Researchers Use Existing Fiber Optic Cables to Track and Locate Whales

The technology could be used to detect whales in real time and help prevent ship strikes

Fin whale (NOAA file image)

PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2023 9:14 PM BY GEMINI NEWS

 

[By Nancy Bazilchuk]

For the first time ever, researchers have been able to track eight fin whales in near real time as they swam along a stretch of fiber-optic cable line in the Arctic. The breakthrough suggests that fiber-optic cable networks could be harnessed to help prevent whale deaths by ship strikes.

Fiber-optic cables line the coasts of the continents and criss-cross the oceans, carrying signals that are the backbone of communication in the modern world. While their main job is telecommunications, researchers have been exploring ways to use this giant network to eavesdrop on everything from storms to earthquakes to whales.

Now, working with two nearly parallel fiber-optic telecommunications cables off the Norwegian arctic archipelago of Svalbard, researchers have been able to estimate the positions and tracks of eight fin whales along a section of the cable — for five hours.

This map shows the location of the fiber optic cables, which extend from Longyearbyen, the main settlement on Svalbard, which is in the lower right of the map, to Ny-Ålesund, a small research outpost to the northwest of Longyearbyen. Graphic: Rørstadbotnen et al. 2023.2023. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1130898.

“This work demonstrates how we were able to simultaneously locate and follow these whales over an 1800 km2 area — with relatively low infrastructure investment,” said Martin Landrø, head of NTNU’s Centre for Geophysical Forecasting and one of the members of the team that did the work.

Transforming fiber cables into hydrophones

The system the researchers used for this work is called Distributed Acoustic Sensing, or DAS. DAS uses an instrument called an interrogator to send laser pulses into a fiber-optic system and records the returning light pulses, essentially turning the cables into a series of hydrophones.

Landrø and his colleagues first began to explore the ability of DAS to record underwater vibrations and sounds in the waters off Svalbard in June 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, they collected 40 days of recordings and roughly 250 terabytes of data. From these data, researchers were able to identify more than 800 whale songs and calls.

The researchers have built on this early work to expand their ability to identify different whale species and to conduct real time recording from the fiber optic cables in Svalbard.

For this latest effort, published in Frontiers of Marine Science, the researchers had access to two, nearly parallel 250 km long fiber-optic cables that extend from Longyearbyen, the main settlement in Svalbard, to Ny-Ålesund, a research outpost to the northwest. The paired cables allowed the researchers to localize the whales with an accuracy of roughly 100 meters, within an area of roughly 1800 km2.

This graphic is a closeup from the map above, showing how researchers were able to simultaneously tracking multiple whales using fiber-optic cables in the Arctic. The maps shows an overview of a 60 km long section of the cables, showing the positions and tracks of up to eight acoustically-detected whales, color-coded from dark to light over a 5.1-hour period. Graphic: Røstadbothnen et al. 2023. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1130898.

“This shows that the two fiber cables are a very effective means of monitoring whales in the Arctic,” Landrø said.

A melting Arctic

As a Norwegian territory in the high arctic, Svalbard offers Landrø and other researchers an important base from which to study this changing ecosystem.

Recent research predicts that the  Arctic could be ice free in the summer as early as 2035, which could increase shipping and cruise ship traffic across the top of the globe.

As one small example, as many as 35 cruise ships and additional smaller expedition ships are expected to transport up to 75,000 people to Longyearbyen and surroundings in 2023, according to Visit Svalbard.

Could reduce ship strike risk

Whales are already changing the way they use the Arctic and Antarctic as feeding grounds, with some research showing that fin whales have begun spending time year-round in Arctic regions. That means increased ship traffic in these areas can also increase the likelihood of ship strikes.  The use of the existing fiber-optic cable network and DAS could help reduce this possibility, the researchers said.

“The capabilities demonstrated here establish the potential for a near-real-time whale tracking capability that could be applied anywhere in the world where there are whales and fiber-optic cables,” the researchers wrote. “Coupled with ship detection, using a similar approach . . . a real-time collision avoidance system could be developed to reduce ship strikes.”

This development comes at a time when NORDUnet, the Nordic Gateway for Research and Innovation and the Nordic NRENs have begun a number of initiatives to investigate and plan the first submarine fiber-optic cable system between Europe, Asia, and North America to secure a shorter route through the Arctic Ocean. The effort is called Polar Connect.

If such an initiative is realized, “it would open far greater areas for us to follow whale movements in the Arctic,”  Landrø said.

This article appears courtesy of NTNU / Gemini News and may be found in its original form here. 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Vineyard Wind Tries "Bubble Curtain" System to Cut Pile-Driving Noise

Twin curtains of bubbles surround this pile-driver during turbine foundation installation (Vineyard Wind)

PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2023 10:27 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Vineyard Wind, the first wind farm to begin construction in U.S. federal waters, is beginning a trial of bubble curtain technology to reduce the subsea noise impact of pile-driving during installation of wind turbine foundations. 

With $5 million in funding from Vineyard Wind's own Industry Accelerator Fund, run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, survey contractor ThayerMahan will provide acoustic mitigation services using the Hydrotechnik-Luebeck "Big Bubble Curtain" technology. ThayerMahan will be moving its headquarters for this product line to the Foss Marine Terminal in New Bedford to support the project, and will be hiring and training locally to staff the operation. It will be the first bubble-curtain service in the U.S. offshore wind industry, according to Vineyard Wind. 

The bubble curtain system consists of two concentric rings of perforated hoses laid on the bottom around the work area. Before piledriving begins, the hoses are inflated using special-purpose clean air compressors. The perforations leak a continuous stream of bubbles around the work site. The bubbles absorb and reflect sound energy, creating a barrier that reduces noise transmission from activity inside of the curtain. According to one European contractor which uses the technology, it can cut noise outside of the curtain by 90 percent. 

“Our agreement with ThayerMahan ensures that for the first time, a US-based company will perform the service of providing a bubble curtain mitigation system for an offshore wind project,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “We believe this is the first step of getting US firms experience in this new industry and sets the stage for rapid expansion in the coming years, particularly in our hometown of New Bedford.”

Vineyard is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., and it is proceeding at pace. It broke ground on its shoreside infrastructure in November 2021 and began offshore cable installation in November 2022. DEME holds the contract to install the turbines, and first power to the grid should be online later this year. The wind farm will generate enough power for 400,000 homes in Massachusetts, according to Vineyard Wind. 

Dispatches from The Outlaw Ocean Episode 5: Raiders of the Deep

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza deploys a submersible off Brazil (Fabio Nascimento / Outlaw Ocean Project)

PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2023 11:01 PM BY IAN URBINA

 

This episode is the fifth installment in a 10-part short film series from The Outlaw Ocean Project. It stems from more than a decade of reporting by Ian Urbina exploring crime on the high seas. The series chronicles a gritty cast of characters including traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, shackled slaves and vigilante conservationists.

The deep ocean floor is our planet’s final frontier. It is also the most hostile environment on Earth. Scientists have yet to discover what lives in its profound ecosystems, but governments and corporations, driven by the green economy, are already tussling over its riches. Beyond regulation and independent oversight, a gold rush like no other has begun.

In this episode Ian Urbina joins Greenpeace in their race against time to locate and protect a fragile coral reef near the mouth of the Amazon River before government-approved drilling begins.

 

Wreck of OS 35 Off Gibraltar Will be Removed in the Coming Weeks

OS 35 will be removed in the coming weeks in an intricate effort to lift the two sections of the hulk (Gibraltar Port Authority photo March 2023)

PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2023 11:11 AM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The Port of Gibraltar reports that plans are being finalized for the removal of the wreck of the bulker OS 35 with the operation slightly behind the anticipated schedule. They point out that it will be a variety of intricate operations to remove the wreck of the 584-foot bulker which has fully broken in two and sits on the sea floor nearshore.

The government of Gibraltar had established a deadline on May 30 for the removal of the wreck, but the contractor Koole has advised they are slightly behind schedule. They completed at the end of April the removal of the 33,632 tons of steel bar, which had been the cargo aboard the vessel when she was departing Gibraltar at the end of August 2022 and struck a gas carrier at anchor in the harbor. However, the contractors have also had to deal with storms including one earlier this year that caused the aft section of the wreck to shift and completed the separation between the two sections. They now anticipate the removal project will be completed on June 16.

“The works to remove the OS 35 are progressing well, but the reality of the state of the wreck is dictating the pace of operations. It is vital that every stage is completed in a way that is careful, deliberate, and safe,” said Captain of the Port, John Ghio, in the most recent update. “Whilst the short delay for its final removal is unfortunate, this is the only safe way to do so that mitigates the potential future source of pollution and minimizes the impact on the environment and Gibraltar’s coastline.”

The salvage team is preparing the wreck for removal through a series of steps. They have been drilling into the structure to create lifting points. Divers are also working their way through the wreck starting with the forward section to seal and test the compartments to make them airtight. These steps will help to lighten the load during the lift process. They started with the forward section and then will move to the aft sections making these preparations.

 

Drilling is underway to create lifting points in the hulk (Gibraltar Port Authority)

 

The provisional date for the removal of the aft section, which is planned to proceed first, is May 29. As the stern section was less damaged, they plan to reverse the process that was used last fall to lower the hulk to the sea floor and re-establish buoyancy on the stern section. It will be positioned alongside a semi-submersible barge before being lifted out of the water.

The forward section, which sustained additional damage when the OS 35 struck the gas carrier and after sinking to the sea floor, will entirely need to be physically lifted using the lifting points. Once it is clear, they plan to pass additional chains under the hull to reinforce stability and provide further control during the lifting process. They anticipate this will happen on June 2.

Efforts are also underway to finalize a tactical oil spill response plan anticipating that trapped oil residues will be released as the hulk is lifted and removed. They are planning to use booms around each section and the contractor reports they have oil spill response assets on site to deal with any potential oil release.

The lifting and removal operation and the potential for a release of oil are not anticipated to impact port operations. The teams however are conscious that it is happening during the beach season and are trying to limit the impact to the shoreline.
 

ALBERTA WILDFIRE RED CROSS FUND

EVERY DOLLAR MATCHED BY THE FEDERAL AND ALBERTA GOVERMENT

Alberta SPCA Helping Animals Impacted By Wildfires





Alberta SPCA Peace Officers and staff are working hard to help animals impacted by wildfires in Alberta. Team members have been active in Drayton Valley and Brazeau County, at the request of the municipalities, feeding animals in their homes, pets that were not able to evacuate with their families. Teams of Peace Officers, staff members, and locksmiths have been entering homes with the permission of the animal owners to check on the welfare of the pets, and to ensure they have food and water to last several days.




The animals receiving visits include a wide range of species, from cats and dogs, to rabbits and mice, and reptiles such as snakes and geckos. After each visit, the home is secured in the manner it was found before the visit. If pets are deemed to be in distress or at risk, they can be taken into the care of the Alberta SPCA.

Other members of the Alberta SPCA team have been helping to transport resources to other parts of Alberta, including delivering food and litter to animals that have been evacuated to the Hinton and Slave Lake areas. Alberta SPCA Peace Officers have received permission to travel past the road blocks to make the deliveries.





With so many fires in Alberta, and so many evacuation alerts in place, the Alberta SPCA remains ready to help any municipality that requests our assistance and expertise in managing animals during an emergency situation.

Managing menopause: Hormone therapy is back

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances are common symptoms of menopause that can affect health, quality of life and work productivity. A new review published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.221438 recommends menopausal hormone therapy, historically known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), as first-line treatment in people without risk factors.

Menopausal symptoms may occur up to 10 years before the last menstrual period and can last more than 10 years, with negative effects for many people.

"Menopause and perimenopause can be associated with distressing symptoms and reduced quality of life," writes Dr. Iliana Lega, Women's College Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, with coauthors. "Menopausal hormone therapy is the first-line treatment for vasomotor symptoms in the absence of contraindications."

The review summarizes the latest evidence for diagnosing and treating menopausal symptoms as well as the risks and benefits of therapies to help clinicians and patients manage the condition.

"Although many treatments exist for menopausal symptoms, fears around the risks of menopausal hormone therapy and lack of knowledge regarding treatment options often impede patients from receiving treatment," write the authors.

Benefits of menopausal hormone therapy include

• reduced hot flashes in as many as 90% of patients with moderate to severe symptoms;
• improved blood lipid levels and a possible reduced risk of diabetes; and
• fewer fragility fractures of the hip, spine and other bones.

What about the risks?

• Although previous evidence has shown an increased risk of breast cancer, the risk is much lower in people aged 50–59 years and in those who start menopausal hormone therapy in the first 10 years of menopause.
• Some studies show an increased risk of ischemic stroke in women older than 60 years who start therapy 10 years after the start of menopause, but the risk is low for those younger than 60.

For people with risk factors or those who do not want to take menopausal hormone therapy, nonhormonal therapies, such as some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other medications, can help alleviate symptoms.

"Despite early concerns of an increased risk of cardiovascular events with menopausal hormone therapy after the Women's Health Initiative trial, increasing evidence shows a possible reduction in coronary artery disease with menopausal hormone therapy among younger menopausal patients, specifically those who start menopausal hormone therapy before age 60 years or within 10 years of menopause," write the authors.

They emphasize that it's important for clinicians to ask about symptoms before and during menopause and to discuss treatments with patients based on their personal preferences and potential risk factors.

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JOURNAL

Canadian Medical Association Journal

DOI

10.1503/cmaj.221438 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

A pragmatic approach to the management of menopause

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-May-2023

Severe hot flashes after menopause increase metabolic syndrome risk in women

Reports and Proceedings

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

Severe hot flashes after menopause increase metabolic syndrome risk in women

Women who experience more severe hot flashes after menopause are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure, according to research presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology in Istanbul. The findings of this long-term study highlight the importance of using hormone replacement therapy for menopause in these women.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of three or more conditions that occur together, which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. After menopause, women are at a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

In this study, researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens examined 825 healthy women aged 40-65 years, who had recently gone through menopause, at Aretaieion University Hospital Athens in Greece. They monitored these women over the course of 15 years, between 2006 and 2021, and found that those with moderate to severe hot flashes were more likely to develop hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Additionally, women who developed hypertension or metabolic syndrome were diagnosed earlier when experiencing more severe hot flashes compared to those who had no or milder cases of hot flashes.

Previous studies have also shown an association between hot flashes and cardiovascular health risk; women experiencing hot flashes have a higher risk of developing different types of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. However, this association has never been studied in women with varying degrees of symptoms on such a large scale. “Our long-term study is carefully designed, in which we matched a carefully selected group of women according to the severity of hot flashes and their age, and followed them for up to 15 years,” said lead researcher Dr Elena Armeni.

Symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats can start around the time of menopause and can last up to 10 years. However, hormone replacement therapy – medication that contains hormones which the body can no longer make after menopause – can be used to treat menopausal symptoms and protect long-term health, especially in women who have moderate to severe hot flashes. “Our results re-emphasise the role of cardiovascular prevention strategies, such as the use of hormone replacement therapy, which should be implemented shortly after menopause,” said Dr Armeni. “This healthy group of women who are already candidates for hormone replacement therapy should be encouraged to opt for this treatment.”

The researchers are now interested in whether these accumulated health risk factors cause heart conditions. “Our study shows that the most symptomatic women after menopause have more prevalent cardiovascular risk factors, but it is unclear if they are also more likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or have a stroke," said Dr Armeni. “If so, women with more disturbing symptoms will require appropriate health education to ensure they will remain fit and healthy in old age.”

--------ENDS-------

The study “The severity of hot flashes is associated with the risk for incident metabolic syndrome and new-onset hypertension after the menopause” will be presented on Sunday 14 May 2023 at the European Congress of Endocrinology at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey. See the full scientific programme here.

The European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) provides a platform to develop and share leading research and best knowledge in endocrine science and medicine. By uniting and representing every part of the endocrine community, we are best placed to improve the lives of patients. With over 5,000 individual members and through the 51 National Societies involved with the ESE Council of Affiliated Societies (ECAS), ESE represents a community of over 20,000 European endocrinologists. We inform policy makers on health decisions at the highest level through advocacy efforts across Europe.

National Poll: 2 in 3 parents not confident they can tell whether used children’s equipment is safe

Half of parents have used pre-owned equipment for their child, most commonly cribs and highchairs

Reports and Proceedings

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

 

IMAGE: PARENTS POLLED WEREN’T COMPLETELY CONFIDENT THEY COULD IDENTIFY SAFETY CONCERNS, SUCH AS UNSAFE WEAR AND TEAR, RECALLS OR HYGIENE ISSUES. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH C.S. MOTT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NATIONAL POLL ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Cribs, strollers and other infant and child equipment can be expensive and most families in a new national poll agree that it’s wasteful to buy these items new when they’re needed for such a short time.

But while half of parents say they have used pre-owned equipment for babies and young children, two in three acknowledge that it’s difficult to always know whether it’s safe for their child, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

“Used child essentials are often more cost-effective, environmentally friendly and convenient,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark. “However, many parents in our poll weren’t completely confident they could identify safety concerns, such as unsafe wear and tear, recalls or hygiene issues.”

Half of parents polled say they are only comfortable using used infant and child equipment from family or close friends while a little less than half are also OK with items bought at resale shops and yard sales. 

Parents most commonly used pre-owned cribs and highchairs, followed by outdoor play structures, strollers, playpens and bath seats, according to the poll report, which is based on responses from 932 parents with at least one child aged 0-7 surveyed in February 2023. Parents are least likely to report using second hand infant car seats or booster seats.

“Regardless of whether they receive the item from someone they know well or from a garage sale, parents should take diligent steps to make sure the equipment meets current safety standards and is safe for their child,” Clark said.  

“Parents should keep in mind that safety regulations are constantly evolving as research identifies features that pose a risk of injury,” she added. “This is particularly important when it comes to cribs, one of the most common types of pre-owned equipment. It is likely that some parents using pre-owned cribs may not be aware of how safety standards have changed.”

Most parents say that when they receive or buy pre-owned equipment, they are very likely to inspect it for signs of damage and sanitize it. But just half of parents are as likely to do an Internet search for instructions on how to set up and use the equipment or for information about product recalls.

“If parents don’t properly follow assembly instructions, cribs, strollers and playsets can collapse or malfunction, potentially causing serious injuries to the child,” Clark said.

“Before allowing a child to use a pre-owned item, it’s also essential to check for product recalls, which mean a manufacturer has asked customers to return or stop using the product due to a discovered safety hazard.”

Four percent of parents polled are not comfortable using any pre-owned equipment and three-quarters say they’d prefer to buy new equipment to make sure it’s safe for their child. 

But budget concerns can be a barrier, especially since families often require duplicate pieces of equipment to support their child’s sleep, transportation, and other daily activities at grandparents’ or babysitters’ homes.

Parents with household incomes under $100,000 are more likely to say they have used pre-owned equipment compared to those over $100,000 (58% vs 48%.)

Most parents also say they themselves have donated or sold child health and safety equipment, most often to a family member or friend (74%) or a charitable organization (52%), as well as at a garage sale (35%) or to a children’s resale shop (33%). Another 19% say they have never shared or sold pre-owned equipment.

“Before passing on an item to another family, parents should ensure it’s safe and in good working order,” Clark said. “If not, parents should dispose of the equipment to avoid risking injury of another child.”

When to withdraw care in severe traumatic brain injury

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC./GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS

 

IMAGE: FOCUSES ON THE LATEST ADVANCES IN THE CLINICAL AND LABORATORY INVESTIGATION OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD INJURY. EMPHASIS IS ON THE BASIC PATHOBIOLOGY OF INJURY TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND THE PAPERS AND REVIEWS EVALUATE PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL TRIALS TARGETED AT IMPROVING THE EARLY MANAGEMENT AND LONG-TERM CARE AND RECOVERY OF PATIENTS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY view more 

CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT INC., PUBLISHERS

More than 40 traumatic brain injury experts were surveyed on the use of prognostication and withdrawal of care decisions in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The survey results are published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma. Click here to read the article now.

Gregory Hawryluk, MD, PhD, Akron General Hospital, and coauthors surveyed panelists from the Seattle International severe traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference (SIBICC), querying them on the use of prognostic calculators, variability in and responsibility for goals of care decisions, acceptability of neurological outcomes, and putative means of improving decisions that may limit care. 

The responses to most questions were highly variable. Most panelists reported infrequent use of prognostic calculators. Overall, panelists felt that it would be beneficial for physicians to improve consensus on what constitutes an acceptable neurological outcome and what chance of achieving that outcome is acceptable. “Over 50% of panelists felt that if it was certain to be enduring, a vegetative state or lower severe disability would justify a withdrawal of care decision,” stated the authors.

“The SIBICC algorithms broke ground by addressing insufficiently informed aspects of TBI care such as when and how to de-escalate therapy,” concluded the authors.

“This is a tremendously important topic, with profound consequences for our most seriously injured patients,” says David L. Brody, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma. “Researchers and clinicians and who care for patients with severe TBI should read this paper carefully.”

About the Journal
Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website. 

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Neurotrauma

DOI

10.1089/neu.2022.0414 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Prognostication and Goals of Care Decisions in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Survey of The Seattle International Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Consensus Conference Working Group

Simulation provides images from the carbon nucleus

International study with participation of the University of Bonn also provides new insights into the puzzling Hoyle state

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BONN

 

IMAGE: ARE PRESENT IN THE CARBON NUCLEUS AS THREE CLUSTERS OF FOUR. DEPENDING ON THE ENERGY STATE OF THE NUCLEUS, THESE CAN BE ARRANGED INTO AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE (LEFT) OR LIKE A SLIGHTLY BENT ARM (RIGHT). view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE: PROF. SERDAR ELHATISARI/UNIVERSITY OF BONN

What does the inside of a carbon atom’s nucleus look like? A new study by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Michigan State University (USA) and the University of Bonn provides the first comprehensive answer to this question. In the study, the researchers simulated all known energy states of the nucleus. These include the puzzling Hoyle state. If it did not exist, carbon and oxygen would only be present in the universe in tiny traces. Ultimately, we therefore also owe it our own existence. The study has now been published in the journal “Nature Communications.”

The nucleus of a carbon atom normally consists of six protons and six neutrons. But how exactly are they arranged? And how does their configuration change when the nucleus is bombarded with high-energy radiation? For decades, science has been searching for answers to these questions. Not least because they could provide the key to a mystery that has long puzzled physicists: Why is there a significant amount of carbon in space at all - an atom without which there would be no life on Earth?

After all, shortly after the Big Bang, there was only hydrogen and helium. The hydrogen nucleus consists of a single proton, that of helium of two protons and two neutrons. All heavier elements were only created many billions of years later by aging stars. In them, helium nuclei fused into carbon nuclei at immense pressure and extremely high temperatures. This requires three helium nuclei to fuse together. “But it's actually very unlikely for this to happen,” explains Prof. Dr. Ulf Meißner of the Helmholtz Institute of Radiation and Nuclear Physics at the University of Bonn and the Institute for Advanced Simulation at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The reason: The helium nuclei together have a much higher energy than a carbon nucleus. However, this does not mean that they fuse particularly readily - on the contrary: It is as if three people wanted to jump onto a merry-go-round. But since they run much faster than the merry-go-round turns, they do not succeed.

Simulation on the supercomputer

As early as the 1950s, the British astronomer Fred Hoyle therefore postulated that the three helium nuclei first come together to form a kind of transition state. This "Hoyle state" has a very similar energy to the helium nuclei. To stay in the picture: It is a faster-spinning version of the merry-go-round, which the three passengers can therefore easily jump onto. When that happens, the carousel slows down to its normal speed. “Only by taking a detour via the Hoyle state can stars create carbon at all in any appreciable quantity,” says Meißner, who is also a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Areas “Modeling” and “Matter” of the University of Bonn.

About ten years ago, together with colleagues from the USA, Forschungszentrum Jülich and Ruhr-Universität Bochum, he succeeded in simulating this Hoyle state for the first time. “We already had an idea then of how the protons and neutrons of the carbon nucleus are arranged in this state,” he explains. “However, we were not able to prove with certainty that this assumption was true.” With the help of an advanced method, the researchers have now succeeded. This is essentially based on confinement: In reality, the protons and neutrons - the nucleons - can be located anywhere in space. For their calculations, however, the team restricted this freedom: “We arranged our nuclear particles on the nodes of a three-dimensional lattice,” Meißner explains. “So we allowed them only certain strictly defined positions.”

Computing time: five million processor hours

Thanks to this restriction, it was possible to calculate the motion of nucleons. Since nuclear particles affect each other differently depending on their distance from each other, this task is very complex. The researchers also ran their simulation several million times with slightly different starting conditions. This allowed them to see where the protons and neutrons were most likely to be. “We performed these calculations for all known energy states of the carbon nucleus,” Meißner says. The calculations were performed on the JEWELS supercomputer at Forschungszentrum Jülich. They required a total of about five million processor hours, with many thousands of processors working simultaneously.

The results effectively provide images from the carbon nucleus. They prove that the nuclear particles do not exist independently of each other. “Instead, they are clustered into groups of two neutrons and two protons each,” the physicist explains. This means that the three helium nuclei can still be detected after they have fused to form the carbon nucleus. Depending on the energy state, they are present in different spatial formations - either arranged into an isosceles triangle or like a slightly bent arm, with the shoulder, elbow joint and wrist each occupied by a cluster.

The study not only allows researchers to better understand the physics of the carbon nucleus. Meißner: “The methods we have developed can easily be used to simulate other nuclei and will certainly lead to entirely new insights.”

Participating institutions and funding:

Forschungszentrum Jülich, Michigan State University (USA), the China Academy of Engineering Physics and the University of Bonn were involved in the study. The work was made possible by funding from the German Research Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Volkswagen Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC), the U.S. Department of Energy, the Nuclear Computational Low-Energy Initiative (NUCLEI), and the Gauss Center for Supercomputing e.V.

Publication: Shihang Shen, Serdar Elhatisari, Timo A. Lähde, Dean Lee, Bing-Nan Lu & Ulf-G. Meißner: Emergent geometry and duality in the carbon nucleus; Nature Communications; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38391-y

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-38391-y 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Emergent geometry and duality in the carbon nucleus

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-May-2023

Paper-based packaging has a good eco-image

Study by the University of Bonn examines how the type of packaging influences purchase intention

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BONN

 

IMAGE: WHETHER OR NOT WE CHOOSE SOMETHING AT THE SUPERMARKET ALSO DEPENDS ON HOW ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WE THINK THE PACKAGING IS. view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE: JANINE MACHT/UNIVERSITY OF BONN

German consumers consider paper-based packaging to be particularly environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, they tend to be skeptical about innovative products such as paper-based bottles. This is shown by a recent study by the University of Bonn and Forschungszentrum Jülich. Almost 3,000 women and men from all over Germany were surveyed for the study. The results have now been published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

Worldwide, almost 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually - all of the cars in Europe together weigh only slightly more. According to estimates, 40 percent of plastics are processed into packaging: for refrigerators, books, deodorants, but also for drinks or cucumbers. A large part of this later ends up in the garbage or in the environment. At the same time, production wastes valuable fossil resources and endangers the climate.

“One possible solution to these problems is environmentally friendly plastic alternatives,” explains Janine Macht, a doctoral student at the Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn. “These include plastics made from renewable raw materials, such as agricultural waste. Some manufacturers also rely on innovative paper-based packaging such as ice cream cups or bottles. We wanted to know what level of acceptance these alternatives receive from consumers and to what extent this also depends on the product that is packaged.”

Macht investigated these aspects together with her colleague Jeanette Klink-Lehmann and project coordinator Dr. Sandra Venghaus from Forschungszentrum Jülich (Venghaus has since moved to a junior professorship at RWTH Aachen University). The researchers conducted an online survey with nearly 3,000 male and female participants from across Germany. The sample was chosen to be as similar as possible to the distribution in the general population in terms of gender, age distribution, and education.

Vegetable oil from the paper-based bottle

The researchers focused their survey on three very different foods: Blueberries, butter and vegetable oil. In addition, there were three different ways in which these products were packaged: in a traditional (but at least recyclable) plastic container, in a bioplastic container, or in a paper-based alternative. There were therefore nine different food-packaging combinations in total.

Respondents were now randomly divided into nine groups. Each of the groups was shown a photo of one of these combinations, along with brief information about the packaging. The subjects were then asked to indicate how environmentally friendly they thought this packaging shown was. They were also asked how suitable they thought the packaging was for protecting, transporting and storing the food in question.

A key finding: Paper-based packaging received significantly better environmental scores on average than packaging made from bioplastics. Conventional plastic packaging scored worst on this point. However, respondents were suspicious about the practicality of the paper containers. They did consider them quite suitable for protecting soft fruit such as berries from damage during transport. As storage containers for vegetable oil, on the other hand, they saw plastic containers clearly in the lead. In fact, conventional plastics scored best here.

Berries in cardboard box tempt you to buy

Participants were also asked to indicate whether they would buy the product in the packaging shown. According to the study, significantly more people would pick berries in a cardboard container than in a plastic basket. Vegetable oil, on the other hand, was most attractive for purchase when it was filled in a bottle made of bioplastic. “So when it comes to making a purchasing decision, customers don't just look at the presumed environmental friendliness, but also at how suitable they think the packaging is for the food in question,” says Macht.

Incidentally, the study says nothing about how sustainable bioplastics or cardboard bottles really are. “In some cases, there isn't even any data on the new packaging yet,” explains Macht, who is also a member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area “Sustainable Futures” at the University of Bonn. In any case, she adds, it was difficult to make a general assessment of the eco-balance. Whether plastic made from renewable raw materials, for example, is really sustainable depends on many factors: Where the source materials come from. Whether valuable agricultural land was sacrificed for production, which may then lead to more forests being cleared. How well compostable and recyclable the plastic is.

It is a similar story with paper-based packaging: Its production also consumes resources and energy - sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the production location and method. “In principle, it's certainly best to avoid packaging as much as possible,” the researcher emphasizes. “But that doesn't always work. Liquids need a container in which to be stored. Fruits such as raspberries would not survive transport to the retailer or even from the supermarket to home without protective packaging.”

Nevertheless, she is convinced that solutions made from renewable raw materials can be a first step toward solving at least some problems, such as the consumption of precious fossil resources or - in the case of compostable packaging - the huge amounts of waste that will pollute our oceans for centuries to come.

Participating institutions and funding:

The University of Bonn and Forschungszentrum Jülich were involved in the study. It was funded as part of the Transform2Bio project by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Publication: Janine Macht, Jeanette Klink-Lehmann and Sandra Venghaus: Eco-friendly alternatives to food packed in plastics: German consumers’ purchase intentions for different bio-based packaging strategies; Food Quality and Preference; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104884

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JOURNAL

Food Quality and Preference

DOI

10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104884 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Eco-friendly alternatives to food packed in plastics: German consumers’ purchase intentions for different bio-based packaging strategies

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

13-May-2023