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Air pollution is a concern in the West Africa region where it is known that meteorological parameters such as ambient temperature and humidity can affect the particulate matter loading through atmospheric convection and dry deposition. In this study, we extend the investigation of these relationships to particulate matter less than 1 µm in diameter (PM1), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen monoxide (NO) and ozone (O3), for a complete period of rainy and dry seasons in Lagos. Regression analysis of the results indicate that there is a negligible to weak correlation (r < 0.39) between the temperature, humidity and air pollutants during the year, except for NO2 and O3 which respond moderately to humidity during the dry season, an observation previously unreported. The mean monthly values for all the air pollutants are lower during the rainy season compared to the dry season, indicating a potential higher contribution of the transport of pollutants from the north-eastern desert regions and the reduction of the wet removal of particles during the dry season. The World Health Organization air quality guidelines are mostly exceeded for fine particles with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), supporting previous studies, as well as for the NO2 concentration levels. As PM2.5 contributes to at least 70% of the particulate matter pollution throughout the year, policy guidelines could be enacted for people with chronic respiratory issues during the January/February months of intense high air pollution, high temperature but low humidity values.

Airborne micro and nano-plastics (MNPs) have been detected in both indoor and outdoor settings, raising concerns about potential adverse effects upon inhalation. Yet, their potential pulmonary toxicity has not been studied extensively. Herein, we evaluated the pulmonary toxicity and clearance of nanometric Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate (PET; ~50-200 nm) fragments from plastic bottles and two nanometric polystyrene (PS; 50 and 200 nm) beads. Adult mice were exposed to a unique dose of 50 ug in 30uL/mouse of PET, PS-50, PS-200, or vehicle by pharyngeal aspiration. The lungs, broncho-alveolar lavage fluids (BALF) and lymph nodes were collected at 1, 7 and 28 days after exposure. MNPs presence in lung tissue, accumulation in alveolar cells, and clearance from the alveolar cavity and lungs were assessed using confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). Inflammation and tissue damages were evaluated by histology, immunostaining and ELISA. PET and PS nanoplastics were detected by CRM in lungs and alveolar phagocytes. Evaluation of MNPs elimination and translocation to lymph nodes is underway. Pulmonary exposure to MNPs induced immune cell infiltration respective of MNP type or size. Recruitment of neutrophils at day 1 and eosinophils at day 7 was more pronounced for the PS-50 than for the other two MNPs. Recruitment of lymphocytes was noted at day 7, yet only for PS-50 nm. Potential long-term impact (genotoxicity, fibrosis) is under investigation. These results will inform the design of future chronic low-dose exposure studies, and path the way to new policies about the impact of MNPs on human health.

Competition between taxa related to climate changes has been proposed as a possible factor in Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, and here we present isotope evidence of the diets of three co-existing bear species [black bear (Ursus americanus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), and the now extinct short-faced bear (Arctodus simus)] from a locale in western North America dating to the Late (Terminal) Pleistocene (~14.5–11.7 ka). The three bear species were found at several sites on Vancouver Island, on the western coast of Canada. To examine the chronological overlap and niche partitioning between these species of bear, we used direct radiocarbon dating, stable isotope analysis and ZooMS proteomic identification methods. Here we present new radiocarbon evidence from Terminal Pleistocene U. americanus, U. arctos and A. simus from several sites on the island, along with both bulk collagen and compound-specific isotope data for these species. Radiocarbon dates confirm the chronological overlap of Arctodus and both Ursus species in the montane regions of the island at the end of the Pleistocene. Stable isotope data reveal niche differentiation between these species, with U. americanus occupying a distinctly lower trophic position than the other two taxa.

Background Age-standardized mortality rates for taxi drivers, chauffeurs, bus and coach drivers show that public transport workers were at high risk at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the public transport sector was required to continue services throughout the pandemic. Objectives This paper aims to develop a better understanding of the experiences of organizational leaders and workers within the UK public transport sector (bus, rail, and tram). Specifically, it aims to explore the perceived balance of risk and mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, report on their perceptions of safety in public transport during the pandemic and in the future, and consider how these perceptions and changes impact on long-term worker health and wellbeing. Methods This study formed part of a larger stakeholder engagement with the public transport sector. Organizational leaders and workers were recruited (n = 18) and semi-structured interviews carried out between January and May 2021. Data were analysed thematically. Results Overarching and subthemes were identified. Themes relating to perceptions and impacts of risk of COVID-19 for employees included: acceptability of risk for workers, perceptions of risk mitigation effectiveness, changes to working practices and their impact on morale and wellbeing, issues with compliance to mitigations such as social distancing and face coverings in passenger and co-worker groups alongside a lack of power to challenge behaviour effectively, and the roles of leadership and messaging. Themes related to long-lasting impacts of COVID-19 on working practices and effects on health and wellbeing included: continuing mitigations, impact of increasing passenger numbers, impact of vaccination programme, and impact of changes to business structure. Conclusions Most public transport employees reported feeling safe, related to the extent to which their role was public-facing. However, data were collected during a time of very low passenger numbers. Current mitigation measures were thought effective in reducing the risk of viral transmission, although measures may have a detrimental effect on worker morale and wellbeing. Issues relating to non-compliance with guidance and ‘in-group’ behaviour were identified. Impacts on wider business sustainability and individual wellbeing of staff should be considered when developing responses to any future pandemics. Recommendations are made for prioritizing employee engagement with colleagues, and the importance of strong leadership and clear messaging in promoting adherence to behavioural mitigations.

The near-Earth carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu is expected to contain volatile chemical species that could provide information on the origin of Earth's volatiles. Samples of Ryugu were retrieved by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We measured noble gas and nitrogen isotopes in Ryugu samples and found that they are dominated by presolar and primordial components, incorporated during Solar System formation. Noble gas concentrations are higher than those in Ivuna-type carbonaceous (CI) chondrite meteorites. Several host phases of isotopically distinct nitrogen have different abundances among the samples. Our measurements support a close relationship between Ryugu and CI chondrites. Noble gases produced by galactic cosmic rays, indicating a ~5 million year exposure, and from implanted solar wind record the recent irradiation history of Ryugu after it migrated to its current orbit. ISSN:0036-8075 ISSN:1095-9203

The Marsden Moor Estate owned by the National Trust in West Yorkshire, is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (JNCC, 2021). Over the past four years, there have been large wildfire events on the estate (26 February 2019, 22 April 2019, 23 March 2020, 25 April 2021, 18 March 2022 and 23 March 2022). Since 2019, the National Trust reported a total of £700,000 worth of damage caused by wildfires on the Marsden Moor Estate (National Trust, 2022). To better inform wildfire management and land restoration activities it was identified that a detailed land cover map of the different vegetation types using high resolution 3.5m Vision-1 satellite data should be investigated. At the time of commencing this research the most detailed land cover map available was 20m Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Land Cover map. Working in partnership, researchers at The University of Manchester and the National Trust Marsden Moor Survey Group co-developed a mobile application using ArcGIS Survey123 to collect ground truth data of vegetation types. The initial vegetation surveys took place in July/August 2021 followed by in December 2021 an additional vegetation survey/mobile application training for volunteers. The vegetation surveys aided the identification of training areas for performing a supervised Maximum Likelihood Classification on the Vision-1 satellite image (acquired 31 July 2020). The overall land cover map accuracy achieved was 68%. The Marsden Moor Survey Group identified misclassification of known bracken areas as a potential source of error. After consultation with the National Trust volunteers, a Vision-1 image was tasked by Airbus (acquired 12 November 2021) to assess if bracken areas could be classified more successfully during the autumn period and to improve the final land cover map product.

