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| Open AccessInvasive earthworms unlock arctic plant nitrogen limitation
Arctic plant growth is predominantly nitrogen limited, where the slow nitrogen turnover in the soil is commonly attributed to the cold arctic climate. Here the authors show that the arctic plant-soil nitrogen cycling is also constrained by the lack of larger detritivores like earthworms.
- Gesche Blume-Werry
- , Eveline J. Krab
- & Jonatan Klaminder
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Article
| Open AccessBionic 3D printed corals
Corals have evolved as finely tuned light collectors. Here, the authors report on the 3D printing of coral-inspired biomaterials, that mimic the coral-algal symbiosis; these bionic corals lead to dense microalgal growth and can find applications in algal biotechnology and applied coral science.
- Daniel Wangpraseurt
- , Shangting You
- & Silvia Vignolini
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Article
| Open AccessHigh-performance particulate matter including nanoscale particle removal by a self-powered air filter
Particulate matter (PM) pollutants have been considered serious threats to public health but effective removal of nanoscale particles (NPs) by filter materials is challenging. Here, the authors fabricate an ionic liquid based self-powered air filter that can be used in high-efficiency removal of PM, including NPs.
- Guo-Hao Zhang
- , Qiu-Hong Zhu
- & Guo-Hong Tao
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Article
| Open AccessPrompt rewetting of drained peatlands reduces climate warming despite methane emissions
Drained peatlands are sources of CO2, and though rewetting could curb emissions, this strategy results in elevated methane release. Here, the authors model peatland emissions scenarios and show that rewetting is a critical way to mitigate climate change despite potential methane increases.
- Anke Günther
- , Alexandra Barthelmes
- & John Couwenberg
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Article
| Open AccessEstimating the size distribution of plastics ingested by animals
Plastic pollution is an escalating problem and there is a need to predict the range of plastic sizes that an organism of interest could feasibly ingest. Here the authors use previously published data to develop an allometric equation for plastic size ingested as a function of animal body size, a relationship which could help predict risk of plastic introduction into food webs.
- Ifan B. Jâms
- , Fredric M. Windsor
- & Isabelle Durance
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Article
| Open AccessUrban vacant lands impart hydrological benefits across city landscapes
The authors investigate the infiltration potential of more than 500 vacant lots in the City of Buffalo, NY, USA. They found that the expanding footprint of pervious cover as urban vacant land provides stormwater volume retention benefits on an event and annual basis.
- Christa Kelleher
- , Heather E. Golden
- & William Shuster
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Article
| Open AccessMapping anthropogenic mineral generation in China and its implications for a circular economy
While a large quantity of underground mineral resources can be converted into manufactured products, a majority is still solid waste disposal. Here the authors found a large increase in total weight of anthropogenic mineral from 2010 to 2050 with faster growth rate for precious metals.
- Xianlai Zeng
- , Saleem H. Ali
- & Jinhui Li
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Article
| Open AccessSustainability of global Golden Inland Waterways
The exploitation of rivers has been at the detriment of river ecosystems. Here the authors propose a concept of Golden Inland Waterways (GIWs) to represent large waterways and find that the exploitation ratio threshold around the turning point for most GIWs appear to be less than 80%, subject to ecological constraints.
- Yichu Wang
- , Xiabin Chen
- & Jinren Ni
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Article
| Open AccessSingle-atom catalysts reveal the dinuclear characteristic of active sites in NO selective reduction with NH3
Identification of active sites is one key prerequisite for rational design of efficient catalysts. Here, the authors achieve a common feature of catalytic active sites for NO selective reduction with NH3, which assists precise identification of active sites and effective design of optimal catalysts.
- Weiye Qu
- , Xiaona Liu
- & Yaxin Chen
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Article
| Open AccessCoral skeletons reveal the history of nitrogen cycling in the coastal Great Barrier Reef
Coastal pollution degrades ecosystems, but long term impacts are unknown in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Using a 333 year record of coral skeleton nitrogen isotopes, Erler and colleagues show that increasing nutrient inputs since European settlement have led to unexpected feedback responses.
