Experiments in climate governance – lessons from a systematic review of case studies in transition research

Experimentation has been proposed as one of the ways in which public policy can drive sustainability transitions, notably by creating or delimiting space for experimenting with innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. In this paper we report on a systematic review of articles published between 2009 and 2015 that have addressed experiments aiming either at understanding decarbonisation transitions or enhancing climate resilience. Using the case survey method, we find few empirical descriptions of real-world experiments in climate and energy contexts in the scholarly literature, being observed in only 25 articles containing 29 experiments. We discuss the objectives, outputs and outcomes of these experiments noting that explicit experimenting with climate policies could be identified only in 12 cases. Based on the results we suggest a definition of climate policy experiments and a typology of experiments for sustainability transitions that can be used to better understand the role of and learn more effectively from experiments in sustainability transitions

Weight neutrality with the DPP-4 inhibitor, vildagliptin: Mechanistic basis and clinical experience

Various factors may confound how diabetes medications affect a patient’s weight. Agents that induce hypoglycemia may promote weight gain through “defensive eating”. Conversely, patients whose hyperglycemia exceeds the renal glucose threshold may overeat to compensate for calories lost in urine and so gain weight when drug therapy ablates glycosuria. Some drugs, such as thiazolidinediones, may promote weight gain via increased lipid storage. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists increase satiety, delay gastric emptying, and generally produce weight loss. Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors are generally weight-neutral, although modest weight loss has been observed with the DPP-4 inhibitor, vildagliptin, in patients with relatively low baseline glycemia. The weight neutrality of vildagliptin likely results in part from its intrinsically low risk for hypoglycemia. Recent studies point to additional potential mechanisms. One study found that drug-naïve patients randomized to vildagliptin exhibited significantly lower chylomicron lipid and apolipoprotein levels than placebo patients, suggesting that vildagliptin may inhibit intestinal fat extraction. Another trial found that patients randomized to vildagliptin versus placebo experienced paradoxical postprandial increases in markers of fatty acid mobilization and oxidation, in conjunction with increased sympathetic stimulation. Elaboration of these and other pathways could further clarify the origins of the favorable weight profile of vildagriptin

On the Security Blind Spots of Software Composition Analysis

Modern software heavily relies on the use of components. Those components are usually published in central repositories, and managed by build systems via dependencies. Due to issues around vulnerabilities, licenses and the propagation of bugs, the study of those dependencies is of utmost importance, and numerous software composition analysis tools have emerged to address those issues. A particular challenge are hidden dependencies that are the result of cloning or shading where code from a component is "inlined", and, in the case of shading, moved to different namespaces. We present an approach to detect cloned and shaded artifacts in the Maven repository. Our approach is lightweight in that it does not require the creation and maintenance of an index, and uses a custom AST-based clone detection. Our analysis focuses on the detection of vulnerabilities in artifacts which use cloning or shading. Starting with eight vulnerabilities with assigned CVEs (four of those classified as critical) and proof-of-vulnerability projects demonstrating the presence of a vulnerability in an artifact, we query the Maven repository and retrieve over 16k potential clones of the vulnerable artifacts. After running our analysis on this set, we detect 554 artifacts with the respective vulnerabilities (49 if versions are ignored). We synthesize a testable proof-of-vulnerability project for each of those. We demonstrate that existing SCA tools often miss these exposures.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Physiological Phenomenology of Neurally-Mediated Syncope with Management Implications

BACKGROUND: Due to lack of efficacy in recent trials, current guidelines for the treatment of neurally-mediated (vasovagal) syncope do not promote cardiac pacemaker implantation. However, the finding of asystole during head-up tilt -induced (pre)syncope may lead to excessive cardioinhibitory syncope diagnosis and treatment with cardiac pacemakers as blood pressure is often discontinuously measured. Furthermore, physicians may be more inclined to implant cardiac pacemakers in older patients. We hypothesized that true cardioinhibitory syncope in which the decrease in heart rate precedes the fall in blood pressure is a very rare finding which might explain the lack of efficacy of pacemakers in neurally-mediated syncope. METHODS: We studied 173 consecutive patients referred for unexplained syncope (114 women, 59 men, 42 ± 1 years, 17 ± 2 syncopal episodes). All had experienced (pre)syncope during head-up tilt testing followed by additional lower body negative suction. We classified hemodynamic responses according to the modified Vasovagal Syncope International Study (VASIS) classification as mixed response (VASIS I), cardioinhibitory without (VASIS IIa) or with asystole (VASIS IIb), and vasodepressor (VASIS III). Then, we defined the exact temporal relationship between hypotension and bradycardia to identify patients with true cardioinhibitory syncope. RESULTS: Of the (pre)syncopal events during tilt testing, 63% were classified as VASIS I, 6% as VASIS IIb, 2% as VASIS IIa, and 29% as VASIS III. Cardioinhibitory responses (VASIS class II) progressively decreased from the youngest to the oldest age quartile. With more detailed temporal analysis, blood pressure reduction preceded the heart-rate decrease in all but six individuals (97%) overall and in 10 out of 11 patients with asystole (VASIS IIb). CONCLUSIONS: Hypotension precedes bradycardia onset during head-up tilt-induced (pre)syncope in the vast majority of patients, even in those classified as cardioinhibitory syncope according to the modified VASIS classification. Furthermore, cardioinhibitory syncope becomes less frequent with increasing age

