Overall warming of up to 5°C in this century projected for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East

Unprecedented and societally disruptive extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts, dust storms and torrential rains, will soon become a reality unless immediate, ambitious, and transboundary climate action is taken.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR CHEMISTRY

A new report prepared by an international group of scientists and published in the authoritative journal Reviews of Geophysics, identifies the EMME* as a climate change hot spot, and concludes that the region is warming almost two times faster than the global average, and more rapidly than other inhabited parts of the world. For the remainder of the century, projections based on a business-as-usual pathway indicate an overall warming of up to 5°C or more, being strongest in the summer, and associated with unprecedented heatwaves that can be societally disruptive. Further, the region will experience rainfall shortages that compromise water and food security. Virtually all socio-economic sectors are expected to be critically affected, with potentially devastating impacts on the health and livelihoods of the 400 million people of the EMME, with worldwide implications.

The report, which was prepared under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and The Cyprus Institute, in preparation to COP27, which will take place in Egypt in November 2022, provides an updated, comprehensive assessment of measurement data and recent climate analyses, covering a wide range of time scales, phenomena and possible future pathways. It identifies the region as a climate change hot spot, and also signals that the EMME is rapidly overtaking the European Union as a source of greenhouse gases, and becoming a major emitter at the global scale.

In addition to the average increase in temperatures, the researchers call attention to the emergence of extreme weather events with potentially disruptive societal impacts. These include the strongly increasing severity and duration of heatwaves, droughts and dust storms, and torrential rains which are expected to trigger flash floods. The assessment also comprises a discussion of atmospheric pollution and land-use change in the region, considering urbanization, desertification and forest fires, and includes recommendations for possible climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

“Business-as-usual pathways for the future”, meaning projections assuming no immediate, ambitious climate action to avert the current climate trajectories, “imply a northward expansion of arid climate zones at the expense of the more temperate regions”, explains Dr George Zittis of the Cyprus Institute, first author of the study. As a result, mountainous climate zones with snow will diminish during this century. The combination of reduced rainfall and strong warming will contribute to severe droughts. The sea level in the EMME is projected to rise at a pace similar to global estimates, though many countries are unprepared for the advancing seas. “This would imply severe challenges for coastal infrastructure and agriculture, and can lead to the salinization of costal aquifers, including the densely populated and cultivated Nile Delta”, warns Zittis.

The projected changes will critically affect virtually all socio-economic sectors, particularly under a business-as-usual scenario. Jos Lelieveld, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Institute Professor at the Cyprus Institute and coordinator of the assessment, notes: “People living in the EMME will face major health challenges and risks of livelihood, especially underprivileged communities, the elderly, children and pregnant women.” To avoid the most extreme of severe weather events in the region, the scientists highlight that immediate and effective climate action is urgent. “The motto of COP 27 is well chosen: Together for just, ambitious implementation now”, states Jos Lelieveld. “Since many of the regional outcomes of climate change are transboundary, stronger collaboration among the countries is indispensable to cope with the expected adverse impacts. The need to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement has become more important than ever”, concludes Lelieveld. The study notes that meeting the main Paris Agreement targets could stabilize the annual temperature increase in the EMME to about 2°C by the end of the century, rather than the devastating 5°C which is projected under a business-as-usual scenario.

Possible adaptation options and policy recommendations noted in the report to contribute to meeting these targets stress the need for rapid implementation of decarbonization actions with a particular emphasis on the energy and transportation sectors, which dominate greenhouse gas emissions in the EMME. The report also stresses the importance of transformational changes toward climate resilience to adapt to increasingly challenging environmentally conditions. Priority areas include the coping with limited water resources and preparing for more frequent weather extremes such as heat waves that will be particularly challenging for the growing urban population.

The report has been published in the American Geophysical Union Open Access Journal with the highest impact factor in Earth sciences. It was motivated by the Cyprus Government Initiative for Coordinating Climate Change Actions in the EMME, launched in 2019, aiming at the development of a joint Regional Climate Action Plan to address the specific needs and challenges EMME countries are facing, and advance coordinated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement. At the political level, an EMME Heads of State Summit will be held in autumn 2022 when the Regional Action Plan is expected. 

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JOURNAL

Reviews of Geophysics

DOI

10.1029/2021RG000762 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Climate change and weather extremes in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East

Gamma rays from neighboring galaxy related to millisecond pulsars

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM

 

IMAGE: A SMALL SATELLITE GALAXY OF THE MILKY WAY – CALLED THE SAGITTARIUS DWARF GALAXY – HAS BEEN OBSERVED FROM EARTH THROUGH GIANT LOBES OF GAMMA RADIATION (THE SO-CALLED FERMI BUBBLES). ALTHOUGH THE DWARF GALAXY IS STUFFED WITH DARK MATTER, THIS IS UNLIKELY TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE OBSERVED EMISSION. view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE: O. MACIAS.

A team of researchers, including UvA physicists and astronomers, has studied gamma rays caused by the Sagittarius Dwarf, a small neighbouring galaxy of our Milky Way. They showed that all the observed gamma radiation can be explained by millisecond pulsars, and can therefore not be interpreted as a smoking gun signature for the presence of dark matter. The results were published in Nature Astronomy this week.

The center of our galaxy is blowing a pair of colossal bubbles of gamma radiation (the magenta structures in the image above) that span a whopping 50,000 light-years across. Discovered with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope about a decade ago, the source of this hourglass-shaped phenomenon remains unclear.

These Fermi bubbles are patched with a few enigmatic substructures of very bright gamma-ray emission. One of the brightest spots, the so-called Fermi cocoon, is found in the southern lobe (magnified inset in the figure below) and was originally thought to be due to past outbursts from the Galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

A team including Oscar Macias at the University of Amsterdam & Kavli IPMU and Roland Crocker at the Australian National University analyzed data from the GAIA and Fermi space telescopes to reveal that the Fermi cocoon is actually due to emission from the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy.

This satellite galaxy of the Milky Way is seen through the Fermi bubbles from our position on Earth (see first figure). Due to its tight orbit around our galaxy and previous passages through the galactic disk, it has lost most of its interstellar gas and many of its stars have been ripped from its core into elongated streams.

Given that the Sagittarius dwarf is completely quiescent — it has no gas, and no stellar nurseries — there are only a few possibilities for its gamma-ray emission, including (1) a population of unknown millisecond pulsars or (2) dark matter annihilations.

Millisecond pulsars are the remnants of certain types of stars, significantly more massive than the Sun, that are in close binary systems, and now blast out cosmic particles as a result of their extreme rotational energies. The electrons fired by millisecond pulsars collide with low-energy photons of the Cosmic Microwave Background, propelling them to become high-energy gamma radiation.

Crocker, Macias and collaborators have convincingly demonstrated that the gamma-ray cocoon is explained by millisecond pulsars in the Sagittarius dwarf, and that the dark matter hypothesis is strongly disfavoured. This discovery sheds light on millisecond pulsars as efficient accelerators of highly energetic electrons and positrons. It also suggests that similar physical processes could be ongoing in other dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. This is highly significant because dark matter researchers have long believed that an observation of gamma rays from a dwarf satellite would be a smoking gun signature for dark matter annihilation.

This study compels a reassessment of the high energy emission capabilities of quiescent stellar objects, such as dwarf spheroidal galaxies, and their role as prime targets for dark matter annihilation searches.

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JOURNAL

Nature Astronomy

DOI

10.1038/s41550-022-01777-x 

ARTICLE TITLE

Gamma-ray emission from the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy due to millisecond pulsars

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Sep-2022

CAPTION

Gamma-ray image of the Fermi bubbles (blue) overlaid on a map of RR Lyrae stars (red) observed by the GAIA telescope. The shape and orientation of the Sagittarius dwarf (Sgr) match those of the Fermi cocoon perfectly well – a bright substructure of gamma-ray radiation in the southern part of the Fermi bubbles. This is strong evidence that the Fermi cocoon is due to energetic processes occurring in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, which from our perspective, is located behind the Fermi bubbles.

