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The Next 25 Years of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: A Nano Letters Roadmap
No full text2025 marks the 25th anniversary of Nano Letters, and to celebrate this milestone, our editorial team has put together a Roadmap for the next 25 years. Nanoscience and nanotechnology have come a long way since the first journals dedicated exclusively to nanoscale concepts were founded. In this prospective piece, we have identified 7 macroscale themes broken down into 16 key topical areas and speculated about their strategic, developmental, and translational milestones. We have tried to be specific and quantitative regarding examples highlighted without being overly prescriptive. We have also done our best to propose big-picture and high-risk breakthroughs that will require integrated disciplinary expertise, significant resource investments, and decades-long time horizons for realization. We hope that you are as optimistic and excited about the future of nanoscience as we are and that this Roadmap can be an aspirational and functional guidepost for our community
A pyramid of human ecology of disease for pandemic preparedness
Get PDFThe emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases and its potential threat to future health security highlights the need to re-examine how we conceptualize the impact of human-environment interactions on health. Traditionally, social scientists, epidemiologists, and ecologists have used the human ecology frameworks to understand disease dynamics, framing health outcomes as the result of interactions between population, habitat, and behaviour. However, they fall short in capturing the fluid, evolving nature of social-biological interactions across time and space particularly during epidemics. To capture this dynamic nature, we combine the triangle of human ecology and the triangle of disease ecology into a unified pyramid model. This integrated framework brings together four domains, namely pathogen, population, behaviour, and the environment. Domains like population and environment, which are featured in both triangle frameworks, are integrated, while non-overlapping domains such as pathogen and behaviour are added, reflecting their joint importance in disease emergence and spread. Together, these four domains interact and shift over time and across three key phases of an epidemic, defined by emergence, spread, and responses. We apply this framework to the COVID-19 pandemic, from the initial outbreak in late 2019 into the major phases of global response before 2023. We demonstrate how the four domains help map evolving interactions that shape spillover, transmission pathways, and the effectiveness of public health response. By incorporating sociopolitical and behavioural domains, our framework addresses a critical gap in conventional pandemic preparedness tools. Our framework supports scientists, public health practitioners, and policymakers in tracing emerging epidemic risks from increasing social and environmental disruptions, such as growing inequalities in cities and anthropogenic land-use change. We argue that addressing these imbalances calls for a collaborative effort to build societal resilience, where prioritising biodiversity conservation, socio-environmental equity, and participatory decision-making will be key to strengthening preparedness against future pandemic crises
Project-based enactment of circular economy business models: a systematic literature review of CE-Project research nexus
No full textProjects are platforms for circular economy (CE) experimentation and innovation on the one hand, and CE can be integrated into projects to improve their sustainability performance on the other hand. This CE-Project nexus is useful for scholars and practitioners to understand how projects can drive CE transition. However, research in the CE-Project nexus is dispersed, and it is unclear how the CE-Project research intersections are conceptualised in the literature. In this paper, we address this gap using a systematic literature review (SLR). We provide an analysis of the theoretical lenses useful in investigating the nexus of CE and projects. We find four forms of CE-Project nexuses, namely, CE in projects, CE by projects, CE for projects and CE through projects. We further present a framework for project-based enactment of Circular business models (CBM) across micro, meso and macro CE levels and discuss the critical role of project professionals in overcoming CE implementation barriers. Theoretically, our work contributes to literature by presenting how scholars can theorise research in this domain to bridge the gap between the temporary, goal-specific nature of projects with the systemic transformations required for CE
An Analysis of the Interplay and Mutual Benefits of Grounded Theory and Visualization
Get PDFGrounded theory (GT) is a research methodology that entails a systematic workflow for theory generation grounded on emergent data. In this paper, we juxtapose GT workflows with typical workflows in visualization and visual analytics (VIS), unveiling the characteristics shared by these workflows. We explore the research landscape of VIS to study where GT is applied to generate VIS theories, explicitly as well as implicitly. We discuss “why” GT can potentially play a significant role in VIS. We outline a “how” methodology for conducting GT research in VIS, which addresses the need for theoretical advancement in VIS while benefiting from other methods and techniques in VIS. We illustrate this “how” methodology with a use case of adopting GT approaches in studying visualization guidelines
Ergodiscord: An Operational and Distinct Notion of Quantumness of Correlations
Get PDFNonclassicality in composite quantum systems depicts several puzzling manifestations, with Einstein-PodolskyRosen entanglement, Schrödinger steering, and Bell nonlocality being the most celebrated ones. In addition to those, an unentangled quantum state can also exhibit nonclassicality, as evidenced from notions such as quantum discord and work deficit. In this work, we present a general framework for exploring quantumness of correlations in multipartite quantum states. By exploiting the different signatures reflected on observable quantities depending on whether subsystems of a composite systems are probed jointly or independently, we introduce an operational quantifier of nonclassicality, termed ergodiscord. As we show, this newly proposed quantifier faithfully captures nonclassicality in any bipartite quantum state, while being fundamentally distinct from the original quantum discord. Moreover, ergodiscord uncovers an intriguing phenomenon called ‘nonlocal energy locking’, where a useful form of energy (i.e. work) gets locked in correlations of nonclassical states. We also show that a mixed nonclassical state can lock more work than the maximally entangled state of the corresponding system, establishing an interesting super-additivity phenomenon of nonlocal energy locking. The present work may inspire novel designs of quantum energy storage devices by utilizing nonclassical correlations in composite quantum systems
