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Food and Feed Additive of Insects: Economic and Environmental Impacts
No full textBackground: Food insecurity and malnutrition in children may impose extreme disease conditions, which potentially affect the sustainability of zero hunger and wellness worldwide, leading to variations in nutritional patterns by region. Edible insects are common and are included in diets such as pastries, cookies, pasta, pies, flours, biscuits, candies, bars, chocolates, beverages, alcoholics, and so on.
Methods: The current price of insect-incorporated foods and conventional foods in the grocery stores online were analyzed and compared. The architectural sketch of insect integrated rearing system. Edible insects can be reared to harvest or sourced from the wild, cleaned, steamed, and oven-heated before blending into fine powders for additives. The smooth powder is milled with other food ingredients before they are mixed thoroughly, pounded, baked, and cut into sizes.
Results: The nutritional information of insect food and feed was higher than conventional products. Prices of all the conventional commodities were higher except for insect beverages (22.30≈16,945 naira) (P<0.05). Marketable insect feed products are lacking, probably due to a lack of entrepreneurial intervention in this line of production.
Conclusions: Considering the environment, insects have much more advantages. Foods of insects are quite cheap and encouraged in Asia-pacific than in the African region. The environmental, economic, and nutritional values of insects are equally an advantage over other animals. Modeling the price of edible insect foods is paramount to large-scale production. Concerted efforts and legislation are therefore required to promote this innovation in developing and under-developing nations
Diagnostic Accuracy of Anthropometric Markers of Obesity for Prediabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Get PDFIntroduction: Prediabetes is a significant public health concern due to its high risk of progressing to diabetes. Anthropometric measures of obesity, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) have been demonstrated as key risk factors in the development of prediabetes. However, there is a lack of clarity on the diagnostic accuracy and cut-off points of these measures.
Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of these anthropometric measures for their most effective use in identifying prediabetes.
Methodology: A systematic review (SR) with metanalysis of observational studies was carried out. The search was conducted in four databases: Pubmed/Medline, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and EMBASE. For the meta-analysis, sensitivity and specificity, together with their 95% confidence intervals (CI 95%) were calculated.
Results: Among all the manuscripts chosen for review, we had four cross-sectional studies, and three were classified as cohort studies.
The forest plots showed the combined sensitivity and specificity for both cross-sectional and cohort studies. For cross-sectional studies, the values were as follows: BMI had a sensitivity of 0.63 and specificity of 0.56, WC had a sensitivity of 0.59 and specificity of 0.58, and WHtR had a sensitivity of 0.63 and specificity of 0.73. In the cohort studies, the combined sensitivity and specificity were: BMI at 0.70 and 0.45, WC at 0.68 and 0.56, and WHtR at 0.68 and 0.56, respectively. All values are provided with 95% confidence intervals.
Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of BMI, WC, and WHtR in identifying prediabetes. The results showed variations in sensitivity and specificity, with WHtR having the highest specificity in cross-sectional studies and BMI having improved sensitivity in cohort studies
Experimental Studies on Abrasive Water Jet Cutting of Nano SiC Particles Filled Hybrid Basalt-Glass Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy Composites
Get PDFAbrasive water jet machining (AWJM) is extensively beneficial in machining materials that are hard to cut. This investigation deals with AWJM of Nano SiC filled Epoxy reinforced with basalt-glass fiber hybrid composite. The composite is prepared by compression moulding technique. Experimental trails are performed to evaluate the impact of every process parameter on the responses i.e., surface roughness (Ra) and Material Removal Rate (MRR). The experiments are conducted by changing the standoff distance (SD), traverse speed (TS) and water pressure. The performance of the conducted experiment is analysed using a Swarm intelligence algorithm. Surface roughness and MRR are maximized by using the combination of optimum process parameter levels of 9.72 mm/min speed, 5.78 mm stand-off distance and 553 MPa jet pressure. Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) images are employed in detecting the morphology of machined surface and confirmed the presence of voids and fibre pull-out
Oromumma is Anti-Vestige Ideology Destroying Heritages in Ethiopia
