Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here BALTIMORE — On the campus of UMBC resides Elze Bielskute She's a swimmer at UMBC who recently set a school record for the 100 individual medley She began swimming competitively at age 12 When it was time to pursue higher education when they graduate from high school they quit because it's really hard to balance sports and academics back home," says Bielskute VIDEO: UMBC standout swimmer comes to America to thrive So she jumped in the deep end and decided as a teenager to come to America and then the other day I will wake up like She made the decision to attend Saint Leo University—but just two short years into her American journey the university got rid of the swimming and diving program a decision Bielskute says didn't feel real "We didn't really think that we were leaving when we started packing our stuff and going home over the summer and realize Oh no and that's when it really hit," says Bielskute She wondered if that was a sign she was meant to stay home and never return to America But she entered the transfer portal and found UMBC head coach Matt Donovan who says Bielskute was everything the program needed you thought you could ask any coach in any sport you know she shows up the practice every single day she works hard she's able to lock in on the final tournament of the year all while reflecting on her courageous journey from Lithuania to Baltimore but then you just need to take gather all of your courage and take that step I'm really happy with my decision," says Bielskute Coming up for Elze and the swim and dive team is the America East Championships tournament beginning February 19 in Lexington Ten years ago it was unthinkable for gymnast Elze Geurts “better than I’ve ever been,” and has been scoring high in the Dutch rankings all season just before the Olympic qualifiers she suffered injuries “Not so good right now,” says gymnast and UvA student Elze Geurts on the phone in mid-June It is right before the first Olympic qualifier at the NK gymnastics Suddenly it is uncertain whether she will be able to compete in it She sprained her hamstring in early June during a regular exercise she does every day She also developed muscle trouble in the capsule around her shoulder Goal in Paris: To reach the finals with the Dutch women’s team Best performance: Participation in the World Championships on vault in 2021 at the first Olympic qualifier in Rotterdam But she has to abandon her routine prematurely Especially the splits are still too painful for her hamstring This significantly reduces her chances of making it to the Olympics in Paris she will have to achieve an extra high score in the second qualification on July 6th in Ghent - provided she has recovered by then - to catch up with her competitors She knows better than anyone that gymnastics involves injuries She tore both her Achilles tendons and the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee serious injuries that took her months to recover from It taught her not to be so quick to worry about things “at least not about things you can't change.” And also that after the worst setbacks who scored at the top of the rankings of Dutch gymnasts last season She achieved the highest number of points at the European Gymnastics Championships in Rimini in early May although the top favorites for the Olympic selection I had nothing to look forward to at the big tournaments You don’t see that often in gymnastics,” the 29-year-old Geurts told Folia in early February Most gymnasts who reach the highest podiums do so at a young age Geurts did not debut on the world stage until she was 26 She progressed to a top sports club but was eliminated quite early there because she had less talent “compared to other girls.” Unlike most gymnasts she is not agile and does not rely on her graceful movements but rather on her muscular strength and perseverance but on the condition that my school and later my studies did not suffer as a result.” She is now not only on the Dutch national team but is close to getting a degree in medicine she will have one more year of residencies to qualify as a general practitioner She always continued to study alongside her gymnastics During the waiting period for her residencies she pursued a bachelor’s degree in philosophy “If you only do sports you are busy with one thing I like to be challenged in other areas as well.” when most athletes put their studies on hold she went to the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG) three days a week for the sports medicine residency on an e-bike “because you shouldn’t arrive at a workout tired.” Monday and Tuesday she combines training with her residency A hard work mentality characterizes Geurts “I have a lot of stamina and can quite easily put in the work it takes to compete at this level.” She also manages to keep the fun in gymnastics “It still feels like a big playground,” she says of it “Gymnastics is something I very clearly chose for myself In those years of learning about Descartes and Kant “I notice that I get better and better and that gives me a lot of motivation,” she said in February the competition where you perform exercises on all four apparatuses I used to perform clearly better in two disciplines and less well in two others Now I feel that I perform well in all disciplines And it shows in the scores I get at competitions she also stops her residencies to focus entirely on training and recovery but she won’t hear about it until the last moment if it will succeed but that’s always how it is when you do gymnastics at this level Competing in the Olympics would be the crowning achievement And yet - with her current injuries - that goal seems to be drifting away from her “The Olympics seems like the most important moment it’s not the end of the world,” the down-to-earth Geurts says The second Olympic qualifier for gymnastics is July 6th Welcome back to another episode of Wait, What? Did I Miss Something?! This week, we take an abrupt departure from the regularly confusing storyline to indulge in one with even more plot holes, strange romances that don't make sense, and awkward world-building. Yes, it's business as usual in Unnamed Memory as it once again demonstrates that there was probably a better way to adapt this story part of the problem is that Tinasha and Oscar's relationship has been undersold While the episode badly wants us to root for them and indulge in a big soppy “aww” at the end when Oscar kisses her on the forehead there isn't enough supporting material for their so-called romance It's a shame because plenty of little moments here ought to be adorable such as cat Tinasha riding on Oscar's shoulder or Oscar jumping into the void after her when she falls That Tinasha thought she needed to transform into a cat since they'd be sharing a room and a bed still indicates that she thinks he's going to move faster than she's comfortable with but I think we're