SpongeBoost visualises sponge functions in wetlands with a comic book

SpongeBoost project launches the first part of its comic book series to promote water retention solutions for resilient landscapes

Pensoft Publishers

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SpongeBoost comic book launch

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Credit: SpongeBoost project

The SpongeBoost project is taking a creative approach to communicating its mission of enhancing and restoring landscapes' natural water retention capacities. By consolidating existing knowledge, utilising best practices, and testing innovative approaches, the project aims to create a comprehensive roadmap for implementing transformative measures that improve resilience to extreme weather events. This involves synthesising information for policy-making, practical restoration, and land-use planning, as well as showcasing successful examples of sponge restoration and its multiple benefits.

As part of its innovative creative communications approach, the project has developed a character, called Spongy. Through engaging visuals and inspiring stories, Spongy will simplify complex concepts, shape the project's visual identity and make the sponge narrative fun and accessible to both experts and non-experts.

The first edition of the comic book is available both in print and digitally, ensuring open access and free availability. The English and German versions of the first edition of the comic book have been published and are now available on Zenodo. Translations into seven more languages will follow shortly. The SpongeBoost comic book will be presented at future events across Europe to raise awareness about the project and its mission.

The official launch of the SpongeBoost comic book took place on 13 March 2025, during a hybrid workshop hosted by SpongeBoost partners from Deutsche Umwelthilfe in Berlin. The event, titled "Sponge.Power.Climate. – Innovatively Communicating Sponge Landscapes as Nature-Based Solutions", was attended by participants from across Germany.

The workshop featured a presentation by Maria Mincheva from Pensoft Publishers, who discussed the importance of science communication as a bridge between research and the public. Carina Darmstadt from Environmental Action Germany then officially introduced the SpongeBoost comic book, developed in collaboration with illustrators Melissa Harms and Nele Schacht from parzelle34 in Weimar. Their creative illustrations brought Spongy to life, transforming him from a concept into a character that supports the project’s mission to promote nature-based solutions for water retention.

The event also included a dynamic storytelling workshop, encouraging participants to share their own creative ideas for new "sponge stories". This session provided an opportunity for experts from diverse fields and communication professionals to collaborate and exchange their different perspectives on the topic.

With the release of the comic book and ongoing efforts to extend the story through additional editions, SpongeBoost aims to promote nature-based solutions that enhance landscape resilience and help combat the impacts of climate change. 

Stay tuned for more project information on the SpongeBoost website: www.spongeboost.eu

Find the SpongeBoost project on social media on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky.

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SpongeBoost receives funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.101112906.

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the EU nor the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) can be held responsible for them.

 

Physics meets art: a new twist on interference patterns

Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

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Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, discover brand new one-dimensional diffraction patterns in two-dimensional nanomaterials, with exciting implications

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Credit: Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan – One of the simplest and most beautiful naturally occurring patterns can be observed when light is shined through a pair of slightly misaligned periodic structures. This phenomenon, known as the moiré effect, is not only pretty to look at, but also has important consequences for the properties of materials.

In an article published in ACS Nano, a team led by researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, announced the discovery of a previously unseen moiré pattern: a series of periodic one-dimensional bands in tungsten ditelluride bilayers.

In nanomaterials, moiré patterns depend on the relative angle between two layers of atoms; by adjusting the angle between the lattices, different patterns can be realized. Typically, this twist angle is small – only a few degrees – since the characteristic size of the pattern decreases with increasing twist angle. However, when the researchers experimented with larger twist angles, something unexpected happened.

“The resulting pattern is a series of parallel stripes,” says Yijin Zhang, one of the corresponding authors of the study. “Typical interference patterns look like two-dimensional arrays of bright spots. These one-dimensional bands are completely distinct from all previously known patterns.”

This phenomenon can partly be explained by the choice of material. Tungsten ditelluride has a very unconventional crystal structure, consisting of distorted quadrilaterals rather than an ordered honeycomb-like lattice.

“A more disordered lattice means fewer constraints on the twist angle,” explains Tomoki Machida, senior author. “By choosing to study this material, we are free to explore the patterns that emerge when the angle is increased significantly.”

Through theoretical modeling and transmission electron microscopy experiments, the team was able to confirm that the one-dimensional bands occur precisely at twist angles of 61.767º and 58.264º. Perturbing the angle even by a tenth of a degree causes the interference pattern to revert to the traditional bright spots.

