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In this Stories piece, Josh Smalley, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Leicester and finalist of The Great British Bake Off, discusses the parallels between chemistry and baking, revealing how he successfully combines the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is at the forefront of all research carried out at University of Leicester. There are three main groups contributing to the surface finishing effort: the Centre for Sustainable Materials Processing, the Mechanics of Materials research group and Space Park Leicester; however many collaborations occur across the institution and with industrial partners, including the Materials Innovation Centre with TWI Ltd. The ongoing projects vary across a range of themes, from forensic science to batteries and energy storage. This work aims to give a brief overview of the research groups, centres and institutes, and highlights some relevant projects that fall within the scope of Transactions of the IMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite-based estimations of dry-air column-averaged mixing ratios of methane (XCH4) contribute to a better understanding of changes in CH4 emission sources and variations in its atmospheric growth rates. High accuracy of the satellite measurements is required, and therefore, extensive validation is performed, mainly against the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). However, validation opportunities at open-ocean areas outside the coastal regions are sparse. We propose a new approach to assess the accuracy of satellite-derived XCH4 trends and variations. We combine various ship and aircraft observations with the help of atmospheric chemistry models, mainly used for the stratospheric column, to derive observation-based XCH4 (obs. XCH4). Based on our previously developed approach for the application to XCO2 , we investigated three different advancements, from a simple approach to more elaborate approaches (approaches 1, 2, and 3), to account for the higher tropospheric and stratospheric variability in CH4 as compared to CO2. Between 2014 and 2018, at 20–40° N of the western Pacific, we discuss the uncertainties in the approaches and the derived obs. XCH4 within 10° by 20° latitude–longitude boxes. Uncertainties were 22 ppb (parts per billion) for approach 1, 20 ppb for approach 2, and 16 ppb for approach 3. We analyzed the consistency with the nearest TCCON stations and found agreement of approach 3 with Saga of 1±12 ppb and -1±11 ppb with Tsukuba for the northern and southern latitude box, respectively. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of the modeled stratospheric column on the derived obs. XCH4 by applying three different models in our approaches. Depending on the models, the difference can be more than 12 ppb (0.6 %), showing the importance for the appropriate choice. We show that our obs. XCH4 dataset accurately captures seasonal variations in CH4 over the ocean. Using different retrievals of the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) from the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), the RemoTeC full-physics retrieval operated at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), and the full-physics retrieval of the University of Leicester (UoL-OCFP), we demonstrate the applicability of the dataset for satellite evaluation. The comparison with results of approach 3 revealed that NIES showed a difference of - 0.04 ± 13 ppb and strong scatter at 20–30° N, while RemoTeC and OCFP have a rather systematic negative bias of - 12.1 ± 8.1 and - 10.3 ± 9.6 ppb. Our new approach to derive XCH4 reference datasets over the ocean can contribute to the validation of existing and upcoming satellite missions in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future famous geneticist Prof. Yuri Dubrova (1955–2023) was born in Kyiv (Ukraine), where he received excellent secondary and higher education and was awarded with a gold medal upon graduating from school. Eventually, he became one of the best graduates of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at the Faculty of Biology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. His interests included theoretical biology, evolutionary theory, genetics, biometrics, and bionics (for some time he studied the lateral lineage of cyprinid fishes). In his last years at the university, he focused on the study of spontaneous mutations. At the Vavilov Institute of General Genetics in Moscow, Y. Dubrova continued his post-graduate studies and successfully defended his PhD thesis. After the collapse of the USSR, he moved to the UK in search of better scientific and technical opportunities, where he became a professor at the University of Leicester. The scientist lived and worked in Leicester until the end of his life. He devoted himself fully to science, especially to radiation, medical and population genetics, and to teaching, and tried to participate in the study of highly complex medical and genetic issues related, in particular, to the consequences of man-made disasters—Chornobyl (Ukraine, Belarus), Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan)—and other cases of large-scale radiation effects on life. Dr. Dubrova is the author and co-author of more than 150 scientific articles published in leading journals, including the American Journal of Human Genetics, International Journal of Radiation Biology, Radiation Research, Molecular Biology and Evolution, International Journal of Cancer, British Journal of Cancer, Science, and Nature. He co-operated with many of the world’s leading geneticists and gave lectures in Ukraine, Russia, the USA, Canada, Japan, etc. The article uses fragments of the author’s long correspondence with Y. Dubrova, which may be of interest to biographers of F. Dobrzhansky, M. Tymofeiev-Resovsky, O. Sozinov, O. Yablokov, O. Kistiakowsky, as well as to students, teachers, and historians of Kyiv National University, Kaniv Nature Reserve, and the University of Leicester.

