Adaptive Capacity as antecedent to Climate Change Strategy: A Systematic Literature Review

Within the last decade research on climate change strategies and adaptive capacity emerged as the debate about climate change was intensified with the publishing of the Third Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2001. That companies are facing risks and opportunities is not new and the awareness to address these issues is growing. However, there is still need for research in the field of corporate strategic response to climate change. Recently, research focused on resilience management to address climate change. Resilience management is about being able to experience changes and remain stable getting back into the same situation before the change happen. On the contrary to resilience management adaptive capacity is about the ability to be able to adapt to uncertain and unexpected events on the long term. This includes long-term changes. This work argues that companies should think about their adaptive capacity as climate change induces short and long-term changes. Adding this dimension to the strategic planning companies need to think of how they can improve their adaptive capacity. This work investigates research in both issues adaptive capacity and climate change research and in their relation. Applying a systematic literature review this study conducted 60 references which are examined by a qualitative-quantitative analysis and answers the following questions: What is the current scientific view of adaptive capacity within strategic management literature? What are determinants of adaptive capacity? How can adaptive capacity be linked to climate change strategy and is it even antecedent to climate change strategies? The findings of this research indicate that adaptive capacity and climate change strategies exhibit a link but it cannot be proved whether adaptive capacity is antecedent. Furthermore, the term adaptive capacity is merely discussed within strategic management literature and if it is discussed and examined, several concepts and theories are applied to explain determinants of adaptive capacity. Several concepts such as dynamic capabilities, organizational learning capability, organizational learning, organizational change capacity, flexibility and more could be identified as concepts enhancing adaptive capacity. This works provides an overview of related concepts and theories

Ökonomische und ökologische Bewertung der Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die Siedlungsentwässerung: Ökonomische und ökologische Bewertung der Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die Siedlungsentwässerung: Teil 1: Entwicklung von Szenariobausteinen für die Siedlungswasserwirtschaft im Jahr 2050 – Eine Studie auf Basis von Expertenbefragungen

In recent publications it is questioned whether the existing wastewater management system is suitable for future requirements. The today’s wastewater infrastructure is a complex socio-technical system characterized by centralization, very long life-spans and sunk costs. Thus, it appears questionable whether this system is suitable against the background of a context of dynamic conditions as demographic change, climate change and the emerging requirements in terms of sustainability. This paper adds a contribution to the growing body of literature on prospective waste water management systems. Focusing on long term developments this paper aims to build up scenario-modules towards the year 2050. Our approach combines three methodologies which appear to be suitable with each other, namely the method of explorative scenario development, a modified Delphi method and content analysis. As the waste water sector is a very complex system with various impact factors which are characterized by high dynamics and strong uncertainty the scenario technique appears as an appropriate method. Within the scenario building process a modified Delphi method had been applied to generate the input for the scenario-modules. Key drivers and uncertainties in the field of waste water management were identified by interviewing 16 experts who are scientists or practitioners in the waste water sector. The interviews had been transliterated and then evaluated by using the content analysis approach. Afterwards scenario-modules were derived which provide a basis for further procedure towards complete scenarios for future wastewater infrastructure

Generalized E(7(7)) coset dynamics and D=11 supergravity

The hidden on-shell E(7(7)) symmetry of maximal supergravity is usually discussed in a truncation from D=11 to four dimensions. In this article, we reverse the logic and start from a theory with manifest off-shell E(7(7)) symmetry inspired by West's coset construction. Following de Wit's and Nicolai's idea that a 4+56 dimensional "exceptional geometry" underlies maximal supergravity, we construct the corresponding Lagrangian and the supersymmetry variations for the 56 dimensional subsector. We prove that both the dynamics and the supersymmetry coincide with D=11 supergravity in a truncation to d=7 in the expected way.Comment: 42 pages, v2: references adde

SO(5,5) duality in M-theory and generalized geometry

We attempt to reformulate eleven dimensional supergravity in terms of an object that unifies the three-form and the metric and makes the M-theory duality group manifest. This short note deals with the case of where the U-duality group SO(5,5) acts in five spatial dimensions.Comment: 7 pages, LaTex, v2: typos corrected and reference adde

K(E10), Supergravity and Fermions

We study the fermionic extension of the E10/K(E10) coset model and its relation to eleven-dimensional supergravity. Finite-dimensional spinor representations of the compact subgroup K(E10) of E(10,R) are studied and the supergravity equations are rewritten using the resulting algebraic variables. The canonical bosonic and fermionic constraints are also analysed in this way, and the compatibility of supersymmetry with local K(E10) is investigated. We find that all structures involving A9 levels 0,1 and 2 nicely agree with expectations, and provide many non-trivial consistency checks of the existence of a supersymmetric extension of the E10/K(E10) coset model, as well as a new derivation of the `bosonic dictionary' between supergravity and coset variables. However, there are also definite discrepancies in some terms involving level 3, which suggest the need for an extension of the model to infinite-dimensional faithful representations of the fermionic degrees of freedom.Comment: 50 page