Get PDFThis research has been undertaken to assess the empirical implications of the ruling political ideology, since 2018, on the endeavors of protecting cultural heritage in Ethiopia. The study employed critical reviews of the grand-development projects emphasizing the impacts of reconstruction/reestablishment interventions on heritages. Longitudinal data of cases has been collected using site observations and key informant interviews to analyze the status & impacts of interventions. A cross-sectional in-depth interview with key informants and site observation at the Monasteries of lake Tana was undertaken, besides the case follow-up of Heritage houses in Addis Ababa. In both research contexts the assessment uncovered the same pattern of events that destroyed heritages. Heritage houses & items that memorize the monarchical era and the Orthodox Christianity are beleaguered intervention contexts. The construction projects entirely changed their context and features, erasing their cultural and historical background. It is asserted that Oromumma is a political & sociocultural ideology that erases existing features to lay its foundations on a scratch. In the case of the island Monasteries, frescoes are found to be dilapidated because of renovation deprivation. The style of painting and the raw materials used to make the paint for making these frescoes in the medieval era is not available anymore. Hence, discussions with heritage owners and expert opinions commend consideration of revitalizing the ancient knowledge of making and curating frescoes in the academic curriculum to produce capable human power
Understanding the Nitty-Gritty of Up-to-Date of Pakistan’s Customs Act, 1969
Get PDFPakistan’s Customs Act, 1969 was enacted consolidating and amending the various laws on Customs. There are mainly six methods of valuation of goods including transaction value method, identical goods method, similar goods method, deductive methods, computed method and fall back method. Under Section 79 of the Act, Goods Declaration is filed duly supported by various documents for assessment of leviable duty and taxes. In case of misdeclaration, untrue statement or error etc. section 32 comes into play. Search Warrant is to be obtained by the Gazetted Officer of Customs from the Judicial Magistrate to recover the secreted goods under Section 162 of the Act, Seizure of things liable to confiscation is made under Section 168 of the Act. Section 156 provides the scope of offence(s), nature of breach and penalty thereof. Section 187 of the Act fixes initial burden of proof upon the person involved, which may be rebutted by the Customs authorities. The purpose of adjudication includes confiscation of goods, recovery of duty and other taxes not levied or short levied, recovery of erroneously refunded amount and imposition of fine. An option to fine in lieu of confiscation of goods can be given under Section 181 of the Act. The pecuniary power of adjudication is provided under Section 179 of the Act, whereas there are Appellate forums available in the form of Collector Appeals, Customs Appellate Tribunal and High Court. In addition to this, another mechanism under Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) is available under Section 195-C of the Act. In case of commission of cognizable offence, a FIR is lodged and a Special Judge takes cognizance of the offence(s) under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1989. An appeal or Revision can be filed before the Court having the Powers High Court. The main challenge before the Customs is determination of value of goods paid or payable in relation to the item being valued. In case inaccurate value, either it is the business class who suffers or the state’s fiscal interests are jeopardized on account of lack of requisite capacity of the Customs Officer to successfully address the issue of value of goods and pass the buck onto the importer for charging misdeclaration and a lengthy process of adjudication is initiated against the importer and exporter as well as Clearing Agent as this value holds good for the imposition of Sales Tax, Income Tax and Federal Excise duty
Covid-19 and the Clash of Narratives: From Cold War to End of Time (1989-2023)
Get PDFThis paper discusses the impact of Covid-19 on Islamist narratives of end time scenarios that predict the annihilation of a corrupted world and its ultimate replacement by a world order based exclusively on Islam. It does this against the backdrop of Islam’s antagonistic relationship with the West, particularly from the ending of the Cold War in the early 1990s to the present day, a relationship conducted within the shadow of the US’s attempts to establish a new world order based exclusively on its own values and interests. In the light of the contrary predictions of Francis Fukuyama that the resulting Pax Americana will bring a century of peace and S. P. Huntington a century of conflict, the paper goes on to examine the vastly different world views of the United States on the one hand and Al Qaeda and Islamic State on the other and how they envisage the future unfolding. What the paper shows is that the advent of Covid-19 has served not only to convince traditional Islamic Scholars that Al Mahama, the great battle at the end of time, is well on the way and may even have started, but also to make Muslims in the streets more receptive to such a doomsday message
Black Women Reporting and Seeking Help for Sexual Assault: A Call for Action
