ALMA demonstrates highest resolution yet

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF NATURAL SCIENCES

 

IMAGE: 

THE BAND-TO-BAND (B2B) METHOD DEMONSTRATED THIS TIME TO ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION WITH ALMA. IN THE B2B METHOD, ATMOSPHERIC FLUCTUATIONS ARE COMPENSATED FOR BY OBSERVING A NEARBY CALIBRATOR IN LOW FREQUENCY RADIO WAVES, WHILE THE TARGET IS OBSERVED WITH HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO WAVES. THE TOP RIGHT INSET IMAGE SHOWS THE ALMA IMAGE OF R LEPORIS THAT ACHIEVED THE HIGHEST RESOLUTION OF 5 MILLI-ARCSEC. SUBMILLIMETER-WAVE EMISSIONS FROM THE STELLAR SURFACE ARE SHOWN IN ORANGE AND HYDROGEN CYANIDE MASER EMISSIONS AT 891 GHZ ARE SHOWN IN BLUE. THE TOP LEFT INSET IMAGE SHOWS A PREVIOUS OBSERVATION OF THE SAME STAR USING A DIFFERENT ARRAY CONFIGURATION WITH LESS DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ANTENNAS AND WITHOUT THE B2B METHOD, RESULTING IN A RESOLUTION OF 75 MILLI-ARCSEC. THE PREVIOUS RESOLUTION IS TOO COARSE TO SPECIFY THE POSITIONS OF EACH OF THE TWO EMISSION COMPONENTS.

view more 

CREDIT: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Y. ASAKI ET AL.

ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) has demonstrated the highest resolution yet with observations of an old star. The observations show that the star is surrounded by a ring-like structure of gas and that gas from the star is escaping to the surrounding space. Future observations with the newly demonstrated high resolution are expected to elucidate, not only the end of a star’s life, but also the beginning, when planets are still forming.

ALMA is a radio interferometric array telescope, in which individual antennas work together to observe a celestial object. ALMA’s resolution, the ability to see small details, is determined by the maximum separation between the antennas and the frequency of the observed radio waves. In this research, an international team comprised mainly of astronomers from the Joint ALMA Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and European Southern Observatory used ALMA’s maximum antenna separation of 16 km and highest frequency receivers (known as Band 10, up to 950 GHz) to achieve the best resolution possible. Pushing ALMA’s resolution to new limits also required a new calibration technique to correct for fluctuations in Earth’s atmosphere above the antennas. The calibration technique the team used, known as “band-to-band (B2B),” was originally tested in the 1990s at Nobeyama Radio Observatory of NAOJ for future millimeter/submillimeter interferometers.

For their demonstration observations, the team chose R Leporis, a star in the final stage of stellar evolution, located approximately 1,535 light-years away from Earth. The team succeeded in observing R Leporis with the best resolution ever, 5 milli-arcsec, which is the equivalent of being able to see a single human hair two and a half miles away. The observations show the surface of the star and a ring of gas around the star. The team also confirmed that gas from the star is escaping to the surrounding space.

This newly demonstrated high resolution capability can now be applied to young stars with protoplanetary disks where planets are forming. Future high-resolution observations will provide new insights into how planets, particularly Earth-like planets, form.

---

JOURNAL

The Astrophysical Journal

DOI

10.3847/1538-4357/acf619 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

ALMA High-frequency Long Baseline Campaign in 2021: Highest Angular Resolution Submillimeter Wave Images for the Carbon-rich Star R Lep

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

15-Nov-2023

 POSTMODERN PHRENOLOGY

New study reveals the genetics of human head shape

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and KU Leuven have discovered a suite of genes that influence head shape in humans. These findings, published this week in Nature Communications, help explain the diversity of human head shapes and may also offer important clues about the genetic basis of conditions that affect the skull, such as craniosynostosis.

By analyzing measurements of the cranial vault — the part of the skull that forms the rounded top of the head and protects the brain — the team identified 30 regions of the genome associated with different aspects of head shape, 29 of which have not been reported previously.

