Dynamic physical analysis of long term economy-environment options

This thesis presents a methodology for structural economy-environment simulation modelling (SEESM), and a demonstration of its application to New Zealand. The problem analysed in this thesis is the identification of long term physical limits on economic growth; in particular, a joint physical analysis of economic growth, technological development and resource scarcity. It is important to analyse physical causes of technological change as this is an area the conventional economic growth models ignore. A growth model has been developed that includes physical influences on technological development while still recognising that investment accelerates the learning process. Although no clear conclusion can be made about the link between technological progress (learning) and energy analysis this is a promising area for further investigation. The dynamic simulation modelling approach developed by Malcolm Slesser and others (ECCO) is reviewed, and a number of shortcomings identified. Three significant modifications are presented. First, growth in the new models is based on the neoclassical idea that technology is the main driver of economic growth rather than on classical growth theory which emphasis savings as the main determinant of growth. Secondly, the numeraire used in the models is a dimensionless index of volume so the model does not assume an energy theory of value. Finally, the model is based on a full set of input-output data which enables a more accurate analysis of flows between sectors in the economy. Thus, it has the advantage of the detailed structural information found from input-output analysis combined with the flexibility of simulation models. The resulting model is ideal for investigating the complex dynamic phenomenon of an evolving physical economy. The purpose of this model is not to predict future economic growth but to highlight the physical assumptions required for any particular scenario. Once these physical assumptions have been identified, they are open to scrutiny and can easily be changed to test their importance. A dynamic input-output model has been applied to the New Zealand economy and several different scenarios have been tested. The simulations include changing the overall growth rate of the economy, changing relative growth rates of different sectors, changing energy efficiencies, and introducing renewable energy technologies on a large scale. These simulations show that in some cases there are significant indirect physical flows that may not have otherwise been accounted for

Оценка возможности захоронения шахтных вод шахты "Любельская" в глубокие непродуктивные водоносные горизонты Львовско-Волынского каменноугольного бассейна

У статті розглядаються шляхи рішення екологічних задач, пов'язаних з можливим техногенним забрудненням підземних вод на прикладі шахти "Любельська" Львівсько-Волинського кам'яновугільного басейну. Розглянуто аспекти міграції забруднюючих речовин та їх вплив на підземні води.The ways of solving of ecological problems, which are connected with technological waste of underground waters on the example of coil minings of "Lubelskaya" in Lvovsko-Volynski coil area, are discussed. Migration aspects of wastesand their influence on underground waters are described

Calcium Influx through Plasma-Membrane Nanoruptures Drives Axon Degeneration in a Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Axon loss determines persistent disability in multiple sclerosis patients. Here, we use in vivo calcium imaging in a multiple sclerosis model to show that cytoplasmic calcium levels determine the choice between axon loss and survival. We rule out the endoplasmic reticulum, glutamate excitotoxicity, and the reversal of the sodium-calcium exchanger as sources of intra-axonal calcium accumulation and instead identify nanoscale ruptures of the axonal plasma membrane as the critical path of calcium entry

Structural and functional analyses of the shedding protease ADAM17 in HoxB8-Immortalized macrophages and dendritic-like cells

A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) 17 has been implicated in many shedding processes. Major substrates of ADAM17 are TNF-α, IL-6R, and ligands of the epidermal growth factor receptor. The essential role of the protease is emphasized by the fact that ADAM17 deficiency is lethal in mice. To study ADAM17 function in vivo, we generated viable hypomorphic ADAM17 mice called ADAM17ex/ex mice. Recent studies indicated regulation of proteolytic ADAM17 activity by cellular processes such as cytoplasmic phosphorylation and removal of the prodomain by furin cleavage. Maturation and thus activation of ADAM17 is not fully understood. So far, studies of ADAM17 maturation have been mainly limited to mouse embryonic fibroblasts or transfected cell lines relying on nonphysiologic stimuli such as phorbol esters, thus making interpretation of the results difficult in a physiologic context. In this article, we present a robust cell system to study ADAM17 maturation and function in primary cells of the immune system. To this end, HoxB8 conditionally immortalized macrophage precursor cell lines were derived from bone marrow of wild-type and hypomorphic ADAM17ex/ex mice, which are devoid of measurable ADAM17 activity. ADAM17 mutants were stably expressed in macrophage precursor cells, differentiated to macrophages under different growth factor conditions (M-CSF versus GM-CSF), and analyzed for cellular localization, proteolytic activity, and podosome disassembly. Our study reveals maturation and activity of ADAM17 in a more physiological-immune cell system. We show that this cell system can be further exploited for genetic modifications of ADAM17 and for studying its function in immune cells

miTuner - a kit for microRNA based gene expression tuning in mammalian cells

The purpose of this RFC is to introduce a modular expression tuning kit for use in mammalian cells. The kit enables the regulation of the gene expression of any gene of interest (GOI) based on synthetic microRNAs, endogenous microRNAs or a combination of both

GLRB allelic variation associated with agoraphobic cognitions, increased startle response and fear network activation : a potential neurogenetic pathway to panic disorder

The molecular genetics of panic disorder (PD) with and without agoraphobia (AG) are still largely unknown and progress is hampered by small sample sizes. We therefore performed a genome-wide association study with a dimensional, PD/AG - related anxiety phenotype based on the Agoraphobia Cognition Questionnaire (ACQ) in a sample of 1,370 healthy German volunteers of the CRC TRR58 MEGA study wave 1. A genome-wide significant association was found between ACQ and single non-coding nucleotide variants of the GLRB gene (rs78726293, p=3.3x10-8; rs191260602, p=3.9x10-8). We followed up on this finding in a larger dimensional ACQ sample (N=2,547) and in independent samples with a dichotomous AG phenotype based on the Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90; N=3,845) and a case control sample with the categorical phenotype PD/AG (Ncombined =1,012) obtaining highly significant p-values also for GLRB single nucleotide variants rs17035816 (p=3.8x10-4) and rs7688285 (p=7.6x10-5). GLRB gene expression was found to be modulated by rs7688285 in brain tissue as well as cell culture. Analyses of intermediate PD/AG phenotypes demonstrated increased startle reflex and increased fear network as well as general sensory activation by GLRB risk gene variants rs78726293, rs191260602, rs17035816 and rs7688285. Partial Glrb knockout-mice demonstrated an agoraphobic phenotype. In conjunction withthe clinical observation that rare coding GLRB gene mutations are associated with the neurological disorder hyperekplexia characterized by a generalized startle reaction and agoraphobic behavior, our data provide evidence that non-coding, though functional GLRB gene polymorphisms may predispose to PD by increasing startle response and agoraphobic cognitions.PostprintPeer reviewe

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO