From textile waste to carbon nanomaterials for offshore wind turbine blades

The aim of this research was to determine the feasibility of carbon production from the pyrolysis of textile waste, seeking a way of increasing the sustainability of “fast fashion” and recycling the 92 million tonnes of textile waste entering landfill globally each year. Pyrolysis is an untapped method for the recovery of gases, oils and chars from textile waste. In this research, 91 % polyester 9 % lycra and 100 % cotton textile waste samples were pyrolysed individually with both fixed temperatures (heating rate 49.5 oC/min) and slow pyrolysis (heating rate 2.5 oC/min).The heating rates were selected due to instrumental limitations, and to cover both fast and slow pyrolysis. Different pyrolysis temperatures yielded different proportions of non-condensable gases, with both textile waste samples producing a maximum methane yield of 20 %. Chemical vapour deposition of the gas yield from the pyrolysis over a 90 % nickel catalyst was used to explore the opportunity of producing carbon nanomaterials sustainably. It was found that the 91 % polyester 9 % lycra sample gave the highest yield of carbon nanomaterials.The research then explored if these could be used to manufacture offshore wind turbine blades. The carbon nanomaterials produced were mixed with an epoxy matrix to create carbon fibre composites. Mechanical testing of composites with different carbon weight loadings (0.5, 2 and 3.5 wt. % in a bisphenol A diglycidyl ether) showed a decrease in both Young’s Modulus and flexural modulus but an improvement in the composite’s resistance to weathering. The synthesised carbon nanofibers produced may be used as a reinforcing agent to protect the leading edge of a wind turbine blade to improve weathering and attrition resistance. The research found that waste textile pyrolysis is a feasible approach to improve the sustainability of both fast fashion but also offshore wind industry. This could be used to strengthen the circular economy and contribute to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This research is innovative because it considers how waste materials can be used to produce nanomaterials which have a wide range of applications

The Importance of Capturing Local Measurement-Driven Adjustment of Modelled <i>j</i>(NO₂)

Accurate photolysis rate constants are essential for simulation of local air quality but their values can vary substantially with changes in local meteorological and surface conditions. This study demonstrates the use of local radiometer measurements for capturing via hourly measurement-driven adjustment factors (MDAF) the temporal resolution needed to adjust clear-sky or cloud-free model estimates of j(NO2). Measurements simultaneously at two sites in the UK (Auchencorth Moss and Manchester) showed that TUV (v5.3) model estimates of j(NO2)↓ in cloud-free conditions (used as an example of modelled j-values) were, on average, approximately 45% larger than measured j(NO2)↓, which would lead to substantial model bias in the absence of local adjustment. At Auchencorth Moss, MDAF values based on 4π and 2π radiometer inlets generally agreed very well with each other (<6% average difference). However, under conditions of particularly high surface albedo (such as snow cover), increased upwelling local diffuse radiation yielded an MDAF derived using total radiation (sum of ↓ and ↑ components) ~40% larger than the MDAF derived using only ↓ radiation. The study has demonstrated: (1) the magnitude of potential impact of local conditions—principally cloud cover, but also changes in surface albedo—on assumed j-values; (2) that whilst annual mean MDAF values are similar at Auchencorth Moss and Manchester, there is no contemporaneous correlation between them at hourly resolution; hence MDAF values derived at one site cannot readily be applied at another site. These data illustrate the need to routinely deploy long-term radiometer measurements alongside compositional measurements to support atmospheric chemistry modelling

A.R.G. [curated by Farkas, Rozsa and Clark, Tom]

Charlotte Wainwright, David Marsden, Funa Ye, Hannah Rowan, James Balmforth, Joe Farley, KatherineMelançon, Kyle Zeto, Lawrence Lek, Martin Lang, The No Collective & Tom Davies. Semblances of the natural occur in much of the work-surrounding a contemporary conversation on the aesthetisization of this as a lifestyle choice. The continued presence of representational distanciation in art and design (that which functions as an analogue of action) is increased via the context in which work is shown. And surprisingly this is evermore the case as image becomes participatory, as pictorial language becomes expressly relational

Putting food in the driver’s seat: aligning food-systems policy to advance sustainability, health, and security

Food is a basic need, but seldom a basic policy area. Food systems are widely governed by disconnected policies distributed across a range of sectors including agriculture, education, health, environment, economy, and security. Failure to align food system strategies often results in these disparate policies operating at cross-purposes. Conventional food production and consumption practices contribute to biodiversity decline and climate change, cause diet-related health problems, are associated with worker exploitation, and create national security risks. Drawing on agroecology for cohesive national food strategies can provide benefits across all these sectors: supporting public health, environmental sustainability, economic stability, social cohesion, and national security and sovereignty

