Riddle of varying warm water inflow in the Arctic now solved

New study helps improve forecasts on fate of Arctic sea ice

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ALFRED WEGENER INSTITUTE, HELMHOLTZ CENTRE FOR POLAR AND MARINE RESEARCH

In winter, the Norwegian coast is normally home to harsh conditions: The wind blows out of the southwest for days or even weeks at a time. Low-pressure areas make their way along the coast and not only bring rain and snow with them; the winds they produce determine how much warm water the Atlantic transports from southerly latitudes to the Barents Sea and the Arctic. Yet this flow of warm water can vary. Climate researchers want to take a closer look at these fluctuations so that their computer models can better predict how Arctic sea-ice extent will change over the next several decades. The problem: We still don’t completely understand the cause of these fluctuations in the complex air and ocean currents off the coast of Norway and in the Barents Sea. But doing so is essential to further improving climate models.

Temporary decoupling

A team led by oceanographer Finn Heukamp from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) has just published a study in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, in which he and his colleagues investigated ocean currents along the Norwegian coast and into the Barents Sea. Their focus was on the atmospheric pressure difference between the Azores High and the Icelandic Low, also known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which shapes the currents off of Norway. They were particularly interested in the question of why there are (in some cases, extreme) deviations from the typical interplay between the NAO and weather conditions. Normally, the intensity of the winds and therefore the ocean currents is predominantly determined by the atmospheric pressure difference in the NAO. When the NAO is more pronounced, it creates powerful air currents, which drive low-pressure areas across the North Atlantic and past Norway on their way north. When the atmospheric pressure difference lessens, both the winds and the low-pressure areas run out of momentum. As such, the NAO, the low-pressure areas’ track, and the intensity of the ocean currents off the coast of Norway are normally closely interconnected. However, a decoupling of the NAO and ocean currents was observed in the Barents Sea as far back as the late 1990s.

“This unusual decoupling frequently manifested in winter between the years 1995 and 2005,” says Finn Heukamp. “But the cause of these changes was unclear.” Thanks to a mathematical ocean model that simulates the Arctic Ocean at very high resolution, the experts now have the answer. Apparently, the phenomenon is caused by an unusual change in the low-pressure areas’ track. Finn Heukamp has now determined that the stream of low-pressure areas that pass by Norway, moving from the southwest to the north, is at times disrupted by powerful, nearly stationary high-pressure areas, also known as blocking highs. The latter push the fast-moving low-pressure areas out of their normal track. As a result, the NAO and the northward flow of warm water are temporarily decoupled.

Refining climate models

“At the moment, we still can’t say how often this type of situation arises – for instance, if it repeats every few decades – because the observational data we use to compare with our ocean model only goes back roughly 40 years,” says Heukamp. Nevertheless, the findings are very important for climate modelling. “Global climate models simulate on a comparatively broad scale,” the researcher explains. “With the latest results from our high-resolution analysis for the North Atlantic and the Arctic, we’ve now added an important detail for making climate modelling for the Arctic even more accurate.” They also show that, in future, the NAO, the low-pressure areas over the Atlantic, and the ocean currents need to increasingly be viewed together. Given that both the transport of warm water and the track of lows over the Atlantic affect our weather in the middle latitudes, the results are also interesting in terms of more accurately predicting the future climate and weather in Central Europe.

 

Original publication:

Heukamp, F.O., Aue, L., Wang, Q. et al. Cyclones modulate the control of the North Atlantic Oscillation on transports into the Barents Sea. Commun Earth Environ 4, 324 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00985-1

 

Notes for editorial offices:

You can find printable images in the online version of this press release: https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press.html

Your contact partner at the Alfred Wegener Institute is Finn Heukamp, tel. +49 (0)471 4831 1817 (e-mail: finn.heukamp@awi.de)  

If you have any further questions, Nils Ehrenberg, tel. +49 (0)471 4831 2008 (e-mail: media@awi.de) at the AWI’s Communications and Media Relations Department will be happy to help you.

Follow the Alfred Wegener Institute on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AWI_Media), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/awiexpedition/) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/AlfredWegenerInstitute).

The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) conducts research in the Arctic, Antarctic and oceans of the high and mid-latitudes. It coordinates polar research in Germany and provides major infrastructure to the international scientific community, such as the research icebreaker Polarstern and stations in the Arctic and Antarctica. The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of the 18 research centres of the Helmholtz Association, the largest scientific organisation in Germany.

