EPA awards $1.35 million grant to multi-institutional team for septic adaptation research

Resources for the Future scholars Margaret Walls and Yanjun (Penny) Liao are part of a team that will spend the next two years researching the compound issues of climate change and septic failure in coastal Maryland

Grant and Award Announcement

RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE (RFF)

Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded researchers at the University of Maryland, George Mason University, and Resources for the Future (RFF) a $1.35 million grant to assess and find solutions to the compound risks of climate change and septic system failure in traditionally underserved communities.

Beginning this summer and continuing through mid-2025, the research team will work with the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP) to collect data on flood risk and septic health on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The team will combine its findings with existing data to identify the areas most at risk of septic failure—and its related public health issues—due to climate change. 

“Climate-driven sea-level rise and the flooding it produces can cause septic systems to fail, contaminate drinking water, and cause illnesses,” said RFF Senior Fellow Margaret Walls, who is involved with the project and directs RFF’s work on environmental justice and climate risk and resilience. “Pinpointing at-risk communities and providing data showing why these communities are at risk in the first place can help decisionmakers develop climate adaptation measures equitably.”  

The researchers emphasize that Maryland’s rural, coastal areas where both septic systems and flooding are common also tend to be home to vulnerable communities due in part to historical development and public infrastructure policies. This new research may help make the case for expanding public sewer access to at-risk communities, which could both improve public health and household financial outcomes.  

“A large part of this work is addressing past discrimination,” said RFF Fellow Yanjun (Penny) Liao, who is part of the research team. “By collecting historical maps and data, as well as community input on the compound risks of septic health and climate change, we’ll be working to ensure that the places and people who were once left out of this conversation are now an integral part of it.”  

Walls and Liao will focus specifically on estimating the value of sewer systems as captured by property value and community preference. Using this analysis, the pair will evaluate a range of equitable and cost-effective policy options to address climate-driven septic issues: for example, by replacing septic with sewer, upgrading septic systems where possible, and even facilitating relocation from particularly at-risk areas.  

The team will eventually share its research findings with communities and state and local agencies who can put the data and recommendations into action.  

“Research like this is only one of the first steps in addressing past and present wrongs,” Walls said. “There are many issues related to climate change and water quality to address in this region. But making sure that decisionmakers have the analytical tools needed to make good, fair policy is very important.”  

The project, “Septic to Sewer? Justice-Focused Strategies for Addressing Coastal Septic Failures under Sea-level Rise and Increased Flooding,” is part of EPA’s Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Life Stages: Community-Based Research for Solutions funding opportunity

Syria peacebuilding efforts must address causes of the country’s “failed” state

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Any attempts to build peace in Syria must address the factors which led to the country being a failed state before civil war began, research says.

There must be more inclusive governance practices and structures to allow meaningful popular participation in the running of the country’s affairs, according to the study. Citizens should be allowed to air their grievances and have a new “social contract” with their leaders.

The analysis shows how state failure was a factor in the uprising but has become more clearly apparent in the ongoing civil war. The Syrian state has ‘failed’ because it cannot meet its citizens’ economic, political and social needs and requirements.

The study, published in the journal Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies , was carried out by Samer Bakkour, from the University of Exeter, and Rama Sahtout.

Dr Bakkour said: “The outbreak of the civil war was not due to the sudden deterioration of state capacity or the abrupt collapse of state institutions. Instead, it was more clearly due to the regime’s attempts to crush a peaceful uprising by using force. This strength was superficial, rested on shallow foundations and lacked popular support.

“Any governance was distinctively ‘sectarian’ and state structures were ‘hollowed out’ by pervasive corruption. Even efforts to ‘modernize’ or ‘reform’ functioned to reinforce and perpetuate this.

“State failure and weakness were established parts of the country’s political arrangement, and the appearance of state strength could hardly conceal the fact that the state was vulnerable to a broad-based uprising.”

The study says repression pre-war was an inadvertent and implicit acknowledgement that it lacked both legitimacy and more subtle means through which to assert its authority. There was no social contract and the heavy-handed governance that served as an implicit acknowledgement of this would ultimately contribute to the outbreak of the civil war. Sectarian policies were deliberately planned to create divides and animosities between different groups.

