Abstract: We propose a plasma chemical looping CO2 splitting (PCLCS) approach that enables highly efficient CO2 conversion into O-2-free CO at mild temperatures. PCLCS achieves an impressive 84% CO2 conversion and a 1.3 mmol g(-1) CO yield, with no O-2 detected. Crucially, this strategy significantly lowers the temperature required for conventional chemical looping processes from 650 to 1000 degrees C to only 320 degrees C, demonstrating a robust synergy between plasma and the Ce0.7Zr0.3O2 oxygen carrier (OC). Systematic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations unveil the pivotal role of plasma in activating and partially decomposing CO2, yielding a mixture of CO, O-2/O, and electronically/vibrationally excited CO2*. Notably, these excited CO2* species then efficiently decompose over the oxygen vacancies of the OCs, with a substantially reduced activation barrier (0.86 eV) compared to ground-state CO2 (1.63 eV), contributing to the synergy. This work offers a promising and energy-efficient pathway for producing O-2-free CO from inert CO2 through the tailored interplay of plasma and OCs.

Abstract: The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) using porphyrin-containing 2D covalent organic frameworks (2D-COFs) catalysts is widely explored nowadays. While these framework materials are normally fabricated as powders followed by their uncontrolled surface heterogenization or directly grown as thin films (thickness >200 nm), very little is known about the performance of substrate-supported single-layered (approximate to 0.5 nm thickness) 2D-COFs films (s2D-COFs) due to its highly challenging synthesis and characterization protocols. In this work, a fast and straightforward fabrication method of porphyrin-containing s2D-COFs is demonstrated, which allows their extensive high-resolution visualization via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in liquid conditions with the support of STM simulations. The as-prepared single-layered film is then employed as a cathode for the electrochemical reduction of CO2. Fe porphyrin-containing s2D-COF@graphite used as a single-layered heterogeneous catalyst provided moderate-to-high carbon monoxide selectivity (82%) and partial CO current density (5.1 mA cm(-2)). This work establishes the value of using single-layered films as heterogene ous catalysts and demonstrates the possibility of achieving high performance in CO2 reduction even with extremely low catalyst loadings.

Abstract: Plasma medicine has attracted tremendous interest in a variety of medical conditions, ranging from wound healing to antimicrobial applications, even in cancer treatment, through the interactions of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and various biological tissues directly or indirectly. The underlying mechanisms of CAP treatment are still poorly understood although the oxidative effects of CAP with amino acids, peptides, and proteins have been explored experimentally. In this study, machine learning (ML) technology is introduced to efficiently unveil the interaction mechanisms of amino acids and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in seconds based on the data obtained from the reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which are performed to probe the interaction of five types of amino acids with various ROS on the timescale of hundreds of picoseconds but with the huge computational load of several days. The oxidative reactions typically start with H-abstraction, and the details of the breaking and formation of chemical bonds are revealed; the modification types, such as nitrosylation, hydroxylation, and carbonylation, can be observed. The dose effects of ROS are also investigated by varying the number of ROS in the simulation box, indicating agreement with the experimental observation. To overcome the limits of timescales and the size of molecular systems in reactive MD simulations, a deep neural network (DNN) with five hidden layers is constructed according to the reaction data and employed to predict the type of oxidative modification and the probability of occurrence only in seconds as the dose of ROS varies. The well-trained DNN can effectively and accurately predict the oxidative processes and productions, which greatly improves the computational efficiency by almost ten orders of magnitude compared with the reactive MD simulation. This study shows the great potential of ML technology to efficiently unveil the underpinning mechanisms in plasma medicine based on the data from reactive MD simulations or experimental measurements. In this study, since reactive molecular dynamics simulation can currently only describe interactions between a few hundred atoms in a few hundred picoseconds, deep neural networks (DNN) are introduced to enhance the simulation results by predicting more data efficiently. image

Abstract: Farmers should increasingly adopt more water‐efficient irrigation technologies—such as drip irrigation—as a result of climate warming and aggravating water scarcity. We analyze how Italian farmers adapt to climate change by changing their irrigation technology mix. We apply a two‐stage econometric model to data from 5876 Italian farms. We find that farmers' initial reaction to increasing temperatures is reducing their surface‐irrigated fractions. When temperatures increase further, farmers switch toward more sprinkler irrigation. Our results show that farmers are not autonomously moving to drip irrigation in response to climate change, suggesting that government incentives are needed to encourage this transition.