CREDIT

Image: Crocker, Macias, Mackey, Krumholz, Ando, Horiuchi et al. (2022)

A WORKPLACE UNION ISSUE

Frequency of premenstrual anxiety, mood swings a public health issue, study finds

More than 64% of women experience mood swings or anxiety

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH SYSTEM

 

IMAGE: JENNIFER L. PAYNE, MD, DIRECTOR OF THE REPRODUCTIVE PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, LED A NEW STUDY THAT FOUND PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS ARE A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. view more 

CREDIT: UVA HEALTH

Premenstrual mood swings and anxiety are so common – experienced by more than 64% of women – that they represent a “key public health issue globally,” according to a new UVA Health study.

The UVA Health study found that most women have premenstrual symptoms every menstrual cycle, and those symptoms regularly affect their day-to-day lives. One of the most common symptoms, regardless of age, is mood swings or anxiety, the researchers found. At least 61% of women in all age groups surveyed reported mood-related symptoms every menstrual cycle, which the researchers say suggests “that premenstrual mood symptoms are a key public health issue globally.”

“Our study demonstrates that premenstrual mood symptoms are incredibly common worldwide,” said Jennifer L. Payne, MD, the study’s senior author and director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Research Program at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “More important, a majority of women reported that their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life at least some of the time.”

Better Understanding Premenstrual Symptoms

To better understand the type of premenstrual symptoms women experience and how those symptoms affect their daily lives, the researchers analyzed more than 238,000 survey responses from women ages 18-55 from 140 countries on the Flo app, which helps women track their menstrual cycle or track their mood or physical symptoms during and after pregnancy.

The most common symptoms reported were food cravings, experienced by 85.28% of the women surveyed, followed by mood swings or anxiety (64.18%) and fatigue (57.3%), according to researchers from the UVA School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Flo Health. Among the study respondents, 28.61% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life during every menstrual cycle, while an additional 34.84% said their premenstrual symptoms interfered with their everyday life sometimes.

“The incidence of reported premenstrual mood and anxiety symptoms varied significantly by country from a low of 35.1% in Congo to a high of 68.6% in Egypt,” Payne said. “Understanding whether differences in biology or culture underlie the country level rates will be an important future research direction.”

A group of symptoms – absentmindedness, low libido, sleep changes, gastrointestinal symptoms, weight gain, headaches, sweating or hot flashes, fatigue, hair changes, rashes and swelling – was significantly more frequent among older survey respondents, the researchers found. The increase in physical symptoms among older survey respondents “makes sense,” the researchers said, as many of these symptoms are associated with perimenopause, a transition period to menopause marked by irregular menstrual cycles.

Payne is hopeful that this survey data will help women get better care by making healthcare providers more aware of how frequently these symptoms – especially anxiety and mood-related symptoms – occur. 

“There are a number of treatment strategies that are available to treat premenstrual symptoms that interfere with a woman’s every day functioning,” she said. “Increasing awareness of how common these symptoms are, and that if they impact functioning that there are treatments available, will help women improve their quality of life.”

Findings Published

The researchers have published their findings in the Archives of Women’s Mental Health. The research team included Liisa Hantsoo, Shivani Rangasawmy, Kristin Voegtline, Rodion Salimgaraev, Liudmila Zhaunova and Payne. Payne holds a patent titled “Epigenetic Biomarkers of Postpartum Depression.” 

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

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JOURNAL

Archives of Women s Mental Health

DOI

10.1007/s00737-022-01261-5 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

High blood pressure awareness, control improved with better access to primary health care

Better access to primary health care was associated with improved high blood pressure awareness and control, according to a study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes journal

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

DALLAS, Sept. 6, 2022 — Having easier access to primary care physicians may increase high blood pressure awareness and control regardless of where a person lives, according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of all Americans have hypertension (high blood pressure), and many don’t even know they have it. High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer“ because high blood pressure often has no obvious symptoms. The best ways to protect yourself are to be aware of the risks and make healthy life changes that matter.