Optimal planning of biogas production in a set of batch biodigesters
No full textThe use of organic wastes from industrial, agro-industrial, and household sources has become an essential strategy for generating renewable and sustainable energy. Organic materials processed in biodigesters offer two major benefits: the production of biogas (a renewable energy source) and the creation of biofertilizers (which can enhance agricultural productivity). These benefits increased the interest from both researchers and industry leaders in finding more efficient ways to manage biomass for energy production. One area that has not been thoroughly explored is the scheduling of biogas production in batch biodigesters to meet fluctuating energy demand over time. Biodigesters typically operate in batches, where the substrate is loaded into the system and left to digest for a set period. However, the timing and amount of substrate to be processed are critical issues as the energy demand may vary, and managing production surpluses or shortages is crucial. In this context, a novel integer linear mathematical model has been proposed to address the biogas production scheduling problem. The model focuses on balancing the biogas demand with the operational constraints of biodigesters, such as their availability and production cycles. Several experimental tests have been conducted to validate the model's effectiveness. These tests varied parameters as the biogas demand type, the length of the planning horizon, and the number of biodigesters with different production cycles. The results demonstrate that the proposed model effectively supports decision-making processes for biogas production planning, contributing to cleaner energy systems and sustainable resource management
The Lyman Continuum Escape Fraction of Star-forming Galaxies at 2.4 ≲ z ≲ 3.0 from UVCANDELS
Get PDFThe UltraViolet Imaging of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey Fields (UVCANDELS)survey is a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cycle-26 Treasury Program, allocated in total 164 orbits of primary Wide-Field Camera 3 Ultraviolet and VISible light F275W imaging with coordinated parallel Advanced Camera for Surveys F435W imaging, on four of the five premier extragalactic survey fields: GOODS-N, GOODS-S, EGS, and COSMOS. We introduce this survey by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the absolute escape fraction (fesc abs) of Lyman continuum radiation through stacking the UV images of a population of star-forming galaxies with secure redshifts at 2.4 z 3.0. Our stacking benefits from the catalogs of high-quality spectroscopic redshifts compiled from archival ground-based data and HST slitless spectroscopy, carefully vetted by dedicated visual inspection efforts. We develop a robust stacking method to apply to 10 samples of in total 56 galaxies, and perform detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the intergalactic medium (IGM) attenuation, to take into account the sample variance of the mean IGM transmission when measuring fesc places a stringent 1σ upper limit of abs. The full stack at z ≈ 2.44 from 28 galaxies f gives an upper limit of f abs esc ≲ 26% abs esc ≲ 5% , whereas the full stack at z ≈ 2.72 of an equal number of galaxies at 1σ confidence level. These new F275W and F435W imaging mosaics from UVCANDELS have been made publicly available on the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes
Study on molecular orientation and stratification in RNA-lipid nanoparticles by cryogenic orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry
Get PDFLipid nanoparticle RNA (LNP-RNA) formulations are used for the delivery of vaccines and other therapies. RNA molecules are encapsulated within their interior through electrostatic interactions with positively charged lipids. The identity of the lipids that present at their surface play a role in how they interact with and are perceived by the body and their resultant potency. Here, we use a model formulation to develop cryogenic sample preparation for molecular depth profiling Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry (Cryo-OrbiSIMS) preceded by morphological characterisation using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM). It is found that the depth distribution of individual lipid components is revealed relative to the surface and the RNA cargo defining the core. A preferential lipid orientation can be determined for the 1,2-Dimyristoyl-glycero-3-methox-polyethylene glycol 2000 (DMG-PEG2k) molecule, by comparing the profiles of PEG to DMG fragments. PEG fragments are found immediately during analysis of the LNP surface, while the DMG fragments are deeper, coincident with RNA ions located in the core, in agreement with established models of LNPs. This laboratory-based de novo analysis technique requires no labelling, providing advantages over large facility neutron scattering characterisation
Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions
Get PDFPlant roots play myriad roles that include foraging for resources in complex soil environments. Within this highly dynamic soil environment roots must sense, interact with, and acclimate to factors such as water availability, microbiota, and heterogeneous distribution of nutrients. To aid their acclimation, roots alter their growth and development to optimize their architecture and actively regulate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of their rhizosphere. Understanding the complex interactions between roots and rhizosphere is critical for designing future crops with improved root traits better adapted to diverse and challenging soil conditions. However, studying roots and their interactions with soil under real world conditions presents significant challenges. Addressing these challenges demands developing realistic laboratory-based model systems and innovative field-based root imaging techniques. Our review surveys the current knowledge and recent advances in understanding root–environment interactions while proposing future solutions to study roots under more “real-life” soil conditions
Experimental Demonstration of a Spectral Fingerprint for the Saddle and Inverted Conformations of Porphyrins on Copper
Get PDFCombined density functional theory (DFT) and X-ray standing wave (XSW) studies have previously provided evidence for the preferential adoption of an inverted conformation of 2H-TPP on Cu(111) in contrast to the saddle conformation usually favored by porphyrin molecules adsorbed on metals. We experimentally demonstrate, via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, that the binding energies of the aminic and iminic nitrogen species provide a spectral fingerprint for both inverted and saddle conformations, as predicted by DFT studies. Our complementary scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) characterization also reveals conversion from the saddle to inverted conformation at an elevated temperature for an analogous porphyrin species (Br2TPP)
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