- Dirk V. Erler
- , Hanieh Tohidi Farid
- & Janice M. Lough
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Article
| Open AccessStronger policy required to substantially reduce deaths from PM2.5 pollution in China
Chinese government has implemented the air pollution control measure-the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in 2013, whose effects have not been fully studied. Here the authors show that from 2013 to 2017, the plan has achieved substantial public health benefits.
- Huanbi Yue
- , Chunyang He
- & Brett A. Bryan
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon dots-fed Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 for bioelectricity enhancement
Bacterial fuel cells have generated attention with the prospect of green energy production; current research is focused on optimising the system to improve efficiency. Here, the authors report on the feeding of carbon dots to S. oneidensis MR-1 to enhance metabolic activity and bioelectric generation.
- Chenhui Yang
- , Hüsnü Aslan
- & Miao Yu
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Article
| Open AccessChanges in global groundwater organic carbon driven by climate change and urbanization
Groundwater is Earth’s largest source of freshwater, but the cost and ease with which it is turned to drinking water is dependent on the concentration of organic carbon. Here the authors show that climate change and urbanization will likely elevate future levels of groundwater dissolved organic carbon across the globe.
- Liza K. McDonough
- , Isaac R. Santos
- & Andy Baker
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Article
| Open Access233U/236U signature allows to distinguish environmental emissions of civil nuclear industry from weapons fallout
The dominant emission sources of anthropogenic radionuclides come from either atmospheric nuclear weapons tests or the nuclear industry (i.e., reprocessing plants or reactor accidents). Here, the authors identify a new environmental isotope tracer (\(^{233}\)U/\(^{236}\)U) which can help distinguish emissions from nuclear weapons tests, and can also provide constraints on past weapon designs and fuel sources, for which many details remain classified or lost.
- K. Hain
- , P. Steier
- & A. Sakaguchi
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Article
| Open AccessUltra-high open-circuit voltage of tin perovskite solar cells via an electron transporting layer design
Despite the lower device efficiency, tin perovskite based solar cells are preferred choices compared to lead-based counterparts due to much lower toxicity. Here Jiang et al. use a fullerene derivative to greatly suppress carrier interface recombination and obtain record high cell efficiency of 12%.
- Xianyuan Jiang
- , Fei Wang
- & Zhijun Ning
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Article
| Open AccessMeasured greenhouse gas budgets challenge emission savings from palm-oil biodiesel
Palm oil biofuels are touted as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Meijide and colleagues use greenhouse gas measurements to update life cycle assessments of oil palm growth scenarios and show that despite the promise, emission savings do not meet sustainability standards.
- Ana Meijide
- , Cristina de la Rua
- & Alexander Knohl
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Article
| Open AccessPredominant regional biophysical cooling from recent land cover changes in Europe
Land cover change contributes to regional climate trends. Here, the authors use high-resolution land cover maps and state-of-the-art climate modelling to assess land cover change effects across Europe over 1992-2015, showing widespread cooling after agricultural abandonment but also different, region-specific effects.
- Bo Huang
- , Xiangping Hu
- & Francesco Cherubini
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Article
| Open AccessActivating low-temperature diesel oxidation by single-atom Pt on TiO2 nanowire array
Supported metal single-atom catalysts face challenges on both durability and practicality. Here, the authors demonstrate that a sustained 90% diesel oxidation conversion at ~160 oC is achieved by single-atom Pt on TiO2 nanowire-array integrated catalytic converter.
- Son Hoang
- , Yanbing Guo
- & Pu-Xian Gao
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon footprint of global natural gas supplies to China
The carbon footprints of natural gas supplies at the field level are unclear. Here the authors analysed the GHG intensities of gas supplies from 104 fields and show that their GHG intensities range from 6.2 to 43.3 g CO2eq MJ-1.
- Yu Gan
- , Hassan M. El-Houjeiri
- & Michael Wang
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Article
| Open AccessRanking environmental degradation trends of plastic marine debris based on physical properties and molecular structure
Accumulation of micro and nano-plastic in the oceans has emerged as a global challenge. Here, the authors predict a hierarchy of features that regulate their degradation and surface erosion by a thorough analysis of polymer structure, composition, physical properties and degradation data.
- Kyungjun Min
- , Joseph D. Cuiffi
- & Robert T. Mathers
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Article
| Open AccessElectronic parameters in cobalt-based perovskite-type oxides as descriptors for chemocatalytic reactions
Design of efficient catalysts requires understanding the decisive electronic parameters for catalytic efficacy and their dependence on elemental composition. Here, the authors report covalency as suitable descriptor of perovskite-type transition metal oxides as chemo-catalysts.
- Johannes Simböck
- , M. Ghiasi
- & Regina Palkovits
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Article
| Open AccessThe Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane
The Middle East is known to emit large amounts of non-methane hydrocarbon pollutants to the atmosphere, but the sources are poorly characterized. Here the authors discover a new source—deep water in the Red Sea—and calculate that its emissions exceed rates of several high gas-production countries.
- E. Bourtsoukidis
- , A. Pozzer
- & J. Williams
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Article
| Open AccessBiological impact of lead from halide perovskites reveals the risk of introducing a safe threshold
Halide perovskites are promising for next generation photovoltaic technology but their environmental impact has not been fully evaluated. Here Li et al. show that the lead from perovskites is ten times more dangerous than lead-containing electronics while tin perovskites are much less bioavailable.
- Junming Li
- , Hai-Lei Cao
- & Antonio Abate
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Article
| Open AccessIncrease in global emissions of HFC-23 despite near-total expected reductions
International agreements have been implemented to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to reduce their radiative forcing. Even though reported HFC-23 emissions are at a historical low, observations indicate that emissions have actually increased over recent years to higher levels than previously.
- K. M. Stanley
- , D. Say
- & M. Rigby
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Article
| Open AccessGreenhouse gas emissions resulting from conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation
The magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions from land use change on tropical peatlands is unclear. Here, the authors measure greenhouse gas fluxes throughout the conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm plantation, and estimate the contribution to regional and global emissions.
- Hannah V. Cooper
- , Stephanie Evers
- & Sofie Sjogersten
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Article
| Open AccessThe shift of phosphorus transfers in global fisheries and aquaculture
Despite growing aquaculture production and environmental concerns on phosphorus (P) enrichment, the P budgets of fisheries have been largely overlooked. Here, Huang et al. calculate global fishery P budgets and estimate P use efficiency for a wide range of aquaculture systems.
- Yuanyuan Huang
- , Phillipe Ciais
- & Haicheng Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessEl Niño-Southern oscillation and under-5 diarrhea in Botswana
Here, Heaney et al. show that La Niña conditions are associated with higher than average incidence of childhood diarrheal disease in Botswana in the early rainy season. This finding could help to predict childhood diarrhea outbreaks in southern Africa.
- Alexandra K. Heaney
- , Jeffrey Shaman
- & Kathleen A. Alexander
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Article
| Open AccessDelay in recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole from unexpected CFC-11 emissions
The Antarctic ozone hole is decreasing in size due to policies implemented following the Montreal Protocol. Here, model simulations show that if recently discovered increase in unreported CFC-11 emissions continue, they could delay the recovery of the ozone hole by well over a decade.
- S. S. Dhomse
- , W. Feng
- & M. P. Chipperfield
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Article
| Open AccessSensitivity of the global carbonate weathering carbon-sink flux to climate and land-use changes
Carbonate weathering captures CO2 and represents a large sink of terrestrial carbon that is threatened by climate and land-use change. Here the authors build a model that predicts drivers of carbonate weathering into the future, determining that runoff is an overlooked controlling factor.
- Sibo Zeng
- , Zaihua Liu
- & Georg Kaufmann
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Article
| Open AccessBiogenic carbonate mercury and marine temperature records reveal global influence of Late Cretaceous Deccan Traps
The relative role of the Deccan Traps volcanic activity versus the role of the Chicxulub impact event in terms of potential contributions to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction has been subject to longstanding debate. Here, the authors observe a global signal of abruptly increased ocean temperatures and elevated [Hg] in the same biogenic carbonate specimens, prior to the impact event but aligning with the onset of Deccan volcanism.
