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One of the main factors affecting the safety of signalised intersections is the stop/go behaviour during the yellow interval. Although previous research has exhaustively examined drivers' stop/go decision-making, the expected autonomous vehicles' (AVs') stop/go behaviour has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Through a series of simulation experiments developed for conventional and autonomous vehicles using different car-following, lane-changing, lateral placement and stop/go model parameter values, we examine here whether the default VISSIM stop/go parameter values can adequately replicate the observed drivers' behaviour at the considered intersection and assess the suitability of using the currently available options, albeit referring to human drivers, to simulate the expected stop/go behaviour of AVs. We also propose a policy framework for determining the desired behaviour of AVs in yellow interval, which is integrated into an AVs logic and achieved in the last simulation to explore the effect of automation on the stop/go outcome and, hence, on the safety level of signalised intersections. Several data analysis and modeling techniques were used for the formulation of certain scenarios, including binary choice models. The default stop/go parameter values were found unfit to replicate the observed stop/go behaviour and subjected to calibration. Compared to the currently available options, the proposed AVs logic proved to produce the most accurate results, in terms of the stop/go simulation outcome. Regarding the impact of automation on the stop/go outcome, the simulation experiments showed that AVs preferred a more conservative behaviour in favor of road safety, as indicated by the significant reduction (≈15%) in the number of vehicles crossing the stop line during the yellow light and zero instances of red light violation. However, compared to the conservative drivers represented by the default stop/go parameter values, AVs preferred a more rational behaviour in favor of intersection capacity without compromising road safety.

The latest worldwide application of social distancing measures highlighted dramatic effects on the daily life, mobility, well-being, mental health, and economic activity of citizens during the pandemic. Unfortunately, societies were unprepared to confront a pandemic and applied movement restriction measures, often harsh and unbalanced, creating confusion, uncertainty, and annoyance to communities. In this paper, we reviewed a wide array of databases to categorise the mobility management measures implemented internationally in response to the social distancing restrictions that had to be taken during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, to comprehensively assess the measures implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of the local community, we conducted focus group interviews with specific population groups that may have been affected to a greater extent. These groups consisted of vulnerable road users, such as mobility-impaired people and people who are facing severe health problems, representatives of the local economy and businesses and representatives of institutional stakeholders and policymakers. Our research showed that in the post-pandemic era, accessibility and not mobility should be at the heart of economic and social welfare. At the same time, the assurance of physical activity, which is strongly associated with the mental health of citizens, and the protection of the local economy are issues of outermost importance. However, local authorities were unprepared to manage these issues and often made fragmented and punitive decisions. By recognising the need for a regional or metropolitan emergency mechanism, this study aims to introduce a new system of indicators specifically adapted to the particularities and challenges encountered during the pandemic, accounts for local communities' unique needs and requirements, and complies with the general principles of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). In the future, the SUMP methodology should be revised to be able to handle and manage mobility systems under pandemic conditions.

Agricultural activities produce large quantities of organic byproducts and waste rich in lignocellulosic materials, which are not sufficiently utilized. In this study, alternative agricultural waste products, namely, spent mushroom substrate (SMS) from the cultivation of edible Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms and the roots of leafy vegetables from hydroponic cultivation (HRL), were evaluated for their potential to be used as substrates for the cultivation of Pleurotus citrinopileatus and their effects on the quality, the nutritional value, the chemical properties (lipid, protein, carbohydrate, ash, fatty acid and carbohydrate composition) and the bioactive content (total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity) of produced mushrooms. SMS and HRL (in different ratios with and without additives) and wheat straw with additives (WS—control) were used. During incubation, the linear growth rate of the mycelium (Kr, mm/day) was measured and used for screening. Mushroom cultivation took place in bags, where several characteristics were examined: earliness (duration between the day of substrate inoculation and the day of first harvest) and biological efficiency (B.E. %, the ratio of the weight of fresh mushrooms produced per dry weight of the substrate × 100). Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of the protein extract (PE) and carbohydrate extract (CE) of P. citrinopileatus after in vitro digestion (fraction less than 3kDa: PE-DP-3; digestate fraction: CE-D, respectively) on the expression of antioxidant-related genes in the THP-1 cell line. The results showed that mushrooms grown on SMS 50%-HRL 40% had the fastest growth (6.1 mm/d) and the highest protein and lipid contents (34.7% d.w.; 5.1% d.w.). The highest B.E. (73.5%), total carbohydrate (65.7%) and total phenolic compound (60.2 mg GAE/g d.w.) values were recorded on the control substrate. Antioxidant activity was observed in all extracts; the total flavonoid content was low in the samples, and the maximum total triterpene value was detected in SMS 80%-HRL 20% (9.8 mg UA/g d.w.). In all mushrooms, linoleic acid (C18:2) was the main fatty acid (above 60%), and fructose was the dominant individual saccharide. In the investigation of the regulation pathway, NFE2L2 gene expression was upregulated only in the SMS 60%-HRL 40% intervention during incubation with CE-D samples. Additionally, the transcription levels of antioxidant-related genes, SOD1, CAT, HMOX1 and GSR, were increased in the SMS 60–30% intervention. Compared to WS, the alternative substrates are observed to trigger a pathway concerning CE that may resist oxidative stress. This study supports the utilization of agricultural byproducts through sustainable and environmentally friendly practices while simultaneously producing high-value-added products such as mushrooms. Therefore, alternative substrates, particularly those containing HRL, could serve as natural sources of antioxidant potential.