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

The 24/7 approach to promoting optimal welfare for captive wild animals

We have an ethical responsibility to provide captive animals with environments that allow them to experience good welfare. Husbandry activities are often scheduled for the convenience of care staff working within the constraints of the facility, rather than considering the biological and psychological requirements of the animals themselves. The animal welfare 24/7 across the lifespan concept provides a holistic framework to map features of the animal’s life cycle, taking into account their natural history, in relation to variations in the captive environment, across day and night, weekdays, weekends, and seasons. In order for animals to have the opportunity to thrive, we argue the need to consider their lifetime experience, integrated into the environments we provide, and with their perspective in mind. Here, we propose a welfare assessment tool based upon 14 criteria, to allow care staff to determine if their animals’ welfare needs are met. We conclude that animal habitat management will be enhanced with the use of integrated technologies that provide the animals with more opportunities to engineer their own environments, providing them with complexity, choice and control

A camera‐based method for estimating absolute density in animals displaying home range behaviour

1. The measurement of animal density may take advantage of recent technological achievements in wildlife video recording. Fostering the theoretical links between the patterns depicted by cameras and absolute density is required to exploit this potential. 2. We explore the applicability of the Hutchinson–Waser’s postulate (i.e. when animal density is stationary at a given temporal and spatial scale, the absolute density is given by the average number of animals counted per frame), which is a counterintuitive statement for most ecologists and managers who are concerned with counting the same individual more than once. We aimed to reconcile such scepticism for animals displaying home range behaviour. 3. The specific objectives of this paper are to generalize the Hutchinson–Waser’s postulate for animals displaying home range behaviour and to propose a Bayesian implementation to estimate density from counts per frame using video cameras. 4. Accuracy and precision of the method was evaluated by means of computer simulation experiments. Specifically, six animal archetypes displaying well-contrasted movement features were considered. The simulation results demonstrate that density could be accurately estimated after an affordable sampling effort (i.e. number of cameras and deployment time) for a great number of animals across taxa. 5. The proposed method may complement other conventional methods for estimating animal density. The major advantages are that identifying an animal at the individual level and precise knowledge on how animals move are not needed, and that density can be estimated in a single survey. The method can accommodate conventional camera trapping data. The major limitations are related to some implicit assumptions of the underlying model: the home range centres should be homogeneously distributed, the detection probability within the area surveyed by the camera should be known, and animals should move independently to one another. Further improvements for circumventing these limitations are discussed.Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Grant/Award Number: FPU13/01440; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Grant, Grant/Award Number: FJCI-2014-21 and CTM2015-69126-C2-1-R

Cerebral microbleeds and intracranial haemorrhage risk in patients anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation after acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (CROMIS-2):a multicentre observational cohort study

Background: Cerebral microbleeds are a potential neuroimaging biomarker of cerebral small vessel diseases that are prone to intracranial bleeding. We aimed to determine whether presence of cerebral microbleeds can identify patients at high risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage when anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation after recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Methods: Our observational, multicentre, prospective inception cohort study recruited adults aged 18 years or older from 79 hospitals in the UK and one in the Netherlands with atrial fibrillation and recent acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack, treated with a vitamin K antagonist or direct oral anticoagulant, and followed up for 24 months using general practitioner and patient postal questionnaires, telephone interviews, hospital visits, and National Health Service digital data on hospital admissions or death. We excluded patients if they could not undergo MRI, had a definite contraindication to anticoagulation, or had previously received therapeutic anticoagulation. The primary outcome was symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage occurring at any time before the final follow-up at 24 months. The log-rank test was used to compare rates of intracranial haemorrhage between those with and without cerebral microbleeds. We developed two prediction models using Cox regression: first, including all predictors associated with intracranial haemorrhage at the 20% level in univariable analysis; and second, including cerebral microbleed presence and HAS-BLED score. We then compared these with the HAS-BLED score alone. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02513316. Findings: Between Aug 4, 2011, and July 31, 2015, we recruited 1490 participants of whom follow-up data were available for 1447 (97%), over a mean period of 850 days (SD 373; 3366 patient-years). The symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage rate in patients with cerebral microbleeds was 9·8 per 1000 patient-years (95% CI 4·0–20·3) compared with 2·6 per 1000 patient-years (95% CI 1·1–5·4) in those without cerebral microbleeds (adjusted hazard ratio 3·67, 95% CI 1·27–10·60). Compared with the HAS-BLED score alone (C-index 0·41, 95% CI 0·29–0·53), models including cerebral microbleeds and HAS-BLED (0·66, 0·53–0·80) and cerebral microbleeds, diabetes, anticoagulant type, and HAS-BLED (0·74, 0·60–0·88) predicted symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage significantly better (difference in C-index 0·25, 95% CI 0·07–0·43, p=0·0065; and 0·33, 0·14–0·51, p=0·00059, respectively). Interpretation: In patients with atrial fibrillation anticoagulated after recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack, cerebral microbleed presence is independently associated with symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage risk and could be used to inform anticoagulation decisions. Large-scale collaborative observational cohort analyses are needed to refine and validate intracranial haemorrhage risk scores incorporating cerebral microbleeds to identify patients at risk of net harm from oral anticoagulation. Funding: The Stroke Association and the British Heart Foundation