Ordered Growth of Ferroelectric Diisopropylammonium-Bromide Microcrystals through Slotted-Jar Growth and Lithographically Controlled Wetting

Organic molecular ferroelectrics show promise for industry applications because of their switchable high spontaneous polarization value, mechanical flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Since these materials, namely diisopropylammonium bromide, exhibit ferroelectricity only in tandem with a high level of crystallinity, novel methods must be explored in order to ensure that high levels of crystallinity are achieved. This project seeked to perfect the methods of Slotted Jar Growth and Lithographically Controlled Wetting (LCW). Slotted Jar Growth uses temperature driven solution saturation to grow crystals on a desired substrate. LCW drives the growth of microscopic diisopropylammonium bromide crystals, in their ferroelectric phase, through the use of cohesive forces and capillary action. The goal of ordered growth was achieved through the LCW method, as long range order of the crystals’ polar axes was observed and consistent crystal dimensions were confirmed

Compensation for atmospheric appropriation

Research on carbon inequalities shows that some countries are overshooting their fair share of the remaining carbon budget and hold disproportionate responsibility for climate breakdown. Scholars argue that overshooting countries owe compensation or reparations to undershooting countries for atmospheric appropriation and climate-related damages. Here we develop a procedure to quantify the level of compensation owed in a ‘net zero’ scenario where all countries decarbonize by 2050, using carbon prices from IPCC scenarios that limit global warming to 1.5 °C and tracking cumulative emissions from 1960 across 168 countries. We find that even in this ambitious scenario, the global North would overshoot its collective equality-based share of the 1.5 °C carbon budget by a factor of three, appropriating half of the global South’s share in the process. We calculate that compensation of US$192 trillion would be owed to the undershooting countries of the global South for the appropriation of their atmospheric fair shares by 2050, with an average disbursement to those countries of US$940 per capita per year. We also examine countries’ overshoot of equality-based shares of 350 ppm and 2 °C carbon budgets and quantify the level of compensation owed using earlier and later starting years (1850 and 1992) for comparison

Assessing monetary valuation methodologies for estimating the impacts of climate change in the Laguna de Rocha (Uruguay)

Three valuation methodologies are implemented in this thesis, to estimate the monetary values of climate change impacts on specific ecosystem services. Using a case study of a coastal lagoon ecosystem in Uruguay (Laguna de Rocha), results suggest that climate change is affecting its economic value. Implications for local management and lessons learned from the case study are discussed. Using the market price method is particularly relevant for the case of carbon sequestration services. The ‘change in productivities’ method is the most relevant and feasible methodology for estimating the economic value of climate ‘inputs’ to the productive activities in the Laguna area

National responsibility for ecological breakdown: a fair-shares assessment of resource use, 1970–2017

Background: Human impacts on earth-system processes are overshooting several planetary boundaries, driving a crisis of ecological breakdown. This crisis is being caused in large part by global resource extraction, which has increased dramatically over the past half century. We propose a novel method for quantifying national responsibility for ecological breakdown by assessing nations’ cumulative material use in excess of equitable and sustainable boundaries. Methods: For this analysis, we derived national fair shares of a sustainable resource corridor. These fair shares were then subtracted from countries’ actual resource use to determine the extent to which each country has overshot its fair share over the period 1970–2017. Through this approach, each country's share of responsibility for global excess resource use was calculated. Findings: High-income nations are responsible for 74% of global excess material use, driven primarily by the USA (27%) and the EU-28 high-income countries (25%). China is responsible for 15% of global excess material use, and the rest of the Global South (ie, the low-income and middle-income countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia) is responsible for only 8%. Overshoot in higher-income nations is driven disproportionately by the use of abiotic materials, whereas in lower-income nations it is driven disproportionately by the use of biomass. Interpretation: These results show that high-income nations are the primary drivers of global ecological breakdown and they need to urgently reduce their resource use to fair and sustainable levels. Achieving sufficient reductions will likely require high-income nations to adopt transformative post-growth and degrowth approaches. Funding: None

Does microbicide use in consumer products promote antimicrobial resistance? A critical review and recommendations for a cohesive approach to risk assessment

The increasing use of microbicides in consumer products is raising concerns related to enhanced microbicide resistance in bacteria and potential cross resistance to antibiotics. The recently published documents on this topic from the European Commission have spawned much interest to better understand the true extent of the putative links for the benefit of the manufacturers, regulators, and consumers alike. This white paper is based on a 2-day workshop (SEAC-Unilever, Bedford, United Kingdom; June 2012) in the fields of microbicide usage and resistance. It identifies gaps in our knowledge and also makes specific recommendations for harmonization of key terms and refinement/standardization of methods for testing microbicide resistance to better assess the impact and possible links with cross resistance to antibiotics. It also calls for a better cohesion in research in this field. Such information is crucial to developing any risk assessment framework on microbicide use notably in consumer products. The article also identifies key research questions where there are inadequate data, which, if addressed, could promote improved knowledge and understanding to assess any related risks for consumer and environmental safety

2016 Octubafest Student Recital

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents 2016 Octubafest Student Recital featuring the Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1734/thumbnail.jp

Variscan sourcing of Westphalian (Pennsylvanian) sandstones in the Canobie Coalfield, UK

The zircon age spectrum in a sample from the Canonbie Bridge Sandstone Formation (Asturian) of southern Scotland contains two main peaks. One is Early Carboniferous in age (348– 318 Ma), and corresponds to the age of igneous activity during the Variscan Orogeny. The other is of late Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian age (693–523 Ma), corresponding to the Cadomian. Together, these two groups comprise 70 % of the zircon population. The presence of these two peaks shows unequivocally that a significant proportion of the sediment was derived from the Variscides of western or central Europe. The zircon population also contains a range of older Proterozoic zircons and a small Devonian component. These could have been derived from the Variscides, but it is possible that some were locally derived through recycling of northerly derived sandstones of Devonian–Carboniferous age. The zircon age data confirm previous suggestions of Variscide sourcing to the Canonbie area, made on the basis of petrographical, heavy mineral and palaeocurrent evidence, and extend the known northward distribution of Variscan-derived Westphalian sediment in the UK

Provenance Response to Rifting and Separation at the Jan Mayen Microcontinent Margin

Funding This research received no external funding. Acknowledgments We are grateful to John Still (University of Aberdeen) and Iain Macdonald (Cardiff University) for their assistance with acquisition of mineral chemical data, and to Mick Pointon (CASP) for running the “R” code to assign apatite provenance. This research was carried out as part of CASP’s Greenland-Norway Project. Our sponsors’ financial support is gratefully acknowledged. We are grateful for the reviewers comments, which significantly improved the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD