In this paper, we analyse community energy (CE) projects in urban settings. Building on insights from the literature on the geography of sustainability transitions, we examine how contextual ...conditions promote or hinder the development of CE. Furthermore, reflecting on calls for greater attention to agency in transitions, we investigated how actors engaged in urban CE projects exploit beneficial conditions or overcome obstacles related to some of the contextual conditions. Empirically, we draw on six case studies of CE projects from the Baltic Sea Region. To develop a thorough understanding of our cases we conducted 24 semi-structured interviews and analysed numerous secondary sources. Our results show that institutions as well as visions, e.g. plans for future energy generation, are important contextual features for urban CE projects. Local actors seek to overcome unfavourable contextual conditions for CE initiatives by building trust, appealing to their community's sense of identity, networking, and promoting demonstration projects. Based on the results, we recommend that local and national governments address the following four issues to strengthen the role of CE in the transformation of urban energy systems: 1) harmonising policies; 2) creating a culture for transitions; 3) developing visions for CE; and 4) promoting policy learning from experiments.
•The paper examines urban community energy (CE) projects in the Baltic Sea region.•It establishes a framework for analysing the influence of contextual factors on CE.•Institutions and visions are particularly important for CE development.•Strategies for overcoming unfavourable contextual conditions are identified.•Policy should not only support CE but also stimulate cultural change in some contexts.
Detailed spectroscopic studies of metal-poor halo stars have highlighted the important role of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in understanding the early production and ejection of carbon in ...the Galaxy and in identifying the progenitors of the CEMP stars among the first stars formed after the Big Bang. Our aim is to determine the frequency and orbital parameters of binary systems among the CEMP-s stars, which exhibit strong enhancements of neutron-capture elements associated with the s-process. We have systematically monitored the radial velocities of a sample of 22 CEMP-s stars for several years with ~monthly, high-resolution, low S/N echelle spectra obtained at the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) at La Palma, Spain. From these spectra, radial velocities with an accuracy of ~100 m s-1 were determined by cross-correlation with optimised templates. The conventional scenario of local mass transfer from a former asymptotic giant branch (AGB) binary companion does appear to account for the chemical composition of most CEMP-s stars.
A set of model nucleophiles of gradually changing nucleophilicity is used to probe the glycosylation reaction mechanism. Glycosylations of ethanol-based acceptors, bearing varying amounts of fluorine ...atoms, report on the dependency of the stereochemistry in condensation reactions on the nucleophilicity of the acceptor. Three different glycosylation systems were scrutinized, that differ in the reaction mechanism, that - putatively - prevails during the coupling reaction. It is revealed that the stereoselectivity in glycosylations of benzylidene protected glucose donors are very susceptible to acceptor nucleophilicity whereas condensations of benzylidene mannose and mannuronic acid donors represent more robust glycosylation systems in terms of diastereoselectivity. The change in stereoselectivity with decreasing acceptor nucleophilicity is related to a change in reaction mechanism shifting from the S
2 side to the S
1 side of the reactivity spectrum. Carbohydrate acceptors are examined and the reactivity-selectivity profile of these nucleophiles mirrored those of the model acceptors studied. The set of model ethanol acceptors thus provides a simple and effective "toolbox" to investigate glycosylation reaction mechanisms and report on the robustness of glycosylation protocols.
In this review, we describe the extraordinary population of Greenland, which differs from large outbred populations of Europe and Asia, both in terms of population history and living conditions. Many ...years in isolation, small population size and an extreme environment have shaped the genetic composition of the Greenlandic population. The unique genetic background combined with the transition from a traditional Inuit lifestyle and diet, to a more Westernized lifestyle, has led to an increase in the prevalence of metabolic conditions like obesity, where the prevalence from 1993 to 2010 has increased from 16.4% to 19.4% among men, and from 13.0% to 25.4% among women, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The genetic susceptibility to metabolic conditions has been explored in Greenlanders, as well as other isolated populations, taking advantage of population‐genetic properties of these populations. During the last 10 years, these studies have provided examples of loci showing evidence of positive selection, due to adaption to Arctic climate and Inuit diet, including TBC1D4 and FADS/CPT1A, and have facilitated the discovery of several loci associated with metabolic phenotypes. Most recently, the c.2433‐1G>A loss‐of‐function variant in ADCY3 associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes was described. This locus has provided novel biological insights, as it has been shown that reduced ADCY3 function causes obesity through disrupted function in primary cilia. Future studies of isolated populations will likely provide further genetic as well as biological insights.
