Two Rhode Island coastal flood defense projects provide lessons for making future infrastructure projects more successful

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PRINCETON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

More than ten years have passed since Hurricane Sandy exposed New York City to devastating coastal flooding. Several cost-effective flood megaprojects, including levees and storm surge barriers, have been presented to the NY-NJ region to prevent future billion-dollar disasters, but none have moved forward. Researchers studying climate adaptation have put forward theories about why so few cities have built cost-effective flood protection megaprojects, but a recent study by Princeton University and Rutgers University analyzes real-world cases to uncover actionable insights.

The study, published in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, thoroughly reviews two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood megaprojects in Rhode Island that emerged simultaneously after an active period of hurricane activity around the 1950s. After extensive archival research, the researchers pieced together a detailed explanation for why one project advanced to completion while the other did not. Their findings suggest that the storm surge barriers are politically challenging because of modern environmental laws that encourage oppositional views to legally challenge projects. They also find that the general public tend to favor alternative options that are more aesthetically pleasing, cheaper, and faster to implement, even if they do not offer the same level of protection. To address these limitations, the authors provide suggestions for how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might improve their planning process.

“Storm surge protection design hasn’t changed much over the past half century,” said D.J. Rasmussen, the lead author who completed this research while a doctoral student and postdoc at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. “Many designs are unpopular with the public and environmental NGOs because they are an eyesore and can disrupt the natural environment. The efficiency of deploying coastal adaptation could be improved using designs that are more popular,” Rasmussen said.

Flood protection megaprojects -- like levees and storm surge barriers -- that can protect densely populated areas often fail to be built, even when technical analyses of the plans show that they are cost-effective solutions. Delving into the circumstances surrounding the two Rhode Island projects, the researchers conclude that a primary factor for whether projects succeed is political and public support.

Rhode Island had experienced a number of costly storms and flooding events from 1938 to the 1950s, killing hundreds of Rhode Islanders and causing more than $100 billion dollars in damages (2017 normalized USD). With these storms fresh in the public's memory, the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier to protect the city of Providence received nearly unanimous support at public hearings and from local business leaders, and it moved forward quickly following Hurricane Carol in 1954. From this example, the researchers conclude that strong public support encourages the backing of elected officials, which is critical for moving massive infrastructure projects successfully though Congress.

On the other hand, the Narragansett Bay Hurricane Barriers, although proposed in the same period following Hurricane Carol, received less support from the start. In a region heavily reliant on fishing and coastal tourism, communities had more concerns related to the effects of the proposed barriers on maritime navigation, water quality, fish and wildlife, and recreation activities. However, the US Army Corps of Engineers failed to give much attention to these factors, focusing on the engineering and flood prevention aspects of the project and providing no discussion of alternative strategies. The Army Corps of Engineers appeared to disregard public opinion outright, angering community members. As more time passed, public opinion further soured making the project politically unfeasible.

“Drawing stakeholders into the process of planning coastal defense from the get-go and exploring the costs and benefits of concrete infrastructure alongside other options, ranging from natural defenses to retreat, would make the entire process go more smoothly and reach a sensible decision point sooner,” said co-author Michael Oppenheimer, a professor at Princeton University and director of the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment there.

These cases show how decision-making for these megaprojects involves coordination and cooperation among the public, all levels of government, and organized interests, such as businesses and NGOs. The researchers recommend several ways for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ planning process to better incorporate this political reality. These include ensuring the support of the public and elected officials before getting too far into the planning of a project to determine whether there is sufficient commitment to move forward and promoting more innovative designs that incorporate green or nature-based approaches.

“Trying to ram things down the public’s collective throat – as has been the case too often in the past and still is the way some governments would prefer to work today – generates delay more often than progress,” Oppenheimer said.

The researchers also suggest that the US Army Corps of Engineers should undertake studies of the effectiveness and reliability of such alternatives to improve their own confidence in how these would compare to more traditional coastal flood reduction infrastructure.

 

The study “Coastal Defense Megaprojects in an Era of Sea-Level Rise: Politically Feasible Strategies or Army Corps Fantasies?” first appeared online in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management on November 22, 2022. The authors include D.J. Rasmussen and Michael Oppenheimer (Princeton University) and Robert Kopp (Rutgers University).

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JOURNAL

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management

DOI

10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001613 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

ARTICLE TITLE

Coastal Defense Megaprojects in an Era of Sea-Level Rise: Politically Feasible Strategies or Army Corps Fantasies?