“Anthropologists have speculated and debated the genetics of cranial vault shape since the early 20th century,” said co-senior author Seth Weinberg, Ph.D., professor of oral and craniofacial sciences in the Pitt School of Dental Medicine and co-director of the Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics. “We knew from certain rare human conditions and animal experiments that genes play an important role in vault size and shape, but very little was known about the genetic basis for typical features we see in the general population, such as what makes someone’s head long and narrow versus short and wide. This study reveals some of the key genes driving variation in this part of the human body.”

According to the researchers, one application of better understanding the factors that drive natural variation in human head shape is informing paleoanthropology studies, potentially shedding light on the early development of modern humans.

Weinberg and colleagues used magnetic resonance (MR) scans from more than 6,000 adolescents to extract 3D surfaces corresponding to the cranial vault. After dividing the 3D vault surfaces into incrementally smaller anatomical subparts and quantifying the shape of these subparts, they tested more than 10 million genetic variants for evidence of statistical association with measures of vault shape.

“Previous genetic studies of the cranial vault involved a small number of relatively simple measures,” added Weinberg.  “While such measures are often easy to obtain, they may fail to capture features that are biologically relevant. Our analysis used an innovative approach capable of describing 3D vault shape in much more comprehensive and nuanced ways. This approach increased our ability to find genetic associations.”

An important discovery was that many of the strong associations are near genes that play key roles in the early formation of the head and face and regulation of bone development. For example, variants in and near the gene RUNX2, a major player in coordinating development of the skull, were associated with multiple aspects of vault shape.

While some genes, including RUNX2, had global effects involving the entire vault, others showed more localized effects that only impacted a specific portion of the vault, such as the central forehead.

When the researchers compared the 30 genomic regions associated with head shape across participants with European, African and Indigenous American ancestry, they found that the majority of genetic associations were shared across these different ancestral groups.

Although the study focused on healthy participants, the findings may reveal important clues about the biological basis of diseases involving the cranial vault, according to Weinberg.

One of these conditions is craniosynostosis, which occurs when the bones of the skull fuse too early while the brain is still growing rapidly. Without neurosurgery, craniosynostosis can cause permanent disfigurement, brain damage, blindness and even death. The team showed that variants near three genes associated with vault shape, BMP2, BBS9 and ZIC2, were also associated with craniosynostosis, suggesting that these genes could play a role in the development of the disease.

“This kind of study is possible due to the availability of publicly funded resources,” said Weinberg. “The original study that generated these MR scans is focused on understanding brain development and behavior. By creatively leveraging these resources, we have managed to advance discovery beyond that original scope.”

Other authors on the study were Seppe Goovaerts, Hanne Hoskens, Ph.D., Meng Yuan, Dirk Vandermeulen, Ph.D., all of KU Leuven; Ryan J. Eller, Ph.D., Noah Herrick, Ph.D., and Susan Walsh, Ph.D., all of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis; Anthony M. Musolf, Ph.D., and Cristina M. Justice, Ph.D., both of the National Human Genome Research Institute; Sahin Naqvi, Ph.D., and Joanna Wysocka, Ph.D., both of Stanford University; Myoung Keun Lee, Heather L. Szabo-Rogers, Ph.D., Mary L. Marazita, Ph.D., and John R. Shaffer, Ph.D., all of Pitt; Paul A. Romitti, Ph.D., of the University of Iowa; Simeon A. Boyadjiev, M.D., of the University of California, Davis; Mark D. Shriver, Ph.D., of Penn State University; and Peter Claes, Ph.D., of KU Leuven and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

This research was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R01DE027023, R01DE016886, R03DE031061 and X01HL14053) and the Intramural Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health

---

JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-43237-8 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Joint multi-ancestry and admixed GWAS reveals the complex genetics behind human cranial vault shape

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Nov-2023

 

Porous platinum matrix shows promise as a new actuator material

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

 

IMAGE: 

