Cost-benefit Analysis of Integrated Approach of Waste and Energy Management

AbstractThe current needs of sustainable urban development give an effort to focus on environmental issues during decision making. In urban areas major environmental concerns are usually related to air quality problems caused by transport activity. Another crucial issue concerns increasing amounts of waste and inefficient waste management. The aim of the paper is to provide a methodology for the decision making process to assess integrated waste and energy management in urban areas. The methodology is based on the application of cost-benefit analysis including an impact pathway approach to evaluate the economic value of environmental aspects of the waste-to-energy process route. The study covers the whole waste-to-energy system including waste management, energy production and energy end-consumption alternatives. Cost-benefit analysis integrated with impact pathway approach was chosen for this analysis as an effective tool that is used to guide decisions about the prioritization of different investment options. This approach allows including not only the investment costs and the economic value of the outcomes but it also provides a wide range of environmental aspects that have economic valuation. The cost-benefit analysis of the integrated waste-to-energy concept is demonstrated on a case study of Valmiera city in Latvia. The results show that operating costs of fossil fuel buses are higher than biomethane fuel buses if the external operating costs and benefits are taken into account. The results from the Valmiera case study show that the total operating costs, including externalities can be reduced

Determination of neutrophil Fcc receptor IIIb antigens (HNA-1a, HNA-1b and HNA-1c) by fluorescence-primed allele-specific polymerase chain reaction

We evaluate a technique for genotyping HNA-1a, -1b and -1c antigens, resorting to fluorescence-primed allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (FPAS-PCR), and determine the frequency of the different genotypes in a normal Portuguese population. Our results indicate that the FPAS-PCR system is a reliable and simple tool for genotyping the neutrophil Fcc receptor IIIB antigens. The HNA-1a, -1b and -1c gene frequencies of 42.98, 84.21 and 6.14%, respectively, found in this study are similar to those reported for other white populations

Top energy saver of the year : results of an energy saving competition in public buildings

Non-residential buildings in the European Union consume more than one third of the building sector's total. Many non-residential buildings are owned by municipalities. This paper reports about an energy saving competition that was carried out in 91 municipal buildings in eight EU member states in 2019. For each public building an energy team was formed. The energy teams' activities encompassed motivating changes in the energy use behaviour of employees and small investments. Two challenges added an element of gamification to the energy saving competition. To assess the success of the energy saving competition, an energy performance baseline was calculated using energy consumption data of each public building from previous years. Energy consumption in the competition year was monitored on a monthly base. After the competition the top energy savers from each country were determined by the percentage-based reduction of energy consumption compared to the baseline. On average, the buildings had an electricity and heat consumption in 2019 that was about 8 % and 7 %, respectively, lower than the baseline. As an additional data source for the evaluation, a survey among energy team members was conducted at the beginning and after the energy competition. Support from superiors, employee interest and motivation and behaviour change as assessed by energy team members show a positive, if weak or moderate, correlation with changes in electricity consumption, but not with changes in heat consumption

MicroRNAs show a wide diversity of expression profiles in the developing and mature central nervous system

A comprehensive analysis of the neuroanatomical expression profiles of 38 abundant conserved miRNAs in developing and adult zebrafish brain was performed

Plasmatic microRNA levels by ddPCR as peripheral biomarkers for IDH-wild type glioblastomas: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent malignant brain tumour in adults with a dismal prognosis and peripheral biomarkers may be useful and effective in managing patients with GBM. The main aim of our study was the use of ddPCR to assess the absolute quantification of the plasmatic levels of three miRNAs as possible GBM-specific biomarkers. We focused on: miR-21-5p, an onco-miR overexpressed in blood, tumour tissue and cell cultures derived from patients affected by GBM, miR-23b-3p and miR-34a-5p, tumour suppressor miRs dysregulated in GMB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients presenting with firstly-diagnosed IDH-wild type GBM and 10 age- and gender-matched healthy control donors (hC) have been enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood samples were collected at diagnosis and one month after surgery. Total RNA was isolated from plasma by means of miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit (Qiagen), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) was performed to assess the absolute quantification of each miRNA level according to the QX200 ddPCR protocol. RESULTS: The expression analysis revealed: i) different levels of each miRNA in hC: 98.74 copies/L (±123.60), 2.56 copies/L (±5.57), 0.73 copies/L (±0.85) for miR-21-5p, miR-23b-3p and miR-34a-5p, respectively; ii) a trend of downregulation of miR-21-5p and miR-23b-3p in GMB patients at diagnosis compared to hC; iii) a trend of upregulation of each miRNA in GMB patients one month after surgery compared with the levels measured at diagnosis, in particular 3.02, 6.2 and 1.7 fold increase for miR-21-5p, miR-23b-3p and miR-34a-5p, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study we reported higher amounts of circulating miR-21-5p, miR-23b-3p and miR-34a-5p in plasma of patients affected by IDH-wild type GBM one month after surgery compared to the levels at diagnosis

Determination of plasmatic microRNA levels by ddPCR as peripheral biomarkers for IDH-wild type glioblastomas: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent malignant brain tumour in adults with a dismal prognosis. Peripheral biomarkers may be useful and effective in managing patients affected by GBM. The aim of our study was to analyse the plasmatic levels of three miRNAs as possible GBM-specific biomarkers. We focused on miR-21-5p – an onco-miR overexpressed in blood, tumour tissue and cell cultures derived from patients affected by GBM – miR-23b-3p – overexpressed in GBM, especially under hypoxic conditions – and miR-34a-5p – a tumour suppressor miR downregulated in tumour tissue and serum of patients with GBM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients presenting with firstly-diagnosed IDH-wild type GBM and 10 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (hV) have been enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood samples were collected at diagnosis and one month after surgery. Total RNA was isolated from plasma by means of miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit (Qiagen), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) was performed for each miRNA according to the QX200 EvaGreen ddPCR protocol. RESULTS: The circulating concentrations of miR-21-5p were in mean 24.00 (28.44) and 72.40 (147.88) copies/L in patients with GBM at diagnosis and one month after surgery (p=0.38), respectively, compared with 98.74 copies/L ( 123.60) quantified in hV (p=0.09; p=0.69). The mean peripheral levels of miR-23b-3p were 0.49 copies/L (0.49) at diagnosis and 3.02 copies/L (6.88) one month after surgery (p=0.32) in patients with GBM, and 2.56 copies/L (5.57) in hV (p=0.31; p=0.88). Analysing plasmatic expression of miR-34a-5p, 1.11 (1.55) and 1.85 copies/L (1.87) were measured on average at diagnosis and one month after surgery in patients with GBM (p=0.41), while 0.73 copies/L (0.85) in hV (p=0.52; p=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: We preliminarily reported higher concentrations of circulating miR-21-5p, miR-23b-3p and miR-34a-5p in plasma of patients affected by IDH-wild type GBM one month after surgery compared to the levels at diagnosis

Cortical Structure Alterations and Social Behavior Impairment in p50-Deficient Mice

Alterations in genes that regulate neurodevelopment can lead to cortical malformations, resulting in malfunction during postnatal life. The NF-κB pathway has a key role during neurodevelopment by regulating the maintenance of the neural progenitor cell pool and inhibiting neuronal differentiation. In this study, we evaluated whether mice lacking the NF-κB p50 subunit (KO) present alterations in cortical structure and associated behavioral impairment. We found that, compared with wild type (WT), KO mice at postnatal day 2 present an increase in radial glial cells, an increase in Reelin protein expression levels, in addition to an increase of specific layer thickness. Moreover, adult KO mice display abnormal columnar organization in the somatosensory cortex, a specific decrease in somatostatin- and parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, altered neurite orientation, and a decrease in Synapsin I protein levels. Concerning behavior, KO mice, in addition to an increase in locomotor and exploratory activity, display impairment in social behaviors, with a reduction in social interaction. Finally, we found that risperidone treatment decreased hyperactivity of KO mice, but had no effect on defective social interaction. Altogether, these data add complexity to a growing body of data, suggesting a link between dysregulation of the NF-κB pathway and neurodevelopmental disorders pathogenesis

SWOT Analysis Approach for Advancement of Waste-to-energy Cluster in Latvia

AbstractIt is important to improve the communication and collaboration of waste-to-energy stakeholders in Latvia to ensure sustainable economic and environmental development and promote innovation and local technology development. Therefore, implementation of a waste-to-energy cluster in Latvia has been proposed. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of the organizational structure and SWOT analysis of five existing and one potential waste-to-energy cluster and develop suggestions for improved organization of the developing Latvian cluster. The analytical part includes SWOT analysis of the proposed Latvian waste-to-energy cluster and a comparison of its results with five SWOT analyses for existing European waste-to-energy clusters involved in the project COOLSWEEP

Commitment of Autologous Human Multipotent Stem Cells on Biomimetic Poly-L-lactic Acid-Based Scaffolds Is Strongly Influenced by Structure and Concentration of Carbon Nanomaterial

Nanocomposite scaffolds combining carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) with a biocompatible matrix are able to favor the neuronal differentiation and growth of a number of cell types, because they mimic neural-tissue nanotopography and/or conductivity. We performed comparative analysis of biomimetic scaffolds with poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) matrix and three different p-methoxyphenyl functionalized carbon nanofillers, namely, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanohorns (CNHs), and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), dispersed at varying concentrations. qRT-PCR analysis of the modulation of neuronal markers in human circulating multipotent cells cultured on nanocomposite scaffolds showed high variability in their expression patterns depending on the scaffolds\u2019 inhomogeneities. Local stimuli variation could result in a multi- to oligopotency shift and commitment towards multiple cell lineages, which was assessed by the qRT-PCR profiling of markers for neural, adipogenic, and myogenic cell lineages. Less conductive scaffolds, i.e., bare poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)-, CNH-, and RGO-based nanocomposites, appeared to boost the expression of myogenic-lineage marker genes. Moreover, scaffolds are much more effective on early commitment than in subsequent differentiation. This work suggests that biomimetic PLLA carbon-nanomaterial (PLLA-CNM) scaffolds combined with multipotent autologous cells can represent a powerful tool in the regenerative medicine of multiple tissue types, opening the route to next analyses with specific and standardized scaffold features

CHRONIC RHINOSINUSITIS IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS PATIENTS: SMELL EVALUATION

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) involves the upper airways with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) causing nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, mouth breathing, facial pain, and olfactory dysfunction. Twelve to 71% of CF patients report smelling alterations impacting nutrition and quality of life. The aim was to study olfaction performance in CF patients with CRS that worsens quality of life. One hundred and twenty-one subjects were enrolled in this study. Seventy-one had CF and underwent ear, nose, and throat evaluation with nasal endoscopy, SNOT-22, VAS and “Sniffin’ Sticks”. Fifty subjects were age-matched with healthy controls. All 71 CF patients were affected by CRS; 59/71 (83.1%) had CRS without nasal polyps and 12/71 (16.9%) had CRS with early nasal polyps. None of the 50 controls had CRS. Total SNOTT-22 mean values in the 71 CF patients was 38.10 ± 21.08 pts. If considering only the 59 CF patients without nasal polyps the SNOTT-22 mean value was 36.76 ± 21.52 pts. Moreover, based on the VAS scores, the degree of nasal symptoms was classified as mild for facial pain, smell alteration, nasal discharge, and sneezing and resulted in moderate symptoms for nasal blockage and headache. Among the CF patients, 55/71 (76.5%) declared normosmia while the smelling ability assessed by “Sniffin’ Sticks” showed that only 4/71 (5.63%) were normosmic, 58 (81.69%) were hyposmic, and 9 (12.68%) were anosmic. In the controls 41(82%) were normosmic, 9 (18%) were hyposmic, and none were reported anosmia (p < 0.001). The study confirms that most CF patients have a relevant olfactory impairment, although only a low percentage declare it. A careful evaluation with simple and rapid tests helps to select the patients that may benefit from specific therapies