A way to govern ethical use of artificial intelligence without hindering advancement

Researchers develop a framework for guarding against the potential harms of AI that also overcomes the inflexible nature of government regulation

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Texas A&M University School of Public Health researchers are developing a new governance model for ethical guidance and enforcement in the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence (AI). Known as Copyleft AI with Trusted Enforcement, or CAITE, the researchers believe this model will guard against the potential harms of AI without hindering technological advancements.

Cason Schmit, JD, assistant professor at the School of Public Health and director of the Program in Health Law and Policy, Megan Doerr of Sage Bionetworks and Jennifer Wager, JD, of Penn State discuss their new model in a recent article in the journal Science.

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionize nearly every aspect of our daily lives. However, misuse of AI-based tools could cause harm, especially to communities already facing inequity and discrimination. This potential for harm calls for ethical guidance through regulation and policy. But the rapid advancement of AI and the often-inflexible nature of government regulation have made creating such ethical guidance challenging.        

Schmit, Doerr and Wager developed the CAITE model to face these challenges. CAITE combines aspects of copyleft licensing and the patent-troll model, two methods of managing intellectual property rights that can be considered at odds with one another.

Copyleft licensing allows sharing of intellectual property under conditions like attributing the original creator or noncommercial use, and derived works must use the same license terms as the original. Creative Commons licenses are a type of copyleft licensing. However, copyleft licensing schemes usually have little enforcement power.

The other side of the CAITE model uses the patent troll approach, which uses enforcement rights to ensure compliance. A patent troll is an organization that owns intellectual property rights and sues others in court as a way to generate revenue rather than creating or licensing technology.

The CAITE model is built on an ethical use license. This license would restrict certain unethical AI uses and require users to abide by a code of conduct. Importantly, it would use a copyleft approach to ensure that developers who create derivative models and data must also use the same license terms as the parent works. The license would assign the enforcement rights of the license to a designated third-party known as a CAITE host. In this way, the enforcement rights for all these ethical use licenses would pool in a single organization, empowering the CAITE host as a quasi-government regulator of AI.

“This approach combines the best of two worlds: a model that is as fast and flexible as industry, but with enforcement teeth and power of a traditional government regulator,” Schmit said.

The authors note that using a nongovernment party designated by the AI developer community could allow for greater flexibility in enforcement and trust in oversight. CAITE hosts can set consequences for unethical actions such as financial penalties or reporting instances of consumer protection law violations. At the same time, the CAITE approach allows for leniency policies that can promote self-reporting and gives flexibility that typical government enforcement schemes often lack. For example, incentives for AI users to report biases that they discover in their AI models could enable the CAITE host to warn other AI users who are relying on those potentially dangerous AI models.

Schmit and colleagues point out that the CAITE approach, while flexible, will require participation of a large portion of the AI community. Additionally, pilot implementation of ethical policies built using the CAITE approach will require further research and funding. Implementing this model will also rely on AI community members from many different disciplines to develop its features and overcome challenges that arise.

Although it will require significant community buy-in, and possibly government incentives, Schmit and colleagues state that industry will likely prefer the more flexible CAITE framework to the stringent and slow-to-adapt regulations that governments could eventually impose.

“Efforts to promote ethical and trustworthy AI must go beyond what is legally mandated as the baseline for acceptable conduct,” Wagner said. “We can and should strive to do better than what is minimally acceptable.”

Once implemented, CAITE will guard against the potential harms of AI without hindering technological advances. The researchers say that as AI continues to expand into more of our daily lives, the value of a responsive ethical framework will become crucial.

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JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.add2202 

ARTICLE TITLE

Leveraging IP for AI governance

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Feb-2023

Depression common following a stroke impacting 1/3 of survivors

According to statements from his office, Sen. John Fetterman, who had a stroke in May of 2022, has sought in-hospital treatment for depression, resulting in media and public inquiries related to stroke and depression.

According to American Stroke Association experts, depression is common after stroke and may be the result of the psychological impact of the stroke, or electrical or chemical changes in the region of the injured brain

Business Announcement

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

DALLAS, Feb. 16, 2023 — According the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, depression is a common experience for stroke survivors. A scientific statement from the Association indicates that about one-third of stroke survivors experience depression – compared to 5%–13% of adults without stroke. If left untreated, it can affect quality of life and make post-stroke recovery more difficult.

According to statements from his office, Sen. John Fetterman, who had a stroke in May of 2022, has sought in-hospital treatment for depression, resulting in media and public inquiries related to stroke and depression.

“Depression following a stroke can be a normal psychological reaction to the stress of the injury, disability or brush with mortality brought on by the stroke,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., FAHA, an American Heart Association volunteer and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. In other cases, it may be caused by structural, electrical or biochemical changes in the brain. If certain brain regions are injured, the systems that regulate emotion may be damaged and produce depression, anxiety or PTSD-like symptoms in stroke survivors. Depression and stroke are both examples of the many conditions which threaten brain health. The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 is a powerful tool to protect brain health and support longer, healthier lives.”

Schwamm, immediate past volunteer chair of the American Stroke Association Advisory Committee, suggests stroke survivors who experience depression should seek evaluation and treatment with a qualified professional. Because stroke can disrupt sleep, eating, continence and other bodily functions, self-care is critical including reaching out to friends and family for emotional support and to overcome any stigma associated with seeking help. Unfortunately, because both stroke and depression still carry social stigma and shame, many stroke survivors are reluctant to seek help and may need extra support to acknowledge the symptoms of depression and seek treatment.

As with all forms of depression, a combination of counseling, medication, stress-reduction, and regular exercise can all be helpful. Because depression is a serious health condition, treating it promptly and effectively is vital. Treating depression not only improves mood, but it also boosts physical, cognitive and intellectual recovery. Several studies show that depression goes hand in hand with lower levels of social support. Support from family, friends, a stroke support group or a combination of resources can be beneficial for a stroke survivor’s mental long-term wellbeing and can be an important part of a treatment plan for post stroke depression.

The American Heart Association has a Support Network for patients, families and caregivers than can help stroke survivors battling depression – www.supportnetwork.heart.org.

Here are some of the common symptoms of depression, according to the Association:

• Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood
• Restlessness and irritability
• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
• Decreased energy and fatigue, and feeling “slowed down”
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering and making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning awakening or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.

Stroke can happen to anyone — any age, any time — and everyone needs to know the warning signs. Calling 911 alerts first responders who may start treatment on someone experiencing stroke symptoms before arriving at the hospital. Use the letters in F.A.S.T to spot a stroke:

• F = Face Drooping
• A = Arm Weakness
• S = Speech Difficulty
• T = Time to call 911

Beyond F.A.S.T. – other symptoms you should know:

• Sudden NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes
• Sudden TROUBLE WALKING, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause

Additional Resources:

• Multimedia may be downloaded from the right column of the release link.
• Depression and stroke
• Poststroke Depression: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association | Stroke (ahajournals.org)
• Identifying and treating post-stroke depression
• Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews

About the American Stroke Association

The American Stroke Association is a relentless force for a world with fewer strokes and longer, healthier lives. We team with millions of volunteers and donors to ensure equitable health and stroke care in all communities. We work to prevent, treat and beat stroke by funding innovative research, fighting for the public’s health, and providing lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based association was created in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit stroke.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the American Heart Association

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

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Troubling discovery

UNM researchers find nanoparticles of gadolinium, a rare earth metal used in MRI contrast agents, can infiltrate kidney tissue

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

Physicians routinely prescribe an infusion containing gadolinium to enhance MRI scans, but there is evidence that nanoparticles of the toxic rare earth metal infiltrate kidney cells, sometimes triggering severe side effects, University of New Mexico researchers have found.

In the worst cases, gadolinium, an element that has no biologic function, can trigger nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, a painful disease that affects the skin and organs and is often fatal.

In a new study published in Scientific Reports, a team led by Brent Wagner, MD, MS, associate professor in the UNM Department of Internal Medicine, describes the use of electron microscopy to detect tiny deposits of gadolinium in the kidneys of people who had been injected with contrast agents prior to their MRIs.

“These are nanoparticles,” Wagner said. “They’re actually forming nano material inside these cells.”

Gadolinium-based contrast agents were first introduced in the 1990s as MRI studies became more routine, he said. Gadolinium aligns with an MRI scanner’s powerful magnetic field, making for sharper images, but because of its toxicity, the metal must be tightly bound to chelating molecules so that it can be filtered through the kidneys and eliminated.

But the researchers have found that some gadolinium atoms can leach out of the contrast agents into the kidneys and other tissues, Wagner said. The effect was found in both rodent and human specimens, he said.

“We got five tissues from patients with histories of MRI contrast exposure, and another five from control patients who were contrast-naive, and I was astounded, because all five of those exposed to the contrast agent had gadolinium in them.”

Contrast agents containing gadolinium are used in about 50% of MRI scans, Wagner said. A major question is why some people develop the disease, but most people who are exposed never exhibit negative symptoms.

“Patients have gotten the full-blown disease after just a single dose,” he said. “Some have gotten disease eight years after exposure.” There are even reports of people who received heart or kidney transplants developing symptoms.

The odds of developing disease appear to increase with greater exposure to the contrast agent and as gadolinium deposits build up in tissues, Wagner said. “There are people who get five doses, and then you can start detecting the gadolinium inside the brain when you do an MRI without any contrast.”

It’s unclear how some of the gadolinium detaches from the chelating molecules, he said.

“The big question is how does this contrast agent liberate the gadolinium and modulate its deposition in the cell,” said Wagner, who also serves as director of the Kidney Institute of New Mexico and Renal section chief for the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

The study brought together collaborators from the UNM Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the UNM Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the New Mexico VA Health System and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.

Wagner voiced concerns about the widespread use of gadolinium-based contrast agents, suggesting that many physicians might not be aware of the risks. “Quite often, contrast is given where it’s not needed – or maybe you don’t even need an MRI.”

An additional concern is that gadolinium seems to be finding its way into the environment. Because the MRI contrast agent is expelled through urine, it released into sewer systems, but wastewater treatment plants aren’t equipped to remove it, he said.

Gadolinium levels have grown twenty-fold in the San Francisco Bay, and in Germany gadolinium can be detected in soft drinks made from tap water. The same phenomenon is evident in New Mexico, he said.

“We all went out to various sources of surface water, grabbed samples and had them measured at UNM,” Wagner said. “The Rio Grande at Alameda had massive levels.”

Gadolinium appears to trigger the release of white blood cells called fibrocytes. “When they get into the skin they start participating in wound healing,” he said. But in cases of systemic fibrosis, “it’s like aberrant wound healing.”

But Wagner thinks there might be a way to harness this process to help diabetes patients on dialysis. “They tend to have very poor wound healing,” he says. “I like to see potential positives in addition to finding out what the mechanism of disease is.”

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-28666-1 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Human tissue samples

ARTICLE TITLE

The onset of rare earth metallosis begins with renal gadolinium-rich nanoparticles from magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent exposure

Humans don't hibernate, but we still need more winter sleep

Analysis of patients undergoing sleep studies finds that people get more REM sleep in the winter

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FRONTIERS

Whether we’re night owls or morning larks, our body clocks are set by the sun. Theoretically, changing day length and light exposure over the course of the year could affect the duration and quality of our sleep. But figuring out how this applies in practice is difficult. Although studies where people assess their own sleep have suggested an increase in sleep duration during winter, objective measures are needed to determine how exactly the seasons affect sleep. Scientists studying sleep difficulties have now published data in Frontiers in Neuroscience that shows that, even in an urban population experiencing disrupted sleep, humans experience longer REM sleep in winter than summer and less deep sleep in autumn.

“Possibly one of the most precious achievements in human evolution is an almost invisibility of seasonality on the behavioral level,” said Dr Dieter Kunz, corresponding author of the study, based at the Clinic of Sleep & Chronomedicine at the St Hedwig Hospital, Berlin. “In our study we show that human sleep architecture varies substantially across seasons in an adult population living in an urban environment.”

Studying sleep

A team of scientists led by Ms Aileen Seidler in Dr Kunz’s working group at the Charité Medical University of Berlin recruited 292 patients that had undergone sleep studies called polysomnographies at the St Hedwig Hospital. These studies are regularly carried out on patients who experience sleep-related difficulties, using a special laboratory where patients are asked to sleep naturally without an alarm clock, and the quality and type of sleep can be monitored as well as the length of sleep. Although the sleep disorders could potentially affect the results, this makes for a large study group evenly spread throughout the year, allowing for the investigation of month-to-month differences.

The team excluded patients who were taking medications known to affect sleep, technical failures during the polysomnography, and REM sleep latency longer than 120 minutes, which suggested that the first REM sleep episode had been skipped. Once these exclusions had been made, 188 patients remained. Most of their diagnoses showed no seasonal pattern, but insomnia was more commonly diagnosed towards the end of the year.

