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Closing the Loop: Innovations in Circular Business Models for Climate-Friendly E-Waste Solutions
No full textThis discussion is the second of AUB-NCC's 2024 series of roundtables, titled “The New Roadmap to A Green Transition: Exploring Today’s Climate Actors”. Roundtable discussion organized on June 3rd, 2024, at the Basile Antoine Meguerdiche Conference Hall - IFI.Panel: Aurora Rios, Technical Consultant, BlackForest Solutions; Samar Khalil, Environmental and Chemical Safety Officer, AUB; Gaby Kassab, Founder of EcoServ; André Mahfouz, Lebanon Development and Analytics, Nadeera. Moderator: Johanna Von Toggenburg, Country Director Lebanon, Cewas. Opening remarks: Maya Karkour, Founder of Circular Hub and EcoConsulting, Co-Founder Flourish.The series is co-designed with: Nature Conservation Center, UN-Habitat, Cewas, and Synaps.Includes bibliographical references (page 9)This discussion is the second of AUB-NCC’s 2024 series of roundtables, titled “The New Roadmap to A Green Transition: Exploring Today’s Climate Actors”. The panel entitled " Closing the loop: innovations in circular business models for climate friendly E-waste solutions" discussed the challenges and potential solutions to deal with e-waste sustainably in Lebanon's context. The speakers showcased their work, highlighted the lessons learned and provided policy recommendations to guide the governance of this sector to further contribute to Lebanon's green transition
THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF HEART FAILURE MEDICATIONS ON BASAL INFLAMMATION IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS
Get PDFInflammation is a frequent occurrence in individuals suffering from chronic heart failure (CHF) and baseline inflammation can start as early as stage A heart failure. In response to heart failure, compensatory neurohormones are initially activated. These include the renin–angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), along with secretion of inflammatory mediators. The chronic activation of SNS system can increase norepinephrine (NE) acting on beta receptors, subsequently triggering the release of renin, thereby RAAS system chronic activation. Renin, in turn, promotes the formation of the potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II with both proinflammatory and profibrotic actions. It is also widely recognized that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) express elements of the RAAS. When ACE/ANGII/AT1R activity dominates, PBMCs tend to exhibit a pro-inflammatory state, whereas a preponderance of ACE2/ANG1-7/AT2R activity promotes anti-inflammatory profile. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) and β-blockers are commonly used medication to manage heart failure patients. ACEIs prevent the conversion of Angiotensin I to Angiotensin II, a peptide hormone that constricts blood vessels and elevates blood pressure. In addition to ARBs that upregulate ACE2 receptors, leading to an increase in Angiotensin 1- 7 levels known for their vasodilation, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic cardio protective role. As a matter of fact, ACEIs have long been recognized for their direct influence on the immune system by suppressing PBMCs from producing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Finally, β-blockers act by blocking the beta receptors in both the heart and kidneys, have anti-inflammatory effects, contributing to decreased heart rate, decreased contractility, and decreased myocardial O2 demand. Additionally, β-blockers have anti-inflammatory effects leading to the overall therapeutic strategy for heart failure management. Given the importance of the RAAS system in PBMCs inflammatory profile modulation, we hypothesize that patients on ACEIs/ARBs medication exhibit a lower inflammatory profile than β-blockers. We also hypothesize that the combination therapy of ACEIs/ARBs and β-blockers exhibit the strongest lowering effect on basal inflammation in heart failure patients. This study includes both prospective and retrospective components and was approved by the American University of Beirut’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) ID: BIO-2020-0362. A molecular analysis was performed on enrolled patients and a detailed retrospective analysis on patients’ records. As part of the proposed study, collected PBMCs underwent flow cytometry analysis to assess the viability using specific antibodies (CD3+, CD14+, CD19+, CD33+, CD45+, CD56+, CD66-) against various immune cells subsets, which includes lymphocytes, monocytes, NK cells, myeloid cells, and mononuclear cells. ELISA was performed on plasma collected from blood samples to quantify various inflammatory markers including cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ) and ACE2. Linear regression models showed that patients on combination therapy had significantly lower levels of both IL-1b (B=-0.61, p=0.007) and IL-2 (B= -2.04, p=0.007) compared to ACEIs/ARBs after adjusting for age, gender, heart failure stage, smoking status, and number of comorbidities. We also found that for IFN-γ, patients on β-blockers (B=14.19, p=0.011) had significantly higher levels than those on ACEIs/ARBs, and for ACE2 levels, those on combination therapy (B=-1.67, p=0.018) had significantly lower ACE2 levels than those on ACEI/ARBs in unadjusted analysis, and these associations were attenuated when further adjustment was conducted (p=0.07). No significant