Policies to promote sustainable consumption: framework for a future-oriented evaluation

Governments are today developing policies to promote sustainable consumption, yet policy makers face many uncertainties about policy impacts. These include uncertainties about how policy instruments influence consumption patterns and about the impact of changes in consumption patterns on ecological, social and economic sustainability. An assessment of such impacts must account for the fact that consumer action is interlinked with the dynamic activities of other market players and the path-creating effects of technologies and systems of consumption and provision

The 35-day cycle in the X-ray binary HZ Her/Her X-1

We present the results of modelling the 35-day superorbital changes in the B and V lightcurves and X-ray flux of HZ Her/Her X-1. The model is implemented in a computer program written in the C programming language, with a module for parameter optimisation written in Python. The model in-cludes a tilted precessing and warped accretion disc around a freely precessing neutron star. The disc is warped near its inner edge due to interaction with the rotating neutron star magnetosphere. The magnetic torque depends on the precessional phase of the neutron star. The neutron star X-ray emission flux also depends on the free precession phase, which modulates the X-ray illumi-nation of the optical star's atmosphere and the intensity of gas streams. We demonstrate that this model is able to reproduce both the optical observations of HZ Her and the behaviour of the system's 35-day X-ray cycle. © 2020 Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Leaf-applied sodium chloride promotes cadmium accumulation in durum wheat grain

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in durum wheat grain is a growing concern. Among the factors affecting Cd accumulation in plants, soil chloride (Cl) concentration plays a critical role. The effect of leaf NaCl application on grain Cd was studied in greenhouse-grown durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. durum, cv. Balcali-2000) by immersing (10 s) intact flag leaves into Cd and/or NaCl-containing solutions for 14 times during heading and dough stages. Immersing flag leaves in solutions containing increasing amount of Cd resulted in substantial increases in grain Cd concentration. Adding NaCl alone or in combination with the Cd-containing immersion solution promoted accumulation of Cd in the grains, by up to 41%. In contrast, Zn concentrations of grains were not affected or even decreased by the NaCl treatments. This is likely due to the effect of Cl complexing Cd and reducing positive charge on the metal ion, an effect that is much smaller for Zn. Charge reduction or removal (CdCl2 0 species) would increase the diffusivity/lipophilicity of Cd and enhance its capability to penetrate the leaf epidermis and across membranes. Of even more significance to human health was the ability of Cl alone to penetrate leaf tissue and mobilize and enhance shoot Cd transfer to grains, yet reducing or not affecting Zn transfer

Foliar lead uptake by lettuce exposed to atmospheric fallouts

Metal uptake by plants occurs by soil−root transfer but also by direct transfer of contaminants from the atmosphere to the shoots. This second pathway may be particularly important in kitchen gardens near industrial plants. The mechanisms of foliar uptake of lead by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) exposed to the atmospheric fallouts of a lead-recycling plant were studied. After 43 days of exposure, the thoroughly washed leaves contained 335 ± 50 mg Pb kg−1 (dry weight). Micro-X-ray fluorescence mappings evidenced Pb-rich spots of a few hundreds of micrometers in diameter located in necrotic zones. These spots were more abundant at the base of the central nervure. Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed that smaller particles (a few micrometers in diameter) were also present in other regions of the leaves, often located beneath the leaf surface. In addition, submicrometric particles were observed inside stomatal openings. Raman microspectrometry analyses of the leaves identified smelter-originated Pb minerals but also secondary phases likely resulting from the weathering of original particles. On the basis of these observations, several pathways for foliar lead uptake are discussed. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be of interest for risk assessment of population exposure to atmospheric metal contamination

Decorin and TGF-β(1 )polymorphisms and development of COPD in a general population

BACKGROUND: Decorin, an extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan, and TGF-β(1 )are both involved in lung ECM turnover. Decorin and TGF-β(1 )expression are decreased respectively increased in COPD lung tissue. Interestingly, they act as each other's feedback regulator. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in decorin and TGF-β(1 )underlie accelerated decline in FEV(1 )and development of COPD in the general population. METHODS: We genotyped 1390 subjects from the Vlagtwedde/Vlaardingen cohort. Lung function was measured every 3 years for a period of 25 years. We tested whether five SNPs in decorin (3'UTR and four intron SNPs) and three SNPs in TGF-β(1 )(3'UTR rs6957, C-509T rs1800469 and Leu10Pro rs1982073), and their haplotypes, were associated with COPD (last survey GOLD stage = II). Linear mixed effects models were used to analyze genotype associations with FEV(1 )decline. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher prevalence of carriers of the minor allele of the TGF-β(1 )rs6957 SNP (p = 0.001) in subjects with COPD. Additionally, we found a significantly lower prevalence of the haplotype with the major allele of rs6957 and minor alleles for rs1800469 and rs1982073 SNPs in TGF-β(1 )in subjects with COPD (p = 0.030), indicating that this association is due to the rs6957 SNP. TGF-β(1 )SNPs were not associated with FEV(1 )decline. SNPs in decorin, and haplotypes constructed of both TGF-β(1 )and decorin SNPs were not associated with development of COPD or with FEV(1 )decline. CONCLUSION: Our study shows for the first time that SNPs in decorin on its own or in interaction with SNPs in TGF-β(1 )do not underlie the disturbed balance in expression between these genes in COPD. TGF-β(1 )SNPs are associated with COPD, yet not with accelerated FEV(1 )decline in the general population

Changes in Channel Trafficking and Protein Stability Caused by LQT2 Mutations in the PAS Domain of the HERG Channel

Inherited human long-QT2 syndrome (LQTS) results from mutations in the gene encoding the HERG channel. Several LQT2-associated mutations have been mapped to the amino terminal cytoplasmic Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain of the HERG1a channel subunit. Here we have characterized the trafficking properties of some LQT2-associated PAS domain mutants and analyzed rescue of the trafficking mutants by low temperature (27°C) or by the pore blocker drug E4031. We show that the LQT2-associated mutations in the PAS domain of the HERG channel display molecular properties that are distinct from the properties of LQT2-associated mutations in the trans-membrane region. Unlike the latter, many of the tested PAS domain LQT2-associated mutations do not result in trafficking deficiency of the channel. Moreover, the majority of the PAS domain mutations that cause trafficking deficiencies are not rescued by a pore blocking drug. We have also explored the in vitro folding stability properties of isolated mutant PAS domain proteins using a thermal unfolding fluorescence assay and a chemical unfolding assay

The N–Terminal Tail of hERG Contains an Amphipathic α–Helix That Regulates Channel Deactivation

The cytoplasmic N–terminal domain of the human ether–a–go–go related gene (hERG) K+ channel is critical for the slow deactivation kinetics of the channel. However, the mechanism(s) by which the N–terminal domain regulates deactivation remains to be determined. Here we show that the solution NMR structure of the N–terminal 135 residues of hERG contains a previously described Per–Arnt–Sim (PAS) domain (residues 26–135) as well as an amphipathic α–helix (residues 13–23) and an initial unstructured segment (residues 2–9). Deletion of residues 2–25, only the unstructured segment (residues 2–9) or replacement of the α–helix with a flexible linker all result in enhanced rates of deactivation. Thus, both the initial flexible segment and the α–helix are required but neither is sufficient to confer slow deactivation kinetics. Alanine scanning mutagenesis identified R5 and G6 in the initial flexible segment as critical for slow deactivation. Alanine mutants in the helical region had less dramatic phenotypes. We propose that the PAS domain is bound close to the central core of the channel and that the N–terminal α–helix ensures that the flexible tail is correctly orientated for interaction with the activation gating machinery to stabilize the open state of the channel

The other Higgses, at resonance, in the Lee-Wick extension of the Standard Model

Within the framework of the Lee Wick Standard Model (LWSM) we investigate Higgs pair production $gg \to h_0 h_0$, $gg \to h_0 \tilde p_0$ and top pair production $gg \to \bar tt$ at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where the neutral particles from the Higgs sector ($h_0$, $\tilde h_0$ and $\tilde p_0$) appear as possible resonant intermediate states. We investigate the signal $gg \to h_0 h_0 \to \bar b b \gamma \gamma$ and we find that the LW Higgs, depending on its mass-range, can be seen not long after the LHC upgrade in 2012. More precisely this happens when the new LW Higgs states are below the top pair threshold. In $gg \to \bar tt$ the LW states, due to the wrong-sign propagator and negative width, lead to a dip-peak structure instead of the usual peak-dip structure which gives a characteristic signal especially for low-lying LW Higgs states. We comment on the LWSM and the forward-backward asymmetry in view of the measurement at the TeVatron. Furthermore, we present a technique which reduces the hyperbolic diagonalization to standard diagonalization methods. We clarify issues of spurious phases in the Yukawa sector.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figures, 3 table

Losartan Slows Pancreatic Tumor Progression and Extends Survival of SPARC-Null Mice by Abrogating Aberrant TGFβ Activation

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a desmoplastic disease, is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world due, in large part, to locally invasive primary tumor growth and ensuing metastasis. SPARC is a matricellular protein that governs extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and maturation during tissue remodeling, particularly, during wound healing and tumorigenesis. In the present study, we sought to determine the mechanism by which lack of host SPARC alters the tumor microenvironment and enhances invasion and metastasis of an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer. We identified that levels of active TGFβ1 were increased significantly in tumors grown in SPARC-null mice. TGFβ1 contributes to many aspects of tumor development including metastasis, endothelial cell permeability, inflammation and fibrosis, all of which are altered in the absence of stromal-derived SPARC. Given these results, we performed a survival study to assess the contribution of increased TGFβ1 activity to tumor progression in SPARC-null mice using losartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist that diminishes TGFβ1 expression and activation in vivo. Tumors grown in SPARC-null mice progressed more quickly than those grown in wild-type littermates leading to a significant reduction in median survival. However, median survival of SPARC-null animals treated with losartan was extended to that of losartan-treated wild-type controls. In addition, losartan abrogated TGFβ induced gene expression, reduced local invasion and metastasis, decreased vascular permeability and altered the immune profile of tumors grown in SPARC-null mice. These data support the concept that aberrant TGFβ1-activation in the absence of host SPARC contributes significantly to tumor progression and suggests that SPARC, by controlling ECM deposition and maturation, can regulate TGFβ availability and activation