Bi-objective approach for designing a regional waste management system: A case study of Vojvodina (Serbia).

This article presents a bi-objective mixed-integer linear model for the waste management system design. Two types of facilities, landfills and transfer stations (TSs), are identified based on two objectives: minimising the total system's costs and the total negative impact of located facilities on end users as waste generators through a defined pollution decay function. Landfills and TSs are categorised as undesirable facilities due to associated environmental risks. In this article undesirability of a located facility is defined as a two-threshold linear decreasing function of the distance between the end users and the located facility. Also, we considered additional restrictions that no two selected landfills or TSs are within a pre-specified distance from each other, limiting the superimposed pollution generated in these facilities. The model performances are tested on a real-scale example for Vojvodina (Serbia). Results showed that the proposed model has potentials and can be beneficial for government organisations, local authorities and other organisations related to waste management issues.

Polymorphism rs5498 of the ICAM-1 gene affects the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Adhesion molecules are involved in the development of atherosclerosis. An increased level of the ICAM 1 molecule is associated with numerous inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis of carotid arteries. The rs5498 (K469E) polymorphism of the ICAM-1 gene leads to an increase in the level of serum ICAM. We investigated the association between the rs5498 (K469E) polymorphism of the ICAM-1 gene and the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The study included 595 patients with T2DM and 200 subjects in the control group without T2DM. The control examination was made 3.8 years after the initial examination. Indicators of atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), total plaque sum and sum of the plaques thickness) were detected by ultrasound examination. Genetic analyses of the polymorphism rs5498 of the ICAM-1 gene were made by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The distribution of genotypes and frequencies of rs5498 polymorphism was not significantly different between the group with type 2 diabetes ( T2DM) and the control group. Genotype EE K469E polymorphism is associated with a statistically significant annual plaques growth. CONCLUSION: The EE genotype of the rs5498 of the ICAM-1 gene was associated with a more rapid progression of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM in comparison with other genotypes.