EFFECT OF LOCAL PRESERVATIVES ‘ABAFE’ (Piliostigma thonningii) AND ‘AGEHU’ (Khaya ivorensis) LEAVES ON THE PASTING PROPERTY OF TRADITIONAL DRY-YAM (GBODO)

The effect of local preservatives ‘abafe’ (Piliostigma thonningii) and ‘agehu’ (Khaya ivorensis) leaves on the pasting property of traditional dry-yam (gbodo) was studied. During the production of dry-yam, yams were treated with varied quantities of fresh and dried leaves, used singly and or combined form respectively while the untreated yam served as the control.  The samples were milled into flour respectively and analysed for pasting characteristics.  Although there were significant differences (p<0.05) in the paste viscosities of the treated samples compared with the untreated sample, the values (especially for peak and final viscosities) obtained were all higher than the values reported in the literature for the dry-yam.  The peak, trough and final viscosities decreased while the breakdown and the setback values increased as the levels of treatments were increased.  Sample treated with 10g of dried  abafe leaves (D-AB10-Y) had the highest peak and final viscosities as 418.67 RVU and 498.50 RVU respectively while lowest  peak and final viscosities were 300.83 RVU for CF50-Y and 376.10 RVU for  D-AG50-Y respectively. &nbsp

Effect of Storage on Microbial and Sensory Qualities of Packaged Yam-Cassava “Poundo” Flour

Microbial load and Sensory quality of packaged yam-cassava poundo flour during storage were studied. Yam flour (YF) and cassava flour (CF) were mixed at different proportions to produce yam-cassava poundo flour and packaged using High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene sack (PP) respectively.  The samples were HDPE 100%YF, HDPE 90%YF: 10%CF, HDPE 85%YF: 15%CF, HDPE 80%YF: 20%CF and 100%YF, 90%YF: 10%CF, 85%YF: 15%CF and 80%YF: 20%CF. The samples were stored at ambient temperature (32 ± 2oC) and relative humidity (76 ± 3%) for 24 weeks and were subjected to microbiological and sensory tests at 4 weeks interval. Results showed that the total plate count of sample (80% YF: 20%CF) packaged in HDPE was the lowest (4.9 x 104 cfu/g) while that of sample (100% YF) packaged in PP was the highest (9.4 x 104 cfu/g) at the end of the storage period. Fungal counts increased in all the packaged samples, as storage period increased. The lowest fungal counts (3.7 x 104sfu/g) were recorded in HDPE 80%YF: 20%CF, this is significantly different  (p<0.05) from the value obtained in PP 100% YF which was the highest fungal counts obtained (9.6 x 104sfu/g). A bacterial species (Bacillus subtilis) and two fungal species (Aspergillus niger and Fusarium solani) were isolated and enumerated. Data obtained from sensory test (colour, aroma, texture and overall acceptability) decreased throughout the storage period but 80%YF: 20%CF packaged in HDPE was more acceptable. The findings of this study indicate that yam-cassava poundo flour from the blend of 80%YF: 20%CF packaged in HDPE is less susceptible to microbes and more acceptable in terms of sensory qualities during a storage period of 24 weeks. &nbsp

Adaptive walks on time-dependent fitness landscapes

The idea of adaptive walks on fitness landscapes as a means of studying evolutionary processes on large time scales is extended to fitness landscapes that are slowly changing over time. The influence of ruggedness and of the amount of static fitness contributions are investigated for model landscapes derived from Kauffman's $NK$ landscapes. Depending on the amount of static fitness contributions in the landscape, the evolutionary dynamics can be divided into a percolating and a non-percolating phase. In the percolating phase, the walker performs a random walk over the regions of the landscape with high fitness.Comment: 7 pages, 6 eps-figures, RevTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Effect of variety and processing method on functional properties of traditional sweet potato flour (“elubo”) and sensory acceptability of cooked paste (“amala”)

“Amala” is a generic term in Nigeria, used to describe a thick paste prepared by stirring flour (“elubo”) from yam, cassava or unripe plantain, in hot water, to form a smooth consistency. In order to overcome its high perishability and increase the utilization of sweet potato roots, three varieties of sweet potato roots were processed into flour using two methods. The interactive effect of variety and the processing method had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on all the functional properties of the flour except yellowness, setback viscosity, and peak time. Acceptable sweet potato “amala” with average sensory acceptability score of 7.5 were obtained from yellow-fleshed varieties irrespective of the processing method. Flour that produced acceptable “amala” were characterized by lower values of protein (2.20–3.94%), fiber (1.30–1.65%), total sugar (12.41–38.83 lg/mg), water absorption capacity (168–215 g/100 g), water solubility (8.29–14.65%), swelling power (0.52–0.82 g/g), and higher peak time (6.9–8.7 min)

Effect of water yam (Dioscorea alata) flour fortified with distillers spent grain on nutritional, chemical, and functional properties

It was envisaged that the inclusion of treated distiller ’ s spent grain ( DSG ) to yam fl our might increase its nutritional value, with the aim of reducing nutritional diseases in communities consuming yam as a staple. Hence, yam fl our was fortifi ed with DSG at 5–35%. The effects of this fortifi cation on the nutritional, chemical, and functional properties of yam fl our were investigated. The result showed a signifi cant increase ( P 0.001) in fat, ash, protein, total amino acids, total dietary fi ber, and insoluble dietary fi ber contents of the blends as DSG increased except for starch and soluble dietary fi ber contents, which decreased. The functional properties showed a signifi cant ( P 0.001) reduction with DSG inclusion. The inclusion of DSG increased both the tryptophan and methionine contents of the blends. Therefore, the DSG fortifi ed yam fl our could contribute to quality protein intake in populations consuming yam as a staple, due to its indispensible amino acid content

Multi-trait analysis characterizes the genetics of thyroid function and identifies causal associations with clinical implications

To date only a fraction of the genetic footprint of thyroid function has been clarified. We report a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of thyroid function in up to 271,040 individuals of European ancestry, including reference range thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free and total triiodothyronine (T3), proxies for metabolism (T3/FT4 ratio) as well as dichotomized high and low TSH levels. We revealed 259 independent significant associations for TSH (61% novel), 85 for FT4 (67% novel), and 62 novel signals for the T3 related traits. The loci explained 14.1%, 6.0%, 9.5% and 1.1% of the total variation in TSH, FT4, total T3 and free T3 concentrations, respectively. Genetic correlations indicate that TSH associated loci reflect the thyroid function determined by free T3, whereas the FT4 associations represent the thyroid hormone metabolism. Polygenic risk score and Mendelian randomization analyses showed the effects of genetically determined variation in thyroid function on various clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. In conclusion, our results improve the understanding of thyroid hormone physiology and highlight the pleiotropic effects of thyroid function on various diseases.</p

Improving Decision-Making for Population Health in Nonhealth Sectors in Urban Environments: the Example of the Transportation Sector in Three Megacities—the 3-D Commission.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant global public health burden. As more countries experience both epidemiologic transition and increasing urbanization, it is clear that we need approaches to mitigate the growing burden of NCDs. Large and growing urban environments play an important role in shaping risk factors that influence NCDs, pointing to the ineluctable need to engage sectors beyond the health sector in these settings if we are to improve health. By way of one example, the transportation sector plays a critical role in building and sustaining health outcomes in urban environments in general and in megacities in particular. We conducted a qualitative comparative case study design. We compared Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) policies in 3 megacities-Lagos (Africa), Bogotá (South America), and Beijing (Asia). We examined the extent to which data on the social determinants of health, equity considerations, and multisectoral approaches were incorporated into local politics and the decision-making processes surrounding BRT. We found that all three megacities paid inadequate attention to health in their agenda-setting, despite having considerable healthy transportation policies in principle. BRT system policies have the opportunity to improve lifestyle choices for NCDs through a focus on safe, affordable, and effective forms of transportation. There are opportunities to improve decision-making for health by involving more available data for health, building on existing infrastructures, building stronger political leadership and commitments, and establishing formal frameworks to improve multisectoral collaborations within megacities. Future research will benefit from addressing the political and bureaucratic processes of using health data when designing public transportation services, the political and social obstacles involved, and the cross-national lessons that can be learned from other megacities