difference was observed in IL-10 levels before and after linear regression and adjustment in these heart failure patients. In conclusion, the combination therapy of ACEIs/ARB and β-blockers differentially impacts the inflammatory response in heart failure patients. According to our findings, utilizing a combination of ACEIs/ARBs alongside β-blockers proved to be more advantageous when it comes to decreasing inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-2) in heart failure patients, as opposed to relying on a single medication. Interestingly, this benefit seems to be independent of ACE2. Limitations of the study include the relatively small sample size, indicating the need for expanded recruitment to enhance statistical power and generalizability of the findings. Additionally, a predominant presence of patients in stage A heart failure was noted, potentially limiting the ability to draw comprehensive conclusions across various heart failure stages. Further analyses involving tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) plasma levels and C-reactive protein (CRP) are pending. Future research incorporating RNA sequencing on PBMCs extracted from heart failure patients is planned, aiming to provide deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms related to inflammatory responses in this population
Economic Evaluation of Electric Mobility for Low and Middle-Income Countries: Case of Lebanon
No full textThe Lebanese transport sector still faces numerous challenges in its transformation toward sustainable electric mobility. Currently, the transportation sector is the second largest consumer of energy in Lebanon, depending entirely on gasoline and diesel, and contributing to approximately 23 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the electricity infrastructure is weak with a significant shortage in power supply. The national market has seen a growing market share for electric vehicles, and many gas stations have conducted electric vehicle charging stations. Nevertheless, the cost of capital, and maintenance cost of electric vehicles remain high in Lebanon, coupled with the high cost of electricity per kWh. This thesis investigates the economic evaluation of electric mobility at the national level for low and middle-income countries by considering the case of Lebanon. The approach implemented in this evaluation is to assess the economic present value of integrating electric vehicles in Lebanon as of 2030 by considering the 30x30 scenario versus the business-as-usual scenario in which passenger vehicle fleet follows the current traditional trends without any integration of electric vehicles. The 30x30 scenario, adopted by the World Bank, entails an electric mobility target of 30 percent market share of all electric vehicles by 2030. Four different cost components are considered in this economic evaluation: (i) vehicle capital cost, (ii) operating and maintenance cost, (iii) charging infrastructure integration cost, and (iv) environmental externality cost. Insights and Recommendations generated from this economic evaluation supports Lebanon's Indented Nationally Determined Contribution targets and actions
Evaluation of Factors Influencing Food Choices Among AUB Weightlifters and Football Players
Get PDFGeneral sports recommendations state that athletes need a balanced nutritional diet to optimize their performance, prevent nutrient deficiency, and reduce chronic diseases. Although the current literature focuses on energy and macronutrient content, athletes often make poor choices. The most reported factors influencing food choices include food sensory, psychological, economic, nutrition knowledge, beliefs, and convenience. Since the athletes' food choices are multidimensional and are influenced by their sport, training period, and nutrition knowledge, specialized nutrition plans should be tailored to each athlete to optimize their performance.
This study aims to assess the food choices of athletes, specifically weightlifters and football players, on rest and workout days in a free-choice environment during lunch. Factors influencing the athletes’ food choices in terms of performance factors, nutritional knowledge, food sensory factors, and emotional influences were evaluated. Moreover, the athletes’ usual dietary practices during their rest and workout days were investigated through a 24-hour dietary recall interview in order to evaluate the quality of the athletes’ diet and food intake.
With a convenient sample of 60 AUB athletes (30 football players and 30 weightlifters), the project took place at T-Marbouta on AUB premises over a period of one week per participant. The subject were asked to participate in four experimental sessions. During the morning visit, the anthropometrics and a body composition analysis (BIA) were measured and a 24-hour dietary recall was documented. During the afternoon session, the athletes reported back to fill in a food choice questionnaire. The same procedure was conducted on a rest day as well as on a workout day where athletes were rewarded a monetary amount of 10 for a free lunch meal and $10 as a compensation) on the Sayrafa rate of 70,000 LBP, which was equivalent to 1,400,000 LBP per experimental day. Analysis of the four 24 HRs was done using the Nutritionist Pro (NutriPro)
software (version 7.1.0, 2019, Nutritionist Pro, Axxya Systems, USA) to estimate energy and macronutrients’ intakes. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS software.
Results showed no significant differences in the NI of both sports during the rest day and significant changes in their protein intake during their workout day with 184.88±229.13 g in footballers and 178.94±58.71 in weightlifters. When comparing the NI of weightlifters during both experimental days, significant differences were found in terms of EI (2998.23±706.43 kcal during the workout day and 2536.78 ± 716.36 kcal during the rest day), protein (178.94±58.71 g during the workout day and 144.96 ± 54.46 g during the rest day), fats (134.32±49.01 g and 103.93 ± 42.94 g respectively), as well as SFA, MUFA, PUFA, K, Ca, and vitamin D. As for the football players, significant differences were only observed in terms of EI (4077.69±6589.82 kcal on the workout day and 2745.21 ± 984.06 kcal on the rest day) and protein (184.88±229.13 g and 131.59 ±52.99g respectively). As for the factors affecting the food choices of participants, weightlifters' food choices varied between rest and workout days. Nutritional attributes (32%), sensory attributes (25%), familiarity (19%), emotional influences (8%), health awareness (6%), exploring new food (5%), and following a nutrition plan were the main factors. On workout days, these factors were also significant. As for football players, the meal choices were influenced mainly by familiarity (33%), nutritional attributes (23%), sensory attributes (21%) and health awareness (11%) during the rest day and by the meal’s nutritional attributes (34%), followed by the meal’s familiarity (22%), meal’s sensory attributes (19%), and exploring new food (7%) on the workout day.
This study revealed a significant difference mainly between the rest and workout days in both group categories in terms of energy and protein intake, which can be linked to the finding of the food choice questionnaire. Both weightlifters and football players were more likely to base their food choices during their workout days on the meal’s nutritional attributes compared to their rest day, which was reinforced by their NI that showed that they generally consumed more energy and protein on their workout day compared to their rest day. The studies exploring this certain topic are limited and more studies including a larger sample size are needed to further confirm the results of this study
Banque du Liban: A Forensic Analysis
Get PDFThe audit report conducted by Alvarez & Marsal on Banque du Liban (BDL) spanning from 2015 to 2020 marks the initial externally assessed review since BDL's establishment in 1964. The examination reveals instances of mismanagement within BDL under the sole governance of the Governor, characterized by arbitrary accounting practices, concealed losses, and unexplained seigniorage income. Notably, the report highlights questionable transactions involving substantial amounts and individuals linked to the Governor's family. BDL's flawed financial strategies resulted in a 60 billion deficit in foreign exchange reserves, triggering a banking crisis exacerbated by insufficient governmental oversight and mishandling of liquidity by banks. Despite the persisting financial turmoil, marked by frozen bank deposits and unaccountable officials, the report proposes a potential path to financial recuperation through immediate implementation of legal and procedural reforms, necessitating responsible governance.Arabic version: مصرف لبنان: تحليل جنائي
http://hdl.handle.net/10938/24539Includes bibliographical references (page 20)The audit report conducted by Alvarez & Marsal on Banque du Liban (BDL) spanning from 2015 to 2020 exposes substantial mismanagement and financial misconduct. Governed solely by the Governor, BDL employed arbitrary accounting practices, concealed escalating losses, and partook in dubious transactions. The report underscores notable financial losses, a negative equity situation, and a 60 billion deficit in FX reserves by 2019 stemming from costly financial manipulations. These factors culminated in a severe banking crisis, compounded by inadequate liquidity management by banks and regulatory oversights by the government. To facilitate recovery, prompt legal and regulatory measures are imperative, necessitating a restructuring of leadership and enhanced accountability
Deciphering the Role of miR-2115-3p in Molecular Apocrine Breast Cancer
No full textBackground: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer in women with around 2.3 million new cases reported on a yearly basis worldwide. Despite all the effort put into research on BC, the incidence and mortality rates are on the rise. BC is a disease with intra and inter heterogeneity which makes it a major health issue. One of the methods for sub-typing BC is by looking at the expression of three different receptors -estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2). As such, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) -one subtype of BC- is negative for the three receptors. TNBC itself is also heterogenous and it overlaps with distinct subtypes, namely molecular apocrine (MA) and luminal androgen receptor (LAR) BCs. These subtypes are, even today, still misdiagnosed and poorly treated. To better understand MABC, the discovery of underlying mechanisms that allow its development and tumorigenesis is required. Many studies have shed the light on the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the progression of many types of cancers including BC. miRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that are endogenously expressed, and their dysregulation is reported to be implicated in the development and progression of BC. According to in silico analysis and preliminary data on a cohort of TNBC tumors, one of the miRNAs that is significantly upregulated in MABC is miR-2115-3p. miR-2115-3p is not widely reported in literature and very few studies have linked it to diseases other than BC which makes it novel. The aim of our study is to assess and investigate the role of miR-2115-3p in MABC’s progression using in vitro BC cellular models. The findings of this project will help in unraveling the functional role of miR-2115-3p in MABC tumorigenesis and might give insight to advance therapeutic approaches.
Methods and results: Dysregulation of miR-2115-3p in MABC was validated using in silico analysis based on miRNA data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-BRCA) and a cohort of French BC samples. The impact of the miR-2115-3p on MABC tumorigenesis was investigated using non tumorigenic (MCF-10A) and BC cellular models of MABC (MDA-MB-453), and TNBC (MDA-MB-231). The models were established based on the expression of AR and the dysregulation of miR-2115-3p. miR-2115-3p showed a significant effect on proliferation and invasion in the cellular models. Finally, we looked for potential target genes for miR-2115-3p; however, we were not able to find a direct target for our miRNA.
Conclusion: Overall, our study suggests the potential of miR-2115-3p to be active players in MABC. We found that the modulation of miR-2115-3p significantly promotes proliferation and invasion in our MABC model. However, further studies are required to fully understand its function and validate the genes that it targets
Effect of Inorganic Phosphorus Manipulation on Prostate Cancer Cells In Vitro
No full textProstate Cancer (PC) was ranked as the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among males worldwide. Despite the availability of various treatment regimens, 90% of patients will develop resistance and advance to an aggressive and lethal state known as metastatic castration-resistant PC. Dietary factors were shown to be modifiable risk factors for PC. Specifically, the intake and serum levels of inorganic phosphorus (Pi), a naturally occurring essential mineral, were associated with an increased risk of PC. Observational studies have shed light on the systemic effects of Pi on PC; however, this interplay has not yet been studied in vitro, leaving a gap in the existing literature. Thus, this study aims to determine the tumorigenic effect of increased concentrations of Pi on PLum-AD murine PC cells, at the molecular and cellular levels. Effects of elevated concentrations of sodium phosphate (NaPi) and potassium phosphate (KPi) were assessed on the murine PLum- AD cell line using various in vitro assays. The MTT assay was utilized to determine the proliferative and cytotoxic effects of a wide range of NaPi and KPi concentrations. Additionally, the trypan blue exclusion assay was performed to assess the effect of the treatments on cell viability. Also at the cellular level, the effect of elevated NaPi and KPi on the cell migratory ability was investigated through the wound healing assay. At the molecular level, immunofluorescence staining, and analysis elucidated the effect of elevated concentrations of NaPi and KPi on the protein expression of epithelial- mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Our results showed that NaPi and KPi did not affect the proliferation and viability of PLum-AD cells. However, abnormally elevated concentrations of NaPi, but not KPi significantly induced a cytotoxic effect, indicating a possible sodium-dependent transport system involved in the uptake of Pi. While the wound healing assay showed that NaPi and KPi treatments did not alter the migratory ability of PLum-AD cells, immunofluorescence staining and analysis showed an increase in the relative expression of vimentin (Vim), a marker of EMT. Further in vitro studies are needed to elucidate the long-term effect of the treatments, investigate the pathways involved in Pi uptake by PC cells, and identify key signaling pathways implicated in the promotion of EMT. Moreover, in vivo studies are warranted to elucidate the interaction between increased Pi levels and its regulatory systems, and their effect on PC proliferation and progression. In conclusion, by demonstrating the effect of increased Pi concentrations on PC tumorigenesis, novel therapeutic strategies that target Pi in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of PC cells could play a role in the management of the advanced stages
Local Business, Local Peace? Intergroup and Economic Dynamics
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (page 4)The escalating conflict in Lebanon since September 2024 has triggered a humanitarian and economic crisis, displacing over 1 million people, approximately 20% of the population. The conflict is projected to contract the economy by 10% to 25%, exacerbated by severe damage to key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure. Inflation has resurfaced as the Lebanese pound destabilizes, while vital industries like tourism and agriculture report catastrophic revenue losses and damages. Business sentiment has deteriorated, with investment stagnation and a critical energy crisis further complicating recovery efforts. This policy brief emphasizes the necessity of immediate and long-term measures to address these challenges. Recommendations prioritize leveraging Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) for peacebuilding, reducing economic inequalities, fostering job creation, and encouraging social cohesion. Strategies include formalizing informal economies, enhancing government transparency, addressing corruption, and promoting cooperative business practices to strengthen community ties. The brief underscores the importance of integrating economic development with peacebuilding to mitigate tensions, support recovery, and ensure sustainable development amidst Lebanon's ongoing crisis
