System change, not climate change

The latest IPCC reports have concluded that in order to limit warming to 1.5°C, system transformations are urgently needed. But what are system transformations? How can they be enabled? Wouldn’t such system transitions worsen other social and environmental challenges? How can justness be safeguarded during transitions? What demands do societal transitions put on how research is conducted and organized? And where can we draw the line between researching climate change and climate activism? Would researching these issues not make one an activist? Heleen de Coninck discusses these questions and issues in her inaugural lecture and outline her research agenda

A necklace of Wulff shapes

In a probabilistic model of a film over a disordered substrate, Monte-Carlo simulations show that the film hangs from peaks of the substrate. The film profile is well approximated by a necklace of Wulff shapes. Such a necklace can be obtained as the infimum of a collection of Wulff shapes resting on the substrate. When the random substrate is given by iid heights with exponential distribution, we prove estimates on the probability density of the resulting peaks, at small density

Collaborative research and development (R&D) for climate technology transfer and uptake in developing countries: Towards a needs driven approach

While international cooperation to facilitate the transfer and uptake of climate technologies in developing countries is an ongoing part of climate policy conversations, international collaborative R&D has received comparatively little attention. Collaborative R&D, however, could be a potentially important contributor to facilitating the transfer and uptake of climate technologies in developing countries. But the complexities of international collaborative R&D options and their distributional consequences have been given little attention to date. This paper develops a systematic approach to informing future empirical research and policy analysis on this topic. Building on insights from relevant literature and analysis of empirical data based on a sample of existing international climate technology R&D initiatives, three contributions are made. First, the paper analyses the coverage of existing collaborative R&D efforts in relation to climate technologies, highlighting some important concerns, such as a lack of coverage of lower-income countries or adaptation technologies. Second, it provides a starting point for further systematic research and policy thinking via the development of a taxonomic approach for analysing collaborative designs. Finally, it matches characteristics of R&D collaborations against developing countries’ climate technology needs to provide policymakers with guidance on how to Configure R&D collaborations to meet these needs

Sweet modifications modulate plant development

Plant development represents a continuous process in which the plant undergoes morphological, (epi)genetic and metabolic changes. Starting from pollination, seed maturation and germination, the plant continues to grow and develops specialized organs to survive, thrive and generate offspring. The development of plants and the interplay with its environment are highly linked to glycosylation of proteins and lipids as well as metabolism and signaling of sugars. Although the involvement of these protein modifications and sugars is well-studied, there is still a long road ahead to profoundly comprehend their nature, significance, importance for plant development and the interplay with stress responses. This review, approached from the plants' perspective, aims to focus on some key findings highlighting the importance of glycosylation and sugar signaling for plant development

Origin and significance of diagenetic concretions in sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike, southern Argentina

Authigenic minerals can form in the water column and sediments of lakes, either abiotically or mediated by biological activity. Such minerals have been used as paleosalinity and paleoproductivity indicators and reflect trophic state and early diagenetic conditions. They are also considered potential indicators of past and perhaps ongoing microbial activity within sediments. Authigenic concretions, including vivianite, were described in late glacial sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike, a maar lake in southernmost Argentina. Occurrence of iron phosphate implies specific phosphorus sorption behavior and a reducing environment, with methane present. Because organic matter content in these sediments was generally low during glacial times, there must have been alternative sources of phosphorus and biogenic methane. Identifying these sources can help define past trophic state of the lake and diagenetic processes in the sediments. We used scanning electron microscopy, phosphorus speciation in bulk sediment, pore water analyses, in situ ATP measurements, microbial cell counts, and measurements of methane content and its carbon isotope composition (δ13CCH4) to identify components of and processes in the sediment. The multiple approaches indicated that volcanic materials in the catchment are important suppliers of iron, sulfur and phosphorus. These elements influence primary productivity and play a role in microbial metabolism during early diagenesis. Authigenic processes led to the formation of pyrite framboids and revealed sulfate reduction. Anaerobic oxidation of methane and shifts in pore water ion concentration indicated microbial influence with depth. This study documents the presence of active microbes within the sediments and their relationship to changing environmental conditions. It also illustrates the substantial role played by microbes in the formation of Laguna Potrok Aike concretions. Thus, authigenic minerals can be used as biosignatures in these late Pleistocene maar sediment

New Integrated High-Resolution Dinoflagellate Cyst Stratigraphy and Litho- and Chemostratigraphy from the Paris and Dieppe–Hampshire Basins for the “Sparnacian”

The Paris Basin represents an historical cradle of Palaeogene stratigraphy, where during the nineteenth century the Palaeocene Series and the “Sparnacian Stage” were established. As highlighted by Aubry et al. (2005), whereas the chronostratigraphic connotation of the “Sparnacian Stage” has been controversial since its definition, modern studies of the late Palaeocene–early Eocene interval have revealed that the so-called “Sparnacian” deposits encompass a remarkable and short (~170 kyr) episode of the Cenozoic, the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~55.8–55.6 Ma). Dinoflagellate assemblages from the “Sparnacian” of the Dieppe–Hampshire and Paris basins do not contain the key species Apectodinium augustum, whereas it is present in the northern Belgian Basin Tienen Formation and is coeval there with the CIE and the Apectodinium acme interval. However, our calibration of the Apectodinium acme to the CIE in the Dieppe–Hampshire and Paris basins suggests its attribution to the A. augustum zone. The absence of species A. augustum in the Anglo–Paris Basin may be explained by its restriction to more offshore conditions