Evaluating knowledge transfer at the interface between science and society

In view of the global grand challenges, fundamental research institutions are increasingly being asked to provide context for the application of their research findings and to incorporate transdisciplinary forms of knowledge production. But how can the involvement of stakeholders from outside academia be captured and evaluated within the research process? And how can they be engaged in meaningful science-stakeholder dialogue? “Good” processes are a prerequisite for meeting these changing requirements and for ensuring a successful knowledge transfer at the interface between science and society

Biochemical composition and condition of Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) in relation to integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) feed sources

Offshore aquaculture has the potential to satisfy some of the rising demand for animal protein and, using an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) approach, to do so in a sustainable, ecologically friendly and economically valuable way. This approach relies heavily on the bio-extraction capacity of filter-feeding organisms like the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793), to turn excess particles of higher trophic cultured organism like fish, into valuable biomass. This study investigates the incorporation of IMTA related feeds by C. gigas based on changes in its biochemical composition. To accomplish this objective, a laboratory based feeding experiment was conducted, using five prepared diets. These consisted of a commercial turbot feed, turbot feces and the microalgae Tetraselmis chui and were mixed to simulate different open water feeding scenarios. Oysters feeding on high energy turbot feed, as part of their diet, managed to significantly increase their condition index (CI), while condition in the other groups remained unaffected. Lower carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio in oysters feeding solely on low energy turbo feces implied a depletion of energy reserves after the experiment, whereas oysters feeding on a mixture of turbot feed and feces showed no such signs. Changes in fatty acid (FA) composition of oysters were particularly apparent in animals feeding on turbot feed. Composition and abundance of saturated and mono-unsaturated FA changed, in part, in relation to diet composition. Changes are believed to be the result of biosynthesis of non-methylene-interrupted (NMI) FA. The results presented in this study indicate that C. gigas will incorporate particulate fish waste and are even able to increase their condition while doing so. This suggests that they will be able to absorb excess nutrients released from aquaculture sites and become another valuable product of an IMTA system

Climate Change and Biodiversity—Implications for the Local Fisheries Sector

The North Sea has been and still is one of the most intensely used marine areas worldwide. Shipping (trade and private), the exploration/exploitation of energy resources (oil, gas and wind), fisheries and tourism compete for the scarce space (Holm et al. 2017). Especially, in German waters, resource-use conflicts rise between stakeholders

Identifying and evaluating successful processes in knowledge transfer projects: first lessons

Various societal systems around the globe have endorsed a scientific-technocratic approach to decision-making. This is not a novel observation, however, within this approach, issues such as “knowledge transfer”, “stakeholder engagement”, “participation” rank high. Thus, improving exchange and communication at the nexus of the science/policy interface has seen considerable attention over the course of the last decade. The creation of multiple web-based platforms, such as the Earth System Knowledge Platform (ESKP) of the Helmholtz Foundation, are a case in point. Even if beyond reproach in terms of political and somewhat equitable participation of society at large, these well intended initiatives may not lead necessary to well-informed and sustainable justified decision-making. Indeed, only a limited number of publications are available on the issue of what kind of “metrics of success” can be employed and how to chart the impact these efforts of stakeholder inclusion and forms of dialogue. We present here a first evaluation effort on natural science projects, which were conducted under the umbrella of the ESKP. We accompanied six projects over the course of the entire project cycle, all of which had explicit knowledge transfer components and stakeholder orientation. We conducted an ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of these research projects as well as various interviews, to assess progress, identify new success criteria for research as well as to understand how and in which way natural science scientists approach and engage with stakeholders outside of their direct academic sphere. First results of this ongoing assessment indicate that new types of output and corresponding success criteria classified to better describe and evaluate success must be developed on a case specific basis. This pertains especially to the normative question of what is success and for whom. It can be concluded from these first lesson that navigating between wishful thinking, empirical evidence and practical relevance is the challenge every knowledge platform faces

Development of multi-use platforms at sea:Barriers to realising Blue Growth

The recent H2020 Blue Growth projects MARIBE and MUSES investigated the potential of a variety of different combinations of economic activities in co-location or integrated in multi-use platforms. Both projects identified barriers - including regulatory, financing, liability and insurance issues; environmental concerns; stakeholder perceptions; and lack of appropriate skills – that hamper the development of multi-use platforms. The H2020 MARIBE project concluded that further funding for multi-use demonstrations should be provided to increase investor confidence and bring multi-use through the so-called Valley of Death. The H2020 MUSES project concluded that multi-use needs to be proactively facilitated and incentivised through public regulatory bodies and respective support programmes. This paper combines and analyses results from both projects in order to identify key research gaps and actions required for the continued development of multi-use platforms, based on a structured critical review of available peer-reviewed literature on the topic as well as reports of both the MUSES and MARIBE projects. Research gaps and actions are analysed based on a multi-use platform typology to inform developers, policy makers, academia and investors for future development of multi-use at sea

Fishing within offshore wind farms in the North Sea:Stakeholder perspectives for multi-use from Scotland and Germany

Offshore wind power generation requires large areas of sea to accommodate its activities, with increasing claims for exclusive access. As a result, pressure is placed on other established maritime uses, such as commercial fisheries. The latter sector has often been taking a back seat in the thrust to move energy production offshore, thus leading to disagreements and conflicts among the different stakeholder groups. In recognition of the latter, there has been a growing international interest in exploring the combination of multiple maritime activities in the same area (multi-use; MU), including the re-instatement of fishing activities within, or in close proximity to, offshore wind farms (OWFs). We summarise local stakeholder perspectives from two sub-national case studies (East coast of Scotland and Germany's North Sea EEZ) to scope the feasibility of combining multiple uses of the sea, such as offshore wind farms and commercial fisheries. We combined a desk-based review with 15 semi-structured qualitative interviews with key knowledge holders from both industries, regulators, and academia to aggregate key results. Drivers, barriers and resulting effects (positive and negative) for potential multi-use of fisheries and OWFs are listed and ranked (57 factors in total). Factors are of economic, social, policy, legal, and technical nature. To date, in both case study areas, the offshore wind industry has shown little interest in multi-use solutions, unless clear added value is demonstrated and no risks to their operations are involved. In contrast, the commercial fishing sector is proactive towards multi-use projects and acts as a driving force for MU developments. We provide a range of management recommendations, based on stakeholder input, to support progress towards robust decision making in relation to multi-use solutions, including required policy and regulatory framework improvements, good practice guidance, empirical studies, capacity building of stakeholders and improvements of the consultation process. Our findings represent a comprehensive depiction of the current state and key stakeholder aspirations for multi-use solutions combining fisheries and OWFs. We believe that the pathways towards robust decision making in relation to multi-use solutions suggested here are transferable to other international locations

Capacitive crosstalk in gate-based dispersive sensing of spin qubits

In gate-based dispersive sensing, the response of a resonator attached to a quantum dot gate is detected by a reflected radio-frequency signal. This enables fast readout of spin qubits and tune up of arrays of quantum dots, but comes at the expense of increased susceptibility to crosstalk, as the resonator can amplify spurious signals and induce fluctuations in the quantum dot potential. We attach tank circuits with superconducting NbN inductors and internal quality factors $Q_{\mathrm{i}}$>1000 to the interdot barrier gate of silicon double quantum dot devices. Measuring the interdot transition in transport, we quantify radio-frequency crosstalk that results in a ring-up of the resonator when neighbouring plunger gates are driven with frequency components matching the resonator frequency. This effect complicates qubit operation and scales with the loaded quality factor of the resonator, the mutual capacitance between device gate electrodes, and with the inverse of the parasitic capacitance to ground. Setting qubit frequencies below the resonator frequency is expected to substantially suppress this type of crosstalk.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, supplementary informatio

Cryptococcus gattii in North American Pacific Northwest: Whole-Population Genome Analysis Provides Insights into Species Evolution and Dispersal

The emergence of distinct populations of Cryptococcus gattii in the temperate North American Pacific Northwest (PNW) was surprising, as this species was previously thought to be confined to tropical and semitropical regions. Beyond a new habitat niche, the dominant emergent population displayed increased virulence and caused primary pulmonary disease, as opposed to the predominantly neurologic disease seen previously elsewhere. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 118 C. gattii isolates, including the PNW subtypes and the global diversity of molecular type VGII, to better ascertain the natural source and genomic adaptations leading to the emergence of infection in the PNW. Overall, the VGII population was highly diverse, demonstrating large numbers of mutational and recombinational events; however, the three dominant subtypes from the PNW were of low diversity and were completely clonal. Although strains of VGII were found on at least five continents, all genetic subpopulations were represented or were most closely related to strains from South America. The phylogenetic data are consistent with multiple dispersal events from South America to North America and elsewhere. Numerous gene content differences were identified between the emergent clones and other VGII lineages, including genes potentially related to habitat adaptation, virulence, and pathology. Evidence was also found for possible gene introgression from Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii that is rarely seen in global C. gattii but that was present in all PNW populations. These findings provide greater.IMPORTANCE Cryptococcus gattii emerged in the temperate North American Pacific Northwest (PNW) in the late 1990s. Beyond a new environmental niche, these emergent populations displayed increased virulence and resulted in a different pattern of clinical disease. In particular, severe pulmonary infections predominated in contrast to presentation with neurologic disease as seen previously elsewhere. We employed population-level whole-genome sequencing and analysis to explore the genetic relationships and gene content of the PNW C. gattii populations. We provide evidence that the PNW strains originated from South America and identified numerous genes potentially related to habitat adaptation, virulence expression, and clinical presentation. Characterization of these genetic features may lead to improved diagnostics and therapies for such fungal infections. The data indicate that there were multiple recent introductions of C. gattii into the PNW. Public health vigilance is warranted for emergence in regions where C. gattii is not thought to be endemic

Multi-use of the sea:A wide array of opportunities from site-specific cases across Europe

<p><b>Comparison of MU Combinations:</b> (Top) ranked by Drivers—Highest to lowest, and (Bottom) ranked by Added Values—Highest to lowest.</p

Secondary Electron Interference from Trigonal Warping in Clean Carbon Nanotubes

We investigate Fabry-Perot interference in an ultraclean carbon nanotube resonator. The conductance shows a clear superstructure superimposed onto conventional Fabry-Perot oscillations. A sliding average over the fast oscillations reveals a characteristic slow modulation of the conductance as a function of the gate voltage. We identify the origin of this secondary interference in intervalley and intravalley backscattering processes which involve wave vectors of different magnitude, reflecting the trigonal warping of the Dirac cones. As a consequence, the analysis of the secondary interference pattern allows us to estimate the chiral angle of the carbon nanotube