Involvement of other nations in the civil war has further underlined the weakness of the Syrian state.

Dr Bakkour said: “The extent of the displacement of the country’s population, both internally and externally, is a further confirmation of state failure. Minority groups forced to leave their homes were the worst affected in terms of reported deaths, sexual violence, and poverty and malnutrition.

“Rapid economic decline, huge demographic decreases and growing food insecurity are now long-established trends in the country, and clearly have the potential to ‘feedback’ into conflict and instability. Basic food items such as bread are still rationed and foreign sanctions have inflicted billions of dollars of damage on the country’s economy.”

 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies

DOI

10.1080/19448953.2023.2167337 

ARTICLE TITLE

The Dimensions and Attributes of State Failure in Syria

Study examines COVID-19 pandemic's effect on Black, Latina women's mental health

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

 

IMAGE: : BLACK AND LATINA WOMEN REPORTED HIGH RATES OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND ANXIETY EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC, ACCORDING TO AN ONLINE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY KINESIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH PROFESSOR SANDRALUZ LARA-CINISOMO AND GRADUATE STUDENT MARY ELLEN MENDY. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY FRED ZWICKY

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Concerns about job disruptions and loss of income were associated with increased depressive and anxiety symptoms in Latina women early in the pandemic, researchers found in a study that explored Black and Latina women’s mental health in mid-2020.

Slightly more than 30% of women in the study experienced depressive symptoms and more than 28% reported symptoms consistent with anxiety, according to the screening tools used by the researchers. However, Latinas reported significantly higher rates of these symptoms compared with Black women.

Although the team expected that mental health symptoms would be high among women in the study, they were surprised to find that nearly one-third of respondents were experiencing them, said first author Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

More than 1,000 women participated in the study, an online survey that was conducted from May to July 2020. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 85.

Published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, the findings add to a growing body of research that suggests older people in the U.S. fared better psychologically during the pandemic than younger people.

The Center for Social and Behavioral Science at the university collected the data used in the study, which was co-written by doctoral students Biniyam Melesse and Mary Ellen Mendy.

“What I found peculiar was that age was a protective factor against anxiety and depression,” Mendy said. “Older women are at risk for being isolated and lonely and more prone to these types of mental health symptoms.”

She said she also found it surprising that age was a buffer against mental health symptoms, given that older Black and Latina women in the general population were at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing serious long-term health problems from it.

However, the team found a significant and positive association between women’s concerns about the effects of COVID-19 and their mental health symptoms.

Lara-Cinisomo hypothesized that the study population may have included greater numbers of older adults who were more resilient. Accordingly, older Black and Latina women in the study may have benefited from the support and protection of family members.

“There is a growing body of research that suggests we can learn from the wisdom and perspectives of our older generations, who may have called upon coping strategies” they had used in the past to withstand the uncertainties and stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“Black and Latina women are vulnerable populations. Research on the mental health effects of the pandemic on these women has been limited, which is why this study was so important,” she said.

About 45% of those in the study used prayer as a coping mechanism during the pandemic, but the researchers found that its effects differed by race. Depressive symptoms were lower among Black women who prayed, whereas they were higher among Latina women who prayed.

Prayer was not associated with anxiety symptoms, the team found.

“While prior research suggests that prayer has protective effects, we don’t know what people were praying for or how often they were praying,” Lara-Cinisomo said. “We need further research to explore the factors related to prayer that may have benefited Black women but not Latinas.”

If prayer isn’t yielding the benefits people expect, that may be an opportunity to look for other resources to help them cope, she said.

“We need to help our communities identify resources that are accessible to them and make sure the message is clear that you can reach out for support from your mental health provider or referrals from your physician at any time in your life, regardless of whether there’s a global health crisis,” Lara-Cinisomo said.

The findings also underscore that risk factors, experiences and coping strategies may differ among racial and ethnic groups, she said. “We know that the pandemic will have lasting effects, and this is just the start of our understanding of how it is impacting the mental health of Black and Latina women. We need to better understand the effects of job changes and employment insecurity for these women.”

Prior to the pandemic, about 61% of the participants had household incomes below $50,000 per year. Conversely, about 11% of the women reported annual household incomes of at least $100,000.

Worries about losing their jobs or declines in their paid hours were associated with greater mental health symptoms, compared with women whose jobs and livelihoods were not threatened early in the pandemic, the team found.

Slightly more than 14% of those in the study indicated that they had lost their jobs, while more than 20% experienced reductions in their paid hours. About 10% of the women surveyed expected to undergo job changes, but more than 55% reported no differences from their pre-pandemic employment. About 39% of the respondents said they worked from home.

The findings also underscored the positive mental health effects of health insurance. More than 82% of the participants said they had health insurance, and those with coverage reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms compared with the women who lacked these benefits. Far fewer of those surveyed – 27% – indicated that they had paid sick leave, however.

Depressive symptoms were higher among Latina women who prayed; however, these symptoms were lower among Black women who prayed.

CREDIT

Graphic by Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo

JOURNAL

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

DOI

10.1007/s40615-022-01495-0 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Demographic and COVID-19-related factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among African American and Latina women in a Midwestern state

Pakistan streamflow timing will become three times faster by end of century

Peer-Reviewed Publication

POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (POSTECH)

 

IMAGE: (A) CHANGES IN CVD AND SNOW COVER FRACTION IN 1970 AND 2010. (B) CHANGES IN CVD (NEAR/FAR FUTURE - PRESENT). view more 

CREDIT: POSTECH

Nature has remained in balance for a long time, but climate change due to modern human activities is disrupting the balance of the natural system. The disruption makes it more difficult for humans – who must work with nature to survive – to predict the future. Moreover, developing countries with limited understanding and preparation for climate change are more vulnerable to climate change-driven social and economic damage. Recently, a research team from POSTECH corrected the biases of future regional climate model projection data to better understand  seasonal changes in the streamflow regime in Pakistan's four main rivers in mid and late 21st Century.

 

POSTECH'S research team led by Professor Jonghun Kam (Division of Environmental Science and Engineering) and post-graduate researcher Shahid Ali assessed the past and future changes in streamflow timing of the four major river basins  of Pakistan including Upper Indus, Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab River basins. The research team used observational data and bias-corrected hydrological projections. This study was recently published in the Journal of Hydrology.

 

Hydrology mainly deals with the cycle of water on Earth and the use of surface water. As the science explores the complexity of the natural water flow, various assumptions, statistics, and mathematical techniques, instead of reproduction in the lab, are used to study precipitation, runoff, infiltration, and streamflow and provide basic knowledge and data for the use of water resources. However, climate change and human activities are changing the water cycle itself, rendering it difficult to solve future problems with past knowledge and data.

 

Pakistan is a representative example of a country suffering severe seasonal changes in streamflow, causing a lack of available water resources for agriculture. To make it worse, the Indus River was inundated over the downstream regions of Pakistan last year, causing catastrophic effects on regional communities. However, understanding of future seasonal changes in streamflow over Pakistan remains limited.

 

The researchers simulated the VIC-river routing model forced by surface and runoff data from six regional climate models. They later corrected the minimum and seasonality bias against observational records. To quantify seasonal changes in the hydrologic regime, they computed half of the annual cumulative streamflows (HSCs) and the dates of reaching to the first quartile (25th percentile), that is, center-of-volume dates (CVDs) from observed and bias-corrected simulated streamflow data.

 

Observational records (1962-2019) showed a significant decreasing trend in CVD by a range between -4.5 and -12.6 days across the three river basins, except for Chenab River basin. Bias-corrected hydrologic projections showed decreased CVD by −4.2 to −6.3 days during the observational period. The four study river basins showed that the decreased CVDs range from −5 to −20 days in the near future (the 2050 to 2059 average) and −11 days to −37 days in the far future (the 2090 to 2099 average).

 

Professor Kam explained, "In late winter, accelerated snow melting processes over mountainous regions in Pakistan can cause changes in available water resources for crop planting in spring. This study highlights diversity in the hydrologic response to a similar magnitude of surface warming in the future climate projection.” He added, “there is an urgent need to prepare basin-specific water resources management and policies in order to adapt to climate change."

