Editorial Material
Health Care Sciences & Services
James A. Diao, Joseph Kvedar
Summary: Nearly half of US adults have hypertension, and three in four cases are not well-controlled. Underserved communities face greater burdens of disease, less consistent management, and worse outcomes. Mobile technology presents an opportunity to reduce barriers, but there is currently limited data supporting its use in populations with digital disparities.
NPJ DIGITAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Christopher James Fetrow, Cameron Carugati, Xiao-Dong Zhou, Shuya Wei
Summary: This review provides an overview of the fundamental electrochemistry and mechanisms of metal-CO2 batteries, including material selection, design considerations, electrochemical charge and discharge mechanisms, and catalyzed behaviors. Understanding the underlying electrochemistry of metal-CO2 batteries can lead to the development of battery technologies applicable to a wide range of carbon capture and energy storage applications.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Computer Science, Information Systems
Urvish Thakker, Ruhi Patel, Sudeep Tanwar, Neeraj Kumar, Houbing Song
Summary: The integration of blockchain technology in the diamond industry provides new possibilities for addressing issues in the industry, while also bringing convenience and confidence to investors and consumers. By integrating blockchain technology, the diamond industry can improve security, transparency, and traceability.
IEEE INTERNET OF THINGS JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Bradley D. Pinno, Kazi L. Hossain, Ted Gooding, Victor J. Lieffers
Summary: Although intensive silviculture could be justified in Alberta, it has not been implemented due to existing policies and ideologies. Intensive silviculture has the potential to increase commercial value by selecting good sites and thinning, but requires changes in attitude and policies.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rachel E. Siegel, Santanu Pattanayak, Louise A. Berben
Summary: Reactive capture of CO2 (RCC) involves integrating CO2 capture with the conversion of captured CO2 into a product. This method has the potential to save significant energy compared to traditional CO2 capture and release processes as it does not include a step for thermal release of CO2. The Perspective highlights prior contributions to CO2 capture chemistry, thermal RCC, and electrochemically driven RCC, focusing on opportunities and challenges for future development. RCC requires a multidisciplinary approach, bridging industry, chemistry, chemical engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
Article
Forestry
Chunyu Pan, Chong Li, Alexander An, George Deng, Jerry KuiJie Lin, Junran He, Jonelle Fangyu Li, Xilai Zhu, Guomo Zhou, Anil Kumar Shrestha, Robert Kozak, Guangyu Wang
Summary: This study explores the challenges and potential solutions for developing forestry offsets in Canada, drawing on insights from interviews with 23 experts in the field. The study highlights the need to address key obstacles such as the impermanent nature of forestry carbon offsets, public knowledge gaps, uncertainties in cost-effectiveness, and capacity for project implementation. The findings also emphasize the importance of addressing methodological issues, enhancing public and Indigenous education and engagement, and leveraging advanced technologies for economic viability.
Article
Entomology
Cathy Rozel Farnworth, Lone B. Badstue, Hugo de Groote, Zachary Gitonga
Summary: Metal silos can reduce maize losses in smallholder farm systems, but gendered factors should be considered when introducing technologies to ensure equal benefits for men and women. Research shows that men benefit more than women from the introduction of metal silos, leading to potential power imbalances in ownership and management of storage structures.
JOURNAL OF STORED PRODUCTS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hongyu Zhu, Hwang Hui Goh, Dongdong Zhang, Tanveer Ahmad, Hui Liu, Shuyao Wang, Shenwang Li, Tianhao Liu, Hang Dai, Thomas Wu
Summary: The energy crisis and environmental pollution have accelerated the transition of the energy system, with global use of low carbon energy increasing. Smart energy systems have received significant support and development to promote smart city development and achieve carbon neutrality goals. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of six important technologies in smart energy systems, including their performance features, application status, and challenges. It also explores the ten key obstacles and four opportunities in developing smart energy systems. The purpose of this research is to advance the creation of smart energy systems and promote sustainable development.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Lei Luo, Jiaxiao Wang, Jitao Lv, Zhengang Liu, Tianran Sun, Yi Yang, Yong-Guan Zhu
Summary: Biochar, obtained from biomass conversion, is considered a promising material for carbon sequestration in soil. Its contribution relies on its structure and reactions with soil components. This study identifies key issues and advances related to biochar application for carbon sequestration, discusses challenges and knowledge gaps, and provides future research directions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jeremy Russell-Smith, Cameron Yates, Roland Vernooij, Tom Eames, Guido van der Werf, Natasha Ribeiro, Andrew Edwards, Robin Beatty, Othusitse Lekoko, Jomo Mafoko, Catherine Monagle, Sam Johnston
Summary: The article discusses the issue of fire emissions in southern African savannas, proposing a method of reducing late dry season wildfire extent and emissions through early dry season burning. Through two field studies, it demonstrates the feasibility of this method in meeting key technical criteria.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kenneth G. Latham, Anjali Achazhiyath Edathil, Babak Rezaei, Sihui Liu, Sang Nguyen, Stephan Sylvest Keller, Felice Torrisi, Emile S. Greenhalgh, Maria-Magdalena Titirici
Summary: The design of commercial supercapacitors needs to evolve to create multifunctional materials that offer energy storage and additional material properties. Conductive free-standing electrodes made from fibers or 3D printed materials provide this opportunity and reduce the economic and environmental cost of the devices.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Wim J. C. Verhagen, Bruno F. Santos, Floris Freeman, Paul van Kessel, Dimitrios Zarouchas, Theodoros Loutas, Richard C. K. Yeun, Iryna Heiets
Summary: The research aims to identify challenges and limitations in adopting CBM in aviation, as well as propose solutions and policy implications. The findings highlight the importance of addressing issues related to data quantity and quality, CBM implementation, and integration with future technologies in future research and practice.
Article
Agronomy
Courtney L. Giebink, Grant M. Domke, Rosie A. Fisher, Kelly A. Heilman, David J. P. Moore, R. Justin DeRose, Margaret E. K. Evans
Summary: There is great hope for forest ecosystems to contribute to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and limit global warming. However, the current policy and ecology surrounding forest-based natural climate solutions (NCS), particularly in temperate forests of the United States, have gaps in carbon accounting and a lack of understanding between ambitions and forest ecology. Improved use of data models can help in better assessing and anticipating forest-based climate mitigation.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pariya Zare, Mina Aleemardani, Amelia Seifalian, Zohreh Bagher, Alexander M. Seifalian
Summary: Graphene oxide (GO) has exceptional physicochemical and biological properties, making it highly promising for biomedical applications. Recent studies have focused on GO-based materials (GOBMs) and their significance in biomedical applications, indicating great interest from academia, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Peng Xiong, Shilin Zhang, Rui Wang, Longhai Zhang, Quanwei Ma, Xiang Ren, Yuchen Gao, Ziyang Wang, Zaiping Guo, Chaofeng Zhang
Summary: Compared to inorganic electrode materials, organic electrode materials have advantages such as lightweight, customizable structure, high specific capacity, wide availability of natural resources, and recyclability. However, they also have drawbacks including low ionic conductivity and susceptibility to degradation over time. Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) have emerged as a promising strategy for organic electrodes, offering customizability, stability, and versatility. This review provides an overview of CTFs, their synthesis, and their performance in energy storage devices.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Edna L. Chinseu, Andrew J. Dougill, Lindsay C. Stringer
Summary: In Malawi's Conservation Agriculture innovation system, while the government plays a leading role, non-governmental organizations dominate the agenda, leaving smallholder farmers in a passive position. Many promoters lack technical and financial capacity, and limited collaboration hinders social learning and sustainability of Conservation Agriculture.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Solene Guenat, Phil Purnell, Zoe G. Davies, Maximilian Nawrath, Lindsay C. Stringer, Giridhara Rathnaiah Babu, Muniyandi Balasubramanian, Erica E. F. Ballantyne, Bhuvana Kolar Bylappa, Bei Chen, Peta De Jager, Andrea Del Prete, Alessandro Di Nuovo, Cyril O. Ehi-Eromosele, Mehran Eskandari Torbaghan, Karl L. Evans, Markus Fraundorfer, Wissem Haouas, Josephat U. Izunobi, Juan Carlos Jauregui-Correa, Bilal Y. Kaddouh, Sonia Lewycka, Ana C. MacIntosh, Christine Mady, Carsten Maple, Worku N. Mhiret, Rozhen Kamal Mohammed-Amin, Olukunle Charles Olawole, Temilola Oluseyi, Caroline Orfila, Alessandro Ossola, Marion Pfeifer, Tony Pridmore, Moti L. Rijal, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Ian D. Robertson, Christopher D. F. Rogers, Charles Rouge, Maryam B. Rumaney, Mmabaledi K. Seeletso, Mohammed Z. Shaqura, L. M. Suresh, Martin N. Sweeting, Nick Taylor Buck, M. U. Ukwuru, Thomas Verbeek, Hinrich Voss, Zia Wadud, Xinjun Wang, Neil Winn, Martin Dallimer
Summary: Robotics and autonomous systems have a significant impact on the world, transforming healthcare, food production, and biodiversity management. They have the potential to change how Sustainable Development Goals are achieved by replacing and supporting human activities, driving innovation, and improving remote access and monitoring. However, they also bring risks such as reinforcing inequalities, exacerbating environmental change, and affecting freedom and privacy through inadequate governance. Thorough examination of technological developments and explicit consideration of robotics and autonomous systems are crucial to prevent unintended detrimental consequences and avoid reversing progress or exacerbating inequalities in future iterations of the Sustainable Development Goals.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nouman Afzal, Abdul Basit, Adil Daniel, Nausheen Ilyas, Asad Imran, Zoia Arshad Awan, Effie Papargyropoulou, Lindsay C. Stringer, Mohamed Hashem, Saad Alamri, Muhammad Amjad Bashir, Yunzhou Li, Nazish Roy
Summary: This study collected empirical data on food waste from restaurants, hotels, and caterers in Lahore, Pakistan through surveys and live tracking. The results revealed customer plate leftovers as the primary source of food waste, followed by inaccurate customer forecasting. The study suggests the development and adoption of national goals and targets to reduce food waste, along with capacity building for stakeholders in waste measurement.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Rachael H. Carrie, Lindsay C. Stringer, Le Thi Van Hue, Nguyen Hong Quang, Dao Van Tan, Christopher R. Hackney, Pham Thi Thanh Nga, Claire H. Quinn
Summary: Changes in mangrove extent and condition can lead to social disparity in terms of adaptability to ecosystem services and their providing places. This study investigates the variations in perspectives about ecosystem services and their providing places among households with different capacities to adapt to mangrove change, using mixed-methods in Vietnam. The findings reveal differences in the importance attached to different ecosystem services, particularly regarding food, and highlight the spatial variation in locations important for providing these services.
ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sharvini Siva Raman, Lindsay C. Stringer, Neil C. Bruce, Chun Shiong Chong
Summary: This study analyzes the opportunities, challenges, and solutions for black soldier fly larvae-based animal feed production through stakeholder interviews in Malaysia. It emphasizes the need for a more enabling environment to promote the development of black soldier fly larvae-based feed, including political and economic support, low operational costs, regulatory coordination, and consumer acceptance.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Nicholas Roxburgh, Lindsay C. Stringer, Andrew J. Evans, Tim G. Williams, Birgit Mueller
Summary: The article proposes using SES wikis as a solution to address the challenges posed by the increasing data requirements in SES modelling studies. It describes how wikis can be used at each stage of the modelling cycle and concludes that they have the potential to significantly improve the quality, transparency, and efficiency of SES modelling projects.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2022)
Review
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xueqin Li, Lindsay C. Stringer, Martin Dallimer
Summary: Rapid urbanisation and climate change have combined impacts on the urban thermal environment in Africa. However, there is a lack of synthesis of existing knowledge and identification of key research gaps in this area, particularly in Africa. The current research mainly focuses on South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, using satellite imagery-based data and analysis. Some studies have shown practical implications for urban land-use planning, informal settlement management, human wellbeing and productivity, energy use, air pollution, and disease spread. Integrated approaches, strengthening planning institutions, and early warning systems are recommended to address climate change, with a specific focus on low-income groups.