A Tale of Two Markets: How Lower-end Borrowers Are Punished for Bank Regulatory Failures in Nigeria

In 2009, the Nigerian banking system witnessed a financial crisis caused by elite borrowers in the financial market. Regulatory response to the Nigerian crisis closely mirrored the international response with increased capital and liquidity thresholds for commercial banks. While the rise of consumer protection on the agenda of prudential supervisors internationally was logical in that consumer debt was the main cause of the global recession, the Nigerian banking reforms of 2009 disproportionately affected access by poorer consumers, who ironically had little to do with the underlying causes of the crisis. As lending criteria become more stringent, poorer consumers of credit products are pushed into informal markets because of liquidity-induced credit rationing. Overall, consumer protection is compromised because stronger consumer protection rules for the formal sector benefits borrowers from formal institutions who constitute the minority of borrowers in all markets. While the passage of regulation establishing credit bureaux and the National Collateral Registry will, in theory, ease access to credit especially by lower-end borrowers, the vast size of the informal market continues to compound the information asymmetry problem, fiscal policies to tackle structural economic issues such as unemployment and illiteracy remain to be initiated, and bank regulators continue to pander to elite customers with policy responses that endorse too big to fail but deems lower-end consumers too irrelevant to save. The essay concluded that addressing the wide disparity in access to credit between the rich and poor through property rights reforms to capture the capital of the informal class, promoting regulation to check loan concentration, and stimulating competition by allowing Telecommunication Companies (TELCOs) and fintech companies to carry on lending activities because of their superior knowledge of lower-end markets will facilitate greater access. The risk of systemic failure deriving from consumer credit in Nigeria is insignificant compared to the consumer vulnerabilities resulting from the exposure of consumers to unregulated products in the informal market

Multi-trait analysis characterizes the genetics of thyroid function and identifies causal associations with clinical implications

To date only a fraction of the genetic footprint of thyroid function has been clarified. We report a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of thyroid function in up to 271,040 individuals of European ancestry, including reference range thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free and total triiodothyronine (T3), proxies for metabolism (T3/FT4 ratio) as well as dichotomized high and low TSH levels. We revealed 259 independent significant associations for TSH (61% novel), 85 for FT4 (67% novel), and 62 novel signals for the T3 related traits. The loci explained 14.1%, 6.0%, 9.5% and 1.1% of the total variation in TSH, FT4, total T3 and free T3 concentrations, respectively. Genetic correlations indicate that TSH associated loci reflect the thyroid function determined by free T3, whereas the FT4 associations represent the thyroid hormone metabolism. Polygenic risk score and Mendelian randomization analyses showed the effects of genetically determined variation in thyroid function on various clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. In conclusion, our results improve the understanding of thyroid hormone physiology and highlight the pleiotropic effects of thyroid function on various diseases.</p

Integrating Social Determinants in Decision-Making Processes for Health: Insights from Conceptual Frameworks—the 3-D Commission.

The inclusion of social determinants of health offers a more comprehensive lens to fully appreciate and effectively address health. However, decision-makers across sectors still struggle to appropriately recognise and act upon these determinants, as illustrated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, improving the health of populations remains challenging. This paper seeks to draw insights from the literature to better understand decision-making processes affecting health and the potential to integrate data on social determinants. We summarised commonly cited conceptual approaches across all stages of the policy process, from agenda-setting to evaluation. Nine conceptual approaches were identified, including two frameworks, two models and five theories. From across the selected literature, it became clear that the context, the actors and the type of the health issue are critical variables in decision-making for health, a process that by nature is a dynamic and adaptable one. The majority of these conceptual approaches implicitly suggest a possible role for data on social determinants of health in decision-making. We suggest two main avenues to make the link more explicit: the use of data in giving health problems the appropriate visibility and credibility they require and the use of social determinants of health as a broader framing to more effectively attract the attention of a diverse group of decision-makers with the power to allocate resources. Social determinants of health present opportunities for decision-making, which can target modifiable factors influencing health-i.e. interventions to improve or reduce risks to population health. Future work is needed to build on this review and propose an improved, people-centred and evidence-informed decision-making tool that strongly and explicitly integrates data on social determinants of health