Experiments in climate governance – a systematic review of research on energy and built environment transitions

Experimentation has been proposed as a key way in which governance drives sustainability transitions, notably by creating space for innovative solutions to emerge. In seeking to bring greater coherence to the literatures on climate and sustainability governance experiments, this article reports on a systematic review of articles published between 2009 and 2015. Based on these results a new definition and typology of climate governance experiments is suggested. The typology distinguishes between the various purposes experiments can have, including niche creation, market creation, spatial development, and societal problem solving. It deepens the understanding of the diversity in experimenting by highlighting the salient features of different types of governance experiments. It can therefore guide future research to generate more cumulative research findings contributing to a better understanding of the role and outcomes of experiments in societal transitions. The findings also suggests that real transitions towards low-carbon and climate-resilient societies will require a systematic deliberate combination of different types of experiments

INDY as a Therapeutic Target for Cardio-Metabolic Disease

Decreased expression of the plasma membrane citrate transporter INDY (acronym I'm Not Dead, Yet) promotes longevity and protects from high-fat diet- and aging-induced metabolic derangements. Preventing citrate import into hepatocytes by different strategies can reduce hepatic triglyceride accumulation and improve hepatic insulin sensitivity, even in the absence of effects on body composition. These beneficial effects likely derive from decreased hepatic de novo fatty acid biosynthesis as a result of reduced cytoplasmic citrate levels. While in vivo and in vitro studies show that inhibition of INDY prevents intracellular lipid accumulation, body weight is not affected by organ-specific INDY inhibition. Besides these beneficial metabolic effects, INDY inhibition may also improve blood pressure control through sympathetic nervous system inhibition, partly via reduced peripheral catecholamine synthesis. These effects make INDY a promising candidate with bidirectional benefits for improving both metabolic disease and blood pressure control

Effect of Acute Ozone Induced Airway Inflammation on Human Sympathetic Nerve Traffic: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Crossover Study

Background: Ozone concentrations in ambient air are related to cardiopulmonary perturbations in the aging population. Increased central sympathetic nerve activity induced by local airway inflammation may be one possible mechanism. Methodology/Principal Findings: To elucidate this issue further, we performed a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study, including 14 healthy subjects (3 females, age 22-47 years), who underwent a 3 h exposure with intermittent exercise to either ozone (250 ppb) or clean air. Induced sputum was collected 3 h after exposure. Nineteen to 22 hours after exposure, we recorded ECG, finger blood pressure, brachial blood pressure, respiration, cardiac output, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) at rest, during deep breathing, maximum-inspiratory breath hold, and a Valsalva maneuver. While the ozone exposure induced the expected airway inflammation, as indicated by a significant increase in sputum neutrophils, we did not detect a significant estimated treatment effect adjusted for period on cardiovascular measurements. Resting heart rate (clean air: 59 +/- 62, ozone 60 +/- 62 bpm), blood pressure (clean air: 121 +/- 3/71 +/- 2 mmHg; ozone: 121 +/- 2/71 +/- 2mmHg), cardiac output (clean air: 7.42 +/- 0.29 mmHg; ozone: 7.98 +/- 0.60 l/min), and plasma norepinephrine levels (clean air: 213 +/- 21 pg/ml; ozone: 202 +/- 16 pg/ml), were similar on both study days. No difference of resting MSNA was observed between ozone and air exposure (air: 2362, ozone: 2362 bursts/min). Maximum MSNA obtained at the end of apnea (air: 44 +/- 4, ozone: 48 +/- 4 bursts/min) and during the phase II of the Valsalva maneuver (air: 64 +/- 5, ozone: 57 +/- 6 bursts/min) was similar. Conclusions/Significance: Our study suggests that acute ozone-induced airway inflammation does not increase resting sympathetic nerve traffic in healthy subjects, an observation that is relevant for environmental health. However, we can not exclude that chronic airway inflammation may contribute to sympathetic activation

Conference on International Agricultural Research for Development Water resources under global change: Process-based hydrological modelling for the lower catchment of the

Abstract Downstream of Lake Kinneret the climatic regime of the Jordan river catchment changes to semiarid or even arid conditions. Hence specific tools are required to cope with enhanced spatial and temporal variability of rainfall and adequate modelling of generated overland flow by saturation or infiltration excess. To simulate climatological variability, historical extremes (dry and wet seasons) are modelled using C-band rainfall radar data as model input. A parsimonious model concept (the ZIN-model) was successfully tested in a neighbouring 680 km 2 catchment. It was run both in a single event and continuous mode using a constant set of field derived parameters. When model runs were started at high antecedent moisture conditions, single event simulations were promising, while longer term continuous simulations were less accurate both under-and overestimating the catchment scale runoff response. For the Jordan River it is envisaged to couple this process-based approach with the hydrological model TRAIN. This model focuses on the continuous simulation of processes at the interface between soil, vegetation and atmosphere and thus helps to identify e.g. water use from vegetated surfaces and related water stress conditions. The model combination leads to improved simulations of longer term components (evapotranspiration, soil moisture, ground water recharge) of the water cycle. As such, detailed patterns of available water resources for historical extremes are expected. These will be correlated to climatic change scenarios to arrive at sound estimates of induced changes in water availability all across the lower Jordan River