Going beyond two degrees? The risks and opportunities of alternative options

Since the mid-1990s, the aim of keeping climate change within 2 °C has become firmly entrenched in policy discourses. In the past few years, the likelihood of achieving it has been increasingly called into question. The debate around what to do with a target that seems less and less achievable is, however, only just beginning. As the UN commences a two-year review of the 2 °C target, this article moves beyond the somewhat binary debates about whether or not it should or will be met, in order to analyse more fully some of the alternative options that have been identified but not fully explored in the existing literature. For the first time, uncertainties, risks, and opportunities associated with four such options are identified and synthesized from the literature. The analysis finds that the significant risks and uncertainties associated with some options may encourage decision makers to recommit to the 2 °C target as the least unattractive course of action

Homologous recombination following transformation in Neurospora crassa wild type and mutagen sensitive strains

In filamentous fungi transformed with linear DNA, the frequency of gene replacement varies from a few percent in Neurospora crassa, where it depends on the extent of homology between the transforming DNA and the gene to be replaced, (Asch and Kinsey 1990 Mol. Gen. Genet. 22:37-43) to about 30% in Aspergillus (Miller et al. 1985 Mol. Cell Biol. 5:17-14). Yet, in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, homologous gene replacement is the rule and ectopic integration of transforming DNA is extremely rare (Fincham 1989 Microbiol. Rev. 53:148-170). This variation could be the result of the action of one or a few genetic pathways and thus, be affected by single mutations. Mutants with altered ability to integrate transforming DNA may be sensitive to ionizing radiation, since double strand break repair is necessary for both recombination and survival after ionizing radiation damage. Therefore, we looked among the radiation-sensitive mutants, uvs-2,3,6, mus-9,11, and mei-2,3, for changes in the ability to integrate transforming DNA either ectopically or by homologous recombination. All mutant strains were extensively backcrossed to wild type strains of 74-OR23-1A background and the 74-OR23-1A strain served as a control

A ANÁLISE MICROGENÉTICA COMO MÉTODO NAS PESQUISAS EM EDUCAÇÃO NA ABORDAGEM HISTÓRICO-CULTURAL

In the Educational area, one case observe researchers who develop knowledge considering the interactive processes in teaching and learning from the historical-cultural approach as a framework for dealing with research problems, mainly inspired by the access to the works of Vygotsky. This context raises challenges for proposing coherent research methods with this approach, as microgenetic analysis. What is the micro genetic analysis method? How historically constituted is this method? What are the steps of microgenetic analysis? These questions led to the development of a literature search in order to clarify facts that allow understanding of microgenetic analysis in theoretical and methodological in terms of educational research in the historical-cultural approach. In addition to the systematization of arguments, we highlight an excerpt from a research in which we noted one microgenetic analysis. Thus, we seek to provoke debate about the complexity of research in the cultural historical approach, focusing on its methodological dimension.En educación, observamos los investigadores que desarrollan conocimiento teniendo en cuenta los procesos interactivos en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje, desde el enfoque, históricocultural como un punto de referencia para la búsqueda de los problemas de investigación, inspirada principalmente por el acceso a las obras de Vigotski. En este contexto, existen retos para sugerir métodos de investigación coherentes con esta perspectiva, según el análisis microgenetica: ¿Cuál es el método de análisis microgenetica? ¿Como si establece históricamente este método? ¿Cuáles son las etapas de análisis microgenetica? Estas cuestiones han motivado el desarrollo de una investigación bibliográfica con el propósito de esclarecer los hechos que, para comprender el análisis microgenetica en términos teóricos metodológico en la investigación en educación, en el enfoque histórico-cultural. Además de la sistematización de los argumentos, podemos destacar el fragmento de un estudio en el que llevamos a cabo un análisis microgenetica. Con esto, tratamos de impulsar el debate sobre la investigación en Educación en el enfoque histórico-cultural, centrándose en su dimensión metodológica.Na área de Educação, observamos pesquisadores que desenvolvem conhecimentos considerando os processos interativos no ensino e na aprendizagem, a partir da abordagem histórico-cultural como referencial para a investigação de problemas de pesquisa, inspirados principalmente pelo acesso às obras de Vigotski. Nesse contexto, surgem desafios para a proposição de métodos de investigação coerentes com essa abordagem, como a análise microgenética. O que é o método de análise microgenética? Como se constituiu historicamente esse método? Quais são as etapas da análise microgenética? Essas perguntas motivaram a elaboração de uma pesquisa bibliográfica com o objetivo de elucidar fatos que permitam compreender a análise microgenética em termos teórico-metodológicos nas pesquisas em educação, na abordagem histórico-cultural. Além da sistematização de argumentos, destacamos o excerto de uma pesquisa na qual realizamos uma análise microgenética. Com isso, buscamos instigar o debate sobre a pesquisa em Educação na abordagem histórico-cultural, com foco em sua dimensão metodológica