In a new study, researchers note that health care professionals at community clinics and primary care practices may help expand awareness and detection of high blood pressure by providing affordable treatment and management. High blood pressure is a leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and effective blood pressure control reduces the associated cardiovascular health risks.

“Access to primary care is the key to hypertension management, however, many Americans have limited access to primary care where they live. This is especially true of people in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods or people from diverse racial and ethnic groups, particularly among African American individuals,” said senior study author Brisa Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Ph.D., an associate professor of public health sciences at the University of Chicago in Illinois.

It is well known that better access to primary health care is linked to improved high blood pressure awareness and control. This study sought to clarify if people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may benefit from better access to primary care health professionals.

In this study, neighborhood socioeconomic status was assessed using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) created by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) over three decades ago. The ADI was chosen because it allows for rankings of neighborhoods by socioeconomic disadvantage in a region of interest (e.g., at the state or national level), and it is valuable to inform health delivery and policy, especially for the most disadvantaged neighborhood groups. ADI is composed of 17 indicators covering income, education, employment and housing quality. In this study, socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods were defined as those in census tracts ranked in the 50th percentile and above.

“Some argue that minority health disparities are solely the product of socioeconomic factors, or that increasing the number of primary care professionals in diverse racial and ethnic neighborhoods would not reduce health disparities and improve public health. To our knowledge, there is little research to support or rebut this argument,” said first study author Jiajun Luo, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Population and Precision Health. “We conducted this study to examine whether accessibility of primary care is associated with better hypertension control and awareness across various socioeconomic and neighborhood factors.”

The study examined Chicago, one of the most racially segregated cities in the U.S. Chicago’s South Side is the largest African American urban community in the U.S., with substantial challenges including poverty, violence and decreased access to fresh, healthy foods. According to the study, a 30-year gap in life expectancy has been observed between people who live in the South Side neighborhoods and Chicago’s wealthier northern neighborhoods, which may be largely attributable to higher rates of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

The researchers analyzed the health data for more than 5,000 predominantly African American adults who participated in the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study (COMPASS) between 2013 to 2019. COMPASS is a long-term initiative at the University of Chicago exploring the health of Chicagoans, primarily those who live in communities on the South Side. MAPSCorps, a non-profit organization, provided location information for primary care professionals providing care in those Chicago neighborhoods.

More than half of the study participants were smokers, and they reported an annual household income of less than $15,000 and more than 37% were obese according to body mass index (BMI). Most of the study population resided in a Chicago neighborhood with an ADI rank higher than the 70th percentile (communities with the most disadvantages).

Researchers also evaluated spatial accessibility, which is a composite score that considers the distance between an individual’s residence and local primary health care facilities; the number of physicians-to-population ratio; and the effect of distance to primary care on an individual’s willingness to seek primary health care. A higher spatial accessibility score indicated better accessibility to primary care. The primary health care professionals included family physicians, general practitioners and general internists.

The research found:

• Nearly 80% of the COMPASS participants had documented hypertension, using the standard American Heart Association guideline-based blood pressure criteria of measures ≥130 mm Hg systolic (top number) or ≥80 mm Hg diastolic (bottom number).

• Nearly 38% of those with hypertension did not have their blood pressure under control  (were not receiving treatment based on self-report), and 41% were not aware they had high blood pressure.
• Spatial accessibility scores ranged from 16.4 (lower access to primary care) to 86.6 (higher access) per 100,000 residents.

• Adults living in areas with the fewest primary health care professionals had 37% increased odds of having hypertension when compared to the adults living in neighborhoods with the most primary care physicians.
• The listed associations existed in both poor and wealthy neighborhoods, suggesting that residents in all neighborhoods may benefit from increasing the number of primary care professionals.
• When stratified by neighborhood type (advantaged or disadvantaged), accessibility to primary care was not associated with use of anti-hypertension medications among those who reported they had hypertension prior to enrolling in the study.

