Sustainometrics: Measuring sustainability

The paper argues for the need of "sustainometrics", i.e. a science that studies, models and measures sustainable development, including measuring progress towards sustainability, measuring the status quo, benchmarking and best practices. There are already vast bodies of research as to how to study and measure the economic, social and environmental but we do not know how to study and measure the whole. To make things even more complex, this whole is dynamic as it is constantly co-evolving with its components. This often results in the emergence of unexpected properties, an example of which is climate change. A new area of knowledge (and profession) is currently appearing which is sustainability. In order for it to inform policy decisions and guide human behaviour it will need to also develop its modelling and measuring tools (including sustainability indicators, ecological footprint and food miles among other) and information systems (local, regional and global), which sustainometrics should provide

Models of Sustainability

The paper presents a general classification of the models being developed in the area of sustainability arguing that the existing models represent the historical conceptualisation of sustainability starting from environmental constraints and moving towards economic valuation and social behaviour and policies. Coupled with computer power, sophisticated models with a varying levels of complexity have also been developed (static/dynamic; local/global; specific/general). However as any model is a simplification of the complex reality, the main purpose of any sustainability modelling should be to allow for co-evolution to be represented, including the role of humans as sustainability guardians

Information Theory Perspective on Modelling Sustainability

Sustainability requires integrated models for the description of the co-evolving relationships between the economy, society and nature. The paper argues that information theory as a transdisciplinary approach can provide the basis for new theoretical and practical developments in the modeling of sustainability. The methodological problems of its present paradigms (cybernetic, epistemological and pragmatic) however are currently being challenged by the requirements of sustainability. There is a need for a new approach to modeling based on information theory taking into account the assumptions about the nature of information processes, i.e. that they are real, spontaneous and subject to the principle of information relevance. The new sustainability modeling also needs to include intelligence as an information category. A global green information system (GGIS) is a possible example for the application of these concepts

Linking folklore to agricultural sustainability accounting in Bangladesh

The Bangladeshi folklore cultural heritage embraces myriad proverbs, adages, sayings, folktales, and folksongs, including the songs of the Baul mystic minstrels. Many are linked to various aspects of agriculture – from tilling to harvest, storage of yields, and consumption. The paper draws on this folklore to develop the concept of traditional sustainability accounting in agriculture. Although without formal quantification, these proverbs and songs guide agricultural practices in rural Bangladesh maintaining a socio-economic system that promotes sustainable activities, counteracts the damage caused by the 1970 Green Revolution, and encourage sustainability accounting. In recent years, Bangladesh has achieved many of the Millennium Development Goals but has also witnessed environmental deterioration. An agro-ecological management informed by folklore and traditional wisdom has the potential to transform the country's progress along the lines of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Laboratory and imaging methods for tuberculosis diagnostics

Туберкулозата е хронично инфекциозно заболяване, най-често засягащо белите дробове и по-рядко други органи и системи. За разлика от миналото, когато заболяването е засягало предимно бедни хора, сега то се среща все по-често и в развитите страни.Причинителят е Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Отличава се с голямата си устойчивост на физични и химични фактори. Източници на инфекцията са болните хора и рядко животните - едър рогат добитък. Не всички хора, които се заразяват с болестта, боледуват от нея. Инфекцията се предава по въздушно-капков път и прониква в организма през горните дихателни пътища. Туберкулозните бактерии остават жизнеспособни дълго време в храчки и прах от улицата или помещения. Възможно е и заразяване по алиментарен път. При някои хора възможността за заразяване е по-голяма. Например при хора с професии, имащи контакти с животни, с болни от туберкулоза, СПИН и други. Немалко са и случаите на безсимптомно протичане на болестта или диференциалната диагноза да бъде друго инфекциозно заболяване. Симптомите основно са грипоподобни - кашлица, задух, безапетитие, повишена температура, отпадналост. При извънбелодробните форми на туберкулоза се засягат други органи и системи: органи в коремната кухина, лимфните възли, централната нервна система, сърдечно-съдовата система и други.Най-важно значение за диагностика на туберкулозата са рентгеновото изследване, кръвната картина и микробиологичната диагностика. Също за поставяне на точна диагноза се изследват промивни води от белите дробове или стомаха.Заболяването рядко протича с усложнения и в повечето случаи завършва с оздравяване. За предпазване от туберкулоза се прилага ваксина, която е задължителна в България и се поставя на 48-ия час от раждането с последващи реимунизации. Добрата лична хигиена също е от съществено значение за превенция от туберкулозата.Tuberculosis is chronic infectious disease which often affects the lungs and rarely other organs and systems. In the past, the disease usually affected poor people but now it can be found in well-developed countries.The agent is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is very resistant to physical and chemical factors. The source are sick people and rarely - animals. Not all people who are infected get sick.The infection can be transmitted by air and penetrates the body through the upper respiratory tract.Mycobacterium tuberculosis can live long in sputum and dust from streets and rooms. People can also be infected by consuming infected food like milk and etc. For some people the possibility of becoming infected is higher - people who are often in contact with animals, other infected people, or are HIV positive.Sometimes the disease can be asymptomatic and confused with another infection. The symptoms are flu-like - cough, suffocation, fever, and weakness. The extrapulmonary forms of tuberculosis can affect other organs and systems - abdominal cavity, lymph nodes, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Radiology and microbiology methods were used for establishing a diagnosis.The disease is often cured without complications. The prevention consists of vaccination which is obligatory in Bulgaria and is done on the 48th hour from the birth of the baby and repeated in a few years. High personal hygiene is an important method of prevention of disease

Enhancement Opportunities for Conceptual Design in Aerospace Based on the Advanced Morphological Approach

The current challenges facing the aerospace domain require unconventional solutions, which could be sought in new configurations of future aircraft and spacecraft. The choice of optimal concepts requires the consideration of a significant amount of competing engineering solutions and takes place under conditions of uncertainty. Such a problem can be addressed by enhancing existing methods for analysis and synthesis solutions, such as the Advanced Morphological Approach (AMA). It uses morphological analysis to provide a more exhaustive overview of possible problem solutions, relies on expert evaluations of alternative technological options and applies clustering to the solution space. Although an intuitive method for structured concept generation, the AMA exposes the need for more robust problem structuring, improved objectivity of options evaluation and accounting for uncertainties. The current article suggests ways to overcome these challenges and their possible integration in the process. In particular, the integration of fuzzy sets is proposed to model uncertainties during the evaluation of technological options by the experts. The Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process is adapted for integration into the AMA and for the conceptual design of aerospace vehicles.DFG, 443831887, Konzeptentwurf und -modellierung komplexer energieeffizienter Flugsysteme unter Nutzung eines fortschrittlichen morphologischen Ansatze

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation