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Hydroelectricity consumption forecast for Pakistan using ARIMA modeling and supply-demand analysis for the year 2030

The amount of electricity generation and its availability to the residents of a country reflects its level of development and economic condition. Water being one of the cheapest and renewable sources of energy, is being used to produce one-quarter of the total electricity production in Pakistan. This article presents a forecasting study of hydroelectricity consumption in Pakistan based on the historical data of past 53 years using Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving-Average (ARIMA) modeling. Based on the developed forecasting equation, the hydroelectricity consumption was predicted up to the year 2030. For validating the reliability of the forecasted data, the results were compared to the actual values which showed good fit with minimum deviation. The forecasted values of hydroelectricity consumption revealed an average annual increment of 1.65% with a cumulative increase of 23.4% up to the year 2030. The results were compared with the hydroelectricity generation plans of the Government of Pakistan for its effectiveness. A sensitivity analysis was also performed to study the relation of hydroelectricity consumption to the annual population and GDP growth rate of the country. The research shall significantly prove to be useful in better planning and management of water resources of Pakistan for future. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins: an update on classification, nomenclature, evolution and resources

Standardized naming systems are essential to integrate and unify distinct research fields, and to link multi-species data within and across kingdoms. We conducted a comprehensive survey of cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins (CRPs) in the dicot model Arabidopsis thaliana and the monocot model rice, noting that the standardized naming system has not been widely adopted in the plant community. We generated a database linking the old classical names to their updated and compliant names. We also explored the sequences, molecular evolution, and structural and functional characteristics of all plant CRP families, emphasizing evolutionarily conserved and plant-specific features through cross-kingdom comparisons. Unlike fungal CRP paralogs that were mainly created by whole-genome duplication (WGD) or retroposition under a concerted evolution mode, plant CRP genes evolved primarily through both WGD and tandem duplications in a rapid birth-and-death process. We also provide a web-based resource (http://www.plantcrp.cn/) with the aim of sharing the latest knowledge on plant CRPs and facilitating the continued development of a standardized framework across the entire community.

Robust Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Lithium in Battery Materials by Center-of-Mass Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

The performance of energy storage materials is often governed by their structure at the atomic scale. Conventional electron microscopy can provide detailed information about materials at these length scales, but direct imaging of light elements such as lithium presents a challenge. While several recent techniques allow lithium columns to be distinguished, these typically either involve complex contrast mechanisms that make image interpretation difficult or require significant expertise to perform. Here, we demonstrate how center-of-mass scanning transmission electron microscopy (CoM-STEM) provides an enhanced ability for simultaneous imaging of lithium and heavier element columns in lithium ion conductors. Through a combination of experiments and multislice electron scattering calculations, we show that CoM-STEM is straightforward to perform and produces directly interpretable contrast for thin samples, while being more robust to variations in experimental parameters than previously demonstrated techniques. As a result, CoM-STEM is positioned to become a reliable and facile method for directly probing all elements within energy storage materials at the atomic scale.

Profiling office workers based on their self-reported preferences of indoor environmental quality and psychosocial comfort at their workplace during COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of office workers were required to conduct their work from home. Little is known about the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) preferences and psychosocial comfort preferences of staff working from home. Therefore this study aimed to cluster office workers working at home based on their self-reported preferences for IEQ and psychosocial comfort at their most used workspace and to identify these preferences and needs of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire was administered to employees of ten offices in the Netherlands, and the 502 respondents were clustered with two models by using TwoStep cluster analysis. The first model was based on variables related to IEQ preferences, while the second was to psychosocial comfort preferences. The analysis revealed four IEQ clusters and six psychosocial comfort clusters. Comparison of these results with other similar studies proposed that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, migraine, and rhinitis, increased for this population during the work-from-home period of the pandemic. Further results suggest that both IEQ and psychosocial comfort preferences are situation- and gender-dependent.

Paths and strategies for sustainable urban renewal at the neighbourhood level: A framework for decision-making

With the rapid process of urbanisation in China, the challenges facing cities with regard to urban fabric, urban function, and human living conditions are enormous. Urban renewal provides opportunities to address these challenges and realise sustainable development. This study proposes a framework for integrating an indicator evaluation system and a decision-making matrix for urban renewal at the neighbourhood level in China; the level at which most development projects take place in a city. The indicator system covers subjective and objective evaluations on different aspects of neighbourhoods to shed light on specific problems and characteristics, namely, social aspects, economic aspects, environmental aspects, land use forms, building conditions, and facility conditions. The decision-making matrix is designed to provide implementation paths and corresponding strategies for urban renewal. The proposed framework was tested using a case study of eight neighbourhoods of Qixinggang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing in China. The results show the status quo and problems of the selected neighbourhoods and specific strategies to address these are subsequently proposed. Via in-depth investigations on various neighbourhoods within a city, decision-makers are capable of locating key areas and adjusting practical approaches from a 'one size fits all' approach to ones that are customised and offer small-scale improvements. The proposed framework can shed light on other empirical cities that possess similar local characteristics.

The long reach of COVID-19: multilateral policy priorities to limit persistent divergences

After a synchronized deep downturn in 2020, an uneven global recovery is underway. Differences in vaccine access and the size of policy support have shaped cross-country divergences in the rebound. The disparities in the strength of recovery are expected to persist into the medium term. A concerted multilateral effort is needed to limit these divergences, including through accelerating global access to vaccines, investing in climate change mitigation and adaptation, and ensuring financially vulnerable economies have access to international liquidity.

Oil Price, Energy Consumption, and CO2 Emissions in Turkey. New Evidence from a Bootstrap ARDL Test

The main objective of this research was to test the effect of oil prices, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, and economic growth on Turkey's carbon emissions by using three co-integration tests, namely, the newly-developed bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) testing technique as proposed by (McNown et al., 2018); the new approach involving the Bayer-Hanck (2013) combined co-integration test; and the H-J (2008) co-integration technique, which induces two dates of structural breaks. The autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), canonical cointegrating regression (CCR), and fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) approaches were utilized to test the long-run interaction between the examined variables. The Granger causality (GC) analysis was utilized to investigate the direction of causality among the variables. The long-run coefficients of ARDL, DOLS, CCR, and FMOLS showed that the oil prices had a negative influence on CO2 emissions in Turkey in the long run. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that non-renewable energy, which includes oil, natural gas, and coal, increased CO2 emissions. In contrast, renewable energy can decrease the environmental pollution. These empirical findings can be attributed to the fact that Turkey is heavily dependent on imported oil; more than 50% of the energy requirement has been supplied by imports. Hence, oil price fluctuations have severe effects on the economic performance in Turkey, which in turn affects energy consumption and the level of carbon emissions. The study suggests that the rate of imported oil in Turkey must be decreased by finding more renewable energy sources for the energy supply formula to avoid any undesirable effects of oil price fluctuations on the CO2 emissions, and also to achieve sustainable development.

Spatio-temporal variations of ecosystem services in the urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China

Increasing human activities have notably altered the compositions of global ecosystems, and consequently the services provided by them. As one of the most important economic functional areas in China, Urban Agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR) has undergone dramatic land use changes due to the rapid urbanization over recent decades. In this study, we utilized a revised proxy-based approach to evaluate ecosystem services value (ESV), applied the ecological contribution degree to quantify the response of ESV to land use change, coupled with RDA to explore the socioeconomic forces of ecosystem services. Our findings showed that land use activities were more intensive during 2010-2018 than that in 2000-2010. The total ESV decreased by $4.58 billion and most of the ecological functions exacerbated due to the expansion of built-up land and the reduction of cultivated land during 2010-2018. Besides, based on RDA result, park green land per capita, population density, and distance from the central city were estimated as the top three frontal factors affecting ESV; yet per capita water consumption was a negative one. Therefore, different development strategies should be adopted along the altitude gradient in UAMRYR. That is to emphasize the protection of permanent cultivated land and the diversification of land composition in low altitude areas, while ecological protection should be strengthened in higher areas. Understanding how ecosystem services respond to LUCC and socioeconomic drivers can help to enhance ecosystem functions and provide a theoretical basis for the construction of ecological civilization of UAMRYR, which may also be applied at the other urban agglomerations around the globe.

Air quality, health impacts and burden of disease due to air pollution (PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O-3): Application of AirQ plus model to the Camp de Tarragona County (Catalonia, Spain)

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact to human health of air pollutants, through the integration of different technics: data statistics (spatial and temporal trends), population attributable fraction using AIRQ+ model developed by the WHO, and burden of disease using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The levels of SO2, NO, NO2, O-3, H2S, benzene, PM10, PM2.5, CO, benzo(a)pyrene and metals, obtained between 2005 and 2017 from the air qualitymonitoring network across Camp de Tarragona County, were temporally and spatially determined. Health impacts were evaluated using the AIRQ+ model. Finally, the burden of disease was assessed through the calculation of Years of Lost life (YLL) and Years Lost due to Disability (YLD). In general terms, air quality was good according to European quality standards, but it did not fulfil the WHO guidelines, especially for O-3, PM10 and PM2.5. Several decreasing (NO, NO2, SO2, PM10 and benzene) and an increasing (O-3) temporal trend were found. Correlation between unemployment rate and air pollutant levels was found, pointing that the economic crisis (2008-2014) was a factor influencing the air pollutant levels. Reduction of air pollutant levels (PM2.5) to WHO guidelines in the Camp de Tarragona County would decrease the adult mortality between 23 and 297 cases per year, which means between 0.5 and 7% of all mortality in the area. In this County, for lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to levels of PM2.5 above the WHO threshold limits, DAYLs were 240 years. This means around 80 DALYs for 100,000 persons every year -between 2005 and 2017. Population attributable fraction (PAF) and burden of disease (DALYs) methodologies are suitable tools for regional and national policymakers, who must take decisions to prevent and to control air pollution and to analyse the cost-effectiveness of interventions. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum (HEARTS): A feasibility test of an online class co-designed and co-taught with autistic people

The Healthy Relationships on the Autism Spectrum class is unique because autistic people helped to develop it and co-taught it. It is an online, six-session class. The class was piloted in 2020-2021 with 55 autistic people who were ages 18-44 years old. This feasibility study found that most people who took the class liked it. Surveys filled out by the students before and after the class showed that they became less sensitive to rejection, used more positive thinking skills, and were more interested in being social. However, the class may not have made them feel less lonely. The team that invented the class is using the feedback to improve it. The class holds promise for improving the quality of friendships and dating relationships for autistic adults and should be tested further.

Recommended dairy intake is associated with healthy dietary habits, better physical fitness, less obesity and a healthier lifestyle profile in school age children

This study aimed to identify the association of recommended dairy intake with several dietary habits, obesity, physical fitness (PF), physical activity (PA), screen time and sleep. Population data were derived from a health survey on a representative sample of 177 091 children aged 8-17 years. Dairy intake and dietary habits were evaluated using questionnaires (KIDMED index). Participants were characterised as 'dairy products consumers' based on whether they met current recommendations for milk or dairy consumption (e.g. if they consumed two yogurts and/or 40 g cheese and a cup of milk daily). Participants who did not consume the above-mentioned quantities were characterised as 'non-consumers.' Anthropometric and PF data were obtained by trained investigators. PA status, screen time and sleeping habits were assessed through self-completed questionnaires. Boys and girls consuming recommended dairy products were 25 % (95 % CI: 0·71, 0·79) and 43 % (95 % CI: 0·51, 0·64) less likely to have low performances in cardiorespiratory fitness tests, Participants from both sexes classified as dairy products consumers had lower odds of central obesity by 10 % (95 % CI: 0·86, 0·95), as compared with non-consumers. Moreover, recommended dairy products consumers had lower odds for insufficient sleep by 8 % (95 % CI: 0·89, 0·96) in boys and 14 % (95 % CI: 0·83-0·90) in girls, for inadequate PA levels by 15 % (95 % CI: 0·77, 0·93) in boys and 16 % (95 % CI: 0·76, 0·90) in girls and for increased screen time by 11 % (95 % CI: 0·83, 0·95) in boys and 9 % (95 % CI: 0·85, 0·97) in girls than no-consumers. In conclusion, recommended dairy intake is associated with less obesity, better PF and a healthier lifestyle profile.

Does cognitive flexibility change the nature of the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey?

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health of the general population worldwide. The study aimed to determine the associations of the intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and cognitive flexibility (CF) with a variety of psychological symptoms and to examine the impact of IU on psychological symptoms through the moderating role of CF. The Brief Symptom Inventory, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12, and Cognitive Control and Flexibility Questionnaire were applied to a sample of 3004 adults living in Turkey. The results of the analysis indicated that CF moderated the effect of IU on psychology symptoms. The slope analysis revealed a weakening association between IU and psychological symptoms with the introduction of a high CF level introduced to the model. The findings highlighted the importance of IU as a potential risk factor for developing psychological symptoms while CF appears as a potential protective factor during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The key players of parthanatos: opportunities for targeting multiple levels in the therapy of parthanatos-based pathogenesis

Parthanatos is a form of regulated cell death involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Parthanatos is a multistep cell death pathway cascade that involves poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) overactivation, PAR accumulation, PAR binding to apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), AIF release from the mitochondria, nuclear translocation of the AIF/macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) complex, and MIF-mediated large-scale DNA fragmentation. All the key players in the parthanatos pathway are pleiotropic proteins with diverse functions. An in-depth understanding of the structure-based activity of the key factors, and the biochemical mechanisms of parthanatos, is crucial for the development of drugs and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we delve into the key players of the parthanatos pathway and reveal the multiple levels of therapeutic opportunities for treating parthanatos-based pathogenesis.

Immunophenotype of the inflammatory response in the central and enteric nervous systems of cockatiels ( Nymphicus hollandicus) experimentally infected with parrot bornavirus 2

Proventricular dilatation disease is a lethal disease of psittacine birds. In this study, we characterized the local cellular immune response in the brain, proventriculus, and small intestine of 27 cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) experimentally infected with parrot bornavirus 2 (PaBV-2). Perivascular cuffs in the brain were composed of CD3+ T-lymphocytes and Iba1+ macrophages/microglia in most cockatiels (n = 26). In the ganglia of the proventriculus, CD3+ T-lymphocytes (n = 17) and Iba1+ macrophages (n = 13) prevailed. The ganglia of the small intestine had a more homogeneous distribution of these leukocytes, including PAX5+ B-lymphocytes (n = 9), CD3+ T-lymphocytes (n = 8), and Iba1+ macrophages (n = 8). Our results indicate that perivascular cuffs in the brain and the inflammatory infiltrate in the proventriculus of PaBV-2-infected cockatiels is predominately composed of T-lymphocytes, while the inflammatory infiltrates in the ganglia of the small intestine are characterized by a mixed infiltrate composed of T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, and macrophages.

