of the output link (wedge) is built, and the range of its possible change is determined according to the specified dimensional tolerances. Combinations of link sizes for the boundaries of the range of change of the transfer function have been determined It is shown that with the tolerances indicated in accordance with the Unified system of tolerances and fits, the deviation of the position of the output link at the extreme position of the input link (pusher) can reach ±10 of that calculated by the nominal dimensions. This model can be used to solve the problems of optimal selection of tolerances and reduce the cost of manufacturing a product, based on the kinematic restrictions imposed on the functionality of the mechanism. The proposed approach to the construction and analysis of analytical mathematical models can be relevant for a wide variety of industries: machine tool building, engine building, weapons industry and aircraft building, especially where mechanisms are used that form long kinematic chains.

Dynamics of Global Technological Trends in the Context of Patent Data

In modern dynamic digital conditions of interaction with external stakeholders, the future success of companies directly depends on their innovative activity, effective implementation into business processes of research and development results in the field of new technologies. The rapid development of technologies in recent years accelerates the spread of innovations, which leads to increased competition, so the organization’s ability to implement process innovations to increase its own competitiveness will determine its effectiveness and efficiency in the future. The article explores the main global technological trends by fixating on the technological spheres with the maximum number of published patent applications, as well as the average increase in the number of applications for a ten-year period in the context of technological industries. A comparison of business areas, whose representatives hold the highest rating positions in the annual world researches of innovation and success (brand value) of companies, is carried out. According to the results of the research, the most patentable technological industries are identified, which included, speaking of electrical engineering, the following: electric machines, devices, energy; digital communication and computer technologies. Among chemical technologies, the largest number of published applications was recorded in such sectors as: pharmaceuticals; chemistry of basic materials, chemical engineering. In the field of machine building, the largest number of applications was published in the transport industry sector and in relation to other special machines. The highest values of the average growth of the mentioned indicator are observed in such areas as IT methods in management, food chemistry, ecological technologies, chemical machine building, other special machines and machine-tool building. The regional aspect of technology patenting is also specified, which consists in shifting innovation activity in the emerging technological spheres towards Asian countries. The most active companies in patenting were State Grid Corp of China, Mitsubishi Electric Corp, Toyota Jidosha KK, IBM, Huawei Technologies, Samsung Electronics.

Joining forces to build up knowledge in health promotion: lessons from a French coalition initiative

Issue French public health authorities increasingly rationalize access to public funding, favoring evidence-based programs. Health Promotion (HP) interventions are especially urged to prove their efficiency in this context. To tackle this issue, HP practitioners hold experiential knowledge (EK) that proves useful to assess both the complexity and efficiency of HP interventions. United by this conviction in a multidisciplinary coalition, HP experts from various backgrounds came together five years ago to promote Experiential Knowledge in HP (EKHP) in France. A national committee to promote EKHP 670 HP practitioners were surveyed in 2016. Results reported vast amounts of under-documented and often untapped field expertise in HP and numerous obstacles regarding access to scientific literature or systematic reviews. Consequently, the coalition launched a National Committee for EKHP, meeting 5 times a year since 2016. Members of 6 national HP organizations, of 4 regional HP institutes, national and local public health administrators, researchers, consultants and field workers participate. Steered by the French Society for Public Health and the National Federation for Health Education and Promotion, the committee devised a threefold action plan: 1/ advocate EKHP in all relevant institutional spaces, 2/ develop tools for EKHP, 3/ mobilize for EKHP at the local level. Results The committee designed a method for capitalizing, collecting and circulating EK and published in 2020 a guidebook and a toolkit. French Public Health authorities agreed to share EK nationwide on their online portal. Dissemination within the French HP community has started, through the committee members' networks, and will be amplified with a training program launched in 2021 at the National School of Public Health. Lessons Attention must be brought to HP practitioners’ experiential knowledge, both to recognize HP practitioners' expertise and to help improve the understanding of how HP interventions work. Key messages Experiential knowledge in HP remains undervalued and untapped in France. Dedicated practitioners, policymakers and researchers formed a multidisciplinary committee to promote and disseminate EKHP. A multilevel strategy combining advocacy and tool building can be effective at promoting experiential knowledge. A multidisciplinary coalition provided the necessary context-specific levers in France.

The Right Tools for the Job: The Case for Spatial Science Tool-Building

This paper was presented as the 8th annual Transactions in GIS plenary address at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting in Washington, DC. The spatial sciences have recently seen growing calls for more accessible software and tools that better embody geographic science and theory. Urban spatial network science offers one clear opportunity: from multiple perspectives, tools to model and analyze nonplanar urban spatial networks have traditionally been inaccessible, atheoretical, or otherwise limiting. This paper reflects on this state of the field. Then it discusses the motivation, experience, and outcomes of developing OSMnx, a tool intended to help address this. Next it reviews this tool's use in the recent multidisciplinary spatial network science literature to highlight upstream and downstream benefits of open‐source software development. Tool-building is an essential but poorly incentivized component of academic geography and social science more broadly. To conduct better science, we need to build better tools. The paper concludes with paths forward, emphasizing open-source software and reusable computational data science beyond mere reproducibility and replicability.

Enhancing Lifeguard Training through Virtual Reality

According to the CDC, over three thousand people die every year from drowning in the United States. Many of these fatalities are preventable with properly trained lifeguards. Traditional lifeguard training relies on videos and mock rescues. While these methods are important, they have their shortcomings. Videos are static and do not build muscle memory. Mock rescues are labor-intensive and potentially put others in danger. Virtual reality (VR) can be used as an alternative training tool, building muscle memory in a fully controlled and safe environment. With full control over variables such as weather, population, and other distractions, lifeguards can be better equipped to respond to any situation. The single most important aspect of life guarding is finding the victim. This head rotation skill can be practiced and perfected in VR before guards ever get onto the stand. It also allows guards to practice in uncommon but nevertheless dangerous conditions such as fog and large crowds. VR also allows the user to get immediate feedback about performance and where they can improve.