Development of hemp hurd particleboards from formaldehyde-free resins

Low density of hemp hurd (Cannabis Sativa L), better end of life impact, performance comparable to wood chips and low energy requirement for cultivation make it a suitable alternative raw material for particleboards (Pb). However, due to concerns about sustainability and formaldehyde emissions, it is essential to develop the new bio-based resins from renewable resources. In this research, the mechanical and physical properties of Pb produced from hemp hurds (HH) and a variety of resins: Urea-formaldehyde (UF), formaldehyde-free acrylic resin (Acrodur®) and bio-based soy resin (Soyad™) were compared to those of wood particles (WP) bonded with UF. The results indicate that boards from HH are generally lighter than WP with a 5.6% variation between HH+UF and WP+UF. Hemp boards based on soy-resin showed higher tensile performance, with an average of 0.43 MPa compared to the 0.28 MPa and 0.24 MPa of (HH+UF) and (WP+UF) respectively. Nevertheless, thickness swelling (TS) of HH+UF (27%) was the least, while there was no significant difference in the water absorption (WA) compared to HH+Soyad4740, both were still lower than that of WP+UF. The overall outcome shows that bio-based soy resin can be a suitable alternative to UF as a binder in Pb production

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PHYTATE CONTENT OF GMELINA ARBOREA SEEDS.

Studies were conducted on the proximate composition, mineral constituents and phytate contents present in the seeds of Gmelina arborea. The values obtained for protein, fat, fibre, ash and carbohydrate ranged as follows (%) 7.25 - 9.53, 5.35 - 8.32, 3.22 - 7.14, 2.03 - 3.28 and 82.15 - 71.73 in dehulled and hulled seeds respectively. Ca and Mg were the abundant minerals in both samples. All other minerals were relatively low. The levels of phytate were generally high and the seeds had over 50% of their total phosphorous linked to phytate. It is also hoped that if these seeds are adequately processed, they would be good for nutritional purposes especially as livestock feed

Economic inequality in malnutrition: a global systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To describe the evidence on global and regional economic inequality in malnutrition, and the associations between economic inequality and malnutrition. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Between 1 November 2020 and 22 January 2021, we searched Medline, Embase, Global Health, Eldis, Web of Science and EBSCO Discovery Service. We contacted 39 experts and tracked citations. We included any study reporting a concentration index (CIX) relating economic status and nutritional status and any multilevel study reporting an association between economic inequality and nutritional status. Nutritional status was measured as stunting, wasting, anaemia, or overweight in children (<5 years), or underweight, overweight or obesity, or anaemia in adults (15–49 years). We had no study date or language restriction. Quality was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS tool). We mapped estimates and pooled them using multilevel random-effects meta-analyses. Results: From 6185 results, 91 studies provided 426 CIX (>2.9 million people) and 47 associations (~3.9 million people). Stunting (CIX −0.15 (95% CI −0.19 to −0.11)) and wasting (−0.03 (95% CI −0.05 to −0.02)) are concentrated among poor households. Adult overweight and obesity is concentrated in wealthier households (0.08 (95% CI −0.00 to 0.17)), particularly in South Asia (0.26 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.34)), but not in Europe and Central Asia (−0.02 (95% CI −0.08 to 0.05)) or North America (−0.04 (95% CI −0.10 to 0.03)). We found no association between 0.1 increase in Gini coefficient and adult underweight (OR 1.03 (95% CI 0.94 to 1.12)) or overweight and obesity (0.92 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.05)). Conclusions: There is good evidence that the prevalence of malnutrition varies by levels of absolute economic status. Undernutrition is concentrated in poor households, whereas concentration of overweight and obesity by economic status depends on region, and we lack information on economic inequalities in anaemia and child overweight. In contrast, links between malnutrition and relative economic status are less clear and should not be assumed; robust evidence on causal pathways is needed. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020201572

Influence of maturity stage on nutritive value of typha for ruminants

The study evaluated the influence of maturity on the nutritive value and fermentation parameters of Typha. Typha samples were collected at two different stages of growth, as indicated by the height of the plants: either 0.5 m (Low Typha; LT, age 3-6months) or 1.5 m (High Typha; HT, age 9-12 months). Samples were analyzed for chemical composition, and incubated in vitro with ruminal fluid from sheep to determine the main fermentation parameters. As maturity advanced, the dry matter, fiber and lignin content (25.30%, 70.40%, 47.30% and 10.58%) in the Typha increased, whereas the content of ashes and protein (12.18% and 12.24%) decreases. The changes in chemical composition caused a significant reduction in both the in vitro ruminal degradability after 96 h of incubation (38.6 and 22.9% for LT and HT, respectively) and the production of volatile fatty acids after 24 h of incubation (6.08 and 5.87 mmol/g dry matter incubated), indicating that the nutritive value of the Typha declines with advancing maturity. The results indicate that Typha plants for ruminant feeding should be preferably harvested at early growth stages

