................................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgements. .............................................................................................................................. 4 List of figures. ...................................................................................................................................... 10 List of tables......................................................................................................................................... 12 Abbreviations. ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Chemical composition and fibrillar organization are the major determinants of osteonal bone mechanics. However, prominent methodologies commonly applied to investigate mechanical properties of bone on the micro scale are usually not able to concurrently describe both factors. In this study, we used polarized Raman spectroscopy (PRS) to simultaneously analyze structural and chemical information of collagen fibrils in human osteonal bone in a single experiment. Specifically, the three-dimensional arrangement of collagen fibrils in osteonal lamellae was assessed. By analyzing the anisotropic intensity of the amide I Raman band of collagen as a function of the orientation of the incident laser polarization, different parameters related to the orientation of the collagen fibrils and the degree of alignment of the fibrils were derived. Based on the analysis of several osteons, two major fibrillar organization patterns were identified, one with a monotonic and another with a periodically changing twist direction. These results confirm earlier reported twisted and oscillating plywood arrangements, respectively. Furthermore, indicators of the degree of alignment suggested the presence of disordered collagen within the lamellar organization of the osteon. The results show the versatility of the analytical PRS approach and demonstrate its capability in providing not only compositional, but also 3D structural information in a complex hierarchically structured biological material. The concurrent assessment of chemical and structural features may contribute to a comprehensive characterization of the microstructure of bone and other collagen-based tissues.

The OceanRINGS is a suite of smart technologies for subsea operations developed over the last ten years at the Mobile & Marine Robotics Research Centre (MMRRC), University of Limerick, Ireland. Applied to mini ROVs, OceanRINGS technologies enable remote presence: long endurance robotic systems for routine inspection of offshore subsea oil & gas installations and marine renewable energy devices controlled from a remote control centre (Virtual Control Cabin) through the Internet in real time. Remote presence with mini ROVs enable more regular (even continuous) inspections of subsea structures, including observatories, marine renewable energy (MRE) devices and offshore oil & gas installations (wellheads, pipelines etc.) and facilitates early stage detection of abnormalities and defects. The majority of the cost-savings for offshore oil & gas is the prevention of failure in one of the production arteries (downhole tubing, pipelines and production vessels). Money lost through lost production far outweighs the costs associated with maintenance. The OceanRINGS smart technologies could lead to significant savings in time, maintenance and operational costs (20% or more), if they become available for wide scale commercial and industrial use. This paper describes the main idea and motivation behind the Remote Presence concept.

Nursing homes and long-term care institutions often need technological assistance because of the high ratio of low-functioning residents coupled with a shortage of caregivers. To explore the potential uses of emerging robotic technologies in nursing homes, we apply Forlizzi's concept of the product ecology and a user-centered design approach involving field observations and focus groups to understand what kind of robot design would be suitable for the nursing home context. Our results show that instead of robots replacing human labor, nursing home staff prefer robot assistants who fit into their work process. We also learned the most appropriate functions for robots in nursing homes were helping with minor tasks and encouraging social interaction among residents. Our study was performed in two nursing homes in Taiwan.

Intraoperative nerve localization is of great importance in surgery. In certain procedures, where nerves show visual resemblance to surrounding adipose tissue, this can be particularly challenging for the human eye. An example of such a delicate procedure is thyroid and parathyroid surgery, where iatrogenic injury of the recurrent laryngeal nerve can result in transient or permanent vocal problems (0.5–2.0% reported incidence). A camera system, enabling nerve‐specific image enhancement, would be useful in preventing such complications. This might be realized with hyperspectral camera technology using silicon (Si) or indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) sensor chips.

This study investigates knowledge on use of body extremities and body in space by children who are deaf or hard-ofhearing. A random sample of 60 participants was used in the study, with chronological age of 6 to 8 years. Experimental group of 30 participants involved pupils who are deaf or hard-of-hearing both male and female who attend school in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Control group of 30 participants involved pupils who are typically hearing both male and female who were chronologically matched to the participants in the experimental group. Measuring instruments were created for the purpose of extracting quantitative data analysis, scaled from 1 to 5 units of measurement. The results are showed significant differences between children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and children who are typically hearing (F=23, 08 p=0.00). The children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing showed significantly weaker knowledge of perception of body movements.

The aim of this study was to investigate consumers’ preferences of Livanjski cheese depending on the type of milk (cow’s milk or a mixture of sheep’s and cow’s milk) and the originality of production (farm or industrially produced). Also correlations between sensorial scores and the composition of Livanjski cheese were determined. Sixty day old Livanjski cheese samples produced on four family farms and under industrial conditions produced cheese were used for sensory evaluation. During the cheese sampling every producer was visited regularly (every two weeks) to evaluate the ripening conditions of the cheeses (temperature, relative air humidity and ventilation). Sensory evaluation was performed by 160 consumers and 6 experts. Cheese from farm 1 received the highest scores (P<0.05) in general and for every single attribute as well. The production of Livanjski cheese on farm 1 was distinct due to mixing sheep’s and cow’s milk (70:30 %) and due to good controlled ripening conditions (15-18 °C, relative air humidity 80-90 %, regular air ventilation). Sheep’s milk was an important factor for the higher scoring of Livanjski cheese. In opposite to the consumers’ preference, experts evaluated industrially produced Livanjski cheese with the highest score. Significantly high and negative correlations (P<0.05) between total solids of cheese and scores for taste and odour judged by experts were obtained. Moreover, significantly higher and negative correlations (P<0.05) between the total solids of cheese and all sensorial attributes were obtained by consumers. On the contrary, preserving factors i.e. higher salt content and acidity positively influenced the sensory attributes of Livanjski cheese.