Transboundary Air Pollution in Europe: An Interactive Multicriteria Tradeoff Analysis

In this paper. the acid rain problem in Europe is discussed, stressing the transboundary tradeoffs between abatement costs of sulphur emission reduction and corresponding deposition levels in the different countries. An interactive decision support methodology is proposed which utilizes a powerful nonlinear multicriteria software package to evaluate various scenarios and tradeoffs. The concepts are illustrated using previously published data. The results from the tradeoff analysis show that reasonable deposition levels can be reached with limited transfers of funds between countries. The extent of these transfers can be controlled by selecting appropriate target levels for the criteria across countries

Three Phases of Transforming a Project-Based IT Company Into a Lean and Design-Led Digital Service Provider

AbstractDigital transformation requires a continuous review of value creation, value capture, and resourcing. In this article, we define a systematical service design concept to enable all stakeholders to achieve better outcomes in cocreation activities.Abstract Digital transformation requires a continuous review of value creation, value capture, and resourcing. In this article, we define a systematical service design concept to enable all stakeholders to achieve better outcomes in cocreation activities

Transboundary Air Pollution in Europe: An Interactive Multicriteria Tradeoff Analysis

In this report, the acid rain problem in Europe is discussed, stressing the transboundary tradeoffs between abatement costs of sulphur emission reduction and corresponding deposition levels in the different countries. An interactive decision support methodology is proposed which utilizes a powerful nonlinear multicriteria software package to evaluate various scenarios and tradeoffs. This methodology provides a more appropriate tool for policy making than single-objective minimization of costs with given target deposition levels, because in the latter the tradeoffs cannot be analyzed directly. The results from a tradeoff analysis using previously published data suggest that reasonable deposition levels can be reached with limited transfers of funds between countries. The extent of these transfers can be controlled by selecting appropriate target levels for the criteria across countries

Abdominal adipose tissue and liver fat imaging in very low birth weight adults born preterm : birth cohort with sibling-controls

Preterm birth at very low birth weight (VLBW, < 1500 g) is associated with an accumulation of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors from childhood at least to middle age. Small-scale studies suggest that this could partly be explained by increased visceral or ectopic fat. We performed magnetic resonance imaging on 78 adults born preterm at VLBW in Finland between 1978 and 1990 and 72 term same-sex siblings as controls, with a mean age of 29 years. We collected T1-weighted images from the abdomen, and magnetic resonance spectra from the liver, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, and tibia. The adipose tissue volumes of VLBW adults did not differ from their term siblings when adjusting for age, sex, and maternal and perinatal factors. The mean differences were as follows: subcutaneous - 0.48% (95% CI - 14.8%, 16.3%), visceral 7.96% (95% CI - 10.4%, 30.1%), and total abdominal fat quantity 1.05% (95% CI - 13.7%, 18.4%). Hepatic triglyceride content was also similar. VLBW individuals displayed less unsaturation in subcutaneous adipose tissue (- 4.74%, 95% CI - 9.2%, - 0.1%) but not in tibial bone marrow (1.68%, 95% CI - 1.86%, 5.35%). VLBW adults displayed similar adipose tissue volumes and hepatic triglyceride content as their term siblings. Previously reported differences could thus partly be due to genetic or environmental characteristics shared between siblings. The VLBW group displayed less unsaturation in subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, suggesting differences in its metabolic activity and energy storage.Peer reviewe

Complexity Theory for a New Managerial Paradigm: A Research Framework

In this work, we supply a theoretical framework of how organizations can embed complexity management and sustainable development into their policies and actions. The proposed framework may lead to a new management paradigm, attempting to link the main concepts of complexity theory, change management, knowledge management, sustainable development, and cybernetics. We highlight how the processes of organizational change have occurred as a result of the move to adapt to the changes in the various global and international business environments and how this transformation has led to the shift toward the present innovation economy. We also point how organizational change needs to deal with sustainability, so that the change may be consistent with present needs, without compromising the future

Identification of Gut Microbial Lysine and Histidine Degradation and CYP-Dependent Metabolites as Biomarkers of Fatty Liver Disease

