An overview on the Impact of Food Fraud Incidences in Various Countries and its Detection Methods, Assessment Techniques and Preventive Measures

Food fraud is not just a local issue but perhaps a global phenomenon. If the food available in the market are undetected or poorly controlled, this can harm consumer health. Food fraud causes a lack of traceability of supply chains and may eventually be a risk to food safety. The purpose of this paper is to acquaint the various types of food fraud and to evaluate the detection methods in identifying the adulterants. It also addresses the importance of vulnerability assessment of food fraud and key actions required for its prevention. Fighting food fraud will remain a race between the fraudsters and scientists developing new methods to prevent them. The review is unique that it summarized food fraud types, basic and instrument-based detection techniques for adulterants identification and it also focuses on the international governing bodies concerned with food laws and regulations. This study also provides perceptions of the interplay between vulnerability assessment and food fraud prevention

Highly efficient, perfect, large angular and ultrawideband solar energy absorber for UV to MIR range

Although different materials and designs have been tried in search of the ideal as well as ultrawideband light absorber, achieving ultra-broadband and robust unpolarized light absorption over a wide angular range has proven to be a major issue. Light-field regulation capabilities provided by optical metamaterials are a potential new technique for perfect absorbers. It is our goal to design and demonstrate an ultra-wideband solar absorber for the ultraviolet to a mid-infrared region that has an absorptivity of TE/TM light of 96.2% on average. In the visible, NIR, and MIR bands of the solar spectrum, the absorbed energy is determined to be over 97.9%, above 96.1%, and over 95%, respectively under solar radiation according to the Air Mass Index 1.5 (AM1.5) spectrum investigation. In order to achieve this wideband absorption, the TiN material ground layer is followed by the SiO2 layer, and on top of that, a Cr layer with patterned Ti-based resonators of circular and rectangular multiple patterns. More applications in integrated optoelectronic devices could benefit from the ideal solar absorber’s strong absorption, large angular responses, and scalable construction

Endovascular Management of Traumatic Iliac Vessel Disruption—Report of Two Cases

AbstractVascular injuries in a multi-trauma patient are associated with significant cardiovascular instability and organ injury. Injuries with active bleeding are best treated with a quick, safe and the least less invasive procedure available to the trauma surgeon. We report two cases of blunt trauma induced common and external iliac vessel injury, managed by endovascular treatment. In the second case, endovascular treatment prevented histological examination of the artery, which would have revealed an alternative diagnosis

Low Fatigue Response of Crest-Fixed Cold-Formed Steel Drape Curved Roof Claddings

Cold-formed steel roof claddings are subjected to significant suction/uplift pressures during high wind events. In New Zealand, the strong prevailing winds makes this a common occurrence. Suction pressures are generated by the turbulence of the wind flow around the building which can vary both spatially and temporally. The weakest link in the roofing system is the connection between roof sheeting and screw fasteners, which if fails, can lead to progressive collapse of the whole roofing assembly. Fluctuating high wind suction pressures can result in either static or fatigue pull-through failure of the roof sheeting at its screw fastener connections. Current literature has covered the static and fatigue wind uplift performance of crest-fixed corrugated and trapezoidal roof claddings. However, no research has been undertaken to understand the wind uplift performance of the typical crest-fixed cold-formed steel drape curved roof claddings used in New Zealand. This issue is addressed herein. In total, 35 large scale experimental tests are presented for crest-fixed drape curved steel roof claddings subjected to static and cyclic wind suction/uplift loads applied using a Pressure Loading Actuator. The material properties of claddings were determined using tensile coupon tests while the initial geometric imperfections of claddings were measured using a laser scanner. The critical fastener reactions were determined using a three axis load cell. Crack initiation, propagation of cracks, crack patterns and the number of load cycles to failure are discussed for such claddings under different load levels. Tests showed that the drape curved roof claddings are also subjected to localised dimpling and pull-through failures at their screw connections under static and cyclic wind uplift loads with the occurrence of low cycle fatigue failures under cyclic loading

Status of woolly aphid Ceratovacuna lanigera and establishment of the parasitoid Encarsia flavoscutellum in sugarcane germplasm