Winter sees more REM sleep

Even though the patients were based in an urban environment with low natural light exposure and high light pollution, which should affect any seasonality regulated by light, the scientists found subtle but striking changes across the seasons. Although total sleep time appeared to be about an hour longer in the winter than the summer, this result was not statistically significant. However, REM sleep was 30 minutes longer in the winter than in summer. REM sleep is known to be directly linked to the circadian clock, which is affected by changing light. Although the team acknowledged that these results would need to be validated in a population which experiences no sleep difficulties, the seasonal changes may be even greater in a healthy population.

“This study needs to be replicated in a large cohort of healthy subjects,” cautioned Kunz.

Although most people’s waking time is currently largely out of their control, due to school or work schedules, society might benefit from accommodations which would allow humans to respond more effectively to the changing seasons. In the meantime, going to sleep earlier in the winter might help accommodate human seasonality.

“Seasonality is ubiquitous in any living being on this planet,” said Kunz. “Even though we still perform unchanged, over the winter human physiology is down-regulated, with a sensation of ‘running-on-empty’ in February or March. In general, societies need to adjust sleep habits including length and timing to season, or adjust school and working schedules to seasonal sleep needs.”

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Neuroscience

DOI

10.3389/fnins.2023.1105233 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Seasonality of Human Sleep: Polysomnographic Data of a Neuropsychiatric Sleep Clinic

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Feb-2023

Space travel influences the way the brain works

Scientists of the University of Antwerp and University of Liège (BE) have found how the human brain changes and adapts to weightlessness, after being in space for 6 months. Some of the changes turned out to be lasting – even after 8 months back on Earth

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE

 

IMAGE: HOW SPACE TRAVEL INFLUENCES THE WAY THE BRAIN WORKS view more 

CREDIT: UANTWERPEN

Scientists of the University of Antwerp and University of Liège have found how the human brain changes and adapts to weightlessness, after being in space for 6 months. Some of the changes turned out to be lasting – even after 8 months back on Earth. Raphaël Liégeois, soon to be the third Belgian in space, acknowledges the importance of the research, “to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions.”

A child who learns not to drop a glass on the floor, or a tennis player predicting the course of an incoming ball to hit it accurately are examples of how the brain incorporates the physical laws of gravity to optimally function on Earth. Astronauts who go to space reside in a weightless environment, where the brain's rules about gravity are no longer applicable. A new study on brain function in cosmonauts has revealed how the brain's organization is changed after a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), demonstrating the adaptation that is required to live in weightlessness.

The University of Antwerp has been leading this BRAIN-DTI scientific project through the European Space Agency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were taken from 14 astronaut brains before and several times after their mission to space. Using a special MRI technique, the researchers collected the astronauts' brain data in a resting condition, hence without having them engage in a specific task. This resting-state functional MRI technique enabled the researchers to investigate the brain's default state and to find out whether this changes or not after long-duration spaceflight.

Learning effect

In collaboration with the University of Liège, recent analyses of the brain’s activity at rest revealed how functional connectivity, a marker of how activity in some brain areas is correlated with the activity in others, changes in specific regions.

“We found that connectivity was altered after spaceflight in regions which support the integration of different types of information, rather than dealing with only one type each time, such as visual, auditory, or movement information’, say Steven Jillings and Floris Wuyts (University of Antwerp). “Moreover, we found that some of these altered communication patterns were retained throughout 8 months of being back on Earth. At the same time, some brain changes returned to the level of how the areas were functioning before the space mission.”

Both scenarios of changes are plausible: retained changes in brain communication may indicate a learning effect, while transient changes may indicate more acute adaptation to changed gravity levels.

“This dataset is so special as their participants themselves. Back in 2016, we were historically the first to show how spaceflight may affect brain function on a single cosmonaut. Some years later we are now in a unique position to investigate the brains of more astronauts, several times. Therefore, we are deciphering the potential of the human brain all the more in confidence”, says Dr. Athena Demertzi (GIGA Institute, University of Liège), co-supervisor of this this work.

New generation of astronauts

“Understanding physiological and behavioral changes triggered by weightlessness is key to plan human space exploration. Therefore, mapping changes of brain function using neuroimaging techniques as done in this work is an important step to prepare the new generation of astronauts for longer missions”, comments Raphaël Liégeois, Doctor of Engineering Science (ULiège) with a Thesis in the field of Neuroscience, future ESA Astronaut.