“Moiré patterns govern the optoelectronic properties of materials, so this discovery opens the door for engineering materials with uniquely anisotropic properties,” says Zhang. “For example, it may soon be possible to tune nanomaterials to conduct heat or electricity in a particular direction.”

The researchers hypothesize that other materials also possess similar one-dimensional patterns at large twist angles and are currently searching for them, as well as devising ways to apply their discovery to the study of one-dimensional phenomena. Regardless of what they find, more interesting interference patterns are almost certain to follow.

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The article, “Intrinsic One-Dimensional Moiré Superlattice in Large-Angle Twisted Bilayer WTe2,” was published in ACS Nano at 10.1021/acsnano.4c17317.

 

About Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

The Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS) is one of the largest university-attached research institutes in Japan. UTokyo-IIS is comprised of over 120 research laboratories—each headed by a faculty member—and has over 1,200 members (approximately 400 staff and 800 students) actively engaged in education and research. Its activities cover almost all areas of engineering. Since its foundation in 1949, UTokyo-IIS has worked to bridge the huge gaps that exist between academic disciplines and real-world applications.
 

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Journal

ACS Nano

DOI

10.1021/acsnano.4c17317 

Article Title

Intrinsic One-Dimensional Moiré Superlattice in Large-Angle Twisted Bilayer WTe2

Article Publication Date

27-Mar-2025

 

Mechanisms stabilizing Japanese moorlands, species asynchrony, and species and compositional stability

Yokohama National University

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Our study provides general empirical evidence that species asynchrony, species stability, and compositional stability jointly stabilize (purple arrows), while bryophyte cover destabilizes (red arrows) moorland community stability.

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Credit: YOKOHAMA National University

Subalpine and boreal moorlands are ecosystems that contribute to climate stability by reducing excess carbon as well as acting to help regulate the climate—both invaluable properties in a time of advancing climate change. Therefore, understanding how to maintain these communities in their natural state is imperative. However, the underlying mechanisms of community stability and how factors such as biodiversity within these communities affect their long-term stability is still not well understood.

Scientists in Japan have been studying subalpine and boreal moorland plant communities over an extended area in a national monitoring project, the ‘Monitoring Site 1000.’ Using this dataset researchers at YOKOHAMA National University analyzed the relationships between vascular plant species richness, species asynchrony, species stability, community compositional stability, bryophyte cover and the temporal stability of the community cover to understand what factors influence plant communities’ stability.

They found “empirical evidence that species asynchrony, species stability, and compositional stability jointly stabilizes, while bryophyte cover destabilizes moorland community stability,” said Shun Nonaka, one of the papers authors and a researcher at the College of Urban Sciences, YOKOHAMA National University. 

Their results were published in the Science of The Total Environment on Feb. 27.

Community stability within a plant ecosystem may be affected by many different factors. In the study by researchers at YOKOHAMA National University on the subalpine and boreal communities, species asynchrony, species stability and compositional stability were the primary drivers in that system’s stability.

Species asynchrony, the change in species abundance over time, evidences the multiple temporal niches that many of the different plants fill. Strengthening the overall community by introducing a diversity of temporal life strategies thereby increasing the probability that if an environmental change occurs some of the species would be able to survive.

Species stability in the moorlands was largely the result of the presence of the dominant species, for example Moliniopsis japonica. This is an important finding as many of these species are currently under threat from the encroachment of woody species and a loss of habitat. “Thus, the study findings highlight that dominant species with habitat specificity in moorlands (such as Moliniopsis japonica, Carex middendorffii, and Rhynchospora alba), which are increasingly threatened by the expansion of woody species and the reduction of areas occupied by moorlands, should be conserved regardless of their endangered status,” said Nonaka

Compositional stability, the maintenance of the same groups with the community, increased the temporal stability of the community.

Species richness, the number of species within an area, generally has a positive effect on community stability. In the study they found that the role of species richness in community stability could not be determined. This may be due to the shorter time scales of this study. Future work in these areas should consider longer time scales in their research to clearly define the role of species richness.

The greatest negative influence on community stability was the bryophyte cover as the bryophytes, largely Sphagnum mosses, decreased species asynchrony. Sphagnum moss physiology has a very strong effect on nearby hydrology and biogeochemical cycles. This can very negatively affect the vascular plants thereby reducing the number of plants that may fill certain temporal niches.

“The factors that determine moorland community stability identified in this study underscore the importance of dominant species conservation and the critical role of biodiversity in conservation strategies for moorland ecosystems,” said Takehiro Sasaki, the second author on the paper and a researcher at the Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, YOKOHAMA National University.

