Towards sustainable development: Alternatives to GDP for measuring progress

Economic performance of a country is generally being measured through GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a variable that has also become the de facto universal metric for standards of living. However, GDP does not properly account for social and environmental costs and benefits. It is also difficult to achieve sustainable decision-making aiming at sustainable progress and well-being if welfare is being considered from a purely financial point of view. The study highlights the benefits and some of the shortcomings of GDP. It serves as a helpful and practicable instrument for monetary and fiscal policies. The real problem presumably is that GDP growth is too often confused with (sustainable) welfare growth in people's minds. While there certainly is a correlation between the two, this study shows that this is a highly conditional correlation, void of substantial causality for GDP levels observable in the European Union. In order to be able to assess people's well-being and general sustainable development in the sense of sustainability, an alternative instrument going beyond GDP is necessary. Using so called SWOT analyses, several alternative progress indicators have been assessed in the context of this study. On the one hand it was analysed how far ecological and social factors can be integrated in the GDP measurements. Thereby difficulties arose then trying to monetise these factors. As a further possibility indicators were analysed which are to replace GDP as a whole. The category supplementing GDP seems to be the most realistic and acceptable option for going beyond GDP. Within this approach, GDP is being complemented with additional environmental and/or social information. In order to make this kind of solution feasible the study claims the establishment of an overarching and transparent indicator system for improving economic decision-making in support of sustainable development.Wirtschaftlicher Erfolg wird über das Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP) eines Landes definiert - eine Größe, die häufig auch als universeller Maßstab für den Lebensstandard gesehen wird. Allerdings erfasst das BIP keine sozialen und ökologischen Kosten- und Nutzen-Effekte. Zudem ist ein Hinsteuern auf Nachhaltige Entwicklung schwer möglich, wenn der Wohlstand allein nach finanztechnischen Gesichtspunkten definiert wird. Die Studie hebt Vorzüge wie Mängel des BIP heraus. Seine Einfachheit und Allgemeingültigkeit machten es zu einem praktikablen Instrument in der Währungs- und Finanzpolitik. Problematisch sei jedoch, dass das BIP von den meisten Menschen mit einem (nachhaltigen) Wachstum von Wohlstand verwechselt wird. Auch wenn es hier Zusammenhänge gibt, so bestehen diese - das hebt die Studie hervor - nur eingeschränkt. Gerade angesichts des BIP-Niveaus in den EU-Staaten besteht keinerlei grundsätzliche Abhängigkeit des generellen Wohlstandsniveaus vom BIP. Um Wohlfahrt und Entwicklung im Sinne von Nachhaltigkeit zu messen, muss demnach ein Instrument jenseits des BIP entwickelt werden. Mit Hilfe von SWOT-Analysen wurden im Rahmen der Studie mehrere alternative Indikatoren für Fortschritt im Sinne von Wohlfahrt analysiert. Zum einen wurde untersucht, inwieweit ökologische und soziale Faktoren in die Messung des BIP einbezogen werden könnten. Hierbei stellte es sich jedoch als Schwierigkeit heraus, diesen Faktoren einen monetären Wert beizumessen. Als weitere Möglichkeit wurden Indikatoren untersucht, die das BIP als Ganzes ersetzen sollen. Als sinnvollsten Weg macht die Studie aus, zusätzlich zum BIP ökologische und soziale Indikatoren einzuführen, die helfen, Informationen zusammenzuführen und sie zusätzlich in Beziehung zu den BIP-Zahlen zu setzen. Die Studie fordert die Einführung eines umfassenden und transparenten Systems von Indikatoren, um wirtschaftliche Entscheidungen im Einklang mit nachhaltiger Entwicklung zu fördern

Retardation of atherosclerosis in immunocompetent apolipoprotein (apo) E-deficient mice followingliver-directed administration of a [E1-, E3-,polymerase-] adenovirus vector containing the elongation factor-1a promoter driving expression of human apoE cDNA

Although gene transfer of human apolipoprotein E (apoE), a 34-kDa circulating glycoprotein, to the liver of apoEdeficient(apoE-/-) mice using recombinant adenoviral vectors (rAd) is antiatherogenic, its full therapeutic potentialhas yet to be realized. First generation vectors led to immune clearance of transduced hepatocytes, while animproved vector with adenovirus regions E1, E3 and DNA polymerase deleted also had transient effects due tocellular shutdown of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Here, we have studied an alternative promoter from thecellular elongation factor 1a (EF-1a) gene, injecting 6-8 week old apoE-/- mice intravenously with 2x1010 virusparticles (vp) of the [E1-, E3-, polymerase-] rAd vector Ad-EF1·-apoE. Plasma apoE levels were low (18-55 ng/ml)and failed to reduce plasma cholesterol or normalize the adverse lipoprotein profile. By contrast, thehyperlipidaemic phenotype of apoE-/- mice treated with Ad-CMV-apoE (2x1010 vp) was transiently normalized.Nevertheless, at termination (265 days) the aortic lesion areas in animals given Ad-EF1·-apoE were significantlyreduced by 15% (P<0.05) compared to untreated animals, a decrease approaching that in Ad-CMV-apoE-treatedmice (23%; P<0.02). Importantly, the attenuation of apoE transgene expression noted with the CMV promoter wasabsent with the EF-1a promoter, which gave relatively sustained, albeit low, levels of plasma apoE throughout thestudy period

