A Natural Combination Extract of Viscum album L. Containing Both Triterpene Acids and Lectins Is Highly Effective against AML In Vivo

Aqueous Viscum album L. extracts are widely used in complementary cancer medicine. Hydrophobic triterpene acids also possess anti-cancer properties, but due to their low solubility they do not occur in significant amounts in aqueous extracts. Using cyclodextrins we solubilised mistletoe triterpenes (mainly oleanolic acid) and investigated the effect of a mistletoe whole plant extract on human acute myeloid leukaemia cells in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Single Viscum album L. extracts containing only solubilised triterpene acids (TT) or lectins (viscum) inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and ex vivo. The combination of viscum and TT extracts (viscumTT) enhanced the induction of apoptosis synergistically. The experiments demonstrated that all three extracts are able to induce apoptosis via caspase-8 and -9 dependent pathways with down-regulation of members of the inhibitor of apoptosis and Bcl-2 families of proteins. Finally, the acute myeloid leukaemia mouse model experiment confirmed the therapeutic effectiveness of viscumTT-treatment resulting in significant tumour weight reduction, comparable to the effect in cytarabine-treated mice. These results suggest that the combination viscumTT may have a potential therapeutic value for the treatment AML

Cost-effective payments for reducing emissions from deforestation under uncertainty

The paper analyses the implications of landowners’ option values in land allocation and derives policy recommendations for payments for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). Given that REDD will not represent a permanent change in the cumulative flux of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, payment scheme design is motivated by the need to secure forest carbon sinks over time (the ‘permanence criterion’) while remaining relatively cost-effective. Alternative payment schemes, combining fixed and variable components, are considered in a framework with two competing land uses, forest and agriculture. Cost-effectiveness depends on the dependency structure between the returns from the indexed component of the payment and the returns from the alternative land use, the relative volatility level of the underlying returns, and the relative combination of fixed and variable payments. After developing the general model, it is is applied to REDD policy scenarios in Parana State, Brazil

The real option to fuel switch in the presence of expected windfall profits under the EU Emission Trading Scheme

This paper develops a simple model to evaluate the value and the activation frequencies of a generation system consisting of coal-fired and a gas-fired power plants using a real options approach, and the notions of clean-spark and clean-dark spreads. Under a cap-and-trade scheme, the use of emission permits represents an opportunity cost. In the energy industry different generation technologies produce different levels of CO2 emissions and, therefore, different opportunity costs. Addressing the question of how expected windfall profits affect the profitability of a generation plant and its activation frequencies, the paper shows that conventional findings are reversed. When the opportunity cost is internalized, the rate of activation of the gas plant decreases while that of the coal plant increases

The Design of Payments for Avoided Deforestation Under Uncertainty: Insight from Real Option Theory

The objective of this paper is to analyse the implications of landowners’ option values in land allocation and derive policy recommendations for payments for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). We examine the determinants of landowner participation in REDD implementation and consider particularly the effect of alternative designs of REDD payment schemes on permanence of emission reductions. It is shown that the common practice of making either fixed payments per hectare or linking payments to carbon markets is not a cost-effective approach. A given level of permanence can be achieved at considerably lower cost to the REDD service buyer if REDD payments are linked to an agricultural commodity index that correlates with landowners’ opportunity costs

Conservation payments under uncertainty

The decision of whether to retain forest or convert to another land use is affected by uncertainty over future land use returns. This paper examines the design of conservation payments to landowners under uncertainty. Payments are either indexed to the returns from deforestation (agriculture), or to a market value associated with forest nonuse benefits. Payment size depends on the degree of correlation between payments and agricultural returns, and their relative volatility. Market-based payments for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) are simulated for Brazilian soybean growers. Payments indexed to carbon prices are larger than those indexed to international soybean prices

The Design of Payments for Avoided Deforestation Under Uncertainty: Insight from Real Option Theory

The objective of this paper is to analyse the implications of landowners’ option values in land allocation and derive policy recommendations for payments for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). We examine the determinants of landowner participation in REDD implementation and consider particularly the effect of alternative designs of REDD payment schemes on permanence of emission reductions. It is shown that the common practice of making either fixed payments per hectare or linking payments to carbon markets is not a cost-effective approach. A given level of permanence can be achieved at considerably lower cost to the REDD service buyer if REDD payments are linked to an agricultural commodity index that correlates with landowners’ opportunity costs.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,