“Based on these findings, we need to encourage primary care physicians to expand access to people who live in underserved communities with the fewest primary care professionals,” Aschebrook-Kilfoy said. “Mobile health units may be one approach to increase primary care service in underserved areas by eliminating the challenge of getting transportation to and from an office visit. The use of anti-hypertension medications also needs to be studied and addressed, especially as it was not linked to primary care accessibility in this study.”

While the method used in this study to measure spatial accessibility can be used anywhere with sufficient location information about primary care professionals, a major limitation of this study is that these specific results may not be representative of other communities and population groups, such as middle-class urban communities or people from other diverse racial and ethnic groups, etc.

Co-authors are Muhammad G. Kibriya, Ph.D.; Paul Zakin, B.S.; Andrew Craver, M.P.H.; Liz Connellan, M.P.H.; Saira Tasmin, Ph.D.; Tamar Polonsky, M.D.; Karen Kim, M.D.; and Habibul Ahsan, M.D. Authors’ disclosures are listed in the manuscript.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded this study.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

Additional Resources:

• Available multimedia is on the right column of the news release link - https://newsroom.heart.org/news/high-blood-pressure-awareness-control-improved-with-better-access-to-primary-health-care?preview=6a07c9731682435547cd35a04381d791
• After Sept. 6, view the manuscript and editorial online here.
• AHA news release: Second annual special issue spotlights disparities research, impact on health equity (July 2022)
• AHA news release: Lifetime discrimination may increase risk of hypertension among African Americans (July 2020)
• AHA health information: High Blood Pressure and African Americans
• AHA health information: Target BP
• Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews
• Follow news from the AHA’s Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes journal @CircOutcomes

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

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JOURNAL

Circulation

DOI

10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.121.008845 

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not 

Comprehensive look at health-related topics: Leopoldina Annual Assembly dedicated to global health

Meeting Announcement

LEOPOLDINA

The aim of global health is to improve the situation of and equity for the entire global population with respect to health. This requires collaboration among numerous disciplines, as the field of global health comprises not just medical topics but also aspects relating to social, economic, political, and environmental well-being. This broad spectrum of global health issues is at the heart of this year’s Annual Assembly of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, which will be held in Halle (Saale)/Germany on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September and online.

Leopoldina Annual Assembly 2022
“Global Health: From Health Services to Climate Change and to Social Justice”
Friday 23 September and Saturday 24 September 2022
Leopoldina Main Building
Jägerberg 1, 06108 Halle (Saale)/Germany and online

On Friday 23 September, epidemiologist Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, will give the keynote lecture “Health Equity in Times of a Pandemic”. WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger will give a welcome address by video. Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Dr. Reiner Haseloff will speak in person.

The assembly’s four expert sessions will look at social determinants of health, economic aspects relating to health, health systems research, as well as One Health, which examines the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Speakers include Leopoldina members Prof. Dr. Gabriele Stangl, who will examine the pandemic of the overweight (“Globesity”) from the perspective of nutrition, psychologist Prof. Dr. Jürgen Margraf, who will discuss social determinants of mental health, and microbiologist Prof. Dr. Seyed Hasnain, who will talk about India’s experience dealing with the dual challenge posed to health by COVID-19 and tuberculosis.

Expert in veterinary medicine and microbiology and Leopoldina’s Acting Senator of the Section Global Health Prof. Dr. Lothar H. Wieler, as well as Leopoldina members Prof. Dr. Susanne Hartmann, biologist and infection immunologist, and virologist Prof. Dr. Thomas C. Mettenleiter have taken on the scientific coordination of the Annual Assembly, and are also among the speakers. Lothar Wieler will discuss the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for global health in the Inaugural Address. Dr. Johanna Hanefeld, Head of the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, will give a lecture on “International Health Protection and Health Equity” on the evening of Friday 23 September.