Hochwasserschutz Sihl, Zürichsee, Limmat, Auslaufbauwerk Entlastungsstollen Thalwil

Aufsatz veröffentlicht in: "Wasserbau-Symposium 2021: Wasserbau in Zeiten von Energiewende, Gewässerschutz und Klimawandel, Zurich, Switzerland, September 15-17, 2021, Band 2" veröffentlicht unter: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-00049975

Stretching the Rules: Monocentric Chromosomes with Multiple Centromere Domains

The centromere is a functional chromosome domain that is essential for faithful chromosome segregation during cell division and that can be reliably identified by the presence of the centromere-specific histone H3 variant CenH3. In monocentric chromosomes, the centromere is characterized by a single CenH3-containing region within a morphologically distinct primary constriction. This region usually spans up to a few Mbp composed mainly of centromere-specific satellite DNA common to all chromosomes of a given species. In holocentric chromosomes, there is no primary constriction; the centromere is composed of many CenH3 loci distributed along the entire length of a chromosome. Using correlative fluorescence light microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy, we show that pea (Pisum sativum) chromosomes exhibit remarkably long primary constrictions that contain 3-5 explicit CenH3-containing regions, a novelty in centromere organization. In addition, we estimate that the size of the chromosome segment delimited by two outermost domains varies between 69 Mbp and 107 Mbp, several factors larger than any known centromere length. These domains are almost entirely composed of repetitive DNA sequences belonging to 13 distinct families of satellite DNA and one family of centromeric retrotransposons, all of which are unevenly distributed among pea chromosomes. We present the centromeres of Pisum as novel ``meta-polycentric'' functional domains. Our results demonstrate that the organization and DNA composition of functional centromere domains can be far more complex than previously thought, do not require single repetitive elements, and do not require single centromere domains in order to segregate properly. Based on these findings, we propose Pisum as a useful model for investigation of centromere architecture and the still poorly understood role of repetitive DNA in centromere evolution, determination, and function

Genome-wide methylomic analysis of monozygotic twins discordant for adolescent depression

BACKGROUND Adolescent depression is a common neuropsychiatric disorder that often continues into adulthood and is associated with a wide range of poor outcomes including suicide. Although numerous studies have looked at genetic markers associated with depression, the role of epigenetic variation remains relatively unexplored. METHODS Monozygotic (MZ) twins were selected from an adolescent twin study designed to investigate the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the development of emotional and behavioral difficulties. There were 18 pairs of MZ twins identified in which one member scored consistently higher (group mean within the clinically significant range) on self-rated depression than the other. We assessed genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in twin buccal cell DNA using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip from Illumina. Quality control and data preprocessing was undertaken using the wateRmelon package. Differentially methylated probes (DMPs) were identified using an analysis strategy taking into account both the significance and the magnitude of DNA methylation differences. The top differentially methylated DMP was successfully validated by bisulfite-pyrosequencing, and identified DMPs were tested in postmortem brain samples obtained from patients with major depressive disorder (n = 14) and matched control subjects (n = 15). RESULTS Two reproducible depression-associated DMPs were identified, including the top-ranked DMP that was located within STK32C, which encodes a serine/threonine kinase, of unknown function. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that DNA methylation differences are apparent in MZ twins discordant for adolescent depression and that some of the disease-associated variation observed in buccal cell DNA is mirrored in adult brain tissue obtained from individuals with clinical depression

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured

Nutrition, information and household behavior: Experimental evidence from Malawi

Incorrect knowledge of the health production function may lead to inefficient household choices and thereby to the production of suboptimal levels of health. This paper studies the effects of a randomized intervention in rural Malawi that, over a six-month period, provided mothers of young infants with information on child nutrition without supplying any monetary or in-kind resources. A simple model first investigates theoretically how nutrition and other household choices including labor supply may change in response to the improved nutrition knowledge observed in the intervention areas. We then show empirically that the intervention improved child nutrition, household food consumption and consequently health. We find evidence that labor supply increased, which might have contributed to partially fund the increase in food consumption. This paper is the first to study whether non-health choices, particularly parental labor supply, might be affected by parents' knowledge of the child health production function