Hydrogen is often seen as a promising future energy carrier given the major reliance of today's transport sector on finite fossil fuels. This article assesses the macroeconomic effects of introducing ...hydrogen as fuel in passenger transport within the framework of the computable general equilibrium model PACE-T(H2). Our simulation results suggest small improvements in the macroeconomic performance in almost all European countries from the introduction of hydrogen. The magnitude of economic effects however depends on the assumed learning curve of hydrogen cars and on the future development of hydrogen infrastructure costs. The results presented in this article build on data and projects developed in the EU funded HyWays project.
This study uses Fehr et al. Fehr, H., Jokisch, S., & Kotlikoff, L. J. (2004a). The role of immigration in dealing with the developed world's demographic transition.
FinanzArchiv, 60, 296–324; Fehr, ...H., Jokisch, S., & Kotlikoff, L. J. (2005). The developed world's demographic transition—the roles of capital flows, immigration, and policy. In R. Brooks & A. Razin (Eds.),
Social security reform (pp. 11–43). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press dynamic general equilibrium model to analyze the effects of changes in fertility and mortality on the developed world's demographic transition. The model features three regions – the U.S., Japan, and the EU-15 – and incorporates age- and time-specific fertility and mortality rates, detailed fiscal institutions, and international capital mobility, subject to adjustment costs. The model's life-cycle agents maximize expected utility taking into account the uncertainty of their dates of death. Since there is no altruism, bequests arise solely as a result of incomplete annuitization. The model fits the developed world's demographic, fiscal, and economic initial conditions quite closely.
Our simulations show that, all else equal, higher fertility and lower mortality will, respectively, improve and worsen fiscal and economic conditions along the world's dynamic transition path. But we find that such demographic changes, even when very large in size and relatively quick in nature, would come too late to materially alter the fiscal and economic picture over most of this Century. Indeed, our simulations indicate only minor effects on the developed world's rather bleak baseline transition path prior to roughly 2070 arising from either major increases in fertility rates or major reductions in mortality rates. Although such changes have important long-run fiscal and economic effects, they occur too gradually to materially alter the short- and medium-term outcomes.
The world's leading economies, both developed and developing, are engaged in an ever-changing economic symbiosis that is governed in large part by demographics and technological change, but also by ...pension, healthcare, and other fiscal policies. This interconnected economic evolution—what economists call general equilibrium growth—holds important implications for inequality across and within generations. This paper presents such a general equilibrium model. It features six goods, five regions, three skill groups, and 91 overlapping generations, each making life-cycle consumption and labour-supply decisions. The model pays special attention to the evolution of the Chinese and Indian economies. Thanks to their rapid technological advance and vast populations, these nations will play an ever more dominant role in determining the world's supplies of capital and labour, particularly unskilled labour. The good news for the developed world is that China and India will supply it with major amounts of capital over time, thanks to their high saving rates. The bad news is that these economies are also likely to bring much more unskilled relative to skilled labour into the market, which will, over time, dramatically reduce the relative wages of unskilled workers in the US, Europe, and Japan. This relative increase in the world supply of unskilled workers reflects, in large part, the simple fact that China and India are gradually bringing each of their skill groups up to Western standards, but have relatively more unskilled labour in their work forces.
We present the results of a search for elastic scattering from galactic dark matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the 4-30 GeV/\(c^2\) mass range. We make use of a ...582 kg-day fiducial exposure from an array of 800 g Germanium bolometers equipped with a set of interleaved electrodes with full surface coverage. We searched specifically for \(\sim 2.5-20\) keV nuclear recoils inside the detector fiducial volume. As an illustration the number of observed events in the search for 5 (resp. 20) GeV/\(c^2\) WIMPs are 9 (resp. 4), compared to an expected background of 6.1 (resp. 1.4). A 90% CL limit of \(4.3\times 10^{-40}\) cm\(^2\) (resp. \(9.4\times 10^{-44}\) cm\(^2\)) is set on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross-section for 5 (resp. 20) GeV/\(c^2\) WIMPs. This result represents a 41-fold improvement with respect to the previous EDELWEISS-II low-mass WIMP search for 7 GeV/\(c^2\) WIMPs. The derived constraint is in tension with hints of WIMP signals from some recent experiments, thus confirming results obtained with different detection techniques.
Inverse electron‐demand Diels–Alder cycloadditions (iEDDAC) between tetrazines and strained alkenes/alkynes have emerged as essential tools for studying and manipulating biomolecules. A ...light‐triggered version of iEDDAC (photo‐iEDDAC) is presented that confers spatio‐temporal control to bioorthogonal labeling in vitro and in cellulo. A cyclopropenone‐caged dibenzoannulated bicyclo6.1.0nonyne probe (photo‐DMBO) was designed that is unreactive towards tetrazines before light‐activation, but engages in iEDDAC after irradiation at 365 nm. Aminoacyl tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs were discovered for efficient site‐specific incorporation of tetrazine‐containing amino acids into proteins in living cells. In situ light activation of photo‐DMBO conjugates allows labeling of tetrazine‐modified proteins in living E. coli. This allows proteins in living cells to be modified in a spatio‐temporally controlled manner and may be extended to photo‐induced and site‐specific protein labeling in animals.
Light‐induced protein labeling: Cyclopropenone‐caged dibenzoannulated bicyclononynes (photo‐DMBO) are photo‐activatable dienophiles that engage in rapid inverse electron‐demand Diels–Alder cycloadditions with tetrazines upon light‐induced decarbonylation. Site‐specific incorporation of methyl‐tetrazine amino acids allows photo‐induced protein labeling in living cells with spatio‐temporal control using photo‐DMBO fluorophore conjugates.
Despite extensive experimental work in both animals and humans, the actual role of oscillatory brain activity for working memory maintenance remains elusive. Gamma band activity (30-100 Hz) has been ...hypothesized to reflect either the maintenance of neuronal representations or changing demands in attention. Regarding posterior alpha activity (8-13 Hz), it is under debate whether it reflects functional inhibition or neuronal processing required for the task. The aim of the present study was to further elucidate the role of oscillatory brain activity in humans using a working memory task engaging either the dorsal or ventral visual stream. We recorded brain activity using magnetoencephalography from subjects performing a delayed-match-to-sample task. Subjects were instructed to remember either the identity or the spatial orientation of shortly presented faces. The analysis revealed stronger alpha power around the parieto-occipital sulcus during retention of face identities (ventral stream) compared with the retention of face orientations (dorsal stream). In contrast, successful retention of face orientations was associated with an increase in gamma power in the occipital lobe relative to the face identity condition. We propose that gamma activity reflects the actual neuronal maintenance of visual representations, whereas the alpha increase is a result of functional inhibition.
Methylation of a conserved lysine in C-terminal domain of the molecular chaperone Hsp90 was shown previously to affect its in vivo function. However, the underlying mechanism remained elusive. ...Through a combined experimental and computational approach, this study shows that this site is very sensitive to sidechain modifications and crucial for Hsp90 activity in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that this particular lysine serves as a switch point for the regulation of Hsp90 functions by influencing its conformational cycle, ATPase activity, co-chaperone regulation, and client activation of yeast and human Hsp90. Incorporation of the methylated lysine via genetic code expansion specifically shows that upon modification, the conformational cycle of Hsp90 is altered. Molecular dynamics simulations including the methylated lysine suggest specific conformational changes that are propagated through Hsp90. Thus, methylation of the C-terminal lysine allows a precise allosteric tuning of Hsp90 activity via long distances.
Aims
Radical cystectomy and urinary diversion impact various dimensions of patients' health‐related‐quality‐of‐life (HRQOL). Yet, less is known about salvage cystectomy as a last‐line option for ...treatment‐refractory benign diseases. Therefore, our aim is to provide HRQOL data from a contemporary cohort of open salvage cystectomies for benign conditions.
Methods
Fifty‐four consecutive patients were enrolled in one single tertiary referral center. Analysis was limited to patients undergoing urinary diversion via ileal conduit (IC). Complications were assessed via Clavien–Dindo‐scale. HRQOL was measured using the validated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ‐C30 and QLQ‐BLM30 questionnaire. HRQOL QLQ‐C30 domains were measured preoperatively and up to 3 years postoperatively. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using Friedman's rank test. Primary endpoint was good general HRQOL based on QLQ‐C30 global health status (GHS). Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression models with a step‐wise backward selection procedure.
Results
Longitudinal analysis of HRQOL subdomains revealed significantly improved pain (p = .005) and fatigue (p = .002) scores as well as improved social functioning (p = .038). Furthermore, general HRQOL (GHS scores) improved significantly during the follow‐up period (28.0 vs. 50.6 36 months, p = .045). In multivariate analysis, the indication for salvage cystectomy could not be identified as an independent predictor for good general HRQOL. We observed a total number of 10 (41.7%) high‐grade (Clavien ≥III) 90 day‐complications. Limitations include limited follow‐up rates at respective time‐points.
Conclusion
Salvage cystectomy and IC can be safely performed as a last‐line treatment for benign conditions and increases general HRQOL in the long‐term follow‐up. Thus, it can play a role in a holistic approach for a challenging clinical setting.
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