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Thermally and base triggered ‘debond-on-demand’ chain-extended polyurethane adhesives
Get PDFA series of novel chain-extended polyurethanes (CEPUs) featuring degradable sulfonyl ethyl urethane chain-extenders that permit degradation under base triggered conditions to afford ‘debond-on-demand’ elastomeric adhesives are reported. Exposure of the CEPUs to tetra-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) triggered the degradation of the sulfonyl ethyl urethane chain-extenders. Lap shear adhesion tests of the CEPUs exposed to TBAF revealed reductions in shear strength of up to 65% for both aluminium and glass substrates, from 2.18 MPa to 0.76 MPa and from 1.13 MPa to 0.52 MPa, respectively. The selective depolymerisation of these polymers make them suitable candidates as debondable binders for inkjet inks and coatings enabling removal of inks and adhesive residues from substrates before they enter the recycling process, to prevent surface contaminants decreasing the quality of the recycled material
Everyday understandings of drone incidents and misuse in the Mass Observation Archive
Get PDFDrones increasingly feature in everyday airspace, with more-than-military drones deployed across diverse civil, commercial and recreational applications. Yet, from reports of drones flying in proximity to manned aircraft and transporting contraband into prisons to drones used to spy on ex-partners, so too have concerns grown around drone incidents and misuse. Drawing on the testimony of Mass Observation Archive (MOA) correspondents, this article explores everyday understandings of drone incidents and misuse, while bringing drone geographies into novel dialogue
with feminist geopolitical work on the everyday, storytelling, and (digital) technology. An established UK archival project, the MOA seeks the views of ‘ordinary’ people and everyday life in Britain through issuing questionnaire-style ‘directives’ on wide-ranging themes, from current events to articles of interest, to its panel of volunteer correspondents. Drawing on the author’s development of a drone-themed directive this article at once examines everyday understandings of growing and anticipated
drone presence, while interrogating the geopolitical implications of increasingly diffuse airpower as access to drones widens. In so doing, it responds to calls from drone geographies to diversify the methodologies deployed in the drone’s critical accounting, while bringing the MOA dataset into dialogue with feminist work to deepen understandings of ‘everyday droning’
The BnamiR827–BnaA09.NLA1–BnaPHT1 module regulates phosphate homeostasis, pollen viability, and seed yield in Brassica napus
Get PDFPhosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for the growth and yield of crops. However, there is limited understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of phosphate (Pi) homeostasis, and its impact on growth, development, and yield-related traits in Brassica napus. Here, we identified four NITROGEN LIMITATION ADAPTATION1 (BnaNLA1) genes in B. napus; their expression was predominant in roots and suppressed by Pi starvation-induced BnamiR827. All the BnaNLA1 proteins have similar sequences, subcellular localizations, and abilities to rescue the growth defects of the atnla1 mutant. One of the genes, BnaA09.NLA1, is expressed abundantly in roots, and also in old leaves, anthers, and pollen. Knocking out BnaNLA1 genes or overexpressing BnamiR827 resulted in increased concentrations of Pi in leaves and stamens and reduced pollen viability, thereby negatively impacting seed yield. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and split-ubiquitin yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) analyses demonstrated that BnaA09.NLA1 interacted with seven Pi transporters highly expressed in roots and/or anthers (i.e. BnaPT8/10/11/27/35/37/42) to regulate Pi uptake and Pi allocation in anthers. Taken together, this study demonstrates that the BnamiR827–BnaA09.NLA1–BnaPHT1 module is involved in the regulation of Pi uptake and Pi allocation in floral organs, which is vital for the growth, pollen viability, and seed yield of B. napus
Human influence reshapes land–sea seasonal temperature rhythms
Get PDFThe land–sea thermal contrast is one of the original drivers of the Earth's climate system and has undergone significant changes in the recent period. However, the seasonality and geographic profile of these changes remain unclear. Here, we reveal an anthropogenic-forced seasonal change in the land–sea thermal contrast by analyzing the evolution of its temperature annual cycle (TACL–S). We find a significant reduction in TACL–S in the northern mid-latitudes, dominated by stronger winter land warming, alongside an increase in the northern high latitudes, dominated by stronger winter sea warming, during 1941–2014. In particular, these anthropogenic changes are projected to intensify in 2015–2100, with an additional emergence of TACL–S increases dominated by summer land warming in the southern mid-latitudes. Thus, a future tripolar pattern of TACL–S heralds novel land–sea climate regimes with far-reaching climatic impacts
The relationship between the United States and the Italian right-wing during the Nixon Administration (1969-1974)
Get PDFThis thesis examines the relationship between the United States and the Italian right-wing during the Nixon Administration. The focus of this study is the alleged US role
in the terrorist attacks and coup plots in Italy in the years between 1969 and 1974.