The summertime Sahara and Sahel are the world’s largest source of airborne mineral dust. Cold-pool outflows from moist convection (‘haboobs’) are a dominant source of summertime uplift but are essentially missing in global models, raising major questions on the reliability of climate projections of dust and dust impacts. Here we use convection-permitting simulations of pan-African climate change, which explicitly capture haboobs, to investigate whether this key limitation of global models affects projections. We show that explicit convection is key to capturing the observed summertime maximum of dust-generating winds, which is missed with parameterised convection. Despite this, future climate changes in dust-generating winds are more sensitive to the effects of explicit convection on the wider meteorology than they are to the haboobs themselves, with model differences in the change in dust-generating winds reaching 60% of current values. The results therefore show the importance of improving convection in climate models for dust projections.

Emerging evidence and site-specific assessments suggest that irrigation infrastructure projects and reforms in West Africa have failed to achieve proposed targets. We evaluate this proposition by conducting a systematic review of 47 irrigation scheme assessments evaluating performances of 147 irrigation schemes. We find that 83% of the assessments identify the considered irrigation schemes as underperforming in terms of achieved benefits and/or maintenance over time. The observed problems are rooted in unclear project objectives, lack of post-project accountability, and failure to consider all stakeholders. Lessons from the past need to be taken on board to avoid unsuccessful investments in the future.

Peatland carbon stores are under widespread anthropogenic pressure, resulting in degradation and carbon loss. This paper presents DO14C (Dissolved Organic Carbon) dates from waters draining two eroded blanket peatland catchments in the UK. Both catchments are characterized by severe gully erosion but one additionally has extensive surface erosion on unvegetated surfaces. DO14C values ranged from 104.3 to 88.6 percent modern (present to 976 Before Present). The oldest DOC dates came from the catchment characterized by both gully and surface erosion and are among the oldest reported from waters draining temperate peatlands. Together with peat age-depth data from across the peatland landscape, the DO14C ages identify where in the peat profile carbon loss is occurring. Source depths were compared with modeled water table data indicating that in the catchment where gully erosion alone dominated, mean water table was a key control on depth of DOC production. In the system exhibiting both gully erosion and surface erosion, DOC ages were younger than expected from the age of surficial peats and measured water tables. This may indicate either that the old organic matter exposed at the surface by erosion is less labile or that there are modifications of hydrological flow pathways. Our data indicate that eroded peatlands are losing carbon from depth, and that erosion form may be a control on carbon loss. Our approach uses point measurements of DO14C to indicate DOC source depths and has the potential to act as an indicator of peatland function in degraded and restored systems.

Graphene-related materials (GRMs) are subject to intensive investigations and considerable progress has been made in recent years in terms of safety assessment. However, limited information is available concerning the hazard potential of GRM-containing products such as graphene-reinforced composites. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the potential biological effects of particles released through an abrasion process from reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-reinforced composites of polyamide 6 (PA6), a widely used engineered thermoplastic polymer, in comparison to as-produced rGO. First, a panel of well-established in vitro models, representative of the immune system and possible target organs such as the lungs, the gut, and the skin, was applied. Limited responses to PA6-rGO exposure were found in the different in vitro models. Only as-produced rGO induced substantial adverse effects, in particular in macrophages. Since inhalation of airborne materials is a key occupational concern, we then sought to test whether the in vitro responses noted for these materials would translate into adverse effects in vivo. To this end, the response at 1, 7 and 28 days after a single pulmonary exposure was evaluated in mice. In agreement with the in vitro data, PA6-rGO induced a modest and transient pulmonary inflammation, resolved by day 28. In contrast, rGO induced a longer-lasting, albeit moderate inflammation that did not lead to tissue remodeling within 28 days. Taken together, the present study suggests a negligible impact on human health under acute exposure conditions of GRM fillers such as rGO when released from composites at doses expected at the workplace., This work was supported by the European Union (EU) 8th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development, Graphene Flagship project (H2020-FET- GrapheneCore2 - #785219 and H2020-FET- GrapheneCore3 - #881603). Part of this work was supported by the University of Trieste, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) through the LabEx project Chemistry of Complex Systems (ANR-10-LABX- 0026_CSC), the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency – Grant No. MDM-2017-0720 and the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant 310030_169207).

Tropospheric ozone (O3) negatively impacts human health and is also a greenhouse gas. It is formed photochemically by reactions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), of which wildfires are an important source. This study presents data from research flights sampling wildfires in West and Central African savannah regions, both close to the fires and after the emissions had been transported several days over the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Emission factors (EFs) in g kg−1 for NOx (as NO), six VOCs and formaldehyde were calculated from enhancement to mole fractions in data taken close to the fires. For NOx, the emission factor was calculated as 2.05 ± 0.43 g kg−1 for Senegal and 1.20 ± 0.28 g kg−1 for Uganda, both higher than the average value of 1.13 ± 0.6 g kg−1 for previous studies of African savannah regions. For most VOCs (except acetylene), EFs in Uganda were lower by factors of 20–50% compared to Senegal, with almost all the values below those in the literature. O3 enhancement in the fire plumes was investigated by examining the ΔO3/ΔCO enhancement ratio, with values ranging from 0.07–0.14 close to the fires up to 0.25 for measurements taken over the Atlantic Ocean up to 200 hours downwind. In addition, measurements of O3 and its precursors were compared to the output of a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-CF) for the flights over the Atlantic Ocean. Normalised mean bias (NMB) comparison between the measured and modelled data was good outside of the fire plumes, with CO showing a model under-prediction of 4.6% and O3 a slight over-prediction of 0.7% (both within the standard deviation of the data). For NOx the agreement was poorer, with an under-prediction of 9.9% across all flights. Inside the fire plumes the agreement between modelled and measured values is worse, with the model being biased significantly lower for all three species. In total across all flights, there was an under-prediction of 29.4%, 16.5% and 37.5% for CO, O3 and NOx respectively. Finally, the measured ΔO3/ΔCO enhancement ratios were compared to those in the model for the equivalent flight data, with the model showing a lower value of 0.17 ± 0.03 compared to an observed value of 0.29 ± 0.05. The results detailed here show that the O3 burden to the North Atlantic Ocean from African wildfires may be underestimated and that further study is required to better study the O3 precursor emissions and chemistry.

