Multiple Purposes Research Articles

Beet mosaic virus expression of a betalain transcription factor allows visual virus tracking in Beta vulgaris.

In the field of plant virology, the usage of reverse genetic systems has been reported for multiple purposes. One is understanding virus-host interaction by labelling viral cDNA clones with fluorescent protein genes to allow visual virus tracking throughout a plant, albeit this visualization depends on technical devices. Here we report the first construction of an infectious cDNA full-length clone of beet mosaic virus (BtMV) that can be efficiently used for Agrobacterium-mediated leaf inoculation with high infection rate in Beta vulgaris, being indistinguishable from the natural virus isolate regarding symptom development and vector transmission. Furthermore, the BtMV clone was tagged with the genes for the monomeric red fluorescent protein or the Beta vulgaris BvMYB1 transcription factor, which activates the betalain biosynthesis pathway. The heterologous expression of BvMYB1 results in activation of betalain biosynthesis genes in planta, allowing visualization of the systemic BtMV spread with the naked eye as red pigmentation emerging throughout beet leaves. In the case of BtMV, the BvMYB1 marker system is stable over multiple mechanical host passages, allows qualitative as well as quantitative virus detection and offers an excellent opportunity to label viruses in plants of the order Caryophyllales, allowing an in-depth investigation of virus-host interactions on the whole plant level.

Brain Parcellation Repeatability and Reproducibility Using Conventional and Quantitative 3D MR Imaging.

Automatic brain parcellation is typically performed on dedicated MR imaging sequences, which require valuable examination time. In this study, a 3D MR imaging quantification sequence to retrieve R1 and R2 relaxation rates and proton density maps was used to synthesize a T1-weighted image stack for brain volume measurement, thereby combining image data for multiple purposes. The repeatability and reproducibility of using the conventional and synthetic input data were evaluated. Twelve subjects with a mean age of 54 years were scanned twice at 1.5T and 3T with 3D-QALAS and a conventionally acquired T1-weighted sequence. Using SyMRI, we converted the R1, R2, and proton density maps into synthetic T1-weighted images. Both the conventional T1-weighted and the synthetic 3D-T1-weighted inversion recovery images were processed for brain parcellation by NeuroQuant. Bland-Altman statistics were used to correlate the volumes of 12 brain structures. The coefficient of variation was used to evaluate the repeatability. A high correlation with medians of 0.97 for 1.5T and 0.92 for 3T was found. A high repeatability was shown with a median coefficient of variation of 1.2% for both T1-weighted and synthetic 3D-T1-weighted inversion recovery at 1.5T, and 1.5% for T1-weighted imaging and 4.4% for synthetic 3D-T1-weighted inversion recovery at 3T. However, significant biases were observed between the methods and field strengths. It is possible to perform MR imaging quantification of R1, R2, and proton density maps to synthesize a 3D-T1-weighted image stack, which can be used for automatic brain parcellation. Synthetic parameter settings should be reinvestigated to reduce the observed bias.

Two Challenges for Neo-Brandeisian Antitrust

Several scholars and policy-makers have proposed a “Neo-Brandeisian” reform of U.S. antitrust law, aimed at reviving “republican” antitrust. Republicanism conceives of domination as inherently detrimental to freedom. Republican antitrust considers antitrust law as an “institution of antipower,” aimed at dispersing economic power. This paper sets out two key challenges to the Neo-Brandeisian reform agenda and argues for legal formalism to address them. First, republicanism would alter the normative justification, but not necessarily the content of antitrust law. Neoclassical antitrust law does not broadly reflect a Schumpeterian endorsement of dominance. Rather, its epistemological priors and methodology entail skepticism about the mere presence of economic power. Thus, mainstream antitrust law and policy remain unfazed by the Neo-Brandeisian claim that antitrust should target domination instead of consumer welfare. Second, Neo-Brandeisian reform proposals are inherently polycentric. How Neo-Brandeisians aim to balance distinct values including the competitive process, the harm of concentrated power, and the protection of democracy and egalitarianism has remained unclear. This paper argues that both challenges demand for a formalistic approach to Neo-Brandeisian antitrust. Compared to a case-by-case approach, adopting general rules through legislative or administrative decision-making may legitimately overturn current precedent, incorporate alternate methods of measuring power and competitive harm, and pursue a variety of republican goals. Neo-Brandeisian formalism would essentially reinvigorate the Harvard school’s insight that multiple purposes—including both efficiency and republican liberty—can be attained by formalistic rules.