Environmental justice and the SDGs: from synergies to gaps and contradictions

Through their synergies, trade-offs, and contradictions, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have the potential to lead to environmental justices and injustices. Yet, environmental justice (EJ), and social justice more broadly, are not currently embedded within the language and spirit of the SDGs. We part from the premise that "many 'environmental' problems are, by their very nature, problems of justice" (Lele, Wiley Interdiscip Rev Water 4:e1224, 2017). We review progress in EJ frameworks in recent years, arguing for the need to move beyond a focus on the four principles of mainstream EJ (distribution, procedure, recognition, and capabilities) towards a more intersectional decolonial approach to environmental justice that recognises the indispensability of both humans and non-humans. EJ frameworks, and the SDGs should recognise power dynamics, complex interactions among injustices, and listens to the different 'senses of justice' and desires of theorists, activists, and other stakeholder from the Global South. We analyze how EJ frameworks are, or fail to be, incorporated in the SDGs with a focus on the food-water-health nexus (SDG2, 3, 6); climate-energy (SDG7, 13), conservation (SDG14, 15); and poverty and inequality (SDG1, 10). We call attention to the 'elephant in the room'-the failure to go beyond GDP but instead include economic growth as a goal (SDG8). We argue that sustainable degrowth and intersectional decolonial environmental justices would create better conditions for the transformative changes needed to reach the broader aim of the SDGs: to leave no one behind.

How do single-family homeowners value residential and commercial density? It depends

This paper develops estimates of the relationship between local density and single-family home values across five U.S. metropolitan areas using 2017 transactions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Seattle. Proposals to build new commercial and residential development projects that would increase local density commonly face opposition from local homeowners. Academic literature links the response from homeowners to concerns that higher density is associated with lower property values but there is limited empirical evidence establishing this relationship at the local level. We find a positive and significant relationship between density and house value in the core area of the five metropolitan regions we analyze. For outlying areas, the estimates are smaller and even negative in several cases. We instrument density based on topographic and soil characteristics and find similar results. These findings point to the need for a more nuanced discussion of the relationship between local density and housing values.

The determinants of environmental quality in the SAARC region: a spatial heterogeneous panel data approach

In recent years, financial development, trade policies, and energy performance have attracted attention due to their behavior on environmental quality. Therefore, the current study examines the impact of financial development, trade openness, primary and renewable energy utilization, and economic growth on the ecological footprint in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries from 1990 to 2017. This article progresses the proficiency of financial development by utilizing the comprehensive and multidimensional index of financial sector development based on their depth, access, and efficiency of their financial institutions and markets. In order to estimate the robust results, this study employed the cross-sectional dependency tests that allow the second-generation unit root, Westerlund cointegration, augmented mean group (AMG), error correction model (ECM), and Dumitrescu-Hurlin (D-H) panel non-causality tests. The results revealed a very weak effect of financial development in a panel of SAARC countries, while country-specific results reveal that financial development significantly enhances the pollution level in the case of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, it improves the environmental quality in Nepal. Furthermore, trade openness only improves the environmental quality in the case of Nepal. Additionally, the findings explore that primary energy consumption enhances the ecological footprint in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and reduces in case of Bhutan. On the contrary, renewable energy consumption significantly improves the environmental quality in all countries except Bangladesh. Finally, consistent with these findings, a number of suitable policy implications are expressed in the angle of SAARC economies.

Resveratrol: A Potential Protector Against Benzo[a]pyrene- Induced Lung Toxicity

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a major component of lipophilic pollutants then can be translated to diffluent substances. The aim of t he present article was to investigate protective activity of resveratrol against lung toxicity induced by B[a]P. Material and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups (6 animals/group): 3 negative control groups, control positive, B[a]P (20 mg kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt., resveratrol (50 mg kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt.)-B[a]P and vitamin C (1 g kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt.)-B[a]P groups. <b>Results:</b> The daily oral administration of the resveratrol (50 mg kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt.) and vitamin C (1 g kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt.) for 30 days to rats treated with B[a]P (20 mg kg<sup></sup><sup>1</sup> b.wt.) resulted in a significant improve plasma cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-C as well as serum TNF-α, TBARS, IL-2,IL-6, haptoglobin, histamine, IgA, Ig E,Ig G and Ig M in B[a]P treated rats. On the other hand oral administration of resveratrol elevated the SOD, GPx and GR gene expression in lung rats treated with B[a]P. Furthermore, resveratrol and vitamin C nearly normalized these effects in lung histoarchitecture. <b>Conclusion:</b> The obtained biochemical, molecular biology and histological results of this study proved the lung protective activity of resveratrol against B[a]P induced lung toxicity in rats.

Environmental impact of biogenic silver nanoparticles in soil and aquatic organisms

Synthetic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are being extensively used in our daily lives; however, they may also pose a risk to public health and environment. Nowadays, biological AgNPs are considered an excellent alternative, since their synthesis occurs by a green technology of low cost and easy scaling. However, studies with these biological nanomaterials (NM) are still limited. Thus, a more careful assessment of their industrial application, economic feasibility and ecotoxicological impacts is crucial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different concentrations of mangrove fungus Aspergillus tubingensis AgNPs on the aerobic heterotrophs soil microorganisms, rice seeds (Oryza sativa) and zebrafish (Danio rerio). Biogenic AgNPs were less harmful for soil microbiota compared to AgNO3. On rice seeds, the AgNPs displayed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on germination and their subsequent growth and development. The percentage of inhibition of rice seed germination was 30, 69 and 80% for 0.01, 0.1 and 0.5 mM AgNPs, respectively. After 24 h of AgNPs exposition at a limit concentration of 0.2 mM, it did not induce mortality of the zebrafish D. rerio. Overall, A. tubingensis AgNPs can be considered as a suitable alternative to synthetic nanoparticles. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the convergence patterns of PM2.5 in Chinese cities

Economic development and ongoing urbanization are usually accompanied by severe haze pollution. Revealing the spatial and temporal evolution of haze pollution can provide a powerful tool for formulating sustainable development policies. Previous studies mostly discuss the differences in the level of PM2.5 among regions, but have paid little attention to the change rules of such differences and their clustering patterns over long periods. Therefore, from the perspective of club convergence, this study employs the log t regression test and club clustering algorithm proposed by Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75(6):1771-1855, 2007. 10.1111/j.1468-0262.2007.00811.x) to empirically examine the convergence characteristics of PM2.5 concentrations in Chinese cities from 1998 to 2016. This study found that there was no evidence of full panel convergence, but supported one divergent group and eleven convergence clubs with large differences in mean PM2.5 concentrations and growth rates. The geographical distribution of these clubs showed significant spatial dependence. In addition, certain meteorological and socio-economic factors predominantly determined the convergence club for each city.

The role of tourism, transportation and globalization in testing environmental Kuznets curve in Malaysia: new insights from quantile ARDL approach

This paper uses the quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) model to analyze the impact of economic growth, tourism, transportation, and globalization on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the Malaysian economy. The QARDL model is employed utilizing quarterly data from 1995Q1 to 2018Q4. The results demonstrate that economic growth is significantly positive with CO2 emissions at lower to upper quantiles. Interestingly, tourism has a negative effect on CO2 emissions at higher quantiles. Moreover, globalization and transportation services are positive, with CO2 emissions at upper-middle to higher quantiles. Furthermore, we tested the environmental Kuznets curve, and the outcomes confirm the presence of the inverted U-shaped curve in the Malaysian economy. The results of this study suggest that ecotourism is beneficial for economic growth in underdeveloped areas; it increases employment opportunities and, thus, achieves a win-win situation for protection and development. The government should encourage the low-carbon development of ecotourism and achieve green development of both tourism and the economy.

Efficient water splitting through solid oxide electrolysis cells with a new hydrogen electrode derived from A-site cation-deficient La0.4Sr0.55Co0.2Fe0.6Nb0.2O3-delta perovskite

Steam splitting using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) is highly attractive for mass production of high-purity hydrogen, while its economic competitiveness strongly relies on the availability of low-cost, active and stable hydrogen electrodes. Here, we report an A-site cation-deficient La0.4Sr0.55Co0.2Fe0.6Nb0.2O3-delta (LSCFN55) perovskite is such a hydrogen electrode for SOEC, exhibiting a high electrolysis current density of 0.956 A/cm(2) with an applied voltage of 1.3 V at 850 degrees C and good stability in a high humidity and hydrogen partial pressure environment. The introduction of A-site cation deficiency into the perovskite oxide lattice of LSCFN55 promotes the exsolution of partial cobalt and iron from the oxide bulk with the formation of Co-2 Fe alloy nanoparticles that decorate the surface of perovskite main phase, simultaneously SrO is segregated to form nanocomposites with the alloy. The outstanding electrocatalytic activity of alloy nanoparticles, the favorable water adsorption capability of SrO, the high oxygen-ion conductivity of the perovskite main phase, and the improved electronic conductivity of the material, cooperatively contribute to the superior performance of the electrode. The strong interaction between the alloy nanoparticles and the perovskite substrate effectively suppresses the sintering of the nanoparticles while the SrO phase protects the alloy nanoparticles from oxidation, both then contribute to the high operating stability of the electrode. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The dynamic nonlinear influence of ICT, financial development, and institutional quality on CO2 emission in Pakistan: new insights from QARDL approach

This novel research is an argumentative subject which was needed to be addressed and to fill this gap, the author examined the effect of financial development, information and communication technology, and institutional quality on CO2 emission in Pakistan by using quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) model. The data were obtained for the period from 1995Q1 to 2018Q4. In the long run, GDP and institutional quality have a positive impact on CO2 emission when this emission is already high, which shows that if the GDP and institutional quality increases, the CO2 emission also increases. Moreover, financial development and ICT has a negative impact on CO2 emission irrespective of emission level that whether it is high or low in the country, which shows that if financial enhancement and ICT increases, carbon emission decreases. The study also supported the EKC hypothesis in Pakistan.

Recent progress in the pig-to-nonhuman primate kidney transplantation model: Report of a symposium

Three excellent presentations at an industry-sponsored symposium at the (virtual) congress of the combined IXA/CTRMS (September 23-25, 2021) were directed to the value and limitations of the pig-to-nonhuman primate (NHP) kidney transplantation model. Daniel Firl and James Markmann provided a meta-analysis comparing the results of kidney allotransplantation and xenotransplantation in NHPs during the past 25 years. Remarkably, the authors had identified 73 published reports that included 910 individual experiments. Although recipient survival after allotransplantation was longer, the superiority over the survival of xenografts was less than anticipated. Given the excellent short- and medium-term results of clinical kidney allotransplantation today, these data provide hope that the results of clinical pig kidney xenotransplantation may prove significantly better than in NHPs. The authors identified several factors that were shown to statistically influence the success or failure of xenotransplantation. Jean Kwun provided valuable information relating to the longstanding question of whether the survival of a pig organ would be jeopardized if transplanted into an allosensitized recipient. He demonstrated that pig kidney transplantation in an HLA-sensitized patient may be at a disadvantage, although multiple genetic engineering of the organ-source pig significantly delayed rejection. In the initial clinical trials, therefore, it would seem wise to exclude any patient with evidence of anti-HLA antibodies. Andrew Adams reported longer survival (>1 year) of Rhesus monkeys with life-supporting pig kidney grafts than has been achieved previously. Although not consistently achieved, these excellent results were obtained with an anti-CD154mAb-based regimen after CD4+ T cell and partial CD20+ B cell depletion. Factors that might have contributed to this success, including the phenotype of the pig, the species of the recipient, the recipient's anti-pig antibody level, and the immunosuppressive regimen, were discussed. Importantly, pig kidney function appeared to be normal in long-term surviving monkeys. Each study contributed to our goal of introducing xenotransplantation into the clinic.

Carbon emission effect of energy transition and globalization: inference from the low-, lower middle-, upper middle-, and high-income economies

The importance of income to environmental sustainability especially in the perspective of economic development has been rigorously examined in recent times. To further deepened the income-environmental sustainability narrative, the current study explore the cases of income-classified countries vis-a-vis the high-income, low-income, lower middle-income, and the upper middle-income countries and territories. As such, the current study examined the impact of renewable energy and fossil fuel energy consumption and globalization on CO(2)emissions over the period of 1970 to 2014 for the case of (1) the panel of income-classified countries and territories and (2) the time series of each of the income-classification. By employing the Pooled Mean Group of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach, the study found that fossil fuel consumption in the panel of examined income classification aggravates environmental hazards in both the short-long run, while the share of renewable energy usage improves the environmental quality only in the short run. Like the renewable energy consumption, globalization exacts negative and positive impacts in the short run and long run, respectively. From the second (time series) approach, the study found that fossil fuel energy worsen the environment in each of the fours income-categorized economies. Similarly, renewable energy usage exerts a significant and desirable impact on the environment in all but one (lower middle income) of the four income-categorized economies. However, globalization observably plays a significant and desirable role only in the lower middle-income economies. Hence, the study posits policy guide in the context of increased diversification of energy portfolio for each of the four income-categorized countries and territories especially the lower middle-income economies.

Measuring and modeling energy resilience

Resilience is a hot topic within the international development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Nowadays, resilience plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life of vulnerable categories and is designed as a major strategy to face the diverse dimensions and dynamics of vulnerability. Energy results among the most relevant fields of applications of resilience policies, especially when it comes to electricity. As a multidimensional concept, energy resilience policies must relate to the dimensions of sustainability - here considered as the interplay between the economic, social, environmental and governance dimensions. Due to the complexity of the phenomenon, energy resilience can be effectively outlined making use of composite indicators techniques. This paper presents the following new results: i) energy resilience is defined and ranked, strengthening a composite indicator for both OECD and non-OECD countries; the determinants of energy resilience are investigated; ii) an innovation on the construction of the World Bank's Regulatory Indicators on Sustainable Energy is operated. Our exercise makes use of an approach based on interval data to assess the sensitivity of the measure from different specifications. For the same scope, the robustness of the ranks obtained is analyzed through an uncertainty analysis. These choices aim to enhance the soundness and the validity of the composite indicator. The methodology provides a more reliable baseline to validate the results and the conceptual assumptions undertaken. It is found that, according to the diverse theoretical frameworks and methodologies applied, some countries vary considerably both in the pillars that aggregate the variables and within the minima, the centers, and the maxima of the intervals.