The Annual Assembly will take place as a hybrid event. Media representatives who would like to attend the Annual Assembly are kindly asked to send an email to presse@leopoldina.org. They are asked to indicate whether they would like to attend in person or online. Online participation is possible using the video conferencing platform Zoom. The Privacy Policy of Zoom applies while using the video conferencing platform: https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy. Interviews with the speakers can be arranged.

The event is open to all interested persons and is free. The link for mandatory registration until 11 September and the programme can be found here: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/events/event/event/2936/.

The Annual Assembly will also be streamed live on the Leopoldina’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/NationaleAkademiederWissenschaftenLeopoldina.

Follow the Leopoldina on Twitter: www.twitter.com/leopoldina

About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With 1,600 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.

High-accuracy electric vehicle battery monitoring with diamond quantum sensors for driving range extension towards carbon neutrality

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: - view more 

CREDIT: TOKYO TECH

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional gasoline vehicles has been on the rise. This has led to research efforts directed towards developing high-efficiency EV batteries. But, a major inefficiency in EVs results from inaccurate estimations of the battery charge. The charge state of an EV battery is measured based on the current output of the battery. This provides an estimate of the remaining driving range of the vehicles.

Typically, the battery currents in EVs can reach hundreds of amperes. However, commercial sensors that can detect such currents cannot measure small changes in the current at milliampere levels. This leads to an ambiguity of around 10% in the battery charge estimation. What this means is that the driving range of EVs could be extended by 10%. This, in turn, would reduce inefficient battery usage.

Fortunately, a team of researchers from Japan, led by Professor Mutsuko Hatano from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), has now come up with a solution. In their study published in Scientific Reports, the team has reported a diamond quantum sensor-based detection technique that can estimate the battery charge within 1% accuracy while measuring high currents typical of EVs.

“We developed diamond sensors that are sensitive to milliampere currents and compact enough to be implemented in automobiles. Furthermore, we measured currents in a wide range as well as detected milliampere-level currents in a noisy environment,” explains Prof. Hatano.

In their work, the team made a prototype sensor using two diamond quantum sensors that were placed on either side of the busbar (electrical junction for incoming and outgoing currents) in the car. They then used a technique called “differential detection” to eliminate the common noise detected by both the sensors and retain only the actual signal. This, in turn, enabled them to detect a small current of 10 mA amid background environmental noise.

Next, the team used a mixed analog-digital control of the frequencies generated by two microwave generators to trace the magnetic resonance frequencies of the quantum sensor over a bandwidth of 1 gigahertz. This allowed for a large dynamic range (ratio of largest to smallest current detected) of ±1000 A. Moreover, a wide operating temperature range of − 40 to + 85 °C was confirmed to cover general vehicular applications.

Finally, the team tested this prototype for Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) driving, a standard test for energy consumption in EVs. The sensor accurately traced the charge/discharge current from -50 A to 130 A and demonstrated the battery charge estimation accuracy within 1%.

What are the implications of these findings? Prof. Hatano remarks, “Increasing battery usage efficiency by 10% would reduce battery weight by 10%, which will reduce 3.5% running energy and 5% production energy of 20 million new EVs in 2030 WW. This, in turn, corresponds to a 0.2% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2030 WW transportation field.”

We certainly hope this breakthrough takes us one step closer to a carbon neutral society!

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-022-18106-x 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

High-Precision robust monitoring of charge/discharge current over a wide dynamic range for electric vehicle batteries using diamond quantum sensors

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Sep-2022

Faster friction - less wear

A seemingly paradoxical effect: friction normally causes more damage at higher speeds. But at extremely high speeds, it is the other way around.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

VIENNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: SLOW SLIDING SPEED (LEFT) LEAVES THE STRUCTUR OF THE METAL INTACT. FAST SLIDING (MIDDLE) COMPLETELY DESTROYS IT. EXTREMELY FAST SLIDING (RIGHT) PARTLY MELTS THE UPPERMOST LAYER, BUT THIS EFFECT PROTECTS THE LAYERS BELOW. view more 

CREDIT: TU WIEN

When two metal surfaces slide against each other, a variety of complicated phenomena occur that lead to friction and wear: Small crystalline regions, of which metals are typically composed, can be deformed, twisted or broken, or even fuse together. It is important for industry to understand such effects. After all, wear can destroy machinery and cost a lot of money.

