Ecological Networks and Ecosystem Services in Urban Regions Implementation and Planning Practices

In recent decades, urban developments, agriculture and growth of grey infrastructures have affected urban landscapes. The rapid expansions of cities have increasingly caused loss of biodiversity, degradation and fragmentation of habitats. In this context, Ecological Network (EN) and more recently Ecosystem Services (ES) have been the subject of increasing attention among academics and in global and European policies. EN has represented a concept to consider and plan for preserving biodiversity and sustainable use of resources. EN also provides ES, for instance, recreational services (such as the access to green space, recreation, and educational resources) and supporting services (such as safeguarding biodiversity and protecting natural environment). The benefits provided by those two ES have been mostly emphasised in the research fields of regional and urban planning. In addition, several metropolitan regions and cities have defined objectives that EN is meant to pursue, as well as planning practices to adopt. However, there is a clear difficulty to effectively implement EN concept and adopt sustainable planning practices. Often ENs are not considered within built areas and where new developments are proposed. On the other hand, the introduction of the ES concept is still limited in land use planning. Comprehensive studies on how the concepts of EN and ES have been employed in urban regions are still very limited. This study aims to understand the implementation of EN and ES concept in land use planning and the current use of both concepts in planning practices

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Working Spaces

This edited volume presents a compendium of emerging and innovative studies on the proliferation of new working spaces (NeWSps), both formal and informal (such as coworking spaces, maker spaces, fab labs, public libraries, and cofee shops), and their role during and following the COVID-19 pandemic in urban and regional development and planning. This book presents an original, interdisciplinary approach to NeWSps through three features: (i) situating the debate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed NeWSp business models and the everyday work life of their owners and users; (ii) repositioning and rethinking the debate on NeWSps in the context of socioeconomics and planning and comparing conditions between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (iii) providing new directions for urban and regional development and resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic, considering new ways of working and living. The 17 chapters are co-authored by both leading international scholars who have studied the proliferation of NeWSps in the last decade and young, talented researchers, resulting in a total of 55 co-authors from diferent disciplines (48 of whom are currently involved in the COST Action CA18214 ‘The Geography of New Working Spaces and Impact on the Periphery’ 2019–2023: www.newworking- spaces.eu). Selected comparative studies among several European countries (Western and Eastern Europe) and from the US and Lebanon are presented. The book contributes to the understanding of multi-disciplinary theoretical and practical implications of NeWSps for our society, economy, and urban/regional planning in conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic

Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 and echocardiography in sepsis

Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) has emerged as a biomarker of cardiac stretch or remodeling, and has demonstrated a role in acutely decompensated heart failure. However, its role in sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction is still unknown. We explored whether sST2 serum concentration reflects either systolic or diastolic dysfunction as measured by Doppler echocardiography. In a total of 127 patients with sepsis, correlations between sST2 and blood pressure, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LV diastolic filling (ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to early diastolic mitral annulus velocity), and resting pulmonary arterial pressure were evaluated. Correlations between sST2 and other sepsis biomarkers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP] and procalcitonin) were also examined. sST2 showed a moderate correlation with mean arterial pressure (r=-0.3499) but no correlation with LV ejection fraction, diastolic filling, or resting pulmonary hypertension. It showed moderate correlations with hs-CRP and procalcitonin (r=0.2608 and r=0.3829, respectively). sST2 might have a role as a biomarker of shock or inflammation, but it cannot reflect echocardiographic findings of LV ejection fraction or diastolic filling in sepsis

Comparison between soluble ST2 and high-sensitivity troponin I in predicting short-term mortality for patients presenting to the Emergency Department with chest pain

Background: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and the soluble isoform of suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) are useful prognostic biomarkers in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of this study was to test the short term prognostic value of sST2 compared with hs-cTnI in patients with chest pain. Methods: Assays for hs-cTnI and sST2 were performed in 157 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) for chest pain at arrival. In-hospital and 30-day follow-up mortalities were assessed. Results: The incidence of ACS was 37%; 33 patients were diagnosed with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 25 were diagnosed with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Compared with the no acute coronary syndrome (NO ACS) group, the median level of hs-cTnI was higher in ACS patients: 7.22 (5.24-14) pg/mL vs 68 (15.33-163.50) pg/mL (P35 ng/mL at ED arrival died during the 30-day follow-up. Conclusions: sST2 has a greater prognostic value for 30-day cardiac mortality after discharge in patients presenting to the ED for chest pain compared with hs-cTnI. In STEMI patients, an sST2 value > 35 ng/mL at ED arrival showed the highest predictive power for short-term mortality

Proenkephalin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and estimated glomerular filtration rates in patients with sepsis

Background: Proenkephalin (PENK) has been suggested as a novel biomarker for kidney function. We investigated the diagnostic and prognostic utility of plasma PENK in comparison with neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (EGFR) in septic patients. Methods: A total of 167 septic patients were enrolled: 99 with sepsis, 37 with septic shock, and 31 with suspected sepsis. PENK and NGAL concentrations were measured and GFR was estimated by using the isotope dilution mass spectrometry traceable-Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study and three Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations: CKD-EPICr, CDK-EPICysC, and CKD-EPICr-CysC. The PENK, NGAL, and EGFR results were compared according to sepsis severity, presence or absence of acute kidney injury (AKI), and clinical outcomes. Results: The PENK, NGAL, and EGFR results were significantly associated with sepsis severity and differed significantly between patients with and without AKI only in the sepsis group (all P<0.05). PENK was superior to NGAL in predicting AKI (P=0.022) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) (P=0.0085). Regardless of the variable GFR category by the different EGFR equations, PENK showed constant and significant associations with all EGFR equations. Unlike NGAL, PENK was not influenced by inflammation and predicted the 30-day mortality. Conclusions: PENK is a highly sensitive and objective biomarker of AKI and RRT and is useful for prognosis prediction in septic patients. With its diagnostic robustness and predictive power for survival, PENK constitutes a promising biomarker in critical care settings including sepsis