Abstract: This study examines smallholder farmers' preferences and willingness to pay for an improved irrigation water supply program in northwest Ethiopia. We employed a discrete choice experiment with five attributes and three levels. Data were collected from randomly selected sample households of both irrigation users and non-users. A total of 379 respondents participated, and a mixed logit model was used to analyze the household-level survey data. The result indicates that to deviate from the business-as-usual scenario, smallholder farmers are willing to pay between 3,228 and 8,327 Ethiopian Birr per hectare of irrigated land. Furthermore, the results showed a strong public preference for access to produce cash crops, followed by irrigation water availability in the dry season, and adequate access to improved farm inputs. The results also provide useful information for policymakers and suggested possibilities for generating finance from farmers to cover the operation and maintenance costs of irrigation schemes. Also, this study result reveals that irrigation development and expansion must be integrated into a comprehensive support package that combines irrigation water with access to improved farm inputs and access to produce cash crops on farmers' farm plots.

Abstract: Climate warming is severely affecting high-latitude regions. In the Arctic tundra, it may lead to enhanced soil nutrient availability and interact with simultaneous changes in grazing pressure. It is presently unknown how these concurrently occurring global change drivers affect the root-associated fungal communities, particularly mycorrhizal fungi, and whether changes coincide with shifts in plant mycorrhizal types. We investigated changes in root-associated fungal communities and mycorrhizal types of the plant community in a 10-yr factorial experiment with warming, fertilisation and grazing exclusion in a Finnish tundra grassland. The strongest determinant of the root-associated fungal community was fertilisation, which consistently increased potential plant pathogen abundance and had contrasting effects on the different mycorrhizal fungal types, contingent on other treatments. Plant mycorrhizal types went through pronounced shifts, with warming favouring ecto- and ericoid mycorrhiza but not under fertilisation and grazing exclusion. Combination of all treatments resulted in dominance by arbuscular mycorrhizal plants. However, shifts in plant mycorrhizal types vs fungi were mostly but not always aligned in their magnitude and direction. Our results show that our ability to predict shifts in symbiotic and antagonistic fungal communities depend on simultaneous consideration of multiple global change factors that jointly alter plant and fungal communities.

Abstract: Appropriate use of agricultural technologies and diversifying the farming activities is critical to addressing food security problems in Africa, including Ethiopia. The country is experimenting with the new Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) approach alongside the well-established Transfer of Technology (ToT) approach. This paper analyzes the gaps between policy discourses (as reflected in policy documents and strategic orientation documents) and extension practices (as reflected in the daily exchanges between farmers and the frontline staff of the Ethiopian extension system). It provides insights into the challenges faced and emphasizes the need for better coordination between policy formulation and implementation to enhance extension services. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers can benefit from the valuable perspectives the findings offer. The study contributes to understanding the relationship between policy discourses and extension practices, and its implications can inform policy design and implementation in similar contexts. A qualitative research approach was deployed to analyze policy discourse and practice. Data were collected in Fogera, a district in Northwest Ethiopia, between August 2018 and February 2019. The data for the paper were obtained from 23 Focus Group Discussions conducted with men and women. 13 Informant Interviews (KIIs) were also carried out with personnel at different levels of government agricultural services and departments. Transcripts of recordings of the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were analyzed using a deductive approach. The study focuses on rice crops in the Fogera district, which are crucial for food security and reducing poverty. Although the geographic area is limited, the results can be used to improve the extension system in other areas facing similar challenges. Specifically, the study suggests switching from the traditional transfer of technology approach to the agricultural innovation system approach. Furthermore, the study's techniques, such as qualitative interviews, may have limitations and not fully capture the intricacies of policy and extension practices. The findings demonstrate that, although the policy documents strongly adhere to agricultural innovation system principles, top-down transfer of technology approaches continues to dominate in practice. Moreover, we have found potential discrepancies between the training content delivered and the specific needs of smallholder farmers. Practically, prescriptive systems are still used because agricultural innovation system approaches are not well understood by the Extension Agents. To realize a genuine agricultural innovation system, Ethiopia's extension apparatus should move forward with building committed and robust relationships between farmers, extension agents, researchers, private sectors, and non-governmental organizations. To this end, more research, enhanced training, and improved institutions are needed on what genuine agricultural innovation system could look like at the grass-roots level. This also includes understanding the roles that different actors within Ethiopia's development army should assume how a multi-actor policy dialogue can be organized.

Abstract: The present paper discusses some important aspects of precipitation and ordering in alloy systems that show a martensitic transformation and can or are used as shape memory or superelastic metallic systems. The precipitates are investigated by a variety of conventional and advanced electron microscopy techniques, including atomic resolution, 3D slice-and-view, energy loss spectroscopy etc. Depending on the system, such secondary phases can decrease the probability of a displacive transformation by changing the phase stability in the system, such as in the case of NiAl or NiTiPd, or can mechanically hinder the passage of the transformation interface, as in NiTiNb. On the other hand, properly controlling the nucleation and growth of some precipitates can strongly improve the properties of some types of materials, as is the case for the well-known Ni4Ti3 precipitates.

Abstract: A highly reproducible photoresponse is observed in nanocrystalline SnO2 thick films sensitized with CdSe quantum dots. The effect of the SnO2 matrix microstructure on the photoconductivity kinetics and photoresponse amplitude is demonstrated. The photoresponse of the sensitized SnO2 thick films reaches more than two orders of magnitude under illumination with the wavelength of the excitonic transition of the quantum dots. Long-term photoconductivity kinetics and photoresponse dependence on illumination intensity reveal power-law behavior inherent to the disordered nature of SnO2. The photoconductivity of the samples rises with the coarsening of the granular structure of the SnO2 matrix. At the saturation region, the photoresponse amplitude remains stable under 10(4) pulses of illumination switching, demonstrating a remarkably high stability.

Abstract: Interfacing oxides with silicon is a long-standing problem related to the integration of multifunctional oxides with semiconductor devices and the replacement of SiO2 with high-k gate oxides. In our study, pulsed laser deposition was used to prepare a SrTiO3 (STO) thin film on a H-terminated Si substrate. The main purpose of our work was to verify the ability of H-termination against the oxidation of Si during the PLD process and to analyze the resulting interfaces. In the first part of the study, the STO was deposited directly on the Si, leading to the formation of a preferentially textured STO film with a (100) orientation. In the second part, SrO was used as a buffer layer, which enabled the partial epitaxial growth of STO with STO(110)parallel to Si(100) and STO[001]parallel to Si[001]. The change in the growth direction induced by the application of a SrO buffer was governed by the formation of a SrO(111) intermediate layer and subsequently by the minimization of the lattice misfit between the STO and the SrO. Under the investigated conditions, approximately 10 nm thick interfacial layers formed between the STO and the Si due to reactions between the deposited material and the underlying H-terminated Si. In the case of direct STO deposition, SiOx formed at the interface with the silicon, while in the case when SrO was used as a buffer, strontium silicate grew directly on the silicon, which improves the growth quality of the uppermost STO.

Abstract: The most efficient use of spatial volume and the lowest potential energies in the metal oxide structures are based on cubic close packing (ccp) or hexagonal close packing (hcp) of anions with cations occupying the interstices. A promising way to tune the composition of close packed oxides and design new compounds is related to fragmenting the parent structure into modules by periodically spaced planar interfaces, such as twin planes at the unit cell scale. The unique crystal chemistry properties of cations with a lone electron pair, such as Bi3+ or Pb2+, when located at interfaces, enables them to act as chemical scissors, to help relieve configurational strain. With this approach, we synthesized a new oxide, BiMnFe2O6, where fragments of the hypothetical hcp oxygen-based MO structure (the NiAs structure type), for the first time, serve as the building modules in a complex transition metal oxide. Mn3+ and Fe3+ ions are randomly distributed in two crystallographically independent sites (M1 and M2). The structure consists of quasi two-dimensional blocks of the 2H hexagonal close packed MO structure cut along the (114) crystal plane of the hcp lattice and stacked along the c axis. The blocks are related by a mirror operation that allows BiMnFe2O6 to be considered as a polysynthetically twinned 2H hcp MO structure. The transition to an AFM state with an incommensurate spin configuration at [similar] 212 K is established by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and low temperature powder neutron diffraction.

Abstract: It is commonly agreed that the crystalline structure of seeds dictates the crystallinity of final nanoparticles in a seeded-growth process. Although the formation of monocrystalline particles does require the use of single-crystal seeds, twin planes may stem from either single-or polycrystalline seeds. However, experimental control over twin-plane formation remains difficult to achieve synthetically. Here, we show that a careful interplay between kinetics and selective surface passivation offers a unique handle over the emergence of twin planes (in decahedra and triangles) during the growth over single-crystalline gold nanoparticles of quasi-spherical shape. Twinning can be suppressed under conditions of slow kinetics in the presence of silver ions, yielding single-crystalline particles with high-index facets.