Kinetic of desorption in chemisorption heat pump technology for solar thermal energy storage

In this research, the kinetics of the desorption process within chemisorption heat pump systems are studied, particularly for storing thermal energy. Chemisorption heat pumps, recognised for their heating and cooling capabilities, have recently been explored for their potential in energy storage. This technology stands out for its ability to function as seasonal energy storage by harnessing solar energy. A key aspect under investigation is the behaviour of the desorption process of adsorbent and the release of ammonia for storage. This study employs a mixture of strontium chloride (SrCl2) and expanded graphite as a composite material. It examined the reactor's kinetics and the heat dissipation within a single core of the reactor, noting that approximately four minutes are required for the heat to fully dissipate in a single core. Its operation at temperatures ranging from 76 °C to 101 °C was studied, which desorbed 1.4 kg of ammonia within 35 to 110 min. Additionally, a solar heat source in a scenario to power the system was investigated, which reveals a surface energy density of 2.5 kWh/m2 and a levelised cost of energy of £0.375/kWh over a 30-year life-cycle. This cost is 2.5 times higher than that of conventional air–water heat pumps

Advocating distinct regulatory paths for embryos and embryo-like structures

Human embryo-like structures (ELSs) are novel entities emulating aspects of embryogenesis to advance understanding of early human life and enable future clinical applications. ELSs frequently fall into a regulatory gap: the laws that govern embryo research do not commonly apply, but nor are there bespoke regulatory schemes. There is international consensus that the gap must be addressed, but disagreement as to when and how this should be achieved. To date ELSs model embryos, mimicking aspects of embryonic development. In 2024 a UK Nuffield Council on Bioethics report recommended that these `stem cell-based embryo models' should be regulated separately to embryos. Building on this report, this paper considers a subset of ELSs that may in future lose their model status because they replicate rather than model embryos. Distinguishing between models and replicas it considers what circumstances, in the UK and internationally, would require regulation as an embryo, the circumstances in which replicas might justifiably be regulated separately to embryos and why maintaining distinct regulatory paths for embryos and ELSs is beneficial

Recent advances in proteomic workflows to interrogate the SUMOylome in plants

Protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) are vital for regulating protein functions. SUMOylation, a PTM essential for plant survival, involves attaching a Small Ubiquitin‐like MOdifier (SUMO) to lysine residues of target proteins. SUMOylation influences stress tolerance, cell proliferation, protein stability, and gene expression. While well studied in mammals and yeast, SUMOylation studies in plants are scarce, as the identification of SUMOylated proteins and the specific modification sites is challenging. Deciphering the plant SUMOylome is essential for understanding stress response mechanisms. Advanced proteomic techniques are necessary to map these complex protein modifications. This article offers insights into the workflows employed for probing the SUMOylome. We analyze how current technological approaches have advanced our understanding of SUMOylation and highlight limitations that currently impede comprehensive mapping of SUMO signaling pathways

Manoeuvring rural mobility policy for active and sustainable travel

Promoting “slow mobilities” and low carbon transport alternatives, through supporting active and sustainable travel (AST, including walking, cycling, wheeling, and public transport), is a priority for both public health and net zero strategies. Using a situational analysis drawing on local and national documents and stakeholder interviews, we explore the policy ecology of local authority ambitions and practices for creating and implementing AST policy for rural communities. These are shaped by national agendas and messaging, as well as local concerns. Our analysis identified the ways in which stakeholders manoeuvre the friction points that inform, constrain, and shape the production and implementation of AST policy in the South West (SW) and North East (NE) of England. The marginality of rural concerns is reflected in a scarcity of funding, sitting alongside volatility in local and national decision making. Local contestation arises from these conditions, as turbulence in national government messaging shapes (and is shaped by) public and private responses to AST schemes. These friction points were found to operate on, and intersect at, different scales, requiring formal strategic and opportunistic tactical manoeuvres by those creating and implementing local policies, who are both bound by these forces, and work to challenge, resist and facilitate them whilst managing contestation from communities and stakeholders. This study on AST policymaking contributes to broader literature across various disciplines on “slow mobilities” by offering a policy-oriented perspective. Our findings highlight that creating and implementing policy for rural mobility is a dynamic and demanding process, relying on the commitment and agility of local stakeholders