Decision Analysis Framework for Decentralized Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems in Lebanon Under the Uncertainty of Grid Existence and Tariff Prices
Get PDFElectricity is forecasted to play a leading role in the final energy consumption of the future. Yet, many developing countries suffer from limited access to electricity and poor reliability of fragmented national grid infrastructure. In this context, a large body of research has investigated the development and optimization of household-level and microgrid off-grid and on-grid systems powered by a combination of various renewable and non-renewable electricity generation sources. Yet, from the perspective of the households and communities without access to a reliable central grid, investments in decentralized solutions happen under one major uncertainty: (i) Will the reliable central grid become available at any point in time; and if so, when will that happen? To complete the picture, two secondary uncertainties follow the first one necessarily: if the reliable central grid becomes available, what will be (ii) the price of the centralized electricity, and (iii) the feed-in tariff for purchasing the renewable electricity that is generated by decentralized agents? We develop an optimization-based decision analysis framework that addresses the decision context that such households and communities face while considering these three important uncertainties. We illustrate our methodology by applying it to a case from Lebanon: a country that witnessed a quick drop in the centralized electricity generation due to the ongoing economic crisis and the development of various distributed improvised solutions at household and community levels. We develop a deterministic model and generate different scenarios that show the effects of these uncertainties on the decision. Moreover, we propose a stochastic model and compare its results with the deterministic model to assess the value of energy policy certainty. We finally discuss practical and policy implications that are relevant to Lebanon
Robust Control Policy Transfer between Quadrotors
No full textSince their advent, quadrotors (QUAVs) have been widely used in various tasks. Control algorithms for quadrotors are designed and tuned based on performing specific tasks. However, when a new quadrotor with different dynamic parameters, such as mass and moment of inertia, is required to perform the same task, the baseline controller must be modified, or at least tuned again, to achieve the same performance level. Hence, knowledge transfer for tracking the desired path between QUAVs with different dynamics without changes in the baseline controller is desirable. In this regard, extensive efforts have been made to provide autonomous control approaches to guarantee QUAV tracking performance without changing the baseline controller design. The idea of automatically improving the tracking performance of a quadrotor, based on feeding it with the tracking errors and experiences collected from another quadrotor with different dynamics, is a challenging issue.
In this thesis, a robust control policy transfer algorithm from a so-called source quadrotor to a target quadrotor with different dynamic parameters is proposed. First, a robust controller is designed to control the source quadrotor with both H and µ synthesis approaches by taking into consideration parametric uncertainties, disturbances, and noise. Then a robust control policy transfer algorithm is designed for transferring the trajectory tracking experience from the source quadrotor to the target one where the basic controllers of each QUAV are designed based on H. In the proposed approach, the signal generated by the control policy block from the source QUAV is added to the feedforward loop of the target QUAV. Additionally, a genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized to optimize the parameters of the control policy transfer block, ensuring the design meets stability requirements. It is worth mentioning that the control policy transfer block is exploited as an additional algorithm to further improve the QUAV tracking performance and does not affect closed-loop stability. Simulation-based studies show that the suggested algorithm improves the tracking performance for the target quadrotor without modifying the baseline controller while still guaranteeing robustness. Furthermore, a parameter sensitivity study was conducted with quadrotors having varying masses and moments of inertia to evaluate the robustness of the control policy transfer algorithm. The simulations showed that the proposed algorithm consistently enhanced the tracking performance of the target quadrotor, even under significant parametric variations. The best tracking results were observed with the nominal target quadrotor, while the quadrotor with a 20% mass reduction exhibited minor overshoot due to increased system sensitivity. Despite these variations, the algorithm maintained robust stability, with gain margins exceeding 30 dB and adequate phase margins across all control channels. These results confirm the algorithm's capability to preserve stability and robust performance across a range of dynamic conditions