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DOI

10.1038/s43247-023-00985-1 

 

Towards a better understanding of early human embryonic development

In a new study, researchers compare the transcriptomic profiles of recently reported human embryo stage 8-cell-like cells with human embryos

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHIBA UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: UNSUPERVISED CLUSTERING OF THE 8CLCS REPORTED BY FIVE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH GROUPS AND HUMAN PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYOS REVEALED THAT THE IBM CELLS REPORTED BY YOSHIHARA ET AL. WERE MOST SIMILAR TO THE 8-CELL-STAGE EMBRYOS, WHILE OTHER 8CLCS WERE HETEROGENOUS. view more 

CREDIT: THE AUTHORS HTTPS://WWW.CELL.COM/STEM-CELL-REPORTS/FULLTEXT/S2213-6711(23)00238-2

The onset of embryo-specific gene transcription, also known as embryonic genome activation (EGA), is a crucial step in the developmental journey of an organism. Although EGA has been studied to some extent in mice, human EGA remains largely unexplored, mainly due to the lack of novel in vitro cell models and ethical restrictions on the usage of human embryos. Thus, cell models resembling the human blastomere stage—when the embryo undergoes a cell duplication process—are necessary to study the earliest stages of human EGA and understand the events that occur during early embryonic development.

 

To enable such studies, five independent research groups recently developed different methods to produce human 8-cell-like cells (8CLCs)—a small subpopulation of cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)—closely resembling the 8-cell-stage embryo. Taubenschmid–Stowers et al. and Moya–Jódar et al. found 8CLCs from naive hPSCs under two different but specific culture conditions, while Mazid et al. optimized culture conditions to determine the existence of 8CLCs in naive hPSCs. Elsewhere, Yu et al. employed chemical screening to promote the conversion of pre-implantation epiblast-like hPSCs to 8CLCs. Yoshihara et al. reprogrammed induced blastomere-like (iBM) cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by transient expression of DUX4, a transcription factor activated just after fertilization. Although all research groups identified these cells as 8CLCs using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), the extent of similarities or differences among these 8CLC populations remains unknown.

 

In a new study, Associate Professor Masahito Yoshihara from the Institute for Advanced Academic Research and Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, along with Professor Juha Kere from the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and University of Helsinki, Finland, set out to bridge this knowledge gap. They compared the transcriptomic profiles of the 8CLCs reported by the five research groups, including theirs, with each other and with 8-cell-stage blastomeres. Their findings were made available online on July 20, 2023, and published in Volume 18, Issue 8 of Stem Cell Reports journal on August 8, 2023.

 

For this comparison, the researchers first integrated the scRNA-seq data of the five developed 8CLCs with two datasets of human pre-implantation embryos—Petropoulos et al. and the Yan et al. datasets. The Yan et al. dataset included primed hESCs and embryos, while the Petropoulos et al. dataset included data from embryonic day three (8-cell stage) till day seven.

 

Statistical analysis of the successfully integrated data revealed that the iBM cells reprogrammed by Dr. Yoshihara and his team showed the highest similarity to the 8-cell-stage embryo across both datasets, while the other 8CLCs were heterogenous. These findings were reinforced by the cell type annotation of the 8CLCs using the scRNA-seq data of human pre-implantation embryos as references. 

 

Gene expression analysis of all 8CLCs revealed that EGA genes were highly expressed, with pluripotency gene expression being minimal in iBM cells. The other 8CLCs displayed higher expression of pluripotency genes. The researchers also found compelling evidence suggesting that the origin of 8CLCs, as well as their mode of reprogramming, might affect the final cell properties.

 

They anticipate that the present findings will trigger more extensive research in the early human embryonic development. As Dr. Yoshihara explains, “The developed cell models will enable us to study the earliest stages of human life without ethical concerns. In addition, reprogrammed cells overcome the constraint of limited study specimens, since they can be produced in large numbers at once.”

 

With further clarity on the mechanism of normal early human development, it may be possible to find new methods for understanding the causes of infertility and improving the success of in vitro fertilization.  