Estimating environmental efficiency and convergence: 1980 to 2016

Environmental performance assessment has been on the forefront of global economic growth discussions for the past decades. The study of efficiency growth and convergence is important to enable countries to evaluate their uses of inputs and embrace technologies to increase productivity. Using the Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index, this paper investigated the environmental performance of a panel of 104 countries over the period 1980 to 2016. Absolute and conditional beta convergence was analyzed and the possibility of clustering based on the club convergence was also analyzed. The findings show that average global environmental efficiency growth over the period is 1.3%. Convergence in environmental growth is conditional on industrial structure, globalization and energy price. The results also indicate the formation of club clusters in a sub sample of every decade but not in the entire period of study. Policy implications are also suggested. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Biochemical Parameters and Pathomorphological Changes in Rats Receiving Standard and High-Fat Diets during Modeling of Streptozotocin Diabetes

The use of a high-fat diet, along with streptozotocin administration, can provide more profound insight into the mechanism of development of complications in diabetes, as well as their treatment. High-fat diet given over 3 weeks before intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in a dose of 40 mg/kg promoted the appearance of hyperglycemia in Wistar rats. The biochemical analysis of blood serum revealed increased levels of urea, triglycerides, cholesterol, AST, ALT, and concentration of inorganic phosphates and K+ ions in the high-fat diet group in comparison with the control. Both the biochemical analysis of the blood and histological analysis showed more pronounced abnormalities in rats receiving high-fat diet in comparison with animals receiving standard ration. These changes are the early markers for the development of nephropathy, impaired liver function, and microvascular disorders typical of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Protective role of scutellarin on LPS induced - Acute lung injury and regulation of apoptosis, oxidative stress and reduction of mitochondrial dysfunction

Lung fluid accumulation was determined using wet/dry lung mass ratio. Rats subjected to LPS-induced acute lung injury (2.8 ± 0.33, P < 0.05) presented with a significantly higher wet to dry lung weight ration ratio than sham rats (1.6 ± 0.23, P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that acutely inured rats' lungs were oedematous. On the other hand, treatment with scutellarin alone and in combination with a JNK inhibitor, SP600125, both significantly attenuated pulmonary edema as shown via reduced wet/dry lung mass ratios (1.7 ± 0.09 and 1.8 ± 0.23; P < 0.05, respectively). These results showed that the interventions were effective against LPS-induced edema of the lungs. However, the difference between treatment groups' weight ratios was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In the sham control rats, the levels of ROS and SOD production were maintained at a low and at a high concentration, respectively (P < 0.05). However, following LPS infusion, the ROS levels skyrocketed while that of SOD decreased significantly relative to the control rats (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we noted that pre-treatment with scutellarin reduced the ROS levels in LPS-injured rats while the SOD was increased to near control levels (P < 0.05). Moreover, the combined effect of scutellarin and JNK inhibitor SP600125 on the levels of ROS and the SOD activity followed a similar trend to that of scutellarin alone albeit with a lower magnitude of change. Our results also showed that the combinatorial treatment was not significantly different from scutellarin alone in terms of influence on the levels of ROS production and SOD activity (P > 0.05). The effect of Scutellarin on broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytokine secretion The expression of interleukins-1β, -18 and -6 in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid were significantly upregulated by LPS infusion (P < 0.05). The rise was, however, attenuated via pre-treatment with scutellarin only or in conjunction with SP600125, a JNK inhibitor (all P < 0.05). On the contrary, we observed that LPS injection caused a reduction of interlekins -4 and -10 secreted in the BALF. Pre-treatment with scutellarin alone (P < 0.05) and not in combination with SP600125 or SP600125 was able to significantly reverse this noted down-regulation (all P > 0.05).

Clinical and Radiological Factors Affecting Thoracolumbar Fractures Outcome: WFNS Spine Committee Recommendations

To obtain a list of recommendations about clinical and radiological factors affecting outcome in thoraco-lumbar fractures with the aim of helping spine surgeons in daily practice. A systematic literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar database was done from 2010 to 2020 on the topic "thoracolumbar fracture AND radiology AND surgical outcomes" and "thoracolumbar fracture AND radiology AND surgical outcomes." A total of 58 papers were analyzed and WFNS (World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies) Spine Committee organized 2 consensus meetings to formulate the specific recommendations the first in Peshawar in December 2019 and in a subsequent virtual meeting in June 2020 to reach an agreement. Both meetings utilized the Delphi method to analyze preliminary literature review statements based on the current evidence levels to generate recommendations through a comprehensive voting session. Eight statements were presented and reached the consensus about this topic. A variety of clinical factors is known to influence outcome of patients with thoracolumbar fractures. Some of these are well-known established factors such as blood pressure augmentation and patient age, while some are not well studied. Overall, the quality of evidence is low and we need more randomized controlled studies to validate our results. Similarly, radiological factors that can predict outcome are well stated and there is a high accordance worldwide. In reverse, still under debate is the application to choose which surgical treatment is advisable based on them.

Comparative analysis of drivers of energy consumption in China, the USA and India - A perspective from stratified heterogeneity

With the limited amount of resources, developing effective strategies to make full use of them and decrease the energy consumption without too much sacrifice of economic output requires identifying key drivers of energy consumption growth rate as a prerequisite. Meanwhile, as top three consumers of primary energy of the world, China, the United States of America, and India burn over 45% of global fuels in 2016. Conducting an empirically comparative analysis of them can also set up pilot scheme for other economies to develop more efficient strategies for energy consumption. The paper modified the original Geographical Detector model with a different sampling method to detect the key driver of energy consumption growth rate, which filling the gap that there are possible interactions of potential factors. The results show that coal intensity is the biggest driver to change overall energy consumption growth rate in China and India. In comparison, for the United States, the leading drivers of energy use are the factors of individual incomes and oil intensity. In addition, all factors have interactions and enhance each other when influencing total energy consumption growth rate. India has the strongest factor interactions when influencing the energy consumption growth rate among the three economies, all interactions between factors in US is not significant as those in China and India. Besides providing outcomes that can contribute towards developing new strategies to use energy more efficiently, this research offers a pilot example of analyzing energy issues from the perspective of stratified heterogeneity in consideration the characteristic differences of each factor. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prediction of chlorophenols adsorption on activated carbons by representative pores method

The specification of a particular activated carbon adsorbents for removal of phenol and related derivatives, from dilute aqueous solutions, is still based on lengthy trial and error experimental tests. A predictive model of adsorption of these compounds would considerably reduce the carbon selection time and could also bring new information to support more efficient carbon synthesis. The use of molecular simulation and the methodology of representative pores proved to be adequate for quantitative prediction of phenol adsorption. Here the methodology is being extended to chlorophenols, an important class of phenol-derived pollutants. A set of ortho- and para-chlorophenol isotherms were simulated for different representative pores in order to predict carbon adsorption and determine the most significative pore size. At low concentrations (1 × 10-4 mol/L), the pores of 8.9 and 18.5 Å are the most effective. For concentrations above 3 × 10-4 mol/L, pores in the range of 27.9 Å must be present in the activated carbon. The simulation predicts a step for the 27.9 Å pore that can be correlated with experimental steps in literature. Finally, the adsorption isotherms of chlorophenols for other activated carbons were predicted with the help of the model.

Urban heat stress and human health in Bangkok, Thailand

Heat stress has been recognized as one of the consequences of climate change in urban areas. Its adverse effects on the urban population range from economy, social, environment, and human health. With the increasing urbanization and economic development in cities, heat stress is expected to worsen. This particular study aims to achieve two objectives: (1) to understand the determinants of heat stress, especially the roles of the urban environment in exacerbating the heat stress, and (2) to explore the effects of heat stress to human health using self-reported health assessment. We employed a cross-sectional study using a survey questionnaire from 505 respondents living in the urban area of Bangkok, Thailand. We found that socioeconomic conditions of the individual and urban environment were significant determinants of urban heat stress. Low-income urban populations living in high-density areas with less green open space were more likely to experience heat stress. We also found that heat stress significantly affects human health. Those who reported a higher level of heat stress were more likely to have adverse health and well-being outcomes. The findings suggest that the increased risk of heat stress represents a major problem in the Bangkok, Thailand. It is necessary to address heat stress in adaptation policy and measures at the city levels amid the continued increase of global temperature and climate change.

Antiplatelet therapy in cardiovascular disease: Current status and future directions

Antiplatelet medications remain a cornerstone of therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In primary prevention (patients with cardiovascular risk factors but no documented events, symptoms or angiographic disease), there is little evidence of benefit of any antiplatelet therapy, and such therapy carries the risk of excess bleeding. Where there is documented disease (secondary prevention), stable patients benefit from long-term antiplatelet monotherapy, aspirin being first choice in those with coronary heart disease and clopidogrel in those with cerebrovascular disease; moreover, recent evidence shows that low-dose rivaroxaban in combination with aspirin confers added benefit, in patients with stable cardiovascular and peripheral arterial disease. In patients with acute cerebrovascular disease, aspirin combined with clopidogrel reduces subsequent risk, while in acute coronary syndrome, dual antiplatelet therapy comprising aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor (clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor) confers greater protection than aspirin monotherapy, with prasugrel and ticagrelor offering greater antiplatelet efficacy with faster onset of action than clopidogrel. Although greater antiplatelet efficacy is advantageous in preventing thrombotic events, this must be tempered by increased risk of bleeding, which may be a particular issue in certain patient groups, as will be discussed. We will also discuss possible future approaches to personalisation of antiplatelet therapy.

Morphological and immunohistochemical characterization and molecular classification of spontaneous mammary gland tumors in macropods

Mammary gland neoplasms in macropods are uncommonly reported, and the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics are incompletely described. The goal of this study was to describe the morphologic features of macropod mammary neoplasms and to determine the molecular subtypes of mammary carcinomas using a panel of antibodies against estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2), p63, smooth muscle actin (SMA), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Biopsy and necropsy specimens were examined from 21 macropods with mammary tumors submitted to Northwest ZooPath from 1996 to 2019. In accordance with the histologic classification of canine mammary tumors proposed by Goldschmidt and colleagues, tubulopapillary (2), tubular (10), and comedo-carcinomas (2), adenoma (1), lobular hyperplasia (3), fibroadenomatous hyperplasia (1), and mastitis (2) were diagnosed. Red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus) were most commonly diagnosed with mammary carcinomas (79% of all carcinomas). Seven carcinomas had lymphovascular invasion and 2 also had pulmonary metastases. Six of these 7 carcinomas were classified as grade 3. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for all antibodies was performed on 9/14 carcinomas, and partial IHC was performed for 3 cases. All 12 carcinomas were immunoreactive for PR, 5 for ER, 9 for EGFR, and none for Her-2. Five of the 9 mammary carcinomas with complete IHC data were classified as luminal A subtype, and 4 were normal-like subtype. Accurate classification of mammary tumors in macropods based on morphology, immunohistological characteristics, and molecular subtype may be helpful in guiding clinical management, prognosis, and potential therapeutic targets.

[Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health inequalities and mental health: effective public policies]

The aim of this article is to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health inequalities and mental disorders and to analyse the most effective public policies in containing them. COVID-19, in addition to causing the worst health crisis since World War II, has generated a severe economic recession and a rise in unemployment. The poorer socioeconomic classes have been most affected by infections and deaths caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus due to inequalities in working, housing and area of ​​residence conditions, psychosocial factors, and unequal access to health care. The pandemic crisis, in addition to causing psychiatric and neurological problems in people who have been hospitalized, appears to have increased the risk of psychological problems through various mechanisms such as social distancing, loss of a loved one, unemployment, and economic difficulties. In many countries, however, there was no significant increase in suicides in 2020 and there have even been decreasing temporal trends. It is possible that the crisis, in addition to creating stress and social isolation, may have promoted reciprocity, interpersonal help, and greater motivation to take care of one's health.The most effective policies in reducing COVID-19 mortality have the potential to limit the most adverse effects of the pandemic on health inequalities and mental health. Thanks to vigorous preventive interventions on the territory, based on testing, tracing, isolating, timely, countries who managed best the pandemic avoided prolonged and repeated lockdowns, protected public health and the economy. However, more vigorous social protection measures are needed in favour of those populations most affected by the health crisis and its socioeconomic effects. This pandemic offers the opportunity to learn lessons on the protection of public health and stress the need to adopt a syndemic model oriented towards prevention.

Thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analysis of a novel ammonia-water mixture combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) cycle

In this research, a new ammonia-water mixture CCHP system driven by a LTHS is proposed which is a modified version of a Kalina cycle. Feasibility investigation of the recommended system is studied based on thermodynamic and thermoeconomic balance equations for performance assessment of thermal systems. the energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and overall unit product cost are computed 49.83%, 27.68%, and 198.3 $/GJ, respectively. Also, condenser 2 is characterized as the main contributor to irreversibility of the recommended trigeneration system by exergy destruction ratio of 32.03%. Moreover, a thorough sensitivity study is carried out to attain higher energy efficiency by raising the evaporation temperature and basic NH3 concentration or by reducing the separators pressure, heating unit temperature, and terminal temperature difference (TTD) of vapour generator. From exergy perspective, it is figured out that higher exergy efficiency may be achieved by raising the separator 1 pressure, and TTD of vapour generator or by reducing the separator 2 pressure, evaporation temperature, heating unit temperature, and basic NH3 concentration. Also, it is proven that the overall cost of the cycle can be peaked with evaporation temperature, while can be maximized with separator 1 pressure and basic ammonia concentration. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of the Neurons, Astrocytes and Particle-Wave Duality in Conventional Electromagnetic Field, Plasma Brain Dynamics and Quantum Brain Dynamics

The brain is regarded as the most complex anatomical structure in the human body that executes various functions. The electromagnetic brainwaves or energy with its discrete network is commonly thought of as the sole contributor to various brain functions. However, the discrete pattern of the brain network seems insufficient to explain consciousness, binding problems in neural communication, brain heat, psychiatric manifestations and higher-order of thinking. Therefore, it seems that the brain must possess additional energy for it to have a much higher degree of functional freedom. Plasma brain dynamics (PBD) and quantum brain dynamics (QBD) are two hypothetical brain energies that have a strong scientific basis to exist together with the conventional brain electromagnetic energy. The presence of these energies may explain the puzzling brain functions, thus creating an opportunity to correct any abnormalities arising from them.

Power-to-methane, coupling CO2 capture with fuel production: An overview

This paper provides a revision of the latest studies on the topic methanation, a multi-stage process where water is first converted into hydrogen in an electrolyzer, which subsequently reacts with carbon dioxide to produce methane. The present and future of the most common water electrolysis technologies is addressed. Critical issues to take into consideration when selecting a carbon dioxide source are evaluated. Chemical and biological approaches, together with photocatalytic configurations are discussed, analyzing pros and cons in all the cases. This paper also highlights the extensive work being done in the development of catalysts capable of selectively converting carbon dioxide into methane, as well as the different reactor configurations that can be used with this aim in any of the available methanation modalities. Relevant power-to-methane plants in Europe have been identified and assessed regarding their location, year of commissioning, capacity, technology for electrolysis and methanation type. Finally, cost issues are analyzed, highlighting economic perspectives of the power-to-methane technologies for the next decades. This document reviews all the key elements associated with the methanation process, revealing which aspects can pave the way for the large-scale implementation of this power generation model. In this sense, the gradual cost reduction of the equipment involved and the continuous increase in the efficiency of the processes are revealed as crucial aspects that can lead to a general implementation of the methanation concept on the way to a low carbon economy.

