Repurposing culturally significant materials for future use
a unique material derived from the polypore mushroom Fomes fomentarius
is being transformed into a valuable resource for future use thanks to a collaboration between designer and Ph.D
Research Candidate Mari Koppanen and Zoltan Pal in the village of Corund in Eastern Transylvania
Traditionally used in the village to make small items such as hats and bags
and is also vegan and free from harmful or plastic-based binding agents or coatings
with the amadou layer carefully separated from the cuticle and spore tubes and then stretched and left to dry
the continuity of this craft is threatened by a significant decrease in the number of families involved and the fact that its practitioners are elderly
Koppanen's collaboration with Pal has not only developed new designs and techniques for using the material but also explored new areas and applications for it
highlighting the natural process of working with the material while creating new innovative ways to use it
The Finnish design industry's expertise in materials
and environmentally conscious design practices
has led to a more environmentally and ethically conscious material alternative with a broad range of applications in the textile industry
not only because of its performance qualities but because of its cultural and historical value
Fungal materials are coming more and more into the industry
It has been used for thousands of years for different medical and spiritual purposes
This collaboration highlights the importance of preserving traditional crafts and knowledge while promoting innovation and sustainability
the project received a WORTH Partnership Project grant from the European Commission
Koppanen and Pal have helped to ensure that this valuable material is not lost to the ages
but rather transformed into a valuable resource for future generations
Not only because of its performance qualities but because of its cultural and historical value
Fungal materials are coming more and more into the industry but in my eyes
This project is supported by the WORTH partnership project, funded by the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME)
Fig. 1. Fragment with working traces
the scientific investigation of which has provided a clue that could solve a long-time debate among Egyptologists and historians of technologies: the use of high-performance abrasives
Fig. 2. Fragment of right eye and brow from head of king or queen
Fletcher Fund and The Guide Foundation Inc
but were these materials part of the Egyptian tool kit
The small fragment of indurated limestone in question from the Met's collection was excavated from a pit outside the southern wall of the Great Temple of the Aten at Amarna in 1891–92
measuring just eight centimeters in height and seven centimeters in width
it does contain important information needed to uncover the secrets of ancient Egyptian technology—one which is almost invisible to the naked eye
This fragment has several vestiges of what resemble drill holes
The main drill hole is about one centimeter wide and has a protruding stump at the bottom left by a broken drill core
the possible remains of an ancient abrasive powder
The whole material is stained light green (fig
Close-up photograph of the protruding stump of the broken tubular drill core
surrounded and partly covered by the granular material that provided the sample for analysis
using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS)
identified the material as a mixture of predominant angular grains of corundum (aluminum oxide
Al2O3) with jagged edges and a few other minerals such as quartz
usually smaller in size and with high angularity (figs
Very fine particles of calcite surround the bigger particles
which are most likely remains of the indurated limestone that had been drilled
Several particles of corroded bronze and green copper corrosion products are intimately dispersed among the above-mentioned particles
Back-scattered electron (BSE) image of the sample from the bottom of the drill hole taken at 200x
At this magnification it is possible to distinguish several angular particles 50–200 μm in size
surrounded by much finer particles <10 μm
An X-ray elemental map showing the distribution of aluminum (Al
The yellow particles are corundum fragments
the minerals so far identified on the Amarna fragment differentiate this material from usual emery and pose some questions regarding its source
In order to verify the consistency of these first findings
new samples from other worked objects will need to be found and analyzed
including both the well-known historical emery deposits and the lesser-known Egyptian source of Hafafit
The full report about this research was published in the spring issue (14) of Horizon
the Amarna Project and Amarna Trust newsletter
Summaries of this debate can be found in Lucas
"Ancient Egyptian Stone Drilling," Expedition 25 (1983): 40–47; D
Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology: Stoneworking Technology in Ancient Egypt (London: Routledge
"Philological and archaeological evidence for the use of emery in the Bronze Age Near East," Journal of Cuneiform Studies 40/2 (1988): 195–210; L