The population dynamics of Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Portunoidea) in a coastal lagoon (Portugal, SW)

The green crab (Carcinus maenas) population was investigated in a coastal lagoon (Santo André) located on the southwest coast of Portugal. This study assessed the spatial-temporal variability of green crab abundance in the lagoon and its relationship with environmental variables. Experimental fishing was used to collect data on abundance, size structure and other demographic characteristics. Sampling was conducted monthly in 2019 at five sites, using fyke nets. From a total of 15063 individuals collected, 3898 were analysed. The highest catches were obtained in winter and at sites closer to the sea. The population was male-biased (58.70% of males and 41.30% of females), with an average carapace width of 48.81 mm for males and 40.79 mm for females. Ovigerous females were most abundant in December and January, and 50% were sexually mature at 45.11 mm. Based on data from the experimental fishing and fishermen’s logbooks, the estimated annual catch of green crab ranged from 1873 to 3354 kg/ha, confirming the potential value of its fishery in the lagoon. This resource can be exploited for multiple purposes, including its meat or shell waste, thus contributing to the circular economy. Considering that green crab is a bycatch of the eel fishery, fishing regulations need to be modified to safeguard the stocks of both species.

Macaque–Human Interaction and the Societal Perceptions of Macaques in Kalisalak Forest, Central Java–Indonesia

The 2030 agenda for sustainable development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aims to meet people’s and nature’s needs. Macaque–Human Interaction (MHI) is connected between SDGs 15: Biodiversity and SDGs 3: Good health and well-being, that biodiversity and conservation are crucial to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people. Kalisalak Forest is one of the habitats of a long-tailed macaque on Java Island that is also commonly used as a grand forest park for multiple visitation purposes. This species is now listed as endangered by IUCN Red List. The MHI is found on this site but has never been studied. This research conducted a quantitative approach that emphasizes the respondent experience of visitors by the Lemeshow formula with the survey technique and ad-libitum sampling method. Our results show that the interaction initiated by macaques tends to be affiliative, feeding from human food provisioned. Visitor dominants are local people, which are already accustomed to the presence of the macaques, so it may cause the interaction to be neutral. Besides, humans initiate macaques and tend to be neutral, walking. Macaques in this site were habituated to human presence, familiar, and attracted to provisioned food. In addition, this condition can probably influence zoonotic disease. In that respect, minimizing the disturbance of natural systems would significantly help prevent the emergence and spread of new pathogens causing such zoonotic diseases. Our recommendations need more emphasis on forest management to avoid the potential zoonotic disease based on that MHI.

Experimental set-up to study power quality in single-phase split-phase distribution systems

Power Quality (PQ) has been an important topic since the creation of distribution systems. The deployment of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) provided an important tool to measure the PQ of the electric power in the consumption points. One of the smallest secondary distribution systems in terms of power consumption is the single-phase split-phase system (120 V/240 V) that countries such as the United States, Canada, and some countries of central and south America have. Due to its size, this secondary distribution system is more prone to PQ issues. To that end, an experimental set-up was built by the authors so the distribution system from the Low Voltage (LV) transformer to the final appliances of the different houses was emulated. The aim is to capture the currents and voltages observed by the smart meter located at the entrance of the house and look for the different responses. A combination of real and dummy loads was installed in the set-up, so real noise could also be simulated. The set-up was totally automated by an industrial controller and relays, and it produced a very detailed dataset that could be used for multiple purposes.

Alternative Identification of Glycosides Using MS/MS Matching with an In Silico-Modified Aglycone Mass Spectra Library.

Glycosylation of metabolites serves multiple purposes. Adding sugars makes metabolites more water soluble and improves their biodistribution, stability, and detoxification. In plants, the increase in melting points enables storing otherwise volatile compounds that are released by hydrolysis when needed. Classically, glycosylated metabolites were identified by mass spectrometry (MS/MS) using [M-sugar] neutral losses. Herein, we studied 71 pairs of glycosides with their respective aglycones, including hexose, pentose, and glucuronide moieties. Using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry, we detected the classic [M-sugar] product ions for only 68% of glycosides. Instead, we found that most aglycone MS/MS product ions were conserved in the MS/MS spectra of their corresponding glycosides, even when no [M-sugar] neutral losses were observed. We added pentose and hexose units to the precursor masses of an MS/MS library of 3057 aglycones to enable rapid identification of glycosylated natural products with standard MS/MS search algorithms. When searching unknown compounds in untargeted LC-MS/MS metabolomics data of chocolate and tea, we structurally annotated 108 novel glycosides in standard MS-DIAL data processing. We uploaded this new in silico-glycosylated product MS/MS library to GitHub to enable users to detect natural product glycosides without authentic chemical standards.