BIM-based techno-economic assessment of energy retrofitting residential buildings in hot humid climate

Buildings in hot humid climates are energy intensive to operate. Energy consumption in Saudi Arabia is almost three times higher than the global average, and one of the major contributors to that is the residential sector. Increasing environmental and economic concerns, in the form of Saudi Vision 2030, mean that the existing unsustainable residential building stock has to be energy retrofitted. This study examines the techno-economic feasibility of retrofitting existing homes in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. A Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based retrofit framework has been adopted and investigated on two case studies. Eight Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) have been implemented including increasing cooling set point temperature, using energy efficient appliances, replacing conventional lights with more efficient lights, applying window shading, improving glazing type, improving air tightness, using more efficient air conditioning system, and adding envelope insulation. A three-level energy retrofit plan is proposed. Results indicate that annual energy consumption in a villa is reduced by 13.79%, 19.27% and 56.9%, and in the apartment building by 22.84%, 28.85% and 58.5% through a level 1, 2 and 3 retrofit respectively. Compound Payback Period (CPP) was computed to assess the economic viability. For the villa, investing in a level 1, 2 and 3 retrofit will pay back in 0.92, 8.37 and 25.15 years respectively, while for the apartment building, the payback period is 0.60, 11.28 and 24.60 years respectively. Thus, energy retrofitting of existing homes has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption, however, it is economically not viable in the existing scenario. Electricity tariffs need to be further increased and coupled with incentive programs to render deep energy retrofits feasible. Furthermore, the investigated BIM-based approach can be adopted to investigate energy retrofitting in other climate zones of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, and eventually be adopted to efficiently effectuate the colossal task of retrofitting the whole existing residential building stocks of these countries. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Climate change vulnerability, water resources and social implications in North Africa

North Africa is considered a climate change hot spot. Existing studies either focus on the physical aspects of climate change or discuss the social ones. The present article aims to address this divide by assessing and comparing the climate change vulnerability of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia and linking it to its social implications. The vulnerability assessment focuses on climate change exposure, water resources, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The results suggest that all countries are exposed to strong temperature increases and a high drought risk under climate change. Algeria is most vulnerable to climate change, mainly due to the country's high sensitivity. Across North Africa, the combination of climate change and strong population growth is very likely to further aggravate the already scarce water situation. The so-called Arab Spring has shown that social unrest is partly caused by unmet basic needs of the population for food and water. Thus, climate change may become an indirect driver of social instability in North Africa. To mitigate the impact of climate change, it is important to reduce economic and livelihood dependence on rain-fed agriculture, strengthen sustainable land use practices, and increase the adaptive capacity. Further, increased regional cooperation and sub-national vulnerability assessments are needed.

The concept of the invisible radiologist in the era of artificial intelligence

The radiologists were traditionally working in the background. What upgraded them as physicians during the second half of the past century was their clinical training and function precipitated by the evolution of Interventional Radiology and Medical Imaging, especially with ultrasonography. These allowed them to participate in patient's diagnosis and treatment by direct contact as well asvia multidisciplinary medical consultations. The wide application of teleradiology and PACS pushed radiologists back again which is no longer acceptable, especially in view of the amazing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in Radiology. It is our belief that clinical radiologists have to be able to control the penetration of AI in Radiology, securing their work for the benefit of both clinicians and patients.

Impact of two waves of Sars-Cov2 outbreak on the number, clinical presentation, care trajectories and survival of patients newly referred for a colorectal cancer: A French multicentric cohort study from a large group of university hospitals

The SARS-Cov2 may have impaired care trajectories, patient overall survival (OS), tumor stage at initial presentation for new colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. This study aimed at assessing those indicators before and after the beginning of the pandemic in France. In this retrospective cohort study, we collected prospectively the clinical data of the 11.4 million of patients referred to the Greater Paris University Hospitals (AP-HP). We identified new CRC cases between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020, and compared indicators for 2018-2019 to 2020. pTNM tumor stage was extracted from postoperative pathology reports for localized colon cancer, and metastatic status was extracted from CT-scan baseline text reports. Between 2018 and 2020, 3602 and 1083 new colon and rectal cancers were referred to the AP-HP, respectively. The 1-year OS rates reached 94%, 93% and 76% for new CRC patients undergoing a resection of the primary tumor, in 2018-2019, in 2020 without any Sars-Cov2 infection and in 2020 with a Sars-Cov2 infection, respectively (HR 3.78, 95% CI 2.1-7.1). For patients undergoing other kind of anticancer treatment, the percentages are 64%, 66% and 27% (HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-3.3). Tumor stage at initial presentation, emergency level of primary tumor resection, delays between the first multidisciplinary meeting and the first anticancer treatment did not differ over time. The SARS-Cov2 pandemic has been associated with less newly diagnosed CRC patients and worse 1-year OS rates attributable to the infection itself rather than to its impact on hospital care delivery or tumor stage at initial presentation.

Comparison of gas turbine inlet air cooling systems for several climates in Iran using energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) analyses

The effects are investigated of using absorption chiller, heat pump, and inlet fogging systems for cooling the inlet air of a gas turbine power plant for four cities in Iran representative of different climatic conditions, namely Yazd (hot-arid), Bandar Abbas (hot-humid), Ardabil (cold-humid) and Sari (humid subtropical). Gas turbine functional parameters, quantities of emitted pollutants, prices of generated electricity and capital cost payback periods are determined. The rates of pollutants produced and fuel consumption are considered per unit of electricity generated. The results show that the best cooling system for cities with hot climates is the absorption chiller; it improves gas turbine net power by 18% in Bandar Abbas and 14% in Yazd, the energy efficiency by 5.8% in Bandar Abbas and 5.5% in Yazd, and the exergy efficiency by 2.5% in Bandar Abbas and 1.5% in Yazd. Inlet air cooling reduces NOx pollutant emissions by 60% in Bandar Abbas and 53% in Yazd and reduces electricity generated costs by 6.5% and 6.0% in Bandar Abbas and Yazd respectively. The inlet fogging system performs well only in arid regions. The most appropriate type of cooling system must be selected based on specific objectives (such as increasing power or reducing fuel consumption or reducing pollutants). In cold regions such as Ardabil, where cooling system is used only for a limited period, the heat pump system is suitable because of its low initial investment cost.

A novel hybrid model for forecasting crude oil price based on time series decomposition

Oil price forecasting has received a prodigious attention by scholars and policymakers due to its significant effect on various economic sectors and markets. Incentivized by this issue, the author proposes a novel hybrid model for crude oil price forecasting whose focus is on improving the accuracy of prediction taking into consideration the characteristics existing in the oil price time series. In so doing, the author constitutes a hybrid model consisting of complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition, support vector machine, particle swarm optimization, and Markov-switching generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity to capture the nonlinearity and volatility of the time series more effectively. Mean absolute error, root mean square error, and mean absolute percentage error tests are used to measure forecasting errors. Results robustness and forecasting quality of the proposed hybrid model compared with counterparts are also investigated by Diebold-Mariano test. Finally, empirical results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid model outperforms other models.

Caregiving in a Pandemic: COVID-19 and the Well-Being of Family Caregivers 55+ in the United States

Little is known about the effects of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on older family caregivers. Using data from a national sample of 2,485 U.S. adults aged ≥55, we aimed to describe the magnitude of disruptions to family care arrangements during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associations between these disruptions and the mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-rated health) and employment outcomes (job loss or furlough, hours or wages reduced, transition to work-from-home) of family caregivers. We found that COVID-19 disrupted over half of family caregiving arrangements, and that care disruptions were associated with increased depression, anxiety, and loneliness among caregivers, compared with both noncaregivers and caregivers who did not experience disruptions. Family caregivers who experienced pandemic-related employment disruptions were providing more care than caregivers who did not experience disruptions. These findings highlight the impact of the pandemic on an essential and vulnerable health care workforce.

Diversity of rabies virus detected in Inner Mongolia, China, 2019-2021

Rabies is a serious public health issue in China, with over 95% of human infections transmitted by dogs. As part of a routine surveillance carried out in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) between 2019 and 2021, 80 of 95 suspected rabies cases in domestic animals (dogs, livestock) and wild carnivores (foxes, badgers, a raccoon dog) were confirmed as rabies virus (RABV) positive. Phylogenetic analysis of RABVs of the 80 cases based on complete N genes showed that 97.5% (78/80) of the virus strains belonged to the Cosmopolitan (steppe-type) clade, with one in each of Arctic-related (AL2) and Asian (SEA1) clades. The data show that infected foxes have become a major transmission source of rabies in China, second only to dogs, and play a pivotal role in animal rabies epizootics in the north and northwest of the country. The recent spread of fox rabies to other animal species presents an increasing threat to public health and emphasizes the importance of animal rabies surveillance.

WHO informal consultation on regulatory considerations for evaluation of the quality, safety and efficacy of RNA-based prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases, 20-22 April 2021

This paper presents the key outcomes of the above WHO informal consultation with global stakeholders including regulatory authorities, vaccine developers and manufacturers, academia and other international health organizations and institutions involved in the development, evaluation and use of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. The aim of the consultation was to further clarify the main principles to be presented in an upcoming WHO guidance document on the regulatory considerations in evaluating the quality, safety and efficacy of mRNA prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases. This WHO guidance document is intended to facilitate global mRNA vaccine development and regulatory convergence in the assessment of such vaccines. The urgent need to develop such a document as a new WHO written standard is outlined in this report along with the key scientific and regulatory challenges. A number of key conclusions are provided at the end of this report along with an update on the steps taken following this meeting.

Examining effects of climate change and land use dynamic on biophysical and economic values of ecosystem services of a natural reserve region

Ecosystem Service Valuation (ESV) is a process of evaluating and quantifying the monetary values of ESs and their functions. Using both biophysical and spatially explicit integrated models, biophysical and monetary values of key Ecosystem Services (ESs) were estimated in the Sundarbans Biosphere Region (SBR), India. Quantification was made both in time series (1982-2017) and individual years (1973, 1988, 2003, 2013, 2018, 2025, 2035, 2045) to understand the impact of climate change and land-use dynamics on the long-term ecological status of the region. The monetary and biophysical values of the ESs were then obtained from Net Primary Productivity (NPP) models, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST), and Cellular Automata Markov Chain Model (CA-Markov). NPP increased significantly during the first half period (1982-1999), but significantly declined during the second period (2000-2017). The highest estimated ESVs (US$ ha(-1)) was found for habitat service (30780), nutrient cycling (12626), and gas regulation (7224.81), whereas, lower ESVs were approximated for water regulation (347.81), raw material production (777.82) and waste treatment (13.57) services. Among the nine ESs evaluated, climate regulation, gas regulation, and disturbance regulation were the most important regulating services of the SBR. The combined effects of climate change and land-use dynamics on ESs are much stringent in a vulnerable region like the SBR. Most of the regulating services were closely associated with the fluctuation of land use land cover input. Thus, land management policies and land reform strategies that will encourage the conversion of productive land, especially the highly productive mangrove forest, for the development or any other financial benefits, would disturb the ideal human-nature balance of this ecosystem. The outcomes of this study also provide an important reference to the land administrators, researchers, and decision-makers to comprehend the expected socialecological juxtaposition in a protected natural reserve region like the Sundarbans. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of renewable energy on carbon emissions and economic growth in 15 major renewable energy-consuming countries

Closing the gap between carbon emissions and economic development is one of the solutions for reaching the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The role of renewable energy in rebalancing environmental and economic conditions is becoming a significant subject of some debates in the current discussion circles. Hence, the main purpose of this article is to use both growth and environmental functions to demonstrate the effectiveness of renewable energy in promoting economic growth and mitigating carbon emissions in the case of 15 major renewable energy-consuming countries using both fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and vector error correction model (VECM) estimation techniques. The results of the FMOLS method show the efficiency of renewable energy in increasing economic growth and reducing carbon emissions. We also find, from the VECM Granger causality test, that there is (i) a bidirectional causality between economic growth and renewable energy inshort- and long-run for both estimated functions, validating the feedback hypothesis; (ii) no causal relationship between CO2 emissions and renewable energy in the long-run, but a bidirectional causality between the two variables is found in the short-run; (iii) a bidirectional relationship between economic growth and CO2 emissions is found in both short and long-run. Policy and practical implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of ecological security pattern of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration based on LUCC simulation

In the past four decades, China has achieved tremendous economic success, but it has also faced serious ecological security (ES) problems. The land use/cover change (LUCC) plays a decisive role in the issue of ES. LUCC and ES evaluation were combined by predicting the change in land use and simulating ES pattern. Taking the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PRD) as the study area, the temporal changes of land use were predicted by the CA-Markov model, and the land use pattern in three different scenarios in 2025 was simulated. Based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model, the ES evaluation of the PRD in 2005, 2010 and 2015 was carried out, and the safety level dropped from 75.39% to 66.67% in this period. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed by the GeoDA to reflect the dynamic of ES pattern of the PRD, which suggested that there is greater heterogeneity within the PRD, and the homogenous sub-region continues to increase. Through change the transition probability among different land use types, three scenarios were set: Inertial development, Over expansion, and Ecological protection scenario, which showed that the expansion of construction land (accounting for 18.58%, 20.12% and 17.93% respectively) must occupy agricultural and forest lands and lead to decrease on ES level, the safety level are accounting for 79.07%, 78.30% and 79.95% in the three scenarios respectively. The ES pattern of the PRD was described, the central sub-region of the PRD with high urbanization have relative low ES, and the periphery sub-regions with good ecological order have high ES level, there are more than 63.59% and less than 4.06% of unsafety level of Dongguan and Zhaoqing respectively, which are both the representative city of these two sub-regions. Based on the spatial-temporal dynamic of urban ES, the optimized ES pattern of the PRD was proposed, three eco-functional zones were determined: ecological conservation zone, living environment guarantee zone and ecological restoration zone. The eco-functional zones have defined the leading ecological functions of each sub-region and could gradually improve the integrity and connectivity of the entire ecosystem of the PRD, which provides valuable knowledge for understanding and planning regional city management.