“This study also showed that the destabilizing effect of bryophyte may become more pronounced with increasing temperature fluctuations across time scales. Future study should evaluate the multifunctional stability of ecosystem functions and community stability on longer-term and broader spatiotemporal scales. In particular, the “Monitoring Site 1000” used in this study should continue to be monitored over a wider area and over a longer period of time in the future, and monitoring of easily measurable factors such as soil environmental factors such as pH and EC and plant traits such as leaf height and specific leaf area should also be incorporated into the protocol,” said Sasaki.

This work was financially supported by a Fostering Joint International Research A (no. 19KK0393) and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research B (grant no. 21H02567, 22H03791 and 24K03127) to TS from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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YOKOHAMA National University (YNU) is a leading research university dedicated to academic excellence and global collaboration. Its faculties and research institutes lead efforts in pioneering new academic fields, advancing research in artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum information, semiconductor innovation, energy, biotechnology, ecosystems, and smart city development. Through interdisciplinary research and international partnerships, YNU drives innovation and contributes to global societal advancement.

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Journal

Science of The Total Environment

DOI

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178955 

Article Title

Species asynchrony, species stability, and compositional stability jointly stabilize, while bryophyte cover destabilizes plant communities across Japanese moorlands

 

A new era for green and intelligent transportation: LoRa meets distributed machine learning

Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., Ltd

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When LoRa meets distributed machine learning to optimize the network connectivity for green and intelligent transportation system

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Credit: GREEN ENERGY AND INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION

In a world where urban traffic congestion and environmental concerns are escalating, innovative solutions are crucial for creating sustainable and efficient transportation systems. A groundbreaking study led by Hongbin Ma from the National Key Lab of Autonomous Intelligent Unmanned Systems at the School of Automation, Beijing Institute of Technology, introduces a pioneering approach that combines Long Range (LoRa) technology with distributed machine learning to optimize network connectivity for green and intelligent transportation systems.

 

LoRa technology addresses the challenges of outdoor monitoring by dynamically adjusting transmission parameters to enhance communication efficiency and range with minimal power. The study employs innovative spreading factor (SF) and hybrid models, along with K-means and DBSCAN algorithms, to optimize the allocation of end devices (EDs). This approach is particularly effective for electric vehicle (EV) station monitoring, reducing traffic congestion and pollution while ensuring robust communication across different gateway configurations.

 

3 Integrating machine learning with parameter adjustment models, the research significantly improves network efficiency and reliability. It uses a log-distance path loss model to estimate signal losses and explores bandwidth options and duty cycles to prevent network saturation. The strategies effectively extend the operational life of EDs, achieving a zero packet rejection rate in the hybrid model. The study highlights LoRa's potential to transform urban transportation with scalable solutions that enhance network performance and energy efficiency, addressing key urban challenges.

 

The implications of this research are profound for urban planners and policymakers. By integrating LoRa technology with distributed machine learning, the network connectivity of green intelligent transportation systems can be optimized. Applying LoRa technology to the monitoring systems of parking lots and EV stations significantly enhances the efficiency of goods tracking and logistics management. By utilizing LoRa EDs and strategically placed LoRa gateways, a seamless tracking infrastructure is established, which not only improves operational efficiency but also provides precise inventory levels and location data. This practical application ensures robust communication under different gateway configurations, reduces traffic congestion and pollution, and extends the operational life of terminal devices.

 

In the future, this technology is expected to revolutionize urban transportation by paving the way for sustainable and intelligent transportation solutions through enhanced network efficiency and reduced environmental impact. The research emphasizes the importance of reducing computational power consumption and establishing decentralized networks, achieving this through model parallelism and federated learning. By improving pure ALOHA and slotted ALOHA mechanisms and implementing distributed algorithms, the study aims to further enhance the performance of outdoor networks. Techniques such as synchronous and asynchronous gradient descent will be used to improve efficiency and responsiveness, while clustering algorithms will play a key role in reducing computational power requirements.

 

In summary, integrating LoRa technology into green intelligent transportation systems sets new standards for urban transportation. The research findings highlight the potential of LoRa technology in creating resilient and energy-efficient transportation systems, providing a scalable and effective solution to the growing challenges of traffic management. As major cities worldwide strive to manage traffic and reduce environmental impact, the insights from this research offer a forward-looking perspective on the future of urban transportation, showcasing the transformative potential of combining LoRa technology with distributed machine learning.