University Campus Living Labs

Universities and their changing role in society is a source of perennial debate. In this article, we examine the emergent phenomenon of University Campus Living Labs (UCLL), the set of practices by which universities use their own buildings, streets or energy infrastructure as experimental settings in order to support applied teaching, research and co-creation with society. While most existing studies of UCLLs focus on them as sustainability instruments, we explore the UCLL phenomenon from an open-ended and fresh angle. Using living labs in five European universities as exemplary cases, we demonstrate the breadth and variability of this emerging phenomenon through five analytical dimensions to unpack the multiple forms and purposes that UCLLs can have. We furthermore consider aspects of inclusiveness and situatedness of living lab co-creation and testing and what the UCLL phenomena may come to mean for the continuously changing university, calling for future studies to substantiate these aspects.

Taming the exoscope: a one-year prospective laboratory training study.

Digital 3D exoscopes have been recently introduced as an alternative to a surgical microscope in microneurosurgery. We designed a laboratory training program to facilitate and measure the transition from microscope to exoscope. Our aim was to observe the effect of a one-year active training on microsurgical skills with the exoscope by repeating a standardized test task at several time points during the training program. Two board-certified neurosurgeons with no previous exoscope experience performed the same test tasks in February, July, and November during a 12-month period. In between the test tasks, both participants worked with the exoscope in the laboratory and assisted during clinical surgeries on daily basis. Each of the test segments consisted of repeating the same task 10 times during one week. Altogether, 60 test tasks were performed, 30 each. The test task consisted of dissecting and harvesting the ulnar and radial arteries of the second segment of a chicken wing using an exoscope (Aesculap AEOS). Each dissection was recorded on video and analyzed by two independent evaluators. We measured the time required to complete the task as well as several metrics for evaluating the manual skills of the dissection and handling of the exoscope system. There was a clear reduction in dissection time between the first and the last session, mean 34 min (SD 5.96) vs. 26 min (SD 8.69), respectively. At the end of the training, both neurosurgeons used the exoscope more efficiently utilizing more available options of the device. There was correlation between the dissection time and several of the factors we used for evaluating the work flow: staying in focus, zoom control, reduction of unnecessary movements or repetitive manual motions, manipulation technique of the vessel under dissection, handling of the instruments, and using them for multiple dissection purposes (stretching, cutting, and splitting). Continuous, dedicated long-term training program is effective for microsurgical skill development when switching from a microscope to an exoscope. With practice, the micromotor movements become more efficient and the use of microinstruments more versatile.

Analysis of Teritip Dam Utilization for Domestic Water Supply in Balikpapan

Balikpapan is a city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, serving as a business and industrial center with the largest economy on the island of Kalimantan. The Teritip Dam has multiple purposes, including flood control and addressing the clean water crisis caused by a lack of raw water sources. The demand for clean water will continue to increase with population growth. This study aims to determine the contribution of the Teritip Dam in meeting the community's clean water needs through the Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) of Balikpapan. The study also seeks to provide input for potential contributions and conservation efforts. The analysis of domestic clean water demand involves evaluating the condition of clean water, identifying the supply and demand of clean water, analyzing population projections, and estimating the volume of clean water needed by the population. The study findings indicate that the Teritip reservoir provides a discharge of 8,891 m3/day, fulfilling only 14.3% of the clean water demand in Balikpapan. Therefore, implementing water resource conservation measures is crucial to meet the water demand in Balikpapan. These conservation activities include improving the supervision of water withdrawal and usage by considering conservation interests, raising public awareness about water issues, and controlling groundwater use for new drilling activities, particularly in critical groundwater areas.