 

This study was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Program of the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), a branch of the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Korea.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Hydrology

DOI

10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128959 

ARTICLE TITLE

Past and future changes toward earlier timing of streamflow over Pakistan from bias-corrected regional climate projections (1962–2099)

Are our pets leaking information about us?

Reports and Proceedings

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY

Are our pets leaking information about us?

Pet and animal-related apps are creating cybersecurity risks to their owners, new research has shown.        

While being able to trace your cat and dog may be an attractive benefit to many pet owners as it can provide peace of mind, allowing a third party to track your movements may be much less attractive.

Computer scientists at Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London have exposed multiple security and privacy issues by evaluating 40 popular Android apps for pets and other companion animals as well as farm animals. The results show that several of these apps are putting their users at risk by exposing their login or location details.

Password vulnerability was one of the areas exposed by the team. They identified three applications that had the user's login details visible in plain text within non-secure HTTP traffic. This means that anyone is able to observe the internet traffic of someone using one of these apps and will be able to find out their login information. In addition to login information, two of the apps also showed user details, such as their location, that may enable someone to gain access to their devices and risk a cyber-attack.

Another area of concern identified in the study was the use of trackers. All but four of the applications were found to feature some form of tracking software. A tracker gathers information on the person using the application, on how they use it, or on the smartphone being used.

The scientists also warn that the apps perform very poorly in terms of notifying the user of their privacy policy. Their analysis shows that 21 of the apps are tracking the user in some way before the user even has a chance to consent to this, violating current data protection regulations.

The study was led by Newcastle University and the Royal Holloway, University of London and presented at the 2022 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops conference.

Scott Harper is a PhD student at Newcastle University’s School of Computing and the lead author of the study. He said: “Pet tech such as smart collars and GPS trackers for your cat or dog, is a rapidly growing industry and it brings with it new security, privacy, and safety risks to the pet owners.

“While owners might use these apps for peace of mind about the health of their dog or where their cat is, they may not be happy to find out about the risks the apps hold for their own cybersecurity.

“We would urge anyone using these apps to take the time to ensure they are using a unique password, check the settings and ensure that they consider how much data they are sharing or willing to share.”

Pet tech, the technology in the pet care industry to improve the health, wellbeing, and overall quality of life of pets, is growing rapidly and includes a wide range of products, including GPS trackers, automatic feeders and pet cameras.

Examples of pet tech include wearable devices that monitor a pet's activity levels, heart rate, and sleep patterns, as well as smart feeding systems that dispense food on a set schedule or in response to the animal's behaviour. There are also apps and platforms that allow owners to track and manage their pets' health records and connect with veterinary professionals.

Co-author, Dr Maryam Mehrnezhad, from the Department of Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London, added: “We are using modern technologies to improve several aspects of our lives. However, some of these (often) cheap technologies come at the price of our privacy, security, and safety. Animal technologies can create complex risks and harms that are not easy to recognise and address. In this interdisciplinary project, we are working on solutions to mitigate such risks an allow the animal owners to use such technologies without risk or fear.”

A second study by the research team included a survey of almost 600 participants from the UK, USA and Germany. The researchers asked questions about the technologies used, incidents that have occurred or participants believe may occur, and the methods used by participants to protect their online security and privacy and whether they apply these to their pet tech.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Internet of Things, the findings show that participants do believe that a range of attacks may occur targeting their pet tech. Despite this, they take few precautions to protect themselves and their pets from the possible risks and harms of these technologies.

Co-author, Dr Matt Leach, Director of Comparative Biology Centre, Newcastle University added:
“We would urge those developing these technologies to increase the security of these devices and applications to reduce risk of their personal information or location being shared.”

The researchers urge those who are using pet tech, to ensure they are using a unique password only for that app, check the settings and consider what data they are sharing.  Users should be cautious about any new IoT devices they bring into their home. They should download apps associated with animal tech from known app stores and constantly check the permissions of such apps and revoke any unnecessary permission from them. Guides such as Mozilla's `*Privacy Not Included' project are available to help inform consumers on the potential security and privacy risks.

--ends--

Reference

S. Harper, M. Mehrnezhad and M. Leach, Are Our Animals Leaking Information About Us? Security and Privacy Evaluation of Animal-related Apps,  IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops (EuroS&PW), 2022, doi: 10.1109/EuroSPW55150.2022.00012.

S. Harper, M. Mehrnezhad, and M. Leach, Security and privacy concerns of Pet Tech Users. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT Workshop), 2022, doi.org/10.1145/3567445.3571102

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DOI

10.1145/3567445.3571102 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

ARTICLE TITLE

Security and privacy concerns of Pet Tech Users

Experts demand fire safety policy change over health impact of widely used flame retardants

Leading environmental health experts have called for a comprehensive review of the UK's fire safety regulations, with a focus on the environmental and health risks of current chemical flame retardants.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

Leading environmental health experts have called for a comprehensive review of the UK's fire safety regulations, with a focus on the environmental and health risks of current chemical flame retardants.

The health dangers of substances meant to improve fire safety have prompted experts to demand a range of new measures to reduce risk.

Flame retardants are widely used to slow down or stop the spread of fire. They are used regularly in a range of products – from sofas and textiles, to building materials. However, hundreds of studies have reported on the adverse effects of these chemicals, many of which are bioaccumulative and have been linked to wide-ranging health risks including cancer, developmental disorders, and DNA damage.

The UK has some of the highest use of flame retardants in the world and we are all being exposed in our daily lives. Retardants have been found in a range of places – including homes, schools, offices, and vehicles. They have been found in air and dust, in food and drinking water, and on indoor surfaces and textiles, where they can be absorbed through contact with the skin. The authors add this exposure is particularly noted in young children, who crawl around and pick up objects.

They are also found in natural environments, including rivers, lakes, oceans and sediments, as well as in fish, mammals and birds.

Such widespread use has in part been attributed to the flame ignition tests that are a primary focus of current fire safety regulations. Experts have questioned whether these tests are fit for purpose in reducing fire risk and believe the government’s emphasis on these tests incentivises the addition of large amounts of fire retardants to products.

The experts say there is also “significant uncertainty” about the extent flame retardants contribute to fire safety, and that there is evidence that flame retardants exacerbate smoke and fire toxicity.

Dr Paul Whaley, from Lancaster University and a corresponding author of the statement, said: "There are longstanding concerns about the effectiveness of flame retardants and the health risks associated with them, which the UK Government has never adequately reconciled. This needs to change: there has to be a proper balancing of the harms and benefits of flame retardants, that includes a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of flame retardants as a fire safety measure, with serious attention paid to unintended harms of UK fire safety policy."

The evidence-based call to action, by a group of 13 experts, comes in the form of “A New Consensus on Reconciling Fire Safety with Environmental & Health Impacts of Chemical Flame Retardants”, published today (February 28) in the journal Environment International.

The authors set out six measures for the Government to urgently take in a thorough review of the need for chemical flame retardants, including an end to incentivising their use.

The authors instead call for incentivising industry to develop "benign-by-design" furniture and materials that are inherently less flammable.

They also call for developing a labelling system to track retardants’ use, allowing them to be identified and disposed of safely.

Also among their recommendations is the need to adopt a systemic approach to fire safety rather than a reductionist approach relying on ignition tests.

Professor Ruth Garside, from the University of Exeter said: “The use of flame retardants is problematic at all stages of the lifecycle, potentially even exacerbating smoke and toxicity during the fires when they are supposed to provide a safety measure. With no clear labelling system, these substances are not disposed of correctly, which means they end up in recycled products.

“A significant proportion of fire deaths are caused by inhaling toxic fumes, so there’s no time to delay in reviewing the fire safety regulations. We urge the government to take prompt action for the benefit of all our health.”

UK Furnishing and Fire Regulations have been under review since 2014 but no revised policy has yet been formally proposed.

Professor Frank Kelly of Imperial College London, and co-author of the paper, said: "There is understandable concern surrounding the weakening of existing fire regulations, especially in the wake of tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire.

"However, it is vital that the use of these chemicals and their effectiveness in preventing fires is balanced with the serious long-term impacts on our health and environment."