Overview and Evaluation of a Computational Bone Physiology Modeling Toolchain and Its Application to Testing of Exercise Countermeasures

Prolonged microgravity exposure disrupts natural bone remodeling processes and can lead to a significant loss of bone strength, increasing injury risk during missions and placing astronauts at a greater risk of bone fracture later in life. Resistance-based exercise during missions is used to combat bone loss, but current exercise countermeasures do not completely mitigate the effects of microgravity. To address this concern, we present work to develop a personalizable, site-specific computational modeling toolchain of bone remodeling dynamics to understand and estimate changes in volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) in response to microgravity-induced bone unloading and in-flight exercise. The toolchain is evaluated against data collected from subjects in a 70-day bedrest study and is found to provide insight into the amount of exercise stimulus needed to minimize bone loss, quantitatively predicting post-study volumetric BMD of control subjects who did not perform exercise, and qualitatively predicting the effects of exercise. Results suggest that, with additional data, the toolchain could be improved to aid in developing customized in-flight exercise regimens and predict exercise effectiveness

Towards a green new deal : lessons after a lost decade

In his essay, the author presents a stock-taking of the debate on Green Deals. The starting point of this personal assessment is a brief outline of the content and impact of a study in which the author and colleagues published a first outline of a "Green New Deal for Europe" as a political response to the 2008 financial crisis. 2008 had been a critical juncture for mainstream economics: however, from the perspective of policy-learning, the period after has been a lost decade. The European Green Deal as presented by the European Commission in 2019 can be perceived as a historic milestone and confirmation of a regime change in mainstream economic policy in which ecological considerations gain in importance. Yet, the Deal suffers from major deficits. In sum, the European Green Deal could be interpreted as an insufficient attempt to take advantage of the rapidly closing windows of opportunity for a peaceful transition towards sustainability. On the eve of a planetary crisis, the governance of economic transitions towards sustainability needs to be improved and accelerated. Reflecting on the 2009 study A Green New Deal for Europe, this essay attempts to draw a few lessons and frugal heuristics for the policy-design of Green Deals

Adaptive integration of research and policy for sustainable development (AIRP-SD) - prospect for the European research agenda : milestone one

The main objective of AIRP-SD was to address the urgent need to stimulate innovation in Research, Technological development and Demonstration (RTD) processes in order to enhance the prospects of RTD contributing positively to processes and strategies leading to radical improvements in the sustainability of production-consumption systems. This Milestone One Report was the first of three status reports, summarising the interim findings of the first three work packages since the start of the project in January 2002

Kollaps oder Rückkehr zur Politik?

Die Rio+10-Konferenz nächstes Jahr in Johannesburg wirft ihre Schatten vor­aus. Nicht nur in Deutschland und anderen Ländern werden die diesbezüglichen Aktivitäten verstärkt, auch die Europäische Union plant, Ende Juni eine Nach­haltigkeitsstrategie zu beschließen. Im Mittelpunkt der Diskussion steht die Frage, wie der laufende Prozess zur Integration der Umweltpolitik in andere Politikbereiche mit der sozialen und ökonomischen Dimension der Nachhaltig­keit verknüpft werden kann bzw. sollte

Deep sequencing reveals persistence of cell-associated mumps vaccine virus in chronic encephalitis.

Routine childhood vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella has virtually abolished virus-related morbidity and mortality. Notwithstanding this, we describe here devastating neurological complications associated with the detection of live-attenuated mumps virus Jeryl Lynn (MuV(JL5)) in the brain of a child who had undergone successful allogeneic transplantation for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). This is the first confirmed report of MuV(JL5) associated with chronic encephalitis and highlights the need to exclude immunodeficient individuals from immunisation with live-attenuated vaccines. The diagnosis was only possible by deep sequencing of the brain biopsy. Sequence comparison of the vaccine batch to the MuV(JL5) isolated from brain identified biased hypermutation, particularly in the matrix gene, similar to those found in measles from cases of SSPE. The findings provide unique insights into the pathogenesis of paramyxovirus brain infections