The waste treatment and recycling efficiency of industrial waste processing based on two-stage data envelopment analysis with undesirable inputs

Achieving a resource-conserving and environment friendly supply chain while pursuing economic development has always been the goal of countries across the world. As an emerging industrial nation, China is battling serious environmental problems. While there have been efforts to address waste processing, researchers are now interested in gauging the efficiency of waste treatment policies. We built a two-stage data envelopment analysis model with undesirable input to assess the efficiency of recycle treating and industrial waste reuse, including wastewater, waste gas and solid wastes in China. Our model is based on a circular economy structure that proposed by Environmental Protection Institute of China. The proposed method can serve as evaluation tool for the government policy in China as well as other emerging economy. We collected the data during the critical environmental policy enforcement period: the 11th five-year plan (from 2006 to 2010). We also analyze the waste treatment efficacy for the solid waste in the 11th and 12th five-year plan period (from 2011 to 2015). In contrast to earlier studies that have mainly focused on pollution disposal efficiency, this work takes both pollution and resource attributes of waste into consideration. The results revealed that integrated efficiency of industrial waste processing system was stable over five years. It also showed that efficiency at the pollution disposal stage was higher than that at the resources reuse stage, and contributed more to overall efficiency. We also find that the efficiency of the pollution and disposal of the solid waste improved during the 11th and 12th five-year plan. Further, the study reveal that the pollution disposal stage shows a similar trend as the integrated system, while the resources reuse stage does not. Finally, it also displays that there are three efficient development modes, namely, balanced, ecosystem, and coordinate development modes. In discussion, we provide benchmarks from developed countries for different development mode. We also point out other emerging countries that can benefit from our research by identifying their development mode and formulating their environmental policy based on these benchmarks in the future. (c) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dimensional characteristics of the major types of amphibole mineral particles and the implications for carcinogenic risk assessment

Context: Though some significant advances have been made in recent decades to evaluate the importance of size and morphology (habit) of elongate mineral particles (EMPs), further research is needed to better understand the role of each dimensional metric in determining the levels of cancer potency.Objective: To determine dimensional parameters most relevant for predicting cancer potency of durable elongate particles, specifically amphibole and durable silicate minerals generally.Methods: A database on dimensional and other relevant characteristics of elongate amphibole mineral particles was created, containing particle-by-particle information for 128 099 particles. Integral statistical characteristics on dimensionality of various amphibole types and morphological habits of EMPs were calculated, compared, and correlated with published mesothelioma and lung cancer potency factors.Results: The highest absolute Pearson correlation (r = 0.97, r2 = 0.94, p < 0.05) was achieved between mesothelioma potency (RM) and specific surface area. The highest correlation with adjusted lung cancer potency was found with particle aspect ratio (AR) (r = 0.80, r2 = 0.64, p < 0.05). Cluster analysis demonstrates that fractions of thin fibers (width less than 0.15 and 0.25 µm) also closely relate both to lung cancer and RM. Asbestiform and non-asbestiform populations of amphiboles significantly differ by dimensionality and carcinogenic potency.Conclusions: Dimensional parameters and morphological habits of EMPs are the main drivers for the observable difference in cancer potency among amphibole populations.

Genetic characterization of influenza A virus subtypes H11N6, H11N7, and H11N9 isolated from free-grazing ducks, Thailand

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) infect avian species and several mammalian species including humans. Anseriformes water birds are an important reservoir of IAVs. In this study, we identified and characterized IAV subtypes H11N6 (n = 5), H11N7 (n = 3), and H11N9 (n = 3) isolated during the influenza surveillance program in free-grazing ducks from 2012 to 2015 in Thailand. Eleven IAV-H11 viruses were characterized by either whole genome sequencing (n = 5) or HA and NA gene sequencing (n = 6) for phylogenetic and amino acid analyses. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Thai IAV-H11 were grouped into Avian Eurasian lineage. Amino acid analysis showed that all Thai IAV-H11 viruses have low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) characteristics and sensitive to Oseltamivir and Amantadine. Novel reassortant viruses (IAV-H11N7 and IAV-H11N9) have been observed. The reassortant viruses contained NP, M, and NS gene segments which originate from intercontinental sources which never been reported in Thai IAVs. In summary, this study demonstrated high genetic diversity of IAV-H11 circulating in free-grazing ducks. Free-grazing ducks infected with IAVs generated novel reassortant IAV-H11. Thus, surveillance of IAVs in free-grazing ducks should be routinely conducted to monitor novel reassortant viruses and subsequently potential virulence viruses.

Techno-economic evaluation of indirect carbonation for CO2 emissions capture in cement industry: A system dynamics approach

CO2 emissions in the cement industry account for about 8% of the total CO2 emissions worldwide. They mainly originate from limestone calcination and fossil fuel combustion in clinker production. To avoid the 2 degrees C increase in global temperature compared with the pre-industrial global temperature, which was proposed in the COP21 agreement in 2015, the cement industry should reduce CO2 emissions by 24%. Thus, this study evaluates an indirect carbonation CO2 capture and utilization technology for CO2 emissions abatement in the clinker production. The indirect carbonation process was assessed using different hydroxides (Na, Ba, and Ca) as absorbent precursors. Technical evaluation shows that the carbonation process using Na and Ba hydroxides was feasible between 50 and 70 degrees C, with CO2 capture efficiencies of 98% and 65%, respectively. On the contrary, the Ca-based process only obtained an efficiency of 0.5% due to the low solubility of Ca(OH)(2) in water, resulting in technical impracticality. The estimated costs of CO2 capture for Na and Ba processes were assessed at 65 and 140 USD/t CO2, respectively. Moreover, the economic impact of implementing the CO2 capture carbonation technology in a cement plant and the effect of market and governmental conditions on the overall cement plant cashflow were analyzed by integrating technical results and economic evaluation in a system dynamics model. This model was developed to appraise the overall economic impact of CO2 capture on a referential cement plant profits under different market scenarios and a CO2 tax economic policy. System dynamics results showed that market factors, such as the carbonate demand, limit the CO2 capture potential of the indirect carbonation technology. Moreover, it was noticed that the implementation of the NaOH and Ba(OH)(2) carbonation technologies reduces cement plant profits by 55% and 5%, respectively, when CO2 emissions were reduced by 65% in both scenarios. Furthermore, the application of a CO2 tax between 20 and 80 USD/t CO2 emitted will encourage the implementation of CO2 capture technologies, with the aim to reduce its emissions by 24% via cement plants. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social media user's knowledge on soil plant relationship in Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to investigate the soil-plant relationship by looking at knowledge levels of social media users. The study examined the relationship between the users' characteristics and their knowledge on soil-plant relationship. Online survey was designed and distributed to gather the data. The number of response was received from 383 respondents where 375 participants provided completed information and the remaining eight responses were eliminated due to quality standards. The results show most of the participants (68.8%) are moderately depend on social media to acquire knowledge on soil-plant relationship and indicated "Twitter" as the highly utilized platform followed by the "Youtube". Meanwhile, 48.8% of the participants indicated that social media have a high impact on their knowledge-based information on soil-plant relationship and agricultural contents. Inferential analysis shows there was a significant positive relationship (p < 0.01) between independent variables; Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and Snapchat and the degree of trust on these platforms, and the level's knowledge on soil-plant relationship (dependent variable). Only 13% of the variance accounted for the impact of social media on participants' agricultural knowledge-base can be predicted from the combination of participants' reliance on a set of social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and Snapchat). The study revealed the trust and confidence of the users using social media on agricultural information/soil plant relationship had a medium effect in social and educational research.

Empirical generalizations in eco-innovation: A meta-analytic approach

Although discussions on eco-innovation are ongoing and the concept is evolving, its central idea is highly stimulating. Thus, a great number of studies has been conducted in recent years around the world based on different perspectives, contexts and outcomes. Therefore, the identification and analysis of factors related to eco-innovation are essential if knowledge in this field is to be improved and consolidated. This research aimed to advance our understanding of the different dimensions of eco-innovation through a meta-analytical review of its antecedents or drivers, consequents and moderators. Thus, a total of 71 studies was analysed, generating 818 effect sizes and 220,582 cumulative samples. The main findings revealed that barriers, company capabilities, environmental regulation, market turbulence, information sources, R&D and company size were significant antecedents to eco-innovation. It was also noted that a significance relationship exists between eco-innovation and firm performance. Regarding the moderating effect, it was observed that culture, the economic situation of the country and context influence the relationship between eco-innovation and performance. The results revealed that countries with a lower HDI presented stronger effects between eco-innovation and firm performance than countries with a higher HDI. These findings were interesting because they could demonstrate that eco-innovation tends to promote more competitive advantage in countries with environmental problems and consequently a lower HDI. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing novel 5th generation district energy networks

Integrated smartly controlled energy networks have the potential to deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions, improve air quality and reduce energy costs for end-users across the world. This paper introduces a novel methodology for the development of integrated thermal, power and mobility 5th generation (5G) smart energy networks. The proposed 5G concept builds on state of the art by connecting flexible electricity demands such as heat pumps, and electric vehicles to intermittent, renewable and secondary energy sources and storage using artificial intelligence to facilitate optimal control and to maximise revenue and carbon savings. The proposed innovative method is being applied in central London through the development of two independent 5G smart energy schemes. The proposed schemes will incorporate a range of different renewables and secondary energy sources, for example, waste heat from local data centres and the London Underground that will supply a large proportion of the energy demand of the overall district network capacity. Both networks will operate at close to ambient temperature, approximately 15-25 degrees C as a so-called 'ambient loop' system, with individual heat pumps for each end-user or building connected to the network. The system also integrates thermal and electrical storage to create additional flexibility for the network and smart control for demand-side management. A smart management system flexibly controls individual assets such as heat pumps and electric vehicles in response to price signals reflecting the intermittency of renewable energy sources on the electricity grid. The ambient district thermal loop will distribute low carbon energy to a range of end users. Results presented in this paper provide an understanding of capital costs associated with integrated smart energy systems and the relative performance of individual technologies in a complex system using a techno-economic modelling approach. Overall, this paper demonstrates that the implementation of the 5G concept results in lower energy costs to consumers while at the same time transforming a large existing urban area to a near zero-carbon energy system in terms of heating, cooling, electricity and transport. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Financial Development and Foreign Direct Investment-The Moderating Role of Quality Institutions

Considering the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows for the sustainable economic advancement of a host country, this paper investigates the financial development and FDI nexus, using institutional quality as a moderator. The sample consists of 79 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries, as these countries are entering a new age of integration, foreign trade, and mutual development. The empirical findings of conventional and robust estimators show that the financial development of BRI host countries significantly attracts FDI, while the institutional quality plays a significant moderating role in this relation. The in-depth analysis offers the insight that financial markets are less attractive to FDI relative to financial institutions. Thus, policymakers are advised to uphold sound financial institutions to make the country more attractive to overseas investors, while concentration on financial markets may multiply the benefits of FDI. The results are robust to alternative proxies of the key variables and alternative methodologies.

Networked control strategy of dual linear switched reluctance motors based time delay tracking system

To reduce the influence of time delay on the tracking performance of a direct-drive motion control system, this paper concentrates on stability analysis and cooperative position tracking control issues for the dual linear switched reluctance motors (LSRMs) system with network-induced time delays. The closed-loop network control system (NCS) is constructed by modeling random and bounded network-induced time delays existing in forward and feedback channels as a discrete-time Markov chain. Incremental time delay information is introduced in Lyapunov functional analysis to satisfy the high-precision movement of master and secondary motors and improve the system control performance. The time delay compensation method is proposed to compensate for the damage to the networked control system caused by random delay. With Lyapunov stability theory and LMI are applied, stability and stabilization conditions with less computational complexity and low conservatism are obtained based on incremental time delay information insertion. Finally, the numerical simulation and the experimental platform of the motor control system are built. Simulation and experiment results demonstrate that the networked control strategy can compensate the negative impact of delay on the tracking performance of LSRMs based motion control system.

Risk assessment for oil leakage under the common threat of multiple natural hazards

Petroleum industry can create enormous wealth and employment opportunities, which is one of the pillars of the national economy. The transportation conditions of petroleum products are complex and changeable. The natural disaster-induced dangerous chemical leakage may damage the ecological environment, which leads to substantial economic losses. It significantly undermines the sustainable development agenda. Therefore, assessing the possibility of leakage and the potential environmental damages becomes a primary task to decision-makers to formulate maintenance plans. This paper evaluated the risk of an oil pipeline leakage under the regional geological disasters. Specifically, risk assessment indicators system was established considering the common threat of multiple natural hazards in the region. The sensitivities of the influence factors were determined using the combined GIS and the contribution rate model. The fuzzy analysis approach was used to process the expert's judgment to obtain a real-time disaster hazard. Meanwhile, in terms of the analysis of pipeline failure causes, the assessment system of disaster resistance ability was developed to determine the possibility of leakage. The leakage-induced environmental losses were quantified by monetary quantification. Finally, the level of environmental risk was determined using a 5 x 5 probability-currency matrix. Case results show that the risk level is medium, thereby appropriate maintenance measures need to be taken to reduce the risk. Overall, this study provides necessary help to prevent the leakage of petroleum products in transportation. Also, the environmental risk presented in the form of currency can promote non-environmental professional risk decision-makers better understand the degree of risk.

Retinoic Acid Deficiency Underlies the Etiology of Midfacial Defects

Embryonic craniofacial development depends on the coordinated outgrowth and fusion of multiple facial primordia, which are populated with cranial neural crest cells and covered by the facial ectoderm. Any disturbance in these developmental events, their progenitor tissues, or signaling pathways can result in craniofacial deformities such as orofacial clefts, which are among the most common birth defects in humans. In the present study, we show that Rdh10 loss of function leads to a substantial reduction in retinoic acid (RA) signaling in the developing frontonasal process during early embryogenesis, which results in a variety of craniofacial anomalies, including midfacial cleft and ectopic chondrogenic nodules. Elevated apoptosis and perturbed cell proliferation in postmigratory cranial neural crest cells and a substantial reduction in Alx1 and Alx3 transcription in the developing frontonasal process were associated with midfacial cleft in Rdh10-deficient mice. More important, expanded Shh signaling in the ventral forebrain, as well as partial abrogation of midfacial defects in Rdh10 mutants via inhibition of Hh signaling, indicates that misregulation of Shh signaling underlies the pathogenesis of reduced RA signaling-associated midfacial defects. Taken together, these data illustrate the precise spatiotemporal function of Rdh10 and RA signaling during early embryogenesis and their importance in orchestrating molecular and cellular events essential for normal midfacial development.

Driving force for China's economic development under Industry 4.0 and circular economy: Technological innovation or structural change?

The integration of the circular economy (CE), a model promoting the cyclical use of resources, and Industry 4.0, an intelligent-based approach to manufacturing, is expected to achieve sustainability. Finding the most suitable path for technological progress and structural change to promote economic growth is the key to adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and successfully transforming to a CE, and thus, key to China achieving sustainable development quickly. This study identifies the joint effects of energy- and environment-biased technological progress and multi-dimensional industrial structural change on economic growth, and empirically verifies the specific effects within China. Our results are as follows. First, pollution abatement technological progress, backstop technological progress and autogenous structural ecologicalization are the main drivers of sustainable economic growth. Second, innovation policies have a positive impact on national economic growth by promoting pollution abatement technological progress. Finally, in sub-regions' regression, backstop and environment technology, and structural ecologicalization promote eastern China's economy, while policies drive environment technological progress and structural ecologicalization to stimulate economic growth in central and western China. Our results imply that policymakers should take into consideration the readiness levels of each region regarding the adoption of Industry 4.0 and circular economy, and that the government should consider and ensure the participation of all stakeholders, including firms. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Comprehensive Review on the Electrochemical Sensing of Flavonoids

Flavonoids are bioactive polyphenolic compounds, widespread in the plant kingdom. Flavonoids possess broad-spectrum pharmacological effects due to their antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-neoplastic, anti-mutagenic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, immunomodulatory, and vasodilatory properties. Care must be taken, since excessive consumption of flavonoids may have adverse effects. Therefore, proper identification, quantification and quality evaluations of flavonoids in edible samples are necessary. Electroanalytical approaches have gained much interest for the analysis of redox behavior and quantification of different flavonoids. Compared to various conventional methods, electrochemical techniques for the analysis of flavonoids offer advantages of high sensitivity, selectivity, low cost, simplicity, biocompatibility, easy on-site evaluation, high accuracy, reproducibility, wide linearity of detection, and low detection limits. This review article focuses on the developments in electrochemical sensing of different flavonoids with emphasis on electrode modification strategies to boost the electrocatalytic activity and analytical efficiency.

Impacts of future climate and land use change on water yield in a semiarid basin in Iran

Studying the interaction between hydrology, land use, and climate change is necessary to support sustainable water resources management. It is unknown how land management interventions in dry climate conditions can benefit water yield in the context of climate and land use change interactions. In this study, we assessed the effects of both land use and predicted climate change on the Mordagh Chay basin water yield using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model. First, we modeled the current water yield, followed by developing six combined climate-land use scenarios until 2030 based on the CCSM4 climate model for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. We used three future land use scenarios simulated by the Dyna-CLUE model. The trend scenario of land use change, which does not include any improvements in irrigation efficiency, significantly affected basin water yield under both climate scenarios. Water yield decreases by 19.8% and 31.8% for the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Under all land use scenarios that included improvements in irrigation efficiency, the water yield responded positively. For the RCP4.5 scenario, the water yield was projected to increase between 16.6% and 18% depending on the land use scenario. The increase in water yield under the RCP8.5 climate scenario was much lower than for the RCP4.5 scenario (about one-third). Overall, the results showed that by adopting appropriate irrigation efficiency, it is possible to achieve a better balance between environmental needs and regional economic and agricultural development. The results provide insight into possible sustainable development options and also provide guidance for managing the other Urmia Lake sub-basins, whereas the approach of integrated assessment of climate, land use change, and land management options is also applicable in other conditions to help inform sustainable management.

Technical and economic feasibility of a 50 MW grid-connected solar PV at UENR Nsoatre Campus

The purpose of this study is to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of a 50 MW grid-tied solar photovoltaic plant at UENR Nsoatre Campus. The suitability of the site for PV plant development is initially examined with site assessment criteria. PVsyst software is then used to model, simulate and estimate the performance of three PV technology plants. Economic analysis is conducted on the three PV systems with RETScreen software. NASA SSE solar irradiation data set from NASA website were used for the assessments. Site assessments results showed that mono-crystalline silicon, poly-crystalline silicon, and thin film (CdTe) systems would occupy 9%, 10%, and 13% respectively of the 2000 acres acquired for the campus. The performance analysis showed that monocrystalline silicon, poly-crystalline silicon and thin film (CdTe) systems would export 67315 MW h, 67506 MW h, and 68991 MW h respectively to the grid annually while meeting more than 48% of campus electricity needs. The costs of the energy produced by the systems are 12.4 cents/kWh, 12.3 cents/kWh and 10.9 cents/kWh for mono-crystalline, polycrystalline and thin film systems respectively. The determined costs of energy for the systems are lower than the set feed-in tariff of 14 cents/kWh. NPV was positive for all the systems while; benefits to cost ratios were greater than 1.0 with reasonable payback periods of 7.2 years for crystalline silicon technology systems and 6.4 for thin film technology system. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mixture Phases Engineering of PtFe Nanofoams for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

Phase engineering is a promising but challenging approach to construct PtFe-based catalysts with efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. Herein, the authors successfully synthesize PtFe nanofoams with face center cubic (fcc) phase, with simple cubic crystalline (scc) phase and with the mixture phases of fcc and scc phases (PtFe-mix) by hydrogen-assisted calcination for the first time. By benchmarking the HER activity, PtFe-mix exhibits excellent activity in 1.0 m KOH, requiring an overpotential of 28 mV to achieve 10 mA cm-2 , which is better than the commercial Pt/C (34 mV). PtFe-mix also possesses remarkable stability up to 24 h. Density functional theory calculations further verify that PtFe-mix shows a more suitable d-band center and lower energy barrier for the initial water dissociation, facilitating the HER process. This work provides a meaningful strategy to design PtFe-based catalysts with efficient activity for hydrogen evolution.

Agonism and grooming behaviour explain social status effects on physiology and gene regulation in rhesus macaques

Variation in social status predicts molecular, physiological and life-history outcomes across a broad range of species, including our own. Experimental studies indicate that some of these relationships persist even when the physical environment is held constant. Here, we draw on datasets from one such study-experimental manipulation of dominance rank in captive female rhesus macaques-to investigate how social status shapes the lived experience of these animals to alter gene regulation, glucocorticoid physiology and mitochondrial DNA phenotypes. We focus specifically on dominance rank-associated dimensions of the social environment, including both competitive and affiliative interactions. Our results show that simple summaries of rank-associated behavioural interactions are often better predictors of molecular and physiological outcomes than dominance rank itself. However, while measures of immune function are best explained by agonism rates, glucocorticoid-related phenotypes tend to be more closely linked to affiliative behaviour. We conclude that dominance rank serves as a useful summary for investigating social environmental effects on downstream outcomes. Nevertheless, the behavioural interactions that define an individual's daily experiences reveal the proximate drivers of social status-related differences and are especially relevant for understanding why individuals who share the same social status sometimes appear physiologically distinct. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.

Incidental Finding of an Aspergillus Pseudoaneurysm in the Ascending Aorta of an Immunocompetent Patient

Pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta are rare, yet they are life-threatening conditions and usually associated with poor outcomes due to insidious presentation. Many different etiologies have been associated with aortic pseudoaneurysms including; atherosclerosis, infections, connective tissue disorders, and traumatic causes. In addition, aortic pseudoaneurysms have been reported following thoracic surgeries, including aortic valve replacements, aortic dissection repair, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Aspergillus is amongst the infectious etiologies of pseudoaneurysms. Aspergillus species is a ubiquitous mold (fungus) that is mostly harmless but may result in serious illnesses in immunocompromised hosts with hematologic neoplasms, neutropenia, or immunodeficiency syndromes. In this paper, we report a case of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm caused by Aspergillus infection. To our knowledge, this is an exceptionally rare case diagnosed incidentally in an immunocompetent patient, who is surgically free and without any pre-existing risk factors.

Motor neuron involvement expands the neuropathological phenotype of late-onset ataxia in RFC1 mutation (CANVAS)

Neuropathological features in brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. In addition to cerebellar, vestibullar nuclei and spinal cord posterior columns involvement, a moderate reduction of motor neurons in hypoglossal nucleus and anterior horn of the thoracic spinal cord was present.

The role of institutional quality in FDI inflows and carbon emission reduction: evidence from the global developing and belt road initiative countries

Achieving economic growth is the primary concern mostly of every country to enhance living standard; however, an increase in economic activities may have environmental consequences. Foreign direct investment is also considered a driver of economic growth while it affects the quality of environment. The role of institutions can be useful to enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow which can in turn increase economic growth and safeguard environmental quality. Based on the ongoing debate, this study attempts whether the quality of institutions plays any role in FDI inflow and in enhancement of environmental quality. For this purpose, this study examines the role of institutional quality in FDI inflows and carbon emission reduction in the global panel, 107 world developing, and 39 Belt and Road Initiative countries for the period of 2002-2019. By using both static and dynamic panel models, the results indicate that governance indicators are important for FDI inflows, but this impact varies in different panels. Overall, institutional quality has a significant and positive impact on foreign direct investment inflow, while energy use reduces it in all panels. Economic growth positively associated with carbon emission, while the square of GDP evidences the environmental Kuznets curve. FDI and trade increase global and developing countries' emissions, while reducing emission in Belt and Road countries. Institutional quality along individual indicators, political stability, rule of law, and regulatory quality are found to be poor governance indicators in all panels, while voice and accountability and control of corruption are weak indicators in Belt and Road countries; however, the interaction term proves that the quality of institutions is regulated by financial development and FDI in carbon emission reduction in all panels. This study has considerable policy significance for countries to carry out strong policy reforms to increase green FDI and improve environmental quality.

Heavy metal pollution risk assessments and their transportation in sediment and overlay water for the typical Chinese reservoirs

To assess the metals (Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) pollution risks and their transportation in sediment and overlay water from the typical reservoirs in the rapidly developing economic region of southeastern China, this study integrated an intact sediment core incubation and the sediment metals vertical distribution analysis in a drinking water reservoir (Drinking-Y) and an irrigation water reservoir (Irrigation-T). The results revealed that both studied reservoirs were severely polluted by heavy metals. Irrigation-T was at a considerable risk compared to Drinking-Y (a moderate or slightly considerable risk) reflecting higher concentration of metals in Irrigation-T versus Drinking-Y. Concentrations of Hg and Cd in the overlying water exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, contributing approximately 90% of the total potential ecological risk index (RI) for both metals in the sediment. Most of the metals continue to increase inputs into the reservoirs and metals can settle from water to sediment in 10-15 days by static incubation. The main anthropogenic pollution sources originated from fuel combinations and industry mills (6.4%) and agricultural activities (38%) for Drinking-Y and fuel combinations and industry mills (4.9%), agricultural activities (32.9%) and mines and quarries (62.1%) for Irrigation-T. To reduce the human health risks, therefore, the freshwater should be stored 10-15 days prior to drinking or irrigation. Our data indicated that all the current pollution sources require more attention for further reducing the human health risks.

Depression in the house: The effects of household air pollution from solid fuel use among the middle-aged and older population in China

Background: Although the adverse health effects of ambient air pollution are well documented, evidence on the depression effects of household air pollution (HAP) are scarce. Objectives: We investigated the effects of HAP exposure from the use of solid fuel on depression using a nationally representative dataset of middle-aged and older population in China. Methods: By employing the propensity score matching method, we first matched the type of household fuel based on background information, including demographic characteristics, lifestyles, health status, and household economic levels. Based on the matched data, we conducted OLS and logistic regressions with cluster standard error at community level to examine the effects of household solid fuel use on depression and adjusted for potential confounders. Heterogeneous effects for vulnerable population were also considered. Results: We found a significantly higher Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score and depression risk among current household solid fuel users. After matching and adjusting for potential confounders, current solid fuel users had a higher CES-D score of 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31, 0.89) than clean fuel users. The OR of depression risk were 1.26 (95% CI: 1.14, 1.41). Solid fuel users had the highest CES-D scores (beta = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.62, 1.36) and depression risk (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.73) for over five years. These associations were generally higher in females, participants aged 65 years and older, with a BMI >= 25, with low education, with low household economic levels, and those suffer from chronic diseases, including diabetes, chronic lung diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusions: Exposure to HAP from solid fuel combustion was linked with strong depression outcomes. Findings suggested a need to strengthen public health efforts, such as controlling the social, health, and economic costs of depression by taking the physical environment, including HAP exposure, into account. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of PM2.5 on health and economic loss: Evidence from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have triggered severe PM(2.5 )pollution and induced serious health hazards and economic losses in densely populated regions. A substantial number of health-related economic loss assessment methods, which quantify economic losses caused by diverse health endpoints, have been applied. However, traditional models neglect pollutant distribution and optimization of distribution parameters, which may lead to poor estimation accuracy. In this study, a health-related economic loss evaluation system is proposed, which deals with PM2.5 distribution, optimization of distribution parameters, and evaluation of health-related economic losses. This assessment system efficiently simulated the characteristic of PM2.5 concentrations in three cities of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and addressed economic losses estimation problems. The results indicate that the system not only provides a novel perspective on health-related economic loss assessment, but also assists policymakers in its practical application. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

S100B in cardiac surgery brain monitoring: friend or foe?

Recent advances in perioperative management of adult and pediatric patients requiring open heart surgery (OHS) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for cardiac and/or congenital heart diseases repair allowed a significant reduction in the mortality rate. Conversely morbidity rate pattern has a flat trend. Perioperative period is crucial since OHS and CPB are widely accepted as a deliberate hypoxic-ischemic reperfusion damage representing the cost to pay at a time when standard of care monitoring procedures can be silent or unavailable. In this respect, the measurement of neuro-biomarkers (NB), able to detect at early stage perioperative brain damage could be especially useful. In the last decade, among a series of NB, S100B protein has been investigated. After the first promising results, supporting the usefulness of the protein as predictor of short/long term adverse neurological outcome, the protein has been progressively abandoned due to a series of limitations. In the present review we offer an up-dated overview of the main S100B pros and cons in the peri-operative monitoring of adult and pediatric patients.

Mission-oriented innovation systems

Rather than merely supporting R&D and strengthening innovation systems, the focus of innovation policy is currently shifting towards addressing societal challenges by transforming socio-economic systems. A particular trend within the emerging era of transformative innovation policy is the pursuit of challenge-based innovation missions, such as achieving a 50 % circular economy by 2030. By formulating clear and ambitious societal goals, policy makers are aiming to steer the directionality and adoption of innovation. In the absence of suitable frameworks to understand and enhance the impact of missions, we introduce the notion of Mission-oriented Innovation Systems (MIS). MIS consists of networks of agents and sets of institutions that contribute to the development and diffusion of innovative solutions with the aim to define, pursue and complete a societal mission. We provide several promising research avenues, including how MIS come into existence, how they are governed and how the interactions taking place in a MIS may influence directionality and technological variety.