Content List – 14th Key Symposium ‐ “Metabolic Complications of Obesity”.
We present a high-resolution elemental-abundance analysis for a sample of 23 very metal-poor (Fe/H < -2.0) stars, 12 of which are extremely metal-poor (Fe/H < -3.0), and 4 of which are ...ultra-metal-poor (Fe/H < -4.0). These stars were targeted to explore differences in the abundance ratios for elements that constrain the possible astrophysical sites of element production, including Li, C, N, O, the alpha-elements, the iron-peak elements, and a number of neutron-capture elements. This sample substantially increases the number of known carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) and nitrogen-enhanced metal-poor (NEMP) stars-our program stars include eight that are considered "normal" metal-poor stars, six CEMP-no stars, five CEMP-s stars, two CEMP-r stars, and two CEMP-r/s stars. One of the CEMP-r stars and one of the CEMP-r/s stars are possible NEMP stars. We detect lithium for three of the six CEMP-no stars, all of which are Li depleted with respect to the Spite plateau. The majority of the CEMP stars have C/N > 0. The stars with C/N < 0 suggest a larger degree of mixing; the few CEMP-no stars that exhibit this signature are only found at Fe/H < -3.4, a metallicity below which we also find the CEMP-no stars with large enhancements in Na, Mg, and Al. We confirm the existence of two plateaus in the absolute carbon abundances of CEMP stars, as suggested by Spite et al. We also present evidence for a "floor" in the absolute Ba abundances of CEMP-no stars at A(Ba)~ -2.0.
Abstract
Extensive progress has recently been made in our understanding of heavy-element production via the
r
-process in the universe, specifically with the first observed neutron star binary merger ...(NSBM) event associated with the gravitational-wave signal detected by LIGO, GW170817. The chemical abundance patterns of metal-poor
r
-process-enhanced stars provide key evidence for the dominant site(s) of the
r
-process and whether NSBMs are sufficiently frequent or prolific
r
-process sources to be responsible for the majority of
r
-process material in the universe. We present atmospheric stellar parameters (using a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium analysis) and abundances from a detailed analysis of 141 metal-poor stars carried out as part of the
R
-Process Alliance (RPA) effort. We obtained high-resolution “snapshot” spectroscopy of the stars using the MIKE spectrograph on the 6.5 m Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. We find 10 new highly enhanced
r
-II (with Eu/Fe > +1.0), 62 new moderately enhanced
r
-I (+0.3 < Eu/Fe ≤ +1.0), and 17 new limited-
r
(Eu/Fe < +0.3) stars. Among those, we find 17 new carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars, of which five are CEMP-no. We also identify one new
s
-process-enhanced (Ba/Eu > +0.5) and five new
r
/
s
(0.0 < Ba/Eu < +0.5) stars. In the process, we discover a new ultra-metal-poor (UMP) star at Fe/H = −4.02. One of the
r
-II stars shows a deficit in
α
and Fe-peak elements, typical of dwarf galaxy stars. Our search for
r
-process-enhanced stars by RPA efforts has already roughly doubled the known
r
-process sample.
Increased age, BMI and HbA1c levels are risk factors for several non-communicable diseases. However, the impact of these factors on the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern in human adipose tissue ...remains unknown. We analyzed the DNA methylation of ∼480 000 sites in human adipose tissue from 96 males and 94 females and related methylation to age, BMI and HbA1c. We also compared epigenetic signatures in adipose tissue and blood. Age was significantly associated with both altered DNA methylation and expression of 1050 genes (e.g. FHL2, NOX4 and PLG). Interestingly, many reported epigenetic biomarkers of aging in blood, including ELOVL2, FHL2, KLF14 and GLRA1, also showed significant correlations between adipose tissue DNA methylation and age in our study. The most significant association between age and adipose tissue DNA methylation was found upstream of ELOVL2. We identified 2825 genes (e.g. FTO, ITIH5, CCL18, MTCH2, IRS1 and SPP1) where both DNA methylation and expression correlated with BMI. Methylation at previously reported HIF3A sites correlated significantly with BMI in females only. HbA1c (range 28-46 mmol/mol) correlated significantly with the methylation of 711 sites, annotated to, for example, RAB37, TICAM1 and HLA-DPB1. Pathway analyses demonstrated that methylation levels associated with age and BMI are overrepresented among genes involved in cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our results highlight the impact of age, BMI and HbA1c on epigenetic variation of candidate genes for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer in human adipose tissue. Importantly, we demonstrate that epigenetic biomarkers in blood can mirror age-related epigenetic signatures in target tissues for metabolic diseases such as adipose tissue.
