Nexus between carbon emissions, energy consumption, and economic growth: Evidence from global economies

Renewable energy holds a remarkable role in clean energy adaptation due to the much lower carbon footprint it releases compared to other fossil fuels. It also has a positive impact by slowing down the rate of climate change. The study has examined the links between renewable and non-renewable energy use, CO2 emissions and economic growth in developed, developing, and LDCs and Economies in Transition between 1990 and 2019 in 152 countries. Granger-causality has been used as the methodology to investigate the link between the variables. The findings of the existing studies on the relationship between the consumption of renewable and non-renewable energy sources and economic growth are inconsistent, indicating that there may or may not be a relationship between the two factors. Apart from having a few empirical studies so far have examined the link between the above-mentioned variables, analysis has yet to encompass all the regions in the four sub-groups discussed above. The results indicated that no Granger-causal relationship exists between GDP and REC outside of Economies in Transition. Additionally, the GDP and CO2 of all countries have a one-way relationship. Nevertheless, research indicates that GDP and CO2 have a bi-directional link in Economies in Transition, a uni-directional relationship in developing countries, and no meaningful association in developed and LDCs. Therefore, it is essential to emphasise actions to lower CO2 emissions and develop renewable energy while also stimulating the economy. Ultimately, more nations should choose renewable energy sources to build a more sustainable future.

Relative deprivation, inequality and the Covid-19 pandemic

There is a growing concern that inequalities are hindering health outcomes. This paper's primary objective is to investigate the role of relative deprivation and inequality in explaining the daily spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this purpose, we use secondary cross-sectional data across 119 (developed and developing) countries from January 2020 – to April 2021. For the empirical analysis, we use a recent dynamic panel data modelling approach that allows us to identify the role of time-invariant variables such as degree of globalisation, political freedom and income inequality on the dynamics of the pandemic and fatality rates across countries. We find that new cases per million and fatality rates are highly persistent processes. After controlling for time-varying mobility statistics from the Google mobility database and region-specific dummy variables, the two significant factors that explain the severity of Covid-19 spread in a country are per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Yitzhaki's relative income deprivation index. Lagged value of new cases per million significantly explains cross-country variations in the daily case fatality rates. A higher proportion of the older population and pollution increased fatality rates while better medical infrastructure reduced it.

A delta opioid receptor lacking the third cytoplasmic loop is generated by atypical mRNA processing in human malignomas

delta Opioid receptors were identified in human melanomas by RT-PCR and radioligand binding. In all tumors an additional PCR amplificate was detected in which 144 bp within the third exon were deleted. This fragment corresponded to the third cytoplasmic domain of the receptor protein. The short variant resulted from atypical mRNA processing. There were no common splice recognition sequences around the deleted fragment; instead its excision resembled the removal of a transposon. The deletion was not detected in normal human melanocytes nor in human or rat brain. However, it was present in a human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y). Thus, it appears that the occurrence of the short delta opioid receptor is correlated to malignancy.

Repair of aortopulmonary window at left thoracotomy for patent ductus arteriosus

The inability to differentiate accurately between patent ductus arteriosus and aortopulmonary window may occasionally result in finding an aortopulmonary window while prepared to close a patent ductus arteriosus at left thoracotomy. Anatomic and technical factors now allow aortopulmonary window closure from the left chest using surgical clips in certain selected cases. The successful repair of such a case is presented.