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Place-based decarbonisation in low and middle income countries: a whole systems view
Get PDFDecarbonisation of transport is essential to the efforts to limit global temperature increase to under 1.5 °C as agreed in the Paris Agreement. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global emissions from transport were around 8 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2022 – an increase of three percent against the previous year (IEA, 2023). This sets a stark contrast against the annual 3% reduction target that is needed to be on track with IEA's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) scenario. This is a significant challenge as transport emissions were increasing 1.7% per annum in the last 30 years, driven by a very strong demand for transport in emerging markets and developing economies. The latest Stocktake by the UNFCCC in September 2023 flags that the combined pledges of the 193 Parties under the Paris Agreement would put the world on track for around 2.5. Degrees Celsius by 2030 (UNFCCC Secretariat, 2023). In 2021, 98% of the National Determined Contribution (NDCs) mentioned transport, but only 83% included transport measures and only 18% set specific CO2 reduction targets for the sector (ITF, 2023).Balta-Ozkan's time is partially funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), under the grant number EP/V039164/1.Transport Polic
Transcription factor-based biosensor: A molecular-guided approach for advanced biofuel synthesis
Get PDFAs a sustainable and renewable alternative to petroleum fuels, advanced biofuels shoulder the responsibility of energy saving, emission reduction and environmental protection. Traditional engineering of cell factories for production of advanced biofuels lacks efficient high-throughput screening tools and regulating systems, impeding the improvement of cellular productivity and yield. Transcription factor-based biosensors have been widely applied to monitor and regulate microbial cell factory products due to the advantages of fast detection and in-situ screening. This review updates the design and application of transcription factor-based biosensors tailored for advanced biofuels and related intermediates. The construction and genetic parts selection principle of biosensors are discussed. Strategies to enhance the performance of biosensor, including regulating promoter strength and RBS strength, optimizing plasmid copy number, implementing genetic amplifier, and modulating the structure of transcription factor, have also been summarized. We further review the application of biosensors in high-throughput screening of new metabolic engineering targets, evolution engineering, confirmation of protein function, and dynamic regulation of metabolic flux for higher production of advanced biofuels. At last, we discuss the current limitations and future trends of transcription factor-based biosensors.Biotechnology Advance
Atmospheric isoprene measurements reveal larger-than-expected Southern Ocean emissions
Get PDFIsoprene is a key trace component of the atmosphere emitted by vegetation and other organisms. It is highly reactive and can impact atmospheric composition and climate by affecting the greenhouse gases ozone and methane and secondary organic aerosol formation. Marine fluxes are poorly constrained due to the paucity of long-term measurements; this in turn limits our understanding of isoprene cycling in the ocean. Here we present the analysis of isoprene concentrations in the atmosphere measured across the Southern Ocean over 4 months in the summertime. Some of the highest concentrations ( >500 ppt) originated from the marginal ice zone in the Ross and Amundsen seas, indicating the marginal ice zone is a significant source of isoprene at high latitudes. Using the United Kingdom Earth System Model we show that current estimates of sea-to-air isoprene fluxes underestimate observed isoprene by a factor >20. A daytime source of isoprene is required to reconcile models with observations. The model presented here suggests such an increase in isoprene emissions would lead to >8% decrease in the hydroxyl radical in regions of the Southern Ocean, with implications for our understanding of atmospheric oxidation and composition in remote environments, often used as proxies for the pre-industrial atmosphere.V.F. and N.R.P.H. were supported in the analysis of the data by UKRI NERC project Southern Ocean Clouds (NE/T006366/1).Nature Communication
Federated reinforcement learning for consumers privacy protection in Mobility-as-a-Service
Get PDFMobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) offers multi-modal transport modes in a single service platform, which requires tremendous data and software support. Among various types of data, consumers' data is vulnerable to the communication channel as it must be transmitted from the consumer end to the MaaS. Consumers put a high priority on the privacy of their data in selecting a service. This motivates the need for a secure information management system for MaaS to protect consumers' information from leakage. In this paper, we propose a federated reinforcement learning (FRL) approach for the information exchange intensive multi-modal journey planning process. The FRL approach protects the information from malicious information thieves by federating the global model training to a local one without sensitive information exchange while maintaining the same solution quality of enhancing MaaS profit and consumer satisfaction. We perform experiments on a test case based on New York City data. The results demonstrate that the FRL approach is effective in the MaaS multi-modal journey planning process. Compared to the baseline approaches, consumer satisfaction and MaaS profit increase by about 12% and 74%, respectively. This pilot study not only provides privacy protection insight into the MaaS multi-modal journey planning but also other privacy-concern applications.This work was supported by EPSRC MACRO - Mobility as a service: Managing Cybersecurity Risks across Consumers, Organisations and Sectors (EP/V039164/1).2023 IEEE 26th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC
Translating microcalcification biomarker information into the laboratory: a preliminary assessment utilizing core biopsies obtained from sites of mammographic calcification
Get PDFThe potential of breast microcalcification chemistry to provide clinically valuable intelligence is being increasingly studied. However, acquisition of crystallographic details has, to date, been limited to high brightness, synchrotron radiation sources. This study, for the first time, evaluates a laboratory-based system that interrogates histological sections containing microcalcifications. The principal objective was to determine the measurement precision of the laboratory system and assess whether this was sufficient to provide potentially clinical valuable information.
Materials and methods
Sections from 5 histological specimens from breast core biopsies obtained to evaluate mammographic calcification were examined using a synchrotron source and a laboratory-based instrument. The samples were chosen to represent a significant proportion of the known breast tissue, mineralogical landscape. Data were subsequently analysed using conventional methods and microcalcification characteristics such as crystallographic phase, chemical deviation from ideal stoichiometry and microstructure were determined.
Results
The crystallographic phase of each microcalcification (e.g., hydroxyapatite, whitlockite) was easily determined from the laboratory derived data even when a mixed phase was apparent. Lattice parameter values from the laboratory experiments agreed well with the corresponding synchrotron values and, critically, were determined to precisions that were significantly greater than required for potential clinical exploitation.
Conclusion
It has been shown that crystallographic characteristics of microcalcifications can be determined in the laboratory with sufficient precision to have potential clinical value. The work will thus enable exploitation acceleration of these latent microcalcification features as current dependence upon access to limited synchrotron resources is minimized.This work was supported by a Medical Research Council research grant MR/T000406/1 that funded the conduct of the research and preparation of the article.Heliyo
Disaggregating the liberal market economies: institutions and HRM
Get PDFIt has been argued that the different ways human resource management is conducted in different countries can be at least partly explained by theories of comparative capitalisms. Earlier work has highlighted much diversity between coordinated market economies, but the liberal markets are commonly assumed to represent a more coherent category. This article scrutinizes the latter assumption more closely by examining differences between the liberal market economies in their approaches to HRM. The authors find that the USA displays greater centralization in human resource management practices, higher turnover rates and less delegation to employees, than in the UK and Australia; this being associated with differences in institutional realities. The study highlights how, under a broad institutional archetype, specific systemic features may exert strong effects on specific HRM practices and challenges assumptions of close institutional coupling in the most advanced economies.Economic and Industrial Democrac
An insight into the hormonal interplay regulating pigment changes and colour development in the peel of ‘Granny Smith’,‘OPAL®’and ‘Royal Gala’ Apples
Get PDFThree apple cultivars with different peel colour and known ripening dynamics were examined throughout development and on-tree ripening to unravel how the hormonal crosstalk may influence colour changes. Our results indicate that the colour of ripe apples in ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Opal®’ cultivars was primarily influenced by chlorophyll levels masking the contribution of other pigments, whilst the development of red colour in the ‘Royal Gala’ was not only due to an important loss of chlorophyll during ripening but also to anthocyanins accumulation. The interplay amongst indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) seemed to control pigment content during the later stages of development, indicating that variations in the hormonal profile contribute to colour differences in ripe apples. In ‘Granny Smith’ apples, basal levels of IAA, ethylene and ABA were associated with the inhibition of chlorophyll loss, which was responsible for its green colour, despite the presence of high carotenoid levels. In contrast, the peel of ‘Opal®’ and ‘Royal Gala’ apples underwent a degreening process facilitated by the IAA-mediated activation of ethylene metabolism, in a crosstalk facilitated by MdARF5. The accumulation of anthocyanins in the peel of ‘Royal Gala’ apples seemed to be regulated in an ethylene-dependent manner, with MdMYB1 acting as the mediator between ethylene signalling and the anthocyanins biosynthesis and vacuolar transport pathways. On the other hand, the decline in carotenoid content during fruit development in the three cultivars appeared to be regulated at the catabolic level through ABA and its derivatives and possibly also facilitated by ethylene-mediated mechanisms. Notably, chlorophyll levels, crucial for the observed colour changes, were likely controlled by MdGLK1, a transcription factor involved in chloroplast biogenesis, working in coordination with ethylene-dependent catabolic enzymes. Overall, understanding the cultivar-specific hormonal regulation of apple colour provides valuable insights for developing preharvest and postharvest strategies to ensure an optimal fruit colour aligned with consumer preferences.European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the national project PID2020-117607RR-I00 (ENVIRONAPPLE).Journal of Plant Growth Regulatio