Beyond Prejudice as Simple Antipathy: Hostile and Benevolent Sexism Across Cultures

The authors argue that complementary hostile and benevolent componen:s of sexism exist ac ro.ss cultures. Male dominance creates hostile sexism (HS). but men's dependence on women fosters benevolent sexism (BS)-subjectively positive attitudes that put women on a pedestal but reinforce their subordination. Research with 15,000 men and women in 19 nations showed that (a) HS and BS are coherenl constructs th at correlate positively across nations, but (b) HS predicts the ascription of negative and BS the ascription of positive traits to women, (c) relative to men, women are more likely to reject HS than BS. especially when overall levels of sexism in a culture are high, and (d) national averages on BS and HS predict gender inequal ity across nations. These results challenge prevailing notions of prejudice as an antipathy in that BS (an affectionate, patronizing ideology) reflects inequality and is a cross-culturally pervasive complement to HS

Sociocultural Differences in Self- Construal and Subjective Well-Being: A Test of Four Cultural Models

In this study, the authors tested four cultural models—independence, interdependence, conflict, and integration—that describe the hypothesized relationships between dimensions of self-construal and components of subjective well-being among individualistic and collectivistic countries. Collectivistic countries that have undergone rapid socioeconomic changes (i.e., East Asian countries) and those with limited changes (i.e., African countries) were differentiated. Participants were 791 university students from four Western countries, 749 university students from three East Asian countries, and 443 university students from three African countries. Findings provided some support for the applicability of (a) the independence model to individuals from Western countries and (b) the integration model to individuals from East Asian countries. Mixed results were found among the African countries. The interdependence model is more applicable to African participants from the sub-Saharan region, but the integration model is more applicable to those from the North African region

miR-16 family induces cell cycle arrest by regulating multiple cell cycle genes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small regulatory RNAs that are thought to be involved in diverse biological processes by regulating gene expression. Numerous miRNAs have been identified in various species, and many more miRNAs remain to be detected. Generally, hundreds of mRNAs have been predicted to be potential targets of one miRNA, so it is a great challenge to identify the genuine miRNA targets. Here, we generated the cell lines depleted of Drosha protein and screened dozens of transcripts (including Cyclin D1) regulated potentially by miRNA-mediated RNA silencing pathway. On the basis of miRNA expressing library, we established a miRNA targets reverse screening method by using luciferase reporter assay. By this method, we found that the expression of Cyclin D1 (CCND1) was regulated by miR-16 family directly, and miR-16 induced G1 arrest in A549 cells partially by CCND1. Furthermore, several other cell cycle genes were revealed to be regulated by miR-16 family, including Cyclin D3 (CCND3), Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) and CDK6. Taken together, our data suggests that miR-16 family triggers an accumulation of cells in G0/G1 by silencing multiple cell cycle genes simultaneously, rather than the individual target

Caffeine as a tool for investigating the integration of Cdc25 phosphorylation, activity and ubiquitin-dependent degradation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The evolutionarily conserved Cdc25 phosphatase is an essential protein that removes inhibitory phosphorylation moieties on the mitotic regulator Cdc2. Together with the Wee1 kinase, a negative regulator of Cdc2 activity, Cdc25 is thus a central regulator of cell cycle progression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The expression and activity of Cdc25 is dependent on the activity of the Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1). TORC1 inhibition leads to the activation of Cdc25 and repression of Wee1, leading to advanced entry into mitosis. Withdrawal of nitrogen leads to rapid Cdc25 degradation via the ubiquitin- dependent degradation pathway by the Pub1 E3- ligase. Caffeine is believed to mediate the override of DNA damage checkpoint signalling, by inhibiting the activity of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/Rad3 homologues. This model remains controversial, as TORC1 appears to be the preferred target of caffeine in vivo. Recent studies suggest that caffeine induces DNA damage checkpoint override by inducing the nuclear accumulation of Cdc25 in S. pombe. Caffeine may thus modulate Cdc25 activity and stability via inhibition of TORC1. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms by which caffeine stabilises Cdc25, may provide novel insights into how TORC1 and DNA damage signalling is integrated