A systems description of the national well-being system. Version 1.0

Policymakers are confronted with hard-to-address questions, such as • What is the ultimate impact of very different policies on the well-being of citizens? • How to anticipate, which policies will promote well-being the most and which ones will lead to tough trade-offs? • How to focus scarce resources and maximize the positive impact on the well-being of citizens? Economic growth is ceasing down, and, moreover, in most of the developed countries additional growth does not promote the well-being of citizens as much as it used to. But what is well-being? According to a dictionary, well-being is a state of feeling happy, healthy or prosperous. In 1980s, a group of sociologists, philosophers and economists led by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum suggested a framework to understand well-being beyond the economic indicators , such as the GDP. In fact, in the modern world, wellbeing itself becomes a prerequisite for economic growth and for social and economic stability. Governments begin to focus their attention directly on the multi-dimensional national well-being including and going beyond economic and material aspects. They look for new under-utilized resources that would raise the national well-being even despite weak economic growth. To discover effective and efficient solutions, one needs to maximize synergies and reduce losses from trade-offs . Systems analysis offers tools to do so. This challenge was presented to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) by the National Economic Council of Israel in 2018. In response, IIASA developed a pilot version of a systems description of the national well-being system that covers four major subsystems: economic subsystem, natural subsystem, human capacity subsystem, and social subsystem, each described by a set of indicators. This Working Paper presents the results of this pilot work. We rely on the OECD well-being framework as a basis to measure multi-dimensional well-being and work with 68 factors, of which 39 represent the OECD indicators. Based on evidence we collate from solid scientific literature, we connect these 68 factors by causal relationships and obtain a comprehensive systems map of the National Well-being System (NWS) (a causal loop diagram) comprising 208 directed links between factors. This systems map allows to trace all indirect effects and feedback loops between factors in a systematic fashion thus helping acquire a holistic understanding about the national well-being system. Empirical evidence clearly indicates that systems thinking is difficult to practice when causal interconnections become more complex, especially when it involves indirect effects and feedback loops. As a formal tool from qualitative systems analysis, our NWS map can assist policymakers to reveal trade-offs and synergies, reduce the problem’s “wickedness” and discipline a dialogue. This version 1.0 can and should be developed further. This includes expert validation and fine-tuning, as well as customizing it to particular national and policy contexts. Eventually, our ambition is to develop a policy simulation tool that enables comparison of different policy options and their ultimate impact on well-being. We invite interested parties to join us in this endeavour

Investigating RFC1 expansions in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A homozygous AAGGG repeat expansion within the RFC1 gene was recently described as a common cause of CANVAS syndrome. We examined 1069 sporadic ALS patients for the presence of this repeat expansion. We did not discover any carriers of the homozygous AAGGG expansion in our ALS cohort, indicating that this form of RFC1 repeat expansions is not a common cause of sporadic ALS. However, our study did identify a novel repeat conformation and further expanded on the highly polymorphic nature of the RFC1 locus

Genetic analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identifies contributing pathways and cell types

Despite the considerable progress in unraveling the genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we do not fully understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. We analyzed genome-wide data involving 78,500 individuals using a polygenic risk score approach to identify the biological pathways and cell types involved in ALS. This data-driven approach identified multiple aspects of the biology underlying the disease that resolved into broader themes, namely, neuron projection morphogenesis, membrane trafficking, and signal transduction mediated by ribonucleotides. We also found that genomic risk in ALS maps consistently to GABAergic interneurons and oligodendrocytes, as confirmed in human single-nucleus RNA-seq data. Using two-sample Mendelian randomization, we nominated six differentially expressed genes (ATG16L2, ACSL5, MAP1LC3A, MAPKAPK3, PLXNB2, and SCFD1) within the significant pathways as relevant to ALS. We conclude that the disparate genetic etiologies of this fatal neurological disease converge on a smaller number of final common pathways and cell types

ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНОЕ ОБОСНОВАНИЕ МИКРОХИРУРГИЧЕСКОГО ПИЩЕВОДНО-ТОНКОКИШЕЧНОГО АНАСТОМОЗА

In the experimental study on 6 mongrel dogs the comparative morphometry of layers of the wall of abdominal section of esophagus and small intestine was carried out. Tworowed microsurgical esophago-enteroanastomosis “end-to-end” was formed in 12 animals. From the surplus of the outer case of the esophagus a sphincter-like structure was created. The dynamics of anastomosis adhesion in the postoperative period was studied macroscopically and on longitudinal histotopograms. A good epithelization has been recorded by the 7th day as well as a formation of thin and firm cicatrix without a rough fibrillar tissue by the 21st day.В экспериментальном исследовании на 6 беспородных собаках выполнена морфометрия слоёв стенок абдоминального отдела пищевода и тонкой кишки. У 12 животных сформирован двухрядный микрохирургический эзофагоэнтероанастомоз конец в конец. Из избытка наружного футляра пищевода сформирована сфинктероподобная структура. Изучена динамика заживления анастомоза в послеоперационном периоде. Показана хорошая эпителизация к 7 суткам и формирование тонкого прочного рубца на 21 сутки после операции.

Surface Tension of Seawater

New measurements and a reference correlation for the surface tension of seawater at atmospheric pressure are presented in this paper. Surface tension of seawater was measured across a salinity range of 20 ⩽ S ⩽ 131 g/kg and a temperature range of 1 ⩽ t ⩽ 92 °C at atmospheric pressure using the Wilhelmy plate method. The uncertainty within measurements varied from 0.18 to 0.37 mN/m with the average uncertainty being 0.22 mN/m. The experimental procedures were validated with tests conducted on ACS reagent grade water and aqueous sodium chloride solutions. Literature data and present measurements were evaluated and a reference correlation was developed expressing surface tension of seawater as a function of temperature and salinity. The average absolute percentage deviation between measurements and the correlation was 0.19% while the maximum deviation was 0.60%.Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM (Project R13-CW-10

ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ОПТИМИЗАЦИИ МИНИДОСТУПА В ГРУДНОЙ ХИРУРГИИ

The results of minimal access surgery in patients with benign tumors and lung bullae and also with mediastinal lymphadenopathy are presented. On the front and axial CT slices the possibility of accurate preoperative localization of mini-thoracotomy on intercostal space and conventional chest lines was demonstrated by simple calculations as well as the optimization of its length depending on the depth of the pathological focus. The developed method has allowed to reduce the length of the cut, to reduce the time of operation and the time of introduction of analgesics in the postoperative period.Представлены результаты оперативного вмешательства из минидоступа у пациентов с доброкачественными опухолями и буллами лёгких, а также лимфаденопатией средостения. На фронтальных и аксиальных компьютерно-томографических срезах с помощью несложных расчётов показана возможность точной дооперационной локализации миниторакотомии по межреберью и условным линиям грудной клетки, а также оптимизации её длины, в зависимости от глубины расположения патологического очага. Разработанная методика позволила уменьшить длину разреза, сократить время операции и сроки введения анальгетиков в послеоперационном периоде.