The researchers are excited with the results, though they know it is only the first step in pursuing our understanding of brain communication changes after space travel. For example, we still need to investigate what the exact behavioural consequence is for these brain communication changes, we need to understand whether longer time spent in outer space might influence these observations, and whether brain characteristics may be helpful in selecting future astronauts or monitoring them during and after space travel.

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JOURNAL

Communications Biology

DOI

10.1038/s42003-022-04382-w 

ARTICLE TITLE

Prolonged microgravity induces reversible and persistent changes on human cerebral connectivity

21ST CENTURY ALCHEMY

Electrocatalysis – Iron and Cobalt Oxyhydroxides examined at BESSY II

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FÜR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE

 

IMAGE: LIFEX-1COX BOROPHOSPHATES (HERE AS TINY CRYSTALS WITH LENGHTS OF SOME 50 MICROMETERS) COULD BE USED AS INEXPENSIVE CATALYSTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GREEN HYDROGEN. NOW A TEAM AT BESSY II HAS INVESTIGATED WHAT HAPPENS AT THE CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE MOLECULAR CENTRES. view more 

CREDIT: P. MENEZES / HZB /TU BERLIN

Very soon, we need to become fossil free, not only in the energy sector, but as well in industry. Hydrocarbons or other raw chemicals can be produced in principle using renewable energy and abundant molecules such as water and carbon dioxide with the help of electrocatalytically active materials. But at the moment, those catalyst materials either consist of expensive and rare materials or lack efficiency.

Key reaction in water splitting

A team led by Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes (HZB/TU-Berlin) has now gained insights into the chemistry of one of the most active catalysts for the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is a key reaction to supply electrons for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water splitting. The hydrogen can then be processed into further chemical compounds, e.g., hydrocarbons. Additionally, in the direct electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction to alcohols or hydrocarbons, the OER also plays a central role.

Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

A highly promising class of electrocatalysts for OER are Cobalt-Iron Oxyhydroxides. The scientists analysed a series of LiFe1-xCox borophosphates at BESSY II with different spectroscopy techniques to determine the oxidation states of the element Iron (Fe) in different configurations.

Iron: higher oxidation states  and shorter bond distances

“Fe plays an important role in Co-based OER catalysts. However, the exact reason for this is still under debate. Most studies assume/measure Fe in lower oxidation states (+3) as a part of the active structure. In our case, however, we could show Fe in oxidation states ≥ 4 and shortened bond distances which provide us a better understanding of the catalytically active species ”, Menezes points out.

Electrocatalysts facilitate the charge transfer from the substrate (here water) to the electrodes, which mostly involves a change of the transition metal oxidation states. However, these oxidation state changes are sometimes too quick to be detected, which makes it hard to understand the working principle of the catalyst especially when it contains two potentially active elements.

This work emphasizes the geometrical structure of the active sites and on the redox behaviour of the two participating elements (Co and Fe in the present case). Such an understanding helps to enable design guided development of catalysts on a molecular level. “We hope that the detailed electronic and structural description can substantially contribute to the improvement of OER catalysts”, Menezes says.

 

Note: The team involved scientists from the CatLab at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Freie Universität Berlin. The X-ray absorption spectroscopy was performed at beamline KMC-3 at BESSY II.

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JOURNAL

Advanced Energy Materials

DOI

10.1002/aenm.202203886 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

In Situ Detection of Iron in Oxidation States ≥ IV in Cobalt-Iron Oxyhydroxide Reconstructed during Oxygen Evolution Reaction

LISTEN TO THE SCIENCE!

The unnecessary burden of war

Governments react inefficiently to soaring energy prices

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN

 

IMAGE: THIS IS KLAUS HUBACEK, PROFESSOR OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS. TOGETHER WITH COLLEAGUES FROM THE UK, US AND CHINA HE STUDIED HOW GOVERNMENTS RESPONDED TO THE RISING COSTS OF LIVING DUE TO THE RUSSIAN INVASION IN UKRAINE. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN

Governments could help millions of people and save a lot of money with targeted energy subsidies. Different kinds of households around the world suffer in various ways from the exorbitant energy prices and need different kinds of support, says Klaus Hubacek from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in a new study that was published on 16 February in Nature Energy.

All around the world, households are affected by soaring energy prices due to the war in Ukraine. But these households are affected in different ways: ‘This depends on their income level, how they spend their money, and how and where the products that they are using are being produced,’ explains Hubacek, Professor of Science, Technology, and Society. 