Woolly aphid Ceratovacuna lanigera Zehntner (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a native of north-eastern India, appeared in the world sugarcane germplasm maintained at the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute Research Center (ICAR-SBIRC), Kannur, Kerala State, India, first in 2004. The aphid colonized Indian hybrids and accessions of Saccharum officinarum, Saccharum sinense, Saccharum robustum and Saccharum barberi in the first year of occurrence and every year thereafter. Early detection and spot application of insecticide were adopted to manage the aphid and protect germplasm. Soap solution was applied in the later years to conserve the predators Dipha aphidivora Metrics (Lepidoptera:Pyralidae) and Micromus sp. (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae) that occurred intermittently. The parasitoid Encarsia flavoscutellum Zehntner (Hymenoptera: Aphelenidae) maintained at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu State, India, was released in the germplasm thrice, i.e. in January 2009, November 2014 and June 2015. Post-release, E. flavoscutellum parasitism was detected first during April-June 2015 at low levels (2.0- 3.5%). Clear-cut evidence of establishment was witnessed during September-October 2021 when aphids showed a high 27.0% parasitism. Since E. flavoscutellum was found to regulate populations of woolly aphid wherever it established, it is expected to reach similar equilibrium with the aphid in the germplasm, D. aphidivora and Micromus sp. playing a complementary role at high aphid densities. However, continuous monitoring of aphid and natural enemies, and use of safer emergency control measures would go a long way in maintaining the germplasm free from woolly aphid

Optimizing thermal properties and heat transfer in 3D biochar-embedded organic phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Enhancing the thermal properties and light-absorbing capabilities of phase change materials (PCMs) through the utilization of environmentally friendly, economically viable biochar materials is pivotal for optimizing solar energy capture and utilization. Herewith, initially, a green, three-dimensional, eco-friendly carbon nano inclusion is synthesized from Prosopis juliflora through vacuum oven carbonization at 130 °C, followed by size reduction via ball milling, promising high-impact contributions. Subsequently, green-synthesized nano-inclusions are dispersed in PEG-1000, creating advanced nano-enhanced phase change materials with improved thermo-physical properties using a two-step ultrasonication technique for enhanced thermal conductivity. This innovative study comprehensively explores the morphological behaviour, chemical stability, optical absorptivity, thermal properties, and reliability of the PEG-PJ composite. Remarkably, present research revealed that the composite achieved its highest thermal conductivity, an impressive 0.49 W/m⋅K, at 0.7 wt% of 3-D (PJ) biochar. Notably, the melting temperatures of the PEG-PJ composites consistently ranged from 40.1 °C to 40.5 °C. At the same time, their latent heat capacities displayed a notable increase, ranging from 145 J/g to 152.7 J/g, marking a substantial enhancement of 3.968% and 1.758%, respectively. Furthermore, to confirm the reliability and consistency of experimental findings, 500 thermal cycles were performed. Additionally, a numerical analysis study is conducted by utilizing 2-D energy modelling software to simulate the heat transfer rate owing to the improved thermal conductivity of the developed PEG-PJ composite PCM compared to PEG-1000. In conclusion, developed composites optimize solar storage, improve building thermal control, and enhance industrial heat exchangers for sustainable innovation in energy

Identifying factors associated with sedentary time after stroke. Secondary analysis of pooled data from nine primary studies.

<p><b>Background</b>: High levels of sedentary time increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including recurrent stroke.</p> <p><b>Objective</b>: This study aimed to identify factors associated with high sedentary time in community-dwelling people with stroke.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: For this data pooling study, authors of published and ongoing trials that collected sedentary time data, using the activPAL monitor, in community-dwelling people with stroke were invited to contribute their raw data. The data was reprocessed, algorithms were created to identify sleep-wake time and determine the percentage of waking hours spent sedentary. We explored demographic and stroke-related factors associated with total sedentary time and time in uninterrupted sedentary bouts using unique, both univariable and multivariable, regression analyses.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: The 274 included participants were from Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and spent, on average, 69% (SD 12.4) of their waking hours sedentary. Of the demographic and stroke-related factors, slower walking speeds were significantly and independently associated with a higher percentage of waking hours spent sedentary (p = 0.001) and uninterrupted sedentary bouts of <i>>30</i> and <i>>60 min</i> (p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). Regression models explained 11–19% of the variance in total sedentary time and time in prolonged sedentary bouts.</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b>: We found that variability in sedentary time of people with stroke was largely unaccounted for by demographic and stroke-related variables. Behavioral and environmental factors are likely to play an important role in sedentary behavior after stroke. Further work is required to develop and test effective interventions to address sedentary behavior after stroke.</p

Cytological investigation on interspecific progenies of red fleshed Saccharum robustum

Saccharum robustum is one of the wild species and its chromosome number ranges from 2n =60 to 200. This group of S.robustum clones exhibit red flesh colour, robust growth and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In this study, 27 hybrid progenies developed from two polycrosses ‘involving’ red fleshed S.robustum clones were used as experimental material. The progenies were grouped into six categories based on the flesh colour and the cytological information was correlated. Six cytological groups were observed in the progenies. It was observed that all six progenies of NG 77-76 were of 2n=70 cytotype but among the progenies of NG 77-84, 57.1% were with 2n=70, 23.8% were with 2n=72 and the remaining four types were available in 0.83%. From this it is concluded that more cytotypes can be developed using NG 77-84 as female parent compared to NG 77-76. When the flesh colour was correlated with the diploid chromosome number, a significant negative correlation was observed. It is also inferred that the only one progeny having red flesh colour and 2n=60, might have developed as a result of un-intentional selfing

Optical absorptivity and thermal conductivity analysis of silver nanoparticle dispersed salt hydrate PCM

Thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCM) s are of notable technique towards improving the utilization of solar energy mix within the global energy consumption. Major problem with solar power is its intermittent nature. Phase change materials acts as a thermal battery to store thermal energy received from the sun, and use the same during absence of sun. In spite of numerous advantages PCM suffers due to low thermal conductivity and specifically organic PCMs are flammable in nature. In this particular research investigation, we choose inorganic salt hydrate PCM and disperse silver nanoparticle to enhance their thermal characteristics. Sodium phosphate dibasic dodecahydrate (SPDD) is the opted inorganic salt hydrate PCM. Silver nanoparticle dispersed SPDD PCM are prepared at different composition of SPDD-0.3Ag%, SPDD-0.5Ag% and SPDD-0.7 Ag% using a two-step water bath sonication process. The prepared samples are explored experimentally using FTIR spectroscopy and UV-VIS Spectroscopy to evaluate their chemical and optical absorptivity behavior. Thermal conductivity of the composite inorganic salt hydrate PCM are determined using numerical model available in the literature. Results ensure better optical absorptivity and thermal conductivity for the composite salt hydrate sample with higher concentration of silver nanoparticle. Prepared composite PCM are expected to enhance the thermal energy storage with significance to contribute towards sustainable development goal of clean and affordable energy

Validation of the Thai version of the family reported outcome measure (FROM-16)© to assess the impact of disease on the partner or family members of patients with cancer

© The Author(s). 2019Background: Cancer not only impairs a patient's physical and psychosocial functional behaviour, but also contributes to negative impact on family members' health related quality of life. Currently, there is an absence of a relevant tool in Thai with which to measure such impact. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16) in Thai cancer patients' family members. Methods: Thai version of FROM-16 was generated by interactive forward-backward translation process following standard guidelines. This was tested for psychometric properties including reliability and validity, namely content validity, concurrent validity, known group validity, internal consistency, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was examined by comparing the Thai FROM-16 version with the WHOQOL-BREF-THAI. Results: The internal consistency reliability was strong (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). A Negative moderate correlation between the Thai FROM-16 and WHOQOL-BREF-THAI was observed (r = - 0.4545, p < 0.00), and known group validity was proved by a statistically significant higher score in family members with high burden of care and insufficient income. The factor analysis supported both 3-factor and 2-factor loading model with slight difference when compared with the original version. Conclusions: The Thai FROM-16 showed good reliability and validity in Thai family members of patients with cancer. A slight difference in factor analysis results compared to the original version could be due to cross-culture application.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio