Search

Large direct-drive wind turbines with a multi-megawatt power rating face design challenges, especially concerning tower top mass, due to scaling laws for high-torque generators. This work proposes to extend the design space by moving towards a more system-oriented approach, considering electro-mechanical interactions. This requires an extension of the state-of-the-art wind turbine models with additional degrees of freedom. To limit the computational effort of such models, a profound understanding of possible interaction mechanisms is required. This work aims to identify interactions of an additional degree of freedom in the radial direction of the generator with the wind turbine structure, the aerodynamics, and the wind turbine controller. Therefore, a Simpack model of the IEA 15 MW RWT is implemented and coupled to a quasi-static analytical generator model for electromagnetic forces. The analytical model, sourced from literature, is code-to-code validated against a finite element model of the generator in COMSOL Multiphysics. Electro-mechanical simulation results do not show interactions with the aerodynamics or the controller. However, interactions with the wind turbine structure occur. It is shown that the modelling approach can affect the system's natural frequencies, which can potentially impact the overall system design choices.

Introduction Patients with severe mental illnesses (SMI) are often exposed to polymedication. Additionally, the risk of somatic diseases is twice as high in patients with SMI as in individuals without a psychiatric disorder. Furthermore, drug–drug interactions (DDI) between psychiatric drugs and somatic medications are a well-known cause of adverse drug reactions (ADR). Objectives The aim of this study was to analyse whether already known DDI related to psychiatric drugs and somatic medication still occur in everyday clinical practice. Methods Therefore we identified all spontaneous ADR reports contained in the European ADR database EudraVigilance from Germany received between 01/2017 and 12/2021 reported for patients older than 17 years in which antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers were reported as suspected/interacting (n= 9,665). ADR reports referring to intentional overdoses and suicide attempts were excluded (n= 9,276 left). We used the ABDATA drug information system in order to identify all potential DDI (pDDI). The identified reports with pDDI were then assessed individually to determine whether the respective DDI occurred. Results 1,271 reports with 728 potentially interacting drugs pairs related to psychiatric drugs and somatic medications with 2,655 pDDI were found. Restricted to potentially interacting drug pairs with more than 10 reports, (i) hyponatremias related to antidepressants and diuretics (n= 362, 32.6%), (ii) bleeding events related to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and platelet aggregation inhibitors, anticoagulants or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) (n= 295, 17.5%), and (iii) increased beta-blocker effects related to SSRIs and beta-blockers (n= 126, 11.3%) were the most frequently identified pDDI. After individual case assessment, in 33.3% (14/42), 23.7% (45/190) and 17.4% (8/46) of the reports bleeding events related to SSRIs and anticoagulants, SSRIs and platelet aggregation inhibitors and SSRIs and NSAIDs were reported. Hyponatremia was reported in 7.6% (22/289) of the reports related to antidepressants and diuretics and increased beta-blocker effects in 6.9% (8/116) of the reports related to SSRIs and beta-blockers. Conclusions According to our analysis, well-known DDI still occur in the treatment of psychiatric patients with psychiatric drugs and somatic medication. Whenever possible, alternative drug combinations with a lower potential of DDIs may be considered or appropriate monitoring measures should be conducted. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-reported stability of psychopathic traits in adolescents in residential care (both child welfare and juvenile justice placed juveniles) and potential influencing factors. Methods We applied the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI) in a sample of 162 adolescents (M = 15.0 years, SD = 1.3) over a mean time interval of 11 months (min. 6, max. 21 months, SD = 3.14). Results There was no significant difference in YPI total score nor in the three underlying dimensions Grandiose-Manipulative (GM), Callous-Unemotional (CU), and Impulsive-Irresponsible (II) between t1 and t2. Furthermore, approximately 70% of the adolescents showed no clinically significant reliable change on the YPI total score (as measured with the reliable change index), 15% improved, 15% deteriorated. The strongest predictor for psychopathic traits at t2 were psychopathic traits at t1. Additional predictors for higher levels of general psychopathic traits was male sex, for CU-traits male sex and lower levels of internalizing mental health problems, and for II-traits higher levels of externalizing mental health problems. Generally, the three reliable change groups (increase, no change, decrease) did not seemed to differ on relevant factors. Conclusions Our results add to the findings that psychopathic traits are relatively stable in this at-risk group over approximately a 1-year time interval. Research with a longer follow-up time and more time points is warranted to better interpret these results.

Empirical evidence demonstrates that lakes and reservoirs are warming across the globe. Consequently, there is an increased need to project future changes in lake thermal structure and resulting changes in lake biogeochemistry in order to plan for the likely impacts. Previous studies of the impacts of climate change on lakes have often relied on a single model forced with limited scenario-driven projections of future climate for a relatively small number of lakes. As a result, our understanding of the effects of climate change on lakes is fragmentary, based on scattered studies using different data sources and modelling protocols, and mainly focused on individual lakes or lake regions. This has precluded identification of the main impacts of climate change on lakes at global and regional scales and has likely contributed to the lack of lake water quality considerations in policy-relevant documents, such as the Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Here, we describe a simulation protocol developed by the Lake Sector of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) for simulating climate change impacts on lakes using an ensemble of lake models and climate change scenarios for ISIMIP phases 2 and 3. The protocol prescribes lake simulations driven by climate forcing from gridded observations and different Earth system models under various representative greenhouse gas concentration pathways (RCPs), all consistently bias-corrected on a 0.5∘ × 0.5∘ global grid. In ISIMIP phase 2, 11 lake models were forced with these data to project the thermal structure of 62 well-studied lakes where data were available for calibration under historical conditions, and using uncalibrated models for 17 500 lakes defined for all global grid cells containing lakes. In ISIMIP phase 3, this approach was expanded to consider more lakes, more models, and more processes. The ISIMIP Lake Sector is the largest international effort to project future water temperature, thermal structure, and ice phenology of lakes at local and global scales and paves the way for future simulations of the impacts of climate change on water quality and biogeochemistry in lakes.

Catchment erosion and sedimentation are influenced by variations in the rates of rock uplift (tectonics) and periodic fluctuations in climate and vegetation cover. This study focuses on quantifying the effects of changing climate and vegetation on erosion and sedimentation over distinct climate–vegetation settings by applying the Landlab–SPACE landscape evolution model. As catchment evolution is subjected to tectonic and climate forcings at millennial to million-year timescales, the simulations are performed for different tectonic scenarios and periodicities in climate–vegetation change. We present a series of generalized experiments that explore the sensitivity of catchment hillslope and fluvial erosion as well as sedimentation for different rock uplift rates (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 mm a−1) and Milankovitch climate periodicities (23, 41, and 100 kyr). Model inputs were parameterized for two different climate and vegetation conditions at two sites in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera at ∼26∘ S (arid and sparsely vegetated) and ∼33∘ S (Mediterranean). For each setting, steady-state topographies were produced for each uplift rate before introducing periodic variations in precipitation and vegetation cover. Following this, the sensitivity of these landscapes was analyzed for 3 Myr in a transient state. Results suggest that regardless of the uplift rate, transients in precipitation and vegetation cover resulted in transients in erosion rates in the direction of change in precipitation and vegetation. The transients in sedimentation were observed to be in the opposite direction of change in the precipitation and vegetation cover, with phase lags of ∼1.5–2.5 kyr. These phase lags can be attributed to the changes in plant functional type (PFT) distribution induced by the changes in climate and the regolith production rate. These effects are most pronounced over longer-period changes (100 kyr) and higher rock uplift rates (0.2 mm yr−1). This holds true for both the vegetation and climate settings considered. Furthermore, transient changes in catchment erosion due to varying vegetation and precipitation were between ∼35 % and 110 % of the background (rock uplift) rate and would be measurable with commonly used techniques (e.g., sediment flux histories, cosmogenic nuclides). Taken together, we find that vegetation-dependent erosion and sedimentation are influenced by Milankovitch timescale changes in climate but that these transient changes are superimposed upon tectonically driven rates of rock uplift.

Abstract Background Suicide is a major and complex public health problem. In Switzerland, suicide accounts for about 1000 deaths yearly and is the fourth leading cause of mortality. The first nationwide Swiss study of suicides identified eight male and four female occupations with statistically significant excess of suicide compared to the general Swiss population. Working time, self-employer status, low socio-economic status and low skill level required for occupation were associated with increase in suicide risk. Presently, we aim to compare the distribution of suicide risk across occupations with the prevalence of somatic and psychiatric morbidity in Swiss working-aged adults. We hypothesized that some diseases would cluster in particular occupations, indicating potential work-relatedness of suicides found in these occupations. Methods We used the Swiss National Cohort (SNC) and included 10575 males and 2756 females deceased by suicide between 1990 and 2014. We estimated the prevalence of 16 categories of concomitant diseases in each occupation, using national mortality records, and assessed the homogeneity of diseases distribution across occupations. For diseases, which prevalence varied significantly across occupations, we analyzed the correlation with the distribution of suicide risk, estimated as the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of suicide. Results Mental and behavioral disorders were the most commonly reported concomitant diseases in our population. In men, the prevalence of these disorders and more specifically, the prevalence of substance-related and addictive disorders, and of psychotic disorders varied significantly across occupations and was correlated with the SMR of suicide. The prevalence of malignant neoplasms and the prevalence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue also varied significantly across male occupations, while in women, such a variation was observed for neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior and diseases of the nervous system and sense organs, without being correlated with the SMR of suicide. Conclusion Some of the identified morbidities can be occupation-related and could negatively affect the working capacity and the employability, which in turn could be related to the suicide. Disentangling concomitant diseases according to their work-relatedness and relationship with the suicide risk is important for identifying occupation-related suicides, understanding their characteristics, and developing appropriated interventions for their prevention.

One-dimensional hydrodynamic models are nowadays widely recognized as key tools for lake studies. They offer the possibility to analyze processes at high frequency, here referring to hourly timescales, to investigate scenarios and test hypotheses. Yet, simulation outputs are mainly used by the modellers themselves and often not easily reachable for the outside community. We have developed an open-access web-based platform for visualization and promotion of easy access to lake model output data updated in near-real time (http://simstrat.eawag.ch, last access: 29 August 2019). This platform was developed for 54 lakes in Switzerland with potential for adaptation to other regions or at global scale using appropriate forcing input data. The benefit of this data platform is practically illustrated with two examples. First, we show that the output data allows for assessing the long-term effects of past climate change on the thermal structure of a lake. The study confirms the need to not only evaluate changes in all atmospheric forcing but also changes in the watershed or throughflow heat energy and changes in light penetration to assess the lake thermal structure. Then, we show how the data platform can be used to study and compare the role of episodic strong wind events for different lakes on a regional scale and especially how their thermal structure is temporarily destabilized. With this open-access data platform, we demonstrate a new path forward for scientists and practitioners promoting a cross exchange of expertise through openly sharing in situ and model data.

The production environments of the German–Austrian Brown Swiss population show a wide range due to differences in topography, landscapes, local climates, and different farm management systems. Extensive production systems such as organic farming have become increasingly popular in recent decades because of interest in sustainability and consumer preferences. Compared with conventional farmers, organic farmers put more weight on fitness traits. Besides the official total merit index (TMI), a selection index applying relative economic weights (REWs) suitable for organic production systems is provided for Brown Swiss cattle in Germany. The aim of the study was to investigate genotype-by-environment interactions (GxE) for milk production traits and functional traits (including longevity, fertility traits, and calving traits) in a sample of the German–Austrian Brown Swiss population housed in Baden-Wuerttemberg (southern Germany) by applying bivariate and random regression sire models. For bivariate analyses, the production environment was binary classified by farm management system (organic and conventional) and altitude of farm location (above or below 800 m above sea level (ASL)). Milk energy yields (MEY) obtained from herd effects were used as continuously scaled environmental descriptor in the reaction norm approach. The TMIs for sires were calculated based on breeding values estimated with different models and environment-specific REWs to determine possible GxE at TMI levels and rerankings of sires. In bivariate analyses, genetic correlations at the trait level were high and ranged from rg = 0.99 (calving to first insemination, cystic ovaries, and maternal stillbirth rate) to rg = 0.79 (first insemination to conception for altitude). Except for the latter, no severe GxE were found at the trait level using the bivariate models. Fat yield was the only trait showing minor GxE in the reaction norm model approach. Investigating the environmental sensitivity at the TMI level revealed rank correlations between the different environment-specific TMIs that were close to unity, implying no severe reranking effects. The results show no need to account for different environments in Brown Swiss cattle breeding programs.

Se comunica una serie de casos, multicéntricos de la cual participaron cinco instituciones. La muestra fue de 17 pacientes, de los cuales 11 pertenecían al Hospital Dr. J. M. Cullen. Todos consultaron por compromiso orbitario y/o periorbitario. El compromiso en hombres fue de 23.4% y un 76.6% en mujeres. La edad media en años fue de 45.4 (17-69 años). Dentro de los diagnósticos encontrados, cinco casos fueron Enfermedad Relacionada con IgG4 (ER-IgG4), dos casos de Enfermedad de Erdheim Chester (EEC), dos Xantogranuloma, dos xantelasmas, un caso de metástasis de cáncer de mama, un caso de orbitopatía tiroidea, un caso de Amiloidosis con mieloma múltiple, y tres sin diagnóstico. Se revisan los diagnósticos diferenciales encontrados.

Two industrial polycarboxylate superplasticizer samples have been selected to be used within the Priority Program 2005 of the German Research Foundation (DFG SPP 2005). The PCE polymers were characterized via Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) to determine their molar masses (Mw, Mn), the polydispersity index (PDI) and the conversion rate which indicates the incorporation of the macromonomer into the polymer. The anionic charge amount of the PCE samples was assessed via charge titration employing a cationic polymer. Furthermore, the cement dispersing properties of the PCE polymers were captured via 'mini slump' tests so as to assess their ability to fluidize CEM I 42.5 R and CEM III/A 42.5 N samples, respectively. Also, interaction between the PCEs and the surface of the cements was investigated via adsorption and zeta potential measurements of aqueous cement suspensions. The results shall be used for the ongoing research within the Priority Program.

Two types of cements were selected as the reference cement in the priority program 2005 of the German Research Foundation (DFG SPP 2005). A thorough characterization of CEM I 42.5 R has been made in a recent publication [1]. In this paper, the characterization data of the other reference cement CEM III/A 42.5 N are presented from the aspects of chemical and mineralogical compositions as well as physical and chemical properties. The characterization data of the slag, which is the second main constituent of this specific cement besides the clinker, are presented independently. For all data received, the mean values and the corresponding errors were calculated. The data shall be used for the ongoing research within the priority program. Also, researchers from outside this priority program can benefit from these data if the same materials are used.

Vegetation is crucial for modulating rates of denudation and landscape evolution, as it stabilizes and protects hillslopes and intercepts rainfall. Climate conditions and the atmospheric CO2 concentration, hereafter [CO2], influence the establishment and performance of plants; thus, these factors have a direct influence on vegetation cover. In addition, vegetation dynamics (competition for space, light, nutrients, and water) and stochastic events (mortality and fires) determine the state of vegetation, response times to environmental perturbations and successional development. In spite of this, state-of-the-art reconstructions of past transient vegetation changes have not been accounted for in landscape evolution models. Here, a widely used dynamic vegetation model (LPJ-GUESS) was used to simulate vegetation composition/cover and surface runoff in Chile for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the mid-Holocene (MH) and the present day (PD). In addition, transient vegetation simulations were carried out from the LGM to PD for four sites in the Coastal Cordillera of Chile at a spatial and temporal resolution adequate for coupling with landscape evolution models.A new landform mode was introduced to LPJ-GUESS to enable a better simulation of vegetation dynamics and state at a sub-pixel resolution and to allow for future coupling with landscape evolution models operating at different spatial scales. Using a regionally adapted parameterization, LPJ-GUESS was capable of reproducing PD potential natural vegetation along the strong climatic gradients of Chile, and simulated vegetation cover was also in line with satellite-based observations. Simulated vegetation during the LGM differed markedly from PD conditions. Coastal cold temperate rainforests were displaced northward by about 5° and the tree line and vegetation zones were at lower elevations than PD. Transient vegetation simulations indicate a marked shift in vegetation composition starting with the past glacial warming that coincides with a rise in [CO2]. Vegetation cover between the sites ranged from 13 % (LGM: 8 %) to 81 % (LGM: 73 %) for the northern Pan de Azúcar and southern Nahuelbuta sites, respectively, but did not vary by more than 10 % over the 21 000 year simulation. A sensitivity study suggests that [CO2] is an important driver of vegetation changes and, thereby, potentially landscape evolution. Comparisons with other paleoclimate model drivers highlight the importance of model input on simulated vegetation.In the near future, we will directly couple LPJ-GUESS to a landscape evolution model (see companion paper) to build a fully coupled dynamic-vegetation/landscape evolution model that is forced with paleoclimate data from atmospheric general circulation models.

We present a numerical modeling investigation into the interactions between transient climate and vegetation cover with hillslope and detachment limited fluvial processes. Model simulations were designed to investigate topographic patterns and behavior resulting from changing climate and the associated changes in surface vegetation cover. The Landlab surface process model was modified to evaluate the effects of temporal variations in vegetation cover on hillslope diffusion and fluvial erosion. A suite of simulations were conducted to represent present-day climatic conditions and satellite derived vegetation cover at four different research areas in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. These simulations included steady-state simulations as well as transient simulations with forcings in either climate or vegetation cover over millennial to million-year timescales. Two different transient variations in climate and vegetation cover including a step change in climate or vegetation were used, as well as 100 kyr oscillations over 5 Myr. We conducted eight different step-change simulations for positive and negative perturbations in either vegetation cover or climate and six simulations with oscillating transient forcings for either vegetation cover, climate, or oscillations in both vegetation cover and climate. Results indicate that the coupled influence of surface vegetation cover and mean annual precipitation shifts basin landforms towards a new steady state, with the magnitude of the change being highly sensitive to the initial vegetation and climate conditions of the basin. Dry, non-vegetated basins show higher magnitudes of adjustment than basins that are situated in wetter conditions with higher vegetation cover. For coupled conditions when surface vegetation cover and mean annual precipitation change simultaneously, the landscape response tends to be weaker. When vegetation cover and mean annual precipitation change independently from one another, higher magnitude shifts in topographic metrics are predicted. Changes in vegetation cover show a higher impact on topography for low initial surface cover values; however, for areas with high initial surface cover, the effect of changes in precipitation dominate the formation of landscapes. This study demonstrates the sensitivity of catchment characteristics to different transient forcings in vegetation cover and mean annual precipitation, with initial vegetation and climate conditions playing a crucial role.

Abstract Background Studies have shown that youths with high psychopathic traits have an earlier onset of delinquent behavior, have higher levels of delinquent behavior, and show higher rates of recidivism than youths with low psychopathic traits. Furthermore, psychopathic traits have received much attention as a robust indicator for delinquent and aggressive behavior in both boys and girls. However, there is a notable lack of research on gender differences in the relationship between psychopathic traits and delinquent behavior. In addition, most of the studies on psychopathic traits and delinquent behavior were conducted in high-risk samples. Therefore, the first objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between psychopathic traits and specific forms of self-reported delinquency in a high-risk sample for juvenile delinquency as well as in a general population sample. The second objective was to examine the influence of gender on this relationship. Finally, we investigated whether the moderating effect of gender was comparable in the high-risk sample for juvenile delinquency and the general population sample. Methods Participants were 1220 adolescents of the German-speaking part of Switzerland (N = 351 high-risk sample, N = 869 general population sample) who were between 13 and 21 years of age. The Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory (YPI) was used to assess psychopathic traits. To assess the lifetime prevalence of the adolescents’ delinquent behavior, 15 items derived from a self-report delinquency instrument were used. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between gender, psychopathic traits and self-reported delinquency across both samples. Results Our results demonstrated that psychopathic traits are related to non-violent and violent offenses. We found no moderating effect of gender and therefore we could not detect differences in the moderating effect of gender between the samples. However, there was a moderating effect of sample for the relationship between the callous and unemotional YPI scale and non-violent offenses. In addition, the regression weights of gender and sample were, for non-violent offenses, reduced to non-significance when adding the interaction terms. Conclusions Psychopathic traits were found to be present in a wide range of youths (i.e., high-risk as well as general population sample, young children as well as adolescents, boys as well as girls) and were related to delinquent behavior. The influence of age and YPI scales on self-reported delinquency was more robust than the influence of gender and sample. Therefore, screening for psychopathic traits among young children with psychosocial adjustment problems seems relevant for developing effective intervention strategies.

Quantitative or complex traits are controlled by many genes and environmental factors. Most traits in livestock breeding are quantitative traits. Mapping genes and causative mutations generating the genetic variance of these traits is still a very active area of research in livestock genetics. Since genome-wide and dense SNP panels are available for most livestock species, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have become the method of choice in mapping experiments. Different statistical models are used for GWASs. We will review the frequently used single-marker models and additionally describe Bayesian multi-marker models. The importance of nonadditive genetic and genotype-by-environment effects along with GWAS methods to detect them will be briefly discussed. Different mapping populations are used and will also be reviewed. Whenever possible, our own real-data examples are included to illustrate the reviewed methods and designs. Future research directions including post-GWAS strategies are outlined.

This paper presents an improvement of a one-dimensional lake hydrodynamic model (Simstrat) to characterize the vertical thermal structure of deep lakes. Using physically based arguments, we refine the transfer of wind energy to basin-scale internal waves (BSIWs). We consider the properties of the basin, the characteristics of the wind time series and the stability of the water column to filter and thereby optimize the magnitude of wind energy transferred to BSIWs. We show that this filtering procedure can significantly improve the accuracy of modelled temperatures, especially in the deep water of lakes such as Lake Geneva, for which the root mean square error between observed and simulated temperatures was reduced by up to 40 %. The modification, tested on four different lakes, increases model accuracy and contributes to a significantly better reproduction of seasonal deep convective mixing, a fundamental parameter for biogeochemical processes such as oxygen depletion. It also improves modelling over long time series for the purpose of climate change studies.