"Minoan versus Mesopotamian seals: comparative methods of manufacture," Iraq 54 (1992): 57–64; L
"I vasi in pietra minoici di Festòs: primi dati sulla natura e provenienza dei materiali lapidei," Atti dei convegni Lincei
I cento anni dello scavo di Festòs (Rome: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
The Arts and Crafts of Ancient Egypt (Edinburgh and London: T.N
Lucas also lists other scholars who previously proposed the use of emery
"Stone," Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology
Shaw (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
This tool was likely consistent with the drills described by Lucas
"Weakening associated with diaspora-corundum dehydration reaction in metabauxites: an example from Naxos (Greece)," Journal of Structural Geology 23 (2001): 941–50
zincian hercynite and andalusite from pegmatites of Hafafit
Egypt," Egyptian Journal of Geology 19 (2) (1975): 153–68
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EDEN Power Corp is introducing a new Amadou Tulip Hat which consists of 100 percent amadou felt derived from the fomes fomentarius mushroom
The Canadian label looks to emphasize sustainable solutions in every step of its creative process
and its latest introduction joins past projects including natural wine-dyed clothing and mycelium wine coolers
(Susan Schmitz.Fotolia.com and corund.Fotolia.com)It is remarkable how new pet food companies continue entering the pet food market in Mexico amid the economic setback.
Proteo found a perfect vehicle to expand its operations and sell pet food products in an alternative channel
thus avoiding the well-known market leaders
operates in the agricultural wholesale channel
an emerging market segment that combines affordability and high sales volumes
Such wholesale channels specialize in the distribution of seeds
It is worth noting that pet food caloric penetration is likely lower in semi-rural areas than in big cities
Fernández's understanding of the pet food market is consistent with current regional demand trends
Rising inflation is already modifying the short-term growth prospects of pet food producers in Mexico
Fernández believes the initial growth projections for 2021 will no longer hold
Corn increased 150% from December 2020 to date
Fernandez says volume growth in 2021 will likely be half that initially forecasted.
Amid the higher pet food prices resulting from rising costs
an alternative way for pet food manufacturers to grow and compete is by offering more affordable brands
Proteo is currently operating in the economy
the company’s strategy is to set its prices below that of the market leaders.
Fernandez explained that Proteo prices its standard brand
between 50% and 60% below the market leader
costs around 30% less than Purina Pro Plan.
economic recession and current inflation in pet food prices
That suggests a significant resilience on the part of both consumers and manufacturers
it signals that pet food producers are seizing the opportunities that the market continually presents.
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Six Hungarian opposition parties on Tuesday published a joint letter to the EU pledging to “keep Hungary in the family of European nations” and to back the winner of primaries “to restore democracy in our country.” Hungary’s six biggest oppositions…
The prime ministerial candidates promise EU leaders that if they replace Viktor Orbán’s government, Hungary will join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office without delay. [Shutterstock/ corund]
Showing its dedication to sustainability and environmental focus, Montreal-based EDEN Power Corp is now releasing hats made of actual mushrooms
(Susan Schmitz.Fotolia.com and corund.Fotolia.com)Confusion about the value size of the Mexican pet food market is an issue
as some industry players believe the market is worth just MXN 30,000 million (US$1.532 billion)
market research sources state the pet food market is worth US$2.7 billion
Both estimations are likely mistaken.
Press sources usually publish market figures quoting other press sources
yet there is never a supporting methodology of estimation behind them
Such ample biases are attributable to poor market research
One of the problems arising from disseminating inaccurate figures is that potential investors in the pet food industry make suboptimal decisions using such information
There is a method for how to measure any market
The process of sizing is not a guess but a series of estimation steps
the market value size turns out to be an equation with known parameters and a few unknown variables.
The first step is identifying and selecting the known variables as well as the unknown ones
the production volume or apparent consumption is known
consumer prices are fully known and visible
as anyone can see them on supermarket shelves
to estimate accurate consumer price parameters
The next step is segmenting the subcategories comprising the entire pet food market
Should the researcher know the actual volumes consumed by each segment
it is simple to estimate the total market value size as the sum of the subcategories.