Direct observation of behaviour offers an unobtrusive method of assessing physical activity in urban spaces, which reduces biases associated with self-report. However, there are no existing observation tools that: (1) assess other behaviours that are important for people’s wellbeing beyond physical activity; (2) are suitable for urban spaces that typically have lower numbers of users (e.g. amenity green spaces) or that people pass through (e.g. green corridors); and (3) have been validated in Europe. MOHAWk (Method for Observing pHysical Activity and Wellbeing) is a new observation tool for assessing three levels of physical activity (Sedentary, Walking, Vigorous) and two other evidence-based wellbeing behaviours (Connect: social interactions; Take Notice: taking notice of the environment) in urban spaces. Across three studies, we provide evidence that MOHAWk is reliable and valid from 156 hours of observation by six observers in five urban spaces in the UK. MOHAWk can be used in policy or practice (e.g. by local authorities or developers), or in more formal institutional based research projects. This new tool is an inexpensive and easy-to-use method of generating wellbeing impact evidence in relation to the urban physical or social environment. A manual providing detailed instruction on how to use MOHAWk is provided.

Background: Workplaces are an important potential source of SARS-CoV-2 exposure; however, investigation into workplace contact patterns is lacking. This study aimed to investigate how workplace attendance and features of contact varied between occupations across the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Methods: Data were obtained from electronic contact diaries (November 2020-November 2021) submitted by employed/self-employed prospective cohort study participants (n=4,616). We used mixed models to investigate the effects of occupation and time for: workplace attendance, number of people sharing workspace, time spent sharing workspace, number of close contacts, and usage of face coverings. Findings: Workplace attendance and contact patterns varied across occupations and time. The predicted probability of intense space sharing during the day was highest for healthcare (78% [95% CI: 75–81%]) and education workers (64% [59%–69%]), who also had the highest probabilities for larger numbers of close contacts (36% [32%–40%] and 38% [33%–43%] respectively). Education workers also demonstrated relatively low predicted probability (51% [44%–57%]) of wearing a face covering during close contact. Across all occupational groups, workspace sharing and close contact increased and usage of face coverings decreased during phases of less stringent restrictions. Interpretation: Major variations in workplace contact patterns and mask use likely contribute to differential COVID-19 risk. Patterns of variation by occupation and restriction phase may inform interventions for future waves of COVID-19 or other respiratory epidemics. Across occupations, increasing workplace contact and reduced face covering usage is concerning given ongoing high levels of community transmission and emergence of variants.

Upland blanket peat is widespread in the headwaters of UK catchments, but much of it has been degraded through atmospheric pollution, vegetation change and erosion. Runoff generation in these headwaters is an important element of downstream flood risk and these areas are increasingly the focus of interventions to restore the peat ecosystem and to potentially mitigate downstream flooding. Here we use a series of multivariate analysis techniques to examine controls on storm runoff behavior within and between ten blanket peat catchments all within 5 km of one another and ranging in size from 0.2-3.9 hectares. We find that: 1) for all 10 catchments, rainfall intensity is the dominant driver for both magnitude and timing of peak discharge, and that total and antecedent rainfall is important for peak discharge only in small storms; 2) there is considerable inter-catchment variability in: runoff coefficient, lag time, peak runoff, and their predictability from rainfall; however, 3) a significant fraction of the inter-catchment variability can be explained by catchment characteristics, particularly catchment area; and 4) catchment controls on peak discharge and runoff coefficient for small storms highlight the importance of storage and connectivity while those for large events suggest that surface flow attenuation dominates. Together these results suggest a switching rainfall-runoff behavior where catchment storage, connectivity and antecedent conditions control small discharge peaks but become increasingly irrelevant for larger storms. Our results suggest that, in the context of Natural Flood Management potential, expanding depression storage (e.g. distributed shallow water pools) in addition to existing restoration methods could increase the range of storms within which connectivity and storage remain important and that for larger storms measures which target surface runoff velocities are likely to be important.

Determining the extent of overlap between modern humans and other hominins in Eurasia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, is fundamental to understanding the nature of their interactions and what led to the disappearance of archaic hominins. Apart from a possible sporadic pulse recorded in Greece during the Middle Pleistocene, the first settlements of modern humans in Europe have been constrained to similar to 45,000 to 43,000 years ago. Here, we report hominin fossils from Grotte Mandrin in France that reveal the earliest known presence of modern humans in Europe between 56,800 and 51,700 years ago. This early modern human incursion in the Rhone Valley is associated with technologies unknown in any industry of that age outside Africa or the Levant. Mandrin documents the first alternating occupation of Neanderthals and modern humans, with a modern human fossil and associated Neronian lithic industry found stratigraphically between layers containing Neanderthal remains associated with Mousterian industries. Australian Research Council FT200100816, LabEx DHP LaScArBx-AAP1-2011, French National Research Agency (ANR) ANR-14-CE31, LabEx Djibouti LaScArBx-AAP5-2015, Australian Research Council FT200100816 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Many conversion technologies and processes for bioenergy generation from wastes have been reported and discussed in the previous chapters. These conversion technologies are being selected and applied depending on the type of wastes, chemical composition of the available waste and the desired energy vector. For example, anaerobic digestion (AD) is used for biogas production from mixed biological wastes with varied chemical compositions. Fermentation for bioethanol production is used for wastes that are rich in simple sugars and/or starch. Pyrolysis, combustion and gasification are used for crude bio-oil and/or syngas production from a wide range of wastes, especially those that contain high lignocellulosic compounds. These are environmentally friendly technologies for waste management and bioenergy production, but their economic feasibility is usually limited using a process of a single conversion route. Recent research and prospects suggested that integrating processes for bioenergy production from waste could increase the efficiency of the system in terms of economy, energy recovery and beneficial impact on the environment. This chapter discusses waste biorefinery as a recent trend towards circular bioeconomy. The chapter provides suggestions for future integrated systems for the simultaneous production of multiple energy vectors and high-value chemicals from different types of wastes. In the integrated system, the by-products from the first conversion process are used as substrates for the subsequent conversion process and so on. The importance of catalysis in offering flexibility in an integrated biorefinery system by providing novel routes and downstream environmental solutions for flue gas and exhaust gas cleaning was also covered in the chapter. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the role of models with bioenergy and biomass resource decision making, with focus on bioenergy from waste case studies. This includes assessment of the key issues that determine the economic feasibility and environmental impacts of feedstock choices and technology options. Also covering the social and political frameworks that will enable and drive transitions towards increased bioenergy from waste activities. The chapter presents policy case studies from the EU, China, USA and India, and highlights how social acceptance will be key to the success of any bioenergy from waste sector.

The workshop brought together 74 attendees representing stakeholders from academia, industry (including biomass suppliers, agricultural consultancies, and end-users), NGOs and government (with representation from the England, Scotland and Welsh governments). Attendees contributed comments and recommendation on three questions relating to land suitability, barriers to growth of the sector, and tools needed to support stakeholder decisions around deployment.

Over 60 years of nuclear activities have resulted in a global legacy of radioactive wastes, with uranium considered a key radionuclide in both disposal and contaminated land scenarios. With the understanding that U has been incorporated into a range of iron (oxyhydr)oxides, these minerals may be considered a secondary barrier to the migration of radionuclides in the environment. However, the long-term stability of U-incorporated iron (oxyhydr)oxides is largely unknown, with the end-fate of incorporated species potentially impacted by biogeochemical processes. In particular, studies show that significant electron transfer may occur between stable iron (oxyhydr)oxides such as goethite and adsorbed Fe(II). These interactions can also induce varying degrees of iron (oxyhydr)oxide recrystallization (90%). Here, the fate of U(VI)-incorporated goethite during exposure to Fe(II) was investigated using geochemical analysis and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Analysis of XAS spectra revealed that incorporated U(VI) was reduced to U(V) as the reaction with Fe(II) progressed, with minimal recrystallization (approximately 2%) of the goethite phase. These results therefore indicate that U may remain incorporated within goethite as U(V) even under iron-reducing conditions. This develops the concept of iron (oxyhydr)oxides acting as a secondary barrier to radionuclide migration in the environment.

