Practical observations - the COVID-19 influence on Latvian early intervention work with first episode psychosis (FEP) patients

publishersversionPeer reviewe

Model-based biotechnological potential analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus central metabolism

Funding Information: The research was supported by ERDF project Nr. 2DP/2.1.1.1.0/14/APIA/VIAA/043. Publisher Copyright: © 2017, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.The non-conventional yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is an emerging industrial producer for many biotechnological processes. Here, we show the application of a biomass-linked stoichiometric model of central metabolism that is experimentally validated, and mass and charge balanced for assessing the carbon conversion efficiency of wild type and modified K. marxianus. Pairs of substrates (lactose, glucose, inulin, xylose) and products (ethanol, acetate, lactate, glycerol, ethyl acetate, succinate, glutamate, phenylethanol and phenylalanine) are examined by various modelling and optimisation methods. Our model reveals the organism’s potential for industrial application and metabolic engineering. Modelling results imply that the aeration regime can be used as a tool to optimise product yield and flux distribution in K. marxianus. Also rebalancing NADH and NADPH utilisation can be used to improve the efficiency of substrate conversion. Xylose is identified as a biotechnologically promising substrate for K. marxianus.publishersversionPeer reviewe

A framework to evaluate the viability of robotic process automation for business process activities

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology for centralized automation of business processes. RPA automates user interaction with graphical user interfaces, whereby it promises efficiency gains and a reduction of human negligence during process execution. To harness these benefits, organizations face the challenge of classifying process activities as viable automation candidates for RPA. Therefore, this work aims to support practitioners in evaluating RPA automation candidates. We design a framework that consists of thirteen criteria grouped into five perspectives which offer different evaluation aspects. These criteria leverage a profound understanding of the process step. We demonstrate and evaluate the framework by applying it to a real-life data set.Comment: This is an accepted manuscript for the "RPA Forum" at the "Int. Conference on Business Process Management (BPM 2020)". The final authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58779-6_1

EXPRESSION OF TLR2, TLR3, TLR4 AND PROINFLAMMATORY TNF AND IL-6 CYTOKINES IN LIVER BIOPSIES OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE PATIENTS

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of conditions closely associated with obesity that are among the most common and socially significant liver diseases in the modern Western world. The emergence and progression of NAFLD from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with the subsequent development of fibrosis are the leading factors in the pathogenesis of a significant proportion of the most severe liver pathologies, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as extrahepatic metabolic complications of NAFLD, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The inflammatory component is one of the most important factors in the pathogenesis of NAFLD, particularly in the context of the progression of simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. At the same time, the role of the most important mediators of the inflammatory response, innate immunity receptors and the Toll-like receptors in particular, in the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been poorly studied. In the present work, we first used the bioinformatics analysis of the publicly available gene expression databases to demonstrate that only TLR1, TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 were significantly expressed in the healthy human liver. We then used the reverse transcription PCR to measure the mRNA expression levels of TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4, as well as those of the important pro-inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in the liver biopsy specimens obtained from 20 patients with NAFLD (simple steatosis, n = 10; non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, n = 10), as well as from 4 obese patients with clinical suspicion for NAFLD but no histological signs of NAFLD in their liver biopsies. We found a significant increase in the expression of TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 mRNA in liver biopsy samples obtained from patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis as compared to those obtained from controls without histological signs of NAFLD. We were also able to demonstrate the association between the hepatic levels of TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 mRNAs with the histological degree of liver damage as evidenced by the degree of steatosis and balloon dystrophy of hepatocytes, as well as with the plasma levels of uric acid, the important endogenous stimulator of innate immunity. Our data indicate the possible involvement of innate immunity, particularly the Toll-like receptors, in the pathogenesis of NAFLD

Model based biotechnological potential analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus central metabolism