The use of smartwatches has increased significantly in recent years for leisure, health, and research purposes. In the transport sector, smartwatches facilitate cost-effective, unintrusive, and dynamic monitoring of the driver’s state and behavior while on the road. This scoping review aimed to analyze and synthesize publications that have collected smartwatch data during driving to examine the driver’s condition, behavior, in-cabin activities, and reactions. The main objective was to assess the extent to which smartwatches have been included in driving-related studies, organize the relevant literature thematically, and identify the issues that arise during the collection and analysis of smartwatch data.A scoping review was conducted and 76 eligible records were identified based on the framework provided by Arksey and O’Malley. The publications differed significantly in terms of their main purposes, number of recruited participants, smartwatches used, and methodologies applied. Five main themes were identified in the relevant literature: driver state assessment, benchmark performance, driver assistance systems and interventions, exogenous and endogenous factors, and detection of driving events. The review confirms the potential of smartwatches as a tool for driver monitoring, which goes beyond the capabilities of questionnaires. Some studies reported data-related problems, mainly related to data loss and sweating. Future research should adopt a more comprehensive approach to driver monitoring by expanding the collection of data beyond the narrow context of the driving task to include measurements related to the long-term health of the driver, such as sleep, resting heart rate, and physical activity.

Sweet whey (SW) and yogurt acid whey (YAW) are dairy by-products of the cheese-making process and Greek-style yogurt production, respectively. Both of them are considered pollutants with huge volumes of SW and YAW produced due to the growing demand for dairy products worldwide. Moreover, whey-derived peptides, resulting from fermentation as well as from further hydrolysis during digestion, have been associated with various biological activities. In the present study, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity of 48 SW samples and 33 YAW samples from bovine, ovine, caprine, and ovine/caprine milk obtained were evaluated. Additionally, the SW and YAW digestates and two of their fractions (smaller than 10 kDa, SW-D-P10 and YAW-D-P10, and smaller than 3 kDa, SW-D-P3 and YAW-D-P3), which were obtained after in vitro digestion and subsequent ultrafiltration, were also subjected to evaluation. Our data indicated that the D-P10 and D-P3 fractions exhibited higher ACE-inhibitory activity compared to the corresponding values before digestion. The ACE-inhibitory capacity after in vitro digestion was higher for the ovine SW samples compared to their bovine and caprine counterparts. The effect of the D-P3 fraction on the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production and the expression of a selected panel of immune-response-related genes in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages was also evaluated. Fractions from both dairy by-products inhibited NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Especially, ovine SW-D-P3 showed a strong NO inhibitory activity and suppressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2) mRNA levels. However, YAW-D-P3 could not trigger neither the gene expression of inflammatory macrophage mediators Nos2 and cyclooxygenase-2 (Ptgs2) nor tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnf) and interleukin 6 (Il6) in LPS-stimulated murine macrophages regardless of animal origin. These findings suggest that in vitro digestion could enhance the production of ACE-inhibitory peptides in both dairy by-products, while SW from ovine origin displays higher potential as an anti-inflammatory agent, effectively preventing excessive NO production.