- Kyle W. Meyer
- , Sierra V. Petersen
- & Ian Z. Winkelstern
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessIncreases in temperature do not translate to increased flooding
- Conrad Wasko
- , Ashish Sharma
- & Dennis P. Lettenmaier
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Review Article
| Open AccessThe marine geological imprint of Antarctic ice shelves
The recent collapses of ice shelves in Antarctica due to warming make it essential to understand past ice shelf conditions and mechanisms. Here Smith and colleagues review the latest progress in deciphering the geological imprint of Antarctic ice shelves via sediments, landforms and proxy indicators.
- James A. Smith
- , Alastair G. C. Graham
- & Ross D. Powell
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal urban expansion offsets climate-driven increases in terrestrial net primary productivity
Robust estimates of either urban expansion worldwide or the effects of such phenomenon on terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) are lacking. Here the authors used the new dataset of global land use to show that the global urban areas expanded largely between 2000 and 2010, which in turn reduced terrestrial NPP globally.
- Xiaoping Liu
- , Fengsong Pei
- & Zhu Liu
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Article
| Open AccessThe impact of anthropogenic inputs on lithium content in river and tap water
Lithium use in electronics has increased dramatically, but the environmental impacts are poorly understood. Here the authors show lithium in river and tap water in South Korea is coincident with population density, and that waste water treatment is ineffective at scrubbing this potential toxin.
- Hye-Bin Choi
- , Jong-Sik Ryu
- & Nathalie Vigier
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Article
| Open AccessContribution of oxic methane production to surface methane emission in lakes and its global importance
Anoxic lake sediments are thought to be the major source of the high amount of methane emitted from freshwaters. Here Günthel and colleagues find unexpected quantities of this greenhouse gas are produced in lake surfaces, indicating an overlooked global importance from oxygenated sources.
- Marco Günthel
- , Daphne Donis
- & Kam W. Tang
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Article
| Open AccessA psychophysical measurement on subjective well-being and air pollution
Air pollution can affect people’s emotional status and well-being. Here, the authors simulate fixed-scene images to show that under the atmospheric conditions in Beijing, negative emotions occur when air quality index of PM2.5 increases to approximately 150.
- Yuan Li
- , Dabo Guan
- & Shu Tao
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Article
| Open AccessThe role of cyclone activity in snow accumulation on Arctic sea ice
Snow cover can affect the Arctic sea-ice system in different ways. Here authors study the relationship between cyclone activity and the seasonal build-up of snow on Arctic sea ice at a multi-decadal and basin-wide scale and find that 44% of the variability in monthly snow accumulation was controlled by cyclone snowfall and 29% by sea-ice freeze-up with strong spatio-temporal differences.
- M. A. Webster
- , C. Parker
- & R. Kwok
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Article
| Open AccessEnvironmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of alternative power sector decarbonization strategies
There lacks a consistent and holistic evaluation of co-benefits of different mitigation pathways in studies on Integrated Assessment Models. Here the authors quantify environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of a portfolio of alternative power sector decarbonisation pathways and show that the scale of co-benefits as well as profiles of adverse side-effects depend strongly on technology choice.
- Gunnar Luderer
- , Michaja Pehl
- & Edgar G. Hertwich
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Article
| Open AccessRice life cycle-based global mercury biotransport and human methylmercury exposure
Fish consumption is considered to be the only significant dietary source of MeHg. Here the authors show that rice could also be a significant global dietary source, especially in South and Southeast Asia. International rice trade and joint ingestion of fish and rice could aggravate the MeHg exposure levels in many areas.
- Maodian Liu
- , Qianru Zhang
- & Xuejun Wang
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Article
| Open AccessRegulation of priming effect by soil organic matter stability over a broad geographic scale
Global soil carbon dynamics are regulated by the modification of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition by plant carbon input (priming effect). Here, the authors collect soil data along a 2200 km grassland transect on the Tibetan Plateau and find that SOM stability is the major control on priming effect.