The non-conventional yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is an emerging industrial producer for many biotechnological processes. Here we show the application of a biomass-linked stoichiometric model of central metabolism that is experimentally validated, and mass and charge balanced for assessing the carbon conversion efficiency of wild type and modified K. marxianus. Pairs of substrates (lactose, glucose, inulin, xylose) and products (ethanol, acetate, lactate, glycerol, ethyl acetate, succinate, glutamate, phenylethanol and phenylalanine) are examined by various modeling and optimisation methods. Our model reveals the organism's potential for industrial application and metabolic engineering. Modeling results imply that the aeration regime can be used as a tool to optimise product yield and flux distribution in K. marxianus. Also rebalancing NADH and NADPH utilisation can be used to improve the efficiency of substrate conversion. Xylose is identified as a biotechnologically promising substrate for K. marxianus

Adaptive Workflow Design Based on Blockchain

Increasingly, organizational processes have become more complex. There is a need for the design of workflows to focus on how organizations adapt to emergent processes while balancing the need for decentralization and centralization goal. The advancement in new technologies especially blockchain provides organizations with the opportunity to achieve the goal. Using blockchain technology (i.e. smart contract and blocks of specified consensus for deferred action), we leverage the theory of deferred action and a coordination framework to conceptually design a workflow management system that addresses organizational emergence (e-WfMS). Our artifact helps managers to predict and store the impact of deferred actions. We evaluated the effectiveness of our system against a complex adaptive system for utility assessment

Клинические аспекты применения искусственного интеллекта для интерпретации рентгенограмм органов грудной клетки

The review considers the possible use of artificial intelligence for the interpretation of chest X-rays by analyzing 45 publications. Experimental and commercial diagnostic systems for pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumonia, neoplasms and other diseases have been analyzed.В обзоре рассмотрены возможности применения искусственного интеллекта для интерпретации рентгенограмм органов грудной клетки путем анализа 45 литературных источников. Проанализированы экспериментальные и коммерческие системы диагностики туберкулеза легких, пневмоний, новообразований и других заболеваний

Перспективы применения пробиотических препаратов при острых инфекциях респираторного тракта

Аcute respiratory infection (ARI) is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. The disease occurs in any age, so its course could be associated with complications  and poor outcome.  Prevention  and treatment of ARI and complications  are important  problems in clinical practice.  Recent researches of human microbiome  composition  and functions have aroused a great interest to this field in order to prevent ARIs.In this review, the authors discuss non-specific  mechanisms  of human  innate antiviral defense and available data about a role of symbiontic intestinal microf lora for ARI prevention. Typically, main biological properties of probiotic bacteria are considered in the context of modulating effects on the inf lammatory immune response. Published data demonstrated reduction in the risk, severity and duration of ARI under the treatment with probiotic agents both in the children and in adults. The strain-specific effect and potential molecular antiviral mechanisms of probiotics enhancing the antiviral response of symbiontic bacteria are also discussed in the review.Острые  вирусные  инфекции верхних  дыхательных  путей  (ВДП)  являются  одним  из самых  распространенных заболеваний в мире. Заболевание возникает  у лиц всех возрастных  групп и в некоторых случаях может иметь неблагоприятные осложнения и исходы. Одна из приоритетных задач практического здравоохранения состоит в возможности профилактики и лечения  острой респираторной вирусной инфекции и ее осложнений. В представленном обзоре рассмотрены собственные механизмы  неспецифической защиты человеческого организма  от вирусной инфекции. Обобщены  результаты исследований по изучению роли симбионтной кишечной микрофлоры в профилактике острой инфекции ВДП. На основании имеющихся литературных  данных представлены  основные  аспекты биологических свойств пробиотических бактерий,  которые,  как правило,  рассматриваются в контексте  их модулирующего  влияния на воспалительную иммунную реакцию.  Проведен  анализ имеющихся данных о снижении риска возникновения, продолжительности и выраженности симптомов  респираторной инфекции при приеме пробиотических препаратов  (ПБП) как в детском возрасте,  так и во взрослой популяции. Обсуждается  вопрос  штаммоспецифического эффекта  ПБП.  В статье рассмотрены основные  возможные  молекулярные противовирусные механизмы  ПБП, за счет которых симбионтные бактерии усиливают противовирусный ответ