REMIND-D: A Hybrid Energy-Economy Model of Germany

This paper presents a detailed documentation of the hybrid energy-economy model REMIND-D. REMIND-D is a Ramsey-type growth model for Germany that integrates a detailed bottom-up energy system module, coupled by a hard link. The model provides a quantitative framework for analyzing long-term domestic CO2 emission reduction scenarios. Due to its hybrid nature, REMIND-D facilitates an integrated analysis of the interplay between technological mitigation options in the different sectors of the energy system as well as overall macroeconomic dynamics. REMIND-D is an intertemporal optimization model, featuring optimal annual mitigation effort and technology deployment as a model output. In order to provide transparency on model assumptions, this paper gives an overview of the model structure, the input data used to calibrate REMIND-D to the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as the techno-economic parameters of the technologies considered in the energy system module.Hybrid Model, Germany, Energy System, Domestic Mitigation

Capital income shares and income inequality in 16 EU member countries

In this paper, we estimate the effect of changes in capital income shares on inequality of gross household income. Using EU-SILC data covering 16 EU countries from 2005 to 2011 we find that the level of capital income shares is positively associated with the concentration of gross household income. Moreover, we show that the transmission of a shift in capital income shares into the personal distribution of income depends on the concentration of capital income in an economy. At the mean of the distribution of capital income a 1 percentage point increase of the capital share is associated with a 0.8 percentage point increase of the Gini coefficient of gross household income. Our findings imply that in many industrialized countries income inequality has by no means evolved independently from the observed structural shift in factor income towards a higher capital income share over the last decades

Capital income shares and income inequality in the European Union

In this paper, we measure the effect of changing capital income shares upon inequality of gross household income. Using EU-SILC data covering 17 EU countries from 2005 to 2011 we find that capital income shares are positively associated with the concentration of gross household income. Moreover, we show that the transmission of a shift in capital income shares into the personal distribution of income depends on the concentration of capital income in an economy. Using fixed effect models we find that changing capital income shares play an important role in the development of household income inequality. Hence, in many industrialized countries income inequality has by no means evolved independently from the observed structural shift in factor income towards a higher capital income share over the last decades

Dendritic cells in dengue virus infection: Targets of virus replication and mediators of immunity

Dendritic cells (DCs) are sentinels of the immune system and detect pathogens at sites of entry, such as the skin. In addition to the ability of DCs to control infections directly via their innate immune functions, DCs help to prime adaptive B and T cell responses via antigen presentation in lymphoid tissues. Infected Aedes aegypti or Ae. albopictus mosquitoes transmit the four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes to humans while probing for small blood vessels in the skin. DENV causes the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease in humans, yet no vaccine or specific therapeutic is currently approved. Although primary DENV infection confers life-long protective immunity against re-infection with the same DENV serotype, secondary infection with a different DENV serotype can lead to increased disease severity via cross-reactive T cells or enhancing antibodies. This review summarizes recent findings in humans and animal models about DENV infection of DCs, monocytes and macrophages. We discuss the dual role of DCs as both targets of DENV replication and mediators of innate and adaptive immunity, and summarize immune evasion strategies whereby DENV impairs the function of infected DCs. We suggest that DCs play a key role in priming DENV-specific neutralizing or potentially harmful memory B and T cell responses, and that future DC-directed therapies may help induce protective memory responses and reduce dengue pathogenesis

LCD vs. E-ink: An Analysis of the Reading Behavior

Electronic books (e-book) are an interesting option compared to classic paper books. Most e-reading devices of the first generation were based on e-ink technology. With the appearance of the Apple iPad on the market, TFT-LCDs became important in the field of e-reading. Both technologies have advantages and disadvantages but the question remains whether one or the other technology is better for reading. In the present study we analyzed and compared reading behavior when reading on e-inkreader (e-ink displays) and on tablets (TFT-LCDs) as measured by eye-tracking. The results suggest that the reading behavior on tablets is indeed very similar to the reading behavior on e-ink-reader. Participants showed no difference in fixation duration. Significant differences in reading speed and in the proportion of regressive saccades suggest that tablets, under special artificial light conditions, may even provide better legibility

Oncogenes do not Fully Override Cell-intrinsic Traits: Pronounced Impact of the Cellular Programme

Overexpression of p53 tumor suppressor protein in malignant cells induces cell cycle arrest, or alternatively, apoptosis thereby indicating that additional factors may contribute to the p53-mediated outcome. Comparison of the experimental protocols revealed that the construct encoding wild-type (wt) p53 was expressed in cells of different origin. Therefore, we decided to determine whether the intrinsic cellular program of primary cells of the same genetic background could have any effect on the oncogenic potential of mutated c-Ha-RAS and TP53. Primary rat cells (RECs) isolated from rat embryos of different age: at 13.5 gd (y) and 15.5 gd (o), were used for transfection. Immortalized rat cell clones overexpressing temperature-sensitive (ts) p53135val mutant and transformed cell clones after co-transfection with oncogenic c-Ha-Ras, were generated. The ts p53135Val mutant, switching between wt and mutant conformation, offers the possibility to study the role of p53 in cell cycle control in a model of malignant transformation in cells with the same genetic background. Surprisingly, the kinetics of cell proliferation at non-permissive temperature and that of cell cycle arrest at 32°C strongly differed between cell clones established from yRECs and oRECs. Furthermore, the kinetics of the re-enter of G1-arrested cells in the active cell cycle strongly differed between distinct cell clones. Finally, the susceptibility of immortalized and transformed cells to the pharmacological inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) considerably differed. Our results clearly show that overexpression of genes such as mutated TP53 and oncogenic c-Ha-RAS is not able to fully override the intrinsic cellular programme

Separation and Quantification of 1,4-benzodiazepines: HPLC versus CZE

The goal of the present study was to separate a set of benzodiazepines, namely bromazepam, oxazepam, nitrazepam, chlordiazepoxide, flunitrazepam, lormetazepam and diazepam by analytical scale HPLC and CZE. The both methods for separation of these seven compounds from the 1,4-benzodiazepine group were optimized and compared. LODs and LOQs were determined under the optimized conditions in the both methods. The corresponding LOD and LOQ values are approximately three orders of magnitude lower in HPLC than in CZE. As expected, elution order was found to be different for the both techniques. As a result of a critical collation of all the parameters considered, RP-HPLC was found to be more suitable for determination of the set of benzodiazepines. A real sample analysis was performed under optimized conditions to demonstrate applicability of the proposed analytical methods. (doi: 10.5562/cca1738

How a generally well-accepted measles vaccine mandate may lead to inequities and decreased vaccine uptake: a preregistered survey study in Germany

Additional file 1: Supplementary Figure 1. Directed acyclic graph (DAG) on hypothesis 2: Higher reactance to the measles mandate among parents decreases uptake of other vaccines and the intention to vaccinate children against other diseases. Supplementary  Table 1. ANCOVA results for socio-economic status (income) and for knowledge about the measles vaccine mandate and the measles vaccine. Supplementary Table 2. ANCOVA results for socio-economic status (education) and for knowledge about the measles vaccine mandate and the measles vaccine. Supplementary  Table 3. Parental vaccination decisions for vaccines that had just become due or were soon to come. Supplementary  Table 4. Relationship between reactance and vaccination behavior. Results from multiple logistic regression model with hexavalent and pneumococcal vaccination status as outcomes, reactance as predictor and the 5C model, age, gender, region and institutional trust included as covariates. Supplementary  Table 5. Relationship between reactance and vaccination intention. Results from multiple linear regression models with intention to get vaccinated against HPV, Tdap, Men C as outcomes, reactance as predictor and the 5C model, age, gender, region and institutional trust included as covariates. Supplementary  Table 6. Mediation analyses: Effect of institutional trust (X) on attitude towards the mandate (Y) via reactance (M)

Comparison of two devices and two breathing patterns for exhaled breath condensate sampling.

Analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive method to access the epithelial lining fluid of the lungs. Due to standardization problems the method has not entered clinical practice. The aim of the study was to assess the comparability for two commercially available devices in healthy controls. In addition, we assessed different breathing patterns in healthy controls with protein markers to analyze the source of the EBC. EBC was collected from ten subjects using the RTube and ECoScreen Turbo in a randomized crossover design, twice with every device--once in tidal breathing and once in hyperventilation. EBC conductivity, pH, surfactant protein A, Clara cell secretory protein and total protein were assessed. Bland-Altman plots were constructed to display the influence of different devices or breathing patterns and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated. The volatile organic compound profile was measured using the electronic nose Cyranose 320. For the analysis of these data, the linear discriminant analysis, the Mahalanobis distances and the cross-validation values (CVV) were calculated. Neither the device nor the breathing pattern significantly altered EBC pH or conductivity. ICCs ranged from 0.61 to 0.92 demonstrating moderate to very good agreement. Protein measurements were greatly influenced by breathing pattern, the device used, and the way in which the results were reported. The electronic nose could distinguish between different breathing patterns and devices, resulting in Mahalanobis distances greater than 2 and CVVs ranging from 64% to 87%. EBC pH and (to a lesser extent) EBC conductivity are stable parameters that are not influenced by either the device or the breathing patterns. Protein measurements remain uncertain due to problems of standardization. We conclude that the influence of the breathing maneuver translates into the necessity to keep the volume of ventilated air constant in further studies