Conventional Regime Research Articles

How does the UNFCCC enable multi-level learning for the governance of adaptation?

Adaptation has become a priority in global climate change governance since the adoption of the Cancun Adaptation Framework and the Paris Agreement. Adaptation to climate change has been increasingly recognized as a multi-level governance challenge in both the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) regime and academic literature. This recognition often includes, explicitly or implicitly, the role that learning can play across governance levels to accelerate and scale up responses to address adaptation challenges. However, there is no comprehensive assessment in academic literature of how multi-level learning has been considered in the UNFCCC regime, what the enabling factors are, and the outcomes of such learning. Drawing on approaches suggested by multi-level governance and learning literature, this paper seeks to fill this knowledge gap by focusing on the ways in which the UNFCCC multilateral process enables multi-level learning for the governance of adaptation and how it could be enhanced. This will be accomplished through a legal–technical analysis of the enabling factors of multi-level learning in the governance of adaptation under the UNFCCC. Qualitative research methods have been applied for the thematic analysis of selected documentation, complemented by interviews and personal observations of adaptation negotiations in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Results are presented according to three research questions oriented to understand how institutional design of adaptation under the UNFCCC enables multi-level learning; the learning strategies adopted across levels of governance; and the way the UNFCCC regime understands the contribution of multi-level learning for adaptation outcomes.

A Hematological and Histopathological Study on Diphenhydramine Nasal Nano-gel and Nano-emulgel for the Management of Allergic Rhinitis in Animal Model

The study aims to determine histamine efficacy on hematologic values in experimental animal model, under physiological and pathological conditions after inducing diphenhydramine-formulated nasal nano-gel/nano-emulgel in comparison with conventional nasal spray regime. In this study, we conducted experiment on New Zealand white male rabbits to prove our hypothesis that nasal diphenhydramine nano-gel and nano-emulgel can penetrate the nasal mucosa faster to show drug response and subside histaminic symptoms than market nasal spray (as reference). Blood samples from 48 New Zealand white male rabbits, under both experimental conditions (physiological and pathological) divided into four groups for each (n = 6) were investigated after inducing each dosage form intranasally. Hematologic parameters (WBCs, RBCs, HGB, PLTs, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, granulocyte counts) were analyzed in whole blood samples, collected at different time intervals. ANOVA and completely randomized design (CRD) were applied for statistical analysis. Histopathologically, nasal tissues of all groups were analyzed to see intramucosal surface changes. Data of descriptive statistics of hematological parameters analyzed at confidence level 95% showed that under physiological condition, hematological parameters of all groups were lying in normal range, whereas under pathological condition, low values of all hematological parameters were observed in all groups due to allergenic condition. The groups B (allergenic rabbits treated with formulated diphenhydramine nasal nano-gel) and C (allergenic rabbits treated with formulated diphenhydramine nasal nano-emulgel) have shown good changes in the treatment of allergenic rabbits as compared to group D (allergenic rabbits treated with formulated diphenhydramine nasal spray). The completely randomized ANOVA and Tukey HSD all-pairwise comparison tests of hematological parameters were applied that showed all groups in both studies were significantly different from each other. It was observed after histopathological study of nasal membrane tissues that change in mucosa has occurred due to the passage of drug. In summary, hematological profile and histopathological study have demonstrated the comparable results with conventional diphenhydramine nasal spray and formulated diphenhydramine nasal nano-gel/nano-emulgel which can exhibit considerable drug delivery dosage forms in the management of allergic rhinitis in animal model.