supposed to be so taken with her feline cuteness that it doesn't matter And let's face it; Oscar isn't great at doing things by degrees – look at the penultimate scene in this episode where she asks him to make a small cut to retrieve the magic marble she swallowed But more troubling than Oscar's inability to listen to directions is the other “romance” rearing its head Oscar and Tinasha are visiting an outpost on the border to check in on a village a nomadic group destroyed and she barely avoided being kidnapped during the raid She even has nightmares that Tinasha can tap into and those dreams indicate that Elze is terrified of her husband's killer It's then baffling why she appears to end up with him at the end of the episode sitting with him in the ruins of her village after she freaked out when Oscar cut the man's arm off Elze never interacted with this man prior to his murder-and-attempted-kidnapping spree in her hometown Has she seen too much death and blood to want to witness anymore Or does this series not understand healthy romance plots the answer is probably somewhere in the source material Unlike many a series adapted from light novels this one seems less to be an attempt to get more readers for the books and more something made for the readers already familiar with the details from reading It has the feel of almost a greatest hits version of the novels animated bits and pieces that people are fond of so that fans can see them move and hear the lines spoken aloud Details can be skipped because the audience being courted already knows them There are elements of this that remain interesting such as the barely explained mythology of the Ito people or how much being in a feline body affects Tinasha But most of this episode felt like a lot of information was missing and that's become a terrible reality of watching this show Prosecutors are charging two men with stealing a 10,000-year-old mammoth tusk from the federal Bureau of Land Management in Anchorage Listen now Federal prosecutors Friday unveiled theft and conspiracy charges against Gary Boyd and Martin Elze The two were also charged with breaking a federal fossil theft law and Elze faces a fourth charge of witness tampering Federal prosecutors didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the indictment against Boyd and Elze appears to be a break in a case that had gone unsolved since the tusk went missing six months ago. Elze and an unidentified accomplice visited the BLM-run Campbell Creek Science Center in East Anchorage The accomplice asked questions about the tusk’s type and weight where Boyd used a rock to break into a window and door Boyd is charged with taking the 100-pound tusk and prosecutors assert that Elze waited outside They also allege that Elze later defaced the tusk by cutting it Elze is already being held in the Anchorage jail on another charge A spokeswoman for federal prosecutors in Anchorage didn’t immediately respond to a question about Boyd’s whereabouts The BLM had offered a $500 reward for information leading to the tusk’s recovery Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInAn Anchorage man who pleaded guilty to one count of removal of a paleontological resource in December has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in the theft of a woolly mammoth tusk from the Campbell Creek Science Center in March 2018 52-year-old Anchorage man Martin Elze was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release Elze was also ordered to pay $8,385.82 to the Campbell Creek Science Center when they inquired about the weight and authenticity of the tusk to staff members The two are said to have returned to the museum after it closed the following night when Boyd breached museum security systems by throwing a rock through a museum window Boyd and Elze were then caught on surveillance video spiriting the tusk away into the night Investigators determined that Elze and Boyd cut the mammoth tusk down into pieces and sold them off Elze was also found to have attempted to influence a witness to "make materially false statements to the federal grand jury" while in custody for an unrelated state charge in an attempt to shield himself from prosecution according to the U.S Boyd also pleaded guilty to removal of a paleontological resource and is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on May 15 (function(w,d,e,o,u,s,t){w[o]||(w[o]={},s=d.createElement(e),s.src=u,s.async=1,t=d.getElementsByTagName(e)[0],t.parentNode.insertBefore(s,t))})(window,document,"script","oiopub","https://www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/wp-content/plugins/oiopub-direct/zones.js") By CV Weekly on September 15, 2016No Comment CVW has written several times about the close-knit community of Crescenta Valley It seems that many of those who were born here may leave It is a community that despite being just minutes from the city of Los Angeles feels like a small town so when one of us experiences a tragic loss we all grieve was involved in a fatal accident on Foothill Boulevard in Tujunga asked for the public’s help with any information regarding the traffic collision and several people reached out to offer their help to the family It is certain Brad would have done this if the family facing this loss was not his own raised his sons with an adventurer’s heart soccer and cared for his family and neighbors with a generous spirit “In 1991 I bought the house across the street and noticed this very muscular good looking guy who drove a Harley,” said Kristen Elze of her husband It took some time but their friendship eventually turned to love and they were married on Sept “People described him as a renaissance man,” said sister-in-law Kari Dunkley He started out as a carpenter and framer and then worked as a mechanic He began at Hightower Motors then for Bob Smith Toyota Kristen said her husband loved working at Bob Smith but then got a job as a mechanic with the City of Los Angeles He gave Brad his blessing and told him if he ever needed to come back he could,” Kristen said ‘There was always an adventure,” Dunkley said of her brother-in-law “He flew hang gliders … for about 30 years that was a huge part of his life,” Kristen said but once he became a father and there were sports practices and Boy Scout meetings But that didn’t mean his adventures stopped “Brad was the hands-on [Boy Scout assistant leader] the one who brought the outdoors to the [kids],” Kristen said For the last few years he hiked almost every day of his life.” As the assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 391 he led the boys in getting their auto mechanic merit badge this Saturday Brad had planned a trip for the Boy Scouts to Lake Arrowhead for watersports In addition to all of this outdoor activity “And took juice boxes and would make bags out of them.” The boys knew their dad to be someone who never gave up and could fix anything “My dad taught me to never get up,” said Lukas “He said if there was a will there’s a way,” Hayden added taught them how to ride motorcycles and build things and was always involved in their sports from baseball to snowboarding About five or six years ago he and all his buddies wanted to make a show bike He and his son built bikes and entered them in Joe’s Minibike Reunion “He was best in show the last couple of years and then [last year] he came in second in all around and my bike came in fourth,” Hayden said “He helped his son build this bike,” Kristen said Most CV residents who have attended the Montrose Christmas Parade will know Brad as the lead minibike rider with the Montrose Minibike Club Santa’s 70s parade entry “He was the big guy on the bike who blew the whistle,” Kristen added “He was a wonderful guy,” said Matt Zakarian “He had a big heart and took care of everyone else.” Both Zakarian and Brad went to CVHS together The family has not yet begun to heal from this recent loss The boys are back in school and Kristen walks through the day automatically sometimes being able to find some order in life and then sometimes lost in grief and concern for her family “I will now be their mom and dad the best I can,” she said But she worked part time and her husband was the main financial support of the family “I am concerned how to support my children We were reasonable about a lot of things that we did but health insurance and kids going to college … those are concerns,” she said Both Kristen and her sister are so grateful for the overwhelming support from their community Brad’s Boy Scout troop raised money for his headstone a donor offered to pay the rest of the Club Soccer tuition so Lukas can continue to play his music teacher has offered free lessons and people continue to show support “It has been such an outpouring,” she said A memorial for Brad is being held on Saturday at 10 a.m He was preceded in death by his sister Jeannie In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Brad Elze Educational Trust A gofundme page has been created by friends for the family To donate visit www.gofundme.com and search Brad Elze Elze Family Remembers a Father Gone Too Soon added by CV Weekly on September 15, 2016View all posts by CV Weekly → Get 4 Weeks of Farm and Dairy Home DeliveredSign Up for your FREE Trial Ryan Clester had to take a moment to think when asked about the challenges of his job as a state service forester for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources which involves working with landowners on forestry practices and programs putting together educational events for tree farmers and inspecting tree farms And there doesn’t seem to be much that fazes him I don’t think there’s really too many challenges with the job,” Clester said commitment and knowledge stand out to the people who work with him he was selected as the 2020 Ohio Tree Farm Inspector of the Year “He hit the ground running when he got the job up here,” said Dave Hively “I’m really impressed with him,” Elze said participating in camps and other programs with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources “I’ve always been outside growing up,” he said He went to Ohio State University and studied forest ecological system science and management and then got the job in Salem when he graduated While he didn’t know what he wanted to do when he first started at Ohio State he quickly started going down the forestry path “It seems like you can actually accomplish something and get a lot of stuff done and he recommends that young people interested in forestry get involved with programs like Camp Canopy a forestry and wildlife camp held at FFA Camp Muskingum that includes opportunities to compete for scholarships to learn more before getting a forestry degree It’s a completely different job than being a forester thrust into different jobs and roles that you might not think you’re ready for,” he said “It helps you overcome stuff really quick.” Clester’s confidence carries through to the landowners who work with him “He just comes across real well with any private landowners he works with,” Elze said “People have a lot of confidence in him … I’m really pleased with having him in here.” Elze used to hold the same position that Clester now has He retired early from that job in 2006 and has been working on his own private consulting business since then Some forests in the five counties Clester covers have had problems with oak wilt Elze said after researching and learning more about oak wilt Clester is now “pretty much the expert forester on oak wilt.” Elze and Clester are currently working on a property in the Lisbon area that is dealing with oak wilt To help landowners learn about how to identify it and how to deal with it Clester has put articles in the North Eastern Ohio Forestry Association newsletter and presented programs on oak wilt at meetings While he has been doing a lot of work on oak wilt control in the area The Ohio Tree Farm Program is the Ohio branch of the American Tree Farm System “He’s extremely well-deserving of that award,” said Adam Beichler program administrator for the Ohio Tree Farm Program he’s worked on a number of educational programs for tree farmers He is a board member for the North Eastern Ohio Forestry Association and helps identify topics to cover and find speakers in addition to giving his own presentations to the association He currently serves as the Area 2 Chair for the Ohio Tree Farm Committee he organizes inspections for American Tree Farm System-certified tree farms in 12 northeastern Ohio counties Hively said Clester has helped with events like his maple syrup open houses Hively enjoys how active Clester is in the forestry industry Being an Ohio State graduate and fan doesn’t hurt “We were certainly blessed to get him,” Hively said “He’s basically been the face of forestry in the area program for the last few years,” Beichler said Clester was supposed to organize the Ohio Tree Farm Tour since he nominated the tree farm of the year “That is extremely involved,” Beichler said “It’s a tremendous amount of work … showing the initiative to do something like that is impressive as well.” That work now involves working on an alternative tour Clester is helping the farm organize a virtual tour Clester’s main work has a service forester has not changed much though he does take more safety precautions like social distancing during visits with landowners “People are still interested to learn about stuff and want to be outside,” he said And that’s the part of the job that he’s excited about “I like helping landowners meet their goals on their property,” Clester said “Walking properties with like-minded individuals and teaching them how to best manage their resources.” and website in this browser for the next time I comment By Michael Doyle | 05/24/2019 01:10 PM EDT Before he ever beheld the mammoth tusk that proved his latest undoing Gary Lynn Boyd had amassed eight criminal convictions