Atmospheric loss of nitrous oxide (N2O) is not influenced by its potential reactions with OH and NO3 radicals

International audienceThe rate coefficient for the possible reaction of OH radical with N 2 O was determined to be k1 < 1 × 10-17 cm 3 molecule-1 s-1 between 253 and 372 K using pulsed laser photolysis to generate OH radicals and pulsed laser induced fluorescence to detect them. The rate coefficient for the reaction of NO3 radical with N2O was measured to be k2 < 5 × 10-20 cm 3 molecule-1 s-1 at 298 K using a direct method that involves a larger reaction chamber equipped with cavity ring down spectroscopic detection of NO3 and N2O5. Various tests were carried out ensure the accuracy of our measurements. Based on our measured upper limits, we suggest that these two reactions alter the atmospheric lifetime of N2O of ~120 years by less than 4%

Problem-focused higher education for shaping the knowledge society.

Higher education (HE) has not efficiently targeted a knowledge-shaped economy and has not kept up with the knowledge and IT skills demanded to resolve the problems from social- and work- exclusion. While recently unemployed knowledge workers are searching for new jobs, re-educating policies and career development options have not kept pace with work changes. There is an urgent need for a HE reform in order to address the current socio-economic and work-life crises. For this reform, the authors compare and contrast three promising learning approaches: problem-based learning PBL, work-based learning WBL and problem-focused education PFE. While in PBL and WBL work- and problem-related knowledge is transferred sufficiently, PFE seems to outperform. The paper points to an effective re-organisation of HE by (1) investing in PFE as the means to achieve quality in the learning process and its outcomes and (2) identifying ICT quality features for supporting the PFE learning process

Towards a technology of nonverbal communication: vocal behavior in social and affective phenomena

Nonverbal communication is the main channel through which we experience inner life of others, including their emotions, feelings, moods, social attitudes, etc. This attracts the interest of the computing community because nonverbal communication is based on cues like facial expressions, vocalizations, gestures, postures, etc. that we can perceive with our senses and can be (and often are) detected, analyzed and synthesized with automatic approaches. In other words, nonverbal communication can be used as a viable interface between computers and some of the most important aspects of human psychology such as emotions and social attitudes. As a result, a new computing domain seems to emerge that we can define “technology of nonverbal communication”. This chapter outlines some of the most salient aspects of such a potentially new domain and outlines some of its most important perspectives for the future