 

 

About Associate Professor Masahito Yoshihara

Dr. Masahito Yoshihara is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Advanced Academic Research and Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, Japan. He is also a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. He is actively involved in research on the elucidation of gene expression control mechanisms in disease onset by omics analyses. His research interests include stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, and ophthalmology. He has authored over 35 publications in reputed journals with almost 1,000 citations. 

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JOURNAL

Stem Cell Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.06.009 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Transcriptomic differences between human 8-cell-like cells reprogrammed with different methods

 

SBQuantum to test quantum magnetometer in space - designed to map Earth’s magnetic field

Upgrading map of Earth’s magnetic field is vital for navigation of all aircraft, ships and other types of transport - the field Itself is shifting and must be measured more accurately and more often for safe navigation

Business Announcement

SBQUANTUM

 

IMAGE: CEO DAVID ROY-GUAY AND THE REST OF THE SBQUANTUM TEAM POINT TO WHERE THEIR FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND QUANTUM MAGNETOMETER WILL SOON BE TESTED. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO CREDIT TO "SBQUANTUM"

SHERBROOKE, Canada (September 21, 2023) – SBQuantum, the first company developing diamond quantum magnetometers capable of providing vector measurements of both the amplitude and the orientation of Earth's magnetic field, today announces it has been selected as a participant in the final phases of the MagQuest Challenge, along with its partner, Spire Global.

Led by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, MagQuest is a multi-million dollar competition to find more accurate and efficient ways to map the earth’s electromagnetic field, also known as the World Magnetic Model (WMM). Aircraft, ships, cars and trucks, along with billions of smartphone users rely on the WMM every day for navigational purposes. However, as shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field continue to accelerate, the WMM must be monitored more closely, and updated more often to ensure the model’s accuracy, while keeping people and goods flowing safely.

“It is an honor for us to be invited to participate in the final phase of this prestigious competition. We see this as a validation of our years of unwavering work in developing our diamond-powered quantum magnetometer and compensation algorithms,” said David Roy-Guay, CEO and Co-Founder of SBQuantum. “Testing the instrument in space represents a fantastic opportunity to show the entire industry what we have built, and to highlight the tremendous potential of quantum-enabled sensors not only for aerospace, but for various other industry verticals as well.”

The MagQuest Challenge resumes this month for its final phase, which includes testing of the 3 remaining solutions. SBQuantum’s offering combines its diamond-powered quantum magnetometer with a suite of reference sensors to train a machine learning algorithm, which compensates for magnetic field interference. The solution is designed to provide more accurate measurements of the WMM, with increased frequency than existing spaceborne applications. Furthermore, pre-test analysis indicates that the SBQuantum magnetometer will potentially provide stable and accurate readings for the WMM in excess of 10-times longer than today’s sensors.

“The MagQuest challenge is a prime example of how satellite technology plays a crucial role in powering technology and systems that each and every one of us use on a near-daily basis,” said Chuck Cash, Vice President of Federal Sales at Spire. “We’re proud to leverage Spire’s expertise in satellite technology and existing infrastructure for manufacturing, ground stations, and data processing with SBQuantum’s magnetometer technology to provide a novel and more accurate solution to collect geomagnetic data.”

SBQuantum’s diamond magnetometer leverages quantum properties to reduce drifts such as those induced by temperature constraints which can distort readings from today’s classical technologies. The diamond crystal contains four sensing axes in a very small volume at the atomic scale, and the amplitude and direction of its magnetic field measurements provides high accuracy with no blind spots. The device’s use of quantum effects also provides a greater accuracy than existing technologies. By applying a green laser and microwaves to the diamond, a red glow is generated which translates directly to the magnetic field vector measurements at the basis of the WMM.

The final phase of the MagQuest Challenge runs from September 2023, with a launch of all the finalists’ solutions into space for testing purposes, planned for mid-2025.

 

About SBQuantum

Founded and based in the quantum technology hub of Sherbrooke, Canada, SBQuantum is producing leading edge hardware in the field of quantum sensing, combined with advanced interpretation and compensation algorithms to bring magnetics to new heights. SBQ has obtained significant sums of non-dilutive financing to help propel it forward on its mission to bring to market the power of advanced sensors leveraging quantum effects. Its quantum magnetometer has already been tested at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as part of NASA Tournament Lab. Beyond testing its equipment in space via the MagQuest Challenge, the company also intends to bring its miniaturized sensors to unmanned vehicles and a range of other deployment scenarios today’s sensors cannot perform. For additional information, visit sbquantum.com.

