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- ItemWater scarcity hotspots travel downstream due to human interventions in the 20th and 21st century(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Veldkamp, T.I.E.; Wada, Y.; Aerts, J.C.J.H.; Döll, P.; Gosling, S.N.; Liu, J.; Masaki, Y.; Oki, T.; Ostberg, S.; Pokhrel, Y.; Satoh, Y.; Kim, H.; Ward, P.J.Water scarcity is rapidly increasing in many regions. In a novel, multi-model assessment, we examine how human interventions (HI: land use and land cover change, man-made reservoirs and human water use) affected monthly river water availability and water scarcity over the period 1971-2010. Here we show that HI drastically change the critical dimensions of water scarcity, aggravating water scarcity for 8.8% (7.4-16.5%) of the global population but alleviating it for another 8.3% (6.4-15.8%). Positive impacts of HI mostly occur upstream, whereas HI aggravate water scarcity downstream; HI cause water scarcity to travel downstream. Attribution of water scarcity changes to HI components is complex and varies among the hydrological models. Seasonal variation in impacts and dominant HI components is also substantial. A thorough consideration of the spatially and temporally varying interactions among HI components and of uncertainties is therefore crucial for the success of water scarcity adaptation by HI.
- ItemSmart cellulose fibers coated with carbon nanotube networks(Basel : MDPI AG, 2014) Qi, H.; Liu, J.; Mäder, E.Smart multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-coated cellulose fibers with a unique sensing ability were manufactured by a simple dip coating process. The formation of electrically-conducting MWCNT networks on cellulose mono- and multi-filament fiber surfaces was confirmed by electrical resistance measurements and visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The interaction between MWCNT networks and cellulose fiber was investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The piezoresistivity of these fibers for strain sensing was investigated. The MWCNT-coated cellulose fibers exhibited a unique linear strain-dependent electrical resistance change up to 18% strain, with good reversibility and repeatability. In addition, the sensing behavior of these fibers to volatile molecules (including vapors of methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform and tetrahydrofuran) was investigated. The results revealed a rapid response, high sensitivity and good reproducibility for these chemical vapors. Besides, they showed good selectivity to different vapors. It is suggested that the intrinsic physical and chemical features of cellulose fiber, well-formed MWCNT networks and favorable MWCNT-cellulose interaction caused the unique and excellent sensing ability of the MWCNT-coated cellulose fibers, which have the potential to be used as smart materials.
- ItemMagnetic field-induced twin boundary motion in polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga fibres(Milton Park : Taylor & Francis, 2008) Scheerbaum, N.; Heczko, O.; Liu, J.; Hinz, D.; Schultz, L.; Gutfleisch, O.Magnetic field-induced twin boundary motion leading to large magnetic field-induced strain of ~1.0% was established in polycrystalline Ni50.9Mn27.1Ga22.0 (at.%) fibres at room temperature (~60–100 μm in diameter and ~3 mm in length). The fibres' grains are as large as the fibre diameter and of random orientation. At room temperature, a ferromagnetic 5M martensite is found. Magnetic field-induced twin boundary motion was indicated by magnetic measurements and validated by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The application of a magnetic field shifts the equilibrium temperature of martensite and austenite by ~0.4 K T−1, which agrees with calculations using the Clapeyron–Clausius approach.
- ItemCity-level climate change mitigation in China(Washington : American Association for the Advancement of Science (A A A S), 2018) Shan, Y.; Guan, D.; Hubacek, K.; Zheng, B.; Davis, S.J.; Jia, L.; Liu, J.; Liu, Z.; Fromer, N.; Mi, Z.; Meng, J.; Deng, X.; Li, Y.; Lin, J.; Schroeder, H.; Weisz, H.; Schellnhuber, H.J.As national efforts to reduce CO2 emissions intensify, policy-makers need increasingly specific, subnational information about the sources of CO2 and the potential reductions and economic implications of different possible policies. This is particularly true in China, a large and economically diverse country that has rapidly industrialized and urbanized and that has pledged under the Paris Agreement that its emissions will peak by 2030. We present new, city-level estimates of CO2 emissions for 182 Chinese cities, decomposed into 17 different fossil fuels, 46 socioeconomic sectors, and 7 industrial processes. We find that more affluent cities have systematically lower emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), supported by imports from less affluent, industrial cities located nearby. In turn, clusters of industrial cities are supported by nearby centers of coal or oil extraction. Whereas policies directly targeting manufacturing and electric power infrastructure would drastically undermine the GDP of industrial cities, consumption-based policies might allow emission reductions to be subsidized by those with greater ability to pay. In particular, sector-based analysis of each city suggests that technological improvements could be a practical and effective means of reducing emissions while maintaining growth and the current economic structure and energy system. We explore city-level emission reductions under three scenarios of technological progress to show that substantial reductions (up to 31%) are possible by updating a disproportionately small fraction of existing infrastructure.