Multi-objective optimization can help identify efficient and appealing designs of urban drainage systems. However, their application to large-scale problems is hindered by the computational cost of urban drainage simulation. We propose a novel disaggregation approach that allows simulating a portion of a drainage network while the remaining part is represented by a surrogate model that maps changes in the region of interest to hydraulic head time-series at synthetic nodes shared with the remaining part of the network. The proposed approach is demonstrated with an application to the many-objective optimization of sustainable urban drainage systems in two urban areas. The design problem’s decision variables include the types of sustainable drainage systems, their combination within a subcatchment, their surface areas and spatial distribution, whereas the objectives include the minimization of capital cost, flood volume, flood duration, and total suspended solids or average peak runoff. The results show that the proposed disaggregation-emulation approach can provide an accurate representation of the system dynamics while significantly reducing the computational time compared to a model that simulates the whole network dynamics. Two alternative surrogate models are considered based on multilayer perceptron (MLP) and generalized regression neural networks (GRNN). MLP is found to be more accurate compared to GRNN at the cost of a larger computational time for the training process.

Land–atmosphere interactions have an important influence on Amazon precipitation (P), but evaluation of these processes in climate models has so far been limited. We analysed relationships between Amazon P and evapotranspiration (ET) in the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project models to evaluate controls on surface moisture fluxes and assess the credibility of regional P projections. We found that only 13 out of 38 models captured an energy limitation on Amazon ET, in agreement with observations, while 20 models instead showed Amazon ET is limited by water availability. Models that misrepresented controls on ET over the historical period projected both large increases and decreases in Amazon P by 2100, likely amplified by unrealistic land–atmosphere interactions. In contrast, large future changes in annual and seasonal-scale Amazon P were suppressed in models that simulated realistic controls on ET, due to modulating land–atmosphere interactions. By discounting projections from models that simulated unrealistic ET controls, our analysis halved uncertainty in basin-wide future P change. The ensemble mean of plausible models showed a robust drying signal over the eastern Amazon and in the dry season, and P increases in the west. Finally, we showed that factors controlling Amazon ET evolve over time in realistic models, reducing climate stability and leaving the region vulnerable to further change.

Application of ancient DNA analysis and collagen fingerprinting offers new opportunities to understand the exploitation of cetaceans by human coastal communities by allowing identification of fragmentary and modified cetacean bone to species and or generic level. Analyses from Orkney and Shetland have identified presence of the grey whale at archeological sites in Scotland for the first time. This is the first confirmation that seas around Scotland were part of the grey whale range in the eastern North Atlantic.

There are important differences in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death depending on occupation. Infections in healthcare workers have received the most attention, and there are clearly increased risks for intensive care unit workers who are caring for COVID-19 patients. However, a number of other occupations may also be at an increased risk, particularly those which involve social care or contact with the public. A large number of data sets are available with the potential to assess occupational risks of COVID-19 incidence, severity, or mortality. We are reviewing these data sets as part of the Partnership for Research in Occupational, Transport, Environmental COVID Transmission (PROTECT) initiative, which is part of the National COVID-19 Core Studies. In this report, we review the data sets available (including the key variables on occupation and potential confounders) for examining occupational differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 incidence, severity and mortality. We also discuss the possible types of analyses of these data sets and the definitions of (occupational) exposure and outcomes. We conclude that none of these data sets are ideal, and all have various strengths and weaknesses. For example, mortality data suffer from problems of coding of COVID-19 deaths, and the deaths (in England and Wales) that have been referred to the coroner are unavailable. On the other hand, testing data is heavily biased in some periods (particularly the first wave) because some occupations (e.g. healthcare workers) were tested more often than the general population. Random population surveys are, in principle, ideal for estimating population prevalence and incidence, but are also affected by non-response. Thus, any analysis of the risks in a particular occupation or sector (e.g. transport), will require a careful analysis and triangulation of findings across the various available data sets.

New dams impact downstream ecosystems and water infrastructure; without cooperative and adaptive management, negative impacts can manifest. In large complex transboundary river basins without well codified operating rules and extensive historical data, it can be difficult to assess the benefits of cooperating, in particular in relation to new dams. This constitutes a barrier to harmonious development of river basins and could contribute to water conflict. This study proposes a generalised framework to assess the benefits of cooperation on the management of new dams in water resource systems that do not have formal sharing arrangements. Benefits are estimated via multi-criteria comparison of historical reservoir operations (usually relatively uncooperative) vs. adopting new cooperative rules which would achieve the best results for riparian countries as evaluated by a water resources simulator and its performance metrics. The approach is applied to the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam (PMD), which is being built in Ghana in the Volta river basin. The PMD could impact downstream ecosystems and infrastructure in Ghana and could itself be impacted by how the existing upstream Bagre Dam is managed in Burkina Faso. Results show that with cooperation Ghana and Burkina Faso could both increase energy production although some ecosystem services loss would need to be mitigated. The study confirms that cooperative rules achieve higher overall benefits compared to seeking benefits only for individual dams or countries.

The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River has triggered much debate between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the dam's effects. Once completed, the GERD will be Africa's largest hydropower plant. This study analyzes the implications of cooperative long-term operation of the GERD for Nile riverine flooding downstream of the dam. A daily river system model of the Eastern Nile is developed and used to examine how cooperative long-term operation of the GERD would affect the occurrence of three flood alarm levels (alert, critical, and flooding) in Sudan downstream of the dam. A reconnaissance-level flood inundation model is developed for the Nile within Khartoum State (Sudan's capital) to assess the GERD's impacts on the flood extent in the state based on simulated flows from the river system model. Assuming the GERD is operated to achieve a 90% power reliability and active upstream-downstream data sharing between Ethiopia and Sudan on the dam's daily outflows, results show that the GERD would reduce the occurrence of the three alarm levels. Based on 34 simulated river flow sequences, the proportion of years with at least one flooding alarm day at Khartoum Gage declined from 37% without the GERD to 11% with the GERD. Seasonal coordination and planning between Ethiopia and Sudan are necessary to mitigate the remaining riverine flood hazard. Although cooperative long-term operation of the GERD could play a positive role in reducing the riverine flood hazard in Sudan, the associated river flow alterations would adversely impact recession agriculture and the environment.