A
bstract
We generalize the relativistic field-theoretic three-particle finite-volume scattering formalism to describe generic
DDπ
systems in the charm
C
= 2 sector. This includes the isospin-0 ...channel, in which the recently discovered doubly-charmed tetraquark
T
cc
(3875)
+
is expected to manifest as a pole in the
DDπ
→
DDπ
scattering amplitude. The formalism presented here can also be applied to lattice QCD settings in which the
D
*
is bound and, in particular, remains valid below the left-hand cut in
DD
*
scattering, thus resolving an issue in previous analyses of lattice-determined finite-volume energies.
Neurotoxicity of anaesthetics in developing brain cells is well documented in preclinical studies, yet results are conflicting in humans. The use of many and different outcome measures in human ...studies may contribute to this disagreement.
We conducted a systematic review to identify all measures used to assess long-term neurocognitive outcomes following general anaesthesia (GA) and surgery in children. The quality of studies was assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies. PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cinahl, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies investigating neurocognitive outcome after GA in children <18 yr.
Sixty-seven studies were identified from 19 countries during 1990–2017. Most assessments were performed within cognition, sensory-motor development, academic achievement or neuropsychological diagnosis. Few studies assessed other outcomes (magnetic resonance imaging, serum-biomarkers, mortality, neurological examination, measurement of head circumference, impairment of vision). Rating according to the NOS rewarded a mean of six stars out of nine. Some concerns prevail regarding potential inter-rater variability because of equivocal description of rating criteria. Specific features such as stability over lifetime and inter-relations of outcomes (e.g. prediction of subsequent development or diagnosis of neuropsychological conditions) are discussed. The importance of validity and reliability of the various test instruments are described. The studies vary immensely in important characteristics.
Future observational studies should be more consistent in the choice of study population, age at exposure, follow-up, indication for and type of surgery, and outcomes. Assessment of sensory-motor development seems feasible in young children (age <4 yr), and intelligence/cognition in older children.
. Eugen‐Olsen J, Andersen O, Linneberg A, Ladelund S, Hansen TW, Langkilde A, Petersen J, Pielak T, Møller LN, Jeppesen J, Lyngbæk S, Fenger M, Olsen MH, Hildebrandt PR, Borch‐Johnsen K, Jørgensen ...T, Haugaard SB (Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre; Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup; Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen; Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup; Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre; Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte; University of Aarhus, Aarhus; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen; Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark). Circulating soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor predicts cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality in the general population. J Intern Med 2010; 268: 296–308.
Background. Low‐grade inflammation is thought to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), type‐2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), cancer and mortality. Biomarkers of inflammation may aid in risk prediction and enable early intervention and prevention of disease.
Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma levels of the inflammatory biomarker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) are predictive of disease and mortality in the general population.
Design. This was an observational prospective cohort study. Cohort participants were included from June 1993 to December 1994 and followed until the end of 2006.
Setting. General adult Caucasian population.
Participants. The MONICA10 study, a population‐based cohort recruited from Copenhagen, Denmark, included 2602 individuals aged 41, 51, 61 or 71 years.
Measurements. Blood samples were analysed for suPAR levels using a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Risk of cancer (n = 308), CVD (n = 301), T2D (n = 59) and mortality (n = 411) was assessed with a multivariate proportional hazards model using Cox regression.
Results. Elevated baseline suPAR level was associated with an increased risk of cancer, CVD, T2D and mortality during follow‐up. suPAR was more strongly associated with cancer, CVD and mortality in men than in women, and in younger compared with older individuals. suPAR remained significantly associated with the risk of negative outcome after adjustment for a number of relevant risk factors including C‐reactive protein levels.
Limitation. Further validation in ethnic populations other than Caucasians is needed.
Conclusion. The stable plasma protein suPAR may be a promising biomarker because of its independent association with incident cancer, CVD, T2D and mortality in the general population.
PDF