NP-PT IS MADE UP OF INTERCONNECTED SMALL-DIAMETER LIGAMENTS, OR STRANDS, OF PLATINUM AS SMALL AS TWO NANOMETERS (10-9 M) IN DIAMETER WITH TINY PORES IN BETWEEN.  THE SMALL NATURE OF THE PLATINUM LIGAMENTS AND THE NUMEROUS TINY PORES IMPROVE THE STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF THE MATERIAL AND ITS ENERGY CONDUCTIVITY, AS INDICATED BY THE GRAPH ILLUSTRATING CURRENT DENSITY, OR THE AMOUNT OF CHARGE FLOWING THROUGH A PARTICULAR AREA IN A GIVEN TIME, AND RELATIVE LENGTH CHANGE.

view more 

CREDIT: ENERGY MATERIALS AND DEVICES, TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

Actuators are common machine components that convert energy into movement, like the muscles in the human body, vibrators in mobile phones or electric motors.  Ideal actuator materials need good electrochemical properties to repeatedly conduct electrical currents made of flowing electrons.  In addition, actuator materials require excellent mechanical properties to withstand the physical stress associated with continual movement.  Nanoporous platinum (np-Pt), a platinum matrix containing tiny pores to increase energy conduction, was recently created in large quantities and in a cost-efficient manner, making np-Pt an ideal and more practical actuator material.

 

A group of material scientists from Hamburg University of Technology in Hamburg, Germany manufactured an ultrafine-ligament np-Pt material made up of a random, interconnected network of very fine platinum strands, or ligaments, as small as two nanometers (10-9 m) in diameter.  This network also creates tiny pores between the strands, which improves the movement of electrons or charged atoms through the material.  Importantly, the team used an efficient manufacturing method that decreased the cost associated with synthesizing a np-Pt.  By decreasing the diameter of the Pt strands, both the surface-to-volume ratio and the mechanical stability of the np-Pt material goes up, improving the material’s actuator performance. 

 

The researchers published their study in Energy Materials and Devices, on October 17, 2023.

 

Compared to other nanoporous metals and materials being investigated for their potential use as actuators, the team discovered that np-Pt was physically more robust and would likely work well as a sensor or detector material versus other nanoporous materials that are too fragile.

 

“The fine ligament size of np-Pt could provide an enhanced surface area which makes the material a promising… catalyst of chemical reactions as well as an actuator material,” said Haonan Sun, first author of the paper and researcher in the Research Group of Integrated Metallic Nanomaterials Systems at Hamburg University of Technology.  As a catalyst, np-Pt would speed the rate of specific chemical reactions.

 

What was most unique about the study was how the researchers manufactured the np-Pt material.  “The main breakthrough in this research is that we obtained bulk np-Pt by electrochemical dealloying. Past studies on np-Pt were all based on nanoparticles or films that were prepared using more expensive commercial Pt particles. So the easy and cheap method of dealloying increases the practicality of np-Pt and makes further research possible,” said Sun.

 

Specifically, dealloying is a process of selective leaching or corrosion where one component of an alloy, or material blend, is selectively removed from the material.  Before the dealloying process, the material is a uniform blend.  After the selective leaching process, the more chemically active of the blended materials is partially removed from the material, leaving tiny pores behind.  In this case, np-Pt was manufactured by selectively leaching copper from a platinum-copper alloy (Pt15Cu85) using sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

 

Prior to this study, np-Pt had also never been manufactured in larger bulk quantities.  The research team suggests that the successful performance of bulk np-Pt serves as a model for the development of other nanoporous metals that may be investigated for their suitability as potential actuator materials, strain sensors or chemical reaction catalysts.

 

With the actuator material performance of np-Pt established, the team looks forward to determining the effects of the material on chemical reactions.  “The next step of this study is to investigate the chemical catalyst property of our np-Pt. We have already found some very interesting phenomena with bulk np-Pt on the oxygen reduction reaction which combines oxygen and hydrogen to form water… and we would like to do some deeper research on that,” said Sun.

 

 

Other contributors include Yizhou Huang from the Research Group of Integrated Metallic Nanomaterials Systems at Hamburg University of Technology in Hamburg, Germany and Shan Shi from the Research Group of Integrated Metallic Nanomaterials Systems at Hamburg University of Technology and the Institute of Materials Mechanics at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht, Germany.

 

##

About Energy Materials and Devices

Energy Materials and Devices is launched by Tsinghua University, published quarterly by Tsinghua University Press, aiming at being an international, single-blind peer-reviewed, open-access and interdisciplinary journal in the cutting-edge field of energy materials and devices. It focuses on the innovation research of the whole chain of basic research, technological innovation, achievement transformation and industrialization in the field of energy materials and devices, and publishes original, leading and forward-looking research results, including but not limited to the materials design, synthesis, integration, assembly and characterization of devices for energy storage and conversion etc.

 

About SciOpen 

SciOpen is a professional open access resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners, providing the scholarly publishing community with innovative technology and market-leading capabilities. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, and identity management and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development by offering a range of options across all functions as Journal Layout, Production Services, Editorial Services, Marketing and Promotions, Online Functionality, etc. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.

---

JOURNAL

Energy Materials and Devices

DOI

10.26599/EMD.2023.9370006 

ARTICLE TITLE

Bulk Ultrafine Nanoporous Platinum for Electrochemical Actuation

Morphing cones under compression: new research uncovers surprises for soft robotic actuators

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

 

IMAGE: 

BUCKLING OF CONES CAN PRODUCE INTRICATE SPIRAL RIDGES, AS OBSERVED IN BOTH SIMULATIONS (CENTRE) AND EXPERIMENTS (BOTTOM).

view more 

CREDIT: DANIEL DUFFY

Cambridge engineers investigating the load-bearing capacity of conical shells, made from soft materials, have discovered performance-limiting weaknesses that could have implications for soft robotics – affecting the ability of morphing cones to perform fundamental mechanical tasks.

In soft robotics, components are designed to be deformable, squishable and flexible, and often use soft elements, mechanisms, machines and actuators – devices that convert energy into mechanical force – as building blocks to perform mechanical tasks. Examples of such building blocks include pieces of soft material that can grab, pull, push, pump, twist etc.

New research, led by the University of Cambridge, has calculated, for the first time, the strength of conical liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) shells. LCE is a lightweight shape-morphing material suitable for use in soft robotics.

Using a combination of theory, numerics and experiments, the researchers from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering and the University of Colorado investigated the lifting, loading and buckling of these thin, morphing LCE films that can lift thousands of times their own weight. Their findings are reported in the journal Physical Review Letters, accompanied by a synopsis in Physics Magazine.

Soft elements for use in soft robotics are often constructed from thin sheets of soft material, so their mechanical actions can be based on pure bending or stretching of the material. The former is weak; the latter is strong, as exemplified by a flat LCE sheet morphing into a cone and lifting a huge weight in the process.

Daniel Duffy, PhD student in the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, and co-author of the study, said: “Our work is the first to calculate and understand just how strong a thin-walled cone is. That is, of course, important for designers of soft robots that might utilise shape morphing cones as powerful actuators.”

“However, our findings expose a weakness in the strength of these thin cones, which when compressed, deform predominantly in an outer boundary layer. This then instigates buckling at much smaller loads than what has been previously predicted.”

He added: “More broadly, our work reveals some key underlying principles that we expect to generalise far beyond cones. We have discovered that free unclamped edges can vastly weaken thin structures in a surprising manner, and this can impact many mechanisms other than morphing cones, including structures that are not anything to do with soft robotics.”

---

JOURNAL

Physical Review Letters

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.148202 

ARTICLE TITLE

Lifting, Loading, and Buckling in Conical Shells

 

Azerbaijan women behind global average for thalassemia screening and genetic counselling | BGI Insight

67.6% of women in Azerbaijan considering such screening about associated thalassemia health risks and costs is lower than the global average of 84.5%

Reports and Proceedings

BGI GENOMICS

 

IMAGE: 

AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE RISKS AND HIGH LIFETIME TREATMENT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THALASSEMIA, HOW HAVE YOU AND YOUR PARTNER'S ATTITUDES CHANGED

view more 

CREDIT: BGI GENOMICS

5.2% of the global population carry hemoglobin abnormalities, resulting in 300,000 to 400,000 children born with severe hemoglobinopathies annually. Thalassemia, a hereditary hemoglobinopathy, occurs in 4.4 out of every 10,000 live births, and is prevalent in Mediterranean coastal areas, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and southern China.  