Poverty

‘Our study is one of the very first that quantifies—at an unprecedented level of detail—the impacts of the energy crisis, including its impact on households, within many countries and with a global reach,’ says Hubacek. ‘Without such detailed knowledge, it is impossible to know who to help and how. If the governments were to use this as a guide, they could save a lot of money.’

The increased fossil fuel prices potentially push millions of people into poverty, or even extreme poverty. Government measures to subsidize towering energy bills for households are inefficient because they do not take enough details into account. ‘If you look at the responses of governments, for example in Germany, the UK, the US, or the Netherlands, they have been using policies that do not sufficiently help those who need it most,’ states Hubacek. ‘Meanwhile they spend lots of money on people who don’t need it. That really frustrates me.’

Food

Energy prices affect households in two ways. Directly, through high energy bills, and indirectly, through the goods and services that became more expensive due to fossil fuel use in their supply chains. ‘So, for example, if you use a cell phone in the Netherlands you need direct energy, which is not a lot,’ explains Hubacek. ‘But a cell phone is made of many different components that come from Japan, China, Austria, the US, and so on.’ Therefore higher energy prices effect the price of a new smart phone indirectly.

The same is true for food: energy prices push up costs for fertilizer, transport, etcetera. Energy inputs are required in production and transportation all the way to the final product. The rising costs of energy are passed on to the consumer through the price of the product, thus indirectly increasing the burden on households.

For both high- and low-income countries, indirect energy costs impose the biggest burden, whereas, for middle-income countries, direct energy costs have the biggest impact. The picture shows an Indian woman at home preparing food by an open fire fuelled by logs.

CREDIT

Karan Singh Rathore / www.sanjhi.org

Straw

Because different households spend their money on different things, the kind of burden that the energy price shock imposes varies as well. ‘We show this in detail in our paper,’ says Hubacek. ‘For example, in some countries it is the increase in food prices that affects households most, in other cases it's mobility, and so on. Knowing what causes the increased costs exactly allows you to really subsidize the products and services that put the highest pressure on households.'

For both high- and low-income countries, the indirect energy costs impose the biggest burden, whereas for middle-income countries, direct energy costs have the biggest impact. A possible explanation is that in high- and low-income countries, households’ direct energy availability is uniform, according to Yuru Guan, one of Hubacek’s PhD students and first author of the paper. Therefore, they are affected more by consumption patterns of other goods. ‘For example, Dutch people basically use natural gas for heating, so when energy prices increase, everyone suffers from the same rate of increase in direct energy costs,’ explains Guan.

In middle-income countries, households show larger disparities when it comes to the availability of energy. ‘In China, the rich have access to natural gas for heating, while the poorest burn coal or even straw,’ continues Guan. Therefore, the total burden on household expenditure is dominated by direct energy costs.

Windfall tax

Hubacek makes another point. He suspects that the increase of energy prices due to the Russian invasion in Ukraine wouldn't have been as extreme if better policies had been made before. 'Governments could have saved money by helping people with lower incomes to insulate their houses instead of digging for coal and investing in LNG terminals that are hugely inefficient,' says Hubacek. 'Now they invest in a very expensive infrastructure that we shouldn't have in the first place if we take climate change seriously.'

Governments could moreover increase their income relatively easy. ‘Energy companies’ profits have increased considerably since the onset of the war,' according to Hubacek. 'And many other sectors benefited as well. They increase their prices more than required to cover the extra energy costs, thus increasing their profits.' Special windfall and carbon taxes could help enormously in the fight against poverty. ‘It's all linked,’ says Hubacek. ‘Polluting sectors could be taxed and the money could be used to help poor households. It's simple. It's just politically difficult.’

It is up to policy makers to make decisions that take the bigger picture into account, and to not just stick plasters. ‘However, there is no free lunch,’ as Hubacek puts it. ‘Renewable energy contributes to climate change as well. So the focus should be on policies that fight poverty and energy use in the long term.

Reference: Yuru Guan, Jin Yan, Yuli Shan, Yannan Zhou, Ye Hang, Ruoqi Li, Yu Liu, Binyuan Liu, Qingyun Nie, Benedikt Bruckner, Kuishuang Feng en Klaus Hubacek. Burden of the global energy price crisis on households, Nature Energy, 16 February 2023

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JOURNAL

Nature Energy

DOI

10.1038/s41560-023-01209-8 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Burden of the global energy price crisis on households

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

16-Feb-2023