Triplethree International estimates the entire Mexican pet food market value is MXN 118,000 million (about US$6.065 billion) in 2022 at current prices
to estimate the dog food market size in current value terms
one must sum the three price segments—economy
standard-priced and premium—in dry and wet food
multiplied by their respective average prices
the sum of dry dog food (61,213 million pesos)
plus treats (4,509 million pesos) leads to the total market size of dog food of 82,245 million pesos (US$4.2 billion)
It is important to note that the market size should be presented as point-of-sale or consumer prices and in current terms
Mark-up gains and constant price value can be calculated later
Susan Schmitz/Corund l Fotalia.comThe pet food industry in Mexico has continued to grow, totaling MX$145,000 million (US$7.7 billion) in 2023, according to a new report, “La Industria de Alimento Para Mascotas (The Pet Food industry),” from Amexfal
a company offering consulting and other services to the food and feed industries in Mexico
While the country has been hit with inflation
as has nearly every other one around the world
not all sales growth for pet food has happened due to higher prices; the volume of pet food produced has also increased for several years
pet food volume is projected to reach 1.85 million tons in 2024
a 2.5% growth rate that’s expected to continue annually through 2030
projections call for 2.2 million tons of pet food to be produced
The bulk of pet food produced and sold in Mexico is for dogs
as they are by far the pet most often owned
The Amexfal report says of the 35.8 million households in the country
nearly 70% own pets: a total of 80 million
followed by cats at 16.2 million and other pets (fish
Dog and cat food dominate the pet food market
especially the former; and in terms of types of foods
dry dog food accounts for 62% of pet food products available (and 50.4% at supermarkets
the largest retail channel in Mexico for pet food)
Wet dog food comprises 9% of the pet food products available in all retail channels
18% of the pet food products available are dry cat food
followed by 6% for wet cat food and 1% for cat treats
dry dog food also accounts for the highest volume of pet food produced
dog food totaled 1.375 million tons in 2023 and cat food
the number of pet food products regulated by the Mexican government totaled 3,139
and 80% of those were produced by only 50 of the 203 regulated pet food manufacturers
Those 203 companies are dominated by ones that manufacture products under their own brands in addition to making pet foods for other brands: Only 14 of the companies fall into this category yet produced 1.65 million tons of pet food in 2023
Other types of pet food businesses in Mexico include 39 that manufacture and sell only their own brands
accounting for 9% of production (179,000 tons); 57 “maquilados” that market their own brands made by third-party manufacturers
at 6% and 122,000 tons; and importers/distributors of foreign grands
other pet food companies’ revenues 2021Pet food industry innovation and expansion continued despite inflation affecting the Mexican dog and cat food markets
founder of consultancy Triplethree International
Pet food industry investments in infrastructure continued despite inflation affecting the Mexican dog and cat food markets
many pet food brands avoided increasing prices dramatically during the worst of the inflationary period earlier in 2022
the inflation rate for producers fell to 8.5% in September 2022
The Petfood Industry Top Pet Food Companies project annually surveys dog, cat and other pet food companies. The project endeavors to continuously expand the range of companies within the rankings. To be considered for inclusion in the yearly rankings, please contact: [email protected].
Wearing the best armor in Stalker 2 can greatly improve your chances of survival
you will frequently encounter hostile human enemies armed with weapons
Equipping the right gear can reduce all types of damage and help you stay alive longer
we have listed the 10 best armors in Stalker 2 and explained how to obtain them
NOTE: The stats for each armor set we have mentioned here in numbers represent the yellow bars you see for each armor in the game
5 is the highest stat with 0 being the lowest
Early-game armor is always valuable in Stalker 2
offering much-needed protection when you have few alternatives
Ozk’s Explorer Suit stands out as an even better choice
The Ozk’s Explorer Suit is the best early-game armor in Stalker 2 due to its excellent overall protection
making it one of the lightest armor sets available
allowing you to strategically equip artifacts from your inventory for added benefits
the easiest opportunity comes during the “Behind Seven Seals” mission
look for the corridor leading to Solder’s room
You will find the armor lying on a table in the corner of this area
This armor is easy to miss but incredibly useful in the early game
so make sure to grab it while you are there
The quickest and safest way to go inside the Sphere facility is by accessing the underground section first
Locate the tunnel door and enter the code 2765 to open it
This route provides direct access to Solder’s room
allowing you to collect the armor without drawing attention from the soldiers stationed on the ground floor of the Sphere facility
Related: Stalker 2: Just Business Quest Walkthrough Guide
While the Ozk’s Explorer Suit offers decent physical protection and is effective in early confrontations with human enemies
the SSP-99 Ecologist stands out for its superior protection against radiation and anomalies
Another major advantage of this armor is its extremely lightweight design
making it one of the lightest armors available in Stalker 2
You can acquire the SSP-99 Ecologist during the main mission “Answers Come at a Price”
which becomes available before you reach the Garbage section
you will be tasked with visiting the laboratory at the Detention Center point of interest (POI)
This location is southwest of the Slag Heap and east of the Northern Checkpoint road leading to Slag Heap
While exploring the laboratory during the mission
you will encounter a room containing a toxic anomaly
as its specialized protection can be invaluable for surviving hazardous areas in the game
The PSZ-12V Bulat is arguably the best early-game armor in Stalker 2
It offers excellent physical and radiation protection
making it a highly effective choice for surviving the early challenges of the game
What makes it even more appealing is how quickly it can be obtained
Another standout feature of the PSZ-12V Bulat is its ability to hold up to four artifacts
This capability allows you to benefit from additional buffs
The process of acquiring this armor depends on your choices during the Behind Seven Seals mission
If you choose to side with the Ward faction and deliver the Ward Sensors to them
you will gain access to the Chemical Plant area after leaving the Lesser Zone instead of heading to the Garbage section
located in the southern section of the region
You can find this code in a warehouse northwest of the Army Warehouse
as it remains consistent across all difficulty levels
you will find the PSZ-12V Bulat armor sitting on a table
Related: Stalker 2: How To Sell Broken Weapons
The SEVA-I Suit provides excellent protection against radiation and anomalies
it offers limited defense against physical damage
making it less effective when facing heavy gunfire
You can obtain the SEVA-I Suit from two guaranteed locations in Stalker 2
you will need to make your way to the Yantar Production Complex point of interest
head to the northeast entrance of the complex
which will lead you to a building directly ahead
This is where you can find the SEVA-I Suit
but reaching it will require some careful navigation
you will notice a staircase leading upward
Use the stairs to access the platform above
you will need to jump onto the pipes and carefully make your way across
A plank bridges the gap between the pipes and the building’s second floor
You will find the SEVA-I Suit near a safe containing other loot
The second location to find the SEVA-I Suit is in Duga at the Arms Depot
which is the second point of interest you will encounter after crossing the bridge
This area is heavily guarded by elite Monolith soldiers
a mutant known for its ability to control weapons
you can either lure the Burer outside the depot or defeat it outright
head to the generator located at the far end of the building and activate it
return to the entrance of the depot and look for a door leading to the second floor
Pressing this button releases a cell within the building
Make your way to the released cell and search inside
You will find the SEVA-I Suit stored in a locker
One of the best things about acquiring top-tier armor like the SEVA-D in Stalker 2 is that you can obtain it early in the game and continue using it well into the mid or late stages