Star Wars: Why the Left Should Protect the Status of Space as Humanity’s Commons

Space is one of the few remaining commons of humanity protected byinternational law, thanks to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Outer space is a rare case where a legal and institutional infrastructure of common ownership and commoning of resources already exists. Today, this status of space is under threat. It is increasingly eroded by the pressure of lobbying corporate powers and their institutional and ideological supports, who are pushing to export the structures of ownership that currently exist on Earth to outer space. Why should the left fight to protect the common ownership status of space? This scene-setting report goes back to the New Space lobby’s attack on international space legislation to open a larger debate on how space can be developed in ways that guarantee shared prosperity and the flourishing of all people and future generations

Is interpreter advantage a gift or an effect of training? Cognitive changes and interpreting acquisition at the early stage of training

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is an intensive multitasking activity that requires coordination of a variety of linguistic and cognitive control mechanisms. Research has shown that interpreters perform better in tasks that require domain-general executive functions (EF), but the question remains whether such cognitive alternation is a result of interpreting experience or it reflects a selection bias that only cognitively capable people are recruited and trained to be interpreters. We examined the cognitive changes experienced by beginner-level students engaged in an intensive, two-week interpreting training programme. Our findings show that: (a) only cognitive flexibility was enhanced by training, together with improvement in SI performance; (b) the three EF subcomponents in their pre-existing forms negatively correlated with training gains; and (c) only pre-existing cognitive flexibility was positively associated with improvement in SI performance. Findings were discussed regarding the relationship between cognitive abilities and the early-stage acquisition of interpreting

Ice dynamics and structural evolution of Jutulstraumen, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica (1963-2022)

Jutulstraumen is a major outlet glacier in East Antarctica that drains into the Fimbulisen, Dronning Maud Land. Here, we present the first long-term (∼60 years) record of its behaviour using optical satellite imagery. Our analysis reveals that the ice front has been steadily advancing since its last major calving event in 1967, with a steady ice flow velocity of ∼720 ± 66m yr-1 (2000-2021), accompanied by spatially variable thickening of the grounded ice at +0.14 ± 0.04 m yr-1 (2003-2020). We also find evidence to suggest a minor grounding line advance of ∼200 m between 1990 and 2022, albeit with large uncertainties. Mapping of the major rifts on Jutulstraumen's ice tongue (2003-2022) reveals an overall increase in their length, accompanied by some minor calving events along its lateral margins. Given the present-day ice front advance rates (∼740 m yr-1), the ice tongue would reach its most recent maximum extent (attained in the mid-1960s), in around 40 years, but extrapolation of rift lengthening suggests that a major calving event may occur sooner, possibly in the late 2050s. Overall, there is no evidence of any dynamic imbalance, mirroring other major glaciers in Dronning Maud Land

Characterization of AF Lep b at high spectral resolution with VLT/HiRISE

Context. Since the recent discovery of the directly imaged super-Jovian planet AF Lep b, several studies have been conducted to characterize its atmosphere and constrain its orbital parameters. AF Lep b has a measured dynamical mass of 3.68 ± 0.48 MJup, radius of 1.3 ± 0.15 RJup, nearly circular orbit in spin-orbit alignment with the host star, relatively high metallicity, and near-solar to super-solar C/O ratio. However, key parameters such as the rotational velocity and radial velocity have not been estimated thus far, as they require high-resolution spectroscopic data that are impossible to obtain with classical spectrographs. Aims. AF Lep b was recently observed with the new HiRISE visitor instrument at the VLT, with the goal of obtaining high-resolution (R ≈ 140 000) spectroscopic observations to better constrain the orbital and atmospheric parameters of the young giant exoplanet. Methods. We compared the extracted spectrum of AF Lep b to self-consistent atmospheric models using ForMoSA, a forward modeling tool based on Bayesian inference methods. We used our measurements of the planet's radial velocity to offer new constraints on its orbit. Results. From the forward modeling, we find a C/O ratio that aligns with previous low-resolution analyses and we confirm its supersolar metallicity. We also unambiguously confirm the presence of methane in the atmosphere of the companion. Based on all available relative astrometry and radial velocity measurements of the host star, we show that two distinct orbital populations are possible for the companion. We derived the radial velocity of AF Lep b to be 10.51 ± 1.03 km s-1 and show that this value is in good agreement with one of the two orbital solutions, allowing us to rule out an entire family of orbits. Additionally, assuming that the rotation and orbit are coplanar, the derived planet's rotation rate is consistent with the observed trend of increasing spin velocity with higher planet mass