 

E-cigarettes are not a gateway into smoking

Peer-Reviewed Publication

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

The most comprehensive study to date investigating whether e-cigarettes are a gateway into or out of smoking finds that, at the population level, there is no sign that e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine delivery products promote smoking.

The study, led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), also found some evidence that these products compete against cigarettes and so may be speeding up the demise of smoking, but this finding is only tentative and more data are needed to determine the size of this effect.

The study compared the time course of use and sales of electronic cigarettes with that of smoking rates and cigarette sales in countries with historically similar smoking trajectories, but differing current e-cigarette regulations. It compared the United Kingdom and United States with Australia, where sales of nicotine containing e-cigarettes are banned. It also looked at interactions between smoking and nicotine alternatives that are popular in other countries, including the use of oral nicotine pouches in Sweden and products that heat rather than burn tobacco in Japan and South Korea where they are widely used.

The decline in smokers in Australia has been slower than in the UK, and slower than in both the UK and the USA among young people and in lower socioeconomic groups. The decline in cigarette sales has also accelerated faster in the UK than in Australia. The increase in heated tobacco product sales in Japan was accompanied by a significant decrease in cigarette sales.

Researchers note that because people may use both cigarettes and alternative products, prevalence figures for these products overlap, and so longer time periods are needed to determine any effects of exclusive use of the new products on smoking prevalence. They also say that the indications that alternative nicotine products are replacing smoking – especially the size of this effect – need to be confirmed when more data become available. As further prevalence and sales data emerge, the analyses will become more informative.

Professor Peter Hajek, Director of Health and Lifestyle Research Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, said:

"The results of this study alleviate the concern that access to e-cigarettes and other low-risk nicotine products promote smoking. There is no sign of that, and there are some signs that they in fact compete against cigarettes, but more data over a longer time period are needed to determine the size of this effect."

Co-author, Professor Lion Shahab, Co-Director of the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, said:

"This comprehensive analysis provides reassurance that countries which have adopted a more progressive stance towards e-cigarettes have not seen a detrimental impact on smoking rates. If anything, the results suggest that - more likely than not - e-cigarettes have displaced harmful cigarettes in those countries so far. However, as this is fast moving field, with new technologies entering the market every year, it remains important to continue monitoring national data."

Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the Public Health Research Programme (NIHR) commented: 

"The initial findings from this study are valuable but no firm conclusions can be drawn yet. More research is needed in this area to understand further the impact that alternative nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, might have on smoking rates.”

This research, published in the journal Public Health Research, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. 

END

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• Pesola F, Phillips-Waller A, Beard E, Shahab L, Sweanor D, Jarvis M, Hajek P. Effects of reduced-risk nicotine-delivery products on smoking prevalence and cigarette sales: the GIRO observational study. Public Health Res 2023;11(XX). https://doi.org/10.3310/RPDN7327
• For more information on this release, to receive a copy of the paper or to speak with the researcher, please contact Laurence Leong in Queen Mary’s press office: l.leong@qmul.ac.uk

About Queen Mary University of London

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

Our reformer heritage informs our conviction that great ideas can and should come from anywhere. It’s an approach that has brought results across the globe, from the communities of east London to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

About UCL – London’s Global University

UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics, students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together to explore new possibilities.

Since 1826, we have championed independent thought by attracting and nurturing the world's best minds. Our community of more than 50,000 students from 150 countries and over 16,000 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.

We are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.

We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.

For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.

We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.

www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow @uclnews on Twitter | Read news at www.ucl.ac.uk/news/ | Listen to UCL podcasts on SoundCloud | Find out what’s on at UCL Minds

About the University of Ottawa 

Rooted in our bilingual and Francophone DNA, we are evolving at the intersection of many cultures. Located in Canada’s capital, a gateway to the world, we possess a unique platform to respond with energy, creativity, and scale to the global challenges and opportunities our world offers. With an active focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, we will thrive like never before. 

Already in this new millennium we have rocketed into the top 1% of the world’s 20,000+ universities with our research reputation. We have doubled our enrolment with students from across Canada, as well as from 147 countries around the globe, choosing uOttawa. 

Our international influence is surging, with institutional partnerships in Europe, Asia and Africa multiplying rapidly – including membership in the U7 Alliance of world universities. 

Meanwhile our research and programs in Cybertech, health, science, social justice, sustainability, education, and entrepreneurship continue to impact communities across Canada and around the globe every single day. Our scientists and academicians are driving progress in ethical AI and technology development, in clean growth and innovation and in action- oriented research on aging, active and healthy living, lifelong learning, and well-being, to name but a few. 

At uOttawa we are driven by the urge to challenge the status quo, the will to make an impact, and the ambition to become a catalyst for change.

About The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

· Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;

· Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;

· Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;

· Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;

· Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;

·  Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.

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JOURNAL

Public Health Research

Researchers discover potential treatment for nicotine dependence

Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy may reduce cigarette cravings

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

New research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine suggests there may be another way to treat cigarette cravings. Researchers found that theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) – strong, rapidly fluctuating magnetic field pulses that can affect brain activity – can lead to improved self-control, reduced cravings and as a result, less smoking.

People with nicotine dependence tend to have significant structural and functional differences in the brain, compared to healthy non-smokers. Smoking cigarettes has been shown to be associated with less grey matter, which means they have less neurons and other cells in the brain.

Research suggests these differences may affect inhibitory control (IC), which is our control over automatic urges and response to stimuli – what enables humans to stop an impulsive reaction to something.

“Having difficulties with IC may make it harder to avoid smoking when the urge arises, in response to all the cues and contexts in the environment that trigger the behavior to light a cigarette,” said lead author Brett Froeliger, PhD, professor of Psychiatry.

TBS refers to when magnetic pulses are applied to the brain in bursts of three and come in two forms: continuous TBS (cTBS) and intermittent TBS (iTBS). cTBS consists of applying these three bursts repeatedly for 40 seconds, whereas iTBS applies the same number of pulses irregularly for more than 190 seconds.

Magnetic stimulation has been used to treat other mental illnesses and disorders. cTBS has been experimentally tested to treat generalized anxiety disorder, whereas iTBS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – a part of your brain responsible for cognitive processes – is FDA-approved for treating major depressive disorder.

The study involved 37 participants, mostly in their late 40’s, and examined the effects of both cTBS and iTBS to the right inferior frontal gyrus, a brain region heavily involved with IC. Researchers found that cTBS improved IC, whereas both cTBS and iTBS reduced cravings and, subsequently, smoking.

“Identifying treatments that improve IC may help reduce smoking and can potentially help with preventing relapse following when a person attempts to quit smoking,” Froeliger said. “Treatments that improve IC may also help disrupt the cycle of drug use among individuals with other substance use disorders; however, further research is needed to examine the clinical value of TBS for treating substance use disorders.”

“Effects of Hyperdirect Pathway Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Inhibitory Control, Craving, and Smoking in Adults with Nicotine Dependence: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial” was recently published in Biological Psychiatry CNNI.

In addition to Froeliger, study authors include Muaid Ithman, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry; MU PhD student Spencer Upton; TBS technician and data analyst Alexander Brown and other researchers from the University of South Carolina and Stanford University. The authors claim no conflicts of interest.

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JOURNAL

Biological Psychiatry

DOI

10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.014 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Effects of Hyperdirect Pathway Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Inhibitory Control, Craving, and Smoking in Adults with Nicotine Dependence: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial

 

Material would allow users to ‘tune’ windows to block targeted wavelengths of light

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Researchers have demonstrated a material for next generation dynamic windows, which would allow building occupants to switch their windows between three modes: transparent, or “normal” windows; windows that block infrared light, helping to keep a building cool; and tinted windows that control glare while maintaining the view.

Dynamic windows based on electrochromism – meaning their opacity changes in response to electric stimulus – are not a new concept. But, to this point, most dynamic windows were either clear or dark.

“Our work demonstrates that there are more options available,” says Veronica Augustyn, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Jake and Jennifer Hooks Distinguished Scholar in Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University. “Specifically, we’ve shown that you can allow light to pass through the windows while still helping to keep buildings cooler and thus more energy efficient.”

The key to more dynamic window materials is water.

Specifically, the researchers found that when water is bound within the crystalline structure of a tungsten oxide – forming tungsten oxide hydrate – the material exhibits a previously unknown behavior.

Tungsten oxides have long been used in dynamic windows. That’s because tungsten oxide is normally transparent. But when you apply an electrical signal, and inject lithium ions and electrons into the material, the material becomes dark and blocks light.

Researchers have now shown that you can effectively tune the wavelengths of light that are blocked when you inject lithium ions and electrons into a related material called tungsten oxide hydrate. When lithium ions and electrons are injected into the hydrate material, it first transitions into a “heat blocking” phase, allowing visible wavelengths of light to pass through, but blocking infrared light. If more lithium ions and electrons are injected, the material then transitions into a dark phase, blocking both visible and infrared wavelengths of light.

“The presence of water in the crystalline structure makes the structure less dense, so the structure is more resistant to deformation when lithium ions and electrons are injected into the material,” says Jenelle Fortunato, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow at NC State. “Our hypothesis is that, because the tungsten oxide hydrate can accommodate more lithium ions than regular tungsten oxide before deforming, you get two modes. There’s a ‘cool’ mode – when injection of lithium ions and electrons affects the optical properties, but structural change hasn’t occurred yet – which absorbs infrared light. And then, after the structural change occurs, there’s a ‘dark’ mode that blocks both visible and infrared light.”

“The discovery of dual-band (infrared and visible) light control in a single material that’s already well-known to the smart windows community may accelerate development of commercial products with enhanced features,” says Delia Milliron, co-corresponding author of the paper and the Ernest Cockrell, Sr. Chair #1 in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. “More broadly speaking, the unforeseen role of structural water in producing distinctive electrochemical properties may inspire the research community beyond smart window developers, leading to innovation in energy storage and conversion materials.”

The paper, “Dual-Band Electrochromism in Hydrous Tungsten Oxide,” is published in the journal ACS Photonics. First author of the paper is Jenelle Fortunato, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State. The paper was co-authored by Noah Holzapfel, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State; Matthew Chagnot, a Ph.D. student at NC State; James Mitchell, a recent Ph.D. graduate of NC State; Benjamin Zydlewski and Hsin-Che Lu of the University of Texas at Austin; and Ming Lei and De-en Jiang of Vanderbilt University.

The research was done with support from the National Science Foundation, under grant 1653827; the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, under grant DE-SC0023408; and the Welch Foundation, under grant F-1848.

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JOURNAL

ACS Photonics

DOI

10.1021/acsphotonics.3c00921 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Dual-Band Electrochromism in Hydrous Tungsten Oxide

 

Chameleon-inspired coating could cool and warm buildings through the seasons

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

As summer turns to fall, many people will be turning off the air conditioning and firing up heaters instead. But traditional heating and cooling systems are energy intensive, and because they typically run on fossil fuels, they aren’t sustainable. Now, by mimicking a desert-dwelling chameleon, a team reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters has developed an energy-efficient, cost-effective coating. The material could keep buildings cool in the summers — or warm in the winters — without additional energy.

Many desert creatures have specialized adaptations to allow them to survive in harsh environments with large daily temperature shifts. For example, the Namaqua chameleon of southwestern Africa alters its color to regulate its body temperature as conditions change. The critters appear light grey in hot temperatures to reflect sunlight and keep cool, then turn a dark brown once they cool down to absorb heat instead. This unique ability is a naturally occurring example of passive temperature control — a phenomenon that could be adapted to create more energy-efficient buildings. But many systems, such as cooling paints or colored steel tiles, are only designed to keep buildings either cool or warm, and can’t switch between “modes.” Inspired by the Namaqua chameleon, Fuqiang Wang and colleagues wanted to create a color-shifting coating that adapts as outside temperatures fluctuate.

To make the coating, researchers mixed thermochromic microcapsules, specialized microparticles and binders to form a suspension, which they sprayed or brushed onto a metal surface. When heated to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the surface began to change from dark to light grey. Once it reached 86 degrees, the light-colored film reflected up to 93% of solar radiation. Even when heated above 175 degrees for an entire day, the material showed no signs of damage. Next, the team tested it alongside three conventional coatings — regular white paint, a passive radiative cooling paint and blue steel tiles — in outdoor tests on miniature, doghouse-sized buildings throughout all four seasons.

• In winter, the new coating was slightly warmer than the passive radiative cooling system, though both maintained similar temperatures in warmer conditions.
• In summer, the new coating was significantly cooler than the white paint and steel tiles.
• During spring and fall, the new coating was the only system that could adapt to the widely fluctuating temperatures changes, switching from heating to cooling throughout the day.

The researchers say that this color-changing system could save a considerable amount of energy for regions that experience multiple seasons, while still being inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Taishan Scholars of Shandong Province, the Royal Society, and the China Scholarship Council.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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JOURNAL

Nano Letters

DOI

10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02733 

ARTICLE TITLE

"Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer" Scalable Biochameleons Inspired Temperature Adaptive Coating with Easy Preparation and Construction

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Sep-2023

 

Scientists successfully maneuver robot through living lung tissue

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH CARE

 

IMAGE: OVERVIEW OF THE SEMIAUTONOMOUS MEDICAL ROBOT’S THREE STAGES IN THE LUNGS. view more 

CREDIT: KUNTZ ET AL.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Some tumors are extremely small and hide deep within lung tissue, making it difficult for surgeons to reach them. To address this challenge, UNC –Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University researchers have been working on an extremely bendy but sturdy robot capable of traversing lung tissue.

Their research has reached a new milestone. In a new paper, published in Science Robotics, Ron Alterovitz, PhD, in the UNC Department of Computer Science, and Jason Akulian, MD MPH, in the UNC Department of Medicine, have proven that their robot can autonomously go from “Point A” to “Point B” while avoiding important structures, such as tiny airways and blood vessels, in a living laboratory model.

“This technology allows us to reach targets we can't otherwise reach with a standard or even robotic bronchoscope,” said Dr. Akulian, co-author on the paper and Section Chief of Interventional Pulmonology and Pulmonary Oncology in the UNC Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine. “It gives you that extra few centimeters or few millimeters even, which would help immensely with pursuing small targets in the lungs.”

The development of the autonomous steerable needle robot leveraged UNC’s highly collaborative culture by blending medicine, computer science, and engineering expertise. In addition to Alterovitz and Akulian, the development effort included Yueh Z. Lee, MD, PhD, at the UNC Department of Radiology, as well as Robert J. Webster III at Vanderbilt University and Alan Kuntz at the University of Utah.

The robot is made of several separate components. A mechanical control provides controlled thrust of the needle to go forward and backward and the needle design allows for steering along curved paths. The needle is made from a nickel-titanium alloy and has been laser etched to increase its flexibility, allowing it to move effortlessly through tissue.

As it moves forward, the etching on the needle allows it to steer around obstacles with ease. Other attachments, such as catheters, could be used together with the needle to perform procedures such as lung biopsies.

To drive through tissue, the needle needs to know where it is going. The research team used CT scans of the subject’s thoracic cavity and artificial intelligence to create three-dimensional models of the lung, including the airways, blood vessels, and the chosen target. Using this 3-D model and once the needle has been positioned for launch, their AI-driven software instructs it to automatically travel from "Point A" to "Point B" while avoiding important structures.

“The autonomous steerable needle we've developed is highly compact, but the system is packed with a suite of technologies that allow the needle to navigate autonomously in real-time,” said Alterovitz, the principal investigator on the project and senior author on the paper. “It's akin to a self-driving car, but it navigates through lung tissue, avoiding obstacles like significant blood vessels as it travels to its destination.”

The needle can also account for respiratory motion. Unlike other organs, the lungs are constantly expanding and contracting in the chest cavity. This can make targeting especially difficult in a living, breathing subject. According to Akulian, it’s like shooting at a moving target.

The researchers tested their robot while the laboratory model performed intermittent breath holding. Every time the subject's breath is held, the robot is programmed to move forward.

“There remain some nuances in terms of the robot’s ability to acquire targets and then actually get to them effectively,” said Akulian, who is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, “and while there's still a lot of work to be done, I’m very excited about continuing to push the boundaries of what we can do for patients with the world-class experts that are here."

“We plan to continue creating new autonomous medical robots that combine the strengths of robotics and AI to improve medical outcomes for patients facing a variety of health challenges while providing guarantees on patient safety,” added Alterovitz.

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JOURNAL

Science Robotics

DOI

10.1126/scirobotics.adf7614 

ARTICLE TITLE

Autonomous medical needle steering in vivo

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

20-Sep-2023