This thesis will make three original contributions to the Cold War history, the US-Italian relations and the history of terrorism through the use of primary sources found
in the Italian and American archives. It provides an interpretation of the Cold War
as an imperialistic, rather than an ideological clash, in line with the post-revisionist
school of thought. It contributes to the literature on terrorism by explaining how
manipulating terrorist groups is a means that states can use to achieve more effective
results than with orthodox methods. Finally, it shows how the cooperation between
the Italian and American governments have evolved in face of the Communist
challenge.
This research analyses the political goals that the Nixon Administration meant to
pursue in Italy, and how it perceived the Italian right-wing as a useful tool in this
regard. It investigates how the relations between the two sides evolved over the years
starting from the end of World War II and how they affected the course of history in
Italy. Through the use of archival evidence, the research proves that there had been
interactions between US Government representatives and various neo-Fascist
groups to undermine the Italian Communist Party’s ever-growing popularity.
The results of this study illustrate that there was an internal rift between the
various US state branches regarding support for the Italian right-wing and also
within the CIA. It is plausible that such rift prevented the relationship between the
United States and the Italian right-wing to become closer, and that they contributed
to the failure of the coup plots and the exhaustion of the neo-Fascist terrorist strategy
Sensory analysis of omelette made from liquid whole egg pasteurised by manothermosonication: unravelling texture and flavour attributes
Get PDFManothermosonication (MTS) has been proposed as an alternative to conventional thermal pasteurisation of egg products to enhance food safety and quality. However, its impact on consumer liking and sensory characteristics remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of MTS on the sensory attributes, texture, and volatile compound profile of omelettes prepared from liquid whole egg (LWE) compared to thermal pasteurisation. Results concluded that MTS-treated omelettes exhibited a firmer texture and higher oxidation levels, leading to distinct metallic and sulphur-like sensory attributes. However, MTS enhanced gel structural properties, suggesting its potential for applications requiring improved gel structure, such as egg tofu surimi products. This study provides novel insights into the impact of MTS on egg product quality, highlighting both its potential benefits and challenges related to oxidation, which should be considered for further investigations
Land‐ocean differences in tropical deep convective clouds: intercomparison of DYAMOND simulations and CloudSat observations
Get PDFThis study investigates how deep convective clouds and their surrounding environments are represented in the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non‐hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) simulations by comparing them with CloudSat observations across three tropical “chimney zones”: Tropical Africa, Tropical Amazonia, and the Tropical Warm Pool (TWP). These regions, spanning a spectrum of land‐ocean contrasts, exhibit distinct environmental and convective characteristics. While DYAMOND simulations capture environmental differences among the regions, biases persist in representing convective intensity and precipitation dynamics. The simulations overestimate convective intensity in the TWP, likely due to higher‐than‐realistic conversion efficiencies of potential energy to kinetic energy. Precipitation formation also deviates from observations, occurring at higher altitudes with weak vertical velocities, indicating misrepresentations in cloud microphysics and updraft dynamics. These findings highlight the need for improved coupling of cloud dynamics and microphysics in global models to better simulate deep convection and its environmental interactions
Optimisation of whey permeate anaerobic digestion at different inoculum to substrate ratios and initial pH values under mesophilic conditions
Get PDFThe use of whey permeate as anaerobic digestion (AD) feedstock presents a potential challenge for methane (CH4) production due to its acidity and high carbon content. This study investigated the optimal parameters of whey permeate AD by incorporating CH4 yield with CH4 equivalent of produced volatile fatty acids (VFAs) over volatile solid degradation to determine the mass balance of the system. Batch AD experiments were conducted at various inoculum-substrate ratios (ISRs), initial pH levels, and mesophilic temperatures. Results demonstrated that ISR influences VFA profiles regardless of the variation in temperatures and pH, with the exception at ISR 2. Mass balance analysis showed that the highest yield (1441.42 ± 43.78 NLCH4kgVS−1 degraded) was achieved in reactors operated at ISR 2, initial pH of 7.5, at 30°C. The results confirmed a dynamic effect of ISR and temperature throughout whey permeate AD. Finally, response surface methodology was employed to understand operational optimisation based on mass balance data