Combined PARP and Dual Topoisomerase Inhibition Potentiates Genome Instability and Cell Death in Ovarian Cancer

Although ovarian cancer is a rare disease, it constitutes the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women. It is of major importance to develop new therapeutic strategies to improve survival. Combining P8-D6, a novel dual topoisomerase inhibitor with exceptional anti-tumoral properties in ovarian cancer and compounds in preclinical research, and olaparib, a PARP inhibitor targeting DNA damage repair, is a promising approach. P8-D6 induces DNA damage that can be repaired by base excision repair or homologous recombination in which PARP plays a major role. This study analyzed benefits of combining P8-D6 and olaparib treatment in 2D and 3D cultures with ovarian cancer cells. Measurement of viability, cytotoxicity and caspase activity were used to assess therapy efficacy and to calculate the combination index (CI). Further DNA damage was quantified using the biomarkers RAD51 and γH2A.X. The combinational treatment led to an increased caspase activity and reduced viability. CI values partially show synergisms in combinations at 100 nM and 500 nM P8-D6. More DNA damage accumulated, and spheroids lost their membrane integrity due to the combinational treatment. While maintaining the same therapy efficacy as single-drug therapy, doses of P8-D6 and olaparib can be reduced in combinational treatments. Synergisms can be seen in some tested combinations. In summary, the combination therapy indicates benefits and acts synergistic at 100 nM and 500 nM P8-D6

Concentrations of Serum Brain Injury Biomarkers Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Individuals with and without Long-COVID-Results from the Prospective Population-Based COVI-GAPP Study.

It is unknown whether neurological symptoms are associated with brain injury after SARS-CoV-2 infections and whether brain injury and related symptoms also emerge in Long-COVID patients. Biomarkers such as serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) can be used to elucidate neuro-axonal and astroglial injuries. We investigated whether these biomarkers are associated with COVID-19 infection status, associated symptoms and Long-COVID. From 146 individuals of the general population with a post-acute, mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection, sNfL and sGFAP were measured before, during and after (five and ten months) the infection. Individual symptoms and Long-COVID status were assessed using questionnaires. Neurological associated symptoms were described for individuals after a mild and moderate COVID-19 infection; however, sNfL (p = 0.74) and sGFAP (p = 0.24) did not change and were not associated with headache (p = 0.51), fatigue (p = 0.93), anosmia (p = 0.77) or ageusia (p = 0.47). In Long-COVID patients, sGFAP (p = 0.038), but not sNfL (p = 0.58), significantly increased but was not associated with neurological associated symptoms. Long-COVID status, but not post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infections, may be associated with astroglial injury/activation, even if neurological associated symptoms were not correlated

In Vivo Magic Angle Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Cell Tracking in Equine Low-Field MRI.

The magic angle effect increases the MRI signal of healthy tendon tissue and could be used for more detailed evaluation of tendon structure. Furthermore, it could support the discrimination of hypointense artefacts induced by contrast agents such as superparamagnetic iron oxide used for cell tracking. However, magic angle MRI of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon has not been accomplished in vivo in standing low-field MRI so far. The aim of this in vivo study was to evaluate the practicability of this magic angle technique and its benefit for tracking superparamagnetic iron oxide-labelled multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. Six horses with induced tendinopathy in their forelimb superficial digital flexor tendons were injected locally either with superparamagnetic iron oxide-labelled multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells or serum. MRI included standard and magic angle image series in T1- and T2∗-weighted sequences performed at regular intervals. Image analysis comprised blinded evaluation and quantitative assessment of signal-to-noise ratio. The magic angle technique enhanced the tendon signal-to-noise ratio (P < 0.001). Hypointense artefacts were observable in the cell-injected superficial digital flexor tendons over 24 weeks and artefact signal-to-noise ratio differed significantly from tendon signal-to-noise ratio in the magic angle images (P < 0.001). Magic angle imaging of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon is feasible in standing low-field MRI. The current data demonstrate that the technique improves discrimination of superparamagnetic iron oxide-induced artefacts from the surrounding tendon tissue.Peer Reviewe

E11, generalised space-time and equations of motion in four dimensions

We construct the non-linear realisation of the semi-direct product of E11 and its first fundamental representation at low levels in four dimensions. We include the fields for gravity, the scalars and the gauge fields as well as the duals of these fields. The generalised space-time, upon which the fields depend, consists of the usual coordinates of four dimensional space-time and Lorentz scalar coordinates which belong to the 56-dimensional representation of E7. We demand that the equations of motion are first order in derivatives of the generalised space-time and then show that they are essentially uniquely determined by the properties of the E11 Kac-Moody algebra and its first fundamental representation. The two lowest equations correctly describe the equations of motion of the scalars and the gauge fields once one takes the fields to depend only on the usual four dimensional space-time