and the nickname “Booster Gary.” The theft of a mammoth tusk prompted a rare prosecution under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act California Academy of the Sciences/Wikimedia Commons Gary Lynn Boyd had amassed eight criminal convictions and the nickname "Booster Gary." the 41-year-old Alaska resident is a methamphetamine addict who steals things "The defendant is so well-known as a booster that other Facebook users contact him to solicit his services as a thief," prosecutors declared in a May 22 memo Now the former cannery worker is about to be sentenced for his most distinctive crime It’s a tusk theft that summoned Bureau of Land Management law enforcement officers armed with a usually obscure but once controversial law written to protect fossils on federal lands "Thefts of this nature have been prolific on public lands in the Lower 48 for some time but it is our belief that this is one of the first few successful prosecutions under the Paleontological Resources [Preservation] Act since its passage in 2009," Ted Murphy wrote as part of a sentencing recommendation memo Boyd is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday in federal court in Anchorage after pleading guilty to stealing the 10,000-year-old mammoth tusk from BLM’s Campbell Creek Science Center The prosecutors recommend a sentence of 41 months in his own sentencing memo called the theft a "hare-brained scheme" and the result of an "impulsive and ill-advised plan." He is asking for a 24-month sentence Boyd’s partner in crime, Martin Elze, also pleaded guilty. Last month, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason sentenced him to 33 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Elze was also ordered to pay $8,385.82 in restitution (Greenwire despite their repeated run-ins over the years with various courts and cops had much of a prior clue about the fossil-protecting law they’ll be doing time for Prior to the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act fossils on federal lands were haphazardly protected by the Antiquities Act of 1906 Several other laws permitted the imposition of modest fines First introduced in 2001, following completion of an influential Interior Department study that urged stiffer penalties because "hundreds of fossils are stolen from federal lands every year," the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act nonetheless had to overcome early hurdles The measure makes it a crime to "excavate or otherwise alter or deface or attempt to excavate or otherwise alter or deface any paleontological resources located on Federal land." Skeptics worried the law’s sweeping language could end up entrapping innocent hobbyists "This piece of legislation will make a criminal out of every tourist traveling to the western United States who makes the mistake of picking up a rock and throwing it in their trunk," then-Rep John Culberson (R-Texas) fumed during 2009 House debate "Grandma and grandpa are going to be thrown in jail." The then-chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee countered that it was "very clear that it is not the intent of the sponsors of this legislation to see innocent civilians collecting fossils on public lands go to jail." The measure was finally approved in 2009 as part of a 1,294-page omnibus public lands package (E&E News PM The accompanying BLM rules allow "casual collecting … of a reasonable amount of common invertebrate or plant paleontological resources for non-commercial personal use," which some fossil collectors maintain is still too restrictive successful prosecutions under the law have been quite rare a Utah construction company co-owner named Jared Ehlers chanced upon a 150-pound sandstone slab containing a fossil of a three-toed dinosaur track near a jeep trail at the Sand Flats Recreation Area Ehlers pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation, including six months of home detention, and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution (Greenwire, Oct. 21, 2014). The Ehlers case stood alone as a successful, full-bore PRPA prosecution — charges involving dinosaur tracks and another Utah man were brought but later withdrawn — until Boyd and Elze encountered the mammoth tusk. The tusk had been in BLM possession since the mid-1980s, after being recovered from individuals who removed it from federal land near the Colville River in northern Alaska. At the science center, it was a popular exhibit. Intact, it was valued at between $7,000 and $9,000. Both men, meanwhile, had troubled lives that included several stretches in prison. Elze did time for attempted murder, while seven of Boyd’s eight prior convictions were for theft. "At the age of 17 he witnessed his father, who was suffering from schizophrenia, shoot himself in the head," Boyd’s attorney wrote, adding that "as his mother, a school teacher … has stated, Gary ‘has a kind heart, is respectful and helpful,’ and is a ‘good worker, when he is not using drugs.’" Prosecutors said Elze and Boyd visited the science center on March 7, 2018, asking staff about the weight and authenticity of the tusk. Their questions and demeanor alarmed the staff of the center, which sees about 30,000 visitors annually. The two men returned the next night, when prosecutors say Boyd shattered a window with a rock and together the two men hauled off the 100-pound tusk, eventually taking it to Elze’s trailer. Elze, who had learned about ivory during a prior prison stint, cut it up. "Elze gave Mr. Boyd two pieces of the tusk and $100," Boyd’s attorney wrote. "Mr. Boyd sold the two pieces of ivory for a total of $450." The two men, though, did not cover their tracks well. The science center’s video cameras caught them at their March 7 visit and, the next night, carrying the tusk across the parking lot. Snow tracks matched the treads of their shoes. Cellphone data placed Elze at the scene. "So what we got going right now is a really strong case against both you and Gary," a BLM special agent told Elze in a tape-recorded and transcribed jailhouse interview. Nonetheless, Elze was recorded a month later telling his girlfriend "it ain’t my footprints" and suggesting to her that she show officers her boots instead to throw the investigators off the trail. "That’s gonna cause me trouble," the girlfriend objected, "and I don’t need trouble." Request a FREE trial to receive unlimited access to The leader in energy and environment news. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Volume 10 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2023.1268975 This article is part of the Research TopicSmart Textiles for Fluid-Driven Soft Wearable RoboticsView all 5 articles Linkage fabric structures show potential as assistive technology that can provide support and assistance for individuals with specific mobility and disability needs The core functionality of these fabrics is the ability to passively and actively control the mechanics of each link producing a structure with variable and adjustable stiffness Current actuators have shown limited ability to produce active stiffening within a fabric structure without the addition of a continuous energy supply to the structure limiting its use as wearable assistive technology we address the energy supply problem and show the novel use of sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) in the linkage structures to induce mechanical stiffening through a phase change induced by an electric impulse We find that a SAT aqueous concentration of 55 wt% is optimum to achieve a stable supercooled liquid (to ambient temperature) and effective electrical nucleation from liquid to solid which provides robust locking mechanism of individual linkages able to withstand mechanical torsion up to 200 mNm We demonstrate proof of principle through the integration of SAT into one- and two-dimensional linkage structures and their nearly instantaneous stiffening within each link by enabling electrically controlled actuation Schematic of wearable assistive linkage fabric: (A) a demonstration of how wearable assistive devices can actively modulate stiffness on demand is envisioned to support joints and facilitate limb movement; (B) showing the details of the linkage fabric consisting of block-shaped links that are connected through flexible joints that can be locked and unlocked on demand changing the stiffness of Progress in designing and 3D printing of bespoke linkage fabrics has been possible through the development of additive manufacturing technologies These additive manufacturing techniques allow for the design of the linkage fabric with tailored geometries so that these wearable technologies can answer individual needs these linkage fabrics could allow wearers to overcome barriers and participate actively in various aspects of life The tunability of these fabrics can be achieved through passive means like granular jamming (Wang et al., 2021b; Hu et al., 2023; Tian et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2023), where the geometry of the links is modified throughout the stiffening process, or through active means (Ransley et al., 2017) The latter allows for the stiffness of the fabric to be changed locally through the actuation of each link in contrast to the former where the whole fabric is manipulated at once to maintain the desired stiffness and actuation of the fabric both approaches require constant energy input such as a vacuum compressor or electric power There is a need for a method that can create a change in fabric stiffness without needing constant energy input to maintain it making SAT a promising actuator for the active stiffening of linkage fabrics its mechanical properties and application to stiffness modulation have not yet been investigated which is the aim of this paper Here we investigate SAT as a stiffening actuator for adaptable linkage fabrics This paper discusses the novel use of SAT to create a linkage structure with variable stiffness that can maintain its shape without an external energy supply We characterise the mechanical properties of the material and showcase an example of a one-dimensional fabric linkage structure with variable stiffness using SAT using a 50 mL PP test tube filled with sodium acetate solutions ranging from 40 wt% to 56 wt% sodium acetate two Ag-electrodes and a DS18B20 thermo sensor a DC voltage of 5 V was applied to the electrodes (at a depth (L1) of 50 mm and with a gap (L2) of 20 mm) for 5 s Nucleation of the solutions was deemed successful if crystal growth was observed during the application of the voltage and a spike in temperature was measured The test procedures were repeated for ten iterations with three batches of solutions of the prepared concentrations (40 wt% to 56 wt%) The influence of electrode placement on the success rate of the nucleation was investigated by preparing three batches of solutions with 55 wt% sodium acetate concentration. The electrodes were placed at varied depths (L1, Figure 2) of 5–30 mm (for a 20 mm gap) and gaps (L2, Figure 2) of 10–40 mm (for a depth of 30 mm) The solutions were heated to 70 °C and left for a heating period of 80 min before cooling them slowly to room temperature measuring the nucleation effectiveness post-cooling using the same criteria as described before Three sets of experiments were carried out using a TI Discovery-Hybrid-Rheometer 3 (DHR-3) with a Peltier concentric cylinder and a vane rotor setup to determine the viscosity of the SAT solutions The first experiment used three batches of 45 wt% 50 wt% and 55 wt% sodium acetate at 70°C to determine the viscosity in a liquid state The crystallisation of the three solutions was then investigated with a temperature ramp from 70°C to 25°C measuring the viscosity change upon cooling with a constant movement to avoid supercooling of the solution substituting the need of electric nucleation a torque ramp ranging from 10 to 200,000 μNm was systematically applied to the solidified material exploring the yield point of the three crystallised solution concentrations Linkage fabric prototype with the sodium acetate solution: (A) as a conceptual drawing showing the link design containing phase change liquid; (B) the 3D printed prototype design assembled as a 3 × 3 fabric structure The link prototype with the sodium acetate solution: (A) as a conceptual drawing showing the possible movements of the link; (B,C) the 3D printed prototype design with Ag-electrodes and power supply connected Both prototypes were designed using Autodesk Inventor and 3D printed using an Elegoo Mars 3 MSLA printer with photo-responsive resins from the same company. For the first design shown in (Figure 3) consists of three printed parts, one movable joint structure and two parts making up the rigid support structure in which the phase change material is filled. The second design shown in (Figure 4) two printed parts are connected by a flexibl cover consisting of a latex sheet that was cut to size The openings in the cover for the joint shaft and electrodes have been sealed using hot glue and silicone sealant Both designs were manually assembled and filled with a 55 wt% SAT solution which are submerged in the liquid during cooling Experimental testing results: (A) effectiveness of the solution to supercool at different heating times for different solutions; (B) electric nucleation effectiveness of different solutions; (C) effectiveness of a 55 wt% sodium acetate solution to nucleate at different electrode depths; (D) effectiveness of a 55 wt% sodium acetate solution to nucleate at different distance between electrodes; Error bars present standard deviation (n = 30) Higher number of nucleation sites would therefore be present in the liquid making crystallisation more likely All distances achieve a nucleation success rate between 50% and 60% with the distance of 20 cm showing the highest rate at 67% (±12%) Concluding that