Creating new multimodal infrastructure in an existing transport network of an urban city is a challenging process. The responsible transport authorities have to pay special attention to the details regarding the accessibility and effectiveness of the new development, to avoid travelers’ confusion and network congestion. The subject of this paper is the assessment and optimization of the traffic network in the surroundings of the new multimodal depot of Thessaloniki’s future metro system with the use of the microsimulation software PTV VISSIM (version 2022). Five different scenarios were developed in collaboration with the city’s transport authority and evaluated into two stages, beginning with the whole traffic network, and then continuing with the analyzed intersections separately. The evaluation is based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which were extracted by the software. According to the results of the base case scenario, the network functions satisfactorily, with slight delays. Regarding the future network, the operation of the new hub will strongly increase the traffic demand, while the proposed traffic network adjustments by the local authorities seem to cause significant delay problems. This paper aims to highlight the importance of using modeling tools during the design phase of a new infrastructure to create efficient, accessible, and sustainable infrastructures that enhance the public transport system.

Yogurt acid whey (YAW) is a by-product of Greek strained yogurt production. The disposal of YAW constitutes an environmental problem, and given the increasing demand of Greek yogurt worldwide, its handling is a challenge. However, whey-derived peptides, resulting from microbial fermentation as well as those resulting from further hydrolysis during the digestion process, have been linked to enhanced biological activities. In this study, the antioxidant capacity of 33 samples of YAW obtained from Greek dairy companies of bovine, ovine or caprine origin was investigated using both cell-free and cell-based assays. The YAW samples, their in vitro digestion products (YAW-Ds) and a fraction of the digests (less than 3 kDa; YAW-D-P3) were assessed using four biochemical assays, namely ORAC, ABTS, FRAP and P-FRAP. Our data revealed a higher antioxidant capacity for digested samples compared with undigested samples, with all four methods. ORAC values after in vitro digestion were higher for the ovine samples compared to their bovine (YAW-D and YAW-D-P3) and caprine (YAW-D-P3) counterparts. Furthermore, the YAW-D-P3 fraction derived from samples collected in the summer months exhibited higher ORAC values when compared to the respective fraction from the winter months’ samples. The cellular antioxidant activity of ovine YAW-D-P3 was improved in H2O2-treated HT29 cells compared to the control H2O2-treated cells. However, YAW-D-P3 could not trigger either the pathways involving the transcription factors NF-κB or NFE2L2 or the gene expression of SOD1, CAT and HMOX1 in LPS-challenged THP-1-derived macrophages. These results suggest that YAW, and particularly YAW from ovine origin, could be used as a natural source for its antioxidant potential in human and animal nutrition.

The increasing popularity of Greek yogurt generates large amounts of acid whey worldwide. The use of yogurt acid whey in animal nutrition is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a yogurt acid whey powder (YAWP) addition to maize forage prior to ensiling on the nutritional, microbial and fermentation quality of maize silage. Depending on the addition level of the YAWP to maize forage, there were the following four experimental treatments: YAWP 0, 2.5, 5 and 10% w/w. An increasing YAWP inclusion level linearly increased the maize silage dry matter, crude protein and ash concentrations, whereas it reduced the crude fiber, neutral-detergent fiber and acid-detergent fiber concentrations. The silage pH decreased quadratically with the increasing YAWP level, with the lower plateau noted for the YAWP 5% addition. Concentrations of total bacteria in the silage and Lactobacillus spp. decreased linearly with the YAWP increase. The silage acetic acid content decreased linearly, whereas propionic acid, lactic acid and the ratio of lactic to acetic acid increased linearly with the increasing YAWP level. The ammonia-N content decreased linearly with the increasing YAWP level. In conclusion, the incorporation of the 5 and 10% YAWP addition in silage preparation improved the nutritional and fermentative quality of the produced silage.

In recent years, the increasing demand for Greek strained yoghurt produced massive amounts of acid whey, which constitutes a major environmental pollutant. Whether yoghurt acid whey can be included in poultry diets is not known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of four dietary levels of yoghurt acid whey powder (YAWP) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, meat quality traits and oxidative stability. A total of 300 male 1-day-old Ross 308 broilers were assigned into four groups with five replicates of 15 broilers each: control-fed basal diet with no YAWP addition (WO) or basal diet supplemented with YAWP at 25 g/kg of diet (WA), 50 g/kg of diet (WB), or 100 g/kg of diet (WC). At the starter period, body weight and body weight gain were reduced after WB and WC treatments compared to the WO treatment. Breast meat oxidative stability was improved during refrigerated storage for 1 and 3 d in all YAWP treatments compared to control, while the WA treatment showed an improved oxidative stability after 6 and 9 d. The results suggest that YAWP inclusion at 25 g/kg of diet did not impair performance and extended the meat shelf life by reducing lipid oxidation rates.

Ovine mastitis is defined as the inflammation of the sheep udder, most commonly caused in response to intramammary infections. Based on the occurrence of clinical signs, mastitis is characterized as either clinical or subclinical (SCM). The impact of ovine SCM on the overall sustainability of dairy sheep farms has been substantially documented underpinning the significance of efficient diagnosis. Although SCM can be detected in cows, the performance and the validity of the methods used do not transfer in dairy sheep. This fact challenges the development of evidence-based ovine udder health management protocols and renders the detection and control of ovine mastitis rather problematic. Currently, cell culture-based models are being successfully used in biomedical studies and have also been effectively used in the case of bovine mastitis. The objective of the present study was to culture ovine primary mammary cells for the development of 2D and 3D cell culture-based models for the study of ovine mammary gland and to focus on the first stages of the intramammary infection by common mastitis-inducing pathogens. Cells were infected by E. coli and S. aureus mimicking the first stages of natural intramammary infections. The secreted proteins were subjected to mass-spectrometry resulting in the identification of a total of 79 distinct proteins. Among those, several had already been identified in healthy or mastitic milk, while others had not been previously detected for in the ovine mammary secretome. Our results suggest that the development of cell-based models for studying specific stages of intramammary infection has the potential to be beneficial for the udder health management in dairy sheep.

Whey-derived peptides have been associated with different biological properties, but most peptides are usually further hydrolyzed during the digestive process. In the present study, the antioxidant capacity of 48 samples of sweet whey (SW) derived from cheeses obtained from small-scale cheese plants made with bovine, ovine, caprine or a mixture of ovine/caprine milk was assessed using both cell-free and cell-based assays. SW digestates (SW-Ds) and a fraction (p < 0.05) for ORAC, ABTS, FRAP and P-FRAP after in vitro digestion (SW-Ds and SW-D-P3) when compared with the corresponding values before digestion. In the non-digested SW, ORAC values were higher (p < 0.05) for the bovine SW compared with all the other samples. In contrast, the ABTS assay indicated a higher antioxidant activity for the ovine SW both before digestion and for SW-D-P3 compared with the bovine SW. The fraction SW-D-P3 of the ovine SW, using HT29 cells and H2O2 as an oxidizing agent, increased (p < 0.05) the cellular antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the same fraction of the ovine/caprine mixed SW increased, through the NF-κB pathway, the expression of SOD1 and CAT, genes implicated in the oxidative response in macrophage-like THP-1 cells. These findings indicate that SW, and particularly bovine and ovine SW, could be a candidate source for physical antioxidants in human and animal nutrition.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and, more recently, electric Mobility as a Service (eMaaS) have increasingly been put forward to meet the economic, social, and environmental challenges linked to mobility. First, however, monitoring and evaluating such a scheme’s performance is crucial, mainly through the definition of appropriate indicators. In this study, a standardised methodological approach is presented for the assessment of an eMaaS scheme. In addition, this methodological approach contains a range of innovative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The proposed KPIs refer to the evaluation of the scheme based on four pillars: (a) society, (b) users, (c) operators, and (d) internal operation. The methodology for evaluating the proposed KPIs includes identifying the available sources for data collection. For example, data can be collected through questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, and the system’s central dashboard. An appropriate set of indicators to evaluate a system from various perspectives is necessary to assess an eMaaS scheme in real-life conditions. Furthermore, the evaluation of the overall operation of the scheme will contribute to drawing valid conclusions (e.g., user acceptance, economic viability) for the implementation of eMaaS in urban areas.

