An African-European network of design universities fostering the goal of sustainable energy for all

This paper presents the intermediate results of the Learning Network on Sustainable Energy Systems (LeNSes) an African-European multi-polar network for curriculum development on Design for Sustainability (DfS) focused on Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) and Sustainable Product-Service Systems (S.PSS). The paper discusses the convergence between the S.PSS and DRE models as promising approaches to provide sustainable energy solutions for all by increasing its access and improving efficiency in use. Currently, the project partners are collaboratively developing new curricula focused on these combined approaches. The paper examines the S.PSS and DRE models and how they can be used to develop and implement sustainable energy solutions for all within the African context. The research hypothesis is that S.PSS could be applied to DRE to offer a range of benefits such as: economic, environmental and socio-ethical. The paper describes some of the project activities that includes: development of a new modular and adaptable package of learning resources focused on DRE and S.PSS for the design discipline; implementation of pilot courses at African Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) targeted at undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners and companies; and development of an open web platform for distributed production and transfer of knowledge and know-how in this area. The innovation of the project described in the paper is twofold, firstly by developing unique curricula based on design for sustainability focused on S.PSS and DRE applied to the African contexts, and secondly by delivering it through an open platform for free and in copy-left. This will equip design students in African universities with a broad knowledge base, as well as effective methods and tools with which to play an active role in the development and diffusion of sustainable energy systems

Designing Sustainable Energy for All. Sustainable Product-Service System Design Applied to Distributed Renewable Energy

Access to energy is one of the greatest challenges for many people living in low-income and developing contexts, as around 1.4 billion people lack access to electricity. Distributed Renewable Energy systems (DRE) are considered a promising approach to address this challenge and provide energy access to all. However, even if promising, the implementation of DRE systems is not always straightforward. The book analyses, discusses and classifies the promising Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) business models to deliver Distributed Renewable Energy systems in an effective, efficient and sustainable way. Its message is supported with cases studies and examples, discussing the economic, environmental and socioethical benefits as well as its limitations and barriers to its implementation. An innovative design approach is proposed and a set of design tools are supplied, enabling readers to create and develop Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) solutions to deliver Distributed Renewable Energy systems. Practical applications of the book’s design approach and tools by companies and practitioners are discussed and the book will be of interest to readers in design, industry, governmental institution, NGOs as well as researchers

Designing Sustainable Energy for All. Sustainable Product-Service System Design Applied to Distributed Renewable Energy

This book aims to share its contents with everyone who is interested to know more about designing Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE), towards sustainable energy access for All. The book is organised to provide an overview of the topic and as well to support the design in practice. For this reason, the book includes strategies and guidelines, as well as a collection of case studies of Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) applied to Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions. Additionally, are presented the method and support tools for designers

Plasminogen activator urokinase expression reveals TRAIL responsiveness and supports fractional survival of cancer cells

Peer reviewe

Postnatal Brain Trajectories and Maternal Intelligence Predict Childhood Outcomes in Complex CHD

Objective: To determine whether early structural brain trajectories predict early childhood neurodevelopmental deficits in complex CHD patients and to assess relative cumulative risk profiles of clinical, genetic, and demographic risk factors across early development. Study Design: Term neonates with complex CHDs were recruited at Texas Children’s Hospital from 2005–2011. Ninety-five participants underwent three structural MRI scans and three neurodevelopmental assessments. Brain region volumes and white matter tract fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity were used to calculate trajectories: perioperative, postsurgical, and overall. Gross cognitive, language, and visuo-motor outcomes were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and Beery–Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration. Multi-variable models incorporated risk factors. Results: Reduced overall period volumetric trajectories predicted poor language outcomes: brainstem ((β, 95% CI) 0.0977, 0.0382–0.1571; p = 0.0022) and white matter (0.0023, 0.0001–0.0046; p = 0.0397) at 5 years; brainstem (0.0711, 0.0157–0.1265; p = 0.0134) and deep grey matter (0.0085, 0.0011–0.0160; p = 0.0258) at 3 years. Maternal IQ was the strongest contributor to language variance, increasing from 37% at 1 year, 62% at 3 years, and 81% at 5 years. Genetic abnormality’s contribution to variance decreased from 41% at 1 year to 25% at 3 years and was insignificant at 5 years. Conclusion: Reduced postnatal subcortical–cerebral white matter trajectories predicted poor early childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes, despite high contribution of maternal IQ. Maternal IQ was cumulative over time, exceeding the influence of known cardiac and genetic factors in complex CHD, underscoring the importance of heritable and parent-based environmental factors

Global assessment of aquatic Isoëtes species ecology

1. Isoetes are iconic but understudied wetland plants, despite having suffered severe losses globally mainly because of alterations in their habitats. We therefore provide the first global ecological assessment of aquatic Isoetes to identify their environmental requirements and to evaluate if taxonomically related species differ in their ecology. 2. The assessment resulted in an extensive new database on aquatic Isoetes, ecological niche analyses, and descriptive species accounts. We compiled a global database that includes all known environmental data collected from 1935 to 2023 regarding aquatic Isoetes. We then evaluated the environmental drivers of 16 species using 2,179 global records. Additionally, we used hypervolume analysis to quantify the ecological niches of the two species with the greatest number of records, finding significant differences and evidence that Isoetes echinospora occupies a wider ecological niche than Isoetes lacustris. 3. Fifty-nine species (30% of the c. 200 Isoetes species known today) were categorised as aquatic and were mainly reported in the Americas and northern Europe. About 38% of the aquatic species are threatened with extinction or are endemic to a small region, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List in 2023. Many species were determined to be sensitive to certain water physical and chemical factors, generally preferring oligotrophic conditions such as low total phosphorus, moderate total nitrogen, moderate to low pH, and low conductivity. 4. This analysis includes ecological data in the assessment of rare/threatened aquatic plants globally. This new database and the ecological analyses completed defined the ecological requirements of several species and identified knowledge gaps, which can aid management actions and future research. 5. This paper highlights ecological significance and environmental sensitivities of aquatic Isoetes. The current level of knowledge is inadequate for a large proportion of known taxa. We affirm the extreme need to support global, collaborative initiatives on which to build future conservation strategies

Floristic analysis of a high-speed railway embankment in a Mediterranean landscape

We analyzed the floristic composition of a 4.5 km-long segment of a high-speed railway in Lazio, central Italy, which travels on an artificial embankment through an intensively-farmed landscape. In total, 287 vascular plant species were recorded. The life-form distribution was found to be similar to that of the regional species pool, with high percentages of therophytes (38%) and phanerophytes (13%). In the chorological spectrum the Mediterranean floristic element prevailed (44%), while alien species were 8% of the flora. The phytosociological spectrum showed a high diversity of characteristic species from the class Stellarietea mediae or its subordinate syntaxa (26%), and in particular from the order Thero-Brometalia (Mediterranean, sub-nitrophilous annual communities). Species from forest syntaxa had a relatively high diversity (9%). These results suggest that the ecological filtering provided by the Mediterranean regional climate controlled species assemblage even in a completely artificial habitat, preventing floristic homogenization: the flora of the studied railway section is only partially »ruderalized«, while it keeps strong links with the regional (semi-) natural plant communities. However, in contrast to what is observed in central and north Europe, the railway sides studied in the present paper do not seem to represent a refugial habitat for rare species from grassland communities, mainly because in Italy semi-natural dry grasslands are still widely represented

Copernicus Marine Service Ocean State Report

This is the final version. Available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record