Are Trade Liberalization policies aligned with Renewable Energy Transition in low and middle income countries? An Instrumental Variable approach

This paper attempts to empirically analyze the compatibility of national trade liberalization policies with regards to promoting widespread use of renewable energy resources across 71 low, lower-middle and upper-middle income countries from South Asia, East Asia, Pacific, Central Asia, Latin America, Caribbean islands and Sub-Saharan Africa. Annual time series data from 2000 to 2017 is employed to perform panel data cointegration and regression analyses. The results from the cointegration analyses show long-run associations between trade liberalization policies and the renewable energy consumption indicators. The Instrumental Variable Two-Stage Least Squares panel data estimator is employed to control for the endogeneity in the dataset. The overall results broadly point towards the effectiveness of greater trade openness in facilitating renewable energy transition only in the low-income economies while prolonging the transition periods in the lower and upper-middle income countries. The marginal impact of a rise in the trade openness index is estimated to enhance the renewable energy share in total energy consumption within low-income countries by 0.24% as opposed to lowering this share by 0.19% within lower-middle income economies. However, trade liberalization is found to attribute to greater efficiency of renewable energy use across all the three income groups. Thus, these findings have critically important policy implications for the respective governments. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Built environment design - social sustainability relation in urban renewal

Urban renewal practices could improve urban social sustainability with well-designed and well-constructed built environments. This study shows the development of a model, which explains the relation between built environment design and social sustainability in urban renewal. To do so, firstly, a comprehensive literature review was conducted, after which a pilot study was administered. This led to the identification of 32 built environment design elements. Their contributions to social sustainability were evaluated utilizing a survey among 323 people who previously worked in urban renewal projects. The design elements were grouped by exploratory factor analysis under five factors, and these factors were named as, accessibility and quality of social life, conservation of resources, quality of the built environment, protection of disadvantaged groups, and commercial and economic opportunities. Then, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was carried out with 60 academics and practitioners to identify the weights of the factors. Accessibility and quality of social life factor reached the highest weight with 33 %, while the other four factors shared close weights. The model obtained as a result of this study will increase the awareness of urban renewal stakeholders about social sustainability, by demonstrating clearly which design elements should be considered to improve the social sustainability of urban renewal projects.

The use of analgesics and associated factors among nursing home residents

Aim: This study examined the use of analgesics and associated factors among nursing home residents (NHRs). Materials & methods: A descriptive correlational design and a convenience sample of 209 NHRs receiving analgesics was used in this study. Results: Higher use of analgesics was noted among NHRs without cognitive impairment (p < 0.001), those with higher anticholinergic burden scores (p = 0.002) and those with a higher average number of oral pills taken daily (p = 0.045). Conclusion: These findings contribute to a better understanding of the prevalence and associated factors of analgesic use, which will inform the development and application of evidence-based pain practice and guidelines in nursing homes in Jordan and beyond.

An essential review of Singapore's response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests: improvements over a ten-year period

Care for patients who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has rapidly evolved in the past decade. Increased sophistication of care in the community, emergency medical services (EMS) and hospital setting is associated with improved patient-centred outcomes. Notably, Utstein survival doubled from 11.6% to 23.1% between 2011 and 2016. These achievements involved collaboration between policymakers, clinicians and researchers, and were made possible by a strategic interplay of policy, research and implementation. We review the development and current state of OHCA in Singapore using primary population-based data from the Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study and an unstructured search of research databases. We discuss the roles of important milestones in policy, community, dispatch, EMS and hospital interventions. Finally, we relate these interventions to relevant processes and outcomes, such as the relationship between the strategic implementation of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and placement of automated external defibrillator with return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge and survival with favourable neurological outcomes.

High carriage of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes by cefotaxime-resistant Escherichia coli recovered from surface-leaking sanitary sewers

There is a rapid rise in the incidence of quinolone resistant bacteria in Nigeria. Most studies in Nigeria have focused on isolates from the clinical settings, with few focusing on isolates of environmental origin. This study aimed to investigate the antibiogram and carriage of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes by quinolone-resistant isolates obtained from a pool of cefotaxime-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) recovered from sewage leaking out of some surface-leaking sanitary sewers in a University community in Nigeria. Isolation of E. coli from the sewage samples was done on CHROMagar E. coli, after enrichment of the samples was done in Brain Heart Infusion broth amended with 6 µg/mL of cefotaxime. Identification of presumptive E. coli was done using molecular methods (detection of uidA gene), while susceptibility to antibiotics was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Detection of PMQR genes (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, aac(6')-lb-cr, qepA and oqxAB) was carried out using primer-specific PCR. A total of 32 non-repetitive cefotaxime-resistant E. coli were obtained from the sewage, with 21 being quinolone-resistant. The quinolone-resistant isolates showed varying level of resistance to the tested antibiotics, with imipenem being the only exception with 0% resistance. The PMQR genes: aac(6')-lb-cr, qnrA, qnrB, qnrS and qepA and oqxAB were detected in 90.5%, 61.9%, 47.6%, 38.1%, 4.8% and 0% respectively of the isolates. The findings of this study showed a high level of resistance to antibiotics and carriage of PMQR genes by quinolone-resistant E. coli obtained from the leaking sanitary sewers, suggesting a potential environmental and public health concern.

Regional renewable energy development in China: A multidimensional assessment

Renewable energy (RE) is strategically important to achieve sustainability. Its development in China, however, is clearly imbalanced across regions. The uneven distribution of natural resources, financial resources and other factors across this country has brought serious challenges to the policymakers. It is thus important to give a comprehensive evaluation of China's regional RE development. To do so, this paper introduces a multidimensional approach and establishes a quantitative evaluation framework. Based on the existing literature, five dimensions of factors have been chosen for the framwork: economic foundation, institutions, technological development potential, energy security and environmental protection, and current status of the RE sector. A dynamic principal component analysis technique is applied to data from 29 provinces between 2008 and 2014. The results demonstrate large variations in RE development across provinces in China. More economically developed regions, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, have maintained a higher ranking and have clear advantages in almost all dimensions. Policy implications and recommendations for more balanced development across China are drawn from the empirical results. This approach can also be extended to investigate similar issues in other countries.

Clinical value of routine [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography scans as a decision tool for early immunotherapy discontinuation in advanced melanoma

Routine [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) may help predict clinical outcomes after response to immunotherapy. With a European Medicines Agency-recommended treatment length until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, the optimal duration of immunotherapy remains to be defined. In a retrospective study, we retrieved from the Danish Metastatic Melanoma Database (DAMMED), all patients that were annotated as a partial or complete response based on the computed tomography (CT) of serial FDG-PET-CT scans. Patients treated with an anti-Programmed Death (PD)-1-containing regimen for <18 months, and ≥4 months without disease progression after halting anti-PD-1 were included. Cases were divided into an "elective" and a "toxicity" group based on the reason for treatment discontinuation. A total of 140 patients were included. At 29.3 months of median follow-up, a higher proportion of patients remained alive in the "elective" group (93% vs 75%, P = .0031) with an improved melanoma-specific (HR 0.07, 95% CI 0.02-0.32, P = .0041) survival (MSS). Patients without FDG-avid lesions at the time of treatment discontinuation had an improved MSS (HR 0.03, 95% CI 0.01-0.17, P = .0002), and the absence of FDG-avid lesions was the only independent predictive feature of improved MSS in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, patients with metastatic melanoma who obtain an early response and early discontinue immunotherapy have an excellent prognosis, especially in the absence of FDG-PET avid lesions when discontinuing treatment. These data support the option of early discontinuation, limiting possible overtreatment and thereby toxicity, health and economic expenses and improving logistics.

A multiscale integrated analysis of the factors characterizing the sustainability of food systems in Europe

Considering the existing world population, set of environmental impacts, and predicted changes in dietary trends, one can expect that, in the coming decades, food security will remain high on the list of sustainability concerns. In relation to this challenge, Europe's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must address a diverse set of goals: (i) guarantee a stable and affordable food supply; (ii) preserve the socioeconomic stability of farmers by guaranteeing their economic viability; (iii) protect the environment by reducing pressures on agroecosystems; and (iv) improve food security by reducing import dependence. Policies related to these diverse goals are likely to generate adverse side-effects. A particularly uncomfortable concern is Europe's massive reliance on imported feed commodities. The European Union (EU) is unlikely to be capable of domestically producing currently imported agricultural commodities and a significant move to internalize imports would dramatically increase pressures on local ecosystems. Faced with that potential predicament, it is essential to have a robust information system capable of simultaneously addressing a variety of policy concerns. In response, this paper presents a novel accounting framework-Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM)- capable of generating an integrated set of indicators entangled across different scales and dimensions of analysis. Our versatile approach establishes a set of quantitative relations between: (i) the dietary intake of the society (desirability of the food supply); (ii) processes under human control (viability of the food system); (iii) processes outside of human control and associated with external biophysical limits determined by embedding ecosystems (feasibility of the food system); and (iv) the dependence on imported products (food security). The analysis of such relations can be tailored to the legitimate perceptions of different social actors affected by policies, anticipating potential conflicts and providing useful information for deliberation and negotiation. Our approach is illustrated with an analysis of the European agricultural system, covering the EU-27 plus the UK and Norway.

Physicochemical, Antibacterial Properties, and Compatibility of ZnO-NP/Chitosan/β-Glycerophosphate Composite Hydrogels

In this study we aimed to develop novel ZnO-NP/chitosan/β-glycerophosphate (ZnO-NP/CS/β-GP) antibacterial hydrogels for biomedical applications. According to the mass fraction ratio of ZnO-NPs to chitosan, mixtures of 1, 3, and 5% ZnO-NPs/CS/β-GP were prepared. Using the test-tube inversion method, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, the influence of ZnO-NPs on gelation time, chemical composition, and cross-sectional microstructures were evaluated. Adding ZnO-NPs significantly improved the hydrogel's antibacterial activity as determined by bacteriostatic zone and colony counting. The hydrogel's bacteriostatic mechanism was investigated using live/dead fluorescent staining and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, crystal violet staining and MTT assay demonstrated that ZnO-NPs/CS/β-GP exhibited good antibacterial activity in inhibiting the formation of biofilms and eradicating existing biofilms. CCK-8 and live/dead cell staining methods revealed that the cell viability of gingival fibroblasts (L929) cocultured with hydrogel in each group was above 90% after 24, 48, and 72 h. These results suggest that ZnO-NPs improve the temperature sensitivity and bacteriostatic performance of chitosan/β-glycerophosphate (CS/β-GP), which could be injected into the periodontal pocket in solution form and quickly transformed into hydrogel adhesion on the gingiva, allowing for a straightforward and convenient procedure. In conclusion, ZnO-NP/CS/β-GP thermosensitive hydrogels could be expected to be utilized as adjuvant drugs for clinical prevention and treatment of peri-implant inflammation.

Climate impact of an optimised gas treatment on old landfills

It is a well-established fact that the quality and quantity of landfill gas (LFG) start declining after a landfill is closed to further waste intake. Conventional gas treatment and utilisation systems such as flares and gas-driven engines require a certain quality of LFG: specifically, a sufficient methane concentration. Various measures are utilised to maintain the necessary quality of LFG, including a turn-down of gas extraction rates and a shutdown of low-quality gas wells, resulting in a decline of LFG production. This, however, does not have to be the case. The low calorific value (LCV) LFG capture and treatment technology developed by e-flox and referred to in this article as 'LCV LFG System' can significantly increase the collection rate and the amount of treated methane in an old landfill. This article introduces such new treatment measures, describes gas capture calculation methodologies and presents actual results based on a medium-sized landfill in Germany. The study demonstrates, among other things, that the LCV LFG system can reduce the CO2 avoidance costs to roughly 10 €/tCO2eq. We present this new technology as a quick and straightforward measure of dealing with the climate issues related to methane emissions of old landfills.

Water-energy nexus: Floating photovoltaic systems promoting water security and energy generation in the semiarid region of Brazil

Floating photovoltaic systems could be used to mitigate water supply issues by reducing the evaporation rate of water bodies such as weirs. This paper aims to estimate the potential evaporation prevented and the potential electrical energy generated by the installation of floating photovoltaic systems in specific weirs of the Brazilian semiarid region. Moreover, an economic feasibility analysis is carried out regarding energy and water supply. A net present value approach was used to conduct this analysis. The software System Advisor Model was employed to simulate and compare the performance of two photovoltaic systems in the region: floating and ground-mounted. Three scenarios of the surface cover are considered for the weirs: 1) the average area occupied by dead storage of all weirs; 2) 50% of the total area of weirs; 3) 70% of the total area of weirs. Results show that the installation of floating photovoltaic systems over weirs of the Apodi/Mossoro basin would potentially preserve 20.6 Mm(3) of water in scenario 1, 83.3 Mm(3) in 2 and 124.3 Mm(3) in 3. The annual electricity generation estimated in scenarios 1, 2, and 3 is 2.3 TWh, 8.6 TWh, and 12 TWh, respectively. Financial results show that when energy and water cash flows are considered together, payback time diminishes, and the project becomes more economically feasible. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toxicokinetic of cyphenothrin in rabbits

Type II pyrethroids, including cyphenothrin, have a wider efficacy and spectrum of action because they have a killing effect rather than a knockdown effect on pests. For this reason, they are among the most widely used pyrethroid groups today. In addition, this group also has repellent activity. Thus, cyphenothrin is a commonly used pyrethroid, which poses an exposure/toxicity risk for living organisms. Toxicokinetic studies have an important place in predicting the toxicity risks of compounds and evaluating viable treatment options. In this study, the toxicokinetics of cyphenothrin were investigated in rabbits. The animal material of the study comprised 6-month-old female 14 New Zealand rabbits, each weighing 2-2.5 kg. The animals were randomly assigned to two groups, each of 7 animals. The rabbits in group 1 were administered a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg bw cyphenothrin in dimethyl sulfoxide as an intravenous bolus, while the rabbits in group 2 were administered a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg bw cyphenothrin in the same vehicle as an oral bolus. Following the administration of cyphenothrin, blood samples were taken at certain intervals from the auricular vein into heparinized tubes. Plasma cyphenothrin levels were determined by gas chromatography, using a capillary column and a micro-electron capture detector. For orally administered cyphenothrin, the plasma maximum concentration (Cmax), time to reach the maximum value (tmax), half-life (t1/2β), mean residence time (MRT), area under the curve (AUC0→∞), and bioavailability (F) values were determined as 172.28 ± 47.30 ng/ml, 1.07 ± 0.42 h, 12.95 ± 1.11 h, 17.79 ± 1.69 h, 2220.07 ± 572.02 ng/h/ml, and 29.50%, respectively. For intravenous cyphenothrin, the t1/2β, MRT and AUC0→∞ values were ascertained as 7.66 ± 0.74 h, 9.28 ± 0.62 h, and 7524.31 ± 2988.44 ng/h/ml, respectively. Although the bioavailability of cyphenothrin was limited when taken orally, its half-life and mean residence time in the body were found to be long. This suggests that high doses of this pesticide may pose a poisoning risk.

Analysis of Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Organic and Local Honey in Serbia

In times of increased concern for human health and care for the environment, it is important to investigate the consumer behavior models in order to better manage the product supply. From the perspective of our research, it is important to learn about consumer attitudes, of a specific product, such as honey, so as to potentially strengthen the economic position of honey producers. The purpose of this article was to explore the consumers' perceptions of organic and local honey in the Republic of Serbia and identify factors that contribute to predicting consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for organic and local honey. The ordinal regression was used to determine which factors influence the WTP for organic and local honey, and the findings show that the consumers were WTP more for organic honey than for local honey. Socio-economic characteristics of respondents and honey attributes affect consumers' WTP. The higher monthly household income positively influences the WTP for organic honey, while on the other hand, the higher level of education has a positive influence on the WTP for local honey. The WTP for organic honey positively affected by the perceived importance of honey attributes, such as food safety and support for the local community. The frequency of the purchase of the local honey, the recommendations for the local honey purchase and the perceived importance of attributes, such as the care for the environment and nutritional properties, have a positive influence on the consumers' WTP for local honey. From this, we can conclude that our understanding of all the factors that influence a consumer's decision to allocate budget expenses for honey can help all stakeholders in creating an adequate pricing and promotional strategy for honey products.

How surfactants affect the depuration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on the mangrove leaf surfaces: insight from an in situ method

The effects of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), and their mixtures on the depuration of anthracene (Ant) and fluoranthene (Fla) individually adsorbed on the Kandelia obovata (Ko) leaf surfaces were in situ investigated. The Ko original leaf-wax microstructures have been destroyed by SDBS, Tween 20, and their mixtures at or above their critical micelle concentration (CMC). The volatilization rate constants (kV) of the adsorbed PAHs decreased with surfactants at or above their CMC resulting from the plasticizing effect and a decrease in the polarity of the Ko leaf-waxes induced by surfactants. Moreover, the photolysis rate constants (kP) of the adsorbed PAHs decreased with SDBS while increased with Tween 20 and their mixtures at or above their CMC, which can be attributed to effects of surfactants on the light adsorption behavior of Ko leaf-waxes. Overall, the effects of surfactants on the depuration of the adsorbed PAHs were dependent not only on the physical-chemical properties of surfactants but also on the micro-environment of the substrates adsorbed the PAHs. These results are of great significance for further understanding the accumulation of PAHs and could expand our knowledge about the migration mechanism of PAHs from the atmosphere by mangrove leaf surface micro-zones.

Risk assessment and genetic counseling for Lynch syndrome - Practice resource of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer

Identifying individuals who have Lynch syndrome involves a complex diagnostic workup that includes taking a detailed family history and a combination of various tests such as immunohistochemistry and/or molecular which may be germline and/or somatic. The National Society of Genetic Counselors and the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer have come together to publish this practice resource for the evaluation of Lynch syndrome. The purpose of this practice resource was to provide guidance and a testing algorithm for Lynch syndrome as well as recommendations on when to offer testing. This practice resource does not replace a consultation with a genetics professional. This practice resource includes explanations in support of this and a summary of background data. While this practice resource is not intended to serve as a review of Lynch syndrome, it includes a discussion of background information and cites a number of key publications which should be reviewed for a more in-depth understanding. This practice resource is intended for genetic counselors, geneticists, gastroenterologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, obstetricians and gynecologists, nurses, and other healthcare providers who evaluate patients for Lynch syndrome.

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of the main biogas upgrading technologies

Five biogas-to-biomethane upgrading technologies were compared from the environmental and economic points of view: High-Pressure Water Scrubbing (HPWS), Amine Scrubbing (AS), Potassium Carbonate Scrubbing (PCS), Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) and Membrane Permeation (MP). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methods were used for the comparison. In order to provide a wider picture of the conversion system and its impacts, the biogas production processes, starting from source sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste, were included. The intention was to maintain the same object for the LCA and the LCC, given that the cost of biogas production had to be included for the calculation of the economic indicators. The cost analysis included also the evaluation of the external costs, derived from the monetization of the air emissions of the systems. The selected functional unit was the upgrading of 1 Nm(3) of raw biogas. Data were collected directly from companies providing upgrading plants and confirmed by literature review. A biogas-to-biomethane plant proved to have environmental and economic benefits and, as expected, for larger plant sizes the economic performances improved. AS showed the best environmental performances mainly due to its limited CH4 losses and lower electricity consumption. Considering the contribution from only the upgrading part, AS showed the lowest impacts for the global warming potential (GWP) indicator (respectively 13%, 1%, 23% and 3% less than HPWS, PCS, PSA and MP). However, the results changed for other impact categories: for human toxicity indicator PSA showed lower impacts compared to the other technologies, respectively 7%, 144%, 1% and 9% less compared to HPWS, AS, PCS and MP. For small size plants, HPWS proved to be slightly more cost-effective compared to other technologies. For large size plants, PCS showed the highest net present value. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis showed that the electricity consumption is a key parameter for the economic and environmental results. Its variation proved that for the 60% of cases AS was the best solution in terms of GWP, however 35% and 5% of cases respectively indicated that PCS and MP had the lowest GWP. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carbon emissions and environmental management based on Big Data and Streaming Data: A bibliometric analysis

Climate change and environmental management are issues of global concern. The advent of the era of Big Data has created a new research platform for the assessment of environmental governance and policies. However, little is known about Big Data application to climate change and environmental management research. This paper adopts bibliometric analysis in conjunction with network analysis to systematically evaluate the publications on carbon emissions and environmental management based on Big Data and Streaming Data using R package and VOSviewer software. The analysis involves 274 articles after rigorous screening and includes citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-word analysis. Main findings include (1) Carbon emissions and environmental management based on big data and streaming data is an emerging multidisciplinary research topic, which has been applied in the fields of computer science, supply chain design, transportation, carbon price assessment, environmental policy evaluation, and CO2 emissions reduction. (2) This field has attracted the attention of nations which are major contributors to the world economy. In particular, European and American scholars have made the main contributions to this topic, and Chinese researchers have also had great impact. (3) The research content of this topic is primarily divided into four categories, including empirical studies of specific industries, air pollution governance, technological innovation, and low-carbon transportation. Our findings suggest that future research should bring greater depth of practical and modeling analysis to environmental policy assessment based on Big Data.

Cybersyn, big data, variety engineering and governance

This contribution offers reflections about Chilean Cybersyn, 50 years ago. In recent years, Cybersyn, has received significant attention. It was the brainchild of Stafford Beer, who conceived it to support the transformation of the Chilean economy from its bureaucratic history to hopefully create a vibrant and modern society, driven by cybernetic tools. These aspects have received much attention in recent times; however, in this contribution, I want to discuss how working in Cybersyn influenced my work after the coup of 1973. Perhaps, for me, its major influence was in the management of complexity, through what I refer here as variety engineering and through the Viable System Model VSM as a paradigm to the management of relationships with implications to enterprises, society and the economy. After the 1973 coup major interest was in technological aspects of Cybersyn such as real-time management and its contribution to decision support and executive information systems. In the late 70s I was personally influenced by information management, but by the early 1980s my work moved towards methodological aspects of how to use the VSM. By 1989 I had created the VIPLAN method (Espejo, 1989). Key questions I attempted to answer were, how to model the complexity of enterprises and their interactions with environmental agents. Later on, in the 1990s and 2000s, the main direction of my work was epistemological, ontological and methodological towards second-order cybernetics and relationships. Only in recent decades the political transformations proposed by Cybersyn have captured the imagination of many commentators. The confluence of social and cultural changes with information technology, data models, artificial intelligence, algorithms and several additional technological developments have challenged the excesses of capitalism, particularly after the banking crisis of 2008-2009. The purpose in this paper is discussing this evolution in the light of those early days in Chile.

Does carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and GHG emissions influence the agriculture? Evidence from China

Carbon dioxide emission and greenhouse gas emissions are considered core issue in the world that influence agricultural production and also cause climate change. The present study seeks to investigate the linkage of methane emissions, nitrous oxide emissions, carbon dioxide emission, and greenhouse gas emissions with agricultural gross domestic product in China. The long-term association was checked by using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach, fully modified least squares method, and canonical cointegrating regression analysis. The results from long-run analysis exposed that carbon dioxide emission and greenhouse gas emissions have positive coefficients that demonstrate the long-run linkage with the agricultural gross domestic product having p values of 0.5709 and 0.3751, respectively. Similarly, results also revealed that agricultural methane emissions and agricultural nitrous oxide emissions have a negative association with the agricultural gross domestic product having p values of 0.1737 and 0.0559. China is a huge emitter of CO2 emission and greenhouse gas emissions. Possible conservative policies are required to form the Chinese government to tackle this challenge to decrease CO2 emission in order to increase agricultural production.

Curative resection of ureteral metastasis of rectal cancer: a case report and review of literature

The metastasis to the ureter in colorectal cancer had been recognized at the stage of an autopsy. These days, according to the progression of diagnostic modalities, a few cases of long-time survival after curative surgery of metastatic ureteral tumor of colorectal cancer were reported. We present a case of a metastatic ureteral tumor of rectal cancer who had 32 months of recurrence-free survival after extirpation. After preoperative chemoradiotherapy, a 47-year-old man underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection and left unilateral pelvic node dissection for lower rectal cancer. He underwent several metastasectomies for recurrent tumors in the liver and lung. At the 42nd postoperative month, a contrast-enhanced CT scan showed thickening of the ureteral wall and left hydronephrosis. Transureteroscopic biopsy revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma of rectal cancer. At the 52nd postoperative month, partial ureteral resection and vesicoureteral neo-anastomosis were performed after confirming negative resection margin with rapid intraoperative pathology. He has 32 months of recurrence-free survival after metastasectomy of the left ureter. We review the literature presenting surgery of the metastatic ureteral tumor of colorectal cancer. Although it is a rare recurrence pattern, curative resection of ureteral metastasis might provide a possibility of long-time recurrence-free survival in such patients.

Economic, energy and environmental impact of coal-to-electricity policy in China: A dynamic recursive CGE study

In north China, many rural and urban residents still use coal for heating in winter. However, such method would result in a large amount of GHG emissions. China intends to change the heating method of its citizens from coal burning to electric heating to save energy, reduce emissions, which is called the project of Coal to Electricity (CtE). A dynamic recursive computable general equilibrium model is applied to analyze the real effect if the project is widely promoted in China. We found that CtE project is effective in reducing SO2 and NOx emission than CO2 emissions. In essence, energy substitution is not energy-saving, so the contribution to CO2 reduction of CtE project is limited. There is a certain co-benefit between CtE project and other energy saving policies (new energy generation, improving heating efficiency and building energy saving etc.). The findings indicate that single CtE policy can only bring better air quality. However, with other energy saving policies, CtE project can not only bring NOx and SO2 reduction, but also lead to less CO2 emissions and more convenient life. Multiple emission reduction measures are suggested to maximize the reduction effects of these policies. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A fuzzy-stochastic multi-objective model for sustainable planning of a closed-loop supply chain considering mixed uncertainty and network flexibility

Closed-loop supply chain network design (CLSCND) has been increasingly spotlighted over the latest decade. The focus has been given to maximize the economic performance, resource utilization and sustainability through incorporating a holistic decision-making on both forward and reverse logistics. In this paper, a new fuzzy-stochastic multi-objective mathematical model is formulated for sustainable CLSCND. The model aims at balancing the trade-off between cost effectiveness and environmental performance under different types of uncertainty. The environmental performance of CLSCND is measured by carbon emission. Moreover, the network flexibility is modeled and incorporated in the decision-making so that customer demands can be fulfilled by different means. In order to solve the complex optimization problem, the model is first defuzzilized and converted into an equivalent crisp form. Then, a sample average approximation based weighting method (SAAWM) is developed to obtain a set of Pareto optimal solutions between cost and carbon emission under different uncertain environments. The model is validated through a set of numerical experiments. The computational results show, through the incorporation with network flexibility, the proposed mathematical model and solution approach can effectively generate consistent objective values and solutions over different scenario trees and obtain robust strategic decisions on facility locations. Meanwhile, the flexibility and rationality of the decision-making on transportation management, demand allocation and facility operations can be improved as well. (c) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Collective correlations, dynamics, and behavioural inconsistencies of the cryptocurrency market over time

This paper introduces new methods to study behaviours among the 52 largest cryptocurrencies between 01-01-2019 and 30-06-2021. First, we explore evolutionary correlation behaviours and apply a recently proposed turning point algorithm to identify regimes in market correlation. Next, we inspect the relationship between collective dynamics and the cryptocurrency market size-revealing an inverse relationship between the size of the market and the strength of collective dynamics. We then explore the time-varying consistency of the relationships between cryptocurrencies' size and their returns and volatility. There, we demonstrate that there is greater consistency between size and volatility than size and returns. Finally, we study the spread of volatility behaviours across the market changing with time by examining the structure of Wasserstein distances between probability density functions of rolling volatility. We demonstrate a new phenomenon of increased uniformity in volatility during market crashes, which we term volatility dispersion.

Municipal solid waste management: Integrated analysis of environmental and economic indicators based on life cycle assessment

This paper develops a method to analyze municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMS) that integrates environmental and economic indicators using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). The method was tested in the city of Sorocaba, Brazil, a medium size municipality typical of many developing countries. Environmental impacts were analyzed considering system expansion, which combined the aspects of primary production and recycling processes with the impacts of MSWMS. The economic analysis included operating and investment costs to the costs of environmental externalities, thus enabling the analysis of total costs to society. An integrated analysis of environmental indicators revealed that the most significant reductions in environmental impacts occurred in the scenarios with higher rates of reuse of dry waste through recycling (70%), which lowered these impacts by up to 50% when compared to the current scenario. An analysis of economic performance indicated that the two scenarios that combined the highest recycling goals with greater transport efficiency and more composting yielded the best results, reducing the total social costs by 31% and 33%, respectively. Lastly, the integration of environmental and economic analyses revealed that the best results are obtained by a combination of composting, mechanical biological treatment and recycling, which would reduce the impacts of MSWMS by up to 33.7 points per invested dollar. The results supports the application of this proposed integrate approach to improve the current solid waste management system in Sorocaba and in other cities with a similar system and waste generation. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.