Combustion characteristics of steam-diluted decomposed ammonia in multiple-nozzle direct injection burner

In line with the decarbonisation of power sector, carbon-free fuels are currently being investigated. In particular, green ammonia or e-ammonia is a candidate fuel which will be playing a key role in many energy-intensive industries. It calls for an in-depth understanding of eFuels combustion characteristics in the fuel flexible combustors. Therefore, the present work for the first time numerically investigates the combustion regimes of steam-diluted, decomposed eNH3 in a novel multi-nozzle direct injection (MDI) burner. Although the MDI burner is not equipped with a conventional swirler, strong flow-flame interaction is observed. The two-layer, angled channels create swirling flows featuring swirl numbers larger than 0.9 in general. The centre recirculation region can help stabilise highly steam-diluted decomposed ammonia with a maximum steam-to-air ratio of 74%. This highest H2% containing, wettest ammonia flame case is found to emit the lowest total emission (NH3+NO + NO2+N2O) of ∼400ppmvd@15%O2 at stoichiometric conditions. The wall heat loss is confirmed responsible for the formation of N2O in distributed flame, suggesting the need of reducing pollution through good chamber wall insulation. However, for flames sitting in the conventional regimes, the impact of wall heat loss is found insignificant. Further, extensive data and flame regime analyses show that NNH can always accurately mark the high heat release region of all types of flames, while OH is only an effective marker for thin flames.

Click Chemistry-Generated Auristatin F-Linker-Benzylguanine for a SNAP-Tag-Based Recombinant Antibody-Drug Conjugate Demonstrating Selective Cytotoxicity toward EGFR-Overexpressing Tumor Cells.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are bifunctional molecules combining the targeting potential of monoclonal antibodies with the cancer-killing ability of cytotoxic drugs. This simple yet intelligently designed system directly addresses the lack of specificity encountered with conventional anti-cancer treatment regimes. However, despite their initial success, the generation of clinically sustainable and effective ADCs has been plagued by poor tumor penetration, undefined chemical linkages, unpredictable pharmacokinetic profiles, and heterogeneous mixtures of products. To this end, we generated a SNAP-tag-based fusion protein targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-a biomarker of aggressive and drug-resistant cancers. Here, we demonstrate the use of a novel click coupling strategy to engineer a benzylguanine (BG)-linker-auristatin F (AuriF) piece that can be covalently tethered to the EGFR-targeting SNAP-tag-based fusion protein in an irreversible 1:1 stoichiometric reaction to form a homogeneous product. Furthermore, using these recombinant ADCs to target EGFR-overexpressing tumor cells, we provide a proof-of-principle for generating biologically active antimitotic therapeutic proteins capable of inducing cell death in a dose-dependent manner, thus alleviating some of the challenges of early ADC development.

Ion recombination correction factors and detector comparison in a very-high dose rate proton scanning beam

PurposeAccurate dosimetry is paramount to study the FLASH biological effect since dose and dose rate are critical dosimetric parameters governing its underlying mechanisms. With the goal of assessing the suitability of standard clinical dosimeters in a very-high dose rate (VHDR) experimental setup, we evaluated the ion collection efficiency of several commercially available air-vented ionization chambers (IC) in conventional and VHDR proton irradiation conditions. MethodsA cyclotron at the Orsay Proton Therapy Center was used to deliver VHDR pencil beam scanning irradiation. Ion recombination correction factors (ks) were determined for several detectors (Advanced Markus, PPC05, Nano Razor, CC01) at the entrance of the plateau and at the Bragg peak, using the Niatel model, the Two-voltage method and Boag’s analytical formula for continuous beams. ResultsMean dose rates ranged from 4 Gy/s to 385 Gy/s, and instantaneous dose rates up to 1000 Gy/s were obtained with the experimental set-up. Recombination correction factors below 2 % were obtained for all chambers, except for the Nano Razor, at VHDRs with variations among detectors, while ks values were significantly smaller (0.8 %) for conventional dose rates. ConclusionsWhile the collection efficiency of the probed ICs in scanned VHDR proton therapy is comparable to those in the conventional regime with recombination coefficiens smaller than 1 % for mean dose rates up to 177 Gy/s, the reduction in collection efficiency for higher dose rates cannot be ignored when measuring the absorbed dose in pre-clinical proton scanned FLASH experiments and clinical trials.

Growth and production response in saffron-chickpea intercropping under different irrigation regimes

The present study aimed to evaluate saffron production in intercropping with chickpea under different irrigation regimes. The experiment was a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications during two years (2018–19 and 2019–20). The main plot consisted of two irrigation regimes [i.e. one-time and conventional irrigations], and the sub-plot included eight planting ratios [i.e. saffron mono-crop (C1), chickpea mono-crop (C2), 100% saffron + 50% chickpea (C3) and 100% saffron + 100% chickpea (C4) as additive ratios, and 1:1 (C5), 2:2 (C6), 2:1(C7), and 3:1(C8) saffron:chickpea as replacement ratios]. Based on the results, the effect of the irrigation regime was not significant on flower number, fresh weight of flower, and dried stigma yield of saffron. In intercropping ratios, the highest flower number (141.5 ± 4.26 m−2), fresh weight of flower (108.22 ± 3.4 g m−2), and dried stigma yield (4.1 ± 0.01 kg h−1) were observed in saffron mono-crop and approximately equaled by C3 treatment. The conventional irrigation regime increased the pod and seed numbers, the grain and biological yields, and the harvest index of chickpea. In the intercropping ratios, the maximum aforementioned traits were obtained by chickpea mono-crop. The maximum total land equivalent ratio (1.86) was obtained by the C3 treatment, which showed an intercropping advantage as compared to mono-crop. In summary, the C3 treatment showed the same effects as the mono-crop treatment on the saffron parameters, therefore, this treatment could be considered a proper alternative combination as compared to mono-crop for improving environmental resources absorption and soil fertility.

Microwave Photonic Radar Lost Bandwidth Spectrum Recovery Algorithm Based on Improved TSPN-ADMM-Net

Compared to conventional microwave regime radars, microwave photonic (MWP) radar is capable of transmitting extremely large bandwidth signals, wherein the frequencies of such signals distribute across multiple bands. In practical applications, the large bandwidth of MWP radar may be split into multiple discrete sub-bands due to various considerations such as anti-jamming, resource-saving, communication band avoidance, etc. Nonetheless, it leads to the fact that MWP radar suffers from the challenging problems of side-lobes elevation and main-lobes broadening. These problems will affect the image quality seriously. In order to address this issue, a spectrum recovery algorithm based on an improved Truncated Schatten- <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">p</i> Norm and Sparse Regularizer-Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (TSPN-ADMM) network is proposed in this paper. This algorithm can efficiently recover the lost spectrum in MWP radar applications and further improve the imaging quality of the MWP radar. In the lost spectrum recovery problem, the parameters of the recovery algorithm directly determine the recovery performance. The different forms of lost spectrum possessed by MWP radar make the selection of parameters for the spectrum recovery algorithm extremely difficult. As a consequence, in this paper, the spectrum recovery problem for MWP radar can be reformulated into a matrix completion problem by exploiting its joint sparsity and low-rankness. Based on the traditional TSPN-ADMM algorithm, an improved TSPN-ADMM-Net approach is proposed by utilizing the algorithm unrolling technique, wherein the hyperparameters in TSPN-ADMM algorithm are optimized in an end-to-end training manner. Consequently, the algorithm proposed in this paper can achieve excellent recovery results when dealing with the multiple spectrum missing situations existing in MWP radar. The effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by a combination of numerical simulations and actual MWP radar data.

A Theoretical Understanding of the Role of Mindfulness in Stress Among Cancer Patients

Being diagnosed with cancer leads to series of stressful experience for the patients. Asindividual varies in their susceptibility for stress related physiological and psychological problems, its clearer that when confronted with a chronic dilemma like cancer, how people perceive the symptoms and associated life changes makes all the difference. Mindfulness helps individuals shift their focus to the present and non-judgmentally accept as it comes; and have a sense of control of their self and external experience. That is why the idea of mindfulness works better and efficiently for cancer patients, and that is the reason why psychological interventions like Mindfulness based therapies should be implemented for complementing the conventional treatment regimes.

International Counteraction to Illegal Traffic of Hazardous Wastes in Africa: Bamako Convention Regime

International Counteraction to Illegal Traffic of Hazardous Wastes in Africa: Bamako Convention Regime

Recent advances in low-gradient combustion modelling of hydrogen fuel blends

Low-gradient combustion (LGC) proved to be an effective alternative technology to reduce pollutant emissions and carbon footprint, specifically when combined with hydrogen as a fuel or blend component. This novel technology offers several advantages over conventional combustion regimes, including a more effective control of emissions and providing greater flexibility in fuel application. The impact of hydrogen on this regime is still not well-known, especially when it comes to the combustion of pure hydrogen and fuels with a high hydrogen content. In the last two decades, numerical simulations have become a powerful tool that facilitates the research and design of LGC, particularly in terms of stability of the process and the emission of pollutants. This article provides an up-to-date review of recent trends and theoretical knowledge in low-gradient combustion. This includes the guidelines and recommendations applied to LGC modelling. Comparisons have been made between the recently published modelling approaches presented by the authors, including a detailed assessment of the discrepancies in the temperature predictions. The challenges and limitations associated with the LGC combustion modelling of conventional fuels (i.e., natural gas, methane, syngas) blended with hydrogen are also discussed. The review demonstrated that the Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC) is the most common turbulent-chemical interaction model employed in LGC combustion simulations. The performance of the EDC can be significantly improved by variable constants Cγ and Cτ based on local turbulent Reynolds and Damköhler numbers. However, the most recent publications indicate that the flamelet-based approach can be considered as a promising (and more cost-effective) alternative to the EDC. Furthermore, the chemical kinetic studies considered in this review confirm that there is no detailed reaction mechanism capable of accurately predicting the temperature profile along with the emissions of the main species of interest, i.e., NOx, CO, CO2, and OH. Although GRI-Mech 2.11 is the most widely used mechanism in LGC simulations, providing satisfactory overall accuracy.

An electrochemical oscillatory flow reactor with pillar array electrodes improving mass transfer in electrosynthesis

Synthetic organic electrochemistry, due to its advantages in terms of environmental impact and energy demand, has in the past years increasingly attracted researchers and companies. Consequently, a variety of (commercially available) electrochemical reactors have been developed. However, the focus remained on conducting fundamental electrochemical research rather than on scalability and productivity. In this work, we present a novel electrochemical reactor concept by applying an oscillatory flow regime in a reactor fitted with conductive pillar field electrodes which serve both as electroactive interface and turbulence promotor. The use of this electrochemical oscillatory flow reactor (eOFR) enabled the control and improvement of mass transfer, irrespective of residence time. This resulted in current densities rise up to 4-fold versus conventional steady state flow regimes and as such, this novel reactor bridges the gap between fundamental research and industrial applications.

Changes in Fractionation Schedules for Breast Cancer Treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose/Objective(s)In 2020, 5-year results of the FAST-Forward trial and 10-year results for both the FAST trial and APBI-IMRT-Florence trials using ultrahypofractionated radiation (UHFR) were all published, each detailing equivalent outcomes for partial and whole breast UHFR schedules compared to more conventional fractionation regimes in early-stage breast cancer. Due to concerns over viral exposure, these treatment regimens were adopted in an effort to minimize patient exposure while achieving equivalent oncologic control. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of UHFR schedules for breast cancer patients before COVID-19, at the height of the pandemic and after widespread vaccination and analyze factors predictive of use.Materials/MethodsBetween October 2019 and February 2022, 733 patients with stage 0 or I breast cancer were offered radiation at our institution following breast conserving surgery. 43 patients were excluded (35 declined radiation and 8 received partial breast re-irradiation). We analyzed target volume (whole vs partial breast) and fractionation schemes (1 week vs 3 or more weeks) for 3 time periods of interest: pre-COVID-19 (October 2019-March 2020), height of COVID-19 (March 2020-March 2021) and post-COVID-19 vaccine (March 2021-February 2022). Fisher's exact test was used to compare frequencies of treatment parameters across groups and time periods. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with UHFR use. R (v4.1.2) was used for analysis.ResultsThe use of UHFR increased during the post-vaccine period as compared to pre-Covid-19 and the pre-vaccine time periods (p<0.001), with 4.6%, 9.2% and 23%, receiving UHFR respectively. On univariate analysis in the pre-vaccine time period, patients with grade 2 and 3 cancers were less likely to get UHFR (p = 0.003 and p = 0.005, respectively). Receiving radiation from an academic attending was associated with higher use of UHFR (p = 0.0004). On multivariate (MVA) patients with grade 2 and 3 disease remained less likely to get UHFR (p 0.001 and 0.004). Treatment by an academic attending remained a significant factor for use of UHFR (p=0.0003). In the post-vaccine time period, on univariate analysis, negative ER status and grade 3 tumors were associated with less use of UHFR (p = 0.04 and p = 0.0001, respectively). On MVA, only grade 3 was associated with less UHFR use (p = 0.0002).ConclusionDuring COVID there was a significant increase in the use of UHFR regimens for treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients at our institution that persisted and increased after the introduction of the vaccine despite return to pre-COVID patient volumes. Uptake of these new regimens was initially higher among academic radiation oncologists, however with education of community physicians and implementation of treatment planning scorecards, widespread adoption was seen.

Impact of dietary inclusion of Chenopodium quinoa on growth performance and survival of Hubbard chicken.

The poultry sector is the most vibrant segment of the agriculture system plays a vital role in the supply of healthy meat products. Broiler production effectiveness is greatly associated with feed formulation. Although, broiler exhibits a relatively fast growth rate, the nutritional profile of its meat has been criticized under conventional human dietary regimes. In the current study, the dietary inclusion of quinoa was assessed to improve broiler growth performance, carcass quality, and health by analyzing different growth, hematological and biochemical, immunological parameters. In the present study, the chicken was fed with 50 g/kg, 100 g/kg, and 200 g/kg quinoa enriched diets in two different experimental groups during the growth phase or finisher phase while chicken fed with diet without quinoa were as control. The 50 g/kg quinoa supplemented chicken group revealed a substantial difference in growth performance in comparison with the control group. In addition, the examination of quinoa dietary supplementation on carcass quality exhibited variable behavior. Further, all the study groups fed with quinoa during the growth phase revealed no remarkable difference in the hematological profile in contrast to the control group except for the chicken group fed (50 g/Kg) during the finisher phase for hemoglobin levels. Likewise, all the quinoa enriched diet given chicken groups showed no significant difference in serum biochemical profile in contrast to the control group except for the 50 g/Kg quinoa fed chicken group during the finisher phase for total globulin levels. In addition, the examination of quinoa dietary supplementation on the broiler serum lipid profile was also assessed and birds exhibited variable behavior as the result of quinoa dietary supplementation. Evaluation of short-term immune response after quinoa supplementation assessed and birds exhibited no marked significance on expression outcomes of interleukin/cytokines (IL 1 beta, IL-6, IL-10) assessed by qRT-PCR analysis. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of broiler fed with quinoa seeds can enhance the growth performance and the carcass quality of broiler.

Legal Status of the Caspian Sea: Gaps in the Convention Regime

The conclusion of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea in 2018 was intended to put an end to a very long and difficult negotiation process to determine the legal regime for this closed water body, which has no natural connection with the World Ocean. The Convention was supposed to fill the gaps in the management of this water area that existed in the framework of the previous Soviet-Iranian agreements of 1921 and 1940, which were in force but not up to date, and to give all the Caspian states common and equal rights and powers to use and exploit the spaces and resources of this maritime region. However, up to 2022, the Convention has not entered into legal force, as one of the Caspian countries — the Islamic Republic of Iran — has not yet ratified this regional agreement, considering that it is the most disadvantaged party. Despite the resolution of the Caspian Sea seabed delimitation issues in its northern part in previous years, the problem of delimitation in its southern part may require both enormous efforts and time, further complicating the current situation. There is as yet no final understanding as to what delimitation models can be used here to satisfy the interests of all the states involved. Moreover, the implementation of the norms and provisions of the 2018 Convention requires the drafting and signing of new bilateral and multilateral documents that close a whole series of “gaps” in the proposed convention regime. In fact, the fate of the 2018 Convention depends on how these contradictions will be resolved. The analysis of these problems is the focus of this paper.

The Critical Role of Academic Clinical Trials in Pediatric Cancer Drug Approvals: Design, Conduct, and Fit for Purpose Data for Positive Regulatory Decisions.

For decades, academic clinical trials consortia have collaborated to optimize outcomes for childhood cancers through evaluating incremental improvements in conventional mutimodality treatment regimes. There are now increasing opportunities to partner with industry to test new medicines in academic-sponsored trials, but these collaborative studies rarely contribute to marketing authorizations. We addressed why this is the case and sought solutions to enable academic-sponsored trials to directly contribute to the licensing of new medicines. Under the auspices of the multistakeholder platform ACCELERATE, we convened a working group of representatives from clinical academia, pharmaceutical industry, European Medicines Agency, US Food and Drug Administration, and patient advocacy to define the challenges and propose recommendations to facilitate academic-sponsored trial design and conduct to be aligned to both the needs of the pharmaceutical company who own the asset and the expectations of the regulatory (licensing) authorities. We identified that although academic consortia have long-standing expertise to conduct robust clinical trials, there were critical gaps in knowledge, standard procedures, and resources that hindered the trial data directly contributing to marketing authorization applications. We propose a suite of recommendations focused on (1) essential documents, (2) essential data, (3) data management, and (4) trial resources, specifically aimed at enabling academic-industry partnerships to deliver an academic-sponsored trial that meets the requirements for a marketing authorization submission. These recommendations pivot around transparency in academic-industry partnerships and early engagement with regulators. Academic sponsors and industry partners need to prospectively recognize when the planned collaborative trial could contribute to an application to marketing authorization and plan accordingly. Transparent collaboration and knowledge sharing between the partners opens an important pathway for accelerating new treatments into clinical practice for children with cancer.

Low dose paracetamol for management of patent ductus arteriosus in very preterm infants: a randomised non-inferiority trial

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of low dose-short course intravenous paracetamol with a conventional dose regimen for early targeted closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).DesignSingle-centre, double-blinded, active controlled, randomised non-inferiority trial.SettingLevel...

High‐Power Mid‐IR Few‐Cycle Frequency Comb from Quadratic Solitons in an Optical Parametric Oscillator

AbstractPowerful and efficient optical frequency combs in the mid‐infrared (MIR) spectral region are highly desirable for a broad range of applications. Despite extensive efforts utilizing various techniques, MIR frequency comb sources are still lacking power, efficiency, or bandwidth for many applications. Here, the generation of an intrinsically locked frequency comb source centered at 4.18 µm from an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) operating in the simulton regime is reported, in which formation of purely quadratic solitons leads to enhanced performance. Advantages of operation in the simulton regime in direct experimental comparisons to the conventional regime are shown, which are also supported by simulation and theory. 565 mW of average power, 900 nm of instantaneous 3 dB bandwidth, 350% slope efficiency, and 44% conversion efficiency are achieved, a performance that is superior to previous OPO demonstrations and other sources in this wavelength range. Here, a new avenue toward MIR frequency comb generation with high power and efficiency is opened, and the great potential of soliton generation based on quadratic nonlinearity in the MIR spectral region is suggested.

High-frequency limit of spectroscopy.