The article delves into the de-internationalization of entrepreneurial SMEs, examining both internal factors like marketing capabilities and external factors such as institutional pressures and geopolitical shocks. By utilizing a mathematical model, the study uncovers the intricate relationships between these factors and identifies different modes of de-internationalization. The research underscores the significance of innovation, market readiness, and geopolitical conditions in SME decision-making processes, offering valuable insights for SMEs navigating global markets. Additionally, the document features research articles on decision-making models, digital transformation, technological capabilities, and MNE performance, showcasing the expertise of key researchers in international business, business analytics, and strategic marketing management. [Extracted from the article]

This introduction explains the origins, aims and scope of this thematic issue on Displacement, Memory and the Visual Arts: Second-Generation (Jewish) Artists, which builds on a symposium held at the University of Leicester in May 2021. It offers a discussion of key perspectives on the notions of 'second generation' and 'postmemory' within the visual arts, followed by an overview of the contributions to the publication. The article then identifies and analyses a number of key threads and themes in the volume, including issues of belated memory, the uses by artists of archival images and documents, their engagement with space and embodiment, and the role of art in memory transmission. These discussions serve as a basis for an examination of how postmemory in the visual arts opens up possibilities for considering the relationships of second-generation artists to the past, and, more widely, revisiting contemporary understanding and remembrances of the Holocaust and its aftermath. Keywords: archives, artists, belated memory, place, postmemory, second generation, space, visual arts, This special issue is dedicated to the memory of Dr Jutta Vinzent (1968-2021). Jutta was an influential scholar in the field of exile studies and an expert on refugee and [...]

Satellite based estimations of dry-air column-average mixing ratios of methane (XCH4) contribute to a better understanding of changes in CH4 emission sources and variations in its atmospheric growth rates. High accuracy of the satellite measurements is required, and therefore, extensive validation is performed, mainly against the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). However, validation opportunities at open ocean areas outside the coastal regions are sparse. We propose a new approach to assess the accuracy of satellite derived XCH4 trends and variations. We combine various ship and aircraft observations with the help of atmospheric chemistry models, mainly used for the stratospheric column, to derive observation-based XCH4 (obs. XCH4). Based on our previously developed approach for the application to XCO2, we investigated 3 different advancements from a simple to more elaborate approaches (approach 1, 2, and 3) to account for the higher tropospheric and stratospheric variability of CH4 as compared to CO2. Between 2014–2018, at 20–40° N of the western Pacific, we discuss the uncertainties of the approaches and the derived obs. XCH4 within 10° by 20° latitude–longitude boxes. Uncertainties were 22 ppb for approach 1, and 17 ppb for approach 2 and 3. We analysed the consistency with the nearest TCCON stations and found agreement of approach 3 with Saga of 1 ± 12 ppb, and −1 ± 11 ppb with Tsukuba for the northern and southern latitude box, respectively. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of the modelled stratospheric column on the derived obs. XCH4 by applying 3 different models in our approaches. Depending on the models, the difference can be more than 0.5 %, showing the importance for the appropriate choice. We show that our obs. XCH4 dataset accurately captures seasonal variations of CH4 over the ocean. Using different retrievals of the Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) from the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), the RemoTeC full-physics retrieval operated at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), and the full-physics retrieval of the University of Leicester (UoL-OCFP), we demonstrate the applicability of the dataset for satellite evaluation. The comparison with results of approach 3 revealed that NIES showed a difference of −0.04 ± 13 ppb and strong scatter at 20–30° N, while RemoTeC and OCFP have rather systematic negative bias of −12.1 ± 8.1 ppb and −10.3 ± 9.6 ppb. Our new approach to derive XCH4 reference datasets over the ocean can contribute to the validation of existing and upcoming satellite missions in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]