 

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References

 

Authors: Malak Abid Ali Khan a, Hongbin Ma *a, Arshad Farhad b, Asad Mujeeb c, Imran Khan Mirani d, Muhammad Hamza e

Affiliations: 

a National Key Lab of Autonomous Intelligent Unmanned Systems, School of Automation, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

b Department of Computer Science, Namal University, Pakistan

c Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

d Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

e School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

Article link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773153724000562

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Journal

Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation

DOI

10.1016/j.geits.2024.100204 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

When LoRa meets distributed machine learning to optimize the network connectivity for green and intelligent transportation system

 

Novel adsorbent offers effective solution for perchlorate removal from water

Higher Education Press

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(a) Adsorption kinetics of ClO4− onto CTAB-MMT, CPC-MMT, MMT, PAC, and kaolin (ClO4− concentration = 100 mg/L, adsorbent dosage = 0.4 g/L). (b) Isotherms of ClO4− adsorption onto CTAB-MMT, CPC-MMT, MMT, and PAC (ClO4− concentration = 100 mg/L, adsorbent dosage = 0.4 g/L). (c) Influence of source water on ClO4− removal (ClO4− concentration = 500 μg/L, adsorbent dosage = 0.1 g/L). (d) Removal of various oxygenated anions by CTAB-MMT from individual and mixed solutions (anion concentration = 10 mg/L, adsorbent dosage = 0.4 g/L).

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Credit: Jian Ao et al.

A study published in Engineering introduces an innovative approach to address the issue of perchlorate (ClO4−) contamination in water. Perchlorate is a harmful oxo-anion found in aquatic environments. It can enter the human body through drinking water and inhibit iodine absorption in the thyroid gland, potentially causing various thyroid-related diseases. Given the strict perchlorate limits in drinking water worldwide, such as 70 μg/L in China and 15 μg/L in the United States, developing efficient methods for its removal is crucial.

The research team, hailing from Hunan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, prepared an adsorbent by anchoring N⁺–C–H hydrogen bond donors in hydrophobic cavities. This was achieved through the interaction of cationic surfactants, like cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), with montmorillonite (MMT).

Batch experiments demonstrated the excellent performance of the cationic surfactant-modified MMT. It showed high selectivity for perchlorate over common competing anions, including SO42–, NO3–, PO43–, HCO3–, and halide anions. The adsorption kinetics were fast, and the adsorption capacity was relatively high compared to traditional adsorbents such as activated carbon, clay, or zeolite. For instance, the pseudo-second-order adsorption rate constants for CTAB-MMT and CPC-MMT were 0.0306 and 0.0153 per minute respectively, much higher than those of some traditional counterparts.

The researchers delved into the adsorption mechanisms. Electrostatic attraction was ruled out as the main driving force because the adsorbent could effectively remove perchlorate even at pH values higher than its isoelectric point. Instead, density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that unconventional CH···O hydrogen bonding was the primary mechanism. The C–H bonds adjacent to the quaternary ammonium in the cationic surfactants could act as hydrogen bond donors, forming strong bonds with perchlorate. The hydrophobic cavities formed by the long-chain tail groups of the cationic surfactants also played a role. They sheltered the C–H bonds, allowing only anions with low hydration energy, like perchlorate, to interact with the hydrogen bond donors.

To assess its practicality, cyclic adsorption experiments and fixed-bed column tests were carried out. The adsorbent exhibited good cyclic stability, maintaining a removal efficiency of over 80% after 20 cycles. In the fixed-bed column test, it could treat a large volume of water with an initial perchlorate concentration of 500 μg/L to below the drinking water limit of 70 μg/L, with an enrichment factor of 10.3.

This new adsorbent provides a practical and potentially cost-effective solution for perchlorate removal from water. It holds promise for applications in drinking water treatment plants, potentially improving the quality of drinking water and safeguarding public health.

The paper “Highly Selective Removal of Perchlorate from Water: Roles of Unconventional Hydrogen Bond and Hydrophobic Cavity,” authored by Jian Ao, Lingjun Bu, Yangtao Wu, Jinming Luo, Shiqing Zhou. Full text of the open access paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.12.029. For more information about the Engineering, follow us on X (https://twitter.com/EngineeringJrnl) & like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringJrnl).

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Journal

Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.eng.2024.12.029 

Article Title

Highly Selective Removal of Perchlorate from Water: Roles of Unconventional Hydrogen Bond and Hydrophobic Cavity