Peer reviewe

Pandemic dreams: network analysis of dream content during the COVID-19 lockdown

We used crowdsourcing (CS) to examine how COVID-19 lockdown affects the content of dreams and nightmares. The CS took place on the 6th week of the lockdown. Over the course of one week, 4275 respondents (mean age 43, SD=14 years) assessed their sleep and 811 reported their dream content. Overall, respondents slept substantially more (54.2%) but reported an average increase of awakenings (28.6%) and nightmares (26%) from the pre-pandemic situation. We transcribed the content of the dreams into word lists and performed unsupervised computational network and cluster analysis of word associations, which suggested 33 dream clusters including 20 bad dream clusters, of which 55% were pandemic specific (e.g. Disease Management, Disregard of Distancing, Elderly in Trouble). The dream association networks were more accentuated for those who reported an increase in perceived stress. This CS survey on dream-association networks and pandemic stress introduces novel, collectively shared COVID-19 bad dream contents. </p

Niacin Cures Systemic NAD(+) Deficiency and Improves Muscle Performance in Adult-Onset Mitochondrial Myopathy

NAD(+) is a redox-active metabolite, the depletion of which has been proposed to promote aging and degenerative diseases in rodents. However, whether NAD(+) depletion occurs in patients with degenerative disorders and whether NAD(+) repletion improves their symptoms has remained open. Here, we report systemic NAD(+) deficiency in adult-onset mitochondrial myopathy patients. We administered an increasing dose of NAD(+) booster niacin, a vitamin B3 form (to 750-1,000 mg/day; clinicaltrials.gov NCT03973203) for patients and their matched controls for 10 or 4 months, respectively. Blood NAD(+) increased in all subjects, up to 8-fold, and muscle-NAD(+) of patients reached the level of their controls. Some patients showed anemia tendency, while muscle strength and mitochondrial biogenesis increased in all subjects. In patients, muscle metabolome shifted toward controls and liver fat decreased even 50%. Our evidence indicates that blood analysis is useful in identifying NAD(+) deficiency and points niacin to be an efficient NAD(+) booster for treating mitochondrial myopathy.Peer reviewe

Molecular pathways behind acquired obesity : Adipose tissue and skeletal muscle multiomics in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for BMI

Tissue-specific mechanisms prompting obesity-related development complications in humans remain unclear. We apply multiomics analyses of subcutaneous adipose tissue and skeletal muscle to examine the effects of acquired obesity among 49 BMI-discordant monozygotic twin pairs. Overall, adipose tissue appears to be more affected by excess body weight than skeletal muscle. In heavier co-twins, we observe a transcriptional pattern of downregulated mitochondrial pathways in both tissues and upregulated inflammatory pathways in adipose tissue. In adipose tissue, heavier co-twins exhibit lower creatine levels; in skeletal muscle, glycolysis- and redox stress-related protein and metabolite levels remain higher. Furthermore, metabolomics analyses in both tissues reveal that several proinflammatory lipids are higher and six of the same lipid derivatives are lower in acquired obesity. Finally, in adipose tissue, but not in skeletal muscle, mitochondrial downregulation and upregulated inflammation are associated with a fatty liver, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, suggesting that adipose tissue dominates in acquired obesity.Peer reviewe

Nicotinamide riboside improves muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, satellite cell differentiation, and gut microbiota in a twin study

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) has emerged as a promising compound to improve obesity-associated mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic syndrome in mice. However, most short-term clinical trials conducted so far have not reported positive outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether long-term NR supplementation boosts mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolic health in humans. Twenty body mass index (BMI)- discordant monozygotic twin pairs were supplemented with an escalating dose of NR (250 to 1000 mg/day) for 5 months. NR improved systemic NAD(+) metabolism, muscle mitochondrial number, myoblast differentiation, and gut microbiota composition in both cotwins. NR also showed a capacity to modulate epigenetic control of gene expression in muscle and adipose tissue in both cotwins. However, NR did not ameliorate adiposity or metabolic health. Overall, our results suggest that NR acts as a potent modifier of NAD(+) metabolism, muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and stem cell function, gut microbiota, and DNA methylation in humans irrespective of BMI.Peer reviewe