Typically, the faster the two surfaces slide past each other, the greater the wear. But at extremely high speeds, comparable to the muzzle velocity of a firearm, this can be reversed: Above a certain speed, the wear decreases again. This surprising and seemingly contradictory result has now been explained using computer simulations by the Research Unit Tribology at TU Wien and the Austrian Excellence Center for Tribology (AC2T research GmbH) in Wiener Neustadt in cooperation with Imperial College in London.

Simulations on high-performance computers

"In the past, friction and wear could only be studied in experiments," says Stefan Eder (TU Wien, AC2T research GmbH). "Only in recent years have supercomputers become so powerful that we can model the highly complex processes at the material surface on an atomic scale."

Stefan Eder and his team recreate various metal alloys on the computer – not perfect single crystals, with a strictly regular and defect-free arrangement of atoms, but an alloy that is much closer to reality: a geometrically complicated arrangement of tiny crystals that can be offset from each other or twisted in different directions, manifesting as material defects. "This is important because all these defects have a decisive influence on friction and wear," says Stefan Eder. "If we were to simulate a perfect metal on the computer, the result would have little to do with reality."

Surprising results

The research team calculated how the sliding speed affects wear: "At comparatively low speeds, in the order of ten or twenty meters per second, wear is low. Only the outermost layers change, the crystal structures underneath remain largely intact," says Stefan Eder.

If you increase the speed to 80–100 meters per second, the wear increases – that is to be expected, after all, more energy is then transferred into the metal per time unit. "You then gradually enter a range where the metal behaves like a viscous liquid, similar to honey or peanut butter," says Stefan Eder. Deeper layers of the metal are pulled along in the direction of the passing surface, and the microstructure in the metal is completely reorganized. The individual grains that make up the material are twisted, broken, pushed into each other and finally pulled along.

The team experienced a surprise, however, when they moved on to even higher speeds: Above some 300 meters per second – which roughly corresponds to the top speed of aircraft in civil aviation – the wear decreases again. The microstructure of the metal just below the surface, which is completely destroyed at medium speeds, now remains largely intact again.

"This was amazing for us and for the tribology community," says Stefan Eder. "But literature research showed us: this effect has been observed by other scientists in experiments – it is just not very well known because such high speeds rarely occur. However, the origin of this effect has not yet been clarified."

Melting of the surface protects deeper layers

More detailed analyses of the computer data have now shed light on how this effect is possible: At extremely high speeds, friction generates a lot of heat – but in a very uneven way. Only individual patches on the surfaces of the two metals sliding against each other are in contact, and these small areas can reach thousands of degrees Celsius. In between, the temperature is much lower.

As a result, small parts of the surface can melt and then re-crystallize a fraction of a second later. The very outermost layer of the metal is thus dramatically changed, but this is precisely what protects the deeper regions of the material: Only the outermost layers of the material feel the wear, the crystalline structures underneath change only slightly.

"This effect, which has hardly been discussed so far, occurs with different materials," says Stefan Eder. "Wherever friction occurs at high to extremely high speeds, it will be essential to take this into account in the future." This applies, for example, to modern, high-speed bearings and transmissions in E-mobility, or to machines that grind surfaces. The now better-understood effect also plays a role in the stability of metals in a vehicle crash or in the impact of small particles on high-speed aircraft.

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JOURNAL

Applied Materials Today

DOI

10.1016/j.apmt.2022.101588 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Does speed kill or make friction better?—Designing materials for high velocity sliding

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Sep-2022

Pollution exposure in infancy alters gut microorganisms, may boost disease risk

Inhaled pollutants shape developing microbiome in ways that may promote allergies and obesity, influence brain

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER

Exposure to air pollution in the first six months of life impacts a child’s inner world of gut bacteria, or microbiome, in ways that could increase risk of allergies, obesity and diabetes, and even influence brain development, suggests new CU Boulder research.

The study, published this month in the journal Gut Microbes, is the first to show a link between inhaled pollutants—such as those from traffic, wildfires and industry—and changes in infant microbial health during this critical window of development.

Previous research by the same group found similar results in young adults.

“This study adds to the growing body of literature showing that air pollution exposure, even during infancy, may alter the gut microbiome, with important implications for growth and development,” said senior author Tanya Alderete, assistant professor of Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder.

At birth, an infant hosts little resident bacteria. Over the first two to three years of life, exposure to mother’s milk, solid food, antibiotics and other environmental influences shape which microorganisms take hold. Those microbes, and the metabolites, or byproducts, they produce when they break down food or chemicals in the gut, influence a host of bodily systems that shape appetite, insulin sensitivity, immunity, mood and cognition. While many are beneficial, some microbiome compositions have been associated with Chrohn’s disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.

“The microbiome plays a role in nearly every physiological process in the body, and the environment that develops in those first few years of life sticks with you,” said first author Maximilian Bailey, who graduated in May with a master’s in Integrative Physiology and is now a medical student at Stanford University.

Boosting inflammation

For the study, the researchers obtained fecal samples from 103 healthy, primarily breast-fed Latino infants enrolled in the Southern California Mother’s Milk Study and used genetic sequencing to analyze them.

Using their street addresses and data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System, which records hourly data from monitoring systems, they estimated exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 (fine inhalable particles from things like factories, wildfires and construction sites) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), a gas largely emitted from cars.

“Overall, we saw that ambient air pollution exposure was associated with a more inflammatory gut-microbial profile, which may contribute to a whole host of future adverse health outcomes,” said Alderete.

For instance, infants with the highest exposure to PM2.5 had 60% less Phascolarctobacterium, a beneficial bacterium known to decrease inflammation, support gastrointestinal health and aid in neurodevelopment. Those with the highest exposure to PM10 had 85% more of the microorganism Dialister, which is associated with inflammation.

In a previous study, Alderete found that pregnant Latino women exposed to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy have babies who grow unusually fast in the first month after birth, putting them at risk for obesity and related diseases later in life.

Infants are particularly vulnerable to the health hazards of air pollution because they breathe faster and their gut microbiome is just taking shape.

“This makes early life a critical window where exposure to air pollution may have disproportionately deleterious health effects,” they write.

Racial minorities at higher risk

Racial minorities and low-income communities, who tend to work, live and attend school in regions closer to busy highways or factories, are at even greater risk. One 2018 Environmental Protection Agency study found that communities of color are exposed to as much as 1.5 times more airborne pollutants than their white counterparts.

“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing the impact of pollution on disadvantaged communities and point to additional steps all families can take to protect their health,” said Alderete, who hopes her research will influence policymakers to move schools and affordable housing projects away from pollution sources.

The authors caution that more research is needed to determine whether changes in the gut in infancy have lasting impacts, and just what those are. More studies are underway.

Meantime, Alderete advises everyone to take these steps to reduce their exposure to both indoor and outdoor pollutants:

• Avoid walking outdoors in high-traffic zones
• Consider a low-cost air-filtration system, particularly for rooms children spend a lot of time in
• If you are cooking, open the windows
• And for new moms, breastfeed for as long as possible

“Breast milk is a fantastic way to develop a healthy microbiome and may help offset some of the adverse effects from environmental exposures,” Alderete said.

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JOURNAL

Gut Microbes

DOI

10.1080/19490976.2022.2105096 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Postnatal exposure to ambient air pollutants is associated with the composition of the infant gut microbiota at 6-months of age

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-Aug-2022