Gazal al-Auṭān wa al-Buldān fῑ Syi’r Māni’ Sa’ῑd al-‘Utaibah

The study examines courtly love themes in the homeland and country of the Emirati poet Manaa Saeed al-Otaiba through his two Diwan, "To Where" and "Songs and Wishes." Additionally, it intends to explore the concepts of courtly love and its origins and how to employ poetic imagery and fitting music to achieve the intended results. The poet's feelings are described in the spinning topics based on the places and countries with which he has dabbled, and it is examined how the rhetorical devices and music accompanying those poems were in line with the poet's psychological state. One of the study's conclusions is that he chose separate poetry to express what he wanted to those countries in a fluid manner replete with terms of courtly love. Hence, the titles of those poems explain the content of their verses, and the poet's courtly love extended beyond his native country to countries in the East and West. As if he intended to inform people of the lyre in his heart in many places, the poet selected the new method to be overwhelming in his lyrical poetry. The researcher believes this work has contributions that make it a new building block in the relevant studies of Emirati literature in general and al-Otaiba poetry in particular. As an outstanding poet, he deserves extensive study and research from critics to understand his poetry's substance and multiple purposes.

Pursuing the End-of-Life Tire Circularity: An Outlook toward the Production of Secondary Raw Materials from Tire Pyrolysis Oil

Pyrolysis is perceived as the missing link between the management of end-of-life tires (ELTs) and the tire industry because it strikes directly in the transition from a linear to a circular economy model and toward the defossilization of diverse economic sectors. Tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) is one of the most valuable and interesting fractions derived from the pyrolysis of ELTs. It contains valuable chemicals including, among others, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, as well as limonene, which are some of the building blocks of the petrochemical industry. Within the circular economy framework, traditional practices such as the direct use of TPO in combustion systems seem to exhibit a low circularity degree. Instead, the production of secondary raw materials that can be reused for multiple purposes associated with the petrochemical industry is getting special attention. Based on the above, this work aims at reviewing different pathways currently explored in the scientific community to produce various value-added products from TPO. Due to the similarity of its properties with those of petroleum streams, the coprocessing of TPO using existing units in conventional refineries exhibits a massive potential. In this manner, the properties of the derived products can be fine-tuned according to the hydrocarbons and petrochemical market requirements. As such, discussed are the advantages, recent progress, and challenges in the implementation of conventional refinery practices such as distillation, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), hydroprocessing, and steam cracking for TPO post-treatment. These processes are seen as the path to integrate TPO in the current hydrocarbon/petrochemical market.

Sense of purpose among transgender adults in the United States: comparisons of levels and health correlates

ABSTRACT Given the increased threats to health and well-being faced by transgender individuals, research is needed to understand potential protective factors. Recent work has suggested that a sense of purpose may be one of the health-promoting resources available to marginalized groups, and levels of purpose are often similar or even higher among these groups. However, research is limited regarding whether this factor manifests differently among transgender adults. The current study (n = 1968 U.S. adults; 4.3% identified as transgender) asked participants to complete surveys for sense of purpose, self-rated health, life satisfaction and the type of purposes they deemed important. The findings suggest no difference in levels of sense of purpose between transgender and non-transgender adults. Transgender adults reported slightly lower levels of importance across multiple purposes, which merits further investigation into whether they perceive greater obstacles toward those goals. Of central importance, sense of purpose positively correlated with self-rated health (r = .50) and life satisfaction for transgender adults (r = .77), at similar or even greater magnitudes than for the non-transgender adults. These results point to the potential of exploring sense of purpose as an intervention target for promoting transgender health and well-being, and future directions should focus on the multiple pathways by which transgender identity may influence purpose development.

Continuous monitoring of patients in and after the acute admission ward to improve clinical pathways: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (Optimal-AAW)

BackgroundBecause of high demand on hospital beds, hospitals seek to reduce patients’ length of stay (LOS) while preserving the quality of care. In addition to usual intermittent vital sign monitoring, continuous monitoring might help to assess the patient’s risk of deterioration, in order to improve the discharge process and reduce LOS. The primary aim of this monocenter randomized controlled trial is to assess the effect of continuous monitoring in an acute admission ward (AAW) on the percentage of patients who are discharged safely.MethodsA total of 800 patients admitted to the AAW, for whom it is equivocal whether they can be discharged directly after their AAW stay, will be randomized to either receive usual care without (control group) or with additional continuous monitoring of heart rate, respiratory rate, posture, and activity, using a wearable sensor (sensor group). Continuous monitoring data are provided to healthcare professionals and used in the discharge decision. The wearable sensor keeps collecting data for 14 days. After 14 days, all patients fill in a questionnaire to assess healthcare use after discharge and, if applicable, their experience with the wearable sensor. The primary outcome is the difference in the percentage of patients who are safely discharged home directly from the AAW between the control and sensor group. Secondary outcomes include hospital LOS, AAW LOS, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, Rapid Response Team calls, and unplanned readmissions within 30 days. Furthermore, facilitators and barriers for implementing continuous monitoring in the AAW and at home will be investigated.DiscussionClinical effects of continuous monitoring have already been investigated in specific patient populations for multiple purposes, e.g., in reducing the number of ICU admissions. However, to our knowledge, this is the first Randomized Controlled Trial to investigate effects of continuous monitoring in a broad patient population in the AAW.Trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05181111. Registered on 6 January 2022. Start of recruitment: 7 December 2021.

Quality of water from springs in the administrative region of Brazlândia, located in the Descoberto River micro hydrographic basin, Federal District, Brazil

Water is essential for life and used for multiple purposes such as human consumption, agriculture and recreation. In this way, it must present physical-chemical characteristics adequate to the quality standards, without risk to human health. This study aimed to verify the water quality of the springs, in the municipality of the Regional city of Brazlândia, DF, Brazil, in the year 2021. The research was carried out in May and the water samples were collected in eleven points of springs and from Córrego de Brazlândia, in Veredinhas Park, from each sampling point, three liters of water were collected randomly and separately, for the investigation of enteroparasites, using the spontaneous sedimentation method. For the analysis of thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli, three samples (100 ml) were collected and analyzed using the Colilert method. The organoleptic characteristics, pH, and presence of solid residues were verified in addition to observing the existence of the gallery forest. All areas analyzed had the presence of solid residues and most of the collection points had water with a cloudy appearance, unpleasant odor, and pH 6. All samples were positive for thermotolerant coliforms and presented at least one evolutionary form of intestinal parasite. Water sources in Brazlândia, DF, Brazil, are contaminated with potentially pathogenic microorganisms for humans. Thus, measures must be taken to minimize this situation, in addition to guidance and work with the community, to help in the recovery of these sources.

An Innovative Resource to Guide and Track Medical Resident Activity and Wellness During At-Home Assignments.

Background and objectives Medical residents may work from home for various reasons, including study electives, isolation due to exposure to illness, or during parental leave when they choose to work at home instead of taking extended time off. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Little Rock Family Medicine residency program recognized the need for a tool that provided residents with a list of resources and approved activities for at-home work and a means of tracking their performance in those activities. Methods The administration team at the UAMS Little Rock Family Medicine residency program custom-designed a Daily Activities Log that served multiple purposes. Family medicine residents used it to choose what activities to participate in from a comprehensive list of activities and resources including virtual conferences, recorded didactics, modules, and other online materials. The program provided the framework on the log, while residents used it to document time spent on those activities. The log also gave the program a daily update on the resident's health, as one question specifically asked about well-being. Since it was built in an electronic survey format already owned by the residency program, it was completely customizable and available at no additional cost. Results In the two years covered by this project, residents logged a total of 593 hours of at-home work. In response to a survey, 76% of participating residents (N=14) rated the log as extremely or very easy to use; 64% indicated that it was a helpful resource; and 50% said that it simplified the reporting of their daily status. The residency program faculty found that having one source to track all off-site residents was an efficient means of monitoring their well-being and their work. Conclusions The Daily Activities Log is a versatile tool that provides comprehensive information, resources, and approved activities for residents, documents their work, and provides updates to residency management. It can be readily modified for use in other programs that have residents working at home.

Electrothermoplasmonic flow in gold nanoparticles suspensions: Nonlinear dependence of flow velocity on aggregate concentration

Efficient mixing and pumping of liquids at the microscale is a technology that is still to be optimized. The combination of an AC electric field with a small temperature gradient leads to a strong electrothermal flow that can be used for multiple purposes. Combining simulations and experiments, an analysis of the performance of electrothermal flow is provided when the temperature gradient is generated by illuminating plasmonic nanoparticles in suspension with a near-resonance laser. Fluid flow is measured by tracking the velocity of fluorescent tracer microparticles in suspension as a function of the electric field, laser power, and concentration of plasmonic particles. Among other results, a non-linear relationship is found between the velocity of the fluid and particle concentration, which is justified in terms of multiple scattering-absorption events, involving aggregates of nanoparticles, that lead to enhanced absorption when the concentration is raised. Simulations provide a description of the phenomenon that is compatible with experiments and constitute a way to understand and estimate the absorption and scattering cross-sections of both dispersed particles and/or aggregates. A comparison of experiments and simulations suggests that there is some aggregation of the gold nanoparticles by forming clusters of about 2–7 particles, but no information about their structure can be obtained without further theoretical and experimental developments. This nonlinear behavior could be useful to get very high ETP velocities by inducing some controlled aggregation of the particles.

