It has been widely accepted that cigarette has tremendous impact on human health. Effective tobacco control effects can help prevent kinds of diseases and social-economic disasters which may happen on smokers of non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. In China, internal rural-to-urban migrant (mostly migrant workers) makes a large proportion of the whole population, accounting for about 0.24 billion in 2012. This migrant workers population has a serious situation of tobacco exposure. We first propose to design a package tailoring the WHO 5A's model into 5A's group consulting intervention package through literature review, in-depth interview and focus group discussion. The 5A's group consulting package intervention would include: 1. Factsheets detailing key information on smoking, SHS. 2. Guidelines for group guiders on how to deliver the 5A's group consulting (activities for different audiences: smokers, non-smokers exposed to SHS). 3. A leaflet that contains the key facts about smoking and SHS that can be disseminated to migrant workers after consulting. Based on the package desigend, we aim to recruit 8 factories (clusters) and all the migrant workers working in these factories from industrial zone of Guangzhou, China. The clusters will be randomized to the intervention and control group in a 1:1 ratio. Clusters allocated to the intervention arm will be offered the 5A's group consulting package. The clusters in the control arm will not be offered the package until the completion of the study. All the migrant workers who work in each factory and provides informed consent will be recruited. Factories will complete a factory survey of basic factory information, all participants will complete a questionnaire (about the status of tobacco exposure, knowledge and attitude of tobacco, and demographic information), and a non-smoking individual will provide a salvia sample which will be tested for cotinine. All these participant outcomes (questionnaire and salvia cotinine) will be measured before and after the 3-month intervention in both arms of the trial. In addition, a purposive sample of participants will be invited for interviews to investigate the facilitators and barriers for integrating 5A's group consulting package into workplace settings and how these can be enhanced or addressed at the end of this trial.

This Pump-Priming proposal builds specifically on our NERC research in tropical forests, as well as other NERC and RCUK funding, to develop a new collaboration with a leading Chinese research group (led by Prof Yu at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou) to generate outstanding research on how plant-soil feedbacks mediate seedling establishment and tree diversity in sub-tropical forests. Our proposal takes advantage of Prof Yu's high-impact research findings on tree seedling recruitment with our own mechanistic approaches used to understand the ecology of mycorrhizal fungi, which are globally prevalent and key symbionts in these forests. The proposal will enable PI-researcher exchanges to design field experiments, first, to interrogate existing datasets on plant community composition and soil properties, and second, to devise field experiments to test in situ ideas developed previously either in pot-based experiments, or in grassland. Specifically, we will use unique field experimental facilities and data made available by Prof Yu to test how mycorrhizal type and mycorrhizal fungal hyphal networks facilitate seedling establishment. Moreover, integration of field experiments with existing unique datasets on soil and plant properties (led by Prof Yu), together with application of cutting-edge isotope tracers (led by Prof Johnson) will make a step-change in understanding how soil biota influences seedling establishment in realistic conditions. The Pump Priming proposal will provide the ground-work for development of new collaborative research proposals, as well as generating exciting new synthetic datasets and outputs. The durability of the collaboration will be aided immediately by significant investment from our partners, including allocation of Chinese-funded research studentships to further develop our findings and ensure continuity beyond the lifetime of the proposal.

Optical frequency comb is a light source that can be pictured as a comb of light, where each tooth represents a different colour (frequency) of light. Originally developed to measure optical frequencies as an ultra-precise frequency 'ruler', this new type of light source has emerged as a transformative tool for many scientific and engineering fields. They enable precise distance measurement and fast data transmission, crucial for future ultra-fast internet connectivity, wireless device positioning, and medical diagnostics. However, the existing frequency comb technologies have limitations. The predominant existing technologies are not easily adjustable, producing predetermined shapes of light pulses and spectra, limiting their applications and flexibility. Moreover, they are challenging to deploy in practical, variable environments such as on mobile and satellite terminals due to their size and sensitivity to temperature fluctuations. The first objective of this fellowship is to address these challenges by creating new types of frequency comb sources that are adjustable, stable, compact, and can work in a wide range of environments and temperatures, which has not been achieved with existing technologies. In addition to the development of these new comb sources, the fellowship will also explore and demonstrate their applications in telecommunication technologies by increasing telecommunications network data capacity and by enabling more precise clock and time synchronisation. The above objectives will be achieved by significantly developing the concepts formulated by the fellow through a synergy of expertise in photonic integrated circuits, nonlinear optics, RF electronics, signal design and control. The goal of this fellowship is to validate the proposed techniques by developing prototype hardware, with which experimental trials will be performed in real-world environments. The fellowship research outcomes could advance communications, medical imaging, and broader potential in precision manufacturing and astronomy. The development of this new light source technology and associated technologies align with the UK's strategy to lead in telecommunications and healthcare innovation. The outcomes will benefit researchers, healthcare professionals and suppliers by providing insights and advancements in photonics and communications technologies. The ultimate beneficiary will be the public, who will gain better digital infrastructure and healthcare services. The new techniques will enable faster Internet and future society-transformative applications such as connected car fleets and autonomous drone swarms. They will advance medical imaging techniques, allowing for non-invasive, non-ionising, in-vivo diagnostic imaging with deeper penetration than existing technologies. This fellowship answers the growing demand for state-of-the-art but practical frequency comb technologies, driven by the need for highly precise sensing and higher data rates in various fields like medical diagnostics and telecommunications. It aims to benefit a wide range of end users and audiences, including academic researchers in the telecom and medical sectors, component suppliers and vendors, equipment vendors and network operators, healthcare professionals and patients, as well as policymakers and government agencies. In conclusion, this fellowship aims to demonstrate a new, highly flexible, and practical optical frequency comb tool that promises advancements in telecommunications, medical imaging, and various scientific applications, positioning the UK as a leader in these cutting-edge technologies.

The Asian monsoon system is a major feature of the Earths climate and impacts on almost half of the population of the world. The monsoon also has a profound effect on the regions flora, fauna and ecosystems. Moreover large parts of China are also noted for their exceptionally high biodiversity. We also know that the monsoon system has changed over geological time and this is intimately linked to the growth of Tibet and the Himalayas which occurred during the Paleogene (66 to 23 million years ago) and early Neogene (23 million years ago to 3 million years ago). And finally we know that this time interval also witnessed the birth of this modern vegetation patterns. So how are all of these aspects linked together. Why is biodiversity so high in parts of China? When did these ecosystems develop? And how is this all connected to Tibetan uplift and the evolution of the monsoon? Our project aims to bring together a unique group of world leading researchers in palaecology, geology and climate modelling to identify the nature of ecological change during the Paleogene and early Neogene and establish the underlying mechanism of changes and thresholds. We will do this with a series of three field trips to span the latitudinal and elevation gradients within China, from Tibet, Yunnan and S. China. These field trips will enable us to collect new information on the changes in ecosystem and biodiversity. We will be able to assess the amount of change, and in a few key sites identify whether the changes have been smooth or relatively abrupt, the latter indicating possible threshold behaviours of the system. We will also use this data to reconstruct estimates of the climate and palaeoelevation of the sites. This information can then be used to help develop and test climate, ecosystem, and biodiversity models. These models will allow us to identify the key mechanisms that have driven change in this region over geological time, and the interactions between the ecosystem and climate change. The outcomes will be a fuller understanding of the evolution of life on the planet, and will also enable a unique evaluation of the models used for future climate change projections.

The first viable large scale fuel cell systems were the liquid electrolyte alkaline fuel cells developed by Francis Bacon. Until recently the entire space shuttle fleet was powered by such fuel cells. The main difficulties with these fuel cells surrounded the liquid electrolyte, which was difficult to immobilise and suffers from problems due to the formation of low solubility carbonate species. Subsequent material developments led to the introduction of proton-exchange membranes (PEMs e.g. Nafion(r)) and the development of the well-known PEMFC. Cost is a major inhibitor to commercial uptake of PEMFCs and is localised on 3 critical components: (1) Pt catalysts (loadings still high despite considerable R&D); (2) the PEMs; and (3) bipolar plate materials (there are few inexpensive materials which survive contact with Nafion, a superacid). Water balance within PEMFCs is difficult to optimise due to electro-osmotic drag. Finally, PEM-based direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) exhibit reduced performances due to migration of methanol to the cathode (voltage losses and wasted fuel).Recent advances in materials science and chemistry has allowed the production of membrane materials and ionomers which would allow the development of the alkaline-equivalent to PEMs. The application of these alkaline anion-exchange membranes (AAEMs) promises a quantum leap in fuel cell viability. The applicant team contains the world-leaders in the development of this innovative technology. Such fuel cells (conduction of OH- anions rather than protons) offer a number of significant advantages:(1) Catalysis of fuel cell reactions is faster under alkaline conditions than acidic conditions - indeed non-platinum catalysts perform very favourably in this environment e.g. Ag for oxygen reduction.(2) Many more materials show corrosion resistance in alkaline than in acid environments. This increases the number and chemistry of materials which can be used (including cheap, easy stamped and thin metal bipolar plate materials).(3) Non-fluorinated ionomers are feasible and promise significant membrane cost reductions.(4) Water and ionic transport within the OH-anion conducting electrolytes is favourable electroosmotic drag transports water away from the cathode (preventing flooding on the cathode, a major issue with PEMFCs and DMFCs). This process also mitigates the 'crossover' problem in DMFCs.This research programme involves the development of a suite of materials and technology necessary to implement the alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (APEMFC). This research will be performed by a consortium of world leading materials scientists, chemists and engineers, based at Imperial College London, Cranfield University, University of Newcastle and the University of Surrey. This team, which represents one of the best that can be assembled to undertake such research, embodies a multiscale understanding on experimental and theoretical levels of all aspects of fuel cell systems, from fundamental electrocatalysis to the stack level, including diagnostic approaches to assess those systems. The research groups have already explored some aspects of APEMFCs and this project will undertake the development of each aspect of the new technology in an integrated, multi-pronged approach whilst communicating their ongoing results to the members of a club of relevant industrial partners. The extensive opportunities for discipline hopping and international-level collaborations will be fully embraced. The overall aim is to develop membrane materials, catalysts and ionomers for APEMFCs and to construct and operate such fuel cells utilising platinum-free electrocatalysts. The proposed programme of work is adventurous: however, risks have been carefully assessed alongside suitable mitigation strategies (the high risk components promise high returns but have few dependencies). Success will lead to the U.K. pioneering a new class of clean energy conversion technology.