Critical minerals for electric vehicles: a telecoupling review

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) adoption, which plays a crucial role to reduce transportation carbon emissions, is leading to a surge in demand for critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earths. Efforts to systematically address the emerging sustainability issues associated with critical minerals have been challenged by complex mineral supply chains, and the distal and geographically dispersed nature of social-ecological impacts from mineral extraction and processing and eventual use. In this review, we apply a bibliometric analysis of the literature in the 2010-2020 period to analyze the state of research on the issues of critical mineral extraction impacts and the global governance responses. We use the concept of telecoupling to structure our literature search and analysis across four themes: (1) critical minerals global trade and supply chain, (2) sustainability and resource policy and governance, (3) mining corporate social responsibility, and (4) information feedback and public discourse. We find a growing attention to the social-ecological implications of critical mineral extraction, but also fragmentation among thematic domains that could impede progress towards more coordinated system governance. Based on the analyses, the paper concludes with a definition of some research and engagement opportunities around the telecoupling themes.

Exploiting the Urban System? The Frictions of Military Finance and Diplomacy in the Dutch Republic, 1688–1714

This article examines how international military finance operated in the Dutch Republic between 1688–1714. The region’s unique urban geography in which the political and financial infrastructures crucial for military financing were geographically dispersed created stresses and strains. These inconveniences were overcome due to the Republic’s excellent intra-urban infrastructure – creating fast and reliable communication between the different urban centers – and their reliance on (semi-)private agents, the solliciteurs-militair. As a result, the urban system created a level of flexibility: credit for military purposes could be found both in The Hague and Amsterdam, rather than having to rely on a single city as was the case in London. This focus on the urban has broader historiographical importance because recent scholarship on early modern war and state formation is increasingly questioning whether the focus on political and financial centralization is necessarily the best way to understand these processes.

IT SERVICE OF THE MODERNIZED GRAIN MOISTURIZING MACHINE

The purpose of this work is to increase the efficiency of the grain humidifier, which is part of the system for preparing grain for grinding, ensuring the reliability of machines, its productivity, reducing energy consumption and improving the quality of the finished product. products by introducing automation based on SMART technology, defined as self-monitoring and reporting technology.SMART technology is inextricably linked with a monitoring and data collection system designed to monitor and automatically manage a large number of remote, geographically dispersed sites. In addition, this system provides long-term archiving of the received data, which allows the dispatcher to monitor the operation of the relevant equipment, responding with an IT service program.A remote automated monitoring and control system for the production line on which the dampening machine is installed ensures optimum performance. Rotary machines for grain moistening are considered. At flour mills, as well as at other enterprises, such machines are used at the stage of main moistening and for additional moistening before feeding the grain to the grinding workshop. A1-BShU-2 machines are designed for basic grain moistening.Humidifiers are installed in front of the grain bins in the production lines of the preparatory departments of flour mills to remove excess moisture.At the same time, machines for washing grain and, accordingly, all equipment for treating wastewater and treated waste can be excluded from the technological schemes of enterprises, therefore, an urgent task is to increase productivity. Air humidifier A1-BShU-2 by improving the design of the working body and automation of the machine. generally.In this regard, it is necessary to intensify the process of moistening the grain due to the optimal location of the blades for moving the grain (races) and mixing (whips) on the shaft of the working body, apply a drive motor speed control system using a frequency converter.The article shows ways to improve the performance of a humidifier, as well as issues of control and management of the optimal mode of its operation. For example, Table 1 is presented in the form of a layout, which shows in what form the information can be provided to the operator and stored in the archive.

Production Technology Workbench: Developing and Scaling a Corporate Digital Product Using Agile Methods