Jamie Page of the Cancer Prevention & Education Society said: “Fire safety is a complex, multidisciplinary issue, but processes are largely dominated by industry. Well-reasoned challenges to current approaches need to be heeded. This will require more inclusive and transparent public consultation processes that will bring together views of different stakeholders.” 

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107782

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JOURNAL

Environment International

DOI

10.1016/j.envint.2023.107782 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Commentary/editorial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A New Consensus on Reconciling Fire Safety with Environmental & Health Impacts of Chemical Flame Retardants

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Feb-2023

Australia’s rarest bird of prey disappearing at alarming rate

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

 

IMAGE: RESEARCHERS ANALYSED 40 YEARS OF SIGHTINGS BY CITIZEN SCIENTISTS TO UNCOVER CONCERNING POPULATION TRENDS. view more 

CREDIT: CHRIS MCCOLL.

Australia’s rarest bird of prey - the red goshawk - is facing extinction, with Cape York Peninsula now the only place in Queensland known to support breeding populations.

PhD candidate Chris MacColl from The University of Queensland’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences led the research project that made the discovery and was shocked by the hawk’s dwindling numbers.

“Over four decades the red goshawk has lost a third of its historical range, which is the area that’s it’s previously been known to occupy,” Mr MacColl said.

“It’s barely hanging on in another 30 per cent of regions it has previously been known to inhabit.”

Mr MacColl said the species is now considered extinct in New South Wales and the southern half of Queensland.

“There has been a noticeable decline in North Queensland too, leaving Cape York Peninsula as the last place in the state still known to support breeding populations,” Mr MacColl said.

“The Top End, Tiwi Islands and Kimberley are the red goshawk’s last remaining stronghold, making northern Australia critical to its ongoing survival.”

The unique bird of prey has long captivated bird watchers, with its striking reddish-brown plumage, deeply fingered wing tips, heavy yellow legs and over-sized talons.

The research team analysed four decades of sightings by citizen scientists to uncover the concerning population trends.

“The threats driving the red goshawk’s decline require further investigation, but we believe habitat loss and degradation have played a key role,” Mr MacColl said.

Study co-author Professor James Watson said the dramatic loss of the species means governments and communities need to be proactive in conserving remaining habitats.

“An increase in agricultural, mining and gas projects across northern Australia pose a real risk to a species like this, given what we’ve observed throughout its eastern range,” Professor Watson said.

“Northern Australia supports the largest intact tropical savanna ecosystem in the world and hosts an abundance of biodiversity.

“Conservation efforts aimed at securing an emblematic species like the red goshawk in these areas will benefit many other species given the species is a top-predator.”

The study authors back calls for the Commonwealth Government to amend the red goshawk’s national conservation status from Vulnerable to Endangered, so the bird can be afforded greater conservation priority.

The research was funded by Rio Tinto and supported by the Queensland Department of Environment and Sciences (DES) and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).

The research is published in Emu - Austral Ornithology.

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DOI

10.1080/01584197.2023.2172735 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Rapid and recent range collapse of Australia’s Red Goshawk Erythrotriorchis radiatus

Towards a new antenna paradigm with waveform-selective metasurfaces

Researchers introduce metasurfaces to create waveform-selective antennas that can distinguish between signals of same frequency

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NAGOYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

VIDEO: AN INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH TEAM HAS DEVELOPED RECONFIGURABLE ANTENNAS USING ARTIFICIALLY ENGINEERED STRUCTURES CALLED “METASURFACES” THAT CAN HELP SOLVE THE ISSUE OF LIMITED FREQUENCY RESOURCES FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS. THESE ANTENNAS PROVIDE VARIABLE RESPONSE TO WAVES OF THE SAME FREQUENCY BUT DIFFERENT PULSE WIDTH. THUS, IT PROVIDES A NEW DEGREE OF FREEDOM TO THESE ANTENNAS, MAKING FOR MORE EFFICIENT DATA TRANSFER. view more 

CREDIT: HIROKI WAKATSUCHI FROM NITECH, JAPAN

When you tap on your phone screen to check something on the internet, you make use of wireless communications technology. With the advent of 5G networks, this technology has made our lives easier than we could imagine. As we progress towards 6G communication, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to monitor and perform tasks is becoming inevitable. As a result, there is a growing demand for the services provided by such devices. 

