The proposed new network will generate interdisciplinary research collaboration and bring together mechatronics/robotics researches from the UK and Japan, to share experiences and formalise discussions for defining a common strategy for future R&D and collaborations at all level of research, teaching and technology transfer. Such a network is vital if the different communities in Japan and UK are to work together for mutual benefit. The network will also act as a knowledge base from the existing mechatronics/robotics community to create a new research community in human adaptive mechatronics able to address the many common challenges (e.g. Pollution / CO2 issue, Aging population issue, etc) in UK and Japan. In particular, the network will explore a number of key challenges: such as a) Investigating the modelling of a man-machine system that explicitly includes all necessary functions of humans as machine operators with sufficient accuracy; b) Implementation of human adaptive behaviour in autonomous systems; c) Application of human adaptive mechatronics to upgrade UK high-tech products; d) Development of human adaptive mechatronics into biomedical applications; e) Development of mathematics to model and analysis human adaptive mechatronic processes in productions.

Vortex rings embody various essential characteristics of vortical motion. Their compact nature also makes them ideal as simpler building blocks in the modelling of complex flows. Unfortunately, despite their apparent simplicity, there are still many unanswered questions related to most aspects of the vortex rings themselves, including their formation, propagation and decay, with more challenging complexities in both their dynamics and energetics introduced by effects of compressibility. Additionally, the flows and interactions associated with compressible vortex rings have received very little attention as compared to those associated with incompressible vortex rings. The present proposal is for a systematic experimental study of compressible vortex rings and their interactions with stationary and moving flat surfaces. The proposed work is novel because their detailed study is limited and there are many questions unanswered associated with these flow fields. The proposed work is also timely because compressible vortex rings and their interactions are highly relevant to current non-lethal-weapon technology development, transport, mixing and turbulence research, wind tunnel experiments, high-speed aerodynamic flows around projectiles, missiles and other slender bodies, turbomachinery, aero-acoustics, suppressors and muzzle brakes design, atmospheric research, pulse detonation engines, automobile exhaust flow fields etc. The investigation will be conducted in the University of Manchester shock tube facility using a range of advanced experimental techniques. The work is divided into three tasks. Task 1 will study the fundamental flow physics of the isolated compressible vortex ring. Task 2 will investigate the compressible vortex ring interaction with stationary and moving flat surfaces. Task 3 will examine the compressible vortex ring interaction with reflected shock waves.

To achieve Net Zero, we require a complete understanding of the climate impacts of Near-Term Climate Forcers (NTCFs). Aviation NOx emissions (ANE) represent a major uncertainty in aviation's NTCF climate impacts. Using new in situ constraints of observations of NOx, a series of state-of-the-art coupled chemistry-climate models, state-of-science emission inventories and by developing a range of new possible future emission scenarios we will constrain and reduce this uncertainty in REVEAL-NOx. In doing so we will address Themes 1.2, 2.1 and 2.2 of the Jet Zero call, enabling solutions for a reduction in aviation's non-CO2 climate impacts to be delivered through a better understanding of the need for any trade-offs. It is unlikely that we will get to zero NOx emissions from aviation, so it is paramount we fully constrain ANE radiative impacts in order to successfully deliver Net Zero aviation emissions.