- Leiyi Chen
- , Li Liu
- & Yuanhe Yang
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Article
| Open AccessIsotopic composition of oceanic dissolved black carbon reveals non-riverine source
Rivers are thought to be the largest source of the recalcitrant and abundant black carbon in the ocean. Here, Wagner and colleagues find distinct pools of black carbon between rivers and the open ocean, challenging the long-held assumption that marine black carbon is of terrestrial origin.
- Sasha Wagner
- , Jay Brandes
- & Aron Stubbins
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Article
| Open AccessSeasonal dynamics of stem N2O exchange follow the physiological activity of boreal trees
Forest soil is known to be a source of the greenhouse gas N2O, but the impact of what is planted in that soil has long been overlooked. Here Machacova and colleagues quantify seasonal N2O fluxes from common boreal tree species in Finland, finding that all trees are net sources of this gas.
- Katerina Machacova
- , Elisa Vainio
- & Mari Pihlatie
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Article
| Open AccessRice production threatened by coupled stresses of climate and soil arsenic
Current projections on rice production do not consider the coupled stresses of impending climate change and the toxin arsenic in paddy soils. Here, the authors examined potential compounding impacts of soil arsenic and a changing climate on rice production and show that climate-induced changes in soil arsenic behaviour and plant response will lead to currently unforeseen losses in paddy rice grain productivity and quality.
- E. Marie Muehe
- , Tianmei Wang
- & Scott Fendorf
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon and health implications of trade restrictions
Carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution are often assessed on a national or regional level, but little is known about the role of trade structures. Here, a combination of models shows that trade restrictions can lead to massive reduction of gross domestic product in most countries, but also to a reduction of emissions and pollution.
- Jintai Lin
- , Mingxi Du
- & Klaus Hubacek
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Article
| Open AccessMoving from drought hazard to impact forecasts
There still lacks a forecast system that inform end-users regarding the drought impacts, which will be however important for drought management. Here the authors assess the feasibility of forecasting drought impacts using machine-learning and confirm that models, which were built with sufficient amount of reported drought impacts in a certain sector, are able to forecast drought impacts a few months ahead.
- Samuel J. Sutanto
- , Melati van der Weert
- & Henny A. J. Van Lanen
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Article
| Open AccessUnexpected large evasion fluxes of carbon dioxide from turbulent streams draining the world’s mountains
Freshwater systems are important components of the carbon cycle, but the extent of their role in CO2 fluxes is poorly understood. Here Horgby and colleagues show that mountain streams are a surprisingly large source of CO2 to the atmosphere, with annual emissions that belie their spatial extent.
- Åsa Horgby
- , Pier Luigi Segatto
- & Tom J. Battin
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Article
| Open AccessFouling-resistant biofilter of an anaerobic electrochemical membrane reactor
Membrane use as a cathode is a common measure to retard fouling in anaerobic electrochemical membrane bioreactors, but this cannot avoid the fouling growth. Here the authors report on using membranes as anodes to create equilibrium between fouling and oxidation to maintain stable operation.
- Qilin Yu
- & Yaobin Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessLake sedimentary biogenic silica from diatoms constitutes a significant global sink for aluminium
Diatoms drive biogeochemical cycling of aluminum by incorporating this element into their shells, but this process has not been quantified in freshwater systems. Here the authors quantify diatom-mediated aluminum fluxes in lakes and determine that they rival the aluminum sink in the global ocean.
- Dong Liu
- , Peng Yuan
- & Wenxiao Fan
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Article
| Open AccessThe greenhouse gas impacts of converting food production in England and Wales to organic methods
The greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of organic methods is poorly understood. Here, the authors assess the GHG impact of a 100% shift to organic food production in England and Wales and find that direct GHG emissions are reduced with organic farming, but when increased land use abroad to allow for production shortfalls is factored in, GHG emissions are elevated well-above the baseline.
- Laurence G. Smith
- , Guy J. D. Kirk
- & Adrian G. Williams