Objectives/Scope The production technology working environment of an oil brownfield is usually an inconsistent collection of tools and spreadsheets. In this paper, we will explore Wintershall Dea's digitalisation journey from a patchwork of tools and spreadsheets to a unified corporate Production Technology Workbench (PTW) solution starting from the replacement of an existing and ageing tool on an asset on the Norwegian continental shelf and ending by incorporating the requirements of other assets from Wintershall Dea's diverse and geographically dispersed portfolio. Methods, Procedures, Processes The project started by selecting the low-code application platform suitable to be used as the basis for the journey. After a proof-of-concept stage, an Agile project was launched owned by the asset and with a geographically dispersed Development Team conformed by Wintershall Dea's Product Owners, IT/OT experts, UX consultants and Eigen's scrum master and Development Team. After the delivery of the MVP, a second Product Owner was incorporated from a second asset. The Agile project continued to deliver on enhanced functionality and requirements that would most benefit both assets. Results, Observations, Conclusions The original production system calculations and workflows are vital for the asset. However, such patchworks are not easy to work with and complex to maintain or change. This had a negative effect on the efficiency as work is time-consuming and cumbersome. Well anomalies were often detected by actively looking for them daily in various plots, reports and platforms, and therefore the detection and response time to production events was delayed. A Production Technology dashboard with built-in / automated data processing for standard tasks provides engineers with the required transparency of data to identify issues and pain-points in a timely manner. This helps engineers to proactively intervene to mitigate unplanned losses and downtime, reducing the amount of deferred production. Investment in a corporate-wide unified (standard UX) platform, will help engineers when starting new assignments to spot issues easier and quicker independently of the asset they are assigned to. But beyond a standardization, each engineer needs to be able to create individual workflows (for effects such as scaling, slugging, sand etc.) for their needs by means of the self-service capabilities of the technology. Also, the quick access to frequently used and relevant data could be accessed through one platform, making everyday life of the production engineer more efficient and smoother. Over the timeframe of 15+ Sprints the Product Owners refined and re-defined the exact functionality they would like to see delivered. Novel/Additive Information The PTW concept seeks to minimise the time that engineers require to learn the tool and use it to inspect, analyse, and make decisions to optimise the production of the field. This is one of Wintershall Dea's first projects executed following Agile, using a geographically dispersed team, during the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. The multi-Product-Owner project approach is a novel way to govern the evolution of the tool to suit multiple stakeholders. In comparison to a E&P typical waterfall project management approach, the application of Scrum really showed added value in reducing risk early on, increasing visibility and transparency and adapting to the customer's needs (production engineers) throughout the process.

The cyber-consciousness of environmental assessment: how environmental assessments evaluate the impacts of smart, connected, and digital technology

Digitally-enabled technologies are increasingly cyber-physical systems (CPS). They are networked in nature and made up of geographically dispersed components that manage and control data received from humans, equipment, and the environment. Researchers evaluating such technologies are thus challenged to include CPS subsystems and dynamics that might not be obvious components of a product system. Although analysts might assume CPS have negligible or purely beneficial impact on environmental outcomes, such assumptions require justification. As the physical environmental impacts of digital processes (e.g., cryptocurrency mining) gain attention, the need for explicit attention to CPS in environmental assessment becomes more salient. This review investigates how the peer-reviewed environmental assessment literature treats environmental implications of CPS, with a focus on journal articles published in English between 2010-2020. We identify nine CPS subsystems and dynamics addressed in this literature: energy system, digital equipment, non-digital equipment, automation & management, network infrastructure, direct costs, social & health effects, feedbacks, and cybersecurity. Based on these categories, we develop a “cyber-consciousness score” reflecting the extent to which the 115 studies that met our evaluation criteria address CPS, then summarize analytical methods and modeling techniques drawn from reviewed literature to facilitate routine inclusion of CPS in environmental assessment. We find that, given challenges in establishing system boundaries, limited standardization of how to evaluate CPS dynamics, and failure to recognize the role of CPS in a product system under evaluation, the extant environmental assessment literature in peer-reviewed journals largely ignores CPS subsystems and dynamics when evaluating digital or digitally-enabled technologies.

Emerging from the third space chrysalis: Experiences in a non-hierarchical, collaborative research community of practice

This article discusses the creation of a research-focused virtual community of practice (vCoP) for geographically-dispersed third space professionals, motivated by desires for enhanced professional collaboration, visibility and identity. The authors used collaborative autoethnography (CAE) to evaluate their personal reflections as vCoP participants. Data were gathered in two collaborative writing activities and analysed using thematic analysis (TA). The TA identified two connected themes, which capture the vCoP members’ aspirations to transcend their current roles and be research-active through connecting with like-minded professionals. Collaborative writing activities, including authoring this paper, cultivated elements of academic identity such as independence and purpose. A non-hierarchical and supportive vCoP environment allowed the members to work beyond time and institutional constraints to foster the evolution of the community and an emerging sense of professional identity beyond that typically associated with third space roles. The paper offers a model of collaboration that could help groups in similar situations.

In conversation with Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa

Becoming a feature film director is a privilege available to only a handful of people, no matter where in the world they live. In Oceania, access to filmmaking is arguably more constrained because the market conditions under which commercial films are produced do not favour small, geographically dispersed and linguistically distinct communities. Opportunities to make publicly funded, critically acclaimed Pacific films in metropolitan centres like Aotearoa New Zealand are vanishingly small. Often when they are made, these ‘art house’ Pacific films primarily appeal to audiences outside of the communities in which they are set. Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa has challenged this status quo by pioneering a mode of populist commercial filmmaking for Samoan (and other Pacific Island) audiences in the islands and across the diaspora. His commitment to making entertainment that is relevant to and reflects contemporary Samoan culture has been remarkable. On the eve of Vaiaoga-Ioasa’s fourth feature film release, filmmaker/academic Sarina Pearson sat down with him to talk about how he developed the ‘Stallone model’, the films he has made, and his plans for the future.

The value of a Community of Practice in the subject design process when embedding Interactive Oral Assessments

This paper shares insights gained from members of a Community of Practice (CoP) who jointly designed and developed Interactive Oral Assessments (IOAs) for their online subjects in the first half of 2021 as part of a broader institutional project to improve online assessment practice across a multi-campus regional NSW university. Meetings of the CoP were conducted virtually to allow geographically dispersed staff to participate in and benefit from the sessions. The main aim of the CoP was to design online assessments that promote academic integrity and reflect authentic graduates’ practice. The CoP members implemented new assessment regimes, tasks and rubrics for their respective subjects involved in the initiative and developed a suite of resources for future staff interested in trialling this approach. The outcomes highlight the value of a dedicated CoP in supporting academics to successfully embed a new assessment approach, and for encouraging uptake across the university courses.

A New Mitochondrial Genome of Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) and Mitogenome-Wide Investigation on Polymorphisms

White-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), is one of the major sap-sucking rice pests in East Asia. We have determined a new complete mitochondrial genome of WBPH collected in the Korean peninsula using NGS technology. Its length and GC percentages are 16,613 bp and 23.8%, respectively. We observed one polymorphic site, a non-synonymous change, in the COX3 gene with confirmation heteroplasmy phenomenon within individuals of WBPH by PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, the first report in this species. In addition, this heteroplasmy was not observed in wild WBPH populations, suggesting that it may be uncommon in fields. We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms, insertion, and deletions, and simple sequence repeats among the three WBPH mitogenomes from Korea and China and found diverse intraspecific variations, which could be potential candidates for developing markers to distinguish geographical populations. Phylogenetic analysis of 32 mitogenomes of Delphacidae including the three WBPH mitogenomes suggested that Delphacinae seems to be monophyletic and Sogatella species including WBPH are clearly formed as one clade. In the future, it is expected that complete mitogenomes of individuals of geographically dispersed WBPH populations will be used for further population genetic studies to understand the migration pathway of WBPH.

Territorial and non-territorial arrangements in a multi-ethno-linguistic context

This article argues that the geographically dispersed distribution of the minorities in the Baltic republics (apart from the Poles in Lithuania and the Russians in Northeast Estonia) constitutes an objective obstacle to provision of territorially based minority rights. However, the potential alternatives to the territorial principle are also rarely adopted. The cultural autonomy model in Estonia and Latvia failed to be implemented in practice, while threshold rules (in respect of topographical bilingualism, for example) are in force only in Estonia, and there with the highest threshold in Europe (50%). The paper aims to explain the reluctance to adopt these solutions by reviewing the main factors that affect language policy implementation in general. It also considers the background to the debate over which languages need protection: the minority languages within the Baltic States or the titular languages themselves (Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian), which at the global level are small and vulnerable. In general, the strictness of language policies is in inverse relation to the size of the minorities, with Lithuania being the most liberal and Latvia the most restrictive.