Water recycled through transpiring forests influences the spatial distribution of precipitation in the Amazon and has been shown to play a role in the initiation of the wet season. However, due to the challenges and costs associated with measuring evapotranspiration (ET) directly and high uncertainty in remote-sensing ET retrievals, the spatial and temporal patterns in Amazon ET remain poorly understood. In this study, we estimated ET over the Amazon and 10 sub-basins using a catchment-balance approach, whereby ET is calculated directly as the balance between precipitation, runoff, and change in groundwater storage. We compared our results with ET from remote-sensing datasets, reanalysis, models from Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects (CMIP5 and CMIP6 respectively), and in situ flux tower measurements to provide a comprehensive overview of current understanding. Catchment-balance analysis revealed a gradient in ET from east to west/southwest across the Amazon Basin, a strong seasonal cycle in basin-mean ET primarily controlled by net incoming radiation, and no trend in ET over the past 2 decades. This approach has a degree of uncertainty, due to errors in each of the terms of the water budget; therefore, we conducted an error analysis to identify the range of likely values. Satellite datasets, reanalysis, and climate models all tended to overestimate the magnitude of ET relative to catchment-balance estimates, underestimate seasonal and interannual variability, and show conflicting positive and negative trends. Only two out of six satellite and model datasets analysed reproduced spatial and seasonal variation in Amazon ET, and captured the same controls on ET as indicated by catchment-balance analysis. CMIP5 and CMIP6 ET was inconsistent with catchment-balance estimates over all scales analysed. Overall, the discrepancies between data products and models revealed by our analysis demonstrate a need for more ground-based ET measurements in the Amazon as well as a need to substantially improve model representation of this fundamental component of the Amazon hydrological cycle.

Throughout the last cold stage, the North Atlantic region was punctuated by abrupt climate shifts and atmospheric processes propagated their effects to adjacent continents. During Heinrich Stadials, the ocean was chilled by icebergs calved from the great ice sheets. The impact of multiple temperature and precipitation regime changes on Late Pleistocene mountain glaciers and landscape development is poorly understood. Here we analyse 1,118 cosmogenic exposure ages—spanning the last 100,000 years—from glacial landforms on three continents across the Mediterranean. We evaluate their geomorphological context and stratify the record by depositional setting and geographical region. The database includes 300 dated moraines. We show that, despite cold temperatures, Heinrich Stadial aridity caused negative glacier mass balance and repeatedly stalled glacier growth across the Mediterranean. In contrast, relatively warm and humid climates between Heinrich Stadials favoured positive glacier mass balance, resulting in region-wide glacier growth and moraine formation. Our analysis supports climate model simulations of repeated and widespread Heinrich Stadial aridity in the Mediterranean basin during the last cold stage. Heinrich Stadials also saw enhanced supply of coarse debris from valley sides. The cumulative geomorphological impact of these climate shifts saw the largest moraines form at the culmination of the glacial cycle. Mountain glacier growth around the Mediterranean repeatedly stalled during cold, dry Heinrich Stadials, according to an analysis of cosmogenic isotope-dated glacial landforms from across the region.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is expected to dou- ble Ethiopia’s electricity generation and impact River Nile flows to Sudan and Egypt. We analyse potential economy-wide impacts on Sudan of the GERD’s long-term operation using a computable general equilibrium model and outputs of previous studies from biophysical models. Based on a 20% increase in hydropower and an assumed rapid irrigation expansion timeline, the results show that the GERD could help increase Sudan's accumulated gross domestic product (GDP) by US$47-83 billion over the period 2020-60 (exclud- ing initial investment costs and other GERD negative and positive impacts). The choice of crops in new irrigation schemes is key to increasing Sudan’s macro-economic benefits.

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Food systems are significant sources of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Since emission intensity varies greatly between different foods, changing food choices towards those with lower GHGE could make an important contribution to mitigating climate change. Public engagement events offer an opportunity to communicate these multifaceted issues and raise awareness about the climate change impact of food choices. An interdisciplinary team of researchers was preparing food and climate change educational activities for summer 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown disrupted these plans. In this paper, we report on shifting these events online over the month of June 2020. We discuss what we did and the reception to our online programme. We then reflect on and highlight issues that arose. These relate to: (1) the power dynamics of children, diet and climate change; (2) mental health, diet and COVID-19; (3) engaging the wider science, agriculture and food communities; (4) the benefits of being unfunded and the homemade nature of this programme; (5) the food system, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and diversity; and (6) how our work fits into our ongoing journey of food and climate change education. STFC Food Network+; N8 AgriFood Resilience Programme; Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund. Grant Number: 204796/Z/16/Z; STFC. Grant Number: ST/S003320/1; Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Grant Number: NE/R007160/1.

Decay experiments have the potential to provide useful analogues in the interpretation of archaeological remains. Previous studies have focused on how physical properties or processing methods can influence fish bone distributions within archaeological sites. However, the means by which intrinsic chemical properties of fish bone, such as baseline collagen type I [‘collagen (I)’] chemistry, may affect both biomolecule and whole bone degradation has not been the focus of any prior study. The variation of facies and resulting impact on taphonomy is not a new concept, but an understanding of the discrete relationship between temperature and the breakdown of collagen (I) in bone material has not been well explored. Here, modern fish bone powder is subjected to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and water-immersed heat experiments. This is to test whether taxa with less thermally stable collagen (I) configurations, such as cold-water species with reduced proline and hydroxyproline concentrations (Pro+Hyp), will generate collagen breakdown products (TOC and TN) more rapidly than those with more thermally stable arrangements, such as warm-water fish with typically increased Pro+Hyp. Our results show that bone collagen (I) in the cold-water fish species in this study (cod and herring with lower Pro+Hyp concentrations) display significantly increased decomposition rates than collagen (I) from the warm-water fishes in this study (amberjack and tilapia with higher Pro+Hyp concentrations), given the same experimental conditions (heating in water at 75 °C for up to eight days). Initial reaction rate estimates, based on TOC and TN product concentrations, suggest that cod bone (15.6% Pro+Hyp) reacts ~9 times faster than tilapia bone (20.3% Pro+Hyp). We suggest that the primary influencer of collagen (I) stability in bone is the concentration of Pro+Hyp residues and not a function of physical bone structure. Our results suggest that a reduction in collagen (I) stability is likely to lead to a decrease in whole bone stability following deposition, due to the intimate association between organic and inorganic phases of bone. Therefore, species composition based upon bone remains may vary in archaeological and palaeontological sites, as a function of the thermal stability of collagen (I).

Background There are few robust natural experimental studies of improving urban green spaces on physical activity and wellbeing. The aim of this controlled natural experimental study was to examine the impact of green space improvements along an urban canal on canal usage, physical activity and two other wellbeing behaviours (social interactions and taking notice of the environment) among adults in Greater Manchester, UK. The intervention included resurfaced footpaths, removal of encroaching vegetation, improved entrances, new benches and signage. Methods Two comparison sites were matched to the intervention site using a systematic five-step process, based on eight correlates of physical activity at the neighbourhood (e.g. population density) and site (e.g. lighting) levels. Outcomes were assessed using systematic observations at baseline, and 7, 12 and 24 months post-baseline. The primary outcome was the change in the number of people using the canal path from baseline to 12 months. Other outcomes were changes in physical activity levels (Sedentary, Walking, Vigorous), Connect and Take Notice behaviours. Data were analysed using multilevel mixed-effects negative binomial regression models, comparing outcomes in the intervention group with the matched comparison group, controlling for day, time of day and precipitation. A process evaluation assessed potential displacement of activity from a separate existing canal path using intercept surveys and observations. Results The total number of people observed using the canal path at the intervention site increased more than the comparison group at 12 months post-baseline (IRR 2.10, 95% CI 1.79–2.48); there were similar observed increases at 7 and 24 months post-baseline. There was some evidence that the intervention brought about increases in walking and vigorous physical activity, social interactions, and people taking notice of the environment. The process evaluation suggested that there was some displacement of activity, but the intervention also encouraged existing users to use the canal more often. Conclusions Urban canals are promising settings for interventions to encourage green space usage and potentially increase physical activity and other wellbeing behaviours. Interventions that improve access to green corridors along canals and provide separate routes for different types of physical activities may be particularly effective and warrant further research. Study protocol Study protocol published in Open Science Framework in July 2018 before the first follow-up data collection finished (https://osf.io/zcm7v). Date of registration: 28 June 2018.

After a 30-year hiatus, large-scale irrigation projects have returned to the development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the magnitude and drivers of past schemes’ performance remains poorly understood. We quantify the performance, measured as the proportion of proposed irrigated area delivered, of 79 irrigation schemes from across SSA by comparing planning documents with estimates of current scheme size from satellite-derived land-cover maps. We find overwhelming evidence that investments have failed to deliver promised benefits, with schemes supporting a median 16% of proposed area, only 20 (25%) delivering >80% and 16 (20%) completely inactive. Performance has not improved over six decades and we find limited relationships with commonly stated causes of failure such as scheme size and climate. We attribute these findings to political and management frameworks underpinning irrigation development in SSA. First, an emphasis on national food security promotes low-value crops, reducing economic viability. Second, proposals are unrealistically large, driven by optimism bias and political incentives. Finally, centralized bureaucracies lack the technical expertise, local knowledge and financial resources to ensure long-term maintenance. Our findings highlight the need for greater learning from past investments’ outcomes if improvements in agricultural productivity and water security across SSA are to be realized. Satellite-based measures of the area irrigated by 79 schemes find a median of only 16% of the proposed area supplied. A quarter deliver over 80% of the proposed area and a fifth are inactive.

In the face of rapid growth in the global demands for water, energy, and food, building large dams is expected to continue. Due to its potential opportunities and risks for the people of the Eastern Nile Basin, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River has commanded regional and international attention. Once completed, it will rank the largest hydropower dam in Africa and among the largest worldwide. Discourse among scientists and negotiators from Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the design, initial filling, and long-term operation of the GERD is ongoing since the construction started in 2011, but no agreement has yet been reached. The discourse has hitherto focused on the impacts on hydropower production, water availability, and irrigated agriculture, with little attention to the dam’s potential environmental impacts. Here, we communicate our viewpoint on this gap, drawing on knowledge from other dams around the world and some GERD characteristics. The hydrological alterations associated with the GERD could adversely impact fish, aquatic plants, and biodiversity in the downstream due to possible changes in water temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. The GERD’s expected flooded area, location at low latitude in the tropics, and the deep turbine intakes could intensify greenhouse gas emissions, whereas the dam’s high reservoir depth would abate the emissions. The dam’s electricity could also reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions if combined with cleaner intermittent solar and wind energy sources. With a maximum reservoir area of 1904 km2, surface evaporation and consequently local extreme precipitation and humidity could increase. The aforementioned impacts could have transboundary ecological, agricultural, and health implications and, therefore, should be taken into consideration alongside the benefits of the dam.

Despite the long-lasting and widespread drought in the Sahel, flood events did punctuate in the past. The concern about floods remains dwarf on the international research and policy agenda compared to droughts. In this paper, we elucidate that floods in the Sahel are now becoming more frequent, widespread, and more devastating. We analyzed gridded daily rainfall data over the period 1981–2020, used photographs and satellite images to depict flood areas and threats, compiled and studied flood-related statistics over the past two decades, and supported the results with peer-reviewed literature. Our analysis revealed that the timing of the maximum daily rainfall occurs from the last week of July to mid-August in the Eastern Sahel, but from the last week of July to the end of August in the Western Sahel. In 2019 and 2020, flash and riverine floods took their toll in Sudan and elsewhere in the region in terms of the number of affected people, direct deaths, destroyed and damaged houses and croplands, contaminated water resources, and disease outbreaks and deaths. Changes in rainfall intensity, human interventions in the physical environment, and poor urban planning play a major role in driving catastrophic floods. Emphasis should be put on understanding flood causes and impacts on vulnerable societies, controlling water-borne diseases, and recognizing the importance of compiling relevant and reliable flood information. Extreme rainfall in this dry region could be an asset for attenuating the regional water scarcity status if well harvested and managed. We hope this paper will induce the hydroclimate scholars to carry out more flood studies for the Sahel. It is only then encumbered meaningful opportunities for flood risk management can start to unveil.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River will double Ethiopia’s electricity generation and reduce the Nile flow to Sudan and Egypt during reservoir filling. We argue that multi-country negotiations over the initial filling and long-term operation of the GERD reservoir should not overlook key dam engineering features.

The presentation of posters at scientific conferences to visually represent research projects is a widespread international practice. The main purpose of this paper is to offer reflections relating to posters as visual representations of research studies conducted by PhD candidates. As the basis for our reflections, we consider the main purposes and intended learning outcomes linked to posters and reflect on some of the design and assessment issues associated with the multi-faceted purposes of posters in contexts such as postgraduate research conferences. Notably, the paper includes a set of illustrative vignettes written by a group of PhD students from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Manchester who were required to design and exhibit posters at an annually held postgraduate research conference. This reflexive dialogue raises a series of issues for consideration by those who are actively involved with the design, presentation, observation and assessment of posters produced by PhD candidates.

Understanding the interactions of graphene oxide (GO)-based materials with biological systems is critical due to the potential applications of these materials. Here, we investigate the extent to which single- to few-layer GO sheets of different controlled lateral dimensions translocate from the nose to the brain following intranasal instillation. We explore tissue location and in vivo biodegradability of the translocated materials using various techniques. Mass spectrometry and confocal Raman analyses indicate that trace amounts of GO undergo nose-to-brain translocation in a size-dependent manner. The smallest GO-sheet size category (us-GO, 10-550 nm) gains the greatest access to the brain in terms of quantity and coverage. Confocal Raman mapping and immunofluorescence combinations show that in vivo, us-GO resides in association with microglia. Point-and-shoot Raman spectroscopy shows that trace quantities of us-GO are maintained over 1 month, but undergo biodegradation-related changes. This study adds to growing awareness regarding the fate of graphene-based materials in biological systems., This work was partially supported by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UKRI EPSRC) NowNano Centre for Doctoral Training programs (EP/K016946/1 and EP/M010619/1), and the European Union (EU) 7th and 8th Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, Graphene Flagship project (FP7-ICT-2013-FET-F-604391 and H2020-FET-696656–Graphene Core 1). We gratefully acknowledge the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the International Center for Frontier Research in Chemistry (icFRC), and financial support from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) through the LabEx project Chemistry of Complex Systems (ANR-10-LABX-0026_CSC).

An accurate understanding of biodiversity of the past is critical for contextualizing biodiversity patterns and trends in the present. Emerging techniques are refining our ability to decipher otherwise cryptic human-mediated species translocations across the Quaternary, yet these techniques are often used in isolation, rather than part of an interdisciplinary hypothesis-testing toolkit, limiting their scope and application. Here we illustrate the use of such an integrative approach and report the occurrence of North America’s largest terrestrial mammalian carnivore, the short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, from Daisy Cave (CA-SMI-261), an important early human occupation site on the California Channel Islands. We identified the specimen by corroborating morphological, protein, and mitogenomic lines of evidence, and evaluated the potential natural and anthropogenic mechanisms of its transport and deposition. While representing just a single specimen, our combination of techniques opened a window into the behavior of an enigmatic species, suggesting that A. simus was a wide-ranging scavenger utilizing terrestrial and marine carcasses. This discovery highlights the utility of bridging archaeological and paleontological datasets to disentangle complex biogeographic scenarios and reveal unexpected biodiversity for island systems worldwide.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs) are still considered among the most important groups of contaminants in the food chain. Self-control by food producers and official control by authorities are important activities that allow contaminant sources to be traced and promote further reduction in food and feed levels. Strict but feasible maximum levels were set by the EU Commission for food and feed to support this strategy, as well as action levels and thresholds. When products exceed these levels, it is important to trace the source of contamination and take measures to remove it. Congener patterns of PCDD/Fs and PCBs differ between sources and are important tools for source identification. Therefore, patterns associated with different sources and incidents relating to various feed matrices and certain agricultural chemicals were collated from published scientific papers, with additional ones available from some laboratories. The collection was evaluated for completeness by presentations at workshops and conferences. Primary sources appear to derive from 5 categories, i) by-products from production of organochlorine chemicals (e.g. PCBs, chlorophenols, chlorinated pesticides, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)), ii) the result of combustion of certain materials and accidental fires, iii) the use of inorganic chlorine, iv) recycling/production of certain minerals, and v) certain naturally occurring clays (ball clay, kaolinite). A decision tree was developed to assist in the identification of the source.

Reservoir operations often require balancing among several water uses. Despite the non-consumptive nature of hydropower, conflicts exist between irrigation and hydropower due to a demand seasonality mismatch. Hydropower operations are scheduled as part of a large-scale power grid, whereas irrigation decisions takes place at a smaller scale, most often the river basin. Balancing these water uses should involve a co-optimization at the power grid level, integrating all basins contributing hydropower to the grid. However, grid-wide co-optimization is not always possible due, for instance, to separate regulatory settings between water uses. For those cases, we propose a basin-wide co-optimization approach that integrates two decision scales—power grid and river basin— into a hydro-economic model. Water for irrigation is usually allocated by water rights or binding contracts, represented as constraints on grid-wide power operation models. We propose a water allocation scheme that integrates monthly marginal benefits of water for irrigation and hydropower at the basin level. Monthly water demand functions for irrigation are developed using an agricultural economic model, and marginal benefits of hydropower production are derived from a cost-minimization, grid-wide power scheduling model. Results for 50 inflow scenarios show that the proposed basin-wide co-optimization provides an economically sound operation. Total benefits from water use in the basin are on average 2.5% higher than those obtained under mandatory irrigation. Moreover, expected benefits under co-optimization are 5.4% and 1.8% higher for irrigated agriculture and hydropower, respectively, alleviating the conflicts between water uses in the basin.

The limited thermal and water stability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) often restricts their applications in conventional catalysis involving thermal treatment and/or use of water. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technique that can overcome barriers in conventional catalysis. Here we report an example of NTP-activated water-gas shift reaction (WGSR) over a MOF (HKUST-1). Significantly, the exceptional stability of HKUST-1 has been sustained under NTP activation and in the presence of water, leading to a high specific rate of 8.8 h−1. We found that NTP-induced water dissociation has a two-fold promotion effect in WGSR, facilitating WGSR by supplying OH, and sustaining the stability and hence activity of HKUST-1. In situ characterisation of HKUST-1 revealed the critical role of open Cu sites in the binding of substrate molecules. This study paves the way for utilising MOFs for a wider range of catalysis.

A simple, cost-effective liquid sample holder to perform single live cell analysis under an IR microscope. Synchrotron radiation Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (SR-microFTIR) of live biological cells has the potential to provide far greater biochemical and morphological detail than equivalent studies using dehydrated, chemically-fixed single cells. Attempts to measure live cells using microFTIR are complicated by the aqueous environment required and corresponding strong infrared absorbance by water. There is also the additional problem of the limited lifetime of the cells outside of their preferred culture environment. In this work, we outline simple, cost-effective modifications to a commercially available liquid sample holder to perform single live cell analysis under an IR microscope and demonstrate cell viability up to at least 24 hours. A study using this system in which live cells have been measured at increasing temperature has shown spectral changes in protein bands attributed to α–β transition, consistent with other published work, and proves the ability to simultaneously induce and measure biochemical changes. An additional study of deuterated palmitic acid (D 31 -PA) uptake at different timepoints has made use of over 200 individual IR spectra collected over ∼4 hours, taking advantage of the ability to maintain viable cell samples for longer periods of time in the measurement environment, and therefore acquire greatly increased numbers of spectra without compromising on spectral quality. Further developments of this system are planned to widen the range of possible experiments, and incorporate more complex studies, including drug–cell interaction.

Recent advances in mobile technologies, especially in the utility payment space, are having an increasingly profound impact on our daily lives and offer advantageous services in the utility sectors. This paper examines the prevalence and patterns of customer uptake of an electronic water payment (EWP) system and its implications for water delivery in the Tema Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Data for the study comprised a survey of 250 utility customers and the review of a 12-month water use and customer payment database from a water supply company. Results indicate that although customers were aware of EWP&rsquo, s existence, overall uptake was very low. EWP awareness and intention to use EWP were not significantly associated with customers&rsquo, gender, phone/mobile money ownership, educational status, and water usage. However, age, employment status, income, and means of receiving monthly bills were found to be statistically different in relation to the awareness of EWP. These findings offer several implications for water service and utility providers to market mobile payment solutions and to increase the consumer uptake of these services and payment options.

In June last year, the UK Parliament passed newlegislation on the advice of the Committee on ClimateChange, which I chair. It commits the UK to reduceits greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Thepledges which have followed signal a clear ambition fromlocal authorities, businesses and academic institutions tocome together to help meet this vital goal.Targets alone, however, are only an intention. Theyrequire policies, informed by the best available evidence,largely set by government, to deliver the UK’s net zerotransition over the next 30 years. The scale of action, andthe level of coordination that entails across the publicand private sectors, is challenging. Achieving net zero isa must for our planet, but the shift away from fossil fuelswill also modernise our economy, and bring cleaner air,more nutritious diets, new industries, and jobs.There is much work to do. Industries and businessesmust have long-term signals that encourage them toinvest in zero-carbon options. Partnerships will beneeded across industry, academia, government and thethird sector to ensure new skills are developed to createa net zero compatible workforce. Similar collaborationis needed to deliver innovative solutions to some of thethorniest challenges we face, such as how to capture andstore large amounts of CO2.Involving the public in the many changes ahead iscritical. The net zero transition will not go unnoticed aswe shift to lower-carbon forms of heating in our homes,as we opt for electric rather than petrol and dieselvehicles, as we choose to walk and cycle more.That all begins this year, in the year of climateaction. The private sector, academia, NGOs andgovernment must come together to ensure that the UK’sleadership on climate change is clear as we host thepivotal UN Climate Summit in November in Glasgow.is is our chance to show the world that we are seriousabout righting the wrongs of the past. It’s an opportunitywe must seize.

