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The influence of grain boundaries on the mechanical properties of poly-crystalline metals is well known. Here we investigate the influence from a centrally placed grain boundary in nano-sized beams of Cu subjected to tensile loading. The crystallographic orientations in the grains are [100], [110] and [111]. The investigation is performed by means of molecular dynamic simulations employing the mol
Here, we investigated the importance of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) as a retinyl ester hydrolase (REH). REH activity was measured in vitro using recombinant HSL and retinyl palmitate. The expression of retinoic acid (RA)-regulated genes and retinoid metabolites were measured in high-fat diet fed HSL-null mice using real-time quantitative PCR and triple-stage liquid chromatography/tandem mass sp
With 23,000 registered participants and unprecedented media attention, the 16th conference of the parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia, was the largest in the 32-year history of these biannual meetings. In terms of successes, the Cali conference established a new subsidiary body to protect concerns of indigenous communities and local popula
In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly established the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as a central platform for the review and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Every year, government representatives and societal stakeholders meet to assess progress of SDG implementation. The HLPF can be seen as a soft governance instrume
When Sweden adopted its carbon tax in 1990, it was as one of the first of its kind worldwide. While the adoption of the tax has been attributed to its inclusion in the Swedish tax reform, undoubtedly playing a crucial role, the reform does not in itself explain how the Swedish carbon tax came about or why it became part of the reform package in the first place. In this article, we present a case s
Water markets in China have received ample scholarly attention, but less is known about the political, ideological, and international influences that shaped their evolution. Using institutional analysis and a power-centered approach, we trace three Australian-funded projects (2005–2019) alongside domestic policy shifts to analyze how market ideas were institutionalized. We show how policy entrepre
The majority of soil carbon (C) is stored in organic matter associated with reactive minerals. These mineral-organic associations (MOAs) inhibit microbial and enzymatic access to organic matter, suggesting that organic C within MOAs is resistant to decomposition. However, plant roots and rhizosphere microbes are known to transform minerals through dissolution and exchange reactions, implying that
While the post-1945 period witnessed the rise of multilateralism and the creation of numerous international institutions to deal with cross-border issues, the 21st century is marked by their contestation and transformation. The United Nations, including its specialized agencies and several other bodies, has come under heavy criticism for the inability to effectively cope with global challenges. In
Flower-visiting insects and the plants that depend on them are declining due to habitat loss and deterioration. Road verges, which often provide abundant floral resources, are gaining attention for their potential conservation value, as they can support a high abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects. Thereby, flower-abundant road verges may benefit pollination in surrounding landscapes.
The world faces multiple water crises, including overextraction, flooding, ecosystem degradation and inequitable safe water access. Insufficient funding and ineffective implementation impede progress in water access, while, in part, a misdiagnosis of the causes has prioritized some responses over others (for example, hard over soft infrastructure). We reframe the responses to mitigating the world’
Magneto-responsive soft films constitute a fascinating class of smart materials and devices capable of performing various tasks, such as micromanipulation or transport, noninvasive surgery, and sensing. These components are fabricated by incorporating magnetic materials into flexible substrates. In this context, arranging magnetic particles into elongated chains exhibiting shape anisotropy has sho
Evolutionary changes in geographic distribution and larval host plants may promote the rapid diversification of montane insects, but this scenario has been rarely investigated. We studied the rapid radiation of the butterfly genus Colias, which has diversified in mountain ecosystems in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Based on a data set of 150 nuclear protein-coding genetic loci and mitochondri
The contribution of terrestrially derived carbon to micro-crustacean zooplankton biomass (i.e., allochthony) has been previously studied in lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, but little is known about zooplankton allochthony in rivers. In lacustrine environments, allochthony is regulated by distinct selective feeding behavior of different taxa. However, we hypothesized that restricted possibility f
The spatiotemporal stability of wild organisms, such as flower-visiting insects, is critical to guarantee high levels of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Whereas the proportion of semi-natural habitats in the landscapes has been shown to stabilize the species richness of flower visitors, the effect of farming intensity has not yet been studied. In this study, we compared the temporal and spatial st
It is generally expected that, in environments with pronounced seasonal resource peaks, birds’ reproductive success will be maximised when nestlings’ peak food demand coincides with the timing of high food availability. However in certain birds that stay resident over winter, earlier breeding leads juveniles to join the winter flock earlier, which by the prior residence effect increases their succ
Organic farming has the potential to enhance ecosystem services such as crop pollination. However, it is not known if a similar effect can be generated on conventional farms, without reducing external inputs such as inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, by using more complex crop rotations including ley for animal fodder production. In two separate designs, both located in southern Sweden, we test