We consider an arbitrary quantum mechanical system, initially in its ground-state, exposed to a time-dependent electromagnetic pulse with a carrier frequency ω0 and a slowly varying envelope of finite duration. By working out a solution to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in the high-ω0 limit, we find that, to the leading order in ω0 -1, a perfect self-cancellation of the system's linear response occurs as the pulse switches off. Surprisingly, the system's observables are, nonetheless, describable in terms of a combination of its linear density response function and nonlinear functions of the electric field. An analysis of a jellium slab and jellium sphere models reveals a very high surface sensitivity of the considered setup, producing a richer excitation spectrum than accessible within the conventional linear response regime. On this basis, we propose a new spectroscopic technique, which we provisionally name the Nonlinear High-Frequency Pulsed Spectroscopy (NLHFPS). Combining the advantages of the extraordinary surface sensitivity, the absence of constraints by the traditional dipole selection rules, and the clarity of theoretical interpretation utilizing the linear response time-dependent density functional theory, NLHFPS has a potential to evolve into a powerful characterization method for nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Contested diffusion of transformative innovations. Micro‐ and macrolevel social capital in South Tyrol

AbstractThe diffusion of radical transformative innovations is essential for a transition towards more sustainable food systems. However, scholars have paid little attention to the power struggles shaping this process. This article applies the concept of social capital to the multilevel perspective and uses qualitative data from field research and media analysis to investigate the case of a local food movement in South Tyrol, Italy. It poses the following question: How did the conventional regime in South Tyrol discourage transformative innovations to further their interests against the efforts of the movement? The results show that the movement built up microlevel social capital to diffuse transformative innovations. Conventional regime actors used existing macrolevel social capital to inhibit transformative innovations and promote gradual innovations instead. The article argues that radical transformative and gradual innovations were mutually exclusive in the case under study and therefore caused intense power conflicts. It concludes with recommendations for future research.

Optimized fertigation mitigates N2O and NO emissions and enhances NH3 volatilizations in an intensified greenhouse vegetable system

Gaseous reactive nitrogen (GNr) losses (N2O, NO emissions and NH3 volatilization, etc.) in greenhouse vegetable fields (GVF) have received considerable critical attention. Much uncertainty still exists about GNr losses reduction under increasing vegetables demand and environmental policies in China. An experiment spanning four greenhouse vegetable growing seasons (cucumber and tomato) was conducted in North China Plain (NCP). It included four treatments, i.e., flood irrigation with no urea-N application (FU0), flood irrigation with conventional urea-N application (FUN), drip fertigation with conventional urea-N application (DUN), and drip fertigation with 50% reduction of urea-N application (DRUN). Obvious emission peaks of N2O, NO and NH3 flux were captured in the GVF after each fertilization and irrigation event. For FUN treatment, the mean annual area-scaled emissions of N2O, NO, and NH3 were 11.48, 1.66, and 44.90 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively; and the mean annual yield-scaled emissions of N2O, NO, and NH3 were 181.86, 23.04, and 800.07 g N t−1 yr−1, respectively. On the mean annual area-scaled and yield-scaled, the N2O emissions were significantly (P < 0.05) lower by 40.1 % and 32.3 %, and the NO emissions were lower by 23.5 % and 28.5 %, but the NH3 volatilization were significantly (P < 0.05) higher by 31.7 % and 49.0 %, respectively, for the DUN treatment than FUN. Also compared with FUN, in DRUN treatment, the mean annual area-scaled N2O emissions, NO emissions and NH3 volatilization were significantly reduced by 46.7 %, 52.4 % and 22.0 %, respectively; and the mean annual yield-scaled N2O emissions, NO emissions and NH3 volatilization were significantly reduced by 40.7 %, 57.1 % and 24.5 %, respectively. Moreover, compared with FUN treatment, DUN and DRUN treatment both alleviated the global temperature potential (GTP) at 20- and 100-year timescales. Overall, compared with conventional water and fertilizer regimes, only changing irrigation mode reduced N2O and NO emissions but increased NH3 volatilization losses in greenhouse cucumber-tomato cultivation system; reducing N application while changing irrigation methods had significant emission reduction effects on N2O, NO and NH3 at both the area-scaled and yield-scaled, and which is an effective water and fertilizer managements for greenhouse cucumber-tomato cultivation system.