Rethinking databases: The fib project for a connected data repository

AbstractThe need for reliable test data to verify scientific theories together with the necessity to calibrate code‐oriented expressions and their level of safety have pushed researchers to develop test databases. Such databases collect the work of multiple independent scientific initiatives compiling experimental evidences on similar test configurations but with different parameters such as geometry, size of the component tested, boundary conditions, and/or mechanical properties of the materials. Such databases, usually collected for specific purposes, have traditionally faced maintenance, and especially consistency issues. Also, they have given rise to conflicting values due to different interpretations of the same data entries in databases elaborated by different researchers. In addition, such databases are frequently designed and configured to serve for one purpose, although their data could be used in multiple manners. Recent developments regarding machine learning and artificial intelligence have opened the door to exploiting historically collected test results by data mining techniques. In an effort to improve the current situation concerning databases, the fib has launched a wide and open initiative on test data management. It consists of a common data structure, sufficiently flexible to serve for multiple purposes, hosting very different test setups, and meant to be used for cross analyses of data. This allows reusing data originally developed for one purpose to analyze other aspects, enhancing the value of current experimental work. Also, a consistent management structure is defined taking advantage of the fib network, with database editors, collectors and users, allowing for a transparent and documented peer‐review process while incorporating new test data. This paper presents the main basis grounding the test data management as well as details on the first two completed applications, referring to fiber‐reinforced concrete (material data) and to punching of slab‐column connections (structural response), showcasing the framework versatility and universality.

Disentangling the concept of comparability in sustainability reporting

PurposeAs the comparability concept has recently garnered increased attention of policymakers and standard setters in the sustainability reporting (SR) arena, this paper aims to provide a reflexive viewpoint of this concept in this context.Design/methodology/approachTo inform the authors’ viewpoint and disentangle the concept of comparability into different facets, the authors review policymakers’ and standard setters’ (including the Global reporting initiative) comparability principles, as well as relevant studies in the field. To provide insights into the different ways in which the comparability facets can be approached, the authors use multi-perspective reflexive practices and focus on the multiple purposes that reporting can serve. To empirically animate the authors’ reflection on the facets, the authors analyse the sustainability disclosures of two Italian banks over three years.FindingsThis study reveals that three facets form valuable starting points for extending the understanding of the meanings the comparability concept can carry in the SR arena. These facets are materiality and comparability, benchmarking/monitoring and comparability and operationalisation and comparability.Practical implicationsThis study is intended to elicit policymakers’ and standard setters’ thoughts on the role of comparability and its complexities in SR.Social implicationsBy taking a critical and reflexive approach, the authors encourage policymakers and standard setters to reconsider the comparability principle, so it effectively embeds the accountability purpose of SR.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors propose three facets for disentangling the concept of comparability.

Is a Living Lab Also a Learning Lab?—Exploring Co-Creational Power of Young People in a Local Community Food Context

Living lab approaches are increasingly being explored and studied as means to address societal problems and develop viable solutions. The approach put emphasis on user participation as a way to co-create new technologies, products or services in an open and real-life environment. Against this background, we set out to ask to what extent a living lab can also be a learning lab. We used the concepts of Project-Based Learning and STEM teaching approaches as a theoretical framework to understand the potential of the Living Lab concept to create learning as well as solutions. This study applies a case study approach as a method for qualitative data collection. The case of the learning lab at “Læringshuset”—one of the schools involved in the SESAM program, was used as the case. The themes for the SESAM program were to create an understanding of the principles of sustainable food production and consumption using a scientific approach. The “Læringshuset” is a newly built school tailored to Project-Based Learning (PBL). In total, 12 rounds of interviews were carried out with three different types of informants who were involved in the SESAM program at Læringshuset: pupils (n = 8), teachers (n = 2) and mentors (n = 4). The data collected formed part of a larger data set that was collected as part of the SESAM evaluation in the 2021 and 2022 versions. This study concludes that the Living Lab format created around a school setting can serve multiple purposes: (i) it can be an important solution provider that acknowledges the value of solutions from young minds, and (ii) at the same time, it can be a learning lab in which multiple actors from the local community can engage in creating valuable solutions and learn from each other. Using the Living and Learning Lab is a good way to create both action and engagement and empowerment, and in particular, we find that it is well suited to create cross-community engagement around topics related to green food system transformation.