The mechanisms and microstructures of passive atmospheric CO2 mineralisation with slag at ambient conditions

Removal of CO2 already in the Earth's atmosphere through CO2 mineralisation with alkaline waste materials such as steel slag is one approach to mitigate the effects of anthropogenically-induced climate change. However, the microstructures produced during passive carbonation of slag are not well known. Here we use Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging and chemical mapping, X-Ray diffraction and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O) to show that ingassed and hydroxylated atmospheric CO2 reacts with Ca leached from slag to precipitate calcite directly on the slag surface. Precipitated calcite crystal morphologies vary, ranging from bladed and acicular crystals to layered deposits of micron-scale equant crystals. The variable morphology and extent of calcite precipitation documented is linked to a combination of internal (i.e. microstructural properties of the slag itself) and external (environmental conditions) factors. This work shows that atmospheric CO2 can be drawn down and mineralised passively by the slag at ambient conditions as part of the slag valorisation and reutilisation process

Books in the News in Cromwellian England

This article offers detailed analysis of the patterns of book advertising in Marchamont Nedham’s government-sponsored newsbook, Mercurius Politicus. It contends that, for a brief period, Politicus was the nearest thing that the mid-seventeenth century had to a literary periodical and contests standard accounts that Politicus was only successful because government monopoly made it so. Instead I show that Politicus was instrumental in creating an image of the Commonwealth and Protectorate as a Republic of Letters; the cheap print of its small advertisements insisted that the publication of a book was an event, that London was a city of the book, and that its inhabitants might respond to the uncertainty of political revolution by eagerly imagining a future comprised of new books as yet unread

Stem cell research funding policies and dynamic innovation:a survey of open access and commercialization requirements

# The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract This article compares and contrasts the pressures of both open access data sharing and commercialization policies in the context of publicly funded embryonic stem cell research (SCR). First, normative guidelines of international SCR orga-nizations were examined. We then examined SCR funding guidelines and the project evaluation criteria of major funding organizations in the EU, the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, Canada and the United States. Our survey of policies revealed subtle pressures to commercialize research that include: in-creased funding availability for commercialization opportuni-ties, assistance for obtaining intellectual property rights (IPRs) and legislation mandating commercialization. In lieu of open access models, funders are increasingly opting for limited sharing models or “protected commons ” models that make the research available to researchers within the same region or those receiving the same funding. Meanwhile, there still is need for funding agencies to clarify and standardize terms such as “non-profit organizations ” and “for-profit research,” as more universities are pursuing for-profit or commercial opportunities. Keywords Stemcell research(SCR).Humanembryonicstem cells (hESC). Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Open access. Data sharing. Commercialization Abbreviations hESC human embryonic stem cells iPSC induced pluripotent stem cells IPRs intellectual property rights MTA material transfer agreement SCR stem cell research SLA simple letter agreement TTO technology transfer offic