To facilitate greater understanding of thalassemia, a hereditary hemoglobinopathy, BGI Genomics today released its State of Thalassemia Awareness Report. This report assesses the level of knowledge and attitudes related to the associated health risks, thalassemia carrier screening, and genetic counseling for carriers. 1,847 female respondents from six countries with high thalassemia prevalence were surveyed: Azerbaijan, China, Indonesia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.

67.6% of women in Azerbaijan consider screening after learning about associated thalassemia health risks and costs which is lower than the global average of 84.5%. If both partners are thalassemia carriers, 44.6% of women in Azerbaijan can persuade their partners to seek genetic counseling and consider preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) which is also lower than the global average of 50.9%.

Survey findings highlighted the urgent need to improve awareness, address barriers, and enhance access to screening: 

Most don't know much about thalassemia: 70.5% of women did not know much about thalassemia symptoms and the associated health risks, with another 14.4% indicating they never heard about thalassemia.

Greater willingness to undergo thalassemia screening with more information: After learning about the health risks and high lifetime treatment costs associated with thalassemia, 84.5% of women are more willing to undergo some form of thalassemia screening (premarital, pre-pregnancy, and prenatal tests).

Accessibility matters: Hospitals or agencies nearby that provide screening services (43.1%), cost of screening services (38.1%), and before getting married or having children (35.3%) are the top reasons that affect the willingness to undergo thalassemia screening.

If both partners are thalassemia carriers, are you able to persuade your partner to undergo genetic counselling and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

CREDIT

BGI Genomics

Thalassemia carriers are more open to genetic counseling: If both partners are thalassemia carriers, 50.8% of women can persuade their partners to seek genetic counseling and consider PGD. If women have obtained information about thalassemia from health awareness programs, this percentage rises to 59.5%.

Dr. Zhiyu Peng, BGI Genomics Deputy GM, notes, "This survey shows that enhancing awareness and accessibility are an important first step in thalassemia control programs. Region-specific screening and treatment programs, customized to align with local healthcare resources and cultural values, are also vital to identify thalassemia patients and carriers."

Dr. Androulla Eleftheriou, Thalassaemia International Federation Executive Director, comments, "Enhancing awareness is a crucial first step in promoting individual behavior changes and policy reforms, ultimately leading to improved prevention, control, and management of thalassemia. Screening services – a key component of any effective national control programme – needs to consider cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. We welcome BGI Genomics efforts and reaffirm our commitment to further expanding thalassemia awareness on a global scale."

To read the full report, please click to access the BGI Genomics State of State of Thalassemia Awareness Report 2023.

 

About BGI Genomics and thalassemia screening tests

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The company has pioneered thalassemia genetic testing services based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology since 2013. Expanding the availability of genetic testing has been instrumental in the screening, diagnosing, and treating thalassemia.

 

Silver nanoparticles: guaranteeing antimicrobial safe-tea

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF THE POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

IMAGE: 

SOMETIMES THE SIMPLEST VISIT TO THE PHARMACY CAN LEAD TO RESULTS THAT SURPRISE EVEN THOSE WITH A HIGHLY DEVELOPED IMAGINATION. RESEARCHERS FROM THE IPC PAS HAVE PRODUCED NANOPARTICLES THAT FIGHT PATHOGENS, INCLUDING DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA, MUCH MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN SOME ANTIBIOTICS. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEKOTEKA PHARMACY; IMAGE CREDIT: GRZEGORZ KRZYZEWSKI

view more 

CREDIT: SOURCE IPC PAS, GRZEGORZ KRZYZEWSKI

Once upon a time, people believed to be invincible against bacterial diseases, thanks to the antibiotics. Does this sound like a fairy tale? By all means! Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite widespread access to antibiotic therapy, many lives are lost due to pathogens invisible to the eye. The ability to develop drugs that can combat resistant strains of bacteria has not kept pace with the spread of resistance. So far, innovations to defeat antimicrobial-resistant strains of bacteria are in high demand. Recently, researchers at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) demonstrated green tea-silver nanoparticles as a powerful tool against pathogens such as bacteria and yeast. Their goal was to develop an efficient method to combat bacteria that are otherwise unaffected by antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics.

 

Following the discovery of antibiotics, there came a change in the curse of mankind by accelerating the development of medicine and extending human life expectancy. Their successful implementation led to the rapid development of pharmacy, providing more and more drugs against many pathogens. Nevertheless, the overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of resistance to these compounds, becoming one of the biggest health threats worldwide. As a result, antibiotic resistance has emerged faster than the advancement of antibiotics . The appearance of new drugs on the horizon to combat these pathogens is a short-lasting spark. Even if we seem to be on the losing end, there is still a chance to defeat an invisible enemy.

 

This hitch was researched by the team of scientists from the IPC PAS under the supervision of Prof. Jan Paczesny, who proposed new nanoformulations for use against widespread and challenging pathogens such as ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter spp.) and other problematic yeast pathogens such as Candida auris or Cryptococcus neoformans. These microorganisms, treated with commercially available antibiotics, rapidly develop antibiotic resistance. Researchers chose ESKAPE as the target group since these pathogens lead to serious diseases, from sepsis to even cancer. How? This is where the story begins.

 

A few months ago, Paczesny's team decided to try combining silver nanoparticles, which are known for their antimicrobial and antifungal properties, and tea extracts rich in polyphenols additionally possessing antioxidant properties. The concept was built to enhance broad-spectrum efficacy against pathogens using green hybrid silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are significantly more effective than all ingredients and even more effective than certain antibiotics. Why are these hybrid particles so special? In their work, three well-known tea varieties: black tea (B-Tea), green tea (G-Tea) and Pu-erh tea (R-Tea) were used as a capping agent, which acts as a stabilizer to protect the synthesized  particles from aggregation. In this way, the particles offer a high active surface area compared to other formulations. Additionally, such synthesis is eco-friendly for the use of natural ingredients during precipitation. The structures produced vary in shape and size from 34 to 65 nm, depending on the type of tea used during synthesis, and show different reactivity towards microorganisms.

 

Initially, silver nanoparticles produced in the presence of tea extracts (B-TeaNPs, G-TeaNPs and R-TeaNPs) were used to treat Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (E. faecium) bacterial strains to test the effect on strains with different cell envelope morphologies. They looked at the interactions between the manufactured nanoparticles and the pathogens to determine efficacy, comparing the results with commercially available antibiotics. The ESKAPE pathogens were then tested according to a protocol for the most effective concentration and composition of the particles, revealing up to a 25% decrease in the number of bacterial cells in E. faecium and a 90% decrease in the case of E. cloacae. Interestingly, the green silver nanoparticles also showed antifungal activity, leading to an 80% decrease in the number of viable cells of C. auris and about a 90% decrease for C. neoformans.

 

The first author, Sada Raza claims “What is more, the size of nanoparticles is usually related to the cytotoxic effect of nanomaterials, with smaller particles being more cytotoxic. This should favor control AgNPs and R-TeaNPs over G-TeaNPs and B-TeaNPs in our experiments. This was not the case. In most experiments, C-AgNPs and R-TeaNPs showed the lowest antimicrobial efficacy. This is in line with other studies, which demonstrated that size is not a primary factor affecting the antimicrobial activity of AgNPs.”

 

The antibacterial and antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles made with tea extracts are greater than those of silver nanoparticles alone due to their high content of phenolic compounds, isoflavonoids (especially catechins such as epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)). These combinations, using biologically active tea extracts and smaller amounts of silver nanoparticles, appear to be a potential way to combat a range of infections and even replace antibiotics in some applications.

 “We established that silver nanoparticles synthesized with tea extracts have higher antibacterial properties than silver nanoparticles alone. Therefore, lower dosages of TeaNPs could be used (0.1 mg mL−1). We confirmed that in some cases, the synergistic effect of tea extracts and silver nanoparticles allowed for efficacy higher than that of antibiotics (ampicillin) when tested at the same concentrations (0.1 mg mL−1) and after a relatively short exposure time of three hours.” – remarks Mateusz Wdowiak, co-author of this work.

 

The researchers found that the antimicrobial hybrid nanoparticles resulted in a significant reduction in bacteria compared to antibiotics or compounds separately. Although not all bacteria were killed, this is a significant improvement that could aid the treatment of superbugs using much lower doses than other commercially available compounds. The amount of hybrid silver nanoparticles needed to overcome bacteria or fungal infections is extremely low, making them cost-effective, so the key to using them well is not only functionality, but also the low cost of application.

 

It is an approach that can also be adapted to combat other difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. The new nanoparticles developed by researchers at the IPC PAS could bring us one step closer to effectively killing deadly drug-resistant superbugs, providing an alternative to antibiotics against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. This study also shows how much more work there is to be done in this field. Compounds used separately were much less effective than the green hybrid.

 

In the future, the researchers' main goal is to use nanoparticles in everyday life, starting with agricultural applications, replacing harmful compounds used in fields to overcome infestations in plants and bring us closer to organic farming. On a larger scale, the proposed material could also be used in biomedical applications, such as an additive for wound dressings to protect against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. They hope to use nanotechnology to develop more targeted treatments for drug-resistant superbugs.

 

Their work was published in Nanoscale Advances journal and was financed by the National Science Centre, Poland, within the SONATA BIS grant number 2017/26/E/ST4/00041 and Foundation for Polish Science from the European Regional Development Fund within the project POIR.04.04.00-00-14D6/18-00 ‘Hybrid sensor platforms for integrated photonic systems based on ceramic and polymer materials (HYPHa)’ (TEAM-NET program).

---

DOI

10.1039/D3NA00220A 

 

Green growth loses weight as a consensus position in the European Parliament

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA

Politicians in the European Parliament are supportive of post-growth and ecosocialist positions to tackle the climate crisis, and not only green growth.

This is the main conclusion of a study carried out by researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and the Department of Political and Social Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), published this week in the journal Nature Sustainability, which analyzes viewpoints of political elites on degrowth and green growth.

Degrowth is a sustainability strategy that is attracting increasing scientific interest and generates a lively debate. However, it is seen as too radical for politicians to accept, especially when compared to green growth, , which is seen as a more consensus-oriented proposal. Degrowth wants wealthy economies to abandon GDP growth and reduce energy and material use by scaling down unnecessary production while focusing on human needs. Green growth, on the other hand, wants continuous economic growth while decreasing environmental impacts. 

Much of the debate between degrowth and green growth has focused on "whether GDP growth can be decoupled from environmental impacts fast enough to avoid planetary breakdown. Yet, one of the central critiques against degrowth concerns its political feasibility, meaning that degrowth proposals are criticized for being a non-starter for political conversations," says Riccardo Mastini, co-author of the study.

Green growth, in comparison, is seen as more palatable, promising win-win pathways for economy and ecology, and an alternative way out of the extremes of limiting growth and growth at-any-cost. This makes green growth, researchers though until now, more acceptable to voters and, unlike degrowth, a consensual base for bringing ecologically-minded people together with working-class and business interests. 

The ICTA-UAB and UPF scientific study now probes these claims at the level of the European Parliament, after analysing the views held by 41 MEPs from different political forces. The study shows the existence of three clearly discernible and distinct clusters of opinion: a post-growth position that questions economic growth; an ecosocialist position that is critical of capitalism and supports state-driven decarbonisation; and a more liberal and market-oriented green growth position that favours market solutions and holds a positive view of the European Green Deal.

The results demonstrate that green growth is a view popular mostly among MEPs on the centre-right of the political spectrum. In contrast, centre-left, radical left and greens MEPs tend to align themselves more with the other two discourses of post-growth or ecosocialism. Those favourable of post-growth and ecosocialiism agree on many issues such as the need for public investment, environmental justice and reduction of working hours.

 As expected, while there is no consensus around degrowth-oriented statements, "the surprising thing was to find that there is also no consensus on green growth positions either, supposedly so far considered to be agreeable by most politicians, but as our study shows, the view mostly prevails among right-wing MEPs," says Giorgos Kallis, ICTA-UAB researcher and author of the study.

Christos Zografos, a researcher at the UPF UPF’s Johns Hopkins University – Universitat Pompeu Fabra (JHU-UPF) Public Policy Center, strikes a note of caution explaining that, despite the presence of diverse, pro-growth and post-growth opinions among members of the European Parliament, "this diversity is not manifested in actual EU politics and policies, but what we instead see is a consensus around green growth types of policies such as the European Green Deal". As for the reasons, he believes that a possible explanation could be that the green growth consensus reflects power balances within the European Parliament “which at the time of our study favored center-right positions.”

Another explanation could be related to the political attitudes of Greens and Liberals, two groups that are pivotal for helping to build coalitions around pro-environmental legislation in the European Parliament. "Other studies have found that Greens tend to sacrifice radical demands for practical policy measures, whereas the views of Liberals in our study cluster around green growth," Zografos concludes.

Politicians in the European Parliament are supportive of post-growth and ecosocialist positions to tackle the climate crisis, and not only green growth.

This is the main conclusion of a study carried out by researchers at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and the Department of Political and Social Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), published this week in the journal Nature Sustainability, which analyzes viewpoints of political elites on degrowth and green growth.

Degrowth is a sustainability strategy that is attracting increasing scientific interest and generates a lively debate. However, it is seen as too radical for politicians to accept, especially when compared to green growth, , which is seen as a more consensus-oriented proposal. Degrowth wants wealthy economies to abandon GDP growth and reduce energy and material use by scaling down unnecessary production while focusing on human needs. Green growth, on the other hand, wants continuous economic growth while decreasing environmental impacts. 

Much of the debate between degrowth and green growth has focused on "whether GDP growth can be decoupled from environmental impacts fast enough to avoid planetary breakdown. Yet, one of the central critiques against degrowth concerns its political feasibility, meaning that degrowth proposals are criticized for being a non-starter for political conversations," says Riccardo Mastini, co-author of the study.

Green growth, in comparison, is seen as more palatable, promising win-win pathways for economy and ecology, and an alternative way out of the extremes of limiting growth and growth at-any-cost. This makes green growth, researchers though until now, more acceptable to voters and, unlike degrowth, a consensual base for bringing ecologically-minded people together with working-class and business interests. 

The ICTA-UAB and UPF scientific study now probes these claims at the level of the European Parliament, after analysing the views held by 41 MEPs from different political forces. The study shows the existence of three clearly discernible and distinct clusters of opinion: a post-growth position that questions economic growth; an ecosocialist position that is critical of capitalism and supports state-driven decarbonisation; and a more liberal and market-oriented green growth position that favours market solutions and holds a positive view of the European Green Deal.

The results demonstrate that green growth is a view popular mostly among MEPs on the centre-right of the political spectrum. In contrast, centre-left, radical left and greens MEPs tend to align themselves more with the other two discourses of post-growth or ecosocialism. Those favourable of post-growth and ecosocialiism agree on many issues such as the need for public investment, environmental justice and reduction of working hours.

 As expected, while there is no consensus around degrowth-oriented statements, "the surprising thing was to find that there is also no consensus on green growth positions either, supposedly so far considered to be agreeable by most politicians, but as our study shows, the view mostly prevails among right-wing MEPs," says Giorgos Kallis, ICTA-UAB researcher and author of the study.

Christos Zografos, a researcher at the UPF UPF’s Johns Hopkins University – Universitat Pompeu Fabra (JHU-UPF) Public Policy Center, strikes a note of caution explaining that, despite the presence of diverse, pro-growth and post-growth opinions among members of the European Parliament, "this diversity is not manifested in actual EU politics and policies, but what we instead see is a consensus around green growth types of policies such as the European Green Deal". As for the reasons, he believes that a possible explanation could be that the green growth consensus reflects power balances within the European Parliament “which at the time of our study favored center-right positions.”

Another explanation could be related to the political attitudes of Greens and Liberals, two groups that are pivotal for helping to build coalitions around pro-environmental legislation in the European Parliament. "Other studies have found that Greens tend to sacrifice radical demands for practical policy measures, whereas the views of Liberals in our study cluster around green growth," Zografos concludes.

---

JOURNAL

Nature Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s41893-023-01246-x 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Perceptions of degrowth in the European Parliament

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Nov-2023