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Scholarly Works (11331 results, showing first 10000)

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Article
Peer Reviewed

Capital Flows to Developing Countries: The Allocation Puzzle

UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2013)

The textbook neoclassical growth model predicts that countries with faster productivity growth should invest more and attract more foreign capital. We show that the allocation of capital flows across developing countries is the opposite of this prediction: capital does notflowmore to countries that invest and grow more.We call this puzzle the "allocation puzzle". Using a wedge analysis, we find that the pattern of capital flows is driven by national saving: the allocation puzzle is a saving puzzle. Further disaggregation of capital flows reveals that the allocation puzzle is also related to the pattern of accumulation of international reserves. The solution to the "allocation puzzle", thus, lies at the nexus between growth, saving, and international reserve accumulation.We conclude with a discussion of some possible avenues for research. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Review of Economic Studies Limited.

Article
Peer Reviewed

Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Combination with Substrate for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

UC Santa Barbara Previously Published Works (2016)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the western world, which severely decreases the quality of life in the patients and places an economic burden on their families and society. The disease is caused by the dysfunction of a specialized cell layer in the back of the eye called the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). Pluripotent stem cells can provide an unlimited source of RPE, and laboratories around the world are investigating their potential as therapies for AMD. To ensure the precise delivery of functional RPE to the diseased site, some groups are developing a therapy composed of mature RPE monolayers on a supportive scaffold for transplantation as an alternative to injecting a single-cell suspension. This review summarizes methods of generating RPE from pluripotent stem cells, compares biodegradable and biostable materials as scaffolds, and describes the specific combination of human embryonic stem cell-derived RPE on Parylene-C membranes, which is scheduled to begin clinical trials in the United Sates in 2016. Stem cell-derived RPE monolayers on scaffolds hold great promise for the treatment of AMD and other retinal diseases.

Cover page: Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Therapies in Combination with Substrate for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Thesis
Peer Reviewed

Xeno-Free Derivation of Retinal Pigmented Epithelium from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Pennington, Britney O.
Advisor(s): Clegg, Dennis O

UC Santa Barbara Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2014)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly and is characterized by the death of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), the cell layer located behind the retina. The RPE maintains the health of the primary cells responsible for vision, the photoreceptors. As AMD progresses, the RPE degrades, which causes the death of the photoreceptors and a debilitating loss of sight. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can generate a limitless source of RPE for cellular therapies, therefore efforts to derive RPE from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to graft into AMD patients are under development. This thesis addresses two of the obstacles that hinder the production of these therapeutical cells. First, to manufacture cells for clinical use, it is desirable for procedures to be performed under defined conditions free of non-human reagents (xeno-free). Therefore, a novel, biomimetic, xeno-free RGD-containing copolymer designed for cell culture was investigated and found to support healthy hESC cultures and permit their differentiation into functional RPE. These stem cells and hESC-RPE demonstrate similar gene expression, protein localization and phagocytic function as cultures grown on a xenogeneic substrate. The second obstacle pertains to the intense time requirement needed to differentiate hESCs into RPE. Therefore, we recapitulated the signaling events during early embryonic development to expedite the production of hESC-RPE from 1-3 months to 14 days. However, this protocol employs full length recombinant growth factors and animal derivatives. These components represent a challenge in employing these cells as therapies due to the risk of exposure to non-human immunogens. Preliminary work to replace the xenogeneic substrate and recombinant growth factors with small molecules is presented. These pilot studies demonstrate that a xeno-free substrate and dual-Smad inhibition via small molecules can rapidly and efficiently differentiate hESCs into a population of cells expressing a pigmentation marker. These studies contribute to the development of defined, xeno-free methods for cellular manufacture which can further the translation of stem cell therapies to the clinic.

Cover page: Xeno-Free Derivation of Retinal Pigmented Epithelium from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Article

[Front Matter]

Chicanx-Latinx Law Review, Volume 33, Issue 1 (2015)

[No abstract]

Article

Residential Energy Usage in Mexico: Structure, Evolution, Environmental Impacts, and Savings Potential

LBL Publications (1993)

Article
Peer Reviewed

Volatile monoterpene ‘fingerprints’ of resinous Protium tree species in the Amazon rainforest

UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2019)

Volatile terpenoid resins represent a diverse group of plant defense chemicals involved in defense against herbivory, abiotic stress, and communication. However, their composition in tropical forests remains poorly characterized. As a part of tree identification, the 'smell' of damaged trunks is widely used, but is highly subjective. Here, we analyzed trunk volatile monoterpene emissions from 15 species of the genus Protium in the central Amazon. By normalizing the abundances of 28 monoterpenes, 9 monoterpene 'fingerprint' patterns emerged, characterized by a distinct dominant monoterpene. While 4 of the 'fingerprint' patterns were composed of multiple species, 5 were composed of a single species. Moreover, among individuals of the same species, 6 species had a single 'fingerprint' pattern, while 9 species had two or more 'fingerprint' patterns among individuals. A comparison of 'fingerprints' between 2015 and 2017 from 15 individuals generally showed excellent agreement, demonstrating a strong dependence on species identity, but not time of collection. The results are consistent with a previous study that found multiple divergent copies of monoterpene synthase enzymes in Protium. We conclude that the monoterpene 'fingerprint' database has important implications for constraining Protium species identification and phylogenetic relationships and enhancing understanding of physiological and ecological functions of resins and their potential commercial applications.