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Copyright of International Symposium 'Modern Trends in Livestock Production' is the property of Institute for Animal Husbandry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This contribution deals with the challenge of promoting the awareness and use of new city innovations enabling a smart sustainable lifestyle. Nowadays there is a gap between smart city pragmatic users (early majority), because we are facing a special challenge in the phase of innovation scaling. The free use of city innovations that promote a sustainable lifestyle is very often linked to changes in behavioural routines (e.g. bicycle use instead of car use; regional consumption vs. online purchase). In this paper we investigate the benefits and limitations of social comparison theory and similar behavioral approaches in designing incentives and stimulus mechanisms for a new digital platform and mobile application for intelligent urban innovation. Based on an intensive state of art literature review and a best practise analysis, we propose a specific digitally supported intervention design to encourage citizens to use smart urban innovation in their local environment. The design will then be tested and evaluated in two European Smart Cities as part of an EU research project: www.simplicity-project.eu. We will discuss the potentials and limits of an ethical nudging approach and important implications for evaluating effects and impacts thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquitous digitalisation has given rise to technology-mediated control (TMC), which employs digital technologies to support or even automate control functions commonly performed by managers. Still, it remains unclear how concepts and insights from traditional IS control research can be applied to TMC. Performing a content analysis and building on secondary data, we use control concepts to analyse control practises of Uber and demonstrate their peculiarities in the TMC context. We find that Uber uses market mechanisms as a basic way of exercising control. When the market does not sufficiently achieve Uber's objectives, it intervenes with bureaucratic mechanisms to fine-tune drivers' behaviours. Such controls display a highly formalized, unilateral control process with a strong focus on sanctions, predominantly enacted coercively exhibiting a deskilling logic. Additionally, a 'softer' form of control has surfaced, which cannot be explained by traditional control concepts. Uber is apparently successful in blending opposing control aspects that would be difficult to mix in traditional human-to-human control contexts. By finding out how control theory can be applied to TMC, we want to develop a conceptual framework for TMC that would help investigating relevant topics, such as socio-emotional and economic impact on workers, transparency and ethical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of this study was to assess possible influence of chitosan-based gels (without cross-linker treatment and cross-linked with one of the next substances - glutaraldehyde, hexamethylene diisocyanate or oxidized alginate) onto live tissues in in vivo animal model and evaluate and select optimal sterilization method of such biodegradable materials. Sterilization of all chitosan gel samples were performed using three different methods: steam sterilization, lowtemperature hydrogen peroxide plasma and radiation sterilization. The best swelling degree values were obtained for chitosan gels cross-linked with glutaraldehyde or hexamethylene diisocyanate. Further in vivo animal model 14-day evaluation showed no toxic, immunosuppression or sensitization effects nor dystrophic and autoimmune changes in live tissues that have been directed in contact with implanted polymer. Among all three evaluated sterilization methods the best one was the radiation sterilization in terms of preserving the desired characteristics of swelling and minimal changes in chemical composition and properties of sterilized materials, even with 25 kGy absorbed dose that allows sterility assurance level at 10-6 to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nudging has become a well renowned concept in policymaking around the globe, supporting active behavior changes like higher retirement saving, healthier nutrition or saving natural resources. Stemming from the behavioral economics (BE), nudge-interventions aim at changing individuals' behaviors without limiting their freedom of choice, exerting coercion or significantly changing economic incentives. As nudging still impairs individuals' autonomy, the concept has evoked heated debates about its ethical acceptability. Recently, IS scholars have begun to recognize the potential of nudging in digital contexts leading to the notion of digital nudging. The importance of ethical considerations when designing and implementing nudge-interventions has been acknowledged, however, a detailed analysis of these concerns in digital environments is still missing. In this article, we summarize, transfer and discuss the ethical considerations raised in BE in light of digital contexts. Three important ethical considerations for digital nudges are discussed: (1) Preserving individuals' freedom of choice / autonomy, (2) transparent disclosure of nudges and (3) individual (proself) and societal (pro-social) goal-oriented justification of nudging. As a result, we provide a first ethical landscape for digital nudging in IS, based on its BE roots. We conclude with a provision of several future research avenues.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A valuable amount of information is available in peculiar velocities of galaxies. Peculiar velocity surveys have recently allowed the discovery of potential problems with ΛCDM [e.g 1]. Nonetheless, their direct observation through distance measurements remains a daunting task. Another way of considering the problem is to use orbit reconstruction methods assuming some mass-to-light assignment for galaxies. We give here two applications of this procedure for the study of large-scale bulk flows and the dynamics of voids in the Local Universe. We concentrate our study on the use of the Monge-Ampère-Kantorovitch reconstruction technique. Using peculiar velocities reconstructed from the 2MASS Galaxy Redshift Survey, and after comparison with the NGB-3k peculiar velocity catalog, we look in the details of these peculiar velocities. More particularly, we estimate the constraints that the peculiar velocities put on the cosmology. The information on dynamics that is included in reconstructed orbits of galaxies also allows us to have a much better prescription for defining and identifying voids in simulations and redshift catalogs. We present this new technique and how voids may give us additional constraints on cosmology with current and future surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]