However, the frequency resources accessible to the IoT devices remain limited. Consequently, there has been a lot of research focused on using various modulation schemes to fit in more data without causing interference. Yet, however, they have ignored one important aspect of wireless communication: conventional antennas respond to signals at the same frequency in the same manner. However, if one were to modulate the antenna performance for a fixed frequency based on other aspects of the signal waveform, like its pulse width, it would add a whole new degree of freedom that can be exploited to transfer data efficiently.

Fortunately, this is exactly what a team of researchers led by Dr Hiroki Wakatsuchi from Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech), Japan have accomplished. In their paper published in Nature Communications on 06 February 2023, the researchers put forth a new system that uses “metasurfaces” to create waveform-based selectivity in antennas. “Classic antennas are incapable of varying their performance, for example, its radiation pattern, at a fixed frequency. In our study, we introduced a new degree of freedom to change antenna performance and control electromagnetic waves/signals even at the same frequency by using ‘metasurfaces,’ artificially engineered electromagnetic structures that can produce electromagnetic properties based on the signal received. In particular, our metasurfaces show unique behavior that selectively transmits incoming signals in response to their pulse width, which is applied to the antenna design,” explains Dr. Wakatsuchi. The study involved contributions from Dr. Ashif Amunulloh Fathnan from NITech, Dr. Christos Christopoulos from The University of Nottingham, UK, and Dr. Filiberto Bilotti of the ROMA TRE University, Italy.

Put simply, metasurfaces are artificially generated surfaces that can augment electromagnetic waves based on their properties. Accordingly, the researchers used non-linear metasurfaces to change the response properties of the antenna for waves of the same frequency but with different waveforms. 

By performing both experiments and numerical simulations, the researchers demonstrated that their antenna design was fully capable of selectively receiving/transmitting both surface and free-space waves. They also proposed several applications for their design, including the steering of a main beam, receiving signals under simultaneous incidence, and building a mutual communication system without needing a frequency change or an external power supply. 

“With our technology advancing towards 6G and 7G networks, cyber spaces and physical spaces are becoming more closely associated. Using multiple IoT devices, we would be able to create a digital twin for each physical space. Such a concept of cyber-physical space will require a substantial number of IoT sensors to be deployed in physical spaces to collect information without severe electromagnetic interference occurring between these devices to ensure real-time time update,” comments Dr. Wakatsuchi. “Our study contributes to this future by providing a way to harmonize wireless communications while increasing the number of communication devices at the same frequency.”

And we sure are looking forward to this future!

An international research team has developed reconfigurable antennas using artificially engineered structures called “metasurfaces” that can help solve the issue of limited frequency resources for wireless communications. These antennas provide variable response to waves of the same frequency but different pulse width. Thus, it provides a new degree of freedom to these antennas, making for more efficient data transfer.

CREDIT

Hiroki Wakatsuchi from NITech, Japan

About Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan
Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech) is a respected engineering institute located in Nagoya, Japan. Established in 1949, the university aims to create a better society by providing global education and conducting cutting-edge research in various fields of science and technology. To this end, NITech provides a nurturing environment for students, teachers, and academicians to help them convert scientific skills into practical applications. Having recently established new departments and the “Creative Engineering Program,” a 6-year integrated undergraduate and graduate course, NITech strives to continually grow as a university. With a mission to “conduct education and research with pride and sincerity, in order to contribute to society,” NITech actively undertakes a wide range of research from basic to applied science.

Website: https://www.nitech.ac.jp/eng/index.html

About Associate Professor Hiroki Wakatsuchi from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan
Dr. Hiroki Wakatsuchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering at Nagoya Institute of Technology (NITech), Japan. He completed his PhD from The University of Nottingham, UK whereupon he did his postdoctoral research at UC San Diego, USA. His research interests include electromagnetics, electronics, and communications. He has so far published 62 papers with over 800 citations to his credit. Dr. Wakatsuchi is also a part of the Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) in the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). 
 

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-36342-1 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Pulse-driven self-reconfigurable meta-antennas