This study examined the effects of milking frequency, breed, and stage of lactation on the milk fat globules (MFG) size and fatty acids (FA) composition of sheep milk. Milk from Karagouniko (n = 13) and Chios (n = 13) ewes was sampled postpartum on the 93rd, 101st, 108th, 121st, 156th, and 188th days of lactation. On the 108th day, the ewes were divided randomly into two milking groups: Once daily at 06:00 a.m. or twice daily at 06:00 a.m. and 16:00 p.m. Morphometric characteristics of MFG and FA composition were determined for each sample. Once versus twice daily milking had no effect on MFG dimensions, which tended to vary according to breed (smaller MFG were secreted from Chios with p = 0.065), while the stage of lactation had a significant effect (p < 0.001). FA composition differed significantly according to the stage of lactation and breed. The FA profile of the Karagouniko breed showed higher concentrations of short-chain FA. The milk samples from late lactation were characterized by higher concentrations of mono-unsaturated FA (MUFA) compared to early and mid-lactation. Moreover, correlations were found between the average diameter of MFG and FA concentrations, where the size of MFG was positively correlated with saturated FA (SFA) and negatively correlated with MUFA.

Large amounts of yoghurt acid whey (YAW) are annually generated as a result of Greek-style yoghurt production, which poses a great hazard to the environment. In terms of sustainability, YAW application in the meat industry appears as a great alternative since meat marination with natural solutions is a practice that continuously gains ground due to its positive effects on meat sensory attributes. The aim of the present study was to determine the quality characteristics and oxidative status of pork and chicken meat after their marination in yoghurt acid whey. Forty samples per meat type were randomly assigned into five groups: CON, without YAW marination; YAW1 and YAW3, in which meat was marinated at 4 °C and a pH of 4.5 for 15 and 10 h, respectively; or YAW2 and YAW4, in which meat was handled as in the YAW1 and YAW3 group, respectively, while hesperidin at 2 g/L was also incorporated into the marinade. As shown, meat shear force values were decreased in pork but not in chicken meat samples. Meat pH values were also generally decreased, while lightness was increased in raw but not in cooked meat samples as an effect of marination. Moreover, meat oxidative stability was improved to a greater extent in chicken than in pork meat. In order to find the ideal marination period for pork meat, we further immersed it into YAW for 5 h. However, this treatment affected neither meat tenderness and the other quality properties nor meat oxidation rates. In general, hesperidin addition did not have an additional or side effect on the quality traits of pork and chicken meat. As it can be concluded, pork meat marination in YAW for 10–15 h improves tenderness, but 5 h of marination does not. On the other hand, the tenderness of chicken meat was not affected, but its oxidative stability was greatly improved after remaining in the YAW marinade for 10–15 h.

The transportation network design and frequency setting problem concerns the optimization of transportation systems comprising fleets of vehicles serving a set amount of passengers on a predetermined network (e.g., public transport systems). It has been a persistent focus of the transportation planning community while, its NP-hard nature continues to present obstacles in designing efficient, all-encompassing solutions. In this paper, we present a new approach based on an alternating-objective genetic algorithm that aims to find Pareto optimality between user and operator costs. Extensive computational experiments are performed on Mandl’s benchmark test and prove that the results generated by our algorithm are 5–6% improved in comparison to previously published results for Pareto optimality objectives both in regard to user and operator costs. At the same time, the methods presented are computationally inexpensive and easily run on office equipment, thus minimizing the need for expensive server infrastructure and costs. Additionally, we identify a wide variance in the way that similar computational results are reported and, propose a novel way of reporting benchmark results that facilitates comparisons between methods and enables a taxonomy of heuristic approaches to be created. Thus, this paper aims to provide an efficient, easily applicable method for finding Pareto optimality in transportation networks while highlighting specific limitations of existing research both in regards to the methods used and the way they are communicated.

Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge that the world had never encountered in the last 100 years. In order to mitigate its negative effects, governments worldwide took action by prohibiting at first certain activities and in some cases by a countrywide lockdown. Greece was among the countries that were struck by the pandemic. Governmental authorities took action in limiting the spread of the pandemic through a series of countermeasures, which built up to a countrywide lockdown that lasted 42 days. Methodology This research aims at identifying the effect of certain socioeconomic factors on the travel behaviour of Greek citizens and at investigating whether any social groups were comparatively less privileged or suffered more from the lockdown. To this end, a dynamic online questionnaire survey on mobility characteristics was designed and distributed to Greek citizens during the lockdown period, which resulted in 1,259 valid responses. Collected data were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistical tests, in order to identify mobility patterns and correlations with certain socioeconomic characteristics. Additionally, a Generalised Linear Model (GLM) was developed in order to examine the potential influence of socioeconomic characteristics to trip frequency before and during the lockdown period. Results Outcomes indicate a decisive decrease in trip frequencies due to the lockdown. Furthermore, the model’s results indicate significant correlations between gender, income and trip frequencies during the lockdown, something that is not evident in the pre-pandemic era.

Being the heart of every human settlement, the road network constitutes a significant component of the built environment that serves the accessibility and mobility needs and supports economic activities. Despite its positive role, the road network, in some cases, due to increased geometric and functional characteristics, can act as a barrier to the movement of vulnerable road users, thus fragmenting the urban space and creating the phenomenon of the “barrier effect”. The barrier effect is considered detrimental to the mobility of vulnerable users, causing delays or even cancellation of trips, increasing collision risk, limiting access to services, posing negative impacts on public health, and loosening social ties. In this context, the current paper focuses on a settlement in Greece (Dispilio) developed along two national roads and comprehensively evaluates the barrier effect. More specifically, the presented methodological approach attempts to investigate the actual and the perceived dimension of this phenomenon by applying well-established metrics and landscape indicators, such as the effective mesh size, and conducting a questionnaire survey, respectively. The overall research results highlighted interesting findings regarding the intensity of the barrier effect in the examined area and outlined some critical interventions that could be implemented in similar cases.

The cultivation of oleaginous yeasts on various agro-industrial residues and the subsequent production of microbial lipids (single-cell oils), which can be used as starting materials for the synthesis of both “second generation” biodiesel and various types of oleochemicals, is considered as one of the most important approaches of the Industrial Biotechnology, in terms of circular economy and green and sustainable development. In this study, seven wild-type non-conventional yeast strains were evaluated for their growth on a semi-defined medium with cheese whey lactose as a sole carbon source. Five of these strains were further batch-cultivated into the complex substrate that contained second cheese whey, which is the main by-product of Mizithra whey cheese manufacture, after centrifugation and filtration without any extra mineral salts, carbon, or nitrogen source addition. All these five strains grown in second cheese whey produced mainly yeast biomass and to lesser extent microbial lipids and other interesting metabolites, such as polysaccharides. The strain Cryptococcus curvatus ATCC 20509 produced the highest total dry weight (TDW) amount (22.4 g/L), that contained 3.4 g/L of intra-cellular lipids, followed by C. curvatus NRRL Y-1511, which produced 20.6 g/L of TDW and 3.2 g/L lipids. A novel, non-previously systematically studied strain, namely Papiliotrema laurentii NRRL Y-2536, produced significant quantities of TDW (22.0 g/L) and, interestingly, secreted quantities of exopolysaccharides. Fed-batch shake-flask cultivation of C. curvatus ATCC 20509 in pretreated second cheese whey, pulse-supplemented with condensed cheese whey-derived lactose, led to the significant TDW quantity of 38.1 g/L that contained c. 57% w/w of total lipids (lipids at a concentration 21.7 g/L were produced). Cellular lipids of all microorganisms, mainly stored as triacylglycerols, contained in variable quantities the fatty acids Δ9C18:1, C16:0, Δ9,12C18:2 and C18:0, constituting perfect candidates for the synthesis of “second generation” biodiesel.

In this paper, we investigate the travel behavior changes in Thessaloniki, Greece aiming to understand them and explore the factors that affect them under the COVID-19 mobility restriction measures. Socioeconomic and mobility data from two questionnaire surveys, one year before and during the COVID-19 lockdown of April 2020 (with 1462 and 196 responses respectively), were compared by utilizing a wide variety of inductive statistical tests. Ordinary Least-Squares regression models and Cox proportional hazards duration models were employed to explore any concurrent socioeconomic effect on travel behavior patterns. Results showed that the number of daily trips per person was on average decreased by 50% during the lockdown. This decrease was much greater for the non-commuting trips. Trips on foot were increased, private car was mainly used for commuting and public transport modal shares were heavily reduced. Trip durations were generally increased, as travelling was considered a recreational activity per se. The starting times of the first trips of the day were more evenly distributed throughout the day and many travelers only started their first trips late in the afternoon. Older travelers generally maintained their mobility behavior patterns despite their higher vulnerability to COVID-19 disease. Lower-income travelers were likely to make more daily trips. Male travelers tended to make higher-duration trips compared to their female counterparts. Since pandemics may become recurring events in the future, our findings provide for a better understanding of their influence on mobility and support the design of customized policies to fulfill sustainable mobility objectives during lockdown circumstances.

The aim of the study was to determine changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS), serum antioxidant capacity (SAC) and oxidative stress index (OSi; ROS/SAC) from dry off to 30 days postpartum in dairy cows. Furthermore, the relationship between indices of oxidative status (ROS, SAC, OSi) and indices related to metabolic disorders (blood free fatty acids, FFA and β-hydroxybutyrate, BHB) and α-tocopherol (α-Τ) was determined. Blood samples were collected from 131 dairy cows belonging to four commercial farms, located in Italy and Greece. Blood samples were collected at dry-off, calving and 30 days postpartum. Results indicated that ROS and OSi were low at dry-off and 30 days postpartum and high at calving. The serum antioxidant capacity followed exactly the opposite trend. There was a negative correlation of ROS (rho: −0.282; p ≤ .01) and OSi (rho: −0.267; p ≤ .05) with α-Τ at all three sampling points, whereas no correlation was found between SAC and α-Τ. Reactive oxygen species were positively correlated with BHB at all three sampling points and with FFA levels only at dry-off. A negative correlation of SAC with FFA was found at dry-off and 30 days postpartum. The oxidative stress index was positively correlated with FFA and BHB at dry-off, with FFA at calving and with BHB at 30 days postpartum. Thus, associations between parameters related to oxidative status and those related to energy balance were found, mainly at dry-off and postpartum. Oxidative stress markers determined at dry off could be useful in preventing metabolic disorders.Highlights Dairy cows around calving often incur metabolic disorders. Associations between oxidative and metabolic markers were found mainly at dry-off and postpartum. Oxidative markers could be used as a tool for metabolic disorders prevention.

In this paper we analyse the performance of 34 multimodal public transport networks worldwide to investigate whether the service characteristics of their metro components significantly affect bus performance and vice versa as well as whether their operational environment exerts the same impact on metro and bus public transport modes. We built a combined effectiveness model to simulate the production process of both bus and metro systems and calculated credible performance scores for them by applying data envelopment analysis and bootstrapping techniques. Results showed that, on average, both bus and metro systems require a great ridership increase to reach their best performing peers. We employed conditional robust order-m efficiency estimators to identify factors that may account for these performance rankings. Empirical findings indicate that bus and metro systems more coexist than cooperate in terms of developing their performance profiles. Bus and metro systems are influenced by different exogenous factors and fail to incorporate effectiveness improvements if service upgrades are delivered in their road or rail public transport counterparts. Our findings provide for a better understanding of the interrelationships within multimodal public transport networks and thus contribute to the formulation of both appropriate decision making and realistic performance targets.

The replacement of soybean meal (SBM) from intensively reared dairy sheep diets has emerged as a significant challenge for sustainable production. However, the effects of this replacement on milk production have not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the effects of replacing SBM with a mixture of alternative protein sources on the milk yield (MY) and the milk quality traits (MQT) in intensively reared dairy sheep. A total of 112 multiparous, purebred milking ewes of the Chios and Frizarta breeds, from two intensive dairy sheep farms, were involved in the study, postweaning, and were assigned to either the control (CR) or the experimental ration (ER) group. In the ER, 3/4 of the SBM was replaced by a mixture of rapeseed meal, cottonseed cake, and fava beans, producing a ration of a similar nutritional value. MY, MQT, and body condition scores were recorded for each individual ewe monthly for a period of 4 months during lactation. The experimental ration was associated with beneficial effects on daily and 100-day fat yields and on the electrical conductivity of milk as an improved udder health status indicator, with no adverse effects on any of the rest of the studied milk production traits.