Review
Ecology
Jasmine J. Wells, Lindsay C. Stringer, Anna J. Woodhead, Elizabeth M. Wandrag
Summary: Fast-growing, stress-tolerating tree species of Acacia, Eucalyptus, and Pinus genera have been widely introduced to tropical and sub-tropical regions. While these non-native trees have economic and environmental benefits, they can also have negative impacts on ecosystems. Research on the impacts of these trees on ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa is limited, and there is a need for more comprehensive studies to manage potential conflicts and prioritize management. A review of 125 publications highlights the limited geographic scope and biases in existing knowledge about the contributions of these trees to ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenxin Zhou, Changjia Li, Shuai Wang, Zhuobing Ren, Lindsay C. Stringer
Summary: Driven by the goal of reversing desertification and recovering degraded lands, a wide range of vegetation restoration practices have been implemented in China's drylands. This study evaluated the effects of different restoration approaches on soil nutrients using long-term data from two research stations in the semi-arid and arid regions. Results showed that sandy steppe restoration and sand dune fixation in the semi-arid desert and natural vegetation restoration in the arid desert were beneficial for soil nutrient accumulation and vegetation improvement. It was also found that natural restoration was preferable to artificial restoration.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zheng-Hong Kong, Lindsay Stringer, Jouni Paavola
Summary: Knowledge is crucial for environmental management, but it is often considered from the perspective of creators and disseminators, rather than recipients. This can lead to mismatches between supply and demand for knowledge, undermining the effectiveness of interventions. Research is needed to understand the contexts and consequences of knowledge exchange.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Changjia Li, Bojie Fu, Shuai Wang, Lindsay C. Stringer, Wenxin Zhou, Zhuobing Ren, Mengqi Hu, Yujia Zhang, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Bettina Weber, Fernando T. Maestre
Summary: Degradation of ecosystems can occur when ecological thresholds are crossed due to aridity and grazing. This study assessed the responses of 20 ecosystem attributes to changes in aridity and grazing pressure in China's drylands. The findings showed that the joint effects of aridity and grazing can amplify ecological thresholds, leading to ecosystem degradation. A significant percentage of China's drylands are already unsuitable for grazing, and this number is projected to increase in the future.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kathleen Hermans, Daniel Mueller, David O'Byrne, Lennart Olsson, Lindsay C. Stringer
Summary: The impacts of land degradation on migration are poorly understood, despite the potential threat it poses to livelihoods and sustainability.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kirk B. B. Enu, Aude Zingraff-Hamed, Mohammad A. A. Rahman, Lindsay C. C. Stringer, Stephan Pauleit
Summary: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is highly vulnerable to climate change and related hydro-meteorological risks, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas where green and blue spaces are lost and degraded. Nature-based solutions (NBSs) have the potential to mitigate these risks, but their application in SSA needs to be further explored. Through a systematic review, it was found that there is a low uptake of NBSs for hydro-meteorological risk mitigation in SSA, with limited reporting in the most at-risk countries. However, there is a possibility of unreported NBSs at the local level. It is recommended that NBSs be integrated into urban planning and knowledge exchange opportunities between SSA and Europe be promoted to enhance uptake.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Mariam Akhtar-Schuster, Lindsay C. Stringer, Graciela Metternicht, Nichole N. Barger, Jean-Luc Chotte, German Kust
Summary: This paper evaluates the impacts of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's science-policy interface (SPI) on policy decision-making and highlights the positive role of SPI in enhancing the implementation of the Convention and promoting scientific cooperation. The findings emphasize the necessity of SPI in providing scientific and technological knowledge and advice to support decision-making and underscore the importance of further formalizing the SPI's status.