Get PDFBlack women in America have historically been victims of oppression, racism, and sexual assault. This victimization can be traced as far back as the forced immigration to America in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Forced travel bondage on slave ships highlights the institutionalized pattern, not only of their suffering from repeated rape, but also logs their victimized sufferings in silence that they had to endure then and continue to endure in 21st century contemporary America. Black women have been socialized intergenerationally to respond in a specific manner similar to the female slaves who endured rape from ship crew members during their long voyage to the Americas. Even after slavery was legally abolished in 1865, Black women continued to endure victimizations not only due to their gender, but also due to discrimination, classism, perceptions regarding their sexuality, racism, and fear. These intersectional factors cause Black women to have become unique experiences at the hands of rapists. Thus, Black women have unique experiences as victims of rape than other individuals who are also rape victims. Any discussion of Black women and rape must be placed in a sociohistorical framework. The purpose of this article is to revisit historical underpinnings about the rape of Black women in a socialized manner that continues to hinder a silent, nonactive role, and in some instances denial of being a victim of rape. The aim is to sensitize, stimulate, and motivate action by increasing social work classroom discussions about the topic, increasing research in the area of rape of Black women utilizing an intersectional approach reviewing factors that are unique to Black women, and providing more information as a resource to enhance community awareness. Effective intervention strategies are also delineated
Effect of Camphor Incorporation on the Material and Antibacterial Properties of Soy Protein Isolate Films
Get PDFSeeking for green alternatives to synthetic plastics, soy protein based plastics are becoming quite a popular choice. Soy protein isolate (SPI) is a plant derived protein that holds fair film forming abilities. It demonstrates evenness of film surface, decent tensile strength and interacts easily with a wide range of additives. Additives are generally added to improve the material properties and antibacterial nature of the film. In this study, we have explored the effect of camphor incorporation on the material properties and overall performance of the film. SPI based films (having 7% SPI (w/v)) were prepared by solution casting method. The concentration of camphor was varied from 0.5 to 3% w/w of 7% SPI. The films prepared by camphor addition were characterized for their transmittance, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and mechanical properties. The FTIR spectra confirm the incorporation of camphor as a major change in the band intensity was seen compared to neat films. However, camphor addition made the films hydrophilic and a noticeable decrease in the tensile strength was seen. The water vapour transmission rate increased upon camphor addition as compared to neat SPI films. Nevertheless, camphor- SPI film was stable as very minimum leaching occurred during the study. Unlike the neat camphor solution (1-3% w/v), the camphor modified SPI films didn’t exhibit antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli. Camphor was seen to significantly increase the antioxidant properties of SPI films
Principle of Choice of Customs Procedure in EU Customs Traffic
Get PDFThe research topic of the article focuses on the analysis of the principle of choosing a customs procedure in EU customs trade, which is of a normative nature. It is also the basic method of dealing with goods. In addition to the general legal principles constituting this principle, the article discusses the principle of freedom of trade in goods abroad; the principle of equal treatment of entities; the principle of equal treatment of goods; the principle of universality of customs duties and customs fees; the principle of universal access to information on customs law; the principle of non-revokability of the customs declaration. The conditions for export and import customs procedures were also discussed
Variations of Physiological Parameters and HSP70 and HSP90 Polymorphisms in Water Buffaloes in Taiwan During Cool and Warm Season
Get PDFBackground: This study examined the physiological parameters of water buffaloes in Taiwan in the cool (February) and warm (August) seasons of 2020 and 2021.
Methods: Data was collected for a study in February, August 2020, and 2021. The ambitious temperature, humidity, water buffaloes’ rectal temperature (RT), and respiratory rate (RR) were recorded. The plasma expression levels of heat-shock protein (HSP)70 and HSP90 were examined using an ELISA kit. Furthermore, the HSP70 and HSP90 fragment genetic sequence variations were analyzed using the PCR method and MEGA6 software.
Results: The results revealed that in the warm season, the rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR), and heat tolerance coefficient (HTC) were significantly higher compared to the cool season (all P < 0.05). Additionally, the temperature-humidity index (THI) had moderate to high correlations with RT (0.518), RR (0.744), and HTC (0.757). Plasma HSP70 expression levels were higher in the warm season than in the cool season (P < 0.05). The genetic sequences of HSP70 and HSP90 fragments were compared, and five single-nucleotide variation (SNV) sites were identified. However, each genotype showed no significant physiological difference between the cool and warm seasons.
Conclusion: Temperature and humidity changes in Taiwan had a significant correlation with the physical condition of water buffaloes. This information can be valuable in improving the living conditions of these animals, leading to better animal welfare. Additionally, the HSP70 and HSP90 gene variations in water buffaloes in Taiwan could be used as a reference for future research on breeding and identifying molecular markers