• Energy Research
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The luminescent solar concentrator has the potential of widespread use as a generator of electricity from sunlight well-suited for use in the urban environment owing to its adaptability in shape and coloration. The device performance is heavily dependent on the ability to transport light long distances to the edges. A common organic luminophore used in the device is based on a perylene core. In this work, we describe an overlooked effect of UV illumination on the appearance and efficiency of these devices. An additional absorption peak appears upon polymerization under intense UV in nitrogen atmosphere which significantly reduces the edge emissions from the device. The additional absorbance peak disappears after exposure to air, indicating the presence of a radical anion being formed during the UV light exposure. This suggests newly-produced LSC devices should be allowed to stand a period of time under ambient conditions before their performance characteristics are determined, which could have implications in potential future commercialization of the technology.

Silicon carbide/silicon rich carbide multilayers, aimed at the formation of silicon nanodots for photovoltaic applications, have been studied. The electrical properties have been investigated at the nano-scale by conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (c-AFM) and at macro-scale by temperature dependent conductivity measurements. The mixture is composed of highly conductive Si nanoclusters and moderately conductive SiC nanoclusters in a disordered matrix. The conduction mechanism takes place via band states induced by the disorder at the interface between nanodot clusters. Structural properties have been extracted by optical spectroscopy analyses. The results contribute to the understanding of the microscopical electronic mechanisms of the composite material, which is a candidate for third generation photovoltaics.

An amorphous WO3 induced lattice distortion strategy leads to only 2 wt% Ir for efficient overall water splitting in acid.

Achievement of sustainable development in light of ongoing climate change and biodiversity pressures benefits from the deployment of innovations that foster engagement and uptake across all levels, mobilises finance flows commencement to the scale of the challenge, and enables the dissemination of transition solutions that support the low carbon economy. This research investigates the relationship between the legal architecture of market mechanisms under international law and the role of private actors, and how this contributes to sustainable development. Through an exploration of how market mechanisms under the climate change and biodiversity regimes have achieved environmentally sound outcomes, been advanced in sectoral approaches, and facilitated via bilateral and multilateral trade and investment relationships, important insights are identified regarding the composition of effective law and governance architectural approaches. Leveraging experiences derived from treaty practice viewed through an interactional account of international law, this assessment elucidates the important role played by alignment of legal regimes, robust transparency measures, and complementary schemes such as stakeholder-endorsed certifications in buttressing the established measures to ensure sustainable development outcomes and contributes to understanding the role of private actors in the operationalisation of environmental agreements. Research findings suggest it is the interaction of norms across the international legal architecture, informed by relationships within and across relevant treaty systems and the general corpus of international law, and actualised through engagement with private actors as a component of market mechanisms that provides the opportunity for congruence of practice, forging of shared understandings, and normative internalisation and ownership among communities of practice that stimulates both innovative solutions and ambitious action.

ABSTRACTIntraguild interactions among carnivores have long held the fascination of ecologists. Ranging from competition to facilitation and coexistence, these interactions and their complex interplay influence everything from species persistence to ecosystem functioning. Yet, the patterns and pathways of such interactions are far from understood in tropical forest systems, particularly across countries in the Global South. Here, we examined the determinants and consequences of competitive interactions between dholes Cuon alpinus and the two large felids (leopards Panthera pardus and tigers Panthera tigris) with which they most commonly co‐occur across Asia. Using a combination of traditional and novel data sources (N = 118), we integrate information from spatial, temporal, and dietary niche dimensions. These three species have faced catastrophic declines in their extent of co‐occurrence over the past century; most of their source populations are now confined to Protected Areas. Analysis of dyadic interactions between species pairs showed a clear social hierarchy. Tigers were dominant over dholes, although pack strength in dholes helped ameliorate some of these effects; leopards were subordinate to dholes. Population‐level spatio‐temporal interactions assessed at 25 locations across Asia did not show a clear pattern of overlap or avoidance between species pairs. Diet‐profile assessments indicated that wild ungulate biomass consumption by tigers was highest, while leopards consumed more primate and livestock prey as compared to their co‐predators. In terms of prey offtake (ratio of wild prey biomass consumed to biomass available), the three species together harvested 0.4–30.2% of available prey, with the highest offtake recorded from the location where the carnivores reach very high densities. When re‐examined in the context of prey availability and offtake, locations with low wild prey availability showed spatial avoidance and temporal overlap among the carnivore pairs, and locations with high wild prey availability showed spatial overlap and temporal segregation. Based on these observations, we make predictions for 40 Protected Areas in India where temporally synchronous estimates of predator and prey densities are available. We expect that low prey availability will lead to higher competition, and in extreme cases, to the complete exclusion of one or more species. In Protected Areas with high prey availability, we expect intraguild coexistence and conspecific competition among carnivores, with spill‐over to forest‐edge habitats and subsequent prey‐switching to livestock. We stress that dhole–leopard–tiger co‐occurrence across their range is facilitated through an intricate yet fragile balance between prey availability, and intraguild and conspecific competition. Data gaps and limitations notwithstanding, our study shows how insights from fundamental ecology can be of immense utility for applied aspects like large predator conservation and management of human–carnivore interactions. Our findings also highlight potential avenues for future research on tropical carnivores that can broaden current understanding of intraguild competition in forest systems of Asia and beyond.

This file contains surface and subsurface data from sediment cores from Loboi wetland, Kenya. Surface samples: seed macrophyte and testate amoebae data, geochemistry Core samples C1: seed macrophyte and testate amoebae data, geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility C7: geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility Papyrus: geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility Soil pit: geochemistry,

It is a new discovery of a boiling water reactor with high fuel utilization.

Responses of soil water content, soil inorganic nitrogen, aboveground and belowground biomass, soil respiration, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem production, and gross ecosystem production to precipitation variability from a 3-y manipulative experiment (2004-2016) and a 12-y model simulation (2000-2011).