Molecular organization of the tear fluid lipid layer

The tear fluid protects the corneal epithelium from drying out as well as from invasion by pathogens. It also provides cell nutrients. Similarly to lung surfactant, it is composed of an aqueous phase covered by a lipid layer. Here we describe the molecular organization of the anterior lipid layer of the tear film. Artificial tear fluid lipid layers (ATFLLs) composed of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (60 mol %), free fatty acids (20 mol %), cholesteryl oleate (10 mol %), and triglycerides (10 mol %) were deposited on the air-water interface and their physico-chemical behavior was compared to egg-yolk phosphatidylcholine monolayers by using Langmuir-film balance techniques, x-ray diffraction, and imaging techniques as well as in silico molecular level simulations. At low surface pressures, ATFLLs were organized at the air-water interface as heterogeneous monomolecular films. Upon compression the ATFLLs collapsed toward the air phase and formed hemispherelike lipid aggregates. This transition was reversible upon relaxation. These results were confirmed by molecular-level simulations of ATFLL, which further provided molecular-scale insight into the molecular distributions inside and dynamics of the tear film. Similar type of behavior is observed in lung surfactant but the folding takes place toward the aqueous phase. The results provide novel information of the function of lipids in the tear fluid

EU climate and energy governance in times of crisis: Towards a new agenda

The EU has long pursued relatively ambitious climate and energy policies, often against the backdrop of what has been termed the EU ‘polycrisis’. This paper introduces a special issue which seeks to develop a better understanding of why, how and with which consequences the polycrisis and EU climate and energy governance have influenced each other. It draws on a novel framework of five broad crisis trends underlying the polycrisis. Most of the contributions suggest that EU climate and energy governance have advanced significantly despite, and sometimes even because of, the crisis trends. The countervailing effects of the trends and the effectiveness of actors’ strategies to advance EU policy against opponents go a long way to explaining this puzzling finding. As the EU seeks to fully decarbonise itself by 2050, interactions with the crisis trends are likely to intensify in ways which future research could fruitfully investigate

Climate change governance: the Singapore case

Climate change (CC) impacts have negatively affected the economic and social welfare of millions of people. CC management and sustainable development have been pressing issues in several debates and in many research projects on contemporary political and economic conditions in the last few decades. The challenges of CC management are complicated and interdependent, and they must be addressed by several groups of stakeholders in the public and private sectors, and civil society. The resources, power and legitimacy for managing CC are dispersed among various sectors and among various groups of stakeholders within each sector. Therefore it is impossible to assume that a single group of stakeholders or a single sector can overcome all issues associated with CC and environmental degradation. In other words, governance to mitigate and adapt CC impacts is the charge of all groups of stakeholders at both national and international levels. Successful management of CC requires effective governance measures, institutions, structure and so on, which can enhance the competencies and contributions of all groups of stakeholders. Public-private partnerships, public engagement and participation will enable stakeholders to better contribute to protect the environment. However, such cooperation should not undermine the role of government. Government is still responsible for serving its citizens. Thus an integrated governance framework, including all sectors and both regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms, is important to address issues associated with CC, and to mitigate and adapt to CC impacts. This chapter aims to (i) revisit the impacts of CC, (ii) introduce a governance framework for CC management, including the public and private sectors and civil society and (iii) examine the key factors affecting the success or failure of this governance framework, using Singapore as a case study. Although there are many dimensions of governance, this chapter focuses on the stakeholders and their roles to minimise the adverse impact of CC. This chapter is significant because it (i) addresses the research questions from a practical perspective, and (ii) provides information for further research in governance and CC given limited studies on governance in Singapore. Finally, other city states may benefit from both positive and negative lessons drawn from the Singapore experience in terms of how to improve strengths and overcome weaknesses in terms of governance to achieve a balance between economic development and environmental protection