The flux of reduced substances, such as methane and ammonium, from the sediment to the bottom water (Fred) is one of the major factors contributing to the consumption of oxygen in the hypolimnia of lakes and thus crucial for lake oxygen management. This study presents fluxes based on sediment porewater measurements from different water depths of five deep lakes of differing trophic states. In meso- to eutrophic lakes Fred was directly proportional to the total organic carbon mass accumulation rate (TOC-MAR) of the sediments. TOC-MAR and thus Fred in eutrophic lakes decreased systematically with increasing mean hypolimnion depth (zH), suggesting that high oxygen concentrations in the deep waters of lakes were essential for the extent of organic matter mineralization leaving a smaller fraction for anaerobic degradation and thus formation of reduced compounds. Consequently, Fred was low in the 310 m deep meso-eutrophic Lake Geneva, with high O2 concentrations in the hypolimnion. By contrast, seasonal anoxic conditions enhanced Fred in the deep basin of oligotrophic Lake Aegeri. As TOC-MAR and zH are based on more readily available data, these relationships allow estimating the areal O2 consumption rate by reduced compounds from the sediments where no direct flux measurements are available.

Approaches toward engaging undergraduates in scientific research have included research experiences based in faculty laboratories (FLREs), course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), and courses rooted in primary research literature that may be precursors to research experiences. We examined outcomes for undergraduate biology students enrolled in FLREs, CUREs, and a literature-based introduction to research seminar course. Students engaging with research that involved authentic, student-centered inquiry had significant increases in research skills, but little change in their self-efficacy. Students engaging with research in a more structured or guided experience did not exhibit the same gains in skills. Additionally, although they began with comparatively low self-efficacy scores, students enrolled in the seminar course increased in self-efficacy to levels equivalent to those of students engaging in FLREs. Across all types of engagement, students who reported a change in their future goals post-graduation tended to add pursuing a Ph.D. to their future plans - this was most evident in the seminar course. We therefore recommend an introduction to research seminar course for novice students toward building self-efficacy early in their careers as a way to prepare for - and potentially increase - engagement in CUREs and FLREs, and matching undergraduates with potential mentors for future research experiences.

In this work a time-frequency approach to estimate the Cortico-Muscular Coherence for the detection of the movement intent is presented, assessed on simulated data, and evaluated experimentally during different motor tasks performed by healthy subjects and patients suffering from different types of tremor. Cortico-Muscular Coherence is an index of the coupling of EEG signal in the cortical area with sEMG activity in the frequency domain, and its contributions in the beta band (15–30 Hz) have been associated to the movement intent. Cortico-Muscular Coherence estimation is here achieved by considering a closed-loop representation of the signals under analysis obtained through Multivariate Auto Regressive modeling. Significance levels for Cortico-Muscular Coherence are assessed by means of a surrogate data analysis approach. The detection technique is able to reveal significant Cortico-Muscular Coherence changes in 79% of the experimental trials, with a mean anticipation of 1.35 s with respect to movement onset. Time-frequency estimation of Cortico-Muscular Coherence can provide an insight for the development of a multimodal BCI able to integrate information from the brain activity in the functioning of assistive devices.

A biopolymer coating for plastic films was formulated based on whey protein, and its potential to replace current synthetic oxygen barrier layers used in food packaging such as ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH) was tested. The whey-coating application was performed at semi-industrial scale. High barrier to oxygen with transmission rate down to ranges of 1 cm3 (STP) m−2 d−1 bar−1 at and 50% relative humidity (r.h.) but interesting humidity barrier down to ranges of 3 g m−2 d−1 (both normalized to 100 μm thickness) were reached, outperforming most existing biopolymers. Coated films were validated for storing various food products showing that the shelf life and sensory attributes were maintained similar to reference packaging films while complying with food safety regulations. The developed whey coating could be enzymatically removed within 2 hours and is therefore compatible with plastic recycling operations to allow multilayer films to become recyclable by separating the other combined layers. A life cycle assessment was performed showing a significant reduction in the environmental impact of the packaging thanks in particular to the possibility of recycling materials as opposed to incinerating those containing EVOH or polyamide (PA), but due to the use of biosourced raw materials.