Potential mechanisms behind blood pressure modulation by melatonin

Melatonin, das in der Zirbeldrüse gebildet wird, ist eine sehr vielseitige Substanz. Melatonin moduliert die innere Uhr, den Appetites, den Schlafs und den Blutdruckes und ist ein starker Radikalfänger. Es wird angenommen, dass die zwei in Säugetieren vorkommenden Melatonin-Rezeptoren MT1 und MT2 auch im Herz-Kreislaufsystem exprimiert sind, allerdings sind die Daten zu Funktion und Ort dieser Rezeptoren strittig. Es gibt viele Hinweise, dass MT1 Vasokonstriktion und MT2 Vasodilatation vermitteln. Da exogenes Melatonin den Blutdruck senkt, sind die Mechanismen, die hinter der blutdruckregulierenden Wirkung durch MT1 und MT2 stehen, von großem Interesse. Im Projekt wurden mehrere Ratten-Aorten mittels RT-PCR und RT-qPCR auf MT1 und MT2 mRNA Expression untersucht. Aus den Ergebnissen kann geschlossen werden, dass MT1 mRNA in der exprimiert ist, wohingegen MT2 mRNA in der Ratten-Aorta gar nicht vorkommt. Die Expression von MT1 mRNA scheint keinem zirkadianen Rhythmus zu folgen, da kein Unterschied in der Expressionsrate zwischen Aorten von zwei 12 h auseinanderliegenden Zeitpunkten festgestellt werden konnte. Im Gegensatz dazu stellten wir eine 4-fache Erhöhung der MT1 mRNA Expressionsrate in Aorten von spontan-hypertensiven Ratten, einem Modell für primäre Hypertonie, fest. Dieser Befund unterstützt die Annahme einer Beteiligung von MT1 an den Blutdruck-modulierenden Eigenschaften von Melatonin. Mit Hilfe der Immunfluoreszenz-Mikroskopie stellten wir fest, dass MT1 Protein hauptsächlich in der Tunica Adventitia der Ratten-Aorta exprimiert ist. Diese Lokalisation und die Abwesenheit von MT2 stehen im Gegensatz zu derzeitigen Hypothesen über den Einfluss der Melatonin-Rezeptoren MT1 und MT2 und bedürfen weiterer Untersuchung.Melatonin is a versatile substance produced in the pineal gland. It influences the body’s internal clock, appetite, sleep, blood pressure and is a potent radical scavenger. The two mammalian G-protein coupled receptors for melatonin, MT1 and MT2, are believed to be expressed in the cardiovascular system; however, the function and location of these receptors in the cardiovascular system remain under debate. Various data suggested that MT1 mediates vasoconstriction, while MT2 mediates vasodilation. Since exogenous melatonin lowers blood pressure, the mechanisms involved in blood pressure regulation via MT1 and MT2 are of great interest. We investigated various rat aortas with RT-PCR and RT-qPCR for expression of MT1 and MT2 mRNA. It can be concluded that MT1 mRNA is indeed present in the rat aorta, whereas MT2 mRNA is not expressed at all. MT1 mRNA expression exhibits no circadian variations, since we observed no difference between aortas from 12 h away time points. Moreover, we discovered that MT1 mRNA expression is about 4-fold increased in spontaneously hypertensive rats, a model for essential hypertension. This finding supports a function of MT1 in the blood pressure modulating capabilities of melatonin. By use of immunofluorescence microscopy, we learned that MT1 protein is mainly expressed in the tunica adventitia of the rat aorta. This localization of MT1 and the absence of MT2, however, are in conflict with the current hypothesis on the influence of the melatonin GPCRs on blood pressure regulation by melatonin and ask for further investigation

Sufficiency Initiatives and Municipalities: Opportunities and Limitations for Bringing People and Politics Together

This article examines the potential and challenges of sufficiency initiatives within the urban environment, focusing on their ability to bring people and politics together. Drawing on research from the EU-funded "FULFILL" project, which includes surveys, interviews and case studies in five EU Member States, this study explores the role of civil society initiatives in fostering sufficiency - a concept that advocates for meeting human needs within planetary boundaries by altering lifestyles, societal norms, and regulatory frameworks. Sufficiency initiatives find themselves in a precarious position against a backdrop of growth-oriented urban development and face barriers such as lack of resources, legal and regulatory challenges, measurement difficulties, and inertia of municipalities. However, the study also identifies examples of fruitful cooperation between municipalities and initiatives and identifies enablers for successful collaboration, including aligned goals, engaged individuals, and effective communication. By providing an outlook for short-, mid-, and long-term governance perspectives, this article argues for strategic niche management in the short term, development of metrics for sufficiency in the medium term, and a systemic shift in urban dynamics in the long term. As urban sufficiency initiatives offer services and infrastructure to promote sustainable living, they are critical players in guiding cities towards ecological and social resilience. This article contributes to the discourse on urban sustainability by highlighting the importance of municipalities in nurturing sufficiency initiatives that can drive social well-being and environmental stewardship