Community energy projects take a decentralized and participatory approach to low-carbon energy. Here we present a quantitative analysis of business models, financing mechanisms and financial performance of UK community energy projects, based on a new survey. We find that business models depend on technology, project size and the fine-tuning of operations to local contexts. Although larger projects rely more on loans, community shares are the most common and cheapest financial instrument in the sector. Community energy has pioneered low-cost citizen finance for renewables, but its future is threatened by reductions, and instability, in policy support. Over 90% of the projects in our sample make a financial surplus during our single-year snapshot, but this falls to just 20% if we remove income from price guarantee mechanisms, such as the Feed-in Tariff scheme. Renewed support and/or business model innovations are therefore needed for the sector to realize its potential contribution to the low-carbon energy transition. Community energy is a promising alternative to large-scale energy provision that could support decarbonization efforts. This study analyses business models, financing mechanisms and the financial performance of community energy projects in the UK to understand what is needed to better support the sector.

The formation of secondary particles in the atmosphere accounts for more than half of global cloud condensation nuclei. Experiments at the CERN CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets) chamber have underlined the importance of ions for new particle formation, but quantifying their effect in the atmosphere remains challenging. By using a novel instrument setup consisting of two nanoparticle counters, one of them equipped with an ion filter, we were able to further investigate the ion-related mechanisms of new particle formation. In autumn 2015, we carried out experiments at CLOUD on four systems of different chemical compositions involving monoterpenes, sulfuric acid, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia. We measured the influence of ions on the nucleation rates under precisely controlled and atmospherically relevant conditions. Our results indicate that ions enhance the nucleation process when the charge is necessary to stabilize newly formed clusters, i.e., in conditions in which neutral clusters are unstable. For charged clusters that were formed by ion-induced nucleation, we were able to measure, for the first time, their progressive neutralization due to recombination with oppositely charged ions. A large fraction of the clusters carried a charge at 1.5 nm diameter. However, depending on particle growth rates and ion concentrations, charged clusters were largely neutralized by ion–ion recombination before they grew to 2.5 nm. At this size, more than 90 % of particles were neutral. In other words, particles may originate from ion-induced nucleation, although they are neutral upon detection at diameters larger than 2.5 nm. Observations at Hyytiälä, Finland, showed lower ion concentrations and a lower contribution of ion-induced nucleation than measured at CLOUD under similar conditions. Although this can be partly explained by the observation that ion-induced fractions decrease towards lower ion concentrations, further investigations are needed to resolve the origin of the discrepancy., published version, peerReviewed

Safety assessment of graphene‐based materials (GBMs) including graphene oxide (GO) is essential for their safe use across many sectors of society. In particular, the link between specific material properties and biological effects needs to be further elucidated. Here, the effects of lateral dimensions of GO sheets in acute and chronic pulmonary responses after single intranasal instillation in mice are compared. Micrometer‐sized GO induces stronger pulmonary inflammation than nanometer‐sized GO, despite reduced translocation to the lungs. Genome‐wide RNA sequencing also reveals distinct size‐dependent effects of GO, in agreement with the histopathological results. Although large GO, but not the smallest GO, triggers the formation of granulomas that persists for up to 90 days, no pulmonary fibrosis is observed. These latter results can be partly explained by Raman imaging, which evidences the progressive biotransformation of GO into less graphitic structures. The findings demonstrate that lateral dimensions play a fundamental role in the pulmonary response to GO, and suggest that airborne exposure to micrometer‐sized GO should be avoided in the production plant or applications, where aerosolized dispersions are likely to occur. These results are important toward the implementation of a safer‐by‐design approach for GBM products and applications, for the benefit of workers and end‐users., This work was supported by the European Commission through the Future Emerging Technologies (FET) Graphene Flagship project (grant agreement no. 696656). This work was also partly supported by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), by the International Center for Frontier Research in Chemistry (icFRC) and by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) through the LabEx project Chemistry of Complex Systems (ANR‐10‐LABX‐0026_CSC). A.F.R. wishes to acknowledge a studentship from the UKRI‐ Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in the Science and Applications of Graphene and Related Nanomaterials (GrapheneNOWNANO CDT; EP/L01548X/1). LN is indebted to EPSRC for his studentship in the framework of the UKRI‐EPSRC‐funded North West Nanoscience Doctoral Training Centre (NOWNANO DTC; EP/G03737X/1).

220 p.-4 fig.-37 tab.-15 fig. compl.-16 tab. compl.-2 tab. append., The European Commission asked EFSA for a scientific opinion on the risks for animal and human health related to the presence of chlorinated paraffins in feed and food. The data for experimental animals were reviewed and the CONTAM Panel identified the liver, kidney and thyroid as the target organs for the SCCP and MCCP mixtures tested in repeated dose toxicity studies. Decreased pup survival and subcutaneous haematoma/haemorrhage were also identified as critical effects for an MCCP mixture. For the LCCP mixtures tested, the liver was identified as the target organ. The Panel selected as reference points a BMDL10 of 2.3 mg/kg bw per day for increased incidence of nephritis in male rats, and of 36 mg/kg bw per day for increased relative kidney weights in male and female rats for SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively. For LCCPs, a reference point relevant for humans could not be identified. Due to the limitations in the toxicokinetic and toxicological database, the Panel concluded that derivation of a health-based guidance value was not appropriate. Only limited data on the occurrence of SCCPs and MCCPs in some fish species were submitted to EFSA. No data were submitted for LCCPs. Thus, a robust exposure assessment and consequently a complete risk characterisation could not be performed. A preliminary risk characterisation based only on the consumption of fish was performed, and the calculated margins of exposure suggested no health concern for this limited scenario. The Panel noted that dietary exposure will be higher due to the contribution of CPs from other foods. The Panel was not able to identify reference points for farm animals, horses and companion animals. No occurrence data for feed were submitted to EFSA.Therefore, no risk characterisation could be performed for any of these animal species., The Panel wishes to thank the hearing expert: Kerstin Krätschmer and EFSA staff member: Kelly Niermans for the support provided to this scientific output. The CONTAM Panel acknowledges all European competent institutions and other stakeholders that provided occurrence data in food and human milk and data on the toxicity of CPs, and supported the data collection for the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database.

The hydrocracking of squalane and low density polyethylene (LDPE) into low molecular weight hydrocarbons has been demonstrated with the use of bifunctional zeolite catalysts, Pt-impregnated USY and Beta, with selectivity toward isomers of C4–C6 alkanes. Quantification of liquid and gaseous products via GC-FID and GC-MS demonstrated that appropriate catalyst selection can yield >95% conversion of polymer to fluid products at mild reaction conditions of 330 °C and 20 bar of H2 and short reaction times of