While it does not provide the same level of physical and radiation protection as Exoskeleton armor that’s available later
the SEVA-D offers excellent defense against anomalies
To get the SEVA-D armor, head to the CAGE point of interest (POI), located west of the Slag Heap. If you have completed the Budmo side quest in Stalker 2
the transmission tower will be near the CAGE POI
You will find the CAGE to the east of the intersection along the path
carefully make your way to the top by walking along the girders
Related: Stalker 2: Technician Cannot Install This Upgrade – Answered
The Operator Exoskeleton was designed for the elite soldiers of the Ward faction
offering some of the best physical and radiation protection in Stalker 2
its downside is the lack of PSI protection
Equipping this armor also grants a helpful bonus of +6.4 kg, allowing you to carry more weight—ideal for hauling and selling broken guns
which you can sell in Rostok for quick Coupons
There is only one confirmed location where we have found the Operator Exoskeleton in Stalker 2
you will need to reach the second floor of the Fluoridation Station
but getting up there requires a bit of parkour
Start by climbing the truck near the larger pipes close to the Fluoridation Station
you will find an opening where you can jump onto the second floor of the Fluoridation Station
the Operator Exoskeleton will be on a shelf next to a loot safe
The Brummbar Exoskeleton offers excellent physical protection
allowing you to carry more weight without getting overloaded as quickly
To easily find the Brummbar Exoskeleton in Stalker 2
head to the White House point of interest (POI) in Prypiat
this building stands out with its white-painted exterior
Enter through the courtyard and take the stairs to the 6th floor
Keep an eye out for some writing on the wall before you reach the hallway
The Brummbar Exoskeleton will be in the first room on your right
Related: Stalker 2: How To Fix Bunker Not Opening Bug in Just Like the Good Old Days Mission
The Cuirass Exoskeleton is the best choice for players looking for higher physical protection in Stalker 2
No matter how hard the Monolith or other enemy factions strike
this armor ensures you can endure the fight much longer without faltering
the Duty faction developed the Cuirass Exoskeleton specifically to combat some of the most dangerous mutants in the Zone
it boasts some of the highest physical protection available
we have discovered one reliable location to obtain the Cuirass Exoskeleton
Head to the SKD Factory in the Cooling Towers area
enter through the large gate and look for a set of rusty stairs
Climb the stairs to find a ladder at the end
Ascending the ladder will bring you to the highest catwalk
where you will find the Cuirass Exoskeleton resting on a shelf
The Corundum Suit ranks as the second-best armor in Stalker 2 on our list
offering top-tier physical and radiation protection
its notable downside is its weight—at 10 kg
You will often see Monolith assault teams wearing the Corundum Suit
a clear indication they are ready to dominate their enemies
While there is a chance to obtain this armor by looting Monolith soldiers
a trader located in the Enerhetyk Palace of Culture in Prypiat
This area unlocks automatically after completing The Boundary main quest in Stalker 2
you can find the Corundum Suit during the Just Like the Good Old Days main quest
where you will spot the suit hanging on the center shelf
though—this item is easily missed if you leave the Noontiders’ base and advance the main quest without exploring thoroughly
Related: Stalker 2: Should You Side with The Ninth or Dew in The Lost Boys
If you are aiming for the top-tier and the best armor in Stalker 2
the Diamond Exoskeleton should be your go-to choice
This powerful piece of gear provides exceptional protection against both physical damage and radiation—two of the most critical factors when selecting armor
it allows you to equip up to five artifacts
keep in mind that using artifacts comes at the cost of increased radiation buildup so make sure to carry enough anti-rad consumables
the Diamond Exoskeleton also offers a bonus: an additional +17.6 kg to your carrying capacity
This means you can haul more items in your inventory without worrying about becoming over-encumbered anytime soon
there are two key locations where you can find the Diamond Exoskeleton armor: the Sunny Kindergarten in Prypiat and the Spark Bunker near Yaniv
The Sunny Kindergarten is the more accessible spot to acquire this armor
make your way to Prypiat and head toward its central area
Exploring a few question-marked points of interest (POIs) on your map will eventually reveal the exact location of the Sunny Kindergarten
enter the building through the courtyard and take the stairs to the second floor
you will come across a PSI Emitter barricaded by wooden contraptions
if you are progressing through the main questline called The Boundary
This bunker is located southwest of Yaniv Station
you will also discover the Diamond Exoskeleton
making it another solid option for obtaining this powerful armor