Integrating green infrastructure and ecosystem services in land use planning : Results from two Finnish case studies

Highlights • A further development of the two concepts of Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services can support land use planning. • New forms of dialogue between researchers, practitioners, policy makers and citizens are needed when integrating GI and ES in planning. • A better understanding of GI and ES concepts amongst planners can support the transfer of GI an ES concepts within existing planning practices. • The integration of ES and GI within planning strategies and practices requires the development of new land use planning tools.Scientific advancements on Green Infrastructure (GI) and Ecosystem Services (ES) have been conducted by experts from several disciplines such as landscape ecology, landscape architecture and, more recently, regional and urban planning. However, there are still difficulties in defining and operationalizing GI and ES within planning. This paper explores the possibilities and obstacles in incorporating the GI and ES concepts into policy frameworks, planning strategies and planning practices by taking as case studies the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region and the City of Järvenpää in Finland. In both cases, several studies on GI and ES have been developed with the collaboration of academics, research institutes and planners. The literature review focuses on the understanding and integration of GI and ES within land use planning. A qualitative content analysis was conducted of policy and planning documents and interviews with regional and city planners. The results show that while the national policy has already embraced the two concepts, the planning strategies of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region and the City of Järvenpää need to fully integrate GI and ES. A wider and more concrete picture about the difficulties in operationalising GI and ES is provided by the planning practitioners. Rigid regulatory framework and current planning tools still represent obstacles to the effective integration of GI and ES. More science-practice collaborations between experts, practitioners and policymakers should support the development of our cities and urban regions having GI and ES in mind

Perspectives on the dynamics of third spaces

While coworking spaces (CSs) were traditionally viewed as a necessity for self-employed workers and freelancers, we outline how different users have also adopted the concept, even more so during the pandemic. The range of users has now expanded with employees from all sorts of companies who need to balance remote working with their private lives at home. We indicate avenues for future growth, in particular when the use of a CS becomes a lifestyle choice, and present paths for future research on CS users

Coworkers in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic

The literature on coworking spaces (CSs) often neglects the link between the motives for using coworking in general and the choice of a specific CS. Moreover, their relationship with regional attitudes in different geographical and economic landscapes is rarely studied. We attempt to fill this gap by investigating users’ motives and preferences in the socioeconomic landscape of the Netherlands during the pandemic. The results from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire answered by 47 CS users show trends that differ partially from those highlighted in the literature thus far. In particular, Dutch coworkers want to find a productive workplace outside home, and they tend to focus strongly on the CS layout and design, while their interest in professional networking is less pronounced. These results can be interpreted as a manifestation of new needs emerging during the pandemic, which could also persist in the reorganization of workplaces following the pandemic

Matrix Model as a Mirror of Chern-Simons Theory

Using mirror symmetry, we show that Chern-Simons theory on certain manifolds such as lens spaces reduces to a novel class of Hermitian matrix models, where the measure is that of unitary matrix models. We show that this agrees with the more conventional canonical quantization of Chern-Simons theory. Moreover, large N dualities in this context lead to computation of all genus A-model topological amplitudes on toric Calabi-Yau manifolds in terms of matrix integrals. In the context of type IIA superstring compactifications on these Calabi-Yau manifolds with wrapped D6 branes (which are dual to M-theory on G2 manifolds) this leads to engineering and solving F-terms for N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories with superpotentials involving certain multi-trace operators.Comment: harvmac, 54 pages, 13 figure

Elotuzumab plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a multicenter, retrospective real-world experience with 200 cases outside of controlled clinical trials

In the ELOQUENT-3 trial, the combination of elotuzumab, pomalidomide and dexamethasone (EloPd) proved a superior clinical benefit over Pd with a manageable toxicity profile, leading to its approval in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), who had received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor (PI). We report here a real-world experience of 200 RRMMs treated with EloPd in 35 Italian centers outside of clinical trials. In our dataset, the median number of prior lines of therapy was 2, with 51% of cases undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and 73% exposed to daratumumab. After a median follow-up of 9 months, 126 patients stopped EloPd, most of them (88.9%) because of disease progression. The overall response rate (ORR) was 55.4%, in line with the pivotal trial results. Regarding adverse events, our cohort experienced a toxicity profile similar to the ELOQUENT-3 trial, with no significant differences between younger (&lt;70 years) and older patients. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 7 months, shorter than that observed in the ELOQUENT-3, probably due to the different clinical characteristics of the two cohorts. Interestingly, the ISS stage III (HR:2.55) was associated with worse PFS. Finally, our series's median overall survival (OS) was shorter than that observed in the ELOQUENT-3 trial (17.5 versus 29.8 months). In conclusion, our real-world study confirms EloPd as a safe and possible therapeutic choice for RRMM who received at least two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a PI