Array analysis on a seawall type of deformable wave energy converters
Get PDFThere has been a significant interest in developing Flexible Wave Energy Converters (FlexWECs) that utilise structural deformations to generate electricity and mitigate destructive wave loads to the devices. In the meantime, FlexWECs are most likely to operate in an array format to enhance space usage and power output, as well as provide convenience for maintenance. In this context, the present paper develops a high-fidelity computational model to investigate the interaction of ocean surface waves with an array of seawall-type FlexWECs, which can meanwhile serve coastal engineering purposes. The fluid field is solved using the Navier-Stokes equations, and structural deformations are predicted using a nonlinear finite-element method. Hydroelastic interactions of up to seven deforming FlexWECs with the surrounding wave fields are demonstrated through systematic simulation cases. Based on the simulation results, analyses are conducted to investigate how the wave farm energy output is influenced by the gap between individual devices and the number of devices deployed. Accordingly, empirical design suggestions are provided. Overall, this work innovatively simulates the hydroelastic interactions between waves and multiple deforming structures, and the provided insights are useful for promoting the development of FlexWECs and their wave farms.L.H. acknowledges grants from Innovate UK (No. 10048187, 10079774, 10081314) and the Royal Society (IEC\NSFC\223253, RG\R2\232462).Renewable Energ
Biohydrogen production and quantitative determination of monosaccharide production using hyperthermophilic anaerobic fermentation of corn stover
Get PDFSecond-generation biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass remain critical and require several challenges due to lignin compounds’ inefficient degradation and recalcitrate characteristics. In this regard, this study focuses on enzymatic technology as a promising treatment that is beneficial in breaking down the biomass’s hemicellulose and cellulosic parts. Thermostable bacterial species owe thermostable enzymes that are able to degrade complex carbohydrate compounds and produce efficient hydrogen production. The present study investigates the direct utilization of ligninolytic enzymes such as cellulase and xylanase derived from the hyperthermophilic bacteria Thermotoga maritima (ATCC 43589 strain). The results show that xylanase and cellulase enzymes extracted from Thermotoga maritima could depolymerize the lignin bonds of corn stover substrate and release monomers such as Galactose in the media. In conclusion, this study can open a new advanced research window on directly applying a hyperthermophilic consortium of enzymes capable of hydrolyzing lignocellulose material toward hydrogen production.Energie
Improved hybrid model for obstacle detection and avoidance in robot operating system framework (rapidly exploring random tree and dynamic windows approach)
Get PDFThe integration of machine learning and robotics brings promising potential to tackle the application challenges of mobile robot navigation in industries. The real-world environment is highly dynamic and unpredictable, with increasing necessities for efficiency and safety. This demands a multi-faceted approach that combines advanced sensing, robust obstacle detection, and avoidance mechanisms for an effective robot navigation experience. While hybrid methods with default robot operating system (ROS) navigation stack have demonstrated significant results, their performance in real time and highly dynamic environments remains a challenge. These environments are characterized by continuously changing conditions, which can impact the precision of obstacle detection systems and efficient avoidance control decision-making processes. In response to these challenges, this paper presents a novel solution that combines a rapidly exploring random tree (RRT)-integrated ROS navigation stack and a pre-trained YOLOv7 object detection model to enhance the capability of the developed work on the NAV-YOLO system. The proposed approach leveraged the high accuracy of YOLOv7 obstacle detection and the efficient path-planning capabilities of RRT and dynamic windows approach (DWA) to improve the navigation performance of mobile robots in real-world complex and dynamically changing settings. Extensive simulation and real-world robot platform experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed solution. The result demonstrated a high-level obstacle avoidance capability, ensuring the safety and efficiency of mobile robot navigation operations in aviation environments.Sensor