Anthropogenic disturbance and land-use change in the tropics is leading to irrevocable changes in biodiversity and substantial shifts in ecosystem biogeochemistry. Yet, we still have a poor understanding of how human-driven changes in biodiversity feed back to alter biogeochemical processes. This knowledge gap substantially restricts our ability to model and predict the response of tropical ecosystems to current and future environmental change. There are a number of critical challenges to our understanding of how changes in biodiversity may alter ecosystem processes in the tropics; namely: (i) how the high taxonomic diversity of the tropics is linked to ecosystem functioning, (ii) how changes in the interactions among trophic levels and taxonomic groups following disturbance impacts upon functional diversity and biogeochemistry, and (iii) how plot-level measurements can be used to scale to whole landscapes. We have formed a consortium to address these critical challenges to launch a large-scale, replicated, and fully integrated study that brings together a multi-disciplinary team with the skills and expertise to study the necessary taxonomic and trophic groups, different biogeochemical processes, and the complex interactions amongst them. To understand and quantify the effects of land-use change on the activity of focal biodiversity groups and how this impacts biogeochemistry, we will: (i) analyse pre-existing data on distributions of focal biodiversity groups; (ii) sample the landscape-scale treatments at the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project site (treatments include forest degradation, fragmentation, oil palm conversion) and key auxiliary sites (Maliau Basin - old growth on infertile soils, Lambir Hills - old growth on fertile soils, Sabah Biodiversity Experiment - rehabilitated forest, INFAPRO-FACE - rehabilitated forest); and (iii) implement new experiments that manipulate key components of biodiversity and pathways of belowground carbon flux. The manipulations will focus on trees and lianas, mycorrhizal fungi, termites and ants, because these organisms are the likely agents of change for biogeochemical cycling in human-modified tropical forests. We will use a combination of cutting-edge techniques to test how these target groups of organisms interact each other to affect biogeochemical cycling. We will additionally collate and analyse archived data on other taxa, including vertebrates of conservation concern. The key unifying concept is the recognition that so-called 'functional traits' play a key role in linking taxonomic diversity to ecosystem function. We will focus on identifying key functional traits associated with plants, and how they vary in abundance along the disturbance gradient at SAFE. In particular, we propose that leaf functional traits (e.g. physical and chemical recalcitrance, nitrogen content, etc.) play a pivotal role in determining key ecosystem processes and also strongly influence atmospheric composition. Critically, cutting-edge airborne remote sensing techniques suggest it is possible to map leaf functional traits, chemistry and physiology at landscape-scales, and so we will use these novel airborne methods to quantify landscape-scale patterns of forest degradation, canopy structure, biogeochemical cycling and tree distributions. Process-based mathematical models will then be linked to the remote sensing imagery and ground-based measurements of functional diversity and biogeochemical cycling to upscale our findings over disturbance gradients.

Co-created and delivered with industry, REWIRE will accelerate the UK's ambition for net zero by transforming the next generation of high voltage electronic devices using wide/ultra-wide bandgap (WBG/UWBG) compound semiconductors. Our application-driven, collaborative research programme and training will advance the next generation of semiconductor power device technologies to commercialisation and enhance the security of the UK's semiconductor supply-chain. Power devices are at the centre of all power electronic systems. WBG/UWBG compound semiconductor devices pave the way for more efficient and compact power electronic systems, reducing energy loss at the power systems level. The UK National Semiconductor Strategy recognises advances in these technologies and the technical skills required for their development and manufacture as essential to supporting the growing net zero economy. REWIRE's philosophy is centred on cycles of use cases co-created with industry and stakeholders, meeting market needs for devices with increased voltage ranges, maturity and reliability. We will develop multiple technologies in parallel from a range of initial TRL to commercialisation. Initial work will focus on three use cases co-developed with industry, for transformative next generation WBG/UWBG semiconductor power electronic devices: (1) Wind energy, HVDC networks (>10 kV) - increased range high voltage devices as the basis for enabling more efficient power conversion and more compact power converters; (2) High temperature applications, device and packaging - greatly expanded application ranges for power electronics; (3) Tools for design, yield and reliability - improving the efficiency of semiconductor device manufacture. These use cases will: improve higher TRL Silicon Carbide (SiC) 1-2kV technology towards higher voltages; advance low TRL devices such as Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) and Aluminium Gallium Nitride (AlGaN), diamond and cubic Boron Nitride (c-BN) towards demonstration and ultimately commercialisation; and develop novel heterogenous integration techniques, either within a semiconductor chip or within a package, for enhanced functionality. Use cases will have an academic and industry lead, fostering academia-industry co-development across different work packages. These initial, transformative REWIRE technologies will have wide-ranging applications. They will enhance the efficient conversion of electricity to and from High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) for long-distance transfer, enabling a sustainable national grid with benefits including more reliable and secure communication systems. New technologies will also bring competitive advantage to the UK's strategically important electric vehicle and battery sectors, through optimised efficiency in charging, performance, energy conversion and management. New use cases will be co-developed throughout REWIRE, with our >30 industrial and policy partners who span the full semiconductor device supply chain, to meet stakeholder priorities. Through engagement with suppliers, manufacturers, and policymakers, REWIRE will pioneer advances in semiconductor supply chain management, developing supply chain tools for stakeholders to improve understanding of the dynamics of international trade, potential supply disruptions, and pricing volatilities. These tools and our Supply Chain Resilience Guide will support the commercialisation of technologies from use cases, enabling users to make informed decisions to enhance resilience, sustainability, and inclusion. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) are integral to REWIRE's ambitions. Through extensive collaboration across the academic and industrial partners, we will build the diverse, skilled workforce needed to accelerate innovation in academia and industry, creating resilient UK businesses and supply chains.