The aim of this preliminary study was to examine the effects of yoghurt acid whey (YAW) marination on quality parameters and the oxidative stability of pork, lamb, rabbit and chicken meat. Twenty-four samples per meat type were randomly allocated to one of four groups: CON, without any treatment; YAW1 and YAW2, where samples were marinated for 20 h at 4 °C at a pH of 5 or 4.5, respectively; and YAW3, where samples were treated as in the YAW2 group except hesperidin was also added at the level of 2 g/L. As indicated, meat tenderness was improved as a result of YAW marination, apart from the chicken samples. In general, values of pH, redness and yellowness were decreased after immersion in YAW both in raw and cooked samples. However, lightness was increased in the raw meat samples as a result of YAW marination, though this effect was not observed in the cooked meat samples with the exception of chicken meat. Chroma values were higher in controls compared to YAW-treated groups in raw pork and lamb meat, while no significant differences regarding chroma were found among groups in cooked lamb and rabbit meat. Hue angle values were greater in YAW-treated groups compared to controls in raw samples, whereas no significant differences among groups were indicated in cooked meat. Meat oxidation rates were not affected by treatment with YAW and the hesperidin addition, which improved the oxidative stability of lamb and chicken meat. Thus, YAW marination could be recommended as a novel strategy that improves meat tenderness without negative effects on the other quality characteristics.

Intersection safety and drivers’ behavior are strongly interrelated, especially when the latter are located in dilemma zone. This paper explores, among others, the main factors affecting driver behavior, such as distance to stop line, approaching speed and acceleration/deceleration, and two additional factors, namely, driver’s aggressiveness and driver’s relative position at the onset of the yellow signal. Field data were collected using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. Two binary choice models were developed, the first relying on observed data and the latter enriched by the latent factor drivers’ aggressiveness and the vehicles’ relative position. Drivers were classified to aggressive and non-aggressive ones using a latent class model that combined approaching speed and acceleration/deceleration data. Drivers were further grouped according to their expected reaction/decision to stop or cross the intersection in relation to their relative position. Both models equally explain drivers’ decisions adequately, but the second one offers additional explanatory power attributed to aggressiveness. Being able to identify the level of aggressiveness among the drivers enables the calculation of the probability that drivers will cross the intersection even if caught in a dilemma zone or in a zone in which the obvious decision is to stop. Such findings can be valuable when designing a signalized intersection and the traffic time settings, as well as the posted speed limit.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the high pressure (HP) processing and transglutaminase (TGase) treatment of bovine (cow) or ovine (sheep) milk, when applied individually or sequentially, on the quality parameters and anti-hypertensive and immunomodulatory properties of yoghurt. Low-fat (2% w/w) bovine or ovine milk samples were used. Results showed that HP treatment of milk led to acid gels with equivalent quality attributes to thermal treatment, with the more representative attributes being whey separation and firmness, which ranged from 47.5% to 49.8% and 23.8% to 32.2% for bovine and ovine yoghurt, respectively, and 74.3−89.0 g and 219−220 g for bovine and ovine yoghurt, respectively. On the other hand, TGase treatment of milk, solely or more effectively following HP processing, resulted in the improvement of the textural attributes of yoghurt and reduced whey separation, regardless of milk type, exhibiting values of 32.9% and 8.7% for the whey separation of bovine and ovine yoghurt, respectively, and 333 g and 548 g for the firmness of bovine and ovine yoghurt, respectively. The HP processing and TGase treatment of milk led to the preservation or improvement of the anti-hypertensive activity of the samples, especially in the case in which ovine milk was used, with Inhibitory activity of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (IACE) values of 76.9% and 88.5% for bovine and ovine yoghurt, respectively. The expression of pro-inflammatory genes decreased and that of anti-inflammatory genes increased in the case of samples from HP-processed and/or TGase-treated milk as compared to the corresponding expressions for samples from thermally treated milk. Thus, it can be stated that, apart from the quality improvement, HP processing and TGase treatment of milk may lead to the enhancement of the bio-functional properties of low-fat yoghurt made from either bovine or ovine milk.