depths of >20 mm are desirable for electric nucleation achieving higher success rates while gaps between electrodes do not affect the success rate for the tested lengths Mechanical testing results: (A) Viscosity of sodium acetate solutions at 70 °C at three different concentrations compared to distilled water (error bars present std deviation (n = 9)); (B) Viscosity change of three sodium acetate solutions following decreasing temperature (error bars present std deviation (n = 9)); (C) Viscosity change over increasing torque of three different sodium acetate solutions from a solid state The experimental results from Figure 6B demonstrate that solutions with lower SAT concentrations exhibit nucleation at comparatively lower temperatures when contrasted with solutions possessing higher concentrations. These findings affirm the underlying theoretical relationship shown in Eq. 1 Lower-concentration SAT solutions also show a less steep increase in viscosity when approaching the phase transition Over a temperature range of 3 °C the 45 wt% solution only reached viscosity of 35 Pa s (±21 Pa s) whereas the 55 wt% achieved 5300 Pa s (±1400 Pa s) Corresponding to an increase of viscosity by a factor of 13,000 for 45 wt% solution and a factor of 1.3 M by the 55 wt% solution for the 3°C period Furthermore, the projected stiffness of the material is indicated to be proportional to the concentration of the solution, as higher concentrated SAT solutions achieve higher viscosities than lower ones, as shown in Figure 6C Solutions with 45 wt% SAT reached a stable viscosity of around 378 Pa s (±48 Pa s) for torques of up to 10 mN m before entering a rapid yielding condition (breaking of the crystals) The viscosity of SAT solids with a concentration of 50 wt% were found to be stable at around 62 kPa s (±2 kPa s) before yielding at a torque of 87 mN m and solutions with 55 wt% showed a viscosity of 994 kPa s (±3 kPa) with torques up to 200 mN m Conventional mechanical testing using tensile and compression tests proved challenging due to the low cohesion of the solid SAT samples which disintegrated during the moulding process Two-dimensional linkage fabric: (A) flexible state of the fabric with the solution in liquid from (2) and fabric when the solution is solid (1); (B) fabric in liquid state wrapped around forearm; (C) fabric in solid state while maintaining curvature of forearm Although the fabric showed the desired locking behaviour and rigidity mechanical tests showed that the strength imparted to the joints through solidification of SAT was small The structure was found to be incapable of withstanding loads exceeding 10 g above which it underwent structural failure at the nodes We then looked at the reusability of the phase change material after its nucleation we identified challenges stemming from the inherent difficulty of reheating the structure without causing water evaporation or any form of the SAT leakage thereby hindering the potential for cyclic use of this fabric design To test the potential of electrical nucleation in this design concept, a combination of three bigger-sized links was assembled into a simple one-dimensional linkage fabric able to deform in three degrees of freedom (x-y plane and rotation around the z-axis). Figure 8A shows this structure in both the flexible and rigid state The structure could be moved freely when all links are set in a flexible state Upon electrical nucleation of the supercooled SAT the structure was stiffened within 1–5 s fixating the movable shaft structure in position The flexibility of movement of the shaft was restored by reheating the solution in the link structure using a hot water bath at 80°C One dimensional linkage structure: (A) flexible state of the structure with a solution in liquid form (2) and structure when the solution is solid without weight attached (1) with dots symbolising curvature calculation points; (B) plot showing the curvature of the structure measured as a function of weight The stiffness of the fixed fabric was tested by applying a load upon its free movable end and fixating it at the other. Curvature k was measured as shown in Figure 8A and calculated using the following formula, where x and y are the coordinates of the points as indicated in Figure 8A: Figure 8B shows that the stiffened structure bent as the load increased reaching the curvature of the flexible structure when subjected to loads of 50 g Heating up the links restored the linkage fabric flexibility cyclic heating and stiffness of the link prototype proved difficult due to the degradation of the SAT solution This resulted in observed decreased effectiveness of supercooling After one to three cycles of nucleation and reheating the solutions were not able to supercool anymore This is likely to be due to concentration changes in the SAT solution due to water evaporation due to the liquid being able to penetrate connection points between the elastic cover and electrodes/movable shaft structure when in motion We also found that the 3D-printed plastics (photo polymeric resins) are not optimum to achieve repeated nucleation of the SAT because water absorption and evaporation through the plastic were observed when stored for multiple days and weeks There is also a need for further research to investigate the mechanical effects of additives to SAT before the true capabilities of the material’s use to stiffen linkage structures can be fully assessed what this work shows is the potential of the approach We set out the novel approach that Sodium Acetate Trihydrate can be used as a stiffening agent at linkage nodes for a fabric structure without need of a constant energy supply The use of phase change materials with the ability to transform from a low viscosity liquid to a stiff and strong solid rapidly upon electrical nucleation opens a new possibility on stiffening in fluid actuated soft robots nevertheless the work clearly shows that the concept does have clear promise and the search for a more ideal phase change material could result in significant progress We have shown the novel use of the phase change material sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) to create mechanical stiffening through electric nucleation of the supercooled SAT solution A material concentration of 55 wt% SAT was shown to be optimum for this application in terms of electric nucleation effectiveness and mechanical properties We integrated SAT into a 3 × 3 two-dimensional fabric structure showing the capabilities of the material to induce mechanical stiffening within the fabric We also prototyped a one-dimensional linkage fabric showing that electrical actuation works and results in fabric rigidity without the continual application of power Our study presents a novel advancement in the use of SAT for mechanical stiffening through electric nucleation of linkage structures Our results establish a compelling foundation for future research in the field of phase change actuated linkage fabrics The raw data supporting the conclusion of this article will be made available by the authors The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research This work was funded by the UKRI under grant EP/V011804/1; the UCL Institute of Making and the University College London The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher Measurements of thermophysical properties of sodium acetate hydrate CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Long term thermal energy storage with stable supercooled sodium acetate trihydrate CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Electrically-controlled crystallization of supercooled sodium acetate trihydrate solution CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Wearable devices to support rehabilitation and social care CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Phase change performance of sodium acetate trihydrate with AlN nanoparticles and CMC CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Hu, Z., Ahmed, A., Wan, W., Watanabe, T., and Harada, K. (2023). A stiffness-changeable soft finger based on chain mail jamming. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2023). Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10161061&tag=1 (Accessed July 27 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Experimental study of the cooling process of partially-melted sodium acetate trihydrate CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Study on solidification process of sodium acetate trihydrate for seasonal solar thermal energy storage CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Body adornment and interaction aesthetics: a new frontier for assistive wearables CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Martinez-Hernandez Wearable assistive robotics: a perspective on current challenges and future trends PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar 4D printing of magnetically functionalized chainmail for exoskeletal biomedical applications CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Active chainmail fabrics for soft robotic applications CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Prevention of supercooling and stabilization of inorganic salt hydrates as latent heat storage materials CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Supercooling salt hydrates: stored enthalpy as a function of temperature CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “In the shadow of misperception: assistive technology use and social interactions,” in Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A review of soft wearable robots that provide active assistance: trends CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Additively manufactured dual-faced structured fabric for shape-adaptive protection CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar underactuated exoskeleton for load-carrying augmentation,” in Proc IEEE Int Conf Robot Autom 2006 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Review on sodium acetate trihydrate in flexible thermal energy storages: properties CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Structured fabrics with tunable mechanical properties PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Study of the bending properties of variable stiffness chain mail fabrics CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Michalska M and Miodownik M (2023) The use of phase change material as an actuator in linkage fabric structures Received: 28 July 2023; Accepted: 15 November 2023;Published: 27 November 2023 Copyright © 2023 Partik, Porte, Purkiss, Michalska and Miodownik. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Mark Miodownik, bS5taW9kb3duaWtAdWNsLmFjLnVr Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish The ongoing drought is causing severe problems for wildlife in the Netherlands. Mammals’ watering holes are drying up, small animals struggle to get food, and birds can’t get through the bone-dry ground with their beaks, animal organizations said to NU.nl Europe is in the midst of its worst drought in 500 years There’s been little to no rain in the past months and meteorologists don’t see that changing soon “And that while many drinking places for mammals have already disappeared,” Elze Polman of the Mammal Association said Deer and boars have to travel longer distances to find water and possibly have to cross more roads the dry pounds and wetlands pose significant difficulties for the northern vole and the ermine “And you can’t just help these wild animals,” Polman said The drought also means food scarcity for smaller animals Common food sources like earthworms burrow deeper into the ground to avoid drying out resulting in small mammals being unable to get to them have to search longer for their evening meal So they set out earlier and run a greater risk of getting hit by a car in the evening rush hour The hedgehog shelter in Papendrecht is much busier than usual and the animals taken in have lost more than half their normal weight and they get rejected,” caretaker Ferry van Jaarsveld said to the newspaper including blackbirds and other thrush-like birds making it difficult for tiny beaks to get through Swallows face an entirely different problem but that is more difficult if the ground is bone dry The result is that their nests fall apart more quickly.” Netherlands residents who want to help these struggling animals can do so by wetting part of their gardens so that insects crawl to the topsoil They can also leave out a small bowl of water or some fruit and more including Jet Boots and loot boxes Future updates will unlock the character level cap and the “Extreme” difficulty mode A new multiplayer mode called “Be the Character” is also planned Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without acknowledgment of Gematsu is prohibited Use of this site is governed by all applicable laws Website by 44 Bytes Von: Rolf Kuhlemann Wittenburg - Einen ganz besonderen Tag erlebte gestern Ida Enthof aus Wittenburg Geburtstag – damit ist sie die älteste Einwohnerin der Stadt Elze und darüber hinaus auch des gesamten Landkreises Hildesheim Zu den Gratulanten zählten nicht nur der engste Familienkreis (zwei Kinder sondern auch Elzes Bürgermeister Wolfgang Schurmann begleitet von Stellvertreterin Birgit Freifrau von Cramm überreichte ein Geschenk von der Stadt Elze und vom Landkreis Hildesheim sowie eine Urkunde vom niedersächsischen Ministerpräsidenten Das „Geburtstagskind“ freute sich über den Besuch an der Kaffeetafel in Wittenburg: Ida Enthof ließ sich den Kaffee und den von Enkeltochter Annalena gebackenen Zwetschgenkuchen schmecken was sie sich für das neue Lebensjahr wünsche Dieser Inhalt"+t(a)+"kann aufgrund Ihrer Datenschutz-Einstellungen nicht geladen werden the heads of the European Higher Schools of Theatre gathered at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Not only was there a workshop for the teachers of the École des Écoles network but also an extraordinary congress of the members of this association the Head of the Department of Acting and Directing was elected to the Board of this international network of Higher Schools of the Arts for a three-year term of office “I am sincerely glad that the events of the École des Écoles Network which took place at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre throughout the week that the Department of Acting and Directing was able to ensure the quality of the workshop content and together with other departments of the Academy smoothly prepared and organised both the workshop and the extraordinary meeting of the members of the Association The reflections and comments of the foreign lecturers who took part in the workshop on the closing evening were gratifying in their positivity and in their observation of the uniqueness and distinctiveness of our Theatre School I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the practitioners of the performing arts who conducted the workshop,” said Elzė Gudavičiūtė Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Acting and Directing at the Academy of Performing Arts of Latvia after the workshop dedicated to the members of the École des écoles “The two-day extraordinary meeting of the heads of the Association’s higher education art schools was devoted to the preparation of a new strategic partnership project the new board of the École des Écoles network was also elected It will be made up of school leaders and performing arts professionals from Hamburg Lithuania and Romania for the next three years,” – added E who was also elected to the association’s Board The École des Écoles network brings together 16 European Higher Education Schools of the Arts promotes the exchange of performing arts teachers organises workshops to improve teachers’ competences and runs international projects involving teachers and students 1984) is a Lithuanian film and theatre actress She also teaches at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) where in 2009 successfully completed Master’s studies Elzė Gudavičiūtė has been acting in various Lithuanian theatres – The National Kaunas Drama Theatre and Gintaras Varnas’ Utopia Theatre – and has been a member of No Theater theatre movement the actress’s biography boasts as many as 50 roles the actress’ creative achievements were formally recognised by awarding her with the Golden Cross of the Stage and the Silver Crane (the most prestigious theatre and film awards in Lithuania) and the status of Artist Creator granted by the Ministry of Culture Elzė Gudavičiūtė was admitted to the Lithuanian Theatre Union and also became a member of the Lithuanian Neighbouring Rights Association AGATA the actress became a member of LiKA (the Lithuanian Film Academy) and joined the troupe of the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre Elzė Gudavičiūtė was granted a scholarship for academic achievements by the Research Council of Lithuania Elzė Gudavičiūtė has been a member of the Lithuanian Actor Guild a member of the Council for Professional Performing Arts Institutions of Lithuania and a member of the Lithuanian Council for Culture Elzė Gudavičiūtė is a willing participant of numerous theatre festivals and internship programmes all around Europe The actress has always expressed genuine interest in the history of Lithuanian theatre and that of other countries and is eagerly involved in the world of theatre The Lithuanian culture-related press– magazines Menotyra Literatūra ir menas – contain Elzė Gudavičiūtė’s analyses of art processes taking place on the stage Elzė Gudavičiūtė has been teaching acting to aspiring actors and dancers at the Faculty of Theatre and Film Faculty; besides she is on the Committee of the Study Programmes of the Department of Acting and Directing and a member of the Examination Boards of the Faculty or Theatre and Film and doctoral exams Auckland dog owners are grouping together to fight changes to dog rules in the city An Auckland Council proposal would see some off-leash parks become leash only as well as further restrictions on dogs running free at some beaches Madills Farm in Orakei is a popular reserve just blocks back from the beach which has a network of paths around sports fields and currently has a significant off-leash dog area It is one of the parks earmarked for changes Dog owner Claudia Elze is among those fighting the plan and spoke to Checkpoint's Lisa Owen and said she felt the move would prioritise sports over other users "I think we're heading into a direction where this park is going to become sport-only and there's so many people in this community that meet down there and share time down there and walk their dogs and ride their bikes and use the fields for other purposes "It's a really huge change for us in the community." Madills Farm has a number of sports fields already and Auckland Council told Checkpoint that in most other parks around Auckland you cannot have a dog off leash on a sports field so it would be bringing this park in line with other parks "I think when you've got a park like Madills and Glover Park (nearby) we've got a situation of A perimeter path around the park that may be used for dogs is cluttered with other traffic and difficult terrain "None of us want our dogs to run through a sports game it's dangerous for our dog and it's really embarrassing when it happens." "We've got people down there that have been going for 40 years that have just been completely overwhelmed now by more lights We need to learn how to share that space and have no change to that." Dog owners also need to take responsibility for their animals as other users need to be aware of their own rubbish "I think we all need to step up and figure out how we're going to share this space so that it works for everybody and figure it out "For council to basically override the entire (local) board really scary when you look at the submissions and how difficult that has been for so many people and that's what started this group and this is why we're battling on and trying to get as many submissions as we possibly can." Auckland Council said it welcomes feedback during the consultation period and encourages dog users to have their say It said the wider proposals aim to keep a mix of dog-friendly and dog-free spaces so there are places for dogs and anyone who is not a dog person to enjoy Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday Off-leash dog rule changes 'using a sledge hammer to crack a nut' Audio The dog walking business in Auckland has boomed in particular pack walking that can involve groups of as many as 15 dogs being walked at once The council is considering increasing restrictions on taking dogs to parks With the rate of impounded dogs claimed by owners at a 10-year low animal management officers in South Auckland say too many people are treating their pets as disposable